MENA diet/exercise thread

[chaishai 1]

bump!

how is it going peeps?

I have kept it up sort of this weekend. My eating wasnt so bad except for wine indulgences (but I didnt go overboard). I didnt work out yesterday, took a very much needed break but I worked out enough for two days this morning. I actually weighed myself before and after this workout because I was curious and I lost 1.5 lbs (I guess in sweat) during the workout! Whoo-hoo!

[Nasturtium 500]

Well, this week i gained a bit of weight (2lbs) but lost thigh inches. Everything else was the same. I'm in bloat time of the month so this isn't surprising to me.

[sereia 0]

i haven't been able to work out at all since the first day i did because i got a bad cold right after. (excuses, excuses, i know!) but today i'm feeling mostly better so i'll drag my ####### to the gym!

[RAKASA 0]

Just finished 3 10min dance workouts, eating better (except for those few chocolates - can't wait til their gone!). Having sauteed greens for lunch... num num num!

[tnh9479 1]

After a couple weeks of very slight indulgences and maintaining, I woke up this morning and was down almost 2 pounds. Losing weight gives me the encouragement to just keep doing the good work.

breakfast: turkey bacon (organic with no preseratives...I swear the best stuff)

1 c. mixed berries

lunch: lemon chicken

snack: handful of cashews

dinner: some kind of chicken I have yet to decide what yet and broccoli (my fave)

[doodlebugg 10]

This was AMAZING but BEWARE...if you are not used to cooking with jalepeno's just skip it unless you want to risk the burning sensation of your hands and face and of course the soothing feeling of fire being administered to your eyes when you take your contacts out with the burning hands that touched said pepper.

Charred Chili Relleno with Green Rice Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2007

See this recipe on air Wednesday Jan. 16 at 2:30 PM ET/PT.

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided

1 bay leaf

2 cups white rice

4 large poblano peppers

6 ears corn on the cob or 3 cups frozen corn kernels

3 tablespoons corn, peanut or vegetable oil, divided

1 red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained well

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 palm full

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, eyeball it in your palm

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 pound spinach leaves, deveined and coarsely chopped

4 scallions, coarsely chopped

2 limes, zested, juiced

1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese, Asadero or Monterey Jack

Preheat broiler or grill pan to high.

Heat about 3 1/2 cups stock in a sauce pot with a bay leaf to boiling. Add rice, cover pot reduce heat to low and simmer 18 minutes until tender.

Place poblanos under broiler or on hot grill and char evenly all over, 15 minutes.

While peppers and rice are working, scrape the corn off the cobs or defrost frozen corn and dry by spreading out on clean kitchen towel. Heat 2 tablespoons light oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil smokes or ripples add corn, onion, jalapenos and toss until the vegetables char at edges and onions are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and add in garlic, fire roasted tomatoes and season with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook another minute or 2 then turn pan off.

Place the cilantro, spinach, scallions, lime zest, half a cup of stock and a tablespoon of oil in food processor and process into coarse green paste. Stir into your rice pot in the last 3 to 4 minutes of its cooking time.

Sprinkle the lime juice over the corn mixture.

Split the charred peppers open but not in half with small sharp knife then scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Place peppers in a shallow baking dish and stuff each split pepper with lots of the corn mix, top each pepper with 1/4 cup cheese and place back under broiler to melt and char the cheese.

Serve peppers on beds of green rice. Yum-o!

Edited January 7, 2008 by bridget

[PetraPerson101 0]

1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese, Asadero or Monterey Jack

I always cringe at cheese in recipes. I've been cooking lowfat for nearly 10 years now - if I start loading up cheese on stuff, I end up getting myself a nice stomachache. o.o

What I do:

- Add flavor, not fat. Cheese is basically ... a big old block of pure fat - use spices & good prep, not fats (mayo, butter, oil, cheese = bad)

- Trim as much fat as you possibly : cut fat off the meat - you just chopped off loads of calories. Making burgers? Press down with that spatula - not only are those big ol' flames on the grill pretty cool looking - but a ton of calories just got burned ... quite literally.

- Don't be afraid of bread. Bread's good. So's pasta - if you prepare it right (like, without butter & cheese.)

- If you *must* fry, fry with less oil/fat, or preferably, no added oils/fat.

- Remove fatty toppings ( cheese, oil, mayo, bleh )

- Watch out for those so-called "sugar free" and "low-fat" items in the store. LoL! Read the ingredients & nutrition facts for em. When they take out one thing, they replace it with another. Don't trust it.

- Packaged baked goods are EVIL. All of em! EVIL! EVIL! No exceptions! Put the danish down! (Even the so-called "low fat" ones - do't be fooled! They substitue sugar for fat. The calories are *almost* identical. No difference. )

- And finally, I like this one the best - if you read the ingredients, and you feel the need to ask yourself ... umm, what's this "partially hydrogenated monoglyceride riboflavinomine xanthanine gum of esther"? Then it's probably best that you ... ... don't eat it.

It's worked great for me.

[doodlebugg 10]

1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese, Asadero or Monterey Jack

I always cringe at cheese in recipes. I've been cooking lowfat for nearly 10 years now - if I start loading up cheese on stuff, I end up getting myself a nice stomachache. o.o

What I do:

- Add flavor, not fat. Cheese is basically ... a big old block of pure fat - use spices & good prep, not fats (mayo, butter, oil, cheese = bad)

- Trim as much fat as you possibly : cut fat off the meat - you just chopped off loads of calories. Making burgers? Press down with that spatula - not only are those big ol' flames on the grill pretty cool looking - but a ton of calories just got burned ... quite literally.

- Don't be afraid of bread. Bread's good. So's pasta - if you prepare it right (like, without butter & cheese.)

- If you *must* fry, fry with less oil/fat, or preferably, no added oils/fat.

- Remove fatty toppings ( cheese, oil, mayo, bleh )

- Watch out for those so-called "sugar free" and "low-fat" items in the store. LoL! Read the ingredients & nutrition facts for em. When they take out one thing, they replace it with another. Don't trust it.

- Packaged baked goods are EVIL. All of em! EVIL! EVIL! No exceptions! Put the danish down! (Even the so-called "low fat" ones - do't be fooled! They substitue sugar for fat. The calories are *almost* identical. No difference. )

- And finally, I like this one the best - if you read the ingredients, and you feel the need to ask yourself ... umm, what's this "partially hydrogenated monoglyceride riboflavinomine xanthanine gum of esther"? Then it's probably best that you ... ... don't eat it.

It's worked great for me.

Great advice!!! I only used a sprinkling of the cheese, not a whole cup as it calls for and to be brutally honest that recipe is so good it really doesn't need the cheese and that's coming from a cheese addict!!!

So you all have inspired me to exercise. I just purchased this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B5XPFQ which should arrive thursday so I can start it on Friday. I used to have a pilates tape but I ditched my vcr player a while back so time to get a dvd of it. This one is geared towards people like me I think so we'll see what happens. Got a mat too but that won't be here till next week I think. It's 3/8" thick so that should help since I have hardwood floors where I'll be doing it. Can't wait!

[Nasturtium 500]

Both my VCR and DVD players died at the same time! And DH doesn't think we need additional ones. I have a friend mailing me an extra one she didn't want-- she offered at the perfect time! I love to do videos but I can't since my machines died

Yay Bridget! Tell us your rating on the thing!

I'm all engulfed in seed catalogs right now, looking for open-pollinated heirlooms. I'm looking for high vitamin selections with great taste and true to parent reproduction Thinking about growing veggies in Jordan! Does anyone else have a love for heirloom tomatoes? I really enjoy a good mix of colors and acordian shapes, and I've found the taste to be far superior raw or in cooking.

[doodlebugg 10]

Both my VCR and DVD players died at the same time! And DH doesn't think we need additional ones. I have a friend mailing me an extra one she didn't want-- she offered at the perfect time! I love to do videos but I can't since my machines died

Yay Bridget! Tell us your rating on the thing!

I'm all engulfed in seed catalogs right now, looking for open-pollinated heirlooms. I'm looking for high vitamin selections with great taste and true to parent reproduction Thinking about growing veggies in Jordan! Does anyone else have a love for heirloom tomatoes? I really enjoy a good mix of colors and acordian shapes, and I've found the taste to be far superior raw or in cooking.

I have a black thumb but my sister just *looks* at anything and it grows like crazy! You're going to Jordan? I must have missed that one! Are you staying for a while since you're planting tomatoes?

I made another resolution this morning. Instead of my morning ritual of either a coffee roll from DD or an apple fritter from Starbucks I'm having cinnamon roll flavored oatmeal for breakfast AND I am drinking 2 32oz containers of water while at work.

Rome wasn't built in a day but it only took two weeks of carefree eating for my FAT JEANS to barely button.

[polarbear 0]

I have a black thumb but my sister just *looks* at anything and it grows like crazy! You're going to Jordan? I must have missed that one! Are you staying for a while since you're planting tomatoes?

I made another resolution this morning. Instead of my morning ritual of either a coffee roll from DD or an apple fritter from Starbucks I'm having cinnamon roll flavored oatmeal for breakfast AND I am drinking 2 32oz containers of water while at work.

Rome wasn't built in a day but it only took two weeks of carefree eating for my FAT JEANS to barely button.

Breakfast is sooo important, and oatmeal is one of the best breakfasts you can have when on a diet Even the boxed, flavored kind. I know that the steel cut, make it yourself kind, is even better, but I don't have the patience and the other is almost as good for you It also fills you up for longer so that you don't have that snack urge before lunch

[Nasturtium 500]

I have a black thumb but my sister just *looks* at anything and it grows like crazy! You're going to Jordan? I must have missed that one! Are you staying for a while since you're planting tomatoes?

I made another resolution this morning. Instead of my morning ritual of either a coffee roll from DD or an apple fritter from Starbucks I'm having cinnamon roll flavored oatmeal for breakfast AND I am drinking 2 32oz containers of water while at work.

Rome wasn't built in a day but it only took two weeks of carefree eating for my FAT JEANS to barely button.

That is a good switch in your morning routine. if you're like me, you've got to kind of ease out of some things... like for me it's soda I have to ease out of.

My fat jeans were totally 2 sizes too small for me and I was like, OK, no, I can't deny this any longer!

We were always moving back to Jordan. Ammar's immigration was always a temp plan-- he wanted to work on some schooling or do some teaching to beef up his background in Jordan, and we needed to pay my student loans and try to make some money for a house there in jordan. We had a pretty specific plan, and we're aiming at 5 years or less. We're on track at the moment, which is good. We're doing some house-hunting in his village, keeping our eyes out-- and also some land shopping. It's just the income there, even for the "good" jobs, is not enough to ever save up and get your own place. Once you HAVE a place, you can do it-- but we needed to get to that point, and there is no way we could have paid off my loans living there either. So first we're dumping money into loans, then saving, then leaving-- that's the plan. He's a good money-saver too-- we're looking at less than 3 years until we can pay off 60k!

The seeds he wants to bring back are all flowers with a few veggies like cucumbers. I'm basically all veggie-based awith a few flowers like zinnias. When I braid my hair he calls me "felaha" and the other day, when we were looking at plants, he kept calling me "felahti" over and over until I complained. He said he didn't know why, that just because he was working at a university didn't cover up the fact he was a "felah." I think i like katkoot better than felaha though as a nickname.

[chaishai 1]

I have a black thumb but my sister just *looks* at anything and it grows like crazy! You're going to Jordan? I must have missed that one! Are you staying for a while since you're planting tomatoes?

I made another resolution this morning. Instead of my morning ritual of either a coffee roll from DD or an apple fritter from Starbucks I'm having cinnamon roll flavored oatmeal for breakfast AND I am drinking 2 32oz containers of water while at work.

Rome wasn't built in a day but it only took two weeks of carefree eating for my FAT JEANS to barely button.

Breakfast is sooo important, and oatmeal is one of the best breakfasts you can have when on a diet Even the boxed, flavored kind. I know that the steel cut, make it yourself kind, is even better, but I don't have the patience and the other is almost as good for you It also fills you up for longer so that you don't have that snack urge before lunch

great resolutions bridget

btw, trader joes sells steel cut oatmeal frozen that is soo delicious.

also its good to snack before lunch - healthy snack! 6 small meals a day is the way to do it it keeps your blood sugar regulated.

[Aymerlu 3]

1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese, Asadero or Monterey Jack

I always cringe at cheese in recipes. I've been cooking lowfat for nearly 10 years now - if I start loading up cheese on stuff, I end up getting myself a nice stomachache. o.o

What I do:

- Add flavor, not fat. Cheese is basically ... a big old block of pure fat - use spices & good prep, not fats (mayo, butter, oil, cheese = bad)

- Trim as much fat as you possibly : cut fat off the meat - you just chopped off loads of calories. Making burgers? Press down with that spatula - not only are those big ol' flames on the grill pretty cool looking - but a ton of calories just got burned ... quite literally.

- Don't be afraid of bread. Bread's good. So's pasta - if you prepare it right (like, without butter & cheese.)

- If you *must* fry, fry with less oil/fat, or preferably, no added oils/fat.

- Remove fatty toppings ( cheese, oil, mayo, bleh )

- Watch out for those so-called "sugar free" and "low-fat" items in the store. LoL! Read the ingredients & nutrition facts for em. When they take out one thing, they replace it with another. Don't trust it.

- Packaged baked goods are EVIL. All of em! EVIL! EVIL! No exceptions! Put the danish down! (Even the so-called "low fat" ones - do't be fooled! They substitue sugar for fat. The calories are *almost* identical. No difference. )

- And finally, I like this one the best - if you read the ingredients, and you feel the need to ask yourself ... umm, what's this "partially hydrogenated monoglyceride riboflavinomine xanthanine gum of esther"? Then it's probably best that you ... ... don't eat it.

It's worked great for me.

Also....don't by anything that says "enriched." Means they've taken all the good stuff out. I've even found some supposed whole wheat bread that is enriched. Bad stuff! I'm all into whole wheat pasta. Love the stuff. The hard thing in my house is the rice. My husband is convinced he had enriched rice in Egypt. I'm like...."honey.....I helped clean all that rice, picking out the stones and such and there is no way that rice is enriched!!!! So....what I do. (shush....don't tell him) is that I cook with a little of "his" rice and more with "my" rice. He's never noticed the difference.

[chaishai 1]

Both my VCR and DVD players died at the same time! And DH doesn't think we need additional ones. I have a friend mailing me an extra one she didn't want-- she offered at the perfect time! I love to do videos but I can't since my machines died

Yay Bridget! Tell us your rating on the thing!

I'm all engulfed in seed catalogs right now, looking for open-pollinated heirlooms. I'm looking for high vitamin selections with great taste and true to parent reproduction Thinking about growing veggies in Jordan! Does anyone else have a love for heirloom tomatoes? I really enjoy a good mix of colors and acordian shapes, and I've found the taste to be far superior raw or in cooking.

I absolutely love heirloom tomatoes.