Chicken Mandarin Salad and Spaghetti with Spinach
A spring green salad topped with slices of roast chicken, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds from the deli this afternoon, with balsamic vinaigrette – it was outstanding, and although it’s one of those dishes I’m so familiar with it would never occur to me to actually make it, now that the seed has been planted I might - a good use of leftover roast chicken (or turkey still in the freezer) perhaps with pea pods, asparagus, toasted pecans, chopped iceberg lettuce (along with the greens for extra bulk and crunch) and an Asian dressing made with 3 Tbsp. canola oil, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. (Those chow mein noodles are a delicious addition because they are deep-fried, so I’d leave them out.)
When we got home I pulled a container of spaghetti sauce with spinach out of the freezer and boiled some pasta. And I’m eating one dark chocolate square while typing this and catching up on Battlestar Galactica. (So many people argue ‘I can’t eat just one!’ Actually, you can. Yes it’s hard and trust me, I know how badly you want to keep going, but it is humanly possible. Although sometimes I find it’s easier to not even start. But when you do stick to one, it’s about as empowering as you can get.)
Good news: went to the gym this morning at the Chateau and spent half an hour on the elliptical trainer. Felt so much better for doing it. (A friend once said ‘I always regret not going to the gym, but I never regret going’.) Also wandered around the hotel with a green tea in hand instead of a latte (the act of carrying around that coffee cup and having something to sip is almost as important as the contents. I said almost.)
Bad news: the gym had a medical scale that’s 6 lbs off my home scale. Not in my favour. Why is it you never discover you’re actually 6 lbs less than you thought? Oh well – I don’t look or feel any different than I did before I weighed myself – interesting how a number can completely change your perspective, so I’m not going to let it.
A few years ago I vowed to go an entire year without weighing myself. Having been overweight since I can remember, it was pretty liberating. Because it really is all about how you feel, and seeing those numbers can totally throw you off. Case in point: About 10 years ago my nephew, around 7 at the time, made the connection between my sister’s mood and the number on her scale. He started adjusting the dial at the base, turning it down just a smidge every morning, so that by the end of the week she was ecstatic over losing howevermany pounds it had amounted to. She was happy, confident – just bursting with general elation. When she figured out what was going on she was completely deflated. Silly, since everything was exactly the same except for a number in her head. (It’s sort of like vanity sizing – clothes sizes are getting smaller and smaller because women are more likely to buy a pair of pants that’s a size 6 than a 10. Have you ever heard that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16? That’s because a size 16 back then is about an 8 today – when has there ever been a size zero? What’s next – minus 2?)
However. I am going to use the scale this time as a tool to help track my progress, but not the only tool - how I feel and how my clothes fit have always been as important a gauge. (Unfortunately not a unit of measure as easily conveyed to y’all.) I don’t want to put too much importance on weight, but I also need a little push out of my comfort zone by putting it out there, which I’m hoping might help some of you who are in the same boat.
The Ski for Heart event was fantastic, by the way – a great family event with tons of activities for kids of all ages (explorer camp, movies, skating parties, cookie baking in the Fairmont kitchens, scavenger hunt, hockey games, horse-drawn sleigh rides around the lake), all to benefit the Alberta Heart & Stroke Foundation. There were a lot of families there who make it a yearly event, raising funds throughout the year and then coming for a fun weekend that might not otherwise be affordable – participants get a steal of a deal on accommodation at the Chateau. I’ll be back next year! Email me or Ski for Heart if you want to get in on the fun. You can cross-country (me) or downhill, or just hang around the hotel, go snowshoeing and skate.
January 11 2009 | salads | 15 Comments »
