Official Website of Holly West | Crime Fiction Writer

The Downside of Butt in Chair

Originally posted April 26, 2010.

Ack! I wrote this post nearly two years ago and NOTHING has changed except I've gained more weight. My pop is running the Boston Marathon this morning--he would not be amused.

The good news is I've got a finished novel--almost feels worth the added poundage. But as I start my new writing project today, maybe it's also time to start re-incorporating some good eating/exercise habits into my life.

Fellow writers (and everyone else) how do you keep Butt-in-Chair-itis at bay?

Actually, I should really call this post the "Upside" of Butt in Chair, or perhaps the "Backside."

There are loads of writing tips on the Internet. Heck, there are even some here on this blog. But one of the most simple (and yet ironically hard to do) is this: Keep your butt in the chair and write.

If you do this daily you will almost certainly have something at least resembling a first draft, a polished novel, or whatever other goal you set for yourself. In fact, keeping your butt in the chair and writing is the only way you'll accomplish these goals.

But I'm not here to discuss the effectiveness of keeping your butt in the chair as a writing tool. I'm here to talk about a wicked side effect: Keep your butt in the chair long enough, and not only will you have a finished novel, you might also begin to notice that chair has gotten smaller. Because you, my dear, have gotten bigger.

And I have. I've struggled with my weight my entire life, but five years ago I lost about twenty-five pounds and kept it off for about three. In the past two years, I've gained most of it back, and coincidentally, that's the time I've been working on my novel.

Obviously, it's not the writing that's making me fat, it's the eating. And the not moving. One of the ways I lost that weight and kept it off was a pretty rigorous running schedule, and right about this time last year I was diagnosed with achilles tendonitis. I haven't really been a runner since. To top things off, I tore my ACL two weeks ago while skiing and my capacity for exercise has diminished even further. So yeah, I'm going to have to find a way to keep moving while not damaging any of my already wonky body parts. If you have some suggestions, let me know.

Back to the eating part though. I definitely eat more now that I'm writing, and here's why: it takes mental energy to be continuously creative, and the first thing I think of when my mind freezes is "I want a snack." I don't think "I want to go for a brisk walk," I think "I want a doughnut." Unfortunately, my mind freezes (by this I mean you're happily typing along and you hit a point where no words come and you want to get out of the chair, surf the internet, or in my case, have some ice cream) a lot.

I'd love to offer some solutions beyond "Keep the pantry door closed and KEEP YOUR BUTT IN THE CHAIR" but really, isn't that the only real solution? It's no fun, but it's a fact.

My fingers, at least, are still skinny--they get plenty of exercise on the keyboard.

Love Conquers, er, Embarassment?

I know I've said this before, but there are very few people in the world I love more than my grandfather. He's 88, and he's old. I ought to know: he never stops reminding me, and everyone else, of it. Born in Blaine, Arkansas in 1922, he's the oldest of eight children and they were a poor family. Like barefoot-in-and-living-in-a-one-room-cabin poor. He recently told me they ate a lot of meat growing up, then proceeded to regale me with tales (again) about hunting possums and squirrels, even a hedgehog once (he admitted they might not have eaten that).

Above all, though, my grandpa is a man of simple tastes. I only point these things out because they provide important context for the story I'm about to tell.

On Sunday, we went to the local casino to play bingo. It's one of my grandpa's favorite pastimes, and I try to take him whenever I'm able to. It was a fun group: me, my uncle, my aunt, my grandma, and my grandpa. With daubers in hand, we sat down with a mind to make that bingo parlor our bitch.

(And indeed, we did. I bingoed twice, back-to-back, winning a total of $600, and my grandma bingoed a couple of games later and won $500).

As family tradition dictates, the winner must buy the losers dinner. Since I had pocketed the most, I said I'd pay. We sat down and my grandpa, who is not a great eater on his best days, looked at the menu and said "I think I'll have Belgian waffle." Breakfast for dinner? Awesome.

It came time to order and my grandpa said what he wanted. The waiter said "I'm sorry sir, we don't have waffles." Apparently, the casino restaurant stops serving breakfast at 11am. Disappointed, my grandpa quickly looked at the menu again while the rest of us ordered. When it came his turn, he ordered the salmon. My grandma raised an eyebrow.

"Soup or salad, sir?" the waiter asked.

"Salad," said my grandpa.

"What kind of dressing?"

"What kind do you have?"

The waiter listed the options and my grandpa chose bleu cheese. My grandma raised another eyebrow.

While we waited for our dinner to come, I played keno and mention was made of how surprising grandpa's choice of entree was. I figured he just had a hankering for some fish. What did I know? My grandma, now with both eyebrows pointing toward the heavens, just sat and shook her head (they've been married 65 years; she might know a thing or two about him).

The salad came and my grandpa began eating it. At some point he asked "Why'd they call it blue?" and my uncle replied "It has little blue specks in it sometimes." This seemed to satisfy my grandpa and he finished the salad without incident.

When our entrees came, the waiter placed my grandpa's salmon in front of him. My grandpa said "Why'd he bring this?"

That's when the trouble began.

Grandma: "That's what you ordered, honey."

Grandpa: Silent

Grandma (to me): "Ew. I can smell that fish from over here." (she's notorious for her dislike of seafood).

Grandpa: Silently cuts up his salmon

As more conversation about the salmon followed, my grandpa reached for the salt shaker and began sprinkling it all over his fish.

"Dad!" my uncle said. "You're not allowed to have any salt."

"Salt is good for you," grandpa replied.

"That's one thing the doctor said, you can't have any salt."

My grandpa returned to silence as the rest of us began eating our own meals. A few moments later, he placed his fork over his fish and pushed the plate away from him.

"Father," grandma said. "Aren't you going to eat that?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Well you ordered it, you have to eat it."

"It's okay," I said. "He doesn't have to eat it if he doesn't want to."

Meanwhile, my grandpa began tearing the lids off of the thimble-sized containers of half & half and drinking them.

"Grandpa," I said, "Do you want me to buy you a glass of milk?"

"No, these are good," he said.

Now I have to stop here and mention that normally, this sort of wanton display would have mortified me. And yet, as the waiter approached us, watching with horror as my grandpa sucked down the mini-containers of cream, I felt totally okay with the situation. This, I think, is what parents must feel when their children act out or do otherwise embarrassing things. You love them, and you just deal with it.

I addressed the table. "I kind of feel like somehow, this train has run off the tracks."

The waiter looked at me, then at the salmon, apologetically. "You want me to take this?" he motioned. I nodded. Before he left the table, my aunt spoke to my grandpa.

"Daddy, do you want some apple pie with ice cream?"

"Sure," grandpa said.

"Will you eat it?"

"Yeah, I'll eat as much as I want of it."

This could have meant one bite or the entire plate. I decided to take the chance.

Me (to the waiter): "Do you have apple pie?"

Waiter: "We sure do."

Me: "Bring him some apple pie and ice cream, please."

Waiter (taking the salmon away): "I'll take this off the check for you."

Me: "Oh, and can I have another glass of wine?"

My grandpa did, in fact, eat every bite of his apple pie and ice cream. At one point he did begin eating it with his fingers and my aunt said "Daddy, use your fork." Having had enough I said "Really, who cares how he eats it?" And my grandpa piped up and said "Fingers were the first utensils!"

My grandpa with my cousin Maddie

Christmas Menu

Despite the fact I re-joined Weight Watchers yesterday, the holiday season pretty much means one thing to me: Food. Delicious, special, eat-until-you-burst, food. So I thought I'd share some of the things I'm planning to make for Christmas dinner and the surrounding meals. Click on the links for the specific recipes.

We'll be spending Christmas at my parent's house in Northern California. On Christmas Eve, my mom and dad go to church but my sister and I don't, so we'll be making a lovely (but modest) for my parents to come home to:

Christmas Eve:

Venison Chili (this is actually my turkey chili recipe, substituting venison sausage for the turkey)
Cornbread

Christmas Day:

Turkey (This is the best roast turkey recipe I've ever tried)
Butternut Squash Puree
Mashed Potatoes

 

 

My sister is making the deserts and my sister-in-law is making a vegetable dish (I think) so this will be a delicious meal with many cooks contributing.

Next week, I'll be doing a 2009 recap of my favorite posts throughout the year.

Wishing you all a happy holiday!

My First CSA Box

Awwww. Isn't it cute?

I've been wanting to sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for a long time and I finally did it. This one is Farm Fresh to You and the produce is grown in Anaheim, CA.

Overall, I am pleased with the contents of the box. The only thing I don't like in it are the bell peppers, of which there were five. I gave those away. The fruit is fantastic (apples and nectarines). Really sweet and very crisp, just the way I like it.

My challenge is eating everything while it's still fresh, which I don't think will be a problem. In fact, I welcome that challenge because it's a great way to get more fruits and vegetables into my diet.

I can't wait for my next box!

Deserted Island Food

Mick and are at our favorite restaurant, Monsoon on 3rd Street Prominade. They have an appetizer called Tuna Crab Eggroll that is one of my favorite dishes of all time. I call it "deserted island food" because if I was stranded on a deserted island and could only pick one meal, it's probably what I'd pick.

What food or meal would you pick if you were on a deserted island?

Recipe: Velvety Broccoli & Feta Pasta

I have a huge bag of broccoli that I got at Costco.  I know that sounds silly considering my household consists of only two people and a dog that doesn't eat broccoli, but it actually kind of makes sense for us.  Neither my husband or myself are very big on vegetables, and broccoli is one of the ones we both like.  We eat broccoli a lot.

So I found this recipe today at the Kitchn.com and now I know what we're having for dinner.

Velvety Broccoli & Feta Pasta

Looks good, no?

Recipe: Chicken Diane (ala Holly)

Back in "The Day," I used to go to a restaurant called Palermo on Vermont in Los Angeles.  I'd still go there, except it is far away from Santa Monica and Mick and I rarely go to any restaurant we can't walk to (I know, it's a problem).  In those days, I could barely afford dinner, let alone wine to go with it, and they served free wine in plastic glasses out of boxes while you waited to be seated.  That made me happy, especially since it always took awhile to get seated.

My favorite item on the menu was a dish called "Chicken Diane." As described on the menu, it is "a tender boneless breast of chicken lightly coated with seasonal bread crumbs, served with fresh mushrooms and white cream sauce."  As described by me, it is yummy, decadent, and addictive.

I was recently reading a novel in which the characters go to Palermo for dinner and I was immediately transported back to my wine-from-a-box-chicken-diane days.  I decided to try to come up with a lower calorie version of the dish, and this is what I came up with.

Oh, and by the way, I will still drink wine from a box if it's free, just so you know.

 

 

Chicken Diane (ala Holly)

Cook Time: 25 mins.
Level:  Easy
Yield:  4

Ingredients:

1 package chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup light or regular alfredo sauce
1 cup pasta of your choice
1 cup chopped brocolli
2 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbs freshly grated parmesan

To make the pasta:

This is a trick I use often to maximize nutrition and minimize calories, and it works particularly well with this recipe.

Set water for pasta to boil with a handful of salt.  When it boils, add your pasta and set your timer to cook it 3 minutes less than the directions say for al dente.  When the time is up, add your brocolli and set the timer for the remaining 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Mix bread crumbs with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken chunks into egg and dredge lightly in the bread crumbs.

 Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium.  Add garlic and sautee for a 1-2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Add the breaded chicken to the mix and sautee until browned and cooked through.

Add the alfredo sauce to the chicken and mushrooms and stir to coat them, keeping it on the heat for 1 more minute to heat the sauce.  Remove from heat and add the pasta and brocolli.  Mix well.

Serve on plates or in bowls.  Garnish with the parsley and parmesan.

Recipe: Pasta with Shrimp, Tomato, Garlic & Basil

A long time ago, I used to go to a restaurant in Los Angeles that served a dish called Pasta Portofino (or something like that).  It was a favorite of mine, and eventually I came up with my own version of it.  The restaurant
is long since closed, but I still enjoy this recipe all the time.

This is a light pasta dish that really lets the flavors of shrimp, tomato, basil, and garlic shine.  I originally created the recipe without the zucchini, but one day I had one left over and I decided to add it.  When it's chopped so finely, it adds nutrition and texture without a heavy zucchini flavor.

Cook Time: 25 mins.
Level:  Easy
Yield:  2

Ingredients:

1/2 tbs exra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, tails off, and deveined
4 garlic cloves, minced finely
1/2 small zucchini, chopped in food processor or mini prep for a very fine consistency
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (plus salt for boiling pasta)
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
4-6 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1 cup penne pasta
Freshly grated parmesan to taste

In a large pot, put water to boil for pasta with a handful of salt.  When water boils, cook pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.

Mince and chop your garlic and zucchini and set aside.  Cut the tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out some of the juice and seeds into the sink, then chop.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium.  Do not let it get too hot before putting in your garlic and zucchini because the garlic could burn.  Sautee for 1-2 minutes.  Add the shrimp, red pepper flakes, and salt and sautee until the shrimps are pink and almost cooked through, 2-3 minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes and finish cooking the shrimp 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil.

Add the pasta to the skillet and mix thoroughly.  Serve in bowls or plates and top with fresh parmesan.

copyright Holly West 2009

Garden Update

Remember when I blogged about how happy I was about the vegetable "garden" I planted about two months ago?

Well, chickadees, it has thus far yielded me the following:

1 zucchini
1 Japanese eggplant
0 tomatoes
Enough lettuce to make about six salads
Loads of basil
Loads of Italian parsley
Loads (though still not fully grown) of serano chilis

 

The Japanese eggplant plant died and has been removed.  The zucchini plant is almost dead and almost certainly will not give me any more vegetables.  The tomato plant is also almost dead and waiting for removal.  The salad greens are happily growing and show no signs of faltering any time soon.

My housekeeper told me I waited too long to plant and that it's too cold and wet here in the mornings right now, which is probably why all my plants died.  I also let the bugs kind of eat them up a little, so that was my bad.

I did make some very tasty turkey burgers using my zucchini:

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, coursely chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 egg
Garlic salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and form into patties, then grill and serve on buns with all the fixin's.

As soon as the serano chilis are ready I'll probably add half a chopped serano--although that might upset the flavor balance a little.  We'll see.

Italian Stuffed Courgette

What do you do when some kind soul brings you a home grown zucchini the size of a small child?

 

If you’re anything like me, you thank them profusely and start thinking of things you can make with it.

Yesterday, John Maloni, the guy who was installing our heat pump, brought me a bag filled with a couple of huge zucchinis and cucumbers.  He told me his wife Debbie often prepared these by cutting them in half and mixing all sorts of ingredients with the zucchini meat and then stuffing the shell and baking it.  That sounded good to me.  I called her and got the basic 411 and then set out to create my own version of stuffed zucchini.

Italian Stuffed Courgette

 

This is a wonderful low-carb alternative to lasagna. The recipe is great as written, but feel free to experiment with ingredients you like to come up with a unique dish.

NOTE: This recipe was prepared using a very large homegrown zucchini (see photos). Cooking times may vary if you use smaller ones. I will re-post this recipe with updated times when I try this recipe with smaller zucchinis, such as the ones you can buy at the supermarket.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 45-60 minutes

1 large or two small zucchinis
1 lb ground turkey breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup marinara sauce
½ cup Italian-style bread crumbs, plus extra for topping
½ cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for topping
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
¼ cup olive oil, for drizzling
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Garlic salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet on medium heat, add ground turkey, garlic salt, parsley, cayenne pepper, oregano, and basil and brown until well cooked. Drain excess water and grease.

Meanwhile, prepare your zucchini by cutting it in half length-wise. Using a melon baller or a spoon, scoop the seeds from the middle of both halves and dispose. Continue scooping the meat of the zucchini and put it in a small bowl. You will use the largest of the zucchini halves as your “boat” for stuffing, but scoop the meat from both halves (if you are using smaller zucchinis, use two halves for stuffing and scoop the meat from all four halves). Add the minced garlic and mushrooms to the zucchini and mix well.

Put the half that will be stuffed onto a non-stick baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on the sides and add salt and pepper. Put the the side.

When the turkey is cooked, add the zucchini mixture to the skillet and sauté until zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic are softened. Add the marinara sauce and mix well. Reduce heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix bread crumbs, mozzarella, and Parmesan together. When turkey and zucchini mixture is ready, add to the bowl and mix well. Carefully spoon the mixture into your zucchini “boat” until well-filled—this should take all or most of the mixture. Top with additional breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Add a small sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan to the top.

Cover the zucchini with aluminum foil and bake, covered, for 30-45 minutes (check the zucchini shell at 30 for tenderness). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese and breadcrumbs are golden brown.