by jltitus on May 31, 2010
This weekend was a blast! It’s not often that Eric and I have Memorial weekend of, heck this is the first time in many years. It was so nice to be able to spend the day together… but also not have a heck of a lot planned. I think life gets to crazy sometimes and it’s hard to stop and pause and enjoy things. I’ve honestly been thinking about that a lot lately and how important it is to be in the moment and live life. Today in fact, I was talking with my friend Natalie’s husband, also named Eric, about the very thing. How it’s important to “go into your cave” and just “be”. I know pretty out there for me to say but as I grow older I recognize how much we’re hit with things and just “going through the motions” of life and not really living. I mean, I’m guilty of it. You know, the go to work, come home, turn on the TV, make dinner, eat, watch more TV, go to bed.. get up and do the same thing the next day. Well this weekend was really to break that cycle and just live and do things that I wanted and not feel guilty that things around the house weren’t getting done.
Friday night we went to dinner at Jenny and Jessica’s house. Those two girls are somethings else. Both are the sweetest every and Jenny is a cooking rockstar. After I finished work we headed over for some visiting, good food, and of course dessert. I have to share a super funny story though.. hope you don’t mind Jess. Ok, so we’re hanging out in the kitchen while Jenny cooks dinner and Jessica says she’s going to make dessert but she can’t remember what the dessert is called. She knows that it’s Italian and these light, fluffy cookie like things that you top with cream. We came up with all manner of Italian things.. but none were right. Then, out of the blue, Jessica says, “I know eclairs!” Without hesitation Jenny, Eric and I all looked at Jessica with “that look” that says.. “what .. are you nuts?”. Yeah, OK. we told Jessica they’re French.. not Italian. We all had a great laugh at that and in the end.. decided to head to Pix for dessert. Yummy French macaroons.
Saturday found Eric and I in our PJs, sitting on the couch, drinking the great lattes he’d made and reading our books. Yeah, ALL DAY! It was so awesome. I loved just sitting there in my PJs all day without a care in the world and enjoying my book. I have to do that more. I remember being able to do that when I was younger but I think now I just think of so many things that need to be done around the house.. or garden.. and feel guilty taking that time for me. I wish I could do a better job of switching off the type A in me because I enjoy the break and it does recharge my batteries. Between reading my book, cat naps, and having the cat sleep on me.. the day was made and not an ounce of guilt was felt. Note to self… DO THIS MORE!!!
Sunday morning we got up and did much of nothing until about 2 in the afternoon. I
figured we really need to leave the house if for no other reason that to get some air and see the outside. We ended up hitting NW 23rd with our friend Stephanie. The three of us cruised through Pottery Barn and found some great glasses for Steph. While we were there we also checked out the various couches. I really want to sell our couches and get a four seater sectional so we looked at them. This one Steph is sitting in was one of my favorites because of the colors. Of course the cost was crazy and it’s not the top priority right now but it was fun to look. Later in the day we ended up at this great Peruvian restaurant for happy hour. Oh, wow was the food great. I wish I could remember the name of the place. It’s right across from Ben and Jerry’s and down the street from Cost Plus. Eric would know. In any case.. super good food and drinks.
Today found me hanging with my friend Natalie. We hit Fabric Depot for fabric so I can finish her quilt and then of course I needed fabric for a quilt I’m working on. As like any other time.. Natalie and I found a ton of fabric we loved and some great patterns so now I have her quilt to finish, a couple of shirts for myself, a couple for Natalie and a couple dressed for her too. I love having projects to do. After Fabric Depot we headed to NW 23rd and the Crepe place for coffee and crepes. Natalie finished the sweater she made me while we were there so now I have a new sweater. It is the MOST AWESOME sweater ever. I can’t wait to wear it to work tomorrow. I’ll take a picture in the morning and try to remember to post it so you can see it. It’s green.. of course.. but it’s not just one tone.. it’s several different strands. She made the yard.. just for me so it’s a one of a kind. How special do I feel.. SUPER SPECIAL! Now I need to finish her quilt and things.
It’s been a busy weekend and yet pretty quiet. I have to say I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m ready to get back to work tomorrow. I’ve learned a lot about how to relax.. now I just need to do it with more frequency. Perhaps I’ll blog more.. journal more.. and just be.
Tagged as:
adventures,
memorial_day,
portland
by jltitus on May 5, 2010
| I guess it’s been a while. I posted that Eric and I started our own Biggest Looser but since then I’ve not posted how were doing. I’ve had a few people ask how we’re doing on it. Honestly, that surprised me. I didn’t think anyone REALLY read this blog. Maybe it helps that it’s posted on Facebook too. I don’t know.
I have to say that I am enjoying getting fit. I’m enjoying working out a bit and really liking all the cool, new recipes Eric has been trying. My goal this week is to exercise for five out of the seven days this week. It’s really the exercise part for me that’s the most difficult. OK, I LOVE sweets and that’s REALLY my weakness but exercise is too. I just find it so easy to just come home and park it on the couch and watch TV or reading.
In any case here’s the update on the weight.
I’ve lost, two weeks in a row! Weight? Yeah, a little bit. Seriously though, I’ve lost to Eric two weeks in a row.
- Week 1: Eric wins by .2%
- Week 2: Eric wins by .18%
|
|
| I suppose to most that may sound bad and a bummer, not to me. Since starting this journey I’ve lost four pounds. Not bad considering one of the weeks was my birthday and I was up in Othello for my mom’s birthday for part of it to. Did I eat well! FYI.. I make a MEAN carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (mom’s birthday request). I’ve also been exercising more, OK… I’m exercising. I’m not sure it can be more when you stopped doing it entirely. |
Tagged as:
biggest looser,
eric,
jona
by jltitus on April 23, 2010
Driving to Othello today we passed this section of windmills. When I see these in the Columbia river Gorge it makes me sad. I can appreciate the need for clean wind energy but at the same time I find it man’s invasion into nature. I love the natural beauty of the Gorge and I feel that’s being lost. Make me remember that with every innovation comes consequences. The windmills as far as the eye can see is ours.
Tagged as:
washington gorge
by jltitus on April 18, 2010
And so it begins….. Today Eric and I started our own version of “The Biggest Looser” with our first weigh in. Let me just say, I can’t believe what my weight is.. and that I’ve got about 43 pounds to loose to get to a reasonable goal weight. Eric has a similar amount of weight to loose, OK… less than me, but I won’t share his since it’s his number.
Last year at this time I was working out, loosing weight and doing Weight Watchers with a couple of friends from work. I was so proud of myself and the weight I’d lost, almost 18 pounds, that I got to a point that I thought I could really do it on my own. HA! Right! Fast forward to now and with the help of a great cook (Eric is an amazing cook!), a couple of seriously stressful events in my life, and well, winter in western Oregon, I’m back up to what I was before Weight Watchers and a little more. Can you say mad at myself. Yup! I say that.. and yet I know EXACTLY why it happened. Lack of portion control and EXERCISE. Dang, I hate EXERCISE. I almost think it should be a four letter word.. if only it had four letters. In any case, I really, really want to loose the weight this time. Not just to be a “little miss thing”, I think my time has past for that. Really I want to loose the weight to feel better and to be healthier. I come from a long line of people on my fraternal side that have had heart attacks and by-pass surgery. I don’t want to be one of those. So, it’s time to remove the weight for it never to come back again.. and thus our version of “The Biggest Looser”.
So what are we doing? Today was our weigh in day and the day we set our goal weight. Now each week we’ll weigh in and whichever has the highest percentage of weigh-loss gets $5.00 in their virtual bank account. The first to hit 10% weight-loss gets $5.00 in their virtual bank account… and so on.. until they hit their goal. Here’s the kicker though.. you cannot spend the money you have accrued until BOTH have hit their goal weight. So there’s incentive to win, but also to help the other person. I’m pretty excited and hopeful that all will go well and we’ll do really good at it. It’s going to feel great to move more and weigh less.
So here goes nothing……
Tagged as:
biggest looser,
eric,
jona,
weight
by jltitus on February 24, 2010
“Has it really been almost a month since I’ve posted anything of value to the world? I know I’ve been living life and enjoying friends and the weekend, but really.. a WHOLE month. Not good.” That’s what I thought logging on tonight to my blog and considering writing a blog post. Blogging is an interesting thing. There are so many out there; some people share their life, some proliferate information, others share their thoughts about a specific topic. My blog, well this is a place for everything in my life.
When I started blogging I did so to capture what was happening in my life so I had my journaling all done when it came time to scrapbook an event. It have moved to all sorts of locations. It has been broken apart and brought back together I don’t know how many times. I’ve often felt that I “need” to write more on my blog, like I “owe” it to the few people I know that actually read it. I mean if I want more readers and more people commenting I need to post more, right? I was thinking about this the other day and realized this. I’m a lurker. I mean, when I’m on Facebook, Twitter, etc. I lurk and read more than I comment. I know, some of you reading this find that hard to believe because I do comment in Facebook and tweet in Twitter. In thinking about being a lurker, I realized this, “I like lurking. I prefer talking to someone in person than writing to a nebulous person(s) over the web.” That said, I have to wonder how many people are lurking on my blog. Since this discovery I have accepted the fact that this blog is well.. for me. If others want to know what I’m doing, etc. then they can see it here.. but I don’t need comments or readers to feel the value of the blog. The value comes, for me, when I’m talking with someone about say.. a recipe.. and I can tell them, “Go to my blog and select recipes, you’ll find a great recipe for gnocchi.” If they go great, if not that’s OK too.
So what does this all mean? Well, I honestly don’t know. What I DO know is that I don’t feel pressure to post to my blog. I don’t feel bad when no one comments. I feel good that I can share with others and they can read it when they see fit.. or maybe not at all. It’s liberating I have to say.
Tagged as:
jona
by jltitus on February 15, 2010
Hanging out with my friend Natalie this weekend inspired me to watch more docentaries. Eric and I watched King Corn. So glad I gave up beef this year. Now I’m more deteined than ever to cut high fructose corn syrup out of my diet. Thinking I should make my own spagetti sauce out of the tomatoes in the freezer.
Tagged as:
corn,
health & nutrition
by jltitus on February 1, 2010
Just a quick post to let you know I’m still alive. This last weekend Eric and I were up in Port Angeles for a family thing. I’ll write more about it this week. I just wanted to drop a line and let you know I’m still here.
Tagged as:
jona
by jltitus on January 23, 2010
Breakfast… it’s the first meal of they day. Everyone says you should make sure to eat breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day. When I was growing up breakfast was cold cereal and milk. I didn’t mind it at the time. I mean it was sugar after all.
Breakfast has always been a hard meal for me to make sure I eat. Often breakfast has been coffee, or a bit of yogurt or maybe a banana. Nothing spectacular or great, and nothing wholesome and filling. I’ve tried to make sure to eat breakfast and eat something good for me and filling. This recipe helps meet that goal.
Since I joined WeightWatchers earlier this year (I’ve since canceled my membership) I added several WW related blogs to my Google Reader. This recipe is one of those. I love the http://www.loserforlife.com website. She’s so good about sharing how her weight-loss journey is going and sharing recipes like crazy. I love LOVE this recipe for breakfast cookies. These things are filling and also healthy. There’s almost no sugar and there’s lots of bran. Make some this weekend and enjoy each morning in the coming week. I know I will be.
Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup oat bran
¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar, unpacked
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 large banana, mashed (about 4.8 oz.)
1 egg, white
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Directions
In a large bowl, combine flour, bran, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a smaller bowl, combine banana, egg white, applesauce and vanilla.
Add banana mixture to oat mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Stir in walnuts.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop batter and place mounds on lined cookie sheet.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Makes 5 big cookies.
Notes:
Nutritional Facts: Serving size: 1 cookie. 181 calories, 5 grams fat, 5.1 grams fiber and 5.7 grams protein.
Tagged as:
breakfast,
cookies,
oat bran,
whole wheat
by jltitus on January 21, 2010
The quest to go vegetarian is in full swing. Honestly, I’m pretty proud of myself and surprised. I’m not one to just cut out something I eat. I LOVE food. When I started the year I wanted to eat more vegetables and less meat because I ate too much meat before. Vegetables have always been something hard for me to remember to get enough. My mom’s version of veggies was the can of sweet corn heated in the microwave next to anything that potatoes didn’t go well with. (Sorry mom.) Maybe I exaggerate but, honestly that’s what I remember most about veggies growing up. Now I’m getting better at eating them, enjoying them, and being more adventurous. This year has been great so far. I feel better. I’m loosing weight, and I feel better. I’m not suggesting that vegetarianism (OK, I’m lacto-ovo) but for me, at this time, it’s working.
Last week I picked up the January Vegetarian Times magazine. They had this great recipe for sweet potatoes. I LOVE sweet potatoes. I thought I’d give it a try and cook it for Eric. Although I don’t have a picture I have to say this was SUPER tasty and fast to make. One thing I really like is that you can freeze the dish and cook it later. I’m thinking I’m going to make some and stick it in the freezer this weekend. It’s always nice to have some “emergency” meal ready to go. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as Eric and I did.
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Vegetarian Times magazine – January 2010 issue
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
¼ cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
Filling
1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup leek, white part thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 cup turnips, diced
½ cup carrot, diced
3 sprigs thyme, fresh chopped
1 sprig rosemary, fresh chopped
¼ cup white wine or water
15 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 375′F.
To make Sweet Potato Topping:
1. Bring large poi of water to a boil.
2. Add sweet potato, cover, and boil 10 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain, and return to pot.
4. Mash with milk, margarine, cinnamon, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Set aside.
To make Filling:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and leek, and saute 5 to 6 minutes, or until leek is soft.
3. Add turnips, carrot, thyme, and rosemary; cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until carrot begins to soften.
4. Add wine, and cook 30 seconds to deglaze pan.
5. Stir in beans and broth. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until carrots and turnips are soft. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
6. Remove thyme sprigs from Filling, and discard. Pour Filling into 2- or 3-qt. casserole dish. Spread Sweet Potato Topping over Filling. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.
7. Place casserole on baking pan. Bake 30 minutes, or until filling bubbles and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes:
Frozen cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 375′F. Cover casserole, and place on baking sheet. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until filling bubbles and top is golden. Remove foil during last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Nutritional notes:
According to the magazine article the PER 1-CUP SERVING 129 CAL, 4 G PROT; 3 GTOTAL FAT ; 5GFIBER; 5G SUGAR.
Tagged as:
main dish,
sweet potatoes,
vegetarian
by jltitus on January 9, 2010
Last year my mom and I went to Victoria B.C. for our birthdays. We stayed in the best bed & breakfast ever while we were there, Abbeymoore Manor. Let me just say Anne and Ian, the innkeepers were so gracious and nice. If you EVER plan to go to Victoria you’d got to stay at Abbeymoore Manor. Anne and Ian made us feel so welcome and were super helpful when we need to find good restaurants to eat at or things to do. One of the best things about the Abbeymooore were the breakfasts. Each morning we would head to the cute dinning room to eat. The food was beyond amazing! We had quiches, yummy yogurt, cherries and muesli. Not to mention muffins, omelets, fritters.. and these WONDERFUL cranberry-orange scones.
These scones are the most amazing things ever. I mean around here when you order a scone it’s usually a rock-hard, dry, sometime flavorless mess. This recipe is NOT like that at all.
These scones are light, fluffy, flaky, yummy, goodness. I do have a couple tips for you. The key to this recipe, I think, is the cold butter. After I put in the cranberries, I stick the mixture in the frig for about 10 minutes. I can’t stress enough you important it is to not overwork your dough. The more you knead it, mash it, etc.. the tougher the scone.
Cranberry-Orange Scones
3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chilled buttermilk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into large bowl.
- Mix in orange peel. Add butter and blend with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Mix in dried cranberries.
- Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface.
- Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns.
- Form dough into 1-inch-thick round.
- Cut into circles and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheet and serve scones warm or at room temperature.
Makes about 10 to 12 depending on thickness and size
Tagged as:
cranberry,
orange,
scones
Friday night we went to dinner at Jenny and Jessica’s house. Those two girls are somethings else. Both are the sweetest every and Jenny is a cooking rockstar. After I finished work we headed over for some visiting, good food, and of course dessert. I have to share a super funny story though.. hope you don’t mind Jess. Ok, so we’re hanging out in the kitchen while Jenny cooks dinner and Jessica says she’s going to make dessert but she can’t remember what the dessert is called. She knows that it’s Italian and these light, fluffy cookie like things that you top with cream. We came up with all manner of Italian things.. but none were right. Then, out of the blue, Jessica says, “I know eclairs!” Without hesitation Jenny, Eric and I all looked at Jessica with “that look” that says.. “what .. are you nuts?”. Yeah, OK. we told Jessica they’re French.. not Italian. We all had a great laugh at that and in the end.. decided to head to Pix for dessert. Yummy French macaroons.
