Tag: Memoir

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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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Diet Tracking Works

Remember Keep a Journal/Food Diary? It works.

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More Sugar More Fat Please

Food Addiction?

The study, published online Wednesday in the journal Cell Metabolism, found eating a snack high in fat and sugar every day alters the reward circuits in human brains to create lasting preferences.

Fatty and sugary foods train your brain to hate healthier options: Yale study — New York Post, March 22, 2023

HT to Sally Feltner for the original post. Link to the original post is provided above. I’ve also credited the New York Post because I’m not sure who wrote the sentence I’ve quoted.

What I am sure about is my cerebral reward circuits still function very well if I have to choose between a piece of fruit or a cup of ice cream. Or a piece of pizza versus a salad. Or french fries rather than a plain baked potato.

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Chicken Thigh Week – Sunday, The End

Another short post today. There’s too much bracketball to watch today.

Breakfast – Roasted chickpeas and veggies

Lunch – Ampaipitakwong Fried Rice (aka Pete’s), egg roll (yes, it does resemble last night’s dinner)

Dinner – Chicken fajitas

I enjoyed tracking my meals this week and learned a lot.

I no longer need to track consumption like I have in the past. The habit and behavioral changes have stuck around.

My snack last night was grapes and crackers. They found my mouth after I posted.

The very ripe spotted bananas seemed to ripen faster when residing in the same bowl as the once rock hard green avocados that are now ripe enough to eat hence fajitas for dinner tonight.

I made Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (updated). See above.

Snack – muffin?

For the week 1/3 of my meals were meat based. Time to rename The 90% Solution The Nearly 70% Solution.

Still not a vegan.

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Chicken Thigh Week – Saturday

Short post today. The Boss is Back and there will be Boss directed activities to be done today.

Even More Things I Learned This Week

Rock hard green avocados ripen faster when placed in a bowl with very ripe spotted bananas.

Fresh grapes satisfy my sweet tooth.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning. “Daily weighing may be key to losing weight.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181105081735.htm (accessed 03.25.23). My OCD may be getting better.

Keeping a food diary/journal makes me more aware of what I’m eating and provides opportunities for improvement. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-keep-a-food-diary-2019013115855.

The Boss noticed the brownie supply in the freezer was smaller than when she left. I have no idea what happened to them.

I forgot to include some snacks in my meal count.

Today’s Meals

Breakfast – Low sugar box breakfast cereal, added raisins, low fat cow milk

Lunch – 2 shrimp tacos, cup of black beans, green beans, 4 french fries

Dinner – Ampaipitakwong Fried Rice (aka Pete’s), egg roll

“Do not worry about immediate results. More and more you must concentrate on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.”

Thomas Merton
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Chicken Thigh Week – Friday

Friday 3/24

After 47 years as a cardiologist with 200,000 patient visits, I can firmly say that vegans are my healthiest patients. I certainly agree with you it is not easy. My position is that 90% vegan which is 19 of 21 meals a week will do just fine. Foods should be, prior to preparation, ideally organic and unprocessed whole foods exactly as they grow up out of the ground and in the field.

H Robert Silverstein, MD, FACC

I found this quote in the comments section of an online article years ago. The 90% Solution has been my targeted balance of meals ever since. Yet the older I get the more I realize things are never that simple nor easy. Life is never simple nor easy. Too many of us don’t know what we don’t know.

More Things I’ve Learned About Myself

Over time I’ve revealed more personal information. At first I hesitated to share personal details about my journey. Now I’m much more relaxed about my privacy than in the past.

My personal journal remains my primary journal. My blogs have become journals as well. They’re all me. Remember what is here is only a part of me.

I write differently in my personal journal than I do in my public journals.

Writing in a journal has incredible health benefits so Keep a Journal (not just about food). Going back in time develops wisdom.

For the first time I’ve taken a deeper dive into where I’ve been in this blog. Some of what I discovered surprised me. I sometimes don’t follow my own advice. It is always easier to say rather than to do. It’s been quite some time since I posted Keep a Journal/Food Diary. I can’t remember the last time I tracked my meals.

When The Boss is away I listen to more jazz when working.

I’ve taught myself how to write more in my journals during the day when taking work breaks.

Today’s Meals

Breakfast – Buttered whole wheat toast, oatmeal with raisins, milk

Lunch – Two soft beef tacos

Snack – crackers

Dinner – Black bean chili, Texas Corn Bread

No Chicken!

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Chicken Thigh Week – Thursday

Thurs 3/23 Update 5:25 pm

I’m learning a lot about myself this week from tracking my meals. Since The Boss is away my meals and eating habits are totally my own. I don’t have to think about, shop for, plan or cook with someone else’s preferences in mind. I like not having regularly scheduled meals. I much prefer to Eat Only When Hungry. Last night I didn’t have a big dinner meal, just a cup of homemade chili beans.

Things I’ve Learned About Myself

I spend far more time at grocery stores than I realized.

I like spending time in grocery stores.

I tend to shop the sales and plan meals around what I end up buying with basic pantry items already in the house (ahem, Chicken Thigh Week?).

I do not like wasting food and will eat leftovers until I get sick and tired of them. I’ll also incorporate food items into several different meals to reduce food waste. For example I picked up a tub of organic greens for $1.49 (yes, you read that right) which I’ve been eating all week. The tub got eaten up today.

Although I once said I’m incapable of creating a 7 day meal plan I think I’m getting better and feel I can now plan a full day ahead.

I eat a lot of peanut butter.

Today’s meals –

Breakfast – Strawberries, banana and full fat Greek yogurt. Two Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes.

Lunch – Toasted Irish Cheddar Cheese sandwich with organic greens and mustard.

Snack – apple

Lunch #2 – cup of soup, PB on whole wheat bread

Dinner – Roasted Chickpea and Veggie Burrito (see Veggie Burrito Spice Blend for the seasonings).

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Chicken Thigh Week – Wednesday

Weds 3/22

The Anti-Bunko meeting last night was a rousing success. Seven showed up and five of us ordered zero sides. Two ordered tots with their burgers. I guess it takes some people a longer time to learn why their jeans no longer fit.

I’m not sure if it was last night’s burger or busyness at work but I wasn’t hungry this morning. I didn’t notice any signs of hunger til around 10:30 AM. So while I may describe my meals as most people would, the times are definitely not the typical meal times. This turned out to be a good day to practice how to Eat Only When Hungry.

We should add eating only when hungry to this post Five healthy habits net more healthy years — Malheur County Health Department and make it Six Healthy Habits.

On Wednesdays the local store changes their weekly ad. I pulled the ad up online and to my surprise found boneless chicken thighs for $1.99/lb!

Chicken Thigh Week! An excuse to get out of the house!

But I was disappointed.

Avoid purchasing chicken if the package has excess liquid sitting in it. The excess liquid usually results from the conventional method of immersing chickens in water to chill them to an appropriate temperature. These liquids are expelled by the chicken once it is in the tray, which weakens the flavor and results in a mushy texture.

Guide on the different types of industrial chicken https://www.watermelon.market/post/guide-on-the-different-types-of-industrial-chicken

I did not buy any cheap chicken thighs BUT I did find one package of the $2.99/lb not as cheap chicken thighs. Now I have plenty of chicken thighs both boneless and bone-in.

So far my meals for today:

Breakfast – Raisin bran, soy milk banana at 10:30 AM

Lunch – cup of soup from the pot I never got around to freezing portions at 1:30 PM

Second Lunch – 2 roast chicken wraps with organic greens and hot honey coarse mustard at 3:00 PM.

It’s “dinner time” now and I’m not hungry.

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Eat Only When Hungry

Retrain yourself to recognize feelings of hunger and respect them. Eat when you feel them and stop when they stop. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry. This approach starts with eating breakfast, planning snacks, or eating only part of your lunch and saving the rest for a snack later on in the afternoon. Eat regular meals but don’t eat by the clock.

Eating When You’re Hungry versus Eating on Schedule — https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/diet-nutrition/general-diet-nutrition/eating-when-youre-hungry-versus-eating-on-schedule-202578/

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