The Rutabaga Revolt

"It's not fair! Why don't YOU ever have to try anything new?"

This is what I was asked last week, during one of the Try Something New suppers. That I've been alive a lot longer, and have already tried many of these foods, doesn't occur to them. I'm just a big meanie, forcing them to eat unpronounceable dishes. So, I decided to join the kids in the trenches of our Supper Wars.

I took a casserole-roasted chicken recipe I've used (a variation of) for years now, one we all like, and followed it to the letter this time. Instead of choosing to use a few root vegetables, I used all the veggies on the list: potato, sweet potato, carrot, onion, leek, onion, and... lentils and RUTABAGA.

I didn't have anything against the rutabaga, I have just never felt the need to tackle one in my cooking. I'm sure my mom told me stories of her own childhood traumas, probably meant to allay the trauma she was inflicting on me with overcooked, previously frozen, brussels sprouts. You know, after the starving children would be grateful to have what you are turning up your nose at... at least I don't make you eat what my mother served us... blah, blah blah.

Peeled, chopped and roasted the veggies, along with the chicken breasts. Smelled fantastic. People were hungry. Scooped out the chicken & vegetables and turned the pan juices into gravy. Couscous was to be on the side, and I even made pilsbury crescent rolls, figuring I might need a bribe to get them past the lentils in the gravy.

The chicken was fantastic. The potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots - all delicious. There weren't even complaints about the lentils. There was only 1/2 cup in the whole dish, so the kids probably assumed those were bits of herbs and not a big deal. But the rutabaga? Nope.

The texture was about halfway between a potato and a carrot. The taste was about what you'd think carrot/potato would taste like, too. Pretty good start. But the aftertaste? Hard to describe. Not cabbage, but something like it. I ate mine, because I was setting an example, and really hungry. But I didn't like it much, either. I moved the bar lower than usual, and set one piece of rutabaga as the target. Two children made it. Middle child (B2) chose to go without a crescent roll, rather than finish the second bite of his rutabaga chunk.

Not every battle can be won, and it this case, I'm not sure I'd want to win. Tonight will be a peace offering. Chicken breasts, plain old green peas, and some pasta tossed in olive oil & garlic.

I'll stick with my original meal plan, but they can try butternut squash and barley risotto some other time.

Brussels Sprouts & Me: A Hate/Love Relationship

As a kid, I HATED brussels sprouts. I know that's not uncommon for kids, but I had the kind of hatred which leads one to declare "when I have a daughter, I will NEVER make her eat brussels sprouts!"

My mom always made sprouts from the frozen brick. She'd boil until falling apart, which she did with most vegetables, now that I think about it. Sometimes, the brussels sprouts would go fancy, with a bit of butter, or sprinkle of cheese. Didn't help; they were always nasty.

When I was about 20, I had a boyfriend who liked the darn things. Being the loving girlfriend I was, I cooked them. Not frozen. Fresh from the produce section brussels sprouts. Blanched, then tossed in with butter, salt, and some sort of citrus. They were pretty good. 17 years went by without me repeating the side dish, though.

This year, while working on my day after Thanksgiving meal plans (official holiday dinner on Friday, due to Thursday half marathon), I came across a recipe for Oven Carmelized Brussels Sprouts with Autumn Fruits. Pears, apples, fresh thyme... I had to try it. And it was amazing. Have fixed Brussels Sprouts this way a couple of times since then, and loved it just as much as the first.

Late in the week, while thinking about my bin full of sweet potatoes, I read Hangry Pants' write up on colorful food on a gray day. (On a side note - love the She Says / He Says of Hangry Pants! Taste tests of new Trader Joes products, grocery shopping, healthy cooking, and ice cream.) The colorful food was sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. And I thought:
IF Sweet Potatoes + Fruit = Good Stuff
AND Brussels Sprouts + Fruit = Good Stuff
THEN Sweet Potatoes + Brussels + Fruit = Really Good Stuff

So, I picked up a pack of fresh brussels sprouts at Trader Joes. Cut them in half, and tossed with:
Sweet potato
Carrot
Parsnip
Sweet Onion
Garlic
Apple (McIntosh, I think)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Whole Grain Mustard
Sea Salt & Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Brown Sugar (teaspoon)

My daughter helped with the prep, and we popped it in the oven at 425 degrees. 45 minutes later, the kids had a little of the roasted veggies alongside their mac & cheese and steamed broccoli... but no brussels sprouts. I was okay with that.

Anyway, dinner was delicious, and I will definitely make this again. Thank you again to She of HangryPants for the inspiration!

Supper Wars - Week 2

This week went pretty well. Only six days this week. Power was knocked out for the neighborhood on Wednesday, so we ventured out for dinner.

There was one day when I was sure the kids would love dinner, and was totally wrong. Fortunately, knowing I'm keeping tabs on what they like and don't like, they're more open to discussing what exactly it is they don't like, if it's just a part of the meal. Making them food critics and part of building the family cookbook is putting the stops on the general "yuck" complaints.

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Ginger Chicken & Noodles (Old favorite)
Vegetable Stir Fry w/Zucchini
Kids still not into zucchini. Sticking with celery, carrots, broccoli and onion.

Beef Tacos, Black Bean Salad
Leave out the mango next time, and use mild salsa.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu & Veggie Fried Rice
Steamed Broccoli & Carrots

Tomato & Cheddar Packed Turkey Burgers
Oven Roasted Potato & Sweet Potato Fries,
This is where making the kids food critics helps. They liked the overall flavor, as they're used to me putting diced onions and chopped herbs into burgers. The diced tomato pieces were the offenders. I'll be leaving them out next time.

Mac & Cheese, Broccoli & Carrots
Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Sweet Potato
Kids tried the sweet potato & carrots in the sprouts. I count myself a lucky mom there's never any battling over broccoli, so I didn't push them too hard on the sprouts.

French Onion Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Cheddar & swiss on homemade egg bread? Instant win.

Links:
Supper Wars
2009 Grocery Challenge

GC 2009 - Week 2

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix (1/5) - $75.64
Trader Joes (1/8) - $19.54
Week 2 total - $95.18

Weekly Average - $162.63

Year To Date - $325.26

Mostly produce, dairy and meat this week, plus a few items for packing school lunches. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm about halfway through many of the staples (rice, couscous, sugar, tea). I underestimated how quickly we go through flour. Between bread, rolls, waffles, muffins, cookies, it's a lot more than I realized. Will increase the quantities during my next stock up trip, in two weeks.

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

Time for a haircut

I realized something odd this evening. I have used writing instruments as hair accessories three times this week. Happens at my desk, when I lean back in my chair. My hair is officially half way down my back now, the longest it's ever been in my life. Even a ponytail gets caught, these days.

It's been six months since my last trim. (Was putting it off, out of fear I'd ask for a pixie cut.)
Avoiding tangles requires nightly braiding.
I've felt the weight of the ponytail, bouncing, on longer runs.
The ends are practically strawberry blond, from sun, sweat and chlorine.

Will schedule cut for next week. Taking off about four inches, and getting a couple of recommendations for future style change. Will not be talked into any color treatments, though.

Of course, my hair will know exactly what I'm up to, and begin several days of "perfect", just to mess with me.

Grumble, grumble

Back up to speed today, after a couple of crazy days. The heavy rain in my area moved out late Tuesday, pushed by strong winds on Wednesday. Tree limbs were dropping all over the place. Power lines were knocked out in two or three spots in my neighborhood, shortly after lunch. Headed to the YMCA, figuring it was safer than being on the constant watch for flying sticks and overhead wires. Enjoyed my time on the treadmill, watching Stargate Atlantis on SciFi.

Thought the power would be back by the time I got kids picked up and home. Nope. As of 3pm, Ga Power estimated restoration by 8 pm. So much for cooking. Packed up for dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. 8 pm - no power. The younger kids had a blast taking showers by candlelight and turning bedtime reading into creepy ghost stories by flashlight. Lights popped back on right as children were drifting off to sleep... of course. Reset clocks. Checked batter backups and computers. Tossed the ice cream. Emptied the ice bin. Counted our good fortune, everything else was still frozen and/or cold.

Thursday morning, while making breakfast and packing lunches, I noticed the frozen produce. The freezer/fridge kicked into overdrive when the power came back on. The strawberries and blueberries could be cleaned and popped into the freezer to use in smoothies, but the lettuce, herbs, celery, cucumbers, etc., all had to be tossed, or used immediately to make vegetable stock. Ugh. So much for the grocery budget.

Got out the stockpot. Cleaned the fridge. Added Wednesday's bread & cookie baking to Thursday's muffin batch. Tackled the laundry which had been halted mid-cycle. Finished the map work which had been promised Wednesday afternoon. Then, school pickup, homework, dinner, music lessons (x3), homework checking, kitchen cleanup, bath/storytime/bed, ironing...

Whew! With only a hill run and volunteer time at the elementary school, today is practically a holiday.

Playing in traffic

I haven't officially exercised since Christmas. I've hiked, walked, played tag and field hockey, done kid yoga, and bowled while the kids have been home from school, but nothing official. I went for my first run of 2009 today, and it was wonderful!

It was misting heavily, with temps in the low 60s. I had on my favorite nike skirt and salt crusted hat. I was outside, cruising along at grown up speed, happy to be keeping my eyes on actual cars and dodging puddles, rather than keeping an eye out for orange juice puddles and dodging matchbox cars in the house.

3.2 miles @ 8:56/mile

It was a great start to the year!

Supper Wars - Week 1

Working to expand our "try something new" meals beyond just a couple times each week, by adding new side dishes with old favorites, or alternating days between the familiar and the unusual. When I'm fixing something terribly spicy or truly odd, I'll still fix a separate kid and grown up meal, but I'd like that to be the exception, rather than the norm. Tying the planning necessary to keep the kids trying new foods to the planning for reducing the average grocery bill seems like a no-brainer.

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Pan Fried Deviled Eggs, on Mixed Greens
Kids did NOT appreciate at all, unfortunately. I thought it was delicious.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup w/Rustic Bread (Old favorite)

Adobo Chicken w/ Rice & Salad (Variation)
The kids don't like dark meat. Prepared a couple of skin-on split chicken breasts, in addition to the thighs. Worked like a charm.

Baked Tofu w/Fried Rice (Old favorite),
Edamame Succotash w/ Roasted Red Pepper (Variation)
Figure if I keep putting bell peppers in dishes, I will eventually stumble upon a method of cooking and presentation they like. This wasn't it. Not only would they not eat the peppers, they wouldn't eat the corn and edamame when cooked together. They eat both on their own, quite happily. (Ack!)

Turkey Burgers (old favorite) , Couscous Salad (Variation)
I'm upping the parsley, mint, and vegetable content of the salad each time I make this. Overdid it this time. Will have to keep the chopped red peppers on the side and add just to grown up plates. Kids picked out peppers and ate rest of salad, but there was much grumbling.

Flatbread Pizza
Build-your-own pizzas. Choice of either italian sausage & cheeses or shredded adobo chicken with sauteed onion & garlic slices. You can guess which kids picked.

Butter Chicken w/Basmati Rice, Nan and Green Beans
Two kids loved the mild curry chicken; one did not. He was extremely opposed to the entire concept. Will try this again, but let him add coconut milk, instead of the yogurt.

Pho Bo (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) w/Basil-lemongrass Meatball (Old Favorite)
Big bowl of rice noodles, topped with ladles of fragrant broth (beef, chicken & ginger). Toss in a couple of the basil meatballs, and let everyone pile bean sprouts, fresh leaves of thai basil and cilantro on from the salad plate. Can't go wrong.

GC - Week 1

Stock-up Shopping
International/Farmers Market - $155.04

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix (2 trips) - $61.98
Trader Joes - $13.06

Week 1 total - $230.08

This was the stock up week. Refilled the spice cabinet, bought organic basmati rice, oat flour, wheat flour, flax meal, barley, whole wheat couscous, and more, in bulk. Spent at least $30 more at the farmers market than I would have, had I not had helpers (note the lower case h) clamoring for dark chocolate dipped ginger cookies, anchovy stuffed olives, large containers of pistachios and 1/2-lb bags of exotic coffee (the $40/lb stuff).

Made three smaller trips to the grocery stores through the week, for milk, meat/poultry, and for produce at the end of the week. (Included the wine for New Years Eve/Day)

This week's spending will be lower. Don't know how much yet, since I'm still working out the plan. I'm on day two of week two, and haven't needed to go to the store yet, so it's looking good so far. I'll be heading out when I get the rest of the meals planned for this week. Only needed half of the pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs Friday for Butter Chicken, so the other half soaked in ginger/soy/honey and became Sunday's stir fry.

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars - Week 1

Boycotting resolutions

I don't do so well with New Year's Resolutions. For starters, I can never actually come up with them in time to make them officially part of the New Year. Then, there's the matter of specificity. If the resolution is too vague, there's no way to measure it, and I get discouraged. Too specific, and I feel locked in, and my natural rebellion to anything resembling authority kicks in. (Yes, I realize I'm technically staging a self-revolt.)

I do love a challenge though, so setting a goal works for me. Fitness goals for 2008 were:
Train for and complete a 5k, a 10k and a half marathon.

• Completed two 5k races on my own, and two with my children. This was spaced through the year.
• Finished two 10k races. One at the beginning of summer, one at the end.
• This October, ran my first half marathon. Thanksgiving Day was my second.

I also wanted train for and finish a half century, but trying to increase cycling mileage at the same time I was working up to 10+ mile long runs turned out to be a bit too much - both from the physical and schedule standpoint.

My stats for 2008:*
Cycling: 1,082 miles
Running: 502 miles
Hiking (with kids): 49 miles
*all the miles I remembered to tally - often short bicycle commute trips and kid hikes miss the training log.

This year, I want to kick my own butt. I'm going to go farther and faster than last year. And climb higher.
I'm shooting for:
2,000 miles, between running and cycling.
Beat my 2008 P.R.s (5k - 31:27; 10k - 1:01:56; half - 2:18:09)
Train for & complete an autumn half century
Finish a trail 10 mile or half marathon.

There are a few trail races not too far from home which should fit that last challenge. If the rescheduled holiday trip can be worked out for mid-June (which would make two grandfathers VERY happy), I'd love to try the Garden of the Gods 10 mile in Colorado. It's on paved roads and paths, so isn't technically a trail race. I'm pretty sure the higher altitude and big hills will be tougher than our little trails here in north Georgia, so as far as I'm concerned, it counts.

Grocery Challenge - 2009

For one month of 2008, I challenged myself to keep the grocery bill for five to $125 or less. Did it. We cut back a little, but it wasn't too difficult.

Once I finished the month, I figured it would be a cinch to keep my bills lower, without extra work. I stopped planning a few days in advance, and returned to my normal pattern of "what do we want tonight?" I was wrong. The weekly spending in October and November crept up a little each week, until I hit $200/week. Reigned spending back during December, by $40-50/week, simply by going back to planning 3-4 days of meals before heading to the store.

I'm going to see how low I can keep my average weekly spending this year. I know the under $150/week target is easy to hit, with plain old, ordinary shopping at Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods & Trader Joes. No cut backs required, just that little bit of meal planning. But, what happens if I go for the bulk items at the international markets? Rice, flour, oats, pasta, beans, coconut milk, tofu - all cheaper than at standard stores. Same thing for many of the root veggies, which last quite a while when stored properly. Can setting up a vague monthly meal plan for staples, in addition to the weekly planning, make $125 or less the new "easy"? Can I get it down to $100?

We're also working to expand our "try something new" at meals beyond just a couple times each week, by adding new side dishes with old favorites, or alternating days between the familiar and the unusual. Tying the planning necessary to keep the kids trying new foods to the planning for shopping seems like a no-brainer.

The first week of shopping, the stock-up week, was split between 2008 & 2009, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Here's my rules:

• Weeks will run Sunday to Saturday, and I'll be posting my weekly total for the previous week on Sunday nights, after prep for Monday morning lunchbox packing. (Or Monday mornings, after the kids are at school and I have my coffee.)
• After the weekly amount, I'll post the updated weekly average.
• This is only grocery items. I handle shopping for most health, bath and home products during a once a month trip to Costco, Target or CVS. I will include any food items purchased on those trips with the grocery total. Even if that item is a bag of dark chocolate twix bars. (Which it won't be, ever, because I never do anything that unhealthy.)

If you're interested in what we're eating, you can take a look at Supper Wars.

Off to a good start

All three kids managed to stay awake past midnight this year. (Usually, my daughter falls asleep.) We slept in a little, had breakfast together. A little bit of housework and chores, followed by video games. After lunch, headed out for a couple hours of semi active sport:Then back home for construction. Legos, modeling clay and a build your own pizza supper. Italian sausage, sauce & cheese(s), on flatbread crust. There wasn't time to make the dough from scratch after bowling.

I had helpers, though only one who was willing to be photographed. That's only partly true. The boys were willing to be photographed, but only if I'd accept shots of them imitating alien monsters - or was it zombie alien monsters?

Tossed out my plan for shakshuka for two, and chopped up leftover Adobo Chicken to make pizza, along with sweet onion, shallot, scallions, thin sliced garlic and red bell pepper (see cutting board). My official cheese grater helped build two samples of our Adobo Pizza:

1. with smoked applewood and mozzarella cheese
2. with smoked mozzarella, mozzarella, parmesan and asagio

Both were good; the second version was my favorite.

Watched The Mummy Returns with our supper, and followed it with mugs of hot cocoa. Not too much fighting on a not-to-late bedtime, which left quiet time for reading Neverwhere with a cup of herbal tea before bed.

I'm not a terribly superstitious person. I don't collard greens and black eyed peas on New Year's Day. My trash does go out, and I do not hesitate to do a load of laundry, in light of the mountain created by three children. (New Year's superstitions at Snopes). I do think you can set the tone for, if not the rest of the year, at least the immediate future, with what you do during the day of fresh starts.

Given our New Year's Day, I think 2009 is looking pretty good.

Spend now to save later?

Blew the $150 (or less) grocery budget this week. In a B-I-G way. Only half way through the week, so I won’t know what the total is until Sunday. But a trip to the International Farmer’s Market in Dekalb early this week cost $155.04.

The kids are home. Many friends are out of town for a few more days. I’m limiting video games. They’re bored. We’re hiking trails along sections of the Chattahoochee every day, but that doesn’t get my grocery shopping done. It’s the end of the year, so it’s time to swap out spices in the cabinet. I’d run out of couscous. And rice noodles. And fish sauce. It was time for a field trip.

The farmers market is in a warehouse - bigger than a Costco, with row after row of vegetables, herbs, fruits, most marked with information about the geographic region where it’s grown. We spent 90 minutes walking, doing our shopping in a meandering fashion. Wonderful smells of baking bread, roasting coffee; not so wonderful smells by the tanks of live fish and shellfish.

The $155.04 bill was a bit painful, at least at first glance. Not only did I purchase the majority of extremely fresh produce, dairy products and poultry for this week, I also completely restocked my spice rack. (Quick example: madras hot curry powder - 57¢ for 1/2 lb, which whill last me about six months. Can’t get that at the supermarket.) In addition to stocking up on root vegetables at a cost far lower than the supermarket, I also hit the canned goods and bulk items, and stocked my pantry with a month’s supply (or more) of:

• organic basmati rice
• whole wheat couscous
• cashew butter
• rice noodles
• black ceylon tea (looseleaf)
• orange blossom honey
• flax meal
• popping corn
• oat flour
• barley
• quinoa
• green olives
• diced & crushed tomatoes
• dark soy sauce
• fish sauce
• rice vinegar
• white wine vinegar
• olive oil
• vanilla extract

There were a few indulgences included, pistachios and a small bag of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee being two of them.

Most of the groceries - there was still one bag in the car.

The big list of staples on this trip should allow for smaller bills over the next four weeks - at least that’s what I’m hoping. This Sunday (1/4) I’ll post my first week spending. For the three Sundays which follow, I’ll keep track of the change to the average. I hope this will help me plan a monthly bulk trip to the YDFM. I’ll have to go without the entire bunch though. A little over $30 was spent on items I’d normally not get... like Jamaican Blue Mountain.

Putting the (R) back in RNC

I officially became a republican again about five years ago. Not because I agree with everything the party stands for - that's far from the case. I left the Libertarian Party because of the kook factor. The 9/11 conspiracy talk and increasing importance placed on being the purest Libertarian in the room... it was too much for me. The DNC was never an option. I just can't embrace the idea that the money I earn is public property. I prefer candidates who are fiscal conservatives AND social liberals. The RNC platform of less regulation, lower taxes, and lower spending was the best I could hope for, right?

I held my nose and voted for (R) candidates who had supported no child left behind and drug coverage for seniors, while allowing partial privatization of social security to drop off the radar. After all, it was better than the (D). That ended in 2008.

I voted for a few republican candidates on the ballot this past November. (Not Saxby Chambliss.) I didn't cast a vote for President. I skipped that section of the ballot. I couldn't vote for Barak Obama. He seems to be a good man, but I have a family to take care of - I didn't think I could afford him. I wouldn't vote for John McCain. His stance against pork barrel projects didn't translate to opposition for other government spending, and he was proud of the job he did on campaign finance reform. RINO!

The last few months of bailouts have only served to give me confirmation that I made the right choice. I knew I wasn't the only fed up republican out there. Even my mother, who joined as a young republican back in the 60s, admitted to feeling the need for a shower after leaving the voting booth this year.

Well, somebody at RNC headquarters seems to have remembered the R:

(from the washington times) Republican Party officials say they will try next month to pass a resolution accusing President Bush and congressional Republican leaders of embracing "socialism," underscoring deep dissension within the party at the end of Mr. Bush's administration.

Those pushing the resolution, which will come before the Republican National Committee at its January meeting, say elected leaders need to be reminded of core principles. They said the RNC must take the dramatic step of wading into policy debates, which traditionally have been left to lawmakers.

"We can't be a party of small government, free markets and low taxes while supporting bailouts and nationalizing industries, which lead to big government, socialism and high taxes at the expense of individual liberty and freedoms," said Solomon Yue, an Oregon member and co-sponsor of a resolution that criticizes the U.S. government bailouts of the financial and auto industries. Republican National Committee Vice Chairman James Bopp Jr. wrote the resolution and asked the rest of the 168 voting members to sign it.

Finally! It's a case of too little, too late, but (raising coffee mug in toast) here's hoping it catches on.

Do thin people think differently about food?

Charlotte of The Great Fitness Experiment posed this question. She's read a diet book by Dr. Judith Beck called - wait for it - The Beck Diet Solution. Charlotte pointed out the book's neon pink cover "cause women love pink, get it?" So I suppose the question should really be "Do thin women....?" because men would never obsess over calories, body image and famine-chic, right?

Dr. Beck uses a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach to weight loss. She sticks to the eat less food portion of weight loss, rather than the exercise more. I guess that makes sense, given our TV-watching, computer-jockey lifestyles. From an interview w/ Dr. Beck about her latest book The Complete Beck Diet For Life at Crabby Fitness:

Judith: The truth is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. There is a solution, though, to losing weight permanently.

Crabby: "Permanent" is the tricky part, isn't it? I tried to make some suggestions once, but somehow I got off track and ended up talking about Eleanor Roosevelt and Mr. Rogers instead. What's the real solution to losing weight and make it stick?

Judith: First you need to learn a specific set of thinking and behavioral skills, such as how to motivate yourself every day, how to get yourself to use good eating habits, how to cope with craving and negative emotions without eating, and so on.

Second, you need a highly nutritious diet you can stay on for life. That means it has to have a sufficient number of calories and be very healthy so your body doesn’t rebel. It also means it has to include your favorite foods—as often as every day—so your mind won’t rebel.

This got my attention. When I lost weight (30+ lbs over 12-18 months), it was due almost entirely to three things:

1. Eat at regular meal time.
2. If it's not meal time, wait 15 minutes before grabbing a snack.
3. Eat a little dessert, every night.

At that time, exercise wasn't always an option. Three children in school, each with a different sport/activity. A 2-hour round trip commute to the office, three days each week, with the other two days being longish hours of work via telecommute, to finish everything I couldn't do during my partial days in-office . A husband with a daily commute time of almost three hours, meaning he was rarely home before 7:30, and often needed a nap before supper.

I stopped waiting until 8:00 for my own supper. Since I was eating with the kids, it meant I stopped nibbling during homework supervision and food prep.

I had breakfast every day. Sometimes cereal. Sometimes fruit & yogurt. Sometimes hot milk & instant breakfast, mixed into my coffee.

I ate a little dessert, every night. Stressful days had often led to chips or a candy bar, usually while driving from office to school for pickup. Knowing that I'd be able to sit down in peace at night to enjoy scoop of ice cream with an oreo (or two) or half a baked apple, or a dollop of whipped cream on berries with a couple of ginger snaps, made the quick fix less appealing.

Those were all behavioral changes. Over the last four years, they've become habits. Sure, there are rainy Saturdays when I'm scarfing chips and pizza with the kids, over video or board games and movies. Or when a friend and I meet for lunch and celebrate - or commiserate - over a particularly decadent concoction of sugar, cream and chocolate. That's now the exception, rather than the normal part of my days.

I think the reasons I lost the weight matter as much, if not more, than the way I did it. I don't have a great body image, but I haven't focused on a desire to "be thin" since I was a teenager. I woke up one day and realized it had been a very l-o-n-g time since had felt like anything other than a blob. It wasn't my size 14 jeans. It was being tired all the time. The constant drain of always feeling almost like I was getting sick.

Losing weight through healthier eating boosted my energy and improved my mood. Stress levels dropped. Sleep improved. My quality of life went up as the scale went down. The smaller wardrobe was just a side benefit. I had the luxury of beginning my exercise program with the desire to be fit, as a "want to", rather than the "have to" most folks face when they tackle diet and exercise on January 2nd, year after year.

I'm not great at this whole nutritional planning, by any means. I cook with butter. I splash heavy whipping cream into sauces. I think mashed garlic potatoes should be it's own food group. During the four hot weather months of heavier cycling and running, I struggled with getting enough calories into my body each day, to the point I was becoming ticked off about having to eat. I question my food choices, my motivations, and what kind of example I'm setting for my daughter and her future relationship with food.

I may not need The Complete Beck Diet for Life * to get started changing my way of thinking about food, but I think it is probably still a good idea for 2009 reading. Confirming what I've done so far is good and - hopefully - giving a bit of guidance to carry it into the future.

*Note the snazzy green cover.

Supper Wars

Most days, if my children are asked what they want for dinner, the answer(s) will be some combination of:

• Spaghetti
• Pizza
• Macaroni & cheese.

It's odd, because not one of them considers any of those three things to be their favorite food. (With the possible exception of the 14 y.o. - I think pizza worship arrived with puberty.) Those seem to be the autopilot responses. I'm short circuiting the autopilot this week. Since I'm home with them all day, every day, I'm taking the opportunity to serve the kid foods for lunch. Hopefully, this will leave the way clear for new foods, or twists on familiar meals, at supper.

I had the luxury of extra time to plan this weekend. We'll be alternating meals between the strange and the familiar, as well as combining something old and something new in the same meal. Really hoping this keeps the whining to a manageable level. The plan, so far:

Pan Fried Deviled Eggs, on Mixed Greens (New!)
Delicious! Kids did NOT appreciate at all, unfortunately.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
w/Rustic Bread (Old favorite)
Easy win; used up roasted chicken leftovers from Christmas dinner

Adobo Chicken w/ Rice & Salad (Variation)
Attempting to make one of my favorites more acceptable to them. No one but me is a fan of dark meat, so I'm trying a couple of skin-on split chicken breasts, in addition to the thighs. 24 hours of marinating, so this is an advance planning only meal.

Baked Tofu w/ Drunken Noodles (Old favorite),
Edamame Succotash w/ Roasted Red Pepper (Variation)
Figure if I keep putting bell peppers in dishes, I will eventually stumble upon a method of cooking and presentation they like.

Turkey Burgers (Old favorite), Couscous Salad (Variation)
I'm upping the parsley, mint, and vegetable content of the salad. So far, shifting the ratio gradually is going smoothly.

If all goes well, New Year's Day will be kid food heaven. Peanut butter & honey sandwiches for lunch, and they'll get to make their own pizzas for supper. I'll be having shakshuka*, extra spicy. Like hot curry dishes, it's an acquired taste, one which I'm not going to push them into... yet.

*Shakshuka is an amazing dish. It's an excellent brunch, or as comfort food on a cold rainy evening. I use a combo of fresh and canned tomatoes, instead of just canned, but other than that, this video seems to be dead-on.

More Vegetarian Recipes videos at 5min.com

Speak & Spell Magic

When tucking my daughter in on Christmas Eve, she asked me for a story. Not just any story, but the story of my favorite Christmas present. I told her of the year of the Speak & Spell.

It was a year of clothing and "girl stuff". (Barbies were never my thing.) Then, at my grandmother's house, after the big family dinner, we opened presents. My present was... a Speak & Spell. I'd seen them, and secretly hoped for one of my own, but figured the closest I'd get would be playing with it at one of my friends - you know, that one friend every kid has whose parents made sure to get the IT toy each year. But I received one of my very own! I was thrilled. Convinced it would make me the greatest spelling bee champion in the world, I played it constantly.

That's where I ended my Christmas tale. What I didn't tell her was that I already knew all the words which were tossed my way, and after a week or so, I knew all the mystery words by 1-2 letters in. It gathered dust, only to be played when I was supposed to be cleaning my room.

Imagine my surprise this morning, to find a link to an Flash Speak & Spell during my morning news & blog reading. (Thanks, Agitator!) Opened the link, played for a few minutes, and then turned it over to my little girl. You see, her Christmas toys are a few days old now, and...

Happy Baking!

It's Christmas Eve, and the oven has been cranking out the goodies, with help from my little band of elves. We've rolled gingerbread, roasted pears for tomorrow's bread pudding, and baked egg bread for sandwiches, as well as for the bread pudding.

Even the ordinary breakfast muffins have gone festive. Instead of 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, I added extra cinnamon to the batter, and used a scoop of the green and red swirled white chocolate chips.

I've spent the last couple months tinkering with the recipe. Milk from the carton. Plain yogurt. Vanilla yogurt. Buttermilk. Evaporated milk. Condensed milk. Sour cream. Since I don't buy prepackaged breakfasts, and the kids get tired of waffles (make extras on weekend & freeze for easy toasting), I make a batch or two each week, so have had plenty of opportunities to use my children as test subjects.

This is the winner, according to them:

1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Milk (evaporated or whole)
1-1/4 cup Rolled Oats (not quick cook)
1 Egg, beaten
4 Tbs Butter, melted
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips*
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Bread Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

Mix sour cream, milk and oats in a bowl; let oats soak for 15-20 minutes.
Add beaten egg, melted butter and brown sugar. Let it rest while you mix dry ingredients in separate container, and start oven preheating - 400 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Combine with wet ingredients. Let rest for five minutes. Prep muffin tins with butter, cooking spray, or use paper liners.

Scoop batter into muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes, depending on your oven. Makes 12 muffins.

*I often toss in a 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, raisins or cherries, as well as a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans. The presence of chocolate chips makes everything I do which would be considered "good for you" still yummy. Even my child who has an almost irrational aversion to dried fruit will scarf down a muffin without complaint. After all, it's chocolate for breakfast. (The actually chip count per muffin is pretty low, but I'm not ever going to point that out to him.)

If you use quick rolled oats and plain all-purpose flour, you'll want to reduce the amount of milk by 1/4 cup, to avoid ending up with a chewy cupcake consistency. Also, these are great made with vanilla yogurt in place of the sour cream. I reduce the amount of sugar to keep it from being too sweet, though I have occasionally left them sweet and used them as desserts in lunchboxes.

It's been a marvelous day of family prep today. We're tired, flour coated, and in a post-board-game, cookies-and-eggnog, sugar coma. And tomorrow, we'll be doing it again. With wrapping paper scraps in place of the flour, and extra relatives for the board games. Looking forward to it.

Whatever holiday you're celebrating, enjoy!

What I'm Reading - Good Omens

I'm reading Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett. I've been a fan of Gaiman since the early-ish days of The Sandman, and Terry Pratchett - well, I've not read any of his books, but I plan to remedy that in the near future.

I'm enjoying this book. A lot. It's funny. Sometimes biting and satirical, sometimes zany, but definitely full of humor. The four horsemen are... unexpectedly modern. I found myself alternating between chuckling and horrified realization when reading about Famine's antics, in particular.

How at home Famine must be in this day and age. Starvation is still a problem for the poor in the third world countries, but it's also the goal of so many well-off women and young girls. (And even a segment of the young male population, apparently.) People stuff themselves full of easy and cheap calories, loading themselves up with excess fat while becoming deficient in the basic nutrients required for a healthy life. Our obsessions with food, at both ends of the scale, make his job so much easier.

I don't want to give key story points away, so I'll stay out of detailing what he and the other horsemen are up to in the days leading up to Armageddon. Instead, I'll quote the description from the publisher:

There is a distinct hint of Armageddon in the air. According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (recorded, thankfully, in 1655, before she blew up her entire village and all its inhabitants, who had gathered to watch her burn), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse are revving up their mighty hogs and hitting the road, and the world's last two remaining witch-finders are getting ready to fight the good fight, armed with awkwardly antiquated instructions and stick pins. Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. . . . Right. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan.

Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon -- each of whom has lived among Earth's mortals for many millennia and has grown rather fond of the lifestyle -- are not particularly looking forward to the coming Rapture. If Crowley and Aziraphale are going to stop it from happening, they've got to find and kill the Antichrist (which is a shame, as he's a really nice kid). There's just one glitch: someone seems to have misplaced him. . . .

Gaiman & Pratchett did a lovely thumbing of the nose at our current culture. I think it's a great book to put on the shelf with Jonathan Swift and Douglas Adams, for my kids to pick up as they grow beyond the 2nd-3rd grade satire of Captain Underpants.

Accessories: Who needs 'em?

In the ongoing attempt to become, if not adept, at least not completely incompetent at accessorizing, I've been digging through my jewelery box and top dresser drawer to see what I already have, before doing any spending. I have more than I thought. Started breaking out pieces, especially gold. I figure I'll wear what I have and see how I feel about it, now that it's been 5-10-20 years since I first purchased or received much of it. There are items passed down from my grandmother which I've never even tried on. Granted, some of them won't ever be. They are just fine as part of my daughter's costume trunk.

Here's one of the first combos, resurrected from the drawer of limbo:

Normally, this scoop/cowl neck knit top gets nothing more than my normal tiny hoops and a small silver & garnet pendant on black silk, if even that. This necklace was picked up at a boutique several years ago. I think it was the place in Decatur where I bought my all time favorite winter skirt. (Kaleidoscope) The Winnie-the-Pooh earrings don't necessarily fit with this, but they were a gift from the children. It's always good for a hug and an "Ooh! You're wearing my earrings" from my daughter. Can't pass that up. Wore my Citizen gold/stainless steel wristwatch, along with a mother of pearl ring I received 18 years ago, from a long ago boyfriend.

Gotta admit it. Taking that few minutes to think about what I'd put on with my clothes, I felt more put together. It was nice.

I'll keep working on this, and post a few photos when I get a chance to pin groupings up on the corkboard. It should help me plan out a "what I like" and a "what I need" list.