Tuesday Treats!!!

Hey Y'all!

Ugh, how I wish I was southern. I constantly feel this urge to say y'all creeping up from deep inside, but something about an almost New Yorker (by way of Boston )trying to twang just doesn't sit right! However, no one can give me a funky look if I use "y'all" while hiding behind this blog, right?!

Anyways, today was a lovely day in NYC. There was actually a breeze (who knew?), and the temperature fell below 90 degrees. I recently chopped bangs (still getting used to them) and was actually able to forgo the headband, wear them down, and not look like a sweatball! Score!

Bangs. Vodka club with a splash of cran. Don't worry, this was not today at work!

After work, I headed to see my nutritionist (Registered Dietician to be more politically correct), Laura. I think of her as my "moderation guru". Seeing an R.D. is something I choose to do because it keeps me on my path of "living well".  What I have found through my work with Laura is that moderation and mindfulness are the key to enjoying life! If you are ever considering nutrition counseling she will change your life, seriously. I have to give her a little plug here because she really is that awesome!

http://lauracipullollc.com/

With all that said, today I want to chat about moderation. As Westerners (and especially New Yorkers!), we embrace more of an extremist mentality. It's either, "I am subsisting on only lettuce this week" or "I am a horrible person because I ate that pizza". We don't consider movement "exercise" unless we are feeling as though we are going to hurl. My dad once said to me that he finds the gym interesting (and rather sad) because you see these women running on the treadmill, looking MISERABLE, and simultaneously watching the food channel. Men on the other hand, hang out in the weight room, chat with their buddies, and overall look pretty content. I realize that this is a HUGE generalization; the roles could be reversed. For the sake of this illustration, I'm going to say women on the treadmill and men pumpin' up in the weight room.



Look, there are people who LOVE running. There are people who HATE lifting weights. Do what YOU love! I think MANY people feel that they only deserve to eat if they exercise. I get this, I was one of these people! To be perfectly honest, I still have my days. It is hard not to be obsessed with food, weight, and exercise when it is literally and figuratively being shoved in our faces from so many different sources. Think about this though my friends, even people on bed rest need food to survive, and they certainly are not exercising! Picture this, you can do an activity you actually enjoy and STILL be in shape. So European :)

I was one of those people strapped to the treadmill, watching the food channel, and eating lettuce. Guess what? I gave that sh*t up. I realized I love yoga. I look forward to it. I sweat AND I smile. I'll tell you what I LOVE about yoga another day. I do enjoy a great spin class once a week to get the blood pumpin', but I don't do it everyday because then it becomes a chore. I have enough chores!  This is me pictured below...



Ok, not really me. Cool for her though.

The last thing I am going to share on the subject of moderation and ME is this. I have stopped considering myself a good person if I eat lettuce and workout like dog. I have also stopped considering myself a bad person if I eat some lasagna and vegg on the couch. Guess what? I have become a person who is happier and whose body size and structure has more or less stayed EXACTLY the same. My metabolism rocks and my energy is through the roof. I'm not saying that you should sit and eat potato chips without reserve everyday (if you do it sometimes, who cares!), but eat the damn potato chips and just do it mindfully. Don't plow through the whole bag! I have tried to satisfy my cravings for a particular food with other "healthier" things. For example, I want the lasagna but I eat carrots and apples and nuts to try to make it go away. Then, guess what I do? Eat the lasagna anyways. You get the point.

I only share some of my experience because I feel like there are a lot of us that struggle with this black and white mentality, and it really doesn't have to be this way. Love yourself and treat your body well. After all, your body is all you have to carry you through your life. This is just something I'm working on so I figured I would share :)  I'm going to move on and get off my moderation soapbox now. I'm sure I'll get back on it at some point, though! :)

I have to go to bed now, but I wanted to share my great lunch recipe with you guys. It is actually from Bethenny Frankel's website (P.S. ..I.Heart.Bethenny). Now, I generally don't like tofu. I think it tastes like scrambled eggs. I am also NOT a vegetarian. Any decent recipe I come across for tofu calls for it to be drowned in oil or some other sauce... bleck. With that said, this recipe intrigued me, and I am so glad I tried it! I adapted it a bit to please my taste buds. Here ya go!

Idiot-Proof Delicious Tofu Salad Sandwich (adapted from B. Frankel!)

• 7 oz firm tofu, drained and mashed with a fork (I like Nasoya brand- it comes water-packed in a plastic box)


• 1 tsp Dijon mustard


• 1 tsp mayonnaise (if you prefer choose low-fat or soy mayonnaise)


• ¾ tsp Spike seasoning (You can replace this with salt and pepper, but at some point you have to try Spike. It is life changing.)

I don't know what the heck spike seasoning is. I used salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then I added in some capers, red onion, and I substituted mayo with Chobani because I HATE mayo.

Lunch! YUM!



Then I got hungry again :) I heart KIND bars. If you haven't tried one you absolutely must. These little guys have serious staying power, and they are seriously delectable. Nom.Nom.Nom.

G'nite kids.

xo