Pumpkin French Toast with Warm Fruit "Compote" and Yogurt * Updated*

The "compote" is in quotes because technically a fruit compote begins with a simple syrup of water and sugar, cooked with vanilla or liquor then fruit is added etc etc. The efficient B-Healthy (that's me f.y.i) is all "Why add sugar to something that is sweet already?" so I just heat up frozen unsweetened fruits most of the time. Their juices release and it essentially is a less sugar, more natural version of fruit compote.

I didn't know what I wanted for breakfast but started to make the base for pumpkin pie for one with 1/4 c pumpkin and 1/2 c egg whites. I mixed it really well and saw the loaf of bread that I'd like to finish by Wednesday so it does not go to waste during our holiday travels. A light bulb went off in my head when I saw the bread, I thought, "I will just dip toast into this and make Pumpkin French Toast!"

My pumpkin "batter" was already in my "single pie dish" so I had to slice up the bread for it to fit in there. I like slicing it up before cooking it because the pieces get coated with more batter and it's easier to eat at the end- no need to cut! If you had kids you could use cookie cutters and make shapes like Dinosaurs or Trees! I put Oikos Greek Nonfat Organic Yogurt on top, and I heated up frozen peaches, strawberries, pineapple and cherries for the Fruit Compote.

Here is the plan for today ( and usually when I say that, I actually stick to it hence why I say it!)

Body:

Run. I told my knee and toes to not bother me today but it didn't quite work. I ran 5 miles total, but my knees and toes were bugging me after mile 3. I walked a little (.5 mile total) and finished up the 5 miles.

Mind:

I am still going to go out and look for a job. I'm not sure if I will get crazy looks or find something but I guess I can't give up right?
Cookie Recipe Reading
Eat Pray Love Reading

Soul:
more cookie baking.. upcoming: Chocolate Bourbon Balls and Toffee Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

running

cleaning

pre-packing
I like to be prepared for sleeping away from home 5 nights+ and at 4 different places! So this includes writing out on a piece of paper the activities I need clothing for.. i.e run, beach, shopping, dinner, sleeping, fishing etc. and the days I need them. That way I can formulate the outfit on paper and pack accordingly. I never ever did this until Jeff suggested something like it. I have so much clothing for so many different purposes...i.e my dry fit Nike turtleneck for wicking sweat in 38 * , or my warm up pants for fishing... etc. Its hard to just throw something in a bag when you know you are going to do completely different things at 4 different places! I highly suggest this if you have a hard time packing the right things. I know it seems silly to write down " Wednesday: fishing, lunch out, run, dinner, sleep. Thursday: run, shopping..." you get the idea.

With airlines charging for bags and trying to fit everything in your suitcase, I don't think those convertible wraps that were on The Today Show this past week that turn into yoga outfits and turn into a dress and then into a top - work well for anyone going away for more than 2 days in cold weather! Writing out what you really will be doing while away helps you write down what you really need to wear-- and thus bring with you-- instead of throwing in your favorite outfit ( that isn't suitable for say a run or the beach or shopping!).


That is my monday! Hope all of you have a wonderful happy monday, it's a short work week for most so that is great starting thought!! Is anyone travelling all over for the whole week ?

French Toast with Warm Peaches, Strawberries and Cherries

Egg White French Toast, I used the leftover batter for scrambled eggs (mostly whites) and frozen Peaches, Strawberries and cherries (heated up in a separate bowl). I used cage-free born free eggs and Newman's Own Double Fiber Bread-

Delicious!

Jeff and I had the exact same plate. I am usually not as hungry as he is but this morning I totally was!

Body:

I might go for a run or the gym but I also might do a new DVD I got- I am SOOO EXCITED to try it.

I saw the Cardio Pilates Danielle at Around The World mentioned the other day. I was so close to buying it when I saw Dancing with The Stars Cardio next to it- You learn the Mamba, ChaCha, Meringe & Salsa. I decided on the Dancing with The Stars and I will get the Cadio Pilates in January maybe when I get some more $$$.

I have been really wanting to get a new dvd for home.... just because sometimes I like to get in a workout here but NOT have to drive out to the gym and back.

I will for sure let you know how it is!

Mind:

Reading more of my never-ending book that I really enjoy. Sigh.

Soul:
... we have some plans to go shopping for his family, and stop in to see his neice and nephew run around the football field at Jeff's alum. stadium.

I slept in... and needed it! My muscles needed it from this week of circuit training with Jeff. ( We did jumping jacks, crunches, or side to sides whenever the other one was lifting the weight- it was a great workout- we were always going!) The reason why I mention it here is because I am so happy that Jeff and I spent time together in that way this week. I know how much Jeff wanted to get back into exercising, so it makes me happy that he is happier.

Pumpkin Pineapple Strawberry Yogurt Oats

Irish Style Oats: These oats are essentially steel cut oats, only quicker cooking. Much less processed than say, quaker instant, but do no need to be cooked for 30 minutes on the stove! I got them at Trader Joes for about $3 for a bucket (32 servings-ish ?) So that is 1/4 cup of irish style oats, mixed with about 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup organic pumpkin . Microwaved with cinnamon and a little brown sugar for about 4 minutes. It was so hot so I put a few frozen pineapple and a few frozen strawberries stuck into the oats to heat up

Then, I needed protein! I didn't feel up to eggs So O% Chobani Plain it was! ( That is the big container I have had for a few weeks but its funny how it looks just like the single serving size. Either way, there was just under one serving left.. so...

The Final One bowl Product

I mixed pumpkin butter into the yogurt- SO DELICIOUS! I added a teaspoon of peanut butter but apparently it thought the bowl was a slide...." Weeeeeeee" all the way into the oats. I don't mind so much with oats when things mix but I am totally the type that likes everything separate and not touching each other ( not in a weird way, just how i would prefer). In the middle is a little sprinkle of Uncle Sam's cereal (mostly just flax seeds because thats all i wanted)


Body:
I am not tired or sore from yesterday! Which is great! I think I will stick to running 3+ miles every other day + biking and more cardio to equal about a 6-10 mile run would equal. I would be up for a workout, but since I had a great cardio session yesterday and have LOTS of writing to do for my paper due tomorrow- I decided on a pre-final/dinner workout this afternoon ( I use purple dumbells my mom got me for me about five years ago- they are 8lbs each)

strength- shoulders and chest: push ups, plank, bent over fly 's; abs: planks, figure 8's, side to sides, my version of sit ups ( I have my arms above my head, knees bent, feet on the floor, keep my arms up and lift up then twist side to side and back down)

and... Yoga! 30 minutes felt fantastic, I wish I had more time!

Mind:
Paper #2. ... (5 pages are written but I emailed it to the professor for revisions)

Minority health response paper. We have to read this week's articles on concordance in healthcare, minority medical research views, and how these concpets tie into our own topics we researched (mine was native american children on reservations). Minority groups such as african americans, native americans, hispanics etc. have experienced racial discrimination for hundreds of years and this not only reflects in their culture and education and emotional well being, but it leaves most with negative views of healthcare practices also. The Tuskegee Syphillis Study is one very very bad example that has unfortunately not been made well-known for a variety of reasons.

Essentially, a group of about 400 men who HAD syphillis, were offered to take part in medical research to hopefully find cures for the disease. At the time there was no institutional review board that oversees the ethical practices of research. Well, as a graduate student and having been a student member of the Institutional Review Board in undergrad, there are ethical standards we must now abide by in research (both animal and human research) such as:
- informed consent ( which protects the participant in the research by securing their participation and fully disclosing what is happening in the research. If anything not explained on the consent form should occur, they would be protected by law because they signed what was on the consent form only so anything else would be illegal for the researchers to try).
There are many other aspects of IRB's but essentially they were formed to protect the research participants- make sure they are not harmed etc.

Well, the Tuskegee study essentially gave some of their subjects the drug that helped the disease, while others got another drug that didn't do any harm but did not cure it. Because there was no IRB or standards at the time, the study needed to maintain the groups as they progressed to make sure there were no other side effects, make sure they found the cure, etc. Well the people that did not get the right drug ( which the researchers did NOT know at first which drug would help ) eventually started passing away because of the disease. So the researchers then found out which drug was the "cure" and STILL did not offer the "other drug" group the "cure drug" because they wanted to continue research on the other "drug" .This was a HORRIBLE example of medical research and luckily in the 70's when they found out about the "cure drug" , the researchers were slapped with a lawsuit and helped families of all the victims and tried to rectify their wrong-doings.

Unfortunately, this had major impacts of minority health research because now people that may be at a disadvantage are PURPOSELY not seeking health care because 1. they do not trust "white" doctors 2. they do not trust the government 3. Minority groups have been asked about the study and have complete misunderstandings of the TRUTH. (this was from a focus group that was one article I read this week). They believed researchers injected men with syphillis when that is not true. They believed that the government knew all along and was purposely trying to opress that group of men- all kinds of stuff.

So if you are interested in that study here is more info on it : http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/after.htm . I left out a lot of details but tried to give a basic understanding of what went on.

Anyway, that is what I need to write my paper about today.!

Final Exam at 5:00 pm at a diner! It is for my gastronomy class, we are eating at a local diner that serves only local, fresh, organic food . I am not sure what part of that is the exam but we will see!! I will be bringing my camera!

Soul:

I had a dinner at a local sustainable organic diner that serves fantastic wines, cocktails and is in this fantastic historical building for my first final exam of the semester!! How awesome is that!

Jeff and I talked about our christmas plans and who/when/where we will be seeing.

My brother is most likely going to visit since he didnt get to visit over thanksgiving!

Jeff's cousin ( we went to their wedding in september in NY- Buffalo- Niagra Falls trip) is visiting the weekend after I am finished with exams.

My paper , although I am not satisfied completely with it, is pretty much done. I could hand it in as in, ( which feels great with all the other work I need to do) but I am a slight perfectionist.

Did I mention I had dinner as my final exam? I had a great conversation over dinner with classmates on top of that!

Rocky Road...

Body:
Doctor says it might not yet be a respiratory infection but I did get an icky strep test that (thank goodness) came out negative! So rest it was after buying some crucial theraflu for sore throat. As soon as I got home and took it, I fell asleep. I pretty much slept all day because I did not sleep AT ALL last night! Awful, I was up every hour ( i looked at the clock) from my throat hurting etc etc.

Mind:
I even stayed home from class... I HATE missing class but there was just no way it would be good for me to bear the cold and strain myself and making classmates sick ( esp. since there were food presentations today too)

I did do three suduko puzzles after waking up late afternoon

Soul:
I found a race next week, Thursday morning 8k around my Campus!!! How awesome is that! I loved training with my runs around campus and I was looking for a 10k to keep my spirits up since the non-race marathon a few weeks ago. I am going to try to kick this nasty bug with lots of rest and hopefully be up and going by thursday/friday of this week .. It will feel so good!

I totally called my mom - It will never go away, needing your mom's comfort when you are sick. I actually broke down on the third time I woke up last night, 1:30 am, I banged my hip on our doorknob trying to get back to bed without lights on. I crashed and just started bawling, which made me literally heave because of all my congestion and throat pain. As I was blurting unaudibly " i can't breathe I am so miserable I just want to sleep I hate this"....Jeff almost laughed at me but was seriously SO sweet, he was rubbing my hands and patting my back telling me to try not to cry because it would make it worse. He is so wonderful.

So this is the first time all day I have had any energy to do anything!
Onto eats... I did eat today and last night I made the most amazing dessert so I should start with that..



HOLY YUM! Rocky Road Brownie for Two ( B-healthy -style)
-three tablespoons no-pudge brownie mix

-2.5 tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt ( i used Oikos Organic Vanilla)
-mixed it very well

-microwaved for 2 minutes

-topped that with:
- Marshmallows

- Pistachios, Almonds, Pecans
- Flaxseed Butter

So freakin delicious! yum!

I know the marshmallows and the mix aren't incredibly healthy- but all the other ingredients are - IT WAS AWESOME!

Tuesday Breakfast:

French Toast
- two egg whites

-splash of organic 1% milk

-cinnamon

-a half teaspoon of Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

-whisk very well

-Dip slightly toasted bread into this mix, then into a hot pan ( on medium)
- While it was cooking I heated up some fruit - I could definately use the extra vitamins/minerals/antioxidant
- pineapple

-strawberries

-blueberries

-cranberries

When the french toast was done, I took it out and sliced half of a banana into the pan. Turned off the heat and let the sugars caramelize - YUM

Two dipping sauces: Chobani Strawberry Greek 0% Yogurt and Flaxseed Butter

Fantastic breakfast- I was hoping it would make it a fantastic day, but the cold won...

onto...

Lunch:
I got back from the doctor's and had...
Chicken Noodle Soup ( Healthy Choice)
added extra chicken and extra veggies!
On the side I slathered up a mini whole wheat tortilla (Trader Joe's) with hummus

Dinner:
Easy casserole + Tofu on the Side
-Annie's Mac and Cheese ( organic)
-Made as directed but used a splash of organic cream and 1/4 cup nonfat plain Chobani

- While that cooked, I defrosted broccoli in the dish

-Added sliced up "healthy style" canadian ham bacon ( it literally says it on the package "health style")
- I added the Annie's into my dish, mixed all of it really well

-Crushed four triscuits very well and spread on top

-Shook Parmesan cheese on that

-Baked for about 20 minutes on 350 ( in my toaster oven of course)

For the tofu, ( which is making its first appearance on the blog! wooohooo applause please)
I dried it out with a few paper towels, then sliced the pack in half. I left one half in the fridge for later and this half I used
Olive Oil

Pepper, Salt

Hot Pepper Sauce ( dashes of Frank's and Tabasco)

And let it saute on several of its sides.
I have to say, it was alright, but it was tofu.
Does anyone have any good recipes for tofu that do not include a "sweet" factor?

I found a bunch with maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, etc. I was trying to make it taste like buffalo chicken but it didn't do it for me. I will not give up on tofu though. ( I have actually tried several times before) ..

Battery Exhausted

Oh this title is so metaphoric!
Last night I went to Jeff's hockey game and caught up chatting with a friend on the phone before the game started AND read more of WH magazine waiting for him after they WON!!! Jeff scored the 8th goal and I totally saw it! ( sometimes i have a hard time figuring out whats going on during the game, that little puck goes so fast!)

Anyhow, I was exausted when we got home! And... the last check up on my car ( from the shady car dealers that ALWAYS mess up my car and I only keep going back so they fix what they mess up. Long story short, they told me last time my battery while not start once the weather gets colder. ??? I am now always concerned my car just won't start!


and... I went to take a picture this morning of breakfast and "Battery Exhausted" popped up on the screen. My last camera had its docking station- so when I went to upload photos I also automatically charged it. Well, this one is different- the usb directly connects to the camera but you have to disconnect the battery to charge it on the charging station.

Oh well, time to recharge for everyone I guess!

Breakfast I made another attempt at pumpkin filling with much less baking powder and a little baking soda -- ( which in Adv. Nutrient Metabolism we talked about how it helps reduce lactic acid build up in your muscles - will make a separate post about it)

Poofy Pumpkin breakfast was pretty much like yesterdays unfortunately. Fortunately it was much less "baking powdery" so a little better! So I added:

-Unsweetened Coconut flakes (reminded me of Madison at Follow My Weigh)
-Peanut Butter
-Half Banana
-Blueberries! ( i have missed them! )
-Strawberries

Hooray for improvement!

Scrambled Egg Whites ( Egg Whites Only and BetterN Eggs Brands)- 1/2 cup
I added leftover dinner from last night( just one S. Potato slice, with crumles)
A mini TJ Whole Wheat tortilla

And... Frozen fruit thawed in the microwave... Strawberries, Blueberries and Mango- I added (1/3 cup) Uncle Sam's Cereal for fiber and flax-

I enjoy Uncle Sam's Cereal because it has whole bran flakes and whole flaxseeds- I can take the time to grind up the flaxseeds as I chew, which makes me eat slower and enjoy the meal more!

Flaxseeds are more "bioavailable" when ground- ( they WILL come out in your poo if the seeds are not ground b/c they are somewhat indigestible). Way to learn something new about your poo!


Getting ready for the Ortho knee appt...

The health insurance I have now should cover it no problem- however I have an outstanding bill apparently of $364 for my first visit for my knee for some reason- I have to now call UHC to re-process the claim again Sigh.. which means a higher phone bill too ..