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Happy hour with a theme

Posted in food, random with tags on February 1, 2026 by jefferyrn

This week’s happy hour had a theme, Spain. One of our residents and his husband volunteered to make Paella for an appetizer.  Other homeowners were encouraged to follow the theme.

We had a nice turnout and Rick and I got to know our hosts Gonzalo and Jon.  Gonzalo is from Spain and most recently had a restaurant in San Francisco on Noble Hill.  But after four years of barely turning a profit he decided to go back to being a corporate lawyer.  Needless to say the food was amazing.

Jon is from England. To add some spice to the gathering he handed out flyers  with instructions on fan language and fans were on all the tables so we could try them out.

These instructions are in Spanish. We had them in English too.
Souvenir fan from the party.
I’m not sure what I am saying here.

Supposedly Jon found some naughty fan language signs too but thought better of bringing them to the gathering. Of course after a few drinks we were coming up with our own.  He also taught us how to properly snap the fan and make the noise.  Some of my friends were naturals at this maneuver.

It was great fun. We talked about coming up with more themes for future events.  Maybe a pride party, but disguised as something else.  We could even parade around the park before the start.  Probably doesn’t sound as good of an idea this morning but we were having fun with it last night.  A one float trip around the complex and all of us in drag.

Not going to happen or will it?

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D’Coffee

Posted in food, random, Restaurants with tags , on November 8, 2025 by jefferyrn
Salty Carmel Latte

We went to D’Coffee for breakfast.  It’s a fun little restaurant in Palm Desert.  This was our first visit since they reopened in a new location.

Tragedy hit them a year or more ago.  The building  in shopping center burned to the ground.  We lost several businesses to that fire.

It was nice to be greeted by the owner and see that business was thriving again.  Most people who visit the area don’t get out to Palm Desert, but there are a whole lot of fun shops and restaurants if you venture out of Palm Springs.  This one is a gem.

Waiting area
Table for two.
Alice in wonderland
Clocks
Antique decor everywhere.
The path from the parking lot.  I love these trees.

🌴🌴🌴

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Counting calorie

Posted in food, health, weight loss with tags on October 4, 2023 by jefferyrn

Let’s talk about accountability. In this case, I mean counting the calories we eat. This means meals and snacks. There are several tools available to help us keep track. One that still has a free version and thay I’ve been using for years is called “MyFitnessPal”. It has a pretty good dictionary of both restaurant food and recipes you make at home. It also keeps track of your weight and exercise, giving you credit for the latter is in the form of additional calories allowed that day.

Sounds good. We have a tracking program and a slight reward system for exercising of course, food really shouldn’t be used as a reward. What is actually happening is penance for bad eating. If I exercise more I can pay for that cookie or dessert I ate already.

So here we go. We enter our weight in the morning, stark naked and after going to the bathroom, ever ounce makes a difference. We enter what we ate for breakfast. We are still on track. We enter our morning exercise, 20 minutes in the pool. We go about our business for the day.

Lunch comes. We enter our lunch. Still looking good. Then the afternoon comes, and we need a snack. One cookie leads to another. Suddenly there are no calories left for dinner. Oh no. Now we rationalize. I didn’t finish my sandwich, so I can adjust that to 3/4 . At this point we stop making ourselves accountable. We delete the snack because we know we will eat dinner.

Dinner comes. We forget about portion control. We feel defeated so we don’t record our meal at all.

Watching TV we decide to snack again. Why not? We already missed our goal. Does this sound familiar?

What should we do? First, don’t throw in the towel. You made some bad choices but you can start again make the right ones now, not tomorrow. You will do better in time. Don’t eat that ice cream during DWTS. You are bored, not hungry. I know it’s hard, but those dancers didn’t get those bodies by giving up on themselves. Pat yourself on the back for you efforts and keep trying.

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Pity party is over

Posted in food, health, random, weight loss with tags on October 3, 2023 by jefferyrn

The pity part is over. It’s time to move on and get back on track with my attempted healthy life style. Of, course Halloween treats call to me. But I am stronger. I can avoid them or at least hold myself accoutable for the occasional digression.

I can still do moderate exercise, like swimming. The pools are heated so no more excuses. I have been doing my laps the past two weeks, all though not as many. I need to build up my endurance and not rush things or burnout prematurely. I have ED so nothing is premature for me. Is that too much information?

Eating right and eating less are my goals. I had a salad for dinner last night just to prime the pump. There was a grilled chicken breast on top. I need some forms of protein. They bad thing was the garlic bread. But it was the best part. Baby steps. I am not a cold turkey kind of guy.

Ricky starts physical therapy next week, so my nursing skill will no longer be challenged. He start some new meds which have messed with his stomach so at least he is not eating as much. I just have to stop myself from eating his food. The trash can is my friend. It is okay to throw away food. Next time make less to begin with. It’s a process like everything else.

I want to stay positive. Life throws curves all the time. My health insurance is going up 300 a month starting in January. I my be eating less because I will be broke. Health food costs more. A hamburger special which include a drink and fries is 10, while that salad was 14 and the added chicken was another 5. That’s double. No wonder I eat the wrong things. I need to order and not look at the prices. Or, heaven forbid, eat at home.

I plan to start my exercise videos again. Circuit training but will exclude the cardio portion for now. Need to ease into these things and not put too much stress on my body and especially my heart.

That’s my quick update for today. Stay positive, eat right, and get moving.

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Holiday gluttony

Posted in food, weight loss with tags , on November 24, 2021 by jefferyrn
Gluttony - Wikipedia

It is the start of the holiday season, or as most of us know it, the season of food pushers. There are so many good things to eat and we want it all. The thing is that is okay. You can have it all. The catch is not to over eat. Making smart choices can be a problem when so many gathers this time of year are all about food, but times are changing and the traditional foods need to go with the flow. There are healthier versions of most of our favorites. But of course if you are not preparing the food you will just have to be more portion conscience.

There truly is no reason to eat more than normal. Fill-up on salad, soup, vegetables, and water, not gravy loaded mashed potatoes and stuffing. You can have them just eat more of the other things and you will still feel satisficed. More fiber is good. Yams have more fiber than traditional mashed Idaho’s. You can have whole grain dinner rolls. Careful with the butter. Pumpkin pie is really not that bad, if you don’t eat the crust or serve it as custard. If you want the crust and who doesn’t, then cut back on something else. Choices are the name of the game, and moderation.

But what about all the cookies and candy? That is a big problem for me. My best advice is don’t make the cookies or just put them out for the guests and have some veggies for an alternative snack for you. Hummus is a good dip for raw vegetables.

Our Favorite Hummus
Hummus

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

If you do over eat, go for a stroll after dinner. Walking is a great way to digest all of that stuff and burn a few of the calories in the process. Go shopping. Walking the mall is great exercise. Certainly, the crowds on Friday will make this a tough sell, so maybe walking the dog or a round of golf or something would be more fun.

Lastly, don’t beat yourself up if you fail miserably and eat the wrong things. One day is not the end of everything. Don’t weigh-in for a few days. Let that extra salt and calories work through your system. It will be okay. It is not all or nothing. It is a process.

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Recipe Thursday – Baked Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes

Posted in food, health, weight loss with tags , , on October 21, 2021 by jefferyrn

I has been awhile since I have posted a recipe. It is not that I don’t eat, it is just that I have not been very creative. It seems like one wouldn’t need a recipe for this but here you go.

Now we often use pork chops with the bone-in from Trader Joe’s. Also you can just bake the yam with the skin on like a baked potato. Saves time too. Add cinnamon to the butter and it is delicious. Yam’s and sweet potatos are very similar, but I prefer the ones called yams. They are brighter in color and sweeter too.

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Recipe – Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted in food with tags on March 18, 2021 by jefferyrn

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Recipe – Eggplant Lasagna

Posted in food, health, weight loss with tags , , on March 10, 2021 by jefferyrn
My plate is too big.
Doesn’t look pretty but it was delicious.

We followed the recipe to a point. My husband fried the eggplant in olive oil after salting* it and pressing it for 30 minutes to remove some of the water. And then rinsing it to remove the salt. He also used his own homemade spaghetti sauce we had in the freezer.

What it was supposed to look like.

*SALT. Eggplant needs to be seasoned well. Sprinkle the eggplant with kosher salt, let it sit for several minutes, then use a paper towel to pat away any excess moisture. The salt softens the eggplant’s bitterness and draws out any excess moisture.

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Elephant in the room

Posted in food, health, weight loss with tags , on March 5, 2021 by jefferyrn

Yesterday was a tough day.  The “elephant” was beating me up bad. This is the term used to describe that uncontrolled devil on your shoulder that wants you to eat that cupcake in the break room or have that bag of chips.  Yesterday, I was craving ice cream.  I am learning that you cannot ignore the elephant. You need to reward it in some way.

Elephant in the room

There is a plan.  Okay so I am not an expert and don’t necessary have the right acronyms here but, basically there are three things.  First you identify what, then you plan the how, and finally you attempt to placate it in some way. 

So, the target (what) was gelato at the Peppermill.  It is basically free because we have comps there to pay for it. (Don’t ask, that is another vice I am working on.) Rick wanted some gelato too. (Co-dependency or person to blame.)  Normally, I would just give in to this straight up.  But this time there was a plan.

Gelato

I explained to Rick that we had just discussed this problem in Noom.  I told him that while I can have Gelato, it can’t be every time we go past the ice cream counter.  I need to schedule it.  We agreed.  But of course he wanted me to put it on the calendar for last night.  I gave in with the understanding that that would be the once in the next few days for such a treat.

We went to get the gelato.  There were choice to be made at the ice cream counter.  I made a conscience decision to pick something that would not completely blow my calories for the entire day.  I had a Raspberry Sorbet.  It was delicious.  The elephant was satisfied.  Crisis averted.

Raspberry sorbet – the compromise

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Recipe Thursday

Posted in food, health, random, weight loss with tags , on March 4, 2021 by jefferyrn

I haven’t tried this one yet but it looks good to me. It’s mostly a “green” choice, which means low calorie density. The only density really comes from the butter.

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