You are what you eat. Eat junk & you become junk

Where did the time go?

2011-05-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

I just realized this morning, that it's been a few months since I posted on here. Figure it's time to let everyone know what's new.

http://yoyoliving.wordpress.com/

I started a new (health/fitness)blog on wordpress...the link is above. So if you still want to keep up with my diet, what I am doing for exercise, and whatever else I find interesting online that's health related; wordpress is the place to go(for now..LOL). I am also trying to figure out how to make a seperate page on facebook for my yoyoliving blog. So do a search on facebook for~~yoyoliving and you might find me there.

I like Greek Yogurt & need to get back into yoga..and sometimes life (and my mood) goes up & down just like a yo-yo; so it seemed like a fitting name for a blog.

Right now its 2am and I am throwing my diet out the window for this morning, as I am having hot chocolate & microwave popcorn. It's 24 degrees outside and I wanted some sorta "comfort food".

I joined Weight Watchers

2011-01-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

A lady that works here started a WW group last month, but I didn't join until after the New Year. I officially started out weighing 174.6 at my 1st meeting and the last Tuesday (for my 2nd meeting) I was down 2.8 pounds weighing in at 171.8.

Last week I bought the WW "Ultimate 3-Month Tracker" book and so far have been doing pretty good about tracking everything I eat; which for me is a BIG accomplishment in itself.
I have never been a person to keep a schedule for ANYTHING. Usually I give-up after a day of trying to change a habit.
Luckily the little tracker book fits into the pocket of my uniform apron so I can carry it with me at all times even at work. It helps to be able to immediately write what I eat on my breaks instead of waiting till I get home. My tracker helps me stop & think about what I really want to eat at work as my cafeteria doesn't have the best options.

I have found a site that will calculate points for me, and seeing as I am on a 3-day weekend right now, I will make a list of all my favorite foods from the cafeteria menu and keep it inside the tracker book, so I can make better chooses when I go back to work.
1thing I love about this new "PointsPlus Program" that WW recently changed to is the fact that fresh fruit & most veggies are ZERO points. So if I ever use up my points in a day but still get hungry later; then I can still eat without having to worry about adding to many points. So far that hasn't really been a problem though.

The Biggest Loser

2011-01-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

Season 11 started last night--seeing as I dont own a TV, I have to wait until the morning after to watch it on my laptop on hulu. I just finished watching it and ..WOW, this season is sure different then last season. This is the first season I have watched where they had couples/teams. The show has had couples before but I just never watched them.

1 guy started off weighing 507 pounds and another guy admitted that when he watched the past shows he would sit home and judge the contestants when they took off their shirts. Ever since I was little I have also caught myself judging people (in 1 way or another) because of their weight. I can admit that is a hypercritical way of thinking as my diet & excerise level lately is no better then the people on the show. I can come up with as many excuses as the people on the TV show for why I am fat and unable to keep weight off. The biggest reason is...I eat to much & move to little.

Hopefully I am on my way to changing that (except for yesterday). Whenever I am sitting home and feeling bored or just plain BLAH...I will have to watch re-runs of past "Biggest Loser" shows to get inspired again.

Desperate for a change

2011-01-02T11:53:00.001-08:00

Strange how growing up that no doctor ever associated food having anything to do with how I felt. The only person who came close to thinking there was a connection between food & health was my dad, and he was a high school drop-out.

But I grew up with Rheumatic Fever & Scoliosis and my mother had epilepsy. Those health conditions were beyond anything my dad's knowledge. He just knew and always told us "You are what you eat, if you eat junk then you become junk".

Well the last few years I have become JUNK! I seem to have alot of little health issues that nobody has been able to pin-point to any real diagnosis. No matter what my concern or complaint is, I am told that it's nothing to worry about or just something caused from stress or general over-eating at some event/holiday.

Last year I started to look up Gluten free info to see if it had anything to do with all my stomach aches & bathroom issues. It probably did, but never really gave up wheat. Oh hell, grains seem to be my favorite thing to eat.

Last August, after having headaches for to long and finding it harder to read for long periods of time I finally went to Eye Masters and got bifocals. They have helped alot with the headaches.

This last Fall, I started getting an annoying itchy skin on my fingers..soon watery bumps appeared that I scratched until they burst open and became sores. Then I got bumps/welts on my arms, elbows and calves & heels and along jawline. I assume people must be starting to think I am a junkie because of my constent itching and all the wierd sores everywhere.

None of the health issues I had last year have really gone away, but thats cuz I never really changed my diet. I always wondered as a kid, why a cancer patient would continue to smoke or why a diabetic would eat sugary junk-food or why anyone taking medication for high blood pressure would add salt to their processed food that already had salt added into it. I figured if a Dr told you that your life depended on eating a certain way, that should be enough to change your diet.

Well seeing as no Dr has ever told me anything about a gluten free diet...that must be why I still buy to much bread,crackers and such. But why do I need to wait for a Dr, when I can read the info for myself online and become my own Dr? Shouldn't my own knowledge of my symptoms be enough. I should know my own body better then any Dr. Dr's don't know everything; and I already know that...if I believed everything a Dr told me just because they are "the professional" then I never woulda had 7 kids when every DR I saw had told me not to.

Diet Make-over

2011-01-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post 1 more picture of Maswik Cafe before it closes for renovations. We are all looking forward to seeing the new Make-over in April.

Went and looked back through a couple posts and realized I weighed 168# last Nov 20th & 176.6 couple days ago. So that's 8.6 pounds gained in 41 days, so roughly about every 4 & 1/2 days I have been gaining a pound.

I have been reading blogs & other online info about Gluten-free diets again...seems I was doing that last January too. But I may have even found a connection between gluten and the dry, itchy skin on my arms. WOW, never woulda guessed that gluten had anything to do with my annoying rash. Look up...dermatitis herpetiformis.

I went out to e-cafe today before getting pictures of the snow outside. I ate a salad, corn chowder, yogurt & coffee for lunch. I got the corn chowder just because it's cold outside and I wanted something hot that did not come with bread or french fries.
I should have gone up to the store to buy some apples or baby carrots to snack on tonight. Guess I will have to make a shopping list and do that tomorrow.

my list for tomorrow:
--------------------
check for grapes
apples
pears
broccoli
baby carrots
celery

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

2010-12-31T14:36:00.000-08:00

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.

A new me, for the new year

2010-12-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

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.

35 more days

2010-11-26T23:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Take-out from Cafeteria

2010-11-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

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.

Breakfast

2010-10-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekend Snacks

2010-10-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

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

Planning ahead

2010-10-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

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.

work-outs might be affecting my job

2010-09-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

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.

September

2010-09-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

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

Dining out in Flagstaff

2010-08-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Food Co-op baskets

2010-06-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

NEEDing a change that lasts

2010-05-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

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.

more weight

2010-05-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

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.

HUMMUS

2010-04-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

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.

breakfast cereal

2010-04-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

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.

10 weight-loss commandments

2010-03-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

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!

Our General Store

2010-03-07T13:19:00.001-08:00

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.

Yavapai Cafe is open

2010-03-06T16:40:00.001-08:00

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.

weight gain

2010-03-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

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.

Heartburn

2010-02-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

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.

Heaven in a Blender

2010-02-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

~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.

diet/fitness horoscopes & personality quiz

2010-01-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

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.

my food delivery

2010-01-30T11:05:00.001-08:00

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?

Health Related-Happiness Award

2010-01-29T21:04:00.001-08:00

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.

http://sunni-day.blogspot.com/2010/01/happiness-101.html

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.

Bountiful Baskets

2010-01-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

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?:

Comfort Food

2010-01-24T16:24:00.001-08:00

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*~~

blah

2010-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

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.

I need carb-control

2010-01-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

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*~

My weekend

2010-01-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

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.

Holiday Party

2009-12-21T12:00:00.001-08:00

Someone had lots of patience & a ton of talent to create this carved fruit display.

Usually we had a big ice scuplture as a display. This year they went with something different.

Not sure what this was called. It had tofu in it and I thought it was pretty good.

Even though my friend, Brenda refused to try it...she won't try anything with tofu.

This pasta salad was also good

Carrie was making someone a tortillini dish. Brenda said that was good..I had eaten enough and so I didn't try this.

What more could you ask for then a room full of friends & food. Right about now, whoever has been reading all my posts in this blog was probably thinking that this blog will by the opposite of (or go against) the last blog..LOL

So yes, even though I went to a holiday party and stayed for about 4 & 1/2 hrs...I don't feel like I went crazy with all the food. I still had my old holiday favorite~yams/sweet potato. Mostly I ate the pasta salad. Course I was to busy taking pictures, so I didn't have much time to sit & eat. I took about 130 pictures that night and have 50+ pictures posted on facebook (before my battery died out that night)

I also won a rice cooker in the gift drawing this year. I have never used a rice cooker before but lots of the foreign exchange kids that work here use them all the time, and everyone tells me how great they are.

Well, today as I type this its "Winter Soltice Day" and I expect another snowstorm tomorrow.

Holiday season~and starting anew

2009-12-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

I often am baffled by how quickly people will dismiss changing their diets, when at the same time they are subjecting themselves to tons of Holiday stress. They can manage school plays, cookie parties, baking for 40 but tell them to walk for 20 minutes or to eat something healthy and the whining party begins.
People go through tons of stress – a flu, a breakup, a new job, shopping at Target on Black Friday. And yet, they seem to forget that they are completely able to handle stress when it comes to changing their diet and lifestyle.
This Holiday season I want to encourage you – if you really feel like it’s just so hard to change your diet and lifestyle (especially around the Holidays), give up every thing else. That’s right – no parties, no gifts, no events. Because if you can’t put your own health above one holiday season, I would seriously question if you seriously cared at all about your health.

So many people ignore their own health and don’t understand how much it impacts the lives of their loved ones. If you have a disease like diabetes(like so many of my family members), it’s not just about you – it’s about everyone that has to take care of you and everyone who has to worry about you. Your kids having to give you insulin shots or call 911 because you just crashed, is not exactly holiday cheer. Getting heart disease and dying young and leaving your family because you just couldn’t give up bacon? It’s selfish and let’s face it, doesn’t really promote the holiday spirit when you have to start worrying if this Holiday is your last.

Everyone has it in them, getting up early to walk 30 minutes is far less stressful than getting up at 3:30 AM on Black Friday, and cooking something healthy and tasty takes no more time than cooking that traditional Holiday pie.
******************************************************************
now the above stuff I got from another blogger...but totally made sense to me.
******************************************************************

And starting Sunday Dave, a guy that works at the rec center, will show me how to use all the equipment in the gym. I have 6 months till my vacation back East to see my son graduate...and I plan on having smaller clothes then. Oh yes, I'm starting a new diet & new work-out program right in the middle of holiday season.

Turkey Day is coming

2009-11-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Now why do some people call Thanksgiving "Turkey Day"? I guess that's all the day is for them...a day to eat turkey. Makes me wonder is Thanksgiving the only day of the year that some people eat turkey? I don't know, but it seems strange to me. Sure as a kid, I loved the dark meat on the turkey. In fact 1/2 my plate was full of dark meat. The other 1/2 of my plate was Dad's homemade stuffing & yams. As long as I got those 3 things followed by pumpkin pie...it was a good day. Course it took me forever to finish the plate too.

Today I got an email from a friend who asked me when I was going to the employee cafe for thanksgiving dinner. Seeing as I have to work thanksgiving night, I told her that I could meet her around noon that day. Now its not a meal to really look forward to...dry turkey, sweet potatoes with brown sugar or marshmallows or some other sweetener dumped on top, overcooked soggy veggies, hard stale dinner rolls, and the most disgusting pumpkin pie ever. And its the same menu that is served here for Christmas.

Last year, I went to Colorado and spent Thanksgiving with my brother and his family. My sister-in-law cooks GREAT!!!!! You know how criminals on death row can usually pick what they want for a last meal....I pick my sis-in-law to be the cook.

Yes I admit I'm pretty picky about my food. I love sweet potatoes/yams...but not loaded down with all the sweetener crap. I usually buy yams about once a month and just eat them plain with canned crushed pineapple or applesauce.

But yesterday I found a new recipe for them & simple enough to make in a dorm room without a kitchen:

African Sweet Potato & Peanut Soup
Ingredients: Best to use organic and local ingredients:
Soup Base:1 sweet potato
3 medium sized ripe heirloom tomatoes
2 small handfuls sprouted peanuts (I'm just using crushed peanuts)
1x1 inch chunk sweet onion
2 pinches of cumin
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne or chili powder
1/2 cup water - varies depending on desired consistency
Note: I recommend you use filtered water and not extra tomato to water the soup down.
Too much tomato will dominate the taste of the precious sweet potato.

---Garnish:
2 inch chunk of red bell pepper finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
few chopped/crushed sprouted peanuts
sea salt/black pepper to taste
and if you are feeling spicy add a pinch of cayenneon top
- remember a little goes a long way!

Play around with your spices, add more or lessor other ones as well. These 3 went well together.Your spice influences should be those found in curry.

Optional ingredients based on original recipe: add garlic,fresh ginger, green or spring onions and/or red bellpepper to soup base.

Preparation: Place all non-garnish ingredients into high speed blender. Blend until desired consistency. Remember that the longer you run it the more it will heat up... Add more water if soup is too thick. When I poured it into the boil it formed a slightly oil ring around the edgesmaking it the perfect medium soup based consistency... just enough to coat your spoon but soothe and melt in your mouth.

Pour into bowl. Artistically arrange garnish on top!

Salty Lunch

2009-11-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

Today I went with Brenda to Tusayan during her lunchbreak. She needed to fill her car up with gas. Then we decided to go to McDonald's which is just down the road past the gas station, seeing neither of us has been there for quite awhile.

After getting our order and finding a booth to sit at, we both agreed the fries were to salty. Well according to the nutrition facts on the trayliner a medium sized order of fries has 270mg of sodium...then of course the workers dump on more salt after they are cooked.

Now Brenda takes a water pill & potassium pill everyday and her doctors have told her to watch out for sodium in foods and to use less salt. Well I guess we both blew that salt rule away today.

My lunch had about 1900mg of sodium and Brenda had about 1650mg of sodium in her lunch.
After skimming through the nutrition list I noticed that the deluxe breakfast has 2150mg of sodium and that's without any syrup & butter.....wow, thats alot of salt for 1 meal.

My lunch also had 1,250 calories. Figured that was also alot seeing as some people try to eat that in a whole day. Guess I shouldn't go back to McDonald's anytime soon.

*tonight*
just sitting home snacking~ had yogurt and Sliced red bell peppers with thousand Island dressing (yes there is to much sodium in the dressing too), but not really hungry for much else.
And I'm not sure how "Tazo Tea" became my new bed-time drink, but I'm having it again tonight. (I don't think there is sodium in tea...but wouldn't be surprised in manufactors added some in just like everything else)

Getting ready for Halloween

2009-10-26T00:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday before I went to work, I was able to go down to Safeway for some much needed grocery shopping. I didn't buy any halloween candy or soda...I'm so proud of myself. Course my friend, Brenda, bought stuff for holiday baking. I told her that if I bought halloween stuff now that I would end up eating it before this weekend was over and have nothing left for halloween, so I have to wait till the last minute. I just keep telling her "that candy is dandy..but only as long as my uniform fits over my fanny".

I will be dressing up again this year and going around the park riding the shuttle buses for a couple hours and passing out candy to all our guests (had a blast doing this last year). But I am buying candy that I don't like...candy corn & butterfingers & payday candybars(can't stand either one) or something with dark choclate that I don't like and won't be tempted to eat. And seeing as my kids always liked stickers and goofy temporary tattoos I will get some of those to pass out here. Whatever left-over stickers/tattoos I have later, will be mailed to my grandkids.

I got a new frig

2009-10-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well at least its new to me.
A neighbor that lives 2 doors down is moving into a trailer in trailer village, so seeing as she won't need her frig anymore...I got it this morning. Now my old frig stopped working back in April and my old frig could almost reach as high as my knees. This new frig is almost as high as my hips.

Now I can't wait to go down to Flagstaff this coming week and stock up on produce. I have missed having kiwi, fresh berries, melons, yogurt, soymilk and lots of salad mixings everyday. To bad the Summer season is ending because soon I won't be able to get fresh berries in Flagstaff to much longer. But with winter season coming, I will still get to enjoy tons of apples and maybe more yams/ sweet potatoes. Actually this time of year makes me think of my grandmother's garden and her cooking everything imaginable with pumpkins, different squashes, and her homemade red applesauce (she left the peels on), parsnips, and beets.

I also just got a order book for Schwan's this week and will be able to order from them the next time they stop at Yavapai, which will be on the 14th. Unless I spend all my next paycheck in Flagstaff (in the produce section)...lol

Shop Till We Drop

2009-09-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

Luckily I had today off work so I could go down to Flagstaff with my friend, Brenda. (She always has weekends off)We went into Michael's craft store.
Halloween is Brenda's favorite holiday and I've been calling her "The Queen of Halloween" for a couple yrs now. She needed to get supplies for project/gifts that she is making for about 30 people, she also wants to make 2 haunted house (1 for home & 1 for her work office) and stuff to make a black halloween wreath. She will go back down later to get stuff for her yummy fattening treats...that will be part of the 30 peoples gifts.

Her excitement was almost contagious as I almost bought stuff to decorate my door. Instead I got jewelry making supplies and a jewelry book to get new ideas. (I'm hoping to sell jewelry at our next Winter Bazaar) I forgot my 40% discount paper so my total was about $63. Brenda remembered her 40% and her total was still about $88. I better sell lots of jewelry at the bazaar to make up for my crazy shopping.

Later we went to Fry's for grocery shopping. Why is it that I always seem to get lost in that store? At least the produce section is easy to find, which is good because I wanted strawberries (2 containers/$5), bananas ( .59/pound), avocados (.88/a piece), tangerines ($1.99/pound), and baby carrots (.88). The avaocados were a tad bit softer then I woulda liked but I got 2 anyways. Flagstaff felt like a sauna today, so I got a few 32oz bottles of powerade for .88/a piece. I ended up losing Brenda in the store when I wandered off to look for Clif Bars...they were $1/ a piece.

Not sure if it was all the driving around or if it was just the heat...but I was sooooo tired on the way home. Was able to make 1 necklace (so far) since coming home though

Yippe-EI-O!

2009-08-14T23:29:00.002-07:00

Well I've been here for over 2 years...29 months to be more exact. I finally went into a place called "Yippee-EI-O!" Now over the last 2 yrs I have heard a few different opinions about the place. Some good & some not so good.
Well I needed to go somewhere different and figured I would check it out for myself and see why others had given me the opinions that they did.

not so good:
1. CROWDED~to many tables cramped to close to each other and they were busy.
2. sorta expensive: COST~ more then I would liked to have paid.
3. did I say BUSY~they didn't even ask what dressing I wanted on my salad, they just automatically put ranch. And it took a long time for a waitress to come over to take my order.

good~terrific fried zucchini & mushrooms..I had to bring 1/2 of them home
Corn-on-the-cob was good also, just a bit small.
I noticed that there were a couple neat items hanging on the wall as I looked around ( while waiting for someone to take my order)

ok, now unless my normal pizza place runs out of fried mushrooms then I probably won't have a reason to return to Yippee-EI-O! I'm to cheap to pay those prices very often. And if I want Salad then I will go to Yavapai where I can make my own, instead of having a waitress bring me a bowl of iceburg lettuce with ranch dressing dumped onto it. Why don't restaurants learn how to make better salads...and not just this one but all restaurants need to learn that iceburg lettuce is not the only thing to throw in a salad bowl.

Dentist

2009-05-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well a few months ago, I broke a tooth while eating popcorn. It got infected and abscessed a couple times so I finally had it pulled out this week. Now I hate going to the dentist (and of course don't go often) but the lady dentist at the North Country Healthcare in Flagstaff was great!! Course I have other teeth that need to be taken care of later...after I get on ACCCHS.

Boy if I could go back in time and chance something it would be, "taking better care of my teeth". But for now, its no more popcorn for me.

Actually this week I've been eating lots of applesauce & pudding & ice cream. Yeah not the healthiest diet but easy for me to eat. Starting with next payday, I need to buy more produce and start using my juicer & blender again.

Instant Weight Loss

2009-04-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

Want Lose Weight Without Dieting
*****************************
How I went from 224 lbs to 128 lbs with NO DIETS OR EXERCISE *******************************

Geez, don't you just love getting emails with those subject titles EVERYDAY?? People lately have been sending me IM's every week with some dumb link to acai berry sites. (I have now had to set the messenger service to ignore anyone not on my buddy list)
I don't care what Oprah, Rachel Ray or Dr. Oz says....
no pill (including acai) will make my weight disappear without a diet or without exercise. If it really worked, then we all could sit here with a case of donuts at our feet and a gallon of strawberry milkshake in 1 hand while popping a dumb diet pill with the other hand and have it preform its weightloss magic. Sorry but anyone who believes all the weightloss gimmick ads must also believe in the Easter bunny and all the fairytales that end with "happily ever after" too.
Oh and please make sure to read all the small print if you ever decide to "try-out" some products "free trial" because it might not end up being free.

*Most products that claim to "rev up your metabolism" or "burn fat" contain stimulants. Many plants contain stimulants, and you will get the same effect from "natural" or herbal weight loss products that you get from drinking huge amounts of coffee or tea. Supposedly Stimulants cause you to burn more calories and you will lose weight at first, but you need to take more and more as the days go by, and they can cause unpleasant, even dangerous side effects.

The only ways to lose weight (without surgery or prescription medications) are:
1) Take in fewer calories,
2) Burn more calories, or
3) Both.
***********************************

I didn't really gain all this weight overnight, so why should I think I can lose it all overnight?

Butt into gear

2009-03-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

Well I went in for my weigh-in on Saturday I gained another pound. The 3 pounds I lost a couple weeks ago are now found. Now when I have gone with my friend, Brenda, to the clinic for her physical therapy session I remember them telling her that a person gains weight (water weight) from not moving...not exactly sure how that happens though.

So I guess I'll admit that I didn't work-out at the little gym here at all last week, and didn't go walking much on the rim trail like I should and also didn't spend any time walking the dogs at the kennel last month. The physical therapist said I could come in to use the equipment at the clinic anytime. Brenda already said she's thinking of going in on Mon-Wed-Fri's after work, so if I could just go in with her.

Goals for March:
walk the dogs at least once a week

either use equipment at clinic or gym twice a week at least

find some new trails to explore

drink more water & less coffee

3 pounds down

2009-02-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

well, when I went for my weekly weigh-in for the weight-loss competition...I lost 3 pounds and my team lost about 2.35% of our weight, so far. I was pretty happy with my weightloss. Wow, just think~if I could lose 3 pounds every week....boy I would be seeing numbers that I ain't seen in years if I did that.
The weekly challenge this week is just to walk everyday. I'm hoping to get down to the kennels to walk the dogs a couple times this week.

Well I never did get to Safeway to go shopping so my co-worker & I are waiting to start the juice fast. I did get in on the rec center trip to Flagstaff on the 26th though.

fasting with a co-worker

2009-02-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

Now last month, I had made some fresh juice with my juicer and brought some in to share with a co-worker. (think I used to much cucumbers though)
Well yesterday, this same young co-worker asked if I would make more for a whole week. He gave me $20 and a short list of stuff he wants to have in his juice. So hopefully I get down to Safeway (which is an hour away) tomorrow.
He plans on doing his juice fast for a week...and I figured "what the heck¬I'll do this too"

his shopping list consists of:
Oranges (lots)
spinach
carrots
celery
cucumbers
tomatoes
mangos
lemons
limes
berries (preferably blueberries if on sale)
parsley
garlic

Now he didn't have kiwi on his list but I like them in my juice, so I might add them to his juice. For whatever reason he wasn't worried about having apples when I asked him about them...oh well, I usually add them to mine.
So if anyone reading this has any ideas for my co-worker, please let me know.

Saturday~weigh in day

2009-02-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

Just my luck, I was up late-late last night downloading pictures that I took yesterday and playing pogo games online, so as usual I got the munchies while sitting at the computer. Yes I knew I would be weighing in today at the rec center, but I ate 4 choclate covered pretzle rods that Brenda made anyways. I also had dinner at Brenda's last night and had a soda.
**reminder to self**
GIVE UP SODA

I finally walked up to the rec center to get weighed after 1pm today. I lost 1 pound this week...ok losing is better the gaining in this situation. But I know I need to do better next week. I have to push myself to drink more water and really need to commit myself to going down to the kennel to walk the dogs (which I didn't do at all this last week).

I think Brenda & I will be going back to Safeway in Williams next Friday...hopefully they still have fresh strawberries on sale. I also hope their bell peppers are cheaper then the general store here.

Biggest Loser~Grand Canyon style #2

2009-02-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, today I went to the kick-off meeting for our new weight-loss contest. I did this last Summer also, but hope to do ALOT better this time. In fact if anyone is reading this blog that is also in the same contest here at the Grand Canyon....watch out for the team called "Maswik Munchers" because I am determined to kick butt this time (probably my own mostly).

This years contest is a little different as each team (3 people on each team) will get points for...weighing in AND losing weight...going to an activity or lecture...completing a challenge (this week drinking 8 glasses of water everyday)....and for each hour we volunteer to walk the dogs at the kennel or picking up litter around the national park.
Now I love dogs but haven't been to the kennel in quite awhile, so now I have an added incentive to go play with the dogs. I have been drinking more water lately anyways but this week's challenge will be a good way to make sure I grab the water bottles instead of the coffee cups and now that my computer is working again, I also have no reason not to dust off my exercise DVD's.

Seeing as Brenda and I went shopping in Williams the other day, I made sure to get some fruit & raw veggies to snack on while I'm sitting at my computer. The fresh produce will be alot better for me then the boxes of different crackers that I had been buying at the general store here. For some reason I seem to snack more while I'm sitting at my computer then I do at any other time.

Breakfast

2008-11-25T06:06:00.001-08:00

Now I have heard for years that breakfast is the most important meal...because it kick-starts your day and breaks the fast that you did while sleeping. I have had a brother and a daughter who couldn't eat first thing in the morning or else they got sick. A couple solutions for that~#1 I get up a couple hours earlier then I need to, so I always have time to eat a little something and seeing as I don't have to rush and cram food down, I don't get bloated or feel like I ate a bowling ball.

Now I work in 2 different cafeterias throughout the year and 1 item they have is called "American breakfast"~it's scrambled eggs, a choice of 2 sausages or 4 strips of bacon, deep-fried potato cubes and bread (toast, biscuit or english muffin). Course some guests want to order poached or fried eggs, but everyone is stuck with scrambled. Right now at Maswik, the smell of eggs are enough to make you gag. So I wouldn't eat them if you paid me. I stopped eating bacon years ago. The potatoes & toast are both sometimes hard, cold or overdone. So I guess no "American breakfast" for me. But I wonder, how did those items become the standard food for us to eat in the mornings. Yes I realize that years ago alot of people had farms so a few people might of had enough eggs to feed the neighborhood every morning.

As for me...well some co-workers say I have boring food for breakfast because I was getting yogurt, fruit and sometimes a bagel with peanut butter on it. 1 of my managers also got me eating something that is now 1 of my favorite breakfasts...2 packages of instant oatmeal, big teaspoon (I don't really measure it out) of peanut butter, and 3/4 scoop of choclate whey powder.
I also love putting fruit in my blender to make different drinks (if I have the day off and the time to sit around until its gone.) Now that its getting late in the year my favorite fresh fruits are not available.

Not sure how people who travel around and stay in different hotels can handle having the "Continential breakfast" a pot of coffee and a tray of fattening pastries. Sure I can drink all the coffee you got but I'll skip the gooey/fattening, carb-loaded pastry. And do they really expect those pastries to give them energy & hold them over until lunch?
well as usual, I am running late...I need to get ready for the airport. Oh boy, airport food coming up next....LOL

LARABARS

2008-11-23T03:45:00.000-08:00

I found larabars in the general store last year and fell in love with them. They have absolutely no man-made chemicals in them..no preservatives or artificial colorings. But now the general store doesn't sell them anymore so I have order them online. I get the gingersnap flavored ones automatically delivered every month now. I also had 2 boxes (cashew cookie & ginersnaps) delivered to Kevin in NH and he liked them also.

Ingredients: Cashews, Dates
Cashew Cookie — two ingredients, one incredible flavor! The unprocessed, creamy cashews are rich in iron, zinc and B Vitamins. The chewy dates have more potassium than bananas. Together they form a bar rich in fiber with 2 grams of heart-healthy Omega-6 fatty acids and 15 essential vitamins and minerals. So much sustaining nourishment in such a simple recipe.

Are cashews and cocoa truly raw?
Heat steaming is often used to extract cashews from the fruit of the tree, leaving behind a toxic residue that can make the nut unsafe to eat. It's unknown whether or not the nut is actually heated during the process, which is at the center of the raw food debate. Regardless, we feel that cashews are healthful and fit into a raw food diet.
The same goes for cocoa powder, which is ground from a roasted bean. Chocolate Coconut LäraBar uses cocoa powder mainly as a spice. But in our opinion, the health benefits, including high antioxidant content, far outweigh the fact that cocoa has been heated.
***************************************************

Now I used to eat Luna bars & Clif bars, which are both good but have man-made stuff added to them. So even though Larabars might be higher in sugar (think cashew cookie flavor has the least amount of sugar)...larabars are 100% natural and I like that. There's still a few flavors I ain't tried yet....but I will.

My eating style

2008-11-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

Food has always been a sorta interesting topic.

While I was young, Dad was always saying "you are what you eat~if you eat junk then you become junk" And now he can prove it, as he has a little lazy-susan tray full of medicine bottles that he has to take everyday. Different members of my family have different medical problems...high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, strokes, cancer, kidney failure....which can all be controlled and/or prevented by what they eat. A cousin that was just 1 month older then me died either last yr or the year before...and it sure brought back all my dad's food advice back & made them hit home more then any dumb TV commercial.

While growing up my parents (mostly Dad) loved gardening & had to order every strange new veggie seed packet that he could find just to try it out and be more different then all the other gardens in the neighborhood. For the first 17 yrs of my life, we were only allowed candy for holidays~valentines day, easter,halloween & christmas and just 1 day during Summer vacation (probably 4th of July.) The only soda pop, my parents ever bought was orange sunkist & ginger ale. Other kids at school thought it was "terrible" that my parents didn't buy junk food more often, but then I could remind them that I had no cavities at the time (got my very first cavity when I was 16 1/2~now I have a mouthful)....I didn't get addicted to coke cola until after I got married to a sugar-holic. During that first year of marriage I got to pig-out on every junk food imaginable, some I still eat today.

as a youngster....usually healthy mixed with prolonged bouts of fasting, got interested in vegetarianism in Jr. High School
during marriage....found junk food! candy, processed crap, & pre-mixed stuff...food mixed with every unknown chemical disguised in pretty cans & boxes.
Then when back to vegetarianism for 1 1/2-2 yrs straight just before getting pregnant with 6th kid(was not a good thing for the sugar-holics/junkers...people addicted to junk) in the house.

As for now~Well some co-workers and I will joke about me being the most picky person in the cafeteria. I know what I like and if I don't like it then I won't eat it...but sometimes a cook (Grumpy Grandpa) will make a special and I will taste it just to tell him my opinion of it.

I also live alone in a 1-room dorm...which means no real kitchen. I used to tell people that I was on a "no-cook" diet, which usually meant that only I didn't cook it, but if a restaurant cooked it then it was ok. Well, now my food is mostly raw...good thing I love salads & fruit.