Researchers have found that eating disorder behaviors, such as binge-eating, alter the brain’s reward response process and food intake control circuitry, which can reinforce these behaviors. Understanding how eating disorder behaviors and neurobiology interact can shed light on why these disorders often become chronic and could aid in the future development of treatments. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Eating disorder behaviors alter reward response in the brain — https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/eating-disorder-behaviors-alter-reward-response-brain
Quote for Today – 06.27.21
It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.
Muhammad Ali
Turtle Rescue Mission – 2021
Turtle Rescue Mission-2021
Behind our house a block away is a stream. Over the years I’ve performed a number of turtle rescues. Some were swept into the neighborhood streets by storms. Others are obviously lost and end up in the backyard. I found this little one in our garage. I put her into a bucket with some water so you can get some perspective on how tiny this turtle is.
Egg Salad (because you will be eating more eggs)
I just bought a dozen large eggs for $0.89. This is an inexpensive sandwich filling!
First boil some eggs. Add the eggs to a saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let the eggs bathe for 12 minutes. When time’s up carefully drain the eggs and add cold water to the pan. Drain again then add cold water and lots of ice to the pan with the eggs. This shock treatment will allow for easier to peel hard boiled eggs in about 15 minutes. ( I used to hate peeling hard boiled eggs until I learned this technique);
4 large eggs
2-3 T mayonnaise
1/4 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 stalk celery diced
1 dill pickle spear diced
couple of dashes of onion powder and garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste
Peel the eggs. Slice in half lengthwise and pop out the yolks. Place the yolks in a medium sized bowl and smash with a fork. Dice the egg whites and add to the bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust your seasonings. Four eggs will make enough egg salad for 2-3 hefty sandwiches. If you need more egg salad double the recipe.
Odds and Ends
Use just enough mayonnaise to hold the egg salad together. You want to taste the ingredients and not just the mayo.
Some folks will use fresh onion and garlic. I feel using fresh adds harshness and a certain pungency to the salad and prefer to use garlic and onion powders or granules. Diced carrots work well instead of celery. I’ve never tried using both carrots and celery but if you are a daredevil, be my guest. A couple of slices of crumbled bacon adds another depth of flavor if you like bacon.
Dill, no. Mustard, also no.
Many thanks to Ol Red Hair for nudging me to write this recipe down. This recipe holds a dear place in my heart because during the first year of the pandemic I ate more egg salad than I have eaten in my entire life. I also lost 25 pounds during the first year of the pandemic and some of the credit has to go to this egg salad recipe. It fills you up and as a result I snacked a whole lot less. When I told this story to my doctor she just looked at me and said,
“I can’t wait to see your blood work.”
“I’m eating more eggs to train my liver to produce less cholesterol.”
She smiled at me as if she wasn’t quite sure whether I was joking or being serious.
CHOLESTEROL 175 mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDE 69 mg/dL
HDL 65 mg/dL
LDL CALCULATED 96 mg/dL
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL 110 mg/dL
I was serious.
Random Thoughts – June 2021
Obesity is a Chronic Condition: Obesity is a chronic and often progressive condition not unlike diabetes or hypertension. Successful obesity management requires realistic and sustainable treatment strategies. Short-term “quick-fix” solutions focusing on maximizing weight loss are generally unsustainable and therefore associated with high rates of weight regain.
Core Principles of Obesity Management — https://www.drsharma.ca/core-principles-of-obesity-management
Tues 6/8
Random Thoughts
The Boss and I just returned from visiting the Mountain Man and his Colorado Girl. Great trip. I gained only three pounds. Of course there were many other reasons why this was a great trip. But when I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in nearly a week I had gained just three pounds. I’ll take plus three anytime when I allow myself to cut loose, eat and drink whatever I want and not obsess about my weight.
The round trip between Edmond Oklahoma and Carbondale Colorado is rough 1650 miles. Heading west we stopped in Hays Kansas and driving back east we spent a night in Colby Kansas. In Hays there are many more choices for lodging and food. In Colby you are literally spending the night in a truck stop. Food off the Interstate would hardly be considered healthy fare. But knowing that was the situation I made sure I had some Clif bars in the car. Have I mentioned I only gained three pounds?
If you’ve been to this blog you know I like to keep lists. Here’s my list of what I ate on my vacation. Subway sandwiches (twice), homemade biscuits with sausage gravy topped with an egg, pizza (twice in restaurants, once leftovers for breakfast), local Colorado beer, wine, scotch (not for breakfast), home cooked Pad Thai, lettuce wraps, grilled steak/potatoes/broccoli, a freshly baked bagel with hummus and vegetables, fast food burgers/fries (twice), Chick-fil-A sandwich and waffle fries, flourless chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream. All of the above (aside from the scotch, Chick-fil-A and chocolate cake) are not normally part of my diet. I am surprised I didn’t gain more than I did.
There are Hampton Inns in Colby and Hays. We stayed at both. The “free” breakfast in Colby was better than the “free” breakfast in Hays. Headed home I ate a small cheese omelette and a couple of turkey sausage links. The eggs were fresh eggs. On the way west my breakfast consisted of a cup of powdered eggs and a couple of french toast sticks. The coffee in both locations was decent. On our next driving trip to Colorado it will be a tough choice of where to spend the night when splitting up the drive. Truck stop or powered eggs for breakfast? If you’ve never had powdered eggs I won’t spoil your first experience when you get an opportunity to try some. Besides, reconstituted scrambled powdered eggs are difficult to describe. Trust me on this.
We’re back home and it’s time to gradually slip back into our usual routines. Last night I ate yogurt with some sketchy strawberries that might have been a few days past perfect for the compost heap. Restoring my good gut bug population is a priority for the upcoming week. Egg salad (fresh eggs) and fruit for lunch today. Dinner will be pasta with veggies, olive oil and lots of garlic. It was a great trip and I’m tired so I’m glad I took today off before returning to work. I’ve already been to two grocery stores, purposely walked down the beer aisles and did not buy any on either trip. Today’s free time was spent taking care of errands, listening to music and writing but no work on my future best seller. If I don’t lose the three pounds I gained none of this will be in the book. That’s a promise.
Pandemic Memories
We Are Invisible
A recent survey found 42 percent of people in U.S. can’t name one Asian American.
“Asian American stories are left out in education, in society, and we can’t separate that from the violence happening right now across the country,” Chan said.
‘Invisible For A Long Time:’ Asian American Students, Parents In Colorado Call For More Support, AAPI History — https://patch.com/colorado/denver/invisible-long-time-asian-american-students-parents-colorado-call-more-support-aapi
I know about what happened in 1882. Do you know about 1882?
It’s OK, I’m over it now. Besides, I’m invisible.
Random Thoughts – May 2021
Sat 5/8
Writing has been difficult the past several weeks. Got no Mojo. Sometimes you just have to put your butt in the chair and start. And this morning I’m putting my butt in my chair and writing. My future best seller though is on the shelf for now. I’m writing but the book is just too much effort for what I hope will be a relaxing Saturday. So to write while keeping it light this month’s random thoughts are about my pantry.
Entering year two of the pandemic the pantry is pretty well stocked. A prepper wouldn’t agree with this statement but I’m not preparing for the end of the world. I just want to be prepared for the coming supply chain shortages. Remember last year when no one knew what the hell was happening and panic drove some to buy rooms full of toilet paper? Well the year ahead will be interesting and different from the beginning stages and perhaps more challenging.
I was at the grocery store and ground turkey is always on my list. A couple of trips ago the store had no ground turkey. Nada. Nothing. Zero. So I was quite pleased to see the store restocked with plenty of ground turkey. I was not pleased to discover a nearly 50% increase in the price. Your frugal writer didn’t buy any. Ground turkey is merely an example. Who knows what will or won’t be available? The reality is whatever you want to buy will cost you more. Hello inflation.
Labor shortages, supply constraints, high freight costs and increasing commodity prices all combine to create higher prices for you and me. I read somewhere that some of the biggest retailers and distributors are fining their suppliers for late or incomplete orders which will add more to the cost for us. Bizarre business strategy if you ask me but it’s happening. Prices inevitably will go up.
So under the assumption your pantry is decently stocked here’s what I would do moving forward.
Buy more of what you need when it’s on sale. Memorial Day is coming up which means a lot of picnic and cookout items will be on sale. Stock up.
Use food storage containers. We bought more yesterday. Keep any tiny creepy crawlers out of your stash.
Be willing to substitute when prices demand substitution. No ground turkey for me at $6.29 a pound. Instead I bought boneless chicken breast for $6.49 a pound on sale, regularly $8.49 a pound (yes it was a higher quality chicken and I wasn’t at Whole Paycheck Food Market).
Drink good Scotch.
Hope you like my list.
Still Here
If you think they’re gone, think again
Still here
You cannot see them but then again
They are in your thoughts and dreams
Still here
We have memories
Still here
Look into your heart
Love never dies
Still here
Bluesman54 – Project #1
- Revive Frankenstrat II project from 2006. I bought a beat up used guitar way back and took it apart. I still have all of the parts except for the body which disappeared somewhere in Stillwater Oklahoma 15 years ago. So I needed a body.
- Rename project. This project is now known as Bluesman54 Project #1.
- Buy a body (see picture above).
- Determine if wood grain is attractive enough for a clear coat or stain required.
- Sand and finish.
- Neck decision is next.
garyskitchen.net 