Instead I shot a video of me playing the guitar with my
Name that Tune.
Hint:
The title of the song has a food in it
I only played the first verse. My fingers hurt now.
Please don't repost this.
P.S. I was down .2 lbs this morning.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Day 12: Name that Tune
I went out to dinner with some friends. I cheated. I had cheese, I had something that was deep fried, I had eggs, I had a little bit of ice cream and I don't want to talk to about it.
Instead I shot a video of me playing the guitar with myawesome guitar skills.
Name that Tune.
Hint:
The title of the song has a food in it
I only played the first verse. My fingers hurt now.
Please don't repost this.
P.S. I was down .2 lbs this morning.
Instead I shot a video of me playing the guitar with my
Name that Tune.
Hint:
The title of the song has a food in it
I only played the first verse. My fingers hurt now.
Please don't repost this.
P.S. I was down .2 lbs this morning.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Plant-based Diet Days 10 & 11: High on a Low
On Day 10, I had gained a pound and a half and the crazy thing is this morning when I weighed myself I lost 2.2 lbs. which puts me at 4.7 lbs. lighter than when I first started the PBD (Plant-based Diet). Also, this morning I had weighed in the lightest I have ever been since I started tracking my weight back in March.
A couple of things since starting the PBD:
1.) I eat less because I feel full most of the time.
2.) I no longer crave meat or cheese as much as I once did, but I do still crave a little oil and butter especially in my cooking.
3.) Eating at ton of carbs does not make you gain weight which goes against everything I had been conditioned to think. As long as you eat carbs that are whole wheat, not processed and with no oil and low in fat, you can eat as much as you want.
4.) I don't know if I feel better than I did when I ate meat, but I do know that I do not feel bad at all. Actually, today, I had eaten a stir-fry dish that was oily (and I asked for no oil!) and I felt pretty gross and sick after eating the dish.
Day 10 Meals
Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Tortilla
V8
Lunch:
P.F. Chang's Buddha's Feast (Steamed)
Dinner:
3 Beers
I realize that makes me look like an alcoholerix or just a plain alcoholic, but I am not. I promise. I just was not hungry.
Day 11 Meals
Breakfast:
Vegetable Breakfast Sandwich from Old Soul (which is a cheat because I was on a high with my low weigh in and I wanted to treat myself. The sandwich consists of sauteed veggies in balsamic vinegar, avocado spread and english muffin that I'm sure contained butter).
Lunch:
Eggplant and veggies in black bean sauce from Ma Jong's which turned out to be super greasy. I ate about half of the dish.
Dinner:
What I would call Pasta with mushroom "creamy" sauce. I tried to make a type of white wine reduction sauce with mushrooms but it is impossible without using butter or oil. What I did instead was braise onions, garlic and white button mushrooms in a little bit of veggie broth and white wine and reduced the sauce. I added a little bit of wheat flour to thicken the sauce to make it "creamy". I also rehydrated a mix of dry mushrooms (crimini, oysters and portabella) in veggie broth then added the mushrooms and veggie broth into the sauce. I then reduced the sauce some more, then added instant brown gravy I had made for added flavor.
The dish turned out pretty good. I think the mushrooms and the gravy gave the pasta a good earthy flavor. I am not sure if the instant gravy is a cheat because it contained enriched flour -- but did not contain beef or oil.
A couple of things since starting the PBD:
1.) I eat less because I feel full most of the time.
2.) I no longer crave meat or cheese as much as I once did, but I do still crave a little oil and butter especially in my cooking.
3.) Eating at ton of carbs does not make you gain weight which goes against everything I had been conditioned to think. As long as you eat carbs that are whole wheat, not processed and with no oil and low in fat, you can eat as much as you want.
4.) I don't know if I feel better than I did when I ate meat, but I do know that I do not feel bad at all. Actually, today, I had eaten a stir-fry dish that was oily (and I asked for no oil!) and I felt pretty gross and sick after eating the dish.
Day 10 Meals
Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Tortilla
V8
Lunch:
P.F. Chang's Buddha's Feast (Steamed)
Dinner:
3 Beers
I realize that makes me look like an alcoholerix or just a plain alcoholic, but I am not. I promise. I just was not hungry.
Day 11 Meals
Breakfast:
Vegetable Breakfast Sandwich from Old Soul (which is a cheat because I was on a high with my low weigh in and I wanted to treat myself. The sandwich consists of sauteed veggies in balsamic vinegar, avocado spread and english muffin that I'm sure contained butter).
Lunch:
Eggplant and veggies in black bean sauce from Ma Jong's which turned out to be super greasy. I ate about half of the dish.
Dinner:
What I would call Pasta with mushroom "creamy" sauce. I tried to make a type of white wine reduction sauce with mushrooms but it is impossible without using butter or oil. What I did instead was braise onions, garlic and white button mushrooms in a little bit of veggie broth and white wine and reduced the sauce. I added a little bit of wheat flour to thicken the sauce to make it "creamy". I also rehydrated a mix of dry mushrooms (crimini, oysters and portabella) in veggie broth then added the mushrooms and veggie broth into the sauce. I then reduced the sauce some more, then added instant brown gravy I had made for added flavor.
The dish turned out pretty good. I think the mushrooms and the gravy gave the pasta a good earthy flavor. I am not sure if the instant gravy is a cheat because it contained enriched flour -- but did not contain beef or oil.
Wheat pasta is kind of an amazing food because I always feel really full after eating half of the serving I would normally eat with white pasta.
In other news about my exciting life that you all wish you had...
My phallic cactus is dead. I thought it was impossible to kill a cactus, apparently not with me.
R.I.P Cactus. You had an awesome 2 weeks of living with me.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Plant-based Diet Day 9: My legion of Twitter followers grew by one
Today marks the 9th day of my plant based diet and I feel like all I do when I am home is cook, wash the dishes, cook, wash the dishes, watch t.v., wash dishes, check facebook and so forth.
Wearing my gear, my cooking face and weapons of choice.
Meals
Breakfast:
2 Tortilla
V8
Lunch:
P.F. Chang's Buddha's Feast (steamed) over brown rice. I put the spicy mustard and soy sauce over the veggies as a sauce which made the dish so much better than just plain old steamed veggies and rice.
Dinner:
Spanish Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Sauce (Papas Brava - a spanish tapa)
I love side dishes and with this diet I feel like all I am eating are side dishes. I used Simply Recipe's recipe for the potatoes and the tomato sauce was fantastic. I did make a few modifications since I am not using oil. Instead of sauteeing the onions in oil, I used vegetable stock and I added red pepper flakes. Also, instead of roasting the potatoes in olive oil I tossed them in soy sauce. The potatoes did not quite turn out the way I had hoped because they did not get too crispy on the outside and they took forever to cook mainly because I have a really crappy oven. However, I would recommend making the tomato sauce because it is absolutely delicious and you can toss some pasta in there or top a baked potato.
P.S.
I had some rice yogurt vanilla flavored and it was disgusting. It tasted like rotten mushed rice.
P.S.S
I feel like I keep eating the same things (tortilla, potatoes, mushrooms). That is what my pantry and fridge is currently stocked with so that now that I've cooked up all of my potatoes, I am moving on to some Lentils, beans and pasta.
Weight: -1.1 lbs. from yesterday, -4 lbs. from day 1.
AND... I gained one Twitter follower today and I'm not sure what I tweeted to get @FuckTheShit to follow me but I am flattered?
Wearing my gear, my cooking face and weapons of choice.
Meals
Breakfast:
2 Tortilla
V8
Lunch:
P.F. Chang's Buddha's Feast (steamed) over brown rice. I put the spicy mustard and soy sauce over the veggies as a sauce which made the dish so much better than just plain old steamed veggies and rice.
Dinner:
Spanish Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Sauce (Papas Brava - a spanish tapa)
I love side dishes and with this diet I feel like all I am eating are side dishes. I used Simply Recipe's recipe for the potatoes and the tomato sauce was fantastic. I did make a few modifications since I am not using oil. Instead of sauteeing the onions in oil, I used vegetable stock and I added red pepper flakes. Also, instead of roasting the potatoes in olive oil I tossed them in soy sauce. The potatoes did not quite turn out the way I had hoped because they did not get too crispy on the outside and they took forever to cook mainly because I have a really crappy oven. However, I would recommend making the tomato sauce because it is absolutely delicious and you can toss some pasta in there or top a baked potato.
P.S.
I had some rice yogurt vanilla flavored and it was disgusting. It tasted like rotten mushed rice.
P.S.S
I feel like I keep eating the same things (tortilla, potatoes, mushrooms). That is what my pantry and fridge is currently stocked with so that now that I've cooked up all of my potatoes, I am moving on to some Lentils, beans and pasta.
Weight: -1.1 lbs. from yesterday, -4 lbs. from day 1.
AND... I gained one Twitter follower today and I'm not sure what I tweeted to get @FuckTheShit to follow me but I am flattered?
Plant-based Diet Day 8: Plateau No-More
I weighed myself yesterday morning and I was .2 lbs lighter than the day before, which makes me 2.9 lbs lighter than when I first started this plant based diet 8 days ago (not counting today). That is remarkable to me because when I was counting calories and exercising every day, I never lost that much weight in that short amount of time. The most unbelievable thing about this whole thing so far has been that I do not feel hungry ever-- AND I cheat! When I am hungry, I eat and I haven't been exercising much at all.
When I started counting calories back in March, my weight loss hit a plateau. For almost two months of counting calories and exercising, I did not lose a single pound, but I also didn’t gain. I even increased the intensity of my workout. I eventually just gave up counting and exercising and still hadn’t gained any of the weight back, but now that I have cut out meat, dairy and oil (most of the time), the weight seems to be coming off again. I don’t feel like I have put that much effort into it, except that now I feel like I am cooking all the time.
Meals
Breakfast:
Roasted Potatoes (catered so this is a cheat)
Mixture of Fruits
Lunch:
Salad with vinaigrette dressing (again, another cheat)
Dinner:
3 beers
Garlic mashed potatoes and oil free vegan gravy
Weight: -.2 lbs, -2.9 lbs. since Day 1.
When I started counting calories back in March, my weight loss hit a plateau. For almost two months of counting calories and exercising, I did not lose a single pound, but I also didn’t gain. I even increased the intensity of my workout. I eventually just gave up counting and exercising and still hadn’t gained any of the weight back, but now that I have cut out meat, dairy and oil (most of the time), the weight seems to be coming off again. I don’t feel like I have put that much effort into it, except that now I feel like I am cooking all the time.
Meals
Breakfast:
Roasted Potatoes (catered so this is a cheat)
Mixture of Fruits
Lunch:
Salad with vinaigrette dressing (again, another cheat)
Dinner:
3 beers
Garlic mashed potatoes and oil free vegan gravy
Weight: -.2 lbs, -2.9 lbs. since Day 1.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Plant-based Diet Day 7: Sunday is a really good night for t.v.
A couple of things:
1.) I weighed in this morning and my weight went up by .7 lbs., but according to my weight log, this morning I weigh 2.7 lbs less than I did Monday, when I started this plant-based diet. I hope that continues but the body is a strange thing.
2.) I started counting calories at the end of the day to see how much I have consumed and I always think I will go over because I keep eating (snacking, eating large portions) but amazingly I am always just right or even below!
3.) I started exercising again today and my goal is to do at least 30 min. on the bike everyday.
Meals
Breakfast:
Stir-fry mushrooms and brown rice leftover from last night's dinner
Lunch:
Tortilla chips (baked and oil free which by the way are nearly impossible to find)
Brown Rice Crackers
Chili
Whole wheat pasta with pasta sauce (I made and froze a couple of days ago)
Dinner:
Garlic mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy
Sauteed green beans
I didn't think there could be a vegan oil-free gravy I could like but this one is pretty good.
The ingredients:
1 cup of white chopped mushrooms
Half of a medium onion minced
2.5 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 or less of whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
First braise the onions and mushrooms in a little bit of broth for a couple of minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Using medium to low heat, SLOWLY whisk in the flour so you don't get lumps of flour. The sauce gets pretty thick so you may not use all of the flour. S&P to taste. It is pretty good. It doesn't taste as good as brown gravy using beef broth but I really enjoyed it.
The garlic mashed potatoes were sooo good. Just boil the garlic with the potatoes, drain and mash. Don't add butter and use soy milk. You can't even tell the difference. I promise!
1.) I weighed in this morning and my weight went up by .7 lbs., but according to my weight log, this morning I weigh 2.7 lbs less than I did Monday, when I started this plant-based diet. I hope that continues but the body is a strange thing.
2.) I started counting calories at the end of the day to see how much I have consumed and I always think I will go over because I keep eating (snacking, eating large portions) but amazingly I am always just right or even below!
3.) I started exercising again today and my goal is to do at least 30 min. on the bike everyday.
Meals
Breakfast:
Stir-fry mushrooms and brown rice leftover from last night's dinner
Lunch:
Tortilla chips (baked and oil free which by the way are nearly impossible to find)
Brown Rice Crackers
Chili
Whole wheat pasta with pasta sauce (I made and froze a couple of days ago)
Dinner:
Garlic mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy
Sauteed green beans
I didn't think there could be a vegan oil-free gravy I could like but this one is pretty good.
The ingredients:
1 cup of white chopped mushrooms
Half of a medium onion minced
2.5 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 or less of whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
First braise the onions and mushrooms in a little bit of broth for a couple of minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Using medium to low heat, SLOWLY whisk in the flour so you don't get lumps of flour. The sauce gets pretty thick so you may not use all of the flour. S&P to taste. It is pretty good. It doesn't taste as good as brown gravy using beef broth but I really enjoyed it.
The garlic mashed potatoes were sooo good. Just boil the garlic with the potatoes, drain and mash. Don't add butter and use soy milk. You can't even tell the difference. I promise!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Plant-based Diet Day 6: Outsider
I cheated because there is no room in this world for plant-based no oil dieters. Yes, I am blaming the world for my weakness. I was working hard cleaning my old house and got really hungry and needed something quick so I went to McD's and got a fish fillet sandwich and french fries.
I had spent last night laying on my apartment floor watching the room spin, so this morning I really needed a good breakfast. I love making scrambled eggs and hash browns... since I can't really have either, I tried to mimic roasted potatoes/hash browns.
Meals
Breakfast:
Potatoes with mushrooms, onions and zucchini
Ingredients:
2 potatoes
1 medium onion
1 small zucchini (optional. You can add whatever vegetable you have on hand like bell peppers or summer squash)
Green Onions
Soy Sauce
S&P
I chopped up the potatoes into small cubes and microwaved them for 5 minutes.
I sauteed the onions on a hot skillet. Sautee-ing is really difficult without oil and I am still having a really difficult time not burning the onions and setting off of my smoke detector. I guess the key is to put the onions on a hot pan and the liquids will release, then lower the heat. I like to put a little bit of vegetable broth when it starts to get too sticky. I then added the zucchini and mushrooms and potatoes. I season it with soy sauce to brown and S&P. Let the potatoes and all the other ingredients sit for a while without stirring so you can get a little bit of a burn or crisp outside on the potatoes.
Add green onions on top when you're ready to eat and I recommend using your favorite hot sauce.
Lunch
McD's
Dinner
Sauteed mushrooms, zucchini and onions (cooked in soy sauce, vinegar and ginger which produces a really great flavor)
Brown rice
Weight: -2.9 lbs... which is crazy right?! I am skeptical about that number. Since tomorrow will be day 7, I will count that weight as my net weight loss.
Plant-based Diet-Day 5: Cheap Date
I don't say this with any scientific proof but I think not eating meat, dairy or oil has significantly decreased my alcohol tolerance. I went out to happy hour with a friend and had only about two and a half beers in a span of about an hour and a half to two hours which normally that would give me a good buzz. I walked home, and once I got home, I was completely drunk as if I had spent the entire night drinking shots and not in a good way. I fell asleep on the floor, got up absolutely miserable, puked, then remained horizontal for the rest of the night. That all started at 5 p.m. Which is why I am now wide awake at 4 a.m. on a Saturday.
Meals
Breakfast:
baked potato
Nectarine
Lunch:
baked potato
Chili
Dinner:
2.5 Beers
Half a tortilla
No cheats!!!
Weight: -.5 lbs.
Meals
Breakfast:
baked potato
Nectarine
Lunch:
baked potato
Chili
Dinner:
2.5 Beers
Half a tortilla
No cheats!!!
Weight: -.5 lbs.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Plant-based Diet Day 4: Beans and Carbs
This morning I woke up not craving a ham and cheese croissant, a butter croissant or eggs and bacon and that is new for me. Also, I did not feel hungry or craved anything greasy throughout the day, I felt pretty satisfied. I think this is getting a little easier, but I am sure it will eventually get a little more difficult.
Meals
Breakfast:
3 Whole Wheat/Corn Flour Tortillas
Coffee (no cream)
Lunch
Curry Veggie Stir fry I made the other night
Dinner
Pear Cider
Smartdogs (fake hot dogs that are actually pretty good. I am not a big fan of fake meats, but this one I can live with).
Vegetarian Chilli (canned from the grocery store. It has no added oil)
I sliced and heated up the smartdogs in a frying pan then added the vegetarian chili and ate it all up with some tortillas. It was delicious and I am not just saying that because I'm not eating real chili with beef. The dish really was good and super filling and satisfying.
Cheat Confession: No cheats! (okay, I sprayed one spray of olive oil spray on the smart dogs when heating it on the pan but that doesn't count)
Weight Loss: +.5 lbs. (which I knew would happen)
Meals
Breakfast:
3 Whole Wheat/Corn Flour Tortillas
Coffee (no cream)
Lunch
Curry Veggie Stir fry I made the other night
Dinner
Pear Cider
Smartdogs (fake hot dogs that are actually pretty good. I am not a big fan of fake meats, but this one I can live with).
Vegetarian Chilli (canned from the grocery store. It has no added oil)
I sliced and heated up the smartdogs in a frying pan then added the vegetarian chili and ate it all up with some tortillas. It was delicious and I am not just saying that because I'm not eating real chili with beef. The dish really was good and super filling and satisfying.
Cheat Confession: No cheats! (okay, I sprayed one spray of olive oil spray on the smart dogs when heating it on the pan but that doesn't count)
Weight Loss: +.5 lbs. (which I knew would happen)
Plant-based Diet Day 3: Out-hippied the Hippie
Last night I got into a conversation with the worker at this hippie-ish coffee shop. I inquired about the salad and what dressing they had and told them I didn't want anything with dairy, meat or oil. One of the other workers overheard me and made a point to tell me he was vegan. As you probably would have guessed, he was white with dreadlocks. He told me he had been a vegetarian for 10 years then later decided to be a vegan. I told him, three days ago I was eating burgers but now I am on a plant-based diet. He went on a little longer about his "veganism" then stopped him to ask if he consumed oil and he said yes. I then looked at him and said with a slight pretentiousness in my voice, "Oh, I'm not consuming any oil or any fake processed foods like fake cheese." He had nothing left to say. I had done it. I out-hippied a hippie and I'm pretty sure hippies don't like to be outdone so that was a nice little reward for me.
A few minutes later he recommended I go to this place for the best ever vegan pizza. He clearly had forgotten what I had told him.
Meals
Breakfast:
2 Corn Tortillas with strawberry preserves
Lunch:
Pasta with tomato sauce I have been eating the last three days (thank God it's all gone now)
Peach
Dinner:
2 Beers
Baked potato with ketchup and mustard (it sounds ghetto but it is delish)
Greek salad (no dressing)
A little bit of last night's curry veggie stir fry
Food Cost: A little less than $10 for the baked potato and salad (not counting the beers).
Weight Loss: -.5 lbs (which is really nothing at this point because it will go up tomorrow)
I feel like I am eating a lot of carbs and goes against everything I had been doing when I started counting calories back in March.
Cheat Confession: Hungry Girl brand flat bread that had soybean oil in it.
A few minutes later he recommended I go to this place for the best ever vegan pizza. He clearly had forgotten what I had told him.
Meals
Breakfast:
2 Corn Tortillas with strawberry preserves
Lunch:
Pasta with tomato sauce I have been eating the last three days (thank God it's all gone now)
Peach
Dinner:
2 Beers
Baked potato with ketchup and mustard (it sounds ghetto but it is delish)
Greek salad (no dressing)
A little bit of last night's curry veggie stir fry
Food Cost: A little less than $10 for the baked potato and salad (not counting the beers).
Weight Loss: -.5 lbs (which is really nothing at this point because it will go up tomorrow)
I feel like I am eating a lot of carbs and goes against everything I had been doing when I started counting calories back in March.
Cheat Confession: Hungry Girl brand flat bread that had soybean oil in it.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
t.v.
There are too many shows to watch but now I have a DVR, to add to Hulu, Netflix and HBO OnDemand and just regular OnDemand.
From the Fall line up so far I have watched:
New Shows:
Up All Night - which I thought was pretty hilarious
The New Girl - it was ok, although I don't know if I can get that into it. I have to admit I may only watch it for Zooey Deschanel's outfits.
Shows I have been following since the beginning:
Sons of Anarchy - I don't know if I like this season that much, the "bad guys" (new cops in town) seem a little over the top and cliche.
Project Runway - Bert is the oldest most grouchy and bitchy old man it makes for great t.v.
Old shows that I started to watch and hooked on this season:
The Rachel Zoe Project - My guilty pleasure.
Season 2 of Boardwalk Empire is about to start and I cannot wait.
I'm never going to get my thesis done. NEVER.
From the Fall line up so far I have watched:
New Shows:
Up All Night - which I thought was pretty hilarious
The New Girl - it was ok, although I don't know if I can get that into it. I have to admit I may only watch it for Zooey Deschanel's outfits.
Shows I have been following since the beginning:
Sons of Anarchy - I don't know if I like this season that much, the "bad guys" (new cops in town) seem a little over the top and cliche.
Project Runway - Bert is the oldest most grouchy and bitchy old man it makes for great t.v.
Old shows that I started to watch and hooked on this season:
The Rachel Zoe Project - My guilty pleasure.
Season 2 of Boardwalk Empire is about to start and I cannot wait.
I'm never going to get my thesis done. NEVER.
Plant-based Diet Day 2
There is something really satisfying about eating a piece of meat... especially red meat. Something about the saltiness, greasiness and juiciness that just satisfies. Yes, I am fully aware that sounds extremely dirrty (with two r's). I'm just going to come right out and say, that I cheated and ate a couple of pieces of leftover beef broccoli but I threw the rest away.
Meals
Breakfast:
Slice of whole wheat toast with strawberry preserves
wheat/flour tortilla with strawberry preserves (so much better than toast)
Lunch:
Last night's pasta dinner
Nectarine
Dinner:
A cornucopia of veggies I got from my dad that he got from some farm and some tofu. I tried to stir fry it without any oil and seasoned it with soy sauce and curry powder. I have to say it smelled better than it tasted. Maybe because I ate it with whole wheat spaghetti noodles. Next time I will try eating it with rice. I cooked the noodles in water seasoned with some soy sauce for flavor.
Meals
Breakfast:
Slice of whole wheat toast with strawberry preserves
wheat/flour tortilla with strawberry preserves (so much better than toast)
Lunch:
Last night's pasta dinner
Nectarine
Dinner:
A cornucopia of veggies I got from my dad that he got from some farm and some tofu. I tried to stir fry it without any oil and seasoned it with soy sauce and curry powder. I have to say it smelled better than it tasted. Maybe because I ate it with whole wheat spaghetti noodles. Next time I will try eating it with rice. I cooked the noodles in water seasoned with some soy sauce for flavor.
I even had some dessert. More tortillas with strawberry preserves and an improvised margarita (using Skinny Girl margs and sparkly lemonade. The great thing about this diet is you can drink as much as you want.
I want a giant bag of potato chips but I will resist.
p.s. Yesterday I spent about $10 on my lunch, today, I spent $0 for the entire day.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Plant-based Diet Day 1
I knew it would be a challenge when I woke up wanting to eat something with cheese.
Meals
Breakfast:
2 slices of whole wheat toast (which has oil in it, but it is almost impossible to find bread without oil in it)
Strawberry preserves
V8 Juice
Iced Coffee
Lunch:
Chipotle salad with black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo, mild salsa and fajita veggies (which is a cheat because they cook it in oil).
Dinner:
3 Beers
Spicy spaghetti I made with onions, chili peppers, Crystal hot sauce, portabella mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
I sauteed the ingredients in a splash of white wine and the hot sauce, then poured the canned tomatoes and sauce and let that simmer for a bit. Pour over whole wheat pasta. Simple, filling and takes 15 minutes to cook.
Meals
Breakfast:
2 slices of whole wheat toast (which has oil in it, but it is almost impossible to find bread without oil in it)
Strawberry preserves
V8 Juice
Iced Coffee
Lunch:
Chipotle salad with black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo, mild salsa and fajita veggies (which is a cheat because they cook it in oil).
Dinner:
3 Beers
Spicy spaghetti I made with onions, chili peppers, Crystal hot sauce, portabella mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
I sauteed the ingredients in a splash of white wine and the hot sauce, then poured the canned tomatoes and sauce and let that simmer for a bit. Pour over whole wheat pasta. Simple, filling and takes 15 minutes to cook.
Cheat Confessions (yep, I totally cheated on day 1).
I had 5 pieces of plain m&ms, a bite of vegetarian lasagna and a couple of pieces of orange chicken leftovers. I had to get rid of them because I took some home from a party. I got rid of them so I won't be tempted tomorrow. Hopefully the cheating will be less frequent.
dear bacon, i'm quitting you... for about a month. love always, sarah a.
For the past three months I have not counted calories and I have not exercised regularly. When I first started counting calories in March, I lost somewhere between 20-25 lbs. but I hit a plateau and I am having a really hard time getting back on the wagon.
I'm going to try something new to shake things up a bit and it may be a little more difficult to do. I am sick of counting calories and I am sick of feeling guilty about what I eat so I figure the only way I can avoid that is by only eating things that are good for me, or at least not that bad for me. I have a friend who is doing this plant based diet (no meats, no dairy, no oil) of all veggies and fruits (except for avocados) and he has lost weight in just two weeks. This diet, however, is not so much focused on losing weight but instead it is focused on promoting heart health. I recently saw this documentary called "Forks over Knives" that features the two doctors who essentially "invented" this way of eating and I have to say it is pretty compelling. I think all documentaries are propaganda, but you can't argue against the fact that people in countries where they have a plant based diet have very small amount of heart and cancer related deaths.
Anyway, before I get into too much detail that I may present inaccurately, my goal is to try this plant based diet for one month and see how I like it. I can't imagine a life without cheese or bacon because one of my favorite things about being alive is experiencing endless amounts of different types of really good food. Entire cultures are represented in a dish and I love love that I can learn more about a group of people just by eating their food. So, I don't think I can adopt this diet as a lifestyle but I definitely know that I can learn a lot and adopt a lot of really good habits by attempting this diet.
My goal for 30 Days (starting Monday, Sept. 19):
1.) Eat a plant-based diet (with none or very little oil). Here is more about the plant-based diet: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
2.) Make low-cost meals
I will try to journal some of what I eat and approximately how much each meal costs. I don't want to spend more than $5 (maybe $10) per day on food (not including alcohol). I will also try to journal if I lose any weight without having to count calories.
I'm going to try something new to shake things up a bit and it may be a little more difficult to do. I am sick of counting calories and I am sick of feeling guilty about what I eat so I figure the only way I can avoid that is by only eating things that are good for me, or at least not that bad for me. I have a friend who is doing this plant based diet (no meats, no dairy, no oil) of all veggies and fruits (except for avocados) and he has lost weight in just two weeks. This diet, however, is not so much focused on losing weight but instead it is focused on promoting heart health. I recently saw this documentary called "Forks over Knives" that features the two doctors who essentially "invented" this way of eating and I have to say it is pretty compelling. I think all documentaries are propaganda, but you can't argue against the fact that people in countries where they have a plant based diet have very small amount of heart and cancer related deaths.
Anyway, before I get into too much detail that I may present inaccurately, my goal is to try this plant based diet for one month and see how I like it. I can't imagine a life without cheese or bacon because one of my favorite things about being alive is experiencing endless amounts of different types of really good food. Entire cultures are represented in a dish and I love love that I can learn more about a group of people just by eating their food. So, I don't think I can adopt this diet as a lifestyle but I definitely know that I can learn a lot and adopt a lot of really good habits by attempting this diet.
My goal for 30 Days (starting Monday, Sept. 19):
1.) Eat a plant-based diet (with none or very little oil). Here is more about the plant-based diet: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
2.) Make low-cost meals
I will try to journal some of what I eat and approximately how much each meal costs. I don't want to spend more than $5 (maybe $10) per day on food (not including alcohol). I will also try to journal if I lose any weight without having to count calories.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
in the band
I don't like living in regrets but one of the few things I can say I do regret is not being in a band. I want to be able to impress people with the "I used to be in a band" line, not "I used to be in band." See the difference? The latter is saying I used to belong in a large group of awkward, secretly sexed out geeks. That's right. We all know what you do at band camps, you band freaks.
Anyway, it's not too late for me to get this crossed off my list. Being in a band and writing a song is on that list I talked about in a previous post. The closest thing I can think of being in a band is when I played piano in church. We had a drummer, guitar players, bass player and singers. We had rehearsals and we got in disagreements, but saying "I used to be in a church band" just doesn't have that same effect now does it?
Holla if you'd like to be in my band. I hear people in bands get all the action.
Anyway, it's not too late for me to get this crossed off my list. Being in a band and writing a song is on that list I talked about in a previous post. The closest thing I can think of being in a band is when I played piano in church. We had a drummer, guitar players, bass player and singers. We had rehearsals and we got in disagreements, but saying "I used to be in a church band" just doesn't have that same effect now does it?
Holla if you'd like to be in my band. I hear people in bands get all the action.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
living space
Here are some photos of my living room. Because my apartment is old, I tried to with a mid-century modern vibe.
This is what you see when you first enter my apartment. I don't have much of an entry way.
Sofa, Coffee tables and lamp: IKEA
Ottoman: World Market (which I got on sale and doesn't quite match my couch, oh well)
Pillows: Marshalls, Anthropologie
Shelf and Side table: IKEA. The shelf was only $20 and the side table $25.
This is what you see when you first enter my apartment. I don't have much of an entry way.
Sofa, Coffee tables and lamp: IKEA
Ottoman: World Market (which I got on sale and doesn't quite match my couch, oh well)
Pillows: Marshalls, Anthropologie
Shelf and Side table: IKEA. The shelf was only $20 and the side table $25.
I don't think my fireplace works.
Round mirrors and clock: Target
Frames: IKEA.
Since I can't wallpaper, I really wanted to use something that was mid-century inspired on the walls so, I framed samples of wall paper. Wall paper is expensive so I bought the standard paper size samples for a dollar a piece. A place called Bradbury & Bradbury make these awesome vintage inspired wall paper. I eventually want to buy a roll of wallpaper and put it in a large frame.
The other week I was complaining about weddings but for the first time I got a wedding favor that I liked and suited my apartment. A vinyl melted into a bowl. Don't worry, it was only a Reader's Digest record.
Off to the side of my living room is my "office."
Wall File, Table, Lamp, File cabinet: IKEA
Metal shelf to the left, Old Map of the U.S: Vintage Store
1950s desk chair: My dad
The Stairwell
I got everything from the thrift store that is on this wall. I hollowed out the frames and kept the mirror. I plan on adding more frames.
The entry way
Curtains: World Market
Coat Rack: Urban Outfitters
The framed peep hole is my homage to the t.v. show Friends.
The key rack is made from an old drawer I got from a vintage store, along with the small chalk board. I mounted the drawer and added the hooks which I got on clearance from Urban Outfitters.
Key Rack 2: Etsy (it holds things I may need for my bike on my way out)
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