Phyllis and I had a great time at Costco! They had lots of taste tests and there weren't a lot of people. Yahoo! We had fun roaming around and Phyllis really liked the price of eggs so she got a pack. I was sad because they only had egg whites and not the (yellow) Egg Beaters (that are low in cholesterol). I'll have to get those at the regular grocery store.
Tonight I made a cheesy, low carb chicken pot pie. The topping was a mix of almond and coconut flours. It was good. I cheated and used cream of chicken soup for the 'sauce.' Phyllis came back for supper, bringing my half of the romaine lettuce pack that we shared.
The day seemed to zip by but it's fun just hanging out. I'm going back to binge watching "Blue Bloods" on Netflix. They always get the bad guy in the end and there is always some morality play going on. It's quite comforting. Cheers!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Breakfast was yummy with leftover ham from last night's incredibly yummy and tastefully decorated potluck at Therese's house.
You may notice the "banned" orange slices from the orange Phyllis gave me. That's how I heard it, but she was saying "band fruit" as in the fruit one buys to support the high school's band. I am truly loving my Red Pony mug that Emily gave me. It makes me happy to think of the Longmire series and its author, Craig Johnson.
Right now I'm killing time until Phyllis gets here after her trip to the dump. (The new kids in Town call it the landfill.) We're going to Costco to buy BIG food!
It's a little chillier than yesterday -- 44 F. Who would have thought it? Last year, we had snow up to our noses and now -- not one flake of snow and balmy temperatures. I am grateful.
I am also grateful that it is not 2006, because on this day that year was when I ended up in the hospital with ideopathic pancreatitis. Some memories are better left buried. But it does remind me how my young daughters stepped up to the plate and came to my aid, visiting and dealing with doctors and paperwork.
More later ...
Food Journey
I decided to treat myself to a combination pastry cutter and bench scraper (above)
So, of course, I had to use it. Below, can you smell the aroma of onions and peppers (before mushrooms)?
The above became the topping seen below. A buffalo meat burger is hiding beneath the veggies.
It really isn't true that all I do is eat. The pictures above are from last week. Below is my Christmas Eve dinner of roast chicken, green bean casserole, squash, and eggplant parm.
I made this apron a few years ago.
And after a potluck dinner at Therese's house, I came home to Yaoyao's gift sitting on my front porch. There are enough cookies for an Army! I will be sharing these at the Library! Thank you so much to Yaoyao!
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Hoop It Up, Oh Baby!
So I never thought I'd say this, but I went hooping today. As in hula hoops.
I went to Hoop Joy Amherst Fitness which is Stephanie O'Keeffe's new business. I have known her for years, mainly through her tireless work as a Select Board member and Chair. (She runs a great meeting.)
Luckily, I was the drop in of the hour so nobody else could see how inept I am. (I thought of running out to Lisa or Tomi, the Fitness Queens, and asking for a cup of ept, but I didn't do that.) Stephanie told me that the bigger the hoop, the easier it is. So she got me started with a hoop the size of Fitchburg.
Look at how easy it is:
Stepanie is a great teacher! She began by telling me that it's really a pushing forward and back motion with your pelvis (not side to side as most people think). I allowed as how I live alone and I was not used to that ... but I did give it a shot.
I quickly realized that the most exercise I got was picking up the hoop after I had dropped it. I did manage to get a couple of good turns in, including using a side to side motion. I had to stop fairly quickly because I was really feeling it my back -- the colder weather had made the arthritis kick in.
But I learned there's a lot more you can do with hoops that tones and strengthens your muscles. For instance, you can pass the hoop around your body with your hands making half circles or you can hold the hoop above your head, working on your upper arms.
She has classes, drop in sessions are only $6 and she's open to private parties with a BYOB component. Since I'm the designated driver, I'm thinking of planning a girls' night out there and I'll bring LOTS of wine.
AND ... we now have Hoop Joy passes for winners at the Jones Library Trivia in January. Yay!!
You thought I was fibbing, didn't you? Although some of you may notice that it's not an action shot in my case. Inch by inch ...
I went to Hoop Joy Amherst Fitness which is Stephanie O'Keeffe's new business. I have known her for years, mainly through her tireless work as a Select Board member and Chair. (She runs a great meeting.)
Luckily, I was the drop in of the hour so nobody else could see how inept I am. (I thought of running out to Lisa or Tomi, the Fitness Queens, and asking for a cup of ept, but I didn't do that.) Stephanie told me that the bigger the hoop, the easier it is. So she got me started with a hoop the size of Fitchburg.
Look at how easy it is:
Stepanie is a great teacher! She began by telling me that it's really a pushing forward and back motion with your pelvis (not side to side as most people think). I allowed as how I live alone and I was not used to that ... but I did give it a shot.
I quickly realized that the most exercise I got was picking up the hoop after I had dropped it. I did manage to get a couple of good turns in, including using a side to side motion. I had to stop fairly quickly because I was really feeling it my back -- the colder weather had made the arthritis kick in.
But I learned there's a lot more you can do with hoops that tones and strengthens your muscles. For instance, you can pass the hoop around your body with your hands making half circles or you can hold the hoop above your head, working on your upper arms.
She has classes, drop in sessions are only $6 and she's open to private parties with a BYOB component. Since I'm the designated driver, I'm thinking of planning a girls' night out there and I'll bring LOTS of wine.
AND ... we now have Hoop Joy passes for winners at the Jones Library Trivia in January. Yay!!
You thought I was fibbing, didn't you? Although some of you may notice that it's not an action shot in my case. Inch by inch ...
Bacon Is Not Just for Guys
Bacon, bacon, oh bacon, how do I love thee! (You should be hearing a happy, lilting, tune in your head.) The un-kept secret is out: I LOVE bacon. I just finished cooking a whole bunch of bacon. (Note to self: bacon is HOT right when it comes out of the skillet.) Which is why you can see flecks of bacon in today's brekkie:
I should have taken a better picture ... anyway these are low carb chocolate-coconut cookies and they were great! Emily didn't think they were sweet enough, so I added sugar free frosting. They were even better! The ingredients include Swerve (artificial sweetener), unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut flour, etc.
The recipe is probably from the blog called "All I Think About Is Food" by Carol Ketchum. I have gotten some really good savory recipes from two of Maria Emmerich's cook books.
Low carbohydrate eating has been quite an odyssey for me. Most of you know that I have struggled with obesity for all of my life. But now that I am no longer in denial and can say, 'I have diabetes,' I have decided to do something about it. I went to a doctor who specializes in diabetes (who used to be my general practitioner) and she gave me new medication and a new determination to be proactive.
So while I am not fanatical about counting carbs, I try very hard to ingest the lowest amount possible. I'm also testing my blood sugar three times a day so I have a very good indicator of when I goofed on what I ate.
I am worried when people congratulate me -- I have lost 32 pounds -- because I know how easy it is for me to blow it. Right now, I'm in one of those plateaus which is very hard. It's obviously time for me to go and tread water in the pool and maybe add some bicycle.
Anyway, all of this is to say, I'm finding and trying many low carb sweet recipes because I don't want to deny so many foods that I go back to unhealthful eating. Today, by the way, I am going to make cauliflower "bread" come hell or high water. I had great success making parmesan cheese crisps last night!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
I have been remiss.
Here's our Merry Maple taken from my car. It's on the Town Common and it really is very pretty.
And here's my window. The Children's Room decorated three windows which chart the travels of little owls on a journey by land and by sea. And they ended up at the Jones Library! (That's my office.)
Yes, that is a dinosaur on the left. No, Cyndi, it's not a squirrel. I sure hope the dinosaur isn't me, but I think it's one of the owl's buddies.
And, yesterday, I came in to work to find this:
I have a new glass owl! I love him; Sharon gave him to me for Christmas! Joe (my gardener) told me it's an immature snowy owl -- before all of its feathers go white. And they have gold eyes ... who knew?
And the rest of today's pictures.
You're right, I should iron the table runner. After I made it, I had packed it away. Look at the cute cat opening a present that Ann made.
My glass collection has moved into Christmas mode. See the teezel? It's the critter on the left with the green hat. It's another Ann creation.
And, no, you are not seeing snow outside. It was chilly -- about 37 F. -- but really windy. It's now down to 32.3 F. (Yes, Al, I still have my digital thermometer. Those hundredths of a degree are important!)
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
More from the I Have Been Remiss department:
On Dec. 6th, I went to hear a talk at the Unitarian Society building. It was called Emily Dickinson's Irish Servants: The Poet and the Maids by Anna Mundow who is a reviewer for Barnes and Noble. It was hosted by the Amherst Irish Association. The talk was fantastic. I learned a lot about life "downstairs" then. Actually, most of the household help lived in their own houses and did not live on site. I can't imagine how early they had to get there to crank up the stoves and fireplaces. The talk was wonderful and very informative.
Afterward, there were home made scones, pots of jam, and (of course) good tea with cream and sugar. I had some wonderful black bread with a texture that made me think there were groats in it. It was good with sweet butter!
Oh, did I mention that there were musicians to entertain while you enjoyed your scone?
I was made to feel very welcome and I will definitely go to future talks. Their schedule is here: http://amherstirish.org/. A donation is welcome, but the program was free!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Seen on the way to the Unitarian building:
This structure above is hiding commercial trash cans. I like the sneakers!
Opposite the sneakers is the side of Rao's Coffee Shop. Robert Frost is in the middle, Emily Dickinson on the right. I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea who is on the left.
And even though I walked around the building a couple of times, I found the way in, which is behind this bench. I like the leaf pattern, do you? (Thanks, Sam, for waving me in.)
You might also be able to see the thin slices of cheddar cheese coyly poking out of the side of the Eggbeaters.
I don't normally buy bacon, because it's a pain to cook -- and then I eat too much! I have found the pre-cooked bacon to be good in that I can use just one strip for an omelette and put the rest back into the fridge. But that stuff's expensive!
So I merrily cooked up the rest of the half pound pack. It didn't look happy uncooked in the fridge. In fact, horror of horrors, it looked like it might turn. (Or become "off" in some people's parlance.) So I rescued the bacon by cooking it.
Which brings me to my next problem: the ton of bacon grease. What do you DO with it? Now that I'm cooking "healthy," (that drives me crazy! It should be "healthfully!" but I sometimes go with the flow 10 or 15 years later in grammatical terms) I have very few leftover cans. And ... we are recycling cans and bottles and they must be clear of sludge.
So my solution is to let it congeal in the skillet and mop it out with paper towel and toss it. Aye, and there's another of my conundrums. If we want trash/garbage to decompose, why the flock are we putting them in plastic bags which will not decompose for a hundred years? Why don't we have kitchen sized trash bags made out of wax paper? Or starch?
****************************************************
Yeah, yeah, I know: I'm always showing you pictures of food. What can I say? This was last week's breakfast, but the real reason for the picture is to show you the cookies.
The recipe is probably from the blog called "All I Think About Is Food" by Carol Ketchum. I have gotten some really good savory recipes from two of Maria Emmerich's cook books.
Low carbohydrate eating has been quite an odyssey for me. Most of you know that I have struggled with obesity for all of my life. But now that I am no longer in denial and can say, 'I have diabetes,' I have decided to do something about it. I went to a doctor who specializes in diabetes (who used to be my general practitioner) and she gave me new medication and a new determination to be proactive.
So while I am not fanatical about counting carbs, I try very hard to ingest the lowest amount possible. I'm also testing my blood sugar three times a day so I have a very good indicator of when I goofed on what I ate.
I am worried when people congratulate me -- I have lost 32 pounds -- because I know how easy it is for me to blow it. Right now, I'm in one of those plateaus which is very hard. It's obviously time for me to go and tread water in the pool and maybe add some bicycle.
Anyway, all of this is to say, I'm finding and trying many low carb sweet recipes because I don't want to deny so many foods that I go back to unhealthful eating. Today, by the way, I am going to make cauliflower "bread" come hell or high water. I had great success making parmesan cheese crisps last night!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
I have been remiss.
Here's our Merry Maple taken from my car. It's on the Town Common and it really is very pretty.
And here's my window. The Children's Room decorated three windows which chart the travels of little owls on a journey by land and by sea. And they ended up at the Jones Library! (That's my office.)
And, yesterday, I came in to work to find this:
I have a new glass owl! I love him; Sharon gave him to me for Christmas! Joe (my gardener) told me it's an immature snowy owl -- before all of its feathers go white. And they have gold eyes ... who knew?
And the rest of today's pictures.
You're right, I should iron the table runner. After I made it, I had packed it away. Look at the cute cat opening a present that Ann made.
My glass collection has moved into Christmas mode. See the teezel? It's the critter on the left with the green hat. It's another Ann creation.
And, no, you are not seeing snow outside. It was chilly -- about 37 F. -- but really windy. It's now down to 32.3 F. (Yes, Al, I still have my digital thermometer. Those hundredths of a degree are important!)
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
More from the I Have Been Remiss department:
On Dec. 6th, I went to hear a talk at the Unitarian Society building. It was called Emily Dickinson's Irish Servants: The Poet and the Maids by Anna Mundow who is a reviewer for Barnes and Noble. It was hosted by the Amherst Irish Association. The talk was fantastic. I learned a lot about life "downstairs" then. Actually, most of the household help lived in their own houses and did not live on site. I can't imagine how early they had to get there to crank up the stoves and fireplaces. The talk was wonderful and very informative.
Afterward, there were home made scones, pots of jam, and (of course) good tea with cream and sugar. I had some wonderful black bread with a texture that made me think there were groats in it. It was good with sweet butter!
Oh, did I mention that there were musicians to entertain while you enjoyed your scone?
I was made to feel very welcome and I will definitely go to future talks. Their schedule is here: http://amherstirish.org/. A donation is welcome, but the program was free!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Seen on the way to the Unitarian building:
Opposite the sneakers is the side of Rao's Coffee Shop. Robert Frost is in the middle, Emily Dickinson on the right. I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea who is on the left.
This is my Tiffany window which is on the front of the Unitarian Society's building. I call it mine because it was restored with public funds (Community Preservation Act Committee funds).
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Squirrelly
O.k., I admit it: when you live alone, you can become squirrelly. Here I am congratulating myself because I cleaned and organized the top of my fridge -- not something most people can claim as a victory -- but I went on to vacuuming from there. (Can you tell I have dinner guests coming?)
And while vacuuming, I remembered that in the summer I have been known to vacuum au naturel so that I can then just hop in the shower. No, no, not that today. However, it was then that I discovered that I need suspenders for my pajamas. Yes, I'm thrilled to have lost 30 pounds -- but I can't keep my pants up!! I'm going to have to find a way to 'tailor' them because many of my winter jammies are relatively new. And I will get unstuck and lose more weight (by hook or by crook). So it's going to be a while before I buy new jammies.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
From the This Shouldn't Be So Hard Department.
Woman: Amherst Room?
Me: Yes, what about it?
Woman: I requested it.
Me: For today?
Woman: Yes.
Me: (After realizing I have seen her face before) I'm assuming you want the key for the Amherst Room ...
Woman: Your assumption is correct.
(No, I did not make the room reservation for her, someone else did.)
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
I hope you all get a chance to vote for the Jones Library windows (part of the BID competition) which surround the front door. The little owls (who are very cute) are on a journey.
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
Another Conversation I Don't Understand
(While setting up snacks for Trivia Night)
Woman: What's your name?
Me: Tina.
Woman: What's your last name?
Me: (in a joking way) Why, are you going to stalk me?
Woman: That is so New Jersey.
Me: I have lived in Massachusetts all of my life but for six months.
Woman: Well, it's the accent then. Maybe your parents are from NJ.
Me: silence
Woman: I can't be the first one to have said that to you.
Me: Actually, yes.
[I had remembered her from the first Trivia Night and she has "issues," so I had no wish to engage her or become her "friend." There is another woman who fixates on any staff person and passes herself off as your friend and she does a lot of harm to people's reputations. Luckily, most people in Town know about the other woman. But I had no wish to add another "friend" and they have stopped listening to the other woman.]
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Okaaaay ... so we were supposed to see Brooklyn at the Amherst Cinema. They were sold out! Luckily, I had already made the meatless, crustless quiche so we all trooped to my house for dinner. We also had green beans and tsimmies (spelling?). I should have known it would be too sweet for me, but it was a lovely melange of carrots and prunes and other stuff. It made the plate colorful.
And to add insult to injury, the mug cakes, well ... let's just say, I kinda sorta used way too little artificial sweetener. Phyllis, however, saved the day by bringing black raspberry ice cream which sweetened the chocolate mug cake. I really think the chocolate sauce which I made was the culprit. Everyone ate it anyway.
I'm heading for the couch in my clean living room. The dishes are done. And the table cloth is ready to be washed. That's for tomorrow. Ciao!
And while vacuuming, I remembered that in the summer I have been known to vacuum au naturel so that I can then just hop in the shower. No, no, not that today. However, it was then that I discovered that I need suspenders for my pajamas. Yes, I'm thrilled to have lost 30 pounds -- but I can't keep my pants up!! I'm going to have to find a way to 'tailor' them because many of my winter jammies are relatively new. And I will get unstuck and lose more weight (by hook or by crook). So it's going to be a while before I buy new jammies.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
From the This Shouldn't Be So Hard Department.
Woman: Amherst Room?
Me: Yes, what about it?
Woman: I requested it.
Me: For today?
Woman: Yes.
Me: (After realizing I have seen her face before) I'm assuming you want the key for the Amherst Room ...
Woman: Your assumption is correct.
(No, I did not make the room reservation for her, someone else did.)
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
I hope you all get a chance to vote for the Jones Library windows (part of the BID competition) which surround the front door. The little owls (who are very cute) are on a journey.
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
Another Conversation I Don't Understand
(While setting up snacks for Trivia Night)
Woman: What's your name?
Me: Tina.
Woman: What's your last name?
Me: (in a joking way) Why, are you going to stalk me?
Woman: That is so New Jersey.
Me: I have lived in Massachusetts all of my life but for six months.
Woman: Well, it's the accent then. Maybe your parents are from NJ.
Me: silence
Woman: I can't be the first one to have said that to you.
Me: Actually, yes.
[I had remembered her from the first Trivia Night and she has "issues," so I had no wish to engage her or become her "friend." There is another woman who fixates on any staff person and passes herself off as your friend and she does a lot of harm to people's reputations. Luckily, most people in Town know about the other woman. But I had no wish to add another "friend" and they have stopped listening to the other woman.]
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Okaaaay ... so we were supposed to see Brooklyn at the Amherst Cinema. They were sold out! Luckily, I had already made the meatless, crustless quiche so we all trooped to my house for dinner. We also had green beans and tsimmies (spelling?). I should have known it would be too sweet for me, but it was a lovely melange of carrots and prunes and other stuff. It made the plate colorful.
And to add insult to injury, the mug cakes, well ... let's just say, I kinda sorta used way too little artificial sweetener. Phyllis, however, saved the day by bringing black raspberry ice cream which sweetened the chocolate mug cake. I really think the chocolate sauce which I made was the culprit. Everyone ate it anyway.
I'm heading for the couch in my clean living room. The dishes are done. And the table cloth is ready to be washed. That's for tomorrow. Ciao!
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