Sylvia's Scenario

We started our Fourth of July weekend today with a barbecue after Lauren let us know she was off today and wanted to come over for a run at Alki beach which, to our delight, also means staying for dinner.   I had bought these beef ribs at the store last week and I froze them in hopes that the weather would soon improve for a barbecue.  The weather hasn't really improved but we're barbecuing anyway.  It's known to be chilly around here on the Fourth and so it is again this year.  Bummer.  But tonight was still a great summer dinner.  Bruce cooked the ribs the same way he cooks his spare ribs  and they turned out great.  We all went down to Alki beach and Lauren and Bruce jogged about 4 miles, while I walked.  Then we came home to start our Fourth of July weekend with these perfectly cooked ribs. Along with baked beans and corn-on-the-cob, I made this salad from Smitten Kitchen  that everyone loved.  It's a ...

Our 35th day of self-quarantine .  We are eagerly awaiting the governors press conference today because he's suppose to talk about outdoor recreation activities and maybe lift restrictions on golf, fishing and hunting.  Bruce is eager to hear this one because he wants to be able to play golf again.  It seems to me that golf would be safe enough.  Our state is taking things really slowly so we won't have a second wave hit us of the coronavirus .  Now, every time the governor comes on the air, we're eager to hear what will be the next thing to open.  Last week, he allowed construction workers to go back to work. (I'm so glad our remodel is all done.  We started our remodel one year ago exactly.)  Two neighborhood farmer's markets opened last week, too, with lots of restrictions but at least that's something.  Our neighborhood farmer's market hasn't started back up yet, but when it does, it will be interesting to see how it's changed.  T...

We are in the epicenter of the coronavirus virus here in Seattle and there is constant news bulletins and recommendations coming out everyday.  It is getting rather tiresome, I must admit.  We had to cancel our Mariner ticket party  and were so bummed out about that  (The health department is recommending people over the age of 60 avoid crowded environments or what they call "social distancing".)   It's exhausting getting up every morning and reading the newspaper on all the latest developments.  And in the evening, the news reports go on and on about it.  Usually, this is my favorite time of the year, but this virus is certainly changing what spring is all about.  Our Mariner ticket party has always been such a great way to begin our spring, as well as our much anticipated beginning of baseball season.  And now, Bruce and I have to figure out how to do the ticket selection process on-line.  It's really not that difficult, as this is ...

This is my most favorite chili recipe and it contains no tomatoes or beans, can you believe it?  Tomatoes and beans are high lectin foods so I've been avoiding them as part of my anti-inflammatory diet.  If the beans are pressure cooked, then the lectin content is reduced.  Unless you pressure cook your own beans, the only other kind they say are compliant are  Eden Organic Beans   which are sold at a store near my house but I don't mind avoiding them.  And they say you can eat tomatoes if you avoid all the seeds and skin so tomato paste and sauce is O.K. if you know that they process them that way such as the brand   Pomi .  So, there are lots of ways to avoid lectin by not being that restrictive in your diet but I've found that there are so many good recipes out there by avoiding high lectin foods altogether, like this chili recipe.  It's amazing you can love a chili with no tomatoes or beans, but trust me, you will.  I've ma...

I hate to be a kill-joy, but I'm still following a  low lectin diet .  Yes, even though it's the holidays.  I did great over Thanksgiving and did not gain any weight for the first time in years.  And we basically had two Thanksgiving since my sister had dinner at her house and then the next day, I hosted a post-Thanksgiving meal so everyone could come over who had other obligations on Thanksgiving.  That way, we can also use up the leftovers from Thanksgiving and Bruce and I can still do a turkey which we like to do.  I like having leftovers and making soup with the bones afterwards.   I ate traditional foods at Thanksgiving but stuck to low lectin for the most part.  I've found that I don't have to do it 100% for it to work.  I'm doing it mostly for the anti-inflammitory reasons.  I can tell that it's easier to get in and out of the car, go up and down stairs, I have more energy, sleep better, etc.  I didn't ...

We are in Japan now and Sachiyo asked if I could make a "low sugar" dessert for Hana, which I happily obliged.  Nick and Sachiyo are taking measures to feed Hana a healthy diet (as I did when Nick and Lauren were that age) and part of that is no added sugar.  Since I've been experimenting with the Plant Paradox diet, I had already made these cookies from a blog called  My Heart Healthy and Lectin Free Kitchen .  I wasn't sure about them but Bruce said he liked them. Then my brother came over for dinner on Halloween and he said he liked them, too.  He took them home since we were leaving for Japan and his wife really liked them and asked me for the recipe.  So, I decided to make them in Japan and Nick and Sachiyo loved them and they were eaten really quickly.  Nick wanted me to make another batch but I didn't have anymore of the ingredients since they are odd replacements for a standard cookie recipe.  It's hard to find basic American ingr...

It is soup season now and tonight that's what we had for dinner. It actually snowed in the mountains for the first time today. Brrrrrrrr!  But this soup will warm you right up.  I really like the flavors in this soup because it has lemon and ginger in it giving it an Asian flare so it's not your usual chicken soup.  It also has bok choy and mushrooms in it, two of my favorites.  Bok Choy is often called Chinese cabbage so it's in a lot of Asian dishes and I love it.     I randomly bought this bok choy when I went to the Pike Place Market recently.  It was a nice day, no cruise ships in port, tourist season is over and it's a perfect time for a local like me to enjoy our Market.  I actually went to buy clams for dinner but ended up with 3 bags of food before I was done.  I bought some of the  "OH MY GOD" Flavor King plums that were as sweet as sugar. The vendors give you samples of their produce...