Not all Calories are Created Equal

I follow Eat This, Not That (they have awesome healthy eating tips daily) on Twitter and this tweet caught my eye. It's from Men's Health Magazine but its health information can apply to men and women. After reading this article, I realized I was pretty calorie clueless and am now incorporating more protein into every meal. Enjoy and let me know what you think! The Truth About Calories

Click to Enlarge; I hope my body is a Corvette...Vrooom

Thank You Stonyfield: Honored by the Great Yogurt Giant

The  awesome folks at Stonyfield recognized my "My Saving Grace: Stonyfield" post and sent me the highlight of my summer. I about peed my pants with excitement (but seriously).

I received a hand written card filled with coupons and organic appreciation. This just about confirmed my love affair with Stonyfield; and my favorite part of the note?.. they said I was "moo-rific"! That's one of the most flattering compliments I have ever received.

Bucket List

Visit Italy

Receive a "moo-rific" compliment from Stonyfield

Complete a Triathlon

Complete my Masters degree

What a great way to create long lasting consumer relationships; I'm hooked! It's refreshing to see a company that's as passionate about its supporters as it is about it's products. I am impressed and in love. Thank you Stonyfield!

  

Deena's Organic Fiber Bran Muffins Recipe

Yum! I love bran muffins especially when they're homemade, and I love getting my DV of fiber without having it taste cardboard-y. A woman I work with, Deena (who's a baking/cooking god) gave me this recipe; and if Deena makes it, you know it's good stuff. I need a fiber boost, so I'm excited to make these delicious, nutritious, health bombs.

*Warning* Do not adjust your monitor--If you didn't notice, the first ingredient is a box of raisin bran...yes, you read correctly (I double checked with Chef Deena). This recipe makes alot of muffins, so you're either going to want to freeze 'em (muffins or batter) or give 'em (unless your family is similar to that of TLC's 19 and Counting, then you're welcome to eat 'em up)! 

Lets jump on the Bran Band Wagon, yeeehaw!

Ingredients:

1 box of Raisin Bran Cereal

1 quart of Buttermilk/ or Almond Milk with 2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice

2.5 cups of White Flour

2.5 cups of Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup of Sugar

3 teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 teaspoon of Salt

4 Eggs

1 cup of Oil

Optional Yummy Add-Ins:

Nuts

Wheatgerm

Flaxseed (check)
Pumpkin seeds (double check)

Dried fruit (I'm adding dried cherries and apricots)


Before you start mixing, set the oven at 400 degrees...and get a lot of muffin tins. You'll need 'em.

That's a big bowl of cereal

I mixed all of the yummy add-ins (which turned out to be a lot of odds and ends that I found in my cupboards, but it's a fun way to personalize your muffins!) to the raisin bran then combined my wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Mix all the ingredients together and scoop into tins...the batter tastes awesome!

Finally, throw them (gently) into the oven. Deena said to let them bake about 20-25 minutes, but mine were ready in a lightning speed of 15 minutes!...So watch them carefully so they don't burn.

Yum! Look at those cherries, raisins and yumberries. I don't mean to toot my own horn (toot), but they came out really good! What a delicious way to get in your fiber dose; but being so high in fiber, I need to remind myself not to inhale a ton or I may end up in the bathroom later tonight. They're so good, you may forget they're actually good for you! Suddenly the FiberOne commercial with the creepy man comes to mind: Cardboard? No. Delicious? Yes!

If you try this recipe, let me know :) Happy eating!

   

Grounds for Grounds: Starbucks' Sustainability Initiative

While sipping on my sophisticated venti, italian roast, ice coffee with soy milk through a green straw, I was surprised at what I found at the Starbucks' entrance. At the base of the door was a tree accompanied with a basket of what looked like very large coffee bags. Initially I thought Starbucks was getting a tad carried away with its product line and loyal customers were slowly becoming borderline candidates for caffeine rehab. I was wrong, look how cool this is:

Here's a closer look:

:

My initial reactions were: (1) free, I love free!, (2) is it really free? Oh wait, it says "free", (3) I didn't know you could use coffee grounds as a fertilizer, (4) I'm definitely taking one, and (5) yay Starbucks!

This is such an innovative concept (and marketing campaign)! I love Starbucks in general, but was even more in love with this idea. Who would have put coffee grounds and gardens in the same category? Not moi, so I'm glad they did and I'm excited to try it out. Here's a blurb from the Starbucks Web site about its composting goals with Grounds for Your Garden:

"We introduced Grounds for Your Garden in 1995, which offers customers 
complimentary five-pound (2.27-kilogram) bags of used coffee grounds to enrich garden soil.  And where commercial composting is available, many stores are able to divert other food waste and  coffee grounds from the landfill as well."

I love the Go Green-ness of this idea! I reused my O'soy yogurt cup as the perfect fertilizer scooper. My garden now smells like a coffee bar and I feel more like a barista than a gardener; but what a great way to recycle and help the planet in perfect unison! Maybe if I'm lucky, the  Starbucks coffee grounds will help my produce grow venti-sized and make them as addictive as its' coffee!


*Update* Every since using the grounds, my plants have increased in size! I kid you not, I really think the coffee grounds gave my garden an espresso turbo boost! Go to Starbucks pronto and try it out! If you do, let me know about your experience :) Bravo Starbucks, bravo!

Yoga Pants with a Purpose: the Sweaty Aftermath

I've just returned from hot yoga (still sweaty) and lived to tell the tale; and guess what the first thing was I ate when I got home? Hot soup. Is that weird? I guess the hotness ran its course or I'm some sort of heat freak, but my thoughts about the heated session?...It is a tough work out! I salute the people who complete a yoga session with complete poise and balance, you need a good deal of mental and physical strength and concentration. My arms are pooped out; but, I do feel completely relaxed and at ease in my own skin. Mission accomplished. Before the class, I wanted to know how many calories are typically burned during a session of Bikram yoga. I figured the most exertion would be the heat, but I was surprised at what I found. One site said I would burn around 600-700 calories! Is this possible? Well I looked up a nifty, little yoga calculator (who would have thought) and the results were similar! Try it below!  Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the calories you burned doing Yoga:
Type:	Intense Yoga (Ashtanga/Vinyasa/Power/Classical Hatha)Bikram Yoga
Weight:		PoundsKilograms
Time:		HoursMinutes

The yoga room smelled like incense and the lighting was dimmed. If the floor wasn't covered in yoga mats, I would have thought I was getting a massage (and I would have been okay with that). My initial reaction about the heat was Oh, it's not that bad. Actually, it's kinda nice. My friend looked at me Oh, just wait. 


We began with some basic stretching and breathing. Everything was hunky dory until the repetition of downward dog (which my instructor was extremely found of; my hamstrings? Not so much). We would jump into a plank, go into a cobra stretch, into downward dog, and repeat x5. Planks, in general, aren't an easy task, so they're even more difficult when you're slipping and sliding in sauna-like heat. But I liked that everyone was at all levels and went at their own pace, so there was no pressure to keep up with instructor or the prized yoga students in the front of the room.

After the first 30 minutes, I took back what I said about the heat. I was wiping constantly wiping sweat off my face and trying not to slip out of poses. The heat itself didn't bother me, it was more of the sweat that was tricky. Plus I thought some of the poses were difficult. The instructor keep harping on our breathing, but it's hard to focus on your breath when trying to accomplish warrior stance, damnit! I think I would be a better breather with practice and becoming more comfortable with the poses. And I was right, I was a pro at Pose 13 (see below, it was called the corpse pose....it's a gift I suppose).

My favorite part was the last 5 minutes of relaxation. At this point, your body is jelly. You just lay down, close your eyes, and clear your mind. It was like adult nap time. I was so relaxed and at ease with my body. And besides being physically tired, I felt darn good.

I liked the Bikram yoga, but am not yet in love with it. I know each instructor is different, so I am going to give it another shot. It was a nice mix up from my regular work out routine (treadmills can get so boring), and I accomplished ultimate sweat levels that confirmed a successful work out. I recommend it to anyone, even men! You don't have to have good balance or be ultra flexible. Yoga is all about going at your own pace and setting personal goals. It works not only your outer limps but your soul as well. I hope to get hooked and keep nourishing myself in ways that only yoga can achieve.