A Lot of Walking Today

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. 3 hours on the picket line, 50 minutes on the elliptical machine and 2k to dinner and back

I tossed and turned in bed last night and had weird dreams about being accosted on the picket line by an angry parent.

None of it happened of course, in fact, the day was surprisingly civil and we were met with a lot of positive support. For those of you who are unaware of what I’m talking about, let me explain. In Ontario today, 30 000 teachers walked off the job for a one day legal strike to protest Bill 115. In a nutshell, this bill has taken away our right to negotiate a new contract with our employer, the school board, and gives the government the power to determine our wages, benefits and working conditions without consultation or discussion. The minister would disagree with this statement but she has predetermined the conditions of these so called negotiations.

This strike is NOT about money. We have said that we are willing to take a pay freeze. It is about losing our democratic rights and the erosion of The Human Rights Code and our Labour Relations laws. If you want to take the time to read the following letter, it explains it much better than I can.

A Letter by a Member of Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario

The media has said over and over again that teachers do not have the support of the public. After today I’m not so sure. Only one car in three hours gave us the thumbs down while dozens more honked in support. We had so many neighbours and parents come by with coffee, tea, water, soup and treats that our little cart was overflowing with the generosity and kindness of the ‘public’.

More food arrived after this picture was taken.

Even on the radio today, the media was extra tough on the Minister of Education by being more persistent in demanding that she answer their questions instead of side stepping the issues with pre-scripted statements that didn’t deal with the issue at hand. They are starting to put some of the blame for this mess into her court and are demanding that she take some responsibility for it.

I went to the gym today after walking for three hours, to work off the one Timbit, three homemade cookies and the 1/2 cup of hot chocolate I ingested. It doesn’t sound like much but when you haven’t eaten these things in a long time it seems like a huge indulgence. The scale shows that my weight is holding steady at a 32 to 34 pound loss.

We decided to go out for dinner tonight because neither of us felt like cooking. We walked to our favourite Indian restaurant and ordered and shared two vegetarian dishes, a plate of rice and an appetizer of chicken kabobs, nicely grilled and seasoned with lime juice. We had water as our beverage. We took the leftovers home and will probably add some of the sauce from the saag paneer to our eggs in the morning and one of us can probably have a light lunch from what’s left over. We walked home briskly after dinner to add about 2 more kilometres to my walking total for the day.

I have another appointment at the gym tomorrow for my last free personal training session and I also have an appointment for one more acupuncture treatment to see if it can alleviate my occasional bouts of dizziness. I’ll share my experience in a future a post.

Cheers!

An Old Fashion Christmas Market

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. Toronto hosted a great Christmas Market at the Distillery

The Christmas Market at night. Photo courtesy of http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297349897629_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x

One of my fondest memories of Christmas occurred when I was 11 years old. My father had a good year in real estate and decided to take the family on a three week vacation to Germany over the Christmas holidays to reconnect with family and friends that we hadn’t seen in almost 10 years.

My mother’s side of the family lived close to Frankfurt and we were treated to an evening at the Christmas Market in Frankfurt. It was magical. I remember that it was cold and there was a light covering of snow on the ground. I was in awe of the lights, sounds and smells. The entire event was hosted outside with vendors selling their wares from small wooden stalls. The treat that I savoured the most that evening was a small pink, green, or white confection made from coconut and sugar. To this day I can still taste the wonderful sweetness of those Kokosflocken. I’ve never been able to replicate those exact candies but I have sought them out, especially this time of year. I think I’ve come close to finding them but it’s never been the same.

Yesterday, my husband and I braved the cold and grey weather and made our way to the Distillery District in Toronto where Lowe’s was hosting this years Christmas Market. It was as magical as the one I remembered as a child. There were bier gardens, mulled wine stands and vendors selling everything from old fashion European ornaments, traditional German and Dutch Christmas baking to whimsical winter hats and mittens and children’s books. Of course Santa was on hand to have pictures taken with the kids and there were guest choirs singing classic Christmas songs. And if that wasn’t enough at the far end of the market there were rides for the whole family to enjoy.

After walking around for about an hour it started to rain and it came down hard. We quickly made our way to The Mill Street Brew Pub and stood in line with a mass of people who were also trying to escape the wet weather. We managed to put our name on the waiting list to be seated and to our surprise we were paged after only waiting for about 10 minutes, if that.

K and I enjoyed a lovely lunch together in the warmth of this very popular restaurant and we watched the rain come down from the window next to our table. It rained off and on all day but it didn’t stop the crowds from wandering around the market. My friend L, was there much later and it was still crowded after 5:00. I look forward to going again next year. Maybe I’ll go in the evening so I can enjoy the lights. The only other thing that would have made it perfect would have been a light dusting of snow and a bag of pink and green kokosflocken.

One happy husband, after a warm, healthy meal.

My Fitness Assessment

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. no real surprises

Yesterday I had my fitness assessment done. I recently rejoined the gym that I had been a member of in years past. Like many people I was pretty hung ho and went pretty regularly in the beginning and then my visits were less frequent until I stopped going all together. I paid for an entire year and never stepped through the doors. What a waste of money.

So why did I return? Well I went back for a number of reasons. With the cold weather starting to invade our region I knew it would be more difficult to get in my daily walks and runs. The gym recently moved to a new location much closer to home and literally was on the way home from work.

I really have hit a plateau…at least on the scale at home. For some reason all the scales at the gym have me down another 2 pounds (fully dressed) but when I weigh myself at home (in my birthday suit) I’m five pounds heavier. Hmmmm…..?

At the fitness test I had my measurements taken for the first time since I started my weight loss journey. As of today my measurements are:

Height: 65 inches

Chest: 44 inches

Waist: 42 inches

Hips: 49 inches

Arms: 14 inches

BMI: 35

The goal at the gym is to lose my belly fat and get that waist measurement down to 36 inches and the BMI to 25. Tomorrow I’m going back for another meeting with my personal trainer. I’m hoping she will have a program designed for me. My personal goal is to go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and continue getting out for walks 2 or 3 times a week.

The assessment showed that my blood pressure and heart rate were good. My endurance levels, balance, flexibility and strength were mostly above average. She believes that I could be down another 20 pounds in the next three to four months. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of routine she’ll design for me.

On the diet side of my journey I’m trying to incorporate more foods that boost your metabolism. I start the day with juice from a lemon in warm water, take my vitamins ( B complex, C, D, calcium, magnesium and a multi-vitamin) and either have oatmeal or a two egg omelet with lots of veggies. Lunch is usually homemade soup or a large salad with some kind of protein and dinner is either homemade vegetable soup (Dr. Furman) and a large salad or chicken or fish and salad or stir fried or roasted vegetables. For a snack I try to eat raw vegetables and humus, or raw almonds and a couple of dates or a small amount of cheese and 6 to 10 gluten free crackers. I allow myself a glass of wine once or twice a week and try to drink more tea.

One thing I still need to work on is getting to bed earlier. It’s almost 1:00 am. So on that note I bid you Good Night.

I’m about 6 pounds lighter since this picture was taken on my birthday

Update on my Weight and Fitness Level

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….I’m feeling good about my current status

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about my weight loss journey. It’s been 7 months since I started on this journey. In the beginning the weight came off quickly and the visible results were amazing. I reached my first goal of 30 pounds after 4 months.

The Benefits of Losing Weight

I felt great. I liked how I looked. It was wonderful buying new clothes and wearing size 16 pants for the first time in over 20 years. My blood pressure is back to normal levels and I’m able to run without feeling pain or gasping for air. I used to hate running and now I look forward to doing more and improving my time and overall distance.

My Love Affair With Food

I still enjoy food and eating but now I eat to nourish my body and I don’t constantly think about my next meal. I no longer feel deprived or crave sweets and junk food. On special occasions I’ll allow myself a very small serving of dessert or I might have a bite of something just to taste. It seems to satisfy me. I might enjoy a glass of wine once a week. Before the journey I’d regularly drink 2 glasses 3 or 4 times a week.

How Stress Affects Me

When I started back to work in September I was really worried about gaining some of my weight back. Years ago a naturopathic doctor assessed that I was very much affected by stress in my life. I could gain 2 to 5 pounds over a weekend when I was confronted with a stressful situation or if I anticipated a stressful occurrence. For years I would take weight off in the summer (no stress) and when I went back to work in September the weight would come back in the first two weeks.

This year I worked hard not to gain weight when I went back to work. Not gaining weight was as big a success as actually losing weight. It’s been an extremely stressful start this year. With the negative political climate for teachers in Ontario, weeding the library, running a book fair for the first time, organizing art on a cart and living through a district review and having surgery, it really is quite an accomplishment that I didn’t gain some of the weight back.

Despite everything I still managed to lose some more weight. It’s been a slow process compared to the beginning of the journey but I’m not discouraged. That’s another change that I’ve experienced. I don’t turn to food when things go wrong or don’t go exactly as planned. If I fall off the wagon I don’t wait till Monday to start eating properly again. I fix the problem with the very next meal.

Becoming Vegetarian 80% of the Time

I enjoy eating healthy foods. In the last two weeks I’ve eaten mostly vegan meals. If someone had told me in April that I would almost be a vegetarian I would have scoffed at the idea. I’ve always needed my animal protein but my husband has been experimenting with more and more vegan meals. I think eating this way has actually kick started my weight loss again.

Joining a Gym

I joined a gym this month and started working out this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday I started the day with our traditional walk through the college grounds with Frances and then in the afternoon I went to the gym and ran/walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then the elliptical machine for another 10 minutes. Next weekend I’m going for a fitness assessment and the trainer will design a program for me. I’m looking forward to this new part of my fitness journey.

How Much Weight Have I Lost?

While at the gym I weighed myself and according to their scales I’m down another 2 pounds for a total of 36 pounds. I’m 4 pounds away from losing 40 pounds in total. I’m very excited about how close I am. There are going to be challenges this week. I’m definitely going back to the gym tomorrow and I have yoga on Wednesday. For the rest of the week I have a number of social commitments but I’m pretty confident that I can handle it.

Reaching My Next Goal

I’m hoping that I can reach my 40 pound goal by the end of the month and then set the next of goal of 50 pounds in total. I say next because I know that the journey will continue. I don’t know for how long. I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m hoping that at some point in this journey I’ll be able to share my actual weight. I’m still not ready to do that but I have a number in mind and I’m getting close. Life is good!

Cheers

Gaining Weight After Surgery?

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. sometimes I feel like my body enjoys tormenting me

I was very excited about my progress in the weight loss department. It seemed like I was finally moving in a positive direction again. The morning of my surgery I was down another 2 pounds for a total of 34 pounds. I actually thought I’d be down another pound or two after the surgery. Ha!

Wednesday morning I wasn’t allowed anything to eat or drink before being admitted to the hospital. The first food or drink that I had was about 5:00 that afternoon. I figured that I took in 800 calories for the whole day. Thursday morning I was up 2 pounds. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m the only person I know that gains weight when prepping for a colonoscopy.

I took it easy on Thursday. I had oatmeal and berries for breakfast, 2 slices of pizza and salad for lunch and for dinner I made spaghetti squash and a vegetable stew. The next day I was up another 2 1/2 pounds.

On Friday I picked up my activity level and walked 5k and continued to eat sensibly. Still up 4 1/2 pounds this morning. Oh my! What would any sensible person do? Why shop of course. That’s what I do when I’m feeling somewhat down.

First I went and had my hair cut. Great start. Then I discovered that a new Marshall’s opened up around the corner from my hairdresser’s salon. There’s nothing like retail therapy when you’re down because of your weight. The good thing about it was that trying on clothes wasn’t a chore but was actually fun. Not buying clothes from the Plus section is a huge boost for my ego. I’m actually trying on dresses these days and like how I look in them.

When I got home tonight I finally took 3 garbage bags of my ‘fat’ clothes to the Goodwill. There’s no going back now. I can’t afford it.

I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine with my fitness journey. It looks like tomorrow will be a nice day. Frances, K and I will start the day with a nice long walk and later in the afternoon the huge piles of leaves on my front lawn will be bagged and put on the curb. Today K took a great picture of the fallen leaves on the trail where we walk Frances.

Most of the leaves are down.

Afternoon Tea at The Windsor Arms

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. a birthday gift from my friend D

For years I’ve wanted to experience a real ‘afternoon tea’ and one of the best places in Toronto to do that is at The Windsor Arms Hotel located downtown at 18 St. Thomas St..

Tea at The Windsor Arms Hotel

For my 60th birthday D told me that we were going to have afternoon tea together. We set a date, Saturday, Oct. 27th at 3:30. It turned out to be a great day to do an indoor activity. It’s been raining non-stop all day. When we left the hotel there was so much water on the ground that the bottom of my trousers became drenched. I didn’t notice it at first but while I sit here typing I’m very aware of my wet cold ankles. Excuse me while I change.

Rain, rain and more rain…..

That’s better! Where was I ? Oh, yes …. afternoon tea.

I knew that the menu would include tiny sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, preserves, berries and cream and pastries. I ate a sensible breakfast consisting of freshly pressed juice from carrots, celery, spinach and an apple and a bowl of steel cut oatmeat with stewed plums. For lunch I had a bowl of vegetable soup. I didn’t want to worry about what would be put in front of me at the hotel so I made sure I wasn’t starving when I left the house.

Salmon and caviar roll-ups.

Small and elegantly presented 1″ x 1″ morsels of delight.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of afternoon tea. We had dozens of freshly brewed teas to choose from. I passed on the sherry and I only had a half a scone. I did enjoy the salmon roll-ups, the goat cheese puff pastry and the tiny (and they were tiny) chocolate pastries.

D’s plate of gluten free delights.

What wasn’t eaten was ceremoniously packed in containers and placed in beautiful Windsor Arms gift bags. Would I do it again? Definitely, but maybe after I’ve lost another 20 pounds. Thank you, D for the wonderful gift.

Aren’t these the most elegant ‘doggy bags’ you’ve ever seen?

Finally Changed the Batteries

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Mama Cormier

… and I’m glad I did

As soon as you eat something that you don’t normally eat when you’re trying to lose weight you start to second guess how it’s going to be reflected on the scales. I’ve even had visions of gaining back all my weight because of one or two indiscretions. Silly, right? But those thoughts do go through your head and reason goes out the window.

The good news is that I’ve actually dropped another two pounds for a total of 32 pounds. It’s been a long time coming for these two pounds but the scale is going in the right direction. It also gives me more confidence knowing that the odd small cookie or slice of bread isn’t going to keep the weight from coming off. It may just take longer. It’s a choice I have to make.

Now that the weather is getting colder and the days are shorter I find it more difficult to get out and get in my walks and runs during the week. I’ll figure it out. If I can convince my husband to walk with me after dinner I wouldn’t mind walking when it gets dark.

I’ll continue to go to my yoga class. I might try Bikram yoga again. Now that I’ve lost so much weight I think I might be able to do some of the moves that I found impossible 32 pounds ago.

This would be one of the moves.

Deep Frying the Turkey

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. no splatter burns or fireballs in the sky

Once we decided to deep fry our turkey this Thanksgiving we started to have reservations. The warnings on the deep fryer were ominous. Improper use could lead to serious burns, fire, explosion and potential death.

K spent a good part of the day assembling the propane burner and pouring water over the turkey and then measuring it to see how much oil we would need to cover the bird. I think the final total was 18 litres. The oil cost more than the bird.

My daughter G and her husband B arrived early to watch over the operation. The week before B kept showing us Youtube videos of grease fires and explosions from turkey deep fryers. He was certain that K was going to make him lower the bird into the hot oil as payback but my brave husband did the deed.

Everyone took turns watching over the pot.

One hour later. Done to perfection.

The advantages to deep frying your turkey are:

1. The short cooking time – 1 hour instead of the normal 4 to 5 hours for a 16 pound bird.

2. Very crispy and flavourful skin if you’re not worried about the calories.

3. A very moist bird. It wasn’t at all dry.

4. The social aspect – everyone standing around watching the fryer.

5. A sure fire way to get your husband to cook the turkey.

Sugarless Apple Butter

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. 30 hours later not including the canning

Last night’s salsa. 12 jars of spicy goodness.

It took a long time but because this apple butter recipe is cooked in a slow cooker you literally can walk away from it and leave it. It’s not a bad idea to stir it every once in awhile.

I love apple butter and I’ve purchased a sugarless variety a number of times. It took me some time to find a recipe that didn’t use sugar. Apples are naturally sweet and you don’t need to add more sugar. They also have a lot of natural pectin in them so you don’t need to add that either.

When I went to the farmers’ market on Saturday I asked which apples would make the best apple butter. They recommended MacIntosh or Royal Gala or a combination of both. I opted to try the combination. I used about 40 apples in total. The original recipe called for 25 to 30. I think the overall amount will depend on the size of the apples and the size of your slow cooker. The one I used was one of the bigger slow cookers on the market. Here is where I found the recipe:

http://eatingrichly.com/07/sugar-free-apple-butter-recipe/

The apple puree after the first 10 hours.

Placing the apples on top of the mash after the first and second 10 hour cooking period.

The final product. This recipe produced 10 small jars like the one you see in the photo and 2 pint size jars.

Not only is this recipe healthy but also relatively cheap to make. I spent about $19.00 in apples and ended up with the equivalent of 14 x 250ml jars of product. That’s about $1.35 a jar.

It’s Been a Huge Canning Day

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. sugar free apple butter and spicy salsa

Actually the canning hasn’t even taken place yet.

I started the apple butter last night and it’s still got another 8 hours of cooking in the slow cooker. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow.

After I added the second batch of apples to the the slow cooker I decided to start the salsa. I’ve made this salsa one other time and loved it. It didn’t last long so I decided to double the recipe. I think doubling the recipe also makes it necessary to cook it longer.

I’ve adapted the recipe slightly. Not only did I double the ingredients but I changed the variety of peppers. A word of warning. If you have sensitive skin you might want to consider wearing gloves as you prep the vegetables. The acidity in the tomatoes left my hands burning.

Here is the original recipe: Peppy Salsa recipe – Canadian Living.

It is recommended that when you chop jalapeno peppers that you wear rubber gloves or at least wash your hands really well before touching parts of your face with your fingers.

When choosing tomatoes for your salsa make sure they are very ripe and free of blemishes. Blanche them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then shock them in a bowl of ice water. The skins will slip off easily.

The tomatoes after they blanched, shocked in ice water and then peeled.

I chopped the peppers in small cubes. I didn’t have enough yellow peppers so I added so I added some green ones.

A pot full of chopped peppers and tomatoes.some green ones to the mix.

I hate chopping onion. My eyes sting so badly that I usually have to leave the room and wash my face before I can continue.

I chopped the onions and garlic last. The cilantro is added in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

I’ve tried holding my breath but as soon as I breathe through my nose my eyes tear up.

My solution: I get my husband to chop the onion.

I’ve had to let my sauce cook longer than the recommended time. Use your own judgement. Adjust the seasoning before adding the cilantro.

I put the salsa into hot sterilized jars and then into a water bath for 20 minutes. In fact the jars are in the bath as I write. I will post pictures of the finished product tomorrow along with the directions for the apple butter.

Cheers!