Pre-prepared Stir Fry Seasoning Discs

I've been relying heavily on stir frys for dinner this past week, and it occurred to me that I could save some time by pre-mixing the sauce, and freezing it into individual portion sizes that I could just toss into the frying pan. Thus was created: the stir fry seasoning disc! It couldn't be any simpler (well maybe it could....but this IS pretty darn easy.)

1. Take a muffin tin, add 2 tablespoons of chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of oregano to each cup.

2. Toss it in the freezer for a few hours or over night. (Note: because of the soy sauce it doesn't freeze completely solid.)

3. Remove from freezer and scoop discs out of the muffin tin with a large spoon. Place into a ziploc and put back into the freezer. You have to move quickly for this stage, as the discs start to melt very quickly when exposed to the air.

When you're ready for your next stir fry: sautee 1 teaspoon minced garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 2 cups of your preferred veggies and stir until coated and slightly wilted. Add in a seasoning disc- it should melt immediately upon contact with the frying pan. Stir until all the veggies are coated and cook on low until they are heated through. You can add meat of your choice too of course. I added some pre-grilled chicken to mine last night.

 Enjoy!

A Bad Day Won't Break Me!

I need to give myself a big ol' pat on the back today. Yesterday I was NOT feeling good. The weather was gray and windy, my throat felt scratchy, one of my dogs had to go to the vet (good news: he is a drama queen and was just constipated). All in all I felt generally fatigued and just wanted to curl up in a ball and read and eat junk food all evening. In the "old days" (like a couple months ago) that's exactly what I would have done. Instead I cooked a load of sauteed veggies and a grilled chicken breast for dinner, and I hauled my butt downstairs for a 40 minute workout after my daughter was in bed. I wasn't happy about it, but I did it! And when I had a crazy brownie craving afterwards, I ate a couple of my healthy "ice cream" sandwiches instead (frozen mashed banana mixed with nutella between two graham crackers.) I am super proud of myself, and that is all I have to say about that!

Can a Cookie or Two Keep you Full?

This will come as a shock to no one, but sometimes being a woman is a huge pain in the ass for a variety of reasons...most of them hormone-related. In this context I am complaining about the extreme food cravings that hit me twice a month. If you're anything like me, you find yourself able to control the ravenous junk food hunger-beast some of the time, but spin out of control when hormones are influencing you. You may not even be physically hungry, yet your brain insists that you obsess over food and shovel as much into your mouth as you can. This happens to me about 10 days out of every month. As a result, any healthy eating habits that I've managed to establish and stick to are thrown out the window, leaving me feeling uncomfortable, bloated and full of regrets. It's a vicious cycle.

I don't like the over-the-counter appetite suppressants that are available, mainly because they rely on massive doses of caffeine and I already get enough of that on a daily basis. But there are some days that I need a crutch to avoid huge helpings of junk food. Google yielded a fad diet that came out a few years ago which you probably remember: The Cookie Diet by Dr. Siegel. He formulated a recipe that is supposed to help people with under-active thyroids lose weight by both suppressing their appetites and stimulating their thyroids. His original recipe apparently called for beef (mmmm...beef cookies). I'm not interested in his whole theory or in purchasing his products (which are exorbitantly expensive from what I hear). However I AM thinking that a homemade high-fiber and filling snack would be a good thing to try.

There are recipes floating around the internet that mimic the benefits of Dr. Siegel's cookies and I found one that piqued my interest (it's beef-free, by the way). As per usual, I tweaked it somewhat to fit my needs better. As many of the reviewers stated, the batter is quite runny and similar to brownie mix. I bypassed the whole mess issue by baking mine in mini cupcake tins instead of on a cookie sheet, so technically they're not cookies, but "cupkies". This recipe yielded 36 cupkies at 95 calories apiece.

So how do they taste? They have a slightly springy texture with just a hint of sweetness. They are quite dense, which is to be expected. You'll want a glass of water when you eat them. The flavor is not unpleasant- I would have no issue eating these throughout the day to control my appetite. A couple of these with a piece of fruit would be very satisfying.

Here is the recipe I used:

2 cups All-bran Flakes

1 cup Rolled Oats

3/4 cup Non-fat Dry Milk Powder

1/4 cup Unprocessed Wheat Bran

3 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon, Ground

1/2 tsp Cloves, Ground

1 Banana, large

1/4 cup Butter, Salted

1/2 cup Granular Splenda

2 Egg

7 large Egg White

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract, Imitation, No Alcohol

1/2 cup Applesauce-unsweetened

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine first 9 ingredients in large bowl, mix well with spoon.

3. Blend banana, butter, sugar, eggs, egg whites, applesauce, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until well incorporated.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix well and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

5. Scoop into non-stick mini muffin tins, filling each until it's level with the top.

6. Bake on center rack for 12 minutes

7. Remove from tin immediately and allow to cool.


Read more, including full nutritional information at: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/dr-siegels-diet-cookie-heathers-alternate-version/#ixzz2RIY2T352

Habits Kept and Habits Dropped

The spirit of this blog is one of exploration and trying new things (as long as I consider them to be reasonable). Obviously this means there will be some stuff I try once or twice and discard. Here are the ones I haven't continued with:

1. The honey cinnamon tea. I know...I was really excited about this one for a couple weeks, but then I got extremely nauseous two mornings in a row after drinking it. That was enough to turn me off. I am still sold on its cold-fighting abilities though- and I will use it the next time I feel a virus coming on.

2. My complete ban on artificially sweetened and heavily caffeinated drinks. To be fair, I have still cut back drastically on the energy drinks and diet soda, but the total ban has given way to 3-4 servings per week. I don't know what to say, aside from: black coffee and water are boring (especially in places like movie theatres), and sometimes I want my caffeine in a cold and refreshing format.

3. Daily yoga. Ha ha ha....that one failed BIG time! I enjoyed going to yoga classes a handful of times and doing my routine at home, but it was never consistent. Now that I'm doing more high-impact exercises I'm far more successful at keeping it in my daily routine. I guess low-key just isn't for me!

4. The coffee grounds cellulite experiment. I tried it exactly once. As my boyfriend pointed out: a cost/benefit analysis makes it clear that the amount of time spent on this "treatment" just isn't worth it. The expensive cream would probably be better. I'm using neither. C'est la vie!

5. The oil method of facial cleansing. I'm not sure what happened there, except it just didn't take. It works well, but for some reason I fell out of the habit. Maybe it's just that extra couple of minutes that threw me off. Regardless, it's no longer part of my routine.

Now as for the habits I've kept:

1. I still drink smoothies (green or otherwise) ALMOST every day.

2. I am exercising almost every day for the past two months. This is a habit that has definitely stuck so far. I am at the point where I actually crave the sensation of sweating. Weird, I know, but true! I'm not going to argue.

3. I strive to eat as healthy as possible (most days.) I'm always looking for new, interesting recipes and have really enjoyed trying them out. It's actually become something of a hobby for me now, even if I AM the only one who enjoys the finished product. #*&%@# picky eaters! Sigh.

I think I've kept the most important habits, and I've maintained my spirit of exploration and the desire to share my experiences in this blog. I wasn't sure if I would be able to maintain my good intentions when I first started this, but so far it's been a great few months! Here's to many more.

One of my fur babies keeping me company as I work out. I have to shoo them every time I need to use the mat, and they like to make sure my forehead stays sweat-free when I'm doing floor exercises. I wouldn't have it any other way though...they make me laugh even when I'm gasping for breath.

Cheap Chic Treasures

A few years ago I got into eBay selling, mainly to make a bit of money from my daughter's quickly outgrown clothes. It's been awhile since I sold anything, but lately I've had a renewed interest. There's a bit of an adrenaline rush that happens when you get a bidding war on one of your items. It's not something that will ever make me a fortune, but it is a fun way to clear out some of the items you no longer want. Last spring I attended an auction with my boyfriend and picked up a few vintage items. They've been gathering dust ever since, so I finally listed them on my brand new eBay store! Follow the link....Cheap Chic Treasures. My favorite listing at the moment is for this beautiful blonde mink hat in pristine condition:

I love that it comes with the original box. If I thought I do it justice by actually wearing it occasionally I would keep it, but hopefully it will find a home with a collector/ vintage clothing wearer.

I think the spring cleaning bug must have really hit me lately since I have the strongest urge to clean out EVERYTHING and get rid of all the extraneous clutter...

Homemade Cleaner Roundup

If you're anything like me, you are always looking for ways to spend less money without sacrificing quality. That's why I love thrift store shopping, DIY projects, and homemade recipes. Aside from the economic advantage, in many cases homemade is simply better for you. I started making my own cleaners about a year ago and haven't looked back since. I found all of these (and many more) recipes online, but wanted to do a summary of my favorites. So without further ado: 

Homemade Bathroom Cleaner: This is THE magical formula which replaces all of your harshest bathroom cleaners. I use mine in the kitchen as well. My mom bought an old house with a tub that had most of the enamel worn away, and she assumed that's what the gray blotches were. After all, she had used every cleaner known to man and it stayed the same. I decided to try this formula on it just for kicks, and to my delight (not to mention hers) the tub came completely clean! Since then I keep this stuff on every floor of my house and use it on just about every tough stain. Bonus: it keeps bathroom hardware shiny and water-spot free for a long time.

• 1 1/2 cups blue Dawn dish soap
• 1 1/2 cups warm vinegar 
• pour into a spritz bottle, shake gently and spray onto dirty surface
• let sit for up to half and hour depending on severity of the stain
• wipe off with a microfibre cloth and water.
• enjoy the shine!

Homemade Laundry Detergent: An alternative to the expensive liquid detergent, and just as effective. I use old, empty detergent containers to store mine. 

• 1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
• 1/2 Cup: Borax
• 1 Bar Ivory soap
• Bucket {2 gallon size or larger}
• Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.
• Grate Ivory Soap over large pot or saucepan
• Add 6 cups of Water.
• Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
• Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture.
• Stir, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water.  Stir.
• Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.
• Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.
• Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!
• Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.

Homemade Laminate Floor Cleaner: For a streak-free shine on your laminate floors, look no further. Be warned that the vinegar has a potent smell as you're using it, but it's harmless and dissipates fairly quickly, leaving nothing but the smell of clean!

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup isopropyl alcohol
• 2-3 drops of dish soap
• a few drops of your preferred essential oil(s)
• Pour into a spritz bottle, shake gently and spray onto your swept or vacuumed floor
• Wipe with a microfibre cloth. I use a Swiffer with the cloth attached instead of those disposable wipes.

Homemade Disinfectant: This is a great all-purpose surface spray when you want to make sure that your counters, table, etc are clean and germ-free. 

• 2 teaspoons Borax
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 3 cups hot water
• Combine in a spritz bottle
• Spray onto surface and wipe clean

I bought all of the ingredients pictured here for around $30.00, including the buckets. That was over a year ago and I still have some of them leftover. You really can't beat that!

Heartsick

I wanted to write something yesterday regarding my feelings on the Boston Marathon bombing but I just didn't have the heart to put it into words. Suffice to say I was sickened, saddened, and numb at the thought of anyone inflicting such senseless violence. It particularly hit home because I've recently started running again and have immersed myself into the online community. Runners are such an upbeat lot, and so open to sharing their experiences, triumphs and setbacks. There is an uncomplicated joy that comes from using your body in such a natural way, and it shines through in those who do it regularly. I am just a beginner, but even I can appreciate that aspect of it.

I will leave the topic at that. Not mentioning it at all seemed wrong, but I also don't want to be one of those who avidly recounts every gruesome detail and obsesses over the event. The victims and their loved ones are in my thoughts.