Still more coffee talk

Ok still drinking my coffee and contemplating the world..About Margaret Cho who is on Ricki Lake right now.. She is such a liberal mouthpiece I want to hate her..but then I watch her for a few minutes and she has all these great things to say about things that I think about all the live long day...and I am all ohhhhhhh she sounds like ME... and  I kinda LIKE her . and then she makes some stupid canned liberal comment and then I am done with her.:) Cannot decide... Humans are complex creatures:)!!!

Yay for Love!!

There was a mass Gay marriage ceremony in Bloomington IN this week. I say YAY!! And <3

Now...90% of the couples participating in this ceremony would probably HATE me over MOST of my other political opinions..but I am really happy  to see these things happening in our crimson little state, 

Fighting to keep something GOOD from happening(marriage) makes no sense to me in a world full of bad.

(And seriously.. one of the things I hear conservatives say about homosexual people ALL the time is that they are "so promiscuous"..soooo preventing them from making moral ethical  legal  monogamous commitments is the solution ???)

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on homosexuality and everything else.However making it your life's work to prevent others from getting married because you don't think they should.seems really petty in the face of all the things you COULD be fighting in the world. 

To ME..this seems like such a small battle to choose.

There are tons of things I don't like in the world .. and I just don't surround myself with those things or I discuss and debate.. 

  I don't walk around declaring that everything I don't like should be BANNED:) Cause REALLY.. if THAT is how it worked....watch out world!!!

Banning stuff is dangerous... cause eventually it gets around to YOU.. 

Anyway.. Yay red state!! 

Love is a GOOD things to promote!!

DR Oz dinner

This is my Yay me super healthy dinner. 

We eat this about twice a week... sometimes three if I make it for lunch.

Well.... by WE I mean ME..... cause Soldier man will not ingest a fish that has not been egged.. rolled in bread.. and fried.

So I.. eat  this a couple nights a week and it is super easy SUPER healthy and cancels any cheeseburger or burrito I MAY or may not have eaten in that week!!:)

I call it Dr OZ dinner because it uses a whole bunch of the  foods and spices that DR OZ is always going on about:) Almost because there are no chia seeds...although I guess you could throw some on top!!

Anyway...

You Need..

The Meat:
2 Wild Salmon Fillets. I like wild salmon cause it is more like meat..you can use whatever kind you like

The Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice 
2 T chopped fresh ginger
2 T chopped fresh garlic
1 T dill
1/2 T tumeric
1/2 T black pepper
1/2 t red pepper
1/2 t sea salt


The sides
4 cups fresh spinach
3 T chopped garlic
1/4 onion chopped very fine
1 T chopped almonds(or walnuts or pine nuts or whatever:))
1/2 t olive oil

1/2 Avocado

1/2 cups cherry tomatos


Sooo..place the salmon in a big ziplock..combine the marinade ingriedients..wisk. and addd to bag.Marinate for 2-4 hours or overnight if you have the time.

Place the salmon in a baking dish cover with lid or foil and bake for 12 minutes (until it flakes easily with a fork)

While the fish is baking... sautee the garlic and onion in the olive oil.Add the nuts.Add the spinach and cook until just wilted.Stir it around to coat.

The avocado needs nothing but slicing:) Ditto on the tomatoes

And that is IT. Healthy...  low carb... low cal... full of vitamins and minerals and stuff:)Full of foods that help and heal! And enough tatse and quality to make you wonder why you  would WANT to even bother with a lean cuisine:)

When I say my aim is 80/20..this is a staple of my 80%:) 

We are trying  to make weeknight meals like this so that the splurges and indulgences(the 20%) balance out:) 

 And the further we go on this journey the LESS complicated it gets!! It is really NOT that hard to eat well!! Especially if you use your crock pot..prep ahead... or cook a few meals at a time to freeze. 

A very wise  Ms Shelli Adams , who has given me many really good food ideas...once told me that having food READY at home helped her to NOT stop for junk!! And she is right!!

If you know there is something good waiting for you you MIGHT forgo the Chick fil A: D!!!

Soooo get cooking.... and Happy Eating!!

(P.S,,I use this marinade for chicken as well!!)

(PPS.And I have no pic:)Cause I was hungry and I ate the dinner before I took a pic of it!!!)

Snowy Day Cookery

This snowy cold  stillkindofsicky afternoon inspired stuffed peppers...:)

This is a low carb version and super easy! 

This recipe makes 7-8 depending how you stuff them .

These freeze very well 

and are enough for 

3 meals and a lunch  for soldier man and I.. 

2 or 3 meals  if you are feeding a kid or two:)

1 # Ground beef(could use anything lean) 

7-8  Green Red Yellow or  Orange Peppers

3 small onions 

2 cans of tomatoes with Italian spices and 

2 shredded carrots and 

1 shredded zucchini 

1 egg 

1/4 cup milk, 

1 tbsp minced garlic 

1/4 tsp each turmeric,parsley,oregano,and basil and oregano

1/3  cup Parmesan.

Boil the peppers for 3 minutes 

Pour one can of tomatoes on the bottom of baking dish and arrange peppers.

Mix all the other ingredients and fill peppers .

Bake covered for 1 hour

Remove the cover  and sprinkle with cheese( I am using mozzarella)

Bake 10 more minutes until cheese melts

TADA!! 

Also super cheap because I got the beef and the peppers on sale($6.50 for the beef and peppers and  I used staples I always have on hand.)

*You can add a little rice in (1/4 cup) without skyrocketing the carbs.

*You can also do these in the Crock pot..

Do not boil the peppers, Set it up in the crock and cook on low 8-9 hours

A

And this was Mr. Picky Pants taking the meat out and turning his nose up at the peppers!!

Cancelled

I have informed Soldier man that today is cancelled.It's  freezing cold out and I still have the plague in the form of willnotgoaway chest congestion..after being rudely awakened at 8 freakingthirty(a fate I only succumbed to cause there were pancakes involved!)I have taken to the red couch,, retreated under the blue comforter with Vicks... the heating pad,, delicious coffee,, the clicker...and of course... pinky tuscadero... my dell top bff...I am staying here all day.While I am planning on subjecting my darling hubs to some lifetime television and there will be dozing ... be warned there my also be ranting..cause...my soapbox is here too!!:)

Happy Fatness

So I just came across this article about recent studies showing that people can be overweight or obese and healthy .I heard about these findings a few months ago and filed it under "Dear Brain.. please remember to look into this later". And forgot:)

 (http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/05/can-you-be-fat-and-fit-or-thin-and-unhealthy/)

I approve:). As a happy fat person... of course I would be all over a scientific study that supports my felling  that one CAN in fact be the dreaded F word AND happy and (gasp) even PRETTY and smart and  (OMG)HEALTHY and in general have a great life:)

I  want to STRESS VERY STRONGLY that the results in this study are based on fat people who lived a fairly healthy lifestyle that included regular exercise and generally healthy eating habits.The premise of the article is that people CAN be obese and healthy. And alternately that people can be thin and unhealthy.Weight is not perhaps, the be all and end all we thought.The article suggests that exercise and good eating habits carry more weight(hehehe)than just the number on the scale.

No one on the planet is seriously  advocating sitting around eating a box of donuts and 3 pizzas a day and never moving.Healthy habits do make a difference for most people.Some people ARE outside healthy weight ranges because of an unhealthy lifestyle. However there are people who  DO live a healthy lifestyle outside of the approved weight box

I believe this is a possibility.. even a fact.Some people are naturally thin, some tend to fat.. and some level out in the middle.I believe that aspiring to health is important.. but that in our culture we have narrowed the definition of health too much.There are people I know who drink Pepsi and eat cheeseburgers everyday and never get even close to fat.And SOME of them have atrocious levels of cholesterol and , high blood pressure and off the charts sugar levels. All the things we associate with being fat. Without a single extra pound..Alternately,I know girls who  live on rabbit food and diet soda, and gain weight just breathing in taco fumes.I know plenty of people our society would call fat without fat diseases. Health is not a one size mumu.I do not believe that there is a uniform calories in calories out formula or set of health numbers that fits all of us.We all have different bodies and different characteristics, so why should we not have different levels of metabolic success:D?

In addition I think that we too often confuse health with physical ideals.I hear young girls all the time say that they wish they were "in shape" like such and such super model.I think that there is no one in LESS "shape" than a women who denies herself food and exists on cigarettes, coffee, and other nefarious stimulants.. Of course I TRY to refrain from telling them so.. cause as a grown up woman with 50 extra pounds on her.. I have ZILCH credibility there:)They WILL decline to believe me.

But it is NOT just 14 year old girls. We all subscribe to environmental  standards of beauty which is fine.. I have nothing against pretty stuff.. all cultures have ideas of what is beautiful .. but those ideals are NOT really good indicators of health.On both sides sometimes:)

I was ENTHRALLED this year during the Olympics at some of the women competing. I was seriously praying that the young chickies of America were paying attention.I was so excited to see women competing that looked like real strong healthy FIT  women.Women whose big thighs and  proportionally wide hips, and sometimes lack of ta tas might have been summarily rejected by modeling agents everywhere... but  in reality added up to strength and grace and health. Women with perfectly imperfect bodies by Vouge standards... but totally perfect by the standards of health and wellness and strength.

No such luck though.I heard and read many conversations saying things like "OMG that chick was way to fat to be in a swimsuit on TV,,"OMG did you SEE her legs???" "HELLO birthing hips twelve o clock""etc etc.About super fit athletes who  probaby train daily and live pretty healthy lifestyles.Sigh. And SIGH.

Anyway..digress...

The point of today's' musings is I am encouraged to see the definition of "healthy expanding".So to speak:D....
 .
HOWEVER,,, all of that  being said.... let me say.. I am in no way a "fat advocate" as we think of that term.

I do not wish you all to become fat.

I do not run around declaring all of us should be fat.

I have a wide range of lovely  girlfriends.. some fat... some medium... and some thin..Heart them all and celebrate their gorgeousness.

If you are not fat, I do not think you are a junky  hateful shallow person nor do I assume you hate fat people.

If you work to maintain a certain body weight and  level of fitness I admire your ability to stick to and achieve your goals and do not disparage you in the LEAST.:)

I do not  believe that fat is a disability or a disease or affords me or anyone else special considerations.

I do not believe that it is ANYTHING but what it is. A physical characteristic.

I am fat like I am short.. and brunette.. and fair skinned. Fat is one aspect of my physical package.Likely created in the genes I received from my two overweight parents. Just as they gave me brown eyes, a short nose and a tiny space in  my teeth:)

At my smallest adult weight I was never ever as thin as  young girls WISH to be.I was a pretty solid  size 9(7 when in a non eating  or crash diet  phase ) from high school on.. when the teenage dream was a 3:)My  build is more stocky peasant than lanky super model:) But despite the horse on my butt being JUST slightly larger then  the one on AngieKerriJenMichelleLoris' booty, I have always felt fairly confident in my own cuteness:)I decided fairly early on that I was a pretty girl who was not a swimsuit model and I worked with the hand I was dealt:)

And I am not saying I shot out of the cookie with fully developed confidence. My inert belief that I rock was always there(sometimes to a fault)I always had this sort of  inexpiable princessy attitude.. but like all women in our culture, there were periods of  insecurity invoked dieting and body image issues.I do not think any women in our wold is immune completely.(And of course, it was usually involving a boy:) But by my early twenties I was pretty much convinced that I was awesome just as I was and awesomeness was more than the tag in my jeans or the number on the scale I tossedinthetrashandleftitthere.By the time  my first marriage ended in my mid twenties I was  way over it:)

Now to that end... I had some great role models.Most of the women in my family are slightly to moderately overweight.. mostly of the southern end variety..(save for a few who got some random  weird athletic gene Amy and Renee and Mary bless you:))and while I grew up listening to them bitch about the size of their butts and pinch their belly rolls regretfully here and there...that was not the be all and end all of my memories.They were all GOOD and  happy and pretty and great cooks and great moms and hilarious and passionate about everything and STRONG.
Even though my  own mom was always sure she was supergiant fat.. that seemed like such a small part of her..she was so pretty and kind to everyone  and such a great mommy and so many things that seemed so much more important.

I have  also been so majorly blessed with strong confident women as friends.My dearest dear Amanda Claire... from the get go was such an example of being ok in your own skin. I have seen this girl at a size 7 and seen her at a size 24 and there is absolutely no difference in how beautiful or confident or happy she is.And she was like this at 14 when we met :) I had other girlfriends throughout high school and college and life... who were strong and beautiful and confident and ambitious beyond their bikinis:) Tracy Z... my Indy bestie is another shining example..confident WAY beyond her years.... she is a brilliant  lovely sparkly eyed girl with a brilliant creative mind, one of the best moms I know, and walks around completely comfortable in her package.Ms Shuntell my other Indy bestie who is not even in fats county... but is a gorgeous SUPREMELY confident woman with whom I have NEVER had a "we hate our bodies" conversation with.Ms Tink who is seriously one of a kind anyway.. and while she may drop a casual "I'm so fat" here and there... You know she doesn't really think it matters.. and her utterly one of a kind way of decorating herself is a testament to  a beautiful spectrum.And Tracy N who is superfit and strong and a brilliant inspiring advocate for good health  but is blessed with eyes that see beauty however it shows itself. And Zumba Rhonda who I don't know that well but in 6 weeks of class  has made a lifetime impression on me! She  who is gorgeous and curvy and not skinny and who VERY energetically teaches ZUMBA(this is NO small feat) and is a perfect example of what I am trying to get across here.And  of course...my sister Allie ... who is convinced that she is the coolest thing on wheels no matter what:)My Aurora.. my unbio sister who  happily went from a girl men stopped on the street to declare her  the "most beautiful girl in the world" to a regular pretty happy woman who hates makeup and is morally opposed to heels not found in nature:) Mark Ds' beloved Dawn,,, who while she IS every bit the gorgeous Buffy girl  Mark was seeking...   is one of the sweetest most un-bitchy to others girls I know!!And on THAT note my Army Crissy who seriously is the American dream walking..The girl is like the pied piper of boys:) And I have never  ever had a single conversation with her about calories ..ass size.. or ever ever EVER  heard her  tearing down anyone else..And  again...on THAT note ALL  my Army wives who are all gorgeous and all  such a beautiful mix of strength and confidence and kindness.... And there are so many others that I have been lucky enough to know..don't feel slighted if I did not mention you..cause my life is full of gorgeous women who don't spend ALL their time talking about calories and beating themselves up for loving cake:)It would take three blogs:)

And that statement may annoy some of you who do that. And you know.. I don't mean it to be hurtful. I hurt FOR you. I am sad when I talk to a gorgeous smart talented women and hear her tell me that she cant look at herself naked cause she is revolting.And usually she is so far away from  anyone's idea of revolting.Usually she is skinner than I am and... I honestly do not know any butt ugly girls soooo... she is also usually cute:). And I am just always kind of  flabbergasted:)...

So I guess this is why I am encouraged by studies like this. I  don't want everyone  to give up and  go on non stop burrito binges.. But I would love to see a world where the definition of health is tailored to the individual rather than a physical ideal.

Where women who are blessed to be mommies can look at their baby altered bodies and feel as gorgeous as they should.. having created LIFE in those  bodies.. instead of feeling sad.

Where teenage girls can stop puking up all their food in a effort to look like someone elses idea of pretty and learn early on to be their OWN best.

(And....  maybe play more sports instead of wait around for boys all the live long day maybe?? pleaseandthnkyou universe:))

Because I AM an individual, a one off... a one of a kind:)And so are YOU. And all the YOUS. I am the only me and there is nothing wrong with this me. I am fat AND  pretty healthy.(Except for my PCOS which is a genetic fluke and has nothing to do with my pasta  habit:) I exercise the required 3 times a week (soldier man says not hard enough but I am not a soldier thankyouverymuch) and I try to eat healthy most of the time.(Go 80/20!!)

And like most of us I could do more, and I aspire to more ...I want to be FITTER and stronger than I am..Just because I don't care if I am someone elses idea of bikini ready,,, does not mean I want to be Jabba the hut... but I aspire to a healthy ME .. not a healthy YOU ..or you.. or her..:) And while I am working on that..  life is IN PROGRESS.. and it is a journey I don't want to MISS!! If this were my last day I would not want to have spent it crying over my didnotevengetababyoutofthesestretchmarks or round belly or my short little legs that are shaped exactly like my 1 year old  me pics.. :)We are all works in progress.If we re going to love ourselves at all we have to love who we are in this moment because we only truly HAVE this one...Life is short...We can't put our lives on hold until we get to some magickal perfect place because... THAT place my beloveds exists NOWHERE in heaven or earth. And I for one,refuse to sit around and not live until I reach the  "ideal".

So more studies like this I say. And more emphasis on being our personal bests. More supporting each other rather than tearing each other down.

Cause healthy is beautiful... strong is beautiful... confidence is beautiful... and we are all ...somewhere... sometime.. in the eyes of our husbands.. and wives... and babies... and mom,,,s and daddies'... and ultimately in the eyes of our creator ..utterly,, perfectly..uniquely.. Beautiful.

Happy New Year Beloveds:)
 





















http://blogs.voanews.com/science-world/2011/08/15/study-its-ok-to-be-fat/

I am a Chipolte Flavored Goddess!!

Thanks to the brilliant Tracy Zavaleta…A mock Chipolte steak burrito recipe recently landed in my hot little hands…:) Since I would eat Chipolte before almost ANYTHING... except maybe white castle (cause I am totally classy like that:).as well as SUPER health conscious you see...)I of course had to try it. So first we pursued the CHIPOLTE FAN website. Yes… there REALLY is one. Someone loves Chipolte so much that they created a fan website… With MESSAGE boards and allJ!!! The recipe called for a whole bunch of other  stuff like oregano and onions and wine... But the comments from  so called Chipolte employees indicated that that was crap… and the famous fabulous marinade was just chipolte peppers in adobo and salt. So that is what we did. Marinated it all night…. made some pinto beans with garlic, a little fresh salsa… and the famous cilantro lime rice…steamed the burrito tortillas… got out our super duper cast iron stove top grill…. and got ready to grill.. Things got a LITTLE tricky when we started the grilling howeverJ And by tricky I mean… super hot pepper smoke filling the kitchen and burning our lungs and eyeballs tricky…. setting off the smoke alarm tricky…. rushing to put on the fans and open the doors to the freezing snowscape outside trickyJ Coughing up lungs trickyWe suck at this stupid stove top grill..We really really DO…Anddddd… after all the chaos..the steak was charred outside  and raw inside.. so we began a cycle of  the in- and-  of- the- oven dance for a bitJ  All in all though.. it DID taste like Chipolte!! Although more so when it was crazy rare then when all was said and done ( read:WELL which is not MY cup of steak..but so be it)J Soldier man of course did not like it and ended up eating a PBJ as he does most nights we try something newJ.BIG shockJ We used thick ribeye though and he hates any cut with even a smidge of fat… so I should have seen that comingJBut even he admitted the seasoning was dead on. he just requested we use a filet next time and SHRED it. Sigh…JSomehow I doubt the $6 burrito from The real Chipolte uses filet .

But all in all it was pretty easy!! If you love Chipolte..live an hour from one like I do… and know ho to use a stove top grill I highly recommend it!! Recipes following….

Chipolte Steak

I can Chipolte Peppers in adobo sauce..

2 pounds steak

The chipolte  in adobo is available canned  in ANY grocery even here in Green Acres)

If you want to get the peppers dried and soak them and make the sauce more power to you but I used cannedJ

Dump the peppers and sauces in a plastic bag… add meat… salt with sea salt or kosher salt. shake the bag to coat and then refrigerate overnight.

When ready to grill take the steak out and let it sit for a little ( in my experience most cuts of steak get tough if you grill cold)

As I said we are still working out the bugs with the stovetop grill so I am not much help here..

The directions that came with our grill say to heat the grill to VERY VERY HOT with no oil  (drop of water bounces)

Lightly oil the steaks( and I mean LIGHT with a brush) and put on the grill

Times vary for different doneness so I would advise using your own method or looking it up. Someday if I perfect this I will share!!! Alternately if YOU have a tried and true method PLEASE SHARE!!!

Do not over grill…l as the unique Chipolte flavors went away when we cooked the meat to well.. I think the rareness has something to do with the flavor.

When done tent with foil and let the meat rest a bit before cutting so you do not lose all the juice!!!

Lime cilantro rice

In a rice cooker combine 1 cup rice with 2 ½ cups water 3 tbsp lime juice and chopped cilantro to taste

(or boil rice in a pot according to the package directions)

Set to cook (mine takes 20 minutes… when it switches to warm it is done)

(FYI,,My rice cooker was one of Jays mad-dash-to-Walgreens-filler-xmas-gifts and  turned out to be one of the BEST things I own cooking wise..LOVE this.. if you don’t have one and you eat rice  GET ONE…)

Pinto beans

Combine one can pintos or 1 cup fresh(soaked dried and cooked the day before ) with 6 cloves chopped garlic(or 3 tbsp canned minced) ½ a small white onion and ¼ cup water or stock

Simmer on low 30ish minutes

Salsa

Chop tomatoes jalapeno white onion and cilantro (or throw in food processor) mix with 3 Tbsp limejuice sea salt and black pepper

Perfect Guacamole

Smash avocado with potato masher stir in lime juice salt black pepper and a few Tbsp of the salsa. Mix just a little

Stick the pits in the bowl until serving so it does not get brown too fast and refrigerate

Then just steam your tortillas fill them and rollJ

Pretty easy and CLOSE to the real thingJ

Variations

Low Carb

Use a low carb tortilla (9-12 net carbs for burrito size) or make it a bowl and cut the rice and beans to a ¼ cup ( 10 carbs rice.. 10  carbs beans (roughly 40 carbs in a cup but there IS a lot of fiber in the beans and the rice if you use brown so net counts can vary)

Lower Fat and Calories

If you watch fat and calories use a leaner cut or chicken…. Use light or FF sour cream and cheese and fill it up with more veggies than meat or dairy

Happy Burrito Making!!