I've been meaning to write this post for ages. Ever since Hubby suggested it. Because food is such an important part of our lives, and always has been. When Hubby and I first met, I used to laugh that we spent most of our dates deciding what to eat, preparing it, eating it, and then talking about it. When we weren't skiing or canoeing those first months together, we were eating. At least that's the way it seemed.
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| Cross country skiing in Marlboro Forest, 1987, or so. |
We've always eaten what we thought was a healthy diet, exercised regularly, didn't smoke. And despite all that Hubby was still diagnosed with heart disease in 2013. That was a huge shocker. And not just for us. Hubby's hockey buddies who knew how hard he worked on his fitness were flabbergasted. Even our doctor was blown away. But there it was. He had open-heart surgery in March 2013, and we set about trying to figure out how we could change our lifestyle to mitigate against his ever having to go through that again.
I'm not going to go into too much detail here, but one thing we did during Hubby's months of recovery was attend a really helpful seminar on healthy eating at the Ottawa Heart Institute. The dietitian was excellent. Very knowledgeable. And sensible. She was up to date on all the latest research and even on the latest diet books, Wheat Belly being very big that year. She ably responded to questions regarding new developments in science, and debunked some of the pseudo-science too. She helped us enormously. She helped me to stress less, to research less, and to make some sensible decisions. At Hubby's suggestion, when we got home, we shared what we took away from the seminar, and made a list of ten things on which we would focus.
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| My favourite easy fish recipe: baked tilapia with pesto, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and olives |
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| Basa in chili-lime sauce with Hubby's stir-fried fennel, pepper, zuchini, and kale, carrots from the garden, and mushroom rice. |
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| Pork tenderloin (considered a white meat because it's so lean) with stuffed peppers from our garden. |
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| Our favourite pork tenderloin recipe. Sometimes we do the grilled veggies, sometimes not. |
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| Picking fiddleheads in the spring is a ritual for most New Brunswickers. And they grow in Ontario too. |
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| Barbequed salmon steak with Asian kale salad and fresh wild asparagus, rice, and tomatoes. |
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| Shhhh. The cook is concentrating |
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| Hubby's homemade chicken soup with everything but the kitchen sink |
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| My secret weapon: Persian Lime olive oil and cranberry pear white balsamic vinegar |
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| Pasta in progress |
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| My shrimp, grape tomato, peppers, arugula, and lemon fettucini |
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| My fav of Hubby's fish dishes |
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| My fav poached fish recipe. I use any white fish for this. |
As I said, it's been a journey. And it's all about the journey, isn't it? Hubby's blood work over the past few years has been so good, that he's been able to decrease some of the medication he had to take post surgery. So that's great. And I've benefited too. Or at least my yearly check-up tells me that I have. And it's been fun. What we eat is a collaboration. Mostly.
Except... well... this time of year... when the weather outside is frightful, but what happens in our house is delightful. At least to me. When there's no golfing, or skiing... Hubby gets bored and takes over the cooking entirely. I just have to act as consultant. And of course, taste tester.
Ha. It's a tough job. But I'm ready for the challenge.
By the way. I'm not a "food stylist" in any way. These shots are of my plate, just before we've tucked in... so to speak.
Now, how about you, folks? Have you ever had to change your lifestyle, or your diet? Hubby and I like lists and rules that applied over many months become habits. But what works for you?
Joining Thursday Favourite Things Link Party and Saturday Share Link-up