🍝 Instant Pot Mini Rao’s Boosted Meat Sauce (2 Servings)

I’m re-writing this because I’ve found an easy sauce that tastes pretty good and it’s different from what I might have done in the past.

I suggest using green bell pepper (as I would for also making chili) and fresh button mushrooms.

Ingredients

• ½ jar Rao’s Marinara (about 12 oz)
• 4–5 oz ground beef (lean if you have it)
• ¼ cup onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup button mushrooms
• 1 tsp olive oil (optional, if beef is very lean)
• ½ tsp garlic powder (or 1 small clove, minced)
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp Marjorham
• ¼ tsp dried basil (optional)
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Salt (only if needed — Rao’s is seasoned)
• 1/3 Cup of water

I cooked this for 8 min High Pressure with about 6 minutes cool down. It came out a little too watery but the flavor was very good.

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Ingredients

• ½ jar Rao’s Marinara (about 12 oz)
• 4–5 oz ground beef (lean if you have it)
• ¼ cup onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 tsp olive oil (optional, if beef is very lean)
• ½ tsp garlic powder (or 1 small clove, minced)
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp dried basil (optional)
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Salt (only if needed — Rao’s is seasoned)

Optional (nice touches):

• 1 tbsp water or broth (prevents scorching)
• Pinch of sugar substitute or Kerry’s syrup (⅛ tsp) if you want extra balance

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🔥 Instructions (Instant Pot Mini – 3 Qt)

1) Sauté the Beef & Veg

1. Press SAUTÉ → Normal
2. Add olive oil (if using)
3. Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper
4. Cook 4–5 minutes, breaking up beef
   • Until beef is mostly browned
   • Veg is softened

Drain excess fat if needed.

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2) Season

Add:

• Garlic
• Oregano
• Basil
• Black pepper
• Red pepper flakes (if using)

Stir 30 seconds to bloom spices.

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3) Add Sauce

1. Pour in ½ jar Rao’s
2. Add 1 tbsp water/broth (optional but smart)
3. Stir well
4. Scrape bottom (important → no burn warning)

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4) Pressure Cook

• Cancel Sauté
• Close lid
• Pressure: HIGH
• Time: 5 minutes
• Natural Release: 10 minutes
• Then quick release remaining pressure

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5) Finish

Open lid and stir.

If too thin:

• Press SAUTÉ → Low
• Simmer 3–5 min

Taste and adjust:

• Salt?
• Pepper?
• Tiny sweetness?

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🍽️ Serve With

• About 2 servings cooked spaghetti (≈3 oz dry each)
• Sprinkle Parmesan if you like
• Side of veggies if you’re watching carbs

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🩺 Diabetic-Friendly Angle (Your Wheelhouse)

This works well for you because:
✅ Rao’s = low sugar
✅ Bell pepper adds sweetness without sugar spike
✅ Protein slows carb absorption

If you pair with:

• Half pasta / half zucchini noodles
  or
• Smaller pasta portion + greens

…it’s even better for blood sugar.

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Do you recall the Twilight Zone episode, “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” Barney Phillips played the alien from Venus that had the third eye in the middle of his forehead and John Hoyt played the Martian with the extra arm.

But do you recall the twist in this show? The Martian was so sure of himself and that his buddies were on their way with an invasion force to take over Earth. But, the Venusian showed his third eye and said something to the effect, “Well that’s a good plan, and we thought of it months ago and are already here.”

All that to say that with all the changes in our society and the world in the first year of Donald Trumps’ second term in Office, maybe the Project 2025 Mandate crew who have been planning their coup since the 1970s are a little too smug and that the Russians who have been planning the downfall of the United States (and how united are we at the present time?) for far longer are actually in the better position of pulling the coup off. — And please don’t tell me this is totally impossible.

A useless Congress that does nothing, and that’s during the times between Government Shutdowns. A Congress that is as divided by party lines as the rest of America. Would Republicans come to the aid of their American Democrat brothers, if we were attacked by some other Super Power? A Supreme Court that is “bent.” A weaponized Department of Justice, that is breaking the law every day, by not releasing ALL Epstein Files. More like the Department of Injustice who “goes after” the President’s supposed enemies. And oh my, a President that insults and threatens our NATO allies over a slab of ice that we already have a treaty to put any number of bases and troops on… and Congress fails to apologize profusely to those allies.

If you don’t see how far America has fallen from defending Freedom, Democracy and NATO, then watch that next step, we’re already over the edge as of January 21, 2026.

Nothing is real.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

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• Coffee
  • Breakfast Blen
  • Hazelnut
• Flavored Drinks
  • Iced Tea w/ Lemon – (GV)
  • Pomegranate Lemonade (GV)
• Milk
  • 2%
  • Half-n-Half
• Orange Juice
• Tea
  • Constant Comment (Bigelow)
  • Earl Grey (Bigelow)
  • Raspberry Royale (Bigelow)

Yes. The Russian convoy carrying the nuclear missiles are nearing Cuba, and Kennedy has sent the U.S. Navy to stop those vessels, at all cost. If the deadly cargo reaches the Cuban ports, then a quick death for American cities up and down the coast will be possible.

The children, of which I am one, will no longer have an ocean or polar ice cap’s distance to protect them. Seconds to Miami, minutes to Atlanta, not even an hour to Portsmouth or DC.

And hours from world chaos, our Navy stops the convoy and Russia, thinks, no Kruyschev and decides to back down, because the cost to “all of us,” Russia, the United States, all the NATO countries, and the rest of the world walks away to live another day.

— And now about 66 years later we are pretty damned close to as powerful a moment as they experienced then. We might not have been here if cooler heads had failed then. — The United States must never fail to honor it’s long standing commitments to the countries of NATO, our allies. We are their defender. We must be their defender. And no amount of money can pay the price for us betraying their trust in us. We either protect them unabashedly, or step over that line that makes us, the United States of America just another bad guy.

Whether it was actually 66 years ago or not, give or take a year, The important emphasis to those numbers is that we do not add the final number to it. That last digit must never be another “6.”

I first heard Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State, in another YouTube video a short time ago, but then I recognized him in this video, which is a short segment of a longer interview (which I may or may not listen to in it’s entirety). I was impressed by his honesty and laser focus on providing fair & honest elections for ALL people, not just one party. And in this brief segment he spoke a truth regarding the political environment in which we currently live. He or I echo each other, but we are in agreement (although he doesn’t know me at all, and I only know him only from his videos).

I have to qualify many of my statements with a phrase similar to, “we used to be for…” or “America doesn’t, but currently does…” and this is what Mr. Fontes said that was extremely insightful, “We live in an America today, with a diminished democracy.”

And that a diligent person has to prepare for any and all “underhanded” (my word, not his) things that may be attempted to pervert fair and honest elections. **Donald Trump was “cheated” out of the 2020 Election. He repeatedly said that lie, while in the background he was emailing and calling and trying to “find” votes from a Georgia Election official. He was recorded on the phone saying something to the effect of, “Find me 11K +1 votes” so he could beat Joe Biden in Georgia.

*I am definitely drawn to the negative effects of the Project 2025 implementation changing our Democracy, not for the better to represent ALL people but to represent a select few (and for many of the core values, specifically “Christianity” I am in total agreement with them. BUT I am not in agreement that you can MAKE anyone a Christian by force, and am not sure that “they” even are trying to win others to Christ. They appear to only want to make damned sure that it’s America Only for Christians, and leave out any dissenting opinions.

— Why did religious groups, such as the Pilgrims, who were persecuted in other countries come to America? For the freedom to worship as they believed. But, with that freedom has to come the freedom to not worship at all, or in ways not perfectly in line with those “in power.” To demonize everyone, who is of “the other political party” is just so WRONG.

Armed Services Committee Members (Senators)

• Roger Wicker
• Deb Fischer
• Tom Cotton
• Mike Rounds
• Joni Ernst
• Dan Sullivan
• Kevin Cramer
• Rick Scott
• Tommy Tuberville
• Markwayne Mullin
• Ted Budd
• Eric Schmitt
• Jim Banks
• Tim Sheehy
• Jack Reed
• Jeanne Shaheen
• Kirsten Gillibrand
• Richard Blumenthal
• Mazie Hirono
• Tim Kaine
• Angus King
• Elizabeth Warren
• Gary Peters
• Tammy Duckworth
• Jacky Rosen
• Mark Kelly
• Elissa Slotkin

Lindsay Graham S.C. Senator

Democratic Party

Alex Padilla
Adam Schiff
Michael Bennet

Christopher S. Murphy
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Chris Coons
Jon Ossoff
Raphael Warnock
Brian Schatz
Dick Durbin
Amy Klobuchar
Tina Smith
Angela Alsobrooks
Chris Van Hollen
Edward Markey
Catherine Cortez Masto
Maggie Hassan
Cory Booker
Martin Heinrich
Ben Ray Luján
Chuck Schumer
Jeff Merkley
Ron Wyden
John Fetterman
Sheldon Whitehouse
Bernie Sanders
Peter Welch

Maria Cantwell
Patty Murray
Tammy Baldwin XX

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All US Senators, I am told by Gemini:

U.S. Senators	Contacted
REPUBLICANS
Katie Britt	x
Tommy Tuberville	x
Dan Sullivan	x
Lisa Murkowski	x
John Boozman	x
Tom Cotton
Ashley B. Moody	x
Rick Scott	x
Mike Crapo	x
Jim Risch	x
Jim Banks	x
Todd Young	x
Chuck Grassley	x
Joni Ernst	x
Jerry Moran	x
Roger Marshall	x
Mitch McConnell	x
Rand Paul	x
Bill Cassidy	x
John Neely Kennedy	x
Cindy Hyde-Smith	x
Roger Wicker	x
Josh Hawley	x
Eric Schmitt	x
Steve Daines	x
Tim Sheehy	x
Deb Fischer	x
Pete Ricketts	x
Thom Tillis	x
Ted Budd	x
Kevin Cramer	x
John Hoeven	x
Bernie Moreno	x
Jon Husted	x
James Lankford	x
Markwayne Mullin
David McCormick	x
Lindsey Graham
Tim Scott	x
John Thune	x
Mike Rounds	x
Marsha Blackburn	x
Bill Hagerty	x
John Cornyn	x
Ted Cruz
Mike Lee	x
John Curtis	x
Shelley Moore Capito	x
Jim Justice	x
Ron Johnson	x
John Barrasso	x
Cynthia Lummis	x
Susan Collins	x
DEMOCRATS
Mark Kelly
Ruben Gallego	x
Alex Padilla
Adam Schiff
Michael Bennet
John Hickenlooper	x
Richard Blumenthal
Chris Murphy
Chris Coons
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Jon Ossoff
Raphael Warnock
Brian Schatz
Mazie Hirono
Dick Durbin
Tammy Duckworth
Angela Alsobrooks
Chris Van Hollen
Elizabeth Warren
Edward Markey
Gary Peters
Elissa Slotkin
Amy Klobuchar
Tina Smith
Catherine Cortez Masto
Jacky Rosen
Jeanne Shaheen
Maggie Hassan
Cory Booker	x
Andy Kim
Martin Heinrich
Ben Ray Luján	x
Chuck Schumer
Kirsten Gillibrand
Jeff Merkley
Ron Wyden	x
John Fetterman
Jack Reed
Sheldon Whitehouse
Mark Warner	x
Tim Kaine
Maria Cantwell
Patty Murray
Tammy Baldwin
Peter Welch
INDEPENDENTS
(Caucus with Democrats)
Angus King
Bernie Sanders

Jack Smith’s full House Judiciary deposition on investigating and indicting Trump

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gGtlalhdL4c?si=qAbe00BI08GCItRP&start=12904

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I’ve watched a little over 4 hours of his deposition. He seems to be a solid human being, precise, and protective of the people he worked with on this case with over 30 years of prosecutorial experience. Sorry the case wasn’t prosecuted because it sounds like Donald Trump was guilty of trying to rig or overthrow the valid 2020 Election results. And, on the day of the attack, he, President Trump, refused to do what he could to stop the attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

Ironic that Donald Trump repeatedly stated that, “The Election was stolen,” when in reality HE was attempting to steal it.

On January 2, 2021, then-President **Donald Trump placed a recorded phone call to **Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (the state’s top election official) and other Georgia election staff, during which he pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn the certified 2020 election results in Georgia — specifically the difference between Trump’s total and Joe Biden’s certified win in that state. — One of the most quoted lines from his side of the call was: “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.”

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STEVE BANNON

The House January 6 committee reported that Bannon had specific knowledge about the events planned for January 6 before they took place. The committee cited comments he made on his podcast on January 5, 2021, in which he indicated that something significant was coming the next day and urged listeners to “strap in” and that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow.”

Bannon has asserted confidently that Donald Trump will serve another term as President after 2028, even though the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment prevents anyone from being elected president more than twice. People.com+1

In interviews (notably with The Economist), he has said things like:

• “He’s gonna get a third term” and that Trump “is going to be president in ’28,” urging people to “get accommodated with that.”

— I would assert that if Bannon had foreknowledge of the events of January 6th, and there is proof that he did, that a wise person should pay attention to Bannon’s assertion about Trump in ’28, no matter how implausible or impossible it might be or seem. The actions of January 6th were far from legal, so I definitely wouldn’t expect Bannon to “play fairly.”

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“That Lying Hillary,” how ironic!

Ingredients (1–2 servings)

• 1 cup sprouted matki (moth beans)
• 1½–2 cups water (your preference)
• 1–2 tsp olive oil or avocado oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ cup chopped tomato (fresh or canned)
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper (optional, small pinch)
• Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar — about ½ tsp, to finish

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Method (Instant Pot Mini – 3 qt)

1. Add sprouted matki and water to the pot.
2. Pressure cook HIGH – 6 minutes.
3. Let natural release 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure.
4. Switch to Sauté (Low).
5. Add oil and cumin seeds; let them gently sizzle 30–60 seconds.
6. Stir in tomato, coriander, garlic powder, turmeric, and salt.
7. Simmer 5–10 minutes, uncovered, until flavors come together.
8. Turn heat off. Stir in vinegar.
9. Taste. Add a pinch of black pepper only if you want a little edge.

KAREN GRAHAM’S TEN CHANGES FOR GOOD HEALTH

7. Limit Salt and Alcohol

Limit salt

Salt gives us sodium, an important mineral. Sodium occurs naturally in foods and is added to most processed foods. For good health, you need only a small amount of sodium — less than 2,300 mg per day. This is the amount in about 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of salt.

Unfortunately, most of us get more salt than we need. We eat too many salty processed foods and many of us add too much salt to our food. This extra salt in our diet makes extra work for our kidneys.

Cutting back on salt is a good healthy change for everyone. If you have high blood pressure, cutting back on salt may help reduce your blood pressure. Cutting back on salt means eating fewer processed foods, shaking a little less salt on your food, adding less salt (or no salt) to your recipes and limiting salty foods.

Other important dietary changes are cutting back on fat and alcohol, and choosing foods from the different food groups (see pages 31–41). Potassium, found in fruits and vegetables, is especially good for you. Making other changes including losing weight (if you are overweight), exercising, quitting smoking, and reducing your stress are important for reducing blood pressure (and reducing cholesterol). It is also important to take your medication as advised by your doctor and have your blood pressure checked regularly.

Try these tips to cut back on salt:

• Season your food during cooking and at the table with spices and herbs, lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar.
• Use pepper instead of salt.
• Use garlic powder or onion powder instead of garlic salt or onion salt. Try the Spice Mix on page 141 or the Seasoned Bread Crumbs on page 148.
• Use less salt in cooking and baking. For many recipes you don’t need to add any salt.
• Look for low-sodium or unsalted foods, such as unsalted soda crackers.
• Choose fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned.
• Eat fewer frozen, take-out and restaurant meals. They are generally high in salt and fat.

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Iodine

Iodized salt provides us with iodine. Iodine is essential to keep your thyroid healthy. The thyroid regulates how you burn calories. A small amount of iodized salt gives you all the iodine you need. Ocean water fish and shellfish are some of the best natural food sources of iodine.

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Once you start to cut back on salt, you will notice that many processed and restaurant foods begin to taste too salty. At the grocery store, be sure to check the amount of sodium per serving on the Nutrition Facts label.

Hemoglobin A1c (often written as A1c) is a laboratory measure that reflects a person’s average blood glucose level over time, rather than at a single moment. It works by measuring the percentage of hemoglobin—the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells—that has glucose attached to it. Because red blood cells typically live for about 120 days, the A1c test provides a weighted average of blood sugar exposure over roughly the previous two to three months, with more recent weeks contributing slightly more to the result. This makes A1c especially useful for understanding long-term glucose control and overall metabolic trends.

Clinicians use A1c both to diagnose diabetes and to monitor how well blood sugar is being managed over time. Unlike finger-stick glucose tests, A1c does not require fasting and is not affected by day-to-day fluctuations, illness, or stress at the moment the blood is drawn. However, it is an average and does not show how much glucose rises and falls during the day; two people with the same A1c can have very different glucose patterns. For that reason, A1c is increasingly interpreted alongside continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data—such as time-in-range and variability—to provide a more complete picture of glucose health.

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📊 A1c ↔ Average Blood Glucose Chart

(0.1% increments from 5.0 to 8.5)

A1c (%)	Avg Glucose (mg/dL)
5.0	97
5.1	100
5.2	103
5.3	106
5.4	109
5.5	112
5.6	114
5.7	117
5.8	120
5.9	123
6.0	126
6.1	129
6.2	132
6.3	135
6.4	138
6.5	140
6.6	143
6.7	146
6.8	149
6.9	152
7.0	154
7.1	157
7.2	160
7.3	163
7.4	166
7.5	169
7.6	171
7.7	174
7.8	177
7.9	180
8.0	183
8.1	186
8.2	189
8.3	191
8.4	194
8.5	197

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🔍 Context (important for how you read this)

• Each 0.1% A1c ≈ ~3 mg/dL average glucose
• CGM users with high time-in-range (like your 97%) often see:
  • Lab A1c slightly lower than this table predicts
• This chart reflects population averages, not variability or spike shape

For reference:

• Your ~133 mg/dL average → ~6.2–6.3%
• With your glucose profile, a lab result closer to 6.1–6.2% would not be surprising