I've been reading up on "Blue Zones", placesin the world where people tend to live longer than average lifespans, this weekend after an interesting report on Weekend Edition Saturday about the Greek island of Icaria, where the life expectancy rate in 90+.
Pretty interesting stuff about their lifestyles & diet. There's also been a lot of reporting on other areas of the world where life expectancy rates are high, and I read and blogged about those, too.
If you want to read more, here's the link to my other blog, "My Mediterranean Diet".
Hope you all had a good weekend, my friends.
Cheap, quick, & easy - Black Bean and Potato Stew
Black Bean and Potato Stew Recipe
5 small red bliss potatoes chopped up & zapped for a minute and a half in a little water then drained
1 12 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz can of organic plain tomato sauce
16 oz of water
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp dill weed
2 tsp real dried oregano (not just the flakes)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 vegetable boullion cube
salt and pepper to season along the way
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil add potatoes, and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomatoes, and spices. Cover and cook til bubbling. Add the boullion and water, stir well. Cover and bring to a boil then simmer 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
This is quick, tasty, healthy and has legumes, veggies and whole grain all in one very inexpensive recipe.
5 small red bliss potatoes chopped up & zapped for a minute and a half in a little water then drained
1 12 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz can of organic plain tomato sauce
16 oz of water
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp dill weed
2 tsp real dried oregano (not just the flakes)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 vegetable boullion cube
salt and pepper to season along the way
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil add potatoes, and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomatoes, and spices. Cover and cook til bubbling. Add the boullion and water, stir well. Cover and bring to a boil then simmer 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
This is quick, tasty, healthy and has legumes, veggies and whole grain all in one very inexpensive recipe.
This Week in WTF: My Sucky Luck
One May Day, from the hours of 7 AM to 10 AM, invloved the following things:
1 burst pipe/ hose thing from the toilet
2 inches of water flooding the bathroom
1 pair of pliers to try to turn the water off at the toilet, which did not work
1 major digger in the slippery hallway in which I bumped my head, knee, and elbow
8 soaked towels
1 plastic tarp
3 bags of dirty-laundry-as-sandbag
1 rug as barrier from bathroom to rest of apartment
1 half naked Rene, the roommate, (in towel after shower) in the basement trying to figure out how to shut the water off, unsuccessfully
1 911 call because Rene knew we needed to take action immediately
6 firefighters, four of whom were young and hot as hell - too bad the house was a bit on the messy side - who successfully turned the water off
1 funny comment from a cute firefighter, asking if we were from the mid-west -- because we did such a good job preventing the water in the bathroom from leaking further into the apartment, with the laundry-as-sandbag/tarp/rug/towel barrier
1 landlord, with her lovely, calming Irish brogue, who helped drain the water in the bathroom into the bathtub
2 concerned (for their ceiling, which was leaking) neighbors
1 trip to Starbucks around the corner because I had not taken my morning pee and could not hold it any longer
1 undraining bathtub
1 plumber - who fixed the toilet no problem but had a hard time with the tub
1 broken drain in bathtub that the plumber thought he'd have to cut through Rene's wall to fix
1 miracle in that with some jiggling, he was able to extract the broken drain thingy and he came back to fix it a half hour later & will not have to tear a hole in the wall to do so
3 hours of "seriously, WTF"ing
1 very stressed and tired Madeline the Pin-Pin, who is now resting under the blankets on the couch
1 bathroom, completely back to normal, as if nothing had happened
1 burst pipe/ hose thing from the toilet
2 inches of water flooding the bathroom
1 pair of pliers to try to turn the water off at the toilet, which did not work
1 major digger in the slippery hallway in which I bumped my head, knee, and elbow
8 soaked towels
1 plastic tarp
3 bags of dirty-laundry-as-sandbag
1 rug as barrier from bathroom to rest of apartment
1 half naked Rene, the roommate, (in towel after shower) in the basement trying to figure out how to shut the water off, unsuccessfully
1 911 call because Rene knew we needed to take action immediately
6 firefighters, four of whom were young and hot as hell - too bad the house was a bit on the messy side - who successfully turned the water off
1 funny comment from a cute firefighter, asking if we were from the mid-west -- because we did such a good job preventing the water in the bathroom from leaking further into the apartment, with the laundry-as-sandbag/tarp/rug/towel barrier
1 landlord, with her lovely, calming Irish brogue, who helped drain the water in the bathroom into the bathtub
2 concerned (for their ceiling, which was leaking) neighbors
1 trip to Starbucks around the corner because I had not taken my morning pee and could not hold it any longer
1 undraining bathtub
1 plumber - who fixed the toilet no problem but had a hard time with the tub
1 broken drain in bathtub that the plumber thought he'd have to cut through Rene's wall to fix
1 miracle in that with some jiggling, he was able to extract the broken drain thingy and he came back to fix it a half hour later & will not have to tear a hole in the wall to do so
3 hours of "seriously, WTF"ing
1 very stressed and tired Madeline the Pin-Pin, who is now resting under the blankets on the couch
1 bathroom, completely back to normal, as if nothing had happened
I'm a little teapot
Here's my new Mondrian-esque retro style teapot from Ocean State Job Lot. It was six bucks. I totally love it. Isn't it adorable? All credit to Mom who spotted the whole lot of teapots after I walked right past them.It's my one cute thing that brightens up my really reallllllllllyyyyy crappy week. More on that to follow.
Apartment Gardening
Remember last spring, when I heard Robert Pogue Harrison on On Point and it made me want to start gardening? So, I started small with some house plants. I've got two spiky thingies, a bamboo, a mother-in-laws tongue, a Peace Lily, one pink leafy thing, one mini ficus, some just plain green leafs, some stems and green leaf and the tiger leaves and a rosebush.
Now I'm going to do chives, red pepper and basil. We'll see. I'm going to do them from "scratch". And I'm going to buy a tomato plant and do that Topsy Turvy Planter thingy As Seen on TV.
Indoor gardening is fun! I can't wait to grow up and have an outdoor one someday in 2012 or later.
Now I'm going to do chives, red pepper and basil. We'll see. I'm going to do them from "scratch". And I'm going to buy a tomato plant and do that Topsy Turvy Planter thingy As Seen on TV.
Indoor gardening is fun! I can't wait to grow up and have an outdoor one someday in 2012 or later.
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