Get Limber!

Today’s goal: Get limber!  According to the magazine Self supplement I’m following, stretching can “help you get better results from exercise, feel sprightier, even sleep better.”  I’m absolutely terrible at stretching – I bounce around, doing quick, simple stretches, stopping as soon I start to feel a bit of pain.  H usually tells me I’m not doing it right, but to be honest, it’s boring.  Since it’s the first day of the plan, I’ll do it… but I don’t have to enjoy it!

The book suggests using a wall for resistance stretching.  Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of empty walls around here – there’s furniture, low windows, or something in the way of every possible area.  Instead, I found a stretching routine from fitnessmagazine.com that looks like something I can do in my home.  I’ll let you follow the link for descriptions of each stretch, but here’s a the routine in pictures!

Active Pigeon

C-Curve

Modified Cobra

Hamstring Stretch Series

Split Squat

Quadrupeds

Fabulous February

I’m starting the 30 Day Self Challenge today.  In my old files, I found a supplement to SELF magazine that focuses on fitness, nutrition, and happiness.  I’ll try to keep blogging about the daily journey, but here’s an overview.

Day 1 – Do your stretches.

Day 2 – Have a mission.  Companies have one – why can’t you?

Day 3 – Take your vitamins.

Day 4 – Try these buff-body moves.

Day 5 – Fine-tune your finances.

Day 6 – Learn some healthy hair habits.

Day 7 – Have an egg today – it’s good for you!

Day 8 – Visualize success.

Day 9 – Find your personal style.

Day 10 – Yoga your problems away.

Day 11 – Eat your breakfast.

Day 12 – Be happy.  It’s catching!

Day 13 – Protect your knees.

Day 14 – Take time for your SELF today.

Day 15 – Get your sleep.

Day 16 – Make a healthy meal.

Day 17 – Join a team.  Exercise can be fun!

Day 18 – Give yourself a creative boost.

Day 19 – Get your calcium!

Day 20 – Give your skin a treat.

Day 21 – Plan a vacation.

Day 22 – Take a mini-vacation with a cup of tea.

Day 23 – Step this way for leaner legs.

Day 24 – Heal yourself with food.

Day 25 – Organize your clutter.

Day 26 – Get the butt of your dreams!

Day 27 – Live life and burn calories.

Day 28 – Do this at-home facial to brighten you up.

Day 29 – Accept yourself and others will too.

Day 30 – You did it!  Create a calendar for next month.

On the Bookshelf: IndieBound

Combining file cabinets with H has been quite a task, and we’re only about halfway through.  Though tedious, it’s about time.  As a bonus, I’ve stumbled across lots of great info that I’ve tucked away.  Included in my “Books” file were a few pamphlets from our local bookstore called “Indie Next List.”  I finally visited their website, and I’m HOOKED.  This’ll be my go-to book list from now on.  Here are a few that peaked my interest.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Home by Marilynne Robinson

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Sasa Stanisic

America’s Test Kitchen

After making the world’s best meatloaf tonight, I’m hooked.  America’s Test Kitchen is my new favorite website, cookbook, and tv series.  In case you haven’t heard of it, here’s a short description from their website:

America’s Test Kitchen is a real 2,500 square foot test kitchen located just outside of Boston that is home to more than three dozen full-time cooks and product testers. Our mission is simple: to develop the absolute best recipes for all of your favorite foods. To do this, we test each recipe 30, 40, sometimes as many as 70 times, until we arrive at the combination of ingredients, technique, temperature, cooking time, and equipment that yields the best, most-foolproof recipe.

They then bring these recipes to their PBS television shows (wonderfully free to watch), as well as their magazines, cookbooks, and website (unfortunately but understandably not free to use).  I think the website would be the handiest, but is $35 per year to subscribe too, and it’s difficult for me to pay for information on the internet (a conversation for another day).  If I’m paying money, I’d like a hard copy that I can keep, such as a magazine or a cookbook.  Perhaps it would be different if I printed things off of the internet more readily, but for now, I don’t, so hard copies it is.  I can get the magazines and cookbooks from the library, however, so I really shouldn’t spend money on those, either.  It’s difficult, the life of a scrooge!

Regardless of whether or not I lay down any cash, the recipes are AMAZING and I must somehow have access to more.  The meatloaf that we made tonight was amazing.  I wish I could give you a link to the recipe, but as the website is fee-based, I cannot.  I found a a similar recipe on a blog, but truly the entire article with the explanations and descriptions is half the joy of the recipe.

Car Kit

A recent car accident reminded me to double-check the emergency supplies in our cars.  One car is currently in the shop, but I’m heading out to the other right now to check on the following items, suggested by Parents magazine.

• Medical Tape
• Clean Towels
• Gauze Bandages
• Water
• Antiseptic Solution
• Blanket
• Pillow
• Flashlight with working batteries
• Quick-reference card with essential numbers
• Road flares
• Jumper Cables

In a cold-weather climate, there are other obligatory items: mittens, hat, scarf, and, of course, a shovel.  I have a collapsible one similar to this:

Collapsible Shovel (source)

Are there any other essentials that I’m forgetting??

More Workout Motivation

I stepped on the scale today, ready to be impressed with results from my recent hours of working out.  I was shocked to see that my weight had gone UP a pound since our exercise program began.  That’s FIVE pounds heavier than when I got married three months ago. I couldn’t believe it, so I moved the scale.  (It gives different results based on where it sits in our bathroom.)  And then it promptly went up another five pounds.  Vomit.  Not really, but oh my.  This is not good.

Apparently, I’ll eventually need to add eating into the program as well!  I have two setbacks: sweets and portion control.  I never went on an official diet before the wedding, but just the knowledge that it was looming was enough to help me put the cookie DOWN.

Sticking to the exercise plan will be enough for me for now.  I think adding too many components at once has been my demise in the past.  I’ll keep up with my workouts, and then when I’ve been successful for a while, I can add in a diet if needed.  For now, I’ll just remember how well the words “put down the cookie” actually work!

Workout Motivation

There is absolutely no reason I shouldn’t be working out on a regular basis, especially when I think about the many, many benefits regular activity has.  Take the following examples, culled from the the Mayo Clinic website, for starters…

• Improves mood. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out.”  It also weakens the symptoms of depression and anxiety releasing feel-good brain chemicals (neurotransmitters and endorphins).
• Controls your weight.
• Prevents chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type two diabetes, osteoperosis, and some cancers.
• Gives you more energy by helping your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.
• Helps you fall into a deeper sleep more quickly.
• Boosts your sex life. It doesn’t hurt that exercise can jump start your energy and give you a toned look.  In addition, it can also lead to “enhanced arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don’t exercise,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

Beyond these health reasons, there are also the slightly more shallow reasons.  From Zen to Fitnes and bodybuilder.com come the following reasons to work out:

• Swimsuit season
• Feel good when you run into old friends
• Look good for the opposite sex/make your significant other proud
• Take care of your body – you’re lucky to have it in working order, so do your best to keep it that way
• Accomplish goals

All of this should be enough to get me to the gym, right?  Wrong.  Apparently, I need a little extra motivation!  That’s why my husband and I are going to start a system: monetary rewards.  I’ve tried this before, with some success.  My failure, however, was that I came up with too complex of a system, putting x dollars in for cardio and y for weight training, and taking away money for days I didn’t work out… it was too confusing, and I ended up scrapping the whole thing without giving myself a reward at all.  This time, there’s one simple rule:

Earn $1 for every 30 minutes spent exercising.

That’s it.  Simple enough, right?  Exercising includes actually exercising, not waiting around for your turn on a the Wii, or putting on workout clothes, or deciding what machine to go on next.  Stretching, warm-ups, and cool-downs will be included in exercising time.

I’m not sure what I’ll save up for… maybe a Wii Fit Plus?  Or possibly a subscription to a fitness magazine?  We’ll have to see!  I’m going to get started right now!

Famous Amos Cookie Recipe

Famous Amos Cookies

I wouldn’t say that these truly taste like Famous Amos cookies, but they’re a nice change from my typical chocolate chip cookie.  The dough was much more moist and sticky than other doughs I’ve used, which I’m sure added to the crunch of the cookies.  An explanation for this can be found at Cooking for Engineers.

I began making the cookies with the intent that I’d do a tutorial.  I gathered all of the ingredients…

Ingredients

and promptly got so involved into the baking that I forgot to take any more pictures! Oh well.  Here’s the recipe, anyway!

Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar (I was out, so I used 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Thoroughly cream sugars, butter, oil, egg, milk and vanilla.
2. Add dry ingredients, nuts and chocolate chips.
3. Drop by the teaspoon* onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-12 minutes. Cookies are light in color when done.

*After baking about five batches, I’ve realized that the smaller the cookie, the better.  Teaspoon is even a generous amount.  it should be about the size of a penny, a little thicker.

Recipe Links

I don’t really have a time frame for making these, but here are a few of the recipes on my to make list.

Main Dishes:

Chicken Ranch Pizza

Spicy Bronzed Chicken

Chicken Broccoli Braid (possibly find a more “home-made” recipe)

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Empanadas

Side Dishes:

Waffelized Hash Browns (or really anything “waffleized“)

Wilted Spinach Salad

Refried Beans

Pork Breakfast Sausage

Breads:

Honey Cranberry Cornmeal Quickbread

Low-Fat Muffin Thingies

Desserts:

Beer Cupcakes or Car Bomb Cupcakes

Oreo Truffles

Caramels

Pecan Snowballs

Blueberry Boy Bait

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Smitten Kitchen’s Best Chocolate Pudding

It’s a failure turned success!  I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this recipe, because it’s a winner.  I tried the recipe as written, but it didn’t set properly.  The original recipe called for the entire pudding to be made in a double boiler.  Due to lack of funds, and even more so, lack of cupboard space, I’m without a double boiler.  I tried to create one by placing a glass bowl on top of a saucepan filled with about two inches of water. Perhaps this is where I went wrong.

I explicitly followed all of the steps, added the proper amounts of every ingredient, even went so far as to set timers… yet I was left with a giant bowl of hot cocoa.  I continued stirring anyway, for around for about 45 minutes (I kept thinking… just a few more minutes an it’ll set!).  After I finally admitted defeat, I took the advice of the many folks on the page who had the same problem… and what do you know… it turned out perfectly! I dumped my entire concoction into a saucepan, turned it on medium-low, and didn’t stop stirring. Bingo! Ten minutes in, I had the perfect pudding.

The consistency is great, though somewhat thin.  (That may have been my fault, though, and not the recipe’s!)  The flavor was… well… it tasted like a creamy semi-sweet chocolate chip.  I think I might be more of a milk chocolate pudding kind of a gal.  I’m not sure that I’d make it again, but I’m glad I tried it once.  I did enjoy my own frozen pudding concoction, though (see recipe below).

Here’s the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, slightly modified.

Silky Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place on a burner set to medium-low heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form.
2. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Pour into a serving bowl.  Place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least half an hour, up to three days.



Frozen Pudding Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup chocolate pudding
• 2/3 cup whipped cream

Directions:

1. Combine pudding and whipped cream.  Divide into glass cups or containers.
2. Freeze until the mixture reaches desired consistency (I like to wait overnight).  Eat with a spoon.

Crusty Potato Bread

As much as I love books, I have a hard time tearing myself away from the internet when it comes to recipes.  I’m a tried-and-true follower of allrecipes.com.  The recipes I choose to make from that website consistently turn out for me.  I think the major draw for me (and surely many of their other contributors) is the abundance of feedback from people who have actually tried the recipe.  By reading the ratings and comments of chefs, you can really get an idea of how a recipe will turn out, or of any alterations to make before you begin.

My latest success from allrecipes?

Crusty Potato Bread

adapted from allrecipes.com; yields one two-pound loaf

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  Select dough cycle and press start.
2. When cycle completes, punch down dough and remove from bread machine.  Place on floured surface and knead several times.  Form dough into a large square.  Fold in thirds.  Starting at short end, roll into a loaf.  Place in greased bread pan.  Cover with clean dish towel; let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
3. Bake at 375 degrees (350 if using a glass pan) for about 25 minutes, or until top is brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Small Steps

I’m one of the guilty: I know how much I can do to reduce our household energy use… and I don’t.  The heating bill came today, however, and even though this is the fourth winter I’ve been in this drafty old house, it still shocked me.  And this was AFTER I had all of the windows replaced.  That did save quite a bit of money, but regardless, a doubled heating bill from November to December isn’t a treat to get in the mail.  I’ll spare you the reasons why our heating bill was still so high (they have to do with combining households), but will focus on what I’m going to do to help. I’m not to the point where I’m ready to invest loads of money, time, or effort, but I know there are small steps that I can take.

• Check out tax breaks. Like I said, we replaced the windows in December 2008.  I didn’t get any tax credit for it, but it’s possible that it would have qualified.
• Thaw frozen meats as much as possible before cooking.  That’ll shorten the cooking time… but require me to remember to transfer the meat to the fridge the day before I cook it.
• Use fewer dishes so we can run the dishwasher less frequently.
• Take shorter showers, reducing the amount of water the hot water heater must warm.
• Cover pots and pans on the stovetop.  That way, I can cook on a lower heat.
• Change the filter on the furnace on a regular basis.
• Put on a sweater and a pair of slippers. I set our programmable thermostat pretty low, but am known to bump it up several degrees every evening… thereby completely defeating the purpose of it.  A few extra layers can go a long way.
• Insulate pipes. We have exposed hot water pipes in the basement that are warm to the touch.  I’m guessing that they lose quite a bit of heat this way.  There must be some form of insulation that can go around them.
• Unplug. H does not enjoy reaching behind the television to flip the powercord for the entertainment center, but there are many things that I’m the main user of (stand mixer, toaster oven, certain lamps), and I don’t mind plugging and unplugging – I just need to get into the habit!

Wish List

It’s sinful to have a wish list this soon after Christmas… however… we’ve got gift cards to burn from the wedding, so it doesn’t hurt to keep track of a few things that we could use around the house.

Without further ado…

Steel Potato Masher

Cordless Telephone With Caller ID (to go with our brand new phone line!)

Cooling Rack With Small Holes

Brown, High-Heeled Boots (not this exact pair, but close enough...)

Camp Grill

Hot Glue Gun

TV Antenna (we're a cable-free household)

Grocery Bag Holder

Needs?  No.  Good uses of a gift card?  Perhaps.

*Note – all photos are from amazon.com.

Quitting Cut Corners

I’m done cutting corners while cooking.  I’ve ruined enough perfectly good ingredients to know that preheating the oven, not using the toaster oven for baking, and buying quality ingredients are worth the cost, especially when compared to wasted ingredients from burnt or low quality food.  Take, for example, my latest…

*sigh*

I hope I’ve learned my lesson.

On the Bookshelf, Relationship Edition

Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage by Dr. John Gottman

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray, Ph.D.

The Nest Newlywed Handbook by Carley Roney

The Seven Levels of Intimacy by Matthew Kelley

Mars and Venus Together Forever by John Gray, Ph.D.

Scrumptious Sunday

A little late, but here’s the dinner plan for the week:

• Kluski Soup
• Beef Tacos
• Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Snacks will include some form of granola bar, possibly from Alton Brown.  If I decide to be ambitious, I may tackle bagels, which I’ve been putting off for weeks.  Side dishes will be a mish mash of veggies, potatoes, and boxed rice (at H’s request).  Desserts will be non-existent, as I’ve been overindulging lately!

Happy New Year!!

The new year has been going beautifully so far!  We kicked off 2010 with a party with my husband’s old college roommates and their wives.  They’re great people, and it was an overall good experience.  I was designated driver that night, so I stuck to one drink.  At times, when I do this, I end up having a bum time because I’m not a socialite.  Being around people that I’m not great friends with makes me nervous, and having a couple of drinks can break the ice.  I was excited that the evening went so well, even with no drinks!

My “day of the week” idea has been going well also.  Our schedule has been nutty as we were up north for the weekend, but I think it’ll keep me inspired.  On Thoroughly Cleaned Thursday, I spent hours in the kitchen organizing cupboards, clearing out and wiping up the fridge, washing the floor, counters, cupboards, etc.  My wonderful husband even moved a small television from basement storage to the top of the fridge for me.  It seems like doing chores isn’t so terrible when Rachel Ray is keeping you comfortable.  Friendly Friday was another success – we bonded with H’s extended family all weekend long!  Sewing Saturday was productive, though it actually happened on the drive up north on Friday.  I had sewn a shoulder bag last winter for carrying knitting supplies.  I think I’m over my knitting phase, but the bag will still work for library books, farmer’s market goodies, and all of that good stuff.  For the four hour car drive, I brought floss, needles, and a hoop, and finished embroidering a bird and swirly vine design around the edges of one side.  I like the addition.

Embroidered Bag

Close-up of Bag

Today’s Scrumptious Sunday wasn’t so scrumptious – after a weekend of gouging on all types of junk food, Cheerios with blueberries hit the spot for me!  H had leftovers and made himself a sandwich, as he’s NOT a cereal for dinner kind of a man.  I’ll have to work on menus and what not, but after thank you notes, checkbook balancing, and showering for the first time in three days, I’m ready to hit the hay.