October Stats

Total Hours Exercised: 18.5
Total Miles: 61.57
Average Speed: 3.37

I walked every day through the 17th. In the second half of the month, I only got six walks in.

It's supposed to be reasonably nice weather this week, so I'm going to make a concerted effort to get a big walk in every day. I can't walk on my break this Thursday, even if the weather is nice--need to hit a library in the vicinity--so that will be the biggest challenge.

Costumes

In past years, I've usually made costumes:  princesses (three years in a row for Lauren when she was little), Asian outfits, a cheerleader. Some years I've assembled costumes: hippie chick, biker girl, witch.

I've only flat out bought a costume once--when Sarah wanted to be Violet from The Incredibles. I knew I couldn't make that, and was happy to shell out the $30. In spite of the thin fabric, I was pretty happy with that one--she also got shiny boot covers, gloves and a mask.

This year, Sarah wants to be a Scream ghost and Lauren wants to be Darth Vader. (Someone told them that you always dress as your alter ego for Halloween--verrrrrrrrrrrrry interesting, no?)  I was perfectly willing to buy masks for them, but balked at spending $30 for a full Vader outfit for Lauren. Cheap fabric, so you'll freeze without a coat, and it's ridiculous.to spend that much when I can whip something together from sweatshirt material.

That was a week ago. Since then, I've had a bunch of classes, tried to get as much schoolwork with the kids done as possible, tried to walk when I can, tried to stay on top of the housework, and generally tried to keep up with my life.

Last night, I gave in. We went to Party City and I paid $20 for a costume, with breathing device but no light saber.That was an extra $10, and I might pick one up today, just because. I mean, what's a Sith Lord without his light saber?

Qdoba

Last night, after I got home from work (to a spotless kitchen again!) I was standing in the kitchen, trying to figure out what I would make for dinner tonight. We have lots of food available (tilapia, shrimp, kielbasa, pork chops, chicken), but nothing was jumping out at me. It didn't help that I knew today would be a busy day. I have an afternoon class and an evening class, and Jeff (who took the day off) is at the zoo with the girls for a Web of Life class. I also have a chicken in the crockpot, which will be dismembered and turned into stock. I also have to get ready for candy & nut sales through Girl Scouts.

So I was standing there with no idea what to make. Me:  "What do you want for dinner tomorrow night?"  Jeff:  "BK." Well, yeah, that was a stupid question. He always wants BK. "If we go out for dinner, you'll take lunch to the zoo instead of getting something there, right?"  "Of course."  Hm. That still doesn't help me with the calorie/fat/carb/salt issue I have at BK.

Inspiration struck:  "How about Qdoba?" "OK."

I only discovered Qdoba this year. But in the world of fast food, it's a total winner for me these days. I can get a Naked Taco Salad with chicken or pulled pork and black beans (I am skipping the cheese today, but I seriously don't miss it) for under 400 calories. 29 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber is icing on the cake. (hmmmm--there's carrot cake left in the kitchen right now  . . .) Yes, the salt is still ridiculously high. But that is the case at every take out place I've seen, so I'll do my best to mitigate it by drinking extra water today. The goal is 8 ounces every hour, except when I'm in class.

Now that I don't have to think about food anymore today, I can get on with the rest of the craziness of my life.

Week 38

.37% loss this week.  That's not a big loss. Not even half of what I gained last week. But it is a loss, and I do feel like I'm back on track. I've had a harder time lately getting walks in. Not necessarily because of the weather, but because of my schedule. Not walking has the one-two punch of "no exercise" + "no stress relief."

Today presents a good opportunity. I'm dropping the kids off at a friend's house relatively early for some pre-Halloween fun, then have classes at the co-op with the break in the middle. Instead of walking during break, I think I'll try for a big walk before I go. I should have just enough time to get home, work up a good sweat, shower, eat lunch, pack dinner (leftover beef barley soup & bread) and get out the door.

Versatile

Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight today is tortillas, which got me thinking. I always have tortillas in the house, even though I don't eat them myself that often. I'm not low-carbing per se, but I do keep an eye on calories, and carbs can add up fast.

One thing both kids love to do for their own lunches is quesadillas. True, Lauren did have to learn that you only need one slice of cheese, not three, but now she does a great job. And yes, they use cheese slices--another food I don't care for myself, but it works for them.

Breakfast burritos are another quick, versatile breakfast item. I especially like them for Jeff, who can eat them on his way to work. It's warm, filling, and didn't come from a drive-thru window. One scrambled egg, a little ham or bacon and some cheese, wrap it up and he's good to go.

My favorite thing to do with tortillas is baking them into chips. Cut 'em up, hit with cooking spray, throw in the oven on 350. Keep an eye on them, because you know they'll burn in a heartbeat. Eat with refried beans, topped with sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, zucchini, & corn, with cheese sprinkled on top and then topped with salsa.  Or, you know, just salsa.

Zucchini Fries

I don't know where I saw the idea for zucchini fries, but it sounded good, and we have some zucchini to use up. I didn't have the dry bread crumbs that the recipe called for, so I toasted and pulverized some wheat bread. I think next time I'll wait until I have actual dry crumbs, or take the time to dry the fresh crumbs in the oven. My crumbs were too soft and didn't stick well. I ended up sprinkling the extra over the top.

I cut up a pound of zucchini, dipped the pieces in one egg beaten with a little water, then breaded them with the crumbs from two slices of wheat bread mixed with a quarter cup Parmesan cheese. I put them on a baking dish and baked at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. When it came out of the oven, it was even more obvious that the fresh bread crumbs were a bad choice. They got a little over brown in places. Still, I ate them up (about half the pan) and enjoyed them.  You get a substantial amount of food for not a lot of calories, and that does count for something in my book.

Carrot Cake

I was all set to make Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipe Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. But first, we had to get parchment paper.

While at the store, I saw ready made carrot cakes in the cooler. For fun, I checked the calories.  600 per slice. I laughed and walked on.

While searching for the parchment paper, I saw a box of Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake mix, and decided to see what the calories on that looked like, too.  260 for a prepared slice.  Well!  That was even less than the CI version. Note: the CI version calls for a 9x13 pan to be divided into 16 pieces. I'm sorry, but less than 12th of a pan that size just isn't a serving. So in the interest of speed and ease (no carrots to grate!), I got the box mix.

I drew the line at canned frosting, though. We got some lower fat Neufchatel cheese and powdered sugar.

The cake is in the oven now. Once it cools, we'll go for a walk. Once we're back, we'll frost it. Once I get home from work around 7, we'll have dessert. It still clocks in at close to 400 calories per slice, but I'm ok with that.

By the way, how crazy is it that I wish I had a bike these days?  Pretty crazy, right?  Right! But it's such a nice day, and riding bikes up to the library sounds wonderful.

Apple Experiment #2

This time, I used phyllo. It turned out ok (a little soggy), but I know I can do better. For one thing, the filling was too wet, and the apple pieces were too large. Next time, I will cut the dough into four strips instead of three, and make filling from smaller pieces of apples with no peel that were cooked for a shorter period of time. I will also sprinkle the dough with ground almonds (or maybe dry bread crumbs) before folding. I had considered including brie or even bacon in the filling, and will revisit that in the future.

As it was, I got 14 votes (only voted for myself once)--third place got 17 votes, so I'm pretty happy with my experiment.

Where to Begin?

After yet another day of lousy choices (potlucks are not my friend; that's all there is to it), I have new resolve today.

Yesterday, I told my family that I needed help in the kitchen. I'm trying to make sure the kitchen is clean every night--no dishes left in the sink, etc. But I'm also working a lot more nights lately. I said, "On nights I get home after 8PM, I'd really appreciate it if the kitchen were clean when I got home." That night, I walked in the side door to a running dishwasher and spotless counters & sink. A small thing for some, but a big deal for me.

In that spirit, I'm trying to get more accomplished today. Unfortunately, the clutter has permeated every part of my house. Do I work on my bedroom first, or tackle the basement? I'd like to clean out and donate a lot of stuff from closets & cupboards. There's also laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, and other regular stuff. And I will get a walk today, even though it's pretty cold out.

Guess I better get off the computer. Will report tomorrow how it went.

Apple Experiment

This weekend is Apple Fest at our church. Among other things, we're having an apple bake-off. There are a LOT of good bakers at my church, so I wanted to do something a little different than a regular apple pie or apple cake. When I was in 7th grade, I learned to make pie pastry, and was pretty good at it. Lately, I've been having issues with pie pastry. It's gotten to be more difficult to deal with, and I don't know why. Instead, I decided to use the dough recipe that goes with the Pecan Tartlets I make every year at Christmas. This dough uses butter, cream cheese, and flour. It's very simple, delicious, and flaky, at least in the form of mini tarts.

Today, we're going to another Renaissance Day field trip (like this one), and I decided to give my experiment a trial run before the bake-off. The basic procedure is easy: mix the dough, roll out, cut out rounds, fill with a little applesauce, fold over, pinch closed, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, bake at 350 degrees. Easy, right?

I made up the dough, and realized that it doesn't roll out as well as traditional pie dough. It's very tender & delicate, and tended to fall apart on me. Also, I was using a very chunky applesauce for the filling, and some of the chunks were too large. I got one round on the Silpat and in the oven and was pretty frustrated. While they cooked, I rolled and cut out the rest of the dough, but didn't fill them right away. Maybe the waiting made the difference. Maybe I rolled the dough out thicker. I don't know what it was, but the second batch was much sturdier than the first. Also, after brushing with the egg wash, I dunked the top side in the cinnamon sugar before sprinkling more on once they were on the Silpat. Much better coverage!

It's not hard to tell which ones were from the second half.

At any rate, I think they all taste fine, but I have a confession: I'm tired. I've been working more lately, and more in the evenings. I don't feel like making finicky dough again. So for Sunday's entry, I'm going to buy some puff pastry and use that instead. It'll probably taste even better, and I know it'll be easier. More pictures to come!

Week 37

.9% gain this week. Not unexpected, not upsetting. Considering the past week, it's not even excessive.

Yesterday did not go as planned. While out running errands with the kids, my brake line suddenly ruptured. I've never had that happen before, but when the brakes suddenly go all the way to the floor and the car barely slows, you know something's wrong. Luckily, this did not happen on the freeway or on a busy street or even in my driveway. No, it happened in one of the few places where I could think, "OK, if I go through this neighborhood, the mechanic is only a mile away." Any of those other options could have included a very nasty accident or at the very least a tow truck. And since the mechanic knows that the car only has to make it through one more winter, they did the minimum safe fix, so the repair was only $225 instead of more than $500.

But it was still a pretty stressful afternoon. We were there for several hours; I had to cancel one class. I couldn't get out to walk because of the rain. When I got home, I skipped the dinner I had planned and ate a lot of I-don't-know-what until I left for the other class. When I got home, I ate some more, soundly breaking my "no eating late at night rule." I didn't ask Jeff to go out for BK (though I thought about it), so that's a small victory, right?

So today is a new day. I know this gain will come back off again. Maybe not by next week, but it will come off. I've got a good, substantial breakfast and lunch planned, and dinner will be the healthy stuff I had planned for yesterday. If it doesn't rain, I'll get a quick walk during break at co-op.

Retro Night

Last night was a throwback to the 70's at our house. I'd planned to make grilled pork chops, which is pretty standard around here. Jeff mentioned how much he loved it when his mom made pork chops smothered in cream of mushroom soup when he was a kid. I reminded him that I'm always looking for suggestions and requests on what to make for dinner. "Yeah, with mashed potatoes." I wasn't planning to make it until next week (this kind of recipe wants bone in chops, and boneless are all I have in the freezer), but since we were at Meijer yesterday anyway, I got the meat & soup.

It really is super easy to make:  brown the chops, add the soup and a can of milk, and let simmer for a few hours. The meat ended up being tender and delicious, although the pan I used was a little too small and they couldn't lay flat the whole time. Mashed potatoes, salad and roasted butternut squash rounded things out.

Jeff & Lauren loved it. Sarah didn't like it at all. I thought it was tasty, but I know the fat & sodium made it a poor choice.

As a matter of fact, I've had a lot of poor food choices this week. I had Middle Eastern food Friday night, pizza Saturday, and Burger King for breakfast Sunday. Then last night. None of those days was off the charts terrible. But in combination, as a trend, it's bad news.

Today's plan is simple:  oatmeal & applesauce with a glass of milk for breakfast (done), leftover jambalaya for lunch, and food that I can eat in the car between classes for dinner. No, not drive-thru. An apple, string cheese, almonds, and a Skinny Cow chocolate bar.

Tomorrow's weigh in won't be pretty, but it's not going to bother me, because I know I'm back on track. It is eye-opening to see how quick and easy it is to veer off course, though.

Ellie Krieger Jambalaya

Jambalaya with Shrimp and Ham

NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM.  Wow, this was so good. I changed the recipe only a little, in that we all despise green peppers, so I used a yellow one instead. I also used a little less (red) onion than called for, because I already had some cut up.

This recipe has a few big factors in its favor besides being delicious:  it's super easy and you get a ton of food for the calories (2 cups for 440 cal). One of the drawbacks is the shrimp. Let's face it--shell on shrimp, though cheaper than peeled, is a pain. Peeling a pound of it (glad I didn't have to devein it as well!) took the longest part of the whole thing.

How did the rest of the family like it? They enjoyed it, but not to the extent that I did. Sarah said, "isn't Jambalaya supposed to start with sausage?" She really doesn't care for ham, but it wasn't a huge part of the dish anyway. I told her that next time, I'd make some sausage to add to everyone's portion (not mine--I really don't think it needs sausage). No one else had more than half a serving, which means that there is 1½  servings left. That's one lunch and one work-night dinner for me!

I will definitely make this again, but it won't go into heavy rotation because of family apathy.

The Apple Report

I'm pleased to report good progress on the apples. I've made:

• three batches of crockpot applesauce--this is an absolutely stellar way to use up apples.  Four pounds of cut up, partially peeled apples, a quarter cup of sugar, some cinnamon, and a couple ounces of water. Let it go on low for several hours, stirring occasionally. I got about six cups of finished applesauce. This last batch I left a little chunkier than the previous two for a special purpose. More about that later this week. 
• one batch of roasted apple butter--seven cut up, thoroughly peeled apples and a cup and a half of unsweetened apple juice. Roast at 450 degrees for half an hour. Mash the apples and continue to roast at 350 degrees until thick and brown, stirring occasionally. This is not something I'll be doing again. For one thing, leaving my oven on for hours is not something I like to do often. Also, it made a huge mess of the pan. As the apples reduce, they take up less space, so the little bits left on the sides of the pan get VERY black. The pan is soaking in the sink, and I know it'll come clean, but it's a definite negative aspect. Sarah had the apple butter on her toast this morning, and did like it, but it seemed like a lot of work for not a lot of product (direct opposite of the crockpot applesauce). 
• one apple crisp--about three cups of cut up, peeled apples, 1/4 cup sugar, and a dash of cinnamon in a baking dish.  Mix 3/4 cup each of flour and oatmeal with 1/3 cup of brown sugar, then cut in half a cup of cold butter, cut into pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the apples and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Delicious, but the calorie count is a little high.
• we've all been eating raw apples quite a bit. I'd say I have one on most days.. Can't beat that!

 We still have a fair number of apples left, but they're the smaller ones. If I have to peel apples, I'd rather do 10 big ones than 20 small ones. I think for our last production, I'll get out the hand crank peeler, since I want uniformly peeled and sliced pieces. Someone mentioned on a previous post "cake in a jar." My mom has done that in the past, and really liked the results. We have an apple cake recipe from my grandma that we really like. Sarah & I dug out all my canning jars this morning. I have about six wide mouth pint jars, and about 600 (or so it seems) wide mouth half-pint jars. I need to buy more lids, and we'll give it a go tonight or (more likely) tomorrow. I'm hoping they turn out well enough to give as part of Christmas goodie packs.

I did have to throw four or five apples away (a couple felt like grenades, ready to explode and barely held together by their skins. Gross). I also had to cut away some bruises, but for the most part, there's been fairly little waste from this year's orchard trip.

Back to It

After yesterday's grueling 5 miles, I was back to the same old route today, 3.36 miles long. I was thinking about the CropWalk next spring. This year, I did the 2.2 mile with Lauren, and at the time, I said I wanted to do the 10K in 2012. Dude, 10K is over 6 miles. There's no way I could do that, even if I walked it the whole way.

I need to step it up. I know that by adding a certain street, I'll take that basic walk up to 3.78 miles. So while I can, I'm going to do that. That's not a big jump, so I'll take it up a little more than that next month.

I still don't know what I'm going to do once it snows & gets icy.

Done

I did it.

I saw pink t-shirts, pink hoodies, and pink hats. I saw pink wigs, pink feather boas, and pink hair ribbons.  I even saw two women wearing pink bras attached to their sun visors.

I walked five miles in the Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk down on Belle Isle this morning. Actually, between walking to & from the bus, and walking around the parking structure looking for my car (hint:  always take the same entrance when coming back to the building, even if it's farther away--taking the one on the opposite corner leads to frustration), I'm pretty sure I got a good 5.5 miles in. I have no idea how long it took.  More than an hour and a half; less than two hours.

It rained a little bit, but never very hard. The wind was more of an issue for me--for a fair bit of the last mile and a half, I had my hands over my ears. Moral of the story? Wear a scarf, a hat, earmuffs, something!

Next year, I want to be in good enough shape to do the whole thing without feeling like I'm trudging the last half. And I'll bring my iPod.

Right now, I need hot food, a hot shower, and a nap.

Sizes

Clothing sizes mystify me.

My mom ordered a skirt for me online.We looked at the sizing chart, and based on my measurements, we chose a 26. I really had my doubts about that number, but hey--we're following the sizing chart, so it should be right, right?  Uh, no. I got into the store, tried it on, and it was practically falling off. I got a 24 of the same style off the rack--also rather too big. I got a 22 of a slightly different style, liked it, got it. It fits quite well through the hips, but a belt is helpful because the waist is a little big.

I was very happy several weeks ago to fit into a pair of size 24 jeans. I had a pair of 22's and a couple pair of size 18 pants that I love waiting in the wings.I was cleaning out the closet yesterday and decided it had been long enough since I last tried them on, and to see how close I was. Frankly, I didn't expect much, because the 24's aren't loose at all.  The jeans went on, zipped, and buttoned, to my suprise. Still not comfortable enough to wear, but that day is closer than I realized.

What the heck, I thought. I might as well try the pants on, too, even though I KNOW I won't be able to fasten those up.  Ha--wrong again!  And again, way to tight to wear or even sit down in, but by Thanksgiving, they might be comfortable. I really thought I'd need to be at least ten pounds less before I could even get them zipped, so this is a pleasant surprise. 

Shirts are just as bad. I generally get loose, t-shirty type tops.  The last one I got (with the skirt) was a 1X. This is very good, because I have a bunch of 1X shirts I like waiting for me as well.  But then Jeff brought me home a Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirt from work. It's a 2XL, and it's fairly snug across the chest. I've only worn it a couple times, and generally just around the house. I also have a button down 3X shirt from Old Navy that fits but is also a little snug, even though there's some Spandex in it.

I know the answer to this apparent mystery:  "You can't go by the number. Styles differ.  Manufacturers differ. You HAVE to try clothes on to see if they'll fit."  It may be a pain, but it's kind of a nice problem to have again.

Week 36

1.57% down this week.  Average over four weeks is .77%.

HA.  So there. (directed at myself only)

Yeah, I talked the good talk last week about "maybe it's just slowing down, and that's fine," and that was the truth. If I slowed down to half a pound a week, I'd wish it was faster, but at least I'd still be losing. But I really didn't think it was a permanent thing. 

What did I do differently this week than the past few weeks? I didn't binge, for one thing.  Amazing what a difference that can make.  Or, if I did binge, I kept a pretty tight rein on it.  Also, I walked every day.  In fact, I've walked every day this month; today is supposed to be rainy, so we'll see if I can get an outdoor walk. My average walk this week was 38 minutes. Yesterday and Tuesday I made sure to get around an hour.  I like the half hour evening walks with Jeff (and those are at a faster rate, as well), but I think I need a full hour's worth of walking to really make it count.

Unexpected Reward

Since I fell, I haven't been back on my regular route.  I've gotten good walks in, but haven't crossed that big street.  Yesterday, I had a big block of kid-free time in the middle of the day, so I decided that it was time to get back to that. Crossing the street was no problem.  I did make a point of scanning the road before I got off the sidewalk, of course.  In fact, I realized that I look at the ground a lot more than I used to a couple months ago.

About a quarter of the way through, I remembered why I always liked walking early in the morning.  It wasn't a hot day, but the sun was definitely getting toasty, and there is no shade at all for a fair bit of that route.  Still, I soldiered on, and was pleased with myself when I hit the stop sign, just like I used to.  Coming back, I could tell I was going more slowly--even my music didn't put a lot of oomph in my step.

Then I saw it.  In the middle of the road, this beautiful chalk design.

It's hard to read, but all around the perimeter is "GO LIONS GO TIGERS"

It was a great pick me up, so when it was time to pick up the kids, I drove back along that road and stopped to take a picture.  I just wish I'd seen it before it started to smear, and that I'd had a ladder to get a better picture.  I have no idea who drew it, and no way to let them know how much I enjoyed it (unless I take some chalk of my own).

I love it when I get little bonus perks.

Apple Overload

When we went to the orchard a week ago, I paid for two half-bushel bags.  In previous years, I'd had trouble getting through just one half-bushel bag, so I don't know what possessed me this year. After a week of eating apples but no time to bake, here's what we had left.
 
Yep, barely made a dent.  So Sunday night I made crockpot applesauce.  We had it on pancakes for breakfast yesterday and it was fabulous. But it only took ten apples. Last night I made an apple crisp, which was heaven.  Seriously, it was all I could do not to polish off what was left in the dish. But it only used four apples.

Do you see where I'm going with this?  I'm going to have some serious difficulty here using up all these apples.  Yes, there's my grandma's apple cake recipe. I think I'm going to freeze or can some applesauce. I'd like to make some little apple hand pies. I was also thinking of apple chips/dried apples. Oh, and some of that applesauce can be reduced down to apple butter. 

Today is the best day for me to get anything accomplished, but of course there are several other things that need my attention as well, so we'll see how much actually gets done.

Apple Crisp
4 medium apples, big chopped
shake of cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
Mix and put in baking dish.
1/2 c old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
few shakes of cinnamon
Mix oats, flour, cinnamon & sugar.  Add butter and mix in until crumbly.  Sprinkle over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.  Eat while warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream. (I also chopped up about a tablespoon of candied ginger to add to the apples.  Love that little hit of spice!)
Serves six.  Per portion: calories: 325, carbs 47, fat 16, protein 2, fiber 4

Yeah, it's not health food.  But it's a really delicious treat!

Tropical Tilapia

Last night for dinner I made Tropical Tilapia from the Eat at Home blog (love that place!). Lauren, of course, immediately started in on how she hates fish, but even she liked it well enough. No, it's the the dish that turned everyone around on fish, but it was pretty good, and I'll likely make it again.

I didn't make the rice with coconut milk, but I did toast a little coconut to sprinkle over the top.  That seemed to be everyone's favorite part. The salsa was also quite popular. The fish itself was good, but I think I used a little too much salt when seasoning it.  It really didn't need any, since I was using (low sodium) soy sauce. There is a little left over, which I'll heat up for my lunch probably tomorrow.

Tonight's dinner:  crustless quiche (either ground beef & zucchini or bacon & spinach), salad, and apple crisp for dessert. Need to pick up some ice cream, too! 

So Close

I like living in Michigan. I like being close to family.  I like the resources and opportunities we have here.  I even like the scenery once you get out of the city.

But I miss Idaho fiercely sometimes. I miss mountains. We generally go to Florida for vacations, so that we can see grandparents, and because it's a pretty frugal deal. Idaho would be much more expensive. The gas to get there. Three days drive instead of two each way, so an extra motel stay on the road each way.  All the things we'd want to do and see (Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon, Wood River Valley, Stanley Basin/the Diamond D, the few friends I still have that live there) would really add up, partly because they're all pretty far away from each other.  You can't really pick one place and do day trips and really do them justice. Lodging is also an issue.  Although I know one friend has offered to put us up, that's just one friend. We're talking several thousand dollars for a trip to Idaho.

Also, Jeff wants to be able to go to a major league baseball game no matter where we go.  Seattle is the closest to Idaho, although Denver is "on the way" (not really).

Denver, though.  Denver is a solid two day drive, so cheaper right off the bat.  It's on the edge of the mountains. There are a lot of old West historical opportunities, as well as Rocky Mountain National Forest. Another one of my friends lives there.

When I mentioned we were thinking about Denver to my Dad, he immediately started, "Well, then you head up to Cheyenne, and it's not too far from there to Rushmore and the Badlands, and just a hop, skip, and a jump from there to Yellowstone."  When I brought up the lodging issue, he promptly suggested we get a tent. Yeah, that's not happening. 

So it looks like I'll finally get to show my family what real mountains look like.  Just not quite the ones I was hoping for. For now, I'll take it.

Must See TV

There have only been a few shows that have earned my slavish devotion. 

The first was Northern Exposure.  Quirky, great characters, went disappointingly downhill after the male lead left. My favorite episodes were the one where Joel goes back to New York and where Shelly has her baby (the whole thing about seeing her daughter at various ages in the laundromat was awesome). Least favorite episode was where Joel & Maggie were stuck on a plane to Russia, constantly bickering, and he ended up proposing.  Terrible!

The next was X-files.  This is the one that really topped them all. I wouldn't leave the house on Friday nights, even after Jeff got me my first VCR so I could record it. I always made a huge amount of food and friends would come over to watch.  Sometimes there would only be one or two others, sometimes over half a dozen. Favorite episodes:  Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose and Jose Chung's From Outer Space. Least favorites:  Space and anything from the mytharc (which got so convoluted toward the end). Another show that tried to continue after the loss of the male lead but couldn't.

Then came Lost. The first season of Lost was blow-my-mind-amazing. It also went downhill, and by the end was more frustrating than fulfilling.

The show that I'm most excited to watch now is Fringe.  I have to admit, I wasn't keen to watch it at first.  "It's just another X-files rip off."  Jeff is the one who convinced me to try it, and I thank him weekly for that. And there are certainly similarities, at least on the surface.  There are many episodes that nominally sound like old X-files--even last night's "fungus that kills its host" reminded me of Firewalker. But no matter how much Fringe might start out by sounding like an X-file, it always ends up in a radically different direction. Again, the characters are wonderful.  Olivia and Peter may be the main focus, but Walter is the one who really makes the whole thing work.  John Noble is amazing.  I don't have most or least favorite episodes so far, although I did think the rotoscoped episode last season was clever and interesting. Also, Fringe hasn't started strong and gotten weaker.  If anything, I think it's as good as it's ever been, and I'm always looking forward to where they'll go next.

Plans

It's supposed to be nice this weekend.  Like, upper 70's nice.  I won't know what to do with myself!  Well, there is stuff to be done.  Work, grocery shopping, and I'm going to pick up a skirt my mom ordered for me.  I hope it actually fits.  Even if it doesn't, I'm going to get something new, preferably that I can wear to work/church.

Sarah is loving riding her bike these days, and keeps telling me I need a bike so we can ride together.  Yeah, she doesn't really know my history with bikes . . . Still, it sounds very appealing.

I also have a bushel of apples to deal with.  Two years ago, we got a half a bushel, and lost some to spoilage because we didn't eat them all.  That will not happen this year.  Even though it won't be chilly this weekend, I'm going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, making applesauce and apple butter, and maybe a pie.  Ohhh--hand pies with the chunky applesauce filling!  Then I can freeze them.  For future reference, Idared apples are amazing.  The Golden Delicious were good, too.  The Northern Spy, Empire, Mutsu, and Jonagold were all disappointing, at least on this past trip.

Week 35

.72% lost this week.  Still not hitting my 1% goal.  My four week floating average is .6%.  Maybe I am finally slowing down on my rate of weight loss.  We'll see.  If that's the case, then that's ok, too.  If it takes longer, then it takes longer.  It's not like it's going to make a huge difference in 10 years if it took me 18 months or 24 months to get to my ultimate goal.  Or 36 months, for that matter. What I do care about here is making as many good choices as I can and moving forward.

Just keep swimming!

I'm also a little extra zen about this smaller-than-expected loss, because I finally broke the 100 pound mark.  I've been dancing around it for almost a month now, and that has been frustrating. So now that I've gotten through that, I'm feeling a little revitalized and better about how I'm doing.

I have to admit, I'm jonesing for McDonald's today, knowing that I'll have an hour and a half break and there's one near where I'll be.  I've got my standard plan of making dinner and going for a walk during that break.  But I want a Big Mac and a big fries and a big Coke.

Walking Works

Before I left to take Sarah to Scouts, I was a mess.  A dozen things running through my head, realizations of how unprepared I am for multiple things, etc. I came home and got a half hour walk in.  Nothing has changed, except that I really think I can avoid eating the entire contents of the refrigerator now.

I'm going to make some soup and get ready for my classes.

Tooooooooooooooooo Much

Too much to do. Girl Scouts, Fall Product Sales, food, house, school, work, exercise.  Christmas is coming.

Lentil Soup and Corndog Poppers

When we were at the Renaissance Festival, the kids got corn dogs.  I love corn dogs when they're fresh hot & crispy from the fryer.  When I thought about Lentil Soup, of course I tried to think of an "incentive" to go with it. Mini cornbread muffins sounded good, and I decided to put a slice of hot dog in the middle for fun.  It was a big hit, but not without its flaws. For one thing, the hot dog being in just one slice meant that when you take a bite, the whole bit of hot dog comes out.  I think it would have worked better (but not the same effect) if I'd chopped them up into the batter. 

While I was making the soup, though, I had an even better idea.  I started with some bacon, and as I was taking it out of the pan, was struck with the thought that bacon in cornbread muffins would be insanely delicious.  I almost scrapped the entire hot dog aspect right there, but the bacon was destined for the soup.  Next time, though.

The soup itself was good, but (as usual) I liked it better than anyone else and will happily be eating the leftovers for lunches this week.

Lentil Soup
4 slices bacon, cut up
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup beef broth (all I had left)
3 cups water (should have been 5 cups in order to be "soupier")
2 teaspoons Vegetable Better Than Bullion
1 1/2 cup dry lentils
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste

Start by frying the bacon--use a big stock pot.  When it's cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each (if I'd used more water, I could have had it for 8 servings, still a cup each and it would have been more like a soup than a stew). 190 calories, 26 carbs, 7 g fat, 18 g protein, 12 g fiber, 4 g sugar.

A Study in Contrasts

The Easiest Way to Make Pumpkin Pancakes:
Have your 12-year-old whip up your mom's pancake recipe, then shoo her out of the kitchen.  Add a half a cup of canned pumpkin, a couple shakes of cinnamon, ginger, cloves & nutmeg.  Throw in a tablespoon of brown sugar for fun.  Cook and serve pancakes to happy kids.

The Most Frustrating Way to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal:
Have your husband ask what time you're going to the mechanic for your overdue oil change.  Begin to curse, realizing you meant to leave half an hour earlier.  Get dressed, get gas, get scolded by mechanic for not realizing you were two quarts low, go for a walk while waiting, come home.  Cook 1/2 cup oatmeal with milk, water, 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, and a couple shakes of cinnamon, etc.  Eat with a fork because you didn't run the dishwasher last night.  Realize you should have used more pumpkin, and maybe left the milk out. Look forward to lunch in two hours.

Walking vs. Jogging

As a rule, I like walking and don't see a need to move up to running or even jogging. Occasionally, I'll jog for a little bit between bouts of walking.  I've thought about trying a Couch to 5K program. But for me, speed doesn't seem to make as much a difference as time.  How long I spend is more of a factor than how fast I go.

Today, I did a little experiment. I compared today's walk with yesterday's walk/jog.
Yesterday:  49 minutes, 2.88 miles = 3.53 mph
Today: 51 minutes, 2.97 miles = 3.49 miles

Not a lot of difference there.  So does this mean that when I walk again after jogging a little, I slow down and end up compensating? Do I even need to care? I'm not planning on racing anytime soon.  And even when I do get to the 10K CropWalk next spring, I don't care if I come in dead last, as long as I finish.

For now, I'm not going to push myself too much.  I'm going to just work on getting out and walking (or whatever) for as long as I can until the weather stops me.

Mmmmmm

Holy cow; it's October.  Already.  It seems like summer's been gone forever already.  I'm hoping the weather improves a little, especially because we're going apple picking this week.

I do generally like fall.  Not only is it pretty, the cooler temps means soup and baking weather. We do lose those fabulous summer fruits, but I like different squashes as well.  I'm looking forward to doing more with pumpkin this year.

I know; pumpkin in October is cliched. But I've never done a lot with pumpkin beyond jack-o-lanterns.  One year, I did make a pumpkin pie from a pumpkin instead of a can.  It was a LOT more work, and it didn't seem to have any extra flavor. I think canned pumpkin is pretty straightforward. But this year, I'm going to give pumpkin another go.  I'll cook it in the crockpot instead of roasting it, though.  The kids love roasting the seeds, too.

I'd like to have bags of puree in the freezer, and I'm going to try making pumpkin butter.  As for what I'm going to do with it once I have this bounty, I have a few ideas (oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, soup, maybe polenta?), but not much beyond the basics.  Any suggestions?  I'd love to hear some favorite pumpkin recipes, either sweet or savory.