Fell On Ice And Messed Up My Knee

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dot2trot lifiting weights

My trainer eliminated the squats and lunges from my last set today to give my knee a break.

The pain in my right knee is back with abandon. During my weight training today, every squat and lunge hurt like hell. It was during the 2nd set of my routine my knee hurt so much that my poker face gave way. Deidra, my trainer, asked “What’s up?”

Time to ‘fess up.

It started exactly one week ago when I fell down the stairs at the little Love Shack I call home…Well, “fell” isn’t the right word. It was more tripping and doing the splits at the same time.

I was about 4 steps from the landing when I tripped and completely skipped those remaining stairs and landed up right on my right foot (my left leg was still firmly planted 4 steps away).

I stuck the landing, but it was a hard landing. My knee took the full force of my weight. It hurt like hell. I limped my way into the gym to meet with my trainer. We decided on just an upper body workout to rest my knee and leg.

The next day I felt fine. I kept my normal routine on Thursday and Friday – spinning and yoga classes. And I took the weekend off because my body didn’t want to do anything. But other than some minor morning stiffness (pretty normal for me), my knee felt fine.

Flash forward to this morning. I crossed paths with some black ice while walking to my car to go to the gym. I landed on my knees. The pain in my right knee was exquisite. And just like the Scott Farkus Affair, a tirade of obscenities poured out of me.

After my workout I ended up taking 800mg of Ibuprofen, elevated the knee and put it on ice (oh, sweet irony).

The swelling is down some. And it no longer hurts (that much) going downstairs.

The 5K training is out of the question for the next few days. But not spinning tomorrow? I don’t know if I can give that up. Ugh! Damn you black ice!

 

Eyeliner Is The Devil!

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eyeliner

The carnage! Why is eyeliner so damn hard to put on?

Like foosball, eyeliner is the devil! I’m convinced of it. It seems like no matter what I do I ended up looking like a drunk raccoon.

Despite my make-up makeover, eyeliner stumps me.

Applying it to my lower eyelid is easy. It’s that damn upper lid. Following my eye line is impossible. I always end up with a very uneven line and no amount of smudging will help.

Well this week it’s practice, practice, practice!

I worked on my eyes for an hour yesterday, trying to master my eyeliner pencils.  Tomorrow I’m working on applying the powders.

What happens when my hands are not steady. One side is much lighter than the other.

What happens when my hands are not steady. One side is much lighter than the other.

Technique challenges
After the first 20 minutes, I realized two problems.

First, I’m trying to apply it while standing.  Hummmm…I think I need to sit down and place my elbow on the countertop. That should help steady the hand doing the deed.

My second problem, is more mental. I’m very squeamish when it comes to anything near my eyes. Heck, I can’t even wear contacts because it gives me the willies. As soon as I get the pencil close to my eye, I start the rapid blinking. I realized I had a problem when I flinched…that left a lovely line that no Q-tip could fix.

Always have the right tools!
Sitting at my desk with a new strategy in hand, I began working on my upper eyelid. Right away I notice that some eyeliner pencils go on easier than others, making a steady hand even more important.

Also, I need to invest in a sharpener. You really lose control with a dull pencil.

I started to get the hang of eyeliner about 30 minutes into my practice session.

I started to get the hang of eyeliner about an hour into my practice session.

The results?
I tried my black, blue and brown pencils. I got the best results with the brown followed closely by the blue. No matter what I did, it seemed as if the black always went on in globs. That tells me it might be the pencil and not me.

I focused on short strokes along my eyelash line while holding down my eyelid. Starting on the outside of my eye, I worked my way in towards my nose. I’m not sure if I should go all the way over or stop at mid-point.  Also, is it best for the eyeliner to go on first or last? Since I’m holding my eyelid down, shouldn’t eyeliner go on first to avoid smudging the eyeshadow?

So many questions…I’m going to need to put out an SOS to my Glam Squad.

A couple of times I went too fast and started drawing long lines with awful results.

After an hour I felt I got the hang of it. Most mistakes were tiny and something I could easily correct with a Q-tip.

Tomorrow I need to drop by Sephora for a sharpener, a good black eyeliner pencil (maybe green too!) and a slanted brush to practice with the powder.

I will master this witchcraft.

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Roasted Chicken with Sautéed Mushrooms & Pearl Onions

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food challenge; mushroom

December Food Challenge #2: Mushrooms! I selected the Cremini to go with my roasted chicken.

I chose mushrooms as my food challenge for the week. Why? Since my childhood, I’ve hated mushrooms and have avoided them like the plague. Pretty tough to do growing up in a mushroom-loving home.

No matter what, it seemed that mushrooms always ended up in our food.

Pizza? Check.

Spaghetti? Check.

Stuffing? Check.

What is it about their taste that had me avoiding mushrooms for so long? I have no idea. In truth, I’d never really tried them. I think I grew up hearing all those tales about poisonous wild mushrooms, so I took the message to heart and stayed away.

Last month I gave fish a try (I’ve eaten sushi 4 times since!). It only makes sense that I give my mighty foe, the mushroom, a fair shake.

I knew I’d be roasting a whole chicken last night. I needed a side dish, so I settled on cremini mushrooms and red pearl onions. Why that combo? It struck my fancy.

Ok, the mushrooms smelled wonderful while I sauteed it in butter with pearl onions and red pepper.

Ok, the mushrooms smelled wonderful while I sautéed it in butter with pearl onions and red pepper. But would I like the taste?

Roasted Chicken with Sautéed Mushrooms and Pearl Onions
Net carbs: 9g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5 (assumes 3-oz chicken breast, no skin)
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • Whole chicken (4-6 lbs.)
  • 4 Tbsp. of butter, separated (2 of the 4 should be soft)*
  • 2 C Cremini mushrooms, washed and stems removed (halve large mushrooms)
  • ½ C Diced red bell pepper
  • 10 Red pearl onions, skins removed (if using frozen, thawed)**
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Clean chicken, removing neck and giblets; pat dry with paper towel. Place on rack in roasting pan.
  • Rub bird with two tbsp. of soft butter.  Then season bird with salt and pepper.
  • Fold the wings under the bird and truss the drumsticks together.
  • Place bird in oven and cook 20 minutes for every pound.  When the internal temperature reaches 165 F, the chicken’s done. When done, remove chicken from oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. This allows the juices to collect in the meat (yum!).
  • While chicken rests, in a skillet melt 1 tbsp. of butter over medium-high heat.
  • Add pearl onions and sauté, about 7 minutes. Add last tbsp. of butter, red peppers and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an extra 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

*I use 2 tbsp. of butter in the side dish — my fat count was running too low for the day. You can cut the amount to 1 tbsp. if you prefer.

**I only used 10 pearl onions because I wanted a lower carb count.  If you are not counting carbs, use more if you like (it’s a power food on Weight Watchers).

The whole dang dish was yummylicious! I captured my husband's dinner before he gobbled it down in record time.

The whole dang dish was yummylicious! I captured my husband’s dinner before he gobbled it down in record time.

My verdict on the cremini mushrooms? 
Wow, I really enjoyed them. I was expecting something limp and slimy. Instead I got a nice, firm texture and a bit of a beefy taste, almost like the mushrooms were marinated in beef stock. I’m lovin’ that! While the cremini is the star of the dish, it didn’t dominate. Another bonus!

So will I use them in another dish? Yes! They were a nice, tasty treat. Since they are also known as baby bellas, I think there’s portabella mushroom out there with my name on it.

Now I need to think of another veggie to try next week.

Any suggestions?

Crock-Pot Lamb Redux

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Reader Lindy Moone's take on the crock-pot lamb recipe I posted. Her's is very pretty compared to my lamb.

Reader Logan Keys’ take on the crock-pot lamb recipe I posted. Her’s is very pretty compared to my lamb.

Author and Dot2Trot reader Logan Keys gave the crock-pot lamb recipe a whirl this weekend. And I can honestly say her lamb is prettier than mine.

She even improved on the flavors by including carrots and celery to the crock-pot. Of course, that ups the carb count slightly but doesn’t change the PointsPlus value. Adding the veggies makes it all the more yummier. Well played, Logan!

I wondered if folks actually try the recipes I’ve posted. Well, at least I have one confirmation.

Nice!

Logan has inspired me to make my dishes look as awesome as they taste.  Tonight I’m cooking a whole chicken with sautéed spinach and roasted mushrooms with onions.

How pretty can I make it?

The Will Is Strong But The Body Is Too Damn Tired To Workout

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resting your body

I struggled through two curls before admitting defeat and going back to bed. Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

There are days when I really want to workout, but my body just isn’t up for it. I mean I’m motivated. I set my mind to it. I have the urge to workout. But my body refuses.

That’s what happened this weekend.

I went to bed Friday night with every intention of working out early Saturday morning – weight training, yoga and a short walk right after my weigh in. Everything done by 10 a.m. Simple plan, right?

Waking up at 11 a.m. wasn’t part of that plan.

That should have been my first clue how my weekend was going to go.

On the drive to the gym I went over my planned workout in my mind — 10 minute warm up on a cycle, 20 minute leg workout, 20 minute upper body and 5 minute cool down on the treadmill. Then back home for yoga. Easy.

Well, I completely forgot the 2 flights of stairs you need to climb to get to my gym. I climb these everyday. No big deal.

When I hit the 5th step you would have thought I was climbing Everest…without oxygen.  When nearing the summit top of the stairs two thoughts crossed my mind: 1) Just go back home; and 2) I need a Sherpa to carry my little pink gym bag the rest of the way up.

Once I got to the top of the stairs I immediately change my plan. Thinking I’d give my legs a break today, I opt for simple stretching and just an upper body workout.

After catching my breath I muddled my way through my upper body stretching routine. Then I picked up two 15 pound barbells and started my curls. I struggled through two curls before putting the weights down and heading out the door.

Tired and defeated, I went home, put a lamb roast in the crock-pot and took a nap.

I was no better on Sunday. But thanks to all the ice and snow, I didn’t feel as guilty for not getting to the gym.

Listening to your body
My trainer warned me I’d have days like these. Her advice: Listen to my body and don’t force it.

Most of the time when people don’t exercise it’s because they lack motivation. That’s when you need to workout.

But when you’re motivated and your body is fighting you, that’s you need to chill. It’s your body’s way to tell you it needs more time to rest before starting a new workout.

In the last week, I exercised everyday for 3 hours each day. I think the extra cycling classes I slipped in on Friday (yep, I did 2 in one day) pushed me over the edge.

This week I’m still shooting for the 3-hour workout, but I’ll take a rest day in the middle of the week to help my body recover quicker. Oh, and I’m done with back-2-back cycling.

As for the guilt I felt this weekend, my trainer knocked that right out of me. She put me through the wringer this morning with an insane barbell routine.

 

Crock-pot Lamb Roast & Asparagus with Dijon Vinaigrette

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crockpot lamb roast

My first time cooking a lamb roast in a slow cooker. It’s super easy and tastes wonderful!

Settling in for the snow and sleet heading our way, last night I made a healthy lamb roast and a side of asparagus with Dijon vinaigrette. The dish is low carb and great for those on Weight Watchers (10 point dinner).

It’s my first time attempting a lamb in a crock-pot but it turned out lovely. The recipe is easy to make and delicious – my kind of cooking!  The directions below call for cooking potatoes in the crock-pot with the lamb. I did this, but if you are low carb like me, just don’t eat them.

Leg of Lamb Roast
Net Carbs: 0
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 8 (4-oz. serving size; does not include potato)
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • Leg of lamb roast, boneless (2.5-3 pounds)
  • 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
  • Sprig of rosemary, woody stems removed
  • Sea salt and fresh crack pepper
  • 1 potato per person, peeled
  • ½ C beef stock
  • 4 bay leaves

Directions

  • Score the lamb, diamond pattern (see video below)
  • Combine the minced garlic, rosemary salt and pepper; rub the mix all over the lamb, making sure to press in.
  • Roll the lamb and use butcher’s twine to tie it together.
  • Toss the potatoes into the crock-pot
  • Place your lamb on top of the potatoes.
  • Add the stock and bay leaves to the crock-pot. The roast should not sit in the liquids.
  • Cover the crock-pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours. Check on the lamb near the 4 hour mark by inserting a meat thermometer in the center. Medium-rare is 145 F.
  • When the thermometer reads 135-140 F, turn off the crock-pot, remove the lamb and let it rest for about 15 minutes on a cutting board. I wrapped my lamb in foil. It will continue to cook on the cutting board.*
  • After 15 minutes, slice lamb into ¼-inch thick slices and place on a serving platter.

 Scoring Meet

medium rare lamb roast

Medium-rare (145 F) lamb roast. Cook yours longer for less red meat.

*Note: I cooked my lamb to medium-rare. The lamb is very tender. It’s also, as you see from my photo, red too.

If you don’t like seeing as much red or any red in your meat fear not. Simply cook your longer if you prefer.

For medium, the internal temperature for the lamb roast should be 160 F. And 170 F for well done.

However, you’ll need to check your temperature regularly or you run the risk of drying out the lamb in your crock-pot. I do recommend taking the lamb out of the crock-pot about 5-10 degrees below your desired temperature as the lamb still cooks while its resting on the cutting board.

Dijon vinaigrette

A very simple and wonderful vinaigrette. Use it on salads or asparagus!

Asparagus with Dijon Vinaigrette
Net Carbs: 3.1
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 2
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound thin asparagus, tough ends snapped off
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp for every six spears of asparagus
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 F.
  • Place asparagus on a baking pan.
  • Drizzle oil over the asparagus, then lightly season with salt and pepper.
  • Place the asparagus in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until tender.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together mustard, vinegar, oil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Remove asparagus from serving dish, drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Water Weight Vanquished; Finally Below 240 Pounds

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The water weight is gone and I'm now officially below 240 pounds!

I controlled my eating on Thanksgiving and my water weight is gone. I’m now officially below 240 pounds!

While I attended my Weight Watchers meeting last week, I decided to use my free pass and not officially weigh-in. While I didn’t over do it on Thanksgiving, I suspected I’d show a lot of water retention with all that tasty turkey day sodium. Sure enough, when I got home from that meeting, I stepped on my home scale and saw a 6 pound gain.

No one gains 6 pounds in one day. More water weight. Basically I needed to flush the excess water and salt out of my system before getting a more accurate weigh-in.

I worked hard this week to stay on my food and exercise program.

The result? I’m down 2.2 pounds from my earlier weigh-in.  Awesome! That damn water weight is finally gone (for now).

What makes me happy is that I’m finally below 240 pounds. Woohoo!

I know I dropped below 240 a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I just couldn’t let myself get too excited until that holiday was firmly in my rear view mirror.  I needed a post holiday weigh-in for confirmation.

Missing My 3-Month Goal
I’m not going to reach my 3-month goal of dropping about 20 pounds before the end of the year. I’m not being  pessimistic, just realistic. I’d have to lose 14 pounds in 3 weeks. That’s nearly 5 pounds a week…not very healthy (or smart!).

Am I disappointed? Sure, but I was overly aggressive in setting that goal mid way through October. But I’m not beating myself up over it.

Besides, I’m happy I controlled myself over Thanksgiving.  That gives me a lot of optimism for the rest of December.

I’m revamping my expectations and shooting for 6 more pounds by the end of the year. Still a tall order considering 2 pounds a week is at the top of the range for healthy weight loss.

I think an extra spin class can help.

December Food Challenge – Eating New Veggies

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I kick off my December Food Challenge with a vegetable I've never tried -- Bok Choy. Image courtesy of SOMMAI and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

I kick off my December Food Challenge with a vegetable I’ve never tried — Bok Choy. Image courtesy of SOMMAI and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

It’s December and I’m on to my second food challenge. What I came up with isn’t as difficult as my November Fish Eating Challenge but I’m hoping it’s just as rewarding and I discover a love of new foods!

The challenge? Eating one new vegetable a week.

I came up with the idea Sunday while at the grocery store. I’m making a stir fry this week and while picking up my standard veggies, I came across baby bok choy. It looks like a leafy celery stalk to me. But since it sits with the cabbage at the store, I’m pretty sure it’s not celery.

I’ve never tired it. It looked pretty. In the basket it went.

If you look at my grocery list, you’ll find about 15-20 seasonal fruits and veggies that are staples in my diet. I never deviate from the list.

Well that just makes life a little too predictable.

It seems like my grocery store is adding new produce each week. And it’s a shame that I’m not sampling any of it.

bok choy, healthy eating, trying new veggies

Freshly cleaned baby bok choy! It’s mild flavor is perfect for stir fries and soups!

Veggie of the Week — Bok Choy
Bok choy is a mild tasting Chinese cabbage perfect for soups and stir fries (woohoo!). It’s loaded with vitamins A and C (1 cup equals your daily allowance of vitamin A — dang). You can eat both the leafy greens and the stalk, but you need to separate them when cleaning.

Speaking of cleaning produce, I usually wash my produce when I get it home. It’s part of my food prep so everything healthy is ready to go. Not so with bok choy. It stays fresh in your fridge for about 6 days provided you don’t clean it.

Bok choy graced my table last night in a chicken stir-fry.  It’s not as strong a flavor as regular cabbage. It seemed to take on the taste of the stir-fry – it’s the tofu of cabbages! But I really enjoyed the texture it added to my dish.

Sorry there isn’t a photo of my stir fry, but my stir fry dishes are never photo worthy. I need to work on that.

Will I use it again? 
Yes! I’ve read different ways you can prepare bok choy. I’m looking forward to making it a part of my regular rotation of veggies. Also it’s pretty cheap. I picked up 5 baby boks for about $0.50 at my grocery store.  With the cost of fresh produce going up, that’s a great price.

Next week, something more challenging – Mushrooms!  Yuck.

Why Do I Want To Lose Weight

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Saturday, during my Weight Watchers class, I listed my reasons for losing weight. Today I found my original list of reasons – the one I created in February 2012. Boy, what a difference. It’s clear I’m now in a much different place mentally than I was then.

My reasons for weight loss in 2012 were driven by fear and anger. Clearly I wasn't in a happy place.

The 2012 List. My reasons for weight loss were driven by fear and anger. Clearly I wasn’t in a happy place.

Two emotions started my latest weight loss journey – fear and anger.  My doctor certainly put the fear in me about diabetes and heart disease. But when looking at that old list it’s clear I was really pissed with myself.

My 2012 Angry Reasons For Losing Weight

  • Can’t walk 20ft w/o back seizing up – what the hell was I thinking!
  • Scared to death I’ll be diabetic
  • Too damn lazy!!!
  • I’m a heart attack waiting to happen
  • I feel miserable

I think Master Yoda had it right. Fear and anger only lead to bad things. I channeled those negative emotions into something more positive – determination. I stopped caring about being thin. I wanted to be happy, healthy and confident. The attitude adjustment took a few months. When it happened I started losing the weight.

I've got a new attitude. And I'm seeing dividends on my waistline, annual physical and confidence level. How awesome is that!

My 2013 List shows I’ve got a new attitude. And I’m seeing dividends on my waistline, annual physical and confidence level. How awesome is that!

Nearly two years later and 85 pounds lighter, my list is much more positive.

My 2013 Reasons For Losing Weight

  • I’m happier
  • Boosts my confidence
  • Feel GRRRREEAATT! (about myself)
  • Way more energy/more active
  • Stay off medications/be healthier
  • Want to do a Tough Mudder in 2015

What are your reasons for wanting to lose weight?

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Breaking Free Of Breakfast Box

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low carb breakfast without eggs

I love eggs but need more variety for my low carb breakfast. Time to rethink what to eat in the morning. (Image: koko-tewan and FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

I’m trying to come up with low carb breakfast ideas that don’t include eggs. Don’t get me wrong I love eggs. It’s just they’re on the menu nearly every morning. It seems like the main ingredient for the most important meal of the day include eggs — Omelets, quiches, fritters.

I am eggless on my weight training days. I need to carb up for those workouts so a bowl of Kashi GoLean works. If not Kashi then I’m eating steel-cut oatmeal or Greek yogurt with fruit. Yummy and a nice break.

But for non-weight training days I need something low carb, high protein. So no grains.

I think I need to break free of the breakfast mindset. Who says you can’t eat a 3-bean chili in the morning? Or a grilled chicken salad?

I checked out a couple of paleo sites, but nearly all recipes called for eggs. However some ideas intrigued me, like soup or making a BLT sandwiched between slices of bell pepper instead of bread.

I did find a recipe for grain salad with blueberries and hazelnuts, thinking it would add more variety when I do my muscle workouts. But when I ran the numbers the net carb count, 46g, was too high. Heck, that’s nearly half my carbs on my weight training days.  I’m still adding the recipe in my database. It looks tasty.

How do you break free from eggs in the morning?