A much quieter week. That doesn’t mean we didn’t accomplish something because we did but it was only one day out of the week that we had anything going on. The rest was the rather mundane daily tasks like laundry and cleaning and walking dogs and shopping and, for Katie, packing.

We started off with a snowstorm that dumped about 8 inches of snow here while it seems that it left behind over a foot in other parts of the state and funnily enough they were south of us. This delayed everyone as far as contractor work goes. On Wednesday we got our heat back. Our plumber, Mason, arrived with his son Kenny to install the new radiators. He was to come on Monday but the storm got in the way. The same for our dynamic duo who ended up having to play catch up all week. So the big excitement was having heat finally after going most of the fall without it.

We did have little space heaters that worked great once the insulation was installed but were pretty weak prior to that time. The new heaters work with great efficiency which means we can keep the thermostat lower than we might think. We have been in the single digits the last few nights and yet we are toasty warm inside. We are even able to have the window open (only a little bit) because we know we can turn on the heat in the morning and the room will warm up very quickly. So we are very happy and very grateful to be where we are. My next wish is to get the rest of the sheet rock up on the walls and the ceiling so we can have the electrician, Jimmy, come back and actually hook up some lights and, please, some sockets to plug in things. The extension cords are fine but we are getting a little tired of the hanging wires everywhere. Once this piece is done I think we can rest until after the holidays. We are at the finish work on the upstairs bedrooms which can certainly wait until the new year. We will wait til then for our floors downstairs and hopefully by February we will have the painters back to paint all four bedrooms. That would be a miracle. Lots of construction to do in between but mostly building closets where there weren’t any before. Trim work takes quite awhile and we have a lot of that too.

Walking in the Woods

This week has seen an incremental increase in the number of people available and willing to walk in the bear woods. We celebrated Katie’s birthday on Tuesday and her colleagues at work gave her some serious bear deterrent. Bear spray, bear bells and two wrist emergency bracelets. Well since she is working in Hawaii for the next 10 days I inherited all the goodies. The bear bell is very loud and the wrist thingy is on the front of my back pack and inside the back pack is the bear spray. I hope I don’t get that close to a bear that I need to use it but I feel just a little bit safer knowing that I have it.

While walking in the woods with Jen and her dogs we ran into a person collecting greens for Christmas decorations. She has a dog that she wants to socialize and run off leash so we made a date to get together to do a hike the next day. It was a huge success. Myrtle is now a member of the tribe and her human is a wonderful, generous and kind person who Jen and I felt really comfortable walking with. Our other two walkers/hikers were not able to join us but if we did have all of us together there would be five humans and seven dogs. How fun is that. John and I even got in a snow shoe with the dogs over the weekend. It was perfect. I guess this is my dream spot despite the bears.

Food to Warm the Soul After a Hike

Back to my Blue Zones world again. Dan Buettner was on the Today Show this week and reignited my interest in eating the Blue Zones way. I immediately got out some soup recipes and had a wonderful vegetable soup and a minestrone on the stove before I went out into the snow and cold. It was absolutely heaven to come home to warm soup and some artisan bread for lunch. I’m still trying to go 16 hours without eating or drinking anything except green tea and water and it seems to be working well. Not feeling as foggy or as slow to get going. Not hungry either but by the time I get back from an hour and half of hiking in the woods, a hot shower, I am ready for my soup. It has been a good week.

So I am sharing the Minestrone Recipe here as I have shared the vegetable soup a number of times Big Batch Adventist Vegetable Soup is definitely a favorite. Dan B. says to find six recipes that you really enjoy and eat them every day. I am hoping Santa is bringing me his brand new cook book The Blue Zones Kitchen.

Anyway, here is the link to the recipe for Longevity Minestrone Soup but I reprint it here for you to easily have access to it. It is hearty, and I mean that. You don’t need a huge serving and the pasta makes it stick to your ribs but you will have lots of energy. Make sure you get a high fiber bread to go with it. My hint: I couldn’t find all the beans they mentioned but I could find a bag of 15 different kinds of beans that included the beans they recommend so I figured if three beans are good then 15 is better. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup dried peeled fava beans
• ½ cup dried cranberry beans
• 1⁄3 cup dried chickpeas
• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)
• 2 medium celery stalks, chopped (about ½ cup)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (about 3½ cups)
• 3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1½ cups)
• 1½ cups chopped fennel
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2⁄3 cup of Sardinian fregula, Israeli couscous, or acini di pepe pasta (I found the couscous easily)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup finely grated pecorino Romano (about 2 ounces, optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak the fava beans, cranberry beans, and chickpeas in a large bowl of water for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours (that is, overnight). Drain in a colander set in the sink. Rinse well.
2. Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, parsley, and basil, as well as the drained beans and chickpeas. Add enough water (6 to 8 cups) so that everything is submerged by 1 inch.
4. Raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly, uncovered, until the beans are tender, adding more water as necessary if the mixture gets too thick, about 1½ hours.
5. Stir in the pasta, salt, and pepper. Add up to 2 cups water if the soup seems too dry. Continue simmering, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into each of four serving bowls. Divide the soup among them and top each with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese, if using. (Unless you have a really good olive oil skip this step)

Tip: You can vary the beans in the minestrone: pinto beans make a good substitute for cranberry beans; great northern or cannellini beans, for the favas.

Tip: Use the stalks and fronds that come off a fennel bulb for the most intense flavor. No feathery fronds on the bulb? Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the aromatic vegetables you sauté to begin the dish.

Tip: Add other fresh vegetables from the garden or market, such as zucchini, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower or broccoli florets.

Tip: Want a stronger tomato taste? Stir in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. You get the idea!

To you in health and happiness. Keep exercising, eating as well as you possibly can and open up yourself to all the joys of the holiday season.