Posts by goldieincalgary

LOL!  Officially guilted into posted by my friend VG :)  Don't worry I still love you guys, but life has been C-R-A-Z-Y!!!  I wish I could say that Fall is going to be calmer, but alas the wildness will continue.  And the sad part is, I like it.  I really do.  I know, I'm a weird one :)

VP, how's your tummy?  You can feel free to come on here and tell us any details of your life and I promise not to view it as too mundane/graphic/crazy etc.  If you can't vent about your life to your virtual friends without any judgement, who CAN you vent to?!  So please, give us an update on how you are feeling.

On my side of the house, I have found my new love and it's cheesemaking.  Officially the geekiest of all culinary hobbies, but there is something so delightfully nerdy and different about it that I just can't resist (despite the fact my boyfriend makes fun of me daily for being obsessed and urges me just to go to the store and buy some!).  The bocconcini actually turned out AMAZING and was ridiculously easy to make.  I think all in (including the time that I stressed about the whole thing turning out tragically) it took me an hour.  Not too shabby for home made deliciousness.  Then last weekend, I decided to try my hand at some feta cheese.  That process didn't go quite as smoothly as the bocconcini, but I am still hopeful that it will be edible.  It is currently brining for a few more days and then I will give it a taste to see if it's worth keeping.  Here's the best part though... if it turns out to be crap I only spent about five bucks buying milk and wasted a few hours of my life.  Not like screwing up a seafood dish ($$$) or something like that.  Either way, if any of you want to give the recipe a try go to www.foodiewithfamily/blog/2008/08/06/blessed- are-the-cheesemakers/ .  It you do try it, let me know how it turns out!

Good Morning :)

Before I forget, here is the link to the website where I found some amazing recipes for real vietnamese food: www.vietworldkitchen.com .   I have yet to be disappointed by anything that I have made off this site and the best part is, even though in some cases there may seem like a million ingredients, the author walks you through what those ingredients are and what brands she prefers most. in a different section of the sit.  All Fish Sauces are NOT created equal people! 

This weekend was kind of a planned implosion of health scale.  Friday night, friend came to town.  Brought tonnes of junk food with her.  Saturday night, friend's stagette.  Much alcohol consumed.  Forgot to eat so effect was much stronger than anticipated LOL.  Sunday, threw away excess junk food.  Recovered. Went out to dinner theatre with girlfriends.  Ate prime rib, white bread with butter, more booze (hey, I needed the antioxidants from the red wine!).  Got home, felt sorry for the man.  Made him a Black Forest Cake.  Had some of that too.

So all in all, a great weekend LOL. 

As far as skinny girls who think they are fat, my standard, self-amusing line is, "I know.  I was actually just thinking about how fat you are."  Best used in deadpan while you wait for them to FREAK THE HELL OUT :)  I just like to say something equally stupid when I hear girls talking about themselves that way.  You have to laugh or smile eventually or you might get jumped in a dark alley one day.  Most of them appreciate the irony of the statement... 

For me, the best part about it all is my attention span is WAY too short to obsess about my body for long....

...Ohhh! Pretty butterfly!...

...What was I saying?

Have a great week ladies :)

VP, the shopping sounds fun.  I usually don't hunt in packs (a.k.a I'm a solo shopper) but I really do enjoy shopping with my mom, so hopefully your's is equally fun. 

Hi Jemmy!  Welcome to our little group.  From what I can tell, we all just plus along trying to make more good health decision than bad one and split the difference.  Not too much diet extremism here :)  Congratulations on the surprise baby.  I'm certainly no doc, but I do know that "dieting" in the traditional sense during pregnancy is a touchy thing.  If you already have a good family doctor, you should probably consult with him or her about healthy nutrition and your concerns about your weight.  She should be able to work with you come up with an eating and exercise plan that will optimize yours and baby's health while working with you to meet your weight loss goals.  And I also know that exercise during pregnancy is a good thing, but should if you are not already active that too should be part of the discussion with your doctor as to what is a good idea for you specifically.  I know that here in Canada & the US there has been an explosion of Prenatal Yoga and Pilates classes and those are tailored specifically to the physical requirements of this particular lifestage so that might be a good place to start there.  Anyways, we're glad to have you here and hopefully we can be encouraging to you as you reach your goals!

Happy "almost" Friday :)

LOL.  Wow!  Nothing like a direct call out to get you back on the board :)  Normally my life is pretty balanced, but for some reason it has been ridiculously crazy for the past little bit.  Believe it or not, I was actually feeling a little guilty about abandoning you guys.  So now to catch up on all the things that I have been meaning to write up for a while...

Foxy, sucks that your procedure was so terrible.  I hope that everything goes smoothly for me when I FINALLY get around to trying for babies.  I would do it right now, but the man has a terrible fear of marriage and I don't want to have kids unless I'm married so we are at a bit of a logger head.  If it wasn't for kids, I don't think that I would care about getting married at all, but I guess some of those old fashioned morals just won't leave me be.  We've been together for going on 7 years now so I'm thinking it's just about time :)  We'll see.

I had stopped weighing myself for about a month.  Coincidentally, that coincided with me not going to the gym with ANY regularity for about a month.  I was still eating pretty healthy during the week, but my weekends were a DISASTER.  So as a part of the mini-challenge that we are all doing, I weighed in on Friday morning and was not thrilled to see my weight at 163 when it had been down to 158 a month earlier.  Now, in my defence it was after a particularly bad evening of eating but STILL.  Disheartening to say the least.  So now, I am back on the wagon.  I've already lost a couple of those pounds just esting better but it appears I am one of those people that will be destined to count every calorie and exercise all the time if I want the numbers on the scale to represent the changes I want to see.   The crazy part of all this is that I really kind of like the way my body looks right now and have really been insecure about it, but then again, I felt that way when I weighed more and when I weighed less.  A gift and a curse I suppose.

I guess that qualifies for my rant for the week!

Oh and as usual, I tried a new recipe... a Southwestern Quinoa Salad and it was amazing!  The man even liked it which is pretty amazing!

1 1/2 cups rinsed and drained quinoa
2 1/4 cups cold water
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Small dice the following veggies:
1/2 large cucumber
2 med tomatoes
1 bunch green onions
1 large avocado
1 jalenpeno pepper (for less heat remove pith and seed but I like it hot!!)
1 bunch cilantro
1 cup of corn kernels (canned, fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups of chickpeas

DRESSING:
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
3 tsp good olive oil
1 clove pressed garlic
1/2 tsp chipotle powder or one canned chipolte pepper in adobo sauce.

Rinse quinoa VERY well and cook as you would rice.  Cool and add in chopped veggies and toss in dressing. 

I didn't let this sit before we ate it last night, but it seemed like the flavours had melded a little more today when I had it for lunch.  I though of you VG, when I made this because it is a complete vegan meal and so good for a hot day!

Haha... My Monday morning mantra is always, "Please God let them invent a miracle drug so I can drink more beer, more cheese and more fried foods..."  Weird how similar they are if you think about it :)

So Foxy, I know it's non of my business but why are they dying your fallopian tubes?  Issues are just a precautionary thing?  The older I get (and without kids, I might add) the more paranoid I get that when/if I do decide to have kids my plumbing may not be as perfect as it used to be!  Thus the interest... Anyways, hope everything goes well and the procedure isn't uncomfortable for you.

VG, not sure if you have the time in the morning, but I have started making breakfast burritos using egg beaters (or some other egg substitute), red and green peppers, onions, mushrooms, grated zucchini (inspired by our earlier posts and a TONNE of it from the man's mom).  I chop all those up really small and saute them with either just s&p or some taco spice (you can do a huge container of this in advance to save time).  Then I roll it up with some baby spinach leaves and salsa in a flax tortilla and devour!  Then again, I am kind of adventurous at breakfasts, but it is a great way to pack in some uber-good-for-veggies at breakfast time and tastes wonderful.  Just a thought :)

It's a great idea, I think!  Except as I'm sitting here and thinking about what I am going to commit to, I am getting a little nervous...  Once you write it down you are committed and when it comes to this kind of stuff I am a bit of a commitment-phobe!  Okay, mine will be:

• try to only drink beer on the weekend and specific social occasions (not just when I am sitting around)
• exercise in some form 3-4 times a week (my newest addiction is jumping rope--so portable and hard to say that you can't find the time!)
• Bread products only once a day at least five days a week

I think those are pretty realistic for me and are tried and true methods for me to shed a few pounds.  September 1 will be the official check in, but I have a wedding at the end of August so that will be another deadline to meet!

As far as problem areas, my mine definitely from my butt to my knees.  It's so crazy how everyone has different areas where the bad food goes.  It always kills me to hear girls wishing they had a larger butt.  "I Like Big Butts" is officially my theme song now even though it was the bain of my existence in high school :)  My long standing joke whenever I'm eating something bad for me is, "Don't worry, I'll just put that in my trunk".  May as well own it since that is where it heads anyways!  My tummy is great actually, but from hips to knees I could definitely use some work!!

Good luck girls!

I say your willpower to avoid the pringles is even more amazing after consuming a mickey of Gin!!  That's about the time I start yelling for someone to order a pizza :)

Hi everyone!  Hope everyone is enjoying summer so far.  I, for one, LOVE the warmer weather.  If it weren't for my man and my job here, I would move someplace warmer in an instant :) 

I think I am officially a lentil convert.  I had actually never had them before I made that soup but now that I know they actually taste good and are a nutritional powerhouse, I think I'm in love.  Now the trick will be to convince the man that he feels the same way!  I am going to have to try them a la Turkey.  Anything with lemon on it sounds good to me.

I made a ridiculously tasty pasta last night.  A bit higher in calories because of the olive oil and pesto, but I am sure that you could adjust it as necessary.  And it's vegetarian too :)  Roasted red peppers, baby spinach, sundried tomatoes (not in oil), toasted pine nuts, feta cheese (I used light), and a few pitted calamata olives.  Then toss it all with some whole wheat fetuccini, good extra virgin olive oil and serve with a dollop of pesto on top.  Seriously, it was the best freakin' pasta I've ever eaten!  Can't take full credit for it though.  I copied a little restaurant that I went to the other night, but the sheer ease of it makes it a keeper.  Thought I would share anyways...

Sounds like you guys are doing pretty well in the eating healthy department.  I am trying to behave myself, but unlike some people that find it much easier to eat healthy in the summer, I have the urge to consume everything that spells diet distaster.  Wings, sangria, beer and ...uh...beer (LOL). And to top it all off, the Calgary Stampede starts tonight which is basically just 10 days of drinking and partying it up in Calgary.  An excellent time, but very hard on my BMI!  Oh well, send all the good karma and willpower my way so hopefully my tight cowgirl jeans will still look "good-tight" after it all over

Um... a puffy face would definitely make a haircut look less appealing LOL.  That's pretty funny.  Sorry about the sinus infection though.  Does it hurt?  I've been pretty lucky in my life with getting sick.  I had strep throat once, but other than that, nothing.  Hopefully karma isn't saving up a big pile of adult maladies for me.  It would figure!

I usually go the gym for that workout four times a week.  I used to try and go five times, but I never ever went on Friday and the promise of going on Saturday was a little hit and miss.  So instead of beating myself up over missing and not going anyways, I decided that four times was enough.  Yeah, the workouts are super intense.  My trainer even has a puking tree (seriously) but I am proud to say that I have never indulged in that particular luxury .  It's called crossfit and it's sort of a combination of everything all in one, high weights, high reps and usually for time so it slips the cardio in there too.  A lot of people are super competitive with their times, but for someone like me that is being introduced to athleticism well into my 20s, I have decided that avoiding the dreaded DNF (did not finish) beside my name on the board where he writes our times is good enough for me.  I push myself, but not to the point of throwing up!  I mean Puh-lease!!  I'm not training to be an olympic athlete!

I will ask about the band when I go in today and pass along the info.  It's super cool and makes you feel like a manimal for the first 5 or 6 reps and then I revert to weakling again almost immediately LOL.  Excellent training too though.

Oh wow you guys!  So today was the first official day that I went back to the gym and did my regular workout with my trainer.  And he KICKED MY ASS!  OMG!  I will surprise if I am able to get out of bed tomorrow morning LOL.  The workout was the following exercises for time:

Run 800 metres
30 Chinups/90 air squats
25 Chinups/75 air squats
20 Chinups/60 air squats
15 Chinups/45 air squats
Run 800 metres

WOW was it ever hard.  My time was around 38 minutes.  I'm sure I could have pushed myself a teensy bit harder but not much.  The crazy part is, some of the really fit people did it in 18 minutes!  That is just straight up ridiculous LOL.  Oh well, it was tough, but a good reminder that taking nearly a month off at the gym is not a wise idea when your trainer makes you pay for it later

VP, are you feeling better now? I can totally sympathize with being that tired!  Hopefully you made it into bed nice and early and nothing came up last minute that stood between you and some, old fashioned, revitalizing sleep!

I also went out tonight to the Asian market and "discovered" these Chinese noodles that only have 21 calories in them per 2 oz of uncooked noodles.  I am going to test them out in the next couple of days and if they are any good I will pass along the info.  Also picked up some shirataki noodles and amazingly enough, the brand that I found didn't have the usual fishy smell before adding in the flavour.  I've got them in my soup for tomorrow so we'll see about those as well.

Keep up the good work guys!!

Sorry to hear about the bad hair cut!  But I agree with Kassy, I'm sure it's not nearly as tragic as it seems.  That said, even if it is, that is why their are bobby pins and also why hair grows back!!  What kind of hair do you have?  Mine is super curly and I used to work in a hair salon so I was pretty open to letting them "play" with my hairstyles.  The single worst hair decision that I ever made was letting them convince me that if I went super short (and RED btw) that it would straighten out and just look kind of pixie-punk... Uhhh... NO!  I looked like Ronald McDonald on crack!! Just terrible LOL.  I like to think of that as a learning experience :) 

Not sure about refined sugars helping you to feel less sick, but I DO know that when you eat them they are more likely to be stored immediately as fat.  Whereas naturally occuring sugars are more likely to be used up as energy.  Also rumour has it that the fat that processed sugars become is belly fat (something I assume we are all trying to avoid like the plague!) so another reason to avoid it.  That said, everything in moderation, but I'm a big fan of splenda myself so I really don't miss it all that much in my day to day.  Over the weekend I had a big party at my place and instead of drinking beer (as previously mentioned, my kryptonite) I pre-mixed up a big batch of Tom Collins mix of fresh lime juice, a bit of water and splenda.  Much nicer than the bottled stuff you buy at the store.  Then a bit of gin and soda.  In my opinion, the perfect summer cocktail :)

Even though I like that my boyfriend enourages me to be active, sometimes I just want to punch him!  He gives me many helpful hints from the couch in a know-it-all tone from the couch LOL.  He is pretty athletic (hockey, baseball, golf...if you can call that athleticism) so I know he is just trying to be helpful.  I have to keep reminding myself of that because it can be hard not to take it personally (like I need his help at betterment).  Any one else grateful/annoyed by their men's "help"? LOL.  Could just be me....

Welcome Kassy and Chighley!

Ahh yes... The booze!  I am a beer girl myself :)  Not really sure how to help you there other than to say just cut back.  I know when I joined the gym I told my trainer I would eat whatever he told me to, but I wouldn't give up beer LOL.  Maybe I would get faster results if I did!

Looks like your weight goals are pretty similar to mine.  I have accepted the fact that I won't ever give up beer entirely, so now I just try to save some calories in the day for a brew or two.  Don't give up.  My man and I try to remind each other that we didn't put the weight on overnight so we shouldn't expect it to disappear overnight.  Now of course, everyone knows this, but it never hurts to be reminded :)

Good luck with everything!

If it makes you feel any better, I have been slacking off at the gym for nearly a month now.  I go here and there, but not consistently.  My trainer (fresh back from his vacation) actually emailed me yesterday and told me to get my **** back to the gym LOL.  Talk about accountability!

My boyfriend and I have two different philosphies on leftover treats.  I am all about having a little bit and then portioning it out and freezing the leftovers so you can just grab a little bit when the craving strikes. That, are just throwing the rest away after the first day.  My boyfriend believes the only way to make sure that he doesn't continue to eat the treat (usually black forest cake for us) is to make sure that he eats the whole thing on the first day so that he only "falls off the wagon" for one day :)  I think his philosophy is flawed but who am I to say!?

Not sure if you will find the same kind of basil in the States.  The place that I got it from has their own brand of plants called Gigantico and as far as I am aware it is exclusive to their stores which are only in Canada.  There might be something else out there like it though.  Best of luck with the search!

Actually, I just got it from the Superstore garden centre in town.  Nice and cheap too which always makes it better :)

Sad news ladies... I am with you on the wish-there-was-a-miracle-cure-for-cellulite line of thinking but alas there is not!  Diet and exercise have been shown to reduce the appearance of cellulite, but apparently at this point and time (not to say that there won't be something in the future) there are NO products on the market that will actually reduce cellulite although some may "reduce the appearance" of it by irritating the tissues around that fat cells that make up the cellulite, so it will be a temporary and expensive solution.

From what I understand cellulite happens when the network of fat cells underneath your skin grow too close to your veins and arteries, causing them to get way "over-fed" by the extra nutrition from your bloodstream.  That is why it only dimples in certain areas.  Liposuction is also not an ideal solution since this can cause fat re-growth in strange areas making you look not just dimply but full on LUMPY and DISFIGURED. 

That said, I am still holding out hope that modern medicine will save me some day.  Until then, thank God for squats, lunges and bermuda shorts :)