Weigh-in Tuesday, plus Bebop-a-Reebop Rhubarb Sauce (& parfait)

Happy Tuesday to you.  Nothing spectacular on the scale this morning, just a .2 pound loss.  Hey, downward is downward, and considering my gradual veer from the path last week, a small loss is not unexpected. I do have some other non-scale victories, though.  A pair of boot-cut jeans that were far too tight in January (and which I chopped up to make boyfriend-style cropped cuffs) is officially falling off me.  Time for the next jeans size down - and this one is the last pair of too-small pants I'd saved over the years.

I was excited for this morning's post-weigh-in breakfast.  This weekend I found rhubarb at the farmer's market, so I made sauce to go with my yogurt this week.

I'm no stranger to rhubarb in yogurt.  While in Italy on our honeymoon, I came upon an Italian brand of yogurt that made a rhubarb variety that, once I tasted, I bought every morning in Venice.  (Except for the last morning, when I tried moving some yogurt cartons to see if a rhubarb carton was hiding in the back. I quickly learned that this is not acceptable behavior in Venice.)  I could not find it in Florence or Rome, nor could my brother find it during his three years living in Milan.  Couldn't find it online, either - I only found a recipe for frozen rhubarb yogurt pops, which I made last year.  They were good but not as good as that damn Venetian yogurt.

So in its absence, I made Bebop-a-Reebop Rhubarb Sauce.

Typically, I like the tart flavor of rhubarb on its own. Just slicing into it, releasing that tangy bouquet - brings me back to my childhood, chomping on a puckery-tart stalk raw from the garden, my mom and dad weeding nearby.  But when the rhubarb is sour, like the batch I got at the market, you have to use a lot of sugar to balance.  Instead, I used strawberries to sweeten, and a small amount of agave to round it out.

The fewer ingredients, the better! Just 2 cups each of strawberries & rhubarb, and 2 tb agave.
(I did add a touch of corn starch when it became clear it was going to be too watery.)

Chop the rhubarb (peel if it's stringy) and strawberries. 
Bring the agave and 1/3 cup water to a simmer and add rhubarb/strawberries.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes, and add a touch of corn starch (I used 1 tsp) if it isn't thickening.

I enjoy my 1/2 cup by alternating rhubarb & yogurt like a parfait, and topping it with a 1/2 cup of my favorite cereal (Honey Oat, from Trader Joe's.)

By the way, if the name of my recipe is confusing, you should know that my family was the kind of Midwestern family that listened to A Prairie Home Companion on Saturday evening car trips.  I can't think of rhubarb without thinking of Bebop-a-Reebop Rhubarb Pie.




(And, yes, be prepared for me to sing the ketchup theme song when I get around to finessing my homemade ketchup recipe.)

Here's part 5 of my week of food loggin' -
Monday, May 23 - 1331 calories
Breakfast - 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup honey-oat cereal, 1 boiled egg
Lunch - 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1 baked potato, 1 tsp Earth Balance, 2 tb fat free sour cream, 3 oz scallops seared in Pam
Dinner - 1 cup green beans with broth/onions/thyme, 1.5 cups of chicken/basmati/pomegranate-walnut sauce, 2 apricots, 12 cherries
Beverages - 32 oz water, 32 oz unsweetened mojito iced tea, 8 oz milk

OK. That's it for today.  Check back with me tomorrow for Adventure Wednesday - I've got some interesting things to share.  And keep taking care of you!