Getting over a Cold

Home Remedies:

Pap's Remedy: Shot or two of Burbon and then go to bed and stay hot.
To make Pap's remedy a little more palitable: Hot Toddy
although others say that alcohol supresses the immune system.
What I've been sucking down to get through work and Christmas carols: tea, tea, and tea

What Science Tells us to Eat:

Fish, chicken and turkey can help the organs that make your cold-destroying white blood cells. Just don't eat fried stuff, when you're sick you don't need to put your body through the extra riggors of digesting processed, fatty foods.

garlic eaters seem to fight off colds, possibly because of the compound allicin's ability to block infections, the New York Times reported.

What to Skip:

While OJ has some immunity boosting benefit, its a lot of sugar and not much substance. Going straight to an orange (or kale or a red pepper) would serve the cold bearer better. "However, before you run out for a week's worth of grapefruit, keep in mind that the jury is still out on vitamin C's real cold-busting benefit. A 2007 study that followed more than 11,000 people over several decades found that the average person isn't benefitted all that much by a daily dose of vitamin C." Sarah Kline at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-klein/foods-for-cold_b_1885300.html#slide=1525245.

The jury is also out on whether to avoid dairy products when you have a cold.  Some say it increases mucus, while others say nay. Dairy products can be good sources of protein and vitamin D, which can both help fight infections, so pick your poison.

Healthy Cookie: Walnut, Cherry, Chocolate Chip

I am making good on my promise to update you on the baking experiments. The following is a slightly less guilty baking project dotting my holiday season. I still intend on making puppy chow, peanut butter blossoms, and homemade marshmallows to gift, but these little crisp cookies have a little more substance than sugar and are quite tasty. I think they are the perfect mid-afternoon snack to satisfy your 3:30 sweet tooth. Yours may turn out fluffy like the image from self- but mine were somewhat thin and crisp on the edges, making them the perfect companion for a cup of tea. I've made them for my parents, my office mates, the future hubs, and my one confirmed blog reader. [shout out, Jeff!] I really liked the outcome, but you'll have to decide for yourself. Self estimates that each cookie is about 100 calories, contains 6 g fat (3 g saturated), 11 g carbs, 1 g fiber, and 1 g protein. My momma quipped, "you could really even skip the chocolate," but that's just asinine. Just kidding. That's actually a good idea if you aren't a chocolate craver. It would subtract about 28 calories from your one cookie.

Walnut, Cherry, Chocolate Chip Cookie

Source: Self. Makes 20 cookies

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cherries

Heat oven to 375°. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon. In another bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth. Blend flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts and cherries. Drop 20 dough balls (1 tbsp each) onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 9 minutes.

sugar rut smoothie

Maybe what sparked my confession earlier this week was just the overall yeuch feeling I've been carrying around. I feel sugared-out, processed-food-out, and dare I say it, carbed-out. I just haven't been eating enough fresh food and my body has been actually craving fruits and veggies. weird.

So yesterday, I shunned the lone pop tart in my cupboard and took the extra time to actually make myself a breakfast. It was simple, fresh, and delicious. Orange Juice, a handful of frozen fruit (strawberries, mangos, pineapples), a handful of spinach (trust me, you don't even taste the spinach), a quick spin in my vitamix, a fun straw, and BOOM, healthy breakfast. My morning commute felt so much better. It perked me up, kept me full longer, and get this- I didn't crave sweets later in the day as per usual. I remember reading once upon a time that foregoing sugar in the morning helps with sugar cravings later in the day, but I don't remember the science behind it. I think it must be something beyond simple carbohydrate crashing... maybe it's psychological or maybe by starting healthy you are reminding yourself how good that feels and tastes.

What kind of things do you do to get out of a sugar rut? I'm considering cutting out artificial sugar because it tricks your mind into thinking you are getting sugar, but since your body doesn't- it actually makes you continue to crave real sugar. "The taste of sweet does cause the release of insulin, which lowers blood sugar , and if carbohydrates are not consumed,  it causes a drop in blood sugar which triggers hunger and cravings for sugar." full interview with internist and physician nutrition specialist, Dr. Melina Jampolis available at http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/27/are-sugar-substitutes-worse-than-the-real-thing/

... but more on that, and my comparison between sin and processed foods, another day.

Friends,

Confession: I have fallen off the wagon. It started with one little baking project with pumpkin and escalated until I was making cookies and icing with abandon. You see, I love to cook and especially to bake. Since the last post I've made beautiful, complicated french macaroons, fragrant pumpkin snicker doodles, fabulous beer mug shaped and decorated sugar cookies, and lots of other fun projects. I logged into my fitness pal ("mfp") for the first time in almost two months. My gym membership expired and I have failed to get closer to the 5k than the couch. The good news is that I haven't packed on much, if any weight since my last weigh in. However, I am definitely out of shape and my pants confirm that I'm a bit more pudgy.

However, last night I readjusted my goals on mfp to a modest half pound per week and have set my sights on some running pants for me and a doggie sweater for the pup. I'll allow it if I can simply meet my calorie goal for the week. I'm considering myself back on track even though I consumed a considerable amount of chocolate this afternoon and am planning on frozen yogurt with a gal pal tonight. Baby steps, right?

Anywhosal, I'm going to have to think up some light baking projects to quell my lust for my kitchenaid mixer, and what I find, I will share.

Until next time dearies,

C

source: http://www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com/2012/04/pot-holder.html

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

As you might have noticed in a previous entry, I have this thing for buying resturant take-out containers. Probably because I have this thing for washing dishes, namely hate. So I happily clapped my hands when fedex sent me an email confirming delivery of these. Yes these dandies hold 2 cups of deliciousness that I can write on with a sharpie and throw in the freezer or take spill free to work! And it can withstand temperatures from 0 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, so hopefully I won't have to worry about toxins and all that nasty jazz when I microwave these bad boys. They will also stand up to dishwasher and reuse for days I'm feeling more earth friendly. At least I'm switching to tote bags instead of plastic bags they give you in the grocery store to off set this a bit.

Anywhosal, I find that I eat so much better throughout the week when I can take a night and cook like crazy, throwing together tons of single serving meals, ready to go. Not to mention, when you're a single girl it's hard to cook for one! This way, I don't have to- I can make a big pot of this delicious tomato soup and -boom-sauce- no waste and a supply of soup in the freezer for another day.

I stole this one from Ina Garten and you can go straight to the site here. I've only made a few modifications to make the recipe smaller, come together with fewer manhours, and to make the end product smoother- a personal preference. If you have the time and a big enough pot, I would suggest using the original recipe. The smell of tomatoes roasting is surprizingly heavenly. You might notice from the picture that I threw in a pepper and some carrots too. Although, if you decide to do the pepper too, remember to cool and peel off the skin of the pepper before blending. I also just used mainly canned tomatos and roasted a few cherry tomatoes I needed to use up. The end product was delicious, so no harm, no foul.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1chopped yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 dash of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 28-ounce and 1 15-ounce canned (plum and different varieties) tomatoes, with their juice
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (if you've got em. If not, use 1/4 teaspoon dried. You can throw some oregeno in there too.)
• 1 10-ounce can of chicken stock (or if you want to be vegetarian friendly, substitute water or veggie broth)
• have some olive oil on hand.

Directions

In an 4-quart stockpot over medium heat, (I use my dutch oven) saute the onion and garlic with 1 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes. Once cooled a bit, put in your sturdy blender and blend to the consistency of your preference. I prefer to do it in two batches, leaving one batch more chunky.

I filled up 4 of these two cup containers with my recipe with a little left over for slurping. Only about 185 calories for a 1 and a half cup serving not to mention it was a super cheap recipe.

Black Bean Brownies

Not all brownies are created equal! I was sooooo angry this past weekend when I had tried my hand at making some healthy brownies as my quest to find healthy indulgences. Whilst these brownies may be more nutritious, with more protein and fiber, they actually have more calories (211!) than the sugary box mixes (about 110)!

Now then, below I've posted the same recipe from above, but with some healthy baking modifications. What's the damage? Only about 83 calories and still all the health benefits of that first brownie!

However, be forewarned! Not everyone likes the idea of a black bean brownie. My darling, sweet grandmother literally stuck out her chocolate covered tongue and yelped, "OHHH! Guuuuuuu- Yuck!!" when I revealed the secret ingredient. Hahaha! WORTH IT! Further, I would never compare these brownies to the delicious crack-cocaine brownies made by an old school-mate's wife. I wrote that woman a civil war-esque love letter professing my love for said brownie and the brownie was shortly thereafter named after me. But enough about once-a-year-crack-brownies. Let us give a fair shake to the humble, healthy indulgence, get-you-through-the-week-brownie.

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing pan
• 3/4 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch square baking pan.

In a blender, puree the beans with the oil. Add the eggs, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. Melt the chocolate chips and add to the blender. Blend on medium-high until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the blender and pulse until just incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the surface looks somewhat matte around the edges and still a bit shiny in the middle, about 17-20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting and removing from the pan.

Your OmNoms in Black & White

If you aren't logging your daily calories, that may be perfectly fine. I have pals that are succeeding in the battle of the bulge by just making better choices and not worrying about the caloric formula. However, if you aren't losing the weight the way you want, may I make a suggestion? Log everything you put in your mouth for two weeks. No need to find out the nutritional information, just write it all down. And if you do log your food already, step back and look at what you've ate over the last two weeks. Why? you might be making the same mistake I was.

I am starting a health assessment with a Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, who just happens to be my sister. Why? I sort of had a little mini breakdown after stepping on the scale this past Wednesday- I had gained all six pounds back that I had lost since the begining of my diet. I couldn't figure out why and I weighed myself like three times. :::this can't be right. this can't be right.::: People in the gym probably thought I was a spaz. It turns out that it was due to run of the mill fluctuation and was back on track the next day. However, that didn't stop me from calling my sister in a panic. "I've been good! I don't understand. I've been running, I've been eating well, I walk my dog at least 45 minutes a day. What's going on? I don't wanna go back!"



source: http://www.promisescomic.com/shop/books/



We talked about fluctuation, the best time to weigh yourself, how often you should weigh yourself (my sister throws the scales out all together), and how just counting calories isn't the most effective or healthy way to loose weight. We also started talking about my motivation for loosing weight and how I was concerned that my hormones and the medicine I went off about three months ago might be contributing to my weight changes. We talked about the hormones and antibiotics hidden in the typical American diet, and a whole host of other health topics.

Long story short, she sends me a health history in the email today- and it includes more than your parent's health histories. It asks things like, "What foods did you eat as a child?" and "What percentage of your food is home cooked?" and "Do you crave sugar, coffee, cigarettes, or have any major addictions?" So this eval got me thinking, "What, really, is my current diet like?" I sat down with my food log of the last 20 days and a highlighter. Turns out I was eating "treats" more often than I thought. I have reduced my intake of that kind of stuff a bunch. And I think if I would have cut them out all together or drastically at first, I would have just given up. But now, after I've had time to wean myself off a bit, I see that there is still a bit too much chocolate and not enough veggies in my diet.
So my point is that even if you aren't using a strict caloric diet, I would suggest reevaluating your diet every so often-just to see if you can make some small changes to up the ante and better your game plan. Just a thought. And, of course, I'll tell you what I learn from the health coach. ;)

Have you ever hit a plateau or'ev become discouraged with slow results? What did you do to recharge your batteries? What did you change to energize your efforts and increase the payout?

Workout Breakouts

If your skin is breaking out due to your workouts, you've gotta check out this slide show from Livestrong.com.

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/557787-how-to-avoid-exercise-related-breakouts/

quick and not-so-dirty version: wash before (no make-up) and after, don't touch your face, tea tree oil/salicylic acid, and hats over sunscreen.

Hike your Butt Off

Saturday was b-e-a-utiful! A good friend (and future guest blogger) came in to visit her cousin, the future hubs, and of course we had to show her some of the local natural beauty. So we decided to try our luck at a nearby hiking destination at Annapolis Rocks in Maryland. We did about 6 miles, took our time, munched on some homemade trailmix along the way, and took in some gorgeous scenery. I had been looking forward to this hike for weeks because I had promised myself that burning that many calories would warrent a delicious and huge orange vanilla cupcake from a nearby bakery. It was good- but not really what I had built up in my mind- which I guess is a good thing! Now I know that a cupcake is tasty, but it's not all that much of a sacrifice, and that it's not really worth the calories. (I'm specifically not posting a picture of the cupcake to avoid food porn!) I'm going to start experiementing with recipes to concoct the holy grail of the creamsicle flavor before summer is over. I'll let you know if I discover a healthy alternative!

The Hike Up.

My Hiking Crew! Big thanks for Coming Out!

    Taking a break to enjoy some rocks.

Walk through the woods and come out to this!

if you look closely you can see two proud fellas posing on the outcropping.

My friend pointing out a copperhead to her cousin from an outcropping of rocks at the top of the trail.

Victory!

Not a bad way to burn some calories!

Oh, how I love thee, let me count the Eggs.

There's a lot of misconception out there about the humble egg. While the American Heart Association still recommends  no more than two whole eggs a week for people with heart disease, the real culpret for raising blood cholesterol levels is saturated fat, which eggs are quite low in.

True, an egg yolk has more calories than the whites, but low and behold the yolk has been racking up kudos from recent research. "Besides offering up a host of nutrients such as calcium, zinc, selenium, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin A and the essential fatty acid DHA, egg yolks are a primary source of choline." Don't throw away that egg yolk, Marsha Hudnall, MS, RD, CD.

Plus, it just tastes so darn tasty. So when I have eggs, I usually have two, tossing only one of the yolks.

More impressive to me is the new research that suggests eggs can widdle your middle.
"Louisiana State University system researchers found that obese people who ate a two-egg breakfast at least five times a week lost 65 percent more weight and had more energy than women who breakfasted on bagels. 'Eggs are more satisfying than carbs, making you feel full longer,' says Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor of nutrition at Penn State."  http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/benefits-of-eggs Further, if your doing some strength training, eggs are ideal muscle-repair chow with their one-two punch of amino acids and and protein. Id.

Treating yourself to a breakfast of eggs doesn't take much extra time, but it seems like a nice break from routine. I always feel famished by 9 if I have only simple carbs before leaving the house, so this is a perfect replacement. And if you do your exercising within an hour before or after of your egg nomming, hello efficient muscle building! I know a few fellas that take advantage of the nutrition and convienence of eggs by hard boiling a bunch at the begining of the week and then they're set.

Lastly, they're so inexpensive! If you've gone on a health-driven grocery store trip recently you might have noticed your dollar stretching shorter. It's true that "value-added" foods, i.e. processed foods, are often cheaper than their fresher counterparts (don't get me started).  The egg is an exception; it's good to you and your pocket book at around 15 cents per egg.

So here are some tasty ways to serve up these om-noms apart from fried and hard-boiled.

Juevos Rancheros

fun to say and munch:

This was my breakfast at least twice last week: easy scrambled eggs with homemade salsa. The salsa starring black beans, corn, and cilantro was already made, so preparation was a breeze.

Coddler

My all time favorite method uses the old-school Coddler. My grandmother used to make these for me when I would stay with her and it seemed so special to have my own little porcilen and silver capped breakfast. Now she's gifted two of her coddlers to me and I love to enjoy a coddled egg with wheat toast on the rare morning I have a few minutes to spare and take in the morning.

If you get a handle on this piece of equipment and learn how long your stovetop takes, you can throw it together, set a timer, and then finish getting ready. You can also make this without a coddler, though I just call that soft boiled.

1. place your coddler(s) a pan and add up to just below the lid of the dishes; remove your coddler, bring the water to a gentle boil.

2. grease the inside of your coddler with butter.(Don't stress out, it's just a little bit.) 

3. Crack one or two eggs into your coddler depending on its size. Add salt and pepper.  

4. Screw on the lids and place inside the pan of gentling boiling water. 

5. Cook the eggs for six to ten minutes, depending on the desired firmness of the yolks. Use an oven mitt and kitchen towel to handle the coddler. 

Soft Boiled

Soft boiled, in my mind, is a step easier than poaching, which I've never even attempted. Any success stories out there?

1. Cover eggs in a saucepan with water. Turn the stove onto medium heat.

Soft yolk: 4 to 6 minutes

Medium yolk: 6 to 8 minutes

Hard yolk: 20 to 25 minutes

2. Run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking process. Peel and om nom.

Oh man, this was a gift from my friends when I was going on and on about how I wanted to learn how to soft boil an egg after having it on a Nicoise Salad at a resturant. And it works pretty well. If you don't have one, you can just play around with these instructions as loose guidelines.

 

Quiche

Traditional quiche is chock-full of cheese, cream, and pie crust. However by swapping these high-calorie, fatty ingredients for lower calorie ingredients and filling it out with some veggies, you can make a healthier and quite lovely quiche! For example, you can cut calories by using mostly egg whites and throwing in a few yolks for flavor. Instead of using gobs of bacon, you can add a little ham, or better yet veggies like potatoes and chicken. Try using more pungent cheeses that will enable you to use less like feta or goat cheese over cheddar.

I'm planning on making a quiche this weekend. I'm thinking I'll make the "crust" out of thinly sliced potatoes layed on the bottom and then fill it up with onion, poblano, goat cheese and maybe just a little spicy italian sausage. I'll post pictures and a recipe if it suceeds! In the mean time, here are some tasty looking recipes.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-green-onion-smoked-gouda-quiche-10000002001882/

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crustless-smoked-turkey-spinach-quiche-10000001809150/

I'll also be trying

Eggs' n' Greens

and will let you know how it goes!

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-garlic-g-24051

How do you like your eggs?

I like big lunch bags and I cannot lie.

So there's this little thing in life that is making me happy. I've been fighting with myself to not buy it as it is not a good choice for our planet- but I broke down and did it- and I'm looooving it. Sam's sells resturant supplies including those clear doggie bag, take out containers to us normal people and it is so easy! It's true that all  a sucessful diet takes costs you extra time: time at the grocery store, extra time packing lunches, extra time working out, and extra time doing the dishes if you're not eating out as often. However, these to-go containers have made packing healthy lunches easier and getting through the Sam's Mega-Sized Organic Mixed Greens before it goes bad a doable fete.

Another thing I might suggest for you single, roomie-less friends is a self-made Sam's Co-Op. I share my Sam's membership with a girl I used to work with. We're three hours away from one another but we split the cost of a membership. (Sam's is totally down with this scheme- I asked before signing up.) Another Co-Op neccessity is sharing the huge portions! I share the groceries I buy with another current co-worker and we even take turns bringing healthy lunches for one another.  Today was my day and check out my sa-weet salads! Each are under 200 calories, very filling, and packed with antioxidents and vitamins! And the best part- I only have to bring home one tiny piece of tupperwear to throw in the wash.

Now then, I also have to pack myself snacks! If I don't have something healthy to munch on, the vending machine starts calling my name. Even if I can persevere through the work day, I want to rush home and consume anything that's already made, i.e. pretzels, mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt, cereal, etc. instead of making a healthy veggie filled dinner. Or worse, drive through somewhere. So I pack two snacks, a.m. and p.m. This evening before I punch the clock and head to the gym I'll snarf down a delicious hummus and pretzel chip combo.  This morning snack starred the blackberries my future-hubs bought me at the farmer's market. swoon.

Pretty tasty! It's one of those thin wheat sandwich buns with a tablespoon of my homemade peanut butter topped with about a half a cup of blackberries and drizzled with honey. You might be able to find a snack in the vending machine for under the 204 calories this one adds up, but I doubt you'd find a tastier one with complex carbs, protein, antioxidents and vitamens! Now all this food does take up a good bit of space, which brings me to the title of this post. Relinquish to the cabinet those wimpy lunch pails that hold little more than a pb&j and diet coke! Rejoice in the glory of your planned diet and strut proudly into your office with a totebag if you need to! Only watch out for daushunds who might be tempted by the deliciousocity or trying to stow-away for a free car ride.

Made my goal! I lost 4.3 lbs since my last weigh in!

Presents! attainable goals & rewards

I've been dieting for only about three weeks, but I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself. I usually don't last this long and I'm attributing it to, primarily, two things.

One, Myfitnesspal.
If you have an iPhone and want to loose weight, you absolutely must download this free app right now. If you do not have an iPhone I would still suggest you use their website version, or a comparable site, but having it with me at all times is so handy. Not only will it track your calories, sodium, sugar, and weight or measurements, it will also prepare handy dandy reports that give you a graphic representation of how many calories you've consumed or burned over the last week. Coolest of all, it has a bar code scanning feature where you can hold up your phone's camera to just about any food item and boom-bam-done. You don't even have to search the database. I also like that it has a little online community where you get status updates on your pals. It's helped me tons for accountablity purposes. Which is actually why I'm doing this blog! Hopefully logging what I learn along the way will keep me on track longer. I feel more motivated myself when I can be a cheerleader for someone else, so I'm cheering you on... even if not for totally altruistic purposes!

Two, attainable goals and rewards.
I have my google calendar filled to the brim with reminders, goals, and concerete rewards. I weigh in tonight and if I have lost one pound since last week, yours truly gets a present.

Nothing huge, but something to look forward to. I don't think my pocketbook will suffer much damage, especially since I'm packing my lunch in lieu of eatting out now. So if I've lost a pound, I get a Last Tango - bright terracotta creme nail polish from Sephora. Drool. Last week I met my goal and sent flowers to my sister who is kicking butt at her new business- I'm so proud of her. One rule: no food rewards. I have new workout apparal, an awesome present for mom's birthday, a statement necklace, and a lilly pulitzer agenda coming up!

Might I suggest you give it a shot too? If you do, tell me what things you're working for in the comments!