ENDURING POSITIVITY IS KEY TO HAPPY AGING

Two of my walking buddies in their fifties and thereabouts often tell me that they want to age like me, to be as active and as energetic. They are curious how I manage to be joyful and full of zest at 79. What is my secret? They ask. 

I can attest that this is not a matter of luck; nor so much as good genetics; I believe it is more of general outlook on life and daily habits. 

Twelve years ago, i can’t claim being fit. I thought that being retired gives us the freedom to do our thing, without restrictions and just enjoy life. 

So I got careless, I indulged in sweets until the wee hours; read a lot, didn’t sleep much and avoided exercise. Lo and behold; the photo below shows the aftermath. 

With my younger daughter

Earlier when I was employed, I was conscious of what I ate; I never touched ice cream, cakes and pastries then. I did exercise in spite my busy schedule. I guess those earlier habits made it easier for me to go back to that lifestyle. 

What then is the secret of my enduring positivity? 

Maybe because of my positive mindset; I’m a glass-half-full-kind of girl….

Maybe because I have a loving family; a good husband and sensible caring and generous children…

Maybe it is in knowing which challenges I can solve on my own from those I need to lift up to The Lord…

Maybe because I’m a social person; occasional socializing makes me relax and enjoy life more….

Maybe because I read a lot that diverts my mind from negative thoughts. 

Maybe because writing is my therapy; it brings me to that sacred space where words flow easily, thus my emotions are fully expressed….

Maybe because I don’t compare myself to others; instead I work to make myself better than yesterday. Moreover I am happy for who I am and grateful for what I have. 

Maybe I am open to learning new things; that’s why I embrace technology that opens up into a whole new world. 

Maybe I focus on self care, I value “me” time; drink a lot of water and I prioritize sleep. I also take naps that rejuvenate me.

Exercise is a big factor, for sure. Walking first thing in the morning with friends gives me magic moments while I exercise. 

Exercise releases endorphins that boost our mental health, help relieve pain and reduce stress. It also burn calories that keep my body fit. 

Finally, I learned to control my diet, eating healthy food that nourishes my body at best. 

But most of all, I take life in stride, while I try to overcome challenges. I embrace the little aches and pains that aging brings. 

“Keeping one’s attitude positive especially when the world conspires to make us mad, is one of the great accomplishments of life” - Brendon Burchard

BIRTHDAY LUNCH OF MY SISTER ANNIE

Whenever I go to a buffet in a restaurant, I have a definite menu every time. I followed that for lunch today at Medley Buffet, Okada Manila; the birthday celebration of my sister, Annie. 

For starters, I always go Japanese. Today I took 3 pcs of shrimp tempura since they served the smallest that I’ve ever seen; though small however, they were so crispy and delicious. I added 4 pieces of tuna sashimi; I prefer tuna over salmom. Here, I restrained myself for I love sashimi. I took 2 or maybe 3 of California maki . I ate these with some pickled red ginger. Sorry, I missed taking a photo.

For my entree, my regular menu is a meat dish or two; usually roast beef and lechon with salad greens. But today and for almost a week now, I stopped eating raw veggies because they are hard to digest so I am being careful.

Look at my plate below where I took small pieces each of lengua, pork osso buco, lamb stew, 2 cubes of lechon makaw and 2 thin slices of Chinese style asado. 

I ate the meats with pickled veggies among which are sun dried tomatoes, pickled cucumber, beetroot in vinaigrette, pickled yellow zucchini and tomato salsa. 

Then I had a dish of assorted seafood, I love the mussels in lemon butter sauce; different from my Belgian recipe in white wine-lemon-cream sauce but equally delicious. 

It took a lot of restraint not to eat halo halo and cake; my companions had halo halo but I tried not to look. Instead, I went to the cheese room and took small pieces of cheese and 3, yes, just 3 thin slices of prosciutto. 

I ate these with pineapple and melons. 

My drink was half a glass of water infused with cucumber, and half a can of soda water with ice. 

I gave myself a high five for not touching the pasta, the paella negra and the dessert galore. It was a challenge to pass up on dessert, the spread was an array of cakes that you could imagine, it was the biggest station in the entire buffet, I even took a video of that station. 

We capped lunch with brewed coffee with a little warm cream, sans sugar. 

Once again, thank you, Annie for a wonderful birthday lunch for an amazing sister. We had a great time. 

BOUQUERONES FRITOS -FRIED FRESH ANCHOVY

Bouqueronos fritos are popular tapas in Spain; it is best served with beer but we are sticking to white wine. I was guided by the basic recipe of Julia at Happy Foods Tube.. 

DEBONING THE FILLETS

I watched my fishmonger deboned and cleaned the anchovies; the gut came out when the head was pulled off. He then opened the fish like a butterfly and took off the bone by sliding his finger through, leaving the tail intact. 

I washed and cleaned the anchovies thoroughly, rinsed and drained. I laid each on a flat tray , sprinkled with a bit of cooking wine and put it in the freezer for two days to kill the bacteria. 

PREPARATION BEFORE FRYING 

From the freezer, I defrost the anchovies by running them through tepid water, strained and dried with paper towel. 

FRYING THE FILLETS 

I dredged the fillets with flour and little salt and pepper. In an skillet about 2/3 deep of olive oil, I fried each carefully so they don’t break. I did this in batches. 

Once the fritos were done I took them out to drain on a rack to air for a while to attain crispness.

PLATING THE BOUQUERONES FRITOS 

Excited to plate! 

As shown in the photo above, I placed a moderate amount of the fritos on a breakfast plate with a sprig of parsley and lemon wedges. I sprinkled chopped parsley for garnish. This was served along with the dipping sauce I prepared. 

Neopolitans call it “frijenno magnanno”, meaning “fry and eat”. I fried these while my guests were still on their first course so I could serve them as soon as they were done. 

DIPPING SAUCE RECIPE

I mixed 2 tbsps of chopped onions

2 tbsps mayo

1 tbsp ketchup 

1 tbsp mustard

Salt and pepper to taste. Then mixed thoroughly

Looks like the fritos was a hit! 

My sister, Annie said she didn’t see any frito left when she put away the plates. I was not able to see if they liked the fritos since I was busy serving the next course, the pasta in garlic-anchovy sauce with parmesan. 

CROSTINI: MY VERSION

Come on guys, let’s cook! 

It’s been raining, we can’t walk and nothing to do but sleep, sit, read and eat. 

I thought I’d make crostini with my handful of left over cherry tomatoes; I chopped 1/3 kilo ripe tomatoes from my crisper. 

With 2 medium chopped onions I sautéed this with the tomatoes in 3 tbsps of olive oil. After these are done I added the ff: 

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp dried basil 

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp ground pepper 

1/4 tsp salt

When onions and tomatoes and the herbs cooked and blended together, I sprinkled 2 tbsp parmesan and mixed well

i cut off some fresh basil from my garden, cut into strips for garnish. 

That’s it folks, this dish is done! 

I put this in a deep dish. Jim ate that with wheat pandesal and sunny side up for breakfast. Me, I like to spread it on toasted baguette, with a slice of gouda on top as shown in the photo above. 

Crunchy! And Yum! 

BELGIAN MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE GARLIC SAUCE

I cooked Belgian Mussels with white wine garlic sauce guided in part by the basic recipe of Ashley Manila at bakerbynature.com. I often tweak recipes to make them my own. After all they say that “it is not the recipe, but the cook”.

My son requested me to prepare it ala Belgian style for his home-cooked birthday dinner, mussels being his wife’s favorite. 

I gathered the ingredients on a tray as shown below:

CLEANING THE MUSSELS

I bought 3 kilos of mussels and brushed away the grit off each shell and took off the stringy hair called the beard. Then I washed them over tap water.

To further clean the mussels, I put them in a big bowl, added 1/2 cup of flour; swooshed them around with my hands and set aside for 30 minutes; I then drained after washing them one last time. 

Since i wanted to serve the dish while still hot, I placed them in a big strainer to allow water to drain while in the refrigerator until it was time to cook. 

COOKING THE MUSSELS

In a cooking pan big and deep enough to hold all the mussels, 

I put in 5 tbsps of butter, once melted and added 2 tbsp olive oil. 

On medium heat, I put in about a cup of chopped onions and caramelize slightly, then added

2 tbsps minced garlic and cooked further.

Added 1 tbsp lemon zest and

2 tbsps lemon juice. 

Put in the mussels 

Poured in 1 cup dry white wine, 

Added half chicken bullion with 3/4 cup water.

Put lid until the mussels open. 

Checked to see which ones didn’t open and threw them to the trash. 

Turned heat to low and poured in. 

1/2 cup all purpose cream

Stirred thoroughly to mix in the cream.

added a little salt to my taste.

PLATING THE MUSSELS

I put a few pieces of the mussels in individual low bowls with a little soup

added a lemon wedge or two

placed a piece of crusty bread on the side as shown in the photo below and 

sprinkled chopped parsley. 

And the dish was served!

Belgian mussels for his home-cooked birthday dinner, mussels being his wife’s favorite. 

 Photo of tray

 

              CLEANING THE MUSSELS 

I bought 3 kilos of mussels and individually brushed away the grit off the shells and took off the stringy hair called the beard. Then I washed them over tap water.

To further clean the mussels, I put them in a big bowl, added 1/2 cup of flour; 

swooshed them around with my hands and set aside for 30 minutes; 

then drained after washing them one last time. 

Since i wanted to serve the dish while hot, I placed them in a big strainer to allow water to drain while in the refrigerator until it was time to cook. 

               COOKING THE MUSSELS 

In an skillet big and deep enough to hold all the mussels, 

I put in 5 tbsps of butter, once melted added 

2 tbsp olive oil. 

On medium heat, I put in about a cup of chopped onions and caramelize slightly, added

2 tbsps minced garlic and cooked further.

Added 1 tbsp lemon zest and 

2 tbsps lemon juice. 

Put in the mussels 

Poured in 1 cup dry white wine, 

Added half chicken bullion with 3/4 cup water.

Put on the lid until the mussels open. 

Checked to see if any one didn’t open and threw them to the trash. 

Turned heat to low and poured in. 

1/2 cup all purpose cream

Stirred thoroughly to mix in the cream

             PLATING THE MUSSELS

I put a few pieces of the mussels in individual low bowls with a little soup

added a lemon wedge or two

placed a piece of crusty bread on the side as shown in the photo below and 

sprinkled chopped parsley. 

Photo 

And the dish was served

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAYGEE!

It was fun and rewarding to cook for my son’s to birthday celebration. I can’t recall the last time we celebrated his birthday together; thus made last night’s celebration extra special. 

His work required frequent travel that must have made him long for his home-cooked favorites. He doesn’t cook but he made the menu according to his preferences; well, except for the muscles, his wife’s fave. 

His surprise was my sister Annie’s charcuterie board that’s so beautiful; it was something to write home about. Eating from it along with my pink moscato almost left no room for dinner. 

The Belgian mussels could be cooked with beer or white wine; I chose the garlic white wine sauce to pair with white wine since not everybody drink beer. 

Gambas al Ajillo made of fresh,peeled and deveined jumbo shrimps was cooked in olive oil, garlic, paprika and lemon juice moved along with the other antipasti. 

The Bouquerones fritos - deep fried fresh anchovies in EVOO served with lemon wedges and sprinkled with parsley was served next. This is best eaten as soon as it turns a bit golden brown to appreciate it’s crispness. 

Pasta with garlic-anchovy sauce with parmesan Is an all time family favorite was the simplest to prepare; each one made their own dish by coating the pasta with garlic-anchovy sauce in olive oil sprinkled with parmesan. 

The caldereta is a family favorite as well; chunks marinated in soy sauce and pineapple juice and simmered to tenderness in tomato puree, garlic, onions and herbs. Olives, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and pimientos completed the saucy dish. 

We capped the meal with sans rival, mango pie and silvanas with coffee. We laughed a lot since everyone wanted a photo with the celebrant. 

MERRY OLDIE: MY TYPICAL MORNING

Someone asked me; “what did you do after you retired from work? Did you get bored?”. 

Oh, not at all. 

Actually retirement gave me the freedom to pursue activities that I couldn’t do while I was employed. 

“So what do you do all day? ” 

You’d be surprised that my life is full of activities. When I was employed I woke up at 5:30 to prepare to go to work; so much later than nowadays when my day starts at 4 AM. After coffee and a shower I’m already out walking with my friends and neighbors at 5, if not earlier. 

My morning exercise is also my “me” time; an hour and a half navigating 10,000 steps. This is an interesting time I spend with friends sharing stories, experiences, jokes and laughter that make our day. It is also a time to “smell the flowers”, taking photos of vibrant flowers and photos of ourselves. 

Sometimes I walk alone

Back home is a leisurely breakfast with Jim; something we couldn’t do when we were employed, except maybe on weekends then. 

My breakfast is slice of papaya

onion-tomato omelette and rolled oats cooked with ground flax seeds.

This is an overnight mixture of a cup of the cooked oats, a teaspoon of chia seeds, a cup of yogurt plus a drizzle of honey. 

Jim’s breakfast is varied everyday; totally different but more nourishing and not as stereo typed as mine. But together, we cap our breakfast with a refreshing cold drink of green tea latte. 

Having been energized with endorphins after our morning walk, we are in a good mood to talk. Our conversation is diversified; from news about our children, to current social and political issues, to last night’s podcast we listened to, the sports we watched yesterday, the latest stories of the morning’s walk and so much more. 

I take time drinking my green tea latte while I check the photos taken and compose my Facebook post. I scroll through my Facebook feed; reply to messages and email. When done with that, it would be after 8. 

I go to the garden to check on new plants, to talk to the plants; massage the tips of my rubber plants; cut off dry leaves and trim overgrown bougainvillea stems. It is easy to forget time while gardening. 

What’s next? 

I bring out the mise en place for lunch to see whether I can leave them to my assistant to cook herself. 

Then I rest a bit; back to my current novel. While doing so, I often doze off without knowing it. And when I wake up, it is almost lunchtime. 

And that sums up my typical well-spent morning that starts as early as 4 AM; absolutely no time to get bored. 

From last night’s Democrats campaign speeches by eloquent speakers for Kamala Harris, I was struck by the words of former President Barrack Obama when he said of Kamala's opponent, former President Trump’s administration. 

“We have seen that movie and a sequel is often worse”.

But that is not true to my life, both before and in retirement. My life is as good before and my sequel is even better. 

Like all the Democrats speeches last night that emphasized freedom in so many words: my retirement life is also freedom. The freedom to spend my time the way I choose and the way I need to.