Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I have been going to the gym in spurts still, better than nothing but hope to improve on that as time carries on.

I have already had one Thanksgiving gathering and I was a hearty eater. My friends can really cook. I went to Body Pump before and after the event, and hit the elliptical hard too.



I wonder if my muscles are any bigger??

I have been working on my Body Pump form, I have a ways to go, I have plenty of underused muscles!

My friend wrote this little piece with suggestions to help prevent overeating during the holidays, check it out if you please!

Yeah, one of my good friend is an obesity researcher. You would think her research results would rub off on me! Yeah right. Once I was in one of her weight management studies, but I was put in the control group; how's that for impartial!

Oh, did I tell you I bought chop sticks to try to eat less? I actually bought a chopstick helper:

We'll see how that goes. I eat a lot of black beans and salsa, so that may be messy.

Good luck out there! Practice mindful eating! Savor every bite and then walk it off!

Zesty! (?) Santa Fe Style Chicken es así así.

Not the soup in question.

I just ate a can of Progresso (see website for $3 coupon) "Zesty! Santa Fe Style Chicken" soup. It was so-so.

First off, I thought it was filling enough, especially for 2 Weight Watchers points (thanks to the can and commercial partnership for that info!). It has 1 point per serving and 2 servings per can. How could anyone make it through the afternoon on 1 point?!?!? I would be hungry if I did not eat it all.

First.2, I am not certain that this is a low sodium soup, it has 28% of your daily sodium. That is still sort of high, right?

Second, there is not nearly as much stuff in the soup as the picture on the can shows or even the above picture shows. I enjoy Progresso soups and have found them hearty, but apparently hearty takes up too many points. Are black beans a lot of points? Or cooked celery?

This soup was seriously 96% liquid and 4% stuff. OK, maybe 86% liquid and 14% stuff, but either way I have had mojitos with more stuff in them.



Third, I am practically considering a false advertisement or unnecessary punctuation claim on the exaggerated use of the term "Zesty!" on the can. It is in a sassy, red font with an exclamation point, but this Minnesota girl had bored taste buds. There is Spanish on the label and I feel like it should say "Gringo Caliente" instead of "Caliente" to warn people more used to foods with true spice and zest. This soup is as zesty as chicken broth is hearty.


(I really should get a red pepper shaker for my office, this could be a personal problem.)

In conclusion, I have had worse canned soups, I have had better canned soups, and if you want to keep some "Light" soup around for when you forget your lunch this soup is OK. I am left again thinking, "If I got my act together, I could make something similar, with less salt and more stuff."

(I could make this...another recurring theme, I should read my own blog and these books.)

A nice read.

If you feel like a laugh and have a moment, check out this piece from McSweeny's:

NOTED POST-MARXIST SOCIOLOGIST, PHILOSOPHER, AND CULTURAL CRITIC SLAVOJ WELCOMES YOU TO THE GYM.

BY Evan Johnston

Slavoj Žižek

Exerpt:

A deviation: have you ever been doing a repetitive motion over and over and then thought, "My God, what am I doing?" Exercise allows us to engage in these repetitive motions without having to question why. The superego asks the id, "What are you doing? Don't make me look stupid," and then the ego and id respond, "Go to bed, old man. I am working out like Olivia Newton-John!"

Oooo Girl!

I made it to the gym the last two nights! Ow! All thanks to K and determination.

Yesterday I rode K's bike to the gym even though it was dark and cold! Brrr!


Ok, not THAT cold yet!

I chickened out of Body Pump, but I set the elliptical on a setting where it went from hard to easier, hard to easier. For a while I had been keeping it on a level setting.

Today, K picked me up and we stayed at the gym for and hour and 15min. That is a whole 15 minutes longer than I usually tolerate!

C can tell you, we are pretty much 1 hour gym people and we used to peer pressure 2 hour gym person K to reduce his workout. Sorry C! I was weak without you!

I walked, went on the mixed level elliptical, and did some weight machines. Plus, I watched the Biggest Loser for the first time.


Oh, it was the family edition!

Hooo Boy! Even with the sound off there was some drama there! And inspiration.

Can someone tell me why the crazy girl from Days of our Lives circa 1996 is on this show? I thought she was possessed by the devil or ate her sister's baby or something?



Do you watch this show? I know people love it. Do they teach people useful ways to have a more healthy lifestyle? Or do they just exploit their goals?? (Sorry, cynical.)

Product Review: Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

Thanks go out to MtheP for recommending this frozen dish to me.


I enjoyed this dish very much. The lemongrass flavor is strong and satisfying. The coconut could have been ramped up a bit, but I am still loving it. As proof, I can honestly say that I could not wait until I was done eating it to tell you about it!

Being me, I would probably sprinkle some red pepper flakes on to make it spicy! Yum. If you do not like spicy, then you will be fine with this dish.

It is a hearty and grainy dish; it seems filling and mostly healthy. I love that it does not have cheese on it...I know Asian inspired food does not usually have cheese, but so many frozen foods do. I am do not miss cheese when it is not there, so I do not eat it much since it is sorta bad for you.

I was impressed with the amount of goods in the bowl. This is what it looked like:



So thumbs up to this frozen dish. It will be nice to add to my arsenal of frozen foods to help me overcome my eating out for lunch problem. It also adds to the growing Kashi addiction problem at our house. Buy some Kashi stock because Todd and I are keeping that company sailing!

Oh, the cost. That is kind of a drag, it was like $3.39. Still cheaper than eating out, but medium to high in the world of frozen meal costs.