LIFESTYLE CHANGES/MY 4PATRIOT FOOD 'Dinner Bell-Broccoli Bake' w-Rice Bake; Long Beach-WA

September 12th: We are set up in Ocean Park-WA, for a month … then will be off to AZ, in October 😁

We are still putting Independence up for sale: if our plans dove-tail with Elohim's Plans for us, we'll be downsizing in the near future and going places we can't get Independence into 🙏

Yesterday, we drove to Warrenton-OR to shop for meats at The Chef's Store; I want a more varied menu for the meals I'll be cooking, and Holland was in agreement.

He also mentioned he'd like to drive to Tillamook sometime before we leave WA - so, I looked up the time frame needed to get from here to there, and back:

Holland has mentioned a trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, while we are here.

When we got back home, I broke each meat supply down, into 2 servings portions, vacuum-sealed them, and filled the freezer (I also froze chicken pkg's):

Angus beef patties; 2 burger pkg's.

Shrimp; 2-serving pkg's.

Bacon took the longest to prepare for the freezer - but the kitchen smelled wonderful ;-)

Fried Bacon for 2; to be used for breakfast, as well as soup additives.

Basically, I was in the kitchen for the majority of yesterday prepping meats for future meals; and making a cheeseburger for Supper then washing dishes before finishing the bacon. At one point, Holland said, "I don't like to see you being a kitchen slave." And I said, "I'm not a slave - I'm being a wife … this is what wives do, and I am happy to do; this only happens on grocery day - the rest of the month, I'm a lazy cook; trust me when I say I'll have plenty of time to sit on my duff while Suppers are getting under way. You don't need to worry about me: and you're going to be eating good, balanced meals once this busy work is done. The goal is to lose 150 lbs. between the both of us, by this time next year - that's why I'm breaking these things down into portions. And we are going to be eating more veggies. We'll eat up the Patriot Meal Packages, and the boxed meals we loaded Independence with … then, I'll start using fresher food stuffs when we get down south where the fresh produce stands are year ' round. You'll see that "good diet foods" does not mean starvation rabbit foods. I like meats as well as veggies - and I understand that men want man food. You're gonna love the meals I make for us."

September 13th: While driving around Long Beach this afternoon looking for the heralded Farmer's Market, we spotted a little church building that looks promising … so, I came home and researched it, and said I might go Sunday; Holland said he might join me. This development looks promising ;-)

We are thinking about checking this place out ;-)

The Farmer's Market was a disappointment - there weren't any fresh foods … just driftwood {art} being sold alongside home-baked cookies, cakes, and pies.

Tomorrow, there is supposed to be a Garlic festival happening in Ocean Park, and we're thinking about checking that out … as well as the Saturday Market, in Ilwaco-WA ;-)

Today's agenda …

Ilwaco's Saturday Market is tomorrow.

Instead of turning back home, Holland extended the out-of-house-Day with a wave watching beachventure … and a short drive to Nahcotta-WA; Independence is parked nearby, so we didn't go too far afield, in either direction ;-)

Spent about half an hour here, at the Ocean Park beach access.

We're parked between Okie's Thriftway Store & Sandridge Road.

Swallows; Nahcotta-WA

Nahcotta-WA: 

(https://pacificcountyedc.org/our-communities/nahcotta/)

Back home, Holland settled some medical bills online - and I got busy with Supper, and another little preemie sacque, while watching a Gena Rowlands movie - I like her movies (she recently died); Linda Lavin is okay, too, but I really like Gena's character acting.

I started a preemie sacque for a boy, tonight … this is yarn from a hoarded cache: you can't get a skein of yarn at this price, today.

Linda Lavin with Gena Rowlands - 'Best Friends for Life' (1998) movie:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA9wmP_xX8M)

Tonight I used another 4Patriots Food supper package (halved, since there are only 2 of us) - adding onions, mushrooms, and that leftover cream of  mushroom soup I used for another meal three days ago.

You can just cook these meals "as is" … but we like to add extras, for a more flavorful meal.

Here's my modified version of 4Patriot Food Rice, Broccoli, & Cheese Bake:

MY 4PATRIOT FOOD 'Dinner Bell-Broccoli Bake' w-Rice Bake ~serves 2-3

Half a packet of 4Patriot Food's Dinner Bell-Broccoli Bake w-Rice * 3 cups Water * 1 large Chicken Breast, cut into cubes * 1/2 can Cream of Mushroom Soup * 1/4 cup chopped Red Onion (any cooking onion will do; I just like the color) * 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms * dash of Salt * 1/4 tsp. grnd. Black Pepper * dash of Garlic Powder * Cooking Oil Spray (I used Butter flavor) * 1 8"-sq foil baking pan

Cream of Mushroom soup, seasoning, & sliced red onion, & mushrooms.

I used a portable hot plate & "do-it-all" counter top oven to cook tonight's meal.

Portable hot plate.

Cooking chicken breast cubes; braised, then reduce heat to low to slow cook for a tender bite.

While chicken is slowly cooking, pour water into a medium cooking pan; and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium boil and add bell-broccoli-rice mixture to the boiling water - gently boil at a medium heat, until the rice is softened and cheese sauce is thickened (about 20 minutes).

Cooking the rice, broccoli, & cheese sauce mixture …

Remove chicken from skillet - wipe out; then add veggies to sauté until tender.

Sautéing the onion & mushrooms.

After 20 minutes, add remaining ingredients to the cooked cheesy mixture: blend thoroughly.

Lightly spray foil baking pan, and add blended mixture; carefully place casserole in oven, and cook at 350-degrees for 20 minutes (ovens are different - if you need to add more minutes, that's okay = do not bake more than 30 minutes).

Dinner casserole ready for the oven.

And into the Oven, it went; 350-degrees = 20 mins.

CAREFULLY remove casserole from oven (foil pans are not as sturdy as metal or glass pans) - Holland slid a dinner plate under the casserole to move it from the oven to the hot pad, on the counter top: I thought that was pretty slick ;-)

Serve hot. Enjoy!

The delicious smell got to Holland; he didn't even give me a chance to get a pic of finished product. LOL!

While supper baked, I got a good start on this newest preemie sacque while watching a YouTube movie - and listening to the rain gently fall outside our warm and cozy nest ;-)

Good start with this little item, while Supper cooked.

WARNING SIREN~Ocean Park-WA

Long Beach-WA Peninsula

May 6th: The day dawned beautifully following the wet and windy nighttime hours.

We were just lazing around, doing as little as possible while drinking the  mid-morning brunch smoothies Holland whipped up for us … Holland was chuckling at some YouTube videos, and I was watching a pay-for-view Barbra Streisand movie, while finishing up the body work of the project I am designing.

After I finished my delicious smoothie, I went upstairs to lay down for a half hour-45 minutes: I had been up since 4 A.M., coughing, and hadn't want to wake Holland with all the tossing and turning - so, I got up to grab a cup of coffee, and just stayed up. Now breathing easier, I needed a quick power-nap ;-)

Holland's tasty 'Green Smoothie': ginger, garlic, tomato, carrot, spinach, & celery ;-)

Just about ready to wrap this project up …

I was just settling in and getting my body comfortably situated, when piercing weird music tore through the air outside and roughly brought my sleepy thoughts out of the drowsy cobwebs.

What on earth?

Cutting through the tweaked 'good humor wagon' music, came a verbal message. I instantly sat up when an uncomfortable thought ran through my mind - 'Wake your senses all the way up, Val! This weirdness is the Long Beach-WA Tsunami Warning system - weird, but true …' I stumbled to the foot of the bed, and groggily said, "Holland …" And he answered, "I hear it too, and I'm listening".

We listened for a few minutes; we stilled our breathing and waited for some indication of an approaching monstrous wave - the birds were still trilling, the ground was not quivering, and there was no hemispheric roaring … doomsday silence was absent, Independence remained standing on a firm sandy foundation, and there was no atmospheric disturbance happening.

It seemed to us, to be a normal day at the beach.

Curious, we drove down the Ocean Park Approach to see if we could visually see an approaching danger riding on the waves.

Nothing unusual.

The waves were a bit choppy - but nothing out of the ordinary. This is the Pacific Ocean; the waves are always in rebellious mode, here.

The sky was encouraging; seagulls lazed about on the warmed beach sand.

People and dogs trolled the beach; neither seemed unduly concerned about getting their feet wet in the beaching waves.

Holland and I exchanged 'I don't get it' looks, before Holland pulled out his phone to see if he could find out what the warning had been about.

All he could find was a tornado warning: you read that right.

I just shrugged my shoulders. Tornadoes don't come off the water … hurricanes, do; but at this point (with craziness erupting in all corners of the planet) in Life on Earth, nothing would surprise me.

Holland checked his phone for alerts, and got this instead of a tsunami warning …

The ocean looks 'normal'.

We watched the waves for a little bit - it was apparent there was no tsunami approaching … up, or down, the long beach ;-)

When we got back home, I went on line to see what I could find about nearby global disturbances that would have triggered the warning siren we hear earlier.

I also checked to see if I could find anything about an incoming tornado riding the local waves.

Nothing.

But what I did find was more disturbing: if a tsunami ever did strike this region, the State has decided the ocean can claim our lives!

Chinook-WA, Ilwaco-WA, Long Beach-WA, Klipsan-WA, Ocean Park-WA, and Oysterville-WA are all right in line with the beach line. The only high points, that might be considered safe havens, are Fort Columbia & Cape Disappointment … and those hillsides would be choked immediately with traffic jams of fleeing people; these sites would also immediately be filled to capacity as the hillsides can only contain a fraction of the population - they are steep hills with limited parking area, steeply dropping off on all sides to the raging ocean below.

It angers me that the State would not allow people the opportunity to risk waves leaving the peninsula, as opposed to hopelessly facing a monstrous wave wall of an incoming tsunami.

I am pretty sure Holland and I would be rebels, and break through the barriers. If we are going to die a watery death … we get to chose how we go down. We are not going to allow the State to chose our death for us.

On another note: the only warning I came across at all, concerning the waves in our immediate vicinity, was a warning to small ocean vessels about choppy waters.

WTH - the State cannot trap people on a spit surrounded by water!

The only warning was 'high winds' & 'stay off the water'.

So, we got on with out lives in the moment.

Holland cooked the meal he had been planning.

I watched movies and worked on my crochet project.

We banked on Love to securely hold us - Elohim's love; and our love :-)

Holland's pork stir-fry … Holland's 'Pork Stir-fry': seasoned/marinated pork bits, spinach, tomato, celery, garlic chunks - it smells wonderful. Slow cooking makes everything tender :-)

While Holland created a meal - I continued creating my design …

Holland's stir-fry was delish; Colby cheese & scrambled eggs added just before serving; YUMMY!

Just needs a final fitting & to be joined at the shoulders ;-)

Crystal Gayle - 'You Never Gave Up on Me Lyrics': (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewSpqahsQM)