A week from this morning, I will be typing in the dark. Yes, we (those parts of the country that DO) change the clocks next Saturday night/Sunday morning. I will love typing in the dark, in order to get an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day. I do worry about the kids outside waiting for school buses, but other than that…I am ALL about the time change. Can’t wait!
And, I am awfully grateful that typewriters do NOT work on gasoline! It just keeps going up and up and up. If you are not already giving a lot of thought to how much fuel gets wasted in running in and out for single errands, etc., I hope you will! Plot your errands out and use this precious, ridiculously costly gasoline, wisely! This past weekend, we talked with a friend about combining our exercise walks, with doing errands. We were NOT talking about it as it pertains to economy and ecology, but it sure could help. Bicycle riding, too! Just saying…
While I took a break from making soup (enough of the winter soups!) yesterday, after a morning trip to the farmer’s market…and a local trip to my scale for a morning weigh in, I decided on making a big, big pot of simple vegetable soup. No way I love it in the way I love the beans, lentils, and thicker soups, BUT when it comes to filling up on healthy, low calorie meals, a good vegetable soup can go a long way to shedding some pounds while fueling the body with lots of healthful nutrients. I only used a very small amount of vegetable broth, and instead used plain water. That alone cuts out tons of sodium. After sauteing a large diced onion and a large diced leek (just the white part) I added about 12 cups of water, 2 cups of broth and diced carrots, zucchini, celery, string beans and one potato cut into pretty small pieces. I threw in some fresh parsley and oregano and also a lot of cumin and paprika (at least a teaspoon of each, probably a little more). I will be eating that with most meals this week to help fill my belly while burning some belly fat! Bathing suit weather is just around the corner!
I also made a really interesting side salad last night. I boiled 3 ears of corn for about 4 minutes and then threw them immediately into ice water to stop cooking. I did the same with about 1 and 1/2 bunches of asparagus. Then I cut the corn off the cobs and cut the asparagus on a slant, into 1/2 inch pieces. I tossed them together with a small, chopped red onion and added a dressing of a few spoons of sugar, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. The recipe did NOT call for the olive oil, and it called for a lot of sugar, but I doctored it up. I cut some basil up and threw it in there, too. It was really good on the side of a garden salad. It probably would be just as good without the sugar but I thought we were having company for dinner so I didn’t want to vie to far from the recipe. It was colorful and yummy! This would make a great take along for a spring or summer picnic!!!
The next stoppnow rally will be at the Ft. Lauderdale, St. Patrick’s day parade. I have gotten a lot of questions and feedback…you can reach Joy, Renee, Janet and the rest of the “oxy moms” at stoppnow.com. You can contact them directly, sign up for their emails and read more about their stories and what they are doing to help stop 7 deaths from happening daily. Wake up, Governor Scott. Law enforcement agents, politicians, parents, etc., are pleading with you to put the data base into effect. Everyone else can’t be wrong. Please. My family has been effected…every family has been effected. If you haven’t yet, chances are, sadly, you will be! I have students who have been fighting this fight for a solid 10 years, already. Having lost children and loved ones to prescription medications, I can only try to imagine their pain and frustration. I am committed to continuing to spread the word. While our loved ones are fighting the demons of this addiction, it is awfully hard to find peace or fitness!
Take care of yourself, but please, let’s keep taking care of each other, too. Have a magical Monday.