Items by Seinlife
Seinlife
-
The Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods
Posted: August 13, 2008, 3:56 pm by Seinlife
-
Maasai Education Discovery
Posted: August 6, 2008, 8:27 pm by Seinlife
While roaming the world of YouTube , I found this video about Maasai girls, female circumcision and their education. It moved me so much that I had to share it in hopes that it will move you as well to take some action.
It is a two part documentary, part one below..
Part two of the Maasai tale.
The organization that helped Sitatian Kaelo is mentioned in the video and is called the Maasai Education Discovery. They are involved in many aspects of community development but I was especially excited about their scholarship program for maasai girls. Please visit their website and give (even $5 goes along way). If you are unable to give via the website, call the (617) 426-1111 and give over the phone plus you will be talking directly with the founder, Ledama Olekina, who is just a breath of fresh air!
-
GeoThermal Energy in Kenya
Posted: August 2, 2008, 6:38 pm by Seinlife
-
HIV/AIDS
Posted: August 1, 2008, 4:53 pm by Seinlife
This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, I have 2 cousins who are HIV+, one of whom nearly lost his life to complications related it. So imagine my suprise when I read about child prostitution on the rise in Eldoret.
Girls as young as 12 yrs old?
adult males?
and as if that is not bad enough, no protection?The town mayor has ordered a crack down on prostitution - perhaps he might want to start by arresting all the ‘Johns’ involved - what kind of nut job has sex with a 12 yr old? Since we live in a patriarchal society, I have a hunch that a crack down means arresting the girls and at the most letting the men off with a warning and who knows what happens to the girls when they land in a jail cell with no money to bail themselves out?
I wish the article had more information on how the situation could be alleviated. Anyone know if there are local organizations working to change these girls lives? Or anyone have any kind of information pertaining to this Eldoret situation - please share.
I leave you with a video of congolese musician, Fally Ipupa’s song “La Sida est la” (AIDS is here) which talks about the dangers of HIV and what we should do to protect ourselves.
-
Why Soy Is NOT a Health Food
Posted: July 30, 2008, 9:46 pm by Seinlife
-
CNN Presents: Black in America
Posted: July 23, 2008, 12:27 am by Seinlife
Tonight is the beginning of a two part CNN documentary, researched and hosted by Soledad O’Brien on being Black in America.
The first part, the Black Woman & Family, airs on July 23rd 2008 at 9 pm EST.
explores the varied experiences of black women and families and investigates the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS.
The second part, the Black Man, airs on July 24th 2008 at 9 pm EST.
evaluates the state of black men in America and explores the controversial topics of black men and fatherhood; disparities between blacks and whites in educational, career and financial achievement; and factors leading to the dramatic rates of black male incarceration. The documentary also examines the achievements of black men and the importance of the positive influences of black fathers.
For more information and to watch a trailer, go the CNN special reports page, Black in America
-
EPA Says You’re Worthless
Posted: July 22, 2008, 12:13 am by Seinlife
-
Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog on Global Warming
Posted: July 15, 2008, 12:18 am by Seinlife
This is hilarious - originally aired on TBS’ Earth to America a while back.
Check out some of these other acts; Larry David, Will Ferrell, Jack Black and the very kewl Blue Man Group.
-
God Grew Tired of Us
Posted: July 10, 2008, 6:43 pm by Seinlife
I watched this movie last night and had to share. It’s the story of the lost boys of Sudan, orphaned by the war, they trekked first to Ethiopia then to Kenya. The movie follows the story of 3 of the boys as they are relocated from their camp in Kakuma, Kenya to various cities in the US. It is so moving to watch - such hope and inspiration - I would recommend everyone watch this movie. There is also a book out there under the same name - God Grew Tired of Us.
Find out more about how you can help in Sudan. Click here for information on international charities through which you can help support refugees and rebuild communities destroyed by violence, poverty, and natural disasters.
Check out the trailer.
-
Sugar for Biofuel to Displace Kenya’s Tana Delta Wildlife
Posted: July 8, 2008, 1:12 am by Seinlife
I pulled this piece from the Environmental News Service. An example of how one alternative energy project is being handled in Kenya. Although I totally get the need for alternative energy, am lost as to why this project has to be done at the Tana River Delta, a natural habitat for a wide range of wildlife. Why don’t the authorities see this beautiful ecology as something they should preserve as opposed to destroy? Are their no other locations to start a sugarcane plantation? There has got to be some other piece of land that is being underutilized? Wangari Maathai where art thou? Anyone in Kenya have some insight about this project?
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 26, 2008 (ENS) - Kenya’s Tana River Delta, inhabited by 350 species of birds, lions, elephants, rare sharks and reptiles, is about to be converted to sugar cane production over the objections of conservationists and local communities.
Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority, NEMA, has approved a proposal by the Mumias Sugar Company, a publicly traded company based in Nairobi, to covert 2,000 square kilometers of the pristine delta into irrigated sugarcane plantations.
A view over the Tana River Delta (Photo by Zuc123) The government is behind the project, with President Mwai Kibaki expressing his personal approval at a public rally in Garsen last year.
But conservationists and villagers living in the delta believe the decision is illegal and are determined to block the development. The groups are considering what action they might take.
Paul Matiku, executive director of Nature Kenya said, “This decision is a national disaster and will devastate the delta. The Tana’s ecology will be destroyed yet the economic gains will be pitiful. It will seriously damage our priceless national assets and will put the livelihoods of the people living in the Delta in jeopardy.”
“The environmental assessment for the scheme was poor yet the government has defied even those very modest recommendations,” said Matiku, whose 99-year-old organization is the Kenyan affiliate of BirdLife International.
The National Environment Management Authority put 14 conditions on the sugarcane plan. But Matiku says the conditions are weak and ignore the environmental assessment, which showed that irrigation of crops would cause severe drainage of the Delta.
NEMA’s decision also overlooks an ongoing dispute over compensation for farmers and fishermen who would lose their land and fishing rights.
“This is the only dry-season grazing area for hundreds of miles and its loss will leave many hundreds of farmers with nowhere to take their cattle,” Matiku explained. “We refuse to accept that this decision is final,” he said. “The development must be stopped at all costs.”
The Tana is the largest river in Kenya. It flows from the central highlands down to the Indian Ocean where it enters the sea at Kipini with a delta 40 kilometers wide.
A herd of topi, a savannah antelope, on the Tana River Delta. (Photo courtesy Tana Delta Camp) The district is generally dry and prone to drought, but this week at least 15,000 residents of the Tana Delta are coping with the destruction of their crops by floods.
After touring the flooded communities, their elected representative MP Danson Mungatana is asking the Ministry of Agriculture to give farmers seed for replanting and urged Mumias Sugar to start their Sh24 billion (US$373 million) project, saying all requirements have been met.
“They have a license and everything else has been finalized, let them start the project immediately so that the youth can get jobs,” he told “The Nation” newspaper Tuesday.
But the economic benefits of the conversion of the Tana Delta to sugar cane are not clear. A report commissioned in May by Nature Kenya and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds found deficiences in the calculation of benefits presented by Mumias.
The company says the income from sugar cane cultivation will be US$2.45 million over 20 years.
But the conservationists’ report shows that the revenue from fishing, farming, tourism and other lost livelihoods would be US$59 million over the same period.
The report found that Mumias has overestimated profits, ignored fees for water use and pollution from the sugarcane plant, and has disregarded the loss of income from wildlife tourists to the delta.
The study said the delta’s ecological benefits “defied valuation” and that the proposal would cause the “irreversible loss of ecosystem services,” benefits such as flood prevention, the storage of greenhouse gases and the provision of medicines and food.
Mumias Sugar grows some sugar cane; its own estates provide up to seven percent of its annual output, but its primary source is over 50,000 registered “out growers” with a total of more than 400 square kilometers under cultivation.
African fish eagles breed on the Tana River Delta. (Photo by Michel Laplace-Toulouse of African Latitude courtesy BirdLife International) The Tana Delta land conversion covers an area nearly five times larger than the area currently farmed by all the company’s out growers.
Sugar cane grown on the Tana Delta is likely to fuel ethanol production. In 2005, Mumias Sugar Managing Director Evans Kidero announced plans to expand into the production of ethanol to take advantage of the high cost of fuel.
“Until now, Kenya’s support for global agreements to protect wildlife has been excellent but this development could severely damage Kenya’s reputation for caring for its environment,” said Paul Buckley, an Africa specialist with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which is the BirdLife affiliate in the UK.
Conservationists say that an integrated management plan for the entire Tana River basin should precede any development considerations.
The lack of project design documents, required by Kenyan environmental law, has been a critical omission in the whole Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, process, Matiku points out.
“The current EIA was hurriedly produced and lacks vital information. NEMA should reject it and request for a new EIA study for the new project site,” said Matiku. “The government’s decision to approve the Tana River sugarcane and biofuels project will not only destroy biodiversity but also threaten rural livelihoods.”
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.
-
RecycleBank
Posted: July 7, 2008, 10:44 pm by Seinlife
RecycleBank is a company that will pay you to recycle. Now that is what I call an incentive!
You pick a recycle bin size and it comes affixed with a chip that identifies your address. On garbage collection day, your recycle bin contents are weighed and as they are dumped onto the truck the chip is read and points are credited to your account. These credit points are converted to dollars which can be redeemed though shopping coupons with participating partners.
They are currently operational in various cities in the following states; Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Vermont. If they are not available in your city, either contact them requesting their service or contact your own city and ask them to consider using RecycleBank.
Check out this video explaining how it all works.
-
Hell For Leather
Posted: July 3, 2008, 4:40 pm by Seinlife
-
Fair Trade: What is it?
Posted: July 1, 2008, 5:10 pm by Seinlife
Fair trade helps alleviate poverty and promotes sustainability by advocating for fair prices while adhering to social and environmental standards.
Read more on the Fair Trade Federation.
Watch the video below on the fair trade story.
-
Xtracycle: Sport Utility Bicycle
Posted: June 24, 2008, 7:25 pm by Seinlife
This beauty would come in handy for the frequent runs to the grocery store and blockbuster which are a mere mile and a half away from my house. Not only will I get some more exercise in but will certainly put a dent, as small as it may, to my gas bill and of course help do my bit on the environment. I love that it has saddlebags to hold your cargo and a platform for a passenger or two. Did I mention that I want one! Yes I so do. I will even take it on frequent trips to yoga and a spin or two around the park.
-
Greenpeace Humor: You Are My Sunshine
Posted: June 19, 2008, 4:32 am by Seinlife
Be part of the energy revolution with some Wednesday humor brought to you courtesy of Greenpeace.
-
New Shower Curtain Smell Toxic ?
Posted: June 17, 2008, 10:13 pm by Seinlife
According to a study done by a national environmental group, that not so appealing smell that your new shower curtain has might be giving off toxic chemicals linked to serious health problems.
The group tested vinyl shower curtains from places like WalMart, KMart, Bed Bath and Beyond and found they contained high concentrations of phthalates, varying concentrations of organotins as well as other chemicals that are known to be either air pollutants or harmful to our health.Read more from this LA Times Article.
-
How I Spent My Stimulus
Posted: June 15, 2008, 8:07 pm by Seinlife
If you live in the US, you have either already received or are about to receive your cut of President Bush’s economic stimulus. The stimulus ranges from $600 upward depending on your income and dependents. The idea behind it is to promote overall spending and hopefully limit the looming recession. The goal will most likely be negated if people pay debt, spend the money overseas, save the money or do anything else but spend the money to buy stuff right here in the good old USA.
So I found this site, How I Spent My Stimulus, where folks share how they spent their cuts. It’s very interesting when all is said and done where most of the piece of the pie will actually have gone. This one , of course, caught my eye.
-
Urban Farming: Eradicating Hunger
Posted: June 11, 2008, 5:36 pm by Seinlife
Urban Farming is an international non profit based in Detroit, Michigan that is bent on eliminating hunger and ensuring that everyone eats healthy by planting food in unused city land and empty spaces and giving it to those that need it. What an excellent idea for a time when people are struggling with foreclosures, loosing their jobs and gas prices are soaring. These farms are unfenced and anybody can come by and harvest and take home what they need.
Check out the Urban Farming Trailer from the Urban Farming web site and read how these Farms take root on NPR.
-
The World Without Us
Posted: June 10, 2008, 11:58 pm by Seinlife
What would happen to the planet if we were to suddenly disappear? How long do you think it will take your house to degenerate when you are gone?
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman delves into these and many other human environmental implications. Certainly rouses a call for us to respect the ecosystem and stop our destructive ways.
-
Clean Eating - Day 26 - 30
Posted: June 8, 2008, 7:07 pm by Seinlife
So I have been quite the slacker and running way behind with my posts. So in an attempt to catch up am going to combine the last 4 days of my clean eating into one post.
So on day 26, I had breakfast at work, a bowl of fruit, yogurt and a cup of strong black tea. For lunch I had blackened tuna steak with peas and carrots.
That meal kept me happy for the rest of the afternoon. I was not hungry at all this evening but I decided to eat something nevertheless, so I had whole grain bread with a teaspoon of peanut butter downed with a blend of orange and cranberry juice. I didn’t need to eat anything else for the rest of the evening.For breakfast on Day 27, I had my usual without yogurt - they didn’t have any in the cafeteria - I substituted a banana for it. Not quite the same but it did the job. From now one I plan to buy my own yogurt and have it in the fridge at work that way I always have my protein in the AM when I need it.
I had a couple errands to ran on this humid and pouring day - yuck! I was surprisingly famished when I was done with errands. I promptly stopped at panera for some chicken noodle soup and a whole grain baguette.
For dinner, I put together a hearty salad that was quite enjoyable.
- mixed greens
- alfalfa
- tomatoes
- avocado
- strawberries
- pumpkin seedsFor Day 28, breakfast was the usual; tea, bowl of fruit and yogurt. For lunch, a friend and I went to panera where I had a bowl of black bean soup and a side of their strawberry poppyseed salad.
It was absolutely delightful and had me full all afternoon into the evening. For dinner, my husband and I went to a local eatery, one we frequent almost on a weekly basis now, where we had a hummus appetizer and I had steak, potatoes and roasted vegetables. I had half the meal and saved the rest for the next days dinner.On Day 29, breakfast was the usual even though it is Friday - free donuts and bagels at work! I of course stuck to my daily regiment of fruit and yogurt.
Lunch was an old favorite - salad bar. I started building my salad at around 11:35 am with the usual make up of spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cottage cheese, sunflower seeds etc
Dinner was leftovers from night before - tasted even better than it did the previous night.It’s Day 30! where did the days go? So this is a pancake morning - I love pancakes. This week at my CSA pick up, they had graham flour as an item of choice to get which I did. So this morning I made our regular pancakes with an equal mix of both spelt flour and graham flour. Woow - what a difference - the pancakes cooked easier and tasted less grainy. My plan when I got it was to use it to make a crust for a rhubarb pie, which I still might do, but now I love it so much in my pancakes that I will continue to use it here too. I will give it a go with chapati’s as well especially since it is so much more nutritious than regular white flour.
Breakfast held me over until about 4 pm - which I thought was rather odd when I did look at a clock - but again it was a busy day. For dinner, I had mixed greens, roasted potatoes and pumpkin seeds served with whole grain bread with avocado spread. Sloppy but delicious!Observation
- I have lost a total of 8.2 lbs
- PMS was a little bit of an obstacle through the process but am sure it gets better as the body adjusts to eating healthier
- Am surprised at how much variety in food is out there and how much of it is so enjoyable - Just because a food is good for you does not mean it will be bland and boring.
- It is funny that when I decide to eat better that is when all the bad foods are everywhere. I can’t tell you the number of times that coffee cakes, chocolate etc were flaunted in my face especially at work. At first it was very hard to say no but for every no I said it got easier.
- I plan to add, sparingly, dark chocolate and wine to my diet as they have amazing benefits
- I plan to experiment with making my own cooking oils using whole milk.
- It was a good 30 days and I thank all the people that came back to check on me- Thank you for holding me accountable to my health! -
Clean Eating - Day 25
Posted: June 3, 2008, 4:19 pm by Seinlife
Another peaceful night with no tornado watches or warnings-Yay! I slept like a baby and woke up refreshed and ready for whatever the day brings. I got up so early I was off to work an hour earlier than usual - I know! what a suprise.
For breakfast was yogurt and fruit, followed with a cup of tea enjoyed for most the morning.Lunch
I had to pick up some items from the whole food store so I figured I might as well dine there too.
- rice
- beans
- tabbouleh
- quinoa
- chinese cabbage
- noodles
- red pepper
Always so good a meal and held me over until dinner.Dinner
Dinner was at about 6 pm and it was a salad.
- mixed greens
- egg
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- alfalfa
- tomatoes
- avocado
- homemade dressing (yogurt, balsamic vinagrette and freshly squizzed orange juice)Observations
- No PMS [doing one heck of a dance]
- My appetite is still way low compared to when I first began eating clean. I thought this might be due to PMS but now am sort of wondering if it has to do with my body adjusting to eating better. If all I feed myself is good nutritious food and no empty calories then could it be that am never wanting for more since am not just full of empty calories?
- My weigh in this morning indicating a drop in .4lbs. -
Clean Eating - Day 24
Posted: June 2, 2008, 4:23 pm by Seinlife
After yesterday long hard day, I hit the sack pretty early and when I got up this AM feeling fresh and awake, I knew it had paid off! For breakfast, we had our Spelt Pancakes without sugar. Delicous as always!
Lack of appetite continued to hound me for yet another day. I skipped lunch and had a craving for fries in the late afternoon. Instead I boiled some red potatoes and browned them with onions, garlic and paprika. That seemed to do the trick and my fries craving was gone.
I remained satisfied through the evening.Observations
- Can’t wait for PMS to pass! -
Clean Eating - Day 23
Posted: June 2, 2008, 4:14 pm by Seinlife
So last night we were jolted from sleep by a tornado warning blarring off our all harzards alert radio. We dragged our sleepy selves down to the basement and tried to settle-in for the rest of the night. Unfortunately the dogs are super sensitive to weather changes and just could not relax and to make it worse the alert went off again. Needless to say we didn’t get much sleep and today was our scheduled garage sale bright and early in the morning. So I got up feeling like a zombie with a serious headache. I had no time for breakfast so I downed my usual 2 glasses of water and headed out. I have never had a garage sale before but the thought of getting rid of all the clutter to make room for more clutter is just way too enticing. By mid morning most of the stuff was gone - Yay! Got me thinking what else can I get rid off LOL! We were successfully done with the garage sale by late morning.
For lunch I had rice and beef which I ate despite the fact that I was not hungry at all. My appetite is just not at its best. By late afternoon, my headache was worse and so I decided to treat it with a strong cup of coffee.
Dinner was no different - no appetite but I had rice and beef again anyway. I had nothing else all evening.Observation
- Weigh in this AM remained constant
- Lack of appetite might be due to PMS (the mother of all womanly troubles!) -
Clean Eating - Day 22
Posted: June 1, 2008, 10:43 pm by Seinlife
No yogurt again this morning just a bowl of fruit and some tea! Not a good way to start a day but I will make do!
Lunch
I ventured into whole foods for lunch and hit the salad bar but skipped all greens and settled on a combination of rice, beans, tabbouleh and chinese cabbage. Yummilicious!
Lunch held me over till dinner which was left over steak, mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables from last nights local restaurant. Tasted even better than it did yesterday!Observations
- I don’t have much of an appetite when I do eat and don’t seem to feel hungry in between meals like I used to. Am attributing this to PMS for now and will return to it post PMS to see if there any changes.
- This mornings weigh in indicated a 2lbs gain - again am blaming PMS for this at least for now and will revisit this after PMS to observe any difference in weight. -
Grocery Store Star Wars Green Humor
Posted: May 30, 2008, 10:30 pm by Seinlife
-
Clean Eating - Day 21
Posted: May 30, 2008, 4:33 pm by Seinlife
I woke up fighting my PMS battles yet again - I tend to have these buggers for a minimum of 4 days prior to the arrival of the dreaded witch, Aunt Flo.
Yogurt was missing from the caferia this morning and after I did a little bit of whinning, the gentleman who works the dairy section decided that the best way to get rid of me was to go to storage and bring me back my yogurt. Which he did - a wonderful fella this one! But on unpacking all of the yogurts my regular one was amiss which immediately prompted more whinning. The poor fella search high and low but to no avail - did I mention how wonderful he is - anyway after a while I gave up and had my bowl of fruit without yogurt Must say it was not as exciting, very lacking in more ways than one.Lunch
Obviously given how unsatisfying breakfast was, I was ready to eat again by 10:30 am. I coerced a friend to join me for lunch, which we ate at 11:15 am.
- mixed greens
- strawberries
- blueberries
- oranges
- pecans
- piece of whole grain bread
Oh what a joyous lunch that kept me satisfied late into the afternoon.Dinner
For dinner we hit a local eatery. Where I certainly feel like I over indulged.
- grilled steak
- mashed potatoes
- roasted vegetables
While we waited for our meals we nibbles on a hummus appetizer, again which I thought I delved way too much into. I only ate half of the dinner and saved the rest for tomorrows dinner. With dinner I also had a glass of red wine, which I haven’t had in more than a month - It went so well with the steak. After dinner I was dreaming of dessert - so we stopped at the grocery store and got carrot cake. Bad Bad Bad! When I got home I had a bite of it and it just didn’t taste good, sort of metallic so I tossed it. Yes! victory is mine! It felt so good to know that my body was rejecting the very bad food that I have been trying to condition it to not respond to - class is certainly going well. I remained content for the rest of the evening.Observations
- Another PMS day
- I think I ate more at the end of the day because of a combination of the incomplete breakfast and PMS? -
Clean Eating - Day 20
Posted: May 29, 2008, 4:29 pm by Seinlife
So this morning I got up in a better mood and looking forward to an enjoyable day. I prepared some steel cut oats, blue berries and a couple slices of mangos for breakfast.
It was super delicious and very filling.
Am going to have to be very careful about what kind of yogurt I buy for breakfast. According to Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food, if you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce the ingredient in the food then it’s not natural food and should not consume it. Why does yogurt need high fructose corn syrup anyway?Lunch
So we had appointments to ran to this morning and once all was done at around 11 am, hubby and I decided to hit a local indian restaurant for their midday buffet.
What a delight! Now granted I don’t really know what unnatural stuff could be in this meal - I would still think it fairs better than a cheese burger with fries. Maybe I just want to re-assure myself….LOL. Anyway the contents were
- rice
- Dal (lentils)
- Paneer (spinach cooked with cheese)
- Chicken tikka
- potatoes and cauliflower
- Naan
I was so stuffed all afternoon I could not hold back the sleep. I just wanted to put my head down and take a power nap. However given that I had work to do, I drank a cup of coffee and right away I was fully awake. Shortly after I had the rans..grrr.
I remained satisfied all through the afternoon and into the evening. I decided to have a smoothie at about 8 pm.
- frozen fruit (strawberries, blackberries and blueberries)
- milk
- honey
- ground flaxseed
- apple
- yogurtObservations
- Mild PMS
- No appetite after lunch probably due to a combination of a heavy lunch and PMS
- Love Pollan - found out from his book that when fat is stripped from milk to make it low-fat, powdered milk in added into it to make it creamy. Powdered milk however adds oxidized cholesterol into the milk which is worse than regular cholesterol. Yikes!
- I love food and love discovering all there is about food.
- Am on day 20!!! -
Clean Eating - Day 19
Posted: May 28, 2008, 10:25 pm by Seinlife
Yet another wonderful day is upon us! Yes so jovial I sound but alas the womanly issues are slowly making way towards me, raking havoc on all of my being. [Pause for a scream]
I feel bloated, sore, a headache coming on and a mood guaranteed to freeze any smile cast my way. With all the symptoms of a foul day ahead - I head out to work and arrive an hour later than I usually do - thanks to one golf tournament that dares presents itself right on my path of travel.
Despite enticing smells of bacon, sausage and frying eggs, I stick to my daily breakfast of yogurt, bowl of fruit and a cup of tea. As I was savoring my breakfast, I caught a whiff of bacon and kidding aside it made me gag [not quite…but close].
Lunch
By 11 am I was dreaming of hot soup and hot bread. Especially since the mid-west weather is so unbelievably unpredictable, yesterday it was 80 degrees and muggy, today we are barely making 60 degrees and talk about chilly..brr. So at 11:15 am I headed out to grab some chicken noodle soup and a piece of whole grain baguette. It was totally worth the walk to my car!
I felt satisfied but remained bloated, moody and just downright scary(even to myself).Dinner
I felt hungry again when I got home at 5 pm so I had some chicken and lentil stew. Since the re-discovered of the crock pot, our house has become quite the kitchen experiment lab. A day prior we put some chicken, lentils, carrots, onions, garlic, black pepper and paprika in the crock pot. What a treat ! One that will sure fill us for the next couple of days that’s for sure. I froze some of the broth to garnish other dishes for us at some other time.
Observation
- PMS makes eating clean a tard bit of a drag. -
Clean Eating - Day 18
Posted: May 27, 2008, 5:21 am by Seinlife
It’s all over - yes the long awaited 3 day weekend has come and now gone. Oh how so quickly it passes, ain’t that the story every time a good time is had? I can never quite put my fingers on how exactly my long weekends are spent; a little of this, a little of that. The bottom line is I love going into it, coming out is always not without a kick and a scream. The scream is the first thing that came to mind when I arose this morning - my fantastic weekend is coming to a close - Nooooooo.
I dragged myself out of bed close to 9 am to have Spelt Pancakes without sugar! They were surprisingly good, maple syrup did double duty.Lunch
Lunch was late in the afternoon at 3 pm. I had whole wheat chapati with some beef stew.
The beef stew was left overs from yesterdays lovely crock pot experiment. The chapati’s were another of my experiments.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup warm water
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp coconut oil (you can use whatever oil you like)
2 cloves of garlic
Dice garlic into very fine pieces and add to the water. Add the mix to flour and salt mix. Knead to a nice firm dough then take the coconut oil and knead it in. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Heat griddle to a medium heat. Divide the dough into six piece balls and roll each into about 6″ circles. Dip the balls in dry flour to prevent them from sticking to the roller. Lay each in the griddle till each side is golden brown; as one side cooks, oil the other with olive oil or oil of choice before letting it cook.
We both loved these chapati’s especially with the garlic in them.Observations
- I don’t have as ferocious an appetite in between meals as I used to.
- According to this mornings weigh in am down a total of 8.3 lbs. Yay!
- Why did I eat the way I did before? This question keeps popping into my head…
- Patience is a virtue that will help in this journey.
- 18 days and am still at it - I never knew I had it in me…. -
Clean Eating - Day 17
Posted: May 26, 2008, 8:04 pm by Seinlife
We spent all evening watching foreign flicks! It’s funny when I was in high school and taking French, I remember detesting our frequent trips to the French Cultural Center to watch French films. Mostly because I did not like following the movie via captions, captions were somewhat a distraction to my movie experience and now when I think of it - it seemed so very silly! Perhaps its maturity, maybe a growth on my part of sorts, whatever it is - it has allowed me a much more diverse an experience in movies and am loving every minute of it.
So yet another morning of sleeping in, this time till about 10 am. My husband decided to make Spelt Pancakes on his own for our breakfast. Even without sugar and baking powder, which were missed during mixing, they still were a delight to have.Lunch
For lunch, which I had at about 3 pm, I threw some vegetables together to make a salad. I had also tried to make Gal Africana inspired Spelt Chapati’s the day prior but ended up with crispy Spelt roti instead. It was surprisingly tasty and went well with the mid afternoon lunch.
Dinner
Dinner was at 7 pm, beef stew with seeded whole grain bread…ooh so filling.
I love the crock pot! -
Clean Eating - Day 16
Posted: May 26, 2008, 7:31 pm by Seinlife
It’s the weekend baby - Yay! So of course I slept in wonderfully and did not get up until a little after 9 am. My goal for the day, zilch! Guess what was for breakfast - Yes our regular weekend Spelt Pancakes. I threw the ingredients together and my husband cooked them on the griddle. They were as delightful as always. Since food has become such an integral part of my life, I was thinking about what we would eat all weekend and my husband suggested we do something in the crock pot. We haven’t used the crock pot in eons! I had some stew beef from my favorite farmer, Dick, which I thought would be ideal for the crock pot. So we cut that up, added some red potatoes, scallions, red onions, carrots, cilantro and let cook for most of the day. This dish was not ready in time for our late afternoon lunch but fortunately we had left over salad which we had at about 2:30 pm.
By 5 pm, I was hungry again so I made a smoothie to hold over till the stew was done.
- frozen blackberries and blueberries
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp ground flax seeds
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 banana
I love smoothies, they are so filling.Dinner
When I did get hungry again at about 8 pm, the potatoes were not quite done yet, so I pulled enough food off the crock pot and used our cast iron pots to speed cook it. In no time we were enjoying this scrumptious meal.
It absolutely worth the wait or should I say the haste. -
Clean Eating - Day 15
Posted: May 26, 2008, 7:09 pm by Seinlife
I love long holiday weekends, they should be a norm! So needless to say my head was just not at work today but mostly engrossed in the fact that this weekend is finally here. The one extra day padded on to a regular weekend that is bound to make many a folks giddy including yours truly. It’s not like I have elaborate plans for these weekends but just the thought that I get an extra day outside of the office is a treat in itself. If you live in the US, you can probably relate - we are not blessed with a 30 day leave like our European counterparts so any holiday that comes along is one to be savored.
So I had my regular breakfast of yogurt, bowl of fruit and hot tea. The morning could not move fast enough but soon lunch was here.Lunch
Lunch was grilled chicken with green beans - tasty!
I was really not accomplishing much at the office so I called it quits at 2 pm and headed out. I stopped at the whole food store for some items for the weekend and decided to hit the salad bar for our dinner.Dinner
Dinner was at 5:30 pm
- cabbage
- kamut
- noodles
- cucumber
- rice
- beans
- couscous
- tomatoes
- peas
- onions
- radishes
- etc
It was delicious as always and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day. -
Clean Eating - Day 14
Posted: May 23, 2008, 4:52 pm by Seinlife
So today I bought gas at a whopping price of $4.09 a gallon and spent a small fortune of $61 total to sem-fill the gas tank. The last time I filled my gas tank, it came to $60 and some change. There was obviously more room for more gas but I was not having it! And fyi the rate was discounted at 10cts off. If I had stopped to get gas the day before I would probably have bought it in the now more reasonably three dollar range. I am dreading this summer big time. It might be time to invest in an electric car coz once we hit the five dollar range am totally out of that game!
So that is how my day started but it soon got better with a raving performance review and an accompanying pay hike (nothing to call home about but at least a hike).I had my usual breakfast; a bowl of fruit, yogurt and tea. I had lunch at about 11:30 am of the regular salad. I ate out in the sun and forget to take my cell phone so I can take pictures..grrr…I think a sure sign that eating this way is now a norm.
The afternoon went by really fast and hunger was nowhere in sight until about 5:30 pm.
Dinner
Dinner was at 6 pm, baked cod with a simple salad.
-
Clean Eating - Day 13
Posted: May 22, 2008, 4:27 pm by Seinlife
I woke up as hungy as I was yesterday morning. I really think the fact that I had no appetite the day before had an effect on how hungry I am this morning. Am not really sure I know how to change that - I don’t really want to eat just to make my 5 to 6 meals if am not hungry - that would be counterproductive. I suppose I could make each meal smaller to jolt up my metabolism and perhaps boost my appetite?
So this morning I had just fruit sans yogurt - unintentionally - they ran out of yogurt at the cafeteria..grrr. I contemplated having oatmeal but didn’t.
Needless to say it was quite the unsatisfactory breakfast and by 10 am, I was on the verge of starvation - literally! The rumbles emanating from within were volcanic-like; loud and messy.Lunch
I had lunch promptly at 11:30 am - chicken noodle soups and a side salad.
- Lettuce
- strawberries
- pineapples
- pecans
- blueberries
- mandarin oranges
- poppyseed dressing
It was so filling and super delicious! I was content all afternoon into the evening.Dinner
Two nights ago, I had soaked some Kamut grains and partly cooked them last night. So when I got home I cooked them some more and used them in my salad.
- Kamut
- mixed greens
- apples
- strawberries
- blueberries
- sunflower seeds
- dressing (yogurt, orange juice, balsamic vinegar)
It was absolutely delicious! After the salad, I had a piece of the seeded whole grain bread - yum!Observations
- Appetite needs a boost - I have to strive for at leat 5 meals a day to rev up my metabolism
- Good day - no stomach aches, no headaches
- Am down another .2lbs - Yes!! -
Clean Eating - Day 12
Posted: May 21, 2008, 4:07 pm by Seinlife
I arose feeling extreme hunger, like I hadn’t had food for days. I suppose that’s what happens when you don’t eat much the day before..duh! However by the time I was ready to fill me up, the hunger had considerable subsided. That’s not to say I skipped breakfast or nothing, LOL, as that would be disastrous. I had my regular bowl of fruit, yogurt and cup of tea. Ooh and the strawberries were un-sliced and the stalks intact..grrrr…obviously someone in the cafeteria is slacking from time to time. I guess it was my opportunity to feel like I went out ‘hunting’ for my own food!
Lunch
Lunch could not come soon enough - I was hungry again by 11 am. So at 11:30 am I had pear chicken with pecans salad.
- mixed greens
- grilled chicken
- swiss cheese
- american cheese
- pepperjack cheese
- cranberries
- pecans
- pears
It was absolutely delicious!
Shortly after lunch I started to have a stomach ache that went on for most of the afternoon. I hold the cheese suspect ….. I was however full all afternoon or perhaps distracted by the tummy ache enough not to feel hungry - I don’t know.Dinner
Stomach ache was gone by about 4 pm and I had dinner at about 6 pm. Ground beef on seeded whole wheat bread which was very filling.
I remained full all evening and did not feel the need to replenish again. -
Clean Eating - Day 11
Posted: May 20, 2008, 6:11 am by Seinlife
It was breakfast as usual this morning; a bowl of fruit, low fat yogurt and a cup of tea enjoyed for most of the morning.
Lunch
I was hungry by 11:15 am but waited patiently for 11:30 am to start building my salad.
- spinach
- tomatoes
- broccoli
- romaine lettuce
- green and red peppers
- onions
- mushrooms
- eggs
- sunflower seeds
- cottage cheese
- carrots
- grapes
- cucumber
- a teaspoon of red wine vinegar
I must say I wasn’t feeling the salad today. Maybe I have had way too much of it or something. Maybe it had too much egg - the whole lunch eating process felt automated and boring. Lets just say I ate it but I can honestly say I won’t be calling home about it.
Meetings were lined up all afternoon and snacking time didn’t commence until 3pm when I had sliced apple and a teaspoon of peanut butter.
Dinner
I wasn’t hungry at all this evening and after trying to put it off in hopes of looming hunger, I finally gave in and ate anyway at about 7 pm. I had some tomato soup with seeded whole grain bread.
Observations
- I wasn’t as hungry as I normally would be in the afternoon and into the evening.
- Someone brought in ginger bread cookies which I briefly thought about when they were mentioned but all thoughts quickly faded.
- Another reasonably good day. -
Green Bag Humor
Posted: May 20, 2008, 2:35 am by Seinlife
A little bit of Monday humor
-
Clean Eating - Day 10
Posted: May 19, 2008, 5:16 pm by Seinlife
I really think I have this clean eating thing down. Every day it is increasingly easier and effortless to eat clean. I have not had any cravings for any sort of processed food at all which to me indicates that am getting everything my body needs from clean eating. I must confess that it is very difficult for me to drink what I think is enough water over the weekends. It is much easier to drink water when am sitting at work than when am running around doing things. I don’t feel water deficient though - but I know that I didn’t drink as much water as I usually do on weekdays. Am not really sure how to solve that bit - am not even sure that I should be solving that bit. If my body is not asking for water, why should I give it?
I had breakfast at 10 am of Spelt Pancakes. These are just my favorite ever - If I had time to make them during weekdays I would!
Lunch
I had lunch at about 2:30 pm of leftover spaghetti and ground beef. The spelt spaghetti has a cinnamony sweetness taste, which hubby brought to my attention. Yummie!Afternoon Snack
Got hungry at 5 pm so I had an apple and a tsp of peanut butter.
Dinner
Savored the last bit of the leftovers at about 6:30 pm!
Evening Snack
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 tsp of ground flax seeds
- 1 tsp of ground sunflower seeds
- 2 tsp of honey
- 1/3 cup of frozen fruit
- 1 lettuce leaf
- 1/2 apple -
Clean Eating - Day 9
Posted: May 18, 2008, 6:57 pm by Seinlife
So Friday nights are always fun because I stay up really late doing stuff that I enjoy knowing full well that the next day I can sleep in for as long as I like. Of course the late hours will eventually haunt me come Monday morning but that never stops me. I started to read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan whose mantra “Eat food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants” is music to my ears. The book talks about how the western diet has changed leading to an increase in obesity, cancer etc and how we should be eating to move away from this bad diet. Perhaps when am done I will do a brief review on this book.
So of course with the late night I had a rather late start this morning. A first thing weigh in revealed that I had lost .2lbs - Yay! Breakfast was at about 10 am and it was our Saturday usual of Spelt Pancakes.Lunch
I had a late lunch at about 3 pm of spelt spaghetti and grass-fed ground beef.
This was the first grass-fed ground beef we have had since our trip to the local organic farm and boy was it yummie! It seemed much greasier when it cooked but it cooked evenly and browned easily. I noticed that it didn’t have the nasty smell that I have typically experienced when I cook store bought ground beef. It was also our first time eating spelt spaghetti which required a 4 minute cook time which we thought was rather quick. This meal was absolutely delicious and will certainly grace our dinning room table again. We actually have plenty of leftovers so we will be eating this meal again tomorrow.
Dinner
I didn’t get hungry until about 6 pm so I put a salad together
- romaine lettuce
- kale
- oranges
- chopped apples
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- cashew nuts
- yogurt and balsamic vinegar dressingEvening Snack
At about 9 pm I threw together a smoothie for a quick snack
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- a handful of frozen fruits (strawberries and blackberries)
- a tsp ground flax seeds
- tsp of honey
I really enjoy this smoothie, it is quick to fix and very nutritious.Observations
- Another wonderful effortless day! -
Clean Eating - Day 8
Posted: May 17, 2008, 6:42 pm by Seinlife
I had the my usual breakfast of a bowl of fruit, low fat yogurt and a delayed cup of tea that I enjoyed for most of the morning.
Lunch
I was starving by lunch time and couldn’t wait for the cafeteria to open - I was literally standing by the gate when it rolled open upon which I made a mad dash to the salad bar for my every day salad.
- spinach
- tomatoes
- black beans
- corn
- broccoli
- romaine lettuce
- green and red peppers
- onions
- mushrooms
- eggs
- sunflower seeds
- cottage cheese
- carrots
- grapes
- cucumber
- cabbage
- a teaspoon of red wine vinegar
I was in an intense meeting all afternoon and didn’t get to snack until about 3 pm when I had an apple and a teaspoon of peanut butter.
Dinner
Dinner was leftover whole food store salad from the day before and I had that at about 6 pm.
I didn’t feel hungry at all for the rest of the evening.
Observations
Today was probably the first day I felt completely normal which probably means my body is almost adjusted to my new eating habit. -
Clean Eating - Day 7
Posted: May 16, 2008, 7:19 am by Seinlife
So yesterday after work I went to pick up the first weeks produce from my subscription to a local CSA (community supported agriculture). Although it was rather gloomy from an all day drizzle, I arrived excited with anticipation of fresh produce harvested only a couple of hours prior. The farmer and his wife, a rather jovial pair, had brought us real maple syrup, honey, asparagus, romaine lettuce, kale and green onions. They had rhubarb too but I opted for asparagus instead as the two were available as one or the other. I spent some of the evening prepping the produce for ease of use before stocking it in the fridge. I didn’t get to bed as early as I would have liked and that sort of caught up with me this morning. It just seemed a little harder to leave the warmth of the bed more than usual today. When I did get up I was fairly hungry and ate my usual breakfast as soon as I got in to work. The breakfast was one yogurt, a bowl of fruit and some tea. I didn’t have tea until about an hour after I ate breakfast - no reason - just didn’t want to juggle all the stuff in my hands as I usually do.
Lunch
I didn’t get hungry at all prior to lunch until I happened to notice that it was 11:45 am, so I dashed off to make my usual salad.
- cottage cheese
- grapes
- romaine lettuce
- black beans
- egg
- spinach
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- pineapples
- green, yellow and red pepper
- sunflower seedsAfternoon Snack
Today being a very busy day at work, I had to use the clock quite a bit as my guide on when to eat. Well except for this afternoon when I got real hungry 2 hours after lunch.
- sliced apple
- a tsp of peanut butter
- a banana
That lovely snack had me satisfied for the rest of my work day until dinner.Dinner
On the way home I had to stop at the whole food store for some stuff so I figured I would hit their salad bar for dinner. I love their salad bar - it has a lot of variety.
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- kamut
- red cabbage
- regular cabbage
- radishes
- chinese noodles
- butterfly noodles
- red beans and rice
- black beans
- sunflower seeds
- a tsp of balsamic vinagrette
Let me just say I tremendously enjoyed this salad. Of course shortly after I was hungry again, about 2 hours later. Dinner was at 6 pm.Evening Snack
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 3 tbsp of ground flax seeds
- 2 tsp of honey
- 1/3 cup of frozen fruitObservations
- First day of no sluggishness
- Headache was back in the late evening - went away after dinner - am attributing it to low blood sugar? dunno, we shall see if the same thing happens tomorrow.
- TMI section, my morning breath is not as bad as it used to be - I want to guess that this might be because am not having sugar(chocolate) and sipping wine the night before? another one of those pleasant side effects. Needless to say my dogs are not pleased with this new development at all!
One week down - Yay! -
Clean Eating - Day 6
Posted: May 15, 2008, 3:28 am by Seinlife
Sleep came to me rather fast last night and getting up this morning was as easy as hump day should be. My energy level was much like yesterday if not slightly better. I was somewhat hungry - not starving - just mild morning hunger.
Breakfast was the usual; a bowl of fruit, yogurt and a cup of tea. I really love this breakfast because it is quick, easy and has everything I need to charge my mornings up.Lunch
I was looking forward to Tilapia on a bed of mango salsa for lunch but unfortunately the cafeteria mixed up their menu and left me feeling very led on. Thank goodness for the salad bar.
- broccoli
- spinach
- romaine lettuce
- tomatoes
- red, green and yellow peppers
- cottage cheese
- grapes
- strawberries
- carrots
- cucumber
- egg
- sunflower seeds
- a tsp of red wine vinegar
As always very delicious!Afternoon Snack
I promptly was hit with hunger again at 2:30pm and I squashed it with this snack.
- a tsp peanut butter
- celery sticksDinner
I grilled some chicken, onions, green peppers and brussel sprouts for dinner at 5:30pm.
Evening Snack
I was hungry again pretty quick so at 7 pm I made myself a smoothie.
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- a handful of frozen fruits (strawberries, bananas and pineapples)
- ground flax seeds
- tsp of honeyObservations
- Another day without a headache - no complaints here.
- After breakfast I was sort of drowsy for about 30 minutes.
- Birthday cakes were flaunted in my face and I didn’t even flinch. I had no desire at all to have it which in the past would have been a deal breaker.
- No afternoon sluggishness.
- A friend, who doesn’t know am clean eating, told me I have a glow to me - she wanted to know if am loosing weight! Ooh I was high on that compliment all afternoon. -
Clean Eating - Day 5
Posted: May 14, 2008, 4:06 am by Seinlife
It’s day 5 already? time sure flies when one is having fun. So I hit the sack pretty early last night after a failed attempt at making bread. I fell asleep reciting ‘revenge is mine’. I arose this morning all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to conquer yet another day of clean living.
I had the breakfast that has now become a regular day opener - a bowl of fruit, low fat yogurt and a cup of tea. A sure breakfast for this champion..tsk!
Lunch
My inerds were rolling over in protest by 11 am and had to throw more water on them as we had a lunch engagement out in that beautiful sun. When the time did come, 11:45 am, the salad was a sure pleaser.
- spinach
- garbanzo beans
- brocolli
- romaine lettuce
- green, yellow and red peppers
- onions
- mushrooms
- eggs
- sunflower seeds
- cottage cheese
- a teaspoon of red wine vinegar
Afternoon Snack
Two and a half hours after lunch I was suddently awash with the desire to pull out my blanket and take a nap! 15 minutes later I was ready to eat any horse that dared make an appearances.
- a teaspoon of peanut butter
- a handful of carrots
- one banana
Dinner
After going to a playdate for my dogs, we are all exhausted and am especially famished. Thank goodness for leftovers!
- grilled chicken
- steamed green beans
- 1/2 an apple
Observations
- No headaches - Yay!
- Had the same sleepy feeling in the early afternoon that I had yesterday.
- Felt alot more energized this morning than usual. -
Clean Eating - Day 4
Posted: May 13, 2008, 3:17 am by Seinlife
Who loves Mondays, NOT me that’s for sure. I was pretty hungry when I got up this morning, hungrier than I have ever been at such a godforsaken hour. However as I got ready for the day ahead the hunger seemed to fade and by the time I had something to eat about 8:30 am, I wasn’t really that hungry anymore.
Breakfast
A cup of tea sans milk and sugar
- one low-fat yogurt
- a handful of strawberries
- a handful of grapes
This breakfast is fast becoming the norm and perhaps the easiest bit of my day.Lunch
Lunch rolled around without me knowing - not hungry at all - until I caught a whiff of fries. I drooled my way into the cafeteria to make a good salad when a soup suddenly sounded very good especially on this here cold day.
Accompanying the cabbage and white bean soup is a salad made of:
- cottage cheese
- grapes
- spinach
- broccolli
- tomatoes
- green and red pepper
The soup turned out to be not so hot, very bland but filling. The salad was as delicious as always. Lunch held me over until about 3:30pm when I snacked on a apple.Dinner
Baked cod sprinkled with lemon sage, oregano and black pepper served with green beans. It was ultra yummie!Evening Snack
- cottage cheese
- 1/2 apple
- a handful of cashew nuts and pumpkin seedsObservations
- No headaches
- Sluggish and drowsy in the early afternoon
- I weighed myself this morning and amazingly I have dropped 6 lbs since I started - wow - perhaps the weight gurus can explain this one for me? Am thinking it must be water weight but still those are a lot of lbs. Certainly gives me the push I need to keep at it. -
Clean Eating - Day 3
Posted: May 12, 2008, 4:45 am by Seinlife
I slept in today until 10 am and had Spelt Pancakes for breakfast at about 11 am. I wasn’t feeling nearly as hungry as I usual do in the morning but those pancakes went down pretty easy. After that late breakfast, I didn’t feel hungry again until about 3pm.
Afternoon Snack
I decided since it is so late in the day I would settle for a snack that will tie me over until dinner time. So I had the same snack I had yesterday of:
- 1/2 cup of yogurt
- a handful of strawberries
- a handful of blueberries
- a couple slices of mango
Dinner
I grilled some red potatoes, green peppers and red peppers with a dash of fresh garlic and onions and served it with grilled chicken. Dinner was served at 5:30 pm.
Evening Snack
I started dreaming of coffee around 7pm but fought the urge and instead choose to snack on one sliced up small apple and one orange which I enjoyed with a glass of water. Yay!
I didn’t have a headache at all today perhaps because am adjusting or because I was well rested or because I was very pre-occupied with a project am working on - don’t know - only time will tell. It was certainly a much easier day than the previous days!
-
Clean Eating - Day 2
Posted: May 11, 2008, 6:01 am by Seinlife
After a late night last night getting up this morning was a nightmare! but then again when is it ever NOT! I had to get up early on this here Saturday morning in order to get in and out at my hairdresser in a jiff. Of course my hairdresser is really going to take up ALL of my morning and this much I know already but I like to fool myself into thinking that perhaps…just perhaps this one time I will be out of there in decent time. So I dragged myself out of bed when the alarm went off at 6:15am, cleaned up and prepared breakfast.
BreakFast
Since I was going to be gone all morning I wanted to make sure I left on a fairly full stomach.
So I cooked a 1/4 cup of steel oats on the stove and about 15 minutes later when they were done, I threw in:
- 1/8 cup of 2% organic milk
- a handful of sliced up strawberries
- a handful of blueberries
- a handful of blackberries
- a tsp of real maple syrup
- a couple slices of mango (on the side)
After this 7:15am breakfast I felt pretty satisfied and opted to skip my regular cup of tea - it would not stay steaming hot enough to enjoy during the trip.
Lunch
So off I went to my hairdresser, water bottle in hand. By 10am, even though I was filling my stomach with water, it was rumbling like someone was beating bongo’s in there. After what seemed like eternity (about 3 hours), my hairdresser was finally done.Yay! Unfortunately the rumbling had also escalated to an alarming rate. I had to eat ASAP! So I rushed home and we went off to a local eatery that has decent healthy food, only to be welcomed by this sign ‘closed until 4pm’. Yikes! For sure I was going to die if I didn’t eat something soon and now I also feel a headache coming on. We ended up across the street at a chinese/american fusion restaurant. Nothing on the menu fit my bill but I had to eat something so I had miso soup and a house salad with ginger dressing. At last my hunger was suppressed for now. Time 1:15pm.
Afternoon Snack
My headache is worse! I think mostly because I waited so long to get something in my stomach - am not completely certain. It could also be because I haven’t had any caffeine today. At about 3:30pm I was hungry again so I fixed myself a snack.
- 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
- a handful of strawberries
- a handful of blueberries
- a handful of cashew nuts
- a handful of pumpkin seeds
- a slice of mango
Yummilicious!
My headache was still persisting so I broke down and had a cup of coffee with 2% milk and real sugar at about 4:30pm and within 15 minutes my headache was gone!
Dinner
Dinner was served at 7pm and tonight we had grilled chicken, left over quinoa and peas salad and a sliced half apple. I downed the delicious meal with a cool glass of water.
Day 2 seemed a tard harder than Day 1 but mostly because I did not prepare well for this mornings happenings which impacted lunch. Todays lesson - plan and prepare. -
Clean Eating - Day 1
Posted: May 10, 2008, 11:59 pm by Seinlife
So yesterday was my first day of clean eating - eating food that is as close to its natural state as possible. We had company over the night before and needless to say i was up much later than usual and found it really difficult to rise and shine the next morning. Although i was starved for sleep, by the time i got cleaned up and ready for the day, I could feel the hunger kicking in.
BreakFast
I sought breakfast as soon as i got in to work at 8am. I had a bowl of fruit that included strawberries, grapes, pineapples and kiwi. Water melon and cantaloupe were also available but i chose to skip those today. I also got a cup of plain low-fat yogurt which i typically will mix in with the fruit. Delicious! Lastly a 20 oz. cup of tea with no milk or sugar which i enjoy everyday!
Lunch
Hunger struck again 3 hours later at a little after 11am. So at 11:30ish i headed off to make a salad at the cafeteria bar. My salad included:
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- red pepper
- green pepper
- yellow pepper
- spinach
- romaine lettuce
- onion
- garbanzo beans
- cucumber
- sunflower seeds
- tsp of red wine vinegar
- grapes
- 2 tbsps of cottage cheese
I enjoyed this salad with some sumptuous water!I typically have a starbucks chai(bad bad bad) at around 2pm - a venti with extra pumps and the works. So when ‘chai time’ rolled around i felt a headache creeping in with it. I didn’t take anything for it, i decided to bear it out and continued drinking my water. When i left the office a little after 4pm my head still hurt. I got home and made myself a snack before dinner.
Afternoon Snack
- 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
- a couple of strawberries
- a couple of blackberries
- a couple of blueberries
- a handful of raw cashew nuts
- a handful of raw pumpkin seeds
Dinner
When we sat down for dinner at 8pm my headache was gone.Yay! victory at last! Dinner was garlic grilled grass-fed beef with a modified version of quinoa and pea salad.
Evening Snack
I had another helping of my afternoon snack around 10pm while i sat around waiting for my hair to dry. I didn’t get to bed until way past midnight.Overall a good first day!
-
Clean Eating
Posted: May 8, 2008, 11:48 pm by Seinlife
On May 9th i will begin a 30-day trial of clean eating. What is clean eating? No, not the opposite of the mess i sometimes make on my blouse collar when the spoon misses my gob! Clean eating is ..consuming food in its most natural state — or as close as possible to it. Eating clean means eating lean meat, whole grains and good fats and most importantly eliminating empty calories from processed foods and refined sugars. So no to late night potato chips snacks, no to mid-afternoon starbucks chai rans, no to hot saturday afternoon ice-cream rans, you get the gist!
I will record what i eat at every meal and indicate how i feel if anything. I will eat as much as i feel i need without under or over eating during these meals. I will continue with my usual exercise regiment and will not add any supplements to my diet.
-
Grass-fed Beef: A Journey to a Local Organic Farm
Posted: May 4, 2008, 8:09 pm by Seinlife
So yesterday we made a trip out to an organic farm about an hour away from where we live. It started off as a rainy day but when we were ready to hit the road mid afternoon it seemed to clear up. We arrived at the farm an hour and half after our departure thanks to bad directions and missed turns.
We were cheerfully welcomed, wet dirty paws on chest, by one very happy farm dog. Soon the farm owner was out and leading us to the organic beef stash. He had all sorts of cuts to choose from and that we did. We purchase several pounds of ground beef and steak shanks. We got to chit chatting with the owner who happened to be an ex-professor at a local state university following his passion for real food. He told us he sends off a cow to an organic processing plant, the only one in the state, to have it slaughtered and packaged.
The farm also sells flour, milled while you wait (check out the grinder below). We purchased spelt flour for our spelt pancakes, hard flour and regular whole wheat flour for making our own bread. We were advised to refrigerate the flour as it would go rancid pretty quick.
As if that wasn’t enough, they make their own Grade B maple syrup! Needless to say we bought that as well - no one wants to eat that store bought maple syrup loaded with high fructose corn syrup and lacking in rich flavours that the real stuff provides.
We stuck around for a while, enjoying good conversation and taking in as much of our surroundings as possible. It brought back so many good memories from my childhood days growing up on a farm - my husband kept laughing at my excitement over the sight of cows. On the way back we saw a couple of those horrible massive chicken farms but we also saw some really happy grass-fed cows.
When we got home we grilled some of the beef and enjoyed it with some quinoa and peas salad. The beef was a delight and tasted like meat did when i was growing up on the farm. If you have had Nyama choma, then you know what am talking about - if not you should give grass-fed beef a try.
We hope to return to the farm at least once a month for a supply of good healthy food - local farmers rock! -
Quionoa and Peas Salad recipe
Posted: May 4, 2008, 8:01 pm by Seinlife
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup cooked peas
1/4 cup sliced green onion/scallions
1/4 cup sliced red pepper
1/4 cup sliced green pepper
1/8 cup shredded cilantro
2 cloves garlic
8 small sweet tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegarMix all the above ingredients in a bowl and serve.
Serves about 4. -
The story of Stuff: Consumerism
Posted: May 1, 2008, 10:24 pm by Seinlife
The story of stuff is a twenty minute animated video of the production to consumption chain behind our every day consumer products and its perils to our environment, health and happiness. It’s an excruciating eye-opener to our wasteful consumer culture that should spur us to rethink our role in it.The video is simple, effective and engaging.
You will not look at stuff in the same way again after watching this video - at least i don’t and never will!
-
The Power of Baking Soda on Your Dishes
Posted: April 30, 2008, 5:04 pm by Seinlife
We have a very bad habit of allowing dirty dishes to pile up in my house at a very alarming rate. We eat, rinse and set down dishes on the counter next to the sink - pretty much so we can accumulate enough items to fill the washer. We could very well rinse and stick them in the washer right then but we are mostly too lazy for that bit. Neither one of us will get to this point unless we either ran out of spoons or we can’t stand the strange odor eminating from the pile any longer. Yes - something had to be done!
So a couple of weeks ago we started a different routine. After each meal rinse dishes and while still wet sprinkle some baking soda on the dishes and pile them.
The noticeable difference when we finally ran out of spoons was there was no foul smell!So i went out and bought a big salt shaker filled it with baking soda and set it next to the kitchen sink for the sole purpose of sprinkling and deodarizing the dishes. I also notice that i don’t use as much dish washing detergent if i sprinkle baking soda on them prior to putting them in the dish washer. With less dish washing detergent used then less water is needed to wash dishes!
Occassionally we will forget the sprinkling part and not realize it until all the dishes are loaded in the dish washers. Not to worry, sprinkle them while in the washer, it doesn’t do quite as good a job but it will be better than nothing and will keep your washer clean too.
I use baking soda to clean the kitchen sink as well - it leaves it clean and shiny as stainless steel was intended to be.
-
Earth Class Mail: Cleaning Up Junk Mail
Posted: April 29, 2008, 3:05 am by Seinlife
As much as I really love this idea - mostly because i don’t like to deal with my junk mail - yuck i can’t stand junk mail, i don’t really think it will catch on. Earth class mail is essentially switching your snail mail to e-mail - sort of. The reason i doubt it’s potential is I don’t know too many people that are comfortable allowing someone else to handle their snail mail including yours truly. I would love to give it a try though but i would feel more reassured if i could hear from anyone out there that has used/is using this service? Care to chime in and tell us your experience or perhaps the experience of someone you know using it?
-
Club Soda: Glass Cleaner
Posted: April 27, 2008, 5:35 pm by Seinlife
We moved into our new home 4 years ago and believe it or not i have never cleaned any of the windows. Yes i know - in a previous century i would be totally unworthy of the hefty bride price my husband would have paid!
Since my goal is to use non-toxic products none of the commercial glass cleaners would fit the bill. Most of them contain ammonia which not only makes me sneeze but would probably make my dogs sick since they love to lick the windows so much. They are also wax based which means they leave streaks on the glass as you clean.
So i did some web surfing and came across numerous suggestions to use club soda. Club soda is super cheap, much cheaper than any glass cleaner you will find the market. It is carbonated water with a little bit of sodium citrate. Apparently the sodium citrate softens the water and is the reason it does such a good job with the glass.
I filled a spray bottle with club soda, sprayed on the windows and wiped. It seemed to work best if i used two rags; one for the initial wet wipe and the other for drying up. I used an old cotton t-shirt that i cut up in pieces for my rags. I contemplated using old newspapers like we did on the farm as kids but i remember the smell of the runny toxic ink on the paper as we cleaned and decided to skip that bit.
Needless to say, my husband will not be demanding a re-negotiation on bride price as the windows are sparkling clean.
I have also used club soda to clean kitchen and bathroom sink knobs and it does a wonderful job there too.
-
7 Reasons to ditch Bottled Water
Posted: April 25, 2008, 6:05 pm by Seinlife
Many of us have been led to believe that bottled water is safer to drink than tap water. Yet municipal tap water is much more rigorously tested and monitored than bottled water. Fact is bottled water is no safer, or better, or cleaner, or healthier than tap water. Here are some reasons to break that bottled water habit.
1. Empty bottled water plastic bottles pile up in landfills emitting chemicals and choking the environment. Two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes - scroll down to the third set.
2. Bottled water may be bad for your teeth.
3. Bottled water is expensive - “two or three or four times the cost of gasoline”!
4. Bottled water is not safer than tap water as the safety levels of bottled water are scrutinized at lower standards than those of municipal drinking water.
5. The making of bottled water i.e. producing the plastic bottles uses non-renewable energy and emits toxic chemicals.
6. Transportation of bottled water from overseas e.g Fiji water emits carbon dioxide into the air and hence diminishes any efforts for global climate change.
7. Often times bottled water is made from your local municipal source. Fact is 40% of bottled water is bottled tap water!
-
10 Best Cities For Clean Drinking Water
Posted: April 24, 2008, 11:45 pm by Seinlife
Rising concerns over the environmental impact of drinking bottled water has led to more people making the shift to tap water. We made that switch 4yrs ago in my household with added help from a PUR water filter. Tap water unfortunately has its own contamination problems. One of them being a recent report that a vast array of pharmaceuticals were found in the drinking water supplies of 41 million americans.
According to Forbes.com, this contamination varies from city to city depending on where you live. Treatment plants do not necessarily remove all of the pollutants from our drinking water sources which means we consume what is left over. What to do? Invest in a carbon water filter to remove contaminants and impurities from your tap water and more importantly do not go back to drinking bottled water!
Here is the full list of the Best Cities for clean drinking water
-
5 Natural Ways To Curb Allergies
Posted: April 23, 2008, 12:32 am by Seinlife
Spring is officially here and with it allergy season. Watery eyes, runny noses, coughs and sneezes are part of the norm for this time of the year. This is a direct result of our bodies producing excess histamine to fight off the allergens. Available drugs and sprays unfortunately produce mixed results and are often plagued with side effects.
Here are 5 natural remedies to prevent allergies before their on-set and drug-free ways to treat them when they do prevail.
1. Drink lots of water to supress histamine production in your body.
2. Reduce consumption of foods that induce production of histamine in your body. These inlcude but not limited to eggs, milk, cheese, alcohol etc
3. Sweeten your morning tea with some honey**. Honey helps build antibodies to the allergens.
4. Add Garlic to your meals as it is known to slow inflamation down.
5. Use a neti pot or nosebidet to douche your nasal passages to drain sinuses and heal inflamation
**honey may trigger allergic episode for some people when using local honey because it contains the same allergens you have already been exposed to.
-
A Clean Planet
Posted: April 22, 2008, 7:01 pm by Seinlife
Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day, a day of environmental recognition, celebration and continued protection. To mark this day i would like to share a simple non toxic all-purpose cleaner for household chores.
Most liquid all purpose cleaners have ammonia, alcohol, glycols, etc which can cause coughing, sneezing, sore throats, itching and all kinds of irritation when inhaled.
1/4 cup of Liquid soap*
2 tbsp of white distilled vinegar
1 tsp Borax**
2 cups of water
8 drops of lavendar essential oilHeat the water and mix in the vinegar and borax. Shake the mix well to make sure the borax has dissolved. Add in liquid soap, essential oil and you are good to go.
* I use Dr. Bronner’s castille liquid soap (i use this soap for pretty much everything)
** Borax is toxic when ingested and irritant to eyes and open cuts - so please label it, keep it out of reach from kids.
I use this all purpose cleaner as i would a commercial version; to clean my shower, sinks, fridge and even floors.
Check out nothoney’s list of more things you can do to save our beautiful planet.
-
Green Funerals
Posted: April 21, 2008, 8:40 pm by Seinlife
More and more people are being encouraged to say goodbye to this earth in a more eco-friendly way. That means saying no to formaldehyde, no to embalming and no to metal caskets. Saying yes to biodegradable coffins like the ecopod or a simple decoratable cardboard, yes to a burial in an eco-friendly graveyard or yes to a do-it-yourself home funeral.
Part of the reason i find this idea so attractive aside from the fact that it has less of an impact on the environment is that it allows me the freedom to return to my cultural roots. My cultural traditional upbringing dictates that when a person dies, the corpse is smeared with ox fat, wrapped in rawhide and buried asap. My grandmother and father were both buried on the family farm in this manner with the ox fat replaced with ashes and rawhide with a cotton sheet. This practice leave no doubt in my mind that our ancestors were very environmentally conscious. It was very important that decomposition be facilitated to create a oneness with the earth. I do hope that when my time comes i too will say fare thee well in a similar cultural-friendly eco-conscious way.Check out treehuggers suggestions on how to green your funeral. Also check out glendale nature preserve, an example of an american facility that offers green funerals.
-
Spelt Pancakes
Posted: April 20, 2008, 8:41 pm by Seinlife
Now that eating more whole grains is part of my larger quest to know what i eat, i made my first attempt at using spelt flour in a pancake receipe. What can i say - what a delight! Not only did the pancakes seem to carry an almost nutty flavor to them but we felt pretty full very fast. I used organic milk and real sugar. I must say this one is a keeper!
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp butterMix flour, baking powder and sugar together in a bowl. Heat milk and butter in a pan until the butter is melted. Pour this mix in another bowl and add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to a nice smooth texture. Gradually work the liquid mix to your flour, baking powder and sugar until it is all runny with no pockets of un-mixed flour.
Heat your frying pan and reduce it to a low heat before you start pouring in the mix to make the pancakes.
Serves 6-8 pancakes.