Snooty-Pants Cookie Rant

The French macaron (mac-uh-rohn), not to be confused with the macaroon (a nest of coconut), or with Emmanuel Macron (President of France), is a sweet little pristine French sandwich cookie. 

Note the number of 'o's' and syllables. 

It is a pet peeve of mine to hear macarons mispronounced as macaroons or even Macrons. 

Tom and I were watching a show last week featuring two wealthy and supposedly fabulously-cultured American college women summering in Paris, intermittently speaking fluent French to waiters, limo drivers, each other, you get the picture. All was well until, while dining at a charming outdoor sidewalk café, one young woman leaned over the small gold-rimmed round table and enthusiastically asked the other, "Ohhh, shall we order some macaroons?" 

They did order. No coconut cookies arrived, only sweet colorful macarons on an ornate étagère. 

Ask Tom how peeved I get when this happens. He is so well-versed in my peevishness that he now whips his head around and looks at me, waiting for me to say, "It's not macaroons!!!" In fact, he has said it all on his own. Sometimes we blurt it together: "It's not macaroons!!!" (He's such a work of art after being under my tutelage for over four decades.) 

Honest cookie mistakes I can tolerate, but seriously, it's not that hard. Delicate colorful French sandwich cookies are macarons. Not macaroons, macarons. One 'o' makes all the difference. 

Now that you know to call macarons macarons and not macaroons, please sow seeds of correctness everywhere you go. It will make the world a more civilized place, and you a bright star. 

Carry on.

Home Stretch - Last Three Days

October has been a most pleasant month for me.

Beautiful autumn scenery, a gorgeous surprise around each corner.

Family time.

Cooler weather.

Soup making.

Fires in the wood stove - one or two.

And time to think about my eating and its effects.

Illumination: sugar makes me cranky, unreasonable, tired, sleep-deprived.

I knew sugar negatively impacted me, but after not eating it for a few weeks, then giving in, the effects were loud and clear.

It's a good thing to know.

So, I'm pleased with this October Unprocessed adventure, second time around.

Good things learned, a little weight lost, more energy, creativity restored, back on track for the holidays.

I can do it.

So can you!

Never surrender!

Week Three: Going Strong!

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the mind in achieving lifestyle changes. In fact, I will go so far as to say, for me at least, it's impossible to achieve permanent changes without my mind first understanding, agreeing with, and embracing the change desired.

All that to say that after years of working to change my eating habits from rather mindless and super-sugared to mindful and natural foods, changes have taken place. 

I have been, of late, ramping up the input into my mind, input that provides positive reinforcement. I watch soothing, quiet videos of cooking Mediterranean foods. I watch videos of people living quietly and purposefully in France or Italy or Greece. I find myself energized. I find myself inspired. I find myself calm.

These moments of reframing my life in my mind eventually stir me to actions both intentionally and, happily, spontaneously. I pause before food choices determining if they are the best for me in the moment. Impetuousness is rapidly disappearing. 

I picture myself differently now. I picture someone who lives in beauty and health, naturally and comfortably because the choices serve my goals. I picture someone who enjoys living, someone who realizes the decisions made today create the moments that follow. 

Success or stuckness depends on the current mindset and then on the subsequent choices.

It's all coming together.

It's taken years. Years!

Changing one's mind is not a decision to take lightly. It is serious business, complicated business, and very very rewarding.

I weighed on Saturday, two days ago, and was happily surprised to see that my weight has decreased 5 pounds already. No suffering at all, just beautiful food, nurturing choices, and a mind at peace with my body.

Never surrender.

Ten Days in the Middle of October Unprocessed: Successfully Sorting It All Out

Though my posts are few and far between, still my October Unprocessed carries on quite well.

Even so, a few no-no's have crept in, still my eating is healthy and under control much more than normal.

Though my stress levels are through the roof, still I am conscious of that fact and take proper measures to dispel the buggers which trigger stress eating.

Breathe. 

  * * * Think it through.

Breathe. 

  * * * Think it through.

Breathe. 

  * * * Think it through.

And then, focus on the differences between feeling and being healthy and feeling and being unhealthy.

Breathe some more.

  * * * Study the goals, get them into my head, any way possible.

Carry on.

Seems to be working.

Never surrender.

Days Seven - Motivation is Key

Without real motivation it is difficult for me to get moving in an energetic way. I can sludge through my day, sure. But if something motivates me, pleasantness occurs.

My choices are sounder when I am motivated.

Today is a good example. I was hungry for my first meal of the day, at noon. I'd had a handful of nuts and some water earlier on. 

What to eat, what to eat? 

Then, I saw the naan bread on the counter. I'd forgotten about it. All of a sudden my thoughts swirled with possibilities. 

I plucked chicken meat off some pieces of a roast chicken from Friday night as I heated up the cast iron skillet. Some good chunks! Yum!

I drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil onto one side of the bread and helicoptered some salt on top, placed it oiled-side down in the skillet, and let the heat do its magic.

While the bread was browning, I tore apart a large lettuce leaf, grabbed a fresh tomato from my garden and rough chopped it, and sliced a red onion piece which I cut into small pieces. 

Time to flip the bread after oiling and salting it.

I poured myself a short slender glass of probiotic juice, quartered a juicy organic apple, and poured a big glass of water.

When the bread smelled browned and delicious, I lay it onto my plate, scooped the chicken on top, added the tomato, onion, lettuce, and several basil leaves fresh from the garden. Then, a little salt and pepper before I folded it in half.

It was beautiful!

It was so tasty it hit the spot like nobody's business!

Today's motivation was the naan bread purchased last evening. That unique food item sparked my mid-day meal, and thus the creative energy that propelled through the rest of my day.

See? Small things. Anything. Noticed things.

I've been happy and energetic and productive all day.

Life is only as hard as we make - and I make it haaaarrrrd sometimes.

Still learning.

Still learning.

Day Four - Gathering Inspiration From An Unusual Place

This morning as I watched a YouTube video hosted by a talk show host whom I shall not name - he has been around a long time and is quite famous - I noticed something.

Mr. Host has lost some weight. His face is thinner, as is his neck. His shoulders are less round and schlumping. 

I remembered him saying a couple of weeks ago, just in passing, that he'd been off sugar for about four months. I didn't think anything of it, but did retain the information. He'd become quite obese, lumbering even, and I wondered if his sugar denial stemmed from a health issue. Again, I didn't give it much thought at the time.

But today, his appearance revealed a noticeable change. I guess I hadn't been paying attention, usually just finding a video and listening, not watching. The change caught me off-guard this morning. I was surprised at how good and healthy and content he looks. His countenance more than anything gives away the fact that his determination to work toward better health is really paying off. 

In just four months.

I went back to former videos and sure enough, he was much larger four months ago. My, how he's changed in that one-third of a year.

His eyes are clearer, his skin, too, not waxy and sweaty looking as it has been. His freshly trimmed beard and hair reveal someone who is no longer averse to glancing in the mirror. His clothing suits him better; gone are the baggy flannel shirts and bulky hoodies.

Energetic, engaged, excited. He is back to his old self, and I couldn't be more impressed or happier for him, because I know what mirror avoidance is like. I know what breathlessness from too much abdominal fat is like. I know what facing limited and ugly clothing choices feels like, with extra girth keeping buttons from buttoning. I know what panic and anxiety over being stuck is like. It's horrible. 

I also know what success feels like, to befriend the mirror, and to find satisfaction and happiness in clothing that is attractive and fits well. I know the joy of breathing easier. I know the happiness of your face reappearing after having sunken into cheeks swollen with fat. I know the giddiness of feeling lighter, walking easier, doing everything easier. It's bliss. Every day.

Yes, podcast guy whom many people know, you inspired me today.

 

Congratulations on your successful journey. Keep it up! 

Your health flatters you!

Day Three - Unlearning and Relearning

An injury in my foot is really cramping my style. It is healing, slowly, as in the way of things.

I want to be in the kitchen whipping up all sorts of delicious foods but, alas, it's not to be. I have to stay off my foot awhile longer.

But I did carefully step into my herb and flower garden today where I sat at my little table to pluck coriander seeds and roll them into a bowl to dry. It's a ritual that always pleases me. The aroma! The colors! The peace and quiet!

Afterwards I again carefully stepped into another garden, the sun drenched backyard garden where the lush lawn cushioned my healing foot enough so that I could make it to the chaise lounge for a good long sun bathing, staring up into the maples, still green-leaved for the most part with a smattering of reds and yellows. A brilliant blue sky for a background, a warm low-in-the-sky autumn sun coaxing creatures out for a ramble.

All this got me to thinking about food. When, I wondered, did we go off the rails? I mean, ultra processed food is a rather new invention, becoming ubiquitous in the1980's according to Wikipedia. The addiction and dependence snuck up on us from then on creating massive sugar addictions and obesity, among other things. Who knew the dangers? 

Well, we do now.  

It's a hard habit to fully break for me, having utilized ultra processed food-like substances all of my married life without thinking about the harm they cause. I have gained a ton of weight from the 1980's until now. It is all too easy to stress-eat high-calorie fake foods: affordable, accessible, and palatable. 

I have to say, my palate has undergone an unlearning when it comes to these substances, though sometimes the Siren call wins. I'm always sorry afterwards, and I'm learning to remember the longer lasting sorrow before partaking. Most of the time. The gratification lasts minutes, the regret, hours. This I full well know.

Lying in a garden under the sun in between a large strawberry bed and an autumnally colored blueberry bush affirms to me that eating as God intended in not hard once the truth is known and embraced.

It just takes focus.

Now, for a cottage cheese and freshly picked tomato salad sprinkled with a few pumpkin seeds for my light supper. 

This is truly living!

Day Two - Check Those Labels

 Good choices again today even though plantar fasciitis is acting up today in my left foot. It happened once before - years ago! - and I was able to conquer it with proper home treatment, which I am doing today. It means I can't stand on my feet for a week or so while I ice, stretch, rest, and allow the inflammation to subside.

So, today I didn't prepare or eat what I wanted to, but I made good choice nevertheless. Husband was sent to pick up some healthy rice and bean and veg bowls for our supper with homemade tortilla chips. So good!

Tip for the Day: Always read your labels!

October Unprocessed, Second Time Around, Thirteen years Later, Day One

In 2011 my family and I participated in October Unprocessed, a month of eating better. According to the guidelines, unprocessed can be whatever a person wants it to be, but it must be an improvement on the quality of food one eats, especially with regards to processed vs unprocessed foods.

We went completely unprocessed last time. We read labels, we ate the way our great grandmothers would have eaten. In the end, we felt better, clearer, and more knowledgeable about the foods this country offers.

Well, here I am again, this time going it alone and with a few tweaks.

See, my family and I have greatly improved our eating since our adventure that October. We still eat processed foods now and then - mostly sweets because, to be honest, we are all addicted. But the quality of sweets is improved and the quantity reduced.

This go 'round my aim is to tighten up the screws a bit and get back to more unprocessed and less sugar, because as we all know by now, sugar is the devil. (My blood sugar levels are always perfect, in case you wonder. Sugar is bad no matter how good ones' numbers are. It does terrible things to our bodies.)

Unless specifically noted, everything is fresh, homemade, organic, and the best I can find.

How will I feel in the end? We'll see?

I shall record my journey weekly, just for fun and accountability.

Today:

Breakfast: unsweetened oatmeal with organic raisins, cream (NOT ultra pasteurized), and a small pat of good butter. An organic apple, Good Belly probiotic juice, cinnamon tea with cream

*Gouter: Reese's peanut butter cups - okay not ideal, I admit it

Dinner: Baked chicken, mashed potatoes with cream and butter, fresh steamed broccoli, fresh picked tomatoes, sliced.

Dessert: Kefir

* 'Gouter', is a French word for the light afternoon snack enjoyed around three or four o'clock. For me, it's usually around three, if I partake at all.

Here we go!

Weird Weather, Yellowjackets, and a Zealous Husband

Last Summer's Oregano

Stupidly, last spring, I didn't harvest my lush new crop of oregano.

A miscalculation on my part. 

I thought I had a bumper crop of the dried herb leftover from the year before. 

Nope.

And by the time I realized my mistake a whole slew of things occurred which put the kibosh on harvesting any during the summer. 

A yellowjacket nest at the roots of the herb and the subsequent spray dosed by our professional bug guy not only poisoned the plant for eating, but disturbed her tremendously.

Then, a weird hot summer prevented Oregano from rallying after the shock of the yellowjacket infestation. She appeared to give up the ghost.

In early fall the final death blow happened . . .

. . . or so I thought.

My husband was helping me with end-of-season weeding when he pulled up all the oregano thinking it was weeds because it looked wild and untamed and, well, weed-like. 

You'd be proud of me. I took it like a trooper. My beautiful Oregano, which had graced my garden for many years and kept us loaded up on its dried goodness, was no more.

After sighing, I said, "I can plant more in the spring. Don't worry about it. She had a good run. You didn't know."

Oregano Today

Fast forward to this spring. 

Imagine my happiness, ever the optimist and constant gardener that I am, when I spotted new growth pushing through the mud a couple of weeks ago. One good warm day was all the coaxing she needed.

Today more sprouts and bunches of my darling Oregano absorb the sun and water.

I will harvest this year.

I never give up on my little herbs. Ever. They usually pull through.

And that makes me ever so jolly!

Click here to learn more about the many benefits of oregano.

Limoncello Bottled

Last Monday's post described  Part One of my recent foray into making limoncello, something I have done only once before, two years ago. The results were both excellent and satisfying the first time. I'm happy to say the results seem to be the same today.

Part Two was completed this morning. I made syrup and mixed it with the lemon peel and vodka which occupied my kitchen counter for one week. Then, I bottled it.

The first time I made the citrusy concoction, two years ago, I used regular organic lemons. This time I used organic Meyer Lemons. When I took a little sample today, I was pleasantly surprised that there was a subtle difference, more mellow, and a bit brighter. Meyer Lemons' rinds have a more complex scent than regular lemons, with a spicy bergamot fragrance which tastes and smells more like an herb or a spice.

Now, I have four bottles of the delicious Italian beverage resting at room temperature for two weeks. After that, to the freezer they go until such time as we wish to imbibe. This supply will last for the rest of this year, unless we have a larger get-together than usual. My husband and I love sharing it with our family at Christmas for an out-of-season treat. I am eager to sample this Meyer Lemon batch when the aging process is finished. 

When I serve it in slender limoncello flutes, I use about one third to one half limoncello and the rest good quality sparkling water, not mineral water, though, as it distorts the flavor. We enjoy San Pellegrino with other juices, but it did not pair well with limoncello. At all. Different people like different ratios, to each his own. We don't drink it straight. It's pretty strong for us as we are not alcohol drinkers for the most part. But diluted, it is just so refreshing!

If you click on the hyperlink in the first sentence, you'll discover information about exactly what limoncello is and where it originally comes from. If you click the link in the third paragraph, you will learn the differences between regular lemons and the Meyer variety.

Bottling liquid sunshine was the perfect remedy for another gray, rainy, Oregon day, and I enjoyed the process tremendously.

When Life Gives You Lemons - Limoncello!

Rain rain rain rain rain ..... today it is coming down in sheets, sideways. Like a Hollywood set with rain machines and humongous fans blowing it in horizontal waves across our neighborhood. An atmospheric river, according to the weatherman, gesticulating like a bad dancer at a worn-out wedding.

Life seems to be giving me lemons today, weather-wise anyway.

And what is the adage? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?

Well, as it happens, I bought ten fresh beautiful Meyer Lemons last week to make limoncello for refreshment on hot sticky days to come. It takes awhile to make, patience is required.

Today's gloom beckons optimistic me to create a little sunshine. Instead of lemonade, the limoncello process has begun. I wash the lemons, hold a sharp paring knife like a scalpel, and begin removing peel in very thin layers, no bitter-white allowed.

Immediately citrus scent permeates the soggy shadowy gray even as curtains of rain-rivulets dribble down my window panes. The storm is no match for repeated spritzes of lemon oil. 

My hands deliciously smell of the yellow, oily bits.

I am smiling. Summer has entered my home. 

Golden peels, delicately placed into a jar, are covered with one liter of vodka, and left to befriend one another. 

For one week.

Until Step Two.

Soon, after more ingredients are mixed, heated, and added, there will be lovely narrow-necked, whimsically labeled bottles tucked away in the freezer, available for perfect moments with the best of friends and family. Thoughts of sharing limoncello plants a smile on my face and zippidy-doo-dah in my heart.

It may be a lion of an April day outside, but sunshiny summer skies are alive and well in my heart. 

 

A Favorite Haunt

For decades my husband and I have enjoyed stealing away to our favorite funky, old-wood smelling restaurant just a few minutes from home. The food is good. The ambiance most welcoming. The view fantastic.

Nestled under the trees and next to the Willamette River, nature puts on a different show every time we go.

Outdoor seating with fire pits and umbrellas invite during better weather. Inside, the high ceiling, dark timbers, tiki statues, large overheard bamboo fan lights, living trees and plants create a solarium feeling, each booth and table intimate and friendly, while the two walls of glass bring the outside in, for a glorious roomy effect.

I have taken many friends to this favorite haunt over the years, family as well.

Just last week our daughter and two of our granddaughters joined us for a spontaneous Thursday adventure in the corner where walls of glass revealed a mostly sunny cold February day with daffodils and pink blossom-bearing trees dancing in the breeze outside. Our already upbeat moods were lifted higher still.

The little ones, ages almost 1 1/2, and almost 3 1/2 - those halves are very important, you know - enjoyed the food and Shirley Temples, just for fun. Our darling daughter, on solo-mom duty as her husband was away for a weeklong work-related school, enjoyed everything, especially not having to cook coupled with adult conversation.

Pleasureful meal-time get-aways remind us that life is more than duty and jobs, more than chores and bills, more than politics and cultural upheaval. Life is still good. Family and friends remain our utmost causes of joy and meaning.

And a good view frames the memory, making it last.

What fun!

A Summer Girl in February

I am getting sadder and more lethargic by the day. Where did my joy go? My energy? My creativity?

Concentrating hard on the causes of the happiness that has eluded me for months, a vivid memory is triggered from the deep recesses of my brain. It fleshes out, grows, become alive in my senses.

Italy. Provence. Mediterranean food. Sunshine. Terra cotta pots, new or chipped, with flowers or herbs, scraggly or pristine, it doesn't matter. Sun-flecked water. Fountains. Sun dresses. Swimming pools. Sun-warmed shoulders. Gardens of all varieties. Lawn games. 

Provence blue. Italian red and green. Pale yellow. Venetian boats and masks. French cheese caves. Fois gras. Pleasant wine. Bread! Oh the bread!

Dawning on me slowly is the fact that I am a summer girl. I was born a summer girl. I will die a summer girl.

Summer girls suffer in February. We tolerate the holiday months of winter and even the restfulness of January. But February is a killer. It should be warm. The bulbs are shooting up. Trees are budding. Heather is blooming. Nature is waking up. But it's cold. It's too cold. It's still too dark too long. 

Then, I remember other Februarys and the Marches and Aprils that quickly follow. Weeds suddenly pop up, taking over the landscape. I remember the pressure to keep up in the garden, to not let it get the upper hand. I remember how demanding it all is and how much time it takes. This is what happens after February.

But it is worth it because May and June are not far behind. Sweet June. How I love Sweet June, the month of gentle warmth and enticement. I want to ride my bike, to walk, to play, to enjoy the yard that my husband and I have tamed during springtime.

So, I wait. I use the remaining cold and dark months to write, to plan, to think, to rest. I enter the soggy gardens to soak in whatever sun God blesses us with. And I shoo the negative and pitiful thoughts away.

Shoo!

I drink water. I weed my soggy terra cotta pots. I talk to my gardens, encouraging and praising their progress and hopefulness. I eat well. I walk. I read. I rest some more. 

All in preparation for the joy that is to come.

"When shall we live if not now." ~~ M.F.K Fisher

June Breakfast

Colorful berries, crunchy walnuts, creamy yogurt

Summer Food in June

Waking up to a bowl of deliciousness

Life is Good.

"You learn to cook so that you don't have to be a slave to recipes. You get what's in season, and you know what to do with it." ~~ Julia Child

The Bread of Life - John 6:51

 

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Jesus

Outpourings of the Heart

Conversation on the Terrace, Venice 
Eugene de Blaas, Italian painter, 1843-1931

From my heart, I joyfully hosted a reunion for four college friends.

Vases of flowers strategically placed in meticulously cleaned rooms lent graceful aromas. 

The sun shone through clear, freshly washed windows and French doors framed with delicately laundered curtains. 

Lawns were mown, edges trimmed, gardens weeded. 

Only the highest quality groceries graced pantries and the refrigerator. 

Outdoor furniture washed and carefully placed on swept patios waited for friends to use while soaking in the springtime sunshine. 

Lavender and rose scented linens and bed coverings joined plumped pillows on guest beds. 

Kitchen cupboards brightened with washing. 

Floors glistened with mopping. 

My wardrobe washed and steamed hung in my closet in preparation for the joyous occasion.

After all my meticulous preparations and before the arrival of my first guest, I took some moments to stroll the gardens and my home.

What a comfort to realize that if I were to be a guest in this artfully curated home, I would immediately sense the love. I would relax into the beauty, cleanliness, and generosity. I would be compelled to communicate my appreciation to my caring friend for all the special touches. 

Thank you, my friends, for sharing with me that you enjoyed yourselves and that you noticed the effort of love I shared with you. 

It is my pleasure to create loveliness for you.

Thank you for coming to share a few days of friendship.

A Walk in the Rain

Splitting screen-headache. You know, the kind you get from looking at your computer or phone too long. It had to be done, but my head hurt like the Dickens.

It's Week Three of my new walking regimen. 

Three times a week at first with a planned increase to five.

This week - and this is Wednesday - I have not walked once.

"Never let your excuses be stronger than your determination."

I read that somewhere.

It came to mind today.

Wavering between excuse and determination, I looked outside and saw heavy rain pouring down.

Resolve shaky.......wavering......but I do love the rain.

Determination won!

Joie de vivre! 

Grabbing my pretty sage-green umbrella with the perfectly curved wooden handle, out the door I went.

And I walked. 

In the first block, a kind woman wearing a hooded red rain jacket walked toward me, her genuine smile sweet and supportive.

"We must get in our walks!"

"Yes. We must!"

I felt proud to be a member of that group, you know, the women who walk for their health group. I used to be the queen of it. Now, I am a beginner once again.

On the second block my neighbor walked toward me in a navy blue rain jacket.

I told her that her daily walks had inspired me to get moving myself after a four year absence due to a knee injury and fear of pain. Her positive impact on me seemed to make her happy. We agreed that it was important to keep moving, that movement is life.

"Have a pleasant evening!"

I walked on squishy rain-soaked leaves on the park's paths until I came to My Bench. It was wet, but I sat down anyway. A little water won't hurt me, and pants dry. I did my usual leg exercises while listening to the rain pelt the umbrella. What a pleasant sound!

I listened to and watched the rain splatter and bounce all around me. I began to smile. I do love water. A leaf fell on my umbrella, along with the rain, making a pretty red teardrop shape. The old-fashioned park lights came on, illuminating the paths and creating lovely shadows over the fall leaves and green grass.

While enjoying this reverie, I prayed for Audrey, the eight year old niece of my life-long friend, who suffers from a life-threatening brain tumor. She's back in the hospital with a dismal prognosis. Her lively spirit and sense of humor enliven all who know and love her. They cannot imagine life - or this world - without her in it. So, yes, I prayed for them all.

And I prayed for my friend who is recovering from COVID-19. She is doing well, but extremely fatigued. Her entire family contracted the virus, recuperating at different rates of speed. Prayers left my lips for them, as well.

Today, my determination was stronger than my excuses.

Tonight, I feel the endorphins of joy and relief and contentment.

My headache is long gone.

May I have this kind of success every day, in everything I hope to do.

And may you, as well.

Tea Trouble? Mais non!

Delicious hot tea, how I enjoy its comforting aroma, its tasty flavor, even the soothing ritual of making tea.

However - sorry, but yes, there is a however - both hot and iced teas have their downsides. 

Allow me to quote Anne Barone:

"I mistakenly believed that, drunk without sugar, iced tea was a 'diet beverage.' Now I know that iced tea poses hindrances to weight loss.

'Iced tea glasses are huge, holding about twice as much as the average water glass. On a hot day (and we had a lot of them where I grew up), I might slosh down two glasses per meal and several in between. That is a lot of caffeine and tannic acid. Nutritionists warn that tannic acid interferes with iron absorption. Not enough iron and we feel exhausted. And if we feel exhausted, we aren't going to be moving around burning up calories are we? We might just grab a quick sugar boost from a candy bar.

'Excess caffeine, besides depleting us of the B vitamins and vitamin C, can increase appetite and induce a craving for sweets. (Maybe that is why in my iced tea drinking days I couldn't pass the cookie jar without taking one.) Unfortunately, no-calorie iced tea can cause you to take in more calories in the long run - or suffer uncomfortable hunger pangs. The French stick with their mineral water with a squeeze of lemon as a hot weather thirst quencher."

Okay, all of that being said, let's add a positive however. 

However, I believe the classic rule of thumb - Moderation in Everything - applies here, don't you?

Awareness of the physical, emotional, and mental effects of food and beverages is crucial to good health management as well as quality of life. After drinking tea, I have often suffered from the disadvantages Anne mentions in the above quote. Feeling exhausted can follow in the hours after my sipping, even though I've had adequate sleep and exercise. Also, I've noticed a sweet tooth later in the day after enjoying my morning tea. 

Now that I understand what is happening, this awareness causes me to consider my choices and thus mitigate the effects. I plan when I shall enjoy tea, consciously eating foods high in the B vitamins, vitamin C, and iron on days when I don't have tea. I make sure to arrange for a quality, portion-controlled dessert for later to allow me to control the sweet tooth. Knowing there is a delicious dessert after dinner makes it quite easy for me to resist compulsive sweet-tooth snacking beforehand. I've also noticed that when I have my morning tea with a good breakfast which includes eggs (my morning protein-of-choice), I don't get the lagging feeling later in the day. 

Tea shall remain in my weekly diet, not every day simply because it upsets my stomach if I consume too much. I shall continue to enjoy its comfort and soothing attributes while remaining mindful to be proactive in dealing with the downsides.

Découragement non! Let us not be discouraged in tea's little drawbacks. The joyful indulgence is worth the consequences.

Yes, we can have our tea and delight in it, too.

Bois ton thé avec bonheur! (Drink your tea with happiness!)

Rediscover Your Joie de Vivre

A French lesson de moi à toi - from me to you - because I am having a joie de vivre sort of morning, thanks to Easter leftovers (Quiche Lorraine!) and afterglow happiness from a lovely Easter Brunch which included my daughter and son-in-law and their adorable one and half year old daughter, our precious Bina, who was completely delightful all day long.

Joie de vivre. What does it mean?

Joie de vivre is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, and exultation of spirit.

It can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of gardening, joy of anything one might do.

For the French, joie de vivre means looking at your life as something that is to be taken with great pleasure, to enjoy it.

Joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy of life.

Retrouver la joie de vivre! Rediscover the joy of living!

De rien. You're welcome.

Bisous! Kisses!