Crock pots

I had a large crock pot that I used in the winter, but it was borrowed by my son and his family. I went to the Redding Canned Foods Outlet last night and bought another one for a very low price of $14.99. The pot can be taken out and put in the fridge and in the dishwasher. It is like having a nice grandmother who makes soup for lunch. I used to have an aunt who would make borscht for lunch with whole wheat bread on the side. She made it with liver which I always hated but loved the soup otherwise. Now, I can count on having my crock pot to myself anytime.

The reason I went out to buy the crock pot in the first place yesterday was that I had a can of soup for lunch and ended up putting all sorts of things into it that I wondered why I did not give up and buy another crock pot. I could not use mine as it was in use. I went to the Outlet to see if they had any and found just the one I wanted with one third off. Then to my surprise I found ground turkey for one third off too. I found other things for my soup for a lot less than what I had paid for the same things a week ago.

The recipes for crock pot soup is generally the same, and I just use whatever meat is on sale although I prefer turkey if I can get it at a reasonable price. I buy fresh and frozen vegetables and of course the old standby, beans. I had bought organic and paid $1.39 but paid .99 at the Outlet. I can get some nice cheap coffee there but not the coffee that I use for my Keurig. I ended up getting both. In making and drinking coffee, it is the milk or in my case the half and half that is the real expense. Last night, I bought a bag of mixed fresh vegetables for less than a dollar and put the whole bag in. I bought some sauce with lots of spices for $1.49 because it was Paul Newman's brand which is very good. It is a shame but you have to pay extra to keep things out of one's food; but in the case of this brand some of the profits goes to worthy charities.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning, but I did weigh myself yesterday. I had bought a scale which is easy to read. I miss the scale with the stones that I had in Korea. The flu that I have been sick with for the last few days seems to be gone. I am drinking coffee with half and half made from my Barrista that I bought from Starbucks when I retired from the State of California in 2002 which still makes excellent coffee. I am using the coffee some lovely ladies from a Dunkin Donuts in Daejeon, Korea gave me as a going away present. It was in my luggage and gave my clothes such a lovely aroma. I have such fond memories of Korea.

The crock pot is also a very healthy way of eating. I know that everyone says one should eat a healthy breakfast, but I never eat breakfast because I am not hungry. I never eat unless I am hungry. By noon or so, I am ready to have something to eat and the crock pot will be ready to deliver a nice bowl of turkey vegetable soup. If I really get hungry later, I will have another bowl. At the end of the day, I will put the inside part of the crock pot in the fridge. I must have a low metabolism and eat very little to maintain myself. Unfortunately, I can't eat gluten which means I spend more money than usual on food. I never eat at fast food restaurants since they don't cater to people such as myself. If I go out, I eat at places like Homestyle Buffet. Since becoming a senior, I take advantage of the senior citizen discount.

Someone told me that she lost a lot of weight with the Weight Watchers program and has maintain her weight loss because she still reports to the program. I am glad she found something that works. I don't need someone to report to as I like to follow my own whims and do things on my own. I know that I don't use the crock pot all of the time, but in the winter I use it quite often and less so in the warmer months. To me, it is like having someone around who cooks one's meals. I like it every so often but I like variety too. The trick is not to substitute variety for unhealthy foods. In Korea, it was rare for me to do it. I ate a chocolate bar every so often but it really did nothing for me but put on the pounds or stones. I have not been tempted to eat candy since coming home. Here, I can eat chips and I have with melted cheese because cheese which was rare in Korea is so readily available here; but now that I got that out of my system I am good. At least I did not gain weight from it. I think the body craves what is good for it. I love eating the food that I can cook from a crock pot. If I remain mindful and plan my meals carefully, I should be fine.