As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Iron deficient diet
Anyone have any suggestions for ways to get more iron in my meal plans.
I don't eat much red meat. In fact, I have limited my red meat to once every couple of weeks for quite a while now.
I know that spinach is a good source, but does it have to be cooked?
And I have never eaten lentils. Exactly what are they?
Thanks for any suggestions!
No, spinach is great raw! I like it with some sliced strawberries, thinly sliced red onions and pecan halves with just a splash of extra-virgin olive oil.
Many people who've only eaten overcooked canned spinach hate it because overcooking (till it's a murky green color) brings out the acid which makes it taste nasty bitter.
Fresh raw or lightly steamed spinach has a mild flavor that is quite pleasant, I think. To cook, rinse quickly and shake or use a salad spinner to remove all but droplets. Nuke for 30 seconds and stir, five seconds more and stir until just wilted and still bright green. Or swirl it with a tiny bit of olive oil over low heat until the leaves have just wilted. Add a bit of fresh minced garlic if you like that and a sprinkle of salt maybe. You'll need a good five ounces for a nice-sized portion if steamed or sautéed.
A handful raw stirred into scrambled eggs just before the eggs are done is good, too. Add some grated parmesan or gruyere cheese. Yummy YUM!
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Lentils look like little flying saucers, I think. They cook up easily and don't require soaking like beans. Whole Foods has different colored ones in the bulk foods area. Any grocery will have bags of the common muddy briwn-colored ones along with the dried beans.
I think lentils taste a bit like refried beans.
Any Middle-Eastern cookbook or good vegetarian cookbook will have ideas for cooking lentils.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I love lentils. They're easy to cook; just simmer them with your favorite seasonings and herbs until soft. Add some bacon or sausage to the pot for wonderful flavoring, even if you don't eat it. I usually eat them hot, as a side dish or in soup, but they are also tasty as a salad. Beans are another good source. Spinach is a good source but the iron is better absorbed if it's cooked. Also, try to eat the iron rich food with a food rich in vitamin C; it aids the absorption. Conversely, avoid eating them with calcium rich foods because the opposite occurs.
I do not eat meat and was iron deficient for a while. I took over the counter iron at the recommendation of my doctor.
After a year I have recovered. I do eat spinach and kale every day (I love it) and eggs on a regular basis.
MY favorite quickie breakfast is to but some spinach in a bowl, layer a slice of swiss and then a raw, but scrambled egg. Microwave for a minute and you have a great, healthy breakfast in a minute.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
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I like spinach raw in salads. I'm actually eating a florentine pasta right now (which has cooked spinach in it).
Kale is great if you sprinkle it with olive oil and a bit of salt and then bake it in the oven to make chips. Google for a recipe to get the temperature (I think it's really low) and time.
A useful idea might be to look up good sources of iron in a vegetarian diet. Even if you're still eating non-red meats (poultry, lamb, fish, etc) and aren't a vegetarian, there's still likely some good information in there.
One page I just found, for example, includes raisins (1/2 cup, packed, around 9% of recommended daily value for Iron), black beans (1 cup, boiled, good for 20% RDV), and even simple things like whole-wheat bread (1 slice should be good for about 4% ofyur RDV) and whole-wheat pasta (1/2 cup, boiled, good for ~2% of your RDV).
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