The kids are back, so it's time to prepare!

It's Monday, switching day. That's the day the children switch from one parent's house to the other. We're on a week on, week off schedule, which we like.

This week, I'm determined to plan meals that take into consideration both the kids as well as me. I'm going to find foods that fit in with what I want to eat plus make them happy as well. I think that for the past two years (or really 1 and 1/2 years since I've been actively involved in their lives) I've been trying to cook so that they'll like the food (and me probably). Through this brilliant method, I've managed to gain 30-40 pounds. Now, I am trying to shift to cooking foods that Tim and I like and asking the kids to join in. As Dr. Phil says, "kids should join your life, you don't join theirs."

I've really struggled with this. We've had pigs in a blanket (hotdogs baked in Pillsbury croissant dough) too many times to count. And hamburgers and fries, and macaroni and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs as well. Now it's time for a little more diversity.

Tonight, we're going to have Taco Salads. This still isn't exactly a Lisa meal, but it's a good transitional meal on switch night. I don't want them to come back and have them thinking, "All this weird food! Let's go back to Mom's." I'm making the meat sauce with all natural herbs and spices and venison that Tim hunted and ground himself. I'll also  include home made salsa, organic sour cream, I'll grate the cheese myself (did you know that if you buy pre-grated cheese, it includes some weird chemicals to keep it from clumping? That's why it often doesn't melt right), and some black olives, sauteed peppers, mushrooms and onions (for me) and even some steamed frozen sugar snaps. I'll also have some drained tomatoes. Colin and Eden are going to struggle with figuring out how to have vegetables other than lettuce, so I'll have to include some of my spring spinach in the greens as well as probably sneaking some pureed cauliflower in the meat mix. They'll still have to have a few bites of vegetables. Isabel loves tomatoes, so she'll be no problem. As usual, we won't have much veggie-hating discussion because we think it's BORING to talk about what you don't like when it comes to food. But compliments to the chef are always welcome. 

Tomorrow night will be fish night and we'll have salmon and tuna that we'll steam and broil, respectively. I'll add a couple beets from the freezer and some green beans and a small salad with shredded carrot and raisins, Eden's favorite. My salad will have artichoke hearts and Asian mushrooms.

Wednesday night is basketball practice, so that's tricky. It has to be fast. I think we'll do turkey brats with sweet potato fries and a multi-colored slaw with nuts.

Thursday will be chicken in a pot night. Isabel hates chicken on the bone, but I'm trying to teach her that chicken on the bone is the best way to make it, for flavor. I'll include turnips, parsnips, carrots and sweet potatoes in the pot. I'll add a little red wine and herbs so it's almost coq au vin.

Friday night I'll be gone, so I'm going to suggest pizza. I'm heading out with the ladies and we're eating at Bonfyre, which has a ton of good salads.

Saturday night, we'll have company, so we'll have pork tenderloin, twice baked potatoes (I add smashed cauliflower to the mix to reduce calories and lighten the flavor) and perhaps roasted carrots with a touch of salt and brown sugar (cook at 425 and they're delicious!). I think we'll also have some of our frozen Brussels sprouts, which Tim and I love, from our garden.

Sunday, I think I'll let the child who has done the best job at doing chores without complaining pick the menu. I'll give them the Weight Watchers cookbook and let 'em go. They never know if it's good or bad.

So I'm getting tons of diversity, cleaning out my freezer which is way too full and shifting toward meals that everyone likes, while still stretching the kids' taste buds a bit. Wish me luck!

P.S. Did great at the Superbowl party at my sister's house yesterday. I did not eat one chip, nor one bit of cheese. I did have a roasted chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread with a hunk of romaine and  brown mustard. I had two bites of the cakes, which smelled tremendous, and a small spoonful of the brown beans I cooked, which also tasted super. Not bad. I really didn't eat anything other than the eggs, etc. yesterday, and I rode Titan in a lesson, which was exhausting.

My Crazy Path to Weight Loss

Thanks to my friend Ann's wake-up post, I'm going to do a better job of saying exactly how I'm proposing to lose weight. Here they are:

1. I write down everything I eat. I joined Weight Watchers online because it's the easiest way to track how much I should eat and how much I am eating. I love it!

2. I exercise in some way daily -- whether it's a 20-minute walk or riding my horse or going to the gym, I do it.

3. I try to eat whole foods as close to their original source as possible so I'm reducing the amount of hormones, preservatives and other objects. That means shopping at farmer's markets, coops, through farmers and at the Paoli Local Foods. I also buy some foods at typical supermarkets such as grass-fed meats, dried beans, frozen vegetables, etc.

4. That means absolutely no stopping at fast food. I ate a hamburger in late January as a farewell to eating those foods and to really slowly chew it and see if I even really liked it. I didn't. No real taste other than salt and fat at all.

Now, due to my wake up post from Ann, and remembering the advice of other good friends, I'm adding a few more things to my list to jump start my weight loss.

1. I'm actually measuring and weighing my foods. My scale sits on the countertop as of this morning. I actually weighed 1 ounce of venison for this morning's breakfast, measured the parmesan cheese and even the honey butter. Here's my breakfast today:

2 free-range brown eggs scrambled with 1/4 cup of leftover broccoli (from our freezer garden stash).
1 piece of Natural Ovens wheat bread with 1/2 tsp. of honey butter (even that little bit of butter is yummy and filling).
1 ounce of venison leftover from a previous meal.
Black coffee

2. Calculating by brand name or nutrition information the actual points for food. Good lesson this morning. I usually count all bread as 2 points unless it's a bigger peice and then I count it as 3 or 4 depending on size (some French boule's come in really long pieces). But this morning I calculated the Natural Ovens bread on the points calculator online and found it was only 1 point. Yay! That's important because I am trying to get the exact number of points each day and not use my weekly bonus points for anything except emergencies. But if I'm calculating wrong, then I can get a little too hungry and might go wild like I did in the grocery store yesterday.

3. Hunger monitoring. I'm going to do a better job of waiting until my hunger gets to a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being ravenous). I often eat because it's time to eat. If I'm truly trying to get in touch with food and my body's use of food, I've got to really pay attention to how hungry I am and then eat a little bit right then.

4. Continue to really push to reverse my eating ladder. I want to eat like the French. A good breakfast, significant lunch and then just a bit for dinner with small snacks in between. And by small snacks, I mean a cup of veggies and dip or 1/2 cup of veggies and an ounce of cheese. No more than 2-3 points eaach, but enough to satisfy me so the graze doesn't continue. My nutritionist Tracie has always recommended a glass or orange juice with a bit of gelatin, and that works especially when the time between meals might be extended (evenings out, rides in cars, etc.)

Tomorrow I'll post a sample of my day based on what happens today. Now I've got to pry my husband away from the television to take our dog for a walk. Darn that Superbowl pregame coverage!

I'm All Butter!

I'm sitting here right now with a beautiful slice of Madison Sourdough bread that's spread with butter. That I made. Yes, that's right, I made my own butter today. And you might be surprised to know that I don't even have a churn.

Here's the method: Put a pint container of organic whipping cream or heavy cream and put it in your stand mixer (I used my Kitchenaid). Turn on the blender. Let 'er whip for 7-10 minutes. That's pretty much it.  First, it will turn into whipped cream, just like usual. Then it looks almost like cottage cheese. Then the buttermilk separates pretty significantly from the butter. It's done when the liquid is in the bottom of the mixer and the butter is all caught up in the blade. Strain the milk into a jar and save it for pancakes or another recipe. Get the butter back into the bowl and into a clump (this should be pretty easy). Make a glass of ice water. Pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup over the butter and using a big wooden spoon, smash the butter into the water, kind of reforming your mound. The water will be cloudy. Pour it off and do the same three more times. When the water is clear, you are done (you do this step so your butter will keep). I got about 1/2 pound of butter and 1 cup of buttermilk. Yay! I split about 1/4 of my butter away and mixed it with a little honey for some honey butter. I did not salt it at all. Isn't that fun?

Why butter, you might ask? Well, according to my new eating plan of sticking to whole foods that are made by real people's hands, I don't eat fake butters or oils that can't be ground with a stone. That leaves butter, olive oil, coconut oil and one other that I can't really remember right now. 

Today I ate pretty well. I had 2 oranges, a slice of Parisian boule bread with honey and black coffee for breakfast. For lunch, I had a slice of bread with peanut butter and an apple. But then I ran up against my old nemesis: the supermarket. I ran over to Target to get some of that Bare Chicken (or whatever it's called), and some dried beans to make my famous baked beans for a party tomorrow and there's the deli. Of course, I had to run over and grab some baked french fries and munch on them as I shopped. It's really something I'd like to give up, but once I'm in the store, I always seem to be hungry, and carrots don't seem at all appealing when I get that supermarket starve going. The problem with the above plan is that there's not a ton of variety, which I am trying to instill and I'm a little low on the vegetable side.

Well, at least those fries were baked. Tonight Tim and I might go get sushi at Edo Garden, which I love and he's been craving. But, we'll see. We're trying to eat out less, so perhaps I'll make something. But sushi is just too much work. Wait. That's an excuse. I want to find a class on making sushi, then I might do it at home. Any ideas?

Savoring my Food

I need to slow down my eating! And I'm not the only one who notices. Practically all of my friends have told me that I need to slow down, my kids remind me to eat more slowly and so does my husband. But, for the most part their pleas have fallen upon deaf ears. Until now!

Today I dragged my dieter-accomplice friend Nancy to lunch. We went to La Baguette, which I love, because the food is simple, straightforward and good. We split a melted brie and ham sandwich on a pretty thin baguette and each had a cup of tomatoe soup. The soup was really more of a bisque becaue it was thinner than a traditional tomato soup. So, before we even took our first bite, I reminded both of us to chew slowly so that we could actually taste what was in the food. I usually just bite and start chomping, but this time I actually chewed slowly and it was interesting. I tasted all the nuances of the brie, and then the ham and its smoky saltiness kicked in. The bread's somewhat sour earthiness really impacted me because I think for so long, I just ate bread without really thinking about how it tasted. I could taste the difference between the browned bread on the crust and the softer interior  . . . and it was good. I did the same for the soup. Yummmm. I could taste how fresh the tomatoes were when they were canned (canned tomatoes in winter are better than fresh, I find). I could taste the chicken base in the soup and the fresh basil in the soup. It was really a much better experience. Both Nancy and I found that we were fuller when we were finished, and more satisfied.

Then I ruined my feelings of superiority by forgetting to eat late in the afternoon and, in a ravenous craze, ate a quarter of the boule I bought while driving and thinking of other things.

Darn it! But at least I'm on the right track. Now off to brown up some grass fed pork chops and a little sauerkraut.

Foraging for Food

Well, now that I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and realizing that we humans have so many choices and yet we're often eating the same foods over and over, I'm really getting into finding foods that are as fresh as possible, as seasonal and as grass-fed or wild, if possible.

So where do I go? First, I hit my freezer. Tim and I had a huge garden last year and both of us worked like slaves freezing, canning and eating foods. Most of them are in the freezer, including tomatoes, beets, peas, beans, carrots, etc. Last night, I made salmon (wild) with beets from our freezer and steamed snow peas on salad.  (By the way, I love the way I make salmon—it's always moist and yummy. I take my large All Clad straight-sided fry pan and put about an inch of water in it. Then I place a shallow oval baker in it and inside the baker I put my salmon, skin side down. Salt, pepper and a little lime or lemon for seasoning. Then I put the lid on and turn up the heat. I usually let it steam for about 7 minutes so the inside is still pink, but warm. Yummy!) I boiled the beats with the skins on and then took them out and salted and peppered them after taking the skins off and slicing them up. Loved it!
The next place I go for great food is Paoli Local Foods. I love that place! It's run by the Ruegsegger's, who also own Ruegsegger Farm. They raise all kinds of meats, but the store also has fresh produce and other items from local producers. Today I picked up some wonderful spinach, carrots, and frozen corn. They were serving this wonderful chicken soup that was thick and lovely with corn in it. I loved the sweetness of the corn, so I bought some to throw in the chicken soup I was making at home. The carrots also joined the grass-fed chicken in the stock pot.

I also no longer buy organic eggs, only free-range. Egg chickens go through hell when they are making eggs. They often are piled into a cage where they can't move and are sometimes pecked to death by their neighbor. Others develop mental problems and rub their breasts on cages until they are bleeding. Many organic farmers don't have any different situation except that they feed their birds organic feed. So check on that one! I pick them up at one of several farms in the area who have free-range eggs in the season, and in winter I go to Willy Street. Sure, they're shipped a little further, but that's ok.

Willy Street Coop is another of my favorites. They clearly list local foods, so you can really understand what's local. They also list their suppliers on signs, so you can go straight to the farmer, if you so desire.

I also love to shop at La Baguette for my breads. It's run by a couple from France, and I think the husband is the baker, if I remember the story right. Those Frenchies really know what they're doing when it comes to bread. It's made the same way it would be in France -- crusty exterior and wonderfully light interior. If I have to stop for food, I have to say that I'm going to stick with their sandwiches. They really know how to make great, simple food. They're at 7424 Mineral Point Road,
Madison, 608.827.6775

So how does this all figure into my diet? Well, first of all, I figure if I'm satisfied with what I'm eating, I'll eat less. One reason I think I eat so much is that I'm never really getting any flavor out of my food. Also, it's healthier to eat this way. Finally, if I start eating consciously, I'll start really choosing what I put in my mouth, and I won't do any of that boredom eating (it's hard to start popping fresh foods like they're potato chips). I'll also develop a new connection to food other than it being my drug of choice for fixing sadness, anger or frustration.

Wish me luck!

Food Rules

I've been watching what my thin friends are eating and doing. I met my friend Tori on Monday at West Towne to walk. I've been preparing snacks to carry in my car like Sue and Traci do. I've been trying to eat smaller meals like Karen and Patti do. And I'm trying to figure out which foods I really like, like Sue R. does (I always call Sue R. by her first and last name, never just "Sue").

Today, my shipment of Michael Pollan books arrived and one of them is "Food Rules," a relatively thin book listing 64 rules on how to eat healthier. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Eat food (not edible foodlike substances). By this he means eat real foods like plants, meats, fungi and whole grains.

9. Avoid food products with the wordoid "lit" or the terms "low-fat" or "nonfat" in their names. These foods have added something else to make them have less fat such as sugar, carbohydrate fillers and refined carbs.

18. Don't eat foods made in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap.

24. Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plants) is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl) which is better than eating what stands on four legs.

31. Eat wild foods when you can (wild greens, animals, fish, etc.)


37. The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead.

38. Favor the kinds of oils and grains that have traditionally been stone-ground (olive, sesame, coconut, and peanut oils).

39. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

48. Consult your gut (e.g., eat when your stomach tells you to and stop when it says you are full.)

50. The banquet is in the first bite (in my words, all bites after the first are never as good, so just take one bite of the tempting foods).
51. Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it. (Wow, I'm going to have some 3-hour-long meals!)

62. Plant a vegetable garden if you have space and a window box if you don't. My friend Tori grew a whole salad garden in her planter on her back patio.

I've been really proud of my progress. Although I've not eaten strictly by the plan, I've done a good job of coming close. Last night, Tim made me venison steak (something wild) and salad for dinner. Really yummy, and tonight I'm having salmon, frozen beets from our garden and a salad. Yay!

Menu planning

Menu planning isn't exactly my strong suit. In a perfect world, I throw open my well-stocked fridge filled with grass-fed meats, fresh vegetables and fruit and, after consulting my equally well-stocked pantry, I begin whipping up a delicious wonder that strikes my or my husband's fancy. But the truth of the matter is, that after a week of feeding children, I also prefer eating leftovers and easy foods the Monday and Tuesday nights after the kids go back to their mom's. But, as nearly every expert on healthy eating will exclaim, failing to plan is planning to fail.

So here goes.

Monday: I'll throw the whole chicken in my fridge into the crockpot with some carrots, celery and potatoes and a little rosemary, salt and pepper.

Tuesday: Venison steak salad with sauteed red pepper, onion and sugar snap peas.

Wednesday: Chicken soup with turnips, cauliflower, carrots and parsnips.

Thursday: Lean pork roast with sweet potatoes and beets.

Friday: Salmon, mashed potatoes with cauliflower in them and steamed broccoli.

Saturday: Weight Watchers recipe of sweet and sour chicken.

Sunday: Dinner with the family for February birthdays.

Now for the real problem: lunches. I'm going to plan to make baggies of foods that I can grab quickly and throw into my cooler to carry with me. I'll have to stop at the store today and pick some up. I already have pretzels (although I don't really like them). Also carrots (too crunchy) and sugar snap peas. I like craisins and dried banana chips, but I've heard you can really pig out on the before you know it.

Any other ideas?