Trevor

Wooo-Hooo!! I’m Cooking on TV Again!

If you are local to Green Bay, Wisconsin and are available in the morning this Sunday (February 16, 2014) I will be cooking on WLUK Fox11’s “Good Day, Wisconsin!”show. I will be featured in “Cooking With You” with anchor Emily Deem, and my segments will air at approximately 7:50 and 8:50am.

I posted my recipes here a few minutes ago (Crepes and Baked Eggs with Spinach and Feta Cheese.) Emily requested a couple light recipes because we all tend to eat a bit heavier in the depth of the Wisconsin winters. Both of these recipes are very versatile. Crepes can be breakfast, brunch or desserts, and can be sweet or savory. The egg can be used for breakfast, brunch or dinners, and you can replace the spinach and feta with other preferred options. I give basic recipes for both, and then some ideas for variations.

If you are not able to watch me live on Sunday morning, I will again post a link here on Monday so that you can go online and watch me.

We are going to have fun!

Crepes and Baked Eggs with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Crepes
From left to right: strawberry, nutella-strawberry, and lemon
Basic Crepe Recipe
Makes 12 crepes
6 oz milk
5 oz beer
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1.  Put first four ingredients in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix for 30 second. Add the remaining ingredients and mix for another minute, or until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
2.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3.  Re-whisk the batter just before you begin frying the crepes.
4.  Preheat 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick spray.
5.  With the skillet off the heat, pour 2 oz (1/4 cup) batter in the center of the skillet. Tip the skillet so that the entire bottom is covered.
6.  Return to heat. When the top begins to dry and the bottom is beginning to brown, flip using a wooden or rubber flipper. The edges will begin to curl away from the pan at this time.
7.  Fry the crepe for another 10 second. The crepe should be be very lightly brown.
8.  Remove from skillet.
9.  Add fillings, fold or wrap and serve -OR- stack with wax paper between layers for later use.
Nutritional data (per crepe, without any filling):
Calories:           64
Fat:                   1.2g
Sat fat:              0.5g
Chol:           36.5mg
Sodium:       43.8mg
Carb:                 9.2g
Fiber:                0.3g
Protein:             2.7g
Possible fillings are endless:
Sweet
A whole banana, sauteed in some butter
Nutella (or peanut butter) and banana
Nutella (or peanut butter) and strawberry
Any other fruits (fresh or canned pie filling) with whipped cream
Lemon juice and powder sugar
Greek yogurt and your favorite fruit
Your favorite jam/marmalade
Savory
Bacon and eggs (with a touch of cheese)
Ham and cheese
Cream cheese and smoked salmon
Shredded chicken and salsa
Thin-shaved beef with horseradish yogurt
Baked Eggs with Feta and Spinach

Baked Egg with Feta and Spinach
Serve 4

4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon of your preferred herb blend (I used Penzey’s Sunny Paris.)
1 cup (packed) fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
Pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Spray oven-safe custard cups with cooking spray (or otherwise grease them.)
3.  With electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
4.  Gently stir in cheese, spinach and herbs.
5.  Divide between the four cups.
6.  With a spoon, create a small well in the center of the egg white mixture.
7.  Carefully slide a yolk into each well.
8.  Place cups on a baking sheet, and place in oven.  Back 10-14 minutes, until the egg white puffs up and browns. The yolk will be hot and thick, but not solid.

Note: in the picture, I topped the egg with a half tablespoon of Greek yogurt. That was unnecessary, and won’t be repeated in the future.

Nutritional data:
Calories:          106
Fat:                    7g
Sat fat:               3g
Chol:           220mg
Sodium:       186mg
Carbs:             1.6g
Fiber:              0.2g
Protein:           9.3g

Alternatives:
Crumbled bacon and finely shredded sharp cheddar
Shedded Swiss and minced mushrooms
Fresh basil, scallion and Parmesan

Do You Need Motivation? Then Find Your Why!

Why?
A powerful question. If you want to achieve something, knowing “how” is important, knowing “what” is important, but knowing “why” is the make-or-break question.
If you currently are working, why are you working? The most likely answer is that someone pays you to do some form of work. If suddenly, the manager of your workplace informed you that beginning tomorrow, no one would get compensated in an way. Everyone would become a volunteer worker. Would you keep working at your current job?
Are you a marathoner? Why? What drives you to run 26.2 miles? Is it because you find enjoyment and fulfill a sense of purpose when you run? Why do you feel fulfilled when you run?
Why do you drive the car you drive? If it is a new car, why are you driving a new car? A ten year old car will get you where you need to go. You drive your specific car because it fills a need, whether it is social need or has capabilities that other cars lack.
If you own a home, why? There are certainly apartments that you could rent or condos to own, but you own a home because it offers something that other buildings don’t
If you are losing weight–or want to lose weight–why?
When you know WHY you need to do something, you will also have your motivation. Webster says that “motive” is “an emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action.” A motive incites action. It isn’t something that you are assigned. It isn’t a societal standard. It isn’t a wish, or hope, or dream, or prayer. All those are passive. A motive must lead to an action, otherwise is a merely a thought.
I read often on LoseIt, “I need to lose X pounds. Please motivate me!” We can’t motivate you. We can inspire you with our personal success. We can suggest courses of action. We can provide encouragement when journey gets rough (and it will get rough.) But we can’t tell you WHY you want/need to lose. If you don’t know why, you have just placed a large obstacle in your path.
Do you need to lose weight for health reasons, like me? Then your motivation is to regain your health. Do you want to lose weight so you can fit into your favorite outfit? Then that dress/suit/whatever is your motivator. Do you want to go on a flight and not need to ask for a seat belt extender again? (That happened to me in 2005. It was bad, but not enough for me to take action.)
Everyone has a WHY. You need to look inside and honestly ask the question “Why am I doing this?” When you have your answer, you have your motivation. 
However, the next question is “Is my reason important enough to make permanent changes?” That special outfit might not be enough of a reason to take action. That too-short seatbelt was an embarrassment, but it didn’t make me change my actions. After all, you can buy a larger suit. You can ask for a seatbelt extender. (I didn’t…but I could have.)
But you can’t take back that stroke. Or heart attack. Or the loss of a toe to diabetes.  You can’t ask for a do-over after the fact because you were too big to play football with your children, or too embarrassed to go on the beach with your family while on a once in a lifetime vacation.

When you know your WHY and when you know your why is so important that nothing else can stand in your way of success, you will achieve success. Until then, you are just dreaming.
I told you my “WHY”. What is your “Why?” Tell us below.

Uh-oh Smoothies

What happens when the winter chill gets COLD!

A few weeks ago, the air temps in northeast Wisconsin were subfreezing for a few weeks, and then dove down to subzero Fahrenheit numbers and stayed there for 61 continuous hours. Then they warmed back up to subfreezing temps! Woo-hooo!

Many people use a garage fridge to store beverages. You know, things like milk and soda. (And maybe beer.) In addition to beverages, we keep use our garage fridge to store produce, just to save space in the kitchen fridge. We eat a LOT of vegetables and fruits. This gives us the space to prepare several meals at once to make future dinners faster and easier.

(Tip: Frozen clementines and spinach are edible, but not beautifully presentable. When the clementines thaw, their internal texture is a little soggy. The spinach is as limp as if cooked. Like I said, edible…but not pretty.)

But I am a frugal person. What can I do with those food items that are good to eat but not “normal?”

Clementine and Spinach Smoothies!

Serves 2

3 ounces (by weight) Baby Spinach
3 clementines, peeled
1 scoop of protein powder
1 packet of Crystal Light (orange flavor)
1 cup water
1 cup ice (hard to see in that bowl)

  1. Place everything in your blender. I use a Ninja Master Prep.
  2. Blend until smooth (hence the name!)
  3. Pour and enjoy.
  4. Don’t drink too fast. Smoothies will cause ice cream headaches, too.
Each mug holds about 24 ounce (720ml)
Nutritional data:
Calories:      138
Fat:               1g
Sat fat:        0.3g
Chol:         19mg
Sodium:  74.2mg
Carb:         16.9g
Fiber:          2.9g
Protein:     17.2g
Obviously, the options are almost unlimited. Different fruits, different greens, different powders. Use what you have on hand.
What is your preferred combination of fruits and greens in a smoothie?
Give us your ideas below!

Today, in History

What happened on this date in history?

Barack Obama was inaugurated as 44th US President (2009)
Australia beats India 2-0 to win the Wold Cup (1992)
First federal holiday honoring Marting Luther King, Jr (1986)
Pittsburgh Steelers beat Los Angeles Rams, 31-19 in Pasadena and Terry Bradshaw was the MVP (1980)
“Meet the Beatles” album is released in the US (1964) (I have an original copy!)
FDR is sworn in 4th consecutive term as US President (1945)
Hostilities cease in US Revolutionary War (1783)
First English Parliament was sworn in by Earl of Leicester (1285)

And in 2012, I reached my weight loss goal!

And they all lived happily ever after, never regaining an ounce.

Yeah. Right.

Oh, please don’t misunderstand me. I am still wearing my new size in clothing. (Specifically, my shirts went from 3XL w/18″ neck to Medium w/15 1/2″ neck, my waist 48″ to 34″, and my suit from 54 Portly to 42 Regular.) They are not even tight (except for that one shirt–there is NO WAY that neck is actually 15 1/2 inches as labeled!) Over the past 2 years, I lived in my “success range” which is about my goal plus or minus 3 pounds. Actually, for about the first year, I actually slid down another 6 pounds from my goal, and was living at “G minus 6 pounds”. That was fine. But towards the end of 2013, my weight started to climb. To G minus 3…then G…then G plus 3. Still…I was within my success range, so it was all good, right?

Wrong!

I was getting complacent. Not lazy, but relaxed. I haven’t regained too much, but I am at the top of what I consider to be successful. I don’t have any more room to wander up. So, what am I going to do differently?

Nothing. And everything.

I never really stopped measuring and logging my foods…but I also starting overlooking those extra couple hazelnuts or walnuts at the holidays. I love nuts, and seeing a bowl of them was an “attractive nuisance”. And since I only ate one or two nuts (at a time), well, maybe I didn’t bother logging them. Of course, the problem was that I would walk past them several times a day, and the “one or two” became “10-15”.

And I know that having two HUGE bags of candy in the garage was a mistake. We had a bag of “Christmas Crack” was simultaneously terrible and delicious, and I know I didn’t honestly log everything I ate from it. After all, how could a small handful hurt? I mean, it is only Chex mix, with butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and cashews? (Oh, I can almost taste it yet.) I also found it difficult to walk past the Caramel Puffcorn without doing “quality control”. Every day.

Here’s how bad it was: I remember Tammy coming home from work one day, and she asked me about my day. I told her that I felt it was successful, because I spent the whole day at home, and I didn’t eat any of those treats.  Guess what I did that night immediately before brushing my teeth prior to going to sleep? (But it was only small double handful!)

Fortunately at least this year we didn’t make our Hot Buttered Rum mix! (Ice cream, butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar.)

I am back to carefully logging everything. I put the nuts away. (The Christmas munchies are thankfully long gone!) I am staying on budget. Not under budget. Not over budget. But at budget.

It’s deja vu all over again. Measure. Log. Move.

Success is possible. Success is an eternal quest, and it can be fleeting. If you forget, even for a little while, old habits can come crashing back. I’m not telling you this to scare you, or to make you feel as though this challenge is impossible. I am telling you so that I remind myself that this challenge is just that: a challenge. It only becomes impossible when you surrender to it.

Today, I am still within my official success range. And I am going to stay there.

Seared Yellowfin Tuna Wrap

Seared Yellowfin Tuna Wrap
Serves 1

I ate this at a local pub, Jimmy Sea’s, in Green Bay, WI. This recipe is my best guess on how this was prepared.

1 large soft wheat tortilla
4 ounce fresh yellowfin (or other variety) tuna steak
Mixed greens
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) guacamole (prepared with your preferred recipe)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) chipotle mayonnaise. (An alternative would be mixing Sriracha sauce with mayo.)

  1. Season tuna with your preferred seasoning.
  2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Spray with cooking oil.
  3. Lay tuna steak in skillet. Sear for about 30 seconds. Carefully flip and sear the other side for another 30 seconds. (This should result in a rare interior as seen above.)
  4. Spread guacamole and mayo. Top with greens, and the tuna. Roll and serve immediately.
I can’t give exact nutritional data, but my best guess is:
Calories:      534
Fat:              23g
Sat fat:           7g
Chol:         75mg
Sodium:   900mg
Carbs:          42g
Fiber:          2.5g
Protein:        38g

I deliciously paired this with Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale (malty and hoppy).

Christmas Dinner

I had never made a boneless New York Strip roast before, and I broke my cardinal rule of party planning (never make a dish for the first time the day of the party.)

Fortunately, as you can see above, all went well. That was a six pound roast, rubbed with my garlic-olive oil paste, onion and fresh cracked black pepper. I placed the roast in an foil baking pan, because I wanted to roast this, not grill it I preheated the grill on high for about ten minutes. My grill has four burners so when I put the pan on the grill, I turned off the two burners directly under the roast, and adjusted the remaining two so that my grill thermometer read 300F (This would be the same if you did this in your oven. If you do this in your oven, start with your oven at 500F for 10 minutes, then turn is down to 300F.)

I used a meat thermometer, the type that stays in the meat while it is cooking, and is connected to a meter outside the grill or oven. If you do any amount of roasting, either grill or oven, I really recommend that you use a thermometer like this. You can set it to ring at your desired finished temperature and you will never overcook your food again.

The roast was the main part of the meal, and the part I was most stressed about. Everything else went smoothly. Tammy would pop into the kitchen from time to time, just to make sure everything was progressing. I made a loaf of bread which finished at the perfect time for me to start roasting the carrots. They take about 25 minutes under 450F and then another 10 minutes after adding the peas to the pan.

The bowl mixed greens and chopped pears was ready to be topped with the maple-mustard vinaigrette (with bleu cheese and walnuts on the side for those who want the full salad.)

The roast had just reached it’s finished temperature (143F) and I had pulled it off the grill. The carrots were about 10 minutes away from needing the peas to be added when Tammy pops in to ask “How are the carrots and potatoes going?”

Potatoes?????

Oh, no!!!!!

I dumped two pounds of fingerling potatoes onto a shallow jelly roll pan, drizzled olive oil, tosses with some salt and pepper and put it on the bottom rack of the hot oven. When I added the peas to the carrots, the potatoes were sizzling, and when the carrots were ready, so were the potatoes! Whew!

Everything works out!

I hope everyone enjoys your new year! I will still be here!

(P.S.: Next time, I will take the roast off the grill at 140F for a little closer to medium-rare.)

Just a Quickie Today–Do You Like Good Cocktails?

Sorry, I know you are waiting for that epic multi-thousand word post from me (or not!) but today is a busy day, prepping for Christmas #2. I just have a quick note here today.

If you, or someone you love, appreciates high-quality cocktails and you need to find something new, check out Bittercube bitters.

A six pack variety box, each is a one ounce bottle with a dropper for dispensing. Each bottle will make up to 30 cocktails. A recipe card comes with it (try the “Of the Older Fashioned”) as well as a link to more recipes on their website.

This is a small Wisconsin-based company who hand-crafts these wonderful products. Since I appreciate small-batch and hand-crafted items (beer, cheese, sausage, whiskey) this sort of company fits my personality.

So. If you like good cocktails, stick with Angostura. (It is a very good bitters.) But if you want incredible and unique cocktails, flavors that none of your neighbors can match, check out Bittercube.

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My podcast, Make Your Someday Today is a twice-weekly show, where we talk to successful people in all walks of life and around the world on Monday, and then on Thursday, I take a specific message from the previous guest and give my “Trevitorial”, where I help you apply that message to your life. The entire purpose of the show is to help all of us overcome our challenges and fears and become the person we want to be, the person we deserve to be. I hope you give it a listen! 

Caramel Cashew Chex

Caramel Cashew Chex Mix

Make a lot! Assuming 1 ounce by weight, this will make about 50 portions
12-14 ounce box of Chex, Crispix or similar breakfast cereal
12 ounces cashews
2 sticks butter (unsalted is best)
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda
Large paper grocery bag
1.    Pour cereal into grocery bag. Add cashews.
2.    In a saucepan, melt the butter.
3.    Add brown sugar and corn syrup.
4.    Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5.    Add baking soda, stir to mix. This will make the syrup foamy.
6.    Pour over nuts and cereal.
7.    Scrunch the bag down so it will fit into your microwave, and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
8.    Carefully stir everything, and scrunch the bag down, microwaving on high for 2 more minutes.
9.    Carefully pour mix onto buttered cookie sheets. (Wax paper does NOT work, even if buttered. Peeling shreds of paper off the candy is less fun than it sounds.) Spread into an even layer, let cool and harden.
10.  Break into small pieces and store in an airtight container, preferably not where I can get at it.
Nutritional data:
Calories:        151
Fat:                7.8g
Sat fat:           3.2g
Chol:           9.8mg
Sodium:     52.6mg
Carbs:          19.3g
Fiber:             0.5g
Protein:          2.6g

My First Ever Interview!

Yes, I know, you are surprised to find out that I have not had many interviews. You probably think that someone as awesome as myself is probably in high demand for interviews and speaking engagements. After this interview hits the Internet, Dr. Phil and Oprah are probably having their assistants find my contact information so that they can talk to me!

(Psst! If you work for Dr. Phil or Oprah, you can contact be by email from my profile page.)

However, lasts Saturday a LoseIt friend interviewed me for her blog. It was fun and considering that I am not real good at spur-of-the-moment questions (Dr. Phil, have your assistant send me your questions in advance, okay?) I think it went very well.

Here is a link to her blog post.

http://fromfluff2fit.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/how-trevor-lost-90-lbs-and-kept-it-off/

If you don’t know my history, this is a good snapshot of where I was, and how I got where I am.

Next up from me: recipe for Caramel Cashew Chex mix. (Watch for it soon!)