26 AUG 2014 :: Cleaning up the past

I have started going through my past blogs to delete the ones from years ago. I will try to read them, print them to file somewhere, and remember what has already been said, what needs to be said again, etc.   I haven't decided what number of blogs to keep available...maybe two or three years...not sure. Once I have more to refer to, that may go back to the past calendar year only. I will probably decide as I go through my posts.

Writing can be such a challenge. Finding the details you want to include, or using the newspaper as a reference to a topic that matters...I would like to get more organized and include the places where I get my information without becoming an encyclopedia.  Opinions, but with references.  :-)  Maybe by next year we will have this process figured out.

Today (this morning) was a lot of household chores and getting food ready to eat.  I watch my food to keep from wasting the money it represents. I am working on portion control, trying to eat more veggies and fruits (which perish if you don't keep up with them), and figuring out calories. I should have been so aware when I was younger.  :-)   

But, with poverty and food stamps (currently $189 per month), you live on what you can afford and prayer. In the past that included emergency food boxes and soup kitchens. If you have children and the cupboards are getting too bare, you have to search for other places to get food.

Without children to feed, I am able to make some "luxury" food choices these days -- fruit and veggies, things I wouldn't normally buy. I am trying to budget in the Farmer's Markets and see what I am able to get with $10 or $20, depending on the month. I am also able to explore more bulk foods and things I have only read about...like steel-cut oats, almonds and walnuts, organic foods, etc. Using bulk, dehydrated refried beans, and dried foods help to extend my food budget. I am learning how to use them and most are considered healthier to eat. 

Dried pineapple is becoming a sweet treat. I read an article or watched a video somewhere that said it was a good substitute for candy and other sweets.  I think I agree.  I absolutely love the Apricot Logs I get in bulk form...it's hard to stop eating them.

Steel-cut oats have become my oatmeal of choice. I have been cooking them about once every week or two, and freezing what I won't eat right away. I discovered that a portion of oatmeal (and pasta) is 1/2 cup. I am moving toward preparing individual portions (with portions of dried fruit, walnuts, and brown sugar) and freezing them ready-to-use. It should work out great for my calorie counting...and I have discovered that eating the oats makes me "full" for a much longer time. I don't want it as a constant, forced choice, but it is a great option to have in the frig and ready to eat.

Eating less is a process. When I am active, I am never hungry, but I don't have that option right now. I need to eat smaller amounts and figure out how to exercise in my present situation. For me, the portions listed on food packaging is so very small. I end up eating two or three portions, and that gets discouraging. I am getting better at it. I want to lose the added weight I have collected, so I have it as my goal to get back down to about 140 lbs. over the course of a year...hopefully by next summer.

It would have been nice to have know these things as a younger person, but senior years are a diet issue I hear, so I will hopefully benefit from all this education and effort.  :-)