Food for Thought

Changing your diet to eat healthy, is not easy. Ask anyone that's tried. I do think that with support from others, whether it's friends, family, chat forums, you can be successful. What you put in, you can get out. In all that I participate in, I do my best to put in and learn from other people and avenues on ways to improve.

At my Weight Watchers meeting tonight, we talked about being bored with food. This couldn't be more true. I have been so fearful of becoming bored with what I'm eating that I'll stop my great progress and go back to old habits. A lot of people shared foods they enjoy and I was able to offer some of my ideas. One of the big topics was chicken and how it gets so boring, especially if you eat it the same way every time. I love chicken and am happy to have found Cooking Channel (thanks mom!) and watch Food Network a lot which has helped me learn how to season my chicken differently so it tastes delicious and different every time I eat it.

One of my struggles is vegetables. My husband loves the steam vegetables because he can take them to work or just throw them in a dish of pasta (his specialty is spaghetti, steamed brussels sprouts and balsamic). I, on the other hand, get so bored with them! They all end up tasting the same no matter what vegetable I'm eating! One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables is to grill them. I do this a lot, but when you have a small grill pan to work with during the winter (even though we keep our grill out all year, I'm not grilling with a foot of snow on the ground or if the weather is below freezing) I don't always do that. One thing I remember from childhood is having roast chicken with carrots, potatoes and onions. This was something that always tasted great. The other night I decided to change up the vegetables I can grab with my dinner. I took every fresh vegetable in the house, chopped them up and roasted them. Do you know how delicious roasted vegetables taste? If not, you need to do it. It really brings out wonderful flavors and you'll probably end up eating vegetables you didn't like prepared other ways. The vegetables caramelize and become so tasty! I line a cookie sheet with foil, toss the chopped veggies on, spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I've also tried to limit the types of pastas and rice I'm eating and have now incorporate a lot more quinoa into my meals. This is so easy to make, has a lot of protein and fiber and if you're doing Weight Watchers, it's only 3 PointsPlus for a half cup serving. I love to add roasted or grilled vegetables into this and make it a really delicious side. I've also noticed that you can make this ahead of time and it doesn't dry out like rice or pasta.

These were just some of my ideas. I love learning new ones, so please share yours!

Carrot Cake for Easter

I followed a recipe from Weight Watchers to make this yummy cake. It was super easy and called for a lot of fresh ingredients. Can't wait to dig into it tomorrow!

My LASIK Experience

I finally did it! I have been wanting to do this for years and so glad I finally had it done. It's been about 13 hours since the procedure and it's amazing the difference in my vision. I'll start from the beginning so anyone that is interested in getting it done has some idea of what to expect.

Research your doctors. As I mentioned above, this is something that I have wanted to do for years. Definitely over a decade. I had asked questions to all my eye doctors throughout the years about it. Finally when I was ready to have the procedure done I found a doctor that was highly recommended and has offices in both Garden City and Manhattan. I ended up using Dr. James Kelly of Kelly Laser Center.

I originally met with Dr. Kelly back in December to see if I qualified for LASIK. He is the type of doctor that if there is any chance of complication then he won't recommend it for you. Lucky for me, I was the perfect candidate and was able to do either of the procedures (LASIK or Veriseye). Dr. Kelly's staff gave me materials after my consultation and went over everything with me. While LASIK is a more invasive procedure, I felt more comfortable with it since it has been around for a much longer period and technologies have been updated to make it better.

Prepping for the procedure was very easy. In the materials I had received, I had two prescriptions (eye drops) to fill which is to be used after the procedure. I dropped those off about 10 days before my appointment since Dr. Kelly had said some pharmacies might not have the one drop in stock and they would need time to order it. Sure enough when I went to CVS they only had the one and had to order the other. Also part of the prep is not wearing contact lenses for a minimum of 5 days prior. I had my contacts out for a full 6 days. This wasn't so bad since April has been such a rainy month. I didn't have to worry about the sun bothering my eyes those few days.

During my initial consultation I was told my eyes will need to rest because they will be in protective mode and tear like crazy and I should expect discomfort. It was recommended to take a Tylenol PM after to help me just fall asleep. My appointment was set for 6pm and I brought my Advil PM with me to take after.

The procedure itself was so weird. I laid down on a table (which was almost like a dentist's chair that full reclined down) and my hair was in one of those bouffant caps. The nurse put two types of drops in my eyes. One was bacterial to cleanse my eye and the other was to numb my eye. I didn't feel any type of numbness in my eye, but when the doctor did the procedure it sure was! Dr. Kelly explained everything to me as he was completing the surgery. He put this machine with a laser in it over my face (not right in front since he needed room for his hands) that had a flashing orange light in it. We started with my left eye. He put a clamp like device in my eye to keep my eyelids open. This was uncomfortable. It wasn't painful, I just wanted it off my face. Then he used the device to slice the front flap. (There is no blood or anything like that and there is no pain because your eye is numb.) When he did this there was pressure. (Close your eye and stick your finger on your eyelid and push. This was the pressure I felt.) During this time he said I would see black. I did and then he removed the device and I saw that flashing orange light again. He pulled back the flap and started the laser up. This took several seconds to a minute. I felt absolutely nothing but saw the flashing orange light. When that was done he put the flap back over, which I thought was so weird because I could see him using these little instruments on my eye but couldn't feel a thing! He removed the clamp and tada! Done! He put a piece of black paper over my eye and went on to the next. Everything was done within a matter of minutes.

When I got up, I could actually see better, but it was as if I had a big smudge on my contact that made it foggy. I sat in a "recovery room" for a few minutes and then it was time to go. I put on the glasses they gave me and we headed home. I expected the tearing to start right away but that didn't happen until later.

We got home and I started to feel the numbness come off my eyes. It felt like pins and needles, just not as severe as when your hand falls asleep. Nothing painful, but that was the sensation I felt. I had my eyes closed most of the time because opening made them tear due to any light. I started to feel uncomfortable so I popped two Advil PM and just put my head back. I was beginning to get really uncomfortable so I went to bed. I couldn't fall asleep since I wasn't really tired and the Advil PM wasn't kicking in. Any time I opened my eyes tears would just gush out. At some point I just fell asleep. I woke up at 5:15 and my eyes were no longer tearing. You know how I knew it was 5:15? Because I could see the clock!!! I went back to sleep and woke up about 7:30.

It's amazing that I can see without anything. It feels like I slept with my contacts in. I can see very well but it's still a little foggy, not 100% clear. I go back to see Dr. Kelly today to make sure everything is okay.  Right now my eyelids are very swollen and my eyes are red. (They went through a trauma so this is expected.) I'm sure as the day goes on my eyes will feel better and my vision with become clearer. I'm so happy I finally did this procedure and recommend it to anyone that is considering it!!

Great Meal on a Cold, Rainy Night

One of my non-processed dinners of the month! It's roast chicken with carrots, red potatoes, and sweet onion. I flavored it with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, lemon zest and fresh chopped tarragon.

Friendships: What do they really mean?

Growing up, I feel as though everyone has a best friend. It could be your next door neighbor, someone from school or little league. I have thought a lot lately about the friendships I have made over the years. In my adult life, I've had a lot of people come and go. At first I was angry or upset about the outcome but realized that those people were only supposed to be part of my life for that time. I've accepted that and as my adult life developed further, I've made new friends. It's pretty much a cycle, but some people have stuck around with me for the ride.

Have you ever looked at your past relationships of those you are no longer friends with? Why aren't you friends with them anymore? For me it was that we outgrew each other, or we went in different directions or I just didn't agree with their lifestyle choices anymore. Not drama related, but if you don't have the same morales as me, I'm sorry, but I can't call you a friend.

I like to think I have a great group of friends. I have friends that I'm very close with that I talk to on a regular basis. I have my best of friends that haven't seen each other in a long time but we can pick up the phone and start talking as if we just hung up minutes earlier, and I have friends that we aren't close but I keep in touch with because it's such an enjoyment to have them in my lives. We may not talk very often or see each other at all, but knowing I can reach out to them with the push of a button or by Facebook is always great.

What is friendship to you? Is it all or nothing? Do you have a variety of friendships? I'm curious, so let me know!

Farewell Contact Lenses

For the last 18 years, I must give much thanks to my contact lenses. They've been a part of me for most of my life and I am grateful for them. Why am I saying goodbye to them? Well next Wednesday I'm finally getting LASIK. I have been wanting to do this procedure since it first came out. I cannot be more excited for it. Before the procedure I'm not supposed to wear my contact lenses for a at least 5 days before. Today is my last day in them. It's going to be weird wearing my glasses for the next few days, but being able to see the clock in the middle of the night without squinting trumps this. Ta-ta contacts! It's been great!

It's Planting Season!

Ever since I have been watching more of Food Network and Cooking Channel, I enjoy using a lot of fresh herbs to flavor my foods. Unfortunately my local supermarket doesn't always have the herbs I want or sometimes I'll forget to pick some up. But that's about to change. Now that it's warmer, the home improvement stores have their kits available. We went to Lowe's yesterday and I picked up 3 kits and extra seeds. One kit had catnip, lemon basil and mint; another had sweet basil, chives and parsley; and the other kit was cherry tomatoes. Extra seeds I bought were tarragon and cilantro.

The kit had pods that you add water to then plant the seeds. There were barely any seeds in the mint and tarragon pouches so I was only able to fill one tiny pot with them. I didn't plant the chives, catnip, parsley or lemon basil seeds. I might do the chives and parsley later on. Here are my little green houses to start the germination!

They need a lot of sunlight so I hope the sun comes out tomorrow otherwise I need to put them under a light!

Light Louisiana Gumbo - a Yummy Recipe to Share

I made this about a month ago, but wanted to share. I had found the recipe in SELF, and I have to say it's quite delicious. I'll share the recipe which you can also find here and also mention what I did differently.

 

Light Louisiana Gumbo

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 chicken sausages, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup cored, seeded and chopped green bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 15 oz diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 20 shrimp)
• 16 oz frozen sliced okra
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

PREPARATION
Sprinkle chicken with Cajun seasoning. Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Brown chicken and sausage, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic and thyme. Cook until vegetables start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp water if vegetables stick. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle flour over meat-vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, juice and broth. Simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp and okra; simmer, covered, until shrimp is cooked through and okra is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley.
THE SKINNY
276 calories per 2 cups, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 26 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 27 g protein

 

What I did differently:
I chopped up 5 long stalks of celery, 1 large green bell pepper, used one can of low sodium 99% fat free chicken broth, and I forgot to add the parsley. One thing I do recommend doing is seasoning your shrimp with the cajun seasoning. The recipe only says to season the chicken, but I feel like it needed a bit more flavor so next time I make it, I'll be adding the seasoning to the shrimp as well. It was absolutely phenomenal. And it's only 6 PointsPlus Value on Weight Watchers for 2 cups!!

April Goals and March Recap

Now that we are into our second day of April, I've had a good time to think about what goals I'd like to attain this month. I've come up with quite a few good ones that I feel fit into my new WW lifestyle as well. Before I start on April's goals, I wanted to recap how I did for March:

• Make 3 new recipes this month (I made 2, but I also made a lot of fresh marinades this month so it should count for something!)
• Finish Water for Elephants (Great book! Looking forward to the movie!)
• Go to 5 Spin Classes (I believe I made it to 7 classes!)
• Get a massage (Got this, but only because I was in pain from my shoulder through my neck. Wasn't as enjoyable as I had wanted it to be.)

My goals for April:

• Make 10 dinners without processed food - this will be tough because I use a lot of cans
• Get to the gym 21 times 
• Plant herb seedlings
• Bring my dog to the dog park everyday I have off from work, weather permitting
• Get in touch with paving stone companies for estimates