I've finally gotten it into my head (and most importantly - habits) to start planning the meal around what fruits and vegetables are fresh in the fridge or on the counter, and then look for a source of protein. Of not eating bread more than once a day (or even every day) and pacing myself with the higher calorie foods. A slice of pizza on an eating day, at lunch, means I can work off most of it and have a chef salad (light) for dinner. This is the alternate fasting process, and I imagine after the surgery recuperation (when I hope to simply maintain whatever weight I'm at) that I can finish losing by winter. I have to just keep eating more fruits and vegetables, not go back to my old grazing through more complex carb filled meals every day. I mostly eat fish and chicken these days, and less than I used to (I am supposed to eat more during the knee recovery period).
The garden process is a little wonky this year. I've had projects that kept me from doing the work as early as I might have, and now I have to work to keep it alive during the heat we're under. I plant some things later in the season now to avoid the usual spring pests (cucurbits mostly). I made lots of pickles a couple of years ago and would like to again this year, if I can get the cukes in. And this year I plan to make a lot more tomato sauce. You can make it after the fact with frozen tomatoes, but truth be told, the best time to make tomato sauce is right when they've been picked and you steam juice then separate them.
This weekend I baked (yes, in the heat) a couple of large sweet potatoes and made an extra-large batch of my kidney bean recipe (eaten plain or over rice). It means I'll have extras for my helpers who will be here for a few days. I imagine we'll do birthday takeout on one of those days (the ex turns an incredibly old number I never envisioned being when I was a young person.) Oh my - just a year younger than each of my parents were when they passed away. That's a sobering thought. His parents lived at least a decade longer than mine did, that helps.
Air conditioner arrives sometime today. The plants in my sun room are a bit cooked these days, as is the garden. Hand watering the garden today, only 102o forecast as the high. Summer is a week away, ♬ tra la ♩ ♩ . I have Swiss chard seedlings that I will plant today in a shady area of the front yard, near the hose stand so they will be watered any time I use the hose. I love spinach, and I love chard eaten the same way (steamed with vinegar). This summer is such a scorcher we can eliminate the steaming process and let them cook in the ground. :-(