One of the only qualities I will actually taut is my ability to excel in time management. I get such gratification from successfully multi-tasking. But lately, I have fallen off the wagon.
For example, right here on this site I have not updated in close to 3 weeks, if not more. Not one single Tweet have I twittered either. I have been lost.
Being a full-time PR professional, part-time nutrition student, and trying to have some form of relaxation jammed in between is very hard.
At one point I even found myself picking out all my clothes for the week on a Sunday night so I didn’t have to think about it all week, making my lunches Sunday for the entire week, and getting myself to wake at the crack of the morning to get work done for either school or work.
It’s been rough, but one thing I realized is that its not healthy. This week my body just quit. I had to skip class due to a fever, body aches and just being plain tired. Needless to say, I slept for twelve hours straight that night and I needed it.
Healthy tip of this post: You cannot do everything at all moments in time, take a step back, take a breather and relax.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Worst Thing About My Hectic Schedule
The only downfall I can find in 9 months of going back to school and working full-time is that my workouts suffer. When I have a test, quiz or anything due, I need to focus on it and my workout gets pushed aside.
But to lessen my guilt of not working out, I purchased resistence bands and a balence ball. Thanks to my fitness magazines, I can do little workouts at home for 20-minutes when I don't have time for the full gym workout. It isn't ideal, but its something and doing workouts from the magazines really gets me doing things I would NEVER do in the time (mostly because I look silly trying these moves out!).
Well the point to this quick post is that - every little things helps and don't make excuses!! Like Nike says, "Just do it." And in the case of being crunched for time, just do a lil something!
School Lunch Reform
The topic of school lunches never ceases to amaze me and thank goodness for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show to shine a spotlight on it.
Since the show began its been a hot topic but how come it took one show for people to realize and not the rising rate of obesity in children or other health issues due to overweight.
A great editorial in today's New York Times highlights why there needs to be a swift approval process when the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act goes before the Senate. Having safer more nutritious meals only further helps our society now and in the years to come. Not to mention when younger kids gain healthy habits during the formative years they will continue them as they get older.
I remember some of my school lunches as a child - french fries, pizzas out of a cardboard box and mashes potatoes if left for five minutes would harden to stones. Now that was just not healthy no matter how you argue it.
Its not just up to schools or the government its also up to the public to make better choices and provide their children with vitamins as opposed to some quick fix of a meal.
The government should reform school lunches just as they did health care ... Isn't this just another facet of making our country more healthy?
Since the show began its been a hot topic but how come it took one show for people to realize and not the rising rate of obesity in children or other health issues due to overweight.
A great editorial in today's New York Times highlights why there needs to be a swift approval process when the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act goes before the Senate. Having safer more nutritious meals only further helps our society now and in the years to come. Not to mention when younger kids gain healthy habits during the formative years they will continue them as they get older.
I remember some of my school lunches as a child - french fries, pizzas out of a cardboard box and mashes potatoes if left for five minutes would harden to stones. Now that was just not healthy no matter how you argue it.
Its not just up to schools or the government its also up to the public to make better choices and provide their children with vitamins as opposed to some quick fix of a meal.
The government should reform school lunches just as they did health care ... Isn't this just another facet of making our country more healthy?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday Dinner vol. 2
Happy Easter!
Second installment of Sunday Dinner is dedicated to my favorite dish on Easter. I am also continuing my "happy plate" portion of this blog because this is a very unhealthy dish, but it will make you very happy.
Pizza Chena is a traditional Easter dish for Italians. It encompasses eggs, meats and cheese in one pie and it is supposed to be filling because the Easter season is all about fasting and then Easter is to feast. The great thing about this "pizza" is that its very filling so you do not need too much of it to be satisfied and that it stores in the fridge for about a week and also freezes well.
Here is the recipe:
1/2 pound genoa salami
1/2 pound ham
1/2 pound capricola
1/2 pound mozzarella
1/2 pound swiss
1/2 pound provolone
6 eggs
1 egg and a table spoon of water for an egg wash
5 oz of parmigiana reggiano
Two fresh pizza doughs - or you can make it from scratch - but I don't :)
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F
Roll the first pizza dough out and line a 13 x 9 glass baking pan, make sure you coat the pan first with some olive oil so the dough does not burn when you bake it. Layer in the baking pan alternating layers of meats and cheeses. You should have about 7 layers. Once you are done with the layers, whisk the 6 eggs and the parmigiana reggiano cheese with some fresh chopped parsley and pour into the layers of meats and cheeses. Then roll out the second pizza dough and cover the top - pinch the sides and make an egg wash by using the 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water - whisk together and coat the top of the pie. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Bon Appetito!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
This is why this blog is not called "Healthy Plate"
I have never claimed to be the healthiest person or even have aspirations to be. I love food, I love living a healthier life, but I also love indulging and apparently this weekend is the weekend to showcase just how much I enjoy indulging and it started Saturday AM at the Brownstone Diner in Jersey City, NJ (also featured on the Food Network FYI).
This particular diner is known for their pancakes and I love myself a good pancake...enter the Pancake Wrap. It's an oxymoron - pancakes should not be wraps because wraps imply healthy and this is completely NOT.
One oversized pancake filled with scrambled eggs (the whole egg! not just the whites), bacon and cheese!! And yes gosh darn-it I almost ate the whole thing. I might as well say I ate the whole thing, I had approximately 6 more bites left. Frankly, I wish I knew how many calories this puppy owned because I am positive it teeters on the edge of 1,000...if anyone cares to figure it out please let me know.
The point of this post is simply to show that enjoying something that is decadent is completely ok. For instance, the last time I had this pancake wrap was over a year ago.
Think about it, if you always ate food like this, it would be as exciting.
Lesson for the day - all good things in moderation.
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Buddy System for Weight Loss
Social networking has been a way of life for the last few years, but did anyone know that this form of interpersonal communication has been in place in the fitness world for the last 10 years!
Sparkpeople.com, was launched 10 years ago by a wealthy eBay investor and according to ComScore, it’s the most visited fitness site with 7 million users, but its an under the radar fitness tool that is not promoted like popular Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.
Spark allows people to post inquiries, comments, etc. about fitness, diet and more and also find a group of people with the same goals as them to exercise together. Its sort of like Match.com, minus the romance and date, plus fitness and friendship – ok, not exactly like Match.com, but ya know what I mean…
The site has useful tools including helpful articles on exercise and dieting, along with a nutrition tracker that automatically tabulates the calories for a food you enter in, but also tells you the good, the bad, and the ugly about what is IN the food. What is really interesting is that it doesn’t allow users to enter a program less than 1,200 calories a day – so people make well-rounded programs and learn how to eat better.
This article gives additional background on Spark and also some people that have been very successful using it – its inspiring for all.
Personally, I have a love / hate relationship when working out with friends versus working out alone. You have to choose your "mate" wisely and make sure they will push you (in a good way) to run that extra mile or do one exercises and not chat your ear off and slack off.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A New Type of Prejudice
The goal for a Registered Dietitian is not to make a world full of skinny people, it’s to make a healthier community, and people come in all shapes and sizes – not just a size 2.
The obesity epidemic and ways to combat it have been on the forefront of many peoples’ minds for quite some time, but most recently with the First Lady’s childhood obesity campaign.
Has anyone realized though that obese people, or anyone that is moderately overweight are the victims of discrimination? A recent article in the New York Times shows how not only everyday people frown upon the overweight, but physicians as well. The very people that should be helping them! A cardiac surgeon and chief executive of the prestigious Cleveland Clinic said that if he could get away with it, he would refuse to hire anyone who is obese. The sad thing is, if he did do that, he could get away with it, because there is no federal legislation to protect the overweight. Its actually been studied that doctors provide overweight patients with different types of treatment based on their belief that the patient will not follow other instructions due to their weight.
According to this article, the sad part is that because this type of discrimination takes place, overweight people are less likely to visit the doctor due to possible judgments that could be made.
This type of discrimination is seen in other places as well including the corporate workforce, where people have discussed not being hired for jobs, based on their weight.
The stigma that is inflicted on overweight and obese people is very unfortunate and without proper education on both sides – the people passing judgment and the overweight –it will never change. Hopefully more articles like the one I cited above will raise people’s awareness level and also start to enlighten them that the issue is bigger than just too many Big Macs.
The obesity epidemic and ways to combat it have been on the forefront of many peoples’ minds for quite some time, but most recently with the First Lady’s childhood obesity campaign.
Has anyone realized though that obese people, or anyone that is moderately overweight are the victims of discrimination? A recent article in the New York Times shows how not only everyday people frown upon the overweight, but physicians as well. The very people that should be helping them! A cardiac surgeon and chief executive of the prestigious Cleveland Clinic said that if he could get away with it, he would refuse to hire anyone who is obese. The sad thing is, if he did do that, he could get away with it, because there is no federal legislation to protect the overweight. Its actually been studied that doctors provide overweight patients with different types of treatment based on their belief that the patient will not follow other instructions due to their weight.
According to this article, the sad part is that because this type of discrimination takes place, overweight people are less likely to visit the doctor due to possible judgments that could be made.
This type of discrimination is seen in other places as well including the corporate workforce, where people have discussed not being hired for jobs, based on their weight.
The stigma that is inflicted on overweight and obese people is very unfortunate and without proper education on both sides – the people passing judgment and the overweight –it will never change. Hopefully more articles like the one I cited above will raise people’s awareness level and also start to enlighten them that the issue is bigger than just too many Big Macs.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Eat Slower = Cut Calories
This is not something I am proud of, but I can, without a doubt, eat as much as my boyfriend and probably in a shorter amount of time than he can. Once the eat feast is complete, I am normally succumb by food-coma.
In a recent study by the American Dietetics Association in 2008, it was found that subject reported greater satiety and consumed roughly 10 percent fewer calories when they ate at a slower pace compared with times when they gobbled down their food (my typical eating habits).
In scientific mumbo-jumbo it is believed that the two hormones (glucagons-like peptide-1 and peptide YY) that signal feelings of satiety, otherwise known as the feeling of being full, showed a more pronounced response in a slow condition of eating.
If this isn’t proof enough to slow my roll down at the dinner table, I don’t know what is.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Health Care 101 (please!)
If you haven't realized there was a new health care bill signed into law...you should be ashamed of yourself. It's a pretty big deal, whether you are for it or against it.
The biggest problem is that its SO confusing. Today's New York Times Health & Science reporter - Tara Parker Pope - wrote a good article about what people can expect , it did help...a little bit.
One thing that I do understand and think is frankly very awesome, is that in most cases all preventative care is covered under your plan, including physicals, yearly gynecologist appointments, etc.
Insurance companies (and maybe Doctors) might not too excited about this, but in the long run it will hopefully create a much healthier society.
When people know its for "free" there is much more incentive to do it. Just think about Ben and Jerry's free ice cream cone day - its free, why wouldn't you get it. If your physical is free, why not go to the doctor. Contrary to what many people, specifically women, believe its good to know how much you actually weigh. Doctors can point out things that are taking place in your body that you would never have known.
Of course, I have a lot more reading to do, and I bet everyone else do. I am more than happy to read anything else anyone else finds - Cliff notes for health care reform or Health care for dummies???!!
The biggest problem is that its SO confusing. Today's New York Times Health & Science reporter - Tara Parker Pope - wrote a good article about what people can expect , it did help...a little bit.
One thing that I do understand and think is frankly very awesome, is that in most cases all preventative care is covered under your plan, including physicals, yearly gynecologist appointments, etc.
Insurance companies (and maybe Doctors) might not too excited about this, but in the long run it will hopefully create a much healthier society.
When people know its for "free" there is much more incentive to do it. Just think about Ben and Jerry's free ice cream cone day - its free, why wouldn't you get it. If your physical is free, why not go to the doctor. Contrary to what many people, specifically women, believe its good to know how much you actually weigh. Doctors can point out things that are taking place in your body that you would never have known.
Of course, I have a lot more reading to do, and I bet everyone else do. I am more than happy to read anything else anyone else finds - Cliff notes for health care reform or Health care for dummies???!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday Dinner vol. 1
I am Italian, but really the most Italian thing about me is my passion for cooking and eating.
Hopefully every Sunday, I will have an installment of 'Sunday Dinner.' All good Italians cook a hearty Sunday meal, and I am no different.
Tonight was Turkey Sausage Stew.
2 cloves of crushed garlic
4 tbl of EVOO
A head of cabbage chopped
4 turkey sausages with casing removed
1 12 oz. can of low sodium chicken broth
12 oz. of water
1 12 oz. can of tomato paste
2 15 oz can of cannellini beans
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
Sprinkles of pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes
Cook the sausage until no longer pink. Heat the oil and add the garlic. Saute for a little bit and then add in cabbage and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, then add the beans and parsley. (1 can rinsed, 1 can without rinsing), add the sausage and a can of water (use can from one of the bean cans). Cook in a simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the can of tomato paste (not the entire can but the majority) and cook for another 20 minutes. Let settle for 5-10 minutes and serve.
This is great to have the night you cook, refrigerate a portion and then freeze the rest for another meal. But it will serve at least 4 people for sure.
Great ingredients too with healthy benefits:
Cannellini beans
Cabbage
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Making it happen - one blog post at a time...
Wow, am I actually starting my blog that I have been talking about since January 2009!!??? I guess so.
First and foremost, I am blogging to further challenge ME to educate myself on the world of food and nutrition as I continue on my adventure to become a Registered Dietitian. Secondly, maybe someone out there in the vast black hole of the "world wide web" actually listens to what I have to say. Only time will tell.
This blog I hope will strike a unique balence between healthy food and nutrition information as well as a way to have a very fulfilling relationship with food. Because, Lord knows, I love a good meal.
How did I come to be at this place in life?
- Rutgers University Graduate who majored in Communications after a terrible train wreck of an experience trying to be a food and nutrition major. I chalked it up to being in a VERY large school and maybe immature and not focused enough.
- Currently a public relationships professional specializing in health and consumer products for an agency in NYC, while balencing the trials and tribulations of being a student at College of St. Elizabeth in NJ. In a nutshell, I am "student Lisa" and "career Lisa" multiple times in one day!
Once I started working in public relations, specifically in the healthy and wellness space, with exposure to tons of RDs across the U.S. who we leverage on a regular basis for our clients, did I realize - I COULD BE THEM!!!
One step, test, commute and day at a time. Hopefully it will all be worth it!
First and foremost, I am blogging to further challenge ME to educate myself on the world of food and nutrition as I continue on my adventure to become a Registered Dietitian. Secondly, maybe someone out there in the vast black hole of the "world wide web" actually listens to what I have to say. Only time will tell.
This blog I hope will strike a unique balence between healthy food and nutrition information as well as a way to have a very fulfilling relationship with food. Because, Lord knows, I love a good meal.
How did I come to be at this place in life?
- Rutgers University Graduate who majored in Communications after a terrible train wreck of an experience trying to be a food and nutrition major. I chalked it up to being in a VERY large school and maybe immature and not focused enough.
- Currently a public relationships professional specializing in health and consumer products for an agency in NYC, while balencing the trials and tribulations of being a student at College of St. Elizabeth in NJ. In a nutshell, I am "student Lisa" and "career Lisa" multiple times in one day!
Once I started working in public relations, specifically in the healthy and wellness space, with exposure to tons of RDs across the U.S. who we leverage on a regular basis for our clients, did I realize - I COULD BE THEM!!!
One step, test, commute and day at a time. Hopefully it will all be worth it!
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