Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Coconut Cornbread and More to Come

I think I should be a Rep for Nike Running, or something of the sort. I am noticing my cure to every problem someone is facing is to just run.

Stressed out? Run.

Panic attack? Run.

Too much work to do? Run.

Broken heart? Run.

Feeling weak? Run.

I just wish with all my heart all my running would pay off. After the failure of my 3rd medication regiment to work, I really know my body just doesn’t work properly. I don’t burn calories like most other people, and I just can’t lose weight unless I am actually starving myself. Working out doesn’t do jack.

I haven’t been doing the strength/weight training, because I don’t have weights but more so I haven’t had the time this past week. I have been doing the ab exercises and push-ups every day, but not always reaching 10,000 steps. I have been running a ton already logged 130 minutes of running 13.4 miles roughly. I ran 5.63 miles on Sunday, and it felt amazing. I haven’t run over 4ish miles since I got back from Ireland, and I forgot how good it feels to be moving for about an hour. Awesome.

Okay so this past week I was “playing mom.” But not just playing mom, I was playing dad, and big brother for a wonderful family I know.

Car pooling, walking, feeding, and watching the dogs, and making sure the kid I was watching got food, places on time, and had a friend around to chill with all the time.

Exhausting. Fun, and VERY enjoyable, but exhausting.


So my eating has been all over the map, mostly because of stress. And I have been working out but haven’t had time for a half hour of weight work. Honestly, I haven’t had a free half an hour after my runs.

But I don’t know if I’m going to change that much this next week. I’m going to try and be more mindful of eating, and try and use that to get back on track with my weight.
So most of my exercise prescription stands, only not weight training, and Saturday I’m hoping to learn new ab workouts that actually work for people. So my ab stuff may change.
This must be so boring. Haha. Besides feeling more depressed than ever about my weight, I haven’t don’t that much going on.


Except for mindful cooking and eating.
Like to see some pictures?


so the other night I was watching my sister and her friend and...i just felt the need for cookies. delicious, gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookies. 


and i decided what the hell. it's all about eating responsibly. 


so i made this version of Chef Chloe's chocolate chip cookies - easily my favorite cookie recipe I've found. and Gluten-free-afied it, and got rave reviews. I have a little more tweaking before I'll post a recipe, but i WILL soon. hopefully before Spring Break. 


super chewy and gooey chocolate chips. the almond flour gave it the yummy chewy texture. and protein!


and THEN i was craving cookies. but healthier cookies from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  I used stevia as a sugar replacement. I can't say I loved these cookies, but at around 60 calories a cookie, they have been a nice fix


and i toasted some pecans for the cookies...yum

Then i made doughnuts for a hurting friend. Gluten-free vegan chocolate and apple cinnamon. I promise, I'll do a recipe post next, and put up this recipe and hopefully a chocolate chip cookie one too :)


THEN i made teff bread. only i had to change a few things up. it's pretty decent bread, still too dense to my liking though. I think once I eat it all I'm going to make (and post) my Cornucopia bread recipe. You should look forward to that :)
flour mix

yeast before...and me hoping THIS time I'll get it right


AND LOOK! I've never gotten yeast to activate before :) my first not failure with yeast!



looks pretty good?
then i made a crazy mushroom taco type filling. I've been throwing it on salads and cornbread and it's really good. 

Speaking of cornbread...
I made coconut cornbread the other day and it turned out awesome. I can't find where i got the original recipe, but my changed-up version is posted below :)


this batter was super yum




Gluten-free Coconut Cornbread
i used one 8x8 baking pan

  • 1 3/4 cups cornmeal
  • 1 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (or other dry sugar)
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 1/8 cup applesauce
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 T vanilla
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Lightly oil an 8x8 baking dish
  3. In a bowl, combine the first six dry ingredients
  4. In a blender, add the remaining four wet ingredients and blend until smooth
  5. Pour the blended ingredients into the dry ones and mix thoroughly
  6. Spoon the batter into pan
  7. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm
  8. Allow to cool for a few minutes then moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.



well that's about it until next time. where i'll post doughnut recipes and hopefully one for chocolate chip cookies. 
On another note, i want to stop snacking. haha THAT is what kills my diet. So, i'm going to say this on the blog so that I am held more accountable. 


GOAL: to stop snacking
PROCESS: not completely eliminate it
DETAILS: (this is just fun) if i choose to eat a carb or protein-type snack (rice cake with peanut butter, fried chickpeas, trail mix, nuts, or crackers and hummus), i can eat that as my ONE snack of the day. and even if I'm just snacking quickly on a cookie, that is my snack
if i choose fruit as a snack, i can have 2-3 of those snacks.
if i choose a vegetable i can have as many snacks as i want.
if i decide to eat 4 small meals instead of 3 bigger ones, at LEAST two of the meals have to be under 300 calories, and the other two have to be at MOST 700 calories between the two. Preferably 300 and 400 or 350 and 350. Bigger gaps not encouraged
MIXING: one protein/carb and one fruit is okay
veggies and one fruit is okay
veggies and some kind of dip ONCE is okay with one fruit
protein/carb is okay with two veggies
and "milkshakes" and smoothies count as 2 servings of fruit...they should only be paired with veggies, or MAYBE one 75cal or less protein/carb


gar it all feels a little insane. but i'm trying...starting right now. today. wish me luck :)




Monday, February 20, 2012

Okay, lets try this again...

Was what i wrote in my journal today. A journal i used to crucially document my eating, and exercise, and also my daily goings. 


And ya know, since I'm trying to post more, i figure I'll publicize my "plan." 


I'm hoping if i post it up here, I'll stick to it. Moreso. hahaha...


SO


This week is very busy for me. I get to house/dog/friendsit this week, and basically play "mom" for a week. I'm excited, but it's a lot of responsibility, which is good. Because if i can get on this schedule when my day is very busy, it should help me stay with it. So here's my plan:


Everyday

  • Abs: 3 sets of 15 side-turns, legs raised
  • Abs: 3 sets of 50 crunches
  • Abs: 3 sets of 10 leg lifts
  • Strength: 3 sets of 12 push-ups
  • Walk 10,000 steps
  • Record what i eat everyday



Weekly

  • Run 3-5 times a week, and log at least 2 hours a week. Which should be about 12 miles a week at least. I am really hoping i run more though because running is such great medication for me. I really need to get back into it like i was in Ireland. 
  • Bike or snowboard once a week
  • Strength: 2 times a week upper body workout, weights, push-ups, rowing machine, ect. 30 min
  • Strength: 3 times a week after running, 3 sets of 10 lunges and 3 sets of 10 squats



cool :) with this and my diet changes, i'm hoping to get back on track. at least a little. wish me luck :)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Getting Back on Track

Two and a half weeks…not that bad eh?

Haha the worst part is I can’t even say I’ve been busy. I just have been too lazy to sit down and write about the minor details of my day, because nothing truly noteworthy has happened.
I’ll start where I left off: the cheater’s master cleanse.


So I finished it, and pretty quickly gained a lot of that weight back, kind of expected though. I went to Corvallis that weekend and ended up getting some kind of allergic reaction? Haha it was a really fun time seeing my friends, but starting my first ever real job with swollen, red eyes wasn’t a fun experience.

No, I didn’t get a job, really. I got hired as extra Valentine’s Day food prep help at Edible Arrangements. I worked four, thirteen and a half, and thirteen hours the three days. Since it was Valentine’s Day, most of the arrangements had chocolate dipped fruit in them. At the store, there are only two dipping stations (big silver blocks filled with two double boilers), and usually one woman who actually works there does everything. Well the first day I got assigned to work with her, and then for the next two days it was basically just me and this woman doing all the chocolate for all the orders. About 2,500 dipped strawberries each day, in addition to all the apple slices and pineapple too. It felt so good to do real, hard work. Can’t say I enjoyed getting up at 5:25 am and working from 6am to 7pm…but it was nice to work for a real paycheck.

My running shoes have been broken for the past two weeks, meaning the wire in the back digs into my heel in one pair, and the other pair causes me severe back pain. Ouch. So I haven’t been running, and only biking a little bit. Baking and cooking only a little bit. Last week, I really felt like I had hit a giant wall with my weight goals, and health.

I have been trying to change this. How?
Weight Chart. I have logged in the dates I hope to weigh a certain amount. What is good about this is that it stops me from saying, “Next week, I’ll lose a lot.” Because I have more like check points. My crazed eating the days I got back from work messed me up pretty good, but I have been getting a hold of that.

Eating lots more raw food, and being completely gluten-free. I made not very good raw crackers and raw cereal, and this chia breakfast, 



And have completely eliminated gluten from my diet.

Be VERY conscious of how I eat. I have been trying to read my body more and see what kind of food it is in the mood for. The past two days I’ve found I’m not necessarily that hungry in the morning, but a green smoothie is just the thing I crave. So I have been drinking that, and THEN seeing how I feel. I’ve been drinking water foremost when I’m hungry too, which does miracles.

Shoes. I got new running shoes yesterday, and I really need to start planning out the distances I will run each week. Spring is here, and so is all the rain I will have to run in. For now I am doing 3 – 3.5 mile runs, until I get back into shape. But I want to get back to the point where 4 to 5 miles is closer to the norm. BUT I will run 5 days a week at least, unless I do a 1.5 hour bike ride instead. Deal?

Coffee. I love coffee. And it helps me not be so hungry, as long as I don’t get a large full sugar Dutch Bro’s latte. Coffee makes me happy, it is a comforting drink and honestly, the pros outweigh the cons.

And check out this


happiness 


Baking and cooking. I am trying to be more conscious, and not really eating carbs for my nightly meal. My body doesn’t digest them well and so…it’s better just to stay away. I will try to post more recipes. I made granola last night, with my own little spin on it, and I must say, I do love granola.

Next goal: gluten free breads. MUFFINS. Haha. Yumm.

I am also trying to cook more, it’s a good feeling.

Reading. This has been a great way to spend my time, and very peaceful. I love reading, and it always inspires me to write, which is good J

Blogging. I will try to write an entry every week. Goal.

I’m not sure what else to say, I have been job searching and still no job yet. Hopefully soon however. One good thing of not having a job (though when I get a job, I am taking this weekend off) is SASQUATCH! Hell yeah. I this new song I am obsessed obsessed obsessed with…the band is going to be there. It made my day yesterday.
This song makes me feel like I’m singing it, and it’s about me. In many ways. Take that how you want, and enjoy :) 

I'm not so sure how i feel about the video however. 

later.