March 19, 2013

This is dumb.  I'm done.

St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day.  Just doesn't mean much any more :(  Went to the grocery store today and saw people sporting green - like grown up people sporting green!  I didn't even really think about it.  Such a party pooper I am.

Gary & I ate at Kroger's.  I've eaten the salad bar there before but not the hot bar.  A hot meal - one entree and two sides - for $7.99!!!  Our super Kroger has a seating area.  It wasn't bad.  I got roasted chicken (a tad heavy on the Shake 'n Bake), lima beans, and green beans.  I would eat there again.

Gary ended up helping a friend all afternoon and ate dinner there, so I was on my own for dinner.  Really didn't feel that hungry, so I just heated up some of the oatmeal I'd made the other day.  That was dinner until....

I got busy in the kitchen and made two batches of muffins.  Had 1/2 of each one of those.  Also licked my fingers when I made some more Energy Bites!

The protein powder muffins were pretty good.  They are kind of spongey.  They "fell" when they came out of the oven, but they are still pretty good.  They are gluten-free:

Banana Bread Muffins - oven 350 degrees

3/4 cup ripe banana (1 banana)

3/4 cup egg whites (I just used 2 eggs)        
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cups oats
2 scoops protein powder
1/4 cup sweetener
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - I used 1 teaspoon

Put ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Place in muffin papers.  Bake 15-18 minutes.

The other batch of muffins have more of a muffin texture.  They are Banana Muffins:

Banana Muffins - oven 400 degrees

2 1/2 cups oats

1 cup plain Greek yogurt                               
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons flax seeds
2 ripe bananas

Place oats in a blender and pulse for 10 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Place in muffin papers and bake 18-20 minutes.  (I added almond extract, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans.)

Both recipes are pretty good.  I think I'll stick with the protein powder muffins most, because it's lower in carbs.

I've been buying almond butter from Good Foods Co-op.  I like to support that store, because it's local; however, it's farther from home, and I don't make it there often.  Today I just bought almond butter at Kroger's.  I couldn't tell if anything is added, but I don't think so, since it is ground as you use the machine.  I don't know how much per pound it is, and I can't remember how much almond butter is at Good Foods.  Good Foods grinds their own and puts it in containers on the shelf.  I know that is just almond butter.  I need to do a cost/taste comparison.

I also bought some fruit to puree for a topping for pancakes.  I did blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry.  I added some of my canned applesauce to each of them.  I used the VitaMix and didn't bother to wash out the blender between batches, so I have somewhat of a mixed berry puree for each of them.  I think the overriding taste will still be the individual berries.   I put them in small containers to freeze.

In addition to all of that, I cleaned the den carpet and rearranged the furniture in there!  Busy day.

March 16, 2013

Did the Shamrock Shuffle today!  We walked with Gary & Becky this morning.  Had to be lined up by 7:30ish.  We got downtown around 7 to be sure we got a parking space.  Lots of people turned out.  Becky would have been running, but she opted to walk with us until the last 1/3, then she took off running.  Fun morning.  Afterwards, we went to Alfalfa's for breakfast.  Alfalfa's is a local restaurant.  It used to be a kind of hippy place with funky food.  It's more mainstream now.  I had a ham and cheese omelet and their Alfafries - kind of a lump of steamed potatoes.

Came home and took a nap!!!  Gary woke me up to tell me we'd been "invited" to Hayley and Paul's.  Gary put up three ceiling fans for them - two more to go.  I played with Eliza.  

I should have planned better for dinner.  Just wasn't thinking about being there that long.  Paul ordered pizza from Pizza Hut.  Normally that would be one of my very favorite things, but I'm trying to avoid that gluten.  I saw them eating pizza but didn't actually even want it.  Odd.  I got their wings instead.  I think they did have breading on them but not as much bread as pizza, I'm sure.Along with that, I had some celery.  Pretty simple meal.

Home now with my feet in the foot massager.  Steps so far:  9384.  I really expected my feet to be sore tonight after doing the Shamrock Shuffle.  I usually go about 2.7 mph on the treadmill.  Today we did 3.5 mph.  My calf was getting to me about midway.  It never got bad enough that I had to stop or bad enough that I thought I was doing damage - I hope.  Going at it hard and heavy on uneven surfaces gets me every time.  

Good day.  Friends, family, exercise, and sunshine!

Cheese!

No "Say cheese" today.  I forgot to take any pictures.  Really didn't have anything spectacular to photography anyway - traditional fare.  Gary was home today.  I made scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and grapefruit for breakfast.  Got the grapefruit at Krogers.  Really good grapefruit.  Wish I bought more than one.  We usually order from Dooley Groves in Ruskin, Florida each year, but they have gotten so expensive, and we can almost always find decent grapefruit and oranges here now.

Lunch was some summer sausage (no antibiotics, etc.), nut crackers (gluten-free), and cottage cheese. 

We went to the gym mid-afternoon.  Gary worked out and I swam.  The pool at the gym has been broken for a couple weeks.  It felt so good to get back in the water.  Aahhh...  I'm so nerdy in the water.  Never learned to swim the breaststroke, so I use a mask and snorkel.  Oh well.  Whatever gets the job done.  I also use fins.  That really sounds like cheating, but the fins work the legs big time - more resistance.  The snorkel makes me BREATHE!  I always thought it was a work-out.  That was verified when I read that some swim teams use them to practice with, because it causes you really work your lungs.  

Here's the thing about eating summer sausage before swimming:  you belch summer sausage into your snorkle!

I did forty minutes of laps in the pool and then some stretching.

Dinner was steak and salad with oil & vinegar.  

I still have some of those energy bites.  Had one after my swim.  They really are yummy.

My snorkle is one that rides in the front of the face.  Typically a snorkle is on the side of the head.  That allows water to get in easier.  The kind I have bends back over my face/head.  It has a band that rides on the forehead and a strap that goes around the head.  Doesn't attach to the mask like a regular snorkle.  This doesn't exactly show it clearly, but this is like mine.  Mouthpiece goes in and snorkle goes up the front of the face and towards the back of the head.

March 14, 2013

This year is ticking by fast.  It's almost Easter - which also means spring is almost here.  I'm so ready.  I need daylight!

My feet are still a bit achy today.  I may need to back off on steps per day.  Just try for 8,000 which is my goal v 10,000 that is supposed to be the goal.  I think swimming is definitely going to have to be my every-other-day exercise.  I'm trying to save my feet for Saturday.  We're walking the Shamrock Shuffle downtown with friends - 3K. I'm trying to find the right combination of footwear, orthotics, and other gadgets to get my feet healed.  I've read blogs and websites about plantar fasciitis.  Seems everyone has the same problem - there is no one fix.  Having said that, I bought a new pair of tenners yesterday and another OTC insert for my shoes.

Finished off those yummy pancakes this morning.  The other varieties I made are in the freezer.  I guess I'll swap off to something else for breakfast tomorrow. 

Ever have days when you're just not hungry?  That was today.  I don't have many days when I'm ravenous.  I do have days when my cravings take over.  There are days when I just can't find what would satisfy me.  It's probably something like potato chips, a Twinkie, or a Milky Way!  I just can't go there.  But today, I just wasn't hungry which makes deciding what to eat more difficult.  For that reason, lunch was a turkey jerky stick and mandarin oranges!  Odd little lunch.

Got in the kitchen tonight and made some energy bites.  Found this recipe on....Pinterest, of course.  They are pretty good.  I think I'll make a double batch next time, because Gary likes them, too.

Energy Bites
 1 cup (dry) oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla

I added 1/3 cup of oat bran.  I didn't have vanilla, so I just left that out.  I also added some dried currants.  I was able to stir this together with a spoon.  I then used my hands to form the balls.  Even with the peanut butter and honey, they are a bit crumbly.  I thought I would be able to roll them into a ball.  Instead, I had to form them into a ball and press them together.  Not a problem, really.  I decided to add some olive oil to the last bit of batter hoping it would make the balls stick together.  Can't say it really helped.  I haven't tried those yet.  I put the balls on a cutting board and refrigerated them for a bit before I put them in a container.  Gary said they reminded him of no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.

Dinner was chicken breasts cooked in my new yellow pot.  Such a pretty, cheery color for cooking food.  Just browned the chicken in the pot, added some chopped vegetables, a bit of tomato sauce, and baked it for about an hour.  I had leftover rice, so we ate it over rice.  Steamed some asparagus - and that was dinner.

Got really kitchen-y today.  I can't eat oatmeal in the morning.  I know it's good health-wise and want to include it. Dawned on me that I could have it at night as a snack before bed.  I typically cook steel-cut oats on top of the stove, but I thought, if I can cook rice in the steamer, why can't I cook oatmeal in the steamer?  I did it - and it worked!  I used 1 cup of water and 1 cup of almond milk.  I also added dried currants (it's not that I'm a huge fan of currants; just needed to use them up, which apparently, I did today - in energy bites and oatmeal!).  If I were going to eat this immediately, I would add more liquid.  The oatmeal was a bit on the dry side.  I usually make a batch of oatmeal and reheat.  When I do that, I add liquid.  That's what I'll do with this.  I also stirred in some chopped pecans after the oatmeal was done. 

Showered this morning and just put my jammies back on.  I do that some days.  Nice to just stay in and get things done in my own time and in my own way.

3/13/13

3/13/13!!!!!!  There must be some meaning to that :)

Well, I wasn't going to post tonight 'cause I don't have any fancy pictures to show.  Sigh.  Oh wait - maybe I do:

There you go!  My soon-to-be handy dandy food vacuum sealer!  Just placed an order.  Hoping this is worth the money.  Not sure what all I'll seal with it.  I have a feeling it might end up being like my label maker.  I love my label maker.  I label everything.  I soon may be shrink wrapping everything!  Stay tuned to see how I put this into use.

Today was a pretty good day food-wise.  I had some of those protein powder pancakes for breakfast.  They tasted so yummy.  I think they taste yummy just because I don't have the guilt that goes with eating regular pancakes.  They aren't Cracker Barrel pancakes, but they are pretty good.  

Lunch was .... McDonald's .... but a relatively healthy McDonald's lunch.  Gary and I got the southwest grilled chicken salad.  My friend told me about it.  It was actually pretty good.  I got balsamic vinaigrette dressing - not too many calories or bad stuff in it.  

Dinner - well, I was going to cook, but we spent the afternoon putzing around shopping.  Checked a few stores for vacuum sealers to compare prices to what we found online.  So, we went to Applebee's for dinner.  I like their Fiesta Lime Chicken...kinda.   I just get the chicken grilled - plain.  Rice and tortilla strips to go with it.  Hummm...no veggie in there...but I did have that salad at lunch :)

Gym today....did the treadmill.  My feet are reminding me.  I used the foot massager for 1 1/2 hours when I got home.  11,504 steps.  Ta da!  Feeling good about that even if my feet aren't. 

Starts and Stops

Well, the day started well and then...I lost it.  Sigh.

I made pancakes last night!!!  Made three different batches from three different recipes.  I found some gluten-free, flour-free recipes that sounded pretty good.  They all tasted pretty good, but only two turned out really well.

Here is one of the recipes:

Protein Pancakes
Recipe By TIU
Makes 1 serving of 4, four-inch pancakes, or one large pancake

Batter:
1 scoop protein powder – any kind or flavor
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional for an added nutritional boost)
2 Tbsp almond milk
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 banana – mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (if your protein powder is plain)

Toppings:
1 Tbsp sliced almonds or almond butter
1 Tbsp low sugar syrup

In a small bowl, mash half of a ripe banana and set aside.

In another bowl, combine one scoop (or one serving listed on packaging) of protein powder, ground flaxseed, almond milk, egg whites, and cinnamon. Add the mashed banana and stir all ingredients together until smooth batter is created. If using a unflavored protein powder, pure vanilla extract can be added into the batter.

Lightly coat a pan with nonstick cooking spray, and place on stove over medium heat. Pour the batter into 4 inch circles (or one gigantic pancake!). Flip pancakes once they start to bubble.

Top with sliced almonds or almond butter and low sugar syrup.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: banana
Whole Grain: no grains for this one! Keeping it simple and low carb
Protein: protein powder
Plant Based Fat: ground flaxseed and sliced almonds

If you’re interested in Hemp Protein Powder, I used Nutiva Hemp Protein Powder + Fiber. This particular powder is unsweetened and unflavored and has an earthy taste to it. It can be found at Whole Foods or your local health food store.

protein pancakes

I had to add three scoops of protein powder to make the batter thick enough.  I also went ahead and used a whole egg v egg whites.  The result:  pretty tasty!   I intend to puree some fruit to use as a topping v syrup.  Gary thinks adding some chopped nuts would make them really good.  After making the oatmeal pancakes (to follow), I think I would also add some baking powder to these to make them a bit fluffier.

I found these recipes on Pinterest.  One pancake recipe that kept showing up repeatedly was the cream cheese pancake.  I thought I'd try it, too.  

Cream Cheese Pancakes

Yield: Four 6-inch pancakes

Serving Size: 1 pancake

Ingredients

• 2 oz cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 packet stevia (or any) sweetener
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Put all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet. Blend until smooth. Let rest for 2 minutes so the bubbles can settle. Pour 1/4 of the batter into a hot pan greased with butter or pam spray. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, flip and cook 1 minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve with sugar free syrup (or any syrup of your choice) and fresh berries.

Well, I don't think this will be a keeper.  The batter was very thin - almost like a crepe.  I had trouble getting the pancakes to turn without pulling them apart.  I tried higher heat, lower heat, small pancakes - I was able to just get a few that looked decent.  They tasted good - rich - and should have with the eggs and cream cheese.  For the amount of cholesterol and fat, I think I'll stick with the protein powder pancakes.  They ain't pretty!

cream cheese pancakes

Next up - flourless pancakes with oatmeal:

Flourless Pancakes

1 cup skim milk
1 egg
2 T unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole oats
1 T baking powder
1 packet all natural stevia (optional)

Add all ingredients to a blender - in the order listed.  Blend for 20-30 seconds.

Pour batter onto hot griddle or skillet in small pancake size.  Yields 8 pancakes. 2 pancakes = 150 calories, 3 g frat, 26 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 8 g protein, 48 mg sodium, 4 g sugar

These were really good!!!  The only thing is that there are more carbs in these because of the oats.  I had to add more oats to get the batter thick enough, and instead of stevia, I used honey.  Pretty good.  These would be great with chopped nuts added, too.

Since I'm trying to avoid carbs and gluten, I think I'll use the protein powder pancake recipe more than the oatmeal recipe...even though they are pretty good!

oatmeal pancakes

So why the title Starts and Stops?  Because...I STARTed out really well this morning with my pancakes.  Lunch I did pretty good, too.  Then I caved and ate the cherry pie from McDonald's that Hayley bought me.  Sigh.  Then...we stayed late helping Hayley and Paul.  That meant a stop for dinner.  Yes, yes, yes, I could have chosen something better than ChikFilA, but it just called to me.  It's that "I've already messed up today, what the hell" thinking that got me.  So it was a chicken sandwich and a few fries.  NOT what I was supposed to eat.  I should have STOPped after the cherry pie weak moment, but I didn't. 
There's always tomorrow.

Getting on it again!

Well!  I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted on this blog.  2011!!!!  Here it is two years later.  Goodness.

Here's what I've discovered.  Blogging helps keep me on track.  There's something about posting that makes me want to do better....even if no one else is reading this.  Weird.  Oh well.  Whatever works.

I really want to try to go gluten-free.  No doctor will tell me that I have a gluten sensitivity, but when I read all the symptoms, I have to wonder.  I've tried this before and just didn't keep up with it.  Takes planning.  I'm going to make the effort again - if even for just 3-6 months.  At least I'll know if I feel better or not.  If so, I'll continue.  If not, I don't think I will have done any harm.

I'm starting with tonight's dinner.  It was supposed to be black-eye peas on rice.  Just a teensy problem - I forgot to plug in the steamer/rice cooker.  Apparently the time ticks away and dings even when the steamer isn't plugged in.  Yep - one hour later - DING! - but uncooked rice.  Sigh.  This is a great gadget - when plugged in!

So, dinner was black-eye peas without rice - which actually was quite tasty.  I didn't grow up eating them.  I've always thought I needed the rice to  make them taste good.  Now I know I don't!  Probably was better not having the rice - lots fewer carbs - which is what I need to focus on, too.

Before cooking...

I just had to warm up the black-eye peas.  These were some I had canned over the summer.  I sauteed some bell pepper, onion, and tomato to go on top of the peas.  Yummm.  We also had some carrots that I had canned.  I just added about a teaspoon of honey (local) to flavor them some.

I love this little pan I got from World Market.

Yummy dinner!