Category: Weight / Excercise (Page 3 of 4)

I was up bright and early to head to the polls before Tim left for work at 7:15.  I decided that, since our location is only 5 blocks away, that I would walk… Which was really pleasant.  Well, the walk there was pleasant.  When I got there the line was already crazy long.  I was voter number 71 and I would guess almost all those people were already in the room by the time I arrived.  So… it took a lot longer than I expected and I had to RUN back home in order to get Tim off to work without being seriously late.   But it was so worth it–especially since I really didn’t want to contend with 2 small children amongst the lines of sour, impatient voters.  🙂

So, my civic duty is done.  I’m very curious what the outcome will be–but I’m not at all up in arms about any of it.  This is all in God’s hands.  He puts people in authority so I will accept whomever He wants to have there.  But I’m still curious.

In other news I’ve been seriously inspired by all of my Fritz side women 😉 to get back on the weight loss bandwagon.  So, here I go (again!).   Today was hard–I’m so out of practice.  I’m eating before I’m even aware that I’m eating.  Gah!  And I discovered how often I snack on the kids food–again, without even noticing I’m doing it!   But I stayed on track.  And I was very hungry by the time supper rolled around.  It’s amazing how normal food can taste SO GOOD when I go back on a diet!  🙂

Fruit Frenzy:  Day 5 ~ Pomegranate

Pomegranate

Okay, I admit pomegranate is not a “new” fruit for me.  I tried them a couple years ago for the first time around Valentine’s day–I was determined to make a beautiful red dessert sauce for my cheesecake.  But I wanted to try it again for fun.

I’m tired, so here’s my shortened version:

Hard to open.  Delicious and juicy little seeds.  Stains your clothes.  Crabby Erica got juice on nice khaki pants.  Worth all the effort as I enjoyed a plate full of tart berry seeds.  Yum.

This is what the inside looks like for those who don't know

Some of the seeds. I admit I was eating them almost as fast as I was gathering them... hehe

Recap:  Pomegranate

~~ taste like tart berry.  Sort of like cranberry?

~~ juicy pockets of fruit with seeds inside, but the seeds are chewy and easy to eat

~~ $3.49 a fruit.  Not cheap…

~~ I would buy again for a special treat

Fruit Frenzy:  Day 4 ~ Red Mango

Red Mango

Well, I finally discovered a fruit that I don’t like.  At all.

Apparently I don’t like mangoes.  They’re a bit tricky to cut since they have a big oval pit, so I made sure I was prepared for that… and at first cut I noticed that they smell a bit like pine to me.  Unfortunately I thought the fruit tasted a bit like “sweet pine” as well which wasn’t much to my liking.  I did manage a few bites before throwing in the towel, but I guess mangoes aren’t for me.  It’s a bummer too, because they are such a beautiful fruit!

Sliced Mango--look at that rich orange color!

They weren’t terribly pricey, although more than your basic fruit:  $0.99 per fruit.

Aren’t you having fun learning about all these fruits?  I thought so!!!  😀

Recap:  Mango

~~tasted like sweet pine

~~ cantaloupe texture

~~ $0.99 per fruit

~~ not buying again

Fruit Frenzy:  Day 3 ~ Plantains.

Plantains

Today I made oven baked plantains.  I read up a little on them before attempting to make them–I knew that I couldn’t just eat them raw (as evidenced by how hard they are!).  I’ve heard of them before but never thought to actually buy them.  And it turns out they are really hard to peel.   I was struggling to get the peels off and Chloe, my little helper, kindly offered to help me.  I figured there was no harm in letting her try–but I also didn’t expect her to be able to get the peel off.  And wouldn’t you know, she got it off almost better than me!

My happy helper!

I then arranged them in slices on a pan (coated with non-sick spray) and popped them into the oven for 15-20 min flipping them every 5 min or so (and adding a little more non-stick spray).

Cut and ready for the oven

Having never had them before I wasn’t exactly sure when they were done but the recipe said “golden” brown and I think these are “golden.”

yummmy and warm

They were super easy to make and quite delicious.  I think they taste like banana bread–they have a very dense texture which makes it feel like you’re eating so much more than just a banana.  I made two plantains and I was full after only one.  Chloe even enjoyed them (and as a side note, so did Josiah, although that was because Chloe graciously offered him a bite of hers… needless to say I was not particularly happy about her decision to share her baked grown-up food with him… teeth would be helpful in chewing these up…  but, yes,  he did enjoy it too.)   I would definitely make them again.  In fact I bought a couple more at the store today because I want to try another recipe with them.

After eating them I was skeptical that they were very nutritious since they were so tasty so I went looking for the nutritional benefits and was very surprised at how good for you they are.  They are, however, definitely not a LOW calorie fruit like say, watermelon… but I find the trade off of a more dense fruit satisfying.

Oh, and then there’s the price:  $0.77 for 2.  Yup, I can get on board with that for sure!

Recap: Plantains

~~ same banana flavor we know and love

~~ thick texture that reminds me of “bread”

~~ $0.77 for 2

~~ definitely going to try more recipes with plantains!  🙂

Fruit Frenzy: Day 2 ~ Kiwanos Fruit.

Kiwanos Fruit (a.k.a. horned melon)

I’ve always wanted to try this fruit ever since it was on an episode of Friends (back in the days when we were able to watch Friends… ah, yes, the days before kids.  haha!)  Anyway, I digress.  In the episode she had no idea what the fruit was.  And neither did I.

Until now.

I was SHOCKED to discover the inside looks like this:

Look! The inside is GREEN!!!

See, aren’t you a little shocked too?  I was expecting a melon color or maybe even a reddish pink maybe.  Definitely not green.  And gel-like.

Tim decided to pass on trying the fruit tonight with me.  🙂  He thought it looked a bit too green and runny!

Yup, I have to agree with Tim...

I also read that I can reuse the shell as bowls or decorations which I thought was interesting, so I scooped them clean to save them.

It smells just like a cucumber and tastes like a combination of things that I’m having a hard time placing.  The best I can explain is a mixture of a cucumber and a banana–it’s sweet but not overly sweet.  It is actually quite tasty.

But the interesting (and perhaps most annoying) part is how the fruit is made.  It’s made up of tiny pockets of juice containing a seed.

Pockets of juice.

So, while the flavor is not bad at all, it’s a bit difficult to eat.  The seeds are edible but not very fun to chew on so I ended up standing by the garbage can spitting out seeds.  Also the pocket are a bit slippery in my mouth so it took a bit of effort to chew up even just a couple of seeds.

After more reading you’re apparently supposed to only eat a few seeds at a time and really enjoy the flavor.  Someone even said it’s a great snack to enjoy in front of the t.v. since you have to eat slowly, a seed at a time.  Interesting, huh?

Of course, there is the cost again, which plays a huge factor in my like or dislike of a new fruit and this runs quite high at $2.99 per fruit.  So even though I like the flavor and I get a nifty bowl when I’m done I’m not sure it’s worth it.

But I love finally being able to say I’ve tried that fruit from the episode of Friends now!

Recap: Kiwanos Fruit

~~ From the cucumber and melon family

~~  $2.99 per fruit

~~ Tastes like cucumber and banana

~~ Not likely to buy again unless I need a “conversation piece”

Today marks the first day of my “five new fruits”  that I wanted to try this month.  I’ve already picked up 5 fruits that I’m not very familiar with and they are lined up on my counter!  Also, as a side note, I’ll be returning to “Other Stuff” throughout the month.  I thought that was a good category to put here and there throughout the month.  🙂

Onward!

Fruit Frenzy: Day 1 ~ Ugli Fruit.

Ugli Fruit

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical of actually paying money to buy something that looks so unappealing, but I remember my Mom once mentioning them.  Unfortunately I can’t remember anything she said about the fruit, so for all I know it could have been an awful review!  But I bought one anyway.

I was quite relieved when I opened it up and the inside looked just like an orange.  After further research it is said that they are from Jamaica and are a hybrid of Grapefruit (they are the same size as a grapefruit) and tangerine or orange.

Looks just like a nice fresh orange!

They are JUICY.  And I mean REALLY juicy.  I was a complete sopping mess by the time I was done eating it.  And I must say I think it tastes like a combination of an orange and pineapple.  Now I know that’s not really possible, but that’s what I thought.  🙂  Some said they thought they could taste a hint of lemon–but I found it more sweet than tart.  Tim even tasted some and he said it reminded him of a dessert his grandma used to make called lush slush.  I’ve never had what he’s talking about so I can’t say myself…

Overall it was quite tasty but I didn’t like it any better than a grapefruit and it cost significantly more than normal citrus fruit (just one cost $1.99!) so I think I’ll stick with the cheaper ones.  But now I can say I’ve tried it!

Recap: Ugli fruit

~~ citrus fruit

~~ $1.99 per fruit

~~ tastes like orange/pineapple/grapefruit/lemon citrus fruit

~~ wouldn’t buy again