Baking, Cooking, Pondering

I've been doing all  the above the past week. I have new pictures in my digital camera to post, but im sitting in Federal Income Tax Law. We get a 10-min break, for a 3 hour class.

I've also been struggling with food. Do I eat too much? at the wrong times? I need to figure out what is going to work for ME personally to lose weight, and im struggling. I feel like i need to hit the reset button, start all over, reprogram my brain -- if only it was that easy. But im trying.

Dinner today was " nasty" in my fiance's words  -- some beef jerkey and 10 oz of unripe mangos. I wish I had more mangos and less jerky. But, honestly the only reason I even got the jerky was because of the protein content. How important is protein anyways. Esther told me someon told her that u have to take your body weight and divide in half, then eat that many grams of protein a day. Yikes!

Ugh, I have lots to decipher and I need to do it ASAP. I'm determined to prove people wrong. I get the feeling that people think I will never be thin, they sort of scoff when i talk about being thin in the future tense.

How much protein do you eat a day?

Photo blog, food blog, or photo food blog???

Some of the above breakfast later became this....

An easy summer smoothie, no juices required thanks to the watermelon. Once blended, it provides enough liquid for the whole drink . Watermelon, honeydew and an array of frozen berries make for a nutrition packed colorful glass.

Another great summer dish is the cabbage salad below:

 Simply layer julienned cabbage with grated carrots, julienned radishes, diced cilantro and sliced red onions until bowl is full.  Dress with the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of oilive oil, salt/pepper and 1/2 tsp of dried mint. This is one of those salads that tastes even better the second and third day.

Summer eats

Early mornings waking up to fresh cut strawberries topped with organic yogurt and blueberry flax granola.....

I LOVE SUMMER . That is, i love summer as long as my AC is able to keep my apartment at 80F or lower. Alas, it cannot, as soon as we turn of the AC, its up to 86 degrees again.

Nevertheless, I crave fruit and yogurt all day, and cooking is not as enticing, particularly since  the oven/stove functions as a heater.  Time for some creativity. What meals to you begin to make in the heat of the summer?

On another note, I whipped up a batch of guilt free whole wheat banana oat bran bread:

Whole Wheat Banana Oat Bread

Ingredients
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c oat bran
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp  cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp honey
2 eggs, 1 egg white
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Direction

Preheat oven to 350F

In a small bowl, combine the flour, oatbran, baking soda, baking power and spices.  In a larger bowl, combine the eggs, banana, sugar, honey and cream ( you can substitute the cream with 1/4 cup of either plain nonfat yogurt or 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce -- i didnt have either).

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once combined, STOP -- do not overmix.
Pour into pregreased loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Healthy Breakfasts

Scrambled egg whites served on top of an "alternative bagel" along with 2% American cheese and green onion, grapefruit

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 small very ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1/3 cup , 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp organic plain nonfat yogurt

Directions: First mix the wet ingredients together starting with the egg whites, vanilla and sugar, then add the spices and yogurt. Finally mix in the banana , and lastly the flour.
Makes  slightly more than 3 pancakes at 1/4 cup batter each.

A return to life, a return to health

The past few weeks have been very difficult for my fiance and I, particularly my fiance and his family.  We took a trip out of town this weekend, hoping it would serve as a distraction from the sadness of 2010, but came home only to witness his dog of 16 years pass away. Life is most definitely full of unexpected things and we can only do so much to protect ourselves. But, even if it seems healthy habits are not a guarantee, at least they are some sort of protection right?

Anyhow, I am making a rededicated effort to come back to the blog world and praying that we have had our fill of depressing news for the year.Over the past couple of weeks I have begun working out again, sometimes 2 -2.5 hours a day. I am working on finding a balance. As of yesterday,  I began tracking calories ( fun I know... but I need to slim down for the forthcoming wedding).

BREAKFAST:

A Western Bagel, "Alternative Bagel" 1.5 tbsp of whole foods cream cheese, and fresh honeydew/strawberries ( 296 cal, 40 carb, 14 fat, 12 protein)

LUNCH:

  Trader Joe's Veggie Masala Patties, 1 raw carrot, 1 cup fat free plain yogurt + cherry/pineapple popsicle (  463 cal, 46 carb, 16 fat, 19 protein)



DINNER:
Corn before -->

 

corn after...

Oven Broiled Corn on the Cob, Haricot Vert dish [recipe below] (  409 cal, 60 carb, 12 fat, 20 protein)

Recipe:

Sautee 1 medium one onion in 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on low heat, allowing it to caramelize. To aid in the process add a pinch or two of brown sugar. Next, add 2 cloves diced garlic and continue to caramelize.  Now add 2 cups of haricot vert and 2 medium diced baked potatoes ( microwaved works too). Stir well, and cook for a couple of minutes. Lastly, in a separate bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 2 egg white along with salt, pepper, and choice of spices.  Pour this on top of the vegetables and cover for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat until the eggs are cooked.  Makes 2-3 servings.

SNACKS throughout the day included a fuji apple, home made rice krispie treat and a couple more Popsicles. It was a hot day, what can I say. My apt got to 95 degrees at one point. (  487 cal, 63 carb, 1 fat, protein)

WORKOUT: 30 minutes on the eliptical , intervals ( 290 cal)  30 minutes on weight machines.