“No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch.” Michael Pollan, American author.
So true, so true. I have taken my big dog Grits for a walk several times lately, and we have made it halfway down the street and turned around and come home. It is just too hot and the mosquitoes seem to be on a mission to eat me alive full time this summer.
The excuses are endless and the bottom line is I just do not want to exercise, not one bit.
Through the destruction and reconstruction of our home, Dr. Pal made great strides in letting go of unnecessary items that were useless or just plain wrong such as his vast collection of telephone books, several electric typewriters, push-button phones and printers the size of an oven.
The one thing I could not make disappear was the Schwynn Airdyne bicycle that is now perched in the corner of our bedroom, staring at me every morning while I glare right back at it.
I am going to get on it, maybe not today but I am not going to let it get the best of me as I have never lost a stare-down.
One thing I do know is that if you want to be healthy get in your kitchen and cook.
Learn to cook if you do not know how.
Google it.
Think natural. The food industry has done a great job of convincing eaters that corporations can cook better than we can. The problem is it is not true.
Eating fresh vegetables and cooking your own piece of meat is so much better for you than processed, boxed items. The amount of preservatives and additives in pre-cooked foods is enough to choke a horse and one would think they would be preserving our bodies in some sort of fashion but it does not seem to work that way.
Living in the Delta, which is nothing short of an agricultural mecca, one would also think there would be a fresh vegetable market on every corner.
Sadly that is not true either, so keeping fresh vegetables on the table requires an every-other-day visit to the local supermarket and hope for the best. Which brings up another annoyance of mine which is the battle with the grocery cart.
Why can you not go in to a store, reach for a cart, slip it out of its sleeve and be on your way? Instead, I, along with several other women, are cursing and yanking at these metal contraptions that are all hooked together, refusing to let go of the one behind it, and when I finally beat one into submission I get the one that has one wheel that will not work correctly.
Madness.
Almost always you can get your hands on a tomato, some lemons and a sweet onion that you can combine with some cooked pasta, a nice salad, maybe a good piece of bread. This is possibly my favorite summertime dish and even if you cannot cook this is a great recipe to start with. Lemon is the key here, along with a Vidalia, or Texas Sweet onion, the big yellow ones sort of ruin the dish.
Grocery carts, Airdynes, processed food, and mosquitoes are all bullies and should be dealt with accordingly. Take control of what you can in your world and raise your spatulas! Learn to cook!
Summer Lemon Tomato Pasta
2 cups cooked angel-hair pasta
Olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Pepper seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Drizzle some olive oil in a heated, medium-sized skillet and add the onion. Cook for several minutes until the onions are soft. Add the chopped garlic and tomatoes. Stir occasionally and do not let the garlic brown. Add the lemon juice, zest, lemon pepper, salt and pepper. Check seasonings and add the cooked pasta to the pan. Toss well and check seasonings again adding more lemon and salt if needed. Drizzle the dish with more olive oil and add the cheese, tossing well. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
