New Car Update

A little over three months in and I'm still enjoying my new Mazda CX-5. It is comfortable, safe and getting excellent gas mileage at close to 33 mpg in an even mix of highway and street driving.

It did get a jolt of real world experience recently though; someone backed into the car at a local mall, resulting in about $1500 in damage to the rear bumper and quarter panel. The person who damaged the car drove off. That was frustrating, but the repair was done expertly and the car is a good as new.

I've owned (and financed) many new cars in my life, but few have been as satisfying as this car; the only the exception was the Ford Explorer Sportrac that I replaced with this car. I'm amazed at how much technology is now going into even "economy" cars these days. Hands free Bluetooth connections, rear back up cameras, navigation, blind spot warning systems, satellite and HD radio, multiple air bags, leather power seats and more are all often standard equipment. And the power and gas mileage these cars are getting is amazing. It remains to be seen how these engines will hold up in the long run though with the heat and high compression they produce.

White Bean Soup

I am always looking to cut down on meat-laden soups and other main dishes. I experimented with this one recently and it came up a winner in my book! You can cut the bacon if you want to go totally vegetarian (and add a few drops of Liquid Smoke at the end, or use turkey bacon for that smoked flavor. This one is easy and tastey.

Directions:

1 14 oz. can white beans (Great Northern is fine)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 bacon slices, minced
1 tsp Liquid Smoke (if skipping the bacon)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup fine chopped onions (about the size of the beans)
1 cup fine chopped celery
1 cup fine chopped carrots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Chop vegetables and bacon. Heat old in a medium stockpot over medium flame. Add bacon and saute until rendered. You can pour off some of this oil if you are looking to cut fat, otherwise dump in the vegetables and cook until the onions are clear. Add the beans, with the liquid and the stock and season with the spices. Bring this mixture to a boil and then simmer covered over low flame for thirty minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Test for salt and pepper and adjust if needed. Drizzle in the Liquid Smoke at the end if meatless.

Pull out the bay leaves and serve with a sprinkle of the Parmesan cheese.

EASY BEEF ROAST

One of my favorite comfort meals is a good beef roast. It’s hearty and flavorful, and afterwards you can use the leftovers (if there are any) to make a nice soup. The problem with this dish lies in the cut and method of preparation.

In terms of the cut, I prefer the boneless crosscut rib roast. It’s a little more expensive than the eye of round, but the extra fat marbling will ensure tenderness and flavor. I’ve found that in order for round roast to be as tender you have to either slow cook it eight hours or use a pressure cooker. Those methods can turn the meat into a stringy mess, to me unpleasant result.

Rib roast usually comes with a bit of a fat cap; trim off as much as you can, but I do like to retain a little on the meat for flavor. The key is low and slow oven cooking. I set the oven temperature to 275 degrees - and I don't peek!

INGREDIENTS

4-5 lb. beef crosscut rib roast
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow, onion, chopped not too fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 cups water
(You can substitute 2 cups low sodium beef stock for the bouillon)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tbsp. dried onion flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot heat the oil over medium heat. Season the trimmed beef with the spices, pressing into the meat and brown on all sides in the hot oil. Add the chopped vegetables, water and bouillon to the pot, season with Worcestershire sauce and cover tightly with the lid.

Place the meat the oven and roast for three hours and thirty minutes. Avoid opening the door of the oven during this time to ensure heat does not escape. At the end of the cooking time, carefully remove meat from oven and let rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving. A serving size would be three to four ounces, with a nice side salad!

My New Car Buying Experience

I am a fairly frugal person with few excesses, save such tech items as smartphones, iPad, iPod, computers and camera; it’s a big reason why I drove my last car 8 plus years. I want to stretch my dollar as far as it can go, as most people do.

When I bought that 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac (in 2003) though, I wasn’t quite of that mindset. The vehicle, after all the add-ons, was over $31,000 when it was all said and done. That vehicle was the most extravagant that I’ve ever owned; all power, satellite radio, leather seats, security system, the works. And it was faithful too. It was never in the shop for mechanical issues, other than the two times that I was rear-ended at stoplights by inattentive teens.

But despite all of that it had begun to show its age at 142,000 miles; its tires needed replacing, the transmission had begun to slip at speeds above 75 miles per hour, and various rattles and squeaks were evident throughout the cabin. I was also getting much less than Ford’s rated 18 miles per gallon; a weekly fill up during the recent height of gas prices cost me $72, and that didn’t last the entire week. But the main question was whether I should throw $3700 into new tires and transmission repairs, or use that money as a down payment on a new vehicle. I had enjoyed four years of blissful car note free existence up until that time, after financing the truck 66 months (I had paid it off about a year early by making extra payments). I knew what I had to do, but what type of replacement was definitely a top question in my mind to settle.

I am a band/choir director in a smallish school district. I had needed the truck to haul equipment over the years, but my place of employment has also grown over these same years. I now had at my disposal a department truck to carry all of the stuff I needed the truck for initially, so there went my overriding need for a pick-up truck.

I have never been a sedan fan, so the obvious answer to me was a crossover. Let me state that I have been a Ford person for many years, owning – trouble free I might add – a 1997 Ford Ranger and a 2001 Ford Escape prior to purchasing the Sport Trac. Prior to that, I had owned a 1985 Nissan Stanza wagon (good car), and a 1987 Hyundai Excel and a 1991 Chevrolet Lumina. Those last two cars were dogs.

Since I had owned an Escape in the last decade I was eager to see what the all-new 2013 revision had brought to the car. This was where my odyssey began. My wife, who drives a company Ford Fusion hybrid, had picked up the car at Holmes-Tuttle Ford here in Tucson about ten months back. She had a great review of one of the sales staff, Scott Patty, who was especially helpful. He happened to be the internet sales manager there. In her experience dealerships are not very accommodating to pharma drug reps who have ordered replacement cars through their company’s fleet websites. The dealerships don’t make much money on these sales so they usually don’t spend much time with the reps either on the test drive or the delivery of the vehicle. But her salesperson did and she remembered him when I announced that I was ready to buy a new car.

I called Scott in November and set up a test drive appointment for the Ford Escape. He quickly remembered my wife and had a car ready for me when I arrived. The new Escape has been totally remade from its earlier version, with all new engines, sheet metal and technology. I was initially interested in the top of the line Titanium version of this SUV, which comes with Ford’s 2.0 liter Ecoboost engine, and a convenience package the includes an automatic rear lift gate (pass your foot under the rear bumper), all power leather front seats, keyless entry with exterior touchpad, and MyFord Touch/Sync. There is an amazing amount of new auto technology in this car, but not without some problems. The Ecoboost engine, especially the 1.6 liter, has been subject to recalls, and the MyFord Touch system has been finicky.

The car I drove was in perfect condition and I had no problem with the touch screen technology (which includes a backup camera, voice commands and navigation). I was bothered by two issues though; the windshield had a tunnel effect that I was not overly pleased with, and the front seats were very hard. Ultimately, the price would be the main source of my displeasure, however. With all of these amenities the price of the car is over $34,000 list. It’s a steep price.

I kept all this in mind as I saved money for the down payment. In mid-December I was ready and returned with my wife to test drive again the car and start negotiations. She drove it and was displeased with the seats, the handling and the price, all legitimate concerns. Additionally, we were not pleased with the dealership’s offer of only $2500 for my trade. We needed more and they did come up $500. But it was still not enough.

The main problem was the cost of the car, which was too high for the money I wanted to put down ($3000) with my trade. I wanted to keep monthly payments around $550 and no more than 48 months. That was not going to happen with an Escape Titanium. Other models in this series were not as appealing and I felt were still overpriced. I also did not want that troublesome 1.6 liter engine, which at last account was subject to four recalls in 2012 for fires and other issues.

We went at this for three hours and we would not budge; there was no way that we were going to go down this road again without a car equipped the way we wanted, so we finally walked out. Scott was great in this whole process. I have no ill words to say about the salesmanship or professionalism that he exhibited. Both were top notch. We just could not agree on a price and terms.

I had also been watching reviews on line of the Mazda CX-5, a new model from the tires up. Mazda had been a longtime partner of Ford, and had in fact re-badged the former Ford Escape as the Mazda Tribute. Mazda though stated that its new CX-5 shared no components with any Ford products. My blood was up, so I visited the Mazda dealership (all in the Holmes-Tuttle/Jim Click companies) a few days later and drove the car.

I came away very impressed with the handling and the controls; while it came with a touch screen and backup camera (which I wanted), the package was simpler and easy to use on the go. Hands free telephone and voice commands were standard, as well as keyless entry, power driver seats and blind spot warning system. Seats were a high quality cloth in the mid-level model that I was interested in (Touring), and they were prepared to cut me a teacher’s deal of $1500 off the sticker price, which was $27,500 and change). There were no rebates offered at the time I bought.

The car only comes with a 2.0 liter 155 horsepower four, mated to either a six-speed manual or 6-speed automatic (which can be shifted manually). Most car magazines have not been extremely happy with the power, but Mazda calls this engine SkyActive, meaning that weight has been shed as a concept from the ground up to make this engine quick enough and fuel efficient, at 26-31 mph in an even mix of driving.

My wife had been worn out by the negotiations with Ford earlier in the week, so she told me to handle it on my own. We did have a lively text-conversation through this negotiation, but essentially she said stay with our original requirements, if I could. My trade still brought me only $2500 but they threw in a Sirius/XM radio and installation at cost ($140), allowing me to buy this add-on in cash rather than financing, so I finally said yes with her blessings.

I took delivery on December 15th and have been nothing but pleased with the CX-5 since. It is not overly powerful, yet it is quick. If I need the transmission to shift faster I can always throw it into manual and it scoots. Above all I am most pleased with the gas mileage, a main reason for ditching my old Ford. I’m getting 30.4 mph on regular at this writing. I’ve only had to fill up once since buying the car. I can’t beat that with a stick.

As far as room and comfort is concerned, I find it as roomy as my old truck up front, though I wish the arm rest was just a little be higher and longer. I can still get a tissue box, sunglasses, keys, pens and miscellaneous items in there. There is also a USB port, aux jack and DC power port in the storage bin, all nice to have.

Rear seating is about average for this class; there is more leg room than the Escape, but other SUV’s do boast slightly more. I don’t carry many passengers, so it doesn’t matter much to me. The rear seats fold flat for carrying cargo without much trouble.

Most of the materials up front are high quality and soft touch, though there are a few hard surfaces. I really wanted leather seats, but the cloth in my new car is very excellent quality and should hold up. Leather seats in Arizona are a mixed blessing. They look great, but they are also very painful after sitting in the 100 degree heat and sun a full day in the summer. Interior temps can reach 130 degrees. Try sitting on leather with shorts on after your car has been outside all day in those conditions!

I had the option of buying a car with a moon roof, but those have never appealed for me. Besides they tend to rob a bit of headroom. What I am missing most is a rearview mirror with auto dimming feature, as well as ambient lighting in the foot wells at night, as my old vehicle was equipped with, and a cargo cover. It’s no big deal though, because I can add them as accessories very easily during the coming months, and I will.

The bottom line here is that I paid less and at a lower rate and term for this vehicle than my Ford Explorer Sport Trac 9 years ago. I’ll conclude by saying that my buying experience was protracted, yet ultimately far less stressful than what I expected. You can get mostly what you want if you resolve to hold out and not give in to the ‘falling in love” syndrome that many car buyers do. If you do, you’ll be taken. Most professional car sales people are truly trying to help, even if they are looking out for their best interests. Shop around for the best rates (as we did) and stick to your guns!

A Lighter, Healthier Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo

I absolutely love shrimp gumbo, but it doesn’t love my waistline because of the heavy oil and flour based roux that is the basis of the dish. I mean without the roux, what do you have? You have soup, of course. But what can be done to simulate the silky texture of that roux without all of its heaviness?

If you are a purist when it comes to Gumbo, probably nothing can be done. But without feeling guilty about it (and paying the price with a scale going in the wrong direction) I wanted to taste something approaching this great food without worrying and fretting, so I tried this take recently. Note that there is no sausage in my version. Smoked pork sausage would add too much fat, and to me smoked turkey sausage only adds bulk, but not much flavor, so I left it out. You may of course use these meats as an option. In Weight Watchers point values, my version is only 6 quality points, so it’s a win for me.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked, roasted skinless chicken breast, medium dice
4 oz. raw shrimp shelled and deveined (or other shellfish if you have it)
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, low sodium
½ cup tomato paste, low sodium
1 cup chicken stock, low sodium
1 cup water, divided
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 cup okra, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ chop fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. your favorite Creole spice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp. Liquid Smoke
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce (optional)
Dash salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS

In a medium heavy pot, heat the oil over medium high heat, until it begins to shimmer. Pour in the chopped vegetables, except the parsley and sauté until the onions are clear. Season this layer with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and stir for an additional minute, then add the canned tomatoes, chicken stock and half the water. Now add in the cooked chicken and make slurry with the remaining water and cornstarch, pouring it into the pot and stirring. Season with the creole spices, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce if desired, reduce heat and simmer until mixture begins to thicken. At the end toss in the shrimp and chopped parsley, stir and turn off heat,letting it rest covered for 10 minutes. Serve immediately afterward.

The dish can be served over brown rice, but that will add calories without necessarily enhancing taste. It’s hearty and filling as is, and won't throw your diet all out of whack. Give it a try!

Weight Watchers Update

Boy, I'm so behind here in updates! Thus far, I am about 15 pounds on the good side after seven weeks of following the Weight Watchers For Men system. Honestly, I don't know how I have lost this weight because I have not been working out as I should, and I have eaten what I want. But the scale does not lie. What I am doing is following my daily points very closely (and being honest about it).

That is the key, because if you can accurately account for what you eat (and it's simple if you login daily online) it becomes easy to manage what you are eating. I'm also making use of many of the recipes on the site and posting a few of my own and sharing as well.

The secret to all of this is simply portion control! Measure your portions and stick to it. We overeat as a society as if it's a virtue; indeed we believe that restaurants that serve oversize portions are good values, and patronize them enthusiastically. I've nothing against a dining good value for my hard earned dollar, but I'm also realizing that what may be good for my wallet may not be so good for my belly, and as an extension, my health and well-being.

So what do you do when eating out at Claim Jumpers or Cheesecake Factory, for example? Look for menu items that are not fried, or if you must, don't feel compelled to eat every thing on your plate. Some of those servings are really three or four meals in one. Ask for that doggie bag and take home a portion!

Alcohol consumption is hidden calories that we don't often consider. Two glasses of wine, innocuous to say the least, can equal a whole meal in calories. Add a beer or two and dessert and your meal is now equal to several days worth of calories. Our problem is that we don't think of the cost as we consume the calories, then regret them later when those clothes we just bought suddenly are too tight.

Using the Weight Watchers system, I have become acutely aware of what I'm eating. Really, I don't feel starved or deprived at all. I'm eating what I want, mindful of the fat, carb and cholesterol content, and feeling quite satisfied. A big test was the Thanksgiving holiday, an opportunity to throw caution to the wind, as most of us do. I came out of this long weekend by losing a pound and a half, and I ate my fair share, not feeling deprived at all.

I'm not delusional in thinking I'm there. There is a long way to go in order to meet my long term targets and I know it. But now I have a system and a way to cope with the setbacks along the way. I'm confident that I will meet those targets and maintain afterward!

Italian Lentil and Rosemary Soup

I've managed to lose about 10 pounds in the past month on WeightWatchers for Men, mostly by portion control, cutting out chips, fatty foods and amending recipes we use normally to reduce the fat and salt content. I have a long way to go but I am feeling good in my goal of taking off two to three pounds per week, with recipes such as the one below that I created and converted to WeightWatchers Quality Points. It's easy to make and very satisfying to the palate. It was dinner this evening!

Prep: about 30 minutes
Cook Time: One Hour
Points Value Per Serving (1-1/2 cups, each or 8 servings total): 4

Ingredients

1 cup cooked lentils (in 4 cups lightly salted water, about 30 minutes or until soft)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 strips diced bacon (optional)
1 small uncooked onion(s), minced
1 cup celery, minced
1 cup carrot, minced
1 cup red bell pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp rosemary, minced or crushed if dried
1 tsp bay leaf, 2 leaves
14 oz canned stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
dash salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Optional Italian season spice mix, favorite
1 tsp olive oil
1 quart of vegetable stock, low sodium

Directions

Pre-cook the lentils in a medium sauce pan with about 4 cups of water for 30 minutes, or until the lentils become soft. Drain and set aside. In a large stock pot over medium heat saute the diced bacon in the olive oil until rendered and pour in the minced vegetables. Cook until the onions are clear. Add the lentils and stir to incorporate.

Now pour in the stock, tomatos and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for one hour. Extract the bay leaves and serve with a green salad drizzled lightly with olive oil and balasamic vinegar.