Slide right out of your chair with your first spoonful of these creamy braised white beans! Full of flavor, they melt in your mouth!

Healthiest Beans

Yes, one of the healthiest foods out there? Beans. And, if you’re like me, a bean lover, you have no problem with eating more and more. 

White Kidney Bean

I do love any and all beans, but this white kidney bean is one of my favorites. 

Dried Cannellini Beans

You can buy cannellini beans in the can. Yes, that’s easy. But, using dried cannellini beans and getting a creamy, almost gravy liquid, just can’t be found in the can. My main way to use the canned cannellini is in chilis and bean salad recipes. 

Creamy White Beans

So how do you make creamy white beans? My method is the old-fashioned bean cooking process.

How to Make White Beans Creamy

Making white beans creamy with this gravy-like sauce comes from the old school way of stove top cooking. At least I think so. I’ve never had this good luck with a slow cooker or multi cooker or even a pressure cooker. My Grandma and Mom cooked beans this way.

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The third chapter of life can be transformative. Learn how to redefine your aging experience and live fully.

Your third chapter of life is the perfect time to question old expectations, prioritize yourself and live with more freedom, purpose and intention.

Give Yourself a Hall Pass: Permission to Live Your Third Chapter Differently

There comes a point in life when you realize you’ve spent decades following rules you never consciously agreed to.

Be responsible. Be practical. Put everyone else first. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Act your age. Do what’s expected.

But what if your third chapter of life is the perfect time to question some of those rules?

I’m almost 77, and I think we’ve earned a Hall Pass.

Not a pass to abandon responsibility or stop caring about the people we love. A pass from the expectations, assumptions and conventional thinking that can quietly limit how we live as we get older.

Because healthy aging isn’t just about adding years to life. It’s about making those years meaningful, energetic and truly our own.

What Does a Hall Pass Mean in the Third Chapter of Life?

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Reinvent yourself after 60? You don’t have to start over. Use your life experience, skills and wisdom to create a fulfilling new chapter.

How to Reinvent Yourself After 60: You’re Not Starting Over

There is a particular kind of freedom that can come with getting older. You begin to realize that you don’t have to keep living according to a plan you made decades ago.

Maybe the career that once defined you no longer does. Maybe the children who needed you so much are grown. Maybe you’ve retired, moved, downsized, lost someone, gained some perspective, or simply woken up one morning and thought, Is this really what I want the rest of my life to look like?

If you’ve ever felt that way, you may not need a new life. You may simply need to reinvent the one you already have.

Reinventing yourself doesn’t necessarily mean making major or drastic changes. Sometimes it can be as simple as a new hairstyle, trying a different way of dressing, redecorating your home, taking up a new hobby, or simply changing something that says, “This is the new me.”

And here’s the part I think we sometimes get wrong about reinvention: You are not starting over.

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Cabbage soup made in one skillet with bone broth, kielbasa, beans and peppers. Budget-friendly. Feeds a crowd. Better the next day!

Hearty Cabbage Soup with Bone Broth, Beans & Kielbasa

Some recipes are complicated because they need to be.

This isn’t one of them.

This hearty cabbage soup is made in one large skillet with simple, everyday ingredients and your choice of protein. I use turkey kielbasa, but ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey all work beautifully.

There’s plenty of cabbage, colorful peppers, creamy cannellini beans and flavorful bone broth, all finished with fresh dill and freshly grated Parmesan.

It’s hearty enough to be a meal, easy enough for a weeknight, and generous enough to feed a crowd.

And there’s something else I love about a recipe like this: it gets even better after it sits for a while.

Easy, One-Skillet Cabbage Soup

This is the kind of recipe I reach for when I want dinner without creating a kitchen project.

Everything happens in one large skillet.

The meat and onions get a quick sauté, the cabbage steams down in the broth, and then the peppers and beans join the party.

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Uncover the journey of reinventing yourself. Learn to let go of what no longer serves you and embrace new opportunities.

Reinvent Yourself

Getting older doesn’t mean becoming less. It can mean becoming more intentional about who you want to be next.

At almost 77, I find myself asking a different question than I did when I was younger:

What is still possible?

Not Who was I? Not What have I already accomplished? But: Who am I becoming?

That’s what BECOME is about. It’s Letter Two in my Dear Friend series:

RELEASE. BECOME. REDEFINE.

Because once we release what no longer belongs, we create room for what comes next.

How to Reinvent Yourself After 60

The word reinvent can make it sound as though we need to become an entirely different person.

I don’t think that’s it.

Becoming isn’t throwing away who you’ve been. It’s building on everything you’ve learned and deciding what you want more of now.

Maybe you want to become: Stronger, more curious, adventurous, connected, creative, protective of your time, more willing to try something new!

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Getting older gives us the opportunity to redefine success, productivity, ambition and rest, and create a life that fits who we’ve become.

Redefine: Creating a Life That Fits Who You Are Now

There is something we don’t talk about enough as we get older.

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t accepting that we’re aging.

It’s realizing that the rules we’ve lived by for decades may no longer fit the life we’re living now.

For years, many of us followed a familiar formula:

Work hard.
Be productive.
Keep going.
Take care of everyone.
Accomplish something.
Stay busy.

And for many of us, those rules worked.They helped us build careers, families, businesses, homes and lives we can be proud of.

But somewhere along the way, we changed.

Our priorities changed.
Our energy changed.
Our perspective changed.
What matters to us changed.

And suddenly, the old scorecard doesn’t seem quite right anymore. Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re failing to keep up.

Maybe we’re using a scorecard that no longer belongs to us.

The Rules We Inherited

Most of us didn’t consciously sit down and write the rules for our lives. We inherited them.

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Croatian Coleslaw

This Croatian Coleslaw is a fresh, crunchy, tangy cabbage salad made with green and purple cabbage, green peppers, purple onion, caraway seeds, extra virgin olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. It’s incredibly simple, naturally flavorful, and versatile enough to serve alongside almost any meal.

The secret is massaging the cabbage with Himalayan salt before adding the other ingredients. This softens the cabbage, releases some of its natural moisture, and creates a wonderfully tender-crisp texture.

Croatian Coleslaw: A Simple, Gut-Friendly Cabbage Salad

Cabbage is one of those humble vegetables that deserves far more attention. It’s packed with fiber and provides vitamin C and vitamin K, along with a variety of plant compounds.

Massaging the cabbage with salt makes it easier to eat while preserving plenty of its satisfying crunch. The apple cider vinegar adds brightness, while extra virgin olive oil brings richness and healthy fats.

And then there’s caraway.

That little tablespoon of caraway seeds gives this coleslaw its distinctive Croatian-inspired flavor. Earthy, slightly sweet, and aromatic, caraway transforms a simple bowl of cabbage into something much more interesting.

Why Cabbage Is Such a Good Choice for Healthy Eating

Cabbage is inexpensive, nutrient-dense, and incredibly versatile.

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Elevate your meals with easy pickled cabbage. This crunchy and tangy delight pairs perfectly with countless dishes.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Pickled Cabbage Recipe

Sometimes the simplest recipes become the ones you make over and over. And, there’s no canning required!

This easy pickled cabbage is crunchy, bright, slightly tangy and incredibly versatile. It takes just minutes to prepare, requires no special canning equipment, and develops even more flavor after spending a little time in the refrigerator.

Serve it alongside grilled chicken, fish, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, roasted vegetables or grain bowls. It also makes a colorful addition to charcuterie boards and picnic spreads.

It’s one of those recipes that’s always waiting for you in the refrigerator when you need something fresh.

Is Pickled Cabbage Good for You?

Quick pickled cabbage is one of those nutritional powerhouses that deserves a permanent place in your kitchen. And, this refrigerator slaw is a total winner.

It’s naturally rich in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and plant compounds that support overall health. Adding colorful vegetables like cabbage to your meals is also a simple way to increase daily vegetable intake while keeping calories modest.

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Small camping habits can make every outdoor getaway feel more enjoyable while creating smoother days and better memories from start to finish.

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Refresh your self-care routine with simple ideas inspired by the kitchen. Care for your skin and hair without overspending or cluttering your space.

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