6 weeks!

 

So did you know......I LOVE fall!  The colors, the cooler temps, the apples, pumpkins, hay rides - LOVE IT!  It is the reason I live in and for the Midwest!  Autumn definitely doesn't stick around long enough in my opinion.  They changed daylight savings time....can't we all agree to make fall last like, oh I don't know - 6 months?

No I suppose not. 

Anyway, this IS the danger zone for me! Anyone else? 

I am one of those people that associates great memories of family and friends with some type of calorie laden comfort food.

So if I am missing family....I want to eat.
If I am bummed about my plantar fascitis ....I want to eat.
If I want to create some awesome memories with the kiddies...I want to EAT!

easy with the attitude kiddies

See the trend?

So I gave myself a good shaking, told myself to get back to working out --- even if that means I can't do what I WANT to do (read 100 burpees) and just do what I can, because IT IS better than nothing.

Did my feet hurt?  Yes.
Did I stop this time when they did? Yes
But did I give up? NO!

I moved on! I adjusted! I found something similar and maybe not as high impact, but continued to challenge my body.

"healthafied betty crocker fav - apple coffee cake love"

It would be so much easier to just eat coffee cake a couple of times a day with a hot cup of chai tea and watch the leaves change on the trees.

But actually sticking with it and giving my body a workout makes me feel SO MUCH better!

I mentioned before how much a plan made a difference (fitmixer boot camp I still love you!), and I realized yesterday that as of today we only 6 weeks away from Thanksgiving and the obstacle course of food madness, temptations and potential pitfalls at every gathering that follows, and I NEED to be prepared.

6 weeks?  Perfect for a challenge:

 

Calee!  Thank you! This is something I can get on board with!

My weight loss journey is far from over and I cannot head into the holidays with bad eating habits and a lack of workout discipline.

me + healthy = happy kids

Time to tighten the belt!  Ha!

So what am I going to do these next 6 weeks?  The same thing we always do pinky...



eeeerr..no, I guess not take OVER the world, just get MY world in check. 

Still, taking over the WORLD always seemed more awesome ;)  So the same "formula", tried and true:

1.  Count Calories
2.  Work out at least 30 minutes - 5 days a week.  With a 6th day - fun focused activity.
3.  More vegetables, less carbs, more protein.
4.  Try some healthier recipes showcasing fall flavors. 

Like this lentil soup, a mostly almost Isa recipe from her A4R cookbook! A must have in your kitchen.  Mmm, mmmm  good!

 

Golden Lentil Soup

1 med yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 ribs celery, diced
1 c carrots, diced
1 med zucchini, diced
1 cup red lentils
6 c veggie broth

Saute onion about 5 minutes in a pot over medium heat.  Use nonstick cooking spray or broth if needed.  Add garlic, thyme, pepper, salt and saute another minute.

Add celery, carrots, zucchini, lentils, veggie broth, and mix to combine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and cook 45 minutes, until the lentils and veggies are very tender, and the soup has thickened.

Let sit 10 minutes, then serve! Love the consistency this soup and bursting with flavor.  Now that's good comfort food.

So what are you doing the next 6 weeks?

More Maize!

Helloooo readers!

Today's recipe has been inspired and brought to you by the rhythmic beat of the cowbell.  'Cause you can never have enough cowbell!




This cracks me up every time!

Being of Latina heritage, or maybe just because my family is so musical, I am VERY familiar with the cowbell.

Yes, I can play a mean cowbell, thank you very much.

And though I missed playing up national Hispanic heritage month - sorry my peeps - the lovely Heather has given me the opportunity to share some recipes by so very timely calling up Hominy as the latest on:

 

cue APPLAUSE!

 

Lucky for me I had recently been craving Hominy and have a recipe to contribute!

 

I call it, More Maize Soup!

 

 

 

A little lesson first: What is Hominy?

 

Hominy consists of dried maize kernels  Maize ( /ˈmeɪz/ MAYZ; from Spanish: maíz after Taíno mahiz), known in many English-speaking countries as corn, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. (thanks Wiki!)

 

Source




Our family pronounce it Mahiz, Taino style.  Relevant, why?  Because this started as Tortilla Soup (an Isa recipe - highly recommended) - and since it called for corn tortillas (or tortilla chips), my brain - thanks to the persistence of my abuelos when I was a kid - translated it to Sopa de tortillas de maíz .  Which made me think of Maize, which made me think - this soup needs MORE Maize aka Hominy!

 

Yes my brain is a tangled web of random thoughts.

 

So this:

 

Isa's tortilla soup

 

Made up of these ingredients:

 

 

Quickly turned to this!

 

More Maize Soup!

 



And just like you can never have too much cowbell - I truly believe you can't have too much Maize in your bowl! 

 

Anyone note the third type of maize in the bowl? 

 

Yes!  That's right - good old yellow corn.

 

Heavenly Maize goodness.

 

You can have some too!

 

More Maize Soup

 

Ingredients:

 

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes

32 oz diced roasted tomatoes

24 oz vegetable broth

2 cups tortilla chips (plus extra for garnish or for scooping!!)

15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed if from can

1 cup frozen corn

juice from 1 lime

15 oz hominy, canned

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro (plus extra for garnish)

 

Saute onions, pepper in oil over medium high heat until translucent.  Add spices and saute for another minute.  Add broth and tomatoes.  Break up tortilla chips and add to pot.  Cover and bring to boil.

When boiling, add beans, hominy, corn and cilantro.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

 

Add lime juice and serve!  Garnish with crumbled tortilla chips and cilantro.  Serve!



Now back to that cowbell.....;)

Forks or Tortilla Chips

My Forks over Knives Cookbook arrived on my Kindle a few days before the labor day holiday. As we traveled about I was able to peruse it while the kids snoozed in the van.

Ah, the simply joys. 

If you haven't already seen the documentary, I suggest you do!  The entire theme is simplicity!

As we have transitioned between summer and the school year, that is certainly all that has been on my mind.  Our world can get hectic, busy and overwhelming in a flash.  That usually leads to tired and stressed out kids and parents, and inevitably bad food choices in our haste.

As with every new school year, I'm determined to keep our schedules simple, and our food too!

Plus it's football season!!!!!  We are ALWAYS ready for some football in this town.  That in itself can present a whole new world of temptations and obstacles in Titletown, where the daily eats suddenly becomes all things meat, cheese, fried and beer - all in support of our Packers of course!!

So I was tickled to find a simple, healthy, game friendly food in my new cookbook featuring EDAMAME!  Just what I needed for my next Meatless Monday A-Z!
 

Don't you just love when everything false in place?

So first things first - what is Edamame? Here is what wiki said: Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening. 

Ahh...good simple.

 

 Some more simple ingredients. Excuse the fake lime.  It's handy in a pinch.

 

 

 Taken for a spin.

 

 

Then boiled edamame, cooked for 5 minutes get a whirl too.

 

Put it all together, and get your fork ready. 

 

Or some chips. 

 

I prefer tortilla chips as my eating utensil of choice.  Or tortillas...its a latin thing.

 

Because now you have Edamamemole! Edamamole? Edahuh? ....well you get it. A bowl full of yum is what we have!

 

Need a closer look?

 

One last end of summer deck party? Perfect.

Healthy tailgate potluck option?  Why yes thank you, this will do nicely.

 

This stuff is good.  It is as I-can't-stop-eating-this-stuff good as the full fat avocado version. 

 

The real test?  The hubster.  Would he like it?

 

Answer:  He loved it! Success!

 

This was the up and up version right out of the cookbook.  Shocking I know, from the master at straying from every recipe I've ever attempted!
_________________________________________________________________________________
  



  Not-So-Fat Guacamole

Makes 2 cups

1 c shelled edamame
1 c broccoli florets (yes, that's right. this is hard core green eating)
zest of 1 lime and juice of 2 limes (or 2 tbsp here)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 small red onion, peeled and diced small
1/2 c finely chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced (about 1 tsp)
Salt to taste
1 pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste.

Boil edamame in medium saucepan, add water and boil 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse until cool.
Stream broccoli for about 8 minutes.  Drain and rinse until cooled.
Add edamame and broccoli to food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.  Add water if needed to achieve creamy texture.
Add pureed mixture to bowl and add remaining ingredients. 
Mix well,  chill until ready to serve.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Other options I have seen remove the broccoli and add 1/4 - 1/2 avocado if it just seems like too much of a shame not to include it.

For guiltier-free ....or guilt-freeER? ...snacking, I like you just the way you are edamamemole, edamole, ..uh...ed.

Forks over knives to heavy for you?  There's also a little documentary on the Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue which I actually got hubby to watch with me.  I think he was convinced, seeing as this big fire fighter, still seemed manly eating this green food.





But if you're ready for the full story, watch Forks over Knives. It could change the way you eat ...for the better.



Both are available on netflix!

So you tell me now. 

What healthy eats do you put out for the gang during football season?

WIAW

Though technically not correct.  Just reflecting on some of the yummy stuff  I've had recently.  Lots of new stuff for me!

• Ethiopian Millet, Mushroom Tibs and Sauteed Collards. From the amazing Isa.  Let me warn you that the mushrooms were SUPER spicy! Even for this spice loving chick.  There are a bajillion spices in this dish, but I absolutely loved it!  Made it again already and pulled the curry powder.  Just as yum with some heat, but that simple fix made it something I will definitely be making regularly - COMFORT food!!
• Larabar Sale!!!! New flavors for me including Lemon?!. And the cookie dough. Craaazy good.
• Sweet and Spicy Dates!  It's not too late to hop on board the Meatless Monday A-Z train! Go check out Heather's blog for more Date recipes!  Next week is edamame!
• Salad with hummus for dressing - not new, but always seems like an indulgence.
• Tuscan Kale Soup
• Artichoke!! with some leftover Ethiopian millet.  What an adventure to clean one of these lovelies!
• Green Tea Kombucha. I am still getting use to green tea.  Liked this one - clean, refreshing, and it makes me feel good about myself!
• Fro-yo!!  I may be the last person on the earth that had not had fro-yo. Well at least in my suburb.  A new Smart Cow store opened at the beginning of summer, the only fro-yo place around, and you would have thought there was money at the bottom of each cup.  Its has been PACKED.  And our girlies have been pleading with us to go.  I had a vanilla bean with sea salt caramel pretzel,  (aka fro-yo crack) and strawberries - oh my yum! and I am addicted!
• Falafel, another Isa recipe. It was my first try making homemade falafel.   They were great - but seriously I think I would eat anything chickpea based - addicting!
• Gala Apple Salad with Shittake Vinagrette, Feta and Almonds - oh joy!

Eat Well. Eat Clean. Eat to Live

Dr. Oz  featured Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live program this week, which coincidentally is how I lost 45 lbs all on my own!  I really can't speak enough about it.  It is essentially changed the way I eat (key: lifestyle, not diet) and I think it saved my life as it sent me down the road of recovery at a critical time.

Shortly after joining spark people, a member introduced me to the book. I was amazed at the results she was having.  After reading the book, I was convinced that I had to try it.

So want the basics? Here they are:


NUTRITION

Basically the book centers around the idea of eating foods that are high in nutrients.  I was watching a documentary where Dr. Gerson of the Gerson Institute, said that obesity is simply the result of hunger.  I thought that was an obvious statement, but she went on to explain that our bodies are not being fed the proper nutrients, due to eating diets of highly processed foods with little to no nutrients left in them, so our bodies flag us that we need more nutrients by feeling hunger.  Feed it nutrients, and the cravings stop.

So true.  I was obese, and malnutrioned! I didn't know that was possible. Yet, when I got sick a few years back, that is exactly why I was sick - I had lost all core nutrients and minerals in my body.  The doctors gave me intense supplements.  I'm talking liquid iron (awful stuff!) and large doses of other pills.  I understand now, they were trying to save my life. Your body literally SHUTS DOWN when you don't have these stores, and I was in bad shape.  But they didn't once talk about nutrition to me!  Everything I learned about restoring and helping my body heal itself came from one person sharing their experience with ETL.  Thank you!!!!!

NO COUNTING CALORIES

There is no requirement to count calories or monitor portion size.  If you eat high nutrient, low calorie foods, its difficult to eat high calories.  Trust me it's true!  I, being an accountant, would track my calories.  I would eat LARGE portions of food, track them, and find that I would barely skim 1200 calories. Awesome! My concern? Getting ENOUGH calories!  I was so use to the feeling of deprivation on diets that at first I couldn't believe I could eat this way and still lose weight.  So I would try to limit my portions, and I would track my calories.  I found out it was true! I had to eat HUGE amounts of these foods to exceed my recommended calories. 

SALAD IS THE MAIN DISH

So do you have to eat salad every day?  Well yes. But that's not all. 

• Raw vegetables - unlimited
• Cooked vegetables  (your goal is to eat 1 pound of raw and 1 pound of cooked veggies daily)
• Beans, bean sprouts and tofu – 1 cup daily at least and more if desired
• Fruits – at least 4 servings daily
• Starchy vegetables/whole grains are limited to one cup daily.
• Raw nuts – 1 oz max per day
• Avocado – 2 oz max per day
• Ground flaxseed – 1 tablespoon per day

OFF-LIMITS:

• dairy products
• animal products
• between meal snacks
• fruit juice, dried fruits
• salt, sugar

What does the typical day look like?  Think simple:
Breakfast - Fruit/Grain (fruit bowl/smoothies/oatmeal)
Lunch - Salad/Fruit (unlimited variations)
Dinner - Vegetables/Beans (stir fry's, chili, curries)

Now mind you, this is the 6 week plan for weight loss.  You can restart the 6 week program until you reach a healthy weight.  After that you follow a 90/10 or 80/20 plan - whatever works best for you, meaning for the majority of the time you eat this way and 10-20% of the time you eat off limit items as you wish.  You don't HAVE to follow any plan after the 6 weeks and have reached your goal, but most people on ETL do end up eating this way long term.

Actually, as I was hearing and reading about this all over, and went back to my sparkpeople page I realize how I've wandered away from the 6 week plans.  I am NOT done with my weight loss journey and I need to refocus.

Know what else though?  After the work of learning to cook with these high nutrient foods and changing up my pantry, it is very easy. And even though I haven't done the 6 week program in a while, I do follow about an 80/20 plan - and I have been able to maintain my weight loss for longer than I have ever been able to in my whole adult life.

And best of all?  I feel great. I use to put on and drop 10 pounds without even feeling it. But I am now in tune with my body for the first time. I can read when my body is signaling for nutrients ( I crave salads!), when I need more calories (beans/fruits/seeds) and I feel AWFUL when I eat too much of the items in the "rarely" category. 

If you're struggling with diets and programs, tracking and health consequences - I would suggest you try it out!

If you're interested, every few months the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine sponsors a 21 day vegan kickstart where they provide information and recipes to get you started.  It doesn't mean you have to become vegan or vegetarian.  But it will help you learn how to cook with those foods from the 90% category so that you can get started and have success.





Good luck! And if you have any questions about any of this or my experience on the plan, please feel free to ask in the comments or email me!

Protein Puzzle

There is a lot to figure out the past few days for the fitmixer bootcamp.   It's been a challenge. Like putting together a puzzle.  I like puzzles. Good thing, cause I might have given up already. 

Let's talk meal plan.  So here are the goals I was given by the registered dietitian:

Calories: 1200-1300

Carbohydrates:  150 grams

Protein:  90 grams

Fat: 27 grams

Calories are no surprise for me.  It's consistent with every other plan and weight loss tool I've used.  Carbs are in line too.  Protein on the other hand is much higher than what I have been eating.  I've been in the range of 45-60g eating a plant based diet.  So I've had to work at getting to that mark. 

I decided to plan my meals as usual, then see what I need to add to ramp up the protein.  My go to meal is a veggie bowl.  This particular one was:

1/2c brown rice

1/2c broccoli

1/2c chickpea salsa

Usually I would stop there, but that only got me to 11 grams of protein.  Goal for dinner is 20 grams.  What to add?  I would have loved to add more chickpeas, but alas I had to keep it to 350 cal's too.  Since the chickpea salsa had a Mediterranean flare, I took a peek at the protein in some fat free feta cheese crumbles: 8 grams in 1/4c and only 40 cals in a serving.  CHEESE! Perfect!  Cheese completely makes a meal seem indulgent.  And here is what I ended up with:

I could have completely loaded up on more broccoli to get the additional 8 grams I had with the cheese.  Usually in trying to get volume in my meals I would have.  But 6 meals a day in this plan has been working well at keeping cravings at bay.  It feels like I'm constantly having to jump up to grab the next round of food.

People always ask me if I get enough protein.  And the answer has been yes.  And with awesome products like fitmixer protein drinks, I can ramp up on protein when I am working out bootcamp style.

There is plenty of protein in vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, with soy and legumes coming in as the heavy hitters in protein for vegetarians.  Soybeans weigh in at 29g of protein - completely keeping up with 3.5oz of chicken breast which has 30g, and lentils come in at 18g per serving, most legumes come up in the teens.

Check out sparkpeople.com which has a great article for more plant based protein sources.

And speaking about those workouts.  Wow!  New terms on day 2 and 3:  Isometrics and Tabata.  It is a test in patience, and an investment of time for me!  Not only am I learning what these are, I have to take time to watch the videos a few times and practice the motions as these are totally new to me and I have to really watch and work on form.

Nevertheless, I know it's only the first week, so I am taking the time to do it, and am DEFINITELY getting good workouts.  I know because I am becoming AWARE of muscles in my body that I didn't know EXISTED before this week.

AND I am soooo tired! 

Anyone else a newbie at all of this?  How are you doing Week 1?

Why veggies?

Source

Vegetables.  Its like a bad word to some.  Add green vegetables and you may downright offend some people.  How do I know?  That was me!

Growing up my parents only bought canned vegetables.  Is it any wonder why I never grew affectionate?  All we had at home was green beans, corn and peas.  And all from a can.  I hate to admit it, but I think they warmed them in the juices from the can.  Ugh.

If we were lucky, they'd be swimming in butter and salt. 

It didn't help.

So  how did I come to start munching on veggies?  I'll tell you the secret.  Ready?

Brace yourself.

NUTRIENTS.

Turns out that vegetables have nutrients!  Can you believe it? And when you eat the stuff, your body gets FED, and has an amazing ability to HEAL itself.  And, let me tell you about RAW veggies.  They are awesome at:

DETOXIFYING!

That means, if I wanted to clear out all the crap I had been eating, I had to incorporate veggies.  So if I wanted to flush out all the processed, preservative, non-organic who knows what the heck is in it, food I was consuming, and that was making me sick (see my About page), munching on veggies was my answer!

Know what I found out? Eating veggies, even just a little bit at breakfast then at lunch for snacks AND also at dinner,

REDUCED MY CRAVINGS

Yes, it's true!  I mean, I had heard quiet whispers that this could happen.  But I certainly didn't know anyone personally that had experienced it.  Come on, filling up on rabbit food?  But it did! And soon I was:

LOSING WEIGHT!

I mean who would have thought.  I swear I was eating volumes more than any diet I had ever been on, and yet the pounds were melting off?!  I was literally eating this stuff until I couldn't anymore. Stuffed! Full!  I mean, I do have a big appetite that I had been feeding liberally for a LONG, long time.  How could it be?

I FEEL GOOD!

I feel lighter.  I don't get indigestion, gas - not one belly ache. Not even when I eat BEANS!  Seriously, my digestive system has never worked like the clockwork it was intended to be since I started eating my veggies.

and YUM-O! 

My world is full of color now.   I've discovered strange and exotic foods like: 

KALE, ArTiChOkES, BRUSSEL SPROUTS and arUgula.

I honestly didn't think I would come to love veggies the way I do now, or the way I crave them when I wander away from them.  There are so many great dishes that I had never imagined, all with veggies.  Now when I make veggies for friends and family they are always amazed how great simple, pure ingredients taste.

Sounds like their veggie history was like mine.

How about you?  Is it time to venture into the beautiful foodie world of munching on veggies?!

In case you were hesitating, the answer is:  YES.