Skip to content

A List and An Epiphany

Hey folks! I am in a list-making mood tonight, so I hope you don’t mind. Here are some things that have been going on in my world since I last updated my little bloggy.

  • Work is really busy this week! Some weeks are more hectic than others (as I’m sure if the case with most jobs) and I’m a million times happier when I’m busy and feel productive.
  • Grad school…I need to get my act into gear and fill out my application. It’s not even difficult (since I’ve already applied to this program once, and they don’t require GREs) so I just need to set aside an afternoon and DO it.
  • Freelance is going well (well, relatively speaking)! I have a potential PR client that I’m going to contact this week because they need help. I just have to figure out exactly what I can offer first…
  • I’m going to Bikram yoga tomorrow for the first time! I haven’t done yoga in, oh, forever, so I know I’m going to be awful at it. But I’m looking forward to the challenge. And after yoga, I’m replenishing all that lost sodium by getting sushi with a girlfriend. Mmmm seaweed salad…
  • This weekend, Mitch and I are having a Super Bowl party. If you were a reader from the beginning, you may remember our party last year. The one with the multiple televisions (in a small condo, mind you) , including the one positioned FACINF THE BATHROOM so no one has to miss a moment of the game

bathroom tv

2 tvs

Aw, I spy a cute doggie! Anyway, I’m not sure about the TV set-up this year (and I assume my readers care even less than I do, haha), but I am planning on bringing back this old friend:

DSCF1647

My sangria! (ignore the rest of the booze in the back ok?). I haven’t made it in awhile.

For food, I’m leaning towards simple (read: semi-homemade style) snacks. I want to do some kind of mini sandwiches or sliders but I’m having trouble deciding what to have as the filling…I don’t want burgers so maybe carnitas (store-bought) or ham/cheese, or falafel (from a mix)? Hmmm…

And just to finish off my list with some food/health/fitness type stuff:

  • I’m still doing the New Rules of Lifting for Women workouts, three times a week. I feel like I’m getting stronger, however, since I’m still in phase 1, I’m spending a lot less time at the gym than I normally do. The workouts take me about 25 minutes to complete, which feels too short, but I’m trying to be faithful to the program. I decided to keep it up even when I start officially half-marathon training, I just might cut it to 2x per week or something.
  • Susan and some other bloggers are calling this month Fatty February and making goals for increasing their (healthy) fat intake. I’m jumping on that bandwagon because I am sick of my painful dry skin, especially on my hands. Whole eggs (instead of whites), more oil and less Pam in cooking, almond/peanut butter, and avocados will be my main fats of choice. Man, the things we do for beauty :-)
  • I am making turkey meatloaf right now and it smells SO good. Just had to share.
  • I had a bit of an epiphany last weekend, after my date night. (This will be a long bullet). I came home and was unhappy with myself and my “overeating,” mostly in the form of the alcohol and the chips (the rest I “planned for” you know?). I was felt “fat” and frustrated because I haven’t lost the post-holiday (and post-bootcamp) weight I’ve gained, so I feel like a failure and blah blah blah. Now, I often joke that I “waste” so much brain energy thinking about food and weight that I could probably have solved world peace if I focused my thoughts there instead. But here’s what I figured out. I had a pretty rough week last week, with people that I love going through some hard things, with the Haiti situation making me really sad, etc. Big, life-altering things. I realized that stressing about my weight is easier, safer, than thinking about death, destruction, and pain. Being mad at myself is easier than being mad at…I don’t know, G-d? So that’s what I do. I think.  Now, that doesn’t exactly change things yet, but I think figuring that out at least is a start.

Whew! Sorry for ending this post on a down note like that. But it was weighing heavily (OMG I’m hilarious) on me so I wanted to share my thoughts and see what you guys think. But if you don’t want to comment on that…tell me what I should put in the sliders this weekend!

I’m off to clean the kitchen I just destroyed and then fold laundry while catching up on the DV-R. I know, I live a thrilling life.

January Date Night at Zocalo Grill

I wanted to try one new restaurant a month, and after trying twice, we finally got out last Friday night and visited Zocalo Grill, which is in Old Town San Diego. Now, Old Town is pretty touristy and the Mexican food is pretty sub-par at most places in the area, but I’d heard really good things about Zocalo, and it was more “upscale Latin” than Mexican anyway, so I had a feeling it would be nice.

This was my first time having the courage to take photos in a restaurant (well, partly because my dinner date finds it embarrassing, but whatever!).

We started with some chips and salsa (my WEAKNESS! Especially when they are really good like these were) and drinks. I had a peach sangria and Mitch had a beer.

sangria

tortilla chips

That white sauce was something I call “dairy dip of death.” I asked the waiter what was in it and he said, “oh, you don’t want to know…butter, heavy cream, sour cream, two kinds of cheese, a little chicken broth, and jalapenos.” Mitch said it was really, really good. It would have to be, since I think the only member of the dairy family it was missing was ice cream.

For my first course I got the adobe chicken tortilla soup with avocado and cotija cheese and Mitch got the carne asada empanadas with salsa verde.

tortilla soup (2)

Have I mentioned how delicious avocados are? I ate about half the soup, but all the avocado! The soup had chickpeas in it, which was a unique touch. And I liked how they didn’t put too much cheese on it. Cotija is one of those cheeses I can handle in small amounts, because it just tastes salty (like Parmesan).

Next up were the entrees. Mitch got the Jalisco shrimp—stuffed with jack cheese and poblano rajas, wrapped in bacon and finished on the grill, topped with tomatillo-jalapeño cream sauce. It came with rice and beans and he enjoyed it thoroughly. The bacon-wrapped shrimp looked really good, and I probably would have snagged one had they not been stuffed with the cheese (blech…yes I know what I just said above. I like to confuse.)

And I chose the chili glazed salmon with chorizo risotto and tomatillo-avocado salsita.

salmon and choriza

I’m not sure what was in that “salsita” but it was SO good! It was like, mango salsa mixed with guacamole. I didn’t like the pool of oil (pesto? not sure) on the bottom, but I left most of the chorizo risotto behind (it was ok but not outstanding), I didn’t get too much of the greasy stuff. I did eat every last bite of the salmon and the salsita. Salmon is one of my favorite foods, and I never make it, so I order it every opportunity I get in restaurants (which isn’t often!).

I also had a mojito made with coconut rum that escaped the camera. Needless to say, my 3-miles run the next morning was a little rough, but I figure I’ve got to learn how to run in all states for my 1/2 marathon…including slightly hungover :-)

For dessert, we both got the zócalo chocolate cake with cinnamon crema. We found out they were more like mini-cupcakes, which was fine with us. We were pretty full at that point, but I wasn’t going to not eat desert…I mean hi, I’m me.

chocolate cake

I thought the crema (aka cinnamon-flavored whipped cream) was the best part. I basically ate half mine and half Mitch’s  dessert (his was better! More brownie-like), but like I said, they were small. (Not that I need to justify this to you, but more to myself…yeah, I’m still dealing with food-guilt issues. I actually want to expand on that more in a future post).

So this was obviously a splurge (both in the food consumed and the money spent) but it had been a long time since I had a date night with my boy, and the food was delicious, so it was worth it. I can’t wait to try new restaurants around town as part of my 2010 restaurant challenge!

Have you tried any new places to eat lately? Do you stick to the tried-and-true favorites? OR, do you never go out to eat? I love going out to eat, but of course it’s generally healthier and cheaper to avoid it. But hey, I think all about balance!

WINNER WINNER!

The winner of my one-year-blog giveaway is Ashley of Food Fotos and Fun (the word nerd in my just loves that blog title!). Congrats, girl!

Time to get ready for the week ahead. Man, where DO the weekends go?!?

Rah Rah for Raw Kale and Running

Good evening! Have you entered my “blog birthday” giveaway yet? There aren’t that many entries, so your chances are pretty good!

(Don’t call it a “blogiversary.” I don’t know what but I’m not a fan of the term.

I think the two ladies who I share my CSA goodies with are sick of kale, because I got the entire bunch this week (usually we split everything evenly, except I pass up the mushrooms and the eggplant. Yuck). I don’t mind one bit! I have really learned to love greens like kale and Swiss chard over the past year or so, especially sautéed Swiss chard and crunchy kale chips.

Over the weekend, I had an amazing quinoa/sweet potato/raw kale salad from Whole Foods, so I wanted to try to make it myself because…well…I can’t be shopping at Whole Foods that often. You know, what with that pesky rent bill and all.

If you’ve never tried “massaged” kale, you should give it a go! It didn’t taste bitter, like I thought it might.

kale salad 2

Asian Raw Kale Salad with Shallots

adapted from Elena’s Pantry

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 to 1 large bunch kale, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1-2 shallots, sliced thinly
  • Sesame seeds to garnish (I don’t have any, but I SO would have used ‘em if I did!)

Directions:

  1. Drizzle the kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt
  2. Massage the kale with your hands to soften it
  3. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes
  4. Add the lime juice, vinegar, and shallots
  5. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes 
  6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Serve! This would be great along baked tofu or grilled teriyaki chicken/beef

Surprisingly, this tasted best the first night I made it. I had some yesterday for lunch, and then I planned on having the rest of it today, and it just wasn’t as flavorful as it was after I tasted it Tuesday night. I wonder why? I thought the longer it marinated, the stronger the flavor would be, but it was almost the opposite.

(I took that photo at work, to see  how the bright, albeit fluorescent lighting and different plating affected my photos. Looks pretty good…hmm…)

Moving on…1/2 mary talk! I made a training plan for the half marathon I’m doing in August, and promptly got really intimidated. I know I’ll do fine, but…dang. This is much more working out then I’m doing these days. Which is fine, I love exercise, but it’s a little daunting nonetheless. But what did I think it would be, easy?? What’s the fun in that?

Here’s my training plan. What do you think? (I believe if you click on the link, it should open in Google Calendar, but I might have messed that up. Sorry if it’s hard to read!)

image

 

So, like I said, I’m excited to start training, but I’m a tad bit freaked as well. I ran 3 miles tonight and I tried to go “fast” which was fun, except that I feel like I’m coming down with a cold. So the run was either smart and healing, or stupid if I get full-blown sick. I’ll let you know.

Stay tuned for the winner of my giveaway, and my first (I think?) restaurant review as part of my 2010 goal of one new restaurant a month!

Good night (or happy Friday, if you read this tomorrow)!

My Blog’s One Year Old! (Giveaway post)

Happy Birthday, Healthy Twists!

Minnie-Birthday-Cake

Photo source.

Yes, I started this blog one year ago today. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was doing when I wrote my first post, and sometimes I think I still don’t! But I’ve had some great fun, met some awesome bloggers (both through our blogs and some in real life!), and learned a lot about myself. I am planning on giving it a facelift one of these days…but I won’t get all “Heidi Montag” on you, don’t worry.

For more of a year in Healthy Twists, check out my 2009 recap post.

So, to celebrate and thank my fantastic readers, I wanted to host a little giveaway! I pulled together some of my favorite goodies, and wanted to share some products I’ve been given by some great companies. The items that were given to me are hyperlinked, the ones I bought with my hard-earned cash are not.

give3

Want to win? You can have up to three entries! Here are the rules:

  1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite “little kid” joke. You know, the kind you find on a popsicle stick. Here’s mine: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? NACHO CHEESE. Man, that kills me every time.
  2. Link back to this comment on your blog, if you have one. Leave another comment telling me that you did.
  3. Follow me on Twitter and/or (one entry only) Tweet about this contest, with a link. I just changed my Twitter name so now I’m @HealthyTwists!

Open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Giveaway closes at midnight PST on Friday, January 29. I’ll announce the winner this weekend.

Get at it! Oh and also, please check out the Blogger Bake Sale for Haiti tomorrow! Good treats for a great cause.

Representing San Diego Left and Right

I freely admit that I am a lucky duck to live in San Diego. It’s no fault of my own really; my parents decided that San Diego was just nicer than Brooklyn so they moved here before I was born (not that I’d be upset to live in NYC, because I have a ridiculous obsession and love of that place as well. But I digress).

I made good on my goal (well the first step of it) of running a 1/2 marathon this year. I am officially registered!

afclogo_2010

I’m nervous about it! I haven’t been running much lately, but I’m going to make a looong training plan to ease into it. Mitch is doing this race too, and so is my friend (and running buddy) Jenny. Even though the race is awhile off, I wanted to go ahead and register, because once money is on the table (or, in the hands of the race organizers) I think I’m much more likely to stick it out.

Any advice out there for me, the non-runner, running my first half marathon? I’m excited to get into it.

Now, besides proximity to cool races, I love that my city has lots of smaller companies (and some larger ones) that are trying to make it among the “big fishes” out there. And if I can help support them, especially if they are chocolate-related, I’m all for it!

I was recently sent some samples from Jer’s Homemade Chocolates, and I was excited to try them out because I’ve seen them in my local grocery stores but had never tried them before. Jer’s is based out of Solana Beach, which is about 20 minutes from where I live. The nice PR folks at Jer’s sent me some of their Peanut Butter Toffee bites and a Valentine’s Day sampler:

Jers bites

Source

Jers 2

Source

I haven’t tried the Peanut Butter Brittle Bites yet, but they look really good…especially the cayenne flavor. I might even share the wealth…but you’ll learn more about that soon.

I went to take a photo of the chocolates, and discovered a thief had gotten to them first:

jers chocolate

Ok, maybe I gave him permission, but Mitch tried the Original IncrediBall flavor, which is a peanut butter filling with white chocolate outside. He said it was really good…he of the “I don’t like sweets” fame. The other night I sampled the Toffee Break flavor with dark chocolate, and that was really tasty as well. I liked how the toffee wasn’t the “break your teeth” kind. These peanut-butter yummies are 80 calories a pop and it was really hard to stop at one,  but I did, somehow.

Two thumbs up, Jer’s of Solana Beach.

I also really like Chuao Chocolates, which is also based in North San Diego (hmm, that might be the place to live if you like gourmet chocolate). They sell Choco-pods which are 50 or 60-calorie chocolates that are individually wrapped and come in flavors like passion fruit/caramel or nutmeg with caramelized cacao nibs.

Does your town have any local companies that you love? Lest you think my love of local companies is limited to chocolate purveyors, I am also a big Kashi fan and they are based out of San Diego as well. And that’s not to mention all the smaller folks out there who sell their products like homemade jams and such at our farmer’s markets. I am so impressed with anyone who tries to open their own business, especially in this economy.

Lastly, I was given a bloggie award from one of my favorite local bloggers, Melissa, and in it I’m supposed to list 7 random facts about myself and then nominate 7 others. I’m going to be lame and skip the nominating, but here are my 7 facts:

blogger award

  1. I think Valentine’s Day is kind of dumb. I love getting flowers and all, but why spend three times as much just because it’s that one day?
  2. My ringtone for when Mitch calls me is a Lady Gaga song, I can’t think of which one at the moment.
  3. Tempeh still freaks me out. I bought a package on sale and had it in my fridge for so long it went bad.
  4. I am OBSESSED with Mad Men, even though we’re taking a long time to get through the first (or second? not sure) season. Too bad I didn’t discover it before we went to a taping of The Soup where the cast made an appearance.
  5. I wish I was one of those girls who always looked really cute with hair and makeup done, but I am just too lazy most of the time. And I like sweatshirts.
  6. I am going to be on TV Monday morning, and I’m not exactly looking forward to it, because it means a 4 AM wake up call tomorrow, and because I’m not completely familiar with what I’m talking about, which isn’t fun given that it’s going to be live. Wish me luck!
  7. I think I’m a little insane to be applying for grad school…but I’m doing it anyway.

And with lengthy post, I’m out. Oh before I go:

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SUSAN!!

Not the New Rules of Blondie Baking

As I mentioned, I made blondies for the terribly sad and depressing and I don’t want to talk about it football game on Sunday. And as anything with a stick of butter and a cup of brown sugar would be, they were really, really good.  They have the texture of a brownie with the taste of a caramel-y chocolate chip cookie. I highly recommend the recipe from Smitten Kitchen (who also has a really good brownie recipe, also with a ton of butter…I’m sensing a theme here) for a super-easy dessert. Mr. “I Don’t Care for Sweets” told me last night I should make them again. I haven’t decided yet if that’s a good thing or a bad one. I do want to try to make them a little healthier though, maybe by swapping some of the butter for yogurt or something?

I used about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and about 3/4 of this chocolate bar, chopped up:

Chocolate bar

I tasted the chocolate before adding it to the batter, just for you guys. I think this was my favorite of the Newman’s Own Organics chocolate so far, although I only tried this one and the 70% chocolate, which I didn’t really like (and I’m normally one of those girls who likes super-dark chocolate). The 54% had a much richer taste and on Monday, when I was going to have the last 1/4 of the bar as dessert, I found I only needed half that amount (so, one small square) to be satisfied.

I gave my mom the milk chocolate bar and she said that was good, and I gave the dark (54%) chocolate espresso flavor to Mitch’s mom who said that was REALLY good. Personally, I think these bars are better to use in recipes that eating straight, but that’s not a bad thing at all.

OH I just had a really good idea. These would make awesome s’mores, especially the coffee-flavored ones. Ok, filing that one away for the next camping trip.

I am still playing around with my camera, although I still need to get a tripod and I’m going to buy a new compact digital before my trip to Boston (117 days what!!).

blondies

You’re welcome.

In non-sugary news, I finally picked up The New Rules of Lifting for Women and I started the first workout yesterday. I’ve decided I’m just the type of person who does better in the gym when someone is telling me what to do, and since I can’t afford a trainer, this book is going to be my trainer from now until I go on vacation. Then I plan to make the trip one of “active rest” and then when I get back, I’ll hit the half-marathon training full force.

I know that blondie baking and eating my weight in tortilla chips is not going to help me become a “muscle goddess” like the nutrition program in NRWL might do, so it might seem weird talking about both in one post. But if I’ve learned anything last summer, it’s that although it might be possible to diet and exercise down to a certain weight and physique, it’s not necessarily worth it if it means being miserable.  (Those bloggers talk about this subject far more eloquently than I do.) As I mentioned in my 2010 goals post, this year is about truly finding balance and happiness with myself, and I need to accept that happiness includes tough, sweaty workouts…and chocolate chips.

Side note: if you’re new to lifting weights, I think books like NRLW are a great read and really helpful, but nothing beats a session or two with a trainer or gym staff member who can show you how to properly use the equipment you have. Just don’t be afraid to say no when they try to up-sell you if you can’t afford or don’t want additional sessions.

Hmm. There was more to this post when I started it but Wordpress seems to have eaten the other stuff. I’m going to take that as a sign and call it a day for now.

What are you doing this weekend? Since I’m not, you know, watching football, I think my big plans include making soup and watching Mad Men.  And maybe having a date night, since for the second time, my grand plans of going out for Restaurant Week seem to be foiled…this time, because my date is sick. Right as he has to go back to school, poor guy.

Detox Recap and Another Newman’s Review

So, remember in my last post when I was talking about this detox and how good I was feeling and how it was going to last until Sunday?

Umm…as of 2 PM yesterday, the detox is dunzo (yes I know I’m quoting Kristen from the Laguna Beach daysdon’t judge). I had a piece of chocolate. And then we got Mexican food for dinner (I did order something somewhat healthy, a bean/veggie burrito, no cheese, on a whole wheat tortilla. But the chips that went with it were as un-detox-friendly as they were delicious).

I was doing fine on the program, really, I was actually enjoying it. But Mitch, not so much. He actually said, “I was just so sick of eating fruit.” Now, I can’t fathom that, ever, but that’s why we are different people, and also why the low-carb thing works for him where I turn into a sleepy she-devil when I’m carb deprived. I was pretty much only doing the detox because he was, so the novelty wore off. So instead of 7 days I did 4.5. Whatevs.

Now, I actually don’t think I was “detoxing.” I’m in the camp that says our bodies are pretty smart and our organs can take care of any internal cleansing we need. I took this time as a little practice in saying “no” to the food pushers around me.  I made sure I packed enough for lunches/snacks because I knew I wouldn’t be able to grab a cookie out of the breakroom. I had fruit for dessert. And I think those are things I need to keep doing, for my own health and sanity.

So it was a good 4.5 days, and now I’m going back to my “mostly healthy eating” plan. I still haven’t had any meat, but that’ll end tonight when we go to Mitch’s dad’s house for dinner (homemade Pho…yeah, kind of amazing).

If you are thinking of doing some sort of a detox after a period of indulgence, I highly recommend the one we did. It’s very doable and still allows a lot of nutrients and variety so you don’t get bored…provided you like things like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and tofu or fish. Please, don’t do one of those scary cayenne pepper/maple syrup/lemon ones. You don’t want to do that to yourself, or anyone who has to deal with you on a regular basis :-)

Moving on. Time for another Newman’s Own Organics review!

Newman’s Own Organics: Mints

mints

I got two types of mints, the rolls and the tins. The ones in the tins are very similar to Altoids, so if you like those, you’ll like these. The rolls are larger, and I’d say they are a cross between an Altoid and a Lifesaver as far as the texture. I haven’t tried the cinnamon flavor yet, but I’ve tried the wintergreen, and peppermint, and the ginger.

I’m more of a peppermint girl myself, but the wintergreen is good too. The ginger ones have a slight brownish tint to them, and while they definitely taste like ginger, they aren’t as intense as the Ginger People candies, which is nice for times when you want that spicy ginger taste but not something too “hot.” (Does that make sense?)

I really liked these, no real surprise as I’m a big fan of mints in general. Actually, so much so that my dentist told me, and I quote, “lay off the mints, ok?” when I went in for a check-up and he found, like 5 cavities. I think I got them when I was on my bootcamp diet. I ate mints all day long because I was so freakin hungry. Usually I stick to sugar-free, but I was switching between sugar-free and “organic” ones like these, which do contain sugar. So I guess I’m in an advice-giving mood today, so please. Enjoy these like anything else….in moderation!

I’m going to be including some of these in my one-year-of-blogging giveaway, so you might get to try some for yourself. It’s coming soon, hint hint.

(P.S. I don’t like the “foil roll” packaging. I feel like they get gross in my purse because it’s too hard to take a mint without ripping off the wrapper.)

If you didn’t know, it’s a pretty big weekend in San Diego and a huge one at my little abode because the Chargers are in the playoffs and tomorrow is their first game. We’re having some people over to watch the game, so tomorrow will be a good test of my “moderation” abilities. Especially since I don’t work Monday.

Questions (don’t have to answer them all!):

I’m making blondies tomorrow (using one of my Newman’s Own chocolate bars, chopped up, as a mix-in), and I’m trying to decide if I should use half whole-wheat flour or just make them all the way unhealthy. Thoughts?

Have you ever done a cleanse/detox/”crap-free” week? What did you think of it? Would you do it again?

Is football a big deal in your house or your city? San Diego is home to a lot of fair-weather (haha, get it?) fans and some die-hard ones, so we get SUPER excited when our teams do well. Um, it doesn’t happen much.

Spur-of-the-Moment Detox Program

How is everyone’s week going? I am going to an open house tomorrow morning for the grad school program I’m interested in, so I’m a little nervous about that BUT I found out of my oldest friends (as in, I’ve known her the longest, she’s my age!) will be there too, so that’s pretty rad.

As I mentioned in my last post, I found a new soymilk at Trader Joe’s the other day, and I was pretty excited about it. I’ve been wanting to limit my use of  nonorganic dairy for environmental reasons, so I was on the hunt for a nondairy milk that still had a similar nutrition stats (as far as calcium, protein, and calories, at least) as nonfat milk. This “Soy Essential” is made from organic soybeans with added goodies like flaxseed oil, has 70 calories, 4g fat and 7g of protein per cup, plus some fiber and other nutrients. At least, that’s what I remember it having because now, we’re all out.

 DSCF4108

And the reason this box is gone (it’d last me two weeks, usually) is that Mitch and I have decided to do a detox this week, and since it was kind of a last-minute thing, we had to make due with what we had in the house for the first day. It was actually his idea, and I figured if he was going to do it, I might as well do it too. I’m going to get more of this soymilk tomorrow, because I really liked it, and with Trader Joe’s, it could be off the shelves next week (don’t you hate that?).

This detox is pretty simple and actually allows a lot of foods. Basically, no meat/poultry, coffee, dairy (except yogurt), bread, refined sugar/flour, processed foods, artificial sweetener, eggs,  etc. But we CAN eat fruit, veggies, brown rice and other grains like oats, bran, quinoa, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, fish, etc. So it’s really just a super-clean way of eating and I have to say, although a piece of chocolate sounds good, I really like eating like this so far. It’s not that far off from my normal diet, just minus the little treats and the meat (TWSS?). And of course, some of the “forbidden” foods are quite healthy, but this program is only meant for the short-term.

I’m basing our detox off this program that some other bloggers did awhile back, with advice taken from Leah who is also doing a detox right now, but hers is longer (I think we’re only going until Saturday night…the Chargers are playing their first playoff game of the season on Sunday, ‘nuff said). I’m also drinking detox tea, green tea, lots of water, and Amazing Grass, although I’m not sure what effect that really has on the body, to be honest.

I am in LOVE with how healthy our fridge is! Between two big grocery shops and a CSA pickup, I think we have enough fruits, vegetables, tofu, Greek yogurt, and nut butter to last a lifetime…or at least, until Saturday. (Note that some of the things like the eggs and low-cal OJ we already had, but are off-limits this week. And that’s quinoa in that container on the first shelf, FYI. And I know, it needs to be cleaned/organized. Shocking.)

fridge (2)

That doesn’t even count our freezer packed with smoothie-ready fruit. Or the pantry. Or the counter with the 15 bananas. Seriously, we don’t mess around.

I’m only two days into this, but here are the pros and cons so far:

Pros:

  • I feel clean, if that makes sense. I think I need to do this every once in awhile as a tangible reminder that the better I eat, the better I feel, bottom line.
  • The program isn’t so restrictive that I’m sluggish all the time like I was when I was on my bootcamp diet. I have energy to work out, which is important to me. I was dragging a little today, but I think that was from the lack of coffee.
  • I’m paying more attention to my hunger cues, as opposed to my “hey everyone, there’s cookies in the break room” cues.

Cons:

  • It takes a decent amount of planning to eat like this. Sometimes I like to be lazy and grad a frozen Trader Joe’s meal for lunch or something And social outings are pretty much impossible, but for a week that’s ok.
  • Mexican food sounds really good right about now. But ok, it always sounds really good.
  • The BIGGEST one: our sink is messed up. Basically it was leaking for who knows how long, to the point now where the baseboard under the sink collapsed, if that makes sense. We have no hot water in the kitchen anymore and we really shouldn’t use the kitchen faucet if it can be avoided until Friday when the plumber comes. Now, if this were another week, we could pick up food for dinner, have cereal for breakfast, and stick with freezer goodies for lunch. But no, we have to cook, which means we have to clean (we don’t have a dishwasher). That is going to make the next two days crap-tastic. But, we’ll survive. And please tell me it’s not unsanitary to wash dishes in your shower. Please.

So you see, the “pros” are pretty important and the “cons” are just annoyances. I don’t recommend deciding on Sunday night to do a “detox” starting Monday morning, but now that we are (abundantly) prepared, I’m looking forward to the rest of the week of super-clean eats. Only to destroy it all on Sunday, most likely. But we won’t think about that right now.

I’m off to get my lunch/snacks ready for tomorrow while using as few dishes as possible. This is going to be fun. oh and I might go watch American Idol too. Yes, I’ll admit it.

Adios (mmm…Mexican food…)!!

Milk and Cookies (review post)

I know, it’s not Christmas anymore, but I finally feel prepared to give my first review of the amazing stash of Newman’s Own Organics products I was sent to review for the blog. Some cookies are very camera-shy so you’ll have to picture and Oreo, and an Oreo with chocolate filling. That’s what they Newman O’s in regular and chocolate-filled look like, but they taste SO much better! Mitch demolished the Newman O’s (original) and my mom’s fiancé killed the chocolate ones. That’s a good review in itself, right? I managed to steal a few from Mitch so I can tell you the cookie part isn’t quite as sweet as regular Oreos, which in my opinion is good. And I have it on good authority than when dipped in milk, they don’t fall apart like regular Oreos.

I, however, had these all to myself, and I think I might have to buy more when I finish the two cookies I have left (and am saving for a very special day):

ginger o's

Imagine the cream filling inside an Oreo sandwiched between two gingersnaps. Day-um. I have been enjoying these with a cup of tea almost every night (one or two at a time…I’m making these bad boys last!). They are delicious. The cookie has a nice spicy flavor which pairs perfectly with the sweet filling. I think the mint ones are probably amazing too.

I made a cookie platter to show you the other treats I/we sampled (the chap stick is there to give you an idea of the size):

cookies

Clockwise from the Ginger O’s we have the Graham Alphabet Cookies, the Champion Double Chocolate Chip cookies, and the Hermits.

I like the Alphabet cookies…they taste kind of like a cross between a graham cracker and an animal cookie. And they also are nice and crunchy, so they’re perfect for dipping into tea or hot chocolate. The other two…I didn’t like as much. Well, the Hermits are pretty tasty, but they are also tiny and for 80 calories, I’d rather have something I really like, such as the Ginger O’s (which are 130 cal for 2 cookies, FYI). However, I brought the Hermits into work today and they were gone in a flash.

I also didn’t care for the double-chocolate cookies. They had a flavor and texture that was just a little off in my opinion. However, my coworkers were also snaking on them all day long. I think I am just especially particular with my sweets. If I’m eating something junky (albeit organic junk), I better really really enjoy it.

The last cookie I was sent to sample was the Fig Newman. I got the fat-free and regular varieties. They look really good (again, no photo, just picture a Fig Newton and you get the idea), but I have to admit I haven’t tried them yet. I am saving the fat-free ones for later and I gave the other ones to my friend. She liked them, and also brought them into her work to share. She sent me this funny email today, letting me know what everyone thought:

I brought the rest of the Low Fat Fig Newman’s to work today to get other people’s reviews–here they are:

“These are good! I love them”
“Haven’t had one of these for probably 10 years!”
“Great taste for being Low-Fat”
“A little tough to chew”
“Dry-not as tasteful as the regular Fig Newman”
“Tastes just like a Fig Newton!”
“This is organic? Cool!”
while chewing…. “yummmmmmm”

Thanks, Cara! Such great reporting skills.

All in all, I think the Newman’s Own cookies are a pretty good choices for taming a sweet tooth, especially if you don’t have the time/desire to bake your own treats. And while yes, these are totally junk food and should be enjoyed in moderation, I feel better about the ingredient lists than the ingredients that comprise those “other” cookie treats at the store.  What do you think? If you ever buy cookies or similar treats, do you try to buy the “natural” or “organic” choices, or do you think it’s just clever marketing?

More Newman’s Own Organics reviews to come (spaced out, of course)! I’ve still got mints, pretzels, chocolate, dried fruit, and soy crisps to discuss. Good stuff, let me tell you.

And of course, we need milk with cookies! Ok, that was really cheesy and lame and makes me think of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, but bare with me here, ok? The point is that I found a new soymilk at Trader Joe’s the other day and I was pretty excited about it.

However, I have blabbed on about cookies for too long (per usual!) so I’m going to save that for my next post, in which I will also talk about my random decision to do a detox this week. Don’t worry, no Master Cleanse drinks around here, just your basic “in with the good, out with the bad” types of programs. (So it was probably dumb to write a post about cookies when I can’t eat any, but it had to be done!)

Lator gators!

Caught the Photography Bug Today

Hello there! I was kind of in hiding last week. Well, I was still reading and commenting on your blogs, but I felt uninspired to post anything to mine. So I didn’t. But now I’m back!

Today, I took a photography class hosted by my museum. (We do all kinds of programs/classes/lectures and sometimes staff can sign up to take them at no charge. I think next up for me is a cooking class.) I know NOTHING about photography, and this was a real “digital cameras for dummies” class. Perfecto.

The class was really informative, so I wanted to share a few things I picked up that might help some of you out there too. You can do a Google search for some great articles about photography for food bloggers by “real” photographers, so I’m just going to throw out a few things that might help those like me who are newbies (oh and if I say something wrong, please correct me in the comments! I left my notes in the car so I’m doing this from memory):

  1. Don’t use the digital zoom on your camera. Just take your photo and crop it. That’s all the zoom does really, and you’ll get a blurry shot.
  2. Macro (the little flower) is best for close-up shots, but if you turn off the flash (which is best for food photography) for some reason it can increase your chances of blurriness. To help this, I’m going to buy a little tripod. Then I’m going to use the 2-second timer to set up my shot on the tripod, and the camera will take the shot with my hands no where nearby to mess it up
  3. There is not as big a difference between a D-SLR and a compact digital (“point-and-shoot”) camera as there used to be.  For what most of us (non-pro food bloggers/photographers) want to do, a compact is fine. There are SO many different settings in today’s cameras. If you learn how to work the different settings, you can do a LOT (but, a D-SLR does more, of course!). Just crack open your manual and learn how to use it!
  4. Red-eye removal works by flashing twice. The first one constricts your subject’s pupils and that means no “devil eye” in the actual photo. And this works on animals too (I’m going to take a thousand pictures of my dog to test this out). Not a tip per se but I thought that was cool.
  5. There are all kinds of “rules” about what makes a good photo, but the best one is the one you want to take and like.

Question: Do you play around with the settings on your camera or do you just “point and shoot”? How did you learn how to take pictures? Any good resources or tips for me? I think today’s class sparked an interest that I didn’t have before. I like how it combines technical/science-type stuff with creativity (hey, kind of like blogging!). I think I am going to get new camera before Boston, but I’m going to have fun playing around with my Fuji FinePix A500.

(Um I’m watching/listening to an episode of Glee and the hot teacher is singing The Thong Song to the skinny redhead as she models a scary wedding dress. That totally distracted me. And now I’m back)

After my class, I met a friend for frozen yogurt (oatmeal-cookie flavor, amazing), stopped by Trader Joe’s, and came home. I was too tired to cook anything fancy so I made a super-fast stir-fry with cabbage, shallots, red bell pepper, carrots, and mini won-tons. (This is a salad plate, FYI. I wanted a light dinner since I had a rather indulgent snack.)

Topped with Sriracha and photographed in a bunch of different settings. Of course I don’t remember which is which, but I’m going to be PATEINT with myself as I learn.

stirfry

DSCF4068

DSCF4066

DSCF4065

DSCF4062

All those were taken under the same lighting at nearly the same angle, so see how different the settings can make the final result! I can’t wait to experiment more.

I’m pretty tired, so I think I’m taking advantage of my quiet Saturday night and going to bed early. Tomorrow I’m planning on writing, exercising, and reading about exercising. After reading good things about The New Rules of Lifting for Women, I think I’m going to pick it up. I need something to focus on before I start half-marathon training, and I think a bad-ass weight training program, done with no trainer, will be an interesting experience.

I have more stuff to talk about, but it’ll have to wait until next time, friends! I hope you’re having a great weekend thus far.