Arkansas Older Blind Project

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Cold and flu season is upon us. What a better cure than Chicken Soup!

Canned chicken soup has nothing on this delicious chicken soup recipe. Chicken and hearty vegetables come together to make a chicken soup the whole family will love. It's sure to become one of your go-to recipes on cold days when chicken soup is what you crave.

Ingredients

8 ounces carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 3 carrots)
6 ounces celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 5 large stalks)
1/4 small onion, peeled and root end intact
2 large sprigs parsley, plus 1/4 cup chopped leaves
2 large sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces wide egg noodles (about 4 cups)
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Toss the carrots and celery together in the slow cooker. Add the onion, sprigs parsley, thyme, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt.

2. Rub the chicken thighs all over, including under the skin, with 1 teaspoon salt total, and put them on top of the vegetables. Add the chicken broth. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the chicken and stir in the noodles.

3. While the noodles cook, remove and discard the chicken skin and bones and shred the chicken-it will mostly fall apart on its own. When the noodles are done, turn off the cooker, remove the parsley and thyme stems, and add the shredded chicken and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste, and add more lemon juice and salt as needed. Stir in a good amount of pepper and the chopped parsley, and serve hot.

www.foodnetwork.com

Hack Your Cough

How to recognize winter’s secret danger — and how to get it off your chest

Most of us come down with some kind of cough every winter, and over the years we’ve learned to live with this. But a cough that lasts more than two weeks — or is accompanied by a high fever, shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing up blood — needs prompt attention, particularly during the winter months, when influenza is rampant. With age, our immune defenses weaken and subtle physiological changes in our lungs make us more susceptible to illnesses.
"As you get older, it’s more likely a winter cough is something bad,” says David Beuther, M.D., chief medical information officer at National Jewish Health in Denver, a leading respiratory hospital. After age 65, there’s an increased risk for serious complications from the flu — such as pneumonia, heart inflammation, kidney failure or sepsis. Up to 70 percent of people hospitalized for wintertime flus are 65 and older, and this age group suffers 85 percent of flu-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yet as Sonntag’s case shows, you can run into these problems at an even younger age. Today Sonntag advises friends to always wash their hands — and even shower and change their clothes — after visiting a hospital or nursing home, where he thinks he picked up his bug. “It sounds extreme, though I believe it’s helpful,” he says. He’s up to date on his pneumonia vaccines and gets the flu vaccine every year. “I never really considered getting any shots prior to this health emergency, but I am a firm believer in them now,” he adds. “Nobody should go through something like what I went through.” In addition to those precautions, it helps to fully understand what your winter cough might mean — and when to see a physician.

What's Ailing You?

Common Cold
What it feels like: A sore throat and runny nose, followed by up to 10 days of coughing and sneezing.
It could be: A common cold - basically a viral infection that's spread through the air, from shaking hands or by touching a surface such as a doorknob that has viruses on it, then touching your eyes, mouth or nose.
What to do: Get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Over-the-Counter medicines may soothe symptoms but won't shorten the sickness.

Flu
What it feels like: A cough (dry or with clear phlegm) accompanied by a sudden high fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, fatigue and general misery.
It could be: The flu. "Influenza tends to come on like a truck," says Pulmonologist Todd Astor of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
What to do: Get to a doctor ASAP. If you start taking an antiviral medication such as TAMIFLU within 48 hours, it shortens your misery by a day and may reduce your risk for serious complications.

Pneumonia
What it feels like: A cough (often with yellow or green phlegm) accompanied by a fever, shaking chills, difficulty breathing, chest pain, weakness and occasionally mental confusion.
It could be: Pneumonia, an infection of one or both lungs that causes their air sacs to fill up with fluid.
What to do: See your doctor, who may take an x-ray and prescribe an antibiotic. Some types of pneumonia will put you in the hospital: others, such as "walking pneumonia," don't make you as sick.

Bronchitis
What it feels like: A cough (often with phlegm but not always), soreness in the chest and a fever.
It could be: Bronchitis. This is what people often refer to as a chest cold. It's inflammation of the bronchial tubes - the airways of the lungs swell and produce mucus, making you cough.
What to do: See your doctor (especially if you have a fever), who may take an X-ray to rule out pneumonia. Drink plenty of fluids, and breathe in steam from a hot shower.

Pertussis
What it feels like: Uncontrollable, violent coughing that makes it hard to breathe, forcing you to inhale deeply, often making a "whooping" sound. Other signs include a runny nose and a low-grade fever.
It could be: Whooping cough, or pertussis. A highly contagious respiratory disease, it's caused by bacteria that make your airways swell.
What to do: See your physician for antibiotics ASAP - you won't get as sick if you start taking them in the first couple of weeks of having a symptoms.

www.aarp.org | AARP The Magazine | Article by Lisa Haney

Riddle Answer from 1/29/18

The Riddle Question:

Answer: Sanity

Monday, January 29, 2018

February OIB Events

Thursday February 8th - 1PM - 4PM
WSB will be hosting another GAME DAY for OIB clients. Anyone wanting to attend needs to Call Shelly at 501-664-7100 Extension 233 and let her know a head count and if you need transportation.

Tuesday February 13th - 1PM-3PM
WSB will be demoing the NuWave Cooking equipment. Call Shelly if you would like to attend and if you need transportation. 501-664-7100 Extension 233.

Thursday February 22 - 1PM - 4PM
WSB will be conducting Instructions on how to download the UBER app for transportation and how to schedule UBER rides when LINKS is not available to you. If you would like to attend call Shelly at 501-664-7100 extension 233.

Riddle Fun

I am going to post a riddle today. Leave your answer in the comments below this post:

Question:

Tune in tomorrow for the Answer!!

CrockPot Meatloaf

Prep time 20 minutes | Cook time 3 or 4 hours | Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 cup milk
1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves or 1/4 tsp dried sage leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped, or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
3 slices bread, torn into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup ketchup

Steps

1. Line 4 1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except ketchup. Shape mixture into loaf, and place in center of slow cooker. Spread ketchup over top.

3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 3 to 4 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160°F. Remove meatloaf from slow cooker to serving platter. Cut into pieces to serve.