Turning a Failure into Success

Weight watching is not for wimps. It is a week by week, hour by hour, minute by minute struggle, at least for me and I bet for a few of you too. The reality is that there is no true, done, voila, check. It is a constant, never ending commitment- sort of like marriage. In my first marriage, I failed. We married young and lasted in blissful denial for nearly ten years before the edges unraveled and we fell apart. My first weight loss success failed. I lost, got new clothes, gave away the old, and somehow one morning nothing in my closet fit.

My core being does not really believe in failure. Every person, every thing, every issue has a lesson for you to learn, a step to help you get to your best. The trick, blog readers, is to endure the lesson, learn from it and improve from some perspective. I was given many gifts in my first marriage, learned many lessons, and hope it all sets my current marriage up for success. It was certainly not a failure. Today, I am trying to apply this theory to my weight loss journey, and help set it too up for success.

Lesson 1: Plan your intake. I cannot count how many times I scooted to the school, picked up an SUV full of boys, plowed through homework at McDonald’s and dashed off to football practice only to pile those same stinky, smelly kids in the SUV, dash through the drive thru for shakes and pies, and hurry them all home. My calorie consumption rose to nearly a week’s plan in just a few hours. Planning the night before, packing a sandwich and a few snacks (at least for me, if not for the kids too) would have saved me at least a pants size. I can not blame it all on the kids. I have happily stopped for a biscuit in the morning, grabbed a mocha instead of a skim latte, and bought a burger and fries alone. A few minutes of planning and a good selection of healthy grab and go choices make all the difference.

This week, I tried some very successful grab and go ideas. I stole a Pinterest idea and made several jars of salad. Here’s how I did it: Slice your favorite salad stuff, cucumbers, green peppers, and grape tomatoes were my pick. Tear up assorted lettuces and layer the ingredients in pint size mason jars. I added a teaspoon of feta crumbles and a tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette dressing. There was an easy salad to grab and go each morning for a week! A tablespoon of dressing saturated the salad and I will certainly cut that in half next time. That was almost my only source of countable calories, so I splurged for the full labeled serving. Toward the end of the week the greens were still pretty crunchy, but may have endured a bit better without the dressing. I’ll try ½ with dressing and ½ without until midweek next time.

I stocked my cabinets, car, pocketbook and desk with plenty of fresh fruits, low calorie/high fiber bars, cheese sticks and froze sliced strawberries in containers for a sweet, thawed midday treat. Canned soup and salads were my staple for lunch, and the snacks carried me quite well. I found some fantastic 80 calorie mini ice cream sandwiches to help with my night time struggles and make me feel like I was not on a diet. Not to forget, was my ever full, always carried water bottle and a few no cal/low cal flavor packs. Learn from my lesson. This week, plan it, stock it, and don’t forget to take it… and save a whole bunch of calories… and maybe even a pants size. J

The Polar Plunge

We rose, downed some Tylenol, grabbed some coffee, registered, and received our numbers. It was a beautiful sunny morning and in a few short hours, we would be plunging into the cold Atlantic Ocean. We donned our tutus and ears, painted our hair orange and our noses blue, and headed out the door. Somehow, the air seemed much colder as we held our Tony the Tiger sign high and walked down the street.

On the way to the parade

Horns honks, wolf whistles and manly calls of “meeooooww” echoed through the street. We are tigers damn it, “GRRRRRRRRR!”

We passed pirates, mermaids, superheroes, the entire Pac Man cast, candies, cavemen, wild hair, winged things, and a whole lotta things stuffed in spandex. We joined a parade, danced across a stage, and posed for dozens of pictures; all while the air seemed to get colder and colder.

The Pac Man Bunch

There were moments that warmed our hearts; watching a special needs PacMan gobble up dots and be grabbed by a ghost over and over and over again, with the same passion and fun and spirit each time. We posed for pictures time and time again, but I do not think any of us will forget the special young man who we surrounded and embraced for a photo. The sound of pure joy escaped from him as he clapped in excitement after our pose.

Watching the youthful spirit of the Bathing Beauty Costume Contest Winner and the sheer awe of the Redskins Bikini Lady made our spirits soar. The beach was filled with people really doing for others and being eternally fulfilled in return.

The Bathing Beauty

The chants of PO-LAR-PLUNGE-PO-LAR-PLUNGE let us know it was time and we ran down the boardwalk to the beach. As my feet hit the cool sand, my heart began racing. The four of us grabbed hands and began racing toward the shoreline. You could not help but hoop and holler in anticipation, the crowd calling out with the pure joy we heard earlier. We made it to the water and it did not seem quite so frigid, we continued running until it became increasingly difficult. I fell to my knees, dunked my head face first and spun up and brushed my dripping wet hair out of my face. Whistles and waves from the dive team sent us back towards the shore. The climb up the sand towards the backpack full of towels began.

PO-LAR PLUNGE

We wrapped up in towels and made our way through the cattle like crowd and onto the boardwalk. Somehow, we hung around with the crowd then walked three blocks, dripping wet back to our hotel. I’m not sure if it was the thought of the warm shower getting closer with each step or the sheer fact we were in physiologic shock that kept us in the “it’s not that bad” perspective. We rode home warm, munching on Wawa snacks, and renewed. It was truly an amazing 24 hour period for me.

I read a banner that struck a chord in my heart...

 Really, I might do this again… "they" deserve this and so much more.

A Pirate's Booty

A long drive is not so long with the laughter of friends. We arrived at Virginia Beach expecting adventure. We added some cute shoes, sprayed a little perfume and giggled across the street toward the sound of a live band. The band sounded way better then they looked and jammed out some great tunes. We laughed over the juvenile bartender who retreated to the back room seemingly checking The Bartender’s Guide for cranberry & vodka and margarita recipes. He returned with our drinks; including my white russian, which he apparently thought would no longer be white if he added kahlua. With an adorable smile, he remedied the drinks and was sure the next round packed a punch. The laughter continued as we discussed life, love and the differences between corn hole and cornholio. Four grown women giggling over simple statements and wondering if fifty would bring us the interesting perspectives we saw on the other side of the bar.

A few passerbys caught our eye stumbling in the alley. We finished our drinks and exited stage left. The sound of the rushing ocean was more distracting than the crowd and we ran across the boardwalk. The thought of sand in my peep toe boots stopped me short but we felt the wind and tasted the salt in the air before we entered the Tap House. This band was just as rockin’ and the crowd was much bigger. We found a table and ordered another round.

It wasn’t long before we became those old women we laughed at in our youth, dancing in front of the band… “You don't have 2 be cool to rule my world, ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with, I just want your extra time and your [insert air drum and air guitar riff] KISS.”  One of us must not have been too bad, because it wasn’t long after we sat down to the left a young boy appeared, wrong table young man… no Mrs. Robinson here, but thanks. We chatted with the shy guy who turned out to look in many directions at the same time, possibly due to his “hidden booty” of jello shots and the beer on the table, but he was a plunge expert and pretty amusing to me. While the bar stool across the room seemed to hold the man in the plaid shirt balanced in place with a magnetic attraction, the scene across the table was that of magnets repelling. The shy guy had become known as Pirate Dave and his friend was just creepy. It became time to go, Pirate Dave said he would have booty to share and a wee mermaid on his shoulder at the plunge, “ARRRRRRGH.” Our laughter echoed in the ally and we cried in hysterics as we navigated the crosswalk. Four women, two bars, two bands, a few thousand laughs, and the adventures have just begun.

Mr. Food: Truth or Dare?

Somehow when Mr. Food says ummm, ummmm, good… I believe him. There are very few things I would turn my nose up at, make terrible faces when tasting, or spit back into my napkin. My family, however, does not have anywhere near the same belief system. It is a rare occasion when the entire table agrees on a meal. I love tofu, bean sprouts and hummus. They love breaded, fried, dripping oil pork chops and green beans with fatback. We have reached a compromise; I bake pork chops and cook the color out of some of our vegetables and they eat peanut butter crackers after choking on half a dinner plate of a new dish. The only things we all love to eat in our house are brownies, and ice cream.

Easy prep!

Waiting for it to boil...

Last week, Mr. Food caught me on a healthy, no roll, stuffed cabbage recipe. I instantly thought, “If they don’t see it wrapped in cabbage, maybe they’ll eat it.” It was easy to make and smelled fantastic. YUM. My nephew was over for dinner tonight and knew there would be trouble as I read the recipe online. As we all sat down the faces began. “Aunt Jen, what IS this square stuff? Are the round things meatballs?” Stefan, just eat it.

My son, who used to love smoothies made from everything green, complained about the cabbage and told me he couldn’t possibly eat it. As the moaning continued, I indulged in my fantastic new recipe and finished my bowl. Everyone else had to make a deal to leave the table; two more spoonfuls Joe, eat the meatballs and 1 square thing Stefan, two spoonfuls... if you weren’t so smart... Caleb, now eat three. Really? Could it really be that bad? Dinner table torture as they all imagined loud gas and explosive diarrhea on the basketball court tonight.

YUM! Smells fantastic!

As I enjoy the silence and blog alone... I wonder if the basketball court remains safe or has tragically become toxic because of my cooking. Sighs and smiles...

Here’s the recipe; try it for yourself. I’d be interested to hear if you get ummm, ummmm, good or bargains and moans to leave a full bowl at the table.

Not-Rolled "Rolled" Cabbage updates a traditional European recipe for stuffed cabbage. It takes all the work out of this classic, but none of the delicious taste.
Serves: 8          Preparation Time: 5 min          Cooking Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 head green cabbage, shredded (12 to 14 cups)
1 (14-ounce) can jellied or whole-berry cranberry sauce
5 gingersnap cookies, crumbled (about 1/4 cup crumbs)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs (about 1 tablespoon each).
2. Place half the shredded cabbage in a soup pot then add meatballs. Spread cranberry sauce over meatballs, sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs and lemon juice then add remaining cabbage. Pour spaghetti sauce over mixture. Do not stir!
3. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir gently, being careful not to break up meatballs. Simmer an additional 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Recipes: 3 down, 37 to go!

I have decided to post my collection of newly attempted recipes periodically. This week, we tried a bunch. First, I watched Dr. Oz and was excited about a healthy noodle pudding recipe. While in nursing school, I was a home health aide and one fantastic couple I worked with was Pearl and Sam. As I assisted them, they taught many lessons, cultivated fruits of the spirit, and imparted a love of brie and noodle pudding. The sheer mention of noodle pudding brought me back to fond memories of my time with them. I could taste that noodle pudding. Dr. Oz never knew Pearl, because that recipe sure didn’t come from her! It was ok, but I’ll be searching for a recipe more like Pearl’s to try in the future. Here’s a link to that recipe, Dr. Oz's Noodle Pudding , hopefully I’ll post a more Pearl-like noodle pudding soon. 

I love to throw a few things in the crock pot in the morning and have dinner ready when I get home. A dear friend gave me a book, 1001 Slow Cooker Recipes, for Christmas and I’m sure you’ll see more from that here. Here’s my first try, the family loved this one. It was made with cheap chicken thighs, something I never buy… but will again.  

Surprise Chicken Thighs:

Serves 4-6 

2 pounds chicken thighs

¾ cup chili sauce

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Rice, cooked 

Arrange chicken pieces in a sprayed slow cooker. Combine chili sauce, brown suger, dry soup mix, cayenne pepper and ¼ c. water in bowl and spoon over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Serve over rice.

This one was off the back of the generic frozen meatballs, so easy and YUM! A hit at a potluck party!

Barbecued Glazed Meatballs:

Serves 6-8 

1 jar (12 oz) currant or grape jelly

1 cup barbecue sauce

32 original frozen meatballs  

Combine jelly and barbecue sauce in a large saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until jelly melts. Add meatballs. Heat over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until meatballs are hot and glazed, stirring occasionally. Serve in slow cooker set on low, if desired.