Fiber Friday - What's Dyeing?

So if you happen to read this in any kind of blog reader.  Mea culpa.  I accidentally posted it earlier this week and updated later in the week and did it again.  Sigh.  Now it's posting today even tbhough it's not Firday.  I give up.  Fiber Friday comes early.

Anyways, I'm dyeing some yarn to knit Solstice Stockings for the family. I thought it was about time to have something colorful and fibery to put goodies in this year.

All the colors: Magenta , teal, dk yellow, and purple

I dyed the yarns in my dye crock pots using 1% stock solutions, of jacquard acid dyes, at depth of shade of one which means I will use 1 ml of 1% stock solution for each gram of fiber.  If I had done a depths of shade of two I would use 2 ml of dye stock for every gram of fiber.  I chose a depth of shade of one to get a medium dark color.

The yarn base is Oatmeal Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool.  It takes dye wonderfully. I weighed out about 70 grams of yarn for each color and measured 70 ml of total dye solution for each skein.

Magenta on the top left: I can't give you an excact formula because I didn't not write it down right away.  So what I share is a guess

Magenta:  for the boy kid
40 ml fuchsia ( This is some fiber reactive color I used as an acid dye)
10 drops periwinkle
10 ml cherry or vermillion

Teal:  for the husband
This one was easy  70ml of  teal

Yellow Orange: for the girl kid
50 ml aztec gold
20 ml sun yellow

Purple: for me!
60 ml Burgundy
10 ml Periwinkle

Each family member chose the colors for their stripe and I will use all the other colors for the ribbing, toes and heels.  For example my husband chose teal stripes so he had purple ribbing, magenta heel, and a yellow toe.



So far so good.  Stay tuned for more dyeing fun and more stockings!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

I figured it out! I've been sharing quite a bit about food the last few weeks. I want to keep sharing about what we've been eating and recipes I put together. But I've missed talking about fibery crafts but I love alliteration.  So it finally came to me:  What's Cookin' Wednesday.

So what's been cookin' at Chez Fiber Star?

Leftovers for lunch on Friday last week and what we had for dinner on Thursday:



Roasted Chicken and gravy in a slow cooker. *  Roasted green beans and carrots.



Yummy food from the farmers market: sunberries (in the bowl), Japanese eggplant my new favorite summer veggie, okra, peppers, apples, damson plums, and sweet potatoes.

The sunberries are new to us but have kind of a cool connection for me.  Sunberries are in the nightshade family and were developed by Luther Burbank.  I volunteered at the Luther Burbank home when we lived in California.  I don't remember sunberries but I do remember white raspberrries and elephant garlic. Sunberries have an unusual taste, kind of smokey and sour. I think they would be nice added to a savory dish of some sort or something sweet with some sugar.  

Bon Appetite!

* Not sure if it's just me but I find it hard to connect to nom, nom paleo sometimes but eventually the link does work.  So don't give up. 

Sunday Book Review: Blood Shot

So I'm not all that into the vampire genre  except for Buffy and Angel.  But my husband recommended Blood Shot by Cherie Preist because it's not just about vampires it's a vampire mystery novel.  He knows how I love a good mystery.  Since I did enjoy Priest's other novel Boneshaker the first in a steampunk zombie series.  I thought I'd give Blood Shot a chance.  I'm glad I did.

Who knew vampires could be so human.  Reylene, our intrepid thief and mystery solver,  has her issues.  She's very concerned about safety and being prepared for anything which doesn't seem much like a vampire and she cares. She can also kick some serious ass.  You can almost forget she's a vampire until she eats that is.  She only eats the bad guys.  I don't want to give too much more away.  If you are in the mood for some light reading then this might be the book for you.  I just started Hell Bent which is book two in the series. I love a good series.

Foodie Friday: Slurp, Crunch and Chew

Slurp:

Japanese Sweet Potato Soup

We had this soup with some oven roasted chicken and roasted eggplant for dinner on Sunday. The Japanese Sweet potatoes give it a roasted chestnut flavor that is oh so yummy.

A recipe of sorts as I'm taking a guess at what Stephen tossed together in the pot:


Rich and Creamy Japanese Sweet Potato Soup

ghee or butter to cook the leeks and veggies
4 Japanese sweet potatoes - peeled and rough chopped
3 leek whites - cleaned and roughly chopped - great tips on how to clean leeks here
2 carrots roughly chopped
a teaspoon or so of chicken better than bullion  - This stuff is salty so a little goes a long way.  I noticed at my local market that they do have a lower sodium version that I want to give a try. I also noticed it contains sugar so maybe I need to make more chicken stock.
6 cups water or stock to cover the potatoes and leeks
salt and pepper to taste
A little bit of milk or cream about 1 cup

Saute the leeks in some ghee or butter, then add the sweet potatoes and carrots.  Then cover with water and bullion or stock.  Let cook until soft.  Run though a food mill or use a hand blender.  Add some cream or milk at the end.

Crunch:

Sweet Potato Chips

I followed the directions I found here which has you cook them at 400 deg for a short period of time.  I sliced mine up in my food processor which worked fine.  I forgot to salt mine and wish I had.  They were good but I think salted a head time they would have been better.  They didn't get as crunchy as I would have liked.  Oddly the got a bit crunchier after I took them out of the oven. Next time I'm trying a lower temperature for longer and see how that works.

Chew:

Monday's dinner: Dad's Pork Chops topped with some kale chips, roasted okra, feta-basil-garlic-tomato salad

This was my first time cooking up pork chops in a long, long time.  I was a vegetarian for several years.  Even though I've been an omnivore again for quite some time,  I avoid cooking cooking meat and let my husband Stephen be the adventurous one.  Since I do most of the cooking during the week and our current diet require more meat protien I need to just do it.  So I did.  The chops turned out good and would have been even better if I had cooked them a little less.  It was a tasty meal anyways.

Feta-garlic-basil-tomato salad
One pint cherry tomatoes chopped
purple basil as much or as little as you want
2 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
a drizzle or so of olive oil
top with feta when you serve

Bon Appetite!

Monday Musings: And how the food goes

It's with great trepidation I talk about this.  How the diet is going and the weight loss because  I've been so against dieting and I'm not all that fat phobic.  I disagree with most of the standard medical info that fat is bad or being fat is bad.  I don't necessarily think  just losing weight is necessary to be healthy.  Eating healthy and being active is the most important part of the equation. I don't think model thin has to be the goal. It certainly isn't my goal. Despite all that I'm going to share how much I weighed and how much I lost.

My goal was to get from 190 pounds to 170 pounds and possibly a few more than that since things are going well.  I'm exited to report that I have lost 13 pounds! I am down to 177 pounds. Only seven more pounds and I have reach my initial goal.  I might need to sacrifice something to the adipose gods for the ease in weight loss so far.

I'm torn about the focus on the weight.  I'm frustrated because "Why haven't I gone down another pant size yet !?"  Yet the size 14 jeans I wear do fit and the skirt I bought a few years ago fits again as well as a pair of shorts I was about to send off to the thrift store.  That's the challenge with a diet is how to balance out the goal of being slimmer and not getting all caught up in the body image bullshit.  Because if I don't focus on the size I do feel better and feel lighter now that I have lost some weight. I'm a bit giddy about that.

I remind myself weight loss wasn't the entire goal.  The other goals was to eat three meals, at least three cups of veggies a day, eat delicious food, and eat until I am satisfied.   So far I'm making that happen. There were a few days when I thought, "Oh crap meat and veggies again???"  Yet what else is there? Food is food and we need to eat.  So that's just something to get over.  It was probably a busy stressful day that I just hadn't planned well for.


Sauteed  peppers and basil, roasted eggplant, Anasazi beans, grilled steak

We started out not eating any grains, starchy veggies, fruit, and most dairy during the week.  I did use milk in my one cup of coffee in the morning.  I changed when I drink my coffee to after breakfast as a mid morning treat so now I really get to enjoy it.

Every night after dinner I have a glass of wine and a small bit of dark chocolate.  I love that! I added a smaller glass if wine while I cooked dinner  as well.

As the month progressed I was getting hungry late in the afternoon so I needed something to take the edge off so I could eat dinner with Stephen.  I found I enjoyed crunching on some nuts but they didn't seem to satisfy the hunger.  So I started having a small amount of Greek yogurt late in the afternoon.  Then later added about a 1/4 cup of raspberries or blueberries to the yogurt for a bit of  sweet.  That helps and I like too.

Starting in September we added back in the cheese.  It's been lovely to have some in an omelet or some feta cheese sprinkled on some veggies.  It adds a bit of punch to a meal. I love melted cheese!


Grilled chicken thighs, zucchini pappardelle topped with walnuts and feta cheese.

I am getting a little tired of eggs in the morning for breakfast.  So I might change it up with some yogurt, nuts and fruit  or something more like a lunch meal a few times a week. I was eating three eggs in the morning and I have cut that back to two.

Over all I like how we are eating now. I've learned about the foods I really truly enjoy like avocados, feta cheese, roasted okra,  kalamata olives, and japanese eggplant.  So eating and cooking has been more fun.


one of my mexi bowls 

I like our indulgence day.  The first few Saturdays I did indulge quite a bit: cheeses, desserts, bread.  But as the month progressed  I found I don't like feeling so full all day.  So I want to make those indulgences incorporated into more of a meal and plan of some sorts.  I'm sure to keep this day as my main dessert day and maybe forever.

Stephen and I are walking three days a week and I walk whenever I need to do errands in my neighborhood.   Now that we have a new bike pump we can get some air in the tires and start biking to the farmers market in Saturdays.   I really don't like to exercise to exercise but I do like to move and feel good moving so this is perfect for me.

So so far so good. Bon Appetit!

Foodie Friday: Another Mexi Meal and Veggies

1/2 cup red beans
2 oz of  Local Marquez Lamb and Beef Sausage -  No sugar!
This sausage is good even better than the chorizo.  My go to way to cook this and any similar sausage it to pan brown it with a little oil then put it into 350 deg oven for about 20 min.
1 cup steamed yuppie veggies (see below)
topped with some of the husk cherry salsa




Yuppie Veggies include: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and until summer is over local zucchini.  We stole the veggie mix name and idea from the no longer in operation Paradise Bakery & Cafe. If any of you local and far remember the goodness of the cafe you can now prepare it in your own home with their cookbook!

We eat these veggies either steamed or sauteed with many of our meals.  Sometimes I jazz it up with a basil vinaigrette or top with some pesto.   Since it's all cut up there is no excuse not to eat veggies every day. We go through about 2 heads of cauliflower and broccoli, 3-4 carrots and 3-5 zucchinis each week.  That's in addition to all the other veggies we eat during the week like okra, eggplant, green beans etc.  If the kids start eating as much veggies as my husband and I are we will need even more.

WIP Wednesday: Getting My Spin On

I've wanted to spin enough yarn on a spindle about 4 ounces so I could knit some mittens or a hat.  I decided this fall was the time.  Since I was at the farmers market this Saturday I found some wool that was just perfect.  I forgot to ask what kind.  So I will tell you later.



The fiber was washed but not ready to spin quite yet.  I started by flicking the locks but found it's just too short a staple for that.  Then I teased the locks and carded on my drum carder.  That wasn't quite right for this fiber either.  It could be because it's so fly away.  In the end I chose my 112 tpi hand cards.  I'm so glad to do this.  I can sit comfortably in my chair with  the green pillow case in my lap then tease some fiber, card some fiber, then spin some yarn.  It's been nice.

On the picture below starting from the left you can see unteased fiber, teased fiber, then carded fiber.



So far so good, I've spun  one ounce so far.  I did this cool trick of slipping the singles onto some skewers I had in the kitchen. Then to hold the singles in place I added some clothes pins.  This is going a bit faster than I thought it would. I'm a fourth of the way done!

Monday Musing: Food Rules

I came across this list recently on a message board. I don't agree with everything on the list.  The main reason I don't like is how it's phrased in the negative.  I do like the idea of creating some food rules to live by.  Although I am in weight loss mode I want to have some patterns set in motion so I can maintain my goal weight. 

1. We should not live to eat, but eat to live.
2. We should not focus on deriving pleasure from eating.
3. We should not indulge at any meal.
4. We should not reward ourselves with food.
5. We should not pamper our moods with food.
6. We should not feel deserving of food in excess of needs.
7. We should not sacrifice our food quality due to time restraint.
8. We should not view a craving as something normal and give in to it as though it has to be attended too...
9. We should not starve ourselves to a point of destruction.
10. We should not deprive ourselves from proper nutrition.

So below I changed it up a bit and came up with some rules I'd like to live by. My rules are in black. 

1. We should not live to eat, but eat to live.

1. Eat to Live.

2. We should not focus on deriving pleasure from eating.

2. Enjoy eating simply.  Everyday fair can be tasty and enjoyable.

3. We should not indulge at any meal.

3. Eat until I'm satisfied.  I'm eating smaller amounts. I'd like to get smaller plates.

4. We should not reward ourselves with food.
5. We should not pamper our moods with food.

4. Enjoy on occasion decadent, rich, flavorful foods I really want. This is when a cheat day is helpful or what I plan to call indulgence day. I like the idea of calling it an indulgent day as opposed to a cheat day because cheat sounds like I am doing something bad.  I don't think eating something rich or sweet occasionally is bad.  During the week I'm not being good I'm just enjoying my simpler yet tasty food. 

6. We should not feel deserving of food in excess of needs.

See number 3

7. We should not sacrifice our food quality due to time restraint.

5. Make time for making real food.

8. We should not view a craving as something normal and give in to it as though it has to be attended too...

Seen number 3 and 4

9. We should not starve ourselves to a point of destruction.

6. Eat satisfying, simple and healthy meals daily.  My goals is 3 meals a day with minimal snacking.

10. We should not deprive ourselves from proper nutrition.

See number 6

7. Only eat when I'm hungry.  

One more time all in one place:


1. Eat to Live.

2. Enjoy eating simply.  Everyday fair can be tasty and enjoyable.

3. Eat until I'm satisfied.  I'm eating smaller amounts. I'd like to get smaller plates.

4. Enjoy on occasion decadent, rich, flavorful foods I really want. This is when a cheat day is helpful or what I plan to call indulgence day. I like the idea of calling it an indulgent day as opposed to a cheat day because cheat sounds like I am doing something bad.  I don't think eating something rich or sweet occasionally is bad.  During the week I'm not being good I'm just enjoying my simpler yet tasty food. 

5. Make time for making real food.

6. Eat satisfying, simple and healthy meals daily.  My goals is 3 meals a day with minimal snacking.

7. Only eat when I'm hungry.  


Do you have any food rules?   Michael Pollan has some good food rules here and here.

Foodie Friday: Mexi Bowl Lunch

Pretty much everyday for lunch I eat a Mexi Bowl.  In the summer it's fabulous fresh ingredients from local farms.

1/2 cup pinto beans
1-2 oz of shredded beef I had cooked in the pressure cooker the day before.
1/4 avocado chopped  (not local but very tasty)
1/4 cup fresh pica de gallo
bed of lettuce on the bottom
1/2 cup of leftover roasted eggplant, peppers and onions

I eat something like this everyday for lunch.  Sometimes the veggies are different and sometimes it's chicken instead of beef.  Before the diet change I was good to get some lettuce at bottom of the bowl.

Monday Musings: Snacking, treats and enjoy it

I'm not really craving bread or pasta or potatoes.  But I do miss crunchy salty things like popcorn with lots of butter or chips with salsa or lunch.  I do dream about desserts and cheese a bit.  I don't crave it as such.

So to deal with this if I am hungry between meals I snack on tamari almonds or pumpkin seeds.  Sometimes if I am really hungry I eat a spoonful of peanut butter.  The peanut butter tastes almost sweet so it really hits the spot.

If I am having a really hard time, I write things down I want for my cheat day.  So  I made a great pica de gallo a last week and wanted more I could eat with some chips.  So for one day I enjoyed crunchy chips with fresh pica de galo. I really didn't eat that much.  My body has gotten used to eating smaller meals I don't want much.

My idea of a treat has changed a bit too.  Food was sometimes this reward for a stressful day.  Now it's hey I really miss that flavor or texture, when can I enjoy that next?

A few weeks ago just before cheat day I was dreaming of corn tortillas.  So we had beef tacos with corn torts for lunch on Saturday.  I made some fresh chips from the rest of the torts to eat some guacamole.  It was divine I tell.

(edited for clarity)

Sunday Book Review: French Women Don't Get Fat

I've heard in the news that French women don't get fat or we should eat more like the the French or eat a Mediterranean diet. I'm never sure what that actually means.




After reading French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano I know! I'm being a bit facetious here ya'll.  Mireille shares her experience of gaining a 20 lbs in the US when she was an exchange student. How their family doctor who she fondly calls Dr. Miracle helped her get back on track.

What I took away from the book is to really enjoy your food.  We should do more than eat to live. This insight is the best part of the book.  So she encourages you to eat flavorful healthy meals.
   
Her diet plan as such is divided into four phases.

Phase One:  For 3 weeks pay attention to what and how eat.  Like do you snack, skip meals, indulges in lots of sweets?

Looking back I snacked a lot.  I was skipping breakfast.  Eating more sweets than I needed and possibly enjoyed.   My food was pretty joyless most days of the week.

One thing I've found because I did choose to take out dairy with my diet is I don't miss it with my mexi-bowl lunches at all. I find some avocado much more decadent.  I love cheese best melted in an omelet or a small bites of a rich cheddar sans crackers or bread.  

I don't miss the corn chips either.  I do miss the crunchiness so I am trying to find other tastier healthy crunchy things to enjoy. Like kale chips.

The weekend before she recommends eating leeks and broth for 48 hours and a jump start to the changes.  I don't see that as particularly unique. I remember women in my family doing all salads for  a weekend.

Phase Two Re-casting:  This can last one to three months.  Start eating three meals a day. Look at your habits. What could you give up completely? I managed to cut back on my coffee so I have removed over 1/2 cup a milk I used to drink every day.  I don't eat grains 6 days a week for now mostly to see how I feel.  I'd say one of my biggest offenders are breads. pasta and corn chips.

I don't really miss basic medium grain brown rice all that much.  I'd love a little basmati rice with some curries again on occasion.  I've found I much more enjoy Silva's corn chips then the organic ones.  So maybe on occasion I will indulge in a bit with some fresh salsa.

During this phase she recommends a day for indulgence(s).  Over time, she suggests, you need this less as and less as you figure out how to compensate during the week. Her suggestions seem very familiar to the things I learned in Mindless Eating. She's never really clear to me on what compensating means.

The thing I found a bit lacking in the book is a clearer idea of how much to eat. I know this is different for everyone. Her book French Women for all Seasons as some better examples as well as the French I Women Don't get Fat website.  When I look at the amounts I get the impression she is a rather pewit woman.

Phase Three Stabilization:  Here you might look to see if there are things you could cut back even more or not.  Now you can start changing things up and add some indulgences now and then.


Phase Four The Rest of Your Life:  Now you have found just the right amount of food you need and know the foods that you truly enjoy.


Lastly, get moving like a french woman.

So give it read.  Even if you don't want to lose weight she has some great recipes in it for croissants :)  That said I think I'd rather walk down to our local bakery and buy my croissants and walk home to enjoy it.  How very French of me ;)

Bonjour and Bon Apetit!

Sip It Saturday: A Double Pils and Roasted Okra

Last Saturday I indulged in a few beers.  I haven't any beer in several weeks and this was refreshing.  My husband makes fun of me these days as I tend to prefer the lighter less hoppy beers.  I think it's been the heat that did it too me.  Yet tastes do change.

I had one while I chatted with Stephen while he was preparing our dinner and another with this delicious meal.



Bunless burger topped with cheddar cheese and onions with a side of roasted okra.   I'm in love with roasted okra!

Roasted Okra
Pre-heat Oven to 425 Deg
Cut the okra 1/2 in or so.  About 1/2 to 1 cup per person
Drizzle with olive oil
toss with some salt, garlic and onion powder/granules.
Cook for about 12 minutes