A Big Fat Greek Salad

I love salads.

Especially crunchy, feta-filled ones. :)

I found this one on Women's Health.com and pretty much make it all the time. I switch up the beans and us cannellini beans too.... They're just buttery!! Yum-o! You also can't skimp on the olives. Buy GOOD olives.

You might catch yourself trying to lick the bowl when you're done too.

.... or is that just me?

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large red tomatoes (1 pound), cut into chunks
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups hothouse cucumber chunks
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 8 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 4 cups torn mixed dark-hued greens, such as escarole and romaine lettuce, or use all romaine
• 4 ounces feta cheese, chopped

Directions

1.

In a large salad bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, and pepper with a fork.

2.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, parsley, and olives. Toss to mix well. If you have time, let marinate for 15 minutes.

3.

Add the greens and feta and toss again.

Gaining to Lose

***Warning! I'm really getting up on my "roost" this morning.***

This morning in my post-run-sweaty-get-up, I was in the kitchen packing Todd's lunch and fixing his breakfast while watching the Today Show. First off, it's kind of nice to have Brian Williams co-hosting with Ann the morning... but then, once I started to tune out the chit-chat, I heard an interesting story. They were talking about a lady named Steffany Sears (202 lbs) and her struggle to qualify for bariatric weight-loss surgery and that ultimately she ended up binge eating to GAIN weight to "qualify" through her insurance company for the surgery!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

I literally screamed. THIS IS JUST ABSURD!

Not that she got the surgery.... entirely. I know several individuals who've had this procedure done. Some were very successful, others... not so much.  You guys know by now, I'm not a hater of "fat people". I'm just a dedicated lover for a HEALTHY person. So, I have MANY issues with this story.

1.) Steffany had already LOST weight on her own. She had been trying. Working. Struggling to lose the weight on her own. Then - she just gave-up and gave in to her insurance company's stupid "rules" (All of which can be broken mind you! I negotiated with insurance companies in a past life, you just have to be overly diligent.).

I'm not even really sure if this process couldn't be considered insurance fraud if you think about it... hmm...

2.) Insurance companies need to change. Why aren't they offering programs and opportunities to reward their policy holders for HARD WORK and proper diet management!? Come on - THOUSANDS of people do it on their own every year.... Why aren't these insurance companies on the side of the policy holder?! (ugh - don't even mutter the fact that it's all about $$. I'll probably come hit you or something. ha!)
3.) I'm even more frustrated with Steffany that she didn't fight for herself more. She is her own best advocate and she let an insurance company dictate what she does with and for her body.

I'm so tired of lazy.

I'm tired of lazy people who don't want to get up, get out and get moving for their own good. I'm tired of hearing stories like this where it's "easier" to gain weight to have SURGERY! I'm tired of lazy doctors who won't help navigate their patients to resources that can help. I'm tired of lazy insurance companies who will do nothing to help the insured. I'm tired of our society being so lazy, so unmotivated and unwilling to change policies for health and health care. (no - I'm not talking "Obama-care")

Why are we so lazy!?

Why would anyone want to sit around and whine about their weight and do NOTHING to change it. Don't tell me it's because fruits and veggies and other "healthy foods" are so "expensive". That's crap. Yes, they can cost more than what you're used to spending on processed foods and simple sugar and carb loaded "goodies"... but you're certainly going to save a whole lot of money (and tax payer dollars) from decreased hospital visits and medical/pharmaceutical expenses.

I don't know about you - but I'd rather spend a little more each week at the grocery store, eat well and LIVE well instead of struggling for months and spending weeks in the hospital.

*** I will slowly descend from my roost now.... ***

This is apparently Steffany's Before & After shots. I stole this from her story online.

I'm proud of Steffany for her overall weight-loss... and I hope she keeps it off. I hope she doesn't resort to bad habits and laziness again and ruin all the hard work she and her medical team have done. I hope she has a wonderful support system to sustain her efforts. I hope she is exercising and eating well to keep what she's got working for her. I hope she isn't suffering psychologically with her new self (like MANY bari-patients do). I hope she LOVES herself. 

Most importantly, I hope my readers are inspired to work hard on themselves. Don't give in to lazy. Don't go the "easy way". Don't give-up.

You have much to gain as you lose.


Keep up the good work friends.
Love - a.

Soda Guzzle?

A handsome friend of mine, Paul, sent this interesting article to me this morning "for the blog". I suppose I should do as he suggested and post this tid-bit on the ridiculousness that is America's obsession with soda.

I do admit - I'm a Diet Coke girl. I don't drink tons of the stuff... but I do allow myself one of the tiny (cute) 8oz cans on work days and maybe for an added afternoon "pick me up" after a long run. I've tried to break this personal affair many times.... then I went to Nursing School.... and then I became a nurse. I know it's bad and it's terrible for my teeth and bones, BUT I'm sorry!

Quick and easy caffiene is at times, a must.

But this article has a few valid points. I'm not sure soda drinking will ever be as taboo as smoking as the article suggests.... Worth noting though. :)

My mom swears she (and my sisters) have stopped their soda habit. I'll be home this weekend to see if she's really telling the truth or not... Shall we take bets now?

I'll put in $10 mom's got a secret stash of mini Diet Cokes stuffed between the couch cushions. :)

Happy Reading!

Soda guzzling spurs call to cut back

by Mike Stobbe - Sept. 1, 2011 12:00 AM
Associated Press

ATLANTA - Half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day - and some are downing a lot.

One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day, even though health officials say sweetened beverages should be limited to less than half a can.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the figures Wednesday in a report said to be the government's first to offer national statistics for adults and kids.

 <>

Sweetened drinks have been linked to the U.S. explosion in obesity and related medical problems, and health officials have been urging people to cut back for years. Some officials have proposed an extra soda tax and many schools have stopped selling soda or artificial juices.

But advocates say those efforts are not enough, and on Wednesday, a coalition of 100 organizations announced a new push. The effort includes the American Heart Association and the some city health departments that plan to prod companies to stop the sale of sugary drinks on their property or providing them at business meetings - as Boston's Carney Hospital did in April. There will also be new media campaigns, like one starting soon in Los Angeles that will ask, "If you wouldn't eat 22 packs of sugar, why are you drinking it?"

The new CDC report may be ammunition. It found:

- About half the population drinks a sugared beverage each day.

- Males consume more than females, with teenage boys leading the pack. On average, males ages 12 through 19 drink the equivalent of nearly two cans of soda each day.

- Poor people drink more than the more-affluent. Low-income adults got about 9 percent of their daily calories from sugary beverages; for high-income adults, it was just over 4 percent.

- Blacks get more of their calories from sweetened beverages than other racial and ethnic groups.

The study is based on in-person interviews of more than 17,000 people in the years 2005 through 2008. They were asked to recount everything they ate and drank in the previous day. However, diet sodas, sweetened teas, flavored milks and 100 percent fruit juice did not count.

Healthy-eating recommendations call for people to limit sugary drinks to 64 calories per day. That's a little less than half of a 12-ounce can of regular Coca-Cola, which is 140 calories.

In other terms: An average can of sugared soda or juice has 10 to 12 teaspoons of sugar.

There have been efforts to reduce children's access to sodas and sports drinks in schools, with beverage companies agreeing to remove full-calorie soft drinks. But the CDC study found more than half of the drinks are consumed at home. Less than 1 percent are bought at schools or day-care centers.

That's why some members of the coalition argue that parents shouldn't drink sweetened beverages, so they don't serve as a poor example. They hope drinking soda will become as unfashionable as smoking.

A spokesman for Carney Hospital, the 149-bed Boston facility that stopped allowing full-calorie soft-drink sales, said the approach made sense. When the policy was implemented in April, sales of beverages dropped, but have gone back up, as more people apparently are adjusting to water and other non-sweetened drinks.

The hospital's Dorchester neighborhood has high rates of diabetes and other weight-related illnesses, said spokesman Joe Burnieika. "We can't afford to feed people's bad habits if we can give them a healthy alternative," he said.

In a statement, the American Beverage Association on Wednesday suggested that the coalition's effort was misguided. Citing sales data and some other research, the industry group said sales of full-calorie soft drinks had been declining, which they credited to soda makers offering more no-calorie and low-calorie options and improved calorie labeling on the front.

These initiatives "will contribute far more to solving complex health issues like obesity than (the coalition's) sound bite solution that offers plenty of hype but no substance," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/09/01/20110901soda-guzzling-spurs-calls-cut-back.html#ixzz1WkWm7Tqe

Spicy Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

Okay - The recipe everyone has been waiting for. No, I didn't create it... I modified it, yes, but what cook doesn't?

We looooove peppers! I always have them in our refrigerator for quick salad prep, hummus dippin', sandwich toppings and every now and then, TO STUFF! :)

Word of advice: GO FOR COLOR when picking out peppers. Green one's aren't bad, and they're cheaper... but "if your eyes like what it sees, it's probably BETTER for them" (your eyes).

Peppers are amazing super foods ... I truly believe it is a very underrated and under appreciated veg. These things are LOADED with the quintessential: Vitamin A. True fact - only 1/4th of a pepper contains 40% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA)!  Most people (unless you're pregnant or nursing, the exception to most dietary rules) need about 1500μg of this mega-vitamin a day.

Vitamin A is most known for it's role in our vision and more recently for it's "anti-aging" abilities as an anti-oxidant and it's conversion to retinol.  Vitamin A is absolutely necessary for our vision. As the primary "food source" for our retina's vitamin A consumption can directly impact our night vision as well as our color vision. 

Yes - I love my eyes and I want them to stay healthy forever, but for vanity's sake I also want to look young and amazing forever too. Okay, well... forever is a touch unrealistic, but let's hope? :) I chow down on my veggies to keep my hair and SKIN looking amazing. Yup.... seriously. I'd probably make a facial mask out of pureed peppers if someone said it worked! HA! Vitamin A (and other anti-oxidants) help to keep your skin cells reproducing in tip-top shape! Also a little tid-bit I learned in my research, retinol helps reduce the size of sebaceous glands (your sweat glands-ew!) and eventually the production of sebum (the oil and dirt combo that clogs your pores and causes black heads and nasty pimples!).

Hmmmm.... maybe I'm on to something with the pepper mask?

Until then, let's just keep eating them. Give this recipe a try this weekend. It's awesome. My modifications and Calorie/Fat/Protein/Fiber count is at the end.

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a side

In a large saucepan, over medium-high, heat:

• 2 tbsp canola oil

Add to hot oil and cook until soft (about 5 minutes):

• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, finely chopped

When the onion and celery are soft, add:

• 2 tbsp chili powder (or 1 tbsp chili and 1 1/2 tsp chipotle powder)
  
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

Saute for 1 minute. Then add:

• 1 10-oz package of cooked spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove moisture
• 1 28-oz tin diced tomatoes, drained

Cook for 5 minutes to remove a bit of the excess moisture. Stir in:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups water

Cover and leave on medium-high heat until the ingredients come to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the quinoa is done, about 20 minutes.

Stir in:

• 1 cup grated cheese (a spicy jalapeno Jack or TexMex mix is good)
• generous grind of freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 375F. While the oven heats, wash:

• 4 large sweet peppers (any colour)

Cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the ribs and seeds. Fill each half with the hot quinoa mixture. Place stuffed peppers in a baking dish or roasting pan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes* or until the peppers are beginning to get tender. You want them cooked but not falling apart.

Sprinkle each half pepper with:

• 1 tbsp grated cheese (1/2 cup)

Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and begins to bubble. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Doesn't it just make your mouth water reading it?! AHH! It's so good. 

Modifications: 
- I didn't stir in the cheese (to keep the calories and fat down) but I did sprinkle some on top as directed. I didn't have chili powder - so I used a little red pepper. Next time I'll use more or make sure I've got some chili powder... I like a kick and I didn't quite have one the way I like.
- I also didn't have celery. I think the crunch would be awesome and I'll have it next time, but was still great w/o it.
- I also used fresh spinach vs. the frozen. I would say I used about 4-5 cups? I love spinach so I wasn't stingy.... just add some and when it wilts if you want more, add more. You can't have too much, right?! :)

Nutrition information from my calculations and using EVERYTHING this recipe calls for:
PER PEPPER w/o cheese: 458 Calories/11g Fat/ 20g Protein / 16.3g fiber <--- THAT'S an awesome dinner solution if you ask me!! And between all the fiber from the quinoa, carrots, spinach and peppers, you won't leave the table hungry.

With the cheese: 591 Calories/ 20g+ Fat/ 31.7g Protein/ 16.3g fiber.... Of course this differs based on what cheese you use and if you use EXACTLY what's called for. This calculation is based off of Kraft's 2% Mexican Cheese mix.

Exercise REVAMP

Exercise REVAMP!

Okay – so it's been a while since I had a good workout move or a routine for you guys so I got to thinking. Quite frankly my routine's been anything BUT routine the last couple of months… with one big exception:

STAIRS!

Yea, I've actually been quite obsessed with them lately. Sitting on my ass all night makes me feel as if I'm getting fat by the minute. Really – I can't stand being this idle. STILLNESS=NO CALORIE BURN in my mind…. Sooooo, I'm struggling.

Therefore I've found every single stairway in the hospital. I even had Allyssa running the bleachers at the high school with me while I was home! Haha

I LOVE THEM! I always have, but now that I'm really pinched for time at work to really move around and burn some calories (from all the junk I'm eating while I'm sitting), I always find the steps! Plus, they help me wake up in times of desperation! Haha

So, I'll encourage you to find some stairs in your next workout. While your out walking your two miles or just as you're heading in to work, find the stairs and let your legs and lungs get a little extra work in as you go about your day. Small bursts add up and you can really add to your overall calorie burn!!

Happy Climbing!

My friend, Serena, sent this article to me to post on my blog! It's perfect! :)

I hope you each enjoy it as much as we did! Thanks Serena!!

The Hazards of the Couch From the New York Times, By Roni Caryn Rabin
 

January 12, 2011

The Hazards of the Couch

By RONI CARYN RABIN

 

Sean Marc Lee/Getty Images

 

"Many of us sit in front of a computer for eight hours a day, and then go home and head for the couch to surf the Web or watch television, exchanging one seat and screen for another. Even if we try to squeeze in an hour at the gym, is it enough to counteract all that motionless sitting?

A mounting body of evidence suggests not.

Increasingly, research is focusing not on how much exercise people get, but how much of their time is spent in sedentary activity, and the harm that does.

The latest findings, published this week in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, indicate that the amount of leisure time spent sitting in front of a screen can have such an overwhelming, seemingly irreparable impact on one’s health that physical activity doesn’t produce much benefit. 

The study followed 4,512 middle-aged Scottish men for a little more than four years on average. It found that those who said they spent two or more leisure hours a day sitting in front of a screen were at double the risk of a heart attack or other cardiac event compared with those who watched less. Those who spent four or more hours of recreational time in front of a screen were 50 percent more likely to die of any cause. It didn’t matter whether the men were physically active for several hours a week — exercise didn’t mitigate the risk associated with the high amount of sedentary screen time.

The study is not the first to suggest that sedentary activities like television viewing may be harmful. A study last year found that men who spent more than 23 hours a week watching TV and sitting in their cars were more likely to die of heart disease than those who sat for 11 hours a week or less, even if they exercised. And a 2009 study reported that young children who watch one and a half to five and a half hours of TV a day have higher blood pressure readings than those who watch less than half an hour, even if they are thin and physically active.

Another small study found that when overweight adults cut their TV time in half, they burned more calories than those who watched five hours or more a day. Children whose TV time is cut tended to eat less, but that wasn’t true for adults. And the light activities adults filled their time with, like reading and playing board games, actually burned more calories than watching TV.

In both the United States and Britain, people are spending three to four hours a day on average watching television, said the study’s author, Emmanuel Stamatakis, of the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London.

“This is excessive,” he said. “It is more than 20 percent of total waking time for most people.” And, he added, “it’s 100 percent discretionary.”

During the study’s follow-up period, from 2003 to 2007, 325 men died of various causes, and 215 suffered a heart attack or other cardiac event. Even after adjusting for differences in weight, smoking, occupational physical activity and risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and other longstanding illnesses, as well as marital status and social class, those who spent four hours or more of their leisure time in front of a screen each day were 50 percent more likely to have died. Those who spent two hours a day in front of a screen for entertainment were 2.2 times more likely to have had a cardiovascular event.

Recreational screen time has an “independent, deleterious relationship” with cardiovascular events and death of all causes, the paper concluded, possibly because it induces metabolic changes.

One possible mechanism, demonstrated in animal studies, is that being sedentary may affect lipid metabolism. Prolonged inactivity appears to sharply reduce the activity of an important enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which is responsible for breaking down circulating blood lipids and making them available to muscles for energy, Dr. Stamatakis said. Lowered enzyme activity leads to higher levels of fats and triglycerides in the blood, and to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Exercise has very little impact on the enzyme’s activity, he said.

Extended sitting may also lead to high levels of low-grade inflammation, which can also lead to heart disease, Dr. Stamatakis said. A marker of low-grade inflammation called C reactive protein was about three times higher in the study participants who spent the most time slouched in front of a screen.

The study focused on recreational screen time because it’s the easiest to curtail, Dr. Stamatakis said. But he encouraged employees who work at computers all day to get up and take breaks and short walks periodically."

Your idea of "Healthy"

Americans Falsely Believe Their Diet Is Healthy

A friend of mine posted this article on her FB wall yesterday. I was immediately smitten. But LOOK at what it says!!! I'm shocked... yet, not that surprised.... sadly...

- Nine in 10 Americans say their diet is healthy but only a quarter limit the amount of fat or sugar they eat, and two-thirds don't eat enough fruit and vegetables

- Few Americans count calories or weigh themselves, but when they were asked to self-report their weight, four in 10 were off-track. - A third said they were at a healthy weight when they actually had a body mass index (BMI) of an overweight or obese person

- One in three adults is obese

- Losing weight is the second most popular new year's resolution after quitting smoking

- When asked why they didn't eat more vegetables, the most common reason given by the poll respondents was

1. that they thought they consumed enough already
2. they are hard to store or spoil too quickly
3. someone in their household didn't like vegetables
4. vegetables take too long to prepare or are too difficult to prepare
5. fresh vegetables are too expensive
6. don't like vegetables

I'm still kind of FREAKING OUT! What happened to those mothers who used to make you "eat your vegetables!"?!?! WHY AREN'T THESE MOTHER'S AND FATHER'S EATING THEIR VEGETABLES?!!? ugh!

This weekend I would like to encourage everyone to do a little bit of HOMEWORK:
1.) START TRACKING YOUR FOOD - watch what you're eating (write it down, count it, make post-it-notes, use a calorie tracker app on your phone, whatever) and your calories. Get a method going and stick with it... we need a good weeks worth of info/numbers, but two weeks is better.

2.) KNOW YOUR 5 - For any hardcore Dr. Oz fan, you'll know what I'm talking about. This weekend, find out the following numbers [or at least 3 out of 5]:

• Blood Pressure
• Waist Line
• Weight
• Fasting Blood Sugar (everyone probably knows a diabetic who checks their sugars - don't eat or drink after 10PM and before you eat/drink in the morning, go visit your friend/family member and check your blood sugar)
• Cholesterol - Okay, I know if you don't know this number you can't get it over night w/o a MD appointment. So, if you haven't had your cholesterol taken in the last 12 months MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! If you have had it checked, how was it? How are is your HDL (good stuff), LDL (low-down dirty stuff) and your Triglycerides?

Now, next week we will channel Dr. Oz and help make sense of these numbers and I'm going to start  talking a little more about food labels, fat, sugar, etc.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL weekend. Get outside, regardless the weather, and enjoy yourself. Take the kids. Take the dog. Take a friend. Take your mother-in-law. Take your spouse... or just go alone. Get some sunshine on your skin (yes, even in the snow the sun can still shine). 

Rest up. Recharge. Relax. Your WHOLE you probably needs it. :) 

I love you guys! Keep working on you and loving every fabulous inch of yourself!  xx