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!
Yes, I have my own way of making a sandwich. They are always open face with lots of lettuce on top. I use either baby romaine leaves or chunks of iceberg lettuce. I always add fresh vegetables. This time it’s cruciferous radishes, crisp carrots, and important leafy greens. (Thank goodness we don’t have a hungry pet rabbit! 🥬 🥕🐇) Does that not look delicious?? That and a cup of tea makes a fantastic lunch! I’m never too full because it’s not a lot of bread, which is my own whole wheat bread. Salmon is my favorite but I also make tuna, egg salad, and sardine sandwiches this way. Other favorite lunches are: almond butter & banana sandwich, lentil soup, or potato pancakes (when I have time). It’s usually a quick sandwich since there is always lots to do.
I’m on my feet all day so I put on sneakers first thing in the morning. I remember an all-day shopping spree with my older sister when she was wearing sandals and I was in sneakers. At the end of the long day, she was dead on her feet and I could have still gone for hours. Sneakers are a must!
My afternoons are usually spent stocking up on a couple of our “staples” like making tortillas, granola bars, or bread. Other times it’s almond or peanut butter or hard boiled eggs, salad dressing, butter-mix, things like that. (This is NOT all in one day! 🙂 just a sampling) It’s also when I try out new recipes. When everything you eat is made from scratch, its takes effort. To me, it’s worth every effort. This probably seems like a lot of work but to me, it’s a labor of love, a gift I give to myself and my husband, that keeps us healthy.
Oh, I also grocery shop about every third day. It’s mostly “perimeter” shopping because that’s where all the good stuff is: produce, dairy, and meat, while most of the processed foods are in the cereal, snack, bakery and beverage aisles.
I’m not done yet! There is also laundry, washing dishes, and making the bed. I have no housekeeper because I prefer a less hectic household and don’t mind doing my own chores. I also monitor my website and YouTube comments every day, answering some questions when I can. By the way, companies approach me every week asking to place ads on this website or asking me to promote a certain product. It’s a firm no every time.
So there’s a typical, busy afternoon. Doing all this keeps me productive and stimulates my brain every day. I hope some of this might be of interest. I have lots more to share but it’s hard to find the time… and now you know why. 😀
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!
Thanksgiving is just days away and there’s a lot you can do in advance… like planning the perfect outfit to wear for dinner. I recommend pairing a colorful holiday blouse with the biggest stretch pants you own! Here’s what I made this week:
Fresh cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner
Chicken soup
Skinless chicken drumsticks with rice and Swiss chard + salad
Custard pudding
Banana bread (for a friend)
Apple bread (for me!)
Spaghetti with simple meat sauce + salad
Oatmeal muffins
Plain chicken jambalaya + salad
Simple white bread with egg to make bread cubes for my Thanksgiving bread stuffing
Penne with chicken & pesto sauce with steamed carrots & zucchini
Taco salad
I’m so looking forward to my Thanksgiving dinner. Everything is from scratch and is out of this world. I’ll be making turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, fresh cranberries, gravy, and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream!!! Tomorrow, I’m roasting turkey wings to make stock for my gravy and stuffing. After all that food, we never feel overly full or lethargic, probably because we’re not having anything involving marshmallows! 😀
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…
It’s plain and simple and may not be for everyone who likes spicy Mexican food but it’s perfect for me. We have it every Saturday for our movie night. 🎬 It’s light and healthy because I only use olive oil and fresh lemon juice for the dressing. And I always use my own not-spicy chili powder and very lean ground beef. It’s fast too! I usually make it less than 20 minutes.
You can mix it all in one bowl to serve or I sometimes put the lettuce (tossed first with olive oil & lemon juice) in two separate serving bowls and we put all the other toppings on ourselves. The only extra I sometimes add is avocado but I don’t want to get too full so we have room for the giant vat of popcorn I make for the movie. 🍿 Click here for the recipe.
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 warm 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 12 – 15 minute walk (*updated Jan 3rd). 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 warm 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.” 😍
