(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection - Kiki's Corner)

Have you ever thought about all the foods with preservatives that we eat every day? Either frozen or canned, there is no way they can be good for us and for our health. How can they be frozen or canned and last for such a long time? Trust me, they tell us that we’re getting fresh fish, but what they do is take it out of the freezer for a few hours and sell it to us as fresh. If you want fresh seafood and make sure it’s fresh, you can be close to the ocean, and you can get fresh fish, such as in Tarpon Springs, Maine, etc., and in Europe, the fishermen bring the fish out of the ocean, they grill it, and serve it to you. Unfortunately, you have to pay the price for freshness. Everything is expensive, and that is what you call healthy eating. But we’re not lucky in this area to have something like that, but at the same time, we’re lucky that many of you have gardens and many of you can enjoy fresh produce, fruits, and vegetables with no preservatives or hormones or anything else like that.

A person doesn’t need to eat meat every day in every meal; we can have three meals a day without meat, and it can be much healthier. I don’t remember growing up never eating meat, such as bacon, sausage, or ham, for breakfast. We had a glass of milk, yogurt, toast, marmalade, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. On the weekends, we had red meat. It wasn’t that my parents didn’t have the money, but that was how everyone ate in Europe and followed the Mediterranean diet, and as I said earlier, it was healthier for everyone.

Of course, I’m talking about 60 years ago. The supermarkets didn’t have any canned goods or frozen foods. You went daily to the market, and the housewives purchased the ingredients to cook for their families. I remember the neighbor ladies who came to our house for coffee every morning, and their most important conversation was what they would cook for their family that day: a lot of veggies, beans, pasta, salad, fresh fruit, and of course, fish and chicken, but not every day. We were very happy and healthier.

I wish we could still do that. Now we are spoiled. Now my husband says it’s not a meal unless there is meat on the table. You’d be surprised at the different dishes you can prepare with just vegetables, especially in the summer, at this time of the year when fresh veggies and fruit are so plentiful, with a different taste from the veggies that are ripe in the refrigerator. How many of you use a microwave to cook? I don’t, but I use my microwave to warm things up. Honestly, I love my microwave, but it cannot be good for us. One thing is for sure: at times, we choose convenience instead of health, and that’s not a good choice or idea. I will share a few tips about microwaves, and hopefully, they will be useful to you.

1) To make dry breadcrumbs, cut 6 slices of bread into half-inch cubes, microwave in a 3-quart casserole for 6-7 minutes or until dry, stirring after three minutes, and crush in a blender.

2) Use a round dish instead of a square one, and eliminate overcooked corners in baked cakes if you’re using it for baking.

3) Do not salt food on the surface, as it causes dehydration and toughens the food. Salt the food after you remove it from the oven unless the recipe calls for using salt in the mixture.

4) Soften cream by microwaving it at 30% power. One will take 15 to 30 seconds.

5) Thaw frozen orange juice right in the container. Remove the top metal lid, place the open container in the microwave, and heat on high power. For 6 ounces, microwave for 45 seconds.

6) One stick of butter or margarine in the microwave will soften in one minute when microwaved at 20% power.

7) Place an open box of hardened brown sugar in the microwave oven with one cup of hot water, microwave at high for 1-2 minutes for half a pound or 2-3 minutes for 1 pound.

8) To scald milk, cook 1 cup for 2 minutes, stirring once each minute.