Category: Meatless Mondays

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A Saturday Afternoon Confession (and Electronic Sticky Note)

Saturday 3/30

I haven’t been writing much lately. My personal journal shows numerous gaps. My blogs show numerous gaps and much longer gaps in between posts. The dearth of words scares me and the Master of Overthinking starts to ask the question why? The Mojo is not as strong as it has been in the past. Maybe it’s just from getting older. Or spending more time doing other things. I’m probably not writing as much because I AM spending more time doing other things.

Recently two different people who have known me a long time delivered the same message to me. One was my barber, the other a relative.

“You look thin. You’re keeping the weight off.”

“You’ve lost weight.”

The Master of Overthinking once more started to think. What changed? My weight is stable and fluctuates between 173 and 175. I’ve tweaked my diet many times but haven’t tweaked in quite some time. So what changed?

Towards the end of last year The Boss felt I needed to get out of the house more. She knows all too well I could go 100% hermit at this point in my life. The Boss posed a simple question:

“Why don’t you rejoin the Y?”

The Master of Overthinking thought about this. Too much togetherness? Does she need more alone time? Was I becoming a hermit?

Well, I guess I could use more exercise. So I signed up at the Y and started getting back into my old routines at the beginning of the year. Four years ago I cancelled my membership due to the Covid pandemic. I didn’t want to keep paying monthly dues for something that wasn’t going to be used. I had always intended to rejoin at a later time. But one month came and went followed by the years. It was time to get back to old ways.

Due to the long layoff I focused first on resistance training. I had been doing resistance work at home with light weights and bands. I convinced myself that was enough to keep what was left of my muscle mass from shrinking to nothing. But adding a circuit of resistance machines has made a difference. I weigh the same but Mr. Muffin is smaller. After three months the changes are noticeable. When your barber notices the change…

To make a short story long I’m spending more of my time going to the Y. I’ve also been reading more and writing less. But I feel the Mojo returning. I’m back.

Electronic Sticky Note Time

Take-Out Style Vegetable Lo Mein from https://www.bluezones.com/recipe/take-out-style-vegetable-lo-mein/ which was reprinted from the Essential Wok Cookbook: A Simple Chinese Cookbook for Stir-Fry, Dim Sum, and Other Restaurant Favorites by Naomi Imatome-Yun, copyright ©2015.

OR…

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How To Reduce Your Risk of Developing DM2 (type 2 diabetes)

Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com

Replacing one serving of red meat a day with a serving of plant-based protein sources like nuts or legumes decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30%, and substituting a serving of red meat for dairy decreased the risk by 22%.

More Than One Red Meat Serving A Week Can Increase Diabetes Risk — https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/10/19/more-than-one-red-meat-serving-a-week-can-increase-diabetes-risk-study-finds/

The Forbes article has links to other research studies on meat consumption and health.

Link to the Harvard press release — Red meat consumption associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk — https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/red-meat-consumption-associated-with-increased-type-2-diabetes-risk/

The study featured in the articles above was published on Thursday, October 19, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

My Personal Opinion

If you eat meat, eat less. If you don’t eat meat, consider the occasional meal with meat for its nutritional benefits. My diet is approximately 75% meat-free, I do not have diabetes.

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Trouble in Paradise – June 2023

So far, it’s been a pleasant summer. We have had temps in the 80’s until recently.

What happens in the summer when it starts getting hot?

BEER happens. Willpower gone. There’s beer in the house.

I’ve been holding steady at 172 for a few months. But the arrival of beer weather does concern me.

The Boss has been working tirelessly in the yard and it looks the best it has in years. New shrubs, flowers, perennials and rose bushes were added this year. As for me, I try to find plants that I can’t kill. Meet Pepper Plant #4.

Readers with sharp eyes will note this tiny thing already has two peppers. Yeah, I cheated and bought a plant that already had fruit. I still remember the horrors of my last Pepper Plant 08.02.18. So I cheated. Pepper Plants #3 and #2 are in a pot and about twice the size of #4. No fruits yet, but I remain hopeful.

There’s basil on the patio too. I taught myself how to prune basil properly and hopefully I’ve learned something from watching hours of basil pruning videos on YouTube. Upon careful inspection today the plant needs to be pruned. So tonight’s meal will be Pasta with Vegetables, Olive oil, and Garlic. I don’t think I’ve ever written this recipe down but One Rotisserie Chicken, 50 Meals – #6 Pasta with Chicken, Vegetables, Oiive Oil and Garlic is close enough. No chicken or squash tonight. I’m heading down the broccoli route with lots of fresh basil and garlic. Go 4 cloves. Or more.

The basil is healthy and my new pepper plant has peppers. Hopefully this summer will be better than The Tomato Plant – 2014 Final Update. My basil didn’t’ do well that year either.

Time for a beer and to give thanks for not living in Texas anymore.

Update –

I used about a half cup of fresh basil.

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Eat Broccoli, Protect Your Gut

Broccoli is known to be beneficial to our health. For example, research has shown that increased consumption of the cruciferous vegetable decreases incidence of cancer and type 2 diabetes. In a recent study, researchers found that broccoli contains certain molecules that bind to a receptor within mice and help to protect the lining of the small intestine, thereby inhibiting the development of disease. The findings lend support to the idea that broccoli truly is a ‘superfood.’

Penn State. “Broccoli consumption protects gut lining, reduces disease, in mice: Researchers discover that a certain molecule in broccoli interacts with a receptor in mice to promote gut health.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230406152639.htm (accessed April 9, 2023).
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Sugo Finto

  • 1 small sweet onion, small dice
  • 1 stalk celery, small dice
  • 1 large carrot, small dice
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • dried basil, parsley
  • Salt and black pepper
  • white or brown sugar
  • 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 15 oz can stewed tomatoes
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

This is a poor man’s meat sauce: the vegetables are cut smallish to simulate the texture of ground beef. The inspiration for my version comes from a cookbook I’ve had since 1986. I wasn’t happy with a number of my sugo sauces until I started using stewed tomatoes instead of 100% plain crushed tomatoes. Then finally, Chinese-Italian success!

Saute the vegetables in olive oil until soft and fragrant.

Add dried basil and parsley (if using dried) now.

Add the stewed tomatoes and simmer over low heat uncovered until the tomato chunks start to break up. Smash the rest of the tomato chunks with a wooden spoon. You want somewhat chunky but not super chunky.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, mix well, and simmer over low heat for at least one hour.

Add salt, pepper, a little sugar, butter and parsley (if using fresh). Adjust seasonings until you get that perfect balance between salt and sweet.

You’re ready for pasta.

This sauce freezes well. Half of the sauce was enough for Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Parmesan (no recipe for this, yet).

This pasta sauce will be invaluable when your kid turns into a teenager, comes home and announces she has stopped eating meat to save the planet.

Trust me on this.