Today was supposed to be spent doing a 12-mile loop hike in the mountains, tagging two more 4,000 footers. But it rained. And yes, we could have gone in the rain. But it's so much more fun on a nice day. So it turned into a (much needed) day at home. Having just finished my first week at a new job, I needed some down time. In the midst of working through a large sorting/cleaning/moving project, I decided to make some banana muffins. What I really wanted was banana bread, but even the GF flours bother me sometimes, so I decided to go with a grain free recipe. This is one that I've made once before, but I tweaked it a bit and it came out much better. The coolest thing about this recipe is that it has NO FLOUR. None. Not coconut. Not almond meal. Not rice flour. So I don't have to worry about the nut issue (son is allergic to tree nuts) or the "funny taste" of coconut that both kids complain about. This is a 6-ingredient recipe, and you won't believe it unless you try it. I throw my browning bananas into the freezer and save them for smoothies or baking. Today I happened to have 3. They thaw very quickly if you put them in a bowl of water...it took about 15 minutes this morning. I used peanut butter (not paleo, strictly) because we have a kid with tree nut allergies, but I'd love to try this with cashew or almond butter. And I used maple syrup that my older son made this spring when he and a friend tapped some trees on the property and boiled it down. Ingredients 1 cup nut butter 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla 3 eggs, beaten 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey 1 cup chocolate chips (optional) 1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. 2. Grease 12 muffin tins, and fill 3/4 full with batter. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The muffins will need to sit and cool for about 15 minutes until you attempt to eat them. They are initially quite soft, but will become a consistency such that you can pick it up and eat it just like a regular muffin. If you can't wait that long, I recommend a plate and a fork (from personal experience...).
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After spending some time in and at the river, we continued on route 49 to the Mad River Tavern, where we had a great late lunch. If you stick to burgers, sandwiches, and salads, the meals are about $10 per person. The food was delicious and the service was efficient. There is also a little ice cream shop in a small building next to the restaurant that boasts 20 flavors. We didn't get ice cream this time, but we have stopped there before. It's a great alternative to having a full meal out. Hike-Swim-Eat Series: North and South Mountain Loop - Pawtuckaway Lake - The Tuckaway Tavern6/6/2015 If you're looking for a nice day trip in southern New Hampshire, you should definitely check out Pawtuckaway State Park, a 5000-acre preserve that spans Deerfield, Raymond, and Nottingham. We live about a 10 minutes' drive from a trail head on the western side of the park, making it a quick and easy hiking option. Within the preserve, there is a state park that includes camping, swimming, canoe and kayak rentals, and hiking trails. There are two small mountains in Pawtuckaway, part of a ring dike, or the remains of an ancient volcano. North Mountain is located on one side of this ring dike, South Mountain on the other. Today we hiked both of the mountains via a loop trail that connects them. Here is a link to a trail map. Interestingly, as a ring dike weathers, the process supports the formation of a large number of plant species. This has resulted in this preserve boasting a large number of rare plants, as well as offering several different types of ecological niches. This loop hike takes you through a hemlock forest, an Appalachian oak rocky ridge system, and an oak-sugar maple forest. It never gets monotonous. At the base of North Mountain is an area called Boulder Field, where boulders are scattered across the terrain like gigantic cookie crumbs. Some of them are 30 feet tall. This is a popular place for rock climbers to come and practice different techniques.
This longer loop hike features about 7 miles of what I would classify as "ambling" trails, with a few good climbs that will get your heart racing. It's nothing like hiking in the Whites, but it's close to home for me, and lovely. There are some beautiful views from outcroppings of the ring dike as you go along. The summit of North Mountain is fairly anti-climactic, the many outcroppings you pass over on the way up being much more scenic. The summit of South Mountain is more open and features a fire tower that is climb-able, as well. I noticed yesterday that there are blueberry bushes everywhere, and so I completely intend to return again throughout berry season. We park at the Reservation Road trail head. Reservation Road is located off of route 107 between Deerfield and Raymond. Follow it, even after it becomes a dirt road, and you will find a small dirt area with room for cars to park, with signage for North Mountain Trail on either side of the road. We've hiked the loop in both directions. North Mountain is the more vigorous climb of the two, so it depends on if you prefer to do the harder work at the beginning or the end of the loop. The trail is enjoyable and beautiful in different ways, depending on which direction you go. Just like Bear Brook State Park, the trails are not always dependably labeled. I printed out the map and carried it with me, as there are a number of junctions and it can get confusing. Starting at the Reservation Road parking area, jump onto North Mountain Trail. This will carry you over North Mountain, then on an enchanting wander through a hemlock forest. At the bottom of North Mountain, get onto Boulder Trail which passes by Boulder Field and around Round Pond, to join with South Ridge Trail. South Ridge Trail guides you over the summit of South Mountain. From there, continue on South Ridge Trail to Mountain Trail to Tower Road. You can either walk back to the parking area via Tower Road and Reservation Road, or jump back onto North Mountain trail and walk in the woods back to the parking area. After hiking on a hot day, a swim in Pawtuckaway Lake is refreshing. There is no access from the western side of the park, and you'll need to drive about 15 minutes to the main park entrance in order to get beach access. For a nice meal out, check out The Tuckaway Tavern for yummy food and drinks. Expect to wait a little bit for a table at this popular restaurant. A good friend at work and I have recently started a "salad club". We take turns bringing in salads for each other to eat at lunch time. This has a number of benefits, including not needing to pack a lunch once in a while, and giving both of us, busy moms and teachers, a great excuse to try new recipes. I'm much more apt to whip up an exciting salad when I'm making it for someone besides, well, me. It's been successful so far, except for that one time when I dumped half of one of her beautiful salad onto my lap and the floor of my office. (Classic move for me, by the way.)
Balsamic vinagrette+ feta cheese + sandals = slimy toes for the rest of the day. And a stained skirt. And a big spot on my office carpet. Oops. I decided to experiment with a Waldorf salad this week. It's very simple, and satisfying. I used a rotisserie chicken, but you could always just gently cook chicken, let it cool, and chop it up. Ingredients 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces 1 cup celery, diced 1 cup grapes, halved 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup chopped or halved walnuts 4 Tbsp mayonnaise, sour cream, or yogurt, depending on your dairy/paleo preferences Salt and pepper to taste Serve over a bed of lettuce greens, or wrapped up in Romaine leaves with pickles and other salad toppings. Today my nieces and I harvested some rhubarb from my next-door neighbor's yard. What a cool, ugly plant. We decided to a rhubarb cake, and did successfully, but there was still rhubarb left over. I also made a rhubarb simple syrup as a drink mixer, but even then, there was still left overs. I wanted to use it up, and a little bit of Pinterest browsing inspired me to create a chutney. Rhubarb is a bitter plant, one of the first harvestable plants of the season in New Hampshire. The leaves are gigantic (see photo below), and the reddish stalks are used in pies, cakes, jams, muffins...but always with plenty of sugar. I liked the idea of making something that used rhubarb, but wasn't a dessert. This recipe still has sugar in it, but you would just eat a few spoonfuls as a condiment on a sandwich or some grilled meat, so it doesn't amount to too much. Ingredients 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 whole onion, chopped finely 3 cloves of garlic, minced 3 Tbsp fresh grated ginger 1/3 cup rice vinegar or dry white wine 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup dried cranberries(currants or raisins would work, too) 1/2 cup sugar 4 cups of finely chopped rhubarb 1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and saute until onions are soft and translucent. 2. Add ginger and salt. Stir well to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes more. 3. Add vinegar or wine, dried fruit, and sugar. Stir well, then add rhubarb. Gently simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Store in the refrigerator. Serve as a condiment for grilled meats, or with cheese and crackers. Yes, the name pretty much says it all. Except that it's delicious!! I'm more into mushrooms than ground beef these days, so I made these for myself as a burger alternative on a night when I made burgers for the men folk. I didn't get a picture because I ate it too fast! Next time.
I started the caps marinating, then the onions caramelizing, as soon as I got home from work. I sliced up some sweet potatoes and placed them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, and preheated the oven to 400 degrees. The mushrooms only take 20 minutes or so grill to perfection, but the onions and sweet potatoes take about 40 minutes to get just right. Plan accordingly. Caramelized Onion Sauce Cook one large onion, chopped, in 2-4 Tbsp oil/butter (I used 1 part olive oil to 1 part butter) over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes. Stir frequently. If the onion starts to brown really fast, turn the heat down, as they will burn given the right conditions. And that sucks, because then you have to start over, and it takes a while for caramelization to occur. (I speak from experience.) Marinade In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup oil (I used avocado oil this time), 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp tamari sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, and 1/2 tsp sage. Pour over mushroom caps and leave to marinade for at least 20 minutes. I also cut a red bell pepper into quarters and threw it in with the mushroom caps. Grill the mushrooms and peppers for 20-30 minutes, or until browned and soft. Serve mushroom cap topped with a red pepper slice and a generous pile of caramelized onions. I also topped mine with hamburger fixings - mustard, ketchup, and pickles. Enjoy with a side of oven-roasted sweet potato slices. I love stuffed mushrooms, but because of gluten/grain content in most commercial varieties, I don't eat them anymore. Tonight I was craving them, so I created this recipe for myself. I ate it as an entree, but it would also make a great app for any occasion. Several tablespoons olive oil or butter (I used a mix of both) 12 Mushrooms (I used baby portobellas) 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 cup chopped red pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup grated parmesan (optional ifyou are dairy-free) 2 Tbsp corn meal OR tapioca starch 1. Preheat oven to 425. Cut the stem out of the mushrooms, slightly hollowing out the cap. Chop the stems and set aside. 2. Place hollow caps on a cookie sheet. 3. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, until soft. 4. Add red pepper, chopped mushroom stems, garlic, and salt and cook for 5 more minutes. until all vegetables are soft.. 5. Put cooked veggies in a bowl. Add parmesan and corn meal or tapioca starch. Mix well to combine. 6. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. The chicken in this recipe is lightly breaded with a gluten-free blend of rice flour and seasonings that lend it a savory Mexican flavor. Minimizing the amount of flour coating keeps the carb count lower, but still offers a crunchy coating. The main thing with pan frying is to not shy away from using oil. A lot of it isn't actually absorbed into the breading if you cook it at the proper heat (hot enough that it's not a gentle saute, but not so hot that it reaches its smoking point.) I've been cooking with an olive oil/butter blend lately. The butter adds a nice richness to any recipe.
The recipes below are enough to serve 2-3 people. Chicken 2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness 2 eggs 1/2 cup rice flour or GF flour blend 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp coriander 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp garlic powder oil/butter for frying - about 3/4 cup total 1. Pound chicken breast to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut into smaller pieces - 2-3 per breast. 2. Beat eggs in a bowl and set aside. Combine flour and seasonings in another bowl and set aside. 3. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. 4. Dip chicken breast into eggs, then in flour mixture. Place in skillet. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until lightly browned on one side. Turn and cook for another 4-6 minutes on the other side, until lightly browned. 5. Cover skillet and turn heat down to low. Let it cook gently for another 8-10 minutes, being careful not to let it burn. If the skillet is too hot, take it off the heat but leave it covered. Mushroom Rice 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1 cup chopped mushroom 1 cup brown rice (use 2 cups grated cauliflower to make this grain-free and low carb) 3 cups water or broth 1/2 tsp salt 4 Tbsp oil/butter 1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. (I used half oil and half butter.) Add onions, garlic, salt, and mushrooms. Saute until onions are soft, 5-10 minutes. 2. Add brown rice. Stir to combine ingredients. (If you use cauliflower, just add it in and stir fry, skipping the next step. Once its cooked, it's ready to eat.) 3. Add 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, then turn burner to low. Allow to gently steam for 45 minutes. If water level looks low and rice is still crunchy, add more water 1/2 cup at a time and continue to steam. The rice will start to look creamy when it's close to done, as it releases its starch. I did a lot of stirring, almost as if this were a risotto. Avocado Salsa Dice an avocado. Stir in 1/4 cup of salsa verde. Serve over chicken. I've had this post on my mind for a long time. I would like to share more of my story of having had a severe eating disorder on this blog, mainly because I have had a relatively successful recovery and believe that I have a lot of hope to offer to those who are struggling. There is fallout that haunts me, however, even 25 years later. While some may consider this a private matter, I have had enough conversations with others to know that my struggles are fairly common, and sometimes it's nice to have someone reach out and share in the midst of the craziness. It's grounding. And it's always nice to know you're not alone. So here goes. Body dysmorphia is a serious disorder. It takes a number of forms, but one is viewing oneself very inaccurately. This could have to do with weight, or the size of your nose, or the positioning of your eyes. For some, it becomes an obsession. Often in anorexics, it manifests as an inability to see accurately the weight loss that is occurring. For some, when they look in a mirror, they don't see an accurate reflection, kind of like looking in a funhouse mirror where your body gets all distorted. You see fat that isn't there, or a head that's too large, or a nose that's too big. For me, since the onset of my eating disorder, it has always been an inability to see myself accurately - thin or otherwise - in mirrors and in photos. I have thought many times over the years that I feel like I live in a house of mirrors with crazy distortions all around. Let me say this: you don't have to have suffered through an eating disorder to have a variant of body dysmorphia, or at least a sense that you aren't good enough in some way. I would posit that our media with its crazy distorted presentation of what is beautiful/attractive/sexy has seeped into the subconscious of most of us, and the conclusion must be, for 98% of the population, "I don't measure up". Some people shrug off the images and don't care so much. Others figure that if they can't attain perfection, they may as well just not care at all and stop taking care of themselves. And others, a minority, really care, internalize those images as a personal standard, and feel genuinely bad about themselves. This can be devastating to self esteem, interpersonal relationships, and daily functioning, this preoccupation with perfection. And bear in mind that this affects men as well as women. Back to my story: I don't remember much from that year, my 8th grade year. That is probably partly due to the passage of time. But it is also due to the fact that I was starving myself and I'm quite sure that my poor developing adolescent brain was not functioning properly. I was on a strict, self-imposed, low-calorie diet, with no fat, little protein, mostly carbohydrates, and way too much exercise. From the beginning of 8th grade in September 1988 until May 1989, I went from 125 healthy pounds to 75 emaciated pounds. Here's a memory I DO have. It's winter of 1988. I'm standing in front of a mirror, with my sister standing behind me. At this point, I have lost nearly 30 pounds and currently weigh around 95 pounds, but I literally can not see myself as thin. My sister is worried. She is trying to help me see what I can not. I am standing in a bra and underwear looking in the mirror and she is pointing out bones to me. "See your ribs, Em? And see that?" she asks as she points to my highly visible rib cage and my xyphoid process, a sharp little bone that pokes out at the base of my sternum between my breasts. I look, fascinated. I see the bones, I see the ribs, I see the xyphoid process...it actually grosses me out a little bit...but I can NOT see thin. I see normal, healthy, maybe even chubby. But I do not see thin. This perception persisted as I hit 90 pounds, then 85, then 80, then 75. I would have sworn to anyone who asked that I was still heavy, even as I wasted away. Even as my hair fell out, and my fingernails grew ridged, and my lips turned blue from cold by the end of the day in my middle school. I knew, from the responses of others, that was a little crazy. Well, okay, more than a little. I learned not to say much about it. But I still believed it. Once I started to recover, and re-feed, and my brain function normalized, I began to recognize my thinness. I could see it in photos, and sometimes in the mirror. It was strange - there were good mirrors and bad mirrors. Some were safe, some were not. I wrote in another post about my abandonment of weighing myself for years after my disorder, as I was scared about that starting a relapse. Without my weight as an index, I was reliant upon my perception of myself based on mirrors, photos, and what others told me throughout high school and college. Unfortunately, I couldn't depend on mirrors. My lack of a clear image continued. Looking back at photos now, I can see that my weight fluctuated a good deal, and I was slightly overweight through high school and college. I felt okay, though. I fought hard to accept myself as I was. As much as I would have liked to be thinner, I also knew that I was not interested in returning to the prison of obsession that was the hallmark of my acute anorexia. I learned to put less stock in what I saw in the mirror and go, instead, by how I felt and how my clothes fit. I managed just fine - I'm strong and stubborn (or tenacious). Having a full life had become more important to me than obsession about my weight. But the sense of never really knowing how I appeared persisted. The reflection in the mirror would change throughout the day. When I was hungry or had just worked out, the girl in the mirror looked smaller. When I was full from a meal, she looked really large. It was weird, that fluctuation. I could never quite come to terms with it. It is still with me, yes, even 25 years later. Even as I am pushing 40. Even as a mom of two adolescent boys. I weigh less now than I did in high school, but I still see myself quite often as I looked in pictures where I was at my heaviest. I am often surprised (yes, even to this day) when someone refers to me as small or thin. My perception of myself is so distorted that I have trouble believing it. Again, I know not to say much, lest I'm branded the crazy lady, or people start to believe that I'm just full of false modesty. But when I look shocked at someone saying I'm small, or thin, or tiny, or fit, honest to God, I am. Weird? Yes. Crazy? A little. But it's part of me. It's fallout from a serious illness. I'm aware of it, and I fight it. And I have learned some great coping skills. I hope these might be helpful to anyone struggling with similar issues. 1. Reality testing: This can be done using photos, the scale, or how clothes fit. Some days when I feel particularly large, I literally have to put on a pair of jeans that I have worn in a picture where I looked thin to myself. Some days I am sure I have gained 10 pounds and I need to weigh myself for reassurance. Or I look back at a photo and remind myself that I my weight is fine and my current perception of myself is false. 2. Self-acceptance, regardless of how I feel: I need to remind myself that I'm okay, and that I have lots of great qualities that aren't dependent on my weight or size. I would rather put effort and thought into my job or my family or my relationships than, again, obsessing about weight. I think about the legacy I want to leave as a mom, a woman, a friend, and I realize that I just don't want to waste time feeling bad about myself. 3. Physical activity: Exercise always works to adjust my perceptions. It also serves as a reminder that regardless of how I feel, I have an incredibly capable, pain-free, functional body. And at the end of the day, that is so much more important than what size I am. Accomplishments that indicate that I'm growing stronger or faster or even just that I can maintain a certain level of fitness help a lot to boost my body image. 4. Perfect doesn't exist: No, the perfect body so many strive for will never happen. I will never be good enough for the image in my mind, because our media has so distorted not only the importance of a perfect body, but even the idea of what that looks like. So I try to stop striving and accept where I'm at today, and then move on with my life. 5. Awareness and mindfulness: I recognize that the distorted thoughts are there. I, in no way, accept them as normal or healthy. This allows me to talk back to that critical voice, in a sense. "Look at yourself - you're huge. And hideous," says the voice. I can respond..."No, I'm not actually. I feel that way at this moment, but it's not true." Letting those thoughts become a pattern of mind is dangerous, so resisting them is important. I've also learned to breathe deeply and stay grounded in the present, real moment. Sometimes I literally tell myself that "my breath is real, but my thoughts are not". I use this tool in any number of stressful or anxiety-provoking situations, but it's effective against my crazy body thoughts, too. I hope this helps someone. If you struggle with this and are comfortable commenting, I'd love to hear some other strategies if you have them. I often advise those who are looking to lose weight, particularly around their middle, and improve blood sugar control to eat a low-carbohydrate diet. This typically causes people to think of the Atkins diet, piles of bacon and steak, and no fruits or veggies. Which is not at all what I'm talking about. I think of my way of eating as modified low carbohydrate. I first heard of this when I read Syndrome W, an excellent book by Dr.Harriet Mogul. She details a modified low carb diet which is not extremely low carb like the Atkins diet, but does cut way back on carbs in general. As a result of reading her book, I tried cutting out the toast with my breakfast and the bread on my sandwiches at lunch, along with other forms of sugar that can sneak in during the day. I've been eating this way for 7 years now and have maintained a 40-pound weight loss with a fluctuation of 3-5 pounds over those 7 years. It works. The one place I disagree with the Syndrome W plan is that it is low fat. After losing some weight, I also started to increase my fat intake due to personal research and also reading about both paleo diets and The Primal Blueprint. This helped to increase my satiety levels and I actually continued to lose weight, much to my surprise. Also, my blood pressure normalized, my cholesterol levels improved significantly, and some hormonal issues I was having resolved when I made this change. I don't have joint pain in the morning when I wake up anymore, I am more fit than I ever was in my 20s or early 30s, and I don't get crazy hunger swings and stomach pains anymore. I know - I sound like an infomercial. But it's all true. So how do I do it? The short story is I try to keep my total carbohydrate intake for the whole day below 100 grams. Most days, it is between 50 and 75 grams. If my intake starts creeping up above 100 grams, so do my weight and my blood pressure. And, in my book, a carb is a carb is a carb, whether it comes from a fruit, vegetable, nut, rice, or a piece of chocolate. I don't count fiber differently, and I'm not meticulous about counting - I just have a general sense of where I'm at. The longer story details how I actually do this. So here's what a typical day looks like for me: Breakfast - 2 eggs, any style, sometimes with vegetables or salsa or breakfast meat, but not most days. Snack - 1-2 oz nuts Lunch - 2-3 cups chopped fresh veggies (typically a salad) and a serving (3-4 oz) of protein (usually chicken). Oil and vinegar as a dressing. Snack - sometimes after work, I will have some form of nut butter on rice crackers or celery, but generally I try to work out and skip the snack altogether. Dinner - This is where things can get tricky and budgeting comes into play. One of us cooks most nights and we have dinner as a family so it's important to me that I eat something that I enjoy, while staying low carb. I try to get at least 2 more vegetable servings in - often oven-roasted vegetables of some form. If I'm hungry, I'll have some protein. And I usually have some carbs with dinner - rice, sweet potatoes, rice pasta - something starchy. I don't cook specifically low carb for the family, so I make modifications. I might have a pasta sauce over vegetables instead of pasta, or cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. Treats - Fruit (1 piece at the most) or dark chocolate (1-2 oz) Alcohol counts - it's worth about 5 grams for a serving of dry red wine or unsweetened liquor. If I want a glass of wine, I skip the rice. If I eat extra potatoes, I skip the chocolate. I like to have some spontaneity in my choices, but can only afford a little bit of wiggle room. Some tips/tools that have helped me: -I save most of my carbs gram for the evening when we eat a meal as a family and I'm more likely to want to indulge. I would rather have a serving of homemade risotto at dinner with the family than eat a bag of pretzels by myself for a morning snack. -Don't focus on calories - but they still count. Nuts are great, for instance. One ounce has 4-6 grams of carbs, depending on the nut. But low carb doesn't mean no impact. They still have lots of calories, and I could easily down several ounces without realizing it. I measure myself a serving for each day at work and put it in a baggie to avoid overeating. I do find that I can eat more calories and maintain a much lower weight on a lower carb diet than I ever did when I was eating low fat/high carb. -Use a tracker until you get accustomed to the carb content of foods you enjoy. This is my favorite so far. -Understand the science behind why low carb works for so many people. I love this infographic. It's more motivating when you think about what you are doing to your body biochemically. This is NOT just about aesthetics or attaining some ridiculous physical goal - it's about caring for your body, inside and out. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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