Post-sweat-lodge yoga glow. Be glad you can't smell through the computer screen...

Breakfast: pumpkin-flax oats in a nearly-empty peanut butter jar

Fueling your brain and body for a marathon work session (especially after a workout) with balanced meals is important. Luckily, I had a lot of pre-prepped ingredients and leftovers on hand to keep me going without cutting into my time too much.

A mix of proteins, carbs and healthy fats keep you satisfied and energized, and adding fiber-rich fruits and vegetables help keep you full longer so you can stay in the zone. I don’t know about you, but nothing frustrates me like a grumbling stomach when I’m trying to work!

Spaghetti squash with tons of leftover veggies, kale, peas & parmesan—whatever works

Lazy-person's shakshouka

I did go out on Friday night to see Pina with a few friends who had been wanting to check it out. If you haven’t seen it, it’s wonderful. I’m not normally someone who gets into movies about dancing, but it’s so engaging and truly beautiful to watch. After getting a lot done today, it looks like Saturday may involve an outing after all, at least for a little while. Tomorrow’s another busy day!

What are you up to this weekend? What do you eat when you need to work for a long time? 

Image courtesy of Self

A healthy weight goes hand-in-hand with a healthy metabolism. More than just the number on the scale, the way our cells process and regulate energy impacts communication between the body and the brain.

When our metabolism is running normally, that communication is clear on how many calories we need. When it’s out of whack, however, hormones like insulin and ghrelin follow suit, and that communication becomes cloudy, leading to a sluggish metabolism and an increase in appetite. Good times.

The most recent issue of Self magazine features an article about metabolism—how it works and how to keep it fired up. As someone who’s spent a good portion of her grad school career learning formulas to calculate calorie needs and resting metabolic rate (RMR), I got a little excited to see the Mifflin St Jeor equation in the glossy pages so readers could calculate their own RMR—aka the amount of calories you burn doing “nothing.” Yes, I know that’s pretty dorky of me, but for a dietetic student, it’s basically the equivalent of seeing, like, the Starbucks on your corner on tv.

Moving on…for anyone interested in playing along at home, here’s the formula:

First, convert your weight into kilograms (divide pounds by 2.2) and your height into centimeters (multiply inches by 2.54).

For women: (10 x weight) + (6.25 x height) – (5 x age) – 161 = calories burned at rest

For men: (10 x weight) + (6.25 x height) – (5 x age) + 5 = calories burned at rest

Next, multiply the number you get by an “activity factor”:

• 1.2 for sedentary (barely any or no exercise)
• 1.375 for lightly active (easy exercise one to three days a week)
• 1.550 for moderately active (moderate exercise three to five days a week)
• 1.725 for very active (hard exercise six or seven days a week)
• 1.9 for extremely active (very hard exercise and possibly a physical job)

The result you end up with is the approximate number of calories you need to consume each day to maintain your weight.

Keep in mind, though, it’s not set in stone—there are lots of things you can do to raise that number. Looking at your workout routine is a great start. Strength training is one of the most effective ways to speed up your metabolism. Visit Self for more ideas.

What’s your favorite metabolism-boosting trick? 

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp canola or olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 large orange pepper, diced finely
• 1 jalepeno, diced
• 1 small can diced green chili peppers, drained
• 1 28-oz can tomatoes
• 2 15-oz cans (or 2 cups cooked) black beans, drained
• 3-4 cups peeled & diced butternut squash
• 3-4 cups water
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 3-4 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large stockpot.
2. Sautee garlic, onion, and pepper until soft.
3. Add rest of ingredients. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover.
4. Cook on low 2-3 hours.

Do you like chili? Have a favorite recipe? 

New restrictions (according to age group) will be placed on:

• Calories
• Sodium
• Percentage of calories per meal from saturated fat

In addition, half the grains served will have to be rich in whole grains, and while tomato paste and potatoes still count under the new rules as acceptable vegetables, the foods that contain them (such as pizza and fries) will have to comply with the restrictions on sodium, saturated fat, and calories. Some of these changes will be phased in over time, such as those related to sodium and whole grains. Other measures are to be enforced to ensure healthier meals for school children.

The changes will cost $3.2 billion as they are implemented over the next 5 years, with that cost being offset by a 6-cent-per-meal increase and other federal reimbursements.

To give you a clearer idea of exactly how new school lunches will look, here’s a sample menu comparison from the USDA. I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

What do you think of the changes to the school lunch program? 

Even though I stayed close to home most of yesterday waiting for a couch to be delivered,  I felt like I was on my feet all day. I took advantage of my housebound-ness to prep and freeze a bunch of food for the next few weeks in between work assignments, and it wore me out.  Confession: I often write standing up. I have no idea where I picked up the habit, but I’ve been doing it since I was in high school. It helps me think.

The couch did finally arrive, and I couldn’t be happier with it. My ex took the futon when he moved out (I did not agree with him that it was “a nice piece of furniture” and was happy to see it go), so even though it’s only been a few months,  it was so nice to be able to put my feet up and not have a big blank space in the middle of the apartment. Cheers to Going Out of Business sales.

Yesterday’s meals were of the quick & easy variety. Just one of those days.

Breakfast: Oats with  plum, chia seeds & peanut butter

Lunch: Kitchen-sink salad with spinach, roasted veggies, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, sunflower seeds & balsamic and a cut-up Trader Joe’s masala burger

Snack: Greek yogurt with berries and cereal (recycled picture thanks to tech problems)

Dinner: Homemade butternut black bean chili (recipe coming soon) with kale underneath, sharp cheddar on top, and a side of whole wheat cornbread

Snack: Unpictured glass of white wine at writers’ group; reheated brownie (1 box Trader Joe’s mix + 1 cup pumpkin puree = brownies you can cut into single servings and freeze for those emergency chocolate cravings) with peanut butter and blueberries

To see more WIAW posts from other bloggers, visit Jenn’s blog, Peas & Crayons.

Don't wait 'til you have diabetes, y'all. Find out your blood sugar levels.

You know your cholesterol levels, so why not your blood glucose levels too?

Type 2 diabetes was recently thrust into the public eye when Paula Deen announced she has been living with the disease for 3 years. However, something we hear about far less frequently is prediabetes.

The CDC estimates that some 79 million Americans over the age of 20 have prediabetes, which is defined as consistently elevated blood glucose levels (fasting blood glucose of 100 – 125 mg/dL or A1C of 5.7% – 6.4%) that are not quite high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of diabetes. That may not sound like such a big deal, but it can significantly up your risk of cardiovascular disease and other long-term damage in addition to  paving the way to full-blown diabetes.

The good news is that if you find out your numbers put you in the prediabetic range (many doctors say “borderline high”—ask for specific numbers), you can do something about it. Getting blood glucose levels under control is key, and many people are able to do that through a healthier diet and exercise.  Your doctor may also prescribe a drug such as Metformin to help lower blood glucose levels.

Don’t wait until you’re diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Speak with your care provider at your next appointment about your blood sugar levels and how to keep or get it into a healthy range.

You can read more about diabetes and prediabetes here.

Sometimes busy days call for super-random meals. In the name of not wasting leftovers, I threw together a bastardized version of a quesadilla for dinner, which contained egg whites, sautéed mushrooms, and sharp cheddar. I topped it with 1/3 of an avocado and added a side of kale, roasted broccoli and cauliflower. Whatever works, I guess.

I took an extended break during my day to go check out apartments,  so it’s back to work for me, at least for a little while…

A few things to click on from around the interwebs:

• “Girl Scout Cookies: How Unhealthy Are They?“
• “On Naughty List, Does Cheese Stand Alone?”
• “Walking in Place During Commercials Burns Calories”
• 12 Food Trends for 2012

What’s the most random thing you’ve thrown together in the name of not wasting food? 

Some highlights included homemade stir-fry in Brooklyn…

Don't worry mom—still not a smoker!

Leisurely breakfasts…

Birthday celebrations…

Anders: "It's my birthday weekend, and I'm gonnga gnaw on this!"

Wine tasting…

…and a little reminder, courtesy of Dove chocolate…

What did you do this weekend? 

Oats w/ chia seeds, banana, blueberries & cottage cheese

For whatever reason, there’s something extra awesome about enjoying a leisurely breakfast on a snowy morning, even if it’s a Saturday and you have the day off anyway.

Creature of habit I am, I almost always want oatmeal (usually a variation on this recipe) when it’s snowy out, but maybe for you it’s pancakes or eggs or, like, a turkey wrap—whatever.

What’s your favorite snow day breakfast? Or, if you live in a warmer place, what would it be? 

Because I’m kind of a nerd, I wanted to check these out online before adding them to my shopping list. I’m glad I did. While I’m all for whole grain cereal, and the nutrition stats and ingredient lists are not completely terrifying, sugar is still one of the first four ingredients  for most of these flavors (corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and other sweeteners are also on the list). The artificial coloring is kind of a drag too.

I’m sure I’m not the first to say it seems like there’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing thing going on, with sugary cereals basking in the “healthy glow” shoppers associate with Cheerios. Okay, that’s a little melodramatic, but you know what I mean. It’s only cereal, I know, but it still bugs me to see artificial stuff on the list.

It also annoys me that the serving sizes are 3/4 cup for some of these flavors. For someone who’s used to the 1-cup serving of the original Cheerios, that could seem skimpy. I know USDA serving sized for grains are determined by weight, but that makes for a lot of confusion and misleading labels. Can I also point out that the “serving” in this photo is much, much bigger than what you’d get in real life? And what’s with the peanut butter-covered bagel and the green apple (I’m guessing) in the background? Mood-setting? 

Pardon the mini-rant. Maybe I’m just disappointed. I really wanted these Cheerios to be different, but in a lot of ways, they’re just like a lot of other cereals out there. While a handful of Peanut Butter Cheerios in your yogurt or a little mixed into your bowl with the old-fashioned stuff is a fun way to add some variety,  it’s probably not a cereal to settle down with. Why does this feel like a metaphor?

Okay, I’m gonna go before my under-caffeinated starts thinking of inappropriate jokes.

Have you tried any of the new Cheerios flavors? Thoughts?