Say Hello to "Lurlota"

The moment we have all been waiting for....


She is smiling at blogland!


Say Hello to "Lurlota"... It is a new 2008 Dodge Dakota, Jeff's old truck was a Ford Ranger and was named "laurlene"... hence you would say it like "Laurloda"..

It has 4 wheel drive, partially leather seats, heated seats, crew cab, an auxillary hook up and carrier for an mp3 player, 0 miles on it, and it is a V8 !

Red is Jeff's favorite color and oddly enough it is the same color as his previous truck! This was purely out of coincidence since it was the only 4 x4 crew cab truck at this dealership he got it at!

In case you did not know, Jeff was in a terrible accident about a month ago. You can read more about it HERE

Everyone walked away with only minor injuries, but Jeff was t-boned on his side- causing his vehicle to be t-boned by TWO other vehicles on the passenger side ( our friend Nate was sitting there). Anyhow, his truck was completely totalled. After a long ordeal and lots of stress and worrying and financial issues- Jeff's uncle got a fantastic deal on a truck that was at a dealership ( his aunt works there) that was going out of business.

He got this truck for about 1/2 the price it is worth due to the dealership closing and generous people all around. Thank You Uncle Jeff and Aunt Darlene!

It was dark when Jeff got home so I will take more pics tomorrow! We went out to dinner to celebrate!

PF Changs...
I have been there once before and a long time ago!
I ordered two appetizers for my dinner ..
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings and Seared Ahi Tuna.



The tuna came with a lovely mixed green salad and cucumbers- I ate all of it! The tuna was a little too rare than I would normally prefer but still delicious! Jeff ordered that sweet and sour pork, it came with bell pepper and pinapple and i had a bite of it- that was yummy as well.
The veggie dumplings were steamed and tasty as well -very filling!

and... Fortune Cookie... i just like to read the fortune
"If you put up with small annoyances you will gain great results"


Pretty good advice- And fitting- Jeff's new truck is more than either of us would have thought would have come out of all these "annoyances" along the way, but it sure is a great result!

Lunch:

oven roasted sliced chicken, sandwich thin with mustard and a pickle, toasted kale, fresh cut veggies with some goddess dressing to dip, half a banana.


Breakfast:



Steel Cut Oats made with water, blueberries, cinnamon, banana, peanut butter...

and coffee ( no photo- it was black)

And if you made it this far... Jack thought he'd say hey to all my bloggie friends' puppies


Any takers? No...


Aw... okay back to sleep.

Love to All of you!

Tagged! Four favorite...

My lovely, dear blogging friend Madison of  Follow My Weigh  tagged me for this little post...I do love to share stuff so here goes:

4 Favorite memories from 2008

1. Beach trips all summer

2. Starting graduate school

3. Jeff's 30th birthday, fly fishing on the Deschutes River then his bro's wedding

4. Running 8 miles in 58 minutes!!

4 favorite movies in 2008 (we dont go to movies often at all) :

1. Sex and The city- wait was that in 2008 or 2007 ?

2. Dark Knight

3. White Christmas , original with bing crosby -FANTASTIC!

4.

4 favorite foods in 2008:

1. Nonfat Greek Yogurt, especially Chobani arrival in august!

2. Pumpkin Pie Breakfast For One

3. Smoothies

4. Banana and Peanut Butter

4 places I loved in 2008

1. Bend, Oregon

2. Chicago, IL

3. Wrightsville Beach, NC

4. Buffalo, NY

4 events I loved in 2008 (This reminds me of the next question and the 1st):

1.  Andrea and Nate's Wedding/ beach trip

2. Kristen and Bruno's Wedding/ trip to Niagra Falls NY!

3. Swayze and Jessie's Wedding / Fantastic trip to Oregon for Jeff's 30th Bday!

4. Trip to Chicago for my aunt's , grandma's, and cousin's Birthday!

 

4 things I liked in 2008:

1.  Leaving work!

2.  I started blogging in August

3. Jeff's 30th Birthday trip to Oregon included fly fishing and random driving to the timberline lodge, deschutes brewery, and his brother's wedding topped off the trip!

4. I started graduate school for nutrition, finally!

 

4  Things I am Looking Forward to in 2009

1. Romantic Getaway to the mountains in a few weeks
2. Running - 1/2 Marathon for sure in November but I haven't picked a full marathon yet. I was advised (orthopaedic) to just keep running and building distance and do it when I'm ready- instead of getting ready to run on a certain date.
3. Friend's Weddings: Kate and Teddy in Vermont, Corie and Kevin in Pittsburgh, Meredith and Greg here....
4. Any surprises that may happen

Four People I tag (and more) :

Julz of Simple and Divine

M* of Strong AND Healthy

Aussirish of Healthy for Myself

Lee of SeeLeeLive

Erica of Itsy's Kitchen

Maron of The Running Addict

and last but not least Sweet and Fit

* I just couldn't manage only 4! I want to know so much about EVERYONE!  

:-P

Night-time eating is still a No-no

Body:
The plan for today is a great sweaty run. My knee was very sore last night as were my toes. Its odd because it has felt so great lately. Anyway, I am shooting for just a good 3.2 but we will see. If it bothers me, I'll be doing something else.


** And the plan worked! I did a fantastic 3.2 and once I got over the harsh first mile, I decided I would go to 4. I ran at 9.2 mph for 6 minutes and had a steady pace of 8.0 for the last two miles! This guy looked at me in aw... he smiled and shook his head like "damn i can't keep up with you" and I looked back like "oh no you can't! :-D" . Only looks- I would never say that in real life! I also did 15 minutes on the elliptical to cool down. **

I'd tried downloading another yogadownload. It got stuck at 12%... arrrggh- Does anyone else have this problem?

Mind:
An article on Sugar is Posted! Click Here to check it out..

I had to write about another (mini) article too...

Nightime Eating STILL a NO-NO

In The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a study in October 2008 examined the self-directed food choices of 67 men and 50 women. These healthy, non-diabetic adults spent 3 consecutive days and nights in a metabolic section of a hospital. The subjects ate a "standard" diet of 20% protein, 50% carbohydrates, and 30% fat during the day. Subjects ate freely after 6 pm, with food selection time being recorded.

36% of the sample were considered "night-time eaters" consuming significantly more calories than non-nighttime eaters. Their conclusion: nighttime eating was common and predicted weight gain. Research continues to be determined regarding abnormal sleep patterns leading nighttime wakefullness.

I think this is very interesting because it appears that those eating later at night slowed their metabolism, and gained weight. While I feel that if you are 100% truly hungry ( some of us just don't get home from work/school until 8 pm or later) - you should eat by all means regardless of time. But that is only if you need to eat, many people snack late at night while watching shows or out of boredom or anxiety or depression, and this clearly leads to packing on the pounds.
I can't wait to find more research in the future on this!

Soul:

I feel like a new baby is coming home from the hospital today- Jeff is signing and driving home his brand new truck now!


***I will update with another post of food photos and Truck photos later today!!***

Happy Monday to All! Happy Spring Semester to all starting with me this week as well!

Sweet!...Sugar and Antioxidants

Just a little blurb on sugar formation and antioxidants I thought everyone would find interesting if you don't already know! Most refined sugar is produced from the sugar cane plant in tropical and subtropical locations, some can come from the sugar beet.

Turbinado Sugar:
The sugar cane plant has concentrated amounts of Sucrose in the stalk, which is harvested for sugar production. When the cane is crushed, the sucrose-rich juice is clarified and boiled to a thick syrup then allowed to crystallize into what we know as Turbinado Sugar.


Refined White "Table" Sugar:
That Turbinado sugar is then refined by removing color and nonsugar components. Molasses is a byproduct of this refinement.

Brown Sugar:
The turbinado sugar is refined just as above white sugar is. Then, the molasses (3.5% and 6.5% for light and dark brown sugar) is added back to the refined white.

The good thing about the refined white turned into brown sugar: Molasses has a high antioxidant level compared to white sugar on its own. So when its added back to it, you have higher antioxidant levels in the brown sugar even though it was refined.

Maple Syrup:

Maple Syrup is produced from the clear sap of the (maple) tree, which is boiled and concentrated to yield what is known as Maple Syrup. Maple Syrup contains mostly sugar, but also contains vitamins and minerals such as notable amounts of calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and thiamin ( thiamin is a B-vitamin essential for energy!) Maple syrup also contains phenolic compounds, aka antioxidants.

Honey:
Honey is a produced by bees from the nectar of flowers that is partially digested and regurgitated into the hive and stored in the honeycomb, where evaporation concentrates the sugars. Most honey available in the US is refined and comes from the clover. However, since the nectar source varies the antioxidant level varies as well in honey.

Agave Nectar:
This has a very low antioxidant level, which is surprising given the recent craze for it. It is produced from the sap of a desert succulent, the heart of the agave plant. The filtered juice from the hearts is heated or enzymatically treated to hydrolyze the complex carbohydrates ( mainly fructans) to sugars, filtered, then concentrated to a syrup. It gains its popularity now despite being low in antioxidants like white sugar, because it has a low glycemic index. It is still being researched for containing non-antioxidant nutrients, trace elements, and phytochemicals.

Date Sugar:
This is made by grinding dried dates into a coarse powder. It possess the nutrient profile of dates, with fiber, minerals, and vitamins. It's use may be limited because it does not dissolve in liquids and contains 30-50% nonsugar components that may interfere with the physical properties needed in baking.

Why should we care about antioxidants ?
Antioxidant rich foods (a few include pomegranates, blueberries, berries and nuts) can reduce the risk of developing oxidative stress-related disease ( i.e cancer and heart disease).

This information was from The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, January 2009 issue. The article is titled Total Antioxidant Content of Alternatives to Refined Sugar, p. 64- 71.

Sunday

Breakfast:
Half Grapefruit and A smoothie: vanilla protein, milk, banana, pb, blueberries


Lunch:
Salmon Burger on a Thin with thawed frozen veggies and the last sprinkling of reduced fat feta...

Snack:
Larabar

Dinner:
no photo- battery- ( i don't think its the camera- i just take a ton of pics and forget to charge the battery!)
Grilled Chicken Breast with lots of veggies


Body:
Walk with Jack (10 minutes). He ran away yesterday when we got to Jeff's parents- STINKER! He stunk when he decided 7 hours later to show up... Thankfully Jeff gave him a bath...

Moving all the furniture around wasn't really all that difficult but it counts!

YogaDownload: Sort of.... I clicked the download link and it kept getting stuck !? I got the pose guide and just followed that. I was surprised at how easy it was to follow without vocal instruction. I wish it worked though- I will not give up.

Meringue and Samba practice thanks to Dancing with the Stars DVD...

Gym Cardio: 30 minutes ellipticizing...

Mind:
Read through the ADA journal for this month again. I really enjoyed an article on refined sugars- detailing exactly what the craze of agave nectar is, difference in all sugars- from maple syrup, honey, white sugar, turbinado sugar , agave etc etc. ! I will try to post a better recap of it tomorrow since I think yall would enjoy it!

Soul:
Jeff is in VA getting his brand new truck!! So excited for him, and I am so excited for us. I can't wait to camp on the beach, cook up deliciousness with his new grill, listen to the ocean while falling asleep...

Laundry and grocery shopping and cleaning and cleaning and sweeping.

I re-arranged our living room and thus will re-arrange our bedroom as well. I haven't decided if I liked it or not yet. One thing is my computer is in a new spot and I don't know if Jeff will see from where he sits now- so I know at first Jeff will probably hate it- but only because he hates change like that unless he can really see the improvement. Anyway, I have the night alone to watch Golden Globes, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters... It seems as though its the calm before the storm with semester beginning this week for me. I also will attempt to "get a job" in the next couple days as well.

We have an busy January- this weekend I believe is our "spa" day and then dinner out with KC Mo and her boyfriend, Jeff's other sister Missy Mo and her hubby Vern and Me and Jeff- The following weekend is our romantic getaway to a cabin in the mountains, the following is the last of january and we will head to my grandfather's for his birthday and then right out to spend the weekend with our friends. I love to travel.

Saturday Food Recap

Sat. Breakfast:

Smoothie ( vanilla protein, half banana, blueberries, organic milk)

Lunch:
Arnold Sandwhich Thin , Grilled Chicken Breast with BBQ sauce, Toasted Kale

Snacks:

Peanuts

Drinks:
2 glasses of Pinot Grigio over the course of the evening ( 5 - 9)



That little speck above the glass is ... THE MOON! I am serious! I took this on the outdoor porch and the moon was spectacular. Unfortunately, none of my other shots of it came out. Isn't that funny it came through the screened window!?

Dinner:
Ribs, mashed potato casserole, pinto beans, caesar salad

* I poured super hot hot sauce on the beans and mashed potatoes--- It was okay at first but I couldn't finish either because my mouth was burning! lesson learned ...

Dessert: Chocolate Chip Irish Cream pound cake...

Critic's Corner

Thank you so very much for letting me know your thoughts! I usually right back to commenter's in the comment section but I read the emails with comments before hand and decided to do half and half! Half with powdered sugar and intended to do a glaze on the other half. I started a chocolate glaze with rum but I didn't know the rum bottle was empty and I was quickly running out of time! I just topped the half with what I had started for the glaze, an almost a ganache type frosting. I used melted chocolate chips with butter and cream then added powdered sugar to it after...


Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake 
The toppings were fantastic, the cake was not as fantastic. Huge bummer, right? Everyone was very full from dinner so only two or three  of us had a piece of the cake anyway.

 

I did... and I was unhappy when I realized the butter change was not acceptable. The cake was still "good" - it was worthy of eating and sweet and "fine"- but the  Attempt #1 was PHENOMENAL... so I am upset but I learned my lesson with the butter that I used. My mom and I used Smart Balance (regular) and 1/3 less fat cream cheese in the Attempt #1 and the "butter" I had on hand was smart balance light and 50/50 for Attempt #2 with fat free cream cheese as the original recipe called for. 
Word to the wise: I would not use the combo of smart balance LIGHT AND a wheat/whole grain flour for this cake again. I knew it affects the consistency from many experiments pre-blog. However, I thought with the half all purpose and half 50-50 butter it would work out better than this. Oh well right- I feel bad because Jeff's family probably thinks my baking skills stink, but it goes to show the first time around is best! I guess I live to see another Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake.

Bourbon V.G Blondies:
We had some pre-dinner and Jeff said "They taste like pancakes". He was referring to the maple syrup flavor. A friend of his brother's was staying over for a job interview in town, she said that really liked them but they were very different from what she expected.
I had one before going over and thought they were tasty- very gooey and caramel-y. I think next time I will up the flour a bit, and def. not use marshmallows. I would think dried fruit, or butterscotch chips, or peanut butter of sorts would work very well. 
Mocha Swirl Cheesecake:
I think this had the best reviews.. 
Momma Mo said it was great and not too sweet. Jeff's brother's friend said "Mmmm Cheesecake and Coffee, Aaah".  I didn't push for any official reviews but everyone seemed to like that the best.