Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: November 30-Dec. 6, 2025

SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
anna43 said:
My dad used to say about Campbells chicken noodle soup -- that they dragged one chicken through two huge vats of soup just so they could call it chicken noodle. We didn't have canned soups very often when I was growing up and I don't eat canned soup much now. I did feed a lot of chicken noodle to my kids when they were younger, and I will eat chicken noodle when I'm sick. Otherwise, the canned soups have too much salt for me.
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I keep a very large stock of Campbell's cream of chicken, cream of cheddar, and French onion soups in my pantry. We don't eat them as individual cans for soup. I use them in several recipes. I don't add any salt to the recipes, because of the salt content in the cans.

When that article came out about the lab grown meat, I went and looked at the labels on all of mine. That's how I know that they have bioengineered ingredients in them and what they are. I also read later on that the lab grown meat wasn't true.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
SouthernBreeze said:
I think that was debunked, Judy. There was an article that came out about Campbell's using lab grown meat in their soups. It's was later debunked. Campbell's soup does have bioengineered food in it, though. It's the flour and oils that are GMO products. There might be a few other ingredients, but those 2 are the ones I remember. I have a pantry full of different Campbell's soups, and I'm not throwing them away, because they have GMO flour or corn oil in them. Unless you use organic flour in other things, I don't know what the difference would be.
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The cans say bioengineered foods on them. Mine are all going to the dump, Campbell is trying to debunk it, buyer beware. It does not say it’s flour and oils are the only fake food in them
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
SouthernBreeze said:
Mine all list the bioengineered ingredients. Wheat, corn oil, soy, and canola oil. But, you do what you want. I just thought I would let you know.
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I get on a toot about food and now that I'm feeling a bit better my normal self is coming out again. I don't want any of those ingredients anyway. And I never used those soups in recepies anyway, probably why the church ladies never much like things I brought to pot lucks.

I had an aunt that was a wonderful cook. I grew up with her daughter, cousin by marriage. Anyway my cousin's food tastes good but when I realized how she cooked, almost nothing like her mother, I didn't eat at here house much after that. And the chicken spaghetti crap they have around here is disgusting, to me anyway, its how folks around here eat and they all have a pot full of chronic health issues.

I know I've had breast cancer so how can I be concerned about food, well it wasn't what I eat that gave me the cancer. I've found out it does run in my family especially in older women. I don't have any other chronic health issues and I definitely believe it because of that way I've chosen to eat the last 40 or so years. Sure I eat crap sometimes and unfortunately lately its been the main stay of my diet because I just don't have the energy to cook. Although the ribs at thanksgiving were delish. But I did use bottled bbq sauce. Years ago, when I was raising my family I made my own. I ended up with healthy sons.

Ya'll forgive me for getting on a rant.

ETA: I do use organic ingredients. I even bought flour from Italy because their soil is different, not poluted like ours is.
 
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anna43

Veteran Member
I don't eat enough canned soup to be concerned about health issues the few times I do. I pay attention to the content of foods I eat often but with all my dietary restrictions, I really do not/cannot add more. I would not throw out the cans, I would donate them. My grocery budget is $140 a month so organic isn't an option.

Got my car to the garage and wow the streets are terrible. My street especially because of all the cars from the apartment complex having been parked on the street all day yesterday so the plow could not get through. There are still several on the street and on both sides of the street near the entrance. We tried a couple years ago to have parking limited to one side of the street only, but the town would not go along with it.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
I have a can or two of Campbell's mushroom and maybe 2 - 3 cans of homestyle noodle left. I'm going to eat those. I'll worry about checking labels next time I buy any. I don't eat that much of it, either.

If I ate it all the time, I would have different thoughts, but I usually make my own soup. I use the mushroom in "green bean casserole," a local hot dish. It doesn't taste quite right if it's not made with Campbell's mushroom soup, or so I'm told, I've only made/eaten that one version. I make it once or twice a season for selected get-togethers. It's also topped with crispy (fried) onions.

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SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
Meemur said:
I have a can or two of Campbell's mushroom and maybe 2 - 3 cans of homestyle noodle left. I'm going to eat those. I'll worry about checking labels next time I buy any. I don't eat that much of it, either.

If I ate it all the time, I would have different thoughts, but I usually make my own soup. I use the mushroom in "green bean casserole," a local hot dish. It doesn't taste quite right if it's not made with Campbell's mushroom soup, or so I'm told, I've only made/eaten that one version. I make it once or twice a season for selected get-togethers. It's also topped with crispy (fried) onions.

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That's me, too. It's not like we live off the stuff. I use it in recipes. I have a large stock to last a year or two. If we ate it everyday or once a week or so, I would worry about it. I'm sitting here trying to think when the last time I used a can. It's been a couple of months. I think that was a can of cream of cheddar when I made one of my skillet meals. Really, I worry more about other foods from the grocery store than I do about Campbell's soups.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
Another cold day for us to be out, but I've got to go grocery shopping. At least, it isn't raining, today. I think it sleeted a little bit on us, yesterday, as we were coming out of the doctor's office. It felt more like little pellets than rain drops. 37 was out high, yesterday. Cary got a great report, yesterday, too. Just keep on doing what he has been, and watch his salt intake. We do that, anyway.

I don't have a lot to get at the grocery store. Mostly, fresh veggies, fruit, and eggs. If they still have a good price on smoked turkey breast and smoked hams, I get a couple more of those to finish filling the meat freezer. It's pretty full, already, from the last time I went shopping. I just can't bring myself to let it get empty. My fresh veggies will be potatoes, onions (red and yellow), broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, bell peppers (red and orange), cherry tomatoes, Brussel sprouts, baby carrots, and asparagus. Fresh fruits are mandarin oranges, apples, and pears or plums, whichever is freshest. I always buy organic when it's available. Nothing for the pantry this time.

Since Mom's sister in Alabama came for the funeral, yesterday, Mom decided to go back home with her to save us a trip, Friday. I'm glad. Especially, this time of year, I do not like leaving our house for long periods of time. It's a 2 hour drive to my aunt's house in Florence. Spend the day with her, and drive 2 hours back. We would be gone all day. No one to watch our house, and there are break- ins happening around in the area all the time. This time of year seems worse. Mom has someone house watch for her while she's gone. We'll still have to go bring her home in 3 weeks, though, unless something changes.
 
C

connie

Veteran Member
I have some oat granola bars that have bioengineered ingredient
I rarely used prepared foods. Mostly use single ingredient foods but need to be careful to check labels on everything. I buy organic when I can and pasta from Italy.
Does anyone know why they started using bioengineered ingredients? My guess is cost.
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
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connie said:
I have some oat granola bars that have bioengineered ingredient
I rarely used prepared foods. Mostly use single ingredient foods but need to be careful to check labels on everything. I buy organic when I can and pasta from Italy.
Does anyone know why they started using bioengineered ingredients? My guess is cost.
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Mostly because there is very little corn or soy grown that isn't "bioengineered"...so anything that contains corn or soy oil, or other products from those plants (high fructose corn syrup), must be labeled.

Summerthyme
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
OMG. Started a new supplement that has tracked good responses for a variety of issues I am dealing with, including diabetes. The hope is to reduce some of the other supplements. My brain went jackrabbit skippy. Soooo jackrabbit skippy. I am forcing myself to slow down.

So I checked. This is a normal thing for the first week or so. Ugh. And apparently my body is super responsive so I can stay at low doses. But geez, I wish I had known that in advance. Boss was already wondering why I was so scatterbrained this morning because it is not my normal.
 
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moldy

Has No Life - Lives on TB
@kyrsyan - everyone is allowed an 'off' day now and then. For me, it's been the last 2 weeks that I have had to give myself frequent attitude adjustments. But it kinda seems like everyone else is 'off' too, so maybe it's just a planetary or weather adjustment thing.

This week is busy - class Monday, meeting last night after work, work thing in the middle of my day off today, more meetings Thursday and Friday. I'm having to do things in little bits and pieces of time, but so far, it's OK. I really need to get started on Christmas baking, but that may have to wait until the weekend.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
We're back home early from grocery shopping, today. We didn't have to go to three different towns to shop. I got everything on my list, and my meat freezer is full of more smoked turkey breasts and smoked boneless hams. I bought a family pack of boneless pork chops and a 1lb. package of Black Forest sandwich ham. That is it for the meat. I'll divide the sandwich ham into small servings for the freezer. We don't eat it too often, but it's nice to have on hand for a quick sandwich from time to time. I know it's processed, but "what the heck". It will take us at least 6 months or longer to eat it all.

With all the just bought fresh veggies, I'm making us a garden salad for supper. I have some left over ham that I will chop and add, plus some chopped boiled eggs.

Nothing else planned for, today. Another day out tomorrow for my retina specialist appointment. It's supposed to be cold and raining, too. I doubt we'll do any shopping while in Big town.
 
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anna43

Veteran Member
The current temp is 5º/feels like -21º. High today was 23º. Snow forecast for Saturday but no amount predicted. Really, really do not need more snow!!

Dusted, dust mopped and did dishes. Too many phone calls that kept interrupting my day. I've discovered I can wave my dusting wand around while on the phone. Also, walk from one end of the house to the other while on the phone to get some steps in. Afraid I'd drown the phone if I tried washing dishes, but I do often put away stuff from the drainer while on the phone.

I cleaned out a drawer in my desk this afternoon. It is now organized, and the waste basket gained quite a bit. When I was working, I hated large and small paperclips and binder clips comingled so kept them separate. That is one thing I did in the drawer today because it still irritates me. Used custard cups and cleared enough junk from the drawer for them to fit. I do not understand how I come to have so many paperclips! I did throw some away but still more than I'll ever use.

Started a new book which I plan to read this evening. Leftover turkey etc. again tonight. I've finished several items so will need to cook again soon! I'm not fond of turkey so will be glad to see the last of it.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
Yes, it's 11 balmy degrees. It's just too early for this type of cold, but it'll kill any remaining stink bugs!

Last I heard, it's supposed to drop to -10 or something like that. Several of the schools are already on a delay for the morning. This is late January weather.

In any case, I managed to get in my steps. I've got to look for some new places to walk. They've closed some of inside places I was walking last year due to remodeling.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I saw the radiation oncologist today, I liked him on the one hand, a true patriot with a clear understanding of what is going on in the world and the return of Jesus. On the other hand he painted a dire picture of what would happen if I did not get immediate continued cancer treatment. I told him no that I was not going to continue alopathic cancer treatment. He was talking about how the remaining cancer in my breast area would eat through the skin. That I had not had treatment in 3 months and I should have already started additional treatment. It did not scare me and I'm goiing to continue the alternative treatments I've been doing. The last two pet scans showed no cancer.

We actually made it to church tonight, same boring stuff.
 
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WanderLore

Veteran Member
Getting more coffee. Stove tended. I think it's 21 right now. No plans but chores today.
You guys are right, this is too early for this cold.
I did get to my chiropractor yesterday and 3 errands.
It was 4wd all the way. Then several places I had to go were still heavy ice in parking lot.
I got the rest of the food for the Christmas party and a few small gifts.
I'll have to brace it and go to bigger town for the rest.
Will go ahead and get more coal bags in a few days. Also an extra bale of hay when my son is home so he can get it off the truck.
Just back up stuff.
I have to dress and go out to do chores shortly.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
It's -7 F at the moment. I don't know if a record was broken or not.

I'm grateful to be able to work at home this morning. I wouldn't have gone anywhere, anyway.
My new policy: I don't leave the property when it's below zero (actual temperature), unless it's truly necessary. I'm wording it that way because I need to go outside to check the furnace exhaust vent and to start the car (later). Neither of those tasks will take very long.

That may sound lazy, but I'm driving an older car, and I'm older. I sure don't need to be stuck anywhere.
 
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SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
I can't imagine living in those cold temps the way some of you do. Ya'll probably laugh at us down here when I say it's 43 cold degrees, LOL. That's our high for today, and 36, tonight. It's going to be raining, so that increases the dampness factor making it feel colder.

Eye specialist appointment this afternoon. I'm not expecting another injection. It seems the mac degen has gone into remission. I can still see as good out of the bad eye as I can my good eye. I've been able to avoid 4 injections, now. My doctor is highly skilled in her field of medicine. Talking to people in the waiting room, they come from all over MS. to see her. Some come as far away as Jackson, MS. and Memphis, TN. I'm very well pleased with her.
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
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Pure whiteout here, this morning. Can't see the pond, 75 feet from my bedroom window! 21°, dropping through the day into the single digits by evening.

I'm not sure if Bella, my big pony mare, will need a blanket or not. She actually grew a bit of a fuzzy winter coat (first time ever, as she usually stays slick all winter!), which should have given me a clue about the winter we're going to have! We normally leave the stall door open for them to go in and out as they wish, but single digits and gusty winds (up to 35 mph) probably means we'll need to tuck them in and close the barn.

Summerthyme
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
0 and below are temps that's almost unheard of for us, unless the wind chill dips below 0 from time to time. That's not too often, though. That's usually in January if it happens. I think the coldest it got here last winter was 9 degrees during one of those artic blasts we had.

You all try and stay toasty warm up there!
 
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hd5574

Veteran Member
We having a balmy 47 today for a high...and we have a couple of errands...real close too home... but dropping to 22 over night with a winter weather advisory...snow starting tonight starting sometime overnight and all day snow tomorrow...with a high of 33...not a lot of accumulation and won't hang around long as we are going back in the 40s...instead of a deep freeze...but it makes everything look so beautiful...
 
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anna43

Veteran Member
It is up to a balmy 8º above zero with feels like at -8º. We have snow forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Monday according to the newspaper. Computer just says Saturday. Temps are all over the place with 45º as high and zero as low over the next few days. I'm on 100% on hibernation other than walking to the end of the drive for mail. Usually, mail is delivered between 8:30 and 9:00 but yesterday it was 3:00. I got the 3:00 mail this morning and have to decide if I want today's mail bad enough to check again later! Garbage can will not be put out this evening. It's too cold for it to stink and the only place I could put it is in the middle of the driveway which is not a good idea.

One plus about the extreme cold is snow underfoot is not very slick. Extreme cold is typically dry. My driveway was plowed but not very well and is full of frozen ruts in the snow plus the city plow went by, so I have a berm of icy mess to climb over to get to the mailbox. I am extremely careful but very nervous about falling because at my age I do not bounce.

My aloe plants have fallen over the side of the flowerpot, so I need to get those re-potted today. In nature the plants fall over as part of spreading and I used to have them in a fairly flat container instead of a regular flowerpot. I cannot find that one so will try another lower pot to see if I can keep them controlled in that. I also need to pot up an African violet but hesitate because almost all have died with this potting soil. Still, I cannot leave it in water any longer or it will definitely die.
 
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hd5574

Veteran Member
8am...27 and snowing..rural...school cancelled
Girlfriends husband went to work..headed toward the mountains..they did treatment on roads yesterday..no ice so far just snow....

DH and I were at tractor supply yesterday..to get some snacks for the little dog..last year they had a huge section of space heaters, buddy heaters, 20 lb propane tanks and so forth ..in the section when you first come in the store...they were completely sold out..during a horrible cold snap last January...looked like locusts had been there
The dog snacks are in the back of the store...so we walked all over the store to get back to them
We never saw and heaters, tanks..anywhere
Also..went to Weis a grocery store in the same shopping center...things were faced..some things only two deep ...and there lots of holes...
Just a heads up...the supply chain is thinning
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
Our local weatherman missed our high temp, yesterday. It only got up to 39. It poured rain all day, and we just had a rain shower a few minutes ago. More rain on Sunday. Forecast high for today is 43.

My doctor visit went great, yesterday. No injection, and she said everything still looked great. Re - check again in 2 months. I was talking to a lady in the waiting room, and she said that she comes from McNairy, Co, TN to see my doctor. She has mac degen in both of her eyes, and has to have an injection in both eyes every month. She said that I was blessed, and I told her that I thank God everyday for my eyesight.

My BP has been high for the past 5 days. I'm going to have to go back on my BP med, at least for a while. 160/96 this morning, and I have a really bad headache. Not much will get done, unless this headache lets up some. I don't know why it stays normal for periods of time, then all of a sudden, it decides to act up. It was 162/66 at the doctor's office, yesterday. The nurse checked it 3 times.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
Prayers said for you, SB!

It's 24 here and overcast. I can live with that. However, there's chunks of frozen ice here and there on the sidewalks and probably the trails, too. I'm continuing my search for more indoor places to walk.

I'm trying to get the facilities manager at work to open the basement of the adjoining building for walkers from 11:00 - 1:00. My immediate supervisor needs to lose 100+ pounds (don't ask!) so that may actually happen. There's a stronger push for health at work. She may lose her job (because of insurance) if she doesn't slim down, but they'll find other reasons to fire her.

I'm so glad it's Friday! I have time off coming up and had a chat with the one HR person I trust, about my upcoming retirement. I learned that he's leaving soon, too. The rumor: they're going to replace HR with AI. I hate most HR people, but replacing them with AI would be a terrible mistake.

Onward! I can see the weekend from here!
 
D

Digger

Veteran Member
Thanksgiving was great. I was worn out when it was over. But thyroid issues will make you more tired. I told hubby I just needed to rest a day. But life happens. I thought we had a pretty easy week ahead of us. Saturday night our daughter texted me that the other grandparents were going out of town so they would not be able to keep the kids their 3 days. We did Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday our daughter took off. And Thursday we kept them again. Our daughter got off early, but had an appointment for her eye check up.

Wednesday hubby had to be at a hospital an hour away to get his eye lenses worked on. He has had cataract surgery a few years ago, but the new lenses are now cloudy. The dr just zapped it with a laser and it's clear again. They will do the other eye in a couple of weeks. Thursday he was checked by the eye dr in the local office. His vision is much better.

Hubby kept asking what I wanted for Christmas. I couldn't think of anything. But I was looking on Amazon at the cyber Monday deals and there was a stainless steel kitchen aide grain grinder on sale. I ordered it and told him he just did his shopping. I have a hand grinder. It works, but it's not a really good one. It takes a lot of work to make cornmeal and the flour was never very fine. I think this will be really helpful.

My ear is a little better. I have been using usnea tincture since the steroids ran out. It has helped more than the steroids did. My ear is still stopped up, but it's not as bad. My hearing is still not at 50% in that ear yet. I have to start more usnea tincture today.

We got all the downed trees cut into firewood lengths. We will bring our splitter to the pasture to split it. I will be glad to get that job done. I need to do some outside work, but I only have so much energy. My work usually gets put on the back burner. I still have my gardens to clean up. I would like to till and mulch some areas. I have onion sets to plant too. I will put some in my raised beds and some in the ground. In another month, I can start prunings the fruit trees.

We did have our first snow yesterday. Nothing stuck in our area, but it was pretty coming down.

Today I have to do laundry and some house cleaning. I would like to have just a day to do my things. We will see how it goes.

Have a blessed day everyone.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
My winter/spring walking onions are coming up. We'll get to start digging and eating those in February. I still need to prune all my rose bushes. They have been mulched, but I usually wait to prune them in December. I need a dry day to do that.

I went ahead and took my BP med. BP is coming down, and my headache is calming a bit, too. I'm going to go ahead and mix up the chicken casserole and my salad for supper, tonight, as soon as Cary finishes eating brunch. I laid out another loaf of homemade sourdough bread from the freezer to thaw for tonight, too. I brushed the tops of these loaves with egg white, before baking and topped the dough with "Everything Bagel" toppings this time. First time I've done that, so I hope it tastes ok. Of course, Cary will be the judge.
 
sssarawolf

sssarawolf

We're just plugging along.
Dehydrating cranberries today. For some reason I haven't done that before. Trying 2 different ways. With starting i found I like cutting them in half or a slice in the skin to boiling them to crack the skin. Lose to much juice boiling them even for the recommended 2 min.
 
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