Friday, October 8, 2010

Master Plan

I read an article the other day, that stated that we eat the same foods day to day, rarely changing our pattern. Well. Do I? Am I not a culinary genius coming up with new and inventive ways to cook the old food? Not really, as it turns out. I do follow a bit of a road map. There are foods that I can not live without, and eat daily. Wanna know what they are? Well, you have to. This is my blog after all...you are a captive audience!

If I had list the things I absolutely need every day, it would go like this:

1 glass of skim milk
2 eggs
butter
1 tomato
Dill pickles or olives, or anti pasta - something with lots of vinegar!The better part of a jar of Vlasic Zesty makes a great supper...and portable, too! LOL If push comes to shove and you need protein? Eat slices of black forest ham alongside. But gotta have my pickles.

Then? The necessary optional choices between the following, to make up the day:

At least 1 2-3 ounce serving of meat or cheese, fish or chicken (which to me is meat)I don't like a lot of meat, but apparently I need the stuff. My face gets tired of accepting it for processing, a trait that my husband has come to know and love, since he usually gets half of my portion. I love fish, shellfish, anything that can live under water!

Salt. On nuts, potato chips or popcorn. I keep it to a 100 - 200 calories or so unless using for a meal replacement. Trust me. Since I don't use processed food as a rule, there is room for this little pleasure - and the resulting bloat!

Vegetables. Love them all. Sometimes yams, potatoes or corn - the odd time rice. Green things - leafy or firm. Hot or cold. If they are cold? Vinegar and oil, or lemon juice. If they are hot? Gotta have a tiny bit of butter or Parmesan cheese...or both!

Fruit. Because of the sugar content, I am limited as to how much I can have. I try to balance it out with the veggies I eat, but usually, I have at least one fruit a day. Favourites are the old standbys...oranges, apples. Once in awhile grapes. Berries of all sorts are usually in the house, fresh or frozen.

BEANS. I love beans and legumes. Baked beans, bean soup, pea soup. Lentil soup,kidney beans, green beans, yellow beans, cannelloni beans. Love them all!

Once in awhile, I dip into the GF bread category, but usually, I forget I have the stuff. Yesterday, I had a liver sausage and olive sandwich on GF Ciabatta bread for supper. MMMMM good! BUT it was the first in a long, long time. We are talking over a year here, I think. I remember that I made one once out of inferior gf bread, and couldn't even finish it. The bread was that disgusting. I usually end up picking the filling off the bread and eating it like a two year old. The benefits of getting old!

This new bread I am buying is terrific so this time? I ate it all up! An acquired taste, for sure, this liver sausage and olive, but I LOVE it!


As for desserts? On occasion I will break out the Kitchen Aid and whip up a cake if we know you are coming, but to make my heart race? Get out a big bowl of sugar free jello and serve it with a dab of whipped cream on top! Now THAT is good eatin' folks! A gf cookie once in a blue moon, or a gf donut, but frankly? I have had the same treats on the go for a couple of months now. One is enough, and two only if I am really in a sweet mood! A tablespoon of ice cream is okay now and again as well. But there again? It usually goes furry before we can consume a small container. Once it has been sitting in the freezer, it loses all appeal for me, so I have to wait until it is really chrystally before I toss it out and start again with a fresh container!

And that is what is usually on my plate.

Not blogging quite so much....

It is all part of trying to let go of the 'calorie counting' 'food worry' thing. I am still not sold,because how long have we been told that we are fat because we eat too much? I have found a way to work around it - is this cheating? I simply eat three or four meals of no more than five hundred calories each. I know that is a bit of a cheat because I am to turn myself loose with wild abandon, but how can you break the habit of a lifetime? I have noticed that when I don't keep track of my food, I tend to veer off the path easily, forgetting entire meals or food groups! I have been blessed or cursed with a short memory....the blessing is that I don't hold a grudge, and the curse is that I will forget who you are! LOL

ANYWAY I do have a problem after about four o'clock. All desire to eat leaves after that, and the most appealing thing to me is perhaps a bowl of soup and a good TV program! So, I have decided to go with that natural rhythm as well. Trick is to remember to have a bite before bed so not to upset the sugars, though. When I am roused from my big chair at two in the morning to go to bed? The last thing I want to do is eat a snack. I am overcoming this with orange juice and yogurt. Not near the five hundred calories, but still enough to keep me until the morning.


This morning, we went to Meyers to stock up on gluten free food. Six mini Ciabatta loaves (about the size of a Costco bun each) a baby pumpkin pie! MM MM PIE! Cinnamon buns too! Dinner rolls, hot dog rolls....yes, I do eat those disgusting things, and once more? I LIKE them! We picked up some cornflakes, vanilla wafers, panko bread crumbs and last but not least? Some corn pasta! I love my dear daughter-in-law's spaghetti sauce, and am really looking forward to her making it for me as soon as possible! Best to have it in the house, ready for the opportunity! The down side is that this bit of shopping took the better part of eighty dollars. But a little goes a long way, and this will do well into December if not past.

Breakfast: two eggs, a tomato, three strips of bacon and a glass of skim milk. I have taken to "frying" the bacon in the oven. I line the pan with Slide foil, put the strips of bacon in the pan and place it under the broiler. It is done to perfection in minutes. No smelly house, no flipping the bacon constantly. I end up with perfectly crispy bacon, and virtually no mess at all. The fat is easy to wrap up in the foil right after breakfast, so cleanup is a breeze.

Lunch: two little gf cinnamon buns, with butter and a glass of milk. OOOOO I am such a rebel! I have not had a cinnamon bun in literally years. And you know? It wasn't all that great. I am even sharing them with the man. If something good gluten free comes my way? He doesn't even get to smell it!

I am definitely craving veggies now,though.A spinach and mushroom salad for supper will sure be good! There is some ground bison in the frig as we speak so a simple patty will make a great protein choice for supper. Well, that is the plan...unless I lose interest!


** I most certainly did lose interest. We went shopping tonight, and when the man got hungry, we shared a small strawberry shake and large fries from McDonalds.

That little splurge was just a tad under 625 calories. Still, it could have been much worse. Definitely a calorie splurge, but not a disaster. It made me wonder. If there were that many calories in half of the fries and shake, what must the calorie count be for fries, and a burger and a shake all to yourself? It boggles my mind. The mystery remains. Why on earth can you always find room for crap? There was a ton of calories that just went down so smoothly...one salty, one sweet taste after another! A lethal combination.

In addition? When we stopped off at a friend's for coffee? There was dried mango just begging to be consumed! Who am I to argue with such a generous hostess? Don't the rules say that she has to add the calories to her day in the name of hospitality?

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Hobknobbing with the Rich and Infamous

We are back in town after a real whirlwind of activity!

First stop? Regina for a few days - the highlight of our stay there was going to a "Celebration of Life" at the Hotel Saskatchewan. The event was amazing from appetizer to creme brule! I tried not to count the calories as I chowed down, but it is so second nature, that I couldn't stop myself! The meal was beautiful as well as gluten free so I enjoyed every bite. Such luxury comes not too often in my life, and I was determined to enjoy every moment, every sip and every bite. The entertainment was amazing. A young couple with operatic voices beyond belief, and a belly dancer to boot! All in all? We had a wonderful time. Breakfast was always in the hotel dining room, although only once did I cave in and have Eggs Benedict...without the English muffin, of course. Very tasty indeed, and a real treat.

On Saturday, we moved on to Saskatoon. My sister was under the weather, so she did not feed us like a couple of French geese having our livers expanded for fois gras! There is definitely something to be said for visiting her after a surgery! While we were there, we went to an event sponsored party at a Dude Ranch. The highlight of that affair was "pitchfork steak". What is that, you well may ask. Well, it is a perfectly good steak submerged in oil and deep fried. Everyone else seemed to like it but me. I like my steaks charred a bit if it is going to be cooked outdoors, thank you very much! Although I wasn't overly impressed, it was good to see the same crowd again...Mine Rescue Conference, I believe. After awhile? Everything sort of fades together and you lose track of who belongs where!

We then moved on to a Fire Emergency Services Conference in Brandon. Since I know absolutely no one in Brandon, I had quality time to stay in the suite and watch TV and read my book...with ample naps in between the two activities. At long last we arrived home yesterday, just in time to buy a few groceries at Costco, wash the car, unpack our suitcases then joyously crash in front of the television to dream once more. It is so good to be home!