Saturday, February 21, 2009

:: Day 49 - 2/21/09 ::

Activities: 9am gym with Mikee, 519 cal total
30 mins interval run (90s sprint, 90 s jog), 354 cal, HRa 164 HRm 180
weight training{
3x15 bendover rows R/L, 10 lbs
3x12 bicep curls, 20 lbs
3x12 hanging leg raises
3x10 chest presses, 45 lbs}
13 mins, 151 cal, HRa 150, HRm 164

p.s. Cleaning the master bathroom took me 20 mins and it burnt 131 calories.

Morning munchees: 1 apple at farmers market, pinches of mikee's bread, random sampling at whole foods

4pm: We decided at the last minute to bake a banana chocolate chip cake. I used the basic buttermilk base from Heidi Swanson and swapped out the apples for bananas. It was delicious! In the spirit of not over-eating, we gave them away to family!


Main meal @ Kabul with Family

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:: MJ Meal Plan 02/21 - 02/27 ::

Saturday
- Family dinner out at gombei -

Sunday
Millet Polenta (Mark Bittman)

Monday
Cashew Curry Recipe

Tuesday
Mushroom Barley Soup (Heidi Swanson)

Wednesday
Lazy Day Peanut Noodle Salad
Spicy Polenta Cheese Crackers

Thursday
Mikee's Favorite Mushroom Brown Rice Casserole
I'm changing up the grain/legumes in this ratio: 30% Brown Rice, 20% Barley, 20% adzuki beans, 30% white beans

Friday
Cottage Cheese Muffins
Leftover vege soup
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Friday, February 20, 2009

:: A very simple greens recipe ::

I got this recipe from the monthly whole foods flyer and thought it was simple and delicious!

2 Large bunches of greens (chard, collards, kale, mustards)
1 TB EVOO
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 TB sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Rinse greens well. Tear or cut leaves away from stems and discard stems. Coarsely chop.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Cook garlic and pepper flakes in oil briefly, then add greens, a few handfuls at a time, stirring in between.
3. Stir in vinegar and salt. Cover. Cook until just tender, 2-10 minutes, depending on type of green and personal reference.
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:: when simple math doesn't add up ::

Jen told me about the LoseIt App on the iPhone. I downloaded it to check it out. It's really not too bad, you can make your own recipes which is kinda nice for my breakfast and snack components. Unfortunately it is just too much of a pain to keep track of my dinners because I am constantly trying new recipes and don't have the patience to weigh anything.

So here's the bottom line, in order to lose 1 lb/week, here are the numbers:
Daily Calorie Budget: 1,638
Breakfast Blend: 106 cal
Daily snacks: 211 cal
Remaining dinner calorie allowance: 1,321
This is not including exercise! If I ran for 40 mins, I would be allowed yet another 400-500 calories for the main meal. That's a balance of 1,721 cal!!! I don't think I eat anything close to 1,321 calories for my main dinner meal so by these calculations, I really should have been losing 1-2/lb a week for the last 5 weeks. I think this software fails to consider the effects of plateauing. Or... something is seriously wrong with me!

More details...

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:: Day 48 - 2/20/09 ::

Activities: Headache seem to be gone. :) Today I'm going to run for 30 mins and do more weight training again. Today I'll focus on abs and legs.

Breakfast blend:
Blueberries, banana, kale, carrot, orange... Yes i'm saving the rest of the apples for tea time!


Random snacks: 1 egg, bunch-o-almonds. (Working from home is actually not a good thing for me, I tend to want to cook more instead of eating raw produce.)

Tea-time with friends:
Heidi Swanson's unfussy apple cake is making a comeback!
Had a slice of this cake and this time used 25% oats instead. Turned out wonderful and it was a hit even with the kids!

Main meal @ home
Didn't really feel like cooking so I took Mikee to my new favorite vegetarian restaurant, Merit, and i'm so boring, we ordered the same things again!
Lotus Salad, Vietnamese crepe wrapped in lettuce, Mama's Claypot

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Thursday, February 19, 2009

:: Day 47 - 2/19/09 ::

Activities: Nothing. I did wake up with a splitting headache. Argh.

Breakfast blend: The usual eh?

Random snacks for the day:
1 apple and 1/3 cucumber.

Main meal @ Derek's
Winter Gratin (Potatoes, Rutabaga, Cabbage)

Thursday Night All Vege Stir Fry

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

:: manna is live ::

Woohoo! I finally did it! I've been talking about this for ages in my church and I finally did it. Manna ministry, focused on health and nutrition ministry will be launched this Tuesday, Feb 24, in Santa clara, CA.

We will be meeting weekly to keep each other accountable and encourage each other in healthy living.

If you're local and are looking for a group like that, please e-mail me for more details at joannasim [at] gmail [dot] com.
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:: the stubborn fat cells theory - by mum ::

I was talking to my Mum yesterday. As usual, she asked if my weight changed. I told her it was holding steady at 159. She offered a theory that after significant weight loss, once needs to maintain the weight for 6 months before additional weight can be lost. She suggested that I'm going through a phase now that the fat cells are resisting the changes and wants to go back to their "old ways". So I have to keep fighting them until they "give up".

Is there any truth in this theory or is this just like the time she told me that I must eat more mushrooms to make my hair grow faster?
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:: to meat or not to meat ::

People have been surprised to hear that I've turned flexitarian (eat mostly veggies). I just want to clear the air that I have nothing against animals. I think they are cute, yummy and were created by God for a purpose (our consumption). Unfortunately, the meat that is readily available to consume have been pumped with hormones and the not-so-cute stuff. Good quality, organic, grass-fed meat IS available, just with a much heftier price tag that we can't afford on a regular basis. As a result, I've turned to eating more veggies and legumes instead. Ohmigosh, beans are soooo cheap and yummy!!! My friend, Iris, was telling me that was how they ate in Israel when they were growing up. It's nothing new, my friends!

I'm looking forward to my next piece of grass-fed beef. I think it's time for a steak next week. A really good article that sums up my thoughts exactly.
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:: Day 46 - 2/18/09 ::

Activities: Total calories burnt: 512 cal
2.5 mile run, 26 mins, 290 cal, HRa 159 HRm 179
Weights interval training{
15x3 chest press, 30 lbs
15x3 skull crushers, 30 lbs
2 min sprint, 6.5
15x3 shoulder press, 40lbs
2 min sprint, 6.5
15x3 Ab Raises
2 min sprint 6.5}
20 mins, 222 cal, HRa 155, HRm 179

Breakfast:
Usual morning blend but I used a pear instead of an apple. Not bad.

Random snacks for the day: 1 apple, 1 carrot, 1/4 cucumber, 1/3 banana, seeds, nuts


Main meal @ home:
Skipped the soup and decided to have breakfast for dinner! We had some spinach mushroom beans omelette! Delish and easy! :)

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A new look!

I decided I needed to clean up the blog a little and sat down this morning to whip up a new banner. What do you think? I like it a lot more!
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

:: Day 45 - 2/17/09 Summary ::

Activities: You know the days that you aren't feeling it? It's today. I'm going home to cook.

Breakfast Blend: The usual. And just repeating for the benefit of newcomers - 1 apple, 1/3 banana, 1 carrot, 2 stalks of chard, bunch of blueberries, ice, water. This will usually yield 2 glasses sufficient for Mikee and me.

Random snacks for the day:
1/3 banana, 1 apple, 1 carrot, slice of gouda cheese, handful of M&Ms


Main meal @ home
Couscous soup
Chipotle Beans

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Monday, February 16, 2009

:: fatty me ::

Mikee went on a photo-sending rampage last night and this one showed up in my mailbox. Eeiks. Fatty me. A very good reminder of what I've said good bye to... yes ryowa's amazing fried chicken. LOL. [this pic was taken on 5/12/08]

Oh and this is me 7 months later...

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:: Day 44 - 2/16/09 Summary ::

Activities: 4:30pm run, mission peak simulated ascent at gradient 15, 2.2 miles, 37 mins, 480 cal burnt

Breakfast:
Usual morning blend. Sigh, I really miss persimmons.

Day time snacks: 1 apple, banana, carrots, cucumber, nuts, seeds


Main meal @ home with Gary and Effie
Otsu Deconstructed


Barley and White Bean Salad - this is freakin fantastic. I'm going to make different variations of this every week.

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Sunday, February 15, 2009

:: Day 43 - 2/15/09 Summary ::

Activities: None, still full of excuses. This time it's rained out and I'm PMSing... Snuggled in bed now watching movies on hulu.

Breakfast:
Usual blend...

11am:
Cup of butternut squash apple soup at whole foods

2pm: Bunch of itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookies

Main meal @ hana ramen...
We made a quick trip out to mitsuwa last night to satisfy my long-standing sashimi craving. We made the huge mistake of deciding to eat out at the restaurant next to mitsuwa. While mikee's dumplings were decent my zajiang noodles mm... SUCKED. I've never tasted anything so bland. I'm so glad that when we got home, we had a slab of sashimi all to ourselves. Long live sashimi.

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:: Day 42 - 2/14/09 Summary ::

Activities: None, we got rained out!

Breakfast:
Usual blend...

12pm: A cup of signature hot chocolate from starbucks

Main meal @ Bruce's
Salad, roasted rosemary potatoes, golden crusted brussels sprouts, ceviche, FILLET MIGNON!!! Oh and itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookies!
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