Excercise Challenge

Guess what? If you exercise more than you eat, you lose weight!

I have a new challenge to kick-start my weight-loss journey. Daily exercise. No more sitting on the couch, growing potatoes on my butt.

It's time to exercise. This week I'll be exercising every day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But every day.

Today it was extremely hot at 2pm when I went out for my walk. I'd hoped to go for a full hour, but I was afraid I'd get heat stroke. I carried my three-pound weights, wore my Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watch, listened to a new playlist on my iPod that included the Neon Trees and Ke$ha, and had a little bottle of water in my pocket.

Duration: 53 minutes
Calories: 450
Percentage of fat: 40%
Average Heart Rate: 134 (max 158)

I was hot, sweaty and exhausted, but man, did I feel great for it.

I challenge you--can YOU exercise every day this week for at least 20 minutes? I bet you can. Let me know.

Two Bean Salad

Summer is the time of backyard potlucks, people dropping in unexpectedly for weekend visits, and stinking hot temperatures. The following is my recipe for my go-to quick, easy, cheap and healthy Two Bean Salad. I love it as a side with multigrain tortillas and eggs for brunch! Take liberties with it--the salad gets better the more you tweak it to your taste.

Two Bean Salad
(serves 10 as a side; four if a main course salad)

The juice of one or two limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp cumin (or more, to taste)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to taste)
1-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt, pepper, healthy dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, drained--rinse if you're watching sodium
1 can small white beans, drained--rinse if you're watching sodium
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn (not thawed)

In a medium-large bowl, make the dressing, mixing all the ingredients from the lime juice to the cilantro. Mix well, adjust seasonings and vinegar levels to taste. Add remaining items, mix well. Let sit at least 30 minutes for flavors to develop. As the frozen corn will thaw as it sits, but will also keep the salad cool.

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.

Cauliflower Ragout

I love the idea of Anne Burrell's Cauliflower ragout--one where she says that she "cooks the CRAP" out of it. I couldn't find a recipe for it however, so I've created my own. I have enjoyed it twice now, and it's really quite delicious. Sorry, no pictures because it's been eaten.

Cauliflower Ragout
Two teaspoons olive oil
One yellow onion, chopped
Three cloves garlic, minced
28 oz diced tomatoes
14 oz crushed tomatoes
Four oz red wine
One large head cauliflower, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
Green olives with pimentos--amount to your taste.
Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Spray a large pot with cooking spray, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion, cook until lightly browned. Add garlic, saute till fragrant. Add diced and crushed tomatoes and wine, increase heat to high. When boiling add cauliflower, turn down heat to medium, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occaisionally. Remove lid and allow to cook approximately ten more minutes, until liquid is reduced. Add oregano, salt & pepper to taste. Slice olives in half and add before serving.

Pickled Cabbage Salad

One of my favorite restaurants, Cafe 15 in Oakland, serves a lovely fresh cabbage slaw with its oyster po'boys and pulled pork sandwiches. When my dinner menu went belly-up last night (I thought I had bought red lentils but it was yellow split peas), I scrambled for a replacement side dish.

What follows is a cross between Cafe 15 slaw and "Lahano Salata Kypriaki"--cabbage and pickled cucumber salad from The Foods of the Greek Islands.

Pickled Cabbage Salad

Four cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 small cabbage)
Juice of two lemons
1/4 cup chopped dill pickle
One cup blanched, chopped carrot (clean the carrots and steam or boil for about two minutes, until just fork-tender, then coarsely chop)
Two cups chopped celery with leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Two teaspoons olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, adding more lemon juice if necessary. You can make this ahead--add the lemon juice & olive oil before serving.

Bean & Cabbage Soup

I don't know any phrase that strikes more fear in my husband than "Bean and Cabbage Soup." Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but this recipe is definitely for a house stocked with Beano. Or at the very least, don't have this as a workday lunch! Nice on a lazy, rainy day.

This recipe was inspired by Mollie Katzen's White Bean & Collard Green Soup.

Bean & Cabbage Soup

One tablespoon olive oil
One large onion, diced
Three large carrots, washed and thickly sliced
Three celery stalks, chopped
Two large cloves garlic, chopped
Six cups Chicken broth (or vegetable)
One to two teaspoons fennel seeds
One can cannelini beans, drained
One small head cabbage, cored and sliced

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, adding the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Salt to taste, saute until fragrant. Add broth and fennel, simmer for 20 minutes. Add beans and cabbage. The cabbage will likely fill your soup pot--put the lid on and allow the cabbage to cook down, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Nice with some "cheese toasts" (french or sourdough bread topped with sharp grated cheese and toasted under broiler) and a shot of srihacha sauce.

Brown Rice Pasta

After Dr. Kooky told me to lay off the wheat (which I haven't, and the pains are subsiding...but that's another post), I bought some brown rice pasta at Trader Joe's.

It sat on the counter and looked at me dolefully daily. I didn't cook it. And I didn't cook it. And after everyone one else in my life convinced me that wheat was not my source of pain, I started to think that there would be something really off with pasta made of brown rice. It would taste bad, I thought. It would smell funky, I thought. It would have a weird texture, I thought.

I thought these things so much that I stopped at the store on the way home to get my regular whole grain spaghetti (200 cal, 0.5g fat, 6g fiber) for our quick spag & meatball dinner. And when I poured the whole grain spaghetti into the pot of boiling water, the brown rice spag silently sat there. Judging me.

So I cooked some of each, and we had a taste test. The brown rice pasta was definitely stickier as soon as I took it out of the water; I did not rinse it, which may have minimized stickiness. We all tasted the brown rice pasta first. It didn't have a strong taste, nor did it have a "bite"--I only cooked it for 7:30 minutes--and people who like an overtly nutty, flavorful pasta would dislike it.

But if you like your pasta a little more well-done, you would love brown rice pasta. Now, I'm not saying this is mushy pasta. It just isn't as toothsome. Moving onto the whole grain pasta--which has 4g of fiber more per serving than brown rice--I found it to be almost hard in comparison.

My soon-to-be teen said, "I like all pasta, so they're both good." But when I pointed out it was rice-noodle pasta like his beloved "bun", he perked up and gobbled it down.

I think my husband prefered the brown rice pasta because he said, "I don't hate the normal stuff. Is the first stuff [brown rice] expensive or something?"

We've got brown rice pasta converts here, I think!

E-Tools

A year ago if you told me that my top priority each day would be to exercise I'd laugh and laugh and knock you off your seat. I remember my co-worker (a young girl of 23 who grew up in an athletic household) saying to me, "I feel like crap. I only ran three miles this morning." At 5 am. In the dark. In January.

While I'm not yet getting up at 5am in January to walk, I definitely feel great after a good 60-minute brisk walk with weights. And it's a great way to burn 500 calories.

My tools:

Enell Sports Bra
Good walking shoes & socks from Fleet Feet
Ipod with a jaunty playlist
Reebok 2 & 3-lb handweights
Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

I love the heart rate monitor watch, which I received for Christmas. I can set the range where I want to keep my heart rate (usually between 125-144 for maximum fat burn), and I can keep track of how I'm doing. When I start to flag and slowdown, the alarm lets me know that I need to step it up.

The weights are great for upper body cardio. There are days when my knee bothers me so I can't walk as fast as I'd like, so I "pump" my weights, which really boosts my heart rate. In fact, I don't think I'd get nearly as good a workout without them.

Of course, I look cRAzY...but I'd rather look like a screwball when I exercise than die when I'm 45 from a heart attack.

Absolute Denial

Faithful readers, I know you read yesterday's posts with repeated mental headslaps. Yes, I'm in denial. Yes, I'm stubbornly refusing to admit that good advice is good advice.

Would I be healthier if I had less caffeine? Yes.

Would I be healthier if I had less alcohol? Yes.

Would I be healthier if I had less sugar? Yes.

Would I be healthier if I had less wheat? Well, that I don't know. I don't seem to show any signs of wheat intolerance or wheat allergies...and looking over the paperwork she gave me I can't find any reference of staying away from wheat. So I'm not really sure about that one.

My husband doesn't think Dr. Kooky knows what she's talking about. "You buying her crystal ball mumbo-jumbo?" This from a guy who meditates and doesn't like to take medication.

"Listen," he rationalized,"You've been doing really well on your 'journey' [what I call my weight-loss effort]. If you cut out all these things now, will that derail you? Will you focus on getting healthy or on not eating wheat? Is it realistic? Will you gain it all back?"

Asian is out

Soy sauce has wheat in it.

Wonton wrappers have wheat in them.

I just had both in a fantastic soup for lunch. It did not have sugar, alcohol or caffeine however. Really good soup.

Asian Wonton Soup

Half a large onion, chopped
One clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
2 C baby spinach leaves
One large can Swanson's chicken broth
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 T soy sauce
2 T chili garlic sauce
16 Chicken cilantro mini wontons (frozen, found at Trader Joe's)

Saute the onion, garlic and oil for about two minutes. Add remaining ingredients except wontons. Bring to a boil. Add wontons, boil for two minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

I serve with a small drizzle of sesame oil.

Doctor's Orders

This morning I thought about what I'd have for breakfast that would comply with my doctor's orders of no caffeine, alcohol, sugar or wheat. Not a problem--an organic corn tortilla topped with thinly-sliced ham, a perfect sunny-side-up egg, and some papaya/mango salsa. Delicious. And I'll have an orange a little later.

As I puttered around the kitchen I looked at other things I have in the morning. Corn bran--yes, it works. Kashi? Nope, made with wheat ingredients. Certainly not Shredded Wheat. Oh, not my whole wheat tortillas, which means no more egg white spinach wraps from Starbucks. Oh. No whole wheat spaghetti, which I have a big bowl of in the fridge to be topped with all sorts of yummy things.

My husband came into the kitchen and commented on my long face. "So many things have wheat in them!" I lamented.

"Oh, you're not really going to listen to her are you? No alcohol, no caffeine, no sugar, no wheat? Where am I going to live while you're doing this? I've been through you not having alcohol and caffeine, and you're a bear. You're horrible on the weekends when you don't get your Starbucks fix!"

I didn't point out that most of the times when I wasn't having alcohol and caffeine I also happened to be PREGNANT, during which time I was a rolling ball of freakout hormones.

But a little glimmer of hope flickered. My husband was telling me I have to have caffeine and alcohol! He loves me, he really loves me!

Okay, before you smack me up side my head, I promise I'm not going to disregard Dr. Kooky's orders (though my sisters-in-law told me last night to ignore her, that she's nuts and I should see a different doctor). Here's what I'm going to do:

This week: Cut my alcohol & caffeine consumption in half, increase my water intake by 100%; cut out all sweets and deserts, except for my Fiber One bars (I have about two or three a week) and Tic Tacs; become aware of wheat in foods and choose something without wheat whenever possible.

You didn't really think I'd be able to go cold turkey, did you?

I don't like my doctor

I went to the doctor today to make sure some weird pains I've been having aren't something serious, like cancer. She told me that "women on a certain age" get this sort of thing, and that if I want to minimize it I should do a couple of things, including changing my diet.

After explaining that I've lost 50+ pounds and am exercising a whole bunch, she said, "Yes, well that's very interesting, but I want you to cut out caffeine, alcohol, sugar and wheat."

What?

WHAT?!

Why not just meat and dairy too? This is the lady who told me not to eat anything white when I was pregnant--so she could have this time said to cut out all brown foods or something.

When I was done wanting to kick her in her doughy, 40+ inch waist (talk about the pot and the kettle), I realized this wouldn't be a terrible thing.

So for 2010, I'll work at weaning myself off caffeine, alcohol, sugar and wheat.

Sigh.

Food Fetish

I feel stuck. I'm so close to having lost 50 pounds. I don't seem to ever have enough time during the week to exercise during the week. I crave, oh, how I crave. I crave things I never used to really care about: cheesey Hawaiian pizza, chocolate mousse, quesadillas....I'm craving a lot of melted cheese. Other things too--fried chicken. Cookies. Macaroni salad. Stupid stuff. Food I didn't seek out when I ate anything I wanted--and anything I didn't want.

And in the end, I don't give into them. Not really. Well, sometimes I do. But I've been trying to stay in control. Because being out of control, and not caring about what I did to myself, is what got me in this state to begin with.

I used to wake up and think, "What am I going to eat today?!" with excitement. I'd watch cooking shows and cook with abandon. Though even I knew to stay away from Paula Deen.

Now, I wake up and I think, "What am I going to eat today?" with trepidation. Will I stay strong? Will I stay in control? Will I make wise, nutritious choices? Sometimes I don't, but many times I do.

It's not just about eating fattening foods. It's also about controlling portions. I like BIG food. When I moved to California I was introduced to the two-pounds taqueria burritos and never did I question the enormity of them. It was Fleagirl-sized food. No need for seconds.

Am I an overeater? Yes. Am I a compulsive overeater? Yes.

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.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Chinese food is a "red light" food for me, meaning, if I start eating it, I won't stop. Deep fried meat covered in sweet, garlicky sauce? Pork fat and meat mingling with ginger and garlic, wrapped in pasta dough and pan-fried? Who would not eat a great potsticker put in front of them? Even green beans can be deep fried and still appear to look healthy.

On a completely different note, I'm about a pound or so away from hitting forty pounds lost. I'd gotten really close 10 days ago, then gained a bit (.8 lbs). Today I got on the scale to find I've gone up even more...so I need to get my nose back to the grindstone.

So why on earth would I make sweet & sour pork for dinner? Oh so many reasons. Because pork is a nice, sweet meat. Because I could. Because I wanted to take something really bad, and make it good. And I did.

Angelic Sweet & Sour Pork

2.5 lbs Pork Top Loin Roast, trimmed of fat
4 large red bell peppers (substitute up to one yellow or green)
1 large yellow onion
20-oz can pineapple chunks in sweetened juice
4 scallions, sliced in 1" pieces
Garlic powder
Dried ginger
Soy sauce
cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp ketchup
Red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 325; season pork with salt & pepper, cook in roasting pan, dry (no liquids, lid, etc), about 25 minutes a pound, until meat thermometer is about 143. Allow meat to rest, at which time thermometer will rise to 150-160 degrees.

While meat roasts, chop peppers and onions into large chunks. Heat pan on medium-high, add 2 tsps canola oil. When hot, add the onions. Stir fry until fragrant and still crisp. Remove (adding to roast pan is fine); add peppers to pan and stir fry, keeping crisp. Add a generous dash of garlic and ginger powders, and a liberal shake of soy sauce. Remove the peppers to the same pan as the onions. Add approximately three tablespoons of cider vinegar to pan, ketchup, sugar, and chili flakes, heat to boiling. Remove from heat, add pineapple with juices. Heat through. Add scallions.

Adjust sauce seasonings to taste, and salt onions & peppers. Toss with pineapple. Slice pork into generous slices (no wimpy thin pieces!) and serve.

Goes well with brown rice or quinoa.

Eating for life

Fall is finally here. I'm wearing a fleece jacket and am thinking the Baby needs to put on his sweater. Today I'll take him to the playground and I'll think that if I were on the East Coast, the leaves would be starting to change. Here by noon it will be in the 80s and blindingly sunny. Am I complaining? No, just procrastinating.

I need to make a meal plan for the week. One that Juiceboy can make some of the dinners, and not one where we will resport to going to Subway every night to avoid. Real food, healthy, easy to make. And I've got writer's block. Cook's block.

I look at all the recipes I've tried here over the past few years. No wonder I got to be the size I am. My eating habits were horrendous. In the past for Sunday brunch I'd have made a huge calorie-laden dish, like chilaquiles, and had two servings. Today, I had 27gm of Crunchy corn bran with 1% milk and 67 gm of strawberries. I know the weight only because I don't trust my eye in determining what an appropriate portion is.

I've lost 33.8 pounds total. I'm 28% to my goal--so I'm obviously in this for the long haul.

So--look for some changes in the future. I'm going to reorganize the blog to include the old, really successful recipes (I get hundreds of people every week just here for the into on how to make cream cheese wontons), but it's going to now focus on light, fresh, healthy foods. Organic whenever possible, and as seasonal as I can get.

Avgolemono Soup

As I mentioned in another post (Growing Up Greek), I love Greek food. However, I rarely cook it. Don't ask me why I don't. Maybe it's because this past year I haven't really been doing much cooking at all, though that's changing as I am re-training in how I look and think of food.

As I make my 100+ pound weight-loss journey--I have mentioned I'm fat, haven't I?--I'm looking for ways to satisfy my lust for food, while being healthy.

Which brings me to today's recipe. I was sitting in my backyard enjoying a good murder mystery while The Baby enjoyed an episode of Sesame Street. Juiceboy soon joined me. He pointed out some lemons that were hiding amongst the leaves of the lemon tree, and I knew what I was having for lunch. It's light, fast, and incredibly satisfying. And in this transitional time from Summer to not-warm-enough-to-swim-Summer, the fresh lemon was a terrific burst of sunshine.

Avgolemono Soup

6 Cups good Chicken Broth, low sodium preferred
1/2 Cup jasmine rice
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 C Egg Beaters/egg whites
Juice of 1-2 large lemons
1 T cold water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Bring the chicken broth to a boil; add rice. Simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, beat the eggs and Egg Beaters in a large bowl or 4-Cup measuring cup. Juice the lemons, straining out seeds. Add lemon juice and water to eggs, stir. After 20 minutes, check the rice for doneness, and remove from heat. Add broth & rice to egg mixture a ladle at a time. Do not bring to a boil, or even return to heat until burner is cooled down--otherwise your soup may break or curdle. This is NOT egg drop soup; it should be smooth and creamy.

Season to taste and serve immediately. I like mine very lemony, so I have sliced lemon in the bowls.

Serves four if accompanying salad or sandwich/serves two as a main dish.

Venti Non-Fat, No Whip, Caramel Mocha

My SBX drug of choice has been a Venti Non-Fat, No Whip, Caramel Mocha for a long time. I thought I was being pretty good. Non-fat milk. No deadly whipped cream. Just a couple of squirts of flavor....

Until I found out I was getting TEN quirts of sugared-flavor, which worked out to a whole lot of calories. At the same time, I was getting tall non-fat lattes for a co-worker. You know the kind. She's 23 and if she doesn't get to go running at least four times a week gets physically sick to her stomach. She's a size two, smart, and super sweet. Some times I want to throttle her.

Especially when she'd order her angelic latte each morning.

Well guess what? I'm wearing a coffee halo thanks to her! I started cutting back the squirts in January and by February was having the non-fat lattes. I do get grandes, simply because I like a second shot of espresso (I figure I have kids & a husband who keep me up at night and she can get 14 hours of beauty sleep if she wants to).

I really do enjoy the non-fat lattes. And that's something I NEVER imagined I'd say. In fact, I'm going to bed RIGHT NOW so I can wake up and have one in the morning!

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.

Bathing suit time

Well, folks, I'm back in the game. This past spring I took a vacation from all the things I normally enjoy: knitting, cooking, writing. I've been reading a lot, and getting a lot of take-out, and nursing a sore knee.

But all of that's changed.

I bought a bathing suit that I swear used to be my mother's. It's black and it has a skirt, and I look like I should be 60 years old wearing it. But I wore it, and actually got into the pool with in-laws--which I've never done before. Of course, my sister in-law who is 16 years older than me and in her mid-fifties was wearing the cutest red and white polka dot bikini...and looked smoking hot.

So I'm back at Weight Watchers (but losing slowly...only 8 pounds so far). I'm walking. I'm cooking again (tonight we'll have grilled chicken, brown rice, and asian broccoli). And I'm starting a pair of socks for Juiceboy today.

The plums from the farmer's market are in the icebox and are just as William Carlos Williams says...juicy and delicious. But the nectarines and peaches are on the counter to ripen warmly in the summer sun.

I might not be ready for a cute new bathing suit this summer, but as soon as I hit a certain milestone, I'm getting myself a polka dotted one!