Water The Drink of Life

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The mug in the photo I bought in a museum gift shop. I get a kick out using the coral-and-turquoise green cup. Filling it up with water throughout the day in my apartment.

I cannot abide anything “neutral”–in the color of my clothes nor in the walls and furniture and items in my home.

Why not treat yourself to a mug you’ll feel wonderful using.

Take a stand every day by making each moment stand out for its beauty. There’s no shame in wanting to surround yourself with beautiful objects like a new mug.

Everyone and everything is beautiful.

Making it convenient to do what’s healthy for you is the way to succeed at your wellness goals.

Would a white ceramic mug be as motivational an ally in drinking water. It’s possible a white mug will inspire you. Who knows.

I go against the critics who claim you don’t need to drink plenty of water every day. They assert that “everyone” gets enough water in the food we eat.

Really. What about people chowing down on a Big Mac fries and cola for dinner. Frosted flakes of cereal for breakfast. Fried chicken nuggets for lunch.

You see why I don’t take self-appointed “experts” seriously.

Comparing your needs to what other people are able to do is foolish too. I for one strive to drink 72 ounces of water every day. Even when no one around me is drinking any water at all.

It’s our choice to decide: Are we going to be upset that others can “get away” with munching on Doritos and appear to remain healthy.

Food is fuel for our bodies which are workhorses to achieve our goals. Water is the drink of life.

If you ask me everyone should get a once-yearly checkup with a reputable primary care doctor that you trust and like and who is reputable. This is how to find out what you need to do to remain healthy. I employ an Integrative Health Coach too.

The other thing is to buy a colorful water bottle to fill with water to keep on your night table. Drinking the bottle of water when you wake up has benefits.

I bought a 23-ounce lavender water bottle in a drugstore. I drink the water when I wake up. I have a 27-ounce Kleen Kanteen purple water bottle I use at my job when I have lunch.

Water is the Drink of Life. It truly is. Tests can reveal that you need to drink more water when you get a yearly checkup.

Forget the so-called experts who hang out a shingle. They’re likely selling products. Like Dr. Gundry’s Reds which I’m skeptical of without having bought.

The products might not harm us. Yet we often really don’t benefit from the products like the experts say we will.

Water. Drink up!

Sun-dried Tomato and Tuna Panini

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Taken from the 5 Ingredients 5 Minutes recipe magazine:

Sun-dried Tomato and Tuna Panini

5 ounce can chunk-light tuna in water drained

4 finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Pinch of salt

2 slices sprouted whole-wheat bread

1/4 cup shredded fresh mozzarella

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, mayonnaise and salt in a small bowl.

Spread the tuna mixture on 1 slice of bread and top with mozzarella and another slice of bread.

Brush the bread with oil. Cook the sandwich in a panini maker or in a small skillet over medium heat until toasted.

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I didn’t use the mayonnaise. Other than that I followed the recipe.

Pesto & White Bean Stuffed Tomato

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1 large tomato

1/4 cup canned white beans rinsed

2 teaspoons pesto

Torn fresh basil for garnish

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Slice tomato horizontally and hollow out each half. Fill with beans and drizzle with pesto.

You can sprinkle salt on the tomato and garnish with basil if you want.

I didn’t use the salt or basil.

This is the ideal quick meal recipe. Tomatoes are in season in the summer and even at the end of the summer.

These tomatoes would be a great snack instead of chips or pretzels.

I buy organic beefsteak tomatoes and Goya organic Cannellini beans to create the recipe.

Sweet Potato Snack #2

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Toast 1/4-inch thick sweet potato slices in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Raspberry & Cream Cheese:

For each slice:

Add on top after cooking sweet potato:

1 1/2 Tbsp. reduced-fat cream cheese

1 1/2 tsp. mashed thawed frozen raspberries

2 tsp. toasted chopped hazelnuts

1/2 tsp. honey

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Be careful to use the right knife to slice the sweet potato.

Otherwise you could cut your thumb (aloe vera to the rescue!).

Caprese Sandwich

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This is an easy simple recipe that can be used for lunch though I had the sandwich for dinner.

Caprese Sandwich

Sourdough bread

Fresh mozzarella

One medium tomato

Pesto sauce

Balsamic glaze

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Spread thin layer of pesto sauce on two slices of bread.

On one slice add mozzarella slices over pesto. Place tomato slices over cheese.

Drizzle balsamic glaze over top.

The original recipe calls for adding basil leaves over the mozzarella.

Cover the sandwich with other slice of bread.

Spread butter over each side of bread. Heat in skillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

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I used Gotham Greens Classic Pesto and Bread Alone certified organic Whole Wheat Sourdough plus an organic beefsteak tomato.

Lastly: I burned the skillet at the end of heating the second side. You might want to heat the second side of bread for only 3 minutes.

Sweet Potato Snack

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The recipe for this snack I took from the Eating Well Eating for Energy magazine. It’s a quick simple and easy healthful alternative to processed food snacks.

To make the sweet potato toast:

Cut 1/4-inch thick slices from the center of the potato. Toast until tender and starting to brown 12 to 15 minutes.

I used the oven and heated 2 potato slices for 30 minutes because it took longer to toast the slices.

Apple & Smoked Gouda

On each slice add:

2 Tbsp. shredded smoked Gouda + 4 apple slices

+ 1 tsp. toasted coconut

+ 1/2 tsp. maple syrup

+1/8 tsp. flaky sea salt

This is the tastiest snack that I had for dinner using 2 slices of sweet potatoes.

It could be the ideal snack post-workout if you exercise in a home gym.

Alfredo Corn

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The upside-down pasta bowl proclaims Bon Appetit. The recipe for the alfredo corn in the photo comes from Bon Appetit magazine. It’s creamed corn circa 2024. Better than the store-bought kind which likely has a chemical additive via natural flavor as an ingredient.

This is my new favorite recipe. Though I used 3 ears of corn the kernels did not fill up 2 cups in the measuring cup. In the future I’ll buy six ears of corn to make the full recipe.

Plus I did not use the Parmesan cheese crisps. I also used David’s Kosher salt not the Morton.

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter cut into pieces

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 large ears)

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt plus more

2 oz. Parmesan finely grated (about 1 cup) plus more for serving

Store-bought Parmesan cheese crisps (such as Whisps for serving)

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Melt butter in a medium high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and cook, swirling pan, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add corn and cook, tossing often, until tender, about 2 minutes.

Mix cornstarch and 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt into 1/2 cup room-temperature water in a small bowl until dissolved. Add to pan; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid thickens and clings to corn, about 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Add 2 oz. Parmesan and stir vigorously until mixture is creamy and melted. Taste creamed corn and season with more salt if needed.

Spoon creamed corn into a shallow bowl. Top with more Parmesan; coarsely crush a handful of cheese crips over.

Nectarine Bruschetta

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2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp honey

1 nectarine sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 Tbsp very coarsely cracked black pepper

2 large, thick slices country bread

6 Tbsp ricotta cheese divided

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In a bowl, whisk together vinegar and honey to dissolve. Add nectarine slices and toss to coat.

Let marinate 10 minutes. Add oil and pepper and toss to coat.

Grill or toast bread and spread with ricotta. Then spoon nectarines and juices on top.

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Though the recipe is supposed to serve 2 I had the two bruschetta slices on my own.

I used the kind of small peppermill you buy at the supermarket to twist and grind the pepper.

Keep the bottles and ingredients together in one place like on a cutting board in the sink. This will make cleanup easier. I used an ordinary soup bowl to marinate the nectarines in. You can use a small glass mixing bowl.

Appetite for Destruction

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This blog entry is not intended to be a boot in the bum. At the end I tack on the truth: we cannot judge each other for the choices we make. The choice to eat meat is a personal decision. Fire up the barbecue if you want.

I’m not a total saint as though I don’t eat meat I have chicken and turkey. They are not without controversy either.

My goal is to make followers think for five minutes about what each of us can do to promote the health and welfare of Americans. Seeing beyond our own plates is called for.

The book shown above is an expose of the food industry where a handful of corporations earn billions of dollars at the expense of their loyal customers who buy their food “products.”

Apart from what I believe is the health risk of eating meat I won’t eat meat for other reasons. I stand in solidarity with homeowners living right near the CAFOs–slaughterhouses.

Negative health effects of the people living near these confinements include “a lower life expectancy and higher rates of infant deaths, asthma, kidney disease, tuberculosis, and blood poisoning” according to the book which everyone should read.

Workers falling into manure pits die from the fumes. Industry-bought economists at college universities tout the economic growth that CAFOs bring to these areas. That is a lie.

Income inequality thrives where CAFOs exist in rural areas like these. Elected leaders are in cahoots with these big food businesses via deregulation and rubber-stamping the building of new slaughterhouses.

“High poverty rates and anemic job growth” follow these CAFOs. Undocumented workers comprise the employees here as no Americans want their kids to work there. The fallacy is that CAFOS promote good jobs. In fact indentured servitude is more likely what these kinds of jobs are.

The solution is voting with our wallets and pocketbooks like always. We don’t have to buy what these billionaires living in mansions are selling: ill health and income inequality.

Elected leaders who don’t want undocumented people coming here are colluding in allowing undocumented people to work in CAFOs. This hypocrisy is not funny.

What else can we do?

Some of us will tout the benefits of eating a nice juicy steak and continue to do so. We cannot judge each other for the choices we make.

However we can open our eyes to what is going on. Lobby for workers’ rights and the ability to form a union at a CAFO.

Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

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I took this recipe from allrecipes.com. Just say no to boxed instant pudding with food dye. Per serving this had 33g sugar so it’s best reserved for an every-so-often treat.

To its credit the recipe per serving has 6g protein.

The recipe serves 4. Yet I used only 3 crystal bowls filled up near to the top.

For a summertime and year-round treat I say yes to this pudding from scratch.

The chocolate pudding tastes like real chocolate. Not the chemical chocolate taste of the instant boxed kind.

I had a bowl of this chocolate for breakfast. It tastes delish. I recommend steering clear of products in supermarkets. Instead use recipes or create on your own recipes for food like this that you can make from scratch.

Though you were supposed to stir constantly for 20 minutes on medium heat I have a hotter flame. So I stirred the mixture for only 10 minutes.

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir in milk.
  2. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
  3. remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.
  4. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in the refrigerator until serving.