So… almost a month ago I said I was going to start a Weight Management Program through the VA.

Well… I’ve started. Our first meeting was Friday, November 1st, and it will run every Friday until February 28th. One of the things I really like about the class is we’re not focusing on weight – we’re focussing on behavioral changes. Change the behaviors and move more and the weight should come off more naturally – and stay off.

So… how do I change behaviors when food has been an integral part of my life since I was a wee lad? With a couple of short-term exceptions, every job I have ever had has involved food. I was a baker, I was a cook, I made hand-spun pizzas, I spent 13 years working in and opening hotels all over the USofA in Food and Beverage Management. I spent 12 years working in Nutrition and Dietetics, I spent 17 years at Trader Joe’s – the majority of them creating Demo Recipes and putting little pieces of food in little paper cups for the great unwashed masses. Not to mention being a Commissaryman on an aircraft carrier in the US Navy…

The common thread in every one of those was volume cooking. I have always made vast quantities of food. Our standard joke used to be that the neighborhood could stop by unannounced and not only could we feed them dinner, they’d have doggie bags.

So… the behavioral change I need to make is portion control. Stop cooking so much damn food and thinking I need to clean my plate!

This should probably be somewhat easy. I already use my scale for baking, and I’m used to writing recipes, so… If I just transfer ingredients to my fitness app, I can get a fairly accurate idea of what I’m actually eating. (I’ve  been doing it for the past month – it’s totally doable!) And, for the most part, I’m working in grams. It is soooooo much easier to just weigh something than to try and figure out volume. (As an FYI… One of the reasons the US never went on the metric system was that Ronald Reagan defunded the Metric Board…) 

The other mind-set I need to keep is there are no bad foods. I can eat anything I want in any quantity I want. The minute I try and say I can’t have something, it starts an obsession reflex. I can’t have ice cream and all I can think about is ice cream – until I’m starting on my second pint of Ben and Jerry’s. The secret is to merely make the choice not to – or to have a small amount. It’s doable. The other night we were at my sister’s for my niece’s birthday. I had two pieces of pizza, salad, and a small slice of cake with a small scoop of ice cream. It was perfect and I was actually full. What I didn’t have was 4 beers and several shots of Jameson. Plain ol’ seltzer water works wonders! Last night we went out to dinner and I had a martini, but, knowing we were going out, I had a lighter lunch – and met my nutrition goal for the day.

The moving part is going to be a bit more challenging since I’m getting the new hip on December 4th, but the main PT for that is walking – lots of walking. Since we’ve entered our rainy season, methinks I’ll be hitting the local Senior Center gym on a regular basis.

In the meantime… dinner… This is easily 5 or 6 portions, so it will be lunch, tomorrow!

 

Roasted Pumpkin Risotto

  • 340gr fresh pumpkin, peeled. and cubed
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 200gr carnaroli rice (or arborio or vialone nano)
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 cups hot chicken broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Lightly coat the cubed pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and a dash of cinnamon and ginger. Place on sheet-pan in 425° oven for about 20 minutes. Set aside.

Saute onion in a bit of olive oil and butter in a risotto-style pan – my favorite is a le creuset braiser, although I also use a Milk Street Everyday pan. Add garlic and 1 cup rice and continue sauteing until rice is slightly translucent.

Add 1 cup white wine and stir until most of wine is absorbed. Begin adding broth 1 ladle at a time, stirring until most has been absorbed before adding the next.

Add about half of the roasted pumpkin and stir in – saving the remainder for serving.

Add the final cup and stir and cook until the rice is tender.

Stir in parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Top with remaining squash and drizzle with hot honey, if desired.

 

And just because it’s Sunday and a bit dreary outside, I made rolls. The recipe comes from a baker – Richard Burr – on Great British Bake-Off in 2014 – the first year it was on PBS.

 

Medieval Bread

adapted from Richard Burr

  • 450g white bread flour
  • 200gr white whole wheat flour
  • 25g semolina flour
  • 9g salt
  • 6 g active dry yeast
  • 250ml warm water
  • 125ml beer – I used a local Hazy IPA
  • 40g honey

Mix together the bread flour, rice flour, and salt.

Mix the water, beer, honey and yeast, stirring well.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Knead with mixer (or by hand if you’re feeling industrious) for about 10 minutes until you have achieved a smooth dough.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise for about 2 hours.

When the dough has risen, punch down and divide the dough into eight equal pieces for rolls or in half for loaves.

Shape each roll into a round, and leave to rise for 45 minutes on a baking tray/sheet covered in baking parchment. (I use a peel and corn meal.)

Preheat the oven to 425°F with pan on bottom rack for water.

Slash with a sharp knife and place in oven. Quickly add boiling water to pan on bottom shelf.

Bake rolls for 20 minutes or about 25 minutes for loaves.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

 

I am definitely of the belief that one cannot suffer while trying to decrease one’s weight – and I do not plan to suffer! Moderation… Portion size… Eating the right foods at the right time.

Slow and easy wins the race…