Indulgent Aging - Page 2 of 10 - Robust, healthy and fun aging.

Veterans, Charity and Innovation

November 6, 2018

This is what I love about having a site that allows me to write about interesting things that I find. I was searching press releases for another site I have and I ran across this one from Panther Vision:

Panther Vision and Innovation

LED lighting innovator, Panther Vision, is providing its unique, versatile lighting solutions to assist in disaster relief efforts. Panther Vision believes in supporting both communities in need as well that those who’ve served; that’s why they’re partnering with Team Rubicon. As such, the company will donate a portion of Button Lamps purchases up to $10,000 to Team Rubicon over the next three months. (Note that this is for Button Lamp purchases only.)

“Everyone should be able to enjoy the safety of well-lit spaces… even after a disaster,” said Panther Vision Founder and Chief Inventor Michael Waters. “That’s why I made the Button Lamp, a LED light that could be used literally anywhere.”

Veterans and Team Rubicon

Members of the 103rd Civil Engineer Squadron and Team Rubicon work together to set up a tent, Sunday, July 15, 2018, during the PATRIOT North 18 Exercise, at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wis. The tent was used as a dining facility during the exercise. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Tamara R. Dabney)

Panther Vision supports Team Rubicon’s mission of restoring communities building by building, room by room. That belief is at the core of its creation, the Button Lamp. The Button Lamp is an adhesive LED lamp about the size of a quarter yet boasts a light output of 13 Lumens. It is a versatile, wireless lighting solution for both indoor and outdoor use, making it the perfect lighting tool to use during disaster relief efforts.

As of October, 2018, Panther Vision has donated over $17,000 worth of products to members of Team Rubicon. Panther Vision would like to build on this support by raising donations at a grassroots level.

If you would like to donate $1 of your Button Lamps purchase to Team Rubicon, visit www.PantherVision.com/button-lamp/ and use the TEAMRUBICON promo code at checkout.

About Panther Vision

Panther Vision is an Illinois based company that designs, manufactures and distributes advanced engineered LED lighting solutions. Our more than 25 patented designs offer consumers unparalleled performance and provide them uncommon solutions to common everyday problems. Panther Vision products are sold all over the world but can be found in the U.S. in selected Home Depots, Lowes, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Gander Outdoors stores.

About Team Rubicon

Director’s Cut – “Meet Team Rubicon” / The American Veteran from Mel Soria on Vimeo.

I went to Panther Vision’s website to see what they had going on and was impressed with their products. Then I decided to Google Team Rubicon since I didn’t know who they were. I was even more impressed. According to Wikipedia “Team Rubicon is an International non-government organization founded by U.S. Marines William McNulty and Jacob “Jake” Wood. Team Rubicon identifies itself as a veteran service organization that uses disaster response to help reintegrate veterans back into civilian life.” Now I was really interested.

There is so much negative news everywhere that it is nice to run across people who are doing things that are positive and innovative. We should celebrate these things all the time! Check out both companies and see if you are as impressed as I am.

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Life

Regrets…I Have A Few

October 30, 2018

I would like to be able to say that I look back at my life and have no regrets but that would not be a true statement. I doubt if it would be for most people. So what regrets do I have and do I still have time to rectify those?

Regrets Number One: Fakers

I wish I had spent less time loving people who were not capable of giving the same kind of love in return. It’s not that I think love should be selfish, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with having expectations of the people that you are in acknowledged relationships with. And sometimes people just don’t have the capacities that you think they should.

Photo by Bas de Korte on Unsplash

I remember someone telling me one time that the best thing he ever learned was at a seminar on relationships. The teacher said that there are three different types of people in life, the givers, the takers, and the fakers and the most dangerous ones were the fakers because they made you think they were givers. I have run into several fakers in my life (ironically one of them was the guy that told me this story) and I knew it, but kept thinking that they would grow out of it and into genuine givers or maybe I just wanted to delude myself. Anyway, just so you know, I have let them all loose from my life over the years and not one of them have changed their stripes into genuine givers. So let the fakers go!

Regrets Number Two: Enjoyable Work

Business Regrets rawpixel-574844-unsplash

I wish I had known and pursued what I wanted to do professionally much earlier in my life. Unfortunately, wisdom and courage do not always hit you at the same time. I spent much of my life very competently running other people’s businesses all the while wanting to be running my own. It took my 60th birthday to kickstart that process. Both of my parents died in their early 60’s and that birthday pushed me into panic mode when I realized that I might have very little time left to accomplish the things I had always wanted to do. Don’t wait to do what you love!

Regrets Number Three: Get Healthy Younger

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash

I know. No one wants to think about healthy eating and exercise when they are twenty! Maybe not at any age. But it gets harder as you age. Not to say it is impossible, but it is more painful!. If you train your body to be somewhat athletic when you are younger I would think it would be easier to continue the tradition as you age. What was optional when you are young becomes mandatory when you are older. So do it now! At whatever age you are, if you stop moving you die. The personal trainer that comes to our building twice a month has assured me that you can become fit at any age and I believe that to be true. Now I just need to do it!

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Humor Life

Headbanging, Imagine Dragons, and Pot, Now That’s Indulgent Aging!

October 23, 2018

Photo by Hector Bermudez on Unsplash

About 15 years ago I was at a gas station pumping gas and a very good-looking “older” man pulled up to the pump on the opposite side of me. He was gray-haired and driving a convertible Mercedes and I could hear his Rolling Stones music blaring all the way over on my side of the pump.

I remember my first thought was, “How cute! He likes rock and roll at his age!” (Okay, I was younger and dumber then!) My second thought was, “Duh! How old do you think Mick Jagger is!” (I learn quickly!)

Indulgent Misconceptions or…..

My point is that we can have such misconceptions of others based on their looks, clothes, and age. It’s sad really because it can keep us from connecting with other human beings who might actually light up our lives.

I must confess I have had the opposite experience as well. I once went on a date with a guy who at first glance did not look like my type. I would not want someone to judge me that way so I gave myself time to talk to him. He did not improve with exposure and there was no second date but at least I gave him a chance.

Indulgent Look — Photo by Nathan Fertig on Unsplash

The Indulgent Little Old Lady Look

But back to my title. I am now 62 years old. I think I look a little younger, but not much. I haven’t quite reached the white-haired old lady look and really, I’m not sure I ever will.

Holy jeans rock! I like my holy jeans. I wear whatever feels comfortable to me. I carry my “luggage” in a backpack and the coolest roll-up bag ever and I have a tendency to cuss like a foul-mouthed sailor.

Indulgent Living — Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash

Not Anyone’s Stereotype

This weekend I went out of town, and as I sat at a light waiting for the longest, slowest train I have ever experienced I was doing a gentle headbang to an Imagine Dragon song and happened to look to my right and saw an interesting medical marijuana place that I wanted to visit.

And I laughed. I am not anyone’s stereotype of an old lady. I doubt very much that I ever will be and I am so happy about that! So what do you do that breaks your stereotype?

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Travel

Traveling Light

October 16, 2018

Traveling Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

I’m not sure exactly when I became obsessed with the idea of traveling light but I think it had something to do with trying to sling a huge suitcase filled with Christmas presents and a laptop up into an Amtrak train. It was so heavy! So I decided to get with the program and find a way to travel more comfortably. The first thing I did was get rid of the suitcase. I bought a nice, rugged backpack which I use for two-day trips and added a Rollo Travel Bag for longer trips. http://a.co/d/dEZpWrn

Traveling With Tech

Photo by Grzegorz Walczak on Unsplash

Then I had to take a close look at all the tech crap that I carry with me.

I would like to tell you that I love my Mac Book Pro for traveling but I would be lying. Oh, I liked it well enough when I first bought it, although I had only worked on a Mac a few times before so there was a learning curve for me. I bought it refurbished because I generally have good luck with such things on eBay.

My first disillusionment came on a trip that I took to Ventura. You might have read about it here: https://indulgentaging.com/index.php/2018/09/19/a-small-taste-of-karma/ First of all, I paid more for this thing used than I did for brand new laptops of the “other” persuasion. To add to my disgruntlement on this occasion the charger disintegrated and to replace it would have cost me well over $75.00.

I hauled the damn thing home along with the new shiny Acer Chromebook I purchased (and happily used on my trip) and scoured Amazon until I found a relatively inexpensive charger. I was bound and determined to use this thing even though it weighs a lot more than my (now two) Chromebooks.

Tech Trial And Error

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Next trip, it goes in the car, gets hauled up the stairs to my room and promptly shuts down with an error message that means my hard drive is bad. Grrr! I don’t even know why I brought the extra Chromebook with me. Maybe I’m psychic and don’t know it? I mean who needs two computers on a road trip? Anyway, the Mac went back down the stairs and into the car to be filed in my mind as a task that I will take care of much later in my life, along with the malfunctioning iPhone that also needs repair.

I think you are catching my drift here and I am sorry to you Apple product users out there who are screaming at me that your stuff is the best. I have pretty much made up my mind at this point that I am sticking with my Dell Desktop (refurbished and cost me $169.00), my LG V20 phone, my Acer Chromebook 11 and yes, I admit it, my Apple iPad Mini, which I love.

It took me a while to get it right but I can now travel light with all of the above (minus the desktop PC) in my purse.

Enter The Purse

Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash

Ah, the purse. That holy grail of getting your travel stuff right. I have been a purse hoarder for years. I love to buy them, always looking for just the right size and usability for every occasion. (And no, the one in this photo is not what I am using!)

I used to go for the designer bags at Ross and Nordstrom Rack but I have now graduated to practical over frou-frou. What happened? I discovered that leather bags are heavy especially if you are looking for one to carry a lot of stuff. So now I mostly stick to lightweight canvas or nylon ones with lots of pockets.

This one is great. It has plenty of pockets. I can fit my iPad mini, my phone and my Chromebook in it along with other assorted stuff. http://a.co/d/8vaOgI7

However, I can’t deny that I still want to have one that looks like this photo. A magic one like a Mary Poppins bag would be a dream come true! Maybe for Christmas???

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Life Practicalities of Living

So You Won The Lotto. Now What?

October 9, 2018

Yesterday I was driving home from one of my chillax trips to Ventura and letting my thoughts tumble all over the place in my head. I started thinking about what I would do if I won the Lotto, which would be a total miracle since I don’t even but the tickets. I realized that I didn’t have even the haziest idea of what I would do if money were no object. That worried me because it seemed to me that showed a lamentable lack of imagination! How could I focus on getting what I want if I don’t know what that is?

Can you see why I don’t spend a lot of time driving? A loosed brain is a scary brain! Just kidding. I actually love my driving time between here and Ventura because I do think of wild things that I don’t have time to think of while I am working.

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The Wonders of Creative Lotto Thinking

Back to the topic. Do you know what you would do if you won the lotto? Besides buy a bunch of toys? When you think about winning does it make you happy? I know these sound like silly questions especially when you don’t buy a lotto ticket but to me, they went to the heart of what I want to do with my life in the next 25 years. If I can’t see the target clearly how do I get what I want?

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

I really believe that clearly defining what you want can enable you to plan how to get there, whether you win the lotto or not. This is a technique that I have used in my own life many times. It helps me focus, plan and then nimbly side-step all of the above if something else terrific opens up along the way.

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What Do You Dream Of?

The good news for me on my drive home was that what I am doing on the work front still made sense and made me happy even with the lotto win. The bad news is the personal stuff was a lot murkier. First instinct, buy a house. But where and do I want to live alone or drag my roommate along with me? Do I move closer to my family? But they are in flux as well. Where DO I want to live? What does that look like? Big house, small house? Beach, forest or city? Maybe a Hobbit House would be the perfect place. Ha! I just realized that I need more than one place to live and I can do that since I WON the lotto 🙂

Photo by Miss Zhang on Unsplash

Who Do You Dream Of?

Who will be with you on your Lotto journey through life? Do you have friends around you? Family? A travel companion? A lover, husband, significant other? And if you have a limited number of the above what do you do to expand that?

Photo by Icons8 team on Unsplash

What Does Your Life Taste Like?

What do you do every day in your new life? Do you travel? Remember you are free to do whatever you want now. What is that? What is the flavor to your days? Do you work? Do you lay on the beach and get burned, oops I mean tanned?

Photo by Bruno Wolff on Unsplash

Completely Crazed (Thanks Lotto!)

Have I made you completely crazy yet? Welcome to my brain on drive! But there is a method to my madness. I really believe that life can open up wonderful adventures for us if we take the time to look for them. If we find some idea that is wild and wacky that makes us smile and sigh, we can have those things, even without winning the lotto. Dream, taste, feel the things you want and then look for them by putting one foot in front of the other!

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Health Life Practicalities of Living

Are You Age Caged?

October 2, 2018

Bird in a cage. Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

Sometimes we put birds and animals in cages for their own safety. Have you been doing the same thing to yourself?

Life & Death

I was talking to a neighbor of mine the other day. She is a fun-loving lady in her 70’s who has had three boyfriends since I moved here. She loved to go out with them and dance and socialize.

She also loves to drive and would get in the car with them and drive them all over the place, to Northern California, Idaho, Palm Springs, whatever place took their fancy.

She had a great time with each of them, the only problem is that they were all in their late 80s and 90s and they all died on her.

After the last gentleman passed away, I noticed that she was kind of depressed and not going out as she used to, so I asked her when she was going to find another boyfriend.

She was emphatic when she said, “Never!” Now, I’m not stupid and I understand that she liked these men and was sad when they died, but I told her the problem is that she is caging herself in to save herself from suffering and in the meantime, she is still not a happy camper. I have watched while she not only suffers but her health has declined as well.

Photo by Jose Fontano on Unsplash

Engagement or Safety

My question is, don’t you think it’s better to keep engaging and having fun where you can instead of dying slowly and carefully alone and “safe” in your apartment?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a horrible example of someone who is emotionally connected. I enjoy my own company a lot and I work like a demon for not much money. So I am not a social butterfly or even a social caterpillar.

All excuses I know, since living life to the fullest requires effort and extension. And I am tired and without patience.

However, I am also older and I feel the cage closing in on me. Things I used to be fearless about now cause me anxiety and I know if I don’t challenge those things it will only get worse.

Photo by James & Carol Lee on Unsplash

Challenging the Cage

How do we go about challenging the cage? I think it is different for everyone. But you can start by picking one thing that you are afraid of and then DO IT! Or do something that is a baby step up to doing it. If you can’t set up an online dating profile maybe you can start by looking a man or woman in the eye and saying, “Hello!”

If you can’t drive on the freeway in rush hour traffic, go somewhere where the freeways are less crowded and try it there.

Or if you really want to go balls to the walls do what this lady did: http://a.co/d/8aCT94c Jane Stern wrote this book, Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT to share how becoming a volunteer EMT saved her from being “virtually immobilized by fear and anxiety.” I have not read the book yet since I just purchased it yesterday and from the book blurb I think this option is not for everyone, but I expect to learn some good things from the reading it!

Photo by Wynand van Poortvliet on Unsplash

The Bottom Line

This is probably what I should have named my blog! But the bottom line is that there really is a large, exciting world out there and all of us, myself included, need to make the effort to join in, to be part of something that makes us smile, touches our heart or just gets our pulses racing. Use it or lose it, folks!

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Life Practicalities of Living

New Motherhood at Any Age

September 26, 2018

I bet you didn’t think you were going to find an article about new motherhood on an indulgent aging site, but how could I not write about this after reading about Brigette Nielsen becoming a mom at 54 after ten years of trying? https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/baby-54-brigitte-nielsen-shes-happier-life/story?id=57713068

Brigette Nielson and Mattia Dessi

First of all, she looks fabulous and her husband is fifteen years younger than her. She’s my hero! Secondly, where did she get the patience for motherhood at 54? Now granted, she has money (and that younger husband) which means she can afford help if he is not so inclined. She is obviously in great shape but I still think it takes a special kind of person to want to have a baby at this age.

Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

Desire and Relevance

Does that mean that you shouldn’t do it if you don’t have the advantages that she has? I don’t know. I do know that desire doesn’t end at 50 or 80, desire for many things including sex, love, family and being relevant.

I was talking to one of my tenants the other day. He is a good-looking, charming man who has obviously had a good time in his life. His conversation with me though was about how he felt like he had missed the boat. His voice was filled with wistfulness and humor and he said that he watched others in the building visiting with their children and grandchildren and he wondered why he had never had any of his own.

Photo by Fernando Pelaez Cubas on Unsplash

I told him that there were still women out there who would be interested in providing him with children and he said, “Good God, no!” but the wistfulness was still there.

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

Lawful Parenting Age

There is no law that I know of that limits the age of when you can start (or re-start) a family. As a matter of fact, even if you are too old or physically incapable of carrying a baby you can participate in parenting through adoption and foster parenting. https://www.adoptuskids.org/adoption-and-foster-care/overview/who-can-adopt-foster

When I started doing some research for this article, I found this fascinating. You can foster a child in most places as long as you are at least 21 years of age. Some states allow it as young as 18. But there is no upper age range. One article I read said that people in their 80’s sometimes make the best foster parents, nor do you have to be part of a couple to foster kids. You can even foster kids from the US while living in other countries. Wow! Who knew?

You also do not need to be wealthy or a stay-at-home Mom/Dad. There are options for help with childcare costs if you need to work. There is a particular need for foster parents for special needs children.

Photo by Ian Schneider on UnsplashPhoto

Passion and Needs

Being older does not mean being less passionate or less relevant. If you have a passion for family, if you have a passion to help others, don’t be afraid to explore your options. You may find that there is a new life just waiting for you to discover it!

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Humor Life

A Small Taste of Karma

September 19, 2018

This weekend I am writing this story while hiding out in Oxnard. Why you ask? Have you ever gone deer-in-the-headlight when someone invites you to something you wouldn’t go to if they tortured you? And then lied your ass off about the plans that you have for the weekend? Yep, that’s what I did.

Deer in The Headlights — Photo by Haley Phelps on Unsplash

I have an unusual situation in my life since as an onsite manager of my building, every time I walk out the door I have the potential to run right into the person who invited me. So here I am at the Best Western Oxnard Inn. https://www.bestwestern.com

Irony or Karma?

Irony: “A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result.”https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/irony

I’ve been coming to Oxnard/Ventura for years as my getaway from the stress of life, so even though this weekend was short on planning and budget, I was looking forward to time away to read and write in peace.

To be fair, the room is nice. It’s clean, has everything that I need, the staff has been friendly and efficient and I knew in advance that I would not have a view. But the area around the hotel is not the best.

First irony? I watched them build this hotel years ago and I remember thinking every time I drove by it, “I would never stay there.” Unfortunately, I didn’t place the name or the location with the hotel of my not-dreams when I booked it.

Upside Down Karma — Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

Upsides and Downside

After I unloaded my stuff into my room, I broke out my Mac Book Pro and started to plug it in, until the charging cable fell apart in my hand and shot sparks out of the outlet.

Well all righty then, I can roll with this. I’ll just go to Office Depot and buy a new one since I can’t Amazon Prime it like I would at home. https://indulgentaging.com/index.php/2018/01/04/limping-along-amazon-queen/

Apple, Apple, Apple! I have a total love-hate relationship with you! $95 for a new charger! WTH? The lowest price I could find was $78 at Target.

Downside: I am tired and disgruntled, it’s almost 9 pm and I haven’t had my dinner. Sigh, I get in my car and head across town to Target. I was going to stop for dinner first but figured I would never get to Target if I did.

Upside: the moon was AMAZING! I so wanted to get a picture but really photography is not something I am that great at.

Downside: I am not paying that much for the stupid charger. I am too pissed to do so.

Upside: Target has the cutest little Acer Chromebook on sale. Yep, I bought it! My sister is laughing right now if she is reading this. And yes, Sis I will give you my older small Acer. You will love it!

So What’s The Point?

Is your foot tapping waiting for me to get there? The point is that I think Karma can be a state of mind. It seemed in some ways like everything I expected was being turned on its head. My first thought was it is Karma for blowing off that horrible invite.

I didn’t do it to be mean. Like my friend said, “Life is too short to do things that you hate.” And everything that happened after that had upsides and downsides. I had fun buying my new computer. I had pizza for dinner while I people watched at Target. Every person that I interacted with made me giggle inside because they were funny or interesting for one reason or another. And the desk chair in my room was the bomb! (I actually just ordered one like it for my home office!)

After running the gauntlet of last night, I have a new story, a new laptop and still have time to relax and see new things. Karma depends on your perspective and the view seems to be better if you take the high road.

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Beauty

The Old Feet From Hell

September 11, 2018

I like to pamper my feet. After all, they work very hard to get me from place to place. Do you ever look at your toes, especially in the summer and think, “OMG! What the hell happened to my feet?” If so, I hope this helps.

Soaking your feet. — Photo by Rune Enstad on Unsplash

Soaking Those Feet

I am so strange. I spent a long time shopping for different foot spas and once I saw that none of them really had great reviews I switched to searching for just a plastic pan that would fit my feet.

I thought I could put it in the bathtub and soak my feet there. Then it occurred to me, DuH! I could just put water in the tub and soak them. Which then saved me money so I could buy sweet smelling oils to put in with the Epson Salts.

Ah ha! While looking up the Epson Salts and other goodies I ran across this foot bucket, in case you don’t want to fill the tub and would like to sit in a comfy chair while you soak those toes. http://a.co/d/h3OE9Q4

Sandy feet. — Photo by Juja Han on Unsplash

Scrub & Exfoliate

It would be nice to be able to exfoliate with beach sand but sometimes finding the time to sit on one is difficult. If your options are limited you might want to try a foot scrub or pumice stone. I actually prefer the foot scrubs.

I like St. Ives products because they are inexpensive and they work. I read an article that said for that crusty buildup you sometimes get around your ankles that it is best to use something with citrus so I got the Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub http://a.co/d/hKvyxK0 for that and then the Apricot Scrub for the bottoms of my feet. It says for acne control but I don’t care because once again, it works! http://a.co/d/4llov0R

Moisturize

Now you have the pleasure of giving yourself a nice foot rub with your favorite moisturizer to put that soft touch back to your feet. Doesn’t it feel great? My all-time favorite is this Nivea body lotion. I use it all the time and it is great for not just feet but all over. http://a.co/d/f5Cq03p

Of course, it is not as nice as having a professional pedicure but I only budget for two a month and I need to have my feet rubbed every day! Even if I have to do it myself.

Now, Take Your Feet to the Beach

They are all ready to show off and what nicer place to go than the beach!

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Cooking Humor

Not a Food Blog

September 4, 2018

I can guarantee that I will not be writing a food blog. Why is that you say when they are so popular? Because I rarely use a recipe and never cook exactly the same thing twice.

Am I a bad cook? Do I hate cooking? No to both of those questions.

Rebel Cooking

I love to eat and I love to cook. But as with most other things, I have to do it my way. Rebel cooking if you will.

I have dozens of cookbooks and I love reading through them and looking at all the recipes. I also read tons of food blogs myself and I appreciate their beautiful photos and their willingness to test their recipes until they get them just right.

Cooking By The Seat Of Your Pants

Me, I fly by the seat of my pants. Once I read enough recipes to decide what I want to make I start making whatever I’ve chosen with my own twists. The only caveat to that is if I am baking. I am more apt to follow a recipe when that happens.

Chopping Knives — Photo by Val Vesa on Unsplash

Weekend Food Chopping And Audiobooks

I do try most weeks to prepare my food for the week on Sunday. I bring my cutting board to the table, turn on my Bluetooth headphones and audiobook and chop way. It’s very relaxing!

I usually make a soup and/or casserole, some kind of salad, hard-boiled eggs and chopped veggies to eat with dips or hummus and to top my green salads.

Tomato Soup. Food for the soul. — Photo by Heather Schwartz on Unsplash

Favorite Soup

I can tell you one of my favorites. Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup. Yum-me! Here is my version for the Instant Pot

1 chopped leek
3 stalks celery chopped
1 tsp. of chopped garlic
2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 large can of chopped tomatoes
3 cups of water
1 tsp. of chicken stock base
2-3 tablespoons of fresh basil
1 cup half and half

I take the butter and melt it in my instant pot on the Saute setting. I add the chopped leek, celery and garlic and let it soften and brown a bit. Then I add the tomatoes, water, and chicken base, seal the lid and change the Instant Pot setting from Saute to Pressure Cook.

Instant Pot for food — insta pot | by Robert Couse-Baker on Flickr

I set the time for 8 minutes and do a quick release when it is finished cooking. Once it is safe to open the lid, I stir in the half and half and the fresh basil and Bob’s your uncle.

So good! Sometimes if I have extra veggies like spinach or zucchini I will add those to the pot before I seal the lid and then use my Cuisinart stick blender to mix it up (carefully because it’s HOT) once I add the half and half.

What do you like to cook up on the weekends?

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Older Posts

Newer Posts

Panther Vision and Innovation

Veterans and Team Rubicon

About Panther Vision

About Team Rubicon

Regrets Number One: Fakers

Regrets Number Two: Enjoyable Work

Regrets Number Three: Get Healthy Younger

Indulgent Misconceptions or…..

The Indulgent Little Old Lady Look

Not Anyone’s Stereotype

Traveling With Tech

Tech Trial And Error

Enter The Purse

The Wonders of Creative Lotto Thinking

What Do You Dream Of?

Who Do You Dream Of?

What Does Your Life Taste Like?

Completely Crazed (Thanks Lotto!)

Life & Death

Engagement or Safety

Challenging the Cage

The Bottom Line

Desire and Relevance

Lawful Parenting Age

Passion and Needs

Irony or Karma?

Upsides and Downside

So What’s The Point?

Soaking Those Feet

Scrub & Exfoliate

Moisturize

Now, Take Your Feet to the Beach

Rebel Cooking

Cooking By The Seat Of Your Pants

Weekend Food Chopping And Audiobooks

Favorite Soup

Members

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