Is this scale wrong??? I recently weighed myself, and I realize that I have gotten off track. Life has gotten in the way of my best intentions to eat healthy, but I am now officially 1 pound away from what I weighed at my heaviest point in life. BOOOOO! An OUNCE of PREVENTION is a HEALTHY weight, so time to turn over a new leaf.
So let's be honest, how much do I weigh? I weighed in at 176 lbs on Mon at the Bastyr Clinic. I was not very pleased. I knew my weight had been "creeping" up since I had gone back to school 2 years ago. All those "quick" stops for food during my SWAMPED schedule with the justification of, "I will only eat this, just this once;" has finally added up. What's worse, is my stress eating! Mid-night study snacks, OMG; then there is stress eating during mid-terms; AND THEEEEEN there is eating EVERYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON during finals; (Whoever told my teachers they could only test me at the middle and the end of the quarter deserves a swift kick in the hoohaa!); oh yes, and let us not forget the "THANK F-ING GOD I MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER QUARTER!!!" celebratory eating AND DRINKING. It is too much... 18 lbs too much **gasp***.
Some of you who know me are going to do the math and realize that by loosing 18 lbs, I will not be at my government suggested target weight for my height, but before you say anything, I LIKE MYSELF at the mid 150's. It is a nice achievable realistic goal for me, and I have ZERO health problems. My blood work is beautiful and I do not look or feel poorly, so please do not post that I need to loose more because I do not agree. O.K. moving on.
So what is my plan? Well, first and foremost BREAKFAST!!!!! Healthy breakfast (for example, scrambled egg whites with a sprinkle of 2% cheese and maybe some summer veges mixed in, or oatmeal with cinnamon and a little brown sugar and fresh fruit). These are easy things that take mere minutes to make with a little preparation.
For those of you who know me well, you know that I am notoriously horrible about eating breakfast. I have a terrible habit, like many Americans, of taking coffee to go as I run out the door trying to grab the million things I need to take with me and forgetting half of them do to the lack of focus my starving brain has. Once I arrive at school or work, I spend 2-3 hours trying my best to focus on whatever is being said or happening around me until finally I get a break or get to take lunch. At this point I am famished, grouchy, and have absolutely no focus and no patience left for even my closest friends. Then I run to the nearest food source (yes, even fast food) and buy whatever I can find that is close to practical and somewhat affordable. I also require that my food include some sort of vegetable, although my standard of vegetable can drop to include the rare piece of lettuce on a cheeseburger if I am desperate and exceptionally starving. After grabbing whatever meal I can get my hands on, I eat so fast to kill the hunger pains that I barely taste the food and finally run back to class or work with food sloshing around in my stomach and feeling a bit queasy. As you can see, none of this is a recipe for good health and digestion or healthy weight.
So that's it, that's the beginning of my plan. After, I have successfully implemented breakfast into my life, I will reveal my next step. In the meantime, I am going to try to make breakfast a habit, and yes, of course, cut out the fastfood and quick meals. I will keep you posted. What do they say, "it takes 2 weeks to make a new habit,"...? I will let you know.
I would like to note to anyone reading this, that I do not plan to go on a diet. I am making the life decision to choose to just make better food choices and to eat healthier. I am a healthcare professional with a plethera of knowledge, and do to the fact that I am a student at Bastyr University, I have tons of information and doctors at my disposal, so I feel well equipped to start out on this journey. I recommend to anyone who decides to make any dietary changes to consult with a qualified healthcare provider.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Making Granola
I made my first ever granola today from a recipe that I modified that had a foundation based in the 70's. I wanted something to mix with my delicious Greek Gods Low-Fat Yogurt. This is the culmination of research of about 7 granola recipes that I found online to learn the foundation of what is in granola. This is what I came up with. I hope you like it. It is high in protein and absolutely delicious. I am so proud of myself. Try it out if you like.
Shandalla's Soon To Be Famous, Delicious Granola
3 cups of rolled oats
1 cup combined of crushed mixed nuts and slivered almonds
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds (I buy mine raw and then toast them myself)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocunut
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of melted coconut oil (note: cocunut oil is solid at room temperature)
2/3 cup of honey
Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of dried fruit of choice (craisins, apricots, apple, etc)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, unsweetened coconut, and vanilla. Next, measure the cocunut oil and then, place the measured solid oil in a small microwave safe cup and put the cup in the microwave for 20 seconds allowing the oil to melt**. Next, pour the oil over the mixture and stir thoroughly coating the granola. After the mixture is well combined, mix in the honey and combine until even. Next, take a large deep oven safe pan and spray it with non-stick cooking spray, and then pour the granola mixture into the pan. Finally, place the pan in the preheated oven, uncovered for 30 minutes making sure to stir approximately every 7-10 minutes to ensure even cooking. After 30 minutes, remove the pan, give the granola a final stir and let it cool for 15 min. Stir again and place granola in a bowl and mix in the dried fruit. Allow to finish cooling. Store in a clean dry sealed container and enjoy when desired.
**Note: If you do not have a microwave, you can simply place the measured oil in a cup and place the cup in a bowl of HOT water, ensuring the water does go into the cup. This will melt the oil in a matter of minutes.
Variation:
Add a 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips or cholcolate nibs to make a very divine stand alone sweet treat.
Shandalla's Soon To Be Famous, Delicious Granola
3 cups of rolled oats
1 cup combined of crushed mixed nuts and slivered almonds
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds (I buy mine raw and then toast them myself)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocunut
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of melted coconut oil (note: cocunut oil is solid at room temperature)
2/3 cup of honey
Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of dried fruit of choice (craisins, apricots, apple, etc)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, unsweetened coconut, and vanilla. Next, measure the cocunut oil and then, place the measured solid oil in a small microwave safe cup and put the cup in the microwave for 20 seconds allowing the oil to melt**. Next, pour the oil over the mixture and stir thoroughly coating the granola. After the mixture is well combined, mix in the honey and combine until even. Next, take a large deep oven safe pan and spray it with non-stick cooking spray, and then pour the granola mixture into the pan. Finally, place the pan in the preheated oven, uncovered for 30 minutes making sure to stir approximately every 7-10 minutes to ensure even cooking. After 30 minutes, remove the pan, give the granola a final stir and let it cool for 15 min. Stir again and place granola in a bowl and mix in the dried fruit. Allow to finish cooling. Store in a clean dry sealed container and enjoy when desired.
**Note: If you do not have a microwave, you can simply place the measured oil in a cup and place the cup in a bowl of HOT water, ensuring the water does go into the cup. This will melt the oil in a matter of minutes.
Variation:
Add a 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips or cholcolate nibs to make a very divine stand alone sweet treat.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Jammed Adventures
Yes it is that beautiful time of year in Seattle. The sun is out, the air is warm, and FINALLY, the garden is yielding beautiful foods for your eating pleasure. Not only do you have fresh home grown food, but way more than you could possibly eat before it goes bad. What to do? Preserve it!!! Yes, I did it, for the first time ever in my life, I made jam. Globs, yes globs of it! That is what it turns into, globs of delicious, sugary goodness that will last you through the year when you are craving something that reminds you of summer in the cold, bleak February month when spring is just around the corner, but still too far to see.
I am excited about my jam experience. It was a hot sticky adventure, but well worth it. I personally do not have a garden, so my adventure began at the farmers market. It is berry season. All the berries I could imagine were available for purchase in bulk. My jamming adventure was inspired by my friend Susie "with an S" when she brought over the first strawberries in honey preserves for a wonderfully delicious early summer dessert. I was like, "I totally want to do this," thus, my journey to preserve all things delicious has begun.
Naturally, I decided to enlist the help of my good friend Michelley because last year she taught me how to make canned pumpkin bread and canned zucchini bread (which we will be doing again when these crops come in season:). Unfortunately my friend Michelle had never made jam either, so what else would you do in this situation but but a book on how to do it. What a great experience! We were two newbies in the kitchen, crushing berries and apricots.
After skimming our how to book,"Preserve It," By Lynda Brown. We decided that even a couple of cooking novices could do this, which we are not. We were further lulled into a very nice sense of security after we took 3 lbs of apricots and made apricot jam without a hitch. WOOP! We are officially intermediate preservers. We graduated ourselves from novice, patted ourselves on the back and set out to make a mixed berry jam that contained a combined 8-9lbs black berries, raspberries, and blueberries that were obtained from the Ballard Farmers Market. We should have measured because this is where it got interesting. We were following the recipe when we realized we added too much lemon juice to our berries, now we needed to off set the lemon flavor. We scoured her kitchen and opted to add some over ripe plums Michelle had lounging in her refrigerator. Ahhh! Problem solved. Let's relax and enjoy some food while we simmer the berries; we had been at this for 4 hours now. LET THE CHAOS ENSUE!!!
"Hey I think the berries are boil...s&$t, f&^k! The berries boiled over, quick turn off the stove, WAIT! OUCH! Hot sugary berry juice preserves all over the stove, WAIT! OUCH!! F*&K!! Quick grab that towel... WAIT, It's White!!! Whatever, hand it here!! The smoke detectors!" At this point every smoke detector in the house is going off (sorry upstairs neighbors). After about 4 1/2 minutes of absolute mayhem, the house was filled with the caramelly smell of burnt sugar and smoke that was somewhat suffocating. We both had various burns from splattered boiling sugary berry goodness, and we needed lavender (FYI: It's to soothe the burns. Never can or preserve without it).
Finally, the smoke detectors were quiet and the clean up begins. About 45 min later, the mess was contained and cleaned up (wish BP worked that fast, but I digress). Anyhow we were left with a relatively cooler mix of potential berry jam that now needed to be corrected because the loss of part an unknown amount of the recipe. Reheat and taste, that's the perfect place to begin. Now we needed more sugar... now it was too liquidy...CRAP!!!! Add pectin to thicken, simmer some more. Phew, it passed the set test, we are ready to jar and seal.
After 7+ hours our jam was resting and setting up. Michelley and I were sticky as hell and reeked to high France of lavender, but we were happy and satisfied. We felt our canning adventure was a great success even if we were convinced we would be sticky for the rest of our lives. It was a great fun experience that we plan to repeat quite a few more times this season. Michelle would like to do every recipe in the whole book, while I would settle for making some pickles, mango chutney, apple butter, and red pepper jelly. We'll see! For now our canning adventures are to be continued :)
I am excited about my jam experience. It was a hot sticky adventure, but well worth it. I personally do not have a garden, so my adventure began at the farmers market. It is berry season. All the berries I could imagine were available for purchase in bulk. My jamming adventure was inspired by my friend Susie "with an S" when she brought over the first strawberries in honey preserves for a wonderfully delicious early summer dessert. I was like, "I totally want to do this," thus, my journey to preserve all things delicious has begun.
Naturally, I decided to enlist the help of my good friend Michelley because last year she taught me how to make canned pumpkin bread and canned zucchini bread (which we will be doing again when these crops come in season:). Unfortunately my friend Michelle had never made jam either, so what else would you do in this situation but but a book on how to do it. What a great experience! We were two newbies in the kitchen, crushing berries and apricots.
After skimming our how to book,"Preserve It," By Lynda Brown. We decided that even a couple of cooking novices could do this, which we are not. We were further lulled into a very nice sense of security after we took 3 lbs of apricots and made apricot jam without a hitch. WOOP! We are officially intermediate preservers. We graduated ourselves from novice, patted ourselves on the back and set out to make a mixed berry jam that contained a combined 8-9lbs black berries, raspberries, and blueberries that were obtained from the Ballard Farmers Market. We should have measured because this is where it got interesting. We were following the recipe when we realized we added too much lemon juice to our berries, now we needed to off set the lemon flavor. We scoured her kitchen and opted to add some over ripe plums Michelle had lounging in her refrigerator. Ahhh! Problem solved. Let's relax and enjoy some food while we simmer the berries; we had been at this for 4 hours now. LET THE CHAOS ENSUE!!!
"Hey I think the berries are boil...s&$t, f&^k! The berries boiled over, quick turn off the stove, WAIT! OUCH! Hot sugary berry juice preserves all over the stove, WAIT! OUCH!! F*&K!! Quick grab that towel... WAIT, It's White!!! Whatever, hand it here!! The smoke detectors!" At this point every smoke detector in the house is going off (sorry upstairs neighbors). After about 4 1/2 minutes of absolute mayhem, the house was filled with the caramelly smell of burnt sugar and smoke that was somewhat suffocating. We both had various burns from splattered boiling sugary berry goodness, and we needed lavender (FYI: It's to soothe the burns. Never can or preserve without it).
Finally, the smoke detectors were quiet and the clean up begins. About 45 min later, the mess was contained and cleaned up (wish BP worked that fast, but I digress). Anyhow we were left with a relatively cooler mix of potential berry jam that now needed to be corrected because the loss of part an unknown amount of the recipe. Reheat and taste, that's the perfect place to begin. Now we needed more sugar... now it was too liquidy...CRAP!!!! Add pectin to thicken, simmer some more. Phew, it passed the set test, we are ready to jar and seal.
After 7+ hours our jam was resting and setting up. Michelley and I were sticky as hell and reeked to high France of lavender, but we were happy and satisfied. We felt our canning adventure was a great success even if we were convinced we would be sticky for the rest of our lives. It was a great fun experience that we plan to repeat quite a few more times this season. Michelle would like to do every recipe in the whole book, while I would settle for making some pickles, mango chutney, apple butter, and red pepper jelly. We'll see! For now our canning adventures are to be continued :)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS FREE RANGE CHICKEN?
WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Hold the presses! What do you mean there is no such thing as a "free range chicken?" well at least not as it pertains to the idea that it elicits in the mind. When a chicken product says "free-range," it elicits the idea of chickens running around happily on a farm eating there usual diet of grubs, bugs, and feed, just being little chickens...sorry to shatter your day dream, well my day dream anyway. Apparently, that is not the case. This week I was shocked to learn that "free range chickens" are no more free ranging (if I can coin a phrase:) than most other chickens. This week in my Whole Foods Production class I was informed that all "free range" means is that the chickens are not kept in cages, and they have access to the outdoors. If left to my own optimistic ideas, I would give the benefit to the chicken cooperation's and drum up a mental picture of a big opening into a field for happy chickens. Wrong again!
Apparently, the chickens can live in a warehouse cage free with no designation for individual space inside. Additionally, there is no regulation for the size of the outdoor area that the chickens have access to. A 5x5 square outdoor area would be suitable enough to call a chicken free range. WHAT? That isn't very free range to me. Not when warehouses have thousands of chickens running around. Apparently my Utopian idea of free range chicken translates into "pasture raised" chickens, which I do not recall ever seeing. What a shame! I was sad to hear that for all my efforts to eat chickens that at least had a happy life, I ended up being blinded by a play on words :( I suppose it is still a better choice than warehoused chickens, but for me, I now know that if I cannot find "pasture raised" chickens, I will buy organic when possible.
What is an Organic Chicken?
Organic chickens get all the benefits of being a "free range" chicken, plus, they get individual space regualtions and are fed a diet that is all organic with no GMO's (genetically modified organisms). Better yet, I am considering buying directly from the farm. Specifically, an organic farm that looks at the farm as a whole organism and treats there animals humanely. Please look at that word HUMANELY! According to the American Heritage Dictionary: Humane means- "Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion." Isn't that what all living creatures deserve. After all, you are what you eat. If you eat poorly raised, poorly treated, nutritionally depleted food, then what are the building blocks that make up your body. I will get on my high horse about this later, but for now, get educated about what you are eating. For more information check out these links.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/guide_egg_labels.html
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Meat_&_Poultry_Labeling_Terms/index.asp
A farming model for the future! Out with the new and in with the old!
Thank you Crown S Ranch for reminding us that we have responsibility to the living creatures that serve as our food.
http://www.crown-s-ranch.com
Apparently, the chickens can live in a warehouse cage free with no designation for individual space inside. Additionally, there is no regulation for the size of the outdoor area that the chickens have access to. A 5x5 square outdoor area would be suitable enough to call a chicken free range. WHAT? That isn't very free range to me. Not when warehouses have thousands of chickens running around. Apparently my Utopian idea of free range chicken translates into "pasture raised" chickens, which I do not recall ever seeing. What a shame! I was sad to hear that for all my efforts to eat chickens that at least had a happy life, I ended up being blinded by a play on words :( I suppose it is still a better choice than warehoused chickens, but for me, I now know that if I cannot find "pasture raised" chickens, I will buy organic when possible.
What is an Organic Chicken?
Organic chickens get all the benefits of being a "free range" chicken, plus, they get individual space regualtions and are fed a diet that is all organic with no GMO's (genetically modified organisms). Better yet, I am considering buying directly from the farm. Specifically, an organic farm that looks at the farm as a whole organism and treats there animals humanely. Please look at that word HUMANELY! According to the American Heritage Dictionary: Humane means- "Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion." Isn't that what all living creatures deserve. After all, you are what you eat. If you eat poorly raised, poorly treated, nutritionally depleted food, then what are the building blocks that make up your body. I will get on my high horse about this later, but for now, get educated about what you are eating. For more information check out these links.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/guide_egg_labels.html
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Meat_&_Poultry_Labeling_Terms/index.asp
A farming model for the future! Out with the new and in with the old!
Thank you Crown S Ranch for reminding us that we have responsibility to the living creatures that serve as our food.
http://www.crown-s-ranch.com
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Only SO SO Healthy Alternatives
I have decided to expand my exploration of healthy options from fast food restaurants to include those that are available in the restaurant industry too. I decided to go to a quaint looking restaurant near my work in Wallingford. For all of you non-Washingtonians, it is a neighborhood in Seattle :) The Varsity Inn Restaurant had a reputation for their breakfast menu, but they have recently started serving an extended lunch and dinner menu. While there, I took a long look at the menu to see what was available. Omelets, biscuits and gravy, cheeseburgers, salads and sandwiches. Your typical restaurant menu. I noticed that they had the option to order any of sandwiches with the choice of salad, french fries, or soup which, is impressive because there in no up charge for the healthier choices of soup or salad. Unfortunately on this memorial day weekend, soup was unavailable. Apparently, it is only served during the week because no one could possibly want it on the weekend during Mother Nature's extended rain festival in Seattle, but I digress. That was disappointing because that was the main choice I was hoping for. Without my healthy soup option this only left salad. Not for me, it's way too cold.
Anyhow, as I continued my menu evaluation looking for other healthy choices, a few things stuck out. For healthy alternatives they offered a mini light menu with like 4 choices, in addition, they offered a garden burger option, soy with your cappuccino, and egg beaters...EGG BEATERS (GROSS). I decided to ask the server a simple question. "Do you serve egg white omelets?" PAUSE: "Let me ask." PAUSE: "Nope, only egg beaters [for $.50 more]." Again, I reiterate, gross! Who wants to eat powdered eggs when you can remove 99% of the cholesterol and fat from an egg just by removing the yolk! I am just saying, Mr. President of the Varsity Inn Restaurant, I would gladly pay you a whole $1.00-$1.50 more for the extra trouble of an an egg white omelet, hold the egg beaters, Thanks! At least they are making a bit of an effort, which is better than most restaurants. For me, I chose the standard cheeseburger and french fries with extra pickle and a mocha cappuccino with soy. It was all pretty good. Oh well, I guess you can't eat healthy 100% of the time. Sometimes you have to have a caloric splurge :)
Anyhow, as I continued my menu evaluation looking for other healthy choices, a few things stuck out. For healthy alternatives they offered a mini light menu with like 4 choices, in addition, they offered a garden burger option, soy with your cappuccino, and egg beaters...EGG BEATERS (GROSS). I decided to ask the server a simple question. "Do you serve egg white omelets?" PAUSE: "Let me ask." PAUSE: "Nope, only egg beaters [for $.50 more]." Again, I reiterate, gross! Who wants to eat powdered eggs when you can remove 99% of the cholesterol and fat from an egg just by removing the yolk! I am just saying, Mr. President of the Varsity Inn Restaurant, I would gladly pay you a whole $1.00-$1.50 more for the extra trouble of an an egg white omelet, hold the egg beaters, Thanks! At least they are making a bit of an effort, which is better than most restaurants. For me, I chose the standard cheeseburger and french fries with extra pickle and a mocha cappuccino with soy. It was all pretty good. Oh well, I guess you can't eat healthy 100% of the time. Sometimes you have to have a caloric splurge :)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Exciting Changes in Midwestern Health
I got this amazing e-mail from my aunt today. She read my blog: Thanks for the support Aunt Arlene LOVE YA:) Anyway,she has informed me that she KU, that is University of Kansas Medical Center has just started an integrated medicine program that includes acupuncture. YESSS! FINALLY! I never thought this day would come. When I left the Kansas City area 7 years ago, there was no natural medicine or alternative medicine to speak of. I know this may be a shock to all you west coasters, but the Midwest absolutely does not have medical insurance options that cover alternative medicine ***SHOCK****.
When I left in 2003, I had just met my first massage therapist who was a transport from Nebraska that had a private practice, and she was considered "different" by some even though she was a very lovely respectable woman. At this time, neither massage nor acupuncture had ever entered my radar as a career option because there was no schooling available and no demand for the field. Chiropractic care was still considered wuwu medicine and people only dabbled with it at best. Flash forward!
In the few times I have been back to visit my home states (Kansas City is in BOTH MO and KS), a couple massage schools finally popped up, and now I am hearing that a fantastic medical university has started offering alternative, integrated care. I am so thrilled. I give 2 points (no pun intended:) to the acupuncture program now available as an integrated medical choice. Way to be a Midwestern pacesetter KU! I am now very proud that I considered you as an option for college :)
When I left in 2003, I had just met my first massage therapist who was a transport from Nebraska that had a private practice, and she was considered "different" by some even though she was a very lovely respectable woman. At this time, neither massage nor acupuncture had ever entered my radar as a career option because there was no schooling available and no demand for the field. Chiropractic care was still considered wuwu medicine and people only dabbled with it at best. Flash forward!
In the few times I have been back to visit my home states (Kansas City is in BOTH MO and KS), a couple massage schools finally popped up, and now I am hearing that a fantastic medical university has started offering alternative, integrated care. I am so thrilled. I give 2 points (no pun intended:) to the acupuncture program now available as an integrated medical choice. Way to be a Midwestern pacesetter KU! I am now very proud that I considered you as an option for college :)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Healthy Fast Food
So as promised, I have made it to Subway to try their brand new egg white breakfast sandwhich. I am not a pork eater, so I ended trying just the egg and cheese sandwich on an english muffin and I will say it was not bad. You can add vegetable fixings to it so I had my sandwich coupled with tomatoe and onion and paired it with subway apples and yogurt for a whopping 265 calories. Yes, that's it. A well rounded, satisfying breakfast that included fruit, veges, dairy, grain, and protein for an amazingly low caloric value for under $5.00. Yes, it's true, you can get a relatively healthy meal for under $5. I was suprised. Honestly, I would prefer to make this dish at home because I prefer whole grain english muffins,which was not an available option, and the apples were prepackaged, so I did not feel they were ripe enough for my taste. That being said, it will sustain you and give you another healthy option when you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/index.aspx
www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/index.aspx
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