Monthly Archives: November 2011

Days 61-68 of 101: A little vacation!

Good morning, good friends!

With the big food holiday fast approaching and the new exciting things happening for us Beesons, I’m going to spend the coming week not writing and taking pictures of my food and sewing projects.

But I promise to return with a vengeance! Lots of pictures, lots of news, lots of excitement! The last month of this 101 Days Project will prove to be challenging and rich with new experiences.

I do hope you’ll want to join me on our adventures!

Until next Monday, eat well, give thanks, bring cheer to your family and friends!

Day 60 of 101: Links for you! There’s custard pie.

We’re just going to pretend today is Day 60, right? And that I’m not posting a day behind? Again? Hmmm?

Left to right, top to bottom

» Erica B’s Off the Shoulder Top All you can see are boots, but what this is really all about is the top — two pieces of fabric, cut identically, and sewn together to make a top. I need more (simple, I-can-do-that) pieces like this in my collection.

» A Chow Life’s Leek Macaroni and Cheese I know my life is changing when … I’m more excited about the leeks than the cheese.

» Anthology Magazine: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Look here, macaron shells used for ice cream sandwich cookies. I imagined this idea a while ago; obviously I should have put it in action!

» Oonaballoona’s The Double Agent Dress Tutorial Another wardrobe item made from simple pieces! I must!

» Smitten Kitchen’s Baked Pumpkin and Sour Cream Puddings You see all those words that came one after the other? That’s why you should go read about this sweet.

» Sew Sweetness: Echino Oven Mitts Practical, pretty, perfect!

» Design Is Mine: “It was always you” It was, wasn’t it?

» Shutterbean’s Pear Custard Pie Sigh.

Day 59 of 101: Family heirloom napkins [I sewed them!]

This little post has been nearly ready for me to write for three days. You’ll have to excuse my tardiness. Life is getting exciting, and it’s been distracting me from my blog. I can’t wait to share some news soon! In the meantime, you’ll have to put up with my sporadically late entries and your own eager anticipation.

Saazie obviously doesn't get enough attention.

I wonder how long these have been waiting to be napkins

Soon after Patrick’s Grandmother Beeson heard I was learning to sew, she dipped into her fabric stash and gave me the lot of it. Among the folds were four quilted squares — fabric scraps sewn together in geometric patterns, looking as if they were waiting for the perfect project.

So I made them into napkins.

I loved working with these pieces. They’d been stored long enough to gather up that aroma of archive; it felt like I was exploring a friendly old attic.

I love that they’re each a different size. That they look well together but don’t match at all — they’re tied together (loosely) by the pink fabric I used to back each of them.

I’m not for sure that Grandmother Beeson pieced together the original squares herself or if she came upon them pre-squared. Regardless, I’m so excited to add these to our linen closet and know they’ll carry family history each time we use them.

Day 58 of 101: The new old me. She’s back.

How easy is it?

It’s so easy. To go about your day, week, life, feeling a certain way (or several ways) and not really questioning it. Because it is how you have always felt.

When I first lost weight a few years ago (I went from about 150 to 107 at my lightest), it was the first time my body started feeling different. I cannot help but describe the difference in ways that are somewhat … morbid.

My body felt smaller from the inside, like someone had squeezed excess junk from my veins. With less fat on my body, I was aware of my skin on my frame for the first time. With a new diet that had me ingesting fewer calories, I continually felt faintly hungry (my brother has recently described the feeling as physically and pleasantly “empty;” I agree completely).

I could see a lot of these differences, but what was more interesting to me was being aware of them through how my body felt. I could have been in a pitch-black room and known I had changed.

And then it just … went away

Do you know what? I think it was my wedding three years ago that triggered my return to lax habits.

Oh hello, One of Life’s Cliches.

Cliche or not, I became unobservant of what I ate, and I never really kicked into a good exercise schedule. So I gained twenty pounds and erased those new perceptions of my body — ones that had become the new norm.

I think I’d even forgotten they had happened at all.

Memory is so fickle.

It’s good to be back

I’ve spent the year — and more intensely, the last few months — slowly building on good exercise habits.

And then two weeks ago I switched to counting calories (instead of points). I finally returned to a healthy calorie deficit — and to feeling that faint hunger.

It was a feeling that annoyed me all last week. This week, though, it’s turned to a quiet, light feeling. Empty. Not full.

It triggered sense memories and the excitement I felt when I first started losing weight. “Change! It is good!”

This time change means getting truly fit. I know what it is to be a smaller jeans size. But I don’t yet know what it is to feel athletic, strong, deeply able-bodied. I have a whole new world to look forward to!

It is so good to be reminded that this hard work is working toward something.

Day 57 of 101: My day in food — sweet breakfast!

Hiya, What I Ate Wednesday folks! I’m happy once again to have spent my Monday taking photos for this weekly food post. It’s a nice way to bring focus to the beginning of the week. Also, to help me make my foodstuffs look prettier than usual. Because you know that when the camera’s off, I just throw food into a bowl and chomp, right?

Good morning, starshine

A nice big cup to start the morning (with the stars still out!). Thank you, husband!

As always, a nice big cup of coffee. These days, it’s twelve ounces, up from eight. That’s because instead of my afternoon coffee, I’ve been drinking afternoon tea!

I ate it, and it was good

I'm a fresh-fig convert.

So I’ve been eating egg-and-toasts breakfasts nearly every morning for months upon months.

But then Monday I open our bread box to find a half-loaf of bread that smelled … off. No way I was gonna eat it.

We keep a container of housemade granola handy, and in fact it’s part of my husband’s every-single-day breakfast. I knew it would be my backup breakfast, but with trepidation. I had a nice long hike planned for dawgface and I, and I’ve found that sweet breakfasts don’t stick with me — I’ll get the shakes within a couple of hours (especially if I exercise).

You know what? everything turned out fine. And breakfast was delicious. Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of granola, and two fresh figs sliced into the bowl.

Yeah, I’d do it again.

Post-hike snack!

Yarm.

Housemade energy bars are my go-to snack after a hard workout. That dog and I hiked about an hour-and-a-half and I burned more than 600 calories! I plucked one of these when we returned.

Bowl lunch

Broccoli tastes so good! I wish it made the kitchen smell better ...

Mushroom soup (can you even see it??), pumped up with quinoa and pan-roasted broccoli. This bowl was so filling. And let me tell you about this filling feeling — I’ve been eating fewer calories, but a little more of them from fruits and vegetables. The filling feeling I get from them is different … fillingness without gluttony; no clogged-arteries feeling; no depressing stomach bloat. Just. Full. And then it goes away pretty soon and I’m back to feeling normal.

Signs of a healthy diet?

Afternoon fare

Waiting to be tea.

I can dig this tea thing. Maybe because I picked the fancy cinnamon hibiscus orange peel tea …

Banana bowl!

What we have here is raw oats, banana, cinnamon, and whole milk. Umm. I thought I didn’t like milk. Turns out I don’t like skinny milk. I LOVE WHOLE MILK. It’s so sweet and creamy! This was more like dessert than a mid-afternoon snack.

Goodnight food

Sweet potatoes, kale, mushrooms, chili, goat cheese!

Oh but this was delicious. And so many nutrients. I think I might buy kale every week, and grow it in our garden when we have a yard again.

Pie and icecream.

Look at this tiny pie. And this tiny scoop of homemade ice cream. So tiny! Just the right amount of tiny.

My food day was so good! How was yours? What breakfast could you eat every day? (I’m happy we have good bread in the kitchen again … back to my eggs and toast!)

Day 56 of 101: Seeking nutritional balance

Umm, this all actually looks pretty tasty. (Note: ignore those red numbers. That's just Calorie Count thinking this is a single meal and being like 'Girl, that is WAY too many carbs for one meal.'

So, step one in my effort to get better nutrified: I researched foods high in fiber, potassium, and calcium (the three nutrients that I keep under-consuming); noted the ones I’m most likely to keep on hand; then created this fake day in Calorie Count to see how to put all the pieces together and make it work.

You can click on the image above to see it in better detail. The short of it is: if I eat beans, whole grains, minimal dairy, greens, and fish, I’ll be in good shape. Throw in an egg, potatoes, and a banana and I’m full-up on good stuff.

I can easily see working each of these foods into my diet, but I don’t foresee having this exact mix every day. And this was just a preliminary hunt. How many more foods are out there packed with good-for-me things? I don’t know, but I plan to find as many of them as I can.

Foods that surprised me

Soybeans. They’re crazy. Three ounces (about 1/3 cup) contain 11 grams of protein, 3.6 grams of fiber, 168 milligrams of calcium (1,000 mg is the daily target), and 527 milligrams of potassium (with a 5,000 mg target). Also, I think they’re tasty.

Avocado. About 1/4 avocado (2 ounces) has 3.8 grams of fiber! What?! Where is the fiber? I don’t taste fibers.

Sweet potatoes (yams). About a half-potato contains more than 1,000 milligrams of potassium. Now if only I fully understood why potassium is so essential …

Greek yogurt. In six little ounces is much calcium (225 milligrams), so much protein (18 grams), so few calories (100).

Really, when each of these foods is inspected nutritionally, they’re little powerhouses, and so diverse! Even without my multivitamin (which I eventually listed to help boost my daily calcium intake), I was meeting all the vitamin targets through the foods alone.

It makes me think of what bounty we have all around us, and how much of it I still know so little about.

Mixing it up

Even though I don’t plan to eat each of these foods every day, it’s fun to think of ways to mix and match them into meals …

Veggie and grains. Roasted sweet potatoes and kale chips, served alongside a mound of quinoa and soybeans.

Soup and salad. This avocado edamame (soybean) salad from Joy the Baker, and lentil soup topped with greek yogurt (in place of sour cream).

Breakfast for dinner. Spinach and toasted kale salad, sprinkled with avocado and goat cheese, and topped with a fried egg.

Jacket potato. Baked sweet potato served with a dollop of greek yogurt and a simple tuna salad.

Breakfast or dessert. Greek yogurt over sliced bananas, sprinkled with raw oats, honey, and spices.

… And this is just scratching the surface of nutritious eating! I’ll plan an update in a week or two on how these foods are finding they way to my plate.

Day 55 of 101: Health stats and my workouts

It’s been a solid week since I switched from Weight Watchers to Calorie Count.

Guess what happened? I lost three pounds. I suppose all those points-free fruit and vegetable portions were adding up, because other than eating a little bit less of everything, I haven’t changed my general eating habits.

I started the week around 127 and ended it a little above 123. I like that trend line -- it keeps things real on days I gain a little or lose more than usual, and it's probably what I'll pay closer attention to until it falls more in line with my daily weight figures.

Beyond the scale, I’m physically feeling good, if “suffering” the side effects of eating (appropriately) fewer calories than I burn each day — I’ve spent most of my days feeling faintly hungry.

It’s a bit like an unscratchable itch … annoying. It annoyed me when I first lost weight several years ago, and it was often what made me feel (mentally) miserable — “Why can’t I eat more? It’s so unfair!”

But I found myself questioning that feeling this week. I wondered if this isn’t hunger so much as a different kind of equilibrium. I mean, my stomach doesn’t hurt. I don’t have a headache. I have plenty of energy. The foods I’m eating are nutritious. Maybe this new feeling is simply what it is to be less full.

Because you know what funny thing happened this weekend? Twice I stopped short of cleaning the plate in front of me because I was getting too full.

Notable, folks. Notable.

For one thing, neither meal was terribly large (a sweet potato with greek yogurt for the one; the other, a crab cake sandwich with small sides of coleslaw and broccoli). For another thing — I rarely stop eating when there’s food left on the plate, even when I’m past being satisfied.

But I was feeling full, and I used that as my cue. “I’ll feel miserable if I finish this (delicious, wonderful, I-wanna-eat-it) sandwich. I better stop!” Of any change I could hope for, this is the most encouraging: me, listening to my body instead of to what I “want” to eat.

What about you? Do you find it hard to listen to your body when you’re eating? Have you started listening? How does it feel different? I want to know!

Now for some numbers

Decidedly different numbers, but good ones. These are the charts/graphs I get through analysis on Calorie Count …

Calories in, calories out
I spent most days eating fewer calories (blue) than I burned (purple).

Eating fewer calories than I burn. It works!

What is it about those line graphs that motivates me? I love seeing that I’ve worked hard and eaten well. Maybe this is the measure that stands in until I can fully appreciate how good those things feel in my life.

Nutrition breakdown

Calorie Count recommends food values based on the National Academy of Science’s Dietary Reference Intakes, and this is the information that will send me to the books more than any other. I’m curious how to best meet my daily nutritional needs; how to keep my meals diverse; how to satisfy my sweet tooth and fat tooth without (consistently) pushing the bad numbers over the edge.

Damn you, calcium and potassium! Damn you!

Same info, straight numbers:

I want to see more green. (Click the image to make it better)

So far the calcium, fiber, and potassium are the hardest numbers for me to hit. I need to create an action plan to tackle them; I hope to write about that tomorrow.

My workouts

I feel like I did less working out this week, though my calories burned come to more than 2,400 (yay!). Maybe it felt like less work because I didn’t do any weight classes …

Hey look! I did exercises!

Highlights
» My three-mile runs were hard, but I felt good finishing each one. My times ranged wide. My Tuesday run came in at about an 11:45-minute pace. Thursday was an indoor run, and I pushed it hard to get a 9:30-minute pace. Sunday was another outdoor run and I brought it down to a 10:30-minute pace. The goal is a ten-minute mile in the out-of-doors by Thanksgiving Day, and I feel like I can do it!

» My hike Wednesday was swift — I think I cut about five minutes off the initial climb (from 37 minutes to about 32 minutes). I’m headed out with Miss Dawgface again today and I’m wondering if we can shave even more time.

» Saturday’s Body Flow class did two things: It kicked my ass (I’m still sore); and it made me feel like a rock star. It was the first class I was able to do every track in full (even abs!), and my form was excellent (the instructor even called me out for it during one of our poses!). I felt so strong during that class. So of course I’m looking forward to more this week. Maybe I can finally drag that husband o’ mine to class with me …

I officially love starting out my weeks this way — celebrating what good things I did in the week past. Happy Monday, all!

Day 54 of 101: Obviously weekly plans work …

… Because I didn’t set one up this week and I did eff-all.

Well, that’s not quite true. I ran three miles (thrice!). I even punched it to a 9:30-minute pace on my indoor run! (What?!)

I mean, I guess it *looks* like a hat. It needed so much help, though ...

I tried to sew a hat (muslin) and discovered that curved lines and easing together two pieces of fabric are a few steps ahead of my sewing game.

Chili, topped with goat cheese. Goat cheese makes me smile.

I made this mushroom soup and this chili. They were good. And they each took about thirty minutes. Make them in your own kitchen! You will eat well for a week.

I tried fresh figs. I loved figs fresh. I will eat more figs.

I tried fresh figs. For the first time in my life. How does one go thirty years on this world loving loving loving Fig Newtons and never being curious enough to try the fresh version?

Downward trend.

I kept up with my new food/exercise tracking tool: calorie count. And guess what? I lost weight. And guess what else? I feel really good. And guess what other thing? Now I’m all motivated to do food research so I can start working on increasing my intake of good nutrients like calcium, potassium, fiber, etc.

Be all that as it may, I did not enjoy my week as much as I did the two weeks previous, each of which I’d roughly planned on Sunday.

So may I take a little lesson? Planning time …

The week ahead

Two weeks ago I set up tons of three-week goals for myself, and they’re all coming due Sunday, November 20. That would be this coming Sunday. What I have left to do for those goals: sew a skirt/blouse, sew napkins; make ten (ten!) new recipes for my fifty-recipe collection; design stuff, and lots of it!; achieve a ten-minute mile outdoors.

Can I do it? I don’t know for sure. But I know I can try.

Monday
We’re gonna eat: Leftover chili served over quinoa
I’m gonna make: Mmmm, I think I’ll make some pumpkin pie. I’ll use this Gina’s Skinny recipe (and then fat it up). There’s also bread to be made.
I’m gonna write: About my health stats and workouts this week.

Tuesday
We’re gonna eat: Homestyle baked chicken! Alongside kale chips and roasted sweet potato.
I’m gonna make: All that food. Plus some napkins.
I’m gonna write: About my action plan to incorporate more healthy sources of calcium, potassium and fiber in my day (I consistently fall short on those numbers).

Wednesday
We’re gonna eat: More chicken! Also, baked oatmeal.
I’m gonna make: This baked oatmeal.
I’m gonna write: My day in food!

Thursday
We’re gonna eat: Broccoli mac and cheese, care of this recipe from 101 Cookbooks.
I’m gonna make: Mac and cheese. And I’m going to sew something that requires a pattern. A simple skirt, maybe?
I’m gonna write: About the old new me. It’s a thing.

Friday
We’re gonna eat: Leftovers!
I’m gonna make: I bet you anything I’ll still be working on that pattern piece …
I’m gonna write: My napkins!

Saturday
We’re gonna eat: Whatever the heck we want.
I’m gonna make: Hey. Nothin.
I’m gonna write: Links for you!

Sunday
We’re gonna eat: I bet we eat pancakes.
I’m gonna make: Lists.
I’m gonna write: A plan for my week ahead.

So, we think this plan’s gonna shake out, right?

Right?

Day 51 of 101: More than halfway there!

Afternoon ... tea?!?!!!

Umm. What have I done?! I have replaced my afternoon (caffeinated) coffee and cream with afternoon (noncaffeinated) tea, straight.

Let me take a moment to wonder if I really Know What It All Means Anymore …

Yeah. I think I still know what it’s all about. And this little change is about my constant jitteriness (more specifically, about the way my blood feels like it’s flowing jitterily through my veins. Does it even? Can it even? How weird am I?).

It’s also about me spending one too many mornings deciding to postpone my workout for later in the day. Enough, I say!

So I bought some cheapo cinnamon hibiscus orange peel tea (seasonal!). So far, my head hasn’t exploded, my heart hasn’t imploded. I think I’ll be okay without the afternoon coffee.

Also, halfway there!

I set out on my 101 Days Project 51 days ago today! I can’t believe it.

Mostly what I can’t believe is that I’m looking back and feeling pretty good about how I’ve spent my time so far.

Learning to sew (two tote bags! a dress! There is a bicycle cap in my future, but don’t tell my husband … it’s for him!).

Cooking so many new things I can’t even comprehend a life without fresh recipes (favorite all-time forever [so far] is the butternut squash sage sausage pasta).

And I’m proud of developing some new recipes for our cupboard (these crackers are here to stay; my energy bars are a fridge staple).

I’ve also committed myself to my healthfulness challenges: this running thing … I think I like it; I’ve definitely felt something change in the wake of my switch to calorie count as my food/exercise tracker. I think this is the longest I’ve maintained healthy habits consistently, happily, with enthusiasm even.

Now to figure out what to do on Day 102! …

Day 50 of 101: My day in food, nostalgia edition

Hiya, What I Ate Wednesday folks! From what I can gather, a lot of you who find my blog on these Wednesdays have never read it before. If that’s the case, here I am in a nutshell: I like to cook good foods. I strive for a healthy life (I’m even running! … first time in my life). And I’m learning to sew … like, things to wear in public! But on Wednesdays, I share who I am as an eater …

My day in food

I spent Monday (my day-in-food day) in my hometown, indulging in food memories. Usually a trip home means overindulging. But I’m not up for that anymore. No more “it tastes so good, it’s worth feeling a little bad!” No. No it’s not. But that doesn’t mean I have to totally abandon the happy feelings of yesterfoods.

Dad-made breakfast

Start the day.

Guess where I get my egg-and-toast habit? Indeed. My dad eats two eggs and two slices of toast every morning, with a cup of coffee. When I was a kid I was more a cereal or muffin breakfaster. But since I started working out more regularly (and paying closer attention to how I feel) I’ve abandoned sugary breakfasts. Even our homemade granola is too sweet for me! So when I started turning to savory breakfasts, this is where it was at.

Also, my dad prefers “real” coffee to the stuff Patrick and I drink. I’m happy to indulge in his version of a cuppa when I’m at home …

One for dad, one for mom, one for me!

Mindful snacking

Chomp.

Almonds! I snacked on these while I caught up with my Nana about goings-on current and past. Example of a past going-on: I learned she gave an old boss the what for. You go, Nana! He deserved it.

Lunch at the deli, somewhat nostalgic

Egg salad and salad salad.

Used to be my maternal grandparents took us to Jay’s Deli. The restaurant’s original location was in a shotgun-style diner, wallpapered with tiny flowers. I think there was about one waitress. She was an older woman who reminded me of Rose Marie (of the Dick Van Dyke Show), though without any sense of humor.

Eventually Jay’s moved to a bigger space down the way — decorated retro-style (Audrey Hepburn on the wall; red, black, white color scheme). Their menu was the same, though. Miss Rose Marie was there, joined by a bigger waitstaff.

Pre- and post-move, I ordered the tuna melt (a ton of tuna salad, two slices of cheese, between two slices of heavily buttered toast) — with fries. Always. And I ate it all, of course.

I wanted a little nostalgia for lunch today, but I didn’t want the price of eating all that food. So I opted for a half-sandwich and salad (smattering of dressing).

It was lovely. Familiar. No Miss Rose Marie. Things change …

Coffee & treat

Afternoon coffee!

Time for writing and afternoon coffee-ing! I gotta say, with all the scratchmaking we do, it’s starting to feel weird when I eat branded food. This time, it was Caribou Coffee, and a trail mix bar.

I’d taken a photo of the bar in its packaging, but I opted to use this photo after I took a bite — it wasn’t good! The bar was meant to be almondy, but it tasted like they used a ton of almond extract to get there. What had been marketed as a whole-foods product (and its ingredients list testified to that) tasted instead like just another over-processed snack.

Anyway, long story short: when I don’t have anything nice to say, I think I’ll say it without naming names.

“Time for din-din!”

These are the words that I remember calling me to the dinner table. Used to be I was the first one in my seat …

Top round, roasted up with onions and served over rice.

Childhood constant: rice. There was always a pot cooking or a pot cooked. Another constant: meat. This little bowl is a perfect memory.

What about you? If you relived a day in food from childhood, what would it look like? How have your tastes or preferences changed? I want to know!