Getting to 120

Those of you who follow my blog may have noticed that about a month ago the address changed to "GettingTo120.blogspot.com" as did my Twitter handle. It's a constant reminder for me that even though I've lost a huge amount of weight I have a long journey ahead of me. As of this morning I've lost 70 pounds; I have just 50 more to go.

Some significant changes in the past 14 months:

1) I started as a size 22/24, depending on the cut of the clothing item, etc. I'm now at a regular 16 in tops and dresses, a 16W in pants. Skirts...it depends. I *did* get a 16 regular bathing suit but realized after seeing a picture of me in it that it's still a bit too small.

2) Inches lost. I've lost lots of inches. Over ten inches from my hips, seven from my bust, and six from my waist.

3) Different approach to food. Sure--today I did seriously consider getting donuts this morning after my Weight Watchers meeting. I was even in line at the bakery. My dad's voice ran through my head "fat pills!" and when I looked at them, my mouth didn't water. They didn't look yummy. They looked like the equivalent of a whole big healthy brunch...but with a stomach ache and lethargy afterwards. So I left, thrilled that it was such a happy revelation, such a change in habit.

For lunch today I had a delicious summer salad made with organic Candy Cane Beets and Golden Beets from Shooting Star CSA--a great place I'm lucky to live near. This is earthy, sweet, and tangy. It is summer on a plate!

Balsamic Beet & Orange Salad

One cup cold, cooked beets, quartered
One medium orange, segmented
One thin slice of red onion...to taste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
Salt

Combine the ingredients on a plate, and enjoy. Serves one as a lunch; serves two as a side.

Apple Salad

My parents came for a short visit last weekend. That prompted me to spend a week figuring out what to make for dinner. I knew one night we'd have Chinese food, as they live on a small island and never go out to dinner. Chinese food seems to be one of the few things my mom really misses since moving there nearly ten years ago. But for the other two nights, I didn't know what to do. I decided on my "angelic" sweet & sour pork for Sunday dinner and Apple Salad with sandwiches for Halloween night, after they arrived.

Apple Salad is a light and decadent way to celebrate Fall. The sweet and crisp honeycrisps are perfectly offset by the pungent, creamy cheese. And the glazed walnuts bring it all together.

Apple Salad
All amounts are approximate and should be adjusted to meet your taste and nutritional needs (ie., throw in more/less cheese and walnuts to make this more/less healthy)

8+ Cups Mixed salad greens--spring mix is great with this. You want the deep, dark lettuces, not the light iceberg/romaines.
1/4 to 1/2 Cup crumbled Roquefort
1/2 Cup glazed walnuts
2 Large or 3 medium Honey Crisp apples, cored and sliced thin
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Newman's own light Italian vinaigrette, just enough--the lettuce should not be dripping with dressing
Salt & pepper

Toss lettuce with salt & pepper. Toss apples with lemon juice. Combine all ingredients, then lightly toss salad with dressing. Serve immediately.

On my way

15+ lbs gone, it's working well.

Last night I made a mango/jicama/black bean salad after seeing Daisy Martinez make it on Viva Daisy. It was the first time I prepared a jicama, and cut myself peeling it, and then didn't know how far down the "thin, fibrous layer" went that the Joy of Cooking told me to peel away.

It was okay--though next time I'll add two mangoes and cut the jicama into smaller pieces. And I'll probably add more cilantro and maybe a bit of cumin.

The Lemon Suckers

I love having house guests too. And tonight I had the pleasure of a sneak preview of a lovely young family who'll be spending four glorious nights--Saturday through Wednesday. My old friend from college and her two little ones: Nana and Dardar. Nana is four and a half, Dardar is two. They are so adorable and loving and energetic and funny and elastic and fudgety and persnickety and precocious and tenacious....it's wonderful.

We have a lemon tree. And they, being from Virginia, do not have a lemon tree. So everyone, from grandmother down to baby, was wowed by the load of fresh lemons. Nana proceeded to pick a dozen lemons off the tree and line them up on the counter, wanting to know when we'd make lemonade.

Since they'd just arrived and everyone was buzzing in different directions and all the children wanted attention and us two who brought this group together just wanted to SIT and NATTER...I really didn't want to make lemonade.

Enter the eleven-year old. Wow. When is a Bug not a bug? When he's eleven and standing about 87-feet taller than the littles around him. He cut lemons, showed how to press them, added sugar and water, and filled sippy cups. Call him the lemon king.

So what one thing *didn't* he do? Clean up, of course.

Apple Salad

Oh, I'm so tired. The baby is gianourmous--15 pounds at eight weeks. He wants to eat and be held constantly. The Bug needs extra help with school (the teachers all say, "He'd do so well if he just focused and did his work. He has so much potential.) Juiceboy wants grown-up attention after tending to the kids all day; it's hard work being a full-time parent! And October is my busiest month at work; I'll put in close to 55 hours this week.

When I cook I'm trying hard to focus on healthy, fast and cheap. Tonight I made panko breaded pork chops, sauted spinach, and apple salad for dinner. My favorite was the apple salad--it's basically a Waldorf Salad. It goes nicely with pork chops and is a quick and healthy autumn side.

Apple Salad

Two Granny Smith apples, cored and diced (peel left on)
One tablespoon fresh lime juice (toss with apples to prevent browning)
One cup raisins
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup light mayo

Mix all together. Some people like a little salt to bring out the sweetness of the apples. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to meld.

Blueberry Tart

It's blueberry season. Juiceboy brought home a 2.5 pound basket of Canadian blueberries, and made a great dent in them, enjoying them with his Special K and strawberries each morning. I thought they might go bad pretty soon, and turned them into a tart.

We found it to be a rather tart, however, it was also quite sweet. I will make this again, spraying the pan before putting the crust in and cutting down the lemon a bit. A really nice alternative to ice cream, cake, etc. I think it would travel well, too.

Blueberry Tart

One Pillsbury roll-out crust
6 Cups fresh, washed blueberries
3/4 Cups sugar
1 t salt
1 T cornstarch
2 T cold water
2 T lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
1 T butter

First, cook the crust in a tart pan according to the directions. I did not spray my ceramic quiche dish (this would work better with a springform pan I think), but I will next time. Let the crust cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add cold water and stir until smooth. Add lemon juice, zest, and butter, and 2 Cups of the blueberries. Turn on the heat to medium.

Mush the berries with a potato masher. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, until thick. This will only take about 5 minutes. Mix in the remaining berries.

Let mixture cool, then pour into tart pan. Refrigerate for an hour, at least, before serving with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.