Thursday, January 15, 2009

Día Cincuenta y Cinco

Spicy Herbed Chicken Thighs, Creamed Spinach and Avocado

Confession time. I haven't been exercising. I have only been meditating sporadically. And, I've been feeling kind of "down" and "tired" a lot of the time. This isn't unusual. It's been with me most of my life. Still, I thought there might be merit in mentioning it.

I've managed to stick to my diet plan quite successfully but not a heck of a lot more than that. And I want to do more than what I'm presently doing. I'm just not satisfied with my current rate of progress. The weight loss side of things is going a-okay. But, there's more to it than that. A lot more.

I really believe that the best way to part ways with my past is by incorporating more order in my present and future. I've just started using a daily planner my wife gave me.

There are a few harsh realities that I think I need to come to grips with:

1. Even though I'm a "night owl" by nature, I really need to bring myself closer to nature's clock. Fall asleep earlier and rise earlier too. Start my days, with a plan, and get as much done as early as possible.

2. I need to document things like a tax accountant. My daily planner shall become my new best friend. We'll likely have a love-hate relationship or vice versa.

3. Setting time-limits will become important. I'm quite tortoise-like in my demeanor. That probably needs to change. How? I don't know. Maybe more coffee. Maybe better focus via meditation. Maybe eating more rabbit. There's a will and there must be a way.

I feel like I must acknowledge that I'm not really looking forward to much of this. It'll be a chore, mostly. But, like Jimmy Moore mentioned in his menu today: At one point, "we" considered reducing "our" carb intake to be a chore as well. And that was a change for the better. Perhaps this will be too.

I hope you'll join me on this little experiment. Even as a spectator. See where I succeed and fail. Learn from my many missteps and day-to-day victories. That alone would be a measure of success, as far as I'm concerned.

I thank you all for your continued support and kindness. It really does help me to feel less alone in this world.

Thursday - January 15, 2009

9:30 am

+ a coffee whey protein shake - (2 scoops of whey protein powder, 2 oz of heavy cream, 2 oz of water, 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, 1 packet of stevia + FOS and 2 packets of Also Salt)

1:30 pm

+ 2 bratwurst sausages

+ 1 small Roma tomato, sliced

+ 3 tablespoons of sour cream (placed on the tomato slices)

+ a glass of red wine

4:15 pm

+ a cup of "hard choco-coffee" - (2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, and hot water)

7:30 pm (pictured above)

+ 2 pieces of spicy herbed chicken

+ 3/4 of an organic avocado

+ 1/4 homemade creamed spinach


Exercise Amount: TBD

Meditation Time: TBD


More to come ...

7 comments:

bayoubabe said...

I just LOVE bratwurst.

Right now, I'm loving my Hickory Farms Sausages and Cheeses, I got for myself as a Christmas present.

you have such nice menus :)

Bayoubabe

Harry/JP said...

I'm pretty fond of them too, Bayoubabe. I'll have to eat them more often. They're nice and fatty - unlike many other sausages I see around.

Sounds like a really good Christmas gift. :)

And thanks for the compliment about my menus. I'll try to add new foods, along the way, and keep things interesting.

I enjoy seeing your menus as well. Your last batch of bread looked fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Heya Harry, Ya know, I need to get your creamed spinach recipe again, I don't know where it is on my blog anymore. Can you email it to me? My email is on my profile page.
Question of the day:

You use stevia as your sweetner. Is that something you incorporated into your diet as a part of your low carb plan?

Harry/JP said...

Howdy, Sadekat.

Sure, I'll e-mail it to you. I'll also post it here, in case someone else would like it. I think I've streamlined the receipe a bit since I last posted it.

Yes, the stevia pretty much started along with the LCing.

Harry's Super Creamy Creamed Spinach

+ a 10 oz bag of frozen spinach leaves

+ several cloves of garlic

+ 2-4 ounces of cream cheese (not the whipped variety)

+ 2 slices of provolone or other cheese of your choosing

+ salt and pepper to taste

I start by dicing the garlic and sauteeing it with butter (usually a few tablespoons worth).

Then, I dump the thawed (or sometimes frozen) garlic into the same pot and cook it down (on low heat). Keep the lid off the pot.

After some of the water has evaporated from the spinach and it's nicely cooked through and mingling well with the garlic ... I add the cream cheese.

Mix the spinach, garlic and cream cheese until well incorporated. Then add the two slices of cheese to the top of the mixture - keeping the heat on low. Allow that to melt a bit and then lightly fold the cheese into the spinach. Fold gently so that the cheese remains more prominent.

Turn off the heat. Eat!

Hope you enjoy it, if you try it! :)

Twisted Cinderella said...

It sounds like you have some good plans to improve things. I have to admit, I have troubles with the exercise part of things. Your menu look delish!

Vadim said...

I just got my new pedometer and was ready to go. But my home tredmill broke donw. Its a $2000 tredmill and I only had it for few years, and didnt quite use it that much. But where there is a will, there are some steps to walk! I went outside and walked by myself. I usually take my dog with me, but today it is 10 degrees in NYC and my dog kind of told me go by yourself in a more mean way off course. I did walk though. I am kind of low on energy, mood and resolve now, but still trying to hang in there! Harry, if there is one advice about exercies that I would give "Do not make a chore" . Exercise is not a diet, it will fail you if you dont enjoy it. Do I enjoy walking? Nooooooo. But I do enjoy walking in a new neighborhhod or around dogs parks or funny or unusual places or with my dog and more important I enjoy my pedometer. I love to see those steps accumulate and see that majical 10000 steps every day! Exercise, unlike diet, can and must be fun! chose an activity that is natural to your body, may be trampolin or swimming, or weight lifting or basketball.

Harry/JP said...

Thanks, Twisted Cinderella.

Welcome. Come back anytime. You're always invited over for a virtual dinner. :)

Good going, Vadim! You've set a great example for myself and others!

I appreciate your insight about the mental-side of exercise. I'll figure something out. I need to make it happen. So, one way or another, it shall be done.