I shared here on the blog that I made several lifestyle changes in 2024 to increase my fitness level, improve my overall health, and lose some weight that crept on during Covid, our move, and six months of being in an orthopedic boot after I broke my foot.  I walked three miles daily, increased my activity by gardening and getting outside more often, and tracked my food.  I lost almost 30 lbs and was already feeling so much better. In 2025, I slacked off.  I’m pleased that I didn’t blow it entirely!  My eating habits remained pretty consistent, but I wasn’t as faithful about walking, and found it tough to get back into my disciplined groove.  A little bit of the weight I lost started creeping back, so I decided I needed to buckle down and be intentional in 2026 if I wanted to make more progress. In mid-January, I

Look out world, Marian has an Instant Pot! So, I’ve been considering the Instant Pot for a few years, but I never really bought into the idea that I needed one.  (Am I the only one who thought it was an Insta-pot?)  Anyway, I tested out an air fryer a couple of years ago and I finally gave it away because I never latched onto it.  I have a crockpot that I only use if I’m bringing soup to a church potluck.  I love good kitchen tools, but when it comes to cooking methods, I’m used to the stove, oven, and microwave.  I’ve almost bought an Instapot on a couple of occasions and backed away, not sure if I would use it enough to justify storing it. What finally convinced me I would use it is rice.  My inlaws have used the Instapot to cook rice on a couple of

I have a new favorite soup to add to my weekly rotation – white chicken chili.  Okay, it’s a chili, not a soup, but it falls into that soup, stew, chili category that I love so much.  I make a huge pot of the soup du jour at the beginning of each week, store it in jars in the fridge, and we eat off it all week.  It’s easy, quick, healthy lunches and dinners (and Jeff sometimes eats soup for breakfast, but I can’t get on board with that insanity) on hand.  Chili is one of Jeff’s favorites, but I am not a big fan of tomatoes, so traditional chili doesn’t get me too excited.  If I pack it with enough pasta and cheese, I can tolerate it, but that sort of defeats the purpose of eating a healthy soup.  But, I love creamy soups, so a white chicken chili