How To Make a Hawaii Boy Happy

February 7, 2015

It's been a while since I featured food, so here we go....

It's not hard to make a Hawaii boy happy. Just put some healthy ono grinds on the table.

For example:

(Beer not shown)

To continue eating what we want, the calorie intake of eating delicious meals must be offset by burning an equivalent amount of calories. We all know this requires two things: 1) strict portion control and 2) exercise/fitness routines.

The key words here are control, fitness and routine. Once portion control and fitness become as routine as making coffee in the morning and brushing your teeth at night, they are no longer arduous to maintain.

The key to making anything a habit is to do it everyday. This why Aristotle wrote, "We are what we repeatedly do."

I tend to emphasize fitness rather than exercise because fitness includes a broader range of goals, such as maintaining muscle mass. Studies have found that sustained exercise builds muscle mass even in 90-year olds. There is no age limit on adding muscle mass.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn just moving around. Getting lean reduces the pressure on knees and other joints--something that becomes more important as we age (I'm 61.)

Walking is excellent on many levels, but some other work is required to build and maintain upper-body and core strength. It's also important to build up some endurance via running, swimming, burpees, jumping jacks, bicycling up hills or some active sport. Getting fit and staying fit does not require a gym membership or any costly machinery; a 6-foot by 6-foot open space is enough. Some prefer a gym or classes--whatever works for you.

Those considering starting a fitness program should consult a physician and get a physical exam to establish a baseline and become informed about their current state of health/fitness.

OK, enough about burning calories; let's go back to the fun part (cooking/eating).

Here's a random selection of recent meals in our Hawaii family households:


Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin variety that is grown locally.



This looks like saimin/ramen but it's somen noodles; kamaboko is fish cake



Nasubi = Japanese eggplant



Homemade dumplings with long-rice noodles in a soup base



Nothing better than locally grown fruits and vegetables--especially if they're from your own yard or neighbors



And for dessert--Rachel's homemade cheesecake with fresh lilkoi topping. The seeds can be removed with a strainer but they're fun to crunch....

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