Food and Fiber Friday - Kitchen and Eating Update

For the past few months I have been struggling, mainly mentally, with my new reality. My body is saying 'your youth has passed - deal'. So no more low blood pressure, low blood sugar, low cholesterol. I'm on a 'high' and not a good one.

This total flip has played havoc with me mentally and physically, mainly because I was very resistant to change and accepting the use of meds to help me get to where I need to be. The really bad outcome of all this change is I have pretty much been a lump for the past few months.

Sigh...

This past week I stepped up to the bat - finally - and tackled my kitchen. 

I don't have cabinet space or a pantry, so I have two industrial shelves which I use as my pantry. Over the past year or so they have become a dumping ground. I decided to get rid of all the expired stuff and things which I knew I wouldn't eat. I also organized things a bit better.

I can now see what I have and eating from my pantry and freezer are definitely on the schedule for the next few weeks. I made a list of what I have and stuck it to the fridge. I'm really bad about not checking and buying more rather than using what I have. 

The list is my prompt for meal planning every week. It doesn't show the lima beans, corn and field peas which are in the freezer. It also doesn't list the fruit (lots of peaches currently) available, however. I am picking up 20 pounds of peaches today to make peach preserves, my favorite. And some will go in the freezer for the winter. There are also strawberries in the freezer. 

Another task I got out of the way was getting tea to Savvy and Foxy. 

Foxy had left a huge stash of tea at my house when she went home. So that went back to her. Savvy has been drinking teas, saying away from coffee and caffeine while she was pregnant and nursing. I went through and divided up all the various teas. It looked really 'sketch', all the teas being in baggies. But I copied the type of tea and what all is in it and stuck it to the baggie. She is thrilled to have a whole stash of teas. Plus, I have been using the Ryze Mushroom coffee lately, and just received some of their Hot Cocoa mushroom mixture. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it actually tastes. 

I'm trying to drink more teas myself - or at least something other than plain sweet iced tea. I have found I enjoy fruity teas and will drink them iced or hot. And usually, because they are more herbal, little, if any, caffeine. 

So basically, I am attempting to 'get my shit together' and get over my personal pity party and more forward. And I'm doing it in a more organized kitchen.