November 14, No Excuses

I thought I'd post my breakfast pic and recipe from yesterday. It's a little variation on my fried oatmeal. I like this no egg approach better and it makes it vegan friendly. It does make for a larger breakfast than I typically have, but I don't mind moving towards larger meals earlier and smaller meals later. It fits with the weight control adage -- Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.

Start with a small ripe banana and mash it in a bowl. Add a half cup of old fashioned rolled oats and a quarter cup of crushed walnuts. I like to season it with a bit of cinnamon. Mix it well so that it will stay together in a ball or patty and fry it on the griddle or in a skillet. I use just a little coconut oil and medium heat. I topped mine with a cup of frozen mixed berries that I heated in the microwave. It ends up with 537 calories. It's a little high in fat from the walnuts (18g), but it's the good Omega 3 fats we need. It also has 7g of protein.
It was pretty tasty!

I had a pretty good day food wise. I was (again) right at the daily calorie allotment, but pretty satisfied with what I'm consuming. I am liking plant based eating for keeping a full feeling without packing on the calories. 

On the fitness side I spent time on the indoor cycle and with the dumbbells. That seems to be a good cool weather/bad weather fit and I'll work on keeping that up in the coming weeks. It really isn't much of a workout. I may put more into it as time passes, or I may just be satisfied with the regular activity level it brings as is. It's not like I'm planning a 50 mile run like my niece Laura just completed, or a century bicycle ride like my nephew Joe does on a regular basis. I just need to manage the stairs from the deck to the garden!

My regular weekly weigh-in isn't until tomorrow, but I stepped on the scale this morning to see how it was looking and it read 240. I'm feeling pretty good about it.

John

August 5

I had a good diet day yesterday. My over indulgence was having a second beer while barbequing some drumsticks for dinner. Still no exercise, but a good day none the less.

My new treat is taking frozen fruit (so far it's been strawberries or peaches), adding some milk, and mixing it in our Vita-Mix. It makes a shake or something like soft serve ice cream depending on how thick I make it. I've been using fruit we bought locally and froze ourselves, but will be fine buying frozen mixed berries or other frozen fruit. It makes for a nice, no added sugar treat that I don't feel bad about indulging in. Sometimes I add a couple of scoops of protein powder to use it as a meal substitute. 

I still haven't been logging foods or counting calories. I'm putting that off in hopes that I can find a diet lifestyle that I can sustain without having to keep logging everything. I may do it if I'm not seeing results in a few weeks.

John

August 3

It's Monday and the first weekday of August. I make the first weekday distinction as a way to excuse not getting any exercise over the first two days of the month. Of course, that implies that I'll get started today ... and, perhaps I will.

I hesitate to continue to post daily since every day's post is pretty much like the day before. Such consistency is good for steady weight loss, but not so good for interesting writing. While I do well in keeping my daily calories within the weight loss limit, there isn't anything structured or particularly healthy about it. In the past week I've had spicy Italian sausages, peach pie, ice cream, milkshakes, milk chocolate candy bars, cookies, and potato chips -- non of which would be on a real health nut's diet. Moderation is working for me.

But -- the end result has been a fairly steady weight loss. Today's weigh-in was at 230 pounds, so 220 by Sept 5 is a pretty realistic goal. 

Be well,

John

PS I've been thinking about adding variety to our diet by trying one new recipe each week. It can be a main course, side dish, or dessert. It can be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I will try to keep the new additions to the diet to reflect a more healthy type of eating. I'll let you know how that goes.

July 13

It's been a few days. For the past couple of days I've been dealing with muscle spasms in my lower back. It appears that I'll get to deal with that again today. I'm typing this while standing up since standing up or lying down are the only comfortable positions I can find. 

Enough about that. Nobody wants to hear of someone else's discomfort. We all have our own life situations to deal with.

This morning's weigh-in ended up being the same as last week. I don't see that as a big deal. I did have a couple of not so disciplined diet days and have been relatively inactive. This week will be better.

I thought I'd share my morning muesli mix. 

5 cups of rolled oats

1 bag of mixed raw nuts

1 bag of dried mixed berries

8 tbsp chia seeds

If you are an Aldi shopper, you'll recognize the brands as Aldi brands.

A half cup of this is 199 calories with 29.2g of carbs, 7g of fat, and 5.5g of protein.

I typically eat it cold with milk and usually add some fresh fruit. I have used Greek yogurt instead of milk, and have added hot water for a hot cereal breakfast.

This was yesterday's bowl with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

Be well,

John

Dec 4: Planning ahead

The month is off to a good start!
I've managed to walk 8 miles in the first 3 days (2,3,3) and I topped 10,000 steps on two of those days. My plan is to walk (or something) six days per week. "Or something" is for days when the weather is prohibitive and I will probably be using the indoor cycle. I realize that means I probably won't hit my 10,000 steps on those days, but that's not a really big deal.

I have to admit that even something as simple as walking can cause a little stiffness of the muscles and soreness in the joints for a fat guy that hasn't been out for quite a few months. Some yoga will probably find its way into my day to help with that. I've also been including some free squats for the legs and a little dumbbell work for the arms. I really need some good core work, too, but I'm going to be happy to walk daily for now.

I've also decided to move my weekly weigh-in day from Monday morning to Saturday morning.
Weekend indulgence shows up on a Monday weigh-in and can be a little discouraging at times.

We've finished the caramel chocolate holiday candy that Chris made, so that particular dietary temptation in gone (for now). I think I may make cookies from a recipe I posted on this blog some time ago. You can find it here if you care to try it.

Be well,
John

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Just thought I'd share my latest experiment. I call them Zucchini Pizza Boats.
We had some frozen cooked sausage and ground beef so I decided to use them for a quick meal. We also had about half a jar of pizza sauce left from a New Year's Eve pizza and a few slices of pepperoni.

I chopped up some onion and a poblano pepper and cooked them in a cast iron skillet with a little coconut oil. Then I added the meat and some garlic powder and Italian seasoning. While stuff was cooking, I cut a couple of zucchinis in half lengthwise and scooped out the middle.

In hind sight, I should have brushed them with olive oil and garlic and baked them for a little bit before adding the meat mixture.

I covered them with the meat mixture, added pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella and baked it for 15 minutes at 400f.

A few minor tweaks in seasoning and process and I think it will be better next time.
I'm thinking about leaving out the ground beef and adding some mushrooms and spinach leaves. I would have liked the 'shrooms and spinach this time but it was kind of a last minute idea and experiment.
It would be easy to go meatless if you want or even vegan, if that's your thing.

John <><

Fast, Easy Dinner Recipe

I saw this recipe posted on Facebook the other day and decided to try it out.
It was easy to make and tasted delicious! I bought the pesto instead of making it (because making it would have made for more than the advertised four ingredients). I think that next time (and there will be a next time!) I will add some crushed red pepper for a little spicy heat.

I served it with a salad of baby spinach leaves, chopped apple, chopped walnuts, craisins and Panera's Fuji apple vinaigrette dressing. It was mighty tasty!

The unhealthy guy in me will probably try a variation using a ground beef and Italian sausage to make a patty. I'll probably pre-bake the patties for about 20 minutes before adding the other ingredients and finishing up per the chicken recipe. I'll serve 'em up on a bun for some awesome pizza burgers (adding a little pepperoni is also an option).

I suppose a more healthy person could use a veggie burger patty and make it a vegetarian pizza burger.

Let me know if you try this!
Enjoy!

John <><

One Step at a Time

It's been a good week on the health front.

In the year+ since I dropped all of that weight I managed to put a good deal of it back on. It didn't happen all at once, but as I became less watchful of my diet it slowly crept back up. Even though I did occasionally indulge in less healthy foods, I think I was mostly guilty of just over indulging. Too much of a good thing isn't good when it comes to overeating.

This week I've been paying close attention to my food amounts and have done well. I'm also getting back on the walking daily. I've managed my 10,000 steps 4 out of the last five days and plan to keep it up. I am still a believer in eating for weight management and exercising for good health. The goal is to be back under 200 pounds by 2016.

I threw together a very tasty salad to go with dinner last night -- baby spinach leaves, 1/2 a chopped apple, chopped walnuts, craisins and Panera's Fuji apple vinaigrette dressing. You should give it a try. It was delicious.

I've got another recipe I'm working on for a healthy snack. I'll post it as soon as I get it worked out. I've tried a few variations and think the next one will be my final one.

I plan on making some granola soon. I have a couple of recipes in mind. If you have a favorite that you use, please share it with me.

Be well,
John <><

Something new for dinner!

Last week I posted a link to a breakfast recipe that was pretty good.

Tonight I used that same recipe to go with our dinner.

I started with sliced turkey kielbasa that I fried in a cast iron skillet with a little coconut oil. While that was cooking I diced the apples and measured out the quinoa (I mixed red and white). I placed the sausage on a plate and rinsed the skillet. Then I added the apples, cinnamon, water and quinoa and cooked it covered on low for about 20 minutes. I decided to prepare it on the stove instead of in the oven. As an afterthought, I chopped up a couple of jalapeno peppers and added them to the apple mix.

While that was cooking, I prepared the walnuts (instead of pecans) with cinnamon and honey (instead of maple syrup).

When the apple/quinoa mix was done, I added the sausage and turned the heat up. I stirred it and added the walnut mixture.

It turned out very well!

I think the apple quinoa bake would make a good side dish for smoked pork or grilled pork chops, too.

Let me know if you try this.

John <><

For my "Apple a day" Friends...

I saw this recently and decided to try it out today.
We don't do pancakes nor waffles in this house so we don't have any maple syrup. However, we do have some raw local honey. Also, I have walnuts in the pantry, but no pecans.

Those are my simple modifications to the following healthy breakfast recipe!

Warm 'n' Cozy Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Be well,
John <><

Mushroom Asiago Chicken Dinner

Here is another good dinner recipe.

In my modifications I went with the extra chicken broth and skipped the wine. At step 4, I added a couple of cups of chopped spinach leaves and let them cook with the mushroom/cheese/broth mix. I used baby 'bellas for mushrooms.

We served it over quinoa (the red makes for a nice presentation) with cast iron skillet grilled green beans.

We have also had it with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Let me know if you try it.

Be well!
John <><

Breakfast Casserole

I'm not sure if I'd say this is a "healthy" casserole or not. I'm not a whole hearted subscriber to the paleo movement. I do believe in eating more fruits and vegetable and eating more like our ancestors, but I'm not sure that we need to go back to the days of cavemen to find a healthy diet.

Besides, if we truly ate like our caveman ancestor without living the whole caveman lifestyle (spending every waking moment hunting for and foraging for food) we'd probably be as obese as we already are. And why are sweet potatoes on the paleo list but potatoes are not?

I say that because I found this recipe in a recipe book called The Paleo Effect.

(Click it to big it)
As always, I made a few modifications. I used a pound of sausage instead of a cup. I used coconut flour instead of arrowroot powder. And I used almond milk instead of coconut milk.

It turned out pretty good.

Overall I'd have to say that it's more trouble than I'd want to go through on a regular basis. However, it works well to prepare a week's breakfasts in advance if mornings are typically hectic. You can freeze or refrigerate individual servings, then heat and eat. Or you could prepare and freeze the entire dish to reheat before an early escape for a day at the lake or some other activity.

I don't have the nutritional information on it and really believe that cookbooks that are promoting any type of diet or lifestyle should include that information for each recipe. If people are looking for healthy options, you should give them all the information you can.

Let me know if you give it a try.

Be well!

John <><

Another Cookie Recipe

Here's another healthy option cookie recipe.  (I say healthy option because there is no added sugar and no flour. However, they are still cookies and while chocolate and peanut butter taste great, they are not exactly health foods!)

As with the last one, I modified this to suit my needs and taste by adding chocolate flavored whey isolate protein powder by Body Fortress and substituting Ghirardelli dark chocolate for the chocolate chips. I was also more generous with the peanut butter.

Here's my modified recipe.

2 ripe bananas
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 scoop Body Fortress chocolate whey isolate
4 squares Ghirardelli Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree (chopped)
1 heaping tablespoon natural peanut butter (be generous)

Mix all ingredients (I started with the bananas and peanut butter, then added the others), spoon onto greased cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

I used a 1/4 c scoop and it made 1 dozen cookies.

I haven't put the ingredients into an app to determine nutritional information yet. I may try it again with some PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to add some more peanut butter flavor without the added fat.

Enjoy!
and Be well,

John <><

A healthy treat

I made these cookies this weekend with a few variations.
Pretty good!

For my cookies I did add the 1/2 c of raisins. I also added 1/2 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cups of organic toasted coconut flakes and one scoop of vanilla whey isolate protein powder. (I use Body Fortress protein because I like the flavor better than other powders I've tried.)

I used a 1/4 cup scoop to measure out the mix for each cookie and pressed them slightly on the cookie sheet. This recipe made just 14 of these 1/4 cup cookies.

Putting the recipe into My Fitness Pal puts each cookie at 136 calories with 5 grams of protein.

Let me know if you try them.

Be well,
John <><

Non-dairy Pumpkin dessert (+my modifications)

I saw this posted on Twitter and decided that I'd give it a try.

I made it according to the recipe with the exception of using regular pancake syrup (Log Cabin) instead of real maple syrup. I'm not a fan of soft, rotting bananas, so the bananas I used were pretty firm. I probably should have pre-mashed them a bit before throwing them into the mix.

After tasting the mix, I thought the pumpkin taste was a little strong, so I added a cup of plain Greek yogurt. I'm not vegan, nor do I have a lactose problem, so adding yogurt works well for me. The bananas give it plenty of sweetness so I will probably cut the syrup amount to 1/4c and use honey instead. I'd also add a little more nutmeg and maybe more cinnamon.

It freezes pretty hard if you let it freeze over night (kind of like freezing homemade ice cream). I was mixing it every 40 minutes or so for a few hours to help it freeze evenly. My suggestion is to make it several hours before serving it and serve it the same day you prepare it.

I also think that adding pieces of baked pie crust would be delicious or serving it in mini pie crusts would be good.

If you try this, be sure to let me know what you think!

John <><

Sunday Morning Smoothie

Today's breakfast smoothie is packed with great stuff!

1/2c dry oats
1/2c skim milk
1/2c frozen blueberries
1c spinach leaves
1 apple
1 scoop whey protein powder
cinnamon as you like

Wowser!
Good and good for you!

Fiber from the oats and apple. Antioxidents from the spinach and blueberries. Metabolism boost from the cinnamon and 30+ grams of protein! Just under 500 calories!

Yum!

Be well,
John <><

Another Meatless Monday Recipe

I thought I'd share a quick and easy meatless Monday recipe.

I started by preparing some dried lentils according to the package instructions. I seasoned mine with garlic powder, some dried sweet basil and crushed red pepper.

I drained them and rinsed them with cold water and added just a little bit of olive oil.
Then I added a can of Rotel Original tomatoes and green chilis. I diced a garden fresh cucumber and a quarter of a large red onion and added them to the mix. I didn't have any fresh cilantro, but found some dried cilantro in the spice rack. After tasting it, I decided on a little more garlic and more red pepper, as well.

I sliced a large zucchini into thin slices, topped it with a generous portion of the lentils, sprinkled some Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese on top and hit the microwave for about 35 seconds.

Yum!

I think that next time I'll make sure we have some fresh cilantro and perhaps a little fresh lime juice would be good, too!

John <><

Blueberry/Spinach Smoothie

My Sunday morning smoothie:

1/2c frozen blueberries
1c spinach
1/2c non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2c skim milk
1tsp cinnamon
1 scoop Body Fortress vanilla whey protein

328 calories
44g protein

Good morning!

John <><

Today's Smoothie

I should begin by saying that I generally measure, bag and freeze my fruit at the beginning of the week. Freezing my fruit gives me the cold frozen smoothie rather than the slushie that you get from adding ice. I wouldn't recommend this unless you have a pretty high powered blender. It's a work out for my VitaMix and the blender I use at work can't really handle it.

This week I bagged 1/2 cup portions of red raspberries an blueberries and 1 cup portions of strawberries and spinach leaves (yes, I freeze the spinach leaves, too). I also sliced and bagged bananas (1 banana/bag).

A bag of each went into the VitaMix along with a cup of skim milk and a scoop of Body Fortress vanilla whey protein. I added a little more milk during the mixing process to help the machine along.
This makes enough for a good sized serving now (about 20-24 oz) and enough to fill my 1/2 liter thermos to take to work for later.

Total calories 538
protein 44g

The fruit adds lots of sugar at 56g and fiber at 15g.

Plus you get great anti-oxidants from the berries.

It is 100% good!

John <><

For Your Meatless Monday...

I've been doing Meatless Monday for a little while now. One less day of meat is probably good for me (you, too). Some day I'll post some of the benefits of going meatless for a day. For today, I thought I'd give you a recipe to try should you decide to go meatless for a day.

It's a simple guy recipe. That means that it's easy to make.

I heat a skillet and then add a little bit of coconut oil to the hot skillet.
I then add some chopped onions, turn the heat down to medium and let them begin to brown.
I open a can of black beans and rinse all of the canned liquids away. Add them to the skillet.
I also add a can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilis.
I season this with garlic powder, cumin, crushed red peppers, chili powder and black pepper.

Take a Pablano pepper, cut it in half and clean out the seeds. Fill each half with your black bean mix and top with some shredded cheddar cheese. You can throw it in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the cheese or just let the cheese melt from the heat of the beans. You'll have enough to fill three or four peppers.

It's pretty good.

If you're not into the meatless thing, start with ground beef or ground turkey. Anyway you look at it, it's a good meal!

I addition to going meatless on Mondays, I've been starting my week with a 20 hour fast. I finish Sunday with a light snack around 10pm and then have my meatless stuffed pepper for dinner around 6pm Monday. Other than my morning coffee and vitamins, it's water until dinner time.

Have a great week!
Be well,

John <><