Friday, December 31, 2010

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Well we will finally end this year with snow and the temp right now is -14, that's not a type-o it's 14 below 0 @4am by the time I left to catch the bus it was -24 and when I got to work it was -30 degrees outside...coldest I have ever seen it here.


The buses were late yesterday (12/30) because of our snowy weather. I ended up taking the employee shuttle at 6:30 and then having it get stuck at the rec center. While we waited for help, I went inside and stepped on the scale. 176.6#....YIKES!

Anyways the last couple months I have had a real annoying problem with dry itchy skin that is driving me crazy. I scratch so much that I end up digging sores on my arms. I have always believe that the best way to care for skin was from the inside-out. I also want to see if I can improve some bathroom issues.

So for 2011,
I will really, really try to drink more water,
Decrease my coffee intake
Take vitamins more often
Get in a routine of using Noxema & hand lotion & foot cream...at least 3 days a week
Drink smoothies on my day offs (when I have more time to make them and clean up afterwards)
Reread my raw food books & catch up with some of my foodie blogs
Use the tracker items more often on sparkpeople
Make a big salad at work to bring home, whenever I am to tired to cook later

I have a book: The Raw Food Detox Diet and need to really take the time to sit down and read it & commit myself to living by it.
A bus driver and her husband came into Yavapai for breakfast today. Chatted with Rick about his diet...he has now lost about 85-95#. Mostly from cutting out what he called 'JUNK'...mainly greasy fried-foods & flour. Alot of what he said made sense; so now I will have my manager, Bob and Rick both as inspiration this Winter.

http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/ just a new site I found last night
http://veganhope.com/ an interesting lady who is losing weight and CURING her own diabetes
http://blissfulhope.wordpress.com/ site I found awhile ago & bookmarked & need to catch up on.

Friday, December 24, 2010

A new me, for the new year

Well it's that time of year again; when people start making resolutions for the coming new year. It never seems to work for me but here I am again thinking about what I want to do differently for the coming year.

Now 1 of my managers has already started on a new diet because he realized while he was on vacation in Vegas, that his pants were to tight. So now he is not eating grains...no bread, no pasta, no rice, no crackers. Lately he has been telling us EVERYDAY about how much better his pants fit, and asking each of us if we noticed any difference. Funny because the first Winter I met Bob, all I ever saw him eat was cereal and drink warm water at work. He lost ALOT of weight that first year.(But he also ended up with prostate cancer the 2nd yr he was here).
I think Bob has the right idea of getting us all interested in his diet so we can keep an eye on him.

Anyways I have been whining alot (even more to myself then online) about my weight & health issues...and even though I read alot online about these issues, I don't really change much.
You know that old saying...A sure fire definition of insane is~~if u keep doing the same old thing but expect to see different results. Well I must be insane.

Honestly, I still eat to much crap and never on a regular schedule either. I will either spend a whole day with just coffee & microwave popcorn or I will pig-out at the cafeteria. Then I spend to much time sitting on my butt with my laptop.

I'm not really sure how I can get the energy or the motivation or desire to move around..no matter how many health magazines I read or how much time off from work I get...nothing really gets changed.
So I can tell u that I want to lose 50 pounds next year...hell I have been saying that for years now. Now I gotta figure out a way to really, really do it. Its a little less then a pound a week.

Friday, November 26, 2010

35 more days

35 days...that's what is left for 2010

Then of course everyone will go around asking everyone else "Whats your New Year's resolution?" Actually I think its silly. I could make 1 now and already have it shattered by the time the New Year even gets here.
I should make the resolution to just not eat as much for Christmas as I apparently did for Thanksgiving this week. I don't want heartburn for Christmas. (thank god for a co-worker mixing me up baking soda & water 2 hrs later...it really does cure heartburn)

See, then after Christmas I just might do another resolution for the New Year....actually I should just plan on doing a different resolution every month because a month is about the longest I can go for 1 resolution. So instead of having 1 resolution for 2011, I will have 12.

Oh yeah...seeing as it has been awhile in-between blogs here; I guess I should mention that when I went to the rec center for the craft bazaar on the 20th, I also stepped on the scales and weigh 168# now. I think the last time I checked I was about 175. Actually I can't even remember when that was.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Take-out from Cafeteria


My late lunch from last week:
I got a side order of rice & a side order of black beans with some diced tomatoes mixed in...side of guacamole (which I never used). The rice & beans were yummy enough without the guacamole.
The soymilk & banana was saved till morning to use with cereal.
Yummy fruit plate: 2 pineapple rings, 2 orange slices, bunch of grapes, 2 slices of honeydew & 2 slices of cantaulope with tiny container of yogurt in the middle.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Breakfast

Well in 6 days I will be out of work for just over 3 weeks...WOW! So this morning I am looking through my food shelves to see what I have and what I need to buy that will last me through that time. Also looking in a couple cook (and uncook) books for new ideas.

Here is what I came up with so far for breakfast-

#1 fruit Salad (whatever is in season & on sale)

#2 fruit smoothie (whatever is on hand)

#3 apple slices with peanut Butter

#4 Naked juice with "mighty greens" added

#5 yogurt & granola

#6 Hemp cereal with soymilk or yogurt

#7 Instant Oatmeal with Protein powder & Peanut Butter

#8 Instant Oatmeal & Frozen Blueberries

#9 Rice with Soy Milk & cinnamon, raisins, nuts

#10Soymilk, Protein Powder & Banana....smoothie

Unfortunately I have to get another juicer as I no longer have 1. But I'm starting to wonder if I could tolerate just rotating those 10 breakfasts all month long or maybe even all Winter long. Guess the only reason I would need to go down to the employee cafe would be to get some fruit & yogurt & the individual serving containers of soymilk. Hey if Im only using soymilk for 3 mornings a week then there is no reason to buy a big expensive container at the general store.
The general store does have hemp milk, and I tried drinking it straight from the carton but I didn't like it at all....NO FLAVOR, just COLORED WATER. But maybe it would be ok in #10's smoothie.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Weekend Snacks

Yes I have this weekend off from work. So I made sure to go to the general store yesterday when I got out of work.

small bag of baby carrots & guacamole~~the store was out of the brand of hummus that I liked.
2 small potatoes~~also got shredded taco cheese & pound of real butter
2 bell peppers & 2 small onions & 1 broccoli head~~already have Italian dressing at home
grapes~have learned that these are easy to eat at night while online
Motts cinnamon applesauce~think it will be the last time getting this

I am also taking a 3 week "LOA" from work in November while my cafeteria is closed. I guess you could call this time "my financial diet". So I might be living on most of the above items for most of November....except I will trade the applesauce in for pears & real apples & pomegrantes & bananas (whatever is on sale). I will probably use yams instead of white potatoes even though yams cost more yesterday.
Luckily I already have a stocked shelf of instant oatmeal, peanut butter, rice, & coffee.

Now I need to get off the computer and clean & take trash outside & leave some stuff on the "free table"downstairs.
So grabbing grapes & veggies dipped in dressing is the easiest way for me to eat today

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Planning ahead

Well I have the weekend off. Started my day with instant oatmeal and 2 handfuls of frozen blueberries added to it. Got the idea of adding frozen berries to oatmeal from Marge & Bob, when we all went to Washington D.C for Allan's retirement ceremony. Who says that you can only add bananas or raisins to cereal? Good thing I ordered a few boxes of instant oatmeal from Amazon.
Actually today I will save the banana to put in my peanut butter sandwich. I also ordered 6 jars of chunky peanut butter from amazon..



It's better for me to order food now from amazon, then to wait till the middle of Winter when work hours get cut and then have me complaining about not having enough money for food. Or have me eating the cheap junk around the park.




But I will be buying lots of apples, pears and found out that kumquats are in season from November-March so I want to try those too...have seen them in the Flagstaff stores and thought they looked like little mis-shaped tangerines. Actually they are the size of some cherry tomatoes but I guess they pack quite a bunch of Vit A & C and potasium in their small size. So guess I will be having plenty of fruit salads this winter.
I had also seen a smoothie recipe online somewhere (it might of been on sparkpeople) that used pumpkin in it. I plan on using canned pumpkin seeing as I have no kitchen to cook a real pumpkin...and I can use either soymilk or plain/vanilla yogurt. Oh yes, I need to go find that recipe.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

work-outs might be affecting my job


My co-workers have always thought I was nuts for getting up so early in the morning. I don't have to catch the bus until about 5:10am, but I am up anywhere between 1am-4am. I don't use an alarm clock and still manage to get to work on time and in a good mood.
If its not cold/windy outside I can take the jumprope out into the parking lot for a few minutes...I live on the top floor so it's not a good idea to stay in my room at that time with a jumprope.
This morning I finally watched the latest Biggest Loser show on hulu.comand then did 1/2 of a Biggest Loser DVD.
Now just this week someone asked where the "real" me was...LOL
You see I even have more patience with guests in our cafeteria and would run around grabbing condiments for people instead of just telling them where they can go find it.
There are a few hours during the day, when business slows down and I usually got bored to death. So this week I have started doing easy-simple stretches right in the dining room...course now my co-workers are thinking I have totally lost my mind.
I am even going to start keeping track again on what I am eating (the green book in middle of pic is my food tracker). Mostly I have to learn not to drink so much coffee or Raspberry Ice tea at work.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September

Summer season is almost over....actually its been windy outside this last week
and in the mid-high 70's during the daytime.

ok, recently I stepped on the scales and found out my weight has crept back up
to 175#. So this week I spent some time in Flagstaff,AZ and went to a couple new
places to eat. Now mostly what I ate was vegetarian food and it was all yummy:
even had couscous with almonds & fruit for breakfast at Macy's coffeehouse. Had
lots of veggie sandwiches/wraps for lunch & dinners. My 1 splurge was a teeny
slice of peach cheesecake at Macy's last night.

Now during Fall season, the produce section of the stores will be changing a bit
again. So I will be able to get more zucchini, squash, broccoli, grapes, pomegranates,
pears & yams/sweet potatoes now. Supposedly Guava is a Fall season fruit so I think
its about time I try that. Luckily Bell peppers, carrots & avocados are available
year-round because I love all 3 of those.
So if anyone has yummy recipes for squash please pass them on...remember I live in a
dorm-style room without a kitchen....meaning I don't have a stovetop or oven but I do have a rice cooker & crockpot that I should start using again.

Business at work has been slowing down, which means that I will have more time to go
walking...will just have to remember to carry my jacket around more often in case I
get sent home early.


For September:
I will drink more water & less coffee
Eat more Salad at work
snack on grapes or frozen fruit (like in my background pic) instead of boxed
crackers
Go for a walk couple days a week

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Dining out in Flagstaff

This was the appertizer at "Dara Thai~a Thai restaurant down the street from the train depot. This was called "Spinach wrap" I think. I have never ordered it before and was not even sure how to eat it.
Fratelli's is just down the street (past Biffs Bagels) from the hostel. I liked the fact I could get Zucchini on my pizza but I wasn't thrilled with the crust as it was to thin (which makes it slightly crispy). We can make jokes about policeman stopping at all the donut shops, but now I can make jokes about fireman stopping at all the pizza places....They parked a huge firetruck right outside the door of Fratelli's so 2 firemen could walk in and order food.


My last night in Flagstaff I went to "Altitudes Bar & Grill". Cozy place, friendly staff, yummy food and some corny old entertainment...all set in 1 of Flagstaff's historical buildings.
The picture above is Honey & Walnut Crusted Salmon over a bed of Pasta with veggies...the veggies were P-E-R-F-E-C-T...to bad I couldn't say the same for the toast that is sitting on the side.

There were a few other new places in town that I found (at least new to me) and when I go back to Flagstaff next week, I will try a few more new things.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Food Co-op baskets

Our food co-op is every other Saturday. I have now asked to have Saturdays off in July & August just to make sure I can get the baskets for the Summer.




1 of the organic boxes with avocados, grapes, cauliflower, kale, berries, celery, plums & a bunch of other yummy stuff.


volunteers filling the baskets



The white baskets are the regular conventional orders.
Thats my granola & bread on top of the white basket.
My regular order & 2 bags of granola & 5 loaves of 9-grain bread cost $46
Next time I will order 1 regular & 1 organic basket

Monday, May 24, 2010

NEEDing a change that lasts

I have dabbled in the raw food world a bit before, BUT when I get bored, tired, to lazy to walk to the store, or when I'm hanging out with my friend Brenda for a weekend I will munch-out on pasta, chips & brownies. Which is probably why I have gained almost13 pounds in the last 3 & 1/2 months.

I also bruise easily (not sure if that's food related) and I'm tired of itchy skin, rashes, acne, diarrhea, cramps, and I have had gotten headaches in the last 2 yrs that were worse then anything I have had in my entire life.

Growing up I heard dad say numerous times "You are what you eat, if you eat junk then you become junk".
He must of been right cuz even though I got rheumatic fever & scoliosis as a kid, I never felt sick and didn't have any cavity until I was 17.
After my brother & I grew up & moved out, dad must of assumed that he no longer had to set a good example and started eating junk. Now he also has a lazy susan sitting in his coffee table full of medication for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and who knows what else.

This week I joined a couple "raw" forum sites:
www.30bananasaday.com
seems pretty active with quite a few people posting regularly.


In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.-
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is more powerful still.-
When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no "I'll start tomorrow." Tomorrow is disease.

Monday, May 17, 2010

more weight

Well after 2 & 1/2 months I finally walked up to the rec center and got weighed again. Jan 30th I weighed 160#, About March 1st I weighed 170#, Today 172.8#...not much more BUT the numbers are going in the wrong direction.

I have also found a Weight Watchers group meeting in Tusayan. The group meets at the Squire Inn on Tuesday. Guess I should really think of joining after my vacation....which is in 2 & 1/2 weeks.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

HUMMUS

Our cashier (Martha)was texting our old manager, Patty~who moved to FL. Patty sent a messege that she was eating tomato,pineapple & hummus. I assumed Patty made some kind of sandwich...I envisioned spreading hummus on pita bread, sliced tomatoes & putting in pineapple rings.
even though the pinapple sounded a bit strange to me. The cashier had to ask us "what the heck is hummus?"

So after work today, I bought a can of pineapple rings, a package of sandwich thins, and some hummus. The store didn't have the flavor I usually like so I picked up a container of "spicy three peppers" flavor, along with 2 different kinds of crackers. So if Martha doesn't like the sandwich maybe she will try the crackers dipped in hummus.

Martha jokingly calls me & Patty "wierd" cuz we eat stuff that is not normal for Native Americans (or anyone) growing up in AZ. Maybe after tomorrow, she will add a wierd food to her next grocery list.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

breakfast cereal


What do tie-dye shirts, the Beatles & I have in common...we all exploded into the world in the 60's.
In fact I'm wearing a tie-dyed shirt today as I type this and I have a Beatles poster on my wall.
I've always liked granola snacks and some type of granola cereal that my ex-MIL used to get from her church.
Well I went grocery shopping in Flagstaff yesterday and bought this cereal...tried it twice before and I LOVE it! Maybe next time I'm in Flagstaff I'll pick up the "Flax Plus with Pumpkin Seeds" cereal...which I have never tried.
Actually I could just order both on amazon and have them delivered to my P.O. box.
The Hemp Plus cereal also has a hot cereal variety that I haven't tried yet.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

10 weight-loss commandments

I got this messege from someone else and thought it was pretty clever and didn't want to forget it...seems she got it from "DR.OZ"

1. Thou Shalt Not Wear Pants that Stretch Your clothing is your early-warning system for weight gain. When it’s getting hard to snap your jeans, you know it’s time to be vigilant. Wearing stretchy clothes allows you to live in ignorance of how your body is growing, making it easier to pack on pounds without knowing it. ( how TRUE how TRUE...been there DUN that!!!!

2. Thou Shalt Not Keep Bad Clothes in Your Closet When you keep the clothes you wore at an unhealthy weight, it gives you a back-up plan if the pounds don’t come off. Instead, force yourself to stay on track by 86ing your “fat pants.” (well keep ONE pair to REMIND you where you came from!)

3. Thou Shalt Not Eat Meat That Walks on Four Legs More Than Once a Week.. Meat that comes from an animal with 4 legs is higher in saturated fat (the unhealthy kind) than that which comes from 2-legged animals such as chickens, or animals with no legs, like fish. Plus: women who eat large amounts of red meat more than once a week have a 50% higher chance of dying from heart disease and have higher cancer rates.

4. Thou Shalt Not Graze Plan your meal before you open the refrigerator, get what you need, and close the door. Opening it throughout the day leads to impulsive choices and overeating.

5. Thou Shalt Not Eat After 7:30pm When you eat late at night you are more likely to be eating in front of the TV (when you won’t pay attention to how much you’re putting in your mouth) and you’re more likely to pick high-calorie snacks.

6. Thou Shalt Not Pile Food More than 1 Inch High or Within 2 Inches of the Plate Edge Larger portions equal more calories. ‘Nuff said. (My BIL used to make a MOUNTAIN of food on his plate. To this day he is still slender...go figure!)

7. Thou Shalt Not Chew Food Less than 20 Times Per Bite Chewing allows your body to realize that you are eating food, prompting it to create a sensation of fullness at the appropriate time. When you don’t chew enough, you get ahead of that process, eating well past when you are actually satisfied. (this is REALLY one to emulate....ME included!!!!)

8. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Plate Spend your day nibbling bites on someone else’s sandwich or afternoon snack, and you will add on 1,000 calories easy. (don't even look!)

9. Thou Shalt Not Carry Small Bills Nothing loves a small bill better than a vending machine. When you have them at the ready, you are one step closer to an impulsive, calorie-loaded afternoon slip up. (I am not tempted by vending machines, however, this is really helpful for those who are!)

10. Thou Shalt Not Eat While Standing Up Eating sitting down enables you to be aware of what you’re eating and eat it slowly so that your body can tell you your full before it’s too late. (oh NO what about the fast food places, where that is all you DO!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Our General Store

It's another snowy day out, so I decided to see what pictures I had on my laptop that I haven't used in a blog yet. I found quite a few from inside our general store (and we only have 1 store inside the National Park). My other blog has pics of the gift sections.


with those prices I didn't buy any yellow peppers.
I think $2.29 is a bit much for broccoli too. Why are Red peppers $1.20 cheaper then yellow peppers?????
Store workers are getting used to seeing me walk around with my camera.
The "Thai Kitchen" & "Tasty Bites" are quick foods for people who only have microwaves, but way to much sodium in them.


Now I have not tried these new milks. I did try the chocolate hemp milk. I don't like drinking it straight out of the carton. It's just colored water without much flavor, but maybe I will try adding it to my smoothies.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Yavapai Cafe is open


Our chicken station~alot of people that came in today bought the fried chicken.
:)We no longer sell "Chicken Parmesan" or the creamed spinach.


:)Ernestine was setting up the salad bar. Boy did I ever miss the salad bar during the Winter when Yavapai was closed.
:)I got 1 of the new "Naked" juices...Orange Mango Motion flavor
Taste pretty good but at $4 a bottle, its pretty expensive. Sure glad I get an employee discount.
Al made beef stew & cornbread for todays special. I didn't want any beef stew but I made sure to bring home some cornbread. Sometimes I think AL should open his own bakery/ bread shop or something.

Friday, March 5, 2010

weight gain

Sorry I haven't updated this blog as much as the other one.

Well on Jan. 30th, I got weighed at the rec center and was 165#. I got weighed again this week and was up to 170#.
OMG~the scale is going in the wrong direction. I was hoping to be in smaller clothes when I take my trip in June...but not at this rate.

Today, Yavapai is reopening. I'm so glad as I miss their salad bar during the winter.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Heartburn

I've been having a bad case of annoying heartburn this week. I've had more heartburn this week then I've had in the last year. I wake up a few times a night with it and even had to fall asleep in the chair just so I wouldn't lay down. I now finally have Tums in the medicine cabinet.

I mentioned it to a couple of my managers at work, and they both got worried telling me that heartburn could be a sign of something seriously wrong. I was like, huh? Its just heartburn~I used to get it when I was pregnant (and no that's not the case now).

Anyways tonight after I got sent home early from work because of my hacking cough, I decided to do a quick search online. Seems like heartburn can have symptoms that feel much like the same symptoms as for angina. But enough of a difference so I'm pretty sure I ain't suffering from angina.

So while I was sitting at the computer tonight I got hungry and grabbed a banana...wouldn't ya know it. The heartburn hit about 10 minutes after I finished the banana. Now I always thought heartburn would be caused by fried food, to much coffee or just plain pigging-out; not from 1 banana. Bananas are supposed to be good for you....you know how sometimes when you feel sick and the doctors tell you to eat the "B.R.A.T." diet, well I was feeling ok when I started eating the first part of it...B=banana...so why would a banana cause heartburn?


So if anyone reading this has any "cures" for heartburn...please pass them on to me, so that I can sleep through the night.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Heaven in a Blender

~Crispy Hippie Smoothie~

8 ounces soymilk

1 scoop Whey Protein~ Chocolate

1 whole banana — peeled & frozen

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter

1/4 cup granola

Place all ingredients, except granola, in blender and process for about 45 seconds or until smooth. Add granola and pulse a few times until well mixed.



Now who can resist peanut butter & chocolate? Hey this is my healthier version of the Reese's candybars.

******************



Pina Colada Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup frozen pineapple pieces
1 frozen banana, peel banana before freezing
3/4 cups soymilk
1/2 cup frozen vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoon coconut


Preparation
Combine all ingredients together and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usually I don't have the ingredients for those above on hand much. Recently I bought frozen peaches & frozen blackberries to use in my smoothies. This week I haven't been feeling good and just not in the mood to eat to much "normal" food, so I am very thankful for my blender right now.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

diet/fitness horoscopes & personality quiz

After weighing myself yesterday and having the scale tell me that I weigh 165#...I was not to happy with that. So today I went online and have been searching for a bunch of diet type stuff,
because my son graduates in 18 weeks and I plan on going home in smaller clothes.


Healthy Eating Horoscopes
-- By Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer
Pisces: February 20 – March 20
The Pisces sign is naturally drawn to the arts and this applies to cooking as well. A meal becomes a work of art in your hands. Food has to taste good and look good in your book, so you give each meal a little flourish to make it extra special. You love to show off your cooking skills and nothing makes you happier than hosting a dinner party. The more the merrier in your opinion! You appreciate the mystical side of life, and that comes across as deep gratitude. Your heart is genuinely filled with appreciation every time you sit down to eat, so take a little time before each meal to be thankful. You'll also enjoy sharing your blessings by volunteering at a food bank or community garden so that you can help others who aren't as fortunate.


Healthy Fitness Horoscopes
Pisces: February 20 – March 20
The Pisces sign is naturally drawn to arts like music and dance. This opens up lots of fun fitness possibilities. Why not take salsa lessons with your partner or hip hop dance classes with a group of your friends? Nothing compares to an evening of dancing—it’s fun and burns tons of calories! Even if it takes you a while to pick up the steps, you'll have so much fun that it won't matter. You sometimes feel frustrated with the limitations of the human body—you don’t like to be told you can’t do something! Push your fitness to the limit by learning new, exciting skills like downhill skiing, tennis or golf. You believe that there’s more to the world than what you see with your naked eyes. Your heart is genuinely filled with love and appreciation. Tune in to your mystical side by taking yoga and meditation classes.
**************************************
Now below is my results from a dieting personality quiz I just took today...some I agree with & some I don't.

FAST FUELER PERSONALITY:
Convenience is everything - and it's a problem. You tend to be on the go a lot and have a no-nonsense but inconsistent approach to health and fitness. The rational side knows about good nutrition and how it helps you get more done. But eating right all the time is a real hassle, especially when you just want to know what tastes good! Moreover, you prefer to eat when hungry but your busy schedule makes it difficult. Relatively speaking, it is also likely you have less weight to lose compared to most.
Fast Fuelers as a general rule tend to get caught up in what they're doing and sometimes forget to eat. A skipped breakfast or lunch is a recipe for trouble, usually ending up in an evening or late night calorie load-up. Fast Fuelers do not necessarily eat a lot of fast food, but your hectic day can lead to unhealthy food because a trip home or the grocery store just isn't convenient.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Retake control of your diet with meal planning, convenience, and more consistency. Spacing out smaller, more frequent meals will keep your energy reserves stable and avoid the highs and lows of "grab and go" meals and late night snacking. You need to structure good nutrition into your day (like other appointments) to avoid the compromising situations that cause you to skip meals or hit the drive thru. You are likely an excellent do-it-yourselfer in other areas of your life. Plan and pack ahead. Use that advantage of discipline and determination to stick to a real plan!SparkPeople's structured meal plans match your caloric needs and take the guesswork out of healthy food choices. Our searchable 10,000-food database makes it easy to plan ahead and keep track of calorie levels, overall nutrition and your weight loss progress. Choose from our plans or mix and match your own. Our food planning, tracking and calendar tools help you control your eating habits without using up a lot of valuable time or brainpower. They bring stability to your diet, using your rational side to plan ahead and stay consistent.

GOOD TIPS FOR FAST FUELERS:
Pack your lunch or have someone pack for you so it's there when you need it.
Have and use plenty of disposable resealable containers of different sizes.
Batch-cook food on Sunday for the rest of the week
Make a point to have more fresh fruit and vegetables within arm's reach.
Try cutting the intake of coffee and soda in half or substituting with green tea.
**************************************


CARB CRAZY PERSONALITY:

This person has an unbalanced diet heavy on starches. You tend to eat a menu loaded with your favorites; this all too often means high fat, high carbs and high calories! Odds are also high that you're not getting the recommended amount of vegetables, fruit and fiber in your diet. In fact, less than 15% of Americans eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetable servings each day. This is more than just an unbalanced diet - it's unhealthy! When you're not carb loading or under the sweet spell of the three H's (i.e., Hostess, Hershey, and Haagen-Daz!), you probably have the salty C's crashing down on you (i.e., Chips, Cheetos, and Chex Mix). The trouble with your unbalanced diet is that your energy and blood sugar can be all over the place and induce cravings and crashes. It can make you moody, irritable and can cause some difficulty in concentration.


WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You have probably found that once you start on a path to better eating and good health it is easy to stick with. That is, until a special event - like a vacation or holiday - and its rich foods knock you off course. It's tough to get back on track, but you know you can because you have done it before. The key is making more consistent healthy choices and stop the yo-yo dieting. You need to know more about the choices you make and how to re-channel those cravings. By tracking what you eat, you can see patterns, plan ahead for danger zones, and start using some smart healthy substitutions.Eating well is about making good choices, adding some balance and taking control of what you eat. It is a simple equation: to lose weight, more calories in means more calories have to come out through activity and exercise. Our food tracker analyzes the distribution of your calories, so you get real-time feedback on how balanced or unbalanced your diet is. Too many calories from any major food source can throw up some flags and point you in the right direction for making simple changes.

Knowing is half the battle. Would you eat one less donut if you knew it meant an extra two miles on the running track to get rid of those 400 calories? SparkPeople has an extensive Nutrition Resource Center that educates you on good fitness and nutrition options and strategies. Plus you'll learn a lot with our food tracker, menu plans, and supportive online community.

GOOD TIPS FOR THE CARB & CALORIE CRAZED
Give your refrigerator and cupboard a complete makeover. Toss out the temptations!
Take a list of food items heavy on proteins, fruits and vegetables to the grocery store.
Replace fried snacks and chips with baked snacks like pretzels.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

my food delivery


Wow, I got 2 baskets, 1 box of tomatoes, plastic bag with 5 loaves of bread & granola which is on top.
Brenda can have the grapefruit and some of the tomatoes, cuz I have so many tomatoes I doubt I will use them all before they spoil. I need to figure out what to do with the fresh asparugas that I got.
Guess I'll be having lots of tomato juice (my own version of V-8), homemade pasta sauce, and salads this week.


volunteers putting food into everyone's baskets. We had 25
orders this time.


Amy got this program started up here this
month. She is checking all the baskets to make sure nobody is missing anything.



Had to put my produce into a box to take home.
The mini cucumbers & mini squash are down in bottom of the box.
But oh yeah...I am signing up for this delivery next time too. Food will be delivered every other Saturday.
~*~EDIT~*~
Almost forgot:
I weighed myself while I was at the rec center today on their NEW scales:
I weighed 165#.....AARRRGGGGGGG where the hell did that # come from?

Friday, January 29, 2010

Health Related-Happiness Award

Now I already did a "Happy Award" blog sorta ~ I have read tons of other people's blogs where they posted the "happy award". Now I will have 2.
But on this blog, I'll try to see if I can list 10 things that all have to do with food, nutrition, fitness or just health in general and they are in no special order.
#1 Bountiful Baskets (my food delivery starts tomorrow)
#2 smoothies in a Oster blender & homemade juice from a Breville juicer
#3 yoga
#4 hiking~my next camp-out at Indian Gardens is March 27th
#5 Line Dancing
#6 The Biggest Loser TV Show (I check it online sometimes cuz I don't own a TV)
#7 Hummus~I love this stuff!
#8 Ayurveda(trying to figure it all out)
#9 Tazo Tea ~just started this within the last year.
#10 Workout DVD's (can do these in the privacy of my own room, so it don't matter how silly I look)
Now to complete my acceptance of this Happy 101 award, I must pass it on. I could choose 10 people as the rules clearly stated or I could make my own rules. This is my blog after all. Shouldn't I be able to do things my way?So,If you're reading this blog right now and you've not received the Happy 101 award, consider yourself officially nominated by Sunni-Day. Then remember to pass the happiness along by sharing 10 things that make you happy.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Bountiful Baskets

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
LOL

Actually I'm excited because a lady here at the canyon has arranged for a program called "Bountiful Baskets" to deliver fresh produce up to my area twice a month. My first delivery will be this Saturday.
Its so nice to know that I don't have to wait and see if I get a weekend day off work and than hope that my friend Brenda is going to Flagstaff in order to go grocery shopping.
Now I can get yummy fresh produce delivered to me...well I just have to go over to the rec center to pick it up. WOW! I wish they had this when I first got to the canyon. Wow! I can't wait...this is almost feels like a kid waiting for christmas.

Now I have no idea how big a "case of tomatoes" is, so this might be the one & only time I get those.I may also need some new ideas to use up all the tomatoes also...I need to search for recipes online and then save them all in notepad, cuz I have a real good feeling I will surely need them.

What I'm getting is below
Basket Type: Conventional *(not all sure what will be in this)*

Add case of Round Tomatoes from Mexico? (20# box):
Add 1 per BasketGranola - Bountiful Baskets blend (2# bag; oats, honey, canola oil, cashews, dates, pineapple, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, sesame seed, vanilla, almond flavor):
Add 9-Grain Sandwich Bread - 5 Pack?:

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Comfort Food

I see or hear the term "comfort food" often and wondered ~what the actual heck is comfort food really....so I looked it up online.

~Comfort foods are familiar, simple foods that are usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants. They are foods that are often emotionally significant to a person or group of people and are sometimes related to pleasant memories of childhood.~

Now according to Wikipedia:
Favorite home-made comfort foods in the US include chocolate cake, meatloaf, fluffernutters, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, (or twice-baked potato), applesauce, fried chicken, chicken soup, pizza, peanut butter, ice cream, bacon, chicken and dumplings, eggs, and hash browns, tomato soup & grilled cheese, buffalo wings, nachos, beets, and potato skins. Many creative mixes of foods have emerged that people term as comfort foods.

From my own personal childhood, I remember fluffernutters, Mom's homemade chicken soup, Some Mexicali Casserole (from the old Betty Crocker cookbooks~mom's favorite cookbook) Grandma's Beef Stew, Gram's Red applesauce (she left the peelings on when she made applesauce)Dad's Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato slices inside, Dad's breakfast of homefries with onions,peppers & sliced hotdogs (maybe cheese too), or a fried egg sandwich.

I just realized that I don't eat the things I loved as a kid anymore. Guess I need to come up with a new list of comfort foods.
Hmmmm, while the weather gave us a break from the snow, I went up to the general store today to restock groceries before our next snowfall (which should be Tuesday night).
The thing I was dieing for was hummus. Hmmm can hummus be a comfort food? Hummus is something I just started eating 3 years ago and now when I get it from the store I become an addict and have to eat the whole thing up in 1-2 days.

~~*If you want to see pics of the snow here, go to my other blog which is listed on my profile page*~~

Saturday, January 16, 2010

blah

Last night I went to bed real early, so of course I woke up super early but it still took me quite awhile to get up out of bed. When I did get up and looked at the time; it was about 4:15am. I still felt tired even though I probably got my normal amount of sleep. I also noticed that my fingers were sore & stiff making it very hard to type this.

Today the Lion's Club is having a sale at the school (which I had told my manager that I would help set-up yesterday but I just wasn't in the mood to go anywhere...so I stayed home all day). I'm still not in the mood to go anywhere, so I haven't even gone up to see what the Lion's Club is selling. That might be a good thing too, because I need to save money for my trip in June.

We have no new snow yet, so I can't blame it on the weather. Some people online have told me that I might have a gluten allergy and all the carbs & salt might be the cause of my "blah"mood & sore fingers.I thought that was a bit interesting...as a kid, I couldn't eat much salt because I got nosebleeds EVERYTIME. and now if I have to much popcorn or salted nuts then my lips puff up and feel real wierd. But I never thought of salt as affecting my fingers. I had Rheumatic Fever as a kid, so I assumed that when my fingers or elbows hurt it was from that.

But a gluten allergy???? Oh yeah, I'm sure the clinic here would really think I was nuts if I mentioned that. Seems they already think I'm nuts or imagining things when I mention headaches or any problems with my eyes.
Besides if I ain't said it before....I love carbs. Geez, how long could I go without gluten? No pasta would be pretty easy but no bread, bagels or crackers would be TOUGH! Sure I can go a week, maybe 2 weeks without any bread or crackers...but after that????


Guess maybe its time to do a search for "gluten allergy" online.

Friday, January 15, 2010

I need carb-control

I got up real early today and just seemed to have the munchies for every carb-loaded item I could find in my room. So I had ritz crackers with hummus, a blueberry bagel and microwave popcorn.

I realized that I have always liked breads/pastries, rice, most crackers, cereals,and sometimes pasta & baked potato. I'm no chemist or doctor but I know that somehow carbs turn into sugar. Now seeing as my dad takes diabetic pills and to many relatives take insulin shots twice a day, and a couple times while I was pregnant I had to test myblood sugar daily for a few months (only as a pre-caution thing). I really need to get a grip on my carb-cravings.

There is no sense in bragging or feeling smug for not buying sugar, if the other stuffI do buy turns into sugar. And no I don't buy fake sweeteners either as they ALL taste disgusting and will give me a stomache ache. I also don't buy agave, maple syrup or rice syrup,or honey or anything else to sweeten my cereal & coffee.

I need to eat less carbs and I'm not a fan of the atkins diet either. I don't plan on buyingan item just because it might have "low-carb" on its label either. Seeing low-carb on a label just tells me that they took the carbs out and loaded it up with something I don't want, like sugar or salt.

~*and just my luck, the Maswik cafeteria is now selling pizza in the Maswik Pizza Pub*~

Monday, January 11, 2010

My weekend

Brenda and I went to Flagstaff on Saturday, to see the "Avatar" movie. Neither of us had any popcorn & soda during the movie. Who says you can't watch a movie without food?

Afterwards, we went to Olive Garden to eat...first time I have ever eaten there. Brenda surprised me by getting the minestrone soup. We both had eggplant parmesan. Tasted good, in fact I got stuffed even though it didn't look like alot on the plate (especially for the price).

Later we went to Fry's cuz we both needed groceries. I stocked up on some produce...almost got enough bananas & tomatoes for a small army. But this morning I'm enjoying a smoothie...plain soymilk, couple bananas, and chocolate protein powder.
Hooray, Avocados were also on sale...so I will add them to my salad before I go to work later today.

If you want to read about the rest of our trip home...its on my other blog here on blogger.