You're so vain!

I have kind of written about this before, but I need to re-share.  I recently went on a first date with this dude and he did not tell me I looked nice.  Is it ridiculously vain of me to not like that he didn't tell me I looked nice?  Because I looked good.  Gentleman, be it your first date, or your thousandth, or your millionth date, you should always tell the lady she looks nice, she is pretty, or that cherubs sing about her beauty.  Just acknowledge that she put forth an effort to look good for you. 

Crepe-tastic!

eating crepes at a mittelaltermarkt in Germany

 

A couple of years ago I was able to travel to Germany.  It was absolutely wonderful and I very much want to return.  While there I ate a lot of delicious food and drank a lot of delicious beer.  While this was my second trip to Germany, it was my first experience with crepes.  Savory, sweet, delicious crepes.  I had to learn how to make these, but all the places I visited in Germany had all these specialty tools.  There was a special pan or heating plate that the crepes were cooked on, a wooden dowel type dealie for crepe magicking, and a knife-spatula-flipper hybrid.  I don't have the storage space for so many single purpose items. So I set out to teach myself how to make crepes.  I had basically figured it out and then I forgot about the magical deliciousness of crepes until a couple of weeks ago when my brother asked me if I could teach him how to make them.  All of the recipes I read on the interweb were complicated and made a million and a half.  After some experimenting and serious quantity reduction, I came up with this killer crepe concoction.  Bonus: the Weight Watcher Point Plus value is 1 point per crepe. 

Crepes: makes about 10 crepes

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of 1% milk
1/4 cup of water

That is it, just four ingredients! The type of flour is really up to you, it depends on what type of crepe you want - I usually use white flour for the versatility. If you use a different type of flour, the Weight Watcher point value may change.  You can also add other things to the batter.  For sweet crepes, I am fond of adding a splash of vanilla extract (that is what the brown in the picture is) or a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder (chocolate crepes are amazing!).  You can also add sugar or sugar substitute or any herbs or seasonings, whatever you are in the mood for.  Rosemary whole wheat crepes with a chicken, spinach, and mushroom filling sounds spectacular: I am making myself hungry.

Many of the recipes I read required you to whisk the ingredients in a specific order and sing a song while spinning in a counterclockwise circle.  While I understand the importance of all that and respect the people who swear by it - I just put it all in my Magic Bullet and gave it one serious blend.  I have not noticed any difference between whisking with kitchen voodoo and blending the hell out of it.  Besides, this way, cleanup is a snap! 

While you are blending away, your pan should be heating up.  I turn the burner to medium high heat.  You will know when your pan is hot enough by using the pancake trick: water droplets should sizzle and disappear immediately.  A few notes on the pan: I use a 9 inch nonstick pan.  It makes smallish crepes (approximately 7 inches in diameter).  You can use a larger pan, but the point value may change.  I have never used anything but a nonstick pan, so I don't know how it would work in a stainless, copper, or whatever other kinds of pans exist. 

Now comes the most complicated part: trying to take a picture while pouring batter in the pan.  You really should pour the batter in the the center of the pan, and not the side like the picture shows.  Oops.  I don't know exactly how much I pour in, 1/8 of a cup maybe?

As soon as you pour however much batter into your pan, immediately lift the pan off the heat and rotate it (clockwise, counterclockwise, whatever makes you happy) so the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan.  Return the pan to the heat when the batter stops moving. 

Let that bad boy cook until the batter stops looking all raw like and the edges start to curl.  Then flip it over!  I just reach in and grab the curling edges with my fingers and turn the crepe over.  Sometimes, if I am feeling especially fancy, I will shake the pan a bit to be sure it is slipping easily about the pan and then do some fancy wrist flicking to flip it.  I am not always successful.  You are welcome to use an egg turner, spatula, tongs, Snow White's song birds . . . just make sure they stick around for clean up!

Let it cook half as long as the first side, or until you feel it is done, you know, whatever.  Then remove from pan.  Repeat about 9 more times.  Then fill with your favorite filling.  I am partial to nutella.  Or applesauce and cinnamon.  Or peanut butter and banana.  Or cheese, Canadian bacon, and spinach.  I am making myself hungry again. 

 

Once again, all pictures were taken in my tiny and dark apartment kitchen with my iPhone.  Except for the first picture, that was taken in Germany with a purple Nikon Coolpix.

Bucket List

6.  RV Roadtrip!
I have never been on a serious roadtrip where the destination was not what was important, but the journey was the adventure.  This idea really appeals to me and I would love to get in a RV and experience the states via roadside attractions, state parks, and local flavor. 

7. Travel the Mandolin Trail:  My great grandfather fought in World War I.  He brought his mandolin with him, upon which he inscribed each town he visited during his time in the war.  I don't have the actual mandolin, but I do have a copy of a drawing he did with the all the places he traveled through listed.  This would be one extreme trip.

Mini Quiche Recipe

I am a total foodie.  I love to eat.  I have a serious carbohydrate habit.  Dipping a crusty baguette into olive oil and spices is a delicious pleasure that is not very Weight Watchers friendly.  The same goes for potato chips and macaroni and cheese.  I also enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes, but I am usually cooking for one and while leftovers are delicious, I don't want to be eating the same thing for a week and not everything freezes well.  Currently, I am trying to overhaul my recipes and make them "healthier."  I also have developed an obsession with wonton wrappers.  It started with trying to make crab rangoons, but baked instead of fried.  So far I have not been successful in creating a rangoon filling I am happy with, but I have found many other brilliant uses for these little wonton wrappers.  One of which is using a wonton wrapper as the crust for a quiche. 

Mini Quiche:

Makes 4 quiche. 
Serves 2.
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 3 points per serving.

Ingredients:
4 sprays olive oil cooking spray
4 wonton wrappers
1 large egg
3 tablespoons 1% milk
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
5 or so leaves of spinach
1 slice of Canadian bacon
4 baby bella mushroom slices
pinch of any herb or seasoning you like - I used rosemary and black pepper


Spray 4 of the cupcake holes in a cupcake pan.  Push a wonton wrapper into each hole. 

In a bowl, combine the egg, milk, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and any seasonings desired.

Divide the egg mixture among the 4 wonton lined cups.

Chop the spinach and Canadian bacon.

Evenly distribute the spinach, Canadian bacon, and mushrooms between the 4 cups.  Make sure to give each cup a gentle stir so that everything has a coating of the egg mixture. My baby bella mushrooms were pre-sliced, but I thought they were a little thick, so I sliced them again and put both halves in each cup.  Here they are right before going into the oven.   

 

 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes (be sure egg is cooked through).  The quiches (quiche?) will look fluffy.  They will deflate some as they cool. 

 

 

They taste pretty good reheated. 

At only 3 points for 2 mini quiche, I think they make a good breakfast with some fruit.

Yum.

 

 

 

 All photos were taken with my iPhone in my tiny apartment kitchen with zero natural lighting.  I know, total bummer.  And I would also like to point out that my cookie jar is empty.  Another bummer.  I have found some one point cookie recipes that Manfred the Moose cookie jar is itching for me to try. 

How to not get a second date.

Slacking on the posting: shame on me.  My last post was about setbacks and I am sad to say I am still struggling.  The month of May was rough, full of graduations, Mother's Day, my brother's birthday, Memorial Day, a visit from my best friend . . . all month I have been gaining and losing the same 3 pounds.  It is enough to make me want to scream!  So instead I am going to talk about something even more embarrassing than my yoyo-ing 3 pounds: dating.  Specifically, first dates.  I don't know if this makes me jaded, superficial, or a cynic; by no means do I walk into a date with a checklist in hand, but these are a few things have have actually happened to me that I found to be unforgivable. 

1. You are dangerously close to a TLC special and needing a forklift to get around.
2. You did not tell me I looked nice (okay, I am a little superficial, but I put forth the effort to look good for you and you showed up in shorts with a bleach stain and plastic shoes).
3. You call your plastic shoes Jesus sandals. 
4. You compared basketball to NASCAR (it is not just a bunch of dudes running back and forth, oh my GOSH!).
5. You made a 12 on the ACT. (how is that even possible?)
6. You took me to Wal-Mart.
7. You took me to Best Buy (not the same dude that took me to Wal-Mart, I swear! Wal-Mart was actually a double date).
8. After eating dinner, you get the largest bucket of popcorn sold at the movie theater.  Upon realizing the butter is self serve, you do a happy dance and proceed to drown the popcorn.  Then spend the rest of the evening exclaiming how it needed more butter. 
9. You live in your van and sell bonsai trees by the side of the road. 
10. You eat the raw, dried out corn off the cornstalk at the corn maze.
11. After eating the raw, dried out corn off the cornstalk at the corn maze you try to kiss me.  I am pretty sure there were still kernels in your mouth. 
12. You tell me you have a fiance (that was one hell of an icebreaker).
13. You spend the evening telling me stories that start with "you're not a man until . . ." and end with a sledgehammer to the face and a visit to the emergency room.  All the while laughing hysterically. 
14. You push me down on the ground and declare: "HOEDOWN!"
15. You want me to meet your parents on our second date. 

Setbacks

So, setbacks suck.  They can be discouraging, frustrating, and when you write about them on the interwebs: embarrassing.  The past few weeks have been challenging.  I had a stressful week where I was craving something, but couldn't figure it out.  This made me want to stand in my kitchen and eat everything so I could determine what my craving was.  I know this is a bad choice, but for some reason, the later the hour, the lower my will power.  Come to think of it, that may directly correlate with some other bad choices I have made.  Oops! 

The following week was better, I lost weight, did a happy dance, it was all very exciting.  Then I hit another setback.  My brother's college graduation, family visiting, BBQ, Mother's Day.  We made sure to have healthier choices in addition to the potato salads and spinach dips. There were lots of fruit and vegetable options, but the spinach dip is delicious with carrots and there was cake!  I tried so hard to be good and mostly I was, but I still had a gain when I weighed in yesterday.  Total bummer.  I am feeling discouraged, but that is the nature of setbacks.  Some people say they are motivated by them; I am trying to view these past few setbacks as motivators. 

There is a picture I saw on Pinterest awhile ago that I loved.  Really want I loved is what it said: One "bad" meal can't make you fat, just like one "good" meal can't make you skinny. 

That's not you!

A mini weightloss victory:  the other day, I went to get my oil changed.  On the back of my credit card, I have written "check ID" so the gentleman ringing me up asked to see my ID - this doesn't happen often. 
I showed him my license and he said: "that's not you." 
"Sure it is."
"No, that's not you."
"I assure you, it is me."
"Well you are withering away.  But you know, in a good way."

Kind of a weird compliment - I assume it is weightloss related. I'll take it!

Technology and Wellness

I read an article on the 64 best health and fitness apps of 2013 and wow.  Most of the apps are free which makes me super happy.  Couch to 5K made the list which is great.  There are a couple of different apps available that are all very similar in getting someone ready to run a 5K.  I only have experience with C25K (free) and Ease into 5K (paid).  I think both are great, but C25K has a free version that is the complete program, where many of the other free versions are really just "lite" versions of the program and only include a few workouts. 

The app from the list I am most excited about is Teemo.  It has all these little challenge courses you work your way through.  Each course has multiple exercises that only take a few minutes and no equipment.  I love this because I can do one challenge while my oatmeal is cooking, or a multiple challenges to make a longer workout.  It seems like a new, kind of cool way to incorporate extra physical activity into my normal day.  The downside is you have to have a Facebook account to use the app.  I do have a Facebook, but I don't play games or run any of my other apps through it.  The app is designed to be social, but I am not sure I want to use it that way.  You can choose to not allow the app to post on your behalf. 


There is also an Eat Local app on the list that intrigues me.  I like to eat local whenever possible and I love going to a Farmer's Market, so this is something I may have to try.  I think I know about all the local Farmer's Markets near where I live, but the app is free, so it could be fun.  The Weight Watchers app was also included on the list and I do use it to track my daily points and weekly weigh ins.  Something that was not mentioned in the article: the app is free to download, but you have to be a Weight Watchers member to log in and use it.  An app that did surprise me as being a wellness type app was Instagram.  I have not jumped on the Instagram bandwagon.  I did download the app months ago to see what it was all about, but haven't really used it.  Greatist.com claims you can join communities and there is one that celebrates making healthier choices.  Making good choices is a strong theme in the lessons and workshops I created during my undergrad and into my career.  So I may have to become an instagramer. 

An app that I can't believe exists is STD Triage.  How it works is you take a picture of your problem (most likely located on your genitals) and submit the picture along with a description of your symptoms.  A dermatologist will review your problem based on the supplied information and you will receive a notification once a diagnosis has been made (which you then pay for).  The best part of this?  The app icon. 



*I don't know if I need to say this, but these are just my opinions (obviously!).  I was not paid by any of these companies or app type people to write this.  It is simply a collection of wellness related apps that I love or want to try (or scratched my head at).  And thanks to Greatist for making this killer list!

FPM

So, I nicknamed my weekly Weight Watchers meeting my Fat People Meeting, which is wrong on so many different levels.  It's mean, but I don't care: FPM makes me giggle, and to me that is important.  Not all the people at the meeting are fat, some are lifetime members that have reached their goal and continue to attend meetings for support.  Which is great, support is such a vital part to successful weightloss.  My progress for the last two weeks was not spectacular, but I am trying not to be bummed about it.  I missed a FPM, because of my eye injury, so my weigh in this week was for two weeks and I lost 2 pounds.  I am trying to be positive about it because any loss is good: I didn't put the weight on overnight, so I won't lose it overnight either.  Plus, I spent the better part of last week camped out on the sofa with a cold washcloth over my eyes.  I should be jumping up and down, shouting "Boo Yah!" to my fat. 

Not really related, but begging to be shared: I like to eat oatmeal, it is tasty.  Oatmeal is like ice cream, but hot and oaty.  What I mean is you can put fun toppings on it like you would for an ice cream sundae. I am usually a fruit and nuts kind of girl (haha!), but sometimes chocolate is required.  This morning I made my oatmeal, topped it with 8 pecans - chopped, a teaspoon of raw sugar, and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Then I poured my hot Irish breakfast blend tea on it.  Seriously.  I just stood there and stared at it for a minute, trying to decide if I should dump it and start over or mix it up and eat it anyway.  Then a stroke of genius hit me: drain it over the sink.  Okay, maybe not the stroke of genius you were expecting, more like stroke of common sense.  I don't know what was going on in my brain this morning.  Tea doesn't go on oatmeal!

Bucket List

3. Go to a murder mystery dinner.
Kind of cheesy?  Yes.  Fun? I hope so.  All I know about murder mystery dinners: I want to go to one, I want to dress up, and I love the movie Clue.  After some fancy googling, I learned there are options.  You can be creative and plan one, you can be less creative and get a kit, or you can let others be creative for you and go to a show. 

4. Learn to whitewater kayak.
I am already an active flatwater kayak type person: love love love being on the water.  Whitewater kayaking has always been something I have wanted to learn, but I let my weight keep me from taking the first step (or roll class so I don't get dead).  Now that I am doing something about my weight, I am making a goal to make this happen.   

5. Go kayaking in a bio-bay.
Okay, bio-bay is short for bio-luminescent bay, which means that it is a body of water that contains millions of micro-organisms (called dinoflagellates) that briefly glow when agitated.  So while kayaking at night everywhere your boat or paddle disturbed the water would glow.  Spectacular!  I tried to find some good pictures, but so many had been edited to make the glow brighter, and that is cheating!  Anyway: three bio-bays can be found in Puerto Rico. 

Heart Rate

I have seen some great playlists created for running out there in the interwebs. For me, music is great for pacing, which is something that a lot of people struggle with, specifically new to running or start again type people. There are some great running apps available (I used - and still use - Couch to 5K and am a big fan), but if you don't want to pay for it or don't have the technology, the advice I frequently give is to jog for a song, walk for a song, repeat. If you can't make it a whole song that's is okay, just keep at it, your endurance will get better.

I love music, discovering new (at least to me) bands, checking out the local talent, whatever. I always keep a playlist specifically for running on my iPhone; it is titled heart rate. Because I love music and making lists is fun, my current running playlist.  I just put it on shuffle and go.  According to iTunes, my playlist is 1.6 hours; I typically make my running playlist longer because I play the shuffle game; I find this is more than long enough for my warm up, run, and cool down. The type of running goals I am setting now are distance and pacing related because of my half marathon goal. 

Magic: B.o.B (feat. Rivers Cuomo)
So Good: B.o.B
I Know What I Am: Band of Skulls
One Week: Barenaked Ladies
Done.: The Band Perry
Timebomb: Beck
Crazy in Love: Beyonce
Hunting for Witches: Bloc Party
Runaway Baby: Bruno Mars
You Make Me Feel...: Cobra Starship (feat. Sabi)
Turn Me On: David Guetta and Nicki Minaj
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This): Eurythmics
Good Feeling: Flo Rida
Give a Little: Hanson
I Kissed a Girl: Katy Perry
Peacock: Katy Perry
Blow: Ke$ha
Somebody Told Me: The Killers
Say Hey (I Love You): Michael Franti & Spearhead
Seven Seas Blues: Monster Truck
Chocolate Raspberry Lemon and Lime: Muscles
Moving In the Dark: Neon Trees
A Good Idea At the Time: Ok Go
Breakin' Dishes: Rihanna
Get Busy: Sean Paul
Got 2 Luv U: Sean Paul
Shut Up and Let Me Go: The Ting Tings
That's Not My Name: The Ting Tings
Drive By: Train

Bucket List

 

Tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM, I have to report to a testing center to take a professional exam that will qualify me to do professional type stuff.  I should be practicing good test taking procedures like studying, going to bed early, and eating a good breakfast, but it is likely that won't happen.  What will actually happen is I will roll out of bed late, pull on a pair of running shorts and my favorite Adidas jacket with the thumb holes, and eat an energy bar on my way to the testing center.  Since I know myself so well and am okay with the reality of what will go down in the morning, I am surfing the web and looking at other people's bucket lists on Pinterest.  Which got me to thinking: I have never actually committed to making a "bucket list." To be honest, I don't even like the term, but it is better than "to do" list and flows better than "make it happen" list.  Instead of creating one long list that will take half your life to read, I am creating a running one as inspiration hits. I love to travel and take pictures, so a large portion of my bucket list will likely involve travel of some kind (but who's doesn't?).

1. Climb the Tower of Pisa. 
The tower leans about 3.99 degrees, is absolutely beautiful, and you get to climb it!  Look at it all leany and stuff.

2. Go to a drive in movie.
I have never had the opportunity to go to a drive in movie.  Unfortunately, this style of theater is not common anymore.  I know there is one near me; I sometimes drive by it when I go hiking.  So I really need to make this happen.

Maybe I could be a pirate impersonator

I am afraid I am going to turn into a mole person. Or a bat. A bat would be much cooler with the flying and the sonar. I have spent the week with my eyes closed, forgetting how to blink was becoming a real fear. But I have listened to enough daytime TV to turn me into a bored housewife. Or a hermit. And I learned I really like Ellen Degeneres. What really happened: Sunday I scratched my cornea during some extreme yard work. And when I say I scratched my cornea I mean a tree jumped into my eyeball, competed in battle, dominated, and took a scoop of my cornea as a trophy. A giant scoop! This entire experience has been so terrible. I went to the doctor, she put numbing drops in my eye (which are magic!) then drops to dilate, did some other stuff involving lights, crazy eyeball microscopes, and an orange eye crayon, and a contact lens to serve as a "bandage." Then she left the room and I passed out. It was so weird, I have never fainted before, I got nauseous, felt really hot, then woke up slung sideways in the chair with my head on a cart. My brain said: "huh." Because that's all I could manage.

But now I am healed enough to open both eyes! Which is so exciting I can't put it into words. I am going to try driving tomorrow. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't been running since Sunday. Something else to try tomorrow! This injury really knocked my on my booty, I never imagined this kind of injury would disrupt my life so much. Maybe it's just me, but a scratched cornea doesn't sound like a big deal, besides I have a spare right? It so didn't work that way; whatever the good eye did, so did the injured eye and that was a whole new level of suckage. It is possible I am just a weenie, but my ego is telling me that's not the case.

Comeback Post

So, I suck at this whole blogging thing. 

Number one reason for my (not so) triumphant return: I am making a serious effort to become more healthy and lose the weight gained in college and maintained my first few years of working.  Writing about it here will hopefully keep me motivated and maybe even hold me accountable.  It is very frustrating when I look in the mirror and see how much weight I have gained, especially since I have earned a degree in Lifetime Wellness and I try to live an active and healthy lifestyle.  I know how to lose the weight and tried for two years to lose it on my own.  I started running, most of the food I ate was nutritionally sound.  I understood I didn't put the weight on overnight, so I was not going to lose it overnight either.  I wasn't having much success and that frustrated the hell out of me.  I don't often feel fat (until I look in the mirror, struggle with a yoga pose, or walk into a fitting room).  I still feel like the girl I used to be, but with a better understanding of how to style my curly crazy hair. 

So I am doing this little thing called Weight Watchers, maybe you have heard of it? I don't 100% agree with everything Weight Watchers does (and I am not going to open that can of worms yet), but a lot of people have had great success with the program and I need to do something.  I have been a member for 12 weeks and as of Monday, I have lost 15 pounds and received some very cute little star stickers as evidence of my success.  Obviously something is working: I think it is the stickers. But my jeans still squeeze me and I can't tell a difference.  My long term, end of the tunnel, holy freaking cow goal is to lose 119 pounds (or so - this will put me in the middle of my "healthy" weight range.  BMI weight charts: another can of worms).  I find this to be daunting, heartbreaking, exciting, and really scary.  Now I am going to chronicle this bad boy of a goal. 

The second reason for my comeback: my public needs me!  Not really, but I have received a few very sweet messages inquiring why I stopped posting.  So I am back, my wonderful people, all seven of you.