MESTEMACHER (I don't know what this means, but it sounds very important!)

I was excited to dig into this organic sunflower seed loaf I picked up at The Health Shoppe yesterday. I trusted the ingredient list, the protein and fibre grams, and - most importantly - the lady on the front of the package.
OBVIOUSLY she is pretty and fit so by eating this product I, too, will be pretty and fit. This is how it works, right?

I knew I could trust this German-made loaf (The Germans make great, dense bread products). For breakfast, I had one slice with some organic raspberry jam, one hard-boiled egg, and a sliced banana, strawberries, and blueberries.
The loaf was kind of bitter. Maybe not bitter, just not as tasty as I had hoped. I don't think I will buy it again, although I will finish off the loaf. I hate to see organic, German goodness go to waste!

For a snack, I had the very filling combination of the last of my Mary's Organic Crackers with a small container of my homemade hummus. This was a great snack and kept me full beyond my usual lunch break.
For lunch, I had some leftover spaghetti. I wish I had a salad instead, but this was still tasty.

I feel like I have been consuming a bit too much caffeine lately, so I decided to skip my usual coffee in favour of a simple green tea. If my research is correct, a cup of green tea has about 1/2 of the caffeine of coffee. And since I usually consume 16 ounces of coffee at once (in comparison to 8 ounces of tea), I thought this would be a good switch. It seemed to work and I didn't get tired this afternoon like I usually do without my usual infusion of Starbs.

For a snack, I had an apple. I was so anxious, I bit into it before realizing that I must take a picture! Old habits die hard.
I was glad we were having burgers on the BBQ for dinner because that meant I could make a fresh salad.

It contained spinach, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, carrot, orange pepper, mushrooms, avocado, walnuts, feta, and sliced figs with a maple balsamic vinaigrette.

I had it with an Amy's garden burger with a bit of chipotle salsa on top. And...a glass of wine!

For dessert, I dipped into one of the many chocolate bars currently frozen in my freezer. I chose some organic dark chocolate.

I ate it while it was still frozen, but I was too anxious to wait for it to defrost!

I am really tired this evening. I would like to take it easy and just read. I picked up a Prevention magazine earlier today. I know this magazine is for those over 40 years old, but I want in on the secrets to living a long, healthy life. Might as well start as soon as possible, right?

Temptations

Today has been a day full of temptations. We had yet another birthday party at work (what is up with spring birthdays?) but there was only ice cream and chips. The Rolo ice cream was looking pretty good, but I didn't have any. I don't like being that person who doesn't participate, but I feel like my tastes are changing. This is weird. Hubs went grocery shopping today and brought back a Mississippi Mud Pie. The picture on the box looked amaaaaazing. But the ingredient list? Was gigantic and full of Frankenstein words. And 1/8th of the pie was 380 calories. That isn't too palatable. If only I hadn't read the box! Knowledge is power...or is it?

I started the day with a Green Monster. It contained:

• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of guava juice. This was an exciting development.
• 1/2 banana
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 Tbsp of flax meal

The juice really sweetened this up and I could taste the guava. Humina.

I had this with two slices of Ezekiel with cinnamon raisin peanut butter. Very good.

For a snack, a medjool date and a few pecans and cashews. Oh, the damage I could do if left alone with a box of medjool dates!

I had another salad for lunch. This one had spinach, carrots, peppers, cucumber, tomato, one boiled egg, hummus, raisins, and pumpkin seeds with fig balsamic dressing.

I forgot to take a picture of my 3:30 apple! But I think you know what this looks like. I also had a coffee, which I nursed during the birthday party like a big old party pooper!

For dinner, hubs made spaghetti. He put some mushrooms and peppers in the sauce. I had this sprinkled with some parmesan and paired with a glass of red wine! I really need to incorporate more red wine into my...entire life.
For dessert, the last of my chemical chocolate with some comic relief!

Now, I am drinking some peach white tea I bought at the health food store today. We are about to watch He's Just Not That Into You, one of the very few "chick flicks" I can convince hubs to watch with me. Later!

Book Review: The Thrive Diet

I would recommend The Thrive Diet to two different kinds of people and two different kinds of people only:

1. Those who are hardcore athletes (i.e. voluntarily participate in extreme events like marathons and triathlons. Who are these people? I do not understand their belief system).
2. Those who are very health and nutrition conscience and are open-minded enough to try veganism.

I partly fit into one of these categories. Can you guess which?

The Thrive Diet is a thorough book. Its author, Brendan Brazier, is a top vegan Ironman. Intense stuff! He is all about fueling your body with simple, nutrition-dense foods like flax, nuts, veggies, fruit etc. You can’t argue with his thorough information about what foods you need, how much you need of them, and when you should consume them based on your workout (before, during, and after). He provides a 12 week diet plan and a bunch of different recipes. Of particular interest were his recipes for smoothies and energy bars. His smoothies often contain flax meal and hemp protein. One step ahead of you, Brendan! And his energy bars sound amazing, although I would need a food processor before trying any of them out. The food he consumes is not cheap, but I am sure the cost is well worth it.

Since I only fit partly into one of the above categories, I did not love this book as much as I hoped. I am not an athlete (unless watching Jon and Kate is being considered for the 2010 Olympics. Badump cha!) and I only dabble in veganism, so this wasn’t the book for me. I did learn about a few new foods I had never heard of before (chlorella sounds neato!) and would like to try some of his recipes. Overall, though, I found this book to be a bit too dry. I wish Brendan were more witty and charming. However, as a hardcore vegan Ironman with a multi-million dollar company under his belt, I imagine he doesn’t have the time or energy for wit!

A Case of the Mondays

Greetings from my couch! I've got the expandable pants on and am listening to nothing except for the birds outside singing and my fingers typing. It's nice to catch a bit of peace and quiet on a Monday.

Maybe it was a case of the Mondays, but I forgot my camera today! So no snack or lunch photos, but here is a photo of me and Dr. Snuggles last night. She was feeling oddly affectionate (hence the blogging with cat on arm last night) and she nestled into my neck. It was pretty cute so I had to catch it for posterity.
I am not wearing any make-up in this photo and I can't believe how clear my skin is. I don't mean to toot my own horn skin, but I really think it's those glorious Green Monsters that have done this.  Praise the Almighty GM!

For breakfast, I had my #2 favourite (#1 favourite breakfast is a GM and toast with nut butter, which I will be feasting on tomorrow). This is 1 cup of spelt, 1/2 cup of non-fat plain yogurt, 1/2 sliced banana, 2 strawberries, a few blueberries, a few raisins, pepitas, and pecans, and a spoonful of raw almond butter. It was so good! I feel like the raisins give this well-rounded cereal mess a nice texture.
For a snack, I had 1/2 cup of 1% cottage cheese with a small handful of frozen blueberries. I am pretty much out of cottage cheese now :(

For a lunch, I had a big salad. It contained the usual assortment of vegetables, as well as some avocado, three sliced figs, a few nuts, and a hard-boiled egg. I had some fig balsamic vinaigrette made by Kraft. This is probably my favourite dressing.

For an afternoon snack, I had my usual coffee and 3:30 apple.

Wow, this is freaking boring without pictures.

For dinner, I made some hummus! I made it using chickpeas I soaked the night before and then simmered in water for about 1/2 hour. I mixed about 3.5 cups of cooked chickpeas with 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/4 lemon juice, 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 Tbsps of tahini and that's it. Writing this out, I realize I forgot to add any spices. D'oh! It still tasted good, though.
I had 1 cup of Campbell's Healthy Request Garden Vegetable soup and a sandwich with hummus, spinach, tomato and cheddar cheese on toasted whole wheat.

Then I had more of my delicious chemical chocolate! I think I feel a stomach cramp now. Meh. It'd be worth it!

Now I am going to spend the entire night rotting my brain on television. Don't be jealous!

Bachelorette Weekend

I write this with a full belly and yet have the yearning to eat more. Don't I know this feeling well! I am holding out for an hour and then will have some hot chocolate. That sounds like a good compromise.

Well this past weekend, I was up north at a bachelorette party weekend! I made sure to pack some healthy snacks so as to prevent those pesky SNACK ATTACKS.
The food was excellent and I had some great company...

Who needs a male stripper when one has a donkey?  If I had a quarter for every time I've ever said that.

When we first got to the cottage, everyone was already ready to go for a hike.  We went out for a 2-3 hour journey.  It was tough work, but the scenery was beautiful and made me very hungry for a late lunch.

For our first meal, we had some pumpkin soup, veggies and various dips. I had two bowls of this soup, a couple slices of pita bread, a few more veggies, and much more hummus! I had a glass of red wine too. It was "Fuzion" from Argentina, a very inexpensive wine that is absolutely delicious!
For dinner, a barbecued portobello mushroom and greek pasta salad (which I made!). Because I love pasta salad, I did not have a bun with my "burger". I did have seconds of the salad. I also had another glass of that great wine!

Throughout the evening, I enjoyed some great snacks. I did not partake in the fancy blender drinks, but I did have a couple of smores on the fire and a few chips with homemade guacamole.  I think these were great choices.  The smores were a must and I have yet to deny the almighty Homemade Guac!

This morning, I had this delicious homemade waffle with berries and real maple syrup. I also had a banana, some strawberries, melon and coffee with half and half.  For this one meal, I also assumed the moniker of "Cathy".

On the drive home, I had an apple and an oatmeal raisin Clif bar.

As tempting as the frozen pizza in my freezer was, I knew I'd polish off that sucker in one sitting flat due to my emotions (craving a night of tv and carbohydrates!). I decided to have some steamed broccoli, a baked potato with salsa, and some baked tofu (in a marinade made of olive oil, honey, chili pepper, paprika and black pepper).
I am now watching a Sex and the City marathon with my cat, Dr. Snuggles, sleeping on my arm. Not a bad way to blog!

Nut Fiend

Whoops! I never got around to posting last night's meal starring spinach noodles. I got side-tracked by one husband, a baseball game, and tying up disposable knives and forks in napkins with hemp string for a friend's large wedding celebration happening in a few weeks. It was a wild Friday night, to say the least. It was so cute to watch the hubs help me. He is not the most dexterous of folks, but he really put in a lot of effort to help me. I hope that the wedding attendees appreciate his craftiness!

Last night's meal was delicious. Spinach noodles taste exactly like regular old spaghetti noodles. I should have realized that! But it was still fun to eat green noodles.

I cut up a ton of veggies including asparagus, zucchini, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms and marinated them in about 2 Tbsps of olive oil and a capful of lemon juice. I roasted them in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 F.



I sprinkled about 2 Tbsps of parmesan cheese on top.  C'est magnifique!

For dessert, I purchased this dark chocolate bar from The Big Carrot. I liked that it was sugar-free, but I was not a Smart Shopper because I failed to look at the ingredient list until I got home. Well, the sugar was replaced with maltitol. Artificial sweetener!!!

I had a couple of chunks, though, and it was pretty dang tasty. I couldn't tell it was artificially sweetened. At some point yesterday, I did experience some weird stomach cramps, but I thought it was from all of the nuts I've been eating (I have been a little nut fiend lately! Maybe that should be my new nickname. "Yo, where is nut fiend at? Oh, she's updating her flog (food + blog)"). In any event, I wonder if my stomach cramping was due to the maltitol. I kind of hope it was, so I can continue to prove that artificial sweeteners are the work of the devil! Perhaps that is a a slight exaggeration.

What made wrapping knives and forks in napkins all night bearable, was some delicious coffee. This little nut fiend can't get enough of coffee!

Well, this morning I am heading away for a bachelorette cottage weekend. To prepare for such an event, I have steadied myself with a Green Monster and half of an orange chocolate scone. This GM contains the usual:

• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 banana
• 2 strawberries
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 scoop of hemp protein powder

I will try to continue taking pictures of my eats this weekend. This will be a true challenge but I think I am up for it!

Short Day

Would you believe me if I told you that I purchased all of the above products at Walmart? Furthermore, would you believe me if I said that I purchased these products at a severely discounted rate? I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES. It seemed like half of Walmart's organics section was on sale (I should clarify that this was one of those Walmarts with the grocery store included). Those cereals were $2 a box, even the fancy Dorset muesli! I got a box of 50 bags of green tea for $2 (although this was the regular price). And I even found some unusual products!

I have been wanting to try these peanut butters forever! They aren't so common in Canada I don't think, so I was particularly surprised to see them at Walmart for $2.50 a jar. These were the only two flavours available, but they were good enough for me. I tried the cinnamon raisin this morning. Delicious! I think the raisin part is sunk at the bottom, though. I didn't dare try the white chocolate too because I would have never gone to work. Instead, I'd be passed out on the kitchen floor, with peanut butter all over my face and an empty jar by my feet!  This is not an exaggeration.

I also found some spinach noodles This was in the international section, which I suppose is unique due to the area where my Walmart is located (I am one of the few caucasians at this one).

(The people on this package seem to be really enjoying their spinach noodles.)

At first I thought it would be filled with chemicals to make it green, but check out this ingredient list!

I had just read in my The Thrive Diet book that chlorophyll is excellent for the human body. This is a great product too because it has portion control. Those little red bands distribute the pasta into individual portions. That is the tough thing with pasta; it's so hard to figure out a serving because it's all based on weight and, I don't know about you, but I don't weigh pasta on a regular basis.  Just not my thing. I will be trying this out tonight!

So today was my first short day at work. I was so excited, but it ended up being quite a stressful morning.  There may have been tears. Just one thing compiling on another. You know how it goes. But TGIF!

For breakfast, I started with some muesli (about 3/4 cup), with 1/2 cup of non-fat plain yogurt, a sliced banana, and a spoonful of the cinnamon raisin peanut butter.

For a snack, I had 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with a bunch of sliced strawberries.


I knew I'd be late in getting lunch, so I also packed some dried fruit and nuts. This little batch contained one fig, one date, and a few random nuts. Gotta love nuts that are random (?).

I intended on purchasing some weird yet exciting blend from the juice bar at The Big Carrot, but I wasn't hungry. Score a point for intuitive eating! While there, I purchased some organic cherries, organic blueberries, and an Amy's dairy-free burrito (among other things). This composed my lunch, along with some sliced cucumber.

I was still hungry, so I ate this great little seed and nut bar. It was my favourite kind: all-natural, understandable ingredients, and dense like all get out. I don't know about you, but the heavier the bar, the more appealing it is to my taste buds. Of course, this translates to more calories and fat, but this bar did not display it's nutritional info which was probably a good thing! I enjoyed this bar more than is probably healthy to admit.

I ended up also visiting my local farmer's market this afternoon. It was cute! I bought some local asparagus, spinach, peppers and basil, as well as two orange chocolate chip scones from an Irish baker named Nuala (I love that name!). I hope to have this scone with tomorrow's Green Monster. I am used to the giant St. Lawrence Market, so this market seemed piddly in comparison, but it was neat to talk with the person who actually picked the asparagus, y'know? I kind of wish I had gone on an empty stomach, because I would have liked to sample some of the baked goods. Oh well, next time!

I hope to be back tonight detailing my experience with spinach pasta.  Stay tuned!