Tag Archives: writing

What I Ate Wednesday #46

Posted on February 22, 2012 | 7 Comments

Good morning! How’s your week going? Did you celebrate Mardi Gras?  I think the last time I did was in middle school French class! It’s also been a while since I’ve made any morning-after Lenten-type vows, except maybe that one time in 2008 I thought about giving up alcohol, but let’s never speak of that one again, k? Still, kudos to you if you’re spending the next 40 days trying out a new good habit, whether it’s for religious reasons or just because now seems like a good time. With so many huge changes in the works, I think my goal for the next 6 weeks is to not freak the f*** out, which will hopefully benefit those around me.

Wednesday totally snuck up on me this week, thanks to the long weekend. No complaints, though. Yesterday was my last Tuesday working from home in who knows how long, so I took advantage of the extra time by doing a ton of laundry, stocking up on groceries, and cleaning the hell out of my apartment. I also ran a bunch of errands I’d been putting off.

Because I felt like I was constantly moving, my meals and snacks were mostly quick, thrown-together assortments of leftovers. Sometimes I forget just how much of a workout you get cleaning and rushing around crossing things off your to-do list. So much for that active rest day. I’ll make it up later this week…

In the spirit of What I Ate Wednesday, let’s do this thing.

Breakfast: Oats with plum and chia seeds, topped with fig butter and PB2 sauce (I’ve been won over—this stuff is kinda neat) 

Lunch: Butternut black bean chili over kale; toast w/ hummus & roasted pepper

Snack: Kefir w/ berries & cereal 

Dinner: Spaghetti squash  w/ roasted broccoli & eggplant, kale, Tofurkey sausage, marinara, and parmesan 

Snack: (unpictured) glass of white wine at writers’ group; banana w/ 1 tsp-ish of Biscoff when I got home (I tell myself the potassium will counteract the onset of a wine headache, but this may or may not be true)

As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. For more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.

Did you do anything for Mardi Gras? Giving anything up for the next 40 days? 

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Marathon Fuel

Posted on January 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

After a few social weekends, I stayed close to home Saturday to get some work done. I had a few exciting projects that needed my attention, so after an early hot yoga class, I  settled in for a productive day.

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? 

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Busy-Day Lunches

Posted on January 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hello hello. Happy Tuesday. Hope you liked yesterday’s Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese recipe.  It’s already been a busy week over here—I am buzzing with all kinds of projects, and I love it that way. Do you have a typical busy-day lunch? This time of year, I love soup (I make big batches and freeze in single servings) with a side salad and toast with hummus.

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What I Ate Wednesday #26

Posted on October 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! I can’t believe the week is half-over. So far so good with this one. My work load has been a little lighter than normal, so I’ve actually had time to get things done at home and feel like a human being again.

I don’t know what it was about today, but I had the hardest time focusing on studying. There’s something about October that makes it really easy to work on poems and stories but impossible to read about macronutrients or discuss enzymes. I am totally guilty of scribbling lines of dialogue for a new piece throughout my first class today.

My Complementary & Alternative Nutrition class was really fun tonight, though. We did presentations on functional foods, and everyone brought in samples so we could all taste them. I brought in roasted cauliflower as part of my presentation on cruciferous vegetables, and there was also kefir, honey, chocolate-covered cranberries, sweet potato ginger muffins, blueberries, garlicky bruschetta and a margarine with plant sterols. Sorry I didn’t get any pictures, but I felt kind of weird about taking pictures in class.

Since I got home so late—and since we’d had appetizers in class (hah), dinner was on the smaller side. It kind of bums me out that Chris often gets home even later than I do, but weeknight solo dinners can be good too.

Breakfast: Apple spice oats with sunflower seed butter and granola

Lunch: Egg-white cottage cheese omelette, giant salad; sliced up chocolate chip zucchini muffin for dessert

Pre-Class Snack: Greek yogurt with half a peach, strawberries, flax, and granola

Dinner: Red lentil butternut squash and apple soup 

Dessert: A peach that was on its way out; dark chocolate

How was your Wednesday? What was the best thing you ate? 

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

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Low-fat dairy impacts kids’ health but maybe not weight

Posted on September 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of FYI Living

Did you get milk in school? I did, at least in elementary school. At the beginning of the year, our parents would sign us up for either red milk (whole), blue milk (low-fat) or light blue milk (skim). There was also chocolate milk. Every day on the way into the multi-purpose room, I’d grab a blue milk off the tray and go sit at whichever table my grade was assigned to.

While I don’t remember if I actually drank this milk, the endearingly curmudgeonly lunch lady, Elsie, used to walk around instructing, “Drink ya milk!” For her sake, I hope I did.

Dairy products like milk have long been considered healthy options for growing kids, but whole milk products are the main source of saturated fat in kids’ diets. Too much saturated fat has been linked to elevated cholesterol levels and other health conditions rarely seen in children until the past generation.

A piece I wrote on a study of kids and low-fat dairy products is up on FYI Living. Researchers looked into whether switching kids from full-fat to low-fat dairy products would improve their health and/or weight. Take a look and see what they found out.

In my humble opinion, both full-fat and low-fat dairy products have their place in a healthy, balanced diet so long as parents keep overall calories in mind and offer a variety of healthy options. Kids with lactose intolerance may benefit from lactose-free products and milk alternatives like soy, almond, rice or coconut milk products.

Did you get milk in school? Do you drink milk now? 

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Weekend Eats

Posted on July 10, 2011 | 2 Comments

Sometimes I feel like a big dork calling food “eats,” but titling a post “Weekend Foods” or “Edible Things I Consumed This Weekend” just seems wrong.

I’ve been a little off the radar this weekend, mostly because I’m holed up working on a writing project I’m really into. I’ve been making a point of going outside and took a nice long walk this morning while I thought and entered a few notes into my phone, but I’ve been happy as a clam standing (yes, standing) in front of my computer typing away and doing research. Weird, I know. Where is this energy when I’m trying to write  paper?!

I did manage to tear myself away to go out to dinner with Chris last night (we went to Gazala Place, a favorite), and tonight I’m going to a sparkling wine-tasting with my mom and sister (I love Groupon). For the most part, though, I’ve been making myself simple, easy meals to keep myself fueled while I write.

recycled picture, but basically the best falafel ever

Saturday I made the best veggie burger I’ve had in a while: A Dr. Praeger’s California burger with greens, tomato, roasted pepper, avocado, and sharp white cheddar.

It was totally falling apart but in the best way possible.

Breakfast this morning was something easy but new (to me)—peaches n’ cream overnight oats. Honestly, all I did differently was add a chopped peach to the mix the night before. If I really want to do it up right, I’d puree the fruit or something fancy like that, but I was still happy with it.

Of course I topped it with berries in the morning.

Foods like this remind me what a big part texture plays when I’m deciding what I feel like eating. I get bored when there’s not enough variety.

Maybe that’s why I like sparkling wine so much ; )

What have you been up to this weekend? What was the best thing you ate?

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Fish: Why baked is better than fried

Posted on July 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

photo courtesy of FYI Living

A piece I wrote for FYI Living on why women are better off choosing baked fish over fried is up. You can read the article here.

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Healthy Heart & Sole

Posted on October 17, 2010 | 1 Comment

Some of you have asked me about my “new” job, and I’m excited to tell you it’s finally official! For the past few months, I’ve been working as a contributing writer for Libby Edelman’s new site, Healthy Heart & Sole.

A community dedicated to fighting childhood obesity through education, awareness and inspiration, Healthy Heart & Sole, in partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Healthy Schools Program, features articles about healthy eating and exercise tips for the whole family. There are also places on the site for readers to ask nutrition questions (answered by Lisa Brown, RD) and share their own success stories.

In an email she sent out to fellow bloggers, Libby wrote, “I’m a designer, who’s been in the fashion industry for three decades, but first and foremost I’m a wife and mother to three wonderful children. I became obsessed with trying to spread the word about childhood obesity when I heard that one in three children (ages 2 to 19) is overweight or obese. If this current trend continues, today’s kids will be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents. As a mother, I feel a personal responsibility to do something about this, and hope to make a difference with Healthy Heart & Sole.”

Stop by for a look and please share Healthy Heart & Sole with anyone you think would be interested. Also, feel free to offer contributions and feedback. I’m always on the hunt for new things to write about, and if you’re up to something really cool in your community or just want to share a favorite recipe or yoga pose or trick for getting your three-year-old to eat kale, I want to hear about it!

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Fake Meat Article

Posted on February 4, 2010 | 1 Comment

Some of you guys who’ve been to my apartment or out to eat with Chris and I are familiar with the whole “fake meat” thing. Check out this article I wrote for RestaurantGirl.com!

Here’s a teaser:

If you’re a vegetarian, chances are dining-out is a challenge. You scan the menu for something that doesn’t involve animals or fish and those dishes tend to be few and far between. Oftentimes you’re left to decide between several side dishes and something well-intentioned like a seasonal vegetable plate or pasta that totally misses the mark. It’s unfortunate, but it’s reality. Unless of course, you head to a strictly vegetarian or raw restaurant, but those tend to be a snooze.. Which is why we eat in a lot of the time. It’s so much easier to heat up some soy chicken nuggets, cut them up to toss with a salad or even make a barbecue “riblet” sandwich (yes, you can even find vegetarian ribs), but eating out can be a different story.

To read the full article, click here.

And stay tuned for more writing-related announcements!

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5 for a Dollar

Posted on July 11, 2009 | Leave a comment
I feel a bit funny about always taking the extra banana from the fruit vendor on 9th, but I do it anyway.
My sister tells me this is how people like me get into trouble. What she may or may not realize is that I wrote the book on trouble—it’s just that nobody bought it.
I’ve actually written several books on various sorts of trouble. I’ve only showed one or two manuscripts to people, only actually shopped one around. One agent wrote back to me, “When you have a story that is not your own, get back in touch with me.”
No thank you. I had a weird moment of clarity a few months after that in which I realized that instead of using my writing to share painful stories, I could use it to spread positive ideas that could help people more directly.
Sometimes I feel a bit guilty for neglecting my fiction and essay-writing since I spend so much time and energy doing other work for my jobs and school. I do get to do a ton of writing and blogging, at least, it’s just about different subject matters.
It’s been an interesting path so far, and kind of funny to see how after a while, writing about sex is so much less interesting than writing about, oh, I don’t know—Chinese medicine, vegetarian protein sources, or weird findings and goings-on around the city.
The closest I come to writing about sex lately is when I have to write fertility-related blog posts (check here for the latest one), but somehow, I think that’s okay. I feel like in a few years (or many), I’ll look back and see that the stars were, in fact, in alignment.

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