Survival Mode Put Us Back to Zero
A lot of you came here many moons ago when I left Sparkpeople. I loved the community of that place and the support I got there. It was at the height of us being on our game. That motivation you have in the beginning when you're consistently rewarded with weight loss, smaller clothes, compliments to keep your motivation high and you somehow begin to step out of being invisible to the public to people smiling at you, opening doors or striking up conversation. You start to feel human. You don't have to worry about going to restaurants or 'fitting' somewhere. You can go to a wedding and see those God awful thin folding chairs and while you still don't like them, you're not concerned. Many of your worries that fit people never had to think of, have faded away. We started for the long haul in our 30's and that's when we had the most success, losing 226 and 190 lbs respectively. When we went on vacation, as long as we came back and got rig...
I have orange peel and lemon peel that I use every so often. I also have saffron that I'll use to make saffron rice. I make it very rarely, but when I do, it's outstanding!
ReplyDeleteNothing truly exotic in my cupboard. I did have a really great hot seasoning called "Slap Yo Mama" that I picked up in New Orleans a while back, but it's long gone now.
ReplyDeleteI am a spice whore. Can I be called "Whorey Spice? HAHAHA. I use spices in everything. Mostly organic (if I can find them) from all cultures. I would say that Berbere (an Ethiopian spice blend) is probably one of the more exotic ones. I use it to make a vegetarian potato and vegetable "stew". It's more like sauteed mashed potatoes? I don't know how to describe it but it is fabulous. Food rut? Definitely try some Eastern foods. Cavender's greek seasoning is a super all purpose seasoning too. They make two versions, one is gluten free and I think salt free. Excellent on everything.
ReplyDeleteNothing exotic really. Saffron for my rice with toasted pine nuts and I have a variety of curries since I'm on a curry kick at the moment. I'm always game to try a new one, though!
ReplyDeleteI'll join Jinxmebaby for being the proud owner of an overflowing and varied spice cabinet.
ReplyDeleteThe most exotic thing in my spice cabinet right now is either the amchoor (dried sour mango) for the curries or zatar (sumac, sesame & spices) for the quintisential middle eastern grilled flavor.
My favorite cookbook right now is Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World which includes a lot of Middle Eastern spiced items. But it may soon be replaced by 660 curries, which I just took out of the library
MMMMMM I love zatar!! There is this egg dish where the egg (typically fried..I get mine poached) is sprinkled with it and served on top of cut up sauteed bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapenos and tomatoes. Shakshuka. MMM Heavenly. Now I want Shakshuka!
ReplyDeleteI am going to check out that cookbook now!!
we have some kind of pepper from the pepper people (a little vendor that travels around and is at our Herb Fest) that has 5 different types of peppers in it...I wish I could remember what its called. We also have jamaican jerk seasoning from them that is da bomb! Looks like next time we need it we are going to have to travel to terre haute IN for it ~ last year they didn't make it to our herb fest but luckily I got 3 jars of each the year before :)
ReplyDeleteI have to many spices to even come close to listing them all from memory - we joke my husband married me for my spices, my business cards even say "let me help you spice up your meals". Why? NOT A PLUG HERE I SWEAR, I sell Epicure spices - so yes I have Saffron, Berbere, Jamaican Jerk, Cuban, Cajun, Harrisa, Star Anise, plus several dozen other - they really help - I keep the taste not the fat when I cook and it has been a big help with getting on the right track for my eating plan AnitaWpg from Sparks
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