…moet kunnen

na 4 weken wachten is de TNT eindelijk gekomen met de pakketjes, waar onder andere de magnetron in zat…en hij doet het dus goed.

So…food, huh? As much as I like to EAT food, I really don’t like to MAKE food. Which really cuts down on the food shots I’m able to take. I guess I could have taken pictures of the kids’ cereal, but I wasn’t feeling it.

The last place I was expecting to take food pictures was our trip into DC last weekend. But we came out of the Hirshhorn Museum and lo and behold…

Huge blueberries! At least I thought they looked like huge blueberries.

And then the kids were begging for a snack and since they behaved so well at Hirshhorn (who thought a 4 and 6 year old would like a modern and contemporary art museum!), we got some popcorn…

Which Jake thought was good to the last drop…

You Capture is hosted by Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry!

Hey guys, just thought I’d give you a little bit of an update, you know, I gotta keep up on these blog posts.  So what this is going to be is just a quick little overview of what I’ve been up to lately

- I’ve almost finished reading the book “Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold.  It’s a good book- but I’m hesitant you say that.  You know what I mean, right?  You read a book and really enjoy it, then you suggest it to someone, and when they read it they just associate all of its contents with you.  That’s what I am afraid of here (there is a creepy pedofile in this book- not something I want to be associated with!) But, if you are mature enough to not read too much into the fact that I am suggesting this book, I would really encourage you to read it.

By the way, one thing that really sparked my interest in finishing it (I sort of gave up for a bit) was going to see New Moon (ick) and before hand seeing the preview for “Lovely Bones” which is being turned into a movie.  I am excited to see how that goes over.

- Someone told me a cheesy “i 8 sum pi” joke as well, which I thought was hilarious.  Here for more information. Thank-you to Apathetic Thursday

- I had a terrible movie theater experience!  Maybe that’s why I didn’t really enjoy New Moon…?  During the movie, which I went to see a few days ago with my sister, this girl was CONSTANTLY walking past me, getting in the way of the movie.  Like, at least once every 10 minutes!  My theories are she either she had really bad diarrhea but still wanted to watch the movie, so kept running to the washroom OR she was on two dates at once, so she had to run from theater to theater, making an appearance with both boyfriends.  For vengeance sake, lets hope she had diarrhea.  But seriously, she was ridiculous.  She was booting peoples popcorn over and knocking over drinks in this movie.  Luckily I did not have any popcorn at this movie.  At one point she even tripped over my legs and fell on me.  At least she was apologetic.  But still, all I can say is: Next time get an isle seat.  For everyones sake.

Anyways, that’s all of my interesting/uninteresting news.  Until next time,

Gordon

 Popcorn can be a healthy snack at Thanksgiving.

One of the most popular ways to enjoy popcorn is as a snack while watching our favorite football teams battle it out. Most enjoy this snack lightly salted, maybe with butter on it. Some even take their favorite gourmet popcorn recipe and may a large bowl or two of it.

Popcorn can be a healthy alternative to other snacks. The healthiest way to enjoy popcorn is by popping it in an air popper with a light spray of a butter flavored oil. Another is by using a hand crank popper with a minimal amount of popping oil and lightly salting the popcorn after its popped. There are many different flavors of popcorn seasonings available to flavor our favorite snack.

To keep popcorn healthy during the holidays you just need to keep it simple and don’t load the popcorn up with chocolate or other heavy, sugared coatings.

I love going to the movies this time of year (just went to see Blind Spot). And, well, movies just aren’t movies (for me, anyway) without popcorn. But, have you seen the latest calorie counts from CSPI? They’re pretty scary (read below)…then again, so are the prices for popcorn. So, if I stop eating popcorn at the theatre, will it be because the calories or the price? Hmmm.

CSPI (Centers for Science in the Public Interest) just released their analysis of popcorn at the three top movie theatre chains. Regal and AMC both use coconut oil, a highly saturated (unhealthy) fat. Cinemark is now using a much healthier oil – canola.

• Regal’s medium and large popcorn has 1,200 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat. Ya, I know…I was shocked, too, but supposedly they are the same size…it’s just that the large comes with a free refill. Its small size popcorn has 670 calories and 34 grams of saturated fat.
• AMC’s large popcorn has 1,030 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat. The medium has 590 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat. A small has 370 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat
• Cinemark’s large has 910 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat. the medium contains 760 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat. A small has 420 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat. 
• Just one tablespoon of “buttery” oil topping adds 130 calories.

To read more on their website, click here.

Thank you so much for speaking to our Roanoke Valley Group last Tuesday. Everyone that attended was very happy to hear your talk and you received rave reviews. We look forward to having you back soon.

Judi Harrington
Hardy, Virginia

“Let they food be they medicine
and they medicine thy food.”
Hippocrates

• Ha, I so need one of these….
• So excited about this new start because I am totally living out a “second chance” myself: a movement of people that would let radical integrity and radical grace consume them in their life and leadership.
• Took a nap on the couch tonight…so comfy and safe
• No cocoa for brownies….but popcorn when I woke up hit the spot
• New to me, free clothes make my heart so happy. seriously. 2 pairs of running tights and 2 under armor long sleeve shirts (plus, one with the thumb hole things!!! I am so set for running in the minnesota cold….) not to mention a cute tank top, other clothes and a fun bag.
• This looks totally awesome. I miss my bike and I heart Africa.
• Feeling the days slipping by so fast…
• We leave for debriefing and Cape Town on Saturday–what!?
• Why am I still up? Oh right, I took a forever long nap tonight.
• What are you up to?

1,5 poäng från VG på tentan. Hade det varit lite mer hade det känts mer rättvist men just nu blir jag lite sur, men bara lite. Ska kolla igenom tentan och se till så att de inte har missat något. Men men, innerst inne tror jag att jag är ganska glad att jag klarade den!

I övrigt så har jag myst med film idag. Såg ju först Public Enemies, vilken kanonrulle! Sedan kollade jag på den animerade filmen 9. Rätt läskig för att vara animerad och det var många delar som påminde om andra actionfilmer som inte är animerade. Men en annorlunda film som jag tyckte var helt okej.

Ikväll har jag suttit med en rapport som jag och mina gruppkamrater ska opponera på. Ska alltså kolla igenom den och se vad som är bra och dåligt med den. Ganska svårt när jag inte har någon aning om vad som är bra och dåligt. Jämför väl som bara med det vi har gjort, för tydligen så tycker vi ju inte att det blir bättre än så nu när vi läst igenom den typ tusen gånger.

Imorgon blir det en träff med gruppen för att snacka om opponeringen, köpa biljetter till sittningen Christmas Gone Bad och sen blir det en fika på stan med Jennifer. Kanske lite filmmys i sängen sen, och än så länge är bara jag inbjuden. Då var det ju lite dåligt att jag åt upp min sista popcornpåse till middag idag. Dietisten i mig vet att det är så fel, men när man inte känner för att laga nån redig middag så får man äta popcorn säger den mänskliga delen av mig. Att jag dessutom hällde i mig en STOR kopp kaffe till det är ju också lite komiskt.

Har pratat med min far och mor ikväll också. Pappa hade visst haft besök av typ arbetsmiljöinspektionen eller vad det heter. Som vanligt så får de lite skäll. Han ska komma hit och julhandla med mig och det blir ju superkul! Mamma var jag bara tvungen att ringa till och kolla så att hon var okej efter allt som hänt. Men det känns tryggt att veta att hon har min syster och fina vänner där hemma som tar hand om henne nu när hon kanske behöver det lite extra.

Nu ska jag äta en apelsin och kolla teve. Hå hå! Hej!

Only 30 minutes to go until my Thanksgiving holiday begins! I am so ready for the time off.

So last night I did decide to have an apple before bed. I ended up eating my apple wedges with PB, AB, and Nutella. Yummy. It was a great snack before bed.

I finally didn’t wake up hungry this morning!

I had a hectic morning this morning. My Mom called asking me to bring my Bissell Green Machine to my Pawpaw’s house. Apparently last night Piper’s tummy issues were a little more severe than usual. I tried to tell them to make her sleep in the kennel, but they didn’t want to listen to me!

We have decided to change her food to see if that is what is causing the problem. The vet thought it was because of the meds she was on. Now we have no idea! Poor Piper!

Plus I had to get packed for the rest of the week since I am planning on staying at my Pawpaw’s house until Saturday or Sunday. I am not sure what I packed, but I packed a lot.

I wasn’t very hungry for breakfast, but I made something some my stomach would not be growling at work. English muffins with AB and Jelly.

They were good, but since I wasn’t really hungry I just wasn’t that into them. I ate 1 whole half and 1/2 of the other one.

A little later I had a Clementine. I am so glad I got these. They are so yummy and a great snack size.

And a little popcorn for a snack.

Now only 15 more minutes until I get to leave and I have a couple more things to do.

My presence my be a little sporadic, or nonexistent over the next week because of the holiday. My Pawpaw does not have internet at his house so I will have to search for WiFi when I am out and about.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There were all sorts of goods and bads today but I’ll try to focus on the goods.  Like, for example, the fact that it’s Turkey Day week!

I went ’80’s style when I got dressed today, all I needed was my old Doc Martin boots!

Now that I live in Buffalo I wear sandals every day, but when I was growing up in the Caribbean I went through an intense Doc Martin phase.  I guess I like anything that’s out of season!

I was in desperate need of greens/fruits so I made a smoothie for the road.

1C frozen blackberries, a scoop of Chocolate Amazing Grass, and some skim milk.  I loved how purple it got!

I arrived at school really early so I walked around with Adam for a bit before heading to my appointment.

Fun fact #1 – my leg hurts like crazy.  Fun fact # 2 – according to the RN at the health center I have a varicose vein!  It’s not a terrible one, and at this stage my insurance won’t cover removal.  They are hereditary and my teaching career (on my feet nonstop from 7-5) is a big factor, as well as my years as a waitress. She said I need to wear support hose and supportive shoes, but wouldn’t give me information about how long that would need to happen.  If a month or so will ‘fix’ me then I’m all for it, but if it’s a rest of my life thing I’d rather keep with my sandals and just have the surgery when it gets worse.  I have an imaging appointment tomorrow to make sure I don’t have a blood clot and I’ll get more information then.

I’m not going to lie, it’s a good thing Adam drove me to class because I bawled all the way there.  I’m able to put up with a lot of pain, but having a yucky old lady problem pisses me off!  I don’t want to wear support hose!  I sort of lost it.  I think things will be better once I get more information tomorrow.

The good news is that physical activity can’t make it worse.  I try to be very careful of injury (that’s why I took time off when the leg pain started) because I would never want to permanently side-line myself.  However, I am ridiculously stubborn and am pretty good with putting up with pain.  I decided last week that I would always stop running if I would cause permanent injury by not taking a break, but that if I could safely run through the pain I would do so.  Therefore, 7 out of 10 leg pain be damned, half marathon training is back on!!

I recomposed myself once I got to campus, but definitely bought this bag of Jalapeno Cheddar Cheetos to ease my sorrows.

($1, Challenge Balance – $79.24 ) I ate about half the bag – go me for not just downing the whole thing.

At 6 I got more good news when Caroline showed up with her laptop, class was cancelled!  Adam was already at the gym with a friend so she offered to take me home.  We made a pit-stop at the mall (shopping for her bf) so that was fun.

Dinner was more good news.  Delicious, all around!  The first course was Dr. McDougall’s Soup.

Adam had Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato and I had Chunky Tomato.

I almost never eat ‘mater soup but I love it.

The second/main course was my newest creation.

Buffalo Blue Bean Patties, serves 4

• 2 15.5oz cans black beans we use low sodium
• 1/2 cup, plus 2T buffalo wing sauce we used the sauce from Anchor Bar, the birthplace of Buffalo wings
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
• salt and pepper, to season

1. Preheat the oven to 450*.  Foil and spray a baking sheet.
2. Empty bean cans into a colander and rinse thoroughly – this is a heart healthy step, reduce your sodium intake.
3. Pour beans and 2 cups wing sauce into a blender and puree.  If you have a rickety blender you may want to do this in two batches.
4. Empty blender into a large mixing bowl.  Add rest of wing sauce and eggs, stir.  Add bread crumbs, stir.  Add cheese and fork to combine.
5. Using your hands, form 12 patties out of the bean mixture.
6. Put patties on prepared sheet and bake for 20minutes, it is not necessary to flip them during baking.

I ate mine with the sad remains of our ketchup (that’s a small plate).

Man they were good!  I don’t want to toot my own horn, but this was such a good idea!  They were also very filling, I ended up only eating 2.5.

You what what else is a good idea?  The big bowl of popcorn I’m about to make!  Yes, I used up the big bag of ‘corn my in-laws brought me just last month!

Have a good night folks!

What makes you feel old?  I’m 24, I’m not cool with the idea of support hose!  Teenage entertainment makes me feel old too, shows like “Gossip Girl” just make me uncomfortable!

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all well! Today has been a very sleepy – -but also productive? haha

Last night I barely got any sleep…maybe 4 hours at most? The people in the apartment above me decided that it was the best idea EVERRRR to move furniture from about 10pm til 2:30ish in the morning? I don’t even know…but it kept me up. This morning, I made the conscious choice to not get a coffee (though, I highly doubt it would have mattered) so that I would be able to nap.

Anyway, this morning – I grabbed a bottle of water and a couple of Odwalla Bars. I was hungry. haha I grabbed the mocha one and the banana nut. I have to say, the mocha one wasn’t really my fave. I’d never had it before — it just..I dunno…it just wasn’t that good. The banana nut is my favorite though.

I got home from class, and started some laundry. Technically, I could probably have waited and done it when I went home for Thanksgiving, but I figured that the house would be crazy enough without my loads of laundry. haha I also made myself a lot of popcorn for lunch. Yumm. I’m so glad I’ve started doing stovetop popcorn. It’s just such a better flavor! I also poured myself a glass of lime seltzer. I don’t know why, but I like to put fizzy drinks in fancier glasses. haha

I finished up my laundry, and just crashed around one. I ended up sleeping until about 4…5. I feel so much better now. I just hope I’ll be able to sleep tonight — someone I think I will, unless anyone else decides to move their furniture. haha

Tonight I made myself some of my rice mess. haha I’ll just call it that from now on…much easier. I added frozen roasted corn and some sliced fresh green pepper. YUM. I also sliced up a sweet potato and made sweet potato fries, and I’m currently finishing off the bottle of seltzer I started earlier (yes, in a fancy glass. hahaha).

I hope everyone’s Monday went well! Gearing up for Thanksgiving here in the States. So excited!! What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish or dessert that is a tradition? In my family, we’ve always had these little turkey shaped sugar cookies with lemon frosting on them (so good)…they originated when we were kids, but seriously, I still love them. I also love my mom’s chocolate pie. My aunt also makes a KILLER ambrosia. Aside from dessert, green bean casserole is always close to my heart and stuffing and gravy…..oh man. haha Okay, I love everything.

I was watching Roseanne on the TVLand channel the other night and it was a Thanksgiving episode. And Jackie said something that I just found poignant. “I hate Thanksgiving!!! You finally get your weight to something you’re comfortable with, and then it’s Thanksgiving…..” haha I’ve been trying to be really good with my eats so that I can eat what I want over Thanksgiving.

Peace, Love, Munchies.

This one’s dedicated to my new favorite snack – brought up in 180 Kitchen, recipe #83.  This time, Aurora and I have gotten crazy and added a little nutritional yeast to our coconutty favorite.  Aurora, by the way, is the popcorn princess.  She makes it the best.  Her recipe.  Not mine. 

I must say, there is no finer use for coconut oil.  Say what you will about butter on popcorn, but a light, expeller-pressed coconut oil shatters my best friend butter.  It defies reason I know, but try it sometime, especially if you’re seeking out the metabolic advantages of coconut oil but have failed to find a way to consume it that doesn’t make you gag. 

In the following recipe, I:

1) Place a jar of coconut oil into hot water to liquefy it.

2) Cook about a half cup of Steinke’s heirloom popcorn (awesome) in an air popper.

3) Pour lots of coconut oil (5-6 Tablespoons), 2T nutritional yeast (optional), and some sea salt over the popcorn and mix it all up a bit. 

That’s about all there is to it.  Does anyone really not have time to do this at home?  Makes a great post-dinner snack.  Get’s that ol’ tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier where happy serotonin gets made and transformed into melatonin for a long, dreamy night’s rest. 

Enjoy.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge. 

Thinking about taking a trip to the movie theater?  It is movie season, and with the cold weather rolling in a movie theater is a common place for people to spend a night or afternoon.  Movie theater popcorn has made its way into the news lately and it isn’t getting a very good rap.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is reporting that the popcorn at movies theaters is extremely high in calories and contains massive amounts of saturated fat and salt.  Massive meaning it’s a welcome call for a heart attack.  At AMC movie theaters, a large popcorn comes in at 1,030 calories and contains a whopping 57 grams of saturated fat.  That is almost three times the recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and enough calories to have a healthy breakfast and lunch.

Add a non-diet soda to the mix and you throwing in and 130+ calories.  Next, add some candy and you’re calories are really piling up.  Candy at movie theaters are usually plus sized and meant to be shared.

A Fix?

Next time you head to the theater, throw your own popcorn in a ziploc bag.  You’ll be able to pick you own levels of fat and calories and control portions with the amount you bring.  Try to avoid soda at the theater all together and opt for water instead.  Have a sweet tooth?  Bring your own treat.  If you can’t pass up the Reese’s or M&M’s bring a small bag so you have some control.  If you really want to take a healthy plunge, bring some dried fruits and nuts to munch on instead.  Enjoy the movie without causing harm to your health and waistline.

What’s your favorite movie theater treat?  Do you bring your own or splurge at the theater?

I am saying goodbye to you in galoshes. The train splashes some ducks and again some fires as homeless men hawk newspapers then stuff them into boots, light the boots on fire. My boots aren’t on fire. Fellow humans, I am looking at your garlands: your linked shoulders, your popcorn strung up in stairwells, your paper arms. You do your crossword. The train skips a track but we don’t know; we’re not driving. Wheels move back down. I am saying goodbye to the Charles as eight buildings light up eight windows and eight memory-boats spill along one bridge. Goodbye, bridge. I am lighting a river on fire. Autumn bricks, interlaced fingers. Some of us will mistake one brick for another.

this week. i’ve woken up with food in my bed 3 times.

3 TIMES!

day 1–tostitos (no salsa.)

day 2–popcorn (cheddar, butter, AND caramel!)

day 3–pizza (from artichoke–so good. so all over my bed.)

the pizza was definitely a new low.  thank god i have a purple duvet cover! (gayest sentence ever.)  but seriously guys, it’s time i sought some help.  now, i’m trying a new thing: no food in the bedroom.  no exceptions.  not even drunk munchies.  i know, it’s rash, but drastic situations call for drastic measures.  i hope i can count on all of your support during this tough period in my life.

face to face

food. in. my. bed.

friends forever

So I was lazy this morning and did not get up to work out. It was great! I will try again tomorrow. Although I will be getting off of work early and may wait and go on a walk with my Mom and the dogs in the afternoon. And get more sleep in the AM.

I am so excited that Thanksgiving is almost here. And I am most excited about the time off. I need the rest.

For breakfast I had an english muffin with laughing cow and turkey bacon.

This was a great combo for me. I definitely prefer something salty in the morning over something sweet.

I gobbled it down once I got to work today, along with a clementine that I got at the grocery store yesterday.

Love these!

Today I am having to rock my glasses. For some reason my contacts have been bothering me for the past several days. And this morning my right eye just wasn’t having the contacts. Fortunately it is gloomy out and I have no need for sunglasses, otherwise I may have put the contacts in anyways.

See my pretty purple sweater that I got on sale yesterday!

As a morning snack I have been munching on some popcorn.

I love the crunchy, salty, butteriness. Mmmmm.

I am trying to brainstorm on lunch already. I have some leftover coconut crusted mahi filets that I need to eat or throw away. I was thinking of a quesadilla of some sort since I have some tortillas to eat to. Any ideas of what all to put in the quesadilla? I am totally lacking in inspiration at the momment?

Trovato qui :

“Ieri era il compleanno di mio nonno e lui si è fatto legalmente cambiare il nome in Gandalf.  Di cognome facciamo Grey“

Non so chi tu sia nonno, ma spero di invecchiare matto come te.

Tanti auguri

Earlier this year I was hired my the good folks at RPM Connect in Minneapolis to illustrate some Christmas canisters for Orville Reddenbacher’s “Poppycock” brand. The snacks are now available in stores. I picked up my first few canisters in Target but I’m sure other stores will be carrying them as well.

The folks at RPM Connect were great to work with. By the time I was brought onto the project the general concept had already been decided on but the exact style of illustration was still under discussion. They wanted a series of vignettes around the bottom of the can. Something flat, graphic, not very cartoony, and probably monochromatic.  Also, the client had incorporated some snowflakes-and-trees clip art into the mockup and I was asked to try to incorporate those elements into my final illustration. Whatever I did couldn’t deviate too far from that “look”.

Given those parameters, I worked up a few samples to try and nail down a possible style for the illustration:

Normally my work is very cartoony so it was a lot of fun to push myself in another direction and play around with styles and colors I wouldn’t normally use. Ultimately the client chose Option #2 (the one in the upper right) and that’s the style I went with. Here’s the final illustration:

From there the agency added in the logo and other graphic elements. The final result is now available in stores:

Aunque la mascota oficial del blog sea la señorita Fox y por ende Scarlett no creo que sea muy bienvenida en este blog no puedo dejar pasar por alto el acontecimiento mas importante del año: EL CUMPLEAÑOS DE SCARLETTITA, quien hoy cumple 25 años.

Y aprovechando la ocasión los invito a que se unan a mi religión de los Scarlettianos, he aquí los mandamientos de nuestra religión/secta.

1. Los senos de Scarlett es lo mas sagrado que existe y los veneraras ante todo.
2. Cada que veas una foto de Ryan Reynolds lo maldecirás.
3. Amaras a Scarlett Johansson sobre todas las cosas.
4. No admiraras a Megan Fox.
5. Al referirte a ella le dirás Scarlettita.
6. Te masturbaras mínimo una vez a la semana pensando en ella.
7. Veras todos sus películas sin importar que tan malas sean.
8. Jamás dudaras de su belleza y su status Quo como la mujer mas bella del planeta.
9. Te tatuaras su nombre, y lo mostraras con orgullo en cualquier peda, fiesta o demás reunión social.
10. El 22 de Noviembre será el día mas importante del año, ese día celebraras, brindaras y pensaras en ella todo el día.

Nuestra iglesia se reserva el derecho de admisión a las siguientes personas: negros, latinos, mujeres feas, lesbianas gordas, transexuales, asiáticos, pobres, personas con 3 ojos, trabajadores de Televisa, calvos, chimuelos, enfermos terminales, mayores de 40 años, padres solteros y adoradores de Megan Fox.

Si no eres parte de ninguno de los grupos antes mencionados y no te da miedo conocer la verdadera y única verdad acerca del mundo, no me queda mas que darte la bienvenida a nuestra iglesia.

Las tetas de Scarlett los bendigan.

It was a grand, grand Sunday!  No schoolwork ever made it into the picture, but that would have just mucked up the fun anyways

At 4:20 we finally made it in to see “The Blind Side.”  Love, love, love.  It was a true story about a Southern white family that took in a struggling, homeless black boy.  There were lots of y’alls, football, laughs, and touching moments.  Sandra Bulluck is one of my favorite actors, particularly for how well she does in roles like this.  I highly recommend seeing this movie.

I had a lick of Adam’s Maple Bacon Lollipop (brought back from Foodbuzz),

and we ate some of these Milkata candies.

When we got home at 7 I was so hungry!  I ate a delicious spoonful of Justin’s Maple Almond Butter.

Then we made the quickest-tastiest dinner of all time.

4 ingredients, 3 minutes of prep, 20minutes in the stove, 1 very very happy housewife!  I linked to the recipe here.

I was so so pleased with this idea.  Thanks for the pesto, Foodbuzz!  The crunchy bits of pasta were my favorite.

After dinner we walked over to Walgreens to pick up a few things.  And you know I made a big bowl of ‘corn when I got home!

I’m going to snuggle up with Adam and do some munching and tv watching, have a good night!

What 5 ingredient or less recipes have you had success with lately?

What is Nutrition?

“Nutrition” is a word with a lot of different meanings to different people.  Consider the dictionary definition:  “the act or process of nourishing or of being nourished”.  Now that leaves an awful lot to the imagination.  A cheeseburger and french fries could be considered “nutrition”.  And while we’re at it let’s throw in a large milkshake and a couple of candy bars.  Yummy!  So, the question remains, what is nutrition.

First of all I want to confuse everyone by using the term “nutritionist”.  If you think the word nutrition is vague then this one is beyond vague.  By definition it means “a person who is trained or expert in the science of nutrition”.  While most states have absolutely no regulation of who is and who isn’t a nutritionist anyone may pin that title on themselves.  If you just lost 5 pounds and deem yourself to have valuable weight loss advice for another person aspiring to do the same then by definition you are a nutritionist.  So, now you know why I will start now to refer to myself as a “nutritionist”

I have dubbed myself a nutritionist because I have pushed the term nutrition to the absolute limits.  Consider that I am 60 years old and retired from the aerospace industry to devote all of my time to my lifelong passions of teaching tennis and fitness.  Now, the last thing I want to do is meet a new fitness client looking like I’ve just finished 3 supersized happy meals topped off with a large milkshake and a couple of candy bars.  So, I have to work out 1-2 hours per day.  On top of that I teach tennis for 6-8 hours and 2-4 hours of personal training in the gym, all of which is very strenuous and pushes my tired old body to the limits.  To keep from falling dead in the middle of the day I have to really be aware of consuming the proper “nutrition” (along with taking some Heel-BHI Rendimax or rubbing on some Traumeel).  At this point I get into a very “shady” area since I don’t want to dare encroach on the realm of “dieticians” which is a blog for another day. 

To insure that I don’t infringe on their territory I will refer everyone to the website: mypyramid.gov.  This is one of those free things that your tax dollars support.  So, since you are paying for it out of your paycheck you may as well go ahead and benefit from it.  It does, indeed, contain some very valuable information regarding diet and nutrition.  If you follow the guidelines there, and I mean “roughly” since I imagine none of you are fans of measuring exact portions (I certainly am not), you can get on the road to good nutrition.  Basically, eat lots of fruits, vegetables, fiber, lean meats and no-fat or low-fat dairy products.  Keep the meals small and snack or graze a lot in between.  Avoid the foods that provide “no nutrition”.  You’ll find out which foods these are when you push yourself like I do.  Try eating a pepperoni pizza and some cheese sticks before playing a tennis match and then wonder why you fizzled out in the 3^rd set.  Instead, try a whole wheat English muffin or an energy bar.  Even consuming sugary treats before a match is good since a calorie is a “unit of energy”.  Sugar is bad when you consume it before watching your favorite TV shows from the couch but not before a demanding athletic event.  When you burn the calories they don’t turn into fat!

So, in a nutshell here are some good nutritional tips from a “self certified nutritionist”.  Consume small meals based on the free food pyramid that your tax dollars support.  Snack or graze between meals to prevent your metabolism from slowing down and stifle the starvation that would have you gorge yourself at the next meal.  Keep plenty of good fruits, nuts, grains (wheat crackers or breakfast bars) and healthy snacks of your choice like low-fat yogurt or smoothies.  Completely avoid non-nutritious foods such as french fries, potato or corn chips, onion rings and little hand foods that are deep fried.  Trust me that the craving for these foods will go away.  Of course, you will begin to crave the new foods that you have substituted but they are much better for your health and energy level anyway so consuming a little extra good stuff won’t hurt.  Forget drinking calories unless it is 100% fruit juice.  Go from regular sodas to diet sodas.  If you can’t stand the taste of diet sodas go two weeks without any sodas and then try one.  Your taste buds have the memory of a 95 year old Alzheimer’s patient.  The same goes with milk.  Remember when you changed from whole milk to 2%?  At first the new low-fat milk tasted awful, watered down.  Now it’s just fine.  The same thing will occur when you go from 2% to non-fat.  If it is too tough to change use the 2 week rule (see above in case you have Alzheimer’s).  A few more good substitutions are frozen yogurt for ice cream and popcorn for chips.  Get an “air popper” and use no-fat butter spray.  Now you have a healthy snack with some degree of fiber instead of loads of fat that will make you want to stay on the couch for the next few days.  If you like lots of salt on your popcorn like I do then sweat it out! 

If you need more advice on nutrition please don’t hesitate to ask me for help.  Remember, I’m a self certified nutritionist!

I suck, I know.  Posting on any sort of schedule is impossible for some reason for me when I’m home.  My body knows it can actually relax and so I end up napping mid-afternoon and then sleeping for 10 hours.  Normal.  I think it’ll be better today – especially since I realized that I probably just have ALLERGIES – duh.  Really, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.  Luckily my mom has some allergy stuff I can take so that I won’t be a zombie all week!

After my nap yesterday, I had wanted something crunchy!  Kettlecorn to the rescue:

My mom and I tried to make the broccoli from my sorority’s Thanksgiving dinner.  We threw some broccoli florets in the steamer with a minced clove of garlic and a tablespoon of lemon juice.  It was a fail.  It didn’t taste anything at all like the recipe from Wednesday.  Tonight we’re going to try sautéing the garlic and lemon juice separately and then putting it on the steamed broccoli.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  Dinner was delish, though:

Steamed & mashed butternut squash, fail brocc, and CostCo rotisserie chicken aka heaven in a bird.

The chicken had some questionable ingredients, but it was honestly too good to pass up.  I threw some garlic powder on the broccoli, but it still wasn’t nearly as good as it could have been.  The b-nut squash was AMAZING – so sweet and creamy.  My mom put a little bit of butter (though I wish she hadn’t/would have told me before I ate it) and pepper in it, but it was amazingggg.  I’ll probs include some in my lunch a little later.

After dinner, my mom and I took a trip to Home Goods to get some bedding for my uncle who’s coming in on Tuesday for Thanksgiving.  It was 6:30 and after my nap this afternoon, I was already exhausted.  Honestly ridiculous, body.  Half and hour on the Stair Master should not wear me out this badly.  My tummy wasn’t satisfied from dinner, so when I got home I dominated this Honeycrisp:

Nom nom nom.

Then I was good.  And promptly passed out in a coma-like state for many hours.  Still no movie reviews.  My b.  I swear on Taylor Lautner’s abs they’ll be up tonight!

I woke up around 9, immediately rethinking my planned 4 miler.  I figured I’d just go later, or treadmill it up … even though I secretly knew I would later talk myself out of both those options with a nap.  After some coffee, I decided just to GO.  When I really don’t want to run or go workout, I eat my pre-workout snack.  Then I HAVE to go.  For whatever reason, this works for me mentally.  I had a mini choco-chip Clif bar:

It tasted better than it looks.  Why is it three different shades?  I’m just noticing that and hoping it’s the shadow from my blinds …

I left my iPod downstairs, but I did do 4 miles.  I think my splits were 9:10, 9:11, 9:09, and 8:52.  A SUB 9:00 mile!!!  It’s totally possible I’ve hit that mark at school, but I only time splits on the trail at home since it’s flat and I don’t have to dodge cars.  Yayyyy!  Love love love getting faster and seeing results!  Especially after a week off from running.  I’m out of my running funk, I think.  And thank God.  I do love that elliptical at school, but they don’t have it at my gym at home.  That’s great because it will force to keep running outside over Christmas break!

I came home and made brekkie:

2 Eggo Nutri-Grain waffles, a Braeburn + cinnamon

The fam usually has Kashi waffles, but I guess CostCo only sells Eggo in bulk – hence the two 10-packs in the freezer.  Some icky ingredients, but still super tasty!

My mom and I are going shopping all over town and then I promiseeee my reviews will be up!  See you later!

But I do have popping corn.  It was purchased earlier today at the bargain price of 51 pence.   I know it’s just a bag of dried kernels, but that still seems pretty reasonable to me as one small bag will last me a few months at least and will produce a surprising amount of one of my favourite crunchy treats.  The thing is, I’m not sure I’m allowed to make the stuff, as I normally do, by heating it in a pain with a bit of oil.

According to the pack my popping corn can be popped by using a popcorn machine in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.  Alternatively there’s a fairly detailed list of steps telling me how to turn the kernels inside out using a microwave which I do not have.  No third option is given.  Does this mean that by popping my corn the old fashioned way I risk putting an eye out or setting the house ablaze?  Will the technique produce potent carcinogens that microwaves and air poppers don’t.  Will I choke on my popcorn and think of Mr Bush and his pretzel as I slowly lose consciousness?

Judging by the results so far I don’t need to worry about any of these possibilities.  I does strike me as odd at that on a bag of popping corn no mention is made of how to use a pan and a stove to cook the stuff.  I have no microwave and no need for one.  Surely the people who use their microwaves to pop their corn buy those special packets of microwave popcorn anyway. . .

This posting probably represents the deepest thoughts I’ve had so far today.  Still, I did manage to unblock the sink upstairs. . .

If you think having a medium popcorn and soft drink while watching a movie won’t add much to your weight, then it’s time to get a reality check, suggests a new study.

The study by the Center for Science and Public Interest (CSPI) found that consuming popcorn and a drink means taking in three days worth of an adult’s recommended allowance of fat.

The researchers said that a medium popcorn and drink had 1,160 calories.

Even sharing a small portion of cinema popcorn between two would mean each person consumes a day’s worth of saturated fat.

“It’s hard enough for Americans to maintain a healthy weight even when limiting their eating to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Who realises that they might be taking in a meal’s worth of calories during a movie? The healthiest snack to buy at the movies is no snack at all,” the Telegraph quoted Jayne Hurley, a CSPI senior nutritionist, as saying.

The study also found that a bag of Reese’s Pieces sold at US cinemas contained 1,160 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat, the equivalent of eating a 16-ounce T-bone steak and a buttered baked potato.

The study has been published in Nutrition Action Healthletter.