Homemade Tortilla Chips and Hummus

Crunchy and salty - what a combo. I love anything that's crunchy and salty, but alas, most food that falls into that category is not the wisest choice for someone trying to slim down. I recently decided to try to make my own tortillas and hummus so I could have healthy, yummy snack that's also - you guessed it - crunchy and salty. I am pleased to say my attempt turned out delicious, satisfying, and delightfully healthy.

Hummus is one of my favorite foods - I make it from time to time but find it hard to control my portions, since I love it so much. This time I've decided to package it in smaller containers and eat it as a meal instead of a snack - I can have more and it's still a good, healthy meal. If you look around the Internet you can find all kinds of recipes. Many people like their hummus with roasted red peppers or calamata olives - go with what you like, but keep in mind the olives add quite a bit of salt. To make it a la Chef Kim, take a can of chick peas (AKA garbanzo beans) and drain. Throw them in a food processor or blender with several cloves of garlic (I like a LOT of garlic - the flavor is pretty strong, so add a little then taste. Add a little more, and taste...). Squirt in a bit of lemon juice and voila - hummus! Easy, right? Sometimes I add a little olive oil, too, if I'm looking for a creamier blend. Again, it's all about going with what you like.

To make the tortilla chips, you can either buy the soft tortillas or make them from scratch. As tempted as I was to make them from scratch, I had to opt for the store bought ones. There's just so much I can do! There are a few from which to choose - corn, flour, whole wheat, low carb... watch the low carb ones, though - they have artificial sweetener in them. Don't even get me started on artificial sweetener! I chose the whole wheat ones in the hopes they would keep me fuller longer. Take the tortillas and cut them with a pizza cutter into 6-8 wedges. Lay them on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with olive oil (I used an olive oil spray and it worked really well). Sprinkle on a touch of salt (I love sea salt) and bake in the oven at 350. Keep a close eye on them as they tend to burn pretty quickly, but they take about 6 minutes. I ate some while they were still warm and they were amazingly good. I'm getting excited about making some homemade pico de gallo - another one of my good-for-you faves.

Hope you enjoy!

The Curse of the Community Snacks

We've all seen it - the temptation of the community bowl. Sometimes filled with snack mix, other times candy, a well-intentioned box of doughnuts on a Friday morning... Ugh! So what's a girl to do???? I know, I know - the simple answer is to just say no! Nancy Reagan made it sound so simple! Just Say No!! Honestly, I think it's easier to say no to drugs than it is to pass up a cupcake! Of course, I've always feared jail...

But I digress. I'm offering some solutions below, at the request of a reader. And by the way, Reader, I am praying for you!

• Fill the community bowl with veggies. This can get costly, especially if you're the only one buying the veggies. This also can be problematic if the bowl sits out all day - who wants warm, limp celery at 4:00pm? But perhaps a few veggies here and there, perhaps a fruit bowl? And maybe it would catch on!
• Start an office-wide Get Healthy program. We've done the pay 'n weigh, where each person pays a small amount of money every week (we've done anywhere from $1-$5). A weigh-in where one person weighs another to ensure honesty and the person who has lost the highest per cent (yes, it's two words) doesn't have to pay the money. At the end of the month the biggest loser takes home the pot of money. We have varied our contests from time to time. One time we did a point system, where every 30 minutes of exercise was one point, and every pound lost was one point. You started each week owing $10, and subtracted $1 for every point you earned. By the end of the week, the goal was to owe nothing. You could come up with your own contest if you wanted - some people find them highly motivating, others don't.
• Distract your mouth. I have a friend who has TMJ and cannot chew gum anymore, so she can't follow my gum chewing advice from the previous post. Maybe she could carry a water bottle and drink it every time she passes the community snacks? Or how about having some Jello to satisfy the sweet tooth? Have a sucker or some hard candy? Maybe Tic Tacs? What about brushing your teeth? Many people won't eat after brushing their teeth either because of the taste or because of not wanting to brush all over again.

What are some of your tips and tricks???? Post a comment below and share!! You can also click here to go to Low Cost, Low Carb, a great blog with some great advice. If you need a laugh, how about clicking here to visit my friend's weigh loss blog - it's hilarious! Let's all pitch in to help each other try new things to tackle our troubles and kick the community snacks to the curb!!

Battling Our Blunders

Isn't it funny how good friends can connect even when miles apart? I was just talking with my mom about identifying weak spots in our eating habits and I decided to come write a blog about it. Before I blogged, I read my friend's blog on organization in the household, and here's her blog - all about identifying weak spots. Click here to read it - it's really good!

At any rate, my friend is talking about time management, and I'm talking about waist management. One of the biggest helps I have found is to identify trouble before it arrives. Sit down and decide where you are failing - for me, it's dinner time. I have all the resolve in the world until I get into the kitchen and am surrounded by food. It's just too easy for me to grab a snack out of the fridge, taste dinner while I'm cooking, have a glass of wine to unwind in the kitchen... My solution: gum. I chew gum while cooking. I haven't been able to do this for many, many years - I have an allergy to aspartame (NutraSweet) and ALL gum contains it. Yes, even Juicy Fruit and Big Red have aspartame. But I found a great little health store that carries gum in several flavors that is all natural - no artificial sweeteners!! Yay for me!! So away I chew. I pop a piece into my mouth before I get out of the car at home so I am ready for the attack of the munchies before I even walk through the front door.

Another area of weakness for me: when someone else prepares the meal. If someone prepares a meal and I decide I am only going to eat salad, all hope goes out the window the minute I am sitting in front of all the good food. My plan to foil the flavors: tell someone my plan! This afternoon before we got ready for lunch I told my mom I was going to eat yogurt and fruit only. When it came time for lunch, even though I was dying for a hot dog, my mom hadn't cooked one for me - why would she? And even if she had, I would have had to face her with the hot dog on my plate - openly failing in front of someone else is good motivation for me. One warning: please do not ask your spouse or your friend to help monitor your eating and then get upset when they do. Many of my women friends have admitted to asking for help from their husband then getting mad when he makes a comment about that second serving of potatoes. That's not fair and your support system will quickly fade away.

So what is your weakness? Where do you fail? Be honest! Sit down and go over your day - you already know where you're going wrong, don't you? Come up with a plan of attack - if it's eating out at lunch, leave all credit/debit cards and cash at home. No money = no fast food. Finishing you children's plates the trouble? Serve them much smaller portions - you're less likely to have food leftover and it will help them not overeat at the same time. Or tell them when they are done they need to clear their plates, scraping all food into the trash. Less food and less work for you! Double bonus! An office birthday party? Tell everyone you'll cover the phones while they're eating cake. There are solutions - we just need to come up with the plan and stick to it. That's the hard part! But we can do it - one day at a time - one battle at a time will slowly win the war.

Vacation Trials and Triumphs

Vacation - a time to relax, have fun, and live a little. We leave work behind and enjoy our time off in many ways. So why do we always use vacation as an excuse to eat gargantuan amounts of horrible food?

"I'm on vacation! I can let loose a little bit!" we cry. "It's our vacation! I can have dessert on vacation!" we say adamantly. Then, we return. Back to our homes, back to our jobs, back to our clothes - which are the same size as when we left. Are we? It's amazing how much damage can be done in such a short period of time. I have decided I will NEVER go on a cruise. Why? Because I know me, and I know that I will be glued to the buffet, my eyes glazed over, drool on one side of my mouth, a little gravy dribbling down the other side. I do not have the self control required to walk away from a cruise unscathed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would cause the boat to list to one side after the first midnight serving of fried stuff. After a few days, they would have to move me to the hull to act as ballast.

Fortunately, I am not on a cruise - I am at my parents' house. I arrived feeling brave - I can do this! My father's cooking has helped - grilled salmon, fresh salads, and lots of fruit in the house. Their pool has also helped - a bit of swimming, a cool down after a brisk walk. Of course, there have also been a few hurdles - ribs in homemade sauce, a trip to an all-you-can-eat buffet. And let's not forget the trip to the urgent care center to get WMV's ear checked out - that level of stressed was eased by a can of salt 'n vinny Pringles. *Sigh* Overall, I think I may be able to walk away from this trip without completely blowing it. I would be thrilled to drop another half a pound, but will be happy just to break even. I'm trying to steel myself for a gain of a pound or two, but trying desperately to avoid it. I don't want to ruin my vacation with an obsession with food and weight, so I'm trying to be reasonable. They're cooking hot dogs tonight. My plan is to cut one in half and eat it with lots of sauerkraut (I'm drinking tons of water today to counteract the salty sauerkraut!) and mustard. I'll load up on salad, too, if my dad makes one. I'm hoping having a plan will help me walk away from the dinner table triumphant. *Gulp* Pray for me!!

Chillin' and Grillin'

Oh, how I love to grill! Nothing smells better than a charcoal grill being lit. It brings back memories of my family time at Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. A beautiful, wonderful park, we would spend the whole day - playing, hiking, watching the surf crash against the rocks, and of course - there was always the cook out. Even now that I am an adult, the grill is my favorite cooking apparatus. With the Fourth of July weekend upon us I thought I'd pass along some grilling wisdom to help us all get through an Independence Day weekend without losing control of our healthy eating plans!

One great way to enjoy the grill without feeling guilty: vegetable shish kabobs - check out the "chicken and veggies" post from June 16 to read a good marinate recipe and directions. If you add some chunks of meat to the kabob, that can be your whole meal, and it really helps cut back on the portion of meat you consume. But can you get your whole family on board with veggie kabobs?? Not in my house! Here's how to change some standard grill fare into healthier eating:

• Ground turkey. Check the label and make sure you buy all white meat - if you get the cheaper dark/white combo you're getting a lot more fat - not cheaper in the long run! Add a bunch of your favorite spices and form into patties - delicious! These are wonderful with avocado slices - keep the slices thin and you'll add some of that good, belly-slimming fat your body needs without adding too many fat grams. Not everyone enjoys a turkey burger as much as I do, so if your family is going to want a more traditional burger, go with ground round over ground chuck to get a lower fat beef, and mix with the ground turkey. You can add quite a bit of turkey without taking away from the taste of the beef burger. And of course, think small!! Not every burger needs to be two inches thick and bigger than a dinner plate! Buy smaller buns (whole wheat buns, too!) and fill up the rest of the plate with veggies.


• Chicken. I buy large amounts of chicken and after we bring everything off the grill I throw a heap of chicken on it. It cooks while you eat - if you use charcoal the grill stays hot for a long time - and then I have lots of grilled chicken for the following week. Very easy to bring lunch from home when you have chicken all cooked and ready to go! Don't forget to get the skinless kind!


• Fish. You can buy a fish grilling basket that keeps the fish from falling into the coals - it makes some amazing fish! You can also wrap it tightly in tin foil with lemon juice and spices and throw it on the gill that way - very moist and flavorful.


• Veggies - if you don't want to do the kabob, try whole or sliced veggies. Eggplant slices are hearty enough to stand up to the grill. Get some spray olive oil and lightly spray them so the spices stick and they don't dry out. Ditto for squash or zucchini. And how about some roasted peppers? Put the whole pepper right on the grill until it turns black. That's right - BLACK. Peel away the skin, slice, and put into a container with olive oil and spices. Great alone or on sandwiches or salads.


• Hot dogs. Don't do it. Seriously, just don't. The tofu dogs... well, you know how I feel about those. And the regular hot dogs are just too full of fat (not to mention floor sweepings) to make it worth the splurge. The salt content alone will make you retain water and the next morning if you are brave enough to step on the scale - ugh. So, if your family insists on hot dogs, DO NOT cook the whole package! Only cook one dog per person - there won't be one left for you to scarf down in the kitchen while you're "cleaning up." Oh, yes, I know that trick - I perfected it.

I hope some of these tips will help you celebrate Independence Day - YOUR Independence!! We can be free from junk food, free from unhealthy eating, free from feeling sluggish and fat and jiggly! I want independence from the fat racks - have you seen some of those clothes???? I want independence from my couch - give me energy to get my house clean, play with my kids, go out with some friends! And most of all I want independence from food - I want to learn to eat for bodily sustenance, not emotional! I'm getting it - slowly but surely, I really am. Want to join me?

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Last week was vacation Bible school and I was crazy busy! I had decorating to do - and lots of volunteers who did most of the work!! Yay for volunteers!!!! - schedules to print, supplies to get... plus I worked my regular schedule doing everything else I always do. It was great fun, and totally worth all the long days and late hours. But... my eating habits suffered.

I spent the whole week grabbing this or that, running to the gas station for a slice of pizza, chugging a Coke or a sweet tea on the fly - ugh. The good news is that some of my frantic activity made up for the extra calories, because my weight hasn't suffered that much. The bad news is that now I've gotten in the habit of unhealthy foods and I'm trying to get back on track but my cupboard is bare. My son left for my parents' house this morning, VBS is over, my vacation is next week - things have slowed down enough for me to go shopping and stock up on my almonds and veggie patties. Time to get serious again about my health - I know I'm worth it, but sometimes life just makes me forget. Now I remember and I'm excited to get going once again!!

Not Losing Weight? Eat more!

The human body is a cleverly designed machine. Did you know that your body self-adjusts to the amount of calories eaten? Which means that a body that has grown (and grown, and grown!!) accustomed to 3000 calories per day, you can drop to 2000 calories and start losing weight. Another person used to 1800 calories per day could eat that same 2000 and start gaining. Of course, the body adjusts, and the 3000 calorie-eater who drops to 2000 may not continue her weight loss forever. What all this means is that the smart body can work negatively for some dieters. If you cut back to 1200 calories per day, for example, you may see some great weight loss for a few weeks! But... here's your adjustable body at work... your body will realize that it is being starved, and it will slow the metabolism down. Your weight loss will slow, and even stop. This process is what kept our ancestors alive - when food was scarce, the body was quite efficient in keeping it's owner from starving to death! But it's 2009 - if you are reading this blog, you are not likely to die of starvation. So, when you plateau, how do you kick it back into gear? Eat more!!

Now this is not license to run out to the nearest fast food joint and cram a couple of Number One's - large size, please - down your throat. Please - learn from my mistakes! What this means is that you can up your calories and do it wisely. Add an extra serving of fruit. And one more of fresh, local veggies. Or increase your protein by an ounce. Have a small scoop of that starchy side you've been avoiding. Slowly add calories until you see your weight start to drop again. As an aside, I should tell you that I don't count calories. To be honest, I just don't have the time. When I write about caloric intake, I know that my food does have calories, and I know the general amount that I am eating, but I base my food choices on the size of the portions and the quality of the food - is it lean, is it fatty? Is it healthy, is it sugary? So when I write about upping or lowering calories, I am speaking in general terms. If counting calories works for you - go for it!! Everyone is different - stick with what works for you. However you track your food, consider increasing or decreasing the amount as you track your weight loss - or lack thereof. Sometimes playing with the amount of food you eat can be the healthiest way to keep your body happy and working well. Of course, you should be consulting your physician before starting any weight loss or exercise program. Once you've consulted him/her, keep in touch! Call the office or come in for another office visit if you're wondering about your caloric intake. Have your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar checked when your doctor suggests so that you both can monitor your success! After all, what's the point of losing 20 pounds if you're going to be too sick -or worse - to enjoy it???

Assuming you have your doctor's blessing, give it a whirl - find the caloric intake your body needs to feel good, run well, and keep you on the weight loss track. I've been wondering if I am eating enough, and I got my answer after getting on the scale this morning. Last weigh in I lost half a pound. I decided to increase my food, went totally insane for a day (see previous post) then settled back into some healthy, responsible eating. I increased my food intake slightly and in a matter of a few days dropped a full pound. Now that's what I call sweet success!