Rib-Eye Steak au Poivre with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 4 (3/4-inch-thick) boneless rib-eye steaks (3/4 pound each)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Coarsely grind peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Pat steaks dry and coat both sides with peppercorns, pressing to adhere. Season with salt.

Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate and cook steaks, 2 at a time, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

Transfer steaks to a platter. Add vinegar to skillet and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits. Simmer vinegar until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter until melted. Season sauce with salt and drizzle over steaks.

Okay, so I did this video and still didn't remember to turn the camera, so it's all very narrow. I decided to upload this clip for the fun of it, but I probably won't pull the entire video into one story.

April 22, 2012

First off, call me Meaghan. Twinglesmomma...what was I thinking?!?! LOL! I will be the first to admit, veggies were my demise prior to starting this diet. After having kids, I started to eat a few more than usual, to at least set a good example. However, the extent of my vegetables were: peppers, raw carrots(with dip!), cucumbers, green beans sauteed with shallots, frozen squash, and eggplant(my mother in law is Italian, and an amazing cook).

That said, I have a few new recipes that I now swear by! One of them is butternut squash CHIPS! I know Julie recommended this to someone in a refresher class. I don't know the exact way she said to cook them, I know she mentioned a fryolater and Crisco. I bought a small fryolater and used canola oil and fried some up. Oh my word. HEAVEN! Remember-I only ate my squash from the freezer section-no spices, nothing! These are delicious with burgers on the grill, or anything really. If you are missing that crunch-these are a great alternative! I maybe make them two to three times a month now.

Last week, on the suggestion of some friends, I tried acorn squash. Oh my word. This was absolutely amazing!

Cheesy Acorn Squash:

• 1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place squash cut side down in a glass dish. Cook in microwave for 20 minutes on HIGH, until almost tender.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add celery and onion; saute until transparent. Stir in mushrooms; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley. Divide mixture in half, spoon into the squash and cover.
4. Cook 15 minutes in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and put back in the oven until the cheese bubbles.

Now, when I made it, I read some of the reviews prior to baking it. Some suggested cooking off a little bacon, and then sauteeing the vegetables in the bacon fat. So I had some turkey bacon I needed to use up, and did that and added a little bit of butter, as there wasn't much fat from the bacon. It was amazing. The flavor left me wanting and yearning for more! I was a bit disappointed that we weren't going to be home for the weekend(we were camping)! I'm actually making it again tonight for my sister in law, who is also on the diet. This time, I'm going to add hamburg and/or sausage to the mixture. We had this the other night with a steak. Oh, and I omitted the mushrooms as I don't like them.




My husband, who I should add is also on Julie's plan(along with his mother and his sister), is a big fan of the grill. He's always looking for new recipes to try out, especially while on the diet. Two weeks back, he found, ala Bobby Flay, a grilled zucchini salad with a lemon-herb vinaigrette. The recipe called for pine nuts, we just left them out. I should mention, I do not like zucchini. It's mushy and tasteless to me. This recipe however, it was good! Again, great side to burgers/steak on the grill. Or even chicken. If I like it, then you are guaranteed to like it! HA! Although, my sister in law said she wasn't crazy about the lemon flavor. I enjoyed it though. 


Grilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
• Canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Honey
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus leaves for garnish
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Wedge Pecorino Romano, for shaving
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• Fresh mint leaves, torn

Directions

Heat the grill to high heat. Brush the zucchini on both sides with canola oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill for just about 1 minute per side (until slightly charred and wilted), then remove them to a platter.

Whisk together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, to taste, and salt and pepper, to taste, and parsley in a small bowl. Slowly, whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the zucchini and let it marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature. Top with shaved cheese, pine nuts, parsley and mint leaves.

That's all from me for now. I will post an update on the acorn squash with the meat added in. Oh, and some before and after pictues. It will help some of you new to the journey to keep on going! Not to give up, or get discouraged. You will get to your goal. Patience is key. And we all admit, to not having the best patience at one point or another, myself included! 

April 22, 2012

The P word…

Hmmm, what is the P word?

It is PATIENCE!!!

pa·tience
noun
1.
the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2.
an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3.
quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

Aaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh PATIENCE!!! Something I don’t have much of.

I have found out through life how important patience is. Haven’t perfected my patience, Far from it, but am working on it.

Now, I must admit, my patience is being sorely tested. Grrr. I am following program to a T and am proud of myself! (wow, now that is something for me to even say I am proud of myself, another victory for me) So I guess I assumed the weight would just melt away. I mean, I read about people literally melting on this blog and heard it in my refresher I went to.

Well, what a surprise to me, to find out, I am NOT melting. My fat is stubborn as it has been on this body for so long it doesn’t want to move out. My fat loves me and wants me to let it live here in this body. My fat loves the way I used to eat and the way I hate to move. My fat is getting even with me for even thinking of evicting it out of my body.

Who would have thought…

So, from everything I have read on here and remembering Julie’s words, I must be patient. I am the type of person, I want it yesterday. Yes I know I didn’t gain all this over night, but let me tell you, I can put on 10 pounds in just one meal, I have done it in the past, nothing I am proud of, but I can pack it on quick.

I must re-install into my thinking the positives to smack my fat cells into leaving:

I have NO DESIRE whatsoever to go back to my old eating habits! Nope, none! (take that fat cells!) and I will not go back to those horrid eating habits (take that again fat cells!) I will get to my goal size no matter how long it takes me (smacked you again fat cells) and I will make this fat LEAVE!

So I guess all this boils down to is I MUST BE PATIENT and let the program work!

(grrr, I really do want it yesterday! LOL)

April 11, 2012

There are a number of games many of us played when we tried to lose weight before seeing Julie. We wore lighter clothes, so we would weigh less on the scale at our meetings. We played with our points, so we could eat something really fattening on the weekend; we promised ourselves we would "be good" the rest of the week, knowing all along that wasn't going to happen. We didn't write down what we ate in our journals, so we wouldn't have a clue why we didn't lose weight.

Slot Machines. Photo by Theresa

Last week I realized I don't play games with food on this program. Since my refresh appointment was rescheduled a couple of times, I've had time to think about what goes on during refresh classes. I thought about the number of people who "confess" they went on a binge in the days or weeks leading up to their refresh. They said that since they were coming in for a refresh, they "treated" themselves, because they knew that Julie would "reboot" them. Their "confessions" served as a reminder of a way of life I no longer wanted to participate in.

By the time I see Julie later this week, it would have been almost three weeks of "treats" and a whole lot of weight gain, had I played that game. This program takes that kind of game playing out of the equation. Treating myself before a refresh is not something I do and it's not something I've even thought about during the 14 months I've been following this program.

It was a bonus discovering I no longer engage in such games. What a time and waste of energy. I'm happy to put those resources to better use...like running on the treadmill or outside. I'm sure each of you can easily list a few mind games you played while dieting in the past. Has anyone else discovered they no longer play those games?

April 08, 2012

Good Evening to all my wonderful blogger friends......I have had thoughts running through my head the past few weeks as my hypnosis journey continues........Thoughts of maintenance.

I made my final size goal about 1 month ago. I started with Julie on June 2, 2011, age 44. I was a size 20. High blood pressure, pre-diabetes, a couch potato. I am a dental hygienist, and work was tough with all of my extra weight. I was a 2x. And depressed! Totally out of control. Taco Bell, McDonalds, Chinese buffet....You name it, I loved it. My girlfriend Sue found out about Julie, and started her journey in February 2011. By March, I wanted in!!!!!!!!!!! She looked totally fabulous, and felt even better. I would sit with her at work, and watch her eat-meat and vegetables, bite for bite. I thought, if she can do it, I can do it! And so I put myself on the waiting list, and waited. I didn't hesitate when the call came, and, 3 months later, I was sitting at Julies, totally open-minded to anything and everything she had to say. Totally willing. Never looked back! Soon after, the weight started coming off. Quickly. I had another refresher class in December, and I asked Julie to go down one more size. By February, I was into the size 6 Levis I had drooled for. I had done it!!!!!!!!!! I went to another refresher, and absorbed what was in front of me now-eat potato. Cut the veggies when I do, and increase meat. Now, sometimes it's 5 frenchfries, or 4 bites of mashed, or a couple of home fries. Very little. I still have very little appetite. I work out 2-3 times a week, still drink a ton of water, and wont dare touch any sugar. (Although, I ate out last night, and ordered BBQ wings-dripping in BBQ sauce. Today, no pangs, no increased hunger!!)

I guess I am putting this in writing because I am starting to believe that my body is going to accept this weight. I will do this for months to come. And I am okay with that. I still have no cravings, no desire for chocolate, cake, waffles, taco shells......I am truly blessed. Julie is a life-saver. Truly. I have let desire go. I am learning what it means to "eat to live". Powerful words for someone who has such early memories of eating and eating and eating. I watched my Grandmother Anita slowly die an early death from food. She weighed over 300 pounds when she was found dead in her apartment-probably the result of a stroke, or her heart just stopped, or diabetic complications. I never asked my mom. That was over 25 years ago. I want to be here for my children a lot longer than she was on the earth for her children and family.

So, here I am. On my weight loss journey. Letting go of the past. Embracing the future. Again, powerful stuff. I am on the list for another refresher in June. People state Julie doesn't want us dependent on her. I thought I was, but, now I know I am dependent on myself. My choices. My food purchases. My food decisions. I have learned to simply say "no thank you" and I stick with it. 10 months!!!!! 10 months of food not talking to me. Some of you will remember that I looked at my weight when I was at the Docs office. I forgave myself. And I have moved on. The number is no longer in my head. It no longer matters. Another number is in my head. And that is the one that counts. I am choked up as I write this. Still in disbelief. My maintenance journey is one I will be on forever. I am happy to watch all of us on this journey. I am honored to be a part of such a great group of people. Let what Julie has put in your head guide you. Eat when you are hungry, not when you are not. "I don't want to want it". More meat than vegetables. Nothing sweet! No labels! No scales! When in doubt, don't. They are all worth it. Each and every one. Peace! Sweet Peace! Peace to all of you.

March 31, 2012

To refresh or not to refresh? That is the question of the week. After the initial sessions with the Key Hypnosis Program, Julie offers "refresh" sessions to help us  stay on track, get back on track, and learn how to maintain weight. How often should one go in for a refresh? These are the topics posted this week and well worth with exploring.

Skunk Cabbage. Photo by Theresa.

Marcie asked if there's a secret to scheduling a refresher. Before I weigh in on this--congratulations Marcie for dropping eight sizes - that's incredible! You are a great example of how well the program works in the ideal situation - the initial three sessions and then on your own. It is my goal to continue this journey on my own as you have done, so I am excited to hear I too will be able to do this. One of the things I enjoy in the refresh classes is seeing people who have success on their own; especially hearing people say they've kept their weight off for years.

You are right, Julie said we shouldn't be dependent on her. She has also said her goal is to help those of us who need her help before bringing in more clients, which is why newbies now have such a long wait to start the program. I'm scheduled for a refresh later this week, and, based on what everyone has posted recently, I may get a call from the office any time now telling me I need to reschedule.

Mathematically this had to happen sooner or later. And here we are. Julie has an incredibly long list of people who want to go back and with only Julie to run a limited number of people per session (the room is small) and a limited number of sessions per day, it had to catch up with her at some point. I'm guessing that Julie knew this point would come too, which is why she found a new location, where she can see more people and where she can train others to help more of her clients.

There isn't a secret to scheduling a refresher session and they do not penalized people because they didn't go in for a refresh. I believe they are truly backlogged and your timing is such that right now it is nearly impossible to get in to see her. My experience has been that when they pass around the sheet to sign up for a refresh, I signed up for a call back for a refresh about three months out. Sometimes I called and asked for an earlier date and if they had a class that wasn't full, I was able to get in earlier. Other times, I could not get in sooner and I had to wait until they called me with a later date.

I am not aware of a "higher priority" list. I am as anonymous in the room as anyone else. The only reason Julie or her staff know I am the "blogger woman" is because I told them before the class started at my last session. I expect the next session I go to, they won't remember this about me, because they see so many clients. I don't have a special connections with Julie or her staff. When I was last in to see Julie, she offered to review the recipes on this blog, but she never replied to me about the ones I sent her. I wasn't surprised, because she already has a full-time job. Her intentions were good, but the reality is she doesn't have time to work with people in this way.

I have questioned myself about whether I need a refresh session. Am I being too dependent on Julie? Six months ago I planned to wait a year before I went in again, so I could learn to rely on myself more. That wasn't how it turned out, but this year I'm going to make my refresh dates further apart. By the sounds of things, since there is such a long wait list, this may be a good plan.

Thanks for your questions and sharing your experiences on this blog. This isn't a substitute for seeing Julie, but it is helpful having a place to share our journey. Keep up the good work everyone - at home and on this blog!

March 27, 2012

Support is a great thing to have in life, especially when working on a long-term goal. Having friends and family who support my weight-loss goal helps keep me strong on my journey. During this past year, I found support in a place I wasn't even looking - my local Deli!

Photo by Theresa

At my local deli, there are a group of people who support me by making panni's and wraps without the bread and they make them look beautiful too. When life gets really busy and I eat at the deli, instead of bringing my lunch, it's nice to know the cooks are on my side. I ask questions about the soup, (is there rice or potato in them?) and what's in this or that, and they never act like I'm a pest. They're great with complimenting me on my success too.

The support from people posting to this blog is great too, as is sharing our recipes. The cauliflower recipe sounds delicious! I haven't tried it, but I will see if I can fit it into my meal plan for the week. Linda, I hope you don't mind, I edited your post and embedded the video. I'm working my way through recent posts, to comment and add the new recipes to the recipe list page.

I made an incredible beef dish this weekend and I made a video along the way. I used my iPhone, but it's quite challenging to cook with a phone in one hand! I have many small clips that I need to stitch together and edit before I can post the video.

I may end up posting the recipe and a photo and adding the video in a few weeks, because my computer keeps freezing. I need to move files to an external hard drive and then I should be fine. It's time consuming to move so many files, but it's extremely slow trying to get anything done on my computer, including writing, which is another reason I haven't blogged much lately. I freed up some of my hard drive yesterday and that has made typing tolerable. 

Thanks everyone for sharing and supporting each other here. I love that you keep things moving even when I go silent! Thanks for that too.

March 26, 2012

Like many of you, I've had milestones on my weight loss journey this past year. I love Linda's story about crossing her legs in church. Quite a spiritual moment I'd say.

Juneau, AK. Photo by Theresa

My leg crossing moment was exciting for me too, but not as funny of a story. I was at the movies, sitting in the dark by myself. It was a moment that came and went and I didn't speak of it until now. Such a simple act, crossing and uncrossing my legs. It shouldn't take a gymnast to do this, but I feel like a gymnast because I can do this.

There were many more milestones like this. Taking my socks off without having to sit in a chair. Being able to untie my shoes without loosing my breathe or my balance. Fitting into the chair comfortably at the movies; no longer do I have to squeeze my body into the chair. Not needing an extension for my seat on the plane. Small things that mostly occurred without a big hoopla, but were indeed big moments for me. There were also milestones that I did lots of talking about too, such as hiking on my vacation in Alaska in June, taking up running in October, and running a 5k in December - just two months after I started running and twenty years after the last time I'd run at all.

A few days ago, I hit another big moment: I fit into size 20 Capri's that my friend Aime gave me in December, which were too tight for me then, but now fit me perfect. These Capri's zip up the front and are fitted at the waist: no more elastic waistlines for me! (This time a year ago, I had dropped from size 30/32 to 26/28.)

I discovered shorts and more Capri's in my "next size down closet" after putting those larger Capri's on two days in a row. Both days I looked in the mirror and laughed at how big they were on me. They were comfy like a pair of pajamas; the elastic was loose around the waist and the legs were baggy. They are now in my eBay closet.

This weekend I went through my 3 closets and the two remaining bins of smaller clothes. All the clothing bins are empty. One of my closets has only a handful of tee-shirts and a few hand-me-downs from Aime that almost fit. I pulled clothes that are too big for me now out of my middle closet; the middle closet now holds only clothes that fit me. My third closet, which I call my eBay closet, is really packed; I have more clothes in there than the other two closets combined.

I am excited to be a smaller size and I'm looking forward to the second half of this journey. I'm halfway to my goal size and with exercise a part of my life, the year ahead is looking good. While I'm talking about exercise, a brief story...

I've been working indoors on the treadmill for months now and now that the nice weather is here I had a big debate with myself about running outside instead of on the treadmill. I don't know what the big fuss was all about, but I got out of my own way and ran 2 miles outside with Aime. It was gorgeous outside and while I realize I run harder on the treadmill, it isn't just about running hard, it's about living life - it's so much more enjoyable to run outdoors! I think part of me wasn't ready to encounter my co-workers while running, which is of course ridiculous. I'm glad that I pushed through whatever that was and hit the trail by the lake.

I saw the posts asking about how often do people go for a refresh and thought I'd weigh in here. My approach to this program has been proactive. I scheduled refresh sessions so I could go in just before I left on vacations. I scheduled refresh sessions for about 3-4 months after each session, but I called to go in earlier if I felt I needed help sooner. I scheduled a refresh session ahead of the holidays to help me stay the course for the time leading up to and during the holidays (I went in Oct.) and I scheduled a session for late January. My time between session ranged from 8 to 12 weeks, based on what I needed to do to stay on program. I went to a total of 4 refresh sessions last year. I'm scheduled to see Julie later this week. My plan is to work the program and do this on my own, but I will continue to go in for sessions to see me through to my goal and once more to learn how to maintain my weight. I suspect I'll go 4 times this year as well.

March 25, 2012