Kale- a love story

Once upon a time , there was a little girl who grew up in a land where dinner always included a vegetable. Corn, green beans, peas and carrots made up the kingdom most nights, with spinach, sweet potatoes and square boxes of frozen squash filling in the gaps . On festival days  broccoli, parsnips and rutabagas would grace the land with their exotic qualities. Beets and cabbage would occasionally tour the land, much like a collection of Holy Relics would in the Dark Ages. The realm would come and pay tribute to these , but they really had no idea how to use these to the best advantage. It was a happy and healthy land none the less.

Then one day the little girl grew up and married a man who came from a culture that had thousands of years worth of vegetable perfection due to a climate with a long growing season and a wide variety of vegetables. However the Prince had also grown up in the land of few options, so something was lost. Time went on, they rediscovered the culinary roots that he had come from , and there was a great happiness in the land. One day someone told the girl that had grown to be a woman that a strange green thing often used to decorate salad bars was not only edible and delicious, but that the  people from the land of The Prince had been using it very creatively for a long, long time. She tried it, and a new love was formed.

Kale ! That wonderful, delicious, nutritious often overlooked green gem ! I think amongst American and German cooks (up till recently) would simply cook this with a cream sauce or add to a soup. Good think if you like green veggies, but bad thing because these ways often serve up terribly overcooked, wimpy, slimy greens. Modern cooks often make these into kale chips ( yummy) or a quick sautee ( also yummy). However, if you use them in something I call "The Italian Trinity" ( dark green with tomato and white like garlic or onions) and add a pork product, they become super yum .

One word about preparing kale and other such dark leafy greens- you must remove the leafy parts from the stem before cooking. It is not poisonous, but rather that is is tough, woody and just not pleasant to eat. Doing this step is not hard- you simply rip the leafy part off of the stem and then cut or tear into bite sized bits. Or chiffonad if you are feeling fancy. One dish that really works well with kale is something I call Sausage, kale and pasta.

Ingredients include ( going clockwise) a handful of fresh basil cut into a chiffonad, handful of fresh italian parsley chopped, 1 bunch kale with stems removed and cut into chiffonad, 2 onions sliced into half moons, 1 pound rigatoni, 1 pint grape tomatoes  cut in half, as much garlic as you like, de-germed and sliced and 1 pound italian sausage cut into small peices.

In a dutch oven , pour in a serious glug of olive oil and add the garlic and onions. Cook till they sweat and add the cherry tomatoes. Use the back of a wooden spoon to crush them, helping the juice to escape. Meanwhile, start a pan of water to cook the pasta. Meanwhile, after about 5 minutes add the sausage and cover to cook for about 10 minutes ( add water if the mixture becomes too dry- like a 1/4 cup at a time. Add the kale, cover and let cook for about 5 minutes, or till the kale is wimpy.Add the basil.  Cook your pasta and add directly to the pan with sausage, and add a spoon or two of the pasta water if necessary. Toss in the fresh parsley and serve.

If you desire, add about a half cup of heavy cream to the tomato mixture before tossing with the pasta- gives it a sort of vodka  sauce quality. We top this with some freshly grated cheese and often fight over who gets to lick the pan after dinner. It is a winner !

It's not pretty !

Yesterday, inspired by the previous day's excursion with watering plants without aid, I determined that it was time to start pushing myself towards strengthening the muscles again. It it to the point where standing or walking is painful, but not of a sharp, nauseating variety. There is a difference- building muscle strength is pain, but it is a more mellow, core level sensation. Injury pain is sharp, blinding and demands immediate attention. Personally, I think healing pain is more sustained, and therefor a lot worse than the other ! However pain must be endured to heal, and it is best to get about the buisness of facing it sooner than later with recovery for me. So I set a goal to take 1,000 steps during the day. Not run a marathon, not climb a mountain, but simply get in 1,000 steps throughout the day without aid. I strapped on my pedometer and set about the day, encouraging myself to take extra steps whenever possible. It felt good AND painful, and I was excited to learn my step total for the day. Turns out I positioned it wrong, and for the entire day I registered 5 steps. Today is another day, and I have the pedometer positioned better, so we will try again !

Sometimes the results you get are not what your eye expects to see. I was expecting to see a number at least close to 1,000 with the pedometer, but didn't. Yet I know that I did more to be mobile than the day before. When I went to make dinner, I was expecting to have a dish with a pretty outcome, but did not get  one. I made a quiche with a crust, which is basically a pie , and for me that means mini disaster. Pies are not my longsuit at all ! I struggle to get the crust rolled properly , only to be unable to serve a piece in a way that looks pretty. It frustrates me, so I usually skip pie making if at all possible.  Yesterday was the first of three Ember Days ( an ancient custom that is sort of a mini thanksgiving for the season and a rent collection day for rural communities) , and by tradition it is a day of fasting  ( meatless). I discovered this recipe thsat involved a whole wheat, no roll crust, and I was inspired to take a chance.

As you can see, the presentation was not good, but the taste definitely was !    

Crab and Kale Quiche

    1 Single “no-roll” whole wheat crust
    3 Tbl. Butter
    2 cloves Garlic
    1/2 Cup chopped Sweet Onion
    1bunch kale, chopped
    1 Cup cubed Swiss Cheese
    1 – 1 1/2 Cups Crabmeat ( moc crab in my case due to an allergy)
    3 Eggs
    1 Cup Whole Milk Plain Yogurt
    1/2 Cup Milk
    1/2 Tbl. dried Parsley
    1/4 tsp. ground Celery Seed
    Sea Salt & Pepper
    Paprika

    Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare your pie crust pastry dough, and press into a sturdy 9in pie pan. Bake 20 min. Let cool slightly before adding quiche filling.

    Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan, and gently saute garlic and chopped onions, adding in the fresh kale  when almost done. Season with salt and pepper.
    Beat eggs, yogurt, and milk together, adding in the celery seed powder and salt & pepper. Add crab, kale mixture  and swiss cheese to the pie crust (in that order), and pour egg mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle with a light dusting of paprika. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F, and bake for 23-30 min, until quiche is set. Serve warm or cold.

Crust:
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1  1/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 tsp salt
Water     

Process in a food processor  and press into a pie pan

I think next time I make this I will do it as individual quiches or chill it before serving. It may have slid, but it was very tasty. As to real men not eating quiche ? Both of my real men wanted seconds.

Stress busting through boxing

I think I am seeing some other non scale progress here. The power of vigorous exercise to relive stress ! Often times I simply think myself to death about a problem or issue, but yesterday I found myself reaching for a more physical release, and it felt great !

I started the day with cinnamon raisin oats , topped with a mix of honeydew, cantaloupe and pineapple. Fresh fruit with oats is wonderfully sweet and satisfying !

Then it was off to the tasks of the day , which included three big mental puzzles on top of the usual school things . I pondered, I wrestled, I was getting nowhere fast, and Nick was trying his best to be helpful. He may struggle with expressive speech, but the boy understands volumes ! We kept breaking for walks , but it was not helping the brain puzzles much.

Lunch was Garlic Pasta with kale and an assortment of veggies and hummus on the side. Crunchy sometimes helps thinking( I joke that the crunching wakes up the sleeping dwarfs in your brain), and kale just does a body good. Kale's phytonutrients help your liver to produce several detoxifying substances that help in the prevention of numerous cancers, including breast, ovary and colon. It can also lower the risk of cataracts with it's high level of lutien, B vitamins and minerals. Kale is also very high in calcium. If that was not enough, kale can also help decrease the loss of mental function. ( can I have a bushel of it , please ????)

Garlic Pasta with Kale

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 lb kale -- stems removed, leaves cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add kale and salt. Simmer 1 minute or
until kale begins to wilt. Add pasta. Cook 8-10 minutes or until pasta is
al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a small
saucepan over medium heat, stirring 2 minutes until heated throughout.
Remove from heat.
Drain pasta and kale. Transfer to serving bowl. Add oil and garlic.
Sprinkle with Parmesan. Toss before serving.

After lunch it was back to the drawing board, and I slowly came to the conclusion that I was dealing with a no win situation and I wanted to scream ! Nick suggested we do some Wii Boxing, and I agreed. I tried to vent my frustration out through the game, and it felt darned good ! I could not come up with a solution, in spite of feeling better about it, and I tried to put it on my mental back burner.
Dinner was a quick favorite- Turkey Burgers with sweet potato fries and coconut salad. We had these on the new Earth Grains Tins- 100 calories per bun , but many more grains and healthier ingredients than the Arnolds or Pepperidge Farm thins. It is great to see different choices in these better for you options !

Turkey Spinach Burgers- serves 5

1 lb ground turkey
10 oz frozen chopped spinach defrosted and drained
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 T dried parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or Braggs Animos or soy sauce

combine all in large bowl. Divide into 5 burgers grill or broil 7 minutes on each side
or bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.( cooked burgers freeze well)

Sweet Potato Fries- serves 3

3 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 t olive oil
cinnamon to sprinkle

Wash sweet potatoes. Leave peels on and cut into fry shapes. Pour
olive oil on cookie sheet and spread with a paper towel. Spread
potatoes on the cookie sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with
cinnamon and bake at 350 for 45 minutes

After dinner I was really quiet and tense - happens when I think myself to death over something, and Bob suggested we watch Men who Stare at Goats. Funny movie based on true events, and I enjoyed it. I think I would like to buy this one to have in my collection. It made me stop thinking quite so hard about my dilemma ( lest it become a goat and I kill it with concentrating ), and somewhere in the middle of the night the perfect solution came to me , and there was great rejoicing in my head . The wanna be goats would be safe to bleat another day and two big dilemmas were solved .

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)

Arthritis, tragic abs and up a creek with a flimsy paddle

Life moves much like a stream, always flowing, always heading somewhere and the terrain it flows over dictates the characteristics of that flow. Flat lands create gentle meandering courses, hills create swift flowing movement and boulders create rapids.The stream can seem to disappear when it flows through a cave, but when it flows over a cliff , it becomes a waterfall. Yesterday made me feel as if my life's flow is in a waterfall of late !

Thursday I noticed that my arthritis was flaring up , and I was having pain in walking. Let me rephrase that- pain is not really accurate. It is more accurate to describe it as the feeling that my knee, hips and lower spine are not capable of supporting my weight and may collapse.Not a new feeling in the least, and i know more movement can help to lessen this feeling. It did not, but I was too wrapped up in life to give it a lot of thought. Thursday night I had trouble sleeping because there was no comfortable position to be found with my knee, and Friday it was worse because of the lack of sleep. Friday night was also fairly sleepless because of the discomfort, and while shopping Saturday I taxed the knee, hip and lower back too much. I could not complete all of the shopping, and had to send Bob into the last stop to complete the list. Again, I did not really think much about it because there was too many other things pulling at my focus. Yesterday afternoon was nice and our plan was to head to the park and play frisbee for some activity after lunch- portabello and red pepper sandwiches serve on Arnolds with veggies and strawberries on the side.

Portobello Red Pepper Sandwich
SANDWICH
1/2 large red onion -- thinly sliced
4 large Portobello mushrooms -- stems removed
4 deli thins
2 cups large arugula leaves
2 medium drained roasted red bell peppers -- from jar,
seeded and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
TAHINI SPREAD
3/4 cup raw tahini (pureed sesame seeds)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Mrs Dash
1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
1 large pitted medjool date -- chopped or 2 deglet noor
1 small clove garlic -- chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange mushrooms and onions on baking sheet
and roast until tender,about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make tahini
spread by blending all spread ingredients together.
When mushrooms/onions are done, place on deli flats Spread generous
amount of tahini spread on top half of split pita. Place 1/2 cup arugula
on bottom half and then, 1 mushroom cap (pat dry with paper towels to absorb
liquid), sliced onion and roasted red pepper.
Serves 4.

We got to the park, and I was having real problems walking on non paved terrain, so we decided to skip frisbee and simply walk. My knee was really bothering me , and after about a block I could not walk without hanging onto something- Bob was that something. I decided to try to just push through the pain and walk no matter what, and I could no longer do it after about 3 blocks. It made me come to some really sobering thoughts. First, in spite of weight loss and activity, my arthritis is getting worse instead of better. Second, it is time to begin walking with the use of a cane.Either that or give up walking all together. We came home, and the knowledge of this made me feel like I am now living in one of those waterfall experience , where I have no control and am at the mercy of gravity and the obstacles in my terrain. Defeated, but defeat always makes me think deep to uncover an unheard of approach. Is it possible, I pondered, to better cope with my knee and hip instability with the strengthening of my nearly non existent abdominal muscles ? Would it be possible to work on strengthening these and temporarily using a cane to give my frame more support so more speed can be archived, greater distance and therefor increased weight loss and less stress on the joints ??? Lets find out ! So starting today I am adding abdominal work into my day. I am not doing it to lose weight or get a six pack, but rather to strengthen my core muscles so they give better support and this will allow me more movement which will burn more fat and bring greater weight loss.

Dinner followed some searching on Google to find some exercises that should help this objective. Southwest Chicken with Braised Kale and Squash with Pumpkin seeds

To make the chicken , I places boneless skinless chicken thighs in a 9x13 pan and added 1 can of black beans ( drained) , 1 cup of frozen corn and 1 jar of salsa and a handful of chopped cilantro. I covered it with foil and baked it at 350 for an hour. The kale and squash were made with this recipe

Braised Kale and Squash with Pumpkin Seeds

2 bunches kale
1 medium butternut squash or small pumpkin
1 medium red onion -- coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic -- sliced
2 tablespoons Mrs Dash
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons Fig Vinegar
1 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds -- lightly toasted

Strip kale from stems. Discard stems. Wash leaves well, and coarsely chop.
Peel, seed, and cube butternut squash or pumpkin. Place kale, squash,
onion, garlic, and Mrs Dash in a large
pot with water. Cover and steam over low heat for 20 minutes or until
squash is tender. Add vinegar and toss. Serve sprinkled with lightly
toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Toast seeds in oven at 300 degrees
for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Serves 6

So today is back to school and a new , focused effort to repair the machine known as my body.My abdominal area has always been a problem ! While my arms, legs and back was strong, my abs were pretty wimpy when i was younger. Then I got pregnant, had a stillbirth, had major exploration surgery that cut me from six inches above my navel to the hair line, a pregnancy with a 12 lb baby and a C Section with an incision parallel to the other one in less than a year, and never working to regain muscle tone. Ladies and gentleman, I have my work cut out for me !!!

Bad day

Yesterday was one of those days that started bad and became worse. Bob had a funeral, a need to get some car repairs done , I needed to get in to renew my Drivers license, so he took a sick day so we could accomplish them all. Nice plan, but did not work out that way !

Breakfast was fruity oatmeal , and during this Nick kept going on and on about a message on the cable , and it kind of got on my last nerve. It happens . We moms are human and sometimes our children do thing that grate on us to the point where we become less than charitable souls. In our house, this is never a good thing with Nick, for when I get impatient he reverts to more autistic behaviors, and the rest of the day is a real struggle. Turns out the message was for an upcoming boxing match- something no one in this house was interested in. What a waste !

Bob left to do the funeral and we began school.Plan was he would come home after, pick us up, we would hit sweet tomatoes for lunch, do the DMV, then he and Nick would go do the car while I had a little peace to do the grocery list and menu. We began with Math, and this was one of the days where Nick stumbled into one math difficulty that he has had for the past 11 years and NOTHING seems to help. This on top of the episode at breakfast made for a very frustrating morning. After an hour of struggling to complete an exercise that should have taken 10 minutes, I told him we needed to put it down and head for a walk. A brisk walk not only leads to fitness, but clears your head, hits your emotional reset button, and lets you look at something different to refresh your spirit. After the walk, we both felt as lot better. Back to the books, and suddenly I glanced at the time again. Due to construction traffic Bob was running late, I did some quick time math ( factoring in variables like crowd flow) and called Bob to suggest a change in plans for the afternoon. Subway instead of Sweet Tomatoes, skip the liscense for this day and just deal with the car. It was a winner.
I heart Subway's Veggie sub !Pair it with more veggies at home and it is even better.

Lunch finished, the guys headed off and I sat down to plan. Less than an hour later Bob called and delivered the bad news- the anticipates 100 dollar repair was going to be 600 and take 7 hours. He decided to shop around and came home. We both agreed that our car was fast becoming a money pit ( we had to put 700 dollars into car repairs in the last 6 weeks and more expensive jobs were on the near horizon), and made the decision that the time has come to trade it in. Car issues are a serious matter with us. We ran into very serious financial trouble due to a used car and endless repairs, and we will never go that route again. We have only one car, so having it run well is critical. New cars are fun- but sadly this means a death knell to moving plans this year. Heavy Sigh. Hall Walking will be my salvation for a while longer it seems. Then we had a discussion about our mothers - both of whom have Dementia , and it just felt like a very emotionally heavy day all together. I made a little alteration to our planned dinner ( because I was out of a key ingredient) and instead made this ultimate comfort food sort of meal

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with ham and Sweet and Savory Kale

Baked macaroni and cheese with ham

8 oz Barilla Plus Elbows
1 can diced tomatoes
8 oz cream cheese ( fat free if you have it)
1 cup cheddar
½ cup Plain Yogurt
¾ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
diced red pepper
1 cup frozen corn corn
½ cup shredded cheese to top mac and cheese
2 cups chopped ham
White Alfredo sauce

White Alfredo Sauce
1 cup warm water
1 cup powdered milk
2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare the pasta according to directions.
To create homemade Alfredo sauce:
Place all ingredients in a jar and shake

In a large pot combine American cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, butter, tomatoes, homemade Alfredo sauce, salt, pepper , ham, corn and red pepper Stir on low heat until all cheese is melted. Then drain the pasta andadd it to the cheese sauce. Mix well.Then pour the Mac and cheese into a large baking dish. Top with shredded cheese . Bake for 40 minutes on 375


Sweet and Savory kale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 cups stemmed, torn and rinsed kale
1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds


Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the
onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.Stir in the dried cranberries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Both were yummy, comfort food sort of satisfying and while not exactly weight loss sort of food, nutritionally dense. Today is a brand new day and I am going to make it a good one !

Nutrition is a powerful thing and remebering the rest of my life.

It was a very cool, rainy day here yesterday. The temps did not reach the 40's , so it was another day of hall walking and Wii. It was the kind of cool damp where you began to expect the rain to turn to snow, but it never did. While the weather was miserable, we were pretty bubbly and began the day with the following

Steel cut oats with pears, apple , blueberry and pumpkin seeds. Oats are always a good way to start a day ! After breakfast, we hit the halls for our first walk of the day and then jumped on the Wii to get in almost a full hour of exercise before hitting the schoolwork. I was feeling quite energized when we began , and then suddenly discovered that an unwanted visitor made an appearance- she seems to visit most adult women ever 28 to whatever days. This made my energy go from peppy to
However, there is no sick day for mom's , so press on ! We jumped into ( okay...energetically stepped into ...err, slid into) school, then another walk, and then a break for lunch. I was feeling more droopy as the morning wore on , and suddenly so ravenous that I could eat floor tiles if not bolted down. Our metabolism changes with that visitor ( for some complex reasons) , and the ravenous hunger you get is your body demanding different nutrients as fuel or the journey. Instead of simply diving into anything, I thought about what fuel my body was in the greatest need of, and whipped up a creation I call scrambled eggs with stuff
I took some shredded cabbage, red pepper, scallions, mushrooms and kale, sauteed them in water and then tossed on some Mrs Dash and egg beaters. The veggies made it incredibly bulky, and immediately following lunch I felt back to my perky self. Yay nutrition !

After school was finished and a third was was taken I started looking or school materials , and stumbled onto two documents that many of you may be interested in about personal fitness action plans. First one is called Fitting fitness in ( click on the link to follow) and another called
Minimalist fitness- how to get in shape with little or no equipment .Both have some really handy tips about routines and exercise that can be done anywhere with little or no equipment. We are going to add many of these to our own daily routines.

Dinner was wholewheat pasta with roast vegetables ( zucchini, eggplant, butternut squash,broccoli, red peppers, asparagus) and chicken legs with mango glaze ( actually 100 percent mango papaya fruit spread that I found at our market with some garlic powder added).
The evening found me in a conversation with my middle sister about my mother. Mom has Dementa and Parkinsons Disease, and my middle sister is her caregiver. Lately mom has taken a turn for the worse and has begun to be physically violent with my sister whenever it is time to change her clothes or get her in the shower. Mom is fully incontinent, so changes happen often every day. Mom thinks that my sister means her harm and starts trying to defend herself, picking up anything nearby and beating on my sister with it as she struggles to change her clothes. Mom only responds to her, and it seems that it is time to look into a care facility for mom. She is only going to get worse, and if she progresses like most patients with this disease, she is going to begin to experience swallowing problems and more in a short time. My sister is feeling very guilt ridden about this, so I am trying to get her to see that this move is to be thought of more as the best care for her needs instead of failure or abandonment. Not going to be an easy argument. However, it does serve as a powerful personal reminder that no matter what the scale or clothing sizes or tape measurements say, your life is defined by a lot more than just these things. I am someones mom, daughter, wife, friend, sister, lover, counselor, Reiki worker, teacher,fiber artist, Blogger and a whole lot more. While the numbers on the scale may prove to be an indicator of how physically fit we may or not be for these challenges and roles, it does not define our abilities to preform them or even who we are. That lies with something much deeper, more far reaching and of greater concern to many. It is true for me, and every other person on a weight loss journey. We are not single faceted, one dementional beings, and it is important to keep that in mind. Life happens while you are busy executing plans based on your perception of your impact on the world.

Easter Vigil is a cooking vigil :-)

Incredibly busy day with shopping , ch0pping and getting Bob out the door on time for Easter Vigil mass. One of those days when those things are the only exercise you get in because it is all you have time for !

Breakfast was polenta with dried tropical fruit blend, topped with blueberries and pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds provide a good level of zinc to the body, which can help fight off colds and bouts of seasonal allergies amongst other things. Bob and Nick suffer from tree pollen, and now hat the trees are blossoming here, it's a preventative step.

Lunch was pasta primavera from the deli- I forgot to bring my phone , so no picture.

Dinner started off with a salad made from romaine and watercress, topped with a mix of pineapple, mango, papaya and one lonely very soft and heading south leftover pear from last week.

Following as a main dish was something I am calling Pasta primavera al fresco. I cooked 1 cup whole wheat pasta with kale, beet greens and spinach, and in a seperate pan with about a teaspoon of olive oil I sauteed 6 cloves of chopped garlic, then added a half cup of water and a chopped red pepper, green peper, pack of snap peas, 2 carrots , a half pound of mushrooms sliced, 2 diced roma tomatoes and a tablespoon of dried basil. I let it stir steam till tender and then drizzled it with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Toss the pasta and veggies together and serve topped with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Very yummy !

We are going to gather with my family for dinner today and I am bringing two vegetarian , low fat dishes to share. I will get to meet my newest grand nephew and catch up with my siblings and nieces/nephews. It will be good day- may you all have a wonderful Easter with you and yours !!

Good Friday and weigh in

Yesterday was Good Friday- a day devoted pretty much to religious observance by Bob and Nick. Bob had a sacred concert, dinner appointment and then evening Mass, Nick got completely engrossed in the coverage on EWTN of all of the observances and I wound up having to watch with him and explain various gestures and symbols. Other than a walk in the morning and playing some Walk it out , the day was very much a slug day.


Breakfast was Hot Crossed Oatmeal ! Hot Crossed Buns are a traditional Good Friday Dish that is very tasty but not of the greatest nutritional value. Instead of these fruity buns I made oatmeal with apple, pear, dates and topped it with a cross made of coconut. It was good.

Lunch began a quest to use up the veggies that we had bought for the week , failed to eat because of two lunches at Sweet Tomatoes, and could bot be frozen. It was also going to be our big meal together for the day , so I made wholewheat pasta with kale and topped it with ricotta lentil balls ( from the freezer) with marinara sauce. On the side was a salad of romaine, watercress, avocado and temple oranges. Good and FILLING !


Last night I saw had a mountain of green produce in the fridge that I hated the thought of tossing, so I made a batch of Green Monster soup. Pureed soup will freeze very well- fresh greens will not. I cut up 1 large sweet potato, 4 small yukon gold potatoes, a head of broccoli, a bunch of fresh spinach , 3 leeks and 8 cups of chicken stock and put it in the crockpot till all the veggies were tender, and then I pureed it with the immersion blender. Yummy ! Because of the chicken stock it is not meatless, so Bob could not eat this yesterday, but Nick and I certainly could. I served it with grilled cheese and tomato English muffins topped with basil and carrot/celery sticks. Green Monster soup is pretty darned good !

Weigh in this morning- I lost 1.4 lbs for the week. The guys both gained 2 lbs for some reason. This too shall pass.

So many choices, so few mealtimes !

I was talking to a friend yesterday about dinner and lunch ideas and a thought crossed my mind- life is too short to eat bad food ! We were talking about different recipes and several were things I would want to make and could make according to my new way of eating. Problem is there are only so many meals in a given week and I am afraid that I might forget some of these ideas before I can try them out. We all have the same problem in life. We eat three meals a day, seven days a week and there are a couple of billion different ways to combine healthy, flavorful ingredients for these. Why should we waste an opportunity on something that comes out of a can, is served at a fast food counter or is packaged after being altered for maximum appeal in color and taste ? Last I checked, nothing coming out of Hostess, Stoufffers or Chef Boyardee looks as remotely appetizing as mixed baby greens or a fresh cut ripe papaya.

Perhaps the thought was brought on by a moment of panic and freezing. We did several hallway walks yesterday and we were joking and being silly the whole time. Mynew goal is to get my son to love movement as much as he loves fresh fruit, veggies and whole grains, so there must be some amusement involved. For reasons I am not totally sure of, I decided it would be fun to make a quick dash between entrances on the outside while in our stocking feet ( and son without a shirt). It was sunny but an incredibly stiff, cold north wind was blowing. We got out, dashed to the other entrance, only to discover the lock was not working and we were temporarily stuck outside , freezing. The situation was remedied in less than a minute and we both laughed about how mommy had a dumb idea and we got rosy cheeks out of the day. It was bracing !

Breakfast was quinoa with frozen blueberries and walnuts. It seems if you put frozen berries in hot cereal it helps to cool the cereal, thaw the berries and the temp mix is just right.

Lunch was the last of the lentil soup, the last of the celery, more carrots than normal , rye crisp crackers and hummus. I am oing to have to make another batch of lentil soup this coming week, and to do so I need a ham bone. Good thing ham is dirt cheap this week due to Easter !Lentil soup seems to be our favorite, with minestrone coming in a close second.I may make a batch of each to stock the freezer with.

Dinner got a little out of hand , due to a need to use up some veggies that have been sitting in the fridge for a little while now. The meal was 15 minute garbanzo salad ( garbanzo, tomato, celery and fresh herbs on a bed of salad greens) , Sesame Orange Kale and Chard, roast rutabega, carrot and sweet potato and a pork loin chop seasoned with ginger , tumeric and garlic. Somehow I bought too much of a couple of things two weeks ago and rather than toss them I determined to find a way to use them up. We go shopping on Saturday where a new stock comes in so I am kind of pressed to use it up. It happens some times !