Digging Down

I didn't weigh in all last week. I figured, "I'm doing this for health, and I know how to be healthy, so I'm going to do the right thing. The number on the scale isn't the point. And I'm trying to slow down my rate anyway." I got on the scale Saturday, expecting at least a pound or two down, because I really did stay on track last week. When I saw that I was down not even half a pound, I was disappointed.

Yes, I know. The number on the scale isn't the point. Uh huh. Still disappointed. I ended up eating way too much that day, all day long. I actually felt physically ill. Who does that to themselves?  I don't get it.

So Sunday I was back up at 221. Not surprising. But still frustrating. This is about the same point I've gotten to before, and then lost my drive. I don't want to do that anymore. I don't like being that person who eats mindlessly.

So this morning, I'm digging down and seeing what I can do. I'm rededicating myself. I realized that all this talk about a gym and a treadmill and walking outside and how I can't do it is really dumb, because I have this thing called a Wii. That's right, the thing I used all last spring before I could start walking. The thing that may not be the best, but is a whole lot better than the alternative, which is nothing.

Plan for this week:  stay on track with the eating, of course, but also do half an hour of Free Step on the Wii every day. I've already done it today, and although it wasn't a big hard workout, it was a reminder of being mindful. Mindfulness and dedication are what I've been lacking recently, so that's where I'm going to focus.

Recipe Review: Egg Rolls

When I make stir fry, which is fairly often, I always have egg rolls for the family. I get the pork ones from Aldi, which are $2.50 for a package of four. They're 170 calories each, so I usually skip them.

I saw that 400 Calories had a Vegetable Egg Roll recipe up that looked good and was 162 calories for two, so I decided to try it. It turned out pretty well (the filling was great, and I'm going to start buying more cabbage), except for the cooking. I decided to pan fry with cooking spray  instead of bake, because I'm always looking for things to be as crispy as possible. The problem was getting even browning on all sides. It just didn't happen. They were still tasty--in fact, mine didn't even make it to the table, because I ate them up while I was cooking the rest of dinner! I shallow fried the ones for everyone else, and had the same issue.

The next day, I decided to try again, this time baking in the oven. I also added a little shrimp to the filling to make it a more complete meal instead of a side dish. Again, tasty. But again, not the texture I wanted.  Baking made the edges a little tough.

I do think that deep frying is the way to go on something like this. You get more even coverage, and if the oil is hot enough and you take it out at the right time, the food doesn't get greasy.

Deep frying is something I don't do often, merely because of the large volume of grease necessary that you then have to dispose of. And I certainly won't do it every time we have Chinese for dinner. But as a special treat, I'll certainly make these again.

Recipe Review: Elvis Cookies

I've seen several recipes floating around lately for cookies made primarily from fruit & oats. They're very versatile--you can really make them your own, as long as you start with those two ingredients.. I tried one with banana as the fruit, with cocoa powder & raisins, but the taste of the banana was still pretty strong.

So I thought, "If the banana is going to dominate, find something else that will really work with it, like peanut butter." And what else would you call a peanut butter & banana cookie but an Elvis Cookie, really?

I started by mashing up a banana and adding two tablespoons of natural peanut butter, an ounce of milk, half a teaspoon of vanilla, two tablespoons of brown sugar, and a few shakes of cinnamon.  I added a heaping half cup of oatmeal (I started with a level half cup, but it was too soupy) and mixed it all up. I used my mini scoop to portion them out, and got 14 out of the batch. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, but they stay pretty chewy, even the next day. (the picture shows them on the Silpat, after I'd moved them a little so they wouldn't stick)

Per cookie: 41 calories, 6 carbs, 2 g fat, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber.

They turned out pretty well. Sarah liked them, Lauren didn't. I liked them, but realized I kept going back to eat more. When I have a couple Hershey's Dark Kisses after lunch, I'm done.  I had four of these and still kept wandering around the kitchen with the munchies.

Will I make them again? Yes, certainly, but I'll keep tweaking them. I think it's a good start for a "breakfast cookie," which is kind of the Holy Grail for me. I might try applesauce instead of the banana (Lauren will like that better), but then I'd cut the milk to keep the moisture balance. And I might blitz some of the oatmeal in the food processor to get a different texture/consistency. Adding dried fruit, chopped nuts, or even chocolate is another option. All that would up the calories, but if I want something more substantial, that isn't a bad thing.

Recipe Review: Curry with Cauliflower & Butternut Squash

I got two Cook This, Not That! cookbooks for Christmas, and there are so many recipes in there I want to try. It's really hard to decide where to start. I also like doing vegetarian meals occasionally, though I've yet to find one everyone really likes.

Last week, I decided to give Curry with Cauliflower & Butternut Squash a try. I make a pork & fruit curry dish that everyone likes quite a bit, but it's fairly sweet, between the apples, pineapple & bananas. Also, serve it with spaetzle, which the family can't get enough of.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this dish. Even I didn't like it all that much. Yes, there was coconut milk, but it didn't add a lot of flavor. The tomatoes didn't seem to "go" and although I liked the vegetables, the whole thing just wasn't doing it for me. It didn't make tons, so everyone had a little (Jeff had two pasties later that night), and I had the leftovers the next day for lunch.

I think that flavor combination just isn't going to work for us--I deleted a bunch of similar recipes from my "want to try" list.

Coming soon: my egg roll experiment, and Elvis Cookies.

Week 6

Up 2.2 pounds this week. I really feel like I need to get beyond the 210 mark to feel like I've kicked this to the curb. That's going to take a while, but that's ok. I'm leaving my calories at 1400 for the week. The number of calories I shoot for isn't the issue--it's when I go way over that number!

Groceries

I was talking with a friend the other day about coupons. Ive never gotten much into coupons--they just don't fit how I shop. I tend to get basics at Aldi, which doesn't accept coupons, and produce at Randazzo's. Yes, I get meat and other "special" things at Meijer (brand name things and ethnic stuff, mostly), and coupons would work there. But catching a sale on something you have a coupon for seems to me like making an extra trip. Also, when I see coupons, they mostly seem to be for packaged stuff which I don't usually get anyway.

But I was curious. I have in the back of my head that I generally spend between $50 and $100 per week on groceries. I checked the bank records and found that in January, I spent $212 on groceries. That sounds impressive until you realize two things:

1. I already had a lot of meat in the freezer.
2. Our "dining out" totals for January were about the same amount

Oy. Now, a lot of that can be laid at the door of drive through food for breakfast & lunch for Jeff, and I've asked him what I can do to help him reduce that number. He's got oatmeal at work that he can make for breakfast, and he's always good about taking leftovers for lunch. The issue is when there are no leftovers.  So I need to stay more on top of making sure he has a lunch.

I don't like to send packaged food with him, mostly because of the sodium. Also, those things tend to be pricey for the amount of food you get. It's still cheaper and healthier than a Wendy's double cheeseburger & fries, though, so maybe I should rethink that as a backup.

I went shopping today, stopping at Kroger so I could get pot roast. I also picked up a slab or salmon for $8--we'll see how that goes. The kids haven't cared for salmon in the past, but I want to give it another try. If they don't like it, I'll just have leftovers for lunch all week, which won't bother me a bit. Total spent:  $18

Then I stopped at Aldi to stock up. We were out of milk and eggs, almost out of cereal, etc. I also got a few "splurge" items, like French Bread Pizza and Pringles. Add to that bratwurst for Superbowl Sunday and Italian sausage for spaghetti and then minestrone soup, and cheese & crackers and peanuts for snacking. Total spent: $58

Last stop at Randazzo's to get kale (which they didn't have!) and apples. They also had a great deal on red & yellow peppers, so I got a couple of those. A can of chickpeas (minestrone soup) and some green beans finished it up. Total spent: $5

So that's $80 in groceries so far this month. I'm going to keep a close eye on things and see if I can keep the "dining" part of the bill lower. Dinners planned for this week include spaghetti, homemade pizza, minestrone soup, pot roast, and Curry Cauliflower & Butternut Squash (review coming soon).

365 Days

This morning I weighed 218.7 pounds.  That is 37% less than I weighed this day last year. Tonight, I am celebrating my one year anniversary of better living with a Coney Dog and french fries.

Part of me thinks, "You can't have a Coney!  You just binged yesterday!  You weigh the exact same you did a month ago!  You haven't earned that Coney!"

Shut up, voice. I have made many good decisions this year. I've made plenty of bad ones, too. This is a celebration of time spent, not a number on the scale. Time spent is what I really need, in fact. In the past, I've never been able to sustain loss.  I need to remember to keep working, keep moving forward.

Oh and the fact that I'm having a Coney and half an order of fries is miles ahead of the patty melt and full order that I would have gotten last year. It fits in my calorie goal for the day, and I'm going to enjoy every bite. So there.

January Review

At my official weigh in this morning (not tomorrow, duh), I'm down 2.9 pounds since the 1st. Since I had a huge upswing in the middle of the month, coming out down almost three pounds isn't bad. But it is a lot less than in previous months, which leads me to think more about this whole "slowing down" business.

I tend to be an "all or nothing" kind of gal. When it comes to weight loss, in the past I've either been "Full Speed Ahead" or "Full Reverse." Yes, the FSA path can include little splurges, but even if I get off track, I get back on again. The FR path, however, is just that. Frequent binges, and just not caring about what I'm eating. It's the not caring part that really characterizes FR.

What I need to find is the "Mindfully Moderate" path. This is the path that lets me consistently eat 1500 calories a day without going crazy over or under. The MM path is ok with losing only half a pound a week, which is kind of counter to where I've been for the past year.

For the past year, I've been so far in the groove, that I can only think about what maintenance will mean in a very abstract way. For me, it's been either losing or gaining. There is no in between. The MM path, the in between, is totally uncharted territory for me. I'm going to need  a machete to hack my way through all this. Wish me luck!

Week #5

Somehow, I managed to lose another 1.3 pounds this week. Considering how I ate both Sunday and Tuesday, that's a gift. But really, between 1 and 1.5 pounds lost per week has been my new goal. So I'm right on track. Kind of. Except for the binge eating.  That's not really part of the plan, even when I do manage to wrangle it back down to the ground again.

I'm going to leave my calorie goal at 1350 for another week. I know I want to start slowly bumping it up, and I don't mind if I go a little over, as long as it's with healthy choices.

My next official weigh ins are Wednesday (to get my total for the month) and Friday--my one year anniversary of being healthier. I know that no matter what the numbers are, I'm in a much better place than I was in the past, and that's what counts.

Recipe Review: Chicken Soup & Dumplings

Al of us have been hit with winter colds lately. Even Sarah, who is normally the healthiest of us, is miserable. No fever, just a drippy nose & the sore throat that comes with it, and really tired.

My first line of defense is always food. I go through tons of ginger, honey & citrus in tea. I put enough garlic in chicken broth to make our whole house repel vampires. And I've lately become a big fan of elderberry syrup.

Yesterday, we saw an episode of Mad Hungry that had Lucinda making chicken & dumplings. I'm really enjoying that show--she doesn't cook über healthy stuff, but it isn't over the top unhealthy, and it's generally aimed at families.

Sarah said it looked good and asked if I could make some, so I got the last of the chicken broth out of the freezer. I only made half the recipe, because there were only 4 cups of broth. I only used garlic, onions and carrots in the broth, and I didn't add any herbs to the dumplings.

Here's how they look while cooking:

And in the bowl.:

I remember making drop dumplings with soup from Bisquick when I was a teen--they seemed fluffier than this. Maybe my baking powder is getting old? At any rate, they weren't as fluffy as I remember, which was a little disappointing. Sarah liked them, Lauren didn't. I thought they were ok. I might give them another go, but it's not high on my list right now.

I'd like to try my hand at matzo balls next. I've never made those, but my grandmother did. I think I'll get some matzo and keep them in the cupboard. I don't have any more chicken stock in the freezer, but I make it on such a regular basis that it's not a big deal.

A Reprieve

After two disastrous days of eating this week, I was a just a week away from my doctor's appointment, where I'd hoped to be "Overweight" instead of "Obese."  Just one week to lose 3.5 pounds. That's a lot to lose in just a week . . . wait a minute. Today's Friday.  Next Friday?  We have co-op next Friday! 

I called the office to reschedule and got an appointment for the 16th instead. So I now have plenty of time to hit that mark--almost three weeks!  I'm tempted to adjust my goal down a little, and I might still do that. But I'm  interested to see what I can do by next Friday as well.

I know it's just a numbers game, and making healthy choices is more important. But it's still gratifying when the numbers reflect those choices, too.

Another Option

I've slowly realized that there is another option besides Planet Fitness or the fitness room at the community center. We could get a treadmill. Treadmills can be gotten for about $100 off Craigslist, but it would be available any time, and any of us could use it (the kids get a big kick out of using Grammy's treadmill when they're up there).

We had a treadmill before, but I hadn't used it in so long, we gave it away. If we were to get another one, I'd have to get rid of a lot of stuff in the bedroom--I put a hope chest in that same area, and it would have to go back down to the basement. But I also think we could get rid of one of our dressers (we mostly use the closet, and some stuff could go in bins under the bed), so that would free up some room.

When I mentioned all this to Jeff last night, he said, "I said that! Like, twice!" Oops. Sorry, honey.

So we'd have less junk in our room, I could exercise whenever I want, the whole family could use it, and the price would be reasonable.

Excuse me, I have to go buy trash bags in bulk.

Craft Hope Project 16

I love Craft Hope's concept, and I've wanted to do many of their projects, but I have a terrible time with getting things to the post office. I think their latest project is something I need to kick myself in the butt to do.

For Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors, we will be collecting handmade beanies and bags for kids just like Pierce who are fighting cancer.

We need BEANIES for babies through teenagers. All noggin sizes. They can be knit, crochet, fabric. You name it. They can be embellished with flowers and bows. But don’t forget about the boys. They need hats too. It’s very difficult to find adorable hats and we think this community is the best place to get them. There are a hundred and one patterns online for beanies. If you have one you’d like to share post it in the comments and I’ll put up a post to share with everyone.
And…
We need BAGS for the kids to take with them to the hospital. They can be simple tote bag style or whatever suits your fancy. And if you are so inclined fill them up with goodies for the kids. Some ideas are books, puzzles, crayons, coloring books. The opportunities are endless.

 I think I need to get another sewing day rolling at church. And I think this is good enough reason to shell out the $ to get my Serger fixed. The deadline is March 12--I need to get going on this!

Shopping

I know; I said I wasn't going to go shopping until spring, because I don't really need any winter clothes. But Kohl's had a great sale on winter coats--Jeff got one for $53 that was originally $180.  My winter coats are getting too big, and by next year, they should be really big. So it makes sense to get a new one now, while they're cheap, instead of waiting until next fall, when they're full price.

Yep, makes perfect sense. Here's the problem: I don't know what size I'll be next fall. I tried half a dozen coats on, in various sizes, but the fact remains that if it fits me now, I'm hoping planning that it won't fit me next year. So picking a size now is a crapshoot, and not worth it, even for a good deal.

I also did some more "closet shopping" yesterday. I was looking to see what I had, and pulled out a blue striped button down shirt that I used to really like. I checked the tag. 3X--really? I knew it would be too big, but some things do run small. When I tried it on, it was really too big, even too much for me to consider altering the darts that are already in it. Time to call Purple Heart again!

I've been wanting a black or white wrap style shirt to go with the black & white skirt I got back in December that almost fits, but haven't seen anything "just right" (this is a problem with me--I get something very specific in mind, and then nothing else will do). But at the back of my closet I saw a couple silk t-shirts I used to wear with skirts to work back in the '93 or so. Why do I still have these? But one was black, so I shrugged and decided to see how close it was to fitting (size XL). I expected it would be far too tight, and it was too tight, but not by that much. The shoulder pads were a little linebacker-y, but I can take those out easily.  I'm hoping that this is an outfit I'll be able to wear by sometime this spring.

So even though I didn't get anything new this weekend, I do have clothes waiting for me. How long it takes before I can wear them is up to me. :)

Week 4

I'm happy to report that last week's six pound gain is gone. I really didn't expect to lose it that quickly, but no complaints! I've been weighing every day again. I'd like to get to the point where I only weigh once a week, but apparently I still need that daily accountability, at least for a while. I have just over three more pounds to lose to get to "overweight."

I had set my calories back down to 1300 this week, to keep a tight rein on things. I'm bumping back up to 1350 this week. An extra 50 calories per day isn't a huge amount in the grand scheme of things, but it does give me some more wiggle room.

Wiggle room is just what I need today. We're having dinner with Jeff's family, and although his mom cooks good stuff, I can't exactly weigh my portions the way I do at home. Actually, it's a good exercise in estimating and making good choices without the crutch of the food scale.

Still no exercise this week. I've gotten to the point where I sincerely don't know what I'm going to do about that issue.

Recipe Review: Garlic Lime Tilapia

I'm always looking for new ways to make fish. So far, fish is generally a hard sell for the family. They eat it, but grudgingly. When I saw Garlic Lime Tilapia, I thought it sounded pretty good, and made it last night. Sadly, this is not the recipe that turned my family around on fish. Again, they ate it, but only what was served to them.

I eat tilapia pretty frequently for lunch. I dust it with Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, and fry it in a pan with cooking spray. I either put it on a piece of bread for a sandwich (a little low fat mayonnaise is a bonus), or just have it with some veggies and maybe a carb.  Sometimes I put salsa over it, too. Tasty, low fat, low cal, good protein, and cheap.

Maybe I need to try a different kind of fish for the rest of the family. I've got a pan-fried catfish recipe with a cornmeal crust that looks good. . .

Acapulco Pancakes

Most days, I have eggs for breakfast. Other times, it's oatmeal. Once in a while it's cold cereal. But sometimes I make pancakes. It's ostensibly a treat for the kids, but I always have a few, too. I use my mom's buttermilk pancake recipe, but since I rarely have buttermilk in the house, I use milk with lemon juice as a substitute.

But if there's orange juice around, I invariably make Acapulco Pancakes. Acapulco Pancakes replace some of the milk with orange juice, and it makes a really nice, light pancake.

Why are they called Acapulco Pancakes?  Because back in the 90's, my dad & stepmom used to go to Acapulco and stay with friends at their condo. The cleaning lady/cook would make these pancakes, so that's how they got the name.

The recipe itself is very basic:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup orange juice

Mix the dry, then the wet. The pancakes will be rather thin, not thick and fluffy. Also, don't make them too big, because they can be hard to turn if they are. I got 22 pancakes from today's batch.

They came in at 49 calories, 5 carbs, 2 g fat, 1 g protein.  I had five today. Not my healthiest breakfast, certainly, but acceptable.

Go check out a bunch of other orange/orange juice recipes at Eat at Home! 

False Advertising

A few months ago, I saw a blog post with the title, "Want to eat a BIG bowl of cookie dough?" 

Duh. The only point of making cookies is to eat the dough before you bake it. Well . . . maybe not the only point. Anyway, I couldn't wait to make this recipe. Sadly, no nutritional information was provided. When I put it in the recipe calculator at My Fitness Pal, I was dismayed to see that the calories for the entire bowl were just over 1300. OK, so I wouldn't eat the whole bowl. I could share it with three friends.  That's still over 300 calories per serving, and that's a lot more than most of my snacks or desserts. It's worth trying again, with a  rework of the recipe, because I thought it was pretty good. Sarah hated it, but Lauren and a bunch of her friends wolfed it down. But I felt misled. One fourth of that recipe does not qualify as a "BIG bowl."

Last week at our co-op, the cooking class made baked vegetable chips. The baked kale was amazing. Crunchy, mildly salty, interesting (not strong) flavor. The kids hated it. I couldn't get enough. We had a potluck at church Saturday, so I decided to make them myself.

I ripped the stems out of one bunch of kale and ripped them into bite sized pieces. Then I spread them on two rimmed baking sheets and poured a Tablespoon of oil on each sheet and sprinkled with kosher salt. I baked at 350 for about 15 minutes. You want to make sure they don't burn, but dry out and get crispy.

There were some minor complaints about the smell, no one else in the family liked them, and there was some doubt as to how they would be received at the potluck. "If no one else likes them, then more for me!"

Not everyone did like them. They weren't the runaway hit I'd hoped for; almost half of what I took came back home with me. I'll admit, something that looks odd and isn't your typical saucy potluck offering is a hard sell sometimes. But I'll definitely be making this again. I'll probably spray with cooking spray instead of the olive oil, because the salt didn't stick well, and that much oil just wasn't necessary.

Oh--the calories? 365 (which will be less next time when I use less oil) for an enormous amount, easily as much as a big bag of chips. Did I mention that the kale only cost 69 cents? Now that's a good deal.

Week 3

Oy.

I knew it wouldn't be a loss this week. I've had too many days of eating too much. But a six pound gain is never nice to see, no matter how much you know it's coming.

So now it's time to get going. Again. History says that after a gain like this, I'll have a few weeks of big losses, but I'm not sure that I'll hit that first goal at the time I wanted. I do still hear that little voice that says, "Nope. This is it. You'll never get past that number again." That voice needs to shut the bleep up.

Week 2

218.3 this morning. That's about four and a half pounds from goal #1 and about 8 weeks to goal #2.

I'm hoping to join the community center fitness room next week, so exercise is still going to be low this week. I will do the Wii for at least half an hour every day, whether it be Wii Fit or Just Dance.

I'm increasing my daily calorie goal from 1350 to 1400. An extra 50 calories a day isn't a lot, but I'm looking to increase slowly. I'm going to see how this goes for a few weeks. Of course, this also means I need more protein & fiber, which can be difficult for me to get sometimes.

I'm also going to go back to planned out meals. The whole "lots of food in the house and everyone can grab whatever" does not work for us. It doesn't hurt that people have been dealing with the aftermath of stomach flu (not severe, but not fun). It's time to use up those leftovers!