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Change Your Eating, Change Your Life!

Last week, I talked about how I needed to reevaluate my current nutritional intake and begin to make further changes to improve my health. I am off for two weeks, so I have more time to read, learn and come up with a new plan of action. My current goals are to: 1) Improve my health; 2) Improve my sleep; 3) Feel stronger; 4) Lose weight. I have to accept that though I love to cook, my work schedule makes it hard to do much during the week. I also admitted to myself that I do not wish to spend my entire Sunday, especially in nicer weather, cooking for the week and/or meal prepping. I am looking to simplify my life, but make healthier choices by avoiding quick fixes.

I spent my first week off, reading and creating my plan of action for the remainder of the summer. I will try out this routine while my work schedule is not a full one and hope that I can create some solid habits for when the school-year begins. I mentioned last week, that I really liked a few of the recipes on the Paleogrub website. They seemed to meet my criteria of healthy, simple and delicious. Further, they do not require massive amounts of obscure ingredients. In fact, I had many of the staples already on hand. I decided to purchase the Paleogrub Cookbook and their ten week meal plan. The meal plan is simple to follow and tells you exactly what you need to prepare all meals. It gives you a specific plan for each day that includes recipes and directions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Paleogrub Cookbook is digital and once downloaded includes a search feature that is very helpful. You can follow it exactly as written, or as in my case select the meals that you like.

I know that it is not realistic for me to think I will cook every single meal included in the daily plan. Some days, I just want a smoothie for breakfast and that’s fine. Also, what they say serves two people really serves my husband and I with enough leftover for lunch the next day, which is perfect for my work week. Depending on how much you actually eat, I think you may not need all the lunches listed. What I did this first week was preview the week and make a plan for what I wanted to cook. I selected three dinners and one breakfast. Knowing I will have leftover for lunch, I only selected one lunch this week simply because the photograph looked so appealing. The plan also conveniently creates a shopping list for you, but I found that it included items for the entire plan as written for the week. Since I am customizing, based on our personal likes and needs, I did have to modify the shopping list. This was easy enough to do though, I simply emailed the list to myself and did an edit.

I do not make any money recommending this plan to you, I merely wanted to share that I thought it was good. The meals are laid out separately by week and I downloaded them to my computer and now have them to return to. I have noticed the scale moving down this week, which makes me happy. I don’t feel hungry, or deprived and I feel like I look forward to both cooking and eating my meals. Here are two recipes that I enjoyed eating this week.

Roasted Carrot & Avocado Salad

For roasted carrots
- 1 pound carrots (assorted colors or just orange ones) peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
Rest of ingredients
- 2 small avocados, pitted and sliced or cut into chunks
- 3 cups arugula or salad greens mix
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lime, juiced
- salt, black pepper to taste

I followed this lunch recipe pretty much as written, with only two changes. Instead of arugula, I used spinach and chopped romaine. Additionally, I only used one avocado as I felt that was enough for us. The salad had a bit of a kick as written, so either I added too much red pepper or it needs a bit less. My husband loved the kick, so it was fine, but next time I will use a bit less red pepper. I measured by eye, so it could be that I added too much. Always adjust to your personal taste preferences.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Peel the carrots and cut them into ½ inch pieces.
In a bowl mix the ground cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Add the carrots and toss to combine.
Spread the carrots into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, place the avocado, arugula or salad greens and warm carrots.
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lime juice and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Divide the salad between serving plates and serve.

This recipe made enough for two to eat salad with ample leftover for next day’s lunch.

Thai Pork Burgers

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. minced pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green onions, finely chopped 2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp honey

I followed the recipe pretty much as written, with just one change. I was not able to find fish sauce and googled what a substitute could be. I used coconut aminos in place of the fish sauce, but you can use soy sauce as well if you don’t have that on hand.

Directions:

Heat the grill to medium heat.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and stir well.
Using your hand, form 6-8 small patties.
Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve hot.

I got four nice size patties out of a one pound package or organic ground pork. This dinner recipe was enough for two with leftovers for lunch the next day. The patties had a very nice taste. We topped ours with a spoon of homemade paleo mayonnaise with a pinch of onion powder, garlic and cayenne pepper.

If you try either of these recipes, please let me know how you enjoyed them. If you have a recipe to share, please leave me a message below.

To check out Paleogrubs recipes and meal plan, please visit their site at – Paleogrubs

Eating vs. Exercise

I’m off the next two weeks and already realize on day two that if I had more time, I’d likely be in better health. This morning, I got up and went to my usual 5:00 AM class at the gym. I figured it would be better to do this run based workout session during vampire hours than in the hot sun. I was the last to finish the six rounds, which consisted of running, jumprope and hang power cleans, but I did them all. I’ve been working hard at the gym trying to get myself on track again, yet each morning when I step on the scale the numbers are within the same range. Thankfully, I use the scale daily to ensure I’m not creeping up; but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed I’m not trending down rapidly for all the work I’m doing.

I’ve written and reflected on this before, but it’s definitely time to go there again. While I am seeing some gains in my running pace and measurements, I am not seeing huge gains on the scale. If I am honest with myself, I need to look to my nutrition because I know that you can’t out exercise a bad diet. In fact, research shows that about 70% of weight loss actually comes from your dietary choices and only 30% from exercise. I actually believe that for me exercise matters more than 30%, but there is no denying the impact eating clean has on my weight. Here is a video that demonstrates this 70/30 theory, but I definitely don’t agree with his statement that “cardio is a joke”. Cardio to me is an essential component in a balanced workout routine. – Eating vs Exercise

My food choices really haven’t been too bad, so it’s not totally that, but it is summer and we have been on vacation so there definitely are extra calories being taken in through my beverage choices. Sorry, but who doesn’t love a nice cold glass of sangria, beer or vodka on a nice hot day. I’ve also had a hard time maintaining a schedule since we got back from the beach and have hardly been cooking. I’m not saying we are eating out every day, I wish that were the case, but my intake hasn’t been the most balanced and I’ve not said no to fresh ice cream when offered.

I know what to do and funny, now that I’m off already have the motivation to cook – maybe I need to retire to get healthy. I love to cook, I just lack motivation when I’m at work all day and I’m tired of spending my entire Sunday in the house meal prepping. There has to be a better way. I’ve been researching meal planning options for meals that take 30 minutes or less to cook. I found many on the Paleo Grubs site and planned my week with easy, healthy meals – Keep it simple silly is my new mantra.

Today after my workout, I knew I needed a nice healthy breakfast so I came home and cooked a recipe I love. It’s super easy and super delicious and really hit the spot. Here’s the link to this delicious breakfast, which I would never have time to make on a work day. It could be a wonderful weekend treat after a tough workout for you though, so I hope you give it a try.

Sweet Potato Hash & Eggs

I generally follow the recipe as written, but I used white, sweet potatoes just because if it’s orange I think it tastes different. I know it doesn’t, but since they were available I used the white ones. Carmelizing the onions is a MUST as it truly enhances the flavor so much and I added a bit of red pepper to the process. I used hot turkey sausage and boy did they add a nice kick to this mix. I definitely did not eat all that food, I shared with my husband, the recipe is for two (2).

I’ve written on this topic before as my life seems to keep cycling through the same mess. If you have time, please read – You Can’t Out Exercise a Bad Diet

I’d love to hear how it’s going for you this summer. Drop me a line below and please, if you have any quick, easy meals, include a recipe.

Mindset Moves

Long term readers of my blog know that I’ve worked hard to have a positive mindset about myself and my abilities to reclaim my health. I’ve read and learned a lot and really strive to live mindfully, despite serious injuries and setbacks along the way. I’ve rebuilt my base more than I care to think about, yet here I am rebuilding it once again. It’s just the cycle of my life, which flows in ebbs and tides and I’ve learned to ride the waves.

Along this journey, I’ve shared many of my mindset struggles – negative self talk, wallowing in pity following injury, why me mentality, and the list goes on and on. It’s once again time to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get focused on what I am trying to accomplish. It has been a life goal to complete the NYC Marathon and I am once again working towards this goal. I am way behind where I was this time last year in my training, but my mindset is in a good space. I am most definitely NOT pushing myself to do more than my body is ready for and will NOT suffer another injury doing so. I will admit to thinking about how I should be running longer by now, but won’t allow myself to go there. I know that my body is NOT ready for the work and if I push beyond my ability right now I will get injured again. I also know that my goal is to finish the marathon, no matter how long it takes!

I’ve dialed in my nutrition and really taken the time to learn about the role nutrition plays in reclaiming my health. I’ve taken an online course to learn about different types of eating (tracking macros, KETO, plant based) to see which best meets my body’s current needs and my goals. I highly recommend going through this online course at least one time to experiment and track your body’s responses. I learned a lot about myself in the process and not only related to diet. Here is the link to this community for anyone interested in learning more – One 3 One Now that I’ve cycled through this course twice, I am moving on to my next steps. I signed up for a cooking course to learn how to cook more plant based dishes. As you know, I love to cook but have been a self proclaimed vegetable hater for far too long. I hope to learn more about cooking plant based meals to expand my menu planning. Here is the link to this online platform – Rouxbe Online Platform You will find many options there for cooking courses that may appeal more to you. I signed up for the Rouxbe Membership which will allow me to work through these courses at my own pace.

Working at my own pace is where I’d like to end today. As an educator, I know that children come to us at all different stages of development. I know that there are modifications available to meet the needs of each of them. I also know that sometimes people have implicit bias that shape how they plan and react to certain individuals. Sometimes, as educators, we offer modifications before we allow students to try the unmodified task. Sometimes we predetermine and decide that the student needs the modification. What that does, in my humble opinion, is send the message that we don’t believe in their ability to complete the task as is. What that does is take away the opportunity for the student to engage in the given task with feedback and modification AS NEEDED along the way. Truly, it’s the same thing when we engage in exercise. As a middle aged woman, I know that I am not seen as someone who can do most athletic challenges and I likely can’t at this point in time. But, there is nothing more disheartening than someone else predetermining that you can’t, before you even try. I’d like to publicly thank my CrossFit Freshkills coaches, for believing in me and not making me ever feel like I can’t. Today I’d like to thank Coach Libby Elias, a fellow educator, for her belief that I could indeed complete the four rounds required without a modification. Her belief was inspirational as I worked through the tough workout. So, in the spirit of mindset moves, I’d like to ask that we all adopt the mindset of “maybe they can” and not rush to provide a modification before allowing them to try. Perhaps our students, including middle aged women like me, might just surprise you. What we say and do matter so much and can have lasting implications on other people’s mindsets, so let’s try to be more mindful of that.

Here’s the link to a few posts I’ve written on this topic:

Mindset Matters

There’s Always Tomorrow

Want to Know a Truth…

On the Road Again

Always happy to connect with readers, so feel free to drop me a line in the comments below.

Find Your Joy

For far too long, exercise for me has been about stress relief and prevention of disease. My why is no secret to long time readers of this blog – holding on to my memories going forward and never suffering from Alzheimers as my mom and grandmother have. I am on a mission to live a healthier lifestyle and my why gives me purpose and motivation to keep going, even when times have been very hard. Sadly, lately I’ve come to feel that my workouts and exercise were more of a job, something I had to get done and check off my daily list. I just wasn’t enjoying myself during the process anymore. Whenever I find myself in this kind of rut, I know it’s time to reassess, reevaluate and rethink my journey.

My why is not the issue, I still want to live a healthier lifestyle and avoid disease. That purpose doesn’t need to change, but I need to revise my thinking around the process. Working out shouldn’t be seen as an obligation I need to meet, it really should be seen as fuel for the energy and joy found in my daily life. Yes, I do need to schedule my workouts on my weekly calendar, but not because I have to “get it done”. Rather, it has to be scheduled because I would never want to “live without it”. This simple reframing of thought is a great example of the shifts I need to start making.

Recently, knowing I was in a rut, I decided to try something different; something way outside my comfort zone. I have long been self motivated to exercise and had downsized my gym memberships as they were stressing me out. Spending my morning rushing from yoga to gym to work was causing me to arrive at work stressed out before starting my day. I removed the stress and added more time to my life by working out at home and had no problem getting the workouts done. What I didn’t realize was that the isolation of working out alone would eventually take an emotional toll on me. By nature, I am a person who likes to be part of a group. I like to have a workout buddy and am very good at pushing that buddy to get their workouts in as I just don’t skip workouts.

As the running season started, it was great to be back with my Little Red Runners. This social connection has pushed me to reframe my thinking about my exercise routines. When I run with this group, the focus is more around the social aspect of it – making it more fun. We laugh and just enjoy the time together making the workout feel less burdensome. When I run alone, the focus is more about getting it done and surely I’m not laughing as I go. This realization led me to reevaluate my thoughts on working out in a gym setting. I knew though that just joining a gym wouldn’t solve this problem as I’d merely be working out alone in a gym, or taking a group class. I was looking for more than that really. I was looking for a social connection to push me further and rekindle my enjoyment of the process of working out.

I had invited a colleague from another school to join our Little Red Runners this year on some of our outings. Pat came to the races and talked a lot about her journey to become more fit and healthy. She talked about working out at a CrossFit gym and how she thought I should try it. Another Principal I know works out at that same gym and I mentioned it to him. He thought it was a great idea and even offered to walk in with me as I said I had serious FOWI (fear of walking in). With their encouragement, I finally did walk in and give it a try. I’ve spent the past month going to this gym and while it is HARD, it is fueling my need for social connection and has rekindled my motivation.

What makes this CrossFit gym so special is truly the social connection attached to a killer workout routine that pushes you further than you thought possible. You are working out in a group and focusing on the work you are doing, but others are doing the same thing and encouraging you along the way. You don’t feel like you are alone in a group of strangers. As you run past each other, there’s always a “great job Laura” headed your way, a high five or a “you’re doing great, keep going”. The coaches encourage you and check in on you and give feedback, which feels much more personal than a group exercise class where you just follow directions. Though I am not as capable yet as others in the class, I don’t feel badly about that. Rather, I feel motivated to keep pushing myself to improve. I leave these classes feeling spent, yet so uplifted about the work I was able to do.

Recently, I have realized that I don’t have to just get a workout in. I’ve really started to reevaluate my thinking and have been looking for more ways to lead an active life. Instead of focusing solely on the actual workout, I’ve been focusing on enjoying the process of working out. For example, I can ride my bicycle around my neighborhood and enjoy the beauty of my hometown. I don’t have to run with earbuds in, I can run without earbuds and let the beauty of my surroundings, or the company I am with fuel my run. This week on vacation, I didn’t even bring earbuds. I have walked and run the same routes I’ve run here for years and without music, I’ve noticed things I’ve not seen before. I don’t feel pressured to be outside every day at 5:00 AM working out. Instead I’ve sipped coffee and watched the sunrise, then gone out and got my workout in. When I went over to the park yesterday to do a CrossFit WOD, I noticed a group of women were getting ready to do the same thing. I asked them if I could join them because I knew there’d be more joy found working out in that group than alone.

Sunrise in Ocean City

Sometimes people are put in your life to help you, some are put in your life to teach you a lesson. I believe Pat was put on my path to remind me that there is joy to be found in exercise. I likely would never have taken the CrossFit plunge had I not discussed it with her during our runs. Her encouragement to try it pushed me to make that call and take that risk. That risk has led to a reframing of my journey and a rekindling of purpose. If you find yourself in a rut, think about where you are at. It may be time for a change and reframing of your journey. Drop me a line in the comments about your changes. I’d love to hear how you are finding the joy in your experiences.

37002707_10216026244826812_8238519762250891264_n — Pat & I enjoying yoga in the park

If you’re local on Staten Island and want to check out a CrossFit workout, here is the link to the CrossFit I joined: CrossFit Fresh Kills

For other blogs I’ve written on this topic, visit:

Try Something New

If you want a different result, try something new. What have you got to lose? These are the thoughts that were swimming around in my head as I began this marathon training cycle yet again. This is my third attempt at making it to the starting line of the NYC Marathon. Last year, I made it all the way up to two weeks before the race when I fell at work and broke 3 toes. It didn’t really matter though, as I also was diagnosed with a second femoral stress fracture ending my hopes of running. The toes were literally the final straw that made me defer my race to November 2018.

As I begin training again, I am cautiously optimistic that this time will be the time I make it to the starting line. I have learned from my mistakes and am trying to get my training plan right. I’m working hard to improve my functional strength through more cross training. I’ve returned to yoga class and can already feel a difference in my legs when I run.

My first order of business must be to get this extra weight I’m carrying off. I have been taking nutritional courses and learning about how to best fuel my body for running. I learned so much about the foods that support and don’t support my goals. As I experimented with different types of eating, I opened myself up to trying new foods that I usually avoid and have come to find I actually enjoy them. I decided to apply this open mindedness to my exercise selection as well. Rather than doing the same things over and over again, I decided to try different types of exercise and see what works best for my body and life. It’s interesting to see how my tastes in exercise have started to shift as well. Running has always been my first choice of exercise since I was young. I’ve significantly modified my running this spring and have been using intervals to build my stamina back up slowly. I truly feel the time goes by faster when I run intervals and it is a great workout. When I finish a long interval run, I’m not totally exhausted and still have energy to go about my day. I’m super excited to feel like I WILL complete this marathon using this strategy.

Since I cut down on the amount of time I spend running, I knew I needed to cross train with intentionality. I began looking around for something that would both strengthen and build my stamina. I kept thinking about trying Crossfit but had some serious fear of walking in issues. Friends of mine go to a local Crossfit and kept encouraging me to try a class. They’d send me selfies in the morning from the class and finally I decided to take the plunge.

I’m not going to lie and say it’s an easy workout, because it most definitely is not. But, I am going to say that I believe it may help me finish this marathon. The class is well organized and all moves can be done on some level. There are modifications available to make this practice available to all fitness levels. I feel these workouts could help me develop the strength, stamina and mental toughness I will need to run 26.2 miles. I leave this class dripping with sweat, yet invigorated and looking forward to the next. I’m going to continue to go to the classes three times a week and cut my running down to twice a week for now. Seriously, what have I got to lose except perhaps an injury and some pounds.

When you find yourself in a rut and can’t seem to snap out of it, try something new. Step outside your comfort zone and you may be surprised by how it rekindles your workout motivation. I felt better this week than I have in a long while. I think it’s the combination of trying new things and being around people. I am looking forward to this week’s workouts and will continue my climb back from the long winter of broken bones.

What have you done this week to step outside your comfort zone? How has it helped rekindle your motivation? Be sure to leave your comments below. I look forward to reading them.

Community

Days like today remind me of all that is good and right in my Staten Island community. So many runners turned out today to support the family of a young man lost in Afghanistan when he was just 24 years old. Looking around at the runners today, I noticed so many groups running together. There was my school’s group of runners, my yoga studio team and several other groups from local clubs and businesses. Watching the early finishers go by on the other side early in the run is always impressive. How do they run so darn fast and make it look easy? What’s even more impressive to me though, is how they stick around to cheer all of us back of the packers in. The running community is one of the most supportive and welcoming groups around.

Listening to this Gold Star family speak about their son today was such an emotional experience. They were clearly overwhelmed by the large turnout for this 2nd annual memorial run. They said it gave them hope that they will be able to give back to other families, but beyond that they said their biggest nightmare is that their son will be forgotten. Judging by the turnout and many things said about their son today, I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. Staten Island will soon be naming a ferry boat after SSG Michael Ollis. Should you wish to learn about Michael and donate to the SSG Michael Ollis foundation, please visit their website.

http://www.ssgollis.org/

Tomorrow I start my second plant based cycle of eating. I’m excited to experiment with some new recipes. Knowing this, today we decided to have a juicy, grilled hamburger for dinner. I know it’s very carnivore like to eat this as my last meal before heading into the cycle, but it really did hit the spot today. We just grilled them up super quick and ate with a side of salad and roasted vegetables. Easy cook and cleanup post run and now I’ve got an appointment with some reading material.

Roasted Peppers, Potatoes & Onion

Ingredients:

- 1 bag of mini red, yellow, orange peppers
- 1/2 medium onion sliced
- 2 medium red potatoes
- olive oil
- Everything but the Bagel Sesame spice

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees
Slice potatoes into slices that resemble french fries
Thin slice the peppers
Slice onion and break into rings
Combine all in a large bowl and toss with olive oil
Pour onto foil lined sheet tray and sprinkle with Everything but the bagel spice.
Cook for 20 minutes or to desired consistency
Serve immediately

The salad was simply romaine lettuce, fresh organic strawberries sliced and some shredded cabbage. This was topped with olive oil and Carter & Cavero Pear & Cranberry condiment.

What are some of your favorite plant based meals? Please share with me for a future blog, or even just in the comments. I’m going to need lots of ideas.

Did You Eat Your Vegetables Today?

I am a self proclaimed veggie hater, always have been. Imagine me now in my nutrition class, the research staring back at me saying how important those pesky vegetables really are. So important, that my plate right now should hold about 75% vegetables and 25% lean protein. That’s a tall order for me. My breakfast plate should also be about 50% vegetables and my lunch plate 75%. I can almost see my mother laughing at me and saying, “Really, did you think I made this stuff up?”

When I was a young girl, I blatantly refused to eat any vegetable other than corn, which isn’t even a vegetable. Thankfully, I had a dog named Pierre who loved vegetables and would eat them fast when my mother turned her back. When I was a teenager, my mother gave up fighting with me about eating vegetables. It was I’ll admit, quite the fight and one I was not planning to lose. When I moved out and was fully in charge of my eating, vegetables were never on my shopping list. I was very thin and lived happily on my diet of Entemann’s cake, deli sandwiches and lunch from the Morgan Stanley cafeteria. As a young mother, I made valiant attempts to get my children to eat vegetables. My children all ate home cooked baby food. I lovingly purchased fresh vegetables and fruits to cook and puree for each of them. When they were young toddlers and began to fight with me about eating certain foods, I realized how hard it likely was for my mother.

1164DDC0-6A38-4C00-A445-528DB7208085 — The dogs of 72nd St. Rusty, Rumple & Pierre

The past few months as I moved back into running training again, I’ve cleaned up my eating substantially. I signed up for nutrition classes to learn how to better fuel my body and offset any genetic flaws. What I did not do though is increase my vegetable intake to the level of 75% of my plate! Clearly, I still have some work to do here!

Three years ago, when my mother was placed full time in a care center, I vowed to not go down the same path. I knew first hand what this disease had done to my family and did not want my children to face a similar fate as my husband and I age. Alzheimer’s robs you of your precious memories and the ability to care for yourself. It is quite painful to watch helplessly as your loved one fades away. I did not want this burden for my three children and hoped to find a way to prevent, or delay it.

I’ve spent three years reading any research I can get my hands on and changing my lifestyle. It has not been an easy journey, as it is hard work. My why has kept me pushing forward, even on days where motivation is low. I’ve had my setbacks along the way with injuries, but the push forward has continued. This winter, I decided to stop spending so much money on nutritionists and put that money to use in educating myself. I’m in the middle of my second nutrition course and hope to attend IIN Nutrition in the fall. I am more convinced than ever, that the answer to my quest to prevent Alzheimer’s does indeed rely heavily on the foods I am eating. I know that my best hope to ensure brain health is to change the way we eat and continue to move my body. It’s an exciting journey and one that I truly hope I will get to share with my grandchildren and great grandchildren someday.

Today, my husband brought home a beautiful piece of ham for Sunday dinner. He shops early in the morning on the way home from the gym and was quite excited about his purchase. I had a 5K race this morning at 10:00 AM, so was less than excited about his purchase. When in the world did he think we’d be cooking and preparing this ham? He had this all planned out and brought in the Crockpot from the garage. He said that he heard we could set it up in the Crockpot and it would be ready later in the day. Since my options were limited, I went along with his plan. I literally washed the ham and placed it in the pot with some water. That’s it! I set it to 8 hours on low and got ready to leave for the race.

When we returned from the race the house smelled heavenly. I forgot how nice it was to come home to a meal in the Crockpot. I was able to shower, relax and unwind from my morning without worrying about preparing dinner. When we were ready, I took the meat out of the pot and sliced it up to eat. It was soft, juicy and delicious. I plated it with some shredded cabbage mixed with kale and baby spinach. I prefer my vegetables raw, so a side salad of this was just perfect for me. If you have a Crockpot collecting dust in your garage, I recommend you pull it out, wash it up and get it going again. It was wonderful not to have to turn on the oven today.

I’d love to hear what your favorite Crockpot recipes are. Please leave me a message below.

The book I just finished in my course was –

It was very helpful to read about how certain foods that I thought were healthy are not in fact healthy for me. Interesting read, especially if like me, you have inflammation. If you read it, please leave me a comment.

Stuffed Eggplant & Meatballs

When I was younger, I worked at Morgan Stanley in midtown Manhattan. I had just graduated high school and had been working there part time my last year in school. I was offered and decided to take the job, as they had a program that would pay for me to get my undergraduate degree. I remember telling my parents that I’d be moving out at the end of the month. Both were shocked, as I was only 18 years old and had just graduated high school. I remember my mom freaking out that I was leaving the house at such a young age. I remember my aunt asking me how I could possibly do this to my parents. Truly, my only initial supporter in this move was my grandmother. She reminded me how proud she was of me that I was so independent. She reminded me that being a strong, independent woman who could take care of herself was a good thing. I wonder now if she saw some of herself in me. I wonder now if she wished her life had turned out differently, as she had married at the age of 16 and had two children by the age of 18. Maybe she wished she’d been just that much more independent in her time.

During my years at Morgan Stanley, I reconnected with running. I had a group of friends at work that liked to run after work in Central Park. When we signed up for some races, I knew I’d have to be more consistent with my training. I grew up across from a beautiful park in Middle Village, NY – Juniper Valley Park. When I was running at Juniper Park, I much preferred running on the track. It was soft and flat and I had no trouble guessing how far I’d run. Remember, those were the days before technology kept track of your distance. Since there was really no place to run, that I felt comfortable running alone, near my new apartment I drove back to Juniper Park to run.

Every year on Memorial Day there was a fun run in our neighborhood. My dad and I would run this race together, though he was always much faster than me. He still tells the story of how some friends of mine came upon him out on the course and asked if I had left him behind. Nope, he had left me behind likely in the first mile. I’m now the age he was then and gone are the days of running together. Memories of those runs linger with me still. Each Memorial Day as I stand at the starting line, I feel his presence and chuckle at his much told story of being that much faster than me.

Four years ago, we started a Biggest Loser competition at my school and I decided to start running again. When I saw a Memorial Day fun run in the neighborhood, I signed up immediately. I posted on my school’s communication board that I was running the race and hoped someone would join me. A few teachers did sign up and we had a great day. We still run this race together each year to kick off the running season. Through the years people have come and gone, but there’s still a core group of us that show up each year. The course is flat and fast, but we don’t really care. We just really go to honor those who have given their lives to ensure our safety. We run to spend time together as a team. We run to kick off the summer season with a great after race party.

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Today, as we prepare for the holiday, it rained all day. I went early this morning to a yoga class to begin my day. Then I went to the market to pick up some fresh vegetables for meals this week. They had some beautiful eggplants out, so I picked one up to cook today. My husband really wanted Sunday sauce, but I really wanted to keep it light if possible. I decided to cut back on the cheese and avoid breading, or frying the eggplant. I only used two slices of mozzarella in the entire recipe. I decided to skip the eggplant parmesan and make stuffed eggplant instead. This would enable my husband to have sauce and meatballs and me to avoid the extras I didn’t want. It was a delicious and filling meal. We split one half of the eggplant and have another left over for another meal during the week. We chose not to have any pasta and plated the eggplant with a nice arugula salad. The recipe for my sauce can be found here – Sunday Gravy

Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients:

Chopped sirloin (1/2 pound – use the other 1/2 for meatballs)
small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
olive oil
1 medium eggplant
Tomato sauce (Sunday Sauce, or marinara)
1/4 c breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 c parmesan cheese
Mozzarella (2 slices)

Directions:

Cut the top off the eggplant and then slice in half lengthwise.
Scoop out the eggplant leaving enough meat to hold the shape when baked.
Cut up the inside of the eggplant you scooped out into small pieces.
Boil the cut up eggplant meat in water for 10 minutes.
Brown the onion in olive oil in skillet. (4 minutes)
Add the garlic and saute. (1-2 minutes)
Add chopmeat to the pan and brown until cooked through.
Add the drained, cooked eggplant meat
Add scoop of Sunday sauce, or marinara sauce and stir.
Remove from heat.
Add 1/4 c breadcrumbs and one egg and stir to combine all
Scoop meat mixture into the insides of the two eggplant halves
Cook on baking sheet for 50 minutes at 350 degrees

We ate our meal without pasta, but you can certainly serve this over rice or pasta. We had a meatball on the side and some arugula salad and topped all with some parmesan cheese. This picture is one half of the eggplant, which you can see is large enough for two.

Baked Chicken Parmesan & Zoodles

My parents got married on May 16, 1954 in Ridgewood, NY. I have no idea what the weather was that day, or who was in my mother’s bridal party beside her twin brother Walter and my father’s only sister Catherine. I do know that my mother’s gown was in the style of Princess Grace and borrowed from her girlfriend. I do know that they were both very much in love that day and that’s never changed. I also know her parents, especially her mother, didn’t approve of my father because he was an Irish Catholic. My grandparents had hoped my mother would marry someone better, but what they didn’t realize was that she married one of the best men ever. If they only knew how he cares for her now, as he did their entire marriage, they’d surely change their thinking.

Sixty four years later my mom lives in a full time care center, not by choice but by necessity. My mom has Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease that robs one of their memories and ability to function. For ten years my dad lovingly cared for mom at home, including feeding and diapering her himself. It wasn’t until there was no other option, that he agreed to place her in the care center. Even though she has no idea, he goes and sits there with her every single day. He still feeds her, even though there are people there who can do so. He brings nice outfits for the aides to dress her in and makes sure her hair is done. Though many have criticized him for sitting there each day, there is truly no place he’d rather be. If you’ve ever read the Notebook, you know how the story goes. It’s heartbreaking, yet so inspiring at the same time.

I see so many sad people when I visit the care center. One gentlemen never married and has no family to care for him. He placed himself in the center to live out his remaining years. Another, after eight years in the care center, still talks about how he is getting better and will be going home soon. He has no idea that his wife will never be taking him home again. Not too many people come to visit these long term patients, only the rehab patients seem to have visitors. Believe me it is extremely hard for me to go there and visit. I dread it and some weeks it takes me a few days to not feel depressed. When we visit we always bring Sonny along because the people there love seeing him. We always seem to end up with other patients sitting with us when we visit, but we really don’t mind. Like my dad, I know that there’s no place I’d rather be.

Today, after so many days of dreary gray skies and rain, the sun made a comeback. When I went outside this morning, I couldn’t believe how hot and humid it was. Yesterday, we had heat on in the house and today we need air conditioning. Cooking is very therapeutic for my after my visit to the care center. Music, wine and cooking are the best medicine to get me out of my funk. Today, I decided to make my husband’s favorite dish today, Chicken Parmesan. I decided to try to lighten it up though and make a somewhat healthier version. I used chicken tenderloins instead of full breasts and baked them instead of frying. The tenderloins were just the right portion to eat 4-6 ounces of chicken, which is all you really need. We both felt the chicken was super tender and delicious and it cooked a lot faster too. Swapping out the pasta for zoodles also helped to lighten up the meal.

I made a pot of Sunday Sauce this morning to use in this recipe. I did not make meatballs as we were eating the chicken today. I did put some hot sausage, removed from casing, into the sauce for flavor. Recipe for Sunday Sauce can be found by clicking here – Sunday Gravy

I made the zoodles about two hours before we ate them. I cut them in half today (after spiralizing) to make them easier to eat, as they come out very long. Zoodles really are awesome and honestly make me feel like I don’t miss spaghetti. The consistency of them raw works best for me. Recipe for zoodles can be found by clicking here – Mother’s Day

Baked Chicken Parmesan & Zoodles

Ingredients:

Chicken breast tenderloin (1 lb. package was enough for two with leftovers)
Panko
2 eggs
Fresh mozzarella sliced into strips

Directions:

Cover baking tray with aluminum foil and spray lightly with olive oil spray
Mix two eggs in flat bowl dish
Place panko in second flat bowl dish
Dip chicken in eggs, then panko and place on oiled tray
Spray all chicken lightly with olive oil spray
Place in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes
Remove from oven and place in cooking tray with sauce in bottom
Top with mozzarella strips and cover with aluminum foil
Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes covered.
Serve immediately over zoodles and add sauce as needed.

Mother’s Day

I come from a long line of strong women. My grandmothers Maria and Catherine were both strong, determined women who faced hardship in their lives. They both modeled for me how to persevere and overcome obstacles with grace and dignity. My mother was also a strong woman. She was married in the 1950s at a time when most women did not work outside the home. She was a stay at home mother to my two brothers and I and fully embraced her role as our caregiver. Our house was always spotless and our life was pretty much stress free. Mom found her true love when she was quite young and that has lasted over 60 years, in sickness and health. She loved my dad more than anything and put him and us kids first every day of her life.

Maria & Ludwig

Else with my daughter Cathy

My brothers and I grew up loved and cared for even though we didn’t always have a lot. We did always have dinner on our table and clothes on our backs. We also always had unconditional love, as my mother put us first always. Becoming a grandmother was the happiest time in my mother’s life. I believe that is because my mother was a born nurturer. She had endless patience with my children, probably more than she had with my brothers and I. As long as they were able, my mom and dad made the trip out to my house every Sunday without fail to spend time with us and eat Sunday dinner.

Unfortunately, those days are gone now. My mom suffers from Alzheimers and doesn’t know her own family anymore. That is so hard for most people to even imagine or understand. Many tell me that deep down she knows who I am. I tell them she does not. They tell me a mother’s heart could never forget. I tell them it can. At this point, she does not even know my dad, her husband of over 60 years, who sits with her every single day without fail. I can’t think of a worse fate for my mother, who so loved her family, to suffer than this. So, on this Mother’s Day I look back on the many wonderful memories of Mother’s Days gone by. I can still see my mother and aunt cooking Roast Pork and potato balls in the kitchen, their tables perfectly set with china and crystal and the house filled with kids and laughter. These are the memories I hold tightly to these days.

These days it’s just my family coming over for this holiday. I know I’m supposed to celebrate and enjoy the day, but it is a hard day for me so we keep it simple and relaxing. Today’s rainy weather was just perfect for this kind of low key day. My daughter made it home first showing up before 8:00 this morning. We went to an early yoga class together to prepare for our day. Following that we came home and had a nice breakfast. As we began to prepare for our Sunday sauce, my son arrived. My other son was not able to come home this weekend and we missed him a lot. We spoke with him on the phone and I’ll be going down by his house in a few weeks. With the sauce simmering on the stove we all settled in to play some board games. Today’s game choice was Scrabble since the rain kept us inside the house.

Today, we decided to have our traditional Sunday sauce (recipe can be found here Sunday Gravy). Since I’m doing mostly plant based recipes these days, I decided to forgo the spaghetti for my plate. I had two beautiful zucchinis that I purchased yesterday and pulled out my spiralizer and made some zoodles. My daughter made a pot of spaghetti for anyone who wanted, but many ate the zoodles too. They were delicious and worked perfectly with the sauce and meatballs. I ate the zoodles raw, but you can certainly boil for a quick minute if you want them warmed. I found the sauce warmed them up just enough for me. Topped with parmesan, this was the perfect Mother’s Day meal. Happy Mother’s Day!

Zoodles & Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 large green zucchini (washed, not peeled)
salt

Directions:

Cut ends off washed zucchini
Place into the spiralizer and spiralize
Catch zoodles in salad basket and place over sink to drain
Sprinkle zoodles with salt and let sit for approximately 20 minutes.
Store zoodles in the refrigerator in a covered container lined with paper towels. The zoodles will release additional moisture as they sit in the container in your fridge. The paper towel will absorb the moisture.
Let zoodles come to room temperature before serving, or boil for one minute.

This is the spiralizer I use – Paderno World Cuisine. (Click photo to view)

Ingredients:

Directions:

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