Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category

Not a total waste

Posted: July 10, 2012 in Cooking, diabetes, local markets, produce, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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Crowds gather around the produce.

So Supportive Partner Woman (eater of big ole salads!) and I managed to make it to Root’s Market today. The place was hopping, pretty much as expected. There’s a certain beauty of the Root’s complex. Interspersed among the various produce stands outside are people selling all manner of goods, some of which are probably hot. It seems this kind of market is pretty well-established in central Pennsylvania. Discounting the real farmer’s markets and roadside produce stands, you have Root’s, the Green Dragon and Saturday’s Market. Of the big three, SPW (peruser of markets!) and I prefer Root’s. It seems to be more focused on the local fresh produce and dairy, and it’s physically the closest to us. Green Dragon, located in Ephrata, is not as nice as it used to be. There’s a lot more vendors coming in from out of the area to hawk whatever it is they are selling. Saturday’s is our least favorite. Again, it’s not as neat as I remember it being way back in the early 90’s. Lots of people selling junky stuff and not enough fresh, local fare. That’s important to me… if I can, I prefer to support the local economy.

Most baked good stands have an amazing variety of tasty offerings.

So, Root’s. We managed to find yellow zucchini, cucumbers, eggs, celery, tomatoes and passed up a tempting variety of cheeses, meats and baked goods. Oh, and we passed on the (likely) counterfeit sports jerseys too. There are a few pointers I can share, though. First off, bring a bag or two. Most stands will gladly provide you with plastic grocery bags. They are fine, but after an hour of walking around with 37 bags, you start longing for nice, wide canvas handles. We usually take an insulated grocery bag along with a cold pack, depending on what we buy. If it’s a quick run, like today, we’ll leave that bag in the car and load the groceries in it rather than lug the bag around.

Sugar free chocolate selections

Sugar free candy options

One thing I was very pleased to see, though, was a stand offering a large selection of sugar-free candies and chocolates. Given the obesity epidemic and the instances of diabetes in the US these days, it’s nice to know that even in an area known for such offerings as sticky buns and shoo-fly pie, the availability of sugar-free items is becoming prevalent.

In short, Root’s is a great place to obtain nearly any food you desire, many times for less than what you would pay at a grocery store. For example, the local Weis Markets likes to advertise green bell peppers at 10/$10.00. I got lovely peppers at a Root’s stand at 3/$1.00. That’s a 66% discount.  In addition, most of the food is locally grown on family farms, rather than mass-produced and shipped in. These markets are great places to find apples in the fall, peaches in the spring/summer and delicious meats and cheeses all year round. If you live in a place like Lancaster, surrounded by farms, why buy stuff shipped in from some other state, incurring the shipping costs, the chemical treatment and the fact that it’s often picked too early.

The bad news for the day is that I didn’t make it to the gym. I had a bit of a headache early and just needed to relax. I did manage to at least get my squats in, so the day wasn’t a total loss and I will take a lunchtime walk as well. I think we all have days like this and despite our best efforts, we just don’t get the work in. As a lot of people will say, “Keep moving forward.”

In a future post, I hope to discuss our first ever visit to Lancaster Central Market, as well as a return visit to Hoover’s Farm Market outside of Lititz, PA. Hoover’s has a nice selection of produce, as well as a great pumpkin selection in the fall and is home to crazy-huge potatoes. I also want to talk about the proliferation of Mennonite delis and markets, all of which seem  to thrive in the Lancaster area.

Hope you all have a great night!

Hot “fun” in the summer time

Posted: July 8, 2012 in Cooking, Exercise, family, Travel, Weight loss
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Warmest greetings!

As you know, we spent yesterday at a family gathering in the Reading, PA area. For those of you who think they live in a bad place, Reading takes the cake. Recently named the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania, Reading is pretty much a complete garbage pit filled with gangbangers, druggies and corrupt politicians. It’s like a smaller version of Washington, DC, but without the museums.

I might mention at the same time, Phoenix was only 106.

Might I also mention it was hot yesterday? I mean really stinkin crazy hot?

That’s kind of beside the point, though. The nice part of the day was seeing a lot of family members who we don’t see nearly enough of and getting a chance to catch up. My cousin Kurt, an avid baseball fan and blogger, was telling me of his newest venture where he talks about all things Wildwood. It sounded pretty interesting, but then I realized that I really don’t like the beach all that much.

I checked out the blog, though, and Kurt’s got some great stuff… useful reviews and such on restaurants, attractions and amusements, and he also covers a lot of the restaurants with gluten-free dining in mind, as he lovely wife is afflicted with celiac disease.

I mentioned I’m not a huge fan of the beach. It’s not that I don’t like the ocean breeze or the water, it’s that I hate sand. Not really sand, but the fact that sand gets everywhere, including some very uncomfortable places. It’s a pain in the ass to get rid of, and well, it kind of stopped being fun the older I got. I also have no interest in being a sun worshipper… I once got a sunburn in Vegas that was so bad I couldn’t sleep on my back for over a week. Ever since that time, I keep a lot covered. Well, that and the last time I attempted to go shirtless on the beach, Greenpeace showed up and was trying to push me back into the ocean.

I realize, though, that a lot of people like going to the beach and many people go to the same beach for the same week every year. I also find it ironic that these are the same people who look askance at me for going to Disney as much as we do. It actually cracks me up… they will say, “Why do you always go there? It never changes!” They don’t seem to understand that for The Management and I, it’s a chance to see many of our friends from all over the country, and the world as well. I also wonder what gives people the right to ask that? I don’t say, “Why are you going to the beach again? It never changes!” All I’m asking for is the same courtesy.

Enough venting about this. I’ll leave the topic by saying that people’s vacations are their business. Now, if someone feels the need to venture to a tropical wonderland like Myanmar, well, maybe that’s worth a raised eyebrow. Otherwise, just say, “Enjoy!”

It’s tiny, but it’s a tomato!

Today was a landmark in our lives, too. Today we picked our first produce of the season. A very cute little tomato. I mean little. Also noticed that there’s a little pepper growing on one of the plants and both the zucchini and cucumber plants have blossoms. I give credit to The Management… I might water them, but she plants them. I don’t have a green thumb. I have more of a black thumb. I could kill kudzu. As a result, I try to never touch the plants themselves. Seems the only thing I can’t kill is crabgrass. Sigh.

Dinner

Tonight’s dinner consisted of sautéed sea scallop pieces with steamed broccoli and fresh corn on the cob. We tend to buy the scallop pieces. It’s nice to get them for $4.99/pound rather than $18.99/pound for the whole ones. I like seafood… you can eat a lot without a heavy caloric penalty. Granted, there’s cholesterol and mercury and all that fun stuff, but it’s tasty and very adaptable to any kind of cooking.

On that note, I’m calling it a day. Morning appointment with the exercise physiologists followed by work and all that. I’ll be posting a review of the upcoming Roger Waters show on Saturday at Citizen’s Bank Park. I’m really psyched to see it after viewing some video clips.

Until next time!

P.S. If you’re going to Wildwood, NJ, check out my cousin’s blog: Beaches And Boards. Also, if you’re not doing the beach but are headed to the ballpark,  check out his other site… Ballpark E-guides.

It’s Thursday, must be time for another butt whuppin’

Posted: July 5, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Exercise, family, Physical activity, Weight loss
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Greetings!

Having just returned from another session at the gym, I’m feeling pretty good about myself. In just three sessions, I’ve managed to get my cardio up to 30 minutes without totally feeling that my heart is going to say “Oh, hell no!” and jump out of my chest. That’s a good sign.

Seriously, I’m starting to feel some small changes in myself. Not only am I actually being active, I look forward to these sessions (does that make me a masochist?) and I’m finding myself able to dig deep into my psyche and pull out an extra rep or couple minutes on the elliptical.

The elliptical… quite possibly my favorite piece of cardio equipment. I get a good workout and it’s not as hard on my knees and ankles as the treadmill. They’ve also had me up on the arc trainer as well, which I don’t care for as much due to chafing. Might need to invest some money in a case of Bodyglide. Our friend Mel swears by the stuff. She’s like the Bodyglide queen… as she should be. She runs marathons and stuff and knows all about this sort of thing.

In the good news department, I was able to up the weight on my strength training and the intensity level on the cardio. It’s a good sign and both Cory and Ryan seem very pleased with my progress. I’m nowhere near where I want to be, though, but all good things take time.

Tonight was also my first visit to support group. I’ll surely go again… I found it very informative. I would like to stay longer the next time, but I had a lot of prep work to do for my next group of trainees. The program consisted of a brief talk by a success story, in this case a woman who dropped 175 pounds. There were before pictures and the after was quite astonishing. After her talk, Dr. Ku and Dr. McPhee took the floor for a Q&A with the guests. It was interesting, as both men seem very down to earth and very positive. They were following it up with a snack sample, but neither Supportive Partner Woman (sitter in uncomfortable chairs!) nor I were really into a tuna and white bean salad. I did manage to score a couple of interesting recipes that I will have to try. One is for a chicken chili that seems like it could be quite tasty. I’m always up for good chili.

So, that’s all I have for today. I hope everyone is staying cool as we have a few brutal days ahead. So much so that the Yard Sale of Doom, Part Deux, has been postponed. I’ll miss seeing everyone, but I won’t miss the yard sale all that much. We still have a picnic to go to in the afternoon with my side of the family. This time, no surprise party that I am aware of. Yay?

Until next time.

Another Monday, another butt kicking

Posted: July 2, 2012 in Cooking, Physical activity, Weight loss
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It’s Monday… and it’ll be a hot one. I spent an hour this morning getting my butt kicked at the gym. This time, Ryan took the reins and added some new stuff into the mix. We added the elliptical and the arc trainer, as well as some free weights. It certainly was a decent sweat. They are also very mindful of any issues you may have. It really helps to know that there’s a pro in your corner.

See, besides The Beetus, sleep apnea and a host of other aches and pains, I suffered a partial tear of my right rotator cuff a few years ago. This makes working overhead a real challenge and it’s only recently that it’s healed up enough for me to do any work with it. I’m gradually regaining some range of motion, but I do not have much strength in the joint. Knowing that, both Ryan and Cory are having me do light weights and are modifying the exercise as to not aggravate the injury. I’m really thrilled with being able to work out again… it’s even better that this isn’t a public gym. I need to get some of my confidence back before I darken the doorway of Hempfield Rec again.

I also managed to make my way back to the driving range last night. I went as the sun was setting, which meant it was a little cooler, and there was a nice breeze blowing. No, not enough to improve the quality of my shots, but enough to make for a pleasant evening. The slight reduction in the general size of the Buddha has improved the experience. No longer do I feel like I have to alter my swing to avoid brushing the belly. Also, the shoulder is feeling a lot better when I swing a club. I’m not a golfer, hardly even a duffer, but I do enjoy hitting golf balls. It’s enough to really help clear my head.

Before setting off to the range yesterday, I made some dinner. I plank grilled the sockeye we got at Wegman’s, along with some Ronzoni Smart Taste noodles and broccoli. The Smart Taste was recommended to us by the nutritionists at LGH when I was in for my toe. It’s a regular white pasta with extra fiber and calcium. That means it has decent flavor and doesn’t taste like cardboard, as many whole wheat pastas do. For a topping, I added Olivio instead of butter. I find I like the flavor and you get the added benefits of Omega-3. The sockeye was wonderful. If you ever feel the need to make your own, it’s really easy and can be done inside or out.

1) Get ahold of some cedar planks. Many grocery stores sell them, as do Williams-Sonoma and other kitchen supply houses.

2) If planning on grilling, soak the plank. I usually immerse it in a salt brine bath for around four hours. This allows the wood to smoke and release the flavor without igniting the plank. If using the oven, rub the plank with olive oil.

3) Start grill, set for a medium heat or set the oven for 400 degrees.

4) Once grill has preheated, place the plank on the grill, without the salmon. After a few minutes the plank has stabilized and you can place the fish on the plank. If using the oven, just put your fish on the plank and stick it in. I usually place foil on the over bottom as the fats will drip off the plank.

5) Keep an eye on internal temperature. Once your fish reaches around 120 degrees, it’s time to remove it from the heat. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

I didn’t give any prep instructions for the fish, but any light preparation should work. I usually spray it with some olive oil and season with a touch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I find you get a pleasant smokey taste that complements rather than overwhelms the flavor of the salmon. Also, when buying salmon, wild caught usually has far better color and taste than farm raised, and they don’t add color to it.

So, off to work in a couple of hours, with a nice break in the middle of the week for the Independence Day holiday. If you’re attending any parties, drink responsibly (and eat responsibly, too).

On today’s menu

Posted: June 27, 2012 in Cooking, Exercise, Physical activity, technology, The Management, Walking
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Good morning!

To all my Facebook peeps, I know I just posted a piece this morning… that was actually done last night. For whatever reason, WordPress doesn’t seem to like to post to Facebook automatically.

June 26 route

I set a new distance record last night on my walk. I’m posting a picture of it… gotta show what you do and a picture is worth a thousand words or something like that. The red is what I travelled and when I reach my goal, I will have covered the blue. Supportive Partner Woman (getting healthier in her own right!) tells me to take my time getting there and she’s right. After months of inactivity, my feet are still a little tender and it would be good to not get a blister again. You will note that there’s a little hiccup into a store. As it turns out, I won $100 through our walking challenge at work and I stopped to pick up some Propel Zero Kiwi Strawberry water for our team captain.

So, moving on to today’s menu. One of my favorite things to grill is pork tenderloin. I usually do a simple spice rub, mainly seasoned salt, garlic powder, and thyme.This time I’m going to try something new. For years, SPW’s sister has done a beef preparation that simply involves slathering horseradish on the meat before roasting it. The serious bite of the horseradish is pretty much roasted out, leaving a slightly zesty flavor that permeates the meat. I’m going to try this on the pork tenderloin. Since I have two tenderloins defrosting, maybe I’ll do one of each preparation and see which tastes better.

I also have soaked a bunch of black beans to make chili again. Since it went over so well the last time, I never got to freeze any of it, so I hope to this time.

Due to the prodding of SPW (aka The Management), I’ve started making use of an iPhone app called LoseIt. This helps me track my daily calorie consumption and subtracts calories burned through exercise. One of the neat features of the app is that you can use it to scan barcodes of your food and the app will pull in the relevant nutrition information. It’s not perfect. there’s some things you have to guess at, for example, it might take a while to enter a Chipotle meal, because each element of your burrito bowl needs to be entered separately. It allows you fo add custom foods, though, so theoretically you could easily total up what your burrito was and add a burrito line. I’m still exploring the app, but so far so good. There are many other apps out there to assist you in tracking calories… you might need to try more than one until you get one that suits you. That’s part of the fun.

One othe rthing I’m considering is posting a series of pictures of me and my weight over the years… from the good to the bad to the orca fat. I’d like the opinions of you, the readers, so I added a poll.

Until the next time, have a great day!

Cooking again

Posted: June 26, 2012 in Cooking, Food porn, The Management, Weight loss
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Good afternoon!

Pico de Gallo

I spent a good portion of the morning trying to make pico de gallo again. My last attempt was not bad, maybe a little too citrus. This time I added more tomato and cilantro in an attempt to moderate the sourness of the lime juice. At the very least, it’s very nice and colorful. It should cheer up any plate, even if I usually wind up putting it in a burrito.

It brought back to me that cooking should be fun. For me, one of my biggest beefs with my job is never really seeing the finished product. When you cook, you see that and it’s much easier to take pride in getting a perfectly diced tomato or onion. Getting beautiful diamond-shaped grill marks when you grill a steak or a piece of chicken. I’ve said before that cooking is not just about taste. It’s smell and appearance and texture, heck, even the sound if you’re eating fajitas.

I also cannot stress the importance of having quality cutlery in your kitchen. You can get by with substandard cookware, but poor quality knives make cooking much more of a chore than a joy. I speak from experience… I was always the guy to buy the 54 knives for $20, figuring a knife was a knife. One day, not long after The Management and I sealed the deal, I was attempting to thinly slice dry rubbed pork tenderloin. The cheap knives were shredding it and I finally reached my wits end. I said that we needed to invest in at least a good carving knife. The Management (aka Supportive Partner Woman (Possessor of Good Ideas!)) suggested taking some of the Bed Bath and Beyond gift cards that we received as wedding gifts and going to find a carving knife. We came home with a beautiful Henckels carving set in a presentation box. What a revelation! It went through the meat like, well, a hot knife through butter. Paper thin slices? Not a problem! It was like I had died and gone to paradise.

I started thinking about upgrading other knives, checking eBay regularly, thinking that I should keep in the same family. I studied up on knife manufacturing and what to look for (full tang, balanced, polypropylene riveted handles, etc.) and I also found out that you could test the knives at Williams-Sonoma. One night around the holidays, SPW and I visited our local Williams-Sonoma and were gazing longingly at the cutlery when we noticed a decent sale on a Wüsthof starter block set. Wound up with a 10″ chef’s knife, two paring knives (serrated and non), a boning knife, a 9″ bread knife, a 5″ Santoku and a 6″ slicing knife. To say I’m happy with these would be an understatement. I even bought a knife sharpener to keep them at optimum sharpness. We’ve since added a tomato knife, a panini knife and steak knives to the block.

So, my cooking tip of the day is to spend the extra scratch and invest in good knives. Even if you don’t get a full block, a good chef’s knife will make all the difference. Whether you get Wüsthof, Henckels or even Shun, you won’t be disappointed.

Also, for the good of the order, I find it amazing that 90% of German cutlery is made in Solingen.

Food porn

Posted: June 14, 2012 in Cooking, Food porn, Weight loss
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One of the quirky habits that Supportive Partner Woman (Devourer of Tasty Meat!) and I have is a proclivity toward food porn. When we are out and we see a nice looking dinner plate, we snap a picture and put it up on Facebook.

Top: Roasted cedar plank salmon with olive oil and fresh ground pepper; bottom left: veggie flatbread pizza; bottom right: my almost famous chocolate chip cookies.

I even have an album simply entitled Food Porn, where the photos go to live on. I’ve recently started adding photos of some of my culinary creations when I feel they pass the pretty test. I’m going to share a few of the best looking ones here.

Left side: Scallop risotto from Royal Caribbean; top right, standard chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-a; bottom right: chicken nachos from San Antonio Bar & Grill in Washington, DC.

Quite honestly, most of the food porn stuff is not what you’d call healthy by any stretch of the imagination. There are lots of red meats and lots of desserts, most of which I didn’t actually eat. OK, maybe I did eat the red meat… I’m not opposed to tasty cow. Or tasty chicken. Or tasty fish.

I like to post it because to me, food tastes better when it looks good. I’m sure there have been studies done proving this, but to me, presentation means a lot. Appearance influences perception… not just food but everything. You could see two identical meals, same ingredients, same recipe, and chances are you’d pick the plate that looks more appealing and say it tasted better.

I’m going to start posting up some recipes… most of what I do is simple enough. I’m not quite good enough to make all my own stuff yet, but I’m pretty good at modifying other recipes to suit my needs. I’ve gotten ahold of a nice black bean chili recipe that I’m going to try to tweak. We shall see how it goes. If it’s good, I’ll post it up here.

Have a great day, folks, and I will keep the food porn coming your way.

And the excavation continues…

Posted: June 13, 2012 in Cleaning, Cooking, Weight loss
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A typical sleep cycle here at Chez T will involve me heading to bed before The Management. See, she’s much more of a night owl than I am. I like to get to bed and accomplish things in the morning. I think I feel that if I get something done in the morning, I won’t feel unproductive through the rest of the day.

As many know, I’ve been working at cleaning out my office. That project is well on its way to completion; I’m actually writing this from my new desk, which is nothing but a folding banquet table. I have plans to build some add-ons for it, but it’s working in the meantime. My cleaning has moved on to the bedroom closet and, I’m happy to report, I’ve been joined in that effort by Supportive Partner Woman (Folder of Multitudinous T-Shirts!).

Good God that’s a lot of shirts!

We don’t have a lot of pictures of the closet, but this picture should give you an idea of what needed to be refolded and organized. I’m happy to report things look a lot better. I’d like to think that after the procedure is done, I’ll be able to buy smaller clothes.

To go along with our improved organization, we’ve been doing more meals at home and meal planning. Just yesterday, I made chipotle-marinated sirloin strips and pico de gallo. I also used some flatbreads we found at Wegman’s as a pizza crust. I put some jarred pizza sauce (I know..l. need to make my own) and mozzarella on top, along with some sliced Roma tomatoes and, in my case, some green pepper slices. For a first effort, it was actually pretty tasty, and it looked pretty good, too. When I got home from work last night, I also cooked a big pot of black beans for my steak burrito. First time I ever cooked beans that weren’t from a can, so we shall see how they turn out.

Veggie flatbread pizza – a work in progress

So, that’s what I have for you today. Remember. You can always make up for calories with flavor. Spices are generally free, so feel free to use liberally. You can make up in flavor what you lose in fat and calories.

Selling yourself or sharing yourself

Posted: June 12, 2012 in Cooking, family, friends, regrets, The Management, Weight loss
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I’ve really talked about a lot of things over the 50+ posts I’ve thrown up here. Few tidbits about life, some social commentary, shared some humorous moments… I’m here to tell you that I’ve not been completely honest with you.

It’s not that everything here is a sham… it’s not. I truly am overweight, I like to eat, cook, all that stuff. The places I’ve  been, the stories I’ve shared, all true. However, there’s a huge part of me that I’ve not shared. I want to remedy that. But first, how about a little story.

I’m hopelessly addicted to Next Food Network Star. Have been since Season 2, when Guy Fieri won. I like Food Network (big surprise) and a lot of the personalities. I watch Iron Chef America and want to actually go to Cleveland, just to eat at Michael Symon’s restaurants. I would go to Atlantic City, not to gamble but to eat at Bobby Flay Steak. I’ve been to Emeril’s Orlando. One of my favorite Food Network personalities, though, has always been Alton Brown.

Alton Brown and fishy friend

Alton is a food geek, and that appeals to me. I was intrigued by the new season of Food Network Star, where Alton, Bobby, and Italian diva Giada DeLaurentiis would each be mentoring a team of hopefuls. I started rooting for Team Alton, just because, well, they seemed quirky. Like him. At any rate, during Sunday’s episode, the remaining members of his team were all up for elimination. One of the team members, Judson Allen, finally homed in on a culinary point of view based on his astounding weight loss. However, the network was not convinced of his sincerity. Alton interjected with the following:

Being heavy… I was heavy most of my life… is painful. You learn to create a different version of yourself to project to people. You have to sell yourself because you’re not attractive and you’re heavy and you’re clumsy and all of those things.”

That just really hit me. It dawns on me that I’ve been using my alter ego so much that it’s become very difficult to know what is the real me and what is the me I’ve created. The line between the two has ceased to be clear. That’s not a good thing. So when I said earlier that I’ve not been completely honest with you, well, I haven’t exactly been honest with myself, either. I’ve actually gotten to the point where I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve molded my exterior persona to be so middle of the road in an effort to be liked that it comes across as complete bullshit (“bovine scatology”). Nobody likes a bullshitter (or perhaps I should say “bovine scatologist”). I always say that I don’t like phony people, and yet, I’m actually a phony. I’m not the jolly fat guy. I HATE BEING FAT. I am so envious of the normal sized people sometimes that it just hurts. Really, really hurts. And the only way I’ve been able to quell that inner pain is by eating. A lot. I believe that SPW (aka The Management) knows how much I hurt because she sees me in my unguarded moments, when I don’t put on my fat armor and mask. Not many other people do. It’s not something that I’ve ever really talked with her about, so consider this my coming out party, dear wife. However, the aforementioned  conflict between my two personas tends to make me, well, cranky. Or perhaps bitterly sarcastic. Or both. Mostly both, methinks. Either way, that conflict manifests itself in my hardly being able to really experience and appreciate the goodness and joyousness that I want to believe is still in the world.

I really started fearing that this was happening when we made our annual December trek to Disney to see all of our friends for Reunion. It was like I was going through the motions rather than enjoying the company of like-minded people. I wasn’t having fun. I hurt, mainly from carrying the weight around, literally and figuratively. I kept thinking to myself, “How the hell can I be in the Happiest Place on Earth, surrounded by some of my favorite people, and be as miserable as I am?” I did what I normally do… I sucked it up and did the best I could, but I wanted nothing more than to be elsewhere. I usually feel that way anymore… just want to be elsewhere, to find a place where I don’t have to wear the fat armor, because that’s heavy weight to lugging around all the time. You know what, there is no such place. It’s still accepted to discriminate against fat… just look around at all the popular culture. The fat guy is usually portrayed as dimwitted and slow while the this handsome guy is always the hero.

I’m done playing the role. I’m fat, but I’m not always going to be. Maybe I didn’t get the winning ticket in the good looks department, but I’m not going to let being fat steal anymore of my life. It’s taken enough for two lifetimes. Bear with me… some of the bovine scatologist will linger. One does not exorcise the demons immediately. After all, I have to relearn how to be me and to love being who I am. That’s not a task I’m relishing, although I think the reward will be worth all the pain. To look in a mirror and see me, not what I think I should be, but who I am, well, that will be one of the best days of my life.

I’ll keep you posted. And thanks for reading.

I almost forgot a title…

Posted: June 11, 2012 in Cooking, diabetes, family, The Beetus, Wegman's, Weight loss
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Today was a kitchen day. It didn’t start out to be, but it certainly ended up as such.

For whatever reason, I thought about making my own pico de gallo, but I started out with a little tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. Nothing to that… just dice up some Roma tomatoes, put them in a bowl with some cubed mozzarella (use part skim mozzarella for a little more health benefit), them I add just plain Italian salad dressing and some basil (fresh, if I have it, dried if not). Cover the bowl after tossing the salad, put it in the fridge, and it’ll be ready to go in an hour or so.

I followed that up by seeding and dicing more tomatoes and some red onion. I’ve never attempted to make pico before, but I’ve had it enough to figure out what I need. Just not sure if I got the proportions right. I also don’t have any cilantro, so I let the tomatoes and onions soak in the lime juice and will add cilantro when I get to the store. I know it needs to sit awhile, so no worries.

One tip, if you’re going to make something like this, make sure you seed the tomatoes. If not, you have a mess. It’s really easy to do. Just quarter a tomato and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. It’s really easy with Roma tomatoes, since they don’t have much in the of seeds to begin with.

The other task I undertook was to make some marinated sirloin for burrito use. I looked at a few recipes and decided to improvise. I took a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed them in a blender, then I forced them through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. To this puree, I added half of a red onion, some cumin, oregano, garlic and black pepper, ran it through the blender, dumped it in plastic bag with some sirloin tenders we located on clearance at the Greatest Grocery Store on the Planet. Picked the steak up on a good deal as it was about to hit its sell-by date. I’ll let the meat marinade overnight and grill it up on the morning to see what happens. Truffles, however, were NOT a good deal. Seems like the price fluctuates with the season.

In other news, we picked up a lot of ingredients to make a food contribution for a project we have in the offing. I’m cooking up a baked pasta dish with a choice of meat sauce or marinara sauce. That little project will keep us busy the next couple of weeks. I’m kind of doing it on the fly, but it’s pasta. Hard to mess that up.

Blood glucose reading this morning was 114. Pretty happy with that. It’s staying a lot more stable, which is a good thing. It was fluctuating wildly for a few months, plus, I wasn’t checking it as regularly as I should have been. Gotta toe the line if I want to succeed.

Anyways, back to work tonight. I have my first ever trainees… this should prove to be interesting.

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