Soup Today!

Ahh, Sunday!  I started the day watching one of my favorite shows: CBS Sunday Morning.  If you watch this show, chances are you love it (per my highly unscientific survey method of talking to other fans). If you don’t know what I am talking about, check it out sometime.

When Bill Geist came on the air, I saw the frozen ice and snow surrounding him and said, “He’s in Minnesota.” I was right. It turns out he was reporting about the feud between Embarrass, Tower, and International Falls over which Minnesota town gets the coldest weather. They all get VERY cold – the official state record is -60 degrees F.!

Believe it or not, some of us Minnesotans wish this weekend would have been a little colder (but not record cold, please!) We are currently having a January thaw, complete with rain and freezing rain. Yesterday as I drove home from a neighboring town my car was pelted with slush balls falling from the sky. The roads were very icy. I would have much preferred colder temperatures and precipitation in the form of soft, lovely snow.

This is a round-about way of saying that this is perfect soup weather! I have vegetables on hand to help me eat healthy in 2010. Putting them together in soup is a delicious way to get a nice variety of flavors.

Today I cooked a Southwestern-style chicken and bean soup. When my husband ate it his eyes lit up and he told me to write it down. I did, and I’m sharing it with you (recipe below). One of the best things about a throw-together soup like that is, other than a few of the basic ingredients, you can put in whatever is on hand. I could have added corn or various other ingredients. But it turned out good just as it was.

In fact, I’m making soup again tonight. We’re having supper on TV trays as we watch the Vikings play (and hopefully beat) the Saints in the playoff game. This time I am adding leeks, tri-colored mini-peppers, and grated cheese to last night’s potato soup for a new take on it.  I’m baking bread, too; using one of the recipes from one of my favorite books Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Is there such a thing as too much soup? I haven’t reached that point yet! Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken & Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts – cut into about 1” cubes

About 3-4 cups total fresh vegetables: chopped onion,  thinly sliced tri-colored mini-peppers, minced garlic, cut pieces of sugar snap pea pods

2 cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 small can tomato paste

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

Dehydrated chopped onion

1-2 packages taco seasoning

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (hot; season to taste)

Fresh spinach (optional)

Sauté the chicken pieces in olive oil in a large pan for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is opaque and nearly cooked through. Add the chopped vegetables and cook a few more minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked and vegetables soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 15-20 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Optional: While soup is cooking, wash & shake in a colander to dry: 2-3 handfuls fresh baby spinach. Break up coarsely into soup bowls. Spoon the hot soup mixture into the bowls over the spinach; let it set for a minute, then stir. This cooks the spinach without losing the nutrients. I learned to pour any kind of soup over spinach from a friend of mine who does it all the time.

Garnish soup with grated cheddar cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

Farewell to a Brave Woman

I read “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” many times. I took the story to heart and hoped to someday visit the secret annex where Anne spent two years of her life before she perished in a Nazi concentration camp. A few years ago my wish came true when my husband and I visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. As we stood in line to enter we spoke quietly with others from various countries; our lives had all been touched by Anne’s story.

Do young girls still read this book and feel the connection to her? Do teachers assign it and librarians recommend it? I hope so. Through this book, young people get a sense of what it was like to be persecuted for being Jewish in Europe during World War II.

Another person in the book who made a big impression on me was Miep Gies. She was one of a few people who brought food and sustenance to the group in hiding, choosing to risk their own lives by doing so. Miep was Anne’s friend and lifeline.  A few years ago, I was excited to see that an elderly woman being interviewed on television was Miep Gies, still alive and telling the story of what happened so many years ago.  Miep said she was not a hero, but I respectfully disagree. She helped to show the world what an individual could do; her life influenced young people who read about her actions and her kindness. She was a role model above and beyond the usual meaning of the term.

Sometimes we get reminders that the horrors of World War II are not that far away in time or place. Miep Gies passed away yesterday. Farewell to Anne’s extraordinary friend, a brave woman.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-11/miep-gies-dutch-woman-who-found-anne-frank-diary-dies-at-100.html

Cheers to a Healthy 2010

The holidays are over, and I can feel the results of my indulgences. On New Year’s Eve I put on a favorite pair of slacks and realized the waistband felt snug. **Sigh**

I know what I need to do. First step is to break the sugar addiction. Yes, addiction – a physical and psychological craving for sweets. It doesn’t help that the holiday season is full of cookies! Treats that should be moderate and occasional have become too frequent. If I don’t make a break from too much sugar, the results can be dangerous. Time to bite the bullet, or at least the vegetables and whole grains! I love good food, so this shouldn’t be a hardship, just a change.

Getting back to my water aerobics class at the YMCA is also at the top of my list. I missed a few classes lately when life became too hectic, and boy, do I feel the difference in my body when regular exercise is missing! I love this activity, so I am looking forward to getting back on track.

Three years ago I made some changes in my life that helped me to lose some weight, which I wrote about earlier in this blog. Keeping off the pounds has been a struggle, but I have mostly managed to do it. My success is due to knowing what my motivation is (I never want my knees and feet to hurt again like they did before) and making good food and exercise choices I can live with and not feel deprived. Losing or keeping off weight truly is about thinking healthy. It is a mindset that can be cultivated; it is about feeling satisfied without over-indulgence.

It is time to revisit the action plan to lose weight that I devised a few years ago, and update it with a few tricks I’ve learned along the way. My body and spirit will thank me!

Welcome 2010

Last summer while I was unemployed, I had the opportunity to develop new interests. I began writing this blog to reflect on my midlife journey. When I started a new job with nearly a four-hour daily commute a few months ago, I found it difficult to schedule time to write. I stopped posting new entries.

It is now time to come back. One of my resolutions for 2010 is to find the time and opportunity to do the activities that are important to me. Writing is something I do not want to give up. Maybe it is time to develop an Action Plan.

Did I say resolution? Do people still make New Year’s resolutions? A few years ago, I got out of the habit of thinking in terms of what I had to do (mostly lists of things I didn’t really want to do) and started thinking in terms of “themes” or concepts that I wanted to focus on in the coming year. For example, one of my themes from last year was “Vincent Van Gogh.” Really! I have always been a fan of his art and his philosophy. I wanted to learn more, so I spent time reading about him. Although I’m not exactly a Van Gogh expert today, I know more about him now than I did before!

Some subjects come out of the blue and force us to focus on them. At the start of 2009, I did not realize that the themes of “unemployment” or “creative writing” would define my year. But they did, and I am doing well. I believe the theme of “transformation” I have been working on for the past few years has helped me to maintain a mindset of flexibility and openness to change.

Here are a few of the themes I have chosen for 2010:

Time – It is a valuable, albeit fleeting, commodity. I don’t want to have regrets that I allowed myself to drift through life without making conscious choices on how to spend my time. Do I want to have meaningful work, to write and create, read, travel, or hang out with friends and family? Yes, yes and more yeses. So I better spend my precious hours on earth accordingly.

Friendship – I cherish my friends, and I want to make sure they know it. My life is blessed with people who generously give of themselves. I am asking myself how I can be a better friend, and I hope to better demonstrate my friendship to them.

Health – a perennial theme that becomes more important every year. One thing I have learned is that it doesn’t work to have a dismal list of “should do…” and “can’t eat…” This subject is one that I’ll write more about in my next post.

A Friend’s Perspective

I am blessed with friends from a variety of backgrounds; thank goodness!  I think it would be so limiting to be part of a group overly similar in age, taste, political persuasion, etc.   When people with a range of life experiences are part of a conversation, they bring an array of perspectives to the table.  Interactions become more interesting and enlightening.

Some of my friends are the children of people I’ve known for years.  They were once the little kids playing in the background at our get-togethers, but who are now adults themselves.  I guess they are my second generation friends.  It is enjoyable to see them come into their own.

I want to bring to your attention the exquisite photography of my second generation friend, Ashley, a gifted artist, who is receiving national recognition for her work.  Visit her blog at: http://bottlebellphotography.blogspot.com

Beating the Unemployment Blues

As I wrote in my last posting, I am currently an unemployed job-seeker. Instead of going to a place of employment every day, I go to my computer and check websites for intriguing new job listings.  When I find a good match for my skills and experience, I submit an application.  Then I wait.  Follow-up.  Wait.  Keep looking. Over time, this can be a discouraging state of being, and some of the unemployed give up.

People are often so defined by their work, and get their personal sense of success from it, that it can be a blow to their self-esteem to lose a job.  That is one reason that I am taking action during this temporary out-of-work time to stay connected with people and to keep learning new things.  When I went back to college a few years ago, I discovered that the most rewarding benefit of returning to school is the sense of accomplishment and confidence that comes from it. 

I have been taking writing classes at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.  One of the classes was The Art of the Blog, and you are reading a result of that class right now.  I am also writing about the travels my husband and I have taken over the years for my current Essays on Journeys class. I also joined a local writing group. This is just another stage of my ongoing midlife transformation. I find that this investment in myself helps to keep me engaged in interests other than just looking for work, and enables me to meet new people with similar interests.   I am confident and enthusiastic about what is going on in my life.  That is not only good for the way I feel about myself now, but I am pretty sure that when the right job comes along, my future employer will pick up on my positive energy and want to hire me.

For Hire: Knowledge and Experience

I am one of the faces of real people behind the sky-high unemployment statistics this year.  I have been looking for a new job, but as anybody who is doing the same can attest, it is difficult to make progress in this environment. Many of us in the midlife age range are concerned that hiring managers may not recognize the value we can bring to their organization.

I spent the past two days at a workshop on “Creative Job Search” (sponsored by the State of Minnesota) and was very pleased to receive helpful suggestions and strategies.  Besides the valuable information about resumes, interviews, online searches, etc., I especially appreciated the facilitators’ positive approach to midlife workers.  One said that many employers are passionate about 50+ workers because they bring a background, a reference point for making vital decisions, with them into a job.  As older boomers retire, there will be gaps in knowledge, and experienced workers are needed to bridge those gaps. I am happy to hear that!  I am enthusiastic to find a job that is the right fit for me, and for an employer who needs what I can bring to the table.

Julia Child Cooks!

I have always been a big fan of Julia Child.  She is truly inspiring for having influenced the way Americans not only cook, but think about food.  An article about Julia in the current (August 2009) issue of Vanity Fair magazine made me appreciate the impact she has had on so many of us.

 I watched her on public television, not only in her later years – she hosted other chefs on her show in the 1990’s – but earlier too, when I was still at home growing up in the 1960’s.  I remember my mother making beef bourguignon in that era.  Some of Julia’s techniques must have rubbed off on me too.  Today I like to create dishes with a roux base, and sometimes I cook with wine (a little for the pot, a little for me).

 Julia’s life story is fascinating.  During World War II she worked for the O.S.S. (which later became the C.I.A.) She had her own midlife transformation: she learned French cooking in her late 30’s, worked on the classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in her 40’s, and started teaching the masses on her first PBS television show at age 49.

 By the way, according to Laura Jacobs’ article in Vanity Fair, Julia loved the 1978 Saturday Night Live spoof of her starring Dan Ackroyd.  I laughed until I cried the first time I saw that skit, and still crack up during the many times it has aired since then.  Now I am looking forward to a new movie, Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, due out next month.  In the meantime, to quote Julia, “Bon Appetit!”

Feisty Women – Check this out

I love to check out other blogs geared to midlife women, and I found a gem that I want to share with you.  Here is a link to: Feisty Side of Fifty/ Baby Boomer Women.  The perspective you’ll find there complements the midlife transformation theme of choosing to live the life we want to be living, and taking action to make it happen.  A positive self-image and attitude toward our current age and condition (and good humor!) is essential to creating our own destiny rather than letting others define us. 

 One of the “Feisty Side” posts I especially related to was Women Over Fifty – Rockin’ On Forever. When I am in the car and the all of a sudden Hey Jude, Satisfaction, or Layla comes on the radio, I know that I’ll go through the rest of the day with a smile on my face and rocking music in my soul. What songs transport you to your inner rocker?

What is Your Passion?

  Exactly five years ago today, my husband and I were visiting Key West, and I snorkeled for the first time.  I LOVED it! 

It was so beautiful underwater. I was immediately entranced with the life in a coral reef.  The majestic purple corals swayed gently. Colorful fish swam under and around me; for a time I was surrounded by a school of blue tang.  And did I mention the fact that I saw a shark, and took its picture underwater? (True. I was acutely aware that we were in it’s environment, not a park!) It was like entering Nemo’s world, only everything was real and intense.

Our original snorkeling experience was a planned excursion, but I loved it so much that we found two more opportunities to snorkel on that same vacation in the Keys, and have since snorkeled in Hawaii.  One thing I learned was to take advantage of the chances in life that come my way; I may never know in advance when an interest or a curiosity can become a true passion!  

Another thing I learned was to be as prepared as possible to have an experience as ideal as possible.  I didn’t realize until my snorkeling trips in the Keys how big a role having the proper equipment is.  On the first trip, I happened to have a snorkel mask with a tube that had a little valve on the end that didn’t allow the sea water to come in. (The masks were handed out at random to the group on the boat).  While I was out in the water enjoying my experience, others in my party had already gone back to the boat with snoots full of salt water.  On another trip, the boat did not have enough fins in my size, so I had to painfully use the too-small pair that was left.  Now, we have our own equipment to haul with us for vacations that feature a snorkeling experience.  Another possible option would be to rent equipment at a local dive shop before going out in the boat. 

What are your passions?  What would you like to experience or learn in order to cultivate the excitement of something new or fulfilling?  I know of midlife women who are developing their passion for the arts, holistic health, or politics, to name just a few possibilities.  My delight in snorkeling is an offshoot of my passion for travel (which is a topic onto itself, which I’ll write about in a future posting).  

If you haven’t taken any steps yet toward developing that aspiration you have always harbored inside yourself, or if you want to try something different that you just might LOVE, now is the time to take steps to make it happen.  Open yourself up to the experience.  Be as prepared as possible to get maximum enjoyment out of the occasion with the right conditions, equipment, background knowledge, and so on.  (You may want to work with a Vision and an Action Plan; see my earlier postings on the Midlife Transformation Program Essentials).  But don’t just dream it – take action.  Live your dreams.