Although...

Although We Aren't Married......

We bought a house together, and we couldn't be happier.



Although our new house is small and in need of updates.....

We love it.


Although we paid a lot for such a tiny house.....

The neighborhood and schools make it completely worth the money.

Although the floors and cabinets in our kitchen are pretty awful.....

The marble counter-tops, tons of cabinet space, and window to the outside (which I did NOT have in the apartment) make up for it.

Although the curtains that came with our small dining room are pretty ugly....

We're able to deal with them for the time being.

Although there is a gigantic maple tree in our front yard that is going to cost us $1000 to prune and manicure......


The back yard and the giant garage are perfect. We already know where our garden will go, and I no longer have to park in a parking lot!

Although our living room needs painted, needs blinds, and new curtains (yikes)......

The hardwood floor and giant fireplace sold us right away.

Although the closet space throughout the house is pretty lousy.......

I'm lucky enough to have a boyfriend who is ok to make the laundry room into his closet (he's still working on perfecting the "look". He is a laundry fanatic, he actually loves having his closet in the laundry room!).

The largest closet is the one upstairs. I haven't even filled it yet. That's awesome.

Although the upstairs carpet is uglier than sin......

I finally have an office where I can escape and find peace. I still use the ironing board for my "stand up desk", but we plan on putting a shelf in soon.

Although I already miss the apartment gym.....

I purchased a yoga mat, 5 pound ankle weights, and an ab ball to use in addition to my weights and resistance band. We are also located right next to a park and running path!

Although my bathroom is small and needs updated eventually.....

It's my own and I can finally take baths.



Although the basement isn't really "finished".....

Nick finally has a place to himself where he can escape and find peace (this is the bathroom that is located in the laundry room. Yeah it's kind of strange to have a random shower and toilet in the laundry room, but it's a full bathroom!).



Sorry, we're still working.

Although our master bedroom is not complete (we are waiting to paint before we hang our pictures and do more decorating. We are also waiting for our bedding to come in the mail any day!)...



We do have a guest bedroom, so you're welcome any time! Yes, it also needs some updates.


Although we have about 5 years of work to put into this place, Nick and I are ready for the challenge. We bought this house knowing we would be spending a lot of money to make it perfect. We are in no rush to get it completely updated, as long as it's ready by the time we a) have kids and b) want to sell it! We are simple people and it doesn't take much to make us happy. We've moved to the best suburb in Columbus and we are so proud. Thanks for stopping by :) Come again!

Giveaway Update
Coco of Balance, Joy, and Delicias, is having a coconut flour giveaway, check it out here!

Coming Up

Today Nick and I are going to start tackling the yard (if it stops raining). I also have some work to do for work, which will mainly involve getting caught up on class preparation and dietary consultations! Tomorrow, or Tuesday, I will post about some new meals I've created, and I'll also give you a look inside our cabinets and freezer.

Have a great Sunday everyone! Thanks for reading :)

Refrigerator Food Safety. Is Your Fridge SAFE??

Today I'm going to start with a few things from yesterday's post:

1) I keep my bananas in the refrigerator because it slows down the ripening process. This has a lot to do with the humidity in your drawer. It should be set to low, because fruits ripen faster in areas of high humidity. Veggies are the opposite, as they will stay more crisp in areas of high humidity. BTW, it also helps to separate bananas! They will ripen slower if you separate them.

2) I keep my whole wheat flour in the refrigerator because, again, it will last longer in the fridge. Whole grains have the endosperm, germ, and the bran (refined grains don't contain bran and germ). The bran and germ contain oils that could possible go rancid. Your flour will last a long time outside the fridge, but it will last longer in the fridge!

3) I looked at the ingredients for the Silk Almond Milk and noticed the second ingredient is evaporated cane juice. What a BUMMER!! I will not be buying this anymore :(

How Safe is YOUR Refrigerator?!

My master's thesis focused on food safety, specifically which factors predict whether or not an RD will teach food safety (fresh vegetable food safety) to their clients and/or patients. You may find this strange, considering I have not once (that I can remember) written a post focusing on food safety. Having posted about the foods in my refrigerator yesterday, here are seven "Chilling Facts" about American's refrigerators, which were accumulated from research by Tennessee State University, Kansas State University, and RTI International.

Source: The ADATimes, a publication of The American Dietetic Association

1) Fewer than 50% of Americans know that their refrigerator should be below 40 degrees F. If it's higher than that your food is at risk of being contaminated by bacteria (and I'm not talking the good bacteria that you find in yogurt!).

2) A large majority of Americans have no idea what the current temperature of their refrigerator is. Do you have a thermometer in your refrigerator? I'll admit, I don't. I'm bad. However I do know that my refrigerator is cold enough because the food in the way back always freezes. I should still get one though. And it's not just important to get a thermometer, it's also important to check the thermometer! One of the areas I'm not sure about, despite my food freezing in the back, is the food on my door.....

3) Most refrigerators tested by researchers (76%) had an internal temperature that exceeded 40 degrees F. Ninety-one percent had door temperatures about 40 degrees F. Try not to keep foods like meat, poultry, fish, or dairy on the door. When you open the refrigerator those are the first to get warm. Same with your freezer.

4) More than half of Americans store their food in a way that makes cross-contamination an issue. According to the article and the research, it's likely that many people have spoiled food in their refrigerator right NOW! Remember, eggs can be stored up to four to five weeks beyond the carton's packing date. Leftovers should be discarded after four days. Also, don't place raw poultry or meat on the top shelf unless it is well packaged. To learn more, check out FoodSafety.gov.

5) Very few people (if at all) clean their refrigerators thoroughly. As part of my research at OSU I had to take a sponge and do swabs of people's refrigerators, under their drawers. You should have seen some of the crap I saw.....nauseating. Have you taken your drawer out lately?? A thorough cleaning includes emptying out the fridge, cleaning out the interior surfaces with a wet towel or disinfectant wipe, and taking out the bins/drawers to clean them, and clean the area underneath. I do this before I go to the grocery store, when my fridge is pretty empty. Be sure to DRY ALL SURFACES because a wet refrigerator means bacteria may thrive.

6) The produce bin is the area in the fridge that is most likely to harbor bacteria. The researchers didn't find just any bacteria either, they were pathogenic bacteria such as E. Coli and Salmonella! This doesn't surprise me after some of the stuff that I saw during my time swabbing people's refrigerators. Make sure you use your produce fairly quickly and don't allow it to spoil. If it does, clean the drawer with an antibacterial rag or spray.

7) A faulty door seal is a major problem! Check your door seal and see if there is resistance with a gentle tug. There should be some resistance. Also check for mold between the cracks (there shouldn't be mold). This is typically a problem in older refrigerators, but can be a problem even in new ones! If your door seal if faulty or the seal is losing it's grip, this could create condensation inside the fridge, causing mold and inconsistent temperatures.

Coming Up

My next post will include a new recipe and the low down on the common ingredient; soy protein isolate. Later in the week I will show you what's in our freezer and cabinets. Oh yeah, I'll also be posting about our big MOVE! BTW, does anyone have any good suggestions for a mattress? We're currently looking for a new one and we don't know where to begin.

Thanks for reading everyone. Have a great day!

Food Revolution Review, and My Tuna Salad Recipe!

This month has been crazy, and it's getting crazier each day! This week I have the 5k race I've been planning for the past several months, and then we are going straight to Cincinnati (down south) for one of Nick's friend's 30th birthday. We're going to the river boats, which are packed with crazy casinos. I probably won't do a lot of gambling, but it will still be fun to get out of town for a night. Then the following week we MOVE! I'm excited, but also very nervous. We're going to be very poor for a while. Oh well, we'll be so busy working on the house it won't even matter!
Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last week? I finished watching it on Saturday morning. It wasn't quite as interesting as the last episode, but I've still got a few things to say.

Likes

• I love how Jamie decided to go straight to a major source of entertainment and information for the community. Not the senators, but the most popular radio DJ, Rod. What a great idea. Even though Rod was completely against the idea at first (although I think that might have been an act for the show....) he got everyone on Jamie's side eventually and he helped get 1000 people involved in the revolution. Fantastic.

• I love how Jamie dressed up like a green bean (or a pea pod??) at the beginning of the show. As stupid as he looked, it's actually suggested that in order to get your children to eat more fruits and veggies you should make it fun and entertaining. Associating fruits and veggies with cartoons or other fun characters is actually a great idea. Heck, it worked for McDonald's!

• The trip to the morgue was a great way to open Rod's eyes (and America's eyes) to the seriousness of the obesity epidemic. Did you see that casket?! Goodness.
  

• Jamie was pushing the use of frozen vegetables. I loved it. Jamie is a well known and respected chef, so to see him using frozen vegetables is really fantastic. I love frozen vegetables. They are so delicious, convenient, and they are frozen at their peak freshness.
  

• That dance they did in the park. WOW!!! I wanted to be in the dance myself!! It looked like so much fun!

Dislikes

• I've only got one dislike, but it's a big one. Where are all the tips and suggestions?? This entire show has been about what is wrong with the city and what needs to be done to help people get healthier, but I have not heard any tips on cooking and eating healthier. Yeah, Jamie throws out a few suggestions here and there, but I want him to teach the TV audience too! He keeps saying, "you can cook cheap and healthy meals that don't take very long", but how?? Jamie, you need to provide more tips! I kept waiting for some fantastic information about what to buy, how to save money when shopping for ingredients, how to choose a good recipe, how to choose a lean cut of meat/poultry, but I heard nothing! Maybe this is coming up in future episodes?? I saw him use a real block of parmesan cheese, but is this something that people in this city (and other cities in America) can afford to buy? I know that sounds odd, but real parmesan cheese is expensive, and it goes bad fairly quick! He needs to throw out tips such as, "try the already shredded parmesan cheese if you wish! The taste is similar, and the price is lower, and it lasts much longer!".

Question: What were your thoughts on last week's episode?

Quick, Healthy, and Cheap Recipe #20
Tuna Fish Sandwich

Ingredients
(1 Serving)
6 ounces Albacore tuna
6 t plain Greek yogurt
2 t regular mayo
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 t pepper

Possible Modifications

• Use any kind of tuna you wish (in water please). Albacore has more omega-3, but light tuna may have less mercury. Choose your battle.

• Use regular yogurt instead of Greek

• Use light or fat free mayo

• Add more walnuts or use almonds, peanuts, or pine nuts

• Add any spices you wish

• Add avocado, celery, egg, raisins, or dried cranberries (I didn't do this because these ingredients give me stomach problems. Bummer, I know)
  

My Rating: 8 out of 10
It would have been better on a piece of bread, but since I have yet to find any bread that I can eat, the bread in the picture was just for show. I ate this on it's own.

Nutrition Facts
(These nutrition facts do not include the bread)

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will post about some foods that you may think are "healthy" but which may not be as healthy as you thought. The point is not to discourage you from eating these foods, but to make you more aware of the ingredients on food labels and how companies try to trick you into thinking their foods are superior.

Have a great day everyone! Thanks for reading.

Percentages vs. Gram Macronutrient Recommendations

Thanks so much for all of your comments on my last post. As an RD I am always prepared to have people dispute what I write on my blog. In fact, I encourage my readers to share their opinions, whether or not it coincides with my own, and I'm always more than happy to comment with my own detailed thoughts and explanations. I also encourage you all to dispute anything I say if infact you believe I am wrong. I've actually had readers teach me stuff I did not know (when I did the MyPyramid post I said 1/2 cup cooked vegetables = 1 cup uncooked. WRONG! Apparently that's not the case with the new MyPyramid.gov. Now I know!).

I received another comment from a reader named Lara, to which I would like to respond. Again, her comment is in black writing, and my responses are in red.

In my previous post I wrote that my personal trainer at Urban Active had suggested that if I want to gain more muscle I should consider a 40% protein diet. In my blog post I wrote that I didn't think this was accurate, as I would likely lose weight if I chose such a diet. Lara said:

Why would you lose weight if you ate 40% protein. That makes no sense. Weight loss is primarily about calories. Yes, this is true. When my PT at Urban Active told me that I should consume 40% of my calories from protein, I was considering my own personal diet. I am aware that I consume an average of 2000 calories per day, and about 80-110 grams of protein. This equals about 16-22% calories from protein (there are 4 calories per gram of protein). When the PT said this to me I was considering what this would do for me personally, not the general public. If I started increasing my protein intake, I would likely decrease my carbohydrate and fat intake. I would also likely eat less calories, as higher protein diets have been proven to decrease a person's appetite, and I know that is the case for me.

And as an RD you should know that percentages are meaningless. 40% of 1500 calories is a lot different than 40% of 2500 calories. It is grams of the macronutrients that are what is important. Of course I know this. I don't feel that I need to explain every single thing I say, 100%, on my blog. If I did, my posts would be a mile long. I know that 40% protein for me would be about 400 grams, which equals about 4.2 grams per kg body weight. This is simply too much for me (and really too much for anyone if you ask me....).

Macronutrient intake is very personal of course, some do better with more of this or that but the comment that 40% would make the rest of your diet be unbalanced is totally unfounded. In my personal case, this is not totally unfounded. For others, you are correct. I was discussing my own diet, not the diet of someone else. That being said, perhaps I sounded like I was making a general statement, and I apologize for the confusion. I have seen people live happy and healthy lives on a high protein diet, and I really have no problem with these diets. If your kidneys are healthy and you compensate for the possible risk of dehydration, high protein diets are perfectly safe.


Any more comments out there? Bring them on! I'm happy to answer any questions, concerns, and/or complaints you may have. And please, don't ever hesitate to share your feelings.

This weekend I finally bought a new pair of shoes, thanks to Joanna's suggestion to do so on her post "Spring for Some New Shoes". I sprung!

The green inserts are for my high arches. I was told I have high arches, which is what causes my to get shin splints and stress fractures so easily. I started using these Dr. Scholl's inserts about 4 years ago and have not had any problems since. Of course, I also don't run outside as often anymore, and I think that makes a huge difference too.

Some of you asked me if I was sore after my session with the personal trainer on Thursday. The answer is YES. I was VERY SORE. I am now convinced that I need to do more resistance training. Nothing major, but more than my typical 10-15 minutes, 3 times a week. I actually enjoy it more than cardio anyway.

Coming Up

Did everyone watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on Friday?? I finally had a chance to sit down and watch it last night, and I plan on actually doing a post about it tomorrow. Stay tuned!

If you're interested in how I would eat if I were a vegetarian athlete, check out my post on our workplace wellness blog. I've been really into tempeh lately and I think tempeh would be a major staple in my diet if I were to become a vegetarian (heck, it already is!).

Thanks for reading. And have a great day!

Mock Pesto with Brown Rice Pasta

I have a couple things I want to say. First, I updated the list of food I eat at night, on yesterday's post, so if you were one of the first 15 people to read it and you want a really candid view, check out the "night time eating" section again! I realized I wasn't completely honest, so I added more foods as I thought about it more. I do more mindless eating than I thought (I paid attention to it last night), so if you're curious, check it out.

Second, I was wrong about 1/2 cup cooked vegetables counting as 1 cup of vegetables, apparently that's not true anymore! Yikes, I need to update my MyPyramid knowledge. It is true for some veggies, mainly leafy greens. To learn more, click here. That being said, I only counted cooked veggies as 1 cup one time, so I still reached my fruit and veggie goal.

I received a lot of questions on yesterday's post. I tried to answer most of them, but some of you don't have blogs so I don't know how to contact you. Please leave your e-mail if you ask a question, thanks! If you asked about Nutritional Yeast, click the link to read more. Here are a couple of questions I received:

Q: I get really bad stomach pains occasionally from eating certain foods and have to take gas X. I don't take it consistently because I'm afraid that taking too much gas X or beano would have negative effects on me somehow. So sometimes I just suffer through the pain! I know from reading your blog that you rely on beano and (I think) Gas x for your stomach and I was wondering what your opinion was about taking these regularly!

A: This really depends on what you mean by "stomach pain". If it's gas and bloating, I say take the Gas X, if it helps. But remember, Gas X will not prevent gas and bloating, it will help relieve your gas and bloating (aka, it helps you fart!). If you want to prevent it in the first place, take Beano. I really don't think you can take too much Beano, as there is no note on the bottle as far as how many to consume in a day. It's very safe, and very effective. Rather than being afraid to eat veggies, I say take Beano whenever you can! As for the Gas X, the box says no more than 4 in a 24 hour period. If you take Beano, you shouldn't really need the Gas X, but if your stomach pain isn't from gas and bloating, you may want to see a doctor.

Q: Do you follow a general calorie allowance each day? or just follow your hunger cues? how often do you work out? do you incorporate both strength and cardio?

A: I typically consume around 1700-2400 calories a day (2400 on weekends because we eat out and I usually have drinks). I don't count calories, and I do eat by my hunger cues (intuitively!), but I have counted my calories before so I know the rough estimate of how many calories I consume. I workout 5 days a week, for 45-60 minutes each time. I do pilates and/or yoga twice a week, weights (using the band, and 8 pound weights for my arms and legs) about 3 times a week, and the elliptical or treadmill 4-5 times a week, for 30-40 minutes each time. I am also very active during the day, and rarely sit. This helps. Exercise is NOT the only thing you should do to maintain weight. If you aren't active during the day, exercise isn't going to make much of a difference. I stand all day, rather than sitting. If you can do that, I suggest it (I put my laptop on my ironing board!)

Quick, Cheap, and Healthy Recipe #13
Mock Pesto and Noodles

I love pesto sauce, who the heck doesn't?! But I don't always have the ingredients on hand. For my 2010 cookbook I wanted to come up with a recipe for pesto that uses ingredients that most people have in their home, which is really the purpose of my cookbook. With this idea I decided to try my own version of pesto, using dried basil and walnuts (or any nut). Thanks to my handy-dandy Magic Bullet, this was achievable.

I used brown rice pasta, which is both gluten and wheat free (yeah!). For anyone who is on a gluten or wheat free diet, I recommend this product as an alternative to whole wheat noodles. The nutrition facts are fairly similar, although the brown rice pasta has less protein (kind of a bummer if you are a vegetarian).

Ingredients In Mock Pesto Sauce
(makes 3 servings)

1/2 cup half and half **
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup walnuts
3 T basil
1 T parmesan cheese
1 t olive oil
1 t garlic powder **
1/2 t salt

Directions
Throw all ingredients together in a blender or Magic Bullet, and blend!


**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, be aware that the half and half and garlic powder contains FODMAPs.  You could use a garlic-infused oil instead, and omit the garlic powder, but if you're lactose intolerant the half and half may cause problems.  Look for a dairy-free half and half or take a Lactaid pill if you want to try this recipe!



Possible Modifications

• Use any type of nut, or pine nuts
• Use less milk or less half and half to make a thicker sauce
• Use any type of milk
• Add more basil
• Add other spices

Nutrition Facts
(includes the pesto sauce plus 1 cup whole grain pasta)


I served it with my turkey meatballs and a side of spinach and green beans.

I also served it (another night) with some fun green "spinach" noodles.

My Rate: 7.5 out of 10
It was good, but definitely not pesto. I may try to work with this a little more to make it thicker. It has true potential!

Coming Up

I may or may not post tomorrow, as I really need to catch up on reading all of your blogs! I am getting behind again since I will only allow myself to read 15 per day.

Thanks for reading, and have a great night/day!

Nutritional Yeast, Fish, and Prenatal Vitamins

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on my last post, regarding The Raw Food Diet. It seems as though most of you agreed with me that while the Raw Food Diet can be a healthy way of living, it's a little too extreme and unrealistic for most people (including even the most nutrition savvy individuals!).

Today has been a really bad day, as I woke up to find my car had been hit in the parking lot, with no note (of course). Right as Nick and I are trying to purchase our first home, this has to happen. Oh well, life isn't fare.

I received a question yesterday that I would like to answer.

Q: I was wondering what you think of woman who are not pregnant and not planning on becoming pregnant, taking prenatal vitamins or a prenatal vitamin.

A: I think some women do this as a way to grow their hair faster, and longer nails, right? I think I have heard of women doing this before. In reality it's not smart because prenatal vitamins will be very high in two nutrients that you do not want to get too much of; iron and folate. Some studies have linked high doses of folate (1000 mcg from supplements and food combined) with cancer. Many prenatal vitamins will provide close to that amount (for the purpose of helping the baby!). The iron in these supplements is also high (maybe up to 25 mg). This amount of iron is not healthy or necessary for a women who is not pregnant. It can cause constipation, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The upper limit (UL) for iron is 45 mg. By taking a prenatal vitamin with 25 mg of iron, you are at risk of reaching that amount, especially if you eat fortified cereals!

The Low Down on Fish

If you are interested in learning about fish, and which seafood has the highest amount of EPA and DHA, check out my blog post for out work website, here.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast was introduced to me by several of you. I had never thought to use it, as my diet is full of plenty of vitamins, minerals, and protein, but I saw it at Whole Foods the other day and wanted to give it a try, just for fun. It's deactivated yeast and is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses, then harvesting, washing, drying and packaging the yeast (Source: Wikepedia). It's flavor is said to be, "nutty, cheesy, and creamy" and it's nutritional profile is incredible; B12, riboflavin, folate, thiamin, complete protein, fiber, and potassium.

It tasted great on top of some spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce and ground turkey....

It added some flavor to my boring egg whites.....

And I also added it to some popcorn, kale chips, and last night's baked potato!

Question: If you use nutritional yeast, how do you use it?

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will post a "Nutrition Tidbit" about food and supplement labeling laws. I will also post about a new product I recently tried; Yoplait Greek yogurt!

Have a great night everyone, and thanks for reading.