Author Archives: Emily

Eat Like an Egyptian

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As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m going to try to work on cleaning up my eating a bit this month.  Not only do I have some weight to lose, but I’m hosting a foodie challenge with Allison in June and I’d like to have all my ducks in a row first.

Since I’m also officially starting my classes as a Nutrition student in June, I figured I should turn to the food pyramid for some inspiration.

Goals are always more achievable when you take specific small steps, rather than trying to tackle something big all at once.  I’d like to clean up my eating a bit, what does that mean?  I want to lose some weight.  I’d like to have more energy.  I need to make sure I’m fueling my body properly and staying healthy.  Weighty goals indeed.

So I broke down my big goal into little mini goals, one for each of the first three weeks.

  1. May 3rd – May 9th:  Eat 2 cups of fruit every day.
  2. May 10th – May 16th:  Eat 2.5 cups of vegetables every day.
  3. May 17th – May 23rd:  Eat only 250 discretionary calories per day.

I’ll do a post explaining more about the goal at the beginning of each week.  I will also do daily updates about my progress.

[All images in this post sourced from http://www.mypyramid.gov/]

Sunday Night Dinners

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I hope everyone has had a great weekend!  It’s been an interesting Sunday around here; both Adam and I barely got any sleep last night so the whole day has felt like a dream.  As thrilled as I am about the warming weather, we are in that strange time where a blanket is too heavy but a sheet is too light and we don’t know whether we want to turn on the heat or the ac.  Hopefully we’ll get things figured out by tonight!

We slept in and lounged around so I didn’t eat until close to noon and I ended up having breakfast and lunch in reverse.  Lunch first –

Eggplant, and yam, and brussels sprouts, oh my!  I tried to mix up my seasoning with balsamic vinegar and sadly this wasn’t as tasty as my usual veggie skillets so I’ll spare you the recipe.  It sure looked pretty though.

Probably because it wasn’t the taste I was expecting, lunch didn’t satisfy me at all.  I ended up eating ‘breakfast’ a little later.

1cup Kashi H2H with 2T dried cranberries and 1T cinnamon chips.  And skim milk of course.

The cereal did the trick.

My parents, who don’t do a whole lot of cooking, always make fish on Sunday nights and have a fancy dinner.  Sadly this tradition began after I moved out, which is probably why it hasn’t caught on in my house.  We have things like Dairy Queen for Sunday night dinner.

We had to repark the car for the weekday morning so Adam suggested taking a drive and we ended up at DQ.  I’d be lying if I said that my turtle blizzard didn’t feel like the perfect dinner!

I’m glad I got in some veggies at lunch, but I didn’t eat a single piece of fruit today.  Healthy living fail!   And an issue I’m actually going to address in another post later today.  Be on the lookout for it this evening.

Does your family have any special traditions for Sunday night dinners?

Dessert Before Dinner

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When I talked about my great grocery buys earlier I didn’t even mention the most exciting one –

Turkey Hill Southern Lemon Pie Frozen Yogurt!  I was dying to try it but we were headed out to run more errands so I portioned 1.5servings into a go cup.

I also grabbed a big handful of baby carrots.

And thank goodness, because there was nary a veggie to be found on my dinner plate.

In the most random move on Earth, at 8:30pm we headed to I-HOP for dinner.

I ate 1.5 of my NY cheesecake pancakes, 1 of my eggs, and both slices of turkey bacon.  The husband was more than happy to polish off the rest of my meal.  I eat pancakes maybe twice a year but I’d been craving them for the last month so it was nice to fulfil the urge.

What is your favorite breakfast order (from a restaurant, no yogurt messes!); pancakes, waffles, or french toast?  If I had to choose I’d go with french toast, but I generally prefer to order eggs.

You’re Too Kind

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I’m back!  I spent the last three days letting Chemistry make me her b***h, do I look any worse for the wear?

My final this morning actually didn’t go all that well, but at this point I’m glad to be done.  Plus, it’s hard to feel anything but grateful when I read over all the nice comments you guys left on my last post!  I loved all the sweet things you had to say, but do feel free to voice anything negative if you’re ever so inclined.  I always miss blogging when I’m away but I’ve especially been itching to get back today.  I also appreciated your support on my moderation plan, I’m pretty excited about it.

This morning before the slaughter final I ate a Hazelnut Bumble Bar for breakfast.

Then THREE HOURS LATER I was freeeeeeeee!  I actually have an Anthropology final next week but it’s pretty low-key so I’m letting the whimsy overtake me.

Adam and I had errands to run this afternoon so lunch was the soul-soother that is Wegman’s salad bar.

I had a little bit of broccoli,

some amazingly delicious roasted eggplant and squash (I almost went back to purchase more of this!),

Channa Masala,

and a half piece of Naan.

Lunch was fantastic, and our grocery shopping went pretty well too.  We purchased a bunch of fun things this week that I’m excited to blog about.  For example, Simply Lemonade Raspberry.

I generally try not to drink a lot of juice (although I’ve actually been trying to up my intake of calcium+vitamin d oj) but the Simply line is so perfect that I make an exception.  The lack of sugar overload is so refreshing.  I enjoyed a glass (8oz) during this post.

Mmmn, pink!

In spite of all our good finds, we had to make another stop on the way home to purchase our poultry.

I’d been having some misgivings about our Wegman’s chicken – skinless, boneless, breasts – for a while and after Adam watched the entire Earthlings movie last week he was easily convinced that we needed to step up our ethical purchasing power.  While I have no moral qualms consuming poultry (I’ll never eat pork or beef, i.e. mammals), I do take issue with not treating the chickens, whose lives we take, with respect.  From now on we’ll be purchasing our meat from the local co-op.  It costs a bit more, but I’m more concerned with the cost to my karma right now.

Free Bird.  Vegetarian fed, humanely raised, no growth hormones used.  Check, check, check.

To my omnivore readers – what kind of meat do you purchase?  What guides your choice money, morals, apathy, or a mix of all three?

And another thing – After reading some negative blog posts about product reviews (a whole ‘nother story) I got to thinking.  I occasionally review a sample or two that a company sends, but I’ve pretty much stopped reviewing the products I’ve purchased.  But I’m excited about food, and I feel like I have good great taste.  So for now on I will at least try to link to the website of products that I’ve purchased that I think are exceptional.

Bringing Moderation Back

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Hi there!  If my pre-posting actually works, while you’re reading this I’ll be busy taking my Chemistry final.  Think smart thoughts for me please!  And I’ll be back to regularly scheduled posting this afternoon.

Copyright issues aside, the title sounds like “Bringing Sexy Back” because that’s kind of the point.  Getting the sexy back.  Because the place I’m at so does not feel sexy; more like excessive and frustrating.

I’ve been called a lot of names.  Mostly Mouse, but sometimes Turnip.  But lately the husband has taken to calling me “Beluga.”  With an absolutely disgusting level of glee.  Don’t get all pissed at the husband, I’m certainly not.  For a while in college Adam got a bit pudgy and I called him “Piglet” for months until he lost the weight.

Adam actually thinks I’m super hot; he has no complaints.  But he’s all too accurate that I’m bigger than is normal for me.  And I actually have some complaints.  I’m 24.  I’ve never been pregnant and I don’t have a thyroid disorder.  It’s true that cardio was off-limits to me a lot of this year, but I let my frustration about my injuries serve as an excuse to slack on strength and stretch moves.  Maybe I can’t run for a while, but I can master the pigeon pose and have banging abs.  But I don’t, and that was a choice.

I don’t believe in diets.  I do believe in honoring your hunger.  I also believe that I’m so hungry lately because I’ve been feeding my body so much crap.  I need to retrain myself.  (I also need to drink more water but that’s a different issue)  So, for a while at least, Saturday and Sunday I’ll eat as I please.  But Monday – Friday I’m going to man up (mouse up?) and deal with being hungry.  Because I’d rather be uncomfortable in the short-term if it leads to me being healthier and not always feeling like I’m about to gnaw my arm off.  I already plan all of my M-F meals anyway, now I’m just going to stick to the plan*.

*Please note:  NOT a diet.  The plan is to eat a normal amount.  And I might plan to eat some cookies.  And S/S are NOT “cheat days.”  I fully respect everyone’s food/diet choices but that term makes me cringe.

So for the next month, here are the main takeaway points:

  1. Plan to eat a normal, full amount.  Then suck it up and go hungry if necessary.
  2. Eat whenever I’m hungry on the weekends so I don’t go crazy.
  3. Not cutting out all the crap, but cutting back.
  4. Deal with dehydration “hunger,” drink some darn water!

Wish me luck!

Do you have any advice for me?  I know the water idea is a smart one.  A lot of people recommend filling up with a salad with meals but lately homemade salads have been making me gag.  Any ideas I’m missing?

3 Days

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I’m not as focused on my studying as I need to be.  And since I didn’t focus all semester that’s a bigger problem than one might expect.  So – mini (mini!) blog hiatus is now on the schedule.  Today yesterday through Friday.  I’m not going to recap later either because the food situation isn’t all that exciting; yesterday I actually ate a Lean Pocket!

For the 20minutes a day I’m allowing myself to go online, would you guys mind keeping my entertained?  I want to get to know my readers!

  1. How old are you?
  2. Where do you live?
  3. What’s your favorite tv show?
  4. What is the next fitness goal you would like to achieve?
  5. Are there any changes (comment and criticize away!) you would like me to make to the blog when I return?

Everyday Should Be Earth Day

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As soon as I publish this post (and perhaps spend a moment or two doing some mindless blog perusing…) I’ve got to get back to work.  I’m taking Adam to school tomorrow so I’ve got an early morning and I’m not sure how well it will balance with my late night.  I did have a good study session with Caroline this evening though.

Since I sort of ‘missed’ Earth Day I’ve got to show off the eco-friendly bracelet my mom sent me –

It’s made of recycled tires, available here.

I ate a late lunch to help hold me over but I also packed a baggie of dried fruit – kiwi, apricot, hibiscus – to take to the Spot with me.

I ended up adding in a serving of Divine Fruit and Nut Dark Chocolate as well.

The extra dark chocolate paired fabulously with the fruit but it was a bit too much sugar in total and I ended up only eating about half of what I packed.  I guess my snack for tomorrow is already packed.

I also bought a small non-fat iced latte with sugar-free caramel syrup.

And yes, I had a diet coke too 😉

Back to the grindstone!

I didn’t really miss Earth Day, because Adam and I try to be eco-conscious every day.  For example, we recycle all of our cans, bottles and papers, reuse every food container we can, and reduce consumption by trying to avoid items with excess packaging.  What does your family regularly do for it’s Mama (Earth)?

A Spot of Tea

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I had my head buried in the books all morning so it ended up being a late lunch.  I have three more chapters worth of notecards to make before I can get into the nitty gritty of reviewing.

The husband’s been nagging me to cut back on the diet soda (a.k.a my lifeblood) so today I gave iced tea a try.  I combined 4 bags of Snapple berry tea with 3cups of water in a saucepan and heated them to a low simmer. 

Then I cut the heat and let them stew for five minutes before discarding the bags.  Finally I dumped in a tray of ice-cups.  Voila, a pot of tea –

My strainer ladle was the perfect serving implement.

And I enjoyed this glass x2 while I studied.

I also enjoyed geeked out over a few of these.

Cherry-cola salt water taffy, I am so onboard!  Cherry cola is one my favorite flavors (my favorite diet soda addiction is Cherry Coke Zero), in fact I’ve already decided to order a Roy Rogers next time I’m in a restaurant!

Around 2:30 I finally came to a stopping point and made a worth-the-wait lunch.

  1. First I put 1t canola oil into a saucepan over medium high heat.  Once the oil was warm I added in 1/2 a medium sweet potato, chopped and 1/4cup roughly chopped red onion.  I seasoned the veggies with s&p and spicy Hungarian paprika.
  2. I cooked the veggies for ~5minutes before adding 2 handfuls of fresh kale.
  3. I poured 1/4cup h2o over the kale and let the water disappear before I added 1/2cup black beans.
  4. Finally I poured in 1t chipotle oil and toss everything together.

Yums!  I’m not a vegan, but my favorite meals are always a combo of veggies.

When Adam gets home around 4 he’s driving me to The Spot for a study session with Caroline.  I’m probably going to be at the coffee shop every night this week and I’d rather not spend that much $ on food so hopefully my late lunch will be able to hold me over until a late dinner.

What do you drink all day long?  I have no plans of quitting soda, but I did agree to cut back a bit, and more importantly drink more water!  In addition to my tea I’ve already also had a few glasses of the plain stuff.