Slacker blogger

This week work has gotten the best of me and I have not been very good at posting. I had a choice - I could exercise at the end of the day, or write - and I chose exercise. When work gets crazy, exercise and nutrition are usually the first to things to go out the window for most people, but that's really when you need it most. So I made the choice to keep my sanity... and I figured since I only have 7 readers at this point - it doesn't really matter.

Fortunately this week I have at least been able to make some time to cook and not eat out. Last week I didn't spend one dollar on food items during the work week and I hope to continue that trend. Over the weekend I made a pasta salmon dish (using brown rice penne pasta). It had some fresh veggies, and was flavored with low sodium soy sauce (which really isn’t that low in sodium… but compared to a restaurant it is). I simmered the sodium in a skillet and added some blue agave nectar to thicken and sweeten it. The blue agave nectar is a great sweetner, it is low in sugar and really low in the glycemic index.

I also have been making some tasty wraps (the same ones I wrote about last week) with brown rice, avocados, lemon juice, greens, fresh parmesan cheese, chicken and marinara sauce (I added some marinara pasta sauce from a jar because I had nothing else available).

Last night I made fresh salmon on the grill (the pre-marinated Alaskan Salmon is back at Trader Joe’s!). Other than that I have been sticking with my trusty roast beef sandwiches on Ezekiel bread for lunches.

Another tasty snack that’s been doing the trick at work: Kashi puffs, mixed with non fat yogurt and fresh blueberries. Yummmmm.

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pre-swim snack, toast and almond butter.

Here's a great snack when you're hungry and short on time. A piece of toast (Ezekiel bread of course) and almond butter (I like the creamy, unsalted kind). It's a great source of healthy carbs, protein and lots of unsaturated fat. A perfect well balanced snack - and it is literally faster to make than a frozen meal. 

Yummy sandwich.

I've been promising to follow up on the post about staples for a week now... but the week got the best of me. Busy with work and training... this blogging thing takes a lot of time! sheesh. Anyway, I thought I'd post about the awesome sandwich I just made. First of all, I can't say enough good things about Ezekiel bread and tortillas. It's the only bread I'm going to buy from here on out. It is available at Trader Joe's in many different varieties, including low sodium, wheat free, etc. 


The type I am using is low sodium. I have always looked for bread that was free of high fructose corn syrup, but it wasn't until recently that I realized how much sodium is in most breads. It's actually pretty insane. A lot of people on diets that are "program diets" (from personal trainers,  or programs like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc) are not looking out for sodium at all, but it's a major contributor to obesity, and also high blood pressure, and as I've posted about before - we eat dangerously high amounts of it.


This mornings sandwich includes two pieces of Ezekiel low sodium bread, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado (of course), roast beef, and light swiss (TJ's), with dijon mustard. The roast beef is from Trader Joe's also, nitrate free and unpreserved meat. Simple and delicious. Next time I might consider adding some sprouts.


The sandwich is yummy... I highly recommend you try one. It's definitely going to make it on the lunch menu next week. So, to tie this post back to the conversation about staples, I would say that there are a few things I probably will stop getting at Trader Joe's, despite the fact that I get most of my staples there... Avocados for one, they are usually too hard, and then ripen so fast you're left with a bunch of soft Avos.


Next, tomatoes are really not that great there, unless you buy the more expensive vine ripened tomatoes - but I think this is something I could do better with at Ralph's or another grocery store. Lately I've been disappointed to find that my favorite wild salmon hasn't been available either. They used to have a great pre-marinated wild caught Alaskan Salmon, but lately only the Sockeye Salmon has been available and it's not as good in my opinion (dry and fishy tasting). You could probably marinade it and make it taste good, but I never have the time. Produce in general is a bit spotty at TJ's.


Anyway, try the sandwich, it's a great healthy treat. Also, try out the Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas, they are great also. 

Feeling unmotivated? Sue Sylvester wouldn't sit on the couch...

I'm feeling entirely unmotivated tonight. I'm taking a night off from training and I feel like a complete slug. It doesn't feel like well deserved rest like I usually feel. After a weekend of hard training but unhealthy eating, I'm left feeling tired and kind of "off" right now and guilty for taking the night off. I know that Sue Sylvester wouldn't be sitting on the couch posting on a blog like I am right now. Nope, she'd be out doing one armed push ups, running, biking, swimming and what not. She'd probably be blowing a whistle also and shouting obscenities. Maybe that is the key... maybe we all need to shout obscenities at ourselves every once in a while to get our buts off of our couches [contrary to Dr. Oz and Oprah's warm and fuzzy love yourself approach which is really for the birds].

I guess it all comes down to what your routine is and what you eat. It's funny, even with all of the exercise in the world, if you don't eat right, the math still doesn't work out quite right if you're not fueling yourself right. A lot of people have the misperception that athletes can eat whatever they want (perpetuated partly by the Michael Phelps diet). But it's not the case, as your body becomes more efficient and in shape, it needs fewer calories to accomplish the same amount of work. Michael Phelps only consumes insane amounts of calories when he is competing and ramping up his daily routine for a race.

While I'm on the lesbian female role model track, I would like to mention that Suze Orman would still be proud of me, so at least I have that today. I brought my own lunch and snacks to work today, and didn't even buy a coffee. I actually did not spend any money on food today (a feat for me, since I work in a building attached to a grocery store and in a neighborhood with great restaurants). The brown rice, chicken and black bean burritos that I posted about earlier in the day were delicious. They were a little on the dry side, but I think the avocado will help (and maybe a little more lemon juice). Unfortunately the avocados are still rock hard (that's the one thing about Trader Joe's, you really just never know what you're going to get with their produce. Anyway, the moral of this post is to always remember Sue & Suze when you loose motivation.

'Dirty dozen' produce carries more pesticide residue, group says

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dirty Dozen:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Domestic blueberries
• Nectarines
• Sweet bell peppers
• Spinach, kale and collard greens
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Imported grapes
• Lettuce

You should note that avocados are on the good list! Even non organic avos are not as drenched in pesticides as the items listed above.

 

Read on…http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html?hpt=C1

Memorial Day is over, time to get back on the wagon!

Ok, so Memorial Day is over, now it's time to get back on the wagon.  I promised last week that I would put together a list of what to do with your staples... but of course I left off a couple items from the list that I want to post about today. So instead I'm going to post about today's lunch - and I'll get to staples later tonight.

I went to Trader Joe's last night to get some more food (chicken and Ezekiel wraps, amonst other things). I cooked up some more brown rice, and grilled some chicken on the BBQ. I shredded the chicken and put it into a container, and strained some canned black beans (didn't have time to do dry beans this time). I put the strained beans into another container, and then put the cooked brown rice into another. We have a small lemon tree on the roof where I live, so I got a free lemon from the roof... and I was ready to go. Having everything prepped in plastic containers really helps me follow through with making lunch. I need it to be fast and brainless in the morning (after all, I'm operating without coffee at this point).

This morning before work I made a couple of really healthy burritos to take to work for lunch. I used Ezekiel wraps (Ezekiel makes some of the healthiest breads and wraps available and can be bought at Trader Joe's), I added some brown rice, shredded chicken, black beans, lettuce, a squirt of fresh lemon and salt. I bought avocados to include with this but they aren't ripe yet, so no avocados today.

The burritos turned out pretty good, but I think the avocados will help to make it more moist. Hopefully by tomorrow or the next day they will be ready for experimenting with. I like to eat alot, so I brought a container of brown rice and black beans as a side dish (and two burritos because the Ezekiel wraps aren't very big). I also brought 2 Cliff bars with me, although I haven't had to rip into them yet (a good sign that the burritos are both healthy and filling!).

I might also add some tomatoes next time I make this. I didn't have time this morning because my cat kept waking me up at 4am to feed him, and I was in a really crabby mood by the time I was ready to make my lunch.

I don't have a name for this lunch, but it's basically just a healthy brown rice, bean and grilled chicken burrito. Adding lemon juice is a nice touch, and you'll find you do not need nearly as much salt when you do this.

Planned Bingeing

So you eat healthy, bring your lunches to work, and don't eat junk food. We all know it's good for us, and so we do it, even though sometimes we'd rather sink our teeth into a jelly donut, or a buttery croissant from Starbucks... but does that mean you can't ever eat out again? Or it greasy Mexican food? Of course not.

I like to plan my binge eating. It somehow makes me feel like I deserve it that way, and then I never feel bad about it. I try to eat as healthy as possible otherwise, but after a few weeks of really staying on target in the food and exercise department, there's nothing better than planning on night out with friends with unhealthy food on the agenda.

Last night I went out with some friends from my swim team to Senor Fred's in Sherman Oaks. I had some Mahi Mahi tacos, with rice and beans, a couple Mexican beers, lots of greasy chips and salsa, and half of someone elses burrito (because she's pregnant and can't quite keep the food down like she used to - at least for now, we'll see how that changes in her second trimester).

At one time, I would have felt pretty guilty for eating like that. But not last night because it was a planned event, and I know that I would have never set foot in there otherwise. The food doesn't sound unhealthy, when I write Mahi Mahi tacos, you might be thinking, that doesn't sound unhealthy... on the surface it doesn't, but I'm sure I consumed around 1800-2000 calories and probably a similar amount of sodium. You just can't get away from it, restaurants are really the axis of evil when it comes to eating healthy, and especially Mexican food [sadly].

The bill came to $31.00 per person. Ever since I started this blog I've been keeping better track of my food expenses and I realized last night as we were paying, that I used to spend close to this amount every day on food when I was eating out all of the time. I could easily spend $15-20 on a lunch, and then I would go to the grocery store (which is physically attached to the building I work in) once or twice a day for another snack.

Anyway, it made me realize that this is the way it is supposed to be. Bring your lunches, eat healthy, and enjoy a nice greasy Mexican meal and beer with your friends on occasion, and everything will be alright. Fighting the guilt cycle is one of the root issues surrounding obesity. Food should never make us feel bad, whether it is healthy or not... there are too many people that have none for that nonsense.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend everyone! Eat well, and I'll be back next week posting more about what to do with your staples from the post earlier in the week.