July 17th

Sunday, July 18, 2010

I think I figured what the problem was with me not getting email replies to threads, etc. Somehow many of the new/current threads were listed under my "inactive subscriptions", so I had to click them individually and resubscribe. Hopefully now all is well with that.

I went to the movies with Kaity and two of her friends, and we saw The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I love Nicholas Cage and the genre of movie, so I was pretty sure I'd like it. Definitely true. It's a good movie. I snuck in my water bottle with a fiber water packet (30 calories and 5 grams fiber) but ended up not even drinking it until the ride home. I also brought (and did eat during the movie) a Fiber Plus bar (140 calories) and a big baggie of frozen grapes (200 calories).



That was basically my brunch. I was tired and not feeling fantastic, so I ended up laying down for about 3 hours when I got home. I woke up pretty much in time for dinner. My mom had cooked a bunch of spaghetti and kept some sauce seperate for me (she added beef to everyone else's), so I had two decent sized bowls of spaghetti (210 calories) with half a cup of tomato spaghetti sauce (90 calories), a little sprinkle parmesan cheese, and half a cup of part skim shredded mozzarella cheese (160 calories).



I had a Healthy Chioce fudge bar for dessert maybe an hour later.



I had a Dunkin Donuts medium hazelnut iced coffee (180 calories) later during the evening, and also had a regular sized bag of Jolly Time 94% fat free kettle corn popcorn (250 calories and 10 grams of fiber).



I finished the "day" with 4 pieces of chocolate (from the Hershey's Pot of Gold box) for 200 calories.

Totals for the Day:

Exercise: 0
Freggies: 5
Glasses of H20: 10
Calories: 1550
Fat: 49 grams
Fiber: 38.5 grams
Protein: 45.5 grams

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Tomorrow's food blog will hopefully include the weekly averages/totals for the last three weeks, as I keep forgetting to post the first two and the third week ended on Saturday, so there you go, lol. :)

- Josie

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July 16th

Saturday, July 17, 2010

NOTE: I am NOT getting Spark emails about replies to threads or comments on my blogs or Spark pages. (I have no idea, but I'm assuming I'm missing notifcations of new threads, too.) This has been for a few days now and I don't know why. Settings are still correct. I've been trying to keep involved in threads, but if I'm suddenly MIA or don't reply to something you wrote to me, you know why. If anyone has any ideas to fix it, please let me know. I usually get close to 100 Spark emails a day, and lately it's only been maybe 20. (No idea why some are coming through and some aren't, either.)

Going to do my best to keep this short and sweet. Going to the movies (Sorcerer's Apprentice!) with sister and her friends tomorrow at 1:30p, so need to get some sleep and eat a decent meal before I go, etc.

Today's s breakfast was a Hot n' Healthy chocolate chip oatmeal square (200) and strawberry banana fruit crisps (45). So far, I really like both the oatmeal squares I've tried, and they have 10 grams of protein and are quick. Yay.



Had a fiber water packet (30 cal) in the afternoon and wasn't really hungry for lunch. I had a Luna protein cookie dough bar (180) before I went to the gym for Zumba, though. (I usually have something after the gym, but I figured I needed some fuel since I didn't eat lunch.) I thought the Zumba class was 90 minutes, but it was only 60. I was both relieved and disappointed, as I was worried about getting through that much but I also was "saving some juice" and didn't go as "all out" as I would have if I knew it was only 60 minutes.



After the gym, I made that apple and yogurt awesomeness again. I took a organic gala and cored it and stuck it in a bowl with water and microwaved it, flipped it over, and did it again. Let it cool a little then cut it up. (80 calories) I then put it in a bowl and added Chobani plain Greek Yogurt (100 calories) and some cinnamon and stevia and mixed it all up. Awesomeness. :)



Went to go to the cats and found Petsmart closed. Apparently part of the roof caved in or something? The animals (and people) are fine, and the rescue agency I volunteer for had already been there and picked up the cats, so everything was fine. (I just wish they'd called me so I didn't have to drive there for nothing, though.) Then I went to pick up dinner (Friday is fast food night) with my sister.

We had Subway for dinner, and I got my usual chicken teriyaki salad for 275 calories. No chips this time, because we were planning on stopping at McDonald's and getting small fries. Instead, we sort of talked each other into Coldstone ice cream (since it's right next door). She hadn't had it for 6 months and I haven't had it in almost two years. I was trying to decide whether to get the small or the large. I wanted to (and ended up getting) get the large because it was less than $1 more than the small and money is really tight, and I figured I'd save it and eat it over two or three days. I knew they are a calorie disaster, but I figured it was a rare treat. So, I got a large Coffee Lover's Only, which is coffee ice cream with caramel syrup, Heath Bar pieces, and toasted almonds. YUM! The entire thing came to 1140 calories.

Now, remember a few blogs ago saying that ice cream was one of those things I have a REALLY hard time with portion control? And that keeping it in the downstairs freezer often doesn't even stop me? Well surprise, surprise, but over the course of a few hours, I ate it all. It really was amazing. However, I can tell you honestly that I'm happy I ate it, and that my "Coldstone cravings" are squashed for at least a few months. Next time though, I WILL get a small, because I know I WILL eat it all. Even with the crazy 1140 calorie "dessert", I finished at 2050, which is high, but not astronomically so. Even with the ice cream being 42 (wow!) grams of fat, I still finished with an acceptable number, too. So I suppose if ever there were a day to go nuts and splurge, today was it.



Totals for the Day:

Exercise: 55 minutes of Zumba (575 calories burned)
Freggies: 5
Glasses of H20: 10
Calories: 2050
Fat: 62 grams
Fiber: 25 grams
Protein: 85 grams

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone! I can't wait to go to the movies tomorrow. I go maybe twice a year, and this is one I'm definitely looking forward to. (I love Nicholas Cage.) :)

- Josie

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Food Blogs for July 12th-15th

Friday, July 16, 2010

Ugh. This whole thing just got erased. Let me try again. *sighs* Not my week, lol.

Monday started with a Hot n' Healthy cinnamon roll oatmeal square for 200 calories and freeze dried pears for 40 calories.



I had a Fiber One Mocha bar for 140 calories.



While waiting for blood work results at the first vet, I split a Maggie Moo's raspberry pomegranate Zoomer with my sister. It was really good, but not worth 310 calories for half.



I had two Crystal Light fiber packets during the day. Didn't really eat lunch or dinner and was hungry and stressed. After everything, my sisters and I went to IHOP for dinner around midnight. I had 1 mozzarella stick and 3 small onion rings from an appetizer sampler, 1 "Cinnaminion" from Kaity's plate (475 calories estimated).





I ordered the veggie omelette for me and ate about 2/3 of it along with the fruit that comes with it (240 calories).



I ate a box of chocolate chip cookie dough bites (movie theatre type candy) for 400 calories after I got home. Kaity said she didn't like them and offered them to me and after the really stressful and emotional day, I had a very hard time saying no to cookie dough of any sort. (Ate it while writing the "R.I.P. Frak" blog, actually.) They were actually really good.



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Tuesday started with a Fiber One mocha bar again (140 calories). Got a late start on the day and wasn't feeling great (emotionally upset/drained, etc.)

I had two pieces of Hershey's Pot of Gold chocolates for 95 calories.



Ballet was cancelled because the teacher knows I don't like to be alone and the other student couldn't make it due to flooding. I ate the rest of the home fries from the other night (Saturday?) mixed with 1/2 egg whites and a slice of fat free cheddar cheese. Afterwards I was smacking myself on the head as to why I didn't just eat the IHOP leftover omelette with the home fries, lol. Anyway, it didn't look pretty but it tasted good and was very filling for 340 calories.



On the way to take care of the kitties I had a double dark chocolate protein bar for 180 calories.



I had a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee for 240 calories and pear fruit crisps for 40 calories. Was an odd eating day, with no real meal seperations, but I did eat a cup of Fiber Plus berry yogurt crunch cereal (170 calories) with 1/2 cup skim milk (40 calories). I really like it. I finished the day with a serving of sesame whole wheat pretzels for 130 calories.



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On Wednesday, I finished the last third of the IHOP omelette (120 calories) for breakfast.



I had a Fiber Plus dark chocolate almond bar (130 calories) and apple fruit crisps (40 calories) before I went to the gym. I did a 55 minute pool cardio class. On the way home from the gym, I had a Mareblu bluecran pomegranate trail mix bar (180 calories).



I had a Crystal Light fiber packet during my CERT training (30 calories) and steam-in-bag cauliflower with some butter spray (120 calories) when I came home.



I had half of a 7-11 large iced mocha for 210 calories, bought because of the Farmville promotion (lol), and the last of the sesame pretzels for 200 calories. I'm going to have to find them again in the store. They were really good. I also had 4 Hershey's Pot of Gold chocolates for 200 calories.

I was still hungry later on, so I made a microwave "baked" apple and cut it up and put it in a bowl with 1 cup of Fage 0% Greek yogurt mixed with cinnamon and stevia. YUM! Will definitely make again soon. I have two more organic galas in the fridge. :) This came to 200 calories of very filling deliciousness.



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Thursday started with a Mareblu strawberry pomegranate trail mix bar and freexe dried apples (180 and 40 calories).



After errands and whatnot, I came home and made a big pitcher green smoothie for lunch. It came to 350 calories and had two scoops of protein/fiber powder, the last of my flax seeds, spinach, a banana, pineapple, and various frozen berries.



I went to the gym and did my Zumba class (was a few minutes late, though) and yoga class. Bought a medium iced coffee (180 calories) on the way home, but didn't drink it until a few hours later.

I had a Green Giant Healthy Vision (90) with 4 98% fat free hot dogs (160) wrapped in 2 whole wheat wraps (220) with some mustard and relish for dinner.



I munched on 8 Hershey's Pot of Gold chocolates for 400 calories (bad me!) and later had the rest of the 7-11 iced mocha mixed with 1.5 cups skim milk (300 calories).

So, there you had the last 4 days in all their glory and lack thereof. Thinking of doing a 90 minute Zumba tomorrow afternoon. We'll see how that goes. Also searching for crystallized ginger, as mine is really running out. I bought it for $4.99 when I went to D.C. in April. I found it on amazon for half that, but I don't want to have to pay shipping that costs as much as the item and don't have the money to buy anything else to get free shipping. Wondering if it's in any actual stores nearby. Hmm. (It's by The Ginger People.)



Totals for the Days (Mon / Tues / Wed / Thurs):

Exercise: 0 / 0 / 55 pool class / 105 of zumba and yoga
Freggies: 5 / 4 / 7 / 6
Glasses of H20: 10 /9 / 9 / 9
Calories: 1865 / 1375 / 1430 / 1920
Fat: 59 / 37.5 / 59 / 79 grams
Fiber: 36 / 27.5 / 36 / 44 grams
Protein: 44 / 48 / 59 / 89 grams

- Josie

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catch-up note and two recipes

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Thank you all for the sympathy, empathy, support regarding Frak. It means a lot. We buried him today near a fountain, which he would have loved. He frequently loved to stare at his reflection (and talk to it, LOL) in the water bowl and we have photos of him drinking out of the fountain we made a few years ago in the front yard. Of course I'm not happy about the situation, but I'm okay. I know you guys understand (and I can't stand the people who don't) that my furbabies ARE my BABIES, not just an animal, etc. He was a family member, and therefore I will be grieving as such. That said, I am okay. I know we did the right thing, etc., but of course everything's still raw.

Anyway, I plan to return to my regular food blogs tomorrow. For a somewhat obvious reason, the last few days have been a bit hectic, to put it mildly. Also, I don't think I mentioned, but my car crapped out, AGAIN. It overheated going down the highway on the way to the emergency vet. I put on my flashers, ignored the smoke, and drove the remaining 5 miles and got there alright. Limped it home, too, (after dad drove out to check it and see what the hell the problem was this time). However, it's out of commission until I afford a new radiator, and it's STILL leaking oil (was empty again) even though my dad fixed $160 worth of stuff two weeks ago thinking it'd fix the problem. Yeah, so definitely tight on money, lol. I get $80-100 a week, depending on how many days I dogsit, and they pay on the first day of the week, so yesterday I got my $100 and I spent it (and then some) at the vet. So no radiator until at least the end of the week, as I'm expecting a check in the mail probably Thursday, then the part has to be ordered, etc. (Dad found one really cheap on eBay, actually.) I am trying to be optimistic about the car, and I can say that if it had to crap out (again, lol), now, when I'm only using the car for dogsitting, going to the gym, and grovery shopping twice a week, is a much better time then when I'm working and/or in school again, right?

I've been at or under calories for the last few days, but haven't done any exercise since Saturday. (Sunday is usually my rest day, though.) For obvious reasons, I missed the gym pool class I usually take Monday afternoons, and today I didn't feel like going to the gym to make up the exercise time (also TOM, so dealing with cramps), and then had a call from my ballet teacher that the only other student in the class wasn't going to be able to make it due to road flooding (lucky! we still have very little rain, though it has been raining on and off since last night) and she knew I'd said I didn't like being the only student there, so she asked if I wanted to cancel. I told her I was going to have to get a ride there, so that makes things easier. (The classes are at her house, and she's barely half a mile from me, but I really didn't want to be caught in the rain either there or back in my ballet clothes, lol.) Tomorrow I am really planning to go to the gym, though. I am getting up early (around 11am) to borrow my mom's car to go let the dogs out (hoping it's not raining when I go, though), then coming home so my mom can go to her doctor's appointment at 1pm, then probably taking Chelsea to work at 4 (or 4:30?) and going to the gym which is on the way home. Then I have to be home by 6pm for CERT, which I do with mom and Kaity.

On to the much more exciting second part of this blog, the recipes. I get emails from Eating Well (but don't subscribe to their magazine) and stumbled across these two recipes via email and browsing the website. If you're not familiar with them, it's definitely worth a look at their site. LOTS of recipes of all sorts, all somewhat to much healthier than a "regular" version, etc. Anyway, here's two recipes I liked and printed and plan to try in the near future. I'm putting them here in their entirety to avoid any issues with copyright/"stealing" the recipes as my own, etc. Enjoy. :)

- Josie

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chocol
ate_zucchini_bread.html
From EatingWell: January/February 1999, The Essential EatingWell Cookbook (2004)
In this recipe remake, we replaced much of the oil with fruit-based fat replacement, reduced the amount of unsweetened chocolate but added cocoa powder and used half as many nuts but toasted them for maximum flavor. The result retained the original's tender crumb and rich, chocolaty flavor with only one-third the fat.
2 loaves, 8 slices each | Active Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 3/4 hours
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (1 3/4 ounces)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-process
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup fruit-based fat replacement, such as Lighter Bake, or unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 cups grated zucchini, (1 medium)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
2. Spread walnuts in a pie pan and bake until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Whisk eggs, sugar, fruit-based fat replacement (or applesauce), oil, vanilla and melted chocolate in another large bowl until blended. Add to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in zucchini and the reserved walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.
5. Bake the loaves 55 to 60 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto rack and cool completely.
Nutrition
Per slice : 239 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 40 mg Cholesterol; 38 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 143 mg Sodium; 97 mg Potassium
2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat
Nutrition Note: Original Zucchini Bread 365 calories, 23 g fat EW Zucchini Bread 239 calories, 8 g fat
Tips & Notes
• Make Ahead Tip: Store well wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

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Parmesan Spinach Cakes
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/parmes
an_spinach_cakes.html
From EatingWell: September/October 2008
If you like spinach-cheese pie, try these simple but elegant-looking little spinach cakes.
4 servings, 2 spinach cakes each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
• 12 ounces fresh spinach, (see Note)
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
3. Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
4. Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving : 141 Calories; 8 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 123 mg Cholesterol; 6 g Carbohydrates; 13 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 456 mg Sodium; 560 mg Potassium
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 medium-fat meat
Tips & Notes
• Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: Muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups
• Note: Baby spinach is immature or young spinach—it's harvested earlier than large-leaved mature spinach. We like the sturdy texture of mature spinach in cooked dishes and serve tender, mild-flavored baby spinach raw or lightly wilted. Baby and mature spinach can be used interchangeably in these recipes (yields may vary slightly); be sure to remove the tough stems from mature spinach before using.
• Weights & Measures
• 10 ounces trimmed mature spinach=about 10 cups raw
• 10 ounces baby spinach=about 8 cups raw

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R.I.P. Frak

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

R.I.P. Frak (March 17, 1997 - July 12, 2010). We love you and we'll miss you.



Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. Long story short, we had him euthanized as it was the best thing to do. The agressive and way out of our price range treatments would have given him 15% chance of living, and the moderate stuff, which we could only afford by spending literally every dollar we had and maxing out Care Credit, would have given him about 5% chance of living. Both hingeing on the hope that the renal failure is from diabetes and not on its own. Otherwise, getting the diabetes under control won't help the kidney failure anyway, and we'd just end up putting him to sleep anyway. This really was the best option at this point. Of course I'm not happy, but I'm okay with it, as I tried, and I found out what was wrong, etc. We tried and did our best.

Just some photos I came across on my computer:

















- Josie

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