Please Keep Trying!

I have issues with staying organized. Ever since I was young I’ve had a hard time keeping thoughts and possessions tidy. It annoyed my parents when I was a kid and now, as an adult, it’s annoyed me. However, early on in my weight loss, I decided I’d clear the clutter and random junk in my life. Initially it was simply so I could think better, but it soon became apparent being organized had other benefits.

Cut the Crap

First off, we got rid of everything, and I mean everything, we hadn’t used in a year. Clothes, knick knacks, candles, pens, flatware, mugs, posters, everything in our house was a potential piece of clutter. If it didn’t have a foreseeable use, it was donated. If it was nostalgic, we had to give a long and detailed recounting of what it meant to us. If we couldn’t do so within five seconds, away it went. Needless to say, many “meaningful” things were tossed. Soon, the house was pared down and we had breathing room for the first time since we’d been married. The absence of “stuff” had a very soothing effect. If I’m soothed externally, chances are I’m not going to internally soothe myself with food. I noticed I wasn’t as much of a basket case after I started tidying the house and organizing everything and that meant not as much comfort eating.

Don’t Forget the Food!

By organizing everything, I mean even the pantry and refrigerator got a once over, probably more thoroughly than anywhere else. Food was labeled and put in tidy containers, which stated if and where I had refills of the contents. Veggies were precut and stored in clear ziplock baggies. Before, I had no idea what foods I had. I’d peek my head into the pantry or fridge and not see the ingredients I needed to cook a meal. Instead of going out to buy said ingredients, we’d go out and just get an entire meal. At McDonald’s. Not too healthy, or cheap for that matter. Just in knowing what I had saved us money and a bad decision.

Plan Ahead

In order to further get my life in shape, I began organizing my time. One way I did that was to cut down on the amount of time I spent shopping and cooking. To do that required planning out every meal for two weeks. Since we don’t eat meat or much dairy, it was possible to buy foodstuffs which would last between paychecks without expiring. But first, I made lists of what we needed. That was easy because now that the pantry was in good shape, it was a snap to know precisely what I had and didn’t have. I shopped maybe once week, and since all the meals were plotted out weeks in advance, there was no guesswork or time wasted hemming and hawing over what’s for dinner. Time, money, energy and health were optimized simply by putting everything in its place.

Furthermore, the time saved by not shopping daily meant I had more time for the gym. More time for the gym meant more calories burned, which meant more pounds lost.

Getting into shape means getting your surroundings into shape. Weight loss is a holistic process, one that’s not effectively resolved with just healthy eating and exercise. Ever since I’ve cut the clutter and minimized my environment, I’ve helped minimize my waist. Try it and watch your worries and your weight disappear!

I went to an orthopaedist last week to find out what the pains I’d been having in my right groin area were. I thought, with good reason, it was a hernia due to the location and the pain. My gynecologist referred me to an orthopaedist who specializes in pelvic wall disorders. I was confused as to why I was seeing an orthopaedist instead of an internist but decided to go anyway on the chance my doc knew what she was talking about. Turns out, she did know what she was talking about.

The docs at the ortho clinic were super nice and listened to me gripe about the intense pain in my lower abdominal area. They then had me do some walking tests and other strength tests. An x-ray was then taken of my hip area. Well, that was the turning point, at least for me, in convincing me I had a different problem than a hernia. The x-ray showed an impingement in my hip bones at the joint, the same place the muscles which had been hurting came in contact with. Needless to say I was floored. All this time I believed wholeheartedly the issues I had were due to gut problems, and then to find out my issues are really with hips and hip bones is kind of surprising.

The pain I’d been having was caused by the muscles rubbing against the impingement and becoming inflamed and irritated, which then caused the pain. The pain during intimacy was explained that the muscles which are attached to the hips wrap around the reproductive area. When the pelvic muscles are irritated, the area in the groin also becomes irritated. Well hell.

To make matters more interesting, I was told my knee problems were undoubtedly directly influenced by my messed up hips. The impingement also has an impact on my walking and foot placement. My feet tend to turn inward as I set them on the ground, a big no-no in taijutsu. This is supposedly due to the way the hips are situated. Crap, crap and more crap.

What’s the solution? Physical. Therapy. My favorite past time and money vacuum. Because I want more physical therapy like I want an extra twenty pounds. So I’m pissed right now. I soldiered through two and half months of intense PT only to have to do more for something else I was born with. The physical therapy script written for my impingement therapy is two frick’n pages long. I’m no fortuneteller, but I foresee much pain and cursing in my immediate future.

After taking a week (or was it two?) to get my eating back on track, I’ve finally feel as if I can breathe a little easier. Looking ten pounds of fat in the face (literally) was enough to make me not eat a second helping and not much of a first one either.

I’m going to the gym as much as my bum knee will allow me (four days one week, two weeks the next) and I don’t feel as fat anymore. The weight’s still there, trickling off by ounces, but I don’t have the sense of being a fat girl like I did two weeks ago.

I’m still depressed about the whole affair, and believe I suffered some kind of loss because of the weight gain. But at least I was aware of the gain and now know my body well enough to be able to check in with it. So yeah, I gained weight. I gained about ten pounds. I feel horrible because of it yet even though I suffered a setback, I won a victory in that I caught it and immediately rectified the problem. That’s gotta count for something!

Living four blocks from an Asian grocery store can be good and bad. Good in that I don’t need to go far to pick up some satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) or dashi (fish and seaweed broth). Bad because I find myself buying stuff I may or may not use. Case in point: arrowroot powder.

Over Christmas break, I spent my free time translating Japanese wagashi recipes off the .jp. One recipe called for kuzu (kudzu to Americans) powder. Kuzu ko is really tough to get in the Midwest, but arrowroot powder is a fantastic substitute for it, if you can find it. Keep in mind I didn’t have much interest in actually making this particular wagashi, I just had a great time translating the recipe. But one day, while I was at the Asian grocery store, lo and behold, there’s a shiny bag of arrowroot powder for only $2.50!! OMG! Must buy! And it’s been on my shelf ever since, unopened and unused.

Sometimes, though, I find something at the Asian grocery which changes the way I look at food forever. That’s what happened last week when I reached into the freezer at Jay’s for some kamaboko and saw a giant bag of chicken wings. These weren’t any ordinary chicken wings. These chicken wings were from the manufacturer, VegeUSA, of my favorite fake meat products. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing were fake chicken drumsticks (they looked more like wings). Everything about them looked pretty authentic. They even had a frick’n bone in the way of a dowel rod! I then experienced the same MUST BUY urge I usually get when I’m about to purchase something I have no use for. Fighting the urge, I was about to stuff the “wings” back into their icy abode when the price jumped off the freezer shelf: $6.95. Holy crap! $6.95 for three pounds of “meat”?!! OMG!! MUST BUY!!!!

Driving home and feeling a mixture of shame and curiosity over my MBP (must buy purchase), I vowed to make a fitting meal with the lil’ buggers. I used a bulgogi recipe as a base for a Korean style barbecue sauce and grilled the drumsticks/wings in the oven at 430 degrees. First, I cooked them till the “skin” was crispy, then I simply treated them like any other barbecued meat and brushed them with a generous helping of sauce. All I have to say is, they were sooooo wrong but soooo right. The meat has a fantastic texture, right down to the crispy skin. The dowel rod gives the illusion of a bone, but is thankfully, not too realistic. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while, and the drumsticks are filling at only 90 calories a piece. Now that’s a bargain!

The next time I used the chicken, I made hot wings. Yes, hot wings. And they were so tasty and so sinful (not really, I used soy butter, so nah, nah, not a sin!) I wanted to share my ficken (fake chicken) experience with you because I still can’t believe VegeUSA makes frick’n chicken legs/ wings/ whatever. If I wanted to (and I do) I can make Japanese recipes which call for chicken. I haven’t posted any niku (meat) recipes, besides those containing fish, on The Anime Blog. Chikin sukiyaki and yakitori here I come!

I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know if could fake a “meatloaf” which tasted as good as or better than the regular, carnivore variety. But thanks to VegeUSA’s frighteningly “meaty” lineup of TVP, I managed to make a most excellent meatloaf the other night.

Most people don’t like meatloaf, regardless if they’re vegetarians or carnivores. I, however, loved meatloaf, adored it actually. I believe my affection for this underrated loaf is a direct result of my childhood affinity for inexpensive foodstuffs. For example, I would kill for a liverwurst or fried baloney sandwich. Kill. I would go one step further if yellow mustard was involved. I also had a special place in my arteries for Cheez Whiz™. Cheez Whiz with Lay’s™ potato chips was the best, but Steak-Ums™ with fried onions topped with ketchup on toasted Wonder Bread™ was a close second. What can I say?

I think this meatless meatloaf is fantastic, but you can tweak it as you see fit. You can make your meatloaf Cajun with a few Bayou-inspired spices (thyme, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, oregano and a dash o’ salt). Or give it a taste of Thai with some lemon grass, peanuts, bean sprouts, cilantro, lime juice, brown sugar, and green onions, then top the loaf with sweet chili sauce. Custom your meatloaf as you see fit; it’s your meatloaf. Take it back and fall in love with this cheapie meal on your own terms.

Rae’s Old School-style Veggie Meatloaf

• 2 cups pre-soaked TVP, ground
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup fat-free yogurt or soygurt
• 2 Tbls vegetarian beef broth or vegetable stock
• 1 Tbls parsley
• 1 tsp ground rosemary
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp tarragon
• dash cayenne pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a frying pan, sauté the carrot, celery, onion and garlic till they’re softened. Pour the veggies into a large bowl.
2. Mix remaining ingredients with the cooked veggies, blending thoroughly. Pat mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Cook veggie loaf in pre-heated oven for one hour, till the top is slightly crisp. Let the loaf set up for ten to fifteen minutes. Serve immediately with barbecue sauce or ketchup.

Makes 6 Servings

Remember to let the meatloaf setup. If you don’t, it’ll fall apart as you remove it from the pan. It still tastes great, but the unique experience of having your “meat” served to you in loaf form will be lost.

It’s hard to keep trim in the winter; it’s too cold outside to be as active as we should be, and it’s too easy to munch down on heavy carbs and meats. Unfortunately, it’s also tempting to chow down on comfort foods, which are basically carbs, meats, or both. I used to love the traditional comfort foods my mom would serve up on an icy night. And what’s the ultimate winter comfort food to me? Easy: Chicken and dumplings.

Divine are the fluffy clouds of biscuit dough floating in a delectable broth of diced up bird. Yuumm. I don’t actually miss the chicken, though, and I surely don’t miss eating dumplings made from trans fat heavy Bisquick™. What I really miss is the flavor and the dumplings. You can recreate both without the chicken or the Bisquick™, yet still have all the down home goodness of this traditional American comfort food with this personal recipe:

Ingredients

For the Soup:

• 8 cups vegetarian or vegan “chicken” broth or 8 cups water mixed with 3 Tbs. powdered “chicken” broth
• 1 1/2 cups vegetarian or vegan “chicken” pieces (we use VegeUSA’s™* “duck”)
• 4 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into rounds
• 1 large potato, with the skin left on and diced
• 1 Tbs. parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt, (optional)

For the Dumplings:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar (may be omitted)
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3 Tbs. trans fat-free vegetable shortening**
• 1 Tbs. veggie-based butter (we use Smart-Balance Light™)
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream or soy sour cream
• 1/2 cup plain soy milk

Directions:

1. In a large pot add the broth, “chicken”, veggies, and seasonings, bring it all to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.
2. Make dumplings by whisking together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and black pepper.
3. Cut shortening into dry ingredients until well blended.
4. Melt veggie butter in microwave and combine melted butter with soy milk and sour cream. (This makes a fantastic, guilt-free buttermilk substitute.) Add “buttermilk” to flour mixture, blending thoroughly.
5. Gently knead the dough in the bowl a few times.
6. Drop golf ball-sized pieces of dumpling dough into soup until the dough is gone. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 Servings

This tasted sooooo good. It was much better than I remembered. David (my wonderful husband) and I were stuffed after one bowl, but we kinda sorta managed, against our better judgment, to put away another serving. Fake meat and loads of veggies make for one hearty meal!

*VegeUSA has an impressive line of dried, inexpensive fake “meats”. Thanks to Buddhism, meat alternatives such as mock “duck”, “beef” and “chicken” are sold cheaply at most Asian markets. I say this often and with all seriousness: “God bless Buddhism!”

**Crisco still isn’t good for healthy cooking. It now uses fully hydrogenated soy bean oil, which is just as god-awful as the partially hydrogenated crap. Don’t be fooled! I always check labels.

Difficulty: Very Easy | Time: 40 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate