Om nom nom
Jun. 22nd, 2009 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lierdumoaSo I've decided this summer shall be the summer of health.
I bought ingredients for making myself health smoothies. Soy milk, raw chocolate powder, raw organic honey, acai powder, icha inchi oil (high in omega-3's), etc. Other esoteric health nut stuff.
I am apparently allergic to one of these ingredients. I will be running experiments over the next few days to figure out precisely which one. I'm hoping it's the oil, because it tastes kind of nasty.
I missed a ton of kung fu classes due to finals, the flu, and my two week visit out of the country, so I'm doing 3 classes a week for the forseeable future to make up time (regularly 2 a week).
I've also been counting calories, which satisfies some deeply OCD portion of my psyche. I bought a scale, but I don't really have a specific weight goal in mind. I plan to stop losing weight when I reach the point where I can look at my stomach in the mirror and count individual abdominal muscles. I've always wanted sculpted abs, and now seems like a good time to try for them. The kung-fu is already improving my muscle definition.
The diet/exercise regimen is going really well so far. I'm at the point where my stomach's gotten used to smaller food portions, so I get full faster and I'm less inclined to overeat. I'm cooking for myself more, which I love to do. I'm only taking one class this summer, so I have more time to spend in the kitchen.
Speaking of cooking, here's a recipe for anyone who's interested:
Healthy French Toast (yes, you read that right)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tbsp whole milk
1/4 tsp garam masala*
2 slices Oroweat Whole Grain & Flax Bread
1 tbsp hazelnut oil**
5 large strawberries (fresh! they're in season now!)
1 tbsp water
Put the egg, milk, and garam masala in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Pour hazelnut oil into a pan and set on a low heat.
Cut your strawberries into slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
Dip bread slices in egg mixture until the entire surface of your bread is covered. You should have some egg mixture left over when you're done, which you can either save for later or throw away. (NOTE: cutting the crusts off your bread is a good way to drop a few calories; save them and make homemade croutons!). Flip bread slices over once they start to brown on the bottom.
Once both sides of bread are toasted, set them aside. Use a paper towel to wipe any excess oil out of the pan, then drop in your strawberry slices, along with your tbsp of water. Let the fruit simmer at low heat until it caramelizes. You'll have a delicious hot syrupy topping to pour over your toast without needing any syrup.
*Garam masala is a spice mixture that includes cardamum, nutmeg, mace, star anise, coriander, etc. I mainly use it when I'm cooking Indian food. Any Whole Foods should have it in their spice rack.
**Hazelnut oil isn't the healthiest oil out there, but it's cholesterol free, and a significant improvement on butter, not to mention deliciously fragrant. It's not the cheapest, but the price has gotten a lot more reasonable in recent years.
The calorie breakdown looks like this:
167 2 slices whole wheat bread with crusts removed (200 with crusts included)
67 egg + milk (you should end up only using about 3/4 of your egg mixture)
120 1 tbsp hazelnut oil
30 5 large strawberries
384 calories total
For a more filling meal, add a third slice of bread, use 2 tbsp of milk instead of 1 1/2, use an extra teaspoon of oil and add another strawberry.
250 3 slices whole wheat bread with crusts removed
94 egg + milk (this time you'll be using all)
160 1 1/3 tbsp hazelnut oil
36 6 large strawberries
540 calories total
I bought ingredients for making myself health smoothies. Soy milk, raw chocolate powder, raw organic honey, acai powder, icha inchi oil (high in omega-3's), etc. Other esoteric health nut stuff.
I am apparently allergic to one of these ingredients. I will be running experiments over the next few days to figure out precisely which one. I'm hoping it's the oil, because it tastes kind of nasty.
I missed a ton of kung fu classes due to finals, the flu, and my two week visit out of the country, so I'm doing 3 classes a week for the forseeable future to make up time (regularly 2 a week).
I've also been counting calories, which satisfies some deeply OCD portion of my psyche. I bought a scale, but I don't really have a specific weight goal in mind. I plan to stop losing weight when I reach the point where I can look at my stomach in the mirror and count individual abdominal muscles. I've always wanted sculpted abs, and now seems like a good time to try for them. The kung-fu is already improving my muscle definition.
The diet/exercise regimen is going really well so far. I'm at the point where my stomach's gotten used to smaller food portions, so I get full faster and I'm less inclined to overeat. I'm cooking for myself more, which I love to do. I'm only taking one class this summer, so I have more time to spend in the kitchen.
Speaking of cooking, here's a recipe for anyone who's interested:
Healthy French Toast (yes, you read that right)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tbsp whole milk
1/4 tsp garam masala*
2 slices Oroweat Whole Grain & Flax Bread
1 tbsp hazelnut oil**
5 large strawberries (fresh! they're in season now!)
1 tbsp water
Put the egg, milk, and garam masala in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Pour hazelnut oil into a pan and set on a low heat.
Cut your strawberries into slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
Dip bread slices in egg mixture until the entire surface of your bread is covered. You should have some egg mixture left over when you're done, which you can either save for later or throw away. (NOTE: cutting the crusts off your bread is a good way to drop a few calories; save them and make homemade croutons!). Flip bread slices over once they start to brown on the bottom.
Once both sides of bread are toasted, set them aside. Use a paper towel to wipe any excess oil out of the pan, then drop in your strawberry slices, along with your tbsp of water. Let the fruit simmer at low heat until it caramelizes. You'll have a delicious hot syrupy topping to pour over your toast without needing any syrup.
*Garam masala is a spice mixture that includes cardamum, nutmeg, mace, star anise, coriander, etc. I mainly use it when I'm cooking Indian food. Any Whole Foods should have it in their spice rack.
**Hazelnut oil isn't the healthiest oil out there, but it's cholesterol free, and a significant improvement on butter, not to mention deliciously fragrant. It's not the cheapest, but the price has gotten a lot more reasonable in recent years.
The calorie breakdown looks like this:
167 2 slices whole wheat bread with crusts removed (200 with crusts included)
67 egg + milk (you should end up only using about 3/4 of your egg mixture)
120 1 tbsp hazelnut oil
30 5 large strawberries
384 calories total
For a more filling meal, add a third slice of bread, use 2 tbsp of milk instead of 1 1/2, use an extra teaspoon of oil and add another strawberry.
250 3 slices whole wheat bread with crusts removed
94 egg + milk (this time you'll be using all)
160 1 1/3 tbsp hazelnut oil
36 6 large strawberries
540 calories total
