The Money Pit

My favorite banana likes projects, as do I. There is nothing wrong with projects; in fact, Our Banana Moments is my colossal project.  The good thing about projects is that despite the occasional hair-raising brushes with irritation, we love the gratification of the “I made it myself” feeling.  His grace’s latest project is restoring a BMW that he was able to get for an unbelievably low price.  Unfortunately, this project has hit a nightmare of a snag otherwise known as the money pit.  This could also be thought of as the make-up on the unbelievably low price. Why is it so hard to get something for nothing? You might be wondering, why am I writing about the beloved project?  Well, just as much as he shares the excitement of “I made it myself”, he is equally generous when it comes to sharing the frustration of the money pit, which I am now passing on to you in the form of this post.  Enjoy!

Our Banana Moments has a new email address – followthebanana@ourbananamoments.com

Smoothies - Mango, Peach, & Banana

1 cup of chopped peaches (fresh or frozen)

1 cup of chopped mango (fresh or frozen)

1 cup of plain yogurt (use Greek yogurt for added protein)

½ of a banana - A smoothie wouldn’t be a smoothie without bananas!

1 cup of ice

Sugar or your favorite sweetener

Blend all ingredients and sweeten to taste!

Real Banana Pudding

Photo By tammyzrecipez

www.ourbananamoments.com

•    3 cups sugar (Splenda works great!)
•    ½ cup all-purpose flour
•    ¼ cup cornstarch
•    6 eggs, separated, plus 2 additional egg yolks (8 egg yolks altogether)
•    7 cups of milk (soy milk not recommended)
•    ½ cup margarine
•    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•    1 16-ounce box of vanilla wafers
•    10-12 medium bananas (ripe not green, black, or brown) peeled and sliced.

Thoroughly mix 2½ cups of the sugar, the flour, and cornstarch in a large heavy saucepan.  Lightly beat the 8 egg yolks; combine milk and egg yolks and whisk into sugar mixture.  Add margarine and cook over medium heat (avoid scolding), stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 1-teaspoon of the vanilla.  Cool. Preheat oven to 425⁰F.  Line bottom of a 13X9X2-inch baking dish with one-third of vanilla wafers; layer one-third of bananas and one-third of custard on top.  Repeat layers twice.  Beat egg whites until foamy; gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar, 1-tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.  Beat in remaining 1-tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.  Beat in remaining 1-teaspoon vanilla.  Spread over custard, sealing to edges.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Chill overnight before serving.

Adjustment Disorder, is it the label applied when adult bananas have tantrums for not getting their own way?

According to Mayo Clinic staff, (2009), the definition of an adjustment disorder is a type of stress-related mental illness.  Common triggers can be work problems, divorce, getting married, loss of a loved one and the list could go on.  The difference between someone experiencing the same stressors and someone with an adjustment disorder is that those with the disorder have a harder time adjusting to life changes.  People with the adjustment disorder may skip work or school, forget to pay bills, pick fights, abuse drugs or alcohol, or experience suicidal ideation.   In comparison to others who are, adapt at mobilizing effective coping techniques.  The bright side to having an adjustment disorder is that it is self -limiting with symptoms only lasting a few months.

In contrast, Mayo Clinic staff, (2010), writes that a tantrum is the expression of a child’s frustration with mental or emotional challenges of the moment.  A child’s tantrum can be characterized as kicking, supersonic screaming, flailing uncontrollably on the floor, hitting, and breath holding.  These characteristics represent a child’s lack of coping skills and such episodes tend to decrease as the child ages and gains more effective means to express his or her needs.  Similarly, adults with adjustment disorder do not have effective coping mechanisms to handle negative life changes that occur outside of their control.  Adjustment disorder suffers may require psychotherapy to explore more effective means of coping with life changes.  In addition, unlike children, adults may have destructive means of coping at their disposal and, therefore, signs of an adjustment disorder should not be taken lightly.

More importantly, if you or a loved one is suffering from signs of an adjustment disorder, please seek medical attention as the symptoms may lead to suicidal ideation.  This blog was written for entertainment purposes only and is not to be used as a diagnostic tool.

References

·         Mayo Clinic Staff, . (2009). Adjustment disorders. MayoClinic.com. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adjustment-disorders/DS00584

·         Mayo Clinic Staff, . (2010). Temper tantrums: how to keep the peace. MayoClinic.com. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tantrum/HQ01622