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.

"I'm So Excited and I Just Can't Hide It!"

I decided today was the day and got on the Wii-Fit.  It told me it had been 108 days since I had last gotten on.  WOW!  I thought I am probably in real trouble after the holidays. I stepped on to weight myself and was pleasantly surprised.

I lost 7.1 lbs since the last time I was on! 

I have not been very good about exercising and I have not been eating really well either.  You know the holiday junk food of candy, pie, cheesecake, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and such that you do not eat the rest of the year. 

I am thrilled that I lost that weight and just to be good today I worked out for an hour. I did strength training with weights, yoga, aerobics, and some balance exercises just for good measure. 

One of my goals for this year is to exercise and another is to eat healthy.  I have been working on both, though actually today is only the second day I have exercised this year.  Two out of four ain't bad.  I did a short workout of about 15 minutes on the first because they say what ever you do on the first day of the new year you will do all year long and that is one of my goals.

Now, if I can keep this up all year I will hopefully loose more than the 7 lbs that I set as my new three month goal. 

If exercising or eating healthy is one or more of your goals this year let me know how we are doing, maybe we can encourage each other to keep at it.  Let me know what your plan is.

I am reading the book Younger Next Year written by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D.  It was recommended to me by a friend and so far I like it.  They say there are three things you have to do to be younger.

First and most important is Excerise.  It is the biggest change for most people and the secret to good health. It is also the hardest for me.  They say your should exercise six days a week and to include strength training. You should lift weights, at least two of those day. Exercise is key.

Secondly, Nutrition is important.  It can help you get down to your true weight. They say to eat rationally, and to eat less of everything.

Lastly, Commitment is important. They say you have to care about something. They suggest setting goals, thinking about the people - like your family, causes, and hobbies that you care about. This can include your job.  It does not have to be something that is important to society, it has to be what is important to you.  Remember the people you care about are a reason to stay alive.  They need you.

Tom and I do eat healthy and we both have hobbies we are committed to as well as family and friends, but I know I need to work on the exercise part.  Tom exercises everyday to help keep his blood sugar down, since he is pre-diabetic.

I have also ordered the book: Younger Next Year for Women as this one is aimed more toward guys, but it works.  I plan to  encourage my husband to read this one after I am done.

Best wishes for healthy eating and exercising this year!  I will let you know what else I learn from my reading.