Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Keg - don't read if you don't want this restaurant spoiled for you!!!

Tuesday night we: Rob, Jennifer and I headed out to Oshawa to pick up my daughter Desiree from work and have a family dinner. Since we have no kitchen at the moment we opted for The Keg. Who doesn’t love a night out at The Keg? Although, I don’t eat meat I usually can find something to nibble on there. The problem for me is watching everyone else and the poor choices they make. I’m not talking specifically about my family; I like to look around at all the tables nearby.


So here is something that I bet most of you didn’t know about The Keg; unless you’re one of my clients you know that I’ve already “sucked the fun” out of The Keg for you! For all others; you know that beautiful little sour dough bread that they bring you right when you sit down – one piece of that bread has 170 calories and that is without butter! Now if you decide to add a salad to start your meal and you choose the Caesar salad you have now added another 350 calories and 4 grams of fat and over 600 mg of sodium. Again, your daily intake of sodium is 1500 mg! Have a peak below and add up the calories, fat grams and of course sodium of a meal that you may typically have at The Keg. Don’t forget to include your “Keg Size” cocktails. Now you will see why I find it better to eat at home...I think you will be blown away once you read the information below! You might also find it quite interesting what you think is a healthy meal for your children is really nothing but a salt lick!

Starters and Soup
 

Salads

 
Steaks and Prime Rib
 
 
Seafood

Chicken and Ribs
 

Sides and Veggies


Desserts
 

Bar Menu

Kids Menu

Monday, February 22, 2010

One Stomach Flu Away From My Target Weight!

One stomach flu away from my target weight!


So I came home on Wednesday night last week feeling fine....I went to sleep that night and was awaken by the WORST stomach pain I had ever experienced. I proceeded to have the worst 12 hours that I can remember...I thought I either have food poisoning or stomach flu...how can you really tell the difference, the symptoms are so similar. Of course while I was home throwing up we had the floor guy in our home putting in our new floors in the kitchen and front hallway. This stranger had the pleasure of hearing the violent acts of being sick to your stomach all day long. Friday, I also had to stay home as I had not consumed any calories for 24+ hours so I felt like I had been hit by a truck.

The floor guy was back on Friday and today I could lie on the couch so we were in the same rooms all day. He was someone’s dad...he told me he had four children. He brought me Tylenol flu and insisted I take it for the pain in my stomach...it was sure nice having someone home to take care of me in my time of need. I would have loved my Mom –“kick the can Gan” or Rob but the floor guy did a great job in a pinch. He went and got me tea later in the morning...and don’t forget I have NO kitchen while having this nasty bug. As he returned with my Tea the Tiger Woods speech came on we watched together and then shared our views on the subject with each other.

Interestingly, later on the evening news they were interviewing the general public on their opinion of the speech and Tiger’s reputation. One woman said “he will have a tough time with his female fan base...women are mad at him” – Rob indicated that no men were EVER mad at Tiger. Men really are from Mars!

Saturday morning I got up and had some breakfast - Kashi Go Lean and Fibre One cereal with rice milk. I had to throw half of it out as my eyes were bigger then my stomach currently. Nothing like a weigh in after the flu....this was my personal best. Of course this not a way to get your weight down and the weight I lost was mostly water and of course my muscles were attacked to sustain the calorie need of just my organs. But hey, if you’re a woman and you see those pleasing numbers on the scale you feel good inside no matter how you got there.

Okay, enough about me how about something interesting about exercise and calories. Did you know that the best exercise is Interval Training.- alternating burst of high-intensity activity, such as walking on the treadmill for 3 minutes and jogging on the treadmill for 1 minute. This revs up your metabolism so you become a fat burning machine. Or there is always option “B” one of my best girlfriends – Diane but we all call her Catwoman says her best weight loss program is “Anxiety and Activia” LOL. Now this is coming from my friend who has only made me dinner once in 10 years. BUT did manage to feed me “Two Bite Brownies” for dinner time and time again. This was a period when we were both single and she lived right at Yonge & Bloor in a condo in Toronto.- doesn’t get much better than that. Hopefully, her husband is being fed better  LOL. Gee’s thinking about her and all our fun times...that really was a special time in my life, I will cherish those memories forever...she knows all my dirty little secrets! Catwoman is my daughter Desiree’s God mother – good pick! Funniest woman I’ve ever met and when Monte, Catwoman and I meet up my stomach usually aches from laughter...we feed off each other. By the way I’m Dr. Josie. Don’t ask why we all have these crazy nick names we just do...were girls at the end of the day. But through good times and bad, good boyfriends and bad boyfriends we all love each other. Monte, my other best friend/therapist just found out last week that she will be a grandmother again – this time a little boy. I’m so jealous I can’t wait to be a grandmother. Our daughter’s Shannon and Desiree are born on the same day same year. We went through all their crazy teenage times together – thank god!!!!!!!

So just like me I got totally off topic and really offered you very little nutritional or exercise advice in this blog and now I must get ready and get to the gym and see my clients. I will get something interesting up for you this week...I promise. Until then nourish – heal – live and move around a lot.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Don't judge me but I'm going to eat a donut!

Don’t judge me but I’m going to eat a Donut! Those were the words that came out of my daughter’s mouth on Saturday morning as we headed down to the St. Lawrence Market for our weekly supply of organic fruits, vegetables and other goodies. She literally ate a “sparkle” donut for the ride down. Let’s look at a Tim Horton’s donut...what did Desiree just put in her mouth: I just went to the Tim Horton’s website and you cannot get the nutritional breakdown of a “Hawaiian/Sparkle” donut. Hmmmm? Well looks at a chocolate dip donut: 210 calories, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 190 mg sodium and 9 grams of sugar (white death). You can only imagine the sparkle donut is along the same lines. And for all you morning bagel eaters; a Tim Horton’s Wheat n’honey bagel has 300 calories, 600 mg of sodium and if you add light cream cheese add another 100 calories, 216 mg of sodium and 5 more grams of saturated fat. In one sitting you had half of your daily intake of sodium so good luck with the rest of the day!



Some new science that came out this week indicated that even people with low blood pressure will have the same ill effect on their arteries if they consume large amounts of sodium. Did you also know that 125 ml or ½ cup of Campbell’s Tomato Soup has 770 mg of sodium...please tell me the last time you ate ½ cup of soup???? Start reading food labels – always check the serving size, generally it is much smaller than what you might consume...as our idea of a portion has totally been distorted.


I hope everyone had a nice Valentine! Sorry for the delay in a blog update. I have an injury in my back and it is almost impossible to sit in front of my computer : ( I refuse to take pain killers, instead I take M&M’s...they don’t really make my back feel better but they sure make me forget about for a few moments. I did wake up today and promised to break up with M&M’s for a while. You can the difference in your body right away when you eat sugar...especially High Fructose Corn Syrup. Let’s see how I do this time!

On Sunday my daughter Desiree her guy Chris my best friend Monte (Lynda) and her guy Scott came over to see our disaster zone we now call our house. This week our new floors go in but currently we have no kitchen at all. Interesting way to live, but were surviving, sort of LOL. Keeping my eye on the prize...it’s going to be beautiful! We all went out for Greek Food to celebrate...my good friends poked great fun at me and suggested they would order lots of bad food as I could not catch them with my bad back...they listed all kinds of things that made the little hairs on my back stand up. Monte ordered a burger which broke my heart....did you know that they refer to ground beef as “cha cha” which stands for cheeks-hearts-and ass... no thanks. Rob and Scott ordered the Gyro dinner...more processed beef and lamb and of course a side of fries. Desiree, Chris and I had chicken...but I could taste the salt...I tried to eat more of my salad. The company was great but the food was crappy....I felt okay but Rob complained all afternoon that his stomach did not feel great. Valentine’s dinner at home was amazing....we had grilled shrimp, sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower. I enjoy eating at home where I can control the calories, nutrients and sodium levels.

My back is friggin killing me but I’m pushing on and continuing with yoga. To my wonderful surprise I bumped into my client Joy P standing in line waiting to try the yoga class out....and I know you have heard me mention her before; this is 20+ pounds less Joy P. Joy is 65. She has never even seen a yoga DVD so I was really impressed she was willing to give it try. Yoga really shows you just what bad shape you are in. I did however, bend over for something today and despite my back ache I could actually feel that I was more stretchy...it was an “ahhhhhhh” moment for sure! I will keep doing yoga. Joy P told me the next day that her hips had never felt that good...this yoga thing is really something. This past Thursday Joy P attended Yoga again...looks like she will be a regular with me. I love this woman!

Another one of my gorgeous ladies Marie C sent me these terrific recipes for soup. Who doesn’t love a nice hot cup of soup on a cold day and lord knows we have had many cold days this winter.

Enjoy, and I welcome your feedback!

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

5 spray low-fat cooking spray
1 medium onion(s), peeled and chopped
2 stick celery, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon chili powder
50 g dried split red lentils
850 chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoon tomato puree
400 g canned tomatoes
2 sprig fresh rosemary, plus 2 sprigs, chopped to garnish

Instructions
Heat a large saucepan, spray with low fat cooking spray and add the onion and celery. Cook stirring for 5 mins, add the garlic and chili and cook for another 5 mins until tender and beginning to brown.

Add the lentils, stock, rosemary, tomatoes and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins until the lentils are soft. Remove the rosemary.

Cauliflower and roasted-red pepper chowder


 This creamy chowder will warm you up on a cool fall day. Plus, it'll help you meet your veggie servings!

 Ingredients:

 1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine

1 small Vidalia onion(s), chopped

2 medium stalk celery, chopped

29 oz vegetable broth

1 1/2 cup water

1 head cauliflower, finely chopped

1 large potato(es), red, peeled and finely chopped

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

16 oz sweet red pepper(s), roasted, water-packed, drained and chopped

1 Tbsp dried basil

 Instructions

 Melt margarine in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and water; bring to a boil. Add cauliflower and potato; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in milk and roasted peppers and heat about 2 minutes more.

Place soup in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. (Note: Depending upon the size of your blender, you may need to puree the soup in batches.)

Return soup to Dutch oven; add basil and bring to a boil stirring constantly.












Blend the soup using a hand blender or liquidizer until smooth and season with salt and pepper.











Serve hot garnished with a sprinkling of chopped rosemary.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sorry for the delay!

Have you ever met someone who you think you were just supposed to meet? Well, I met Lil and I want to tell you all about her as she is a breast cancer warrior! She like many others kicked the crap out of cancer but then was left to figure out the rest on her own. I can’t even imagine what that whole experience was like for her as a single mom. I met Lil at Renew Yoga in Ajax. Since I work so many nights I am only able to do the Yoga at our wonderful gym on Thursday and Sunday mornings...and since I need Yoga 4 times a week I had to make other arrangements as well. Both places have wonderful gentle yoga programs!


Lil heard me speaking with the owner of Renew Studio...Dee, I mentioned that I was a nutritionist. Lil had been told that she needed lose 50 pounds. Lil’s breast cancer was estrogen related so it is imperative we get the excess weight off her as body fat is also filled with estrogen. Lil has her first weigh in tomorrow; I did see her 3 days after starting the 10 Weeks To Wow! Nutritional Weight Loss Program and already she noticed a difference....she was having normal, healthy bowel movements finally. Yippee!! You know how happy this makes me; I know how good it is making her feel. I’m going to keep you up to date on her progress.

Last night I see on TV a commercial for Grey Power car insurance....I think to myself I remember when my parents signed up for that insurance. They were 50 and it seemed old to me...ha ha I will be 46 this year, what the hell is going on I ask myself...how did this happen? Today I went to the Doctor and he told me I was peri-menopausal, I thought they were going to hand me glasses and a cane on the way out of the office. Thank god my eyes have hung in there...still rockin the 20/20 vision...must be all those carrots and spinach I eat...they are loaded with Lutein. Lutein is an important natural antioxidant that may help your eyes stay healthy while maintaining the health of your skin.

The insurance company came today and painted the laundry room and the furnace room that were both ruined in the flood. The walls have all been painted so now we are waiting for the new floors and the basement will be finished. This weekend the ugly kitchen starts to get destroyed...I can’t wait. Rob is so good, he is so organized...he basically picked out most of the colours...I don’t care...he is the cook so he should have it the way he likes it. We did both like the same counter top...although I really just need a cutting board to make the food I eat...mostly raw LOL.

I was really pleased to see so many of my client’s current and past at Yoga this past Sunday. I’m glad you have felt inspired to try it out. I also got a Facebook update from one of my very long time friends...actually we have been friends since grade 5. She too is a cancer warrior and she also tried Yoga for the first time last week....its amazing exercise. Think how stiff you are now and just remind yourself how much stiffer you will become as you age. Remember when we all go to “Shady Acres” (the nursing home our kids will send us to) you want to be able to walk to Bingo...you do not want to be the man or woman tied to the bar in the hallway because so brittle you might break  Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Many days have passed and I was unable to get this blog posted. So here is a Lil update...she lost 3.4 pounds first week and did pretty well with her eating. Today is Wednesday and now Lil will have her second weigh in. She needs to not skip any servings in the day so her body never stores her fat. The basement is finished and the ugly kitchen has been half demolished..my house is filled with dust but I’m trying really hard not to freak out and keep my eye on the prize....a beautiful kitchen only weeks away!

My mom came to stay with me this weekend and left only today  We call my mom “Kick The Can Gan” (Gan is short for Ganny as my daughter Desiree couldn’t get Granny out when she was a wee child). My mom has that name because she is the one person you can call when you’re having a bad day. She will help you kick that can right across the floor...as Desiree would say. She always makes you feel better. Sunday night we watched the Michael Jackson documentary – This Is It! No one else would watch it with me. My mom knows how much I loved MJ...I grew up with him; damn I use to watch The Jackson 5 cartoons Saturday morning’s. I loved his music, what a lost treasure. Now if my Dad is reading this he will wonder why I love him...he has his own thoughts on the subject....and that’s okay too. My mom danced all over the living room while we watched. I was so proud of her for having that gorgeous figure at her age. She goes to Curves 3 days a week and has had 490 workouts. I noticed while she danced that her body was strong and not frail at all....good for her.

While driving around with my daughter Jennifer we were discussing her new semester that is beginning in school today. She has English, Math, Science and Auto shop....no Gym class....and I know that she had no Gym class in the first semester. That means she will get no physical activity until “maybe” the fall of this year. This is not acceptable to me....it should me mandatory that EVERY student takes Gym class. We have this epidemic with Obese children...this is the first time that children will not outlive their parents. And the school system seems to think it is okay if you never get any physical activity. I remember in grade 6...we would have to say the Lord’s Prayer, sing O’Canada and then dance to the Bay City Rollers before we could begin our day...what happened to the good old days???