Holiday Realities

Okay, it's just sort of running over me now, this last-minute press of activities for Christmas. I have decided not to post until after the weekend, unless I just get inspired to come pop something in here in the meantime.

But I made an interesting discovery yesterday. Despite a great start with a great smoothie and good choices for lunch and supper (no details here, but I'm trustworthy on that), in between I had too much temptation and too much succumbing to the treats I was making--so basically an overload of fat and sugar and refined flour, with some oats and nuts in there, too. I'm guessing I wound up with about 2500 calories altogether yesterday, only 1000 of it from my meals. And I didn't feel good! I had to take a Tums before bed (and this was HOURS after supper and a homemade caramel or two) and I woke up with a headache and vague ill feelings. So I guess I'm really getting used to eating good things most of the time! Yay!

I thought this post was particularly appropriate for me this morning--enjoy!

Holiday Strategy? No Wrist-Slaps and No Write-Offs

Now I'm off into the Christmas fray again--mostly planning a series of small and larger feasts over the next several days, and basking in the amazing wonder of it all: that the God of the Universe loved us so much that He took on flesh and dwelt among us, full of Grace and Truth. And it all began with an angel messenger, a baby, and a star . . . Rejoice!

On the Run . . .

I usually just throw a few things together to make my smoothies several mornings a week, but this one is worth an actual recipe:

BLUEBERRY-GRAPEFRUIT SMOOTHIE

Frozen banana
Two cups (maybe 1-1/2) frozen blueberries
One pink grapefruit
Handful of kale
Tablespoon or two flax seed meal
Water to blend

Combine all in blender and whirl.

Verdict--Excellent. The combination of grapefruit and blueberry was beautifully refreshing, and the color was luscious. I tried with a smaller amount of blueberries at first, but it was too tart, so I tipped in the rest of the bag. :-)

TODAY'S MENU

Can't do it today!

Rescuing the Day

Well, I had a great day until late afternoon, and then it pretty much fell apart. I think sometimes that my success actually leads to my stumbles. But now it's nearing suppertime and I'm back in the right place again. Thanks, Lord.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Banana and peanut butter in half a South Beach Multigrain Wrap

Lunch--Half cup of VEGETARIAN CHILI, 1-1/2 cups of vegetable-beef soup, gingerbread muffin, clementine, EGGPLANT HUMMUS with carrot and red pepper and celery to dip

Late-Afternoon Meltdown--It started at a little party--Spinach dip and crackers, cookie, little petit-four kind of thing, small piece of chocolate, a few caramel rice cakes. Then at home I felt I'd blown it so I might as well have some of the last of the potato chips, another gingerbread muffin, and a couple of cookies. Brother!!!

Supper--Lundberg Jubilee brown rice mix, green beans, small portion of beef tips in gravy; clementine

PROGRESS REPORT

Down one pound for a total of eighteen down in ten weeks! I had blood work today and am interested to see what the results are, as I have an interesting marker at two years ago when I weighed about the same as now but was not eating as healthfully. Although I am significantly overweight, I am "metabolically healthy," so my numbers are pretty good and don't have anything dramatic to show, I expect. Stay tuned . . .

Church Dinner Choices

I was pleased with how the church dinner went today--I was satisfied with my healthy choices. Since I have blood work after a 14-hour fast in the morning, I'm eating a bit past full for supper, which I'm having at about 5:30.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie of 2/3 pink grapefruit, banana, frozen homegrown peach chunks (yum!), kale, and flax seed meal

Lunch--VEGETARIAN CHILI (about one cup); one serving each (about 3 cups total?) pre-prepared salads at church dinner--one was Greek with a smidgen of tomato and olive and feta and great dressing, and the other spring greens and balsamic dressing; small homemade shortbread cookie

Snack--Half a Harry and David pear; one ounce mixed roasted nuts

Dinner--Half a cup of Lundberg Jubilee rice (prepared yesterday--see that post) with two ounces baked chicken and about 2/3 cup steamed broccoli florets; mini whole wheat bagel (about 80 calories) spread with EGGPLANT HUMMUS; two or three melon chunks

Cooking Saturday

We have a dinner at church tomorrow, and I was asked to bring a crock pot of chili, so I asked if I could do a vegetarian version. To save time and effort, I also made a vegetable-beef soup at the same time, so all my vegetable chopping and seasoning could go both ways. The soup is seasoned with garlic, onion, worcestershire, bay leaf, and chili powder, with stew beef and tomato juice for the base--I will add frozen mixed vegetables and additional water the day we eat it, but the "guts" are ready to freeze. The chili is below.

VEGETARIAN CHILI
(All measurements are approximate--I can't be absolutely sure of the number of cans of tomatoes, for example.)

Tablespoon of oil
2 green peppers, chopped
1 very large onion, chopped
Three cloves of garlic, sliced
Two to three ribs of celery, chopped
Two large cans chopped tomatoes (might be three)
2-3 tablespoons McCormick chili seasoning
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
Additional garlic powder and dehydrated onion to taste
Chopped hot peppers to taste--my homegrown "Anaheims" are too hot for the name, so I put in a handful and then tasted the chili and quickly removed most of the pieces of those peppers!
Spoonful of sugar and dash of salt if needed to correct seasoning
Two large cans kidney beans, drained (I used one dark and one light)

Saute the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic until soft, then add tomatoes and seasonings and cook down for an hour or so. Check seasoning, add beans, reheat, and taste again. Refrigerate overnight and reheat for best flavor.

Verdict--Excellent. I had a cup soon after it was all put together, and it's got a nice hotter-than-medium kick to it. It's a little on the "tomato-ey" side, but I'll taste it again tomorrow before serving to be sure that's still the case.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Leftover apple/raisin oatmeal with toasted almond slices (burned two batches and barely salvaged the third--shame on me!)

Lunch--Amy's Black Bean Enchiladas (yes, I ate both of the ones in the package, for a total of 6g fiber and 100 calories of fat out of 360 calories total) over a salad of spring mix and romaine; larger half of a giant Harry and David pear; sliver of ciabatta sub and of banana coffee cake, about three potato chips, and three chocolate-covered cashews

Snack--Cup of VEGETARIAN CHILI

Supper--Chicken drumstick (baked in the oven with a soy/ginger/honey marinade); 2/3 cup of Lundberg Jubilee Gourmet Blend of Whole Grain Brown Rice cooked in my rice cooker with chicken broth (canned), adding near the end canned sliced mushrooms and a dash of sherry--this was EXCELLENT!; green beans steamed over the rice near the end of cooking time

Snack/Dessert--Will probably have something because we had supper early, but we'll see.

Another Eggplant Hummus

I have a recipe for Eggplant Hummus earlier in this blog, but I didn't refer to it when I made this one tonight.

EGGPLANT HUMMUS

Small eggplant, baked to softness
Can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Two to three ounces of tahini
Four cloves garlic
Two teaspoons parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste

Combine all in blender and blend to a smooth, creamy consistency, adding a bit of water if needed. Serve as a salad topper, sandwich spread, or dip.

Verdict--Excellent. This makes at least four cups, and I look forward to enjoying it for many days to come. It's particularly spicy/biting from the garlic and eggplant. I like that the eggplant and smallish amount of tahini make for a lower-fat version than is usual.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie of frozen banana, strawberries, a few blackberries, kale, and flax seed meal

Lunch--One cup leftover KUSHERIE base (lentils, brown and white rice, quinoa) with a large zucchini dry-sauteed with one small onion and a clove of garlic, garnished with a tablespoon of reduced-fat feta cheese; honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon chunks

Snack--Ounce of mixed roasted nuts and a large Pink Lady apple

Supper--Large salad of spring greens and a bit of romaine, with green peppers and onion, topped with about half a cup of EGGPLANT HUMMUS and a drizzle of low-cal Italian dressing; small sliver of ciabatta sub sandwich the family was having; small serving of potato chips

Snack/Dessert--Half ounce or so of the banana coffee cake the family was having; two tiny clementines

Catching Up

I'm having trouble catching up to my life this week since I got back online, and every time I think of this blog I'm doing something else I cannot leave. So I'm just going to start in with what I've eaten today.

Christmas temptations are getting to me. We have goodies people have made us, goodies we've made for various functions we've been going to, and more goodies planned for the next week and more (a birthday two days after Christmas). I hate to commit to it because I don't want to cut off my options, but I really need to. I want to plan to have one small indulgence each day over these holidays, so I can look forward to something each day and keep to that limit. Lots of veggies and fruits will help in that.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Leftover oatmeal with apples, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pecan pieces

Lunch (too late!)--Bowl of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe chunks (got a good deal on a prepared tray at the grocery); leftover 2/3 cup Dreamfields pasta (I'm suspicious of this stuff) with 1/4 cup leftover prepared Macaroni Grill lasagne and jarred red sauce, with 1/2 cup cauliflower; single chocolate-cranberry cookie

Supper--Sauteed spinach on a small baked potato; half cup of leftover Kusherie (just the lentils and rice and quinoa) with two-plus ounces of meatloaf; a few bites of dessert cookies

I'm Back! Progress Report

Since my modem died last Wednesday I've had a different sort of life. I've played a lot of Spider Solitaire while listening to an audio book (Desiring God -- nicely read here!) during some of those times when I would normally be checking my Google Reader, doing email, that kind of thing. I also decided to just move through my days without recording everything I was cooking and eating. I found I tended to get sloppy around the edges of things, so that today, for example, I nibbled on a piece of cinnamon toast every few hours throughout the day. Did I really need that? No. Could I have done better? Sure.

I also made a huge pot of Kusherie (the browned onions always run out before the rest of it does, so make lots extra) from the More-With-Less Cookbook  late last week and have eaten it for lunch or supper every day since. That's not such a great idea, either. I browned my onions with less oil, and I used part brown rice and part white rice and part quinoa for the grain--it just took some interesting timing to make all the parts come out right in the end.

The first evening of not blogging I made a casserole of stuffing mix (included whole wheat bread, prepared mostly for the family, but I had a little) with catfish baked on top, with a bruschetta-type topping--tomatoes, olives, herbs. It was good, but I'm not really interested in the leftovers we still have around. I made a nice slaw to go with it (let's see if I can remember it):

APPLE-BROCCOLI SLAW

one diced apple
tablespoon or two of homemade tarragon vinegar
handful or two of broccoli slaw
tablespoon of cucumber dressing (creamy type)
possibly a tablespoon or so of plain lowfat yogurt (I can't remember!)

Dice apple and toss with the vinegar to prevent browning. Add slaw and dressing and toss to coat everything well. Let stand for an hour or so before eating.

Verdict: Very Good. This was a nice, bright complement to the mellow fish and stuffing.

PROGRESS REPORT

Two pounds down in one week, total of seventeen pounds down in nine weeks. Not bad for a not-so-great week! I had a physical today (blood work later--that will be interesting to see, though I had good numbers before, despite my weight) and my blood pressure was 120/80, not bad for a 48yo mom not enjoying being there for her physical. :-)

Blackberry-Pear Smoothie and Offline For a While

It seems an extravagance to put a perfectly beautiful Harry and David Royal Riviera pear in a smoothie, but when I start feeling sorry for myself about what I don't get to eat, I figure I should have something that makes me feel privileged. So there.

My modem died today and I will not have another until perhaps Monday or so, so I will be suspending my entries here for several days. I hope to have a good report for Monday anyway!

BLACKBERRY-PEAR SMOOTHIE

One large ripe pear
Cup frozen blackberries (from our garden)
Frozen banana
Leaves from one large stem of kale
Water to blend

Combine all ingredients and blend to smoothness.

Verdict--Exellent. The pear and banana give it smoothness and the blackberries tart depth. I left out flax seed meal today because I figured the kale and berries would put in plenty of graininess--they do. I had about 3/4 of this and saved the rest for NEVER-ENDING SMOOTHIE. :-)

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--BLACKBERRY-PEAR SMOOTHIE

Snack--(was feeling a little nauseated) 1/3 piece of leftover cheese toast

Lunch--1/2 package Tasty Bite Multigrain Pilaf topped with leftover RATATOUILLE SAUCE, navel orange, 100+ calories' worth of chocolate with almonds

Supper--Half ounce of peanuts; apple; 2/3 cup of leftover brown rice, two ounces or so baked chicken (no skin), 1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup diced red onion, blop of salsa--I microwaved all the but last two ingredients to take with me for a supper on the run. I will probably have something else when I get home after posting this.

Another Tuesday, Another Restaurant

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Oatmeal with peaches frozen from our garden, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toasted pecans

Lunch--At the Iron Bridge Inn, one of a very few good restaurants in our area, I had a lunch menu item of Asian Stir-Fry vegetables with an orange sauce, minus the rice. I could tell there was oil on it, but the veggies were nice--a mix of green and red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and I cannot recall what else--maybe carrots, celery . . . ? I had hoped they'd give me extra vegetables in lieu of the rice but they didn't, so the veggies looked kind of lonesome in that giant platter. Our waitress agreed and brought me the side of the day, brussels sprouts. Not my favorite, but healthy and decently done. I had about four of hubby's amazing fries and a couple of bites of his prime rib panini and a few sips of his Lobster Ale. I love the atmosphere in that place, especially with all the Christmas decorations! Good memories of good times there, too.

Snack--Ounce of roasted peanuts, most of a Harry and David pear, two-plus squares cherry-chili chocolate

Supper--Giant salad of mixed leaf lettuce and dark romaine, tomatoes, red onion, tablespoon ranch with tablespoon or two of lowfat plain yogurt for dressing; bowl of MOTLEY CHILI SOUP