Gazpacho (and other goodies)

I regularly crave bold, fresh flavors.  One dish that consistently meets this craving is Gazpacho.  It also meets my need to be barefoot in my kitchen for a significant amount of time.  Gazpacho could be a lot easier to make if I pulled out the Cuisinart.  I prefer to hand chop all of the vegetables which means I end up with an enormous blister on my hand from wielding the knife (knife skills are more important than a lot of people realize).  I also like my gazpacho chunky and the Cuisinart doesn't really allow that.

I've been using the same recipe to make my Gazpacho for years with very few changes or additions along the way.  The recipe came to me from the owner of Brown Bag Deli in Columbus, Ohio (it's in German Village under different ownership). This year I decided I wanted to make a couple of changes so I googled and looked at other gazpacho recipes.  What I discovered is that there really is little variation and that my recipe is filled with the most flavor.  One interesting variation was the addition of zucchini.  As a fan of all things squash, I decided to give it a shot. (This doesn't make a huge difference, but I know it's there and I like it)

What follows is the gazpacho recipe including all the changes and tweaks I've made to it over the last several years. If you prefer yours smooth, put it in the Cuisinart or the blender.  If you like it spicier, add more Tabasco.  I use a TON of cilantro; if you don't like cilantro as much as I do leave it out or half it.  As with all my recipes, I leave the salt out.  Feel free to add salt if you like.  I also chose to use 2 different kinds of tomatoes just for fun  this time. I'm sassy like that.  Adjust the tomatoes as you see fit.  I don't like green peppers which is why I use red and yellow; adjust that if you want also. One of the beautiful things about Gazpacho is that it's easily adapted.  Use more or less of the spices as you see fit.  If you follow my recipe, it will be mildly spicy with a bold tomato and cilantro flavor. . .very fresh.

Gazpacho


2 medium/large yellow tomatoes (or red, you choose)
4 Roma tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Red Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Zucchinni
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 46oz container of Vegetable Juice or Tomato Juice (I prefer the veggie---low sodium, organic)
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Light Olive Oil
Fresh Ground Pepper
Tabasco Sauce (I use 12 drops)

Chop vegetables to desired size.

Stir to mix.  Add vegetable or tomato juice, stir.  Stir in oil and vinegar.  Add pepper to taste. Add Tabasco to taste.  Cover and chill to let flavors soak.  Add more spice as desired.  

Y'all this makes a TON of Gazpacho.  It doesn't freeze well so don't even attempt it (trust me). Just find some friends and share!  I like to eat mine with boiled or grilled shrimp (local, of course).  Cook those bad boys and dump 'em in.  Many people top their Gazpacho with sour cream.  I sometimes do, sometimes don't.  Again, I'm sassy like that. 


Here's a few of the other things I whipped up yesterday. . .

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins (because I have a wicked craving that needs to be met) These look gross but taste sooooooooooooooo good.  I added almonds instead of walnuts (because I think walnuts are evil).  They taste like Fall. 

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread (because I had extra bananas that were going gross in the fridge).  This bread tastes delicious; perfectly sweet despite the lack of sugar.

I hope you take time to dance in your kitchen like I do.  Be creative.  Let loose.  Get moving. Get cooking.  Enjoy summer!

Motivation

I've been thinking a lot lately about what motivates us to achieve our fitness goals.  For me, seeing results was incredibly motivating.  Now I continue to be motivated by things I see others doing.  My runner friends are FAST; I want to be fast too, which motivates me to train.  I think we are all motivated by different things which means my method of hanging the smaller sized jeans I wanted to fit into where I would see them easily wouldn't work for someone else.  I put the question of motivation out there into social media to see what response I would get.

It seems many of you are bothered by what you see in the mirror.  To this I refer you  here.  You must start loving what you've been given in order for it work for you.  My body and I didn't get along.  I put gross food into it and never appreciated it.  Not a day goes by that I don't give thanks to my body for carrying me through the day, through workouts, and through this journey I call life.  My other pinch of advice (you're here, you must want a little) is to use the mirror as motivation.  Prove the mirror wrong; show it that you CAN and WILL change the reflection.  Start now.

The other problem with motivation seems to be the workout.  What's going on there, folks?  Have you not found something that you don't consider torture?  I hate the treadmill.  Hate.  So I never, ever touch it.  I have all the motivation in the world to work out, but still won't touch a treadmill.  I've found other things that I like that give me amazing results. You can do this, too. Experiment.  Most fitness studios and gyms will let you pay for one class at a time.  When you find something you love, I guarantee it will keep you wanting more. Wanting more is excellent motivation.

We all seem to need some level of support system.  Whether it's someone to keep you from eating cookies on the couch, push you to run that last quarter mile, go to a class, or log your food.  We need our friends.  Find the people who will continue to encourage, lose the ones that don't.  Don't be afraid to ask someone to be your partner in accountability.  Ultimately, you need to find motivation on your own to empower yourself.  I don't especially enjoy running alone; but I do enjoy running.  My running partner has a busy life and can't always run with me.  I had no choice but to run alone.  My motivation there is my love of running and to prove that I can do it alone. As it turns out, I can run alone; I don't like it but I still get it done.   Challenge yourself; I promise you'll like it!

I'm giving you homework this time.  Think about what motivates you; embrace that and find a way to make it work for you.  Share your success stories with others.  Give a push to someone that may or may not need it. Tell someone they look great.  Try something new.  Stop being afraid.  Be grateful.  Get moving.  You can do it!

Cheater Cheater!!

I think cheat meals are crazy important.  I cheat once a week, sometimes twice.  My cheat meals often indulge a craving that isn't satisfied by other means .  Sometimes it is as simple as breaking my eating schedule (such a rebel).  Since I'm in maintenance mode it's a little easier to cheat and not feel guilty about it.  I am also incredibly choosy about where I cheat.  I'm not going to waste calories on crappy food; it's not worth it.  I have a handful of restaurants that make me drool just thinking about their menus.  Happy to share my list and my favorite menu options if you ask nicely.  (PS-- It IS possible to eat at a restaurant and not cheat)

In the beginning, I attempted to avoid cheating.  I don't recommend it.  I began to obsess on cravings and my healthy food stopped satisfying me.  A few weeks into the journey, I  introduced cheat meals.  A cheat meal is just that. . .ONE meal.  It is not an entire day devoted to eating crap. For me it was often not even a full meal; it was dessert at my favorite restaurant or a cookie from Whole Foods (I clearly have a sweet tooth).  Some people, including me,  plan their cheat in advance.  I think this is a fantastic idea as long as you don't obsess on the meal.  I knew a girl once that would spend the entire week talking about what she was going to eat for Friday cheat meal.  Not only was this completely annoying; it couldn't have been helping her.   Lately my cheat meal has been Sunday brunch (that's a whole other blog; the food in this town is amazing). 

If you are trying to lose weight and you're cheating more than once a week or still having cheat days, you might want to rethink your priorities.  Cheat days don't really help you, do they?   You gobble up all the crap you want in a 24 hour time span only to see the scale either go up or stay the same.  How about how you feel after an entire day of eating junk?  It's not worth it if you ask me.  My craving to stay in smaller sizes definitely outweighs my craving for cake.  


My advice for cheat meals. . . 

• Stick to one meal per week. 
• Stay on track with diet and exercise before and after the cheat.  You'll feel better
• Don't use a cheat as a reward for doing well.  Reward yourself with non-food items (I prefer shoes and new workout clothes, but I'm kind of a weirdo).  
• If you don't feel like cheating, don't!  I sometimes change my mind at brunch and order fruit and a salad (my brunch companion hates this). 
• If you really only want dessert, then only get dessert.  My  mom says it's okay to eat pie for dinner (or lunch or breakfast). 

Cheating can get out of hand quickly.  Be careful and choosy with your cheats. Everything tastes better in moderation.  

A tiny and quiet shout out to the person that helped me learn about cheat meals.  Through trial, error and many conversations we figured out what worked for me.  Most of what I learned came from these conversations.  Thank you for your knowledge and your support.  

Off the wagon

Falling off the healthy wagon happens.  Whether you get lazy with your workouts or lazy with your eating (or both), it happens.  I'm here to tell you, it will be okay.  Just get back on; it's that simple.

I fell off the wagon last week.  I didn't break any bones or roll down the hill into the river, but I did stumble.  My workouts didn't happen because I'm having some knee issues.  I like to listen to my body and it was clearly telling me not to do much with that knee.  I ignored it one day and went running only to be rewarded with some swelling and a little stiffness.  My body's way of saying, "I told you not to do that." My eating was a little off whack in that I skipped meals and didn't make the smartest choices when it came to what I ate.

Am I beating myself up about last week?  No.  I don't have time for that.  What I do have time for is figuring out what caused me to break my habits and fixing it.   I don't have a set schedule in the summer which means I eat at different times every day.  As opposed to the school year when I eat at very specific times daily.  In the summer I tend to lose track of time and remember, too late, that I'm supposed to be eating.  This means I end up skipping a meal. This doesn't please my body.    I also don't meal prep as much in the summer, thinking that I'll have time to cook when it's time to eat.  The problem here is I like my laid back days.  I don't want to cook.  There's another problem.

This week, I'm back to being good. I spent several hours on Sunday prepping meals and cutting up fruits to snack on.  My fridge is full of deliciousness so I have no excuses to not eat a decent meal.  I'm remembering to pay attention to the time so meals aren't skipped.  I'm still listening to my knee but not babying it.  I'll be running this week but maybe skipping Barre. I'll probably take this opportunity to get back to Pilates and Yoga.

I'm human, I make mistakes.  The important part is that I learn from those mistakes.  Take the lesson and move on.

Independence

This blog is  recycled  from July 4, 2011.  My journey had just begun; my self-esteem was horrible;  and my will power was being tested at every turn. I hadn't made much progress and was still trying to figure out the diet/workout combination.   I remember being this frustrated, but I love that my sense of humor was still present.  


I'd like to point out that I attended this pool party wearing capris and a tee shirt.  That's how awful my body image was.  There was absolutely no way I was putting a bathing suit or even shorts on in public.  A year later I'm not afraid to wear shorts or a bathing suit in public.   It is incredibly rewarding to look at this post and see how far I have come.  


I've added some comments to this post.  Anywhere you see italics is a 2012 addition. 

July 4th.  This is one of my favorite holidays (Christmas is first for those that are interested) and one of my most challenging.  Here's a brief list of the things that will challenge my will power and self-esteem today:

1.  Delicious picnic/cook-out food (Picnic food is no longer a challenge.  I love the way I eat and know how to have just one or just one bite of something)

2. My beautiful friends in adorable bikinis (Still adorable; but not intimidating.  I have a very cute suit that makes me feel fabulous)

3. The strong desire to sit in a lawn chair and do nothing but enjoy my freedom. (Absolutely nothing wrong with this.  In fact, today that will be what I do because tomorrow I'm running a 5K.  The problem lies  in never getting out of the lawn chair.)

 Bitching and whining would be an incredibly easy way to deal with all this.  It would also be easy to just stay home and celebrate America's independence alone.  I just don't think our forefathers would want that.  Somehow I believe that they want me at that pool party enjoying the gift of freedom and watching others blow stuff up.  So here's how I'm going to fight the evils that will test my will power today: 

1.  I'm going to the gym.  If I have to drive to Goose Creek to find one that's open, I will do that.  Cardio is my friend today.  (I did go to the gym that day!  I did not have to drive to Goose Creek)

2.  I'm bringing my own delicious picnic food.  I'd much rather eat a piece of hormone-free, chicken breast with a little honey mustard than a chemical laden, God-knows-where-the-meat-came-from burger or hotdog.  I'm also bringing a supply of fresh fruit to nom on when the sweets show up. One of my sadist friends will surely bring brownies or cookies.   (I absolutely did this and still do.  I also brought several types of hummus with veggies to share with the crowd.  Bringing your own food is perfectly acceptable in most circles.  If your friends have issue with this, you might need new friends)

3.  I'm going to remember how hard I've worked to drop 2 measly pounds.  The past few weeks haven't been fun.  A little cheating today will NOT be worth it tomorrow.  (I'm in maintenance mode now so I am a little more free to "cheat."  This doesn't mean that I do it all the time.  I know how hard I've worked to lose 40 pounds and how crappy I felt last year.  If I want a taste, I will have one.  Everything in moderation.)

4. I have the faith that next year I'll be beautiful in an adorable swimsuit.  Bikini isn't off the table, but it isn't quite on it either. (Not ready for a bikini, but I do have an adorable polka dot two-piece.  I even own more than one!  I'm not embarrassed about my body in a bathing suit any more.)

Gotta run, the ellipitcal awaits.  Happy Independence Day! (No elliptical today since it's a rest-before-a-race day.)

Find your own independence today.  While you celebrate America's freedoms, celebrate your own.  I know I will!  

Love your body. Start now

All of you. . . stop nit picking your own body. Right now.  Enough with the "my ass has dimples,"  "my boobs are too small," "my nose is misshapen," "my thighs are huge," and "I have belly fat."  What about the good?!  There are good things about your body and it is up to you to find them, embrace them, and love them.


I was never a big fan of my thighs.  So I stopped looking at them and focused on parts I did like.  I found out that my eyes change color depending on my mood and who is around me (To the amazing group of people that turn them bright, bright green. . . my gratitude is undying).  I discovered I have great definition in my  arms and that my toes aren't nearly as weird as I once thought. While I wasn't paying attention to my thighs, my quad muscles decided to appear. They aren't super obvious, but they are present.   They carry me through Barre workouts, 5Ks, and up my 3 flights of stairs. For that, I am grateful. 


Look in the mirror and find your fabulous!  Ask yourself what you're grateful for and say it out loud!


Embrace your flaws and love your body; it's the only one you've got.