Don't just start strong....finish strong!

This year it will just be my husband, my mother and I for our New Year’s Eve celebration and I don’t want to fall into that trap of eating anything and everything “because I’ll start my diet tomorrow”. I’m not on a diet, I’m living healthy. I’m carefully planning some tasty and healthy treats for our enjoyment tomorrow night, so there won’t be plates of meats and cheeses, but there will be veggies and light dips. I’m also going to put together a chicken taco bar with whole wheat tortillas and all the fixings. I’m also going to bake up the extra corn tortillas from the last time Aaron’s sister was here and made her enchiladas. Why do they sell them in packs of 50? Anyway, I’ll make some guacamole and try to have healthy fats this New Year’s Eve. So don’t fall into that trap that 1/1 is a new beginning. Whatever you put into your body has lasting effects, so love yourself and be kind to yourself.


Looking at 2010 is a bit scary. What if I fail and don’t reach my weight loss goal? What if I get injured and can’t work out? What if, what if, what if? In my mind I know I have the dedication and the courage to move forward, but I also know if I’m typing another year end entry this time next year where I haven’t reached my goal…I’ll be devastated. I have 35-40 pounds to go and there is no way I can’t achieve that by 12/31/2010!

2010 has to be a growth year for me, emotionally, not physically. I need to accept the loss of my father and my life the way it is. There is good in every situation if you look hard enough. I will remember to look for the good and learn from my experiences. If I make a bad choice (food or otherwise) I will learn how to forgive myself. I don’t want to focus too much on my 2010 goals in this post. I’ll save that for after 1/1. For now let me reflect on what I’ve learned in 2009…

The most important thing I learned is that life does go on. The sudden loss of my dad back in March altered my life in a way I never imagined. There was no time to prepare, no time to say good-bye, no time to make sense of what was happening. My father had finally started to take his health seriously and had lost 35 pounds. Sadly it was too late and he suffered a massive cardiac arrest from years of abusing his body with food. It took me 8 weeks of grieving and counseling, but I woke up one morning and decided I would not have the same fate. I called the doctor, told him how I wanted to lose weight and start exercising and he helped me with a plan. That was my first step.

Perhaps the most important thing I learned in 2009 is to solicit the help of your friends. I told everyone I was close to that I wanted to get healthy and asked for their support. Most were eager to help and encourage. I created a plan and weekly spreadsheet and I made myself accountable to my friend Vicki who had been through her own weight loss battle. Even on weeks when I didn’t lose she, and others, gave me inspiration to move ahead and focus on the end goal.

I also learned that web surfing isn’t always a waste of time. There is tons of information out there to help you with your goals. Most of that information is free. I found a great website www.myfatsecret.com. I made some good online buddies and we have kept in touch and help support each other. (you know who you are!)

On that note, if several of your friends and family are interested in getting in shape this coming year, organize a potluck dinner with a healthy theme to kick off 2010? Challenge guests to meet a healthy predetermined calorie and fat limit for each dish they bring. Encourage people to bring enough copies of the recipes to share. If the plan goes over, then take it on the road and have a dinner each month at another friends home.

This is my last post for 2009 and I wanted to thank all of you for reading and your comments. I wish all of you a healthy 2010!

Why put off tomorrow what I can do today?

I’ve decided to start back on my journey a week early. I have thrown caution to the wind for far too long. I feel like crap. Seriously, my joints ache from too much salty food and the dark circles under my eyes have come back with a vengeance. Luckily I asked for tons of health and exercise related items for Christmas so that has gotten me super excited to get back to it. I even got back on the scale today. Imagine my shock to find I had only gained 2 pounds since my last weigh in. So I am starting my 2010 journey at 198.8.
STILL UNDER 200 LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


What have I been up to since I last wrote you ask? Eating and drinking and making a total fool of myself…that’s what. I enjoyed myself a bit too much at a Steeler game and I think that might have something to do with my fitness hiatus as well as dealing with some personal grief issues. I’ve eaten more cookies in the past 3 weeks than probably in the past year…seriously! I only had one episode of intoxication, but trust me when I say I made it a good one. No explanation will be provided so don’t even ask.

My Christmas gifts included the new Nike + iPod sensor, an iPod to use with said sensor, a nice thin, but warm winter jacket to wear for my out of doors exercise adventures and the new & improved Jillian Michaels 2010 Fitness game for my Wii system.

I think tonight I am even going to work out again. So here is my list of things I need to do before 1/1:

- Find a new gym that has a walking track
- Order my fitness log for 2010
- Purchase Wii Fit Plus
- Purchase exercise ball
- Grocery shop for healthy food again and toss all holiday garbage!!!!!!

I’ve also joined another Biggest Loser challenge at work. We have a 3 person team and we weigh in every Monday starting January 4th. It runs 12 weeks and the team that has lost the largest percentage of weight gets 25% of the pot at the midway point and the remaining 75% goes to the team with the biggest loss on April 26th. This should be fun.

My ultimate fitness related goal for 2010 is to run the Pittsburgh Great Race. It’s a 10k run and anyone that wants to join me is welcome! Here is the web address for the event: http://www.rungreatrace.com/index.html

So here is to getting healthy or healthier in 201

Taking a Break.................

I'm not one to say that anything is impossible, but counting calories and avoiding holiday treats, well it's just about impossible.  I don't live alone, I have to work and I have obligations and entertaining to do.  Is it so wrong that after losing over 35 pounds I want to take a 2 week holiday from my anal retentive obsession with eating well and exercising?  If it is that's just too bad because I'm doing it.  I do not have the time or desire to log every calorie this week or next week.  I do not want to avoid all of the cookies and treats that I enjoy this time of year.  I'm an adult.  Obviously I'll accept whatever weight gain that comes with it, but I'm hopeful that I won't over-indulge and that once I get over this stupid cold I will be back to an exercise routine.  I know I have an addiction to cookies, I admit it.  I guess that's the first step right?  I admit I have a problem with those lovely, round, tasty treats.  Thank your higher power that this is a once a year problem for me!  So, I will weigh myself again on January 1, 2010 and will resume my journey to 165lbs.  2010 is going to be the year I get to that goal.   Happy Holidays everyone....all 3 of you that are probably going to read this.  FaLaLaLaLa.....LaLaLaLa

Oops I did it again.....

I gained 2.2 pounds this week and it was all over the weekend. Friday I was actually down 0.8 lbs, but I blew it this weekend. No one to blame but myself. Sometime on Friday I just said to myself, stop stressing about the holidays and enjoy them. I guess I still associate the holidays with eating and eating with enjoyment. Wrong thought process!

Friday we had wings for dinner and did some shopping, Saturday we left the house at 10am and went shopping for 6 hours. (Christmas and grocery shopping) We ended up at the hotdog shop for lunch and had cheese steak and homemade chips for dinner. I had to back 20 dozen cookies for work over the weekend and I think I ate about 2 dozen in the process. Yesterday I started the day off with a healthy Larabar and then had a turkey & ham sandwich for lunch which wasn't too bad. Mom made beef stew for dinner which was delicious, but at 8pm we had the bright idea to order a sausage pizza of which I ate 2 slices. I also ate candy all weekend long. What the heck was I thinking? It just goes to show you that once I stop putting pressure on myself I lose control. No offense to mom and Aaron, but I don't have anyone in my life standing over me reminding me of the damage I'm doing to my body. I have to do that to myself.

This week has to be different. I have to make time to exercise and I have to plan out my meals. Most of all...I need to stop associating happiness with food. I can do this; I just need to be vigilant. Here is the final update of my SMART Goals

Food log - 3 out of 7 (this is the worst I've done since I started logging my food)
1500 Calories per day - Not one day last week
35g of fat or less - 2 out of 7
4 days of exercise - I only exercised twice and neither were over 500 calories
Weigh In: 199 I GAINED 1% OF MY BODY WEIGHT

I hope this time next week I have much better news to report. This is what I have going on this week:

Monday - have to take car into dealership at 5:30
Tuesday - Department pot luck Christmas Lunch
Wednesday - Client proposal, department happy hour
Thursday - Bake Sale at work
Friday - Cookie Exchange at work

On Friday I will be bringing home 10 dozen assorted cookies. I am going to limit myself to 2 cookies a day with a glass of milk. The following week is Christmas which is going to be a struggle because we are going to West Virginia to visit family. It is going to be very difficult to eat anything healthy, but I'll do my best.


Happy Holidays

Mid Week Update

Have you all set your goals?  I just wanted to give you an update on mine.  So far this week I have:

1.  Logged my food every day.  Good or bad.
2.  I've only exercised twice and burned an extra 300 and then 400.  So no completing there.
3.  I haven't eaten less than 1500 calories once this week.  Darn holiday treats!
4.  I've only gone over my fat grams once but it was WAY over.  Ooops.
5.  Not sure how the loss is going to look this week.  I think I may only be down 1 pound instead of 2.

I'm not putting too much pressure on myself during the month of December.  I wanted to start tracking my goals now to get into the habit again, but I refuse to make the holiday any more unpleasant than they are already going to be considering this is the first year without my father.

I'll check in again on Monday.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.

SMART Goals

I need to get back to the basics. I knew this holiday season would make it difficult to stay on track, but I underestimated my lack of willpower. There is candy everywhere I turn these days and it is just unrealistic to expect my housemates to stop enjoying themselves for my sake. Nine months ago when I started this journey a very wise friend of mine told me to establish SMART goals and it worked. For 3 months I kept track of those goals and reported back to her every week. I'm not sure why I stopped tracking things, but I'm going to get back to it and report my success or failure on this blog every Monday. I've posted a link with additional information on setting SMART goals. In a nutshell they need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound. SMART..get it?

Here are my SMART Goals:

1. Log every bite of food I eat every day. 100% Completion for success
2. Limit my caloric intake to 1500 calories a day or 10,500 a week
3. Limit my fat intake to 35g per day (20% of caloric intake)
4. Burn an additionl 500 calories a day at least 4 times a week.
5. Lose 1% of my body weight each week

I think 5 is a good starting point. In the beginning I had goals that helped me get into a routine as well, like wake up by 6:15 M-F, take my vitamins every day and drink 8 glasses of water every day. All three of those are now part of my daily routine. That's a sign of success to me. I'll track these goals for the next 8 weeks and see how much I have succeeded.

My current weight is 196.8 so I need to lose 2 lbs this week. If I succeed each week I will be down to almost 180 lbs. That's 1/2 way to my final goal of 165. Wish me luck.

2010 The Year of Me

I'm excited that 2009 is 27 days from being over.  2009 was not a banner year in most regards.  I ate my pork and sauerkraut and still bad things happened.  I make resolutions every year, just like everyone else, well this year I'm making a plan and my only resolution is to put myself first.  It sounds selfish, but if I don't take care of me I won't be any good for anyone else.  So let's recap 2009 and see what I can learn from the events.

January - Found out my employer was implementing a wage freeze.
February - Got a bad case of  the flu
March - My father passed away very unexpectedly
March - Our sewer system erupted in the backyard the day after my dad's funeral.  Spent $8,000 to get it fixed.
April - Started grief counseling - this was actually a good thing
May - My paternal grandfather passed away
May - Took mini vacation by myself to work through grief issues - another good thing
June - Work, work, work oh...my boss resigned and I got a new one - also a good thing
July - Very stressful family vacation
August - Learned of some very personal marital issues - working on it!
September - Started working out with co-workers one day a week - Painful at first, but now I love it
October - Vacation with the husband - more marital issues - still working on it
November - Planned a big family Thanksgiving that was reschedule because of everyone else's timing issues.
December - well it's not over yet

I know, it sounds pretty lame and the only tragic thing was the death of my father, but that's a pretty big tragedy.  After I finished my grief counseling I realized that I needed to turn this tragedy into a positive learning experience.  My dad was significantly overweight and had heart problems.  In mid April I made it a point to start getting healthy.  I don't just mean weight loss, I mean eating better, exercising and taking care of my high cholesterol.  Six months later I had lost 25 pounds and my cholesterol was in the normal range.  The last few months I haven't lost nearly as much as I would have liked, but I'm still exercising and staying on track most of the time.  The marital issues have caused some stress and I get a little depressed and tend not to be as focused on my goals.  2010 is going to change that. 

As you know, I track my food and exercise daily on a web-site.  I will continue to do that in 2010, but I'm also getting a really big calendar for my wall so I have a visual plan to see each and every day.  There it will be right in front of me in the morning and evening.  I'm also going to make more of an effort to read all the fitness and health magazines I get and to save the helpful and interesting articles.  Most importantly, I'm not going to let everyone else dictate how and when I eat or exercise. 

I liked taking some time away from my husband and my mother.  I'm doing that again in 2010 when I attend the FitBloggin convention in Baltimore with a friend of mine. 

I'm also going to pick one thing that I habitually stress over each month and work on a plan to reduce the stress it causes me.  January is going to be money.  I'm going to finalize a budget in January and work on a way to reduce my debt and increase my savings.  What better time to do so after the Christmas spending season.

So, what I can say about 2009 is that I learned a few good lessons and made some real progress with my health.  I'm very thankful for that.  At the same time, it is the last year I had my father with me so I will be sad to say good-bye in that regard.  I am welcoming 2010 with open arms and vow to make the year of my 40th birthday the best one yet!

Stress Buster

Yesterday was crap.  Work was so stressful that I came home and did nothing but play computer games and feel sorry for myself.  What I did not do though was comfort myself with food.  It took repeating "I deserve to be healthy and fit" over and over.  By 9 I had the start of a migraine and by 3 a.m. it was in full swing.  I wonder if I had come home and exercised if the headache would have never started?  Lesson learned.  No more self pity at the end of a hard day. 

I did end up staying home from work today.  I just couldn't get rid of that stinkin headache.  Finally at 3 p.m. I forced myself to put on my gym shoes and exercise.  I've seen so many commercials for Exercise TV so I chose to give it a try.  OMG I can not believe the wealth of workouts available for FREE!  Today I did Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Level 2.  What a wicked workout.  I'm going to hurt tomorrow, but it got rid of my headache and I'm looking forward to finding another intense workout tomorrow...after work of course.  I was also inspired to make a healthy and, to my surprise, very tasty meal for my family.  Orange Chicken with Basmati Rice.  Try this recipe..trust me you will love it.

Chicken With Oranges and Almonds

Ingredients

4 chicken, broiler-fryer, breasts, without skin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, black
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground
2 tablespoon oil, salad
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
1 cup(s) orange juice
1/4 cup(s) nuts, almonds, slivers
1/4 cup(s) raisins
2 orange(s), pared and thinly sliced

Preparation
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, cinnamon and cloves. Heat oil in large skillet; place chicken in oil skin down and brown a golden color. Turn over in pan. Put garlic, onion, orange juice and 1 cup of water over chicken; cover and cook at a simmer for 35 minutes.

Spread out almonds in shallow pan and place in 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant but just barely toasted. Add almonds, raisins and sliced oranges to chicken. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

I had a dream..well more like a plan

I had a plan for today and I actually followed that plan.  One gold star for me.  I started my day relaxing, which everyone should do on Sunday morning.  The laziness was followed by meal planning and then shopping at Right By Nature.  I love this store.  It's a local organic grocery store with a great selection and much more economical than Whole Foods.  (No offense to Whole Foods, but it's December and I've got gifts to buy!)  I took Aaron along, but he gets all freaked out around wholesome, all natural foods, so he just stood outside for the most part. 

Breakfast today was Stonyfield Lowfat Blueberry Yogurt and a PecanPie Larabar.  Lunch was a serving of hummus with an ounce of Stacy's Naked Pita Chips and a piece of string cheese.  Dinner was delish..Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas.  I limited by coffee intake to two cups today and drank my daily dose of water (1 liter).  I even had enough calories left for 1/2 slice of pumpkin pudding pie.  Overall I'm pleased with myself today, but I do need to get more fruit and veggies into my diet.  Oh wait...add and apple as my mid day snack to that menu.

New look...same great taste

I've decided that a blog about food isn't really the best thing for someone trying to eat a little less of it.  After all, there is more to getting healthy than just eating healthy food right?  I can tell you one thing for sure, there was not an abundance of healthy food at my Thanksgiving table this week and it didn't help that we had 2 celebrations within 5 days of one another.  I guess I also realized I'm just not that much of a creative writer, so I'm going to stick with something I do well, talk about myself.  The most important thing for you to know is that I'm committed to this new healthy lifestyle and yes, I will fall of the wagon, but I will jump back on and dust the powdered sugar off.  The second most important thing for you to know is that I can't do this alone and I will be looking to you, my three followers,  to help me along the way.  Sound like plan everyone?

I woke up this morning and declared I was going to get back to eating like a normal person today...that didn't happen.  I made it through breakfast with a bowl of Cheerios and skim milk and have every intention of a little leftover turkey and a salad, but we ended up at a mexican place and it was all down hill from there.  I think I recovered nicely at dinner with some wheat crackers, hummus and an ounce of cheese, but that dang apple pie kept calling to me.  It would be nice if I could just trash all the leftovers, but my mom and hubby might be a wee bit ticked if I did that.  All I can say is tomorrow is another day. 

On the fitness front I did manage a 30 minute fast ride on the good old stationary bike.  I'm sure that helped burn a few hundred calories today.  I always feel so much better after a good sweat.  I've got to find a gym with fitness classes.  Take my advice ladies...DO NOT let your husband pick out the fitness center and DO NOT let him lock you into a one year prepaid membership without checking it out.  I'll save that story for a rainy day.

I've Seen The Light or is it Lite?

Well for me there was nothing better than 2 big bags of Halloween candy and very few trick or treaters to scare me back on the wagon. I knew when I woke up Sunday morning there would be way too much undistributed candy to take my weight loss plan lightly. It seemed rather unfair to punish my candy loving husband and donate it, but I had to insist they put it out of my sight. Hiding the candy combined with digging into my latest food book “The Healthy Urban Kitchen” did the trick.


I haven’t gone all crazy and started believing that I could eat only whole foods, my life is too chaotic to fool myself into believing I could live by such a strict food code, but I did take away quite a few good things from the book and would suggest it to anyone trying to eat better and by better I mean healthier.

Did you know that:
- America is a nation of children who are expected to die before their parents
- 90% of the money Americans spend on food goes to fast food chains
- The average American eats 150lbs of sugar per year
- The U.S. sprays over 1 billion pounds of pesticides each year on our food
- As Americans we eat less saturated fat and cholesterol than we did 100 years ago, yet we have more heart disease and cancer than ever before

The premise of the book and cookbook is to eat only real food, food that was grown in the ground or had a mother. Additionally the food should be organic, unprocessed and animal products should be grass fed and chemical free. I know this lifestyle is possible, but just not for me. Not now anyway. I need convenience foods sometimes and I’m making a better effort to make sure whatever convenience foods I buy are as chemical free as possible. In defense of the author, he does suggest that you ease into this lifestyle and work with a nutritionist to develop a plan that works best for you and your possible allergens. Most importantly, he stresses the need to examine what we put into our bodies and the benefits or consequences of that food.

The book is broken into 23 chapters with the first 11 chapters providing instructions on how to make your kitchen healthier, how to shop healthier, food allergens and healthy cooking and eating guidelines. The remaining chapters provide recipes for everyday eating. My goal over the next few weeks is to prepare several of these recipes and share my results with you as I attempt to incorporate a greater whole foods mentality into my every day life.

Tonight I have tilapia in the ice box, so I’m going to start with a twist on one of his recipes and make Tilapia drizzled with Balsamic Butter Sauce. Photos, recipe and my thoughts to follow.

- Recipe Update: Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Drizzle

Well I completely forgot to take pictures, but the fish was excellent. Here is the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350.

4 tilapia fillets
salt/pepper
olive oil

Brush the fish on both sides with olive oil. Salt & pepper to your tastes. Cook fish for
12-15 minutes until done. Prepare drizzle while fish is cooking.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup butter (unsalted)

Bring vinegar to boil and reduce until you have about 2 tablespoons left. Reduce heat to
low and add butter 1 Tbs at a time. Keep warm until fish is ready to serve and drizzle over
fillets right before serving.

My whole family loved this recipe and I hope you do as well.

Under Construction

I realize it's been way too long since my last entry. Hang in there please. I'm taking some time to rethink this blog and will see you soon.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes..or so it seemed at the time

The older I get the more I look back on my childhood with fond memories and a longing to go back to them. There is however one memory that I do not wish to relive and try not to remember it all that often either. It is the single reason it took me until my early twenties to eat a tomato. I will, for the sake of this educational blog, recount this life changing event. My family has deep roots in southern New Jersey. As a child I would spend at least a week or two visiting my great grandmother during the summer months. It was during one such trip that I wandered into a neighbors yard and got lost in their tomato patch. I must have been 5 or 6 at the time, so imagine how much this simple tomato garden seemed jungle like to me. I'm sure the experience lasted no longer than 5 minutes, but it felt like so much longer as I listened to my parents calling out for me "Carrie where are you?", "Carrie you were specifically told not to go out of this yard", "Carrie get back here this very instant". Oh how I wished I could get back there, but the more I walked the more it felt like I was trapped in a never ending jungle of vines. You must understand that in south Jersey gardens grow like weeds and the tomato plants are larger than anything I've ever seen. Even to this day they amaze me. Eventually I stumbled out into the yard only to be scolded for wandering off and for ruining a very new outfit. The whole experience gave me a new attitude about the tomato.

Today though, I can say that it is one food I've come to love and enjoy. I've successfully grown my own tomatoes, but not as of late. It's just too easy to find locally grown, organic tomatoes of many varieties. This week I hope to tempt your tastebuds and encourage you all to go out and eat some tomatoes. I know I was a bit lazy in my blogging last week, but I've got plenty for you on the subject of tomatoes. Check me out again tomorrow.

Bewildered by beets no more...

I spend way too much money on magazine subscriptions that tend to go unread, so my mission this weekend was to catch up on my reading. I made it through 3 editions of Natural Heath and 2 months of Cooking Light and am I glad I did. I stumbled upon a wonderful recipe for a nice summer salad. Cumin rubbed steak and root vegatable salad. It was a hard sell, but I got my mom and hubby to agree to try it for dinner this evening. My hubby seemed to enjoy it, but my mom didn't eat any of the root veggies so she basically had a steak salad. Her loss. I don't know about you readers, but beets are a veggie I've always loved, but have been scared to try fresh, so this was my first adventure with fresh beets and it wasn't so scary afterall. I wonder if I could grow some next year? All this research on organic fruits and veggies is making me want to map out plans for a garden next year. Anyway, here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

CUMIN-RUBBED STEAK
AND ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE SALAD
Total Recipe Time: 1 to 1¼ hours
Serves: 4

4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut ¾ inch thick (about 4 oz each)
1 lb beets, trimmed, peeled, cut into eighths (cut into quarters, if small)
½ cup water
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1½ x 1-inch pieces
3 shallots, peeled, cut lengthwise in half (about 5 oz)
1-½ tsp olive oil
½ tsp sea or kosher salt
1-½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp coarse grind black pepper
8 cups mixed salad greens
Sea salt

Sweet Beet Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp reserved beet cooking liquid
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp sea or kosher salt
1½ Tbsp olive oil

Heat oven to 425°F. Place beets in small roasting pan or 9-inch metal baking pan; drizzle with water. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place sweet potatoes and shallots on 15x10 inch metal baking pan. Drizzle with 1½ teaspoons oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Roast vegetables in 425°F oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

Remove beets from pan; reserve 2 tablespoons cooking liquid for vinaigrette. Loosely cover vegetables. Set aside.

Combine cumin and pepper; press evenly onto beef steaks. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place top sirloin steak in skillet; cook 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Remove to platter; keep warm.

Meanwhile, to prepare Sweet Beet Vinaigrette, combine all ingredients except oil in small bowl; gradually whisk in oil until blended.

Arrange salad greens on serving plates or platter. Top with roasted vegetables; drizzle with vinaigrette. Carve steaks into slices. Season with salt, as desired. Arrange over salad.

Nutrition information per serving: 400 calories; 15 g fat(4 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat); 67 mg cholesterol; 783 mg sodium; 38 g carbohydrate; 7.9 g fiber; 31 g protein; 7.9 mg niacin; 0.7 mg vitamin B6; 1.4 mcg vitamin B12; 5.0 mg iron; 29.5 mcg selenium; 5.4 mg zinc.

"Pesti" Peaches!

As I sit here eating my last peach for lunch and contemplate a new topic for the upcoming week, it crossed my mind that I haven't yet touched upon organic vs. non-organic when it comes to peaches. Some say a general rule of thumb is you don't need to buy organic if the fruit or veggie has a thick peel/skin that you won't be eating. I think that's OK if your only reason to buy organic is to avoid ingesting any toxins in pesticides. There are also those with strong beliefs that you should buy and eat only organic produce and products. These beliefs stem from the fact that pesticides have been shown to cause significant environmental damage and have contributed to the growing number of food allergies. We could talk all day on the subject and I'm not likely to convince you one way or the other, but on the topic of peaches.....definitely organic!

A 2008 USDA study found that most non-organic peaches headed for U.S. stores are riddled with pesticides. In fact, 5 of the compounds exceeded acceptable EPA levels. Don't be fooled into believing that you are safe if you buy your produce from a farm stand or farmer's market. The produce might be local and fresh, but if it isn't labled as ORGANIC, chances are you are getting more than just the fruit you paid for. Additionally, the study showed that produce grown outside of the United States may contain pesticides that aren't even approved for use in the U.S. Not good my friends.

In short, be aware of what you are buying and how it was grown or produced. In a perfect world we would all have nice big yards and green thumbs and could grow our own organic produce, but since I tend to kill everything I plant...not an option for me. I know organic goods tend to be a bit more expensive, but as I tell my husband "I'm worth it".

Peachy Perfection

I never knew how many health benefits were associated with a simple peach. A medium sized peach has only 59 calories, no fat or cholesterol and 2 grams of fiber. Like most fruit most of the calories are from the sugar content, but we are talking natural sugar here people. Peaches are also a great source of vitamins A, C and potassium.

I've also recently read that:

• Peaches my help make the skin healthy and also add color to the complexion


• Peaches are comprised of more than 80 percent water and are a good source of dietary fiber, making them good for those trying to lose weight


• Consumption of peaches, on a regular basis, help keep your bowel movements regular and even prevent straining


• Peaches have a small laxative effect and a powerful diuretic effect and are recommended to people suffering from rheumatism and gout
  

According to the Michigan Peach Sponsors:
" Peaches are a tasty treat with modest calories, a good source of potassium, vitamins A & C, low sodium, no saturated fat. Peaches are a healthful snack and a smart, low calorie way to end a meal."

Here is just one recipe to make your peaches last all year long...or at least until you eat it all.

Peach Chutney Preserves
4 cups peeled, pitted, & finely chopped peaches
3/4 cut cider vinegar
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/8 cup chopped ginger root
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
7 1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle liquid fruit pectin

Put the peaches in a large kettle and add the vinegar, lemon juice, raisins, onion, ginger root, salt and spices. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil hard one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in pectin immediately. Skim off the foam with a metal spoon and stir and skim for five minutes to cool slightly and prevent floating fruit.

Ladle into hot sterilized glasses and cover with melted paraffin wax. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.

Week #1 - Peaches

Did you know that peaches should be stored at room temperature and refrigeration should be avoided as this can lessen the taste of the peach and that peaches do not ripen after being picked from the tree, so storing for ripening is not necessary? I did not know that, but then again, I've never done any research. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but like so many other busy professionals, I tend to follow a cookbook and not think about the natural ingredients other than "Does my mega mart have that?".

I wonder who started these rumors about storing peaches in a brown paper bag? My peaches never ripen in the blasted bag. This little bit of knowledge will make my peach picking endeavours at the store much more successful.

I made an excellent Gingersnap Peach Pie last night and forced myself to buy already ripe peaches at the store yesterday. I had one left over and decided to enjoy it in it's natural state. It was like a peach exploded in my mouth. I don't know that I've ever eaten a peach so tasty. I now know that it should always taste like this. Ripe and free of refrigeration. The challenge now is find a way of keeping them fresh at room temperature without spoiling before I eat them or the cats lick them to death.

I wonder if anyone out there has other stories about peaches or recipes they wish to share? Here is one for Gingersnap Peach Pie (see photo):

INGREDIENTS:
2 pound(s) peach(es), yellow or white variety
1/3 cup(s) sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz gingersnap(s), about 18 cookie

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Cut each peach half into four slices. Combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and cornstarch in a medium bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in microwave or on stove top. Crush gingersnaps into crumbs; place in a small bowl. Pour melted butter into crumbs and combine thoroughly. Pat crumb mixture into bottom of a 9-inch ceramic or glass pie plate; make sure crumbs are evenly distributed.

Starting at edge of pie plate, arrange peach slices in concentric circles so that they cover entire surface of pie and form a petal-like pattern. To form center of flower, arrange several peach slices in a small circle. Pour any remaining liquid from peach mixture over top of pie so it is evenly distributed.

Bake pie in bottom 1/3 of oven for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 325ºF and bake for 40 minutes more.
Remove from oven and cool completely in pie plate on a wire rack (about 2 hours). Slice into 8 pieces just before serving. Yields 1 piece per serving. (3 WW Points per serving)

(Note: You don't have to peel the peaches first. I didn't and it was still very tasty and the skins were practically dissolved from the cooking process)

The purpose

I've thought quite a bit about food lately. I've been reading numerous books on the subject as well. It's all very interesting, but very overwhelming at the same time. I think as a nation we are consumed with food, either avoiding it or enjoying it. There doesn't seem to be much middle of the road on this subject. My goal with this blog is to talk about all natural foods. One a week perhaps. I'll pick a food and spend the week talking about it's history, it's uses and share some great recipes. I hope you join my quest in getting back to the basics and will share your suggestions, comments and recipes as we go.