The idea that a healthy plate of food will feature several different colors is a good example of an old wives’ tale about food that turns our to be good science too. The colors of many vegetables reflect the different antioxidant phytochemicals they contain – anthocyanins, polyphenols, favonoids, carotenoids. Moany of these chemicals help protect against chronic diseases, but each in a slightly different way, so the best protection comes from a diet containing as many different phytochemicals as possible.
Well sugar ended up kicking my butt and in a way I blame T. I absolutely love to bake and in college was known for my chocolate chip cookies. Maybe that is why I put on so much weight. I usually don’t eat what I bake but I definitely eat the dough while I bake, I mean who doesn’t? Anyways since I was baking all of T’s cookies and they stay at my apartment for a couple days while the royal icing was drying and I was waiting to send them I definitely snacked a little bit. Who can say no to a cute heart sugar cookie?
From Bakeat350 (I absolutely love her blog)
So I failed at the whole eating no sugar thing. I also failed at following my meal plan. I blame that on being sick. I basically ended up surviving off of soup and apples. The one good thing about the week was despite being sick I went to the gym every day but Monday (I look a long nap on Monday). Last semester I was running about 25 minutes a day on average at the same speed. Occassionally I would run maybe 30-35 minutes and only a couple of times I ran 40 minutes. I am now running 40 minutes a day (Thank god for TV on each treadmill and usually Teen Mom or something on E!) and at a higher speed even. My goal is to up the speed .1 each week to build a faster endurance. I also started doing abs again and let me tell you I forgot how sore that can be. Reminded me of when swim season would start again after our 3 week break.
Despite not following my meal plan, eating a tiny bit of sugar, and being sick I managed to lose about 1.2 pounds this week which is definitely not something I am complaining about! So I have officially set a goal and now have at least 8 lbs to lose before graduation (May 27th) and would love to lose that much weight before March 25th (my mini vacation to florida).
This week I am going to try and not eat sugar at all. I am starting my internship and we shall see how that impacts my diet and going to the gym. I will be getting home at like 6 mon-thurs and plan on going straight to the gym except thurs night when I always go to watch Greys at 9.
I am going to do a meal plan again this week and hopefully follow it!
Monday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: 2 slices of turkey breast
Snack: Carrots and Celery
Dinner: Stir Fry with Chicken and Quina
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: PB&J on rice cake
Snack: Carrots
Dinner: Sushi with Scarlett
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Left over stir fry
Dinner: Brisket
Thursday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: 2 slices of turkey break
Snack: Carrots
Dinner: Breaded chicken and carrots
Friday:
Lunch: PB&J on rice cake
Dinner: Baked chicken breast with homemade pesto on top
Saturday:
Lunch: Oatmeal
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Peppered steak and mushrooms
Sunday:
Lunch: Oatmeal
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Roasted rosemary potato and baked chicken with a tiny bit of pesto
Lets see how well I can do with following this meal plan!!! I am so excited about sushi on Tuesday. I had sushi tonight with my uncle and I could seriously eat it every meal if it wasn’t so expensive!
from nygreencafe.com
I am making more sugar cookies tomorrow as a thank you to my cousin for helping me with T’s present and loaning me some baking things so hopefully I will have those out of the house Tuesday since I need to bake them tomorrow and then frost them on monday (according to Bakeat350 I need to let the cookies wait like a day before frosting).
We have a certain expectation of things in the United States. We have the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) that regulates Biologics, Cosmetics, Drugs, Foods (except meat and poultry), Medical Devices, and Veterinary Products so we expect a level of safety. Did you know that supplements are NOT required to be tested and/or approved by the FDA? There are NO “clinical trials” or safety inspection administered by the FDA that a supplement is required to pass. Most supplements aren’t even required to be so much as registered.
An Act was signed into law back in 1984 by President Clinton, the Dietary Supplemental Health and Education Act (DSHEA) that makes the supplement manufacture responsible for self regulation. The supplement manufacture is to make sure the product is safe and pure, with NO policing. No one checks on them. This is a $27 Billion business (it could be more that figure is the only one I could find and it is from 2007–three years old).
There are rules about the labeling and so they are “supposed” to be truthful in their labeling. The FDA steps in where there is a problem (as in reported deaths or mass illnesses), but there is no testing done by the FDA to ensure anything about the supplement before it is marketed and used by the public.
I just find that so amazing. I wanted to share it with you because even though I know this, I still forget. I would think that if you are concerned enough about your health and wellness that you want to take a supplement, I would check with your doctor to see if you really even need to be taking a supplement. They are expensive and you might be getting all the nutrition you need from your diet. That is actually the best way, but I understand that it not always possible. I would advise people to be careful. I would suggest that one way to be careful would be to buy supplements that are manufactured by trusted companies. I like to think that a well known, well trusted company is going to produce a safe quality product.
I’m hoping to add to my list of winter 4,000 footers by tackling Osceola and East Osceola on Monday. Apparently, it’s a tough hike. My wife was able to do it without too much trouble, but I know this trail has a reputation because of the steepness. I think that means I get to burn a lot of calories.
Manila is a huge metropolis that includes contrasting neighborhoods and subcultures. Our tour today includes a luxury hotel, a market bohemian, a colonial city with walls, a nightclub, and two beautiful but very different restaurants. SUBSCRIBE TO ALL OUR CHANNELS: PINASWATCH1, PINASWATCH2, PINASWATCH3, PINASWATCH4, PINASWATCH5, PINASWATCH6, PINASWATCH7, PINASWATCH8, PINASWATCH9, PINASWATCH10
Happy early V-day. Well, I actually hate Valentine’s Day. I like the idea of “celebrating love” or whatever, but I’ll always remember the years when I was lonely/sad being single and having Valentine’s Day rubbed in my face. For that reason, I will eternally hate V-day. However, I will gladly accept chocolates given to me any day of the year
Kev got me a bunch of chocolates. Here’s what I can remember is in the box: vanilla caramels, salt-covered caramels, marshmallow caramels, coffee cremes, almond truffle, French truffle, champagne truffle, green tea truffle? These are from Serenade Chocolatier in Brookline Village.
Vanilla caramel. Mmmmm.
This is the marshmallow caramel. Made me feel like my teeth were rotting…but still delish!
Disclaimer: I ate 4 of these before lunchtime…
…aaaaand for that reason, I kept lunch light. A salad and half a grilled provolone sandwich. I was saving my belly for dinner!
Enjoyed relaxing and seeing The Poltergeist for the first time. Do you think Speilberg is embarrassed he made this movie?
On the way to Grotto, had to snap a photo of the State House.
Grotto is a cozy and intimate Italian restaurant on Beacon Hill. If you’ve been to Boston before, you know that Beacon Hill is incredibly charming, and this restaurant fits in perfectly in the neighborhood. I would honestly order anything and everything on the menu. I have been here maybe five times in the past few years, and it never disappoints. Easily my favorite restaurant in Boston
Started with awesome bread and EVOO with olives. Love that!
To start, I got the zuppa which was garlic soup with parmesan and truffle oil. This soup is seriously amazing. I gave Kevin a little bit of it…but basically devoured it on my own. This soup alone is worth going to Grotto.
So. Damn. Good.
For my entree, I ordered the pettini which is pan seared diver scallops “ravioli” with arugula and mushrooms. This is the second or third time I have ordered this, it’s that good.
They call it “ravioli” because the dish is layered with two sheets of pasta — one is on the very bottom of the dish and one covers the scallops, arugula and mushrooms on top.
I ate two out of three scallops, all the arugula and mushrooms and just a bit of the pasta. I’m stuffed.
Kev ordered the carne which was grilled beef tenderloin with risotto and asparagus in a red wine sauce. I stole some of the risotto so delicious.
We had dinner really early and decided not to order dessert because…
…I ate that many chocolates since 11 am. Kev had TWO and I had the rest…ugh. Needless to say, I feel a little sick to my stomach. Damn Valentine’s Day!!
Anyway, whatever you are doing on this Hallmark holiday, enjoy yourself and the rest of your weekend!
Its official BG5 FANS!!! The ladies have been added to the official roster of artist performing at POP-CON!!!! Here are there tweets from earlier to day, letting there fans know. We wish we were in New York to see these AMAZING!! performers, So New York be sure to show some support. This is a show you definitely do not want to miss!!!
It has been many years since I did not spend Valentine’s Day alone. I am looking forward to being with Kelly tomorrow, though I do not, as of yet, have a plan in place as to what we will be doing, I know that it will be a good time. It has been so good to re-connect with her after all these years. The ease at which our conversation seems to come is rare to say the least. There have only been a couple times in my life that it has been like that. I am looking forward to seeing just where this path takes me, the view, so far, is great!
I will likely post another blog late tonight or early tomorrow morning, but, I must leave you with this short one for now. I have much to complete here at home in order to be free of responsibility tomorrow. Please everyone, just take a moment, when you step outside next, just stop and look up. I find, most people don’t look up anymore. It is amazing the beauty that is right in front of us, and above, that we just take for granted…
Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support.
As always, take care and remember…
Sometimes, when I’m feeling jaded, downcast, restless, or I’m simply in need of an altered perspective, I step into a gondola and float down the glistening waters of memory. As the water swishes past the sides of my boat underneath the puffy clouds of the past, I recollect and reminisce about various years, events, or even mere moments. I suppose the February dissonance – that time when winter and spring are fighting to reign - has been the cause of my recent memory regurgitation. Anywho, since I’m quite the foodie (you probably know that by now , it’s not surprising that food-related memories often flash through my mind. One certain memory that brings joy to my heart involves my mom (she and I have always been very close and I thank God everyday for my relationship with her). When I was younger, I was involved in sports. After various athletic endeavors, she would routinely take me to the local coffee shop where I would order a vanilla bean shake topped with whipped cream accompanied by a shortbread cookie. It was such a treat after working so hard. I always looked forward to these special rendezvous with her. We talked and talked and just knowing that she made such an effort to arrange these special times together made me feel remarkably loved. So why exactly have I invited you into my gondola and shared this memory with you? Because I want to remind you how important it is to be a blessing to people. My mom could have just picked me up and drove me home, but she chose to make our time together special. She chose to display her love for me in a unique way to let me know how much she cared. I will never forget those trips to the coffee shop and the laughter-filled conversations afterwards. It is incredible how much good one can do by implementing kindness into another person’s life. Because my mom took the time to show kindness to me, I have learned to show kindness to others. She helped me to realize how God wants us to pour love into other people’s lives. By doing so, we are showing people what Christ looks like. My mom has always shown me the face of Christ with her love, her wisdom, her compassion, her grace. Because God’s love illuminates my mom’s heart, I love the Lord also. Surrendering my life to Christ is the best decision I have ever made. See how much power there is in blessing others? If you have ever thought “What can a kind gesture actually accomplish?” or “Can I really make a difference?”, think again. Please know that you can make a difference. You can shine Christ’s light into someone’s life and that light will guide them to Christ’s loving arms. To the world, you may be one person; but to one person, you may be the world.
Picture it… Sicily, 1912. A young peasant girl meets an exciting, but penniless, Spanish artist.
Whoops. Channeling Estelle Getty for a moment there…
Tuesday I started my new job as an assistant at my very first salon. It was all very overwhelming in that I have to learn about 20 new names and faces and figure out what I should be doing when there’s nothing to do (because there’s always something to do). But day 1 I got to help a stylist put in a full head of fusion extensions, which might be boring for most people, but I enjoy projects. Aside from that, my job is mainly shampooing, washing/folding towels, and generally doing whatever anyone needs me to do that makes working on their clients easier. Client needs a drink? Pouring it. Hair on the floor? Sweeping it. Color needs to be washed off your client’s head? Scrub a dub-dub. It’s a lot of busy work, but I enjoy being busy. Sure, it’s not cutting hair, but it’s a job that will get me there eventually. Plus, in two days of working I’ve already helped with the extensions and a co-worker had me do their touch-up for them. I don’t ask for much, just a paycheck with my name on it (Or direct deposit. Whichever is easiest.).
Despite the oncoming blizzard, I had school on Tuesday night. I had a girl a little younger than me and got to do my first really drastic haircut. She had hair past her butt and I ended up cutting it to between her shoulder blades by the end of it. We wrapped it up all Locks of Love style, cut off her pony tail, and she left looking like a rock star. It was probably the best haircut I’ve done yet, and if not it was at least my favorite. She was fun to talk to, had an easy going attitude about her hair, and she’s bringing her boyfriend in so I can cut his hair. It was a good night!
While I was at school on Tuesday, our teacher asked for volunteers to go to New York City for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Like, Project Runway Fashion Week. Well, I won’t be going on the day Project Runway is shooting (Friday 2/12), but that’s ok because I still might meet Michael Kors on the day I’m going up (Weds 2/17). !!!!! I’ll be going up to help stylists from my school get models ready for the runway. How rad is that?! The answer? Very. I’ve heard rumors of the potential of meeting Betsy Johnson. It’s a very, very small chance, but still a chance nonetheless. Maybe I should send her a comment on her Facebook and tell her to meet me there. Or maybe that would be a little too Jodie Foster/John Hinckley-esque. Either way, designers! Fashion Week! Potential swag bags! Plus, doing hair in New York? Pretty boss, in my opinion. Super excited, oh I am.
After all of that excitement, we had a crazy bad snow storm that had my second day of work cancelled, as well as school on Wednesday. I was bummed-ish, but I spent the day with Brandy catching up on LOST (o.m.g. loving it), Hoarders, Band of Brothers, and playing Zombies Ate My Neighbors on Wii and Rule of Rose on PS2. The former is a game I obsessed over as a kid and would play pretty much every waking hour during the summer. It pretty much helped develop my (oh so healthy) obsession with zombies. The latter game is like Silent Hill, only with a bunch of creepy little kids instead of one or two. Am I weird for liking creepy junk? Why, yes. Yes, I am. But it passed the time until we crawled into bed and fell asleep watching Tropic Thunder (which was much funnier and more messed up than I thought it would be).
During all of this, I haven’t been to the gym. At work, I don’t have time to eat more than a snack at any given time, so I’m not eating much on work days at all. But with all this being snowed in business, I’m definitely making up for lost calories. Moral of the story? My fat ass thinks it needs to store food for hibernation and I resent it. Next week, once I’ve gotten adjusted to working again, I want to try getting up at 6am to go to the gym (*SHUDDER*). As not-fun as being unemployed was, I didn’t mind being able to go to the gym at noon every day. Just gotta change the habit, I suppose. Work in progress, that’s me. For now, I’m just going to lay back, share a beer with my dear, and watch a little TV before bed, because, gosh darn it, I’ve earned it. I’m not sure how, but karmically it’s got to balance out that way some how.
