1. Striped socks. Love love love them.
2. Folding clothes to REO Speedwagon and Fleetwood Mac.
3. Watching Atty dance to REO Speedwagon and Fleetwood Mac.
4. Having dinner ready before 3 p.m. so I can go to the temple later. (Baked ziti with sausage and spinach. Made enough for two meals so I can freeze one. Even better.)
5. Comfortably wearing a sweater that was too snug last time I tried it on.
What are you happy about today?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
The secret to good hummus
Cumin. I don't know why it took me this long to figure it out. It's not in a lot of recipes, so I'd make hummus and it just didn't taste quite right. I'd add more garlic, more lemon, more tahini, more salt, and it still tasted, as James put it, like canned garbanzo beans. Edible, but not great.
Then, when I was following the Ornish super-low-fat-reverse-heart-disease diet, I followed his recipe for hummus, which had no tahini and no oil but had a healthy amount of cumin. And even James liked it, which is saying a lot. Ok, so I added a touch of tahini--just enough to add that smoky slightly bitter tinge that makes hummus so wonderful. And now I add cumin to hummus even when the recipe doesn't call for it, and it makes all the difference.
And today I used my fresh hummus in a very tasty dish: Mediterranean pita "pizza" (a slightly modified version of a recipe from my friend Heidi Herway). Toasted pita, hummus, chopped tomatoes tossed with s&p and dried basil, and feta. Then put under the broiler until the tomatoes warm up a little and the cheese melts. YUM!! Holy cow, this was just what I wanted today. Warm and creamy and tomato-y and very satisfying.
In Atty news, he's figured out how to pull a chair over to the counter to get things previously out of reach. Which brings on that motherly mix of feelings--pride and thrill at his accomplishments, and dread that now nothing will be out of reach.
Then, when I was following the Ornish super-low-fat-reverse-heart-disease diet, I followed his recipe for hummus, which had no tahini and no oil but had a healthy amount of cumin. And even James liked it, which is saying a lot. Ok, so I added a touch of tahini--just enough to add that smoky slightly bitter tinge that makes hummus so wonderful. And now I add cumin to hummus even when the recipe doesn't call for it, and it makes all the difference.
And today I used my fresh hummus in a very tasty dish: Mediterranean pita "pizza" (a slightly modified version of a recipe from my friend Heidi Herway). Toasted pita, hummus, chopped tomatoes tossed with s&p and dried basil, and feta. Then put under the broiler until the tomatoes warm up a little and the cheese melts. YUM!! Holy cow, this was just what I wanted today. Warm and creamy and tomato-y and very satisfying.
In Atty news, he's figured out how to pull a chair over to the counter to get things previously out of reach. Which brings on that motherly mix of feelings--pride and thrill at his accomplishments, and dread that now nothing will be out of reach.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Lunch!
Lunch today was so tasty I just had to share. I guess you could call it a Southwest chicken salad, but I just threw it together: baby spinach, black beans, chicken breast, red peppers, avocado, and a dressing of sour cream and salsa. YUM!! I enjoyed every bite.
And it was just 450 calories! Even with full-fat sour cream!
I've started a new diet. Yes, I know, diets don't work long-term, but I'm going for a short-term fix here. See, I'll be baring my tummy in a belly dancing festival in 4 1/2 weeks, and my tummy isn't ready to be bared. So I'm hoping to lose about 10 lbs before then.
Which means I'm working out more and eating more carefully. I'm following the Prevention "Flat Belly Diet," which can be summed up as four 400-calorie meals a day, each of which must contain a "MUFA", or monounsaturated fatty acid rich food (nuts, avocado, olives, olive or canola oil, dark chocolate).
Limiting my calories to 1600 per day is doable but more challenging than I expected. Getting to eat foods I love (nuts, avocado, olives, and dark chocolate) makes it much easier than it would be otherwise.
So far the pounds aren't melting off as quickly as I'd like them to, but I am moving incrementally in the direction I want to go. Wish me luck!
And it was just 450 calories! Even with full-fat sour cream!
I've started a new diet. Yes, I know, diets don't work long-term, but I'm going for a short-term fix here. See, I'll be baring my tummy in a belly dancing festival in 4 1/2 weeks, and my tummy isn't ready to be bared. So I'm hoping to lose about 10 lbs before then.
Which means I'm working out more and eating more carefully. I'm following the Prevention "Flat Belly Diet," which can be summed up as four 400-calorie meals a day, each of which must contain a "MUFA", or monounsaturated fatty acid rich food (nuts, avocado, olives, olive or canola oil, dark chocolate).
Limiting my calories to 1600 per day is doable but more challenging than I expected. Getting to eat foods I love (nuts, avocado, olives, and dark chocolate) makes it much easier than it would be otherwise.
So far the pounds aren't melting off as quickly as I'd like them to, but I am moving incrementally in the direction I want to go. Wish me luck!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
He's a Lefty!
I swear I didn't just put the pen in his left hand. James accuses me of tying Atty's right hand down during the day, but that's also a lie. He comes by this gift naturally. :)
But it would also be a lie to say I'm not a little proud, even though it's a random genetic trait I have no control over. I'm a little weird that way.
But it would also be a lie to say I'm not a little proud, even though it's a random genetic trait I have no control over. I'm a little weird that way.Monday, January 25, 2010
His Latest Tricks
Take one....
Take two...success!
He didn't do it in this video, but on previous successes he'd do this little happy dance on the bed, then throw himself onto his back.
And finally some more love for Mama.
The Many Faces of Atty
Here are some recent pictures you might enjoy.
I don't remember why he's upset, but how can you resist that face?
I have croup. Pity me.
I don't remember why he's upset, but how can you resist that face?
I'm back
After almost four months hiatus, I've decided to start posting stuff here again. Atty is just too dang cute to contain. And he's growing so fast, I need to document it somewhere and share it with anyone who cares. So there.
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