Purging..in a Healthy Way

Daily Om ~ March 18, 2011
Blending Thought and Feeling
Leo Daily Horoscope

A need to explore the range of your abilities can come upon you suddenly today, prompting you to look for opportunities to make use of your intellectual and creative talents. You may feel innovative as you endeavor to imbue your practical projects with an aura of creativity. Similarly, your resourceful and clever mood can drive you to explore methods of using your creative skills in your professional life. You may discover today that the imaginative yet commonsensical ideas that appear in your mind help you to see your world in a more balanced way. This can be a wonderful time to tackle projects that have stymied you, because you may be able to perceive new techniques of achieving your goals.


While lying on the couch sniffling and sneezing for the past couple of days, I caught up on reading, favorite tv shows, and started planning some long-overdue house projects. Inspired by the book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston, I took a good look around the family room and, not happy with what I saw, decided to start purging. Choosing my bookshelves as the first area to tackle might not have been the best idea since the swirling dust contributed to a sneezing fit, but I did it anyway. By the time Beren got home last night, I had two out of three bookshelves cleared off & dusted, two huge stacks of books for donation and the remaining tomes neatly returned to their proper place. I freed up two whole shelves which I'm sure will fill up again eventually, but for now I'm quite content to leave them bare. I now have a bunch of books up for swap on Paperbackswap and another 50 or so set aside for donation to the library. Whew! As much as I adore my collection, so many of my books were no longer needed or loved, coming from a different time in my life. My interests have changed, why hold onto things that no longer make me happy?

This weekend I plan to continue with the de-cluttering, tackling the entertainment center next. It's very freeing to let go of this stuff, to clear out unwanted items to make room for fresh, new possessions, thoughts & ideas. The process is emotionally as well as physically fulfilling, and I can't help but wonder if purging myself of clutter is also contributing to the slight loss I noticed on the scale this morning? I'm clearing out unwanted junk in my home, in my mind, and maybe in my body as well! There are studies that back up this theory...hmm...something to think about while I tackle the dust bunnies today.

Have a Beauty-Full Day, TGIF!

Worth Cultivating

Worth Cultivating by Gil Elgren, 1952

Whoa! I came "home" to Ormond Thursday night to find my herb garden kicking butt! It's like a jungle out there! I am pleased as punch to find such gorgeous edible delicacies just waiting for me to pluck them!



Since the oregano is really out of control, I took advantage of it with the help of one of my favorite blogs, Kalyn's Kitchen. The only change I made was in using reduced fat feta cheese because that's what I had on hand.


Greek Salad with Marinated Onions and Oregano


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1 medium Vidalia onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil -- plus more for serving if needed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar -- plus more for serving if needed
2 small cucumbers -- (2 to 3)
3 small tomatoes -- (3 to 4)
8 Kalamata olive -- (8 to 10), pitted
1 tablespoon fresh oregano -- or more if needed, chopped
1/4 cup reduced fat feta Cheese -- or more if needed, crumbled
fresh ground black pepper to taste

About 4-8 hours before serving the salad, peel onion and slice thinly. Separate onion into rings and put in small ziploc bag. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour into bag. Let onions marinate in refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad

After onions have marinated for desired time, remove from refrigerator and drain the dressing into a small bowl. (I do this by opening one end of the ziploc bag and holding it over the bowl while tipping the bag.) Taste dressing and add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar if needed, whisking into dressing.

Wash cucumbers and cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick. (Larger cucumbers will need to be cut in half and if you don't have small cucumbers you may also need to peel them.) Cut tomatoes into halves, then cut each half into fourths to make eight pieces. Wash oregano and chop with chef's knife.

In large mixing bowl, toss together marinated onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives. Toss with desired amount of dressing. Sprinkle with oregano and crumble Feta cheese over salad. Arrange on two plates, season with fresh-ground black pepper, and serve immediately.

Serves 2.
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 322 Calories; 23g Fat (60.4% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 10mg Cholesterol; 669mg Sodium. 6 WW POINTS.


Oh, my! This was absolutely delicious, so glad I doubled the recipe so I can enjoy it again today. Marinating those onions really made the flavor pop! I served it alongside simple grilled chicken and a baked potato, making a dinner fairly high in POINTS but oh-so-worth it! Besides, I worked off a few calories during an early morning walk with Loki. I'm recovering with some java and my laptop but he has other things in mind!



We are off to the beach shortly, hope I can convince Beren to take a long walk with me but he's not quite as excited by that idea as my four-legged companion!

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Happy Earth Day Weekend!

In honor of Earth Day, and just because we felt like doing some gardening, Beren and I planted an herb garden in Ormond last weekend. I know I worked off a bunch of calories because my calves & thighs were killing me afterward!


(to my nail tech's dismay, I garden barehanded and barefooted)



This weekend we're working on a butterfly garden, can't wait to get dirty with Beren again! *wink*



To use up all of those delicious herbs, I'm making Sausage Pizzaiola Style from Claire's Italian Feast. I eliminate the olive oil, using a non-stick skillet and spritz of olive-oil flavored cooking spray instead, bringing the POINTS value down from 11 to a mere 7. Along with a big green salad this is going to be a healthy, filling meal!


Sausage Pizzaiola Style

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1/4 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions -- cut into thick ribs
11 ounces meatless sausage link -- cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 pound mushrooms -- quartered
salt and pepper -- to taste
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
4 medium potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup frozen green peas -- thawed

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, sausages, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Add the tomatoes, water, potatoes, oregano, wine, and parsley. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a medium boil (this will take about 15 minutes). Cook at a medium boil, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Stir in the green peas. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the peas are heated through. Taste for seasonings.

Description:
"This delicious meal is also convenient to make. Cook it in one pot on top of the stove, and a short time later you can enjoy a complete dinner - and have only one pot to wash!"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 570 Calories; 29g Fat (43.5% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 60g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1023mg Sodium. 11 POINTS before Redux, 7 POINTS by eliminating olive oil.


Have a Beauty-Full Day,