Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 30 day shred, diet, fitness, goal setting, goals, health, nutrition, pilates, rewards, running, strength training, yoga
As I mentioned before, I view my years from September to September. I set my goals and resolutions around this time each year. Generally, rather that set nebulous goals like “lose weight” or be more thoughtful, I try to make measurable short-term (month to month) mini-goals to help me get there.
Here’s what I’m striving for this September in…
Fitness:
- Do yoga 2x/week (either at home or at the studio)
- Complete regular exercises every weekday morning (push-ups, squats, sit-ups, etc).
- Run 3x/week (2 shorter weekday runs, 1 longer weekend run)
- Strength train (either at the gym or at home with Shred) 2x/week
- Swim weekly
Health/Nutrition:
- Cook fish 1-2x/week
- Try one new recipe from “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” per week
Now, I admit, some of these I already kinda do. I already run 3x/week and I already try at least 1 recipe from HtCEV per week. I think this kind of motivates me though, and helps me develop the others into good habits too.
Whenever I set my goals like this, I also think of some rewards for my success. For example, if I keep up with all of my fitness goals, I’ll treat myself to a new, cute workout outfit after September is over. This tends to work for me.
What do you do to stay motivated?? Do you reward yourself? Set short-term goals? Let me know your thoughts!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: black beans, cooking, health, Magic Bullet, nutrition, quick meals, recipe, soup
When I’m in a pinch, or just looking to unload some leftovers, this is the meal I go to. It’s fast, easy, versatile, and delicious (not to mention very good for you). It’s an easy three-step process. It may take a whopping 5 minutes to make. Seriously.
There you have it. My black bean soup. All you need are black beans, salsa, and chicken broth in its most basic form. Add all three (no need to use more than 1/3 or so of the salsa with a whole can of beans) to a blender, food processor, or Magic Bullet (my tool of choice). Mix it up. You can eyeball it to see if you’d like it more creamy or more soupy (for more soupy just add more chicken broth). Then heat and eat. It is super tasty in this barebones form. Note: This would also work w/ veggie broth for any vegetarians out there.
On Tuesday I made this for lunch and added chopped onions and leftover shredded chicken on top. Sometimes I add milk to it, a cheddar cheese cube, or a clove of garlic before I toss it in the Bullet.
I’ve even used other bean combos… like a more Italian-style soup using white beans, garlic, onions, rosemary, and chicken broth. This version is great with some crusty bread. No matter how it’s prepared, it’s always fast tasty, and nutritious.
Are there any delicious easy combos that you’ve come up with in a pinch?
Filed under: People/Person, Produce | Tags: cucumber, health, mark bittman, no-cook meals, nutrition, recipe, vegan, vegetarian
I got a few cucumbers from last week’s CSA pick-up. I turned to How to cook Everything Vegetarian (Mark Bittman) for some suggestions. I settled on this one because I thought it seemed fresh and summery, and (more importantly) I already had all of the ingredients.
Cucumber Salad with Soy and Ginger (vegan)
from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
- 1-1.5 cucumbers (about 3)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1-inch piece of ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
The instructions are pretty basic. Chop up the cucumbers (you may need to seed/salt them). Mix everything together and serve.
I made this dish on Friday, and let it hang out in the fridge. I sent it to work with husby on Monday. He reported back on Monday night that it had become quite pickled over those few days (I should have expected this). Despite that, he likes pickled things and thought it was very tasty. I, however, do not like pickled thing so I would eat this immediately.
I may make this dish again, but I think I’ll try other Bittman recipes with cucumbers first. I’ll also remember to take a picture next time!
Filed under: Produce | Tags: diet, easy, health, nutrition, recipe, summer, summer squash, zucchini
After a wonderful July 4th weekend (finally a few beautiful days here in NYC!), I came home very tired and in need of something easy and healthy after a weekend of picnic food.
I rounded up a bunch of leftovers for this one. Earlier this week I had sauteed some summer squash and zucchini in garlic and olive oil. I also found some whole wheat pizza dough from Whole Foods (really cheap and versatile – good to have on hand). I rolled out the whole wheat dough on cornmeal so it wouldn’t stick. I greased a casserole dish and placed the dough in the bottom. I layered the zucchini/summer squash on top, then chopped up some red peppers (I had one floating in the fridge). To round out the meal, I beat 4 eggs in a bowl and poured them on top and added sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.
I baked the dish at 350 for about 20 minutes, then added some shredded parmesan cheese and put it back in for ten more minutes. With a nice salad and some vino, this turned out to be great meal. Even better, the leftovers were delicious cold for lunch.
Filed under: People/Person, Uncategorized | Tags: diet, exercise, gain, nutrition, scale, weight, weight-loss
So after a few weeks hiatus, I hit the scale. It could have been bad - very bad. All things considered, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But…
I’m up. like 3lbs. I know this doesn’t seem like much, but when I think of how long and how much effort it takes me to lose 3lbs… it’s pretty daunting.
So, I’m buckling down. I had become a bit lax on most things in the last month, but as of yesterday, I have begun journaling EVERY vittle that touches these lips. I am forcing myself to get my stretching and run in every morning – no matter how long/short – every week day. It can’t be an option.
I generally gain weight during the summer. I think it’s due to the fact that there is less structure and more spontaneous activity. This summer, I’ve “scheduled” out most of my days. I’m making sure that I’m not spending any unnecessary downtime at home – that’s a potential binge-central.
Anyhow, I’m back on the straight and narrow. I’ll go back to weighing in each Wednesday. I’ll let you know how my journey is going on Wed.
I’ve been very interested in sugar dependency (namely because I struggle with it). As such, I’ve been reading as much as I can about it, and trying new/different ways to combat cravings. Yesterday on the train back to New York, I was reading my mom’s Woman’s Day, when I found an article about sugar addiction.
In short, the article (“The Sugar Effect” from Volume 72, Issue 9) discussed how sugar dependency has exhibited some similar effects as drug dependency. It also shares some information about why we do (or don’t!) need certain sugars and how our body processes them. Some highlights:
- The US Dietary Guidelines allow 32 grams of sugar per 2,000 calorie/day diet. This is about the equivalent amount of sugar in 1c of sweetened cereal! This really makes me think… especially since my daily caloric intake is closer to 12-1400!
- About sugar being a legitimate addiction: “…research on rats shows that they had withdrawal symptoms, including shaking and teeth chattering, when the effects of the sugar water they’d had for nine days had been blocked.”
- Sugar, or having a sweet-tooth, may be linked to evolution: “Humans likely gravitated away from bitter foods, which might have been poisonous, toward sweet ones, which were probably safe.”
Just some food for thought… My own efforts to drop my sugar dependency have been going quite well recently… I’ll keep you updated!
It seems that every day there’s a new health claim either coming out, or an old one being refuted. What’s a person to believe? Who defines what health is? How does one measure health?
Well, there’s not really one easy answer to these questions. But certainly, as with most things, knowledge is power and the more you know about health (and your own body) the better off you are.
One’s health is determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to: diet, exercise, stress levels, family history, environmental conditions, etc. Many of these we have control over (diet, exercise, stress) and some we don’t (family history, environment).
The USDA has a newer food pyramid that is slightly more personalized than the one most of us remember from middle school health class. Although, to me, getting roughly 4.5-5 servings of fruits and veggies (recommended for me) does not seem to be a high enough recommendation. Granted, I assume that the USDA bases their recommendations on extensive research, whereas I base mine only on personal opinion, ha.
Curious, I explored food “pyramids” from other parts of the world. As our obesity rates continue to rise, I have to think something is wrong with our diet in American culture. As food for thought (sorry, pun intended), here are a few from around the world. I see a few major differences. What do you see?
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- Mediterranean Food Pyramid
Okay, this is not actually day six. I completely fell off the wagon about, uh, four days ago. Here’s my sad – but true – account of how it all went down (and by down, I mean down a slippery slope at break-neck speeds).
Day one was great. Really. Day two wasn’t so bad either. I had a slight twinge of craving here and there, but nothing major really. Then, I tossed it all down the tubes. Baked cookies. Ate lots of dough, then fresh cookies. Baked more cookies… and on and on…. And of course once this happened, I figured, well why even bother? I threw caution to the wind and probably consumed more sugar than I ever normally would.
So what next?
I’m trying again. Tomorrow. I will start much smaller. Small goals, big progress (hopefully). This week one (do-over), I will:
- Eat plain yogurt; add honey.
- Drink vanilla tea or suck on a cinnamon stick when cravings strike. Drink some water, reassess “hunger” for sugar.
- Not go home right after work. I will come at dinner time (most of my binges/cravings occur during that window of time between work and dinner. I’ll come home at dinner time).
So, again, I’ll keep you posted on my progress on these three mini-goals. I’ll let you know which goals worked, and which I’m looking at for week two.
