Sudden Intense Craving

Today I was struck by a craving for a McDonald’s Cheeseburger. Instantly my mind vividly imagined the smooth warm bun, the minced onions, pickles, and ketchup in the warm melty plastic cheese. I could smell it, and feel it, and taste it...This really shocked me because I haven’t had a Mc Donald’s cheeseburger in over 10 years! This only lasted a few seconds and now I feel really

Have (Food) Plan, Will Travel…For The Most Part

What’s wrong with this picture?



On the way home from Louisville yesterday, there were no clean bowls in the car to mix up PB2, so I used a Chinette plate (just call me Foodie MacGyver). I probably shouldn’t have mixed it up on top of my laptop, though. One good pothole would have sent water flying and my ThinkPad wouldn’t have been “thinking” anymore. But when you’re sitting in the back seat with a large cooler on one side and the door on the other with no room to set down your computer without major renovation of the back seat, you take your chances.

We were in Louisville for a reunion with Larry’s friends from grad school. We all stayed with our friends Denny and Katie. Denny called the week before to ask Larry about “Lynn’s food.” He wanted to know what I “could” and “couldn’t” eat. Legitimate question. Larry told him to not worry about me, that I’d bring my own food, and to just reserve a corner of the grill and a burner on the stove.

Still, Denny wanted to be an accommodating host. Gotta love the guy for trying.

When we got there, I had every intention of going to the grocery store. But Denny challenged me, saying he had it all figured out.

Denny: “I made meatless lasagna.”

Lynn: “I don’t eat pasta.”

Denny: “What about bread? You eat bread, right?”

Lynn: “Um…not really….”

Denny: “How about eggs? You eat eggs?”

Lynn: “Egg whites…”

Denny: *big sigh* “Well, what about asparagus? I bought two bunches of asparagus for dinner.”

Lynn: “There are 10 of us. I eat one bunch all by myself. That would leave everyone with a stalk and a half each. I just want a salad and the soup I brought.”

Denny: “I have lettuce!”

Lynn: “Iceberg?”

Denny: “No! Real lettuce!”

Lynn: “Yay!”

He won. I didn’t go to the store.

The next morning, I asked for a sauce pan.

Denny: “For what?”

Lynn: “To boil water for tea.”

Denny: “We have a microwave.”

Lynn: “I don’t like microwaved water…”

Denny: “What the…?”

Lynn: “I can’t control the temperature. Too hot or too cold will make my tea taste funny.”

Denny: “Oh.”

Then I dug out a box of Almond Breeze.

Denny: “They milk almonds?”

Lynn: *eyeroll*

Then I dug out the jar of PB2.

Denny: *eyeroll*

I know I come across as a food nazi sometimes, but I do have a little bend in my food regimen. Really I do. For instance, I ate bread with my soup that first night and I loved every second of it. That counts as bendy.

The fun continued the next day. We went on a VIP tour (lah-de-dah) of Maker’s Mark distillery, which included a tasting and lunch. I was a Wild Turkey girl a long time ago, but my bourbon days are over. At least they were until Saturday. Maker’s Mark is pretty tasty if you don’t rush it. And now that I know how to smell it properly and drink it properly, I just might take a snifter on the deck a few times this summer.

Back to lunch. It was served in a house on the Maker’s Mark grounds. It was a small buffet so I couldn’t order anything to my specifications. Flakey buttery rolls, ham, au gratin potatoes, green beans, corn pudding and bread pudding in bourbon sauce. Hmmm…what to eat, what to eat.

The salad came with dressing, but our server brought me me a plate of greens when I asked if she had anything without dressing. I was excited about the green beans until I saw they were made with ham. So I took a small scoop of potatoes, a roll, and some corn. Carb-o-rama, but I was hungry.

As I was eating, my mind started doing this whole “You’re on vacation!” thing to me. I haven’t heard that voice in five years and it worried me a little. “Just one more bite, Lynn. That corn is goooood.” I gave in to a few extra bites, but damn, that battle in my head was loud and heated. The old Lynn wanted more, the new Lynn said no…I wanted them to both shut up and leave me alone. I was with friends in Kentucky at a distillery having lunch. I kept wondering why food has to A) enter so prominently into every moment of my day, and B) be so damned complicated?

Oh but it gets better. Larry came back to the table with bread pudding. Was never a big fan of the bread pudding and figured one bite and I’d be just fine. But that one bite was like sinking my teeth into the warmest, richest, most cinnamony bun on the planet. Let’s just say it is now on my Top 10 Evil Foods list, edging out onion rings, which has moved to position 11.

Churchill Downs was no problem. Nothing but crap food there – fried everything and meat. I had a few glasses of wine, bet on the ponies, and got a little sunburn. It was perfect.

Back at Denny’s, it was time to start dinner. Everyone else was having steak. I wanted veggies and a sweet potato. Denny and I had an understanding by that point and the kitchen sharing went smoothly.

The next morning, I woke up to Denny making French toast. Not just any French toast, but OMG French Toast. I know. I had a small piece. With real maple syrup. Told you I can bend.

In the car on the way home, I ate fruit salad and baked Doritos (yup, I really did), a Subway veggie delite with no cheese, pretzels, 3 Musketeers mint minis, and a raw red pepper. I was so carbed out by the time I got home that I ate only soup and Brussels sprouts for dinner. My body told me what it needed and that I was back in full contact with it and able to accommodate it, I was happy.

I learned a lot on this vacation. I learned it’s possible to bend and not break, to have control even when letting go a little. Bending and little are the operative words. Food doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Some is also good. A little, a bite…these are the best options.

I doubt I’ve put on any weight, but I’m not going to torture myself by getting on the scale before Wednesday. I did nothing “wrong,” but I know if I see 129 or higher, I’ll do a brief why-did-you-eat-that flogging and I don’t want to go there. I’ll let the weekend, with all its food and fun and friends, be what it was.

Mean and Shallow

Sorry I have not posted in a while, but I have been crazy busy trying to get my costumes ready for the Anime Central (ACen) 2009 convention in Rosemont, IL.I debuted my cosplay of The Diva Plavalaguna from the movie The Fifth Element on Friday, May 8th 2009 to rave reviews!Jess as The Diva Plavalaguna - "The stones are in me." I put about 5 months of work into the costume. (Click here

What is Your “Cringe Weight”?

I need your help (no, not THAT kind of help, as in rubber rooms and straight-jackets, although there are days…).

We all gain and lose weight differently. Some people were thin in childhood and became overweight or obese after college or the birth of a baby. Some people were overweight all their lives. No matter how we gain or lose, I believe we have more in common than not.

A chapter in my book (yes, I’m still writing that sucker) deals with that one weight that, when I hit it on the way up and down the scale, I’d feel it more (both physically and emotionally) than any other. You know the number I’m talking about? Do you have one?

I gained and lost the same 20, 30, 50+ pounds for 22 years, but it was that one number – 200 – that made me either roll my eyes and promise to diet again when I was going up the scale or rejoice and promise never to return when I was going down the scale. Even though my scale number had gone much higher, to nearly 300 pounds, 200 was “the best of times; it was the worst of times,” to quote one of my favorite books (bonus points if you guess the right one).

I’m trying to figure out if I’m alone in this or if more people than just me have a revolving number that they keep/kept spinning endlessly around in. Is there a weight at which you roll your eyes and promise to diet again only for the weight to creep back on and hit it again? How did/does it make you feel? What changes have you made, if any, that will ensure you’ll never see that number again?

You don’t have to write a novel-length answer. This isn’t for a grade or credit, just some informal research. Post a comment or send me an email to lynnbering@verizon.net.

I appreciate your perspective in helping me understand the intricacies of a “cringe weight.” The more I write about weight and the more I get to know people dealing with weight issues, the more complicated and simple the problem seems all at the same time.

NOTE: I’ll be out of town tomorrow through Sunday, so there will most likely not be any new blog posts before Monday. I’m heading to Louisville for a weekend of debauchery, I mean clean fun with my husband’s Purdue friends. They may have graduated a long time ago, but they party like it’s 1969.

Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas & How To Shred A Squash

A quick follow-up to yesterday’s post, “One Little Move Is All It Takes.”

The back is feeling better and it’s up to some cardio and light strength training. Now if only my head was. I do NOT want to exercise today. Don’t know why. Just don’t want to. But I will, because I’ll kick myself later if I don’t.

But that’s not the reason for the follow up. Remember how I said I’d never tried collard greens or black eyed peas and I was going to give both a try in one recipe? In a word, the are FABULOUS! And the recipe was so good I had leftovers for breakfast. Where have these foods been all my life? Oh wait, I grew up in Minnesota…*snort*

Here’s the recipe from Weight Watchers online. I modified it a bit – I left out the oil and salt, and changed chicken broth to veggie broth. But this former Minnesotan and spice phobic says, “Bring on the Tabasco!”

Collard Greens with Black-Eyed Peas
6 servings is 2 Points, 4 servings is 3 points

1 medium onion, chopped
4 C collard greens, without stems, coarsely chopped
1/2 C vegetable broth (original recipe calls for chicken broth)
15 oz cooked black-eyed peas, canned, rinsed and drained
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste (I used ¼ tsp)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 C dried bread crumbs, coarse-variety (I used panko)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch round glass baking dish with cooking spray.Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and a bit of broth and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes; add collard greens and rest of the broth. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low; simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook on high for 1 minute if necessary, for liquid to evaporate. Stir in peas, hot pepper sauce and pepper. Spoon pea mixture into prepared baking dish; smooth into an even layer.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and cheese; sprinkle over pea mixture. Bake until topping is browned, about 15 minutes.

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45 and Aspiring asked in a comment how I shred a butternut squash. I eat a lot of shredded butternut squash. It was through a Hungry Girl recipe that I started eating them. I make them like hash browns, pan “fried” in cooking spray with minced onions and garlic, and serve them with my favorite potato condiment: ketchup. However, I also use “hash brown” butternut squash as a base for pasta sauce. I like spaghetti squash, but I find it a Catch 22 – sometimes it cooks up dry (the way I like it) and other times it’s very watery. Butternut squash has a few more calories (and Points) than spaghetti squash, but one cup (6 ounces shredded) is only a Point, so it’s worth it to me.

Anyway, back to the shredding. I first peel the squash with a vegetable peeler and then either shred it with a box shredder or, when I’m doing a large batch, throw it through the food processor. Shredded butternut squash will last in the fridge for 2-3 days (sometimes longer).

As for okra, Gail from Shrinking Sisters recommends I try the pickled kind. 45 and Aspiring recommends I “fry” it in the oven and it won’t be sticky. (Yes, it was the sticky that turned me off the first (and only) time. It has the texture of snot.) I promise to give it a go when it’s in season.

So how do you like your collard greens? Your black eyed peas? And why can’t I say “black eyed peas” without a southern accent?

One Little Move Is All It Takes

I was feeling fabulous yesterday after 30 minutes on the elliptical. Sweaty and pumped with energy, I picked up my 25-pound weight and started my ab routine. Right side, no problem. Left side, on rep #12, something in my back snapped and I could barely straighten up. My form was fine, but something was bunched up back there that caused my lats to spasm. I guess no matter how strong your core is, back muscles are complicated and one little move is all it takes to get you sitting in a chair with the heating pad.

Oh well, I’ll baby it a bit, go about my day a little slower, and think about happy things like Hearty Lentil Spaghetti. My friend Sharon found this recipe in Cooking Light several years ago. It is so tasty I could eat it by itself, but I pair it with shredded butternut squash and some parmesan cheese. Here’s the recipe:

Hearty Lentil Spaghetti
Makes 5 cups: 2 Points for 1/2-cup serving

1 medium onion, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
1½ C dried lentils, rinsed
4 C vegetable broth
½ t pepper
¼ t cayenne pepper
1 can (14½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes (or diced tomatoes in oregano and basil)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 t white vinegar
3 t Italian seasonings (or 1½ t each basil and oregano)

In large saucepan coated with non-stick spray, cook onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in broth, pepper and cayenne and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, paste, vinegar, and herbs. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes.

I serve this with whole wheat spaghetti for Larry. For me, I shred 6 ounces of butternut squash, put it in a fry pan coated with Pam, add some minced onions and garlic powder, and cook it like hash browns. Then I throw it over the lentil mix and add 2 T of parmesan cheese for a total of 3½ Points for the serving. Of course if you use pasta, there are additional Points.

Also on today’s menu is a collard greens/black eyed peas recipe. I’ve had neither collard greens or black eyed peas before, even though my husband grew up in the south. I trusted him when he said I’d like okra (ummm…that would be a big NO), so I didn’t believe him when he said I’d like collard greens and black eyed peas. However, in my pursuit of new recipes, I’ve decided to give it a try. Besides, the recipe I’m using calls for Italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and hot sauce. I can mask any unpleasant flavors with those three ingredients! Except probably okra. *shudder*

My back is up to a trip to WalMart. I know, you’re terribly jealous and wish you could come along. Sorry to keep that thrill all to myself. Try the lentil spaghetti and let me know if that’s not thrilling enough for you.

Tomatoes and Pig Farming

Think slavery ended in this country in the 1860s? Guess again.

“A Florida tomato picker, Mariano Lucas, was forced to work without pay and was regularly beaten and chained inside a box truck at night by a family of farm bosses who held him and a dozen other workers captive.

“You might think this nightmarish story took place in some dark period of American history. Unbelievably, it’s a reality today, in the vast tomato fields of south Florida. In December 2008, Lucas’ captors were sentenced to 12 years in prison for ‘enslaving and brutalizing migrant workers.’ At their sentencing, Mariano stood before his former captors and told the judge, ‘Bosses should not beat up the people who work with them.’

“Nobody knows exactly how many people are enslaved in Florida, but federal civil rights officials have prosecuted seven slavery operations involving over 1,000 workers in Florida’s fields since 1997. One federal prosecutor called Florida ‘ground zero for modern-day slavery.’”

This was part of a press release my sister-in-law Tracy forwarded to me from the company she works for, Bon Appétit. The company has formed an alliance with a farm labor coalition in Florida to help fight human rights abuses of farm laborers who pick tomatoes.

Bon Appetit’s president and vice-president traveled to south Florida to see the conditions for themselves:

“We saw trailers that are home to upwards of 10 people that are charged astronomical rents (up to $2000 per month), we heard stories of workers being hit and threatened in the fields, and we saw how hard the work of picking tomatoes truly is. We knew we had to take a stand against these abuses. We cannot have a sustainable future without considering the humans in our supply chain.

“We have created a code of conduct for tomato growers requiring them to treat workers well and pay them fairly. If we cannot find a grower willing to abide by our code, we will not buy Florida tomatoes.”

While ALL food should be grown, picked and distributed in ethical and humane ways, it isn’t, just as clothing isn’t sewn together by adults (not children) who normal hours and make livable wages. I cannot fathom what kind of person thinks it’s OK to beat a migrant tomato picker, chain him up at night, and force him to work without pay, but I can’t bury my head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t happen. The part “We cannot have a sustainable future without considering the humans in our supply chain” applies to consumers as well, and I will work harder to educate myself on these issues so I’m a more informed consumer when I go to the grocery store or patronize a restaurant.

In my December 21 blog entry, “Where Does Your Food Come From?” I chatted lightly about how our food comes from all over the world and that I tried to avoid food from China. Several people left comments and sent detailed email about the importance of buying locally and eating food that is in season. Honestly, these weren’t things I’d considered before and was very glad for the info. Same thing here. How do you know if the food you buy is grown and picked in non-abusive environments, both in terms of the earth and the workers?

I won’t launch into a diatribe about the swine flu, but I’ve long been an opponent of industrial farming, particularly as it pertains to pigs. I’m all for raising animals for consumption, but I prefer we do it by means of small family farms. My late husband and I raised cows and pigs and never were they mistreated, locked in cages, or brought to slaughter sick or lame. I realize some people deplore farming of animals in any way, but I will defend small family farms over industrial farms (be they grain or animals) any day.

My main concern with industrial farming was always for the welfare of the animals, but it is clear that humans are suffering, too, my means of disease. Which animals from what farm gave what to whom is still up in the air, but industrial farming may be to blame for this swine flu outbreak.

I’m investigating online, but if you have thoughts on this subject, and on the subject of farm workers’ plight and rights as it pertains to our food purchases, please share. I’d appreciate it.

REMINDER: I will donate one item for every comment left on my last entry, “A Different Kind of ‘Food Issue,’” to my local food shelf. If you haven’t written a comment on my last blog (or if you did and want to leave another one, it’s fine, I’m counting ALL comments), you still have until the end of today to do it. Thanks!