How did we live before freezers? I grew up in Canada and I’m old enough to remember the ice man coming to the house with a giant block of ice for the “ice box.” My immigrant parents were so excited to have that new modern appliance! Today, you can operate your freezer with a phone! Who knows? Some day they might say, “Remember when people actually had freezers?” 😀 These days, the freezer is the star of my kitchen. Here’s what’s in my freezer:
Several kinds of homemade breads, sliced, separated with wax paper, and ready to use.
Homemade chicken stock, frozen in one cup containers.
Toasted nuts ready for baking.
Apple or lemon blueberry bread, sliced and separated with wax paper.
Cookies. Lots of homemade cookies!
Ice cream: One pint usually stays around for about 2-3 months.
Muffins: homemade oatmeal and bran.
Leftovers.
Open packets of yeast.
Shredded Parmesan cheese.
Tortilla chips. I only use them for taco salad so they stay fresher longer when frozen.
Bacon. Wait…WHAT? 😳 WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY? 😳 I said it ➡➡ Bacon! Before you drop your spatula, allow me to elaborate. Three or four times a year, I make club sandwiches as a treat. Club sandwiches are a waste of time without bacon. Here’s how I do it: I buy low sodium bacon, separate all the slices, take a sharp knife and cut away all the big chunks of fat. (there’s not much left but that’s okay) I then place the remaining lean parts onto wax paper and freeze them. When I’m ready to make club sandwiches, that lean bacon is ready for me!
p.s. The last time I made club sandwiches my husband was so happy to get bacon that after dinner, he watched “Dancing With The Stars” with me – the entire TWO-Hour Finale! ❤️❤️ That’s the power of a club sandwich!
I’ve always believed that it’s more about what I DON’T eat than what I DO eat that keeps me healthy. You can eat lots of broccoli but it you follow it with a can of Pilsbury crescent rolls, that little doughboy will haunt you in your sleep! 😀 Here’s what’s not in this kitchen:
No Soft drinks
No Fruit juice
No Energy drinks
No Beer
No Wine
No Alcohol
No Store-bought salad dressing
No Cured meats or sausages (*see exception posted Dec. 1st.⬆)
No Ultra-processed foods
This story was all over the news yesterday. ➡ ➡ “Ultra-processed foods are linked to chronic health conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic kidney disease and overall higher death rates. Common examples of ultra-processed foods include sugar-sweetened beverages, packaged snacks, instant soups, breakfast cereals, energy bars, mass-produced packaged breads, ready-to-eat meals, ice cream and pizza.” (Ice cream and pizza!? That’s just sad!! 😭)
But don’t fret. Almost all of these foods can be made at home to be enjoyed so you don’t have to give them up, just make them yourself. I make my own snacks, soups, granola bars, breads, meals, and pizza and I encourage everyone to do the best you can to avoid processed food. Read labels. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.🤓
Oh… more things that are not in my kitchen: Cheese Whiz, Spam, Pringles, Ding Dongs, Twinkies or Funyuns! (…but you knew that ❤️).
It’s been raining for days here in Southern California. ☔️ I love it. I’m forced to stay home in my kitchen and do what I love to do. Here’s what I cooked this week:
Turkey tenders with rice & broccolini with garlic
Tomato soup
No knead pumpernickel bread
Vegetable bean chili
Apple pudding
Chicken spinach skillet dinner + salad
No knead whole wheat bread
Mini chocolate chip cookies
Leftover turkey tender with steamed & pan fried potatoes, carrots, green beans & sweet potatoes
Buckwheat pancakes
One pan chicken with roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts & bell peppers
Tortillas
Rigatoni with simple meat sauce + salad with garbanzo beans & avocado
About those mini cookies: We usually just have a cookie for dessert these days. Since cutting back on sugar, I rarely make cakes or pies. I’m even making the cookies smaller and one small cookie or a chocolate cluster is all I need for dessert. But the man I love claims he’s being deprived of his rights and as the warden of this prison I should allow him to have two cookies. His claim is that two small cookies are equal to one regular cookie and as a model prisoner, he’s entitled to a grown up cookie for dessert. (…awaiting a decision from the appeals board… 😀)
For anyone curious, there’s lots of empty space on the shelves of my refrigerator but the vegetable drawers at the bottom are standing room only. Why don’t I start with what’s always on the shelves in my fridge:
Container of crudité (carrots, cabbage chunks, radishes)
Container of cut papaya or mango
Milk
Eggs
Buttermilk
Mayonnaise (avocado-based)
My butter-mix
Avocado oil
Champagne vinegar
Homemade salad dressing
A few mini apples
Granola bars
Four containers of nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pistachios)
Dark chocolate cashew clusters
Homemade peanut butter and almond butter
Container of apple bread or lemon blueberry loaf (depending on season)
Blueberry and blackberry jam
Low sodium soy sauce
Mustard
Pickles
And down in the crisper drawers, I always keep….
2 kinds of lettuce (usually romaine and red leaf)
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Radicchio
Granny Smith apples for baking
Iceberg lettuce for sandwiches
Baby spinach
Broccoli
Bell peppers
I buy other vegetables when needed for a certain recipe like zucchini, green beans, Swiss chard, beets, or Brussels sprouts (don’t make a face! 🤢) You don’t have to love Brussels sprouts but put on your big boy apron and cook them! 🙂 They’re one of the top cancer-fighting vegetables you can eat. Next post, I’ll talk about what’s NOT in my fridge and why…
Here is an un-retouched photo taken at home. I was anxious about showing myself at this age but I want to be transparent with this new Health and Beauty section and all the things I plan to share. I have so much I want to post here, I didn’t know where to start. So I will start with this morning. Here’s my typical morning routine:
We all wake up a bit dehydrated so I drink a few sips of water, not cold but lukewarm water, which feels kinder to the body. I then use a moisturizing lip balm (no Chapstick), and spray my face with a facial spray. It provides a little moisture until I wash my face.
Still in my pajamas, I follow that with a big cup of green tea while I check my emails & comments, here and on YouTube, and answer what I can.
After that, I wash my face and put on a serum followed by moisturizer.
While it sets, I get dressed, put on my walking shoes and put on sunscreen. Sunny or overcast, I always wear sunscreen.
Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves, and carrying water, I head out for a brisk 10-12 minute walk. Some of it is uphill (I hate that part!) so when I come down that slope, I do a light jog because stressing the bones helps with bone density. (It’s easier to do that going downhill). It’s not really jogging it’s just pounding the pavement to create a weight-bearing effect.
Back home and cooled down, I’m ready for breakfast.
My typical breakfast includes a hard boiled egg, a slice of my whole wheat bread, a cup of black tea, and 1/2 slice of apple bread for dessert. 🍏
Now I’m ready for another, always full, day.
I hope this little start is helpful. I plan to post more on what we eat and drink, or never eat or drink, what about snacks, what’s in my fridge and freezer, specific exercises, supplements (you might be surprised), my skincare routine, and much more. I can’t wait to share more and hope it’s helpful. Experts believe that up to 80% of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are preventable with a healthy lifestyle and some cancers as well. I believe that.
I make pretty much everything we eat from scratch at home and I can tell you that we never ever get colds or the flu. Not in decades! My grateful husband is a beneficiary of my healthy cooking and the standards I maintain in the kitchen. He loves me for it and shows it with his pet name for me…. “Warden.” 😍
