10 Random Things About Me

I don't have a whole lot to say today, so I think I will take the time to be completely narcissistic and tell you some random things about ME that may not come up otherwise.

1. I have a very real addiction to chewing ice. I don't use the term "addiction" lightly here, either. I have to chew ice all day long. Sometimes, my ice maker cannot keep up with my ice chewing, and it makes me a complete wreck. I'm constantly walking back and fourth to the freezer to grab a piece of ice. When people learn this about me, they automatically assume that I have low iron or something, but my doctor has tested me time and again--and it's truly just an addiction. When I broke my jaw and I couldn't chew ice, it drove me CRAZY, but I was hoping it would force me to get over my addiction. However, as soon as I could open my mouth far enough, I was eating ice. I don't remember when the addiction started--I think it was when I was pregnant with Noah, and he's now 7.
2. I don't believe in call waiting. I think it is incredibly rude to talk to someone on the phone and then say, "Hold on a sec, I have another call."  So I have the call waiting turned off on my home phone and my cell phone. If people call me while I'm on the phone with someone else, then they'll hear a busy signal--remember the busy signal? ;)



Felted wine totes I designed

3. I taught myself to knit when I was about 12, and to crochet when I was about 25. I'm really damn good at doing both, but since I started blogging regularly, I haven't made the time for it. In fact, my first blogger was for the purpose of posting patterns that I have written. I have a horrible habit of starting projects and not finishing them, however. I usually have at least 5 or 6 projects on needles at one time, and I just work on whatever project I feel like at the time.
4. I know absolutely NOTHING about politics... and I don't care to. As soon as a conversation turns to something political, it's like my brain just shuts off. In college, my Political Science teacher gave us an extra credit question on a test (basically a freebie): Who is the president of the U.S.? And guess who was the only person in the class to get it wrong?! haha! In my defense, however, it was just after an election and I wrote down the former president's name instead of the new president :)
5. I have vitiligo. What is that, you ask? It's the same thing that Michael Jackson had that turned his skin white. It's a condition that causes your skin to have no pigmentation whatsoever in certain spots. Obviously, it's not as noticeable on me because I'm pretty pale as it is, but I have spots on my wrists, fingers, around my eyes, and perineum (yes, that would be near my lady parts). Most people don't notice my spots unless I point them out, so it doesn't bother me that much.
6. I'm an introvert, and extremely shy. In fact, some of my friends told me that they assumed I was snobby when they first met me, because I didn't make conversation or anything. I'm terrible at meeting new people, and even worse with small talk. Going to a party causes me severe anxiety. I almost always end up having fun, but the days leading up to it make me a nervous wreck. I'm even terrified of talking on the phone. I hate lapses in conversation, so I avoid the phone as much as possible. I prefer e-mail or texts. Strangely, I have no problem whatsoever calling customer service for something--go figure!



At Camp Shane with two other counselors (I'm the one in green, obviously)

7. I worked as a camp counselor at a "fat camp" in the summer of 2002 (the year before I got married). It is called Camp Shane and is in New York state. (For those of you that read the book I suggested, "What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets", you will find a Camp Shane camper on page 54). I was about 200 pounds at the time, and wanted to lose weight for my wedding, so I figured I might as well get paid for it :)  I was there 5 weeks (I was supposed to be there 9 weeks, but I left early). It was awful--not the food or anything, but I just felt like we weren't treated very well as counselors. I lost 15 or 20 pounds, and continued to lose when I got home. It was a really neat experience, and I'm glad I did it.



No make-up, no hair style

8. I have no problem whatsoever going out without make-up on. I probably only wear make-up two or maybe three days a week. And I rarely take the time to do my hair. My hair is really long and takes forever to blow it dry and then straighten it, so I usually throw it into a braid, a bun, or a ponytail and let it air dry. The only time I really take my time with it is when I'm going "out" out--to a party or Winers, or on a date with my husband. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I don't take the time to wear make-up and do my hair--but it gives me more free time, which I like :)  I'm a little self-conscious of the scar on my chin, but I try not to think about it. (The scar was from when my jaw broke, and the bone punctured a hole right through the front).
9. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an author when I grew up. I used to enter a "young authors" contest every year, and I would always win. I got A's in creative writing all through high school and college. I like to write because I have time to think about what I want to say beforehand. I'm really bad at quick comebacks when people talk to me, but it never fails that I think of something clever to say much later. When I'm writing, I can take my time to think about it first. My mom said she always dreamed I'd be an author, and I still think about it sometimes. I've actually written a book about my weight loss, but I don't think I'll ever do anything with it. It's collecting virtual dust on my computer. ;)   Besides, I really like blogging because I can write the same way that I would speak, and I don't feel too much pressure to write something good every time I sit down.
10. I am a big Eminem fan. *Blush* I am not a huge music freak, and I don't know the names of many bands or what's current on the radio. But people who know me are surprised to learn that I really like Eminem. It's a GREAT motivator to me when I run--particularly the song Lose Yourself  (that one is pretty tame!)  Another song that I LOVE (and this one is NOT tame, so if you're offended easily at all by profanity or "adult" topics, don't click on it, lol) is Shake That. Try listening to that without shaking your ass! ;)  Another one that I like is The Way I Am (again, uncensored).  A lot of people ask me about my user name "SlimKatie", and assume I picked it with the high hopes that I would one day be "slim" :)  However, I chose it because it rhymes with "Slim Shady" (Eminem's "alter ego"). When listening to his songs I would sing along, replacing Shady with Katie: "I'm Slim Katie, yes I'm the real Katie, all you other Slim Katie's are just imitating..."  Hahaha, I'm dorky, I know. That can be #11--my dorkiness.

So there you have it!  A random assortment of 10 11 things you may not have known about me!

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Do any of these things surprise you? Can you relate to any of them? Feed my ego, friends! ;)

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RECIPE: Chick Pea Curry

I'm not a huge fan of meat, so I like to cook vegetarian meal at least a few times a week. This is inspired by a recipe I found on Sparkpeople, and it was really good! I only made a couple of changes to it.

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Chick Pea Curry

2 tsp. olive oil
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cumin
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 tsp. of curry powder
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. oregano
salt & pepper to taste
2/3 cup of water

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Cook onion in oil until soft. Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder, and stir for a minute. Add water, tomatoes, chick peas, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover pan and simmer 5-10 minutes. If you want it thicker, then remove the lid while simmering. Serve over rice or quinoa.

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Re-Birthday

This entry is all over the place--sorry! I'm in the middle of about 10 different projects right now.

My wedding anniversary came and went on Tuesday. But today is another day to anniversary to celebrate--I know a lot of people call this their "rebirthday". Today is the day, in 2009, that I weighed in at 253 pounds and decided to change my life. I began cutting back on my food intake by counting WW points. Exactly a year later, I weighed in at a "normal BMI" weight of 144.  I actually took some "before" pictures on Aug 19, 2009, but I truly didn't think I was going to lose the weight--and the pictures are extremely embarrassing, so I don't want to post them. The look on my face is awful! As a cop-out, I'll just post my most recent comparison picture ;)

I looked back at my very first food journal, and laughed. Want to see it?

I hate yogurt and salad, but apparently I thought I needed to eat them to lose the weight? That only lasted one day. My advice? Eat things you enjoy, otherwise you won't stick with it very long! It's kind of fun to look back and see the food phases I went through--for a couple of months, I ate oatmeal for breakfast and lunch every day, because I loved it so much. I also had a long phase of eating a brownie sundae every day--a No Pudge! brownie with PB2, topped with frozen yogurt and a little Hershey's syrup. That lasted about 3 months.

But anyways, to kick off my rebirthday, I had to go get (fasting) blood work done this morning. I went to my primary care doctor yesterday for a physical, and my insurance requires that I get a blood lipid profile and blood sugar testing. It'll be interesting to see the numbers. Last time I had them done was in July 2010, and I was about the same weight I am now.

Oh, and speaking of "specimens" for the lab... At the doctor's office yesterday, I used the restroom while I was waiting to see the doctor. When I was washing my hands, I noticed that there was a little door in the wall next to the sink, and there was a sign on it that said "Please place specimens in here." I have no idea why, but I was so tempted to look and see if there were any specimens in there! Hahaha, but I didn't. It was just odd--I've never seen that before.

So everything went well with the doctor yesterday. I had her document the problems I'm having with my loose belly skin, and she definitely thinks I would benefit (medically) from getting a tummy tuck. My plastic surgery consult is a week from today!! I'm so nervous. Jerry is off work, so he's going to go with me (I hate driving in Detroit by myself!) while my mom watches my kids.

I spent a long time yesterday making a Garmin tutorial page to send out with my Garmin. I am going to try and ship it today. I just need to buy some packing tape first. I got it all boxed yesterday and then realized I have no tape.  I'm also trying to work on typing recipes. I probably have about 40 more to go right now. I'm excited to get them all on the blog and into one place--it'll be easy on me when I need to find something.

I also went to Sam's Club yesterday while I was out. They have Castlewood Havarti cheese again (they only have it sometimes, and I get so happy when they do!) so I bought two packages of it. I also bought some rye bread to make the best grilled cheese EVER. I also bought a bag of almonds--let's hope that they last as long as they should! Almonds tend to be a binge food for me, but usually it's when I have chocolate chips in the house too (I eat them together). I don't have any chocolate chips right now, and I won't buy them.

Today was my first once-a-month weigh-in. I wasn't too thrilled. Normally, when I really focus on counting calories, the weight drops pretty quickly, at least for a few weeks. But this time, it's not really going anywhere. I was 148 today. My only theory is that I started my advanced 10k training this week, so I've been running every day. And when I exercise, my body likes to hold on to weight. THAT is the reason I didn't exercise for the first 60 pounds I lost--every time I would start, my weight loss would stall, so I'd quit again. I know that your muscles tend to hold on to water when you do more exercise than you're used to, so hopefully that should level off soon. I might weigh in another week or two just to see :) 

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If you saw the "specimens" door in the bathroom, would you have peeked? ;)

Also, do you go through phases with food? I tend to get really obsessed with something, buy a ton of it and eat it daily, and then one day I just STOP. And move on to something else.

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RECIPE: Chili

This is an ordinary, plain ol', simple chili recipe. Sometimes you just need to go back to the basics, right? I always use ground turkey, because my family likes it better than beef, but you could use either one.

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Chili

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. lean ground turkey (or beef)

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce (or just use more crushed or diced tomatoes)

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more, depending on how spicy you like it)

1 jalapeño pepper, minced (remove membranes and/or seeds to reduce the spice)

1 green bell pepper, diced

In a medium pot, heat oil and brown ground turkey with onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer for about 1 hour, adding beans after 30 minutes. I like to serve this with corn muffins.

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RECIPE: Meatball Stroganoff

This is super fast and easy to make if you use frozen meatballs!

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Meatball Stroganoff

4 servings of turkey meatballs (24 small meatballs total)
1 onion, chopped
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
4 servings (8 oz.) egg noodles

Cook pasta according to package directions. Put the meatballs in the microwave for a couple of minutes to thaw. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, and cook the onion until soft. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and broth and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs, and simmer for a few minutes. Combine the cornstarch with a splash of cold water, and add it to the pot. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the sour cream and warm through. Serve over pasta. Makes 4 servings.

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RECIPE: Chicken Stew

I like this when I'm looking for some comfort food. It's hot and comforting and filling.

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Chicken Stew

2 tsp. canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped or sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
16 oz. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and carrots. Add the chicken and cook until chicken is browned.

Add the potatoes and broth, and simmer until the potatoes are soft (I cover the pan for this part). Add the peas, corn, and green beans, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Combine the cornstarch with a couple of tablespoons of water, and add it to the pot. Stir until thickened.

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RECIPE: Noah's Spaghetti Pie

I call this "Noah's" Spaghetti Pie because when my eldest son, Noah, started kindergarten, we let him choose what to have for dinner on his first day of school--and he chose Spaghetti Pie. Now, whenever I make this, I think of him!

Noah's Spaghetti Pie

6 oz. Smart Taste pasta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fennel
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup mozzarella
8 oz. lean ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 cup part-skim ricotta
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions (I like to break it in half first).  Combine the egg and parmesan in a small bowl and stir well. Add the egg mixture to the cooked spaghetti and stir well to coat the pasta. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray, and form a "pie crust" with the spaghetti mixture. Cook the ground turkey, onion, garlic, and green pepper until the turkey is browned. Add the tomato sauce, oregano, and fennel. Spread the ricotta on spaghetti "crust", and top with the meat sauce. Top the whole thing with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

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RECIPE: Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

My aunt gave me this recipe, and it called for Italian sausage. I made it more figure friendly by making my own Italian sausage with lean ground turkey. Of course, you can find the turkey Italian sausage at the grocery store and use it instead, but it's super easy to make this one.

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Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

For the sausage (alternatively, you could buy a package of raw sausage and use that instead, but this is very easy to make):

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. fennel seed, ground
3/4 Tbsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

For the soup:

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can white beans
1 can tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
1 tsp. dried basil
2 cups tortellini
parmesan cheese (optional, for topping)

Combine all ingredients for Italian sausage. Brown sausage with onion and garlic in a soup pot. Add the tomatoes, broth, and basil and bring to a boil. Add the beans and tortellini, and cook until tortellini is cooked through.

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Tempo Run

Good grief! I just got back from doing a tempo run, which I have not done since, oh, 2010 sometime? What a workout! I started with 1 mile of easy running as a warm-up, and then I ran two miles at tempo pace, and then I ran easy to complete 35 minutes. Here are my splits:

I did my second mile in 8:47 and my third in 8:36. Not too bad--a little slower than my 5k pace, but a little faster than I was aiming for. I was aiming for 8:59/mi. I was exhausted after mile 3, but I wanted to do the full 35 minutes that was on the schedule, so I did an easy pace around the block. I truly felt like I earned those calories burned today!

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So Jerry and I started off our ninth year of marriage on the wrong foot yesterday--it was pretty funny, so I thought I'd share. I planned on making black bean enchiladas for dinner, and when I went grocery shopping last week, I deliberately bought a packet of enchilada seasoning mix. I specifically remembered buying it, because it's not something I normally buy.

Last night, when I was getting dinner ready, I went to get the packet, and couldn't find it anywhere. I got pissed at Jerry, because he usually tries to "help" putting away groceries, and I hate that--I can never find anything when he puts it away. So I was very snarky when I said, "So, Jerry, if you were putting away enchilada seasoning mix, where in the hell would you put it?" He started helping me look. The beans were already on the stove, waiting for the mix. We tore apart the pantry looking for the stupid packet. I was really mad at him for losing it, because I know where I would have put it and it wasn't there.

Finally, I decided to just use some of my homemade fajita seasoning mix instead. I threw it into the beans and started cooking it. Just as I did that, Jerry said, "What's this?" and sure enough, it was the packet of seasoning mix... right next to the rest of the ingredients I had taken out. I had no recollection of getting the packet out (from where I had put it away!), but apparently I took it out and set it with the other ingredients on the counter. Yeah, Jerry wasn't too happy ;)

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So about the Garmin... it sounds like some of you are interested in trying it out, so let's do it! If you'd like to get in on it, send me an E-MAIL at SlimKatie(at)runsforcookies(dot)com... obviously replace the 'at' and 'dot'. I write it that way so that I don't get tons of spam. Just put "Garmin" as the subject, and then in the e-mail, I'll need your name and home address. I obviously won't be posting your info on my blog or anything! I will have to give it to one person (via e-mail) so that they can send you the Garmin when they are done with it. Like I said, this will be on the honor system, so please don't take advantage of that! ;)

Julie suggested that each person give us a report when they are done--maybe a guest post?--with your thoughts on the Garmin. Ease of use, maybe how it helped you, if you think you may buy one, etc. So here is how it will work:  I'll package and send the Garmin to someone on the list. Once you get it, try it out for about two weeks. Then you package it back up and I will e-mail you the name and address of the next person on the list. You ship it to that person. And so on, and eventually it will make it's way back to me. I will send the instruction manual and other parts that come with it, so just make sure you put everything back in the box for the next person when you're done. The only thing I ask is that you take a picture of my beloved Garmin somewhere outside (on your wrist or not--it's up to you)--because I think it would be awesome to see my Garmin traveling the country! ;)

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And finally... I have a new project that I'm working on (I need to stay busy to avoid bingeing, especially when Jerry is working nights). I started a blog of JUST recipes, in case you are interested. I know some of you enjoy recipes, and some of you may not, so this way it'll be your choice whether to check them out. (I don't follow many blogs that post recipes or pictures of food--because it's a binge trigger for me. So I'd hate to trigger any binges on this blog!)

I won't put the recipes here on this blog anymore. I had no idea how to make a subdomain for runsforcookies.com, so I just made a free blogspot blog. You can find it here:  www.runsforcookiesrecipes.blogspot.com. I'm still working on getting it organized and all that, but I posted a trillion thousands 55 recipes last night. Whew! My hope is to eventually get ALL of my recipes there, with photos, AND nutrition facts--but it's going to take a while.

And FYI: You may not want to "follow" the recipes blog just yet... unless you want to be bombarded with recipes for the next few days! I'm typing like a madwoman to get the recipes in there, and then later I'll go back and add the nutrition info and photos. After a few days, I won't post so often over there.

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What's the silliest fight you've ever had with your partner? I remember ours like it was yesterday, but it happened when I was pregnant with Noah. I wasn't feeling very well, and Jerry decided to make dinner for us so that I wouldn't have to. He prepared a chicken and noodle casserole thing, with a whole bag of shredded cheese. I asked him what kind of cheese it was, and he said "Monterey Jack". I flipped out on him because the Jack cheese was supposed to be for the french onion soup I had made, and now there wasn't any left for my soup. I yelled, and cried, and threw a tantrum, basically, and all he was trying to do was make my life easier by making dinner.  Yeah, those pregnancy hormones can be a bitch ;)

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RECIPE: Two Ingredient Guacamole Recipe

This recipe is my go-to when I want to make something very quickly when visiting with a friend or when I'm just looking for something to much on (usually with margaritas, haha!). This is SO simple and SO easy--and it tastes SO good! Before I started losing weight, I actually used to make this and eat the entire batch along with an entire bag of chips. I know that's terrible, but it shows just how good it tastes. Now that I've learned portion control, I am able to eat just a small amount.

Serve with tortilla chips, of course! I like the Garden Fresh brand.

Guacamole

1 ripe avocado
1 cup Garden Fresh salsa (found in refrigerator section)

Mash the avocado until smooth, and fold in the salsa. It doesn't look very pretty, but it tastes fantastic. Serve with tortilla chips right away, because the avocado will start to brown.

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