Long Name, But Good Cookie

Yesterday, I went to the best supermarket in the known universe: Jungle Jim's.  Seriously, they have everything that anyone could ever imagine in there.  They have guided tours, because the place is so unbelievably huge.  Anyway, lest I get myself too far off topic, I'll continue with my story.  Every time I go there, I make a beeline for the reduced price section, because they invariably have amazing deals.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Along with the 79-cent hummus, the 25-cent-per-pound bananas, and the $1.29-a-pound grapes, I found dates on sale.  I am an absolute sucker for dates, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  It wasn't until later on that evening, though, that the realization two-by-foured me in the face that they were dried dates.  For those of you on Weight Watchers, you know as well as I do that dried fruit (unlike its hydrated counterpart) racks up the points really quickly.  I had a problem!  I had to figure out something to do with this ungodly amount of dates that I had just purchased.  So, I got creative.  I knew that I could somehow work them into baked goods, but the question remained, what kind of baked goods?  I had friends coming over for Saturday dinner, so I decided to make dessert.  And, trying to be as healthy as possible, I decided on something with whole grain -- so oatmeal cookies it was.  I rummaged through my cabinets to figure out what else I could add to the cookies, and found pecans and cinnamon chips.  I added those to the conglomeration, and if I do say so myself, they came out extremely well.  They say the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and my friends inevitably agreed, because they scarfed them down all evening.  Here's the recipe I came up with -- I ran the recipe through the Weight Watchers online recipe builder, and they come out to 2 PointsPlus a piece.  I especially like how the cinnamon and the dates play off of one another.


Date Pecan Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies (If you can come up with a better name for this, I'm all ears!)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups dried dates, diced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 375 F.  In a large bowl combine the applesauce and sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Add the flour, salt, and soda; beat well.  Stir in the oats, dates, pecans, and cinnamon chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Makes approximately 50 cookies.

Notes:

• If you have a silicone baking mat, it works perfectly for this.  I swear by mine.
• I used a small cookie scoop to get a consistent size -- they end up being about walnut-sized balls in order to get the right number.
• They don't really spread in the oven, so if you'd like them to be more of the "traditional" cookie shape, mash them down first.

I Am Worth It.

Once again, it's time for "True Confessions."  I am a slob.  I have this awful tendency to let stuff lie where it falls -- to the extreme consternation of my mother.  She's threatened to record herself saying, "Pick it up, Jodi!" so that she doesn't have to keep repeating herself when I'm around.  It's not that I don't care; it's that I'm trying to do too many things at once, and the "tyranny of the urgent" always seems to kick in.  I don't take the five extra minutes (or, sometimes, seconds) necessary to finish the task.  And it builds and builds, until it drives me crazy.

I amazed myself, though.  Last semester, I had a roommate who liked to keep a clean house -- and I was startled at how easily I was able to maintain pretty near pristine surroundings.  What was the difference?  There was somebody else there to hold me accountable.  Whether Erika was there at the time or not, I knew that she would eventually be coming home, and I'd be embarrassed to show her a mess.  In fact, there were times when I got irked at her for leaving a mess.  She's doing her studies from home this semester, though, and I'm back to living solo.  And, from day one, the mess has started to build once more.  It's not overwhelming -- I've matured enough to keep it from getting too bad -- but still, I'm not happy with myself for letting it happen.  So, what did I do?  I decided to make plans to cook dinner for my friends this upcoming weekend.  If I have people who will see my house, I have to make it presentable. 

I went out to dinner with one of my best friends this past weekend, and was bemoaning the difference in house cleanliness since my roommate left.  And in his own inimitable way, he was able to cut through all my layers of pretense.  He looked at me, sighed, and said, "Jodi, when are you going to realize that you are worth having a nice place to live?"  I don't know if he realized the impact of what he said at that point, but it was like somebody turned on a light switch.  (I love it when God puts friends into our lives who can do that.)  It made me think -- how often do I short-change myself because I don't feel like I'm worth the effort?  I'd be happy to drive five hundred miles for a friend in need, but I'm not willing to take twenty minutes to take care of myself.  And my life ends up suffering because of it; I miss out on the opportunities to add meaning to my life because I don't think that I personally am worth the time or effort. 

Now, I'm not saying that external motivation is a bad thing.  Having friends and family to keep us accountable is a powerful asset.  But it pales in comparison to internal motivation: the drive to stay accountable to ourselves.  It's what keeps us going even when there's nobody looking over our shoulder.  You may have heard another word to describe this: integrity.  You know that I'm a word nut, so I had to look it up to see what the dictionary had to say about it.  It gave me an interesting perspective.  Here's what I found: it said that integrity is "an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting."  So, if you hook up with my train of thought, you'll see where I'm going here.  Unless we allow ourselves to operate from the understanding that we are worth the effort to take care of ourselves, we are intrinsically incomplete.  Mull over that for a minute; it's a lot to wrap your head around.  (I know it was for me.)  My friend was right -- I have to realize that I primarily am worth the work that I put into my life.  And while I must admit that the house isn't spotless yet, it's a heck of a lot better than it was.  :)

Two-Pronged Attack

So far in my corner of cyberspace, I've been mainly focusing on food and motivation.  But while I was ticking off my second mile on the elliptical machine yesterday at the gym, I came to the startling realization that I hadn't said much of anything about exercise yet.  And since I know that it's everybody's favorite topic, anyway... I think I need to rectify that issue.

It was almost two years ago.  I had just joined Weight Watchers the previous week, and had taken their advice about food intake to heart.  And it worked -- I lost 7.2 pounds my first week.  But as I read through the program materials for the second week, I realized that just watching what I ate wasn't going to be enough.  I would have to start working my butt off.  Literally.  So I bit the bullet and joined the local Aquatics/Fitness Center.  I stepped onto the treadmill for the first time, set the speed at 3.0, and started walking.  (I know that doesn't sound like much, but when you weigh 350 pounds, it's an effort.  Believe me.)  About twelve minutes into it, the most wonderful thing happened -- I got my first endorphin buzz.  I finally understood why people put themselves through what I originally thought would be torture.  I felt like I could conquer the world!  To heck with exercising because it was what I was "supposed" to be doing.  What kept me coming back was the way I felt doing it.

As any military strategist will tell you, a good two-pronged attack is worth its weight in gold.  It has more than double the effectiveness of a straightforward attack -- due in large part to the fact that the enemy has nowhere to run.  Mixing exercise and healthy eating habits has this same effect.  Sure, you can get your nutrition in check, but more often than not you'll only see limited results.  If you're really serious about getting in the shape you want to be in, you have to work for it.  By taking this two-pronged approach, you're not only regulating the calories that go into your system, but you're also enhancing the way your body burns those calories. 

Besides, there are many more benefits to a good exercise strategy than simply losing weight.  The Mayo Clinic lists seven benefits, of which weight loss is only one.  The full list is as follows:

1. Exercise improves your mood.
   (Like I was talking about before, the endorphin buzz is fantastic.  But more than that, regular exercise will keep the "happy chemicals" more active in your brain.)
2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.
   (Exercise also works as an auto-immune booster, helping you to avoid the "occasional" sicknesses in addition to the longer-duration ones.  I can personally attest to this: in the two years that I have been exercising, I have only been sick once, and it was strep throat.)
3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.
   (Like the article says, this one's a "no-brainer.")
4. Exercise boosts your energy level.
   (The more you exercise, the more efficiently your body burns the calories.  It's like cleaning out your furnace -- it burns longer and hotter with less fuel.)
5. Exercise promotes better sleep.
   (There's a reason we say that somebody will "sleep well" when they've had an active day.)
6. Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.
   (No, Mom, I don't know about this one from experience.  I'm just quoting their list.)
7. Exercise can be -- gasp -- fun!
   (It's true.  The key to it is finding something that you enjoy doing.  You're not going to keep coming back if you have to drag yourself into it.)

If you're not accustomed to exercising, I encourage you to try it out.  If you're thinking, "I've tried exercising before, and all I do is get uncomfortable," I encourage you to bump it up one notch (either in length or intensity).  You have to push through the "uncomfortable" part to get to the endorphin buzz.  But let me tell you, once you've experienced it, you'll get addicted.  Trust me.

If It's Good Enough for a French Mouse...

I got home from church today and decided to pop in a movie while I was eating lunch.  My DVD portfolio opened up to Pixar's Ratatouille, and I decided on it, figuring it would be a good no-brainer.  It was -- but it once again piqued my interest to try a new recipe.  (I had watched Julie & Julia a couple of times last week, and it *almost* made me want to go on Amazon and see if there were any used copies of Mastering the Art of French Cooking that I could get on the cheap.)  So, I went to my ever-expanding cabinet of cookbooks and started scanning.  And it turns out that my book opened itself up to -- I kid you not -- ratatouille.  I looked down the ingredient list, and derned if I didn't have every ingredient on the list in my house.  I figured I'd try something new, and I definitely was not disappointed.  I never thought I'd use these three terms in conjunction, but I actually found healthy, French comfort food.  Obviously, I had to share my find, so here's the recipe.

non-stick spray
1 large eggplant
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large red/yellow pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 zucchini/yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste

1. Preheat and non-stick spray your grill.  Cut the eggplant into 3/4 inch slices, and season them with salt and pepper on each side.  Grill eggplant slices for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.  Remove from the grill and cut slices into 3/4 inch cubes.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add onion.  Cook onion on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Add garlic, red/yellow pepper, and zucchini/squash and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the tomatoes, eggplant, herbs, and salt/pepper (if needed).  Cover and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Uncover and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender and the liquid has thickened somewhat.  Serve ratatouille hot or at room temperature.

The recipe says that it serves 6, but all you really have to account for is the olive oil in the recipe.  It's wonderful.  If I weren't already full from lunch when I made it, I could have eaten the entire batch.  Also, I used my George Foreman grill for the eggplant, and it worked like a charm.  It got both sides at once, so it cut the grilling time in half.

Happy cooking!

Getting Your Head in the Game

About a year ago, I started watching "The Biggest Loser."  I figured that I could use all the motivation I could get to continue my weight loss, and I definitely haven't been disappointed.  It has convinced me to put down extra servings when I know that I really don't need them, and to get my lazy butt to the gym when it would be easier (and warmer) just to stay home in my PJs.  I love being able to vicariously experience their transformations -- both physical and emotional.  It helps me to realize that just about anything is possible, if you set your mind to it.

It's taken me a long time even to begin to realize what that statement really means.   Far too many times in the past, I've decided I want to accomplish something (be it losing weight, keeping my house clean, *ahem* writing a blog, etc.), but after a week or two, I find that I've either lost interest or let life get in the way.  I fall back into old patterns of behavior, and I'm no better than I was before.  In fact, sometimes I'm worse, because I add discouragement into the mix of bad habits.  But I've started noticing something on shows like "The Biggest Loser" and "Clean This House" (which I also love).  Inevitably at some point within the show, somebody has a breakthrough.  They have what I lovingly refer to as a "facepalm" moment -- they have a wonderful flash of clarity when they realize that things can be different, and the way that they had been living was, frankly, asinine.  They start believing in the fact that they're worth the effort that it's going to take to turn their lives around, and start to see the steps they need to take to make that happen.

OK.  I can't help it.  I'm going to go all "academic" for a second.  Bear with me -- it's a great point.  One of my favorite words in all of Biblical Greek is metanoia.  It's the word that is pretty much always translated in Bibles as "repentance."  But 20th/21st century Christianity, in my opinion, has really cheapened the meaning of that word.  Too often we think of repentance merely as feeling sorry for the bad stuff you've done.  Not so.  Doesn't even scratch the surface.  The literal meaning of the word is "to change one's mind."  Or, as one of my handy-dandy Greek Lexicons says (yes, I actually looked it up), "to change one's way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness."  In other words, it's a complete revolution in understanding that leads to a complete revolution in lifestyle.  When Jesus and Paul and Peter and all the other Bible guys were using this word, they didn't mean it in terms of the Sunday-School quick fix.  It's about an entirely different way of life -- it's about realizing that our old way of doing it (whatever "it" may be) just doesn't cut it, and to turn our back on that way so that we can plug into the fullness of the way that God has set up.  It's that "facepalm" moment that I was talking about before.  And nothing, nothing in our lives is ever truly going to change until this happens.  Sure, we can put on a good front, and we can make it look like we're doing what we need to do because we "need to do it."  But let me ask you something: how many people have you seen who have lost an amazing amount of weight put it right back on again?  How many people have you seen who have reorganized their lives fall back into the old same bad habits?  I am fully convinced that unless we truly experience that metanoia, we can't make a lasting change in our lives. 

That's why Bob and Jillian keep pressing each season's competitors until they're literally in tears.  That's why Jesus kept harping on the idea of repentance.  Nothing can change until we "set our minds to it."  But, like I said, when we do, just about anything is possible.

Non-Traditional Victories

Let me just preface this entry by saying that it's not going to be easy to write.  But it needs to be said, so I'm going to do it.

I've been putting off logging my weight into my online tracker for the past couple of weeks.  With the holiday busy-ness on top of all the other "stuff" I've had to do, it wasn't very high on my priority list.  It's not like I hadn't been weighing in every week; I just hadn't taken the extra step and sent it out into cyberspace.  (I think part of it was also the fact that I didn't want that nasty little screen to pop up saying, "What happened?")  Well, today was D-day.  I filled in the missing blocks on my chart and took a long, hard look at the facts that were staring me in the face.  Over the past 12 weeks, I have lost a net total of -- wait for it -- 0.8 pounds.  Yes, friends, that's what we call a "plateau."  As many of my friends and family members can attest, this has been a near constant frustration for me.  I'll have a couple of great weeks, and think I've finally gotten out of the quicksand, and then I'll have a sudden gain.  (Like two weeks ago, when I worked out twice a day for a week straight and put on 4.6 pounds.)  I know that there are other possible reasons for it -- I'm retaining water, I'm gaining muscle -- but it doesn't stop me from wanting to throw that stupid scale across the room. 

BUT there's a silver lining to this cloud.  I got a body measurement today at the gym, and the results helped me to get my head back on straight.  Since June (the last time I got measured), I've lost a total of 15 inches.  Since my first measurement, I've lost a total of 72.  That's six feet -- two inches taller than I am on a good day.  A body fat analysis was part of the measurement, and the nurse told me that I'm currently at 21.1%, easily within the athletic range.  Want to talk about something that absolutely blows your mind?!  Never for a million years would I have thought that I would ever be described as "athletic."  Even now, as I sit here typing away, I still can't completely wrap my head around it.

So, boys and girls, what has Jodi learned from this experience?  It helped to verify a thought that passed through my mind as I sat in my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday.  Too often I view my self-worth by a stupid, comparatively insignificant, little number.  My entire week can be made or broken by the arbitrary measurement of how much the big blue ball that I call home is pulling down on me.  And it's just plain wrong.  Don't misunderstand me -- I am still going to continue my efforts to improve my health, and part of that will hopefully be watching about 20 more pounds come off.  But I need to step back, think, and re-prioritize.  Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing to be the best steward of my body that I can be?  Am I feeding it the right foods in the right amounts?  Am I giving it the exercise that it needs?  Am I resting it when it needs it?  (I'll admit -- some of those I can affirm, but some of those I honestly have to negate.)  These should be the true measures of my success.  The scale, as intimidating as it all too often can be, is nothing more than an instrument of measurement.  It's a little box that spits out a number -- it's not judging me!  We don't get intimidated by the little green mile markers on the interstate, do we?  Of course not.  All they do is tell us how far we've come, and how much farther we need to go.  That scale does the same thing.  Yes, sometimes we find that we've backed up a few feet (or yards, or even miles).  But that in no way means that we won't be allowed further passage on the road.  I'm in this journey for the long haul; the past two years have proven that to me again and again.  There's no speed limit on this road, either; I can inch forward on my hands and knees if that's what it takes.  But darnit, Lord willing I'm going to get to my destination.  And those little green mile markers aren't the only way that I can tell I'm making progress.  The scenery's changing around me -- I'm seeing sights that I've never seen before.  I'm getting there.  I just need to keep going.

Cauliflower Pizza Recipe

I was on Facebook the other day -- surprise, surprise -- and saw a status update from one of my friends about substituting grated cauliflower for rice.  (Run a pound of cauliflower through a food processor, microwave it for 8 minutes, and you're ready to go.)  One of her friends then commented that you could also use it to make pizza crust.  Well, my curiosity was piqued.  I had to figure out just how to do that.  I googled "cauliflower pizza" and found a recipe.  But lest I posted a recipe that turned out to be nasty, I had to try it out first.  And, strangely enough, it works.  Well.  So, gentle readers, here's the recipe:

1 cup grated cauliflower
1 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup egg beaters
Italian spices, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and pour onto a non-stick sprayed cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-18 minutes (20-25 if you're doubling the recipe).  Take out of the oven, add sauce, toppings, and cheese, and broil until cheese is all melted.  Serves 4.


Notes:

• We sprayed the pan, but the crust still stuck.  I'd suggest a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• It's easiest to run the cauliflower through a food processor.  It saves time, effort, and (for klutzes like me) knuckles.
• Test the crust before you add your toppings -- the center may still be a little soft.  If so, bake it a little longer.
• I decided to mix together fat-free cheddar and mozzarella in both the crust and the topping, and it worked quite well.
• Don't eat it too quickly -- it will grow in your stomach, and you'll stuff yourself if you're not careful.
• I used about 1/2 cup of Classico Tomato & Basil marinara sauce and about 1 cup of shredded cheese to top it -- for those of you on Weight Watchers, that comes to 3 PointsPlus per piece.  (And yes, two pieces is 6 PointsPlus.)  Obviously, if you add meat, it will also add points.

Enjoy!  And if you have any other suggestions or recipes you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about them!

But I Don't Wanna!

As I sit here on New Year's Day, I have hanging over my head a 20-page paper that is due for school on the first day of class.  (Those of you who have had any sort of contact with me over the past month have undoubtedly heard me complain about it.)  I'm currently four pages into it, and am suffering from a severe lack of motivation to keep going.  I sit down to work on it, and I think, "I'll just check my email before I get started.  It won't take long."  Then, an hour, a scan of Facebook, and an online Scrabble game later, I'm kicking myself because I realize how much time has been lost.   Even today, I chose to do my prep cooking for tomorrow's family gathering instead of writing.  It seems like I'll find any excuse to keep from sitting down and actually working on it.

Now, here's the crazy thing.  The paper itself isn't that difficult.  I've been preparing for it all semester -- it's basically a reiteration of what I've read throughout the previous four months.  And, as evidenced by the first four pages, when I actually make myself work on it, I make progress rather quickly.  So why, then, can't I keep myself motivated?  Why does the smallest distraction veer me off course for what ends up being hours?  I've done a bit of soul-searching, and I think the answer is two-pronged: lack of self-discipline, and intimidation.

The first, lack of self-discipline, has been a problem for me all my life.  When I don't make myself stick out whatever situation I'm facing, I'll inevitably take the path of least resistance.  Like I said before, I'll take any excuse I can find to get out of doing what I know I need to do.  And as I look at my life, I've begun to realize something important: there will always be an excuse.  Whether I'm working on a paper or hem-hawing about going to the gym on a snowy morning, I can always find the easy way out if I look hard enough.  (And, more often than not, I don't even have to look very hard.)  But I've also come to realize that part of being a mature adult is the capability to ignore all the "easy ways" and discipline myself to face the unpleasant situations in my life with resolve.  As Grandma Bea used to say, "Just put your big girl panties on and deal with it!"

The second, intimidation, is something that takes more than self-empowerment for me to get over.  I begin to entertain thoughts like, "Who am I to think that I can participate in this?  These people are so much better at doing this than I am.  I'll get laughed at if I even try to keep pace with them."  And again, whether it's hacking my way through an impenetrable journal article or taking 100 pounds off the fitness machine's weight stack after a bodybuilder has just used it, it's all too easy for me to think that since I'm not the best at what I'm attempting, I shouldn't even bother.  But as I've thought and prayed about it, I experienced a breakthrough.  I was blessed with the realization that the scholars began as students, and the bodybuilders weren't always able to "press the stack."  The only reason that they're able to do what they do is because they've put forth the sustained effort that was necessary to achieve their goals.  And what's even more important is the fact that I have been created "fearfully and wonderfully" -- or, in the words of one of my old church camp songs, "God made me and God don't make no junk!"  You and I have been given the ability to grow and be strengthened.  If we were automatically good at everything we tried, we'd take it for granted.  So, instead, we've been given the seeds of ability -- and in order to make them blossom, we need to keep them fed and watered.  This paper is an opportunity to do just that.

So, what's your excuse?  What intimidates you?  Is it taking that first step to re-organize your life?  Is it getting back into the habit of exercising?  We all have our own little pocket of personal knowledge that hangs around our necks like the proverbial albatross.  But it's a new year -- we can start fresh and tackle it head-on.  I have a week left to work on the paper... more than enough time, if I stay disciplined and allow God's seeds to take root.  I pray that we'll all be able to push past excuses and experience the fullness of life that comes from doing what we're intended to do.