Biker.... Who? MEEEEE?

Today was a good day. Without a doubt, I attribute most of my current joy to the endorphins pumping through my vein and the shower I took after my ride. A few weeks back, I took the plunge. No that’s not right… I’ve been tiptoeing around getting a bike for years, and I finally just did it.

Damnit, I’m proud of myself J. I was sooooo scared to get this bike. I worried about getting the wrong bike, looking like a fool, falling and getting hit while riding. All relevant and realistic fears, but I did it anyway. My commute to work has been cut from almost an hour to a half hour, and if I don’t make it to the gym-who cares. My half hour bike ride to and from work burns about 345 calories each way. Check out this website to get an approximation of how many calories you are burning during activities: http://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi AAAANNNND I feel like I’ve joined the cool kids club.

To help balance out all that good exercise, and my budget (haha – or not), I’ve started cooking when I can. Here’s tonight’s recipe: Pasta with Tuna Sauce. It sounds gross, but it’s easy to make, and I won’t have to but a single ingredient (SCORE!!!!!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pasta-With-Tuna-Sauce/Detail.aspx

I’ll let y’all know how it goes.

Peace.

Love is....

I was reading my homegirl Dionne's latest blog update (destined82-theworldthrumyeyes.blogspot.com/) and couldn't help but to think of love. That, and the fact that Valentine's day had just passed. I started this blog because I wanted to become healthier, and as a result of being healthier, the fliest me that I can be. I'm just keeping it real. You look good, you feel good.

I've struggled with my weight for most of my life, and I have come to realize that sometimes it takes a community of people to help you to reach your goals. Over the past few weeks, it had become obvious that love has nothing to do with the chocolates and roses that your given one day out of the year, but is shown on a daily basis.

It's your neighbor that never gets offened or discouraged although you have politely declined going to spin class with her for 2 months - Monique. Your sister from another mister - Dionne, who can empathize when you can barely drag your ass into bed after you finally do break down and go to said spin class with your neighbor.

It's you brother who hits up your Facebook wall to let you know that he exercised earlier that day, and is thus keeping up his end of the bargain. It's your sister who signs up for a 5K with you although neigther of you has run in longer than you would like to remember, but when you look to your right she's there, gasping for breath and weazing along side of you with an encouraging smile on her face. Love's there when you are laughing about your fat-scapades and then problem solving how you can start anew tomorrow with your Mom or talking about nutrition and supporting your new and improved "bod" with your dad.

Love is when you are having the shittiest day ever and you check out your blog and you see that you friend from middle school, Cheyenne, has posted up a few encouraging words. Or just saying that she thinks your brave for putting your weight up on the website ~Vernie. Or the fact that I have 11 people who care enough to read my blog, some from down the street ( Monet), hundreds of miles away (Shan) others from across the globe (Farai). Thanks. Love is taking your woman's all time favorite comfort foods ( fried fish and Salmon croquettes) and showing her how to cook it in a healthier, still delicious way~LA.

Lastly, love is also accepting and recognizing that you deserve all the support that you have, and that you have the power to make a positive change in your life.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."
-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Broccoli vs Cancer

Happy Black History Month!!!! Part of my contribution this month will be to spread the word about healthy eating. As you may know, African Americans have the highest rate of most preventable diseases, including hypertension and diabetes type II. This is pretty bad, but on a good note, many of these diseases are very preventable - including certain types of cancer. I was reading through Success magazine this month when I came across and article written by Drs. Mike Roizen and Mehmet OZ ( gotta give credit when credit is due) on foods that prevent cancer. What better way to spread Black Love than by sharing what I learned? :-)



Foods that Prevent Cancer
Walnuts, Almonds ,Pistachios, Wheat bran and most Legumes ( aka beans and peas) - contain a substance called pentakisposphate. The word alone is a mouthful, but all you need to know is that it may help prevent cancerous tumors. This is a good thing for me because I am ADDICTED to pistachios.... Pass the nuts, hold the cancer :-)


Grains such as quinoa, kasha, millet, chia and spelt: May reduce your risk of cancer of the small intestine. These grains may or may not be in your local grocery store, but you can find them at health food stores,healthier grocery stores such as WholeFoods, Yes! Organic Market, or in the healthy foods section of Giant, Safeway, Stop and Shop, or Pathmark.

Rosemary: according to the article rosemary extract helped to fight both breast cancer and leukemia cells.


Red Chili Peppers help to stop the spread of pancreatic cancer cells.


And now for the moment that you have been waiting for ..... drum roll please.......

BROCCOLI !!!!!

Drs. Rozen and Oz state that if you eat 4 handfuls of broccoli a week or any other cruciferous veggies (Kale, Collards, Cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, turnips, radishes and many, many others) you will make prostate, breast, and colon cancer less likely. Many of these will also improve memory and decrease you risk of type II diabetes.

To stop the spread of ovarian cancer, try increasing your intake of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. You can thank the Phenethyl isothicynate for that.

My hope is that you not only use this information for yourselves, but that you share it with other people as well. Most of us have some control over what food is being served in our households. We cook for our kids, parents, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, husbands and wives.... so why not show them how much we love them by cooking healthy meals? Below, I have posted the links of a few recipes that include the cancer fighting foods listed above. The blog is called WatchSheEat after all lol..... Enjoy, and remember to spread the word, and spread the love.

I might try this one this week:

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Broccoli, chickpeas and garlic mmm.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whole-Wheat-Spaghetti-with-Broccoli-Chickpeas-and-Garlic-231366

Cajun Red Beans and Rice Salad
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cajun-Red-Beans-and-Rice-Salad-109776


I'm not a fan of the chicken, but I know many of you are.... with this recipe, you get both the Chili and the rosemary....

Chili rubbed Chicken with rosemary
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Broiled-Chicken-with-Rosemary-and-Garlic-235464


If you want to try something, new check out these quinoa recipes:


Quinoa - Stuffed peppers
http://www.recipe.com/quinoa-stuffed-peppers/

Quinoa and Red Bean Burritos
http://www.recipe.com/quinoa-and-red-bean-burritos/

Herbed Quinoa with Shrimp and Zucchini
http://www.recipe.com/herbed-quinoa-with-shrimp-and-zucchini/

What's eating you ?

When starting my blog, I wanted it to be honest, first and foremost. Documenting both the ups and the downs of trying to be and eat healthy. Today fit into the latter category. For the majority of my day, I would have loved to do nothing more than to crawl into some deep, dark cave and reemerge a week later. My day started off pretty hectic, not unusual of Mondays but this one was bad. My phone died sometime during the night, so I didn't wake up until about 7:30, this may sound early to most, but I'm usually on my first bus by this time. I wound up not getting to my second bus stop until about 8:50. I had to be at work by 8:30 this morning, but I was still trying to look at the bright side of things, at least I didn't have a student or a meeting first period. Hungry, I run into Le Pain Quotidien on the corner of 20th street, to grab a bit to eat while I waited for the bus.

Big mistake. I reached for the carrot muffin and swallowed about 400 calories in the span of minutes. But whatever, I told myself, I had to eat.... As soon as I hit the door of the OT house ( my job), my mood plummeted. I felt like there was a rock in my chest and I felt butterflies in my stomach. My usual strategies for getting through rough days (checklists and finding joy in the small things) weren't working, and by the end of fourth period I was seriously exhausted by trying to make myself feel better. Trouble spot 2: Safeway for lunch. On my way there, I called my sister for a quick pick me up, but as soon I hung up, my mood crashed again.

I wound up leaving Safeway with a SmartOne's frozen lunch and a Jalapeno and Cheddar bagel. A container of fries and a Starbuck's hot chocolate almost made it into my basket, but luckily I was low on cash. Can you guys tell that I'm an emotional eater yet? The Salmon sandwich ( Salmon and mayo on the Jalapeno bagel, sounds yucky I know) made me feel better. But as soon as I had to get back to work, the rock returned to the center of my chest, and that jerk that sometimes resides in my head returned full force telling me that I'm not good enough for whatever reason... Add to that, the emails reminding me of all of the "urgent" things that need to be done. *Sigh* 3:30 could not come soon enough.

Although I planned on staying late to complete paper work, I couldn't stand being at my job any longer. I just wanted to throw on my sweats, and curl up under my blankets. That rock just seemed to be getting heavier and colder. The closest this that I could find to those comforting blankets was a Grande, Soy Hot Chocolate with whipped cream. I crushed that thing on the bus ride home, thinking about all the things that need to be done... I should go to the gym, I'm supposed to meet with the FaithFit ladies at 7 for dinner, but all I want to do is stay home....

Today, it became VERY obvious that my mental/emotional health is very closely linked to my successful weight loss. Guys, as I make my way up 16th street, I will attempt to psych myself up and plan on eating a salad to counteract all of the damage that I did earlier today, but I'm not making any promises. I'll keep you all posted.....

Water, Water everywhere

1/20/09

WiiFit weigh in - Day 19
Weight: 179.5
BMI: 26.58
WiiFit age: 29

Goal:
168.2 weight
BMI: 24.91
11.3 pounds left to go.


Laundry day ick... There is no chore that I hate more than doing laundry. On the plus side, I managed to log in 30 more minutes on the elliptical, 5 minutes on the stairmaster and 15 sit ups. I am going to be STACKED by the time the summer comes. The wagon I'll be draggin' in a few months won't be full of 3 weeks of dirty clothes clothes, but rather lean, mean muscle.... Watch out now haha!!!

Over the past 2ish/3 ish weeks, I have been exercising about 4 days a week, and mostly cardio because I'm trying to lose weight. I've also been cooking more at home (not the healthiest of foods, but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day) which has helped my wallet as well as contributed to my 4lb weight loss thus far. Woohoo! 11 more to go. This week I'm going to up the ante. L and I were talking about diet and nutrition a couple of days ago, and the importance of drinking water came up.

Growing up in a household where conversations on nutrition, health, diet and bodily functioning is the norm, I am fully aware of the importance of drinking water. It's good for your hair, skin, helps to keep your thoughts clear, and helps to prevent weight gain. My dad has given numerous presentations on the topic of water, and has even had a special water machine flown in from Japan that oxidizes and purifies the water for us to use ( Get in contact with my Dad if you want some information on the water system: essentialtohealth.com). But you know the saying: you can lead a horse to water... I get maybe 3 or 4 glasses in per day. Evidently, not enough.

I was browsing sites for information on how much water is recommended if you want to lose weight, and quite a few of them said that you should drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water. I weigh about 180 pounds, so I should be drinking 90 ounces of H2O daily - that's a whoooole lot of water. Not only should I drop the weight, but my over all health and well being should improve. We shall see... My hypothesis/ hope is that I will drop another 5lbs in one week by drinking more water alone.

Check out this website for more information/ formulas to figure out your daily H2O requirements.

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/water.htm

Til next time, happy drinking!

Eggplant Parm...

If there is one thing that I know how to make well, its eggplant parm. Eggplant Parmesan has a special place in both my heart and within my very limited culinary rolodex. My not so healthy attachment could be attributed to the fact that I grew up in the Bronx, or because of the eggplant's regal color, or the fact that its fried, then slathered in marinara and blanketed with cheese... yup that's it :-) Mmmm heartburn here I come!

Yesterday after spending some quality time on the elliptical and then running around the Washington Convention Center - for the Health and Wellness Expo. I decided that I needed some couch time. I ran past Blockbuster to pick up Julie and Julia (research for the blog), and then slowly made my way home. I was 5 minutes away, when I realized that I had eaten everything in my refrigerator two days ago. *Sigh* Luckily for me the grocery store was on my way home, and I was hungry.... at this point my plans on laying off of the fatty foods flew out the window. I needed something that would be easy and would put a smile on my face.... EGGPLANT PARM!!!!! I told Mr. A ( my boyfriend, hmmm I kinda like moniker ;-P. Sorta reminds me of Sara Jessica Parker and Mr. Big) that I would make it this week, cooking it that night would be like killing two birds with one stone.

I grab 2 eggplants, cheese, 2 jars of sauce spaghetti sauce, 2 boxes of whole wheat pasta and make a dash for the checkout line. " I see that your substituting for the meat" I look up confused at the cashier and realize that he's referring to the eggplant... "Um, yeah." Ladies, ever since I started cooking and going to the grocery store regularly, I've been hearing more and more of these random comments from the male grocers. To all my single friends, food and and the prospect of home cooked meals may be the best way to hook a man's attention - I'm just sayin'.

I get home, psyched because I got all of that stuff for about 12 bucks, and collapse for a few minutes on the couch. The few minutes turn into an hour and a half of Julie and Julia and I'm still exhausted... and hungry. I pull out all of my ingredients, when I realize that I only have about a tablespoon of oil left. "FUUUUUUDGE" -That's not exactly what I muttered, but close enough. So out I walked, grumbling to the grocery store again, threw some oil into the basket and a bottle of Merlot for good measure. I saw the cashier from a paragraph up look in my direction, and I immediately went to self checkout lol.

Home sweet home.... As soon as I stepped into the crib, I got to work. I battered and fried the eggplant, and then layered spinach, marinara, and mozzerella until I used up all of the eggplant. While I was frying up the eggplant, my friend Nobuko dropped by to talk about work, life, men and her recent trip to Buenos Aires. We polished off half a bottle of wine by the time the eggplant parm was put into the oven for the final bake off. As I set my timer for 30 minutes, I called my friend Monique to come over and Nobuko cracked open the bottle of Merlot. By the end of the night, 2 hours had passed in conversation and 3/4 of a tray of Eggplant Parmesan, and 1 1/2 bootles of wine were gone. Wine, good food and girlfriends always make for a goodnight... all there was left to do were the dishes :-)

Bread, Bread, Bread

As a have told a few of you, my goal for this year to experience and understand food a lot better. Not bad for a New Years resolution eh? Anyway I decided to begin my quest by learning how to bake one of my favorite foods.... BREAD. Being the busy, 20 something that I am, sandwiches are usually my quick fix for those mid afternoon hunger pains, which naturally makes baking bread a great choice.
Last weekend, I called my brother up for a few suggestions, and he recommended that I try King Arthur's recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread. I was a little nervous at first, because, well I've never made it before and I didn't want to get stuck with a loaf of dry wheat bread (yuck!). Guys, it was surprisingly easy, and VERRRRRY delish. The best part is that it only required 7 ingredients: Yeast, water, vegetable oil. maple syrup, whole wheat flour, non fat dry milk and salt. Compare that to Home Pride's Butter Top Honey Wheat bread ingredient list:

Enriched wheat flour (flour, barley malt, ferrous sulfate (iron), “B” vitamins (niacin, thaimine mononitrate (B1), riboflavin (B2), folic acid)), water, sweetener (high fructose corn syrup or sugar), yeast, wheat bran, whole wheat flour, wheat gluten, molasses. Contains 2% or less of: soybean oil, salt, sweet dairy whey, butter (cream, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin, honey, corn syrup, calcium sulfate, soy flour, dough conditioners (may contain: dicalcium phosphate, calcium dioxide, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ethoxylated mono and diglycerides, mono and diglycerides, and/or datem), yeast nutrients (may contain: ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, calcium carbonate, monocalcium phosphate, and/or ammonium phosphate), cornstarch, wheat starch, vinegar, natural flavor, beta carotene (color), enzymes, calcium propionate (to retain freshness), soy lecithin.


Kinda scary.... A little effort and you can avoid all of those nasty, and I'm sure, potentially harmful add-ons. I've posted the link for King Arthur's Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread below. Give it a try and let me know what you think :-)

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/classic-100-whole-wheat-bread-recipe

Happy Baking!