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Tag: Pandemic

Tideview Preserve, The Beach, and A Tasty Failure

Day 10 of 28 Day Refocus

Morning Shade, Tideview Preserve
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021
Codee, Tideview Preserve
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021
Tideview Preserve
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021
The Cuban Oregano Takeover, The Upcycle Balcony Victory Garden
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021
“Wanna race to the water?” – Codee
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021
Codee Coolin’ Off
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021

Sweating It Out:

This is definitely a program that I can keep doing consistently and use as a good foundation for the next coming months.

On The Plates:

I had my standard Green Drink for brunch and oatmeal made a return for a dessert for dinner switch up. Supper was the plated meal of the day and I used it for a bit of an experiment. I had sliced Butcher Box Ranch Steak with Asparagus and Cauliflower Scramble.
At the moment, I have paused my Butcher Box subscription because I buy most of my meat directly from Kim at Lola Farms in Lake Butler, FL, but I am still working my way through the last pieces of the last couple of Butcher Box orders. (Side note: I’m really grateful for my three freezers.) This plate is 4oz of their grass fed ranch steak. I find that, like with most meat, I really notice a difference when I remember to seasson it the night before I want to cook it. I seared this on the stove and finished it in the Ninja.
I was reading Christina Chey’s Bon Appetit newsletter about the unglamorous eating habits of a recipe developer and, on that note…Let’s talk about the weirdness underneath that delicious piece of meat…It all started when I bought a leek at the grocery store and decided that I wanted to make cauliflower and leek mash with a bit of my latest obsession, nutritional yeast, for a little “cheesiness”. I roasted the cauliflower in the Ninja, naked, at Bake/400 degrees for 20 minutes and the leeks for 10 minutes. That’s where I should have stopped….those two ingredients plus some nutritional yeast, but I didn’t…I had two egg whites leftover from making mayo and I figured, “Great. Protein. Perfect.” So, I whirled it all up in the food processor. “Hmmm…” I had a very heterogeneous mixture…definitely not fit to call a mash. ”No worries…I’ll make pancakes with it. The pan is right here…” Cut to some bad words uttered during an ill fated attempt at flipping, but after some time over the heat, the story ends with a rather interestingly delightful scramble that I can only describe as pillowy and full of umami….

Cronometer:

Clearly, I am a lover of carbs. This isn’t news to me and, frankly, because I know this, I’m not looking to go low carb or Keto, but I may have to reign that in a bit to see the results that I want. It all comes back to balance, of course, but I’ll see how the next couple of weeks go.

Garmin Says:

I got my heart rate a little higher than I though I did this afternoon.

Smartless, Silly Faces, and Sunset Sunflowers

Day 9 of 28 Day Refocus

“You wanna do what now?” – Codee at The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10th, 2021

We have been getting out and about in the morning, but mostly in the car to run errands. Like everywhere else, it’s pretty warm outside no matter the time of day and Codee gets in most of his steps in the evening. I did a bit of container gardening after we got home and he took a little nap. Luckily, I have an eastern facing balcony, so by 12:30, we have some shade. He really likes to break up the early afternoon by going in and out. This way he can check out any neighbors passing by and then cool off on the air conditioned, hardwood floor. Not a bad gig, if you can get it.

Honey Nut Squash, Tom Thumb Peas, and Arugula
Upcycle Balcony Victory Garden, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021
The Carrot Patch
Dig Local Community Garden, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021

Parks and Recreation:

An Unusually Empty Day, Atlantic Beach Dog Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021
Howell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021

On The Streets Where I Live:

There are all kinds of unexpected joys kicking around Atlantic Beach. Finding hidden bits helps keep me motivated….and not just because it means I can stop in this heat to take a photo. 😉 I find I have just a little burst of energy after I smile.

“Nothing to see here, folks.” – Tree Man, 11th Street
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021
Sunshine in Rock Form, Beach Ave
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 11, 2021
Mammoth Sunflowers, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021
Happy Little Clouds
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021

Sweating It Out:

A return to the streets!!! It was great, but it was a walk/run/limp combo, to be completely honest. My left hip HATED me at the end of this. I stretched it out a bunch and used my roller ball, but this is a great reminder to do what I say…or not…and not what I do. I am a negligent stretcher/flexibility training buddy. Heed the warning, please.

Podcast of The Day:

This section should be retitled, “My Schoolgirl Crushes”… Today, it’s back to my boys and their guest, Tony Hawk. I was never cool enough to be a skater, but I think the first time I saw him was in the movie “Gleaming The Cube”…Could that be accurate?

On The Plates:

The old standard… Guitar Case Greens, Roasted Lola Chicken, Roasted Shaved Beets, Grapefruit, Sautéed Onion, and English Cucumber with a Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Since we’re being honest…this is how it played out behind the scenes….

How I Really Eat My Salads, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 10, 2021

Cronometer:

Garmin Says:

That step count is a little more in line with what I like to see.

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

Morning Beach Views, Timucuan Ecological Preserve, and A Cronometer Explanation

Day 8 of 28 Day Refocus

Sea Oat Summer Views
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 9, 2021
A Quiet Morning
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 9, 2021

After a quick trip to check that everything was okay on the ocean side, I took us up to one of the National Parks that is close by. Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve has a handful of trail options and includes Fort Caroline, Spanish Pond, and the Theodore Roosevelt area. You can get everything from river to woods to salt marsh, plus the only real elevation change that I have seen in the state. We didn’t get that far today, though. Something freaked Codee out and it was too buggy to try to convince him that something wasn’t going to come out of the forest to get him. He braved it for half a mile and then we retreated. The silver lining is that he kind of quickly trots back to the car once he gets his way, so he gets a little exercise on the return.

Spanish Pond Trail, Ticumuan Ecological and Historical Preserve
Jacksonville, FL – August 9, 2021
Spanish Pond Trail Map, Ticumuan Ecological and Historical Preserve
Jacksonville, FL – August 9, 2021
Relentless Palm, Spanish Pond
Jacksonville, FL – August 9, 2021

In The Gardens:

I think it might be chard for dinner tomorrow. These probably don’t have enough soil to get much bigger, plus, if I wait any longer, I am afraid that I will lose them to pests, sun, or wind. I love the different color stalks, though, and at this size, I bet I can almost cook both the stem and the leaves together. I might have time for one more round of Guitar Greens before we take off. I was trying to decide what to do with the case when I leave…likely it’s given its all, but we’ll see when I empty it.

Guitar Case Greens, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 9, 2021
The Violated Pepper Plant, Dig Local Community Gardens, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 9, 2021
Simple Smiles, Dig Local Community Gardens, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 9, 2021

On The Streets Where I Live:

The BEST Type of Water Fountain, Bull Memorial Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 9, 2021

Sweating It Out:

I took a rest from any cardio today, but I started the week off with a continuation of my mini arm workouts.

On The Plates:

I had my standard Green Drink at 2PM, but then I wasn’t really hungry until dinner. And then I made this dish…what was meant to be two portions became one and I feasted. I really didn’t plan it this way and I need to work on my portion control worst of all. Now that I got that admission out of the way…this way SO yummy.

Cronometer:

Let’s talk rest calories as they relate to Cronometer. Your “Calories Consumed” is obvious…whatever I have entered for the day. Most entries come from their really widespread database, but I can also add custom foods and build recipes if I have items that aren’t already listed. The middle one, “Calories Burned” uses some data that I give it in my profile and a formula to calculate my daily resting metabolic rate…mine is 1242 calories. Think of that as my account balance for the day. I can add calories by adding workouts manually if my Garmin isn’t working for whatever reason or syncing it. This way, it’s slightly…that’s a big key word here…more accurate because my Garmin tracks my heart rate which is related to the entire equation. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m not sure what algorithm magic goes on, but the two apps never end the day with the same calories burned, so take it all with a grain of salt. Tracking is really great for me, though, because it focuses my attention even if my body doesn’t always follow formulas. There is also an option to add the “Thermic Effect of Food” which is the calorie cost of my body digesting whatever I ate: protein costs a bit more than fat or carbs, whole foods a bit more than processed. I don’t include that one though, but it is a real thing, obviously. Instead, I think of it like the round up savings account that I have. You don’t have to worry about it, but over time, it adds up.
Moving on, they give my remaining balance for the day based on how much weight I want to lose a week. One pound equals a calorie deficit of 3500 calories, so at a pound a week, I need to spend 498 calories more than I consume, which means that, in the app, I begin each day with 743 calories. As you can see, today, I was over my limit by 169 calories and that’s because I am not really interested in eating less than 1200 calories a day and today was a really chill day. In general, I try to keep to what the apps tell me, but I am in charge, not them, so if I am still hungry and I am under 1500 calories five days a week and under 1700 calories the remaining two days, I am going to ignore Circle #3 telling me that I am “over”. I’m going to see how that plays out over the course of the next few weeks and I will adjust that goal if necessary. That’s enough talking for about that, for now.

Yup…looks like a 92 degree rest day. I will say that I am a bit disappointed that I missed the daily step goal, but I came relatively close, so I’ll be a little more mindful of that next week. (Remember: I could have used the treadmill for a bit even if I didn’t want to be outside.)

Stay safe and moving, y’all!

Zucchini Carrot Egg Bake Fail and Some Views of The Balcony Victory Garden

Day 6 of 28 Day Refocus

Upcycle Balcony Victory Garden, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

Here in Florida, the pandemic rages on, so I figured I might as well make use of that balcony furniture with plants. In between the community garden and the farmers market, we headed to Lowe’s because goodness knows what I need is another bag of potting soil, she says sarcastically. It’s really a race against time now, so I better get a few more seeds started…Before I had a car and a Codee, I would frequent my local Ace, but Codee needs practice inside new public places and most Lowe’s are dog friendly. I might have to start going to a different one though because he has gotten so used to it that he waits at the register for a treat before we leave. Insider tip, they have a container of treats under the register and some employees give them out and some don’t. Codee thinks it should be mandated…like masks should be. 🙂

Potted Pepper
Upcycle Balcony Victory Garden, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

I am a little surprised that the potted pepper plant is actually fruiting, but it’s awesome that it is. While we were at the community garden, I discovered that I had been robbed…I can only imagine that whatever ripped these peppers from the plant yesterday needed them very badly…they weren’t even ripe.

Violated Pepper Plant
Dig Local Community Garden, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

In The Sand:

Codee Coolin’ It Down
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

Never one to go much past the break, Codee does love to run into the ocean to cool off. After a few minutes, we typically retreat to the shade of the pier. It was a remarkably calm day for a Saturday….which is exactly perfect for me.

The view from under the The Cloisters pier.
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

On The Streets Where I Live:

Just a passing shower
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021
Turtle Love, Beach Blvd
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

Sweating It Out:

It was a rest day for any programmed strength training, though I find that I have picked back up on the habit of my teeny tiny body weight workouts while doing other things….like single leg balance holding the water can straight out in front of me while it’s filling or modified push ups on the counter while I wait for the water filter container to fill…I do a lot of waiting for water, but a lot of women have to walk for clean water, so I can do a few push ups, right?


Initially, I bought the treadmill to mitigate a few limiting factors in my quest to get a bit more exercise. I wasn’t sure if it would be another waste of money, so I bought a relatively inexpensive one that has a folding handle and can go under my desk. There is a maximum speed of 7.6mph, though I don’t typically go that fast. I have put about 100 miles of actual running (6.6mph) on it in addition to all of my walks and wogs, so I am starting to feel like I have gotten a return on my investment. Just this week alone, it has helped me reach my goal at least three times. It’s so much more difficult to come up with excuses when you shop out your limiting factors. 😉

What I Watched:

Streaming on Netflix, it’s a great introduction to the remarkable world of fungi. The more we learn, the more we don’t know what we don’t know, it seems.

On The Plates:

Today’s meals started like all the others this week with my Green Drink for “brunch” at 2PM. I had gotten away from adding the chia seeds in the past year, but now that I have them back, I’m into the texture. It does mean blending the whole thing at full for longer, but it’s worth it. Otherwise, you get really big chunks.

Supper was so good for little work. I roasted a couple of skin on chicken breasts the other day, so I had one in the fridge. I removed the skin and cut it up into a large dice. I added 2tbsp of Coconut Amino Gochujang Sauce and a little full fat coconut milk and stirred everything up in a mason jar, lidded it, and put it back in the fridge for four-ish hours. Then, when we got back from a walk a mixed up Chris Morocco’s chickpea pancake batter. I didn’t read his cooking instructions or make anything else in the recipe, but the batter was good. It’s four ingredients after all…
I heated my pan to a low medium and added a little toasted sesame oil….I added more to the pan mid flip as well so that both sides got it….I would almost say pan fried, but not quite.They were super light and crispy. (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chickpea-pancakes-with-kale-and-fennel)
Then I cranked the heat, added the green beans and let them cook for a few minutes. Instead of using water to steam them, I used tamari and it reduced down in the process. I added a splash of tamari to the hot pan and then covered it super quickly. A few minutes later, they were on the plate. Two thumbs up, if I do say so myself.

Gochujang Chicken, Chickpea Pancakes, and Tamari Steamed Green Beans
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 7, 2021

Dinner was not quite as successful, but it still tasted good and I grew the greens in my hydroponic garden, so it was not a complete loss on the excitement front. It was going to be a zucchini and carrot frittata, but I forgot that last time I used the Ninja for a frittata, I used 6 eggs… This one had four and two of them got added at the last minute. I was thinking of other things and more focused on the veggies, but of course two eggs isn’t enough….neither is four. It just ends up being too thin. Like I said, it was late and, truthfully, as long as they are actual eggs and not powdered eggs, I pretty ,ugh like them all. The carrots got just soft enough and air frying the zucchini earlier in the day really helped keep it from being too watery. I ate the whole thing (not pictured), so I’m going to chalk it into the win category even though it isn’t perfect.

Cronometer:

It was a pretty even keeled day with some really delicious bites.

Garmin Says:

Clearly, we’re coming to the end of the week. This makes a streak of 6 days hitting my step and calories (according to an algorithm) burned. One more to go.

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

I Love A Grocery Day

It was grocery day today!!!! I feel like having a veggie dance party!! Pandemic grocery days are like holidays for me. I am a woman used to grocery shopping multiple times a week, but for obvious reasons, I’m trying to limit my shopping to once every two weeks. I still have a pretty well stocked pantry and freezer so I mostly stuck to fresh fruits and veggies, but I rounded out my proteins for a little variety. Like so many other people that I know, I think I’m nailing this new M.O. and I’m happy to do my part by staying home!

Fruits:
3 Ruby Red Grapefruits
3 Navel Oranges
2 Mandarins
3 Kiwis
3 Fuji Apples
7 Lemons
3 Limes
1 Qt Strawberries
2 Tomatoes
1 Pt Grape Tomatoes
3 Avocadoes

Proteins:
1 Pork Tenderloin
1 lb Local Mayport Shrimp
1.12 lbs Boneless Chicken Breast Fillets
1 dozen Eggs
1 lb Extra Firm Tofu

Vegetables:
1 Eggplant
2 Zucchini
1 Summer Squash
1 lb Orange Carrots
3 Bell Peppers (1 Red, 1 Orange, 1 Yellow)
2 C Cremini Mushrooms
2 C Green Beans
2 C Snap Peas
1 Bunch Celery
1 Bunch Asparagus

Dairy:
1 Qt Plain, Whole Milk, Greek Yogurt
15 oz Whole Milk Ricotta
4 oz Parmesan Cheese

Leafy Greens/Herbs:
1 Box Spring Mix
1 Box Arugula
1 Bunch Dandelion Greens
1 Bunch Italian Parsley

Dry Goods/Pantry Goods:
1 Jar Crushed Tomatoes
1 Jar Coconut Oil
1 Btl Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Box Chickpea/Lentil Lasagna Noodles
1 Box Lentil Pasta Shells

So far, I have a Coconut Curry Shrimp Plan, loosely based on one of my favorite doctor’s recipes, https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/10/25/coconut-curry-shrimp/ and a Roasted Eggplant and Kale Lasagna Plan based on…not really any research at all. I couldn’t be sure that the block parm met my guidelines, so I opted for the pre-shredded and the same was true of their mozzarella offerings, so I skipped it completely. This is fairly common, so I might use one of my standby Kerrygold cheddars, but I’ll probably decide that the ricotta and parm are enough dairy for one dish, because, frankly, any is too much, but I love it and I’m not ready to give it up obviously…Plus, it will have roasted eggplant and onions in addition to kale mixed into the ricotta, so that’s kind of a lot going on. Making lasagna, in general, and chickpea noodles, specifically, are new to me, so wish me luck…

I haven’t decided on what to do with the chicken, pork or tofu yet..Luckily, I have the freezer space for all of it because I’m going to have to cook and freeze a lot of this. On that note, thanks for stopping by and until next time…Spread LOVE, Seek JOY and Stay INTENTIONALLY UNREFINED!

Why Do You Want It?

Let me be real and say a thing that I know in my head, but no one wants to hear outloud. Trying to fill the void from the outside when the drain plug is lost on the inside is a strategy that is never going to work….and addiction by any other name is still addiction. It doesn’t matter if I change what the substance is. I’ll list a few of my favorites: Italian bread from Guilford Food Centre, ranch dressing, ice cream, alcohol, cigarettes, m&ms, coffee, diet coke, granola, nut butter, vegetables… Wait…what??? See that? The end of the list is where I have gotten tricky. These seemingly HEALTHY items are slippery…well, not literally obviously…maybe I should say sticky. The point is, the issue is the same. I use “insert substance here” to try to fill an emptiness. I have found the more benign the medium, the easier it is to excuse and bury the problem. We are all quick to note addictions of “bad things”, but few of us want to put the “good things” into the same category. For those of you that might want to dive into the Google hole, “orthorexia” is a good example of how this can manifest.

For those of you that follow my social media posts, I want to take a moment to point out that the meals I post are not the problems and the treats in proper portions aren’t either. If I only ate what I posted, in the quantities that I posted, I wouldn’t be talking about this. The problems are the binges that I don’t post… 16 oz of nut butter at 1am, or the dish of cashews, almonds and dark chocolate chips that I refill 3 times (amounting to roughly 3 measuring cups), or the one and a half chocolate waffles that I “had to taste for doneness”, or the grilled cheese that came after dinner, or “fill in the binge eating choice of the day here”…

Finalized Recipe “The Blend”, Minneapolis, MN
May 30, 2019

It’s so easy to just “let it happen” as though it is some passive moment and outside of my control. It really does feel that way sometimes, as though it happens to me, despite the fact that I know it’s not true. Because I have been having a more difficult time staying present as of late, I have decided I am going to play a game of “Why?” with my suspect actions. My theory is this will allow me to better pull apart the pieces of whatever is fueling these addictions of emptiness…because, as I have written about before, my struggle seems to be my constant need to consume. My new process is honing in on the INTENTIONALITY of my actions and really contemplating the WHY. And seriously taking the time to THINK about the WHY…We’re in a pandemic so I definitely have the time. This also coincides nicely with another of my other issues, mindless eating….Here’s how I play.

Rule Number 1: Before I eat anything that isn’t a nutrient dense meal, I have to ask myself “Why?”. Easy, right?

Rule Number 2: “Because I want to.” and “Because I can.” are never valid answers to end with, but they can, and likely will, be the beginning of the question train. In reality, they are bullshit answers that allow me to lie by omission. Sure, “Because I want to eat ice cream”, is an answer, but what does it really say? It doesn’t actually say anything real so it doesn’t tell me anything useful. “Because I can.” is the worst offender and I use it all the time. What the hell kind of crap answer is that? They are bratty, ignorant, and simplistic. There are an infinite number of things I CAN do and even more that I WANT to do…These answers call for an additional round of “Why?”.

Rule Number 3: It doesn’t matter if it stops the action. Ask again anyway. Answer again anyway. Reflect anyway.

Buffalo Bayou Park, Houston, TX
November 23, 2019

Keep digging because my other theory is that I am not going to have to ask WHY? multiple times to stop the behavior… most of the time. When I really start to ask WHY?, I will likely change my mind about eating whatever the offending binge starter is. I am disciplined enough for it to work. I know that I can be disciplined because I HAVE BEEN disciplined, but there is more to it than that. While behavior management is kind of the reason, it’s only the beginning. While I really want to stop the behavior, what I really want to stop is whatever is leading me towards that behavior in the first place. The behavior isn’t the problem. It’s a symptom.

The real reason for the game is to give myself permission to mine deeper on the search to find the problem, to get terrifying honest with myself. Good news: I have found the moment of wanting to stem the tide at the source. I want to end this cycle of replace and repeat, but to do THAT I am going to have to get a little more …you guessed it…Intentionally Unrefined. It doesn’t mean that I won’t indulge or that I am necessarily restricting more. It means that I am choosing to control my addictions instead of the reverse.