Sorry so long-winded!
Hi, all! Thanks for the comments. You made me feel great.
Kathy, I figured it was something like that! I have spent too many years agonizing over food, feeling guilty when I ate the "good" stuff! But everytime I have gone hog wild, cutting out all the "bad" stuff, I have lost it in due time and binged. I am so happy that I really love brown rice and whole wheat pasta and all that really nutritious stuff because when I do indulge I know my regular diet can stand up to it!
Shaz, I understand how confusing fueling up can be. I have a couple of different ways to do it. If I get up and work out first, I eat breakfast after and I have a more mixed meal. A favorite is one egg and one egg white or 4 egg whites with 1 tbs of crumbled feta and salsa, eaten with a tortilla or toast. If I work out after breakfast, I tend to eat cereal with fruit, toast with a smidge of peanut butter and jelly--higer in carbs. After I will take in some protein to repair and build muscle. I have started eating soup with beans. Soup is great because it's eaten slowly and it's filling and beans are nutritious and yummy too. A high fiber intake has made a huge difference in whether or not I go hunting for sugary, fatty foods during the day. Knowing I can eat anything I want makes it easier to eat the healthier foods first and postpone the other stuff until I can fit it in without blowing my diet.
Hey, Ruth, I too always worry about that apple-heart disease connection but know this, as long as we keep that lovely belly fat to a minimum with all this activity, we're fine! My BMI is 20.
I asked my husband if I have nice legs, and he said, "beautiful". He is biased but they are long and muscular. It's funny, I am built like my father was. He used to tease me over my skinny legs without mercy but running changed all that. And strength training even more so. I have a 30 inch waist and 35 inch hips and my waist is so short, it's not funny. My arms and legs are long and my ankles and wrists are small and rather bony. If I don't minimize my ab fat, it isn't pretty
The ginger broccoli is done like this:
1 to 2 heads of broccoli, cleaned and broken into florets
6 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 TBS fresh ginger finely chopped
2 TBS soy sauce mixed with 2 TBS water
1 tbs honey
I used to heat a little olive oil and throw the ginger and garlic into it first but found I could skip that and mix all the ingredients together and just pour the mixture over the broccoli. Add a 1/4 cup of water into a pot. Bring to a boil and add the broccoli, cooking for a few minutes until the water boils off. Add the sauce and bring to a boil and a it's veggie time.
Adjust the amounts as you like. Some folks don't like garlic as much as I do! A little more honey or soy sauce also. I do it by feel so the amount are a guesstimate.
That marinade works great for salmon too. I add a pinch of o.j.
I have a recipe for chicken quesedillas with carmelized onions and basalmic vinegar which is incredible! I make extras of all my favorite dinners and freeze them for lunch. Otherwise, lunch is usually a garden burger or tofu-something vegetarian if I can swing it. I love to cook and my husband is an excellent cook except he doesn't cook as health consciously as I do. Bon appitit!
Bobbi
http://www.plauder-smilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks Rule!
