Struggles continue, but I will overcome...

Feel a bit like a freedom marcher singing "we shall overcome", and in a sense, I guess I am.  I'm trying to free myself from this prison of weight.  What I have to remember is that I did not put it on overnight, and it's not going to come off overnight either.  I've been trying to stick to it, and have been increasing my activity in the hopes those euphoric endorphin's will kick in that people talk about from strenuous exercise, but so far that hasn't happened!!! 

However, I guess pushing the exercise machine, my husband got for me on free Victoria, heavy though it may be, around the living room floor is not classed as exercise.  Don't get me wrong, I do use it but I seem to move it more to plug it in, to vacuum, to catch the cat, to remove the laundry drying on it, etc than I'm actually using it for its stated purpose.

This elliptical stair climber thingy works well, I can feel my heart beating after a short time, but I don't really do perspiration well. Could be another reason I have a lard a--.  Thought of attaching a long stick to it with a donut on the end so I could pursue it while on my quest for beauty, but the cat keeps jumping at it and getting far more exercise than I.  I have a skipping rope, which is great outside, in the good weather it keeps the wasps and flies away, but I think I need to attach the pictures to the wall a little better before commencing doing that in the house.  Gary also has a chin lift bar that attaches on the door, great for upper body work etc. but not so effective attached at chin height where I'd like to place it.  My bingo arms are impressive flying in the breeze, but not so much in trying to propel my body into the air and holding it there so I can rest my chin on the bar.  I usually do that after a few Chardonnay.  I hope you realize this was all said tongue-in-cheek and meant to be funny.  I'm not quite as hopeless as I make out.

Speaking of tongue, I cooked a tongue the other night.  Now don't go eew, if you didn't know what it was, you would think it tasted like any other piece of beef.  Why, you may ask, did I cook tongue? Well, it goes back to my childhood.  My mom used to cook it and this is the time of year she passed away just before Thanksgiving, and just about at my age.  So, feeling nostalgic, I decided to make it.
So tonight I used the rest of it up in an easy 1 crust beef pie.

Beef Pot Pie

1/2 lb of beef  (stewing beef, chuck steak or tongue if you have it)
vegetables I used are zucchini, carrots, eggplant, onions, shallots, celery, mushrooms, 2 small potatoes, all cut into cubes. Spinach leaves.
4 cups beef broth low sodium
2 tsp Epicure Selections Herb and Garlic 
2 tsp Epicure Selections Hamburger seasoning
salt and pepper
1 tbsp corn starch mixed with some stock to form a rue

1. Saute onion shallots until translucent in pan sprayed with non-stick oil.  If your meat is raw, add it at this time, if leftover pre-cooked, add at step 5.
2. add celery, carrots, potatoes, cook until starting to cook through
3. add most of the broth, save some aside for the rue.
4. add zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms.
5. add your spices and cooked meat 
6. heat through until potatoes are tender and the meat is cooked through.
7. add spinach at last minute.

I was able to make 4 small pies and have some leftover for my husband's lunch tomorrow.  We ate 2 pies and froze the others for a later date.  I served it with a Brocollini Slaw.

The pastry I used was the Weight Watchers Pastry, it came out tender and flaky.

For the pastry:

5 1/2 oz plain flour
pinch of salt 
2 1/4 oz low-fat spread.  I used a vegan butter substitute, you could use Becel or other diet margarine.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the low-fat spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add just enough cold water to bring the dough together.  Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.