But won’t you gain weight, or fail to lose those pesky 10ish (I don’t have a scale; don’t know for sure) pounds? No. No form of exercise in and of itself is a guarantee that you’ll lose, maintain, or whatever, your weight. In fact, many people actually gain weight when training for marathons. It all comes down to consistently moving and consistently eating well. I’m working on both. It’s hard, no lie. Because just how running, for example, is not a guarantee to lose/maintain weight, neither is being vegan. Have you had a slice of this vegan chocolate cake? Insanely good. And around 500 calories a refined-flour-filled piece. D’oh!

In addition to ‘blading, I’ve been doing boot camp!  I did bootcamp a few years ago and loved it. The problem — it’s muy expensive! My justifications for coughing up the dough? I love the feeling of having an hour work-out done by 6:30 in the morning and I’ll freakin’ pay for that feeling of accomplishment (oh and I guess I’m paying for the fun of an ass-kicking work-out, too, right? Right!). And the fact that I eschew the purchase of clothes, shoes, accessories; cut my hair once a year; don’t get mani/pedies, etc. (this list could go on, for reeeeeeals!) means I got mula to spare. Hip hip hooray for being frugal on everything except food and exercise!

Any of you done a boot camp? What are the things you are willing to shell out dough for?

Food News

• Saturday, July 24th, is the LA Street Food Fest (Los Angeles, CA) — Shell out $45 and get unlimited food and booze, free parking (at the Rose Bowl), and live music! From the site: “Enjoy sampling signature bites from more than 60 vendors including hot gourmet food trucks, old school carts and stands, celeb chefs and street inspired dishes from LA’s best restaurants. Our open bars and beer gardens will keep you hydrated ‘n happy with cold suds, delicious cocktails, tequila tasting, juices and more. To top it off, you’ll rock out with our summer concert from two of LA’s hottest new bands, all on the grassy green field of the Rose Bowl for one affordable, all-inclusive ticket price benefiting St Vincent Meals on Wheels & Woolly School Gardens!” Um I’d go, but unlimited food and beer is kinda not my thing right now precisely because it used to be my thing (just instead of being a once-in-a-while-special-event thing, it was an every single day thing, so….yea…). If you’re vegetarian or vegan, there are for suuuuuure gonna be options for you. Two restaurants that are vegetarian and vegan friendly right of the bat who will be at the fest are: The Mandoline Grill and The Vegan Joint.
• New vegan-friendly and calorie-counter-conscious restaurant, Seasons 52, will be opening this summer in Costa Mesa, CA. Now that many states are requiring that calorie counts be posted in plain view, it seems the next step is restaurants actually concocting healthier dishes instead of just revealing how awful most of food is. Some fast food places like Applebee’s, Subway, Taco Bell and even some restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory and Mimi’s Cafe, specifically market portions of their menus to the calorie conscious. But it’s kinda lame to market a healthy salad on one page and a triple decker sub of lard on the next page. Just sayin’. And with a lot of vegan restaurants not coughing up the nutritional stats on their foods — I’m talking to you Native Foods and The Veggie Grill (my two FAVES!) — it’s about time we get everything we want in one restaurant. So, I’ve got high hopes for Season 52 since it boasts that each dish is under 500 calories, including its vegetarian and vegan options. Don’t let me down!
• Previous McDonald’s Alums to Open Eco-Friendly & Health-Food-Based Restaurant. Say what?
  [photo cred]
  Crackers with beets instead of fries with meat?
  Yep. It’s not rocket science — if it’s seemingly profitable, people will build it. And it seems that marketing healthy fast food can be just as profitable as blatantly marketing crap food (here’s looking at you, KFC and Friendly’s!). So, two McD’s alums are slated to open a restaurant featuring healthier options and a few appeals to the green crowd like herb-garden-lined roofs and a grass parking lot, per AdAge here. Does anyone know: what is the green appeal of a “grass parking lot”? (Aside from the obvious and literal green appeal lol). The dudes also plan to take the restaurant food to the grocery store (I guess the plastic and crap for their frozen foods will counterbalance the restaurant’s green initiatives, eh? Asks the cranky pessimist).
• Check out some recent clips in food safety news here. Antibiotics, melamine, e.coli, YUM!

Alright, I’m tired of hearing my own voice type this mess. Off and onward.

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. Thanks to @YetAnotherSusan and @DetectiveLara for their notes on restaurants marketing food for its specific calorie counts.