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I have successfully implemented a daily schedule for myself. As long as it isn’t hail and lightning then I am out every morning walking. Even on the weekend I look forward to getting up and walking some place I don’t get to walk on the week days. Last Saturday my husband and I did a 7.5 mile walk down almost the full length of the North/South Riverwalk here in San Antonio. We walked from the Pearl Brewery to the Blue Star Brewery and stopped for lunch and then back to the Pearl. I think this might become a regular occurrence because it is an absolutely beautiful walk. I haven’t lost much more weight but my clothes are loosening up quite nicely and I notice my tummy has firmed up. So I am happy even if my scale isn’t. I have been watching what I eat very carefully so I have a feeling the scale will start cooperating again after I get past this time of the month (if you know what I mean). I am surprised my skin as clear as it is right now so things are
This Saturday is going to a splurge day but I will do my best to keep the calories in check and I am going to force myself to get up extra early that day because we have a local brewery tour starting at 8:30.am. Yes we will be getting on a bus to go tour 6 different brewery at 8:30 in the morning. We are already calling it the drunk bus and I anticipate it is going to be a ball. The 5 Pint Brew Crawl will be visiting these breweries in order:
1. Dodging Duck Brewhaus – I have never been here or tried any of their beers
2. Free Tail Brewery – Tried a few of their beer and hoping they can change my opinion
3. Faust Brewing Company – Suppose to have a period pub.. lets see how it cares to my beloved Fiddler’s Hearth in South Bend, IN.
4. Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling – I have tried a few of their beers but never visited their facilities
5. Blue Star Brewing Company – Had lunch here last Saturday but didn’t feel much up to drinking after that walk.
We have got to know a lot of folks from the local brew community so I am really looking forward to a day of fun.
My goal that morning will be to get up and do my walking before the crawl and to eat as carefully as I can but I am sure I will hit my calorie budget with just beer. Wish my waistline luck!
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Gluten Free Veggie Crepes
Ingredients
Crepe
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk or unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil, slightly cooled
- Butter or Coconut oil for coating the pan
-
Veggie Filling
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups spinach leaves
- 3 cups swiss chard, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, rough chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- Boursin Cheese
Instructions
- Blend crepe ingredients in a blender until combined and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and as much as overnight. You just want to make sure that all the bubbles in the batter have disappeared before using.
Veggie Filling Prep
- Saute veggies starting with mushrooms and once they show a bit of brown you can add onions. Once the onions are translucent add spinach, chard and tomato and lightly saute until spinach and swiss charge softens. Remove from heat and set aside until you are ready to fill crepes.
To make crepes
- Coat a non-stick, 9-inch skillet with butter or coconut oil over medium heat.
- Pour 1/4 cup of batter in the center of the pan: immediately remove from heat and swirl the batter around to touch all sides of the pan. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until you can see tiny bubbles under the crepe and you can flip it without tearing.
- Shake the pan in order to push the crepe towards one side of the pan: using a wide spatula, flip over.
- Brown for 30 seconds then reduce heat. Crumble cheese over the entire crepe and then cover one half of the crepe with the sauted vegetables. Fold in quarters or thirds and serve.
2.2
http://www.culinarycafe.com/2013/05/06/gluten-free-veggie-crepes/
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Well I survived last week without falling off the wagon. I walked every day I possibly could and did a awesome job of watching what I ate. It helped that I had very little appetite. I was afraid when I got back and finally had this big ball of stress off my shoulders that things would go badly but I have done very well. As of Friday May 3rd I have lost 8 pounds. That is the best reinforcement I can get! My husband and I have started a new habit to go to The Pearl Farmers Market every Saturday. We go for a number of reasons. The first is that it makes us get up early, we enjoy the fresh vegetables we find and the riverwalk between there and downtown is beautiful and wonderful for Saturday morning walk. One thing we can’t miss is the Gluten Free Crepes which we get full of fresh veggies and some Boursin cheese which serves as our breakfast and then we walk 3-4 miles on the river. It really feels more like sightseeing than exercising.
This blog was suppose to be about food and food is definitely an important part in of a healthy lifestyle. I am choosing to avoid gluten in my diet because I have an obvious intolerance to it so you are going to see a lot of gluten free recipes in the future. Check out my Gluten Free Veggie Crepes, this recipe is a reproduction of those wonderful crepes we get at The Pearl Farmers Market.
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I got word on Tuesday that my grandmother had died. I am in charge of taking care of her funeral plans back in Indiana so not only am I deeply saddened but also had my stress level jacked through the ceiling. When I am experiencing extreme stress and emotional turmoil I totally lose my appetite and have tons of nervous energy. So even though I am an emotional mess it has been really good for my weight. I have been walking between 1.5 -2 miles a day and barely eating. I know this isn’t the healthiest thing for me but it helps me get into the small portion eating that I need to get back into the habit of. You won’t be hearing from me again until next Wednesday at the earliest but don’t be surprised if I report a 5+ lbs lost because I have already dropped 4.
On the food side I must report my latest creation. We had eaten at La Gloria Ice House at the Pearl Brewery here in San Antonio last Saturday. The dish that impressed me the most was Camerones Agua Chile or shrimp in fire water. I love the gulf shrimp we get here they are so much more flavorful than what we got back in Indiana. I think this preparation of shrimp is now my favorite way to eat them and I think it may be the healthiest way to fix them. I have been working on a ceviche recipe ever since last summer but I think I have now worked out all the kinks and have the best ceviche recipe yet. I promise to get that posted as soon as I get back next week and have time to do it.
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Well I did it! Not only did I get out and walk 1.5 miles this morning but I walked almost 2 miles last night with my husband. My legs were sore from last nights walk so I didn’t get quite as much walking done as I would have liked but my calves and shins were ready for a revolt. I also busted out my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker
and made up a batch of Bohemian Raspberry Green Tea which is really helping with my energy levels. I made sure to weigh myself with our WII Fit and made myself start using MyNetDiary.com again. I even got the MyNetDiary App for my phone so I could easily scan things into my food log and I can use it on the go. I have found that tracking everything I eat and drink is important. It not only makes me think about everything I eat but I can also look at trends to see what foods may not work well in my diet. I know that my diet is actually very healthy because I have been avoiding carbs and processed flour for years now. I am going to try to steer our meals even more toward the Primal/Paleo direction because that is where I want to end up as a regular diet for us as a family.Recently become very lactose intolerant and and for a couple years now my body has reacted badly to more than just a small amount of breads and pastas. I had pre-ordered Practical Paleo
last July and I have to admit that I haven’t cracked the cover on it yet so that is my reading homework for the week. This week is going to take focus to keep up the new schedule and continue to log what I eat. Here we go!
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Molly not happy about me taking her picture in her pink diaper! Pouty Puppy!
The title of this post made me giggle because I find I have to tell myself that quite often these days. I am really bad about internalizing things that are bothering me and there has been so much going on lately that I think I am going to burst soon. Today I realized it is even affecting my health because I am starting to get depressed and I just want to go take a nap in the middle of the day. When I really need to be getting out and moving my ever growing backside. I thought once I we got moved I would find endless time and energy to get the exercise I needed and it would be easy to lose some weight. I thought wrong. I hate doing things by myself and my husband’s work schedule doesn’t allow us much time together during the week and it certainly is not workout friendly. My oldest has been busier than all of us put together between band, choir, ROTC and now driving school so we seem to only see each other during meals. The younger two aren’t that into Mom time so most of the time its just me and the dogs.
Today I once again trying to put a foot in the right direction and not only start posting here again but also drag myself out for a nice long walk. I actually have a number of posts already in drafted out but unfinished so you might see a burst of posts that I have been sitting on for a while. One I need to write before I let it get away is telling you all about our day at the Real Ale Anniversary Party in Blanco, Tx. That brewery is really growing and developing and I can’t help but compare it to 3Floyds Brewery back in Indiana. Any craft beer lovers should find that post pretty interesting because thanks to my husband I know my beers (as well as my teas) and know a good amount about the craft beer industry.
I am hoping for a little encouragement from all of you to get this ball rolling because I am looking forward to eventually being swept away by it once the momentum gets going. Don’t worry recipes are also coming and gardening tips because I am very much still a foodie but there is so much more than just recipes in life that I want to share!
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Spicy Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken pieces
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 2 tbsp powered sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
For Sauce
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup tomato ketchup
- 1/3 cup rice syrup, honey, or corn syrup
- 1/3 cup hot pepper paste, less if you lack heat tolerance
- 1 tbsp apple vinegar
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Rinse chicken in cold water. Drain and shake off excess water.
- In a large bowl combine all purpose and rice flour with salt, pepper, baking soda and powdered sugar. Mix well.
- Lightly beat your egg and add it to dry mixture. Add chicken pieces and mix well with your hands until all the chicken is coated.
- Heat 6-7 cups of oil in a wok or frying pan and heat until oil bubbles when chicken is added (about 350-375 F).
- Fry for about 10 minutes until chicken is lightly browned Remove from oil on to a grate where oil can drain from chicken. Let them rest for a few minutes.
- Fry them again for another 10 minutes until all pieces are golden brown and crunchy.
Sauce Time - Make while chicken is frying
- Add 1 Tbsp Canola oil and minced garlic into a pan over medium heat
- Add ketchup, rice syrup, hot pepper past and vinegar to pan and simmer for 7 minutes stirring frequently.
- Keep warm until chicken is ready
- Add twice fried chicken to sauce or together in a large bowl and stir gently with a wooden spoon.
- Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and server with warm rice.
2.2
http://www.culinarycafe.com/2013/01/23/spicy-korean-fried-chicken/
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Yeah I failed to post multiple times last week. I can’t even tell you why now it is all just a blur. I am sitting her shivering trying to keep myself from crawling back in my warm covers, Let me re-cap last week for you.
1. I learned to not make more than your going to eat in one sitting of the Avocado Egg Salad because it becomes Frankensalad and it will not be edible in 24 hours.
2. Texas Roadhouse deep fried pickles are not good. They were super salty and bitter. We have a local restaurant. CBQ Eatery and they have incredible deep fried pickles and bricket and sweet potato tamales.. oh my.
3. I made my second batch of Spicy Korean Fried Chicken and my family agreed that it was the best fried chicken ever. I will post my version of the recipe this week. I promise!
4. A cold air mass pushed down out of North Texas and pushed all the Cedar pollen south and now my chest feels like I am living on the edge of a asthma attack and my usual allergy meds are not helping. Go away cold air!
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Avocado Egg Salad from Skinny Taste.com
I have made the decision that no matter how busy I am going to try to post something here at least 6 days a week. I am also working on my weight which is mostly because I am a foodie and my husband and I do a lot of food travel and the fact I can whip up something that you would poke your best friends eyes out just to get seconds of. It is funny how many friends I have made by cooking for them. I guess I just have a gift. My grandmother says my grandfathers mother was well known for her cooking so maybe I inherited it. I have decided I can still make myself delicious food but I have to be more calorie and portion mindful while avoiding processed carbohydrates. It has worked well for me in the past. I have been enamored with Avocados recently so I decided to try the Avocado Egg Salad from SkinnyTaste.com. I also remembered seeing NomNomPaleo.com post a method for perfect hard boiled eggs which I desperately need because my eggs always end up looking like they had some horrible skin condition. I just finished my hard boiled eggs using her method and they are perfect!
I halved the recipe because I am only feeding me and my thoughts on the Avocado Egg Salad was that it had good flavor the not enough texture for me. Next time I think I am gong to add some sweet onion, chopped pecans and maybe some sliced grapes. I also served my open faced on whole wheat bread with lettuce and sliced homegrown tomatoes which I think really complimented the salad. Now I just have to convince Molly my French Bulldog that I need a few minutes alone to eat without playing fetch with her drool covered toy..
Just look at that face!
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Back in Indiana I had 3 acres of land that was loaded with gardens of all different types. I had
strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, herbs and a large veggie garden. I have been canning for years and enjoy providing my family with high quality veggies I grew myself.When we decided to move to Texas I knew I would have little room for gardening and I would have to use every bit of space I could find for my urban garden. I am hoping to get my husband to build me a strawberry tower which I may put in my front yard because they are as beautiful as they are functional. My only problem with that is keeping the neighborhood kids from eating all my strawberries. Another issue I have to deal with is that everything I do needs to be mobile because we plan to put a pool in next spring and I don’t want all my work to be destroyed when the builders come.
I had been eye balling the beautiful raised beds from Gardeners Supply but until the pool gets put in I don’t really know what kind of space I will have to put them so I wanted something that I could put almost anywhere and be able to move if needed. I found some nice self watering planters from Ikea and I could shoot myself now for not picking up a few more of them but I couldn’t find the price on them at the time and I feared the worst. I think I will pick up a couple more because not only were they self watering and attractive but they have wheels which makes it easy for me to move them. I was over joyed to find out that fall is great time to start plants and was able to pick up a couple things for my new planters. I soon learned I was going to have to start my favorite San Marzano tomatoes from seed because they only seem to sell about 3 varieties down here. I found tons of herbs and a good variety of pepper plants but I was very surprised to not find tomatillo plants. I have filled my two planters and they are doing quite well even thougt the one is a little over filled.
You can see I am a big herb fan I love to use fresh herbs in everything I cook so I tend to plant them any where I can find a spot to suite them. I already have plans to rip out half the landscaping the home builders put in and replace them with herbs that will look just as nice. I am still impressed that rosemary and many other plants are perennial down here that I could barely get to grow back home. I do have a bay laurel back home in a pot that my parents are going to bring to me when they come to visit. I am have been babying that Bay for almost 5 years and he is maybe 3 feet tall so I am sure once I get him in the ground down here he is going to love it.
I had to find other cost effective ways to start my urban garden and while browsing Gardeners.com
and drooling on their cedar raised beds I found these awesome grow bags which are portable and won’t allow the plants to be over watered like when we get those typical Texas downpours. I had to move my planters from above out of the rain after a couple hours because the water indicator was maxed and I didn’t want my plants drowning. They are suppose to let the roots breath while not letting them dry out to fast. We will see how they handle the Texas weather though I am very careful about making sure they never fully dry out so it will be more of seeing how long they take to dry out. They had versions for tomatoes, pepper, potatoes, garlic and salad grow bags. I got a couple different ones to try because they were pretty inexpensive. Time will tell how well they work and at least they will let me attempt to grow something without worrying about having to relocate it when we finally put our pool in.
Next post I will let you know what seeds I am starting and what my goal plantings will be!
Enjoy Life!
Candie
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