Sweet Defeats

08/04/09

286.2 lbs.

Yeah. The weight-truth sucks sometimes. I recently visited some friends at the beach and was given a starter for Amish Friendship Bread. If you don't know what it is, you're missing out. If you do know what it is, then you know my predicament. Once you make your first loaf you're hooked. It's awesome. You can add nuts, different flavors, and pretty much make it anything you like. I just made some banana walnut version of it. OMG. It's to die for. On top of that, the local grocery store had my favorite ice cream pints on sale for $.99. Less than a dollar a pint, People! I bought 2. Okay, 3. Over the course of the weekend I've consumed ice cream (only one pint) and freakin' awesome banana nut friendship bread. This is not part of healthy living.

I'm also on a budget. A tight one. It's difficult to shop healthy and cheaply at the same time. The trick to really good, healthy eating is the number of ingredients in a pre-packaged food item you may be buying. The more ingredients an item has, odds are the less likely it is to be healthy. This is true of the "diet foods" as well. But...have you ever noticed how the less ingredients something has the more expensive it is to purchase? Herein lies the rub so to speak.

I'm a fan of locally grown products. I'm a fan of organic products. These are actually more expensive to purchase than their counter-parts. On some things I won't budge. I will only buy organic soy milk. Fortunately, most stores now have 'store-brand' organic soy milk so I'm pretty good on that. I really prefer to buy eggs from hormone-free, vegeterian-grain-fed chickens. Occasionally, I will break down and buy the cheaper ones, but only when I really have to watch every penny.

I'm trying to buy ingredients for meals to prepare at home and trying to be healthy while doing it. Here's some pointers. Sweet potatoes are better for you than white potatoes and are just as filling. Brown rice has all the fiber retianed while white rice doesn't. Frozen veggies are cheaper than fresh veggies most of the time and you get more bang for your buck. Veggies from the frozen food section really aren't that bad unless you're buying the ones with the cheese sauce. Speaking of cheese, the firmer the cheese is the healthier it is, also (that's true for "female health" as well). With the exception of goat cheese and feta; these aren't too bad in moderation. Moderation is the key. [Insert annoying cliche' alarm, here.]

A good grocery list is a lot like core-wardrobing. You get maximum variety with minimum ingredients. Pick up a few light-cooking magazines. Maybe invest in a healthy cookbook. Read the the ingredient lists and figure out which repeat themselves most often. Taylor those to your tastes and there ya go! You've got a start for a week's worth of menus.

I'm fortunate enough to live in an urban environment where I can shop at several stores that are close to where I live. It's important to review the grocery flyers you get in the mail or in the paper. Figure out where the best deal is spread your shopping over a few days. This is awesome for me because I'm never motivated to go out and get what I need. It's so much easier to just pick up dinner on the way home. Especially when I can buy a pizza that's already cooked for about $7 (I won't say where to avoid any temptations tonight). Or a burger for that matter. Or Bar-B-Q. See, I'm already moving in the wrong direction.

Okay. So, I have been taking the stairs! Only a few times has the elevator been used. One time I was going with someone else and just used the elevator with them (next time I'll be stronger) and the other time I was really freakin' hot from being outside for lunch (southern heat has high humidity) and just plain took the lazy way up to my workspace. I'm being honest! Give me some credit for that!

I still have ice cream in my freezer. I can't imagine I'll part with it down the drain either. I'm going to have to incorporate more movement into my daily routine because of this. I can say that the next batch Friendship Bread I make will be brought into work and shared with everyone else's hips. What are friends for, anyway?


-jafg


P.S. I have my first real follower! Thanks, Peace Turkey, for the words of encouragement! Congrats on the gym membership. You're a stronger woman than I am.