Some Early Fall Domesticity

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Not a domestic diva . . . never have been. Weekends are for getting to the gym, reading, relaxing, and quite often overflow work from the office.

But yesterday, I did manage to get the routine laundry and grocery shopping done. And took care of a little wardrobe re-organizing too: the summer sandals have now been moved out and replaced with fall shoes/short boots. (Last weekend I had substituted some more fall-appropriate items for the summery pastels/florals: not too woolly yet, but shifting into the brown/rust/olive green range. I'd also successfully laundered some silk shirts in cold water on the handwash cycle . . . . big cost savings and when hung out to dry, they do smell so much better than when they've been dry-cleanedl!)

This week in soup: an Italian-inflected chicken vegetable brown rice, with celery, carrot, wax beans, diced tomatoes, yellow zucchini, garden peas, Roma beans, oregano, basil and rosemary. Had a test bowlful after the gym . . . mmmmm, gonna enjoy this all week.

And I finally got around to making a small pan of apple crisp for dinner, using tart MacIntosh apples (so fiddly to peel: but Charlie loves the peel) with brown sugar, large flake oats, butter and plenty of cinnamon! Served hot, with a little vanilla icecream!

The house smells good when apple crisp is baking in the oven. (First course: a huge salad with low fat feta and lean chicken, to compensate for the higher calorie dessert . . . ). And yes, it was worth the calories in that delicious crunchy crisp, every one of them!

Off to the gym again this morning, and then I hope to the golf course later in the day when it's a little warmer out there. The leaves are just beginning to turn colour on the course, and there are wild asters and goldenrod in full bloom. DH got a hole-in-one Friday night: his second, the previous one having occurred well over 30 years ago now: so that was definitely a red-letter round for him!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

FRACTALMYTH 9/19/2011 5:56PM

Oh Wow that soup sounds GOOOD... got a recipe? Report Inappropriate Comment

KALIGIRL 9/19/2011 8:48AM

Sounds like the perfect ending or start to an old or new week - love the end of summer, start of fall! Report Inappropriate Comment

TRYINGHARD1948 9/19/2011 3:34AM

I love the smell of fresh baking and soup making. Yum, have a tasty and enjoyable week, Report Inappropriate Comment

TEENY_BIKINI 9/18/2011 11:09PM

Wow. I could smell this blog. Nothing like the smells and taste of Fall on the horizon. Enjoy... Report Inappropriate Comment

PHEBESS 9/18/2011 8:14PM

Yum, your dinner sounds wonderful! Enjoy the fall! Report Inappropriate Comment

NANCY- 9/18/2011 7:01PM

Good thing I had dinner before i read your blog. The aromas wafting through your home must be heavenly. Healthy food can be enticing. Report Inappropriate Comment

IMAGINE_IT 9/18/2011 3:37PM

WOW you are organized!!! job Ellen And you already know that you made me hungry for your delicious Soup and Apple crisp Comment edited on: 9/18/2011 3:37:40 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

PUDLECRAZY 9/18/2011 3:00PM

MMMmmm, a happy and aromatic weekend for you! Isn't apple crisp a treat? I do not bother peeling the apples; I just wash them and let the peel add a little tartness. Report Inappropriate Comment

GROEDER 9/18/2011 9:34AM

Sounds like you are having a great weekend!!!! I hope you enjoy today at the golf course. Congrats to DH on the hole-in-one!!!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

I have eaten the plums . . .

Friday, September 16, 2011

Breakfast this morning was a Greek omelette and two exquisite blue plums. Which called to mind one of my favourite Willilam Carlos Williams poems:



This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams


I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold



When I see a poplar shimmering in the sunlight, do I enjoy it more because I remember the Monet paintings?

When I eat a sweet and juicy plum, do I enjoy it more because I remember this succulent poem?

Uh, maybe that's too precious: but at least the poem has no calories at all!! And may help me be feel more satisfied with the calories I've eaten!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

FRACTALMYTH 9/19/2011 5:58PM

Ahhhhh :D I suppose it will come as no surprise that I had recited the entire poem between the time I clicked on the title to this blog and the time it loaded? Our plum blossom has been falling in drifts of sweetly scented petal 'snow'. Now the baby plums are appearing, and soon the birds and insects will feast. If we are lucky, there will be a satsuma or two for us lowly humans... Report Inappropriate Comment

TRYINGHARD1948 9/17/2011 12:39AM

I'm sure such reflections add to our experience of life. I love William Carlos Williams too. Report Inappropriate Comment

IMAGINE_IT 9/16/2011 3:25PM

What a great poem! I love plums...especially the 'small purple egg plums' we used to pick right off the trees back in Germany....i can't hardly ever get them here in this area where i live! Ellen for the poem and the memory of sweet tasting plums...back in the day..when everything seemed so simple..and near perfect! Report Inappropriate Comment

DONNACFIT 9/16/2011 2:48PM

Yeah for plums!! Loved your blog and poem :) We've pretty well finished a small case of plums here (just the 2 of us!) and now are on to a case of peaches..love love love the fall fruit.. ..and the fall beauty Comment edited on: 9/16/2011 2:50:47 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

CMRAND54 9/16/2011 2:11PM

I love that poem. Thanks for sharing. I always wondered, though, if the plums were a metaphor for something else. Was Mr. Williams messing around with some sweet young thing, and trying to apologize? Report Inappropriate Comment

DBCLARINET 9/16/2011 1:03PM

Thanks for sharing that poem! It made my day for some reason. Report Inappropriate Comment

VALERIEMAHA 9/16/2011 8:38AM

I LOVE THAT POEM, Ellen! And...It's EXACTLY how I feel when I take the last of some delicious fruit lurking in the frig! Maha Report Inappropriate Comment

PHEBESS 9/16/2011 8:36AM

On the other hand, your plums with the poem are feeding your mind as well as your body - an important aspect of overall health, right? Staving off Alzheimer's and all that. So continue to feed your mind, and your soul. (White hyacinths do that.) Report Inappropriate Comment

SALSIFY 9/16/2011 8:15AM

I like that poem too... I also like Matthew Macfadyen's voice - so I listen to this version: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=0d5bLf0gq2Q Report Inappropriate Comment

KALIGIRL 9/16/2011 8:12AM

"so sweet and so cold" and so enjoyed! Namaste Report Inappropriate Comment

NANCY- 9/16/2011 8:02AM

Ah the sweet treasures that nature brings us. I'm glad you were able to savor the the plums.It is amazing the flavors that are available to us when we consume our food mindfully. Report Inappropriate Comment

Red Cabbage Slaw with Chickpeas

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

I'm experimenting today with a slightly different salad from my usual spinach/arugula/mesclun with crunchy bright veggies and lean protein.

Last night I shredded up half a red cabbage, added a stalk of chopped celery and a cup of grated carrot, stirred in a can of chickpeas (drained, rinsed) with half a cup of Greek yogourt, some caraway seed, paprika and sea salt.

It's packed into a container with a couple of slices of low fat chicken.

Should be a nice change, and there are enough leftovers for tomorrow as well.

(Plus, of course, chopped fruit: peach, kiwi, a few cherries, a tiny clementine and some frozen mixed berries).

Breakfast was a microwave omelette (half eggwhite, half Omega + egg with low fat salsa, arugula and Greek seasoning) and a small fresh pear.

Dinner will be "this week in soup" Asian chicken pho.

Cocktail event will involve a virgin Caesar for me . . . and I'll be staving off munchy temptation in advance with some fat free sugar free yogourt before I go.

Charlie will get a walk (cardio for both of us) when I get home!!

OK, day: bring it on!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

PUDLECRAZY 9/16/2011 5:59PM

Thank you for this poem on this day. One of my favorite poets! Report Inappropriate Comment

FRACTALMYTH 9/15/2011 4:49PM

mmmmmmm *note to self* must buy cabbage! Report Inappropriate Comment

DDOORN 9/15/2011 3:06PM

DW has a great recipe for red cabbage & apples...love chickpeas though...bet that's a keeper! Don Report Inappropriate Comment

KALIGIRL 9/15/2011 8:43AM

Food sounds 'heavenly' - love red cabbage! Report Inappropriate Comment

PUDLECRAZY 9/15/2011 6:22AM

That sounds yummy! Report Inappropriate Comment

TRYINGHARD1948 9/14/2011 4:47PM

A wonderfully tasty and healthy day, enjoy. Report Inappropriate Comment

IMAGINE_IT 9/14/2011 2:12PM

Please let us know how the Red Cabbage salad tastes..i have been adding shredded cabbage to my daily salad...for an extra crunch..and i like it a lot! One of the things i need to learn is to 'experiment' more....i tend to stay with the same ol' same ol' way too long! Your menu for this week sounds delicious!! Enjoy! Report Inappropriate Comment

_LINDA 9/14/2011 1:17PM

Sounds awesome! You sure add a lot of ingredients in a salad! I like them that way too, the more the merrier, and the crunchier the better! Enjoy!! Report Inappropriate Comment

NANCY- 9/14/2011 8:43AM

You are doing awesome. You show us all how to shine. Keep Sparking!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

PHEBESS 9/14/2011 7:36AM

I'm so impressed with your planning! And this morning, as I was driving to work, I realized we're in the third week of school and I'm still not Beck-ing yet! Gotta get myself in gear! Report Inappropriate Comment

GROEDER 9/14/2011 7:28AM

That sounds like a great menu and a healthy plan. Way to go!!! I got hungry, just reading about your selections. LOL Report Inappropriate Comment

Burning Calories

Sunday, September 11, 2011

When I'm motoring at level 8 on the elliptical cross trainer, at my current weight of 137-138 pounds, it takes me a full minute of sweaty effort to burn just 14-15 calories.

That means:

One minute of all-out exercise is what it takes to use up the calories in four sweet cherries.

It's just over two minutes to burn 1 serving of fat free sugar free yogourt.

Four minutes to dispatch a serving of low calorie hot chocolate. Or two slices of low fat chicken.

Just over five minutes to equal the calories in a medium apple.

A moderate 10 piece serving of potato chips, say 200 calories? That would be over thirteen minutes of continuous hard work! But would I stop at 200 calories worth, once I'd started?? As if. Not remotely likely.

If nothing else, time at the gym is time when I'm not eating. But even better, watching the calorie burn on the cross trainer at the gym helps me think all day long about not putting food mindlessly into my mouth.

To stick with what I've pre-tracked.

Because: I just can't ever exercise enough to begin to burn off the quantity of calories in the type and volume of foods I'd (still) like to eat.

And if I eat "those" foods (potato chips, full fat ice cream, chicken pot pie with double crust and gravy, full fat cheesy macaroni, french fries, all of that) there's no hope of getting the nutrients I need within the calorie range I'm able to permit myself: the protein, carbs, good fats, minerals, vitamins my body really craves. And really needs for optimum health.

Hunger is not an emergency. Hunger is a great indicator that I'm really going to enjoy my next meal! When I'm hungry, I don't stand in front of the fridge asking myself what I "feel" like eating. Because the hungrier I am, the better my pre-planned carrots and tomatoes and spinach and radishes actually taste!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

_LINDA 9/14/2011 1:20PM

It sounds like you have it all worked out scientifically. I only burn 267 calories for an hour's worth of sweating it on the elliptical, pretty measly and it does make you think about how any of those treats are really worth the effort or not. Report Inappropriate Comment

NEWKAREN43 9/13/2011 11:15PM

So...I figure at my weight, which is 80 pounds over yours, (yikes) I burn 16 calories per minute...and I'm trying to reconcile the fact that 45 minutes on the elliptical I burn 700+ calories and that's not making a difference in my weight. I'm stuck, I've been stuck for months...+2, -3, +4, -2, -2, +5, -3...and I do ST a couple of times per week...I SO desperately want to lose another 30 pounds off my ~220 pound frame (I'm 6' tall so...I can carry a lot, and lose a lot before anyone even can tell)...but I am stuck. This is the first I've said that since I posted a blog about being stuck some months ago...oh, I need to break this plateau so badly...I know it will happen but I also know that it's just a little discouraging sometimes to be stuck and not know what to do...So...I appreciate your reminder and perspective... Report Inappropriate Comment

KALIGIRL 9/13/2011 9:04AM

Hunger as an indicator... Love it! Report Inappropriate Comment

BRIGHTSPARK7 9/13/2011 1:37AM

Great to check back in and find your blog, Ellen. On my to do list: Phone the gym and get the schedule for yoga classes. Your enthusiasm for going to the gym inspires me! PLus I gained a couple of pounds from my vacation. Had a wonderful time and glad to be back! Hugs, Usha. Report Inappropriate Comment

NANCY- 9/12/2011 10:34AM

Fuel our Body. That's what athletes do. What do we need to sustain us. I love the question "what do I feel like eating?"... if I "feel" like eating, it is not hunger . Most likely I am only thirsty and drink water or make a cup of herbal tea. This is a wonderful blog ... lots of "food for thought". There is nothing like re-framing our thoughts. Thank you so much for sharing your pho with me. It was delicious and brought a smile to my face. Report Inappropriate Comment

DBCLARINET 9/12/2011 7:16AM

You know, now that you mention it, it's been a while since I stood in the kitchen and wondered what I "felt like" eating. That only happens if I'm eating when I'm not actually hungry. Report Inappropriate Comment

TRYINGHARD1948 9/12/2011 3:15AM

And how many hours do I have to exercise for if my son-in-law makes a cheesecake and it would be most ungracious to refuse a small slice, or even a medium slice. Hmmm, I'm sweating just thinking about it. Report Inappropriate Comment

TBANMAN 9/11/2011 11:55PM

A great reminder of just how much things "cost." Report Inappropriate Comment

DDOORN 9/11/2011 9:36PM

What a great re-framing of hunger as a "friend" not "foe!" Don Report Inappropriate Comment

PUDLECRAZY 9/11/2011 8:11PM

Amen! And that pho is a great example of just how good things can taste and not fall into the high calorie/empty calorie category. Enjoy the gym! Report Inappropriate Comment

NEWKAREN43 9/11/2011 8:08PM

As I sit here, totally soaking, sweaty from my last 25 minutes on the elliptical trainer, THIS is exactly what I needed to read! Thank you for the blog...and the perspective! Karen Report Inappropriate Comment

MOBYCARP 9/11/2011 7:52PM

Yuppers. My goal is 175. At one point, I gained weight to 205 while getting stronger and more fit, other than the fat I was adding. Joined SparkPeople, and the weight is coming off so fast it's almost spooky. I'm eating a lot fewer calories, but possibly more protein. You can't out-train a crappy diet. Report Inappropriate Comment

TRAVELGRRL 9/11/2011 6:56PM

I needed to hear this! Thanks for the reminder! Hunger is NOT an emergency. If I don't know what I want to eat, then I'm not really hungry. Report Inappropriate Comment

ONEKIDSMOM 9/11/2011 6:32PM

I'm with you... knowing what I'm NOT burning or how long it takes to burn even a single cookie is great motivation. After races? They offer fresh fruit as well as the baked stuff, thank goodness! And thanks for stopping by my race blog! Report Inappropriate Comment

This Week in Soup: Asian Chicken Vegetable Pho

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Found in the freezer:

half a bag of shelled edamame
a full bag of mixed Asian stir fry vegetables
three boneless skinless chicken breasts

Found in the fridge:

celery
grated carrot
snow peas
red bell pepper
half a bottle of President's Choice Memories of Szechwan
soy sauce


And in the cupboard:

whole grain spaghetti noodles
2 large cartons of chicken broth
Chinese five spice
dehydrated garlic
red chili pepper
low fat peanut butter

I heated the chicken stock to boiling with about 3 tbsp soya sauce, the PC Szechwan (diluted with water to get every drop out of the bottle) and the spices, and added three stalks of the celery, chopped, while I was defrosting the chicken breasts: diced those and added to the boiling stock with the noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths (used about the amount I'd make for 2 servings of spaghetti . . . maybe a bundle an inch in diameter or so). Simmered till the chicken was done, the celery tender. Stirred in the grated carrot, about a cupful. (Rinsed out the bag with water and put that in the pot too . . . ).

Added the frozen edamame and mixed Asian vegetables (love those tiny corn cobs!). And then half a red pepper, diced, and about 10 snow peas, sliced. Brought it just back to the boil.

Mixed about 3 tbsp of peanut butter with boiling water and stirred it in: creamy, peanutty!! But the veggies were still bright and crunchy . And my soup pot is full again!

I'd guess the calorie count is well under 300 for a generous 1.5 cup serving, and there's gotta be a reasonable hit of protein from the chicken, edamame and the peanut butter.

That'll be my supper soup this week. Tried an "advance" bowlful after the gym for a late lunch and I like it!! Yeah!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

_LINDA 9/14/2011 1:22PM

Wow! You sure have the knack of putting things together in a very yummy way! Report Inappropriate Comment

PUDLECRAZY 9/11/2011 4:35PM

Oh, that sounds delicious!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

DBCLARINET 9/11/2011 4:21PM

Mmmm, sounds tasty! What a list of veggies! Report Inappropriate Comment

DDOORN 9/11/2011 1:23PM

Sounds delish! Love big batch cooking and the time that it saves! Don Report Inappropriate Comment

NANCY- 9/11/2011 10:25AM

Yum!!! May I come to your house? Report Inappropriate Comment

PHEBESS 9/10/2011 11:31PM

Wow that sounds delicious! Report Inappropriate Comment