Biking Season is Fast Approaching

I noted today that the bike trails along the roads near out house are getting clearer every day. Soon the snow will be gone and we can get the tandem out and ride.

It takes longer for some trails to clear than others because of the shade from the trees, but we can ride along the side of the road near home as there are bike lanes.

It was actually above 40° today which means it definitely getting to be biking weather.  My husband said, "It is only April and we could still get snow."  I am praying for sunshine and warm weather because I want to ride my bicycle.

I do not ride in the snow, but hubby does. He has a fat tire bike and studs for his mountain bike. I personally think he is a little nuts as it is way to cold to bike in the winter in my opinion.

Then tonight the weatherman said that more snow is expected this weekend and early next week.  YUCK!!! I am sick of snow and messy roads, I want sunshine and clear roads.

Winter has been too screwy for me this year. I think I will bring the bike inside so I can ride until the roads are really clear and no more snow is predicted.  Besides if I ride in the house I will be in better shape when it is time to hit the roads.

I think that will be on my list for tomorrow, now if I can only get the bike down off the hooks without knocking myself upside the head all will be good.

Memories of my Dad

I remember the story my mother told of my father returning from Germany when I was small. I had a picture of my father and that was my memory of him. When he returned he did not look like my picture and it took me several days before I realized he was my father. I was afraid of the strange man who got off the plane, with a few days growth of beard. He was not the clean shaven man in my photograph.

I look back on photographs of my father as a young soldier and see a different man than the one who died just over three years ago.  The man who died was thin and weak, yet still told me "I love you kid."

He was physically weak from the cancer that ravaged his body bit he was still the man I knew as a child.  He still had a sense of humor and enjoyed golf. He was the man who yelled at Jack Nicholson when he missed a putt, and cheered when he got a hole in one.

He still enjoyed pulling my leg and teasing me and he was still my father whom I loved dearly.  He traveled the world with the military to places like Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines,  Taiwan, and Kinmen.

He was a great man and is sorely missed. I love him very much and know that he is watching over me from heaven.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 -3 good size sweet potatoes peeled & chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, chopped 
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 - 2 tsps Ancho Chili Powder
• 1 - 2 tsps  fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 - 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 - 2 tsps black pepper 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 -3 TBSP Lime Juice
• 1/2 - 1 TBSP olive oil or butter your preference

Chop the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic, then saute in olive oil or butter until tender, about 10 minutes. 

Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes while the onions, etc... are sauting.

Add the broth and spices stir well to make sure they are mixed in.  Add the sweet potatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes, or several hours until the sweet potatoes are tender.  I like to let it simmer all afternoon or cook over night and all day in the crock pot on low.


Puree in blender and serve. 

Serves4

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 4 servings.

1/2 -1 tsp garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 TBSP Olive Oil or Butter, which ever you prefer
1/2 - 1 tsp ginger, I prefer chopped fresh
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 - 1 tsp sage
1 - 2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 - 2 tsp black pepper
4 No Sodium chicken powder packets,
       (or 4 cups low sodium chicken broth)
1 - 2 teaspoon chili powder, preferably Ancho
1/8 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 - 2 TBSP of brown sugar
4 - 5 cups water
2 medium  or 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 8 cups) 

Saute onions and garlic in Olive Oil or Butter, or cover and cook for one minute in the microwave, naked.

Mix spices and chicken broth powder with water and add to sauted onions and garlic. (Red pepper and Ancho chilli powder amounts vary depending on how spicy you like your soup.)

Add in cubed butternut squash.

Cook in crock pot all day, or for a few hours on the stove until the squash is soft.

Put soup in your blender or Vita Mix and puree.  Simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

 We had this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Above is a picture of the leftovers ready for lunch tomorrow.

Tomato Soup

This recipe is so easy and so quick.  I love it on a cold afternoon when time is short for making dinner.

Ingredients:
3 cans of diced or petite no salt added tomatoes
1 package of  no sodium chicken broth powder
1 can of water
1 -2 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
pepper to taste
red pepper to taste
1-2 cloves of garlic or garlic powder
1 tsp sugar

Parmesan Cheese to garnish

Throw everything but the cheese in the blender for just a minute to crush the tomatoes.  (If you use crushed tomatoes and garlic powder there is no need to blend, but I cannot fine no salt added crushed tomatoes.)

Simmer on the stove about 15 minutes to let the flavors blend and allow the soup to warm and serve garnished with Parmesan cheese or if you prefer a grilled cheese sandwich.

Delicious!

Healthy Heart Month

February is the month to think of your heart and how you can keep it healthy and since I have high blood pressure and a congenital heart defect, that was surgically corrected I thought I should spend a few minutes on the topic before the month slips through my fingers.

I urge everyone to eat a healthy, low fat, low sodium, low carb diet.

 I have made diet changes in the last few years that have made a difference in my life.  Besides watching my sodium which is really bad for people with high blood pressure, and everyone else, I have started eating a low carbohydrate diet.

Low carb was introduced into our lives by my husband's doctor because he is pre-diabetic.  He restricts his carb intake to 150 or less a day. I do not restrict mine as much, but we have given up bread, and most crackers because of all the carbs.

We use sugar and honey sparingly in recipes and when possible substitute Agave syrup.

We also eat primarily fresh fruits and vegetables and very little meat.  I eat less meat than he does and when I do it is usually shrimp or salmon.

We eat cheese, though again, I eat less than him.

We still have the occasional dessert, just not a very big one.  We have sub-sized (down-sized) our eating, instead of super-sized it. We will split a dessert, if we choose to have one.  I wish more places would do like PF Chang's Sweet Treats or Olive Garden's Dolcini and serve those little one or two bite desserts, because that is all you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I love cooking so this makes it fun as I love to try new recipes.
 
Since September of 2012, I have lost 10 pounds and am still working on loosing more.  I feel better, and have more energy.  I have also gone done a few pants sizes, and am thinking I may need to do some shopping.

Though I continue to take medication for my high blood pressure and leaky heart valve my last check up, just this week, was very good. My blood pressure was 102/ 63 and my doctor said that she could not hear the murmur in my heart, which means the medication is working.

I plan to continue on this path and see if I can loose another ten or twenty pounds by the end of the year.

Along with diet I workout, though not as much as I should according to my husband. I am looking forward to spring when the roads are clear of snow and ice so I can head out on my bicycle and we can ride our tandem again.  Until then I use my Wii Fit, Wii Zumba, Walk with Lesley, lift weights, and I may bring one of the bikes in the house and set it up like an exercise bicycle.

Library Lover's Month

My mom wrote this wonderful article about Library Lover's Month.  I want to share it with all my friends who love to read.   It was published in her local DAR newsletter. She is a wonderful woman and like me she loves to read. I am very proud of her article.

I was also lucky that I had a mother who read to me and I read to both of my boys. My oldest was read college textbooks while he was in the womb as I was working on my master's degree when pregnant with him.

Both boys were read all kinds of books when they were tiny as I would read whatever I was reading aloud when rocking them. When they were older they had favorite children's books we read.

I can remember their father reading them the Little House on the Prairie books.
 
I also remember having to read adult mysteries and teen novels when my oldest was in elementary school as he was such a bookworm that he had read all the books in the children's section of the library and the complete set of encyclopedias by the end of third grade. He also read Up From Slavery that year.

Books on tape and along with the novel were a hit with my younger son, as he enjoyed the stories but not the act of reading.

One thing I do enjoy about being retired is the time to read.  I have read more in the past two years than I did over most of my teaching career, I think.  I love to be taken away by a novel and transported to another time or place. It is relaxing. Books are some of my best friends.

I hope you enjoyed my mom's article.