Portobello Mushroom....Birthday Cake?

Yesterday, Friday, was my 28th birthday.....whoopee....  I spent most of the day at work, though, and not much else.  My mom came over and we just enjoyed each other's company while sharing life stories.

Since Kelley and I work in the same office, she was able to give my co-workers good gift ideas.  I usually despise b-day (or any other) celebrations at work since healthy food choices are about as common as a vegetarian in a steakhouse. But Kelley and my friends/co-workers pulled through and surprised me with the best gifts I could as for, fresh produce!

My boss/friend scheduled an afternoon "business" meeting for our team, and while waiting in the meeting room, they entered with the best "cake" ever; a portobello mushroom with a candle in the middle.

Just look at it, so simple, but so good!  I don't eat a lot of things with sugar anymore, and cake is just not an option for me, but they brought carrot cake so they could have something too.  More mushroom for me!

I also received a bunch of carrots, dry roasted edamame, and sliced cremini and shitake mushrooms. Basically must-have foods in our home (for me, can't get Kelley into the 'shrooms), most of my friends/co-workers saw me radiate with delight from their gifts.  To them, it's mushrooms and carrots, but to me it's MUSHROOMS AND CARROTS! See the difference? Do you experience the same thing with people in your life?

Although simple foods, that's all I really want since I can't stand food that I didn't get to have a say in or know exactly how it's prepared. Me? Obsessive and nit-picky? Yes! I have no shame when it comes to what I put in my body.  If I want the turbo to spool at full potential, I want the 100+ octane fuel, not 87.

I'd like to sincerely thank my co-workers for the kind gifts as they are exactly what I'd want.  Their simple gift of produce helped make this the best birthday I've had in a while!

Kelley got a me a new Cuisinart food processor that I can't wait to use to, well, process foods with.  I've been using the food processor my mom got in 1991 for her wedding, so it's just a little outdated. Hopefully you'll see more healthy recipes created from my new processor.  Do you have any ideas of what I should make for my first processed creation?  Maybe no-bake peanut butter cookies or a tuna veggie combo to make tuna cakes?

No worries, I'll just do them all; it's a win-win! While in PA, my mom brought one of her exercise DVD's called "Tabata Inferno" that I tried a few times.  It was enough to get my daily dose of intensity to keep me sane and it was something different than just running.

Being the wonderful mother she is, she saw how I enjoyed the video and bought me the complete DVD set for my birthday.  This is pretty cool and will be useful for my "rest" days from strength training. She gave me 2 six packs of local brews and cool turtle figurine too. I like turtles and have a nice collection going on now!

I'm currently trying to gain strength, and therefore weight, but being a former fat kid, this is not as easy as it sounds. Trying "bulk" when so many of my food choices are low calorie veggies that fill me up before I even come close to a calorie surplus.  A quick solution to this problem would be  more dense foods like, say peanut butter! I just received a few jars of PB Crave to review, so I'll just get a jar and spoon and see what happens!

Kelley agreed to give me the whole weekend to celebrate my birthday, so we're going to the Texas Motor Speedway for some rally and Indy racing today.  Afterward, we'll rent the best thing Redbox has to offer and have a nice evening together.  I think tomorrow will be when I put the processor to use. Can you sense my excitement?

Q:  Do you "let go" on your b-day and eat things you normally wouldn't or are you unwavering 24/7?


I have read too many labels to ever be able to enjoy most "treats" now, but am perfectly happy making my own at home. I consider extra PB my treat though!

Do You Have a Different Diet Than Your Friends and Family?

At a restaurant called The Gin Mill with most of my family. Good beer, bad clams.

When I am told we are going out with the family for whatever reason, my first response is usually not a happy one. Kelley hates my first response. I don’t blame her. It’s selfish to worry so much about where we’re going and what I’ll be able to eat when being with friends and family is the important part.

Playing "Mexican Train" at Grandma's; I think this game makes for the best times!

Nonetheless, I have strict guidelines for the food I’ll eat, and refuse to eat something that I don’t know exactly how it was prepared. This usually leaves me with the option of an overpriced salad (no dressing, cheese, or croutons please) that lacks substance and a stomach that’s as full as a bear cave in the summer. If it’s a clean place, I’ll add lean protein like smoked salmon, grilled shrimp or chicken, etc. that helps fill the void.

I have been getting better about my poor response almost every time there's another “outing”, but I still need improvement. Either way, I refuse to change my diet for these occasions and have become pretty good at Intermittent Fasting as a result. It’s really not so bad once you get past some rough patches.

Last pic before we left back to TX
From Left: Uncle Rob, Aunt Jeanne, Kelley, Mom, Grandma

When I don’t feel like IF’ing, a pb & banana sandwich will do the trick, but results in a lot of stares and comments from everyone else. If you’re reading this and you go through the same thing, please, comment to let me know I’m not alone here.

I was in PA with my mom and Kelley to see my family last week and we stayed with my dear grandma. She’s in her 80’s and moves and looks better than most people do in their 50’s or 60’s! Despite her peppiness, she does have diabetes and suffers from restless leg syndrome. Right when we got there, I found items with unacceptable ingredients for her conditions and nicely (but sternly) got on to her.

Grandma frequently falls victim to the claims made on product labels, so I went to the store with her to help her make better choices. To avoid overwhelming her with information overload, I just gave simple advice to look for certain “bad” ingredients along with some other tidbits I mention in this past post. When we got back to her home, I cleared out many expired and unhealthy foods from her fridge and tossed them in the trash to make room for the healthier food. She made a healthy change before and noted how much better she felt, but she just needs to keep consistent. Wish I could be there everyday to walk with her and help prepare healthy food!

Acting dumb with Mom and Grandma in Baltimore, MD

While I was there, I made overnight oats with pumpkin puree, stevia, sliced almonds, and yogurt using my guidelines here. I made sure she watched me put everything together the night before so (hopefully) she will make them herself!

As far as how to handle the prying questions of what I will eat, I just keep it as simple as possible; mostly foods that aren’t packaged or have hydrogenated oils or sugar. I would love to sit down and explain my reasoning in its entirety, but it’s no good unless someone is determined to change for the better.

So, besides scolding grandma about the foods that are affecting her health, I tried to keep to myself on my food views. Ha, I just realized I’ve been yapping on and on about this. I feel extremely passionate about this topic and would love to get all of my family members on board because I love them and want nothing but the best.

Q: What do you think when it comes to lecturing relatives on healthy habits? Yay or nay?
I think you know my feelings now!

How to Survive Vacation as a Health Food Fanatic

My Mom, Kelley, and I made it back from visiting our beloved family (Mom's side) in Pennsylvania; too bad we couldn't stay longer.  By now, my family knows how I strive to eat healthy and I'm as cautious as a Celiac in a wheat factory when going out to eat.

For this reason, 9 times out of 10, I end up with a "non-dressed" salad and maybe a few toppings every time we eat out. Besides trying to figure out what, if anything, I'm going to eat, being known as a health conscious person means everyone else has to say something about what they're ordering. They might ask "Is this good for me?" or just make a known statement like "I know this is bad."  I know my family reads this blog sometimes, and I love you all; I am set in my ways, and there's no need to bring attention to what you're having.....I promise. Unless you want a genuine opinion! : )

When traveling, you may not always have the option to purchase grocery items, but if you do, frozen produce is your friend.  Buy things that don't have anything else added like salt or sauces. Look for mixes with beans for a healthy dose of protein.

Take advantage of roadside produce stands or nearby farmer's markets if available.  Most of the time, these places offer fresh, local foods and give you the chance to try something new.  There are plenty of stands in Pennsylvania's Amish land that I went to with my grandma and I flocked to the fresh Brussels Sprouts every time!

This was how most of my meals looked when we didn't go out.  No complaints from me, I love all of these things!

Mmmm, can't get enough of the Brussels!

At restaurants, don't be shy to play 20 (or more) questions with your server.  You are ordering food for refueling and should allow quality ingredients to make you feel and look great.  Taste doesn't have to be sacrificed unless you are a junk food junkie and only know foods high in fat and sugar.  It may take some weening off of these high calorie train-wrecks, but it'll pay off in the near and distant future.

Kelley's Salmon with steamed veggies with no butter or oil on anything.
The mashed potatoes under the salmon were like rubber.....they stayed on the plate.

Beware of how food is prepared and ask the server what it's cooked in. "Broiled" may sound healthy, but is it coated in butter and oil with a salty seasoning? Ask for your food to be cooked dry or in a broth if having fish or meat and make sure you know what seasonings they use.  The option I use most is having a salad with no dressing, any fresh cut veggies they have, and maybe a protein that has been cooked as mentioned above.  Ask for a side of oil and vinegar or even better, salsa, to use as dressing that you control.

My steamed clams were supposed to be a good choice, but these were all broken and gritty.
I had a salad to put them on top and didn't use the butter cup.  It would've been better if they were good. Does that make sense?

A much better choice for my meal; lump crap meat over salad greens. This made my taste buds dance with each succulent bite of the slightly sweet crab meat.

Yes, you'll get some flak from the friends and family that are with you, but maybe they'll be inspired to try the healthy route too!  I don't like being pushy after giving my reasons for why it's good to make healthy choices, so I try to keep to myself on the topic after I've already explained the reasons.  This is hard to do when it is continually brought up from family wanting to make a meal for us and the question always becomes "Will R.C. eat this?"  The answer is usually "No.", and I tried to make it a point that I can fend for myself and be okay.

My aunt and uncle grilled chicken and potatoes for all of us and made special ones for Kelley and me by adding nothing to them while the rest were marinated.  How hard is that?  Just do less and we're happy.  I love marinated chicken and plenty of seasonings, but I "have" to know what is used and it's better to just do that myself.  Plus, plain chicken with pepper and brown mustard and a baked potato with salsa on top works for me.

There are plenty of stories from our vacation; check back soon for how I cleaned grandma's fridge (again) and helped her walk faster than the other old folks on a tour bus!

Q:  Are you a health conscience consumer with friends and family constantly bringing it up? How do you deal with the unwanted attention?


I try to just act like I didn't hear anything or just keep it simple with "Don't worry about me."

Thursday Rant: People's Lack of Healthy Food Knowledge

 I am bothered by general lack of knowledge on healthy food; something our bodies depend on every day. As mean as this soundss, it’s really because I care about the general health of friends, family, and other people around me. I know I have a lot to learn (you never stop, really), but it’s something I seek out as much as possible and feel others should do the same.

The media has butchered what is considered healthy and what’s not. Basically, “healthy” foods that are promoted by mainstream media are usually backed by big companies that sell their processed and packaged "healthy" foods….not the small, independent businesses and farmers selling whole unprocessed foods. I continually seek out information on my own and take what the labeling on packages say with a grain of salt.

My devotion to good health is why I started this blog and why I prepare most of the meals I eat. Seeing and hearing how ignorant people can be shouldn’t get to me like it does, but….it does. Why is this? I can only assume it has something to do with how passionate I am about an area that is important to all of humanity and feel everyone should be the same. I understand kids, if raised in a setting where nutrition is not discussed and food is just food, then they will not know better to question their food; they just eat what’s in front of them. But, with health being a main topic across all media sources, grown adults should try harder to teach their offspring to care more and seek information for what they don’t know.

Good health, after all, is directly related to a person’s diet as well as activity level. I am a huge advocate of daily exercise, but diet is the main contributor to health. If more of us cared to learn about nutrition, I bet there would be lower health care costs across the board and it wouldn’t be such a big issue as it is now. Yeah yeah, I know this is far fetched and can’t / won’t happen over night, but I can dream, right?

I consider this blog as a great way to help try and inform people on a healthier lifestyle that can still be enjoyed. I have a great time in the kitchen and it helps relieve stress while learning new things myself. I don’t have a kid now, but when I do, I want to make sure to pass on the importance of living healthily and how to do so. I try to teach others (sometimes without them wanting) about foods and their benefits or what to use instead of another, less healthy choice.

As mainstream as it is, you’d think some things are obvious, but many people are still clueless. Here are a few ways we can help educate people, please comment if you have more ideas and hopefully this can help all of us to educate the World on food and health

- Parents can and should get in the kitchen and cook healthy meals with their children (allowing them to help with what is appropriate). This increases bonding as a family and passes on healthy values to the next generation.

- As mentioned, blogging on healthy topics will help to increase any reader’s knowledge and hopefully they will enjoy the good read.

- Offer advice to people at the grocery store if they have a confused look or you hear them questioning something. Sometimes it’s well received, I’ve had good and bad experiences with this, but at least I tried

- If you’re into cooking healthy foods, make some for friends, family, and co-workers (hopefully they’re friends too) and let them taste how healthy food is good food. If they like it, you can show them how to prepare at home.

I took today’s post as day to rant (another great use for blogs!) about something I hold dear. Like I said, I know I can’t let how others feel about good health bother since it can’t be forced upon them; they have to want to know. But I remain persistent and will fill the ears of anyone who cares to listen.
I read a lot of blogs by other healthy foodies and can see many others who are as passionate about health as I am.

To all of you healthy foodies (bloggers and non-bloggers alike), do you ever feel this way? Besides blogging, how else do you try and get information across to others?