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Thursday, December 30, 2010

A new year?



Historically, every year I get together with friends (or family) and celebrate new year's eve.  And every year, we raise our glasses and say that this year is going to be great!  2011 is going to be the best year yet, or something to that effect.

Well you know what?  That isn't always true.

Plus, in terms of our lives, what is the significance of the new year and January 1st?  My birthday is in August, so January 1st doesn't really mark a new year for me, it's more of a celebration 4+ months in to my year.  How is that significant?

So last year, or the year before, I stopped going by the calendar year and instead started going by my years.  After this past birthday, I said, good things are going to happen this year.  And you know what, they did.

But why not think good thoughts and request good things on a day unique to you, not the day that EVERYONE uses as their chance to wipe the slate clean and start over?  If there are forces up there helping out, don't you think the might be a bit overwhelmed on January 1st?

Show of hands, who now thinks I'm insane?  :)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

get me out of the house

The northeast got pounded with snow Sunday in to Monday, so many of us have been cooped up in our houses for way too long.  And if you're like me, even if you have a full set of weights, you're not exercising when you're stuck.

Take the overeating of the holiday and then follow it up immediately with being stuck in the house, sedentary, with more food.  In my case, it was Christmas cookies that someone forgot to bring to their family.

That said, I'm so happy to be out of the house today and can't wait to get to the gym and get a good sweat going.  I'm not sure I've never been so excited to go to the gym.

What do you do when you're snowed in?  Usually I shovel, but by the time the snow had stopped the shovelling was already being handled by the complex. 

Are you going to try to get in some good workouts this week or are you just coasting until after the new year?

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Happy holidays!!


A little something to make you smile.  Have a great holiday and new year!!

iPad

I'm blogging from my new ipad. Weird. Totally new to this whole thing so I'm looking for suggestions and advice. What do you use your iPad for? Any great apps? Help. Please.

Lovin' this egg mcmuffin!!

Lots of food posts lately, but I guess that's sort of OK since I added "Eater" to the title of the blog. :)

Newest breakfast (lunch, or dinner) discovery, the ability to microwave eggs!  The "friend" gets credit for this one.  He's always trying to minimize the mess of cooking bc he knows that I'm horrible at cleaning.

Enter our own version of the egg mcmuffin!!

Throw an English muffin in the toaster.

At the same time, spray a microwave safe small bowl with cooking spray.  Crack two eggs in to the bowl and beat.  Throw in the micro for about 1 minute.  The egg will grow, so watch it to make sure it doesn't get too crazy.  Flip it in the bowl and do the same for another 30s-1 min.

On a plate, heat up some low fat Canadian bacon, maybe 15 seconds.  We usually use 1 or 2 pieces (only 20 calories/slice).

By now the muffin should be toasted, so take it out of the oven, layer the Canadian bacon on.  Either put down a piece of sliced cheese or throw some shredded cheese on to the egg and throw it back in the micro for another 20 seconds.  Then put the egg on to the muffin, throw the top on and voila!!

As basic as it sounds, I go nuts for this thing and actually CRAVE it.  Historically I've made eggs a part of my meal repertoire because they're good for you and high in protein and relatively low in calories (I have no cholesterol issues so I've been told I can have 5-6 eggs/week), but this makes me actually want to eat them.

Estimated calorie count:
muffin (100)
2 eggs (140)
Canadian bacon, 2 slices (40)
shredded cheese, 1/4 cup (80)
Grand total: 360

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hot dog!?


I think that for some odd reason, CT is obsessed with hot dogs.  The food, not the dachshund.

Living in NY I rarely, if ever, saw a restaurant that I'd describe as a hot dog joint.  yet since moving to CT they seem to be everywhere.  Yes, in some cases they're the same name with different locations, but still, is there really such a demand for hot dogs?  I guess so.

While my new office is on a picturesque street, there's not much in terms of food in the immediate area.  There is however a place known as J R's Hot Dog Stand, and it so happens that it's right across the street from my building.  It's pretty much a greasy spoon, but with that extra emphasis on the hot dog.  It's safe to say that not much at this establishment would be deemed as "healthy".

The men in my office don't seem to mind running over there and grabbing a quick bite (often times a hot dog and fries), but I just can't do it.  Convenience is nice and all, but so is fitting in to my clothes.  I'll gladly hop in the car (when time permits) to find a better option.  Is this so wrong?

Are you on the hot dog bandwagon?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy solstice!

I think that just possibly I've been sucked in to a time warp of some sort.  How is it possible that Christmas is in four days?  In some ways it feels like it's way too early, but in other ways it feels like it's about darn time, like the fact that today is (finally) the first day of winter.  In my head it's been winter for months. 

I think it's a weird time of year.  I can deal with December, and suck it up for January, but come February and March, I'm pretty miserable and usually threaten to run away to the Caribbean.  I do this every year, without fail.  I think that Christmas lights should be put up at the end of January because that's when we really need something to brighten things up.  Just my two cents.

I woke up last night to presents from my "friend".  Yay!  Not quite Christmas, but way past Hanukkah (which is my holiday).  Let's just say he did well and I'm now joining the 21st century and will also have warm feet. :)

He got a big old TV from me.  His bday is in January so it's a combo gift and he's had it for a couple of weeks now, which made my holiday shopping easy breezy.  Still putting together something simple, but thankfully I haven't really had to deal with the holiday shopping craze.

As a fitness professional, it's always interesting to see how things go at the gym around this time of year.  We all know what happens in January, but December can be questionable.  Are people too busy with parties and shopping or are they forcing themselves to come in because of said parties?  My classes have been consistent and that's all I can ask for.

Since New Year's day is a Saturday, I'm teaching.  I'm the only spin class on the schedule so I'm doing a 60 minute class (our norm is 45).  The class is at 10 and I'm hoping it will be full.  What do you think?  do you think people will come out for the class or that they'll be too busy recovering from the night before?

Any interesting new year's plans out there?

I'll try to post again in the next day or so, but if for some reason time gets away from me (again), have a most wonderful and happy holiday and enjoy every minute spent with those you love.  xoxo

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Purple potato?

Last night I had the prettiest potato ever on my plate!

While i can't seem to find the official name of it, it seems to be known as a purple sweet potato.  I had never tried them and other than hearing about them had never even seen them.  On a quick trip to Stew Leonard's, my "friend" spotted them and said we had to try them.

I think it was something ridiculous like $5.99 for 3, but he said I had to try it.

Aside from the fact that we were in a rush and ended up overcooking it, it was still delicious.  Just like a sweet potato, but SWEETER.  Given my love of anything with a flavor that can be described as sweet, I was smitten.  Plus, the color is insane!

This is actually what they'd look like if you mashed them.  Seriously!

I did take a picture, but my camera is at home and I am not.  I highly recommend this spud, and from what I'm reading, they also pack a punch nutritionally.

Let me know what you think if you do try them.


Monday, December 13, 2010

Gangsta Style

I'm so sorry I forgot to put up pictures from Halloween.  I wasn't in a ton, but here you go. 

That's me and my co-gangster, we kept things in line.

Unhealthy treat

Here's a sweet recipe for a gray Monday.  Not at all healthy, but tasty and easy.  A good recipe to make and then bring with you to a party or get together.

Saltine Chocolate Toffee Bars (not sure of their real name)

4oz saltines
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.
Grease a jelly roll pan (aka a baking sheet) and then arrange the saltines in one layer. (I used cooking spray.)
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the brown sugar, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  The mixture will be bubbly and aerated.
Pour sugar/butter mixture over the crackers and spread to cover all crackers.  Put pan in to oven and bake for 5-7 minutes, until toffee mixture is bubbling.
Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee.  Let sit about 5 minutes to allow the chips to melt.  Using a knife, spread the chocolate over the toffee.
Let cool, then put in freezer or fridge to complete cooling and hardening.
Cut in to squares.

Do you have an easy sweet treat that you break out around the holidays?  If so, please share!

Friday, December 10, 2010

the white devil

Imagine you wake up in the middle of the night insanely nauseaus.  You head to the bathroom only to get that feeling of "should I sit on the toilet or face it?".

What's the first thought that enters your mind?  Food poisoning would be mine.  Very little has woken me up from a sound sleep other than food poisoning or a very bad stomach flu.

That said, what causes these symptoms for me?  Garlic.

The bulb that almost everyone LOVES.  The ingredient that is so common it isn't always listed on menus.

Well my friends, that little white bulb is my arch enemy.

I always knew that garlic bothered my stomach.  A little.  However, as I've gotten older, this has apparently gotten worse.  Only within the past year or so did I realize that if I ate too much garlic, I'd wake up with the same symptoms as food poisoning.  Thankfully I wouldn't actually get sick, but I would very much feel sick.

Let me tell you how annoying this is.  Eating out has become a pain because everything I order must be followed up with "no garlic", to which I usually get weird looks.

But, it is what it is, and those who love me (and cook for me) have learned to make the concession.

Any other odd food problems out there?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Love laughing!

I seriously LOVE this stuff!
I use it as a spread on my veggie burgers and it makes them taste so much more indulgent.  Plus, with only 35 calories, it's better than most spreads.
Am I alone in this fan club?

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Working is alot of work

Who knew?

And I don't just mean the working part (i.e. the 9-5).  Today is my 8th day back in the working world, although the first 3 don't really count since I was out of state and living out of a hotel.

I promised myself that my gym routine and eating habits would not suffer.  If anything, I hoped that maybe my eating habits would improve a bit as dictated by the structure of a work day.

So far it's going OK.  I've been bringing lunch.  Now who doesn't want to eat the exact same thing for 3 days in a row?  I've made it to the gym 3 out of the 4 completed work days.

However, it's been rough.  By the end of the day, I'm TIRED, so my motivation and energy are a bit off.  Gym routines just haven't had the same intensity as they did before.  I'm hoping (maybe even praying) that this is temporary and just a case of my body adjusting to a new schedule.  I've done the hardcore nighttime workout consistently before, it's just been a looooong time.

To help me along, I pack my gym bag the night before, that way I don't have to come home between work and the gym because that has NEVER worked for me.  I've also been trying to take classes more, which gives me a guaranteed workout.  I'll then arrive at the gym a little early and squeeze in whatever extra activities I can manage.

I think I'm doing OK, but there's definitely room for improvement.  Any tips?  I'm thinking maybe green tea around 3pm. 

Friday, December 3, 2010

Happy Friday!

And happy December.  Weird, right?  I'm so not ready for winter.  It snowed while I was in PA, I hated every minute of it.


I'm so glad it's Friday!  I'm exhausted and can't wait to relax and maybe even let loose a bit tomorrow.  Girls night out!

I need to get back in to the work routine, which for me means preparing and making lunch.  My usual is a veggie burger on a sandwich flat and maybe some veggies.  However, this gets old, plus it doesn't always keep me full.

That said, I'm looking for some suggestions.  The requirements are that it be tasty (most important), but also easy, healthy, and filling.  So if you have any tried and true lunch ideas, please let me know.

Have a great weekend!  Hoping (fingers crossed) to put together another spin ride in the next week, so stay tuned.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Here I am

I had hoped that maybe I wouldn't actually go MIA, but apparently that wasn't the case.

I'm still adjusting to this new and busy schedule.  Plus my first three days were spent out of state at a hotel, which always complicates a routine further.

I woke up Tuesday at 5a to hit the hotel gym.  Better something than nothing, but it was limited and as a result it sucked the motivation right out of me.  Back to the gym tonight, after work, so we'll see how that goes.

I had always gone to the gym after work, but it's been years now so it might take some adjusting.

It's also weird that I haven't been on a spin bike since Saturday.

So I'm thinking about trying Insanity.  Anyone tried it and want to share their experience?  My "friend" wants us to do it together, so I'm considering it.  If I do do it, I'll totally share my experiences with you guys. Maybe even post some before and after stats...maybe.

So let me know about Insanity or any other similar program you've tried.  Thanks!