I had a couple of bargain roses left to plant; I thought that would take very little time. But I barely got two divots in the rose garden, even though I watered yesterday and some rain fell. The little craters would absorb some rain later, I thought. Then - boom, crash. After the first round of rain and thunder, we enjoyed a pause.
I went inside, thinking about our growing nutrition fan club. I get a lot of responses about replacing our way reliance on the sugar-salt-fat group with the vegetables-greens-beans-fruit-nuts group.
In short - we need to replace the fattening, over-priced prepared, over-salted foods with foods that cost little and have great benefits. Long-term food choices are either
- The dessert kind, which stuff us and empty our pockets, or
- The nutritious kind, which are low-cost and loaded with medicinal value - like the old days of picking fresh food out of the garden.
The nutritious kind are -
- Super-nutritious greens, fresh or frozen vegetables.
- Inexpensive beans.
- Fresh fruits of all kinds.
- Nuts that have special qualities - almonds, walnuts, etc.
For lunch today I began with mustard greens, the first time ever in my life. I use a larger sauce pan and add ingredients as I paw through the freezer. I have spurned fresh spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc for the chopped, frozen versions. They last much longer. Here is one link on mustard greens.
Chickpeas (garbanzo) are the basis for a meal, delicious and inexpensive, protein and fiber plus many nutritional benefits.
I love breads and cookies, growing up in a bakery and feeling no ill effects from the fringe benefits of having fresh desserts of all kinds. The trouble with bakery output is its lack of nutrition and its ability to make us crave even more. I have moved from apple pie and apple turnovers to apples. Apple pie is great with whipped cream and ice cream, but no one would use either additive to a fresh, raw, juicy apple.
It is more a matter of seeing the correct foods as delicious and healing, the bad foods as contributing to our worst medical fears: heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, high cholesterol - all addressed by good foods.
Craving, I'm craving and feeling so hungry.
I'm craving, craving for chocolates so few.
I knew you'd feed me as long as I wanted,
And then someday you'd leave me for some body new.
[Apologies to Patsy Cline, one of the greatest singers of all time.]
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| Blueberries or blueberry pie, kid? |
