Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category

Chowdah!

Posted: February 13, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, cold weather, Cooking, Exercise, recipes, Weather
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I was a bad boy this morning.

I woke up around 4:20, realized how wiped out I was feeling and promptly reset the alarm for 6:30. Loosely translated, that means no visit to the gym at the crack of dawn for me. The extra two hours of sleep didn’t help much, though. I’m yawning and just feeling generally run down. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the cold that has been residing in my head and chest these last few days.

So, last night I had a choice. I could either watch a bunch of self-serving politicians tell lies and get applauded for it, or I could make a batch of New England clam chowder (or as my friends from New England would say, “chowdah!”)

I opted to go the chowdah route. It’s been cold enough for thick soup and with Lent and all that upon us, it comes in handy. I start with a base recipe that I have modified to contain less fat and hopefully all of the taste. I’ll include it here:

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

1/2 lb onion, diced
1/2 lb celery, diced
12 oz red potatoes, large diced
4 cans chopped clams and juice
32 oz fat-free half & half
32 oz clam juice
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
2 tbsp olive oil
Bacon salt to taste
4 splashes of Tabasco Chipotle
1 can corn (drained) (optional)
1/2 lb roux

Roux:
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb flour

Melt butter, blend in flour to make roux.

Directions:

1. In a 2 gallon stockpot, cook onion and celery in olive oil and bacon salt until translucent.
2. Pour in chopped clams in juice, clam juice, diced potato and seasonings; blend well.
3. Bring to simmer over medium heat, for 5 – 10 minutes.
4. Add half & half, increase heat until it comes to a slow boil.
5. Add roux slowly, mixing well. Keep mixing until well incorporated.
6. Reduce heat – simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

It comes out with a nice smoky flavor from the chipotle Tabasco and also the bacon salt. Also, adding the corn can make for an interesting texture and adds a hint of sweetness to the taste. By using the fat- free half & half, you also cut out a lot of extraneous fat and it still thickens nicely.

So, as for the Lenten resolutions, I’m giving up soda. I know… kind of harsh. Fact is, I have to do it post surgery, so I might as well get used to it. I will miss it, no doubt about that. Not so much the taste, but the carbonation. Granted, with such greatly reduced stomach capacity, there will be no room for the bubbles at the inn. I know there’s a lot I will have to give up, at least for some time. It’s a small price to pay when it comes down to it. My reward will be a healthier me. I think it will be worth it.

Hope that you have a great day!

The next six pounds

Posted: February 12, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, diabetes, Exercise, Physical activity, The Rec, Walking, Weight loss
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Good evening!

So, today dawned with me still appreciating the afterglow of yesterday’s good news at the doctor’s office. I got myself up and went to the gym, which is how I’ve really started to like my mornings. It’s SOOOO much better than getting up and heading down to the Nerd Lair to watch TV and perhaps (read: probably) graze on stuff that’s bad for me.

222764_10200643298751451_1212397042_nI tested my blood sugar and it was a kind of high 150. Mornings are always freaky for me. I took my recommended 10 units of insulin, ate a banana and drank a protein shake (breakfast of champions, baby!), then headed to the rec. It was a little later than normal, so I had to cut things a little shorter than usual. I still managed 1.74 miles on the treadmill at an average speed of 2.78 mph. That’s faster than it’s been, for those keeping score at home. I did, however, notice something.

What’s the deal with the roid junkies who show up at the gym clad in shorts, weightlifting gloves, muscle shirts and a wool stocking cap? I mean, if you’re trying to stay warm, maybe I might suggest sweatpants? If you’re trying to be a badass, you might try a different sort of headgear. Just some friendly advice.

Literary enemy #1

Literary enemy #1

After that, the day goes downhill. I had to go to work. It’s amazing how all the good feeling you’ve built up with a decent workout can be burst in a few minutes. Today, it was the incessant chatter. And not conversation. It’s more the “I’m doing this, now I’m doing that.” It’s like listening to a James Joyce book on CD, only without the option of ejecting the disc, breaking said disc in many pieces and setting the pieces on fire. (No, I’m NOT a James Joyce fan)

Please don’t take it that I hate my job. I don’t. I know that what I do isn’t the most scintillating work on the planet, but it’s all the attendant bullshit that goes along with it. I often want to just go home and not think about it until the next day when I have to go in to work.

Anyway, before getting sidetracked, I was talking about success. I had a taste of it on the scale and I really liked the feeling. So, today I wanted to be more of the same. My packed lunch included two Mission Carb Balance wheat burrito shells filled with leftover Chipotle, a container of Greek yogurt, some pistachio nuts, a protein shake and the ever-present water bottle. I also decided to go cold turkey on caffeine, which might be where my irritability came from today. That plus a cold, and well, I’m a tad cranky. Don’t judge.

Dinner was the final remnants of the seemingly endless burrito bowl along with some grilled chicken and broccoli. All in all, not too shabby.

So, tomorrow is another day. It’s also Ash Wednesday, so I gotta think of something to give up for Lent. Could I make 40 days sans caffeine? Especially since I go to third shift in a month? Any bets?

Didn’t think so.

14!

Posted: January 15, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, diabetes, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking, Weight loss
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OK… Day 14 is in the books. I arrived at 7 for the session with the boys and had surprisingly decent sugar. I had good sugar this morning when I woke up, so I opted for a banana and a protein shake for breakfast. I’m developing a taste for the vanilla cream shakes, which is good, since I’m going to be subsisting on these things for a few weeks. Anyway, my pre-workout sugar reading was 92, which was a little lower than I’m used to. I like to think it’s that the exercise is doing me some good. Post workout, I stuck a 70, which is at the low end of normal for me, but I wasn’t having shakes or sweats, so it’s all good.

Important thing is that I made it 14 straight days. That’s two weeks that I’ve stuck to something. I’m pretty damn pleased with myself, but I’m not giving up. Next stop? 21 days!

So, I also took time last night and made a batch of my special jambalaya (see the recipe section). I added extra protein in the form of shrimp and chicken. Also, the chicken chipotle sausage had a vein of jack cheese in it, which added to the depth of the finished product. It really reheated well, which made for a tasty lunch.

After cooking, I attacked the Christmas tree (yes, it was still up). I got the ornaments off, the lights off, and realized I still had enough time to take down the tree, put it away, and then I vacuumed the rug. It’s odd… we have an artificial tree that drops as many needles as a real tree. Go figure. Now, many of you are probably wondering why we still had a Christmas tree up. Don’t judge us.

I have an appointment with the dietician tomorrow afternoon. Hope we get some good news, and maybe we can get a surgery date. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive. In a surprise move, I’m all over the map emotionally regarding the operation. I’m still going to do it, but I’m sure I’ll question my decision up until the time they shoot me up with Versed.

Hope you all have a great week!

Finally… some good news

Posted: December 12, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, family, Physical activity
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Greetings!

Today was a good day. Well, actually, it started yesterday (after work, of course). I had an appointment at the gym and had a good workout, which really brightened my mood. I came home and Supportive Partner Woman (Possessor of Much Pop Culture Knowledge) and I did some decorating of the Pop Culture Christmas tree. It’s your basic Christmas tree, with many sentimental ornaments, but also a wide variety of pop culture ornaments. There’s some Star Trek stuff, Superman, A Christmas Story, Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Chick-fil-A, and one year, we even had the miniature embodiment of death on the tree (Don’t judge)

537628_10200178673256104_846522353_nOne of the other decorations set up was a present from SPW. It’s a miniature Chick-fil-A complete with a cow wearing the sandwich board. I know that many folks have come down hard on the restaurant due to its corporate policies seen by many as hateful, but the local franchise does quite a bit for charity. Last weekend, they had a matching program… for every sandwich they sold during a busy afternoon, the restaurant would donate an equivalent number of sandwiches to Water Street Ministries, an aid organization here in town.

Anyway, after doing some decorating, we headed off to grab some dinner. We would up at J.B. Dawson’s, a local chain, and I managed to put my usual restaurant habits to the wayside. I ordered a salad, no dressing, and only managed to eat about half of it. Took the rest for lunch today. It was still pretty yummy.

Anyway, I had an appointment with the dietitian this afternoon and I lost 10 pounds. And that included a Disney trip. Woot! I’ve said before that I felt the diet portion of the bariatric clinic was the weak link, but it was nice to see her be genuinely happy for me. She offered some suggestions for improving the nutrition value of the clam chowder that I plan to make in the next week or so, and we booked another appointment in a month. Assuming that goes according to plan, it will be time to schedule the operation.

People I’ve talked to at support group have described parts of the process as horrible, but I have yet to meet someone who regrets doing the procedure. The worst part that I’ve heard is the liquid diet for basically three weeks. That will be tough. Guess I might as well get used to protein powder.

Anyway, I’m going to wrap it up. Have to be at the gym at 7:00 and some shut-eye would probably help.

Thanksgiving

Posted: November 23, 2012 in Cooking, family, Holidays
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The family traditions of Thanksgiving are many and varied. As a youngster, we always went to my grandmother’s place for a turkey dinner. I loved my grandmother and miss her very much, but she was not a great turkey cook. That bird came out of the oven drier than the Sahara. You wound up needing to irrigate yourself like a personalized Tennessee Valley Authority in order to choke it down. I think, had the Camelbak been around at that point, it should’ve been part of the place settings. Things got to be too much, though, and we started a tradition of going out on Thanksgiving. This would be broken up when someone felt like hosting dinner, but we generally would choose a buffet and go to town.

Buffets/smorgasbords have their own special risks. Usually those risks involve eating way too much, but the other thing is that a lot of the food choices simply aren’t good for you. I’m kind of the expert in that kind of diet. Maybe I should make a weight loss video where a camera crew follows me around and then I exhort people to order the exact opposite of what I did order. That might work.

My sister-in-law’s oven roasted turkey

Seriously, though, there are ways to make Thanksgiving dinner somewhat healthy, even for dyed-in-the-wool carnivores like me. First of all, I know a deep-fried turkey tastes awesome. I get that… something about that oily juiciness sets it apart. However, it is possible to oven roast a turkey that will rival a friend bird in overall juiciness. I know this because my sister-in-law accomplishes this on a yearly basis. Her bird is perfectly golden brown every time. She claims the art is in the basting, but I’m pretty sure there’s a healthy dose of witchcraft involved as well.

The really weak link in the holiday meal chain is the potato filling. This stuff is like a food group all its own, and therein lies the issue. It is soooooo easy to just shovel that stuff on the plate and chow down. It was hard, but I only had one modest-sized helping yesterday, along with a spoonful of corn and some green bean surprise. There was also a huge salad made by yours truly, with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below).

The dessert selection was stupendous… Supportive Partner Woman (better baker than I!) made a selection of her mom’s favorites, as it was also her mom’s birthday. She made a pineapple upside down cake, a birthday cake, and a pumpkin pie. And, since she’s awesome, she also baked a batch of sugar free cupcakes for me.

Of course, there’s the best part of Thanksgiving dinner… leftovers. Nothing like a pile of yummy, juicy turkey to make sandwiches. Or, you can just nuke some of that stuff and you have a lovely, well-balanced plate. That’s all you really need.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch of rosemary

Combine and mix well. Modify amount of oil is dressing is too vinegary for your taste.

Song of the Day: I Had a Memory – Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Currently reading: Poseidon’s Arrow – Clive Cussler

I did it!

Posted: November 9, 2012 in Cooking, recipes
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Not the best presentation, but the tastiness is there.

I made jambalaya… and it smells awesome.

Tastes pretty good, too, as it turns out. All in all, not bad for a first try. I’ll post the recipe, even though I’m sure I will tweak it as I make it again. It’s certainly in the rotation.

I made some changes to make it a little healthier. In place of regular andouille sausage, I located some Johnsonville Cajun chicken sausage that cut the fat in half while preserving a nice spicy taste.

Here ya go:

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

  • 12 shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into chunks
  • 4 ounces chicken breast, diced
  • 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (mix up the colors for visual appeal)
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used canned… it was what I had in the house)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tabasco Chipotle sauce – SPW likes the smokiness)
  • 3/4 cup rice
  • 3 cups chicken stock (salt free preferred)
  • 6 ounces Johnsonville Cajun chicken sausage
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Depending on your taste preference, you might want to mix more seasoning in with your proteins. Also, more veggies would probably not hurt the cause.

Creole seasoning:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

There ya have it. The good news is that a serving should be around 450 calories. Not too shabby for a filling meal.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Song of the Day: Not The Same – Ben Folds with the Dartmouth Aires

Currently Reading: 12.21 – Dustin Thomason

Back to your regularly scheduled posts

Posted: November 8, 2012 in Cooking, gay marriage, rants, Weight loss
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I’ve taken some time off to rant about politics. I know, it’s something I normally eschew, but the level of animosity in the campaign motivated me to just let ‘er rip. If my opinions offended anyone, well, I’m sorry that you feel that way. My opinions, however, are mine alone and I will sometimes express them.

One thing that I did not cover was the concept of marriage equality. I was not ignoring a topic that many feel so passionately about… I had posted a rant specifically on that topic here. As such, I didn’t feel the need to bring it up. However, kudos to Maine and Maryland for approving the ballot measures to legalize gay marriage. Two small steps, I know, but they add up.

Yesterday’s route.

So, getting back to regular topics, I’m pleased to announce that I got out and walked yesterday. Took my lunch break and lapped the parking lot at work. It felt good… especially since it was a long day with very little sleep. Just getting the fresh (cold) air really helped rejuvenate and refocus. It’s not the most scenic of routes, but you work with what you have. It was needed.

There’s other things going on that have really added stress to my life and have made the wheels wobble, if not totally fall off. I’ve been doing a lot of unauthorized snacking. Retreating back to the comforts of food. It sucks because I put so much time into getting better and I’m at risk of ballooning right back up. I could make all sorts of excuses, but I don’t have any. I’m still going to the gym twice a week, which needs to increase. I’m going tomorrow to the regular gym… just not sure if it will be before or after work.

I’ve also been kind of lazy on the cooking front. I’m bound and determined to make the jambalaya this weekend, or at the very least, some chili. Something that’s got everything I need nutrition-wise, and is easy to prepare after a long day at the office. I could even try to make chicken or turkey chili. Never tried those before. I usually opt for lean ground beef.

My other project will be to finish putting things back together in the Nerd Lair. I know, I’ve been saying that for a week. To date, though, I’ve only gotten the DVDs done. There’s still around 700 CDs that need done. I’ll get there. Keep moving forward.

So, my goals are stated… get back on track and get back to the gym. A tall order, but you can only screw around so much. I’m done with that.

Song of the Day: Once in a Lifetime – University of Wisconsin MadHatters

Currently Reading: The Dark Side of Disney – Leonard Kinsey

Upcoming cooking endeavours

Posted: November 5, 2012 in Cooking, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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I’ve posted a lot about cooking over the span of time I’ve worked on this blog. I’ve shared some of my recipes, I’ve shared some dishes that I really liked. I was thinking that a post about some stuff I’m planning on trying to make might be a good idea. Ideally, I would make a vlog of it… I still might.

I hope mine will look this good.

The big one I want to tackle is jambalaya. I’ve liked Cajun cooking for some time… especially since we have a well-regarded Cajun restaurant within shouting distance of us. I like alligator and blackened catfish and the unique spice blends in that style of cooking. Ironically, I never tried to make jambalaya. That will change. I’d like to make it with shrimp and chicken, since alligator is a little hard to come by around here. I’d also like to find where I can get the best andouille sausage.

It’s also time to make some of my halfway famous clam chowder and beer chili. Dishes like these go well in the colder months… it’s hard to appreciate a good, thick soup when it’s 90 degrees outside.

Cookies!

I also need to do some baking. My coworkers usually appreciate when I do a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I tend to make mine on the soft side and they get very puffy. I work with a Nestle Toll House recipe that I tweaked… use 2 1/2 cups of flour and instead of butter, I use Imperial margarine. The butter does add a slightly richer taste, but I like the way the margarine helps the dough rise. The extra flour stiffens the cookies enough that they don’t get limp. I also make sure I whisk the dry ingredients together and add slowly to the wet. That’s mainly due to the fact I don’t like to clean up the flour spillage afterward.

The other key ingredient is the chocolate chips themselves. I only use semi-sweet chips. I find the milk chocolate chips to be too sweet and the white ones just look freaky. As for brand, you can’t go wrong with Nestle and I’ve also had success with Trader Joe’s brand and Wegman’s brand chips. Not a huge fan of the Hershey branded chips and using M&Ms is like using milk chocolate chips.

Supportive Partner Woman (Excellent baker!) also likes to make her granny’s cut out cookies. These are really thin, very crispy and very omnomnom. There’s something like 8 cups of flour in them, it’s carb central, but damn. I like that they are not too overtly sweet, but just crazy good. SPW (Crafter of yummy soups!) has also announced plans for a batch of her cream of chicken orzo soup. Yay!

So, yes, autumn usually brings a cooking frenzy to the Nerd Lair kitchens. Pictures will accompany these delectable noms, and maybe some video on how we make them. It would certainly be something different. Granted, they say the camera adds 10 pounds. Better get my tubby ass to the gym more often. I know these might not be the healthiest things ever (cookies? seriously?) but the jambalaya can be made healthier by substituting turkey sausage and brown rice, as well as no salt broth. I make the clam chowder with fat-free half and half as well. As for the chili, well, the beef gets drained of excess fat before it even gets added to the chili. I suppose I could use a bottle of light beer, but, naaah. Recipe calls for beer, not swill.

Most recipes can be adapted to be healthier without giving away a huge amount of taste. Remember… spices are your friends.

 

Serious cooking

Posted: October 15, 2012 in Cooking, Food porn, recipes, Supportive Partner Woman, Wegman's
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Supportive Partner Woman (Mistress of the Twittergraph!) and I did some cooking this weekend, trying to jump-start back to our healthier lifestyle. With everything going on, healthy eating wasn’t quite at the forefront, convenience was.

We made an excursion to Wegman’s on Saturday. This was our regular Wegman’s… in Mechanicsburg, PA. It’s in the ideal retail complex. You have Wegman’s, Best Buy, Target, Office Max and Chick-Fil-A all in one complex. It’s like Christmas. We found a really nice beef roast and decided we’d throw that in the slow cooker and I’d make some other stuff, since SPW (Slave to the Voter’s Guide!) had to work. Sunday morning, we cooperated on getting the roast ready, although SPW (Eater of tasty beef!) did the lion’s share of the prep. I just measured out broth and chopped carrots and potatoes. Once it was cooking away, I made lunch… tomato soup and grilled ham & cheese sandwiches. Used a boxed Trader Joe’s soup that was pretty tasty, but it was in the pantry.

Dinner!

After SPW (Queen of the slow cooker!) left for work, I got down to business. I started by opting to make from-scratch risotto for the first time. I used mushrooms, garlic, shallots, white wine and chicken stock, along with arborio rice and, well, I thought it turned out to be pretty good. Had the right level of stickiness, and it was the right texture. I had been dreading it, but the actual making process wasn’t that bad. I was amazed with the quantity of risotto 1.5 cups of arborio rice actually makes. It sucked up around 6.5 cups of liquid! I’m going to add the recipe to this post… I will be using it again, although probably not until I manage to eat the rest of this batch 🙂

Brings me to the next topic… leftovers. This is one place where Supportive Partner Woman and I disagree. She detests leftovers… I think they are the greatest thing ever. I like variety in my meals, but if I can have a nice, balanced meal without spending a ton of time to make it, well, I’m all for it.

In other changes, I start a long period of day shift this week. It will seem strange, but it also gives me more time to cook a fresh meal. Hopefully, Supportive Partner Woman will be able to come home for dinner on a regular basis once her job situation settles down. We shall see.

Here’s the risotto recipe. All measurements are not exact 🙂

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth – divided
3 tablespoons olive oil – divided
8 oz. white mushrooms thinly sliced
2 diced shallots (I had some in a jar, so I used those)
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Little Penguin pinot grigio)
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Parmesan
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives (I omitted)
sea salt to taste
coarse ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1) In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

2) Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

3) Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20-30 minutes.

4) Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

There you have it. Just remember to be patient and keep stirring.

More tomorrow!

Song of the Day: The Forecast (Calls for Pain) – Robert Cray Band
Currently Reading: First Family – David Baldacci

Quote of the Day:

I don’t like food that’s too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I’d buy a painting. – Andy Rooney

What’s coming…

Posted: October 12, 2012 in Cooking, Exercise, Lego, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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So, I ended the last post saying that I would keep moving forward. Here’s what’s happening.

I got to day work next week. I’ve been working evenings since the beginning of May, and there’s some upside there. Namely getting to see more of Supportive Partner Woman (Sportschick extraordinaire!) and not having to worry about appointment scheduling. The downside is that you miss out on a lot of stuff in the evening and it also really messes with my natural circadian rhythm.

I’m also looking forward to the change in that it gives me more opportunity to cook fish. I love fish, but my co-workers aren’t exactly enthralled when you heat it up in the microwave. Even a plank roasted salmon that primarily smells like wood smoke brings out the great wailing and gnashing of teeth. The challenge, though, will be to not succumb to boredom eating. I’ll either need a second job or some kind of hobby to keep me busy. Sadly, the hobby can’t just be building Legos. That gets to be somewhat expensive.

B-Wing

Speaking of Lego, my most recent project was the B-Wing starfighter from the Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series. I love the UCS sets… they are usually a more challenging build with lots of pieces and the attention to detail is astounding. They also come with a handy display stand and aren’t plagued with tons of stickers like other lower-end sets. This marks my third UCS set, and while not as challenging as the Imperial shuttle, it still took me a few days to get it together.

One of my main projects will be to adapt to meal planning. All too often, I’m throwing something together with what I have on hand, rather than having what I would really like to have. This will hopefully eliminate the discovery of four year old shrimp in the freezer.

I also have to adjust my workout schedule. My two sanctioned workouts this week are going to be at 7 AM, followed by full shifts. We will see how that winds up going. If it doesn’t fly too well, I can always go after work. I can also walk the neighborhood after work as the temperatures have cooled considerably. It was tough to do in mid afternoon when temperatures and humidity hovered around “boiling”.

All I can promise is that I’ll be making changes. Whether they work remains to be seen. Hopefully it will get the scale moving in the right direction.

Have a great weekend!

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