Soaked oatmeal

Long ago and far away I lived in a land where oatmeal was rarely ever served. It was called childhood, and oatmeal was something that seemed only to be made when camping. Quick oats, cooked on a campstove, with some brown sugar and margarine tossed on top. I liked the mouth feel of it, and wondered why we did not eat it more often. My teen years came along and a marvelous invention came along- instant oatmeal ! It made a great quick breakfast for those mornings that cold cereal was out ( breakfast on the weekdays was always cereal- eggs or pancakes or oatmeal were weekend things). One day as an adult I discovered steel cut oats, and I thought I had conquered the world of potential oat nutrition. Then came adding things like pumpkin and nut butters  to that bowl or even overnight oats in the fridge. Well move over kids, oats have a way to be made even better- soaked oats !!!

Why soak oats ? The reason is phytic acid. Soaking oats for 12-24 hrs allows the acid to be broken down and what remains is more available to the body for digestion. How to do this and why can be found at this most excellent post ! 

A long-term diet of untreated (soaked or fermented) grains will lead to mineral deficiencies and disease.
It's an old Irish tradition of soaking oats in milk or water and leaving them that way overnight. Consider that people of Irish descent in our modern world tend to have a higher than average rate of things like Celiac Disease . In our modern world few people soak grains, and perhaps this forgotten practice is one of the causing factors.In days gone by, the Quaker Oats box included he directions to soak them overnight. These bits of trivia also add credence to the practice.

I soaked our oats for 24 hrs and in the morning added the additional water and pumpkin puree. We really like pumpkin in oatmeal for some reason ! Then I placed a spoonful of homemade almond butter and a tablespoon of ground flax in each bowl, added the cooked oats and poured a tablespoon of real maple syrup on top of this.

The results ? The best bowl of oatmeal I had ever made ! Creamy, a richer flavor and incredibly satisfying. It was completely worth the effort to soak them ahead of time, and is something I will do from now on.

I cannot wait to try working with the soaking technique for yeast breads !!

O is for the way it is obvious,u is for uncomfortable,c is for...

OUCH !!!!
I was rather excited that I was beginning to feel benefits from the abdominal work so quickly, and pleased that I was not really feeling any soreness from the developing muscles. I think I spoke too soon on that one , for late in the afternoon I started feeling soreness in my glutes , sort of proof to my mind that abdominal muscles influence back muscles in the form of an anatomy lesson I was not likely to forget. I decided to walk it out- ignore it, and by bedtime they were throbbing crybabies that demanded my attention, and woke me in the middle of the night in protest. Tylenol and an Epson salts bath are going to be very good friends of mine today, Progress happens with pain, and healing is a zitch !

Breakfast was cinnamon oatmeal with cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds and half a banana. I thought a little extra protein might be wise while I am trying to build some muscles.

Lunch was couscous salad I made over the weekend with an Peppridge Farm Deli Flat spread with red pepper hummus , sprinkled with a pinch of mozzarella and a big pinch of fresh cilantro and grilled.Yummy ! Some carrot and celery sticks joined in.

Dinner was a wonderful Indian Mango salad on a bed of romaine and watercress with roast broccoli , garlic whole wheat pasta and boneless skinless chicken thighs seasoned with garlic, thyme, paprika and lemon juice. The mango salad is going to appear on our table more often !

Indian Mango Salad

1 red pepper chopped
1 red onion chopped
1/2 tbsp. Mrs Dash
2 mangoes peeled and sliced
2 firm tomatoes -- chopped
1 pinch chili powder
2 stalks celery -- chopped

Mix all ingredients in a covered bowl and refrigerate.

Easter

Easter began with some bright sunshine , but by late afternoon it turned to cool rain. Saturday was cold rain as well, which made it not so nice for egg hunts in this part of the country. Easter happened though, as it does inspite of the weather, the theological debates or anything else. For our family, it was a fun busy day !

Breakfast was overnight oats with apricots and dates, topped with fresh blackberries and pumpkin seeds. Our market had blackberries for a song, so we indulged !

Bob sang at the 10 am Mass and then the Noon, so when he got back we grabbed a quick lunch . We were all starving and it meant a chance to eat something healthy before the gathering
Green Monster soup, Deli Flats with red pepper hummus and mozzarella cheese ( grilled) and fruit salad.Filling- and then off to mom's !

There was a lot of good conversations ( pictured he is my brother, one of my nieces who is expecting a baby any day, my brother's girlfriend and their son)

Babies playing with those who were babies noit so long ago themselves
( another niece with my brother and his son)

Egg hunts with newfound treasures ( one of my grandnephews)

and even a few friendly laps to catch up on a few zz's if you needed to.


And of course, food ! There was turkey and ham and lamb and veggies and salads and cakes and... in situations like my family gatherings there are a lot of people, all who bring a dish or two to pass because we are all certain that someone will forget something and we will all drop dead of starvation if we miss a meal . Belive it or not , it is actually a celtic custom to be hospitable and offer food and drink to all who cross your threshold. Few remember the reasons, find it so ingrained that they do this and just sense it is what they must do. It's fun , but it means there is a ton of food, everything served buffet style because you have no definite idea of how many people are coming . Then everyone eats on plates perched on laps because there is no room for a table- so no pictures of my plate.

Back to school today and back to normal !

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.

You only THINK this is what you are going to do today !

Ever have one of those days where you make plans and it seems that the whole world works to get you to change them ? Such was our day yesterday ! The plan was to go to the DMV so I could renew my license, then head over to the store to look for a new pair of shoes and other sort of uninteresting but necessary things. I heard what the weather was supposed to be like and I got this attack of irresponsibility that said "I don't want to be a grown up- I want to go play in the woods", and so we decided to head out to a new to us forest trail that leads to a waterfall. My glassess decided it was just too exciting and broke in excitement ! The temple piece sheared off, which is the universe's way of telling me "You will get in for an eye exam and new glasses NOW". Ugggh !

I wear glasses , but I hate wearing them ! I also have a serious thing about anything touching my actual eyes and a deep mistrust of lasik surgery , so I put up with them. I went through life fine until I was 16, forced to take Drivers Education as part of my public school education, went for my learners permit and discovered I had a vision problem. A visit to an eye doctor revealed I had astigmatism and no depth perception , as well as being nearsighted. I got my first pair of glasses, and with the sudden inclusion of the ability to judge distance, I spent a few weeks feeling seasick and about 6 feet taller than what I was. I tried to NOT wear the glasses at every opportunity possible, but eventually resolved myself to wear the darn things. I am terrible about routine eye exams ! I keep telling myself my vision is fine and it works till I break the frames. One time I was able to convince the eye department to just pop my old lenses into new frames, and that became my back up pair. Last pair I got were coated for non glare and I learned that I have something in my skin chemistry that eats away the coating, and it took 4 return visits to get them straightened out. My skin oil ate through the wire frames, they snapped and I have been wearing my back up pair for about 3 years now. The lenses in this pair are 20 yrs old. It's gonna be fun. I was able to glue the temple piece back on, went the day without my glasses , and decided to pay a visit to Visionworks on Monday to get new glasses. Nick will come for his very first Eye exam as well. He has eagle eyes, but considering both his dad and I wear glasses, odds are great that he will sometime in the future as well.


Breakfast was apple blueberry oats with goji berries and pumpkin seeds. Goji berries ( the red things) are an antioxidant that help boost immunity, circulation,protect eyesight and more. They have a semi sweet taste with a slight mild bite at the back.They are also called wolf berries, and are used often in Chinese medicine.

We headed out to the waterfall, but once there discovered that the trail was flooded. We had a very wet winter and a lot of rain in the past weeks, and several places have flooded as a result. Darn ! After some debate on what we should do instead, we headed to The National Shrine of St Theresa to walk their outdoor Stations of the Cross ( a Catholic devotional) and so Bob could get a needed item from their bookstore. Once there we discovered that the station area was filled with mole hills and fallen branches, so we did a slow sort of mosey and spent a lot of time watching chipmunks scurrying to feed their young and semi religious geese protesting our proximity to their nests. Critics !!!

Lunch wound up once again out and at sweet tomatoes. This time pictures

I call this Mount Green with romaine, baby spinach, zucchini, red onions, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, red beans , garbanzo beans , black olives, raisins and sunflower seeds. I am really changing ! Some people drool when they pass a bakery- I drool and want to jump in whenever I see any veggie !!

Second plate with a sampling of a few of the current signature salads- Joanne's Broccoli madness, Chicken Won ton Happiness, Citrus whole wheat pasta salad, French Bistro salad and another one I cannot recall the name of. All of them are SOOOOOOO good !

We made our way back home as Bob had to go sing at the Holy Thursday services. We were all too full for dinner ( again) but knew he had to eat something to get him through the evening, so about dinnertime we all opted once again for yogurt, blueberries, seeds and granola
In the evening Bob was off to sing, Nick decided to watch the Holy Thursday services on EWTN as well as their numerous reflection type programs and I took advantage of the time to do some of my distance Reiki work. Afterwords, I considered for a moment how odd our household is . Nick has said in the past that he wants to be a Minister ( and in the very next breath say that he wants to be a game designer or a chef), and I am beginning to think that he may indeed go into ministry in some capacity. He has a great respect and sensitivity to all things spiritual ( advantage of living in a mixed faith household I believe), and has a very high level of compassion for all living things. He was the one who suggested we head to the Shrine yesterday , and it was his decision to tune into mass on TV. He was offered the opportunity to go , but because Bob's choir rehearses before the service it makes for a long evening , so he opted to observe in his own way. I finished my work before the service ended, and he asked me different questions about symbolic gestures and such of the service as it unfolded, and I explained to him the why and meanings of them. I did a lot of studying of Catholicism before Bob's ordination, and it's good to have those details stored in my memory bank.

Today there are no plans for anything other than Good Friday service and a sacred concert, so the day will be a little more back to normal with eating.

Did you happen to catch the end of The Biggest Loser last night ? They had a man who lost over 400 lbs on his own at home, and he did it through diet and walking. I think he is my new hero- proof that you DO NOT have to join a gym, run, buy a lot of equipment or join exercise classes to get results. Simple walking will indeed get the job done. It did for me when I lost 110 pounds in the past , and it gives me renewed hope that it will work again ! Walking made up a lot of our day yesterday , and when not walking we would take out time to play Walk it Out for the Wii with the brilliant decision to place the nunchuck in our socks, sit in the chair and swing your feet to the beat instead of walking and potentially annoying the neighbors. Sort of an air walking fidget if you will that was a heck of a lot of fun.

These things helped me to discover one very important motivational saying that I have repeated to myself my entire life when faced with a challenge- it's easy to make lemonade out of lemons, but a sign of genius to turn them into gold. Anyone can do anything with the perfect environment and equipment , but many times in life the only thing you have is a desire and your wits. If you stop focusing on what you do not have and concentrating on what you have in hand, you can pretty much do anything. Where would we be without people like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell - both of whom are men who wanted to accomplish something important and according to the voices around them could not do it. They took what they had and what they knew , used it to the best advantage and created something that changed the world.I see that kind of thinking involved with both my weight loss journey and overall life dilemma. Instead of pondering all those things I cannot do and all the restrictions, the only thing I can do is use what I have in my hand and make every possible moment count. Perhaps if the economic climate continues and less and less two car/two income households begin who have less and less ability to take children to numerous activities and events, people like my son , who has lived it, will be needed to show people how exactly to make fun and memories without external things. Perhaps.

Eats of the day were some goodies !

Breakfast was apple raisin oats with pumpkin seeds. I grabbed a pack of salted ones by mistake at the store, so I am stuck with them till we use them up. The salty and sweet does make for a good combo tastewise though !

Lunch was a mug of the current batch of 15 bean soup with veggies and hummus. My son seems to inhale this, lentil and minestrone soup. It makes me giggle- before we started this journey he absolutely hated soup, or an foods that contained multiple tastes and textures.

15 bean soup

1 bag 15 bean soup mix
1 lb pork product ( ham, sausage, ham hock, ham bone- highly flavored chicken sausage works as well)
4 cups chicken stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
3 carrots, sliced
3 onions, chopped

Wash beans and soak overnight ( I put mine in my crockpot overnight covered with water on low)Drain the beans and place with all other ingredients in a crock pot , cook on high for 4 hours

Dinner was something that has become a new favorite- Creole chicken with spinach and rice. This time I made it with rainbow chard instead of spinach because it was so good looking in the market on Saturday and on sale . Chard and Spinach are interchangeable in recipes, but because chard has a lower oxalate acid count, it has a slightly more mild taste. I used chard also because i had a craving for a spinach strawberry salad, which came along for the ride. So many greens....

Creole Chicken with Spinach and Rice

1 cup brown rice -- uncooked
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
olive oil (small amount)
3 chicken legs and thighs
1 1/2 cups chopped organic celery
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes -- (no salt)
10 ounces spinach or chard
1 cup chili sauce (low salt) or salsa
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large green pepper -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Cook brown rice according to package directions, adding chili powder to cooking water.
Using a paper towelmoistened with olive oil, lightly coat a deep nonstick skillet and heat. Cook thin strips of chicken on medium high, turning occasionally, for 3-5 minutes until no longer pink.
Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer covered for
10 minutes. Serve over seasoned brown rice. Serves 4.

Where is Solomon when you need him ?

Why is it that deep, sustainable changes have to be so difficult to make ? Simple change is easy, and just because something changes does not mean it will remain on the new course unless it is a sustainable action. And unless something is a sustainable action, change can mean more harm than good. Intelligent change must be real, measurable and sustainable. To bring sustainability all factors of the current problem must be understood and taken into account when making a change, or it will fail. That's kind of where I am right now, and it seems that the equation gets more complex as things go about. I have been considering just how to make this whole thing with family time work with my husband's commitments. He devotes almost all of his vacation time to the heavy weeks church wise ( Holy Week and Christmas), every weekend ( at least 2 weeks a month it is Saturday and Sunday, the rest is usually all morning on Sunday) flex time off at work for funerals and now he is being called to do funerals on his vacation as well. We have one car because we cannot afford a second car, no public transportation and live at an intersection of two very busy roads with no sidewalks.No possible solution is one that would be sustainable for many reasons and it is making me think very unkind thoughts about everything involved. Then in the mail I got a bridal shower invitation for one of the nieces, and as much as I would like to go I know I probably will not be able to because he is going to be called for a funeral AND do evening mass that day and we will have to jockey around the whole rest of the week in order to fit in the necessary errands of the week, so I will not go. It's one of a thousand things I have missed because he has to sing. It gets really old.

One thing is certain though, I think better on my feet while walking. Walking can become a moving meditation that gets your blood pumping, endorphins flowing and helps you burn some calories. While walking I discovered that I am also able to jump now ! Nick and I did a lot of walking yesterday , housecleaning and playing another Wii game called Walk it out. It allows you to walk to the beat of several different tracks while you build an island community. We could not walk because of the noise factor, so we did the most we possibly could while seated in a chair. We broke a sweat , and it was a lot of fun !

The day was powered at the start by pear apple blueberry oats. We seem to go to this one a lot !

Lunch was black bean salad on a bed of romaine and watercress. I really love the colors in a black bean/corn/tomato mix !

15-Minute Black Bean Salad

½ cup minced onion
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 can black beans -- (15 oz) drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn -- thawed
8 cherry tomatoes -- quartered( I used 2 whole, chopped)
½ cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
lettuce of your choice

Mince onions and garlic
Mix all ingredients together and serve on a bed of lettuce. This salad will keep for a couple of days and gets more flavorful if you let it marinate in the refrigerator for awhile. Serves 4

Dinner was an easy one . I wanted to make another round of lentil soup and 15 bean soup for the freezer, and both work best with ham. I bought a shank ham for the bone, planned to cook it in my crockpot, but it would not fit so I had to cut the meat off the bone and cook it separately. This was a big advantage because I could do a second crock pot with lentil/split pea soup at the same time as the ham. I remebered a trick discussed on my freezer cooking loop to make ham less salty ( pour a can on lemon lime soda over it) , and decided to try it for myself. It worked ! The ham came out less salty and very tender. I served it with a tossed salad topped with fruit salad and pecans and a vegetable ragout- think a sort of stew without broth.

Asparagus-Potato-Leek Ragout

2 large leeks -- white and pale green
1 lb. small yukon gold potatoes ( or other small potatoes)
2 cups water -- seasoned with Mrs Dash
1 lb. asparagus -- trimmed and cut diagonally
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms
lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves -- chopped ( or 2 T dried)
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley -- finely chopped ( or 1 T dried)

Cut leeks lengthwise and wash thoroughly. Then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Quarter potatoes and steam in a steamer until just tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a bowl. In skillet,water-saute leeks in seasoned water for 3-4 minutes, stirring until tender. (Add liquid if needed.)
Transfer leeks to bowl with potatoes. In skillet, heat more VegiZest water and water-saute asparagus for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and water-saute mixture, and continue cooking for about 3 minutes or until mushrooms soften. Combine all ingredients. Before serving, squeeze a little lemon juice over vegetables, stir in mint, parsley, and pepper to taste, and gently toss. Serves 4.

Domestic Violence - or is it violins ?

My home is trying to kill me !

I have come to this conclusion after events of this week. There is a joke that says that housework , if done correctly can kill you. I think my home environment got wind of this and is testing out the theory.

The morning started out with a huge sigh of relief that this was not going to be yet another day of cooking , clean up and other household tasks. It was going to be MY day - well okay, my day to focus on schooling and exercise. We are working with a really interesting unit study for the science portion of our school and we would be able to follow all the "rabbit trails" we came across without having to worry about time needed for other subjects plus he flow of the day. Nice feeling in that.


breakfast was fruity oats with pumpkin seeds. It is amazing how much sweet is given to oats when you cook fresh fruit in the water for a few minutes. A pear, an apple and a spoon ful of raisins make the oats extra yummy ! Pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc- something that helps ward off colds, protects men from prostate cancer and other good things.

So we began school and had such a fun, rewarding day that we had a late lunch that we had to force ourselves to stop for. No reflection on the lunch but wetland ecology was just so much more interesting !
The 15 bean soup, veggies and hummus was worth the break though!

The plan for the afternoon was to head to the woods for a nice long walk once Bob got home. It was a beautiful day and I was itching to get out there. We finished school, got cleaned up and then Bob came home and we grabbed our shoes to get out the door. It was then i learned that I was not going to go anywhere because my house is trying to kill me. Monday while doing one of many clean up jobs I caught my big toe on either the bottom of the closet door or pedal on the garbage can and I cut all the skin off the top of it. I remember whacking my foot, saying ouch but needing to move on to complete things. I did not notice how bad I injured muyself till I sat down to do the Wii with Nick and he pointed out my bloody toe. So I cleaned it up, put a bandage on it and went about my barefoot way. This was the first time I put a shoe on since the scrape, and putting a show on the foot made me VERY aware of the cut and it's severity . So I took my shoes off and went to go try to find other footware, only to discover I have none. My son's flip flops are too big, my husband does not own any and it is too cold and the parking lot is too filled with broken glass and oil spills to go barefoot. So I was grounded, and really disappointed ! We stayed home and played with the Wii, while I decided that the house is definitely trying to kill me.

Dinner was one of the better crockpot recipies I have- Italian sausage soup with greens. Take a pound of italian sausage and cut it into coins. Toss in the crock pot and slice 3 cloves of garlic and add. Pour in 4 cups chicken stock and a can of tomato paste and cook on low for 4-8 hrs. Half hour before serving turn the crockpot up to high and add 1/2 cup small shell pasta ( I was out so I added 8 oz of whole wheat rotini so that the remaining 2 ounces in the bag would stop falling out everytime I opened the cabinet door and create either dishwater noodle soup or Crunchy floor) and 6 cups chopped greens - I used rainbow chard and arugula this time. I paired this with a sandwich of hummus spread on a Deli flat and a string cheese sliced into coins and cooked at 350 for 10 minutes. Top with fresh spinach- fast and yummy !

After dinner we watched The Biggest Loser ( I am getting so bored with that show !) and the next episode of 19 Kids and Counting. I felt off because I had not really gotten any serious exercise in for the day , and my body was missing the endorphins ! I am going to baby my toe till the weekend, and in the mean time go back to the hallway workout here. At least I can walk the always in my stocking feet and my toe will develop a happy, protective scab so i can once again wear shoes !