Who knew an innocent breakfast could be fatal?

A student at Huntington Beach High School in California had pancakes last week and it almost became fatal. His Mom, who is a registered nurse, made him pancakes for breakfast. She dropped him off at school, then headed to play tennis. She got a phone call from her son while on the court to hear he was having trouble breathing. She told him to go to the school nurse immediately and proceeded to call the school to alert them about her son. The nurse called the paramedics and an ambulance arrived in three minutes. The boy came very close to to loosing his life.

This is actually very common. Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores. The mold that forms in old mixes can be toxic! Throw away ALL OUTDATED pancake mix, Bisquick, brownie mixes, etc. you have in your home. Check this website to read another instance similar to this that happened in 2006.

Pecan-Maple Chicken

This pecan-maple chicken makes a pleasant change to the traditional chicken breast dinner. As the chicken cooks, the maple syrup seeps into the meat making every bite tender and juicy sweet. It's rich flavor of the maple and pecan sauce pares great with green vegetables. This is a great dinner option when you want to make something delicious, but you only have 20 minutes to spare.

Pecan-Maple Chicken
Serves 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup pecan halves

• In a 12-inch non-stick skillet, melt butter with salt over medium heat.
• Cook chicken in butter for 1 to 2 minutes, turning once, until brown.
• Stir in maple syrup and pecans.
• Cook 8 to 10 minutes.

Broadcast news clip of woman with interstitial cystitis

CBS in Atlanta recently did a news report on a woman who suffers from interstitial cystitis. Kim Waitz has an extreme case of IC, and the disease has completely changed her life. The news clip has a lot of good information about interstitial cystitis and can answer a lot of basic questions.



For more information on interstitial cystitis from this news source, check out their Web site here.

Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti

This pasta dish is light, healthy and full of flavor. The assortment of vegetables leaves this scrumptious meal packed full of nutrients. You can customize this plate by using your own favorite greens; the only limit is your creativity.

Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti
Serves 4-6


1 package of spaghetti
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced leeks
2 medium carrots (1 cup)
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium squash, sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 tsp. chopped basil leaves
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

• Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package
• Meanwhile, in a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and leeks, then add carrots, leeks, zucchini, squash and sugar snap peas, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese; cook until hot. Serve vegetable mixture over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese.

Sesame Buttered Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the healthiest veggies you can eat. This green is packed full of vitamin C and one ounce of broccoli has more calcium than a glass of milk. See this article posted on CNN.com for all the terrific health benefits of eating broccoli. This delicious broccoli dish I prepared is light and nutritious and pares great with a fillet of fish.

Sesame Buttered Broccoli

Serves 4

1 lb of frozen broccoli flowerettes

2 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. Bragg's liquid aminos

1 tsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. seasame oil

• In a 2-quart saucepan, heat 1 inch of water to boiling. Add broccoli and boil uncovered for 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Dain well and return to saucepan.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stire remaining ingredients until well mixed. Pour butter mixture over hot broccoli and toss to coat.