foiled!

Well, I loaded all my images in on Friday evening for my bloggin' extravaganza on Saturday morning, and then...my NEW computer broke. Yep, the laptop I bought one mere month ago. The display went out. And, despite the best efforts of the help desk, it didn't come back. Now I have to wait for a mailer, ship it in, wait for the repair, and then to have it re-shipped home. It could be as long as a month. And, my hard drive will be wiped. My heart is broken.

And, then a couple hours later my glasses broke. Snapped in half. Luckily the awesome lady at Perle Vision in Waterworks (thanks, Jamie!) was able to find a pair of frames that kinda fit my lenses, and was able--through heat and ingenuity--to reform the frames around my lenses. Phew!

So...my blogging was foiled despite my solemn swear.

But, I'm going to try to get some time on a computer in the next few days because now I have even *more* to report! I did some great eating this weekend. On Saturday, Barbara and I went over to the home of our pals Liz and Emily (and Ben B-R, Erma and Janet-Angel-of-the-Lord) for a Liz-made Indian feast, and I went to one of Kevin Sousa's guerrilla dinners last night that was really fun and delicious.

i solemnly swear

I really do. I solemnly swear to blog some time this weekend. I have SO much to share!

-a truly memorable meal at Eleven
-a visit and kitchen overhaul from my dearest Schwatts
-some baking adventures
-some other assorted good eatin'
-a change in the way i'm eating
-trying (and struggling) to get back on track

advice corner

1. Do not get kidney stones.

Well, that's pretty much all the advice I have right now, but it's valuable, peeps. After two ER visits, two nights in the hospital, and a surgery, I can say with certainty and some authority that kidney stones are a drag. And, they said that it was the size of a freckle. It's unbelievable what a freckle with bad intentions can do to a body.

I am very lucky to have Barbara to nurse me and play Scrabble endlessly. (thanks, baby).

I got home from the hospital on Friday late morning, and am definitely feeling better, but it's relative 'cause I still feel pretty darn cruddy. Also, all the medicine than I'm taking has it's own set of issues. Let's just say that there's some irregularity happening, and leave it at that.

Well, one more thing about the irregularity, but only because it ties into a recipe. I shuffled downstairs this morning determined to try to deal with it from a dietary angle. I made some buckwheat waffles with flax seeds and blueberries. I adapted it from this recipe that was adapted from a recipe in The Pancake Handbook (I just requested that from the library), but here's what I did:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup golden roasted flax seeds, ground coarsely
1 egg, separated
1 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup blueberries (I used some I had frozen from this past summer)

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. In a smaller bowl mix up the egg yolk, yogurt, water and butter. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients all at once and stir just to blend. Like usual, whip the egg white with a hand mixer or a whisk until soft peaks form, then fold the whites gently into the batter.

If using a waffle iron, let it heat up first, then portion out about 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter into the iron. Liberally sprinkle the blueberries (I used them frozen, straight from the freezer). Close it, and wait for it to stop steaming. The waffle should become slightly browned and crisp. Serve with warm maple syrup.


Fun fact that I learned from the Dinner With Kirsten blog: buckwheat is an herb, not a grain, and is a cousin of rhubarb. Crazy!

I have been trying to do some baking each weekend, but I don't think that will happen today. But, I am trying to score some sourdough starter, so hopefully I'll have a post about that soon. I've never made a sourdough bread, but I'm excited to try it. Last weekend I made some basic whole wheat bread from a recipe in the The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole Grain Breadmaking book. Barbara made some potato-leek soup to go along with it. The bread was good, but not that exciting. The soup was souper!

backsliding

So...I'd let myself slide by here and there with not eating the way I should, and then with the kidney stones, I did a lot of justifying about how I needed a little comfort (from food). So, I didn't weigh myself this week. I'm afraid. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd gained back five pounds. Ugh. I need to rededicate, but I haven't done it yet. Why is it so hard???

I've still been cooking, just not as healthfully as I should.

Um...

Okay. In other news, B and I just celebrated our second valentine's day. This year we decided not to buy one another valentines, but to exchange ones we made for one another. She made me this really sweet card with stitching and a fancy button, and I embroidered her a ladies handkerchief. But, she said that she wouldn't ever blow her nose on it, so framed it instead.

We also went to the Pittsburgh Glass Center on Valentine's Eve, and did this couples' workshop on pulling glass flowers. Really fun! We get to pick them up today, and I can't wait to see how they turned out.

On the day itself, I made Barbara some valentine's pancakes with blueberry syrup and veggie sausage (the pancake recipe was, guess who's...Heidi's!).


And, then for dinner, I made the Vegetable Wellington I'd been planning on making last year for V-day dinner (before the comedy of errors set upon me, and we just ordered pizza instead).

The wellington is based on this recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine. I didn't use the pesto or tomato sauces, and used Cypress Grove Purple Haze goat cheese (oh dang, that's good cheese), and the veggies were onion, broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, spinach and parsley. Barbara made some garlic green beans to accompany it. So yummy.


On Sunday, I made West Virginia delicacies--pepperoni rolls, vegetarian style (using LightLife faux pepperoni slices). I used this recipe for the dough (almost ALL the recipes I found called for frozen dough or canned biscuit dough, but this dough was easy and slightly sweet and just worked out swell). I used the faux pepperoni, a little grated parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, and in some of them, hot pepper jack. I had to bake them longer than the recipe said (about 22 minutes), but they turned out so well. Seriously, they taste just like the best versions of the real thing.




Incidentally, has anyone heard anything about a successful Pepperoni Roll Diet? If so, I'd be eager to hear about it. Just sayin'.

the best of times, the worst of times

It really has been a mixed bag lately. On the positive side, things with my lady have never been better, I got my tax refund within 5 days, and bought myself a brandy-new laptop, had a stellar dinner out at Kaya the other night, and am still slowly making progress towards my goal (15 pounds down). But, now I'm laid out with the slow and steady descent of a kidney stone through my system. Luckily, it's not this kidney stone (thanks, Kramer). But, I just feel pretty cruddy. And, I had a dream last night that I passed it, and it already had a little thingy on it so that it could be put on a necklace. Weird.

I want to write more, and show off my new laptop, but I just don't feel very well. So, I'll do that later.

oh, dang.

Luckily, I've been doing better with my eating than with my blogging. Although, a combination of some hard times and a surly uterus did contribute to a couple un-diet-y indulgences this past weekend. For the most part I'm going okay. Thirteen pounds down, and I'm feeling good about it. Just over half way to my first goal of twenty-five pounds. Woot!

And, I've definitely been doing some good eatin'. Last night I made this recipe for Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh, recently featured on 101cookbooks.com. As Heidi promises, it's lick-your-plate good. It's a recipe that she tweaked by Jude Blereau. Her new cookbook (that contains this recipe) isn't available in the US yet, but I found her previous one used on amazon, and it should arrive any day. I can't wait.

I paired the tempeh with wheatberries, per Heidi's suggestion, and Barbara made some garlic green beans to go with it. It was a taste and textural dream! Really. Make this tonight.


Other recent highlights have been:
-Heidi's firecracker cornbread with spicy rice and beans

-homemade flour tortillas for burritos with leftover spicy rice and beans

-chili verde with seitan (using one of my holiday gifts - some of Chef Bill Fuller's home-canned green chili sauce)


And, just for fun, here's a picture of our dogs in their new coats!

struggling

I've just gotten started, and I'm already struggling. When it's zero degrees (or less) outside, all I want is some comfort food--something, anything that is warm and gooey and bad for me.

And, I also feel pretty depressed--possibly the weather, or just a regular bout of what I'm prone to.

I know, logically, that eating well and making progress on my goal will make me feel good, but in the moment it's tough to remember that.

Also, work has been sucktastic for the past few months, and I'm just feeling stressed.

But, I'm trying to soldier on. I went swimming with Kramer at the Oliver Bath House a few days ago, and we're planning on going again today (though the thought of being damp even for a second in this frigid air is scary!). I'm trying to remember that it felt really nice, and was a great low-impact exercise that doesn't hurt my feet and my ankle.

At least it's Friday, right?

another one bites the dust!

Actually, another five. Pounds, that is. Down ten in total so far!

It's really satisfying to see some movement on the scale going down instead of up. It's always slower than I'd like, but I'm just glad it's happening.

The weekends are more challenging for me since there's more time around the house for snacking and such, and more opportunities to feel like I'd like to indulge, but all in all, I did okay. I did splurge on making pancakes on Saturday morning, which didn't seem so bad until I entered them in the recipe calculator. And, there were other, more reasonable splurges, like some homemade vanilla-coconut frozen yogurt with fresh mango (with the 0% Fage Greek yogurt).

Tonight I have my monthly "Queers: They're What's For Dinner!" dinner, and I'm not sure what the menu will be, but i just have to keep portion control in mind, and I think I'll be okay.

the week in review

I don't remember how long they (the ever-present "they") say it takes to make a habit, but it hasn't happened yet. I've been doing well, but it's always a struggle in the evenings. When we're huddled around ye olde television set watching some "Lost" or "Office" dvds, I want something to have, something for snacking. Usually chocolate comes to mind.

But, I've actually done okay, despite my cravings. I've been tracking my food and intake on www.sparkpeople.com. It's really helpful for me to have to log everything because it completely cuts out the mindless snacking--which was happening A LOT, at work especially.

I didn't stick exactly to the meals we'd planned, but pretty closely, which was really nice to not have to turn circles in the kitchen for a half hour before deciding what to make for dinner. And, nice to have leftovers to bring as lunches. I've been planning out my days at work every day, and that's been working great. I bring breakfast, a.m. snack, lunch, p.m. snack, and then I feel well-fed all day, and am not ravenous as soon as I walk in the door at home.

Here's a sample of my feed bag for work:

from l-r:
1. Steel-cut oats, soaked overnight (not cooked) w/ red grapefruit, raspberries & blueberries w/ Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey
2. a raw carrot, sliced into bite-size pieces
3. leftovers from the night before--Thai pineapple curry
4. 2% milkfat cottage cheese with a little fresh pineapple
5. down in front, a whole-wheat lavash roll-up with cheddar, avocado, spinach and a little diced quorn

Taking snacks like this, I feel satisfied and healthy all day.

I've also been having water chug-offs with my favorite work-pal every hour on the hour. That guarantees that we've gotten our eight cups by the time we leave for the day.

And, here's the curry before the brilliant colors were dulled by a night in the fridge. I just threw this together, but next time I'll add tofu and onion for sure. And, a little more heat.


I bought myself a rice cooker for ease of making grains (confession: I suck at making rice), and I love it!! That was the first run, and the rice was perfection. I LOVE it.

Okay, have a super weekend, and keep on keepin' on.

the first week

So, today officially marks a week into the Health Quest 2009! (I started a couple days still in 2008). I am planning to weigh myself each Monday morning to chart the progress, and this morning I was down by 5.4 lbs! Woot! That's encouraging to see! I attribute this all to all the water I've been drinking. And, I was thinking that I'd start to keep a list of some tips that are helping me.

1. Drink LOTS of water. I'm trying to make sure that I drink, at bare minimum, 8 cups of water per day.
2. Track everything I eat. For one, I find this fun, for two, I'm less likely to mindlessly snack when I know that I have to log everything.
3. Try to be flexible.

Number Three is a hard one for me. I'm rigid by nature, and I find this trait to be both a positive and a negative, depending on the circumstance. When I began my Health Quest in 2007 I was so strict that I ate no (zero) processed foods. I didn't eat out. I didn't eat at other people's houses. I spent pretty much all my time cooking and logging and blogging. Which did help me learn to cook a lot of things that I'd never attempted before, but also contributed to my feeling of being so completely invested in the strictness of my program that when I fell off the wagon, it felt overwhelming to have deviated from the plan.

So, I'm trying to be much more relaxed about it this time. The truth of the matter is that it's going to take a long time to lose the weight and gain the health that I want, so I need to be realistic in settling into something I can live with for a long time. So, if I eat something out that is higher in fat or calories (or whatever), then I just need to balance that the rest of the day(s) to make sure that I'm continuously heading in the right direction, but not feeling constantly hungry or deprived. I don't want food to be a reward or punishment tool anymore. Instead I want it to just be something that I love--to cook, to learn about and to eat.

To those ends, I did a little cooking this weekend. Just some simple things. I made the Caesar Salad from Veganomicon (just tweaked a tiny bit to cut back on some of the oil while retaining the fantastic flavor), some egg salad (replaced half of the mayo with greek yogurt), and some awesome peach frozen yogurt that I made with some home-canned peaches I got as an xmas gift (in the work Secret Santa exchange from Chef Bill Fuller). I love yogurt. I especially love frozen yogurt. And, I especially-especially love having the taste of REAL peaches in the dead of winter.

Here's my uber-simple peach fro-yo recipe. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker, but here's a great article by David Lebovitz about making frozen treats even if you don't have a machine.

Peach Frozen Yogurt
makes 6 servings

8oz 2% Fage Greek Yogurt
8oz 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
4 peaches (separated)
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Using a food processor or blender, combine the yogurts, 3-3.5 of the peaches, the sugar and the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust sugar and lemon juice as necessary.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. About halfway through the freezing, throw the remaining peach (cut in small chunks) into the mix.

My machine finishes in about 20 minutes, and comes out the consistency of soft serve. If I can wait to dig in, I freeze it for about a half hour to firm it up a little.

.........

Oh, and Number Four is a big one: Plan my meals for the week in advance! I've always just sorta cooked by inspiration, and by digging around in the pantry, but I tend to WAY overbuy groceries and often don't have that one ingredient I'd need for whatever it is. But, again, I don't have to be super rigid in the plan. Things can change. The loose sketch for this week's dinners is:

Monday: Beans & Greens with pasta and a salad
Tuesday: Butternut-Bean veggie burgers
Wednesday: Big Salad
Thursday: Thai Pineapple Curry over jasmine rice
Friday: leftovers or a stir-fry or big salad
Saturday: Wheatberry Salad & Sloppy Janes
Sunday: Veggie Chili and corn bread

I'm trying to think about what ingredients may be used in various meals, as well as planning for lunches to take to work. Another project for this week is that we're going to start washing and prepping all our veggies to have them ready at a moment's notice for salads, stir-fries, etc.

Anyhow, keep on keepin' on, peeps. And again, please share any little words of encouragement or tips you have up your sleeve. It really does help.