A Dining "Outdoors" Question

Is it still considered "outdoor dining" if you're in a 4-sided, windowed tent over brick pavement like this? Yes, that wall closes up and the restaurant says they can easily do that in inclement weather.

One Advantage of Being Hypothyroid

While my husband and son, 2 men who usually sport the shortest of buzzcuts, both look like shaggy dogs right now after 4 month of no barber (We were all due when they closed), my hair looks like it barely grew. In fact, a neighbor recently asked where I had it cut with all the places still closed.

Barbers and salons reopen here on Monday June 22nd, and they're still trying to figure out how to comply with all the new guidelines. We all have appointments for next Friday morning at 7:30am, as soon as our son gets home from work. I made myself this mask to wear. My husband has a beard and my son scruff so they have to wear regular masks somehow. My son said he may try the one with tape first and see if it sticks. If I can't find the fashion tape she says to use in the instructions, I'll use plain old Scotch double sided tape (Yellow dispenser). My skin can tolerate it for the 10 minutes or less I'll be in the chair.

On the page she also gives advice on how to use a cloth mask for a haircut, and even has a free PDF download of all the instructions when you send her your email address.

While on her site, take a peek at all her purse patterns. I've been making them since she released her first pattern, way back when we still had a fabric store in this city. Stylish and easy to make. I still use the Wonder Wallet I made from her very first pattern from "way back when".

Almost Forgot to Plug Esther's Interview! (Edited version)

I've mentioned Star McDougaller Esther Lebeck Loveridge a number of times here, and also pointed out her fabulous FaceBook community, Esther's Nutritional Journey about her story on how she lost 155 pounds in 3 years while in her 70's.

I don't remember if I mentioned her book, released during this current Covid crisis, called From Donuts to Potatoes: My 366 Day Journey on a Plant Based Diet.

Or the 6 page Beginners Manual to MWLP that she wrote and encourages everyone to share wherever they can.

The other day she was interview by Chef AJ, and during her talk she demonstrated how she makes her morning oats, AJ's Cauliflower Bisque, and the Esselstyn's Easy Bean and Corn Salad, as well as her own version of the Jane Esselstyn 3-2-1 Dressing (She uses lemon or orange juice instead of maple syrup).

Her husband Ben even makes a surprise guest appearance. :)






Edited to add:

RECIPES FROM COOKING DEMO WITH CHEF AJ:

1. OATMEAL: Use your choice of oatmeal: groats, steel cut or rolled oats and make 8 servings, pour into container and cut into 8 squares when cool. Scoop out a serving, add water and reheat in microwave or add almond milk after reheating. Add fruit and cinnamon, if desired.
2. SIMPLE BLACK BEAN SALAD: Put the following ingredients in a large bowl and stir: 2 cans black beans and 1 can water chestnuts - rinsed and drained, 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, 16 oz frozen corn (thawed, if necessary), 1/2 diced purple onion, a bunch of cilantro chopped, juice and zest of 1 lime and 3 T balsamic vinegar. (Garlic powder optional). Tip: If you want the crunchiness of the water chestnuts spread throughout the salad, slice them even smaller so you have more chunks.
3. 3:2:1 SALAD DRESSING: 3 parts balsamic vinegar, 2 parts mustard (I like Dijon) and 1 part lemon or orange juice. It's good on salad and squirted on broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. I use 3 fourths cup balsamic vinegar, 2 fourths mustard and 1 fourth lemon or orange juice.
4. CAULIFLOWER BISQUE: Put the following in your Instant Pot: 2 Pounds (large head) of cauliflower, 2 Pounds of sweet potatoes, 1 large yellow onion, 8 cloves garlic, 2 T dried dill, 2 T no salt seasoning (I use Costco) and 6 cups of water or broth. ( I use water - cheaper and handy). Set timer on high for 10 minutes, release pressure and add 4 T Dijon mustard, 4 T nutritional yeast and 3 C Almond Milk. Use emulsifier to blend up the soup (can use a Vitamix but it is a large quantity). Freeze extra. Good in a bowl, over rice, or over potatoes too.

Just a Quick Check-In

The mood around here is elevated to "optimistic" after going an entire week with no Covid deaths. Also, we now have more people listed as "recovered" than "active" cases. Next week they'll start allowing restaurants to have outdoor dining, although there was only room for 1 or 2 tables on our city's sidewalks in pre-covid times, even less now with the social distancing rules. Parents are happy day care centers are starting to reopen, and summer day camps will be allowed starting mid-July if all goes well. Next week we'll even be allowed to go into stores to shop instead of pre-ordering (if you know the store's stock by heart, since most shops don't have a web presence) and curbside pickup. But the poor kids have classes until the 25th and still have no idea if they'll be allowed back into the school buildings come September.

Still no word on when the library will reopen. We have books to return and a list of things we want to take out! First the governor said June 22nd, but later said there's no date yet.

I've been getting out of the apartment again, but mostly for doctors - another podiatrist visit and finally my 6 month ophthalmologist's appointment (2 months late). He's still only allowed what's deemed emergency eye surgeries, and he said some of the cataract surgeries he was allowed to classify as emergency. Instead of 15-20 surgeries twice a week he's averaging 5 a week, and all sorts of hoops he, his staff, and especially the patients have to jump through, including multiple covid swabs for all of them. He also chuckled and said to me that I won't be needing his surgical expertise for a while yet - my right eye's cataract is actually improving and my vision is better than the last few visits. He even saw changes for the better in the retinal scan, something he rarely sees. When I told him the credit goes to my diet, he said to keep it up and I may no longer need his services. I know that's an exaggeration - I've been seeing an ophthalmologist for over 10 years now for various problems - but it was nice to know things aren't getting any worse, especially since my arthritis is and I may be forced to see a rheumatologist and go on those potent meds that have vision problems as known side effects. I keep stalling, but the hands are getting so bad some days I can't even type, and my podiatrist said my feet are getting worse. Heck, I wake up multiple times a night with pains in my shoulders, legs, back.

But today, the sun is supposed to be shining, the temps aren't going to get too high, and the grocery store has been getting much of the frozen and fresh veggies back in stock, although at much higher prices, but at least I can (hopefully) get my entire food order again (Still a shortage on paper products). Keep your fingers crossed for me - mine are too stiff to do it myself.

Worth the Investment

Remember this post from April when I made Mary McDougall's Oriental Dressing? At the time, my only complaint about it was that even with a lot of the Instant ClearJel it was still watery and I vowed to purchase a bag of guar gum, the product Mary recommended all along.

Well, I did. And you know what? It worked! Just that tiny 1/4 teaspoon of this stuff and letting it sit for about a half hour in the refrigerator made a nicely thickened solution. It was thick enough that those little bits of minced garlic stayed suspended for hours instead of sitting on the bottom of the jar!

Since the package arrived I've made the dressing to serve over rice and veggies twice already and will be making another batch tomorrow morning. My husband said it beats out even Bone Sucking Sauce and Jane Esselstyn's 3-2-1 dressing. I'm now thinking of using it over linguini noodles and broccoli, and if I can ever find it in stores again, tofu.

Mary McDougall had something when she repeatedly said this is the best dressing she ever made!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

P.S. Our city just had its third day in a row of no Covid-19 deaths and only 10 currently hospitalized with it! Of course, now that non-essential stores are open for curbside pick-up and churches are re-opening (for private prayers with social distancing and masks, no masses or other ceremonies), and some places like gyms and daycare centers are illegally opening for business, we all expect this victory to be short-lived, but for now, we'll take any good news we can!

Good News for A Change

Our city just hit the second day with no Covid-19 related deaths! 

Since March we did have 2 non-connected days with no deaths. but this is the first time we've gone 2 days in a row.

Excerpt from Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook

Mary Pope, admin/owner of the Dr. Esselstyn Preventing And Reversing Heart Disease- Recipes and Discussion Facebook group, has recently pointed out that the Amazon page for the book The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook: Over 125 Delicious, Life-Changing, Plant-Based Recipes by Ann and Jane Esselstyn has a long excerpt from the introduction. Scroll down the page, beyond the Editorial Reviews, after About the Author, and hit the Read More link.


Great information about the food plan Dr. Esselstyn recommends - this info alone is worth the price of the book!

Plant Strong, Right On!

Just skip the "avocado on toast" and kale with breakfast and it's McDougall MWLP.

This guy's videos were included as part of the activities this past weekend on Engine 2's Plant Strong Primer Weekend. Sorry I didn't post about the weekend sooner, but I found out about it late and missed just about all the talks, anyway, and have to wait for the replays. From what little I did see, it was the usual Esselstyn shenanigans - Dr. Esselstyn did his Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease talks, Ann talked about what to eat on the Plant Perfect Esselstyn diet, Rip did his usual talks and meal demos for his 7 Day Diet Rescue version of the Engine 2 diet (Tossing together a bunch of fruit and cereal and call it Rip's Big Bowl, toss together a sweet potato, a bunch of veggies and fruit, and call it Rip's Big Dinner Bowl), Ann and Jane did a few of their fast and sloppy and unintentionally comical food demos (Oatmeal and sandwiches and ??), Adam Sud did his story of pulling himself out of addiction. There was also a talk by Jane's husband Brian Hart (IDK on what) and a talk by Dr. William Bulsiewicz on gut health. There were going to be dance breaks, music breaks, and even yoga. I guess I'll see them all when the replays are available.

The page advertising the weekend is still up on the Plant Strong website. Maybe they're going to sell the replays? I have no idea, but if interested, keep checking that website.

Merry Quaran-Christmas

Sue and Ed Go Grocery Shopping

Never get out of the apartment/off the boat - Absolutely goddam right!

Chef never got his mangoes, but at least I got my sweet potatoes! But now I know never to go out looking for them - or anything else not available in C-Town that my husband can just carry home - ever again. It's not worth the danger. Or the sore throat I now have.