Halloween

Parents literally drive their kids to trick or treat from house to house. And then they wonder why they're so fat. When did people stop walking? It's ridiculous and sad.

The incredible edible egg

I recently discovered that you can buy Eggland's Best eggs hard boiled. They sell six hard boiled eggs, peeled, ready to eat! How exciting is that? It's such a waste of energy to put a pot of water to boil for one egg for one person. This is so convenient, delicious and healthy. Each egg only has 60 calories and 5g of protein! That's insane. And delicious. So far I've eaten it chopped up with ham, cheese and tomatoes warmed up in a skillet. And chopped up with cheese and tomatoes in a whole wheat pita pocket. Yum!

Weekend

Breakfast 10/25: Banana mashed with cinnamon and a little yogurt. Whole wheat hempseed waffle from Nature's Path with jam and ricotta. Cup of tea with splash of half and half.

Lunch 10/25 (no picture): Slice of toast with peanut butter and apple sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Dinner 10/25: Chicken Pad Thai from Madam Mam's and a fresh spring roll with tofu with peanut sauce. Absolutely delicious. The spring roll was amazing, maybe better than the fried ones? And their Pad Thai is always delicious although very oily (you can see it on the plate). But I love the fresh bean sprouts mixed in.


Late night (no picture) 10/25: Shared some Cowboy Queso from Kerbey Lane with friends. And then some Breyer's Carb Smart Butter Pecan ice cream at home.

Breakfast 10/26: Apple cinnamon buckwheat pancakes made with lots of cinnamon, a little allspice, apple sauce and sliced fresh apples.


I made them huge! I ate two with peanut butter and jelly and a cup of tea:



Lunch 10/26 (no picture): Small apple and two left over chicken tenders with baby carrots cooked with cinnamon and half a tomato sliced.

Snack 10/26 (no picture): A little yogurt with raspberries topped some high fiber cereal.

Dinner 10/26 (no picture): Wendy's Mandarin Grilled Chicken Salad. Again a nice surprise. It was really good. They give you the crispy noodles, dressing and toasted almonds in separate packets so you can put as much as you want on. I didn't put any of the crispy noodles, most of the almonds and just a little of the dressing. It's an oriental dressing which is really delicious. I think this salad was even better than the McDonald's one but that's probably just because I love all Asian foods. I also had a tall coffee from Starbucks with a splash of half and half.

Dinner/Late Night 10/24

So during the hockey game (during the first break and part of second 20 minutes -- I don't know the lingo, don't judge) Amy and I sneaked away to McDonald's for some dinner. I had the Southwestern Salad with grilled chicken without any dressing. It had mixed salad greens, corn, black beans, cheddar cheese and these crunchy tortilla chips. I took off as many of the weird doritos-tasting things as I could. It was surprisingly good. I also ate a few of Amy's french fries, not as good as I remember them being. A million other places have better fries -- Chili's and HPB&G definitely.

After the hockey game, late late night, some of us went to Kerbey Lane. I had the American Classic -- two eggs scrambled (they were a little over cooked) with fresh fruit and wheat berry toast. I only ate half a slice of the wheat berry toast because by the time it got to me it was cold and had hardened and wasn't very good. And a cup (or two) of coffee. No picture unfortunately.

Indulgent snack (how could I resist)

There isn't a picture, unfortunately, but when I was at Whole Foods (a seriously dangerous place for me to go to!) I had an oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookie, a big one. Yes, it was amazing. Soft and chewy and sweet with really big chunks of chocolate and that delicious texture that oatmeal gives a cookie. It was worth every calorie (my guess 300-350 calories). Now for a cup of coffee.

On another note, I just ordered the following books from Amazon:

Food Politics by Marion Nestle
What to Eat by Marion Nestle
Good Calories/Bad Calories by Gary Taubes

When (if ever) I get time to actually read them, I'll write about them.

Also, I recently discovered that the history department will be offering the History of Food in the US since 1941. Very exciting. I definitely think I'm going to take it.

Breakfast and Lunch 10/24

Breakfast: Granola (sprinkled with, of course, cinnamon), low fat plain yogurt and raspberries (the granola is hiding under the yogurt) and a cup of Tazo chai with a splash of half and half. I took my half PB+J sandwich with me to eat about an hour before the gym.

Workout for the day: 1 hour Dynamic Strength class (lunges, squats, etc.)

After the workout my instructor gave out candy. I know, crazy. Her justification was halloween. I ate a fun-size butterfinger (85 calories). It gets all stuck in your teeth. I should have gone for the baby ruth.



So Starbucks has introduced new hot chocolates.



Who can resist hot chocolate now that it's getting cooler? And they introduced one which really caught my eye: Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate. Now if you've never had anything which put caramel and salt or chocolate and salt together you are SERIOUSLY missing out. Go to Quack's Bakery on Duval and 42nd and try their Salted Oatmeal Chocolate cookie! But back to Starbucks. Now, their drinks usually aren't too bad if you play around with the menu a bit but this particular drink for the tall size with non fat milk has 400 calories and 51 grams of sugar (according to their website)! That's absolutely insane. How do they get so much sugar in there?! It's ridiculous!



Lunch: Egg scrambled with half a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and a slice of Hormel natural choice ham. Half a tomato, sliced. Mixed veggies (HEB mix of carrots, brocolli, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, onion and mushrooms) and I added some butternut squash that I found frozen and diced at Central Market a while back.

Snack and Dinner 10/23

Snack: Apple sliced sprinkled with cinnamon, a little low fat plain yogurt and some crunchy peanut butter. Delicious. God bless cinnamon.


Someone brought these chocolates to work. They were bad. I ate one.

Snack at work: baby carrots




Dinner: Back from work at 10 pm! What to eat at that time? A little chicken with half a tomato and lots of edamame.

A small square of 86% chocolate and some Tazo calm tea

Workout for the day: 45 minutes treadmill = 35 minutes jogging + 10 minutes walking

Breakfast and Lunch 10/23

Dried plums -- they taste so yummy. I buy them organic in bulk.




Breakfast: Banana sprinkled with cinnamon with low fat plain yogurt. Toast with fig jam, ricotta and a cup of coffee with a splash of half and half. And two dried plums.


Snack post workout: cereal bar

Lunch (no picture): salad at Pita Pit with romaine, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, tuna and a little Caesar dressing on the side.

Hyde Park Bar & Grill (Dinner 10/22)

http://www.hydeparkbarandgrill.com/index.html



Tamari Ginger dressing. That's all there is to say. Order a side of it next time you go and dip your fries in it. It's to die for.

I got the Asian Chicken salad, as always. One of the best salads I've ever had at a restaurant (probably tied only with the Grilled Vegetable salad at California Pizza Kitchen). Dressing on the side and without the won tons (not for health reasons, I genuinely just don't like the flavor of them.). I can't pass up that dressing and the roasted peanuts and carrot and the sprouts. It also comes with pieces of mandarin orange sprinkled with sesame seeds. It's amazing. But let me tell you it was a hard choice. All their appetizers sound so good. (artichoke hearts, parmesan polenta!). I just need to go here a million more times (and I should probably start ordering something other than the Asian Chicken salad!). I almost ordered their ground turkey burger but figured I can make a ground turkey burger at home. I can't make that Tamari Ginger dressing at home. Although I've decided I'm going to try! My guess is to start with the following:

Ginger
Tamari
Peanut butter
Soy sauce
Green onions

I'll play around with it and see if I can get something similar.

The soup of the day was Honey Roasted Red Pepper Bisque - sounded like heaven. Unfortunately it wasn't. Amy guessed correctly that it had cayenne pepper and garlic. Something just wasn't right about the flavor. We didn't finish even half of it unfortunately.


Amy ordered the homestyle meatloaf with green chile mashed potatoes. I tried the potatoes, I didn't like the flavor of the green chile personally but she loved it!


And then... Amy and I were going to go eat gelato at a place next door called Dolce Vita BUT we saw that HPB&G had replaced their desserts. The new ones are Carrot Cake, a flourless chocolate cake with mint chocolate ganache and this:


Called Apple Custard Crumb Pie. And wow, it was heavenly. One of the most delicious desserts I've ever had and coming from me that means something. The crust was crunchy and delicious and flavorful. The filling was layers of apple with cinnamon and layers of custard. The streusal topping was sweet and caramelized and crisp. Only made better by a glaze of brown sugar and apple juice. Served warm (ice cream is an optional addition). It hit the spot exactly for the weather change, the craving for fall flavors. And although Dolce Vita's gelato is to die for, nothing could have beaten this.

http://www.hydeparkbarandgrill.com/index.html

I tried 4 of their 6 desserts (I definitely can't say that about any other restaurant!), once I went with girlfriends just for dessert and we each got one. Three of them were on their rotational menu (they change three of their desserts every season) the Peach Pudding is the only permanent dessert. This is what I thought:

Wom Kim's Peach Pudding
A rich cake made with peaches and buttermilk and served warm with fresh cream.

--> It's a lot more cake than "pudding". I'm actually not sure why the pudding word is there. It's essentially a cake with pieces of peach in it. Served warm, literally doused in heavy cream. Yes, it's as good and rich and unhealthy and sweet and delicious as it sounds. Thinking back... God it's good.

Banana Cream Pie
A buttery crust filled with fresh banana slices in a rich and creamy banana filling topped with banana caramel sauce.

--> I had never had Banana Cream Pie before and this one was really delicious. The crust is light and the filling is made with real bananas (shock!). For those more health conscious eaters (yes I know that if you're ordering dessert you should just throw health to the wind but I can't) it is a cream pie so it does come with tons of whipped cream all over it. It's really delicious though.

Key Lime Pie
Sweet and tangy key lime custard baked in a flaky pastry topped with lime chantilly.

--> I personally don't like very lemony/limey desserts so I only tried one bite of this one. The crust again was delicious and the filling tasted tangy and sweet, just as it should have.

Black Bottom Cake
A dark chocolate cup cake with a cream cheese & chocolate chip filling. Served with Irish cream spiked vanilla sauce and toasted pecans.

--> This was the only one that was a serious disappointment for me and my friends. The description makes it sound SO amazing and we were all ready to get our chocolate fix. The cake is essentially just a chocolate cake and as far as we could tell there was no "cream cheese & chocolate chip filling" to be found -- which sounded like the best part! The Irish cream spiked vanilla sauce was hardly present as were the toasted pecans! :(

Breakfast and Lunch 10/22

Breakfast: Raspberries with low fat plain yogurt and almonds. Slice of Ezekiel sprouted grain toast with all natural crunchy peanut butter and mixed berry jam. Cup of coffee with splash of half and half.

Snack: Kashi cereal bar

Workout for the day: Step & sculpt class - 25 min step with two risers + 25 minutes scuplt + stretch







Lunch: Home made black beans! Baby carrots. Whole wheat pita pocket with half a tomato, half a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, chicken (left over from last night's dinner).

Planning for 11/4

Dessert for the election night party? I'm thinking it's a great idea (picture from eatingwell.com)!

+ Spinach artichoke dip (made healthy by moi) with whole wheat pita chips?

+ Cosmos (we can drink in celebration if Obama wins, or drink to forget out future troubles if McCain wins)

+ Stuffed tomatoes? Pizza? I can't decide.

Food 10/21

Breakfast: Banana sprinkled with cinnamon, some low fat plain yogurt and wheat germ. A slice of Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with fig jam and ricotta (I found the sliceable kind - the real kind instead of the creamy kind!) and a cup of earl grey tea with a splash of half and half

Lunch (no picture): Since I worked at 3 and got off work at 2 I figured I'd have no time to make lunch so after the gym at 12 I went to JCL and got a chicken breast with 2 side servings of mixed veggies (baby carrots and yellow and green beans) with a whole wheat roll with some smart balance spread on it

At work (no picture): My co worker (who is a freaking sweetheart) Shirley made these pumpkin spice muffins (I am a sucker for anything with spice) so I ate 4 of those tiny little mini muffins. AND she inspired me so that instead of making Pecan Torte for Thanksgiving I may just make this Spice Cake recipe I have. (I'm way too excited about Thanksgiving cooking).


Dinner: Two chicken tenders prepared with onions, garlic and a little Thai Kitchen red curry paste. Baby carrots cooked then sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with honey. Brussel sprouts just boiled and then sprinkled with salt (I ate one before taking the picture :P)

Workout for the day: 45 minute Step express (using two risers!) = 35 minutes step + 5 minutes abs + 5 minutes stretch. I'm getting kind of tired of Step because by some turn of fate it's the class that everyday best fits my schedule so I do it so much! I'm hoping next semester my schedule allows me to take other things!

Tea and chocolate

I pretty much have this every night so I'll just post this once so that the brand names are known.

Snack and Dinner 10/20

Homemade tomato soup with a slice of Ezekiel sprouted grain toast smeared with a wedge of the light original laughing cow cheese

Dinner: The other half of my Pei Wei Asian Chopped Chicken Salad without the wontons and with a little of the dressing


So I had a stressful day. So I found a "healthy-ish" brownie recipe online and decided to try it. It was bad. I ate one and a half of them until I decided they were very bad. The recipe said put them in the oven for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes they were over done. Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

Here's what I did: I repalced the sugar with splenda. Now I've never cooked with splenda before but maybe it changes the bake time? Maybe I should have left it in for less time? It came out very... spongy. And bad. And the splenda after taste was too strong. Maybe next time I should use half sugar half splenda?

I threw the rest of them away. :( What a waste of calories.

Later I'll probably just have a cup of green tea and maybe a square or two of 86% chocolate (so I can get my real chocolate fix).

Now that I have all the ingredients for the brownies (since I went out and bought them!) maybe I'll try them again some time, maybe for election night PARTY! I think I'll try half sugar half slenda and really watch how long they're in the oven for. 10 minutes?

I'll keep you updated.

BUT according to the recipe analyzer at nutritiondata.com the recipe using all splenda gives each brownie (9 servings total) 117 calories. If I use half splenda half sugar they have... 162 calories.

Snack and Lunch 10/20

Mid Morning snack: Oatmeal! Made with silk plain soymilk and frozen blueberries (that's why it turned it purplish) and just a sprinkling of almonds!


Late lunch. I know the visual looks disgusting. It does. Really. But it tasted amazing. Baby carrots with hummus and I drizzled my left over ginger sesame dressing from my Pei Wei salad over it. Then I scrambled an egg with a little dill and two slices of Hormel natural choice ham.

Breakfast 10/20

Breakfast! My favorite meal of the day. The reason I wake up in the morning!

Today I had a banana, sliced, with lots of yummy cinnamon sprinkled on top. Topped with my low fat plain yogurt, wheat germ and sliced almonds.


About 45 minutes later (I woke up at 8 am this morning, way before my alarm, and considering I couldn't fall asleep last night I'm not really sure why) I had half an Ezekiel sprouted grain english muffin with mixed berry jam and a cup of coffee with a splash of half and half.

10/19: A weak day

Breakfast: Banana sliced with low fat plain yogurt and some high fiber cereal, whole foods brand. Half an Ezekiel sprouted grain english muffin with fig jam and a little ricotta cheese. Cup of Tazo Spiced Chai tea with a splash of half and half.


Lunch: About 1/2 a cup of mashed sweet potato (made with orange juice, cinnamon and all spice) with 1/2 of black beans on top and some squash, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower on the side.

Snack: Apple

Then I went to HEB and my healthy day went to shit as I picked around at the place where you can buy things in bulk (chocolate peanut caramel clusters, chocolate malt balls, chocolate covered toffee almonds... yeah)Then I came home and for some reason I was hungry (maybe it's the period? I think it's the weekend to blame) and I ate some carrots with hummus and 1/2 a slice of Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with crunchy peanut butter.



Oh and I ate two fortune cookies. And a small piece of chocolate. And a spoonful of peanut butter out of the jar.

I swear. Food can be a gateway.

Dinner: Half Pei Wei Asian Chopped Chicken Salad without the wonton strips and with the dressing on the side.

Grande pike place roast from Starbucks with a splash of half and half


Came home from my study group and was hungry? What a surprise. I resisted until I ate a few baby carrots dipped in the dressing from my Pei Wei salad.

Work out for the day: 50 minutes jogging on treadmill + 15 minutes stretch

It was over 3 miles. I really surprised myself, I had never pushed myself that hard. It wasn't difficult, I just never thought I could do it so I never tried. I went 4.5 mph most of the time. I walked at 2mph for maybe a minute at a time 3 times throughout. And I went up to 6 mph one minute at a time about 5 times.

Now I'm thinking that maybe my crazy idea of doing a 5k race isn't so crazy after all?

:)

Eating out healthily

1. Learn to love salad.

2. Always ask for the dressing on the side.

3. It's okay to ask for them to remove or go light on items. For example: cheese, bacon.

4. Check out the menu for the restaurant online before you head out. That way, you have a game plan, you don't have to look at the menu and be tempted AND you won't feel pressured by other diners who want to order quickly.

If you just can't eat a salad...

5. Always ask if that bread/pasta/rice can come whole grain.

6. Most places will let you replace fries with another side like black beans or steamed veggies.

7. If you absolutely cannot resist a bread basket (like me) just ask them to not even bring it to your table- no time to test your self control!

8. Beware of the word "creamy". That usually means fat.

9. Don't be embarrassed to ask how something is cooked, if a lot of extra oil or butter is used. Even steamed veggies usually have butter on them!

10. Eat slowly, put your fork down, and if you're starting to get satisfied, pack up the rest of your meal! If you get hungry later, eat the rest of it, otherwise you'll have a great lunch for tomorrow!