Evaluation of 2015 Goals

Another year is upon us.  A time to reflect upon ones life and goals.  I wrote some resolutions last year and now I will evaluate them.  First, I have to walk to the refrigerator to fetch them and perhaps grab a snack while I am there.

1) Start a healthy cooking blog
-leads to healthier eating
-weight loss
I did start this blog last year.  I call it Twisted Sister Cafe'.  I was relatively successful until I blew it off entirely around about Sept.  Through then, it did lead to healthier eating and weight loss.  I dropped about 14 pounds and looked pretty swell.  But all good things must come to an end and the holiday feeding frenzies of October, November and December packed it on again.  Guess I have to keep this on the list.  Grade?  I give myself a C+ for half the years efforts.

2) Get fit enough to climb part of the Barr Trail (to where it meets the incline) about 2,000 feet elevation gain.
-friends getting married May 5th at the top of Pike Peak
-Need to be able to climb part of the Barr Trail when they arrive
-Leads to weight loss and better health.
I did technically accomplished this goal in April.  On the downside, I lost my pedometer and some skank found it and kept it.  A couple of weeks later, when my friends arrived, I had strained some body part and was unable to walk much of anything.  I did lose weight and feel great, but alas, after 3 months of sitting on my ass doing other things, lets just say, well, all that was lost has been gained.  Grade? Another C+.

3) Learn to identify my gulls
 accomplished this last winter and really felt confident during gull seminar.  However, all that knowledge has drained from my brain and now I can't tell the difference between a yellow-footed and a yellow-legged.  Still, I did see some new species last year and was able to identify them.  Grade? Perhaps a B.

4) Learn my bird calls - bird by ear
Despite endless hours of bird calls playing in my car and home (can you say boring???),  I think I only can identify 40 species by sound -not so good and not much of an improvement over last year  - perhaps I learned 20.  Then in October, I ditched the bird calls, returned to alternative rock music and have not learned a single one since.  I guess this resolution has to stay on the list.  Grade? D.

5) Farts
This was a resolution added to my list 10 days ago by my 29 year old nephew.  I am not sure how to accomplish this - louder? smellier? more often? But I do have to say, in this arena of my life, I need to set no goals - I am a master already.  So for the "farts" resolution, I give myself an A+.  Glad I excelled at something in 2015.



I think the moral of this story is that I need to write resolutions that last 1/2 a year.  Then I would accomplish them all! And October, November and December must be declared resolution free months, unless of course, those resolutions pertain to eating more candy and holiday decorating. Hope you lads and lasses accomplished more in 2015 than I did.  Cheers and have a Happy New Year.

Where Have I Been?

Perhaps you don't care and I don't blame you.  I deserted my blogs, everyone else's blogs and blog friends this summer.  I went from virtual living to the real thing.  Summers are short here and I hate to waste a moment.  So what crazy capers have I been up to??

Camping
His Lordship and I have been camping all over Colorado this summer.  He fly fishes and I bird.  We even went camping with one of the twisted sisters and her significant other over the fourth of July.

Birding
I am one a mission to see 25 birds in each of Colorado's 64 counties.  So far I have knock out 26 of them. I am also birding once a week with a great group of witty folks whose company and knowledge are beyond compare. In addition, one of my New Years resolutions has been to learn to bird by ear so instead of alternative rock music, I listen to tweet, tweet on my computer. I've had some cool life birds this summer including:

Black Swift

 

ptarmigan

Hiking
We've taken some pretty great hikes this summer.  My favorite was this trail in Ourey called the upper cascade falls trail.  You can see from the picture below that it was appropriately named.  Also, climbed my first fourteener - Mt. Bierstadt.

Travelling
Have been to Minnesota and the United Kingdom for milestone events.  My daughter graduated from University back in May and my dear brother-in -law turned 60

Gardening
Always something to do out there including failing at pumpkin horticulture.

Riding
Casper the ghost paint needs lot of attention.

Gaining Weight
Lastly, this summer, I have been packing on some pounds.  Vacationing in the UK with custard slices, birding with homemade chocolate chip cookies, visiting craft breweries for pints of my favorite IPA, I have put 7 pounds back on and almost have undone all my hard work last March, April and May.  I think I feel a diet coming on and even a booze free month.  Perhaps November.  I am still having too much fun for now!

Hope you have had a fun summer too!

Woe is me...

Alas, after a week of blissful vacation in the United Kingdom,  I have returned home four pounds heavier than when I left.  Perhaps it was the custard slice and birthday cake from Williams the Baker.  Maybe the beer and proseco?  Or might Chris Edwards award winning fruitcake be to blame? Whatever delicious delicacy I stuffed in my face, the reality is that the post diet weight I managed to maintain May, June and July is no more.  The only solution is to go back to the diet grind.

 

Luckily, it is farmers market season  and wonderful fruits and veggies abound.  Today, His Lordship and I visited the Bristol Brewery Farm and Art Market and stocked up.  Tomatoes, peppers, corn, carrots, beans, potatoes, eggplant, cucumbers  and okra are all in season. Organic and non GMO, it will be a pleasure to eat these treats over the next week.  I hope you find a good farmers market in your area.  Ours even features locally brewed beer and locally baked bread - yum!  Those are two things I should definitely avoid on my diet.


Our haul
 

Bathing suits for busty old gals...

I have not worn a bathing suit in ages and for good reason.  My old suits just don't fit my body like they used too - not enough support, breast tissue poking out all over the place etc. They were designed for my 35 year old body.  Yesterday, however I went to Title 9.  I chose this store because they advertise suits with bras built in.  To my delight and surprise, they had a number of choices in my bra size which is not easy to find.  Also, the tops and bottoms were mix and match so I could get sizes and colors to fit my whole body.  They are pretty pricey but hopefully this is the last suit I will ever buy.  Plus, the bottoms are little shorts so no more waxing the pubic area just to get into a swimsuit.  A real win - win.

I got a dark top to minimize the boobs and a light bottom to maximize my ass.  I am pretty pleased with the results and am ready to hit the hot springs.

Finally lost 1 pound

So I have been on the diet over two months - the first 8 pounds came off fairly fast but thereafter, my body hit a plateau at 126 and refused to budge.  Granted, I did have some cheats in April mainly because I went on vacation twice but on the whole, stayed in the zone about 90% of the time.  However, for weeks it refused to drop even the tiniest bit of weight and I was getting kind of discouraged.  Sunday I almost gave up and had two beers just to show I was quitting.  But voila, on Monday I woke up and weighed 125lb.  Being so excited, I put on my new dress to go out to dinner last night.  It was not a perfect zone meal but came close partaking in grilled catfish, a small salad, grilled veggies, a glass of wine and (so unzone) 1/4 of a banana's foster.

So I am still at it here determined to get to 124 pounds.

A whole month without nada....

not one drop, tipple, pint, shot, shooter - nothing.  I have stayed booze less for the entire month of March.  I am sure my liver feels better.  I know my joints do.  His Lordship wanted to know if he should leave time in the schedule tomorrow so he can take me to a bar to get hammered!  But since I am still in the zone, I will have to pass on that.  A 4oz pour a red wine with 1 oz of cheese is all I am allowed unless I want to drink all my carbs - that does not sound to appealing to me!

Beets!

Recently I found myself in possession of a beautiful bunch of local Austin beets. I love that they were grown in a local garden with all the good local dirt.

Beets are a super detox food. It must be all that red "dye" they contain. But they also come in yellow varieties that aren't quite as heavy. And it's not just the bulb, but the leaves, too. In fact, native peoples started by eating the leaves not the bulbs. So you see the entire plant is just lovely. Dr. Mercola published a special post just on beets. Here's what he says:

1. Lower Your Blood Pressure

Drinking beet juice may help to lower blood pressure in a matter of hours. One study found that drinking one glass of beet juice lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 4-5 points.3

The benefit likely comes from the naturally occurring nitrates in beets, which are converted into nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide, in turn, helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels, improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure.

2. Boost Your Stamina

If you need a boost to make it through your next workout, beet juice may again prove valuable. Those who drank beet juice prior to exercise were able to exercise for up to 16 percent longer.4 The benefit is thought to also be related to nitrates turning into nitric oxide, which may reduce the oxygen cost of low-intensity exercise as well as enhance tolerance to high-intensity exercise.

3. Fight Inflammation

Beets are a unique source of betaine, a nutrient that helps protects cells, proteins, and enzymes from environmental stress. It's also known to help fight inflammation, protect internal organs, improve vascular risk factors, enhance performance, and likely help prevent numerous chronic diseases.5 As reported by the World's Healthiest Foods:6

"[Betaine's]… presence in our diet has been associated with lower levels of several inflammatory markers, including C reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. As a group, the anti-inflammatory molecules found in beets may eventually be shown to provide cardiovascular benefits in large-scale human studies, as well as anti-inflammatory benefits for other body systems."

4. Anti-Cancer Properties

The powerful phytonutrients that give beets their deep crimson color may help to ward off cancer. Research has shown that beetroot extract reduced multi-organ tumor formations in various animal models when administered in drinking water, for instance, while beetroot extract is also being studied for use in treating human pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers.7

5. Rich in Valuable Nutrients and Fiber

Beets are high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium (essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas). Beets also contain the B vitamin folate, which helps reduce the risk of birth defects.

6. Detoxification Support

The betalin pigments in beets support your body's Phase 2 detoxification process, which is when broken down toxins are bound to other molecules so they can be excreted from your body. Traditionally, beets are valued for their support in detoxification and helping to purify your blood and your liver.

Read the entire article here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx

And the result is an easy beet salad. They're especially good with some feta cheese and lemon juice. If using greens do grate some fresh beets on the salad too!

xoxo

Spicy Shrimp Noodle Soup

This is a recipe I got out of cooking light magazine a few years ago.  It is a yummy light soup that is low in calories and huge in flavors.  Neale and I both love this with a salad.

Spicy Shrimp Noodle Soup

Ingredients

4 cups unsalted beef broth (I use my homemade broth but store brought works too).
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. sambal oelek (chili sauce)
1 teas. fish sauce
1 teas. soy sauce
2 cinnamon sticks
1 8oz clam juice
 1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 star anise
 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups fresh shitake mushrooms
 4 ounces noodles - we use buckwheat but you can use rice or soba - any oriental noodle
1/2 bean sprouts - I like fresh but had to settle for canned this time
1/2 cup diagonally cut green onions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
12 small fresh basil leaves
The juice of 1 lime

Combine first 10 ingredients in a large saucepan (through the star anise). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add mushrooms and simmer another 5. 

Add noodles and boil in the soup until soft.  Add shrimp, green onion, and bean sprouts, cook about 30 seconds and turn off heat. Discard the anise and the cinnamon sticks.  Add the cilantro, basil, and lime juice.  Serve.

 So since I am in the zone and cannot eat the noodles, I opted to add bok choy and wakame sea vegetables for carbs.  I added the those when I added the noodles to his Lordships. Mine looked like this:

Good Monday Morning...

Hello - hope you had a good weekend! Are you still booze less? Well, if not, climb back on that wagon.  Don't let one tipple ruin a perfectly good month of no drinking.

I had a lovely meal with friends Sat. and came out of the zone.  It was worth it because there was homemade mushroom shallot ravioli involved.  Plus for dessert, there were chocolate soufflés'.
But, as Barry Sears, said, you are only as good as your last and next zone meal.  So Sunday morning it was right back on the zone with no ill effects.

Monday morning weigh in has me at 128 lbs. after 3 weeks in the zone.  That 6 1/2 pounds lighter and the muffin top is now a mini muffin top.  My reward at the end of March will be a new bathing suit so the hubby and I can go to the hot springs.  Still not confident enough in the body to go to the clothing optional hot springs though! That's a joke - I wouldn't go anyway.  Plus, his Lordship wouldn't be caught dead there.

So hope everything is going well.  Making some Jeanne inspired bone broth in the slow cooker for Thai shrimp soup Wednesday night.  Got to go do some Kripalu yoga.  Bye!

Hanging in the zone...

So I am pretty pumped about living in the zone and I wanted to share - plus Terri asked of a little more detail on how it works.  So here it is in a nutshell:

3 meals a day and 2 snacks a day
Each meal contains 21 grams of protein, 27 grams of carbs and 9 grams of fat
Each snack contains 7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fat

If you want large meals - you eat lean meat, low fat dairy and veggies with a limited amount of fruit.  If you want tiny meals, you can eat anything you want - you just won't get a lot of it.

I avoid grains, bread, rice, pasta etc. because with only 27 grams of carbs, you only get a tiny serving and it uses all your carbs so you can't have any veggies and fruits.

I am usually over on the fat about 3 to 6 grams as it is impossible to make most meals taste decent with less - stick however, with monosaturated fats that contain omega 3s - olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, avacados.

The two types of grain you can have, in limited quantities are barley and steel cut oats.

Here are some websites with more information:

http://www.drsears.com/
http://livehealthy.chron.com/food-block-list-zone-diet-9011.html
http://sourcesofinsight.com/the-top-100-zone-foods/


Why I am so pumped is that in two weeks, all the inflammation I have been living with for 2 years is gone. My elbows, knees and hips do not ache any more.  I climbed part of the Barr Trail today (3 1/2 miles up the mountain) and my knees felt great.  I must be doing some right. I am sleeping better and have tons of energy for exercise.  Plus, I fart less and am losing weight.  I don't know if I am ever coming out of the zone.

I got these out of the library - they will give you all you need to get into the zone