Birthdays and Marathons and Food! Oh My!!

Wow! It's been almost a month since I started this blog... and since I blogged anything.  (Thanks for the friendly reminder, Claire.)  I have SO much to tell you that I don't even know where to begin!  (Apologies in advance for such a looonnnngggg blog post.)

First, my birthday:  I turned 40 on October 11th.  I remember when I was a kid that 40 seemed really very old.  40 was parents who were almost grandparents.  40 was working all the time.  40 was no energy to do anything.  40 was losing your fashion sense and getting gray hair.  Didn't all 40 year olds wear glasses and compression hose?  40 was just... old.  On my birthday, my family and closest friends-who-are-really-family came over to our house.  We had Nu-Ways (a loose-meat burger from Kansas City, where I grew up) on Oopsie Rolls, Pepperoni Chips and Parmesan Crisps, Veggies, and a Sugar-Free Cheesecake (see above image).  I did make some concessions for people like my dad who aren't into "alternative" foods.  I made some of the Nu-Ways on regular buns and... well... that's about it.  In the end, my verdict is that I would rather have regular Nu-Ways on my birthday, but the Oopsie Rolls are a good everyday alternative.  The cheesecake, however, was delicious!  It had a citrus-y flavor and perfect cheesecake consistency.  It's definitely a do-over!

Five days after turning 40, I ran a half-marathon!  That's right, folks, 13.1 miles of nothing but Shelley and her running shoes... and an iPod with a rockin' playlist... and a knee wrap...  The weather was fantastic for running.  I hadn't done my training as completely as I'd wanted to because of scheduling and problems with that knee and, if I'm completely honest, a lack of internal motivation.  (I do believe in the adage "we make time for the things that are most important to us.")  Anywho... On the day of the marathon, things were going very well.  As I said before, the weather was great.  The crowd was HUGE--around 17,000 runners!  I met a friendly woman just before things got started who was also running her first half-marathon.  There were bands playing, fireworks going off and excitement filling the air around me in kind of a constant buzz.  I started off walking the .3 miles to the start line (I told you there were tons of runners!), then followed my plan of running a mile and walking 3/4 mile.  All was well until about mile 6.  I started feeling a little twinge in my knee, so I slowed my running down.  It felt pretty good until I hit the 8 mile mark.  The pain became pretty sharp and continued through walking or running.  I knew I'd see Bill, my sister, and the kiddos relatively soon, so I kept up the running until after I passed them and rounded the curve out of sight.  The pain by that point was bad and I walked the remaining 5 miles.  Just after 10 miles and just when I thought I couldn't do it any more, I saw Tina and Amy holding signs for me along the side of the road.  I hugged them, used a little of Tina's Body Glide, and then cried as I limped off from them, but felt like I was on such a high... I knew I could finish.

  

In my last mile, a man walked up next to me (not a difficult feat at that point--I was limping heavily and moving pretty slow).  He is an attorney from Akron who is married and has children.  He's walked marathons since the 80s.  He asked me about my job, my children, my boyfriend, my town, my family, my life.  He gave me encouragement, but didn't dwell on the fact that I was hurting even though it was obvious.  He told me I could finish the race and wouldn't even be the last one in.  He even told me he was undecided about whether he was going to do the half or the full marathon and that he just might walk down to the finish line with me for the half this time.  He renewed my faith in humankind--If I ever doubt that there are caring and wonderful people in the world who care as much for strangers as for their own agendas, I will remember that guy.  So, at the top of the hill that led to the finish line, I told him my knee was feeling better after the slow walking and that my family would be waiting for me at the finish, so I thought it would be a great idea for him to go ahead and do the full marathon that he'd trained for.  He said, "Well, if you're sure, then I'll go ahead and do that."  Then he thanked me for pushing him on.  HE thanked ME.  Can you believe that?  I wish I had a picture of him to share with you, but it was the last thing on my mind at the time.  If you know an attorney in Akron, though, who might have been walking the Columbus Marathon, please put him in contact with me.

I did finish the half-marathon in 3 hours and 2 minutes--even with all the walking and even with the ultra-slow walking, I was just 3 minutes beyond my goal of finishing under 3 hours.  I'm very proud of that.  Maybe it's good that I waited so long to blog about it.  At first I felt like I'd never do another one.  Now, as long as my knee recovers, I know I'll do another.  And another.  And another.  And so on.

I think that's where I'll leave it for tonight.  I know I promised "food" in the title and there definitely is more to come.  I have to give that cheesecake recipe, I still need to talk about Cami's dislocated elbow, you haven't heard about my 70s birthday party, and I'll have to update you about the knee.  All of that, AND I've been trying lots of new recipes!  I hope it's not as long between blogs next time.  Thanks for stopping by and sticking with me through the rambling parts. :)

Oopsie! (in a good way)

Tonight's menu:
Turkey Burgers on Oopsie Rolls
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Kettle Cooked Salt & Pepper Potato Chips
Vanilla Shake
Total net carb count: 19.35

Turkey Burger:  Frozen concoction that was on sale a few weeks ago. Tasty for a quick meal, but I have a recipe for a much better one if you're inclined to eat turkey burgers.

Oopsie Rolls:  Bread substitute.  Recipe to follow.  Mine turned out kinda crumbly, so next time I'll tweak my method.  The taste, though, was great and stood in for a hamburger bun very well.  I'll definitely make these again and again.

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus:  One of the greatest food ever.  Toss your asparagus with a little olive oil and lemon pepper, wrap it in half a slice of bacon, and bake it at 425 until it's done (about 25-30 minutes).  It takes all the "healthy" out of asparagus, but it's delicious, so I throw it in every now and then.

Kettle Cooked Salt & Pepper Potato Chips:  I bought the store brand and I like them, but Bill prefers the brand name chips.  I ate 11 of them at this meal.

Vanilla Shake:  Almond Milk, Ice and Vanilla Extract in the Magic Bullet. Mmm.

Ok, so let me just say that sometimes I don't want to eat healthy.  My doctor made a fantastic suggestion:  Pick some foods that you just will not give up and work those into your menus.  My I'll-Eat-It-No-Matter-What Foods:

Bacon
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Cheesecake

I have to admit that Bacon makes it into the plan more than the others.  I'm not that mom who can't choose a favorite--Bacon is my hands-down favorite (food, not child).  I eat smaller quantities these days, but I still eat Bacon a few times each week.  Mmmm... baaaconnnnnnn.

That being said, this was a tasty meal that got two thumbs-up from me AND from Bill.  The kids are with their dad this week, so they didn't get to tr it yet, but I know they'll like it, too.  According to the recipe and the comments following it, the Oopsie Rolls might become less crumbly as they sit.  I'll have to see how they hold up in my lunch this week.  Also, you can see by the picture below that they're not very thick.  I would compare the thickness to those Sandwich Thins that companies are making now to replace bread and buns.

Oopsie Rolls
3 large eggs
pinch of cream of tartar (1/8 tsp)
3 ounces cream cheese (Do not soften.)

Preheat oven to 300.  Separate the eggs, reserving the yolks and adding the whites to your mixing bowl.  Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar together until stiff peaks form.  We're talking 3 to 5 minutes of mixing with an electric mixer--really whip the hell out of them!

Chunk up the cream cheese and add it to the yolks.  Use the mixer to combine them until they're mostly smooth (you'll still be able to see some cream cheese).

Using a spatula, gradually fold the egg yolk mixture into the white mixture, being careful not to break down the whites.Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spoon the mixture onto the sheet, making 6 mounds. Flatten each mound slightly.

Bake about 30 minutes (You want them slightly softer, not crumbly). Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes, and then remove to a rack and allow them to cool. Store in a loosely open sack and allow to rest on the counter before use (otherwise they might be too moist). Can be frozen.

Makes 6 rolls. Per roll:
Calories            85
Fat                    7.5
Carbs                0.6
Fiber                 0
Protein              4

You can find the original recipe here:
http://blog.yourlighterside.com/2009/05/gluten-free-low-carb-buns-aka-oopsie.html

I promise that not all of my recipes will come from her blog.  In fact, Oopsie Rolls will make another appearance on Tuesday, but I will also be sharing my entire birthday dinner menu. :)

Let me know how you save carbs on "bread."  I love hearing new ideas!

Cauliflower Pizza? What the... ??

Who in the world ever heard of Cauliflower Pizza?  Not me.  Who in the world ever wanted Cauliflower Pizza?  It doesn't even sound good.  My family turned their noses up at the very idea of it. And don't get me started on Bill's reaction when the cauliflower was cooking and stinking up the whole house!  (It smells a little like cabbage.)

BUT it was good--even Bill agreed.  He said that he would eat it even if I was allowed to have the regular flour crust.  It has a slight veggie taste, of course, but it's definitely a fine stand-in for "real" pizza.  The crust doesn't get crispy, so you may need a fork... however, if you're like me, you want to eat your pizza with your hands.  I found that if I handled it like one of those big slices of New York pizza (fold it and stuff it in your face), I didn't miss the fork.

Also, you can eat a whole 9" pie if you make your crust like this.  For a girl like me who loves to eat, that's a huge bonus on pizza night.

And now, without further ado, I give you (*drum roll*) Cauliflower Pizza!

Doesn't it LOOK like real pizza?  I can't wait to try other toppings!

Cauliflower Pizza

1 cup cooked "riced" cauliflower (directions below)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
olive oil or cooking spray

Whatever toppings you want.  For my pizza, I used:
1/4 cup Great Value pizza sauce (lowest carb count I could find)
pepperoni (I put about 10 on the pizza, but you could put more)
1/4 cup mushrooms (I sauteed mine for a couple of minutes.)

To “Rice” the Cauliflower:

Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove large stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater.  I used a grater the first time I made this and bought a food processor the next day because 1-I liked this pizza THAT much, and 2-It sucked to use the grater. Use a food processor if at all possible.)

Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. (With a grater, I only ended up with about 2 cups and made them both into pizza crusts.)  The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Before using the riced cauliflower, be sure to squeeze out any excess water using cheesecloth.  Then squeeze it out again.  Squeeze it!  Squeeze it good!  (I didn't do this the first time and I think it contributed to the soggy crust.)

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush a thin coat of olive oil over your pizza stone.  I know they're non-stick, but you'll be happy you put the oil on it.  It won't add that much fat.  Just do it.  (OR you can spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. I haven't tried this method because I love my pizza stones SO much.)

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir.

Transfer to the stone by plopping little bits of dough all over the middle of it. Using your hands, pat it into a 9" round.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. (Check it after about 13 minutes. I cooked two at a time using my convection oven and they cooked pretty fast.)

Remove from oven.  At this point, the crusts can be frozen or used immediately.  Loosen the edges of your crust by running a metal spatula around it before you add the toppings.  You may have to do this again after broiling.

To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Enjoy!

Nutritional information for one ENTIRE crust (without toppings):
calories            434
fat                    25g
carbs                13
fiber                 5g
protein             41g

I plan to use this crust for every kind of pizza you can imagine.  My head is spinning with crust seasoning and topping combinations!  All of those pizza cookbooks I've collected don't have to be donated because I will definitely use them!  Woohooo!!

Credits:
I followed this recipe:  http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2011/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html
Which originally was inspired by this one that was featured by Dr. Oz on his show: http://blog.yourlighterside.com/2009/05/low-carb-pizza-dough-cauliflower.html