Please forgive my imperfect pictures. They are only snapshots taken right before we eat, and I’m usually hungry! I grab one or two shots and then we can eat. But you might as well see what things really look like in this busy kitchen – a bit messy sometimes. Here’s what I cooked this week:
Simple meat sauce over rigatoni + salad
Oatmeal muffins
Almond butter
Plain jambalaya with chicken and shrimp + steamed beets
Taco salad
Spinach pesto – I always make and freeze – so handy for a quick pasta dinner
Beef stew + salad + crispy focaccia from the freezer
Apple pudding, still a work in progress
Lemon chicken cutlets with rice and steamed broccoli
NEW RECIPE: I am done with peanut butter right now. Almond butter is a healthier spread and it tastes so much better, but you have to make your own because store bought spreads will never compare to homemade. All nut butters are easy to make and well worth doing. With almond butter, roasting the nuts is key and don’t be afraid to roast them well. Here is a tray I just took out of my toaster oven. Don’t be afraid to roast them really well but keep an eye on them towards the end.
Ovens are all different so roasting might take longer in a larger oven. That’s why I love my toaster oven – it’s a smaller space for the heat to circulate so things brown faster. When the almonds are done, you can tell by the darker color and especially by the fragrant smell. Nutritionally, almonds provide protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
By the way, it’s a noisy process for a few seconds at the beginning so I always step away from the food processor when it starts. And at the end, it will look smooth but there is always some thicker paste on the bottom of the processor bowl. That’s why I stir it up from the bottom and process it a little more to mix it all together.
If you over-process it, it might be too runny. If you under-process it, it might be grainy, but it will always be delicious! 😋
This is me walking. Big hat, long sleeves, shirt buttoned up, collar up, sunglasses, and sunscreen – sunny or overcast, I do this every time I walk. This is how my skincare starts. Here are some things you may not know:
Did you know that there is no such thing as sunblock? Nothing can block the sun from damaging your skin. They used to call it sunblock but then the FDA got involved so now it’s called sunscreen.
But sunscreen does not block the sun’s damage – it only helps decrease the risk of skin cancer and the aging effects of the sun. The risk is still there. So even with a high SPF, you are only reducing the exposure from dangerous UVA/UVB rays, which is why I always cover up when I’m outside. UVA rays age the skin with wrinkles and spots and UVB rays cause sun burn. Both contribute to skin cancer risk.
Here’s a shocker: On overcast or cloudy days, I’ll bet you didn’t know you’re still getting up to 80% of the sun’s damaging rays. Look it up!
One popular sunscreen has this in their description: “Helps decrease the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun if used with other sun protection measures.” No sunscreen can completely prevent damage.
How about this? Time spent sitting near windows or in a car, also has risks. Glass blocks most UVB rays but UVA rays can pass through glass.
Here’s one more: Those harmful UVA/UVB rays also bounce off of concrete & pavement, water, sand, walls, and snow, with snow being especially dangerous. Skiers know that.
I’m not done yet. Did you know that the sun is also damaging to the eyes? Sunglasses are vital. I asked my eye doctor, “What’s the most important thing to do to protect your eyes?” He said, “Wear sunglasses.” Got it! (He also told me I had the retinas of a 40-year old! 👍) My big sunglasses also have protection on the sides so the rays can’t sneak in when I’m not looking. 👀
I’m old enough to remember not just basking in the sun, but actually applying coconut oil to intensify your tan! With a foil reflector!! 🔥 OMG!! Nobody knew – it was the 1950s. We tanned. We burned. Our shoulders peeled like blistered shishito peppers. 🌶
Too much fun in the sun… And you’ll end up “well done.” 🥵 I’ll shut up now, I made my case. Get some sunscreen and slap it on your face! 😎
p.s. Teresa made a valuable comment below. It’s important to get your skin checked regularly by a dermatologist. During my own screening late last year, the doctor said it was rare to see someone my age without skin cancer. Whew! 👍 I still go every year.
Pizza and I have a love/hate relationship. I love pizza but dang, it’s a lot of work… and worth every moment! I used my 20-minute pizza dough but I started it in the morning and refrigerated it until dinner. This time I used OO flour and I like it better for the crust. And I used my pizza stone and paddle. I also used my will power not to eat the whole thing in secret and tell my husband the oven broke and we’re having spaghetti. 😀 Here’s what I cooked this week:
Veggie pizza + salad
No knead pumpernickel bread
Custard pudding
Granola bars
Chicken stock
Salmon patties with steamed & panfried potatoes and baby squash
Macaroons
One pan broccoli bean pasta with broccolini + salad
Bran muffins
Oven chicken veggie kabobs
Peanut butter cookies
My freezer is filling up with cookies, mostly smaller ones now. Our typical desserts these days are either pudding or a small cookie. I did notice that the small cookies are disappearing faster than expected. Hmm…? I need to see if Amazon sells freezer-cams! 🙂
I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions because I’m already living them. Well I suppose I could resolve to eat less sweets. I thought about it. I’ll give it some more thought and get back to you. Here’s what I cooked this week:
Lemon blueberry loaf (I found good blueberries in December! 🫐)
Rigatoni and meat sauce with steamed beets
Club sandwiches
Vegetable soup (to go with the sandwiches)
No knead fruit & nut bread
Crispy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Chicken meatballs with spinach-walnut pesto and broccolini + salad
Bran muffins
Almond butter (recipe coming soon)
Broiled salmon with steamed vegetables
Sesame seed breadsticks
Butterscotch pudding
I thought about it some more, about the sweets, and… I need more time. I’ll get back to you after I finish this batch of macaroons. 🙂
The things I mention here are all second nature to me, It’s just the way that I live and have lived for years. In fact, I had to think hard about what might be different since it’s all so normal to me. Here it is and I hope it’s no too long-winded!
I don’t use teabags. I use organic full leaf green tea and brew one cup at a time as needed in my mini glass teapot. The same goes for black tea – organic, full leaf tea brewed one cup at a time.
I never drink any very hot beverage. Into my biggest mug, I pour my hot brewed tea and add enough cold water to cool it down to luke-warm. It just feels like very hot beverages are not kind to the throat or tongue, and long term, they are also a risk factor for esophageal cancer.
No ice cold drinks either. Room temperature only.
The only beverages I drink at all are tea and water – nothing else. I have no desire for anything else.
I eat very little fruit, maybe a bite or two a day. (but I do eat LOTS of vegetables! 🥦 🥕🫑 🍅 🧅)
I never eat sweets on an empty stomach. It’s always better to include some fat and protein with sweets to slow down the sugar spike (like an apple with a few walnuts) (or a cookie with a glass of milk).
We have no aspirin, tylenol, antacids, cold medication, allergy pills, none of that in our house. If we have any discomfort, we focus on finding the cause, not masking the symptom. If I have pain, I use ice or heat. I sometimes consider getting anti-anxiety medication when I look in my lighted, magnified, makeup mirror, but I finally decided to stop looking so hard. 😳
Skin gets thinner and drier as we age, so I keep water and lip balm everywhere: in the kitchen, bathroom, at my desk, by the sofa, in my purse, and in my car.
I don’t take multi-vitamins. I feel my diet gives me all the nutrients I need.
I peel peppers before eating or cooking. The skins seem hard to digest.
Finger nails also get weaker as we age. They can crack or peel so I use a glass nail file. It’s a lot kinder to the nails than an emery board.
Manicures – pedicures – facials – massages? Not for me. I can’t seem to sit still long enough!
I eat something every 3-4 hours.
It’s my belief that in many cases, you can decide not to be sick. I have had occasions when I feel a cold coming on and I simply decide that, “this is not going to happen!” I make chicken soup, rest for the day, and start making a To Do list for tomorrow. That’s as far as it’s ever gotten. No cold or flu in over 50 years.
I trust what my body tells me. Some things are obvious: When I’m thirsty, it’s telling my I’m dehydrated and should drink some water. When I eat too much, it punishes me by making me lethargic and uncomfortable, to each me a lesson. Listen to your body. It will let you know what you need, and don’t need. Craving an orange? You might need some vitamin C. Craving a steak? You might need some heme iron. Craving something salty? You might be dehydrated – salt is an essential electrolyte. And you body will readily let you know what you don’t need. A perfect example is a hangover. 🤢
I hope these things are helpful without being too preachy… 🙂
Christmas may be coming but it never feels like it here in southern California where it’s warm and sunny, 😎 but not for long because we have a bunch of rain coming! ☔️ Of course I’m baking for Christmas, but it’s mostly sweets to give as gifts. My husband says, “It’s not fair! Chocolate-dipped macaroons are my favorite! Can I just have the scraps?” (He doesn’t know I saved some for him. 😍) Here’s what I cooked this week:
For anyone using corn starch in their recipes, I want to share the new way that I measure corn starch… using an empty baking powder tin! I just fill the empty tin with corn starch and measure away. It’s as simple as that. You can also use these tins to measure cocoa powder or spice mixes you make at home. Well, that’s all for today. I’m off to buy popping corn for my Christmas caramel corn. 🍿😋🍿
I can hardly wait to start my Christmas baking! Some people hide Christmas presents – me? I need to hide Christmas cookies from the man who lives here. He’ll never find them because they’re in the garage in the pile of junk he promised to clean up.. in 2009! Here’s what I cooked this week:
Pan-fried turkey meatballs but with with chicken – it’s softer so they’re kind of flat but so tasty!
