Bloom where you're planted

For all the tilling, watering, feeding, and fussing we do on the garden, let me show you where one of my best squash plants is growing:

Right behind my composter! Not planted, not watered, not even noticed until it got about a foot tall. Who wants to bet it's going to be my best producer of the summer?

Thanks to some good rain and mild temperatures, my garden has taken off this month.

I suspect we may be in a squash "situation" in a few weeks. So for any of my neighbor readers, don't worry if a basket of zucchini mysteriously appears on your doorstep.

I harvested all the onions, which were not very big, but plentiful.

Have you ever pulled potatoes out of the ground? It's good, nerdy gardener fun. You know there's something in there, but how big will it be? Just like opening a present!

Untitled from Susan Hobbs on Vimeo.

Video note: I took those ladybugs over to my tomato plants so they could get some aphid-eating business done over there.

I can't wait until our tomatoes are big enough to include in a fresh basil and tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette and feta cheese. Delicious.

These are the cherry tomatoes. The two Celebrity tomato plants are doing great, too.

*********

This weekend Zach and I tackled the 12-mile mountain bike trail at Cedar Hill State Park. It was another great ride, and I'm pleased to say that I get a little better with each ride. "Better" means fewer dead stops at the giant roots on the path, better navigation on the switchbacks, and stronger/faster turns through the plains sections.

There is one section on the trail called "Poison Ivy Ally," and as I glanced at the sign I thought, "Sheesh. Don't fall down here!" What's that called...self-fulfilling prophecy or subliminal suggestion or something? Whatever it's called, not two minutes later I was bailing off my bike head first with my hands out like Superman into a giant patch of greenery. I hopped up like that stuff was on fire and continued along, wondering when the itching would start. Luckily, it never did. 

I was nervous about the 12-mile distance, but we finished in about an hour and 45 minutes with no problem. I even thought my legs were in pretty good shape after the ride...until I got off the bike and had to navigate over a rock protruding two-and-a-half inches off the ground and my knees buckled as I tripped over it. 

It was great fun, and we're hoping to hit a new trail up north of us in a few weeks.

**********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Fat Burning Abs (we're off our normal RevAbs schedule due to the bike ride.)

Sounds fair to me

Since car insurance premiums are determined by how safe of a driver you are, shouldn't health insurance premiums be determined by how healthy a person you are?

If looking good and feeling good is not enough of a motivator to get you to take care of yourself, perhaps hefty insurance premiums would do it? It sounds fair to me that people who smoke cigarettes, eat and drink to excess, and otherwise exhibit unhealthy behaviors on a consistent basis ought to bear the burden of medical costs that will inevitably result from the lifestyle.

Plenty of car insurance companies have "Safe Driver" discounts -- how about "Healthy Living" discounts? Think about it -- this is probably even more fair that what the car insurance companies have going. It's not your fault if somebody plows through an intersection and T-bones your car. But nobody is going to run a red light and shove a T-bone steak down your throat.

It places the responsibility exactly where it ought to be: squarely on you.

**********

It's Memorial Day weekend, and for our family that means the first pool party of the year over at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Now, I highly doubt that I'll make an appearance in the pool this weekend because the pool has about 13 degrees to go before it reaches its "Susan-approved" 93-degree temperature. That won't stop me from enjoying a nice time next to the pool, though.

It's been requested that I make my (and by "my", I mean my brother's) potato salad recipe. It's a good old version chalk full of potatoes, eggs, pickles, and ONE CUP OF MAYONNAISE. One Cup. Did you know that there are 10 grams of fat in one tablespoon of mayonnaise? And did you also know that there are 16 tablespoons in one cup? I'm not good at math, so let me get my calculator out, just to be sure. Because surely that doesn't mean that there are 160 grams of fat in one bowl of potato salad. Yup, that's 160 grams of fat.

Yikes.

Here's what I'm going to do instead.

Red Potato Salad With Dill and Mustard Dressing

6 red potatoes

1 TB Dijon mustard

1 1/2 TB chopped fresh dill

2 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

Cut potatoes into 1 1/4-inch chunks. Steam or boil the potatoes until tender. Remove from heat and cool. 

For the dill and mustard dressing, mix the mustard, dill, brown sugar, and vinegar together in a cup. Whisk the oil with a fork until combined. Toss through the warm potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

There. A bunch of calories saved, and you still get a delicious potato salad. In all honesty, the calories I saved will probably be spent on homemade ice cream, but that's neither here nor there. Have a great weekend, everybody!

***********

Workout of the Day

Rev Abs: Fat Burning Abs

Man Down!

Or I should say, "THE" Man Down!

Earlier this week Tony Horton was the guest for the Team Beachbody National Coach Call, and he discussed a recent injury he sustained while doing "iron cross flys on rings with my feet on a stability ball." The move made his right bicep muscle tear away from the bone, and it required surgery a few days later. That makes the sore hip I've been nursing for awhile sound a bit namby-pamby...Anyway, he said he's recovering well, and that he should be back up to speed soon.

You'd think an injury like that would put a 52-year-old guy like Tony on the sideline for a bit, right? Nope. Tony's philosophy is: "if the top's broken, work the bottom. If the bottom's broken, work the top. If the top and bottom are broken, work the core." Tony is working on his cardio, legs, and core -- things he admits are not his bread and butter -- while his arm coalesces.

I think there are two lessons hidden in Tony's example: one physical, and one mental.

The physical lesson is that if you need to take some time off while a body part recovers, that doesn't mean you sit on the couch and eat Pop Tarts all day. Find something you can do, rather than lose all of the progress you've made.

The mental lesson is to look at an injury as an opportunity, not as a reason to get depressed and quit. It's natural to focus our workouts around what we "like" and what we're "good at." When that is taken away by injury and you can't do it anymore, what do you do? (Ahem...Yoga, anyone?)

Tony has a refreshingly opposite view of things at which he's not very good. He sees it as an opportunity to get better. In the One on One workouts, Tony often says "Don't be attached to the outcome." That means don't get bent out of shape if things don't go the way you envisioned them. If you're doing your best and giving your all, that's all you can ask of yourself. That's a good lesson for fitness and life.

Beachbody has graciously provided a link to the National Coach Call featuring Tony Horton. If you want to check it out, click here.

**********

Workout of the Day

We took the day off from RevAbs to try the new One on One Volume 3: P.A.P. workout. Oh my goodness, this was a rocker. I think it's going to become a favorite!

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week: Crispy Tofu

When you're looking for a new way to fix tofu for dinner, which cook book do you turn to? Soybeans Today, perhaps? Or maybe Coagulated Bean Curd and You? Nope...I found my new favorite way to fix tofu in the good old Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Who knew, right? I never would have thought the old red-and-white checkers would have a vegetarian streak in her. But I was flipping through the "Beans, Rice, & Grains" section when I spotted a recipe for Crispy Tofu and Vegetables. It's super easy to fix, and delicious to boot. 

This recipe includes directions on how to cook the vegetables along with the tofu, but I only follow the instructions on the crispy tofu part -- I just buy a bag of stir fry vegetables, cook them and put them over brown rice along with the crispy tofu. Here's the recipe:

Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

If you're scared of tofu (as I was for a long, long time), don't be. Buy a package of firm tofu, cut a slit in the top of the package, and drain out the water. Then open the package, take out the tofu and cut eight half-inch slices. Then marinate the slices in either soy or teriyaki sauce for about 15 minutes. Put a pile of corn meal and a few dashes of seasoned salt on a plate (the recipe doesn't call for the salt, but I highly recommend it), take the tofu out of its marinade and cover it in the cornmeal. Then cook it in a pan until it's light brown. 

You could adjust the corn meal "batter" for whatever flavors you like -- add some garlic salt, some paprika...anything that floats your boat! The tofu slices are great leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Drew likes the crispy tofu slices, too -- I think it reminds him of chicken nuggets. Try it this week! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

********

In other cooking news, I have a question: are you still using spaghetti sauce from a jar? If so, please put down the Prego and run from the Ragu.

For the sake of your own, and your family's, enjoyment in spaghetti, invest 30 minutes of your time in making your own very simple sauce with this Better Homes and Gardens recipe for tomato basil sauce. I made it last night with fresh basil from my herb garden, and it was fantastic. If you have this cook book (and I'm betting you do), flip a few pages back to the recipe for meatballs and make those, too. Don't forget the wheat noodles! Yum.

(Aside: I would make a terrible food writer. My food adjectives range from "great!" to "fantastic!" to "really good!" to "wow! yummy!" I'm aware of the problem and will consult with Roget prior to my next recipe post.) Here's the recipe:

Tomato Basil Sauce

In a medium saucepan cook 3/4 cup finely chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic, minced, in small amount of olive oil until onion is tender. 

Stir in two 14-ounce cans of diced Italian tomatoes, one can tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar,  1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. 

Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. (Add water if sauce is too thick.) 

Stir in 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed. Cook about 5 minutes more or until of desired consistency.

*********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Power Intervals 2

In Good Company

It's been said that you are the average of the five people you hang around the most. If that statement is true, then the people I want to hang out with are Team Beachbody Coaches.

I have been a coach for eight months now, and on any given week I come into contact with dozens of other coaches; some through business accountability groups, some on Facebook or blogs, and this week I met or spoke with five coaches personally.


These are some of the most dedicated, motivated, positive, success-oriented people I have ever seen. They work hard, encourage others, and are constantly working toward being better people, mentally and physically.

Even though we are all in the same business -- and essentially could see each other as competitors -- there is a high level of cooperation and transparency. I think that is because most of us understand that this company's goal of ending the trend of obesity will be difficult enough to surmount without being territorial. There are more than enough people who need our help.

In our daily lives we are surrounded by people who are negative, pessimistic, delusional, lazy, and entitled. Constant interaction with those people is bound to bring you down, especially if your five best friends exhibit those traits.

For me, Team Beachbody has been an antidote to all that; a breath of fresh air that has caused me to take stock of what it means to be successful in life, in relationships, and in business. Even if my business never makes a bunch of money, I will have reaped the intangible benefits that come with rubbing shoulders with great people.

*********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Rev It Up

Tough Love From Tony

Tony Horton is a master motivator and a fitness genius. He also knows how to throw the smack down occasionally. Here is a post from his May 17, 2011 blog that is practically dripping with contempt for people who choose not to take responsibility for poor eating and exercise habits. It's harsh, but eye-opening.

*********

Closet Garbage Eater

You know who you are. You’ve got all the answers and you're lousy at taking sound advice because it’s easier to be lazy. The tilt-a-whirl of disappointment goes round and round and you pretend everything is okay. You’re not fooling anyone and everyone else knows what you’re up to. It’s easy to lack self discipline because you’re not alone. Misery loves company.

I’m sick and tired of hearing why you can’t stop eating crap. Stop blaming your thyroid, boyfriend, childhood and ancestry because it’s not working. The problem is your inability to face reality. The real issues are your lack of accountability, willpower, determination and the lousy company you keep. It’s also your lame plan or lack thereof. Your reasons why suck and you don’t tell the truth about what you stuff in your face when no one is looking.

Your horrendous eating habits is the American terrorist within. If the level of disease caused by unhealthy choices continues at this alarming rate then we will destroy ourselves without any help from the bad guys. Fad diets, pills and miracle potions used to lose weight never work in the long term and they never will. Dozens of studies show that calorie control diets that still allow you to eat forms of unhealthy food always fail. I’ve never met anyone who started a “weight loss only” diet and stayed on it. So you lost 50 pounds and kept it off for 5 years. Why did you gain it all back in 6 months during year six? Are you proud of that?

When diet deprivation becomes too much the closet eating begins. Your reasons for falling off the wagon are plenty and you’ll defend them till you’re blue in the face. Good for you for choosing the option that required you to be lazy again. Choosing gluttony is no way to build your manifesto my friend. What is your reason for being on this earth? Why do you really put that garbage in your mouth? Do you want to know why? Do you want to look at it closely? Do you care enough?

The simple answer is choice. I hope you weren’t expecting something more complicated. How do you choose what to be? How will you work to be better than before? Who will you surround yourself with? How long will your better choices last? Will you continue to be the closet garbage eater or will you finally get your act together, stop making it about you all the time and begin to be an example to the people in your life who need your help?

**********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Strength and Endurance and Merciless Abs

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week: Read the Label!

If there is one area where we could all stand to be a little more proficient, it's label reading. Every prepared food has one, and looking at the label is definitely worth it -- as long as you know what you're looking for. 

Here are my three favorite label-reading tips:

1. Remember the words "whole wheat"! When you're looking for wheat products, the ingredient list MUST start with "whole wheat." If you see the words enriched or bleached, they're pulling your chain with a bit of caramel coloring.
2. 4 grams of sugar is roughly equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. For me, it's easier to picture teaspoons instead of grams, and that, in turn, makes it easier for me to turn my nose up at a soda with 11 teaspoons of sugar.
3. Look at portion size! Label makers will try to trick you with this one all the time. Someone sent Zach home with a tub of Popcorn Factory popcorn the other day. You know, the one with butter, cheese, and caramel flavors in it? In looking at the label, the nutritional info lined up more or less the same for all three flavors...until you looked at the portions. The portion size for the butter and cheese-flavored popcorn was 2 cups. The caramel flavor? 2/3 cup. Don't let 'em fool you.

If all this label reading makes your head spin, there is a simple way to avoid it: only buy foods that don't come with labels. That most likely means you're in the produce section, and you're better off there anyway!

Below I've pasted an article from Beachbody's fitness guru and all-around cool guy Steve Edwards. It gives you five quick tips to follow when you're studying a label.

***********

Nutrition 911, Part V: 5 Quick Steps to Mastering Food Labels

By Steve Edwards

Today's lesson: How to judge a food in 15 seconds or less!

You should learn how to read a label in depth because, sometimes, that's the only way to tell what you're really eating.

When in a rush, however, you can still benefit greatly from a cursory glance at a label. I can't tell you how many times I've decided to "just make sure" an item was as healthy as it appeared, only to find out it had an appalling amount of something I had no interest in eating. Here is my quickie checklist. These five steps will barely take enough time to slow the movement of the product from the shelf to your cart and will more than make up for it by extending your life on the back end.

1. Trans and saturated fats. In the U.S., all packaged foods come with a nutrition facts label. The first place my eyes go is to the fat content. I draw my personal line in the sand at trans fat. We don't need it, and there is always another food option without it. Trans fat is man-made fat that comes from dubious preparation processes. If an item has any, it goes back on the shelf. Next, I look at saturated fat. We don't need much of it, and if we eat meat or dairy products, then we have probably met our requirements without it needing to be in our other foods. Next to the number of grams, you'll see the percentage of your daily requirement that the food contains, eliminating the need for math. If that number is high, be wary. Of course, you must evaluate what you're buying. Olive oil, for example, is a fat, so it's going to have a high number. However, you don't use much. Potato chips, on the other hand, would have a lower number, but you might eat the entire bag, so you should consider that. But that's obvious stuff, right?
2. Sugar. The grams of sugar are listed right below "carbohydrates," near the top of the label. Get instantly suspicious if this number is high. Sports foods are supposed to have sugar because you want to quickly replace blood glycogen lost during exercise. All other foods don't need it. If you're buying a dessert item, you'll expect a high ratio of sugar, but for anything else, you're probably getting a cheap product that's poorly produced. Remember that many "low-fat" foods have a lot of sugar—it's not technically fat. It just makes you fat.
3. Sodium. Prepared foods are usually laden with sodium, and you'll find the amount in plain sight high on the label. Oftentimes, you can find an "organic, nonfat, low-carb," purely healthy sounding food item that has over 1,000 milligrams of sodium, which is around half of your "recommended daily allowance" (RDA). What you're generally looking for from these three "s" ingredients (saturated fat, sugar, and sodium) is a low number, and it only takes a few seconds to figure it out.
4. Fat, protein, and carbs ratio. Here's your first math test, but it's a simple one. When choosing a food, you probably already know a few things about it. If it's butter, you'll expect all fat; candy will be high in sugar; and things that sit on a shelf may have a lot of sodium. For meals, however, you'll want to take a quick notation of the amount of fat, protein, and carbs. If you're on a strict diet, this ratio is very important, but if you're not, you just want some balance. A nice round number is 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. You can then assume that your prepared "meals" would be better if they reflect a similar balance. Proteins and carbs have 4 calories per gram, and fats have 9. So you want the number of fat grams to be less than the other two. A quick method is to use a 1:2:3 ratio, with fat being 1, protein 2, and carbs 3. Let's visualize for a sec. Pick up a pack of frozen low-fat chicken burritos, flip it over, and eye the nutrition facts:
   • Total Fat: 2 g
     • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
     • Trans Fat: 0 g
   • Sodium: 500 mg
   • Total Carbohydrates: 20 g
     • Sugars: (Look under "Carbohydrates" and see nothing. This means there is no sugar.)
   • Protein: 12 g
   Now let's analyze. Since we're shopping for a meal that's low in fat, it's probably because we know that we get enough fat somewhere else in the day. Most of us have no problem getting fat in our diets, so this would be normal. A quick glance at the fat and sugar contents leads to a big thumbs up. Notice that I've skipped looking at calories. That's because it's calories per serving. We may not know what a serving is, and remember, we want to do as little math as possible. We can just assume we'll eat in servings, so that's what we're analyzing. You will want to check what a serving is later, but for now, we're trying to buy healthy foods and not determine how much of them to eat. Next is sodium, which we expect to be a bit high because it's a prepackaged food. As one of five meals in a day, 500 milligrams is 20 percent of the RDA (they do the math for you), which is fine. Finally, the burrito doesn't follow the 1:2:3 scale, but we were already expecting this to be off because it's "low fat." The protein-to-carbs ratio of 12 to 20 seems pretty close to 2 to 3, so check it off. How close is "close"? There is no rule, but if the numbers were, say, 10 and 60, we might look for something else, unless this was to be served with a pure protein dish. Total time investment, so far: about 10 seconds.
5. Length of ingredients list. Now just take a quick glance at where it says Ingredients. If it's under about 10 items, I won't even look at it. If it's so long that I don't want to spend the time reading it, I put the item back because I know this will mean a long list of things I can't pronounce, and I don't want to eat things I can't say. If it's somewhere in the middle, I may take a closer look and exceed my 15 seconds, but, in general, I keep this act simple. There are a few "evil offender" ingredients that people tend to look for, but we've covered them. By checking off the trans fat, sugar, and sodium listed above, we're assured there won't be any MSG, high fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils in this section.

By adding a mere 15 seconds per item, you may not have the perfect diet, but you can certainly make sure it's not terrible. This is not an exact science, but your diet doesn't have to be, either. Eat better and get more exercise. Beyond this, we're nitpicking. Sure, we're talking CliffsNotes fitness only. Unfortunately, that's often all we have time for. Fortunately, it's more than half the battle.

************

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Power Intervals 2

I'm so proud of my RevAbs group! They stuck with it through Phase 1, and now we're moving on to Phase 2. So far the exercises are tougher, the weight heavier, and the workouts a few minutes longer (but still under 45 minutes). I definitely think they'll be ready for swimsuit season.

The Vegetable of My Labor

Here it is! The first vegetable harvested from the 2011 garden.

The potato plants have gotten so big, and I was dying to know if there were any potatoes under there. There are! Sunday night I’m fixing Deceptively Delicious meatloaf, and while I was at the store I thought for a second that I was going to buy some new potatoes to fix with it. Nope! I’m heading out to the garden to pick our dinner that night.

On a separate and completely random note, have you ever noticed that the bottom part of celery, when chopped off, looks like a lovely flower? Here it is arranged on the chopped veggies for the week.

I felt artsy for approximately 2.3 seconds. Then I snatched that flower out of the bowl and it went to the compost pile with the rest of the scraps.

********

Does anybody watch Parks and Recreation on NBC? It’s so great. That show is funny enough with Tom Haverford and Ron Swanson; throw in Chris Traeger, the supervisor/health nut, and it’s downright hilarious. Here are his greatest hits. Literally.

I like to tease Zach that he is Chris Treager. Especially when it comes to resting heart rates and jogging to digest hamburgers. If anyone would like to join him, he’ll be jogging backwards, up the big hill next to the Walmart. 

Have a great weekend, everybody!

*********

Workout of the Day

We took a day off RevAbs to do some leg work. Bun Shaper from Tony Horton's One on One series. My favorite of all the leg workouts!

Is Too Much Muscle on a Girl a Bad Thing?

Alternate title: Do I need an intervention? 

*********

Ever since I found our photos from The Survival Race on Facebook, I've been in a funk. Well, not a funk, but a bit freaked out. Freaked out because...good gosh, I've got muscled up arms. Why that was a shock to me, I don't know. I do live with them every day and see them in the mirror. But something about seeing them in pictures brought it to a higher plane of consciousness, or something.

I was back and forth as to whether to even post those photos, and have to admit that there was one I withheld because...I thought it looked too crazy.

The day I found all the pictures Zach had a late meeting, and by the time he got home I had worked myself into a serious tizzy.

"I'm quitting the 50 pull ups challenge, and I don't need to be doing as much arms," I told him. "I think I'm starting to look a little freaky."

He told me he thought that I was overreacting a bit, but that if I wanted to change things up that was fine -- I need to get what I want out of the workouts.

I lay in bed fretting about how much to dial it down, and wondering if I even know how to dial it down. I've been working out with Zach for a long time now, and we are competitive about it. If I do 30 push ups, he does 32 -- we push each other. Plus, I want to be able to do P90X2 when it comes out later this year. If I lay off the arms, will I still be strong enough to do it? And what about all those girls who I've told, "Oh, don't worry, you're not going to bulk up with P90X!" I look like a pretty big liar, now, right?

A day or two went by and I calmed down a little. First of all, my arms have always been more muscular than my legs. Being more strict on my diet means that there isn't much fat on my arms to cover the muscle. (Less fat on my legs, too -- I was surprised a few months ago to spot an actual leg muscle! And I wasn't just imagining it...Zach confirmed its presence.)

And second of all, do I think I look freaky, or am I concerned that other people will think I look freaky? I've worked hard to get these arms. I put in the time and effort, and this the result. Caring what other people think is just asking for trouble, right?

On the flip side, though, I'm not currently competing in any She-ra strength competitions. Do I really need to be able to do 50 pull ups? Or even 20?

All this upheaval boils down to one question: 


Is it unfeminine to have muscle-y arms?

I remember that TIME Magazine a few years back with swimmer Dara Torres on the cover. She was 41 when she competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and looked like she could rip someone in two. I remember people freaking out about that photo.

I'm not sure if the fuss was due to her muscles, or the fact that a 41-year-old female had those muscles. Maybe it was both. When I saw that photo I thought, "Wow. Good for her."

Time for you to weigh in:

What do you think about strong girls with muscled-up arms?


As for me, I'm still figuring out what to do, arms-wise. I have taken a few days off from the pull up challenge, and am thinking about taking the summer to concentrate on my legs. Maybe I can mentor that leg muscle I spotted and see if I can grow it a bit.

And since I've already acknowledged my self-consciousness, I guess it won't hurt to post that last picture from the race that I withheld last week. Let me know if you need some assistance with that road rage altercation.

*********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Power Intervals

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week: The Financial Edition

My daughter's third birthday is coming up this week, so for a special treat this weekend we took the kids out to breakfast and a movie.

My kids looo-ooove pancakes. Like, love them. Drew can put down four or five adult-size pancakes with no problem, and Kate is right behind him at about three big pancakes. So, the natural choice for breakfast was the celebrated home of grease and carbs, IHOP.

The kids had never been to IHOP, but even I have to admit those are some fine pancakes, so I knew they'd enjoy themselves. Much like when we went to Chili's a few months back (probably the last time we went out to eat), Zach and I scoured the nutritional info before our trip. IHOP has a "Simple & Fit" menu that offers low(er)-calorie items, and we both selected veggie omelettes with egg whites. Well, that was the plan, anyway. When he ordered, Zach neglected to specifically say "Simple & Fit," so his egg white omelette was considerably bigger than mine and came with a side of three pancakes instead of a bowl of fruit. Not a problem, though; I helped him polish off those pancakes.

Where is the nutrition tip, you're probably wondering. Well, there isn't one. There was not much nutritional about that breakfast. There was  a lot of syrup, a lot of white flour, and a lot of overeating.

The tip for this week comes from what came after the meal: the bill. Zach and I both had omelettes -- from the looks of them about four to six egg whites each, Drew had five pancakes, Kate had three. We all drank water. (My favorite comment during the meal came from Drew when the water was set in front of him: "Is water all they have here?" We answered that water was all we were going to have here.) The bill was $31.86.

$31.86!

I could have fixed that meal at home for $5 or less. And I would have splurged and given the kids orange juice. If healthy eating isn't important to you, that's fine. But think about the money that you save when you eat at home! Cooking your own food is economical and more healthy. I know many families who rely on restaurant food several times a week. If you can cut that out just a few times a month, you'll save hundreds of dollars and thousands of calories. Seems like a simple (and fit) choice to me.

*********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Fire Up Your Abs

This is the final week of Phase I of the RevAbs Challenge! I can definitely tell a difference in my core strength.  Not only can I do more sit ups, but when I did some pull ups this morning I was able to do an "L" pull up for the first time ever. (An "L" pull up is when you hold your legs out in front of you so that your body is in an "L" position.)

Survival Race Photos

I finally cracked the code on downloading Facebook photos (here's a clue, look on the bottom left where it says: Download), so  here are some photos that feature Zach and me mid-race. Enjoy my fuzzy hair and doughnut socks!

  

Surviving The Survival Race

Last Saturday Zach and I ran in The Survival Race 5K that was held on a paintball course about 5 miles from our home. It was fun...and muddy.

I don't have pictures of ourselves because we knew we'd be running through mud and water, and so we left our picture taking devices at home. But there are plenty of pictures on Facebook of random people doing the race, so here is the link and you'll get the gist. You might even spot one of us!

https://www.facebook.com/TheSurvivalRace

First, here are two tips. If you're going to be doing a race like this, don't eat scrambled eggs, toast, and a hot-n-spicy Morningstar vegetarian "sausage" patty before the race. I don't know why I did this; it's not like I've never done a 5K before. Let's just say my stomach had an unpleasant burn throughout the race that I would have liked to avoid.

Second, don't wear soccer socks to a race like this. I thought I'd be all cool and protect my legs from the grass, twigs, etc., but as my husband (the obnoxious valedictorian of being right) noted before the race, "Why are you wearing those? That's just extra stuff that is going to get wet and weigh you down." But I ignored the advice, and by the third obstacle those suckers were like 15-pound doughnuts on my ankles. I'm sure they looked adorable, too.

The Survival Race is like being in "The Fugitive."  You're running through the woods, balancing on a log to walk over a river, skidding down a hill with water pouring down, wading through waist-deep water, and climbing over rope ladders. I kept imagining Tommy Lee Jones was hot on my trail.

I haven't been running much lately, but 3.2 miles generally isn't a problem for me. However, wading through water really takes it out of you, as does having some water-weighed shoes (and 15-pound socks). By the end of the race I was really sucking wind. Zach had left me in the dust about mid-way through the race, so it was up to me to keep myself motoring on.

By the time I reached the 13th of 14 obstacles -- the fire leap -- I was barely hanging on to a 10-yard lead ahead of two dudes who were about 40 years old. They surged ahead of me and leaped head-first into the last obstacle, a mud pit equipped with wires about two feet above the surface, forcing you to swim through the mud.

Luck was on my side! One of the two guys who passed me neglected to take off his glasses, and he lost them in the muck. They paused for a minute in a vain attempt to find the glasses, and I passed by them, emerging from the mud pit to make the 20-yard dash to the finish line. It was a small  personal victory.

I ended up with a pace of 10:21/mile, and placed 25th out of 369 women who ran the race. Overall, I was 113th out out of 741. Zach's pace was 9:36/mile and placed 60th out of 372 men, and 69th out of 741 overall.

It was a good time, but would I do it again? Maybe. I'd like to see if I could shave off a few seconds with normal socks.

**********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Fire Up Your Abs

Organic, Non-Organic, or Neither?

I am about to pose some questions for which I have no answer. But they are questions that have been nagging at me, and I am wondering if anyone else has an opinion that will quiet the discussion that's been going on in my head.

I haven't written much about organic vs. non-organic on this blog because it's a subject that is, quite frankly, over my head. Between the science of growing organic food, the politics over food subsidies and labeling, and the impassioned arguments on both sides of the issue, I don't feel equipped to tackle the subject on my friendly little "Let's Exercise and Eat Healthy!" blog.

For the sake of this argument, though, let's go ahead and make the assumption that purchasing organic fruits and vegetables is superior to "regular" produce (and dairy/meat, too). Some studies have shown that organic food contains more nutrients than non-organics, and there has been a lot of media coverage about the dangers of pesticides and hormones in our food. Publicity about "The Dirty Dozen" and other scary stories are enough to raise a red flag when you reach for that "dirty" conventional peach.

Before I go any further, though, let me state that most of the fruits and veggies that I purchase are not organic. My biggest consideration when choosing a grocery store is convenience, and the second consideration is price. We are basically a one-income family. I live in suburb about 20 miles from grocery stores that carry mostly organic food. I only have small chunks of time without my kids, and that is when I like to grocery shop. I drive an SUV that gets poor gas mileage.

So I make the choice to shop at my local Walmart. It provides a good selection and one-stop shopping. And yes, my soul dies a little bit every time I think about how much of my money goes to the corporate goons at Walmart, and I hate that they put "the little guys" out of business. But the reality that I've got to pick my kid up at 11 -- and he's gonna be hungry -- trumps any altruistic notions of shopping at the out-of-the-way organic store on a regular basis. I like to visit occasionally and stock up on some things, but when it comes to the weekly trip, Walmart it is.

I'd be willing to bet that most average Americans are in my same boat. They don't have a lot of time, they're spending double the amount on gas than they did two weeks ago, and they heard a story on the news the other day that there's an invisible poisonous pesticide on the apples they've been eating for years. Then they pull their buggy up to the apple cart, see the "regular" apples that cost $1.29/lb. and the organic ones that cost $2.75/lb, and the dilemma begins. What will they decide?

Here is my fear and the crux of this post:

When faced with "dirty" produce or expensive organic produce, will the general public forgo both and instead turn to Apple Jacks and Froot Loops? People have a hard enough time eating fruits and vegetables as it is, and now we are sending the message that you've got to buy organic food or else you're poisoning yourself? And anyway, what's worse? Ingesting potentially harmful pesticides, or eating preservative-filled, sugar- and fat-laden pseudo-food?

Like I said, I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but I do know that we are literally killing ourselves with the food we eat in this country. Two out of three Americans are either overweight or obese. High cholesterol, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension are rampant. The economy is struggling, and chances are that most people aren't willing to fork over the extra cash for organic food.

So tell me, what's worse? Pesticides or fake food that kills by inches?

Workout of the Day
Yoga MC:2   I took a break from RevAbs today to do some yoga...I needed stress relief after getting all riled up writing this post last night.

Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week: Protein Extravaganza

It's been protein-fest 2011 around here lately, as Zach recently decided to try out a 40/40/20 diet for awhile just to see how it would go. That means 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 20% fat, which is basically the Phase 2 "Energy Booster" part of the P90X diet plan.

I have to admit that in all the time we have done the P90X workouts, we've never really followed the nutrition guide. When we first started the program I was still breast feeding my daughter, and did not need to be restricting calories. After that we just vowed not to eat out much and tried to eat our veggies. But in the past year we have buckled down on the nutrition, and it's been interesting to play with the dials on protein/carbs/fat (thanks to tracking on www.myfitnesspal.com).

(Random aside: I find it interesting that all this introspection about how to feed ourselves has made me think of bodies as machines, of sort. And really, they are, right? Just like a car, we've got to give our bodies fuel to make them go. If you're driving a revved-up muscle car -- and I hope you are -- you need to be giving it the finest high-octane gas available. If you take your fine machine for a fill-up at Lurlene's Stop-N-Snarf, you're not going to run at optimal performance. Close random aside.)

So, protein-fest 2011 means chicken breasts, tuna, pork tenderloin, jerky, smoothies with silken tofu, and protein powder hidden anywhere it can be hidden. While I am not on the 40/40/20 plan per se, my diet usually goes by way of Zach's because he is the food researcher and myfitnesspal addict of the family. He requests a few items from the grocery store, and before I know it we're eating the same things.

I didn't think that tuna would be an option for me once we cleaned up our diets, because I am generally grossed out by any tuna that is not swimming in Miracle Whip and relish (dill, not sweet). The thought of opening a can of tuna and eating it --something Zach is often seen doing -- is pretty revolting. But yesterday we tried something that fit the bill of clean eating, and was delicious, too.

Photo courtesy of comfytummy.com

Tuna with smashed avocado! What a great marriage between a high-protein powerhouse and a vegetable with healthy fat. We ate this on a bed of spinach with some sunflower seeds and cucumbers on top, but the sky is the limit with this new take on tuna. You could add red onion, or salsa, tomatoes, or anything else that floats your boat. Try it for lunch today. I think you'll like it!

For those of you that need a more exact recipe, here is an avocado/tuna recipe from the brand new Insanity: The Asylum program from Beachbody.


Recipe: Avocado Tuna Salad

From the INSANITY: THE ASYLUM nutrition plan, here's an easy-to-prepare recipe that'll take care of all your daily omega-3 needs, with healthy fats from tuna and avocados to keep you feeling full and fit.

• 1/2 avocado, mashed
• Juice from 2 lime wedges
• Dash of salt
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 5 oz. light tuna (packed in water)
• 1 cup mixed greens
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 1 slice tomato

Place avocado, lime juice, salt, and cayenne in a mixing bowl and use a fork to mash into
a paste. Drain tuna well and add to bowl; mix well. Pile mixed greens on a plate and top
with tuna/avocado mixture.
Finish with sprouts and tomato. Makes 1 serving.

Calories: 342    Protein: 39 grams    Fiber: 7 grams    Carbs: 13 grams    Fat: 16 grams

**********

Workout of the Day

RevAbs: Fire Up Your Abs

P.S. We survived Saturday's Survival Run! I'll tell you more about it later this week.