Friday, August 31, 2007

How I got here in the first place

I received an e-mail today from Vickie in Iowa, who is also eating local on CORE (and makes her own yogurt, butter, and cheese!) Here is an excerpt from that e-mail:

There are only a couple of other Core folks at my meeting so the flexers can get very fixated on what you can fool your body into thinking is food.....I've had it with the fat free cool whip cheers. That's not food...

I find you particularly interesting because we share something: a sincere commitment to healthy foods, and yet we're both pretty overweight. I can't get my head around that really. Sometimes I think that I'm overweight because I'm obsessed with food, (that comes from my family,) and the localvore CSA slowfood movement just helps me to channel that obsession away from cookies and into making yogurt. On the Core I still get to think about food all the time, but in a positive way; that works for me. Nonetheless, I'm still fat, and the other people in this movement around here are not. If we're who we claim to be, how can we be fat in the first place?????


So how did I get so fat? It certainly wasn't from eating locally grown, organic foods in moderate portions like I am now. Before I started to learn about agribusiness and the industrial food industry, before I understood the importance of buying local, I was the woman who ate everything. I was a chubby baby, kid, teen, and young adult, slipping into obesity somewhere around my 16th birthday and never getting back out of it. I was on Weight Watchers half a dozen times before this, starting with the Exchange program when I was 12, but it never stuck. I never had the determination. I knew what I should be eating and patently ignored it.

I used food in a lot of ways, but filling physical hunger wasn't always at the top of that list. I was not picky, and unfortunately ate fast food, junk food and processed crap far too frequently and in huge quantities. Why I am heavy is not such a surprise to me, although there is certainly more to it than this, and it is not because I ate whole foods in reasonable amounts.

It took becoming a mother to get me to wake up to what I was eating, how I was living my life, and made me step back and evaluate. I was feeding my son all organic baby foods, carefully making sure he received balanced nutrition, but I wasn't giving the same nurturing care of my own body. I realized that as his role model, it was my job to demonstrate healthy eating habits so that he doesn't grow up overweight and with the food issues I've struggled through. Also, if I didn't get healthy, I couldn't be the kind of parent I want to be. I couldn't easily chase him around the park or get on the floor to play with him, and I wouldn't be as healthy or live as long if I remained obese. I didn't want that for him, and I started to change my eating habits not for me but for him. In the process, it has become about me.

At about the same time, I read an article about the 100 mile diet in the Utne Reader while waiting for a doctor's appointment and it resonated with me. I'd never considered the source of my food before, and didn't think I could do it. It was the push I needed to do more research, and I read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, the book that changed my life and view of food 100%. If you haven't yet read it, I highly recommend it. I learned about industrial agriculture, monoculture, subsidies, and our entirely screwed up food system, and I wanted out! I went into it with no notion of how food got to my plate, and I quit eating industrial meat cold (pastured) turkey in January of this year. I wasn't watching my weight, but I was watching where food came from and started buying organic and paying attention to buying local.

In May, I rejoined Weight Watchers with a commitment I'd never before had, and with a new way of looking at my food. I'm making conscious food choices not entirely based on the calorie count, but on the quality of the food, and I've found something surprising: I don't need a huge quantity if the food is high quality. A small amount of good, real cheese is so much more satisfying than a whole package of fat free cheese product.

Another surprise to me: I've become picky! My list of things I will eat is now smaller than the things I won't for the first time in my life. (I never expected this!) This is wonderful for my health, and for the first time, I'm eating according to my values. I don't want animals to live in inhumane conditions so I can eat meat, but I don't want to give up meat. I don't want to eat genetically modified foods or chemicals dressed up as foods. I want nutritious, flavorful food that hasn't spent weeks in transit, hasn't been sprayed with toxic chemicals, and isn't leaving the environment (and people growing and harvesting it) irreparably damaged. I'm enjoying the "hunt" for new sources, the success of new recipes, and real, whole food - none of it individually packaged and frozen. So I skip industrial meat, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, genetically modified foods and artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners/preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated fats, and so in short, almost all packaged foods.

I've said the same thing as Vickie: I'm still obsessed with food. I am not sure that will ever dissipate, but it has found a new focus. Instead of constantly wondering how I'd get my next fix of sugar and deep fried (fill in the blank), I'm searching for new sources for healthy, sustainable foods. I'm excited when I find local beans and pastured chickens. The obsession may never leave me, but my life and the lives of my family members are better off for the obsession finding this direction. I am not cured of my food issues and I still struggle with fast food cravings and wanting to eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's to console myself over bad news, but I'm now making conscious choices and learning to feel the feeling instead of feeding it. That hard work is outside of the scope of this blog and I'm not getting much into it here, but it's going on behind the scenes.

My son, who will be 2 years old this month, is a great eater. He'll eat just about whatever I put in front of him and eats the same daily menu that I post here with a few modifications - more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and whole milk, for example. So far, he loves fruits and vegetables and has never had a chicken nugget. I'm striving to keep it that way.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Daily Menu for August 29

I passed up free ice cream at school, started the weight lifting circuit, and ate 100% on plan. It was a good day. Here's my plan for tomorrow:

Breakfast
2 cups milk
honeydew melon
shredded wheat

Lunch
Egg curry on couscous
carrots

Dinner
TBD - we're going out to eat

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: TBD
WPA points available: 35
Activity points today: 3 (walking)
Activity points this week: 11

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains -
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Monday, August 27, 2007

Daily Menu for August 28

Breakfast
Apricot muesli (yogurt, oatmeal, apricots and applesauce)

Lunch
Chickpea, eggplant and tahini with bulgur (1 Point)
Carrots and bell peppers with white-bean dip

Dinner
Egg curry
Brown rice
Green beans
Milk

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 1
WPA points available: 35
Activity points today: 6 (lifting weights in the gym for 60 minutes)
Activity points this week: 8

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, bulgur, brown rice
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (chickpeas, eggs)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Sick and crabby, but on plan!

I have had a cold for a few days, and it's grown to include phlegm and fever, never especially fun. I ate little yesterday, and my appetite doesn't seem especially close to the surface today. I'm still planning a healthy daily menu for the day and I'll try to have as much of it as my hunger allows. I know I haven't been hitting all of the daily 8's lately and that has to get back in line. I've also avoided exercise, since I've felt pretty miserable, but I'm getting back to that too, adding the 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds to the day instead of the planned 2 mile. If I have more energy, I'll do it twice.

***

After nearly a decade out of school, I'm back at community college taking classes. I'm taking 16 units this semester, and will be packing lunches Tuesday and Thursday for school in addition to my current Wednesdays spent nannying. I've revived my Mr.Bento love and am excited to pack fun, healthy lunches to take with me.

***

Meatless Monday Daily Menu

Breakfast

Apricot muesli (yogurt, oatmeal, apricots, applesauce)

Lunch
Lentil soup
quinoa
carrots
milk

Dinner
Chickpeas, eggplant, tahini, and spinach w/1 t. olive oil (1 Point for the tahini)
zucchini with 1 t. olive oil
Brown rice

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 1
WPA points available: 35
Activity points today: 2 (Walk Away the Pounds 1 mile video)
Activity points this week: 2

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (lentils, chickpeas)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Sick and whiny: why I missed Weight Watchers and flew threw the farmer's market

I started sniffling yesterday afternoon and by the evening, full blown cold had set in. I woke up this morning with a sinus headache, sniffles, aches, sneezes, and a sore throat, and decided to stay in bed for as much extra rest as I could manage while Mr.M took Jax to swim class. Still sniffly, I made my way out to grocery shop so we have the food to make a week of menus and aren't tempted to eat out instead. I have to stop that habit in its tracks if I want to continue along losing weight! On my home scale (which is routinely the same as the Weight Watcher's scale), I'm up 1.4 lb. this week. Hopefully next week will drop that and more. Perhaps a sore throat will come in handy after all, haha.

Jax came shopping with me after swim class, and he seemed to enjoy the market. Usually he's home with Dad, and I wish I'd brought him on a morning when I didn't feel so awful! I picked up the CSA box from Full Belly, visited briefly with Ariel from Green Oaks Creek, and shared a basket of strawberries on the lawn, listening to music for a few minutes before heading off to Country Sun for staple grains and dairy. I spent $67.96 at Country Sun on several pounds of each:

Lentils
Whole wheat pasta
Soba (buckwheat) noodles
Bulgur
Wheat Berries
Whole wheat Couscous
Short grain brown rice

And:
Cumin seeds
String cheese for Jax
2 gallons of milk from Clover
a quart of yogurt from Wallaby
2 mineral waters (from Calistoga so still local)
and a fruit leather for Jax to eat in the cart

So while there are no kabobs tonight, as I neglected to stop by the meat booth, we can still have couscous, tzatziki, and grilled vegetables.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Crazy week without a plan leads to eating off plan

I've had a crazy week and haven't been as on-track as usual, and I've been embarassed to come post what I've eaten - too much junk, too many meals out, and just too much. We have eaten out the past four nights - a cousin was visiting, then my mom's birthday, celebrating starting school, all away from my kitchen. And I've not exercised. I just haven't been able to get back on track since our mini-vacation and I feel like I'm sabatoging myself with candy, cake, crackers and bread, all foods I've successfully avoided since starting CORE. It's been a recipe for weight gain, and I found again that not having a plan has been my downfall. I feel like I've gained but haven't weighed myself; I'm anxious about weighing in tomorrow.

So starting today I'm back on track, back to my daily menu, back with no meals out for the next week! And with a plan for meals and exercise tacked up on the fridge, I expect better from myself this week.

So here is the dinner and exercise plan for the week:

Saturday - Grilled kabobs (meat depends on availability at the farmer's market), grilled veggies, couscous, tzatziki, grilled peaches / 2 mile Walk Away the Pounds

Sunday - Monastery lentils, polenta corn cakes, tomato-basil salad (1.5 Points for cheese in lentils) / The Firm

Meatless Monday - Chickpeas, eggplant, spinach, and tahini, brown rice (1 Point for tahini) / 2 mile WATP

Tuesday - Egg curry, green beans, bulgur / gym for weight lifting

Wednesday - Crockpot black bean-barley soup / 2 mile WATP

Thursday - Beef picadillo, baked potato / gym for weight lifting

Friday - Leftovers / The Firm

Monday, August 20, 2007

Meatless Monday Daily Menu for August 20

I ate a container of cashews last night in a not-hungry-but-need-to-chew frenzy. It hasn't happened much since starting CORE, and cashews are certainly a healthier food than the cookies and French fries that I would have gone to before, but it's still not a healthy choice to eat all of my WPAs in a sitting, especially when I wasn't even hungry. I need to examine the behavior to figure out why I wanted to eat so that I can change it next time. Anyway, that's why all the WPAs are gone and any extra points will have to come from activity.

It's Meatless Monday again! Is anyone else participating in this? There are so many wonderful meatless meals that it really isn't a struggle to find tasty, healthy, balanced vegetarian menus. Hopefully you'll make it a Meatless Monday at your house, too.

Breakfast
apple (not really hungry)

Lunch
red lentil soup
2 c. milk

Dinner
Chickpea, eggplant, spinach and tahini (1 Point)
Brown rice
Melon

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 6
WPA points available: 0
Activity points today: 4 (walking)
Activity points this week: 12

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - brown rice
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (lentils, chickpeas)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Saturday, August 18, 2007

I ate past the "sigh" and loved every bite!

Mr.M and I returned from our three-day Napa/Sonoma getaway last night refreshed, just how one wants to return from a few days away from work, home, and child in one of the most gorgeous, serene destinations in the country. We ate well, drank well, and spent an entire afternoon napping; it was lovely.

Wednesday:
We had a very loose itinerary. After dropping off Jax at my parents' house, we had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. In the rush to get everything done, we hadn't had breakfast and I was quite hungry. I ordered a shrimp salad with whole beans and cheese on the side. I used salsa as the dressing, added beans and just a sprinkle of cheese, avoided the shell and chips, and it was a satisfying lunch. I would order that again, even without shrimp as the beans gave it enough protein and plenty of fiber for keeping me full for a while.

St. Helena Olive Oil Company was the first stop in wine country. We tasted a variety of olive oils, vinegars, mustards, and dips, all delicious and many made on site. I particularly liked the lemon olive oil, with a crisp lemon bite and fruity olive flavor, and brought a bottle home for salads.

Our next stop was at one of the two wineries on our itinerary, Frog's Leap. (We never made it to the second!) We were too late for a tour but spent half an hour chatting with Megan, a friendly administrator who gets to work in the sales room one day a week. She told us about the organic, sustainable practices that the winery employs and gave us samples of the Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. We're not big wine drinkers, but we really enjoyed it and bought half a dozen bottles. The tours were booked for the next few days, but Megan took our number to let us know if there was a cancellation, and sure enough she was able to get squeeze us into a tour the next morning.

We drove up to Calistoga where we stayed at the Calistoga Inn. It's a quaint, European style hotel (shared bathrooms) over a restaurant and pub. We walked down picturesque Lincoln Ave. (like walking in a 1950's postcard!) and stopped for dinner at All Seasons Bistro. We sharing two delicious, locally sourced meals: roasted pork loin medallions with stone fruit chutney (melt-in-your-mouth tender) and a glass of chardonnay, and Sonoma duck duo - seared breast and leg confit - with pan juices and Provencal vegetables (and bacon! yum!) and a glass of petit syrah. For dessert, s'mores with homemade graham cracker, homemade marshmallow, and a decadent espresso-chocolate ice cream. We "mmmm"-ed all through dinner! The waiter recommended the wines to us (as I said, we're not big wine drinkers and wouldn't have known where to start) and they complimented the meals quite nicely.

We spent the evening in the pub at the Calistoga Inn listening to a local band and drinking excellent beer, brewed on site. We tried the Kolsch, Porter, and a guest India Pale Ale from a microbrewery in Eureka. I also enjoyed a few mojitos. The bar staff was friendly and atmosphere was great for sharing company with a few locals and a pair of Swedish college boys on a whirlwind US tour.

Thursday:



We were back at Frog's Leap for the tour first thing Thursday morning, which in Napa means 10:30 am. (Nothing is open in the valley before 10 am!) Rachel led the tour, and she had so much energy and enthusiasm that it was hard not to be excited with her about the winery. The organic, sustainable winery utilizes dry farming methods (no irrigation, no fertilizers, and no pesticides), solar panels to cover all of its electricity, and is home to 5 acres of organic orchards and vegetable gardens which adds natural biodiversity and encourages beneficial insects throughout the property. Their 200 acres of vineyards boast grapevines with 22 feet deep root systems; industry standard is a mere 2 feet. Having such deep roots help the grapes retain water in the soil and withstand root pests, which only live in the top two feet of soil. They plant cover crops off season as nitrogen fixers and to add nutrients to the soil. (Who knew I was so interested in soil?!)

The barn is one of 5 original red barns in the county, restored with 80% of its original boards and 20% reclaimed wood. The main house was also built with reclaimed wood, geothermal heating and cooling, and a variety of green building methods. We were encouraged to pick fruit and vegetables from their garden, and living local enough to use it, we brought home two full bags of apples, peaches, and peppers. I'll be freezing peaches, drying apples, and roasting peppers this weekend!



And, of course, the wine was fantastic. We found the tour fascinating and would highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. The tour is free, and we tasted five wonderful wines. As wine novices, we also learned quite a bit about what to look for in different types of wines and how they are produced.

We ate a packed lunch of black-bean and wheat berry salad with fresh veggies and apples picked at Frog's Leap, and then went back to our room for a short nap that turned into a long nap. The second winery that we planned to visit was snoozed through.

For dinner, we visited The Girl and The Fig. This was another amazing meal. We started with a cheese and fruit sampler (left to right): cow's milk Three Sisters Serena, goat's milk Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, and sheep's milk Bellwether Farm's Pepato. All three are California cheeses, and they were delicious! We especially liked the sheep's milk cheese, studded with peppercorns. They were served with apples, nuts, fig chutney, and fig cakes.



We both had heirloom tomato soup with basil and saffron, and for our entrees, Mr.M tried the grass fed flatiron steak with pommes frites and I had the daily special, herb-crusted halibut with saffron Israeli couscous and spinach, sauteed baby squash, and a red-pepper sauce. It was beautiful, colorful, and tasted spectacular. The fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; the couscous had that warm, rich saffron flavor, and the sauce complimented both. Mr.M's steak was equally delicious and very tender. For dessert, I enjoyed a small scoop of chocolate orange sorbet, fig and port ice cream, and hazelnut gelato. I had the "wine flight" with my meal - three tastes of wine, one with the soup, one with the entree, and a port with the dessert. I didn't write down what they were, unfortunately, but they were tasty!




Friday:
Friday morning we headed down to Napa to visit Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food, and The Arts. They offer cooking demonstrations (we attended one featuring tomatoes), wine tastings, and regular classes in addition to their ongoing exhibits, Forks in the Road about the American food experience and Hungry Planet, a fascinating photo series documenting what families eat for an entire week in countries around the world, based on the book of the same name by Peter Menzel. It is a beautiful building and the grounds house several acres of edible gardens. We ate lunch at Julia's Kitchen inside the Copia, which offered a number of the garden's fruits and vegetables on their menu.

For lunch, I had the portobello mushroom wellington with eggplant puree, asparagus, and tomatoes. It was almost too pretty to eat, and tasted as good as it looked! The pastry was flaky and the sauce had a creamy texture but tangy, savory flavor that was just delightful.



After the Copia, we picked up Jax and came home. It was so nice to just spend time with Mr.M alone, no work, no baby, no worries for a few days, and we had fun just being together.

***

I was sure that I gained weight as I indulged in all of these amazing meals, eating the bread, desserts, and delectable sauces but when I went to Weight Watchers this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to have lost .4 lb.! Sweet!

***

At the farmer's market after Weight Watchers, I renewed my CSA box a year in advance. Add $686 to my monthly total and my budget is blown out of the water, but broken down it's just $58 a month for fresh, local, organic produce delivered to me. You really can't beat that. By paying a year in advance, I save a dollar a week. Since summer is the busy season for our family business, and the time of year when I have a little extra cushion in the budget, it was worth it to pay upfront and not have to worry about coming up with it in the winter, when the budget is tighter by necessity.

Today's box includes:
corn
cucumbers
eggplant
cantaloupe
honeyloupe
peppers
potatoes
tomatoes

This will be a tasty week! I also spent $24 on Pacific snapper for dinner tonight, cheese and butter from Spring Hill, onions, and Glaum eggs. I still need milk, rice, and yogurt, which will bring the total closer to $44 for this week's groceries, plus the CSA payment.

***

Daily Menu

Breakfast
apple
2 slices Alvarado Street Bakery toast and 1 t. Spring Hill scallion-lemon butter (3 Points)

Lunch
red lentil soup with tomatoes and potatoes
1 oz. cheese (3 Points)
peach

Dinner
more red lentil soup (yummy!)

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 6
WPA points available: 35
Activity points today: 8 (The Firm video)
Activity points this week: 8

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - whole wheat bread
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (fish)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Getting ready for a mini-vacation

Mr.M and I are going to Napa for the next few days, and in an effort to stay on program, I'm packing us breakfast and lunch. Continental breakfast is included in our room package, but I don't trust myself with pastries and am bringing my own. So while I have no dinner menu set (we're eating out), I have breakfast and lunch plans for the next few days and will be cooking all afternoon to get it all set!

Breakfasts:
Each morning we'll have baked oatmeal and fruit from the continental breakfast

Lunches:
Wednesday - Mediterranean platter: roasted pepper hummus (no tahini), tzatziki, baked falafel, whole wheat pita bread (Points), and lots of fresh veggies for dipping

Thursday - Southwestern black bean and corn salad with quinoa, fresh veggies

Friday - out to lunch

I'm bringing along lots of fresh, cut up veggies and half a gallon of skim milk so I can hit the healthy 8s while I'm gone.

I won't be posting until Saturday, and hopefully will return rested and happy, without any extra pounds!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Daily Menu for August 12

Breakfast
Baked oatmeal
milk

Lunch
Pot roast on a French roll (3 Points)
carrots

Dinner
Leftovers dinner:
Melon chicken salad
Black beans and wheatberries with fresh tomato salsa
Plums


WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 3
WPA points available: 27
Activity points today: 0
Activity points this week: 9

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, wheat berries
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (beef, chicken, beans)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Saturday, August 11, 2007

12 week progress report

I've now been on program for 12 weeks. I've tried Weight Watchers a dozen or more times, lost 15-20 lb., and then quit and gained that back plus more. This is the longest I've ever stuck to the program and also the most weight I've ever lost, and I'm continuing to feel motivated and on track. This time is different: cutting out the junk food, the processed, chemical, fake stuff, and caring for the first time about where the food comes from has made such a difference not only in my weight loss but in how I am looking at food altogether.

In the past twelve weeks, I've lost:
26 pounds
32.5 inches
30 points on my cholesterol
two pant sizes (from 28 to 24) and two shirt sizes (from 26 to 22)


In its place, I've gained:
endurance!
the ability to climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, walk a mile without taking a break, and finish the 55 minute FIRM exercise DVD (whew, that last one was tough)
a passion for dried beans and whole grains

I'm feeling so motivated to continue, and am thrilled with my progress so far. This is just the beginning!

***

I went to the farmer's market this morning and picked up my CSA box from Full Belly Farm. In it this week:

Basil
Bi Color Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Canary Melon
Cantaloupe Melon
Onion
Heirloom tomato

At the market, I also bought the longest celery I've ever seen, a head of cauliflower, green onions, silken tofu, a variety of colorful peppers and a jar of local smoked paprika, and a small ham. I spent $35 today toward this week's food. Yesterday I went to the grocery outlet and spent $18, mostly stocking up on local (Sebastapol), organic applesauce on sale for $1.50 a jar. I also hit Costco for Gardenburgers (not local, but they're easy for Jax and he loves them,) local, organic carrots, local mushrooms, and olive oil (not local, but organic.) I spent under $35. This week's food expense is up to $88.00. I'll need more milk and eggs later in the week, and will probably pick up some picnic fixings on our trip to Napa, so it will probably hit the weekly budgetted amount at that point.

***

Daily Menu

Breakfast
Baked oatmeal
2 c. milk

Lunch
Melon Chicken Salad (2 Points for the dressing, no walnuts)

Dinner
Grilled pork with balsamic reduction (from TLC Ranch)
Roasted eggplant and cauliflower with 1 t. oil (from Full Belly Farm and Green Oaks Creek Farm and Retreat
Tomatoes with salt and pepper (from Full Belly Farm)
Wheatberries with 1 t. olive oil and lemon (from Full Belly Farm)

Dessert
4 oatmeal cookies (12 Points)
milk

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 14
WPA points available: 30
Activity points today: 9 (5 for walking at a leisurely pace for 70 minutes; 4 for 1/2 of The Firm Aerobic Body Shaping - and I'm still sore from Thursday!)
Activity points this week: 13

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, brown rice
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (chicken, pork)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Friday, August 10, 2007

Daily Menu for August 10

I finished the 55 minute FIRM DVD "Aerobic Body Shaping" last night. Wow, it was tough, but I feel so good about completing it! Today is a walking day, which is good because I am too sore to FIRM. That means it's working, right?

I didn't end up making pot roast last night; instead, we had whole wheat pasta with zucchini, onions, and tomatoes. Yummy! So the pot roast is going in the crockpot today for dinner tonight and roast beef sandwiches tomorrow.

***

We're taking a 3 day trip to Napa/Sonoma next week for a mini-vacation before school starts. I'm taking classes full time in the fall, and Mr.M has been working nonstop all summer. We are looking forward to a few days without work, phone calls, or a toddler! If you have any suggestions for what we should check out while in the area, please let me know! Right now, on our itinerary, are Copia, a spa trip in the hot springs, a view of the geyser, dinner at The Girl and The Fig, and a tasting at an olive oil company. What else would you recommend?

I'll be packing lunches for us on the trip to save a little money. Recommendations for tasty lunches that will hold up in a cooler would be welcome as well.

***

Daily menu

Breakfast
Kamut puffs, milk

Lunch
Bok choy with black beans
bulgur
orange
milk

Dinner
Pot roast with fingerling potatoes and carrots
Mushroom gravy (2 PTS)
green beans

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 0
WPA points available: 0
Activity points today: 4 (Walk Away the Pounds video)
Activity points this week: 31

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - Kamut, bulgur
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (beans, beef)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Wanted local: Do you know where I can find...

I've been doing pretty well at eating full time local foods (I'm at about 80% local), but there are a few things I've had a hard time locating. We live practically in Eden and most everything I could need (besides coffee, spices, chocolate, sugar, and tropical fruits) is here if I look hard enough. I don't know if these are grown or produced locally, but it's worth a shot! If you know where I can find these, please let me know!

Soy sauce
Sesame oil/sesame seeds
Rice wine vinegar
White wine vinegar
Red wine vinegar (being so close to wine country, I'd expect this to be here, but I'm not sure where to look)
Peanut butter (it's a long shot!)
Ginger
Cornmeal
Quinoa
Couscous
Barley
Bulgur
Steel cut oats
Whole wheat pasta
Lentils

Some foods I've wanted simply don't grow locally. I've made exceptions to the local rule for spices and condiments, the occasional chocolate, and coffee (mostly for Mr.M - I rarely drink coffee.) I'm buying them organic and fair trade when I do buy them. Bananas, coconuts, pineapples, mangoes, and other tropical fruits don't grow in California so I have to buy imported if I want these treats, but as you can see from the previous daily menus, they're not on my table frequently. I do miss Thai recipes with their coconut milk goodness, though!

I've come upon local sources for apple cider, olive oil, sunflower seeds recently, but haven't sampled them yet.

***

Daily Menu

Breakfast
Kamut puffs, milk
Plums

Lunch
Black beans and bulgur
zucchini from neighbor's yard
Orange from neighbor's tree

Dinner
Pot roast with carrots and fingerling potatoes - beef from Chileno Valley Ranch, carrots and potatoes from Full Belly Farm
Green beans from Full Belly Farm

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 0
WPA points available: 0
Activity points today: 8 (The Firm video)
Activity points this week: 27 (4 yesterday)

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - Kamut, rice
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (beans, beef)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Daily menu for August 7

I didn't exercise yesterday, and still ate more WPAs than I would have liked. I did, however, finish three loads of dishes, four loads of laundry, made chicken stock and shredded chicken for casseroles and salads, and kept my toddler from coloring on the walls. (I didn't quite keep him from coloring on himself!) So it was a busy day and by the evening I just didn't have the energy to walk. Today, I'm exercising early so I can't use being too tired as an excuse.

I bought The Firm's Transfirmer kit - a 2-piece step and three DVDS - to have a more intense exercise at home. Walk Away the Pounds has been good for me to get moving, but I'm not feeling particularly challenged by it and am ready to shake things up. I still plan on doing the WATP DVD on rest days from The Firm, so I'm exercising most every day and getting some variety in the workouts.

I tried the first Transfirmer video on Sunday and it kicked my butt! I did 25 minutes of the 45 minute video, always 2 1/2 steps behind, and then collapsed in a sweaty heap on the sofa, stunned by their speed! I'm sure there is a learning curve and I'll get there, too, but for the beginner, it's tough! About 10 minutes in (already huffing and puffing) the video says, "now we're all warmed up!" I practically yelled, "THAT WAS WARM UP?!" and Mr.M laughed heartily at me from the other room.

Breakfast
Kamut puffs (puffed kamut is the only ingredient)
milk
cantaloupe

Lunch
Gigante beans with lemon-caper vinaigrette
Orange
Wheatberries from Full Belly Farm

Dinner
Beef picadillo
brown rice
zucchini
milk

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 0
WPA points available: 12.5
Activity points today: 8 (The Firm video - this time I'm finishing it!)
Activity points this week: 15

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - Kamut, bulgur,
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (beans, beef)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Monday, August 6, 2007

Meatless Monday Daily Menu for August 6

I went to the movies last night and ate no popcorn. Is there some kind of medal for this? There should be!

Another non-scale victory: I went to buy a few T-shirts the other day, since mine are getting baggy, and the size 22/2x fit. I was in 26-28/3x before. Yay for new, smaller clothes!

***

It's Meatless Monday again and we're going heavy on the beans today. I made these beans last night to serve for lunch today. The flavors are fantastic, and the little bit of tart bite from the capers were a welcome contrast to the smooth, creamy beans

Recipe
Gigantes bean salad with lemon-caper vinaigrette

Serves 8 as a side dish (including 1 healthy oil servings), 4 as a main dish (including 2 healthy oil servings

Beans:
2 c. large dried Gigantes beans, picked over and rinsed (lima beans are a good substitute)
2 T olive oil (needed to control foaming)
6 c. water
1 t. salt

In a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker, combine bean ingredients. Lock lid in place and bring to high pressure. Cook for 9 minutes under high pressure. Turn off heat and allow pressure to come down naturally, 15-20 minutes. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. If the beans aren't uniformly tender, replace but do not lock the lid and simmer until done. Drain and transfer to a large bowl and discard any loose bean skins.

Additional ingredients:
3 c. diced zucchini
2 c. cooked corn

Dressing:
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. finely chopped shallots or red onion
2 T chopped capers
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients into a vinaigrette. While the beans are still warm, add the zucchini, corn, pour on the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add extra salt and lemon to taste. Enjoy warm or cold.

(Variation of a recipe from the cookbook "Pressure Perfect" by Lorna Sass)

***

Daily menu:

Breakfast
1 c. yogurt, 1/4 c. steel cut oats, apricots

Lunch
Gigantes bean salad, beans from Phipps Country Store, including corn, zucchini, and an olive oil-lemon-caper vinaigrette
2 slices toast with 1 t. butter (3 Points)
Orange

Dinner
Bean and corn tamale pie
Whole heirloom Tomato
3 corn tortillas (3 Points)

Snack
1 slice toast with 1/2 t. butter (1.5 Points) - this is a weakness now! I think I have to freeze the butter for a while so I don't spend all my points on bread and butter.

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 7.5
WPA points available: 12.5
Activity points today: 0
Activity points this week: 9

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, polenta, bulgur
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (eggs, beans)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Daily Menu for August 5

I got a call last night from Pietro, my fishmonger, to let me know that a salmon was in and I could pick it up this morning. Hooray! I picked up the 7.5 lb. salmon, gutted but still with head, tail, fins and such, and it is ready for dismemberment in my fridge. I'm going to cut it into fillets and vacuum seal those for later in the year when fresh salmon isn't available. The head and bones will be saved for fish stock, except for the cheeks, a delicacy, which will be eaten on their own!

I spent $55 on salmon, and picked up a few more veggies for an additional $7.25. That brings my food expenditure up to $135.82 this week, or $315.82 including the grain CSA. This is a heavy week on food expenses, but the next few months will be lighter because of it. Everything evens out in the end.

***

Daily Menu
EDITED for accuracy!

Breakfast
2 slices California Style whole grain toast from Alvarado Street Bakery (2 Points)
1 t. butter from Spring Hill Cheese (1 Point)

Lunch
2 Soul Food Farm eggs
about a cup of zucchini from the neighbor
1 slice toast with 1/2 t. butter (1.5 Points)

Dinner
Grilled stuffed pasilla peppers (stuffed with fresh corn, zucchini, black beans, and grilled tomatoes) - The peppers are from the Menlo Park farmer's market, black beans from Phipps, and the corn and tomatoes are from Full Belly Farm
1 T. sharp cheddar from Spring Hill Cheese (1.5 Points)
Corn on the cob, plain
2 c. milk
bulgur

Snack
pita chips - 12 points OUCH! I don't normally snack, but I picked up a bag of pita chips after craving crunchy chips for a few days and thinking pita would be healthier. It was 12 points for the bag, which I polished off in one sitting. Yikes! Good thing I earned Activity points, but I can't make that a habit.

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 18 (not worth it!! Stupid pita chips...)
WPA points available: 20
Activity points today: 6 (The Firm video - ouch!)
Activity points this week: 9

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - whole grain bread, bulgur
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (eggs, beans)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Fruits of our neighbors

Mr.M and Jax went on a walk last night and brought home a bag full of goodies. It seems that they stopped to chat with each neighbor with a fruiting tree, told them about our quest to eat local foods, and were given as much as they could carry. They brought home apples, oranges, lemons, a big grapefruit, and mouths smeared with blackberry (they don't travel well in the company of bigger fruit!) The blackberry bush's owner said we were welcome back, so I'll be back to get a batch to freeze. Same goes for apples - applesauce is coming our way with these sweet, tart beauties.

What is growing in your neighborhood? Most of the tree-owners we've encountered are happy to give fruits away from their trees and it never hurts to ask if you could enjoy a few. It doesn't get much more local than that!

***

I took off what was gained last week, and then some, so I'm feeling good about today's weigh in. I'm now down 24 lb. in 11 weeks and making strides toward my goal of 10%/31 lb. by September 23. My BMI, still well within the obese range, is down 4 points.

***

The Weight Watchers leader substite I didn't like (see the June 22 entry) was back again. She started the meeting by saying she'd gained 5 pounds and the scales must be off. Well, I lost 3.8 lb and am counting on them being right! Then she goes on to talk about how she started out SO fat at 170 lb. and how did she let herself get so big, and talking to a new woman about how it's good that she started WW before really getting heavy. Um, HELLO!? I'm starting out at 311 lb. and my GOAL is 165. I'll be THRILLED, jumping up and down and hugging anyone who will let me, when I reach 170 and even then it will take more than a year of hard work to get there. I almost left in the middle of the meeting, but I wanted to tell her how discouraging that was. She talked again about how she doesn't exercise, but she has heard it can help. Our regular leader is at a bowling tournament and she said the regular leader was "almost fanatical" about exercise. WHAT?

After the meeting, I told her that I found talking about the weight in numbers really discouraging, since she was feeling so horrible about being at my goal weight. She said that's not what she meant, and I'm taller and she has smaller bone structure besides (taller by two inches and who can see my bone structure under all this padding?), and that she was eating unhealthy and not at a good weight for her. I said she should say she was eating unhealthy and was uncomfortable at her weight instead of saying how terrible 170 is. I'm still feeling discouraged and will be mentioning it to my regular leader next week. (I find my regular leader inspiring and incredibly helpful. She has lost 140 lb. and I can identify with her.)

***

Budget

I've been eating primarily local, organic, CORE foods and doing it on the USDA's Thrifty Plan for cost of food at home - just about $92 a week for my family. I went over a few weeks and under a few weeks, but my average is right about $90 for the past 6 weeks. We're adding an eater to our family, as I'm cooking lunch and dinner for my mother in law (for here or to go) in exchange for childcare when I go back to school next month. She eats here frequently anyway, but now it's a bit more of a formal arrangement and I'm adding her into our cost of food. With that addition, my weekly budget is now $119.80. Thank goodness for all the free fruits, since I bought only $73.57 this week so far.

This week, I've spent:

$26.00 for two chickens and a dozen eggs at Soul Food Farms
$33.57 for bread, polenta, yogurt, milk, applesauce, spices, spaghetti, dried tomatoes, feta cheese, a bottle of Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and an apple bar for Jax at Country Sun
$14.00 for two blocks of smoked sharp cheddar from Spring Hill Cheese

I also sent in $180.00 for the Grain CSA payment. It has been a bad couple of weeks for fishing so the whole salmon isn't in quite yet, but that will be here soon adding to our monthly budget. Also, I'll be renewing my produce CSA box at the end of the month, adding another $185.00 to the month expenditures.

***

Daily Menu

Breakfast
1 slice California Style whole grain toast from Alvarado Street Bakery (1 Point)
1/2 t. butter from Spring Hill Cheese (yummmm!), 1 t. Strawberry Rhubarb jelly from Phipps Country Store (1 Point)
1 c. plain fat free Wallaby yogurt
1/4 c. steel cut oatmeal
2 apricots

Lunch
leftover Chicken cacciatore with whole wheat pasta and 1 t. olive oil
Apple from a neighbor's yard

Dinner
We ate at Fresh Choice. I had a bowl of pho noodles (1 Point for the noodles), a huge salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a brownie (3 Points).

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 6
WPA points available: 32
Activity points today: 3 (Walking)
Activity points this week: 3

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5+
2. Whole grains - oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread
3. Milk - yes
4. Healthy oil - yes
5. Protein - yes (chicken)
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Fresh, pastured chickens and eggs: it doesn't really matter which came first, they're both in my fridge


Today brought a new adventure in local food scouting. After the discovery on my morning walk of a neighbor's front yard zucchini garden with a "please take these zucchinis!" sign (I took one enormous zucchini) and another neighbor's offer of homemade peach jelly, made fresh from peaches grown in her yard, I headed up to Vacaville to buy certified organic, truly free range whole chickens and a dozen colorful eggs direct from Soul Foods Farm.

Chickens greeted me as I pulled into the driveway past the hand-made "Soul Foods Farm" sign and another simply stating "PEACE." I parked in front of the garden, where a few more chickens wandered loose. A slew of them were fenced into a large area behind the house, and wire baskets of multi-colored eggs were in the foyer as I was greeted by Morgan, the teenage daughter of farmer Alexis Koefoed.

I had spoken with Alexis on the phone to arrange picking the chickens up, but she hadn't arrived home when I got there and I had a pleasant conversation with her Morgan in their modern, stainless steel kitchen overlooking the chicken yard. Morgan is a vegetarian and was excited to hear that we'd bought a cow but quite startled by the fact that we had a quarter of it at home in the chest freezer (and the whole conversation was held over two bagged, plucked chickens, heads and feet included!)

When Alexis returned we talked about how good real food is and how great it is to raise kids eating it - her teenaged children still prefer oatmeal to processed cereal, so some of those whole food values really do stick - and the importance of supporting local farms. If you have the opportunity, buy from a farmer! They'll be happy to talk to you about the food that they've grown for you, it will be fresher not having spent 7-14 days in transit (the chickens were dispatched this morning), more nutritious, and you'll be supporting an actual farmer who is making a living making real food in your area, not supporting faceless corporate agribusiness. Alexis was recently interviewed for an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about pastured eggs and their recent resurgence among foodies and those who just want honest-to-goodness eggs with the dark yolks, tender whites, and flavor that warehoused chickens just don't produce.

I also visited my parents while in Vacaville and Jax (22 months) had a chance to play in the kiddie pool with his 3 year old cousin, a pool noodle, rubber ball, and a plastic watering can: a guaranteed good time for the toddler set. We had to drag them into the house, shivering and grousing, as it started to get dark. After many kisses and hugs (Jax says "moooWAH!" when he kisses) we drove the hour and a half home, chickens and eggs nestled in a cooler in the passenger seat, and Jax babbling contentedly in the backseat.

A good day was had by all, except perhaps the chickens.