Moby's Top Fan

So a few days ago, maybe over the past weekend, I had an ... interesting, shall we say ... experience.

Let's dial it back for a second.  A few details to note.

(1)  If you read this blog with any regularity, or know me at all, you know I'm very open to the ideas of vegetarianism and veganism.  You then also know that I opt to practice both at various times throughout my week, on a regular basis, but am not committed to either as a full time lifestyle.

(2)  Additionally, per point 1 above, you likely know I enjoy music.  A lot.  And you know I enjoy said music at an extremely varied taste level ... we're talking Metallica to Migos to Rusted Root to Beatles to Britney Spears to Outkast and everything in between.  (Just no country, please!!!)

(3)  This fact many likely don't know: I follow various musical artists on Facebook. 

Ok, the above gets you up to speed enough that this story will now make sense.  Let's get back on track.

So whatever day it was within the last few days, Moby...  Yes, THE Moby, who at one point in time used to be a relevant musical artist ... Oh, was that mean?  Because to me it ALL seems like truth in advertising ...

Anyway, Moby published on Facebook one of his usual vegan, meant to be inflammatory, Facebook posts. 

Most days I simply ignore when he does that crap, letting it just filter through my Facebook feed, slowly allowing whatever stupidity was spewed be buried from existence by newer and newer feed posts. 

But for whatever reason, that day, I didn't want to just let it go. 

Putting aside the fact that a man made a somewhat derogatory comment about a woman's natural menstrual cycle ... which he CLEARLY doesn't even understand (because egg creation and menstruation are two entirely different processes) ... I couldn't quite stomach the fact that someone who presents themselves as such a scientifically educated individual was posting something that was so fundamentally scientifically incorrect.

For those of you who don't understand the menstrual cycle, I will just say this: creating or laying an egg is part of ovulation.  Ovulation is NOT menstruation.  That's as gross as I'll get on this public forum.  The end.

Anyway.

So I made a comment.

And like all things on the internet, we all held hands afterwards, sang koom-bye-ya, and hugged.

Hahahaha, yeah right.

Of course a vegan uprising ensued.  Not just directly at me, but throughout the entire comment thread. 

Yet - much to my surprise, some of the vegans were of a similar mind set to me.  They actually agreed that Moby's statement was in poor taste.  Though some were looking at it from more of a misogyny/shaming aspect, rather than from a scientific accuracy aspect, I still appreciated their thoughts on the matter.  Because I did agree - part of what rubbed me wrong about the post was a man calling something shameful because it's related to a woman's menstrual cycle.

Not wanting to be any further a part of the conversation, I simply unfollowed the post. 

And then, I thought ... you know, Moby hasn't ever really published any kind of usable content for me on Facebook - why exactly is it that I continue to allow his self righteousness onto my stream?  So I unfollowed him, unliked his page, and removed myself from his "follower" army.

Because, I figured ... even if I am only just one person ... why continue to let my number add to his reputation on Facebook?  Or anywhere else, for that matter.

So from my perspective, book closed.  I had pretty much forgotten about it in fact.

Until today.

Hahahaha. 

OMG.  I laughed for a good, long time about that one.

Being curious, naturally, I went back to the post to see what drove this.  I knew it was only due to that post, because I NEVER comment on Moby's stuff.

Sure enough, look at all that love.  LOL!  And not a single angry face to boot!

Sigh.  Sometimes there IS good in the world.

So I thought about it for awhile.  Even though I'm no longer a follower of Moby, I decided to gracefully accept.

Because what's even funnier than getting a badge?  Owning said badge when you're not even a Moby fan.  LOL!!!!

Recipe: Delicious Slow Cooker Meal - Easy Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Having just settled into the new house, my husband and I have been entertaining a lot of visitors lately who've been patiently waiting to check out our digs.

BUT ... since we are still working on the final details of unpacking and moving in, and also want to ensure the house is relatively clean and tidy for visitors, there hasn't been a ton of spare time for us to invest in long and drawn out meal preps for said visitors.

Thank goodness it's fall and slow cooked crock pot meals are seasonally appropriate.

This past weekend, I was really in the mood for something curry and slow-release carb friendly (read: diabetic appropriate for my guests).  After googling, I stumbled across this recipe and figured it was worth a shot.

Following the recipe mostly as written, the only substitutions I made were:

     (1) I used regular soy sauce instead of gluten free tamari
            (I didn't want to buy another bottle to clutter up my fridge)

     -and-

     (2) I used 36+ ounces of coconut milk
            (my cans were 12-13 oz each, and I wasn't going to waste the last bit for no reason)

Serving the curry over brown rice, which I prepared on the stove top separately, I found my end dish to be somewhat watery (likely due to my excess coconut milk), and in need of more seasoning.  For the future, to help with the excess liquid and to save myself the need to make a side of rice, I plan to omit the rice all together and just pump the quinoa in the slow cooker WAY up (maybe 1-2 cups into the cooker directly).  I also plan to swap the turmeric for curry powder in order to add more spices into the mix, and will likely double or triple that portion as well.

For those of you must have meat people, this curry would pair perfectly with seared chicken breasts.  After letting the slow cooker go all day, about an hour before serving simply cook a few breasts on your stove top, cut the meat into slices or cubes, and stir into the slow cooker.  This will allow the chicken to absorb some of the flavor prior to serving without it getting over cooked in the coconut milk.

Also - when I made this, I put my slow cooker on high for close to 4 hours and my vegetables were all still mostly raw, despite the original recipe's instructions.  To speed things along, as this was lunch and we didn't have time to spare, I transferred from a slow cooker to a stock pot and simmered on the stove for another 20 minutes or so ... which proves that any slow cooker meal is also stove top friendly in a tighter time frame, so don't be shy to make this directly on your stove top if you don't own a crock pot of some sort.  I'd guess an hour simmering on the stove top, omitting slow cookers entirely, should suffice.

Anyway, since the original recipe as is was still quite good - below is the recipe as I prepared it, without the modifications noted above.

Enjoy!


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Easy Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Ingredients

• 1 medium-large white onion, diced
• 1 medium-large sweet potato, scrubbed clean and diced
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets 
• 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons tamari (or regular soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoons salt (or omit salt and add extra soy sauce)
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 cans, 12-13 oz (+/-) each, coconut milk (or 30 oz if you can find it)
• 1 cup water
• optional: cooked rice for serving curry over, chopped parsley garnish

Directions

Spray interior of slow cooker with non stick olive oil spray.

Place diced onion and sweet potato on bottom of bowl.  Top with broccoli florets, drained beans, and uncooked (dry) quinoa.  Layer in garlic, ginger, turmeric, tamari (soy sauce) and salt.  Pour in entire can of diced tomatoes, including juices.  Top with coconut milk and water.

Place lid on slow cooker and turn on heat.  High setting will take 4-6 hours, low setting will take 8+.

Makes a very large dish.  Will feed 6-8 hungry adults, likely with leftovers to spare.

Me Being a Mom: Portion Sizes for Kids

A few weeks back, I came across this article about portion sizes for kids.  Now that I'm living the mom life, of course I was interested, so I clicked.

Nutshell summary?  I was really surprised by how much the article focused on keeping food familiar for your kids, and negotiating to get them to eat fruits and vegetables.

I mean, I'm not trying to brag, but I basically served my son everything I ate as soon as I knew he could handle all the foods (man, I'm glad to be done with the pureed single ingredient phase).  And he just ... ate it.

Honestly, I did this for two reasons.  Yes, A, because it didn't make sense to me to teach my son to develop a different pallet from me.  But B, why make life more difficult for yourself by making two meals every time your child needs to eat?!

And I'm not to say there aren't times where he declines things - let's face it, he's in his terrible twos now, so that definitely happens.  But honest to god, your kid doesn't know what's "familiar" (as the article likes to call it).  Everything is new ... that's why they call them newborns.  So why shelter them and encourage them to adapt to a lifetime of chicken nuggets and mac & cheese?

Soapbox aside, I couldn't help but snicker about the recommended serving sizes of foods, and the plant ratios suggested.  I guess your perspective is skewed when you have a two year old that is in 5T clothing.  #eatingmachine

True story side note: in our new house, because of the sheer volume of food I go through with my monster eating toddler in the mix, I added a combined fruit basket/banana hook produce keeper to the kitchen (in addition to the previous basket I had, which is now just for shelf stable vegetables).  During move in, this basket was solely been filled with apples and bananas.  Not knowing I was listening, my son stood admiring the basket last week, talking to himself:

"Apples"
"Bananas"
"Apples"
"Bananas"
-brief pause, and then switching to a monster voice-
"I EAT THEM ALL!!!!"

Kids.  An endless source of entertainment.

In case the link above ever dies, below is a condensed version of suggested serving sizes.  I took out the fluff so you could just focus on the proper portion sizes.  Enjoy!

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Toddlers & Preschoolers (2 to 4 years)

Appetites at this state can greatly vary based on height and activity level and will likely change from day-to-day or even meal-to-meal. 

For Reference:Protein: 4 thin slices of ham or 1 egg, at 2-3 servings per day
Dairy: 1/2 cup cow’s milk or 1/2 cup yogurt, at 3 servings per day
Veggies: 2 tbsp. of green beans, 4 broccoli florets or 8 celery sticks (small), at 2 servings each meal
Fruits: Half a medium banana or half a kiwi, at 1-2 servings per day (this can be subbed out for veggies only)
Grains: 4 potato wedges or 4 tbsp. of mashed potatoes, at 1 serving per day

Early Childhood (5 to 8 years)

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests upgrading to full portions of fruits and veggies at this age, such as a whole banana, apple and handful of grapes. For proteins, fill a quarter of the plate with beans, legumes or a lean meat. Avoid foods high in sugar, especially sodas. Water is encouraged at the dinner table!

For Reference:Protein: 2-3 ounces of meat or 1/2 cup cooked beans, at 2 servings per day
Dairy: 1 cup yogurt or 1 oz. cheese, at 3 servings per day
Veggies: 1 cup salad or 1/2 cup cooked carrots or broccoli, at 3 servings per day
Fruits: 1 medium banana or 1/2 cup pure fruit juice, at 2-3 servings per day (this can be subbed out for veggies only)
Grains: 1/2 cup cooked pasta or 1 slice whole-wheat toast, at 1 serving per day

Preteen (9 to 12 years)

Portion sizes can slowly increase to where most adults should be—about 2 1/2 cups of dairy, 3 cups of veggies and 5 ounces of protein.  This is also a really good time to ask your child to cook a meal for the family every once in awhile so the option is in their hands. They might even develop a lifelong passion for cooking!

For Reference:Protein: 5 ounces of meat, at 2 servings per day
Dairy: 2 cups yogurt or 1 oz. cheese, at 3 servings per day
Veggies: 2 cups salad or 1 cup cooked carrots or broccoli, at 3 servings per day
Fruits: 1 medium banana, at 2-3 servings per day (this can be subbed out for veggies only)
Grains: 1 mini bagel or 1/2 cup cooked pasta, at 1 serving per day

Teenagers (13 to 18 years)

Portions can be adult-sized by this point, but education on appropriate portion sizes should be a priority. Relate portions to everyday items (a deck of cards is a serving of protein) for ease–chances are, measuring spoons are nowhere to be found in the school cafeteria. Also, be cognizant of commenting on eating habits during this stage. Empower your children to make good choices, but don’t criticize or shame them for any unhealthy choices they do make.

For Reference:Protein: 8 ounces of meat, at 2 servings per day
Dairy: 2 cups yogurt or 1 oz. cheese, at 3 servings per day
Veggies: 3 cups salad or 1 cup cooked carrots or broccoli, at 3 servings per day
Fruits: 1/4 melon, at 2-3 servings per day (this can be subbed out for veggies only)
Grains: 2 slices of bread or 1 cup cooked pasta, at 1 serving per day

Recipe: Delicious Dinner - Easy One Pot Pasta Puttanesca

So ... I haven't posted in awhile. 

That's because, we decided somewhat impulsively to put our house on the market. 

And ... we think it's sold.  Fingers crossed.  (Inspections pending).

More on that in a future post, once everything clears. 

Anyway, for those of you who haven't had to sell a house before, just know that you have to keep EVERYTHING in 100% clean, pristine condition at all times.  I call it museum house - pretty to look at, but don't touch. 

Imagine owning a museum house with a 2 year old toddler.  It's loads of fun.  Especially when I'm trying to still cook somewhat healthy meals for our family and avoid eating out as much as possible.

Needless to say, finding options to cook in the house that:

     (1) don't make too much mess
          -or-
     (2) don't smell up the house

... it's been challenging. 

Thankfully, I found this recipe, quite by accident actually (some page on Facebook I follow posted it or something, I don't recall).  Internet to the rescue!

I improvised the above recipe somewhat, as I prefer not to use store bought pasta sauce.  And if I don't say so myself, the end result was quite good. 

Fair warning: my dish ended up a little more saucy than some might prefer, but I like a saucier dish.  If you prefer something with less sauce, try using the smaller size of tomato sauce (12-18oz) rather than the larger (24ish ounces). I would also recommend starting with 1.5 cans of chicken stock, and then adding the remaining 1/2 can as needed.

Enjoy!


-----

Easy One Pot Pasta Puttanesca

*photo per the original link above, below recipe is my amended version

Ingredients

• 1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion (smaller, 12-18 oz size)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (smaller, 12-18 oz size)
• 1 can plain tomato sauce (larger, 24oz+/- size)
• 1 can tomato paste (smaller, 5-6oz size)
• 2 cans reduced sodium chicken stock (smaller, 12-18 oz size)
• 1 box whole wheat pasta, any style (I used rotini, 13-14 oz size)
• 1 can of quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 8 oz pitted and halved kalamata olives
• 2-3 tablespoons capers
• crushed red pepper and garlic to taste

Directions

Place uncooked pasta in large pot.  Cover with chicken stock, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes (do not drain diced tomatoes).

Continue to add in remaining ingredients, being careful to ensure pasta stays covered with liquid.  I gently placed the artichokes, tomato paste, olives, capers, etc on top and chose not to stir until the base liquid began to simmer.

When simmering begins, gently stir every 1-2 minutes. 

Cook until pasta is desired texture, typically 8-10 minutes.  Serve as is, topped with your favorite cheese, or with a side of meatballs or Italian chicken.

Makes a very large dish.  Will feed 4-6 hungry adults, likely with leftovers to spare.

Recipe: Delicious Dinner - Seared Peppercorn Tuna Steaks

A few weeks ago, I was cruising the fresh fish case at the grocery store.  On a whim, I picked out a couple of tuna steaks to take home.

Since my husband is a great cook, I left the rest up to him.  After finding this recipe, he added a few fresh veggie sides, and dinner was served.

Enjoy!


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Seared Peppercorn Tuna Steaks

Ingredients

• 2 tuna steaks
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• vegetable and starch sides of your choice (recipie not included here)

Directions

Season the tuna steaks with salt and cayenne pepper.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the peppercorns in the mixture until they soften and pop, about 5 minutes. 

Gently place the seasoned tuna in the skillet and cook to desired doneness, 1 1/2 minutes per side for rare.  (I was in the mood for a more well done steak on this day, so my husband added an extra 90 seconds to my cooking time overall).

When plating, be sure to top the steaks with any peppercorns that are in the pan.  You will be surprised by their mild flavor and fun, crunchy texture.

Recipe: Delicious Dinner - Herb Crusted Cauliflower Steaks with Beans & Tomatoes

On Tuesday, a Facebook friend of mine posted the below photo of their dinner and my mouth watered.  I haven't had a chance to cook this recipe yet, but I wanted to share it here so I could find it again in the future.

Enjoy!


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Herb Crusted Cauliflower Steaks
with Beans & Tomatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 8 ounces green beans, trimmed
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley, plus more for serving
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 cup golden or red cherry tomatoes (about 6 ounces), halved
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

Directions

Arrange racks in middle and upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Remove leaves and trim stem end of cauliflower, leaving core intact. Place cauliflower core side down on a work surface. Using a large knife, slice in the center from top to bottom to yield 2 (1") "steaks"; reserve remaining cauliflower for another use.

Place cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides with 1 Tbsp. oil; season with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Roast on middle rack, turning halfway through, until cauliflower is tender and browned, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss green beans with 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper on another rimmed baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer, then roast in upper third of oven until green beans begin to blister, about 15 minutes.

 Whisk garlic, lemon zest, 1/3 cup parsley, and remaining 6 Tbsp. oil, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Transfer half of mixture to another medium bowl. Add panko and Parmesan to first bowl and mix with your hands. Add white beans and tomatoes to second bowl and toss to coat. Whisk mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.

Remove sheets from oven. Spread mayonnaise mixture over cauliflower. Sprinkle 1/4 cup panko mixture evenly over cauliflower. Add white bean mixture to sheet with green beans and toss to combine. Return sheets to oven and continue to roast until white beans begin to crisp and panko topping starts to brown, 5–7 minutes more.

Divide cauliflower, green beans, white beans, and tomatoes among plates. Top with parsley.

Note: In order to cut large, 1" "steaks" from a head of cauliflower, the center root must remain intact. To serve 4, use 2 large heads of cauliflower. Roast remaining cauliflower alongside "steaks" or incorporate in soup, salad, or another use. For a vegan version, swap in vegan mayonnaise for regular mayonnaise.

Lately

Well, I guess the theme of this blog these day is "so I know I haven't posted in a while, but ..."

Instead of continually repeating that line, I'm going to mention a few recent personal highlights instead:

(1) I'm on week four of a regular running schedule, and have a consistent mix of strength and swimming in there too. 

(2) I have improved my overall pace running from 11:30 a mile to 11:00.  Not fast by any means, but I'll take it.

(3) I have weighed in on the scale below 200 lbs on a semi regular basis in the last two weeks.  I hope to finally see that be a standard weigh in instead of an "off day".

(4) My son is officially one - hooray!  Where does time go?!  (And in other news, I am currently in the process of going cold turkey from nursing ... which is a slow and sometimes painful process, but I'm getting there).

And lest I leave out some sarcasm in this post ... a short story:

For the last 4+ weeks, I've been trying to be healthy.  You know, eating right, getting more exercise, all that jazz.  The scale has been heading in the right direction, and I feel better about myself, so that's a sign that I'm on the right track.  Which is great!  So today, though.  I go get changed over lunch.  Head out for a run.  I'm almost all the way back when I feel something tickle the top of my head.  I reach up and ...

 

 

 

Yeah.  A bird shit right on my head.  Way to support my journey back to fitness, ya jerk.

Happy Tuesday!

Slicing Wrong My Entire Life

You guys!  I just found out my entire life I've been slicing avocado wrong. 

ZOMG!  #LIFEFAIL

Check this out.  It may be a little dorky, but it DOES kind of look cool.

"Rather than halve the avocado lengthwise, halve it crosswise, around the pit. If the avocado is ripe, at this point you can simply give the avocado a gentle squeeze and the pit will drop right out. No dangerous knife-wielding necessary! But the real magic comes once the pit is outta there.

You scoop out the avocado from the peel (or use your hands to actually peel the two halves if you're a perfectionist), then slice the avocado into rings. At this point you can top your salad or sandwich with the rings or you can halve them, which is my preference so that you get nice thick gorgeous slices like these."

Recipe: Delicious Side or Entree - Simple Stir Fried Bok Choy

Earlier this week I posted a collection of all my recipes ever mentioned on my blog, and I realized I never actually documented one of my favorite go-to fresh veggie stir fry options.  I really enjoy the simplicity and taste of this dish, and find it to be one of my favorite "throw anything in it and it works" dishes - tastes great with chicken and served over brown rice, or beef and noodles, or ... whatever, really.

So here it is!  Enjoy!


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Simple Stir Fried Bok Choy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
• 8 cups fresh bok choy
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce

 

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce cook 3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender.

If serving with a rice or noodle, or adding a protein to the dish, be sure these items are fully cooked prior to preparing the bok choy.

Recipe Recap

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe, and when I went to think about which recipe to post today, I realized ... I've never done a comprehensive listing of all the recipes I've featured on this blog.

So here it is - a collection of all the recipes I've posted thus far.  I've grouped them by offering to make more sense of them.

Enjoy!


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Breakfasts, Muffins, Etc.

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

 

Peanut Butter Applesauce Muffins

 

Healthy Banana Chia Muffins

Sandwiches and Snacks

Edamame Hummus Wrap

 

 

 

Cauliflower Popcorn

 

 

Soups & Salads

 

Kale Chili

 

 

Roasted Tomato Base

 

Simple Tomato Soup From Scratch

  

 

Herb Crusted Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Apples and Dijon Dressing

Sweet Potato & Mixed Green Salad with blue cheese and walnuts served with honey vinaigrette dressing

Main Entrees

 

Chicken & Potato Roti

 

 

Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Guac Tacos

 

 

Asian Style Turkey Burgers

 

Feta Stuffed Portabella Burgers

 

 

Roasted Tomato Base

 

 

Turkey Mushroom Meatballs and Zucchini Pasta

 

 

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

 

 

 

Mediterranean Turkey w/Swiss Chard Over Polenta

 

 

 

Bonus - How to use CSAs

This category isn't quite a step by step recipe option, but at least gives you some creative ideas on what to cook if you are signed up for a CSA in the Minnesota or Midwest area.  Ingredients in my CSA boxes varied each week, so I noted below what I had. 

One thing of note: I still like to reference the ginger and garlic bok (bock or pac) choi recipe I used during my CSA trial on a regular basis.  So delicious!

Week One
Kale, Panisse Head Lettuce, Pac Choi, Vitamin Greens, Cilantro, Summer Squash, Scallions, Kohlrabis, and Spinach

Week Two
Romaine Lettuces, Pac Choi, Broccoli, Radishes, Kohlrabi, Summer Squash (Pattypan, Zephyr, or Zukes), Red Scallions and/or Green Scallions, Collard Greens, Basil, Culinary Sage, and Spinach

Week Three
Napa Cabbage, Arcadia Broccoli, Cilantro, Parsley, Summercrisp Lettuces, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Summer Squash/Zukes, Cucumbers, Scallions and Fennel

Making Our Own Demise

A semi-wordless post today.  Perhaps instead of blaming others, we should examine why this is a trend to begin with?

 

 

Say Goodbye to BMI

It's no secret that I'm NOT a fan of the BMI scale. 

Don't get me wrong, using the BMI formula as a general calculation to help you figure out if your weight makes sense for your frame is a good starting point.  BUT - and that's a big but - BMI is not the only thing that should be taken into consideration when assessing if your height and weight are in line with each other.

Adding fuel to my fire against BMI, I found this article (see text below if you don't want to follow the link).  Even if you can't take the time to read the entire post - at least take a minute to read the highlights ... the part towards the very end in yellow is the scariest.

When you finish the below ... consider yourself informed!  ;-)


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5 BMI Myths You Need To Stop Believing

There's no denying that "fat is bad" has led us to believe loads of things about BMI that aren't true. Here are five "facts" you should start rethinking.

By KASANDRA BRABAW

I remember the first time a doctor calculated my body mass index. I was 13 and up until that point had been one of the skinniest kids in my class. But then puberty struck, my hormones went haywire, and I packed on 20 pounds in just a few months. My BMI put me squarely in the "overweight" category. The doctor handed me a food journal and said not to worry—as long as I kept track of every single thing I put into my mouth I could drop those 20 pounds in no time.

Well, I didn't. As I got older, my BMI just got higher. Now, at 25, I'm what the BMI scale considers "obese." I eat a mostly healthy diet, walk everywhere, and do yoga as often as I can. I know people much skinnier than me—people with "normal" BMIs—who literally cringe at the sight of a vegetable. Yet, most doctors would tell them they were perfectly healthy and put me on a strict diet.

What gives?

"We so strongly believe that being fat is bad," says Linda Bacon, PhD, author of Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. "It's taught in schools and floods the media." And that's not surprising. Study after study finds that being heavy is associated with illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. But the key word, Bacon says, is "associated."

According to Bacon, we don't know for sure that being overweight causes the health problems it's been associated with. It could be a combination of many things. For example, people who have high BMIs also tend to have a history of dieting, Bacon says. And research has shown that yo-yo dieting, or fluctuating in weight, has a negative impact on your overall health. "So does illness come from having a higher BMI or from inflammation in the blood due to dieting?" Bacon says. "We just don't know."

There's no denying that the pervasive "fat is bad" lens has led us to believe loads of things about BMI that just aren't true. Here, 5 "facts" you should start rethinking.

Myth: A low BMI ensures that you'll be healthy
Being heavy has been associated with things like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. So it stands to reason that having a low BMI would put all of those things on track, right? Wrong. In a review of several studies looking at BMI, researchers found one study of 40,000 adults that indicated no correlation between high BMI and health issues like high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Plenty of people in the "obese" category had perfectly normal numbers, and plenty who have "normal" BMIs had high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.

Bacon, who was an author on the study, says it shows how weight stigma affects health. "Over half of the people on the study would have been misdiagnosed," she says. Because doctors would see people of normal body weight and likely not check for high cholesterol or blood sugar, those people wouldn't get the treatments they need.

 

Myth: Having a high BMI increases your risk of heart attack

Like with blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, many studies have shown an association between high BMI and heart disease risk. Yet a recent self-reported study of 4,046 pairs of identical twins finds that having a high BMI does not increase these risks. In the 12 years that researchers followed the twins, there were 203 heart attacks and 550 deaths among the twins with higher BMIs, and 209 heart attacks and 633 deaths among thinner twins. Even those twins with a BMI of 30 or higher (which would deem them obese), had no increase in heart attack risk.

Myth: Eating healthy and exercising will always lower your BMI

Muscle weighs more than fat. So someone who adds exercise and healthy eating to their routine might actually gain weight—and that's not a bad thing. "People can be healthy at different body sizes," says Rebecca Puhl, PhD, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Yet, she says, many doctors still stigmatize and place blame on patients they see as overweight, even if those patients are engaging in healthy eating and exercise behaviors.

Myth: You're healthy if your BMI is between 19 and 25

In case you don't know, this is how the BMI scale breaks down: A BMI lower than 18.5 is underweight, between 18.5 and 24.9 is normal, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 or above is obese. But it wasn't always that way.

The National Institutes of Health changed BMI guidelines in 1998, dropping the overweight category from 27.8 to 25. Overnight, a woman who was 5 feet 4 inches tall and 155 pounds was suddenly considered overweight.

At the time, Bacon was a PhD student working on a dissertation on body weight and health. Her advisor was on the committee that made the recommendation, so she asked her why would they recommend lowering the numbers when all evidence pointed toward the need to raise them.

"She said to me, 'Linda, we came to the same conclusion [that the numbers should be raised], but government officials told us that we needed to make a recommendation that aligned with global standards.'" Bacon was floored—how could it be that politics played such a large role in this decision? So she took a look at how the global standards were set. It turns out that the task force that made that recommendation was funded by the only two pharmaceutical companies that made weight loss drugs at that time.

"Those companies stood to gain a lot financially if people who were perfectly healthy one day were overweight the next and would then be prescribed weight loss medication," she says. "It was shocking to realize that a recommendation like that was based more on financial gain than what was best for public health."

Myth: BMI is a good measure of health

This one should be pretty obvious by now. Since the guidelines were set without much basis on health and we know BMI doesn't work for everyone, it's pretty clear that it's not an accurate measure of health. Some experts, like Puhl and Bacon, believe that we shouldn't be looking at weight as a measure of health at all.

"When doctors only focus on the number on the scale, this can lead them to oversimplify health issues, ignore other pieces of information, and even stigmatize and blame patients." Puhl says.

Bacon agrees. Focusing on BMI and weight keeps doctors and other experts from seeing the real issues behind disease, she says. It goes back to the difference between "association" and "cause." Research hasn't proven weight to be the cause of most of the things we say it causes, Bacon says. So how can we possibly know that losing weight, or lowering your BMI, is an effective solution? Instead, focus on cooking balanced, satisfying and diverse food— like the recipes from our favorite irreverant cooks at Thug Kitchen.

2016 Year in Review

Well folks, it's January 31st.  The month is almost done, and here I am finally getting around to what is typically my first post of the year, in the first week of the year.  #winningattimemanagement

Whatever ... so is the life of a busy new mom, I guess.

Since I'm already late with this post, let's just get started, shall we?!

2016, a year in review!

Races

As you well know, something kind of slowed down my race schedule for 2016.

 

Yes, that's me, literally the night before I delivered.  I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes in that picture, can you tell?  LOL!  To be fair, I didn't know at the time that I was so near to delivery, since contractions didn't become painful until almost 24 hours later (or just roughly 3 hours before I had a baby in my arms).  So that may just be why I look so footloose and fancy free in that pic!

Baby talk aside, my race participation for 2016 was a record low with a measly 10 races. 

Feb - Tri-U-Mah, Indoor timed tri, no bib provided
June - Rainbow Run 5K
July - Freedom Five 5K, Froyo 5K, Gandy Dancer Fly In 5K
August - Webster Education 5K w/stroller
September - Lake Run 5K w/ stroller, Waconia Nickle Dickle 5K, Women Run the Cities 10K
October - Carreras de los Muertos 5K

Total miles raced - about 35ish miles
**Worth noting, the majority of these were done when I was 6 months or less post-partum, thank you very much.  You could also sort of add in the Volksmarch for 10K here, too, though it wasn't a race.

Cumulative info:
     Races 72 - 81
     Bibs 69 - 77



Costumes

Let's face it, there's no way in hell you can put a costume on this and still actually race:

That being said, life in costume was a little easier once the baby was out!  LOL!  Though I was still hesitant to wear a lot of my "good" stuff and risk stretching it out since I am still fighting off my baby weight.  Hence the somewhat smaller collection of pictures this year:

  

And of course, being an InkNBurn Ambassador helped in that category just a bit, too. 
Check out www.inknburn.com

 

 

 

Keeping Healthy

As you know, gestational diabetes was a really PITA for me in 2016.  Despite being active my entire pregnancy, and trying REALLY hard to not gain too much weight, I just didn't win in avoiding my family's curse (yes, others in my blood line also suffered this fate). 

Luckily, after having the baby, my blood sugars normalized and I'm no longer diabetic.  But regardless of that news, I do know that having gestational diabetes means I'm at an elevated risk of becoming type 2 in the future.

That being said, moving into 2017 my focus will be to lose the body fat I gained in, or prior to, my pregnancy (because although technically I weigh less now than I did when I first got pregnant, my clothes don't fit right, so I can tell I'm carrying much more fat than muscle right now).

Of course my weight loss and toning goals for 2017 are within reason - I'm still breastfeeding, which throws a real wrench into diet & exercise programs, as aggressive plans can hinder milk supply.  Therefore, this goal is really more long term and will likely see most progress mid to late 2017. 



Changes


2016 was a rough year in terms of changes.  Before I could even celebrate bringing a new life into the world, I had to say goodbye to my 16 year old beagle.  And while his heath was failing, I was in the mist of trying to prepare for my first child, so it was really a tough balance ... which was made even harder as I had to manage a lot of it alone, since my husband was out of the country for weeks at a time, doing business in London.

In addition to that, at the end of 2016 I made a major change that's been a little depressing for me, hence why I haven't shared it publically until now.  In October, I put in my notice as a group fitness instructor.  A lot of things in life were changing at that time, both for me and at the gym where I worked, and it just didn't make sense for me to keep working there anymore.  I miss teaching - a lot ... like, really A LOT - but I try not to let it get me down.  Hopefully I'll be back in action and teaching again some day soon.



Finally

In my 2015 recap, I took a minute to revisit my last few years of blogging / years in review as follows:

2013 was when I was peaking in my physical fitness, my life was finally coming together, and I was feeling great about things.

2014 was a year of struggle where I tried to cope with a miscarriage, some physical setbacks, and I still tried to maintain a healthy attitude and life balance.

2015?  I can't really say 2015 was an AMAZING year.  But I wouldn't rate it as bad, either.  I say this because I think coming into my mid 30's (yikes, that makes me feel old, lol!), I finally settled into a happy place in my life.  Some time around 2012 or 2013, I learned to accept things in my life for what they were, and to eliminate things from my life that didn't make me happy.  And somewhere in that process, I found an authentic me that I've just become ... happy with.  Which means, I don't really go into a year expecting it to be AWESOME or BAD anymore, I just hope that I can continue to maintain that authentic me.  And have a good time while I do it.  And in 2015, I did just that.  So I think that's just fine.

So that leaves me with 2016.  Which I have to say was just what I expected - authentic me, new baby in arms, and more adventures to come!

Taco Bell ... Healthy?

I recently came across an article talking about Taco Bell's strides to offer healthier menu options, which I found interesting.  Of course fast food is never really "good" for you, but their approach to making wiser food choices is refreshing.


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Taco Bell Has Low Key Become One of America’s Healthiest Fast Food Chains
Tessa Newell

While no one was looking, Taco Bell has been scheming.

Unless you’re a hardcore follower of the chain, you may not have noticed the change, so we’re going to fill you in: Taco Bell has started to become one of the country’s healthiest fast food chains.
It seems a little weird that a restaurant that offers a Doritos shell taco would warrant that title, but it’s the gospel truth.

In the past year or so, Taco Bell has been restructuring menu choices from top to bottom, especially on the company website and mobile platform. The goal? To give consumers a choice. They can pig out on Crunch Wrap Supremes if they want, or they can go for a healthier option that’s still quick service and delicious.

Very few fast food chains today can claim a similar accomplishment.

Much of the credit can be given to Taco Bell’s dietician and product developer, Missy Nelson. Take a minute to wrap your head around the fact that Taco Bell has a dietician.

Since Nelson joined the Taco Bell team, she has made huge strides towards taking out all artificial ingredients, switching to cage-free eggs, and offering lighter (but still delicious) options. On top of all that, there has been a 15% reduction in sodium across all menu items, which is subtly a brilliant move.

Taco Bell now offers so much more than the traditional menu we’re used to. There is now a low-calorie “Fresco” menu, a high-protein “Cantina” menu, and a vegetarian menu certified by the American Vegetarian Association. The vegetarian menu even comes with vegan-friendly selections, all of which can be found on the Taco Bell app.

With a touch of a button, your order can be customized to fit your dietary needs, which leaves endless options for customization. And by adding these extra, health-conscious menus, Taco Bell gets to keep the traditional fast food menu, while allowing for another avenue to drive new business.

However, what we really appreciate is that Taco Bell isn’t making a huge deal out of their new health offerings – which could be why you haven’t heard of them.

“Us [Taco Bell] touting ourselves as a health halo – it’s not authentic and it’s not real,” Taco Bell spokesman Alec Boyle says.

Instead, Taco Bell has kept the usual advertisements and low-key released information on the new menus, so anyone who wants to make the healthy choice can do so. This gains consumer trust more than any of the nutritional tools now at the customer’s disposal.

Eyes are now on the rest of the fast food world to see if they're taking serious notes.