Cook vs. Baker

I'm definitely the former as opposed to the latter. Baking terrifies me. There's chemistry involved. Your measurements have to be a lot more exact and precise than in cooking. You can't 'ad-lib' as much in baking as cooking. If I don't have a shallot, I can add an onion; but in baking, if I only have 1/4 cup of flour, I can't sub baking powder. When I try a recipe for the first time, I try to stick to it and not interject my own opinions, however, once the trial run is complete, I'm off and running! One of my favorite recipes doesn't call for a red onion, but hello? It totally needs it. I've added it since day one.

There's a popular WW substitution in baking that involves a can of pumpkin instead of oil and eggs. I like the cookies, other people aren't such a big fan. But if I can have 3 WW cookies over 1 normal cookie, I'll take the 3, thank you very much. The cookies don't taste like pumpkin at all. I've used a spice cake mix as well as a chocolate and no pumpkin flavor. They're of a more cake-y consistency than a crispy cookie which suits my chewy preferences.

Anyway, baking. Today, I applied the pumpkin substitution theory to an Apple Bread mix from Trader Joe's (which is my fav store, btw). The first time I made it a few months ago I totally spaced on putting the eggs in! I don't bake, I'm trying to tell you this. The bread was fine though. I was a bit apprehensive today, but then I figured I couldn't mess it up more than not putting eggs in it, so what the heck? The verdict? It's delicious! The sub was pumpkin minus the butter, eggs and milk! Very moist and full of flavor. I like pumpkin, so if it did taste pumpkin-y, I didn't mind, but some people may be hesitant. Don't be!

Applesauce is another popular sub for oil or eggs. There's a great slow-cooker chocolate cake recipe that uses applesauce. As far as baking goes, those are the only tricks I know. Cooking, I can hook you up! My most popular subs are ground turkey for beef, low sodium sauces/soups, FF soups (unless you're making a casserole, in which case, you do need some of the fat to hold it together), a butter flavored yogurt instead of actual butter, PAM as opposed to coating the pan with olive oil. One sub that I refuse is turkey bacon for real bacon. I read or heard somewhere that turkey bacon actually has more sodium because they have to add it to the turkey to preserve it whereas real bacon has salt naturally. If I'm going to splurge on bacon, give me the real stuff!

Back in the saddle....again

Not quite, 'out where a friend is a friend', because this is hardly friendly.

After taking a hiatus, we're back. And by 'we', I mean everyone. Back to working out, eating right, shopping right and general attitude tune-ups. New Years seems to be the time we all make our resolutions that last a few weeks and then peter out into good meaning intentions. You could try to have a new resolution every month, or at least get back on the wagon every month. But sometimes, it's more frequent than that, isn't it? Depending on what it is, it could be daily. And thats just fine.

I'm back from another mini vacay to Kentucky and Alabama. Both trips were great but I've been home for 4 days now and it's time to get back into the routine. I kinda like my routine; being a Type A, I know you're shocked by this. One of the things I didn't do much of while I was vacationing was cook. We ate out more often and enjoyed the locale, but I miss cooking. Today is a bit rainy and cool for May in So Cal, and I've got a pot of soup simmering on the stove. This baby will last me all week! Dinner may be lighter tonight, but I'm back in the saddle, again.

In my absence, I was introduced to www.e-mealz.com. It's amazing! For a small fee ($5/month) you can choose your plan! Store, low carb, points, vegetarian, low fat, etc. It gives you a shopping list, 7 meals (including sides) and recipe directions. I don't make all 7 meals each week, but it's a great jumping off point for us. I modify some of them, because really, who's going to eat fruit salad for dinner? C'mon.

Anyway, back in the saddle. Here we go...right?

Preparation

Isn't the Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared"? It is actually. Thank goodness for Google!

It's such a simple motto to think of but difficult to put into practice. Preparation requires time, forethought, time, shopping, time. . .you get the picture. Who has time to do all this?

You will have to find time if you're on this journey for life. Granted, some weeks are better/worse than others, but I do believe that once you get into the habit, it becomes easier and just like second nature. And, just like a few days ago when I posted; baby steps. Small, significant changes daily.

I typically eat the same foods with little variation. We had chicken three nights in a row last week! Granted, they were all very different recipes, but good 'ol chicken, nonetheless. I've gotten into the habit of making a little extra dinner so there are leftovers for lunch the next day and a little extra for later in the week when the thought of making another meal is too much to handle. By Thursday or Friday, the kitchen is the last place I want to be. so we pull out the fridge contents and dig in! It's been very effective in numerous ways!

Even though we may eat similar foods weekly, we still need to plan, shop, chop, cook and eat! There are many ideas about 'once-a-month-cooking' styles. I haven't quite gotten there yet, but I was raised by a woman and now live with one who did this years ago. Every few weeks veggies get chopped and either frozen or placed in the fridge for lunches. Chicken gets pounded, boiled, weighed, bagged and frozen. Recently tomatoes were dried and canned as well as frozen. These simple steps save a lot of time later in the week. But again, it comes down to menu planning. I can't decide Sunday what I'll want to eat on Thursday (leftovers apparently). Debcat has taken to writing out a weekly menu that I take liberties with. Schedules change, tastes change, but we have a map to get us where we need to go. We can plan out Points and work-outs accordingly. It has helped us SO much! I may not feel like chicken on Monday, so I'll pull the pork from Wednesday and fix that instead. As long you have a PLAN, you're setting yourself up for success. I stole that from Starbucks! But it's been the motto the past 2 weeks.

Set yourself up for success. Plan for it. Envision it. If you mess up one day, that's okay. Get back on the wagon and move on. You plan for a trip. You don't just show up in Greece and expect it to be wonderful. You save, plan, research, get informed and then make the leap. Same with this area of your life. Plan. Save, research and make the informed changes. You can do it!

Firsts

This year has been one of many firsts; starting nursing school and ALL the firsts that entails, participating in a triathlon (at the end with my sis --->), getting a trainer, dating (it's been a LONG time, so we're counting it as a 'first'), trip with my mom and sis, and finally: roasting my first chicken.

This was a whole, young chicken complete with 'pieces' still inside. Yum :( I'm not afraid of the jiggly bits, but it did take some time and in the end, I left some pieces and didn't wash it out. Oh well. Moving on. It was a terrific Rosemary Chicken WW recipe from a book Debcat bought. I added some potatoes, carrots and onions as well as some red wine to the roaster and it was divine! I was channeling Fall into this meal. So Cal has been hotter than blazes with actual blazes all around us lately. I'm over summer and smoke and ready for fall and crispness. This roasted chicken was just the ticket!

While I goofed a bit on the chicken by not removing all the pieces and washing thoroughly (no salmonella though!), I learned a lot! Debcat also showed me how to carve it! Who knew carving was so simple? Granted, a chicken is a lot different than a Thanksgiving turkey, but we're making baby steps here! I was a bit apprehensive as I removed it from the oven but once we carved into it, the juicy, flavorful meat was all my mind and body needed to be at ease. I can now say that I've successfully roasted my first chicken and am now not afraid to a) do it again, b) roast another member of the fowl family and c) which may include a turkey at some point.

The finished product!

Change

"I will change...gradually" is the monthly mantra from September's issue of Shape magazine (thank you for the subscription, btw, mystery gift giver!). I agree with this statement, for the most part.

When I first embarked on this journey for the ump-teenth time in 2007, I had to make small changes. My personal mantra was "Do more today than yesterday". I would park farther away at the shopping center, bring my lunch to work or take the stairs. I would do more today than I did yesterday and eventually, it worked it's way into a normal part of my lifestyle. With that said, I also believe once you've made substantial changes and you fall off the wagon, you don't need to start with baby steps again. You've proven to yourself that you're capable of change and therefore, you should jump right back in and get on with it!

When it comes to food, the same holds true. I didn't' start off buying fat free (FF) cheese (which I still refuse to purchase), FF ice cream, high fiber bread, etc. There were small changes; low fat (LF) cheese, WW chocolate snacks, WW yogurt and my new favorite Better N' Peanut ButterThere is NO WAY I could have sustained weight loss and lifestyle changes if I made these dietary changes at the same time. They had to evolve. My friend, Debcat, and I were discussing how over time your taste buds change. Don't get me wrong, I still love high fat foods and the occasional In-N-Out, but they are too rich for me now. I had In-N-Out last week with my mom and sis and boy, was I paying for it! The overall message here is that it takes time for your body to change too and accept the different tastes of the new foods you're introducing. I would take chocolate cake made with yogurt or applesauce over one with eggs and oil now. I can't believe I just said that either!

Do more today than yesterday and start filling your fridge and cupboards with LF, high fiber items. Slowly. . . but steadily and consistently!