Rekindled Friendship

Rekindled Friendship

I was on a phone call this morning with a friend from Florida who I met while I was a quilt designer and went to Houston Quilt Market many years ago. She is an expert in dying fabric and also can sew clothing so well it makes me jealous. We caught up on the phone with reminiscing and chatting about sewing and family. She was sharing her journey with me and how she had reached her goals. She told me she was following my journey and wanted me to write another blog post sharing more of my story. So, I assured her I would post very soon as well as sharing my recipes, especially my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe. She has been so sweet to express positive insights and giving kudos even though I don't feel I need them. I am honoring her request and sharing a post from the beginning of my journey and the recipe for my homemade sauce. I hope all of you enjoy.

My journey of eating healthy continues. I can honestly say truthfully, I think about straying and going off the rails often. I have a tremendous support group. But with every lifestyle challenge there are obstacles. Having one cookie isn't going to kill you. You may find that your body cannot deal with it. That's ok, it just means your choices have changed for the better and that you are in a healthier mind space. I have shared with a few of my friends who want to know what I have learned from my team of drs. My team of docs have told me to ignore being that so skinny mini that makes you look skeletal. I want you to lose the weight and look healthy at the same time. Make good choices. As you lose weight, remember hydration of water is incredibly important. Exercise to what has been advised to you without stress to your body is also important. Get that healthy heart pumping. I can say that my exercise is low key due to some back issues. Not every part of your tummy can be toned. Some have scar tissue like I do; some is just fat and loose skin which can be toned but sometimes it doesn't work. No matter how hard you work. I am incredibly satisfied with my looks. I have a moderate tummy overhang. Medically called a pannus or apron. For that, I am seeking advice from a plastic surgeon because it causes me pain. I don't need to be the next top model. God gave me this body, and I am happy. I've chosen to eat healthy. It's worked well. But the end result has caused pain, rashes, and with physical therapy and exercise it becomes increasingly painful. If surgery gets approved that's great. If not it's not the end of the world. I still look and feel better than I have in 27 yrs. If you want me to share what I've learned from my docs reach out. I'll share specifics. See the recipe for my spaghetti sauce below.

Nemo's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This will Yield 8+ quarts

Ingredients:

35 to 40 Roma Tomatoes*

A healthy handful of Fresh Basil and Parsley (Coarsely chopped)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Good Quality)

4 Garlic cloves minced

1 large Onion

3 Fresh Green Peppers Coarsely Chopped

1 Medium Summer Squash and 1 Medium Zucchini Coarsely Chopped

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

1 cup of Water

4 Medium Cans of All-Natural Tomato Paste

1 cup of Red Wine (I use a sweeter wine to cut the acid down a little)

Take your tomatoes and core them out, making sure the seeds are all out. I do not peel my tomatoes as I feel there are nutrients in the skin that are wasted if you peel. Cut tomatoes so that they are in large chunks. Set aside.

In an 8 qt size stew pot take olive oil, garlic, onion and cook down. Once the onion and garlic are cooked down you can add tomatoes, green peppers, summer squash and zucchini, water, basil, parsley, and tomato paste and cook until all vegetables are thoroughly cooked.

Once everything is fork tender you can add wine and parmesan cheese. cook at low for about 2 hours. Turn off the sauce and cool down. Put in refrigerator overnight so the flavors marry together.

The next day, take sauce out and heat on low until sauce is thoroughly heated. Take an emulsifier and lightly breakdown vegetables. You can hold off on adding selected veggies if you prefer a chunkier sauce. Cooks' choice.

I take my sauce, and I store in Ball Canning jars. See the Ball website for caning instructions. www.ballmasonjars.com, I use the water bath canning method and have since I learned to can at age 5. My Grandmother and Mother thought I needed to know how to do this early in life and was taught many skills. As my grandchildren call me Nemo, because one of them could pronounce MeeMaw I was given the honor and graduated to Nemo the fish. I'm ok with that it's quite original. Feel free to comment if you have questions or concerns. I am here to help and share.

Until then Stay Happy, Stay Safe, and Stay Positive.

Sally