gum for dessert

i am chomping on a piece of sour apple trident layers gum because i really want dessert. *sigh*

being on a diet is absolutely no fun, but i've been inspired by a series of low-calorie recipes i used back before my high school reunion. it's time to get myself down to my goal weight. it's a priority right now, a low one, but one that i want to do for myself. that being said, if i can't eat much, what i do eat must taste absolutely amazing.

i will stay on a food plan consisting of vegetarian recipes until i reach my goal weight. i thought decreasing my protein intake would make me miserable, but i'm fine! after just three days of eating vegetarian i'm feeling much cleaner! i'm not sure what was going on that my body could not get enough protein, but yogurt and nuts are satisfying my protein cravings these days. maybe i can give up the fish, at least for the most part. a daily dose of greens seems to be helping too. i highly recommend it to anyone looking for energy who doesn't mind the taste of lawn in their afternoon health shake. ick, but effective.

once i reach my goal weight, i'll reopen my arsenal - with additions - of cooking light recipes that taste fabulous. the idea is to stay away from the junk food once again.

it's hard to achieve the trifecta of healthy, delicious, and satisfying into a rush job breakfast. however, i truly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. in the spirit of enjoying a really great 300 calorie morning meal, here's what i came up with:

banana cream waffle
ingredients:
1 whole grain toaster waffle
1 banana
2 tbsp non-fat greek yogurt
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

toast waffle according to instructions

mash banana and stir together with yogurt and sunflower seeds

top your waffle with the banana-yogurt "cream" and enjoy! your waffle will be heaping with sweet, crunchy goodness

if you can afford an extra 40 calories, stir in 1 tbsp ground flax seed for an omega and fiber tastic boost.

scallops: easy and delicious with fresh pasta

this morning, i did something i've never done before: i went to the austin farmer's market downtown at 4th and guadalupe. it took my stepmother moving here and her sister visiting to make it happen, but i can finally say i've partaken of the farmer's market. i need to go back next week and buy more fresh produce. it was fabulous! i loaded up on fresh leeks, multi-colored carrots, beets, and itty bitty brussels sprouts. then we headed to whole foods for scallops, red shrimp, fresh fettucine, and shaved parmesan. the result, with the addition of some butter and herbs from my garden, was sublime.

seafood fettucine with lemon-thyme butter sauce (serves six)
ingredients:

1 lb fresh scallops (ask your seafood monger which type is the best)

1 lb red shrimp

6 servings fresh fettucine

2-3 tbsp butter

juice of 2 lemons

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

pat scallops dry and clean shrimp to prep for cooking.
heat butter in a very large skillet on medium high to high.
these first two steps are essential to getting that beautiful brown sear crust on your scallops - you must pat them dry with a paper towel, and make sure that your skillet is nice and hot so the scallops start to sear the moment you drop them in the pan.
cook the skillets for 4-5 minutes, or until nice and crust on the first side, then flip.
season scallops with sea salt, thyme, pepper, and lemon juice after turning.
when the scallops are almost done (opaque but not quite wanting to fall apart), add the shrimp. they will cook very quickly.

before you cook the scallops, get water boiling for the pasta and cook according to package directions.

add seafood to the pasta, juice and all, and toss. serve piping hot with shaved parmesan to taste.

roast vegetables with fresh herbs and olive oil
ingredients:

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1-2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt to taste

4-5 small beets

2 leeks

5-6 carrots

pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

chop all vegetables into large bites, making sure that chop sizes are as consistent as possible.

toss vegetables with olive oil and seasonings, and spread into a glass baking dish.

roast at 375 for 45 minutes or an hour, or until vegetables are tender but still nice and chewy.

prioritize

prioritize, i say! demand of yourself the best life possible, because no one else is going to hand you the perfect life on a silver platter. you have to be your own jeeves with a penguin tux, your own white knight, your own personal avenger. not to say that no one loves you and that you don't have a network of friends and family close at your side to help fend off bad days, months, or years. when it comes to making changes, ultimately you're on your own to make those decisions.

this is why, when things are hard, one feels the duress of struggle oh so profoundly. and then come the pity party questions: why me, who is punishing me, how long do i have to go through this, why can't i just be happy (insert resonating series of weepy blah's followed by mascara marks on your 400-count cotton pillowcase).

in japan, people are evicted from their homes and they can't use showers or drink tap water because they might be exposed to radiation. as they sit in a smelly, unsanitary shelter, probably getting typhoid or something nasty, they can't sleep because their cells might be mutating. (at least, this is what i picture, as i would be going through complete and utter hysterics over the integrity of my dna). bottled water is becoming increasingly scarce and one man and his baby interviewed on the radio had gone five days without bathing, with no baths or showers in their near future. if you ever wonder how long you have to go through something, just think: you could be sitting in microwave central wondering when you can go home and if your cells are turning into fish cells or something.

when i was in high school and college, i consumed myself with thinking about the greater issues of life. i filled journals, because obviously there was nothing bigger on my plate than analyzing my feelings. then i started working, and everything changed. i take everything way too seriously, jobs being no exception to that rule. since graduating from high school, i have put myself under almost constant duress and have not been able to enjoy life outside of work very much. of course i'm happy, of course i love my family and of course i take advantage of a multitude of hobbies. but when it comes down to it, i worry very much about work. i work hard, i'm a perfectionist, and the 40 hours a week i find myself at the office are grueling.

well i'm done with all of that! the hours we spend at work, as my sister-in-law reminded me, are when we make money. the rest of our waking hours are when life happens, and i'm going to make it matter! when i leave work, i won't look back or think about it. i have many life priorities, some frivolous yes, but they're important and they make me happy.

finally finish my cookbook - bret has offered to help with layout
spend more time with my friends
garden more
go to bikram again
cook more - i have a stack of pages from issues of cooking light that i haven't even touched!
write more - i will not let this blog wilt
enjoy the little things
document life again - pictures, facebook updates, etc.
and oh yea, about that diet...