The Diet

I usually post a recipe on Wednesdays, but this week's recipe, a chicken tagine, did not turn out very well. It's edible, but in spite of all the spices in it, bland. So I'm not going to bother you with it.

Life is too short for boring recipes.

So instead, let me tell you about the diet I'm following. As I posted in To Do List for 2013, I intend to lose 100 pounds this year. I'm not following a name brand diet. No Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Atkins, South Beach, etc. - I've tried all of them anyway. Mine is adapted from the many (many) diets I have been on in the past 20 years. It mostly comes down to the regulation of sugar and fat.

Every day I eat:

• 2 servings of protein
• 4 servings of vegetables
• 2 servings of fruit (whole fruit - no juice)
• 1 serving starch
• 1 serving of fat
• 1 serving of dairy
• 1 protein-based snack (usually Atkins bars, but peanuts also work)

 And, of course, lots of water.

I don't count calories. I do measure amounts and I have a cheat sheet listing how much a serving is in my kitchen.  Sometimes I go a little over in the fat/dairy categories (I have been known to count cheese as my protein serving) but in general I stick to the diet.

I suppose a more disciplined person would have stopped recipe testing, but to me the recipes are important. I want eating healthfully to be a normal part of my daily life, and I have no intention of eating rice cakes for the next 40-50 years.  If I tried to do this eating only skinless chicken breasts and undressed salads, I'd quit out of boredom.

I miss wine, and cookies. Oh do I miss cookies. But on the bright side, this morning the scale said 272.2, which means I have lost a total of 9.4 pounds! Only 90.6 to go.

Houston - A Great Place to Visit

Houston was included in the New York Times list of Places to Go in 2013!

Finally, someone is recognizing what I've been saying for years. Houston rocks!

However, Houston is not a city that will wow you at first sight. You have to take some time to get to know it. It's a rewarding experience. Some tips:

Rent a car. Houston is spread out, and while there is some public transportation, it's not a good way to get around the city. Get a car, or stay with a friend who will drive you.

Don't come in the summer - Unless you are from the deep South, (in which case you know better) you won't be able to take the combination of heat and humidity. Even the locals try to spend August out-of state. If you insist on coming in the summer, bring a light jacket. Texans believe in heavy duty air-conditioning.

Eat adventurously - True, there are some great barbecue joints, but to truly get the feel of the town you'll want to get beyond that. Houston is a serious food town and the cuisine is international. Don't be put off by strip center locations. My favorite Vietnamese place is in a revamped Dairy Queen.

Go to the Art Car Parade (May 11th) Everyone should see this at least once. If you can't make it to the parade there is always the The Art Car Museum.

So come on down! The natives are friendly.

Bunheads is back! Yay!

I know real grownups are talking about Downton Abbey, and I like the show, but mostly for the fabulous period costumes and the chance to watch Maggie Smith zing somebody. She does it so well.

"What is a weekend?"

But the show I'm in love with is Bunheads, which came back on Monday. I love the cast, the wisecracks, even the ballet. I loved the writer's (Amy Sherman-Palladino) former show (Gilmore Girls) and I am so happy to see Kelly Bishop again. She has such an air of distinction, even drinking shots in the local bar. (1st episode)

I'm not a fan of ballet. My attention span for a dance performance is 30 minutes (at most).  But one of the things I like about Bunheads is that every other episode or so, there is a little dance. Nothing big or flashy (this isn't Glee), but something that realistically could be done by high school dance students.  And they are wearing costumes high school dance students would have.

The one below not only uses a favorite song of mine but features the girl I most wanted to be in high school. The cool one. She could wear black eyeliner without looking like a raccoon. She could be difficult and unpleasant and not feel apologetic about it afterwards.  Damn! but I still want to be that girl.

Great number. 2 minutes.

Lunch this week: Leek and Spinach Tart

So far, I'm keeping my resolution of taking lunch to work every day. (1 week down, 48 to go!) I have three requirements for lunch food:

1. It has to be portable.  Nothing wet - I've had bad experiences with soups and salad dressings.
2. It has to taste good cold or be re-heatable in a microwave. There's nothing more depressing than a bad lunch.
3. It has to be filling. I don't subscribe to the "grazing" philosophy of eating every a snack every 2 hours. Lunch has to last me until dinner.

And it helps if I can make it on Sunday and eat it for the rest of the week. This is why I'm fond of savory tarts. They are generally good cold, but they reheat beautifully. You can stuff a lot of vegetables in them, and they are relatively easy to make.

Leek and Spinach Tart

This is what I am eating for lunch this week. It is adapted from a recipe for a Greek phyllo pastry filling. It's not bad, but I find it a little one note. I find myself wishing it had more spinach, or pine nuts or green olives to give it more texture and pep it up a bit.  Maybe next time.

Leek and Spinach Tart
8 servings, approximately 345 calories each. 

• 9 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
• 8 cups finely diced leeks, white and pale green part only (I used 4 fat leeks)
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions  - I didn't have any so I used 1/2 cup yellow onion
• 16 ounces full fat small curd cottage cheese, drained in a colander to rid the moisture (or if you can find it dry cottage cheese)
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (preferably Bulgarian) or one heaping cup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• pie crust (I'm using a pre-made crust, but feel free to make your own.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Steam the spinach until it wilts. Cool and then squeeze as much of the liquid out as you possibly can. Roughly chop and then place the spinach in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, saute the diced leeks over medium heat. After about 5 minutes add the sliced scallions and continue to saute until everything is very soft. (this can take up to 20 minutes). Add this mixture to the mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
4. Stir in the drained cottage cheese and feta. At this point taste the mixture. You definitely want to add a little pepper ( I added 1/2 teaspoon) but the amount of salt you add depends on how salty your feta is. Use your judgement.
5. Stir in the beaten eggs. 
6. Put the tart crust into the tart pan and fill with the leek and cheese mixture. Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how long it takes to brown the top.

Dealing with temptation

Today, one of the members of my team has a birthday, and not just any birthday, but her 50th. So it's a big deal. We have decorated her office, there was an announcement and of course there is cake.

And as you recall, I'm on a diet.

I've been doing well. From a high of 281.6 on January 2nd, I'm down to 275.  Not bad for five days. But I definitely want to maintain that loss. I've got a long way to go and this is the first, sugar-filled hurdle.

It's not that I'm starving for sweets, I'm not. But I don't want to announce my diet to the entire company. And the way things are done in this office, refusing a slice of cake would be rude. So I have to come up with a cake strategy.

• eat the cake - life is short, this is a party, and I can skimp on dinner
• take a slice, say I'll save it for a snack and then throw it out when no-one's looking
• take a slice, eat a few bites and then (discreetly) throw the rest away.

I have extra motivation to be good, because a friend of mine is getting married in a couple months and I have the perfect dress. At the moment, that dress is a little small.  So I'm trying to remember that this is not just cake, this is going to the wedding in a really great dress. (I know, I'm shallow, but it works for me.) 

I'm wavering a bit, but that's because it's almost lunchtime and I'm getting hungry. I hope to have more resolve after I've eaten my very healthy and good-for-me lunch.

Pray for me.

Going for a walk

My typical day involves breakfast (sitting), driving to work (sitting), work (sitting), lunch (sitting), driving home (sitting),  dinner (sitting), and maybe some reading, television or blogging (still more sitting).

One thing is clear. I need to get off my backside. Admittedly, I can't walk to work (17 miles is a little far) and since I spend most of my work life in front of a computer, I'm still sitting most of the day, but I can incorporate an after work walk into my routine. 

 I received a new lens for my camera for Christmas and I went out to play with it. All of this is within 10 minutes walk of my house and I didn't know it was there. I really need to get out more.  Who knows what else I'm missing?



Lake Houston

I think it's an eagle, or a hawk. Vulture? Are there any ornithologists out there?

Who thought hoses could be so decorative?



2013: The To Do List

I have heard that there are people who don't make lists. People who go from one thing to the next, as the spirit moves them, and everything just miraculously falls into place. It sounds so dreamy and relaxing.

I am not one of those people. Not having a plan stresses me out. To follow my bliss, I need lists. Lots of lists. I make lists of of everything: groceries, books, places, events. My lists sprout sub-lists, (and sometimes sub, sub-lists). I may not do everything on them, but they organize my thinking and help me get myself moving.

New Year's is traditionally a time for resolutions, but 'resolution' is too grand a term for a lot of what I have in mind. The humble "To Do" List is more my style. These are all things I want to do in the next year. Some are ambitious, some are boring, and I think some of them will be fun. I may not do them all, but if I accomplish even half, my life will be better for it.

• Go to the Blanco Lavender Festival. - I've been thinking about it for years. This year, I want to go.
• Take a vacation out of the country. - I don't know where yet, but I feel the need to get some stamps on my passport.
• Make a photo-book
• Read Don Quixote - I've started it about six times, but never finished it.
• Buy a new sofa - mine is about to collapse
• Three blog entries a week
• Take my lunch to work instead of buying it
• Refinish the living room shelves and my old bed
• Lose 100 lbs -I gained 6 lbs over the holiday - ugh.
• Write a letter to a friend every other week
• Max out my Roth IRA
• Read one novel by Charles Dickens
• Improve my knowledge of MadCap Flare - I want to get beyond basic competence.
• Learn to use the Bamboo I've had in the closet for the last year

That's enough to start with, don't you think?