CCW days 3

BADDDDD DAYYYYY
 Honest mistake by the bravery:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji4m9__Ukb8

Eating a cookie can be an honest mistake...


If I don't plan what i'm going to eat it's game over! I had a training course today so I figured I wouldn't make a lunch. I'm really not good at temptation.

B= cottage cheese (100) and toast(95) and margarine (30) and drink (30)
S= orange juice (130) and a cookie ahhhhh not a cookie. It was just there calling my name (80)
L= I went to cafe Saffron. So good but I got dupted. I tought they only had hot and sour soup but it was miso soup today...that I don't like. Oh well less calories. Rice (120), general tao chicken (844- I hope this is wrong but I only have the internet to base myself...), ice tea (160) - I had a bigger one.
D= Hamburger and potatoes - like 1 million but the internet says more like 500
OVER 2068 but maybe the general tao wasn't that much...but probably was :( but it was sooo good.

Gift wrapping tomorrow night for the CNIB so the update will on Thursday. Shit, I'm eating out lunch...maybe I can bring my lunch to gift wrapping...

CCW Day 2

Whip my hair by Willow Smith = I might be the only person in the world that hadn't listen to this song yet : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKLymvwD2U

B= Cottages cheese (100), 1/2 apple (30), 1 toast (95), drink (30)
S= muffin (140)
L= spinash salad (275), 1/2 apple (30), hummus (80), crakers (50)
D= Fish and chip (600) and a small beer (105)
Total = 1585

Went out for dinner with my friend Dan. Now I tought we were going to St-Hubert for dinner so I had check out the calories. 1/4 cup sauce is only 30 calories!!!It's almost good for you.

St-Hubert:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/st-hubert

Instead we went out for dinner at Le Brasseur des temps:
http://www.brasseursdutemps.com/

The place is really neat and nice. I got the fish and chips and there was A LOT of batter so I didn't eat it and ate the fish but I still felt that the fish was greasy. I think my body is in grease withdrawl as I feel gross. Maybe I should stick to tempura for fried food. It's also a brewery. The beer I got wasn't great but it seems like a popular place...

Calorie Count Week (CCW) Day 1

Megamind rap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsrQH7itJCg

Went to see Megamind today it was really good!

I also think i'm going to lose my mind counting all these calories. It's harder than I tought!!

B= toast (85), cottage cheese (1/2 cup = 100) YES cottage cheese is back!, 3/4 cup strawberries (34), 1/2 cup milk (50) and butter on toast (30)
L= Tuna nuggets and marinara sauce (337) and 1/2 cup ice tea (80)
S= pear(60)
S= Movie popcorn and ice tea - kids size (255)
D=Spinash salad (avocado, pear, brie and pecans) = approx (275)

Total cal: 1306

Excellent! but I might need a snack!!!

I like the products that come with a calorie count on the packaging!!!

Ricky wanted to go to Harvey's but we ate at home because I had popcorn but maybe I could've had the chicken burger...oh well going out tomorrow so probably best we stayed in.

Go roughriders go!

Calorie counting week starts today

Sublime - Santeria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEYN5w4T_aM&feature=more_related

Now I checked the web and it says that I should eat 1918 calories per day to maintain my weight and 500 less per day to lose weight = meaning I should eat 1418 calories. And nobody should go below 1200 calories per day unless advise by a doctor.

Check out this website to figure yours out:

http://www.shapefit.com/dailycalorie-calc.html

I will definately try to do less than 1900 per day but I don't know if I can make it to 1400 as I still don't know how many calories are in stuff but I will make a very big effort.

Here are  a few sites to help with the count:
http://www.ntwrks.com/~mikev/chart1.html

http://www.weight-loss-choice.com/Food_Calories_List.html

and of course reading the labels!

NJFW day 7

Do you remember this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xat1GVnl8-k

So I almost went to Subway yesterday for a sandwich (not the cookies or drink) but then I couldn't decide if it was junk food or not so I came home and had a sandwich.

B= Kashi puff cereal - that's not the name of it but I can't really remember the right name. It's like healthier sugar crips.
S= muffin (the muffins are small)
L= sandwich
D= pasta shells

I think I ate too much cheese today. The shells and mozerella on top - MMMMMmmmmmm

I think i'm going over budget for x-mas shopping...

Cocktail

So Cocktail the movie was on tv. It was the end so I didn't watch it but I don't really remember what it was about... bartender that has fancy moves and what else? I'll have to watch it again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ChADh1zt5I

Now is Kokomo really a place? Was the movie filmed on Kokomo? You never hear of people going to Kokomo...

Here are some healthier cocktails for the holidays:

1. Jack and Diet Coke.  It may not be the smoothest whisky in the world, but it is one of the best to mix with.  Order Jack Daniels on the side and mix it yourself to ensure the perfect calorie controlled healthy cocktail.  For added sweetness and just a few calories more, top it off with a maraschino cherry or two.
2. Skinny Cosmopolitan.  The Cosmopolitan---simply comprised of Vodka and cranberry juice and lime---has been a girl's best friend for years and ranks second on our five best healthy cocktails list.  Scrap the full-sugar cranberry juice for low-sugar or no-sugar Ocean Spray and cut your calories in half.
3. Skinny Gin and Tonic.  It's all about substitutions.  While an average Gin and Tonic contains over 200 calories, gin mixed with diet tonic and a wedge of lime is a hundred calories less and just as delicious.
4. Bacardi Cuba Libre.  Combine a shot of Bacardi rum, half a shot of espresso, three dashes of decanter bitters, a lime wedge and Diet Coke to taste.  This is the richest healthy cocktail on this list. It's a little fancy and the added caffeine could raise your metabolism.
5. Grey Goose Martini.  Okay, okay, so it isn't the lowest in calories, but at two shots a glass---and a pretty glass at that---it only takes one to loosen you up and two to start dancing; an exercise that burns 171 calories per thirty minutes for the 150 pound adult.  This and the fact that it is simply one of the most delicious drinks on the planet makes the Grey Goose Martini the last of our five best healthy cocktails.

njfw days 6

I can't believe I haven't posted a Killers song yet!
Bones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FufL80hJsP8

I almost had a cookie today without realizing it. My coworker had extra after a meeting and was going around and I was like yeah, I'll have chocolate chip. I had a banana instead.

B= yogurt - I haven't even had a chance to have my new Kashi cereal
s= muffin
L= left over curry
S=banana
D= left over pasta

Oh and i've been snacking on rice cakes called poppers. I was told it wasn't junk food. At least I hope not.

So Ricky learned how to make rice in the steamer on Wednesday and he's been making rice every night since. I think it's going to be a problem.

He also wants a Wok for x-mas. Not a wok pan but a wok with handles on each side. I don't know where to get that because the one at Sears is $250. Not going to happend.

I really don't know what to eat next week...

I also really hate the built in mouse on this lap top.

NJFW day 5

V V Brown - shark in the water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPQlxHWsemI
She has crazy bangs!!!

Receptions and parties are bad if you're trying to eat healthy! But oddly enough they have good food for you too. I might have had too much cheese and crackers.... but are crackers really junk food...don't think so if they have sesame seeds on them.

B= cottage cheese, strawberry and toast - is it bad if I ate the cottage cheese container in 3 days...
S=muffin
L= reception healthy food and red curry left over
S=banana
D=butternut squash and chicken wrap

Ricky says he wants to lose weight, I said he should watch what he eats. Maybe I,ll be able to get him off the gravy train sooner than later!

Mmmmm gravy!

NJFW - day 4

For Jolyne; Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4JrQpzno5Y
ha ha because Jolyne doesn't like Arcade fire

So today again, really enjoying the cottage cheese. I wonder if i'll get bored of it before I'm done the container.

B=same as yesterday. I think when I find something I like, I like to have it a lot. Strawberries, piece of toast and cottage cheese
S= small muffin
L= sushi
S= banana and rice cake
D= red curry shrimp

I need to start planning next week.

Jen got the beef from grazing days. I feel that you don't get a lot of beef but then again it's not as if we eat it all the time. Too much stuff in my freezer now to consider but i'll look into it.

I have to say that I'm over Katy Perry. Her songs are really bad. What is all the hype.

I also don't like it when Christina Aguilera moves her fingers when she holds the mike. It's not a flute. It won't make her voice sound diffrent.

20 Worst drinks in America

Favorite gaga song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I
Bad Romance

I found this link and it's pretty cool because it gives you the drink and equivalent in junk food. It also gives you a better alternative:
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slide/worst-water?slideshow=184612#title

NJFW day 3 - water, makes the body good!

Take me out! Franz Ferdinand:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijk4j-r7qPA


Ah what can I drink? pretty much nothing but water.

There was a whole post this day but I don't know here it went... Other non junk food drinks:
water with lemon
water with lime
herbal tea
100% juice

B=cottages cheese
S= banana
L= pasta
S= trail mix
D= chicken ceasar salad

NJFD day 2

Newer Bush song afterlife: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXOy6vb9hIs
I really like this song but I don`t think Mr. Gwen Stefani will ever be big again

Okay, i`m having a few issues identifying junk food but i`m doing my best and if i`m not sure I`m trying to stay clear...like cheese sticks (Ficello) I think they're bad but i`m not sure as it is cheese.

Ricky has been hoarding Halloween treats and took them out yesterday as it`s no junk food week. Who does that. He said he forgot he had them.

B= yogurt
S= carots
L= Spinash salad and hummus and crackers
D= Spaghetti and whole wheat pasta

It's still hard to figure out what is junk food and had a discussion about breverages with Ricky last night and I don`t think I can drink anything but water and milk...

NJFW day 1

In support of Movember here is one of the best videos mustache videos  ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rRZdiu1UE
Sabotage by Beastie boys

Went to the grocery store to get non-junk food stuff.  Again, I think it's key to have food on hand so there is not temptations.

Honeynut cherrioes for breakfast then I realize that it was a bit on the junk food side even if the box says it's healthy ish. Pea soup for lunch and Spinash salad tonight. I had a snack but I can't remember what it was.

I had way too much cheese yesterday so this no junk food week will be a bit cleansing!

Sarah Palin's Alaska is on. Alaska looks pretty neat.

I got a Spaghetti squash at the grocery store. I hope it taste good because it's a good alternative to eating pasta:

The spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) (also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, spaghetti marrow (British English), squaghetti , gold string melon (金糸瓜 (kinshi uri) in Japanese) or fish fin melon (魚翅瓜/鱼翅瓜 (yú ctì guā)) in Chinese) is an oblong seed-bearing variety of winter squash. The fruit can range either from ivory to yellow or orange in color or green with white streaks. Its center contains many large seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow, and orange or white for the latter variety. [edit] Preparation

Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled, steamed, or microwaved.^[1] It can be served with or without sauce, as a substitute for pasta. The seeds can be roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds.^[1]
Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is low in calories, averaging 42 calories per 1-cup (155 grams) serving.^[2]

Junk in the trunk

It's Sunday so it's old country day on the radio (Ricky's pick not mine) So I like to do a newer twist so here is Johnny Cash doing Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQcNiD0Z3MU


This post is more about my junk food reserch. Here is what I founds that is considered junk food:

Fast food meals                                                       

Chips

Pop and juices with added sugar and color

Candy

Fruit Rollups

Lunchables               

Doughnuts

Cheezits

Cookies

Granola bars (with hydrogenated oils)

Cheez Whiz

Cereals with too much sugar (Lucky charms, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs, Captain Crunch etc…)  
Also bad: http://www.junkfoodmecca.com/


 I think i'm going to go try to find non junk food breakfast food today. Cereal doesn't seem to be the best... Am I suppose to eat yogurt...maybe oatmeal... I don't really know.

Doing research I found the following:
Oatmeal, flaxseed, blueberries & almonds.- I might just get the oatmeal and skip the flaxseed
Kashi Golean Crunch. - I do tend to eat cereal and Kashi does seem healthier and not considered junk food. I'll check the labels
Scrambled tofu. - Yeah, no
Fresh berries, yogurt, granola. - i can probably also do this
Grapefruit with whole-wheat toast & almond butter. - don't like grapefruit - too sour
Fresh fruit salad. - could also do this
Protein shake with extras. - no too complicated
Eggs with peppers. - don't like peppers
Cottage cheese and fruit. I might go cottage cheese. I like to eat is once a year

Okay, I have a few ideas so I know I won't go hungry! I also think that processed food is considered junk food so I will do my best to stay away. I have the week meals planned out and Ricky on board. The only thing that is not made by us is probably the salad dressing...there is probably way more but I can't think of any now.

Oh and I love raclette and raclette cheese!

Pop tarts

Slushies              

Break day before no junk food week (NJFW)

Yo VIP we can't kick it. Can you believe that Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice is banned from UTube by EMI.
So we're going to go with Dog Days are over by Florence and the Machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU

I'm going for Raclette and Fondue tonight at this place:
http://www.meuleetcaquelon.qc.ca/
Should be good (and probably not healthy)

OKAY, starting tomorrow now junk food (as per Wikipedia):

Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods which are perceived to have little or no nutritional value, or to products with nutritional value but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten, or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all.
Junk foods are typically ready-to-eat convenience foods containing high levels of saturated fats, salt, or sugar, and little or no fruit, vegetables, or dietary fiber; junk foods thus have little or no health benefits.
Junk food includes foods such as soft drinks, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, cake, French fries, chocolate and other confectioneries, pizza, cookies, fried chicken, onion rings and donuts.

NO FRIED FOOD
NO CHIP, CHOCOLAT BARS
NO PIZZA, CHICKEN WINGS ETC ETC ETC

Jen said she's also do no junk food week, I'll ask her tonight if she's still in.

Oh my, I don't think I can drink ice tea. I guess i'll be having water all week!

LW Day 7

Tribute to Gwenyth Paltrow on Glee: Forget you by Cee Lo Green:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKxodgpyGec

Okay, low week didn't really go as planned and I ate wayyyyy too much bad food. I didn't realize that I really have to train Ricky.

On my last day of low week I had choose the healthiest cereal in the house, regular snack (banana) and for lunch I went to a really great place with Jen.

Cafe Saffron is a cool Thai/Asian lunch place on Kent Street. $8.00 for 2 choices, rice and soup or spring roll. I got steamed rice and not the fried one, I got the soup instead of the spring roll. For my choices I got the veggies and general tao. I think I could<ve gotten a healthier choice then general tao but it was damn good.

http://www.menudb.ca/e/view?locale=ottawa&id=117&g=Cafe+Saffron

For dinner Ricky wanted Hamburger helper!!! So I told him this was the last time in my life that I was going to have that. It<s white noodles in syntatic sauce! The one veggie was onion.

LW day 6

This commercial made me laugh out loud:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfJnqbudMzs


Ricky still has a lot to learn.  I think I need to make him a weekly plan to follow. He was late today and I didn't set anything out so he ordered pizza and wings!

B= Honey nut cherrios
S= Banana
L= Spinash salad, hummus, carrot sticks
S= Trail mix
D= 2 pieces of pizza and NO wings - the pizza was bad enough

Tip: Avocado needs to be rip to be eaten. If it feels really firm, chances are it is really firm! Maybe this tip was only for me!

Herb!

No, not the gas station on the way to Montreal but herbs like the green stuff.

Here is a song by my other favorite Ricky. Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qObzgUfCl28

Instead of reaching for the salt check if a herb might spice up your dish. Here are a few ideas that I found on teh internet:

THYME:

If you're in a pinch for fresh thyme, use the ground variety. Just 1 teaspoon contains more than 20 percent of your daily iron needs.

Try this: Thyme is the ultimate utility player, pairing well with roasted meat and vegetables, tomato sauce, and scrambled eggs

 

ROSEMARY:

Japanese researchers say carnosic acid, found in rosemary, may help protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Try this: Mix minced rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil to use as a marinade for meat or vegetables

 

CILANTRO:

Studies suggest that coriander seeds (the fruit of the cilantro plant) could lead to treatments for diabetes and promote cardiovascular health.

Try this: Chop up tomatoes, an onion, and a jalapeno, and mix with a heap of cilantro for a versatile fresh salsa.

TARRAGON:

Research suggests that tarragon extract may help in treating diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity, and possibly kill ulcer-causing bacteria. Try this: Grill up an assortment of vegetables—onions, peppers, squash, asparagus—and sprinkle them with fresh goat cheese, tarragon, lemon juice, and olive oil.

 

SAGE:

Like rosemary, sage was thought to strengthen memory. The rosmarinic acid in this plant may promote liver health by protecting cells from oxidative damage.

Try this: For a quick pasta sauce, melt a pat of butter in a pan until it turns light brown, then add a handful of whole sage leaves. Toss with cheese or pumpkin ravioli.

 

OREGANO:

Gram for gram, it has twice the cancer-fighting antioxidant activity of blueberries.

Try this: Add equal parts fresh parsley and oregano to a blender and slowly drizzle in olive oil or canola oil as it spins. Strain and use the infused oil to top grilled fish or chicken or as a dip for toasted bread.

LW day 5

Classic - Karma Police by Radiohead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LeLAELIxKY

New rule taken from Jen's house and it's a good one: Every meal should have at least one vegetable.

Ricky doesn't understand what it means eating healhy. Our meal tonight consisted of pulled pork sandwiches and butterfly breaded shrimps. Oh and he also bought dessert - danishes and raspberry pastry sticks!

B= honey nut cherrios 3/4 cup
S= banana and carrot sticks
L= Greek salad and chicken pita wrap - I was thinking I was getting the healhy choice but I should've just gotten the salad and chicken
S= trail mix
D= Half a pulled pork sandwich (was not the best and then Ricky told me that the meat was getting a little old and dry!!!) 5 shrimps and an apple. The bun was whole wheat as I made Ricky go to the store to get whole wheat buns. As he was there he bought everything that was on sale that is bad for you.

Loved Gwenyth Paltrow on Glee last night! I now want to see her new Country movie.

LW day 4 and some salty facts!

This song plays on the radio a lot: Felicia by the Constellations :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXoZMI0pD58

Today was a bad day for good eating as I went out but I knew before so I was mentally prepared.

B= cereal - good old cherrios multi grain. It's actually better tasting than regular cherrios.
S= Banana
L= Edoko - beef teriaki and shrimp tempura so good but so bad.
http://www.edokosteakhouse.com/ fun japanese place that cook in front of you. It's also one of Jean Chretien's favorites. He's been spotted there a few times. Take the salad and not the soup.
No afternoon snack, too full
D= Ricky wanted to make pulled pork sandwiches but he didn't get brown buns and I didn't want to eat white buns so he made soup and grill cheese. Grill cheese is pretty bad BUT it was made with real cheese and not processed.

Why is salt bad one might wonder and how much salt should one have per day?

• Salt is a compound of two elements, sodium and chloride. Sodium, along with other elements help balance the water in our bodies. It also helps muscles contract and helps send nerve impulses through our body. It is important to our health.

• A healthy diet should have sodium but presently, westernized diets (fast foods and packaged foods) contain a lot of sodium. We average about 5 - 6 grams a day and some sources report up to 10 grams a day. We should get no more than 2.4 grams a day or what is equal to 1 teaspoon of salt. In a nutshell, we need sodium but not too much.

• However, some people are very sensitive to sodium intake and it can increase blood pressure placing them at a higher risk for heart and blood vessel diseases. In such cases, they should use less or none. Sodium is also found naturally in foods and that will be enough for those people.

• The above point is correct about the daily grams of salt, however, most people measure it in milligrams. Don't take in more then 2,400 mg of salt per day. In other words, you can not ever eat McDonald's fries, burgers, chicken nuggets, chips, all the bad junk food because they use extra sodium to preserve it. Sodium is an excellent preservation agent and it's quite common in pork since pork decomposes more quickly then other meat. Mmmm like bacon!

LW day 3

Belle and Sebastien have a new album. I prefer this oldie but a goodie: Legal Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHjJCf3eSZw

So I guess for this week to work I pretty much have to say what the option was and how I made it better.

B= i'm still picking the healthiest cereal but I only have some left for tomorrow. I think I'll be on honeynut cherrios after that
S= 2 clementines and canteloupe
L= left over spagetti and cheese stick - I think the cheese was over eating
S= trail mix
D= trout, peas and asperagus. I tried to portion control but I was still hungry so I had like a full hand of fish instead of the inside of my palm. Ricky wanted to make rice and I made him change to veggies.

If I look at the canadian food guide i'm still low on veggies and fruit, I should also have more grain but I think it;s okay if I don't have as much as it's badddddd. I'm good on milk and meat.

My coworker said that in a week you should just have 2 cups of rice and pasta so 4 X 1/2 cups

Light hummus is not great. I think the diffrence in taste is worth getting the regular hummus.

LW day 2

Today's song is Ricky's pick: It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chew your ass all day long by Vince Gill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjkLf_X88WM
And it's not about me!

Now yesterday I was starting to doubt my week, that maybe it wasn't going to be too hard. Now that Ricky is back I know why I picked it!!! He served me pasta for 5 tonight!

B= multigrain cherrios - and I am trying my best to mesure portions for everything I eat
S= canteloupe
L= left over curry tofu
S= light crackers and brie and trail mix
D= WHOLE WHEAT pasta and sauce

I went groceries this morning to get a few things for the week. I bought the healthiest crackers I could find. It was like $5.00 for maybe 50 crackers that are like holy waffers (Ostie) with a bit of pepper. They taste find but really skinny. I got light hummus. I didn't even know that it existed.

At dinner I had to cut my serving in half! I now have a lunch for tomorrow. I told Ricky that tomorrow I will eat in a small plate. Also, Ricky wasn't too keen on the whole wheat so he made himself white pasta and he wanted me to also have white pasta. I wonder how long before I can convert him...

I now get Dixie healthy snacks - like natural snacks like dried chicken or liver. I'm trying to do less processed snacks like the fake bacon she loves.

I'll have to try to make Quinoa again! I guess it's not suppose to be crunchy!

Low week (LW) Day 1

Americanarama by Hollerado - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whv1tLqKZig
The video is actually really cool.

Okay, new week today. I learned that bad food makes you tired!

As i'm doing portion control and low fat, sodium etc I decided to start my day off in looking at all my cereal and picking the best one. Multigrain cherrios won but I was surprise that Honey nut cherrios was not far behind. Harvest Crunch is really not good for you!

B = 3/4 cup of multigrain cherrios
S= apple and 1/3 cup trail mix

L = side Poutine, half a club and half a chicken wrap = I went to the Diner on Wellington with my friend Sachin. Well we were suppose to go to the Elgin St dinner for poutine but Sachin said the Diner on Wellington was the Elgin Street dinner (same food) but it wasn't but it was fine. So the poutine was actually vegetarian gravy. HELLO where were you last week. The dinner had a few vegetarian options and they cook with non staturated and transfat oils.
http://thewellingtondiner.com/
SO instead of getting only a poutine I figured I'd get a side poutine. So I was getting the chicken wrap and Sachin was getting the club but he wanted to share. The club had real chicken so that was good but Sachin ordered white bread. He needs to get on brown bread. ALSO I didn't put extra salt on my fries. Okay, all that to say that I was tired at the Museum this afternoon. Not enough energy!

D= Spinach salad with pecan, pear and brie

Side note: I think Dixie just farted. It's stinky in here.

I need to figure out the week and get food tomorrow because I think it's the key to success!

VW day 7 - Quinoa night

This song has been in my head all day - Animal by Neon Trees - they have a lady drummer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY--Yu4kzz0

Last day of veggies and I can go back on being a meatatarian. Actually I think it's good that next week is portion control as I feel like having a little meat and try to have more veggies. This week has not made me want to become a vegetarian but has opened my eyes to a lot of new things and more things to try in the future.

B= yogurt
S= Banana and cheese
L= leftover tofu red curry
S= Trail mix
D= Quinoa with mushrooms and whole wheat bun with brie - blueberry cookies for dessert

Quinoa review: I think I need to eat it somewhere else. I'm not sure I cooked it right. It tasted a bit crunchy...is it suppose to be crunchy? It was fine I guess. I'd eat it again.

Veggie week review: It was a good experience. I think with more planning I can eat healthier as I'll have the snacks on hand and meals planned so I won't eat junk. I found that I didn't have too much variety because I didn't want to waste too much food so some meals planned didn't happend. Like I had planned on having like 3 diffrent kind of spinach salad during the week and only had 1. Oh well I have lettuce for the weekend so I can have the brie and pear spinach salad.

I might try the organic box of veggies. I have to look into it.

How low can you go?

To be fair to the other car commercial for "On star" services here is Float on by Modest Mouse (one of my fav) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTAud5O7Qqk

I've decided that new week will be low week meaning I will eat lower (smaller) portions and when possible make the low sodium, low carb, low fat choice.

Tip: At home Ricky always serves me a big boy plate. I`m going to try eating in a small plate all week.

I`m inspired and basing my week on the Canadian Food guide:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/food-guide-aliment/view_eatwell_vue_bienmang-eng.pdf

1 serving of cooked pasta is 1/2 a cup. I can say that a serving at my house if more like 1 to 1.5 cups, ouch! Simmer down now!

Number 2 challenge starts tomorrow Nov 13th to Nov 19th.

VW day 6

The ultimate vegetable song:
Les legumes par Fardoche and Passe-Montagne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0bPJemFWHg

I'm not missing meat. I'm still very shocked.

My friend Jay posted an organic beef farm on facebook and I think I want to start going that way. Jen was also interested so maybe we can adopt a cow:
http://www.grazingdays.com/

My friend Natalie's family have an organic chicken farm in NB, I wish they were in Ottawa:
http://www.recoltedecheznous.com/our_producers.cfm?prod_id=38

B= yogurt, pear
S= cheese
L= mushroom burger, pumpkin soup and brownie (see previous post)
No afternoon snack - too full and heartburn
D= It was supose to be Quinoa night but i'm not feeling up to it so it's boccachini cheese tomato salad. I bought too much stuff that is going to go bad, I can only eat so much. Quinoa tomorrow.

I went to the remembrance day ceremony downtown today. Did you see me on TV? probably not because we were the ones standing behing 10,000 people. I went with Jay and we didn't see or hear too much.

Monique: " Jay, it's past 11:11 and they didn't do the moment of silence!!!"
Jay: " Yeah, it was at 11:00, remember when the canon went off and then it went off again?"
Monique: "Holy crap, was I quiet during the moment of silence"
Jay: "yeah, you didn't talk"
Monique: "phew"

Zing a zing Zen!

" you mom cooked meatloaf even though I don't eat meat" - song for the occasion
Weezer - if you want me to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDIzMGh94vo

Today was my outing to a vegetarian restaurant. Thank you Jay and Marissa for coming along!

We went to Zen Kitchen on Sommerset. Now this place wasn't only vegetarian but also vegan.

Now I really really wanted to love this place. My coworker J-Lo knows the owners and my friend Grant had great things to say about this place.

Here is my basic review: Okay

Here is my heart burn review:

I got the organic lemonade - awesome but $4.00 is a bit expensive. Are the organic lemon farm in Australia?
My lunch was mushroom and walnut burger. The patty and bun were great. The problem was the sauce. It tasted like BBQ sauce but really potent BBQ sauce. Usually I put the sauce on the burger while cooking it, not after it<s cooked. I would"ve prefered ketchup. The soup was okay. It was describe to me as a Japanese pumpkin and squash soup. I think that my butternut squash soup is sooooo good that I was disapointed with this one because it was missing cream. I know evil cream makes everything better. So that was $14.00 for a lunch - a bit pricey. Jay had the macaroni and cheese - really good and Marissa had the chickpea curry on rice - also good. Now I was looking forward to my brownie and "ice cream" for dessert. Ehhhhh, the chocolate was very bitter and the "ice cream" was not too flavorful. For $6.00 I was dissapointed. Now the menu isn't very big and they also ran out of stuff. ALSO I've had heartburn all day. As I don't really get this feeling a lot I had to call Jen and Frank to ask them if I was experiencing heart burn!! My body is rejecting healthy food!!!

I would now like to try this vegetarian restaurant:
 http://www.greenearthveggie.com/about-ottawa.html

Zen Kitchen is still worth a go but you're now informed!

VW day 5 and Tofu review

Song - thighten up by the Black Keys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaPBCBjSVc&feature=channel

All right all right I love those red curries!

Energy level regular, health a-ok - veggie week is going well but I think I have made up my mind that i'm having poutine on Saturday. Then new challenge will start on Sunday and Saturday will be a transition day.Still figuring what to do - maybe low carb or salt.

B= cereal and strawberries
S= cheese and banana (not together - I had 2 snacks)
L= salad (left over from last night), hummus and crackers, carrot sticks and a bit of trail mix
S = finish my trail mix
D= Red curry with tofu

Tofu review - I tought that maybe it would be too spicy but I actually don't think it took the flavor of the curry. I guess the curry sauce wasn't technically a marinade. The tofu was okay and I would eat it again. I found it a bit bland and wish it had a bit more flavor. I might get it again in future week challenges and use a real marinade.

Tofu tip from Marcelle: marinade tofu in soya sauce and fry in pan with olive oil. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

Reading the Girl with the dragon tatoo and it's a really good book. Go for it if you were debating reading it as I was.

Pet peeve: HOLE IN PANTYHOSE ...especially 5 minute old pantyhose! AHHHHHHH!

Téfou Tofu!

The day is here! i`m making red curry tofu stir fry tonight. I wasn't too sure what I was doing but I was told that tofu should be marinated to take on flavour. So I took the red curry sauce (from a can - not time yet to learn to make it from scratch) and diced the tofu in cubes and put it in the fridge overnight. WELL I might have over marinated and now my tofu will probably be super spicy.

This is what I learned about Tofu:

Marinating

Marinating tofu is one of the many ways of flavoring it. When a recipe instructs you to marinate tofu and it does not tell you the tofu texture or hardness to use, we recommend using a regular firm or extra-firm tofu. If you are marinating for less than one hour, it can be done at room temperature covered with wax paper, paper towels, or a towel. However, for longer periods of time, marinating should be done in a tightly-covered container in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage.

Frozen and thawed tofu absorbs marinades faster than unfrozen tofu. In fact, if the marinade is thin, you may only need to quickly dip the tofu in the sauce on each side for it to be fully absorbed into the tofu. However, if the marinade is thick, the tofu may still require several hours or even overnight to absorb the marinade fully.

Cooking

Tofu can be mashed, blended, whipped, ground, crumbled, marinated, simmered, steamed, baked, broiled, sautéed, barbecued, fried, or deep-fried. Basically, you can do anything to it. Use your imagination and creativity. Remember, tofu has very little flavor of its own, and it will pick up the flavors of the ingredients it is cooked with. Also remember that tofu can be so soft and creamy that it melts away in the dish, or so firm and leathery that it takes a bit of chewing. Choose your flavors and textures.

Tofu may not only look like a sponge, but in some cases it actually acts like a sponge. If you have gone through some time and effort to remove the water from your tofu (i.e., to make it firmer or to maximize the flavor of a marinade), don't put it back in water or other liquids such as soup stocks. The tofu "sponge" will absorb liquid and drastically dilute the marinade and return the tofu's firmness to its original state.

In a soup or stew, you can "lock-in" the flavor of a marinated tofu by first cooking it with a little oil. Deep frying, pan frying, or covering with a non-stick cooking spray and broiling are all methods that may be used. If this locking-in process is skipped, the tofu's flavors will have a tendency to be leached out by the soup or stew broth.
And this is how i`m going to cook it tonight - taken from a tofu stir fry recipe:

In a wok or deep sided fry pan, heat to medium-hot, 1-2 TBS of good quality oil (canola or olive oil work well).
Remove tofu from marinade and stir-fry for 2 minutes(save marinade for sauce). Remove tofu and set aside.
Stir-fry veggies for 3-4 minutes. . Add marinade and bring liquid to a boil.

Here is a song to enjoy while you read my blog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjFaenf1T-Y
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home

VW day 4

Still alive and doing well. I don't even want Bacon yet! But I think I could use poutine! I think deep down junk food might be the problem and not meat!

B= yogurt, cheese and banana
S= Trail mix
L= butternut squash soup - I think i'll be feezing the rest as it's taking away the variety of my week
S= apple
D= salad made by Ricky with love. I had things planned to put in the salad like avocado and green beans but Ricky wasn't into it so it was carrots, palm hearts, tomato and cucumber. We also shared a lava cake because I needed something sugary.

I like this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwnefUaKCbc

it's the song for the cheverolet Cruze.

As this is my blog I figured I could pretty much post whatever I wanted! So I might put some songs and other things depending on my mood.

VW Day 3

B = apple sauce, cheese and banana
S= trail mix
L= spinach salad with avocado, strawberries and glazed pecans and hummus and crackers
S= bad orange so I didn`t eat it. I hate getting bad oranges
D= butter nut squash soup and a bun

Now I do feel that i`m not mixing it up too much but as I said I also don`t want to waste too much food.

Tip: when freezing butternut squash soup it`s better to freeze it without cream (if you're putting cream in it). When you'`re ready to eat it, unfreeze it and add the cream while heating it up!

I will not be posting recipes unless you ask for them.

Ah nuts!

Good fat and bad fat!

So if i`m not eating meat I have to replace the protein. I`m told to eat nuts...but then again don`t squirrels eat nuts to get fat! I do not want chipmunk cheeks at the end of the week!
So here is what I learned : bad fat give you the cholestoral. If you can see the fat in solid form it's bad. Like the lard on a steak.
Bad fats (saturated and trans) raise the levels of bad cholesterol. Moreover, bad fat-containing foods also tend to be high in cholesterol (so you get a double whammy: you eat cholesterol and the bad fats raise your cholesterol). Trans fats also lower good cholesterol.

Nuts have the good fat but don't over do it: Good fats (mono and poly-unsaturated) don’t raise bad cholesterol and, when eaten in moderation, actually are beneficial.

Walnuts are the best for you.

Go nuts for nuts is what I say!

VW day 2

I'm still alive and feeling good and oddly enough not missing meat.

B= apple sauce, cereal and strawberries
L= Left over pasta from last night
Snack= trail mix
D= butternut squash soup

I made a bit batch of butternut squash soup today. I froze a bit but don't know if it freezes right... I also froze extra squash that was left over for use at a later date. I glazed pecans today for salad this week.

I also went to Farmboy to look for Kale. I think it's not in season so i'm giving up.

In my trail mix there is dried bananas and pineapples. They're very sweet. I guess that's what happends when you dry food, it intensifies the flavor.

Veggie week (VW) Day 1

I had a pretty good day one. I don't feel faint or sick.

Breakfast = cereal, I'll have to try to make that a bit more exciting.
Lunch = Greek on wheels Spinachopina combo plate. So this might have been a problem. When I was half way in my meal I noticed that the rice was a bit yellow...I'm hoping it's was not chicken broth. I ordered from the vegetarian section...
Dinner = as we had a big cooking day at Jen's today we did make a vegetarian meal. So I had some really good stuffed shells with cheese and spinach.

I went grocery shopping for the week. I discovered the organic section at Superstore. I was able to find the soyganic tofu I was looking for but I didn't find Kale. I also went to Sobey's no Kale. If Farmboy doesn't have Kale I'm not too sure where to go?

Tips:
1. Shopping on Saturday night is great as there is nobody in the stores BUT then again you're a bit of a loser because you're grocery shopping on a Saturday night!
2. Always have healthy snacks available at work because if you get hungry it's really easy to buy a cookie...or brownie...or chips.

Calling Kale

Kale, doesn't it sound like a hot football guy's name or the next Fabio but no it's a vegetable.

And i've come to learn that it's a vegetable that a lot of people know. For those who don't know kale 

Kale or borecole is a form of cabbage (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), green or purple, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms. The species Brassica oleracea contains a wide array of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts 

Now meal planning is harder than I tought because I want to try new things but I also don't want to waste a bunch of food (example ; if I buy spinash I pretty much need to have it 3 times in the week) I'll try my best, also I need to eat diffrent things so I don;t pass out so I think i need to have nuts, hummus etc included everyday.

The skinny bitch is helping but i'm surprise at how much "fake chicken" tofu burger" fake bacon" are in their meal plans. If you're a vegetarian wouldn't  you want to get away from stuff that sound like a meat. It's as if they miss the meat so they make up their own. Can't you just make a tofu patty and call it a tofu patty...

Now I have to figure out chicken broth. Chicken broth would be a no but what about OXO chicken cube to give flavor? Is there really chicken in there? Maybe I'll just go with veggie broth...

Granola - not shopping for birkenstocks just yet

It`s weird how a book can change the way you think and act and feel and i`m sure that for many people it's diffrent things that make you want to eat better. I was just looking for books to read in the library`s online site  and the Skinny Bitch popped up, i don't even know what section I was looking in!

Today I didn't know what to get for lunch. I was thinking club sandwich, poutine, greasy salad but ended up with sushi. Yes, me sushi..I do it sometimes. I even branched out and got a kind I've never had before but I probably won't get it again because it's not bite size and if you take 2 bites it's messy.

Baby steps, baby steps.

I always hated when people went all granola on me and telling me how healthy they were eating and it was great. Like I was a bad greasy meat eater. I hope in all this I can be a better mini meat eater.

So I will judge no more and I will not try to convert (if ever I get to the point that I am higher on the healthy hierachy because right now I would be a hypocrite converter so slap me if I try to make you eat tofu...I don't even know if I can cook tofu!)

Marcelle, I get it now ! 10 years later - i`m a little slow. You'd think that by seeing you're hot skinny body would've made me want to eat like you! and I might talk to my friend Jay about a cleansing...talk, not trying yet.

Veggie week - Time to stop being chicken and branch out!

So when I first said veggie for a week in my head I was just going to eat things I know I like and have tried before.

After talking with a few people that are willing to share recipes and a very informative kitchen ambush I now know what Quinoa is and I want to try it!

Quinoa:

"Very flavorful alternative to black beans and rice. Quinoa is a nutty grain from South America."

I always said that I don`t like Tofu and won`t eat anything wtih tofu...but wait a minute, I do eat tofu everytime I go to Mekong. The Hot and Sour soup has tofu and it`s delicious. I will try J-Lo's tofu curry next week and tell you all about it. Great thing I have a good memory because Anna and Christina tested Tofu on the shopping bags so I will try to go with the tofu they recommended "Soyganic"...now to find it. I wonder if I should go to a health food store. I'll have to research this more.
http://www.annaandkristina.com/?action=d7_article_viewer_view_article&Join_ID=325851&template=tp-test-lab-view-article.htm7

I just need a few more ideas so I don't have to fall back on the good old egg salad sandwich!

Veggie week veggie what?

So doing a little research I decided that for my veggie week i'm going to be a
OVO-LACTO-VEGETARIAN:Ovo-lacto vegetarians are vegetarians who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and milk. This is the largest group of vegetarians.

I hope that includs butter and cheese...it should as it's made with milk...

Vegan (no meat, milk and egg) is too serious at this point and if I want to do vegan at a later time I should give myself a break this first week ALSO I figured that egg salad sandwich would be my fall back if I get stuck of veggie ideas. I guess it doesn't help that I don't like green pepper and onion which are pretty popular in the vegetarian world...also not a big fan of beans so I think hummus will be the way to go.

Ricky has agreed to a no process food week...but I guess we'll see how that goes when it happends.

Blah Blah Blog and not Blob

Good thing I did a facebook link to my blog...because I don't know if I could've found it again!

So I decided on the blog so I can be accountable for what I say. If it's out here it's harder not to deliver.

I love food, I love to eat Bacon and brie and soo much more. Not good - love it!

I say that i'm going to eat healthier ALL the time. That maybe lasts one hour and i'm back on the grease.

Example of my inability to change: Doctor said I should lose 10 pounds and should stop eating white food - bread, pasta, potatoes etc WELLLLL that was 5 months ago and I only cut out potatoes...and not even fries! It took me 5 freaken months to stop eating potatoes.

Ok, more planning needed for veggie week! If I have a plan I will follow.

Vegetarian for a week - Yikes!

Challenge no. 1 here we go veggies!

As it's pretty serious I need to reseach before I start so I have a start date of November 6th.

Also, Ricky is away hunting so this will help the situation - a bit ironic, he's killing animals and i'm trying to save animals by not eating them.

Now in Skinny Bitch Chapter 4 it really got to me how animals live in small stalls (no room to lie down and be comfortable), how they torture chickens by cutting off their beaks so they don't peck the other chickens, cow branding etc etc I won't go on because we've all heard it at one point and my goal is not to change the world. Sorry chickens you already have Peta on your side.

Another thing mentionned in the book is that whatever animals eat or are injected comes into me - growth hormones (is that why my ass is getting bigger), pesticides (is something in me being killed and i'm not aware) steroids ( does this mean if I start pumping iron i'll get ripped really fast).

Sucks that balogna is full of balogna.

So being a vegetarian for a week does it mean I can't drink milk or eat eggs. What about the by products of animals...butter is that okay???? WHAT ARE THE FREAKEN VEGETARIAN RULES?

I'll have to pop the iron pills for sure!

Challenges

So I just got a book from the library called Skinny Bitch - A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous. It pretty much says that everything you eat is bad for you - so now I wonder what I can eat... YES to stop eating crap, OK to looking fabulous...I mean I look okay, it's not as if i'm fatty fat fat.

As I have no will power over food I was thinking that this book would be a good way of evaluating the way I eat and how to eat healthier and to what point do I want to change!

I'm going to set weekly (or bi-weekly, or monthly depending how I feel) challenges for myself and hope that by the end of my challenge i'll be able adopt a better lifestyle change.

Challenges are still being worked out in my head but can include:

Veggies for me
What is vegan? really what is vegan
Is salt satan? Reading labels!
No more steroids - Organic all the way - this better not cost me a mint!
No more junk in the trunk - zero junk food

Comments and ideas are welcomed!

Now let's hope I can get Ricky on board as he does most of the cooking...and he loves the fatty fat fat!