Cooking up a Storm… Where did that gust of wind come from? May 3, 2007

I not longer have class, just final exams for school so I’ve been able to rummage around my favorite grocery stores, Trader Joes and Whole Foods getting inspired and staying well stocked in fruits and veggies. I am concentrating on raw recipes, but mostly just trying to incorporate tons of freshness (fresh foods) into my day!

I spent 2 hours tonight just preparing foods and sealing them off in little containers for later. I find that it is always so much nicer to be exposed to many different tastes and textures during a meal, rather than just a heap of the same thing. I made egg white salad, very healthy- I used only cooked egg whites, parsley, cucumber, and my favorite cottage cheese. The cottage cheese gives the salad a spread texture and a cheesy taste, without having to use mayonnaise.
I also cooked up some steamed spinach and garlic for tomorrow and roasted some baby portabello mushrooms and butternut squash for later. A little bit of each of these things along, some fresh carrot and celery sticks, and a bag of salad mix and my lunch (and possibly early dinner too!) is set tomorrow.

I had coffee today for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks. I haven’t had caffeine in a while, since I was on the cleanse etc. Though it was only one cup, it kind of made me feel slightly sick and gave me a baby headache. I know caffeine (and obviously caffeine addictions) are not good, but I love coffee, I love the taste, the brew, the ritual, the whole damn thing! I suppose it’s not something I should really PUSH to bring back into my life, though.

I have been looking at a lot of blogs and want to attempt raw vegan “sushi” using nori and all veggies (poss. with a bit of marinated tofu) or wraps with collard greens. I’ve never rolled sushi before, and I don’t quite know how to do it and I’m also a bit perplexed about how to wrap with the collard greens. Do i use a toothpick? How does everything stay together??

Bikini Pics: Post-Cleanse April 29, 2007

I almost realized that I haven’t given you guys after shots! So even though I’ve broken the cleanse and have some water back in my system, these are the before and after shots..

As you can see the only real change is that I lost some water weight, but am enjoying that After-Side shot thank you very much.

I am going back to normal healthy food. I am going to really try for small portions, eating slowly, not eating when I’m not hungry anymore, etc. Going on the cleanse really makes you want to keep your stomach light! It just feels (and looks) better. Also, one of the best things about the cleanse is that not only did my body get a rest from the normal processes of digestion but my mind got a rest from the process of eating! While eating has always been a pleasure for me (I love delicious foods), I am constantly stressed by it, counting calories, calculating nutrition, food costs, etc. etc. When I was on the cleanse, I had no stressed and it felt great. For a little while I was attempting CRON (Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition), but the precision and the worry and the counting calories was giving me a disorder. I want to live without counting calories!

Back in the Saddle: I think I’m addicted to lemonade April 28, 2007

So after horribly breaking my cleanse last night, I drank my herbal laxative tea and proceeded to sleep HORRIBLY. I guess it was the food, especially the drastic change in food, but though I slept a full 10 hours, I still feel tired. I feel tired, gross and have a headache. It’s making me want to hop back on the horse and start cleansing again.

I just did my salt water flush and I am going to prepare some lemonade for the day. One of the best things about the cleanse is that you are able to keep your energy levels up so well. Imagine if you could take a single bite of you lunch every 10, 15 minutes. You’re sugar levels would be as stable as mine on the cleanse. That’s one of the most alluring parts, as well as never feeling hungry and never being Stuffed.

I think I might try to incorporate the lemonade into my diet for a little while. Perhaps lemonade in the morning and a light dinner of fruit and veggies. I’m not sure. I will just listen to what my body wants for a little while and see, it’s just that all my body wants right now is LEMONADE!

And, of course, a little Fonda on the side…

The power of JUICING April 15, 2007

I apologize for my absence over the past few weeks, I had my traveling part-time boyfriend living with me for three weeks. That was certainly an adventure, especially since I’ve never lived with anyone I was seeing before. Anyway, he is traveling westward and I decided I need to do a bit of a cleanse, to get all the missin’ out of my system.

I just bought a Jack LaLanne juicer after checking out a lot of recommendations online and figuring out pricing etc. I will tell you how it works once I get the ball rolling and put up recipes. Depending on how I do, I want this to either be an all juice fast (mostly vegetable) or an all fruit and veggie diet. I feel like I might crave solid food, and I don’t think a salad would be bad. I don’t want this to be a strict cleanse, but more of a period of very healthy eating.

Additionally, I am going to take bikram yoga at this great new studio I’ve found just five blocks away from my apartment-BikramLES.

I think this will be a great way to get my mind of my departed boy, focus my find, and cleanse my body. Here’s to the beginning.

Just because it’s vegan, doesn’t make it healthy! April 4, 2007

I have hit up (and been dreaming about) Red Bamboo, that vegan soul food cafe I described previously, a lot lately. Even though the food is vegan, that doesn’t make it healthy. I mean the fake meat is breaded, and fried a lot of the time, and I’m sure that the sauces are stacked with calories. I was trying to find some information about the nutritional information of a No-Chicken Parm Sandwich, but couldn’t find much of anything. I think that a lot of people get tricked into thinking that just because food is vegetarian or vegan, that it is automatically healthy. Vegan food in particular can be particularly unhealthy, loaded with sugars and fats to try to entice meat-lovers. I don’t think that vegan food needs all of that and in general really enjoy simply foods, with light sauces, grilled not fried. Please share you comments/ideas on the issue!

Allow me to indulge you as I have indulged myself April 4, 2007

I have just eaten my way through the some of the best meals of my life today.
It began with delicious sushi for lunch, not fancy, but spicy salmon rolls are my favorite and that is indeed what I had.
Next up, I went to Red Bamboo, a famously delicious Vegan Soul food restaurant on W. 4th St. I shared veggie ribs and a veggie chicken sandwich along with a delicious Indian Roti appetizer. Sharing is the best because the more different taste sensations are so much more satisfying than lots of food.
Next, I ventured to the new Whole Foods Market on Houston. This place is a castle.. fresh, aesthetically gorgeous, epic epic epic- this is not how grocery stores should look, but that is how this one is. Organic walls and paint included. They sell hemp shoes and baby clothes made out of organic cotton… oh and the samples, the sample.

Finally, I hit up Sugar, a new 24 hour, free wi-fi cafe on Houston with delicious desserts, pastas and sandwiches. Free wi-fi has become a rarity for some reason so this place is a triple threat additionally having great food and being open ’round the clock. I had yogurt and cherry gelato mixed with with tiramisu gelato. The cherry went off like bombs in my mouth and the yogurt flavor was bitter contrasting with the sweetness of the tiramisu and the cherries. This is no binge, this is conscious, mindful eating. I am pleased that I can allow myself this treat, without the guilt that normally comes with overeating/eating desserts. It is here that I remain, tummy full, satiated mind, satiated soul.

FAGE fantastic March 26, 2007

I could eat FAGE all day. One container is only 80 calories and packed with protein. I like Total 0% Greek Yogurt, which has no fat and is still soo thick and creamy. I eat it with a bit of splenda and cinnamon and sometimes apple slices. It is the equivalent of dessert for me.

A testament to how good this non-fat yogurt is.. the other day I was eating a container (delicious as always) and randomly looked at the label. I had accidently bought FAGE Total Classic, which has all the classic fat. I realized that the classic version was slightly thicker, but not any better. I love this stuff! I eat one or two containers every day. I’m just addicted-it is so much better than lite ‘n’ fit, go for FAGE amis.

TIP: But yogurt (any kind) in the freezer for about 1 hour and it makes this great frozen yogurt, ice cream that is perfect for dessert. Don’t leave it in for too long though, because then the yogurt just turns to ice!

Over-Ate eh, but didn’t Binge March 25, 2007

ah, I ate so much today. Normal food plus 2 doughnuts, a arepa (fried corneal patty with sweet cheese, plantains and avocado), as well as 1 pumpkin cupcake and super sweet banana pudding from the best bakery in town-SugarSweetSunshine. Right now I am headed out to a friends for some fine wines and a few bars later for some not so fine whiskey-ginger’s. My god what a day, but I also realize that it is really not the end of the world-or the end of my diet.
#1 Its natural to slip up every once in a while
#2 I went to the gym for an hour today
#3 I didn’t binge, which is a big deal. Even though I really overate and treated myself, I was still in control. I have a binging problem-which is characterized by uncontrolled (crazed!) eating. This was over the course of my day, hanging out and eating with friend.

Damage Control: I am attempting to eat around 1500 calories a day. I probably ended up eating an extra 1200 calories-total of 2700. Not really so horrible considering that my daily intake is 2010 calories (2510 plus 500 calories earned at the gym). Anyways not bad at all, just means that my efforts today certainly didn’t help me lose weight, and put me a little step back.

How do you guys do damage control after days over overeating?

Skinny and Curvy? March 24, 2007

Do anyone have any good workout/nutrition tips for loosing weight, but staying curvy. I’d like a smaller waist (I suppose like everyone), but don’t want to have a “straight” body. Perhaps working out less and maintaining a healthy reduced calorie diet is the best way to go.. any thoughts or advice??

Amazing and Extremely Low-Cal Tofu Noodles.. March 22, 2007

FILLING PASTA DISHES 60-86 CALORIES!!

If you can find it at your grocery store, tofu noodles or yam noodles are delicious replacements for pasta and can act as a base for any dish. Plus Tofu noodles are only 20 calories a serving and yam noodles are only 5!

They taste very plain, but I’ve found it is the perfect food to have around the house (especially when I wanna stuff my face) because it is filling like pasta, but no where near the calories..

Check out the KONNAYAKU section from this link
http://www.house-foods.com/our_products/other_products.html

My own very simplified pasta recipe based of one listed on the website is as follows…

Pasta Marinara
86 calories a serving

Whole bag of Tofu Noodles (2 servings)
1/4 cup of marinara sauce

Prepare like pasta! et voila. I would suggest throwing some frozen veggies in there to make it more nutritious. But using this recipe as a base, thinking of all the really filling 100 calorie dishes you can have.

Tip: Try cooking these noodles plain, and then covering them with a low-cal teriyaki sauce I learned about from a diabetic girl I used to tutor. Just take soy sauce and add Splenda to taste. It makes a yummy version of Terikyaki sauce. Teriyaki Tofu Noodles would make a similarly low-cal meal. 40 calories for the whole bag of noodles! and about 20 calories for the soy sauce!