veggies!

One of the things I love about living in the new house is that my neighbors four houses down grow their own veggies and set up a form stand on the weekends.   They have their own green houses and a big garden.  If you're ever up this way check them out.  Here's a link to their website:  Atkins Barnes Farm and Homestead.  And here's a link to their Facebook page:  Atkins Barnes Farm and Homestead.

I'm not big on veggies and neither is Bob.  I always have good intentions when I buy veggies.  (The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, right?)  I see them in the store and it makes me want to go home, whip out all the pots and pans, drizzle olive oil everywhere, and start cooking my heart out. While pushing my cart I have visions of gorgeous veggies transformed into delicious dishes that we just can't get enough of.  (This is especially true at Whole Foods.  Their produce section is a food porn addict's fantasy with all those bright, gleaming veggies!) But the reality is this:  I get way too ambitious.  I buy too many varieties, I bring them home, wash them, and they sit in the fridge or on the counter until I'm forced to either cook them all or throw them away.  Every time I walk in the kitchen or open the fridge I see them sitting there, just waiting for me to do something with them.  I then proceed to get what I went in there for while trying not to make eye contact with the peppers or broccoli, then close the fridge and go about my business, as if the veggies didn't exist.  It's a sad existence for them, really, and they'd be better off going home with someone else.

Well, now that I have a farm stand four houses down from me, I can buy just a little to try and not feel like I have to make the most of my shopping trip.  And the bonus is getting to know my neighbors and seeing their old house; it was built in 1730, which is five years old than ours.  Also, the samples.  Oh, the yummy samples.   This morning it was grilled cheese and Swiss chard on ciabatta bread.  Last week it was Swiss chard with chorizo sausage on mini toasts and a few other things.

This is what I bought this morning and it only cost me $5.00.  Lettuce, 2 heirloom tomatoes, 4 shallots, garlic, and a cucumber.  I'm a raw tomato hater so I'll need to figure out what to use them for.  I'm thinking of stuffing them and then baking them.  Anyone have any other ideas?

turkey medallions with carrots and rice

This was last night's dinner.  Turkey medallions wrapped in bacon (from Aldi), fresh carrots, and beef flavored Rice-a-Roni.  I know, it should have been chicken flavored, but that's what I had in the house.

I've never been a big fan of these turkey medallions.  Even though they're wrapped in bacon, I always found them a bit bland.  But I guess turkey is naturally bland anyway. I decided to sprinkle some of my Borsari Seasoned Salt on them before putting them on the grill.  That made all the difference!  So much better.

I added some fresh carrots, which I steamed in the microwave, and made some Rice-a-Roni.  I've really missed Rice-a-Roni so it was nice to have a few bites.

I finished most of the plate.  If I had to guess, I'd say the turkey was about 3 ounces cooked.

crystal light liquid

As a bariatric surgery patient, I need to drink a lot of water and plain water gets pretty boring. I'm always looking for new sugar free drink mixes.

Everyone seems to rave about liquid flavorings like Mio and others, so I decided to try some. I bought the Crystal Light brand, Strawberry Lemonade flavor. No particular reason other than that's what was in the store I was at.

I don't see what the fuss it about, other than the convenience of flavoring one glass or bottle of water at a time.  I found it difficult to find the right amount of flavoring to add. First time I underestimated.  Then I overestimated the second time and it was very sweet. Third time seemed ok, but it's tough to get it right and make it consistent. The flavor was pretty good once I got it right, though.

I probably wouldn't buy this again. Not the particular brand, but liquid flavoring in general.

stuffed pepper soup

This was Bob's dinner the other night.  I'm not a fan of stuffed peppers, so I refrained from eating it.  He said it was good, but it didn't taste too much like stuffed peppers.

I'm thinking next time I'll add a mix of sausage and ground beef, and maybe used the canned diced tomatoes that have onion and garlic added.  I might also replace the water with beef broth.  Finally, I think I would make sure the beef it very lean.  We used 85% lean and it was kind of greasy on top.  I had to skim the grease.  However, it could be that we didn't drain the cooked beef well enough.

It was really easy to make and took about an hour from start to finish.

I got the recipe from Taste of Home.  Find it here:  Stuffed Pepper Soup.

tbt: looking back, while moving forward

Here it is.  The shocking picture I promised earlier in the week.  But first, let's look at where I started.

Bermuda, September, 2013.  Almost couldn't find a life vest to fit me.

Bermuda, September, 2013

At my cousin's house in PA.  December, 2013.. Two weeks before surgery.

And here I am now.  Down 125 pounds.  I can fit my body into one pant leg.  (Note:  These are denim, not stretchy leggings.)  Amazing!

another amazing sunset

This is what I get to see almost every night at the new house.  I just love it.  I feel good in my skin in this house.  Know the feeling?

breakfast pizza

I think I'm finally feeling a little more settled in the house.  That means I'll be cooking more, especially breakfast on the weekends.  I've missed that.

Yesterday I made a breakfast pizza.  It's just a small flour tortilla, one scrambled egg, a crumbled Morning Star Farms Hot & Spicy Veggie Sausage Patty, and a slice of pepper jack cheese.  I put it in the toaster oven and voila!

It was yummy, but still can't finish the whole thing.  Close, though.

updated stats!

I'm now down 124 pounds!  So, this makes my current weight....yes, I'm gonna do it!...drum roll please...

219

That's less than I weighed when I was 16 and I'm now 39.

If you're trying to do the math, yes, I started at 343.

Three pounds lost in the last couple weeks is not bad considering the crappy diet I've been eating, plus the house warming party I had last weekend.  Guess I worked it all off trying to get ready for the party.

It's time to go through all my clothes again since my size 18 capris are getting loose.  Plus, I realized I have no winter clothes.  None.  At all.  Just a down parka.  Can't wear just that, though.  I mean, I guess I could if I were living in a nudist colony and it was winter time.  I do have snow boots and warm gloves...

hot and spicy!

I bought this trail mix at Staples yesterday. I'm a sucker for the snacks they have near the registers. Actually,  I'm a sucker for any container that says "trail mix." I just can't resist.

This mix is a combination of toasted corn, peanuts, sesame sticks, chili rice crackers,  chili lemon sticks, and pumpkin seeds. It's all covered in a spicy kind of southwest seasoning. I don't know what brand it is since there's nothing on the package.  The nutritional info isn't too bad:  1/2 cup contains 150 calories, 9g fat, 14g carbs, and 5g protein.

I really liked this. I will warn you that it's very spicy and hot! If you can't handle hot salsa, you won't be able to handle this.

caramel apple pie for breakfast

I had to make a yogurt run last night. I ran out last week and, boy, have I missed having it for breakfast.  Never thought I'd say that. All week I ate letlftover cheese and crackers. Boring and just not right.

Dannon came out with a limited edition Greek yogurt flavor: Caramel Apple Pie.  I'm not much of a caramel apple fan so I almost didn't buy it, but then I said what the heck, might as well try it. Besides, the Stop and Shop near me didn't have much variety. I noticed Oikos had a pumpkin spice flavor, but the calories were double and so was the sugar. No, thanks!

This was delicious.  Tasted just like caramel apple pie. It had chunks of apple, too. My only complaint is that it wasn't as thick as their other Greek yogurt flavors. It was more like their regular yogurts.

I added peanuts, of course. Just can't eat yogurt without something mixed in. I guess it makes me feel like I'm eating something a little more substantial.