Still making juice

Thought I should check in with my juicing adventures. Yes, I’m still keeping my Breville juicer busy almost every day. Terry thought it might be a passing fancy, but I have found that it’s so easy to use, so delicious to drink, and I feel good. So, I keep doing it.

As to what I am juicing, these are my favorites:

• apple, pear, cranberries, 3 kales leaves, handful of basil leaves
• apple, pear, blueberries, 3 kale leaves, handful of basil leaves
• apple, pear, carrot, 3 kale leaves, handful of mint leaves
• apple, pear, fennel bulb, carrot
• apple, pear, beet, 3 kale leaves, carrot

Today I tried raspberries with the apple, pear, 3 kale leaves mixture. Didn’t care much for it. The grocery store had marked the pints of berries to 99 cents so decided to give it a try. Next time I find them that cheap, I’ll just eat them by the handful. 

Tried juicing swiss chard instead of kale, but it had too much of a green taste. I am really pleased with how much kale I have consumed this winter. That was one of the reasons I wanted to get a juicer, to get more of those dark greens into my body. I love spinach, but kale and chard just don’t appeal in any form. Except, now for juicing the kale. 

Days of meat & restaurants

Paula Deen’s announcement of having Type 2 diabetes sort of set me back on my heels this morning. There is a running joke among family and friends that I, like Paula, start all my recipes with a cube of butter. Actually, it’s not far from the truth. The recipes I make actually do start with a cube of butter. I just don’t cook like that every day.

Paula is a few years older than I am, and I have a hunch she is under a lot more stress than I am in a normal day. I say NORMAL because that has not been my life for the last couple of months. I am trying to regain my equilibrium, though, and live more calmly with less frenetic activity. Also, my blood sugar levels are always very good–60 to 80. Cholesterol too. Which is kind of funny, considering all that butter! One year, the number came back just over 200, and my doctor, who was used to seeing numbers like 170, told me she hoped I was “just camping there.” I had to admit that I had been excessive with the butter. I backed off and the level backed down, too.

I am trying harder to eat a plant based diet with less and less meat as I believe we don’t need as much meat as we seem to consume. Terry and I can make a three pound roast last all week; two chicken breasts can do the same. We have quit eating any cured meats with nitrates and nitrites. All fruits and veggies are organic as are other foods. We stay away from most processed foods which means very little restaurant eating. However, this past week was a bad one in this area as we were out of town and trying new places.

Last Tuesday we finished off a roast I had cooked the previous week. Wednesday I had lunch with a friend and ordered a shish kebob sandwich (lamb). Thursday Terry and I shared a Rueben sandwich at Max’s made with pastrami (!) and sauerkraut. Friday we had carnitas tacos at a new place in San Francisco. Saturday I picked up a ham sandwich at Whole Foods. At least it was nitrite and nitrate free.

Yesterday I met the Ladies Who Lunch at a new Mexican restaurant in town. I ordered the short rib burrito but they were out of that. Saved! Instead I got the veggie tacos. My meat binge has ended.

Healthy eating

Somewhere in my blogland wanderings, I found a new blog that will be fun to watch as its premise develops.  A family of five has decided to rid itself of bad eating and plans to tell us how they do it at The Real Foods Project.

Because I am a big proponent of healthy, organic foods, and I have seen what bad eating can do to a person, I am always cheering for those who decide to shop and cook in a more healthy manner.  Too many processed foods are bad for the body, and in the long run, (meaning old age), eating a healthy diet pays off.  You feel better, look better, and are able to do more.

I just had my eyes examined and my eye doctor does this photo image of the inside of the eye where it shows all the blood vessels.  This is the first place things like diabetes and high cholesterol can show up.  My blood vessels are very healthy and the doctor attributes much of that to my healthy eating and use of supplements.

Now, don’t read this the wrong way.  I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but we do try to eat more plant based foods than animal protein.  However, I love sugar and fat.  I could eat dessert every day and have to contain myself when there are sweets in the house.  I have butter on my English muffin every morning.

Saturday is our granddaughter’s first birthday party and we are picking up the ice cream cake.  It’s a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free  confection made by a great company in San Francisco, Maggie Mudd.  This makes me very happy because I will be able to have cake and eat it too.