Saturday, May 7, 2016

May 7th, 2016 The Spice of Life

May 7th, 2016 The Spice of Life

I slept-in this morning until I was done. It felt great. I made the first part of this day a nice and relaxing rest kind of day.

I got creative in the kitchen at breakfast and lunch, too! OMGoodness--the sugar free/flour free sprouted grain Ezekiel toast with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and sugar free all-fruit spread instantly became a favorite. Why didn't I think of this before? The lunch creation was equally exciting for me--I experimented using 60 calorie Joseph's oat bran/flax seed (also sugar free) pitas with leftover fajita chicken and zucchini with mozzarella inside, rolled up like enchiladas and topped with more mozzarella and a sour cream sauce made from fat-free evaporated milk, one ounce 1/3 less fat cream cheese and 15g sour cream.

Joy Bauer inspired both of these kitchen experiments. These aren't in her book, but the sauce was a variation of the alfredo sauce recipe of hers. Had I not made it before, I wouldn't have had those ingredients on hand. Same with the 1/3 less fat cream cheese--I still had some left over from the alfredo dish I made a couple weeks ago. I'm looking forward to trying more of Joy's recipes from her book From Junk Food To Joy Food, for sure! The big deal for me is how her influence has certainly inspired me to try new things and expand my on-plan options. As they say, variety is the spice of life!

Helen, a loyal reader, had a question about my coffee:
"I have a question for you. I know you drink your coffee with cream but in the olden days did you take it with sugar or sweetener. I drink coffee with sugar twin and half and half. I know sugar twin isn't good. I would love to give it up. Thanks for listening."

My reply:
"Helen, here's the complete history of my coffee choices! In the olden days I used straight sugar and plain non-dairy creamer (the powder stuff) OR Liquid French Vanilla--full sugar--creamer. 

 During my initial weight loss from 505 to 230, I used the plain non-dairy creamer without sugar--instead, I used Splenda. 

 During relapse/regain of 164 pounds, I went back to using non-dairy creamer with straight sugar (and lots of it). 

 Upon embarking on the turnaround from relapse/regain, I started out using a variety of sugar-free non dairy creamers--the powdered kind from Coffee-Mate--and most usually the hazelnut kind. 

 Then--at some point--after careful consideration, I decided it was time to move away from the chemicals of the Coffee-Mate powder and use pure half & half... not the fat-free kind (often loaded with extra hard to pronounce things)--the straight half milk-half cream--real half&half. It took a while to get used to the absence of the artificial sweetness--but after a few weeks, I was fine with it--and now, it's just how I prefer it... 

 Funny you mention this topic--- lately I've been considering a switch to skim milk instead of half & half--or 2% milk... Simply because on heavy coffee days, I'm investing too many calories, in my opinion, on half & half. I'm still not completely there yet, on that decision, but almost."

Helen, when you're ready to let it (the sugar-twin) go, it might take some adjusting, but I bet you'll quickly develop your new preferred way!

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I was the emcee of a big fundraising event tonight. Positive Impact Oklahoma's Heroes For Autism Ball attracted a big turnout. My initial plan was to purchase a meal from the restaurant down the hallway from the ballroom--a sirloin and asparagus, most likely--but my plans changed when I realized the emcee duties were rather busy and involved and when I noticed several things I could make work from the buffet line (including fried mushroom!!-a favorite!), I decided on a holdover until I could get home and eat something else, later. I didn't necessarily plan on it being as late as it was, but all is well. Instead of cooking late, I whipped up a big portion of my homemade guacamole using a really big avocado and some organic blue corn tortilla chips.

My workout plans today was initially a trip to the YMCA or the other gym I belong to, for a great cardio session before tonight's event. Instead, I decided to postpone until after the event--but then it was much later than I anticipated. On the way home I realized how I had been in constant motion for five hours, so I embraced the idea that this high activity level constituted a workout. I can hit the gym tomorrow.

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Working with my friend Wade Tower was a fantastic thing. He and I did a gig together last December and when the opportunity came up for this, I knew he was once again, a perfect fit. He's an exceptionally gifted singer and hilariously talented comedian. You can visit his website to learn more about Wade at www.wadetower.com

My plans to spend Mother's Day in Stillwater are in limbo at the moment until I get the latest forecast tomorrow, midday. If we get the severe storms we're expecting, I'll be at the studio, on the air for coverage, instead of in Stillwater with mom. If that happens, we'll pick another special day just for her.

It's been an amazing day for several reasons. I can proudly say: I tried new things in the kitchen, I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar, I exceeded my daily water goal by 48oz and I definitely had a workout--maybe not intentional, at the gym--but it was a workout, for sure!

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:












































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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4 comments:

  1. WWSuziMay 8, 2016 at 8:49 AM

    I absolutely love Ezekiel bread. Their english muffins are also great, very filling so I usually just eat half :)
    Loving your choices. You're doing great!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. KatMay 8, 2016 at 10:12 AM

    I'm going to make that enchilada sauce! That looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KarenMay 8, 2016 at 10:13 AM

    I love your coffee history. I can vouch for it Helen. When you are ready to give up or taper off the chemicals, that black coffee or coffee with coconut milk or a bit of coconut oil tastes grand. (now strict dairy free)I found that when I was easing off the blue packets- Equal , I found really high grade coffee like Starbucks or locally roasted coffee tastes wonderful.

    Brewing by a coffee press or a coffee pour over (cone filter, let it drip over your coffee cup) or an areopress to be the least bitter.

    My coffee history is very much like yours Sean... evolution.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GraceMay 12, 2016 at 10:52 PM

    Don't give up your half and half in your coffee. The first cup of the day is important to have all the joy that's associated with it. Skim milk cheapens the experience and doesn't give the same satisfaction as half and half. Plus you are really not saving that many calories.

    ReplyDelete

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