Love to Eat, Hate to Exercise

The Breakthrough

2012-01-30T17:32:00.000-05:00

It's the last day of week 1 and it's mostly likely going to be the last day of the cleanse as outlined on the website. I have a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I'm hungry. I woke up Saturday morning with the pain and brain fog gone, lots of energy and feeling great. With the energy I've been able to be much more active, Tally and I have been logging miles and miles twice a day. But with the increased activity has come increased hunger. I've been angry hungry for three days! I'm starting to feel deprived and that's never a good thing. Second, I'm anxious to get back to my weight lifting and for that I'm going to need protein fuel.

That being said, the cleanse has really done its job. I'm down 9 pounds, my palate is cleansed, I feel light and my clothes are fitting better. This is a good thing. And I'm not giving up all the tenets of the cleanse for the next three weeks. I'm just modifying. I'll be continuing with no processed foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine. I'll be adding back meats, eggs and fish, some dairy and very limited grains. I'm going to continue with veggies and more veggies and my juice every single day.

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to having two pastured eggs tomorrow after my juice and having some grassfed butter on my steamed broccoli!

The Snacks

2012-01-27T20:09:00.000-05:00

It's cleanse day 4 and it's the best day of the week so far. Still waiting for my energy level to bounce back fully but the aches are subsiding and the brain fog is clearing. I'm enjoying the plant-based meals but when I took Tally out earlier, someone in the hood had the grill fired up and the smell of smoke and meat in the air nearly made me weep. I'm all for eating lots of fruit and veg, but I honestly don't think I could give up meat forever.

Snacks are encouraged on the cleanse. Whole Living has nine "balanced snacks" to choose from. I made three of them this week.

The first was Cranberry-Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix. Since no added sugars are allowed on the plan, dried cranberries are a no-go, I don't think I've ever seen unsweetened dried cranberries in any food store. I used golden raisins instead, they are my favorite. I mixed them a blend of raw nuts and seeds; pumpkin, cashews, almonds and walnuts. The half-cup serving size is generous, since the overall daily calories are so low, this makes a satisfying snack.

Next up is the Dried Fruit and Nut Bites, these babies are awesome! It was a bit of a messy process grinding everything up then kneading the mixture and rolling the balls but it was worth the effort. I ended up with 24 balls, rather than 20 but stuck with the serving of four. These are so tasty and filling, this recipe is a keeper. I used raisins, prunes and dried apricots and cashews, almonds, walnuts and flax seeds. I rolled them in sesame seeds. Yum!

Last, I made up a batch of Minty Pea Dip. This was quick, easy and really delicious, bright, garlicky and with a bit of sweetness from the peas.

Raw garlic is really healthy but hard to eat, so this is a great way to get some raw garlic in a most delectable way. The recipe said it makes 2 cups but I got a little over 3 cups.

Next week I want to try the Pistachio Stuffed Dates with Coconut. Mmmm, dates!

What a Difference a Day Makes

2012-01-26T17:00:00.006-05:00

Day 3 and holding on. Tally and I went to bed so early last night and I slept very well. It was much needed deep sleep, the headache is better today but still lingering as is the leg ache. I've been reading the blogs over at Whole Living and I see that many of the participants experienced the same thing during their time on the cleanse.

I started my day with my revised version the Green Machine Smoothie. I had made the original incarnation on Tuesday morning and while the flavor was pleasant, the texture was disgusting. The water mixed with blender-chopped romaine lettuce left a thick, gelatinous texture that was really hard to get down. I managed as I didn't want to waste any produce but I knew that I could make it better. This morning I juiced all the greens and the ginger then poured it into the blender with mango, added a banana and some frozen blueberries. OMG, it was so delicious. You'd never know that there were so many good green things in that drink. And the banana gave it really good staying power.

I was at the dentist earlier having an old filling replaced. I'm very fortunate to have access to great dental care and have dental insurance but boy, oh, boy it was painful. I think I'm extra delicate due to the cleanse, my dentist had to put a second dose of Novocaine halfway through the procedure because I started to writhe in pain. My mouth hurts like a bastard! Good thing I made up a batch of the Roasted Beet and Garlic Soup the other day. I had that for my lunch and it was so soothing. I love beets but it's the roasted garlic makes this recipe. Very tasty and filling. The recipe it meant to make four cups, but I ended up with five.

When buying beets, I always choose ones with bountiful green tops. I love me some beet greens! I sauteed up a big pile the other night and ate them up the first two days of the cleanse.

I'll probably have another green smoothie for supper as my mouth is not going to be up to chewing any roughage today. Tomorrow I'll make the spiced butternut squash soup and roast up some cauliflower. Hopefully my mouth will be feeling better so I can have a big, green salad for lunch.

Now I'm going to watch Lethal Weapon, it's on Encore. 1980's mullet-wearing, pre-batshit crazy Mel Gibson was HOT! It's so funny watching Murtaugh act like he's so old. He's 50! Hasn't he heard that 50 is the new 30? ;)

Quick Check-In

2012-01-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to post last evening but I had the worst detox headache and just had to go to bed. The headache had subsided somewhat this morning but stated rearing up this afternoon and evening. I got out on a nice walk with Tally this morning but otherwise the energy level is low, I'm freezing cold (despite oddly warm weather) and I can't roam too far from the bathroom.

This is a tough challenge for sure, but the recipes have been good for the most part. I'll have some pics and reviews upcoming when I'm not feeling so rotten. I spent $127 on all the produce which was mostly fresh veggies, some organic, supplemented with fresh and frozen fruit and plenty of dried fruit, raw nuts and seeds to last for the next few weeks.

One of the steps in preparing for the cleanse was to write down the reasons for wanting to take part in the challenge. I've been thinking about it (Why, God WHY???) while rubbing icy hot balm on the base of my neck trying to ease this headache. I want to feel strong and healthy again and the only way to do achieve that is by feeding my body in a nourishing way. When I'm nourishing my body, I have so much more energy and a more positive outlook which makes life joyful. And because I'm not above a little vanity, I want my smallest jeans to fit again.

Crickets Crickets

2012-01-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

My last post went over like a lead filled balloon. No one has any opinions on SOPA, the Internet as a distraction, hand milking a cow, nor are there any takers to join me for the Whole Living Action Plan. I definitely need to learn how other bloggers get their readers so involved in fitness and weight loss challenges.

I know dropped ball in 2011 as far as weight maintenance and fitness motivation and that must have carried over into my blog. I'm planning on making that right this year. After all, it's the Year of the Dragon! If that doesn't spark some fierce determination, I don't know what will.

I've always purchased the January/February issue of Whole Living magazine with the lofty goal of taking on the challenge they present each year but have never done it. This year's challenge looks totally tough but it's only three weeks. I'm committing to the entire three weeks, here and now! Tomorrow I will hit the market to purchase the items on the first week's shopping list.

I don't usually like to focus on what I can't have but here is the must avoid list for the challenge...

processed food or beverages
added sugar
dairy
gluten
caffeine
alcohol

I do great without processed foods, most grains and added sugar and don't even mind giving up my wine and coffee/green tea for periods of time but I'm going to miss my raw milk and Greek yogurt for sure.

It's better to focus on what I'm going to have, so here is how the weeks will unfold...

Week 1

fruits,
vegetables
plant-based fats, including nuts, seeds, and oils

Week 2:

week 1 foods
seafood
beans and lentils, and organic soy

Week 3:

weeks 1 and 2 foods
gluten-free grains and eggs

I'll likely modify the plan by avoiding soy and having extra portions of the vegetable juices. Otherwise I'm going to follow the plan closely including the tips and exercises. I will blog here with photos, recipes and how I'm doing on a regular basis. I'll also post my reviews of the recipes and the plan itself as well as the shopping costs. Click here for a look at week 1. I'm off to print the first shopping list. Have a great Sunday!

And We're Back!

2012-01-19T11:36:00.001-05:00

Did you boycott the Internet yesterday in support of Stop SOPA? I took the blog down and I stayed off the net for a good day and a half. Mostly because I feel it is a worthy cause to support but also because it was a great excuse to stay off the computer. I find the Internet to be a HUGE distraction and I am so much more focused and productive without it. I enjoyed the break so much, I'm thinking of instituting a computer free day each week. What are your thoughts on it?

In other exciting news, I've signed up for an extensive tour of My Dad and Me Family Farm which will include taking part in farm chores. I'm going to have the opportunity to gather eggs, feed the hens, slop the pigs and hand milk a cow. HAND MILK A COW!!!!! I'm so excited. It's coming up in April and I will be sure to come back here and share my experience with you.

What's on the menu at Shady Dame? I'm picking Rob up at the airport this afternoon and he's coming home sick. I have to get him well before he has to travel again on Monday. I've got the fridge stocked with lots of juice produce and I'm going to make up a big batch of minestrone soup with tons of fresh veggies, dried and soaked cranberry beans and homemade bone broth. I'm also going to make mushroom barley soup and perhaps a homemade pizza with arugula for dinner Sunday evening. I wanted something fun for during AFC game. Go Pats!

Before I get to all the chopping for my minestrone, I wanted to share my plans for the next few weeks and invite you to join me. I'm going to do the Whole Living 2012 Action Plan. While I do a juice fast a couple of times a year, I've always wanted to take part in the Whole Living challenge and see if I could do a proper clean eating cleanse for a full three weeks. So who is in? I'd love some support and company. The full plan is on the website so you don't even need to buy the magazine.

I'll have more details and links in an upcoming post. Think about it! Have a fantastic Thursday. I've got to hit the kitchen.

Sunday Chit-Chat

2012-01-15T13:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the well wishes, you guys are the best! I am feeling better today, it was one rough week. Rob flew off to Zurich yesterday and was just starting to feel the stirrings of what I had despite my best efforts to keep him well. I sent him with Zicam, Halls, Theraflu and all his supplements. I hope his week away isn't too terrible, poor Bunny.

I was planning on uploading the cruise pics and doing my trip report today but in light of the tragic accident involving Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy, I thought it would be bad timing. My heart goes out to the passengers and crew. The photos were completely unnerving, the muster drill hadn't even been conducted yet! During our muster drill, things were so chaotic, people were inattentive, farting around on cell phones, turning up late and talking over the crew members, we were convinced that if there were any sort of accident that we'd be screwed. People think that it can't happen but the sea is dangerous and even modern ocean liners aren't immune to those dangers. We took note of our area, our lifeboat and where the life jackets were stored that afternoon just in case. Thank goodness we returned home safely, I can't even imagine what those poor people went through.

I do want to share a couple of pics from our anniversary, hoping it won't be too insensitive because it was a special day. Rob "surprised" me with a beautiful bauble. We picked it out sometime last year and the little stinker hid it and told me to forget about it. Like that was going to happen. And when I finally got to put it on, the squee was deafening.

This was waiting for us when we arrived in our room. It was delicious, light and fluffy vanilla cake, not to sweet with a bit of jam between the layers. The frosting was a creamy whipped icing.

And my little black dress, which isn't so little but I sure felt beautiful that night.

Here we are at dinner on New Year's Eve celebrating 10 years of marital bliss. It's not always bliss, of course, but there is no other person I'd rather share my life with. The lovely waitress and hostess had just sung us "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and it sounded so sweet. Rob was mortified, though. We only ordered one dessert each, but they brought us another anniversary cake!

Moving on, did you see that wicked awesome Patriots game last night? I'm not much of a sports fan but I always keep one an eye on my old hometown teams. Maybe they won't make it to the Super Bowl but I'm psyched I didn't miss that spanking Tom Brady gave Tim Tebow and break all those records. I did feel bad for the Saints, though. That was another great game, despite the outcome.

What did you have for breakfast today? When I saw this Baked Oatmeal recipe on Gina's Skinnytaste I knew I had to make it. I had bananas ripening on the counter and blueberries in the freezer, and it was a good excuse to try my new Le Crueset baking dish that I found on clearance for $10.

I didn't change the original recipe too much. I used my real milk (I shudder at the thought of pasteurized skim milk.) I added additional spices like nutmeg and ground ginger and since I don't use sweetener in my regular oatmeal, I didn't think it would be needed here. And it wasn't. This dish is a keeper, warm and satisfying and baked bananas are so luscious. You must try it!

I felt well enough to take Tally walking this morning. We went for almost an hour. It's cold out today but the sun is shining and it felt great to get some fresh air. Speaking of my precious girl, here she is doing what she does best, whatever the heck she wants to do. I flipped the cushion down so she wouldn't steal my spot, as she does, but when I returned two minutes later this is what I found...

That's all for now, I hope Sunday finds you safe and warm.

Crawling Out from Under the Covers

2012-01-12T10:11:00.001-05:00

My feeling "a little under the weather" on Sunday had bloomed itself into the plague by Monday morning and has continued to intensify all week. I have not been this ill since we returned from Disney in 2009. It's been a good run!

I've had to cancel everything, including the dentist, the chiropractor, the realtor and worst of all, work, because I haven't been able to do anything other than sleep, stare at the television and sip hot broth. Rob got me a jar of good old fashioned Vicks VapoRub and that's been helping me sleep at night. It really does calm the cough.

The good news is that in one feel swoop, I eliminated wine, sugar and most grains because I haven't had much of an appetite. Getting back to healthy eating once I'm feeling better is going to be so much easier after this unplanned detox.

And in other really good news, Tally has become a lady of leisure of sorts. Since just before Christmas she taken to sleeping in. No more 5 and 6am wake up calls, she gets up when we do, my prayers have been answered. Today, Princess Pointy Toes and I slept in until 8am.

Send healing chicken soup vibes, I'll be back when I kick this cold. *crawls back under the covers*

Jiggity-Jig

2012-01-08T12:58:00.000-05:00

It sure was weird spending the first week of January on vacation. Weird but wonderful! We made it home safely last evening. All that relaxation is hard work, we are exhausted. But the laundry is nearly done and I'll finish unpacking tomorrow before heading to work, which is going to hurt for sure.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but after a week of merry making at sea that shouldn't come as much of a surprise. We're laying low today. The cruise was heavenly so watch this space for a trip review along with photos of food porn and some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets that I've ever seen.

I'll also be back with my strategy for getting my workout back on and getting the 2011 (and cruise) weight gain back off. I'm going to roast a chicken later for dinner then make a rich bone broth in the week to boost our travel-weary immune systems.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It sure is nice to be home.

It's 2012!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.010-05:00

May we each have our happiest and healthiest year ever. Happy New Year!

Baking and Other Good Smelling Things

2011-12-24T14:05:00.000-05:00

Christmas is nearly upon us. Have you been busy in the kitchen baking up all those seasonal treats you just have to have this time of year? With our anniversary cruise just a week away (yay!) I scaled holiday baking way back this year. My waist line cannot handle a glut of holiday treats then a week of buffets and cocktails. I kept it to two seasonal must-do's and one something I really wanted.

Rob's birthday was on Thursday and a year hasn't gone by that I have not baked him a batch of traditional English shortbread to have with his afternoon cup of tea. I decided to try a different recipe this year. It called for brown sugar, which was a very nice touch but I thought the ratio of flour to butter was off. I think they turned out way to pasty and flour-y, so much so that I could actually taste the flour. I will go back to my tried and true recipe for next year. But Rob is quite happily eating his way through the tin, so I'm glad he's enjoying them.

Mini-mincemeat pies are another of Rob's Christmas must haves. I have yet to find a great tasting pre-made mincemeat so I started making my own. It's so easy and so delicious, I could never go back to the jarred stuff. I slightly adapted Gordon Ramsay's recipe for the mince. (I really like cooking by weight but if you don't have a food scale like I do, here is a good recipe converter.)

I used the mince to make mini pies, not the palmiers as the recipe indicates, though I like the idea. I added much more spice than the recipe called for, almost a whole nutmeg, freshly grated along with adding ground ginger in addition to the cinnamon and allspice. I used bourbon and honey liqueur in place of the rum and whiskey in the recipe. I made the mincemeat on Monday to let it age in the fridge and it smells absolutely heavenly. We baked up the pies together this afternoon.

The recipe made a lot of mincemeat, enough for 2 dozen pies. I only made 12, so I put the rest in a mason jar to freeze. Not sure if it will be good to use next year but it's worth a shot.

Next up is what I really wanted and that was rich, dark and sticky gingerbread cake. Like the mincemeat, gingerbread gets better with age, so I made this early in the week, wrapped it up and let it sit. It was worth the wait, this recipe is amazing! I followed the method but used molasses in place of black treacle, replaced golden syrup with the same weight of chunky ginger preserves. I omitted the stem ginger and put in a generous grating of fresh ginger. I baked it in a brownie pan for about an hour. When it is time for a cup of tea, I cut a square and frost it to order with cream cheese whipped with homemade lemon curd. If you are a fan of gingerbread, you must try this recipe. It is a keeper.

And to make the house smell festive like I've been baking up a storm all week even though I haven't, I filled a saucepan with water and then added cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, cardamom pods, fresh lemon, mulling spices, vanilla extract and every time I peel a clementine, I toss the peel into the mix. I've had this simmering on the stove top all day, every day this week. I keep topping up the water as it simmers away. Beats the wick off a scented candle, for sure.

We have a very low key weekend planned, we're just happy to be home together with our Tally. Wherever your weekend takes you, I wish you warmth, safety and deliciousness!

Blah Tuesday

2011-12-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

Rob returned home safely on Friday night, I'm so grateful to have him back. Don't even get me started on how thrilled Tally was when her Bunny walked through the door. I thought she was going to shake her tail right off.

I'm pleased with the way my workouts are going, the 28 day Shapeover is a great weight lifting plan and my walks with Tally are also going well. But the eating, that's another story. I think I ate my weight in potato chips last night and may have drunk just a little bourbon. And by a little, I mean a double on the rocks just like the Reverend Mosby in The Parent Trap.

We had a follow-up meeting with the realtor yesterday. I felt fairly hopeful after our initial meeting, but I was crestfallen and feeling defeated this time. Three houses popped up for sale in our neighborhood, two for short-sale and another priced so low that it hurts to think about. We are so looking forward to moving to Virginia but we just can't afford to give our house away at the closing table. Rob and I have a lot to think about and I'm pretty much beside myself. So not an excuse for my less than healthy behavior, but a trigger just the same.

I know I have too much great in my life to feel sorry for myself but it will take awhile for me to process that it may be much longer before we get to where we want than originally planned. Patience has not always been my strong suit. Perhaps a lesson for me here, time will tell because my inner brat isn't very receptive at the moment.

How is your week going? I'm off to work this evening then off to food shop for Rob's birthday dinner and the holiday weekend tomorrow morning after the gym. We're not doing much for the holidays but Rob is turning 45 and I'm making a special dinner for us and some dear friends. What are your big plans for the weekend?

Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble

2011-12-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

Not that it's much toil or trouble, but tossing some roasted meat on the bone and some leeks in a pot and bringing it to a bubble will make the house smell delectable. Rob has been away working for 16 days now and won't be back until Friday and I want to make sure he comes home to something nourishing and homey after eating in restaurants for three weeks. I bought some beautiful kale and carrots and will add them to the pot after the meat is fork tender and the bones have given up the marrow. The two grass fed, dry aged beef short ribs will make the broth luxurious. I wish you could know how good it smells in here right now!

I was disappointed to find that Whole Foods had nothing in the way of soup bones, neither beef nor poultry so I had to buy more meat than I wanted to just to get the bones. Maybe that was their evil plan all along. Once we're settled in Virginia, we are going to invest in a meat locker so we can source local grass fed beef bones and pastured poultry bones/necks at bulk prices and stock up. Haha, stock, get it?

Bone stock is one of the best defenses against the common cold that can run wild this time of year. While the masses are out getting flu shots, drinking Emergen-C by the gallon and bathing in Purell, I'm going to be eating soup and stews made with my homemade stock stock, I'm also making sure I get lots of sleep, stay hydrated, get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, take my Vitamin D every day as well as eat lots of citrus fruit. The ruby red grapefruit is coming in to season and it has been delicious. And don't forget hand washing! As a nurse, I'm well versed in the art of hand washing and it really is the first line of defense against germs.

What are you going to do to avoid the nasty common cold this season?

Creamy Broccoli Soup

2011-12-08T19:25:00.001-05:00

Whenever I talk to my Mother on the phone, we talk food. Surprise, surprise. In one of our recent conversations Mother mentioned that she had been on a stock and soup making kick. Then she said the magic words I couldn't get out of my head~Creamy Broccoli Soup. The next day I was at the market buying the ingredients.

This recipe is so easy but the results taste like a gourmet bistro dish.

1. Broccoli crowns, I used five good sized ones, roughly chopped

2. Homemade chicken stock, one quart

3. One medium onion, chopped

4. Two fat garlic cloves, crushed

5. One block of Neufchatel cream cheese

6. A couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil

Toss your broccoli into a big stock pot, fill with a few inches of clean water, bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook, covered, until the broccoli is very tender.

Meanwhile, saute the onion in the butter or oil. I use Kerrygold grass fed butter. Cook the onion until very tender and translucent, add the garlic and cook gently until fragrant. Don't brown the onions or let the garlic burn.

Add the onion and garlic to the broccoli in the stock pot, then add the chicken stock and block of cream cheese. Stir over low heat until the cheese is all melted into the soup. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

If you have an immersion blender, break that baby out and process until smooth and creamy. If not, do like I did and process in batches in the blender. Return the soup to the pot and test for seasoning. If you are serving right away, return the pot to the heat get it nice and steaming hot.

This soup is a revelation, my Mother's trick with the cream cheese made for a really wonderfully flavorful and super creamy soup. Thanks Ma!

I served my soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, Cabot hot habanero cheese on sesame Ezekiel bread, the first night. Today for lunch, I stirred in some grated Romano cheese and drizzled on a bit of truffle oil. That was so good, I will likely have it for my lunch again tomorrow. I never knew broccoli could be so delectable! I bet cauliflower would work great in place of broccoli and all sorts of winter squash, too.

Here's some bonus food porn, my supper tonight. Rob is away so I wanted something pretty easy but delicious and satisfying. I give you mango lime terriyaki sockeye salmon over a spinach and ruby red grapefruit salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Wonderful Williamsburg

2011-12-05T20:00:00.006-05:00

I recently met with our local realtor and it went better than expected. Despite home values being down, like many areas of the country, I was surprised to hear that people are still out buying homes and they are selling faster than I would have thought. This gives me hope that it won't be too long before we are back in Wonderful Williamsburg. Which totally makes me want to relive our amazing trip...

We arrived late on a Wednesday evening after a long drive. After a good night's sleep we hit Merchant's Square for breakfast before our meeting with the realtor. We stopped in this hip little place called Aromas that serves food and coffee all day. I had a delicious veggie quiche that had a crust that was so buttery and yummy. I had a Honey Do latte and Rob had a very interesting white mint mocha to go along with his full breakfast.

Needless to say we are as delighted with our first taste of Williamsburg as we look! We then took an early morning stroll around Merchant's Square which sits right between Colonial Williamsburg and the campus of the College of William and Mary. This is the exterior of The Trellis Restaurant, home of the world famous Death by Chocolate dessert. More on that later.

We popped over to the visitor's center at Colonial Williamsburg to pick up some info and then we went to meet Deelyn, the realtor. She took us on a great tour of all the residential areas and we found a few neighborhoods that we will definitely give a second look to. We toured a few homes, but it was mostly a fact finding mission. We were out and about all day. We finally called it a day at Second St Bistro. What a great place! The service and food were top notch. I had a Grey Goose dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives that hit the spot. I also ordered this amazing grilled salad that I'm still thinking about.

I didn't spend too much time taking pictures, the atmosphere was so nice and we just wanted to chat about our day. We both had beef dishes but I can't remember exactly what.

Friday was sunny, chilly and windy. We headed back to Merchant's Square for breakfast but this time at the Blue Talon Bistro. I fell in love with this little place, I can't wait to have dinner here. It's adorable, all French country and the food and coffee...mmmm, so good!

I ordered the European breakfast plate but substituted the baguette for a croissant, which I used as a vehicle to get the soft butter and homemade blackberry jam into my mouth. Rob had creamed chipped beef with poached eggs. The cream sauce was heavenly.

Look at that fantastic tin ceiling!

I had a hard time not stealing that bottle. If only my purse were a bit bigger. ;)

After breakfast we took a stroll around the square and then hopped in the truck to take a leisurely drive along the scenic Colonial Parkway which connects historic Yorktown to historic Jamestown.

One of the many scenic stops along the parkway

We arrived in Yorktown and had a stroll along the river and in the Riverwalk area, which had lots of little shops and restaurants.

The next photo is dedicated to my Nana. She had many sayings that have long remained in the family. One of our favorites is "Hooray for George Washington." So of course I had to stop by and salute General Washington.

It was so chilly,we stopped in the local Ben and Jerry's shop for hot chocolate to drink on on our ride on the parkway to Jamestown. It was Rob's inspired idea, I didn't even notice the Ben and Jerry's shop. I better get my eyes checked!

The Jamestown Settlement is where the first British settlers landed in 1607. It's a museum, an active archeology site, a history buff's dream and the river views are amazing.

The Pocahontas Monument

We headed to the touristy part of town and tried to visit the huge Yankee Candle shop but it was very crowded. We had an early supper at a cute place called Food for Thought. It wasn't anything special, but certainly better than the alternatives like Applebee's and Chili's. We headed back to the hotel, had drink at the bar and had an early night.

Saturday was the day I was most looking forward to, our tour of Colonial Williamsburg! We hit Starbucks for lattes then parked at the visitor's center. Although you can enter the entire area of Colonial Williamsburg without tickets (it's not a theme park like Walt Disney World) we wanted access to all the tours and buildings so we bought tickets. It was a mild, sunny day and we were just enchanted by every bit of it.

First we wandered through the formal garden of the Governor's Palace then to the kitchen garden just outside the detached kitchen.

The "cook" is there to talk about his job and what it was like to feed the Governor and his family and all the visitors to the palace. Lots of interaction, I asked lots of questions.

We then just walked around exploring the whole area. Colonial Williamsburg is a living history museum and it is just fascinating.

300 year old Bruton Parish Church

The Fife and Drum Corps, the highlight of the day!

Eighteenth Century coffee house!

We took the guided tour of the Governor's Palace, this is the ballroom. They set the scene for the tour that we are guests arriving for the Governor's Ball celebrating the birth of the Governor's youngest daughter. It was so much fun!

We walked for hours and miles and by now we were hungry. We visited the Cheese Shop

One of America's oldest colleges, second only to Harvard

Lord Botetourt Sculpture reproduction

Williams-Sonoma in Merchant's Square, the mother ship

After a long day of walking and touring we headed back to the car. We originally had plans to eat at one of the Colonial taverns, the reservation was late so we parked over at Merchant's Square and bellied up to the bar at The Trellis. We had a cocktail and chatted with the bartenders and other patrons. The atmosphere at the bar was so lively, coupled with the thoughts of Death by Chocolate, we decided to stay and eat at the bar. This is when my camera battery died. D'OH! Suffice it to say, the food was just wonderful. I ate very light, ordering small plates as my appetizer and main course because chocolate was incoming.

This photo is courtesy of the Optima Insurance website. But it is exactly right. All seven layers, the malted chocolate ice cream, the handmade white chocolate truffle. I first learned of this cake many years ago on the cooking show Death by Chocolate starring the original chef-owner of the Trellis, Marcel Desaulniers who created it. It definitely lived up to the expectation, it was ridiculous especially the later of cocoa air! We couldn't finish it but I would love to go back and give it another try.

Sunday was a slower day, we went to a fantastic Sunday brunch at Opus 9. They had a chocolate fountain with strawberries to dip. I had such a hard time not pulling a Vicar of Dibley and stick my face right in it. Then we went back to Riverwalk at Yorktown and took a long walk along the river. Rob was starting his new job on Monday and had to be at the office in Newport News and I had to drive home so we had an early night. If it wasn't for Tally waiting for me I would have stayed the week with Rob. Williamsburg is hard to leave.

For those of you who are bored at work and want to view the entire set of 201 photos, click here.

And be sure to check out the little video clip I took of the Fife and Drum Corps, I'm no Spielberg but it's pretty cool.

Last Chance Victories 2011

2011-12-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have been at a loss since my beloved laptop shit the bed but my nifty little netbook just arrived to take it's place. It's really small and light and the keyboard is just the right size for my small hands, though my right pinkie is still getting used to the positioning shift button. I think it will be just the thing to get my blogging back on a more regular basis.

Can you believe it's December 1st? Has 2011 been a good year for you? For us it has been uneven, to say the least. It's been a year of changes and though it's taken some time for me to digest all the changes, I am hoping end the year on a high note. Although I'll be ending the year slightly heavier than I had intended, I will NOT allow December go out in a blur of food, wine and laying around watching reruns.

Since the end of September, I have been doing great with getting to the gym for weight lifting on a regular basis and feeling so much stronger for it as well as getting out and walking. We're just about a month out from our cruise, I'm going to take on the 28-Day Shapeover weight lifting program that I did early in the year. It is the perfect last chance victory to make sure my new black dress for New Year's Eve will look fabulous.

Other than making sure I eat healthy, sleep well and get in my daily fitness, I'm going to make a concerted effort not to get overwhelmed or stressed, which can be tricky at this time of year. Not sure of my strategy yet, but I will take each day as it comes.

How are you going to make December work for you?

The Turducken Verdict

2011-11-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving with your friends and family. My day started at 5:30am when I got up, showered and dressed and headed to work. Working a holiday is usually lighthearted and fun but this year is was a crazy stressful day. I was so happy when it was time to head home.

When I arrived at home the first thing I noticed was that house did NOT smell like Thanksgiving. The Turducken had been in the oven for about 4 hours by this time so it was too late to regret our decision. We had a glass of bubbly and watched the parade while we finished up the meal. I had already made the green bean casserole, gravy, cranberry conserve and dessert the day before but still hadn't decided what to do with the potatoes. The Turducken decided for us as it had rendered the most amazing rich duck fat, an opportunity I wasn't going to let go to waste. We boiled up the Dutch gold potatoes, halved them and then roasted them in the hot duck fat until they were golden brown and crusty. HEAVEN!

Turducken

It was difficult to carve, looks like a hot mess

Thanksgiving Dinner 2011

So, what's the verdict? While the Turducken didn't smell or taste like the Thanksgiving I'm used to, IT WAS DELICIOUS! I'm so glad we tried it and there's one more thing ticked off my culinary bucket list. We especially loved the duck, it was so tender and flavorful. Rob and I never thought we would want to roast a whole duck, but we do now and probably will at some time during the holiday season.

Tally is feeling much better, her paw healed up nicely and she enjoyed the evening in the best seat in the house. I am so thankful for my family, on Thanksgiving Day and every day.

We had Indian pudding for dessert. Cornmeal, milk, eggs, molasses and spices all baked up in a crock in the oven. Served warm with vanilla gelato, this certainly smelled and tasted like a traditional New England Thanksgiving. A perfect end to the day.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and be sure to take advantage of this deal~If you have a Kindle or the Kindle app on your PC and are interested in free cookbooks, Amazon has 23 international cookbooks available, so don't miss out! I downloaded just about all of them, can't wait to check them out.

Gremlins Smote My Baby

2011-11-19T16:38:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the delay with the Williamsburg trip review post but last night we had another mishap with Tally. The gremlins must have heard how happy I was so they decided to smite my girl with a big old splinter in her left paw. We spent Friday evening (and a fortune) at the emergency vet hospital. The Vet had to open the pad of her paw to remove the splinter then suture the incision.

We came home with her wearing a big bandage and a cone but the cone freaked her out so badly she kept trying to run away from it and crashing into everything. It's not as funny as it sounds, it was just heartbreaking. The cone had to go and I made this makeshift cover out of my witchy-poo knee socks and bandage tape to keep Tally from getting at it. After a long night of little sleep, Rob and I spent the afternoon taking turns raking and bagging leaves and watching Tally to keep her activity restricted so that paw can heel. She'll be on pain meds and antibiotics for the next week or so.

I'm at work tomorrow, so I'll be back next week. A bit of good news, I decided on Thanksgiving dessert! Indian pudding. What's that, you ask? It's a wonderful, traditional New England baked custard made with cornmeal, eggs, milk and molasses. It's served warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. It's a long-time family favorite and I look forward to making and enjoying it once again.

Countdown to Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T09:52:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it's a just a week until Thanksgiving? I usually have the menus and shopping lists all ready to go by this time but not this year. I did order the centerpiece of the meal back in early October, the Turducken! I've been wanting to try this ridiculous dish for years and when I found out my favorite butcher shop does a smaller version, I had to do it. Have you ever tried Turducken?

I'm editing this post because I didn't explain what Turkducken actually is. I saw Paula Deen make one on the Food Network years and years ago. It's a boned out turkey that is layered with stuffing then a boned out duck is placed on top, then more stuffing then a boned out chicken in placed on. The whole thing is stitched up and roasted or deep fried. The one I'm getting is a Turducken Roll, which is a turkey breast half layered with stuffing, two duck breasts, more stuffing and chicken breast and all rolled up and ready to roast then slice.

*Image courtesy of yeepet.com

Other than making my fresh cranberry sauce, I have no idea of the rest of the menu. Since I have to work on Thanksgiving Day and my mind is completely on the move to Virginia, I'm dragging my feet a little. I'm planning just two side dishes, one vegetable and probably mashed potatoes and gravy because Rob just loves that. Last year's pineapple upside down cake is going to be tough to top this year. I have the Thanksgiving issue of Martha Stewart Living on my Nook, perhaps she'll provide me with some much needed inspiration.

And perhaps some will come from you: What is on your Thanksgiving menu this year?

Home, but for How Long?

2011-11-14T17:04:00.000-05:00

I have been away since Wednesday and I have so much to share! I've been sitting on this news for about six weeks but now that everything is finalized and the plans are in motion, I can share all the details.

Rob accepted a position with a new company. It was, as they say, an offer he couldn't refuse. Today is his first official day. The company is located in Newport News, Virginia. We just spent the better part of the last five days touring Williamsburg, which is going to be our new hometown. I admit that I was so hopeful that we'd love it but had no idea what to expect. What's the verdict? My dear husband who doesn't gush, spent the entire time gushing like a school girl after her first viewing of Twilight.

In addition to cutting the distance to my family and friends in Boston IN HALF (hello doable driving distance) and getting us much closer to the coast (just an hour to the beach) Williamsburg is just lovely. I'll be back with a full trip report with more pics, food porn and dining reviews (who knew that Williamsburg was a foodie's haven?) so you can see for yourself. But here is a little taste.

Thomas Jefferson in Merchant's Square writing

the Declaration of Independence

Colonial horses

One of the many bodies of water surrounding "The Peninsula"

York River at Historic Yorktown

The James River at Jamestown, first settlement 1607

Next step is to get Shady Dame on the market, we'll do that after the first of the year. I will miss this beautiful home, along with having my dear friend Donna being so close by and of course the great staff at work but other than that there isn't much I'm going to miss about the urban sprawl that is Metro Atlanta. I think it's going to be just what the doctor ordered for this girl who has spent each passing year a little more homesick. Wish us luck!

Have you ever visited Williamsburg? Do you live in the area, any advice?

Homemade Beef Stock

2011-11-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

Back when I wanted to learn to make stock, it seemed complicated but once I made that first batch, I have not gone back to cans and cartons. Homemade stocks are not only easy but also very healthy for our bodies. There is a reason that chicken soup is the oldest remedy in the book for a common cold, provided that you make the stock from scratch. Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions, wrote a wonderful article extolling the virtues of stock or "bone broth" as the real food enthusiasts refer to it. Have a read here to learn more. Beef stock is high in CLA, conjugated linoleic acid which a powerhouse for our health. Read more about CLA here.

Best of all, I've read that bone broth is very good for the skin. I'm usually skeptical when it comes to beauty remedies unless I try them first hand. Since it's been soup weather here, I've been making up lots of stock and using it almost all of our suppers the past few weeks and let me tell you, my skin looks really good. Smooth, moist, supple and glowing. None of that change of season dryness that I always experience when we first start putting the heat on. Now if that isn't an endorsement to make broth, than I don't know what is!

I made a batch of beef stock the other day and used it for the base of two delicious dishes this weekend. Here's how I did it. I bought four pounds of grass-fed beef bones for about $7, they were already cut and packaged in the Whole Foods meat section. If they aren't available in the case, just ask the butcher.

I roasted them in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes. Roasting the bones gives the stock a richer flavor.

While the bones were roasting, I filled a stock pot with a few carrots, some celery, a leek and some salt, herbs and spices and added purified water. I set it on the stove to start cooking.

I added the roasted bones and brought to a boil. I skimmed the scum that rises to the top. You only need to do that once. After that, it's smooth sailing. I reduced the pot to a simmer, covered it and let it go for 12 hours. I didn't watch it or anything. I went about my business all day.

Look how the color changed...

I strained out the solids, let the stock cool and then popped it in the fridge overnight.

All that delicious fat rises to the top and solidifies for easy skimming.

Don't throw that fat away, that is pure grass-fed beef tallow and it's full of deliciousness. You can use it like butter in cooking. I stored it in a mason jar in the fridge and used it along with the stock in my weekend cooking.

This is how homemade beef stock looks, full of collagen and minerals and best of all, wonderful flavor to add to lots of different dishes.

I made two dishes this weekend using both the beef fat and broth. Saturday night it was homemade onion soup. I caramelized a mountain of onions in the beef fat. Once they were deep golden brown and the pan had a dark brown fond on the bottom, I deglazed the pan with some dry Marsala wine, I scraped up all those brown bits. Then I added the beef stock and fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary and oregano) and let it simmer for about half an hour. I got two slices of sourdough bread, topped them with freshly shredded Gruyere cheese and toasted them in the oven until crusty, brown and bubbly. Into bowls and topped with the soup onion soup. Oh, so good!

Sunday dinner was pot roast. We devoured it after raking and bagging leaves all afternoon, I didn't get a chance to snap a pic but it was proclaimed to be the Best Pot Roast in the Universe. In my dutch oven, I browned a grass-fed chuck roast in the beef fat then moved it to a plate. I sauteed onions and garlic until tender then put the roast back in and then put in the beef stock, I added a blob of ketchup and glug of Worcestershire sauce for extra flavor. I put enough to come half way up the roast. I popped it into a 300 degree oven for 90 minutes. I then flipped the roast and added a bouquet garni, carrots, rutabaga, parsnips and baby gold potatoes and cooked for another hour. Then I added thick sliced portabello mushrooms and cooked for another 30 minutes. Everything was so tender and delicious. The pot roast gravy was heavenly. I have leftovers all ready to take to work tonight and tomorrow, can't wait!

Have you made homemade stock yet?

Dumbbells vs. Dumbbells

2011-11-01T14:56:00.000-04:00

Being more active for the past 5 weeks has been amazing. If I can keep overcoming my biggest obstacle, which is my own mind (aren't we all our own worst enemies when it comes to health and fitness?) then I can keep improving. I'm getting stronger and my endurance is returning (because, let me tell you, when you don't use it, you lose it!)

I'm loving being back at the gym lifting weights, it really makes a difference to my body shape. I had been looking for a pair of black jeans for over 2 years now. I found a really sharp pair of black boot-cut Levi's at TJ Maxx on Friday but didn't have time to try them on. I took them home GAH they are too tight, can't even button them so I tossed them aside to the return pile. I was gathering up returns and things this morning for my errands later this week and figured I'd give the black Levi's one more try. They fit! I just washed them and put them into rotation. I have to admit, a moment like that is far more satisfying than getting on the scale.

Being back to the gym, I found that there are new trainers. Two of them are females and I overheard one of them with her trainee the other morning. "I'm not going to give you weights for your lower body, the muscles will get bulky and push the fat out making your legs look bigger." *Insert my open-mouthed shocked face here* Lori from Finding Radiance reckons I should have knocked some sense into her with a dumbbell. This poor girl is paying about $30/half hour for a trainer and she's getting this bad advice. Unless she's going to spend 5 hours a day lifting weights and starts adding some anabolic steroids to her Cheerios, she's not going to get bulky!

If you are interested in getting more physically fit, do some research first and if you are going to hire a personal trainer, really give them a good interview. You want to make sure they are knowledgeable with the correct information in order to help you reach your fitness goals.

What's the most appalling thing you have seen or heard at the gym?

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

2011-10-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

I saw Dorie Greenspan make this with Martha Stewart last fall, I have no idea why it's taken me so very long to finally make it. Pumpkin lovers get going on this one, it's a keeper, even He Who Does Not Eat Pumpkin (Rob) scraped his half clean.

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Start off with a sugar pumpkin, scrub it clean and cut out the top like you're making a Jack O'Lantern.

Scrape the insides clean.

Don't forget to save the seeds for toasting!

Prep the base flavors of the stuffing. The recipe is very flexible, I used nutmeg, shallots, parsley, rosemary and oregano, garlic and white pepper.

Stir in the bread cubes, I used cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread.

Crumble in the bacon. I cooked up a whole package of pastured, uncured bacon. I used about 6 slices and saved the rest in the fridge for snacks.

Add the cheese. I had a mad hankering for goat cheese so I crumbled in a small 4 ounce log.

Stuff everything good into the cavity of the pumpkin, pack it down pretty well. There may be some leftover.

A perfect excuse to use the golden real cream that I skim from the farm fresh milk, pour it on!

The leftover stuffing went into a greased ramekin, topped with cream and stashed in the fridge for a quick lunch later in the week. Might be nice with a poached egg on top.

Pop the pumpkin in a 350 degree oven and let it cook for 2 hours.

Remove the cap and let the top brown for an additional 20 minutes then remove from oven.

We cut the pumpkin straight down the middle and set about devouring all the good stuff and the soft, creamy pumpkin flesh. Absolutely perfect for fall!

My Fitness Week

2011-10-21T11:49:00.001-04:00

"I love it when a plan comes together!" ~Col. Hannibal Smith, The A-Team

It has been a long time coming, but with the combination of Tally settling in and my amino acid protocol working wonders for me, I have nailed down a winning fitness routine. Mind you, one week does not a routine make but it is a solid foundation on which to build.

Three days this week I was at the gym first priority for weight lifting, a streamlined full body routing, done with minimal rest periods so that I can be done in 30 minutes. Then home for hot breakfast and then a long walk with Tally. The other two week days, a long walk with Tally after breakfast. Weekends will incorporate some walking, yard work, rest and family hike day. I think we may venture out to Amicalola Falls on Sunday.

I feel really solid on this foundation of a routine and truly believe that I can stick with it. Getting back to lifting has been AMAZING! It's the one thing that truly kicks the metabolism into high gear and it is nuts at how quickly the changes to the body come. Tally seems to be enjoying it as well.

As far as food goes, I made a big batch of long simmered chicken stock the other day and today it will be transformed into my absolute favorite beef and barley soup. I'm going to roast beef marrow bones, bone-in shank and bone-in short ribs (all grass fed) and then start building the soup. The barley has been soaking in whey for over 24 hours. It's going to be delicious. Also, I'm going to make Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good. I have a plump sugar pumpkin and I can't wait to try this recipe! I'll make sure to take some good photos of this one. We're also having a date night to a new Indian restaurant that opened nearby. It's been years and years since we've had a curry house in the neighborhood so we're looking forward to that.

What are your fitness and food plans for this fine fall weekend?

DinneRevolution Cookbook Giveaway

2011-10-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

I was recently contacted by a fellow named Chef Jeff. He's promoting his new PDF cookbook called DinneRevolution. He has offered my readers the chance to download it for free. I had a look through his book and I must say, if you are NEW to healthy eating or just starting out switching from processed and fast food to cooking more homemade meals for yourself and your family, then this book is for you. Even if you're a seasoned health-centric cook, we all could use a quick meal idea now and then.

The book contains over 200 recipes that (mostly) contain 10 ingredients or less and can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. I've just had a quick read through the recipes, they utilize mostly whole foods, vegetables, meat, spices and whole grains but are fairly uncomplicated. I'm not thrilled of the overuse of canola oil and reduced fat this and that, but as I said, for those of you who are new to making the change to a healthier lifestyle, this cookbook is definitely going to be a good resource.

Some of the recipes that appeal most to me are...

Mediterranean Turkey and Chickpea Burgers

Turkey Pineapple Meatballs in Curry Sauce (hello holiday potluck!)

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Pork Chops with Cranberry and Balsamic Sauce

Spicy Steak and Mandarin Orange Stir-Fry

Moroccan Carrots

CLICK HERE to claim for FREE .pdf cookbook. I checked with Chef Jeff personally to make sure that your e-mail address used to sign up to get the cookbook will be kept secure and won't be spammed.

Let me know what you think!

The Walk for Cash

2011-10-15T14:04:00.001-04:00

Today was walk day, the JDRF walk to cure diabetes in honor of my nephew Cash. Mother Nature donated a picture perfect day for our cause, sunny, breezy and beautiful. This was our first charity walk, I admit that I was a bit nervous about the logistics like traffic, arriving too late, parking and bathrooms (I have bathroom anxiety, surprise surprise.)

But as usual, I worried for nothing. We got to the specified parking garage at 8:15am, snagged one of the free spaces and strolled over to Centennial Olympic Park in plenty of time to sign in, grab a T-shirt and yes, use the bathroom. We even had time to take a lovely walk around the park. This is the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Remember when the US Women's Gymnastics Team won the gold? That was awesome! It was such a perfect site to hold a charity walk.

Here's the photo tour...

They have an area with these marble markers on which the names of each and every medal winning team members name is engraved. Any of those names look familiar?

The future of flying coach!

The last time Rob and I were at the park, it was in summer of 2000, we weren't even engaged yet, nor did we know that within a year, we'd be moving to metro Atlanta. Rob had flown over from England to work in the US office of the company he had been working for. We hadn't seen each other since Easter and he flew me down for the weekend. It was a hot hot humid day and we sat by the fountains and ate slush. I snapped a photo of Rob (ON FILM!) sitting on a a bench. It's in a purple frame in our family room.

Here is Rob on the exact same bench 11 years later. Sort of a full circle day for us, wouldn't you say?

Now on to the walk. We got a crappy start spot way at the back of the crowd because (and here is where the bathroom issues come in to play) I have the bladder of a 90 year old woman who has the bladder the size of a walnut, so I had to wait until the very last minute to go again because I did not want to uncomfortable during the walk.

We got caught in a huge bunch of people who basically just stood there stuffing their faces with chicken biscuits instead of moving. We started weaving our way through and within the first mile we had made up a huge amount of time and left about 3/4 of the walkers in our dust.

Here we are at the last quarter mile. I know it wasn't a "race" but there were way to many lollygaggers for my taste. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to finish the walk as far under an hour as I possibly could.

I was running toward the finish line when the traffic cop stopped the flow of the walk to let some cars pass. ARRRGH! I would have finished under 50 minutes if I had made that intersection.

The cop finally let us pass and I took off running again. Talk about a last burst, the endorphins really kicked in and pushed me onward.

I crossed the finish line in 51:25, but actual moving time was 47:47, but those intersections cut into my finish time. Didn't you know that I'm insanely competitive? It's one of my uglier traits that I work really hard to keep under wraps.

Here is the walk course map from my Garmin GPS watch...

I DID IT! And I would do it again, it was a great day. We raised 160% of our goal thanks to the generous spirit of some of you beautiful blog readers and my family and friends. My nephew Cash facebooked me a heartfelt thanks that brought me to tears! But above and beyond, this event was a real shot in the arm (see what I did there?) for me to get excited about fitness again. I hope I can keep the momentum rolling.

We didn't stay and partake of the food, beverages and post walk entertainment, I wanted to get home to Tally. I did make us an amazing lunch when we got home, toasty chicken and cheese on cinnamon Ezekiel bread, half a honeycrisp apple and a cup of hot, steamy, creamy tomato soup!

There is still plenty of time in 2011 to sign up for a charity walk, if you can make the time, it really is a worthwhile way to spend a weekend morning.

Upping the Activity

2011-10-12T12:27:00.001-04:00

I wish (oh, how I wish every single day forever and ever) that I was a person to whom exercise came easy, that it was something I looked forward to. But I'm just not wired that way, wasn't raised that way. My motivation ebbs and flows, and if I ever feel like I "have" to do it, forget it. My inner rebel takes over. I think that this is part of the issue since adopting Tally. I've felt like I've "had" to get out there and walk and when that inner rebel hears that, all bets are off.

But I've made a concerted effort to get out there daily, often twice daily, with Tally and walk and walk and walk. And it's been good. She is such a pleasure to have around the house when she's been walked and my weight has been slowly creeping back down, which always makes me a pleasure to be around. I also hit the gym on Monday to lift weights for the first time since ??? and though the delayed onset muscle soreness is killing me, I know it's yet another step back in the right direction.

Tally and I just got back from a brisk 4 miles and will likely get in another 30 minutes or so this evening. I've found that I actually enjoy the twilight walk, we all sleep so nice afterward and 30 minutes away from the television on my nights off isn't going to kill me, right?

I spent most of the walk listening to the cruise radio podcast which is really revving me up because in just 79 days, Rob and I are going to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary in a balcony cabin aboard the Norwegian Sun!!!! The ship departs on New Year's Eve day, we'll celebrate our anniversary along with ringing in 2012 (I can't wait to kick 2011 to the curb) on board and then spend a week sailing around the Caribbean. Isaac better be ready with those umbrella drinks.

But before the cruise, we have to tackle the JDRF Diabetes Walk is this Saturday. In case you haven't had a chance to donate, CLICK HERE, it's for a wonderful cause. We've already almost doubled our goal, so a million thanks to all of you who have so generously contributed so far.

That's all for now, I hope you are enjoying your Wednesday and have a wonderful rest of the week.

Try Something New: Wild Sockeye Salmon

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

As you know, despite wanting to get more essential fatty acids from oily fish in our diets, we don't like salmon. I've tried it all different ways and from different shops, paying a fortune from Whole Foods for the freshest I could find but we still can't abide that strong, fishy taste.

Enter wild sockeye salmon. It's obscenely expensive, upwards of $20 a pound, but I picked some up at Whole Foods when it was on sale. It was a revelation, our salmon-hating days are finally behind us. It's got a lovely almost sweet taste. I wouldn't call it mild but it is a million miles away from strong or fishy. The texture is really succulent and delicious.

Why buy wild fish vs. farm raised? The same reason why grass fed and pastured meat is healthier for our bodies than feedlot meat. Farm raised salmon doesn't have the same amounts of usable omega-3 fatty acids as wild caught. Like feedlot meat, farm raised salmon is given antibiotics and their feed is dyed salmon color so their flesh won't be gray! Wild salmon has lower fat, but more good fat and higher protein than farm raised.

Now on to the deliciousness... sockeye can have some pin bones, so just slide your clean hands up and down the surface of the fish to feel for any and pluck them out.

For this preparation, I mixed grainy mustard with some low sodium tamari and spread it over the fish.

Then I covered it with Thai basil from the garden and let it sit a few minutes.

Into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I checked it and it wasn't quite cooked through so I cooked it an additional 5 minutes. You want it juicy and just cooked through, but not overcooked. Look for opaque and flaky.

It turned out delicious. I served it with cucumber and cantaloupe salad with a dressing made from lime juice and zest and spicy red chiles. But that was before the cantaloupe listeria outbreak.

We enjoyed the sockeye so much that when I found it at Costco in the freezer section, I snapped it up. A 3 pound bag of individually vacuum sealed fillets for $27, a steal for wild Alaska sockeye!

This dish was from the other night. I rubbed the salmon with a mixture of BBQ spices and cooked it for 30 minutes at 400 as the fillets were a bit thicker. Absolutely marvelous with a crisp salad. Very satisfying, too.

Next summer, I'm going to invest in a cedar plank and try it on the grill.

Have you tried sockeye, did you love it? What is your favorite salmon preparation?

Yo GABA GABA

2011-10-05T15:35:00.001-04:00

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I have overeating issues triggered by emotional stress and you also know that, as a rule, I do not do well with change. When we adopted Tally the focus of my life totally changed. I fell into depression, not so much because of the dog, rather mourning for my life as it had been. I diagnosed myself with post-canine depression.

I relied on eating to get me through. I'm not talking fast food binges or M&M's in the couch cushions (though I do cop to the occasional checkout counter Twix bar) but eating too much, too often out of stress. Not junk, real food, most often healthfully prepared by me, but too much of it. Also too much wine, too much dark chocolate and too much caffeine. I was having trouble sleeping. When I'm overly stressed I get that mind racing thing that can keep sleep away for hours. Then came the back injury, that just exacerbated everything else that was going on.

If you're reading this blog, you know exactly how rotten it is to have to lose weight that you already lost. How disheartening it is when all your pretty clothes start feeling too tight and you start relying on your loosest fitting things so you can hide. Ugh, sick of living in my yoga pants! So I stressed about that, too, and for awhile there I didn't know how I was going dig myself out.

Then came the blog post that changed everything. Ann Marie at CHEESESLAVE posted about how she kicked her wine and chocolate habit through the use of amino acid supplementation. As I was reading, I knew it was exactly what I needed to read at exactly the right time. Have a read of her post, it may be of help to you, too.

I did some more reading on amino acids for depression, anxiety, food cravings and pain (I still have twinges in my back, hip and legs post injury.) I ordered GABA, DLPA and tryptophan (I already take a B complex, vitamin D and cod liver oil every day.) The package from Swanson was waiting for me when we returned from our trip. I started taking the supplements immediately, GABA 500mg 3x/day along with the DLPA 500mg 2x/day and the tryptophan one hour before bed.

GABA is a miracle supplement, they should put it in the water supply, I'm not kidding. I'm on day 10 of no caffeine/sugar/chocolate/wine/processed wheat and I'm smiling. No more stress eating, no more road rage, no more unconscious cuticle picking until my fingers bleed, no more snapping at Rob and Tally at the drop of a hat, no more racing night brain, I drop off easily and stay asleep. I've become as serene and go with flow as this Type A Virgo control freak can be and it's awesome. The best thing is, no more (emotional or physical) cravings for chocolate, caffeine and wine.

I won't stay off coffee, wine and chocolate forever, that would be unreasonable. But like Ann Marie put it so perfectly, " I love wine and chocolate. I will continue to enjoy them. On occasion. Now I’m free to indulge when I want to — and not on a daily basis because I can’t help myself."

Destin Highlights

2011-10-01T18:56:00.012-04:00

It's no wonder they call it the Emerald Coast! Though I didn't take this picture, it certainly does do the beach some justice. Destin is beautiful and we had a wonderful trip. Hard to believe, but it really does look that good...

It was the perfect opportunity for Rob and I to reconnect. He's been traveling so much lately and I've been working a lot and add Tally to the mix and we definitely needed a romantic getaway. And it was romantic, so you'll understand when I tell you that my camera never made it out of my bag because we were too busy holding hands. ;)

I'll give you the highlights, though. As you can see from the above photos, the gulf coast of the Florida panhandle has some amazing beaches. The sand is like sugar and the water has so many shades of blue and green it is mesmerizing. We took lots of long walks on the beach, we had a breakfast beach picnic at sunrise one morning and had a full-on beach day where we swam in the surf and a wave knocked down my bathing suit top and I flashed the beach. Good thing it was quiet, that's what I love most about going to the beach this time of year.

As soon as we arrived, we visited Sarah K's Gourmet for our first night's dinner. It's a six hour drive and after a long walk on the beach, we didn't want to go to a restaurant. We picked up some food to heat up at the condo. Sarah K is known for her award winning crab cakes and while they are delicious, I just don't get the appeal of crab or cakes made thereof. The real star was the orange chicken. Anyone can make a breaded cutlet but I am still dreaming of the magical orange cream sauce. We also shared the brownie for dessert. I jotted down a note on the back of the business card after my first bite. It reads: Holy shit, that brownie! It tastes like something that Ina Garten would make just for you. It had a mocha ganache topping that was outrageous. We went on my birthday so get another to have for dessert that evening.

My birthday dinner was happy hour at Cuvee Bistro, which was more like happy hours. Very happy hours! $5 top shelf martinis and half price appetizers at the bar. We bellied up, had a few drinks, chatted and shared a flatbread and beef sliders. It was such a fun and lively atmosphere, we look forward to going back.

And when we do, we want to stay at the Henderson Park Inn, which caught our eye while driving into town. We stopped in and had a look around. It's adult only, smoke free with tons of included amenities. Doesn't it just look heavenly?

Another highlight was my birthday breakfast at the Donut Hole Bakery Cafe. They don't have a website but they do have the most delicious corned beef hash with which I had two perfectly poached eggs. So good, I didn't even want a donut, if you can believe it. We did go back and get them for our sunrise beach picnic and the coconut donut was yummy.

Aside from being way too short, just 3 nights, it was a beautiful trip. The extra weight bothered me some which I will address in another post along with another of what I'm doing about it. So stay tuned and have a wonderful weekend.

All Clear!

2011-09-27T15:09:00.000-04:00

Tally has a "lick granuloma" on her leg. She got an abrasion as she was tearing around the house yesterday morning and licked it until it was raw. I don't know when she had the time to do this since she was up my keister all day. We have a cortisone spray to spritz on Tally's granuloma several times a day, much to her chagrin.

As for my car, nothing is wrong with it. My husband couldn't start it, nor could the AAA guy, so he towed it away. Apparently AAA has a magic tow truck because the car started once it arrived at the dealer. The check up came away clear and I drove it off the lot an hour ago with no charge, yay!

I'm just back from the market having topped up on nuts, salad fixings (I'm currently obsessed with baby romaine lettuce) and Honey crisp apples! I also go some grass fed ground beef, bananas, roasted red peppers, dill pickles, hot habanero cheese, peanut butter and baby carrots. Sounds like an odd mix, but it was a touch up shopping. I have lots of pantry and freezer staples to work with so I just needed a few fresh items to round out meals and snacks.

We're having pork loin chops with roasted acorn squash and mixed veggies. I may roast a pear or apple with the acorn squash. It is finally fall, after all.

Best Laid Plans

2011-09-26T15:29:00.002-04:00

I was so excited to come and post about our wonderful trip, and it was wonderful. But Tally went and walloped her leg earlier tearing around the house so it's off to the vet. Into the car we get, and ooops, my car won't start! Waiting for Rob to come fetch Tally to the vet and I'm waiting for the AAA tow truck to come fetch my car to the dealer.

But I've managed to *not* do any stress eating so far, so it's not all bad news.

Happy Monday.

Sweet Surprise

2011-09-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! I'm pottering around the house with much ado about laundry, cooking and packing. Yes, PACKING! My birthday is next week and although we go away this time every year, with our big anniversary plans for later this year, I was perfectly content with the idea of a mini-staycation this time around. But Rob had other ideas. He surprised me by renting a beach condo in Destin. Although it is pet friendly, Rob made arrangements for pet/house sitter since Tally did not enjoy our last trip at all. We leave on Wednesday morning. I am very excited even through the weight I've put on is cramping my style a little. But I'm taking it one day at a time and will blog more about the issues when I return. I don't want to rain on the parade that Rob was so sweet and to have planned.

I've just finished preparing Gina's Skinny Ropa Vieja for tomorrow's supper. I went through all the steps up until the final simmering, which I will do when I reheat it tomorrow. I'm going to serve it with a cucumber lime avocado salad. Tonight I'm making Martha's Braised Chicken with Potatoes, Olives and Lemon. Instead of the chicken thighs, I bought a Rouge Poulet at Whole Foods and had the butcher cut it up in 10 pieces and because Rob doesn't care for olives, I will use some briny capers from the olive bar. Brussels sprouts are also on the menu. Simply roasted with salt and pepper, yum!

I've been picking up lots of day shifts to make up for all the time I missed when I hurt my back and 5:30am comes around very quickly. I've got to get prepped for the next two days of work (which means packing breakfast, lunch and snacks to keep me on track) as well as getting ready to hit the road first thing Wednesday morning. I hope you have a wonderful week and I'll see when when we return.

Walk for Cash

2011-09-15T09:00:00.012-04:00

As some of you may know, last year my nephew Cash was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 3. So when I made the goal of completing a charity walk as one of my resolutions for 2011, the JDRF walk was the easy choice. On October 15th, Rob and I will be walking in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, Georgia chapter. It's a 5k that sets out from Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.

The Atlanta chapter goal is to raise $1.5 million to fund research for better treatments and a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. I've never been comfortable with the idea of panhandling on my blog but because of what Cash goes through every single day, I’m asking you to help support my fundraising efforts with a donation. Your tax-deductible gift will help make a difference in the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.

I know some of you have already donated and for that I am just tickled pink! Because of you, we have made 35% of our goal. For those of you who would like to contribute, please CLICK HERE and enter either Andra Ruscoe in the participant field of Walk for Cash in the team field.

I thank you for your support and I will keep you posted on the progress. Thanks a million!

Ode to Roast Chicken

2011-09-08T14:00:00.004-04:00

With another chicken day coming up at the farm on Saturday, I wanted to share with you my favorite roast chicken recipe and why I think a roast chicken is one of the most versatile and stretchable meals to have in your repertoire.

Roast chicken is so simple. I have taken Thomas Keller's Simple Roast Chicken recipe and simplified it even further. You need only a plump chicken that is patted dry, salt it inside and out, plop it in a pan and shove it in a 450 degree oven. That's it! A 3 pound chicken takes 1 hour. 4 pounds takes 75 minutes. 5 pounds, 90.

It comes out perfect every time. It is foolproof, simple and goes down easy!

I carve it and serve it with whatever is in season or catches my fancy at the market. This time it was roast potatoes and lightly steamed Brussels. Ooooh, the drumstick is my favorite part, especially when it is hot out of the oven. Sometimes one of them doesn't even make it to the serving platter.

Nothing is wasted when I roast a chicken. I carve up the rest of the meat and pop the bones in the freezer for stock. I always thought stock was something difficult and chef-y but it isn't. It's roasted bones, vegetable scraps, herbs, seasoning and water simmered all day, strained, skimmed, divided into containers and frozen. Sure you need to watch it, but the hands on time is really very little.

This particular chicken was transformed into roasted vegetable and wild rice soup the next day. I roasted confetti squash and carrots that I seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh thyme leaves.

Saving all my scraps for the next batch of stock, of course!

Then sauteed up a bunch of mushrooms.

And simmered some wild rice...

I used the stock from the freezer, simmered it on the stove and added the leftover roast chicken meat, the roasted veggies, mushrooms, wild rice and a dribble of cream and served up a hearty bowl of delicious soup.

Monday Catch Up

2011-08-29T10:47:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone made it safely through the storm with minimal damage and clean up to endure. My sister lost power and got some water in the basement, but thankfully "Grampy Jim" (Mother's hubby) came to the rescue, as he does, with a generator to get the pumps working. They will be airing and cleaning up the mess this morning. But the are all safe and for that I am thankful.

Our effects from Irene were actually beneficial, which I feel sort of guilty about. The storm was so widespread that as it passed well east of us on Saturday it stirred the air up and sucked away the smoggy, horrible August in Atlanta atmosphere and brought in new, fresh air. The sky yesterday was so bright blue, not like the usual late August blanket of ick we have. It was actually fresh out this morning, which was wonderful because....*drumroll*

Tally and I went on our first walk since I hurt my back. And it was just great. Princess Pointy Toes did not pull too much and I was able to keep a very good pace. We hit it for a full 75 minutes, only stopping to say hi to Bud Man, the yellow lab who is hot for Tally and to visit briefly with neighbors who just got Kiwi, a clumsy and skittish Great Dane who is the same age as Tally but 3 times her size. Tally was very interested in Kiwi, but Kiwi was about as scared as could be, bless her giant feet!

After the walk, I came back and did some yard work. I got the blower out and blew all the leaves and pine straw that fell in Saturday's wind, organized the deck furniture and got all the cushions back out. Cooler mornings are coming, perfect for having coffee outside. It's amazing at how much one takes activity for granted and it shocked me at how much I missed it.

I had been gradually increasing my activity since last week, with my first day back at work on Tuesday morning, spent the day cleaning, mopping and waxing all day Wednesday, spent all day shopping with Donna on Thursday and food shopped and did lots of food prep before spending all weekend at work. So the walk was just the next natural step and I'm looking at returning to Zumba tomorrow after dropping Tally at doggie day care.

Despite being disappointed that I've gained quite a few pounds (about 15!!!) for the first time in a goodly while I feel hopeful. It's like the old new Andra has returned and that things are looking up. Now that my mobility is back and my eating has been really good (lots of veggies, fruit, protein, limited grains, sugar and no wheat) I should see things start moving back in the right direction.

I have some new recipes to share and I need to get back in the habit of snapping pics of my food. I'll start rolling those out soon, it's been a bit weird getting used to using the PC that is upstairs when I was so used to using the laptop in the kitchen. I miss my laptop, but alas, she is FUBAR. We just need to pull all the files off of it and send it to the computer graveyard.

That's all for now. I have to get started on the laundry and get to tidying up. I hope your Monday turns out to be a beautiful day. Drop me a note and let me know how you are doing?

Some Honest to Goodness Good News

2011-08-19T13:05:00.001-04:00

I've been cleared to return to work on Monday! My pain is so much less and I have been sleeping like a baby. I've been off all medications for several days now. I have been slowly increasing my activity, walking and standing and even cooking. Not being able to spend time pottering in my kitchen making yogurt or planning meals has been torture. I even went to Costco on Wednesday able walk around without too much pain.

Today I had my second acupuncture treatment. So what do I think? Well, like Neil Diamond and the Monkees, I'm a believer! I went in with an open mind and came out with remarkable stress and pain relief. My sister tried to describe how it feels when the needle in inserted, that she felt "electricity" going through her body. And it really feels like that, like electric current flowing up through the top of my head and down through my toes. As far as I'm concerned it was the pain and stress leaving my body. Chiuying, my therapist also applied deep heat, electrical stimulation and did acupressure points. She did ear apex bloodletting before the first treatment. It is said that pricking and bleeding the top of the ear will release heat and inflammation from the body. She has a very gentle touch and does a really good health assessment before starting treatment. If you are local to Cobb County, I highly recommend the Kennesaw Acupuncture Clinic.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to work. I miss my co-workers and residents. I'm looking forward to getting back to walking again. I'm looking forward to a time when both Tally and I are in good health at the same time and can walk together every day.

I have to catch up on bill paying and paper work now, I have not been able to sit at this desk for any length of time and want to take advantage. Have a beautiful weekend!

Back Update: Day Nine

2011-08-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you for all the well-wishes and good thoughts. I wish I had something more exciting to post so unless you want juicy details on the first three seasons of Mad Men, it's just a health update.

Wednesday was the worst pain day and I hadn't had much sleep in the previous four nights. I was a wreck! I got an emergency appointment with our primary physician because I needed pain medicine. He prescribed a small amount of pain killers and muscle relaxers which were a godsend, really. I have been sleeping like a baby. I've seen the Chiropractor daily and by Thursday evening I felt like a little progress was made. This morning was the best morning of all, still in pain, but I can actually move around a bit better. I was able to get in and out of the tub! You have no idea how wonderful that long hot soak felt. Just heavenly.

I'm back at the Chiro tomorrow and Tuesday I'm going to try acupuncture for the first time. I'm excited because I have read so many great reports about pain relief stemming from acupuncture treatments.

If you've ever tried acupuncture, I would love to hear your experiences.

I'm getting fatter by the second. No movement and stress eating is a bad combination. I'm trying not to stress about it because stress just exacerbates the back pain. Hopefully by this time next week I'll be well enough to start my walking again. Rob is out at the mountain with Tally right now and I wish I could be with them. The Diabetes walk is just two months away and I will devastated if I can't participate.

Tally has been doing so well, her tummy troubles seem to be well behind us and she's been so sweet to me, it's almost like she senses that I'm not quite myself.

Until next time...send healing vibes my way, be happy, be healthy and always protect your back no matter what you do!

Quick Update

2011-08-09T10:47:00.000-04:00

Tally is doing great, I'm so pleased and the lightened stress load about her health is helping immensely. Unfortunately, I am out of commission. I missed work yesterday and today. I had my first adjustment at the Chiropractor yesterday along with a 30 minute trigger point and heat massage. I'm still in a lot of pain but the numbness in my right leg is gone and that is a small but significant sign of progress.

I will see Dr. Melodie every day this week and will rest, do light stretches and apply moist heat as she prescribed in hopes that I can return to work on the weekend and get back to my usual routine next week. I'm climbing the walls, thank heavens for Mad Men on Netflix streaming or I don't know what I'd do.

This just makes me appreciate and miss my mobility so much, it is not something that is to be taken for granted. Just taking Tally out to do tee-tee has become an excruciating endeavor. If you are able, get out there and take your dog for a walk, pick some flowers, walk around the mall. Anything! I will be back moving with you as soon as humanly possible.

Happy Fun Blog

2011-08-07T07:59:00.000-04:00

Not! I'm starting to think that someone, somewhere has put a curse on me. Because just when I get Tally's stomach issues in order and she's been patched up after the attack and feeling better, I hurt my back.

I woke up Saturday morning unable to bend, twist or basically anything that one's back is required for. I can't stand for too long, nor sit for too long. I have no idea what I did other than sleeping quite deeply in a strange position on the edge of the bed because Tally is a bed hog. I was hoping a good night's sleep in a proper position would help but I'm still hurting this morning.

Can't miss work tomorrow, which I am dreading but I will take myself to the Chiropractor straight after. I'm hoping a few adjustments will have me back to normal and that it isn't something more serious. My frustration is at fever pitch because I am not a good patient. I'm working hard at not feeling sorry for myself. Send good vibes and a young priest and an old priest!

Better to Bad to Worse

2011-08-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

I had been keeping Tally out of the park because she gets sick to her stomach every time she visits. I found another park that's much cleaner and thought I would try it out this morning because she really needed a good run and play. No good deed goes unpunished and now Tally is at the vet again. Another dog showed up and according to the owner "we've had her five years but this is the first time at the park, I'm not sure how she is with other dogs." When Tally tried to play (play bow and jumping) this dog bared her teeth, started snarling and attacked Tally. There's your answer you stupid cow.

One does not take an unsocialized dog to the park. Just no! Tally came away with a bloody ear, face and back leg and I've got a knot that goes from the pit of my stomach all the way up to my throat. She doesn't need sutures but will need to be sedated so Dr. Dunn can give all her cuts a good cleaning. Not sure how long she will be there but I'll be a wreck until I she's back home and safe.

In other news, our laptop died, the one I do all my blogging from. I have a barely used PC in the upstairs office, where I am now, but I just don't get inspired to blog sitting up here. Hopefully it's just the power supply like Rob suspects. Enough whining, things could be worse. Speaking of which, have you read the news about the raw milk buying club in California that was raided SWAT-style and shut down?

Nourished Kitchen has all the latest details. It makes for a very interesting and infuriating read. I'm a bit too upset about other things to be completely coherent with my thoughts on this. Imagine, though, things like corn syrup can be advertised as being safe and healthy on TV and is present in every food we eat, but people who are trying to make healthier choices and bring them to their community are treated like criminals. It's disgusting.

One of my facebook friends said it best...

Well after all, raw milk *is* a gateway drug. Who knows what kind of inexpensive, non-pharma-dependent health it could unleash??

Whether you are a fan of raw milk or not, what are your thoughts on this issue?

Checking In

2011-07-31T15:30:00.002-04:00

Happy Sunday! Just got home from a working weekend. I hope you all are doing well. Thing were dicey here for a little while, the stress from the dog being sick yet again really set me back (the Andra equivalent to a psychotic break and it wasn't pretty.) I was a mess for awhile there. But after the juice fast, I have been eating clean, low grain, wheat and sugar free, juicing daily and each day I feel stronger and more emotionally stable. And despite having some very expensive car repairs, I got my smile back a few days ago. I'm happy to report that Tally is doing very well. She's active, hungry, thirsty and playful again. Here she is just now all fresh and clean from her bath...

I've been working lots of hours and will continue to do so to pad the Champagne fund (and re-pad the car and vet bill fund.) I won't have as much time for blogging but I will try to as often as I can with food porn, any good recipes I come across, and how my training for the 5k is going. Watch this space for those details, as well.

I've been using my kefir grains like they are going out of style, I've been drinking my raw milk kefir every morning and yesterday made up a batch of raw cream kefir. Oh, it's lovely. Thick and golden and tangy. It can be used in place of creme fraiche or sour cream.

I'm making grilled flat iron steak for supper along with this dish I saw on Kalyn's Kitchen. Mmmm, zucchini with melted pizza cheese. Oh, can't wait!

I will leave you with a wee bit of food porn.

This is a delectable vegetarian stir fry I made the day after the juice fast. It had a whole head of bok choy, peppers, snow peas, sprouts, broccoli, it was just loaded with veggies, served on just bit of baked brown rice made with coconut oil.

One of my favorite dishes, sausage and peppers. There was a few multi-colored baby potatoes, orange bell peppers, sweet onions, portobello mushrooms and some chicken, vegetable and asiago cheese sausages from Trader Joe's. It was heavenly!

A Juice Fast for Two

2011-07-23T20:53:00.001-04:00

We started the day with some tea and lemon then our first juice. I used that whole packet of super greens along with celery, cucumber, asparagus, zucchini, green apple, lemon and ginger. It's a super green bloat buster but I like what Donna calls it...

ROMULAN BLOOD!

This was quite sour, but the last thing on our palates was homemade vanilla chocolate chunk gelato I made us for a treat last evening. You do the math.

This is what I wake up to every morning. I'm one lucky lady, hee hee! Not that I'm such a prize, I was not camera ready due to a severe case of bed head.

Some of my reading material for today...

Must avoid any and all things having to do with food like Food Network, Cooking Channel, food magazines and cookbooks. Which always seem to be a big part of my Saturday.

I took Tally on a gentle gimp around the block, my right knee has been bothering me this week but we both needed to get out and about a little. In case you hadn't heard, it's really fraking hot out! I had a shower and then it was time for lunch. Er, juice.

This one is an orange green combo with cucumber, kale, celery, lemon, carrots, turmeric root, Japanese yam and a juicy pluot that had gone too ripe to eat.

Cheers!

Now this was tasty. Orange veggies are sweeter, fresh turmeric root tastes fabulous and kale is surprisingly mild when juiced.

At 1pm, Rob said he was hungry but otherwise feeling pretty good. I made him a cup of Sweet & Spicy herbal tea and I had a big glass of the herb and lemon sun "tea" that I made yesterday.

Another round of mean green at 3pm after Rob said he was ready to gnaw off his own foot. This one is loaded with kale, golden beets, cucumber, zucchini, celery, green apple and ginger. I left out the lemon by mistake. I much prefer the juice with the lemon, it seems a little flat without it. Beets are damn tasty, though.

Time for supper juice, last juice before the highlight of the evening, the Pina Colada smoothies. This one was so orange-y and delicious with carrots, golden beets, Japanese yam, turmeric, zucchini, ginger and lemon. It was a bit sweeter than the others but I could tell by the look on Rob's face that if it was overly-green tasting he might give up and head for the ham and cheese.

At about 7:30pm we decided it was time for smoothies.

The fat in the coconut kefir made the smoothie have lots of staying power. I'm freezing cold now, though. We had to turn off the fan and turn up the temp on the central air. I was just laying under a blanket before I came to post this. In July, in Georgia, during a heat wave. Wheat, sugar and alcohol are all inflammatory foods, which cause acid and heat in my body. Juicing and sticking to an anti-inflammatory diet is one sure way to stay cool in this heat.

Rob boycotted day two, but we will be having juice for breakfast and a light, veggie-centric day. I can't do food prep for Rob and a juice fast for myself, it's just too hard. That's why I always planned my previous fasts around his traveling.

I wish I had some good news about Tally, but she's still quite poorly and not holding anything down. We'll see how she is in the morning and then decide if we need to take her to the emergency vet hospital for more treatment. Think good thoughts for her.

Juice Fast Prep and a Poorly Pup

2011-07-22T13:53:00.001-04:00

Tally is poorly again, another bout of gastroenteritis and all the lovely emissions from both ends that comes with it. She is at the vet getting IV fluids at this moment and I'm trying to keep myself from getting too worked up about it. Ooops, too late. I'm positively beside myself. But I just called and Tally is doing well. She's resting and getting hydrated, the vomiting seems to have stopped. Rob is going to pick her up on his way home from work. Poor Baby Girl!

After dropping Tally at the vet this morning, I headed to Whole Foods to stock the fridge with all the produce needed to get Rob and me through two days of juice fasting.

We've got two bunches of kale, a large head of bok choy, lemons, golden beets, turmeric, ginger, zucchini, cucumbers, asparagus, a Japanese red yam, granny smith apples, carrots, celery and two pineapples. I also have some assorted greens and fruit in the fridge that are going to get juiced before they "go over."

The pineapples will become our supper smoothies both evenings. I'm going to juice the pineapples then whizz them in blender with ice and a scoop of coconut kefir. Mmmm, sounds good, doesn't it? Rob is going to cry when I tell him that we're not having any coffee or tea, just lots of lemon water and herbal tea. I just set this out on the back porch to steep, to serve over ice with a spritz of the Meyer lemon juice...

Meyer lemon peel, mint, pineapple sage and

two kinds of basil with filtered water.

I found these lovelies that I couldn't resist and will enjoy them first thing Monday morning when I break the fast... BEHOLD, the mango nectarine!

The perfume on these yellow-green beauties is simply irresistible. I just know they are going to taste like ambrosia after nothing but bright green and golden juices all weekend.

Think good thoughts for my baby girl and wish us luck on the fast. I will keep you posted on everyone's progress!

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

2011-07-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

When Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead turned up on Netflix streaming, Rob and I couldn't wait to watch it. We watched it yesterday afternoon.

In a nutshell, a man named Joe Cross chronicles his 60 day juice fast in an attempt to cure his auto-immune skin disease called Urticaria and get off all prescription medication as well as "reboot" his life from one of unhealthy excess to a healthier, fitter existence. Well he did just that. On the surface Mr. Cross went from looking like Jim Broadbent to looking like Hugh Jackman (hubba hubba) in record time but also improved many aspects of his life and helping lots of people along the way.

The medical consultant in this film is Dr. Joel Fuhrman who is a big proponent of a nutrient dense plant based diet. He states in the film and on his site that, "Our modern, low-nutrient eating style has led to an overweight population, the majority of whom develop diseases of nutritional ignorance, causing our medical costs to spiral out of control." How true. His website is loaded with interesting and informative information on nutrition and using food as medicine. Check it out.

Rob enjoyed the film as much as I did. So much so that he has agreed to a two-day juice fast this coming weekend. I've been struggling this year, seemingly losing and gaining the same five pounds, a reboot is just what I need. I've blogged my juicing experiences here for the past couple of years but I will have a totally different point of view to add here, Rob's first juice fast. Watch this space for our weekend juice fast blast!

I've learned the power of juicing vegetables and fruits from personal experience but watching it distilled down in this powerful documentary was just amazing. If you have ever been even the tiniest bit curious about juicing, YOU MUST WATCH THIS FILM!

Have you seen this film? Has it changed your ideas about juicing? I want to hear from you!

Un-Sunny Saturday

2011-07-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

Good morning and happy Saturday! It feels like ages since I sat down to blog. I have been working lots of shifts this month and picked up many more as they have been available due to summer vacations and such. I'm going to be stockpiling hours as much as possible because Rob and I have booked our 10th wedding anniversary holiday so I am padding the Champagne budget in anticipation!

We have had a tremendous heat wave here in metro-Atlanta, like much of the country. I have become amazingly heat and even humidity tolerant since the weight loss but 96+ temperatures with high humidity and a heat index of 115 is a little too much for even me. Walking Tally after work on Wednesday afternoon was a grueling stroll through piping hot pea soup! It broke yesterday with positively refreshing 80 degree temperatures. This morning is cool and rainy. Wonderful for the gardens but unfortunately Tally's best friends 101 class graduation was cancelled due to the rain. I have to admit, I'm a little heartbroken about not getting to have the ceremony. I was going to wear a crazy hat and everything. :(

I am still watching my kombucha culture, almost three weeks in and it's still just sitting there. I hope it wakes up soon because I can't wait to brew my first fizzy and fermented batch! I've been making kefir just about every other day. It's just so easy. The raw milk kefir is wonderful, I've been having it first thing in the morning and it works a treat on the old digestive system and is very satisfying. Filling my stomach with healthy and filling things, like raw milk kefir, early in the day helps keep the hunger monster at bay. I have learned that if I leave breakfast too long I can't seem to "catch up" and get control of the hunger for the rest of the day. Have you ever experienced this?

Today is chicken day at the farm, we are off later this afternoon to pick our two plump pastured hens. Needless to say, we are having winner winner chicken dinner tonight! Herb compound butter and grill roasted or bbq dry rubbed with a beer can popped up its bum, I haven't decided yet. But we will be having tomato basil salad with balsamic vinaigrette alongside. What's on your weekend menu?

That's all for now, have a wonderful weekend!

Adventures in Fermentation

2011-07-09T10:00:00.002-04:00

Say hello to my little friends...

I've been culturing raw milk into yogurt for about a year now but as I've been reading more about the benefits of traditionally fermented foods, I wanted to diversify.

Let's get the health stuff out of the way first. Why should we eat fermented/traditionally cultured foods? I've just started reading Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck. Here is what Ms. Planck has to say about cultured/fermented dairy...

Traditional cultured milks are not only digestible but also nutritious. According to Harold McGee, beneficial bacteria found in "traditional, spontaneously fermented milks" take up residence in our guts and promote health all over the body. The bacteria secrete antibacterial agents, enhance immunity, break down cholesterol, and reduce carcinogens. The bacteria added to industrial yogurt don't necessarily do the same good work.

The immune system (which protects our bodies from everything from common colds to vile cancers) is inextricably linked with the digestive system, you simply can't have a healthy body without a healthy digestive system! That is why we *need* traditionally cultured foods. Think of it as an inexpensive health insurance policy.

Now on to the fun stuff. Over the past few weeks I have dabbled in kefir, kombucha, villi yogurt and lacto-fermented mayonnaise and pickles. It has been quite fun, though not everything has been a smashing success.

Lacto-fermentation is an ancient process of preserving vegetables. Think of traditional saurkraut. Cabbage is put in a crock with water, salt and spices. Lactic acid is formed and the good bacteria and enzymes preserves the cabbage into something healthful and delicious. No heat or refrigeration needed. Nourishing Days has a lovely four part series on fermenting. I used her method for making these pickles.

These turned out absolutely delicious; crunchy, tangy and not too salty. I am going to branch out as the summer season goes on. Since these pickles turned out so well, I made the investment in a dozen quart size wide mouth mason jars. I really want to pickle perfect summer peaches to enjoy in the dead of winter.

I once tried to make my own mayo. It would not emulsify, no matter how much I beat, whipped, how slowly I dribbled and streamed. And cried. All those eggs and good olive oil gone to waste. It would be a long time before I tried again. But I'm not one to bow down from a challenge in the kitchen. Armed with my trusty blender, farm fresh eggs and this method, I tried again. This time adding whey to make it lacto-fermented, upping the nutritional value as well as making it keep longer.

Success! It turned out thick and lovely. Having everything at room temperature is a must and the blender made it so easy. Although the fermentation is supposed to make it keep, tell that to Rob, who is slathering it on everything he can get his hands on.

I purchased some cultures and starters from Cultures for Health. Specifically milk kefir grains, kombucha tea starter culture and villi yogurt culture. Villi yogurt is meant to culture on the counter top. I followed the directions to the letter, it turned out thick and lovely looking but was so sour it was completely inedible. But it wasn't all wasted. I strained out the whey to keep for other uses like soaking brown rice and making more lacto-fermented goodies.

The kombucha (read more about kombucha here) starter culture needed to be rehydrated with starter tea, which is fresh brewed tea, sugar and vinegar. It's been sitting on my counter undisturbed for almost two weeks. It's not doing anything at the moment, but it can take up to four weeks to come back to life. I'm watching and waiting...

The kefir grains (read more about kefir here) needed to be rehydrated also. Place the grains in a little milk and let sit for 24 hours. Strain and repeat daily for about a week until the milk starts to sour and thicken. Then they are ready.

Add the kefir grains to a larger quantity of milk let sit on the counter for up to 24 hours. After 12 hours start sniffing and checking the texture. The longer it sits the thicker and more sour it gets. My favorite batch was cultured for about 16 hours. Strain out the grains, cover the jars with their lids and refrigerate for 6 hours to finish the culture.

The finished product is wonderful! The dairy kefir is thick and sour but very tasty. Richer and tangier than the store bought kind. I find that pushing the dairy kefir through a fine mesh strainer before refrigerating results in a super silky and smooth tangy drink which is perfect for making protein shakes and smoothies or just sipping on its own.

My favorite of all my fermented goodies is the coconut kefir. IT IS INSANE!!! I bought good quality organic coconut milk. The full fat kind. There is no sugar, no water, just pressed organic coconut meat. I used the kefir grains the same as with dairy milk. Just put grains and coconut milk in a jar, cover loosely with a coffee filter and rubber band and let it sit on the counter for up to 24 hours. Fish out the grains, cover and refrigerate.

The result is almost indescribable...

Thick enough to defy gravity! But also fluffy, creamy, sweet and tangy at the same time, coconutty and totally rediculicious. Yes, it's so good it is inspiring nonsensical descriptors. I have used it in chocolate protein shakes, plopped on top of blueberries and bananas, stirred into hot coffee and straight out of the jar. I have another batch culturing this very minute.

There is very little hands on time when making cultured products but like a pet goldfish, you need to keep your kefir grains alive by changing the water in their bowl, as it were. When not in use just keep them in a little jar of milk on the counter, loosely covered. Change the milk every day or two. I mix the milk with filtered water to make it more cost effective. It hasn't changed the effectiveness of the grains. You can store the grains in the fridge if you need a rest, be sure the follow the instructions of the grains you purchase to be sure you keep them in tip top shape.

If you made it to the end of this novel, congratulations! I'd love to hear your results with home fermentation and if you haven't tried it, give it a go. Fermented foods are most definitely nutritious and delicious.

Weekend Blog Carnival

Farmer's Market, Part 2

2011-07-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

What did I do with the rest of the lovely vegetables from my farmer's market haul? Read on!

I mentioned that I wasn't a big fan of green beans unless they are in the holiday casserole, but I saw these lovely blue lake beans and I really wanted to try them. Also pictured with them are some adorable baby cucumbers.

I wasn't sure what to do with the beans so I put "Blue Lake green beans" in a google search and this recipe came up: Blue Lake Green Beans with Lemon and Thyme. I snapped the ends and washed the beans and blanched them quickly in salted water.

I shocked them in ice water then drained and patted them dry.

Then a quick saute in a nice bit of grass fed butter and tossed with lemon thyme from the garden and lemon zest.

I also squeezed some of the lemon juice over the beans for a bit of extra zing. The preparation was simple, the flavors bright and the beans had a nice tender-crisp texture. And the lemon juice-butter combination clung to each bean and gave a lovely richness. A keeper!

Next up, the crowder peas.

I was drawn in by the lovely purple and green combination of these beans. I wonder why?

I asked the farmer what to do with them. He said shell them and simmer them in broth or water until just tender then do whatever you want with them. Shelling peas is oddly soothing.

I chose to make a lovely vegetable stew using the crowder peas and some of the other veggies from my haul like the fresh tomatoes, summer squash and zucchini. I simmered them gently in my homemade chicken stock. The crowder peas had a bit of toothsomeness at first and a nice creamy interior. The flavor, earthy and sweet. The stew was satisfying and delicious.

The baby cucumbers and the poye spinach came together in a Latin inspired dinner.

Have you ever had cucumbers just tossed with salt and lots fresh lime juice? It is a wonderful and refreshing summer snack. I dressed it a up a bit more with some red chile, chopped cilantro and some diced avocado.

I knew exactly how I wanted to prepare the spinach. There is a recipe called "Catalan Spinach" from the book Fresh from the Farmers' Market that I had been itching to try.

I washed the spinach very well, it's important to double or triple soak and rinse garden greens so you won't get grit in the final preparation. I put the greens in a pan with the rinse water still clinging to it.

I quickly steamed the spinach, rinsed and drained it well. Then in a saute pan I heated a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and cooked a chopped garlic clove until golden. I added the spinach and tossed to coat each leaf in the garlicky oil mixture. Then I added some chopped dried apricots, chopped toasted walnuts, golden raisins that I plumped in hot water. Tossed it all together and served it.

There aren't enough descriptive words in either English or Spanish to describe how amazing this dish is. So simple, so sublime.

Both of these wonderful dishes served as companions to a bit of grilled pork loin that I had marnated in a rub of garlic, cumin seeds and aleppo pepper. There were raves all around that night!

Holiday Weekend Highlights

2011-07-04T12:16:00.000-04:00

It has been a splendid weekend with still the rest of today to enjoy. Rob and I spent the morning swimming and now just pottering about the house. Here are some photo highlights of the weekend...

Friday evening, about to enjoy my first drink after almost 4 weeks of being a teetotaler.

YUM!

Wearing my apron while preparing our romantic supper before heading out

Cheesy, meaty, crunchy, marinated and briny things!

View portion of Brew with a View

Watching the sun set over Kennesaw Mountain

View from the bottom. We had just enjoyed our gelato,

but it was a race against the 90 degree heat to eat it before it melted, thus no photo. :(

Saturday morning farmers market at Marietta Square

Found some perfect heirloom apples, $2 for 4

and got a bonus one to munch on while shopping

Saturday evening, my mise en place for the cheese souffle

French wine to go with dinner, it was delicious!

Voilà!

Rob wasn't impressed with the dish from an eating perspective, I should have known because he never likes things that taste "eggy and cheesy." I didn't find it eggy at all, it tasted like cheese and air. I was underwhelmed if I'm honest, but I do admit to being terribly impressed with the fact that I conquered the mythical cheese souffle.

Sunday afternoon Rob and I went to see On Stranger Tides.

Sunday evening, dessert at Jeff and Donna's. I made peach clafouti.

You should have seen the spread they put on for dinner!

Donna's gaucamole was superb and I will be dreaming of those shrimp and mango fajitas for years to come. I wish I had been able to stop stuffing my face for a minute to get a photo.

Zoe and Tally played themselves out!

As for today, I just put a farm chicken in to brine. It will get slathered in a tarragon and pineapple sage compound butter and get grill roasted for our holiday dinner. I may make splash of sangria now. It's five o'clock somewhere, cheers!

July 1st Chit-Chat

2011-07-01T12:47:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited for the long weekend, how about you? It's been a super busy week and I'm so looking forward to having a few days off with Rob and Tally. I treated myself to a mani/pedi last evening. I splurged on the parrafin foot soak and after working day shift this week it felt particularly wonderful. Like soaking my feet in melted butter. Bye-bye raptor toes! I also did my obligatory holiday polish, Stars and Stripes Forver.

We're just back from taking Tally to the self-serve doggy bath at Red Bandana. She looks so clean and pretty. Mama's little watch dog!

We had our first tomato harvest of the year. Just a few husky cherries and a big better boy. They were so good! There is nothing in the world that tastes as lovely as a tomato that you tended yourself.

It's the halfway point of the year and while I'm no closer to my closet goals at the moment, I am one step closer to my goal of completing a charity walk. I have chosen the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes on Saturday October 15th. I have registered Rob and I as a family team and our team name is Walk for Cash, in honor of my awesome nephew Cassius who was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes shortly after his 3rd birthday last year. Here is a link to our Team for Cash to join us at the walk or to become a virtual walker for our team or if you want to donate to an amazing cause. Click on "Join Team" and sign up! I'll post more details in another post, watch this space.

What have you got planned for the holiday weekend?

Rob and I are having a long overdue date night this evening. We're heading to Brew with a View atop the Earl Strand Theater in Marietta Square. It's a rooftop bar with live music and views of Glover Park and Kennewas Mountain. After which we will treat ourselves to an evening gelato and coffee drink at Pino Gelato, thanks to today's awesome Living Social deal. Oh, I can't wait!

We're also planning lots of relaxing and reading, a mountain hike, we'll attempt cheese souffle and have Sunday dinner with some dear friends. It's going to be hot and sunny and perhaps we'll even get in a swim at the pool. Monday night we'll cap off the weekend watching the Boston Pops special. It's become a tradition since moving here from Boston 10 years ago. It's going to be a lovely weekend. I hope it's a safe and special weekend for you, too.

New Goodies: Four Ways to Go Coconuts

2011-06-29T08:00:00.007-04:00

I used to think about coconut in one of two ways.

1.) Mounds

2.) Almond Joy

But the coconut is so much more! It turns out coconut can take many forms and has a whole lot of applications and health benefits.

Virgin coconut oil is one of the "healthy fats" that I'm talking about when I use that term. It is rich in medium chain fatty acids that are very easy to digest, which is beneficial for both the liver and the digestive system. It has anti-viral properties and is beneficial for the thyroid gland. It is also said to boost metabolism, but I can't speak to that. But I do know that I can cook and bake with it, eat it straight from the jar, it tastes really good stirred into banana custard oatmeal and makes my hands so soft.

Next is coconut manna, also known as coconut butter. Imagine peanut butter only with the wonderful flavor of coconuts. It is absolutely delicious, naturally sweet and satisfying. I tried it in smoothies (yum) and as breakfast muffin toppings (double yum) and can't wait to try stirring it into the next curry I make. I purchased this at Vitacost.

Coconut nectar! When I saw this at Whole Foods, I had to splurge on it. This little bottle set me back $8 but it was worth it. It doesn't taste like coconut but more like a mild and tangy molasses. I use it sparingly as an alternative to honey. It is supposedly more nutritious than agave, which Dr. Mercola, among others, have found is not much different than high fructose corn syrup.

And finally, coconut flour. Sorry about the ripped label. The lid was taped down for shipping.

Coconut flour is a great resource for people who are wheat/gluten sensitive. It is high in protein and high in fiber. I used it to make a loaf of coconut bread. I used this recipe from Nourished Kitchen.

The texture is more like rich pound cake rather than like traditional yeast risen bread. But it tasted wonderful. Crumbled over berries and yogurt turned snack time into trifle time!

I've also used it to make banana coconut breakfast muffins, which is another super quick and healthy breakfast recipe. This makes two muffins. Just mash a medium ripe banana in a bowl and mix in 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of coconut flour, a teaspoon of baking powder and some vanilla extract. Divide batter into two greased ramekins and pop into the microwave for about 3 minutes each. Like the flax muffins, these are delicious and satisfying with lots of staying power. I need to make a larger batch and bake them in the oven. I hate to use such healthy ingredients then sully them in the microwave.

More coconut flour recipes here: Tiana-Coconut

Have you tried any coconut based products? How have you used them?

Been to the Farmer's Market, now what? Part 1

2011-06-27T13:44:00.013-04:00

I used to be a little intimidated by a visit to the farmer's market. What should I buy? How will I know what to cook? I even went armed a few times with a shopping list trying to find things things that I could fit into pre-selected recipes. FAIL. When I couldn't find what was on the list, I would end up frustrated at the supermarket.

But I soon learned that by taking this approach I was missing out on the beauty of local, seasonal vegetable shopping. I had to learn to yield to the farmer's market and work with the peak vegetables, not the other way around. This way, a whole new world of vegetables opened up to me.

I started looking for new things that I hadn't tried and things that I thought I didn't like. Green beans? Ew, this is the girl who only likes them cooked to death and covered in thick mushroom cream sauce and topped with fried onions.

When I found something that looked new and interesting to me, I started asking questions of the farmers. How do you prepare them? This is how I learned that I love fresh crowder peas!

May I have a taste? The farmers are always more than happy to let you know exactly what to do with their prized vegetables and will always offer up a sample. Now, I'm becoming quite familiar with my favorite vendors and they are always quite generous with repeat customers, quick to break up a punnet if I want less of a particular item, or to tuck an extra tomato or two into my parcel.

Here is a look at my haul from last Tuesday...

We have Georgia peaches, hydroponically grown organic red bibb and romaine lettuces, crowder peas, baby summer squash, zucchini, a variety of spinach called poye from the Pakistani ladies who sell all sorts of exotic veggies and love to tell you how they cook them, blueberries, red tomatoes and purple and yellow Russian heirloom tomatoes, Blue Lake green beans and local honey from bees that pollinate the farmer's sweet corn. All the produce cost under $25, the honey cost $7.

Look how lovely and golden it is. The flavor is much more delicate than darker honeys but less sweet, more earthy. Have you ever eaten a bit of raw sweet corn off the ear? That's the earthy sweetness I'm talking about. Since cutting way back on processed sugar, this honey will come in handy when I want a little sweetness, like a little drizzle on top of homemade yogurt.

I was down to my last $3 but wanted these blueberries. The farmer was asking $5 but I said I only had $3. He gave me a bagful at a special price! Some I ate out of hand and some went into the flax minute breakfast muffins.

Georgia peaches need no explanation. They are so good just eaten out of hand. They are also amazing in the Jamie Oliver Peach and Mozzarella salad that I had made with my last batch of peaches.

Here's a closeup of the Russian heirloom tomatoes. I got there late and the farmer only had a few left. I paid for the purple ones and he added his last two yellow ones as a bonus.

Vine ripened heirloom tomatoes don't need anything other than slicing and eating. But I made a whole lunch out of them. Some boiled eggs and some basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a bit of spicy extra virgin olive oil drizzled over everything. This weekday lunch was something out of the ordinary. The tomatoes were juicy and sweet and bursting with rich, tomato flavor. I hope he has more tomorrow!

Watch this space for part 2 to see what I did with the other goodies from my haul!

What is in season at your local farmer's market right now?

See this post at Real Food Wednesday!

More Thoughts on Trying Grain and Sugar Free

2011-06-23T12:00:00.001-04:00

I want to thank those of you who commented so thoughtfully on my Two Week Experiment post the other day. Especially reader Leila who stated that after giving up grains and sugar and embracing lots of good fats, she was no longer hungry all the time, she finally felt FED. I love that statement, because that is exactly how I feel.

Feeling FED is much different from simply feeling full after eating a meal. Feeling FED is true satisfaction, physically and mentally, not being hungry even several hours after a meal, not craving sweets after dinner or salty snacks while watching a movie. Knowing that what you are eating is nourishing to your body but still providing pleasure while eating. Feeling FED is freedom from food addiction, overeating and the end of the binge/diet cycle.

The subject of grain/sugar free may also have hit a few nerves because I lost a few followers soon after posting it. I wish people had commented their feelings rather than flouncing away. But I do I realize that there are many people out there looking to have their cake and eating it, too, when it comes to losing weight. But it's not all before and after photos, and when one is battling disordered eating, there is never an end point to learning newer, more healthful ways of doing things. The tenet of "never stop learning" truly applies to living a healthy life in the long term.

It's true, I have managed to regain my health and lose a good bit of weight and still eat homemade bread, bagels, cupcakes, potatoes, brownies, etc. But what I ate more of was vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, raw dairy, organic or pastured proteins. And when I ate too much of the former, I felt tired, bloated, hungry and cravey. I have read many articles about sugar and grains being the cause of many ills, including obesity and wanted to investigate further and see just how it made me feel living without them. It proved to be a revelation to me and once my eyes are opened to a better way of doing things, it's hard to my your back. I want to learn more.

I encourage you to give going grain/sugar light or free for a week or two while embracing lots of healthy fats (flax, grass fed dairy, meats, virgin oils, nuts and seeds) and see how it makes you feel. At the very least read more about it. Here is a wonderful article from The Nourished Kitchen giving 10 great reasons to give it a try. If you do take on the challenge, please come and post about it. I would love to hear how you got on!

My life is constantly evolving and this blog is going to reflect that. I will continue to write about things I learn about health and new recipes that I try, food porn and of course, my struggle with exercise (which still plagues me more than I care to admit.) I hope you continue on the journey with me.

My Two Week Experiment

2011-06-21T08:00:00.005-04:00

Here are some of the meals I have eaten over the last two weeks. Do you notice anything different?

Not pictured: daily iced coffees with raw milk, sometimes with stevia sweetened chocolate protein powder added and blended with ice into a frappe, also several flax muffin breakfasts as pictured in yesterday's post.

Steamed and patted dry asparagus, collards and kale, grass fed strip steak,

homemade mock bearaise sauce

3 pastured egg scrambled in butter with braised kale and collards,
kiwi fruit and Georgia peaches

Chicken salad with grapes, celery and summer squash
served in lettuce cups

Ham and cheese roll ups with lettuce and tomato

Jamie Oliver's salad of greens, proscuitto, peaches, buffalo mozzarella,

mint leaves with lemon and evoo

You must try this!

Shrimp and avocado salad

Ham and cheese with avocado and romaine leaves

3 pastured eggs scrambled in grass fed butter

with summer squash and tomato, spinach salad

Grass fed burger, steamed asparagus, huge salad of red leaf lettuce and

homemade blue cheese dressing made with raw milk yogurt,

garden herbs and saga blue cheese

Looks pretty good, no? Lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, fats. But, and it's a big but: no grains, no added sugar. I have spent the last two weeks experimenting with very low or no grains and low or no added sugar.

I've allowed one day of more liberal eating, a planned indulgence. This day has been Sunday. Two Sundays ago, I ate a bowl of Talenti gelato and two caramel filled Dove chocolates after dinner but ate no grains and woke up with a mild headache.

This Sunday just past I made homemade pizza for supper and had gelato for dessert. Within the hour I had itchy eyes. I woke up Monday morning coughing with a runny nose and had a mild headache. I always thought that dairy was the issue. But I've eaten multiple forms of dairy, including my raw milk daily with out so much as a sniffle.

I have long suspected that I am sensitive, even allergic to in some way, shape or form wheat and/or other grains and refined sugar but now I have concrete proof. Sometimes the process of elimination is the only way to know for sure.

Why did I take on this experiment? Because things got a little out of hand the last couple of months. I know that getting the dog threw me off my routine and I got a bit lazy with my food prep. And the slope isn't just slippery, I'm always at the top of Matterhorn Mountain with a luge strapped to my ass. I noticed that my "weight gauge" Levi's denim shorts felt a little snug and that I felt hungry and snacky all the time.

The results? The Levi's are slipping right on now, as they should and that was after just the first week. No sugar and grains is a revelation! No bloating, no hunger or snackiness, no cravings, good energy, amazing focus, great sleep and after many night's of broken sleep for puppy's potty calls, I'm feeling rested for the first time in months.

Going forward? At first glance this may seem similar to Atkin's, but I assure you it is not. So much fruit, vegetables and full fat dairy makes eating this way a pleasure. I'm going to stay the course for awhile, allowing for my planned indulgences (hello, can't give up cupcakes forever!) I want to learn more about a grain and sugar free way of life and see where it leads. I will be keeping you posted on how it goes.

If you have any questions or comments, please share. I love hearing from you. Happy Summer Solstice!

Flax Fabulousness

2011-06-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

Ooooh, what is this? Looks like some decadent dessert! But it's not, it's my latest favorite nutritious and delicious breakfast. And best of all, it takes barely 5 minutes to prepare. I give you the Blueberry Flax One Minute Muffin!

I have been making this shamelessly easy, super healthy, very filling and pretty tasty 1-minute muffin for breakfast this week. Though there are lots of variations of the recipe on the web, I found it via Lori at Finding Radiance.

I went one better and added a handful of fresh, tangy and juicy blueberries and a schmear of coconut manna (more on that in another post.) So good.

To make: In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup flax meal, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, pumpkin pie spice to taste, one whole egg and one tablespoon of unsweetened apple sauce until combined. Pour mixture (it will be thick) into a greased one cup ramekin. Pop in the microwave and cook for 90 seconds. Turn out onto a plate, top as you like. Devour!

Flax meal has so many health benefits, it made it on the World's Healthiest Foods website.

Flax is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, high in dietary fiber, prevents against diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure, can be beneficial to ward off hot flashes during menopause (win!) and has anti-inflammatory properties. Why is this last one so important? Diseases like cancer just love to grow and spread their nasty little selves in acidic, inflammatory conditions in the body. We want to eat things that fight inflammation and flax does just this.

I'm currently using Bob's Red Mill organic golden flax meal but I recently found a deal at Costco that I couldn't refuse. Three pounds of organic golden flax meal for just $7.79!

Bargain! I guess I am going to have to do some research and find other nutritious and delicious ways to work with my bag o' flax.

Do you have a favorite way to enjoy flax?

Try Something New: Kombucha

2011-06-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

Lacto-fermented foods are full of probiotics and natural enzymes that are wonderful for the immune and digestive systems. And we all know that having healthy digestive and immune systems is awesome! Since I first tried kefir and started making my own raw milk yogurt, I have become more curious about traditionally fermented foods.

I'm itching to get my hands on a copy of Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions to read more about why these foods are vitally healthy to our body. I hope the Nook edition becomes available soon.

Another lacto-fermented food, well beverage actually, that I was curious about was kombucha tea. I had never tried it, nor even seen it locally. I was shopping at a far flung Whole Foods the other week and they had it so I picked up a bottle to sip on the drive home. I tried the GT's Enlightened Organic Raw Kombucha citrus tea.

Though kombucha tastes nothing like wine the experience was like the first time I had really good Chardonnay. Happy, happy tastebuds! So refreshing and tangy and wonderful, Kombucha is made with brewed sweetened tea and a starter culture made of bacteria and yeast and left to ferment at room temperature for several days. The result is a tangy, fizzy, delicious drink that is loaded with probiotics. The yeast eats the sugar to create the fizz, just like in making Champagne!

This delicious little drink cost nearly $4. But I did some reading and found that kombucha is very easy and inexpensive to make at home. The only specialty product needed is a starter. I'm making yogurt this weekend but homemade kombucha is going to be my next project.

Ann Marie at Cheeseslave has a wonderful article on brewing kombucha at home based on Sally Fallon's method. This is the method I'm going to try.

What do you think of Kombucha?

The Spark

2011-06-15T14:17:00.001-04:00

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Spark People website. I like the site, the nutrition, water and fitness tracker is quite useful and I also like to read the message boards from time to time. I love the android smartphone app, it makes food journaling so simple and fun!

The founder of Spark, Chris Downie, also has a book called The Spark. I've never read it but it is available for download for Nook and Kindle devices/apps for just $1.99 for a limited time. I just downloaded it to my Nook Color and look forward to adding it to my summer reading list. Not that I'm looking for diet advice, but any sort of health and fitness motivation is always welcome in my life.

Click here for the Barnes and Noble Nook download.

Click here for the Kindle download, The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life

Even if you don't have an e-reader, the Nook and Kindle apps for pc/smartphones are a great way to take advantage of free and discounted e-books!

Have you read The Spark book? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

Blog Frog Award

2011-06-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

I got a blog frog award!

Personal-Trainer-Certification.org

The site listed their picks for the top 50 weight management blogs on the web and I'm so excited to be in the number two spot just behind Pasta Queen. Squee! Check out the link to see some of the other great blogs listed.

Back Porch Pruno

2011-06-10T13:55:00.009-04:00

I love my herb garden! I snip fresh herbs and use them every day, sometimes every meal, during the growing season. Once the real heat of the south settles in they grow faster than we can eat them. But in the spirit of "waste nothing" I like to use the overflow to make herbal infusions. It couldn't be easier and it's a great way to use up fresh herbs that you may have in your refrigerator.

In a clean, half-gallon mason jar I placed a bunch of rinsed herbs, stems and all, along with a few (optional) green tea bags then topped it up with filtered water. I set in a sunny spot on the back deck and let it steep all day.

The particulars: I used sweet basil, sweet mint and pineapple sage along with four Numi organic gunpowder green tea bags. I just wanted a hint of green tea goodness as a pick me up but not so much that it would keep me up if I found myself sipping it in the evening in lieu of chilled wine (FYI: I'm teetotaling until the Independence Day holiday.)

I fished out the herbs and the tea bags and popped the jug in the fridge. Once chilled, it is ready to drink. The herbs are so naturally sweet, there is no need to add anything other than some ice and a straw. It is so good, so refreshing, such a lovely departure from plain water.

Cheers!

Farmer's Market Omelet

2011-06-08T08:00:00.003-04:00

Nothing like a trip to the farmer's market to rekindle one's love affair with vegetables. There was a great selection there yesterday and I got there first thing. I was after tomatoes and summer squash and found it...

All of this for $5!

To give you a sense of how big those summer squash are...

The fella said he never finds anyone who likes the giant squash so he sells them cheap. Well, I'll take them. They are tasty in juice and are delicious cooked up lots of different ways. I diced one up for a farmer's market omelet for yesterday's lunch. I sauteed the squash in a hot pan with olive oil and a salt free seasoning blend.

After it started to caramelize a little, I added a diced tomato and cooked it until all the water had been cooked out and the veggies were just right. The tomato went very sweet and the squash still had a little bite to it. I don't like it mushy.

I wiped out the pan, melted some pastured butter and added three farm eggs that I whisked with a fork. Once the eggs were set, I topped half with some of the squash tomato mixture and some fresh basil leaves.

Then flipped the whole thing onto a plate.

Served with some organic baby spinach leaves lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar ready to be devoured...

Traditional Tuesdays at Cooking Traditional Foods

Real Food Wednesday

Nutritious and Delicious Coffee Drink Makeover

2011-06-06T10:18:00.000-04:00

So, is it Ugh Monday or Yay Monday? It started out as Ugh when Tally and I set off on our walk early this morning but 3 1/2 miles and a delicious breakfast later, it's a Yay!

I set out on our walk on an empty stomach, like I normally do. It's hot and humid now and a long walk is better without anything but some water weighing me down. But that last half mile I was dreaming of breakfast.

I have a food shopping trip planned later today and a farmer's market trip planned for tomorrow morning so my cupboards are looking a bit bare at the moment. I know I didn't want cottage cheese and fruit again. I wanted something cold, I wanted something frothy, I wanted caffeine. I wanted a...a... FRAPPUCCINO! I mentally scanned my kitchen for what I could use to fashion a similar beverage at home the nutritious and delicious way.

I'm not sure how many ingredients go into a vanilla Frappuccino but I needed only three. Four if you count the ice:

8 ounces of raw, grass-fed milk (one of the most highly nutritious foods we can put into our bodies.)

8 ounces of cold coffee (I save leftover coffee in a pitcher in the fridge in warm weather because ice coffee is one of my favorite things)

One serving of NSI vanilla whey protein powder

a few handfuls of ice

Put everything into a blender, whizz it up until blended and frothy and behold the Frapproccino...(see what I did there?)

It made a full 16 ounce glass and then half again, approximately 24 ounces and I drank it all. I don't take sugar in my coffee so the bit of sweetener in the protein powder was perfect. It hit every note just right; cold, frothy, creamy, refreshing, satisfying and just sweet enough.

Here is the nutrition breakdown:

calories: 277

carbs: 5

fat: 11

protein: 31

Compare that to a Venti Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino Blended beverage with whole milk and no whip from the Starbucks website:

calories: 420

fat: 5

carbs: 89

protein: 5

I'll probably be needing some cottage cheese and fruit by mid morning but for now I'm smiling and my belly is full. Time to make my menus and shopping lists hit the shower and set out. Yay, Monday!

On the Road: Beaufort, South Carolina

2011-06-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

Because we didn't get to the beach for Easter, Rob and I decided to sneak away for a couple of days over Memorial Day weekend. We set out on Sunday morning, Tally's first road trip!

When one is traveling with a dog, there are certain restrictions that you have to deal with. One is where to stay, another is what beaches allow dogs and the last is where to eat. Most beaches have restrictions from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but not Hunting Island State Park. So we decided to stay in Beaufort, South Carolina which is about a half an hour drive from Hunting Island.

Beaufort is lovely in a real slow southern way. It's a nice gateway to all the low country islands. We hit Hilton Head Island on Sunday evening. Hilton Head is amazing in the off season but this weekend the beach was packed and Tally was freaked out by the crowds and the ocean.

So we left and went over to the marina to an outdoor cafe that allows dogs. The drinks were awesome but the food and service, not so much. I had high hopes for Monday, though.

The accommodations were not fit for humans, let alone dogs, but Hunting Island State Park was magnificent and well worth the five hour drive from Atlanta.

Picture Jurassic Park that opens up to a four mile expanse of unspoiled beach, no hotels, no condos and very few people. We set up base camp and settled in to spend the day.

Tally is afraid of the water (it chased me Mama!) but loved lounging in the sand.

We enjoyed several longs walks along the shore picking shells and just taking in the gorgeous scenery.

One of the benefits of the state park vs. the resort beach is the startling lack of crowds on a busy holiday weekend.

A beached Man o' War jellyfish

We enjoyed a picnic on the beach and stayed all day. It was wonderful! That evening we headed to the historic downtown waterfront area of Beaufort for a walk and some dinner.

The food was nothing more than a mediocre pub burger and some beer on an outdoor patio, but we were happy not to have to leave Tally alone in the hotel room. First thing Tuesday morning we headed home.

As much as I enjoyed our day at the beach, I don't think I'd travel with the dog again. But I would go back to the beaches at Hunting Island. I've never seen such a beautiful stretch of unspoiled beach along the Atlantic coast. It was heavenly!

Vegetable Bargains

2011-06-03T07:30:00.001-04:00

I've talked about eating healthfully on a budget before and the subject is very polarizing. But for the moment I want to say that there are ways to stretch the produce dollar. Shopping at supermarkets that discount produce when it nears the sell by date is one of the best ways to save.

Not all supermarkets do this. But it can't hurt to ask. I was shocked to find out that Publix will not discount their produce. I wanted to buy some avocados a while back and they were $2.49 each, which in itself is shocking. Add to that the fact they were all soft and overripe. I asked the produce staff member if I could get a few at a discounted rate. She was indignant! "That is NOT Publix policy." When I asked if they would rather throw them away then sell them at a discount, she turned and walked away. Shame on you Publix.

So I decided I would try Kroger for my in between Whole Foods and Trader Joe's shopping. It has definitely paid off. Each time I pop to Kroger I scan for produce specials and usually find lots of good ones.

How much did this mess of greens cost? Two pounds of kale, two pounds of collards and two 5 ounce containers of organic salad greens. The retail cost is $18.96.

I paid (before sales tax) just $3.04. Everything but the baby romaine was just 25cents.

And although everything was around the sell by date, everything was in perfect condition. Nothing wilted or mushy! The spring mix was the base of our supper last night.

Greens, tomatoes, cheese ravioli with homemade pesto with herbs from the garden.

Now to be sure all those beautiful bargain kale and collard greens don't go to waste, I just cooked them up like I usually would with garlic, onion, crushed red pepper, olive oil and salt and water.

After letting them cool a bit, I portioned the out into freezer containers and they are ready for whatever meal plans I have. Two are grab and go single portions for work dinners. The others are family sized. I can turn them into creamed greens by adding a bit of cream cheese when reheating them to go with grass fed steak and asparagus. I can make them Indian style by sauteing ginger, cumin and coriander before adding the greens to serve with curry and brown rice. I can add some vinegar and serve with slow smoked chicken. Healthy greens at the ready on the cheap, now that's nutritious and delicious!

What are your favorite ways to eat healthy without breaking the bank?

And the Sun Chlorella Goes to...

2011-06-01T10:24:00.002-04:00

reader royalewcheeze! *applause cheers applause*

Ro, check your e-mail for your notification. Once you reply with your address, I will forward it on to the Sun Chlorella people and they will send your package.

Thanks to Sun Chlorella for offering the giveaway and thanks to everyone who entered and shared the giveaway on twitter and facebook!

If you didn't win, you can still take advantage of the special discount here using the code blogsave11.

Don't Forget to Enter the Giveaway!

2011-05-31T00:01:00.001-04:00

The Sun Chlorella Giveaway ends tonight, so get your entries in. I will be randomly choosing a winner later this week.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Why Are Americans Getting Fatter?

2011-05-30T08:00:00.011-04:00

Here is an interesting infographic that explains... Click here to see the image in full size.

Nutritious and Delicious Recipe: Quiche L'leftovers

2011-05-28T08:00:00.010-04:00

Quiche, or "eggy pie" as Rob calls it, is a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Without having to fuss with a crust, it's fast and easy. High in protein and fiber, this meal is nutritious and delicious hot or cold any time of the day.

Just toss your leftover vegetables (and meat, if you have it, waste nothing) into a pie dish coated with non-stick spray. I'm using up the leftover grilled veggies from Sunday dinner.

Sprinkle a bit of your favorite cheese over the top. I used a small chunk of Vermont sharp white cheddar that I grated, about 2 ounces.

Whisk up some eggs with 1/2 cup milk. I used 5 eggs here and a pinch of salt free seasoning blend.

Use 4-6 eggs depending on the size of the pie dish and the amount of leftovers you have.

Pour the eggs evenly over the filling. You don't want it swimming with eggs, you want just enough eggs to hold the filling together.

Bake in a 350 Fahrenheit oven for about 20 minutes, until the eggs are set and only slightly browned. Overcooked eggs are not delicious.

Cool, slice, garnish with fresh herbs.

Devour!

New Goodie: Sun Chlorella, Review, Giveaway and Bonus!

2011-05-25T13:39:00.001-04:00

The Sun Chlorella USA Company was kind enough to send me a sampler pack of their products to review. The package contained a 20-day supply of tablets, 20-day supply of granules and a generous baggie full of samples of their other products including packets the Sun Chlorella skin cream.

I took the tablets for the full 20 days. The dosage is 15 tablets up to 45 tablets a day. I took the 15 tabs per day, they are very tiny and very easy to swallow.

I believe that it is best to nourish your body by eating a variety of healthy foods, getting plenty of fresh air and sunshine, good quality sleep and exercise. But there are a few supplements that I take every day. Will sun-chlorella become one of them?

According to their website Sun Chlorella USA’s products delivers many essential nutrients your body craves~

Fiber~ One serving of Sun Chlorella contains more dietary fiber than many leading fruits and vegetables.

Prebiotics~ Sun Chlorella works as a prebiotic that helps promote the growth of good bacteria and improve your body’s digestive health.

Greens~ One serving is equivalent to one serving of fresh green vegetables (without the pesticides)!

Protein~ Ounce-for-ounce, chlorella has more protein than steak or soy.

Chlorophyll~ Sun Chlorella has the highest chlorophyll levels of any plant-based food source. This aids in expelling harmful toxins from the body, providing natural and gentle detoxification.

Sounds like so many other "superfood supplement" claims, many of which prove to be total bunk. That is until you get to the last one. Detoxification! Oh my goodness, chlorella moved me. Yup, I have been pooping like a rock star. You know that awesome light feeling you get when your colon is working at its peak? Well, that is what sun chlorella did for me since the very first dose.

The skin on my face is a road map of what is going on in my body so this detoxification has made a lovely impact on my skin, as well. I didn't get that little chin spot that loves to accompany my period every month. Dry spots are gone, oily spots are gone. My face is dewy, rosy and glowy. That's the clincher for me. As long as my skin stays looking this nice, I'm going to keep taking the chlorella. I'm happy that I have another 20 day supply, although I did not find the granules as pleasant to take as the tablets.

I also used all 6 of the sample packets of the skin cream. J'adore! The cream is pricey but I think I may splurge on it when my current skin cream runs out. It's light yet rich and a little goes a long way. I squeezed about 4 uses from each 1 gram packet.

Now on to the fun stuff...

Giveaway: Sun Chlorella kindly offered to send one of my blog readers a sample package like the one pictured above. Have a look around the Sun Chlorella site and come back here and leave a comment that includes your e-mail address (for contact purposes only) and which of their products you are most interested in trying. No e-mail address, no entry.

Earn up to two extra entries by sharing this giveaway on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to mention that you did in your comments.

Please have your entries in by midnight EDT on May 31st.

And if you don't win the giveaway, you can still take advantage of this bonus: Sun Chlorella offered a special bonus, my blog readers can purchase a combination pack of chlorella and eluthero for a discounted price using the coupon code BLOGSAVE11.

Beer Can Chicken

2011-05-22T18:30:00.003-04:00

At the risk of sounding like a Johnny One-Note, we did indeed have grilled chicken and vegetables for Sunday dinner. Again. It's such a simple, healthy dinner that is really delicious. And when it's 90 outside, who wants to turn on the oven? By varying the veggies, the grilling method and marinade flavors for the chicken, it keeps the Summer Sunday dinner routine from being anything but.

It was rapture day for the chickens at My Dad and Me Family Farm yesterday, where we picked up our three plump pastured broilers. Two of them went into the freezer. The third, whom we will call Bud Man, went into a marinade of whole grain Dijon mustard, olive oil, low sodium tamari soy sauce and lots and lots of chopped fresh tarragon. He got a beer can full of creamy brown ale popped up his bottom and on the grill he went.

Traditionally, beer can (or beer butt) chicken gets a dry rub of spices, but I wanted a different flavor profile this time, hence the marinade. I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

Two hours over indirect medium-low (350 degrees) heat and we had a Champagne glasses smashed in the fireplace success. Succulent and flavorful!

Asparagus, yellow bell pepper, scallions, zucchini, summer squash and grape tomatoes grilled over high heat along with sweet corn rounded out this soul satisfying meal.

I ate my sweet corn cob separately, sort of as dessert. This meal was a definite winner. Winner winner, chicken dinner, if I do say so myself. And I do.

What to do with all the leftovers? Sweet corn cold is a lovely snack. The veggies will go beautifully with scrambled eggs and the chicken will go into chicken salad with walnuts, chives, grapes and tarragon. My mouth would be watering if I wasn't so full.

Gratuitous dog pic. Tally and her raw beef bone.

Treating My Chronic E.R.S.

2011-05-19T15:02:00.001-04:00

As you know, I suffer from E.R.S., more commonly known as Exercise Resistance Syndrome. It's a very real disease. The symptoms are occasional laziness, unwillingness to move, fabulous excuse making skills, and wishing actual workout time away with thoughts of delicious things and shopping flings.

It comes and goes and it's always something that I'm trying to remedy. This morning's remedy was getting out of the neighborhood and taking Tally out to the trails. And once we got going, we just kept on walking. It was wonderful. The weather was ideal; crisp morning air, bright sunshine and since Tally is feeling better she kept us going much longer than I had intended. We romped for nearly 2 hours!

We did the Cheatham Hill Connector trail which is a great walk for the most part although some of the trail surface is rocky which can be tough on the old knees. This trail is popular with horse riders, though they don't seem to clean up after their animals like the dog owners do. There was so much manure about that it looked like the Dothraki horde had just plowed through.

Here is the view from the bridge...

A honey badger among the wildflowers...

The open field that is soft on the feet and knees for a good sprint...

I often forget that a very big part of this country's history occurred on these trails, soldiers from the north and the south met here in June 1864 and fought and died. If you're a history buff and want to read more about the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, click here.

My ERS is in remission now. The endorphins and a well behaved pup, my reward.

Food and Garden Pics

2011-05-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

My baby girl has been ill again, why is it always in the wee small hours? I will spare you the gory details but suffice it to say I am so, so tired. I have nothing motivating to say this rainy Monday morning but talking about food always makes me feel better so let's do that instead.

Have you ever had the mushroom truffle flat bread from Trader Joe's? It is one of Rob's absolute favorites and I wanted recreate it. And I did! I made whole wheat pizza dough, pat it out really thin and partially baked it. I made a mushroom pâté which is just mushrooms, garlic and fresh thyme whizzed up in the food processor sauteed until all the water is cooked out and it is nice and fragrant. I spread it on the partially baked crust and topped it with a light dusting of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese and finished baking it. I drizzled it with truffle oil and served it up with a big arugula salad lightly dressed with evoo and balsamic vinegar. It was sublime.

Next up is balsamic roasted asparagus and tomatoes. Asparagus spears and halved grape tomatoes tossed in evoo with a little salt and pepper, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and roasted in the oven until tender crisp and a little caramelized...

then topped with manouri cheese and drizzled with more balsamic vinegar. Manouri a delicious alternative to feta, it's crumbly yet creamy and much less salty. We served this amazing dish with a chicken we cooked on the rotisserie.

Yeah, we burned it a little, but it was still pretty tasty.

The leftover chicken became chicken salad with red and green grapes, celery, walnuts and lots of fresh tarragon lightly dressed with pear champagne vinaigrette.

I managed to get some planting done in the past couple of weeks. Some tomatoes, hot peppers and mixed herbs. Pared down from last year because of last year's garden fail. And with the dog taking up more of my time a smaller garden will be easier to tend.

And we already have our first tomato!

While Rob was out of town last week, I made myself a variation of Gina's Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad. Rob doesn't eat shrimp so it is something I treat myself to when he's away. I made a few swaps, out with tomato, in with corn, basil from the garden instead of cilantro, scallions in place of red onion all on a big bed of crisp romaine.

Holy shrimp, this salad is heavenly! Give it a try when your weather heats up and you want a refreshing yet super satisfying meal.

I had some friends over for brunch on Friday morning. I whipped up a lighter version of the Italian Easter pie called Pizza Chena. It's eggs, a little flour and milk beat together with ham and cheese folded in. Baked in the oven and cut into squares, it's wonderful. Paired with fruit and breakfast is served!

We did another rotisserie chicken for Sunday dinner yesterday along with grilled veggies. I marinated zucchini, asparagus, peppers, scallions and carrots in balsamic vinaigrette then cooked them in the grill basket over searing heat just until tender crisp. Before...

After...

I will ask, as I always do, what you been cooking good? If you have the time, leave a comment. I love to hear from you!

I Walk

2011-05-10T11:34:00.000-04:00

I walk because there is no substitute for fresh air.
I walk because it is impossible to be in a bad mood while smelling wild flowers.
I walk because it is good for my brain as well as my body.
I walk for recreation and quality time with my family.
I walk because it helps me sleep better.
I walk because sunshine helps my body produce vitamin D.
I walk because it reduces symptoms of PMS.
I walk because it produces lovely endorphins.
I walk because it makes me more awake and alert than a huge mug of Hawaiian coffee.
I walk because my calves, butt and thighs benefit from it.
I walk because the health of my heart and lungs depend on it.
I walk because it reduces the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
I walk because it is free and freeing.
I walk because I can.

There is a very elderly couple I see on my walks. They walk every single day. They hold hands and smile as they walk. Though they quite possibly may be older than some of the people I take care of at the nursing home, their excellent posture and steady gait tell another story. While I can only assume this, I would bet the farm that the extra time they have had together in their golden years is, at least in part, because of these daily walks.

I walk because I want to have as many years as possible to walk beside my Bunny.

Watch This Space: Chlorella Review

2011-05-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard of Chlorella? I've seen it mentioned on various health websites and Dr. Mercola is a fan of it. It is an algae that is supposed to contain vitamins, minerals and have all sorts of health benefits. I take various health supplements in addition to healthy eating and juicing but don't think I've ever tried chlorella.

I was recently contacted by the Sun Chlorella Company and they kindly sent me a starter package of their supplements, one package of tablets and one package of granules along with a few samples of the skin care. I'm going to try the supplements for the full 20 days and then I'm going to write a review, so watch this space.

Have you ever tried chlorella as a health supplement?

Committment and Accountability

2011-05-05T08:48:00.001-04:00

“There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” ~Unknown

Just wanted to make sure I noted that I did get to the gym for my second full body weight lifting workout this morning as I committed. I got in and got it done in 30 minutes (supersets with little rest.) My cardio will come in the form of a long and vigorous walk with Tally after we pick up our milk at the farm. It's going to be a perfect weather day for a long walk, sunny with blue skies, dry and 72 degrees. Have a great day!

Monday Motivation

2011-05-02T10:58:00.000-04:00

If you are going to make a goal for yourself, whatever it may be, make it manageable, make it measurable and your goal will become a victory.

I made the goal of getting back to juicing. The goal was manageable, measurable and it's a victory. I also made the goal of getting back to weight lifting. This morning I hit the gym first thing and I did my full body workout. It was manageable, measurable and a victory! I will do it again on Thursday morning.

Your life can be a series of victories, you only need set one manageable, measurable goal and go for it. Then another and another and soon you will be living the healthy life you want.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Love to Eat, Hate to Exercise

The Breakthrough

The Snacks

What a Difference a Day Makes

Quick Check-In

*Crickets Crickets*

And We're Back!

Sunday Chit-Chat

Crawling Out from Under the Covers

Jiggity-Jig

It's 2012!

Baking and Other Good Smelling Things

Blah Tuesday

Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Wonderful Williamsburg

Last Chance Victories 2011

The Turducken Verdict

Gremlins Smote My Baby

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Home, but for How Long?

Homemade Beef Stock

Dumbbells vs. Dumbbells

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

My Fitness Week

DinneRevolution Cookbook Giveaway

The Walk for Cash

Upping the Activity

Try Something New: Wild Sockeye Salmon

Yo GABA GABA

Destin Highlights

All Clear!

Best Laid Plans

Sweet Surprise

Walk for Cash

Ode to Roast Chicken

Monday Catch Up

Some Honest to Goodness Good News

Back Update: Day Nine

Quick Update

Happy Fun Blog

Better to Bad to Worse

Checking In

A Juice Fast for Two

Juice Fast Prep and a Poorly Pup

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Un-Sunny Saturday

Adventures in Fermentation

Farmer's Market, Part 2

Holiday Weekend Highlights

July 1st Chit-Chat

New Goodies: Four Ways to Go Coconuts

Been to the Farmer's Market, now what? Part 1

More Thoughts on Trying Grain and Sugar Free

My Two Week Experiment

Flax Fabulousness

Try Something New: Kombucha

The Spark

Blog Frog Award

Back Porch Pruno

Farmer's Market Omelet

Nutritious and Delicious Coffee Drink Makeover

On the Road: Beaufort, South Carolina

Vegetable Bargains

And the Sun Chlorella Goes to...

Don't Forget to Enter the Giveaway!

Why Are Americans Getting Fatter?

Nutritious and Delicious Recipe: Quiche L'leftovers

New Goodie: Sun Chlorella, Review, Giveaway and Bonus!

Beer Can Chicken

Treating My Chronic E.R.S.

Food and Garden Pics

I Walk

Watch This Space: Chlorella Review

Committment and Accountability

“There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” ~Unknown

Monday Motivation

Crickets Crickets