An ordinary day, PCOS and weekly weigh in

Isn't it funny how a food can provoke such a strong emotional response ? It seems universal that when we hear cake, we think of pleasure , celebration and possible diet derail. We hear apple and we think healthy, but when we hear liver, it is almost always a negative mental picture. It's the core stuff behind the psychology in advertising and such. Eating is so much more than the simple process by which we gain physical nourishment !

Fridays are always happy days here , where projects are wrapped up, the prospect of two days of different activities is in the foreground and so forth. I made polenta with golden raisins and topped it with frozen mixed berries. When these are stirred into the hot polenta they defrost and release their juice into the mix. Mmmmm ...

I got back to my ab work , we did strength training , walking, school and got into a fascinating discussion about boomerangs. Nick likes to flip to How it's Made when he has a break between subjects, and lately he has been watching with a really critical eye. My dad did a lot of woodworking and repairing things in non traditional ways, and some of my ancestors on his side were stone masons. It seems he may have inherited that trait, and it is fun to watch him think out loud !
Lunch was a cup of Peanut Soup, Colorful salad over mixed greens and baked sour cream and onion chips

Colorful Salad -makes 10 1/2 cup servings

1 c. parsley -- chopped
1 c. cilantro -- chopped
1 small red onion -- chopped
2 red peppers -- chopped
2 medium cucumbers -- peeled and seeded, chopped
2 c. corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 stalks celery -- chopped
3 carrots, chopped

Mix all but carrots together. Dress the mixture with any Vinaigrette Dressing.

Dinner was Indian style lamb with sweet potatoes. Kind of a curry dish without the intense heat. The green is kale, and I would imagine you could make this dish with spinach, chard or any dark green,

Indian Style Lamb with Sweet Potatoes

½ lb lamb chops, cut into cubes
1 medium-sized onion -- quartered and sliced thin
2 TBS minced fresh ginger
3 medium cloves garlic -- pressed
1 tsp garam masala (or curry powder if none can be found)
5 cups finely chopped kale
3 cups sweet potatoes -- peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes (about 1 large potato)
1 TBS + 1 cup chicken broth
salt and white pepper to taste

Prepare all the vegetables by chopping and have ready.
Heat 1 TBS broth in a large-size stainless steel braising pot or skillet.
Healthy Sauté onion, garlic,ginger, and lamb in broth over medium heat
for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.Add garam masala, mixing well
for about half a minute. Add 1 cup broth and stir in sweet potatoes and
kale. Simmer on medium low heat covered for about 15 minutes, stirring
occasionally, or until lamb,potatoes and kale are tender. Season with
salt and pepper. Serves 4

Weigh in again, and as I have mentioned before it is not an easy road. PCOS makes it very difficult because of the way the body metabolizes food. In PCOS weight is not the cause of, but a symptom of the disease. To successfully lose weight the underlying cause has to be addressed, and then the body balances and weight loss happens. With eating nutrient dense foods my body is balancing ( I am seeing many non scale changes), and the weight loss will follow. Working to build muscles will also causes a temporary gain , and many people have found the scale to go crazy while they are strength training, but progress soon comes if you persist. I had another gain this week, but I am not concerned about it- I am addressing bigger issues than the number on the scale , and that number will drop as a result in time.

Me- UP 2.2
Nick- maintain
Bob UP 0.6 ( he is experiencing seasonal allergies at the moment , and I believe he is carrying a couple of pounds of junk in his head at the moment)

Can you pass the test ?

Planning and cleaning day yesterday for me- two very necessary chores for the smooth running of this house. Menu planning keeps us on track food-wise, money-wise and helps me with time management. Housecleaning keeps us all sane and organized. They can be boring jobs, but I have come to embrace the act of planning as an adventure all in itself. I also began to plot out next weeks homeschool lessons, and was reminded by the calendar that it is about time to do our annual attempt at the President's Physical Fitness Challenge. Anyone remember that ? It is a standard of fitness that tests the number of push ups, sit ups , running speed and so forth to label one as fit or unfit. While checking for this year's resources , I came upon a PDF document that has the Adult Fitness Test. Think you can pass it ? Check it out here. If nothing else, if you do not belong to a gym or have a trainer, this could make for a good basis on which to form your own workout plan .

Breakfast was overnight oats with apples and pears added in with the morning heating and topped with a tablespoon of ricotta cheese. Reason for this addition was that I have part of a container of ricotta in the fridge that will go out of code soon, so I am looking for creative ways to use it up. Tasted pretty good !

Lunch was Split Pea soup, raw veggies and walnut hummus. Walnut hummus makes for a nice variation , and can be a little easier to find the ingredients for most home kitchens

Walnut hummus

1 can drained chickpeas
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (omit if you don’t have them)
2/3 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
sea salt to taste

process in a food processor till smooth

Dinner was black bean burgers with Zucchini Skillet. I thought the zuchini dish would be flavorful, but we discovered that it really needed something with a more savory flavor to add in. The combination of sweet potatoes , corn and bell peppers made it too sweet for our tastes.After I snapped the photo we began to eat it and wound up putting a spoon of ricotta cheese on top to balance out the flavors. Next time I will try adding nuts to this or substituting the parsley for cilantro or something.

Bean Burgers ( makes 4)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups black beans
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. wheat germ or oatmeal

Chop the sunflower seeds in a food processor or hand chopper and mash the beans with a potato masher or food processor and mix. Mix in the remaining ingredients and form patties. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can pick up each patty and compress it firmly in your hands to reform the burger. Then cook for another 15 minutes on each side.


Zucchini Skillet- serves 6

3 cups diced sweet potatoes
1/3 cup water
2 cups diced zucchini
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup green onion -- sliced
1red pepper -- diced
1 green pepper -- diced
2 orange peppers--diced
1 clove garlic -- minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

In a covered large skillet, saute the sweet potatoes in water for about 10 minutes.
Add zucchini, red onions, corn, green onions, red peppers, green peppers, and garlic.
Saute in water until vegetables are tender. Add remaining ingredients and allow flavors
to blend. Serves 6.