My Little Marathon

OK, so it isn't even close to running (or walking) a marathon (Song: Rush, Marathon from Power Windows) - perhaps it is more like circuit training, but I squeezed in two exercise sessions over the course of 3 hours.  Using the Wii Fit Plus, I spent about an hour doing various different activities, mostly cardio-related but with a little bit of other stuff mixed in.  According to the 'game,' I burned just under 400 calories during that time.  The Wii Fit Plus allows you to set calorie burn goals.  Whether you reach your goal in one session or not, it keeps track of what you have burned each day.  My current goal is set for 455 calories.
After my hour of exercise, I decided to take a short break.  I took Ginger out for a brief walk - it was still raining and she doesn't like to be outside in the rain - and did some chores around the house.  Using one lemon, I made another glass of lemonade and cleaned up after that.  This was a particularly juicy lemon that yielded 5 Tbsp. of juice, so my glass of lemonade actually turned out to be 2.5 servings worth.  While I know that it is better to consume the juice immediately after squeezing it, it is a little annoying that one lemon can yield so much juice while another might barely be enough for one serving - even if they are the same size!  It definitely leads to the question - is it better to drink a larger portion of lemonade fresh or to reserve the excess for another serving at a later time?  My gut feeling is that it is perfectly acceptable to drink more than one serving at a time.  Considering that the recommendation is a minimum of 6-12 servings per day, if you consumed one serving per hour, it would take 12 hours for the upper end of the range.  If you squeeze, mix, drink, and clean up after each serving, that is a lot of time spent to get 12 individual servings of lemonade.
I guess that it is all about the results, anyway...

Due to timing - wanting to have showered prior to the family coming home - I decided to spend another 30 minutes exercising.  For lack of a better option, I turned the Wii back on and finished off my calorie burn goal.  I decided to do another weigh in to see what my progress was as well.  Normally, I wouldn't bother weighing myself this often, but the fact that I am following the master cleanse and that I already had easy access to a scale it just made sense.  It turns out that I have now lost a total of 8 pounds since beginning the cleanse.  According to my BMI, I am now, no longer considered obese!  Now I am just simply overweight...  Still some work to do on the weight loss front.  Not that it is currently a concern for me, judging obesity/overweight/normal weight just by BMI is a little skewed.  To truly get a picture of weight v. norms, you should also factor in body fat percentage.  In my case, muscle mass in not currently doing much to tip the scales, so BMI kind of works for me at the moment.  At least it does take height into account.

Adventures in Food Processing - the good kind.

OK, so the title should read "My First Adventure in Food Processing."  In a previous post, Quinoa for breakfast, I mentioned that I had gotten a food processor.  Today, I decided that it was time to give it a whirl.  One thing that strikes me as odd is that 'processed food' is one of the problems we have with our American diet, yet using a food processor can actually be beneficial.  There is a difference, however, in the way we 'process' foods at home and the way packaged foods are processed by the conglomerates for quick sale and long shelf life.  The term 'processing' includes every method of food preparation from churning butter (which can be done with a mason jar and a marble!) to creating high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.  The bottom line is that not all processing is bad.

So, what did I 'process' in my Cuisinart?  Today I made some almond butter - like peanut butter, but with almonds.  First, I had to properly prepare the raw almonds.  This involves first soaking the almonds for 24 hours in a solution of sea salt and filtered water.  Next, drying the almonds in either my oven or food dehydrator which can take up to two days.  I had actually done this last week when I first got the food processor.  Almond butter was one of the things that I really wanted to use the food processor for so I simply prepared more almonds than I would normally do for simple snacking.
Give whatever excuse you want to insert here, I only got around to taking my prepared almonds one step further to convert it to almond butter.  Whatever the cause of my delay, it is finally done.  Today I made some almond butter!  I can't believe how simple it was.  Take a look at the average jar of  peanut butter to see what ingredients are included and you might be hard-pressed to believe that you can make it at home (more on this later in this post - keep reading).
My almond butter consists of nothing more than soaked and dried almonds, some sea salt, a little olive oil, and flax seeds (I love to add flax seeds to almost everything that I make).  That's it!  I started by adding the almonds to the processor bowl and giving them a couple of quick pulses.  I then let the Cuisinart run steady for a couple of minutes.  The result was a fairly dry, granular paste.  After scraping down the bowl to get the particles that stuck out of the reach of the blades, I turned the processor back on.  This time I added a little bit of olive oil.  Again, I stopped the blades and scraped down the bowl.  The paste had taken on a much more creamy texture at this point.  Once more, I set the blades spinning and added the flax seeds.  I basically let the processor run this time just to incorporate the flax seeds uniformly.  Except for the clean-up, I was done (and the clean-up didn't even take that long).    I scooped the almond butter into a small mason jar and set to cleaning the equipment.  The almond butter should keep in the jar for up to 30 days on the shelf - longer in the refrigerator.  Given the quantity that I made, I will have no problem consuming my almond butter well within the 30 days.  Mind you, I don't eat a lot of nut butter.  Because I know where and how this was made and more importantly what all - ALL - of the four ingredients are, I will have no problem increasing my intake of nut butter.  In fact, for lunch today, I spread about two teaspoons of my newly made almond butter onto a couple of stalks of celery accompanied by a banana and handful of raisins.

Earlier, I mentioned the ingredients of peanut butter.  Well one example of a nameless brand of peanut butter that is sitting on my shelf includes:  Peanuts, Peanut Oil (so far, so good), Corn Syrup! (at least it isn't high fructose corn syrup), and Hydrogenated Rapeseed and Cottonseed Oils.  Notably, this particular brand does not include any preservatives, but the Use By date is 02/19/2011 - only slightly less than a year from now.  OK, so if there are no official preservatives, why is the shelf life so long?  In one word, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.  OK, you got me.  That is actually four words.  Both hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are extremely detrimental to health but are widely used in our processed foods.  It is also notable that this particular brand of peanut butter also only has four ingredients.  The difference between this and my homemade almond butter - both made with four ingredients - is the quality of the ingredients.  The order of ingredients on the label indicates which ingredients are more prevalent.  The first ingredient is used in the largest quantity; the last is used in the smallest quantity.  The caveat is that we do not know in what ratio the ingredients are present.  Does the first ingredient make up 90% of the recipe or only 10%?  We simply cannot tell.
A comparison of my almond butter to the store-bought peanut butter looks like this:

• Mine
• Almonds
• Flax seeds
• Olive Oil
• Sea salt (used to prepare the almonds - not added to the mix)
• Theirs
• Peanuts
• Peanut oil
• Corn syrup
• Hydrogenated rapeseed and cottonseed oil (so, does this count as two ingredients?)

The first ingredient list on both is expected, the mainstay of the nut butter had better be the nuts.  I didn't measure the quantity of almonds that I used, but the resulting almond butter resulted in a little less than 8 ounces.  It almost, but didn't quite, fill a small mason jar. 
The second ingredient for mine is flax seeds; theirs is peanut oil.  Both peanuts and almonds have oil in them.  Adding oil to the recipe is not entirely necessary.  If added, it certainly does not need to be in a large quantity.  However, given the third and fourth ingredients of their product, I am grateful that peanut oil is listed second.  In my case, I added about 2 tablespoons of flax seeds.
Third comes the olive oil for mine and the corn syrup for theirs.  Corn syrup is sugar.  How much sugar is present in their peanut butter?  Well, a 2 tablespoon serving - according to the nutrition facts on the label - includes 7g of carbohydrates, 3g of which is listed as sugars.  How much sugar is in mine?  Well, I didn't do the math yet and I can't read the label - oh wait, there is no label to read!  I'll get back to you on the amount of sugar per serving but it is more important to recognize the source.  Mine has only naturally occurring sugars - no processed sugars.  Theirs has sugar derived from corn.  Sure, it may be natural, but it is not being used as intended by nature.
The fourth and final ingredient of mine is the sea salt; theirs is more oil - hydrogenated oil, no less.  The sea salt was used in the solution to soak the almonds.  While I didn't rinse the almonds after soaking, most of the salt would have been drained off before dehydrating.  It was about two teaspoons of sea salt added to 2 pints of water.  I truly believe that salt has been somewhat vilified.  It has been blamed for a lot of medical problems.  The fact is that our body needs salt to function and that salt works synergistic with potassium.  Rather than avoiding salt we should really be more concerned with a good balance of salt with potassium.  Excess of either is just as problematic as the absence of either.  We need both and we need them in equal portions.  They included a second (and/or third) oil to theirs.  On top of that, they made it worse through hydrogenation.  Hydrogenating oil produces trans fat.  While the quantity is low enough per serving that the FDA allows them to list the amount of trans fat a 0 (zero), it is still there.  Trans fat is one of the worst things that you could put into your body and it should be avoided entirely.

After watching (and posting) about Food, Inc. I was a friend suggested that I also watch Killer at Large.  Today, I took in a double-feature thanks to Netflix and my Wii of both Killer at Large and Super Size Me.  I had watched the latter several years ago, but I felt it was time for a refresher.  While both have a similar focus - obesity - they are somewhat different in scope.  I recommend watching both of them, though the latter is not quite as family friendly due to language and some commentary while the former certainly has some disturbing images.

Where there's a will, there's a 'whey'...

Yesterday was milk day.  I had run out of milk earlier in the week, so I needed to make my bi-weekly trip down to Durham to visit Deerfield Farm.  This week, the girls were excited to get some of Deerfield's strawberry and chocolate milk.  I had gotten them each a pint of it on the last trip and they really liked it.  Tatyana thinks that it is the best chocolate milk that she has ever had.  On the way there, I saw a sign advertising the Durham Farmers' Market.  As it was scheduled to begin at 3 PM that day, we weren't going to be able to get there this time but the market happens every week on Thursday from 3-5 PM.  Hopefully we can make it next time!

When we got to the farm, Melynda happened to be there - I think that she was preparing to go to the Farmers' Market.  One of the products they make on the farm is cheese.  They don't make any hard cheeses, just cream cheese.  Of course, when making cheese you will end up with whey in addition to the cheese.  I asked her what they did with the left over whey hoping that I might be able to get some of it.  Sure enough, she told me that she would be happy to bottle some for me the next time that they make cheese!  This is going to be very helpful in following The Maker's Diet.  Whey is an integral part of many recipes - though not used as an actual ingredient in all of them, it is used to prepare other ingredients for cooking.  Also, whey can be used in place of vinegar for pickling.  For example, soaking cabbage in a solution of filtered water, sea salt, and whey makes a basic sauerkraut.  Personally, I have never liked sauerkraut, but this is just one example of the uses of whey.  I definitely plan to put whey to a lot of good use in food preparation.  Additionally, mixing whey into my yogurt smoothies will boost the nutritional benefits.

And now for something completely different (well, almost completely)...

A couple of years ago, I had a membership to Netflix.  I enjoyed the flexibility of getting DVDs in the mail as well as the ability to watch movies instantly on my laptop.  It was also possible, with a set-top box, to watch movies instantly on your TV.  Yesterday, I got an email from Netflix offering me a two week trial to come back.  One new feature they have is the ability to configure your XBox 360, PS3, or Wii to be able to serve as that set-top box.  Well, I have a Wii now so I figured that I would give Netflix another shot - for at least the two week trial.  One of the movies that I am looking forward to watching is Food, Inc..  It is available as either a DVD or instantly over the internet.
From amazon.com:

"For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact. Director Robert Kenner explores the subject from all angles, talking to authors, advocates, farmers, and CEOs, like co-producer Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma), Gary Hirschberg (Stonyfield Farms), and Barbara Kowalcyk, who's been lobbying for more rigorous standards since E. coli claimed the life of her two-year-old son. The filmmaker takes his camera into slaughterhouses and factory farms where chickens grow too fast to walk properly, cows eat feed pumped with toxic chemicals, and illegal immigrants risk life and limb to bring these products to market at an affordable cost. If eco-docs tends to preach to the converted, Kenner presents his findings in such an engaging fashion that Food, Inc. may well reach the very viewers who could benefit from it the most: harried workers who don't have the time or income to read every book and eat non-genetically modified produce every day. Though he covers some of the same ground as Super-Size MeKing Corn, Food Inc. presents a broader picture of the problem, and if Kenner takes an understandably tough stance on particular politicians and corporations, he's just as quick to praise those who are trying to be responsible--even Wal-Mart, which now carries organic products. That development may have more to do with economics than empathy, but the consumer still benefits, and every little bit counts. --Kathleen C. Fennessy"

It should be an interesting viewing...

Life is just a candle, and a dream must give it flame.

The title of this post is from a song by Rush from their Caress of Steel album, The Fountains of Lamneth.  This is definitely a thought-provoking line.

Well, the weather has returned to being amazing after several cold, overcast, rainy days.  The girls are all busy with their homeschool co-op today, so I decided to capitalize on the weather and take Ginger for a walk on the trail.  I did the now-usual walk to the bridge and turned around to come home.  For some reason, Ginger was really anxious and pretty much tried to pull me home once we started to head back.  I really hope that by taking her out for walks we can both benefit - me by getting the much needed physical activity and her by growing accustomed to the walks and not being so anxious all the time.


I haven't used the Wii Fit Plus for almost a week, now.  This is partially due to a lack of motivation to do so but it is more due to the fact that I just haven't had much of an opportunity over the last week.  The girls had a 4H event on Saturday and that took the whole day.  Additionally, I just wasn't feeling too great which is probably what led to my lack of motivation.

We need to go grocery shopping soon.  I am running low on milk and I am out of yogurt among other things.  So, today for dinner I made French Toast!  You know what is really odd about French Toast?  It is neither French nor toast.  Bread dipped in egg and fried in a skillet.  For my French Toast, I used Ezekiel 4:9 bread and cage free eggs along with a little 100% pure organic maple syrup.  I used 2 slices of bread instead of only one.  Finding the cheaper price on it at Trader Joe's makes it a little easier to use more than one slice, though I am still trying to keep to an average of 1 per day.

Three in a row...

For the third day in a row, I have been able to take a fairly extended walk.  Today was a  major test of my endurance.  I went for a walk with Ginger that took me a little under an hour.  I would have gone longer, but Ginger spooked and yanked her leash out of my hand.  She didn't run far - she actually came right back to me - but I didn't want to continue walking if she was stressed out so I turned back.  When I returned home, I was somewhat surprised at the energy that I still had.  I decided to make another attempt at learning T'ai Chi.  I worked on learning the first six positions for a while before taking a break.

After a short break, I popped in the Wii Fit Plus and spent some time using that.  The Wii Fit Plus allows you to set a calorie burn goal and keeps a running tab of the calories you burn doing the various activities.  Whether it is accurate or not, I don't really know.  It does provide a decent goal, however.  I have set my goal at 455 calories burned.  This can take me up to 1 hour and 30 minutes depending on what activities I do.  The boxing 'game' seems to be the most efficient (most calories burned per minute) - which makes sense given that it involves both upper and lower body.