Tag Archives: Health

CarolCooks2…Weekly roundup…Climate Change, Health, Recipes and more…

7 Replies

Welcome to this weeks roundup…What a week …We have been away for a few days which was lovely we celebrated my friends 70th birthday…

I was organised…I scheduled all my posts bar one…which was written out I just needed to type it up…Best laid plans..

Windows installed an update and it all went downhill from there…My laptop has been carefully nurtured and chivied along for a while…Like me she is of advancing years…Along came Win( Fixroom) he was a lifesaver…He backed everything up , cleaned her and she needed a new hard drive the other one was not completely broken but had problems…A very nice young man who knew his stuff ..

.Peace and sanity is now restored…My baby is fixed…So sorry about Fridays post…If I haven’t answered your comments ..they were all appreciated muchly xxx

I am now in the process of new passwords etc as anyone will know who has had a new hard drive…but getting there…Nothing important was lost…Back to normal by Monday methinks…xxx

Anyway enough of my chatter…Grab a drink it is time to settle down, relax and have a read something for everyone…Enjoy!

great reads a weekly roundup lady with electronic reader

Monday…I don’t know about you…

But my head is spinning with all these opinions on Climate Change…I read a lot and from eminent climate scientists and much of what they say makes sense to me …I also wonder why more of them are not more vocal with their findings and going on past performances much of what comes out in the media and from governments their sources are biased  and flawed and often years later we are told …i.e fat…

Myself I am taking the middle ground…I also worry about what else is sneaking in by the back door unnoticed…

questions-1922476_1920 (1)

 

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/07/latest-recycling-and-environmental-news-7th-october-2019/

Tuesday…

Last week I was away for 5 days…It was my friends 70th birthday so we partied and ate and drank and did some walking…she is coming away to my way of thinking…But what did I eat? Some beautiful Thai food and discovered the gingko nut not something I had eaten before and it was very nice …It was a traditional Thai recipe for Chicken and cashew nuts with the addition of these Gingko nuts…very nice and the best chicken and cashew nuts I have eaten…More on this next week…

With this in mind it was the subject of Tuesdays post how to manage your eating plan when on holiday or as Christmas is on the horizon and Halloween …It can be planned for which means we can eat some yummy foods…

balancing on a piece of string

It is all about balance...A bit like a tight rope sometimes… I don’t expect to put weight on or lose anything just to stay the same will be a bonus…Challenging sometimes but doable…I know…x…How did I do I put on 1 lb so I am happy…

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/08/healthy-eating-how-to-balance/

Wednesday…Whimsical Wednesdays…

Well that theory about crisps..was true…However cheese ain’t crispy so it wasn’t the crunch…But it was lovely xxx

cheeses-1433514_1280

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/09/whimsical-wednesday-with-carol-13/

Thursday…

As you know this month is National Pumpkin Month  Pumpkin and Halloween which ties up nicely with Halloween so Thursdays will be everything Pumpkin with some spooky tales thrown in….

Yellow curry in carved pumpkin

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/10/national-pumpkin-month-carving-pumpkins/

Saturday…

Time once again for some excellent advice from Sally...and very relevant as I have just read that in England, this is the fourth consecutive year that severe obesity in year 6 has broken records, and it is up more than a third since 2006.
Levels of severe obesity among children in the last year of primary school have hit an all-time high, according to official figures that have dismayed public health experts…I don’t know about dismaying public health experts it is dismaying me…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/10/09/smorgasbord-health-column-the-obesity-epidemic-part-four-finding-a-point-to-intervene-in-the-life-cycle-7-14-the-brain/

That’s it for this week ...Back to normal next week…Please let me have your favourite pumpkin/Halloween recipes and if you have any ideas for Christmas table decorations instead of buying crackers which invariably add to the plastic mountain…

I for one am not buying crackers this year so looking for some great ideas from you guys…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!

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…

14 Replies

No more diets, Healthy Eating

Welcome… This week will be slightly different I have not jumped on the scales but I am very pleased with my 12lbs that I mislaid…lol

However...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.

Believe it or not thin people are NOT exempt from any of those … I know people who are as thin as thin and boast about how many doughnuts they eat in a day…

Does that mean because they are thin they do not have high Blood pressure or cholesterol or problems with their blood sugar?

NO, it damn well doesn’t!

Of course, you will probably lose weight if you improve your eating habits…That is a bonus and a great one…

BUT…the true tests for your health and wellness…

How many of these can you say a resounding yes to??

  1. I sleep better
  2. I can walk faster and further
  3. I can walk up and down the stairs without getting out of breath.
  4. I can play ball with my kids
  5. I have clearer brighter skin
  6. 1 have an increased sex drive
  7. I have less or no joint pain
  8. I have more money
  9. I feel less stressed
  10. I have more energy

These are all benefits of healthy eating… Your aim should be to feel better, to be able to play with your kids or grandkids any weight loss is a bonus.

But how do we feel when we try to cut out or down we feel yuk! But it is a habit and a dependency on Junk food… We are Junkies.

What is a junkie? A person with a compulsive habit or obsessive dependency on something.

I am now going to talk about Junk Food. 

fast-food-154556_640 (1)

When you stop eating sugar-laden food or processed foods you will get withdrawal symptoms you may experience sadness, irritability, tiredness, cravings…

Similar feelings to what anyone who tries to give up cigarettes, alcohol or drugs…You will experience Sugar Withdrawal and the first few days are always the worst …

It will get better!

I haven’t eaten Haribos or digestive biscuits(graham crackers) to some of my readers since I began these Tuesday posts… I even walk down that aisle now and can stop, look and walk on… It was hard the other day as they had those bright red strawberries and I did pick up the pack AND put it back.

I gave myself a pat on the back and thought about what I really fancied which would also be good for me…All the food which is good for our health is not tasteless like cardboard there are some really nice, tasty alternatives… There really are maybe try and make a list of what you really like and think about what you also like that you could replace it with…

Food should be enjoyable no one will stick to any eating plan if they don’t like what they eat… We are all different what I love you may not and vice versa…

We are in this together so let’s help each other out…

Interestingly I read the other day that after all these years Weight Watchers has changed its name to …WW

Wellness that Works!

Will this be a complete and utter overhaul?

My question is are they no longer having weekly weigh-ins? Will, there be no slimmer of the week, month, year?

Will they be using BP and cholesterol as markers?

I will be watching with interest because Wellness is different from Weight Loss…

Have we got any WW here who would be able to explain that to us??? We would love to know…

I hope you have found this interesting and I love to read your comments…So please let us know what you find easy or difficult…

Lastly, are you keeping those food diaries? Does it help? Struggling?

Here is a link to a food chart and some great advice from a fellow blogger… It is the food chart I use to check a food and is it an eye opener ..those 2 biscuits I was eating with my early morning cuppa …Check it out it shocked me and stopped me…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/smorgasbord-health-column-health-in-the-new-obesity-research-fat-accumulation-table-by-sally-cronin/

Good advice which helps me and a nice easy to follow chart…

Compare this picture and be honest what would you rather eat? This or the Junk food above I don’t mind if you say the junk food…But what do you want to enjoy that burger or can of coke or be healthy??? Even if you feel healthy and know you eat a lot of junk do me a favour and get yourself a health check sometimes we need that call…

pasta and pesto

Pasta and Pesto

Pasta cooks really quickly and pesto keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

A quick tip…To stop the basil turning brown Blanche the leaves in some hot water and then into cold…

A quick pesto recipe:

To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

So take some rocket or other greens a few tomatoes and maybe a shallot finely chopped, top with some pasta and pour over some pesto…

Quick and easy and tasty.

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading 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.

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!

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 week 🙂 xx

Healthy Eating…No More Diets…Obesity around the world… Canada.

5 Replies

No more (4)

Welcome back to Carol’s Bootcamp…I can’t think why I called it that as this is not about being on a diet but Healthy Eating and I know some people like structure but at some point you will either get fed up with the restrictions of the said diet and then pile the pounds back on or spend the rest of your life eating foods which you don’t really enjoy but they are supposed to be good for you… Well, to hell with all that!

Life is for living…Food is for enjoying…

So what I have decided to do is some comparisons …It started with a headline about obesity …Country by country and percentages and then I got to thinking about the difference in lifestyles and options or just what we have always eaten..But then those stats began to make sense to me…

Today I am looking at the eating habits of the Canadians who are numero 35 with a percentage of 28%.

If you wish to check your countries ranking then please Click Here

Canada is the second biggest country on earth however over 80% of the land is uninhabited and most Canadians live in one of the clusters of cities close to the US Border which gives rise to my picture of Canada of wild, landscapes and bison, reindeer, moose all living peacefully in their natural habitat.

elk-1102611_1280

I imagine all those beautiful healthy salmon and lobsters in my mind’s eye and have always thought that everyone lived in the great outdoors and were super healthy.

The reality is that Cancer and heart disease is the biggest killer … in Canada.

As Canada is so multinational they don’t really have a Canadian cuisine but more of a cuisine of cuisines which comes from the English, French and Scottish influences and there is also the influence of the Aborigines.

There are also the foods which are native to North America such as Squash, peppers, berries, wild rice, salmon and large claw lobsters all lovely foods and homemade jams and chutney are prevalent.

Metis stew did actually originate in Canada from the Aboriginal people and is eaten widely through the country and with such a harsh climate then stews and soups are certainly needed. Rubaboo is a Metis stew made with rabbit, chicken or sage hen and a wide variety of vegetables.

Maple syrup is synonymous with Canada and used instead of molasses in recipes. The maple syrup is also used to make snow taffy made by dropping maple syrup onto fresh snow and wrapping it around an ice lolly stick as it soft freezes or just cutting into soft taffy squares.

The average Canadians diet consists of processed grain and dairy products, farmed meats some fruits and vegetables also the high amounts of sugar, salts and processed foods means an unhealthy diet hence the biggest killers being Cancer and heart disease.

As in western cultures where breakfast and lunch are eaten on the go or skipped and with dinner being the main meal these habits all point to increasing obesity and preventable diseases which is a shame as with so much lovely produce available here it shouldn’t be the case.

hamburger-2253349_1280

Poutine is a good example of a very popular but unhealthy dish and is probably the most famous ” Canadian”‘ food which consists of french fries, gravy and lumps of white curd cheeses one of the foods which can be eaten on the go…

Exercise… it does seem that cycling and walking are seeing an increase although travelling by car is still very high but these quite recent increases show that in general, more people are looking at alternative ways to get around.

But overall although Canada has some of the cleanest air in the world their diets could be much healthier given the fresh produce they have available.

It seems that where cultures put much emphasis on sitting down eating as a family or with friends, taking time to eat they have the lower incidences of obesity and preventable diseases.

There is a lesson to be learnt here..methinks…

Before I go  I hope you have enjoyed the insight into how the Canadians eat and what they eat…

I have been shocked in more ways than one this week as to what is allowed online …I was browsing the internet as we do and came across what I thought were absolutely ludicrous claims …

Claims that doctors are speechless…Probably speechless at the mentality or desperation of people who want a quick fix …I mean a recipe which will help you lose ALL of your body fat in 3 Days!! It gets worse…. 8 lbs Body fat in 3 days, 11 lb in 2 days…Oh, My! 45 lbs in 3 weeks, 20 lbs in 2 weeks.

I would think now you are getting the picture and the most dangerous to my mind was the one which said you could lose 30 lbs of crap in one day…It pictured a lady on the throne …Please tell me no one in their right mind would take anything that was that powerful a laxative because that is what it is…

Does anyone seriously …read this crap and do/take it???

If anyone doesn’t get the meaning of a pink pig flying it is an English saying when we don’t believe something …Oh, Look! A pink pig just flew past!

 

Fads don’t work…Healthy Eating…No snacking every hour and exercise …THAT WORKS!

If you loved this post please hit the share buttons xxx

 

Nominated Blog Award

Want to see more from me???? I am a crazy English lady with a quirky sense of humour…Still, want to see more from me???

Connect to Carol( Moi)

New additional Blog: http://myhealthyretirement.com/welcome-to-orienthailiving-my-first-post/

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest ( 1): https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Pinterest ( 2 ): https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor635035/pins/

My 2nd Pinterest account is my new one connected to my new blog please have a look and follow me I don’t have many boards at the moment but I am adding to them every day…Thank you x

 

 

 

Pickled Eggs

18 Replies

Love pickled eggs??

 

But want a change ?? Love the colour pink? Then add some beets…Fancy a bit of spice  ?? Then check out these recipes…

JALAPENO PICKLED EGGS:

jalapeno pickled eggs

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 a cup of Cider Vinegar.
  • 3/4 a cup of water.
  • 1/2 cup of sugar plus 1 tbsp sugar.
  • 6 cloves.
  • 2 Jalapenos cut in half lengthwise and deseeded.
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds.
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 onion sliced.
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 9 Hard-boiled eggs, peeled.

Let’s Cook!

Boil eggs for 10-15 mins until hard. Remove from heat and put into cold water.

In a medium pan, put vinegar, water( or beet juice) if using, onion, jalapenos, sugar, and spices. Bring to the boil and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Pour vinegar over eggs making sure they are completely covered.

If using beet juice also put some beet in the jar with the eggs. You will then have pickled beets as well.

Make sure the lid is tight and refrigerate. The eggs will be ready to eat in a few days and will keep for up to a month if you haven’t already eaten them.

CURRIED PICKLED EGGS:

Ingredients:

1 cup cider vinegar.

3/4 a cup of water.

1/4 of an onion.

3/4 cup white sugar.

3 cardamon pods

1 tsp mustard seeds( yellow or brown)

I tbsp yellow curry paste.

Let’s Cook!

As above bring all the ingredients to the boil until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool a little and then pour the vinegar mix over the eggs making sure they are completely covered.

Allow to pickle for a few days in the fridge they are then ready to eat… Left with lots of pickle juice ????

Don’t want to waste that pickle juice???    Then have a …

Pickleback

What is a pickleback? You are about to find out!

It’s a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice and some even follow that with a beer chaser…

A popular drink in bars around the world and apparently very good….Have you tried a pickleback????

Until later when I am going to show you some of the worst diets known to man…

Make sure you don’t miss it…xxx

 

 

Garlic Salve

10 Replies

An interesting post on the properties of garlic which I love as much as I love my chillies…

Native Sojourner

IMG_3351[1]If you’re anything like me, you are well aware of garlic and all its perfection! The smell in the air can turn a room into excitement as fresh bread from the oven is sliced up and served with butter. Garlic is what I like to think of as the bacon of the herb world. Have you ever heard bacon makes everything better? Well garlic makes everything better in my opinion. Want green beans? throw some garlic in there and mix it up before baking. That bread going in the oven, throw some garlic in there. Making a stir fry for dinner? Add some garlic…OK, you get my point.

I used to live in California and there was a garlic farm our family would pass by a couple of times a month. You could smell it before you saw it. Not that garlic doesn’t have its moments….. such as bad breath…

View original post 1,076 more words

My most popular posts in 2017…

23 Replies

My Top Ten posts of 2017…Did it surprise me?

Not really it seems that many of you love Thailand as much as I do, that you advocate healthy eating with Halloween and Christmas thrown into the mix for good luck…

Numero 1.

Why I love Thailand!  

ancient-1807518_1920

This post  I suppose is my snapshot of the Land of Smiles, the food I love, the sunsets, the people, the festivals and traditions and there is more as you know we now grow our own Turkeys. I have discovered many fruits and vegetables which were previously unknown to me…

Thailand certainly has the power to surprise me… Every day I see something which makes me smile …

Numero 2.

Healthy foods which may help reduce your Blood Pressure.

lady holding veggies

I suppose there was no surprise that this post was as popular as it was as High Blood Pressure also known as the silent killer is something which many suffer from. I hope by writing this post I gave you the tools to better understand how food can be thy medicine I am a firm believer in that…Not always a replacement but something which can work alongside prescribed medication if need be.

Numero 3.

Healthy eating…Turmeric Drinks.

Turmeric

Again no great surprise as Turmeric is being hailed as one of the best cure-alls ever… It has its place like many fruits, vegetable and herbs but no one size fits all…What suits you may not suit the next person and it is moderation…And do not believe everything you read ..do your own research because if it sounds too good to be true..It is!

A good example is my own father who took drinking water…yes water to another level he did not apply moderation and ended up in hospital.

Numero 4.

Fish Friday…Thai Shrimp Cakes

Thai Prawn Cakes (2)

These lovely tasty little cakes are so very popular and are found on almost every menu in Thailand and market stall….very moreish eaten with a lovely spicy little chilli dip. Also so easy to make at home in your own kitchen…

Numero 5.

Some of Thailands most unusual foods.

SAM_7486

Yes, I have tried some of them…As long as they are really crispy and not squidgy I will try them… Hands up who has eaten crispy fried whitebait???? Or crispy prawn heads??? Not too much different… Do you think?

Numero 6.

Halloween recipes…Will you dare to try??

black bean burger

I would be interested to know who did try it???

Did you??

Numero 7

Healthy eating…Waste not- want- not

sardines-825606_1920

From pickle juice, potato water or oil from a can of sardines there is a use for everything …my favourite as a child and we used to fight over it…When my nan used to strain the cabbage water add a little vinegar and give it to us to drink we thought we had been given the world.

Numero 8.

Beat the blues with food and So pretty, so deadly tied in 8th place…

melientha-cookingVillage cooking…I was taught to use herbs to make a healthy soup…

So pretty! So deadly!

flower-meadow-2944029_1920

A word of warning when so many flowers are used in cooking…sometimes they can be so deadly and they are used in Brides bouquets even now… So just check which takes but a minute or two and could save a life or a nasty rash…

Numero 9.

Christmas recipes…Drink anyone?

gin-2126375_1920

There is nothing like a homemade drink recipe…

Last but not least…

Numero 10.

Matcha Tea Cookies.

green match cookies

Matcha drinks can be found on every stall and drink outlet here it is very popular… It is also open to tweaking because what I get here is not always what you can get where you live… A prime example for me was and is coconut milk… when my son went to the UK very recently most cans or cartons were only 40% coconut milk and it’s anyone’s guess as to what made up the other 60% but I think we know by now…Don’t we??

It is the same with drinks…many are loaded with sugars so all I am saying is read the labels or buy from a reputable source.

I have to get my little rant in as it bugs me that we have to be so careful because of the unscrupulous practices of manufacturers.

I hope you enjoyed my top 10 of last years posts and if you did please share as sharing is caring…

I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy New Year …