Yes, I am enjoying 1 cup of red wine and watching Idol....

There are places for the things we enjoy in life, and for me, having a glass of red wine a few evenings a week is my treat. The other thing that I enjoy is my frozen yogurt, which I will indulge in on the weekends.

We are now ramping up OUR blog and I want to address the comments we received yesterday before I move on....
kelly said...
"I still strive for balance with 4- 13 hour work shifts. although I know that a substitute to clean eating is not ideal- are the protein shakes out there some thing you would ever consider when sitting down and eating is not an option at work.

Great question Kel, and you are right, not what I want you to be eating if we can avoid it. One thing we have not touched upon is the proportions of what your body desires for homeostasis, and that is around 60-65% carbohydrates,12-15% protein, and 20-30% fat. These are ranges because it would be impossible to be really rigid as we want moderation and variety in our food choices. These ranges are something to try to achieve. The one thing that we all get too much of in this nation is protein. Not only will it tax that one kidney of yours, but it will make you tired and sluggish. That being said, I have heard this message over and over from my nurse friends, I happen to have a lot of them, and I need you to try to plan ahead with your food options. That does mean cooking and freezing and heating up at work, but more importantly taking your breaks so you can fuel your body. Legally you are supposed to take those breaks, but I know you dedicated nurses put yourselves last in your work day. So, let me just say this, eating you allotted calories every day is critical!! I don't want to see any of you ladies eating less than 1500 calories a day, period!! This is what I want you to eat if you are wanting to lose body fat. Most of you if you are exercising and wanting to lose weight will lose a pound a week this way. Sorry, no biggest loser number here!! For me, wanting my body in homeostasis, means I am working out 3-5 hours a week and eating 2000 calories a day. You will figure out what is right for your body, but no fewer than 1500 calories please with exercise.

Susan said...
My exercise of choice is my Wii. I am a bit of a homebody who is presently working lots of OT. I don't seem to have tons of energy when I get home and once I get home I don't want to leave. So after the hockey game I'm going to go Just Dance. Thank you so much for your encouragement and great ideas! Oh I always wondered if gyms had punch cards as I thought that was a great idea. I'm going to look into that as I think I might enjoy some water aerobics.

Love that you are determined to find exercise that you like and are scheduling it into your day. We must schedule it in, otherwise it will not get done. Most gyms/fitness centers who offer classes should offer a punch card, and if they don't, ask them if they will.

Lissa said...
Question about the almond butter flax seed sandwich-are the flaxseeds whole or ground? I've heard that our body can't absorb the omega 3's as well if they're whole-do you know is that the case?

Great question, our bodies cannot process whole flaxseed, so I pulverize my almond butter in a food processor and put it right back into the container it came in. Lasts several weeks before I have to think about it again.

Had to show off my yummy dinner. Made my own sauce with a bit of olive oil where iI sauteed fresh garlic, then added a small can of tomato paste and cooked for a bit. Finished off with two large cans of crushed tomatoes with basil, dried basil, oregano and s/p. Let cook on low while Derek and I headed to store. Defrosted frozen chicken tenders from Costco which have been in my freezer forever. I am not a big fan of breasts, as they have little value other than protein, and prefer dark meat chicken which is high in iron, and as a regular blood donor, always looking for ways to keep my iron high enough. I know my kids love chicken fingers, so I used equal parts seasoned bread crumbs and powdered parmesan cheese, with lots of chopped up garlic. I dipped the pieces in egg beaters and then in the bread crumb mixture and put on cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil spray. Then sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese, the real stuff. Baked at 400 degrees on convection mode, for about 15 minutes. I also baked sliced eggplant, sprayed with olive oil spray and sprinkled with s and p until browned. I boiled water to cook my whole wheat gnocchi that I bought at World Market, and also steamed my baby broccoli purchased at Trader Joes, and then sprinkled with a tad bit of olive oil, lots of balsamic vinegar, s/p and crushed red pepper flakes. Yumm-o as Rachel Ray says.

Last night I cooked Turkey Picadillo Sloppy Joes which I made on Super Bowl Sunday and found on Food Network show called Mexican Food Made Easy. I doubled the recipe, and added several jalapenos to half and none to the others for my whimpy kids. Evan would have loved the spice, my habenero chip guy!! I served this for the rest of the family on whole wheat buns, and I had it open face on my "thins", topped with lots of jarred jalapenos. I know, I'm crazy. It's a veggie by the way, so it's free!! Have I mentioned that to you, all the veggies you eat are FREEEE, except for the caloric stuff you cook them with or top them with.

Derek is totally on board with his clean eating program. For lunch we added in roasted veggies that I pureed for him to use a dip for his whole wheat pita chips and he loved it. He cubed up an eggplant, red onion, several roma tomatoes and zucchini and two bell peppers, they were out of red at TJs. Sprinkled with a tad bit of olive oil, s and p, and roasted on convection setting at 400 degrees, turning a few times in process to prevent burning until carmelized and soft. Our other new addition was purple beet and carrot juice I purchased at TJs. We have committed to drinking a cup a day, and let me tell you, it as actually pretty good. Lots of health benefits from these veggies antioxidants, so we will keep it up indefinitely.

Off to get our multivitamin out, his Men's One-A-Day, and my chewable from TJs. I also am taking an iron supplement every other day to see if I can increase my borderline low iron for my next blood donation, and my last blood test came back low on Vit. D, so supplementing there too.

Did P90X plyo video yesterday, and Cross Fit today, as well as tomorrow, doing stairs/running combo on Friday.
Stay tuned, g