Five Things Friday: Life Update Edition

Well, it's September...and I haven't done a post since May....better do a Life Update!  Here we go!
For Five Things Friday, here are 5 things that have happened since the last time I wrote:


1) I got engaged!

This happened about a week after my last post.  I'm so excited!  The ring is from Rosado's Box on Etsy, and I frequently stop and stare at it because it's so beautiful.  It's a custom design, so you won't find the exact ring in their shop, but we started with the Ember band.  By the way, if anyone is interested in getting a ring from them, I'll let you know we had a wonderful experience, they're really great.

So far we've set our date and booked our venue; we'll be getting married at the Queens County Farm Museum on Long Island next July! :-D


2) I saw my BFF Kelly get married!

Photo by Matthew Jason Photo 

A week after Kevin and I got engaged, I flew to Boston to attend my friend Kelly's wedding.  It was a tiny ceremony (there were 11 of us, including the bride, groom, and officiant!) in Arnold Arboretum, and it was amazingly beautiful, and intimate and heartfelt.  It was such a pleasure to be included (thanks, Kelly!).  After the ceremony we all went out to dinner at Strega Waterfront, which was delicious.

It was such a nice day!  Kevin and I talked really seriously about trying to have a similarly tiny wedding, but we couldn't make it work.  My family is just too big!

Photo by Matthew Jason Photo

3) We celebrated our third annual Hanksgiving!

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Let's start with some background:  one day, early in our relationship, I was talking to Kevin over GChat and remarked that I was excited that Thanksgiving was coming.  Or at least I had the intention of saying this, but I missed the 'T' key and ended up typing 'hanksgiving' instead.  When Kevin speculated that this must be some sort of Tom Hanks holiday, I was struck with brilliance (if I do say so myself) and declared that this was exactly what it should be, and thusly Hanksgiving was born.  I looked up Tom Hanks' birthday - it's July 9th, which was too far away since we were having this conversation in November.  So, that first year we had Winter Hanksgiving on July 9th, and then Summer Hanksgiving again in July (since then we've gone back to only once a year, in July).

Hanksgiving is really fun!  We'll pick a Tom Hanks movie and grab some Tom Hanks-themed snacks, which so far have usually included pizza (for Pizza Planet), beef jerky (for Castaway), and a box of chocolates (for Forest Gump).  For this past Hanksgiving, we invited over some friends and watched Cloud Atlas.

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Which, incidentally, is like the BEST movie.



4) I went to Iceland!

This trip probably should have had it's own post, but I'm terrible and lazy, so here we are.
Why did I go to Iceland?  Mostly just because.  My parents decided to go, kind of on a whim, really, and asked if I wanted to come with.  I went with my parents and my brother (Kevin couldn't take the time off of work, unfortunately), and we were there for about 5 days.  It was a really great trip, I did - and ate! - some really interesting things.  For example, I went down into a dormant volcano:

I know this just looks like random rocks, but it's inside a volcano, I promise!

Also, I ate some smoked puffin, some fermented shark, and some horse.  I have no pictures of these things, and that's probably fine.









The Icelandic language was also interesting.  It's actually really phonetic if you know what sounds the letters make, but I don't so I still can't pronounce 'Eyjafjallajokull.'

I can say 'Thrihnukagigur,' so that's something at least.




5) I made lots of tasty treats!

Like cookies:

I do not at all remember what kind these were, unfortunately.

and hummus:  

And some Icelandic rye bread:   

I realize this looks super weird.  I didn't have a loaf pan so I baked it in a brownie pan, and the parchment paper left weird crinkle marks in the top...still delish, though!

I also made some other things that I forgot to grab pictures of, like almond butter chocolate chip cookies, salted caramel chocolate pretzel bars, and braised coconut spinach chickpeas with lemon.

Hooray!  Happy Friday!

Clean Eating Challenge Day 1 and a Recipe

Well, maybe we should start with the part where I haven't posted since November.

It's been a long time, I know.  I barely know how it happened, except to say that the second semester of my PhD program was pretty crazy compared to my first.  But, now I'm done!  I passed Anatomy class, I gave a poster presentation on cross-sectional geometry of mice femora, I wrote a paper about placentas that only sucked a little bit, and now school is over and it's TIME FOR SUMMER VACATION!!

Sort of.

I still have a lot of work to do, what with finishing up Spring semester's research rotation and writing up the results from Fall semester's rotation.  Oh, and figuring out a dissertation project so I can start getting my committee together and hopefully get a plan for a pilot study in place for next summer.  But even with all that my schedule should be a little more relaxed for the next few months, giving me more time for things like cooking and blogging.  So, great!  On to the challenge:

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This may or may not be news to you, but I love me a 30-day challenge.  I'm using this particular challenge as a way to curb my sugar/junk food intake and perk up my diet in general without going all the way into Whole 30 territory.  You can see the full rules and guidelines over at Reality of You.

I will be giving myself a little wiggle room with some of these rules.  For instance, I'll be eating dairy.  I'm sure there are plenty of people that will argue that most dairy is processed to the point that it can no longer be considered "clean," but I like cheese and yogurt and milk on my cereal, so I'm just going to use my own judgement to decide which forms of these foods are "clean" and which aren't.  Also, you may have noticed that last sentence included the word "cereal."  Boxed cereal definitely is closer to the "not" end of the clean food spectrum, but right now I'm eating shredded wheat, which only has one ingredient (whole wheat), so I'm saying it's fine.  Physiologically and emotionally, I'm not going to respond to shredded wheat the same way I would to, say, Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs.  I'll also give myself some leeway with the 5-6 meals a day rule.  I'm currently doing the "eat when I'm hungry" thing, so if I'm hungry 5-6 times a day then great, and if I'm not, also great.  Essentially, my goal for the next 30 days is to get into the habit of eating higher quality foods without making myself crazy.

So, yesterday was Day 1 of the challenge and it went pretty well.  I did have a craving for something sweet after dinner, but it was pretty easy to ignore.  The highlight of the day, in my opinion, was definitely dinner.

I found this recipe for Cheesy Mexican Pasta on Fit Foodie Finds, and I knew immediately that I would be making it ASAP.

I forgot to put the milk in this picture!  And I didn't feel like taking it again.  But, there should be milk there.

Ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat pasta
Olive oil, probably about a tablespoon or so
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups frozen corn
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 cups shredded cheese
1/3 cup milk
Diced avocado, as much as desired
Diced tomato, as much as desired
Chopped cilantro (optional; I'm not super into cilantro so I left it out)

Steps:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente.

I prefer to use the skillet method when cooking pasta -- place dry pasta in a large skillet, add enough cold water to cover by an inch or so, and cook uncovered on high until the pasta is done to your liking.  I find that it's SO much quicker and easier, and it uses much less water.

3. Once the pasta is finished, drain it and pour it into a large baking pan or casserole dish.  Drizzle the pasta with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss.  I think adding the olive oil in this step removes the need for non-stick spray or anything like that.

4. Add in the corn and black beans and mix again.  Follow with the spices, and mix.

5.  Add the grated cheese and milk, and mix one last time.  The original recipe called for shredded Mexican-style cheese but in keeping with the Clean Eating Challenge rules, I wanted to go with something that had the fewest number of ingredients.  Pre-shredded cheese usually has "anti-caking agents" added to keep it from clumping, so I decided to just grate my own cheese.  I used a combination of pepper jack and cheddar.

See, I got the milk in this one so we're all good.

6. Put the pan in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

7. Top with diced tomatoes and avocado and enjoy!  Kevin and I had about 1/4 of a tomato and 1/2 of an avocado each, but of course you can have as much or as little as you'd like.


Let me tell you, this dish was so excellent.  Kevin and I were both really happy with it.  It's cheesy without being TOO cheesy (that is to say, while I recognize that "too cheesy" is a fictional condition, this pasta was cheesy without being too heavy to still be considered healthy), and the fresh tomato and avocado on top were a really nice addition.  Altogether this meal was delicious, really flavorful and satisfying.  Oh, and also it's vegetarian, if you're into that sort of thing.  Make it!

5 Things Friday: Whole30 Edition

As previously mentioned, my Whole30 is over, and I am certainly glad to be able to partake of all the food groups once again.  However, although I did miss having milk in my coffee and chickpeas in my salad, having limitations on what ingredients I could use encouraged me to widen my range and look for more creative uses of the foods I was allowed (trust me - chicken with vegetables gets old REAL fast).  And I have to admit, some of the Whole30 recipes I came across were delicious - so delicious, in fact, that I plan to keep cooking them even now that I'm done with the program.  For your consideration, here are 5 Whole30-approved meals that I'll continue to make:


1) Moroccan Mash

I've talked about this dish before.  It was definitely one of the best things we ate in that entire 30-day period.  We made it two weeks in a row, and had we discovered the recipe earlier I'm sure this dish would have made an appearance for dinner every week of this Whole30.  It's so simple, basically just meat and potatoes, but the combination of spices is wonderful.  The flavor profile of this dish really takes ingredients that could be boring and turns them into something special.  Also, I can get my boyfriend to eat sweet potatoes with this dish, which I assure you is a minor miracle.  Recipe from Stir It Up!


2) Fried Plantains with Cinnamon

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I've mentioned this recipe before as well.  While I had eaten plantain chips before, I had never cooked a plantain myself before coming across this recipe.  Let me tell you, I'm so glad I decided to try it.  These were SO GOOD.  Like, for serious.  They were also really quick and easy to make.  Kevin and I found that the riper the plantain was when we cooked it, the more we liked the end product.  Recipe and photograph from Stupid Easy Paleo.


3) Nectarine and Pistachio Salad

I've just realized that these top 3 dishes were all featured in my last WIAW post.  This makes a lot of sense; it was our last day of Whole30, so we ate all of our favorite things.  I'm a big fan of salads with fruit and nuts, so this was right up my alley.  Add in the avocado, and you've pretty much got perfection.  I think it's safe to say we're out of nectarine season by now, but pears work just as well here.  I also really liked the balsamic dressing, this might actually become my go-to homemade dressing recipe.  So good!.  Recipe from Maoomba.



4) Sweet Apple Turkey Sausages

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There's something about making my own sausage that makes me feel like a domestic goddess.  This recipe is a little more time-consuming than what I normally want to do for breakfast during the week so it's more of a Saturday morning project for me, but it's really not too bad.  The hardest part is chopping the onion and grating the apple, and even that's not really that hard.  And then when you're done, you have sausage and everyone thinks you're awesome!  Recipe and photograph from  Leaf Parade.



5) Citrus and Sage Roasted Baby Carrots

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This recipe is great for a quick and easy side dish that goes beyond your typical side of steamed carrots.  The orange peel really gives the carrots an interesting flavor, and it's so easy to just pop them in the oven while you're making something else for dinner.  Recipe and photograph from Meatified.



So, there you have 'em:  my top 5 Whole30 recipes.  Regardless of if you're Paleo/Whole30-ing or not, I really encourage everyone to try these dishes.  You won't regret it!   :-)

Whole30 Wrap-up and Water Challange

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Okay, everyone -- I am DONE with Whole30.  I don't know if I would necessarily say it changed my life, but it was interesting.  Here's what I learned from this experience, in numbered list format because I like numbered lists:


1) Whole30-ing away from home is HARD.

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Finding prepared foods that were Whole30-compliant was really difficult.  I do realize that part of the point of doing a Whole30 is to decrease your dependence on packaged foods and to eat whole, minimally processed foods instead, and while this is generally a good idea, it is not always practical.  For example, about halfway through our 30 days, Kevin's grandfather died.  Losing a family member is already stressful, and trying to stay Whole30-compliant while traveling for the funeral and burial and eating out with his family just added to that.  It was very difficult and took a lot of planning, and thinking ahead, and rearranging menu items, and making weird requests.  It wasn't impossible, but I think we would have greatly preferred to not have to think about it during that time.  We did get through it, though.  The wait staff we encountered at various restaurants were always very accommodating, and while it took some work we always managed to find something we could eat.


2) There is sugar, wheat, corn, or soy in almost EVERYTHING.

This is why it was so hard to find Whole30-compliant packaged foods at the grocery store.  If nothing else, this Whole30 taught me to be more aware of what's in the products I buy.  Soy, sugar, wheat, and corn show up in places you would never expect them.  For example, I had a can of no-bean turkey chili in my cabinet that should have been compliant.  So, imagine my surprise when I checked the label just to make sure and found that the FOURTH ingredient was texturized vegetable protein.  After doing this Whole30, while we do still buy some pre-made items from the grocery store, I think we're definitely more proactive about checking labels and trying to find the best option - like looking for barbecue sauce where the first ingredient is tomato paste rather than corn syrup.



3) Mayonnaise is really easy to make.

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Especially since I have an immersion blender.  I used this recipe from The Clothes Make The Girl, which is in the format of a very helpful video tutorial.  One note I have is that I ended up using about 1/3 of a cup less oil than the recipe called for - the mayonnaise looked right before all the oil had been added so I just stopped.  It worked beautifully the first time, which was really nice.  The mayonnaise tasted okay, although I didn't love it.  Probably because I'm used to the flavor of normal mayonnaise.  I might try making some again, and if I do maybe I'll make it flavored, like chipotle or lime.



4) So is ketchup.  

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I used this recipe from Not In Moderation, and it took like 10 seconds, and it was completely fine.  It also uses ingredients that I typically have in my house at any given time - although I only had about 4 oz of tomato paste and so decreased the recipe.  It did taste a little different than what we're used to, but it wasn't bad.  We used some to top our veggie meatloaf, and then added the rest to a batch of meatloaf burgers.....that sentence makes us sound like we eat a lot of meatloaf.  But we don't, really.  Oh, also those meatloaf burgers are not Whole30-compliant but it's okay because we ate them after we were done.


5) I didn't exactly see the results I had been expecting.

The main thing I had heard about Whole30 before we started was that the process would eventually make you feel amazingly energized, and that you would sleep like a rock.  I am sad to report that I experienced neither of these things.  I did have a couple of consecutive days of nice sleep during the 3rd week, but that didn't last all the way through the end.   The Whole30 website suggests that for some people, 30 days isn't long enough and that sometimes it can take 45 or even 60 days to feel "the magic."  However, Kevin and I had absolutely ZERO intentions of turning this into a Whole45.  30 days was plenty, thank you very much.


6) But it wasn't all bad!

I did lose about 9.5 lbs, which is not at all bad for a month (although, keep in mind that I've also been doing T25 so it probably wasn't all because of this diet).  I also noticed that the skin on my face has been clearer and less oily, which is really nice.



7) I did do some things wrong, though.

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Specifically, I ate too much fruit and not enough vegetables.  This probably helps to explain why I never really got my carb cravings under control (if anything, they got worse as the 30 days went on).  I do wish I had done better with this, but sometimes it was hard.  High-protein meals are not always feasible for people (like myself) who are always running late, and fruit is easy.


8) I also didn't drink enough water.

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So, everyone knows staying hydrated is important.  It's pretty necessary for life in general, but Steph from Stupid Easy Paleo mentions in her video tips for successful Whole30s that drinking enough is pretty important for getting through your Whole30.  I do not drink enough, though.  I know this about myself.  It is not at all uncommon for me to look up at 9pm and realize that I haven't had anything to drink all day -- even though I did a workout that morning.  I just didn't drink anything during, or after, or for the rest of the day.  My problem is that I don't feel thirsty very often, and even if I do it's usually really easy to ignore (read: I'm lazy, so if I'm thirsty but I don't feel like getting up, I just won't).  I know this is not good, though, and I'm trying to work on it.  Which brings us to....

The 30-day Water Drinking Challenge!

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You know me - I love my 30-day challenges.  I'm hoping that compelling myself to drink water in a challenge format will make me more likely to actually do it.  Most people (including this guy) suggest that we should be drinking about half of our body weight in ounces of water each day.  For me this means about 80 oz daily, or 4 20 oz bottles.  My goal is to get myself to 80 oz every day, but the jump from 0 oz to 80 oz is pretty huge.  I don't want to be peeing constantly (I actually get really irritated when I'm in the middle of something and have to stop to use the bathroom :p ), so I'm planning on starting with smaller amounts and working my way up.  Starting tomorrow (November 1st), I'm going to drink 20 oz of water every day for a week.  I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but remember, I'm starting from almost nothing - maybe not exactly 0 oz most days, but probably not more than 10 oz.  The second week of the challenge, I'll bump my intake to 40 oz, than 60 oz in the third week, and 40 oz daily for the rest of the 30 days.  This is going to be more water than I've probably ever had ever, so it will be a big change.  Wish me luck!

What I Ate Wednesday: Whole30 Edition

It's our last day of Whole30!  This, combined with the fact that it's Wednesday, seemed like a perfect reason to do a What I Ate Wednesday post.  Here we go!


Breakfast:  Homemade tomato soup

First things first - look at that placemat!  We have a dining room now, with a table in it!  One that we can sit and eat at!  No more eating on the bed!  No more food pictures with rumpled sheets in the background!  Are you excited about this?  Because you should be.  But anyway, the soup is very quick and easy to make.  I'll probably post the recipe in a couple of days.


Post-workout snack:  1/2 a can of pumpkin puree, microwaved with pumpkin pie spice and ground ginger

Those are Star Wars coasters in the background, in case anyone's curious.  They're Kevin's.

The Whole30 program recommends starchy vegetables for post-workout, rather than fruit.  In my internet travels I found an article (which I unfortunately can't seem to find again now -- I'll keep looking) that explained that while the fructose in fruit will replace the glycogen stores in your liver but not your muscles, the glucose found in vegetables like sweet potatoes and squashes do help refuel your muscles and therefore are a better option.


Snack #2:  Macadamia nuts and raisins.

Usually I prefer walnuts and raisins, but we were out of walnuts.  As predicted in my last post, I promptly fell asleep after eating this.  Oh well.



Lunch:  Leftover Moroccan Mash

Look at that artistic off-center picture....

Basically it's diced sweet potatoes cooked with ground meat and spices.  Simple but very delicious.



Dinner:  Salad with pears, avocado, and pistachios.

Based off of this recipe.  I love fruit, nuts, and avocados in salad, so it was pretty perfect.



Snack #3:  Fried plantains with cinnamon.

This is not my picture, this is Stupid Easy Paleo's picture.

We LOVE this snack.  I use this recipe from Stupid Easy Paleo, and it is, as the blog name suggests, stupid easy.  As you can likely tell from the upgraded fanciness of the picture, I didn't take it.  We ate them too quickly!


I can't believe we made it through an entire 30 days!  We're pretty proud of ourselves, let me tell you.  Tomorrow we'll start to re-introduce dairy, and we have all sorts of plans involving cheese and ice cream.  I can't wait!

Oh, right, I have a blog...

Well.  It's been like 2 and half months.  Sorry I let the blog go this long!  I just got so busy with a bunch of new stuff (also there was an issue of lost momentum to overcome).  What stuff, you ask?  Good question!  Here's what's happened since the last time I wrote:


1. I moved halfway across the country.

Like, for reals.  The timetable was extremely compacted and so, so busy.  My parents came down to Hawaii for about a week to visit/vacation/help me pack, and then on July 31 we flew home to New York.  I was home to go through and pack up everything there for exactly a week before I flew to Missouri, where Kevin met me at the airport (he had driven down with his mom).  The next day we moved into our new apartment, and a week and half later, classes started.  Speaking of...


2. I stared my PhD program in Integrative Anatomy at University of Missouri!

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So far it's been really, really great.  Right now I'm taking Gross Anatomy, Journal Club, and a few research credits with one of the professors in the department (this might not sound like a lot, but I assure you it's enough).  The anatomy class is very intense and fast-paced, but I'm getting through it.  I'm in the same class as the first-year medical students, and I find the clinical orientation of the lectures and labs to be very interesting (except for the time they showed us a YouTube video of someone getting their dislocated arm popped back into place - that was only gross and I couldn't watch).  For my research project, I'm looking at bone density in mouse femurs.  I'm not particularly interested in mice, but I'm learning how to do histology, which is cool.


3. I completely changed my hair.

Why is one lens shinier than the other?  Who knows?

Because why not, mostly.  I was getting very bored and frustrated with my hair the way it was, and I was ready for a change.  To get it done, I had to drive 2 hours to the salon, then sit for 9 hours while the braids were put in, and then drive 2 more hours home.  It was a long day.


4.  I quit Insanity.

I'm pretty sad about this, guys.  I really did mean to finish it all the way though, and not skip any workouts, but with the move it really wasn't possible.  I skipped about 2 weeks, and then started back up again.  I did make it to the fourth fit test, which actually went pretty well considering I was out of practice:

So yeah, not too bad.  I did take a break in between the power jumps and globe jumps, and I remember being completely exhausted by the end, but not too shabby all the same.  But then, school started up and I had a hard time both finding the time to do it and justifying spending an hour on Insanity when I could be using the time to study, or cook dinner, or sleep.  Eventually it got to be too much, so I just stopped.  It's okay, though, because...


5.  I started Focus T25.

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I just can't get enough of Shaun T.  That's why, when I decided Insanity was too much for me right now, I was really happy to order his newest workout system.  The beauty of Focus T25 is that it's (usually) 25 minutes a day, which is way more do-able for me at the moment (in hindsight, I guess I could have just done JCore again...but whatever.  I like Shaun T).  Even on days when I'm not really feeling it, it's easy for me to say, "Whatever, it's 25 minutes, just do it."  I do find that whether or not I eat well is very closely tied to whether or not I'm working out consistently, so I was happy to find a program that lets me work out without neglecting my schoolwork (or taking up all of my free time).  I'm in the third week (out of 10), and I like it so far.


6.  Kevin and I had our 2-year anniversary!

We somehow managed to not take any pictures together that day, so I just took this one like 5 minutes ago.  But!  2 years!  I can hardly believe it's been so long.  It's been great, though <3.


7. Kevin and I started Whole30.

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Why?  I dunno.  'Cause.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  If you don't know about Whole30 you can learn about it here, but basically it means no grains, dairy, legumes, added sugars, sulfites, MSG, carageenan, or alcohol for 30 days.  For me this is turning out to also mean no caffeine, since I can't drink coffee without milk (I tried using coconut milk instead a couple of times.  It's not good).  It's supposed to reset our digestive systems, help us control our cravings, stuff like that.  People I know who've done it have said they experienced better sleep, more energy, reduced asthma symptoms, etc.  Many of the online testimonials say that Whole30 is a life-changing experience.  Right now we're on Day 18 - so has this changed my life so far?

Meh?  No?

I feel okay.  I mean, I don't feel extra awesome, I don't think.  I feel fine.  I guess I have decent energy during the day - except if I eat too many raisins, which I've discovered will put me almost immediately to sleep for the next 2 hours.  Maybe I've started sleeping better the last couple of nights?  Although, I've had really wacky dreams the last couple of nights too....Maybe my skin is clearer?  Although, I also just bought a new kind of cleanser...so.  Who knows.  I guess we'll wait to see how we're feeling over the next 12 days.

Whole30 is definitely doing nothing for our cravings so far, though.  We want every type of junk food we see in commercials and ads.  Sometimes we'll sit and talk about all the stuff we're going to eat when we're done with our 30 days.  Currently, we're pretty focused on ice cream and grilled cheese.  And kettle corn.  But it's not even all junk food that we miss - I, personally, would love some oatmeal made with milk for breakfast (I am SO tired of eggs).  Or some dried cranberries in my salad (they're sweetened with sugar).  Or some lime juice for my water (the bottled kind has sulfites).  Eating anywhere that isn't our own house is really difficult, pretty much we need to bring our own food with us wherever we go.  I can't go to happy hour with my department on Fridays, and if I'm out of the house for longer than expected and I get hungry, I'm usually just out of luck.  So yeah, overall it's tough but going okay, we're getting through it, but we would like it to be over soon.  Luckily we timed it so that we'll be finished before Halloween - we'll try not to make ourselves sick on candy, though.


8. I took - and aced - my first anatomy test!

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I didn't get an A+.  I did get an A, though!  There was a written portion as well as a lab portion, and I did pretty awesome on both.  It was such a relief to hear that I had done well, and to know that I had been studying the right things in the right way.  Hooray!


So, that's about all of it!  With any luck I'll be back with something else to report before another 2.5 months have passed.  Happy Friday!