Okay, I learned today that you CANNOT put wax paper in the oven at 400 degrees. After the fact. I really should have read the yahoo answers first.
I noticed the smoke coming up through the vents of my stove-top. Somehow it didn't register, though, because I opened up the oven, everything looked fine but there was some steam coming out and I thought maybe the cookies were steaming. Snickerdoodles, though? I mean, seriously! Maybe it was lack of sleep.
So I closed up the oven door and waited the two minutes more until my oven timer went off. Then, and only then, did I take the tray, carefully lined with wax paper and 16 snickerdoodle cookies golden-browned in neat rows, out of the oven. It was about five minutes later that I looked up and realized I was seeing my room through a haze. It's twenty-five minutes later and I've opened up a window, hoping to get the smoke out that way, but I'm realizing it probably won't work that well.
My guardian angel must have been working overtime to keep a fire from happening in my kitchen! I don't have a fire extinguisher (note to self, put it on the shopping list) and my place is such a mess right now, I don't think I would have been able to think clearly about what I wanted to save. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that.
The exercise is getting easier. I do 2 miles every day, still aiming for five times a week but content with a minimum of three. I think I"m addicted to exercise now :) I'm using muscles I didn't even know belonged in my arms and legs. Most days when I walk a quick shuffle-step over to the admin building, I relish the brief stretch and I can't wait till the evening when I can come home and exercise. It's true what all the books and shows say—find something you love to do. I don't miss walking the Loop. But if I go too long without my aerobic exercise time, I start to miss it. Too long is about three days.
The exciting news is that I've lost 3 pounds in 4 weeks! Being the overachiever, I was kinda bummed that I didn't lose 8 pounds (2 pounds a week) but then I decided to be happy that I had lost, instead of put weight on. I've decided to take this journey very slowly. I want it to be a life-long journey where I'm eating healthy for my body, exercising for my body, and prioritizing the positive parts of life for me. Even a 1/2 pound weight loss a week will be okay. At that rate, it will take me over a year to lose the weight I plan on losing, but that's okay too. If I can do it and not have to live on a starvation-diet that is unrealistic to maintain long-term, it's worth it.
So I'm excited! Now I'm going to type up the recipe for the cookies that laughed at me while smoke filled my room: Vegan Snickerdoodles.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Recipe: Shredded Crunches Salad
One of my favourite things to eat at lunch is a tossed green salad. This recipe is a basic idea of what I like to put in my salads, but you can change it up with green olives, chopped tomatoes, baby spinach, clover or alfalfa sprouts, kidney beans, fat-free feta cheese, or anything else you enjoy in a salad! 3 large romaine lettuce leaves, shredded
Handful of organic arugula, rinsed in cold water
1/4 English cucumber, chopped
Salad dressing
Salad Topping
Salt to taste
Layer the vegetables and pour your favourite dressing over it. I use Briannas Homestyle Real French Vinaigrette Dressing, you can buy it at Winco and it lasts forever. Plus it's only 130 calories for 2 Tbsp and very flavourful, so I don't need to use very much. You can also make a simple dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, and Tofutti sour cream or vegenaise, and drizzle it over your salad. For the final touch and a bit of crunch, add a generous sprinkle of your favourite salad topping and serve!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Recipe: Fool's Quiche
This is my sister's recipe that I made some small variations to. I called it "Fool's Quiche" because it's basically foolproof. Completely dairy-free and tasty so enjoy baking with a guilt-free conscience!
2 ready-made pie crusts (wholewheat Maple Lane Bakery from the health food store)
5 cups corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup soymilk
1 large onion, chopped
2 small tins mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 tub firm tofu from Trader Joe's (or 1 tub extra firm tofu)
Salt and garlic salt to taste.
Fry mushrooms, garlic and onions in olive oil.
Mix half of the cornstarch with half of the soymilk. Blend half of the corn with the cornstarch mixture till smooth. Pour mixture into a clean bowl. Repeat. Add firm tofu to the second batch and blend again. Pour both corn mixtures into the frying pan and cook everything together until firm. Pour into pie crusts, evenly divided. If you prefer, arrange pre-cooked asparagus spears on top of the pies in a decorative design. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Quiches are done when the crusts are golden and the filling has set. Serve with garlic fries and a large garden salad. Best served the same day; it will soften if reheated.
Calories ~230 per slice. 16 servings. Can be halved to make just one quiche.
2 ready-made pie crusts (wholewheat Maple Lane Bakery from the health food store)
5 cups corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup soymilk
1 large onion, chopped
2 small tins mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 tub firm tofu from Trader Joe's (or 1 tub extra firm tofu)
Salt and garlic salt to taste.
Fry mushrooms, garlic and onions in olive oil.
Mix half of the cornstarch with half of the soymilk. Blend half of the corn with the cornstarch mixture till smooth. Pour mixture into a clean bowl. Repeat. Add firm tofu to the second batch and blend again. Pour both corn mixtures into the frying pan and cook everything together until firm. Pour into pie crusts, evenly divided. If you prefer, arrange pre-cooked asparagus spears on top of the pies in a decorative design. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Quiches are done when the crusts are golden and the filling has set. Serve with garlic fries and a large garden salad. Best served the same day; it will soften if reheated.
Calories ~230 per slice. 16 servings. Can be halved to make just one quiche.
Sneaky Calories
Did you know that there are 13 calories in 3 cloves of garlic? 100 calories in grapefruit? 461 calories in a 6" - 7" diameter honeydew melon? I wonder if there are calories in the air you breathe when you walk past a pastry shop with freshly baked donuts or a pizza parlour with triple-cheese-and-cheese-baked-into-the-crust-as-if-you-don't-already-have-enough-cholesterol-to-worry-about pizza smells reaching out to tantalize your senses.
I got onto a honeydew melon kick several weeks ago and I happily brought home a melon, set it out to ripen, and cut into it when it was just pefect. I ate half a melon one evening and half the next, feeling quite virtuous that I was getting in my daily servings of fruit and keeping my calories low to boot. I was thinking more in the range of 70 to 100 calories, however, not 230 calories!!! It was then that I realized that calories are in everything I eat. Anytime I open my mouth, I will be inhaling calories (unless I'm breathing, but I'm still not convinced there isn't a calorie count to the air I'm taking in!).
So what? you say. Isn't it better to throw calories out the window and just eat plenty of fruits and veggies and enjoy life? Sure, I agree wholeheartedly. But if you're like about 99.9% of the population, you don't eat just fruits and vegetables. You have to have something on top of, underneath, mixed in, or to the side of those fruits and vegetables. It isn't healthy, anyhow, for the body, if it doesn't have some grains and nuts and variety added in.
There are calories out there and they are determined to sneak in to everything you eat, whether it's healthy or not. Calories aren't the enemy though. It's what type of calories I choose to eat that determines whether my scales will be smiling with me at the end of the week or whether they will groan in pain as I step on them pounds heavier than last. A honeydew melon has 230 calories and a bag of multigrain Sun Chips has 140 calories, but the melon is still the wiser choice.
I got onto a honeydew melon kick several weeks ago and I happily brought home a melon, set it out to ripen, and cut into it when it was just pefect. I ate half a melon one evening and half the next, feeling quite virtuous that I was getting in my daily servings of fruit and keeping my calories low to boot. I was thinking more in the range of 70 to 100 calories, however, not 230 calories!!! It was then that I realized that calories are in everything I eat. Anytime I open my mouth, I will be inhaling calories (unless I'm breathing, but I'm still not convinced there isn't a calorie count to the air I'm taking in!).
So what? you say. Isn't it better to throw calories out the window and just eat plenty of fruits and veggies and enjoy life? Sure, I agree wholeheartedly. But if you're like about 99.9% of the population, you don't eat just fruits and vegetables. You have to have something on top of, underneath, mixed in, or to the side of those fruits and vegetables. It isn't healthy, anyhow, for the body, if it doesn't have some grains and nuts and variety added in.
There are calories out there and they are determined to sneak in to everything you eat, whether it's healthy or not. Calories aren't the enemy though. It's what type of calories I choose to eat that determines whether my scales will be smiling with me at the end of the week or whether they will groan in pain as I step on them pounds heavier than last. A honeydew melon has 230 calories and a bag of multigrain Sun Chips has 140 calories, but the melon is still the wiser choice.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Two Miles To Go Before I Sleep
Exercise. The word all dieters dread. You can get addicted to the endorphins but generally, the thought of exercise is not a pleasant one. Some choose to take their pill early in the morning, rising before the Canadian geese lift off from the swamps, and lacing up tennis shoes to hit the trails or cement paths. Others hit the gym straight after work, running miles on a treadmill or lifting weights. I walk at home.
I'm actually quite pleased with my exercise routine, but it didn't come easy. I choose to do 2 miles of low-impact aerobics every day with a Leslie Sansone Walk-at-Home DVD. The first time I ever even heard of Leslie was when my sister bought me a DVD at the Salvation Army store. She knew I was trying to find a good exercise DVD for those days when it was cold and raining and dark outside, or those days when I just didn't feel like seeing a zillion exercise enthusiasts on the Loop and saying hi every single time we passed. The DVDs I'd borrowed at the public library weren't much good. They were all about 20 years out of date, with everyone wearing those leopard-print leg warmers, frizzy-hair-in-a-headband and jumping up and down behind someone who would say "now plie" and everyone would suddenly put one leg behind their head and stand on their other toe!
One day, I decided to pop in the DVD and try it out. Now I own three additional DVDs and absolutely love the workout! There's different levels of intensity, you can do a mile in 15 minutes or in 12, and it's all low-impact. You walk in place, you do some kicks and knee-lifts, you step to the side, and you add some slight variations to it all. Easy to follow along, quick to learn the steps, and no fancy equipment required. All you need is a DVD player/laptop, some space to move about, and comfortable exercise clothes, and walk away!!!
When I first started walking at home, I was rather dubious about it all, plus I struggled with doing it on a regular basis. But I've made exercise a priority in my life and every day when I come home from work, I pop in the DVD and walk away. There are days I absolutely don't feel like walking at all. All I want to do is sit down and veg out in front of the TV, eating brownie bites and potato chips by the handful. But on those days, I know that if I exercise I'll feel even better than the days I want to exercise, so I push myself to do "just two miles." The time flies by, Leslie's encouraging words keep me smiling, and before I know it, those miles have gone by and I've accomplished my goal for that day.
I'm actually quite pleased with my exercise routine, but it didn't come easy. I choose to do 2 miles of low-impact aerobics every day with a Leslie Sansone Walk-at-Home DVD. The first time I ever even heard of Leslie was when my sister bought me a DVD at the Salvation Army store. She knew I was trying to find a good exercise DVD for those days when it was cold and raining and dark outside, or those days when I just didn't feel like seeing a zillion exercise enthusiasts on the Loop and saying hi every single time we passed. The DVDs I'd borrowed at the public library weren't much good. They were all about 20 years out of date, with everyone wearing those leopard-print leg warmers, frizzy-hair-in-a-headband and jumping up and down behind someone who would say "now plie" and everyone would suddenly put one leg behind their head and stand on their other toe!
One day, I decided to pop in the DVD and try it out. Now I own three additional DVDs and absolutely love the workout! There's different levels of intensity, you can do a mile in 15 minutes or in 12, and it's all low-impact. You walk in place, you do some kicks and knee-lifts, you step to the side, and you add some slight variations to it all. Easy to follow along, quick to learn the steps, and no fancy equipment required. All you need is a DVD player/laptop, some space to move about, and comfortable exercise clothes, and walk away!!!
When I first started walking at home, I was rather dubious about it all, plus I struggled with doing it on a regular basis. But I've made exercise a priority in my life and every day when I come home from work, I pop in the DVD and walk away. There are days I absolutely don't feel like walking at all. All I want to do is sit down and veg out in front of the TV, eating brownie bites and potato chips by the handful. But on those days, I know that if I exercise I'll feel even better than the days I want to exercise, so I push myself to do "just two miles." The time flies by, Leslie's encouraging words keep me smiling, and before I know it, those miles have gone by and I've accomplished my goal for that day.
Diggin' a Deeper Hole
Okay, so suppers are my Achille's heel. I am really not very big on breakfasts and it's easy to keep the calories to 400-500. Lunches are also pretty easy to gauge, particularly when I can eat a ton of veggies. But suppers? I come home, exercise, and then I'm hungry. I seriously need to figure out how to handle this, whether I eat the exact same thing every evening, or keep lunch and supper to 400 calories each so my supper can be slightly more, but then you're supposed to eat a bigger breakfast and a smaller supper. Bother!
If I'm hungry, I think I need to eat a small snack rather than wait too long. Tonight I was hungry at 5 pm already (lunch wasn't as filling as I thought it would be) and when I came home an hour later, I drank a glass of water to keep my stomach full while I did my exercise. Then I began to eat, and eat, because there was a huge hole in the bottom of my stomach and it wasn't filling up!!!
I need to come up with a plan.
Then again, I also need to affirm myself for the positive choices I am making. It's been three weeks now and so far I've managed to
My future goals are to
If I'm hungry, I think I need to eat a small snack rather than wait too long. Tonight I was hungry at 5 pm already (lunch wasn't as filling as I thought it would be) and when I came home an hour later, I drank a glass of water to keep my stomach full while I did my exercise. Then I began to eat, and eat, because there was a huge hole in the bottom of my stomach and it wasn't filling up!!!
I need to come up with a plan.
Then again, I also need to affirm myself for the positive choices I am making. It's been three weeks now and so far I've managed to
- Keep a 1 lb loss per week
- Exercised between 3-5 times per week
- Cut down on chocolate
- Cut down on snacks
- Eat more veggies and fruits
My future goals are to
- Find a plan for suppers that works
- Eat one fruit a day
- Prioritize regular shopping for fruits and veggies
- Have a salad every day
- Try to eat more soups
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Chip or a Bite?
I've figured out that a chocolate brownie bite has less calories per gram than sweetened chocolate chips. Unless you decide to only eat 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, portioned out one or two at a time, to get a sweet fix, which is 80 calories as opposed to a 110 calorie brownie bite. My only problem? I can't eat just one or two chocolate chips at a time! I eat about 10 at a time.
Read a great blog on Calorie Count today about a young woman who lost 40+ lbs. That's my inspiration for the day! She had some great tips: find an exercise you enjoy, find a low-calorie treat you enjoy, don't get upset about a bad day but just start again, and celebreate successes.
I don't like eating foods that I have to guess at their calorie count. Like the food I took home from the International Dinner. I have absolutely no clue how many calories I ate today, but what I did do was keep it at smaller portions since the majority of the dishes were fried or oily.
Excited that I've figured out how to make sure I get my extra half liter in before the end of the day: drink it in the middle of the afternoon! I am pretty religious about getting in my 4 17-oz glasses a day for my 2 litres total. 1: Breakfast. 2: Lunch. 3: Mid-afternoon. 4: Right before exercising.
It's 11:30 pm and all I can think about is eating a cheese stick. But I really don't need an extra 90 calories today.
Read a great blog on Calorie Count today about a young woman who lost 40+ lbs. That's my inspiration for the day! She had some great tips: find an exercise you enjoy, find a low-calorie treat you enjoy, don't get upset about a bad day but just start again, and celebreate successes.
I don't like eating foods that I have to guess at their calorie count. Like the food I took home from the International Dinner. I have absolutely no clue how many calories I ate today, but what I did do was keep it at smaller portions since the majority of the dishes were fried or oily.
Excited that I've figured out how to make sure I get my extra half liter in before the end of the day: drink it in the middle of the afternoon! I am pretty religious about getting in my 4 17-oz glasses a day for my 2 litres total. 1: Breakfast. 2: Lunch. 3: Mid-afternoon. 4: Right before exercising.
It's 11:30 pm and all I can think about is eating a cheese stick. But I really don't need an extra 90 calories today.
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