Happy Tuesday! I hope you guys had a great weekend!

Citrus is Good. Unless you eat 10 pounds of it the night before a race…Thoughts on my first 10k!

I ran my first 10k this past Saturday — the Wrigley River Run 5/10k & Tadpole Trot! It was so much fun! I had been planning on running the 5k w/ my mom, but after she bailed (hi, mom!) , I was like “why not do the 10k, lazy butt? You run 6 miles all the time!” So, I did. And that amped, nonchalant attitude only took me so far when, during the run, my body felt like I was carrying bricks on my shoulders and the 10 pounds of citrus fruit I had eaten the night before created a swamp of acid in my stomach (delightful depiction, no?). You know how I write about loving running all the time? Yea, I was eating my words that day. At the 2-mile mark, I smacked my head and thought, “are you kidding me? I think they meant mile 4. There’s no way it’s only been 2 miles.” I’m sure if I had passed a mirror I would have seen a scowl and frown on my face. One of the photographers sweetly said, “hey, smile!” as I passed. I smiled. Then considered asking him if he’d like to switch places (“shhh, no one will know. Here, just take my bib..”.). But, I kept running and made the time of 1 hour, 8 seconds — 9:41 pace. All that womp-womp attitude aside, finishing the race felt so amazing that I came back home and scoured Active.com to find more local races. What can I say? Running for me is like a schizo, love-hate, but can’t-get-enough-of-this-torture kind of relationship.

If you guys are local, or in the vicinity of, Long Beach, CA, I highly recommend this event. It was cozy — around 500 people — and very well-organized. Next year’s event will be June 11, 2011 — mark it in your calendars!

Pre-Chewed News

• Check out a new Michael Pollan interview in Financial Times here. Looooove him.
• Did you hear the good news? Hungry Girl will have her own half-hour show on the Cooking Channel starting end of this year! Read more here.
• Starbucks is going to be offering free wi-fi in all of its locations, starting July 1st. ‘Bout freakin’ time! Read here.
• Jamba Juice is offering $1.00 Superfruit smoothies tomorrow (16-oz size)!

Read more here.

Come back later today to see how Nadia did on the second week of her weight-loss challenge!

If you’ve ran a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon, what were your reflections during and after your first one? Any important lessons learned?

<3,

The Cranky One

Dude, I think my mom is getting younger! She is always smiling, dancing, singing and goofing off. Her beautiful accented voice charms everyone — and we all can’t help but laugh at her occasional malapropisms.

We celebrated on Sunday, the day I came back to CA, with a family dinner. I made chicken and cheese enchiladas for the carnivores, and vegan sweet potato enchiladas for myself and anyone willing to try something new.  It was my first time using the enchilada sauce from Trader Joe’s (I think it’s a new item). It was delicious and tastes very much like the typical red enchilada sauce I’m accustomed to using, however, it has about twice as many calories.

The best part? This vegan chocolate cake with vegan “butter cream” frosting…

Cake recipe found here and frosting recipe found here. This cake was *so* good that I couldn’t help screaming at it in an accusatory voice, “Are you kidding me?!?!”  Don’t tell me I’m the only one whose yelled at a dessert…. :/

There was obvs too much frosting, but I decided to drench the cake in it (mmmmm). I then stuck it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. When served, the cake tasted like an Oreo ice cream cake, no doubt. Clocking in at about 500 calories for a piece of cake with frosting, it’s certainly a decadent recipe, but not something I’d make outside of special occasions.

Food News

• Is Kombucha really a magical tea? Read here. Muy interesante!
• Justins Nut Butter is coming out with new flavors, including Organic Chocolate Peanut, All-natural Chocolate Almond and All-natural Chocolate Hazelnut! These flavors will be available “soon” at Whole Foods. I don’t know when “soon” is, but it doesn’t seem soon enough. (News via Justin Nut Butter e-newsletter dated 1/12/10).
• Vitatops are going to be available, for a limited time, at Costco warehouses in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. I haven’t been able to confirm this myself (News via Hungry Girl here).
• Applebees and Dunkin Donuts have introduced (or continue to introduce) healthier options. Click here for more info. on Applebees and here for Dunkin Donuts. Just don’t pull a Taco Bell and tell me you’re on the Dunkin Donuts or Applebee’s diet ‘cuz I’ll have to smack you. Thanks.
• Dave’s Killer Bread Sin Dawg variety is now available at Fred Meyer Nutrition Centers in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho,

<3,

The Cranky One

And let the Holiday Bake Fest begin…

[Source]

You also know it’s holiday season when the baking bug bites even the most anti-domestic-goddesses you’ve met — you know, the people who usually scoff at cooking or who believe the kitchen is just the room with the microwave — and they’re all of a sudden breaking out the Betty Crocker mixes and bringing in their warped, yet delicious, concoctions to the office or to your doorstep. I guess this is a good time to remind you that no one out there is really going to de-friend you if you don’t partake in their baked goods.  If you’re really not feeling like you want to splurge on a cookie that even Frankenstein couldn’t love, in the words of the anti-drug slogan, just say no.   If I’m really not feeling trying some one’s baked goods, I don’t mind using a little white lie. What, did you think I was better than lying?!  Fools!  I’ve been known to say, sweetly of course, “oh that is so sweet of you and while those look AMAZING (*emphasize how amazing the goods look*), I’ve had my fill today and couldn’t possibly have more.”  Just make sure this person doesn’t see you scoffing down a cupcake or two later that day, but you get what I’m saying.  Do what you gotta do.

Of course, if someone brings in baked goods with a health slant, by all means, I’ll break out my fork faster than the judges on Top Chef!

So, even if the holiday season is like a grab bag of mixed emotions for you (it is for me anyway…), it’s always a choice whether to victimize or empower ourselves.

Perhaps the one thing I have to remember is that the holidays are more about giving than gaining (scale-wise, or metaphorically speaking, right?   I am going to begin compiling some of the coolest health-related gift options out there that are budget-friendly and sharing with you here.

One of the items I’m most excited to put on my list to give to others is the Hungry Girl Chew the Right Thing: Supreme Makeovers for 50 Foods You Crave recipe cards book to be released December 8, though available for pre-sale on Amazon.com for $11.55.

I think one of the most empowering things I’ve learned on my health journey is that if I don an apron and whisk, I can make (and eat!) my favorite foods while still staying true to my health goals and I want my friends who are hesitant to make their own foods to give it a try!  Hungry Girl recipes are perfect for that purpose!

I am also looking forward to trying more recipes from Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet

and seeing how I can make some of the dessert options friendlier towards my personal goals.

Must See of the Day

• Jezebel‘s, “‘If You Want To Be Popular, You Can’t Afford To Be Skinny’” (11/9/09) here — Check out this vintage ad and remember that how we perceive weight and beauty has always been a social construct!

Give-Away Round Up

• Win $35 towards an appliance at cookware.com here

How were your weekends?!  Nothing too eventful going on in Cranky Land — trying to get over my cold in time for my birthday trip to Disneyland this Wednesday — fingers crossed — and trying to wrap up on homework stuff as per usual.  What’s on your holiday list this year?

<3,

The Cranky One

If you’ve seen my recent challenge updates, I’ve been rollerblading… a lot…

How does an avid runner who usually shuns other versions of cardio as “frou frou” bring herself to rollerblade?

Umm…it’s super fun, duh!
Photo by Mag3737 at Flickr here.

Why I Love Rollerblading

• It makes me feel like I’m 10 again or like some 70s disco skater
• I get to whiz by all the runners who are huffin’ and puffin’ their little hearts out.  “See ya later!” I shout while flashing a devious grin (ok, so I don’t really do that, but it sounds like fun)
• It’s easy on my knees.  All the running I do means my little knees need a little break here and there.
• I feel like a tourist.  I blade at the beach w/ the boyf who rides his beach cruiser.  We get to see our beautiful beach city and the little restaurants and shops that we take for granted having lived here for so long.
• I avoid cat callers.  You know when you’re running on the beach and, though you feel like youre hauling a**, you’re certainly not running fast enough to avoid gawkers and pervs?  Well I’m just a blur to you now, pervs!
• I get really odd tan lines that I find rather funny (and a good conversation piece).   Am I the only one who finds that humorous?
• It actually burns calories!  Based on my weight, an hour of moderate rollerblading burns 410 calories says this site.  It’s definitely less than an hour of running, but definitely more than an hour of yoga (and more than that Hip Hop Hustle class where I just giggled and looked for the bartender).

Give-Away Round-Up

• It’s not too late to enter my give-away for Crispy Green freeze-dried fruit packs here.
• Twirlit is giving away some gorgeous bags here.  I’m all over it!
• Soap and Chocolate is giving away Holey Donuts here. Ends tonight!
• Fruit.Veggies.Life. is giving way loads of loot including energy bars here.
• Hop, Skip & a Giant Leap is giving away Amazing Grass here.

Did You See?

• Hungry Girl in the LA Times here and our own bloggie Danica is quoted!
• That’s Fit post on top 5 most “eco-friendly” energy bars here. They put Amazing Grass’s “Chocolate Whole Foods” bar on the bottom of the list due to taste!  Do you agree?

Any of you guys rollerblading this summer?  Doing any less “conventional” forms of exercise?  Experiencing pervs at the beach while running?

Happy Wednesday!

<3, The Cranky One

Hey guys!  I was doing my usual random health readings and research (*cough*NERD*cough*) and I came upon a BBC news report about there being a strong link between obese parents and their children of the same sex.  See BBC video here; The summary of the actual study may be found here.

If you know me, you know that I am very opinionated when it comes to health and parenting.  Do I have children of my own? Gracious no — I’m still a baby!  But it’s certainly not too early for me to start thinking about these important issues, no?   What I found most interesting is this quote from the study’s director:

“These findings could turn our thinking on childhood obesity dramatically on its head. Money and resources have focused on children over the past decade in the belief that obese children become obese adults, and that prevention of obesity in children will solve the problem in adulthood. EarlyBird’s evidence supports the opposite hypothesis – that children are becoming obese due to the influence of their same-sex parents, and that we will need to focus on changing the behaviour of the adult if we want to combat obesity in the child.”

Am I the only one who had a “no shit duh” reaction to this?

From Saltycotton on Flickr
Does a “Little Mother Goose” have little geese?  An obese mother goose, obese geese?

I mean, it’s true — we do spend a lot of resources on healthifying (yes, I know that’s not a word) school lunches and banning vending machines.  And, at the end of the day, we all know that these efforts really contribute little to a child’s overall future well-being if he then goes home and plops down next to dad on the couch and is spoon-fed lard from a tub.

Of course behaviors towards food and fitness are learned and particularly correlative between a kid and the same-sex parent he or she presumably mirrors most.  But this study left me cocking my head to one side and going…yea, but what about…

• Families where one parent is absent or might as well be considered absent? Isn’t the child, whether his or her parent is the same sex or not, going to mimic and copy those same lifestyle patterns regardless of the parent’s sex?  Yes, I realize the study said that kids are 10 times more likely to be obese if their parent of the same sex is.  But I think what the study is pointing to is that if the parent with the most influence is obese, he or she, in general, will rear obese children.  Do you agree? So, I feel that yes — we definitely should focus our resources on healthifying parents!  DUH!
• Families where one or both parent(s) lead unhealthy examples but are not obese? We’ve all seen these parents who eat like crap and yet are not obese – -usually because they are chain smokers, drug users, have eating disorders, have anomalous and/or fortunate gene pools or whatever — the point being that they do not get obese from typical “obese behavior.”  If, for some reason, the kid isn’t blessed with super-de-fatting-genes and doesn’t take on early-age drug use (or something), won’t the kids suffer a fate of being obese even if the parent(s) did not?
• Families with kids of multiple births? Being a twin, I always have to throw the twin angle into the mix.  Neither my mom nor dad were obese when my twin and I were obese.  Our older brother, also, was not obese. I feel like my twin and I were a bit accustomed to being our own familial unit and we both developed poor eating habits that spiraled out of control and were propelled by mutual reinforcement of these behaviors. In other words, we were not so concerned with mirroring our parents, but mirroring each other.  This is why when one twin finally got on the health band wagon, this twin did too.

What do you guys think about the relationship between parents and children and behaviors towards food and fitness?  Is there, in your view, more of a correlation between kid and parent of the same sex?  What about between siblings?

******
Remember to check out all the contests listed here and add these to the list:

• Want to win The Eating Well Diet Book? Click here.
• Want to win some swag and ginger candy chews? Click here.

Later this Week

• Another video post? Why yes, yes! I will be doing a review of some damn good vegan cookies sent my way. I know my facial expressions can get a little out of hand, but I just happen to be rather expressive! Hope ya find it amusing
• MizFit Thursday!

News Alert

• Macaroni Grill offering healthy options?!  I’ll be honest — Mac Grill is pretty much the last place you’d ever find me dining at.  But with that being said, congrats to them for getting on the “let’s do what’s right” bandwagon and offering some revised and healthier choices (for CA peeps only so far, sorry!). Check out some cool new options here and thanks to Hungry Girl for the heads-up!
• MixMyGranola alert — Get 20% off your entire order when entering promotion code “MIDSUMMER” at checkout.  Ends on Thursday, July 16th at 12pm.

<3,

The Cranky One

Here we go:

• Starting Weight: 138 lbs.
• Last Weigh-In June 22: 134.6 lbs.
• Today’s Weigh-In June 29: 133.6 lbs.



• Loss since last week: 1.0 lbs.
• Total loss: 4.4 lbs.
• Left to go: 5.6 lbs. by 8/1/09

Alright guys, here are my thoughts using a little help from popular song lyrics.
—
I’m stickin’ to my word and continuing to weigh in even though my focus has shifted from weight loss to strength-gain. All I care about is the fact that now I’m stronger than yesterday.

When all those old insecurities of being too fat, too this, too that, start to appear, I look them straight in the eye and say beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, no one wants to be defeated.  You know that old me who would say “all I want is to be skinny”?  I’m happy to report the old me is dead and gone.

I live my life running because one day you find, ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

— 

Anyhow, here are my daily exercise and calorie consumption stats from last week:

• Monday — 1700 calories, ran 3 miles, 35 min. strength training
• Tuesday — 2000 calories, rest day
• Wednesday — 2000 calories, ran 6 miles
• Thursday — 1200 calories, ran 5.5 miles
• Friday — 1300 calories, ran 3 miles, 2 hours strength training (abs, arms, back, chest, legs, shoulders)
• Saturday – 2000 calories, ran 6 miles
• Sunday – 1500 calories, 30 minutes strength training

Hindsight: I focused on eating intuitively and eating loads and loads of a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.  This was great!  You’ll see some days I ate much less or much more than others.  That’s what happens when you listen to what your body needs.  On Saturday, however, I did my 6-mile run early in the day and tried to eat lightly because I was going out to dinner.  Eating light despite very obvious hunger pangs did not pay off.  At dinner I still ate lightly and by the end of a long night I ended up over-eating even after being full.  Lesson learned!  Just eat when you’re hungry and you’ll prevent binge-like behavior later in the day.

What will I do next week?
Add one more day of strength training and continue the focus on eating intuitively.

An Extra Post?
To make up for not posting yesterday (shhh, I was nursing a bad hangover and catching up on some reading), I will be posting twice today (*cue the shouts of glee!* No shouts of glee? Darnit!  I really am the only one who cares!).  My post later today will announce a little project I’m undertaking inspired by all you health-minded folks out there.

Cheesecake Factory Nutritional Information Available

I would have saved this for another post, but I couldn’t contain myself.  The Cheesecake Factory is my favorite chain restaurant ever and I’ve always been so frustrated that the nutritional information for their menu was unavailable.  Hungry Girl released in an e-mail that the stats were made available here and, please take a seat, you will most likely be utterly shocked at the stats.  Let’s face it, this is not so much about calories as it’s about how in the hell you can even pack 67 grams of fat into an appetizer.  It’s like a malicious feat. I usually order the Grilled Chicken and Avocado Club (yes, I do make alterations — no cheese, no mayo, no butter on the bread, no bacon, substitute broccoli for fries).  These are the stats for that sandwich as it comes: 1397 calories, 23 g of fat

The boyf usually feasts on the Fried Macaroni and Cheese appetizer as an entree, coming in at: 1528 calories, 63 g fat (Yea, well who were we kidding with that one?! lol)

The good thing?  Here’s a chance to be a smart eater.  Now you can scope out the healthier options.  After perusing the stats, it seems like the best options are on the Weight Management Menu (this is the part of the actual in-restaurant menu that lists nutrition info.).  Otherwise, aside from eating a half sandwich, there are not many decent options with less than 600 calories.  Eesh.

Despite this grim news, I still love The Cheesecake Factory…not gonna lie…

Ok, I’ve written a novel!  Make sure to check back in on Thursday because Jen and I will be hosting MizFit for another question and answer session! Yippey!

How are you guys doing on your challenges? What is your favorite song lyric? Any health-related lessons from this past week you want to share? How do you feel about the Cheesecake Factory now?

Lisa offers healthier alternatives to some mainstream fatty foods in her e-newsletter, website, and books.  Her most recent book, a best seller, is called Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories.  I own it and use it for ideas on how to lighten up my fave foods.

She addressed the Washington Post article, published April 24, 2009 and titled, “‘Hungry Girl’ Has Found the Way to a Snacking Nation’s Heart,” in her e-newsletter yesterday.  Does she mind being called “The Queen of Processed Foods”?

Nope.  This is her response:

“…let’s face it: America eats processed food. These foods tempt us all day, every day. It’s unrealistic to think that the average person, who’s faced with fast food and processed food on a regular basis, can flip a switch and start following a completely rigid diet of 100% ‘clean’ foods. It just is. While it may work for some people, it’s not reasonable for the masses. So Hungry Girl provides a happy medium — a bridge between the average junk-food diet and the idealistic way of eating perfectly ‘healthy’ at all times. It’s not about following an all-processed-food diet. It’s a REALISTIC approach to better-for-you eating that people can actually live with and feel good about. Many of the processed foods I write about and use in recipes give people a way to fulfill their cravings for fattening items like fried foods, pizza, sweets, etc., without taking in a crazy amount of calories and fat. In other words, it helps people maintain a healthy weight without feeling deprived. Personally, while I do rely on those foods to tackle serious cravings, I’m actually sort of boring when it comes to my everyday food staples. I definitely don’t eat processed food all the time. I eat a lot of protein — things like turkey, chicken, egg whites, fish (tons of sushi with as little rice as possible), and steak (once in a while). I love to eat salads with low-fat cheeses, a LOT of veggies, and a small amount of fat-free or low-fat dressing (or none at all — I’m not a huge fan of dressing on my salads).”

What do YOU think? 

And Lisa isn’t the only one assuming, and banking on, that American’s love processed foods but want healthier alternatives.  The well-known Best Life program and Eat This, Not That franchise do too.  The Best Life program (known for Bob Green who became well-known through Oprah) puts its emblem on products it deems healthy.  It appears on products ranging from Skinny Cow ice creams to Slim Fast.  The program even boasts that eating foods with their label will “Help You Stay Healthy and Lose Weight.” I am conflicted on the issue of processed foods because I think there’s really a lot going on here.

Processed Foods.  Almost everything we eat is by definition processed some how.  I agree with Hungry Girl that it is unrealistic to tell someone who is trying to live a healthier lifestyle after years of eating 2 Big Macs a day to shop only the perimeter of the grocery store for fruits and veggies.  Give me a break.  Some people grow up only knowing processed foods and to change their lifestyles by 180 degrees in a split-second may work for a day.  Then a fast food billboard will start calling their name and they’ll phone a friend for an emergency McFlurry.  We can’t deny fast food and processed junk is ubiquitous. But…this leads to another issue.  Sure, I think processed foods are okay here and there.  But not all the time.  And really, all processed foods are not created equal and you should be an educated consumer.  At the end of the day, Best Life etc. are money makers.  Skinny Cow products, for instance, are loaded with high fructose corn syrup (but note, if you check my freezer, you will find some of their ice creams in there mmm yummy).  Slim Fast has the Best Life emblem? Yea. Alright. I guess it helps people manage their hunger and helps some lose weight and that alone can drop blood pressure, decrease chances for diabetes, etc., so that makes it “healthy.” But Slim Fast also might teach people to rely on their products instead of learning how to choose their own foods. My point?  Everything is give and take.  Be smart. Read labels. Weigh what’s best for YOU. Personally, I do not eat a lot of processed foods and don’t eat any “fast food.”  But that’s after years of evolving habits that just naturally progressed to where I am now. 

There’s also another part of the processed foods debates that has to do 1. with FDA approvals and the little icky things allowed to be present in our food and 2. the little icky things found in our food disguised by fancy scientific names.  I don’t want to get into it too much because it might gross you out and because, honestly, I don’t know too much about the issue aside from the fact that food processors are given some lenience to things like rodent hairs and insect parts being present in their food.  I have heard the counter argument that these “icky” things are present in “natural” foods as well.  If you know more about this issue, please share.

Some related articles/blog postings you might enjoy: 

• Fit Sugar’s “Are You Label Able?”
• Yum Yucky’s blog entry “Filthy Hidden Secrets of Canned & Frozen Foods”
• Yahoo’s Six Junk Foods Go Good (Guest post by Hungry Girl) – Read the comments. I love seeing people debate these things.
• Men’s Health’s 11 Secrets the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

Wow, all this talk of processed food really makes me think about my newly processed hair (hahah how do you like that segue?):

Is it too early in the morning for a self-indulgent “me shot”?    Have a wonderful day!

Based on the successful British series and popular cookbook, culinary experts Harry Eastwood, Allison Fishman and Candice Kumai show guests how to lose their unwanted inches by replacing extreme dieting with clever cooking. Each half-hour episode follows one guest as she learns simple ways to transform her favorite high-calorie meals into delicious, healthier fare.

The meals are prepared step-by-step, comparing the calorie count of the original recipe to that of the ‘Cook Yourself Thin’ version. The guest is then sent home with the ingredients, tools and tips necessary to make healthy changes in the kitchen. After six weeks of living the ‘Cook Yourself Thin’ lifestyle, each participant is visited at home by the hosts to check on her progress.”

Here are my general notes, observations, rants:

1. It seems this show hopes that by teaching someone how to make her favorite recipes in a less calorie- and fat-dense manner, she will carry these same methods over to everything she cooks and miraculously cook herself thin! No mention of exercise is made.  No mention of how to actually gauge the calorie content of foods is actually made (or how to count calories or whatever). The guest really isn’t armed with long-term, practical advice unless she is going to make the same less-calorie version of her favorite pasta dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of her life (and that’s assuming she doesn’t overeat them since we all know we can still overeat and get fat from the less calories version of our fave foods, right?!)
2. Well aside from giggling at the literal implication of the show’s title (what? It’s the English major in me!), I really wish the chefs would stop saying “and now you can cook yourself thin!” every five seconds.  We get it.  It’s the name of the show.  Brilliant.
3. The show banks on the type of guest who suffers from food ignorance more than food attachment issues.  In other words, if you’re taking someone who simply cooks gratuitously fattening foods because she enjoys the taste and is not really aware that using cream instead of nonfat milk is adding unnecessary calories to her diet, then yea, this show will teach her some great cooking tips.
4. But.  These simple swapping techniques will not help a person with any deeper issue than “I love to cook fettuccini alfredo and only know how to cook it with my grandmother’s recipe who hails butter and shuns the scale.” Your emotional or boredom eating, calorie-phobia or whatever, will not be addressed here.
5. I don’t get why the chefs wouldn’t go one step further to add to the health of the dishes they “recreate.”  Maybe the point is to do it in baby steps?  Sometimes I think the whole “baby steps” thing is lame and a hindrance.  Why cook a less cal version of penne pasta and still use refined, enriched, white flour penne?  I mean, come on!  This show should be more about health than a calorie per calorie play by play, right?  Maybe not…Maybe I’m just too cranky…
6. All crankiness aside, yes, it may generally be a good watch simply because if you like to cook it certainly will give you ideas of dishes you can make yourself and of simple swaps to make.
7. BUT – don’t bother to go check out their recipes on the site because they do not even offer the full nutritional information for the dishes.  That is super annoying, my friends!  Take this pizza dish, for example.  When I scrutinize it, I wonder – why would they list that one use “organic” tomato sauce but not organic bell pepper and basil?  I think people mistakenly assume organic means better (and it is better in some cases for some things) but at least be consistent.  Why not use whole-wheat pizza dough?  Or make the pizza on thin crust? Or make the pizza on whole-wheat tortillas to slash major calories?  Why not use low-fat mozzarella instead of just two measly tbsp of Parmesan to go around?  Lame.  And for 475 calories a slice (how much fat? I don’t know – they don’t list it!), you might as well get a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut for LESS CALORIES.  See here. Oh crap.  Even a slice of the stuffed crust pizza has more than 100 calories less than their “thin” version…

I say Hungry Girl should get her own Lifetime show and put these chefs to shame! Speaking of Hungry Girl, submit a photo of yourself holding up the 200 Under 200 Calories recipe book to media@hungrygirl.com and you might win a shirt.  I submitted my “glamour” shot

Don’t mind the sun burn mixed with pastiness mixed w/ I haven’t slept look…

Coming in tomorrow’s post…When Vegan Cookies Look Like This…

you know you’re no Chocolate Covered Katie and really should be cautious when experimenting…Even Frankenstein couldn’t love this experiment gone awry!

Have you guys watched Cook Yourself Thin? Read the book? What do you think?

*p.s. I hate when people ask “do you want to have your cake and eat it too?”  OF COURSE I WANT TO HAVE AND EAT MY CAKE!  Why would I just want to stare at it?  I would also like a scoop of ice cream on the side and maybe a shake to go with it, but that’s not going to happen, is it?

Let’s hope I’m not so cranky tomorrow.  This makes me happy:

He’s sleeping and dreaming about calorie-free mice while I write this

I’ve got lots to tell you all but I may not be around much this weekend given the monster of a paper I have due.  But, being the magnanimous gal that I am (haha), I will let  you know some things I’m looking forward to writing about soon!

1. Amazing Grass kindly sent me over tons of samples of their stuff.  Oh Amazing Grass, you are like an amazing grace.  Must be ‘cuz they’re from San Francisco (I hear that people up North are just cool like that). I can’t wait to sample and dish to you guys!

(Me excited to try the Green Super Food! Yes, that’s my excited face!)

1. My Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 Calories cook book arrived and I’m stoked to try out some of her recipes and let you know which ones make the feedmeimcranky cut!
2. Donuts. I know, I know.  I’ve talked about my beloved Holey Donuts too much, I’m sorry, but I can’t get over them. Today I tried the toasted coconut one (145 calories, 3.5 g fat) and I was like, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”  They are melt-in-your-mouth, I’d write you a sonnet you’re so good good. I’ve got my boyfriend and co-workers on the list to try them and I’ll bet you they’re going to fall flat on the floor like I did. Until MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, if you mix and match any 4 assortments, you’ll get FREE SHIPPING. Just enter “FRSH4″ in the coupon/promo box and hit recalculate. Sweet deal!

p.s. Was that Frank, the FOUNDER of Holey Donuts who commented on my blog here?! OMG I THINK IT WAS! Awesome job, Frank! You’ve got a fan for life here.

Alrighty, I’m off!

Epiphany
So I’m in Utah with my best friend who is running the Salt Lake City Marathon tomorrow. I was supposed to be running it with her.  And while I could get all worked up about how lame it is to make marathon-running a spectator sport when I would rather be at the finish line with her, sweaty and half-crippled, I’m not going to go there (but, believe me, I have!).  I guess the thing about my tendinitis is: it’s a wake up call before what could have been a devastating knee surgery or something else. Seriously, I was over-training and I was not getting enough sleep (which is vital for adequate post-work-out recovery).

As we were driving through the mountains today it came to me.  I am not superwoman.  I can’t do everything.  There are no excuses, but there have to be smart decisions in which I  weigh what the best thing(s) is(are) to sacrifice so that I may accomplish the things most important to me.  Getting 5 hours of sleep a night so that I can work, work-out, go to class, do homework, see my boyfriend, etc. etc. left me feeling falsely empowered, but surely paying the price. Thankfully, my little right knee decided to say “um, no.  Get some rest and leave me the hell alone.”  So I am listening.  And I am evaluating.  And I am sleeping.

House of Yum
Being here in Utah with Tamara reminds me of how important a change of scenery is for our worried hearts sometimes!  Plus, nothing beats seeing your best friend, her husband and her adorable baby while being pampered with the following home-cooked meals today.  Check this out!

Lunch at the Tamara House of Yum

Chicken Pasta salad:

• Grilled chicken breast marinated in sweet & tangy barbecue sauce
• Barilla Plus pasta with nutritional stats here:

• Italian dressing
• Mix together all ingredients = Love at first contact with taste bud.

Dinner at the Tamara House of Yum

(Sorry for the lame picture. I was too engrossed in eating to remember a picture until half-way through!)

• Grilled salmon marinated in lemon, Worcester sauce, garlic salt, pepper & parsley
• I made my potatoes: red potatoes quartered, Pam cooking spray to coat, rosemary, salt and pepper to season. Put in oven for 30 or so minutes at 450 degrees.  Fat free heaven.
• Organic spring salad and Italian dressing
• Rice for Tamara who is carb-loading for the big race tomorrow!

Product News:  Mix My Granola
No it’s not a new slang term (but it could be!).  Mix My Granola is a new site on which you create your own granola mix – like literally pick your granola base, fruits, nuts/seeds and extras (yogurt pretzels. chocolate chips, flax seed, chia seeds, etc.), pick a name for it (oh the possibilities!) and have it mailed to yourself!  The cost for a 16 oz box depends on what you choose.  The mix I’ve always wanted to try is: French Vanilla Granola, Organic Banana Chips, Dried Blackberries, Roasted Almonds, Pistachios, Oatbran Flakes, Organic Coco Shreds, Chocolate Mini Morsels & Peanutbutter Bites.  This would cost $11.91 + $4.99 (standard shipping rate) = $16.90.  One thing to note:  These mixes, like most granola mixes, are calorie-dense!  My mix will have 269 calories, 13 g of fat, 4 g fiber, and 5 g protein for each 2 ounce serving. It’s best to eat this as a seasoning (i.e. sprinkle lightly onto something else, less calorie-dense).  Use a tablespoon or so on some yogurt, atop apple slices, in cottage cheese, in cereal, etc.

So I have been wanting to order my mix, but my recent Holey Donuts and Hungry Girl expenditures made me feel I should postpone this possible love affair.  That was until…

I WON PRIORFATGIRL.COM’s blog contest for a certificate to MixMyGranola.com! Yahoo!  I am so excited to make the “Granola’s Not Just for Tree Huggers” mix.  I’ll let you know how I like it!

By the way, go check out Jen’s blog for inspiration without the b-s.  Plus, she seems like pretty rad girl.

I’ll end with a question:  Have you ever had to re-evaluate your priorities? Adjust your life to better suit what’s most important, even it means cutting certain things out altogether?