Changes

I don't think I mentioned on my blog the "difficulty" I had this summer when I drove out to Boston to visit my best friend from grad school.  Because Boston is basically due east of MI, I always drive through Canada to shave time from the trip (it saves almost 3 hours time).  This trip, as I entered Canada, they didn't blink an eye.  However, when I got to the bridge back to the United States in Niagara, I was asked for extra identification.  At first, it didn't occur to me why they would be asking me for additional I.D., but as I turned to hand my drivers' license to the officer, it dawned on me: my passport photos is 6 years old!  Since I had surgery in March of 2012, that photo definitely wouldn't look like me.  The trouble is, my driver's license picture was at least 80lbs heavier as well!  So as I handed my DL to the officer, I said "Oh, yeah, I've lost a LOT of weight!"  His response was "Yes, you have.  Have a nice day."

On the return trip, the same thing occurred, but I was ready this time and had everything available.  It occurred to me that I should probably replace my passport despite the fact that it is still good for another 3 years since I am heading to India on the new year.  I went and picked up an application, but decided to check with the program coordinator before I spent the money and time.  She told me that we have to get a Visa, so it wasn't necessary to replace the passport.  And besides, by that time, I would have my new drivers' license.

Today, I went to get the photos to get my Visa for India and comparing the photo in my passport to the one taken today, it is clear why they felt the need for additional ID on that trip.  It is remarkable how different I look now.  And I never really felt like I put that much weight on my face.  Clearly, I was wrong!

This is how much difference 140 pounds makes!

Bariatric Blog

I know that I have been remiss in blogging anything in the bariatric side of this blog.  Mainly because my weight has been stable for so long now (since March).  With everything in my life that has changed, I feel blessed that I have managed to maintain my weight loss, but now that I am starting to plan for knee surgery next May, I feel like I need to reassess and regroup.  To that end, I would like to talk about things that I can do now that I SHOULDN'T take for granted. 

First, I can stand ever so much longer than I could before.  I still can't just go and stand for an hour or two, like most of my friends can, but that has more to do with my knees than my weight.  When you have no cartilage in your knees, they just start hurting after standing in one place for a long time.

I can, and just did, do my yardwork again.  This is something that was a really uphill battle for me before surgery.  I could work for 5-10 minutes, but then I had to sit down and then getting back up to work again was near impossible.  I just took a whole yard of leaves and pushed them into the road (for pickup this week) in about a half hour and didn't even get winded!  It's a nice feeling to be able to do these things for myself again!  See the before and after pictures below!

This picture was taken at night, but you get the idea!

All pushed into the road!

BTW, for those who are curious, I have lost 140 lbs since having the surgery on March 27, 2012.  I have been maintaining at 220 since March when I started traveling and then moving and starting a new career.  I need to lose about 50 more pounds to get to goal and would love to do so before they start replacing my knees.  I have started with personal training sessions which are helping me feel more comfortable and confident with my movement.  So now I need to figure out that magic formula with the food again so I can get this moving in the right direction again!

Late Brussels Sprouts

While at the farmers' market this past weekend, my mom noticed people walking around with Brussels Sprouts.  She knows that I adore them, so she kept an eye out for them and when she found them she pointed them out to me.  The sprouts were a little on the big size, as they often are this time of year, but I bought a bunch anyway.  This morning, I decided to make a quiche out of them.  I had a package of turkey bacon that I needed to start using up, so I added that and some cheddar jack cheese to the mix and here's what resulted:

Bacon Brussels Sprouts Quiche

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts*
• 4 slices turkey bacon
• 1 cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded
• 5 large eggs*
• 1 cup 1% milk
• seasonings (I used basil and sea salt)

 Preheat oven to 350F.  Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove the loose leaves.  Since this batch was big, cut in half or quarters and steam for 5 minutes in the microwave.  In the meantime, dice the bacon.  Mix the brussels sprouts and bacon and place in bottom of 8-inch round baking pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Thoroughly mix eggs, milk and seasonings until well-blended.  Pour evenly over the filling.  Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until eggs in center are set.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

*farmers market ingredients 

Stewing

I stopped at the Middleton CSA table this weekend at the Midland Farmers' Market and purchased some stew beef.  I haven't made stew in a very long time, so I figured it was time to do so.  I picked up a couple small eggplants, some peppers and parsnips thinking they would be good for the stew.  I also have a six pack of Shock-Top Belgian White in my refrigerator and thought that would make a good addition for flavor.

Autumn Beef Stew

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 lbs stew beef
• 2 small onions*, diced
• 3 cloves garlic*, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow pepper*, diced
• 2 medium parsnips*, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 small eggplant*, diced
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 12-oz bottle Shock-Top Belgian White
• 4 cups homemade vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 1/2 tsp tumeric

 Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring, until just starting to turn translucent.  Add stew beef and cook until browned on each side.  Add garlic, stirring for about 1 minute or until fragrent.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered for 2 hours or until vegetables are cooked. 

*Farmers Market items

Pumpkin Seeds

Once a year, I get my hands dirty and separate the seeds from the pumpkin pulp.  I really hate doing that because it's a tedious, messy job.  But once a year, I feel like it's worth it.  There really is nothing like fresh roasted pumpkin seeds: so much better than the store bought salty ones we had as kids.  Roasting them is really simple and you can season them in any manner you prefer.  This is my favorite version.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• Pumpkin seeds from one sugar pumpkin
• Cooking spray
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne
• Sea salt

 Separate the seeds from the pumpkin pulp and place in a colander.  Rinse seeds to remove remaining pulp.  Dry on a paper towel or linen towel.  Preheat oven to 300F.  Spread seeds on a prepared cooking sheet.  Spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with seasonings, to taste.  Stir to coat evenly.  Roast seeds for 30 minutes; stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!

Quinoa Jambalaya

I know that I have posted recipes for jambalaya here before, but, honestly, this is a flexible recipe, just like my quiches.  I do, however, now always make my jambalaya with quinoa instead of rice.  There are several reasons for this.  First, quinoa doesn't seem to expand in your stomach the way that rice does.  Second, it has 4 grams of protein per half cup serving, so it makes the dish even healthier for me.  Third, quinoa is one of only 2 plant products that has complete protein: all amino acids needed in your diet are contained in this wonderful little grain!  It cooks up the same way that rice does, so it's a great substitute.

Quinoa Jambalaya with Asparagus

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 cans tomatoes with chiles
• 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 pkg al fresco Chicken Andouille sausage
• 2 cups asparagus pieces
• 2 cups mixed bell peppers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups corn

Combine all ingredients in crockpot.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours.  Remove chicken thighs and sausages; cool.  Shred the chicken and slice the sausages.  Return to the crockpot; stir to blend.

Pumpkin and Chicken

Okay, I am being terribly remiss in posting recipes again.  Today I needed to use a sugar pumpkin and some chicken that I had in my fridge.  While I looked for ideas, I roasted the pumpkin.

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin

• 1 medium sugar pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut stem end off pumpkin.  Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strings.  Separate the seeds from the strings and rinse; set aside.  Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Remove flesh from skins and process until smooth in blender.


I looked at several different recipes for pumpkin chicken soups and stews.  In the end, I decided to go with a Chicken Pumpkin Chili that looked similar to Chicken White Bean Chili.  I have always liked that type of chili, but have never actually made it.  And it seemed to be the type of thing you could prepare the ingredients and then cook in a slow cooker.  I have spent part of the summer preparing vegetables and freezing them so that I would have everything on hand and decided to adjust the recipe to include some of my other favorite vegetables.

Chicken Pumpkin Two Bean Chili
Adapted from: http://picky-palate.com/2012/11/26/white-bean-and-turkey-pumpkin-chili/

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 cup frozen fresh corn
• 1 cup frozen fresh mixed peppers
• 1 4oz can green chilis
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Roasted pumpkin puree from 1 medium sugar pumpkin
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp cumin

Prepare vegetables (onions, celery, carrots).  Heat oil over medium heat.  Add prepared vegetables, plus corn and mixed peppers.  Saute until vegetables are soft.  Add garlic and saute another minute or so until fragrant.  Mix pumpkin puree and chicken stock in crockpot until well blended.  Add vegetables and remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook at HIGH for 1 hour, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 6-8 hours.