Tried an interpretation of this shawarma sauce. I didn’t have tahini, but instead I sprinkled a bit of Tajin 😃. Made it for lunch today with chicken breast kabobs wrapped in warm naan bread. Turned out better than expected!

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, grated
• 1/2 tsp Tajin

Instructions

Whisk everything until smooth. Keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Made some applesauce tonight. Turned out decent… I assume… (it’s still cooling down). 😎

Update: Ok it was very good. Just tried it on prebiotic toast with a bit of butter… 😋

Ingredients

• 6-7 apples, peeled, cored, diced
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a pot, heat on medium heat until apples are soft (~20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool. Mash to desired consistency with a potato masher or (less efficiently) a fork.

Update Oct 12: I made another batch today for Thanksgiving. Softer apples this time, turned out more saucy, but equally as tasty. John says this tastes like a new Thanksgiving tradition. 😄

I created a game inspired by a watch dial and The New York Times’ Letter Boxed game. It’s still a work in progress, but check it out.

There is a share button that appears when the game ends. What’s your best score? Mine right now is Time Boxed: 50 (17/19/14). The numbers in the brackets indicate the minute of gameplay those points were scored in. The idea is during each of the 3 minutes the game will get a bit harder so having a good score in the third section comes with some bragging rights.

I think so far the game is pretty good but I am still trying to figure out what would make it great and keep you coming back day after day. One idea is limiting it to one game per day and also adding exponential bonus points for longer streaks.

This turned out pretty good today. Secret ingredient was extra basil leaves fresh from the garden. I put a whole 796ml can of diced tomatoes in but maybe a half can would suffice next time.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 796ml can diced tomatoes with juice (or half)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup broth of choice (I did chicken)
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 pack Potato Gnocchi (I did Selection brand from Food Basics)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 handful (or more) fresh basil (torn/sliced)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil and butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, Italian seasoning and give it a stir.
3. Stir in gnocchi. Let it cook, stir often until cooked through (5-7 minutes).
4. Once gnocchi is cooked (give it a taste) stir in mozzarella, parmesan, basil until cheeses melt.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately. ~360 cal / serving.

This recipe with the full can of diced tomatoes made 3 good-sized servings.

I've been an Android user for years now but lately I've started having a serious case of blue bubble envy with contacts who have been trying to add me to group conversations or send me photos or videos (which come across blurry over SMS).

So I caved and switched to iPhone, as most of my contacts are using iPhones. I also knew that RCS was coming soon so I was happy that I would still be able to use RCS with the Android contacts. I learned that RCS was already available in Beta... I wanted a piece of the action and I joined the Apple Beta program.

Still, it was not available in my country or with my carrier. 😱

But then last night, when iOS 18 Beta 3 was released, I finally had access to it! Oh man. You have no idea - I've been racking my brain for weeks trying to solve this, trying to bridge the gap. Finally! As a nerd, this makes me very happy.

All in all, I don’t mind using iPhone. I have “Googlefied” the crap out of it (ie: using Google Maps, Calendar, Chrome, Gmail, etc). It almost feels normal now.

After a blood test this past weekend, it turns out I have high cholesterol again. From my understanding this is in my genes, so I will have to be extra vigilant to lower it. I've had good cholesterol levels the 4 years when we were not eating meat, but in the past year, I've let myself go. I've been eating way more fried foods, meats, sugars and I've been exercising way less. I haven't really gained weight because I'm still focused on portion control, but the quality of the portions I've been eating has been slipping.

I found a Heart & Stroke article on managing cholesterol I like so I copied it to this entry for reference in case it gets taken down one day.

Heart & Stroke recommends that you:

1. Eat a healthy balanced diet

• Choose a variety of whole and minimally processed foods at every meal. This means foods that are either not packaged or have few ingredients.
• Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit at every meal. Choose vegetables and fruit for snacks.
• Select fresh, frozen or canned vegetables and fruit. You want them to be plain, without sauce, sugar or salt added.
• Choose whole grains. Look for whole grain breads, barley, oats (including oatmeal), quinoa, brown rice, bulgur, farro, etc.
• Mix up the centre of your plate. Choose more vegetarian options such as beans, lentils, tofu and nuts. Include vegetarian options as often as possible in your weekly meal plan. Make sure your meat is lean, poultry without the skin and include fish a couple of times per week.
• Limit your portion sizes.
• Choose lower fat dairy products or alternatives with no added sugar. Select 1% or skim milk, plain yogurt and lower fat cheeses.
• Plan healthy snacks with at least 2 different types of food. For example try: hummus and baby carrots; apple wedges and lower fat cheese or plain yogurt with berries.
• Drink water or lower fat plain milk to satisfy thirst.
• Avoid sugary drinks including soft drinks, sports drinks, sweetened milk or alternatives, fruit drinks, 100% fruit juice and ready-to-drink sweetened coffees and teas.
• Note: If your blood cholesterol level is high, your physician or dietitian may recommend restricting your intake of foods high in dietary cholesterol such as egg yolks, organ meats, full- fat dairy products and processed meats.

2. Cook and eat more meals at home

• Cooking at home allows you to select whole and minimally processed foods.
• Develop and share skills in food preparation and cooking with your family.
• Buy a healthy cookbook or try some healthy recipes.
• Select the top ten recipes your family loves and get everyone involved in the meal preparation.
• Reduce the amount of sugar, salt and solid fats used in your favourite recipes.

3. Make eating out a special occasion

Eating out usually results in you consuming large amounts of food, more fat, salt and sugar.

• Try to limit the number of times you eat in a restaurant per month.
• When you do eat out, choose restaurants that serve freshly made dishes using whole and minimally processed foods and provide nutrition information.
• Share meals, order the appetizer size or ask for half the meal to be packed up to eat the next day.

4. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight or obese increases your LDL or bad cholesterol level, lowers your HDL or good cholesterol level and raises your triglyceride levels. Reducing your weight is a positive way to reduce your blood cholesterol levels.

5. Maintain physical activity

Being physically active will help improve your cholesterol levels and general heart health. Aim for 150 minutes a week. That is less than 25 minutes per day!

Choose activities you like. Cycling, swimming, gardening, walking are great ways to keep active.

6. Be smoke-free

Smoking is a risk factor for heart disease. It reduces the level of your HDL “good” cholesterol. Once you quit, within a few weeks your HDL levels will start to rise.

Back to smart watches for the spring time. I sold the Pixel Watch 2 to get the Samsung Galaxy Watch6. I find it be a more refined watch compared to the Pixel. Kudos to Google though, for their second iteration, the Pixel 2 was very very good. I think my next jump (or consideration) back to the Pixel watch lineup might be when they release the Pixel 10 Pro and release the Pixel Watch 4 to go with it. I plan to hang onto my current setup (Pixel 6 Pro and Galaxy Watch6) until then.

Anyway, I've been wear this Galaxy watch for about two weeks now. I find it more versatile (all of my 20mm standard watch bands bands fit it and look great!) and I like the UX over the Pixel Watch. The only things that don't seem to work with my Pixel phone without "hacking" the watch are ECG (which I have rarely used), blood pressure monitoring (again, infrequently used) and synchronizing bedtime mode with my phone. I get around that last part by just setting a scheduled bedtime on the watch (eg: display and notifications turn off at 10PM).

(Serves 2, 450 calories per serving)

Ingredients

• 4 hard boiled eggs (cooled)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (+1tbsp for extra creaminess, I used Hellman's Light Mayonnaise)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard of choice
• 1 green onion thinly sliced
• 1 rib celery finely diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices of bread, toasted (I used Dimpflmeier Prebiotic Multigrain Bread)

Instructions

Cut the hard boiled eggs in half. Chop and set aside the egg whites. In a medium bowl, mash the yolk, mayonnaise, mustard, salt & pepper until smooth and creamy. Add the egg whites and the remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve on toasted bread.

How to make hard boiled eggs

Put eggs in a pot, fill with cold water until water covers eggs. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 12-13 minutes. Rinse with cold water until eggs are completely cooled.

I say this all the time but you're the best kid any parent could ask for. Keep being who you are, you will go far in life. I love you more than 🌻 sunflowers love the 🌞 sun.

Super simple:

• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• dash of Italian seasoning¹ (to taste)

Mix well in a bowl. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight for full flavour.

¹Next time I will try adding a bit of dried dill instead of the Italian seasoning.

Canal is opening today. John and I are heading out to get some pancakes.

Although I love my Pixel Watch and Fitbit, I am momentarily back to a traditional mechanical watch. I bought a Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Mechanical Chrono (quite a mouthful) on Jomashop.com for an incredible deal and I've been wearing it nonstop. I love winding it, breathing life into it every day. Mine is accurate to +4s/day consistently (some I've read are -+2s/day). It has a silicon balance spring which is something I swore would be a prerequisite for every "real" watch I buy since I owned a Tissot Ballade.

I cooked up my take on this recipe for dinner tonight and it was a roaring success. John suggested adding bacon so I fried up some of my dad's smoked bacon--diced to small bits--and added it towards the end. (We've been adding a bit of meat back into our diet here and there.)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter or oil of choice
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup asparagus, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup water
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• 3/4 cup orzo pasta
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/3 cup black beans, canned
• 2-3 slices smoked bacon, diced (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat butter or oil in a pot over medium heat
2. Add onion and garlic (optionally smoked bacon can be added here), sauté until tender (~4 minutes)
3. Add carrots, asparagus and sauté (~4 minutes)
4. Add stock, water, orzo, tomatoes, thyme, basil and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
5. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer (8-10 minutes)
6. Stir in spinach and black beans at the last minute
7. If you didn't add smoked bacon in step 2 but fried some up separately like I did, this is when to add it.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Serves 3-4 people.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this space in 2024. I've been neglecting it for months. I've also been neglecting photography, sketching, journaling, reading, working out... It's almost like I should make a resolution to correct all of that. "I'll do it in the afternoon!"

Was planning to write a review about my new Pixel watch but I can't be bothered to now. I'll just say I never figured myself being into smartwatches or fitness trackers before this year. That all changed when I got the Fitbit Sense 2.

Then later in the year I had the chance to try the Pixel Watch 1 before the Watch 2 was released. It was missing some features from the Fitbit I was used to and the battery on it barely lasted a day--whereas the Fitbit Sense 2 lasts a week!--but it still integrated so well with my phone that I started to like it a lot.

I said to myself I would only consider the switch from the Fitbit Sense 2 if the Pixel Watch 2 addressed those issues. Well, it did, so I did.

Nikki inherited the Sense 2 and I'm super happy she is able to use it. I hope she loves it as much as I did.

In conclusion, I like these devices a lot.

Last week I received a letter from CBP indicating I no longer need to chase after a waiver, I am free to cross over to the US whenever I would like.

(I'm downplaying the [20 year] gap in my life and the journey to get here and how big and important of a deal this is to me personally. It's been life-altering.)

To test this newfound access, Pircsi and I decided on a quick trip to Target, then to Olive Garden for dinner. Great success! The border was no hassle. We got through in less than a minute. I took a moment to take it all in, and it all seemed very surreal. It still does this morning.

Oh, in less important but just as exciting news, I pre-ordered a Pixel Watch 2 and it arrived yesterday. I'll do a separate post on that in a bit.

Everything is coming up Milhouse.

Except for dropping my phone in the Target parking lot last night and shattering the screen.

Junior Brown. The best brown dog to ever step foot in Lake Erie.

He was made for this.