Setting goals

Sugar fasts, intermittent fasting and 4 Minute Workout

Since the first anniversary of my weight-loss journey, I have added new health goals for the following year. 

If you have read any of the articles pertaining to the first year of my weight-loss, you know that the focus of that year was on reaching my weight-loss goals for each week. Upon reaching those goals, I would reset my goals until I had lost 40 pounds. This weight-loss was achieved without really changing any foods that I was used to eating, including fast food and soft drinks.

Not daring to abandon the course that had proved successful in reaching these goals, I stayed on the "tracking calories track," and added a new goal...clean eating. I started eating organic dairy and meat and reduced fast food to once or twice a month and soft drinks to a few times a year.

The next year I added another mile to my walks, bringing my weekly walking to 20 miles. I also added more organic food and pretty much eliminated any sweets that I didn't make myself, reducing the amount of sugar that went into them.

The next year, I studied the plant-based diets and decided to try an 80/20 plan: 80 percent plant-based and 20 percent meat and dairy. I liked this plan and decided to stay with it. I also added three sugar fasts that year: a 30-day sugar fast, a 10-day and a 7-day. 

When I set my health goals last year, I decided to expand my sugar fasts to five for the year: two 30-day sugar fasts and three 15-day fasts. 

Around the end of 2017, I had read an article about intermittent fasting and decided to incorporate it with my sugar fasts. For the first five days of my first 30-day sugar fast in 2018, I included intermittent fasting. I continued to add intermittent fasting for 3-5 days at a time for the rest of the 30-day sugar fast. I added the intermittent fasting primarily for the health benefits, since I was already maintaining my weight-loss. And since weight can fluctuate a pound or two, especially after celebrations, I knew the sugar fast would easily take off a pound or two. I completed all the sugar fasts I had planned for 2018, and included intermittent fasting in all but the last one. I really like intermittent fasting and may be writing more about it at a later time.

Last fall, I read about a set of exercises that could be done in 4-minute segments three times a day. Called the 4 Minute Workout, the concept of the exercise is promoting muscle growth through the body's use of nitric oxide. At first, I was dubious of some of the claims for these exercises, but after trying them a few times a week, I did begin seeing some results. Since there has to be at least a two- hour break between each set of exercises, it can be tricky to remember to do the next set.

When I set my goals for 2019, I decided to continued the sugar fasts and intermittent fasting, according to the same schedule I followed in 2018, and to add the 4 Minute Workout. My goal is to do three sets a day and gradually increase the reps in each set. Today, I remembered to do all three sets. Yay! Watch the video for the correct form for the exercises and more information about the health benefits from them. 

~~~B~~~

  

Reviewing my sugar fasts and intermittent fasting

As I sat down to summarize my five sugar fasts during 2018, it seemed as though it's been months, rather than six weeks since I finished the last sugar fast. Maybe it's because I've done a lot of baking during the holidays and consumed more sweets than usual, but I'm looking forward to my next sugar fast which is scheduled in a little more than a week. My first sugar fast for this year will be for 30 days.

When I started my first 30-day sugar fast in January 2018, I decided to add several days of intermittent fasting, using the 16/8 eating pattern, which means fasting for 16 hours and eating all meals within an eight-hour period. After reading about the health benefits of intermittent fasting, I decided to try it with sugar fasting.

In addition to the two fasts, I also reduced my daily calorie allowance by 500 calories per day to allow for a one-pound weigh-loss per week. By removing all added sugar from my diet, the daily reduction of 500 calories was more or less a wash, since most desserts and sugar treats amount to as many calories. My scales were showing a weight gain of 3-5 pounds from the Christmas holidays, and I wanted to take those extra pounds off during the fasts.

During the first week of my first 30-day fast, I did the intermittent fasting for five days. The second week, I added three days of intermittent fasting to the sugar fast and continued that pattern for the duration of the sugar fast. I had read that in addition to the health benefits of intermittent fasting, there was also the benefit of a modest weight-loss. At the end of the 30-days, I had lost six pounds. I wasn't sure if the intermittent fasting had contributed to the weight-loss, because I usually lose a few pounds during a sugar fast.

About my sugar fasts...

When I started my weight-loss journey six years ago this month, I intentionally eliminated treats and foods with added sugar for the first eight weeks. I'm so glad I did that. Not only did it free up calories for nutrient-dense foods, but it gave me a benchmark to look back on.

Now when I start a 30-day or 15-day sugar fast, I can always look back and say to myself, "Hey, you have gone eight weeks without treats. You can do this for 30 days or 15 days."

At the beginning of this year, I set goals to do five sugar fasts this year: two 30-day fasts and three 15-day fasts. So far, I have done four of them, leaving only a 15-day fast to complete my goals. For this post, I'm not going into all the health benefits of leaving off sugar for a period of time. I think most of those benefits are well known. But I think the benefits extend beyond even the health aspects.

Each time I complete a fast, I do have a feeling of accomplishment. It may be a small accomplishment, but I still reached a goal. And a little discipline can also extend to other areas. Little goals combined with discipline result in a consistent effort that produces lasting achievements.

As for the benefits I've received from these sugar fasts...well it's my hope and intention they have provided a means to detox some of the environmental stuff.  And for someone like me, who does have a "sweet tooth," it helps to know I can go without my favorite treats for a period of time.  

As a result of these sugar fasts, I am adding a new page with a few recipes for treats made without added sugar.

~B~

Rethinking calorie counting

“Lose five pounds or more in a week. Never count calories again. Eat these foods and drop pounds without dieting. Eliminate these foods from your diet and drop pounds. Get rid of inches with these exercises and don’t worry about the pounds.”

We have all heard the spills from ads for diet program memberships, supplements and exercise programs, all promising great results, while sparing us from the dreaded and detested  calorie-counting.

I bought the memberships for weight-loss programs, fitness center membership and for a while worked out with a personal trainer in a group setting. For all the money and effort, the most I ever lost was 12 pounds, and the longest I ever kept those pounds off was about six months. Within a few weeks, I would reach a plateau, get discouraged and quit.

Counting calories was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was also my last hope in reaching any kind of substantial weight loss and maintaining it. I wanted something slow and sure. I didn't want to do this for a few months and return to old habits. I wanted to establish new habits.

Experimenting with date sugar

 

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies sweetened with date sugar

At the beginning of a sugar fast, I stay in strict mode and don't even use sugar substitutes, nibbling on a piece of fruit for a bit of sweetness. But by the third or fourth week, I'm thinking of a real treat and usually something chocolate. 

During my last fast, which was 30 days, I was approaching the last week before I gave in to looking for a sugar substitute for a treat. In the past, I've looked at Forks Over Knives recipes for ideas for treats made with sugar substitutes. One of their muffin recipes, in particular, is a favorite of mine.

But I wasn't in the mood to do a lot of chopping and cleaning up from all that. I had been thinking about trying date sugar to see if it worked as well as chopped dates. When I asked the clerk at the health food store the difference between chopping dates and using date sugar, she said the chopped dates probably had more fiber. She did caution me not to use the date sugar in any recipe or drinks, such as coffee, that needed the sugar to liquify. 

I was planning to use the sugar in my favorite FOK muffin recipe, but I was out of several ingredients. Since I didn't want to make another trip back to the store, I wondered if the sugar would work in the Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies, a favorite in my family.

Thankfully, I didn't end up throwing away a recipe with an expensive ingredient...date sugar. Yes, it is a little expensive, and I wouldn't buy it to use on a weekly basis. I thought the cookies turned out pretty good. They were not as sweet as those made with regular sugar, but the unsweetened coconut added a slightly rich layer to the texture. Although coconut is not in the original recipe, my husband I both like coconut, and I sometimes reduce the oats by 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup coconut.

With this recipe, the unsweetened coconut helped absorb some of the extra moisture of the date sugar. As soon as the mixture began cooking, the date sugar returned to its orignial form as fruit and began thickening quickly. On the fly, I quickly added water to get the mixture to the 3-minute cooking time, constantly stirring and occasionally removing from the heat to prevent scorching. Somewhere between the 2-3 minute mark, I removed the mixture from the heat and stirred in the vanilla, oats and coconut. With a tablespoon, I dropped them on wax paper and waited to see if they would set up.
They did set up nicely, but they are not as firm as the cookies made with regular sugar.

My husband and I both liked the cookies, and between us, we finished the dozen in a few days. Although, they are not as sweet as the orignial recipe, they do have a clean taste. I did make a second batch and noted the amount of water I added when the date sugar began looking fruity and thick. I would definitely make these again.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup date sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces milk (I used whole milk.)
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup coconut, flaked and unsweetened
3/4 cup water

Cooking instructions:
In a heavy pan, melt butter and add milk and cocoa. Stir in date sugar, blending with liquid mixture and cook on medium. As soon as mixture is thoroughly heated and begins thickening, add the water and let the mixture cook for about three minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, oats and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper. Allow cookies a few minutes to set up on the wax paper. Makes about 12 cookies.

Nutritional info:
Serving: 1 cookie
Calories: 120
Total Fat:        5.4 g
   Sat. Fat:       3.7 g
Cholesterol: 5.8 mg
Sodium:       4.1 mg
Total Carbs:   17.5g
         Fiber:      2.1g
         Sugars:    6.5g
Protein:            2.1g

~~~B~~~

Health Goals

It's time for a sugar fast

When I started my weight-loss journey in 2012, I put myself on a sugar fast for the first eight weeks. I'm glad I did that. Since then, I've completed a sugar fast one or more times a year...sometimes for 30 days, sometimes for 7-10 days. Remembering that I've done a sugar fast for eight weeks helps when I start a fast for 30 days.

Most people are aware of the many health benefits obtained from a sugar fast, so I won't delve into that here. A sugar fast is also a great way to kick off a weight-loss plan or to quickly shed a few pounds that have crept back.

When I was setting health and fitness goals for this year, I decided to plan for five sugar fasts throughout the year, beginning with a 30-day fast in January, and later following with three 15-day fasts and an additional 30-day fast, for a total of 105 sugar-free days for the year.

Dates for these fasts have been carefully selected to avoid holidays and family celebrations. For other events, I will just work around those as they come along.

In the days prior to my first 30-day sugar fast, I was actually looking forward to it. I knew that I had overindulged in sweets during the holidays and picked up 3-5 pounds. I was ready to start that first fast in January. I started the fast after my husband's birthday and ended it Valentine's Day.

For the first two weeks of that fast, I planned to exclude all sweets, except fruit. Sometimes during a 30-day fast, I will add treats made from Forks Over Knives recipes, using sugar substitutes during the third and fourth weeks. But it was at the end of the third week for this fast that I made a substitute treat sweetened with dates.

Yesterday was the first day of my second sugar fast, a 15-day fast. Both a 30-day and 15-day fasts are relativity short term goals, but the fullfilment is a super accomplishment when they are over. For this 15-day fast, I have several events to plan around. I plan to bring food that I've made to eat. Not only do I obstain from sugar, but I use these fasts as a time of naturally and gently detoxing from environmental toxins with whole and organic foods.

With a few hundred calories saved each day from not eating sweets, I'm expecting to drop a couple of pounds down to my "crusin' weight." After losing 40 pounds, I weighed 140. During the second year of my weight-loss journey, I dropped another three pounds and weighed 137, which I consider my "crusin' weight." Of course, weight can fluctuate between 2-3 pounds daily. I started this fast at 139, so at the end of two weeks I expect my weight to be 137 pounds.

~~~B~~~

Ginger Cookies

Crunchy on the outside and soft inside

Ahhh!!! Who doesn't love the smell of ginger? Gingerbread cake, pancakes, coffee... the list goes on. For a long time, I've wanted to find a good ginger cookie recipe that doesn't produce rock hard cookies that take so much work to chew and are somewhat perilous to your teeth.

Last summer, I tweaked a ginger cookie recipe and came up with a version that I love. This cookie is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. A combination of four spices leave a lingering aroma of "somethin' lovin' baked in the oven" in your house for a day or two.

The ginger cookies shown here were slightly flattened on the 

baking sheet, resulting in a thinner cookie. Cookies baked in a

round ball will have cracked tops and a thicker texture.

These are the only cookies that I don't freeze. They still taste fresh five days out of the oven, and the flavors seem to enhance a bit more. I just leave them out on the counter and offer them to anyone who drops by the house. If I'm making soup to share with someone, I'll gather up a dozen of these cookies to take along.

And, of course, I have a few of these most mornings with my first cup of coffee.

When I first started making these cookies, I didn't have any molasses and compensated with a bit more (1/4 cup) sugar. I really like making these with brown sugar, but if I'm low or out, the organic cane sugar works fine. Other than the White Lily bread flour, all the ingredients I use are organic. The molasses do add a bit of flavor, but I've found interchanging molasses and brown sugar for plain sugar does not affect the texture.

I'm listing the ingredients from the first batches I made that resulted in the sweetness and texture I love, along with notations for using molasses.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour ( I use White Lily bread flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar (This can be all cane sugar, all brown sugar or 1/2 cup of one and 1/4 cup of another)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
Optional: 2 tablespoons molasses (If I add molasses, I decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup)

Instructions:
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, beat softened butter and sugar together and add molasses, if using, and egg.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well until all dry ingredients are moist. From the dough, form walnut-sized balls of dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can leave the dough on the baking sheet in round balls, and the cookies will have the nice cracked tops and will be thicker in texture. Or you can press each ball down slightly for larger and thinner cookies. Both taste wonderful. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

This recipe makes 36-40 cookies.

Nutrition info:
Serving: 1 cookie
Calories: 55
Total fat: 2.4g
    Sat fat:1.5 g
Cholesterol:10.3 mg
Sodium: 61.2 mg.
Total carbs: 8 g
     Fiber:  0.1 g
     Sugars: 3.5g
Protein:         1g

~~~B~~~

A soup for all seasons

Irish Cabbage Stew hits the spot summer and winter

When it comes to soups, I tend to think of my recipes in terms of the seasons, with lighter versions for summer and heartier ingredients added for winter stews. 

Last summer, I came across this recipe for Irish Cabbage Stew, and immediately, summer and vegetables from the garden came to mind. But I didn't put this recipe away when summer was over. On cold winter nights, this soup will warm and fill you up. 

Two things to know before you make this soup: This recipe makes a LOT of soup, approximately 10-12 servings, depending on your bowl size and appetite. This soup does NOT freeze well. The potatoes turn mushy in the freezer. the soup does keep well in the fridge for several days. Before I start making this soup, I think of someone to share it with. That's how I manage the the extra servings. 

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

4-5 carrots, sliced

3 medium potatoes, cut in large pieces

1/3 cup pearled barley

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups (32-ounce carton) vegetable broth

4 cups water

3 cups cooked great northern beans, (2 cans, drained)

1 141/2-ounce can diced tomatoes

Salt to taste

Into a large cooking pan or dutch oven, add all ingredients except the beans and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the beans and tomatoes and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. 

Nutrition info:

Calories: 195

Total fat:0.3 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 460 mg

Total carbs: 39 g

Fiber: 9.4 g

Sugars: 6 g

Protein: 8.3 g

~~~B~~~

Becoming plant-slanted

Last year, I spent several months studying some of the plant-based diets, as well as some studies conducted on them. At the conclusion of these studies, I decided that I would move toward becoming more planted-slanted by reducing dairy and meat to about 15-20 percent and increasing plants and whole grains to about 80-85 percent of my diet.

I've been very pleased with this change and discovered that filling up on plants and whole grains is different than stuffing myself on meat dishes. Although I'm full and stay full longer, I don't have that lethargic feeling of being overstuffed with consumption of a large meat serving. Many health benefits, which I won't go into here and may also differ among individuals, are derived from eating more plants and less meat. 

On the days that now I prepare meat, which is usually two or three days a week, I only use 100 percent grass-fed, organic beef and free-range, organic chicken and serve smaller portions. My husband and I had both given up meat for breakfast several years ago, so moving toward plant-slanted hasn't been a hardship for either of us. 

As a result of eating more meatless entrees and hearty soups, I will be adding a stand-alone page with recipes for these new dishes that we are enjoying.

As I introduce these recipes on the main page of the blog, I will also discuss some changes I've made in preparing some of these dishes. 

~~~B~~~

Pumpkin for all seasons

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies make a great breakfast cookie all year round

I can't think of a cookie recipe that I've experimented with more than this one. For the first year that I made these cookies, I served them as they left the oven, without any glaze, and thought they were wonderful.

 I've made them in assorted sizes, ranging from small to even scone-size. Soft and chewy, regardless of the size, I love them for breakfast and have taken th
em to holiday gatherings and even served them at my 25th wedding anniversary party, a few years ago. 

Last fall, I added a maple glaze to them. Rarely do I add a glaze or frosting to any cookie, and with these cookies already having that wonderful flavor from that super food pumpkin, plus ginger and cinnamon, I wondered if a maple glaze might compete with those flavors. To my surprise, the maple glaze did not complete with the other flavors but actually seemed to enhance the flavors. So I kept adding the glaze.

It seemed to me these cookies couldn't get any better. Well, last night when I started working on a fresh batch, I discovered my flour was getting low, due to a lot of baking this past week. I decided to substitue half the flour with Hodgen's Whole Wheat flour, which I love for some of my recipes due to its subtle graham flavor. 

When the first batch came of out the oven, I tried one as soon they were slightly cooled. Wow! Just as the glaze had combined to perfectly enhance the flavors, so had this whole wheat flour. I couuldn't believe this cookie had actually gotten even better. So now, I will be making future batches with a combination of white and whole wheat flour. And even with a dab of glaze, a medium-size cookie has only about 7 g. of sugar. Doesn't that make these cookies even more healthy and deserving to be a breakfast cookie? I think so. 

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/3 cups oats (Not instant or quick cooking)

1 1/4teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (Not pie filling)

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk (Might need more ,as glaze thickens while cookies bake.)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions for cookies:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking pans with parchment paper or use pans ungreased.

Whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. With the slow speed of a mixer, or by hand, add half the flour mixture, followed by half the pumpkin puree. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and pumpkin puree.

Drop dough onto baking pans with either a tablespoon or teaspoon, depending on the size cookies desired. Place baking pans in oven, one on top rack and the other one on bottom rack and back about 10 minutes. Then rotate the pans from top to bottom racks and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool in pan for about 3 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Let baking sheets/pans cool slightly and then repeat with the remaining dough until all cookies are baked. 

When the cookies are cool or cooled to slightly warm, drizzle a small amount of glaze over each cookie. When the glaze has set, usually about 20 minutes, cookies can be transferred to the freezer for future use. I always freeze at least half the batch. These cookies still taste great from the freezer. I've kept them in the freezer for at least a month. 

Yield: This will depend on the size of the cookies. Scone-size will yield about 36 cookies; medium-sized about 48; and small about 72. 

Note: These cookies freeze well.

~~~B~~~

It's been a while...

Didn't mean to be gone from this blog so long. Right after my last post LAST year, I went into full wedding mode, planning my daughter's wedding which took place July 2016.

These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies, 

were among the three varieties of cookies

served at the wedding reception. Recipe is 

on the Sweets and Treats Page.

While she was finishing up her last semester of college, I took care of most of the details of the wedding and reception, which left no time for my blogs or much of anything else. With some help from one of my sisters, I also prepared all the food for the reception, except for the wedding cake and cupcakes. Without any help, I baked 27 dozen cookies for the cookie bar. I won't be forgetting that anytime soon.

All of our work resulted in a beautiful wedding and reception, and I'm so thankful it's all a beautiful memory, now.

Exactly three weeks to the day, following the wedding, my husband had a heart attack. His recovery involved several months of cardiac rehab and a few changes to our exercise routine. During that time, I studied some of the plant-based diets and adopted some of the cooking methods and recipes.

For the most part, the changes in our diet are more plant-slanted menus but not exclusively. We are probably 80 percent plant-based and 20 percent meat and dairy. I'm going to be adding some plant-based recipes to a stand-along page. Keep watching for that.Several of these recipes will be the soups I've been making for the past few months. They are delicious.

~~~

The joys of a minimalist closet

Part 2

'When I look in my closet, I don't see lack. I see freedom.'

When I reached my 30-pound weight-loss goal, I went shopping with my daughter but didn’t buy anything. I did try on some jeans and shorts to try and figure out my size. I was down three sizes, but I wasn’t done yet. I had just reset my goals and had 10 more pounds to go.

So I continued wearing the smallest of my large clothes as I had been doing throughout my weight-loss journey. Of course, this meant my wardrobe had shrunk considerably, but I found that I liked having a lean wardrobe.

On the first anniversary of my weight-loss journey, Oct. 17, 2013, I had lost 38 pounds and was two pounds shy of my goal. I celebrated by cleaning out my closet. It was also my birthday month, so I bought two new outfits in size small. These were the first additions to my closet since I had started losing weight.

As I began removing  all the clothes that were now too large for me, my thoughts went back to the summer I had tried to trim down my closet to twelve days of outfits. Now that I had so few clothes that fit, I could have that closet that I still longed for. Since I was not working outside the home, I decided to apply a rule of 5’s to my closet. (For a working wardrobe, I would have a rule of 12’s.) No more than five skirts, five dresses, five blouses, five pairs of slacks, five jackets, etc. And one more thing…before I bought and added anything to the closet, it had to pass the “love test.” I mean, I really had to love whatever I bought. It wasn’t going to take up space and become lost and forgotten. My wardrobe would now be like my iTunes playlists. All the songs are loved, not just liked. Anything I took out to wear would be something loved and special to me.

At first, it was a little difficult to pack away so many “good clothes” to give away. But as I kept going, it got easier. It took about three days to clean out my closet. I couldn’t believe how much stuff was crammed into such a small space. Instead of 12 pairs of pants that I had tried to have at one point, I counted more than 20 pairs. No wonder, I couldn’t find anything when I was getting dressed.

When it was done, I had three pairs of pants that I could wear: two from my new birthday outfits and an additional pair of khakis. While going through boxes, I found a pair of medium pants that I loved and added them. I kept four skirts that were size large but smallish with elastic waistbands. I found three large tops/blouses that were also smallish and with the two new tops with the birthday outfits, that gave me five tops. I didn’t have any dresses. I had two jackets that still worked and they stayed. For my knit shirts, I made this modification to my rule of 5’s. I would keep five shirts in white with varying sleeve lengths and up to five in pink. Other colors would share the rule of 5’s.

This rule of 5’s was going well until I got to my hoodies. I counted eight and loved them all. I have always loved hoodies. Although all of them were size large, they still fit in a comfortable way.  The only thing to do was keep out five and pack away three. That’s what  I did, and that’s still working. I just change out the colors occasionally.

My workout clothes, shorts and everyday tees are kept with my sleeping clothes in a dresser.  I kept all my large pajamas, because they are comfortable and I love them.

It’s been more than two years now, since I cleaned out my closet, and it’s still a minimalist closet. I love having just a few clothes. When I look inside my closet, I don’t see lack. I see freedom. I’ve gradually taken out more of the large sizes and replaced with small sizes.  For the past three winters, I’ve had one dress and four skirts. I’ve learned to make new outfits with these four skirts, using different tops and accessories. 

Last summer, I had four dresses and five skirts. I never felt like I was wearing the same clothes over and over. I’m always getting new ideas for interchanging skirts and tops and accessorizing my dresses.  I’m still applying the “love test” when I shop and before buying anything for my closet.  

After reaching my weight-loss goals, I have to say that having a minimalist closet is another huge achievement for me. For me, maintaining a bare but preferred wardrobe ranks with maintaining my 40-pound weight loss. I do love living light.

~~~B~~~

The joys of a minimalist closet

Part 1

It was probably about 10 years ago that I picked up a magazine one evening, and instead of flipping through it, my eyes were held… well mesmerized, by what I saw on the back cover. It was an ad for a company that organized closets. A picture of a closet showing racks holding a few skirts, a few pairs of slacks and a few tops, along with some shelves holding a few knit shirts and sweaters continued to hold my longing gaze. 

Every article of clothing was clearly visible, so I counted them. Hanging from the racks were 12 skirts, 12 pairs of slacks, 12 tops and 6 jackets. On the shelves were 12 knit shirts and 6 sweaters.  With empty spaces on the racks and shelves, these numbers were surprising. I would have guessed about half that number. The closet looked mostly bare, and I loved it.

As I thought about these numbers, I realized this closet provided work clothes for two weeks, without wearing the same outfit more than twice in a month. Wow! Not only did I see order in this closet, but I also saw freedom. This closet contained a well planned wardrobe. Not hunting for missing pieces or stressing over endless choices. Even the cleaning and care of this wardrobe looked easily manageable.

Trying to achieve this for myself at that time was very difficult. But I had a plan. Instead of trimming down my closet, I would just remove all but two weeks of wardrobe and store the rest. About once a month I would trade some items from the closet for those in the boxes.

So that’s what I did. I liked the results so well, that for several days I kept my closet doors open so I could see all the neatness and order. This worked for a few months.

But then, the seasons changed and I kept transeasonal pieces, while adding other seasonal and new clothing. It wasn’t long until my closet had returned to a packed and messy site.

I still longed for a slightly bare closet, filled only with what I needed and loved. But the problem was that I just couldn’t part with anything in it.

~To be continued~

Why I still use white flour

As I continuously learn more about healthy eating and make changes in the way I shop for food and prepare meals, I'm still buying and baking with white flour. This might seem a little odd to some, since I do strive to eat as clean as possible most days.

I love bread and most of the bread I eat is made with whole wheat or whole grains. I rarely eat white bread. But certain breakfast foods just need biscuits, and I still make them, occasionally.

There is much to read about why white flour should be avoided, and I have read many of those articles. I have also tried following very restrictive diets and failed. For me, the key is moderation or limitation.

For many years, I have used White Lily flour. When I learned about the possible harmful effects of potassium bromate, used as dough conditioner in some flour and breads, I checked and White Lily uses absorbic acid as a dough conditioner. That was good to know. I really like this flour. It's made from a winter wheat and has a softer texture. I even like the analogy of this winter-grown wheat becoming softer, just as the winter seasons of life can make us softer.

Most of my uses for white flour are in baking cookies, biscuits and scones and pizza dough. I don't like pizza dough made exclusively from whole wheat flour, but I will add a cup of whole wheat to the white flour. Not always though, because I really like pizza dough from white flour.

Another reason I'm not that concerned about the white flour in my baking is because when you consider that a cup of flour contains about 125 grams and that a medium-sized cookie has about 3 grams of flour...well that seems like moderation to me. A slice of pizza could have 35-40 grams, but I don't eat pizza everyday or every week.

Anyway, I just felt like I needed to speak to this in case anyone was wondering why so many of my recipes call for white flour.

# # #

Cooking Goals

Five recipes I want to learn to make this year

One of the bonuses of losing 40 pounds and maintaining the weigh-loss is that I have learned to make some of my favorite foods from scratch, while saving on calories and sodium and sugar content.

During the first year of my weight-loss journey, I learned to make pizza dough and cinnamon rolls from scratch. Making my own pizza reduces the sodium content to more than 200 mg, and calories are reduced 200-300, depending upon the size of the pizza. My cinnamon rolls have about half the calories of commercial cinnamon rolls, with fewer ingredients and no food dyes. 

Other cooking accomplishments from that first year include Lentil Soup and making seasonings from scratch for tacos, chili and spaghetti. 

Each year of this journey I have been making more of my favorite foods from scratch, but I want to add more. Here is my list for this year:

1. Shepherd's Pie

I love the Shepherd's Pie at Cheesecake Factory and want to make a similar version. I have a recipe, but I'm still a little daunted at the first step: braising the beef. I've never done this, and it requires more time than I usually give to a recipe. This a rollover goal from the past two years, so it's going at the top of my list for this year. I hope to have a picture and a story on meeting this goal soon.

2. Baked Beans

Whenever I make baked beans, I first reach for a can of baked beans and add a few of my own preferred ingredients. This is another of those recipes that requires more prep and cooking time. First of all, I always dread the inspecting part of beans and lentils. You know...spreading a cloth out and dumping the beans and lentils on it and looking for the broken and bad ones to throw away. And then the additional ingredients needed to complete the dish are not always in my pantry. I'm not sure if I would always make them from scratch, but I want to try...at least once.

3. Chicken Tetrizzini/Lasagna

Many years ago as a newlywed, I made chicken tetrazzini...once. Starting with a whole chicken, I spent an entire Saturday working on the laborious task of deboning the chicken and preparing the long list of ingredients for the recipe I was following. By the time it was ready to serve, I was tired of looking at it and too tired to even eat it. I haven't had this dish very often, but always enjoyed it when someone else made it. But I want to try it again. I now have a recipe for Chicken Lasagna, which is very similar, so I will start with it first. 

4. Yeast Rolls

Now that I have learned to make pizza dough and cinnamon rolls, I want to try yeast rolls. I love them. My paternal grandmother made the best yeast rolls I have ever eaten, but she didn't leave a recipe. When I asked my aunts about her yeast rolls, I was told that my grandmother didn't use recipes. She just made up her own recipes. In the past, I have also made yeast breads with good results, so I want to try the rolls. 

5. Popsicles 

Last year, I found a recipe for pineapple coconut popsicles that I wanted to try. But I couldn't find any molds that were made in the USA. Recently, I remembered that I have some ice trays, made in the USA, stored away in a kitchen cabinet. So I plan to use those and make popsicles in a bowl. Who needs a stick to hold them anyway?

I could have added more than five, but I will start with these. 

###

These delectable mini pumpkin cholocate chip muffins have only 95 calories each. 

Make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

 for dessert ... or for breakfast

So many delectable flavors in one little muffin...chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin. These muffins can be served at the end of a meal or at the beginning of the day, accompanied with yogurt or morning coffee or both. 

Sometimes, I like to replace the granola I have with my yogurt with this muffin. Occasionally, I make regular size muffins and other times I like them mini-size. 

Another variation to make them a little healthier, I will substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for the white flour. The whole wheat flour will give the muffins a coarser texture, and I like these muffins for my yogurt. Muffins made with all-white flour will have a smoother, cake-like texture. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cupes all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup plain yogurt with 1/4 cup water added or 1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 large egg

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour with next six ingredients (through cloves) and stir well with a whisk. 

In a large bowl, combine granulated and brown sugars with yogurt or buttermilk, oil, pumpkin puree and egg. Beat until well blended. Add to flour mixture and beat until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Place paper liners in muffin cups or coat with oil or cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately. Yield: 12 regular size muffins or 24 mini muffins.

Nutritional info for regular size muffins: 1 muffin, 190 calories; total fat, 6.2g; saturated fat, 4.2g; cholesterol, 16.4 mg; sodium, 185.2mg; total carbs, 32.9 g; fiber, 1.3 g; sugars, 19.4g; protein, 3.4 g.

Nutritional info for mini muffins: 1 muffin, 95 calories; total fat, 3.1g; saturated fat, 2.1g; cholesterol, 8.2 mg; sodium, 92.6 mg; total carbs, 16.4g; fiber, 0.7g; sugars, 9.7 g; protein, 1.7 g.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Pretty and tasty, make strawberry cheesecake cookies for a sweet treat

Last week, I decided to make these cookies, using the half package of cream cheese (8-ounce package) left over from frosting I had made for cinnamon rolls. (I only put a dollop of frosting on cinnamon rolls.) 

I hurriedly mixed the cookie batter, just before I was planning to leave the house, and only had time to bake one dozen. I used a teaspoon to drop the cookies onto the baking sheet. Of course, I had to try one immediately out of the oven, and it was very tasty. I put the remaining batter into the fridge.

Two days later, I baked another dozen cookies from the refrigerated batter. The previous dozen had all disappeared. My daughter told me she liked these even better than my lemon cookies. That's saying something, because sometimes all seven dozen from my lemon cookies recipe will disappear a in a week. (The recipe for the lemon cookies can be found on my Sweets and Treats page.)

On the third day, I took the remaining batter and baked another dozen cookies. Some of the cookies in this batch were a little larger than the other two batches I had previously baked. I decided I liked the cookies a little larger. 

When I bake these cookies again, I plan to double the recipe and drop the batter with a tablespoon for a slightly larger cookies. These cookies are so good with coffee. 

Hint: I had frozen strawberries on hand, and that's what I used. The berries are so much easier to chop while frozen or slightly frozen. I let them thaw just a bit. If using fresh strawberries, I would suggest washing and capping them, and then putting them into the freezer until firm. Otherwise, the berries may be watery and messy from chopping/slicing.

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened (Do not melt butter. Let soften at room temperature.)

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup strawberries, sliced into small pieces

 (I filled a cup with small/medium strawberries and then sliced them.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until creamy. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder, blending well. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together. Fold in strawberries. With a tablespoon or teaspoon, drop dough onto baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 14 minutes or until edges of cookies are slightly brown. Yield: 24 cookies dropped from a tablespoon and 36 cookies dropped from a teaspoon.

Nutrition info for batch of 24 cookies: one cookie, 97 calories; total fat, 5.7g: saturated fat, 3.5g; cholesterol, 23.5 mg; sodium, 21 mg; total carbs, 10.8g; fiber, 0.1g; sugar, 5.7g; protein, 1.5g.

Nutrition info for batch of 36 cookies: one cookie, 65 calories; total fat, 3.8g; saturated fat, 2.3g; cholesterol, 15.6 mg; sodium, 14 mg; total carbs, 7.2g; fiber, 0.1g; sugars, 3.8g; protein, 1g.

###

Scones and soup

When I began making these scones

Top right photo shows scones baked, using Method 1.

Bottom right scones were baked, using Method 2.

last fall, I thought they would add a hearty side to a bowl of soup, especially to one of the thinner soups.

Since most soups are usually under 200 calories per serving, these scones, at around 130 calories each, won't break the lunch or supper budget in calories.

Depending upon the method of baking, each scone will also provide around 100-150 mg. of calcium. There are two methods of baking the scones, and I like them both. My family prefers the crispy and thin scones from Method 2. 

From each batch, I serve half the recipe and freeze the other half. Either way the scones are baked, they freeze well. I reheat them in the oven at 300 degrees to keep them crispy.

Spinach Scones with Feta Cheese

 Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed

3/4 cup feta cheese

3/4 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons whole milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture is crumbly. Stir in feta cheese and spinach. Add 3/4 cup milk and stir until all the ingredients are moistened. Next, proceed to either Method 1 or 2. 

Method 1

Turn dough onto lightly floured wax paper. Pat dough down and shape into two rounds about eight-inches each. Place each round on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cut each round into eight wedges and slightly separate the wedges . Brush tops with the 2 tablespoons milk. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. 

Method 2

Turn dough onto lightly floured wax paper. Pat dough with flour and shape into two rounds. With a rolling pin, roll out each round of dough and cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Each round will yield 10-12 scones, depending on the size of the cutter used. (I use a diamond-shape cookie cutter.) Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with the 2 tablespoons milk. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden. These scones will be thinner and crispier.

Nutritional info for Method 1 with 16 servings: Each serving, 128 calories; total fat, 5.7g: saturated fat, 3.7g: cholesterol, 18 mg: sodium, 324.6 mg: total carbs, 15.4 g: fiber, 0.8g: sugars, 1.1g: protein, 3.5g.

Nutritional info for Method 2 with 24 servings: Each serving, 85 calories: total fat, 3.8g: saturated fat, 2.5g: cholesterol, 12 mg: sodium, 216.4 mg: total carbs, 10.2g: fiber, 0.5g: sugars, 0.7g: protein, 2.4g.

###

One more thing ..... I don't feel guilty           about ANYTHING I eat

From time to time, I come across recipes with a lure, "eat this without guilt," or something similar to that.

I don't feel guilty about anything I eat...not even if I go over my daily calorie allowance. That doesn't happen often, but it does occasionally. First of all, when that happens, I know when and how much I'm over. Daily tracking keeps me on track. At the end of the day, I know how many calories I'm over or under and that the adjustment will come from the days I'm under my daily allowance.

I don't feel guilty over my indulgences, because I've learned to plan for them. Usually, I know when I'm going to eat out, and I will "save up" for the calories. If I plan to have dessert with the meal, I will abstain from added sugar at home that day. When it comes to sweets, I watch the "added sugar" even more closely than the calories. If I eat out and order dessert, I enjoy it without any guilt. And if I go over the recommended daily amount of added sugar on a particular day, I don't get upset over it. It's still much, much better than it was before I started tracking.

It's the same for sodium. Most days, my sodium intake is well within the guidelines. But the days I eat out, it does go over. In fact, one meal eaten out may contain more than the day's allowance for sodium, Since my sodium intake is no longer unbridled on a daily basis, the few days it goes over are not a great concern.

Although I don't eat white bread as much now and have cut back on using white flour, I still make biscuits and breads a few times a month and enjoy them very much. I do eat whole wheat or whole grain bread every day.

For me, consistent tracking on a daily basis just takes care of the "off days" and eliminates any guilt.

###

Rethinking calorie counting

“Lose five pounds or more in a week. Never count calories again. Eat these foods and drop pounds without dieting. Eliminate these foods from your diet and drop pounds. Get rid of inches with these exercises and don’t worry about the pounds.”

We have all heard the spills from ads for diet program memberships, supplements and exercise programs, all promising great results, while sparing us from the dreaded and detested  calorie-counting.

I bought the memberships for weight-loss programs, fitness center membership and for a while worked out with a personal trainer in a group setting. For all the money and effort, the most I ever lost was 12 pounds, and the longest I ever kept those pounds off was about six months. Within a few weeks, I would reach a plateau, get discouraged and quit.

Counting calories was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was also my last hope in reaching any kind of substantial weight loss and maintaining it. I wanted something slow and sure. I didn't want to do this for a few months and return to old habits. I wanted to establish new habits.