It’s been about two or three months since my Jenny Craig center closed. I’m still a little, okay a lot, unhappy about that. There was something about regular check-in’s that helped me stay on track, mindful of my calories and on the path to both better health and loosing weight. While I haven’t gained anything since my part with the JC system, neither have I lost anything. I’m ready to tip over the mark and keep loosing some weight!
A lot of this is finding out what works for me. Another issue is that I have people over a lot more now, so I also need food solutions that will accommodate my hosting others. One of the biggest suggestions I’ve received is stir fry.
Last week I gave it a whirl, using a spicy stir fry sauce, zucchini, carrots, chicken, some ginger and onion powder over noodles. Now, besides me buying soup noodles instead of plate noodles, it was pretty darn good. So this last weekend some friends and I invaded a large Asian grocery store to procure some starter items for me.
Among the items purchased were:
- a wok
- several sauces
- noodles
- chopsticks
- veggies
Part of the draw for doing this is that I realize I do not eat enough vegetables. They don’t sound appealing. Most are downright nasty. However, I totally scarfed down a zucchini last week, and would have eaten more if it were around! I think one of my favorites right now are the little, baby corns. I used to think they were peppers and never ate them until recently, and now I love them!
I’m looking forward to seeing what vegetables I can trick myself into eating cooking this way.
Now, I’d never cooked stir fry before last week, so I really had to have my hand held all the way through this process. I know, I know, it’s not that hard. I’m just a little nervous when it comes to trying to do new things, especially when hot oil is involved.
Last night was the first opportunity I had to use the new wok. I very quickly learned that what my friends and I thought was a non-stick pan, really isn’t. So I’ll need to learn to cure my wok. I think that sounds like another blog post. *gulp*
I kept it simple last night.
- chicken chunks
- garlic powder
- ginger powder
- carrots
- baby corns
All of this on a bed of jasmine rice and a sauce combination of Kimlan Chinese BBQ, the powders and soy sauce.
To the right you can see the wok in action. It’s a huge pan! I almost need both hands just to hold the handle.
I really dug the end result. The sauce was perfect for me. Subtle, no spice, and a tad bit sweet. I’m all for making this one again!
What was really fun was using my new chopsticks. I did get a more traditional set of wooden chopsticks, but I also got some really fun ones that are these little plastic characters with holes for your fingers. The sticks are a little flat so it’s easier to pick food, especially individual grains of rice, up and eat them.
I am a habitually fast eater, so using chopsticks is a good way for me to really slow down and enjoy my food. I really have eaten several meals completely using these chopsticks only. Rice isn’t the easiest, and you really are slowed down, but I think that’s good for me. After leaving Russia I’ve always scarfed my food down, so being forced to slow down isn’t a bad thing!
Okay, I think I’ll be tackling noodles later. Wish me luck!!
