Tag Archives: Eat Smart

Healthy Eating…Eat Smart…A meat-free day…

The wet season is well and truly here…

I managed to do half my daily steps this morning and dodge the spots…I don’t think I am going to be as lucky this afternoon though…

As it is May are you all getting some good weather? I think when it is nice and warm you feel much better don’t you?

I hope those of you who popped over to Sally’s last week and read her post on reaching a plateau helped…It is so far so good in this camp I am still sticking with the intermittent fasting and it is working well for me…I have also started drinking my ginger drink again I have found a lovely stall who does a really amazing hot ginger tea and he leaves out the sugar and the yellow bean stuff so I just get a strong, hot cup of ginger and it is lovely and seems to have kept me going …I have had a few cravings for what I don’t know I just fancy something nice …drinking this ginger tea seems to deaden that thought…It would help if I knew what I wanted but I don’t does anyone else ever feel like that?

Today I do know what I fancy and it is sun-dried tomatoes I just love them and could if left alone eat a whole jar …But as I live where it is hot most of the time I can make my own …No nasties just beautiful sun-dried tomatoes…

I never use processed ingredients in my cooking anyway but that is how I have always been..make it from scratch is my mantra and then you know what is in it.

My family and friends used to think I was a bit eccentric and over the top as to what I would allow my children to eat and drink I would now say that 99% are now in total agreeance with me.

What a turnaround and I am not fanatic just careful and mindful as to what I buy and make.

 I don’t use a microwave for our families own reasons which stems back to when my daughter had a life-threatening disease.

Yesterday I was watching a program about sugar or added sugar, I was not surprised but felt justified because muesli bars, soft drinks i.e  Apple Juice and low-fat yoghurts were the subjects. So many people eat them because they are promoted as being healthy.

Well, they are not!

I just don’t trust any claims to anything unless I read the ingredients and I can spot a no-no at 20 paces…trust me!

So I suppose what am saying is you can be healthier in an instant just by reading a packet or being aware of what is in your food and at no extra cost.

And baby steps, if you want to change do it gradually and just be aware of what is in your food.

There are some great tasting foods out there which are good for you and gradually your taste buds and awareness will change ..mine have but it takes time.

I know….. Let’s Cook!

Onions stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese…Yep, this is one of my meat-free days…

STUFFED ONION

Ingredients:

  • 4 large onions.
  • 150 gm goats cheese
  • 50 gm fresh breadcrumbs ( I use olive oil breadcrumbs)
  • 8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil chopped and drained. I am lucky that I live somewhere nice and sunny so I can sun dry my own tomatoes please click here to see how.
  • 2 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 small egg, beaten
  • 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1/2 Tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 Tsp chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Just reading that list of ingredients makes my mouth water….I am salivating.

Let’s Cook!

Add the onions in their skins to lightly salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the boiling water, drain and cool. When they are cool enough to handle cut in half and remove the skin.

Using a small dessert spoon scoop out the centre leaving a thick outer layer.. 3 layers is sufficient.

Reserve the flesh for later.

Pre-heat your oven to 190C/375F

Place the onion shells in an oiled ovenproof dish.

Add all the other ingredients except for the tomato oil and pine nuts to the scooped out onion flesh and season well. Stir in the pine nuts.

Divide the mix between the 4  scooped out onion shells and cover the dish with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and drizzle with the sun-dried tomato oil cook uncovered for a further 25-35 minutes until bubbling and cooked.

Baste occasionally during cooking.

And smell…. your kitchen will be filled with such a lovely aroma and even those who are not onion lovers will be salivating…I have had many a convert to this dish.

It is lovely just served with warm bread or as a side to some lovely grilled sardines.

Now all of those ingredients have amazing health benefits.

Some lovely variations to this recipe include using Feta cheese instead of goats cheese and substitute mint and pitted green/black olives instead of the other ingredients for a real Mediterranean taste. Just stir into the scooped onion mix, you could also add some currants or sultanas.

If you don’t want sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts use 75 gm chopped walnuts add them to the scooped out onion mix add 115 gm chopped celery and cook in a tbsp oil until the celery is soft and put in the onion shell.

Experiment by substituting your own favourite ingredients that is what cooking is all about.

Enjoy!

Time for SmartWatch Corner.

Smart phone and watch

Every night is different no two nights of sleep are identical according to my watch the only thing that stays constant is my breathing which is good…haha…Did you know that according to the Mayo clinic that sleep deprivation puts you at a greater risk of diabetes, depression, obesity, high blood pressure or a heart attack everyone should aim for  seven to nine hours sleep each night but it is also the quality of that sleep which can affect your health for a more in-depth look at sleep then Sally has written an excellent article on sleep so please head over and have read ….

The bonus of a good nights sleep is also the fact that you can’t eat while asleep but you can lose weight while asleep…

The Celery Juice Craze…

Whatever next…heavily promoted by celebrities and influencers on social media, including actor Sylvester Stallone and supermodel Miranda Kerr, who have appeared in videos supporting the self-proclaimed founder of the celery juice movement, Anthony William calls himself a “medical medium” and claims to speak with spirits who provide him with advanced health information.

celery-juice-4101755_640

Image by Ineta Lidace from Pixabay

Fact: Celery takes more energy to digest than it contains…In addition to burning more calories than it contains, celery is an excellent source of fibre that can help to keep you feeling fuller for longer, reducing the urge to snack.

Please tell me that you don’t believe the claims that it will make you lose weight safely, cure all ills and the weight will stay off when you start to eat sensibly…

Thank you for reading and please share your good news stories with us…xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then I bid you welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/ 

MeWe is a new social media and one which many of us are turning to mainly migrating over to as FB has banned many of my friends and for what seems no good reason that we can see I hope you will join us there.

MeWe: mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3

Thank you again for reading this post I look forward to your comments…Have a great week xxx

Healthy Eating…Eat Smart…Pomelo Salad…

Welcome to Healthy Eating...It does seem like there is a change in the trends…That more eating plans are advocating eating less processed and more healthy food which is good… I am seeing phrases like Clean Eating, Eating Pegan, Gut Health, Hemp is still being mentioned, Bitters and Un-Dieting… Let’s have a look and see if they are worth following as a diet plan…

Clean Eating…

Foods like whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats and plenty of fruits and veggies are on the menu while refined carbs, alcohol, added sugars and hydrogenated fats should be avoided or limited.

However it is a low carb diet as potatoes, rice etc are not encouraged…

Eating Pegan…

Think about combining paleo with vegan and what do you get? A trendy eating plan dubbed the pegan diet this first hit the diet world in 2014, but the philosophy has only since picked up steam. Pinterest revealed that interest in the pegan diet jumped 337% in the past year, with searches continuing to climb.

The pegan diet borrows principles from both the paleo diet and veganism. Paleo eaters try to consume only foods available in the Paleolithic era 2.6 million years ago: vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and meat. It usually excludes dairy, grains, sugar, legumes, oils, salt, alcohol, and coffee.

Veganism prescribes refraining from any animal products and by-products — including meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, and honey — and eating plant-based foods instead.

Thus Pegan was born…My thoughts very restrictive and also high in some food groups not an easy eating plan to follow

Gut Health…

Encourages eating more fermented foods, probiotics, keffir, kombucha with the aim of creating a healthy gut…Research shows that plant-based, fibre-rich diets boost the diversity of microorganisms in the gut. Ultimately, the greater the diversity of the bacteria, the greater the beneficial outcomes.

The good news is, bacteria can be altered by diet alone. That means you do not need to purchase over-the-counter high-dose probiotic supplements. a healthy can be achieved by diet although if you have a diagnosed condition see your doctor before you change to any eating plans.

I think it is always a good idea to be mindful of our gut health within the confines of a healthy diet.

Bitters…

Bitter herbs have long been used in traditional medicine to support healthy blood sugar levels. Did you know that we have 25 different receptors for bitter in the gut alone, while only one each to detect sweet and umami compounds?

Waking up those often-ignored receptors can help support healthy digestion and regulate other eating-related issues and functions.

Most veggies naturally contain more bitter substances, tipping your diet in the right direction. For best results, include those that have a stronger bitter flavour, such as kale, arugula, spinach, radicchio, dandelion greens, and broccoli others include asparagus, grapefruit and cucumbers.

Un-Dieting…

Many dietitian nutritionists are hoping that intuitive eating replaces diets altogether and hope that people will begin to recognize the futility of dieting in 2019. Diets can also be harmful to our bodies, causing increased body dissatisfaction, weight cycling, and disordered eating… I am firmly in this camp how about you ?

Hemp…

Hemp is commonly confused with marijuana. It belongs to the same family, but the two plants are very different. Marijuana is grown to contain high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that is responsible for its psychoactive properties. Hemp describes the edible plant seeds and only contains a trace amount of THC.

Hemp seeds can be consumed or used to produce a variety of food products including hemp milk, hemp oil, hemp cheese substitutes and hemp-based protein powder.

Hemp seeds have a mild, nutty flavour. Hemp milk is made from hulled hemp seeds, water, and sweetener. Hemp oil has a strong “grassy” flavour.

I think we will be seeing an increase in Hemp products this year as it is a hot topic …I will be following this with interest…

Personally, I don’t count calories any more, I know what foods are good to eat and which are not…

Why do people like diet plans is it because it tells you what to eat? But is it also the reason why you don’t sustain that plan…See what Sally has to say…

Sometimes faced with knowing that you need to change your eating habits creates the problem of what can I eat? You want to lose weight so you have to eat less so to start then maybe you will have to decide how you want to lose your weight( not overnight) over what time period…Sally looks at all this and breaks it all down…Plain and simply put …You are in charge so come on have a look at what you are going to do…No Fads. No quick hits, no exclusions maybe limitations …Just a sensible eating plan based on what foods you like and how they can help you lose weight…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/smorgasbord-health-column-size-matters-the-sequel-putting-your-plan-together-fats-portion-sizes-part-two-by-sally-cronin/

Smartwatch Corner…

Smart phone and watch

I am still loving this piece of technology… I do like how it focuses me …I have looked Deep Sleep and REM sleep the other stage of sleep is light sleep…

Light sleep is a non-REM stage, and it’s easiest to wake up during this stage. It occurs in stages 1-2.  The first stage of light sleep is a transition phase and only makes up about 3% of our total time asleep; most light sleep happens in the second stage. The second stage of light sleep consists of over half of our time asleep each night. We dream during this stage, but the dreams are not as intense as they are during REM sleep.

Typically as people age, they spend more time each night in light sleep. That makes sense as that takes up the biggest proportion of the little graph I get every day breaking my percentages in the three sleep phrases it seems there’s no specific amount of time needed in this phase although it’s not as refreshing as deep sleep. However, it is a necessary sleep stage for proper brain functioning.

Reading the news I hear that the UK is in for a heatwave which will be lovely for this Easter holiday…

Here is a recipe for one of my favourite salads…Thais certainly know how to make delicious healthy salads will ingredients I never would have thought of using…

Pomelo Salad or as it is known here Yum Som O is a wonderful light refreshing salad made with Thai Grapefruit( Pink Grapefruit) can be substituted and there is very little difference in flavour.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Pink Grapefruit or 1 Pomelo.
  • 12-16 peeled shrimps.
  • Sm.cucumber diced.
  • 1/4 cup finely sliced shallots.
  • 1/4 cup fresh Thai Basil or Mint.
  • 1/4 cup Fresh coriander.
  • 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts/cashews.
  • 2 tbsp shredded coconut.
  • 1 Red Chilli finely sliced.

Dressing:

  • Half to 1 lime.
  • 3 tbsp Fish Sauce.
  • 1-2 tbsp palm sugar.
  • 1 -2 red chillies finely sliced.
  • Kaffir Lime leaf very finely sliced for garnish.

Pomelo Salad

Let’s Cook!

Set a pot of water to boil on the stove. Add shrimp and boil for just a few minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and are plump and firm to the touch. Drain and set aside to cool.

Place shredded coconut in a dry frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and stir until coconut turns light golden brown and fragrant. Tip coconut into a small bowl to cool and set aside. Repeat with shallots frying in a little oil until golden and crispy tip into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Prepare your grapefruit or pomelo, removing as much of the white peel as possible from the fruit. Break into bite-size pieces – 3 to 4 cups is a good amount. Set prepared fruit in a salad bowl.

Add to the bowl: cucumber, basil/mint, coriander, and fresh chilli.

Combine all dressing ingredients together in a cup, stirring well to dissolve the sugar.

To put the salad together: Add shrimp to the salad bowl, then pour over the dressing. Toss well to combine. Add most of the toasted coconut, shallots and nuts, reserving a little for garnishing, then toss again. Taste-test the salad for a balance of sweet/sour/spicy/salty. Adjust to your liking, adding more sugar if too sour. For more depth of flavour, add a little Fish Sauce. Your salad is now ready to serve.  Top with reserved coconut, nuts and shredded lime leaf, and

Enjoy!

Tip: Like most Thai salad dressings, this is an oil-free dressing, so it doesn’t appear to ‘cling’ as well as oil-based dressings, naturally collecting at the bottom of your salad bowl. This isn’t a problem – just be sure to toss a little more than you would for a regular salad in order to saturate ingredients with the dressing.

This salad is better served and eaten immediately, the fresher the better. If preparing for a party, keep the dressing apart from the salad until you’re ready to eat, then toss them together just before serving.

I do hope you enjoy as this is one of my favourite salads, I do shred my Pomelo much finer though rather than having too chunky. But as with anything, it is a personal preference.

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading this post I hope you have found it of benefit…Until next week…xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week and enjoy your Easter holiday weekend xx

Healthy Eating… Eat Smart…No more fussy kids!

Welcome to this week’s Healthy Eating…How has your week gone? Are you finding the going tough, easy or a little in between …Good days and bad days…We all have those and we can’t change the past but we can change the future…

Why do we fail? There are lots of posts on that one…Here there are no fails as we can eat what we love just moderation with some foods…RIGHT???

If you are keeping your diaries are you seeing a pattern? What are you seeing? The same foods over and over again? or a variety?

What do I see? I see lots of variety of fruit and vegetables as I do go with fruits in season and we eat a lot of fruit…Mango and pineapple at the moment as it is plentiful…Also, the tender stem broccoli has now appeared and is beautiful…

However, as I don’t like to waste herbs and Grapow Moo( Pork) is not the same when frozen if I don’t have enough to pick and have to buy a bunch then that lasts me 4 meals so I eat that as my first meal of the day at least 3/4  times a week unless Aston is here and then only twice…It is also my all-time favourite Thai Stir Fry…

Think of all your favourite foods you like to eat and head over and read Sally’s post...You will be very surprised at what you can eat…and still lose weight…Those of you who know Sally know how vast her knowledge of foods and vitamins are …

My weight has stayed the same this week but that is ok…I have had a few extra treats…Lily is here…But that is ok…I enjoyed them …Today back to normal…

Now as you know I advocate healthy eating for all the family… if you start when the kids are young healthy eating becomes a habit just like sugar and the like…

Lily is 6 yrs old and in the school holidays, she stays with us…The remainder of the time she lives in a small, very rural Thai village …While she is here this time I have been taking her to swimming lessons…she loves the water and as Thai kids swim anywhere there is water it is very important that they learn how to swim properly although her mummy is very good and doesn’t allow her into just any water…

What I have observed since living here is that Thais do not walk anywhere and although most eat a very healthy diet they love their sugar…Sugary drinks and cakes are everywhere… In the village Lily and her mummy ride push bikes around the village they only use motorised transport when going into town and she eats what her family eat which is healthily her favourite snack here at the moment is lots of mangoes and she eats a lot of raw veg with her meals she loves raw cabbage and also the Thai pickled cabbage…Pak Dong which is cabbage, spring (green ) onions and salt…

The little group she is in for swimming consists of some children her age and some a bit older…Lily is the slenderest I would say and by far the fittest she zips down those lengths and sits on the side waiting for the others…Some really struggle about midway and have to be helped by the instructor to complete the length of the pool and to get out of the pool onto the side…Lily thinks it is because she eats her vegetables …Her words…

I see the kids arrive with a bag of crisps and a carbonated drink…In a car or on the back of a scooter…

I walk and Lily rides her bike to swimming…

The children have changed over the weeks she has been learning to swim and I am guessing have given up…Such a shame that they are unfit at 6/7 years old…

The motto is we need to teach children good habits early in life and encourage them to try different foods and if they don’t like them that’s ok..try introducing the same food in a different way a smoothie or if they are eating other fruits and vegetables then it doesn’t matter …Search for other recipes using the food they don’t particularly like and let them help cook it…A child who helps cook food will eat the food…

A good example is Cloud eggs...Many children don’t like the white of the egg but made this way it changes both the taste and appearance of the egg…These eggs were first made by my grandson when he was 12 yrs old and up until then, he didn’t eat the white of his eggs…He does now even when they are not made this way…

 

You will notice from the images that Aston made his own addition to the dish…Now at 14 years he is a competent cook and always cooks the meat for me he also cooks a mean steak…It is also a pleasure to watch him eat he thoroughly enjoys his food as it should be…He is not fussy and eats most things…

Lily who is 6 yrs is following in his footsteps she cuts and prepares the vegetables/ fruit for me and can use the blender and food processor…She makes lovely cakes and biscuits and can ice them beautifully.

Lily’s Beef Salad which we had for dinner the other night… The only thing I didn’t allow her to do is to cook the meat and slice it or the shallots but she prepared all the other salad and squeezed the lime for the dressing and mixed everything together…

Thai beef salad nam doc nua

Thai Beef Salad

Recipe for Thai Beef Salad.
 
Serves 2.
Ingredients:
  • 300gm Tenderloin Beef.
  • 1 sm red Onion or 2/3 shallots.
  • 2 Spring Onions.
  • 2 medium tomatoes or  8/10 cherry toms.
  • 1 sm cucumber.
  • 2 sprigs mint.
  • Big handful of Coriander.
  • 2/3 birds eye chillies chopped.
  • 1 lime.
  • 2 tbsp Fish Sauce.
Let’s Cook!
Grill the tenderloin medium rare.
While steak is cooking chop salad into small pieces and chop coriander inc stalks.
Mint take leaves off stems.
When steak cooked to your liking slice into thin strips.
Mix gently into chopped salad add coriander, mint leaves and chillies.
Stir in fish sauce and squeeze in lime juice.
Taste as personally I like more fish sauce and chillies but as the taste of chillies can vary then it is better to add less, taste and adjust seasoning if required.
This can also be made with chicken or pork.
Serve with steamed Rice or Sticky Rice.
As it has been proved so many times children who learn to cook at a young age are also far more adventurous with trying new foods and far less picky…
Smartwatch Corner…
smart phone and watch
It makes me smile this phone it sends me smart messages if I go to bed too late and when I had a few cat naps the other night it threw a wobble which made me smile…Too smart at times but I take it for what it is … It focuses me…But I do find the sleep patterns really interesting …I have never thought about sleep too much …Head, pillow die is me and I can just sleep anywhere hard/soft mattress if tired I sleep… But have also kept some late hours at times and now I know that it isn’t conducive to good health at my age so I am trying to be disciplined with my sleep.
What is Deep Sleep?
lady sleeping

Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. But, I now know that it is the quality of sleep you get that matters.

While you rest, your body goes through different stages of the sleep cycle. Deep sleep, for example, is the stage of sleep you need to feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning. Unlike rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, deep sleep is when your body and brain waves slow down.

I also didn’t know that you went through different stages more than once during your sleep cycle approx every 90 minutes…Deep sleep is the cycle which it is hard for you to be woken from and if woken you can feel extremely groggy.

 

The correct amount of deep sleep is important during your sleep cycle as this is when the glucose metabolism in the brain increases this supports short-term and long-term memory and overall learning.

Deep sleep is also when the pituitary gland secretes important hormones, like human growth hormone, leading to growth and development of the body.

Other benefits of deep sleep include:

Energy restoration, cell regeneration, increasing blood supply to muscles, promoting growth and repair of tissues and bones AND strengthening the immune system. All very important to your health and well being…

It seems like the new diet trend predicted for 2019 is the hemp diet…Obviously, it is nothing new to food and body care lovers and is used a lot in vegan diets…but due to the interest in CBD for health, it has caused added interest and those who predict trends think it will be on the rise in 2019…Already products like dried pasta and I have noticed an increase in hemp seeds for sale and recipes using hemp seeds.

Also bitter foods like asparagus, grapefruit and cucumbers because of their benefits to your gut and of course your liver if you are on a detox regime…

My conclusion it certainly sounds like there is a move to eating more fruit/vegetables and an increase in interest in maintaining gut health which is a step in the right direction.

Thank you for reading this post I hope you have found it of benefit…Until next week…xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx

Healthy Eating…SmartWatch…

Welcome to Tuesdays Healthy eating post…It seems like last weeks post on Intermittent fasting is something many of you are following or thinking about it certainly seems to be the way forward and is on many health professionals radar…

Healthy eating is not about deprivation but about choosing foods for the well-being of the one body we have been given…I believe as do many that we need a healthy balanced diet and the occasional treat is fine and to be enjoyed…

When I stated what I had cut out last week it was foods I believed were having a negative impact on MY body…It is foods which have empty calories, do not add anything healthy to MY diet…That’s it!

You are in charge of yours and nothing wrong with having a drink of alcohol or a biscuit or two if you fancy it… for me altogether they were having a negative impact …

Enough of that…I have attached this little chart of Sally’s for you to check out if you want…No pressure here…just conversations as to what works for us as individuals no one size fits all…

fat accumalation chart

 

This little table certainly focused my mind… As did Sally’s and my recent post… together we are aiming to help you reach your goals…There are some great ideas to help you with your healthy eating and some straight talking from Sally…I just provide the recipes…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/03/09/smorgasbord-health-column-size-matters-the-sequel-emotional-factor-willpower-and-childish-things/

Nothing worthwhile in life is easy…Think about writing a novel….That bit is easy but what comes after …editing and rewrites etc BUT we do it…Healthy eating and or weight loss is just the same so… Let’s go and do it!

Stuck for recipes? Need some inspiration?…

In this series, we look at cooking and your diet from a different perspective. Usually, we emphasize the health benefits of food and how they can be incorporated into your diet. But, what happens if you do NOT include them in your diet.

We wanted to share with you what happens if your body is deprived of individual nutrients over an extended period of time.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/smorgasbord-health-column-with-sally-cronin-and-carol-taylor-cook-from-scratch-to-prevent-nutritional-deficiency-vitamin-b1-thiamin/

Smartwatch Corner!

I have a smartwatch….Yeah…It is smarter than me…Honestly not something I would ever have envisaged buying…Why? I am really not a gadgets person…Or one who has to have the latest phone person either…However when I could not have the apps I wanted on my phone because Samsung loaded all their bloatware and by the time they had done that it left me very little to play with and I ended up having to uninstall an app to add another app and my needs are small…I don’t play games, pay with my phone or any shopping channels not of my choosing…

This made me have a rethink and consequently, I bought another phone which allowed me to install the few apps I do have …It also had a pre-installed fitness app which one’s grandson alerted me too…Thank you, Aston x

It also focussed my mind…Told me how many steps I have taken in a day…Also, lots of other stuff if I wanted…I found I did…

legs people walking

Image by MabelAmber on Pixabay

Hence some research into smart watches …So starting next week there will be a smartwatch corner as I discover new things about it…That saying about there is life in the old dog yet is coming true…Haha

The lovely girl in the shop set it up and synced( get me) it to my phone…It has just waved at me and shown an image of someone getting up and walking…Please, I am writing…haha…

But joking aside it is showing me the error of my ways..She who tries but is not perfect..is listening oh hallowed smartwatch… just don’t get too smart…

It has however piqued my interest about my sleep pattern for example…I was normal on all counts the first night..It also explained every step with links …I was impressed as I like to know that statements on health are backed up by research…

Then life in the form of my grandsons birthday cake stepped in…I had two pieces and enjoyed them (I also) knew I should have stuck at one…The second was I am loving my Green tea but not a good idea to have a late night pot of the said green tea( caffeine)…My smartwatch had a hissy fit yesterday morning reflected in my sleep pattern stats…

It bloody knew…Haha

Once I had digested those stats and I didn’t like them one lickle bit but I also knew what caused the blip…This morning I woke up bright and bushy-tailed unlike yesterday and my sleep pattern was much better so hopefully, tomorrows will be back to absolute normal …Smartwatch it is… I am impressed (so far)

I am also impressed by how our bodies react…A wonderful piece of machinery which we can abuse and abuse and then we can much of the time apply a little moderation and TLC and it purrs like a well-tuned car…Mine will never be a Rolls Royce but maybe, just maybe a little Honda Jazz…

Until next week…xxxx

Thank you for reading and please tell me in comments your thoughts if you have a smartwatch…x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx

 

 

Retired No One Told me! Weekly Roundup…Recipes and Rants…

Recipes and reveals what is in our food

Wow, the weeks are just flying by now aren’t they and I am sure that many of you have got your Christmas socks out and are putting those feet up for a well-deserved rest… It is certainly starting to get a bit crazy out there so grab a cuppa put those feet up. Relax and enjoy …

For those of you who unfortunately suffer from Arthritis and gout …Sally has published some good advice on how you may be able to ease your symptoms and which foods may help and which foods you may need to avoid…

 

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/10/29/smorgasbord-health-column-a-z-of-common-conditions-arthritis-rheumatoid/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/11/08/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-health-column-a-z-of-common-conditions-arthritis-osteo-and-gout/

Monday saw me posting about What is Processed Food?

processed Foods

 Processed food is any food which has been altered in some way during its preparation. Some examples are freezing, canning, drying and baking… Which means that not all processed food is unhealthy we just need to be aware of the foods which we may need to eat in moderation or totally avoid if we can…

I do hope that you are finding these posts helpful I myself am enjoying my research as there ARE somethings which I wasn’t aware of and as I only have one body I want it to stay as healthy as it can…

https://blondieaka.com/2018/11/05/what-is-the-definition-of-processed-food/

soup on the hob or fire

Eat Smart, Eat Healthy on Tuesday’s covers healthy Eating and also this week I covered Intermittent Fasting which is the eating plan I have adopted unknowingly I will add or not knowing what stages your body/digestion goes through during the day and how that way of eating can be good for you… It also contained some soup recipes which are handy to have on the go especially this time of year where in some parts of the world the weather is getting cold and if you have been busy shopping or working it is so easy to heat up…

https://blondieaka.com/2018/11/06/eat-smart-eat-healthily-no-to-diets-2/

Wednesdays are my regular Cookery Columns over @ Smorgasbord Magazine and the topic this time was how to cook a great stir fry something which took me a while to master my early attempts were like my fried rice you just wouldn’t want to go back for seconds or indeed even eat it…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/11/07/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-the-food-and-cookery-column-carol-cooks-stir-fries/

Thursdays are now my Waste not! Want Not! days and it has morphed into something much bigger and for sure I am learning much but also pleasantly surprised at what many of you already do..So a big well done…Give yourselves a pat on the back!

Waste and Pollution

It is when I see beaches with all that rubbish it breaks my heart I mean how can little children play on that sand?  If that is on the beach what is in the sea and poisoning the marine life?

So sad to see how man is spoiling our beautiful world…

https://blondieaka.com/2018/11/08/waste-not-want-not-part-four/

Friday was more joyous as yes we are entering the Season of Goodwill to all men…There are recipes and trivia..All sorts of festive cheer… and a recipe for Irish Cream which if you love Bailey’s you will love this …Easy to make and even easier to drink…x

box-christmas jumper -christmas-balls-714696 (1)

I have also issued a Christmas jumper challenge …So send in your pictures and we will see whose is the best or funniest…

https://blondieaka.com/2018/11/09/christmas-treats-traditions-and-trivia/

That’s all for this weeks roundup please keep those comments coming I have had some great responses and ideas and I will be writing to a certain chairman and making a suggestion on how they can help reduce waste…An idea from the lovely Will Dare but more about that next Thursday…I thought his idea was a brilliant one 🙂

Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend and try not to let the festivities stress you out…Remember to take time out for yourself if you can xxx 

About Carol Taylor::)

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then you will be made welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great weekend xx

 

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily, Eat to live…

Eat smart eat healthily eat to live

Healthy eating should be the priority and the habit of a lifetime…No fads, no weighing every day or week and then beating your self up because you haven’t lost anything.

It is about being aware of what you are eating and knowing if what you are eating is improving your health. It is not about removing whole food groups from our diets we need a healthy well-balanced diet to be at our optimum health.

What really matters is Our well-being, Our Blood Pressure figure, Our cholesterol, Our blood sugar, Our inflammation markers.

This week my exercise has stepped up big time we have little Lily staying with us for a couple of weeks and she loves riding her bike and swimming…

 

Sunday it was a romp in the park feeding the duck, fish and birds and then realising that the boats were way over the other side… I had forgotten how much energy 5-year olds have…Grandad by this time was a little less than impressed and when we finally got to the boats opted to people watch rather than spend an hour peddling the boat.

To be fair Lily did take her turn but it was a bit too much for a 5-year-old on her own but my legs and tummy muscles got a good work out…

Prajak park udon Thani Thailand

It was also great fun…

Today I have insisted on a day in the kitchen…Baking …That is of course after we have walked to get our fresh Coconut juice as Lily loves it as much as nanny does…When she was small to get her to try something I used to tell her that she shouldn’t eat it as she wouldn’t like it…Of course, she would then want to eat it…Whose a clever nanny??? The downside now is that she eats anything and especially what I like so it is sort of a family joke…But she loves her food and helping to cook last night she stripped the mint leaves, cut the coriander and spring onions…I did the shallots and cooked the meat we then made a Nam Doc which is one of Lily’s favourites…

Gluten-Free Mu Nam Tok ( Waterfall Pork)

Nam Doc Mu Waterfall pork

It is quick and easy to make and although the name glutinous rice infers it has gluten it does not… it means sticky here. The rice is gluten-free.

Ingredients:

Serves 2.

  • 150/200 gm Pork loin or chicken
  • 2 shallots sliced thinly
  • Handful coriander chopped
  • Mint a big handful, stripped from the stem
  • A tbsp of ground roasted rice( recipe below)
  • 1-3 tsp dried chilli
  • 2 cheeks of lime
  • 1-2 tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 2 spring onions finely sliced

Firstly cook pork on a griddle or BBQ until just cooked allow to rest before slicing.

Thinly slice shallots.

Mix with coriander and mint leaves. Thinly slice pork and add to the dish with shallots, mint and coriander. Also, add any juice from the meat. Add fish sauce, dried chillies, roasted rice and lime juice then gently combine and TASTE… Adjust seasoning if required.  Taste!

Serve with Sticky rice and a dish of washed Thai vegetables.

The meat for this dish can also be sliced thinly and cooked in a little water which a lot of Thais do…I prefer mine griddled I think it has more taste…

N.B: HOW TO DRY ROAST THE RICE.

Heat a small pan and add a handful of glutinous rice, stir to prevent it burning until the rice has coloured slightly a nice light brown, then remove from the heat and grind in pestle and mortar…Do not grind to a powder it needs to be a little coarse as it gives taste and texture to a dish. It will keep in a sealed container for about 6 weeks.

The good news I just jumped on the scales and another 1lb mislaid…Yeah!

So all in all a good week… Healthy Eating back on track and still no biscuits…

I /We would love to hear your tales of success and how your healthy eating is going…I know some of you are experiencing flurries of that cold white stuff called snow and will want lots of warming food but as long as you are eating sensibly and not snacking which to me is the biggest killer for Healthy eating or if you are snacking then some healthy snacks and some healthy snacks are really luscious.

This is where healthy eating really comes into play…No one likes getting the flu so here is a great post on how you can give your body a fighting chance against all these nasty germs and viruses…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/smorgasbord-health-health-in-the-news-flu-season-vaccination-alert-new-mega-vaccine-available-in-uk-and-boost-your-immune-system/

Thank you for reading this post I hope your healthy eating is going well if you have any tips then please let us know in comments xxx

 

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week 🙂 xx