Wordless Wednesday

Tweet

Snow with a Chance of Chili

We stopped at Wendy's on the way home from one of Lizard's recent medical appointments, and he decided to try the taco salad. Not quite the same as the taco salad I've made at home, but it got his imagination cooking.

Mad Greens taco salad isn't bad!

Wendy's taco salad comes with a tiny bag of corn chips and a little bowl of chili the customer can either eat straight from the bowl or douse on the salad. Lizard opted for both, as I downed my apple pecan salad.

We reminisced about the days when Wendy's offered a variety of baked potatoes, including my favorite... sweet potatoes. They could be ordered with broccoli and cheese, chili and cheese, sour cream and onions (which I think they actually may still offer) and just plain. Back then, the potatoes were large, too. One potato could be the perfect meal after climbing a 14er.

Now, the baked potatoes at Wendy's are so small, it likely would take three or four to fill a hungry man's stomach.

I doubt there will be many mountain summits or weeklong bicycle tours in our future, and I don't know if the annual Super Bowl chili cook-off at my office will ever be revived, now that some employees are not as terrified of eating food prepared by co-workers (although they had no problem eating McDonald's, Qdoba, Domino's and Chic-fil-A, etc., during the last three years...). Yet, I can still make a mean bowl of Tex Mex chili with roasted Hatch green chilies when I put my mind to it, and I chopped up two bushels of the hot stuff myself last fall! Most is still frozen, just itching to burn a hole in a tongue or tummy.

I think I've used my giant crockpot only once in the last three years. I think I used it to make a pot of chili. I think I froze a bunch of it, and I vaguely remember my neighbors graciously accepted a food storage container full of homemade spicy chili. (We often pass the same food storage container back and forth each month; they make homemade taco soup, and I make homemade tortilla soup, and we love sharing with each other.) I haven't used the crockpot that much because, generally speaking, for just the two of us, that pot literally makes a BUNCH of (yummy) food. My freezer isn't big enough to hold everything I could/would make if I just used the crockpot more often.

It was time to pull out the monster crockpot again! Lizard loves when I make homemade black beans, but I didn't have time. He wanted chili (in different concoctions) for our lunchtime meals for a whole week beginning the next day. (Black beans can take two or three days when made from scratch. So, so worth it, but, time was of the essence. Chili at our house typically is a autumn and winter dish, preferably during a really big storm.)

The beans all came from cans, as did the tomato puree. The chicken was already ground up into burger before I bought it, and the spices were not grown in my garden. The Hatch chiles were not grown by me, but I skinned and chopped those babies up right on my kitchen counter months ago. And the whole purple onion was chopped but not grown by me, and the bottom of the onion will produce one or two more onions in my garden this summer, now that I've planted it. Tears were shed! Boy, it had been quite a while since I'd chopped an onion that strong!!! Oh, is this going to be tasty!!!

Lizard wanted a variety of dishes. His favorite, of course, is atop a baked potato with sour cream and cheese.

My favorite is atop scrambled eggs. Lizard hates eggs, so I get to enjoy this by myself. He can't stand to even look at eggs!

Chili and eggs, which was a southwest tradition my mom brought to the family when I was about nine or ten, inspired me to try putting chili atop fresh whole grain waffles. Lizard approved. He also enjoyed a bowl of chili with Goldfish.

We decided to try our very own version of Wendy's taco salad, and we used greens from my very own winter indoor garden.

Of course, two giant scoops of homemade chili must to be added to a mixing bowl of macaroni and cheese.

I also love putting chili in the bottom of a casserole pan, then covering it with cornbread batter before baking the deliciousness in the oven. Oh, how wonderful the house smells when I do this! The neighbors love when I share this unique meal, too.

I couldn't resist trying chili lasagna this time around. Lizard approved...

When we get down to the bottom of the crockpot, we both like to mop up the final remnants with fresh tortillas. But chili also makes great burritos!

Tweet

Feeding America

For many years, the company for which I work has offered a monthly charity jeans day. All employees vote for 12 charities to receive the donations, and once a month, we donate $5 for the privilege of wearing jeans to work.

Last year, and so far this year, we aren't in the office. We've been encouraged to donate to the charity of our choice each month independently. But it just wasn't the same.

Late last year, the company came up with a new charitable challenge to help food banks during their leanest time of year. All employees were encouraged to get outside a few times a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas and to share stories and pictures of healthy actitivies. The (nationwide) company would make a $25 charitable contribution to Feeding America on behalf of each of us who participated.

Lizard and I walked outside every day we could, when it wasn't too icy for him. Not only did we feel good about doing something good for us, but we knew what we were doing would help feed others in need. Plus, I could see the tiny progress Lizard was making on relearning to walk every time we went out.

We recently learned the company made a $5,700 contribution to Feeding America at Christmas. Things were pretty lean for us last year, so we weren't able to do as much charitable work or make as many charitable contributions as we typically do in better times. I'm so thankful to work for a company that gives us options that allow us to do things for others, even when it's difficult to do even for ourselves. I'm also very grateful to still have a job. I know there are many who do not have that luxury. I'm glad we were able to help out in a small way!

Tweet

Lizard's Fav

My sweet hubby's favorite cereal, other than Count Chocula, which is available only around Halloween and I have learned (the hard way) to stock up on each year, also goes through periods of inavailability, such as a pandemic. Grape Nuts doesn't have much of a market share, so it's not high on anyone's list but his.

When I couldn't find any, even online, during my most recent grocery shopping trip, I decided to look up recipes online, just in case it could be made from scratch. I'd never even eaten Grape Nuts, so I had no clue what to expect. I was thrilled to find a bunch of recipes, and I took what I liked from the most popular ones, made a few healthy substitutions, and then made a batch for my sweetie.

For the record, I like the concoction a bit better before it's dried out, which is supposed to be the key to deliciousness. But the dried-out version is just what Lizard desires, and he told me he likes my homemade version even better than the name brand! Guess I won't need to buy Grape Nuts anymore!

Homemade Healthy Grape Nuts

3/4 cups unbleached whole wheat flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup hazelnut flour
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup smashed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients into bowl and fold. Mixture will be very thick. Spread mixture onto baking sheet as thin as possible. (I did not have parchment paper, which is recommended, so I used freezer paper. It sufficed.) Place in oven on middle rack until edges begin to brown (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. This step is critical and should not be rushed. I kept the oven on at 250°F for an hour or so to let it heat the kitchen but then turned it off. The giant slab of what looks like baby poo took a couple more hours of cooling, even though it was a very chilly day.

Once cool, cut or break into small pieces, place in food processor and grind into crumbs. I didn't want to use my brand new blender for that, so I used a rolling pin and the heels of my hands to crush the crunchy dough into small pieces. Preheat oven to 250°F if you turned it off. Place crumbs back on baking sheet, place in oven on middle rack and bake, turning sheet every 10 minutes, until crumbs are completely dry. Mine took a little longer than an hour, perhaps an hour and 20 minutes. Made the house smell fantastic. Remove from oven and try to keep hubby out of kitchen until crumbs cool. Actually, let him eat some if he wants. He deserves it, and he loves warm homemade healthy Grape Nuts!

Store uneated portion in airtight container, if there's any left. I don't know how long a batch this size will last stored because it was gone in three days at my house.

Tweet

Banana Boost

When you're trying to rebuild self-control, and chocolate cravings hit you hard, if you wait long enough, natural consequences sometimes will give you that little boost you need.

I had gotten serious about losing 20 pounds (or more if I can!) ten days earlier. I'd been walking with Lizard when I could, being as it had been too cold and too icy for us to ride much for close to eight weeks. I successfully avoided sugar for ten days, and then it hit.

Ouch!

I wanted chocolate! I wanted Hostess Cupcakes! I wanted a fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookie from the little diner downstairs.

The diner is open from breakfast until 2 p.m. Many times on days so busy I don't get a lunch hour, I have run down there right before closing to grab whatever is left, often hoping for chicken lettuce wraps or a spicy noodle bowl. Most often they are sold out of everything, and I do a build-your-own spinach salad.

I tried to be strong until 1:45, then couldn't hold back any longer. I checked our own kitchen, which is stocked with animal crackers and pretzels. Sometimes there are tiny containers of cream cheese, and that makes a tasty dip with the animal crackers. There was no cream cheese, and animal crackers just were not going to soothe this sweet tooth.

So I went downstairs, mentally kicking myself the entire elevator ride for being so weak.

The diner was predictably sold out of chocolate chip cookies. And brownies. There were no Rice Krispies bars. There were two donuts, of which I am not a fan, and there were candy bars, of which I'm still able to shun at this point. Thankfully!

So I grabbed a bag of vinegar potato chips and a fresh banana.

Potato chips aren't a decent healthy diet menu item. But I knew (from experience, of course) the bag would have only about six whole chips, about six chip pieces and about six chip crumbs. I was right. And vinegar is good for the digestive tract. Also has a tendency to silence cravings.

And the banana... That was a very wise choice! It would not have been my choice had there been any cookies.

I've wanted to lose weight since about 2014. I make great progress during the spring and summer the years we train for Ride the Rockies, but I always seem to put the weight back on as soon as winter robs me of daily rides.

We're not doing Ride the Rockies this year, even though we love the route, and I am determined to lose the weight and keep it off this year. It will be more difficult without a huge ride on the horizon, but I'm going to be the little train, armed with a yummy banana.

I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

Actually, I need to do better than that.

I know I can! I know I can! I know I can!

Tweet

Christmas Miracle

When I first learned Lizard has Parkinson's Disease, I spent about six hours researching everything I could about the disease and its treatments.

One of the promising avenues I discovered is mannitol, a natural sweetener found in, among other things, cauliflower and kelp. It had enjoyed magnificent success in mice, honey bees and fruit flies during clinicals, but was dropped because it's not something on which Big Pharma can make zillions of dollars.

The sweetener is found in most sugarless mint gums; it's the white powder on the gum. After reading about some of the testing currently being done non-scientifically, Lizard began chewing the gum several times a day, especially during the two-hour gap between when his official medication wears off and when he takes the next dose. We didn't do more than that until we had talked to both his primary care and his neurologist to get them on board with what we wanted to do, which was, participate in the Clinicrowd study.

We do not recommend trying this without involving health care providers. It's so important, I'll write it again. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING MANNITOL AS A WAY OF TREATING PARKINSON'S WITHOUT THE SUPERVISION OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.

After working out a program with both the doctor and the neurologist, Lizard began taking mannitol mixed into plain unsweetened yogurt. He began with a very small amount and slowly, over the course of about six weeks, worked up to the recommended dosage.

There were times when he wanted to give up because it seemed to be taking so long. He often said he felt more of an effect when he was chewing the gum than when he was taking the pure powder in his yogurt. It does have side effects. He initially experienced indigestion, and this lasted for about two weeks, then recurred when he began increasing the dosage. Another side effect could be helpful for many suffering from the digestive setbacks of Parkinson's. For Lizard, the mannitol has improved his digestive function. He has to be careful about when he takes it so he doesn't have surprises when he is unable to handle them. But with the help of his medical personnel, he's been able to work out an adaptive plan.

The week after Thanksgiving, Lizard got home from work and brewed his routine cup of decaf, then quickly emailed me.

"I'm drinking my decaf, and it smells heavenly," he wrote.

I was in the middle of a work deadline and didn't immediately pick up on the real meaning of his joy until after I responded about the decaf brand we'd had to settle for on the last grocery shopping trip because the store was sold out of his favorite band. I thought perhaps he might like this new brand better.

After I hit send, I realized he had not smelled fresh-brewed coffee in more than a decade. I immediately responded again and asked him to verify...

"You can smell the coffee???"

Yes, indeed! He could! Lizard had lost his sense of smell before he met me. He could smell some very strong scents, such as when a car hits a skunk on the highway, and we drive by the site hours later. Not the kind of thing anyone wants to smell.

He said the reason to drink coffee is primarily the smell. Aroma of the gods, he called it. He said perhaps the mannitol is working after all. He said he will continue taking it.

The following weekend, I had him take a whiff from my lavender essential oil. He could smell it! It wasn't strong, but he could smell it for the first time ever.

The next day, we made our own little Thanksgiving turkey after picking up a breast for half price. We got dinner in the oven, made a pie, made stuffing, made mashed potatoes and gravy, then went for a walk around the lake, him swinging his arms in exaggerated cross-country ski movements because that also is supposed to help people with Parkinson's.

We got home, unlocked the door and swung it open. I delighted in the aroma of the baking turkey breast with rosemary and sage from my indoor garden.

We had a wonderful private mini Thanksgiving meal, then enjoyed the next chapter of "Lord of the Rings" before retiring to our evening ritual of journal-keeping. He dictated to me, "When we entered the kitchen after our walk, I could smell our turkey. It's the first time I've ever been able to smell a meal we made."

Thanksgiving isn't over. It really is just beginning.

Blessings are unfolding. Miracles are real. Hope and faith are such marvelous things!

Tweet

Cake!

I've made sugarless and even flourless cakes for my bosses and co-workers over the years. I've bought grocery store cakes. I've bought bakery cupcakes.

Some of the celebrations have been delicious; some have left us wishing I'd done something differently.

The daughter of one of my friends, Janiel, recently started her own commercial bakery, and I asked if she could make a low-sugar cake with lots of fresh fruit for my boss' birthday. This is what I got!!!


I'm utterly amazed the cake made it to the office the next day without being devoured! I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this, and train passengers were equally as willing to perform taste tests!

The genuine taste test... My boss and co-workers LOVED it! I think I'm going to ask her to make my husband's birthday cake next month, too. I'll need to come up for an excuse to order a cake every month! And oooh, she delivers...


Thank you, Janerek Bakery (Janiel's husband name is Erek, and together they are anything but generic!), for the best cake I've ever taken to work and the best cake I've tasted in ages!

Tweet

Go A-Weight

I've been on this kick to lose weight for two whole years now, derailed by loss of shower and dressing room at work, injury, harsh diagnosis and re-injury. Temporarily forced into changing my lifestyle, I didn't bother to alter my eating habits.

Ouch.

Now I have even more to peel off. When I first began writing this post, I had less than 60 days to prepare for Ride the Rockies and lose what I hoped would be 20 pounds. At least. That was last year!

Once the snow stopped collecting in vast amounts in the spring of last year (after an abnormally dry winter, of course), I began taking predawn training rides, focusing primarily on climbing as opposed to distance, my normal motivation for the last ten or so years.

Then, last year, instead of dry cereal to munch on in the mornings, I tried to morph over to fresh fruit. My blood sugar has been good for four whole years now, and I had been cheating a little more than I should have. Last year, I cut out almost all of the cheating until Ride the Rockies. (Chocolate. Deep, dark chocolate. Bittersweet decadence.) We also did some serious cross-training by pulling all the grass out of our front yard and installing our very own xeriscaped rock garden. Talk about elbow grease! All this, and I was still doing 50 crunches every morning because that prevents back pain from being unmanageable and intolerable.

Further motivation was provided last year by my closet. I couldn't fit into some of my favorite spring clothing that had been packed away for months. Most alarming was a particular dress of which I couldn't fit my arms through the sleeves.

It's SO hard to loose underarm flab!!! But I wanted to wear that dress again. I do NOT want it to become part of the quilt scrap pile!!!

I did pretty good and probably lost 15 pounds before Labor Day, when I reinjured my back because I felt so good I did something I shouldn't have done. (I ran too much too fast and in too close of intervals.) I got grounded again. And again, I didn't change my eating habits.

Ouch again.

It didn't take long for the extra weight to find it's way right back to places I did not want it.

Our new dressing room and shower at work was scheduled to open in November, just about the time I was allowed to get back on my bike. However, winter set in early, and the new dressing room was not ready until February.

I rode to work again the first time since last June in March. I waited until I would have daylight downtown because The Lizard didn't feel comfortable with me riding downtown in the dark. It took me 45 years to find someone who cares whether I get home safely each day, so I'm giving him that.

The new shower at work is the most awesome thing since sliced bread! There is a setting that actually feels like a back massage! If there's ever a day I don't feel like riding, all I have to do is imagine that thick beam of hot water pummeling my back. Aaaaaaah...

However, I had a bit of a slight wardrobe problem AGAIN. I have to work to be able to fit into my cycling clothes AGAIN. What a drag! But I am not re-investing!!! I am not moving up to the next size, even though that seems easier. I WILL lose the weight again. This time, I'm not going to let it grow back!

And then there's that dress again... the one my arms wouldn't fit through last year...

I'm wearing it today. I can fit two fingers between the sleeve and my arm! I still have a few pounds to go, but I am on my way!

Tweet

Hot Tamale!

I had perhaps the best burrito I've ever eaten in my life last week, and having grown up in New Mexico, that's saying a lot.

Bunnies, raccoons and grasshoppers pretty much decimated my garden this year, so plans are in the works for a raised and caged garden next year, perhaps surrounded by and interspersed with marigolds. I think I've also come across a secret weapon of sorts.

When transplanting my seedlings, I accidentally surrounded one tomato plant with Seranno and cayenne peppers. That tomato plant, along with all the peppers, is about the only thing that survived my uninvited and apparently hungry critters.

Both The Lizard and I could eat food from south of the border every day of the week, so I may intentionally surround all of next year's seedlings with habaneros, Anaheims, cayennes, poblanos and Serannos. I don't think we'll have a problem using all the hotness.

I planted 30 red onions; about six have survived. (Did you know rabbits and raccoons apparently like raw onions? I sure didn't!) Last week I noticed two Serranos were ready, so I plucked one of the onions. We had to buy tomatoes from the local farmers market because mine aren't ready yet (and with much cooler nights now, they may not ripen by themselves). I used the cilantro I grew in my kitchen window. The flavor of the resulting pico de gallo was out of this world. It truly does make a difference when you use fresh veggies!

My recipe probably isn't any different than anything anyone else has published, but this was so delicious, I'm sharing. Wish I could offer you a dish of actual salsa instead of just this electronic sentiment, but, well, we ate it all. There is none left!

* * *

Snowcatcher's Pico de Gallo

2 fresh peppers, diced (I like Seranno best)
3 fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
1 fresh red onion, diced
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, shredded
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Allow to set for 10 or 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Enjoy with chips, or top a burrito! Refrigerate leftovers, if you have any. Onions sometimes grow hotter and more flavorful after 24 hours of refrigeration. Yum!

* * *

With all the cycling we do, we don't always have time to cook. So we typically make a couple of dishes on the weekends we can store and then enjoy as leftovers during the week. One of our favorite meals is our homemade burrito bar. So here's what we stash in individual airtight containers and keep in the fridge almost all the time, specifically for that purpose:

1 baked chicken, deboned and shredded
2 or 3 ears of fresh corn, shaved from the cob
1 can of black beans
1 bowl of Snowcatcher's pico de gallo
2 or 3 cups of brown rice, cooked as directed
1 bag of shredded Mexican cheese
1 bottle of La Estrellita hot green vegetarian chile
1 pint of sour cream
whole wheat tortillas
fresh baby spinach

I season the corn and/or rice with cilantro, cayenne pepper, dried onions and sometimes a touch of garlic and/or fresh basil. We heat a tortilla briefly so it will roll easier without breaking, then spoon on some rice, chicken, beans, corn and salsa. We roll the tortilla, then cover it with La Estrellita sauce, which is the best store-bought stuff I've found. Any enchilada sauce or salsa will work, but we like this one and 505 the best, and I'm extremely picky! We cover the burrito with a layer of cheese, then warm The Whole Enchilada (sorry, I couldn't resist that) until the cheese melts. Top with a couple small scoops of sour cream, garnish with baby spinach, and voila! You'll never again be satisfied with Taco Bell!

Of course, the fun part is you can add or subtract ingredients according to mood or craving. Some nights I go meatless, some nights The Lizard wants REAL meat (beef or pork). Some nights we do without the sour cream. And sometimes we go wild with cheese. You can even do this naked! (I'll bet you weren't thinking sans tortilla!)

Tweet