Survival After Seventy-Five

     Yesterday, two air-conditioning technicians came to inspect our outside AC unit which is a 2008 model.  It has not been cooling up to standard because we have a Freon leak in the system, and it has been slowly seeping out for a long time.  I'm afraid our old AC unit needs to be replaceed.  I was told air-conditioners generally lose their efficiency after 12 years.      I would like to have a new, energy efficient air-conditioner installed; but, need to wait until I have enough money or find a way to get the job done.      Therefore, we had three pounds of Freon added, plus, the capacitor replaced on our old AC unit.  There goes the money I've been saving to buy a new Dell laptop.      The AC is cooling the house and it seems to go on less often now.  We have been keeping the thermostat at 78 degrees Fahrenheit for the most part because the temperature outside is rising as summer approaches.      Seems, we will have to use our old AC unit until it breaks down.  Hopefully, i

Groceries for my Mayo Clinic Diet plan are mainly vegetables and fruit, whole wheat bread, less meat and dairy products, and few condiments.

     Carbohydrates, also known as carbs, are a healthy source of food energy.  In case you don't know much about carbs, there are two kinds: Simple and complex carbohydrates.  Simple carbs consists of sugar and/or sugar based syrups found in many processed foods at supermarkets these days.  Complex carbohydrates are plant based foods.      Carbohydrate foods includes grain products, such as breads, cereals, and pasta; also, starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn.      The Mayo Clinic Diet book emphasize choosing whole grain foods in limited amounts.  On my diet plan, for example, I should only eat four servings of carbs per day.  One serving could be 1/2 cup of rice or one slice of bread, etc.  At times, I find this difficult during meal planning because I am used to eating plenty of carbs.        However, eating carbs at breakfast works out better for me because I do most of my physical work during morning hours when I need high energy.      My diet plan differs from other

      I'm on the Mayo Clinic Diet mainly to lower my cholesterol.  By losing weight, I'm lowering my low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL).  And then, with moderate exercise my chances of losing weight increases.  Eating more vegetables and fruits while eating less meat helps me to lose weight faster.      Reducing the amount of sugar and salt in my diet has been a huge factor in my weight loss journey.  I'm using artificial sweeteners in my coffee on a daily basis and trying to iliminate granulated sugar completely.  By the way, alcohol is counted as sugar--no alcohol!  At my age, salt intake should only be 1/2 teaspoon or about 1200 mg daily.  Using less salt helps me lower my blood pressure and prevents water weight gain.      Another important factor in weight loss and lower cholesterol levels, particularly LDL, is fat intake should be not more than 30 percent of total calories.  Lowering fat intake could reduce my cholesterol levels by 20 to 15 percent. I have seve

Bacon and Spinach Quiche with California Medley--it's worth the time to prepare this delicious dish.