Smart Substitute

Enjoyed my Sunday morning routine and didn't feel too hurried to do more errands in the afternoon. Accompanied by two store coupons, I visited Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy my new stainless steel rice cooker. My old one was about seven years old and needed to give up its ghost. An inexpensive toaster made it home, too. Yes, the AGOL has never owned a proper toaster until today. I don't really buy bagels or sliced bread, but there are some whole grain muffins I want to try.



Surrendered more dead presidents at the shoe store to replace my current walking/running shoes. I haven't decided on whether to keep them yet or not. While functional and fit well, they are rather peculiar looking. That is why I am not sharing a picture of them. Whoa - who sneaked Shallowville in?

Your AGOL also spent some quality time at the grocery store. I had three new recipes I wanted to try and they required special stuff. I was bound and determined to have home cooked meals for lunch and dinner this week. Tonight I cooked a Potato and Corn Soup which was surprisingly full of flavor. The only bad part was that the recipe made a vat of it. I am sharing some tomorrow with Bridget and the temp...

You know why this recipe was so good? Not only did it require some bacon rendered to cook the chopped onion and garlic in, it also asked for 4 cups of half-and-half. Holy cholesterol and fat, my lovelies! I cut the half-and-half by substituting (1:1 ratio) fat free evaporated milk*. It was only 1 1/2 cups, but it was better than nothing. Next time, I am substituting 3 cups of it for the evaporated milk and keep the 1 cup of half-and-half. I am going to try the full substitution for heavy cream when I make Alfredo Sauce, too. Think smart substitutions because face it -- getting old sucks thanks to that dratted thing called cholesterol and his best friend called fat.


*For 1 cup half-and-half, 1 cup heavy cream OR 1 cup whole milk, substitute 1 cup of evaporated milk (regular or fat free).
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Smart Substitute

Healthy Bits

Yesterday while watching an episode of Oprah on living with less I saw Sigg, Eco-Friendly Reusable Swiss Water Bottles. This is a particular interest to me as I've been using a Brita water-filtering system to fill my plastic bottles instead of buying cases of bottled water and creating waste. Then there was a recent piece on the Today Show that certain plastics used and reused by consumers can pose a health danger. You can check the number at the bottom of the plastic bottle:

Inside the little triangle, you'll see a number, from one to seven. Bottled water is packaged in No. 1. Experts told the Today Show, the numbers 3, 6 and 7 pose the most danger, including cancer risks. Still, a federal panel of experts has some concern that even low levels cause neural and behavioral effects in children and fetuses. All plastics can degrade, especially with harsh treatment, like dishwashing or microwaving-- so you may not want to reuse anything, to the point that it's getting shabby.

After this piece aired, I checked the number on my 1L bottles and my sludge bottle. They all read a 7 which is listed above. Great. I needed an alternative. It came through the Oprah episode showing those Sigg bottles. I will order two of the 1L and two of the 20oz in the next couple of weeks. The smaller bottles will be for my mini backpack I take on my walks in the woods. My sports drink can be replaced by water. I also carry my cell phone in the front pocket and my keys inside. By shouldering this bag, I can leave my hands free.



I am not a tree hugging hemp wearing wench, but I am slowly doing my part in being more green. Processed food is almost non-existent in my cupboard which means less packaging waste. Most of those kinds of products are a cheap way to eat and I am no longer cheapening the quality of my food. Perhaps on another post I will list my other green ways.

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Nan Update: My uncle sent an updated note stating that they will be placing Nan in an assisted living facility nearby during their vacation to Hawaii.
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Healthy Bits