Tag: #cleaneating

My Current Situation XIII

November 2025 was the last blog post I entered in this Current Situation series.  What’s been happening since then?  Here’s the update – it’s April of 2026 and gas prices have spiked through the roof, home heating oil prices are extremely high, my 401K is up and down and up and down and the job market in general is sketchy.

 

 

On the flip side I am still gainfully employed as a Media Sales Professional by News Channel 8 (ABC) in New Haven, CT and I’m nearing retirement.  By the way, the Media Industry as a whole looks starkly different then what it looked like almost 40 years ago when I started my career so I consider myself blessed to be in the position I am in.

 

These boots were made for walking…

 

As I mentioned before it’s mid-April in the state of Connecticut and this New England changeable weather has recently taken a turn for the worse.  Last week I was wearing sundresses and sunglasses, this coming week I’m pulling out long sleeves and heavy stockings.  Winter is back – Waaaah!

 

 

On the bright side health wise I am doing extraordinarily well.  My pap smear was normal, my vision was normal and I was recently told at my annual physical  exam by a new Primary Care Doctor (a young woman in her 30s) that I should continue doing whatever it is I am doing because all of my labs were great.  Not to be funny but I was not that surprised because I gave up alcohol 6 years ago, totally cleaned up my diet, and as for drugs, I don’t indulge (smile).   For exercise I work out 5 mornings a week at Orangetheory Fitness Center in Hamden, hydrate a lot and strive to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

 

Working out is my form of physical therapy

 

Family wise my almost 93 year old father,  Jonie B. Hollis, was recently (through the collective efforts of my sister Casandra who lives in Nashville, TN, myself in Connecticut and my brother Michael also in Connecticut) presented with a Quilt of Honor (citation and actual quilt) for his 30 years of service in the U.S. Navy.  It was a total surprise to Jonie B. — the ceremony as well as my brother Michael’s  heartfelt tribute left him teary eyed and proud.  The Old Saybrook Nursing home where he resides showed up and out – it was a beautiful affair and one for the record books.

 

Jonie B., his son Michael, daughter Lajeune and the 2 lovely women who hosted the program

 

Other Blessings:  Two babies were born into the Hollis family tree this year – my nephew Jacob who lives in Florida had a baby boy in January of 2026 and my nephew Jasper who lives in Arizona had a baby boy in February of 2026.

 

Happy Great Aunt

 

One of my New Year’s goals for 2026 was to take up something I left behind years ago.  Reading.  And reading is my jam!  I am currently reading the trilogy of Paradise stories by Elin Hilderbrand that I am loving so much I cannot put the books down.  She’s an awesome writer and puts the reader right into the thick of her stories –  I’m on the last book in her trilogy series now – it’s called “Troubles in Paradise” and it inspired me today to book a return trip to St. Thomas for our upcoming June vacation (smile).

 

 

Reading is not foreign to me.  As a matter of fact back in the early 1990s I was hosting an African American Book Review radio show with my co-host LaMonda Williams called ‘The L & L Book Review’ on AM1340 WNHC Radio while simultaneously hosting an African American monthly book club in person at Barnes and Noble bookstore in North Haven, CT.    As luck would have it, I made connections with publishing houses in New York City that started sending me hardcovers in the mail for free in the hopes that I would include their books in my reviews!  I also interviewed African American authors at the radio station as well as in person at Barnes and Noble  bookstore.   It was most definitely a labor of love for I was not getting paid to do either of these gigs (smile).

 

Feeling real good about reading at night because it exercises my brain (smile)

 

And that’s all I have to share for now – until next time.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

Don’t Call Me A Senior!

We are roughly one month away from the end of the year – another year flying by way too quickly.  And, as it turns out, my birthday (Valentine’s Day which falls on the second holiday of the New year) is quickly approaching.  So I will turn 64 years old on February 14th, 2026 God willing.  Which brings me to my dilemma.  I don’t consider myself a Senior Citizen.  And I say it with a straight face (smile).

 

 

Technically speaking  I am not yet a Senior Citizen since the state of Connecticut defines a Senior Citizen as a state resident who is 65 years or older in terms of program eligibility like Social Security, Property Tax Relief, Medicare and other state aid.

 

Don’t call me a Senior!

 

There are, however, some programs and/or services in the state of Connecticut which consider 55 as the starting age.  As a matter of fact 13 years ago when I turned 50, AARP had the nerve to send me an unsolicited membership card!   I tossed it in the trash (smile).  Clearly they had confused me with my next door neighbor who, at that time in my life, was most certainly a Senior Citizen (smile).

 

I am not my next door neighbor

 

Another thing.   My name Le Jeune means ‘The Young’ in French so that might have something to do with my age obsession (smile).   True story:  While reading Jet magazine, my late mother Jean found my name attached to a very popular African American model who had just won an award in Cannes, France.  The model’s name was Le Jeune Hundley and, as it turned out, she traveled to France because it was easier for a black woman from the United States to find modeling work in France then it was in the U.S.  At any rate my mother loved the name, but changed the first E to an A, dropped the capital in J, closed the letters together and Voila! named me (her 5th daughter) after this model.  Here is a picture of Le Jeune Hundley on the cover of Jet magazine:

 

By the way her name was misspelled here by Jet Magazine…

 

Another concern of mine is that scientists have identified the 5 stages of the human brain and 66 (or the mid-60s) is when the so-called Early Aging phase begins.  This is the phase when people face increased risk for a variety of health conditions that can affect the brain, such as hypertension.  Hence why I wake up 5 days a week at the crack of dawn (430am) to work out from 5am to 6am at  Orangetheory Fitness in Hamden.  I’m usually one of the oldest members in my class but I can still keep up with everyone (smile).

 

I am truly an Early Bird

 

And also why I (as of the Covid Pandemic of 2020) completely cut alcohol (in my case – Wine) out of my life and continue to work very hard to eat clean and nutritious meals.  It can be harsh (especially around the holidays) so I allow myself to cheat from time to time. Like the other day when I went with my girlfriends Sherry and Thais to see Wicked 2 at the Cinemark movie theater and  treated myself to a Medium popcorn with extra movie theater butter (smile).

 

 

I truly believe life is for living and I have reiterated it as much in more than one of my previously written blog posts.  I will continue to not act my age and just enjoy life to the fullest.  So unless I am getting a serious Senior Citizen discount, you will not know when I am in fact a Senior Citizen.

 

I will be a selective Senior Citizen (smile)

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

My Clean Living Life Part VII

It’s been a minute since I blogged in TVFL about anything – 10 months to be exact – call it the ‘Pandemic Blues’ but I’ve been feeling pretty unmotivated when it comes to writing about my life.

 

 

It could also be because I’ve been having GI issues of late which are more annoying than painful.  Between doctor’s appointments, getting my Vitals checked, eliminating certain foods from my diet, it’s not been a fun start to the New Year…

 

 

One thing’s for sure, the issue is not related to alcohol since I stopped drinking anything but Mocktails at the onset of the Pandemic.

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The silver lining is that my GI office is real close to figuring out what’s wrong with me so that they can prescribe the correct course of action.

 

 

And I can try and get back to a more normal way of living which includes a positive mindset and healthier version of clean eating.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

My Top 3 Goals in the New Year

Good or bad it is officially the holiday season.  Thanksgiving is a not so distant memory, Christmas Day is looming and the New Year is right around the corner.

So today I thought to myself why not start early on my top 3 goals in the New Year before I get too caught up in the frenziness of the holidays…

 

Goal 1:

Make Clean Eating a regular part of my lifestyle

I’ve fallen off from clean eating more often than not this past year so in 2019, I resolve to do the following:

  • To not give in so much to temptation (mainly unhealthy eating)
  • To try harder to eat unprocessed, locally sourced foods that I (preferably) cook myself
  • To snack less and instead eat several small meals during the day
  • To drink more water in between meals
  • To eat more whole grains, veggies and fresh produce

 

 

 

Goal 2:

Work out smarter

It is a fact that I currently work out 5 weekday mornings a week but to tell you the truth I could be working out smarter as opposed to harder.  Here’s what I plan on doing in the New Year:  hydrating during my workouts, using heavier more challenging hand weights while working out and doing cardio after my team training, not before.

 

 

Goal 3:

Step up my retirement savings plan

I am 56 years old and not too far away from the legal retirement age so I resolve in 2019 to start putting away more money towards my retirement as it’s looming and will be here before you know it.

 

 

On that note, Cheers to the Holiday Season!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

TVFL

 

 

My Clean Living Life – Part IV

I am a super proud Colon Cancer Survivor(since August of 2011) so eating “clean” is an essential part of my life.   I’m also Lactose Intolerant so I’m ever mindful of making the right food and beverage choices.

Here are just some of the products I find make it easier for me to lead a dairy-free life:

I eat cereal every morning so milk is a major part of my diet.  Before I even realized I was Lactose Intolerant I had already made the switch from whole milk to 2% milk and then finally to 1% milk so switching over to Almond Breeze Almondmilk (Original and Unsweetened) plant based milk suits me just fine.

I love love love cheese so I was super excited when I found out I could still have cheddar cheese, a personal fave, as well as any of the “hard” cheeses as they are easier to digest than the “soft” cheeses and therefore do not upset my stomach.  For cheddar cheese, I prefer the CABOT brand…

When it comes to yogurt there are so many options today but I tend to gravitate towards Yoplait lactose free yogurt as it just tastes better than most of the other dairy-free brands flooding the market.

I used to love to slap a dollop of whipped creme on top of my pie or cake during the holidays.  Instead of using whipped creme, try this simple recipe to make your own dairy -free version:

 

  • Use one can of full-fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen organic Coconut Milk is a good brand to use)
  • Plus one tablespoon of  local honey for sweetener (optional)

Whisk the two ingredients together for up to 4 minutes and you’re good to go!

 

During the dog days of Summer (which is honestly the only time I think of ice cream) one of my fave dairy-free choices is Breyers Lactose Free Natural Vanilla as it’s simply delicious.

 

 

If you are a salad lover like me, scratch the heavy blue cheese or ranch dressings (or other milk-based dressings) and switch over to the lighter Balsamic Vinaigrette (Wish Bone makes a tasty version…)

Delish salad!

 

And finally,  I’m an avid snacker so I found that Hummus easily takes the place of  creme (“soft”) cheese, it is way better for you plus it tastes good too!  Sabra Classic Hummus (or its many equally delicious varieties) makes a healthy satisfying dip whether you’re snacking on raw veggies, crackers, pretzels, and/or baked chips.  Yummy!

 

So whether you are Lactose intolerant like me or not, Bon Appetit!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL