Monday, March 25, 2013

blt deviled eggs...veg

Deviled Eggs with Salad

Ingredients

·         6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
·         1/4 cup mayonnaise
·         2 slices MorningStar Farms bacon, cooked and diced plus more for garnish, if desired
·         2 cherry tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
·         1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Halve the eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks and add them to a medium bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and stir in the mayonnaise, bacon, tomatoes, and parsley. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and blend well.

Fill the egg whites evenly with the yolk mixture and garnish with bacon, if desired. Arrange them in a container and store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Friday, March 22, 2013

this...not this

It's Girl Scout Cookie time. I know my traditional favorite is the Samoa, a chewy, sweet-salty, yummy badness. I literally could clear an entire box in a few hours. Nutrition, not a favorable. Girl Scout Cookies are an annual tradition that you sink your teeth into, feel guilty over, but spend the remaining year forgetting, until it comes back again next year...same bat time, same bat place.

Well, I have a healthy substitute that you can eat every day of the year, with far less guilt.

eat this

130 cal. per serving (1 bar)
9 grams of fiber
2 grams protein
*rich in vitamin E & zinc


***


Girl Scout Samoa Cookies 
not this

150 calories (2 cookies)
0 grams of fiber
0 grams of protein
*no trace of vitamins or minerals

This week was an added bonus since I found the Fiber Plus bars on sale at Kmart. I'm an old fan, but the regular marked price drives me to a cheaper competitor. When ever I can find them on sale, it's a go!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

to cheat or not to cheat


What is a cheat meal?

The dictionary defines cheat as to deceive using trickery. I prefer the definition for “cheat” as to partake in behavior that goes against tradition or the norm. What is a cheat meal? According to my definition, if I eat three meals and two snacks daily, then on a specific appointed day, I add an additional meal or snack.

Usually my cheat meal is at the end of my workout week. There are times where this has been a slice of pizza or two, popcorn, or some confection that I'v e rewarded myself with for exceeding the goals of the week. Given that my refrigerator is often loaded with meals on rotation, pizza is rarely desired. Most of the time, I will opt for a slice carrot cake or a cupcake.

I never punish myself and say ‘you can’t have it’. I find that too often many ‘critics’ or dieters stuck in a brain warp are FAT! That is right I said FAT! They never see success for long before they’re back on the floor kicking and screaming for failing to lose weight or stick to the diet. They are prisoners of their mind. People who are on a journey, a lifestyle change eat what they want or what they desire, only they find the way to work it into their day or week as a meal, and move on to continued success.

This is why I don’t like to use the word cheat according to the definition. Cheat is in reference to an anti-social behavior. There is nothing anti-social about changing how you look at food. Anti-social is to live on a roller coaster of yo-yo dieting. In the spring you fight to get thin from all of the bad behavior you subjected yourself to all winter. This is primarily due to a lack of exercise that slows the metabolism. Foods you would normally be able to control portion size have gone from recommended servings to horse portions.

Food, like money does not lead to evil. It is the inability to control or suppress the will to behave poorly that leads to evil, or overeating.

A few weeks ago I ran what was my first half marathon on the ground. It was training exercise for the big event. My feet hurt, and as I iced them, I enjoyed a half cup of Haagen Daz chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I posted this in a group I follow on Facebook. Someone decided that they’d tell me…me of all people to not forget to stretch, as if this was my first time ever running, or as if yoga is not a part of my daily life. The coup de gras was the notation that I should leave that ice cream alone. I checked the poster on both accounts with as much tact as I could muster, considering that I post regularly my exploits of exercise.

One should never make assumptions or measure others by self-imposed limitations. I realize that a healthy weight and exercise for some is a new thing. Still, you must know to whom you are speaking and never assume that everyone is running from food. I live in a house that has every temptation. I live in a corridor full of fast food and meat prone restaurants. None that bothers me one bit. I know what I need and I know what I want. It is important to distinguish one from the other.

Everything, in moderation. Cheating implies guilt will follow.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

vegetarian white bean bacon & spinach soup


white bean soup & corn muffin
2 slices of MorningStar Farms bacon chopped
1 c of dry white beans cooked
2 c of spinach, sauteed
1 bulb garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ c chopped carrot
½ c chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic
½ c chopped celery
½ t dried savory, basil
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
½ t kosher salt
½ t black pepper
3-4 c low-sodium chicken broth
½ c diced tomatoes
¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese

1.       Break apart garlic into cloves, peel, and toss in olive oil. Place in oven-proof baking dish and cover with foil. Roast in preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven, place garlic in bowl and mash with fork to puree, reserve.
2.       In large soup pot cook bacon over medium-low heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Add carrots, onion, garlic, celery, basil, savory, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
3.       Add roasted garlic puree, white beans, and chicken broth; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Place 1 cup soup in blender or food processor and puree until smooth; add to soup pot. Stir in spinach and chopped tomatoes.
4.       To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish evenly with Parmesan cheese.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

time to rock 'n' roll


Breaking out of winter and kindly greeting spring, I will run my first race of the 2013 year. It is called the Rock 'n' Roll Run, to be held in Plymouth, MI. I have never run this race venue before, but it is a 10K, so I'm used to that distance. I have the gear, green of course, but no costume. The race is on March 17, St. Patrick's Day. I have already arranged my workout schedule to accommodate this run. 10Ks are not hard races when you are in the upwards of training for half marathons. This race will be the closest race to home. I will certainly appreciate not having to sit a long time driving home. I am looking forward to it. The amenities are a racer shirt and finisher medal. 

*78 minutes! This finish is down from 88 minutes in the last race.
Below freezing...lol, but got it in!