Challenge Wrap Up

August 29, 2021September 28, 2021

Day 28 of 28

On The Streets Where I Live:

Color Pop, Sherry Drive
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 29, 2021

The Little Library Project, Ocean Grove Drive
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 29, 2021

Parks and Recreation:

Up and Down, Howell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 29, 2021

Water water everywhere….Codee’s Dream Come True
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 29, 2021

In The Garden:

I am a little worried for the bitty San Marzano tomato seedlings I put in the garden today, but the oppressive tick of the clock has me throwing caution to the wind…literally. Fingers crossed, these little sprouts survive the end of summer heat. This section of the plot is shaded for a vast majority of the beginning of the day, so there is high hopes for them…That is, if the pests and afternoon storms don’t take them out first.

Dig Local Community Garden, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 29, 2021

On The Beach:

On The Plates:

To round out the 28 day gluten free, dairy free, no added sugar, real food challenge, I had some fried eggs on top of a lentil, beet, and chickpea salad with some greens from our local hydroponic farm, Atlantic Beach Urban Farms. Dinner was a quick cubed steak coconut wrap with some butternut squash, broccoli, grape tomatoes, and more of the yummy greens. So easy it reminds me of a song about Sunday mornings….

Simple Sunday meals are more normal for me than the big cooking projects that some people tackle over the weekend. On the road, Sunday is typically the longest and busiest day of the work week. My day begins at the theater at 9AM and usually doesn’t “end” until the show is completely packed back into the trucks which, depending on the venue, tends to be at around 4AM. I have gotten very good at bringing food for the duration of the “day”. While I still have a couple of months before I leave, the practice never hurts.

Cronometer:

There is a camp of the nutrition and wellness community that agrees that counting calories is a ridiculous endeavor and certainly not a way to live long term. For the most part, I am inclined to agree with them, but like so many other nutrition and lifestyle choices, it’s complicated and highly individualized. My personal take is that it helps to know some of the science and policy facts before you start doing it…
For example, your microbiome and a slew of other factors like stress, sleep, and previous dieting experiences will impact the number of calories that you process and how you, personally, process them, ie. burn or store. While it’s true that you have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, calories in does not necessarily equal calories out. Even if the human body did act like a machine and not a complicated organism, nutrition labels can be as much as 20% inaccurate to begin with. When I look at it on paper, the reasons not to count calories far outweigh the reasons to count them.

So….Why Did I Post My Food Journals?

Here’s the complicated part…I still track AND I still encourage new clients to do it for at least a week. You have to have data to really know what works for you, your body, and your mindset. Tracking works for me, not necessarily because counting calories in an accurate science (it’s ABSOLUTELY not, in case that wasn’t clear), but because it forces me to be accountable for my decisions. I am more intentional about choosing to eat the right thing for my body, for the right reason.
It also allows me to look for patterns in how I feel versus what I consume. Tracking urges me to be super honest about it all. My food diaries are not about judgement and “good” foods versus “bad” foods, but rather, a way to gather data. Thanks for helping to keep me accountable during my four week challenge.

Garmin Says:

What a great way to wrap it up!!

Stay safe and moving, y’all!

Garden Clean Up, Beach Wildlife, and Some Real Farmers

August 28, 2021September 26, 2021

Day 27 of My 28 Day Refocus

Sky Art
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

Painted rocks are huge in my tiny town and lots of people get into the game of leaving them for people to find! They are hidden or randomly placed around the town to bring smiles, mantras, and creative tiny creatures. I find them everywhere and, this morning, these guys were hiding under the pier. I’m always the most impressed with the rocks from the artist who painted the elephant, but for some reason the duck, especially stashed under the pier during this dreary weather, really brightened up the morning. Thanks for the fun, #abrocks!

Even the ducks are hiding from the storm…
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

Painted Rocks
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

In The Gardens:

It’s time to start getting some plants in the ground over at the garden even though it’s still a bit early in the fall season. I am definitely going to run out of time before Dear Evan Hansen starts again, so I started to clean out the garden a bit. Typical me, I’m going to plant anyway because…well, why not? I considered not having a garden this season because I thought it might make it harder to leave, but I decided that I would rather make the most of my time off. Plus, it’s not like it could get any harder to leave…are you starting to sense that I am having mixed emotions about packing up?

Dig Local Community Garden, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

Mammoth Sunflowers, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

About The Town:

While I I live in Atlantic Beach, technically speaking, my little bubble includes Neptune and Jacksonville Beach as well. We’re all connected in a strange government consolidation that happened in 1968, yet each town still maintains their own municipal governments… Let’s not go down the politics road yet, though…There are so many things to love packed into the trifecta of towns we call “The Beaches”, especially if you are into cooking and great food. Goodness knows, with four farmers markets, a natural foods market, and an urban hydroponic farm in the area, I really don’t need to grow plants for the harvest…which leaves me more time for sunflowers. 🙂

Penman Park
Jacksonville Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

Hydroponic Farm and Market
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 28, 2021

Sweating It Out:

I fear that I might be getting a bit too comfortable kicking it at this pace, but I have increased my weekly mileage as I have decreased my speed. Plus, this feels right for right now and I think that’s what matters.

What I Watched:

Okay, this show came out last summer, but it is worth a revisit. You could blame it on my admiration for Reese Witherspoon, but this one is so much more that than. An incredible novel, Little Fires Everywhere, was made into an extraordinarily compelling, limited series on Hulu. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

On The Plates:

I haven’t made a big grain/legume salad in awhile, but I got out the big bowl this afternoon. Normally at the condo, I keep all of the components separate because I like to make something slightly different each time. This way, no one dish gets stale in the rotation, but during a conversation about meal convenience earlier this week, I was reminded that I am going to have to get back into my tour batch cooking ways soon. As a little practice, I put together some roasted beets, canned chickpeas, sprouted lentils, roasted zucchini, and some homemade pickled carrots and onions. I am also working my way through the jar of mayo that I made, so I whisked a little of that with some pickling juice to make something like a dressing for the whole thing. For supper, I put a couple of fried eggs on top of a big serving to bump that protein up.

Cronometer:

Garmin Says:

Stay safe and moving, y’all!!

Eggs, Spinach, and a Chickpea Squash Pancake

August 14, 2021August 23, 2021

I love my eggs for dinner. My 6” cast iron pan fits two large eggs really snuggly and I found a lid that fit the pan just as well. Tonight, I served them over a chickpea and spaghetti squash pancake with sautéed spinach and garlic. I kind of made Chris Morocco’s chickpea pancakes, but instead of just water, I used the same amount of tremendously overcooked spaghetti squash plus an additional 1/4 cup to ensure enough liquid. It added a bit of sweetness and some bonus nutrients…assuming I didn’t cook them all away. 🙂 I also don’t add the oil to the batter like he called for, but I used a tablespoon of avocado oil in the pan, so I definitely got it in the dish.

I mixed a 3/4 cup of overcooked spaghetti squash and 1/2 cup of sprouted chickpea flour with a heavy pinch of sea salt and black pepper. The key is to let it sit for at least an hour in the fridge so that the flour has a chance to absorb the liquid and fully hydrate after it’s combined. After it rested, I cooked the batter in my carbon steel skillet in a tablespoon of avocado oil, but I like to portion it into a small bowl so I can use a brush. I end up having more control of how much oil is used when and where. For instance, I like to brush another layer on before I land the pancake from a flip and, of course, in the pan with the eggs, so I want to make sure that I reserve some. It browned really nicely over medium heat. Some of that might be from the sugar in th squash. These bad boys REALLY like to stick so get a good base of oil or a non-stick and a thin, flexible spatula.

I know you’re hoping that’s butter, but luckily for me, it’s garlic.

I wilted the spinach in the still hot pan and once it cooked down to a manageable amount, I used a micro planer to grate a clove of garlic into the pan. I let it cook for a bit to get some of the moisture out of the spinach and to make sure that the garlic wasn’t raw. I had just a bit of spaghetti squash leftover and a nice piece of garlic that I didn’t grate and they were perfect together. It’s a weird thing that I do, but I like the bite of a little raw garlic… you might want a nice bit of grass fed butter and maybe a dash of hot sauce instead.

Stormy Weather, A New Swimming Hole, and Peeping Flowers

August 14, 2021September 26, 2021

Day 13 of 28 Day Refocus

Fort Caroline, Timucuan Ecological Preserve
Jacksonville, FL – August 14, 2021

We had a quite a few quick outings today, mostly scheduled around breaks in the rain. I took us up to Fort Caroline this morning for a little stroll, but we didn’t stay long. The afternoon took us to the beach and then an evening walk to a couple of our favorite parks where Codee discovered his favorite benefit of Florida summer rain…flooding.

Sky Art
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 14, 2021

Enjoying The Breeze, Cloisters Pier
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 14, 2021

Parks and Recreation:

Jack Russell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 14, 2021

“Don’t mind if I do…”, Jack Russell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 14, 2021

Sweating It Out:

Just fast enough to get my heart going in the aerobic zone, but I could chat at this pace for hours. It was a nice, peaceful, evening jog.

What I Watched:

Nothing like watching a baking show during your six week added sugar break while on the treadmill. Really not much of what I do is normal, I guess, so…
I learned about Christina Tossi from an actor on Dear Evan Hansen when they recommended her Milk Bar episode of A Chef’s Table. Instant fan, to say the least. She hosts this one, but they put together a fun team of people. Everyone is specialized in a different discipline of the dessert world and they are competing against one another to win the guest’s choice of best dessert for their upcoming special event.

On The Plates:

Remarkably, I am still digging my daily green drink as my first small meal of the day and I like to try to follow that with some actual greens later on in the day. This was a super quick way to do it. I made a really fast lemon vinaigrette in a mason jar and I had just over 2oz of Butcher Box Ranch Steak left, so I sliced it and tossed it in. I also added a serving of quinoa that I had in the fridge, stirred everything up, popped a lid on it, and put it back in the fridge for a few hours. I put it on a bed of balcony garden greens for a bright summer supper.

You know I love my eggs for dinner. Tonight, I served them over a chickpea and spaghetti squash pancake and sautéed spinach and garlic. I kind of made Chris Morocco’s chickpea pancakes, but instead of water, I used some tremendously overcooked spaghetti squash. It added a bit of sweetness and some bonus nutrients…assuming I didn’t cook them all away. 🙂 I also don’t add any oil to the batter, but I used a tablespoon of avocado oil in the pan, so I definitely got it in there.

Cronometer:

It was one of those days when I couldn’t believe the numbers. I had that moment of, “There’s no way the calories came in as low as they did.” I re-checked and, apparently, it’s the true. Now seems like a good time to remember that calorie counting is about as inaccurate of a “science” as you can find. Labels can be up to 20% off and, even though I am weighing all of my food for this challenge, there’s really no guarantee that a.) the info in the app is correct and b.) that my body is going to process and react to that food exactly as a bomb calorimeter would. Seems suspect, but it’s a good practice for me for a lot of reasons. Having said all of that, it seems it was a pretty good “volume eating” day, to use the newest diet phrase trend I saw the other day…like we need another one….
Long story short…I felt like I ate a lot of food, but it was not a lot of calories. 🙂

Garmin Says:

It’s very frustrating when I notice how close I am to a round step number after midnight. Only sixty nine steps shy of 25,000. That’s like, one more trip to fill up my water glass…bummer. Maybe it’s time to officially up my goal considering it’s 15,000.

Stay safe and moving, y’all!

Sunny Side Up with Broccoli and Sweet Potato

August 3, 2021August 17, 2021

I love having breakfast for dinner and eggs are my last minute dinner sidekicks. I roasted the sweet potato the other day, so this came together pretty fast. Plus, I got a tiny dose of resistant starch from cooking it and then letting it cool for at least 8 hours, but they really don’t take that long to bake. If you wanted to, you could start it from raw in the pan. Just be sure to adjust your heat and cook time accordingly.

Breakfast For Dinner, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

If I am turning the Ninja or the oven on anyway, sometimes I sneak in a little “meal prep in tiny steps” to get ahead on my list. Look how well that little sweet potato nestles in between the chicken breasts, each in their own silicone bread mold.

The unseen heroes of this dish are the 1.5tsp of avocado oil that I used in the pan and my cutting board that I use as a lid. The first teaspoon went in the pre heated pan for the cooked sweet potato and raw broccoli. I am a lover of broccoli all ways and I like it really crunchy, so cooking it this way works for me. You could roast it or use a microwaveable bag from the freezer. Once the broccoli was super bright green, I added another 1/2tsp for cooking the eggs. I covered it again for a few minutes so the eggs would steam a little. I was in the mood for pretty runny eggs today, but I get how some people think that’s yucky. I, personally, think the yolk is super delicious with the sweet potato, but to each their own. Cook to your liking, always! I just wish I got a little more color on the sweet potato, though….ah well, it’s a note for next time. 🙂

A crowded pan at the midway point, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

The Arboretum, An Usual Crab Hole, and A Bateman Oldie

August 3, 2021September 26, 2021

Day 2 of 28 Day Refocus

Jacksonville Arboretum
Jacksonville, FL – August 3, 2021

It was a pretty overcast morning, but we headed to the arboretum instead of the beach because, frankly, Codee motivated straight for the car after some morning business. I totally understand not being into exercise first thing. Most of the people that I know like to start their day with a workout and I get that, too. It’s great to get moving and “get it out of the way”, but some of us just don’t function like that. The only time that I like running in the morning is if it is a race and there are LOTS of other people involved. My preferred time is in the afternoon and I think Codee is on board with that.

However, I do like to get moving and an easy stroll or walk is my favorite way. During the summer months, I have a few spots that like to frequent and The Jacksonville Arboretum tops the list. They have a bunch of short trails that are almost completely shaded and lots to look at if you are the nature loving sort. It’s also completely dog friendly if they are on a leash and I can usually get Codee into it for at least a mile, even at the peak of his laziness/weight gain/summer heat. The downside is that it’s about a fifteen minute drive from the condo. Of course, Codee has a different perspective and doesn’t see it as a downside, He loves to snooze in the air conditioned backseat. It’s all about how you use your time, right?

It’s too good to resist!
Jacksonville Arboretum
Jacksonville, FL – August 3, 2021

Off Duty
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

The storm cleared as the evening rolled in and it was perfect for a beach walk.

Dig It Out
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

Beach Avenue
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

Sweating It Out:

Rain days call for some treadmill time. For resistance training, I added a few different arm moves and a bonus core exercise. I’ll add this on Thursday and Sunday, which gives my arms a break on Saturday and finishes out the week by compounding all the moves on Sunday.

What I Watched:

We need all the laughs we can get these days…well, actually, on ALL days, but anyway…especially now. And you may or may not know about my crush on Jason Bateman, but despite my minor obsession with his current projects, there are lots of his movies that I haven’t watched. I have been working my way through some of the older ones and today I chose this one. There are parts where his character is reminiscent of his character, Marty, on Ozarks and I have to say, I am just fine with that. His dry delivery through ridiculous obstacles gets me every time.
Also, In the past, I have said that I am not a huge Melissa McCarthy fan…we just have a slightly different sense of humor, but her talent is undeniable. I really enjoyed her performance in this one though and the two of them together are hilarious. Yes, it is a movie from 2013, but I still lost my footing on the treadmill because I was laughing pretty hard.

On The Plates:

Brunch was my standard for the week, 700ml of water blended with these ingredients. I opened the bag of chia seeds too much and instead of 12g of seeds into the VitaMix, I got 22g. There is no turning back from that…I believe this is why chefs mise en place their stuff, but alas….I skipped the eggs I was going to have because it was a lot.

Sam Sifton mentioned Gabrielle Hamilton’s piece in The New York Times Magazine featuring her recipe for a sous-chef salad in his newsletter this week. In it, she says, “I don’t question that the greatest meal salad of all time, the chef salad, was created by a chef. The combination of textures and flavors is consummately professional. Sometimes people mistake the salad bowl for a lawless place of disorganized and mismatched ingredients, chopped up and thrown in — dried cranberries on top of pumpkin seeds on top of soggy corn — which offends even me, who stakes no strong claim to her chef bona fides. A salad nonetheless requires a bit of cheffing, a little experienced attention paid to balance, texture and restraint. Not everything tastes better with bacon bits scattered on top.” There aren’t any bacon bits around here, but something tells me that she would not be a champion of this particular plating anyway. Despite the less than stellar photography of this dish, I assure you, the meal salad was great. The cauliflower still has a lot of crunch, adding in texture and the peppery arugula compliments the earthiness of the roasted beets….It’s a favorite combo of mine and I bet it’s not the last time I write that description. I am taking a month off of dairy so I skipped my standard goat cheese, but there is 4oz of shredded, roasted chicken thigh and I mixed in 2tsp of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of champagne vinegar. This salad was a little overdressed, but I definitely didn’t miss the cheese.
Sometimes, when the beets in a dish turn things pink, it is a fun thing. Sometimes, it is not, but it’s almost always delicious and this was tasty.

To wrap it up, I had breakfast for dinner and an apple for dessert. I roasted the sweet potato the other day, so this came together pretty fast. Plus, I got a tiny dose of resistant starch. The unseen heroes of this dish are the 1.5tsp of avocado oil that I used in the pan and my cutting board that I use as a lid. The first teaspoon went in the pre heated pan for the cooked sweet potato and raw broccoli and then, once the broccoli was super bright green, another 1/2tsp for the eggs. Once the eggs were in, I covered it for a few minutes. I was in the mood for pretty runny eggs today. I think the yolk is super delicious with the sweet potato. I wish I got a little more color on the sweet potato, though….notes for next time. 🙂

Cronometer:

The food log app that I use and love is Cronometer. This week, I have a goal of staying below 1500 calories during five of the days and 1700 calories during the other two. I am also doing a version of time restricted eating so I don’t consume anything except black coffee, my daily vitamins, and water from 10PM until 2PM. That means that I have to eat all of my calories in an eight hour window which can be slightly tricky. These are not long term ways of life. I am working a specific program for a specified amount of time in an effort to reset some habits and refocus my nutrition.

I want to stress that nothing that I am posting is a nutrition or training recommendation for you, though. Please don’t think that I am ever recommending my plan for anyone but me.

I love the quick losses on the scale in the beginning 😉…it is the ultimate manipulation device, right? I TRY to use it just as a piece of data because I understand that it isn’t just about THAT one number, but the idea of a “right” number existing has had so long to marinate in my brain that sometimes I get lost in the obsession. I track it daily because it works for me to see just how much it can fluctuate in one day based on a significant number of factors. In any event, all data is good data and weight is a marker that is often used to predict risks of chronic metabolic disorders, so I like to know it. Technically speaking, I was two pounds from overweight yesterday. What it is not, is a judgement or a moral failing. Having said all of that, because I have been up and down the scale, I can say that the weight where I usually feel and perform the best is in the 118-121lb range and that’s the long term goal at the moment.

Garmin Says:

My Garmin app sends data to Cronometer app, so I’m not sure how they have different calorie info, but they do. There’s an algorithm kicking around in there somewhere…
I have my step goal set at 15,000, but in my head I really want to hit closer to 20,000-25,000.

117 Days Until Load In…Stay safe and moving, y’all!

Ninja Pepper Eggs, Local Greens, Sautéed Summer Squash, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

June 7, 2021September 21, 2021

I need to work through the specifics of how to get the eggs to cook more evenly when I use the pepper as a baking cup. I baked them in the Ninja, but I just kept fiddling with the temp, so I don’t really have a great process to explain. I think that they really want to bake at 250 degrees for around 20 minutes. It might just be better to slice the pepper into thick rings and fry them in a skillet, but I am going to keep working on it because I like the idea of it.

Sunny Side Up!

May 31, 2020September 13, 2021

Ingredients: Eggs, Acorn Squash, Broccoli, Grape Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Acorn Squash Seeds, Kerrygold Butter, Sea Sat, Black Pepper, Olive Oil

There’s something beautiful about the messiness of this plate, something fun about the organized chaos of it.
A standard weeknight dinner, easy lunch, or weekend brunch, fried eggs are surrounded by a few roasted veggies. Versatility is the name of the game here, but remember that you want to try to vary the colors and textures of your ingredients. I use this as a “fridge clean out” ALL the time. It’s one of the quickest meals to get on the plate and no two are the same so I don’t get bored of it.
Today’s combination was leftover roasted broccoli, grape tomatoes, and acorn squash which, real talk, I find pretty bland…but that’s nothing a little goat cheese and olive oil can’t handle. I just heat everything up in skillet. The warmth of the veggies melts the goat cheese into the olive oil and everything gets a little tangy and a little creamy. Top the plate with roasted squash seeds for crunch and extra fiber.
To fry the eggs, I heat my 6” cast iron skillet over medium-low heat and add about a teaspoon of butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Not into butter, use avocado oil instead. I like my yolks pretty runny so I can dip some veggies, but you do you. Once the butter has melted, I crack in my eggs, season with salt and pepper, pop the lid on, and in just a few minutes, dinner (or whatever meal it might be) is served.