Oh Friday, how I've missed you so -- I did accomplish my mission of "social hiatus" this week and I'm feeling quite well rested, although my body is tired.

Why? Because I've had a few great workouts this week -- nothing super fancy, but I got it done.

Last night was a workout I was particularly proud of -- I headed to the basement, conquering the cold, and threw some laundry in... while the laundry spun away, I climbed on the treadmill and worked it -- then the BOSU ball for kettleball squats, curls, and other arm exercises.

I slept like a baby, and today? YOWSA, I am sore.

Of course, my legs were already sore -- because on Tuesday, I climbed 15 flights of stairs at work. Yep, you heard me right. I didn't have the energy to hit the gym / basement before work, and we bowl on Tuesday nights. I was determined to get to green on my gruve and burn a few calories - so I started hiking.

I keep a pair of running shoes at my desk, so I threw those on and started at the lower level... climbed one flight, walked the circumfrence of the floor, then up another flight, walked the circumfrence, so on and so forth until I hit floor 15... which is a very fancy floor where all our execs sit.

Clearly I didn't belong there - in my running shoes and t-shirt - so I skedaddled pretty quick... walked down the stairs to 8, then took the elevator to 2 where I walked through the rotunda unti going back up to my "home" on he third floor.

The whole thing took about 25 minutes, and it was a great little workout because although it burned a nice chunk of calories and got my HR up, it never got me to the point of sweating (important since I was going right back to my desk!), and as soon as my HR would go up a bit from walking the stairs, it would go right back down when I walked the floor.

I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in a couple of weeks. Sigh.

The good - I've maintained down to the tenth of a pound since a few weeks ago.
The bad - I've maintained down to the tenth of a pound since a few weeks ago.
The ugly - It's time to get serious about this (again) if I want to feel good about my body again...

I woke up this morning already excited to come home at the end of the day and enjoy my home and my weekend!

Update on the Pantry Challenge - my wednesday night dinner plans got all fouled up because the chicken I was going to roast was still rock solid when I got home from work. Thus, my plans last night (leftovers) were somewhat screwed up. I did treat myself to some sushi on Wednesday night for dinner, but last night was a dinner from my own fridge and pantry: lean cuisine, leftover veggies, and a roll.

B: breakfast sandwich (5)
L: chowder, baked tortilla chips, veggies w/ hummus, pudding cup (10)
D: depends on where the evening takes us...

Off and running,
~Jessica

Pantry Challenge: UPDATE

I did some pretty intense food strategery (haha) this past week and the results have been fantastic -- I spend about $50 at the grocery store, buying foods to supplement what I had on hand, in order to make filling and healthy meals without breaking the bank (or the butt of my pants!)

I shared recipes below for Onion Glazed Pork Chops, Chicken Taco Chowder, and Pork & Apple Quesadillas -- what I didn't share was how thoroughly PLANNED my entire food-strategy was for the week:

Sunday: Onion glazed pork chops, butternut squash, brussel sprouts
Monday: Chowder
Tuesday: Pizza night at bowling
Wednesday: Roast a chicken, pair with leftover butternut squash and brussel sprouts from Sunday's dinner!
Thursday: Stuffed bell pepper, using chicken from Weds' dinner
Friday: Supposed to go to dinner with some colleagues
Saturday: Dinner plans
Sunday: Crockpot BBQ chicken & Cornbread, using pantry items + leftover chicken from Weds; salad + broccoli
Monday: Leftover frozen beef stew + pillsbury crescent rolls + leftover broccoli
Tuesday: Beer, bowling, and pizza!

Lunches all week have been -- and will continue to be - leftover corn chowder or pork /apple quesadillas. Between that and some SmartOnes, should have enough to get through all of next week.

By the time Wednesday rolls around, I'll have eaten all the dinner and breakfast items in my house, but I'll still be stocked up on lunches, thanks to some careful planning.

Next week:

• Focus on getting back in the GYM! Just gotta do it!
• I'll need to pick up some breakfast items on Sunday... and then on Wednesday, probably do my "strategery" for the coming week.
• I'll also need to pick up some vegetables to cut up to supplement lunches -

When all is said and done, I think I'll have saved upwards of $200 simply by shopping in my own kitchen rather than at the grocery store. Not bad!

Lucious Leftovers

I took today off of work, and have spent the day indulging in my favorite way... yoga pants, slipper socks, good music on the iPod, and a day in the kitchen -- granted it is only 10:30, but I've accomplished more "food wins" today than I have in weeks.

I'm running out the door to an appointment quickly, but thought I'd first share with you a couple of "made up" recipes that I've crafted out of simple leftovers, and a few pantry items.

Chicken Taco Chowder

(2) 15 oz cans of whole kernel sweet corn

(1) 15 oz can of black beans

(2) 10 oz cans of rotel w/ lime and cilantro

(2) 10 oz cans of rotel w/ chilis
(1) 15 oz can of pureed squash or pumpkin (whatever you have on hand -- and I know this sounds weird, but trust me)

(1) box of chicken broth -- add as needed so that you get the right consistency

Leftover salsa

Leftover chicken breasts

onion

2 small avocados

Cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste.

This is sort of a made-up recipe that consists of SEVERAL recipes I've read over the past few weeks -- I took what i liked the best about them, combined with what I had in my fridge and cupboards, and WHAMMO -- DELICIOUS. This made a boatload of soup (which is simmering away right now in my crockpot), but it will freeze well.

FIRST -- I diced up a small onion and sauteed in some EVOO -- adding a splash of chicken broth near the end so that the onions didn't brown, just got transleuscent. Then, I added the can of squash -- the reason for this ingredient is 1) I needed to use it, and 2) I wanted something to thicken up the soup without adding a fattening cream-based product.

Once those two ingredients were pretty well blended, I added the leftover contents of a jar of salsa. Just cuz. Probably about 1/2 of a small jar. Once it was well mixed, I dumped it all in the crockpot -- and added 1 can of corn, the 4 cans of rotel, a little more chicken broth, and 3 leftover cooked chicken breasts that I had in the fridge -- I shredded them by hand, and just dropped in the crockpot.

Now, this is the step that is kinda finicky, and is DEFINITELY optional. I am weird about beans. I have texture issues, people. So rather than just dumping the black beans into the crock, I dumped them into my food processor -- along with the second can of corn, and 2 small avocados. And then I let 'er rip. The result is a very finely diced mixture that, when added to the soup, thickens it a bit, gives a ton of flavor, but without the mouth feel of biting into a whole bean. You absolutely do NOT have to do this, but if you're a weirdo like me, it is a great way to get a nice blended ingredient to the soup.

Salt, cumin, and chili powder to taste. The house smells incredible -- I plan on eating this for dinner tonight, with some crunched up baked tortilla chips on top, and some shredded cheese.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pork & Apple Quesadillas

After last night's super easy dinner, I was kind of at a loss with what to do with the leftover pork... too much to waste... didn't really want to just reheat and eat it as is... fried rice and stir fry were good options, but then I needed more ingredients than what I had on hand.

In the back of my head, I remembered a restaurant meal that I'd had with my dad YEARS ago -- I mean, YEARS. We were at a restaurant in downtown Edina called Tejas, and I ordered some sort of soft taco concoction... and what stands out in my mind is the teeny tiny diced apple pieces that came with a meat (probably chicken), onions, and cheese. It was amazing. You know how famous chefs talk about meals that change their lives? Well, for some weird reason, these little diced apples have always stuck with me.

I googled "leftover pork recipes" and found lot for pork baked with apples, asian meals, etc. But somehow when I woke up this morning, The Perfect Recipe was in my head: Pork and Apple quesadillas! And as a bonus, I had EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT on hand, except the tortillas. So I broke my pantry rule, and picked up some tortillas.

Then, I carmelized some onions -- EVOO and just a BIT of brown sugar at the end. I chopped up the leftover pork, and added to the pan just to warm it up a bit. While all of that was sauteeing, I used my hand-chopped to very finely dice some crisp, tart, granny smith apples.

The magic ingredient was some herbed goat cheese -- which I spread on the tortillas before adding the other ingredients. Folded the tortillas in half, and sprayed a saute pan with some PAM... cooked on each side for just a minute or two, so the cheese got melty and the tortilla SLIGHTLY crispy... then I removed and allowed to cool before slicing into quarters. I ate 2 of these for lunch, and holy hell, they were DELICIOUS -- the others have been packed up and frozen for quick lunches.

And there you have it, people -- over a dozen meals, made mostly from recipes and things that I had on hand. Easy, satisfying, healthy, and DELICIOUS.

Off and running

~Jessica

Chop Chop Pork Chops

1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix.
1 package of boneless pork chops.
1 cup of water.

40 minutes at 350. Not even kidding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the continuing effort to whiddle my pantry (and my middle!), I've been very purposeful and creative with food for the past week -- my weekend consisted entirely of delivery and restaurant meals, but I spent about $35 on groceries today that will round out my current kitchen contents throughout the rest of the week... Tonight's dinner was great -- I put those chops in a foil-lined baking dish, and paired with some roasted brussel sprouts and diced, sauteed butternut squash. It was delicious, easy, healthy, and there was virtually no cleanup.

The past two weeks have been insane with social plans, so I've officially put myself on "social hiatus" for the majority of this week. And what is nice about that is that cooking and meal planning become much easier. So here's what is on the docket for the week:

Breakfasts:
Jimmy dean De-lights frozen breakast sandwiches (5 WW points and about 15 grams of protein)
Lunches: veggies w/ hummus, and a variety of frozen meals from the freezer stash.

Dinners:
Monday - Chicken taco soup
Tuesday - Bowling, probably = pizza
Wednesday: Thomas Kellar roast chicken, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potato
Thursday: Stuffed red pepper -- stuffed with whole wheat cous cous, ff feta, pine nuts, scallions, and leftover chicken
Friday: ???

This leaves me with lots of luncheon leftovers for the following week: chicken salad, taco soup, etc. And now... off to search for a recipe for my leftover pork (something I can make and freeze for a rainy day!)

Off and running,
~Jessica

2010 Pantry Challenge!

The Consumerist ran a really interesting article a few weeks ago about groceries -- and since there are few things in the world I enjoy more than cooking, food, and reading, I ate this article right up -- it was perfectly positioned right after the new year, and with so many Resolutionist vowing to eat healthier and save money (myself included!) the timing couldn't have been better.

The premise? Eat what you have.

Sounds simple (and obvious) enough, but I can't tell you how many times I'll dash through the grocery store and pick up a package of pasta or taco shells, not sure if I have any or not, only to discover -- oops, I actaully have 3 half-used packages. Stupid. And expensive. And wasteful.

A blogger buddy forwarded the article to me and the rest of our group of friend, and we all signed on for the 2010 Pantry Challenge.

First step was a thorough inventory of fridge, cupboards, pantry, and freezer.

Upon doing this, I discovered that apart from replenishing produce and dairy, and calling up some creativity, I probably don't have to shop much for the better part of the month.

Second step was some research -- I recently discovered a great blog, which not only supports this endeavor, but solves my issue of working until 5, fighting traffic for an hour, and arriving home STARVED and wanting to stand in front of the snack cupboard and shove handfuls of Special K in my mouth. Or worse -- hit the drive-through.

On Thursday, I tried a great recipe for Crockpot BBQ Chicken Casserole With Cornbread, and although I need to tweak the recipe a bit, it was delicious -- and there is nothing better than arriving home on a cold winter night, after a stressful work day, and smell an amazing dinner... that you don't have to DO anything before eating. The extra bonus? I already had EVERY single one of the ingredients in my kitchen. The cornmeal had been sitting around for a while, I only had 2 eggs left, and an unopened bottle of BBQ sauce in the cupboards. SCORE.

In conducting my kitchen inventory, I got a little creative -- discovered a half-used bottle of white wine & herb marinate... and immediately opened a big zip lock bag and dumped it in, along with a package of frozen chicken breasts & the half-empty bottle of semi-flat champagne in my fridge. VOILA -- last night's dinner was champagne & herb marinated chicken -- sounds fancy, but really... was healthy, light, simple, and again -- I had every ingredient in my fridge.

At the same time, I baked the 2 potatoes that were in my cupboards. I only ate one, but with a little shredded cheese, butter, and scallions, turned the 2nd one into two twice-baked potatoes that are now hangin' out in my freezer, waiting to be the perfect lunch or dinner accompaniment to a cup of soup or salad.

The leftover chicken breasts? Well, that can either serve as 2 main courses (2 leftover breasts), or shredded and mixed with a diced up apple, a grain (quinoa, cous cous, brown rice -- take your pick, I've got 'em all!), some reduced fat mayo & dijon mustard... paired with an english muffin or pita bread, theres lunch for a week. Again -- I have all these ingredients in my kitchen.

Today I'll need to pick up mik and a few produce items... but I think I pretty much have dinners and lunches taken care of for the next week. In the fridge, I have a roasting chicken, a package of boneless pork chops, and some leftover frozen beef stew -- since I live alone, that right there is SEVERAL dinners and countless "leftover lunches."

The challenge forces both economy and creativity -- and at the end of it, will result in what EVERYBODY loves about the new year -- the chance for a fresh start.

Off and running,

~Jessica

Pimp My Blog: January 2010 Edition: The Serotonin Diet

The good people over at FSB Associates were, once again, kind enough to send me a copy of The Serotonin Power Diet to review.

Serotonin: What It is and Why It's Important for Weight Loss
By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD and Nina T. Frusztajer, MD,
Authors of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain

Serotonin is nature's own appetite suppressant. This powerful brain chemical curbs cravings and shuts off appetite. It makes you feel satisfied even if your stomach is not full. The result is eating less and losing weight.

A natural mood regulator, serotonin makes you feel emotionally stable, less anxious, more tranquil and even more focused and energetic.

Serotonin can be made only after sweet or starchy carbohydrates are eaten.

More than 30 years ago, extensive studies at MIT carried out by Richard Wurtman, M.D., showed that tryptophan, the building block of serotonin, could get into the brain only after sweet or starchy carbohydrates were eaten. Although tryptophan is an amino acid and found in all protein, eating protein prevents tryptophan from passing through a barrier from the blood into the brain. The reason is simply numbers: Tryptophan competes for an entry point into the brain with some other amino acids. There are more of those other amino acids in the blood than tryptophan after protein is eaten. So in the competition to get into the brain, tryptophan is at a total disadvantage and very little gets in after a protein meal like turkey or snack like yogurt.But carbohydrates tip the odds in tryptophan's favor. All carbohydrates (except fruit) are digested to glucose in the intestinal tract. When glucose enters the bloodstream, insulin is released and pushes nutrients such as amino acids into the cells of the heart, liver and other organs. As it does this, tryptophan stays behind in the bloodstream. Now there is more tryptophan in the blood than the competing amino acids. As the blood passes by the barrier into the brain, tryptophan can get in. The tryptophan is immediately converted to serotonin, and the soothing and appetite controlling effects of this brain chemical are soon felt.

Our studies with volunteers found that when people consumed a pre-meal carbohydrate drink that made more serotonin, they became less hungry and were able to control their calorie intake. Volunteers whose drinks contained protein -- so that serotonin was not made -- did not experience any decrease in their appetite.Most of us have experienced the carbohydrate-serotonin effect on our appetite even though we were not aware of the connection. Have you ever munched on rolls or bread while waiting for the main course to be served in a restaurant? By the time dinner is served, twenty minutes or so after you ate the roll, your appetite has been downsized. "I don't even feel that hungry" is a common response when the plate is put down on the table.This blunting of appetite is not because you may have eaten 120 calories of roll. It is caused by new serotonin putting a brake on your appetite.

Successful weight loss depends on the power of serotonin to control food intake.

The carbohydrate-serotonin connection has a direct impact on our emotional state, too. Drugs that increase serotonin activity have been used for several decades as a therapy for mood disorders. However, our studies showed that natural changes in serotonin could have a profound impact on daily fluctuations in mood, energy levels and attention. In one of our early studies, we found that our volunteers became slightly depressed, anxious, tired, and irritable around 3 to 5 pm every day. At the same time, they experienced, in the words of one volunteer "a jaw-aching need to eat something sweet or starchy." Several studies later, we were able to state that late afternoon seems to be a universal carbohydrate-craving time, and people who experience this craving use carbohydrates to "self-medicate" themselves. Carbohydrate cravers who consume a sweet or starchy snack are increasing serotonin naturally.

We carried out careful clinical studies to measure the effect of carbohydrates on mood and to make sure that the effect was not just due to taste or the effect of taking a break from work. Volunteers, all carbohydrate cravers, were given a carbohydrate or protein- containing food or drink that had identical tastes. Their moods, concentration and energy were measured before and after they consumed the test beverages. The carbohydrate serotonin-producing beverage improved their moods but the protein-containing beverage had no effect on either their mood or their appetite.Eating carbohydrates allows serotonin to restore your good mood and increase your emotional energy.Eating low or fat-free, protein-free carbohydrates in the correct amounts and at specific times potentiates serotonin's ability to increase satiety. You will eat less, feel more satisfied and lose weight.

Here are five tips to get serotonin working for you:

Eat the carbohydrate on an empty stomach to avoid interference from protein from a previous meal or snack. Wait about 3 hours after a meal containing protein.

The carbohydrate food such as graham crackers or pretzels should contain between 25-35 grams of carbohydrate. The carbohydrate can be sweet or starchy. High-fiber carbohydrates take a long time to digest and are not recommended for a rapid improvement in mood or decrease in pre-meal appetite. Eat them as part of the daily food plan instead for their nutritional value.

The protein content of the snack should not exceed 4 grams.

To avoid eating too many calories and slowing down digestion, avoid snacks containing more than 3 grams of fat.

Do not continue to eat after you have consumed the correct amount of food. It will take about 20-40 minutes for you to feel the effect. Eating more carbohydrates during the interval is unnecessary and may cause weight gain.

Stress may increase your need for serotonin and make it harder to control food intake. Prevent this by shifting protein intake to the early part of the day; i.e. protein for breakfast and lunch and switching to carbohydrates by late afternoon. Eating a carbohydrate dinner with very little protein increases serotonin sufficiently to prevent after dinner nibbling. And the soothing effect of the serotonin prevents stress from interfering with sleep.

Boost Serotonin to switch off your appetite and turn on a good mood.

©2009 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD and Nina T. Frusztajer, MD, authors of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight GainAuthor BiosJudith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, has discovered the connection between carbohydrate craving, serotonin, and emotional well-being in her MIT clinical studies.

She received her PhD from George Washington University, is the founder of a Harvard University hospital weight-loss facility and counsels private weight management clients. She has written five books, including The Serotonin Solution, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

Nina T. Frusztajer, MD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, counsels private weight management clients and is a practicing physician and certified professional life coach. She received her master's degree in Nutrition from Columbia University and her medical degree from George Washington University. She lives in Boston, MA.

For more information, please visit www.SerotoninPowerDiet.com and Amazon.com.