Yes We’ve Got No Bananas, Cleaners, Pipe Bombs, Radicals.

According to a news story, Paignton Zoo in Devon, England, has stopped feeding bananas to its monkeys as they have discovered that it causes tooth decay and diabetes just as it does in humans as well as obesity and heart problems. The monkeys are now much healthier on a diet which is contains more green vegetables. Also the lack of so much sugar is making them less inclined to fight. Most of us believe that in the wild monkeys eat bananas, apparently this is not so.

Although we mostly get up around 7 a.m., we don’t always “clean up” that quickly. Particularly me, I get on the computer and forget what time it is. However, Thursday morning we showered and breakfasted early because the cleaners were coming. Eventually at 9:05 I double checked my calendar, duuuh, it’s Friday they are coming, not Thursday. No idea why I thought it was Thursday. So anyway, it’s all to do again.

Read an article today about a young man (Skylar Murphy) boarding a plane in Edmonton with his family who was discovered to be carrying a pipe bomb in his camera case. The officials believed his story that he and a friend were planning to blow up a shed and he was going to photograph it then forgot he had the pipe bomb in his camera case when he packed to travel. I kind of believe it too, I know my first husband used to blow things up as a kid – he became a physicist. It seems they do that kind of thing. However, he was arrested when he came back from vacation.

Unbelievable, in the last week or so, two Canadians, who had converted to Islam and then been “radicalized” have lost their lives in fighting in Syria. What on earth makes young Canadians, born and bred get involved with such things. It doesn’t appear their families were Muslims.

Bowling went well yesterday. First game lousy second two very good. However, for Matt it was great first game, lousy second and third. It’s a very odd sport.

This recipe is from Eating Well’s Clean Recipes. Sounds good. Been getting a lot of shrimp recipes lately, all worth saving as far as I am concerned.

Grilled Shrimp with Melon and Pineapple Salsa

From EatingWell:  July/August 2009
Grilled shrimp is perfectly accented by this light, summery pineapple-melon salsa. The flavors are bright and fresh, just right for a hot day. Use just one melon or any combination of melons—including watermelon—for the versatile salsa. For best flavor marinate shrimp overnight.


4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw shrimp, (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño, divided
• 2 cups finely diced firm ripe melon
• 1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 large lettuce leaves, such as Boston, romaine or iceberg
• 4 lime wedges

Preparation

1. Combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon jalapeño in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. Combine melon, pineapple, red and green bell pepper, onion, vinegar, chopped mint and salt in a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, preheat grill to high.
4. Thread the shrimp onto skewers, piercing each twice, once through the tail end and once near the head end. Grill the shrimp until pink and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, slide the shrimp off the skewers.
5. To serve, arrange one large lettuce leaf on each dinner plate. Spoon salsa onto the lettuce and top with shrimp. Garnish each serving with a lime wedge and a mint sprig, if using.

Nutrition

Per serving : 211 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 168 mg Cholesterol; 16 g Carbohydrates; 19 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 352 mg Sodium; 501 mg Potassium
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 fruit, 2 1/2 lean meat, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Marinate the shrimp (Step 1) for up to 24 hours. Cover and refrigerate the salsa (Step 2) for up to 4 hours. 
• Note: To devein shrimp, use a paring knife to make a slit along the length of the shrimp. Under running water, remove the tract with the knife tip.

Have a great day