Merry Christmas from my house to yours! I hope you had a beautiful Christmas filled with wonderful memories that you will treasure for a lifetime. This video is entitled, “The Difference a Year Can Make.” I hope you enjoy. Diane
Baking? Can You Do It?
December 22, 2009 By
I, like some of you, really like to cook a lot. My husband often jokes that I won his heart with my chocolate chip cookies. I’ve written before how I baked and ate my way all the way up to 305 pounds. In that post I shared how I realized that I could show my love for my family without filling them full of sugar and chocolate.
In this post, I wanted to explore if it is possible to bake sweets and not eat too many of them. Some people can just not bake any sweets and feel the holiday is still complete. There are others who enjoy baking and feel that the holidays aren’t complete without some serious baking going on. I was wondering where you fall along this line, and whether or not you think it’s possible to bake and not gain weight.
I do much less baking now then I did when I was obese. I still enjoy the baking process, but realize that I have to reign in my enjoyment and balance it with the necessity of having sweets around. However, when the holidays roll around, there are certain treats that some members of my family really want and desire. These would include sugar cookies, cranberry nut cake, and a cheesecake on Christmas night. As the years have gone by since I reached my goal weight, I’ve handled the holiday baking in different ways.
The first year, I baked very little, if at all. I didn’t feel in control enough of my choices to have cookies and cakes lying around. As the years went by and my confidence in my self-control increased, I did bake more at Christmas. Now, and for the last several years, I generally make those three desserts that make Christmas food special for my family. But there are some things that I do differently now than I used to.
Yesterday, we made a batch of eggless sugar cookies.
Instead of making batch after batch of sugar cookies, I now just make one batch and freeze the extras. (By the way, if you want the recipe and to see more pictures visit my Family Blog. The recipe is great for kids, so you don’t have to worry about the whole raw egg thing.) After the sugar cookies are done, everyone gets one and the rest go away for another day. It works great, and the cookies last a lot longer. With the cranberry nut pound cake, instead of baking it in a bundt pan, I bake it in two loaf pans. Again, we eat a piece each, and I freeze the rest for another time. Now the cheesecake? We just eat small amounts of that over a few days.
So for me, I selected the recipes that my family really loves and make them carefully and deliberately. No one ever complains about the lack of baking going on, but rather really enjoys the special treats. I have to admit that I sometimes flip through my Cookie Cookbook longingly, but resist making recipes just for fun.
What’s your strategy for baking in these days leading up to Christmas Day? Baking or not? Diane
It’s Looking Like Christmas
December 5, 2009 By
Good Saturday to everyone! We finally finished decorating for Christmas around here. Okay, John finished decorating for Christmas because I don’t do it. He truly epitomizes Mr. Christmas and grew up with a Nana who passed the love and specialness of Christmas onto him in a big way. Without further ado, I present to you – just a few of our decorations.
Here are the stockings. I know there are a lot of them. I made most of them using those Bucilla kits. A lot of work, but really pretty when hung.
And here is our main tree. It’s the “fancy tree” as John calls it. All those ornaments were ones we’ve collected over our almost 23 years of marriage.
Underneath this tree John sets up a village. I know, who puts a village under the tree? That’s what I said when we first got married, but that’s how his Nana did it and so does he! I like it now, especially with so many little children around who wouldn’t leave presents alone.
Here’s the front door wreath that John made last year after we saw one similar in a very fancy florist shop. We couldn’t afford their price tag so made our own!
Here’s the little advent calendar we use to help the little kids count down to Christmas. If you look closely you can see a black hook on the top. John sometimes puts little treats in a silver bag for the kids.
Finally, here’s our second tree. We got this tree at a yard sale for $8.00! We then moved the red and more natural looking ornaments to this tree. I love this one a lot.
When I was overweight, the whole Christmas season was filled with cookies, chocolate, candy, and cake. The more the better. Now, all these years later we still have those treats, but on special occasions and not one a day to count down the 25 days until Christmas! When John and I married I had no idea how much he enjoyed Christmas. At first I resisted, but after a while I learned to be flexible and calm. (Pretty much.)
His special love of Christmas has enhanced our holiday season. Do you have any special decorating traditions that have been passed down to you? Diane
Turkey Love & Turkey Hate
November 27, 2009 By
We had a great day yesterday. We decorated the yard for Christmas, we had a nice meal, and I ran a 5K! YAY! This particular 5K benefited a charity organization that provides food to underprivileged folks that live here. The morning was cold as you can see from my posture walking up to the start line. (I’m the one with the ponytail!) There were about 400 people there which was much better than my last 5K in which about 30 people participated! I felt like I could get lost in the crowd and would definitely not be last! We got started at 8:03 a.m. and as I turned the first corner a woman right up ahead of me fell flat on her face! The girl next to me stopped as did I. That poor woman just laid there for a few seconds and then immediately started bawling like a baby! I felt so bad for her. We helped her up and after a little bit of time she said she was fine. So I went off again.
I’ve done this 5K before so THOUGHT I knew the route. But no. They changed it and added in two gigantic hills. Gigantic. As in, whenever we drove those hills heading to the mall the kids and I would say, “Aren’t you glad we don’t have to ride our bikes up this hill.” That’s how big it was. And it was at the end! But I had a strategy just in case. I walked up the hill. And since, as you all know, walking is my favorite exercise, I am FAST. On that hill I passed 8 people who were trying to run/walk up that hill. And it felt like I was getting a break while I walked fast up the hill. Win-Win!
So I moseyed my way around the course, up and down the hills. Last time I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. I had some panic thoughts at the beginning of the last race, but in between that race and this one I trained much smarter and really worked on my endurance rather than worrying so much about speed. So at the end I passed a bunch of people who had petered out, including this very beautiful blonde lady with her hair done and a full face of make up on! Who does that?
I finished in 30:52 seconds. This was an improvement over my last time by over a minute. If I hadn’t stopped to help the lady then I might have come in under 30:00 which is my goal for next race. I’m very happy with my time and my experience, but the competitor in me says, “You can do better!” So that’s the Turkey Love part of my post.
Now for the Turkey Hate. I do like to cook but I have decided if I never have to wrestle another turkey into the oven again I will be a happy woman. I’ve always hated messing with the bigness, the messiness, and the lengthy cooking times! Also, since I’m a bit of a germ-o-phobe, I am like a crazy woman with the cleaner after I’ve had the turkey around the kitchen! Yuck. So, if you are still with me this time next year, please remind me to order a turkey from a store and be done with it!
Other than the cooking turkey part of my day, the rest of it was great! How about you? Diane
Prepare Mentally
November 24, 2009 By
Yesterday I gave you a couple of lower fat/calorie recipes for the upcoming holiday. Whether or not you make and eat lower fat desserts for Thanksgiving, I want to encourage you to mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming holiday and beyond. Mental preparation is so important in this journey towards better health and fitness, and now is not the time to slack off!
Speaking from personal experience, the holidays aren’t always completely full of gladness and joy. For many of us, there are events from our past that cause us to have some sad and painful memories during the holidays. I think it’s important to mentally prepare yourself for all the aspects of the upcoming events, from the food to the emotions. I failed to do this for many years, and instead, found myself feeling blue and on edge sometimes. (Not that I don’t get that way other times of the year as well!) But during the holiday season, I expected myself to be happy, be full of frivolity, and be upbeat! But sometimes I wasn’t and it made me mad. Then I’d turn to food for comfort.
Emotional issues were a part of my becoming obese, and learning how to handle some of those emotions that came my way during the holidays was an important part of my journey. I had to realize that I didn’t have to be Miss Merry Sunshine every minute, and that feeling some sadness over past hurts was okay, and even healthy! Furthermore I discovered that sharing those feelings with other people was healing, not hurtful.
I never blame my obesity on anything other than my own choices, but I know there were circumstances from my life that I allowed to affect my food choices. For some reason, the holidays bring back a lot of those memories, and I had to make a conscious effort to feel the memory, but not allow the memory to push me into eating out of control. It took some conscious efforts of telling myself, “No, I do not NEED chocolate chips right now. What I need is some time with John.” Each time I made a good choice and didn’t fall apart was a victory.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, for some people, the holidays are so full of joy and wonderful memories of being surrounded by family and friends that they overeat from happiness! A dear lady in my recent weight loss class talked about this. She shared how her memories of the holidays were so positive that she ate too much because of the good feelings surrounding food and family. Several other ladies in my class seconded her observation, and I saw where those kinds of positive memories would be as important to prepare for as sad emotions.
We talk a lot in weight loss land about preparation of meals, scheduling our exercise, and planning ahead for social situations. I think it’s just as important to mentally prepare yourself for the emotions that may surface during the holiday season. After all, many of us who have fought the battle with weight have some emotional attachments to food that could be improved upon. How well prepared are you emotionally for the holiday season? Or do you not feel that this is a valid point? Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Diane
Thanksgiving Desserts Reworked
November 23, 2009 By
Well, it’s here! Thanksgiving week has arrived and believe me I know it. I made the mistake of going to Sam’s Club on Saturday afternoon with five of the kids. I knew it would be busy but I had no idea how busy. Yikes! At one point I got stuck in the bread area for five minutes. I often get “line anxiety” if I have to stand in line more than two minutes, so you can imagine how frustrated I was standing in line trying to get to the bagels!
Guess what’s by the bagels? The cupcakes, muffins, cakes, pies, and cookies. That aisle was completely packed. It was as if everyone in town was trying to buy a sweet confection all at one time! I noticed that at least 80% of the people buying those huge confections were overweight. Perhaps I shouldn’t have paid attention, but I couldn’t help it! I realized that for a lot of people, the thought of making food that is more low-fat and healthier for Thanksgiving is a foreign concept. It’s a day to eat whatever you want in a quantity they normally wouldn’t. I know I used to be a charter member of that club.
Sure, I still make the occasional cookies and cakes for birthdays, but when we have something sweet at home, nine times out of ten it’s something that is healthier and lower in fat. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share two of my lower fat alternative desserts. Apple pie is replaced by Apple Crisp, and Pumpkin Pie is replaced by Pumpkin Bread. I know some of you are already complaining in your minds about the substitutions! You don’t have to make them, but if you want to eat more stuffing then saving some calories elsewhere can be a good strategy!
Here are the recipes:
Pumpkin Bread (I don’t remember which well-meaning friend gave this one to me!) To see detailed pictures and hear the family reactions click on the picture!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 can pumpkin
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice
- 1 cup chopped nuts or raisins, optional (I don’t use these)
Directions
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, applesauce and egg substitute; mix well.
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
- Stir in nuts or raisins if desired.
- Put into 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks.
Makes 1 loaf , according to my calculations calories come in at about 125 – 130 per slice. Not bad!
And now for the Apple Crisp:
Low Fat Apple Crisp (I don’t know where I got this one either, but my family likes it a lot!) To see detailed pictures and family reactions click on the picture!
Ingredients:
- 3 – 4 granny smith apples
- 3/4 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 c white sugar
- 1/4 c oatmeal (not cooked)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 egg
- 2 t cinnamon
- 1 T butter
Directions
- Mix together: 3/4 c. flour, 1/2 c. white sugar, 1 egg, 1 T baking powder. If it’s a little dry, add some water.
- Slice apples thinly. You can peel if you like. (I do.)
- Mix sliced apples with 1 t. cinnamon and a bit of water. Place apples in 8 x 8 pan, spread evenly. Top with wet mixture from above.
- Finally, mix together 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. oatmeal, 1 t. cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of apples & first wet mixture. Drizzle the melted butter over crisp. Pat down with fork.
- Bake at 300 degrees for one hour.
- Serves 8 – About 180 calories a good sized serving.
___________________________________________________
As I was writing down these recipes I was thinking about what other people do during this time of year, and Thanksgiving Day in particular. Do you have any family favorite recipes you have modified? Or do you just eat whatever you want in moderation? Or is this a day to just eat, eat, eat? Diane
Operation Christmas Child
November 21, 2009 By
Looking for a worthy cause to contribute to this weekend? This is the final weekend to donate to Operation Christmas Child, put on by Samaritan’s Purse. This is something we do every year. You can select whether or not you want to send a shoebox (or plastic bin) to a boy or girl and what age. We usually pick boys since we have so many! This year I took all the children shopping to pick out presents to fill our boxes with. You’d be surprised how much you can fit into a shoe box. Some of the things we put in were: T-shirt, hat, toothpaste, toothbrush, pencils, crayons, post-its, notepads, legos, matchbox cars, soap, washcloths, and hard candy. See? A lot will fit into a shoe box!
Here’s the kids before they filled the boxes! Notice the littlest one who really wanted all the stuff!
Here’s some of the stuff we put in there!
If you are interested, I think there is still time to fill up a box for a child of your choice. I hope that all of us who are blessed with so much will find a few different ways to share with others. Do you have something special you do each Christmas season? If you’d like to share, I’ll compile a list so others can have ideas. Diane
For information on Samaritan’s Purse click on the picture below!
50 Days Left!
November 11, 2009 By
I know it seems impossible but there are only 50 days until January 1st. Fifty days people!! I was talking to my kids the other day about the fact that there were so few days until 2010 and I thought it would be fun to share with you one tip a day starting today. After today you will find the Tip of the Day in the sidebar over there somewhere! <—–
The stores have been decorated for weeks now and like it or not holiday season is officially here. Regardless of how you celebrate, I’d wager a guess that most of our celebrations have something to do with food. I know ours does.
So what’s my first tip of the season?
Tip Number One: Have one basic health and wellness goal.
I know it seems simple and redundant, but it bears repeating. If you have a goal in mind throughout these next six weeks you can be successful. And to be successful you will need a plan. We all need to plan how we will handle the holiday season on all fronts, from shopping to eating. From handling the relatives to finances. For many of you, and myself included, staying healthy and fit over the holiday season is important to me. If you are on a weight loss journey then perhaps losing a pound or two or simply maintaining your current weight is your goal. Or maybe your goal is just to get through the holiday season without losing your mind! But whatever the goal, it’s necessary to plan how to reach it.
The thing about this time of year is that it’s not just one day. Valentine’s Day tends to be just one special day – a special meal and maybe some chocolate. But Valentine’s Day isn’t typically celebrated for six weeks straight like we tend to do around November and December. So if you splurge on Valentine’s Day there’s really no harm done. If you splurge every day between now and December 25th you could possibly do some harm to the progress you’ve already made.
When I was on my way to morbid obesity I used the calendar as an excuse to bake, eat, and eat some more. I not only volunteered to bring sweets to every event we attended, but I made double sweets. One batch for the family (mostly for me) and one batch for the event. Even while I was cooking the cake(s) I’d eat junk. Chocolate cake in the oven, M&M’s in my hand. Cookies in the oven, chips/cheese in my mouth. It was crazy. Was I sometimes embarrassed by how much I ate? Oh yes. But I NEVER ate much in front of my friends because I didn’t want them to think I was a pig. (Convoluted logic if I’ve ever heard it!)
During my weight loss year I did plan on losing weight during the holidays. I didn’t lose a lot, but I did lose a few pounds and kept up my exercise program. I was happy with that.
So if I asked you, “What’s your basic goal from now to the end of the year?” What would it be?
And the second even more important question is: “Is there anything you need to change to make that goal a reality?” Diane
Let’s Connect!