Heat wave....

Honey, we are sufferin' from a heat wave of monumental proportions!! Exercise has reached a different dimension--these exercises are guaranteed to cause you to break a sweat in no time!

1. Stand outside
2. Walk to the car
3. Walk from the car to a store
4. Walk around in the store
5. Walk from a store to the car

All this heat certainly curbs the appetite also....gad, all that food just heats up the body....and when temperatures have consistently been 100+ for the past 2 weeks, one starts thinking about ways to keep cool....well, let me rephrase that....one starts thinking of ways to be less hot...

Cool Foods

• Jello
• Salad
• Melons
• Ice cream
• Pudding
• Berries
• Lemonade
• Yogurt

....and, of course, wearing as few clothes as possible!

So I'm heading south....to Galveston on Tuesday....and meet up with Tropical Storm Eduoard!

Exercise....sort of...

Does standing in line for 3 hours count as exercise?? What about another hour of milling around? That's how much time we spent at Antiques Roadshow Dallas! It took right at 3 hours just to get to the front of the line where they "sort" you out--you are given specific tickets to where you need to take your items, such as dolls, decorative arts, jewelry, metal, tribal arts, etc. Then, depending on how long the lines are, you stand in more lines to get your items appraised. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to go....the show will air sometime Jan-May 2009.

Other "exercise" on the agenda for the week: mowing, weed eating (Ashley & Lindsay: sorry I've put you out of a job!! I love you!), re-potting some plants, major rearranging and cleaning in the library, picking blueberries for myself!

Mowing as exercise...

I hope that Kari is sitting down when she reads this post....otherwise she may pass smooth out from the shock of what I've just done....


Just a few weeks ago we were discussing the last time I had mowed a lawn....and we agreed I was probably in high school.....do you know how long ago that has been???!!!!

I can't stand to see the grass overgrown...so I decided I was going to mow one day last week...only I couldn't get the lawnmower started....I seemed like I just didn't have the strength to pull the cord hard/fast enough! :(

Lindsey came over and mowed last night....she unexpectedly showed up this morning, too...so I asked her to start it for me....well....it seems I just didn't know HOW to start the mower!! I had no idea I needed to push a little red button several times (prime the gas??)!!

I've tried to be conscious of ways I can add more exercise to my life...and mowing would certainly be one!! ugh!! I realize my job is fairly sedentary (unless I'm having to take over a place and do major cleaning/reorganizing, which has been the case at every library job I've had--but even that is not long-term day-to-day work). Jake and I worked Friday evening/night, Saturday morning till 1:00, and I worked pretty much all day yesterday cleaning/organizing laundry room and my office bookcases. This week I'm going to be working on the front room with Jake....I canNOT start back to school with my house needing to be organized/cleaned!!

Oh....and in case you didn't believe that I really did mow the yard, I offer this picture as evidence...completely un-retouched!!

....and now I'm off to buy vaccuum cleaner....so I can get even more exercise!! ugh!

6/17 update: I also bought a weed-eater....even more exercise!! lol

I need to attend a conference EVERY week!

Kari, Esther, and I attended the TLA conference in Dallas this past week for 3 full days---lots and lots of walking and lugging around sacks and bags of books....so many freebies!!! If a person is willing to spend the time going through all the vendors, you can get so many free books, posters, and bookmarks to take back to school! It's crazy great! Esther left a sack for me to mail home to her (she's not going to be back home until May 8ish). Kari left half the back seat of my car filled with things to ship to her....and the trunk of my car is filled!

The good news is that I'm down a few more pounds! And I'll be working really hard to get the next 3 lbs. off!!

Burning calories...

What is it about exercise.....I enjoy it when I'm doing it, but the problem is starting....and it's sooo much easier to do it with another person to help motivate, but since I live alone and Kari & Warren are a good 5 hours south, it's been so much easier to sleep, lay around and read a good book (job-related exercise...lol), or do something creative...especially since the "great fall" back in November.

Then I heard a shocking piece of info this week while watching The Biggest Loser: You must burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb.

Hmmmm....I'd better quit lounging around in my favorite corporate p.j.'s (I spent 5+ years wearing nothing but while working for Edison...in case you have to ask what "corporate p.j.'s" are)....and start finding out how many calories I'm burning or could be burning! Here's the skinny (no pun intended...well, ok, maybe a little bit intended :)

Number of calories burned in 30 minutes:

Cleaning House 288
Curves 500
Dancing 147
Driving car 42 (I do this for 1 1/2 hrs. five days a week!)
Food shopping w/cart 50 (I'm not sure why having a cart matters....)
Gardening 195
Hiking 201
Kayaking 216
Kissing 50
Knitting/Crocheting 43
Laundry 50
Lawn mowing 156
Moving furniture/household items 259-388 (I'm not in to moving furniture around unless it means packing and moving!)
Office Work 70
Painting/Papering a house 194
Playing piano 108
Pushing stroller w/child 108
Scrubbing floors on hands and knees 237 (like I'm ever going to do this!!)
Sewing 43
Sex 177 (5.9 calories per minute) [had to include this to see if anyone is paying attention!...and for those of you who might need to measure in minutes instead of half hour blocks! LOL]
Shelving books---I don’t know! (Some days it takes me 1-1 ½ hrs. to get it all done. I’m guessing it burns between 100-150 per 30 minutes---maybe more.)
Shopping 108 (notice that shopping is so much harder than just shopping for food!)
Sitting at rest .8 (yes, that is a decimal)
Sitting reading 48
Sleeping 48 (gad!!! it takes so little effort to get beauty sleep, doesn't it?)
Stair Climbing (normal speed) 264
Standing 96
Sweeping 173
Walking 108-204
Watching TV 72.5
Yard Work 185
Yoga 173

I called Curves to find out if they are running any specials--they are: a 2 for 1, but I don't have anyone to make that one....

So I guess I'd better get back to the laundry, house cleaning, cooking, yard work....hmmm, will it all add up to 500 calories burned a day?

Discoveries...the good and the bad

I weighed yesterday morning....stark naked (picture it or not...it's up to you)....and I have not lost one damn pound since January!!!! I should win a prize for maintaining......

In an effort to burn some calories today, I finished raking the front yard of the massive amount of leaves that come off the very large old oak tree in the front yard. Did I bag them? No! I raked them all down to the curb ditch where they'll be washed away in the next gully washer! After a rest....and discovering a blister on my hand....I decided to tackle the back side patio where leaves have accumulated from the most prolific pecan tree in the neighbor's back yard. I got all those raked into a big pile (where I'll set fire the first chance I get that I think I won't get caught!!) Then I discover I have a blister on top of a blister from the cute shoes I wore yesterday (that I hadn't worn in 4 years! I think I bought them in Vegas...so you know they had to be cute...but comfy...except for the darn blister!!)....I put two bandaids on and some loose shoes and now they loose shoes have worn another blister!! ouch!

I realized yesterday that I can walk all over the school without huffing and puffing. I can carry in large boxes of books without getting winded.....and I can rake the yard and really work up a sweat, but without getting short of breath!! This in itself is an accomplishment as far as I'm concerned.

Since we are on spring break this week (thank you, God!), I'm trying to get some spring yard work done before the hustle and bustle hits on Wednesday. I've still got to get my little herb garden cleaned out and some new things set in. I've got to locate the new trimmer I bought last year and get some shrubbery and growth cut back. I also want to get some sewing projects finished that I've started (baby quilt, baby blanket, embroidered picture, and some lavender-filled embroidered pears)

I think Curves is running a special right now, so I'll go investigate re-joining on Monday morning.

Yes, I'd still do it over again....losing ALMOST 50 lbs. has made a tremendous difference.

Addictive behavior...

I hadn't seriously considered myself as having an addictive behavior, but it is true. And strangely enough, I've been cautioned twice by total strangers to beware of becoming addicted to alcohol after having lapband surgery (*rolling my eyes* Do I look like I've been drinking...or just that I need a drink??)!! This is because food addicts tend to replace one addict with another. Having been on meds for years and also being fully aware of the dangers of alcoholism, I've never considered that being a temptation for me.

However, I must confess that the addictive behavior reared its ugly head during the past week and a half.....and it was over the soy/rice crackers!!! I found myself craving them! I wanted to eat the whole bag!!!! And on more than one occasion I ate half the bag!! This was quite unsettling for me to deal with. Maybe I'm really a carb addict instead of a sugar addict. Seriously...I think I'm going to have to give them up!! Crunchy, salty things.....

Someone suggested that exercise might be something I considered becoming addicted to. I hadn't planned on joining Curves until after the 6 wk. period was up and I'd had my check-up, but I guess you noticed that I hurried on down to Curves this weekend and joined up! If I'm going to have an addition, at least it should be a healthy one!

Curves ahead...

Saturday I joined Curves and did my first workout (with 2 skinny minnies!). (This also means I have to start shaving my legs more often!!) I was really dreading the weigh-in, but it confirmed what I already knew...I'm just at a plateau...haven't lost any and haven't gained any, which means, if nothing else, I'm doing a good job of maintaining! :) They've added 4 new workout machines and a stretching machine since I went 4 years ago. Looking forward to the impact that this kind of workout will make physically and mentally. I plan on doing this after school every day and on Saturday mornings.

Now, I need to cook for the next week---Hell Week starts next week (I have early morning gym duty, the bookfair, and late afternoon bus duty where the kids have to wait for 45 min. in the cafeteria! I hate duty...how did I get so lucky to have both in the same week? Someone at school hates me.)--so I don't want any stress from any unnecessary areas--such as needing to cook to eat! I'm going to make the Mediterranean tuna salad again. It was absolutely delicious! I've really liked all of the soup recipes so far (I haven't made Kari's yet, but she did and said it was good.) I didn't care for the roasted tilapia much--too bland--but the green chili sauce was very good. I think it would be better with a different fish or even chicken.

I'm making these recipes this weekend:

Chicken Verde (141 calories--serves 4)

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces or 8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, also cut into pieces
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
All-purpose or Wondra flour for dusting (I don't see why self-rising wouldn't work, too)
1 T. olive oil (actually, it takes a little more and I had to add to it as they cooked)
1 lg. sweet onion, diced
2 Anaheim green chiles, poblano chilies, or New Mexico green chilies, stemmed, seeded, and diced (I used a can of green chiles--fresh chilies are too darn high falutin' for Bonham! later, however: ok...I have to take back what I said...I did find Anaheim chiles at Brookshires.)
1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 lg. jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeded, and diced (I just cut up some from the jar instead of using fresh)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 c. prepared tomatillo salsa or salsa verde (look for the canned variety on the Mexican aisle--that's what I used--but if you don't find it, you can follow the recipe below--unless Wal-mart is sold out like in Bonham!! I'm thinking this isn't a staple in most white people's kitchen!)
juice of 1 lime, 1 1/2 - 2 t.
1 c. water
1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream
grated zest of 1 lime

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat and brown the chicken pieces; transfer to a bowl. Pour off all but 2 T. of oil. In the remaining oil, saute the onion, chilies, bell pepper, jalapenos, and garlic until tender, about 5 min. Add the oregano and cumin, and saute for 1 min. Stir in the salsa, lime juice, water, and the chicken pieces along with any accumulated juices. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat, and simmer for 35-40 min., until the chicken is tender. Smells divine!

Blend the sour cream with the lime zest and juice and drizzle a bit over each serving. This would be really good served over rice. And with all that cilantro you have in the fridge, you may as well add some to the dish when serving.

Tomatilla (pronounced "toe-mah-TEE-yo" for those of you not immersed in the Hispanic population) Salsa Verde (Makes 1 1/2 cups)

3/4 lb. tomatillos
1/4 c. chopped white or red onion
1/4 c. cilantro leaves
1 t. fresh lime juice
1/8 t. sugar
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
salt to taste

Remove the papery husks from tomatillos (the tomatillos will feel sticky like glue!) and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 min. to lightly blacken the skin.

Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, peppers, and sugar in food processor or blender and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in fridge. You will have about 1/2 c. more than you need for the Pollo Verde recipe.

Note: You can easily double this recipe. Serve the extra with chips.

Epicurious Tortilla Soup (About 160 calories--serves 4) [Later note: This turned out delicious!]

Nonstick vegetable oil spray or 1 t. olive oil
1 md. sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. ground cumin
3/4 t. chili powder (I left this out...chili powder just isn't my thing)
4 c. vegetable broth
4 t. chopped fresh cilantro

4 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips, optional (I added them, tho)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed, drained
2/3 c. chopped zucchini (you could substitute yellow squash if you want)
1 can chicken
1 1/2 t. minced seeded jalapeno chili
salt and pepper to taste

Spray large nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil spray. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Add broth and cilantro; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeno to soup. Cover; simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Vegetable Broth (makes 4 c.)

2 lg. onions
2 md. carrots
3 stalks celery
1 whole bulb of garlic
10 peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Chop everything up coarsely, put in large stockpot, add water to cover veggies, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Remove and strain through a colander. If you have more than 4 c., you can freeze the extra

....OR...you can take the easy route like me and get some "Better Than Bouillon" base and use it instead. :) I ordered it from: http://superiortouch.com/btb.htm I got the veggie, beef, mushroom, and chicken.