Things I like this week (vol 16).

Love San Diego. Best decision ever.

1. TheSkimm. I. AM. OBSESSED. It’s funny, informative, and my one of the best parts of my day. I wake up excited to read it and cry a little on Saturday and Sunday when they take the days off.
2. Nicole’s post to Do Whatever You Fucking Want. Hell yeah.
3. Maskcara’s makeup recommendations. I’ve been using L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara for months (I randomly chose it one day) and it’s the best mascara I’ve ever used. I started using her recommendation for a lip liner (yes, it’s sold as an eyeliner, but you use it as a lip liner). I’ve gotten many compliments every time I’ve used it. I’ve very fair so I have to be careful with it, but it’s fabulous.
4. Noosa yogurt. When I started antibiotics to rid myself of my sinus infection, I ate yogurt everyday to make sure the good bacteria stayed alive and well. My roommate has been eating this brand for months, so I decided to try it. I love it. The downside? It’s pretty pricey. (My fav is the raspberry. Oh my YUM).
5. Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin. It makes the most perfect bun that stays. I saw this product months ago and thought it was a big joke, but after seeing Maskcara use it successfully I decided to try it. (I found that inserting the spin pin horizontally works better for my hair. Also, like Maskcara, it works best on dirty hair).
6. Hollywood Housewife’s very brave, honest and heartfelt post on anxiety. My favorite part: “(Anxiety is) like allergies. You can manage it, but it’s still something that is there. Okay, it’s not really much like allergies. But it’s something I have no control over. And like depression, or PPD, or any other number of mental health issues, severe anxiety is not something you can talk yourself out of. One can’t simply ‘calm down.’ Deep breaths are not the answer.” I wanted to stand up and cheer.
7. I took Jessica’s recommendation and tried Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. I love it. It really brightens my face, and covers dark circles.
8. Jess Lively’s free May wallpaper. It’s brighten my desktop and makes me smile every time I see it.

Happy Tuesday! xxoo

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What I Eat

Roasted Broccoli. A favorite of mine.

Since Operation Love Handle, I’ve been continuously asked: What do you eat?

That’s a great question. What do I eat?

Not meat, for starters. And, fish only when I eat out.

I’ve limited my dairy, too.

I know what you’re thinking: What’s left?

I know that’s what you’re thinking because I previously thought too. When you grow up on the Standard American Diet, you are use to meat being the star of the show. Meat is what dinner is cooked around. Heck, meat dictates your wine choice.

Two years ago I started reading vegetarian and vegan blogs and thought the women who wrote them were slightly extreme and little delusional. Although their food looked good, I didn’t believe it tasted good. However, I saw one commonality in these women: (besides having food blogs) they looked great. Sure, they exercised, but they glowed in their pictures. I couldn’t help to think their diet may have had something to do with it.

After a year of my new diet and exercising, I believe it’s true. I believe their diet (and mine) helps you to feel and look great.

I love what I eat. I don’t have cheat days or “bad foods”; I eat second and third helpings and have dessert twice a day. I am always full and feel energized and nourished.

My diet may look boring, but like any change, it just took some time to get used to. I started by changing my breakfast, then my dinner, then my lunches. It was slow and I waited to make another change when I was ready. I still have junk food from time to time but usually have a stomach ache or other poor physical reaction after eating junk that deters the next purchase of a bag of Oreos. (But not always. I bought Oreos last week). 🙂

So, all this talk about food. What do I eat?

Previous Diet:

Breakfast: Usually cereal. I enjoyed Special K with Berries, or Oatmeal Squares. I’d eat an entire bowl and be famished in an hour.

Snack: Always crackers. Always. Wheat Thins, or Pita crackers (from Trader Joe’s) usually with hummus or just plain. I’d eat about a 1/2 cup and be hungry again before lunch.

Lunch: A turkey/ham/salami sandwich, maybe some fruit, a cookie/dessert. Probably more crackers. Or, leftovers from a previous dinner. My lunch would hold me for a few hours.

Snack: Sometimes fruit. Usually crackers.

Dinner: Enchiladas, Pasta, Tacos, Mac & Cheese, Hamburgers, Tuna Melts, and Quesadillas.

Dessert: Cookies, Brownies, Cakes, Pies, or Ice Cream

Beverages: Wine, Beer, Gin & Tonics, Margaritas, Coffee, Water, Lemonade, Iced Tea, Mochas, and Frappacinos.

Current Diet:

Breakfast: Overnight Oatmeal (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Did I say how much I love this?) or 2 slices of Sprouted Multi Grain toast with natural peanut butter (now I make this at home!) and a drizzle of honey. I usually make one cup of Oatmeal. I know. One Cup Of Oatmeal. It’s a lot of Oatmeal. But, if I give myself enough time in the morning and I eat the entire cup and I’m full for hours and I feel fabulous.  Toast normally by itself isn’t as much of a powerhouse, but my bread has 5 grams of protein + 5-7 grams of protein from the natural peanut butter.

Snack: Fruit and/or almonds. Sometimes Banana Bread or Muffins.

Lunch: Leftovers from the dinner or Beans, Greens, and Grains. Definitely not the most exciting lunch, but the most filling. I have been eating this for over a year for lunch (not everyday but many days a week) and I have tons of energy and feel great when I eat it. Sometimes I’ll have Mediterranean Salad Shakers.

Snack: Almost never needed. More almonds/ or fruit
Dinner: Maple Baked Lentils With Sweet Potato, Quick and Easy Tomato Mushroom Pasta, Portobello and Poblano Fajitas, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Miso Sauce, Twenty Minute Four Bean Vegetarian Chilli, Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Miso Dressing, Macaroni & Peas, Balsamic Kale Salad with Apple and Pear, Tofu Dippers, Roasted Chickpea Tacos, Cranberry Orange Lentil Quinoa Loaf.

I’ll make one of the more complicated dinners one night a week, then usually just have Angela’s go to dinner or Emily’s.

I still regularly eat my go-to easy convenience meals – all of which lack nutrition – Nachos, Quesadillas, or Annie’s Mac & Cheese. I have revised how I eat these junk food dinners – I always pair them with a large helping of roasted vegetables, and make the Nachos and Quesadillas loaded with black beans and little cheese.

Dessert: Cookies, Brownies, Cakes, Pies. Not much has changed here. Sometimes I’ll try a vegan recipe, but usually stick to my old favorites.

Beverages: Wine, Beer, Gin & Tonics, Margaritas, Mineral Water, Water, Jasmine Green Tea, Herbal Tea, Iced Tea and occasionally coffee.

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I love my current diet. I am by no means a expert, but my diet works for me.  I love the way I look, but most importantly, the way I feel. I’ve never been this healthy, either. I’ve been careful to get the nutrients meat provides and maintaining a balanced diet. I’ve worked with my physician to ensure I am getting everything I need in my diet. It’s a diet I never thought I would have, but I now can’t imagine eating any other way.

What are some of your favorite (non-meat) health foods?

**Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist and have no medical training. I am sharing what has worked for me. Please consult a medical professional before making any changes to your diet. **

Things I like this week (vol. 8 )

So many things I like this week, I don’t know where to start.

1. Girl’s night. I haven’t had a real true “girl’s night” for as long as I can remember. Usually the “girl’s nights” I’ve had in the past revolving around bars, and trying to meet men. Or, my friends ducking out early to meet up with their man. Anyway you sliced it, it always about guys. My sister, my roommate and I had a fabulous girl’s night on Friday night. We even had our own private hotel room and room service. There was no make up or heels, instead there was pajamas, wine and champagne. Of course, men were discussed but not our focus nor the purpose of us getting together. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long, long time. It was really fun.

The girls (my sister, me, my roomie Ann Marie)

We kinda sorta went on a mission. Don't worry about it.

Giddy from a successful "mission"

At brunch Saturday "morning". What? You don't eat brunch at 1pm?

Yep. That's a December afternoon and we're eating oustide, in the warm sun. I LOVE SAN DIEGO. (Sarah is wearing a scarf b/c of a breeze).

2. Oliver. After quite a night Friday, I decided to stay in Saturday night and take care of this little guy:

My roommate's son

Oliver was the BEST date I’ve had in weeks. It was the perfect night.

3. I can’t remember where I found this post, but it’s super great about doing more by doing less.

4. Remember how I raved about Angela from Oh She Glows?  Specifically her Butternut Squash Burritos? Well, I made the burritos for two manly, MEAT EATING men this weekend and they loved them. Success! Next, I’m making her Naughty and Nice Vegan Enchilada Casserole – but I probably won’t make it vegan, just vegetarian.

5. I am going home for a week for Christmas!! Remember how I told you I was flying home 4 times from November to December? Well, it’s a long story but instead of flying home and being home for just over 3 days, I’ll be driving home and be home for just over 9 days!! I feel like singing Christmas Carols. That’s probably why Kelcey’s post about Christmas brought a tear to my eye, even the T-Mobile ad she has at the bottom of her post. Normally I would think the T-Mobile ad was super cheesy, but in my festive mood I just loved it.

Happy Holidays, guys.

The Road to Pescatarianism

(image source)

*Below is a rather serious post about why I am no longer eating meat. If it’s not your thing, feel free to skip this post 🙂

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I’ve been thinking about giving up meat for over three years now. I’m not sure where the idea exactly came from; I believe that I started learning about meat today and how it’s packed with antibiotics, the cows/chickens/pigs are fed with corn and I started re-thinking my consumption of meat. Michael Pollan also was very popular at the time, and everyone was reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma. From watching Pollan on Oprah, I found that I could buy free-range, grass fed meat. Wolia! Problem solved.

Right?

Well. No…

In 2010, I decided I was giving up pork for the year. (Unless – this is a big unless – it was free range and not corn fed. Free range, corn fed pork is actually really challenging to find). In fact, it was my New Year’s Resolution. Except for an occasional free range pork meal, or when I didn’t have the heart to tell someone I didn’t eat pork, I didn’t eat it for the entire year.

It. Was. Hard.

I was so happy when 2011 started and I could eat pork again. Hello, pork roast, ham, bacon. YUM. I missed you, my friends.

So I ate meat again. Visa-Vi, my non pork experiment was good. Right?

Wait.

Okay, the purpose of my not-eating-pork-that-isn’t-humanly-raised experiment wasn’t just to see if I couldn’t eat pork. It was 2 fold.

1) I read somewhere that pigs are similar to dogs. And you know how much I LOVEMYDOG.

2) I thought (and still do) that if we (AMERICANS) support animal farmers who treat their animals humanely should be supported; not those who treat their animals poorly, don’t let them exercise and have their animals lead a confined life.

So, my “year-free-of-pork” was to make (more than anything) an economical statement; I was not going to financially support animal farmers who did not treat their pigs humanely.

Okay.

How did I go from not eating pigs for a year (to make an economical statement) to no longer eating meat, ever?*

Reality? The truth? Again, it was 2 fold:

1) I read Lauren‘s post on Oprah’s Vegan episode. Then I watched the video – at a slaughter house. (WARNING. It’s graphic).

2) I came to terms with what I already knew. I knew that I am, and have always been a grocery store meat eater. What does that mean? That means that I could easily buy, prepare and eat meat I bought at the grocery store. But, I could never, ever (unless I was starving) kill an animal and eat it. I think it’s revolting. Bleh. I would sooner eat a handful of bugs than eat a cow, pig, chicken, or any other livestock that I killed. Just to kill the animal would be devastating to me, let alone skin it, cook it, and eat it. The idea is overwhelmingly upsetting to me.

So. As of the endish** of September, I have tried to no longer eat meat.

Wait. Why fish, then? (A Pescatarian is a person who eats fish but no other meat).

Um. Because I could (and have) fished, filleted, and eaten fish. While it’s slimy and gross, I could do it. I can do it. I don’t have a problem with it.

Why fish and not chickens? I don’t know. I really don’t. Maybe because fish don’t appear to have the same personality/ intelligence as an flesh animal. I don’t know. Maybe they do. But, really, the Can-I-Kill-This-With-My-Own-Bare-Hands question is my rule of measure when eating meat.

Having said all of this, I have really missed meat. OMG. One of my roommates grilled a steak Sunday night. OMG. I wanted one so badly it hurt. Can I mention that beef is my favorite meat? I could take or leave chicken, I do enjoy pork, but I LOVE BEEF.

I love hamburgers. Ugh. To think I will never eat a hamburger again for the rest of my life really is sad to me. I will miss them.

I really like ham. And bacon. And pork chops. I have fond memories with my family around pork products.

But, I am so happy with my decision. I haven’t regretted it, not only for a second. Many times I have seen meat (raw or cooked) and been disgusted. I see it for what it is, animal flesh. I hope it continues to motivate me to refrain from meat eating.

*After I dropped the “meat is animal flesh” bomb, I will tell you my exceptions to my new lifestyle.

1) Politeness. I will eat meat if someone invites me to their home to eat a meal and does not know I don’t eat meat. If they aren’t serving any food sans meat, I will partake in eating said meat. I personally find it rude when people are offered food and decline it – especially when they aren’t allergic. So, I will eat it.

2) Marshmallows. Sooooooo sad. Last time this year (via Facebook) I learned marshmallows (um, my FAVORITE THING EVER) aren’t vegetarian. They are made with gelatin, which is an animal by product, blah, blah, blah. Of course, at Whole Foods or your local Co-Op you can find vegan marshmallows for like $6. And I’m not quite ready to drop $6 on marshmallows yet…

3) Thanksgiving. Yeah, I’m not ready to give up turkey this year. I am really not a fan of tofu (even deliciously flavored tofurky) so I can’t give it up quite yet. And no, I couldn’t kill a damn Turkey. I’m doing my best.

4) Meals made for me with a meat product in it. Like, if you make me soup and use chicken broth (because you forgot). I will eat it. But, now that you know I don’t eat meat so you won’t do that! 🙂

So, why am I telling you this? To change you? To convince you to give up meat too? Nope. Honestly, I am telling you this not only to keep myself accountable, but also tell you now so I don’t have to explain it later.***

________

** I was going to give up eating meat October 1, but I went to a wedding where meat was served and I was so hungry that I couldn’t pass up. I haven’t eat meat since that weekend.

*** The social expectation to eat meat is HUGE. It makes people uncomfortable and sad when I mention I don’t eat meat. (I actually try not to mention it to avoid the conversation). Of course, everyone asks “Why?” which is super awkward, especially when we’re eating and they’re eating meat. I stumble over my words, and barely answer the question. After people know I’m not eating meat and we’re eating out and sharing a meal they are always sad when they realize I won’t split chicken tacos with them or sliders. I know. I’m sad too. I love sliders.

Health, Fitness and Food Blogs

First, it started with Lauren.

I met Lauren my freshman year of college back east. Lauren and I became good friends our second semester (she was a sophomore, and I was a freshman). She was my friend who was super smart, (she always beat me on tests), had a great music play-lists, was so great to be around, always talked about her running, and was a vegetarian.

I'm on the left, Lauren's on the right. This is circa 2004, people. On our way to my first and only trip to NYC.

Um. We're posing, people. It's Central Park. What else do you do in Central Park? (We're in the middle - Lauren on the left, I'm on the right).

Unfortunately, the college we attended wasn’t for me, so after my first year I moved back to California. Lauren stayed at school and graduated with a degree in Psychology, then ended up getting her Master’s in Public Health. Lauren and I stayed in touch via Facebook, and one day I saw a posting about her blog. Lauren’s blog is about running, health, and eating yummy and healthy foods. I occasionally read her blog, and was inspired to create a blog of my own. (Not a health or fitness blog, clearly).

As I became a blogger, I read Lauren’s blog more often as well as some other blogs to get inspiration. Then, I read this post. Lauren and her running buddies did a 2 day, all night relay race – yes, someone on their team was continually running. Throughout the night. It was insane! And inspiring. And motivating.

Through that post I found some of Lauren’s running friend’s blogs.

And this is where my new obsession with Heath, Fitness, and Food Blogs began.

It all started innocently, really. I enjoyed reading Becky’s and Tina’s blogs. They seemed like nice women, and they knew my friend Lauren. So I technically knew them.

And in their blogs, they have tons of great recipes, weight loss stories, and other inspirational nuggets that make me want to get up at 5:00am to go work out.

(Un)fortunately, I started reading every single Heath, Fitness and Food Blog that came my way. (Un)fortunately, most of the women who comment on Lauren, Becky and Tina’s blogs are also health-nuts who write similar blogs. (Un)fortunately, I started to read more and more each day.

Like my obsession with Facebook, I quickly became addicted with my favorite blogger’s post updates. I would check their blogs multiple times a day, waiting for a new post. One of the things some of the bloggers do is post what food they eat that day – let me just say I LOVE seeing what they eat everyday. Thus, many of them post blogs as many as 3 times a day – so I kept checking back for the next post. It started to become a real problem.

Good news, my friends. My preoccupation with Health, Fitness and Food Blogs has calmed down. The reason? Google Reader. It automatically updates me when each new post arrives and organizes the blogs all together in one nice, neat, little package. (It is way better then RSS feeds. It will change your life. I promise you!)

The other good news? Reading all of these blogs has motivated me to do two things I haven’t been doing a lot lately:

1. Exercise regularly
2. Cook at home

I had been eating out a lot lately because I was so sick of cooking for myself and I was so sick of the food I knew how to make. But, I have been encouraged by all the blogs! I have so many recipes to choose from that I just can’t wait to cook each night.

And tomorrow? My lazy self will get up when my 5:00am alarm clock goes off to go to the gym instead of hitting snooze like I’ve done so many times before. 🙂

I guess my new addiction isn’t so bad after all.