Winter Hash

This morning, I decided I needed to use up some squash we had cooked a couple nights ago. I took that, some potato and Jack's Homemade Smoked Sausage (Midland friends, if you haven't tried this, you should) and made hash. Ultimately, I then used the hash in scrambled eggs, but I was hungry so I didn't get a picture of that finished dish (John was hungry too).

 Winter Hash

•  1 medium russet potato*
•  1/4 turban squash*, roasted
•  2oz Jack's "homemade" smoked sausage

 Wash and prick potato. Place in microwave on a paper towel and cook on HIGH for 2 minutes. Wrap in foil and sit for 5 minutes.

 Dice squash, potato, and sausage to 1/4-inch dice. Heat skillet, prepared with cooking spray, over medium heat. Cook all ingredients over medium heat until vegetables are slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

*CSA ingredients

My exciting news on the bariatric front, I tried on a pain of size 18W jeans I purchased last night and not only could put them on, but was able to zip them as well. So much closer to normal sizes!

Cabbage and Sauerkraut

About once a year, I get both cabbage and sauerkraut in the share. When that happens, it is time to make Kapusta soup. Kapusta is the Slavic word for cabbage. In my husband's family, when they say kapusta, they are generally talking about sauerkraut. John's grandmother made a kapusta soup when he was a kid from cabbage, sauerkraut and yellow split peas. This is the recipe I am using today. I wasn't sure of proportions for the sauerkraut, so I thought maybe I could find a recipe online. What I found was that this is a very traditional Ukrainian recipe. The only difference being the addition of fresh cabbage. I think the cabbage adds a freshness and heartiness to the soup, so I completely understand why his grandmother added it. It is cooking now on the stove and smells heavenly.

 Kapusta Soup

•   1-1/2 cups dried yellow split peas
•  water
• 1 large onion*
•  1 stick butter*
•  1/2 large head cabbage*
•  2 1-lb bags homemade sauerkraut*
•  64oz chicken stock

 Soak split peas overnight in water.
 

Peel the onion, cut in half and then slice thinly.  Melt butter in large Dutch Oven; add onions and saute until translucent. While onion is cooking, coarsely chop cabbage. Add the cabbage to  the onions and cook until cabbage wilts.

Add stock, sauerkraut, peas and soaking water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

 Simmer until split peas are cooked.

*CSA ingredients 

Christmas Borscht

Once or twice a year, I get a bunch of beets with beautiful greens. The only thing to do with that situation is make a beautiful batch of borscht! I think it's interesti.g that this situation conveniently happens around Christmas. My husband's family is Ukrainian and borscht is traditionally served as part of the Christmas eve dinner (assuming it is made with vegetable stock). As luck would have it, I have a fresh batch of vegetable stock I made frome excess vegetables and the parts you usually throw away (i.e. the big broccoli stem) so, I think this latest batch of beets was destined for a pot of borscht. As I have mentioned before, the type of borscht I make is very simple. Just beets, stems, greens and vegetable stock. I stir in sour cream or plain Greek yogurt before serving. It's simple and lovely!

Eggs With Bacon and Greens

This morning I was packing up Renee's part of the share and decided the young greens we got looked really nice. I had also picked up some thick-cut bacon, so, I thought maybe scrambled eggs with bacon and greens would make a good breakfast.

Eggs with Bacon and Greens

3 slices thick-cut bacon*
1 small handful baby greens*
2 farm-fresh eggs*
1/4 cup skim milk*
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 ounces cheddar-jack

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Place the slices of bacon in the skillet and cook, turning once until the edges start to brown. Remo e from pan and drain on paper towels. When cooled, cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Wash greens and dry on paper towels (or a salad spinner if you have one), cut into bite-size pieces. Drain bacon grease from pan, reserving 1 tbsp. Heat pan again, add greens and cook until wilted. Add bacon back to pan. Whip eggs with milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over greens and bacon. Sprinkle with cheese and cook, stirring, until just cooked.

*CSA ingredients

Menopause

About a month before my surgery, I said to a friend "I'm so glad that it looks like I'm finally heading toward menopause (after 10+ years of perimenopause) She said to me "you know, losing all that weight might reverse that." The thought was ALMOST enough to make me change my mind!

I know, really? Well, if you knew the struggle I had trying to get pregnant in my late 30's and my ultimate decision that getting pregnant wasn't worth sacrificing my health, you might understand. When they started treating my for my body's lack of progeterone production, the drug they gave me was giving me symptoms of diabetes. When I checked the journals, it turned out that approximately 20% of women treated with this drug (Prometrium) DO end up with diabetes. The RE didn't know this until I told her. I stopped the drug and the symptoms stopped. That's the closest I have EVER come to a diabetes diagnosis and I didn't think that was fair to a child.

Well, the anxiousness of extending perimenopause due to weightloss, thankfully, seems to be unfounded. In the last year, six of my cycles have been 30 days or longer (with 2 being 34 days!). Only 4 have been 28 days (normal) or less. Leaving 2 at 29 days. I truly am hoping these longer cy les ate heralding the change for me! I'm ready to get off the roller coaster!

Doing Something Right

I am not sure what I am doing differently this month, but I am definitely doing something right.  The other day, I stepped on the scale and expected it to read around 240 or above.  Every month, when I enter the last week of my cycle, I start retaining fluids.  And that can mean a weight gain of 3-4 pounds (it used to mean a weight gain of 7-10 before surgery).  But what I saw was 239.2 (followed the next day with 238.8).  I am trying to figure out exactly what I am doing different this month from last.  I have to wonder if I am just that much more active (I walk to and from work almost every day now and don't necessarily go directly to my office).  Although that explanation doesn't seem like it would be the answer since I just returned from Florida over Thanksgiving break and I spent a total of 5 days in the car (very little activity, indeed!). 

The other thought that has occurred to me is the epiphany that I had last month about carbs and the end of my cycle.  Now that I am fully aware of those cravings, am I now being more careful about what I eat?  Is it possible, that even though I am allowing myself to enjoy those carbs, I am somehow changing the way I consume them that prevents the bloating and water retention?  I am not really sure about that.  But I am not going to complain or try too hard to analyze it.  If I can managed to continue to lose weight all the way through my cycle, instead of having that backstep for a week that reverses itself when "Auntie Flow" arrives, I will be happy indeed.  As it is, I have understood that for that week every month, I just had to wait it out and as long as I had a net loss after the beginning of my cycle, all was good (and yes, all 7-10 pounds would literally drop the second "she" arrived - it's a very disconcerting cycle).

At any rate, I am quickly approaching having lost my high school weight!  Less than 6 pounds and I will have lost what I weighed for most of my high school career.  Now, I will never again weigh what I did then, it is below my healthy weight range.  But I am thrilled to know that I am gaining on where I need to be.  As of yesterday, I have less than 75 pounds left to lose (wow, I didn't figure that out until just this moment!).  I am fast approaching what was my highest weight before I married the first time.  Once I reach and surpass that weight, I will KNOW I am in the homestretch!  It's so hard to believe all that has changed in the last year!

Beans, Sausage and Greens

I hate to admit it, but I think I may be caught in a rut, but if I must be, what a delicious rut to be caught in! If you go over the last couple month's entries, I believe you will find several recipes for bean soups with sausage and greens. The interesting thing is that each has been different and each has been unbelievably tasty. I was always a big fan of chili as a kid, but beyond that, the only other type of bean soup I really ate was Cambell's Bean with Bacon (which I fully admit, I loved!). This year with the CSA, we have gotten a plethora of not only greens (kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, you name it), but also sausage (Italian, chorizo, bratwurst, andoille). Sausage and greens go together beautifully; whether over pasta, on sandwiches....or in soup. Each type of sausage lends to a different flavor or style of cooking and each is just as interesting and tasty as the other. So, that said, today's soup leans toward Italian flavors with Italian sausage, kale and cannellini beans.

Slow-cooker Italian Sausage, Bean and Vegetable Soup
Adapted from: http://www.thetasteplace.com/2011/02/21/slow-cooker-italian-sausage-and-vegetable-soup/ 

• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes with basil, undrained
• 4 cups can chicken stock*
• 1 small onion*, diced
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp marjoram
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 splashes of balsamic vinegar
• 1 lb mild Italian sausage links, cut into ½ inch thick slices
• 1 medium kusa zucchini*, cut into chunks
• 1 bunch kale*, stalks trimmed off and leaves cut into thin shreds
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Plug in the slow cooker. In the slow cooker pot, combine all ingredients, except Parmesan. Stir well to combine and set slow cooker to low. Cook for at least 6 hours.
  

Serve soup with Parmesan cheese on top.

*CSA ingredients

Spaghetti Squash and Brussels Sprouts

I got the most beautiful stalk of Brussels sprouts in this first share of winter. Never one to turn down sprouts, I searched for a recipe to use them for dinner tonight. As is usual for me, I was looking for a recipe with protein so I could enjoy the dish and not feel guilty about the nutrition. There were many recipes with white beans and some sort of cheese, but I was missing one ingredient or another. Then I ran across the following recipe using spaghetti squash (which we also happened to get in the share). I don't have chickpeas, but I do have pinto beans, so I just substituted.

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pinto Beans
 Adapted from: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/01/spaghetti-Squash-roasted-brussels-sprouts-chickpeas.html

• 1 spaghetti squash*
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts*
• 1 medium onion*, diced
• 3 cloves garlic*, pressed
• 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock*
• 15 ounces pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• sliced almonds, optional 

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce a spaghetti squash 8-10 times with a skewer or thin knife (pierce deeply through flesh into center). Place on a baking sheet on center rack of oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn 1/4 turn. Bake another 30 minutes or until outside has browned in places and shell feels soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Once it’s cool, cut it in half and remove and discard the seeds and scrape the strands of squash out with a fork. Put the squash into a bowl and set aside.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Trim and discard the ends and cut the sprouts in half (quarter larger sprouts). Place on a baking sheet and spray quickly (2 seconds) with olive oil. (This prevents burning; if you don’t want to use the oil, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.) When the squash has almost finished cooking, put the sprouts into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove them when they are just beginning to be touched by brown but are not burning (they will finish cooking in the skillet in the next step).

In a large, deep, non-stick skillet, cook the onions on medium-high heat until they become golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, garlic, and stock and cover tightly. Cook for 3-5 minutes, adding more stock or water if skillet becomes dry. Add the chickpeas, basil, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the spaghetti squash, and toss gently to mix. Cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with lemon juice. Serve topped with crushed or sliced almonds, if desired.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 5

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 196 calories, 14 calories from fat, 1.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 348.2mg sodium, 742.8mg potassium, 40.7g carbohydrates, 10g fiber, 7g sugar, 8.8g protein

*CSA Ingredients

Soup Variations - White beans and Kale

While the soup I made last night was very tasty and lovely, when I put the recipe on Sparkrecipes.com to get the nutrition, it only has 5.6 g protein per 1/2 cup serving (yes, that is still about all I can manage to eat for a meal).  That is not quite hearty enough for my nutritional needs, so I decided to tweak the recipe even more. While this is still not the best option for a whole meal (7.9 g protein per 1/2-cup serving), it's better than the original recipe.  I am guessing that I could do better with the protein by either adding chicken (which is a slightly better source of protein than sausage) or breaking down and adding unflavored protein powder to the soup.  However, this is a pretty thick soup as it is, so I would probably then have to add more chicken stock to thin it down a bit.

Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Greens and Chorizo

• 2 cans (15-oz) Pinto beans
• 2 cans (15-oz) Cannellini beans
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion*, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic*, minced
• 2 t dried Italian seasoning
• 4 cups chopped kale*
• 4 cups chopped turnip greens*
• 1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes in juice, broken up
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock*
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage (use 2 T fresh leaves if you have them)
• 1 lb fresh chorizo*

Puree 1 can of pinto beans and 1 can of cannellini beans in a food processor; set aside.

Heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and add onions, cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning; cook, about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.  Be careful not to brown the onions.  Place onions in bottom of prepared slow cooker.

Wash, dry and finely chop the greens.  Add the greens, tomatoes, stock and sage to slow cooker; mix well.  Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.  In the meantime, cook chorizo.  Remove from pan and cool about 5 minutes.  Cut chorizo in half longway and then into 1/4 inch slices.  Add to soup and allow to cook for 1 more hour on HIGH to meld flavors.

Makes about 18 1-cup servings (or 36 1/2-cup servings for those of us who have had bariatric surgery).

Nutrition (1-cup serving):
Calories       287.7
Fat                 12.4g
Carbs             29.3g
Fiber                7.4g
Protein            15.8g   

*CSA ingredients 

White Beans and Kale

The pork I cooked was so good this weekend, but alas, it is gone! Because of that, I decided it was time to use the kale we got 2 weeks ago. There is a blog I keep running across thathas the yummiest recipes called Kalyn's Kitchen. This week, I found her recipe for Cannellini and Kale Soup and just had to try it. I only had about half the kale I needed, so I balanced with turnip greens. The soup has such a great animal and, personally, I think its quite pretty (Kalyn says it won't win any beauty contests). Well worth the effort.

 Slow-Cooker Cannellini Soup with Kale and Turnip Greens
  Adapted from: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/10/slow-cooker-vegetarian-kale-cannellini-soup.html

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onions*, chopped small
• 4 cloves minced garlic*
• 2 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning (contains oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary)
• 2 cans (15 oz. can) Cannellini beans and juice
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) whole tomatoes with juice, broken up
• 4 oz. finely chopped kale*, washed if needed (about 4 cups finely chopped kale)
• 4 oz. finely chpped turnip greens*
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock*
• 1/2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
• 1-2 pieces of Parmesan rind to add flavor (optional) 
• freshly grated Parmesan, to garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan; add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes or until they are just starting to brown.  Add the garlic and Italian Seasoning and saute 1-2 minutes more, being careful not to let the garlic brown.  Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray; then put onions and garlic into the slow cooker. 

While the onions are cooking use a food processor to puree the cannellini beans and juice, keeping them a little chunky if you prefer.  (If you're using freshly-cooked beans I would add about 1/4 cup water.)  Finely chop the kale and turnip greens (cutting away thick center ribs if you have them) and wash kale in the salad spinner if you're using garden kale.  

Put the pureed beans, chopped kale, chicken stock, canned tomatoes and juice, and sage into the slow cooker with the onion mixture.  (Add one or two pieces of Parmesan rind if desired for extra flavor.)  Cook 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.  Serve the soup hot, with grated Parmesan if desired.

 

*CSA ingredients

 

Broccoli and Eggs

This morning, when I got up, I really wanted something with eggs. At first, I was looking for something with quinoa, but during my search, I ran across a recipe for a crustless broccoli cheddar quiche. Iam pretty much a sucker for broccoli and eggs. They used to make broccoli egg breakfast sandwiches at work and I adored them. It's been about a year since they've made them, so when I saw the recipe, I had to make it! Now, I do not have the right sizes ramekins, or enough smaller ones, so I chose to make it in a pie plate. Although, in hindsight, I suppose I could have used muffin tins. I also didn't have enough cheddar, so this became a 3-cheese broccoli quiche. It really hit the spot!

3-Cheese Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Adapted from: http://www.marthastewart.com/318409/crustless-broccoli-cheddar-quiches

• Coarse salt
• fresh-ground pepper
• 1 oz broccoli florets*
• 6 large eggs*
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• Ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Place broccoli florets into microwave steamer with about 1/4 inch of water. Cook on HIGH for 6 minutes. Spread florets on cutting board to cool; coarsely chop.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and milk until will blended. Stir in cheddar and Swiss.

In a prepared pie plate, layer broccoli. Pour egg and cheese mixture over broccoli. Sprinkle with Romano cheese. Bake at 400°F for 35 minutes, or until a knife, inserted into the center, comes out clean. Serves 4 (or 8 if you've had gastric surgery).

*CSA ingredients

Pork Loin

Okay, I admit it! I sometimes can still be a lazy chef. When I cooked meat in the past, especially when cooking in a slow cooker, I often (almost always) skipped the searing step. With stews and fatty meats it didn't seem to make a big difference, so I just kept doing it. However, when cooking lean meats, the slow cooker always seemed to dry them out and make them fall apart and become stringy. Yesterday, I decided to try, once again, to cook a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker. I had finally purchased some nice smoked paprika last week, so I was looking for a paprikash recipe.  In my search, I found this interesting balsamic and paprika pork loin recipe and decided to give it a try. After finishing the dish, I have made a vow to never skip the searing step again!

 Balsamic and Smoked Paprika Glazed Pork Tenderloin
 Adapted from: www.porkbeinspired.com/RecipeView.aspx?RID=2213

• 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin*, trimmed
•  1 tsp kosher salt
•  1 tsp fresh ground pepper
•  2 Tbsp olive oil
•   1 14-1/2 oz can whole tomatoes, broken up
•  1 medium sweet onion*, sliced
•  1 red bell pepper*, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic*, minced
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock*
• 5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey*
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika

Pat pork dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Sear tenderloin on all sides until browned, about 1 minute on each side.

Place undrained tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and garlic in bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork tenderloins on top. Combine stock, vinegar, honey and paprika in a medium bowl; Pour mixture over pork and vegetables and cook on HIGH for 3 hours. Occasionally stir ingredients to ensure even cooking.

Remove tenderloins and rest, tented, for 10minutes. Slice in thick slices.

I served over an Italian quinoa pilaf.

*CSA ingredients

Aloo Gobi

My absolute favorite Indian dish is Aloo Gobi. There is something about the combination of potato and cauliflower in those wonderful Indian spices that is just comforting tome. The trouble is, like many comfort foods, the dish lacks protein. So, I set forth to attempt to make an Aloo Gobi with garbanzo beans to add a protein punch. While the following recipe was okay, I really need to explore the idea of making my own curry mix. The store bought curries are never quite right. The original recipe also did not have enough tomato, so I adjusted that in my finished dish.

Slow Cooker Aloo Gobi with Chickpeas
 Adapted from: http://www.domesticdivasblog.com/2010/02/meatless-monday-slow-cooked-cauliflower.html

• 1/2 head of golden cauliflower*, chopped
• 1/2 head Romanesco cauliflower*, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas with carrots
• 2 cups red potatoes*, chopped
• 1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 onion*, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves*, chopped
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock*
• salt and pepper

Place all of the ingredients except the salt, pepper and rice into the slower cooker.  Stir to combine.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*CSA ingredients

The Audition

When they called our numbers, they gathered us in the lobby and made sure we were all there. Then the tasters said they needed a short break, so we were told to relax.

Then they gathered us again and we were told to be excited because they filmed the entrance into the room. There were 20 of us and we were led to our spots.

Once everyone was settled, we were told to get out our applications and then we had 3 minutes to plate our dish. One of the reviewers came over and looked at my ginger oil while I was plating. And I think my dish looked nice, albeit simple, when I finished.

Looking around, there were some very complex and fancy dishes presented. My, soup, however was not as simple as it appears. I hope the flavors bore that out.

We then were encouraged to chat amongst ourselves as the judges circulated and interviewed everyone. They wanted to know what influences your cooking, what all do you cook, they wanted to know about the CSA, etc.

When everyone was interviewed, they deliberated for about 5 minutes and then asked some to stay and released the rest of us. We should hear in about 3 days who moves on.

I just want to shout out to two people in my group: one who gave me the chives for garnish and the other who loaned me scissors to snip them! Great people there today!

This is it!

I am sitting, waiting for my turn to audition for Master Chef! Yep, I screwed up the courage and actually am going for it! I am #180 and I think the lowest number I've seen waiting is 161, so it shouldn't take too long either.

I ended up going with my roasted winter squash soup. On the way, I tried again to get fresh chives for garnish, to no avail. I did, however, find a ginger oil and some cayenne, so at least it will be more interesting than a plain orange bowl of soup. I hope the oil also enhances the flavor a bit.

I am looking around me and people have full-size coolers, which is a little intimidating. But I really think this is more about personalities than cooking at this stage. Yes, you need to be able to cook, but would you be interesting to the viewing audience? I hope they perceive me the way my friends do! We shall see.

Master Chef

I cannot believe that I am going to say this, but....enough people are supporting me to give this audition a go!  I sent in my online preregistration and they have already called to confirm they received it.  So, the next thing is to go home and make the most amazing dish!  We got potatoes in the share last night, and there are no facilities for reheating the dish you bring, so I am going to try to make an amazing vichysiose.  I need to go find leeks and heavy cream (as well as chives, I hope) to make it.  The idea came from the potato and leek soup I made a couple weeks back.  I actually ended up eating most of it cold because it tasted so good that way.  Vichysiose is meant to be served cold and can be an amazing dish to present if you can figure out how to do a fancy swirl with the cream and you have fresh chives to garnish the dish.  My question is, how big a bowl should I bring to serve it in? (yes, we have to bring serving dishes and utensils).  I would normally serve it in a 6 oz ramekin since my stomach is tiny and I can only eat so much.  I do have pasta bowls that have nice wide rims and look beautiful, but if it's a white soup, do I want to use a white dish?  Oh the questions!  LOL!

I don't have any illusions that I am the perfect candidate for this show.  My knife skills are horrendous.  Which means if I were to make the first week, that is probably as far as I would get because they always test the knife skills the first week.  But it costs me little to try.  And I have such a compelling story, so who knows.  I have to give it a try.  Stay tuned for pictures and reports of how it goes.

To Audition or Not

 Auditions for Master Chef are coming to Cleveland this Friday. I love this show. I think because, as a member of a CSA, I get a Mystery [bag] every week. This is my way of life. What scares me about auditioning is that there are things they always do that I still need to learn (souffles anyone?). However, there's apart of me that would love to see how far I could get. Now that I am a new me, should I take a risk and audition?

Stewing Time

I don't think I could tell you the last time I made a beef stew.  It has to have been over a year now.  So, my goal this week was to put together a beef stew in the crockpot.  Stew is such a great dish for using the vegetables that we get in the fall.  Especially root vegetables like carrots and turnips.  I found out today that we are getting rutabaga this week, so I guess I should have tried to put this off another couple days, but I didn't know that last night.  So, instead of adding rutabaga to this stew, I just used up the turnips that I had in my last bag.  I decided on this recipe because it sounded different and interesting.  And I will tell you that my apartment smelled wonderful this morning when I woke up (yes, I do choose recipes for the crockpot that I think will smell good).

Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/slow-cooker-beef-with-root-vegetables-recipe/index.html?nl=EATS_110409_12

• 1 onion*, chopped
• 4 small Yukon gold potatoes*, quartered
• 2 carrots*, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium turnips*, peeled and chopped
• 2-pounds chuck roast. cut in 1-inch pieces
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 jar Clark Pope's Tomato Sauce* (16-oz)
• 1 jar Clark Pope's Roasted Cherry Tomatoes*
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Arrange onion, potatoes, carrots, and turnips in bottom of slow cooker. Season beef all over with salt and black pepper. Rub flour all over beef. Place beef on top of vegetables in slow cooker.

Whisk together tomato sauce,roasted tomatoes, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, mustard powder, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over beef. Cover and cook on LOW for 12 hours or on HIGH for 8 hours.

*CSA ingredients

The "Sexy"

I am here to admit that I finally hit that moment I have hoped for since this journey began. I hit that"sexy". I'm sure you are thinking "what does that mean? For me, it was the moment that I put on a piece of clothing and thought "God, you look sexy!"

That moment is important for me apparently bevause I hit it yesterday when I found and tried on a certain burgandy velvet dress I have been dying to wear for years.  I put it on thinking it would show every roll of loose skin on my body. Instead, I saw this:

What's important about this is that it must have helped me change the way I hold myself, because when I got to work today, a woman I see several times a week decided to tell me I look good. Then went on to say "Don't misunderstand me, I'm straight, I'm married with kids, but when I saw you walking, all I could think was DAMN, GIRL!"

That is what I mean when I say I reached my sexy. Now, don't get me wrong, I know I have a long way to go, but it feels great to have people notice!

Split Peas and Chorizo

It was a busy weekend with a trip home to Michigan. I picked up the CSA Friday night from Renee and received a really nice chorizo. Since it was thawed, I spent sometime while home looking for a slow-cooker recipe to use it. I figured I could throw it together before I went to bed when I got back to Cleveland. I very quickly ran across this comforting-sounding yellow split pea soup recipe.

 Yellow Split Pea Soup with Chorizo
 Adapted from: www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-yellow-pea-soup-with-chorizo-107162

•  1 (16-oz) pkg dried yellow split peas
•  2-1/2 cups homemade vegetable stock*
•  2 medium carrots*, sliced
•  2 cups water
•  1/2 tsp fresh-ground pepper
•  1 tsp salt-free spicy seasoning blend
•  2 small potatoes*, peeled and diced
•  1/2 medium red pepper*, diced
•  2 cups fresh com kernels*
• 8 oz chorizo sausage*

 Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until split peas are cooked.

*CSA ingredients   

The BIG Milestone!

Yesterday was my six month follow-up with my PCP.  I knew that I was approaching my "BIG" milestone.  This is that milestone that makes you feel like you are on the right track and that this time, just maybe, you will make it to your ultimate goal.  Don't have one of those?  Oh c'mon, I bet you do or did.  For me, the big milestone was getting below 250 pounds.  And I mean OFFICIALLY getting below that number; verified by my doctor's scale.  When I stepped on the scale yesterday, it read.....drumroll...............................................................248.8!!!!!!!!!

Really, there was just something about getting below that mark.  Since I gained above that mark, I have never managed to get below it with just diet.  Not only that, but the last time I weighed 250 lbs was when I was 25....20 years ago!  So, this is a really big deal.  Now, why didn't I write about it right away? Well, quite frankly, I was waiting for my blood work to come back.  I know that the weight has been melting off since I started physical therapy and have been walking more.  I will admit that even though I am just as diligent as I always have been, there is a part of me that is waiting for the health issues to start.  I love my friend, Scott, to death, but he didn't start having his health issues until after I had had my surgery.  When I found out that he had ended up back in the hospital with a telescoping intestine and also issues with protein, it scared me.  He admitted to me later that he was not diligent about his diet, having become enamored with the quick weight-loss, so he probably didn't eat the protein the way he should.

The fall is a time when I am tempted to sway from my diligence because the vegetables are so yummy and only really available this time of year.  For instance, a couple weeks ago, I made a beautiful roasted squash soup.  The trouble is, there wasn't one iota of protein in the soup.  Did I enjoy some of it?  Yes!  Did I make a regular part of my diet? No.  I turned around and made a Black Bean, andouille sausage and kale soup which was high in protein.  That is what I made a big part of my diet.  Did I want to have more of the squash soup?  Absolutely!  But I also knew that I would have to eat more than I wanted to make up for the lack of protein. So, I enjoyed the aroma and gave it away to people who were more than happy to eat it for me.  And that made me feel good.  I have seriously wondered if I should consider trying to set myself up for making and selling soups.  I have discovered that I have quite a talent for making soups that are interesting and tasty that people really enjoy.  Maybe someday soon.

In the meantime, I am posting a couple pictures that I took the other night when I returned to Fashion Bug to buy smaller sizes of pants.  I am afraid that with the buyout of Lane Bryant/Catherines/Fashion Bug, the line of pants that almost fit are going to be discontinued, so it made sense to go back and get the smaller sizes so I had them available as I lost weight.  The pictures below were taken in the same night (two different locations).  On the left, I am wearing the size 22WP pants (which, btw, I am wearing right now at work) and they fit!.  On the right, I tried on the 20WP pants when I got home and was shocked to discover that I could put them on and fasten them.  They are too tight to wear right now, but it won't be long until they are the size I am in.  Remember that I posted that wedding picture before?  Well, I was wearing a size 22 in pants then too.  So, technically, I am smaller now (at 90 pounds heavier) than I was then.  I really wonder what size I will be wearing when I get to goal.  Only time will tell!

Goals

There has been one milestone that I have anticipated ever since I started this journey 13 months ago: getting to the lowest weight I have been since my mid-20's.  I have been close to that weight several times over the last 20 years, but it has always been elusive.  Today, I weighed in at exactly 252 lbs.  That is exactly 2 pounds from my lowest weight since I was about 25; 3 pounds to being the thinnest I've been since that time.  To make it even more real, I am wearing size 24WP pants this morning.....comfortably, AND with a couple inches to spare in the waist (not too much that I am pulling them up every time that I stand up, but loose enough that I know they are too big). 

My anxiety comes from the fact that I am afraid my body (and mind) are going to start their little game with me where I will not be able to lose those 3 little pounds to get to that goal.  It shouldn't happen, because I am in the first week of my cycle (more revelations about that in a minute), but I have this history of my body refusing to allow me to get past that 10 lb mark.  I was really hoping that I would reach this huge milestone before my next round of doctor appointments (starting Thursday), but time will tell.  As it is, they will not care if I make that goal because I am safely past the 100 lb loss mark.  But it would be really nice for ME if I could have that official confirmation of making that goal.  At the same time, I need to resist temptation to not eat right in order to achieve that goal.  So, I am going to be journaling this week to make sure that I don't fall into that trap.  I don't think people understand how tempting it is to do things to make that scale weight.  I scoffed for years at the stories from Biggest Loser, but I find, even though I am doing really well in the weight-loss department, that I am tempted to use some of the same techniques, just so I can have official record of my accomplishments.  I will be working really hard not to fall into that trap.

Now, here are the revelations: I crave carbohydrates at the end of my cycle.  Not necessarily the pasta and rice, etc that most people crave, but I do find I want more carb-rich vegetables and grains that last week of my cycle.  I have always known that I crave things made from corn at the end of my cycle (this has been true since I was 12), but it applies to things like quinoa and peas as well.  The trouble with this (and now I have connected all the dots), is that high carb foods encourage edema.  I have complained for a couple years that the edema issues on my legs get worse at the end of my cycle, now I know why.  With the extra edema, I have extra water weight that magically disappears when my cycle ends.  Now I know that is because I crave protein when my menstrual cycle actually starts (probably because the bleeding depletes iron stores).  So as soon as I switch my diet back to my protein-heavy, carb-low normal diet, I lose the water and I lose weight.  I think the reason I didn't make the connection before is because I ate pasta and rice and all those things before.  I don't know because they expand in my stomach and I cannot predict how much they will fill me up, so it's easier to just not eat them.  It was hard to tease out that I was that much more heavy on carbs when they were such a big part of my diet before.  Now, because they are practically non-existent, it's easy to see the difference.

So, now the question is, do I NEED those carbs at the end of my cycle?  Is that the reason I crave them?  There are some in the medical industry who say that your body knows better than your mind what you need and that you should listen to what it has to say.  I suppose the best way to find out is to be absolutely diligent for a couple months to not change my diet.  But in the end, I don't know that it is worth it.  In the end, as long as I have a net loss at the end of my cycle, isn't that what really counts?  The gains I have now because of edema are so much smaller than I they were before.  Now, I might gain 2-5 pounds during that week, only to lose 7-10 the following week.  Whereas before I would gain 7-10 pounds and lose 10-12.  It doesn't affect the way my clothes fit in the same way it used to either, so I am thinking it might be best to just leave it alone, be aware of what I am doing and move on from there. 

Beans and Kale

Today's soup helps me to use up a couple items I generally have trouble using up. The original recipe calls for white beans, but I figured it would taste just as good with black truth beans. Actually, now that it's done, I kind of like the contrast with the green kale. I was a little worried when I woke this morning because this soup looks a little plain without the kale, but I tasted it before adding the kale and it's quite tasty. I also want to note that I did not have celery, but I had a beautiful bunch of but greens. The stems have the same texture as celery and cook about the same. I substituted the stems for the celery and that worked very nicely.

 Sausage Bean Soup with Kale
 Adapted from: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-white-bean-soup-with-andouille-and-collards-00000000052371/index.html

• 1  pound  dried beans* (I used black turtle beans)
• 1/2  pound  andouille sausage links*, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 
• 1  large onion*, chopped 
• 1 bunch stems from beets*, chopped
• 8  cups  homemade chicken stock*
• 1  bunch  kale*, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups) 
• 1  tablespoon  red wine vinegar 
• kosher salt and black pepper 

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, sausage, onion, and beet stems. Add the broth and stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).
3. Twenty minutes before serving, add the kale, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper, as needed.

  * CSA ingredients

Broccoli

Today did not go as planned, but I had a productive day. This week, Renee is off celebrating her anniversary, so the share is all mine. Of course, it would be a bag full of green vegetables. That includes a huge head of broccoli. Since I know that can go bad quickly, I decided to use that first. I have never made broccoli soup before, but I know it's easy to sneak protein into that versatile soup, so that's where I started.

 Broccoli Soup with White Cheddar
 Adapted from: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1848,152190-246196,00.html

•  1 large head broccoli*
• 2 c. water 
• 3 cups homemade vegetable stock*
• 1 tsp. dried whole marjoram 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1/8 tsp. pepper 
• 2 lg. carrots*, scraped & sliced 
• 1 med. candy onion*, quartered
• 2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 c. skim milk

 Trim leaves and tough ends of lower stalks from broccoli. Cut into 1" pieces; set aside.

Combine broccoli and remaining ingredients except cheddar and milk in a Dutch oven; cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove 2 cups broccoli flowerets from soup mixture with a slotted spoon; set aside. Spoon half of soup mixture into container of an electric blender; process until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup mixture.

Return soup mixture to Dutch oven; stir in cheddar and heat until cheese melts. Stir in milk and reserved flowerets.

Cook soup over low heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.

*CSA ingredients

104 down!

Today is 6 months and 1 week since surgery.  I am 104 pounds down and thought I would post a bit.  I am less than 8 pounds from weighing less than I have since I was in my mid-20's.  It's amazing that I never managed to achieve that weight before the surgery.  I got so close many times...265 was the lowest that I managed just trying to diet.  I wonder if I will manage to make 250 before my next follow-up on October 19th.  Time will tell, I guess.

I can tell that my stomach has finally relaxed some, which means that I now have to be more diligent than before.  I think what finally caused that is the UTI I had about a month ago.  I had to force myself to drink more than I had managed up to that point.  It is much easier to get my liquids in now.  I still struggle with dense meats and have found I do much better with stews or soups.  They don't seem to take up as much space.  And well, since I always have interesting produce to work with, easy for me to prepare.

I started physical therapy.  The therapist doesn't hold out hope for me to get another 20 years out of my knees.  He thinks more like 5.  But all I can do it try and see where it leads.  Already, I have gone from only being about to walk up to a half mile comfortably to being able to walk almost a mile.  So, it is helping.  I am hopeful that I will at least be able to get back to a regular walking program.  I know the only way I will get back on a bike is to replace at least the left knee, but walking would help a lot at this point.

Here's the latest comparison shot.  I tried to make sure that today's picture was at the same angle as the before picture.  I really wish I have a front-on before shot.  For some reason, they are all slightly angled.  Although I will admit, it does help me see where I need the most help still.  Angles can be deceiving (as you can see from the second shot I am posting.

Vegetable Stock

Today, I decided to try my hand at making vegetable stock. I received 5 ears of com this week and undertook to cut the kernelsfrom the cobs. Ihad read, somewhere, that the stripped cobs can be used to make vegetable stock. I also had some leftoveronion which I chunked up to add to the cobs. When I looked at the rest of my produce stock, I found carrots, radishes, and roasted garlic, as well as a blend of fresh herbs (thyme, sage & rosemary). I decided this blend would make a lovely stock.

 Slow-cooker Vegetable Stock

•  5 corn cobs*, stripped of kernels
•  1/3 large sweet onion*, cut in chunks
•  2 large late carrots*, cleaned and cut in chunks
•  6 radishes*, cut in half
•  6 cloves roasted garlic
•  1 bunch fresh herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary)
•  kosher salt
•  Water

 Place all vegetables and herbs into slow-cooker. Add water to cover. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on HIGH. Adjust seasoning. Cook 10-15 minutes longer to blend flavors. Drain stock into a bowl; draining through a sieve or colander. Cool and freeze for later use.

*CSA ingredients

Fall Soup

Between my CSA share and my husband's cousin, I ended up with a variety of winter squashes. I decided with the recent change in weather, Squash Soup would be a comforting change. As I usually do, I hit the internet for ideas and found a recipe for Roasted Squash Soup that uses several types of winter squash. Since Ihad butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash, I decided to use this recipe as a basis for my version.

 Roasted Winter Squash Soup
Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-squash-soup/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=roasted%20squash%20soup&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

• 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash*, halved and seeded
• 1 acorn squash*, halved and seeded
• 1/2 small spaghetti squash*, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion*, chopped
• 6 cloves roasted garlic*, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 Gala apples* - peeled, cored and chopped
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the squash, cut side down, on baking sheets and roast for 45 minutes, or until flesh is soft. Scoop out the flesh into a large bowl.
3. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute the onion, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook 1 minute. Add the apples and sherry and simmer for 10 minutes, or until apples soften.
4. Puree batches of the squash flesh and broth in a food processor or blender. Transfer the squash puree to a large saucepan. Puree the apple/sherry mixture and stir into pureed squash.
5. Heat over medium heat and season with salt, pepper and cayenne, to taste. 

 *CSA ingredients

Potatoes and Leeks

This weekend, I went to a birthday party for my husband's aunt's 90th birthday. While there, his cousin, Rene, offered everyone squash and leeks. I managed to come away with 2 large, beautiful leeks, 2 acorn squash and 1 small spaghetti squash. Since we got potatoes in the last share, I decided to try my hand at potato leek soup. Now, I usually spend a lot of time searching recipes and making a gameplan, but this morning I was in a hurry, so I just threw things in my Crockpot and went to work. I will admit I had some anxiety, and there are some things I would do differently next time, but overall, I ended up with a very tasty soup.

 Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar and Bacon

•  2 large leeks
•  8 small potatoes* 
• 3 medium carrots*
•  32 oz chicken stock
•  2 cups water
• 1 sprig sage
•  1/2 1b bacon
•  2 cups shredded cheese (I used extra sharp white cheddar)

 Trim the leek (use only light green/white part). Cut in half lengthwise and wash out sand. Thinly slice the leeks. Add to the Crockpot.

 Peel and chunk the potatoes; add to the Crockpot. Peel the carrots and cut to 1-inch pieces; add to the Crockpot. Pour chicken stock and water over the vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

Cool soup slightly and blend,using an immersion blenderor regular blender, until chunky. Return to Crockpot, add cooked, crumbled bacon, cheese and sage. Cook until cheese is melted and sage has flavored the soup. Remove sage and adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) if needed.

Note: while this soup turned out very tasty, you could probably double the potatoes and carrots and have a much heartier soup. Also, I prefer sharp cheeses in these types of soups, but you could just as easily use mild cheddar or Swiss if you prefer.

* CSA ingredients