For you, the dress code is casual.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

yawn, really? food talk.

five days since i've posted here? wow. i've been busy.

i'm tired, it's sunday morning and i ought to be sleeping. and i will, again. i do this; i get up and then i go back to sleep. lame, yes. but it happens.

so, what's my point for posting? sfa, my friends: sweet fuck all.

i'm having a nice weekend, though. yesterday i did aquafit* for the first time in many, many months, and holy shit, did it kick my ass. i now feel as though i'd better get back into that in a serious way. i always say i'm going 'swimming' because i think think name "aquafit" is far too incredibly lame.

anyhow, what aquafit is, is basically aerobics in the water. you run, you jump, etc. sounds pretty silly, but for folks with leg injuries or such, it's awesome. i have a bit of a bum knee and getting into running probably isn't in my future. it's not that my knees aren't strong, it's that the right one can be highly unstable, and high-impact action can cause it to start going off the knee-cap. trrrrust me: not fun.

aquafit, though, looks benign, but shit, it can be pretty friggin' intense. it's an all-over workout, and i was doing these squat/lunges in the water with ferocious intensity, and i now hurt from my toes to my neck in that "oh, maybe there's a healthy future for you after all, young jedi" kind of way that makes me feel good, except my low back, which apparently could have used some ice sooner than now. (i'll ice it later, it's the jumps and squats that have done it.)

it's nice that i have a boyfriend who is very attrracted to me as i am, but who isn't stupid about the benefits of being better in shape. i was too tired last night, so we ordered Chinese, but the intention had been for me to cook a "healthy" supper. that would have entailed: grilled chicken thighs marinated in probably a garlic/basil/lemon/olive oil mixture, and then i would have done grilled veggie salad. the grilled veggie salad would have had orange, red, and yellow roasted peppers (you roast 'em in a pan to save the juices for dressing), grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini, grilled radicchio, fresh ripe camari tomatoes, and some torn bocconcini cheese, with a balsamic & olive oil & and basil dressing.

as it is, i may try doing that salad tonight. i've never done it before, but i would think it'd be delicious. i'll probably squeeze some fresh lemon over it just before i dine.

i need to get inventive about really healthy food. i've been eating rather lush since hooking up with the Man, and i've been fortunate to not gain any weight back, but i really want to take it in the other direction -- be healthier, get more fit. it'll feel great. swimming in the mornings will be back on the agenda, too.

let's face it, i'm a pretty good cook. i've never really tried to be a good but HEALTHY cook, and i'd like to see how i do. the Guy thinks i've missed my calling as a chef, and since he's a big foodie, i take it as a great compliment. i've had people cancel plans to have my dinners before, so i know i'm pretty decent in the kitchen -- obviously i understand flavour. it's vegetables and their creative uses that stymie me, and i'm getting pretty embarassed about it.

i was raised on a white bread, potatoes, meat, and no veggies kind of diet. it's taken years for me to get interested. if i do grilled raddicchio tonight, it'll be a radical departure from my old life. it's taken years to get really into wheat bread. i never buy enriched flour anymore, and anything i ever bake (except cookies -- don't fuck with cookies!) is with wheat flour and even oatmeal. i think i've come far in those regards, but now, to take it up a notch.

salads tend to be boring as fuck, but they can get inventive. i always make my own dressings, but now it's time to think outside the box. if i can get the Guy excited about these goals, then i think i'll more easily get on page with healthiness.

as for breakfasts? i am NOT going to fuck with breakfast. i make weekend breakfasts that are as good as it gets. :) i love my breakfasts, and anyone who's ever had them also loves them. they've gotten healthier, believe it or not, by virtue of no longer making hash browns and by now putting veggies in my scrambled eggs. i sometimes do butterflied butcher's sausages (and will be this morning -- chicken & apple, mm) and i'll often do bacon, which i try to cook to perfection and usually do okay at. bread choices are usually healthy, but this weekend i'm bad -- baguette and rye. (mmmmm) the Guy has made comments that some breakfasts i've served (ie: veggie egg scramble, french toast made from french baguette, and buttflied'n'broiled honey garlic sausage) would cost $14 for each of us at a fancy brekkie joint. well, fuck that. we'll stay in. ;)

it's so hard to make the change to healthy. i should buy nice measuring spoons so i'm more consciously aware of how much fat i intake. i've been fortunate, i've lost a lot of weight over the last couple of years just without much effort -- small changes, exercise, a little less snacking -- but to go any further will take dedication. i think i'm ready for that now.

and besides, that grilled veggie salad sounds fucking awesome, doesn't it? (i was also going to make a nice french bread with it -- sundried tomato butter, and warmed up. the butter's got garlic, sundried tomatoes, and basil, and you puree it and spread it on the bread. it's really flavourful, but since you use less butter and more tomato, it's really rich-looking. haven't had it before, but i have high expectations, and this would be the perfect meal to try it with. mm!)

(*when i was thrown from my scooter, i had serious injuries, a litany of them, from almost-torn shoulder to concussion to bum knee, etc, but it was because i'd been swimming, cycling, doing pilates, and weight-lifting that i healed so fast. i may be chunky, but when i'm active, i'm fucking on the ball. strong bodies heal faster. awesome. :)

oh, TRIVIA? my first ever blog, before this one? i called it "BEYOND FAT GIRL" as i began my attempts to lose weight. :) it's dead... i deleted it all. too bad. stupid thing. i was ashamed of being fat. now i'd be proud to have that around. oh well. is what it is: dead.