September 20, 2021 Day 68   It’s Monday, but I’m taking the day off today to play platform tennis (paddle) in the morning and then attend a 9 & Dine event with the Morris County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business group in the afternoon.  I’m sure there will be plenty of wine being poured at the event, so I’ll order water with lemon, and focus on the camaraderie, relationship building, business opportunities, and laughs.  There will be lots of laughs with my golf game!    Read More

September 19, 2021 Day 67   I was glad to have time to hike, shop for local produce, and read on a quiet Saturday. In addition to apples, I bought broccoli, white corn, and tomatoes. When I buy produce in season, I don’t have to plan meals as much because the season informs what to eat.   How about you?  How do you approach making healthy sugar free meals?     Read More

September 18, 2021 Day 66   This morning I’m looking forward to a hike with my health & wellness colleagues and a trip to the Farmers Market in town to pick up those crunchy fall apples I’ve been craving all week!   Read More

September 17, 2021 Day 65   For years we’ve been receiving Consumer Reports Magazine and it’s chock full of great reporting.  My husband always points out the food articles to me and yesterday he pointed out an article about bread in the October issue that just arrived. I dove in to see how they ranked the breads, whole grains, fiber, sodium, and of course sugar content.  Once again, the names are deceiving.  Would you believe that 100% Whole Wheat Wonder Bread has 0g sugar, while Dave’s Killer Bread Organic 21 Whole Grains and Seeds has 5g sugar?  And guess what I have in my refrigerator?  Fooled again because I looked at the front of the package, quickly grabbed it from the shelf, and didn’t look at the nutrition fact label or ingredient label.  I bought Dave’s Killer when my son was coming home from college to have on hand for the grilled panini’s he likes to make.     Here’s a list of CR’s best and worst in terms of added sugar.  We’ve talked about the Food For Life Ezekiel bread before, and those contain no sugar – yeah! Read More

September 16, 2021 Day 64   Yesterday was a day of webinars, meetings, and learning with an overall theme of Food is Medicine.  You know that quote by Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”.     First I attended a webinar by NourishNJ and was reminded about the increasing number of food insecurities even here in Morris County NJ where I live, one of the wealthiest counties in the state, and in the country. I learned about the need for fresh healthy meals, NourishNJ’s Purple Apron Meal Kits, and how individuals and organizations can help provide healthy meals to those who are food insecure. I’d really like to do something with this group to provide healthy sugar free meal kits!  Stay tuned on that. Read More

September 15, 2021 Day 63   I’ve been inspired by everyone who is learning even more about hidden sugars in foods in their pantry and kitchen.  It keeps me looking and investigating each day. Yesterday’s find was vitamins and who knows what today will bring?   This morning I’m looking forward to another great session with my health and wellness colleagues after a kale, spinach, plum morning smoothie prepared last night. For lunch, I’ve got a miso soup with veggies and tofu that I pulled out of the freezer.    Read More

September 14, 2021 Day 62   Another no-sugar added day yesterday.  It was pretty easy with no tempting leftovers from summer weekends or parties.  And even though I did the grocery shopping this weekend and bought the boys cookie treats to have around, that is not at all interesting to me.    I was craving a nice crunchy fall apple but didn’t buy those yet, so instead had crunchy red grapes for an afternoon snack. I’m looking forward to bringing in the apples next weekend fresh from the orchard.   Read More

September 13, 2021 Day 61   It was time to harvest the basil from the yard and make a few jars of pesto.  It smells so good!  I use pesto with spaghetti squash (or pasta for the boys) usually with lots of sauteed mushrooms.   Here is the recipe I used this time:   Read More

September 12, 2021 Day 60   It feels great to have the abundance of the season in the house.  Yesterday’s farmers market trip yielded kale, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, corn, cherry tomatoes, red, yellow, and purple peppers, red grapes, multicolored fingerling potatoes, and a sweet potato. When I got home, I washed and destemmed the kale, made a smoothie for the morning, washed and broke down the broccoli and cauliflower so it’s ready to cook, and put everything else away.  I’ll make a roasted corn, onion, and cherry tomato salad this week, and figure out what to do with the rest.  Having fresh veggies in the house is part of planning to eat well and sugar free.  Read More

September 11, 2021 (Day 59)   This date.   Forgiveness.   Forgiving does not mean forgetting.   Forgiveness, just like gratitude (that I wrote about yesterday), is a practice, and an intentional way of living. It’s also a way of taking care of ourselves; our self-preservation.    What’s in your heart?  Can you forgive?  Can you let go?  Read More