Splinters, Shopping, Soup and Sushi

I pee.  A lot.

Let's break down the reason I pee so much.

1.  Upon rising: 12-16 oz of water with cranberry concentrate, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup followed by a rinse of same glass with another 10-12 oz of water.

2.  Hot green tea with breakfast.

3.  Hot Pau d'arco tea mid morning

4.  Green drink:  12-16 oz of water followed by a rinse or 2 of the same glass 10-12 oz each time

5.  More hot tea late afternoon.

6.  Water with each meal

7.  Hot chamomile tea in the evening.

All this means I pee.  A lot.

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Thursday is my day off from the store.  I spent most of the day in my pj's.  The only time I got dressed was to take a package to Fed Ex.  (BTW:  Have you ever noticed the arrow between the E X?  You will now.)

I thought I'd hit my two favorite ethnic markets and pick up a few things.  

Big score on cilantro:  2 big bunches for .40!  

And this is leading up to the SPLINTER part of today's blog.

I bought a baby coconut to make thai soup.  

After hacking off the top & pouring out the liquid into the pot I hacked the coconut in half.  

I grabbed both halves and split it. Got the splinter under my thumb nail.  Yeah.  

Here's a tip for you.  When you go to buy a hatchet go to an Oriental market.  That baby is sharp, has it's own cover, is balanced  and is a great weight.  $14!  

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Thai soup recipe

In a large stock pot:

1-2 qts of water

Chicken pieces (this is optional.  You can use any protein.)

1-2 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Juice from 1 coconut, put flesh into small food processor & blend until rice consistency 

Fresh lemon grass cut in 1-2" pieces

1/4 c thai basil (also known as Holy Basil)

1/4 c cilantro

1" fresh ginger peeled & diced small

1-2 tsp ground coriander

1-2 tsp ground cumin

1 hot chili with seeds & veins removed, cut into very tiny tiny pieces

Open crisper & see what veggies you have.  Cut into pieces and add to soup.

1-2 c cooked brown rice (I cook up a big pot of rice every other day so it's always on hand)

Bring to boil & let boil for 15 mins.  Then lower heat & let simmer for a while or until Steve gets home & says "Something smells great".

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Sushi time

I've been wanting to make sushi since we started this anti-candida diet.  Pretty much everything I've read says that sea veggies are a great anti-fungal.  To me sea veggies = sushi.

I bought my sushi roller (the bamboo stick thing that you roll sushi with) at an Asian market years ago.  They're cheap.  I think less that $2.  

I decided to make canned tuna sushi.

In a mini food processor:

1/2" fresh ginger peeled, cubed and cut into chunks

Juice of 1/4 lemon

1/4 c fresh cilantro

1/2 c fresh spinach

1 tsp whole coriander

1 tsp whole cumin

1/4 tsp salt

Blend

Remove blade

Open can of tuna, pour tuna juice into dog's bowl (optional), using fork flake up tuna & put into processor with green mixture.

Step 2:

Open crisper.  See what veggies you've got.

Wash & slice thinly.

Take sushi roller & cover with plastic wrap.  

Lay 1 piece nori on sushi roller

Smush rice onto nori leaving about 1" of nori on all edges clean

Do 1 strip of tuna filling

Lay veggies in strip

Roll.

These will keep for a day or 2.  Of course this means that you'd have to ignore the fact that they're in the fridge calling out to you.

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12:12pm

Rice hand from rolling sushi.

12:12 pm

My niece Lisa is taking pictures of what she is doing every day at 7:15 pm.  I'm copying her & taking pictures of myself at 12:12 pm.  

I chose 12:12 pm because my birthday is 12/12.

Monday 1/12: Talking on the phone & mixing my green drink.

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Tuesday 1/13:  Pricing these jewels.

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Wednesday 1/14:  selling a backpack to this girl.  Her friend took the picture for me.

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No new recipe today.  Sorry.  

Last night I had my 2nd fire spinning class.  I didn't want to go because I hadn't practiced.  But Steve said I needed to go.  It needs to be a habit not something to avoid.

I'm really glad I went.  I saw a few friends I've not seen since last year and my friend Gemini worked one on one with me.  

I'm committing right here right now to 20-30 mins of daily practice.  No reason why I can't.  If I can find time to play online games I can find time to practice.

Anyway after the class one of choreographers taught a movement class.  60 minutes of making my muscles wake up was tough but I felt great afterwards.  The more I do the more my body will thank me.

Enjoy your day!

Three really Good things

One Two Three!

Let's count our gratitudes from Tuesday.

1.  Jerusalem artichokes!  

It's that time of year when we harvest our Jerusalem artichokes. (Which, btw, aren't from Jerusalem and aren't an artichoke.)  Steve & I have both been missing them.  So I googled "Anti-candida Jerusalem artichokes" and found out that JA's  are an amazing anti-fungal!  YEAH! 

JA's are a tuber that has a sunflower like plant. We never planted them.  A housemate of ours was a chef & he's the one who discovered they were growing in our garden.  We just leave a few behind after we're done harvesting & they continue to grow.

When cooked they really don't have a taste.  I like them raw & in my salad.  They have a bit of a bite almost like a radish.  They taste the best after being frozen in the ground.  They're great for diabetics because the body doesn't absorb the glucose from a JA.

I told Steve the good news when he got up & he immediately headed out to the garden to harvest enough for a couple of days.

Farmer Steve's harvest.

Fresh out of the garden.

Washed & peeled.

Sautéed.

Steve's breakfast bowl recipe:

Couple of red potatoes, washed & cut into 1/4 " slices

1 Med purple onion

1/2 bell pepper

Couple of Jerusalem artichokes washed, peeled & cut into 1/4" slices

1-3 cloves garlic (we love us some garlic!)

1 TBS olive oil

Rosemary (or whatever spice is available)

Salt & Fresh ground pepper

Using a large frying pan heat olive oil & add all veggies. Saute until onions are clear.  Add spices, salt & pepper.

Continue sauteing until all are done.

Serve & enjoy!

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2.  Mavis Staple tickets

Mavie Staple is on my list of "people to see before I die".  

She's performing this weekend at the Nugget in Sparks for only $32.  Gotta go.

So yesterday I stop to get tickets.  

Roz is working the ticket counter.  "She's almost sold out.  Let me see what I have left."

The Nugget show room is tiny.  Every seat is a good seat.  She's pointing out tables here, there and then gasps.  "OH HONEY!  I've got a booth that JUST OPENED UP!  Right HERE."  She points to a booth that's dead center just behind the orchestra pit.

Me:  "Same price?"

Roz: "Yes!  I've NEVER sold this booth before.  It's normally reserved for higher-ups.  I bet someone in marketing just opened it up and got distracted.  Ohhhhhhh They're going to be sorry that Roz is working today."

Me:  "Grab it Roz.  Do your magic!"

Here's a Youtube of Mavis  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3r2WHjS7iM

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3. Clean flannel sheets on a winter night.

Need I say more?

This is really happening

I'm bored with my food.

Uninspired. Frustrated. Need to kick it up a notch. 

You'd think with the daily recipes I'm posting that I wouldn't be bored, uninspired, frustrated. I'd be looking at this as a challenge.  Well I am but I've been so lazy for the past 2 years that getting back into the regime of cooking 3 meals plus 2 snacks every day would excite me.

I mean I LOVE to cook.  Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE coming up with recipes.  It's my own self imposed rule of "gotta find a new recipe every day" that I'm feeling the pressure to be super creative with my food.

So this morning I'm making a pot of curried lentils for my salad.  They may end up being a lentil loaf tonight for dinner. 

Every ingredient I use I google to make sure it's ok for my anti-candida diet.  So far I've not run into any conflicts; one web saying yes to something another saying no.  

Plus I'm slightly depressed.  My friend Nancy is in Quartzsite, AZ for the big rock & gem show. I really really really wanted to go with her but finances held me back.

2007 Nancy & me in Quartzsite.  Look how short my hair is!  (I'm on the left.)

I sent money with her and she has a cel that will take pictures so that I can pick out stuff.  Most people say "Next year in Mecca".  Nancy & I say  "Next year in Quartzsite!". 

Speaking of beading I brought home all my beading supplies from the store.  I'm setting up a table tonight so that I can have that sense of accomplishment rather than feeling like a slug watching TV.

I realized last week that I had sold most of my necklaces so I have to get more in the store!

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Last night's dinner

Rockfish with cilantro sauce.

Steve's green bean saute 

(I told him that we already had a picture of a green bean saute. "But it's not MY green bean saute.")

First off  Rockfish is a very bland, boring fish.  After making our dinner I realized that I should have marinated the fish all day but I didn't know.  I hadn't cooked with it before.

Recipe:

oven 350 pre heat

Line a baking dish with foil

In a mini food processor:

juice of 1/4 lemon

1/4 c cilantro

1 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

Blend together.

Spread on Rockfish fillets and then roll.

Put on baking dish

Bake 25-30 mins or until done.

Enjoy!

It's Monday. Really.

It's MONDAY! 

 Time to add two new things to our regime this week.

1.  Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) gets added

2.  Exercise.  (Huh?)

I googled "benefits of grapefruit seed extract" and came up with this very informative web site: http://www.pureliquidgold.com/ 

From what I understand the taste is awful but it can be cut with lemon juice.  Hard to imagine lemon juice making something taste better.  

2.  Exercise.  Yeah.  Um.  Well.  Exercise.  Need I say more? Ok I will.  My plan:  get back on my rebounder & build back to 30 mins a day of rebounding.  Hula hooping is back, too.  I have a 5 pound hula hoop that is a great cardio work-out.  I'm taking it into the store & will do it thru out the day.

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Vision Board 2009

Once a year I get together with my girlfriends and we do a vision board.  

We have brunch, mimosas, we never gossip!  We "update" each other.  

This year I put a twist on creating the Vision Board. My niece Sara had blogged about coming up with a theme word for 2009.  A word to focus on while growing thru the year.  

My original word was Accomplish.  I believe strongly in everyone needs a sense of accomplishment. 

But this morning as I was looking at my board I see I used the word boost. 

According to Google's definitions of "boost on the web":

• hike: increase; "The landlord hiked up the rents"
• give a boost to; be beneficial to; "The tax cut will boost the economy"
• promote: contribute to the progress or growth of; "I am promoting the use of computers in the classroom"
• the act of giving hope or support to someone
• increase or raise; "boost the voltage in an electrical circuit"
• rise: an increase in cost; "they asked for a 10% rise in rates"
• push or shove upward, as if from below or behind; "The singer had to be boosted onto the stage by a special contraption"
• the act of giving a push; "he gave her a boost over the fence" 

So I think I'll be using both words this year as my theme.  Accomplish and Boost.

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Fritata  (Crustless Quiche) Recipe

Makes 1 9" pie plate

Because I'm still on the metal cleanse I decided to use cilantro along with other Mexican spices. 

Pre-heat oven 350

1/4 large onion diced

1/4 bell pepper diced

3-4 green onions diced

1/4 c fresh broccoli chopped

1 TBS oil

Saute veggies in pan

Add:

2 TBS fresh cilantro chopped fine

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

Salt & Pepper to taste

Couple of handfuls of fresh spinach

Saute together until spinach is wilted.

Grease 9" pie pan

In a separate bowl:

10 eggs

1/4 c plain goat yogurt

Whip until frothy 

Put veggies in pie pan & top with egg mixture.

Bake 30-35 mins 

Pull out of oven & let sit 5-10 mins before cutting.  

Enjoy!

DOWN 6 pounds!!!

Really?? Can it be true??

Down 6 POUNDS!!!

Yup.  It's true. I stepped on the scale this morning to discover I'm down 6 pounds.  I stepped on the scale 3 times to make sure it was true.  Down 6 pounds.  226.  I'll take it.

I stopped yesterday at Truckee Meadow Herbs and picked up GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract).  We'll start taking it once a day and with in 2 weeks be taking it twice a day.  GSE helps ridding the body of candida.  It's a great anti-fungal. 

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Here's a picture of our daily Super Green drink.

After a week of drinking it daily I can tell you that it's not the best tasting drink in the world.  Think of the flavor of algae meets grass off a lawnmower blade. My friend Nancy said that she adds a drop of peppermint oil to hers.  

But here's the deal.  I LOVE how I feel after I drink it.  It's a clean feeling.  

It gives me energy for hours.  

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Today's Recipe

Baked salmon over brown rice pasta with goat yogurt sauce

Not the prettiest picture but it was a great meal!

1.  In a baking dish put salmon & add some lemon juice & dill.

Bake until done.

2.  Make brown rice pasta according to package directions.

3.  Goat yogurt sauce:

In a mini food processor:

1/4 peeled cucumber

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp dill 

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

tiny pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 c goat yogurt

Blend until smooth.

Pour over cooked pasta & let sit in pasta pan for a minute or 2 so that the sauce melds with the pasta.

Put in bowl & top with salmon.

Enjoy!

Working toward a NSV

I don't know if the term "Non-Scale Victory" (NSV) is just a Weight Watchers term or if it's a widely known term.  

The definition of a NSV is accomplishing something with your weight loss that has nothing to do with the scale.  Could be fitting into a smaller size jeans, being able to tie your shoes without huffing and puffing,  or even being able to see your feet when looking down past your belly.

So here's my NSV that I'm working towards.  I want to be able to wear my amethyst & opal ring.

Steve wears my wedding band.  I had lost enough weight that it was way to big for me.  Over the years I've looked for a new wedding band and this one is the one I love the most.  

I'll do a monthly check-in on the band & show you the progress.

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Today's recipe:

I love our crock-pot.  I'm kind of stuck on the same thing but by changing the spices I've been able to have a few options.

Yesterday morning I put in:

1 c rice

1 qt turkey broth (I had frozen a bunch of quarts of turkey broth last Nov after boiling our turkey carcass.)

3 pcs frozen chicken thighs

hand full of frozen green beans

Carrot (big & cut up in chunks)

Celery

Onion

1 C goat yoghurt

1 TBS Garam Masala powder

Salt & Pepper

I had it on high until I left for the store.  Then put on medium.

So good!  No leftovers.  We devoured it all.