Louisiana Culinary Tour - Day 3

The gracious hosts at Camellia Cove Bed & Breakfast in Washington, La. were not offended when I ate only my cantaloupe wedge, but passed on the Eggs Benedict. (Please don't tell her that one of the very few things I just can't seem to swallow is runny egg yolks!)

By lunch time, we were in Lafayette, La. at the Vermillionville historic education center in a cooking class, learning how to prepare a delicious, authentic Cajun/Creole meal of crawfish Etouffee in pastry shells; biscuits with fig preserves or Steen's Syrup; Creole shrimp and okra gumbo; chicken, sausage and tasso jambalaya, corn macque choux (pronounced mock-shew'; and bread pudding with sauce.

Already prepared with a meal replacement bar in my purse, I was ecstatic to learn that one dish would be made without a roux (pronounced roo), the flour and oil base of many Cajun dishes. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 c. olive oil
2-pound bag of frozen okra
1/3 c. vinegar
1-1/2 c. Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 c. celery, diced
1 c. bell pepper, diced
2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp, seasoned with Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1-1/2 quarts water

1. Heat oil in pot 60-90 seconds.
2. Add okra and saute to brown stage, or until it reduces to about half. When okra begins to get slimy, add vinegar to eliminate slime.
3. Add Rotel and other vegetables; cook for five minutes.
4. Add water and shrimp. Simmer on medium heat until shrimp are cooked.
5. Serve over rice. (Cajuns always use white rice. I use brown.)

This recipe will easily serve 8-10. I calculated a very filling, complete-meal portion using four ounces of shrimp and 1/2-cup of rice at 369 calories. Yummo!

Here's the lovely salad the chef at Charley G's prepared for me as an alternative to the sauteed-in-butter fixed-course entree.






And here's the dessert I enjoyed photographing, but not eating. The coffee was great, though!


Back to the hotel, I jumped on the treadmill for 35 minutes and knocked out six exercises on the weight machines. Now, it's time to say good morning and THANK YOU to all you wonderful, precious supporters who help to keep me strong and focused on my goals!

P.S. Pattie, I haven't had a lot of time to think about a six-word memoir, but here's one for now: "This is not the final act."

The Three B's

Some of the foods I let pass me by today were boudin (pronounced BOO-dan), backlava and bread pudding.

Some of foods I enjoyed were boiled shrimp, grilled tilapia and ahi tuna. I did try one fried jalapeno pepper stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat and Parmesan cheese. YUM!

Take a look at this pile of fresh cracklins our group sampled today with boudin from Billy's Boudin in Opelousas, Louisiana. (Click on the picture for a full-size idea of the fat content in each tasty morsel!) Most of the writers loved the local culinary specialties, which they had never tasted before.

Every place we visited, we met warm, friendly people who prepared lavish spreads of rich, Cajun food for us to enjoy.

At breakfast, I was fortunate to be able to order oatmeal and fruit; and our hosts had apples in the van for snacks this afternoon. At both lunch and dinner, the chefs were kind enough to prepare my entrees without cream sauces or butter, and to substitute fresh vegetables for starches.

Because I had eaten enough at each meal to feel totally satisfied, can you imagine my shock tonight when I saw the total number of calories I consumed today hovering just under 1200??! I almost passed out.

And even though I didn't get to do any cardio, we did walk over two miles today.

All in all, another good on-plan day on the road. Wahooooo!!

Saved by the Crawfish!

Greetings from Lafayette, LA!

Decent weather, a comfortable flight schedule and good crews made for pleasant travel yesterday. I navigated the airports with a meal replacement bar for breakfast and lunch, plus a large apple for a 3 p.m. snack.

By dinner last night, I was hungry - but not desperate - to eat. Perhaps the anticipation of getting to eat my first boiled crawfish of the season fueled the appetite. Nonetheless, I had already researched the nutrition info for the spicey protein bites, and was pleased to learn I could pinch three ounces of tails before I logged 70 calories. That, plus a green salad with lo-fat dressing was great!

Whatever I did eat, I definitely worked off on Randol's dance floor (click that link for MUSIC!)and on the treadmill back at the hotel!

Do You Compensate for Cardio?

Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne admits cardio exercise is perplexing. In theory, it should work the same for everyone, he says. But it doesn't. Some people do cardio six hours, nine hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. It works just fine for others.

To get some insight into the reason for this, British researchers studied 35 overweight men and women who weren't previously exercising. Subjects did cardio five times per week for 12 weeks. On average, they lost a respectable 8.2 pounds. However, the variance between individuals was huge. One of the 35 subjects lost a staggering 32.3 pounds, while one actually gained 3.74 pounds. The scientists think they know why.

They classified the subjects into two groups: those who lost the least amount of weight (the "Compensators") and those who lost the most (the "Non-Compensators"). Turns out the cardio exercise made the Compensators hungry. As a result, they wound up consuming more than 250 extra calories per day... all but wiping out their weight-loss efforts. The Non-Compensators, though, did not experience an increase in their appetites (and therefore, did not compensate for hunger by eating more).

If your cardio program is not working for you, Ballantyne suggests you check your post-exercise appetite level and calorie intake to see if you are a "Compensator." If you are, you might be better off with a program of high-intensity resistance and interval training.

(Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for Early to Rise's free natural health e-letter.)

***Ding, ding, ding! HYC Tuesday check-in: All things considered, it was a good week. I did figure out one day last week I had miscalculated my inches lost. It WAS 22.7 (not 24.75); now, 24. Average daily calorie consumption was 1268. Still, I lost only one pound (What’s up with THAT?!), bringing my total weight loss since Jan 15 to 26 pounds.

Because I ate right and exercised six days, I’m choosing to believe that as I’m losing fat, I’m also building muscle, which weighs more; consequently, the apparent “mediocre” loss this week.

The good news is I’m still two weeks ahead of schedule toward my goal weight planned for August 12.

How Nice!

This morning, Hanlie surprised several bloggers with a "Nice Matters" award for being "nice people, good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.” Thanks, Hanlie! (Sniff, sniff.)


Because Hanlie has already received her Nice Matters Award, I'll pay mine forward by awarding the honor to:
* Diana - for creating the 2008 Healthy You Challenge and giving all of us a forum to make new friends, share our challenges and celebrate our victories.
* Pattie for her sweet spirit, kind comments, and because
us "fifty-something's" have to stick together!
* Cammie for her upbeat, down-to-earth, no nonsense approach
toward life that helps to keep me grounded.

Receiving the Nice Matters Award reminded me of this verse
by Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are
powerful beyond measure.
It is out light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Have a great week!

Inspiration: Where We Sit

Count me in with the crowd who is responding to Felicia's request for us to post a picture of "Where We Sit." Well, here it is - my home office. My computer faces a large window that looks over our front yard, then across the street to a wooded area that lines the backside of a country club golf course. It's a lovely place to observe the changing seasons.

"Being seated" is actually an ancient concept with a wide range of meanings - including responsiveness, authority and rest. Etiquette dictates where guests of honor are seated at a dinner table, a wedding and other important events. The Buddha is typically pictured seated on a lotus flower. The Bible says that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.

For us, "where we sit" mentally either augments or undermines our efforts to lose weight and become fit. If we passionately believe and say NOW, "I am a Divinely healthy and fit human being," we activate a whole set of desires in line with that expressed belief. By choosing thoughts in line with our originating Spirit, we leave no room for unhealthy habits.

"It may happen gradually, but there it is," says Wayne Dyer. "You see yourself not living in fear or overly focused on your appearance. This wonderful awareness of self-acceptance combines with a strong desire to treat your body with respect...You've found a better way to balance and enjoy your life by trusting your thoughts to attract the health you desire."

By choosing to be seated as a guest of honor with Spirit - which has no excess fat, indigestion, hunger pangs or overeating habits - you relegate your ego (which identifies with body) to a place way down the table.

"Truly, you are not what you eat or how much you exercise," Dyer concludes," but rather what you believe about the you that you're presently birthing in your thoughts."

Quotes from Being In Balance: 9 Principles for Creating Habits to Match Your Desires

Run, Ready Maid, Run!

A couple of weeks ago, a few well-meaning folks who knew of my upcoming media trip to Brenham, Texas, said, "You're gonna hafta eat; so, you might as well prepare yourself.
Setbacks are inevitable."

Ummm, maybe not. In the first place, if I were to actually believe that, the entire universe would go to work
to create setbacks for me. Period.

Secondly, I believe that knowing ahead of time when you're going to be in challenging situations creates an opportunity to PREPARE and STRATEGIZE. To do otherwise is to digress into rationalizing irrational behavior, making food our "sweet poison," as Dr. Phil says. "This sort of payoff system, in which you reward yourself with food or overeating, is irrational, counterproductive and cannot be a plus in any sense of the word," he continues. "It undoes any good you've done to yourself and shifts into reverse any progress you've made toward your weight-loss goal. Stop justifying your behavior in that manner." That makes sense.

With that in mind, I'm writing this post in preparation for next week's media trip to south Louisiana to explore the state's new Culinary Trails program. (Deep breath.) "We will greet you at the airport with jalapeno sausage bread and follow that with boudin to hold you over until our late lunch at 1:30," the itinerary begins. (One peep at those nutrition labels will curb your appetite in a heartbeat!)

Here's how I will stay on-plan while I'm gone:
* Continue aerobic exercise by Cajun dancing at Randol's, using the treadmill in the hotel gyms and walking the B&B grounds.
* Continue strength training, using the ProGym I will pack in my suitcase.
* Order substitutes for high-fat, high-calorie items, when possible.
* Pack protein bars and purchase fruit to keep in my hotel room.
* Take my camera and notepad to every meal, so that when set menus dictate off-plan choices, I can spend time taking pictures (of uneaten food) and interviewing the chef. By the time I actually start eating, everybody else will be nearly finished - giving me an opportunity to "taste" food without being too obvious that I am not consuming full portions.
* Smile, smile, smile. Getting fit is a privilege, not a punishment.
My intent is to make no one who is aware of my goals feel that I am being deprived of anything.
* Blog each night I'm on the road. You folks are a tremendous support system for which I am most grateful.

Quotes from The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom