Checking In Week 7
I know, I know...
I said I would be checking in on Wednesdays and today is Friday.
Naturally, I have excuses. Phillies baseball, of course. Rooting for them in the World Series has filled up a few hours of my time - not necessarily the hours I would generally be blogging, mind you - but I do have that knack for justifying things.
The second is I seem to have a slight fracture in my right foot.
Painful swelling, Urgent Care, and X-Rays later, it seems I most likely overdid it on the leg press. Ooopsie!
I passed on the boot, have kept it elevated, watched it change all sorts of fun colors, take my aspirin - sadly, the Dr didn't think Tramadol was necessary - and otherwise hobble around the house.
I missed this week with the trainer and will miss next week, as well. I won't miss the leg press, however. It's out of the repertoire.
The lack of exercise didn't stop me from losing weight, however! I weighed in at 229.8 pounds on Wednesday, November 1st! 2.6 pounds is a little aggressive for a week - but only a little. I feel good and that's the important thing.
That, and the fact that I fit into a pair of Levi 501's I've had forever and have never been able to wear.
We're eating well... and other than Friday night - for the first game of the Series when I totally overindulged - I'm staying within my 1840 kcal allotment.
- Jersey Mike's Subs
- Chicken Soup
- Rigatoni and Meatballs
- Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- Kielbasa with Beans and Rice
Plain Greek yogurt and a banana most days for breakfast - mixing it up with steel cut oatmeal or maybe a couple of eggs - and smaller portions of leftovers for lunch - or a maybe a sandwich and chips. I'm definitely not starving.
I'm going to try and do some light exercises at home, but I find that in the house I'm a total sluggo - my lack of motivation is truly impressive.
Next week will tell the tale of whether I succeeded - or not.
The End of Week Fifty-Two
We did it.
Fifty-Two Weeks of seeing a Personal Trainer three times a week. One hundred and fifty-six training sessions.
The results are pretty mind-boggling.
Victor has gone from a Body Fat Percentage of 38.5% to 31.4 and a BMI of 32.2 to 27.5.
I went from 32.7 to 20.8 and a BMI of 31.4 to 24.8.
I'm wearing 34" waist pants down from 42" and we're both now exclusively in large t-shirts - down from XXL. It's nothing short of a miracle - and a lot of hard work.
The first low plank I did a year ago lasted 34 seconds. Today I did two and a half minutes - and could have gone longer. Three times as many push-ups, three times longer on a wall-sit. And I didn't want to die, afterwards. Victor was right there, as well - doubling and tripling what he was able to do last year - and he did a hellava lot more sit-ups than me. I hate sit-ups.
I really credit Charles, our Trainer, for pushing, us prodding us, and giving us the confidence to do it. He has read us well - knowing when to push, knowing when to back off, and working with each of us as individuals even when we were doing the same routines - adjusting them to suit our needs and abilities.
My biggest area to work on will be flexibility. I still can't get close to touching my toes, but I can pretty much pick something up off the floor without kneeling - that's something I couldn't do a year ago.
Victor can touch his toes and pretty much bend himself into a pretzel. He wants to lose a few more pounds, so we'll be back to watching portions, better. They've been creeping up...
We're taking a month off from Personal Training because we need a break - three days a week for a year has been pretty intense. Next month we'll be back one day a week for about six months to fine-tune things and keep us on track.
And I think the gym will be a regular feature in our lives from here on out. We've come too far to fall back into our former slothful ways.
That, of course, doesn't mean we won't splurge on things or overeat or gorge on ice cream now and again. It simply means we won't do it a lot - and we'll be aware of it when we do so we can balance it out with a few less calories and a bit more work.
Our celebratory meal, today, is Shrimp and Grits - with the Grits coming from Anson Mills. Actually, it's their Rustic Polenta Integrale, but I'm not quibbling.
I made a very basic polenta - a lot, because it's also going to be a part of tomorrow's dinner - and topped it with Anson Mills Sea Island Red Peas mixed with shrimp and just tons of fun foods and flavors.
The basic ingredients included:
- shrimp
- green pepper
- onion
- garlic
- celery
- Penzey's Cajun Spice
- Anson Mills Sea Island Red Peas
- tomato
- corn cob coins
A simple saute of the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery with the tomatoes and beans adding the necessary liquid. On went the lid and in a few minutes I stirred in the shrimp. The cover went back on and in two minutes it was ready.
It was a fun and filling dinner - lots of eating with fingers - and the perfect meal for a fun and fulfilling day.
The numbers surprised me. I knew we were doing well - but seeing the actual numbers made an impact - and a decision not to fall back. I'm not putting myself through this, again.
And I think it also proves that if we can do it, anyone can. We started this journey at 66 and 67 years of age. There was a real fear that in retirement, I was going to cook and bake us to death. Let's face it - our love of food has never been a secret. The foods we were eating were relatively good, we were just shoving way too much of it into our mouths. The excess weight fueled the lethargy that fueled the overeating that fueled the lethargy. We needed to break the cycle - and we did.
If you've been keeping track this past year, you'll note that we are not dieting. There are no foods that are forbidden, there are no ingredients we cannot eat. It's more about just being sensible. It's been rethinking our meals and our portions - and learning to stop when we were full and not licking our plates clean.
We still have dessert every night, but it's now usually fresh fruit or popcorn instead of pies, cakes, and cookies. The pies, cakes, and cookies still appear, but in smaller versions. You can make a 6" cake with 3/4 cup flour and a half-cup of sugar - just don't make them every day.
But simply eating better is merely one part of the equation - moving is the other. We've broken the sloth-cycle, as well.
So here's to the past year and to all the years ahead.
We're ready.
The End of Week Fifty-One
I think retirement has suited me well. Both of us, actually. Neither of us had the drive or ambition to claw our way up the corporate ladder or fight the roadblocks placed in our way. Early in my hotel career, at Department Head level, I was told I wouldn't go any further because I wasn't married. Gee - I wonder what they meant? By 1989, I was done with hotels. 2001 was goodbye to nutrition and dietetics, and 2018 was goodbye to putting little pieces of food on little paper plates or asking if someone found everything they were looking for. It's now been a full year since I retired and my once Type-A personality has quickly moved through the alphabet.
I get a laugh out of folks who say they would be too bored not working. Boredom has never been a word in my vocabulary. Of course, I never lived to go to work. I went to work to live.
And now, that I don't have to, living has gotten so much better - especially after fifty-one weeks with a personal trainer and losing fifty pounds! Fifty-one weeks. I guess it's like childbirth - you forget the pain when you see the result.
And we can see - and feel - the results. One more week with our trainer, and then a month off. We need a bit of a hiatus.
We also need to see how we'll maintain the weight loss. We're not looking to lose more - just not gain any back - and that will take some discipline. Not something I usually have a lot of...
With all the fresh produce of Summer, we should be okay. Keep it light and keep it healthy. A bit like tonight's dinner - grilled tri-tip and braised cauliflower.
I did a dry rub of chipotle powder, garlic, salt, amd pepper, and when it was mostly done, I poured some BBQ sauce on top and let it brown.
The braised cauliflower started with chopped mushrooms, green onions, garlic, and green beans in a skillet. I then added a can of whole peeled tomatoes - our fresh tomatoes aren't ready, yet - along with a can of water. Then some berbere, cumin, salt, and pepper. Finally, I added the cauliflower, covered the skillet, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Easy-Peasy.
One more week and we do our final weigh-in - the official weigh-in - and compare it all to Day One.
I'm pretty proud of what we've accomplished.
The End of Week Fifty
Fifty weeks. Five-Zero. Us. At a gym. For fifty weeks. Who woulda thunk?!?
Certainly not either of us. We were both way over-weight, doing mundane tasks was a chore, and we were rapidly turning into sloths. But we ate well. A bit too well.
And then the notice about Silver Sneakers arrived in the mail. We found out we could actually get a free gym membership at the local LA Fitness, so we went up to see what it was all about. The thought was maybe use the pool a bit, walk on a treadmill... you know... old people stuff.
What we weren't expecting to do was get a health assessment and to sign up with a Personal Trainer for a year - at an outrageous sum of money per month, I might add...
That outrageous sum of money has been the best money we ever spent.
I cannot begin to tell you how much better we feel. How much energy we have, how much easier life, in general, has become. And it's all because we answered an ad in the mail - and took a chance.
If you've been following the saga, you'll note that we eat well. We're not dieting by any stretch of the magination. We eat what we want with no forbidden foods. By not denying ourselves we've been able to change how we eat - smaller portions, for one, and making better choices to fill us up, for another.
Our ooey-gooey desserts have pretty much gone by the wayside, but they've been replaced with lots of fresh fruit - usually topped with prosecco or a crisp white wine.
We're not suffering.
We eat bread, we eat white rice, we eat potatoes. In fact, here's the bread I made yesterday:
It's made with Rustic Red Fife Wheat Flour from Anson Mills. The thought is, if we're going to eat something, it's going to be a good something.
Which brings us right to tonight's dinner...
It's amazing how many foods are on do not eat lists - with every list designed by someone making money from it. Can't eat carbs, can't eat bread, can't eat pasta. Can't eat anything that is fun, comforting, or filling.
We've pretty much destroyed that theory.
We saw a variation of these ravioli being made the other night and immediately knew they were destined for dinner. Yes. We have lost weight and still eat like kings. And this may be the most kingly thing I have ever eaten.
Ever.In.My.Life.
It's a ravioli with an egg yolk inside. I can't even begin to describe it. Words are failing me.
The recipe is actually quite simple, the ingredients are few, but the combination is simply out of this world.
The pasta dough is based on a recipe from Alon Shaya. The filling and sauce are pure Victor.
Pasta Dough
- 1 1/4 cup 00 flour
- 1/2 cup semolina
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp olive oil
Mix flours. make a well and add the eggs, egg yolks, and oil. Slowly mix in the flour and knead until smooth. Let rest 30 minutes before rolling to desired shape.
Ricotta Filling
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- 1/2 cup cooked spinach, chopped and drained well
- pinch garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 egg yolk per ravioli
Mix all ingredients - except final egg yolk - together. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Fresh Tomato Sauce
- 2 large tomatoes
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- splash water
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh basil for serving
Heat oil on skillet. Add minced garlic and lightly cook. Add roughly-chopped tomatoes with their juices. Stir in oregano and a splash of water. Simmer until tomatoes break down and sauce slightly thickens. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.
To Assemble and Cook
Roll dough through pasta machine and cut into circles - one slightly larger for the top.
Place filling on bottom round and make an indentation. Place a single egg yolk. Dampen edge with water and place top piece of dough over, carefully pressing out any air. Crimp and seal.
Place in large shallow pan with barely boiling water and cook for exactly six minutes.
And then we have the finished product.
Total food porn. There's really no other way to describe it.
After plating the dish, Victor topped it with grated Cured Egg Yolk - egg yolks dried in salt and sugar.
This really was one of the best meals I have ever eaten anywhere. Every single bite was a taste sensation, from the perfect pasta to the fresh tomatoes, the rich cheese filling - and that runny egg yolk. Every bit of it came together - perfectly.
I swooned at every bite.
Going to the gym, losing weight, and eating like kings.
It really does not suck to be us.
The End of Week Forty-Nine
Forty-Nine Weeks. We have survived Forty-Nine Weeks. There are three weeks more to go before we begin our Summer Hiatus.
I can't wait! We're planning on returning to the trainer in September - once a week - for probably another 6 months. We'll still be at the gym regularly, but we're taking the summer off from Training.
The weight has stabilized, the energy is still increasing - and my legs are sore as hell. Just the quads, actually. Forty-nine weeks ago the only quad I knew was a college lawn. I now know lots of different muscles - and how much pain they can produce. I need a break from this routine.
On the other hand, I see muscle definition that has never been present on my body in its 67 years on this planet. It's not quite in the Mr Universe category, but... I know it, I feel it, I see it. I have absolutely ZERO desire to have six-pack abs and rippling muscles. That is not who I am or who I want to be. Knowing that there is a peek-a-boo bicep or the faintest outline of a quad on my leg is more than enough for me. It's the fun little things.
It's my first year of retirement. I'm happy and I feel good.
To quote The Grateful Dead... What a long strange trip it's been.
Part of the long strange trip is all the produce we now buy. While we were always pretty good on the fresh stuff, we now do a Monday run to Gentile's every week and have a lot of fun figuring out what's new, in season, or just looks too good to pass up. Victor pretty much focuses on the fruit and I head towards the vegetables. Meals now revolve around what produce we have and what needs using - it's a lot more fun than planning things in advance!
Tonight's dinner came about because of a pineapple.
We picked up a reasonably ripe pineapple on Monday but with all the other stuff we bought, never made it into the fruit salad. Last night we noticed it was ripe and ready to be eaten. A pork tenderloin came out of the freezer.
Pineapple, onion, a bit of bell pepper, and beans from the garden were the vegetable base, the pork, sambal oelek, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and rice wine were the rest.
Those lovely purple beans turn green the minute they get hot. 20 years ago we spent a fortune per pound at a farmers market for them, went to blanche them, and almost died when we saw our purple beans turn green in front of our eyes!
Live and learn.
The final ingredient was a can of bean sprouts. No one sells fresh sprouts, anymore...
A few things harvested from the garden, a fun dinner, and another week of intense workouts behind us.
Retirement really is pretty good.
The End of Week Forty-Eight
We have about a dozen more sessions before we call this to an end. Part of me can't wait. Okay, almost all of me can't wait. Yet, there's a little niggling feeling that it's going to be sad to see it end.
Masochist, party of one, your rack is ready...
We have been doing this three times a week for 48 weeks - and we have seen results. Fifty pounds gone and we both feel better than we have in years. We have exceeded all expectations. I'm totally amazed. We would never have done it without a Trainer three times a week - and it is time to get our lives back, a bit.
Four more weeks.
When we're done, we will have a couple dozen sessions available to use when we want. We're still going to be going to the gym regularly, but I'm thinking maybe we'll use a few sessions to ramp things up a bit over the holidays or jump-start the new year. I know I ain't using them in August. I'll be on Trainer Hiatus.
I bought some dates earlier in the week and we never used them, so, tonight, I decided to do something different with them. Pulling out the pit and stuffing them with cheese is pretty standard, but I took it a step further and wrapped them in seasoned ground beef and grilled them!
I seasoned the beef with a shot of whiskey, a bit of smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Adding a bit of liquid to ground meat, be it beef, pork, chicken, lamb, sausage, or whatever, makes for a much more flavorful dish. You can use wine, water, beer, hard liquor, broth... whatever you have. It really makes mixing in spices and such so much easier.
Onto the grill they went, and in no time at all, dinner was served!
Purple potatoes, boiled and then browned, and fresh peas finished the plate.
The meatballs were rather good, if I do say so, m'self! Slightly smoky, and slightly spicy from the meat, and sweet and savory from the dates and cheese. It really was a fun combination of flavors.
On Monday, we're 49ers...
This one's in the bag...
The End of Week Forty-Seven
Forty-Seven [insert expletive] Weeks. Every time I think about how long we've been doing this, it boggles my mind. I also can't believe that in three weeks I will have been retired for a year.
Time does fly when you're having fun.
I'm not going to lie and say that going to the gym has been fun, but retirement sure has been! Not going to work is the greatest thing, ever - and I actually liked my job most of the time.
The gym wasn't horrible, this week. There was only one trick I couldn't get, today - passing a 20 lb kettlebell around my legs while in a crouched position. I'm just not flexible enough to do it. I still can't touch my toes, either - and it doesn't keep me up at night. Earlier in the week it was doing lunges holding a 25 pound weight over my head. Halfway through the routine, my body just rebelled and said fuggetaboutit. On the other hand, after a particularly gruelling workout, Wednesday, my last feat was a low plank with a 25 pound weight on my back. It was like nap-time - all I needed was my cookies and milk.
What I can do far surpasses what I can't - and I don't know what I can or can't do unless I try doing it. I can double that statement, because Victor is in the same boat. There are things that are relatively easy, things that are difficult, things that are a pretty big struggle, and things that just ain't happening - and we've both lost fifty-expletive-pounds at 67 and 68 years of age. We're keeping this in perspective.
The gym is opening a new High Intensity Training area - and I already know I will never step foot inside of it. In five weeks, I am done with someone telling me what to do. It's time to go in, do some weights or cardio, and head home. We're both tired of the regiment.
What we're not tired of, is eating.
We're still doing quite well in the food department - and have to make sure that when we head out on our own, that we're burning enough calories to maintain our trim boyish figures. I think we can do it without causing too much pain. Move more, eat less.
Our eat less, tonight, was a throw-together of andouille sausage, broccoli rabe, roasted red peppers, and pasta. Well... and garlic.
I chopped and blanched the broccoli rabe, drained it, and set it aside. Into the pot went the pasta to cook.
Meanwhile, I diced up some andouille sausage and cooked it off in a large skillet. When it was just starting to brown, I added a bit of minced garlic and the broccoli rabe. When it was all hot, I stirred in the chopped roasted peppers, and then stirred in the pasta. A bit of salt and pepper was all it needed.
It came out really good. The broccoli rabe was perfect - not bitter as it can often be - and the andouille was perfectly spicy.
Five more weeks.
We can do this...
The End of Week Forty-Six
Forty-Six Weeks. I'm fried.
Our Trainer is getting more relentless. It's more movement, more physical - more exhausting. It's become rapid-fire, non-stop, sweat-pouring movement. The relaxation part is moving from the floor area to the machines or weights - although, in reality, those are just different devices of torture. I was on one machine today, doing an assisted pull-up, and then into a rotation of two other exercises, and then back to the machine. On my third go-around, he increased the weights on the machine. I almost did two reps and flat-out couldn't get through the third. I just looked at him and said it ain't happening. He grinned, said I had improved a lot - and lowered the weight a bit. I finished. Barely, but I finished.
There's a reason we're paying for this - and I mean money-wise and not physically-wise - and it's because there's no way in hell I would put myself through this on my own. I can push myself to a degree, but my degree and our Trainer's degree are many many degrees apart.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Yet... when we walk out of the gym, recovery has pretty much already take place. Something right is happening - and we wouldn't be where we are had we done this on our own.
The true test, come July, is going to be maintenance. We need to maintain our weight and stamina without the scheduled sessions - and that means psyching ourselves up for pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones. That will probably be a bit more of a challenge. I could be a sloth fairly easily - but I also never want to step into an extra-large (let alone the xx-large I was wearing,) again. I really haven't felt this comfortable in years. I plan on enjoying it!
Portion, portion, portion. It's what I need to keep reminding myself about. My love of food hasn't diminished and we're not depriving ourselves - except by limiting intake. We don't walk away from the table hungry - but we also don't walk away stuffed to the gills.
Is it possible to learn balance at 67 years of age?!?
In our culinary adventures, we have rediscovered fresh ginger. Ginger became one of those items I would buy for a specific recipe and then watch the rest dry up to nothingness. There is powdered, crystalized, and two types of dried ginger pieces in the spice cupboard, but there really is nothing as satisfying as fresh. It's making its appearance in hot and cold beverages, soups and stir-frys, or pickled, like tonight.
Pickled Ginger
- 3" piece ginger, peeled and sliced as thin as possible
- 1 radish, sliced as thin as possible
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar
- 1/4 cup black vinegar - or rice vinegar, white balsamic
Mix vinegar with salt and sugar. Pour over ginger and radish and let set about 2 hours. The longer it sets, the better it is. It can be refrigerated for weeks.
The fish was cod marinated in vaguely Asian spices and baked.
Baked Cod
- cod fillets
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp sambal oelek or to taste
- 1" peeled fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 scallions, chopped
- black sesame seeds
Mix soy sauce, rice wine, sambal oelek, minced ginger, and sesame oil. Pour over fish and marinate at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove fish from marinade and place in an oven-proof dish or pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until fish easily flakes.
Top cooked fish with pickled radishes, pickled ginger, chopped scallions, and sesame seeds.
The pickled ginger really made the dish. It would be good without them - it was excellent with them!
On to Week Forty-Seven.
The End of Week Forty-Five
The end is drawing near and our Trainer is ramping it up. Today, he had us doing every kind of exercise in rapid succession - a literal non-stop 15 minutes of physical movement that had the sweat pouring off me. 15 minutes. A quarter of an hour. It doesn't seem that long until you're doing it. Think of it in terms of how long that minute is when you're waiting for the microwave - and then multiply it out. He took pity on these old men because just about the time I was planning my funeral, it was off to the weights. Bicep curls with free weights is so much easier than high/low planks off a flippin' ball! I'd love to know where he comes up with these things - I think he channels the Marquis de Sade.
After last week's spin fiasco, I decided I needed to go back in and try it on my own. It was a bit more doable when I was pacing myself, but it's never going to be my preferred way to exercise. I'll keep giving it a go, but you will never - ever - see me in a spin class! The eardrum-shattering music and screaming would keep me out even if I was good at it. I am not motivated by noise - and I already have tinnitus. No, thank you.
I really don't get the screaming as motivation concept but I do have a newfound respect for the people in there. That is some difficult stuff.
On to dinner...
It was the perfect day, weather-wise, so grilling a steak seemed to be the perfect dinner choice.
The steak, itself, was pretty basic - a NY strip liberally doused with Penzey's Mitchell Street Steak Seasoning and an extra boost of Berbere.
It sat atop a hash of sorts of brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, onions, and bacon.
First thing I did was peel and cut up a sweet potato and boil it until tender. I drained it and det it aside.
Next, I chopped the bacon and fried it off in a large skillet until it was crispy. I took it out and added thinly-sliced onion and thinly-sliced brussels sprouts to the pan, along with some salt and pepper.
When it all started wilting, I added the sweet potatoes and broke them up a bit, mixing everything together.
The pan was getting a bit dry, so I added a hefty splash of Gentleman Jack and a drizzle of maple syrup and cooked it all until nicely browned. The bacon was stirred back in and dinner was ready.
Onto the plate it went with the steak sliced on top.
What was nice about this is brussels sprouts are my most favorite vegetable - really - but they're on Victor's list of least-favorite. Victor absolutely loved them and cleaned his plate!
Another week down and we're maintaining the weight and maintaining a good attitude. That's a good thing. I seriously am not going through this, again!
The End of Week Forty-Three
Whew! After two days of doing leg strengthening, it was back to core, today. Tough stuff. Doing specific muscles is rough but doable - there's a rhythm to the repetition and breathing is a lot easier. But core exercises are another world altogether.
My biggest issue is still breathing properly when doing things involving multiple muscle groups. I really need to just do it and not think about it. Of course, that's a lot easier to do when you're not gasping for breath with sweat pouring off you. During one particularly arduous exercise, our Trainer told me to breathe naturally. My first though was how in the %$#@% do I breathe naturally while on the floor, hopping, squating, and crawling on my hands - forwards and backwards?!? Call me crazy, but to me, that is not a scenario where breathing naturally could ever be considered natural. I mean... Really.
But... we survived. As we always do and as we always will.
It really is amazing what we have put ourselves through these past 43 weeks. What's even more amazing, though, is what we're able to do today. I can bitch about doing something where breathing is difficult, but six months ago, the entire concept was totally inconceivable. It's all perspective.
And keeping it all in perspective, we did lentils and fennel, tonight, with chicken and crayfish - a spin on a regular rotation recipe... The basic is:
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, cut into small dice
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar – or vinegar of your choice
- hefty pinch thyme
- S&P
Cook lentils until lentils are just tender.
While lentils simmer, cut fennel bulb into 1/4-inch dice.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and add leek, carrot, fennel, garlic, and celery. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
When vegetables and lentils are cooked, stir lentils into vegetables and cook until heated through. Stir in vinegar. Add S&P, as desired.
From there, you can play...
I diced up a chicken breast and cooked it, took it out of the pan, and then pretty much followed the above recipe. At the end, I added the cooked chicken and the cooked crayfish.
I also added a liberal amount of white wine while cooking everything to keep it moist - and then a liberal dose of sriracha sauce to add a bit of spice.
It was a really simple meal with a lot of flavor - and took less than 20 minutes start to finish.
I'm ready for week 44!
The End of Week Forty
Forty weeks... That's 280 days. 120 sessions with our trainer. We're both now down more than 50 pounds.
Something seems to be working.
What didn't work, today, was my bribe. We've talked about food, baking, and general fun stuff since we started. He has mentioned a few times he really likes the lemon poppy seed pound cake from a local bakery.
For Easter, I made him a lemon poppy seed pound cake. He was really pleased - and still worked our asses off, today.
Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
makes two
Ingredients
- 2 cups (460 grams) butter, softened
- 2¾ cups (573 grams) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 3¾ cups (525 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 gram) ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.75 gram) kosher salt
- ½ cup (123 grams) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Let ingredients come to room temperature for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour 2 standard loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and beat until fluffy, about 6-8 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, nutmeg, poppy seeds, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in zest, lemon extract, and vanilla. Spoon batter into prepared pans.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Spread Lemon Glaze over cake.
Of course, that's what we're paying him for, but still... ouch. He said he may not share it, at all. I told him to make sure his insulin shots were current.
The recipe makes two cakes. I did cut into one to make sure it was worthy to give away. It was. The rest will adorn the Easter Dessert Table.
Our dinner was pasta and sausage.
One hears about pasta being so evil. As you can tell by the blog posts from the past 40 weeks, we have not stopped eating pasta - or bread. Somehow, we've also managed to lose over 50 pounds, each. If you want to lose weight and you're not, I'd stop blaming pasta and look at everything else you are - or are not - doing.
It really is a lifestyle change. There are no quick fixes. Diets do not work. Changing your eating habits, does.
So...
We have a ton of food we're getting ready for Sunday. Most of it is reasonably healthy and the dessert table is pretty much out of control. I made a Limoncello Tiramisu, today. Once upon a time, I would have skipped dinner and dived right into it. On Sunday, I'll have a bit.
Changing eating habits...
And on to Week Forty-One!
The End of Week Thirty-Nine
Another week, another pound. Life is good.
My repeating message seems to be that it's getting easier as it gets more difficult - and if I had better flexibility, perhaps some things wouldn't be as painful.
I still can't touch my toes and although I spend a good 10 minutes in the sauna doing stretches before each workout, there are certain positions I just cannot bend myself into. On the other hand, I'm definitely more limber than I have been in 30 years, so I suppose I'm progressing... Patience is not always one of my virtues.
We picked up some fresh beets at the produce store the other day and they had some pretty spectacular greens attached. I must admit that most of the time when I buy beets at the local grocery store, the greens look pretty sad and I just cut them off and toss them when I get home.
These, I saved.
Tonight, I chopped them and then blanched them in boiling salted water and then plunged them into ice water. From there, I sauteed leeks and garlic in a bit of olive oil, and added the greens along with some blackberry balsamic vinegar. A bit of salt and pepper, and onto the plate they went.
They were topped with a grilled pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes on the side.
Lots of flavors and textures.
It's now on to week forty. Three more months to go.
Will I be touching my toes by then?!?
Stay tuned to find out...