Okay, so it’s been about 18 months since I last wrote here, but I’m back.  Why?  Because I need to lose about 50 pounds, and I’m starting a mostly plant-based diet, and I’m going to use this blog to record my progress.

You may wonder why I would write to the world (well, not to the world–perhaps to the three people that might actually read this occasionally) about my weight-loss effort.  My theory on that is that if I tell everyone I’m doing this and then give progress updates, I’ll actually stick to it.  This way, if I trash the diet, I’ll shamefully have to admit it to, well, all three of you.  So, I have added incentive to stick to it.

I have tried a number of approaches.  A couple of years ago I went on a very strict Atkins diet.  I kept it up for two months and lost about 25 pounds.  Losing the weight felt great, but to be honest I felt like crap–all that meat–and three or four months later all the weight was back.  Simply put, the  diet is neither sustainable nor healthy.

This summer I started Weight Watchers, and I bought all kinds of frozen lunches and powdered drinks containing what can only be described as stuff.  Say, that lunch is worth only 5 points!  Just don’t look at what you’re actually eating.  I recently read that you should not eat anything your grandmother would not have made.  Although it’s true that I didn’t want to eat most of what my grandmother did make (how I loathe rhubarb), I get the point.

All of this lead me to the conclusion that we all already know.  The only way to truly lose weight and then keep it off is to change your eating habits … permanently.

And so the mostly plant-based diet.  More than a diet, a change in lifestyle.  My initial goal is to lose 50 pounds by May 16, 2011–my 49th birthday.  (For the record, I’m counting the 8 pounds I’ve already taken off since I turned 48.)  My second goal is to have that weight still off when I turn 50.

But you may rightfully ask, “Hey, Tim, what’s this ‘mostly’ thing all about?”  Ah, good question.  I happen to love a good steak.  Lamb is nothing if it’s not scrummy.  So, when we go to Emilitsa, I’ll have the lamb.  Dinner at friends’, I’ll eat whatever is being served.  Turkey at Thanksgiving; goose at Christmas.  Fish I’ll restrict to once each month, both for health and sustainability reasons.  But my home-cooked meals, my lunches, and my snacks are going to consist entirely of fruits and vegetables and things like soy, tofu, pasta, grains, and other deliciousnesses.

And that’s my story, or the beginning anyway.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

I remember she had short hair, reaching only as far as the bottom of her neck, although it swept across her forehead, partially covering her eyes.  Her hair was dark—black, I think, but maybe brown.  Her eyes were brown and warm.  I remember her face was round.

I remember coming up behind her and kissing her gently on the neck below her right ear.  She closed her eyes, releasing a breath, and titled her head back, reaching up and touching my hair with her hand before turning toward me.

I remember that I loved her more than anything.

I remember holding her, neither of us wanting me to wake up, knowing that when I did she would be gone.  I remember feeling myself starting to wake and fearing that I would forget her.  I remember her reaching out toward me, asking me never to forget her, never to forget what we had, never to forget the feeling.  We both were crying, although she was growing distant.  I fought against my own consciousness, struggling to remain asleep so I could stay with her.

I remember waking then, vague snippets of her in my memory.  I can’t remember her smile.  I can’t remember what we did together.  I know only that she was there before the morning sun started creeping in through the curtains.  That we spent time together while I was sleeping.  And that it was wonderful.

And I remember that she was beautiful.

That night, I went to sleep looking for her face, hoping to see her again.

But she was gone.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the 2009 National Champions.

Thanks for a great year, guys.  I’m going to miss this team.

The North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team plays for the national championship on Monday, having put away a very good team from Villanova last night.  I’ve been a Tar Heel fan for many decades.  But I’ve never enjoyed a group of players as much as I do this team.  Obviously, the team gets strong leadership and support from a great group of juniors, including Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Deon Thompson.  But this senior class–Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard, and Mike Copeland–is an historically special group.

How good is this group of seniors?

• They have won at least 30 games three seasons in a row–first time in Carolina history.
• They have won 100 games in three seasons–first time in Carolina history.
• They have won 123 games in four seasons–tied for best in Carolina history.  The senior class needs one more win–just one more–to make them the winningest class in Carolina history.
• Danny Green has played in 122 wins–more than any other player in Carolina history.
• Tyler Hansbrough has scored more points than any player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference and more free throws than any player in the history of college basketball.
• The senior class has won three regular season ACC titles and two ACC tournament championships.
• They have won four times at Duke.

The only thing this group of seniors has not done is play for a national championship.  They now get to do this on Monday.

About Monday’s game, Danny Green said:  “It’s our last game.  We have nothing else to play for.”

In 2005, Tyler Hansbrough was a senior in high school, signed on to play college basketball for the University of North Carolina.  On April 4 of that year, he sat in the stands as a fan and watched North Carolina beat a fantastic team from the University of Illinois to win the national title.

After the Villanova win last night, Hansbrough said, “I remember watching all the excitement afterwards.  I talked to Marvin and Sean and Jackie and I saw how much winning the championship changed their life. It was exciting to be in high school and know I was walking into that kind of program. I’ve thought about what it would be like to do that myself. A night like that has been on my mind ever since I’ve been at Carolina.”

Monday night is this North Carolina senior class’s opportunity for a “night like that.”

And now it’s time to get very serious about Tar Heel basketball.  

North Carolina plays Oklahoma today, a school that’s been on my personal radar all year.  I don’t think of it as the Hansbrough-Griffin game–more like the Carolina-Griffin game, as Oklahoma has relied on Blake Griffin for most of its offense this year.  Their freshman point guard, Willie Warren, is good but no Ty Lawson. Tony Crocker can have big games (like he did against Syracuse), but Wayne Ellington should be able to keep him under control.  Taylor Griffin brings senior maturity to an otherwise pretty young team.  

Carolina should win this game.  Carolina has more offensive power than Oklahoma, and they’ve been playing excellent team basketball so far in the tournament.  Oklahoma has two players who average in the double-figures; Carolina has five.  Oklahoma tends to turn the ball over, and Carolina is terrific in transition.  However, it will take strong defensive play for 40 minutes and solid games from Hansbrough, Ellington, Lawson, and Green to get past this Oklahoma team.  When those four click at the same time, Carolina can’t be beat.  Thompson and Davis both also will need to play hard underneath, and Frasor will need to bring his high-energy defense.

One interesting stat comparison worth watching in this game:  Hansbrough shoots 86% from the free throw line; Blake Griffin shoots 60%.  Griffin actually gets to the foul line more often than Hansbrough, but Hansbrough makes more free throws.

We’re at that point in the season where every possession matters, and watching a game like this is like watching the final 30 seconds for 2 hours.  It’s exhausting.

And I love it.

You really have to wonder what’s happened to this guy.  Compare the short video below with the longer, more incoherent one below that. In case you’re confused, these are the same person.

Okay, so it was not a screaming success.

Essentially, too much brown sugar made it too sweet, and too much liquid made it too runny.  On this recipe, cut the brown sugar down to 1/4 cup, and add only 1/2 a can of beef broth.

It also was not very spicy, which was fine for some in the house, but I tend to like a bit of a kick.  Next time, I won’t remove the seeds from the jalapeno peppers.

It was a great game, however.  The Cardinals scored 16 points in the final eight minutes of the game to take the lead but allowed the Steelers to score a winning touchdown with 35 seconds left.  The Cardinals had a shot at the win, but a fumble essentially ended the game.

Here’s this year’s Super Bowl chili recipe.  We’ll see how it goes, what needs adjustment, etc., and will make any changes in the next blog entry.  I am cooking this in a slow cooker.

2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic
1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1 lb lean ground pork
3 pieces thick-slab bacon, cooked chopped, plus 2 tbsp bacon fat
1 28 oz. can whole tomatos
1/2 can tomato paste
1 can red kidney beans
1 can beef broth
2 large carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 

Saute the onions and garlic until golden.  Add the beef and pork and brown.

Add everything else.

Slow-cook on high for 2 hours, then turn to low for four hours.

Makes 10-12 servings.

A lot of you write in to me and say, “Hey, Tim.  How about sharing your recipe for your famous seven-layer dip?”  I’ve been so inundated with requests for this recipe, that I figured I would finally post it.

Ingredients:

• 1 can refried beans (I use fat-free)
• 1 container Breakstone Sour Cream (I definitely don’t use fat-free)
• Guacamole
• 1 head lettuce, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• Salsa (I use Newman’s Own, Medium)

In a small pan, heat up the refried beans.  While that’s heating up, chop up your lettuce and tomato.

Spoon the heated-up refried beans into the bottom of a glass (transparent) dish.  Let this cool slightly before proceeding to the next step.  Otherwise, you’ll cook the lettuce.

Add a layer of chopped lettuce.  

Add a layer of chopped tomato.

Add a layer of guacamole.  Now, you can, of course, purchase pre-made guacamole, but I prefer to make mine, combining avocados, red onion, cilantro, lime (or lemon) juice, a small amount of chopped tomato (which is a bit redundant in this dish, but you get the idea), about a teaspoon of chili powder, a little salt, and a bit of pepper.  Try hard to keep this layer smooth, and don’t let it smear the glass dish.

Add a layer of  sour cream.  Do this carefully, so it remains a separate layer from the guacamole.  

Add a layer of shredded cheddar cheese.

Top with salsa.

Place two large serving spoons in either side of the dish, and serve with tortilla chips.  And remember:  the name of this dish is Tim’s Famous Seven-Layer Dip.

Enjoy!

It’s funny, but I’ve always considered “Superbowl” to be one word. “Are you going to watch the Superbowl?” “Went to a great Superbowl Party last night.” “The Cardinals have never been to a Superbowl.” I mean, when you think about it, it’s not a bowl that’s super and, unlike the college bowl games, there’s only one of them. I know, I know, one easily could argue that if Superbowl is one word, then Orangebowl and Sugarbowl and Southerncaliforniastyledcornchipsanddipbowl and all the others should be as well. But somehow, I’ve treated Superbowl differently.

Firefox agrees with me. If you type “superbowl” in a Web form, it puts those familiar red squiggles beneath the word and tells you the S must be capitalized–”Superbowl”–for the word to be legitimate. Microsoft, however, is pretty adamant that “Superbowl” is not a word, even if the S is capitalized. When you type the word “Superbowl,” Microsoft offers two alternatives to correct what it perceives to be your misspelling.

1. Super bowl. As in: “My, what a super bowl.”

2. Superb owl. As in: “My, what a superb owl.”

Personally, I found the latter mildly amuzing. “Are you going to watch the superb owl?” “Went to a great superb owl party last night.” “The cardinals have never been to a superb owl.” Okay, that last one doesn’t work so well, but you get the idea.

Naturally, owls can be superb; I remember seeing a superb owl at Corkscrew Swamp in Florida a few years ago. But that doesn’t make it any less funny. At least, I don’t think so.

One last note: I just ran WordPress’s spellcheck against this post. It allowed “Superbowl,” but not “superbowl.”