Body. Mind. Soul: 10/19/2008

Friday, October 24, 2008

Dinner:
Pork Tenderloin- marinade in apple cider vinegar, onion, chopped celery Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Tater Fries
Roasted with a little olive oil and pepper

Very Veggie Loaded!

Lunch...

"steak" strips ( morningstar farms fake steak strips- vegetarian 100% but contains gluten)

small slice of corn filled cornbread

goddess dressing in a 2 tablespoon dish for dipping

Red Bell Pepper

Snap Peas

Purple Cabbage

Celery

Tomato

Onion

Sweet Potato Fries

I just found out my "step-aunt" ( my grandmother re-married about 8 years ago to a wonderful man I consider my grandfather- his daughter would be my step-aunt) was diagnosed about 2 weeks ago with Breast Cancer seemingly at Stage 1. Unfortunately, she went back this past week for a follow up and was told it was Stage 4.

She passed away earlier this week due to complications with the cancer's rapid development.

I have always been interested in and supportive of breast cancer research, in particular, the nutrition involved after treatment and potential prevention mechanisms. I am deeply saddened despite not being super "close" to her.

I guess I felt like reaching out, does anyone know anyone who passed away from Breast Cancer?

Breakfast

I mixed a half packet of Simple Harvest oatmeal, with a 1/3 cup of Uncle Sam's Cereal (whole bran flakes and flaxseeds YUM!)- added water and heated it up for 1 min 30 sec- Delicious! Half a banana, with Smucker's org. p.b! A TJ greek yogurt with some thawed blueberries

Lazy day.. all the running and walking and reading this week- I feel very tired!

Body:
Yoga -definately!

Mind:

Research

Soul:
Yoga
And I got a new magazine in the mail! Runner's World! Can't wait to have enough energy to read it.. ( going to the coffee maker now...)

State Fair~

The Food:
Funnel Cake!! Covered in strawberries AND chocolate... So messy but so delightful. This guy we split about 50/50!

"Big Kahuna Super Monster Carmel Apple "
I took this guy ($8 ) home with me... I bit off a macademia nut but that was all. He is still intact and happily waiting for me in the kitchen. It was a granny smith apple, covered in caramel, rolled in whole macademia nuts, covered in marshmallow /white chocolate, then dipped in chocolate. He is huge- the picture doesn't convey but it was literally bigger than a softball...I will take an inside pic too)

Roasted Corn (I should have gotten my own since it was that good compared to other foods but, I had only a bite of Jeff's. I am actually angry because I only took one bite. Oh well )

Oh yes ladies, I took that hot stud home! Don't you love the BBQ sauce on his cheek too?

Chili Cheese Fries
Split 1/3 me 2/3 jeff

Not complete dissapointment because I was hungry but I can totally make better chili cheese fries myself!

Cakes! Aren't they gorgeous? they didn't have any samples to eat or buy but I thought they were fantastic to look at!

Turkey Legs: I intended on getting one until Jeff told me they were dark meat, and I realized its probably from a turkey injected with all kinds of stuff to make them bigger and then I didn't have an appetite for one anymore.

I really didn't eat "that " much, unfortunately because I was up for anything that smelled good and I wanted. We walked around SO much and my running today- I wasn't concerned about calories so much as filling whatever I was hungry for. My stomach wasn't full when we left but I didnt really WANT anything else. We spent so much money too and really just on food- the apple was $8, the funnel cake was $6.. I can't remember the others but Jeff bought everything so I thanked him very much for a fun night of something different. Once a year is all I need. The best part: one of our "couple" friends were at the fair too! We unexpectedly saw them and hung out for the rest of the evening! Mike and Tracy- Tracy showed me where the apples were because they were hidden ( there were tons of carmel apple stands but not the gourmet kind like the ones we got)!

Capped the evening off with .... FIREWORKS! If you look hard the the bottom right of the tree you can kind of see them...

Thursday, October 23, 2008

"I thought I'd try out my sea legs" .... "Lieutenant Dan, you ain't got no legs..."

Yes I know that...
( apologies to those who have not seen it, you probably won't understand any of this post )
Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows.

I dragged myself to the gym with a case of the "Blahs" but I wore my knee brace and my running -only shoes. Mama says they was magic shoes, They could take me anywhere.
So Today, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. I might as well just turn back, keep right on going At 5 miles, I figured I would just stop but then I though I will go to 6.4 because I like 10K's... then at 6.4 I figured I would even it out to 7 because I like the number 7. I felt like if I really wanted to, I could run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours. I thought to myself ... I'm pretty tired, I think I'll go home now.

So I went home and made some lunch! Hope you enjoyed that, everything in italics is directly from Forrest Gump, it just seemed so appropriate !

Salmon, leftover angel hair, some goddess dressing, and tons of veggies!

spinach

carrot

asparagus

cauliflower

red pepper

yellow squash

red cabbage

snap peas

broccoli

Jeff just called with free tickets to The State Fair!!! Its over in a few days and not really all its cracked up to be but I did want to catch the Slow Food exhibit and maybe eat a fried turkey leg or fried oreos. I hear they have fried pecan pie this year. Quite honestly, I am open to trying anything but I tend to just not want that kind of stuff. Whatever it is, I know I can just enjoy eating it since it happens once a year if that.

We'll see if we go and I will probably not post lunch and dinner pics until later but will for sure take pics!!!

** Before I left for class I grabbed this baggie full of Kashi crackers- there was one serving in there. I actually didn't want them but thought since I ran so much, by the time class rolls around I will be starving and not be able to pay attention so if that would be the case- I grabbed the crackers. Good thing because sure enough, fifteen minutes before class while I was reviewing from last week- I was hungry! **

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast Day 3

1/2 cup egg beaters
2 Tb milk
whisk until frothy

One slightly toasted piece of bread ( arnold bread is big! 100 cal/slice!) , toasted while I whisked and heated up my pan.

I dunked the toast in the egg mix, and dropped it into the pan on med heat. Immediately sprinkled with Pumpkin Pie Spice.

As it cooked I took frozen blueberries, strawberries and some mango and thawed it in the microwave (half cup total)

Then:
-Flipped the french toast
-Sliced banana into the other empty part of the pan

-Took out the french toast- Added greek yogurt as its stuffing ( about 1/2 cup)
-Layered the banana on top
-Drop the rest of the eggs into the pan
I used the yogurt as a barrier for the syrup but didnt work that well on my smaller plate!

YUM!

Todays was better than Day 1. I actually really liked the pumpkinny eggs today ( from the leftover spice residue in the pan)... they werent "sweet" but they had this sweet spice to them that reminded me of like a custard or something...

Gym or Run... not sure which yet ( friday has been a fantastic running day the past two weeks+)

Read over yogurt research, research more for native american health disparities ( I am actually going to be doing an article on Childhood Obesity among Native American children )
Read over notes from last week's Advanced Nutrient Metabolism Class...
Finish Organic Inc Chp. 6 ( my chapter for presentation)

Yoga fo sho! Namaste

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Yogurt (way too much info that needs editing for my presentation)

info fromhttp://www.stonyfield.com/wellness/MooslettersDisplay.cfm?moos_id=16

Yogurt's History and FolkloreVicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN Back to "Moosletters" --> Print Email to a friend
Have you ever wondered where yogurt came from? Yes, it's from cows or some other kind of milk, but whoever thought to put those cultures in milk in the first place?
The origin of YogurtIt is thought that yogurt was first found as early as 2000 BC in Mid Eastern civilizations as a way to preserve milk. Fermented and cultured milks may actually predate recorded history however. A type of yogurt is thought to have originated by nomadic tribes of Eastern Europe and western Asia. The word yogurt is Turkish in origin. The ancient Assyrian word for yogurt, "lebeny" meant life. It's interesting to note that the modern word 'probiotic' can literally be translated to "For Life". There has been a longstanding belief that eating yogurt or the consumption of some type of cultured milk product is associated with longevity due to the friendly bacteria's ability to fight disease.
Historically, foods have been fermented and cultured to preserve them. As many forms of milk have been consumed since the dawn of time, Milk is thought to be the first cultured food. Cows were first domesticated in 9000 BC in Libya. There's no written evidence that yogurt was consumed but it's highly probable there was some form of cultured milk product. India's Ayurvedic history dates to 6000 BC, expounding the virtues of regular dairy product consumption and its contribution to a long, healthy life. Eastern Indians regularly consume milk from camels to yaks, making that milk into yogurt and cheese. 2500 years ago, Indian yogis proclaimed yogurt to be the "food of the Gods".
The first cultured milk product probably occurred spontaneously from the environment or the food itself. Folklore describes the story of a traveling nomad in the Turkish desert. Legend has it that he kept some milk in a goatskin bag hung across his camel. After traveling in the hot sun with the constant agitation of his bag during his travels, the milk was transformed into a tangy custard. The warmth, bacteria in the bag and agitation of his movements were ideal for making the first yogurt!
On a similar note, another story associated with yogurt describes the circumstances of either a messenger to Genghis Khan or the famed warrior himself. Disgruntled residents of a village recently seized by the warrior in the 12th century AD, put milk in a gourd he was carrying hoping to poison him with soured milk. Instead, the curdled milk became delicious custard that greatly fortified the horseman to continue his journey of conquest. It's interesting how this theme of unexpected yogurt-making is repeated with different versions. It may be that the legend of the first yogurt has overlapped with what is understood as the history of Genghis Khan. Written records on Genghis Khan do confirm that his conquering armies lived on yogurt. By 1206, all of Mongolia was dominated under his banner. By 1215, the Mongols had defeated Turkistan and Afghanistan and most of the Ch'in Empire. What is said to have kept the Mongols healthy and successful were the horses. Not only did they allow the mongolsto be nimble, but they also provided rich milk that was fermented. The milk was known as kumiss and every member of the conquering pack consumed it, from the Great Khan himself to the lowliest slave. It not only maintained them but also nourished them and kept them healthy.
LongevityA Russian born biologist, Elie Metchnikoff wrote about the life-extending benefits of eating cultured foods, especially yogurt. Dr. Metchnikoff received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his research on phagocytosis, an important function of the immune system in 1908. Perhaps nearer and dearer to his heart was his study of lactic acid-producing bacteria. He believed their consumption was responsible for the observed longer lifespan of so many Bulgarians. Metchnikoff wrote a book called The Prolongation of Life. He noted that a higher percentage of the Bulgarian population was found to live anywhere from 87 to over 100 years old. He attributed this to eating cultured milk products. He was one of the first to recognize the relationship of disease and what he called the "poisons" produced in the bowel. He convinced many that the friendly bacteria colonizing the intestine helped to normalize bowel habits and fight disease-carrying bacteria, thereby promoting longevity. Metchnikoff believed that with regular yogurt consumption, it was possible to live to be 150 years old! He named the primary yogurt-culturing microorganism Lactobacillus bulgaricus after the Bulgarians.
Metchnikoff also wrote that the secret of longevity was in the Russian mountains. The villagers of Caucasus Mountains, now known as Azerbaidzhan, ate yogurt and are responsible for the origin of kefir, another fermented milk product. Kefir is mentioned in the Koran and is very well known in Eastern Europe. The kefir of the Caucasus area was known for its healing powers. Kefir is made from lactic acid-producing bacteria similar to yogurt and also yeast complexes. The Moslem tribesmen of the Caucasus Mountains coveted the kefir recipe with the culture grains passed from generation to generation. Whether through the good will of a missionary or a complex tale of a beautiful woman trying to coax the recipe from a Caucasus prince, the benefits of kefir have been extolled.
FolkloreBy definition, a true yogurt must be cultured with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus. It is these beneficial bacteria that is responsible for the many health claims associated with yogurt and other cultured milk products.
Here is a list of some of the many benefits that are associated with yogurt. As folklore means "widely held beliefs, not proven true", some are not substantiated by research where others are understood to be quite accurate and accepted.
Because the cultures produce lactic acid from the lactose in the milk, many people whom are lactose intolerant are able to tolerate yogurt.
The cultures inhibit the growth of hostile or disease-producing bacteria inside the GI tract by producing antimicrobial substances known to inhibit these gram-positive pathogens.
The cultures increase absorption of minerals and aid in B vitamin synthesis.
Yogurt brings relief to those suffering from diarrhea and chronic constipation.
The Eastern Indians believe that the germs that promote diarrhea, appendicitis and dysentery cannot survive in the presence of the lactic acid produced by yogurt.
Yogurt is beneficial for those suffering from colitis and possibly Crohn's disease because the cultures may reduce inflammation in the colon.
Regular yogurt consumption crowds out the overgrowth of Candida yeast organisms in the intestine.
Related to the intestinal yeast overgrowth are vaginal yeast infections. Plain yogurt has been recommended as a vaginal suppository. Some practitioners claim this may help or it may feed the yeast organisms themselves as they thrive on carbohydrate.
Regular yogurt consumption has been shown to help relieve vaginal infections. It can be eaten as a preventative or part of a comprehensive approach to rid Candidiasis.
Eating yogurt while taking antibiotics prevents or decreases the occurrence of antibiotic-related diarrhea.
Having an altered GI physiology with an unhealthy balance of microflora has been associated with a "leaky gut" thus allowing potential allergens to pass through the intestinal wall. These allergens may manifest into many variations of poor health from chemical sensitivities, arthritis, and food allergies to other chronic diseases. A balance of beneficial bacteria from yogurt can help to prevent this.
At least two studies demonstrate that a seven-ounce serving of yogurt can lower cholesterol by as much as 3.2%. Lactobacillus reuteri, (found only in Stonyfield Farm yogurt) has also demonstrated cholesterol-lowering benefits.
Remember that the yogurt must contain "Live active cultures" in order to have any of these health benefits. The yogurt must not be pasteurized after the addition of the cultures. If you're obviously already a Stonyfield Farm Yogurt fan, you already know this!
Other yogurt folklore remedies profess the benefits of yogurt for skin disorders from pimples to eczema and psoriasis. Additionally, yogurt has been mentioned in treatments for insomnia, hepatitis and jaundice.
What determines whether these health claims are true depends on large-scale, placebo-controlled clinical studies. While these studies may or may not be seen in the scientific literature, it is known that use of yogurt or ingestion of probiotic supplements have never been known to pose any significant danger even with people who have compromised immune systems. On the contrary, people with AIDS have actually benefited from consuming yogurt.
Yogurt may have an interesting history but does yogurt promote longevity? It is life enhancing even if we can't prove that it adds years to our life.
Reference:http://www.natren.com/pages/infoyogurt.html History of Yogurt - Natren Probiotics
http://www.findarticles.com/ Can "healthy" bacteria ward off disease? (use of fermented foods and dietary supplements to prevent and treat infectious diseases) Paul Cerrato, RN
http://www.indiangyan.com/books/healthbooks/food_that_heal/curd.cfm An article on Curd and its benefits.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00150.html Yogurt: The Curds and Whey to Health? FDA Consumer magazine by Rebecca D. Williams.

info from http://www.fageusa.com/
(which only employees 100 people at their manufacturing plant in NY)

info from http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq2.html#yogurt

Yogurt
Food historians generally agree the genesis of yogurt and other fermented milk products was discovered accidentally by Neolithic peoples living in Central Asia. These foods occured naturally due to local climate and primative storage methods. About milk. Yogurt has long been associated with good health and long life. Notes here:
"Soured milk or curds have surely been consumed by many peoples from the earliest Neolithic times, but little remains as direct proof of this. They were fairly certainly used in Mesopotamia and Palestine, and possibly Egypt, and Pliny later mentions their production by barbarian'tribes."---Food in Antiquity: A Survey of the Diet of Early Peoples, Don Brothwell and Patricia Brothwell [Johns Hopkins University Press:Baltimore] 1997, expanded edition (p. 51)
"Milk being highly perishable, of course, a few hours would be enought to start it fermenting in the climate of the Near East. Depending on the temperature and the kind of bacteria in the air, the curds might develop into something pleasant and refershing, or something quite uneatable even by the Neolithic peoples, whose tastes were necessairly less rigid than those of their modern counterparts. The curds might also be either fine or coarse. The finer type was to develop ultimately into the sharp, creamy substance represented today by the yoghurt of the Balkans, the taetta of Scandinavia, the dahi of India. The coarser kind, strained off, would make the first soft, fresh cheese...Whatever the background to the early discoveries, however, curds, cheese, yoghurt and butter all developed into useful ways of preserving milk that was surplus to the people's immediate requirements..."---Food in History, Reay Tannahill [Three Rivers Press:New York] 1988 (p. 27-9)
"Yoghurt is one of the fermented milk foods whose origins are probably multiple. It is easy enough to imagine how, in parts of C. or W. Asia, unintended fermentation of milk could have produced something like yoghurt, and that people would have noticed that this would keep for much longer than fresh milk, besides tasting good. There is another advantage which applies particularly to many Asians...Yoghurt is the Turkish name for the product, long since adapted into the English language, no doubt because yoghurt reached W. Europe through Turkey and the Balkans."---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 859)
"There can be few foodstuffs in recent times that have gone through such an orthographic identity crisis as yoghurt. In the days when it was known only as an exotic substance consumed in Turkey and other parts of the Near East (first reported in English in 1625 by Samuel Puchas in his Pilgrimes...) the original Turkish name of this fermented milk, yoghurt, inspired a whole lexicon of spellings...The notion of fermenting milk with bacteria to form a semiliquid food is nothing new, of course. Neolithic peoples of the Near East almost certainly ate a form of yoghurt around 6000 BC, and certainly it was popular in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It seems to have been take from Persia ot India, and today it is an important ingredient in Indian cookery."---An A to Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 373)
"Yogurt, like cheese, was discovered long ago, when wandering herdsmen carrying mik in sheepskin bags noticed that the milk had curdled. People likely discovered both cheese and yogurt in the beginning of the Neolithic era, when they first began to practice milking. Nomadic herdsmen milked their animlas, then carried the milk in pouches made out of sheep's stomachs, the lining of which contains an enzyme called rennin, which curdles milk. The Middle Eastern climate was ideal fo curdling milk: left in the heat, milk curdled in just a few hours. Depending on the degree of heat and the type of bacteria in the environment, the curds would be find and develop into yogurt, or coarse and develop into cheese. Yogurt was most likely discovered by accident. As a product of milk, it was assigned similar properties. Milk and milk products have always been considered nothing short of magical. In fact, it has been suggested that the milk in the biblical phrase milk and honey' referred to yogurt. As soon as the wandering herdsmen discovered the curdled milk, they tasted it and found it to their liking. It was not long before they perceived health benefits that they attributed to the curdled milk...Peasants in the Balkans live a long time, particuarly in Bulgaria, and furthermore, many of them retain their ability to conceived late in life. Both of these abilities have been attributed to the fact that these people eat large quantities of yogurt, and that yogurt apparently has healing properties."---Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology, Tamra Andrews [ABC-CLIO:Santa Barbara] 2000 (p. 250)
"Yogurt may have been known by the ancient Greeks as pyriate. Andrew Dalby...argues that the Greek physician Galen (c. 130-c. 200) was correct to identify this older term, pyriate, with the oxygala familiar in his own day, which was a form of yogurt and was eaten on its own or with honey. The first unequivocable description of yogurt is found in a dictionary called Divanu luga-i turk, compiled by Kasgarli Mahmut in 1072-1073 during the Seljuk era in the Middle East (1038-1194). Yogurt spread rapidly throughout the Levant, but it hardly penetrated the Western and northern Mediterranean."---A Mediterranean Feast, Clifford A. Wright [William Morrow:New York] 1999 (p. 184-5)
"Yoghurt... was known in France as early 1542, when Francois I was suffering from what would now be diagnosed as severe depression. The doctors could do nothing for his listessness and neurasthenia until the Ambassador to the Sublime Porte disclosed that there was a Jewish doctor in Constantinople who made a brew of fermented sheep's milk of which people spoke in glowing terms, even at the Sultan's court. The King sent for the doctor, who refused to travel except on foot; he walted through the whole of southern Europe, followed by his flock. When he finally arrived before Francois I, the latter's apathy had given way to a certain impatience but he still did not feel well. After several weeks of sheep's milk youghurt, the King was cured. The sheep, however, had not recovered from their long walk and caught cold in the air of Paris. Every last one of them died, and the doctor left again, refusing to stay despite the King's offers. He went home, taking the secret of his brew with him. The health of Francois I continued to improve, which was the point of the exercise, and yoghurt was forgotten for nearly four centuries...The koumis of Central Europe is made from fermented mare's milk, but its origin lies in farthest Asia. The barbarian' Huns and Mongols brought it with them. In the past Western Europe made milk-based drinks which were not yoghurt, but were more like kefir or diluted and flavoured curds. Such drinks bear withness to the memory of ancient migrations: they are the beverages of people who did not grow vines and whos only wealth was the flocks they drove ahead of them."---History of Food, Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat , translated by Anthea Bell [Barnes & Noble Books:New York] 1992 (p. 119-20)
"[Yogurt] first gained international prominence in the early 1900s when Ilya Metchnikov, a Russian bacteriologist, observed that the life span of Bulgarians, whose diet included the consumption of large quantities of soured milk, was eighty-seven years and beyond."---Craig Claiborne's The New York Times Food Encyclopedia, Joan Whitman compiler [Times Books:New York] 1985 (p. 489)
About Ilya Mechnikov
YOGURT IN AMERICA"Turkish immigrants are said to have brought yogurt to the United states in 1784, but its popularity dates only from the 1940s, when Daniel Carasso emigrated to the United States and took over a small yogurt factory in the Bronx, New York. He was soon joined by Juan Metzger, and the two sold their yogurt under the name Dannon (originally Danone, after Daniel Carcasso whose father was a Barcelona yogurt maker). In 1947 the company added strawberry fruit preserves to make the first "sundae-style yogurt." Whe nutrition promoter Benjamin Gayelord Hauser published an excerpt from his book Live Younger, Live Longer (1950), in the October 1950 issue of Reader's Digest magazine extolling the health virtues of yogurt, the product's sales soared. They leaped again--500 percent from 1958-1968--when so-called health foods were popularized by the counterculture of the 1960s."---Encyclopia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 355)
About Dannon (popular American brand))
About yogurt (manfacting process)
About yogurt (scientific process)

Dinner for One

I love whole wheat angel hair! In my bowl of angle hair is: chicken, chickpeas, sweet peas, snow peas ( wow I guess I can't get enough of peas today) , goat cheese and parmesean cheese. Salad on the side with goddess dressing = dinner for one ( Jeff had practice for his xmas rock band)

Body:
Cardio: Biked 11 miles, 25 minutes and Elliptical 20 minutes.

Strength: Back, Biceps, Quads

Mind:
I went to campus early enough to really get in some good research and reading- I read through and took notes on 7 research articles in 2 hours! I found "the" article for my presentation and now have to find all kinds of cool interesting "obesity trend" and "food supply" research to back it up/add to it...

Soul:
My returns are made!! I had bought extra ties for Jeff and extra jewelery for this past weekend and it feels really nice to have money back in my account!

Off to read blogs and more research!

Lunch

Fruit (strawberries, mango)
Oats & Flax Seed (Uncle Sam's and half a Quaker Simple Harvest pack)
Oikos Organic!
plus some organic smuckers natural pb!! hmmm yum
but i was forgetting something...

After I finished I realized....
VEGGIES!!!
Snap peas, purple cabbage, and mixed greens with a tsp apple cidar dressing

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast

it was just too good yesterday to not make again and I still have all the ingredients!

The tough part : It is always better the first time around! I think today i "tried to hard" . That tells you how I cook- I barely ever do "recipes" . I do follow them if I am making a specific thing from a recipe but for me, when I want to make something fun/new/healthier etc. I just throw in what I think would work (hence the Laural-Mo Creation Friday Dinners). I don't think its ever come out bad because of it but sometimes I try to remake it with a specific recipe and it comes out different.

So I made tiny changes too- Yesterday, I added pumpkin spice to the egg mix- The toast tasted PHENOMNEAL! The leftover eggs were, hmm- just like pumpkinny eggs... quite yummy actually i would eat them again that way. However, today i tried adding the spice after the bread was dipped and in the pan. The toast came out yummy and the eggs tasted more egg-like. I did not add extra fruit, and I used much less "stuffing" yogurt since I had an extra entire piece of bread. I can't rave enough about a sliced banana in a frying pan, when it caramelizes on its side- SO GOOD!

There is little pb smear too. Comparing today and yesterdays, yesterdays totally wins because ::
1. the blueberries and strawberries melted juice added another "level" like a syrup would

2. i used the but of the loaf and one slice, so less bread was better for my tastes
3. i love protein, so more yogurt instead of bread fills me up better and makes me feel better than say more bread would...

So much reflection on a delicious meal!
Today's plan:

Body:
I plan on going to the gym in about an hour-
Strength: Abs, BBQ (back, biceps, quads)
Cardio: Bike/Elliptical

Mind:
Class: My article for presentation is due and I found one that might work yesterday- I am going to email the prof. soon to check. I wanted to examine reservation environment effect on Native American health but can't find ANY articles close to that. So I found one on Vitamin D deficiency in Native American populations contributing to diabetes development....

Soul:
not sure yet! I did not make the returns i wanted to yesterday because I wanted to read more for class so i will probably do those returns today...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

what to do what to do..

Dinner!
Whole Wheat Angel Hair
Frozen Peas
Frozen Artichokes
Can of Organic Garbanzo beans
Natural Choice Precooked no preservative chicken
Tossed in...
Homemade healthy creamy sauce!

sauce: I took 1/3 can low sodium, fat free cream of whatever soup, filled the can with 1/3 cup 1% milk, the rest with water... whisked it into a deep pan. Added 3/4 cup parmesean cheese, 2 tablespoons smart balance butter, and whisked until creamy. S & P to taste.. (I forgot but intended to add chopped fresh garlic. )

The pic is only half a box of pasta ( so 4 servings) , 1/2 bag frozen peas, 1/4 bag of artichokes, 1/2 can garbanzo beans... And it was A TON!! seriously seemed like way more than four servings but hooray for volume!

I promise I had way more than what this bowl looks like I had!
Lunch:
Leftover chili, added extra lentils and some cheddar, cornbread pudding, 0% TJ Greek Yogurt plain in the bowl- half a TJ pomegranate greek yogurt ( meh nothing great), small salad greens with snap peas, purpley cabbage and a teaspoon TJ Goddess Dressing...

Body:
I felt up to exercise physically but felt blah from this cold coming on... I took two brisk short walks with Jack ( one with jeff too) and walked around campus before/after class a bit.

Mind:
Class... everything went fantastic and we met for our Organic Inc group- I pretty much already wrote my reflection on Slow Food Nation via here on the blog plus some other notes I had... so I am ahead of the game on that~
I also got through three chapters of 7 for Organic Inc...

Soul:
Cleaned the floors in the house- I immediately felt like I could breathe better! Had a great new thesis idea , and called who I was supposed to call ( I tend to procrastinate on calling people big time) ...

Made dinner early and have tons of left overs!

I really want to get rid of all of my clothing I don't wear... so I was considering taking a picture of every piece I own that is sellable and posting it on something like ebay or even here to just give away.. I am not sure if it is a good idea or "worth" the time .. hmm... pondering

Jeff has a hockey game and I used to go all the time ( he plays every tuesday)... the last four have been super late at night but this one is earlier... BUT... Biggest Loser, Priviledged, and the new 90210 are all on tuesday evenings! I know its pointless TV but its so great to zone out on it once in awhile... what to do what to do..

Organic, Inc

I basically try to follow and enjoy a diet high in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy and eggs, lean meat, fish and little alcohol. The body digests these foods over time, slowing gastric emptying into the pancreas, keeping insulin release stable, blood glucose levels fairly stable.

I found Organic Inc immediately interesting because this is all discussed in its first chapter! This "diet", tends to be thought of as the South Beach Diet only because Miami cardiologist Arthur Agatston came up with diet to comabt heart disease and with comibination of reduced calories, subjects lost weight. The South Beach diet didn't offer up anything that nutritionists were not already saying at the time of its outburst, but its association with buff models and the miami area founder- led it to take off -becoming a spin on the nutritional approach going back to Hunza peasants of Britain, who have historically incredible survival rates ( their diet was high complex carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit, well taken care of livestock).

When you add in organic, local foods to this model, it no longer becomes a "prescriptive diet" for losing weight- it somehow becomes your "way of life". You increase sustainability by choosing local foods, you increase your health and eliminate pesticides in your body by choosing organic. It doesn't mean you have to shop at Whole Foods.... it means that you are a consumer that CARES!

The marketing exec from Whole Foods tells Samuel Fromartz (author of Organic, Inc), We knew consumers for quite some time heard about Organic, but no one really knew what Organic meant. For that matter, we also knew consumers did not CARE- they just wanted to feel good about the choices they made.

Whole Foods is also developing a way to ensure their meats are not only free of antibiotics and hormones, but also raised to animal-compassionate standards, another means of increased sustainability. Yet, Whole foods capitalizes on consumers- American consumers LOVE FOOD, they also LOVE SHOPPING, yet most HATE shopping for food. Whole Foods makes that easy, they make the choices for you- telling you its good.

Their 365 brand of organic products is an example - You can buy a bag of 365 organic pasta for less than $1 or you can buy Montebello brand pasta grown on hilltop in Italy, farmed free of chemicals for $2.99. The WF brand makes "organic" easier- cheaper. I question though, the sustainability factor; What about LOCAL people???!?! Yes you are doing a "good" thing for your body by purchasing organic, but what about the cost of transporting that hilltop Italian pasta from Italy? The jet-fuel, the gas mileage to the Whole Foods??

I mean, is it really worth it for the economy? Most people today in the U.S do not own a pasta maker or know how to make pasta. This is where my recent reading of Slow Food Nation and Gastronomical Me come into play. Shouldn't we also be concerned with sustaining the economy and sustaining human growth by education consumers to be co-producers, to know what gastronomy is and why it is important to have skills such as making pasta, or growing vegetables free of pesticides ?

Slow Food Nation, cont'd

What I took from Slow Food Nation and what I feel Carlo Petrini is portraying:

Food is a network of people, places, products, and knowledge. Think about a dish of pasta...
the tomatoes - Who grew them, what did they use in their soil, when did they pick them, how much gas did it cost them to transport them to the place you bought them?
Or where they canned- what an extensive process canning and preserving is! ?
What about the spaghetti, what did it cost to grow the wheat, make the flour, roll the pasta, package it, and deliver it to the store?
Did the farmer's know what the effects of pesticides could do to the tomatoes?
Did the famer make parmesean cheese from milk of cows fed animal by-products or grass fed cows ?

As a gastronome, you feel a part of that network. You belong to a food network, which goes from the global to the particular. From universal to local, for producers and co-producers. Reactivating the connections between producer and consumer, which often now are so far distant the nodes of the network do not even know they are part of the network, will circulate the network. New nodes of conscious people can expand the network , the network thus sustains itself. A sustainable network focused on human growth instead of economic growth- leading to quality food.

This new quality of food can be obtained via educational strategies of knowledge and of products: so that food is good for the palate and the mind, sustainable for the earth, and fair because every person's dignity is guarenteed

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast

OMG!
This was freaking delicious! I have been meaning to make french toast but finally bought bread and bananas yesterday afternoon.. So.... I figured I would make a healthy version of Stuffed French Toast with Banana's Foster inside.... YUMMMMMMMMMY

I took the Better n Eggs (I got this bogo- otherwise I would use two egg whites)and added about a Tb Milk into the bowl, then cinnamon, and Beat with a whisk until super frothy.
Into that, I dunked two pieces of (barely toasted so its stiff) bread
Put it into the pan that was heated on medium heat... I sliced the banana into the pan after the bread needed flipped... Then I flipped the bread and sprinkled everything with a tiny teaspoon of brown sugar (prob 1/2 tsp). When the bread was browned and crispy I set it on the plate, Then flipped the bananas in the pan.. I spread a mix of Cabot Cottage Cheese and TJ Greek 0% Yogurt (I mixed it while the bread was cooking)... Then put the banana slices on top/in between..

On the side I cooked the remainder of the eggs, with the last of some blueberries and a strawberry.

SOOOOOO GOOOD!!!

I love bananas in a frying pan

And I used no oil or spray or butter- just put everythin as is into the nonstick!

Ingredients:
1 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg beaters
1 T milk
2 slices slightly toasted bread
banana
dash of brown sugar

Stuffing:
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup greek yogurt

Today's To Do List:
Body:
Rest my legs ( but probably will do yoga and some strength)

Mind:
Read Organic Inc
Class- Midterm!!!!!

Soul:
Nikki B ( best friend in college) sent me a "wake up" text-- made me laugh- Who doesnt start the day off well when you laugh as soon as you wake up!?!?!
Call about start date with jacob's program director
Return ties I bought for Jeff for the wedding

Monday, October 20, 2008

Chili and Cornbread

Accomplishment feels spectacular!!! unfortunately, I have had sniffles all day and my head felt "swirly" in class... sigh.. that fishing in the rain on the beach this weekend probably wasnt the best idea ...oh well... I knew I wanted to something "warm" like a stew/soup/chili for dinner....

Lunch:
Flat Out Light Wrap
4 Egg Whites , Hard boiled
Hot Sauce
Mustard
Steamed Asiam Veggies ( corn, red pepper, waterchestnuts, snap pea, edamame)
Banana w organic peanut butter

Pre-Class Snack:

Body:
Strength: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Hamstrings
Cardio: 7 mile RUN!!! Plus 10 minutes on the elliptical
mile1 9:00 min

mile2 8:40 min

mile3 8:40 min

mile 4 8:20 min

mile 5 7:53 min

mile 6 7:00 min !!!!

mile 7 7:30
My knees felt fantastic during the run but did start feeling achy later this afternoon while walking to class. I really paced myself and tried hard not to run faster for the first 3 miles ( I hate feeling like I am running slow... so I usually just run fast and get pumped the faster I go)

Mind:
-Found great back up articles for minority health but still not one good one

-Finished reading Slow Food Nation this morning, exam tomorrow and paper for Slow Food Nation due next week.

-Reading Organic, Inc after posting!
-Class today was about Unnatural Causes of death and Socioeconomic status ( income and education level combined essentially) being the strongest predictor of health & longevity
-Suduko!

Soul:

I <3>

Came up with a game plan with Jacob's "team" for therapy... I am pysched to help out 2 hours + during the mornings... I think I was getting stressed with the idea of weekends/evenings his mom wanted because it was too hard for me to fit it all in- but in the mornings I can fit in two hours and will be HAPPY to have some more money flow!

Cooked healthy chili and Momma Mo's cornbread "puddin" Laural- style...

My Dinner Bowl: w/ TJ nonfat greek plain

Into the crock pot I put:
1 can organic chili beans

1 can rotel chunky tomatoes and green chiles

1 16 oz can tomato sauce

However much of Hot Sauce ( I like about 2 tablespoons, Jeff likes 5)

In the pan I threw 1/4 chopped onion with 2 cloves of garlic, added ground meat ( I used 93% lean but i like ground turkey and for more people I use the next fat level because its not very much different ( an extra 20-30 cal/serving) until brown... added a tablespoon of chili seasoning and to taste : cumin and chili powder

Then I put the pan mixture into my crock pot, stir and cooked on low for 4+ hours.

I did something new this time though- I cooked and added organic red lentils! They came out like a green mush and I pretty sure I did something wrong- but I threw in three servings of them into the crock pot after everything else ...

So then for the easiest most delicious cornbread pudding ever...
Here is Momma Mo's Southern Recipe

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Mix

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup butter

1 can cream corn

1 can fresh kernel corn

...Add it all together mix well, Bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Here is what I did today:

Ingredients:
( I use this 4 inch high, 10 inch round corningware b/c it fits into my toaster oven)
1.5 cup yellow self rising cornmeal

1 cup whole grain organic flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tb Smart Balance 50/50

2 eggs or egg beater substitute

1/2 cup Nonfat SourCream

1/2 cup Plain Nonfat 0% Greek Yogurt

1 can cream corn

1 can whole kernel corn

Melt tablespoon butter into the pie dish/casserole dish, roll it around to coat. I added the egg beaters, sour cream, yogurt and mixed. Then added both cans of corn. In a separate bowl I mixed the dry ingredients, then added the dry to the wet. Mixed it all and baked for 45 minutes at 350. I mixed the center halfway through baking.

Here I come Organic, Inc.

Slow Food Nation

Thoughts as I am finishing Carlo Petrini's Slow Food Nation:

Regarding CSA's
"City-dwellers want fresh, seasonal products at a good (fair) price and want to be able to know the person who grows them; the farmers need to have a guarentee of a fair price, not to be at the mercy of fluctations in the market and want the fruits of their production to be appreciated with "gastronomic" sensibility and not confused, diluted, or eliminated by the distribution and market systems. Price is agreed, city dwellers pay in advance for the whole year's produce and in exchange the farmers agree to deliver fruit, vegetables, meats, and cheese to the homes every week. It is the ideal solution, it is "co-production". The problem is, relocation of production needs to occur where there is the consumption. Food is a network of co-production, where knowledge must be shared and methods are sustainable" Carlo Petrini, SFN

This was discussing Community Supported Agriculture's (CSA's) as a solution to increasing sustainability, thus increasing "clean" food, and sharing food that is "good" ( good to the palate and good to the mind") to consumers.
I agree with so much of this book, yet feel like ... "So what now?" ... what else can we do since I tried joining a CSA and all of them had waiting lists? So I go to a Farmer's Market that is about a mile from where I live- What do I do when I buy fruit from the Farmer's Market and bring it home to find it is rotten ? What do I do at the Farmer's Market when the only fruit available right now is apples because that is what is in season? Sure, consumers should eat more seasonably, but USDA and Dietary Guidelines suggest 3-5 servings of fruits daily, they suggest variety- I am supposed to eat 3 apples a day until the next seasonal fruit is available?

Anyone else have thoughts?

If this subject interests you, aside from buying Slow Food Nation, there is a new television stationg "Planet Green" and Bill Nye (the science guy) has a new series called "Stuff Happens" - the premier episode was about breakfast-

It was eye-opening and very easy to understand ( it was in "lay-terms" ) for the U.S population to become aware of how bad our food products can be for ourself and the environment and what small changes we can make to help. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/stuff-happens/show-info-stuff-happen.html

Also, Oprah had a show ( It popped on while I read this book last week!) about the importance of not stressing animals we use to produce food- cage-free, cage regulation sizes. Lisa Ling had gone out to exlore the matter.. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081008_tows_animals

Sunday- Monday ..Longing for Veggies ...Longing for Fruit!

Sunday Breakfast... eggs, biscuit, bacon, 1% milk
( the difference with this and "the infamous breakfast sandwich" at Jeff's Nana's is this biscuit was made from scratch ( vs. at the lake: a trans-fat full, pre-packaged eco-unfriendly biscuit twice its size), Momma mo drains the bacon and the grease before making scrambled eggs with 1% milk ( instead of scrambled eggs w/ heavy cream inside a pan full of bacon grease)
Those differences add up! I just wish I had some fruit and whole grains! Jeff fishing on the beach

Sunday on the drive home I had Kashi crackers and dried cranberries ( wasn't all that hungry since we woke up late, did some fishing, then sat in the car for three hours.. ) so dinner time I was really craving veggies (and fruit)..

Sunday dinner: Broccoli, Carrots ( fresh), frozen bell pepper mix, Uncle Ben's Wild, Whole Grain Vegetable Pilaf Rice ( it had carrots, corn, red pepper ), Turkey Hot Sausage ( Jennie-O)...
We added a half can of cream of chicken soup ( low sodium, fat free).. with half a can of water, then added the rice and veggies after the sausage was cooked mostly- let it simmer in the pan for about 20 minutes...

Monday Breakfast:
Quaker Simple Harvest hot cereal ( yum! almond, flax seed, oats)
Smear of Organic Peanut Butter
Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, mango
Coffee

( I had thought we would have fruit at one of the rentals we were planning on staying at but we did not- and on top of that -we stayed up so late with everyone that we woke up late enough that breakfast was really lunch, then it was time for dinner..so I sort of missed out on "meals" but I had snacks like the crackers and cranberries and a south beach living bar etc. if I got hungry)

Monday To Do list:
finish slow food nation

read 1st chapter of organic inc

read chapters for class tonight

exercise!

groceries ( milk, bread, eggs yogurt..)

Class 4:30-7..
Jacob's house 7-8:15

Happy Monday all!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Saturday Part 2

Brit and I in the elevator.. come on we had to get in and take a ride!
Wonderful friends of ours - Stacy and her hubby Chuck had a baby one year ago ( it was their first weekend away from her ! they only called 5 times in 48 hours)
Salad Table.... The greens were mixed in the orange pots... How cute!

That was what was left- I had a 3 oz portion of turkey, 4 oz fresh seared ahi tuna, beet salad ( the green stuff at the bottom right corner).. all over mixed greens with some blue cheese crumbles and roasted red peppper)... the potato sunday on the left and that is not my beer .. Over the course of the entire evening ( 6:00 pm- 2:30 am) I had a glass of pinot grigio, a glass of merlot, and a glass and a half of champagne... ( the last glass got spilled when someone bumped into me)