Back in the Saddle

I know that two days doesn't really constitute a habit, but according to Loki it does! Yesterday I got up early and had my morning coffee with Chip before he left for work, as usual. However, instead of lounging around in my pajamas, perusing the internet as I normally do, I got dressed, put on my sneakers and grabbed Loki's leash. We took a brisk walk around the neighborhood, then I came home and hopped right onto the treadmill for another 30 minutes. I think Loki heard me tell Chip that this was going to be our new routine, because this morning he was dancing around in expectation before I even finished my coffee!





Another walk, another treadmill workout, happy dog and happy mama. It feels wonderful to be moving again! I think we'll both benefit from this healthy habit.

 Have a beauty-full day,

 Michele

Hot Dish: Slowcooker Vegetable Barley Soup

So sorry I've been out of touch; last week my computer had a run-in with a cup of coffee, thanks to a clumsy cat..grr...I was out of commission for a bit but luckily found an old laptop of Chip's to tide me over til my new keyboard arrives. Whew!

I haven't done a whole lot of proper cooking this past week, have been kinda throwing stuff together based upon what we have in the house.  The post-holiday budget has been a bit tight, am sure many of you can relate, so I've kept my shopping to a minimum. No fancy ingredients or gourmet dinners, just basic good stuff.

I cleaned out my pantry and chose to focus on a few "mystery" items this week.  Here we have a package of elbow pasta, some barley, orzo, Jambalaya mix, yellow split peas and half a can of Chipotle in Adobo (from the fridge).  Now, I'm not suggesting that I toss all of these ingredients together (ewww!), just that I find or create some recipes using what I have on hand.  Sounds fun, right?! Yeah, I'm easily amused.



First up: barley. This was actually an easy search, found a quick recipe for Vegetable Barley Soup which I adapted for the slow cooker.  This made a wonderful Sunday meal, perfect for a lazy day just hanging around the house.  I had almost everything on hand, just had to buy a zucchini which happened to be on sale this week.



I'm sharing the original recipe; the only change I made was using my slow-cooker instead of stove top.  I put everything into the crock and cooked for about 6 hours on High Temp. You might need more or less time, check your veggies after about 4 hours to see if they're tender then adjust the temp accordingly. Oh, wait! I also did not include the Worcestershire since I was too lazy to run to the health food store for a vegan version.

I did not run the nutritional info on this one, but as the ingredients are "power foods" on Weight Watchers, you really can't go wrong! I'm calling this a Simply Filling recipe and as long as I don't indulge in the beer bread I made for hunny..groan..I should be ok.

Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup

Rated:	Prep Time: 15 Minutes	Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Submitted By:BEAKER1	Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes	Servings: 8

"Easy to make and delicious. Vegetable broth, barley, and lots of veggies make this soup hearty and filling. I use and recommend organic products. Please add a review if you make it. Enjoy!"

INGREDIENTS:

2 quarts vegetable broth 1 cup uncooked barley 2 large carrots, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice 1 zucchini, chopped 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained 1 onion, chopped

3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. The soup will be very thick. You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

The Verdict: I loved this recipe! It was so easy to make, and the flavors came together so nicely. While certainly not as spicy as I normally like my food, there is something to be said for a good, solid comforting bowl of soup. The barley added some thickness and created a heartier dish, and with a good hunk of bread for dunking this was a very healthy, filling meal. I'll definitely be making this one again. As for my hunny,he filled up on some other leftovers, didn't get around to trying it but I'm sure he will have a taste sometime this week.

As far as weight loss, I didn't make it to last week's meeting but my home scale shows that I'm holding steady.  I had a few days of emotional eating last week, not proud of that, but this is a new week and I've decided on a new routine. Starting this morning, I'll be taking Loki on a quick morning walk, followed by 30 minutes of treadmill time (just for me, not Loki..grin) before I do anything else. No computer, no hobbies, nothing else until the workout is done! This habit has worked well for me in the past, I know I can do this. I just need to stop being so lazy!

On that note, since I'm making another slow cooker meal for tonight I'd better get my buns into the kitchen!

Have a beauty-full day,

Michele~

The Party's Over

After weeks of wedding-related feasting & merriment, I find myself craving a routine, ready to return to normal. We still have one more celebration later this month but I'm not waiting a moment's longer, I need to get my eating under control. There's no reason I can't enjoy that occasion without overindulging. This has been my problem for some time now; I delay going back On Program until after the party..after the vacation..after one Big Event or another. You know what? There is always going to be another party, another excuse to eat and drink with reckless abandon. That's just the nature of my life, and I wouldn't change that for anything. But I do need to practice moderation and not sabotage my healthy lifestyle for the sake of a good time. I know how to do this, I've just gotten lazy.

Today we put an end to that crazy cycle, starting with a nice pre-dawn doggy walk. Loki was more excited about it than I was, especially when it started to rain and we had to cut the walk short. We are both too "hairy" to be outside in a downpour, and I daresay his tresses are more high maintenance than mine!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this already, but as of March 1st I've gone back to my mostly-vegetarian way of eating, and have even decided to play with some vegan recipes. My daughter Lily is living in a hipster college town where vegetarianism is super-easy so she's decided to take it to the next level and go 100% Vegan. I'm hoping we can share recipes across cyber-space, inspiring and encouraging each other. Lily is a tiny waif of a girl, though, so she wont' be worrying about calories as much as her curvy mama. Anyway, after some googling I came across the fabulous Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her Post Punk Kitchen, immediately placed an order for her highly-acclaimed cookbook Appetite for Reduction. While I'm waiting for the book to arrive, I'm going to try one of the recipes she so generously shared on her site, Chickpea Picatta. I'll be serving it over brown rice for myself since I have an abundance of it and am trying to use up pantry items.

You all know that I stink at taking food photos, so please just head over to Ms. Moskowitz' site to see what this dish is supposed to look like, ok?

Chickpea Picatta 
1 teaspoon olive oil 
1 scant cup thinly sliced shallots 
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs 
2 cups vegetable broth 
1/3 cup dry white wine 
A few dashes fresh black pepper 
Generous pinch of dried thyme 
1 16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
1/4 cup capers with a little brine 
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
4 cups arugula 
Cooking spray 

Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium. Saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them by stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. They should turn a few shades darker. Add the vegetable broth and wine, salt, black pepper and thyme. 
Turn up heat and bring to a rolling boil and let the sauce reduce by 1/2, it should take about 7 minutes. Add the chickpeas and capers to heat through, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon and turn off the heat. 

 If serving with mashed potatoes, place the arugula in a wide bowl. Place mashed potatoes on top, and ladle picatta over the potatoes. The arugula will wilt and it will be lovely. If you are serving solo, just pour right over the arugula. 

Servings per recipe-4 Calories-190 Cal from fat-30 Total fat-3.5g Saturated fat-0g Trans fat-0g Fiber-5g Protein-9g Cholesterol- 0mg Niacin-730mg Vitamin A-20% Vitamin C-25% Calcium-10% 7 Weight Watchers Points Plus (calculated using WW's Recipe Builder)

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

 

Wordless Wednesday: Morning Walk

Clearing the Cobwebs

I've been feeling rather frustrated and annoyed the past couple of days but haven't been able to pinpoint exactly why. I've misplaced my motivation and my direction, just want to sit on the couch with a bowl full of popcorn and watch old movies all day. I've managed to take a couple of walks this week but even those were frustrating thanks to intrusive neighbors and an uncooperative walking companion (yes, Loki, I'm talking about you!). I think I need some alone time, just me, my i-pod and the dark of night. Maybe my mind as well as my body need the cobwebs dusted out.

Today's Daily Om made for interesting reading, something to ponder while I hit the pavement tonight..

January 13, 2011
Removing Obstructions
Allowing Our Light To Shine

When we don’t feel ourselves shining, we can tune inward to find the block that prevents us from shining our light.

There are times when we may not feel at our best and brightest. At those times we can take a look at what we might do to let our inner light shine to the fullest. Because we are physical, mental and spiritual beings, we need to determine where our spiritual light is being filtered or blocked. We can work from the outside inward, knowing that we are the only ones with the power to dim our lights, and as we clear away the layers we can get out of our own way to feel the warmth of our own light shining again.

As vehicles for our mind and spirit, our bodies require proper maintenance. Caring for ourselves is like polishing--helping to clear away the accumulation of physical debris that keeps us from operating at our fullest capacity. A simple shift in our thoughts can positively affect our mental state, moving from complaints to gratitude and applying the powerful light of love to any shadowy thoughts. A change of scenery can allow us to see the world in new ways too.

Once we are free of our restrictions, we can become still and connect to the power at the center of our being. It is always there for us, but when we forget to connect, or siphon our power in too many directions, we cannot make the most of our energy. Starting from the inside out may direct us to take the right steps for our journeys back to the light, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the stillness if our bodies and minds are in the way. As we practice steps to keep our energy flowing freely and without obstruction, we shine our light brightly, illuminating our own paths and making the world around us glow as well.

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on this week, my very own "Mom Cave." I still have to decorate, add some furniture, etc. but the important parts of the room are in place. I have soooo enjoyed hopping on my treadmill in the peace & quiet of my own little space, turning on the DVR and watching one of the shows I recorded. What a pleasure!



Since tomorrow is weigh-in day, I'm keeping my food input really clean & simple today - substituting extra fruit for the Jenny snack. I'm also putting in an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill, am hoping to meet the 10 pound loss mark. Wish me luck!



xoxoxoxo

Be Prepared

One of the most important tools I've found to assist me in this weight loss effort is planning. In order to succeed, I need to be prepared. This means my refrigerator is kept stocked with fruits, veggies, yogurt, etc., my JC meals are in the freezer ready to go, my menu hanging in a prominent spot where I can refer to it often, water bottles filled and chilled, etc. Just for kicks, I put my JC daily menu into Sparkpeople because I wanted to confirm my daily calorie intake. I was impressed! Even with "unlmited free foods" like my homemade WW veggie soup, I still am consuming about 1,200 calories a day:



The most important part of preparation at the moment: having my work-out clothes clean and ready to don. I have discovered that if I step out of bed and immediately get dressed, right down to sneakers, it's half the battle in the I-don't-wanna-exercise war. I'm already up, dressed and ready to go; now, what's my excuse?

Since I am sorely lacking in dresser space (that'll change when I don't have it stuffed full of various sized clothing!) I had to get a bit creative with my storage options. As a collector of vintage suitcases & train cases, I have a couple empty ones hanging around and I decided to put one to good use:



The main compartment holds my t-shirts, yoga pants & socks, front pouch contains i-pod, pedometer and measuring tape. Behind there is a place for my sneakers. Voila! Perfect! I keep this right next to my bed so that I literally roll out of bed and get dressed. Easy as pie! I then meet Beren in the family room for our morning coffee and when he leaves for work, I either grab the dog and hit the sidewalk or I jump on the treadmill. Put in my 30 minutes, shower, and off to work I go.

When I get home from the office, I immediately put another outfit on so I'm prepared to hit the treadmill again, take Loki for a stroll, do a little workout video..whatever! Since the clothes are cute enough for streeetwear, I can also walk to the grocery store, park, wherever and still feel comfortable.

So, there you go, my little Girl Scout tip of the day!


Have a Beauty-full Weekend,

Plugging Along

Still plugging along here, eating my Jenny Cuisine along with tons of fresh fruit & veggies, walking & logging my steps. Yesterday I walked the neighborhood in the morning, did 30 minutes on the treadmill in the afternoon followed by 20 minutes of Valerie's workout dvd...




It was just enough to stretch my muscles and cause that delicious ache in my legs this morning. I think I'm going to pick up some hand weights this weekend and work my way up to the 30-minute Bikini Body portion of the dvd.

Tomorrow is weigh-in and I'm not feeling great about it. I mean, I've been working really hard but my bathroom scale isn't showing a loss yet, and "Moontime" is approaching so..who knows. If nothing else, I know that I've tightened up and my waist is becoming visible again so I know I've lost inches. We shall see. For now, I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing knowing that results will follow.

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Weekend in NYC: Day Four

Monday morning we slept in a bit, got up and decided to explore my brother's Long Island neighborhood. Being the skinny, never having to diet guy that he is, he suggested a walk to the local Italian bakery.
Seriously? As if last night's cannoli wasn't enough temptation? Not wanting to be a party pooper, I donned my sneakers and off we went.



While Beren and my bro scanned the rows of pastries, cookies, cakes, etc, I had my eye on the bread. Swooon...my weakness. I was salivating thinking about a hunk of that doughy goodness topped with a dollop of butter or a swish of good olive oil..droool...





And yet, when it came down to it, I walked home with a box of cookies to bring back to my kids and while my menfolk had this for breakfast..



I ate this..



along with a Jenny Craig breakfast bar. Can I have a HUGE round of applause for willpower, please?

Once their sugar coma wore off, we jumped in the car and headed to Fire Island. Ooh, spending some time in the "country" was just what I needed after several jam-packed city days!





We then visited this charming little town, Cold Spring Harbor..





where I had the best chicken curry salad (1/2 a sandwich, saved the other for dinner on the plane) at the Gourmet Whaler and did a bit of window shopping. Such cute things, if I didn't have to pay to check more luggage I'd be maxing out my credit card on these goodies!





We got back to the house and enjoyed a glass of wine on the front porch, soaking up the beautiful sunshine before heading for the airport. Arrived back home around 9 pm where I opened up that box of cookies for my (skinny) children, watched them ooh and ahh in pure pleasure. Sigh...

Total steps logged: 13,137 which is about 6.2 miles.

Now, what I know you're all waiting for...after all of those yummy (yet moderate) meals, all of the wine & beer, combined with miles & miles of walking..how was my weigh-in on Wednesday?

Well, I stayed the same. No gain, no loss, which is exactly what I expected. My Jenny Craig consultant wasn't surprised, either, and we both agreed that while I could have done better(less wine, more salad), I was comfortable with my choices and enjoyed my vacation to the fullest! No deprivation, no over-indulgences, no gain. No worries! Also, even though the scale doesn't show it, my clothes do feel looser and my legs look tighter so perhaps I lost some inches as well.

I'm back on track and can already see a tiny loss on my bathroom scale, am looking forward to a good weigh-in next week! But first, it's Biketoberfest in Daytona and guess where we are?

Stand by for more tales of our adventures! *wink*

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Weekend in NYC: Day Three

I'm so glad you're all enjoying my little NYC recap!

Sunday morning Beren and I got up early, took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel (I had a banana and my Jenny Craig cereal bar) and took a leisurely stroll down Lexington Ave. This part of town houses an abundance of Indian restaurants and even at that time of day the air was heavy with the scent of curry. Yummy!

Since Beren loves the Hard Rock Cafe and collects glasses from each location we visit, we decided to zip on over to Times Square and get that task out of the way. Unfortunately, since we arrived before noon he was not able to enjoy a beer inside his glass before purchasing it. Damn! We forget that some cities have that silly no-booze-for-breakfast-on-Sunday rule, never thought NYC would be one of them! Oh, well, we packed up our empty glass and away we went.



By this time we were getting kinda hungry and I heard pizza calling my name. So, off to Little Italy we went! There was a 30 minute wait for Lombardi's so we explored the area a bit until our name was called. Oh. My. God. The pizza was just as good as I remembered from our last visit!



My brother arrived just in time to help finish off the pie, perfect timing and no leftovers to carry around the city! Two slices of this deliciousness, worth every bit of walking needed to work it off!

Since it was now after noon and Beren was hankering for a beer, we took a nice long walk to McSorley's, a pub he'd read about. Apparently we hit the after-church crowd because this place was packed already! We each had two small pints and off we went.



We arrived back in Long Island with just enough time to change clothes and freshen up before the highlight of the day - dinner with the infamous Allan of Almost Gastric Bypass! We met Allan and his lovely wife Sue at his favorite Italian restaurant, Mio Posto. Joining us was another lovely blogger friend, Jacquie from Can't Wait to Lose It with the Band and her husband Steve. Allan had promised us a "real" Italian feast and he delivered! I am amazed at the willpower I exhibited by turning down the bread basket and the pasta, and we won't even discuss the dessert! Take a peek at his blog if you want to see pics but suffice it to say it was a heavenly meal! The company was great, food to die for, an all-around perfect evening. Thanks, Allan!







One quick nightcap at the local Ale House before climbing into bed, tired and content. Steps logged: 15,033 which is equivalent to about 7.11 miles.

One more day in NYC to share! Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Weekend in NYC: Day Two

Saturday morning we slept in just a little bit, headed into the city after breakfast. The first stop was Central Park to see John Lennon's grave as it was his 70th birthday. Now, I admit that I am not a Beatles or Lennon fan per se, but my daughter Bambi is and I wanted to get pictures for her. Besides, it was an historic event and shouldn't be missed. Well, unfortunately the crowd was so deep that I wasn't able to get anywhere near the Imagine mosaic but was able to snap a shot of the plaque. We also walked by his home and the gate where he was shot, crowds were gathered taking pictures but that was much too morbid for me!



Beren and my brother stood in front of this statue, thought it was appropriate considering it was Columbus Day weekend.



We walked around a bit, had lunch at a little Indian restaurant and then headed toward the Pig & Whistle where we had a cocktail...



and met up with the fabulous Ms. Bitch*Cakes! I'm so glad she had time to hang with us a bit, what a pleasure it was to meet her! She is one lovely lady, and just as fabulous as I expected!





Oops, we were having so much fun that time just slipped away and we were running late, time to check into the hotel, grab a quick dinner at Heartland Brewery and head to the show at Radio City Music Hall!



As you may know, Lord of the Rings is Beren's all-time favorite series and holds special memories for us as well, remind me to tell you about it sometime. So, seeing the film with a live orchestra was amazing and very meaningful to us both.



We were both tired when we arrived back at the hotel but managed a nightcap at the wine bar next door before climbing into bed. Oops! Let me check the pedometer..clearly we took more cabs that day because we "only" walked 11,661 steps, about 5.52 miles.

Time to wake up Beren and get ready for work, please stay tuned for more of our adventure in the Big Apple!

xoxoxoxo