Posts by islandscribe

This thread is now closed. Please visit the new thread -

Wagon Jumpers - November 27 to December 3

Thanks for tracking Anddan. I know it is a bit finicky to double-check the member list against the posts.

I hadn't thought of carrots but I have used Kuri Squash as a substitute for pumpkin in some recipes. I agree it is mostly about the spicing.

One thing I have been doing is making spelt pancakes (relatively low-cal at 250 for a hearty 3 pancake serving) and mixing in some pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg prior to cooking. Delicious - in addition to being a very eye-pleasing colour.

(Yes, I spelt color/colour correctly - I'm Canadian.) ;-)

Keep well,

Val

Original Post by anddan:
And does anyone remember where the Previous Thread section of the post went?  Did we decide to get rid of it?  I don't recall.

I went back through the threads and it seems to have been dropped a few weeks ago. Probably an accidental slip while cutting and pasting.

I've fixed it. It's back with the most recent threads included.

Keep well,

Val

For ths week's topic I'd like to steal a concept from the world of the 'kitchen stadium', where 'iron chefs' produce an stunning array of dishes based on a single ingredient.

It's harvest season which I suspect means many of us have a sudden surfeit of our own personal 'secret ingredient', whether it is a lifetime supply of zucchini, enough apples to feed an army, bins of corn, bushels of tomatoes or ?

I'm also guessing most of us don't have highly skilled professional chefs on hand to help us find interesting ways to use up the bounty.

So...which specific "secret ingredient" would you like to challenge the list to utilize. Post it - and perhaps someone on this list has ideas/recipes to suggest.

I'll start... My 'secret ingredient' is:

PUMPKIN

(including sugar pumpkin, French pumpkin, white pumpkin, weird greenish- skinned French pumpkin with warts & red kuri squash)

I got a bit over-inspired at the local farmer's market and now have lotsa  pumpkin that comes out of the skin, not out of the can.

I'm looking for healthier options than pumpkin pie (which I love but which is too calorie-dense for everyday consumption.)

Keep well,
Val

I have a personal trainer and it's the best weight loss decision I ever made. I'm also single, have a decent job, and don't waste money on a lot of other luxuries, so the trainer is an affordable option for me. Cost is only $20 per half-hour session.

Go for it!

Keep well,

Island Scribe

One topic I was thinking about was asking people to post health recipe requests for specific ingredients.

It's harvest season around here and - for example - I am currently awash in pumpkin and other squash.

I don't grow them but I do go to a local farmer's market and so tend to stock up on what is in season. I just bought a monster french pumpkin and would love some recipes or even advice on preserving it.

Keep well,

Val

Sorry... done now.

Fighting cold-induced fuzzy brain and I keep forgetting what I'm supposed to be doing.

Click here for the new thread.

This thread is now closed.

... well, I've fallen off the wagon badly on all counts. I keep trying to start logging and then real life hits and - well - I don't enter the lists of food into the logger. I've been super-busy in all directions.

One issue is that my scale battery has died. So my finish for the sentence is...

replace the battery in the kitchen scale so I get accurate food measurements and start logging again.

Plus I'm not exercising...on Sept. 1 I was at a 6 a.m. boot camp running from the track to the bleachers and I tripped on a little stub of metal sticking out of the ground. WHAM!! Instant bruises and scrapes and stuff but what really lingered was the soreness of my ribs/chest etc.

Six days later I was at another boot camp and couldn't do crunches (owww!!!) so the trainer convinced me to go see a doctor. I did - and I'm on a two-week exercise ban for anything involving arms/chest etc. because I may have a hairline crack in my ribs and DEFINATELY have a bunch of muscle/ligament bruising under the skin.

Tell me... birthday cake is calorie-free, right?  Not that I have any reason for asking....

Keep well,

Island Scribe

Gosh, where did August go? This thread already extends to September!

Given that we span two months, I have a two-part topic.

Part one: What did your improved lifestyle allow you to do this summer that would not have been possible or unthinkable previously?

Part two: September is often a time for new beginnings. (I know many WJers are doing very well on their goals while other, like me, have been sliding... so I'm already looking at September as a 'fresh start.')

Is there something that you're either starting or renewing in September? A new class, a new hobby, a new activity, a new job... what are you looking forward to next month?

Keep well,

Val

I'm back! I'm back! Gosh, time slips away quickly. Thanks for the nudge, Sarah Ann.

:-)

I was volunteering at a Rotary event a few weeks ago that involved producing dinner for 200-plus swimmers and their families at a regional swim meet. I was working in the kitchen, which went just fine until later in the evening when I decided to start washing up.

(cue ominious music)

ATTACK OF THE DEADLY CHEF KNIFE!

One of our members is a retired chef and he had brought his just-sharpened chef knives into the kitchen - with no warning labels attached. I swear I barely touched the thing - in fact, I think it may have leapt at my hand - and next thing I knew I was spending the evening in emergency getting stitches in a finger which had been sliced to the bone. Then the finger was wrapped in a hulking two-inch bandage, which made it very challenging to type.

That, BTW, is why I didn't finish the MIA list or post that week - sorry!

Follow that with a business trip away and a week holiday and well... I've been off the wagon posting-wise, logging-wide, and diet-wise. *sigh!* Even my exercise classes have been cancelled. So I'm now thinking ... fresh start at the beginning of September, when everything resumes.

Quickie bio...

Since joining CC in April 2010, I've lost approximately 70 pounds and become more fit than I would have believed possible at the ... ahem ... very mature age of 55. I've ALWAYS had issues with weight and exercise so I'm hoping this time it sticks...so for the first time in my life I'm weight training and going to boot camps etc.

My weight loss inspiration was a l'il "man" in my life called Shade. We were doing agility class together and I realized he needed his human partner to move faster. (Okay - to be honest - in February 2010 I couldn't run a practice set of eight jumps without feeling like I was risking a heart attack.)

NOW we can both run - evidence here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheIslandScribe

This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday we spent the weekend at the local fall fair doing agility demonstrations with the kennel club, so I'm currently sun-baked, tired but happy. Pup did me proud, performing enthusiastically all weekend.

Professionally, I'm the director of marketing and communications for a seniors residential health care company, so I spend most work days at a computer. I work remotely most of the time - but travel when required to visit different sites. The combination of a desk-bound job and business travel is not helpful for weight control.

Keep well,

Val

P.S. Yes, I know I'm setting up the thread on Sunday.