I Challenge You This

 This is a challenge that I was going to post only on my Christian blog but... I know that all kinds of people like a challenge. 

This is from a talk that Chuck Missler did and is regarding the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 

You have to create a fictional family tree to meet all the following requirements, screenshot by screenshot. I guess some people are much smarter than I and can actually get past the first couple of screens with not much trouble. 

Get ready, get set, and... GO!

Peace

--Free

**QUICK POST** Bilingual/Dual Language Reading & Learning

 What if you could start self-learning a language while doing something enjoyable - like reading?

That's what I was thinking the other day when I was grounded and sick in bed. I love reading and I really would like to learn at least a little bit of another language. However, my brain is slow (from age) and thick (from illness). So...

I landed first on this resource. I haven't checked it out at all yet, but I did bookmark a few novels and stories to start with. You can do your own search but in the meantime, here is my start list of books and resources:

• Holmes' "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (Spanish/English)
• Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall"  (Spanish/English)
• Alba Learning has bilingual books listed in various language combinations.
• Bilinuguis is where I found the Holmes book. The site shows as "not secure" in my browser so...
• Fluentu had more resources but these are my favorites to check out later:
• The Beelingua app for Android and iPhone
• This Weebly page - not secure in my browser
• This book of short stories.

I took a quick screenshot of one of the pages to show here:

This is exciting to me. The only time I have every learned even just single words in another language is when I could find a way to relate. I learned that Ouai is in French what Yeah is in English because of a hair product I sampled. Years ago, when I lived in England my best neighbor-friend was Welsh and she taught me a couple of mild swear words. I recently couldn't remember when I last had a mammogram but I haven't forgotten how to tell someone to kiss my behind in Welsh!

I really hope this helps someone who has been looking for such resources. Enjoy and spread the word.

Peace

-Free

**REVIEW** Shitake Mushroom seasoning

If you like savory flavoring, read on.

For anyone who's been paying attention, I've been on a bit of a middle-age get-healthier kick. Once I got past the first couple of weeks, it was easy to keep up my walking exercise and it hasn't been too hard to eat healthier. It's on my fasting days where I tend to stumble.

I knew from the beginning that fasting every other day was going to be easier for me than constantly cutting out a ton of calories. My fasting days aren't that bad - I try to never go above 600 calories - but I lose track sometimes of my coffee and tea intake. I cannot do a lot of no-sugar/no-creamer coffee or tea. So I can lose count on how much creamer I am using on a fasting day.

When I discovered mushroom seasoning, it solved a lot of my concerns:

• Salt intake from my various seasonings
• Dealing with bland foods (tofu, rice, veggies)
• Finding a broth I like for fasting days

Yeah, this one single bag of mushroom seasonings has been a lovely find.

I had to use Google's translation app to understand what was written on the bag. Much respect to my Chinese brothers and sisters. They know their complicated language and ours. I can only admire that.

Some buyers wondered what kind of 
mushrooms were used. So here ya go.

A longtime online acquaintance had once voiced their concern for my use of MSG (Umami seasoning). I let them know that I wasn't using it as much as I once had because of the very sharp flavor it imparts - and not because of the trending concerns. (Check my ** Note at the foot of this post.)

MSG seems to work best in conjunction with a bunch of other seasonings. Seasonings with their own salt, potassium, etcetera. Otherwise, as I mentioned, there can be a 'too sharp flavor to Umami. This same buddy mentioned to me that they instead of Umami like using mushroom seasoning in a lot of their dishes. That sounded interesting to me at the time, then I forgot about it. Until recently.

The mushroom seasoning didn't come back into my mind because I was thinking of food though. I was actually trying to find a broth that I liked. I wanted something to sip on during my fasting days. The store-bought stocks I found were way too "nothing" and the bouillon cubes and cartons of broth were either too bland or too salty. I couldn't find anything with the right kind of indefinable taste I was looking for. And then I remembered what that one person had said about mushroom seasoning. They had described it as "rich and savory-tasting". So I went looking around online.

I found a bunch of different kinds and brands. There are mushroom seasonings that come in powder and liquid form and in all kinds of price ranges from suspiciously low to are-you-kidding-me expensive. After I read a lot of reviews and some articles, I came up with two requirements for one I would try. It would have to be 1) affordable, and 2) of the shitake variety.

I'm not sure but I think that the online buddy had said something about shitake being their favorite flavor of mushroom seasoning. And a lot of reviews I read mentioned that shitake was "the best". At any rate, I finally found a bag that I could afford. I had to use translation apps to see if I was choosing something with shitake in it. Mainly, I was worried that I would waste even a small amount of my very limited budget on something that I might end up hating. ( I got this one the first time but have since found the same brand at a better price.)

And no worries. This Imperial Taste brand seasoning is amazing. It really is actually everything that I wanted the Umami to be. (I'm speaking in italics, so you know I'm excited!) The taste is very rich and savory while leaving none of that sharp, chemical-like taste in the back of my throat. As a broth, it's like sipping on the juice from a really good and smoky-flavored soup. As a seasoning on my foods, it adds all the flavor without being salty or "wrong" for almost any savory dish. 

This is what it looks like right out of the bag:

I grind some into a powder for 
sprinkling onto food.

I will make about a 12-ounce cup (with half a tablespoon of the powder) twice a day on my fasting days. I do this to fight cravings for something tastier than water and more filling than coffee or tea. It turns out that half of my cravings are not even for food but for flavor. Just like almost all my other cravings can be satisfied with a drink of water.

When I use this seasoning on food - I started with rice and vegetables - the flavor goes further than does salt or my various other seasonings. I don't need to use as much of it because, again, the flavor is so very savory and 'deep tasting'. I like the taste so much that I started using it as the only seasoning for fish and tofu. Baked or fried tofu with this for flavor is just too yummy. And trust me, tofu needs all the flavor you can give it!

I waited to post about this because I was also ranting about the Umami before it lost its appeal. This mushroom seasoning is a keeper. If I ever stop using it for food (and I doubt I will), it will still be my favorite for making a broth. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a good hot cup of broth when you don't feel well (especially for nausea I deal with weekly) or when it is cold.

Now, the thing is, because only some of the printing on the bag is in English I had to screenshot the non-English parts.

I saw several brands of "mushroom seasoning" when I was looking. When I searched specifically for "shitake", the prices went up. I almost didn't get this one but I am glad I did. The translation shows that this is made of shitake powder and extract. So... yeah.

Peace

--Free

**NOTE - Look up the problematic origins of the concerns of MSG. #DoYourOwnResearch and #talkaboutfakenews.

Buyer's Remorse & Buyer's Joy

**I've been having a rough couple of days here and I have some appointments coming up. It might be a minute before I can post anything else. This is one of those posts I put together quickly just for days like this.**

I thought I would share some of the photos I send back and forth with a long-time G= pal. We keep in touch and are both just too silly. We both like to do our own Siskel & Ebert routine when we discover new stuff. Yeah, we are silly. And we really miss Google Plus. We've been doing this off and on for about a year and it's our quirky little way to kind of stay in touch. I will only share my photos because my buddy doesn't want theirs posted. I almost hate posting my own because we both use crappy webcams that don't produce the most flattering photos...

Chicory for my coffee when 
I'm out of Cafe Du Monde

This is better (and cheaper) than the G.M. pods

I wanted to try this SO badly and...
YUCK!

Not only was WTRMLN WTR hard to track down in my area (Target had it) but it was overpriced and badly flavored. If you are going to do watermelon water - and it is almost pure melon with a touch of lime, I think - then use tasty melons. When I eat an actual melon, there is nothing worse than getting one of the weak, watery, almost tasteless ones. There is a reason people study the choosing of a good melon. If this had been an actual melon, I would have returned it. I ended up dumping this out and using the bottle for a while as an apple juice container.

This was both pricey & subpar.
Big-time buyer's remorse...

If there is one purchase I regret more than WTRMLN WTR is this Blue Monkey sparkling juice. I don't care about the stereotype. I LOVE watermelon-flavored beverages. Aldi's has the absolute best one around but it doesn't ever stay around very long. As soon as it's available, it's sold out. It's under 4 bucks for 4 almost 9-ounce cans. And it's yummy-licious.  Which is why I wanted so badly to try the Blue Monkey juice. What a mistake that was. 

Now, this is a tasty sparkling beverage right here...

Accept no substitutes, people.
This is the Neo of beverages.

I think I have already reviewed or talked about the chocolate tea craze I'm on. JusTea makes my favorite. When I told my buddy about it, they ordered some in the cheaper, compostable package, then they order more in a tin. They are now more hooked on it than I am.

Sadly, I could not recommend this one from JusTea. It's a total Nope. For my taste, it's far too weak and I can't find any flavor notes. My friend is a real tea freak so they might try this small, cheaper bag. I think their palate is more sophisticated. Hah.

And we don't just talk about food or beverages. Mostly but not all the time. This is the latest thing I am sending. It's kind of overly floral and feminine for a guy, but the brand has them in other designs.

This is the cutest and most useful pocket-sized planner ever. And it's just around 5 bucks. I have to keep something like this around for doctor appointments and the notes I take there. I got this one because I splashed coffee on my old one that I got as a freebie from the pharmacy. It was very, very basic and pages were already falling out of it. This one has so many features that I still can't believe the cheap price. (**The seller of this product infuriated me. They offer a "free" pen but ONLY for a 5-star review. I didn't leave a review. I hate coercion.**)

Anyway. There you have it. Maybe I will start sharing these "shares" more often. I usually don't like showing photos of myself but, with age, I care so much less about stuff like that.

By the way, if anyone can recommend a juice as good as Aldi's, do run tell dat! LOL

Peace

--Free

Tofu Is NOT Just for Vegans (Part 2)

(Took me a minute to get back to this. It's been about 3 weeks since I started thinking of doing these tofu posts. I've had to go in and re-write and clean up some of this. Hope it's not too disjointed. My blog posting is always way out of step with my life. But here ya go.) 

Let me say this right now. I am not making fun of people who choose to go meat-free - for whatever reason.

But.

Not the first time it's been said, I'm sure

I'm not a vegetarian but I love fruits, vegetables, and some "plant-based" foods. I just don't like to exclude foods from my diet unless I just don't like them.

This is so true. 
Meat eaters can be mean too.

To my V brothers and sisters: You don't OWN healthy eating. Let's just all get along because you know what is NOT healthy: animosity.

Anyway. Moving on. 

Nope. I'm not finished with my rant yet.

Here's the thing: I am so tired of my vegetarian and vegan ( I hope they don't mind that I call them "vege-vegans") friends and acquaintances who either try to make me feel bad for eating meat or tend to get passive-aggressively proud of their choices. There are vege-vegans in my family. We don't have problems. When we share meals, there are options for all of us. My vegetarian niece has been amazing. She's giving me tips and pointers and offering to pay for specialties. I've got it though because tofu I can afford!

How can any vege-vegan go around claiming a product as exclusively theirs? God didn't give soybean products to only some of us. If you make a piece of bark taste as good as some beef jerky, I will break your fingers taking some!

You can't win with some folks

When I first began looking into using eating more vegetables and using tofu in place of pork, I did so for health reasons. Period. I mean, I love most animals but I don't worship them.

And, here's the real reason for my diet changes: I'm getting old. I can't lose weight like I used to be able to. And, okay, I also can't afford the meat products I used to buy. I live in the freaking food belt of America and have to make serious life choices before purchasing a pack of bacon. Ridiculous. Also, depending on the fruit or vegetable, the same budget issues come into play.

I started out mainly wanting to look at just experimenting with some alternatives. I knew I needed to cut back on the pork and cow but wanted to keep up on my protein. The first thing I did was to look for recipes and information. When looking for recipes, most times what I found was too much information about why someone can't stand eating meat. Or why they think that eating meat is cruel or terrible or selfish, etc. It was almost enough to make me go back to beef and find some new ways to cook chicken. 

I love to season and grill veggies to eat as a topping for
tofu, shrimp, or rice - or to smother a beef patty with!

Just trying to check out some meatless dishes was frustrating. I was almost craving a pork chop after scrolling through 10 minutes of one person's conversion-to-veganism story while just trying to get to their 4-line recipe. (It wasn't even that great.) I was thinking that I should be so diligent at spreading the Gospel of the Lord!

Anyway.

In spite of the common annoyances, I have compiled quite a few cooking videos and saved some decent-looking recipes that focus on meatless dishes I want to try. But again, I'm doing this for me - not the animals or the peer pressure.

All kidding aside. I respect people for doing what they think is healthiest for their life. If eating meat turns you off, that's fine. Just don't try to make the rest of us feel like it is a heaven or hell issue. Rant over.

Now. This is how I am doing.

To be totally honest, this whole being healthy kick is about to kill me! I am eating better and trying to exercise more. Sometimes that gets me into trouble. 

Here is a true story: The other week when I was being diligent about getting some exercise and was on one of my walks, my brain went on strike. Somehow, I totally lost my bearings and had a full-on anxiety attack trying to remember where I was and how to get back home. I spent maybe a whole 3 minutes fighting back tears and embarrassment before I remembered that I track my walks with a GPS app on my phone. I spent another minute trying to orient myself before I realized I was less than 3 blocks down the street from my building. On the positive side: I probably lost a full pound during my little freak-out. Now I make sure to look carefully around every now and then and take stock of where I am in relation to my home. Thankfully, the diet is going better than the exercise...

***UPDATE*** 

Don't get that tofu press I used. That thing broke about 2 days before the deadline to return it. The seller was adamant that their press doesn't break. Another customer (who had the same problem as I did) answered my question about fixing it. The seller wanted me to go through all kinds of hassle to return it. Amazon simply refunded my money. So do with that info what you will. Personally, I will be replacing this one with another one if I can't fix it.

Prior to my recent birthday, I asked for and got a tofu press. (I also got a non-stick skillet, some earbuds, and one of those weighted blankets that I will talk about in another post. Talk about a wonderful concept!!!) But back to the food thing...

As I mentioned in the previous post, tofu is fairly cheap. I don't know what it costs in different areas around the nation but I can get a 14-ounce pack of firm or extra firm for just under 2 dollars. Maybe that's due to the whole living surrounded by endless fields of soybeans?  and I can make 3 and possibly 4 meals from each pack. That's money, as the kids say. Literally. 

This is the tofu brand I get from Aldi's:

low cal, low sodium & potassium with decent iron content

The Noya tofu press I got made the top of someone's list of presses.

FYI: This press stopped working
after under a month...
no es bueno.

In addition to tofu, the other food I have finally found locally - just down the street in a tiny health food shop - and gave a try is canned and fresh jackfruit. I'm almost certain that coming from a Main Street shop in a tourist town, I won't able to afford it. As a backup, I located a couple of brands of the canned-in-water variety online that won't suffocate the life out of my grocery budget as long as I don't get carried away. That would put the budget on life support. Why the heck is it so expensive to eat healthily? If beef and pork were just a bit less expensive, I wouldn't bother... But I did bother and I will not be using jackfruit on a regular basis.

The little "eyes" put me off some

All prepped it looks a LOT 
like shredded meat

My finished sammich looks EXACTLY like a bbq meat 

Jackfruit makes a great substitute for the pork, chicken (or beef) in a bbq meat sandwich. However, it takes 10 years, 6 months, and forever to prep it. I had to drain it soak it, rinse it, boil it, cool it down, marinate it, and rest it - all that before I even go to the cooking it part.

Seasoned and cooked up in a pan with some sauces, jackfruit was pretty amazing. Again though, too much work for too little reward. Also, as good as it was, I couldn't deal with those gelatinous little pods of what looks like tiny eyes. Ugh! That grossed me out. If I hadn't had to spend all that time soaking, boiling, and resting it after cleaning out those nasty little things, I never would've bothered eating it. Still, like I said, too much work. I got enough usable fruit for maybe 4 sandwiches. I don't know. After I ate the first 2, I threw out the rest because I made the mistake of thinking about those little pod things again... I will just stick with the tofu, thank you very much.

As far as tofu goes, I have found that I don't have to look for a bunch of recipes. I can improvise. The stuff only tastes like whatever you want it to. I call it the chameleon of the dining table. I just add seasonings or sauce and I can pretty much to-faux up any dish. Just wait until I get my hands on some of the silken stuff to make pudding and pies with!

Never fear though. I have not gone completely plant-food crazy. I indulge in the occasional beef burger. It's cheaper to just grab one when I'm out than to bother buying a pack of ground beef since I won't use it up. Mostly though, my current diet consists of anything I can find on sale that doesn't pack on the pounds so fast:

• Shrimp (I got a $13 2-pound pack of jumbo-sized shrimp last week. Just 3 shrimp (shrimps?) cooked with some mixed veggies, onion, garlic, and maybe a little bit of Teriyaki sauce makes a pretty filling meal, believe it or not. I can't believe I was able to have shrimp for 3 meals in a row one week. (Oh, Alaska, how I miss your seafood!)
• Mixed veggies - they go with anything. Tofu, potatoes, rice, or just plain sauteed with some oil and seasonings.
• Collard greens, cabbage, spinach. I love my collards and it gives me a chance to sneak in a piece of smoked neckbone. I can whip up some hot water cornbread and make a mash of it with cabbage or greens and be perfectly happy. I call it "Country Mash".
• Potatoes. A throwback from childhood is to pan-smother some salted-and-peppered thin or thick-sliced potatoes with onions, garlic, and sweet peppers for a cheap, one-dish meal. And I love potatoes even though I can't eat them often. The one thing I don't do like Mama is to fix hoecakes to go with the potatoes. (Hoecake is a throwback dish from slavery. It's a basic flour, water, and salt dough made into patties that would, way back in the day, be placed on a hoe and cooked over an open fire. Mama would fry ours in a cast iron pan lightly coated with oil. We would eat them savory for dinner, with potatoes and gravy, or sweet for breakfast with butter and syrup. It's one of the original "struggle" meals. Talk about mothers "making a dollar out of fifteen cents!)
• Rice is a lazy-day meal. I can fix a pot of rice and eat some of it with salt and pepper and turmeric, some with sweet vanilla soymilk and fresh nutmeg, or some with those mixed veggies. Rice settles my stomach when I am nauseous and soothes me when I need comfort.
• Beans. Pinto beans are my favorite but I also like black, navy, red, chickpeas, and lentils. I like to roast canned chickpeas with some olive oil and a little salt to eat as a snack. It can get a little powdery after several mouthfuls but it's tasty stuff.
• Peanut butter on a thick nutty piece of whole-grain bread. I buy or make bread that is filled with all kinds of grains and nuts. Peanut butter slathered onto a single slice is my favorite snack these days. Also, peanut butter tastes great on bananas. Or just by the spoonful. I recently got some cheap (maybe too cheap?) almond butter and it's not as yummy as peanut butter, in my opinion.
• Grapes and melons are really the only fruit I love to eat by themselves. But I have to catch them on sale or they can be way too pricey.

(I wish I could eat fresh hot cornbread with cold buttermilk the way my dad loved it. I have never had buttermilk except cooked into cakes and bread. I don't think I could take the texture by itself.)

That's pretty much my food intake these days. I don't get bored with what I eat because I like to play with spices. Even though I try hard to be mindful of my sodium intake, there are just some spices, sauces, and seasonings that are must-haves:

• Salt, pepper, and cayenne
• Old Bay
• Turmeric
• Famous Daves Rib Seasoning (and the Chicken Seasoning)
• Cavender's Greek Seasoning (both regular and salt-free)
• Lawry's Seasoning Salt
• Barbeque sauce (I love Carolina style and honey flavored)
• Teriyaki, Soy, Sweet & Sour Asian sauces
• Worcestershire (if you need Grammarly to spell it, you probably shouldn't eat it!)
• Onion, garlic, paprika powders
• Liquid Smoke

I cannot tell you how much I love Liquid Smoke... And a good barbeque sauce. 

And a couple of other things I keep in the fridge that I make for myself: a jar of garlic and onion-infused olive oil. and a jar of garlic-infused water. 

Someone told me a while back about how to keep my cilantro and green onions around longer. The onions are actually growing back so... talk about a money saver. The cilantro is not something I can use a lot of at one time so it's nice that it has been holding up well for a couple of weeks.

With these staples, I can be a very happy and well-fed woman. I don't really miss the pork or the beef. Because I have cut back on these things, I don't buy those lovely Mama Cozzi take-and-bake pizzas on the regular like I used to. I don't like cheese "what-is-the-point" pizzas and for some reason, one of my doctors told me to be careful of eating too much cheese. This is why I don't keep anything but goat cheese around. Goat cheese and honey is amazing and goat cheese also goes really well with grapes and other fruits.

Oh! I almost forgot to talk about beverages. I am still trying to do the 64 ounces of water every day. Coffee is still my best friend but I find myself doing more tea now. I can drink tea sans cream better than I can the coffee. Also, I have a bunch of those flavored teas now: fruits, peppermint, lavender, and mint. I drink quite a bit of chocolate tea and cascara tea is good cold. I don't get as much from sparkling water as I used to. They make me crave something sweeter. 

Anyway. There you have it. I have gone vege-healthy while not going vege-vegan. I feel better most days. I'm not running marathons and I don't feel magically healed but I am less bloated. I do think that I sleep better. Or maybe that's because I'm exhausted from all lack of sugar and caffeine! 

Seriously though. I have nothing but respect for vegetarians who are trying to be healthy. Just please, no lectures about why everyone else in the world needs to follow your lead. 

Peace

--Free

P.S.:

I am serious about trying to do desserts with silken tofu. If and when I do, I will let you know how it went.

Tofu Is NOT Just for Vegans (Part 1)

 Let me start by saying this: I can eat the moo out of some cow and, until a few years ago, believed in the rooter-to-the-tooter method of pork consumption. The reasons I've started eating tofu are:

1.  I got tired of finding ways to cut back on calories,
2. Chicken can be pricey, ground beef gets boring, and pork is just not nice to my body, and
3. I actually like the taste of tofu.
4. And I believe it can actually be a good thing.

Years ago, I tried tofu for the first time. It was slices of well-seasoned, braised tofu that tasted like pork. My best friend's sister brought it home from an Asian take-out for me to try. Talk about delicious. After that, I bought some tofu as a lark. I scrambled it up and my auntie and I ate it with - get this - bacon! Yes, we did. It was our idea of a fun breakfast. And, it wasn't bad. A little spongey but not bad. My aunt who was a true old-fashioned chitlin'-eating, steak-loving, Texan liked that tofu dish so much that she began fixing it on the odd occasion. She liked the way it tasted - soggy-spongey texture and all.

But for me, I was over it.

More recently, but still a long while back, my vegetarian niece turned me on to jackfruit. She had some strips of it done up as barbeque and it was also a delicious thing to try. However, jackfruit was not cheap in Alaska nor is it easy to find where I now live.

found at NoraCooks.Com

At the time that I am writing this, it is my 60th birthday. I feel blessed to be here but I want to make this sarcoidosis mad and live a little longer than it wants me to. I am walking when I can and trying to lose some weight and eat better. That's where the tofu comes in.

I have made tofu burgers and that went much better than I expected. I accidentally did some things right and the tofu patties were nicely seasoned and crispy. When I threw some ketchup, mayo, tomatoes, and onions on the bread, I really didn't taste bland tofu. It was very burger-like.

My method for prepping the tofu - and, trust me, prepping the tofu is the key to it all - was to casually toss the packages of extra firm tofu into the freezer. Not because I knew what I was doing but because I wasn't ready to do anything with it yet. 

That tofu was in the freezer for a few weeks before I got around to using it. I wanted a burger but was out of ground beef. I didn't want to spend money outside of my regularly budgeted grocery plan. But I really, really wanted a burger.

I put the frozen tofu in the fridge to thaw whole I looked up "how to cook tofu". I learned from one site that the best way to prep extra firm tofu is to freeze it once or twice, then thaw and drain it really well.

I didn't want to re-freeze the tofu because I was impatient. So, moving right along. Where freezing tofu was simple, draining it takes time and the patience of Job. 

This is where I learned about something called a "tofu press". 

Oh boy.

I don't have a tofu press and, based on quickie research, I will need to take out a loan for that at a later time. In the meantime, I got a general idea and came up with my own method. I took the container that the tofu came in, cut slits in the hard plastic, and turned it upside down in one of my large faux Tupperware containers that has a lid. I put the tofu on top of the slits, sat the Tupperware lid on top of the tofu, and rested some cans of soup on top of that.

Slowly the water was draining from the block of tofu. I can't believe how much liquid came out of that thing. Finally, when I thought the tofu was drained, I wrapped it in paper towels and did the whole cans-on-top thing again. And again. And one more 'gin, as Katt Williams says. 

The tofu shrunk down to almost half the original thickness. Crazy. And it felt different - very rough and still kind of spongy.

I was able to slice the tofu into patties. Then I marinated those in a mix of low sodium soy, Worcestershire sauce, garlic water, and turmeric.

Then I realized I couldn't find the Panko breadcrumbs I swore I had. I ended up using some Hooter's Wild Wings breading powder that I really don't remember buying but that was in my freezer for safekeeping.

Okay.

I mixed up an egg and some heavy cream to dip the tofu in before coating the slices in the breading powder. That's when I realized that one of the slices still had quite a bit of liquid in it. Oh well.

Using a little oil as possible, I fried the tofu to a deep brown, drained them really well on paper towels over some newspaper. 

Not pretty but pretty tasty

And, ta-da! I had the tastiest non-meat burger ever. I ate two before I realized that I was racking up bread calories. I ate a third tofu patty, no bread, condiments, or veggies needed. The tofu tasted only like what I had used for the marinade.

I have 2 patties left in the fridge and I guess I can heat and eat those another day.

Now that I know how tasty tofu can be, I have collected some video recipes for "tofu chicken pieces", "tofu cheesecake", and "tofu barbeque". Yum.

Here's the best thing: tofu only costs around $1.50 to $2.00 a pack. I can make a lot of cubed barbecue tofu from a single pack. And another good thing is that the extra firm tofu I tried is only 320 calories for the entire package. I made 5 patties so that was 64 calories each. See? The bread really was the calorie culprit! But I didn't have regular buns so I used the better-for-me Health Nut sliced bread. Win-win.

The only thing I don't like about tofu is when I look up recipes and have to get all the commentary about why people are vegetarians. It's as if people sharing these recipes think you have to belong to PETA to like tofu. And I really hate when they vegan-ize an entire recipe. I am ignoring all the dates and carob in the cheesecake recipe I saw. All I need to know is how to make the tofu into a batter. It should do very nicely with the good old graham cracker crust and whipped cream topping I will use!

So, to sum up the changes I've made to my life in the past couple of months:

• Trying to get out and walk in the fresh and mostly-COVID-free air
• Drinking more chocolate and tea in place of coffee with all it's fattening enhancements, and
• Working hard to replace red meat and pork in my diet.

I joked to my best friend that I am going to get a t-shirt for walking that says "Walking it off" because I have been cooking my butt off. The saying should be "cooking your butt ON" because it sure adds pounds.

Who knows if all this will help make me feel better but at least I am putting up a fight.

Next time, I'll address "tofu-vangelism" and vegan vigilantes.

Peace

--Free

A Little Scare & Lifestyle Changes

 Every time I have one of my regular infusions, I have to have a blood draw to test levels of ... whatever in my body. Most times, everything is fine and I sail right from the lab test and into an infusion chair. Every now and then, one of the levels of... whatever is high or low or something, and the nurses will check with my doctor. The doctor will give the go-ahead for my having the infusion. Usually.

The last time I went in for my scheduled infusion, the nurses called the doctor and he did not give the go-ahead. 

What???

Less than 8
bucks for this

The nurse scheduled me for another lab test and an appointment with my doctor for that very next week. I don't do so well when my infusions are not done within every 7 to 8 weeks.

I was a little puzzled but I didn't get too shook up until the nurse mentioned that the problem was with my kidney function.

Oh, please, Lord, not the kidneys.

I went home and stressed myself to prayer, tears, and insomnia. I worried about my weight (I've put on a few pounds lately), and I worried about not drinking quite enough water. I worried about everything. 

I was in a higher than usual state of stress and anxiety all the way up to my appointment with the doctor. I went and had the labs done, then had to wait another hour until time for the appointment with my doctor.

$7.99
on Amazon

When the doctor came in and saw how tense I was, I think he was confused but he's probably used to me being weird. He immediately let me know that my labs looked good and that he would have my infusion re-scheduled quickly. He said that there had been a problem showing up with my liver on the day the nurse had called him from infusion, but it was fine now. He said that I had probably had some kind of viral infection that had cleared itself up in the meantime.

Well. Okay.

Not my kidneys, then. Oh, thank you, Jesus. what a relief. Whew!

Tasty but
so tangy

healthy
but, ugh!

But... my liver? What the heck? That explains why the nurse had casually asked about whether or not I was a drinker. If only she knew the sorrow of having lost an uncle and two exes to alcoholism. I might be many things but a drinker is not one of them...

I was relieved and kind of mad, then just relieved again. But I realize a need to step things up with my health. And, for once, I didn't just think about doing better, I've actually gotten into the game. I am about to turn 60 so if not now, when?

I now have one of those water bottles with the time markings on it. I empty that at minimum twice a day and sometimes more. I started getting out on the days I can and taking short walks - twice a day most days. I have cut back on creamy-sugared coffee I love and am drinking more tea - and not just tea but the healthiest I can find. 

I can always smell leaves
burning when I get to this block 
of homes

 Do I feel better? I don't know. I still struggle with fatigue. Contrary to what I've been told, walking is not helping to alleviate that. I do think that walking helps with my balance. I mean, I don't go walking on days when I feel off-balance, but my good days are better than ever. I've only tripped on the carpet a few times this week and I have not walked into door frames turning the corners. 

This is the shady
stretch & my favorite
part

One of the reasons that walking is such a challenge for me, even when my balance is good, is that I get anxious. I don't like walking through a lot of people or where there is a lot of noise or activity. I don't know why this makes me feel like laying on the ground and curling into a fetal position. It is what it is. Thankfully, I live in such a beautiful little town that there is plenty of space to walk without going near the crowded beach or park.

If I make it to this point,
I'm probably going to finish

I have gotten used to following a couple of different routes that let me get in a good 15- to 20-minute walk. I try to go before it's hot out or when the day has cooled off. Since I am such an insomniac, this works well.

Let's hope this is true!

There are days when I think I am addicted to the morning walk, then there are days when I have to fight my anxiety and depression to get out the door of my apartment.

Hopefully, I can keep this up. Hopefully, it will help with the weight and the moods. I did not walk yesterday. My fatigue kicked in big time. I couldn't sit up without feeling like my body was made of lead. Maybe one day, someone will come up with some cure for fatigue.

I think that maybe we sometimes need a good scare to motivate us. I wish I had had some kind of warning before I got this silly sarcoidosis. For now, though, I want to baby my kidneys. And getting my weight down is a good way to do that. Keep prayers going up for me, people.

Peace

--Free

Tiesta Tea Made Me Giddy (UPDATE 9/24/23)

UPDATE: When I first tried this a couple of years ago (and loved it, as you can see from the original post), I only bought it a couple more times. The Amazon price is ridiculous. Recently, when I started drinking less coffee and more tea, I found the Tiesta Maui Mango at Walmart for a much better price. I like this tea so much that I drink at least one cup each day. I subscribed to the Walmart purchase but I still have to limit myself from finishing off a can of it before the new delivery! My favorite way to drink it is with the Arashan Raw Mountain honey The honey is not so sweet that the takes away from the flavor of the tea. By the way, I did also try a small bag of the Tiesta Citrus Sunburst, and... yuk, it sucks! It's a good thing I only got the small bag because I ended up putting it on our giveaway table, hoping the worst person in the building would grab it. (I pay just a couple dollars less for a 5.5oz jar of the Maui from Walmart than what Amazon charges for the 2.1oz bag of it!)

***************

Ever in pursuit of healthy alternatives to calorie-laden beverages, I ordered some Tiesta Tea the other day. 

By the way, I am in panic mode about my kidneys. My last labs were so bad that I wasn't allowed to have my infusion until after I see my doctor. My stress level is at its highest right now. So, prayers are welcome.)

Anyway.

Before the bad news about my kidneys, I was already looking for something tasty to drink to replace the sugary coffee I love. Well, I like tea and I like fruit, so I splurged and got some Tiesta herbals.

I tried the Maui Mango first because the reviews were raving good.

The other one I have tried is the Chunky Watermelon.

I loved the Maui Mango so much that I got downright poetic in the review, which is all I can say about it here:

I got this smaller amount because I thought, "How good can this tea be for this price?!?!" But... the minute I opened the bag, the lovely smells wafted up and did my soul good. I was worried that it wouldn't taste as good as it smells and I was so wrong. This smells like kisses and a paid vacation and tastes like "I love you".

This is what you hope that a fruity tea will taste like. I think I am ruined for anything else so I will have to buy more. BTW, I am not a huge herbal tea lover. I got this because I did want a watermelon/strawberry tea & saw all the amazing reviews for this one. Now I cannot wait to try the Chunky Watermelon that is on the way.

I really like all the lovely little bits of joy in this. I've saved them and will be blending them into my smoothie later.

I haven't tried it cold yet but I think it will be delicious.

My best friend who LOVES all kinds of tea will be getting some of this as a surprise. She will be ecstatic.

One thing tho: somebody needs to tell this poetic idiot how to get the bag open properly. I ended up just shredding the top and re-sealing it all in a 2nd baggie! Seems like there's a cute method to it, but I couldn't figure it out.

I meant every word. I loved it so much that I hurried to order the Chunky Watermelon. It's good but... nothing like the Maui Mango.

Maui Mango bits & pieces

The Chunky Watermelon is very weak in its aroma. However, I can't complain about the taste because it is good and very true to watermelon. - but to real watermelon and not those artificially-flavored sweets so many of us are used to.  More of the fruity aroma comes out of the Chunky Watermelon tea when it's steeping. The Maui Mango aroma slaps you upside the head the minute you open the packet. In a good way.

Chunky Watermelon
more colorful than shown

I have to admit that I am going to try getting more of the Maui Mango so I can sip on it while I go on a fast from chewing foods. The Watermelon is one that I would buy again but only if they are out of the Maui Mango.

What I really like about this tea is that I don't have to sweeten it when drinking it hot. I do like to add a touch of natural honey to it but I don't have to.

There are samplers and various sizes for most budgets but it is not cheap tea because it is not cheap tea. It's worth every penny and I can't wait to try more.

Peace

--Free