Guest Blog: The Things We Do for Lent...

Lent starts today, and I've decided to give up caffeine again this year. I started to wain myself off coffee last week, and while the headaches haven't been fun, I'm really energized about being able to pull this off. But this is nothing to compared to my awesome sister, who has decided to go Pesca Vegan for the next 40 days.

She's got a great blog you should check out called Brioche & Bourbon, but I wanted to share her entry about giving up cheese, and why she decided to take it a step further this year:

The Pesca Vegan

Here it goes. The post I've been dreading because it makes everything official. I've decided what I'm doing for Lent. Drum roll please... I'm becoming a Pesca Vegan. That'd be a vegan- vegetarian that doesn't eat dairy (eggs, milk, cheese, etc), but I'll also eat fish. Yes, I kind of just made this up and no, I'm not doing this for any major veganism, anti-meat, anti-dairy convictions at all, other than I love meat. And I LOVE cheese. And this year especially I want to really, really challenge myself on a larger level.

So hard to give you up, locally made ricotta

Let's back this up a sec. Every year, for the past few years I've given up cheese. I love it that much that it is definitely a big challenge. And then for Easter I'd go to San Antonio, aka home, and gorge myself on Tex-Mex.  But I've begun to notice that while I might be cutting down my cheese consumption, I'm replacing it with other entirely unhealthy alternatives (bacon, juicy hamburgers, desserts I can stomach like custards, LOTS of butter). I'm not "giving up" in the way Lent was meant to be a time to give things up, I'm just substituting one love for other vices.

So I've racked my brain. Being a bit selfish I want this to focus on me, my lifestyle, my well being. Because as they say, you can't fix the world until you've fixed yourself. And I want this to be a challenge that hurts. And hurt worse than making myself run mile after mile while staring at a cement wall at my breeder gym or tentatively allowing my pop-up ex back in my life on occasion. No, this will hurt and be positive for me.

And do something good for myself

What I'm hoping for out of this? A bit of a lifestyle change. Feeling a bit healthier, being a bit more well-rounded. Having the satisfaction of knowing that I can do something that scares me, and hopefully that will start a whole chain reaction of doing challenging things because I know that I can succeed. And already this year has been unexpectedly positive and mostly from me making positive lifestyle decisions, so why not just continue the trend? 

I like how her project and mine are both connected through our commitment to a lifestyle change. I know how hard a drastic shift like veganism can effect someone, but the reward totally out weighs the initial discomfort and cravings. I wish her all the best!

A Healthy Pasta

Roasting Makes all Vegetables Fun

Week two could not have come quick enough! I caught myself trying to 'lighten' the Chicken 'n' Dumplings recipe over the weekend but held off. To sum up week 1: I was STARVING. Just trying to gauge a 'healthy' portion of what I normally eat usually left me eating less than I should, and then splurging later because I needed the calories. Glad that is over.

Week two should be much more my speed. Healthy recipes, as dictated by others. My first stop is America's Test Kitchen, which has just put out a lovely Light & Healthy 2011 magazine that I grabbed a few weeks back. It's out until May, so grab it if you can.

 I absolutely love this publication because it's written like a blog: they explain the process, then leave you with a finalized recipe. A word of warning. Read the recipe thoroughly before committing to dinner for the night. I thought I would make a pork loin, until I realized I should have marinated the meat yesterday. The magazine doesn't do a great job at telling you the total time for any given recipe, so just be sure you read ahead first and are prepared.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
America's Test Kitchen, Serves 6
Per 2-cup serving: 480 calories, 16 g. fat, 3.5 g. sat. fat, 18 g. protein, 70 g. carb, 7 g. fiber, 610 mg sodium

2 heads garlic
2 T. water
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
5 T. evoo
1 head cauliflower, cut into 8 wedges
salt and pepper
1/4 t. sugar
1 lb. fusilli, campanelle, or orecchiette
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Cut the top of the garlic heads off and place the heads, cut side up, on a sheet of foil. Drizzle 1 T. water on each, and then seal the foil and place in the oven on the top rack for about 30 minutes. Place a roasting dish in the oven to preheat for the cauliflower.
   
   
2. Trim cauliflower, then coat with 1 T. oil, 1/2 t. salt, a pinch of pepper, and 1/4 t. sugar. Remove the roasting dish from the oven and add cauliflower, cut side down. Roast until well-browned, around 20-25 minutes. This should finish up at the same time, or just after the garlic is done.
3. When garlic is done, remove from foil and let cool. Squeeze out the cloves and mash with a fork. Mix in lemon juice and red pepper. Slowly whisk in oil.
   
   
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pasta and 1 T. salt. Once pasta is al dente, reserve 1 c. liquid, and drain. 
5. Add in 1/4 c. liquid, cauliflower, garlic paste, 1/2 c. Parmesan, and parsley to the post and toss to combine with pasta. Add in more liquid as needed.

In terms of a healthy dish--this worked out pretty well. I actually cut the cheese in half, and still felt it was plenty. I also thought the recipe was heavy on the salt, so feel free to reduce that as needed. 

Half-Diet: Sunday Brunch Edition

Another reason I am not liking this non-dieting thing right now: My will power to choose the Healthy Options at Denny's over Hash Browns and a Chicken Fried Steak is just not there...especially after a week of not eating cheese and soda.

For those looking to diet, I was impressed how Denny's has tried to make an effort in the healthy eating realm. They have a Create Your Own Slam, with the healthy options like whole wheat pancakes, fruit, and turkey bacon highlighted. They will also substitute those healthy sides for free. (Not that I did).

However, it was easier to stick to my 'Eat Half Rule' (however bad the half I ate was). I had half the chicken fried steak, only the charred bit of hash browns, the top of a buttery biscuit, and a few eggs smothered in Tabasco.

The Half-Status Quo

It's been four days so far, and I can already tell just adjusting my current diet is not going work long term. I thought this would be the easiest week in terms of rules, but the problem with not making actual change, is that it is too tempting to cheat.

Working Out: This has been going well--I'm up to 30 minutes every other day, and once I'm not so sore on off-days, I'd like to start working out every day. There's usually a 30 minute window between when I get home and when Chris joins me, so it's a great use of that time.

Breakfast/Snack: Haven't gotten to this yet, but I did buy instant oatmeal to keep at work. I also stocked up on Kashi Bars as a healthy snack. The carrots and celery are still in the fridge...but I have managed to stay away from soda. I've had a few sips this week to ease me into an all-out fast.

On the coffee front, I've decided to try something new that Chris told me about. He suggested drinking a large glass of water in the morning instead of coffee--and while it doesn't work every day (especially before a morning meeting) it does wake me up. My rule now: Every morning, I will have a large glass of water before I have coffee. Some days, this will be enough, and others, not. But it's better than just giving in to the caffeine.

Eating Half-Sizes: This has been the hardest part, and something I know I would not be able to keep up. Going out at lunch and eating half isn't hard, and a good way to keep your weight in check--but to keep eating that smaller portion for both lunch and dinner is a little too hard.

I went to Chipotle today and ate half the burrito bowl there---and while I was full, as soon as I came home at 6 I was pretty starved. Same thing the other day when I grabbed a small bowl at Noodles & Company. The problem with small meals is you have to plan pretty well---because if you wait too long, your hunger will get the better of you and suddenly chips and salsa seems like a GREAT snack. I'm starving right now (having finished the other half of my Chipotle bowl, plus a slice of pizza from last night)...and the juice I bought isn't quite doing the trick.

Stupid dieting.

Day 1: Figuring Out My Routine

So in this first week, I am easing into my dieting by not dieting. I think before beginning any change, you need to first figure out what is routine, and what of that can be changed. The past week I've been examining my lifestyle and making little notes for myself on what to do once March began.

Here's What We Know About Me:
Not active. Work outs went from regular, to irregular, to nonexistent in the course of three months. Considering I was running 5Ks in November, it's a little embarrassing and depressing how much muscle and energy I've lost so quickly.  
Goal This Month: For the month, I'm committing myself to 30 minute workouts every other day. Starting off, I might need to split it 15 minutes each day, but hopefully by the end of the month I can build up to an hour long workout twice a week. That's nearly where the Mayo Clinic wants me to be.

No Breakfast or Snacks---but too my Coffee and Soda. I haven't been eating breakfast, and I think it's affecting my eating schedule. I am starving by 11 am, scarf down a lunch at my desk, and then try to eat right away when I get home. Coffee doesn't count as a food group, and soda is just an expensive habit.
Goal This Week: Bring in a granola bar to start off the day--and go out for lunch so I'm better able to savor the meal. I bought carrots and celery to snack on in the day, and will keep popcorn on hand to snack at night. I will keep my coffee habit in check this week, but try to wean myself off in time for Lent. (Next week---giving up caffeine!)

Curb My Craving for Curries (and Chips). I am addicted to Tex-Mex. And Indian. And Thai.  Too bad they are all insanely high in calories.
Goal This Week: I'm trying to avoid all three until I can find healthier options next week. If I must eat out---I'm going to hold to a eat-only-half rule for now. With healthy snacks through the day, I'm hoping that combined it will help keep me full.

Generally Less Cheese. (I know :( ....)

A New Food Challenge in March!

It's been awhile since I've committed myself to a month of something on the food blog, so I think it's about time for another gauntlet that tests my will power and cooking expertise. This month:
THE DIET.

That's right healthy eating. I'm not going to lie--I came up with the idea in October, but couldn't bring myself to test it out during the holiday season. Plus winter is no time to lean-up...you need a layer of protection against the snow!

I'd like to state that this month is not about losing weight--and you won't be reading a daily diary of what I'm eating and how many calories are in a Dr. Pepper (150). I'm interested in eating healthier, working out more, and seeing if I can do both without going insane. In my view, I'm more interested in my cravings and mood than my weight, because who cares if I've lost 20 pounds only to become a starving bitch? I think it's important to make healthy eating decisions, and I want to find those healthy recipes that DON'T make me crave Outback's Cheese Fries (dipped in Ranch!) or Chips and Queso.

The Goal: To hold myself up to progressively harder dieting rules each week, and measure how it's affecting me (physically, emotionally) and how easy I think it would be to keep up.

Week 1: Adjusting My Diet
Starting off easy, I will lay out some ground rules on Monday for me to follow that adjust what I'm already eating to be healthier. No soda---No chipotle---Plus at least four work outs. It's the first thing everyone does when they want to lose weight because it doesn't mean an overhaul---but the question is, does it work?

Week 2: Healthy Recipes
Armed with a new issue of Cooking Light and America's Test Kitchen's Light and Healthy Recipes, I will commit myself to healthy meals as dictated by others. For the dieter who doesn't want to plan, the idea is trusting the healthy recipes to do the work for you. But will it be any good?

Week 3: The Calorie Count
Here's where I'm anticipating actually starting to see some sort of movement in my weight. After taking a few polls online, I calculated that I need to take in between 1500-1600 calories a day in order to lose around 5 pounds in a month---so I will stick with those numbers for the week and see how hungry I get.

Week 4: The Diet!
Leaving the final week with the hardest challenge (maybe?) I will select a specific diet plan and following it to a tee. Not sure what yet, I've had suggestions for the Flat Belly and Cave Man diets, but I'll need to research more. Let me know if you have suggestions!

So that's about it. Check in here to see how I'm doing---and hopefully inspire yourself. A few of my friends are going to guest blog about their own experiences because they are my inspiration, so if you are interested in that feel free to contact me about posting something yourself!

Here's to a healthier way of life that still involves cheese!

Arab Cooking: Shrimp with Garlic & Cilatro

The first thing I did upon my return from Jordan was seek out a really decent Middle Eastern cookbook that didn't just give you Greek or Lebanese food. The Arab Table by May Bsisu seems to be a real find—but the true test will come in the next few weeks as I see how her recipes turn out.

I do appreciate that at the beginning of the book, she goes into specific details about the differences between each country's cuisine, and then goes through the 'Arab Pantry' and explains in detail the different spices used, and what they work well with.

Tonight I made Shrimp with garlic and cilantro, or Mahmous Rubyan. The recipe was picked out by Chris because of the yummy photo I tried to emulate above, and chosen as the first test because it seemed relatively easy. Other than the fact it makes a LOT of food (I am writing down a half-recipe...double it for a feast or a ton of people).

I served the shrimp wrapped in flatbread with some homemade hummus (also from the book, but not perfected--so it's not getting written down yet). While the shrimp in the book was high in salt content, mixed in with the creamy hummus and flatbread, it was actually a great dish--with the cardamom acting as a nice highlight to the shellfish.

Shrimp with garlic and cilantro
Mahmous Rubyan

1 lb. onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic
1/4 t. cardamom
1/2 t. Kuwaiti Spice Mix (see below)
1/2 c. packed cilantro, finely chopped
1/8 c. fresh dill
1/2 T. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

lemon juice and cilatro to garnish
serve with flatbread

Saute the onions in a liberal coating of olive oil until they are tender. Add remaining ingredients (except shrimp) and coat onions. Raise heat to high and add shrimp. Cook 5-8 minutes until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat and cover until serving. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Kuwaiti Spice Mix
Feel free to cut this recipe down if you won't use as much--although it's a nice pepper blend that I might try to use again on pizza or with steak. It keeps for a year.
1/2 c. black pepper
1/4 c. cayenne pepper
1.5 t. ground coriander
1.5 t. ground cumin
1.5 t. ground ginger
1.5 t. ground cinnamon
1.5 t. ground cloves
1.5 t. grated nutmeg