The Domestication of Tessah Black

A Year Passes

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 00:22:00 +0000

After my dear loved one was diagnosed with ALS my world shifted focus. Yes, I completely dropped this blog. It just wasn't important. So much was no longer important. Now as I look back I realize that it was the hardest and yet one of the most rewarding years of my life. You see my loved one was like a second mother to me. To give you perspective while not telling my entire life story ... I've been estranged from my family for many years. This woman has forever been like an Aunt to me as she's known me my entire life ... but she had truly become my mother figure. I immediately kicked in to support her and the family. I was able to arrange it so that I could travel the 1.5 hours to the farm every Friday to be her caregiver all day. I managed the fundraising website and the Facebook page & group. Yes, I'm speaking of her in the past tense. She earned her wings in August. I miss her every single day. Watching ALS take away bit by bit of her was awful. But she never let it take her faith or her spirit. She never let it take her patience or love. Her strength in the face of death was amazing. Watching it changed me. I'm not the same person I was a year ago. I'm stronger. I'm more grounded. I'm even more driven to live a life that focuses on what is truly important.

I did complete that exercise program and I've stuck with it. Oh I'll admit I've been sporadic. I did let stress and old habits get me more than a few times. I even got to the point where every Friday on my way home from the farm I was stopping at McDonalds. Ahhhh, stress ... the great excuse to increase the size of one's ass! But I kept getting back on the wagon. I finally started taking my own food down there so that I wouldn't go after the cookies and chocolate and other naughties that are always present there. I compare this journey as very similar to my battle to quit smoking many years back. I quit time and time again. I fell off the wagon and started back up smoking time and time again. But then finally I got to the point where I knew I was done. The stress came and I didn't reach for the cigarette. Then I got to the point where it no longer smelled good when I passed someone smoking. I'm starting to see these same things happening with my journey with food.

To make it through my loved one's death without diving off the deep end? I can't believe I did it! But I did. When she passed my boss, who had been wonderful to me throughout her illness was clearly thinking that he'd get his workaholic rockstar back ... no. I have no interest in working 60 hours a week. It's a JOB. Working like that is not going to help me reach my health goals. It's not good for my marriage and it is not good for me period. So though it has taken several tough conversations I've convinced him that I can still be a valuable employee while working less hours. He understands that my top priority right now is to find that personal / professional balance. I can finally say that I'm making it to my 5:30PM exercise class more days than not. The new role within my company that I just accepted on Thursday will make sure that I always make it. I'll be working with a client who is on East Coast time so even if I work "late" there is no reason I can't get there.

I am continuing my journey with food and cooking. I dare say I'm pretty damn good at this cooking thing now! I still go by recipes mostly ... not good enough to 'wing it' like others I know but I'm getting there. I tend to use Sundays as my main cooking day so that I don't have to worry about spending a large part of the evening cooking. Let's face it, if I don't do this I'll go for quick / easy take out. I'm learning my pit falls.

Oh I'm still a big girl. I haven't lost a great deal of weight since last year at this time. I won't pretend that I've been through some complete transformation. I've fallen off the wagon enough that I'm just proud that I've maintained through the stress of the last year. The only other time I can compare is when our first dog died. He was my baby ... and the first real loss I ever experienced. Oh I'd lost pets before but they were not really mine, they were my parent's. This one was mine. And he was the dog all mymother-instinct went into as my husband and I went back and forth about if we would have children. (Long story short I wanted kids, he determined later in our marriage that he did not ... not a good time in my life or in our marriage. We got through it but I had to sacrifice being a mommy to keep my marriage. That's a LOT of mommy instinct going into a dog!) When he died I lost it. I not only fell off my diet wagon but I DOVE off and didn't look up for more than 3 years. I'd gotten myself down to almost a healthy weight ... and woke up again when I was over 200 pounds. As I faced going through the final days and death of someone who in all ways but blood had become my mother .... I remembered what happened before and promised myself I wouldn't allow it. I'm still not sure how I did it ... but I did.

So now it's time to get off the gerbil wheel and actually have the steps I'm taking pull me forward. And now I begin to get back to a life where blogging doesn't seem like a luxury. Now it's time for me to be good to me.

Life Reminds Me ...

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 15:28:00 +0000

Time has slipped away from me. I'm not quite sure where the summer has gone and I feel like I haven't accomplished what I had wanted to. Last winter as I looked forward to the sun and warmth I thought this summer would be the one where I'd finally make it to healthy. After catching myself procrastinating once again on exercise I realize that I'm actually restless. I am acutely aware of the fact that I've been wasting time. Life sends you messages when you need them. Some subtle, some not so subtle. Recently the messages coming my way are not subtle in the slightest. I'm taking my health & life for granted.

One of the most loved figures in my life. One who has known me since I was in my mom's belly. Someone who would be one of the very first people my mom called to share that I was going to exist ... her longest and dearest friend. Someone who has forever loved me with no strings, no expectations, no conditions. This amazing woman has ALS. I went to visit her over this past weekend and as I watched her two things stood out. She was struggling ... but she was also smiling. Those dimples of hers that I've known since before I can even remember were just as adorable, just as warm. She radiates strength even at her most fragile. I don't think about the fact that I can walk. That I can grasp and lift a fork. That I can chew and swallow without an issue. I'm not what one would call a religious person in a public sense. I haven't been to Temple in a very long time. In Judaism there are blessings for everything. They all begin Barukh ata Adonai, which means Blessed are You Lord ... The Asher Yatzar is one of these and it says:

"Blessed are You, LORD, our God, Master of the universe, who formed mankind in wisdom, and created mankind in wisdom, and created in him all manner of openings and cavities. It is manifest and known before the throne of your glory that if any one of them is ruptured or were blocked, it would be impossible to survive and stand before You. Blessed are You LORD, who heals all flesh and is wonderful in His acts."

I think I finally have awakened to appreciate the real meaning of this blessing. The key now is to not forget it for even one moment. In January I made the decision to change my diet. I've now made a decision to make a drastic change in the other area that I've known for a long time is a problem. I signed up for a 10 week intensive exercise program. It's definitely not going to be easy. It is going to push me and pain me. In my heart I'm not only doing it for me but for my loved one. I'll know that the effort is dedicated to her. I hope that God will see it as my way of saying the blessing. I begin September 16th ...

September Already!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 15:26:00 +0000

Summer may be ending but there is still some time to appreciate it. My garden continues to grow. I think my cucumbers are about puttered out. My tomatoes and peppers are just getting going. I think my favorite is the sunflowers. They have such a simple beauty to them.

The tomatoes are huge! They are all small varieties. Seems none of the larger ones made it. Some are about the size of a small plum, others are more oblong and cherry or grape size.

My peppers are just starting & still tiny.

The sunflowers are tall enough you can barely see the alley. They are very wild looking - pretty but scruffy at the same time.

Up close they are gorgeous. I love the colors.

The bees like them too!

There is one that just keeps growing and growing ... it is at least 3 feet taller than the others. I don't know why but it is giving the ancient lilac bushes a run for their money!

The melons are finally getting bigger. The label at the store had said that they were cantaloupe but they don't look like that. I think they are a small version of a watermelon.

My herbs are doing great though I'll admit I haven't used much of them since I haven't been cooking formal meals as much. I'll have to figure out how to dry and save them for the winter.

Muffins & More Growth in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 22:51:00 +0000

Recipe Test: Whole Wheat Muffins

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat flour
Salt
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Eggs
Honey
Vanilla
Coconut oil
Orange juice
Filling (berries, nuts, jam - whatever you want!)

I tried making two different kinds. One was just fresh blueberries. The other I just put a dollop of black raspberry jam (all fruit!) inside.

They turned out pretty good. I used whole wheat pastry flour so they are light and fluffy. My only complaint would be they could be sweeter. But then if you go too far that way I suppose they stop being good for you. They were as quick to make as a batch of pancakes so worth it even if you have very little time. I made enough to last me all week for breakfast. With a few extra for Hubby even though I know he'll claim "I never touched them!" ... yep and that's why my granola went so fast last week too!

The garden is doing well. My melon vine is finally stretching over the edge of the planter.

More sunflowers popping up! Lots of yellow ones.

And this really beautiful maroon / orange! I absolutely LOVE these!

You can see the cucumbers are growing up them just as planned.

And not so planned ... reaching for the lilac bushes!

I have little cucumbers now! Teeny tiny ... I wonder how long until they are ready to eat.

My two original tomatoes are still doing well. You can tell that the one is starting to get a hint of red.

And several more are now on the same plant!

Can't see the garbage cans at all now! I also painted the cinder blocks of the raised beds ... I don't like it. I'm wondering if I put a rim of bricks around the top if it will dress it up a little.

Growing Fast!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 00:53:00 +0000

Considering just a couple of weeks ago my sunflowers and cucumbers looked like this:

I am blown away that they now look like this:

I even have my very first actual flower! And you can see the cucumbers are doing what I'd hoped & growing up the sunflowers like a trellis ... in fact they may be growing faster than the sunflowers themselves.

The smaller cucumbers on the other side are creeping up fast too but haven't quite started to climb yet.

When you peek in between you can see the little flowers that will soon become cucumbers!

Almost all of the sunflowers have buds waiting to open. I'm so curious what the ones that have more purple stems will look like. The seed mixture I started with had yellow, red & white varieties. I think the majority that survived are just standard yellow but a few of them have these purple tinted stems & veins.

My first little yellow one. I wonder how big it will get. I guess I thought the bud itself would start out bigger before it opened up but it looks like they start small and grow from there.

The cucumber leaves are about the same size as the sunflower leaves but a different shape if you look closely.

My melon plant is starting to grow and spread out looking to climb as well. I hope my plan to have it trail down the sides of the planter works!

The tomato that was larger than the rest remains the head of the pack, finally reaching the top of the cage.

The two little tomatoes are still brewing and more flowers on it tell me more will be coming!

My biggest pepper plant still is tiny compared to that tomato plant, coming in just above the lowest ring on the cage but growing fast.

My bean bushes are smaller but also seem happy and continue to grow.

Funny how when I started seeds the cilantro is what went best first and now are the slowest. They are finally starting to peek up sporadically in the area I used to sow more seeds.

My basil is slowly coming along but all still small.

Of course those that I bought as plants versus starting from seeds look much better.

The tomato, pepper & bean bed still looks sparse when viewed from a distance.

The sunflower & cucumber bed on the other hand is starting to give some privacy for us from the alley and you can barely see the ugly garbage cans!

Of course my neighbors are already able to harvest from their plants since they got started right away but if things keep going this way I think I'll have some success! And then as fall approaches I can do some lettuce and kale as well. Sounds weird to be thinking that way but summer is more than 1/2 over already!

Recipe Test: Blueberry Corn Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:29:00 +0000

Credit: Twopeasandtheirpod.com

Click here for recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Sweet corn (on the cob)
Blueberries
Cucumber
Red onion
Cilantro
Jalapeno pepper
Lime juice
Olive oil
Honey
Cumin
Salt & Pepper

It's getting to be sweet corn season and in true Iowa girl fashion I LOVE me some sweet corn! I was a little scared of the jalapeno after my recent veggie burger hot pepper fiasco but I followed the recipe and it was perfect.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm! Perfect perfect PERFECT corn - super sweet! Iowa girl heaven!

As I was chopping the cucumber up I was dreaming of later this summer when I have my own (hopefully!) from the back yard!

Fresh blueberries from Whole Foods. I may try my hand at blueberry bushes next year ... we'll see.

The pictures on the recipe site are much prettier but OH MY GOD IS THIS GOOD! I made a full batch and will happily eat it all week long! Easy to make and would be perfect to bring to a barbeque. The pepper is just barely there - the sweet of the blueberries and corn counteracts it so it doesn't have the 'mexican' flare I was thinking it would. Yum yum YUM!

Recipe Test: Crispy Kale and Mushroom Fried Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:20:00 +0000

Credit: appetiteforchina.com

Click here for recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Rice (I used brown)
Peanut oil
Scallions
Ginger (fresh)
Shiitake mushrooms
Kale
Hoisin sauce
Soy sauce
Salt & Pepper

One of the first meals I made after Hubby boycotted my cooking. I figured I could make the full recipe and it would be easy lunches / leftovers for the week.

I love mushrooms of any kind and shiitake especially. The results were pretty good. The Hoison sauce has some ingredients that aren't exactly "real" food but it calls for a very small amount & I had no idea what to substitute so bought some. Was just as good as leftovers but I'll admit it made a lot and by the end of the week I was sick of it! Gotta figure out a better way of this cooking for one stuff!

Recipe Test: Creamy Dreamy Zucchini Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:14:00 +0000

Credit: Katyskitchen.ca

Click here for recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Zucchini
Roma tomato
Avocado
Parsley (fresh)
Garlic
Lime juice
Olive oil
Basil (dried)
Walnuts
Water

So I keep seeing zucchini pasta everywhere and after a previous failure at making it by just slicing zucchini very thinly I decided to get the special slicer.

The one I found is pretty easy to use. Gotta be damn careful with the blades though because it comes with different types that slide in and out and they are just strips of metal with no real guard on them, similar to these:

Photo Credit: www.popularmechanics.com

Clearly not made in the US but then this kind of noodle is common in Asian cooking and since it did have English instructions I figured why the hell not?

It worked really well as you can see from the picture above ...

The recipe itself?

Not ... so ... much. I hadn't had much protein that day so I added some of the buffalo mozzarella I had leftover (that's the white chunks you see in the green slime above). Even so it was DISGUSTING! Maybe I got the 'noodles' too soft in boiling them or made too much sauce vs. noodles but it was one big bowl of slimy nastiness. I hate wasting food but I'll admit this was bad enough it went in the trash can after 2 bites!

I re-dub thee creamy bad dreamy zucchini pasta!

Recipe Test: Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bites

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:02:00 +0000

Credit: joelens.blogspot.com

Click here for original recipe: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2011/05/chocolate-peanut-butter-granola-bites.html?m=1

INGREDIENTS:

Rolled oats
Salt
Walnuts
Peanuts
Cocoa powder
Bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used cacao nibs)
Creamy peanut butter
Honey
Brown sugar (I left out)

I was looking for a variation on my regular granola and so decided to play with this recipe a bit. I didn't grind the oats or nuts so it didn't end up in balls but more actual granola. I also used real cacao nibs, not chocolate chips, ditched the brown sugar and added dried cranberries.

It wasn't half bad. A little bitter from the cacao nibs but the cranberries were a good match. Made a HUGE batch that lasted all week even with Hubby picking at it. Oh he claimed he didn't touch it ... as if I didn't know how much I'd eaten. Musta been the dogs or the granola fairies!

Chocolate for breakfast isn't quite my thing so probably won't do it again but if you are trying for a healthy replacement for sweet cereals go for it. In fact if you use real chocolate chips I'm sure even kids would love it.

Recipe Test: Black Bean- Corn Burger

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:55:00 +0000

Credit: epicurious.com

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Black beans
Corn
Red bell pepper
Whole wheat breadcrumbs
Cilantro (fresh)
Eggs
Chipotle chile in adobo
Oregano
Cumin
Olive oil
Baby spinach
Nutmeg
Avocado
Sour cream
Lime juice
Whole wheat hamburger buns

I'm a little behind on putting my recent recipes in. This one was one I tried before Hubby announced 'no more cooking' for him.

Obviously I'm still looking for a veggie burger recipe that I like. I really thought this one would be it based on the recipe. The last one was bland so I made sure that I put the full amount of chipotle in adobo sauce.

They refused to stick together so came out crumbly - not quite 'patties'. I decided to forego the buns and found out too late that Hubby had helped himself to the last avocado in the house so I threw a tomato slice on top and the sour cream sauce was just lime & sour cream - no avocado. Hubby was done with his by the time I started mine and as I picked up my fork I noticed he was just staring at me!

"What?!"

"Oh you'll see ... " he said

?! WTF does that mean ?! Then I take a bite and ...

Photo credit: http://vineyardlifejournal.wordpress.com/2012/05/

Holy sh*t this one was NOT bland! I literally couldn't eat anymore it was just way too hot. Hubby scarfed mine down with a chuckle. Of course this is the same man that when he took his baby brother out for sushi the first time told him that you spread the wasabi on top of the piece of sushi like you do butter on a roll - meany!

I'm not sure I'll try this one again but if hot is your thing go for it!

Week 1 Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:38:00 +0000

Week one with limited TV done! I splurged this morning on Oz (I know ... I'm behind the times but never watched it when it was on) so came in right at 7 hours for the week. I've spent a lot of time outside and just getting thing little things done. I found that in keeping busy like that I didn't even really think about food until around 8PM so by the time I made dinner and finished it wasn't long before I was headed up to bed to read. I read a good hour every night so generally head up between 9 and 9:30PM. The dogs have not been happy because no TV means no cuddle time on the couch and since they aren't allowed in the main back yard yet (new sod) they are feeling a bit neglected. As I write this sitting on the couch in our family room all three are stuck to me like glue & have been all morning.

I jumped on the scale just for curiosity's sake and since the last time I checked (about 2 weeks ago) I'm down 4 pounds! I'm not surprised that weight would come off - but I thought I'd have to start full on "working out" to make it happen versus just doing yard work and odds / ends around the house. Nice to have an early reward out of this goal of mine. One not so rewarding part is the bugs! I am getting eaten alive outside. I've got to find a good natural bug spray. With everything I've learned the last six months about food I've also ended up learning more than I'd ever wanted about pesticides. What's the point of organic food / gardening if you end up spraying the poison directly on yourself? No thankee! Did some looking on-line and there are quite a few essential oils and recipes to make your own but those oils cost a pretty penny and Hubby will lose it if I spend right now ... backyard payments all due plus his class.

Oh! I forgot to write in here ... mystery of the "don't cook for me anymore" is solved! He signed up for a 10 week program - exercise & diet. Our neighbors started this thing at Christmas time and though neither of them were remotely heavy they have dropped serious weight. There is an hour class every day except Sunday and you are on a super strict diet except for one 'free day' a week. Why he didn't tell me he was doing this I have no idea. I suppose because he was bitching at me about the back yard costs and since we already have a gym membership and the program costs a pretty penny? I actually found out through the neighbor! He still avoids the topic every time it comes up or I ask a question. He's never liked to talk about his diet or exercise though. He's struggled with weight since childhood so it is a touchy subject for him. I was thin until after college but I get why it would be a touchy subject! Even though I was thin I had a mom that focused on weight religiously - hers and mine. I remember being put on a diet when I went from a size 4 to size 6 and thinking I must be fat.

Anyway I'm glad he's doing it. Specifically the exercise. The happiest and healthiest I've ever seen him was when he worked out with a personal trainer a few years back. He was eating healthy at the time too but struggled to drop weight because he still ate huge portions. Eating out and drinking of course contributed too. I hope he sticks with it. I want him healthy because I love the big lug. But I've no right to lecture him or mother him. Shit I'm out of shape and still clinically obese! 6 months of real food is great but it is just a step in the right direction. This journey of mine is in no way over. In fact if I do what's right ... the true long term lifestyle change that I've set out to do ... then it's just beginning.

Day 3 No TV!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 00:59:00 +0000

If you've checked out my pages you'll see I've got a new one - "Just an Hour July!". My goal is to watch no more than an hour a day or a total of 7 hours of TV a week. Today is day three and it is definitely an adjustment. This is the first day that I'm not sure what I want to do with my time. Sunday was super productive cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and the like. I had plenty to do. Yesterday was the same. After work I spent some time in the yard and then did some sanding on our front deck ... until Hubby came home and wasn't too pleased that I'd taken on 'his' project. Um - you mean the one you started 3 weeks ago and then haven't gotten to since? ... No I didn't actually say that to him but I sure thought it! Eh - if he wants it all to himself more power to him so I went inside and ended up cooking the rest of the night. (Recipes & pics to come shortly!)

Today I'm not quite sure how I'm going to spend my evening. It is humid & HOT outside to the point where doing anything out there would be awful. Plus I don't have much to do right now. It is all weeded and planted and mulched. I did try a gardening tip that I found on-line ... I took all the food scraps from cooking yesterday - the veggies & fruits, not meat! - and boiled them in a pot of water and then saved the water ... refilled and boiled / simmered / soaked & saved again. After it cooled off I used it to water my veggies - the site said that helps give the plants nutrients ... like an organic form of fertilizer. I also sprinkled coffee grounds - they are supposed to help too. I'm watering the back yard with the sprinkler now so it will help it soak in and spread out. But basically all I have to do now is move the sprinkler now and again ... so not much more to do. Curling up in our ice cold basement and watching TV sounds damn good right now. I only watched 1/2 hour yesterday so I can indulge a little tonight but on day 3 I'm not going to do the whole "I'll watch tonight and then not watch later in the week" - that's a slippery slope I've fallen down with other things ... I'll have the pizza tonight and then eat really well the rest of the week. Can't bullshit yourself!

My plants are doing pretty well. I swear I can see my sunflowers growing daily! It's like they've figured out that they have all that room and are catching up for lost time. They are all at least twice as tall as when I planted them.

The cucumbers are growing too but not enough yet to need to grow up anything - which is good because the sunflowers are definitely not that tall or sturdy yet! Not only do the sunflowers provide support but planting together supposedly creates sweeter cucumbers. You can see the coffee grounds I sprinkled since I haven't gotten this area yet with the sprinkler. Doing this is supposed to 'slow release' nitrogen for the plants.

The site said that you can do the vegetable scrap 'brew' with any plant based scraps that haven't been seasoned or salted and also with things like grass clippings, leaves, etc. as long as they aren't treated with pesticides.

I think that it will eventually provide a nice bit of privacy from the alley for when we are sitting under the gazebo.

I got a lavender plant the other day at Whole Foods and put it next to the sage. Both smell SO good and I love the shades of green and purple.

Things are growing in the other garden too. I pruned the tomatoes - another thing I found through research on-line. You take the "suckers" off:

Photo Credit & Full Article: http://alternative-energy-gardning.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-prune-tomatoes.html

This is supposed to help the plant focus on producing the fruits, not on growing more leaves. That helps make the tomatoes more flavorful ... we'll see! Honestly I'll just be happy that I keep them alive and they actually give me tomatoes! (After my seedling fiasco I've been humbled & have set low expectations.)

Happiness is dirt under your fingernails!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 22:07:00 +0000

Forth of July this year has meant a 5 day weekend for me. I've spent a great deal of that time in the backyard and I'm loving it.

And it looks like I'm not the only one. The birds are everywhere! It's like they've now decided the yard is their new social club. I have to water down the sod twice a day and they come splash in any puddle and then grab worms from the soft ground. Cracks me up. I'll have to get them some feed & bird baths ... eventually. I think Hubby will kill me if I spend any more money on the backyard soon! I've made sure to use every single dollar of the planned budget we'd saved. I still have an arbor coming that I'll put in the corner near the garage - here below where the garage and wall meet. Then I've got some plants coming to fill in a bit more. Some kiwi to climb up the arbors plus add some fruit! I had no idea you could grow a type of kiwi here but you can! I got mostly male plants as they have gorgeous pink on their leaves but I did get one female so that in one area I'll get fruit from them. If it goes well I may add more females for more fruit next year. They aren't the kiwi you get in the grocery so I don't want to dive in full hog.

I also ran to the nursery and got some more herbs.

The basil I already had as I'd started it from seed. I've got a lot here because I use it all the time. Plus you can always make pesto and freeze it for later!

I also got chives & rosemary.

Parsley and some GORGEOUS sage. It has the prettiest leaves - I actually got one more and put it in a pot in the yard just because it is so pretty. Not to mention I love how it smells!

The sunflowers are clearly happy in their new home.

They are growing fast!

The cucumbers seem happy too but no noticeable growth just yet. That's okay with me though because I want them to grow up the sunflowers so the flowers need a head start to be able to support them.

My tiny grape tomatoes look comical with the big huge cage around them but the research I've done online says to put the cage up right away so that you aren't disturbing the roots of the plant as it grows.

The tomatoes I started from seed are happy. One even has a little tomato starting on it!

I moved all the cages over to one bed. If the cucumbers don't grow up the sunflowers as planned I may need to go grab a trellis of some sort for them.

For the other wooden planter I got a cantaloupe. It will spread pretty rapidly so I left it in the center of it and then put some marigolds up near the front edge.

Hubby hates the "stupid rainbow things" but personally I like throwing bright colors here and there in a garden. I also got a bunch of marigolds since supposedly they help pretty much every plant they are around ... I need all the help I can get!

Cooking for One & Picks of Yard Almost Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 01:09:00 +0000

So literally minutes after I wrote my last post I heard P!nk's new song for the first time. I laughed SO HARD! If you haven't heard it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsmUOdmm02A&feature=player_embedded Basically she NAILED the "I love you but right now I want to kill you" sentiment that is a real marriage!

I think I figured out what got up Hubby's butt about my cooking. He's showing all the signs of trying to lose weight. All of a sudden in the fridge we've got low fat yogurt & skim milk. In the cabinet beef jerky which I can only assume is his version of getting quick easy protein - but holy salt & preservatives! I'm keeping my big fat trap shut about it because I know how I feel when someone starts telling me what to / not to eat. I've made my decision about what I want to do - it's up to him to make his own decisions.

As far as my meal plan this week I kept it kind of loose. I've got 3 recipes I've pulled and am kind of 'working around' to fill in the rest. It's not all planned out each night like I'd been doing before but hopefully I can figure out how to throw things together. I'm not good at that. Cooks have always blown me away with how they can just know what is going to taste good together. Places like Hu Hot Mongolian Grill restaurant? Um ... no ... because my combinations SUCK! But just like learning to cook I'm sure this will have some hits and misses. I can't figure it out without experimentation.

Dinner tonight was a veggie sandwich - just homemade pesto, some fresh mozarella, tomato & roasted zucchini and eggplant. I think doing this I'll have quite a few quicker meals in terms of preparation - which will be nice. Who wants to spend 2 hours a night cooking & cleaning up afterwards? Plus this time of year hot meals just don't feel right to me. Maybe something on the grill but not casseroles or other oven dishes.

I'm excited about the back yard. Most of it is landscaping for aesthetic purposes - two areas for seating, a spot for the grill, some bushes & flowers, mulch & grass. I'll have two raised beds for vegetables and then two wooden planters as well. Later in the summer a fruit cocktail tree will go in that has several types of apple on it.

DURING (porch ripped out & we'd already done the fence but as close to 'before' as I've got)

ALMOST DONE!

During

Rose bushes & planter that I'll use to plant herbs this weekend. I've got one more of these against the garage. Not sure what I'll put in it. I may try a watermelon & kind of let it grow over the side? Not sure yet.

Before

Now - raised bed (that's white primer - will paint over soon), arbor / fence blocks dogs from a little garden back there. Sitting area & grill area.

During

Now - little garden area back by garage. The raised bed for veggies.

Looks pathetic now - eh? There are tomatoes, peppers & bush beans ... they are just tiny!

One of the few seedlings I'd started in my attic that actually survived. Little guy has one tiny tomato starting. Will get cage for it this weekend. The pot behind it I'm starting another one from seed. Ran out of mulch but will fill in the rest this weekend.

Another original seedling - this is a bell pepper. I've got green, red, yellow & purple growing.

Bush bean

The second raised bed is back near the lilacs. They are both made of just basic cinder blocks so we are painting them.)

It has a bunch of sunflowers & then the cucumbers will grow up them.

If you'll remember my little dog ate the original set of sunflower seedlings (stinker!) so this is the second set I'd started. A mix between regular large yellow, some reddish ones and white. Not sure which ones survived - most of them look about the same so could just be one variety. Right now they are just about a foot tall.

Only one of the original cucumbers survived. I' have three different sizes - the original one, then three about this size and then two more that are much smaller that I'd started later. I've got the cages around them now but I may move these to the other bed as they should later be able to grow up the sunflowers.

My apple tree won't be plated until later b/c the landscape designer / owner of the company asked to keep it for a bit. He hasn't been around them and wanted to baby it for a bit and learn about it before planting it. One of Hubby's coworkers has one that is stone fruits. I'd never heard of a fruit cocktail tree but the idea attracted me immediately. There are four kinds - citrus, apple, pear and stone fruit. I went with apple because we constantly are buying them and I thought it would make the most sense. The citrus doesn't grow in zone 5 but If the apple does well I would definitely consider the stone fruit and the pear later! I'm also curious about blueberry bushes but don't want to go too crazy too fast! After all I've not even successfully grown my first tomato plant ... can't become an expert overnight no matter how much I want to!

I can't have the dogs on the grass for 3 weeks so right now I've got them in the side yard. Later there will be a shade garden over there but for right now it is just mulch so it works well.

We put additional fence / gates inside the main fence on purpose. It gives me some areas the dogs can't get to so I can plant whatever I want but more so this is an attempt to get reign in Oliver's barking.

Believe it or not this sweet little face is one that of the yippiest dog on the face of the earth. When we first moved in we decided on an aluminum fence because we wanted one that would keep the dogs in but not block out the neighbors. Little did we realize we'd get a dog that would bark at a leaf across the street if he could see it. When he sees people or dogs OH MY GOD he's the worst! He runs from one side of the house to the other ... over and over and over barking. He looks so happy doing it that it is somewhat endearing but it gets old fast. Especially when it is 6AM and you can imagine your neighbors groaning as he wakes them up. This little guy has my heart big time. We got him from the local Jack Russell rescue. Initially we were just going to be fostering him. My new years resolution had been to do some type of volunteer work and with being a freak for dogs what better choice than to be a foster home. Our two Jacks at the time had always gotten along with every other male dog (sweet pea has to be the head bitch in charge so no girls!) and at first everything went perfectly but sadly we found out he had heart worms. Treatment for heart-worms on dogs is rough! They have to have shots of basically a version of arsenic that kills the worms. Kind of like chemo it's the cure that makes you sicker before you get better.

For the time he had the series of shots he had to have almost no activity- literally nothing but walking a few steps to go out. No stairs, no jumping, no walks, no nothing else. Since he's little and I just couldn't stick him in a crate all day I ended up carrying him around like he was a baby ... and we are talking about three months b/c he already had adult heart-worms & they'd started to go into his lungs too. After 3 months of him completely dependent on me and unfortunately some pretty severe complications during the treatment (the pieces of the worm as they are dying break off and can block blood flow - in the lungs or the brain is the most dangerous as it is basically the same as a pulmonary or regular aneurysm). My best advice - GIVE YOUR DOG HEART-WORK PREVENTATIVE ALL YEAR LONG even if you live in a climate with a winter do not miss a dose. It isn't worth it! The rescue had been giving him preventative and even tested him when he came in but the tests came up false negative & the worms were too strong for the monthly pill / treat thingies to hurt them. It just takes one.

By the time treatment was over there was no way in hell that dog was ever leaving me. He was too attached and I was whooped! So we officially became a 'foster failure' and adopted him. Once he finally was done and feeling better the 'perfect' dog showed his true colors. (We'd been so amazed at how calm he was compared to other Jacks ... we should have known he was sick!) That's when the barker emerged ... it was great to see him happy and running again but the 'oh shit' realization came quickly after. We tried everything from the sensors that give a high pitched noise to even the bark collars but nothing worked. He'd just grit his teeth and bark through the shock of the collar. Yes I did test it on myself before ever putting it on him and it doesn't truly hurt - it's just irritating ... which would work for most dogs & then they'd never bark again but Olie is a terrier and terrier = STUBBORN and he wanted to bark ... Anyway as we planned the back yard part of our goal was to limit his view at least to the front where there is more activity. I'm thinking I'll grow vines up the fence / arbors to further block it off and just to be pretty. Even if it doesn't stop the barking wonder it will be nice to have those little gardens where I can put more tender plants & not have to worry about them getting trampled or peed on!

Yard Almost Done & Domestic Diva Denied

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Interesting change of events. Hubby has declared he is no longer interested in having me cook for him. He's back to fending for himself. Odd ... since he whined so much about the week I left him be on his own. I didn't quite believe him at first but this past week he stuck to it. He grazed a bit on some of what I'd bought at the grocery but didn't even touch the dinners I made or the leftovers.

Now I'm in kind of a pickle ... I've learned cooking for one is TOUGH! I'd get bored at the same leftovers all week. We don't have a lot of freezer space to kind of single portion things out and save for later. I'm lousy at cutting down recipes and getting them right - every time I try it seems to screw it up. Plus now he's back to trying to get me to go out to dinner a lot and that I know is trouble. I've been slipping back into bad habits already I don't need to add restaurants to the mix ... and alcohol? The second I go there I give into a burger and fries FAST! Not the way to go! This past week was rough ... bad week at work plus dealing with wound up dogs because their backyard is full of contractors add pms and I was primed and ready for a slippery slope to bad habits. In fact one night I literally dreamed of nothing but drinking soda. The entire dream was me sneaking soda, going great lengths to get it & drinking A LOT of it ... like an alcoholic only soda! Diet, regular ... you name it! I woke up like 'What the F?!' This lady was grumpy, growly ... full on pissy! And pissy tends to =

Photo Credit: www.redorbit.com

Actually I probably shouldn't refer to it in the past tense. The good Hubby has also decided that he hates most of what is being done in the back yard. It's the old "I want nothing to do with it - the planning, the back & forth with the contractors ... it's all yours!" ... gave me the budget and that was that. But now that it's almost done Oy do his opinions come out! "What are they doing here ... are they going to make this wider?" ... "The raised bed block is awful! I'm going to have to paint it and it is coming out of your budget" ...

I get a little well ...

Photo credit: simpsons.wikia.com

Now don't get me wrong ... I'd never advise a woman to marry a man with no opinions. Marrying a wuss with no sass to him would never have worked for me - I'd have trampled him over & gotten bored fast. But there are indeed days that a wussy variety sounds nice. Kind of like those days when you sit at your desk and think 'I'd rather be a Walmart greeter than this shit!' ... you mean it in the moment but after you've settled down you pretty well know you'd go postal if it was true. I'll love Hubby again tomorrow no doubt but as of right now after I had a little hissy on his commentary on the backyard I think he might be scared of me.

Photo Credit: www.vixenontheloose.com

He's not wise enough to back off for long though ... he'll start poking at me later to see how much of a rise he can get out of me. It's like a game to him. I would definitely recommend to other women to be CAREFUL before you marry the oldest of several siblings ... when his younger brothers & sisters are no longer around to pick on the urge will not go away and he'll turn it on YOU! (and yep - I'm the youngest so it drives me crazy!) This is what will be in store for me later tonight ...

Photo Credit: damnthatswhack.tumblr.com

Recipe Test: Summer Pasta Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:12:00 +0000

Credit: thricethespice.blogspot.com

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Grape Tomatoes
Zucchini
Red Bell Pepper
Corn
Green Onions
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
Cilantro
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic
Salt & Pepper

Another "summerish salad" for Hubby. This one I really liked as did he. The parmesan dressing is what makes it. Leftovers will be a great quick grab lunch!

Recipe: Pork Carnitas Tacos

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:09:00 +0000

Credit: 100 Days of Real Food Blog

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt Roast
Oregano
Pepper
Salt
Cumin
Onion
Garlic
Salsa
Corn Tortillas
Avocado
Cilantro

I forgot to take pictures of the actual tacos but above is the leftover pulled pork. I didn't get the full 2.5 pounds the recipe called for since there were just two of us. Next time I'll either get more and freeze the leftovers or won't cook as long because it was a little too dry. Once it was all together in the tortilla it was pretty damn good though.

Recipe Test: Spring Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:05:00 +0000

Credit: dineanddish.net

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Orange Zest
Orange Juice
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Spring Mix Salad Greens
Jalsberg Cheese (It's a mellow Swiss)
Bacon or Turkey Bacon
Walnuts

Hubby requested "lots of salad" this week since it's "summerish" ... that's not even a real word but okay Hubby you got it! So another salad! He claims this one is as good as the Farmers Market Salad but I personally disagree. It's not bad. The dressing was great. I think it was the cheese that turned me off. I'm not a big fan of swiss cheese. Definitely worth trying if you like it. Especially the dressing - yummy!

Recipe Test: Tomato Basil Salad with White Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:57:00 +0000

Credit: www.sweetsugarbean.com

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Tomatoes
White beans
Croutons
Fresh Basil
Bocconcini Cheese (I used mozzarella)
Pea Shoots (I used bean sprouts)
Chives
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic
Maple Syrup
Salt & Pepper

I wish that I could have found pea shoots. I've never had them and would love to try. I googled what would be a replacement and so used bean sprouts instead ... but I don't think that really worked. Whole foods surprisingly didn't have any whole wheat croutons so I bought a small whole wheat baguette and cut up and put in the oven until crisp.

Simple and good. Worth a try if you like the ingredients.

Big Mistake!

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:48:00 +0000

So my goal for June was to finally start making a conscious effort to lose weight. To do so I created a 'diet' version of the whole / real foods plan. So ... I should have realized that like all diets before a self created one would be just as effective. Not long after I started I noticed that I was craving food items. French fries. Chocolate. And strangely, meat! I literally was dreaming about eating burgers, steaks, sausage ... not exactly a sign of a mind at peace!

I stuck with it thinking willpower would get me through. After all I did almost six months of Nutrisystem nasty ass food. Food that NEVER expires? Yep - now I know better! Anyway, I caught myself slipping. Hubby and I went out for dinner and instead of the salad I knew I should get I ordered the burger and fries I'd been dreaming of. And this time no regrets ... I thought that giving in to my craving would be a good thing as then I'd have gotten it out of my system. Nope - not even a day later I was right back at dreaming of naughty foods. We had horrible news last week in that there was a death in our family. I'd meant to go to the grocery but with everything ended up not going and found myself standing in front of an empty fridge trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. Jimmy Johns to the rescue. It was way too easy to slip back into old habits and find excuses.

So lesson learned. No diet. I'm back to the basic whole food rules and am meal planning again. I'm simply going to have to get my ass up and be more active to get the weight off. The back yard will FINALLY get started this week so soon I'll be able to get out there gardening. Walking the dogs would be damn good for me and for them too. I have a gym membership I almost never use. There's no excuse other than my laziness.

Recipe Test: Carrot Cake Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 00:05:00 +0000

Credit: ohsheglows.com

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Carrot
Coconut milk
Banana
Chia seeds
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Vanilla protein powder

If you like real carrot cake you'll like this. I'm not really a fan of it but I thought I'd try this out for one of my lunches. It's not horrible, just not enough veggies and I don't like using protein powder. The kind I had at hand was a whey protein and the ingredient list was full of things I couldn't pronounce. Not exactly along the lines of the 'real food rules' I've been on since January.

Recipe Test: Strawberry Energy Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Credit: aharmonyhealing.com

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut water
Coconut milk
Strawberries
Cucumber
Spinach
Chia Seeds
Sweetener - I used maple syrup

This was one of my lunches this week. I love how some of these smoothies come out so 'confetti' looking. This one had pinks, reds and several shades of green to it.

Quick & easy to grab for lunch! Kept me full until dinner too! It does need a little extra sweetener for taste. Not much though. The cucumber & coconut makes it pretty refreshing.

Recipe Test: Portobello Musroom Pizzas

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 23:37:00 +0000

Credit: www.bodyrock.tv

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Tomato
Portobello Mushrooms
Garlic
Lemon
Leek
Onion
Basil
Parmesan Cheese
Parsley
Olive Oil
Salt

This was a nice quick dinner that ended up pretty good! I made sure to tell Hubby that it wasn't pizza so he wouldn't accuse me of 'false advertising' again.

They are little watery. I wonder if I'd cooked the tomato mix more if I could have gotten more of the liquid out. But well worth trying!

Recipe Test: Avocado Shiitake Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 23:32:00 +0000

Credit: taste-of-japan.blogspot.com

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Shiitake mushrooms
Avocado
Sushi Rice - I left this out
Nori

Okay so I didn't really follow the recipe here. The picture on pinterest just showed avocado, mushroom and nori and I thought it looked like an easy lunch. It was! Next time I think I'd add a little bit of brown rice and some soy sauce to make it more like actual sushi but it was a quick and healthy lunch!

Recipe Test: Kale Avocado Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Tessah Black) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 23:21:00 +0000

Credit: aharmonyhealing.com

Click here for full recipe

Ingredients:

Coconut oil
Onion
Celery
Salt
Garlic
Kale
Lemon
Vegetable broth
Avocado
Black pepper

This one is very similar to the Broccoli Soup recipe but with Kale & Avocado. Chopping the ingredients, then letting the kale get soft by leaving it to simmer a while. Then blend!

I don't think I'd have gotten this brand of blender if my neighbor hadn't raved about hers. I'm not one to usually go for infomercial products ... but it is pretty decent. It's got a huge blade vs just the one at the bottom so it gets the big stuff quickly. Plus it has a single serving option and two containers so you can literally just blend and go. Well ... back to the soup.

Very easy to make but I have to admit I didn't like it at all. Kale is bitter and that bitterness was the main taste of this soup. Honestly a waste of an avocado in my opinion. Hubby liked it ... hubby is crazy!