Recipes, Food Tips, Healthy Eating & More

@contentandwell
Hi,
I make my own too with honey in place of sugar but I always keep a brand called SkinnyGirl on hand. It has less sugar and ingredients. My favorites are raspberry vinaigrette and poppyseeds....very thin dressing.

FL Mary

@jakedduck1 I would only caution you to buy soups that have a low sodium and sugar content and for me that leaves out any Campbells soup they are to salty The main thing you want to look at is the labels when you buy anything in can . I to never buy prepared foods . Its better to make your own if you can

@lioness
@imallears
@hopeful33250
Good morning kids,
Thank you guys for all your suggestions they are great as usual. I know I should’ve figured out those tips on my own but cooking not being my forte I try to not think of anything associated with the kitchen. My refrigerator just croaked and naturally my freezer was jam packed from top to bottom.
My new fridge won’t be here till Friday so every other day I spend $45 for dry ice. Just think how much candy 200+ dollars would buy. Nearly 10 pounds of See’s and over 600 candy bars. What a waste. There is a store that sells candy bars quite often for only 33 cents each. I also need a new stove. I think I’m going to convert back to natural gas.
My doctor and nutritionist tell me I’m not supposed to eat any canned packaged or frozen foods except frozen vegetables they do allow. I’m not supposed to have any salt because of kidney stones. Like you say Mary this isn’t a good recipe for me but how many healthy recipes are actually tasty and enjoyable? Especially the way I cook. I figure if the kitchen doesn’t burn down it’s a success and good enough to eat, although most people would throw it out but it keeps me alive.
Now I’ve cream (Pralines n cream) with a candy bar or two crumbled on top with some Carmel and chocolate sauce and some cherries with a root beer chaser sounds good. Oh well, it never hurts to dream.
Jake

@jakedduck1

So sorry about your fridge. If you’re getting a new stove I would go to gas. I have a electric but prefer gas . I think it cooks more evenly. If you type the word healthy or Paleo or low oxalate in front of a recipe you can come up with a whole lot of options. I use frozen and fresh vegetables, little salt and try to watch the sugar. Are there any frozen fruits you can have?. It would help if you could learn the different herbs and spices and what each one does to food. I often smell a spice when I’m cooking by the seat of my pants and making a concoction as you call it. You can tell by the smells what will go well into what you’re making. It would really help you if you could learn to use them correctly. You wouldn’t have to worry so much about the ingredients in packaged goods.
I only buy organic canned tomatoes. Chili is so easy to make and you can add your own spices . Nothing like a pantry stocked with the best spices, herbs and condiments.
Hope your freezer lasts until you get a new fridge. I’m babying mine....it leaks water inside but I have had 2 bowls to catch the occasional drips on the top shelf for the past 2 plus years. Otherwise it’s still a gem after 15 years.
BTW, if you look under the virtual walking discussion I sent you a lovely picture.

FL Mary

@lioness and @jakedduck1
Do you have Amy’s organic canned soups in your area? Minimal ingredients and low on salt and sugars. I like the chunky tomato but doctor it up with basil and whatever.

FL Mary

@imallears There is another brand, Litehouse Organic Raspberry dressing that is good and very low in sodium.
https://www.litehousefoods.com/products/raspberry-naturally-flavored-dressing
My almost daily lunch is greens with strawberries and white meat chicken, and a raspberry dressing. I love goat cheese in it too but since discovering that I am lactose intolerant and that was the cause of some problems I was having, I no longer have that. I liked goat cheese partially because it has about half the sodium of other cheeses.

I made a stew last night from a mix that has only 10mg of salt per serving, and dehydrated vegetables. You add chicken broth, some onion, and cooked chicken. I was a bit leery wondering how the vegetables would turn out but it was great. My husband didn't know that I made it from a mix and said I should package it up and sell it! It's made by Frontier soups. I bought it through the King Arthur website. It has only 10mg of salt per serving in the mix so if you use unsalted chicken broth it stays very low sodium. It said to add the chicken with the dehydrated vegetables and cook for 30 minutes but I waiting until it was almost ready and then added the already cooked chicken.
https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/chicken-stew

@jakedduck1 I wish we had thought about dry ice when our freezer died last month. We had to throw away two giant trash bags of food. It was almost impossible to buy a freezer. Some of the stores couldn't get one until August but we found the last one, bigger than we wanted, in a fairly local Lowe's. Unfortunately, it took a few days to get it so that was why everything went bad. I had 8 pints of Ben and Jerry's and Hagen Daaz ice cream that I had on hand for when my daughter and her husband visit, 5 were unopened.
JK

@contentandwell
Oh your salad looks like my salads.....my favorite is with chicken, goat cheese and strawberries or craisens. I don't eat that many strawberries. I add chopped walnuts to mine and I love a raspberry dressing. Il'l look and see if they have that brand next time I shop. Im looking at my Skinnygirl poppyseed dressing and the calories for 2 tbsp are 10 but the sodium is 210. zero sugar. Don' I have used King Arthur almond flour when It know what the raspberry has offhand. That stew mix looks good. We have King Arthur almond flour at Publix...will have to look for that mix. Glad my dinner is in the oven as all this
is making me extra hungry. DInner at 6 pronto.

FL Mary

Hi contentandwell
You tossed Ben and Jerry’s, and Haagen-daz ice cream out, that is a ice cream cone sin.
No neighbor/ friend could help store your food.
When we had no power for 7-8 days because all the power lines burned down, a wise. Neighbor called a dry ice company. They came every few days.by day 10 Had to go and get 3 lb bags of ice. Sorry you lost so much food.
I still keep one large bag in the freezer at all times. I do not trust Edison electric.
Even a regular power failure can take its toll on refrigerator/freezer items.
Take care,
Funcountess

@funcountess I wish I had thought quicker. There's a really nice family across the street with three kids. If I had thought sooner I would have given them the ice cream. They are always looking out for us, brought meals after my liver transplant, have cleared our walkway when we have been gone and there's been a snowstorm.

If we get our butts moving and manage to move out of this too big house, something we have hoped to do for a number of years now but our pandemic is putting it off even more, we plan to give them our baby grand. It's an older one that we bought used but it will be great for their kids to take piano lessons. I think I will l check to see if they would like our ping pong table too.
JK

Hi contentandwell,
I hope you bought a larger then needed refrigerator. You never know when you will be housebound. You can buy bags of ice in the market.
I’ve learned a lesson more then once.
These days I try and stock up on food, you never know from day to day what is going on in the world. Being in my late 70s I don’t like surprises anymore.
When you sell where will you go.? My place is too big also, but have not given much thought to downsizing.
are you sure you want to get rid of a baby grand.
Time for dinner. It’s a little to far to walk to jjjjjjduck1 house. He made a gourmet dinner today.
It smells delicious.
I would even help clean up the kitchen.
You take care
Funcountess