Today is Halloween, which unless you have been living on another planet, means the beginning of the holiday season.
I was in Target this week (or maybe it was last week) and I saw they had some Chrismas stuff there. It was like one aisle in the seasonal section, waiting in the wings for Halloween to be over so Chrismas could explode all over the place like some kind of tinsel-covered LED-bedazzled pinata.
Every year it becomes more obvious as retailers piggyback one holiday on another one. My favorite is the Valentines candy being put in place of the Christmas schwag as soon as it has been clearanced out the door. Six weeks ahead of what is not even a paid holiday.
Which gets me to thinking about how holidays seem to come one after the other after the other. It seems like every one is more of a cause for celebration than the next, and in the U.S., that means food that is terrible for you. A typical Thanksgiving dinner has over 5,000 calories.
This holiday season I have made up my mind to indulge moderately. What does that mean?
In the past I have told people I am diabetic to avoid having to eat a piece of their birthday cake. Or I might say I don't like sweets. Or have a gluten allergy. Or I'm vegan, so caramel is off limits. Sometimes it is easier than saying, "I think your food is crap."
I have one rule. I don't eat empty calories unless they are delicious. Would I rather have a plate full of some gross Kroger-bakery pecan pie or would I rather wait and eat something I actually want at a later time. Make the choice.
Same thing goes for candy. I like Nerds a lot. I ate some today. They were delicious and it is Halloween.
Eat what you like moderately and don't eat what you don't really want. Ask yourself questions like "Why am I putting this on my plate and how is it going to fuel my body?"
Keep in mind there are plenty of healthy options for the holidays. But above all, don't leave your nutrition up to chance. Know what you are eating - ask questions about it before you eat those fried mashed potato balls with Jack Daniels' glaze.
One thing I like to do is spoil my appetite before I go over to someone else's house for dinner. That way I make sure to get the protien I need just in case I walk into a carb-fest.
Remember it is all about avoiding the wrong kinds of foods. Check out this website:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Running the pink race
This coming Saturday I will be running the Race for the Cure. Last year I watched my wife and thousands of other people participate in this awesome event, and I promised myself right then I would run when October came around.
So here it is October, and I have registered for the race. From what I saw last year, you are supposed to dedicate your run to someone.
I would like to run in memory of my grandmother Geraldine, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was only 43.
I never knew her, but I know she was probably an awesome lady.
The fact is that breast cancer sucks. Follow this link and donate so that maybe one day it will be a thing of the past.
http://race.raceforthecurememphis.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1100&px=1363762
So here it is October, and I have registered for the race. From what I saw last year, you are supposed to dedicate your run to someone.
I would like to run in memory of my grandmother Geraldine, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was only 43.
I never knew her, but I know she was probably an awesome lady.
The fact is that breast cancer sucks. Follow this link and donate so that maybe one day it will be a thing of the past.
http://race.raceforthecurememphis.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1100&px=1363762
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Treat yourself - don't cheat yourself
It's October, and you know what that means - ice cream.
You may be in another climate right now curling up around a nice warm mug of spiced cider and watching the aspen leaves change color and fall onto the pile of kindling you have just chopped in the crisp autumn air.
Where I live it was 80 degrees today. The leaves still change color, fall off the trees and need to be raked. I live in a place where we take a break from raking the leaves for ice cream, not a hot-as-balls cup of apple juice.
Ice cream sounds pretty delicious until I remember how ice cream makes it hard to look totally ripped. And if there is one thing I love more than ice cream, it is being shredded. Gone are the days of my diet of calzones, beer and ice cream. My skinny-fat-dude beer belly is gone, too, and that is awesome.
But that doesn't solve the problem I face when doing my fall yard work in the Memphis heat.
By chance we discovered Arctic Zero. We were looking through the frozen tasty treats section at whole foods looking for a magical low-fat, low-carb fix.
Arctic Zero is kind of amazing stuff. Less than 150 calories in the entire pint! 34 Calories per serving. ZERO grams fat. 10 grams carbohydrates. 5 grams protein.
It is made with water, Whey protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, chicory root, guar and xantham gums, sea salt, and monk fruit concentrate, plus natural flavor. If you are trying to eat clean, you are clear for takeoff.
The first flavor you should try is the vanilla or vanilla maple. Other flavors seem to come out every day. Chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry banana, pumpkin spice, mint chocolate cookie - to name a few. Today I had the cookies and cream flavor, which my wife blended into milkshakes that tasted as decadent as the tears of baby harp seals.
The texture can be a little gelatinous when runny because of the high protein content and absence of fat. Thus the milkshake idea.
Another idea is making floats with Zevia brand soft drinks. They are a naturally sweetened zero-calorie carbonated beverage. Flavors include: Cola, Dr. Zevia, ginger root beer, orange and black cherry. I prefer orange with vanilla Arctic Zero. It tastes like an orange cream-sicle.
Both these sites will tell you where to find them in your area. If you live in Memphis, that would be Whole Foods.
www.myarcticzero.com
www.zevia.com
Try this recipe and then slap your mother right in the face:
You may be in another climate right now curling up around a nice warm mug of spiced cider and watching the aspen leaves change color and fall onto the pile of kindling you have just chopped in the crisp autumn air.
Where I live it was 80 degrees today. The leaves still change color, fall off the trees and need to be raked. I live in a place where we take a break from raking the leaves for ice cream, not a hot-as-balls cup of apple juice.
Ice cream sounds pretty delicious until I remember how ice cream makes it hard to look totally ripped. And if there is one thing I love more than ice cream, it is being shredded. Gone are the days of my diet of calzones, beer and ice cream. My skinny-fat-dude beer belly is gone, too, and that is awesome.
But that doesn't solve the problem I face when doing my fall yard work in the Memphis heat.
By chance we discovered Arctic Zero. We were looking through the frozen tasty treats section at whole foods looking for a magical low-fat, low-carb fix.
Arctic Zero is kind of amazing stuff. Less than 150 calories in the entire pint! 34 Calories per serving. ZERO grams fat. 10 grams carbohydrates. 5 grams protein.
It is made with water, Whey protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, chicory root, guar and xantham gums, sea salt, and monk fruit concentrate, plus natural flavor. If you are trying to eat clean, you are clear for takeoff.
The first flavor you should try is the vanilla or vanilla maple. Other flavors seem to come out every day. Chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry banana, pumpkin spice, mint chocolate cookie - to name a few. Today I had the cookies and cream flavor, which my wife blended into milkshakes that tasted as decadent as the tears of baby harp seals.
The texture can be a little gelatinous when runny because of the high protein content and absence of fat. Thus the milkshake idea.
Another idea is making floats with Zevia brand soft drinks. They are a naturally sweetened zero-calorie carbonated beverage. Flavors include: Cola, Dr. Zevia, ginger root beer, orange and black cherry. I prefer orange with vanilla Arctic Zero. It tastes like an orange cream-sicle.
Both these sites will tell you where to find them in your area. If you live in Memphis, that would be Whole Foods.
www.myarcticzero.com
www.zevia.com
Try this recipe and then slap your mother right in the face:
- 1 pint Arctic Zero cookies and cream flavor.
- 1 cup non-fat milk
- 1 scoop (28 grams) Muscle Feast chocolate whey protein
- Blend until it is ready
Calories 165 • Fat 0 grams • Carbohydrates 17.5 grams • Protein 21.5 grams
Sunday, October 10, 2010
pump it up
There are three things that are super important to me in this life. In order of importance, they are: My wife, food, and pushups.
Push-ups are an instant problem solver and are my go-to in almost every situation.
Think about it. You are upset about something. Work it out with some push-ups. You are about to go to a job interview and you are nervous. Push-ups! You decide to help your wife at her job so you wear an Egyptian costume complete with a man-skirt and collar. bare chested. Push-ups push-ups push-ups!
You may or may not know that weight lifting causes blood to flow into your muscles for a while during and immediately after exercise. This is called a pump. This allows your muscles to actually look bigger and more impressive after lifting weights.
Pushups can give you that same pump anywhere, any time. Here's what to do:
You're welcome. Here is what Arnold Schwarzenegger has to say about the pump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMjG2s6UOaw&feature=related
P.S.
Whatever you think you know about old ladies is wrong. They are not shy and prudish like I had thought. They are sex fiends.
FYI The Egyptian look is a total granny pleaser and I have never felt more like a stripper as when a sweet old lady tucked in the tag that was sticking out of my man-skirt. I swear a dollar bill fell out later. After that she patted my butt and chuckled to her friends that she just couldn't stop herself.
Push-ups are an instant problem solver and are my go-to in almost every situation.
Think about it. You are upset about something. Work it out with some push-ups. You are about to go to a job interview and you are nervous. Push-ups! You decide to help your wife at her job so you wear an Egyptian costume complete with a man-skirt and collar. bare chested. Push-ups push-ups push-ups!
You may or may not know that weight lifting causes blood to flow into your muscles for a while during and immediately after exercise. This is called a pump. This allows your muscles to actually look bigger and more impressive after lifting weights.
Pushups can give you that same pump anywhere, any time. Here's what to do:
- Do a set of push-ups until you can't do any more.
- Wait 30-60 seconds.
- Do another set. You will probably reach failure sooner on each consecutive set.
- Repeat until your arms fall off.
- Enjoy the extra confidence the pump gives you.
You're welcome. Here is what Arnold Schwarzenegger has to say about the pump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMjG2s6UOaw&feature=related
P.S.
Whatever you think you know about old ladies is wrong. They are not shy and prudish like I had thought. They are sex fiends.
FYI The Egyptian look is a total granny pleaser and I have never felt more like a stripper as when a sweet old lady tucked in the tag that was sticking out of my man-skirt. I swear a dollar bill fell out later. After that she patted my butt and chuckled to her friends that she just couldn't stop herself.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
These noodles are jedi food
One of my first jobs was at Wal-Mart as a cashier. I worked the overnight shift sometimes, and that was when the best people came in. Rednecks, medieval damsels, oldsters with breathing apparatus, vampires, drag queens, gangstas, sci-fi nerds in jedi robes, bearded ladies, hoochie mamas, the list goes on.
When I first found out I would be working as a cashier and would not have a manly job, I was a little disappointed. That was OK, I would see what ringing people up was all about. What I found out was that you can tell a lot about people by what is on the conveyor belt.
For example, I noticed that when buying "personal items", some people put them on the belt first and then built a pyramid on top of them with all the other stuff they were getting. When I would see a pile on the conveyor, I tried to guess what was at the bottom of the stack. Usually condoms.
Some More observations:
Dudes buy makeup a lot more than one might think.
Uptight ladies tend to buy douche in bulk quantities.
Bearded ladies love keebler cookies.
Also, I learned that I could not keep a straight face if someone was buying just an enema. But if they bought something else at the same time I was less likely to laugh in their face. Did I mention I was only 17 or 18 years old at the time? That's irrelevant because I am still writing about it, so I obviously think it is still funny.
A friend works at Whole Foods. She gets to see what people buy as well, and that is how I found out about Shirataki noodles. She mentioned that all the elite athletes are buying them.
These noodles are high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, and also contain protein. They are made from tofu and konjac flour. Konjac is indigenous to eastern Asia and is also known as the elephant yam, although it is not related to the sweet potatoes that we know and love to eat.
They come in two varieties that I know of: spaghetti and fettucine. They are kept in the refrigerated section and come in a bag full of water with a splash of calcium hydroxide (lime the mineral) to extend the shelf life.
When you use them you need to either boil them for a few minutes, microwave them, or run them under hot water for a while to get rid of the fishy smell that you will notice when you stick your nose close for a whiff.
I tried mine last week with red sauce and some grilled chicken tenderloins. I will tell you I have had better pasta in my life. The texture is a little rubbery, although not as bad as if I had eaten the tentacles of a squid in place of noodles. So, not terrible.
This is how shirataki noodles compare to regular pasta:
Regular pasta has 152 calories per 4 oz. serving - almost all those calories come from carbohydrates.
Shiratake has 20 calories per 4 oz. serving - 12 calories from carbs.
Discuss.
Since the noddles were a little weird for straight-up Italian food, I have some ideas about how I will prepare my shiritake noodles:
Go half and half with 100% whole wheat pasta
Toss into a stir fry
Substitute for rice in a thai dish like red curry
asian soup with a miso-based broth.
1 tsp miso
2 cups broth
1 tablespoon rice wine.
Add shiritaki noodles
Add tofu, lean pork, shrimp or chicken.
Add mushrooms 2 minutes before it is done and spinach the last 30 seconds. Serve.
www.shiratakinoodles.net
When I first found out I would be working as a cashier and would not have a manly job, I was a little disappointed. That was OK, I would see what ringing people up was all about. What I found out was that you can tell a lot about people by what is on the conveyor belt.
For example, I noticed that when buying "personal items", some people put them on the belt first and then built a pyramid on top of them with all the other stuff they were getting. When I would see a pile on the conveyor, I tried to guess what was at the bottom of the stack. Usually condoms.
Some More observations:
Dudes buy makeup a lot more than one might think.
Uptight ladies tend to buy douche in bulk quantities.
Bearded ladies love keebler cookies.
Also, I learned that I could not keep a straight face if someone was buying just an enema. But if they bought something else at the same time I was less likely to laugh in their face. Did I mention I was only 17 or 18 years old at the time? That's irrelevant because I am still writing about it, so I obviously think it is still funny.
A friend works at Whole Foods. She gets to see what people buy as well, and that is how I found out about Shirataki noodles. She mentioned that all the elite athletes are buying them.
These noodles are high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, and also contain protein. They are made from tofu and konjac flour. Konjac is indigenous to eastern Asia and is also known as the elephant yam, although it is not related to the sweet potatoes that we know and love to eat.
They come in two varieties that I know of: spaghetti and fettucine. They are kept in the refrigerated section and come in a bag full of water with a splash of calcium hydroxide (lime the mineral) to extend the shelf life.
When you use them you need to either boil them for a few minutes, microwave them, or run them under hot water for a while to get rid of the fishy smell that you will notice when you stick your nose close for a whiff.
I tried mine last week with red sauce and some grilled chicken tenderloins. I will tell you I have had better pasta in my life. The texture is a little rubbery, although not as bad as if I had eaten the tentacles of a squid in place of noodles. So, not terrible.
This is how shirataki noodles compare to regular pasta:
Regular pasta has 152 calories per 4 oz. serving - almost all those calories come from carbohydrates.
Shiratake has 20 calories per 4 oz. serving - 12 calories from carbs.
Discuss.
Since the noddles were a little weird for straight-up Italian food, I have some ideas about how I will prepare my shiritake noodles:
Go half and half with 100% whole wheat pasta
Toss into a stir fry
Substitute for rice in a thai dish like red curry
asian soup with a miso-based broth.
1 tsp miso
2 cups broth
1 tablespoon rice wine.
Add shiritaki noodles
Add tofu, lean pork, shrimp or chicken.
Add mushrooms 2 minutes before it is done and spinach the last 30 seconds. Serve.
www.shiratakinoodles.net
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Greater Memphis Greenline
The Greater Memphis Greenline is open, and everyone has been talking about it. It is awesome. If you haven't gone, go check it out.
If you are going to ride it as a workout, you may not want to go on a Sunday afternoon. That is what we did, and that mofo was CRUNK. There were families everywhere talking to neighbors and grannies talking to cops and some old guy running like he was a zombie. It was amazing.
The entire time I was riding the greenline, I was thinking, "Is this really happening in Memphis?" I felt like something huge was happening, and this is just the beginning.
So before I get too hippie-love-crap, let me just say I will be finding where you can get on and off the line very soon.
We tried to get on at White Station, Mendenhall and Perkins before we finally got to Waring and found an entrance. So look out for my future discoveries and feel free to tell us what you know as a comment on this blog.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Memphis-TN/Greater-Memphis-Greenline/55635647590
http://www.greatermemphisgreenline.org
If you are going to ride it as a workout, you may not want to go on a Sunday afternoon. That is what we did, and that mofo was CRUNK. There were families everywhere talking to neighbors and grannies talking to cops and some old guy running like he was a zombie. It was amazing.
The entire time I was riding the greenline, I was thinking, "Is this really happening in Memphis?" I felt like something huge was happening, and this is just the beginning.
So before I get too hippie-love-crap, let me just say I will be finding where you can get on and off the line very soon.
We tried to get on at White Station, Mendenhall and Perkins before we finally got to Waring and found an entrance. So look out for my future discoveries and feel free to tell us what you know as a comment on this blog.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Memphis-TN/Greater-Memphis-Greenline/55635647590
http://www.greatermemphisgreenline.org
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