The Weekly Adventures of a Girl on a Diet

New Blog

2011-12-02T14:01:00.001-05:00

Howdy faithful readers! The little miss has not made her grand appearance yet- so in the meantime I thought I would start a new blog in her honor! I will post photos of her here throughout her first year (or more!). This is the address http://littlemissewen.blogspot.com/ I will also put a link on the sidebar for easy access. Enjoy!!

Silver Hammer

2011-11-01T15:39:00.000-04:00

So I have been given the words to live by for my next ~5weeks- No more weight gain! I have hit the 41lb weight gained mark and my midwife thinks that is good enough. Also, I still have my sugar sensitivity (no gestational diabetes- but every time I eat/drink sugar at breakfast (OJ, pancakes, etc.) it shows up in my urine) so she wants me to cut back on simple sugars, eat more protein and complex

Updates

2011-10-20T14:41:00.000-04:00

Howdy readers (are you still out there?!), Things are good here in my world, the baby girl is growing rapidly (only 6 weeks left!) and I have reached the insatiable hunger/uncomfortable part of the pregnancy! Sleeping is minimal (practice for when she arrives?!), muscles ache... typical pregnancy symptoms. But I am still upbeat and I have a lot of energy which has been directed at nesting-

Tofu Pad Thai

2011-08-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

I am really happy with this recipe. If you ever cook tofu again do it this way!! So easy and SO good! Here is what I did: Drain Tofu Purchase firm or extra firm tofu Drain from the storage water and place on a plate on top of 2 paper towels Top tofu with another 2 paper towels and a second plate Place a weight on top of the tofu "sandwich" Leave here for 30min - 1hr Slice Tofu I cut mine into

Sugar Addict

2011-08-23T16:50:00.000-04:00

At my last prenatal visit my healthcare provider found excess sugar in my urine. A symptom of gestational diabetes. They were not too concerned since I was (at the time) only 23 weeks and I had orange juice for breakfast (even though I have 4oz of OJ with breakfast every day- and before other appointments- for a folic acid jolt!). I have since learned that they like to catch GD before 28 weeks to

It's a.....

2011-07-07T17:26:00.000-04:00

GIRL!!! TE and I are very excited to share the news. She behaved very well, moving all around during the ultrasound and we got to see all the major organs, her skeleton and even her little toes! The radiologist and technician were smitten as well. More food updates to come :-)

Salad Woes

2011-06-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

Being all confident after one week of feeling "better" (my 16th week- and everyone said if you are not better by 12 then for sure by 16- so I was perfectly on schedule) I ate a salad again. Now, I love eating salad. I don't feel gross while I am enjoying the farm fresh greens-- but after a few hours of salad digestion, bad things happen- TE and I have decided that this baby does NOT like salad.

Predictions

2011-06-17T15:53:00.000-04:00

* Totally not food related* A fun thing happened today- I had my tarot cards read by my boss! He was taught the skill quite a few years ago and once the coworkers found out that I am pregnant the predictions began! Pretty much everyone has their idea about what TE and I are having (hopefully a healthy baby!) but my boss wanted to make a "real" prediction! So I held the cards in my pocket for

Weight Gain

2011-06-10T16:58:00.000-04:00

I have a very good excuse though... I am growing a "little bug*" inside me! (*The in utero name is still undecided- I hope this is no indication of how real name picking is going to go... but I do believe it will not be easy!) The weight gain is not that bad- ~3lbs gained for almost 15 weeks! So yes, around December 3rd-- TE, the King Pup and I will welcome this new addition to our family! And

Yo-Yo

2011-02-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

I guess I failed to update my readers on the last two week's weigh ins... maybe my subconscious was forming a mental block. I gained the 1.4lbs back last week, then lost it again this week. I guess things could be worse...? I think strict counting is going to need to happen and I am going back and forth about how to best do it (paper method, online, CRON-O-Meter, etc...) But that decision is

Weekly Wrap Up and Gooey Bars

2011-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

I know this is very delayed- things got crazy here! But for my diligent readers: on Tuesday, I had my weekly weigh in and discovered I lost 1.4lbs. Yay! Somehow... It will be interesting to see 1) if I can keep it off and 2) if it was actually "real" weight loss... Food planning has been manageable. Obviously some days were better than others, but I think if I am going to have long term

Day 2 Disaster

2011-01-20T14:03:00.000-05:00

It all started so well! Yesterday I had such good intentions of eating a strictly-caloric-controlled dinner. That failed. Miserably. My friend is going through a professional crisis so she came over to relax-- we went on a walk with the King Pup, and enjoyed drinks and snacks, and then we went out to dinner with TE. TE and I were discussing what to do/where to go, and I could hear his

Days 1 and 2

2011-01-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

I think I was successful yesterday-- I had very strong will power because it was my first day back-- it is always easier to start... For dinner/snacks (and my remaining 600-700 calories) I went out with a friend to a bar to catch up. Going out is never good for counting calories, but this place has a great vegan menu and very healthy food options! I had: 1 glass (8oz) of red wine (200c) 2c raw

Getting Real

2011-01-18T13:21:00.000-05:00

Last week I decided I would start weighing myself and being more conscious of my diet. So I picked one day day- Tuesday- every week to reenact my CALERIE weekly check-ins. I would do this by keeping a weight log and thinking about diet tips and how I can improve my choices for the upcoming week. I started last week needing to lose 10 (!!TEN!!) pounds. Within the week I gained 1lb. Ick. I have

New Goals

2011-01-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

Howdy there readers, I am back! This time I plan to stick around. I am finally feeling more settled: I have been working at my job now for 2 months (!!), I cleaned out my desk at my graduate school (maybe a little prematurely since we just got our reviewer requests for my paper), and am slowly making my way back into my yoga routine. And the holiday season is over- I can finally stop blaming my

150 and the Beginning ... Again

2010-10-24T13:02:00.003-04:00

This is my 150th post!Crazy!Well, I think I finally reached my max point of over everything. Overeating, over-drinking, over-stressing... you get the idea. Today begins my return to healthful eating, minimal drinking, and being productive. I have been/done none of those things since October 8th... But my thesis defense went amazingly, I was a bit of a nut case/stress ball (of course) around that

Update

2010-10-01T15:55:00.003-04:00

Thesis Update: it has been completed and distributed to my committee (yeehaa!) and now I am in the final throws. One week until D-day. The email announcement (time, date, place...) went out today to the entire department. Now whenever I see anyone in the hall- they will comment and ask me how I am feeling. That, inevitably, will make me want to run the the bathroom and puke-- but I will restrain!

A Whole New Level....

2010-09-22T15:31:00.003-04:00

... of stress...The countdown begins. I will be VERY happy once this thesis is written, out of my hands, and defended. Soon. Soon.In the meantime, I am doing okay. Not sleeping well (or enough) and not eating well (not entirely true- I am eating very well-- my wonderful friends keep cooking for me! I am just eating a lot for the minimal activity I am engaged in). But I am trying to maintain

Thesis Eating

2010-08-31T11:52:00.004-04:00

Sitting in front of a computer all day affects how you eat.Normally, I like to think about meals I want to make hours, or even days, ahead of time. I subscribe to food magazines (thanks M&N!!), own countless cookbooks, have more food sites bookmarked than anything else, and yet- I can not remember the last good/new meal I have made. My meals on writing days go something like this: 1) Set up

New Breakfast

2010-08-25T15:46:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Shannon, a fellow CALERIE participant (who is almost done! OMG where does the time go?!) I have a totally new idea for breakfast.It is vegetarian (!!), protein rich, and leaves me full for hours!Here is goes:1/2 of an English muffin, toasted (50c)1 veggie burger (boca is my preferred brand) (100c)1 egg, poached (80c)1 thick sliced tomato (5c)1 thin slice of a mozzarella ball (I will

Quick Update

2010-08-23T16:55:00.002-04:00

I have some good things to post soon, and to keep me on task I thought I would highlight a few of them!1) "My" new favorite breakfast (haha- thanks Shannon!)2) Eating while writing thesis (not good!)3) Yoga (at least I have yoga!)4) What meals my wonderful husband has been cooking for me!That is it for now- soon I will return!

Packing Light

2010-08-12T16:33:00.002-04:00

I am on a bus. On my way to my hometown for the weekend. It is going to be a 6hr (at least!) bus ride. I tried to organize things so I could be very productive while riding... but alas, here I am, blogging :)At least you get to benefit!So I was waiting in line to get onto this bus, and I thought of a perfect topic to blog about!This European couple came into the line behind me with nothing but a

Decisions

2010-08-09T11:21:00.002-04:00

Well, I am on my way.I have a job!!!It has nothing to do with aging or calorie restriction.I am very excited about it, despite those details.I am doing something related to what I did before grad school and in undergrad. It is funny how much of that I still remember. I start the job November 1!It took me a bit to get excited. But I am fully on board now. I have 6 weeks to turn in my thesis to my

CR Can Change Your Life!

2010-06-24T14:02:00.002-04:00

Boy, I have been busy, and not posting! Honestly, I can not think about food in this stage of the game. I am working a ton and stressing even more- so that really cuts down on my food enjoyment. I have been maintaining my weight, which is all I want right now. I will pick up the counting and measuring again when I can think and plan. But for now, just eating...Things are not bad though. I am

Still Here

2010-05-26T10:42:00.003-04:00

Yes, yes. I am still here!I have a big meeting tomorrow to discuss my future as a graduate student (graduation dates?). Thus, my nerves have kept me from wanting to think about food. I am working a ton and thankfully TE, our families, and our friends have been amazing and supportive throughout my dramatic roller-coaster of moods. Which I am sure will not end tomorrow...The Woods family made us an

Why CR?

2010-05-07T14:58:00.003-04:00

In my attempts to re-motivate (counting is not going as well as I would like...) I am going to dedicate the next few posts to why I want to maintain this seemingly (to me) labor intensive diet.1) Weight loss/maintenance.Really what more is needed to say? I lost 20lbs throughout the study and I would like to keep it off, and keep my body in a negative energy state. Good things happen when you are

Bad First Day

2010-05-05T11:52:00.002-04:00

So I went over my calories yesterday. Way over.What went wrong? Where to begin!?Poor food planning (lunch/snacks), evening delays (the King Pup), and reduced kitchen access (all of our porch furniture is in our kitchen while they paint/stain the decks) all led a "starving Liz" to order Chinese food last night (oh, the drama!).Which in theory is fine, since I have my favorite healthy order now:

I am baaack!

2010-05-04T12:39:00.003-04:00

Yes!Finally!I had a nice two month break from thinking about calories. I ran a half marathon. I did a lot of yoga. And I gained about 2lbs...Not terrible. But if I keep gaining 1lb/month I will be back where I was in less than two years! Not something I want. I want to keep up with the CR. I like how I feel when I am restricted. It is cheaper to eat less (usually!). If I eat what I know/standards

It's all over now, baby blue

2010-03-01T00:14:00.002-05:00

I know I have not had any time to blog about the sad ending of my role in the CALERIE study. Things have been crazy with being at the study, getting ready for a conference, and getting ready for a vacation.So the short version of the story is that I am/was very sad to be finished with the study. The last morning was a grueling one --I think that I have to claim the biopsies are the least fun part

Morning Over

2010-02-23T14:30:00.002-05:00

So the worst of it is over... well mostly. Tomorrow I have my biopsies, that is not terrible but not fun.This morning I was woken up at 6am (I told this to TE, and he asked "Do they know you?!" Ha!) for my weight, blood pressure, and set up for the resting metabolism test. Set up for me involves staying in bed. Fun!The RMR test started at 8ish, they put this hood/mask thing over your head (clear

Update

2010-02-22T23:02:00.002-05:00

Well I am not quite sure if this is actually live blogging... but hey, it is what it is :)So I did some work (some of my many experiments actually worked!?), watched According to Greta (eh), and 3 episodes of Ab Fab. Oh and ate. Something about being in here makes me starving!! Like insatiable.And I am avoiding scratching at my arm where the allergy tests are planted. I have photos. They are

Live Blogging Overnight

2010-02-22T18:21:00.002-05:00

Wow. My last stay at the study center. 2 years! Where did the time go?!Well today was a crazy day (it always is crazy the day I go in for my overnights) but I did manage to get in for my morning visit before 11 (my baseline and 1yr visit was at 11am, not 8:45 like it was today)!So here is the run-down of my day so far (I know, maybe even more boring than my daily food records):8:45- arrive at

Tuesday so far....

2010-02-09T17:10:00.004-05:00

I had my first day of testing today. I recorded a play-by-play for those of you curious as to how I spend my time at the study center or just want to know what kind of rigorous testing I go through ;) You can find my food buried in the details!7:20am- Arrive at study center7:30- First urine sample: pregnancy test, other unknown tests. Change into scrubs. Realize I forgot my laptop power cord..

2 Weeks of Accountibility

2010-02-08T16:21:00.004-05:00

So tomorrow begins my final testing (2 weeks long) of the CALERIE phase of my CR life. I will be getting my handy orange booklet to record all of my food- but I thought I could use the extra accountability and encouragement in this phase. Especially since it is going to be hectic with work (a lot of late hours) up through the end. So here we go again....This is a picture of me at my 6mo testing

Winter Breakfast

2010-02-05T13:08:00.002-05:00

In an effort to keep blogging I thought I would update you all with my current favorite breakfast. It is great for cold winter mornings. We first had this combination of oats, berries, and nuts in Texas while visiting our dear friends A&K. It was not necessarily as cold as it is here- but everything is relative...Looks good, right?! I love my selection of mugs too, haha!! Also- notice my handy

Big Month

2010-02-01T17:42:00.002-05:00

February is upon us.I am no longer counting the days left in the study- because I am no longer thinking of the study as being over-- it will continue as I continue keeping my CR dietary habits alive :)Everything has been going well- I was inspired by the CALERIE party, met new participants, lost most of the weight gained over the holiday season, and generally feel better about things. Maybe it is

On board

2010-01-13T13:17:00.002-05:00

I know, 13 days into the new year and no posts from Liz....Another writing block? I have had a few post ideas floating around in my head- but have not had the motivation to sit down and write them. Until now...?On new years day I realized I only had 55 days left of being a participant in the CALERIE study (now only 42) and it initiated a mini-freak out. What am I going to do? How am I going to be

Monday 12.14.09

2009-12-15T10:57:00.002-05:00

Usually my weekdays are pretty straightforward... recently it has been not so.TE has been working at one place in the early morning and he goes to the office in the afternoon/evening-- I get to ride in with him (which is great) but because of that we have been rushing around more than is typical in the mornings and yesterday we did not have time for breakfast/lunch prep...Monday- 1733 calories (+

Weekend Edition

2009-12-14T13:55:00.002-05:00

Saturday- 1723 calories (+53)Breakfast- 508 calories1/2 piece of toast- 50c1tsp Brummel and Brown yogurt butter- 25c1/2c tomato sauce- 70c2 eggs, poached- 160c5oz spinach, steamed- 33c1/2T olive oil- 50cPumpkin oatmeal cookie- 90c2c Coffee1/3c Skim milk- 30cSnack/lunch - 290 caloriesPumpkin oatmeal cookie- 90cGrilled cheese:1 piece of oat bran bread- 100c1 slice reduced fat pepper jack cheese-

Friday 12.11.09

2009-12-11T18:49:00.004-05:00

Well today was more typical than yesterday. Still need to work in more veggies to help get back on track... tomorrow?!Friday- 2095 calories (+425)Breakfast- 240 calories1 pack of high fiber Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal pack- 140c1 serving of dried fruit/almond mix- 100cWhite berry blossom teaSnack- 225 caloriesCoffee 12ozSkim milk 1/3c- 30calCherry Pie Lara bar- 190cLunch- 580 calories2 slices oat

Thursday 12.10.09

2009-12-11T09:38:00.003-05:00

So there was this one time (at band camp), dietitian LR and I were sitting and discussing how my habits had changed since entering the study and things/meals I did not eat anymore. I don't remember all of my answers (a good idea for another post)- but I do remember listing two things I missed: 1) cake (I have since remedied my portion control when it comes to cake) and2) drinking wine and

What happens if....

2009-12-09T16:15:00.004-05:00

...you gain 4+lbs when you are in the CALERIE study?1) They politely suggest that you go back on packaged food- beginning with lunches only. And you agree. It is a good idea. You have one meal you don't have to think about and it provides nice structure to the day.I was surprised at how far you can stretch 475 calories. The packaged lunch was 1-300 calorie frozen entree (amy's burrito, a lean

Saturday brunch, Sunday dinner

2009-11-15T20:56:00.011-05:00

Mark Bittman move aside, there is a new star/obsession: Deb over at smitten kitchen. Yes, I know that I (and so many others) have been singing her praises for a long time now- but mostly that was for baked items. Today, I am singing about eggs. Poached eggs. In tomato sauce. Served over fresh toast. And a side of kale. And bacon. Can you think of a better brunch? Me neither. *TE wants me to give

Snacking Tips

2009-11-13T14:24:00.003-05:00

I am a snacker and I like to eat often.I usually get stuck eating the same things all the time: Fiber One granola bars/Lara bars, fiberful fruit leathers, 100-calorie popcorn bags, yogurt and granola/cereal... You get the idea.I also get bored with food, so my latest helpful diet tips will relate to snack ideas!Complete with calorie information:Medium apple and 1T peanut butter- 170cal10 baby

Savory Muffins

2009-11-12T13:58:00.004-05:00

So I realized when I was looking through my blog recipes- I do not have many meals/foods I can just go to for an easy, tasty, diet-friendly recommendation. I have a binder full of my go-to meals so I decided to recapture them here. Also look for new tags on old posts for easy perusing :)This post will be dedicated to a recipe for Savory Breakfast Muffins. First I made these as instructed... Photo

Long time, no post

2009-11-04T21:37:00.002-05:00

Wow, I actually had a whole month with no posts. And September was not too stellar either.So what has been going on with me?! Who even knows...Stress. I blame the stress.I have not wanted to think about anything. I have not been cooking (baking- yes! cooking- no!) or planning or anything that this blog is dedicated to...But slowly I am getting back into it. I had a day last week where I made 6-

Weekends

2009-09-14T21:54:00.004-04:00

This is the first installment of the diet tips series, in an effort to prepare me for my future without counselors and dietitians on call...Handling Weekend Eating1) Plan ahead. Too busy to eat at home? Pre-pick out healthy choices out that won't break the calorie bank. I have "regular" food items I order at typical fast food restaurants (which I know the calorie amounts- check out Calorie King).

Thinking on my feet

2009-09-04T10:49:00.002-04:00

I am not very good at thinking on my feet.Wednesday was my interview with the NYT magazine reporter. He was very nice and is writing an article on CALERIE for the food issue which should be out the second weekend in October.I prepped answers to some of his questions ahead of time- knowing that I ramble a lot, rarely making it to the point I want to make. So I thought that if I had those answers

The Cake

2009-08-25T23:32:00.004-04:00

It is 11:30pm and I am awake because I am too full to fall asleep. Tonight, we ate the birthday cake. Yes, the one and only-- the best birthday cake. Making it was quite the adventure. Not too difficult- but probably would have been easier if I had:1) a sifter2) more counter space, and3) larger mixing bowlsBut, alas, I survived! The cake got rave reviews from all consumers and even the people

New Ideas

2009-08-25T11:30:00.003-04:00

I am starting to freak out that I only have 6 months of this study left.I know- look back- who would have ever thought I would not want this study to be finished?!CALERIE has become such a huge part of my life: the monitoring, the study researchers/dietitians, the FOOD, everything... what will happen when it is just me?I am at a point now that I feel great-- I have learned so much about myself

Soul Food

2009-08-18T15:01:00.009-04:00

I was going through my computer and realized I have some meals that I have not blogged about yet- so here we go!My ultimate easy-happy meal is pasta with meat sauce. I like beef but really after 7 years of being a vegetarian-- I would be happy eating no beef other than ground beef. I know it is the worst- but I do not care if it is 95%lean- I love it as much as 80%.... maybe...My favorite part of

Not Your Typical Tuesday Night

2009-07-29T15:38:00.010-04:00

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is the more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.”- Tom Robbins, Jitterbug PerfumeThis weekend we picked up our dear friend's, T&S, CSA share (a local farm share)

Guava Cheesecake

2009-07-24T14:55:00.005-04:00

This cheesecake was very, very popular: It got the most votes in our summer lab cook-off.Again- the New World Kitchen never steers us wrong :) There are only 15 dessert recipes in this book- so you know the ones that made it in here are good. I can not wait to try more.As it is with any cheesecake- this was so not CR (I only tried a spoonful) so I am not going to calculate the nutritional

Cashew Chicken Curry

2009-07-23T14:53:00.011-04:00

Cardamom Pods Recipe from Cooking LightOriginally I made this dish for Mel's birthday extravaganza last October. We both love Indian food- but since I am on a diet I figured I could make (with our friend Anisha's contributions) a healthier dinner feast than what we could order at our favorite local restaurant. I made this chicken cashew dish that turned out a bit bland for my

Happiness

2009-07-22T16:11:00.003-04:00

I love my newest favorite blog:http://smittenkitchen.com/To say I am smitten is an understatement. What hooked me was the birthday cake recipe.Seriously- how much more could you want!? Beautiful pictures (really, really beautiful), and amazing food. Sign me up!I am going to make the birthday cake.And I will take pictures of it.And it will not even compare to Deb's photo quality. But I am going to

Counting the ways

2009-06-23T18:01:00.004-04:00

I love Fiber One granola bars, that is :)You would think after a year and a half of almost daily chocolate fiber one granola bar ingestion, I would get sick of these buggers. Sure there have been times when I have eaten less of them, or changed up flavors (apple cinnamon being a distant 2nd favorite), but no other food has had such a constant presence in my diet.I have two favorite breakfasts (

New Leaf

2009-06-19T12:57:00.003-04:00

It is a strange new world with CR recently.I have been recording, thinking about food (I have even been enjoying my cookbooks again!), and loving the food prep!Keeping track of numbers in my head over a long period of time has always been a problem for me; for example - I was a swimmer in high school and we would have to count laps during practice- my lane would never let me go first unless it

Black Bean Soup- YUM

2009-06-09T14:21:00.004-04:00

I will not gush about this soup.It is amazing.It takes a lot of time.It is TOTALLY worth it.Black Bean Soup With Roasted SquashFrom the New World Kitchen (seriously we have not made anything from this cookbook that was not to.die.for.). You need to buy this book if you like making good food.Makes 12cupsServes 8455 cal/serving (I was close... the CRON-o-Meter may have been off with the ham hock)

Nothing To Say

2009-06-01T20:41:00.004-04:00

The diet has not been easy the last few months. I still have had no motivation for recording. I have planned out meals better/eating better and I have started estimated general calorie amounts a little more- but even my modified recording techniques seem like too much for me right now... I keep telling myself- this is life, if I want to keep my weight off, stay healthy, and succeed in lifelong

Friendly Support

2009-05-12T11:07:00.005-04:00

Things are a bit slow on the CALERIE front. I am lacking motivation to record/track/monitor my food intake and to make matters worse- my Palm Centro that is my cell phone/pda/mp3 player died Friday.Not just a little dead: won't turn on- and if it does turn on it keeps trying to sync, so I hooked it up to the computer and nothing, no connection, then it dies again. I am hoping I can get my stuff

April Inspired

2009-04-23T16:34:00.006-04:00

There is no easy/nice way to post this so I am just going to write it and hope that the message is not misconstrued.April is a girl who writes a CR blog-- full of recipes, CR tips and other diet/personal stories-- much like this blog, but with the one exception that a ton of people read her blog!I first found her blog when I enrolled in this study and wondered how people actually maintain a CR

Passover Seder

2009-04-22T14:31:00.005-04:00

OK OK no more Passover after this. I promise.It's just that I cooked for what seemed to be forever- so I needed to finalize it all :)These are photos from Mel's house- we did the Seder there- it was quick and fabulous considering Mel was sick and I was overtired.We almost had our own Elijah: TE's cab driver! TE left his cell phone in the cab on his way back from the airport and "Elijah cabbie"

Gefilte Fish

2009-04-14T15:05:00.006-04:00

I am finally ready to blog about this experience.Making gefilte fish is traumatic.Well at least it was for me-- the drama queen!This recipe tasted much more fresh and yummy than the jarred/doctored gefilte fish- but I like that stuff well enough not to need to make mine fresh every year.So now onto my traumatic experience:First- I had to special order my fish (pike, whitefish and carp are no

Passover Meatballs

2009-04-08T16:34:00.004-04:00

Just a short entry to give additional proof I am crazy. I hate. hate. hate. playing with raw meat. Hate. It skeeves me out beyond you could know. That was the reason I became a vegetarian back in high school. Ugh. But whatever craziness has infected me- I did not mind making these meatballs... Liz has officially lost it.Passover MeatballsMakes 20 meatballs230cal for 2 meatballs2lbs 93% Lean

Passover Part 1

2009-04-08T16:02:00.009-04:00

I have been cooking up a storm.I don't know what has inspired me- procrastination maybe?? But I am cooking like it is going out of style- which maybe it is since I can not seem to cook and work at the same time- I am either focused on school or focused on food. Food. School. School. Food. Exciting...The focus of my cooking attention is Passover. I have not kept Passover in quite a few years. I

Bittman Inspired Beet Salad

2009-04-02T11:54:00.004-04:00

I know. We are getting stalker-ish.At least MB has inspired us to make a few new meals!This is aiding our vegan efforts and lets us "give the goats a break" (and make Liz very happy!)Bittman Beet SaladMakes 7-8 servings, 160cal/serving9 Beets (baked roasted in aluminum foil for 1+hr)1/3c Olive Oil6 cloves of garlic1/3c Chopped walnutsRoast the garlic cloves in oil for 5min (ish) then add the

Dear Mark Bittman,

2009-03-31T13:32:00.004-04:00

My husband is your biggest fan. We love the Minimalist articles in the NYT. I know this is not news or unusual. Last night we made your latest recipe for Tortillitas with Shrimp.I am now your #2 fan.I have loved your no-knead bread best and have thoroughly enjoyed most of your articles, but before last night did not fully understand all of the adulation.Today: I am on board.You rock.My dinner

Smoked Corned Beef

2009-03-15T22:13:00.007-04:00

Ahem....Its time for temporary live blogging...let me rephrase that...Its time for temporary live blogging from memory. This is the hottest live food blog on the scene... Wired magazine has given it two plugs up...and Culinary Weekly is calling it the "the new buzz word in casual cooking"...whatever that means....Does this blog currently have a new tone and feel?????We'll it should, because Liz

Pi(e) Day

2009-03-14T12:05:00.007-04:00

I survived the rest of my physical (more stories to come) and now I am at my in-law's house relaxing and preparing for tomorrow's "baby girl party" to welcome TE and my new niece who is expected to make her grand appearance in April! We are making some fabulous stratas and french toast casseroles for the brunch party so I will be sure to update the blog with those recipes.Today for Pi day (3.14)

Snow Day Cooking/Baking

2009-03-04T17:30:00.006-05:00

I got busy on Monday after feeling the guilt of doing nothing- busy cooking that is!First up: Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. TE said it was lacking "something:" which is probably fat, or sausage flavor ;-) Any additional flavors/spices would go great with this- it is a pretty simple garlic flavored bean dip. Note the photo highlights TE's Christmas gift from me- an immersion blender! It was

Working and Eating From Home

2009-03-02T13:30:00.002-05:00

I am working from home today- since I do not have to teach due to the snowy weather. I am totally loving it- but I have done absolutely nothing productive since I got up- which is nagging a bit on my love of the snow day.I find that when I am home all day I do not eat according to my normal set times, and I am constantly feeling hungry- even though I know I am not actually hungry- maybe just

Off The Hook- Escarole Soup

2009-02-26T15:00:00.006-05:00

I got a text message last night at 9:15pm as I was leaving work: "My soup is off the hook"TE was home cooking dinner while I was working late (I love my husband).He has been excited to use our newest cooking tool: a red Le Creuset dutch oven. We made Mark Bittman's no-knead bread this weekend- now it was time for soup. I had picked out a recipe that Mel had tried and recommended from Eating Well:

Sausage and Yam Fajitas

2009-02-24T16:23:00.003-05:00

This recipe was from Bon Appetit- and I loved it! At first I thought it seemed like a strange combination of flavors- but it was quite tasty. It was fast, light, and contained one of TE's favorite foods- hot Italian sausage! Here is the recipe:Chorizo, Poblano and Yam FajitasIngredients: 2 cups paper-thin slices red onions2 tablespoons fresh lime juice2

Happy Diet Anniversary

2009-02-24T12:28:00.004-05:00

One year ago today I started eating my CR diet. I was on packaged foods and a big baby about it. Thinking back- I was not too much more irrational than I would be today if I had to go back on the study supplied foods. Sorry CALERIE- it was not that bad, it is just much better to prepare your own foods :)I will celebrate tonight by finishing my dinner at 7pm and attending a concert where I will

One Year

2009-02-23T14:25:00.002-05:00

I am approaching the month-long physical for my 1yr anniversary of being enrolled in the CALERIE study. We remember how my 6mo physical went (they said I was eating 400cals over my prescription) so I am going to try to be SUPER adherent this month.I have been a bit burned out recently and I have not wanted to think about food- at all... That is not good when you need to record everything all the

Tortilla Soup

2009-02-05T11:44:00.005-05:00

This soup was an interesting adventure.... It turned out way too spicy- I needed to add 2x the amount of chicken broth than the recipe called for just to cut the heat and so my guests could survive the meal.They were good sports about it- I think they remembered my first chili experience... The recipe was called 5-alarm chili and I am not sure if it called for 3 whole habanero peppers or that is

New Year Feast Part 2

2009-02-02T15:54:00.008-05:00

Well it is about time I got around to this :)This was quite the feast to behold. TE made a traditional holiday standing rib-roast which we served with mushroom au jus, mashed potatoes and parsnips, Yorkshire pudding, sweet carrots, and brussel sprouts. Yum. Thinking about it again is making me very hungry!No calorie info is stated. Bad night for counting calories...Standing Rib Roast with

Light New York Style Cheesecake

2009-02-02T15:44:00.005-05:00

I made this for the Jewish High Holidays back in the fall. It was to.die.for. Really. I am sure the butter, caramelized topping helped matters, but even still-- this was a great cheesecake. If you are looking for a lightened cheesecake that does not sacrifice flavor or texture- look no further. The chefs at CI know what they are doing. I love them. A lot. Enjoy! Light New York Cheesecake

CR in the news

2009-01-27T12:47:00.007-05:00

It seems that I can't go anywhere without seeing news coverage about CR and CALERIE!I was commuting today and the woman across from me was reading the NYT-- and what article was facing me? A report on how CR improves memory in older people (50-70). I have not read the scientific paper yet- but as the article mentions-- the pilot study CALERIE participants had not shown an improvement in memory

Sesame Crusted Tofu with Shiitake Mushrooms

2009-01-26T18:31:00.005-05:00

I am starting from the bottom of the list :)Sesame Crusted Tofu Sticks with Shiitake Mushrooms Yield- 6 servings (this made 3 "Liz size" servings- double the nutritional information)From Cooking Light Ingredients Tofu: 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mystery Foods

2009-01-23T15:35:00.007-05:00

I know... Again I have fallen out of the blogging habit. I have been a bit hectic with the start of the school semester and getting some research groundwork finished before I start teaching- but I have been cooking! So in an effort to help motivate me to write, and maybe to get you all to start demanding more posts, I will post pictures of the upcoming foods- and you all can get a feeling for

New Year Feast- Part 1

2009-01-15T11:57:00.009-05:00

OK in an effort to recover from the "dog poo" post I am finally getting around to the first 3 courses of our New Year Feast. I have my weigh-in today, and this meal certainly did not help me lose any of the 3lbs gained over the holidays.Course 1: Pate, pears, cornishons, balsamic mini-onions, and homemade bread!The bread: TE loves Mark Bittman. Loves, Loves. I like his column too- and this bread

Eating After The Holidays

2009-01-06T10:50:00.003-05:00

While I am working on my New Year's feast post, I thought I would blog about how I am getting back into my proper eating habits in the new year. Let me know what you think about these steps, what you recommend, and/or what you are doing to shed that extra holiday weight gained this season.1) Fiber. Fiber. Fiber. I am aiming for 35+ grams a day. This is the only way my stretched out stomach, used

Not Recommended

2008-12-19T10:47:00.005-05:00

Here is a recipe that I do not recommend making. I liked it well enough, but it really was not good enough to make again. No one took a second helping... It was just fine...I changed the original recipe a lot, but interestingly, the calorie information was almost exactly the same. The fiber/cholesterol/fat was different- but calories were exactly the same.Keep in mind though that this original

Soul Food

2008-12-08T16:42:00.005-05:00

My poor husband had his wisdom teeth extracted (all 4) on Friday. It was a terrible experience for him and I will not go into it here, needless to say he was on a liquid diet for the weekend. This left me feeling especially guilty eating around him- so I stuck to mostly cereal and whatever soups he ate. I bought some specialty soups from a local soup factory- the kind we would never buy under

Thanksgiving Part 1

2008-12-03T16:31:00.007-05:00

This edition will not include the turkey- that will have to be a TE guest written edition- since I had absolutely nothing to do with prepping or cooking the turkeys.I also apologize ahead of time for any blatant grammatical errors and all lack of continuity. I am quite tired today- I was up a bunch of the night with a sick King pup. I am hoping he just got into something, his symptoms were

In preparation

2008-12-01T17:12:00.004-05:00

TE and I had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday- he made a wonderful smoked turkey for both of our parents, and aunt and cousin. We had a great couple of days (we actually cooked for two straight days!) and I have a ton of photos and some great recipes to pass along. I am still feeling lazy and not quite ready yet to relive it (for fear that I will want to eat it all again) so in the meantime I will

Results

2008-11-20T15:35:00.002-05:00

Today was my 9mo physical and it went well! I lost most of the weight gained (according to the study records- on my scale at home I know I lost it all) and everything else was normal (EKG, blood pressure, etc.).I also got the results of my labeled water measurement taken at my 6mo physical. That is a test that measures exactly how many calories your body burns/consumes during a 2-week period.

Lost it

2008-11-19T11:20:00.002-05:00

My diligence paid off!I lost my 4.6ish pounds gained.I am now below where I was when this chaos started- and just in time- my 9mo physical is tomorrow and I get to find out all the details from my 6mo physical.I feel good about the loss of weight and getting back on track- but I have a confession: I can not take full responsibility. I have been less interested in eating recently because I have

Wow! Who Knew!?

2008-11-13T16:50:00.003-05:00

So in all my efforts to be good at my CR, I mindlessly ate 4 doughnut holes that one of my co-workers brought in today. That is not the good part :)Afterward I checked online for the calorie information (that is the good CR part), and get this: 4 chocolate cake doughnut holes have.... 300 (!!!) calories! Four! 300!I am having a hard time getting over this. :)That totally blew my day out of the

My Comeback Plan

2008-11-11T13:20:00.003-05:00

In an effort to get back on track I reread some of the hand-outs I got from my counseling sessions. One of them was about lapses and relapses. They recommended a strategy for getting back on track to CR and I will outline it here:1) Remind yourself of the reason you joined the study. Lucky for me I saved everything and I have my top 3 reasons I joined the study from my first meeting: diet

Well... Let's be honest...

2008-11-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

OK. So I gained weight again.0.6lbs... but still. It is not a loss.It was not a perfect weigh in since I have been starving for the last 2 days (weather?) and I had to eat lunch before heading to the CALERIE site for my weigh-in/counseling session. There may have been some extra food/water weight that factored into this weigh-in. We can not be sure since I have been "afraid" of stepping on the

Great Day

2008-11-05T12:02:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a great day for Americans! I am so so happy today. This picture is one of TE's pumpkin creations- he is quite the talented pumpkin carver :)Not only that, I get to report that my soup last night was great! All I added was some salt and hot sauce-- yum! I am not sure of the calories so I am guessing around 80/cup which is in-line with commercially available "healthy-vegetable"

Election Day Intervention

2008-11-04T13:31:00.003-05:00

It is election day here in the US! Everyone go out and vote if you have not already!I have decided not to keep blogging about my daily foods this week. As a new intervention I made a big crock-pot of vegetable soup. We discussed at my last session that people who eat soup before a meal tend to eat less. I love soup, so this is something I am going to try this week. Hopefully. I have a lot of

This weekend

2008-11-02T22:38:00.002-05:00

Howdy readers.This weekend was baaad! Apparently the extra accountability has not helped. I only tallied my calories/food consumed from Friday evening through today- 10 minutes ago (at 10:30 on Sunday night). *Sorry CALERIE study coordinators!!!First I will tell you a summary of what each day was like then I will discuss what I think I can do differently/what is going to be an ongoing problem...

Thursday

2008-10-31T13:07:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween!Sorry I did not post yesterday. KBW and I drank a bottle of wine and ate too much last night- so I fell asleep early :) (it was worth it though!)Not a good CR day.At first I thought I was only mildly over- but I was laying in bed wondering how I got this uncomfortably full feeling- so I was going over and over what I ate and trying to remember what I forgot to add into my PDA,

Guest Writer Carl Tries Out CR For a Day

2008-10-30T12:55:00.007-04:00

My friend Carl wanted to be supportive of my strict-counting week and decided to eat 1670 calories yesterday and I was thrilled to have a friend join me for a day in the CR quest!He was hungry (as he reported to me) and most probably because he was at least 300 calories under an appropriate CR prescription for a man. Although- I do remember my first day, and it was miserable, even with a valid CR

Cold body, warm belly!

2008-10-29T12:38:00.008-04:00

It is very cold where I live... so I am going to try to consume a lot of warming foods today :)I wonder how Carl is doing today!Wednesday- 1660 (-10)Breakfast: 370c2- Kashi GoLean blueberry waffles1.1T peanut butter1T Apple butterCoffeeSkim milkLunch: 425cAmy's cheese burritoSalsaKettle corn popcorn, 100cal packSnack: 475cOrganic yogurt1/4c Bran buds1- Fiber fruit leatherMint tea9 baby carrots2T

Rainy Tuesday

2008-10-28T12:59:00.008-04:00

I am working from home today. I have a ton of grading to do and I never seem to be that productive in lab during working hours (too much talking Liz...), so I decided that to be productive I would stay in with my minimal (blogging, facebook, etc.) distractions.Tuesday - 1604cal (-66)Breakfast- 659cEarly CR breakfast omelet- this meal tastes like my early days of CR.It must be the goat cheese/

Accountability

2008-10-27T13:22:00.006-04:00

I am going to face the facts. I gained 3lbs. A real 3lbs.And my eating/recording/weighing/measuring is not going well.I need some extra motivation, so I am going to report all my foods for 7 days again. I enjoyed it last time and while it may not be the most exciting of topics, I need the extra accountability. For now I will not be doing the CRON-O-Meter nutritional analysis- maybe later in the