LIFE

I have been silent for a bit - things going on in real life.  I have not gone off the rails, still pretty much on plan.  I'll be back online next week.

A NEW RECIPE

I have not been inspired to write much about my progress - there has not been much of that lately.  I have been firmly in a 3-4 pound see-saw for a month.  I have to get myself back to the gym more than 3 times a week and cut out the extra calories I have been eating.  I can't really blame it on the work schedule.  I think it is just overall boredom and the need to shake things up and get motivated again.

I have been cooking some new things in response to the boredom an this recipe was really tasty and  fairly low calorie.

It would have looked better with the scallions!

STIR-FRIED GINGER TOMATO BEEF

12 oz lean flank steak
2 T minced ginger
1 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine or dry sherry
2 t cornstarch
3/4 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground pepper
3 t toasted sesame oil
1 t dark soy sauce (I used regular)
1 T peanut or veg oil
1 14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
4 scallions, halved length wise and cut into 2-inch sections ( which I forgot to use!)

Slice thin pieces of flank steak across the grain.  (The flank steak is easy to cut when it is slightly frozen. Flank steak can be tough, so the thinner the better.)

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, ginger, 1 T soy sauce, 1 T rice wine, cornstarch, 1/4 t of the sugar, salt and pepper.Stir to combine.  Stir in 1 t of the sesame oil.

In a small bowl combine the dark soy sauce, the remaining 1 T rice wine and the remaining 2 t sesame oil.

Heat a 14 inch flat bottomed wok or 12 inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 or 2 seconds of contact.  Swirl in the cooking oil and then add the beef.  Spread the slices out so they are in one layer in the pan.  Let the beef stay undisturbed in the pan for about 1 minute, letting the beef begin to sear. Then use a spatula or tongs to turn the pieces so the other side can brown, too.  Remove from the pan.  Add the can of tomatoes with the juice to the pan, sprinkle with the remaining sugar and bring to a boil.  Break the tomatoes into 2 or 3 pieces.  Swirl in the remaining soy mixture and then add the beef back to the pan.  Add the scallions and cook for 3 minutes or just until the beef is heated through and the sauce is slightly thickened.  (I found the sauce pretty watery.  If you want the sauce to be thicker, add 1 t cornstarch to the soy mixture added to the tomatoes.)

I served this over brown rice.

Per serving (w/o rice)
473 calories
38g protein
16 g carbs
28 g fat
3 g fiber

I think this could be made lower in fat by reducing the sesame oil and increasing the ginger to make up for the flavor. 

WORKING LATE

I need advice and wisdom on how to deal with the nights I work.  I leave for work at about 4:30 pm.  I usually eat lunch and then a large snack before I go to work.  I take something I can eat quickly and discretely during the evening as I do not get an actual dinner break.  I have taken things like salad or fruit, cheese and whole wheat crackers.  I also take an Atkins bar in case I am really hungry or want something a bit sweet.

I generally eat my "dinner" in two parts during the night before I leave at 1 am.  When I get home, I have a cup of tea to unwind.  I am frequently very hungry again by this time.  I have tried going to bed hungry.  I have tried having a little whole grain cereal or an Atkins bar but what I am really craving is some major carbs.  I realize that is because this is a comfort food for me and I and trying to de-stress from work and get settled enough that I can go to sleep - so this have been a slip sliding area a couple of times.

So - what to do in the middle of the night?  If I save calories for it, I think I will really be hungry during the day but having veggies in the middle of he night is not going to satisfy part of the "hunger" going on.  I don't sleep late enough the next day to make up for the "late night meal."  Do I just make allowances for extra calories 3 nights a week? 

SOME POSITIVE RESULTS



A woman can dream...

 I have been noticing some little differences in my life that I must add up and say are a nice list of positives from my weight loss so far.  I tend to see how far I need to go and lately I have had the opportunity to notice how far I have come.

I no longer have to worry if I am going to fit into a booth when we go out.  For a while I asked for a table because, if I could even slide into the booth the table was usually pressing into me.

When I took my daughter to the doctor, I noticed that the arms of the chair no longer touch my hips when I sit down.  There was a time that I shimmied in and out of those chairs or sat on the edge so I wouldn't be wedged in.

I am now ordering 1X size tops.  That means I got 6 new tops on clearance for between $6.-10.00 each.  In the past my size was rarely available on clearance.  Even better, this puts me really close to shopping in the regular sized stores.

When we were on our trip and had to climb up the hill from the beach to the bluffs, I didn't have to stop to rest or catch my breath. 

The towels at the gym almost cover me when I wrap them around me coming out of the shower. I admit that the first time I noticed this I thought they must have gotten bigger towels!  Then it dawned on me that I am actually getting smaller...

Sothere are some of the little positives in my life - how about yours?

BACK ON

I am back online and getting back on plan.  I had the experience many people talk about - I was away from blogging, reading blogs and surfing the net for over a week.  It was odd at first,  I felt a bit remiss, like I neglected to say goodbye before leaving on a long trip or something.  Then I just sort of went on with life.  Life does that.  It fills in around the empty spaces of time and then they aren't empty anymore.

We had a lovely trip for our anniversary.  We went back to the little inn where we stayed for our first anniversary 25 years before.  It is much more upscale now and we enjoyed the very good food in the dining room and the short stumble up the stairs to our spacious room after significant quantities of wine.  The weather was fabulous - warm and sunny.  We hiked around and found places on the beaches and bluffs to camp out in the sun with our books, watching the birds riding the up currents of air and enjoyed a coral colored sunset.

I was not "on plan" in the least.  I had a taste of how I might live when I am not counting calories and living by my current rules.  My husband has been very supportive of my diet plan, but he has been a bit bothered by my not drinking when we've gone out in the last 6 months.  I had both cocktails and wine on this trip.  I had bread which was not whole grain, I ate some home fried potatoes, we shared a dessert one night and I had a pastry for breakfast one morning. 

The pastry choice as a real splurge - there was not a whole grain option and pastries were the only thing available.  The other things I ate just a bit and enjoyed the taste.  I left food on my plate from the two breakfast meals.  Dinner options were great and I had "light" choices and I ate every delicious bite.  The night of much wine following cocktails I ate more bread than I normally would -  it was GOOD bread and the excuse in my head, of course, was it would sop up the alcohol!  I didn't have a hangover in the morning - but I think that is luck - not bread!

But we walked a lot and climbed up and down the cliff to get to and from the beach. My husband is not one to just sit around when we are travelling, but we did have a very relaxing time.

So now I am getting back on plan.  Oatmeal with berries for breakfast as soon as I finish this post.  Glad to be back online and looking forward to catching up with everyone.

WHAT'S UP

The computer crashed for good and I have lost access to all my stuff!  Hope to get a new one soon.  Meantime...I am offline for a bit.  (I am on a borrowed laptop right now.)

Also going out of town to celebrate our 26th anniversary this week.  Off to the beach!