When Did Healthy Aging Become a Part-Time Job? (RECIPE)

Not long ago, a friend’s husband told me I was a very beautiful woman. He wasn’t hitting on me. It was simply a lovely compliment, sincerely given.

I thanked him, but inside my head, I was thinking: You have no idea how much maintenance this takes now.

I may be a little vain. I’m okay admitting that.

I gua sha. I have needle rollers. I do red light therapy, high frequency treatments and exfoliation. I’ve discovered that oils are my friend, and at this point I may own all of them.

I’m paying attention to my skin. My hair. Vitamins. Minerals. Amino acids.

Then there’s yoga, calisthenics, walking and, of course, what I eat.

When I actually list everything I’m doing, it’s slightly ridiculous. Healthy aging has apparently become my part-time job.

And lately I’ve started wondering if that’s where all the time and energy went that I used to have for everything else.

I Don’t Remember Having to Work This Hard at It

When I was younger, there wasn’t much of a maintenance program. If I gained a little weight, I cut out the junk food. That was pretty much it.

I didn’t think about maintaining muscle. I didn’t have a skin-care device collection. I wasn’t researching amino acids. I wasn’t wondering whether I was getting enough protein or what my hormones might be doing. I could work all day, come home and get things done, and still go out that night.

And I didn’t appreciate any of it because it was just normal. My body mostly took care of itself. Now it seems to have developed a rather extensive list of terms and conditions.

Weight is a thing.

Hormones are a thing.

Muscle is a thing.

Skin is a thing.

Hair is a thing.

Sleep is a thing.

Energy is definitely a thing.

And the frustrating part is that they aren’t separate. They all seem to be connected somehow. Change one thing and three others have an opinion.

Surely Someone Should Have Figured This Out by Now

This is the part that genuinely boggles my mind. Women have been around for quite some time. Menopause isn’t exactly breaking news. Yet there comes a point when your body starts changing in several directions at once and there doesn’t seem to be one particularly clear instruction manual for what you’re supposed to do about it.

Instead, there is advice. So much advice….

• Eat more protein.
• Watch your carbohydrates.
• Lift weights.
• Walk.
• Stretch.
• Protect your bones.
• Take care of your heart.
• Get enough vitamins and minerals.
• Sleep.
• Reduce stress.
• Take care of your skin.
• Don’t forget your brain.

And somehow we’re supposed to do all of this while we’re still working, maintaining homes, taking care of families, seeing friends and living the rest of our lives.

I don’t think women my age have a shortage of things we’re supposed to be doing.

We may have a shortage of hours.

Then There’s the Woman in the Mirror

Sometimes I look in the mirror and don’t immediately recognize the woman looking back at me.

And I just noticed something about that sentence.

I said woman.

That’s new.

For most of my life, somewhere inside my own head, I was still a girl. I don’t know exactly when she became a woman. Apparently sometime around 60. I’m still getting used to her.

I’d love to say I have reached an age where I no longer care about being attractive. I haven’t. I like looking good.

I want my hair to look good. I want my skin to look good. I want to put on clothes and like what I see. And when someone tells me I’m beautiful, I like that too.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admitting it. But there’s something else happening now that wasn’t part of the equation when I was younger. I’m not only thinking about how I look today.

I’m thinking about how much of myself I can preserve for tomorrow.

Because I’ve Started Looking Around

I see people my own age who seem much older than I feel. Sometimes they can’t do things anymore that I still take for granted.

That gets my attention.

Not because I think they’ve done anything wrong. Bodies and circumstances are different, and none of us gets to control everything that happens to us.

But it has made aging much less theoretical. Sixty doesn’t look one particular way. Neither does 70 or 80. There can be an enormous difference in how people experience those years.

I don’t know exactly how much control I have over which version I get. Probably less than I’d like. But I know I don’t want to waste whatever influence I do have.

I want to preserve what I can for as long as I can.

That’s really what all this maintenance is about. And maybe that’s also where some of the time and energy I used to have has gone.

Between walking, yoga, calisthenics, paying attention to what I eat and my surprisingly well-equipped personal beauty department, I’m apparently still quite productive.

I’ve just added myself to the list of things I’m maintaining.

Food Is Part of the Maintenance Too

Food has changed for me in much the same way.

When I was younger, eating better was mostly reactive.

Too much junk food? Stop eating it.

Jeans getting tight? Clean things up.

Now I’m asking more of food. I want meals that give me something back. I want to eat well, but I also want dinner to be something I genuinely look forward to.

Some of my recipes have a lot of ingredients.

I know that.

But I’ve learned there’s a difference between a lot of ingredients and a lot of work.

Many of those ingredients are herbs, spices, garlic, citrus or things that take seconds to add but turn dinner from fine into something I can’t wait to eat.

And then there are recipes that are just wonderfully easy.

My Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings is one of those. Scroll down for the list of ingredients and preparation instructions.

I made it recently, had dinner and went on with my evening.

Later that night, I was brushing my teeth when I thought about the chicken and dumplings sitting in the refrigerator.

And I got excited.

Not just pleased that tomorrow’s dinner was already taken care of.

Actually excited that I got to eat it again.

This amused me because I’ve never considered myself a leftover person.

Apparently, I was wrong.

I don’t dislike leftovers. I dislike leftovers that aren’t very good.

I’ve actually started cooking with leftovers in mind. If I’m going to make something really good, why make enough to enjoy it only once?

And considering how much time I’m apparently spending maintaining everything else these days, having tomorrow’s dinner already waiting in the refrigerator feels like one small thing I’ve gotten exactly right.

Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

List of Ingredients:

For the Chicken and Dumplings:

• 1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup, low or no sodium
• 1 32 oz chicken broth, no sodium
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables e.g., peas, carrots, and corn
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp butter, unsalted
• 1/2 8oz roll Pillsbury Grands biscuits, quartered

For the Side:

• 2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Preparation Instructions:

Prepare the Base:

In a crockpot, combine the1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup,, 1 32 oz chicken broth, no sodium, 2 chicken breasts, 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, diced 1/2 medium onion,, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp onion powder. Stir gently to mix. Add the 2 tsp butter, on top.

Cook:

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Add Biscuits:

After 6 hours, remove the chicken breasts and shred them with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot.

Take 1/2 8oz roll Pillsbury Grands biscuits, and roll each biscuit into quarters and add them to the crockpot. Gently stir to submerge them in the broth. Cover and cook for an additional 1 hour.

Prepare the Side:

While the biscuits are cooking, steam the 2 cups green beans,. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the green beans, and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender. Season with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper if desired.

Serve:

Ladle the chicken and dumplings into bowls and serve with green beans on top.

For nutrition facts and additional tips, visit Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings with Steamed Green Beans.

Let’s Talk:

Has taking care of yourself become more complicated as you’ve gotten older? What have you added to your own “maintenance program” that you never thought about when you were younger? And tell me – are you a leftover person, or does tomorrow’s dinner need to be something new?