New Year, New Start, Same Goals

happy 2013!!!  i am really looking forward to this year!  to me, the new year is a chance for a fresh start, a time for continuing the advances made the previous year and for setting new, attainable goals for the months ahead.  i didn't used to feel this way.  in years past, i wished for time to stand still; i was fearful of what lay ahead -- that it might be worse than what i had just come through.  this year, for some reason, i don't feel that way.  i feel a sense of anticipation -- and i couldn't really voice that until just this moment!  so, join me on this journey through the year of our Lord, 2013 . . . a spirit of  promise and hope is in the air!

on my journey to wellness, i have made many changes over the past two years. i reached a milestone of 50 pounds of weight lost.  i have exercised more. i have removed most grains from my diet most of the time.  i stopped drinking soda pop.  that was a big one for me, as i love soda.  of all the changes i have made, that was the hardest, and really, soda is the one thing i wish i didn't have to give up -- i don't miss bread or pasta; i miss my pepsi and mountain dew. 

this journey, however, is not finished.  i still have far to go.  i still eat foods that are not healthy.  i don't sleep enough. i worry too much.  yes, it's true, i am not perfect!  (shhh -- don't tell my husband or kids! lol!!)   even so, i am happy with the way my life has improved since changing my diet and getting healthier, and that will continue to be an important part of how i live each day this year.

my husband and i have decided to do another whole30 paleo challenge this month, to start the new year and reset our metabolism after the indulgences of the holidays.  we both chose to relax the restrictions on the food we ate over the past 6 weeks or so, and we are now seeing the results.  although we aren't surprised by some weight gain, we are reminded once again that being healthy requires daily diligence in both our diet and our activity.  so . . . is anyone else up for the challenge?  HERE is the whole30 website that helps explain the whole30 challenge.  make no mistake -- it is a challenge, but it is totally doable and so worth it!


during this whole30 challenge, i will also be reading one of my favorite paleo blogs,  nom nom paleo .  the author's name is michelle, and she makes great meals and posts wonderful pictures documenting how she and her family live the paleo lifestyle.  during the month of january, she will be posting about the whole30 challenge and i guarantee it will help you if you decide to follow along.

i will leave you with a recipe that i tried recently and loved!! if you like curry, you will love this too! if you don't like curry, well, this recipe just might change your mind.

MADRAS CURRY SAUCE

1 stick butter (8 tablespoons) 2 large onions, finely chopped 3 large cloves garlic, finely minced 2 carrots, finely chopped 2 chili peppers (see below) 2 apples, chopped 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 1-2 tablespoons Madras curry powder 3/4 cup coconut milk This is a simple curry sauce which can be easily prepared by chopping and/or mincing the ingredients in the food processor. A blender may also be used if the vegetables are chopped briefly in a blender filled with cold water.Using gloves, remove seeds from the chili peppers and soak for 30 minutes in warm water; drain and chop. Melt the butter in a skillet; saute the onions, garlic and carrots, without browning, but just until they take on a toasted color around the edges. The best way to avoid over-browning the garlic is to add it in near the end, when the onions have already begun to brown. Wash and core apples, leaving on most of the peel. Coarsely chop and add to the skillet. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat. Add chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons Madras curry powder, a teaspoon of sea salt or to taste and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root (don't use ground; use real ginger root). Add coconut milk; use slightly less if a thicker sauce is desired. Bring to a boil for one minute; remove from heat. Serve with any meat or fish desired. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with rice, if desired. (from cooks.com)

for my version i changed things up just a bit -- i substituted coconut oil for the butter, i left out the garlic, i did not use whole chili peppers; instead i used about a teaspoon of chili powder and sprinkled some dried red chili pepper over the mix.  i did use 2 apples, but i removed the peel and finely chopped them, and added them after the onions had softened up a bit.  regarding the coconut milk, we are talking full fat, canned coconut milk.  you will need to stir the solids that have risen to the top of the can back into the liquid contents.  then measure out 3/4 cup.  it also doesn't take 45-60 minutes of simmering if you don't want it to.  the best news?  it is whole30 compliant!  no added sugars, no diary (if you substitute coconut oil for butter as i did) and leave out the rice. just read the labels on your coconut milk and chicken broth to make sure there are no preservatives, etc.  this sauce would be good with any protein -- i made it this time with fresh (from frozen) tuna steaks that had been cut into about 1" medallions.  i then poured the hot sauce over the tuna in an oven safe baking dish and baked it for about 14 minutes in a 350 degree oven.enjoy!!

How did THAT happen?

so we are into our third week post whole30 challenge.  i have been watching my progress on the scale, and while there have been some ups and downs, it appears i have lost another 5 lbs so far during the month of may, for a total weight loss since january 1, 2011 of 48 lbs.  HOLY MAMA!!!  i was really surprised when i stepped on the scale this morning. i have been eating plenty of food (seriously -- you can trust me on that one!).  I have eaten some sugar (72% dark chocolate, a little ketchup, a little sugar on some strawberries) and some dairy (cheddar cheese, HOT COCOA!!!!), but not every day.  i have continued to avoid wheat and grains (mostly because there hasn't been anything that i wanted to risk feeling yucky for.  when there is something that is worth it, then we will see what happens.) 

i have not been keeping track of my calories, but i have tried to keep exercising consistently.  most days i try to do both light weights and walking, but some days it is just one or the other (like today -- i just had time for a light leg workout). today i also did 30 sit ups!!! whoooo hooo!!!

the main problem i have had is with drinking water.  i don't like plain water.  this has always been an issue for me.  i don't like the texture of water.  does anyone else think water has a texture?  to me, any water won't work. different brands of bottled waters have different characteristics, and i have my preferences.  the filtered water we get from our refrigerator is pretty good.  living in the pacific northwest, we are very lucky to have high quality water to drink, so i really don't have any excuse to buy bottled water, do i?  i do keep water with me all the time, but i just don't drink it all.  i am also taking a prescribed diuretic, so if i drink too much water, well, you know what happens!

i am still eating protein at every meal.  here is what i had for dinner last night -- grass fed ground beef  seasoned with mexican seasonings, topped with mashed avocado and salsa, and accompanied by a green salad that included tomatoes and cucumbers.  it was yummy, but i ate too much too late in the evening and for the first time in a long time i had take some tums.

  
here is another recipe for you.  if you are like my husband and i, we like eggs, and we eat them for breakfast almost every morning, but sometimes a little variety is nice.  this recipe is for homemade breakfast sausage, and it comes from the "paleo comfort foods" cookbook, by julie and charles mayfield.  i have made this sausage and it was really good.  what i like best is that you can tailor the seasonings to suit your family's tastes.

  homemade breakfast sausage

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped*
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped**
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped***
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Take ground pork and mix with all the ingredients.  Form into 2-inch-wide patties.  Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Place sausage patties in skillet and cook until browned, then flip over and continue cooking until sausage is fully cooked through. 

i wanted a large amount of sausage so i used 1 lb of ground pork and 2 lbs of ground turkey.  i then tripled the seasonings to accommodate the larger amount of protein.  i also browned the sausage in a little olive oil in the skillet. 

* fresh sage is great if you have it, but if not, use approximately 1 tsp dried sage.  ** again, fresh is great but if you use dried, just use half the stated amount, so 1/2 tsp of dried thyme.  ***ditto the fresh, if you use dried use 1/8 tsp of dried rosemary.

after eating this sausage, my husband suggested that i include some fennel seed in the next batch.  i haven't made it again (yet) but when i do, i will add about 1/2 tsp dried fennel seed to 3 lbs of protein. 

enjoy!!

Happy As A Clam!

last weekend we went to the coast, where we have a small house just north of long beach, washington. long beach is on a 22 mile long peninsula in southwest washington.  the peninsula is surrounded by the pacific ocean on one side and  willapa bay on the other side.  we always have a fun, relaxing time when we go.  here is the link to the long beach peninsula website.  it is full of information on all the activities you can enjoy if you go.  one of our favorite activities to do there is clamming.  when there is a minus tide (meaning an extremely low tide) we drive about 45 minutes around to the mainland side of willapa bay to our favorite clamming spot, and we get out our rakes and bags and start digging for steamer clams. 

if we pick the right spot, every draw of the rake across the sand can yield at least one clam, sometimes more.  shellfish licenses are required, and each person can keep up to 40 clams.  on this day, my husband, my son and i limited out in less than 30 minutes! here are the results of our labor:

i couldn't wait to make our favorite clam recipe for dinner.  it is chef mario batali's recipe for manila clams with pancetta, red chiles and linguine:

1 lb linguine *
1/2 medium red onion, finely minced
1/4 lb pancetta, cut into 1/8th inch dice(our local trader joe's sells packaged diced pancetta that is perfect)**
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced (i use about 2 cloves of garlic -- 4 is too much for me)
6 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red chile pepper
1 lb manila clams, scrubbed and rinsed
2 cups white wine ***
4 tblsp unsalted butter
1 bunch italian parsley, finely chopped (yield 1/4 cup) (i use dried if fresh isn't available)

bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tblsp salt.

in a large saute pan, saute red onion, pancetta and garlic over medium heat until onion is very soft and pancetta is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add hot chiles clams, white wine and butter and bring to a boil.  cook until all clams have opened, and then set aside.

boil linguine according to package instructions. while softened but still firm, drain in colander over sink and toss into pan with clams and stir gently to mix.  this should still be a little broth-like.  add chopped parsley, pour into warm serving bowls and serve.

* as we are still mostly wheat and grain free, my husband and i had our clams served over zucchini "noodles" -- zucchini that had been cut julienne style and sauteed until it was just starting to soften. 

** i didn't have pancetta available at the time, so i used a pound of bacon that had been diced and sauteed it with the onion.

*** instead of 2 cups of white wine, i used 1 cup of white wine, 1 cup of bottled clam juice and about a 1/2 cup of chicken stock.  that is just how we like it.  i have made it with only the white wine as well, and it is still delicious!

here are the clams as they are cooking:

  and the finished product . . .

i served the clams with a big bowl of roasted mixed veggies for my husband and i, and with noodles sprinkled with parmesan cheese for my son (he is not totally grain free . . . yet!)..  we all scarfed it down in no time.  it was delicious!!!

i hope you are able to try the recipe sometime.  thanks for reading!

waffles and bacon -- finally!!

comfort food at last!!!  last night i decided to fix breakfast for dinner.  bacon and waffles it had to be.  here is my waffle topped with some almond butter.  i have decided i like almond butter better than peanut butter in most cases.  it seems sweeter to me, even when it has no added sugars.  this waffle tasted very good to me, even though it was not my normal recipe.  my current recipe is based on the betty crocker cookbook version, which itself is very good. for those of  you who love waffles and are not eating paleo, here is betty's recipe:    http://caloriecount.about.com/betty-crocker-waffles-recipe-r30241 it is not paleo, however, so i made some changes.  my version is really yummy, but it is not paleo either because it contains spelt flour, which is a grain.  it is higher in protein and lower in gluten than wheat, but it is still a grain product.  so this time i took away the spelt and made it with almond meal, coconut flour and quinoa flour and very little sugar.  it fell apart on the waffle iron and when i finally got one to come off whole, it looked like it was burned.  it wasn't, but it was very brown and fragile. it tasted fine, but the texture wasn't what i wanted.  so back to the drawing board i go, and when i come up with the paleo recipe that works i will post it here.

the bacon was good too, but it was actually a bit of a let down.  here i was anticipating its salty goodness, and while i enjoyed it, i felt like it wasn't necessary to my existence like it had been before the whole30 challenge.  it will be part of our diet occasionally, but i am amazed at how my outlook when it comes to eating has changed so much in such a short time.

today was a bit of a cheat day for me.  i was really hungry after work, so i had a one ounce stick of cheddar cheese.  it was sooooo good!  then it left a really bad taste my mouth that i wasn't expecting, i have eaten this brand many times before, but i will have to think about how important eating cheese is to me.  i also had 2 squares of dark chocolate.  THAT didn't leave a bad taste!! it was fantastic!! :o)

so, another day is done, on to eating healthy tomorrow!!

whole30 challenge, day 21 -- wishing for some comfort

i checked the "paleo comfort foods" cookbook by julie and charles mayfield out from the library, and found some really great recipes.  i had to return it today (it was really overdue) but i am going to purchase it because it has lots of ideas that fit with the way we eat.  not just paleo eating, but the kind of stuff we like all the time.  for example, i have been searching and searching for a breakfast sausage that we liked and was paleo (meaning no sugar or preservatives among other things) and have just been coming up short every time.  this cookbook has a recipe for a homemade breakfast sausage, and i made it recently and it was really good.  i liked that i could tweak it for our own taste.  i used 2 lbs of ground turkey and 1 lb of ground pork, and seasoned it with the likes of sage, basil, salt, pepper, chili powder, a bit of cayenne pepper, and some others that i cannot remember.  my husband suggested for the next batch that i add fennel seed, which i plan on doing.  when this cookbook comes in, i will be posting the recipe.  if you can't wait, you can see if your local library has it for you to check out.  it also has recipes for tortillas made with coconut flour, a paleo bbq sauce and ketchup, paleo chili (no beans!) spiced mixed nuts, and lots of other yummy dishes.  eating paleo is not boring, but sometimes i just wish some of those "comfort foods" that i relied on for so long were still available.  with this cookbook, some of those dishes seem within reach while still being healthy.

on thursday, day 19, i did my exercise and walk in the early evening before dinner.  i didn't keep track of my meals, but it was pretty much the same as almost every other day -- eggs, veggies, fruit and chicken.

for friday, day 20, i did my exercises (arm day) in the morning and went on my walk with my husband -- in the rain. got soaked, but at least it was warm!  for breakfast i had two eggs and an egg white scrambled with some veggies, and an orange.  then i was so sleepy i took a nap!!  didn't really have lunch, just snacked on some almonds, cut up raw veggies and an apple.  for dinner we had chuck roast in the crock pot, veggies and some salad, and some really good cantaloupe.  that night we went to our son's college (also our alma mater) for his jazz band concert.  he plays the string bass and bass guitar, and he absolutely rocked it.  he has become a very talented musician, and we are very proud of him.

today, day 21 -- for breakfast i had a link of chicken/apple sausage (purchased from costco and legal for the whole30 challenge) along with a couple of eggs and an egg white scrambled, and some pineapple. the pineapple was really, really sweet.  i think my taste buds have definitely become more sensitive over the past month.  since my breakfast was late i just had some almonds and an apple for lunch, then later i just had an orange.  for dinner i had oven baked chicken (a thigh and a leg) and some roasted veggies. my total calories for the day came to just over 1600 (too much!).  fat totaled 50% of calories (91.5 grams), protein came to 22% (88.6 grams) and carbs totaled 28% percent of calories (121.6 grams).  in there was approximately 21.3 grams of fiber. i do think the past couple of days i have had too much fruit -- tomorrow i will have to scale back a bit.  i have lost weight, and i want to keep that momentum going.  too much fruit will raise my blood sugar, which will in turn raise my insulin levels, which will then make it harder for me to lose weight.  alas, i did no exercise today -- i did keep busy, but i will be back to the exercising tomorrow.

on to tomorrow -- goodnight all! off to the comfort of my bed!