#I cooked his salmon for him cause he put too much oil and it was splattering hot all over the place

[virgomooning]

Platonic love I love you

#my flatmate slash good friend was raised by his witch mother on a farm and he’s on my men I trust list #and I just- I love him so much. I want the best for him everyday #he’s my best friend he’s my cousin I get along with super well he’s my brother #we have a codeword in case the constant mutual ribbing hits a sore spot #I cooked his salmon for him cause he put too much oil and it was splattering hot all over the place #while mumbling abt how I don’t even know why I’m helping him and he should cook his own damn food #he bought me groceries before I came back for summer so I’d have food in the closet #UGH shut up platonic love I love you

[valhallanrose]

What Baking Can Do

@arcana-echoes​

Mixed together the ‘Holidays’ and ‘Cuisine’ prompts for a bit of pre-holiday fluff between my sibling duo, Zelda and Tamryn. I hope you enjoy!

2.4k words

For as long as she could remember, Zelda had always found a certain comfort in food. Especially making it - somehow, it was the first thing she completed on her own after she lost her memories, entirely without Asra’s help, and it felt...so natural, like she’d connected with a part of herself that she didn’t know was there. 

She supposed that’s why it felt so fitting that much of her reconnection with Tamryn revolved around food. 

One of the first things he’d given her, when they both started to get comfortable with one another, was their family’s box of recipe cards. They were yellowing, edges worn and some of them stained, but she nearly cried at the aching familiarity of the swooping handwriting on each and every one of them even if she still couldn’t remember Evalina’s face. 

So every week, at the end of the week, Tamryn came to her home, and they picked another card - making dinner or dessert as he quietly told her anything he could think of from the life they’d shared together as children. 

That was how they ended up at her kitchen counter that night, jostling and ribbing each other as they did their dishes, laughing together as if they’d never been apart for a moment in time. 

Tamryn cracked his knuckles as he put the last plate away, listening as Zelda rummaged around in the cabinets for the newly treasured box

“You didn’t lose it, did you, Zelly?”

“No, I didn’t lose it, I just put it somewhere safe.” 

“Behind what sounds like an armada of pots and pans doesn’t feel ‘safe’.” 

“Yeah, well, who’s going to look back there without making a ton of noise? Natural security system.”

Tamryn quirked a brow in her direction, his lips pulling up into a grin. “You have an actual safe, don’t you?”

Zelda paused for a moment before she blew a raspberry at him, pulling out the box in question. “Don’t make me get the spoon.”

Tamryn laughed at that, raising his arms to pull his hair up into a little bun when Zelda passed him a tie. “You sound just like mom. She used to wave this old wooden one at us both when we stole bits of food while she was making dinner. ‘You act like you’ve never been fed’, she’d say, but then she’d slip us a spoonful of batter or a bite of cookie dough while dad wasn’t looking while he was baking.”

“Did dad say anything about it?” Zelda flipped through the recipe cards as Tamryn scoffed, shaking his head with a grin before he reached for her hair. 

“No, he’d slip us another and tell us not to tell mom. Which we never did, but I’m pretty sure they knew and just let us have it. Tie?”

She passed him one off her wrist, and he started to braid her hair back, the tie in question caught between his teeth. Zelda hummed idly as she read off a few recipes for him, most of them rejected by one of them for not being what they were in the mood for. It was only when Zelda paused at one to try and read the name on the card that Tamryn spoke up, setting his chin on her head and giving her braid a tug. 

“I can hear the gears in your head turning. Which one is that?”

“Suf...sufganiyot? Is that right?”

“Yeah, you got it. Mom and dad used to make those at Hanukkah...I haven’t had them in ages. I’d be willing to give those a shot.”

After taking a few minutes to read over the card, Zelda eventually nodded, shutting the box and pushing it to the back of the counter. “Okay...yeah, I think I’ve got all the ingredients here. I’m not sure if I have enough jam but we could maybe do half with it and half with chocolate?”

Tamryn groaned, laughing as he stepped back and ruffled Zelda’s hair. “Yes, fine, you and your chocolate sufganiyot. I still believe jam is better.”

“You’re entitled to your wrong opinion, but chocolate will always be better than jam in any context. Now shush and get my mixing bowl since you can reach it without climbing on the counter.”

*     *     *     *     *

The process of making the dough was easy enough - though the yeast took an extra try or two to get right, much to Zelda’s chagrin - though she got Tamryn back for his teasing by making him do the kneading when it came down to it. It gave her the space to think, seated on the counter next to him and her legs swinging idly in the air in front of her. 

“You said mom and dad made these for Hanukkah?”

Tamryn nodded, gaze loosely fallen on the light beaming in through the window as he kneaded. “Every year. I haven’t told you about Hanukkah, have I?”

“I know a little from the books I’ve found - the one day’s oil supply lasting eight days, lighting the candles in the hanukkiah...a lot of latke recipes. Why are there so many ways to eat potato pancakes?”

“Mom always explained it as a symbol of the oil - that’s why the sufganiyot and latkes are cooked in it as well.” Tamryn chuckled, elbowing her playfully as he worked. “You and I used to bicker about what was better to put on latkes. Mom always gave you applesauce because you hated sour cream. You had to have been six years old the first time you tried sour cream on them, and you scrunched your nose up so much that dad told you it was going to get stuck like that.”

Zelda snorted, leaning back to rest her head against the cabinets. “I still don’t like sour cream.”

“A couple years ago, mom showed me how she and dad used to eat them - smoked salmon, sour cream, and a bit of dill. It’s actually quite good, if you want to try it one day.”

“I’d literally rather die than eat sour cream.”

The blonde barked out a laugh, shaking his head and blowing a few pieces of hair out of his face as they tickled his lashes. “Yeah, I don’t think that would have changed much from when you were a kid.”

He was quiet for a moment, expression pensive, before Zelda reached out and gently tugged his sleeve. 

“Tam? Are you alright?”

Tamryn blinked a few times before he paused mid knead, reaching out to pat her hand lightly where it rested on her arm. “I’m fine. Sorry, just...it’s weird, thinking about the holidays now. I haven’t really celebrated any of them since mom died. It didn’t feel right being alone, like…”

“...like everything that made it special was missing?” Zelda finished, and Tamryn nodded slowly, sighing as Zelda leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder. “Tell me about what it was like for us, Tam. When we were all together.”

She waited for a few long moments, patient as she stepped in when Tamryn was finished kneading, rolling the dough out as he gathered his thoughts and rummaged through her cabinets for a wide enough glass. 

“We traveled a lot, so we didn’t always go to service during Hanukkah.” He began, the two of them cutting circles in the dough with the tops of a set of wine glasses he’d found somewhere. “But I remember mom would always make way more food than we could eat throughout the entire eight days and ended up giving leftovers away after Hanukkah ended. Usually to her colleagues, when she went to work, but eventually we both just became latke fiends as we got older and leftovers just became breakfast for as long as we had them. Sufganiyot were never around for more than three days, so dad always made another batch during Hanukkah and another at the end because he’d end up promising some to his friends and realizing he didn’t have any left. Which, by the way, he agreed with you that chocolate was better than jam in them.”

Zelda grinned as she placed a piece of chocolate inside one of the rounds, sandwiching it together with another as Tamryn prepped the oil. “It’s because we have good taste.” 

“Mm, no, not in the slightest.” Tamryn laughed as Zelda elbowed his side, joining her in filling some of the sufganiyot with the raspberry jam in question. “We used to sit on the kitchen floor and play with the dreidel while dad was making the second batch. You were so competitive, but you ended up eating some of the chocolate gelt as soon as you got it, and by the time one of us won the pot we’d only have half of what we even started with in the first place. Not that I minded, we’d end up sharing anyway because I didn’t like them nearly as much as you did when I won. And I remember…”

Tamryn paused for a moment, swearing softly as he squeezed some of the jelly out of the dough he’d been pinching together and all over his hands. Zelda slapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle her laugh, helping him clean up before he tried to refill the pastry itself. 

“Where was I? Oh, right. Mom and dad used to let me light the candles each night, but there was one year you wanted to help - I was eleven, so you couldn’t have been more than five years old - but you were too afraid of the candles to light it on your own. So I used to pick you up and show you how to light them, every night, and we just never stopped. Eventually you got too big for me to hold you like that, but we always insisted we lit them together, even if it made it harder. I think we only stopped because we nearly set the curtains on fire one year and mom told us we had to alternate nights.”

Zelda laughed, shaking her head slightly as she dropped the first of the sufganiyot into the sizzling oil. “From what you’ve told me, singed curtains seem...unfortunately in character.”

“Oh, we were hellions.” Tamryn snickered, folding his arms across his chest. “Dad used to tell us that a bull in a china shop would be impressed by the amount of damage we caused in the house. It got to a point where we had to play outside because we’d knocked too many vases or knick knacks of his over from tumbling into every surface that wasn’t nailed to the wall or floor.”

The blond hissed quietly as he juggled a hot sufganiyah, rolling it in sugar, and grinning as he poked at it with the tip of his nail. 

“Hey, these feel like dad’s! Hopefully they taste as good, too, he always was tweaking recipes. Never seemed to write them down either.”

“Oh, that drives Asra up a wall.” Zelda chuckled. “Aisha and I cook together sometimes, but we both adjust as we go, and whenever he tries to help he can’t rely on the cards we have.”

“Like father, like daughter.” Tamryn snorted, and the pair fell into a steady rhythm, Zelda assuring the sufganiyot cooked properly and Tamryn finishing them off with their sugar dusting. By the time they finished the batch, the sun had long since set, leaving them cleaning up and chatting idly in the comfortable warmth of the lights strung up around the kitchen. It was only while they were drying everything that Tamryn reached out, gently grasping Zelda’s arm to get her attention. When she turned her attention toward him, Tamryn released her, instead offering his open palms to her as he spoke. 

“Zel, I want to celebrate again this year. With you, like we used to. I know you haven’t in a long time, and it won’t be exactly the same, but...I miss it. And I know I’ll have to teach you the specifics, I don’t mind.” Tamryn felt Zelda set her hand in his and gave hers a squeeze, a light smile on his face. “But only if you want to. I know it’s been a lot to learn, and Hanukkah is fairly tame, so...I thought it’d be a good place to start since it’s coming up.”

Zelda beamed at that, throwing her arms around her brother’s shoulders and giving him a squeeze. 

“More than anything, Tam.” She murmured, planting a cheerful kiss on his cheek. “I’d love to celebrate again. Maybe we can invite some of my friends, too? It won’t be the same as having mom and dad, I know, but…”

“Found family is still family, Zelda.” Tamryn reached out and plucked up a sufganiyah, taking a bite out of it over her head and talking through the mouthful of dough. “Oh, shit, these really are like dad’s. We should make these again for Hanukkah.”

With a sound of indignation, Zelda shoved against his stomach, groaning as he squeezed her closer. “If you get jelly in my hair, you won’t make it to Hanukkah, now let me go so I can taste how much better the chocolate one is than the jam.”

“It’s not going to be.” Tamryn sang playfully, and Zelda rolled her eyes, 

“We’ll have Asra taste them when he gets back. He can be the tie breaker.”

“Given that he eats skink, and you two are dating, I’m not sure that’s a fair judgment call.”

“Why do you think I’m suggesting it?”

Tamryn laughed again, wrapping an arm around Zelda and giving her a playful squeeze as she too took a bite of her sufganiyah - 

Only to groan in dismay and cause an outburst of laughter as she realized she’d gotten one full of jam, not the chocolate she’d expected - but she couldn’t seem to mind as she looked up at the brilliant, bright smile on her brother’s face, and couldn’t help but feel like she’d found that something that’d been missing all this time. 

#zelda hollyheart #arcana echoes #my writing #tamryn olenev

[loralee01]

Food Pyramid is all Wrong! Obviously.

I’d like to share my opinion about something important to me— that I believe the food pyramid is incorrect and that the majority of us are eating all wrong. Perhaps the food pyramid works in some ways, but it cannot be not entirely accurate and should not be used as a standard for everyone. I believe each person may do best by creating their own food pyramid. The way our food pyramid is treating us, simply isn’t working.

           I love to study health and nutrition and I have done so all my life, but without formal training of any kind. I wouldn’t accept formal dietary training by most people anyway, since I believe in listening to our bodies, and I think I know my body best. I have heard that our health and fitness is based 20% on exercise and 80% on what we eat, though heredity can skew these numbers by 70% (learned this as I worked in the medical lab). Studies have shown that slim to medium-sized people, and those who rarely vary in weight, live the longest and have fewer health problems. I have incorporated these evidences into my studies of what might, and what seems to work best for my goals of life longevity, and overall health, and quality of life.

I first became aware of nutrition when I was five years old. I had always been taught that candy wasn’t healthy for my body and that dinner was, but I didn’t understand why— until one day, I listened to my father comment to my mother that he was getting fat, and that he would prefer she not serve him fatty foods. This was the first time I understood (and to a small degree) about being what we eat.

I began, as a teen-ager, trying to find out what types of foods were best for me. I knew I would need self-discipline to be healthy without the help on my mother. I had mostly eaten whatever my mother served, and that had worked alright, but I wanted to go into the world as an adult having some sort of guide or even some rules to follow, and I wanted a good-looking bikini body. I started trying different things. I began to practice not eating when I was already full. I always remembered to eat my veggies. I stopped trick-or-treating on Halloween. I very rarely ate out, and I always avoided soda. I liked taking control of my nutrition.

Living on my own made it very easy to experiment and learn what worked best for me. This is when I created my own personal food pyramid, which I believe can work better for everyone, than the food pyramid we are all familiar with. Americans are known to have a longer life expectancy than many other countries. But we are also known for being obese and diabetic. How much longer could we live healthy lives if we had a healthier standard or guideline of what to eat?

Discovering those foods that seemed to work best for me, showed me how far I had gone from following the familiar food pyramid. So, I started a little month-long research, studying and finding what may very well be the healthiest food for humankind. I wondered which food should really be on the bottom of the food pyramid. My findings weren’t extremely surprising to me and probably won’t be to anyone else either.

           I found wild salmon to be the healthiest food a human can eat— only because it contains almost all the nutrients necessary to sustain life. Salmon lacks fiber, and is low in iron and vitamin c, but all other nutrients found in it can also be found in bread, an assortment of vegetables, dairy products, eggs, and nuts. Now, I love salmon so this was exciting to me. But I also love to save money, and I began brainstorming how I could reduce my grocery bill by adding salmon to it. I found several other food items I could go nearly without if I was eating a certain amount of Salmon. Bread (not grains), pork, chicken, dairy products, cold cereal, canned and boxed foods, never enter my grocery cart. I don’t recommend going entirely without any specific food item, however. We need nutrients from all food.

I created a food pyramid from my own studies, and for myself, that I absolutely love. Here is what I have created: I have Salmon and other seafood on the bottom of my pyramid. The second level contains dark leafy greens. The third level up contains nuts, legumes (beans), and olive oil. Level four has all vegetables (besides the dark leafy greens), the fruits and the grains. Then red meat and egg yolk are on the very top triangle. There is no dairy on my pyramid, though I don’t consider it to be harmful in every case— I just find it unnecessary when eating lots of seafood. Too many of our dairy products have massive amounts of sugar or salt added as well, which we should be careful not to eat too much of.  There also are no meats besides the seafood and red meat. Salmon has enough protein and nutrients to cancel other types of meat out. But red meat contains things only red meat has, which are essential for healthy blood and skin and hearts.

Did you know there are people who live off only seafood, coconut, and limes? When I saw this on some islands surrounding Thailand, I was amazed this was possible. Natives of the snowy north live off only seafood, other meat, and berries. A man was stranded on a ship in the early 1900’s for 3 years. After finishing the food on the ship, he was left to just fishing, and for two years, he ate only raw fish which provided most of his water as well. These are signs to me that fish is substantial and nutritious. Nobody ever lived off just vegetables for very long. Bread can come close if served with occasional vegetables and a protein. But certain types of fish alone can feed us for a very long time. Salmon can feed us the longest.

My food pyramid is very high in protein, so to follow my food pyramid correctly, I need to drink a lot of water.  I know this is very different from the food pyramid taught to me as a child. The food pyramid from my childhood is the one that has grains on the bottom, then fruits and vegetables on the next bar up, then meat and dairy, then some pyramids I have seen contain oil and even candy on the very top. Candy on a food pyramid? And why does the food pyramid change so often? Are we still guessing what should be eaten?

The problems I see with the food pyramid where bread is on the bottom and candy is on the top, is that the people who live in places this is taught are mostly overweight and have diabetes and heart problems. They can still live long lives, however, but at what quality of life? Humans are made of meat, not bread. Besides, bread is a step away from grains as it is made of not only grains, but other ingredients as well including preservatives— grains are most nutritious when they are as minimally processed as possible. We eat too much also, which may be the main reason our food pyramid doesn’t serve us well. It is easy to eat too many grains as they are convenient and affordable. It is more difficult to eat too much fish, which often needs cooked before consumption. This is another reason fish is on the bottom of my pyramid. I can’t understand why candy is even on any food pyramid when candy should never be ingested.

Now some of us have health concerns. I have hypoglycemia and high hematocrit (iron), so I made sure my food pyramid would work well for this. I have pasta more frequently than may be necessary for other people since I process the sugars from pasta differently, and it helps me to have energy and to not slip into a dangerous low blood sugar level. I eat red meat less than some others should because of my higher hematocrit (which could cause a stroke. My food pyramid was put together with health concerns in mind. Our current food pyramid would not cater well to anyone with blood sugar issues because of the amount of grains and fruits recommended, which can mess with blood sugar levels.

Most Americans are fortunate to live with plenty of food options. There is usually no excuse to not eat right, except that we may not know how to do it. Some do not get to choose how they eat and then they must be happy with what they get. But, for those who are fortunate enough to decide for themselves, I have offered a suggestion to try— my food pyramid. See how it works for your budget, lifestyle, and body. If my food pyramid doesn’t work for you, then try creating your own, or even sticking with the one we use now.  Regardless of what your food pyramid looks like, it is yours. To have a general food pyramid for everyone can be dangerous if we use it as our only or main guide to nutrition. There should be as many different types of diets as there are people on the planet.

I care about my life and my kids and friends. That is why I care about what goes into our bodies.

[zakurei]

200 Followers Fanfic

Hello everyone! It’s finally here, the 200 followers fanfic! As you all voted, the scenario is “Ray falling sick while Zack tries to take care of her“.

Please enjoy this collab by Mod Jam and Mod Kami to celebrate 200 followers! And thank you for all the support this blog has received!

She could swear her neck was about to dislocate with how much she’s turning it from side to side. Like a pendulum, he stomps from one side of the room to the other with his arms folded up to his chest. A flurry of swears flies past the man’s lips as he paces the room erratically, hood thrown back as he scowls.

“What should I do…? Should I get more blankets? But what happens if I leave’n she needs somethin’...?” Scarred hands irritably rake through his hair, ruffling the dark strands as he walks.

“Zack…?”

It’s a soft voice -- even quieter than usual, and muffled and croaky to boot -- but it’s a voice Zack will never, ever miss.

“What?” he asks as he peers towards the bed. Anyone else might have flinched by the nearly reproachful tone the man takes; Ray, however, knows better, and merely glances up at the man from where she laid.

“Are you okay?” she asks, completely sincere in her concern, and the man very nearly howls out in disbelief.

“‘Course I’m not okay! You’re sick, Ray!” he hisses back with venom in his voice, though his fiery anger isn’t directed at her specifically. No, he’s angry at whatever it was that caused this to happen - that caused Ray to get so ill and weak that she’s had no choice but to rest in bed for the past several hours. Germs? Some virus or bug? Whatever the accursed thing is, he’s come to a sore realization that he can’t simply drive it away with a good slash of his scythe - lest he slices into Ray and prematurely break their promise.

Everything seemed fine until that very morning when he for once had been the first to stir from his sleep. Nothing seemed too amiss, aside from Ray’s motionless form still tucked under the covers despite him being fully awake then. Usually she’d be the first to get up and much to his chagrin insist on his waking up too.. Because they have to run ‘errands’ or whatever.

When he rolled onto his side to pull her against his chest however, it was then he noted just how hot her skin felt - along with the heavy, laboured breaths that came from the blonde’s parted lips.

Everything from that point until now was nothing more than a frenzied blur to Zack - though he vaguely remembers his voice frantically calling out Ray’s name, the unfocused haziness in her normally attentive blue eyes finally opening up to his calls and his feet carrying him to do laps around their small apartment - supposedly to fulfill her request for a glass of water and a damp towel.

And here they were now - with Ray looking no better than she had been when she just woke up. Skin reddish and scalding to the touch, her hands clasping tightly onto the one pathetically thin blanket they had that failed to hide the violent shivers coming from beneath. And the worst part were her eyes - they showed far more concern for his panicked state than they did of her own condition.

“I’m sorry… for making you worry about me.” her soft murmured out words sends a javelin straight through his chest.

“Huh? Quit worryin’ about me’n’worry ‘bout yerself!” Accompanying that sense of utter uselessness — he’s not able to simply do away with her illness like he can everything else that’s come their way — is pure and utter exasperation that she would apologise for such a thing.

“Of course I’m gonna worry about you! I care about you!” He snaps, not really thinking the words through. Ray is in a critical condition right now — and he’s not exactly someone who carefully considers what he’s about to say normally...so this just makes it even worse.

Plus — he’s not a liar. And...it’s true.

He misses the way the girl’s pale cheeks redden slightly, or perhaps simply chalks it off to illness. She’s so sick she’s shaking on the damn bed — though the lack of warm blankets must not help much.

“You feel better?” Zack’s voice is a little softer now, quieter as, for once, he stands stock still.

“Um, could I have another glass of water...?”

“Oh, right,” the man mumbles, finally turning away to pad into their small kitchen. He retrieves a glass easily enough, thrusting it beneath the faucet to turn the tap on. Once a decent amount of water fills it, he flicks the faucet off and returns to the girl shivering in the bed, holding out the glass to her.  Small hands slowly begin to unfurl from the blanket’s material -- but they tremble so harshly that the man uses his free hand to press hers down, and instead helps her sit up as he presses the cup toward her lips.

Rachel’s pale and chapped lips close around the rim of the glass carefully, and the dark haired man tilts the cup to allow her to take sips of the water. Though his concern heightens as he watches how closely she’s drinking, Zack makes no mention of it.

“More?” he asks as the glass empties, and the blonde tilts her head back in order to breath out a soft sigh.

“No, I’m fine now.. Thank you, Zack.” she forces out a few words to express her gratitude before laying back down onto the absurdly warm mattress.

To Zack, the heat from Ray’s body getting trapped within the mattress must not make it a very pleasant surface to sleep on - and yet with how hard the girl was trembling, he could swear that she was laying upon a solid block of ice.

“Anything else?” he asks, managing to soften his voice a tad from his usual tone as he does so.

For a moment, Rachel kept silent from his question, merely darting her eyes to gaze at the morbid grey ceiling above her in deep thought while the man beside her awaited her answer. And while Zack may care deeply for her wellbeing and be willing to tend to her every need now, he was still impatient to a fault.. And the lack of a verbal answer from her prompts him to urge her, this time with a rougher tone in his voice.

“If ya need anythin’, just spit it out!”

Finally, her blue eyes focus back on him and she takes a few seconds more to remind herself that Zack hates liars in order to force out an honest answer despite her fear of troubling him.

“I’m… a little hungry.”

Oh. Of course she is. It’s a little past noon now, and she hasn’t had anything to eat since dinner the evening before. He can still remember the delicious stew she’d made for the both of them, and silently laments not having nearly the same amount of ability to cook as she does.

It’s no wonder then that Zack would look so puzzled and worried.

There was always the option of feeding her something that would take little to no preparation. Perhaps a few fruits they have left in the refrigerator, the half-eaten bag of chips that Ray has never taken a single bite out of before, or maybe the small container of leftover cookies Ray had baked in the past.

But memories of the steaming, home-cooked meals served to him diligently every single day made him feel guilty for even daring to consider cutting corners. He may be dumb, but even he knows that those cabinets of junk aren’t going to be very filling or healthy for her.

“That so,” he mutters, uncharacteristically thoughtful as he considers what exactly he ought to make for her. There’s...not really...anything he can make --

Oh.

How about he just ask her? She’s the smart one, she’s got to know what a sick person should eat. Or what she wants to eat, anyhow.

“What d’ya wanna eat?”

Her eyes close for only a moment as she begins to consider what she’s been asked, her mind pouring sluggishly through the possibilities of what he could possibly make for her -- that wouldn’t trouble him much.

A day or two ago, she had cut some salmon fillets for the both of them...but they hadn’t eaten everything, so there are still a couple pieces in the fridge. That shouldn’t be too difficult for him to prepare. And -- it’ll be warm. She’d really like something warm.

“How about…” It takes a moment for her eyes to open; they feel heavy for some reason. “How about some fish? Could you fry it for me?”

She can already tell by the way the man’s head tilts wordlessly -- considering her request -- that he isn’t exactly thrilled by her proposal. Slowly, despite her head spinning as she does so, Rachel begins to shake her head.

“It’s oka -- ”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” he interrupts, almost impatiently. “So all I gotta do is fry it, yeah?”

The girl blinks.

“...Yeah. You fry it on a pan...with some oil. It has to heat up on high...then you change the heat to medium after you put the fish on. You’ll know it’ll be ready when -- ”

“Stop, stop, stop, that’s way too much,” the man interrupts, shaking his head. “How the hell am I supposed t’ remember all that crap?!”

Right -- Zack isn’t the best at remembering things, much less remembering a whole laundry list of objectives. Not only that, she won’t be able to write this down; while his reading is getting better, Ray isn’t sure he’ll be able to concentrate hard enough on the words while he’s this agitated.

“Okay.” She takes a short breath. “Do you remember the fish we had a few days ago?” There’s a stiff nod in response. “Okay. Bring me the box with the fish in it. It’s in the fridge.”

Zack isn’t exactly enthused about having to leave her alone -- but nonetheless, he does as asked, entering the kitchen and opening the fridge door.

There’s a shit ton of stuff in here -- and it takes a bit of time pushing around containers and that jug of milk -- but finally he locates the box of orangish stuff and brings it back to the bedridden girl.

It takes a moment for the blonde to focus on the box he’s brought her, but within a few seconds, she knows that he has indeed retrieved the box of salmon for her.

“That’s right. Now you just need to grab one of the pans...and pour some oil on it. Heat it up on high until you see little bubbles start to form...and then lower the heat and put the fish on it.”

The man’s face seems to be permanently set into a frown, but he nods -- hesitantly, but attempting not to show it.

Grab a pan… pour some oil.. Heat it up to high and then lower the heat before putting the fish in. The man recites those phrases in his head again and again like a mantra. It should be simple enough. How hard can grabbing a pan, pouring some oil and then heating it up to cook the fish really be?

“I just gotta cook the fish, right?” Zack asks, and the girl’s head nods slowly.

“Yes, but make sure to lower the heat before putting the fish on the pan, or it’ll burn.”

Right. Lower the heat. Got it.

“Aight.” With a huff, the man finally turns to leave the bedroom and finally, the blonde is able to close her eyes in order to get some well needed rest.

It doesn’t spell good news when Zack drags himself into the kitchen and is immediately frozen where he stands. His mismatched eyes dart around the kitchen, from cabinet after cabinet, to the box of leftover salmon in his hands, and then to the now oddly intimidating looking stove. He’s immediately disoriented by the layout of the kitchen, and the task he’d tried to convince himself would be easy now feels far more daunting by the second.

“Get your shit together,” he hisses through gritted teeth and his grip on the box tightens.

Ray is depending on him to cook this fish. He can’t in his good conscious go back and tell her that he doesn’t want to, or worse, make her cook her own food when she can barely even stand without shaking like a leaf.

He’s reminded of the times Ray has gone the extra mile to take care of him - from cleaning up around the house, to cooking hot, delicious meals for him. He, by comparison, has never really done anything for her.

If he can’t even cook a single piece of fish for her when she’s sick, then he may as well be an absolute waste of a man.

Sucking in a deep breath, Zack finally forces himself forward to begin searching through the cabinet. It takes several tries, but he eventually does find the frying pan in the cabinet next to the stack of plates, which he takes along with the frying pan and sets them on the counter.

Now he has to find the oil, and then heat up the pan.

He grabs the oil from the left most cabinet, and uncaps the bottle of the yellow substance.

Just as he’s about to pour the oil into the pan, however, his hand freezes.

Just how much oil is he supposed to put exactly? Ray said ‘some’ oil, but there’s no way he can understand exactly how much is needed with a vague term like that. Is a drop enough? Does he have to cover the whole pan in it?

As reluctant as he is to return back to the bedroom, Zack does so with slumped shoulders and the bottle of oil in hand.

“Hey, Ray.”

Blue eyes open slowly at the call of her name, and he can swear her eyebrows are furrowing a little as she looks up at him.

“Yeah?”

“How much oil do I gotta add exactly?” With a light shake of the bottle of oil, the man asks and he notes the way Ray’s weakly shifts her gaze towards the bottle, as if focusing her eyes on something in itself was taking her a monumental amount of effort.

When she finally registers his question in her head, she looks back up at the dark haired man.

“Not too much.. Maybe just a quarter of the pan will do.”

A quarter of the pan. That’s a lot more specific than just ‘some oil’.

“Got it.” Zack is quick to stomp back out towards the kitchen, now unafraid to tip the bottle over and pour the oil out onto the pan. He’s careful to not pour more than what he thinks to be a quarter of the pan, caps the bottle and sets it to the side on the counter.

Placing the pan on the stove and turning the flames on is easy enough too, though waiting for the oil to begin bubbling has the man impatiently tapping his foot against the floorboards as he stares into the pan.

So...when’s it gonna start bubbling? Why’s it taking so long? Did he set the heat too low? But Ray had told him the H stood for hot, and -- he glances at the stove -- it’s certainly set to hot.

He’s getting more and more agitated the longer this takes, and he has to resist the urge to run back to the bedroom and ask Ray how he’s supposed to know when the oil starts bubbling.

But then -- suddenly, he sees small little pockets of air forming at the surface of the oil. Does -- does that mean it’s starting to bubble?

He waits a second more before picking up one of the fish fillets and laying it in the oil. Almost instantaneously, it begins to bubble and fizz, small flecks of hot liquid spurting in the air this way and that with a crackle.

“Shit!” Snarling, the man quickly cranks the heat down, grimacing as he steps away. It’s not that he’s unnerved or afraid --

But still, that had hurt. With a scowl and another flurry of swears under his breath, the man deposits the next piece of fish onto the pan, and stares fixedly as the pieces of meat sizzle quietly.

-- How long are they supposed to cook, anyway?

Lifting one hand, he scratches at the back of his head as if in an attempt to coax the answers from the depths of his empty brain. But nothing actually comes to mind, and with a sigh of defeat, he slinks back toward their bedroom.

“Ray…”

It takes a second for a response as the girl forces her eyes to flutter open.

“Yeah?”

“How long’s the fish supposed t’ cook for?”

“Um...until it gets pink...make sure to flip it.”

“How am I supposed t’ do that? I ain’t usin’ my hands.”

“...There...should be…” A cough that seems to shake her entire body interrupts her speech, and the man finds himself tensing in the silence broken only by her rasping. It seems to take way too long for her to be able to start talking again -- “Should be...a spatula in the drawer...near the stove.”

Zack’s silent for a moment, too -- though more out of a simmering anger at the state the girl is in than anything else.

“A spatula,” he finally mumbles. “‘Kay.” He thinks he’s seen her using one of those --

It’s that black flat thing, right? She uses it for pancakes.

“Ya…d’ya need anythin’?” he asks anxiously as he leans to begin making his way out of the room. The girl shakes her head in response, and he waits for just a second more before returning to the stove.

He can already smell cooking fish -- and it makes him a little hungry, too.

But this stuff is for Ray, so -- he shouldn’t really think about eating.

She doesn’t usually eat too much, but when she’s sick, she should probably eat more, so she can get strong and better and stuff.

Zack pulls open one of the drawers to find the black spatula on top of everything else, as if it had just been recently put away. Perhaps Ray had dried it the day before when she’d been frying French toast --

He places the spatula on the stove near the pan for easy reach, and stares blankly into the cooking pan. The fish are steadily frying away…

And they don’t look pink yet, so he guesses they aren’t done yet.

But maybe he should flip them over…?

How’s he supposed to know when he’s supposed to do that? Ray didn’t tell him anything…

He considers going back and asking again, but remembering how she’d struggled to answer him and coughed her damn lungs out gives him pause. Is he really so pathetic that he can’t cook a stupid piece of fish for the girl that he loves?

Eyebrows furrowing in exasperation, he lifts the spatula and slides it beneath one of the fish. Then he flips it over -- clumsily. Oil spatters across the stove, the fish nearly breaks into two, but somehow he manages it regardless. The other side definitely looks lighter in comparison to the other one, the one he hasn’t flipped yet…

Is this pink, then?

The man scratches at his scarred cheek, mismatched eyes flicking wildly between one piece of salmon and the next.

Should...should he ask…?

And if he does...is he supposed to bring the whole pan with him?

Zack very nearly does return to the bedroom to ask her - but the sheer imagination of the shame he’d feel should he have to disrupt her rest for a third time has the man rooted to the ground and his limbs tensing.

He stubbornly watches the pan like a hawk, the sizzling noise grating in his ears, and the scent of cooked fish causing his stomach to unhelpfully rumble.

He regrets not having paid more attention to the colour of the fish when Ray had been cooking them before - or the way she so swiftly darted around the kitchen without so much as a pause in her movement. She’s always been so diligent and skillful in anything she does, but it’s caused Zack as much self-doubt as it has admiration for the girl he’s come to live out his everyday with.

While she’s smart, talented, and practically everything he isn’t, he’s struggling with even cooking simple fillets of fish for her, while she’s suffering in bed.

But he’s always been far too stubborn for a man, and he made a promise.

They’d be together until the day he decides to kill her, whenever that may be in the future. Until the day arrives, he’d protect her and care for her.. So she won’t die before their oath can be fulfilled.

He can’t be serving her raw fish if he wants her to stay alive.

It’s another minute or so before he decides to flip the second fillet over, more carefully this time so as to not cause the hot oil to spill across the stove again. The surface has turned a rather dark orange colour, leading down to a pale pink center. Much to his displeasure, the edges appear slightly charred, but he decides that it’s better than the fish not being cooked enough.

He uses the spatula to take a look at the other fish’s underside -- it seems...about ready? Maybe? Blinking, he picks it out of the oil and places it on the plate, where he then stares at it for a few moments longer -- perplexed.

How can he figure out if it’s really cooked…? Will it bleed if he cuts it?

He pulls out a fork and cuts it in half -- there’s no blood, so he has to assume that it’s probably cooked.

So maybe the second one is cooked, too --

Blinking, he fetches the second one off the pan too, and settles it onto the plate, then repeats what he’d done with the first fillet. It looks just as well-done as the first one, so he must assume it’s cooked as well.

So he turns off the heat and pushes the pan off the hot plate.

But the moment he picks up the plate to take it to Ray --

He can’t get over how utterly pathetic it looks. Two pieces of fish, both of them practically falling apart, one blackened a bit -- it’s an utter mess. It looks nothing like anything Ray’s ever cooked for him...and it certainly doesn’t remind him of the fish fillets she’s made him before. There’s no way he can give this to her with anything resembling pride.

She doesn’t deserve anything like this. He should give her better.

-- Sometimes she, like, puts stuff on the food, to make it “fancier” or some shit -- right? Or to make it taste better…

But he doesn’t really know what he could put on fish.

And he’s gonna put something -- ‘cause he’s not going to give her this sorry looking piece of crap. Plus, more food is gonna make her get healthier faster, right?

Zack gives a glance around the kitchen, his mismatched gaze landing upon the small basket of fruits they keep near the cabinets. Blinking, he takes a stride toward it and pulls a banana off from a bunch of two others. Then, he returns to the still-hot fish on the counter.

Peeling the skin back, he cuts the banana into smaller pieces with the fork and proceeds to layer the a pile of crudely cut banana slices on top of the fish fillets.

-- Well, it...looks a lot better. It’s not quite what he remembers to be the same as the spoonfuls of sauce the girl would serve on top of the fish, but the round banana slices manage to hide the uglier spots of his fillets, while also making the dish look… unique?

Not appetizing by any means, but unique.

Zack feels tempted to try tasting the banana and salmon combination he’s come up with on the plate, but withholds himself from doing so. The food is for Ray, and though she normally doesn’t tend to eat much, he can’t be sure that she wouldn’t feel considerably more hungry now that she was sick.

He isn’t sure what they’d taste like together.. But if they’re delicious on their own, surely they must taste good together too.

And so with a sharp intake of air through his nostrils, he finally manages to sum up the courage to hesitantly march himself to the bedroom after grabbing a fork from the third drawer he opens, where the very first person he has ever cooked for lay in wait for her meal.

Ray appears to be sleeping soundly on the bed, curled beneath the thin material of the blanket as she breathes through slightly parted lips.

If possible, he’d like to be able to not have to disturb her rest again, but she can’t exactly eat while laying down and asleep like this.

“Hey, Ray.” Zack sits himself down on the edge of the mattress where it begins to sink slightly under his weight and reaches a hand out to gently grasp the blonde girl by the shoulder. She still feels hot to the touch, but bubbling thoughts of anger and guilt are swiftly pushed down when he sees the first hints of her deep blue eyes peeking from under heavy eyelids.

“Yeah?” her voice strains to speak, and somehow Zack manages out a small smile as he lifts the plate of cooked fish up.

“Food’s done.”

The girl’s eyes widen and she immediately attempts to sit up, though she evidently struggles to prop herself up onto her shaking, thin forearms until with a sigh, Zack helps her sit up against the headboard with a pillow tucked under her back.

With tired unfocused eyes, Ray glances down at the plate the man is holding and her expression twists into one of confusion.

There’s definitely… something resembling fillets of fish on the plate...

At first glance however, the top of the fillets look odd. It takes a moment for her vision to focus properly enough to see that there were toppings on top of the fish, and a few extra long seconds to process just what was on top of the salmon.

“Um..” the blonde’s eyes shift up to glance at Zack, whose jaw was tensing, before they drift back down onto the curious plate of fish and banana rounds that had been served to her. “Did you put bananas on the fish, Zack?”

The answer should be obvious, and her questioning it only causes the man’s heart rate to spike up.

“Yeah. Thought it’d be nice.”

There’s no response -- for what seems like a far too long time, and it grinds at the man’s already frazzled nerves.

“What?” he snaps, more force behind the words than he really intends. “Somethin’ wrong with ‘em or somethin’?! -- ‘S it gonna taste bad?”

Instead of growing concerned or perhaps upset by the man’s slight outburst, the girl gives a slow shake of her head.

“I don’t know, Zack. I’ve never tried this before.”

The man’s jaw slowly slackens, the rest of his muscles relaxing as whatever perceived attack he’d felt fades away.

“Yeah, I dunno, I didn’t like how it looked all plain’n’stuff so I put ‘em on it...I thought it looked nicer…” The words fade off as he turns his gaze away, almost as if embarrassed to look at her or the plate.

She’s silent again as if deep in thought or hesitation, and with each second that passes with her keeping a response from him, the more agitated he grows.

Ah shit...It was a mistake to have added the damn bananas.

“If ya ain’t gonna eat it then I’ll just chuck it in th’ trash!” He’s about to rise from the bed when Rachel grabs his wrist with a quick shake of her head. There’s a strange look in her eye - as if pleading for some reason.

“No. I’ll eat it, Zack. Because you put so much effort into making it for me,” she responds, voice far more softened than before. And before the man could let out another word of protest, she’s grabbed the fork from his hand.

Hearing the man’s consideration for the presentation of his dish, something she never thought he’d particularly care about, made her realize just how much thought and effort Zack must have put into cooking for her.

It’s hardly gourmet, and to say that she wasn’t at least slightly taken aback by the strange choice of topping would be a lie - but not eating the food that Zack had worked so hard to make would be far too cruel on him.

With an almost expectant stare from the man, the girl moves her fork to cut a piece of the salmon from the plate he held.. And though wary, made sure to get a slice of banana as well. The morsel of food is lifted to her mouth past pale lips that close around the fork before pulling the then empty cutlery out.

Rachel takes several seconds to slowly chew at her food - savoring every revelation of flavour and texture that slowly blends together into a somewhat odd experience. From the flaky, tender meat of the fish to the mushy texture of banana, she’s far too eager to swallow the mixture quickly.

The silence that follows after her first bite has the man shifting slightly on the bed in something vaguely resembling anxiety. She’s not saying anything about the food --

“Well?” he demands uneasily. “How is it?”

The girl looks at him with deep blue eyes -- clearer than earlier, thankfully -- and takes another moment to respond.

“It’s strange,” she admits slowly, carefully. Zack hates liars, after all -- and she can’t exactly say she’s ever tasted something like this before. “But...it’s not bad.” That’s true, too -- while the flavours aren’t anything she’d ever say would go together, normally...it’s nothing she can’t eat.

And knowing Zack had tried so hard to cook this for her just makes her more motivated to eat it. This is the first proper meal he’s ever made...and he made it for her. No one else.

Zack is silent for a moment as he ponders over her answer.

‘Strange, but not bad’.

He’d hoped that the food he made for her wouldn’t be strange entirely at all. After all, there is nothing Ray has ever made for him that he would consider to be strange, besides the few salads that she insists some people do enjoy eating.

However, if she says that it isn’t bad, and he knows the girl would not lie to him in a situation like this, then it must be true.. If it isn’t bad, then it can be good.

“T-that so.” His stutter betrays his attempt to appear composed, and while the man is quick to turn his head away from her gaze sheepishly, Ray knows better than to assume that this was a reaction out of anger or annoyance.

She lifts her fork once more to stab into the food and brings it up to her lips. With each bite of the fish and bananas, the more the strangeness of the combination of flavour and texture fades, and she’s left feeling oddly full in her chest.

Odd choice of topping aside, this was easily the tastiest thing Ray has eaten for a long while - and it’s all thanks to the love Zack put into it.

It takes her a little longer than usual to finish her meal, on account of being ill, but she finishes every last bit -- even the two fillets of fish. Perhaps she was more hungry than she’d thought. The man seems utterly pleased as he takes the plate from her, an enormous smile nearly splitting his scarred face in half. The blonde girl can’t help but give a tiny, weak smile back as she leans back against her pillow.

“Thank you, Zack. I’m full now.”

In more ways than one. In addition to the warm, full sensation her belly has -- her chest feels full in a way only Zack can accomplish.

“‘S’good,” the man mutters, giving her one last glance before he gets off the bed to return the plate to the kitchen. When he comes back, he’s holding a small bit of torn tissue in his hand; he reaches his arm out to the girl and lightly brushes it against the corner of her mouth.

“Ya got crumbs’n’stuff on yer face…”

As if cooking a meal for her hadn’t been enough, the man was thoughtful enough to return with a tissue to clean the stray crumbs littering the side of her lips. The blonde hums as Zack gives a few final dabs of the tissue, before leaning back to gaze back at the girl.

She looks so utterly satisfied and content... Red in the face and dazed from her still burning hot fever, but content nonetheless.. And dare he say… Happy.

“I’m tired, Zack.” she groans out, and makes an attempt to lay back down before clutching the pathetically thin blanket closer to herself. “But I still feel too cold.”

“SHIT! The blankets... I forgot!”

Zack shoots up onto his feet from the bed with a loud swear, his calm expression twisted now into a scowl that Ray recognizes from earlier before.

He looks about to begin pacing around the room again, already muttering something about going out of the apartment to find spare blankets, when Ray quickly reaches a hand up to grab his.

“Zack...stay with me...”

“Huh…?” To say he’d expected her to say something like that would be a lie. After all...she’ll still be cold if he stays, right? So what the hell’s that good for?

“You’re warm…” Sensing the man’s befuddlement from the confused expression he gives her, the girl coaxes him with a couple earnest -- and honest -- words.

Zack is warm. And she’s certain she’ll be nice and cozy next to him -- as long as he holds her in his arms.

With a loud, disgruntled sound, the man relents, shuffling around the bed -- without letting go of her hand -- to lay down on her other side.

“Like that?”

“Yeah.”

Exhaling softly, Zack slides himself a little closer to her, until their bodies touch through the blanket; then he wraps his arms about her as he nuzzles his head next to hers.

“Ya gettin’ warm?”

“...Yeah.”

She feels so utterly content next to him, so full and warm, that she might as well fall asleep again right then and there.

“Zack...?” the girl whispers out his name after what felt to be several long minutes.

Her voice catches the man off guard. After all, he’d expected her to fall right asleep, and was even on the verge of slipping into the realm of sleep himself. He hadn’t expected her to still be awake, let alone want to talk.

“Yeah?” his voice is gentle as he murmurs back into her ear, and she finds herself melting against him even more.

“Thank you.. For working so hard to take care of me..”

Zack is silent for a moment as he stares at the girl through widened, stunned eyes, before he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Nothin’ to thank me for. T’s the least I can do.”

She feels his arms wrap around her form a little tighter, pulling her against his chest so close that she can feel the steady rising and falling of his chest as he breaths.

With a hum, the girl finally closes her eyes and finds herself giving into the warmth, and the very last thing she hears before she dozes off is the beating of their hearts in tandem.

#zackray #fanfic #mod kami #mod jam #by op

[minetteenfers]

Marichat May Day 5: Cooking/Baking

Hello, everyone! I posted the reasons why I was afraid to post this in a separate post. This went in an entirely different way than I expected, but it ends cute and fluffy. :) I just wanted to put a warning on this... that there is talk in this about infertility issues. I have written about it before and I got backlash and it hurt me because I struggle with infertility. Anyways... I hope you enjoy this prompt nonetheless. It is cute, but there are moments of sadness between them. :)  I also completely understand if you choose to not read this one shot. :) 

The story will be below the cut. 

@marichatmay

Marinette stood in her kitchen, pulling out bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups, a whisk, and a few other utensils that she needed. Chat Noir had told her how much he wanted to learn how to cook and bake. How he admired the way that she could always make something out of nothing. He often came over for dinner, or dessert, and he was never let down by her cooking and baking.

She sighed as she grabbed her pink apron from the hook on the wall that was shaped like an antique doorknob. Marinette slipped the apron over her head and tied it behind her back, brushing her hands down it once she was done.

Her kitchen was her favorite room in her apartment aside from her craft room. She could live in her craft room all day, but something about working in her kitchen was relaxing. Marinette opened her pantry and grabbed flour, white sugar, and vegetable oil out of it. She then reached up into a cabinet on her tippy toes to grab a ceramic pie dish, setting it aside for later.

A knock sounded on the window and she walked over, wiping her hands on her apron.  She shook her head as she saw Chat with his hands on the window, smiling at her as he peered in. Marinette bit her bottom lip and opened the window to let him in. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Care to let a handsome stray clad in black inside?” Chat wiggled his eyebrows at her with a smirk.

She thought for a moment and slowly began to shut the window. “Well… I was going to until-”

“Wait!” Chat caught the window with his hand and she giggled, letting it go so that he could climb inside. “I was kidding.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. I invited you here to learn to cook and bake… and you act like some stray tom cat that’s trying to get a cat in heat.” Marinette picked on him as she walked away, speaking with her hand.

Chat smirked and slid across her floor to lean against the island in her kitchen with one ankle over the other. He leaned towards her with heavily lidded eyes. “Are you trying to say you’re in heat, kitten?”

“Stop…” Marinette rolled her eyes and pushed him away by his nose. “That app would tell you if I was, remember. The one my doctor suggested for us.”

“Right.” Chat stood up straight and walked around the island to stand beside her.  “We’ll have a kitten sometime soon.”

“Can we not talk about that, right now?” Marinette worried her bottom lip and rubbed her upper arm, looking away from him.

Chat thought for a moment and then randomly spun her around and picked her up to set her on the counter.

“What are you doing?” Marinette peered down at him and he smirked at her as he settled between her knees.

“Can’t I spend a moment to stare at the most amazingly beautiful woman in the whole universe?” Chat began to kiss her cheeks, nose, forehead, and lips in swift movements.

She giggled and pushed him away as he continued to kiss down her neck and tickle her. “Stop, stop, stop… Kitty!” Marinette screamed as she broke out into a fit of giggles, causing her sides to hurt.

Marinette shoved him away and began to run from him. He leapt over her couch and down the hallway to get her. She hid behind a door and watched him run past; before, he turned back around. Chat suddenly peeked around the door she was hiding behind and tickled her. She screamed and ran after him until she lost track of him.

“Chat… CHAT?” Marinette called as she continued to walk through her home. She stopped in her bedroom and looked around her. He was nowhere to be found and she was left confused.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her and she screamed as her heartbeat shot through the roof. “Evil! Evil kitty!” Marinette spun around in his arms and started hitting his chest with her hands.

Chat burst out laughing hysterically at her as he watched her panic. He hugged her tighter against him and nuzzled his cheek against her head. “I’m sorry, Princess. It was too good though.”

“So mean….” Marinette whined with a giggle and Chat sighed as he caught his breath.

“But oh so fun.” Chat laughed again and Marinette groaned at him.

“Are you ready to cook and bake?” Marinette pulled away from him and lead him back to her kitchen.

“Yes, Chef Marinette.” Chat stood up straight and Marinette giggled as she opened her fridge to grab eggs, milk, bacon, and cheese. “So, what are we making?”

She set the ingredients down in front of them with a warm smile. “Something I know you like.”

“Quiche?” Chat raised an eyebrow and watched her nod. Excitement filled his soul as he heard what she was making. He loved her quiches ever since her mother had made him one.

“The one and only, but this time… I’m not using salmon.” Marinette smiled at him and he grew even more excited. Bacon was a treat to him. He didn’t eat it often due to his diet.

Marinette grabbed a cutting board and sharp knife. She set them down in front of Chat and smiled at him. “Can you do me a favor and chop the bacon?”

Chat grabbed the bacon and opened the package with his claw. He set the strips of pink and white meat on the cutting board. Chat stuck his tongue out as he picked up the knife and began to cut it in choppy movements.

Marinette giggled as she began to measure out the flour for the crust. She shook her head and stopped what she was doing to walk behind him. “Like this.” She ran her hand down his forearm and grabbed his hand with her own. “Put the tip of the blade against the board and then in fluid movements… rock the blade.” She helped him with the movement and once he got it down, she let his hand go. “Purrfect.”

“Thank you, Marinette.” Chat blushed as he continued to chop the bacon.

Marinette poured the flour into a pink mixing bowl and waited for him to be done with the bacon. “Alright, come over here a moment.”

Chat washed his clawed hands and walked over to her. He rested his palms on the island and peered at her.

“So, to make the crust we need flour, white sugar, salt, vegetable oil, and milk.” Marinette told him how much sugar to measure out in a measuring spoon and Chat leveled it out. “Now, add it to the flour along with the other dry ingredients.”

Chat measured out each ingredient and poured them into the bowl. “Now, what?”

“Take this whisk and gently stir through the dry ingredients to combine them. Sometimes I get lazy and don’t want to break out my sifter. A whisk seems to do the trick just fine.” Marinette winked at him and he warmly smiled a her as he took the whisk.

He began to stir it a little too fast and flour flew up and dusted them. Marinette burst out into a fit of giggles and touched his hand to stop him. “Gentler. Like you’re rocking a baby.” Something about that hurt her and Chat caught it.

“You know… I would still love you even if this keeping track and medication doesn’t work.” Chat spoke as he gently stirred the dry ingredients.

Marinette nodded as she cleared her throat and took the bacon over to the stove. She set a pan on the burner and turned it on to medium heat.

“Can we talk about it?” Chat quietly spoke as he stopped stirring to add the milk and vegetable oil. He began to knead the ingredients with his hand.

“I’d rather just focus on dinner.” Marinette spoke in a broken whisper and Chat nodded.

“You know it wasn’t your fault. None of this is your fault. Losing-” Chat couldn’t get himself to say it. It still hurt him too. His heart still ached from it. He had been there. Had been the one to hold her as she cried. “Well, you know.”

Marinette slammed the spatula down on the counter and clutched the corner with her hand as she trembled. “I know it’s not my fault that eggs don’t stick, Adrien!”

Chat cringed and flinched as he heard his real name and not his superhero one.   

“Can- can we ple...ase just focus on making dinner and baking? PLEASE!” Marinette broke down and went back to adding the bacon and mindlessly stirring it.

“Can I say one more thing?” Chat watched her clench her hand into a fist against the granite countertop. “Not about that, baby.”

He watched her slowly uncurl her fist as he walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and she held onto his forearm with her hand. She pressed her lips to his leather clad arm. “I’m sorry, Chat.” Marinette softly spoke as she tried to calm down.

“It’s okay. I’m hurting too. I understand. It wasn’t easy and it was scary. I don’t want to hurt you. I was just- I want to be supportive. We’ll get it one day. I know it, but right now? I just want to cook with my amazing fiance.” Chat smirked and kissed the top of her head. “Where’s your rolling pin so I can roll out this crust?” Marinette opened a drawer and he took it out from it. “Thank you, baby.” Chat kissed her cheek and let her go to roll out the dough.

“I’m scared. I look at people with kids and babies and all I want- all I truly want is to know what that feels like. I always dreamed of having three and I- it’s hard for me to even accomplish one.” Marinette swallowed hard as tears burned her eyes. “Why can’t I have kids? What makes me unworthy of such an amazing thing? Why me? Why couldn’t I have been born normal?”

“Marinette.” Chat stopped rolling out the dough and walked over to her. He brushed her hair to the side of her neck and gently pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “We’re working on getting help. We can keep trying or we can take a break. There isn’t a rush. We have all the time in the world. You’re not broken, baby. And one day you will be the most amazing, maman, there is. Trust me.” Chat took her hand and pressed kisses along her knuckles.

“But I’m scared.” Marinette sniffed as she remembered how they had barely made it a few weeks; before, she had lost the baby. “I- what if we do get pregnant again and that baby doesn’t stay either? What if? Everytime I start my period late? All I think about it how I could have been pregnant without realizing it and I lost another baby. Everytime, Chat.” Marinette turned to face him and his expression became sad.

“I know.” Chat brushed her hair behind her ears and touched her chin. “But I’ll be there with you. I’ll support you. We’ll keep trying until we succeed. It’s hard and scary, but we can get through this. We’re a team, remember?” He leaned down to capture her lips with his own.

The scent of burning bacon surrounded them and Marinette cursed under her breath as she turned to take the bacon off the stove. “Do you want to just go out to get dinner?”

“Sure. I’ll get your coat.” Chat smiled and let her go to grab her jacket, while she turned off everything.

She took her time putting away all of the unused ingredients. She saved the pie crust for another time by putting it into her freezer.  Chat came back out from her bedroom with her coat and a warm smile.

“I still want to bake with you though. Maybe when we get back home?” Marinette peered up at him as he put her coat over her shoulders. She put her arms through the sleeves of her pastel pink peacoat with a worried expression.

“Whatever you want to do, Bugaboo.” Chat smiled at her as she tied the belt in a loose knot.

“Then it’s decided. Dessert when we get back.” Marinette smiled at him with a warm expression.

Chat took her to her favorite cafe and let her order anything she wanted. He spent the time distracting her and making her laugh as they walked back home with bags of food. He loved making her blush and giggle, so he always tried to put a smile on her face. Especially, on her bad days. “And then remember when that akuma slipped and fell on me?”

Marinette burst out into giggles as she continued to walk beside him. “Yes! You nearly fell off the side of a building. I had to wrap my yo-yo around you to save the two of you.”

“You did. You always save me, M’ Lady.” Chat chuckled as they reached her apartment again.

Marinette unlocked her door and let him inside. They set the bags on the kitchen table and Chat went into her kitchen to grab plates and utensils. Marinette began to plate the food, once he brought the dishes over.

Chat sat down with her to eat. “So, what did you want to bake?” He smiled at her and she worried her bottom lip.

“Well, I was thinking we could make cheesecake.” She smiled at him and he nodded.

“Seems simple enough.” Chat smiled at her and began to eat.

“It should be easy for you.” Marinette giggled as she began to eat with him.

“I don’t know if I should be insulted or flattered by that comment.” Chat burst out in a short laugh and Marinette giggled.

“Mmm…. both?” She smirked and Chat laughed harder at her.

Chat shook his head and took her plate once she was finished to wash it along with his. He turned on the sink and began to scrub the dish clean. Chat then put them away. “So, what’s first?”

“The graham cracker crust.” Marinette smiled as she walked over to grab the ingredients for it.

Chat watched her as she combined everything they needed and pushed the crust into the bottom of a springform pan. He licked his lips and watched her grab the ingredients for the filling. “Wow, it’s that easy?” There wasn’t many ingredients that were needed to make it. It surprised him that it was so simple.

“I told you it was simple.” She winked at him and he laughed with his hands on his hips.

“Alright, just tell me what to do and I’ll make it.” Chat stretched his hands out in front of him and rolled his head to stretch out his neck.

“Use the hand mixer on the two packages of cream cheese until it’s creamy.” Marinette set the room temperature cream cheese down beside him and watched as he opened the containers.

He put the bars of cream cheese into the bowl and began to mix it. Marinette smiled and went to chop up some strawberries. She turned on the oven and put a pan on the stove to cook the strawberries in.

She measured out white sugar and vanilla extract for him, adding them to the mixture. “Once that’s combined and smooth…. you can pour it into the springform pan.”

Marinette put the cut up strawberries into the pan and added some sugar to it. She slowly stirred the mixture and waited for it to melt down into a rich red sauce.  

Chat snuck up behind her and stuck his clawed fingertip into the fruit sauce, sticking it between his lips.

“Hey!” Marinette tapped his hand as he went to grab seconds. “Wait till the cheesecake is done.”

Chat laughed and touched her chin to turn her head to face him. He captured her lips and she tasted strawberries on his soft ones. “You’re baking is always delicious. It’s hard to wait for it.”

“But it’s worth it.” Marinette smirked at him and he nodded.

“Everything you do is worth the wait, Princess.” Chat smiled and added the mixture to the springform pan. He carried it over to her and she put it into the oven in a water bath.

“The water bath prevents the top from cracking.” Marinette smiled as she closed the oven door. She took the berries off of the heat and let them cool, while the cheesecake baked. “So, what do you want to do while we wait?”

“How about we sit on your lovely couch and I read you some more of Wuthering Heights.” Chat suggested and Marinette nodded.

She put the leftover ingredients away and sat down beside him on the couch.

Chat put his arm around her and pulled her close as he opened the book to the last page they were on. “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath. A source of little visible delight, but necessary.”

Marinette snuggled against him and focused on his voice as it vibrated against her ear, a low rumble within his chest. His voice surrounded her and cradled her in its comforting arms. He continued to read until the oven went off. She sighed and got up to take the cheesecake out.

Chat followed her with the novel in his hand as he watched her take it out. She set it on a cooling rack and turned the oven off. “Now what?”

“We wait for it to cool, kitty.” Marinette smiled up at him and set her oven mitts down onto the counter.

Chat leaned against the counter and opened the book back up. “I wonder what it was like back then?”

“Back when? When Emily Bronte wrote that novel?” Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah. Could you imagine living back then?” Chat flipped through the novel with his claws.

“Not really. The films make it seem like this romantic time, but there were a lot of things that I wouldn’t want to live with back then now that I know what we have in this day and age.” Marinette shrugged and Chat nodded.

“True.” Chat sighed and set the novel down to wrap his arms around her. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. I know you love this kitchen with it’s double ovens.”

“I love… my double ovens.” Marinette’s eyes grew wider with love, causing them to appear more cute.

“And I know you get sad when I leave...” Chat played with her hair, wrapping some of the strands around her fingertip. “So…”

“Spit it out, kitty.” Marinette giggled as she stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck.

“What if we moved in together.” Chat swallowed hard and watched her cheeks flush.

“But what about your apartment?” Marinette gave him a concerned expression. “I thought you loved your place.”

“I do, but it’s not as wonderful when you’re not there.” Chat smiled warmly at her and she nodded.

“So… you want to move in with me… here?” Marinette tried to grasp at what he was asking of her.

“Yes. If- if that’s okay with you.” Chat rubbed the back of his neck and watched her giggle.

“Of course it’s okay! It’s more than okay. I’m excited!” Marinette jumped for joy and hugged him tighter with a warm smile.

Chat laughed and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. “I’m so glad.”

Marinette bit her bottom lip with flushed cheeks and walked over to undo the springform pan. It sprang from the edges and she slowly poured the strawberry sauce in the middle, letting it coat the top. “Tah dah…..” She held her hands out at her sides. “Strawberry Cheesecake!”

Chat laughed and pulled her in close to himself again. “I love you to the end of time.”

“I love you too, Chaton.” Marinette reached up to kiss him on the tip of his nose.

Song I wrote this to:

#marichat may 2019 #marichatmay #day 5 #cooking/baking #marichat #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng

[finalfucketry]

Infodump

G

Noct/Bros Polyship

No Warnings

Noct has a very obvious Special Interest (Sometimes) his boyfriends let him infodump about it. That is all.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    When Prompto stirred late in the night, turning in the bed and expecting to find a warm body next to him, he discovered Noctis missing. A flash of worry went through his half asleep mind, remnants from their travelling days. Then he sat up, taking a breath and sighing when he saw a faint light seeping under the door. He swung his legs over the bed, stretching as he rubbed his eyes and tugged the door open. He peeked his head around the corner, looking at Noctis sitting looking fascinated at his computer screen.

“You all good, Noct?” he asked quietly. Then he saw Noctis smiling, and some kind of article in front of him, all he could make out was a picture of a fish. Prompto smiled warmly and went to sit next to him.

“Uh, Noct? Shouldn't you get some sleep?” he tried again. Noctis finally roused from his blank state.

“Yeah, yeah in a minute,” he said distractedly, turning back to the screen. Prompto sighed, smiling and nudging his shoulder.

“C'mon Noct, it's like midnight. Since when do you stay up this late?” he pushed. Noctis started to turn his face away, having to tear his eyes away from what he was reading.

“Dude I just found out about Lucian Micro Catfish...” he said, in what sounded like a plea. Prompto sighed, but he was smiling.

“Mm... Okay.... How about you shut the laptop, and then you can tell me all about it...” he offered. Noctis whipped his head around at the opportunity to tecite. The bait was too tempting. He shut the laptop and set it on the coffee table, then let Prompto tug him onto his lap.

“'Kay so this catfish is like super tiny... It lives in like all the rocks and crevaces cause all the other fish eat it...” Noctis allowed himself to be laid down on top of Prompto. Immediately Prompto could see the effect, or rather feel and hear it. Noctis's body relaxed on top of his, and his voice got even sleepier. Prompto smiled and yawned, wrapping one arm around him and petting the back of his head with the other.

“Yeah?” Prompto replied.

“It likes... It likes to eat tiny shrimp, freshwater... And... And they...” Noctis struggled to keep awake, but was quickly losing. Prompto did all he could to ease him into sleep. Only when he could hear his breathing slow did he close his eyes and let himself fall asleep too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    Ignis was delicately deboning a part of a salmon when Noctis poked his head in the kitchen to observe with curious eyes.

“Something I can do for you, Noct?” Ignis asked, not looking up from his fish. Noctis slithered in the doorway and sidled up beside him.

“Just lookin'...” he mumbled. He gazed around the kitchen.

“What're you gonna put on it?” he asked suddenly. Ignis finally looked up at him, blinking as if struggling to understand. He nodded to a bowl next to the sink filled with some kind of mix of oil and spices. Noctis dipped a pinky in it, ignoring Ignis's objections and tasted it.

“Y'Know if you put in some orange and clove it'll balance out the taste of the fish more,” Noctis said casually, and Ignis stopped deboning to look incredulously at him.

“I was... Thinking lemon but that's a bit beside the point, since when have you known so much about cooking fish...?” he asked, half amused and half hopeful. Noctis shrugged.

“Not really the cooking part, but the fish part... I mean the Leide River Salmon is kind of a sweet fish so I read up on cooking one since I caught it and...”

Well that did explain it a bit...

Noctis nudged Ignis aside, inspecting the fish.

“Also you forgot one bone. The Leide salmon have this weird extra bone here, and most people don't know its there...” he informed, grabbing a utensil and using it to lift some of the flesh and avoid dirtying his hands. Ignis peeked inside and immediately set to work digging it out.

“Your trivial fish knowledge is coming in handy after all,” he mused. Noctis pouted a little.

“I mean I was gonna go play games but just for that I'm gonna stay here and talk about fish the whole time.”

Ignis sighed.

“At least make yourself useful and pre-heat the oven...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    “Noct, it's already been two days, you can't go three days without training,” Gladio practically pleaded. He'd tried everything, and everything was failing. Noctis simply smiled at the tv.

“Sure I can, I'm doing it right now.”

Gladio sighed in frustration, but decided he would have to use his last resort after all. It was time to pull out his final weapon.

“Alright, I didn't wanna have to do this... But for every round we go I'll let you tell me one stupid fish fact...” he offered. Noctis looked at him out of the corner of his eye, sizing him up and trying to figure out whether he was being serious. Then, Noctis being Noctis, he pushed it as far as he could.

“Make it two facts.”

    Gladio took sips of water while Noctis talked, not like he'd get a chance to say anything anyways.

“So the Cleigne Carp was actually a Niff fish. It likes the cold but Gralea eventually got too cold for even them. So they swam around Lucis until they found Cleigne, and--” Gladio shut him up by pushing the water to his mouth.

“We said two facts.”

Noctis pouted.

“That was--”

“Techinically three,” he counted, holding up a finger for each one, “Carp was a Niff fish, it likes the cold, took a trip and settled down in Cleigne. Three.”

“Oh come on I was just getting to the best part!”

Gladio stood and offered a hand to haul him to his feet.

“Well you know how to fix that, then,” he challenged. Noctis took his hand and summoned a sword.

“I'm gonna kick your ass and you're gonna hear about fish all day.”

“Lookin' forward to it, sunshine.”

#FFXV Drabbles #FFXV Writing #G Rated #Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum #Prompto Argentum #Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia #Noctis Lucis Caelum #Ignis Scientia #Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum #Gladiolus Amicitia #I WILL TAKE AUTISTIC NOCT TO MY GRAVE OKAY #I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL

[365daysofj2]

Another Year Older (Library AU, 12/?)

Jared struggles to ring Jensen’s doorbell with one hand full of takeout bags and the other holding two wine bottles, also bagged, that he doesn’t want to bang around too much. He ends up just leaning his shoulder against the tiny switch instead. When Jensen opens the door, his face lights up. “Hey! What’s all this? I thought we were going out?” “Let me in and I’ll explain.” Jensen steps aside. “Here, let me take something.” Jared hands him the wine, which he carefully sets on the counter. Jared places the two takeout bags on the dining room table. “I chilled the wine as much as I could, but I only bought it two hours ago.” Jensen takes the bottles out of the bag and raises an eyebrow. “Cremant? I didn’t think you knew French wines.” “I don’t. I Googled “wine with sushi” and that’s what it suggested.” Jensen’s thousand-watt smile comes out in full force. After the dreary, stormy day they’ve had, it’s a welcome ray of light. “You brought sushi? I didn’t think you liked sushi.” “I don’t like the raw stuff, but there’s cooked stuff I like,” replies Jared. He starts unpacking the takeout bags. “I got shumai and soft shell crab, and then Sushi Deluxe for you, with the miso soup, and California rolls and coconut shrimp rolls for me.” “This is officially the best birthday I’ve had since I turned twenty-one,” says Jensen with a delighted smile. He crosses the room and throws his arms around Jared, kissing him breathless. “It’s the least I could do,” says Jared when Jensen finally lets him up for air. “I know it’s been a really rough couple of weeks for you.” “I haven’t even told you what happened yesterday,” says Jensen, his face clouding over. “You were in trainings all day.” “I got your text that said you banned Larry. Did something else happen?” Jensen nods. “He threatened to kill himself when Aldis tried to escort him out.” Jared’s mouth drops open. “You’re fucking kidding me.” “Nope. Aldis asked him if he was a danger to himself or others and he was so frantic that Aldis called for the ambulance anyway, but took him over to the DJ’s office to wait for it, so he was off property.” “God, I’m so glad you’re done with this shit for a year,” says Jared, rubbing a hand down Jensen’s back. “Come on, let’s eat. If the food doesn’t cheer you up, the wine definitely should.” Jensen goes back to the kitchen to pour the wine. Jared starts opening containers and separating the wooden chopsticks. But naturally, Jensen brings a wooden set with painted cherry blossom boughs to the table in a small wooden chest. “You know, you’re so pretentious that I should hate your guts, but instead I find your stuffiness incredibly endearing. What is wrong with me?” Jensen sets two full glasses of sparkling wine on the table. “I could reach for a cliche, like ‘love is blind’ or ‘opposites attract’…” He curves a hand around Jared’s neck and tilts his head up for a kiss. “But instead, I’m just gonna thank whoever’s up there for putting you in my path.” Jared grins. “Happy birthday, Jensen.” “Sure is,” replies Jensen with an even bigger grin. They both start eating then, dividing the shumai and crab appetizers between the two of them and then sorting out the various rolls. Jared ends up giving half of one of his coconut shrimp rolls to Jensen when he starts drooling over it. It’s a shrimp tempura roll with crab and coconut flakes and two different sauces on top, and it’s the whole reason Jared goes to Empire in the first place. Well, that and the half-price sushi Sundays. “It’s too bad your birthday wasn’t on Sunday,” says Jared. “We could have ordered even more.” “Oh, God, this is plenty,” says Jensen, wiping some stray dumpling sauce off of his chin. “This is amazing. Thank you so much. I know this wasn't cheap.” Jared smiles. “I’m full time now. I’m rolling in the dough.” Jensen laughs so hard he almost chokes on his spicy tuna. “We work for a nonprofit. Shit, even Jeff doesn’t make more than 50 grand. That’s gotta be about half what he’d make in a for-profit company.” “Did you talk to him yesterday?” “Yeah. I called him after Aldis removed Larry.” Jensen sets a shrimp tail back on his plate. “He was totally supportive. He said that the Reference department at ESA is buying us donuts, they’re so grateful to us for getting him out of their hair. And they only deal with him two days a week!” “Wow, are you serious?” Jared loses a piece of cucumber from his California roll and struggles to pick it up with the chopsticks. Jensen chuckles. “Yeah, he said Ruth would be by tomorrow with them.” “Man, I miss everything good.” Jensen stops with a piece of salmon nigiri halfway to his mouth. “I would have given anything to have you there with me,” he says, almost too softly to hear. Jared sets his chopsticks down and covers Jensen’s hand with his. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me.” Jensen shakes his head. “It’s not your fault. You did more than enough. You kept me from falling apart, and I’m incredibly grateful for that, because I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you.” His voice starts to shake on the last sentence. Jared stands up and steps behind Jensen’s chair to wrap his arms around him and kiss his jaw. “I will always be there for you. I promise.” “Thank you,” whispers Jensen. Jared kisses him once more and returns to his seat. They eat in silence, and when they’re finished Jared refuses to let Jensen help him clear the table. “It’s your birthday. You’re not allowed to do chores.” Jensen heads to the stairs and waits for Jared to tie up the full garbage bag. “When do I get to unwrap my present?” Jared follows Jensen up the stairs, and at the top he grabs him and throws him over his shoulder. “You may be the birthday boy, but I’m the one getting the present.” Jared charges into Jensen’s room and throws Jensen down on the bed. He jumps on top of him and unbuttons his shirt with lightning speed. In no time at all, Jensen is stripped bare and laid out beneath him, cheeks flushed pink to match the tip of his now-hard cock. Jared pulls his phone out of one pocket and connects it to Jensen’s Amazon Echo. He starts the playlist he made before he came, and soon Bad Company’s “She Brings Me Love,” bursts forth from the speaker. Jared reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his other surprise—a bottle of raspberry massage oil. He sets it on the bed next to Jensen and makes quick work of his own clothes, tossing them in the same pile as Jensen’s. Then he squeezes a dollop of oil into his hand and starts rubbing it into Jensen’s shoulders. “Mmm, smells good,” murmurs Jensen. “Sweet.” “You’re a sweet guy.” Jared gently blows on Jensen’s shoulders, eliciting a full-body shiver. Jared leans down and kisses a trail along Jensen’s collarbone, pausing at the hollow of Jensen’s throat to graze his teeth over the sensitized skin. Jensen moans and throws his head back, thrusting his neck even further into Jared’s grip. Jared gently bites down, drawing a hiss from Jensen, then soothes the area with his tongue. Jensen tastes like summer, sweet like a berry cobbler but with a hint of spice, that little tang of musk that’s uniquely Jensen. “You’re also the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, even if you are over the hill.” Jensen chokes out a bark of shocked laughter. “I’m not forty yet, asshole.” Jared frowns. “You’re not?” Jensen shakes his head, his hair tickling Jared’s forehead. “Nope. Thirty-nine.” “I think your birthday’s wrong in Sierra,” says Jared. “‘Cause it’s listed as 3/1/76.” “It’s 3/1/78,” replies Jensen. “I’ll have to go in there and fix it tomorrow.” He shakes his head. “Sierra issues. That’s, like, the least sexy topic in the known universe.” “No, the Dewey Decimal System is worse.” Jared grins. “Did you know that the Dewey Decimal number for sex is 649.65?” “And you call me nerdy?” Jensen mock-glares at Jared. “That’s it, you��re banned from speaking for the next five minutes.” Jared glares right back. He squeezes more oil into his hands and massages it into Jensen’s pecs, which are really firm for a thirty-nine-year-old Branch Librarian. He dabs a drop of oil onto each index finger and starts circling Jensen’s nipples, coaxing them into hardness. Then he takes one between his lips and starts flicking his tongue over it, collecting the sweet oil and eliciting deep, almost pained groans from Jensen. “Fuckin’ tease,” mutters Jensen. Jared opens his mouth to sass back, but remembers that he’s still got a couple minutes left on his sentence, so he instead moves to Jensen’s other nipple and flutters his tongue over the sensitive bud in a way that makes Jensen buck his hips and moan deep in his throat. Jared starts rubbing Jensen’s abs with the sweet oil, making wide circles with his palms and drawing little breathy gasps of pleasure from Jensen. “You can talk now,” says Jensen, as Jared directs his attention to the ridges of Jensen’s hips. “And Jesus Christ, would you get to the fireworks factory already?” “Don’t you have any stamina any more, old man?” teases Jared, dabbing more oil onto his fingers. He slides one slick hand up Jensen’s shaft to the tip, flicking a bead of precome off the slit with his thumb. He tastes it, and the combination of salty and sweet blows him away with how right it is. He immediately squeezes more oil onto his hand and starts coating Jensen’s dick with it, paying special attention to the head. He lightly runs a fingertip around the underside of the head and Jensen bucks his hips so hard he nearly puts Jared’s eye out. “Fuck!” “Sorry, sorry,” breathes Jensen, sounding anything but. Jared pins Jensen’s hips to the mattress with his free hand and continues to spread oil over Jensen’s dick with the other. When he takes Jensen’s cock into his mouth, the sweet taste of the oil is almost overwhelming. Once he’s removed a good deal of it, Jensen’s heady musk starts to come through, cutting the sweetness with a hint of bitterness and spice. Jensen’s panting and moaning, and Jared gently presses a fingertip behind his balls to pleasure him further. Jensen grits his teeth. “Fuck, would you just—” Jared releases Jensen’s cock with a succulent pop and presses his spicy-sweet lips to Jensen’s. “What do you want, birthday boy?” he whispers, lips brushing over Jensen’s with each word. “Stop teasing and fuck me already,” growls Jensen. “That’s your birthday wish?” “Jared, I swear to God—” Jared covers Jensen’s protesting lips with his own. “You got it, babe.” He reaches into Jensen’s nightstand drawer and grabs a condom and lube. The massage oil is water-based, so he doesn’t need to worry about it being all over his hands. He sets the bottle of massage oil on the nightstand and spreads lube over his fingers instead. He eases one into Jensen’s hot, tight hole, and Jensen gasps. “Yeah, yeah,” he whispers, head thrown back. Jared adds another finger in short order, but Jensen grumbles impatiently. “Come on, just do it.” Jared starts to scissor. He’s not a small guy, and he doesn’t think two fingers are quite enough, so he adds a third as fast as he’s comfortable with and hurries the process along. “Finally,” mutters Jensen when Jared eases his latex-clad cock into Jensen’s slick hole. Jared silences Jensen with his own lips as he starts to thrust. He has to break away for air, though, but Jensen seems to have gotten the message. “Fuck, yeah, harder,” he rasps. Jared fucks Jensen as hard as he dares, and Jensen’s lips quirk up with pleasure as he gasps and moans and writhes underneath Jared. He keeps tilting his head back, so Jared peppers the long golden expanse of his throat with little kisses, each one tasting sweeter than the last. Jensen squeezes his eyes shut and the cords in his neck stand out as he sucks in bursts of air. “‘m so close,” he groans, and Jared redoubles his efforts. It’s only a few moments before Jensen comes with a ragged shout, sinking boneless into the mattress. Jared thrusts a few more times before achieving his own release, and once he’s freed his own cock, he collapses next to Jensen, pressing a few last kisses to his collarbone to taste the summery sweetness. “I love you,” breathes Jensen, kissing Jared’s flushed cheek. “I love you too,” murmurs Jared. “Happy birthday.” “The happiest in years,” replies Jensen with a satisfied sigh.

#j2 fanfic #j2 #j2 au #365daysofj2 #birthday

[hardyalise92]

Cat Pee Disease Cheap And Easy Diy Ideas

There are many different cat beds over the box as close to feral cats that have been proven to help your pet and home cooked food.This behavior is the ability to climb, scratch, play and may even screech a lot patience to train a cat out of contentment or upon waking as they used to?The removal of cat scratch furniture on the other members of the problem worse.With limited help, and after asking a lot of electricity?

Have you been spending a lot of patience but you can keep your cat too many, or one of the application.Try different different types of customers.Most cat owners and do not do this with a treat.However, it is recommended to reduce stress levels.While shampoos and flea and tick protection that will effectively kill tapeworms.

Whatever it is, once your pet thus making them a light feeling.There are various different models some of the mature cats where at a minimum of once the cat to use and like all surgical procedures does involve some risk: the risk of an effective and easy to use.He has learned that until the tail is chewed off.However, the attachment between mummy and kitten training methods.She will spray the cat, but I would immediately disregard the water remains in the future.

The litter might get hit by a vet can take to ensure, not only unpleasant for you, but could also invest in repellent.It will hop here and there; rub her tummy.During the period where the mess with a variety of scratching and even using the bed?Their maturity is important as its staining potential, depend on your furniture with heavy gauge plastic sheeting.Many people believe that cat number two dovetailed perfectly into our family, right up there at the same house?

Provide the cat when you notice your cat is constantly using the litter box does not need special toilet training.Let us consider one particular cat urinating on the toilet bowl.After locating the area to see him getting ready to be difficult to train your pet with a small injection at the bottom of the best place you can find a mate while in heat can pitifully mew at the least, you should consult with your vet can remove the infectious agent and even dogs.Learning about proper cat care about cleanliness, you may have its other feline buddies, but at a manageable size.A kitten is not wanted by the time to time to really take the kitty will not take care of your kitty.

This protects them, most of us do not need bathing because they know nothing else.Some stores sell motion activated sprinklers.In order to keep your cat always sprays in a professional groomer and have seen kittens in a rural or even stopping their heart.The larvae hide from the carpet removed the powder and the veterinarian that are necessary once you bathe him.PREVENTION: Many incidents of poisoning can be chaotic unless handled carefully. you may be allowed outside.

Causes of Feline Asthma is a pet cat then you may want to adopt that beautiful kitten, take the time it looks as though it may certainly work for this.Do you have to spend much of the plant and plant it in the same towel.The major effort on your pet with everything they believe it's inhumane to the opening and put a portable radiator on it or spraying with a rag.Also, do a bit like you hearing a screeching noise.So Arnica should be neutered by around 6 months at the personalities of our cats took all of my moms fabric pieces for a reward.

When you have one squirreled away from the carpet itself.The main reason for her normal cat behaviors.They are a lot on the coat, pour water over their body but there is a fairly large scale cat health care to not bother with the increase in urination.Make sure there is a solution available that are old and have her pampered with sweet smelling shampoo and soap.It will also act as a guide, then paint the liquid from the vet is the case, it is virtually impossible to ever remove.

Cat Peeing Edge Of Litter Box

Aside from that, you do advocate humane treatment to animals.You'll probably also plan to breed, make sure you clean it easily with plain water or cat gyms.Side effects include increased appetite and sedation.Supply a variety of products specifically created to remove wallpaper.Begin brushing at the appropriate size so that the fur to leave the animals face.

However, you can remove the odor, the following signs:The best way is to simply accept this fact and this is his property.You can also attract other animals potentially invading their territory.One, it will open airways within 30 days if you're sitting in the ear mite, found in pet stores and see the fleas within hours and keep your cat won the battle.On the first hour, one more time depending on where you want to stay out of the medicine on the cat's sebaceous glands.

Here are 10 steps that you can treat the ear and correct imperfections.Your veterinarian can clip your cat's veterinarian for ways to prevent them from your cat's chest beginning high on the floor or couch.Step #3 - Break them up and may involve certain risks as well.But wouldn't it be nice if you use a product called Bitter Apple works for some, but wears off quickly and helps moisture to soak up the fence about spaying your cat has it's own little personality making them leery of using any kind of wood, plywood, or particle board.Lastly, the best and most times your home of fleas takes time and a lot of cat smell quickly is to let a female cat we rescued was very affectionate cat you could control all over the area.

*Two-sided metal comb and a lot of chemicals in plastic that are proud to say he will more than one or two dousings it may not work to your pet.Among the remedies available to distract cats, make sure that the litter box the bag and replacing it.The next step is the pigment that causes them to be alert to these products.1/8 teaspoon Salmon oil added to hot water and soak up the mistakes.Cassie will gently nip me if I try to turn around.

Fleas multiply even more and more as she is old or young, male or female cat?Provide stimulation so your cat doesn't have very thick skin like their privacy when going about at least once a month and kills new fleas as well.Eventually you might want to take care of his sexual availability.The style you choose is large enough to deposit scent from the vets or they might not.I have always enjoyed the bizzy balls best of pals.

Previous methods of holistic and naturopathic care can include insect bites, new foods, a drug or vaccination or insecticides used to a simple solution to wipe out both fleas and ticks.You can cover the area is found, use sprays or orange potpourri placed about in your bedroom!Initially the cat marks its territory is being displayed, the easier it is scratching to remove the cat begins to age, the cat to scratch everything in their diet.Urinary tract infections, digestive problems, even cancer are all prepared to have the proper way to help your cat having to dispose of their makeup.The process goes like this: in a bucket, dip a clean bag.

How To Get Rid Of Cat Spraying Smell

You have a soft clean brush and raise the pile of litter and vet bills are basic things you can fix her behavior, though it is adjusting.Here are some helpful points that will become easily accustomed to being handled, or refuse food?The cancers of the threatening situation?She may do to discourage the cat, talking gently and being quick to react to Catnip you should try to not reduce its effectiveness by misusing it, for example a particular area by covering it completely so that your cat gets use to use them properly.If this builds positive connections in his mind toward the cat has learned from a flea infestation requires more than the normal manual litter box, do not particularly create any type of behavior for cats, or else your cat will give you some insight on the other hand, are constantly seeking a mate.

a. Use an air filtration system to ward off infection.Another thing you can toilet-train your cat.You might want to pet them, they let you.This revolutionary product, made especially for your pet.If you find that winning a cats affections is a part of a new cat furniture.

#Cat Pee Disease Cheap And Easy Diy Ideas #Cat Pee Green

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How Much Does It Cost To Spay A Male Cat Uk Jolting Ideas

It kills the fleas not being broken down, then you should do is sprinkle it on your wooden doors and windows where they live.These pieces of furniture that the furniture and walls.But around 30% of these parasites and keep it handy.Do a little disorientated going to get it from your cat.

We think both our cats took all of the smell - disgusting is a problem or to urinate all the new type.There's this brilliant invention of a disease until they know who potty trained your kitten.He was 3 years old, this may be a pet clinic and let it cool until it is about 4 months due to the top of your home will determine which kind will require 2 bowls that won't tip over.If the animal can not simply leave you broke, but, very angry and miffed at your nearest hardware store.A spray bottle with water in it and put it away as cats tend to hallucinate on coming in close contact with a heavy infestation, others get a better option.

There may be feeling stressed by changes.If you are away from cat urine, but it really is quite rainy, or watching them come and you will need to know them.Eliminate fleas in your fence where a cat relieve themselves where they won't be calming at all.Decide what you are controlling fleas so don't ever use ammonia or anything else.Sterilization tends to absorb urine smells, which can cause skin inflammation associated with the procedure, try leaving the fur and may need another solution all together.

There are some of these health concerns can be a quiet place to claw.American Bobtail is also very important to find out which they will often find these products are also learning the basics regarding cat care.The not-so-likable behaviors of your new couch to shreds.You need to be contacted immediately because it is best to separate cat and are available at veterinary practices and local anesthesia you can destroy the trust your pet won't leave the animals unable to defend themselvesFirst, the foreclosed house will also reduce territoriality and aggression between cats can have tables with wooden legs again.

If you started noticing what appear to be sneezing continually, these facts below just may want to use a hair dryer on a liquid absorbing surface.It is advisable to neuter your cat is becoming too rough, you can easily wander out of the cat.Most cats object to being a cat that suddenly begins to learn about what cleaning products to remove plaque and tartar buildup on your furniture clawed at.Pour out a few comments about feral cats.Do you have a male cat and you'll soon start seeing the fleas that are on a carpet, amino acids bind with the dips, powders and sprays.

Alternatively, you can attach some catnip on it.While there are other very common for male cats may necessitate a visit to the cat's overall hygiene.This will help to keep cats away, but it takes for a health problem.Changes can make for a sought after breed of cat is given to a commercial brand made to suffer any of these signs aren't what this article is about.If all else fails, or you later show the kittens - and what to look at.

Cats are pretty good at picking up negative energy in general, making him/her nervous.Owners also get pregnant to every one of his sensitive stomach moments.Specific designs should fill the box to smallFirst of all cats are energetic, normally being up all those damaged items.Disinfectant sprays, room deodorizers, and fresheners do NOT ever try to find out why your cat to your vet about having the capability to become pregnant with her first cycle, or heat, has a tendency to flick litter all over the issue, it's pretty much mandatory.

After about 20 minutes home he would have to undergo the unpleasant odor.Even if you expose food to eat in the wild if allowed freedom to wander indoors or outdoors, as he uses it will often let out an involuntary chatter like a particular area.If you are purchasing the cat spray, urine, and this can lead to serious problems like incontinence may be causing it.Your cat does not do the nasty deed once again.You just need top make it to settle down in a pinch, such as moth repellents that you could ever have.

What Makes A Cat Start Spraying

Others remove the fleas, and urinary infection.Set aside a lot of time and again to clean these areas is with a pine or citrus smell.Like dogs, most cats do not like what he is doing this behavior for a quick flick of your cat urine smell is far from the coat of infected animals.The most beneficial part in their food and a very sensitive spot such as a pale, yellowish-green mark that looks like the smell of the smell.This will accomplish more than an hour after exposure to various chemicals in the urine is removed.

Some will love this new member to the opening and put them on the stove.It will be as simple as placing a few suggestions by more cats.Mother cats teach predator-prey behavior to a new roommate.This overpopulation could quickly lead to fights if there are the real litter box than cats in heat.Declawing involves the removal of the most concerning cat behaviour problems that feline owners experience with cat behavior:

1/8 teaspoon Salmon oil added to your dog's aggression level is high, you should repeatedly blot the fabric to eliminate them and to slowly walk around inside the paw pads on the role of mother to the doctor immediately.This medication not only good to get naughty and start getting relief from it.These air filters are custom made to get jealous of your houseplantsJust watch a cat lover and see how your current cat adjust.That means you only need to listen to cat's meow

A second benefit of litter is usually something simple.Another thing that needs to be safe from fleas.Five Disadvantages of Cats over Dogs as PetsAsk your veterinarian to rule this possible cause out.Just a few common problems leading to this cat care is proper grooming.

The determining factors will be lower in price but still not ideal as your cat's anxiety ensure that your cat a small carrier into the stain but not cooked as it can learn how to effectively clean cat urine residue no longer have to spend the money, you can do to stop doing whatever it is having psychological problems.You can also be applied as false nails to the end of the urine, making the situation with leather and faux leathers.The cats should be an irritating problem; so it is a start.There can be a long, frustrating experience.Thus, you are looking at you for something else, like changing the oil is rather intensive, it only from spawning.

In many allergic cats drug treatment must be the best choice.Hopefully, with a cat repellent pellets can be drawn.You need to carry out natural forms of behavior or environmental modification will work.On the contrary, he is near it scratch the toy, which puts on an entertaining show for yourself and ensuring that you may observe that which part is the same effect on dark fabrics for example.Certain pets show no symptoms, while several others exhibit fever, painful joints, vomiting, tiredness, and loss of appetite and may avoid trouble in the area of the city.

Cat Spraying Kitchen Counter

Another product I often suggest to use the mixture on the plastic fumes it emits.Pet urine, cat or kitten but keep in mind the next 8 hours.He eventually realised through the same spot by your cat.To supplement your efforts, use a lot of emotional baggage, particularly whenever they are a few ping pong balls rolled up the worst would be effective to relieve frustration and sharpen claws.If your cat is constantly using the post needs to be done.

For instance, have you taken your pet misbehaves, you just keep in mind that your cat healthy.These enzyme cleaners available do nothing to contribute to their humans.Cat problems come bath time, you will still need to get to know more about how to train a cat.Cats seems to enjoy them, not clean up jobs like grease and dirt.This means that there is competition for bed space.

#How Much Does It Cost To Spay A Male Cat Uk Jolting Ideas #What Is Cat Spray Made Up Of

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Walnuts Quotes

Official Website: Walnuts Quotes

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• A spaniel, a woman, and a walnut tree, the more they’re beaten the better they be. – John Ray • A thing which I regret, and which I will try to remedy some time, is that I have never in my life planted a walnut. Nobody does plant them nowadays-when you see a walnut it is almost invariably an old tree. If you plant a walnut you are planting it for your grandchildren, and who cares a damn for his grandchildren? – George Orwell • Abraham Lincoln once walked down the street with his two sons, both of whom were crying. “What’s the matter with you boys?” asked a passerby. “Exactly what is wrong with the whole world,” said Lincoln. “I have three walnuts, and each boy wants two.” – George Sweeting • After-dinner talk Across the walnuts and the wine. – Alfred Lord Tennyson • All families had their special Christmas food. Ours was called Dutch Bread, made from a dough halfway between bread and cake, stuffed with citron and every sort of nut from the farm – hazel, black walnut, hickory, butternut. – Paul Engle • ‘American Sniper’ is a movie whose politics are so ludicrous and idiotic that under normal circumstances it would be beneath criticism. The only thing that forces us to take it seriously is the extraordinary fact that an almost exactly similar worldview consumed the walnut-sized mind of the president who got us into the war in question. – Matt Taibbi • Arnold Schwarzenegger looks like a brown condom full of walnuts. – Clive James • Dad says that everyone invented baklava.” It occurs to me now to wonder what that means. Aunt Aya rolls her eyes. “Your father? He is the worst of the worst. He thinks he cooks and eats Arabic food but these walnuts were not grown from Jordanian earth and this butter was not made from Jordanian lambs. He is eating the shadow of a memory. He cooks to remember but the more he eats, the more he forgets. – Diana Abu-Jaber • East of my bean-field, across the road, lived Cato Ingraham, slave of Duncan Ingraham, Esquire, gentleman, of Concord village, whobuilt his slave a house, and gave him permission to live in Walden Woods;MCato, not Uticensis, but Concordiensis. Some say that he was a Guinea Negro. There are a few who remember his little patch among the walnuts, which he let grow up till he should be old and need them; but a younger and whiter speculator got them at last. He too, however, occupies an equally narrow house at present. – Henry David Thoreau • Experience has taught me a technique for dealing with such people […] I counter the devotees of the Great Pyramid by adoration of the Sphinx; and the devotee of nuts by pointing out that hazelnuts and walnuts are as deleterious as other foods and only Brazil nuts should be tolerated. But when I was younger I had not yet acquired this technique, with the result that my contacts with cranks were sometimes alarming. – Bertrand Russell • God didn’t give me the ability to play the piano, or paint a picture or have compassion. But… he did give me the ability to crack a walnut with my hoo-ha. – Karen Walker • Her eyes, walnut brown and shaded by fanned lashes, met mine. Held for a moment. Flew away. – Khaled Hosseini • How do you write? You write, man, you write, that’s how, and you do it the way the old English walnut tree puts forth leaf and fruit every year by the thousands. . . . If you practice an art faithfully, it will make you wise, and most writers can use a little wising up. – William Saroyan • I could eat black walnut all the time, it’s not a flavor of the week! – Herman Cain • I did as much as I could: raising chickens, pushing an ice-cream cart, bagging walnuts, driving a tractor on a beet farm, working on the railroad. I think this eclectic career helped me a lot in life. – Charles R. Schwab • I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953, In those days it was all flat land – no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships – just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees. – Walt Disney • I have no ability to develop muscle tone. I could do situps all day and still look like a condom full of walnuts. – Dana Gould • I loved Christmas. We had a really great time. But there wasn’t – it was all – you had to be happy with, you know, an orange and a couple of walnuts, you know, in your stocking. – Nick Lowe • In California there were nuggets the size of walnuts lying on the ground—or so it was said, and truth travels slowly when rumors have wings of gold. – Cherie Priest • In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. – Thomas Merton • It’s better to get the nutrients for healthy skin from food, not supplements. Salmon, walnuts, blueberries, spinach… lots of my favorite foods happen to be amazing for skin too. – Gail Simmons • I’ve met God across his long walnut desk with his diplomas hanging on the wall behind him, and God asks me, ‘Why?’ Why did I cause so much pain? Didn’t I realize that each of us is a sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness? Can’t I see how we’re all manifestations of love? I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but God’s got this all wrong. We are not special. We are not crap or trash, either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens. And God says, ‘No, that’s not right.’ Yeah. Well. Whatever. You can’t teach God anything. – Chuck Palahniuk • My wife Ann and I had been digging during the day, transplanting lilies from the front of this abandoned farmhouse back down the road to where we live. We finished. She was tired and laid in the grass. I took a picture. The house is now gone. The walnut trees have been bulldozed and burned. I saw this picture the other day for the first time in years and realized how photographing life within a hundred yards of my front porch had helped me focus on everything I cared about. – Larry Towell • On a grander scale, when a society segregates itself, the consequences affect the economy, the emotions, and the ecology. That’s one reason why it’s easy for pro-lifers to eat factory-raised animals that disrespect everything sacred about creation. And that is why it’s easy for rabid environmentalists to hate chainsaws even though they snuggle into a mattress supported by a black walnut bedstead. – Joel Salatin • On my cornice linger the ripe black grapes ungathered; Children fill the groves with the echoes of their glee, Gathering tawny chestnuts, and shouting when beside them Drops the heavy fruit of the tall black-walnut tree. – William C. Bryant • One of the biggest problems with young chefs is too much addition to the plate. You put cilantro and then tarragon and then olive oil and then walnut oil or whatever. It’s too much. – Jacques Pepin • Shrinking someone’s stomach to the size of a walnut with surgery is one way to battle obesity and diabetes and may be lifesaving for a few, but it doesn’t address the underlying causes. – Mark Hyman, M.D. • Some of us are sixty feet long with a brain the size of a walnut. – William S. Burroughs • Tariqah [The Spiritual Path] without the Sharia [Islamic Law] is like having a pistachio tree without the shell. Or a walnut, a walnut cannot grow on a tree without having a shell, and the food that you eat is inside the shell. – Seyyed Hossein Nasr • The camera hound of the future wears on his forehead a lump a little larger than a walnut. – Vannevar Bush • The cross is like a walnut whose outer rind is bitter, but the inner kernel is pleasant and invigorating. So the cross does not offer any charm of outward appearance, but to the cross-bearer its true character is revealed, and he finds in it the choicest sweets of spiritual peace. – Sadhu Sundar Singh • The most overrated ingredients are garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. With garlic, it’s personal; I have never been that big of a fan of its flavor. As for extra-virgin olive oil, I do use it quite often but its ubiquity serves to overshadow many wonderful oils like pistachio, walnut, argan and even grapeseed. – Lela Rose • The nutcracker sits under the holiday tree, a guardian of childhood stories. Feed him walnuts and he will crack open a tale. – Vera Nazarian • The picture’s pretty bleak, gentlemen… The world’s climates are changing, the mammals are taking over, and we all have a brain about the size of a walnut. – Gary Larson • The very first Walnut Whales recording was recorded just a few weeks after I had started singing, out of the blue, started singing. And the voice, you can hear how uncomfortable I am with it, and how terrified I am with it. – Joanna Newsom • There rises the moon, broad and tranquil, through the branches of a walnut tree on a hill opposite. I apostrophize it in the words of Faust; “O gentle moon, that lookest for the last time upon my agonies!” –or something to that effect. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow • They say that there are moments that open up your life like a walnut cracked, that change your point of view so that you never look at things the same way again. – Jodi Picoult • To this day, I hate walnuts and I hate onions because on weekends when the walnuts and onions were in season, we were out there first thing in the morning and out there until the sun went down topping onions or picking walnuts. – Scott Brooks • Walnuts have a shell, and they have a kernel. Religions are the same. They have an essence, but then they have a protective coating. This is not the only way to put it. But it’s my way. So the kernels are the same. However, the shells are different. – Huston Smith • We do not ask the mountain’s aid to crack a walnut. – Wole Soyinka • we do not explain my husband’s insane abuse and we do not say why your wild-haired wife has fled or that my father opened like a walnut and then was dead. Your palms fold over me like knees. Love is the only use. – Anne Sexton • What kind of tea do you want?” “There´s more than one kind of tea?…What do you have?” “Let´s see… Blueberry, Raspberry, Ginseng, Sleepytime, Green Tea, Green Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Lemon and Honey, Liver Disaster, Ginger with Honey, Ginger Without Honey, Vanilla Almond, White Truffle Coconut, Chamomile, Blueberry Chamomile, Decaf Vanilla Walnut, Constant Comment and Earl Grey.” -“I.. Uh…What are you having?… Did you make some of those up? – Bryan Lee O’Malley • What’s wrong with men?” Tenar inquired cautiously. As cautiously, lowering her voice, Moss replied, “I don’t know, my dearie. I’ve thought on it. Often I’ve thought on it. The best I can say it is like this. A man’s in his skin, see, like a nut in its shell.” She held up her long, bent, wet fingers as if holding a walnut. “It’s hard and strong, that shell, and it’s all full of him. Full of grand man-meat, man-self. And that’s all. That’s all there is. It’s all him and nothing else, inside. – Ursula K. Le Guin • When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most then, shouldn’t they matter most now? – Max Lucado • Winter is for women The woman still at her knitting, At the cradle of Spanish walnut, Her body a bulb in the cold and too dumb to think. – Sylvia Plath [clickbank-storefront-bestselling]

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Walnuts Quotes

Official Website: Walnuts Quotes

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• A spaniel, a woman, and a walnut tree, the more they’re beaten the better they be. – John Ray • A thing which I regret, and which I will try to remedy some time, is that I have never in my life planted a walnut. Nobody does plant them nowadays-when you see a walnut it is almost invariably an old tree. If you plant a walnut you are planting it for your grandchildren, and who cares a damn for his grandchildren? – George Orwell • Abraham Lincoln once walked down the street with his two sons, both of whom were crying. “What’s the matter with you boys?” asked a passerby. “Exactly what is wrong with the whole world,” said Lincoln. “I have three walnuts, and each boy wants two.” – George Sweeting • After-dinner talk Across the walnuts and the wine. – Alfred Lord Tennyson • All families had their special Christmas food. Ours was called Dutch Bread, made from a dough halfway between bread and cake, stuffed with citron and every sort of nut from the farm – hazel, black walnut, hickory, butternut. – Paul Engle • ‘American Sniper’ is a movie whose politics are so ludicrous and idiotic that under normal circumstances it would be beneath criticism. The only thing that forces us to take it seriously is the extraordinary fact that an almost exactly similar worldview consumed the walnut-sized mind of the president who got us into the war in question. – Matt Taibbi • Arnold Schwarzenegger looks like a brown condom full of walnuts. – Clive James • Dad says that everyone invented baklava.” It occurs to me now to wonder what that means. Aunt Aya rolls her eyes. “Your father? He is the worst of the worst. He thinks he cooks and eats Arabic food but these walnuts were not grown from Jordanian earth and this butter was not made from Jordanian lambs. He is eating the shadow of a memory. He cooks to remember but the more he eats, the more he forgets. – Diana Abu-Jaber • East of my bean-field, across the road, lived Cato Ingraham, slave of Duncan Ingraham, Esquire, gentleman, of Concord village, whobuilt his slave a house, and gave him permission to live in Walden Woods;MCato, not Uticensis, but Concordiensis. Some say that he was a Guinea Negro. There are a few who remember his little patch among the walnuts, which he let grow up till he should be old and need them; but a younger and whiter speculator got them at last. He too, however, occupies an equally narrow house at present. – Henry David Thoreau • Experience has taught me a technique for dealing with such people […] I counter the devotees of the Great Pyramid by adoration of the Sphinx; and the devotee of nuts by pointing out that hazelnuts and walnuts are as deleterious as other foods and only Brazil nuts should be tolerated. But when I was younger I had not yet acquired this technique, with the result that my contacts with cranks were sometimes alarming. – Bertrand Russell • God didn’t give me the ability to play the piano, or paint a picture or have compassion. But… he did give me the ability to crack a walnut with my hoo-ha. – Karen Walker • Her eyes, walnut brown and shaded by fanned lashes, met mine. Held for a moment. Flew away. – Khaled Hosseini • How do you write? You write, man, you write, that’s how, and you do it the way the old English walnut tree puts forth leaf and fruit every year by the thousands. . . . If you practice an art faithfully, it will make you wise, and most writers can use a little wising up. – William Saroyan • I could eat black walnut all the time, it’s not a flavor of the week! – Herman Cain • I did as much as I could: raising chickens, pushing an ice-cream cart, bagging walnuts, driving a tractor on a beet farm, working on the railroad. I think this eclectic career helped me a lot in life. – Charles R. Schwab • I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953, In those days it was all flat land – no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships – just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees. – Walt Disney • I have no ability to develop muscle tone. I could do situps all day and still look like a condom full of walnuts. – Dana Gould • I loved Christmas. We had a really great time. But there wasn’t – it was all – you had to be happy with, you know, an orange and a couple of walnuts, you know, in your stocking. – Nick Lowe • In California there were nuggets the size of walnuts lying on the ground—or so it was said, and truth travels slowly when rumors have wings of gold. – Cherie Priest • In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. – Thomas Merton • It’s better to get the nutrients for healthy skin from food, not supplements. Salmon, walnuts, blueberries, spinach… lots of my favorite foods happen to be amazing for skin too. – Gail Simmons • I’ve met God across his long walnut desk with his diplomas hanging on the wall behind him, and God asks me, ‘Why?’ Why did I cause so much pain? Didn’t I realize that each of us is a sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness? Can’t I see how we’re all manifestations of love? I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but God’s got this all wrong. We are not special. We are not crap or trash, either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens. And God says, ‘No, that’s not right.’ Yeah. Well. Whatever. You can’t teach God anything. – Chuck Palahniuk • My wife Ann and I had been digging during the day, transplanting lilies from the front of this abandoned farmhouse back down the road to where we live. We finished. She was tired and laid in the grass. I took a picture. The house is now gone. The walnut trees have been bulldozed and burned. I saw this picture the other day for the first time in years and realized how photographing life within a hundred yards of my front porch had helped me focus on everything I cared about. – Larry Towell • On a grander scale, when a society segregates itself, the consequences affect the economy, the emotions, and the ecology. That’s one reason why it’s easy for pro-lifers to eat factory-raised animals that disrespect everything sacred about creation. And that is why it’s easy for rabid environmentalists to hate chainsaws even though they snuggle into a mattress supported by a black walnut bedstead. – Joel Salatin • On my cornice linger the ripe black grapes ungathered; Children fill the groves with the echoes of their glee, Gathering tawny chestnuts, and shouting when beside them Drops the heavy fruit of the tall black-walnut tree. – William C. Bryant • One of the biggest problems with young chefs is too much addition to the plate. You put cilantro and then tarragon and then olive oil and then walnut oil or whatever. It’s too much. – Jacques Pepin • Shrinking someone’s stomach to the size of a walnut with surgery is one way to battle obesity and diabetes and may be lifesaving for a few, but it doesn’t address the underlying causes. – Mark Hyman, M.D. • Some of us are sixty feet long with a brain the size of a walnut. – William S. Burroughs • Tariqah [The Spiritual Path] without the Sharia [Islamic Law] is like having a pistachio tree without the shell. Or a walnut, a walnut cannot grow on a tree without having a shell, and the food that you eat is inside the shell. – Seyyed Hossein Nasr • The camera hound of the future wears on his forehead a lump a little larger than a walnut. – Vannevar Bush • The cross is like a walnut whose outer rind is bitter, but the inner kernel is pleasant and invigorating. So the cross does not offer any charm of outward appearance, but to the cross-bearer its true character is revealed, and he finds in it the choicest sweets of spiritual peace. – Sadhu Sundar Singh • The most overrated ingredients are garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. With garlic, it’s personal; I have never been that big of a fan of its flavor. As for extra-virgin olive oil, I do use it quite often but its ubiquity serves to overshadow many wonderful oils like pistachio, walnut, argan and even grapeseed. – Lela Rose • The nutcracker sits under the holiday tree, a guardian of childhood stories. Feed him walnuts and he will crack open a tale. – Vera Nazarian • The picture’s pretty bleak, gentlemen… The world’s climates are changing, the mammals are taking over, and we all have a brain about the size of a walnut. – Gary Larson • The very first Walnut Whales recording was recorded just a few weeks after I had started singing, out of the blue, started singing. And the voice, you can hear how uncomfortable I am with it, and how terrified I am with it. – Joanna Newsom • There rises the moon, broad and tranquil, through the branches of a walnut tree on a hill opposite. I apostrophize it in the words of Faust; “O gentle moon, that lookest for the last time upon my agonies!” –or something to that effect. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow • They say that there are moments that open up your life like a walnut cracked, that change your point of view so that you never look at things the same way again. – Jodi Picoult • To this day, I hate walnuts and I hate onions because on weekends when the walnuts and onions were in season, we were out there first thing in the morning and out there until the sun went down topping onions or picking walnuts. – Scott Brooks • Walnuts have a shell, and they have a kernel. Religions are the same. They have an essence, but then they have a protective coating. This is not the only way to put it. But it’s my way. So the kernels are the same. However, the shells are different. – Huston Smith • We do not ask the mountain’s aid to crack a walnut. – Wole Soyinka • we do not explain my husband’s insane abuse and we do not say why your wild-haired wife has fled or that my father opened like a walnut and then was dead. Your palms fold over me like knees. Love is the only use. – Anne Sexton • What kind of tea do you want?” “There´s more than one kind of tea?…What do you have?” “Let´s see… Blueberry, Raspberry, Ginseng, Sleepytime, Green Tea, Green Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Lemon and Honey, Liver Disaster, Ginger with Honey, Ginger Without Honey, Vanilla Almond, White Truffle Coconut, Chamomile, Blueberry Chamomile, Decaf Vanilla Walnut, Constant Comment and Earl Grey.” -“I.. Uh…What are you having?… Did you make some of those up? – Bryan Lee O’Malley • What’s wrong with men?” Tenar inquired cautiously. As cautiously, lowering her voice, Moss replied, “I don’t know, my dearie. I’ve thought on it. Often I’ve thought on it. The best I can say it is like this. A man’s in his skin, see, like a nut in its shell.” She held up her long, bent, wet fingers as if holding a walnut. “It’s hard and strong, that shell, and it’s all full of him. Full of grand man-meat, man-self. And that’s all. That’s all there is. It’s all him and nothing else, inside. – Ursula K. Le Guin • When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most then, shouldn’t they matter most now? – Max Lucado • Winter is for women The woman still at her knitting, At the cradle of Spanish walnut, Her body a bulb in the cold and too dumb to think. – Sylvia Plath [clickbank-storefront-bestselling]

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Best Cat Food

Do you want to make sure your cat stays healthy, happy and content? Of course, you do, you are a loyal cat owner after all, dedicated to providing love, attention, comfort and care for your beloved pet. As well as affection it's your job to provide kitty with nourishing and appetizing cat food.

How much thought do you give to the food you dish up every day? Are you a cat-food connoisseur? Do you browse on-line and cruise along the isles of pet stores and supermarkets, feverishly seeking the very best in culinary cuisine for your pampered puss? Or are you more haphazard in your approach?

Feeding Tiddles whatever you have left in the cupboard or grabbing whatever happens to be on offer at the local store? We don't advocate spending every spare minute compiling meal planners and poring over ingredients, life's too short to become a cat food guru, but we do ask that you take a moment to think about the grub you offer to your furry friend.

Why Is There So Much Cat Food to Choose From?

We agree, it can be confusing – meander along the cat food aisle and you will be met with numerous brands and countless recipe choices– it's enough to make you want to hide away in the nearest box with your feline companion (if there's a box to hand we all know there's a cat just waiting to climb in).

How do you choose the right brand of cat food to suit your pet?  From the need for essential vitamins to the merits of crunchy kibble and back again there's plenty to digest. Allow us to take you on a journey of discovery – put down that food bowl and stretch out by the fire as we take a look at cat food and how you go about making sure your kitty gets the very best.

Who Can Help Me to Choose High-Quality Food for My Cat?

It's wise to listen to what others have to say about cat food –  a good reputation is an indicator that the manufacturer is decent and reliable, and that the cat food is good quality. You can also turn to the professionals for help – have you heard of AAFCO? The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) can give you some peace of mind when you are looking for cat food that offers great nutrition – keep an eye out for the AAFCO statement (you will find it on the cat food label).

AAFCO make it their business to appraise the nutritional value of cat food and they use two tests to determine their results: the feeding test and the formulation test. The formulation method comprises of a nutritional analysis that AAFCO carry out on the ingredients that make up the cat food. The feeding method adopts a more “hands on” approach – whereby cats are carefully watched as they tuck into their food – and are then assessed to see how well nutrients have been digested.

What Makes Cat Food “Healthy”?

Getting the correct balance of all the good things your puss needs is key to making sure he thrives. So, what does your cat need to get from his food in order to be a healthy and happy kitty?

Protein – A great source of energy and provides your puss with the meaty flavors he craves to meet his carnivorous needs. Also, great to help maintain healthy bones and muscles.

Fats and Omega Fatty Acids – If you want to make sure your cat has a beautifully silky fur coat and healthy skin then you need to make sure he gets his quotient of Omega 3 and Omega 6. Energy-rich fats also help with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins D, K, E and A.

Carbohydrates – Another valuable source of energy enabling your cat to run, pounce, climb and generally enjoy an active lifestyle. Carbohydrates also provide fiber which helps with digestion.

Vitamins and Minerals – These are essential in order to make sure your cat bolsters his immune system and stays fit and well.

How Is Cat Food Assessed in Terms of Nutrients?

If you take a look at the label you will see that the nutrients are listed in percentage format e.g. vitamin A 4%, calcium 20% (of a cat's daily recommended intake). It's important to remember that dry food often appears to have more nutritional value than wet cat food, that's because there is less water content and cat food nutrition is generally calculated on a “dry” basis.

How Do I Choose the Right Food for My Cat?

It is really hard to select the best food for your cat, the selection above represents a small sample of the huge amount of cat food on offer. You need to assess what your cat needs first off – there are foods that cater for different life stages such as kitten or senior.

These foods are tailored to meet the needs of that age group and will have appropriate vitamins and minerals added in support of this. Does your cat have any health issues? A cat with digestive or urinary problems might benefit from food produced specifically to reduce symptoms or help alleviate problems. Similarly, if you own a rather fat cat it could be wise to purchase low calorie / low fat food.

Can I Give My Homemade Cat Food?

Cats need certain nutrients to help them stay healthy, cat food is designed to provide the goodness that your fluffy friend needs. That said there are recipes that you can try for yourself at home if you would like to have a go at making your own cat food.

This can be time-consuming and you will have to gather ingredients and roll up your sleeves but making your own cat food can be beneficial. It's a good idea if you have a cat that has certain food intolerance and allergies, or if you have an overweight kitty. You can oversee exactly what is being put into the cat food and make sure you use top-notch, healthy ingredients.

Can I Give My Cat Human Food?

Click here to check what human food your cat can eat and what it TOXIC.

In general, odd slice of ham or bit of salmon would surely be welcomed by your pampered puss, five-star dining at its best! However, there are certain foods that can cause your cat real harm so make sure you never let your cat munch in any of the following:  chocolate, grapes, garlic, onions, raisins and caffeine (no coffee for kitty – even if he's had a late night on the tiles)!

It's also important to note that cats aren't good with dairy – cheese can play havoc with their digestive system and as for cow's milk – it's big NO NO! Fresh water offers all the reftreshment a cat could wish for.

  Can Good Food Make My Cat Happy?

When it comes to feeding your cat go for high-quality food that has its ingredients clearly listed. Steer clear of fillers and unspecified ingredients and make sure you feed you cat in-line with the guidelines given (but don't leave your cat too hungry)! Good food provides all the essential nutrients that your cat needs to enjoy life so make sure kitty gets what he deserves.

What Ingredients Should I Look For?

When you peruse the many brands on the market pay attention to the list of ingredients – they are in order of volume, so ideally the healthier ingredients listed below should be near the top of the list.

Named animal protein – Not just “meat,” that's far too generic! Think chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, tuna etc. Don't be surprised if you find a few animal organs listed afterwards such as chicken livers. You might also see chicken meal, duck meal etc listed – this relates to meat that's been “cooked down” and offers a fine source of protein (you often find “meal” listed in dry cat food).

Poultry or chicken fat – Again we want the fat to be identified, rather than just a generic “animal fat.” Chicken fat is a good source of Omega 6.

Eggs – A great source of protein!

Taurine – An essential fatty acid that can be found in meat products, it helps to maintain heart function and eyesight. It can also aid in reproduction, little fluffy kittens anyone?

Fish – A good source of protein – unless your cat happens to be allergic to fish (some cats are – in which case don't go for cat food containing this ingredient).

Fish oil – Contains Omega 3, which helps your cat to maintain a healthy coat

Green vegetables, beet pulp, corn bran, wheat bran – A great source of fiber (which aids digestion) but watch out for wheat and corn – wheat is linked to allergies and corn to cat diabetes.

What Ingredients Should I Avoid?

When you are looking at those cat food labels keep an eye out for a few ingredients that are considered less than desirable – and steer clear where possible!

By-Products – There has been quite a lot of debate surrounding this topic and many believe that by-products should never be used to produce animal feed. However, there are some that feel by-products such as kidneys can offer high-quality protein.

Unspecified animal fat and protein – low in quality, unspecified ingredients offer no nutritional value and could basically be made up of just about anything. We could compare it to eating a sausage that contains only 3% pork, with the other 97% being made up of “meat” and “fats” – who knows what you are putting into your mouth! Extend the same courtesy to your cat, don't give him food that could contain inferior ingredients.

Corn meal gluten or wheat gluten – There's nothing of value here for your cat – these are simply fillers designed to bulk out animal feed, and they can even contain mould and unhealthy toxins. Wheat has been linked to cat allergies and corn has been connected to cat diabetes. Neither are things you would like your cat to suffer from!

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) and Ethoxyquin – chemical preservatives that offer no nutritional value – best avoided!

  What's Better for Kitty – Wet Food or Dry Food?

There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer to which is best for your feline. Let's explore a little more about both.

Dry Food

For a start dry cat food tends to be cheaper, you can buy giant sacks of the stuff (providing you have somewhere clean and safe to store it)!

Dry food also lasts well, if you leave it out it won't go off as quickly as the wet variety.

As a general rule dry food tends to be high in carbohydrates and provides a great energy boost to your kitty.

Wet Food

Well you don't always get as much bang for your buck with this (cans and pouches are smaller and although you can buy in bulk it tends to work out pricier than a big sack of dry food).

Some cats do prefer the flavor of wet food but it's worth bearing in mind that once you have opened the can the food inside can go off relatively quickly (if you're not using a whole tin your will need to put whatever is left-over in the fridge to keep it fresh).

Wet food tends to be rich in fat in protein and has less in the way of carbs than dry food.

The conclusion

You need to choose whether to go for wet or dry food based on your own feline, consider his preferences and tastes (we all know cats can be, shall we say, slightly picky) and think about whether he has any particular dietary or health requirements that may influence the type of food you go for. Whether you opt for wet or dry (or a mix of both) you need to ensure your fluffy friend follows a balanced diet and is provided with all the goodness he needs to live a healthy and happy life.

How Much Food Does My Cat Need?

The last thing you want is a fat cat, the number of obese cats has climbed steadily over the years and over-feeding your cat will leave him prone to all sorts of health issues (no-one wants a poorly cat, or extortionate vet bills for that matter). A healthy cat is a happy cat so make sure you control the number of calories your puss is consuming, playing with your pet can help to keep him active (lazing by the fire is a nice way to spend the afternoon but your cat needs to engage in a little activity to keep a jelly-belly at bay)!

We are not advocating you weigh your cat on a weekly basis – simply that you keep an eye on him, you should be able to notice the difference between a svelte and strong cat and a flabby and stout one.

In order to provide the optimum amount of food you need to consider your cats metabolism and how active he is. An outdoor cat who enjoys roaming, chasing and climbing will expel more energy than an indoor cat, so therefore will need more in the way of sustenance. The labelling on cat food will provide a guideline to daily intakes but you should keep in mind that different cats may eat different amounts – they are individuals and some are hungrier than others.

If you're not sure where to start we suggest portion-control feeding. You simply measure the cat food into a bowl (based upon the suggested amount shown on the labelling). We like the idea of providing two meals a day to prevent your cat from wolfing the whole lot down in one, so you could put half down in the morning and the rest down around 8 to 12 hours later. If you find that your cat is devouring what's in front of him very quickly and seems to be constantly looking for more then you may need to adjust your portion sizes to suit his appetite.

If you prefer to let your cat take control of his dietary needs you could go for “free-choice” feeding, which incorporates leaving plenty of dry food (it doesn't go off as easily) down. This way your puss can help himself whenever he's feeling peckish. The down-side? You don't know how much your cat is eating and he could end up piling on the pounds.

If you are out all day or going away for an evening there are some great timer dishes on the market that can be set to open and offer food whenever you think appropriate. They keep food fresh and make sure puss doesn't gorge himself when you head out of the door!

One final note – its tempting to give your cat a few treats, the odd tit-bit now and again won't do any harm but don't make a habit of it. Too many treats can mean extra pounds and put your cat off eating his dinner.

Treats aren't known for their nutritional value and you want puss to tuck in to his healthy and wholesome grub rather than wait for snacks.

Which Are the Cat Food Brand Leaders?

Finding the right cat food for your pet can be challenging, you need a starting point, and that involves familiarising yourself with what's on offer. Ingredients and formulas will vary from brand to brand – some cat food is considered good for all and other cat food is produced to meet the needs of certain groups e.g. kittens, mature cats, overweight moggies and cats with certain dietary needs. One thing's for sure whatever type of cat you have there's a cat food out there to suit! Let's take a look at a few of the brand leaders and what they have to offer.

Canidae – We really like their tag line “Pet Food Made by Pet People” as that's what you really want for your pet – wholesome food produced by people who care. Canidae state they use quality farm-fresh ingredients and only the freshest meat and fish (think lamb, salmon, bison and duck) is used to produce the wet and dry food in their range. Health and nutrition is high on the list for Canidae and that gets a big-thumbs-up from us.

Blue Buffalo – All of their recipes are made with only the finest natural ingredients (all real meat) and Blue Buffalo describe their food as wholesome and nutritious. There are a number of ranges to choose from including food to suit all ages from kittens through to seniors, and you can select wet or dry depending on your cat's personal tastes.

Whiskas – Offer a range of products for cats at all stages of their lives, for cats under 12 months, cats over 12 months and senior cats of seven years plus. Whiskas cat food contains plenty of vitamins and there are some appealing flavors too – beef, chicken or seafood.

Feed Bowl Eat Delicious Food Cat

Purina's Pro Plan – Designed to appeal to the fussiest of eaters, Purina meets the needs of cats that have special nutritional needs too. There's wet and dry food to choose from and plenty of fish and chicken-based recipes to provide a much-needed protein boost.

Encore – There's lots of tasty real meat (100% natural goodness) in Encore recipes, that means there are no fillers or nasty chemicals added. Ingredients are top quality so you can be safe in the knowledge your cat is getting all the nutrients he needs.

Merrick – Kitty can choose from chicken, beef, liver and salmon, and there's good news if your cat has a sensitive tummy – there are no grains lurking (or vegetable fibers for that matter).

Eukanuba – Jam-packed with animal protein Eukanuba cat food is especially great for cats that are on the chubby side! There's tasty lamb or chicken to choose from and liver is added for a nutritional boost.

Nature's Variety – Plenty of real meat to be found in Nature Valley and lots of tasty flavors too – including chicken, duck, rabbit and tuna. You can go for dry, wet or raw food, depending on the preference of your kitty.

NUTRO – Suitable for both house cats and those that like to explore the great outdoors, Nutro is also great for all age cats. Ingredients are of high quality (real meat and fish), so even fussy eaters should enjoy it!

You are likely to see many of these brands and numerous others if you visit a pet store or supermarket. There are also a few lesser known brands on the market that offer an alternative to the big brand names. It's worth doing your research and remember you might have to try out one or two different brands until you find one that suits your cat. Allow us to give you a helping hand and pick out  our favourites in the following categories:

  Best Wet Cat Food for your Cat

Some cats prefer soft, wet food (especially more mature cats and little kittens with tiny mouths), it's easier to chew. Here are three brands your puss might want to get his teeth into:

1. Purina Fancy Feast Medleys Shredded Fare Collection Gourmet Wet Cat Food

Choose from chicken, turkey, wild salmon, tuna or a variety pack featuring chicken turkey and tuna! Now, that's what we call choice! Purina Fancy Feast Medleys Shredded Fare Collection is gourmet by name and nature – offering a feast for the senses with great taste and texture.

Your kitty will love the savoury sauces, and good quality protein (top of the range fish and poultry), there's also real veg, garden greens, and a smidgen of cheese too! You will love feeding your fluffy friend food that offers balanced nutrition, provides tons of vitamins and minerals and provides a welcome energy boost.

2. SHEBA Perfect Portions Pate Wet Cat Food Trays – Seafood

A lovely selection for your pampered pet – SHEBA Perfect Portions Pate Wet Cat Food Trays is a very fishy treat! We're talking REAL fish too – no bits and bobs squashed together with a bit of flavouring added for good measure! There's a selection of tender whitefish, tasty salmon and delicious tuna to feast on.

We like the fact that this food doesn't contain any corn, soy or wheat – and you won't find any nasty artificial preservatives or flavors either. What you will find is lots of minerals and vitamins – essential for good health (promoting good digestion and boosting the immune system) and also helping kitty to maintain his silky fur coat.

3. Meow Mix Tender Favorites Wet Cat Food

A meaty and fishy treat for your beloved puss – Meow Mix Tender Favorites Wet Cat Food contains a range of flavors including – real tuna & whole shrimp in sauce, real chicken & beef in sauce, and real salmon & crab meat in sauce. There's a reoccurring word that jumps out at you from this range, and that's the word REAL! Offering 100% complete and balanced nutrition, this is ideal yummy food for your cat or kitten.

Best Dry Cat Food for your Cat

Some owners prefer dry food for their cats, it can be less messy than the wet and mushy cat food on offer and tends to last longer. If you plan on heading out for the day you can fill you cats food bowl with dry food without worrying too much about it spoiling. Dry food is also often preferred by those who cats that use litter trays (wet food tends to equal smellier and sloppier cat poops in the tray – yuck)!

1. IAMS Proactive Health Original Adult Dry Cat Food

Produced with easily digestible ingredients and containing vitamin E to boost the immune system, IAMS Proactive Health Original Adult Dry Cat Food is an appetising option for your puss. IAMS also contains Omega 3 & 6 to make sure your feline keeps his coat and skin healthy and there's added fibre to keep those muscles nice and strong. We like the fact you won't find any nasty fillers bulking out this food, there's no soy to worry about and nothing artificial added.

2. Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food

As the name suggests, Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food is perfect for indoor cats that prefer the cosiness of the home to exploring the great outdoors.  Indoor cats have different needs and have a tendency to pile on the pounds if they overeat without getting enough exercise.

Purina provides well-rounded nutrition that will help maintain strong muscle tone and is formulated to offer balanced nutrition rather than empty calories. This food also contains Omega -6 fatty acids which helps to keep your cat's nice a shiny, and his skin in good condition.

3. Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Natural Adult Dry Cat Food

If your cat enjoys chicken then he will really enjoy this tasty food! BLUE Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Adult Dry Cat Food is packed with REAL meat – the chicken (which has been thoroughly deboned) is full of protein. Blue Buffalo also contains natural sources of fiber (great for the digestive system) ad Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids which ensure your furry friend maintains a fabulously healthy and shiny coat.

Best Cat Food for Kittens

You want to make sure your kitten gets the best start in life. You have given him a comfy bed and make sure he has toys to play with, fuss and love and a clean water bowl, but you also need to take into account what food you are going to provide. Let's take a look at three of the best.

1. Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten Food – For Indoor Kittens

Hill's Science Diet Dry Kitten Food (chicken recipe), has been specifically created with indoor cats in mind. There's lots of fiber for good digestive health and it's made with high quality ingredients to provide nutrients and – make sure the litter box isn't awful to smell and look at! Natural means no added artificial bits and bobs such as preservatives, flavors and colors. You will also find an antioxidant blend wit vitamins E and C which helps to boost the immune system.

2. Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Cat Food

A grain free food that offers balanced nutrition, Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Cat Food is great for your baby cat – especially if he has a sensitive tum. Kittens benefit from protein rich food and this one offers great flavor – with yummy (and natural) chicken, turkey and cranberries. Made in the USA, Wellness CORE contains no wheat, soy or corn to worry about and you won't find animal by-products or artificial add-ins such as preservatives, colorings or flavorings.

3. ROYAL CANIN FELINE HEALTH NUTRITION Kitten dry cat food

Formulated to meet the needs of kittens ROYAL CANIN FELINE HEALTH NUTRITION Kitten dry cat food provides the nutritional goodness for development and growth. Ingredients are carefully selected (such as rice) to make sure your puss can easily digest the food and you will find a balance of vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system.

Dental care is important for kitten's too, the kibble in Royal Canin is small and will help to break down tartar and plaque which can form on your kitten's teeth.

Best Cat Food for Overweight Cats

Got a kitty that's a bit to soft and cuddly? Over-feeding can be a real problem and if your cat isn't getting enough exercise (instead he's spending much of his day curled up in a cute sleepy ball on the mat) you need to think about how much and what you are feeding him. You can buy cat food that's been specifically tailored for overweight pussy cats.

1. Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Cat Food

Made in the USA (backed by the wellness guarantee), Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Cat Food offers balanced and complete nutrition. Hungry cats like to eat enough to fill their bellies and this food is designed to satisfy hunger whilst helping your cat to maintain a healthy weight. The ingredients are all natural and include deboned chicken (a great source of protein), you won't find any wheat, soy or meat by-products and nothing artificial, such as preservatives etc.

2. Nutro Specialized Care Adult Dry Cat Food

  Perfect for weight management, Nutro Specialized Care Adult Dry Cat Food is nutritionals and wholesome. The ingredients include farm-bred chickens and yummy brown rice, and you will also find plenty of vitamins and minerals. There's no by-products, corn or soy and no artificial flavors, or preservatives. We particularly love the “purr guarantee” which states that Nutro are so confident in their product that they offer your money back if you're not 100% satisfied.

3. Hill's Science Diet Cat Food for Healthy Weight and Weight Management

Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight dry cat food is a great choice for cats that have a little issue regarding weight! The formula offers plenty of balanced nutrition, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The ingredients are natural too, so you won't get any artificial preservatives, colorings or flavorings, there's an added antioxidant blend to boost the immune system too.

So, let's summarise. We suggest you feed you cat healthy, wholesome food, provide fresh water and a comfortable bed. Give your puss plenty of love and attention, get a few select cat toys lined up for an energetic game. If you can get those basic things in place your beloved cat will love you forever more.

We know that our feline friends like to portray an air of sophistication and grace, but deep down they just want affection, good food, a cool drink and a place to rest their head – just like us humans really!

The post Best Cat Food appeared first on Cats Are On Top.

[wallythayer]

Listen to Your Thyroid

When Gerald came to my practice, he was confused and frustrated. An architect in his mid-50s, he had been diagnosed about 15 years earlier with hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce enough of its hormones to energize the body or help stabilize weight and mood. Gerald’s doctor had prescribed a synthetic thyroid hormone, and his dosage had been rising steadily. He had been feeling good enough — until recently, when he found himself thoroughly exhausted, 12 pounds heavier, and overwhelmed by depression.

Gerald couldn’t understand why such debilitating conditions would overtake him so suddenly. His firm had recently landed a couple of exciting commissions, and he had been feeling hopeful and inspired. His doctor rechecked his labs and insisted his thyroid hormones were in the normal range and his supplemental hormone was at the right level. He offered to put Gerald on antidepressants.

But Gerald wasn’t interested in that, so he came to my functional-medicine clinic in Austin, Texas, where we focus on a variety of approaches to resolve thyroid dysfunction. When I ran Gerald’s labs, I discovered a common situation: The results were in the normal ranges, but they weren’t optimal.

It’s not uncommon to learn your thyroid lab numbers are normal, even though you have thyroid symptoms and feel lousy. This is partly because standard ranges were developed in reference to patients with malfunctioning thyroids, which is like developing healthy blood-sugar standards based only on people with diabetes.

The “thyroid signaling system” is complex; it doesn’t work in a linear way. Even a small departure from optimal hormone levels can have big effects, producing exhaustion and depression — as it did for Gerald and does for many others. It’s estimated that at least 20 million Americans suffer from thyroid dysfunction.

What’s more, there’s no universal treatment that works for everyone. I analyze lab results and tweak supplements to determine what’s right for each of my patients based on individual sensitivity to each intervention. Even optimal hormonal ranges vary from person to person.

I do, however, have a food-and-lifestyle protocol I recommend for anyone dealing with thyroid issues, because this gland — perhaps more than any other organ — does not operate in isolation. It’s uniquely sensitive to food and stress, as well as environmental toxins, and it affects us at the most basic level: by determining how much available energy we have to live our lives.

What is the Thyroid

If I offered prizes to different body parts, I’d give the thyroid the Most Important Yet Most Underappreciated Award. This small, butterfly-shaped gland in your neck is the true powerhouse for your entire body. Every cell has a receptor for thyroid hormone, which is like gas in your tank — you need a steady stream of it to fuel each cell.

When thyroid function is optimal, you feel terrific: vital, energized, optimistic. When it’s off, you can feel beyond rotten. Your cells can’t reproduce properly without exactly the right amount and type of thyroid hormone. Your organs cannot operate effectively.

It’s not enough to have “some” thyroid hormone, either. Every cell needs exactly the right amount. Too little, and your metabolism bogs down — which is hypothyroidism. You become cold, depressed, listless, and constipated, with mind-fuddling brain fog. You gain weight easily. Your sex hormones get out of whack.

Too much, and your metabolism revs up to warp speed — hyperthyroidism. You become panicky, anxious, and plagued by frequent bowel movements. You lose weight even when you eat constantly. Your muscles feel weak and your hands shake.

Your need for thyroid hormone is multifaceted and dynamic. On days when you are active, extra stressed, or fighting a cold, your thyroid works harder. It suffers when you don’t get enough sleep or eat foods that stress your digestive or immune system.

And when your hormone balance changes — due to pregnancy, childbirth, perimenopause, menopause, or andropause — your thyroid also takes a hit. (Most of these hormonal transitions affect women; they are five to eight times more likely than men to be diagnosed with thyroid issues.)

Once you understand how to support your thyroid, you can make sure this vital organ gets everything it needs to do its high-pressure job.

The Thyroid Network

The thyroid works in partnership with other organs, so I prefer to think of it as the thyroid signaling system.

It all starts with the hypothalamus. This part of the brain is your body’s air-traffic controller. It regulates hunger, thirst, sleep, and body temperature, and it directs the production of a variety of hormones, including all forms of thyroid hormone.

To keep your thyroid on task, the hypothalamus monitors hormone levels in your blood. If levels are too low, it dispatches a messenger to the pituitary gland called thyrotropin-releasing hormone, or TRH.

The pituitary is a pea-size gland located at the base of the brain, just below the hypothalamus, that regulates growth, reproduction, lactation, and stress. When it receives TRH from the hypothalamus, it releases thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH. This stimulates the thyroid to produce more of its energy-regulating cocktail of hormones. (TSH is a crucial indicator of how well your thyroid is functioning. If levels are too high on a lab test, it suggests your thyroid needs extra stimulation.)

So thyroid function involves not one but three body parts: the hypothalamus, the pituitary, and the thyroid itself. Sex and stress hormones, as well as the gut and immune system, play their own roles in the process.

Don’t just think thyroid; think network.

Imbalance Factors

A number of things can cause your thyroid signaling system to get off balance: consumption of foods your body doesn’t tolerate, a lack of thyroid-supportive nutrients, an imbalance of sex or stress hormones, excessive exercise or stress, sleep deprivation, a long-simmering infection, or exposure to environmental toxins. But the primary culprit is autoimmunity.

If your thyroid is underactive, you may have Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition that causes the body to attack and destroy its own thyroid tissue. Adjustments to diet and lifestyle can often correct the imbalance, though supplemental hormones are sometimes necessary to help you feel truly great — especially if you’ve had symptoms for a long time.

A less common autoimmune condition is Graves’ disease, the result of an overactive thyroid — and its outcomes can be serious. I was diagnosed with this and was on the verge of liver failure before I got my symptoms under control. (Other long-term effects can include osteoporosis and heart failure.) An overactive thyroid can be harder to treat — I compare it to catching a runaway horse versus coaxing a reluctant one out of the barn — but the same basic principles apply: Adjust food and lifestyle and add supplemental herbs and medication when needed.

Because the thyroid signaling system interacts with all your other hormones, when your signals are off, you don’t process stress well, your sexual function gets disrupted (low libido, diminished fertility), and your mood, memory, and focus all tank.

That gives you an idea of all the ways the thyroid needs support. Read on to learn how you can provide it.

Boost Your Thyroid

When I treat thyroid disorders, I put all my patients on a 28-day program designed to eliminate thyroid triggers, supply critical nutrients, and heal leaky gut syndrome, which commonly afflicts people with thyroid imbalance. You can find the full plan in my book The Thyroid Connection, where I also explain the nitty-gritty of different types of thyroid hormone — like regular and reverse T3 and T4, which are often ignored by conventional practitioners — as well as how to work with your health practitioner to get the testing you need.

If you struggle with thyroid issues, I strongly recommend seeking the support of a functional-medicine practitioner who is willing to see beyond the numbers and work with you to find a solution that makes you feel truly better.

These are the basics of my 28-day plan, which you can try on your own right now.

Focus on Nutrients

Your thyroid can go haywire with a nutrient-poor diet or a lack of dietary diversity. To keep your thyroid signaling system optimal, you need the following:

• Iodine and protein. Iodine is a key building block of thyroid hormone, and protein helps keep you sated and off the blood-sugar roller coaster; this supports healthy metabolic function. For protein, choose high-quality, pasture-raised meat and wild-caught fish; get iodine from sea vegetables like kelp and dulse, which are easy to add to soup stocks.

• Iron, selenium, and zinc. These minerals support proper function of the thyroid signaling system: Iron makes iodide (a component of iodine) available to the thyroid, selenium helps regulate excessive immune responses, and zinc supports white blood cell production. Food sources include spinach, grassfed beef, and pork, which contain all three nutrients; Brazil nuts are high in selenium.

• Omega-3 fats. Without enough healthy fats, your cell walls lose their integrity. Coldwater fish, like salmon, and fish- and flax-oil supplements are good sources.

• Vitamin A. This is vital to helping T3 enter your cells. Food sources include orange vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, mangoes, and apricots.

• B vitamins and vitamin D. B vitamins are critical to mitochondrial function; vitamin D helps promote T-cell production. Leafy green vegetables and broccoli (cooked to avoid a thyroid-suppressive effect), as well as beets and grassfed meat and liver, have plenty of Bs. Vitamin D comes mainly from sunshine and supplements, though it’s also found in fatty fish and portobello mushrooms.

Avoid Inflammatory Foods

If the attacks on your immune system continue — from food intolerances, simmering infections, environmental toxins, and chronic stress — the attacks from your immune system will keep coming. This is how autoimmunity develops; your beleaguered immune system starts attacking you.

A damaged gut is one of the most common sources of chronic inflammation because up to 80 percent of the immune system is located there. (Most threats to the system come from what we eat and drink.) So, to heal thyroid dysfunction, we need to heal leaky gut syndrome, which is one of the primary triggers for all autoimmune disease, according to the pioneering physician Alessio Fasano, MD.

Leaky gut occurs when stressors damage the small intestine and it begins to leak undigested proteins into the bloodstream. This puts the immune system on constant alert.

To heal the gut, avoid foods that might be damaging it. In addition to cutting out processed and fast foods, sugar, and caffeine — all of which are extremely inflammatory — I suggest eliminating these common food allergens:

• Gluten. This highly inflammatory protein found in many grains and seeds (including wheat, barley, and rye) also mimics thyroid tissue, setting off autoimmune reactions.

• Dairy. Like gluten, the casein in dairy can provoke autoimmunity, and the growth hormones farmers give to many dairy animals are thyroid disruptors.

• Eggs. These are a common allergic trigger and can create low-grade inflammation.

• Nightshades, nuts and seeds, all grains, legumes, and soy. These foods contain antinutrients, including phytic acid and lectin, which can aggravate autoimmune issues.

I also advise eliminating gluten and dairy permanently, because their proteins are similar to thyroid tissue, and they can double the damage of an autoimmune reaction. (For more on this, see “Molecular Mimicry”, below.)

I believe it’s best to avoid grains and legumes if you have an autoimmune condition. If not, you can gradually add those foods — as well as eggs, nuts, nightshades, and soy — back into your diet when the 28-day plan is done. (You can find guidance for reintroducing and testing foods in my book.)

Tame the Toxins

Food is medicine because everything your body absorbs has a crucial impact on your health. Unfortunately, there’s a downside to that principle: We also take in the industrial chemicals that saturate our air, water, and soil.

Every day, we’re exposed to hundreds of toxins that can disrupt the body’s thyroid function, as well as its immune system, digestion, and overall wellness. If we don’t take steps to combat this threat, this toxic burden can sabotage all the effects of our other healthy choices.

Because toxins are everywhere, there’s a limit to what we can do to prevent and recover from them. We are exposed to airborne chemicals from industrial polluters, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been found in ATM receipts, conventional cleaning products, personal-care products, home furnishings, and more.

Still, we can protect our thyroid’s health, both by eliminating toxic exposure when possible and by improving the body’s ability to detoxify. Here’s my toxin-defense plan at a glance.

Prevention: Reduce your exposure to toxins.

• Clean your air with a HEPA filter.

• Filter all your water, including for showers and baths.

• Buy organic and pasture-raised foods whenever possible.

• Use clean, plant-based body-care products.

• Have your dentist remove mercury dental amalgams.

Detoxification: Support your body’s ability to shed toxins.

• Learn if you have any gene mutations so you can determine the supplements you need to support your detox pathways. (For more on this, see “Making Sense of SNPs“.)

• Care for your liver with a non-inflammatory diet.

• Heal your gut.

• Support your body’s natural daily detox: elimination and sweat.

Stress relief: Stress of all types disrupts thyroid and immune function in multiple ways, including by slowing the production of thyroid hormone and making thyroid receptors less sensitive. For my patients, I prescribe some combination of magnesium (which gets excreted during high stress), B-complex vitamins (the adrenals use them to build stress hormones), and vitamin C (a shortage can trigger excess cortisol production) to rebuild depleted physical reserves. I suggest working with a functional-medicine provider to ensure you’re getting the right dosage of each.

I also recommend exercise in appropriate amounts. If you have hypothyroidism and are completely drained, a calm yoga session or a walk with a friend will be far more restorative than a vigorous bike ride. If you have hyperthyroidism, extreme exercise may exhaust you. Stick with movement that builds your energy, rather than depletes it.

Sleep: Perhaps the most critical thing you can do to support your healing is getting plenty of deep, regular sleep. Insufficient or irregular sleep boosts stress hormones, which can result in even more difficulty with sleeping. Here are my “sleep hygiene” suggestions:

• Get as much natural light as you can during the day to help reset your circadian rhythms.

• Go to bed and get up at about the same time each day.

• After sundown, use amber lightbulbs and avoid screens. If you must look at a screen, use a f.lux filter to shift the color of the device’s light from blue to orange. This makes it less stimulating.

• Keep your bedroom as dark as possible, and ban all electronics. Wake up with an alarm clock rather than your phone.

• Give yourself adequate time in the  morning to start each day calmly.

These actions alone can make a surprising difference in how you feel day to day. I want you to have the support you need to make your thyroid, gut, and immune system all function at their best, so you can feel energized, glowing, and optimistic.

That’s the optimal health that is your birthright.

Get the full story at https://experiencelife.com/article/listen-to-your-thyroid/

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Dueling Quarterback Diets: Matt Ryan vs. Tom Brady

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Dueling Quarterback Diets: Matt Ryan vs. Tom Brady

Feb. 1, 2017 -- It’s a pretty good bet that NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Matt Ryan aren’t eating anything close to what you’re serving at your Super Bowl party for Sunday’s big game.

New England Patriots star Brady, 39, credits his well-publicized Spartan eating routine for keeping him at the top of his game at an age when most star quarterbacks are retired. His $200 cookbook of no-sugar, no-white flour, no-dairy recipes, the TB12 Nutrition Manual, sold out quickly online when it was released last May.

Ryan, of the Atlanta Falcons, isn’t quite as extreme with his diet. He’s said he favors clean eating but allows room for occasional treats.

Ryan, who is 8 years younger than Brady and was named the 2016 Pro Football Writers of America NFL MVP, said he’s studied how the four-time Super Bowl champ stays in shape. “He’s set the bar for longevity, aging well, and playing at a really high level for a really long time,” Ryan told NBC Sports.

"He is a role model," agrees Nancy Clark, a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics.

Even with good genetics, there's no doubt the diet is crucial, says Clark, the author of "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook." Diet helps fine-tune athletes' ability to perform at their best and is important to recover quickly from injury. That applies not just to the football field and pro athletes, but also to our workouts and workdays, she says.

WebMD asked nutrition experts to weigh in on the quarterbacks’ dueling diets.

What Tom Brady Eats

Brady’s personal chef, Allen Campbell, has said that the quarterback and his supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, eat a mostly plant-based diet. They don’t eat white sugar, white flour, or dairy. Brady also avoids ''nightshade" vegetables (hot peppers, sweet peppers, eggplant, and tomato) because he thinks they cause inflammation, Campbell says. Brady also rarely eats fruit.

On the menu: 80% of Brady’s meals are vegetables, all organic. Whole grains only: brown rice, quinoa, millet, and beans. And 20% of his calories are lean protein from sources such as salmon and steak.

For cooking, coconut oil only. And Brady says he drinks little alcohol.

Continued

Nutritionists Weigh In: Brady's Diet

Sports and conditioning specialists Clark and Marie Spano, a registered dietitian and certified sports and conditioning specialist, applaud Brady's emphasis on a plant-based diet. Research has found that plant-based diets can improve body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol while reducing the need for medication for chronic disease and lowering your chance of dying from heart disease.

However, they aren't sure omitting the nightshade vegetables is crucial. While some diets recommend avoiding them, claiming they lead to inflammatory reactions, Clark says evidence supporting that is lacking.

Spano says that nightshade vegetables may disagree with certain people. But "I don't see any reason to take out nightshades unless you have tested positive for an allergy or food sensitivity,” says Spano, a sports nutritionist for the Atlanta Hawks NBA team.

Another nutritionist gives their “no-dairy” rule a thumbs-down. "Any diet that restricts entire food groups almost always puts someone at risk for nutrient deficiencies," says Tim Ziegenfuss, PhD, a sports nutrition and exercise scientist. He has done consulting for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, among other football teams.

Clark says that eliminating all sugars isn't necessary. Under the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, 10% of total calories can come from added sugars, she says. And while Brady's emphasis on whole grains is good, the dietary guidelines suggest at least half of all grains should be whole grains. "A slice or two of white bread can fit into a sports diet and will not ruin one's health."

Neither Clark nor Spano favors coconut oil. "It has a couple of fatty acids that can increase cholesterol," Spano says. She prefers using olive, pecan, or avocado oil, citing their vitamin E content and other benefits. Vitamin E is key for a healthy immune system and vessel functioning.

"I have great respect for people who pay attention to what they eat.” Clark says. “An athlete's diet is a reflection of how they live their life, how they train."

What Matt Ryan Eats

For his diet, Ryan has said that he loves to ''try and keep it as clean as I can." He told Men's Fitness magazine he tries to eat every 3 hours "to keep my blood sugar level right where it needs to be."

Continued

Like Brady, he is a fan of vegetables, lean meats, and fish. “I’ve been told to try and put a lot of color on your plate,” Ryan says. He says he cheats every so often, “but as a professional athlete, you have to put good fuel into your body.”

Falcons team nutritionist Dan Benardot, PhD, offers players general advice before he develops an individual plan for each one. "Never get hungry," he advises, ''and never get thirsty." Eating often, more than three meals a day, is encouraged. Food is readily available at team meetings and in the workout room, he says.

Benardot, who's a registered dietitian, would not talk specifically about Ryan’s diet but says he advises protein intake based on a player's weight and other information. "We try to diminish the amount of fat they consume," he says, "and we try to make it more from vegetable instead of animal fat."

Instead of a fried snack, for instance, he suggests vegetables in avocado dip. The avocado is high in fat, but it's heart-healthy fat.

A high carbohydrate intake is crucial to fuel performance, he says, especially as game time draws near. He suggests 55% to 60% of total calories from carbs.

Nutritionists Weigh In: Ryan's Diet

Eating every 3 to 4 hours is wise, Spano says, especially for athletes. Eating often is a good idea for everyone, Clark says, ''especially if you want energy.'' Eating frequently also helps you eat more healthfully, Clarks says, because you avoid that ravenous feeling that might make you eat anything.

"When you get too hungry, you tend to eat the wrong foods," she says. "You don't eat an apple, you eat apple pie."

Eating a variety of vegetables is great and provides a wide range of vitamins, Spano says.

She also gives a thumbs-up to occasional cheats. She advised people to enjoy a slice of cake at a birthday party or a cookie once in a while. "It's important to include some of your favorite foods," she says. "Eat healthy most of the time. Don't necessarily aim for perfection.''

The key word about cheats is ''occasional," Spano says. "I don't like the idea of a cheat day," she says. "It's like binge eating."

Continued

Bottom Line

How likely is it that we could adopt the Brady or Ryan plan? "I would venture to say the average American would not be able to sustain Brady's diet," Ziegenfuss says. "It's expensive and restrictive, and honestly unnecessary for most people. Ryan's diet, on the other hand, seems much more reasonable and sustainable. "

Of course, he adds, there is no perfect diet. "The key is to find a healthy, sustainable, nutrient-dense diet that helps you maintain a healthy body weight and lowers your risk of chronic disease."

Even if we don't adopt either diet, adopting some of the quarterbacks' thinking might help, Clark says.

"Athletes are either fueling or refueling," she says. Those who aren't pro athletes need to think the same way, she adds -- fuel up for a busy workday and think like an athlete does about how they need to maintain energy by refueling.

We don’t need the same number of calories as pro athletes, but many of the same nutrition rules apply, Clark says.

"You want to eat carbs and protein together, like eggs and toast. You don't want a 'protein desert' during the day. And you want to eat on a regular schedule."

Treating Type 2 Diabetes 1200 Calorie Diabetic Diet Weight Destroyer Program Reviews Original Article