Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

QUICK QUIZ - ARE YOU OVERSCHEDULED?

Summer is here—I love summer! Yet, I feel tired and frazzled because I can't spend the day outside in my garden.

Why? I asked myself that question. I answered the question too. I'm overscheduled.

If you feel frazzled and frustrated, maybe you're overscheduled too. Here's a quick quiz to help you.

If you can answer YES to 5 of these questions, you need to take a step back and change something in your life or your daily schedule.

(1) Do you frequently forget to do something you said you'd do?

(2) When you wake in the morning, do you dread getting out of bed because of all the tasks facing you?

(3) Do you skip breakfast because you need to tackle your projects right away?

(4) Do you feel pressed for time so you skim emails or save them for later rather reading and responding immediately?

(5) Do you eat lunch at your desk because you can't take 20-30 minutes for a real lunch because your computer may explode from the volume of email and social media posts that are stacked up?

(6) Do you want to spend time with your hobbies or just reading a book or watching a movie with the family, but you never find the time to do any of that?

(7) Do you feel discouraged as you're trying to fall asleep at night because you didn't accomplish enough even though you worked from sunrise to sunset?

WHAT TO DO

What to do if you're overscheduled? Maybe you wrongly feel that everything is your responsibility. Maybe you need to delegate tasks or eliminate some entirely. Maybe you need to learn to say NO. Maybe you need to be more assertive.

I don't have the answer to your overscheduling problem, but I bet you do. Most of us know what we should do to clear out a clutter-filled day, but we don't do it. 

Tackle the really important tasks in your world, and do the best you can. At the end of the day, leave all of that behind and enjoy your personal life.

It's easy to get caught up and feel you have to do it all, but there is something very important to remember. 

Despite all the propaganda to the contrary, no one can do it all. 

Do the best you you and make a plan to deal with the rest. More importantly, make a plan to free up enough time to have a real life.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Your personal life should be enjoyed, and your personal time should be protected. Personal relationships and fun nourish the soul and warm the heart.


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Peace, Quiet, Soul Nourishment

Do I have any profound thoughts to share today? Not really. 

The next couple of weeks are vacation weeks for us.

We went to Louisiana for a few days for my annual summer siblings reunion.

My older brother lives on a farm in Louisiana so Darling Hubby and I drove to his home. My younger brother and his wife drove from Colorado with their RV in tow.

It's great to get together with them plus my nephews and their kids.

Mornings at the farm are glorious. No traffic noise. No sounds except for the birds singing in the the giant magnolia tree and in the elms and oaks and the rustle of foliage as the morning breeze brushes across the the soybeans and corn planted in the fields. Clouds obscure the sun, and a little mist hovers above the crops. The air is clean and pure.

The peace and quiet is stunning. Wonderful.  

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

It nourishes my soul.

Saturday Share - Chef Mama's Beef Stock

Who is Chef Mama? That would be my Mom who was an amazing home chef. She had family recipes, contemporary fad recipes, and cookbooks from churches as well as the most popular ones of her era.

She never watched a chef teach how to make something in a video or anything like that, but her food was amazing.

She made stock in her kitchen, and she didn't call it bone broth. It was called stock, and it smelled so good and tasted so good, you wanted to drink it.

Today, I want to tell you how she made beef stock to produce a liquid that would make gravies, sauces, and soups mouthwateringly delicious.

You'll need a roasting pan and a large stock pot or Dutch oven, and you'll need what were once called soup bones.

Mom used real beef trimmed from roasts as well as soup bones which could be bought for cents a pound. 

In today's world when short ribs cost $9.99 a pound, just look for the cheapest bone-in beef you can find. If you frequent a butcher shop, you can probably get soup bones from them.

You'll also need celery, onion, carrots, salt, and herbs. I do like my mother. When I cook with those vegetables, I wash and trim them then save the trimmings in a big container in the fridge for the sole purpose of making stock.

CHEF MAMA'S BEEF STOCK

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds meaty beef bones
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 10 cups of cold tap water
  • the equivalent of 2 celery staoks, 2 carrots, 1 onion, all coarsely chopped
  • a bouquet garni which is usually a bundle of herbs placed in a cheesecloth square and tied together. Use 2 sprigs each of fresh thyme and marjoram, 6 black peppercorns, 6 sprigs fresh parsley, and  bay leaf.
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

  • Preheat oven to 350º F. (180º C.).
  •  Place the soup bones in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until the bones are well browned.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer everything to a Dutch oven or stock pot. Add the cold watr and all the other ingredients.
  • Turn the heat to high and bring everything to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 3-4 hours.
  • Skim any impurities that rise to the top of the simmering stock.
  • At the end of the cooking time, remove the soup bones. If there's any meat on them, reserve it for use later. Discard the bones.
  • Strain the stock throough cheesecloth or a fine sieve and discard the bouquet garni and veggies.
  • Chill at least 24 hours before using the stock.
  • Fat will accumulate on the top of the stock. You can scoop this fat off and use as you would use butter, shortening, or cooking oil. If the source of the bones was organic, this fat is very healthy. Saute vegetables in it, use to make roux, sauces, etc.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I make stock on a weekend. After it's chilled and I've removed the fat, I pour it into quart-sized freezer containers, mark the date, and stack the containers in the freezer so I'll always have this quality ingredient on hand.
 

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.


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26 for 2026 - Change Your Life - Part 2

Welcome back.

Did Part 1, 26 for 2026, Change Your Life, speak to you?

I hope you found one or two of the suggestions compelling. If you did, take action, no matter how small the first step may be.

We are all a work in progress, but that doesn't mean we can't be happy right now. I'm happy. I think happiness is a choice. God knows I've had plenty of reasons not to be happy, but that's another story.

Wanting to change means that I recognize there are things—call it systems—that could serve me  better. I've learned that, and that's what I want to share. Here are the rest of the 26 suggestions.

Part 2, 26 for 2026, Change Your Life

14. If you want to succeed faster and be more satisfied with life, find someone who is doing exactly that. Are they compassionate, smart, friendly, hard working, and successful? If so, learn what they're doing and how they're doing it. What do they know that you need to know. Model their behavior. Find out how all the details of how they did it and adapt their method to your efforts.

15. Avoid modeling the behavior of people who got what they want by dishonesty. Never change your morals and beliefs to be like someone else. You can't model negative behavior without it having far-reaching consequences in your life.

16. Integrity—honesty in all things and strong moral beliefs—is everything in business and in your personal life. Make that a core belief.

17. Learn the difference between working hard and working effectively. Working effectively often means learning how to prioritize your tasks so you get better results, accomplish more, and feel more fulfilled.

18. Analyze how you spend your working hours. Are you actually being productive or just giving lip service to the idea of working hard? When you're supposed to be working, are you sneaking in time on your cell phone? Seeing Facebook updates or the latest TikTok video? Be honest in your assessment.

19. Change your attitude about work. Sometimes when we describe an activity as work, even though it's something we truly adore doing, the activity, in our mind, becomes linked to work =  unpleasantness. The more you enjoy something; the less it will seem like work.

20. If you're in a job you truly hate, then make a plan on how to change that situation. What interests you? What kind of job do you think you'd enjoy? Does it require retraining or more education? 

Figure out exactly what it takes to qualify for that job. Break it down into steps. Then take action. Don't be daunted by how long it will take to be qualified. Start now. Quit dreaming about it. Make it happen. You can do it. Believe you can. I believe you can. Planning, action, persistence, and belief can make dreams come true.

21. Enjoy yourself more. Too many people have lost the capacity for the simple pleasures in life.  They rush from one thing to another and say they're relaxing when they're watching YouTube or television or checking social media. None of those things will give you the kind of  relaxation you need. 

Instead of being glued to your phone or social media, talk to the people in your household. If you're living alone, talk to a friend or family member who's away—not texts but by voice. Be connected in a real way.

22. Take up a hobby or a sport. A hobby can range from playing board games, putting together jigsaw puzzles, crafting, cooking, gardening, wood working—the sky is the limit.

Try a sport even if it's walking every day, but there's also bowling, tennis, ping pong, archery, cycling, exercising, etc. Just about all of those mentioned can be done interacting with others. Find something stimulating and interesting to do outside of work that connects you with others in some way. That will give you a good balance between hard, effective work and play.

23. Laugh more. Nothing lifts the spirits like humor. It may sound silly, but if you're feeling pessimistic and discouraged, smile. Really. Smiling uses muscles and activates an endorphin release in the brain that makes you feel good.

24. Listen to music more often but choose wisely the kind of music. Abstain from music that insults or demeans others. Find music that lifts the human spirit and makes you feel good. That kind of music can be found in any genre from Mozart to pop music.

25. Read more. I'm not just saying that because I'm an author. Reading expands your horizon, improves your vocabulary, changes the way others see you, educates, entertains, and makes you think. In addition to all that, reading can prevent mental decline, lower blood pressure, and improve your emotional state. 

26. Take to heart the old advice, "You are what you eat." Most of the diseases that plague the modern world can be prevented by healthy habits. Avoid a steady diet of food loaded with sugar, salt, bad fat, and no fiber. Eat real food. It's good for your body, your brain, and your emotions.

In fact, learn to cook at home, eat  at home, and have guests for dinner. Learn the pleasure of physical activity even if it's just a 20 minute walk.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

That's it—from my heart to yours. We all talk about change. I'm no exception, but I've learned to accept the fact that I'm not finished. I'm a work in progress, and I'm proud of that fact.


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26 for 2026 - Change Your Life - Part 1

For the last 2 years, I've posted a list of "things" that I wanted to do in the year. For 2026, I thought I'd do something a little different.

Instead of focusing on what I want to do, I thought I'd put the focus on 26 things anyone can do that can have a positive effect on you and your world.

By positive effect, I mean these have the ability to make you happier, more satisfied with your life, more optimistic, and more successful.

These of course are my opinion. You may agree or disagree with some or with the entire list because you know what's needed in your own life. Perhaps this list will inspire you to make your own list.

In no particular order, just what comes out of my brain and onto my typing fingers, here are my suggestions.

1. Get a journal you can write in because it's the greatest emotional outlet you can find for such a low cost.

If you're upset about someone or some thing in your life, write about it in your journal. Analyze it. Ask yourself if you are right to be upset or are you really upset about something else.

Identify what the real issue is and then write down ways to handle it. Journaling is like a release valve on a pressure cooker. It forces you to really think about interactions and situations rather than fly into a rage and say things you may later wish you could unsay.

2. At the beginning of each day, watch or listeen to nothing on your phone, computer, or TV that is upsetting. Far better to listen to music designed to stimulate your brain and/or create a feeling of peace within you.

3. Hate separates people. Hate ruins lives. No one should hate another person because of political or religious beliefs or sexual identity. Tolerance does not mean weakness. Tolerance does not mean you must believe as others. Tolerance makes room for everyone. Learn to be tolerant.

4. In my United States of America, we have the Bill of Rights. It covers all of our citizens so don't try to pick and choose who gets to live under those protocols.

5. Live and let live is a good philosophy so don't do things that can harm others whether that's violent diatribes online or physical assault. Just like you, everyone has the right to live without fear of violence so embrace that concept.

6. Never take advice from anyone who's more screwed up than you. When anyone gives you advice, always ask yourself if the person dishing out the advice is living life more effectively with less hiccups than you. If not, smile and nod and feel free to ignore what they say.

7. Even when someone offers advice based upon their own bad experience, you need to be cautious because their own personality, attitudes, and actions may have played a part in their bad experience.

8. Learn to think for yourself instead of accepting the opinions of others whether that's online influencers, social media TikTokers, co-workers, or relatives. There's great value in learning to think for yourself. How do you do that? Question what you hear. Do your best to research at objective websites that offer facts—not opinions, not political rhetoric, but information that is backed up by fact.

9. Learn to recognize click bait titles and avoid giving those channels your time and attention. Anything with a click bait title is designed to create chaos and turmoil in the viewer.

10. Realize that much of the videos online now are peopled by Artificial Intelligence creations, not real people. For exmple, avoid accepting as truth what some elderly doctor may be telling you. He's probably an AI construct. Fact check everything before accepting it as truth and acting on it.

11. Realize that anyone online who is holding forth on a subject filters their thoughts through all of their life experiences and attitudes. Are they speaking truth or offering an opinion based on their emotions, memories, and attitudes. Analyze what you hear and see and check it for truth.

12. In this world of Artificial Intelligence, seeing is not necessarily believing. Deep Fake makes it possible to present the image of real people doing things they have never done and saying things they have never said.

Beware of trusting what you see. Fact check. Do searches for queries like: "Did the Gen Z Influencer really say, 'I think anyone over 60 should be laid off so we can have their jobs.' Or whatever shocking statement you may have heard.

13. If you work for a living in whatever capacity, be proud of that. You're supporting yourself and probably a family. Take pride in that. If others try to belittle you and/or your occupation, it's because they are lacking something and think that by devaluing you, that elevates them.

Like the old story goes, they think they can have the tallest building in town by tearing down all the other buildings when what they should be doing is working to erect the tallest building.

By the same token, respect others and their occupations. They're working hard to do the same as you.

Come back next Thursday, January 29, for the remaining 13 suggestions.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Here's an additional suggestion, not part of the first 13. At the end of each evening, take your journal and write what was good about the day, what bothered you about the day, and then list 3 things you're grateful for. Those 3 things don't have to be connected to the day—just 3 things in your life that you are thankful for and that you consider a blessing no matter how small.

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What's the Biggest Killer Ever?

Through millennia, what is the biggest killer of all? 

Fear.

It kills hopes, dreams, optimism, futures, happiness, relationships, and everything good in life.

Fear afflicts people and entire countries.

The most reprehensible are those who are fear-mongers. Beware of letting a little anxiety turn into full-blown fear.

Everyone has something they fear. "When your dreams are bigger than the places you find yourself in, sometimes you need to seek out your own reminders that there is more. And there is always more waiting for you on the other side of fear." — Elaine Welteroth

Never allow little fears to grow and take over your life. Motivational speaker Les Brown said, "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Choose to live your dreams, not your fears.


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Hump Day Attitude Adjustment

 Having difficulty making it to the weekend?

Here are 5 tips to give you a quick, painless attitude adjustment and make you feel better.

1. Get a donut. Seriously, 1 single glazed donut and a cup of hot coffee or tea will do wonders for your attitude.

2. It's Autumn Leaves month so walk outside for at least 10 minutes and enjoy the crunch of leaves beneath your feet.

3. Visit a perfume counter and sniff something new and wonderful to the senses. If you can't make it to a perfume counter, dab an extra bit of your current scent on your wrist and sniff it throughout the day.

4. Give a compliment to at least 5 people you see today. Saying something positive to others gives an endorphin release to them and to you.

5. When you get home, announce to whoever may be there that you are taking a 10 minute mental health break. Put on some calming music and lie on the couch for 10 minutes to shed the stress of the day. When you arise, you'll be ready to happily interact with your family and/or friends.

 TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Five simple things. Try them. You'll be surprised by how much better you'll feel. Happy Hump Day.


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Prime Day Guide for Senior Citizens

I find it's difficult to give a meaningful gift to older relatives in the family.

Most older people already have everything they want. They do NOT want some cute decorative item that is a dust catcher, a food item not keyed to their dietary restrictions, clothes that may not fit or be to their taste, things that don't fit their lifestyle, etc.

The gift of last resort is usually a generic gift card, but wouldn't it be nice to give something the recipient would really appreciate?

Most senior citizens are on fixed incomes so  giving something they would enjoy but don't buy for themselves is a good thing.

Also, giving something they ordinarily buy to relieve some of their monetary stress. Let's focus on those 2 areas—wants and needs—with this post for seniors or for those who give presents to seniors.

PRIME DAY DEALS FOR OLDER LOVED ONES

1. First up is a Prime Membership Gift. This will allow the gift recipient to:

  • stream music, movies, and TV series
  • get free shipping on most products
  • read free from a rotating selection of ebooks and  magazines
  • get exclusive deals and discounts especially on Prime Day
  • store unlimited quantity of photographs with Amazon Photo
  • save 10¢ per gallon at participating gas stations when you link a  Prime account
  • Grubhub+ free delivery on orders for a year
  • Amazon Pharmacy for fast, free delivery on prescriptions
  • Membership Sharing of some benefits with another adult in your household, and
  • Prime Access—Discounted membership for those receiving government assistance.
2. Audible Membership will be a blessing to an older adult who loves to read but who may be visually challenged.

3. Kindle Unlimited Membership is great for an older adult who reads but who needs large print books. 

With a Kindle or Kindle Reader app on a cell phone, the text can be made so big that it's better than a large print book.

If you don't want to give a Kindle, a little pricey if you don't take advantage of today's Prime Deals, then look at #4 below.

4. For Low Vision Seniors, a Prime Day Deal, Large Magnifying Glass that offers a full page view with Cool and Warm Light with 3 Modes and a Folding Handle. Reduced from $22.99 to $15.49. This will help in reading books, magazines, and newspapers. It might even help in viewing the monitor display.

5. Gift of Health Supplements since many senior citizens take health supplements to counter the aging effects. I'll mention the ones Darling Hubby and I have taken for many years.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a recommendation for you to take them. I'm not a doctor or a  nutritionist. Do your own research. If you have any kind of medical condition, ask your doctor before taking any supplement or starting an exercise program.

We want to be like the happy senior citizens in the photo at left—happy, healthy, strong, and with full possession of our mental faculties.

That's why I think there's a place for supplements and why I always research everything before adding it to our supplement list to make sure it is safe and has proven effective in double-blind studies.

(I YouTube channels focused on medical and health information like Dr. Brad Stanfield, a real doctor, not someone who posts scraped content from other channels.

I also highly recommend a medical teaching channel staffed by researchers and doctors called MedCram.

Having given all those disclaimers, here are supplements we actually take which are on sale as I write this. 


For healthy immune system. Reduced in price today.



Nutricost Taurine

We started this a year ago after watching several doctors' videos about the health benefits to body and brain. It's a Prime Day Special.


Zebora CoQ10

We've taken this for 20 years. Supports heart health and energy.


Nutricost K2 + D3

A lot of people take Potassium and a lot take Vitamin D3. Many do not know that taking them separately does little good. They need to be taken in combination. That's what this K2+D3 is.


Yes, older people have aches and pains. This heating pad may help bring relief from the stiffness and aches in hard to relief muscle groups in the shoulders and back.

7. Last but not least, give a YouTube Premium Gift Subscription via a Google Play Gift Card—I'll explain that below. Millions of videos that educate, entertain, and offer armchair vacations in technicolor.

Staying interested in life is one thing every senior citizen needs especially when family is far away, friends are now fewer in number, and physical llimitations often prevent getting out into the world.

YouTube Premium gives a commercial free experience for $13.99/month, about $170 for a year, much less than Netflix! 

(Watching without ads/commercials is why we subscribe to YouTube Premium.)

You can't directly give a YouTube Premium subscription. What you do is give a Google Play Gift Card for the amount you want to give, and your recipient then uses the gift card to purchase YouTube Premium. Do it and help your senior set up the subscription. Google Play gift cards come in digital and printd forms.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Really give some thought to gifts for the older relatives in your life. They'll deeply appreciate your time in finding something they wanted and/or needed.


Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.
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Language of Medical Prescriptions

Doctors may no longer handwrite prescriptions, but they still use the Latin words in the prescription.

If you've been mystified by obscure abbreviations in prescriptions and wondered why doctors don't write a prescription in plain English, this post if for you.

I blogged about this many years ago so I'm happy to disclose the secret language of prescriptions once again.

No need to be puzzled by the esoteric words any longer. Just print and save the chart below.

Here is the Rx, which, by the way, means recipe in Latin, to understand what your doctor is telling your pharmacist.

PRESCRIPTION TRANSLATIONS FROM LATIN TO ENGLISH

Rx (prescription) = recipe

a.c. = ante cibum = before meals

p.c. = post cibum = after meals

č = cum = with

Ꞩ = sine = without (Symbol is Latin upper case S with line thru it.)

d = dies = day

b.i.d. = bis in die = 2 times a day

t.i.d. = ter in die - 3 times a day

q.i.d. = qauter in die = 4 times a day

p.r.n. = pro re nata = as needed

h.s. = hora somni = bedtime

O.D. = oculo dextro = right eye

O.S. = oculo sinistro = left eye

O.U. = oculo utro = in each eye

p.o. = per os = by mouth

git = gutta = drop

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Seriously, it's to your benefit if you know what those abbreviations in prescriptions mean. I hope this helps.

By the way, laughter is the best medicine. I prescribe a reading of THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE, on sale for only 99¢.



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Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Saturday Share - Dishwasher Rinse Aids

If you're wondering why today's post is about dishwasher rinse aids, I'll explain.

In watching a video about environmental health concerns, I mentioned it to my daughter. She asked,  "Did they mention Jet Dry?"

I didn't know there was a controversy about Jet Dry and other dishwasher rinse aids. I immediately went to Google and was surprised by what I found.

CONTROVERSIAL INGREDIENTS

"The main controversy surrounding Jet Dry revolves around the possibility of residue remaining on dishes and the health implications of some of its ingredients."

Well, I've smelled Jet Dry on dishes which of course suggests that it's not completely rinsed away. 

The other concerns are about the safety of ingredients like alcohol ethoxylate and glycol ether which are listed as possible components of Jet Dry's surfactants. Yes, possible, since the exact ingredients are top secret I guess.

Share this post with your family.
So if you have ever smelled Jet Dry or other rinse aids on your "clean" dishes or thought a dish had a soapy taste, you should be concerned especially if you have sensitive skin.

Some other concerns are that rinse aid residue may damage the intestinal barrier.

Now, Proctor and Gamble have stated that alcohol ethoxylate is safe, "some sources suggest that glycol ether, another potential surfactant, can be harmful, including causing birth defects."

Just as ingredients in foods are vague, i.e., "natural flavors," so are ingredients in popular cleaning products. How are we to make an intelligent decision on what we use if we don't know the possible ramifications of ingredients?

The debate about the safety of these products continues, but I decided to take the safer route and eliminate them from my dishwasher.

ALTERNATIVES

At this time, there are only 2 real options to using rinse aids.

1. Stop using them and see if you can live with possibly "spotty" glasses and plates.

2. Instead of using rinse aids, fill the dishwasher dispenser with ordinary white vinegar which will be dispensed as if it were rinse aid. 

I chose to try the white vinegar alternative. So far, I haven't had a problem with the end result.

WHY THIS MATTERS

We take things for granted. We live in a chemical world, consuming food and beverages with ingredients that can have devastating effects on our health and using cleaning products that may have the potential to harm humans. 

Is it any surprise that cancer and auto-immune diseases are rampant in our country? 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Let's question more and make smarter decisions about everything we put in our bodies, on our bodies, and in our environments.


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Saturday Share Recipe - Peach Salad

I suppose you can guess that I've been eating a lot of salads lately since I keep giving recipes for salads.

One reason I'm always looking for a new salad recipe is that salads can be boring—a bowl of greens, a few add-ins and your usual dressing day after day gets monotonous.

Today's recipe is a fruit salad, but this is what I typically serve for dessert in warm weather.

It has some of my favorite fruits and the dressing actually comes from the peach pie filling as it melds with all the other fruits.

The ingredients can be a mix of fresh and canned to make life easy for you. It's cold, delicious, and sweet enough to pass as dessert.

First I want to tell you this new Duncan Hines Comstock Peach Pie Filling. The only ingredients in this canned product are: peaches, water, sugar, cornstarch, peach juice concentrate, and citric acid. No HFCS, no preservatives, no vegetable gums. It's probably as "clean" as a canned product can be.

The link is for a case of the peach pie filling on Amazon. If you're like my family and love peach anything, you may want to buy the 8 can case. At Walmart, this can is almost $9.67—talk about sticker shock!!! At Amazon, a case of 8 breaks down to $3.60 a can. ($28.83 a case.)

PEACH SALAD

Ingredients

2 (15 and 1/2 ounce cans chunk pineapple, drained

2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained or 2-3 fresh oranges, peeled and diced

16 ounces fresh strawberries, sliced (or frozen if you can't find fresh)

4 large bananas sliced

1 (21 and 1/2 ounce) can Duncan Hines Comstock Peach Pie Filling

Directions

If using canned fruit, drain and save the liquid for mixing with other juices.

Mix the pineapple, oranges, strawberries, and bananas in a large bowl.

Add the peach pie filling to the fruit in the bowl and gently combine well.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is so good, you'll get rave reviews. You can also serve it as a topping for vanilla ice cream or pound cake for those who like a serious hit of sweetness.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.


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