shhhh Jenny Craig Secrets revealed

Jenny Craig Meals
All this in one day on Jenny Craig and I still lose weight!

Laura and I went on Jenny Craig roughly 5 years ago. It took us about 7 or 8 months to lose around 85 lbs each and although my weight has been a little variable, Laura has stayed remarkably constant. The secret has been to use Jenny’s Maintenance Program to keep things in check.

It’s hard to believe that eating three meals like those above would actually help you lose weight… but it does for us. There is more food than the picture shows in our daily culinary feasting. First, besides the strawberries, blueberries and an entire banana in our breakfast cereal, we fill up these large bowls with non fat milk. Yes, I don’t measure my milk. Lunch consists of a large salad (cherry tomatoes, hearts of palm, tiny corn and mushrooms when I think of it) covered with Jenny’s Ranch Dressing and dinner is their chicken and beans along with a veggie plate ( sliced Maya onion, garlic cloves, Portabella mushrooms and thin beans). At 3pm, we have a homemade Biscotti (130- 199 calories depending how you make it) with our coffee.

So, let’s just say, we have tried the other programs, chewed on their bland, tasteless food covered in a chalky sauce… you really can’t live on it. Jenny isn’t perfect, but we know when we go on one of our planned extravagances … like the upcoming holidays, we know that Jenny will put us back on track.

When it comes to things that cost money… I want to make sure it works.

Roger

PS. We have cheesecake for dessert… is that over the top?

aging prime rib

The perfect 3 week aging of Prime Rib at the Arroyo Grande Meat Company

I have talked about the Arroyo Grande Meat Market before and I have been going there … like, forever!  However, I wanted to start putting aside something rather special for the holidays and I found it in a Prime Rib that they aged for me for 3 weeks.

Although I know my way around a meat counter, I am not quite ready to try my hand at aging beef. It’s kinda like being a Sushi chef preparing   Fugu.  As the Japanese folk song says, “I want to eat fugu, but I don’t want to die!” I guess I could test the results on a few friends… but then, I kinda like them. This is something, for the time being, I am leavng for those who have the experience and equipment to do it right.

HOW to age beef

So, one meal down for the holidays!

the right biscotti takes the edge off

almond biscotti
Happiness is a full Biscottie Jar. This is the 199 calorie variety. CLICK on the picture for an alternative.

This is my mid afternoon snack almond Biscotti that I take with me down to the coffee shop! I don’t know what it is about it, but it takes the edge off my appetite and that’s how I make my diet plan work.

You can check the basic recipe by clicking on the picture but this plan is a bit different as I make only one roll that produces 16 or 17 full size Biscotti bars. Here is the basic set of ingredients”

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups confectioner’s flour
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon spice blend ( I have an egg nog blend I prefer)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
Remember it's a snack and not a meal replacement!

Anyway, any diet is easy if you include something to keep you on track! This works for me!

the ‘stone soup’ of gardening

the red is for peppers and the green is for tomatoes ... but first you must BUY them!

Okay, I don’t know what I really expected, but I kinda thought there might be some seeds in the container I bought… but NO… you go out and buy mature plants, high grade potting soil, time released fertilizer and water them every day…and then…. wahoo! Instant tomatoes! So, lets just say that the final price tag for this project is a bit higher than what it shows on the package!

So maybe I am not walking into this ‘fun’ project with the right attitude… but we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, I am amused.

It seems nutty, but it’s an apple pie

Apple Pie
Oh yes, nuts really add something wonderful to an apple pie! ... CLICK on the picture for the basic step-by-step recipe

We’ve had a very strange year around our apple ‘orchard’ ( now two trees). What makes it strange is that normally we have the stove going continuously baking pies and then apple sauce. Two years ago, after making a dozen or so pies, I filled one entire freezer with prepared apple sauce that lasted until about 6 months ago. Laura didn’t complain as home made apple sauce is her favorite snack after dinner.

I rushed this pie out as I had a bunch of things I am preparing for the fall, but I think I am unlikely to get more than one more pie from our trees. Weather does that sort of thing around here.  Normally I like to glaze almonds for the top of my pies , but I used what was at hand and I think it will be fine. This pie will go into the freezer for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

My See’s Canyon Apple Pie Recipe