Perhaps, someday-

My last post in this blog was about the time we started selling our house. It has not yet sold, though we got so close as to have packed everything up and moved it all to storage in our target new location. The sale fell through, so we are essentially camping in our house while we seek a new buyer in the worst home market since 1963.

Needless to say, I haven't been barbecue oriented since I gave my Char-Broil Silver Smoker to my son. I figured moving it a few blocks made more sense than trying to take it hundreds of miles. I can get a replacement, and possibly try something new and different. I am not yet decided what that will be.

Additionally, I am learning to eat differently. I have lost 40 pounds or so, and in the Holiday Season my best hope is to maintain that loss and not loose ground by gaining weight. In learning to eat differently I hope to equip our new home with tools for food experimentation and lots of food related learning.

So, eventually I will be back, posting in this blog with such things as seem blog-worthy. Until then, I am camping in my own home and waiting on whatever comes next...

Dehydration-

In exploring alternative forms of food to go along with my efforts to reduce my weight and control my intake of carbohydrates I have been eating a variety of dried foods. My daughter found a nice mix called "Fruit and Nut Medley" at Costco. She also found a nice blend of rice crackers at that same source.

I have been experimenting with blending various snack blends from the Dollar Tree, as well. I like their Santa Fe mix, containing some cracker bits, roasted corn, peanuts, and a few other things. To that I add their dried pineapple and mango snack, and the chili and lemon flavored dried garbanzo beans.

Unfortunately, neither Costco nor Dollar Tree stock any dried vegetable snack items. I have not yet found a good source of dried cheeses that will fit in with my current program of frequent small meals. These dried snack items I have so far found are mixed into a big plastic jar. I recently added some beef jerky from the Dollar Tree, and found those bits add a lot to the mix. I add only a little, cutting the jerky into small bits.

The spices that flavor the Santa Fe mix and the garbanzo beans tend to stick to the dried fruit pieces. I happen to like the flavor combination. The chili and lemon flavoring on the dried garbanzo beans is not particularly hot, though some who are sensitive to hot spices may find the mix not to their liking.

I am generally eating a small meal every two to three hours. I do not eat unless I am hungry. I then plate up a volume of my snack blend according to the calorie and carbohydrate count rated per serving. Most of the time my beverage is water, though I do have coffee or tea once in a while. I eat slowly, and stop eating when I no longer feel hungry.

Generally I will have dinner with the family. Since we are busy with getting ready to move to another state in a only a matter of days, I have not been doing much cooking. I eat what is prepared, watching my portion sizes.  My daughter has been doing the cooking, and is trying to be conscious of balance, calories and carbohydrates as she prepares meals.

Once we have moved I will further explore local and Internet sources for food items that can be blended in a jar and carried almost anywhere. Camp food, road food, or just portion control and balance food. I hope to find some good and affordable sources of dried vegetables and experiment with various blends.

I also hope to create a kitchen laboratory in which I will learn the art of drying foods. One area I really want to explore is drying grilled vegetables. I also want to experiment with grinding my dried foods to create bases for soups and sauces.

Barbecue is certainly not out. My Char-Broil Silver Smoker will go to my son, Matthew. He is remaining in the area from which we are moving, and I don't really want to haul the heavy smoker with us on the move. I shall find a nice replacement, and continue my barbecue adventures.

Though I am working on weight loss, I am not giving up good food. I am exploring new areas, and learning to eat wisely and well. I hope to continue to record my adventures and share them here.

Carcass in a bucket-

Holidays. Feasting on holidays can leave you with a lot of garbage. For many it is no problem. Bag it, put it in a can. Take the smelly can to the curb. Bring back the can.

Some of us have to haul our own garbage. I generally make a run every other week. On the occasions I have chicken or turkey carcasses in the garbage the whole mess can get ripe and very unpleasant to handle. I have to load the garbage bags from the cans into the truck, drive to the dump station, and throw the sometimes juicy bags into the transfer pit.

Carcasses can be a problem. I have done this process for years, and only recently took this particular action. I bagged the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving separately, and dropped it in a three gallon bucket. I dropped the bucket into the garbage can, and over the top dropped the rest of the weeks garbage.

At the transfer station I had no problem with moving the nasty thing to the transfer floor. Just tip the bucket and drop the bagged carcass into the pile below. Bring the bucket home, rinse it, and put it aside for future fun.

It is such a simple, elegant solution to a messy problem. Why didn't I think of that earlier?

Those of you who have someone else to manage your garbage might want to reflect on how much of a service is being provided. It is easy to forget how many people are involved in making our lives better.

Imagine what it would be like to have to live with our leavings.

Compost, anyone?