Feeling Good Monday-Spring Motivation

      Well, I’ve definitely ebbed and flowed with my 2021 health and wellness plan. Still no working scale, so not sure if I’ve lost, gained, or stayed the same. Nothing dramatic in pictures since February 1 when I posted my starting place. I feel a bit less weighty, if that makes sense. All my clothes fit (the ones I wear) and my favorite jeans after a day or two if wear almost slide off. I think that’s just the fabric response, but good motivation even if not real. I truly have no excuses to not fit in extra walks. The dog needs them, I need them. My daughter has a lot of good equipment that I can  borrow a ther house to add more strength with the extra walking. She and I are thinking of sharing a CSA for produce. She did a misfit produce box, and made good use, but was too big and she gave us lettuce and celery. More fresh foods and produce, plus walking seems like a natural spring fitness boost. My son, when we spoke (See below), was encouraging me to do more planks, for arm, abdominal, and leg strength, but not hard on my joints. He's my "hippy yoga guru" as DD2 when she was little,  used to refer to people that practiced yoga. 

     Now that it’s truly spring, don’t say the “S” word,I’m noticing how listless my skin appears coming out of winter. I won’t even say anything about the neck. I hate the smell of self tanners, most anyway, but have recently learned through YouTube that ones exist that are nice smelling and light, and just give a kiss of sun, rather than the flaky orange look. Research is needed, and happy to take recommendations. It must work well with SPF as I swear by sun protection. Judging from the wrinkles starting, perhaps I should have swore harder. 

     DD2 heads back to school after lunch. I’ll be sad to see her pull out of the driveway but she’ll be home in four weeks. I helped her with heaps of life admin last night and later we had a long call with DS in California. He had spent the day hiking with friends and let us know once home. He was pleased DH and I got first doses. His take was that once the J and J version is readily available, tv and film studios will hold massive vaccination events and get productions that have been delayed rolling fast. I hope so. The little work he has is keeping him mentally ok, but he thrives when busy. All my kids do. 

     I’ll sprinkle recaps of staycation week in the rest of my posts but nothing exciting. That’s fine with me. I had time with my kids, in person and phone, and that recharged. It’s already 70 at 9:59 a.m. and you can’t get better than a cup of coffee, a dog, and April sunshine in the morning.

Go To Breakfast Update

Thank you for the suggestions via the comments or by e-mail for quick grab and go breakfasts with staying power. I feel fuller already! I hard boiled eggs yesterday, portioned out peanut butter for apples or bananas, and made a batch of breakfast bars.The recipe I linked to on Sunday of course as I always do, was modified to what I had on hand, and to my own taste preferences. I wouldn't say the bars are delicious, but they are as good, if not better than store bought breakfast biscuits, and even passed the teenager test-in small amounts. My version has no protein powder, wheat germ, or flax seed, but I will give the pure recipe a try after I next go to the coop and purchase bulk of these items. I compensated with an extra 1/2 cup of oats. They were on the dry side, so suggest a beverage be handy. 

2 Cups Quick oats
2 tsp cinnamon (I doubled as I love cinnamon)
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas (Mine were frozen and on the small side.  I suggest using average to larger for more moistness)
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
another 1/4 peanut butter or more to taste
 Mix dry ingredients, set aside while mashing bananas then mixing in peanut butter, honey, and  vanilla.  Add to dry and mix together well.  Press in an 8" by 8" pan, lined with foil, then sprayed with baking spray, leaving foil to hang over edge. Bake 20 minutes at $375.  Take out, spread with the remaining peanut butter, and bake another 10 minutes.  Lift out with foil then cool completely.  

I cut mine in 8 bars, though the recipe I saw made 12, which in hind sight, was probably right.  They are filling. After sampling, I have four left for grab and go. These were cheap to make-my way, perhaps $1.50 for the pan. I saw Belvita soft breakfast biscuits were  $2.98 for five. Mine took less than five minutes to measure, mix, and put in the oven, and then another five perhaps to spread additional peanut butter, and then to later cut and wrap after cooling. Mine have 7 ingredients, and their label goes on and on with many ingredients I can't pronounce. I'll concede that I used Skippy peanut butter, and not an all natural because we had several jars on hand. Admittedly, Skippy has a long list of "stuff" beyond peanuts. I use Belvita as the comparison because I genuinely do like them, and have bought them to keep in my desk or in the glove box, so a realistic comparison. 

My camera was not cooperating, but they looked pretty much the same as the recipe photo, perhaps a bit darker because I doubled the cinnamon.The verdict, I would make these again. I and the girls liked them enough to include in a breakfast rotation, and they were super easy.  I'll give the real recipe a try and see if the added ingredients and expenses are worth it. 

Photo-allrecipes.com

Because Coffee Alone is Not Enough

One of my first waking thoughts is, coffee. The Tom Hanks line in You've Got Mail, describing coffee as "legally addictive stimulants" is apropo. After cutting back significantly about a year ago with my job change, and the free coffee pot always on, the morning craving, dare I even say need for a fix, has increased. Forget that decaffeinated stuff, and people should not even try to fool me. I know by taste and the lack of jolt my body experiences. As I get older though, and know my food and beverage choices need to improve, coffee is not enough to keep my energy and brain waves up until lunch time. I still struggle though with eating breakfast, unless it is a later big breakfast, eaten slow and leisurely, several hours after I am up. Those breakfasts I love-bring it on. 

I've been experimenting with different options that I can eat first thing sitting at my desk, or in the car on my commute, late enough from when I first wake up and don't feel like eating something, but early enough that I will keep my blood sugars in check. As part of my schedule, I don't take a regular lunch break so I can spend fewer hours in the office, and get my 10th day work day in the pay period off. Lunch is eaten at my desk while reviewing reports or returning e-mails, or taken along to a working lunch meeting, and can be any where from 11:30-2:30. 

A few of my standbys for a portable and speedy breakfast include peanut butter sandwich, or toast on multi grain bread, scrambled egg and cheese wrapped in a tortilla, wrapped tightly to keep warm, a couple granola bars, or dry cereal in a baggie or small container. If I think about it and we have them, I'll throw a banana in my bag as well. The worst of these options, and the easiest is the granola bar. They have low staying power, are high in calories for what you actually eat, and loaded with sugar. The cereal is second worst-lower calories and sugar, but almost no staying power. I'd like to take a stab at making my own breakfast bar,  loaded with fiber and protein and less sugar. We're braving the elements today and meeting friends for lunch and to watch the game. One friend is the not quite paleo friend, that has given up grains and sugar. I' going to pick her brain for ideas.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/231925/high-fiber-high-protein-breakfast-bars/

I came across the following web site searching for some recipes;. High Fiber High Protein Breakfast Bars. The reviews are mixed, but they look like something I would like, and while it says 12 servings at 169 calories, I think for a grown up breakfast, I'd make a bit bigger, and cut the pan into eighths, making them about 250 calories. I could freeze, and stretch to two a week for variety, only making them once a month unless the family likes them, then more frequently.  Anyone out there have a good recipe, or good ideas on grab and go breakfasts that stand up to your mornings?

Souper Sunday: Cheating

We really like home made soup in our house, but sometimes time and energy is just a little short to prep and work through all the stages needed for some soups.  I have a confession-I keep Bear Creek dehydrated soup mixes on hand for just such times.  There are other brands, but my family likes this one quite a bit, particularly the creamy wild rice. To homemade it up a bit, I throw in a quickly diced celery stalk, perhaps a can or a few fresh sliced mushrooms, and some leftover chicken, ham, or bacon bits.  I know these are not the most  nutritious soups, and the sodium, content is 40% RDA for a 1 cup serving, so we try and keep any accompaniments very fresh and salt free, such as a loaf of crusty bread and some fresh fruit. We stock up when they go on sale, often at $3.00 or less and usually do not make more than once per month.  The package will make 8 one cup servings, so plenty plus leftover lunch for my small family.  It is not as tasty as home made varieties I have had, but considering you can get this started on the stove and to the table in 30 minutes, with relatively little watch time as most is the simmering, this is a convenience food that will stick around my pantry.  I'll be making plenty of  true home made soups this winter, but I doubt I'll attempt wild rice.

While purging my guilt with this confession, I wanted to share an interesting website I discovered that can help, or terrify, the person with kitchen duty in being more aware of what is being served when using various ingredients. Foodfacts.com is a handy, if not frightening, site where a person simply types in the product in the search bar and up will come a report on the ingredients and  brief summary of the nutritional benefits and weaknesses of the product. The report grades the food product as well. The ingredients come up color coded for controversial and non-controversial, and also red indicators for "avoiding" certain food traits.  I hate to admit the soup I will be serving my family gets an "F" at Foodfacts, but so does virtually every other variety of wild rice soup, including those at restaurants such as Panera.  As scary as it is, I think knowing what you are eating, helps you decide how to serve food around it. Sometimes the need for a warm comforting meal, even when time is a factor, overrules fresh and organic, particularly when it is waiting and ready to be prepared from your pantry.

Still, just as restaurants are being legally driven to provide nutritional details on wrappers and placemats, it is good to have a source to get the information a person may want.  Everyone knows McDonalds food eaten as a sole diet is not going to be good for you, but knowing the difference between  a Big Mac and a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, might be enough to alter a choice, or skip altogether and just get a single hamburger with a yogurt and apple slices. I'm not a nutritionist, but I did manage a government funded nutrition program contract for several years, so I can't plead complete ignorance on my food choices. With tools like Foodfacts and nutrition labels out in the open, it should make us more informed consumers.  Whether it changes behaviors is a discussion for another day.