Whether the Weather be Cold, or Whether the Weather be Hot...

Do you find that your eating is influenced by the amount of daylight, the amount of sunshine and the emergence of spring flowers?


The Vernal Equinox, Spring, emerges on March 20, 2012 at 1:14AM. (That's Tuesday)  Here's a bit more information:  The word "equinox" is taken from Latin meaning "equal night".  The spring and fall equinoxes are the only dates with equal daylight and dark as the Sun crosses the celestial equator.  This year, it's earlier than in has been for over 150 years, I'm told that's because of the way leap year affects it!

Ah, the spring brings increasing daylight, warming temps and the rebirth of the flora, fauna and lighter eating - can you say "Yeah"?

I tend towards the thought that this is the time for fresh fish, salads, light vegetables and grilling meats to replace the heavier stews and soups we've been relying on for warmth and calories through the winter months.  And even though we've had an extraordinarily mild winter this year, human nature being what it is, I am sure I'm not the only person who didn't alter my menu to fit the milder weather!

Here are some amazing spring veggies we should already see coming into the market;
Artichokes,
Asparagus,
Vidalia Onions and green onions,
Mustard Greens,
Celericac,
Fiddle Head Ferns (coming soon)
Radishes,
Fava Beans,
Snap Peas and Pea Greens,
Cilantro

On the recipe front - this is an all season recipe that with some adaption (see my notes at the bottom of the article) can be brought right into the spring season:

THE RECIPE FROM WEIGHT WATCHERS IS:
Parsley and Lemon Crumb-Coated Cod Fillet
(4 Servings, 5PPV each)

1 sandwich flat (any flavor)
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 tsp freshly zested lemon zest
1 1/4 pounds skinless cod fillet, cut into 4 pieces, each 5 oz
2 good sprays of olive oil spray (such as Pam)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice - divided
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cups broccoli florets

Preheat the broiler and set up the steamer with water and set to boil on the stove.  (You're going to broil the fish and steam the broccoli at the same time).

Pulse the bread, parsley and lemon zest in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and place the fish on the tray, not touching each other.  Drizzle half of the lemon juice over the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and pat on the crumb mixture.  Spray again with the olive oil spray to moisten the breadcrumbs.

Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook until the fish is opaque.  Time will vary according to the thickness of the fish but somewhere between 5 and 8 minutes.

Place the broccoli in the steamer basket and steam for about 4 to 6 minutes till its crisp tender.  Sprinkle a little lemon juice and salt over the broccoli as it comes out of the steamer basket.

Yields about a cup of broccoli and 3 oz fish per serving.

Here is a way to refresh this recipe for spring:
Instead of the parsley; substitute cilantro
Instead of the lemon rind and juice; substitute lime (actually in the spring, I like to mix lime and orange together) and,
Instead of the broccoli, why not substitute pea pods or asparagus - or both?

While we are on the subject of change:
I have been told I HAVE to blog about the fact that I am now working towards changing my attitude about (my personal) exercise.

Yes, I am doing some and grinning like a child when I manage to do it; for instance 10 sets of 10 squats and "lady" push-ups last night.  I did say 10 sets of 10 --- that would be 100 of each!


My workout has included the squats, lunges, "supermans", "Lady" push-ups.  I think tonight's includes some crunches.  I haven't seen any weight differential yet, I'm not doing enough for that, but I certainly am beginning to notice that my slacks are feeling more roomy in the leg!  WoWzA!

I have been doing the routine on the I-Pod / I-Phone Ap called "Gorilla Workout", but there are a whole slew of them out there including a great deal of information on Weight Watchers website.  There are videos and workout challenges, articles and helpful information and, if you're a novice, like me, there is a wonderful article that explains all the vocabulary you hear the experts using, click here: Fitness Vocabulary.

Please don't start a workout routine without first making sure you are fit and well enough to start.  Ask a doctor if you have any concerns.

If you're serious about your fitness and want to follow a formal fitness routine, Weight Watchers offers an amazing DVD series (5 DVD's), that's very similar to P90X, in the meeting room, it's about 1/3 of the price of the P90X series at $39.95 and is being offered at $5 off that price for one more week, till 3/24.  Pick it up this week if you want it before the price reverts to the higher price.

Don't miss your meeting this week - TOPIC OF THE WEEK:
Do you sometimes feel like managing your weight is like managing a business?  

To be successful we have to think like a CEO or a CFO, we have to make decisions on how best to invest time and effort and then continue by constantly assessing and adjusting strategy, as needed, to get the payoff we're looking for.  ROI = return on investment!

I'm calling for a board meeting this week.  
AGENDA
1.  Analysis of current investment to assess value and make investment adjustments, as necessary to maximize ROI.
2.  Set the plan in motion to make the change.

Don't forget to send your weight result to mywwgoal@gmail.com if you are participating in the current weight loss challenge.  For more information take a look at the post on my blog from Feb 13 called "It's a Combination of a Million Decisions".


Final thought for the week:
"There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure"
                     ~ Colin Powell