Back in May I had turned over a new leaf. I was walking with a pedometer and eating more veggies and felt pretty good about it. I had even lost 1.5 pounds. Soon after, I swapped running for walking and ditched the pedometer (only partly because I felt like a dork wearing a white pod on my pants every time I left the house). I thought the more intense workouts would quickly show results, but I was wrong.
On the one hand, I was getting stronger. I could run farther and faster. And under the layers of cushion, I could feel my muscles getting firmer. But the cushiony layer was not shrinking. The scale was not budging. And my jeans were tight as ever. Frustration set in, and I may or may not have tried to soothe myself with ice cream and a couple of chick flicks (which I realize does not help the weight loss cause but sometimes that’s just what happens when you’re frustrated).
So one day last month, I was talking to a personal trainer about how I could tell I was getting stronger but my weight was not changing at all, despite progressively healthier eating and increasingly intense workouts since January. He said I should consider a detox diet to give my metabolism a boost and recommended The UltraSimple Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman
, saying that the first time he tried this detox a few years ago he lost 10 pounds in a week.
I don’t know about you, but when someone starts talking about losing 10 pounds in a week warning bells go off in my brain. But I was frustrated enough to consider it. I decided to read the book to see what sort of crazy techniques and concoctions the good doctor was trying to sell. Turns out, it’s not all that crazy.
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Tagged as: breakfast, detox diet, fruit smoothie, protein, smoothie, tofu, ultrasimple diet, weight loss
So, let’s say hypothetically that you went to a party on Friday night and had a smidge too much champagne. Maybe you woke up Saturday morning with a tiny headache and a slightly delicate stomach. Not a hangover, goodness no, nothing like that, you know better than that. You just woke up feeling a little off. What would you eat for breakfast?
Not that I really know what that’s like. But if theoretically I drank a little too much of the bubbly and needed to feel better fast, I would first drink a lot of water or something with electrolytes. Then I would want something comforting like pizza, pancakes, or maybe mac n cheese. But first thing in the morning? I’d probably reach for what we call around here a holey egg sandwich. You might know it as a birdie in the nest, egg in the basket, one-eyed Jack, or one of several other names.
Not that I ever need a hangover remedy, but here is one of my favorites:
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Tagged as: breakfast, egg sandwich, eggs, hangover remedy
Behold: an apple. It is good for you (vitamins, fiber, blahblahblah), and it tastes good to boot. What could be better?
Cheese, that’s what. Melted, gooey, cheddar cheese.
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Tagged as: apple, breakfast, cheddar, cheese, snack, vegetarian
Hi. How are you? Good I hope… By now I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been taking a bit of break. It wasn’t entirely planned but between birthdays and Valentine’s, and snow trips and Wicked, I’ve been eating out a lot the last couple of weeks and not cooking. But I’m back now and I made you pancakes.
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Tagged as: blueberry, breakfast, buttermilk, pancakes
I’ve been thinking about Christmas morning lately. Like for the last couple of weeks. I haven’t been thinking about presents. No, I’ve been thinking about breakfast. Remember, it’s the most important meal of the day. And you’re going to need your strength on Christmas day. Even so, Christmas morning is about presents and witnessing the joy of others opening the gifts you so carefully chose (or made) for them, right? It’s not about fussing over a lot of stuff in the kitchen. But this doesn’t mean you have to eat cereal. There are a number of things you can prepare ahead of time so that breakfast is nearly as memorable as that shiny new toy. Things like biscuits and scones can be made ahead of time and frozen before they are baked. But sometimes you want a little more substance. Maybe something that is eggy, cheesy, and all around delicious. Maybe something like this breakfast casserole?
Breakfast casserole? Yes. I know, the name could use some work. But I think casseroles get a bad rap. Besides, it sounds better if you say it with a little Southern accent. Okay, maybe not. But if you want to be fancy, you could call it a savory bread pudding.
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Tagged as: baked, breakfast, casserole, eggs, leftovers
