Veggie Roasting Sunday

What do you do on Sunday after buying a table-full of produce on Saturday?  You clean, prep and cook, cook, cook!


I know that if I don't address fresh veggies immediately, they will not be fresh for long and too many will be compost-bound.  Not acceptable!  


This morning I started with cleaning up the brown mushrooms from the farmers market and then letting them take a happy soak in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a bit of fresh ground sea salt and black pepper.  I then decided that I had too many bell peppers sitting there to not use some today, so a few of them got diced up and added to the happy bath...along with a bit of the scallions.  After the veggies were sufficiently flavored, they went onto the foil-lined baking stone in the oven to roast.


Then the house started smelling like something tasty.  I peeked in on my veggies and saw the pile of fresh zucchini.  They just looked up at me as if they were missing out on the fun.  So, the mandolin came out, the zucchini were quickly and evenly sliced and waited in a similar bath of happiness for the mushrooms to be done.  


Before getting to the Sunday cleaning and preparing to head to mom & dad's for dinner, the zucchini hit the oven for a good roasting through.  


Dinner is now done and was quickly consumed.  Grilled salmon, asparagus, roasted potatoes (for mom & dad), and the roasted mushrooms, peppers and scallions were DELICIOUS!  I didn't even slow down enough to grab my phone and snap a picture...my apologies.


When I get home, I'm going to finish up my roasting with the remaining peppers and tomatoes.  They will then go to the freezer for whatever use I find for them...the fridge is stocked with roasted veggies for a few days.

Does Grad School NEED to Equal Weight Gain?

Originally Published April 28, 2012


First, I want to say that I have lost weight this semester.  Thank you, Medifast! 

Shortly after my first official attempt at losing weight, I started graduate school.  This was in the spring of 2001 and it was also just my second semester teaching.  For the first three months of the "diet" I was successful, had started spinning, lost just over 20 pounds and was feeling great!  Then, I started classes.  And gaining the weight back.  And adding more on.  By the end, I weighed more than I started before I started that "diet."

I am back in graduate school again - new degree & new weight-loss plan.  While my slip from round 1 of Medifast had nothing to do with grad school, the timing was a little too much for me to ignore.  So, I grabbed the bull by the horns and am now happily back on Medifast and down 12 pounds from where I was 12 days ago.  This morning I finished up my class for the semester.

As I was filling out my course evaluation, someone got up to get a donut from the "treat" table - we all signed up for a day so that there'd be some food in class every week.  Some days it was bagels and donuts and juice and cookies.  Some days it was a deli tray with veggies, sausage and cheese.  Some days there was fruit and vegetables.  But, we all know - most days it was bagels, donuts, juice, cookies, kringle and all sorts of sugar-laced tasty treats.  And the juice.  Juice boxes, juice pouches, fancy combo juices...you get the picture.

I sat at my table today with my bottle of iced green tea (which I made last night while strengthening my resolve against the treat table) and kindly ignored the table of bagels and donuts and cookies.  I had a bar in my bag if I decided I needed to eat something.  I was prepared.

I declared victory over the treat table this morning.  I had my coffee & MF cappucino this morning and my trusty Camelbak of green tea in class.  I planned, I prepared, I prevailed!

The past few weeks have been full of stress.  HOW would I finish my final project in time for the presentation?  HOW would I get my paper done before today?  HOW will I pay tuition for the next three semesters?  WHY am I putting myself through this?

I've found answers to all of these questions.  I've been logical and mature and made decisions that will allow me to continue to be successful.  

I didn't find the time in the bottom of a pint of Ben & Jerry's.  My paper was not hidden beneath a pile of Buffalo wings.  Tuition money is easier to scrape together if I'm not stopping at Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts or the local frozen custard stand.  And, just as I am doing Medifast so that I can live a better and more fulfilling life that includes the things and people I love, I am in graduate school again so that I can live a better and more fulfilling life that includes the things and people I love.

Graduate school does NOT need to equal weight gain.  Stress does NOT need to equal weight gain.  Life does NOT need to equal weight gain.

We have the tools right in front of us to get everything we want out of our lives.  We just need to make that decision for ourselves and go after it like our lives depend upon it...because it does.

Go get 'em, tigers!