I'm back....

So, where have I been?  I've been busy - first, my mom died, and that just left me depressed and lacking in any kind of positive energy for a long time. Then, I decided to crawl out of my emotional cave and get on with life so I crammed a two year training program to be a certified family mediator into four months and that certainly didn't leave any time for anything such as blogging or taking care of my health.

Well, I'm paying for that now - for the first time I have had a negative health check. Despite being obese, I've been healthy and that has allowed me to avoid/deny/run from fully embracing my weight challenge. Okay, my recent check up showed that those days are over - either I change my eating or I die. Doesn't get any simpler than that  My doctor suggested gastric by pass surgery but I don't feel ready for that. I mean really, am I so weak and self-harming that I have to have my body cut up in order to control my carb intake?  Oh, I'm not going to die tomorrow, but I might not make it till my youngest finishes high school - so, I am back on track in full force. Swimming daily and drastically reducing my carb intake. I'm also keeping track of everything on Spark People so that I have to look at what I've accomplished daily. And, I'm going to blog again because that keeps my honest as well.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I am tapping daily too. I have a nice little routine of getting out of the swimming pool and sitting for ten minutes in the sauna - while there I tap about health. If others are in the sauna at the same time I simply imagine myself tapping - it has the same effect on the brain and I don't look nearly so crazy. 

As for stress management, well, I've been doing a facebook page of Hazardous Parenting daily stress management techniques and have now moved on with that into anger management for HP's. I try to practice what I teach and so despite the many, many reasons I have for feeling stressed and angry, I am doing okay in those areas.

So, here I go again, this time I'm determined to succeed and will keep up the blog on a weekly basis. More often if anything exciting happens.

Here's a nice low carb recipe that I got fromVegangela  http://vegangela.com/2013/11/25/quinoa-stuffed-peppers-with-almonds-and-mint/    I love quinoa and I love recipes that I can make ahead.

Vegan Make-Ahead Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers with Almonds and Mint

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour 15 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Subtle mint and crunchy toasted almonds make these quinoa-stuffed peppers a great main dish or side. Vegan and gluten-free.

Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com

Recipe type: Main, Side

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers (capsicum)
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 540g jar pasta sauce
• 1+1/4 cup water
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup fresh mint
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. If serving full peppers, use a pairing knife to carefully cut the tops off the bell peppers, otherwise slice them lengthwise to serve them as half-stuffed peppers. Using a spoon, gently remove the seeds and scrape out the white flesh inside the peppers. Set aside.
3. Mix quinoa, 1 cup of the pasta sauce, and 1+1/4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. Lower heat to lowest setting, cover saucepan and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a frying pan for a few minutes by sauteing them and being sure to not let them burn. When toasted, place them in a mixing bowl.
5. Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add to the mixing bowl.
6. When the quinoa is ready, add it to the mixing bowl along with the remaining pasta sauce, nutritional yeast and mint. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Divide quinoa mixture evenly among the bell peppers, gently packing it down and making sure to fully fill each pepper. Top each pepper with its reserved top, if using.
8. If making ahead, cool and chill the peppers in the fridge or freezer, being sure to protect them from from freezer burn.
9. (If frozen, defrost peppers in fridge overnight.) Arrange peppers upright in a parchment paper-lined oven-safe dish, cover snugly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Transfer to plates and serve.

So, remember - you are entitled to a better day - exercise, eat well, and remember that you are important to many.

If you have the time and the inclination, please check out my web site and go to my Youtube channel and Hazardous Parenting facebook page for tips on how to manage stress and the daily challenges of Hazardous Parenting.