Special Circumstances

10 Jul

Look what I came home to yesterday!

Joe bought me these lovely flowers yesterday and they look so beautiful. Really the pictures don’t do them justice at all. He has a wonderful way of surprising me with something great just when I need a little pick me up. It was so heartwarming to come into the house and see that after fighting the mobs of people being pushy on the Metro.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that people are using public transportation more since gas prices have skyrocketed. It’s just that the people who don’t regularly ride don’t really understand the etiquette. For instance, if you want to stand on the escalator, you’re supposed to stay to the right so that people can walk up the left side. There are signs and little announcements every so often indicating this. Yet people still stand there clueless and get annoyed when someone asks them to move. But what really bothers me is the sense of entitlement that’s becoming more prevalent. This morning, an extremely pregnant woman got on the packed train and not one person offered her a seat. One man looked up at her and she thought he was going to offer, but he just sighed and went back to reading his paper. I thought that was awful. I know that we’re all tired and want our moments of peace on the way to work, but really, not offering a very visibly pregnant woman a seat? She’s carrying a pretty important package and probably isn’t used to trying to balance it. I wanted to say something to the people around her, but it probably would have made her feel embarassed. At any rate, the train emptied a bit after a few stops and she got to sit down, at least for a little bit.

This little anecdote actually segues into what I actually wanted to post for all of you today. Special situations call for accomodation. I often worry about my vegan friends who have had weight loss surgery getting enough protein in their diets. That 50 gram minimum is hard to reach with animal products in my diet! So here’s a vegan-friendly protein bar that’s tasty and healthy for anyone. It’s one of my favorites so far because it tastes like a wonderful banana-nut muffin!

Bananut Flax Bars


Cast of characters:
1 1/4 cup mashed banana
Scant 1/4 cup of spiced apple preserves (I can my own, but if you buy, try to find an all-fruit preserve)
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup puffed brown rice
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup Kashi Seven Grain Puffs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Using these ingredients, follow the same procedure you would for my chocolate-peanut butter bars. The nutrition info is as follows: 153 calories, 4 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs, and 14 grams of protein. I hope you enjoy them! I’m on a mission to create the perfect protein bar, so expect more bars (tested for deliciousness of course) in the future.

Tomorrow (my 23rd b-day!) Joe, Dioji and I are off to Chincoteague for a little weekend vacation. I’ll be sure to take a lot of pictures, and will hopefully come back refreshed and ready to write. Have a healthy and happy weekend everyone!

Patterns and Transformations

8 Jul

Origami tessellations are created by taking one piece of paper and using only two types of folds to create a repeating pattern. Often, the shapes need to be twisted into place in order to flatten them out. The method regularly used is to draw the pattern on a sheet of paper, crease all of the lines and then fold the paper into the finished design. Here’s one of my first attempts:

See how some of the edges don’t quite come together? There are some places where I didn’t crease quite right or attempted the fold too many times and weakened the paper. Lots of mistakes, but not bad for a first try. What I learned from it was to be more precise in my creases and more conscientious of the pattern I was trying to create. After a little practice, I tried another pattern:

Of course, it’s still not perfect, but much better! I was more conscious of the shapes I was forming and took the time to use a folding bone (a hard, flat utensil that creases paper better than a soft fingertip) on each of the creases. The point of all of this? Had I done the same thing with only the conscientiousness of my first attempt, it wouldn’t have come together as well. I’ve heard it said that to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result is insanity. If we keep making the same mistakes and expecting a different result, we are destined to fail. This lesson can be applied to lots of life situations.

In high school, my friends and I often went out to eat after school on Fridays. We’d head over to any of the great places in the neighborhood where you could get a slice of gooey cheese pizza, a sandwich bigger than your mouth, or a juicy, greasy burger. I’d laugh, chat and rarely think about the kind of food I put into my body. I just knew it tasted good and I was having fun. As a result, I gained weight all throughout my high school years. There were times I’d try to eat better, but I’d inevitably end up back where I started, making the same mistakes.

After my surgery, I knew I’d have to be more conscientious about changing the pattern for good. The problem was that I still craved those fast foods, and while much of that has dissipated in four years, there are still times that a burger and fries sounds like the greatest thing ever.

So I have one.

Pictured is my dinner from last night. A bison sirloin burger cooked medium-rare and weighing a little less than 4 oz. (a total of 118 calories!) It’s topped with a slice of juicy summer tomato and about an ounce of shredded mozzarella. The “fries” are sliced parsnips tossed in olive oil, lemon thyme, green onion, salt, and pepper which I then spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour (and yes, they really do taste like french fries).

Now before anyone gets on my case about the medium-rare ground meat, let me note that I bought the bison sirloin steak whole and ground it at home. In my mind, it’s no different than cooking that whole steak medium rare. Had I used store bought ground meat, I’d probably go to medium-well.

In the end, it’s all about making the decision to pay attention to the patterns and being willing to change them if they don’t work out. It’s well worth it.

Have a happy Tuesday all!

The Wimbledon Champ and the Olympian

7 Jul

In honor of Rafael Nadal, who defeated Roger Federer after the longest Wimbledon men’s final in history yesterday (nearly 5 hours!), and Michael Phelps, who has competed in seven events and broken two world records at the U.S. Olympic Swimming trials (so far), I present a protein bar fit for a champion!

Cast of characters:
1 cup soy protein powder (I used vanilla flavored)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup puffed brown rice
1/2 cup oat bran
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups plain fat free yogurt
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt

Hardware:
2 mixing bowls
1 greased 9×13 pan
1 greased cookie sheet

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you’re using a glass 9×13 pan, make it 325.

First, mix all of your dry ingredients together. If you use your hands, it’s easier to get the brown sugar broken up.

When you finish, it will look something like this:

Next, whisk together the yogurt, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. You’ll need to use your hands near the end as it has the texture of very stiff cookie dough.

Press the dough evenly into the greased 9×13 pan and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the pan and cut into 16 bars. A pizza cutter is useful here.

Arrange the cut bars on a cookie sheet.

Return the bars to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. If you like crispier bars (I do), simply turn the oven off after 15 minutes and leave them in the warm oven for up to 45 minutes.

The facts (per bar): 205 calories, 6 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbohydrates, and 16 grams of protein.

One of the great things about this recipe is it’s versatility. If you want it to be dairy free, replace the yogurt with silken tofu, mashed banana, or applesauce. Trade out the chocolate chips for dried fruit and/or nuts if you want to go even healthier.

The Italian Job

7 Jul

I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like Italian food. There’s nothing that makes a house smell better than a fresh pot of sauce simmering away on the stove all day. But what do you do when bread and pasta make you feel awful suddenly? Let me take a moment to explain why this happens.

Because a good portion of the small intestine is bypassed during the RNY procedure, a meal rich in simple carbohydrates can be a ticking time bomb. Those carbohydrates get digested too quickly and move directly into the bloodstream causing a spike in blood sugar. This is known as “dumping syndrome” because the sugars are literally dumping into the bloodstream. Symptoms include intense nausea, faintness, weakness, sweating and cramping. This is the main reason why RNY patients avoid bread and sweets like the plague. It’s just not worth it. Trust me.

So, as I contemplated Italian food, it seemed to me that I’d have to somehow remove those simple carbohydrates and replace them with something that would be flavorful, filling, and most importantly, rich in some kind of lean protein.

I tackled filled pasta first. There are a lot of different vegetables that work well as a replacement for pasta. For instance, replacing the noodles in manicotti with grilled or sautéed zucchini works well. But early on, I found that the one I liked the most was also the very simplest. I call it the ricotta bowl!


Just cut a small tomato in half, scoop out most of the insides and season it with salt and pepper. Next, fill it with about a 1/4 cup of ricotta (also seasoned) and sprinkle young asiago cheese and fresh parsley on top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. You can throw it under a broiler if you wish, but I find it a perfectly refreshing summer snack when served cold. When made with part-skim ricotta, it’s all of about 95 calories when finished.

As for non filled pasta dishes, it was my father who gave me the idea of replacing elbows or penne with cauliflower. Cauliflower is one of those wonderful foods that takes on the flavors of whatever it’s cooked with. Thus, a slow braise in a mix of canned tomatoes, homemade marinara sauce, herbs, sautéed onions, mushrooms imparted so many of the flavors of the dish it was based on that I didn’t even miss the noodles. I usually serve mine over a spoonful of seasoned light ricotta for extra protein, and finish the top with grated parmesan and fresh parsley.


And then there was pizza. Or pizza crust at least. It wasn’t the toppings that were the problem, it was their method of delivery. Whole wheat pizza dough was delicious and rich in complex carbohydrates, but it was so heavy that it often felt uncomfortable to eat it. However, a whole wheat tortilla was just enough to deliver a thin, crispy crust while withstanding the weight of any toppings.

After preheating an oven to 425 degrees, I brush both sides of the tortilla with extra virgin olive oil and then add sauce, herbs, cheese, and whatever might be on hand in the fridge. It’s a great way to get rid of left over cut vegetables and meats. After 10 minutes in the oven, this is what you have:


Nope, I’m definitely not missing out on anything.

Mangia bene!

A Lesson in Distraction (and a Recipe!)

4 Jul
 

I learned soon after surgery that I needed things to replace food. I’d used food when I was bored, needed comfort, wanted to celebrate…etc etc. Every emotion seemed to be a trigger to eat. Once I decided that I wanted more out of life, I realized that I needed activities to replace all of that emotional eating. Origami was something that I found could use as a distraction when I had those feelings to eat out of boredom or anxiety. It was complicated enough that it kept my brain occupied, but left me with a sense of well being when I finally figured out a particularly difficult pattern. The panther above was one that I tried multiple times before figuring out the way it all came together. Seeing the final product gave me a sense of satisfaction that no piece of fatty, sugary cake ever did.
That’s not to say I gave up loving to cook. Once again, “necessity is the mother of invention” and I needed to invent. When I really was hungry, I still wanted things from my old life from time to time. But much like origami distracted me from eating when I didn’t really need food, playing kitchen scientist brought me creations that distracted me from going for their less healthy counterparts. Case and point: Pancakes. I love pancakes. But when you think about what’s in the average pancake (flour, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, butter…) there isn’t really much in the way of good nutrition. Add to that the fact that RNY patients are required to eat AT LEAST 50 grams of protein a day, and I couldn’t really afford to waste the little bit of food I could eat at each meal on something carbohydrate laden. It was when a fellow patient mentioned that she had made pancakes using cottage cheese that I got thinking. Thus, the ricotta-cake was born!

Light, fluffy, and a completely suitable meal for anyone. If I had never explored, I never would have known that a pancake with only 2 tbsp. flour could taste so wonderful.

Ricotta-Cakes
1/2 cup light ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour or almond flour (multi-grain pancake mix works too)
teaspoon or two of oatmeal if you want some more texture
1 tsp. vanilla
Flavorings/toppings of your choice: fresh fruit, cinnamon, other extracts, sugar-free flavored syrups, peanut butter, cocoa powder…etc.

Cook them as you’d cook regular pancakes. They’re a little more difficult to flip, so keep them small and you’ll have an easier time. The above recipe makes a serving of 3-4 small pancakes, but it is certainly filling and full of protein. I personally like a little bit of peanut butter and banana with mine.

The ricotta pancakes were one of my first experiments after surgery. Cooking it and variations on it made me realize that I didn’t have to give anything in my life up, I simply had to reinvent things and improve the nutrition. A lesson and a distraction all in one.

Mangia bene!

The Inevitable "Welcome" Post

2 Jul

Hello and welcome! I have finally decided that having all of my blogs in different places is far too confusing, so I decided to consolidate. While I love sports, cooking, and origami, there’s so much more I’d like to share with you, so stick around and enjoy.

So first, a little about me. My name is Neen and I live in Virginia with my boyfriend and our Sheltie, Dioji. I recently moved here from Boston after deciding that 1.) I couldn’t stand the gray and 2.) there were several occasions during the winter when I was tempted to call into work “cold.”
I work at a wonderful research library in Washington, DC where I get to read a lot of great (and some very crazy) scholarly essays. I have the pleasure of wonderful colleagues, and tea time every day at 3:00pm.
Outside of work I enjoy swimming, singing, writing, folding origami, arguing about sports with anyone who will listen, and turning my kitchen into a science lab. While I’ve always loved most of those things, recent years have brought me a greater appreciation for many things in life. The reason why is one that, until recently, I have rarely been up front about. Four years ago as of this past April, I had RNY gastric bypass surgery. I was 280lbs, unhappy, and clueless as to how to change my lifestyle. I’d tried every diet from slim fast to south beach to weight watchers. My problem was that as soon as I slipped, I’d believe it was all over and give up. It was a constant cycle of gaining and losing weight that I was desperate to break. I often wondered where the former competitive swimmer had gone. I’d never been very fast, but I could hold my own in an endurance race. There I was though, near the end of my freshman year, a complete mess. For one reason or another, I’d gotten completely out of control and wondered if there was anywhere to turn. There was.
April 28, 2004 Dr. Robert Quinlin performed RNY gastric bypass surgery on me. Following that, my life changed completely. I realized that I had to completely re-learn how to eat. That meant starting from scratch. For one week, I could only have clear liquids, then it was a week of full liquids, followed by a month of pureed foods, and then finally a stabilization phase which introduced solid foods very slowly. I had to focus on getting in as much protein as I could when I could only have about 4oz. of solid food before I felt full. But it worked. During that first year I often wondered if this would really be the thing that made me lose the weight for good. The reduced stomach capacity and bypassed intestine was just a tool. I had to make the decision to live the lifestyle permanently.
What really convinced me to stick with it in the long run were all the things I could do that I wouldn’t have been able to do at 280lbs. I climbed the tower of Pisa, I traveled all over England via train and my legs, I bought a dress from Banana Republic, I ran around Amsterdam with my boyfriend, I moved into three different apartments (without movers to do the lifting!), I danced at a foam party in Mexico, and so SO much more.
In four years, I’ve had my ups and downs, but what I really want to show you is what I’ve learned. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” so they say. The habits that I’ve cultivated since surgery have allowed me to stick to my new lifestyle in a truly healthy way. Hopefully, this blog will help me share those lessons, and I hope that my “inventions” will inspire your own.
 

 

 

 

 

 

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