Keeping Kosher Group

estherdragonbat

Shavua tov! I'm working my way through a vegan cookbook, one recipe at a time. Next week is a chickpea tamarind stew. I'm trying to turn tamarind pods into tamarind paste right now.

Down 1.8 lbs this week, which puts me 58.8 away from goal (65.2 gone, so past the mid-point!). I made Sunday morning my weigh-in day; it helps keep me on track on Shabbos. Got in over 3 hours of walking yesterday (20 minutes to and from shul, 35 minutes being... extremely meticulous... about the mitzvah of escorting Shabbos guests home. Literally walked them to their door and came home. 25 minutes to a Women's Seudat Shlishit; we have them in someone's house every other Shabbat from after Shavuos to September. Light refreshments, guest speaker. I hosted one four weeks ago. After that, my walking buddy and I took a 2-hour stroll.)

Zackadoo! I love that! Hope he's doing better. Soot's charcoal gray and, at first, I wasn't sure if he was male or female, so I went with a neutral name.

I mostly cook on Thursdays for Shabbat and do leftovers during the week. When they run out, I go with fritattas, stir fries, veggie burgers, and so on. I still have the fixings for one more wrap from the recipe I made for my lunch at the golf tournament.

Mostly, we visit my parents in Montreal at Pesach. A few years ago, though, we went up to Killarney, Ontario. It's about five hours drive north and west of Toronto on Georgian Bay. Gorgeous area, but not much to do if you aren't into hiking, fishing, and boating. We went up mostly for research; that novel I mentioned is set at a boarding school that I wanted in a remote area, but not so remote that students couldn't get emergency medical attention quickly. That area is about an hour away from Sudbury, Ontario. Plus it's sparsely populated enough that I can invent a fictional town without displacing a real one!

Take care!

LilacLion

@estherdragonbat Thank you very much. It addressed my question completely. The site was interesting and I'll add it to my bookmark list!

devash1762

Shavua tov! I'm working my way through a vegan cookbook, one recipe at a time. Next week is a chickpea tamarind stew. I'm trying to turn tamarind pods into tamarind paste right now.

Hi Esther: I decided to copy and past your post and write from within so I don't miss your wonderful details. I could not be a Vegan, Iove eggs, milk etc.

Down 1.8 lbs this week, which puts me 58.8 away from goal (65.2 gone, so past the mid-point!). I made Sunday morning my weigh-in day; it helps keep me on track on Shabbos. Got in over 3 hours of walking yesterday (20 minutes to and from shul, 35 minutes being... extremely meticulous... about the mitzvah of escorting Shabbos guests home. Literally walked them to their door and came home. 25 minutes to a Women's Seudat Shlishit; we have them in someone's house every other Shabbat from after Shavuos to September. Light refreshments, guest speaker. I hosted one four weeks ago. After that, my walking buddy and I took a 2-hour stroll.)


Wonderful!! Kudos to you!! Slow and and steady is the way. I know I get overwhelmed when I look toward 20 more pounds. I have to take it 5 pounds at a time.

Zackadoo! I love that! Hope he's doing better. Soot's charcoal gray and, at first, I wasn't sure if he was male or female, so I went with a neutral name.


Soot is a very cool name, love it!!

I mostly cook on Thursdays for Shabbat and do leftovers during the week. When they run out, I go with fritattas, stir fries, veggie burgers, and so on. I still have the fixings for one more wrap from the recipe I made for my lunch at the golf tournament.


I start cooking on Wednesdays for Shabbos in the winter, and on Thursdays in the summer. I also use the leftovers, mostly for my husband. I can't eat reheated cholent and there is so much chicken one person can eat daily.

Mostly, we visit my parents in Montreal at Pesach. A few years ago, though, we went up to Killarney, Ontario. It's about five hours drive north and west of Toronto on Georgian Bay. Gorgeous area, but not much to do if you aren't into hiking, fishing, and boating. We went up mostly for research; that novel I mentioned is set at a boarding school that I wanted in a remote area, but not so remote that students couldn't get emergency medical attention quickly. That area is about an hour away from Sudbury, Ontario. Plus it's sparsely populated enough that I can invent a fictional town without displacing a real one!

Fabulous...I always marvel at someone that write a novel, regardless of the content or genre. I write poetry and I have been doing so for more than 25 years. I have published poems in journals for poetry although obscure, it is a nice accomplishment.

Looking forward to more correspondance.

estherdragonbat

Hi! I still eat eggs and dairy. I just buy a lot of vegan cookbooks because I make meat for my husband and naturally want pareve for myself. And it seems like too many vegetarian-not-vegan cookbooks are over 50% dairy. I feel I get my money's worth more with vegan cookbooks. That being said, I just had an omelet for lunch and I'm meeting friends for dinner tonight. Having shakshuka. (I know the restaurant and I know that's one menu option that fits my plans with minimal juggling. Just so long as I ask them to serve it in a skillet instead of the bread bowl it normally comes with. I'm not sure the calories exactly, but it's a big bread bowl and some Googling told me that Panera's bread bowls are 590 calories and the image made it look about the same size. So without the actual nutritional profile, I'm going with that. There's an entry in the database for shakshuka from Hummus Kitchen. It looks similar to the one I'm having tonight, so I've got it at 350 calories.)

Right now, I would love to be doing my cardio, but hubby called from work to tell me the plumber would be here between 2 and 6 and I 1) don't want to be on the fitness glider in the basement when he rings the doorbell; I probably won't hear it over my music. 2) Answering the door in leggings and a t-shirt is not exactly something I'd like to do and I may not have time to throw on a skirt and longsleeve top before running upstairs. Worst case, I do it after the restaurant, but I hate eating in advance of calories I expect to burn in case it doesn't happen for whatever reason. At least I got my strength training in. It's slow; I've never been especially athletic and until a few weeks ago, I'd never done a lunge in my life. But I'm noticing some progress.

I do some cooking on Wednesdays, but it's usually 'prep' that takes up time. Example: the stew I'm making calls for broth. I used up the last batch. It's pretty simple to make a fresh one, but it's a 20-minute saute followed by a 90-minute simmer. I don't want to have to put my cooking on hold for 2 hours. If I'm doing a dessert that won't go stale/bad quickly, say sorbet or cookies, those might get done on Wednesday too. The tamarind pulp didn't go so well. I used too much water and when I tried straining it through cheesecloth... it got messy. I might try again tomorrow or use the substitute suggested by the cookbook and mix brown sugar with lime juice.

It's great that you write poetry. I used to when I was a kid and it was 'very good for my age'. I haven't really been inspired to write it in recent years.

Soot's curled up on my bed waiting out the rain. I'm sure he'll panic and run for the side door when the plumber arrives.

I'm enjoying this, too!

devash1762

Hi Esther: Hoping you had a great day.

Hi! I still eat eggs and dairy. I just buy a lot of vegan cookbooks because I make meat for my husband and naturally want pareve for myself. And it seems like too many vegetarian-not-vegan cookbooks are over 50% dairy. I feel I get my money's worth more with vegan cookbooks. That being said, I just had an omelet for lunch and I'm meeting friends for dinner tonight. Having shakshuka. (I know the restaurant and I know that's one menu option that fits my plans with minimal juggling. Just so long as I ask them to serve it in a skillet instead of the bread bowl it normally comes with. I'm not sure the calories exactly, but it's a big bread bowl and some Googling told me that Panera's bread bowls are 590 calories and the image made it look about the same size. So without the actual nutritional profile, I'm going with that. There's an entry in the database for shakshuka from Hummus Kitchen. It looks similar to the one I'm having tonight, so I've got it at 350 calories.)

I love Shakshuka! I agree, a bread bowl is way too tempting! I also order it without the bread, and when the bread comes, I take a small 2 oz piece.

Right now, I would love to be doing my cardio, but hubby called from work to tell me the plumber would be here between 2 and 6 and I 1) don't want to be on the fitness glider in the basement when he rings the doorbell; I probably won't hear it over my music. 2) Answering the door in leggings and a t-shirt is not exactly something I'd like to do and I may not have time to throw on a skirt and longsleeve top before running upstairs. Worst case, I do it after the restaurant, but I hate eating in advance of calories I expect to burn in case it doesn't happen for whatever reason. At least I got my strength training in. It's slow; I've never been especially athletic and until a few weeks ago, I'd never done a lunge in my life. But I'm noticing some progress.

The only exercise I am doing and sticking with is my 3-4 times per week 2-3 miles. It isn't a lot but since all exercise is cumulative and some exercise is better than none...A fitness glider, is that like an elliptecal? I love those. Although I have a three bedroom apartment, it is not big enough to have a treadmill or an ellip. If I give up the guestroom, perhaps, but then when my married kids come for yom tov, there would be no place to put it.

I do some cooking on Wednesdays, but it's usually 'prep' that takes up time. Example: the stew I'm making calls for broth. I used up the last batch. It's pretty simple to make a fresh one, but it's a 20-minute saute followed by a 90-minute simmer. I don't want to have to put my cooking on hold for 2 hours. If I'm doing a dessert that won't go stale/bad quickly, say sorbet or cookies, those might get done on Wednesday too. The tamarind pulp didn't go so well. I used too much water and when I tried straining it through cheesecloth... it got messy. I might try again tomorrow or use the substitute suggested by the cookbook and mix brown sugar with lime juice.

This week for Shabbos I am making, a Middle Eastern inspired spicy saucy meatballs which I will serve over basmati rice. Regular gefilte fish, oven fried bread cauliflower pieces, meat cholent, an overnight potato kugel, salads, vegetable kugel etc. I have guests practically every Shabbos, hence the amount I make..whatever is leftover, most of it my husband will have for supper. I will have a few things here or there, but at least it saves me from cooking after a whole day of work. Cholent I try to keep to 1 cup as a serving, a 2x2 piece of kugel, 1 slice of challah, 1 slice of fish, and I buy low fat dips and stick to 1 tsp and I have 2 different ones.

It's great that you write poetry. I used to when I was a kid and it was 'very good for my age'. I haven't really been inspired to write it in recent years.


Do you have any foods that you truly enjoy and you have it lets say once per week? Thursday is pizza for me. My husband and younger son run some errands for Shabbos and they pick me up 2 slices of brickoven thin crust regular pizza. I make a side salad and that is my special food.

Soot's curled up on my bed waiting out the rain. I'm sure he'll panic and run for the side door when the plumber arrives.

Zackadoo went to the vet this past Sunday. He has a cold which I think Adele my other cat caught. He is on antibiotics for a possible UTI. If Adele keeps sneezing we are taking her to the vet on Sunday. My husband and I took off this Monday and 4th of July. We need some R&R. We may head upstate Sunday, we'll see.

Looking forward to your entry. Have a great Thursday. I am going to weigh myself Friday morning, keeps me in line for Shabbos. If I lost anywhere between 1.5-2 pounds, I will be thrilled.

estherdragonbat

I hear you. I weigh in on Sunday morning. It keeps me from going off the rails on Shabbos. And as for foods I truly enjoy, that's when I have them. I think I mentioned upthread that I have two pieces of kugel and a frosted shortbread at kiddush. If they don't have the shortbread, I'll either take a different cookie that I 'know' is under the 160 I guesstimate the shortbread at (which basically means any cookie that isn't a jam sandwich type) or a 1x1x2 piece of sponge cake.

When I do the Friday morning shopping (bakery and deli salads mainly), I also get a vegetarian sushi for Friday's lunch and a bagel with cheese for either Seudat Shlishit or Maleve Malka, depending on whether there's a women's gathering. If there is, then I usually stick with the minimum. Veggies with a little hummus. Maybe a cracker or two. Melon.

Hope your kitties are okay. Soot just wanted affection and cuddles today. Or maybe he realized I was wearing a new outfit he hadn't had a chance to shed on yet.

I'm making tamarind-chickpea stew. I think calling it "tamarind" chickpea stew is more accurate; it looks like I'm using brown sugar and lime juice. Hubby wants juicy pineapple chicken (out of Spice & Spirit). I'm making a few salads and dips. Today I did a vegetable stock and a green tea granita for dessert.

A glider is similar to an elliptical. http://gazelleglider.com/shop/gazelle-edge/ It can be folded for easy storage, but I just leave it up in the basement. I got it from my old job as a 10-year anniversary milestone gift. Hadn't used it in ages but now there's a need.

So, tomorrow I will be trying to get my cooking done AND find time to exercise. I do cardio every day, but not necessarily the glider. I don't drive, so I try to do as many errands on foot as possible. Today that meant 2 1/2 hours of walking (one 90 minutes, one 60). Strength is every other day. Which usually means Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. With Shabbos out so late now, I don't feel like exercising after 10PM. In the winter, it might be another story.

Happy weigh-in!

devash1762

Hi Esther:

Pardon the hiatus, it has been rather hectic.

My secretary will be out of town for a month to help her daughter after she has her 2nd baby. Her daughter lives out of the country so my HR department was looking for a temp for me. I interviewed someone on Friday who I hope will fit the bill and she actually takes the position.

I attempted to weigh myself on Friday, but the scale's lithium battery is shot, so although I believe I lost weight this past week, I can't enter anything until I fix my scale.

How was your week vis a vis food?

Mine was not too shabby, like I have mentioned before, from supper until bedtime is my downfall but I am trying. Shabbos was great. I made Moroccan meatballs in a spicy sauce served over white rice. We had gefilte fish and challah. My husband bought the pull apart so I had one piece of that. We have so many wonderful choices here in Brooklyn with kosher foods, that I buy the low fat mayo pre made dips. Of course, portion control is still part and parcel. I bought Jalapeno, Shallot, LF varieties. So 1 tsp of each is still less than 1 tbs of regular dips. I made cucumber salad and a corn kugel.

On Shabbos day we had meat cholent, potato kugel, vegetable kugel, cole slaw, challah and fish. Like I mentioned I believe in earlier posts, I have guests, plus I try to not have to cook during the week. Mostly my husband eats the leftovers and I sparingly have some chicken, some leftover salad etc.

I took a four day weekend with Monday and Tuesday off. I really need the R/R. We are going to Ikea today to see if there are any sales on some things I need replaced for my home, such as diningroom chairs, light living room curtains, etc. Tonight, I am going to go see Dispicable Me 3..I am a true kid at heart and I saw all the previous ones. We like to go to the last showing, less crowded and since we are off tomorrow, why not.

Here the weather has been very odd. It has been cool, then hot and humid, then tons of rain, then hot again. I still prefer this over the unrelenting heat for days on end that leaves me bereft of koach.

Anyhow, I look forward to your replies. Hoping that you have had weight loss success, a wonderful Shabbos and even a better week ahead.

Best, Devorah.

estherdragonbat

Devorah! That's my mom's middle name in Hebrew: Shayndel Devora

Three pounds down! On the one hand, I'm over the moon; on the other hand, I'm now 55.8 lbs from goal, so consistent weight loss of more than 1.5/week is a bit too aggressive. Honestly, I think I can chalk this up to 'weight loss isn't linear'. Probably, next week will be a very modest change in the scale; it's happened before. Meanwhile, though... YAY!

Hatzlacha with the hiring. I know that can be rough.

The tamarind chickpea stew was a success! Here in Toronto, we have a LOT of kosher products available; many more than I can remember, growing up in Montreal, particularly of the ethnic variety. And yet, there are times where I still need to ask my parents if they can find me, say, Asian chili paste or hominy or canned bamboo shoots. Plattsburgh is just over an hour from where they live in Montreal and they usually head down there every Sunday morning; the prices are better, even with the exchange rate. And even the mainstream (i.e. not 100% kosher) supermarkets have things that are hard or impossible to find on our side of the border. Even so, it's getting better. I just find that I've memorized locations for certain products that have valid hechsherim, but aren't carried in the stores in my neighborhood. (Examples: canned chopped green chilis and canned chipotle peppers. Both are all the way downtown at St. Lawrence Market, about 25 minutes on the subway and a 10 minute walk away. If I want mirin, I need to go to a kosher sushi restaurant about ninety minutes' walk—or 20 to a bus and then 15 minutes north, assuming normal traffic. Mango chutney is about 2 blocks north of the sushi place.) It's just something I deal with. My dentist's office isn't far from St. Lawrence Market. I try to take stock of what I need down there when I've got an appointment coming up.

We had four guests over for Shabbos lunch. It went well.

It was Canada Day yesterday; many businesses are closed on the Monday instead or taking 3-day weekends. I know government offices and other places that wouldn't have been open on Shabbos are taking the Monday.

We're seeing Despicable Me tonight, too! I missed the first two, but I liked the trailer. First, though, some relatives from out of town are in town, so we're going to pop by the cousins hosting them around 7:30 and stay for a little while. The movie is at 9:10 and it's 11 minutes from the cousins' according to Google maps.

It looks like it's going to rain any second now. If it does, I'll see if Soot wants to come in. We haven't had much cool weather. It's mostly heat, humidity, and rain.

Let me know how you like the movie tomorrow!

Kol tuv!

Esther

devash1762

Hi Esther:

I lost another pound...so far, since June 11th total of 5. If I can keep up this weight loss pace, by Labor Day, iyh I should reach my goal of 25 pounds..and I for one would be very grateful.

Despicable Me 3 was good, but not as funny as the last two. And from the looks of the ending, there will be a 4th movie. All in all, had a great time.

Today, we are heading into the city and do what we like to call "tourist" walking. Heading towards Soho etc. We love to browse bookshops, all sorts of stores. There is a burger place that is kosher that everyone is raving about so we might check it out for lunch. I don't recall the name off the top of my head.

I battle with some free floating anxiety, which unless through the roof, doesn't help with weight loss, vis a vis I have to be wreck in order to not eat at all chas v'shalom. I downloaded this app called "calm" it is free of charge unless you want the premium package. I don't do well visualizing unless I am guided, and this app has calming scenery with nature sounds, breathing exercises, etc.

I wish, that davening alone would settle my anxiety at times, but Hashem knows I try. Sometimes, we inherit our families peculiarities such as anxiety, worrying etc. Anyhow, I digress. This is about a weight loss journey not "Dr. Phil's couch, LOL."

What sort of holiday is "Canada Day?" Is it similar to our 4th of July or more like our Labor Day? I have not been in Canada since my eldest was 2 and he is now 28! IYH, I would love to visit Niagra again. Also, I hear the mid western parts of Canada, like Calgary are awesome. As they say hope does spring eternal, and maybe, who knows, with Hashem's help we might just get to go there one day.

Yesterday's food monitoring wasn't bad. I even managed to squeeze in some popcorn! Anyhow, have a great Monday and looking forward to another post.

Best,
Devorah

estherdragonbat

Devorah,

Congrats on the weight loss! Hope yours happens as scheduled. According to one of the online calculators, I've probably got another year to go to hit my goal (slightly more; it said August of 2018). But eight months ago? I was almost 70 lbs heavier. I'm not in a rush.

I found that the first quarter of the movie was a bit slow-going. Like I said, I missed the first two, so I didn't have much to compare it to. I did get into it in the middle, though.

Today it's my husband's turn to pick the movie. He wants to see Baby Driver. Not really my kind of movie, but I drag him to Disney and Pixar and historical dramas, so I let him drag me to summer blockbuster action movies.

Not sure if I'll go for a walk or hit the fitness glider today.

I've got some anxiety issues, too. For me, the exercise has really helped me cope. I also find that substituting lower calorie snacks and measuring and logging before eating help. It just gives me that extra minute to check myself and verify if I really want it and, more importantly, keeps me from stressing and guilting more after I've finished eating it. (My problem has never been with having a cookie. It's been the disproportionate guilt and anxiety over eating the cookie that's going to undo all my progress to date and I can't cope so I need to numb the guilt with more food... which works as long as I'm eating, but as soon as my plate is clean I get that guilt on top of the previous. And eventually I conclude that the best thing to do is start over tomorrow... which means that tonight? I can throw caution to the winds and just keep eating. Logging gets me to calm down and get some perspective. Someone in another thread on cheat meals said that she never logs Shabbos food, that we're meant to enjoy it and there'll be no counting of calories in the next world. I used to think like that, but after Shabbos I'd immediately start beating myself up over how 'off the rails' I'd gone. Pre-logging lets me enjoy it with absolutely no guilt or anxiety after the fact. To each their own, I guess.)

Canada Day is like your 4th, but more low-key. Statutory holiday, fireworks, and barbecues. Canada flags are in abundance, but it's more... subdued. I guess, l'havdel, more tznieus.

I've never been to the prairie provinces. I flew out to Vancouver once when I was in university. I also spent a day in Victoria. But mostly, my travels have been along Highway 401, which runs from Windsor (I actually haven't been past London, ON) to the Quebec border, where it becomes Highway 20 and goes on past Quebec city. One day, I'd like to see the whole country.

Have fun walking today!

Esther

devash1762

Hi Esther:
Just got back from my 60 minute walk!~ Hot, sweaty, but at least i earned 310 calories which I have no intentions on using. Do you use your extra calories earned when you exercise?

Tomorrow, is back to work..I am actually looking forward to it. I like going back to work on a Wednesday, two days more then Shabbos

Funny you should mentioned tznius. Here in NYC is the anti tznius capital of the the East Coast. What one can see on a subway here in Manhattan, can literally live you shocked, even a seasoned NYer like myself.

I will write more tomorrow, I am not feeling very inspired. I hope you don't mind. Have a great weight loss day tomorrow.
Best,

Devorah

estherdragonbat

Hi Devorah!

I eat back about half my exercise calories; I get too hungry otherwise. And I'm losing weight at the rate I want to be, so it seems to be working.

Discovered today that I'm walking about 3.25 mph (Went to my sister's and got the walking route off of Google maps, including distance covered).

We have someone coming to fix the water damage in our spare bedroom. It's in the basement, below the kitchen. With the leaky faucet. Seems that the pipe has been leaking into the bottom of the sink and then draining into the wall, soaking the insulation, and coming up through the spare room carpet. Sigh. They're going to need to cut the drywall to fix it all. Meanwhile, there's a dehumidifier going.

Have a great night1

devash1762

Hi Esther:

Hope that you had a good day.

This is the first time since I started my weight loss program that I have the munchies. I suppose it was bound to happen. I have 44 calories left and it is only 10:30 pm.

I made a fruit juice spritzer with fiber powder to see if that tides me over until the am. Does that ever happen to you? I even at times wake up like 4 am and I am hungry. My stomach actually grumbling. I take a slice of whole wheat with nothing on it, otherwise, I can't fall asleep.

Today, work was good. It was confirmed that my secretarial temp starts Friday...hoping all goes well. I went food shopping for the week. Going to make Mango baked chicken bottoms with potatoes. It is simple yet very tasty.

I sent one of my sheitels today to get done. I have a wedding on Monday, and normally I do it myself, but I wanted to look nicer than usual since it is my mechutin's wedding for their last child so I want to look normal!!

I bought this really pretty long maxi dress in a black and white sort of IKAT pattern. It is sleeveless, with a v-neck and some blingy embellesments around the collar. I will pair it with a long sleeved black shell and my dressy black mesh silvery shoes. Tuesday, I am taking off since the wedding is in Lakewood and I don't want to run out then drive back 1 1/2 hours back to Brooklyn to get up 6:30 am for work.

Hopefully, near the end of August, my husband and I will rent an air bnb in Connecticut in Greenwich. It is quiet out of the way, yet close enough to do things within a short drive and only 2 hours from our home. Looking to go Sunday through Wednesday around the 20th of August.

Anyhow, hoping that you had a great day. Tomorrow, I will start cooking when I get home from work for Shabbos. Going over my friends house that lives three doors down the block from us.

Best,

Devorah

estherdragonbat

Hi, Devorah!

I'm a snacker and I usually eat back no more than half my exercise calories. When the munchies hit, I let myself go up to 75% of them. Otherwise, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, or water/tea/diet drinks

Well, they came to continue fixing the flooding in the spare bedroom. The dehumidifier did the job. Today, they broke the drywall and got rid of the damp insulation. They're drying out what's left and will probably be back Sunday or Monday. Sigh. Under the kitchen sink, the drywall is moldy and crumbling. It just doesn't end. My husband is going to try to contact someone he knows and if that person can't come soon, we'll get these people to do it.

Congrats on getting the temp! And Mazal tov on the wedding!

I'm more of a snoods and berets gal. The last time I wore a sheitel was at my sister's wedding, about six years ago.

I'm cooking tomorrow, too. Hubby wants juicy broiled hamburgers. I'm doing a chickpea lentil stew with (homemade) pomegranate molasses. Another item I have yet to see under hechsher, here, but fortunately pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice are all obtainable and that's all I need to make my own.

I'm also on my shul's chesed committee; we send over a Shabbat meal for people who have recently given birth, moved house, taken ill, or just got up from shivah. In this case, it's a birth. I'm doing a salad. In other words, I'm making a dressing, chopping up a carrot and halving some cherry tomatoes... and adding a Bodek salad mix.

It looks like I'm not going to have anything overly hands-on and/or time-consuming to prepare. The only thing that comes close is a potato-beet salad, and that's only because I need to boil the potatoes and beets separately.

Have a good one!

Esther

devash1762

Greetings:

Shabbos was great! Hope that yours was too.

Spending today, Sunday quietly at home. No need to cook, since I have more than plenty of leftovers. Later, I am going for my 3 mile walk.

Monday is a regular workday...that evening going to a family wedding. Tuesday I am taking off since I don't want to come home later after driving 1.5 hours to get up at 6:30...leaves me way too out of sorts.

We planned a vacation get away by August end to King of Prussia PA. It is 15 miles from Philadelphia which has so much to see and far less expensive than staying in PA.

Sorry to hear that you had flooding in your home..water damage is a nightmare to fix. How long does the area have to dry before you can start repairs? I live in a multi family sixplex. We each have a front and back balcony. My neighor above me, when it rains, and the gutters are full, it over flows and makes my balcony door start to leak. I have had damage on the balcony door frame which needed repair over time.

The potato salad you mention reminds me of a Russian one, that is made with pickles, peas, carrots and a mayo mustard light dressing...quite good.

I hope that you have a good weight loss week. I hope to lose another pound by this coming Thursday then I will be down 7 closer to 10 and even closer to my 20 pound mark.

Have a great night, hoping Soot is keeping you cozy.

Best,

Devorah

estherdragonbat

Soot is being a cuddle muffin. It is a riot the way he knocks on the door when he wants to come in. (And if it's pouring rain and I don't come? He camps on my office window sill and meows.)

Shabbat was great. Three guests and just under three hours of walking.

Hopefully, repairs can start this week. The drying equipment is still going, but technically, they could have started work Saturday, were it not for Shabbat. So now waiting to hear from them.

I was down 0.6, which is fair enough since I had that major 3-lb loss last week, which was undeserved. Some weeks, I do everything right and the loss is modest. Some weeks, I guesstimate more and exercise less and the loss is greater. I just look at trends.

I don't blame you for taking another day off so you'll be more rested. Have fun at the wedding!

devash1762

Hi Esther:

The wedding was really nice. It was in Lakewood NJ the other side of the lake. The hall is fairly new and I can't recall the name at this time. It was nice to see my grandkids, married son and daughter in law. Her brother, was the one that got married, the baby the last one...now empty nest for my mechutin. There is a sheva brachos today again in lakewood, but we opted not to go. My husband went to work today, and to go again to lakewood, and come home late, it isn't fair to my husband who is fasting today and worked.

I normally only fast for Yom Kippur and Tish B'av full day of course. All the other fasts I just fast until chatzos. Friends of mine who are Chassidish, don't even fast except for the two major ones that I had mentioned. Are you a good faster? Food is not the issue for me on a fast day, but lack of coffee and water, yes. That is why, when I work on minor fast days, I only do so up until chatzos. Running a program for 30 women with intellectual disabilities plus 8 staff requires full throttle energy...without coffee...yikes!

I don't know if I mentioned that I took up meditation. I found an app on my work phone called Calm and it does just that. There are no avodah zorah, religious methodologies for this meditation, just mindfulness and calming scenery with sound and a walk through for breathing to get you calm. I love it. I do it on my way to work. Just hearing the calm soothing voice of the facilitator going through the relaxation techniques, the waterfall sound and birds chirping sets the tone for my morning.

At times, I feel guilty regarding the meditation, since davening doesn't provide that feel for me. Reading a siddur rotely vs talking to hashem whenever I do on my own feels more natural, more spiritual. Do you ever feel that way? I don't know how men manage to daven three times per day with kavana and focus... it is so hard. In the morning brachos, i am very glad that I thank Hashem for not having made me a man!

So I am just relaxing today at home. Later after Maariv we will break the fast, I mean, my son and husband. I already broke mine at chatzos. Doing some incidental laundry like curtains, duvets, the sort of stuff I put on hold because I don't have the koach during the week to do it. Have some tea, make sure I eat right, and iyh on Friday morning, I will have lost something. I totally get what you meant about guesstimating and you wind up with a bigger loss...I think even though you don't precisely enter everything to the letter, subconsciously, you might be more careful...that is my unprofessional psychological input

On that note, have a great day, stay healthy and thanks for corresponding with me, it is awesome.

Dev

estherdragonbat

Hi, Devora!

I'm fasting today. I'm something of a night owl, so I was up until 3:30 writing a scene of fanfiction. Then I had a slightly larger breakfast than usual and went to bed. I'm going to try to keep going till 9:45 when it ends here. A little sad I won't exercise today.

My reasons for eating include boredom, stress, and emotion. So, it's not so much that I'm hungry as that I'd really like to be nibbling on something right now. (I think I mentioned I keep low-cal options on hand like popcorn and dry cereal.)

I've tried meditation before. When I was in college, I took a stress management class (in Montreal, we have something like junior college where the profs give the students a bit more hand-holding than college, but more freedom and responsibility than high school. At the time, over two years/four semesters, taking four phys ed classes was mandatory. I'm not athletic, so my main goal was to avoid team sports. Stress Management was offered under 'theory'.) that covered different coping strategies, including meditation. And in drama workshops at camp, they usually started with some meditative exercises. Mostly of the 'relax your body, one limb at a time' variety.

I hear you on the siddur. Sometimes, I feel a connection, but it's almost entirely independent of the words on the page. I do try, especially during Aseret Yemei Tshuva.

Well, the wall in the spare room has dried out and B"H, there was no other leak beyond the sink upstairs. We had someone come over this morning to start a drywall job in one of the bathrooms. (There was a leaky pipe causing dripping from the ceiling and it turned out to be an issue in the shower, so we've had a couple of holes in the wall and ceiling for a while. Since it's a basement bathroom, we haven't rushed to fix it, but it's time.) He took a look at the spare room and we should be getting it fixed up shortly.

The drywall under the kitchen sink isn't going to be so easy, because of all the pipes. Fortunately, it doesn't smell, but it is crumbling. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

For now, I'm just taking it easy at the computer. Posted my fanfic. Soot came in to cuddle, but it's a sunny day. He's outside snoozing now.

Wondering whether it's permitted to sit on a stability ball on Tisha b'Av. I need to ask. It's low enough. I just worry that it may be inappropriate for the day. But sitting on the floor, even with a cushion, makes me sore after an hour or so. I bought a toddler-sized folding chair some years ago and that's not much better. Neither is a small ottoman that Mothers of Bais Yaakov included with the Mishloach Manot a couple of years ago. The ball is comfortable. (Which might be a problem on Tisha b'Av, but I'm going to ask.)

Best!

Esther

devash1762

Hi Esther:

Had a hectic week so I hope that you understand the delay in writing back.

B'H I lost another pound for a total of 7. It may not seem a lot but for me it is pretty good. I have another 15 pounds to go and I hope to hit that target by October 1st.

Anyhow, I made for Shabbos Moroccan Meatballs with Carrots to serve over cous cous. I also made gefilte fish, beet salad with garlic and cilantro, potato kugel, cholent. I bought kishka and challahs. My neighbor is making salads and also shalos sheduis.

IYH, next Shabbos we will be down in Lakewood for Shabbos with my grandkids...

My computer for some reason died right before Shabbos and I just realized I never sent this post. I apologize. Hoping that your Shabbos was good. Ours was very nice.

Have a great week!

estherdragonbat

Hi, Devora

No worries!

It was a great Shabbos. A girl at my shul became Bat Mitzvah and there was a seudat shlishit at her house. I did my walking. We had three guests for lunch, including my walking buddy. And I was down 1.8 lbs this morning! So that's a total of 70.6 lost, 54.4 to go!

Just bought an adjustable 20lb ankle weight. Got more of a workout getting it home (I walked and the store is over an hour away). I'm just glad I brought a backpack with me; I doubt I could have managed carrying it in my hands all the way. The strength training exercise I'm doing give three levels for each exercise. I use the weights for leg lifts and I'm transitioning from L2 (15-20 reps with 1-3lb ankle weights) to L3 (8-12 reps with 5-10lb weights). The store didn't have 10-lbs in stock, but since the weight I got is adjustable, I can just take out the bits I don't need. Eventually, I may work my way up to the full 20, but for now, this is good.

Enjoy Lakewood!