I hate my big oven so much! It’s a Viking wall oven and after it’s used, the cooling fan stays on forEVER and it’s LOUD! The kitchen is supposed to be my happy, peaceful place and that’s why I’ve learned to bake almost everything in my toaster oven… my nice, quiet, less-energy-using toaster oven. Here’s what I cooked this week:
Crispy apple tart (in my toaster oven!)
Tomato soup
Vegetable fried rice with Asian salad
Chicken & spinach skillet pasta
Chicken salad
Chocolate pudding
Granola bars
Vegetable chili
No knead crusty rolls (gotta have them for chili!)
No knead whole wheat fruit & nut bread
Pizza with peppers, onions, and mushrooms + tomato & cucumber salad
Egg salad
Tortillas
Pasta fagioli
Pesto pasta with meatballs + salad
Peanut butter cookies
I woke up mad at my husband for something he did in my dream. Is that wrong? As usual, he thinks I’m overreacting. 😵💫
I don’t know how I’m so busy – I’m retired! But there’s always something to do. A lot of it’s grocery shopping because when you cook with so much produce, fresh is always better, plus some stores have better looking berries, while others have better looking baggers! 😀 Here’s what I cooked this week:
Creamy chicken & broccoli pasta (will be posting soon…)
The last four items (ribs, sides & cake) were all for my husband’s birthday. ❤️ He is younger than I. He says I should try to get more people to find my recipes and I had an idea. I have lot of pans: baking pans, frying pans, pizza pans, round pans, square ones, sauté pans, sheet pans… I could broaden my horizons by borrowing another social media platform idea, but mine would be called OnlyPans! 😀 Thoughts?
Here I am again trying to help people make better choices with some pretty easy swaps everyone can do. Most of these changes involve very little effort. Try any one of these switches and you can know you’re one step closer to better health… or one step closer to telling me to mind my own business! But here goes anyway…
Ditch chocolate bars. Choose →homemade 70% dark chocolate clusters with nuts or a mix of nuts & raisins. I keep cashew clusters in my fridge at all times and it’s usually all I have for dessert.
Ditch soft drinks. Choose → real fruit juice mixed with sparkling water or club soda.
Ditch rotisserie chicken. Choose → skinless chicken breast, which has less salt and less saturated fat. I believe poultry fat is the worst kind.
Ditch store-bought bread. Choose → homemade bread. Store bought bread usually has too much salt and added preservatives. And homemade bread is easy to make – it’s just flour, water, yeast and salt. Try to find that ingredient list at the store!
Ditch bottled salad dressing. Choose → homemade olive oil-based dressing with vinegar or lemon juice. Olive oil is vital to good health (and skin & hair).
Ditch potato chips. Choose → home popped popcorn. I use a whirly type popper. Packaged microwave popcorn is usually made with palm oil and too much salt plus added preservatives. I pop mine in coconut oil, topped with my melted “buttermix” (mix of butter + olive oil)
Ditchfruit-flavored yogurt. Choose → plain yogurt and add fresh fruit and a little sugar if needed. I really enjoy plain yogurt with a little vanilla and sugar.
Ditch diet soda. Choose → anything else. Diet soda is bad for the kidneys and liver and the chemical sweeteners can trick your brain into craving more sweets. It’s bad news all the way around.
Ditch peanut butter. Choose → almond butter, preferably homemade, processed with nothing but toasted almonds. Peanuts cause inflammation and they aren’t even nuts anyway.
Ditch “fat-free” anything. Choose → foods with healthy fats, like olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish. Fat is essential to your health. It’s needed to absorb certain vitamins, provide energy, and is vital for brain and heart health.
Ditch ham and salami. Choose → nitrate-free sliced turkey breast for sandwiches.
Ditch pepperoni. Choose →…. wait a minute! Let me re-think this. Sometimes, pizza isn’t worth having without pepperoni. I know that. I mean there are times when veggie pizza just doesn’t cut it. So I’d like to walk this back and say, “Choose pepperoni but ONLY on special occasions, like a birthday, a job promotion, a gender reveal, or Friday.”
Bottom line: Look at ingredients. Too much sodium? Don’t eat it. Too much saturated fat? Don’t eat it. Too much sugar? Don’t eat it. Too many mystery ingredients? Don’t eat it. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. I hope this helps. And if you can’t do any of these simple swaps, feel free to send your best excuse… 😀
It’s true, I find myself in the kitchen every time there is something I don’t want to do, like paperwork, matching my socks, or staring into my magnified lighted makeup mirror! 😱 Here’s what I cooked this week:
Turkey meatballs but with ground chicken
Vegetable fried rice with asian salad
Tortillas
Dark chocolate fudge brownies
No knead whole wheat bread
Spaghetti with meat sauce + salad
Almond butter
Salmon patties with steamed potatoes & beets
Rice pudding
Orange chicken with broccoli
Lemon chicken with green beans (much better than my orange chicken)
Oatmeal muffins
Egg salad
Breaded lemon chicken cutlets with roasted vegetables
Custard pudding
Taco salad
Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy 80th. ❤️
I really should have started stretching earlier in life. I began in earnest over a year ago and at first, I pushed too hard and my muscles were not cooperating, saying, “Hey, wait a minute! We don’t stretch just because you decided to start at 78 years old! Take it easy, lady, or we’ll give you a charley horse you’ll never forget!” I got the message and started slowly. I persevered and soon, my muscles started stretching and it felt good. Muscles tighten as we age and stretching helps loosen them up. And it seems to make them friendlier, too. They don’t yell at me as much these days.
Even now, my stretching should be better but I keep at it. I’m pretty sure if I went to a yoga class, they would ask me to leave, because I was bringing down the vibe in the room, insisting that the class is full. “I only see 5 people here but okay… I guess I’m “na ma stay here.” 🙂
There are so many reasons why stretching is important as we age. Regular stretching:
Keeps your joints flexible.
Increases blood flow.
Helps relieve joint pain and tightness.
Improves posture
Makes things easier like bending down, reaching up, even walking.
Decreases the risk of injuries.
Relieves stress, bringing calm and relaxation.
How To Stretch:
Hold the stretch for 30 seconds if you can.
Don’t bounce.
If it hurts, you’re pushing too hard. Stretching should not hurt.
How I Stretch:
I do most of my stretching before bed.
I also find ways to stretch throughout the day.
I put things on upper shelves, forcing me to stretch when I reach for them.
If something falls, it’s an opportunity to try touching my toes to pick it up.
If I drop something again, this time I squat down to pick it up.
After sitting for a while, before standing up I lean down and touch the floor to stretch my back.
I try to hold my stretches for 30 seconds but it’s boring and sometimes I cheat.
If I get a cramp, my muscles get mad. “What part of 30 seconds did you not understand?!”
Who doesn’t like food on a stick? Here’s what I cooked this week:
Sweet and sour chicken kabobs with jasmine rice
Apple crisp
Granola bars
Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes & broccoli
Marble loaf cake
Tortillas
Deviled eggs
Tomato soup
Spinach fried rice
Club sandwiches
Vegetable soup (to go with the sandwiches)
Custard pudding
Taco salad
No knead whole wheat bread
Healthier chocolate chip (mini) cookies
I’m not giving up on making mini cookies to cut down on sugar, even though someone else who lives here keeps eating two. He says I should be happy because he’s not using them to make an ice cream sandwich! 😍
Approaching my 80th birthday seems like a good time to ruminate on all the things I regret. I’m listing all the things I regret that are safe to share without a visit from the police department. 👮♀️
Not taking more pride in my day-to-day appearance. When I walk out of my beautiful home, people assume I work for the owner.
Ordering dark chocolate online… in the summer! ☀️
Not staying in touch with childhood friends.
Assuming I’d never forget how to apply black eye liner.
Giving up on making pork chops. I love pork chops but not my pork chop door stops.
Never learning how to tap dance.
Doing my own highlights with the shower cap and a crochet hook.
Not being open to trying new foods, but oysters? Really? 🦪🦪
I think I have too many spatulas.
Never trying yoga because you have to wear yoga pants.
Not going to my reunion because I was having a bad hair day.
NEW RECIPE: I love Chinese food and sweet & sour chicken is one of my favorites. I usually make it in a pan but this time I didn’t feel like washing too may dishes so I made kabobs! It was actually easier to make this way and there is almost no cleanup. So I am not going back to the pan version. Plus kabobs just look so pretty. 😋
But remember this: Use fresh pineapple. There is no comparison to the limp and soggy stuff you get in a can. I only use canned pineapple juice for the marinade and that’s okay. Whenever I make kabobs, there is never a shred of leftovers. That’s not the case with my sardine cakes!
To try my easy sweet and sour chicken kabobs with almost no cleanup, click here for the recipe.
We have a crouton crisis in my kitchen. The new way I’m making them is so good, someone keeps sneaking them before dinner. I won’t say who, but that person has a mustache. Oh wait… that could be either one of us! 😀 Here’s what I cooked this week:
Soft croutons
Spinach fried rice
Lemon blueberry loaf
Soft oatmeal raisin cookies no butter
Creamy chicken & broccoli pasta
Granola bars
Oatmeal muffins
Cabbage soup
Linguini with broccolini & mini squashes
Taco salad
Chocolate pudding
Chicken tenders with roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes & peppers
Almond butter
Dark chocolate cashew clusters
No knead whole wheat bread
I have a new way to make my croutons! I bake a loaf of no knead white bread, and after it’s cooled, I slice the whole loaf into croutons and freeze them. Then… before dinner, I remove a handful, let them thaw a little, put them in a plastic bag, drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and bake them on an ungreased pan in my toaster oven at 350 for about…. oh crap… I forgot to write down the time, but I think it’s about 15 minutes, until they are golden and crispy but still soft on the inside. I will post them soon as a new recipe with the exact time.
My husband loves these too… so much so that I caught him sneaking some before I made the salad. Busted! 😳 I now have a new plan: I count them before toasting. If I start with 16, then I put 8 on my salad and he gets the rest. If there’s only 3 left, it’s his problem. 🙂
