New Beginning

New BeggingEV886Y

Last Friday was my last day at Case Western Reserve University and the last day of my science career. Since that time I have been sorting, throwing and packing my belongings. As I go through bags and boxes I haven't looked at since moving to this apartment, I have  been finding pictures and clothes that clearly remind me of where I was when I started this journey. Since I have been plateaued since I started traveling for the bridge program, these things are keeping my spirit up and my head in the game.

 This is a picture of the choir I was in in 2011. I am in the front, third from the left. I actually had already lost about 20 lbs toward surgery at that time, but you can see I still had a long way to go.

 This is me in one leg of a pair of size 34 pants I wore before I started this journey. These pants are important because they are linen and have no stretch. I now wear a regular size 16.

 It is so freeing to have this time to purge my former life. So many exciting changes!

Local Broccoli and Tomatoes

This week's quiche is one of my new favorite combinations! I'm not sure exactly when I fell in love with broccoli and eggs, but I know that right now I prefer that combination to any other. Having locally-grown broccoli just makes it all that much better! Add to that some delicious local tomatoes from the Midland Farmer's Market and I am in heaven!

 Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Tomatoes

•  1 small head broccoli*, chopped
•  1 medium local tomato, sliced
•  1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
•  5 farm-fresh eggs*
•  1 cup 1% milk
•  salt and pepper

 Preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle broccoli into a prepared pie plate. Arrange tomato wedges over broccoli and then sprinkle cheddar on top. Mix eggs, milk and seasonings until smooth. Pour evenly over fillings. Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Almond Butter Brownies

I have a sweet tooth, I admit it. But I also no longer have the patience for laborious baking. While looking through Pinterest, I ran across a recipe for peanut butter brownies which are gluten-free and super-duper easy! I had to make some substitutes, though. First, I only have almond butter. Since the base of the brownies are Greek yogurt and oats, I figured this would be okay. The second problem was that I don't have baking powder. When I looked up substituting, I found that if you mix 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part baking soda, it makes a pretty good substitute. So here is what I came up with:

 Almond Butter Brownies
 Adapted from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/06/10/skinny-peanut-butter-swirl-brownies/

• 3/4 cup creamy almond butter 
• 6 oz. low fat vanilla greek yogurt 
• 1/4 cup 1% organic milk 
• 1 large egg*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp homemade baking powder
• 1 cup maple syrup*
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats* (gluten free)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 7x10 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place all of the ingredients except for the almond butter into a blender or food processor. (Yes, a blender!) For easier blending, place the liquid ingredients into the blender first. Blend until mix is smooth and oats are ground up. You will have to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times.
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Batter will be thin. Microwave peanut butter for about 30 seconds. Drop melted peanut butter by spoonfuls onto the batter, swirling gently with a knife to create a marbled effect. (Try not to overmix!)
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Brownies will be extra fudgy, so be sure to wait until COMPLETELY cooled - I stuck mine in the refrigerator for 2 hours, which allowed them to be cut very easily. Cut into 18 pieces and enjoy!

*CSA ingredients

Crunching the Numbers

Since I haven't really done it in a very long time, I decided to put some totals on my losses:

Weight lost: 145.3 lbs
Inches lost:
Neck: 2.5 inches
Chest: 8 inches
Under breast: 4 inches
Upper Arms: 5 inches
Lower Arms: 2 inches
Waist: 11 inches
Hips: 17 inches
Thigh: 10 inches
Calf: 4 inches
Ankle: 4 inches (this is only important to me because I have lymphodema and any consistent change here is good!)
Total inches lost: 67.5 inches!

The scale has been frustrating ever since I have had to start traveling to prepare for my new job (I am finished here on June 21 and move June 30, starting my new job July 1).  But I was given advice:  If I can maintain while traveling almost every weekend for 5 months, I am doing good.  Putting the losses together in terms of inches helps!

I am thinking about starting to get serious about training for figure competitions.  I know that the only way I could compete is to actually have skin removal surgery (which I don't know when I will be able to afford it), but the training and getting toned and fit is really my goal anyway.  I learned how to do jump squats today and they don't bother my knees, so I will be adding those to my workout routine and that should help not only by upping the calories burned, but by also helping me build the muscles in my legs that I need for cardio work.

Hummus

I had a can of pumpkin I needed to use up after substituting pumpkin for oil in brownies yesterday. As I was searching for things to use it in, I ran across a recipe for pumpkin hummus. My friend, Saada Eid, is from Jordan and always made the best hummus and Baba Ganoush, but when we asked for recipes, she always told us that it depended on taste. After making hummus today, I now understand. This recipe is only the basis for the hummus, you will want to adjust the garlic and lemon juice to your taste. Oh yeah, I always thought it was hard to mix natural peanut butter or almond butter when first opened. Well, tahini is even harder! But so worth the effort!

 Pumpkin Hummus
 Adapted from: http://veganyackattack.com/2011/11/14/pumpkin-hummus/

• 1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Tbsp. Tahini
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp. Paprika
• Optional: Water or more lemon juice to get a smoother, more fluid consistency

 Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth, or until the consistency is to your liking. If you choose to add water, add very little at a time so that it is not too liquidy. Note: Adjust flavors with lemon juice and garlic.

I Love Quiche

This morning, after doing Zumba, I knew I wanted eggs for breakfast. With a very large batch of Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash in the refrigerator, I thought I would break from my quiche habit and try a frittata. However, when I looked up recipes, I realized why I prefer quiche. I am a custard girl through-and-through! I love the creamy texture of custard and when I looked at the frittata recipes, I realized that they are closer to omelets than quiche. So, quiche it is! The other nice thing about quiche is that it is so very versatile, so you can use up things in your refrigerator and it is almost always good!

 Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Quiche

•  2 cups Mediterranean spaghetti Squash*
•  1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
•  5 large farm-fresh eggs*
•  1 cup 1% milk
•  salt and pepper

 Prepare a pie plate with cooking spray. Put spaghetti squash in bottom of pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese. Blend eggs, milk and seasonings until well blended. Pour over squash. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients

Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash

As I've mentioned before, I really cannot eat pasta anymore. I do, however, like spaghetti squash. As I was going to look for an idea to make this weekend, my sister, Ann Moeller, pinned a recipe that not only looked very yummy, but I thought I had all the ingredients for. So, this morning, I set out to make it. To add needed protein, I added chicken, and I decided to use leeks and ramps (wild leeks) in place of the onions and garlic. Finally, the jar of olives I had were Spanish, not black, but the saltiness nicely balances the sweetness of the squash and leeks. I am guessing the original recipe is fantastic too, but my version was a tasty lunch!

 Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
 Adapted from: http://www.garnishwithlemon.com/2013/01/11/mediterranean-spaghetti-squash/

• 1 3-4 pound spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 small leeks,cut lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1/2 bunch ramp leaves, shredded
• 2½ cups halved grape tomatoes
• 2 cups leftover chicken, shredded
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup halved Spanish olives
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the baking sheet. Bake until you can poke a sharp knife into the squash with little resistance, about 35-45 minutes. Remove squash from oven and set aside to cool.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Swear leeks in oil until tender. Add ramps, and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken and cook briefly, about 1 minute. You only want to warm the tomatoes.
4. Use a large fork to shred the “spaghetti” from the squash and place the strands in a large bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.