Saturday, August 04, 2012

Air conditioning Emergency

(not ours)

Wesley Chapel, Florida

We finished up our kitty sitting job a few days ago.  Frank arrived back here from New Orleans.  I’m sure his kitty Frisk was glad to see him.  We had been going over there twice a day to make sure the a/c was working and that it was cool inside.  Frisk had plenty of food and water and just needed his kitty pan scooped.   (a lot)  He seemed pretty lonely.

The morning after Frank got home, he called us from work.  Apparently, his  a/c went out that night.   Luckily for her his wife was out of town.

We went right over to check on Frisk.  It was 93 inside the motor home.  Frisk was hot and upset, and  hiding behind the couch.  Of course that’s the hottest place in the house because he’s not getting any breeze.  We brought over a fan and set it to give Frisk some breeze.

Frank discovered that most mobile rv techs don’t work on basement air.  He finally found one and had them come look at it.  I guess they are now waiting for a part.  They did find some sort of portable air units that have given them some relief from the heat until they get it fixed. 

 

Today is day 14 of the “Vegan Experiment.”   It looks like the experiment part is over and we are ready to commit to a permanent change in our diets.

Vegetarians eat no meat. Vegans go a little further and also avoid dairy products.   

We have had to educate ourselves on what we can and cannot eat.   It was difficult at first.  It seemed that when I went to the grocery store, I couldn’t find any food we could eat.  Fortunately, it didn’t take too long to discover many wonderful alternatives.    It just took a few trips to Whole Foods and Nutrition S’mart to learn what is out there.  We’ve tried a few products that weren’t good, but for the most part we’ve been eating some really delicious things.

I  find that I am having to plan meals ahead, (not my strong suit)  and cook more.   I find cooking vegetarian is easier.  No more browning up a pound of greasy hamburger and messing up the kitchen.

We’ve  both lost 6 pounds, and that is without being hungry and without craving anything that we couldn’t have.  Al still is having a few beers in the evening, and I have a vodka tonic or two if I want them.  We haven’t felt deprived at all.

My energy level is way up.  Al is still dealing with the sinus infection, but I think he’s finally getting a little relief from that.  

I wish I had known a few years ago what I know now.  I believe this will finally be the answer to my weight problem.  

We found a very good new vegan food product.   It’s basically a veggie burger.  It comes in a little clear baggie and looks more like a dry mix for oatmeal cookies than a burger.  All you do it add water, stir and then cook it like a burger.

They’re  called Joe's Patties.    They have a lot of spices in them.  They smell wonderful while cooking and taste great.  I patty them up and fry them in a little olive oil.    I like the texture of a crisp “burger” cooked in a little oil.  We really like them.  They are $5.99 a package and we can get two meals out of them.  We seem to be satisfied with much less food.

IMG_4023

 

A friend loaned us a good vegan recipe book.  I like it so well that I bought a copy for myself.

It’s called Vegan Cooking for Carnivores

The author is the personal chef for Ellen DeGeneres.  He was a regular chef when Ellen hired him.  He had to learn to cook vegan when he started working for her.  It’s a great cook book with a lot of quick and easy recipes. 

We haven’t been doing any kayaking or even going to the beach.  I don’t know where they day goes.  We have beautiful beaches close by  and some wonderful rivers to kayak.   I don’t know why we haven’t done any of that.   Of course we’re in the midst of rainy season, so you do have to plan your days around the weather.  Maybe that’s our excuse.  Maybe it’s the situation with my brother and mother.

16 comments:

  1. Sure glad you're there to keep an eye on Frisk. I'm not a meal planner either which makes it real hard for us to stay on track. Really need to work on that. Glad you guys have settled into your new food routine and are doing so well with it.

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  2. You are both making such progress !!!! Thanks for the contact for the patties ..... I will try those ..... Also the ookbook.... Not vegan but trying to cut back on meat, etc.... The weight loss is such a plus too ..... Congratulations, keep up the great effort ....

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  3. 6 lbs is great. We may need to give this a try.

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  4. When I think what might have happened to Frisk if the AC had gone out a few days before Frank got home if you hadn't been going over. A lesson for all animal owners for sure.

    Great news about 6 pounds. I lost 10 when I first started but I think it took me longer than 14 days. That's amazing!! Of course my weakness is ice cream and that's dairy. But once this J-M-C is gone from the freezer I'll buy something with coffee in it for David to make milk shakes to put weight on him and I won't be tempted to have any. Hate coffee :-))

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  5. Those patties look really good! Amazing what products are out there to eat once you start looking for them. :c)

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  6. Sure glad you found the cat before it was too late. Good job!

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  7. Hi this is not a recipe because I don't have details of the ingredients but they make a yummy snack or with sauce a meal.

    Carrot and tofu balls'.

    Eggs, firm tofu, grated carrot, sweet chilli sauce spoonful of flour optional extra walnut pieces. Mix all together and place in spoonfuls on parchment or greased baking tray. Bake in a moderate oven for 10 or 15 minutes.

    I haven't made them for a long time but they certainly made a tasty snack. I wish I could find the exact same recipe again. It was so easy. The only thing is turning on the oven when the days are so hot.

    Good that you are enjoying your life.

    Blessings

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    1. Thanks MargieAnne. I'll give it a try some time. I think I can substitute the eggs with some applesauce or something.

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  8. Frisk is a lucky kitty to have you as his sitter. What a cute name too. I use a portable a/c because the power here is not good for my roof a/c. BUT it took a dive, something is wrong with it. Yesterday was one hot day here in Texas. So today, I gathered my nerves, parked the RV closer to my friends house & plugged into their regular power. It's a little low on power, which scares me, but today, so far, so good. The power is better this time of day & at night, it's good. This will have to do until I get the portable a/c issue resolved.
    Those veggie burgers look yummy. I'm glad this diet is being a success for you & Al!

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  9. What a good kitty sitter to rescue Frisk in his hour of need!

    We left our dogs today in the motorhome with the AC on, but also set up a 12 volt Breeze fan to blow around on the floor where they lay in case the power went out.

    (storms in the area took out power north of us and south of us, but not here, luckily)

    Tonight is cool sleeping temps and we have all the windows open.. ahhhh!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  10. Since we moved into the 5th wheel we are a little nervous leaving the dogs alone.

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  11. Thanks for the vegan diet update. We finally watched Forks over Knives and Vic, my sausage loving Polish husband, shocked me by responding, "When can we start?" We agreed to try the switch-over more gradually. A great cookbook is Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Everyday. I am going to look for Vegan Cooking for Carnivores. Your experiment has inspired us and I am glad to hear that Happy Hour is still an option!

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    1. How about that! We were also both very impacted by Forks over Knives. I don't know how anyone could watch it and not be! Good for Vic.

      I found it difficult at first just trying to figure out what we could eat. Now, we're realizing you just have to do some creative thinking....like the soup topping the baked potatoes instead of butter and sour cream.

      I'll check out the cook book you mentioned.

      Of course, Happy Hour is still an option!

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  12. Keep it up! John has now been taken off his blood pressure medication! How's that for a new way of life with good results.

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  13. Good for John! I'm thinking Al will be able to go off his BP med and lipitor as well. Of course he won't do it without doctor supervision.

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  14. Pretty cool post. It's really nice and useful. Thanks for sharing these great words.

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