The December 2023 Newsletter has Been Published! 🎄Feliz Navidad From Terry, Jon, and Sophie

Merry Christmas From Puerto Vallarta 

And La Penita de Jaltemba

Jon and Terry at Vallarta Botanical Gardens

We’ve been busy and having fun in the past month! To read my December 2023 newsletter, click HERE.

Don't miss the news about my In Sickness and In Health Novel series! All three eBooks are on sale for a limited time only. Click HERE to see more.

In Sickness and In Health Novels

Thank you for reading and sharing my stories with your friends and family. Please leave a review on Amazon so others may find my books, too.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Terry

Terry L Turrell, Author

Amazon Author Page

5 Benefits of Living in Mexico Without a Car

Walking Down the Puerto Vallarta Malecon

1.2 miles To Aura Spa  for My Massage

1. "Running Errands" Gets Us Walking For Our Health

Shopping for a Bedspread Required a Lot of Walking 

In Old Town Puerto Vallarta and La Penita to Find the "Right One"

Walking to the Huarache Store in Old Town

To Pick Up Jon’s Repaired Fanny Pack

2. We See So Much More and Discover New Places

Christmas Decor on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon

The Puerto Vallarta Muelle (Pier) Lit Up

Finding That Birria Taco Stand I've Been Wanting to Try

   3. We Decrease Our Cost of Living by Eliminating Automobile             Expenses (Initial Purchase, Fuel, Insurance, Upkeep)

Riding the Bus to Vallarta Botanical Garden

Is 50 Pesos, Under $3.00 US Each Way

Uber to the Gallerias Vallarta Shopping Mall from Old Town

Is 70 to 120 Pesos (Around $5.00 U.S) Each Way 

Riding the City Bus To Home Depot, Costco, Wal-Mart, or

Anywhere in Puerto Vallarta Costs Only 10 Pesos (50 to 60 U.S.Cents)

           4. Decrease Our Carbon Footprint on the Earth

Riding the Sayulita Bus in 2016

We get big points on the Ecological Footprint Quiz when we use public transportation, plus it's relaxing to let someone else do the driving! Read more in my earlier blog, ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT: 10 Ways We Reduced Ours When WeRetired in Mexico. 

   5. Eliminate Frustration about Finding a Parking Space

Parking spaces in Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, and many busy towns are difficult to find. Taxis are plentiful, Ubers are often available, and buses are easy to use. 

Puerto Vallarta and La Penita Taxis are Inexpensive

We catch a ride or ...

Christmas Decor on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon

...we walk and enjoy the scenery.

Read more about life as an expat in Mexico in my Healthy Living in Mexico 5-book series.

I invite you to SIGN UP for my Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico Newsletter, published monthly with stories about our latest adventures, my recent blog articles, and news about my books.

Cheers,

Terry

Terry L Turrell, Author

Amazon Author Page

DO I COOK DURING RETIREMENT IN MEXICO? 🥗 I Get Asked This Question Often...

 Probably Because I Show

So Many Restaurant Meals😄

Jon and I Shared This Large Cowboy Steak

From Noroc And Took Home Leftovers

With over 1000 restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, dining out for dinner is so tempting. Jon and I go to a restaurant every other day, some weeks more often.

But, yes, I do cook, or at least I prepare meals. Here are my shortcuts:

Leftovers Are the Basis of Most of the Meals I Prepare

I’ve become creative at using leftovers to cook tasty meals! That Cowboy Steak was delicious, diced, and layered on Noroc’s nutritious blue corn tortillas. 

Steak Quesadillas on Blue Corn Tortillas

I added refried beans, grated Manchego cheese, and leftover Spanish rice from El Pechugon, where we buy our rotisserie chicken meals. Warmed in a frypan with a bit of corn oil, the tortillas were slightly crunchy, and the cheese melted. With a dab of light sour cream and salsa on top, we had a yummy, healthy taco lunch.

And Sophie Got the Cowboy Steak Rib Bone

Chicken Soup with rotisserie chicken from El Pechugon is one of my favorite meals to prepare. I throw in whatever sounds good and takes little work, including frozen broccoli, corn, spinach, and Spanish rice. I made enough this week to enjoy it for two days for lunch.

Ingredients Ready to Add to the Soup

After Deboning Chicken

Two of My Other Shortcuts

Mildly Spicy Chicken, Noodle, Rice, Vegetable Soup

Last evening, I made Chicken and Mushroom Fettucine Alfredo. I used half the jar of Bertolli Alfredo sauce for this meal, thinned with milk to decrease calories. The jar with the remaining sauce went into the freezer for another day—broccoli baked in the cheesy Alfredo sauce is always a winner with Jon.

Deboning the Cooked Chicken was the Hardest Step

I sauteed the fresh tomato with canned, sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. Then I added the deboned chicken and Alfredo sauce and warmed it. Previously cooked fettuccine noodles I store in the freezer are easy to thaw and mix in shortly before serving. I serve this with grated Wisconsin Parmesan cheese. Yum!

What would I do without leftover cooked chicken? Once a month, we buy a large rotisserie chicken with baked potatoes from El Pechugon. I divide the chicken into four Ziplocs and store them in the freezer for future food prep. Half the potatoes will be a side dish one night. Another night we'll have the other half of the baked potatoes with a green salad.

Crockpot Cooking for Simplicity and Extra Meals for the Freezer

Jon's Favorite--Crockpot Pot Roast

I like to cook using the crockpot because I can prepare enough extra to freeze two or three meals. That way, when I'm lazy, I can heat the meal in the convection oven while we are drinking a glass of wine and throwing the ball for Sophie.

Jon loves my Crockpot Pot Roast. Another of his favorites is Spaghetti made with Italian Sausage from Gringo Kitchen in Bucerias (they deliver to us), a jar of Prego sauce, and diced fresh tomatoes. I brown the sausage and diced tomatoes in the crockpot set on high heat, then add the other ingredients and heat for four to six hours. Easy!

Italian Sausage From Gringo Kitchen in Bucerias

Crockpot Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes

A Favorite Memory from Years Ago

Crockpot Cooking in Sayulita

Where shall we go for dinner tonight? I’ll have to check my Puerto Vallarta Favorites Lists. Here are the links for Parts 1 Through 4 of Our 12 Favorite Puerto Vallarta Restaurants:

Part 1: https://retirementbeforetheageof59.blogspot.com/2021/10/our-12-favorite-puerto-vallarta.html

Part 2: https://retirementbeforetheageof59.blogspot.com/2021/11/our-12-favorite-puerto-vallarta.html

Part 3: https://retirementbeforetheageof59.blogspot.com/2021/12/our-12-favorite-puerto-vallarta.html

Part 4: https://retirementbeforetheageof59.blogspot.com/2022/01/our-12-favorite-puerto-vallarta.html

Enjoy!

Don’t miss my latest novel, Mexico For Better or For Worse. It’s now available as an eBook, FREE with KindleUnlimited, and paperback from Amazon. 

Thank you for reading my blog articles and books. As a self-published author on Amazon, I love it when readers leave a brief review of my books to help others find them. I invite you to SIGN UP for my HealthyLiving and Traveling in Mexico Newsletter, published monthly with stories about our latest adventures, my recent blog articles, and news about my books.

If you’d like to take a look at my recent newsletter, you can read it HERE.

Cheers,

Terry

Terry L Turrell, Author

Amazon Author Page

A New Healthy Way to Experience Vallarta Botanical Gardens🌺

 Before We Started Walking to the Bus

Ready for Thanksgiving at VBG

Thanksgiving dinner at Vallarta Botanical Garden is one of my favorite reasons to visit. This year, we took a slightly different approach to this adventure.

Where is the Tuito/VBG Bus Stop?

We decided to ride the Tuito bus, which gave us a good walk looking for the bus stop. The location seems to change from year to year. After asking a few locals, we found it at the right corner at Calle Aguacate and Basilio Badillo. At a fare of 50 pesos per person, the bus saved a significant amount of money since Uber would be at least 300 pesos more each way.

When we arrived at the beautiful gardens, I offered Jon an alternate way to enjoy it this year. We would first look at the gorgeous orchids and other tropical flowers. There are so many varieties, I'll just show a few here.

Then we would check out the newest pond and see how the plants and fish are doing. We watched the many varieties of dragonflies flit about for quite a while. Can you see the gorgeous dragonfly on the end of the stick? Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Rather than hike the many trails we have in the past, we chose to go to our favorite sites, find a bench or chairs, and sit quietly while we looked at the beauty around us. The Rhododendron House, the Conservatory, and the Holstein Tropical Plant House are always nice places to relax, so we sat and enjoyed the serenity and surroundings in each.

During this visit to VBG, I wanted to watch the birds and butterflies more than in the past. We were glad we hadn't brought Sophie, our Mexican Chihuahua, because she would have scared them away. Three of the adult Guineafowl followed us into the Tropical Plant House, looking for a puddle to drink from.

We wandered through what I call the Butterfly Garden near the River Trail. Looking for a quiet place to sit, we found this gorgeous bush with a nearby bench to rest on while we watched the activity around this lilac-like shrub.

We saw Yellow Winged Caciques, hummingbirds, a Great Kiskadee, three chachalacas, and several colorful birds we couldn't identify. The butterflies and moths danced around the blossoms. Here's a short video:

By that time, we were hungry and ready to head to the Restaurant La Hacienda de Oro. We wandered through the Cactus House on our way to check in for our American Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was yummy, including the pumpkin pie and real whipped cream!

I love these peaceful experiences that include nature and good food. I've written five books about our adventures in Mexico in the Healthy Living in Mexico series. I hope you will download and read them, FREE with KindleUnlimited.

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

I invite you to SIGN UP for my Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico Newsletter, published monthly with stories about our latest adventures, my recent blog articles, and news about my books.

Thank you for reading my books and blog posts.

Terry

Terry L Turrell, Author

Amazon Author Page

Hurricane Lidia, Festivities, and a Paperback Release!

 November 2023 Newsletter

I Took Photos of Our Plants Before Hurricane Lidia,

Fearing They Would be Thrashed by the Severe Wind

Lidia was not the first hurricane we've experienced in Mexico, but she was the scariest. The ferocious wind took down many beautiful mature trees, power lines, solar panels, and roofs and shattered numerous windows.

Thank Goodness We Charged Our Kindles Before Lidia!

Jon and I spent the dark evening reading on our Kindles. We waited the storm out in an inner bedroom away from all windows. Hearing the crashing noises outside was very frightening. Our condo unit was undamaged, we were safe, and our plants survived. Many were not as fortunate.

Preparing Supplies for Hurricane Victims

Jon, I, and many others volunteered at the Vallarta Food Bank to package basic cleaning supplies and food for families who had lost so much. Read more HERE.

𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚!

The paperback and Kindle versions of Mexico For Better or For Worse: Novel #3 are both available in most Amazon markets!

Here are a few of the Amazon paperback links:

United States

Canada

United Kingdom

Thank you for reading my books and blogs.

Cheers,

Terry

Terry L Turrell

Amazon Author Page