Continue reading »]]> Have you tried eating raw kale salads? It’s surprisingly delightful – so fresh and crunchy! Kale salads hold up well so you can make a large batch and enjoy it over a few days. That is such a time saver people! Not only is it lovely to eat but it’s a powerhouse of good nutrition and should be a part of everyone’s diet on a regular basis. Don’t turn your nose up at it unless you have tried it. This recipe called for white balsamic vinegar but I just had the regular balsamic and it worked just fine.

 Kale Salad with Pinenuts, Currants and Parmesan

•  2 Tbs dried cranberries, currants or raisins
• 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1 Tbs rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb Tuscan kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 Tbs pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese shavings

1. Place currants in small bowl; add 1 tablespoons (white) or regular balsamic vinegar. Let soak overnight. Drain currants.

2. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, honey, oil, and salt in large bowl. Add kale, cranberries,currants or raisins and pine nuts; toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese shavings over salad and serve.

Servings: 8

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving; Calories 130.75, Total Fat 5.53g, Saturated Fat 1.55g, Cholesterol 4.82mg, Sodium 430.64mg, Potassium 298.66mg, Total Carbohydrates 17.76g, Fiber 1.82g, Sugar 3.19g, Protein 4.74g  WWPP4

Nutmeg Notes

Weekend Activities

Saturday was an overcast day so we postponed our hike to Sunday. It was the perfect day for hiking, sunny with a cool breeze blowing. We got an early start so we could try a new trail. This particular trail turned out to also be a favorite for mountain bikers. Most of them stuck to the biker / hiker etiquette which is to announce that you are approaching and wanting to pass on the left and the first biker should let you know if he/she is solo and if not, then tell you how many more will be following. This is so important on narrow trails and blind curves, both of which we had to contend with. There were some places on the trail where there was no passing room and the bikers would have to follow behind us until we reached a wider place on the trail where we could step to the side and let them by. Talk about pressure!

We found a nice little spot for eating our lunch. Why is it, that food eaten in places like that tastes so much better? The bush above was just starting to bloom – a sure sign that Spring is on its way. We hiked a total of 13 miles this time and with our 30 minute stop for lunch it took us 6 hours. That is our longest hike to date. I must say we were tired by the end of it, no make that exhausted. But it was the good kind of being tired that comes with pushing and challenging your body. The end result is such a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment! I wish everyday could be like that!

When we got home hubby Tom discovered that he had left his vest at our lunch location – oh no! I was pretty sure it was still going to be there because we ate lunch pretty far off the beaten path. Of course we were too tired and it was too late in the day to go back. So Monday morning at “O’dark thirty” we headed back up to the trail and thanks to Google Earth, hubby Tom found a short cut trail to get to our lunch spot. There was his vest all rolled up and perched on the boulder where he left it! It was actually a fun way to start the day! We got our daily exercise, retrieved his hiking vest and got back home in time for him to start his business day!

Food Plan Update

The 17DD is going well. I like the carb cycling and the variety of foods on the cycle 2. I do wonder if I am eating too few calories on those high activity hiking days. According to My Fitness Pal app I burned over 2000 calories on Sunday and I consumed 1300 calories of healthy food. Hubby Tom weighed 1.5 pounds less on Monday morning than he had on Sunday and I weighed 1.5 pounds more! What is up with that? Sometimes I am just better off not getting on the scale. My non scale victories are the real reward!

Blog Changes

I have talked before about finding the right balance in all areas of my life. Right now I am trying to figure out the right balance of exercise and food intake. Then there is the issue of getting enough good quality sleep which hasn’t been happening enough lately. I want to explore some meditation techniques and see if that helps. When you add some new activities into your life you sometimes have to cut back on something else.

The weather is getting warmer, Spring is approaching and I have a ton of things on my to do list. With this in mind I have decided to cut back on blogging. I love it, but it’s a huge time commitment! My time is pulled in many directions and I have to pick and choose how to spend those hours. My plan right now is to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have a back log of recipes to post so I might post those to the recipe board and not include them in a regular Tuesday / Thursday post. If I do that I will post a message on the Nutmeg Notebook face book page saying there are new recipes to check out. Sharing recipes, food finds and our hiking adventures is a joy and I sure don’t want to give it up so I am hoping that posting twice a week will give me the balance I am looking for.

To Your Health,

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

What is the best thing you have eaten lately?

How do you balance your computer time?

Continue reading »]]> There is a back log of food finds stacking up on me so let’s get started! These are all items that I found myself and purchased with my own money. Variety is the spice of life they say, so step out of the box and try some new foods. It will wake up your taste buds and add a little sparkle to your food plan. If you are more interested in my weigh in  and learning more about The 17DD skip to the bottom of this post.

These are my new favorite food find, I love, love, love these mini peppers! These large bags are sold at Costco but I have seen smaller bags of mini peppers at Trader Joe’s and the grocery store. I was afraid the peppers would go bad before I could finish eating them. Boy, was I wrong! These are so sweet and tasty, I find plenty of ways to fit them into my food plan. They offer a nice little “crunch” when I sometimes just “need” to bite into something. Love that! A big bonus is that they are full of flavor, packed with vitamin C and super low calorie. Just rinse a handful of peppers and munch away – great for hiking. Dice some and add to a fresh salad, toss in soup, add to scramble eggs, saute with onions and serve over chicken cutlets or Italian turkey sausages. To me they have a lot more flavor than their larger cousins.

This stuff rocks! It’s fiery hot but in a good way. You will find this in the Asian food aisle of your grocery store. Add it to anything that needs a little kick, soup, taco salad, chili, stir fry, veggies, over fish, chicken, turkey burgers and eggs! A little goes a long way so start out with just a dab – you can always add more. It’s a great boost for your metabolism!

Very low calorie too.

 Another Costco find but you can find smaller bags of this at the grocery store. It is a delightful cross between broccoli and Chinese kale but tastes more like broccoli but slightly sweet! The stalks are so tender when cooked, just trim the tips of the stems a little before cooking. Steam, saute or oven roast for an easy side dish.

Check out the new recipe for Broccolette with Garlic that I made for our Valentine’s dinner. It was fabulous.

When I first started blogging two years ago I discovered a lot of raw foods blogs and they used raw Cacao Nibs in their chocolate desserts. I was intrigued with these and had to get myself a bag at Whole Foods. I have been a fan ever since.These taste a little bit like a slightly bitter chocolate on their own so they are best eaten combined with other ingredients. Toss some in when baking cookies or making fresh fruit and nut desserts. Sprinkle over frozen yogurt, or the lovely Chocolate Banana Soft Serve Frozen Dessert, or combine with some fresh berries and nuts. Delicious!

 I also enjoy them mixed in with my fat free Greek yogurt and fruit. They add crunch and a little chocolate flavor. A teaspoon is all you need, it goes a long way. These nibs are full of good nutrition like antioxidants, magnesium and they boost  your metabolism. Find them at Whole Foods or your favorite health food store.

Nutmeg Notes

Here I am on day 5- cycle 2 of The 17 Day Diet (17DD). I weighed this morning and I am down another 1 pound, that’s right exactly 1 pound. The digital scales are awesome because they let you know you have lost even if it’s only ounces – I love that! In three weeks I have lost a total of 6.2 pounds! Do I wish it were more – yes of course I do, I wish all the weight was gone! But, then I have to remind myself, I am half way back to my happy weight! You know me, I refuse to be a slave to the number on the scale. My non scale victories are just as important.

Non Scale Victories

•  I am back into some of my more form fitting tops.
•  My jeans are getting looser in the legs – I tend to carry my extra pounds in my thighs so this is a major victory!
•  This morning on my walk I realized how strong and muscular my legs have become since we started going for long hikes on the weekends. All that up-hill hiking is working wonders on my thighs.
•  Since we also use trekking poles when hiking I am even getting some upper arm strength which is a huge bonus.
• I ordered two new Summer dresses from Lands End in size small petite and they fit!
• No carb cravings – zero zilch – not a one.
• No snacking in the evening – just a cup of hot tea.
• No headaches – not having a lot of carbs is proving to be very beneficial.

As promised here is a little over view of what the changes are for cycle 2 / 17 DD / The Activate Cycle

Your bodies natural tendency is to preserve fat. The activate cycle is suppose to correct that by resetting your metabolism so your body will continue to burn fat. You alternate cycle 1 Accelerate days which are lower carb with cycle 2 Activate days which are higher carb. This carb cycling is giving momentum to your metabolism. It keeps your body guessing as opposed to letting it get accustomed to one way of eating day after day. The book explains a lot more about this idea and the University of CA study that it is based on.

For cycle 2 you get all of the foods from the cycle 1 Activate food list which you can read about here. Plus you get to add:

shellfish, lean cuts of beef and pork

Plus 2 servings of natural starches that must be eaten at breakfast or lunch the list includes;

 grains like oatmeal, barley brown rice, couscous, oat bran, quinoa,

legumes, and starchy vegetables like corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and yams.

It feels like a lot more variety after the first 17 days. This week I have enjoyed shrimp, sweet potatoes and oatmeal. I really like the carb cycling idea. It keep each day different and you can switch up the days depending on what is going on in your life. So far so good!

Weekend Plans

If the weather allows we will be hiking again this weekend. I want to try out my new day pack. We went to REI and they fitted me for a day pack – I didn’t know that they make special day packs just for women and they come in different sizes to fit the frame of your body. They taught me the proper way to put it on and how to adjust the straps to get the perfect fit and how to pack it correctly. Who knew? I know we need rain but I hope it holds off so we can hike.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

Any plans for the weekend?

Have you had any of these foods?

Continue reading »]]> Last week I was really wanting some soup so I re -worked my Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe to make it fit into Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet. V-8 juice isn’t listed as an item you can have on the food plan but Marinara sauce was included so I made a judgement call and decided to use the V-8. It was delicious, in fact I had hoped to freeze some of this soup but that was not to be. The soup was so good it disappeared in a hurry! There is something so satisfying about soup, it fills me up for hours! If you want to read about why I chose a new food plan skip down to Nutmeg Notes.

 It was just what I had been wanting a steaming hot bowl of tasty vegetable soup with chunks of chicken. You can view the recipe for my 17 Day Diet Vegetable Chicken Soup here. It’s also perfect for those of you on Weight Watchers.

 I was making an old family favorite, Chicken Fried Rice so David would have something to pack for lunches. I had seen a recipe posted by Barbo on Carol’s Cozy Cafe for a “mock” Chinese Fried Rice that is low carb and uses cauliflower instead of rice. I adapted her use of cauliflower and combined it with my recipe to create a delicious Chinese inspired dish. Does it taste like rice? Of course not – but is it tasty? Absolutely and it satisfied my desire for Chinese flavors. If you don’t like cauliflower you most likely won’t like this dish because there is an underlying flavor of cauliflower. It reheated nicely the next day too. Check out my recipe for Mock Chicken Fried Rice.

My Valentine surprised me with this lovely arrangement first thing in the morning. He had purchased them the day before and hid them in the garage. Sneaky! Love that polka – dot ribbon. You did good hubby Tom! (We went shopping Sunday and got each other new hiking gear and accessories so no other gifts were expected.)

I made an easy but very tasty dinner last night for Valentine’s Day! I used the Roasted Shrimp Cocktail recipe for our entree, oven roasted salad tomatoes, green beans and carrots all cooked in the same oven. Love that, and since I lined the baking sheets with foil – clean up was easy too. During the last 10 minutes of oven roasting time the ‘broccolette” was cooked on the stove top. I will post that recipe soon. Easy, peasy dinner! Of course for dessert I enjoyed a dish of my Chocolate Mousse Yogurt. Yummers!

Nutmeg Notes

I had intended to write about Cycle 2 on The 17 Day Diet as part of today’s post but I have had so many interruptions while trying to write this post and with the recipes it was already becoming one of those epic posts! Hopefully I can include that information in Friday’s post.

Why did I make a  food plan change?

Some readers have asked why I switched from Weight Watchers to the 17 Day Diet – great question! As I get older and certainly in the past year as I have arrived at Menopause my body, metabolism and hormones have changed. What use to work for weight loss was no longer working for me. My 12 pound weight gain can’t all be blamed on that, there was also some indulgent holiday eating and some emotional eating that added a few pounds. Normally, getting back to healthy, moderate eating would let those pounds drop off in a matter of weeks. Not anymore! I tried counting points and eating my normal healthy diet wtih no weight loss, no body change, no change in how my clothes fit.

 I started to gather new information about weight loss for women my age and people with a sluggish metabolism. What I found was that after menopause women are more likely to store carbohydrates as fat instead of burning them. Also as you age you loose muscle mass and if you don’t do something to counter that you have more fat and less lean tissue which slows down the rate at which you burn calories. If you continue to eat as you always have you will in fact gain weight! Light bulb moment here!  I knew I needed to change my already healthy food plan and up my exercise plan.

 I had read on Sharon’s blog about her success with The 17 Day Diet. We are about the same age and have some of the same struggles with food and losing weight. I had also seen the book and it’s author Dr Mike Moreno on the Dr Phil show. I did some Internet research, watched some interviews of Dr Moreno and some of his success stories and then ordered The 17 Day Diet book.

 All of the foods on this plan were chosen because they are the best choices for a healthy diet while promoting losing weight and boosting your metabolism, all without craving carbs. It is structured in a way to help boost your metabolism for weight loss. At this time in my life I need all the help I can get. Simple things like eat your carbohydrates before 2:00 pm so your body has a chance to burn them off. Drinking green tea to help your metabolism and enjoy the extra antioxidants that green tea has. Eating probiotics to help aid the digestion process. Alternating higher and lower carb days to keep my metabolism guessing. The food choices and structure of this food plan were based on scientific studies, that is why they were chosen. I need all these little boosts to lose the weight and keep it off. This plan contains more structure and food guidelines than WW but yet it is easier because I don’t have to count points. At least for now it’s a good fit.

I still think Weight Watchers is an awesome program and food plan. For me right now I need more than counting points. I need my food choices to be the best ones for losing weight, not creating carb cravings, boosting my metabolism and for maintaining my happy weight once I arrive there again. All calories and food points are not created equal.

One of my favorite sayings about healthy food choices comes from Dr Oz, “Think of what you put in your mouth as a prescription for your health and ask yourself if what you are about to eat is something your Dr would prescribe for you.”

See You Friday!

Tami

I am super carb sensitive, too many and that’s all I can think about – more carbs! The last time I craved carbs was day 3 of cycle 1 on this food plan. It’s amazing!

Add Your Thoughts

Are you sensitive to carbohydrates?

Continue reading »]]> I fully intend to enjoy a little chocolate treat tomorrow on Valentine’s Day. It will be something “light” but yet deliciously chocolate. I use to be a big time chocolate lover, in fact I craved it at times. Chocolate was one of my food groups! That was when I only ate milk chocolate. Then I discovered dark chocolate and a developed a whole new taste for chocolate. A small serving is all it takes to satisfy me since it’s flavor is more intense. Also since the amount of sugar in dark chocolate is less it doesn’t lead me to craving more. Maybe, just maybe, when I use to eat a lot of milk chocolate, it could have been the sugar that I was craving.

I won’t be having either milk or dark chocolate bars tomorrow but I will be indulging in a fabulous low sugar, low fat, low calorie dessert that I will be whipping up for myself and all the while staying on my food plan. Love that!

Is it just me or does that top raspberry have a “heart” shape to it?

A little unsweetened cocoa (Droste brand is my favorite)

 A little sweetener.

Some fat free Greek yogurt

All blended together until smooth and creamy.

It’s creamy, dreamy and chocolate!

Add a few raspberries for fun.

It tastes even better when it’s served in a cute tea cup too!

Chocolate Mousse Yogurt

• 6 ounces plain fat free Greek yogurt ( I use Fage brand)
• 3-5 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa ( I use 5 teaspoons – I like it more intense)
•  NuNaturals vanilla Stevia drops to taste or sweetener of your choice – Agave or honey would also be great

Put all ingredients in a small bowl and stir, stir and stir until all the cocoa is blended into the yogurt. Transfer to a pretty serving cup. Chill. Add a few fresh raspberries or strawberries and enjoy!

Yield 1 Serving

Nutritional Information (not including berries)

Amount Per Serving; Calories 158.97, Total Fat 3.7g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 69.36mg, Total Carbohydrates 22.38g, Fiber 8.96g, Protein 22.53g

Nutmeg Notes

Yesterday was day 17 of cycle 1 on the 17 Day Diet! Woo-hoo! Today is day one of cycle 2 and a few more foods are added so I am very excited about that.

This morning I decided to get on the scale so I would be able to keep track of my weight loss for cycle 2. Low and behold I was up a half a pound from Friday! Do I think I gained a half pound of fat back since Friday – no of course not!

We hiked 11 miles in the foothills on Saturday for a total of 5 1/2 hours climbing up and down. Then another 3 miles on Sunday. Both days I had maybe 1200 calories at the end of the day and it was all healthy food. I am sharing this just to show that you can’t go only by what the scale says. I am back into my size 6 jeans and feeling thinner! The scale is only one little measure of our progress and I prefer to go by how I look and how my clothes feel. Today’s numbers on the scale is exactly why I don’t measure all of my success by what it says.

For those of you who are interested, I will try and post about cycle 2 of The 17 Day Diet later this week.

You all have a fabulous Valentine’s Day and enjoy a little treat without going crazy!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

How often do you weigh yourself?

I go through phases where I sometimes weigh everyday and then sometimes just once a week. Right now I weigh every couple of days.

Continue reading »]]> Happy Friday! Today is my weigh in day – more about that later in the post.  In case you do your grocery shopping on the weekend I’m going to share some awesome new food finds so you can be on the look out for them as you shop this weekend. New foods keep things interesting and create a personal party for our taste buds! The first food finds are even calorie free! In the past I have shared that I often order hot tea in a restaurant instead of dessert. Something hot is so filling as well as comforting. It allows me to have something to enjoy if others are indulging in dessert. At home as soon as I start cleaning the kitchen after dinner I put the tea kettle on so I can have a cup of hot tea to look forward to.

 Over the past couple of years with all the media hype about green tea I have tried numerous times to incorporate it into my tea selection with out much success. Too often I have found it to be rather bitter which results in my tummy not being too happy. After a little tea research I have discovered that green tea requires special brewing techniques.

To make a good cup of green tea bring fresh water to just under a boil, pour over the tea bag in a preheated cup. Let brew for 1-3 minutes depending on desired strength, remove tea bag and enjoy. Aaaaah – this method makes a lovely cup of tea.  Green tea is now an enjoyable part of my daily food plan!

It’s nice to have some variety on hand so I can pick a different flavor for each tea time. According to the information in The 17 Day Diet book, green tea has a natural chemical called catechins (antioxidants) that are suppose to increase fat-burning and stimulate thermogenesis – (the calorie burning process). Woo-hoo – I need all the fat burning boost I can get!

Let me introduce you to my favorite new oil. Annie’s roasted garlic and extra virgin olive oil – a heavenly combination! The garlic flavor is mild but it enhances the flavor of oven roasted vegetables, pan seared fish or chicken, pasta, salad dressing and just about anything you can think of to drizzle it on. Costco sells this large bottle but I have also seen smaller bottles at Whole Foods.

Oven roasting is my favorite way to cook fresh vegetables. For easy clean up line a baking sheet with foil, spray with olive oil, spread prepared veggies out on tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon roasted garlic olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in a preheated 425 degree oven and roast for 20 -25 minutes stirring once. You can roast all kinds of vegetables using this method.

Home made dressing is easy to put together and I make my own most of the time. You can see a couple of my favorite dressing recipes here. When I saw this dressing on Tracy’s blog TJ’s Test Kitchen I decided to give it a try. 

We all thought this was delicious. Use this with some romaine lettuce to make a cheesy Caesar salad with out all the calories of added cheese. Just 45 calories for 2 tablespoons – how awesome is that? You will find this dressing in the refrigeration section of the produce department.

 One of the non fruit bearing pear trees in our backyard is blooming – this warm weather has everything and everyone (including me) feeling like Spring is here.

Nutmeg Notes

Yesterday my schedule was off. It started with getting up super early to get hubby Tom out the door. I made the mistake of having coffee with him at 4:30 AM – way too early and it gave me the jitters. I needed to eat something before I went for my walk but I didn’t want to be full of my morning Kefir Berry Shake  (which I usuall have after my walk) so I decided to eat an Atkins protein bar I had in the pantry. It didn’t fill me up like the shake does. Also one day I forgot to put the Flax oil in the shake and I got hungry sooner than usual. Live and learn.

Weigh in for week two. I am happy to report that I lost another 1.6 pounds for a total of 5.2 pounds over the past two weeks! I know those numbers are not huge losses, but for me it is an amazing amount of weight loss. It just goes to show how resistant my body is to weight loss right now. Some people lose 10 -12 pounds in the first cycle of the 17 Day Diet. Of course the more overweight you are the greater your initial weight loss might be. I get that and so I am very happy with my results and it was all done without feeling food deprived, hungry and craving carbs. That makes it even more rewarding! My clothes fit so much better and I am starting to feel lighter again.

Sunday will be my last day of the first cycle and Monday I will start cycle 2. I am looking forward to it and we shall see how my weight loss is with the introduction of some more foods.

We have another beautiful weekend ahead of us and another hike is planned! My shoe inserts are making such a difference. I wear them in my work out shoes and my feet feel amazing! What a relief.

Enjoy the weekend!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

Are you a tea drinker? How about green tea?

When do you grocery shop?