We have a donut problem.

I'll admit to a guilty pleasure: donuts. Though, donuts are [typically] an indulgence on a very rare occassion. ....Until about 3 weeks ago.

Three weeks ago, husband came home from Saturday morning errands with about 3 donuts. Between the 2 of us, they were consumed as breakfast. Eaten, enjoyed, and done with. Until the following Saturday when he did the same thing! We stopped for gas and as I was pumping gas, he went in to the gas station and emerged laden with 4 donuts. Ugh. Those lasted Saturday AND Sunday morning. TWO days of poor breakfast choices! Two WEEKENDS of poor breakfast choices. Shame!

Then today I was out running morning errands and I went into the gas station as my gas was pumping and bought 3 donuts. I walk in the door and husband had stopped by the donut shop and picked up 5 donuts, one of which he'd already consumed. And in the midst of blogging, another one hits the dust (him, not me). I'm yet to indulge and I'm thinking I'll hold off in hopes that husband goes to town on the darn things! (Husband is one of those people who can eat what they want, all that they want, and as often as they want without any adverse effects such as.......WEIGHT GAIN. Terd.).

Bad, bad, BAD!!!!!

Husband and I just pow-wowed and decided this habit has GOT to go. While donuts are not the worst of all evils they are a COMPLETE waste of calories and fat...and contain NO nutritional value whatsoever. At all! They fall far into the "20%" of my 80-20 guidelines! I vow to you, blog world, to cut the donut habit we have formed. Back to the good'ole days of the very occasional guilty pleasure.

ANYWAYS... ::eye roll at self::

A patient brought me some fresh home-grown turnips yesterday and I haven't a CLUE what to do with them. For the record, I am not a fan of anything "pickled" (okra, beets, etc.).

Any ideas on how to deliciously indulge in my new vegetable?

I tried Kay's Naturals gluten-free Apple Cinnamon cereal this morning and it was very good! It held it's crunch really well in milk, to my pleasant surprise. However, I was hungry 2 hours after I had breakfast. I was surprised at this because of the high protein content. I'll give it another shot for breakfast and see it it wasn't a fluke. Hopefully, because it was really good!!!

And on a completely unrelated topic...a debate, if you will.
Question: If someone is a "vegetarian" and they consume meat occasionally, are they still a vegetarian or are they a Flexitarian?

I guess I don't "get" labels. I think that there's a lot of benefits of both meat-containing and meat-free diets. Personally, I aim to consume at least 1 if not 2 meat-free meals a day. I eat red meat on a very rare occasion, not only because I don't prefer it, but also because of the high saturated fat content and the assocation between red meat intake and cancer, such as colon and breast cancers. Seafood, however, I could never give up.

I also do think it's somewhat hypocritical to be a vegetarian for reasons such as animal rights and then to consume eggs and milk that are not organic or from free-range animals. It's very true that conditions for chickens, hens, and cows are cruel and inhumane.

Thoughts on this?
I ask because of this post.

AWESOME, AWESOME Giveaways!!!

Michelle of Lucky Taste Buds is giving away a Soda Stream Machine!! She's also giving away 2 jars of Krema peanut butter!

Live, Love, Eat, and Play is giving away Zevia!

Heather of Health, Happiness, and Hope is giving away POM, coupons, and Odwalla bars!

And just for fun...Lily in a tutu

Here she is a few months ago...she's grown so much!!!
She only snores more and eats more now!

We're off to the dog park...have a wonderful Saturday!

Recipes and Reform

Boy, do I have a treat for you all today! Go to Gina's WW Recipes for some WONDERFUL and EASY recipes to try! My patient load is light today and I was able to spend some time perusing her blog this morning, saving TONS of recipes I'd like to try! If you enter your email address into her FeedBurner, you'll never miss a great recipe delivered right to your inbox!

Today for lunch I ordered take-out from Chili's Guiltless Grill (our microwave at work is still on the fritz)...the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich to be exact. It was really good! I was feeling great about my "Guiltless Grill" selection until I learned of the sodium...over 2,300 milligrams! Ahhh! At least the sandwich was only 386 calories, 7 grams of fat, and contained 9 grams of fiber??? :-/ Disappointing, Chili's! Very disappointing! I've also been reading Gina's blog, which has probably made me hypersensitive about sodium levels...which is a good thing!!!!!

Today for a snack I tried the Kay's Naturals Honey Almond Protein Cereal (gluten-free). I love the crunch of a cereal, but would be interested to see if the crunch held when served with milk (I ate the cereal plain). Most gluten-free products are "airy" in taste, weight, and texture...and the Kay's Naturals products are no exception. Though I should mention, I am a fan of the "light-weight" nature of gluten-free products...less bloat, I feel. The Honey Almond Protein Cereal is lightly sweetened, nothing over-powering which I prefer. Again, the portion size is excellent and one serving contains 100 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of protein! Nice work, Kay's Naturals...I am LOVING your products! Thank you!!

And in the news...a feather in the caps of those like myself in prevention...

A new poll for American's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows the majority of Americans consider disease prevention the MOST important element of health care reform.

The US Department of Health and Human Services aimed to reduce obesity rates to 15% in every state before 2010 (baaahahaha!). However, the trend is showing movement in the opposite direction -- obesity rates continuing to rise. As of 1991, no US state had an obesity rate over 20%. Today, only Colorado has an obesity rate under 20%.

In playing devil's advocate I have to propose...DO we (as a nation) want to change, or are we just sick and tired of our ill-fate if trends continue? 

If you had to take a side in this debate, what do you feel is consensus for the nation as a whole: 

a) improve health through prevention (nutrition, exercise, and preventative health care)

--OR--

b) continue Western medicine of treating the disease and not the problem

Just another day in paradise...

I had an insanely productive morning this morning. In addition to the usual morning routine (dog duty, cappuccino-making, getting ready for work, and lunch-making), I also managed to unload the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, and get dinner in the crock pot. In the midst of my cleaning frenzy, I found husband's wedding band. He was already at work. Sans his wedding band, obviously. This happens ALL the time.

See photo below. THIS is what I put on a scrap piece of paper on my way out the door: directions for him to start the crock pot at noon...and to put on his #$*& wedding band. Mennnn....

...at least he was wearing it when I got home from work today? :-/

Last night we had a favorite "convenience" dinner. I'm not really into convenience foods, but I must say...Zatarains does Jambabaya right. The calories are low (130!)...but the sodium is a bit high (540 mg)...could be worse. There's only 1 gram of fat per serving, which is also great. I just wish it came in a whole grain, low-sodium version...then, it'd be perfect!

Anyways, I add to the mix a whole chopped onion, minced garlic, 1 can of low-sodium diced tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, and either shrimp, chicken, or turkey sausage. Last night, we opted for turkey sausage.

Boot camp tonight went...well. I will DEFINITELY be sore tomorrow.

Tonight we focused on triceps with lunges and squats thrown in there. Cardio, too...running, stairs, etc. I'm really enjoying it, though...and I love that the routine is different every night!

Yesterday, my teams won both our games (THAT'S rare - woot!)...AND I scored a goal! That's probably even MORE rare ; )

A HUGE THANKS to Kay's Naturals who sent me a wonderful array of products to sample and review today. Kay's Naturals carries gluten-free cereals, crackers, chips, and snack foods. Kay's products cater to the gluten-sensitive population, as well as diabetes and bariatric patients.

 

Today I tried the Lemon Herb Protein Chips and they were DELICIOUS! I ate them on my way home from work, before boot camp. There is an abundance of flavor and crunch, I highly recommend them, especially if you enjoy a lemony taste...mmmm!

Gluten allergies are becoming more and more common it seems. Similarly, the number of gluten-free products on the market is continually growing -- some being MUCH better than others. Most larger retailers offer gluten-free cereals, crackers, breakfast bars, pastas, and chips. Thank you, Kay's Naturals for supplying such wonderful tasting, gluten-free products! I look forward to sampling and reviewing more varieties!

Question 1: Do you know anyone personally with Celiac's disease or a gluten sensitivity?

Question 2: Going back to my husband-who-forgets-his-wedding-band-all-the-time rant...what does YOUR significant other do that drives you absolutely insane?

Question 3: I'm traveling next week and looking for book suggestions...have you read any page-turners lately? Do share!