Hiiiii!! I played a little disappearing act the past few days…whoops.  I’ve been wanting to share photos from my shower (so.much.fun.) and tell you about some cool things going on, but not gonna happen today.  Sorry, guys.

BUT- I do have something funny and random to show you.  Jared found this while he was at the airport this week (He’s in Denver….poor guy is in the middle of their snowstorm and missing the SF heat wave!) and sent it to me.

I couldn’t resist sharing with you because it’s both ridiculous and kinda makes sense all the same time….and oh so “healthy living community” related.

Voila, the HAPIFORK. 

It’s a fork that encourages you to eat slowly by tracking your time between fork bites, total time it takes you to eat a meal, and the speed of your fork from the plate to your mouth.  It then loads them all into your phone or computer. 

They say that by keeping track electronically, you will start eating slower.

I’m not the most technically savvy person and I tend to shy away from new things like this and opt for the low-tech way (i.e….having a clock nearby), but tell me I’m not the only one that thinks this is soooo silly!  And besides, ONE fork for every meal? Or how many of these are you supposed to buy?!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS CONCEPT?

Eating slowly is another story though and soooo important.  I know that I, for one, often eat too quickly and have to mindfully slow myself down.

Here are 4 ways why eating slowly is better for your health: source, source

• Numerous studies have found that people who eat fast are three times more likely to be obese than people who eat slowly.
• Eating slowly is good for digestion. This starts with chewing food more. Enzymes in saliva help break down the food, so it gets digested more easily and fully. The more chewing work you do, the less strain on your gut.
• Eating slowly prevents you from over-eating (or at least over-eating by as much). It takes the brain 15 or 20 minutes to recognize that the stomach is full.
• Bloating can occur when you add excess air to your stomach, causing your stomach  to feel larger or uncomfortable than it usually does. One of the problems with  eating quickly is that it introduces excess air into your digestive tract

3 ways to make yourself eat slower  source

(you know, if you don’t want to get a Hapifork and all…)

• Sit down when you eat. Turn off the tv or computer and pay attention to just the act of eating and enjoying a meal.
• Use smaller utensils (because you’ll eat less with every bite)
• Put down your utensils between bites.  Such an important habit!
• Count your chews!  It will take a little time to get in the habit of eating slower, but for one day, count your chews and make sure you chew 20x per bite.

I need to eat slower.  I had a GI appointment yesterday and he basically said that I just have to figure out what works for me and what doesn’t on my own to prevent stomach aches….so here we go with some more experimenting.  Eating slower certainly can’t hurt.

 Okay, so be honest–

–HAPIfork- ridiculous or a good idea? 
–Do you naturally eat slow or fast?  Do you have any “eat slow” tips?

Hey! I didn’t want to delay the Giveaway winner announcement anymore since I know you guys are on pins and needles (ha) waiting to hear…..  I used Random Number Generator (I think it’s so fun to use!)

and the winner of the cute steel containers are….

drum role please….

Alex @ The Run Within!  Alex, I’ll send you an email with details.

More Giveaways coming soon!

And now a short weekend recap and random question of the day.  I hope you guys all had  fantastic Spring weekend!  It was 78 degrees here and so beautiful!

We went to the Farmer’s Market

I asked Jared to get me rainbow chard…..but he came back with beets and beet greens!  They *sorta* look the same….but regardless, I kind of like having something different to experiment with.

Did some wedding “stuff”….like opening presents!  We’ve let them stack up at my parents’ house, so we went down to start working on them.  I have a lot of thank you notes to write!

Plus some hiking, lounging, errands, and hosted a spur of the moment bbq with friends Sunday night.  Ahh, weekends, I heart you.

Question of the Day……

For those of you that live in an apartment…..do you have a laundry room? If so…..do you ever take out peoples’ laundry from the dryer or washer after its finished so you can put your stuff in??  Like, if it’s been sitting there for a while?

laundry on sunday night = all full

I never know what to do about it.  I HATE it when people take my stuff out….especially if its only been sitting there for under 5 minutes.  But how long are you supposed to wait for someone to come collect their things?  There comes a point where you just have to finish your own laundry, right?

Long story short… All the dryers were full, but off (clothes had already finished drying). I waited 45 minutes for someone to get their stuff out of the dryer (out of the 8 dryers)….and then finally decided to take their things out myself.   We had people over for the bbq and I couldn’t wait any longer.  I felt bad….but don’t really regret it.  Don’t think of this as a big deal, but I never know what other people do in this situation and am curious what you guys do.  Do you wait it out or take their stuff out?

Okay, enough about that…….

– How often do you do laundry?
– Who else went to a farmer’s market this weekend?
– What was your favorite wedding gift you received?
– What’s something you’re looking forward to this week?

Mondays are often a doozy around here, so I’m just popping in for a quick, fun, no-pictures FMM post.  I had a really nice, quiet weekend.  On Saturday, I had my third dress-fitting and YAY it fits!! And it looks really good!  They also had a lady there who helps you find jewelry that goes really well with the dress so I picked out a few things.  Yes, I’m getting so excited!  Other than that, my weekend included lots of park and beach time and playing errand catch-up.  And now it’s back to work Monday.  But always time for a FMM post…I love Kenlie’s questions, so it’s always fun to participate.

 Ten Questions

1. Describe the kind of home you would live in if money were no object.
I’d live in a 5 bedroom cape cod style house with a huge backyard.  There would be a window seat, lots of light in every room, and a porch.

2. Are you more conservative in your actions or more rebellious? I suppose more conservative.  I usually think first and then act.

3. Would you go to Mars even if it meant you could never return to Earth?  No way.  I think going to space would be neat….but not that neat.

4. Name one song that makes you want to dance every time you hear it.  Hmm…I still always want to dance to Call Me Maybe

5. Share one thing that you wish you could go back and do differently in your life.  Just yesterday  I was thinking that I wish I had more confidence in myself during college.  I loved college and it was great, but I remember feeling self-conscious often.

6. Share at least one accomplishment that people wouldn’t expect you to be proud of.   Good questions….I think of learning not to be self-conscious dancing in public.  That was a tough one for me to overcome!

7. Describe one delicious thing that you’ve eaten lately.  M&Ms…..we have a bowl in our office and I can’t get enough.

8. If you had a theme song that would play every time you entered a room, which song would you choose?  No idea, I’m so bad with knowing songs.

9. Had technology enhanced your life, or has it over complicated your life?  Both.  Living in silicon valley, I do sometimes think life has become too much about technology and hope that my future kids still play outside and handwrite letters….but I certainly couldn’t live without my iphone.

10. If you could get paid to do any job, which job would you choose?  A mom.  Or getting paid to volunteer and help out at different organizations would be a great job!

Hope you guys are having a good Monday!

Keep me entertained and answer a question!  #1, 6, 9 or 10…..or any that you want!
Do you look forward to or dread Mondays?

Are you good at squeezing in exercise during busy weeks?  How about squeezing veggies into your meals? 

My goals this week are all about squeezing it in.  It’s better to do something than nothing– all about balance, right?– and sometimes that takes a bit more planning and effort.  So far, a success!

First up, Exercise…

On Monday night, I managed to squeeze in 20 minutes of strength training and stretching before date night.  It would have been so easy to just sit on the couch and watch a DVRed Dr. Oz episode, but going to the gym was a definite win and I was proud of myself.  I also realized that it’s not extra tiring and I have more energy as a result.

Then, I quickly showered and we went out to dinner at a Peruvian place.  Things have been busy and this was our first date/”us” night in 3 weeks! We had a lot of fun.  Wine and some sirloin stir fry dish was  consumed.

Tuesday morning, I managed to squeeze in a 30 minute swim before work.  Sometimes I shy away from swimming when I don’t have much time because it requires more effort to get wet (doesn’t really, just seems like it does), but it is always SO worth it!  I went late enough in the morning that the pool cleared out and I had a whole lane to myself.  Love that.  Swimming is my “zone out” exercise and starting the morning with it always helps the entire day go well.

And….I also managed a light treadmill workout tonight.  I’m feeling pretty good.

With exercise, I’ve learned that when I squeeze in workouts for even short amounts of time, I end up  feeling much better.  It’s worth the extra effort.

And my second part of my SQUEEZE IT IN CHALLENGE…..

I’ve also been trying to squeeze in extra veggies this week…..but not just in portions of veggies.  This week, I’m trying to eat as many DIFFERENT types of veggies as possible.  I get into my food ruts (spinach, lettuce, frozen broccoli, reoeat) and sometimes miss out on the nutrients other veggies have to offer.  This week, I’m keeping track of the kinds of veggies I eat.

How’s it going?  Well, it’s only Tuesday, but here are some of my veggie eats of the week.  And fitting for WIAW too. (thanks for hosting, Jenn!)

Monday:

Green smoothie.  There was at least 2 servings of spinach in this breakfast.

A big salad (lettuce) for lunch.  I had some fresh dill that I put on it.  It’s an herb, but it still counts, right?

Dinner included a lot of rainbow chard, steamed.  A carrot and a leftover piece of roasted broccoli is hiding on the plate with chicken too. (***edited to add- oops, this was Sunday night’s dinner…Monday night I was out for Peruvian food.  I guess I’m counting Sunday night too for the week)

Tuesday, I didn’t get any veggies in until almost 2pm when I ate some brussel sprouts that were in the fridge from Sunday.  I only realized I was veggie-less because I’m writing them all down this week.

three blurry brussels

Dinner was full of kale (and more chicken).

So far, that’s 8 different types of veggies!  Pretty good for only 3 days, right?  My goal was 12 types for the week.  If I don’t go to the grocery store, I can still add cauliflower and asparagus (already in the fridge).  I’ll probably eat a few more servings of spinach (veggie of choice and I know I want a smoothie tomorrow)….but this is good incentive to pick something new the next time I’m at the store.  Fennel?  Bok Choy?  Green beans?  All about squeezing in those extra nutrients.

– What different type of veggie should I get this week? 
– Are you good at “Squeezing it in?”  Do you do something active instead of sit on the couch for 20 minutes or regularly rotate your veggies?
– What type of exercise do you do when you only  have 20 minutes? I usually walk, stretch, do weights, or dance around the house.

Hey!  So, I don’t know about you but this time change thing has thrown me for a loop.  I feel like I’m half asleep and groggy until about 1pm!  I’ve been sipping green tea like it’s my job, but that doesn’t help pull me out of this funk.  Hoping another few days is all I need to get over it.  It also probably doesn’t help that I (mostly) gave up coffee again about two weeks ago and can’t use my crutch.  I wasn’t going to mention it on the blog because of my failed attempts in the past, but it was really messing with my blood sugar and my digestive system and I just couldn’t take it anymore.  I’ll drink it occasionally (aka, this past weekend), but not daily.  My body is sensitive- very sensitive- I’ve learned.  And going without coffee has helped.

I owe you guys so many posts and have so many running through my head….but I haven’t been able to get back on track with a blogging “schedule” lately.  I’m sure you’ve noticed the lack of posts lately, esp lack of quality.  It’s driving me crazy!  I think my schedule has changed enough that I haven’t gotten my routine down still and I can’t quite figure out when to blog and how to be most productive.  It’s my big goal in the next couple weeks to figure out a schedule and routine that sets me up for success in my “ME” stuff (exercise, cooking, blogging, quality time with Jared and Charlie, etc).  Right now, I just feel like I’m all over the place and I hate that feeling.  Organization has never been my strongest quality. So stay stuned as I try to reorganize my life a bit!

this is a random sparkler photo, but im really excited about doing sparklers at our wedding!

And now, even though I’m half a week late to discuss International Women’s Day (it was on Friday), my sister sent me this link with some really intersting facts about what it’s like to be a woman in other countries.  I think we often automatically think that we have it best here, but it’s not always the case.

Here are the fun facts that I got from this site (and I didn’t change much of the wording, so please know it is pertty much direct quotes from the site).

The best place to be a woman
It’s Iceland, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report for 2012. The country has claimed the top spot in the report since 2009. Finland, Norway and Sweden round out the top four.  The US is number 22.  What hurts us: the lack of female politicians.

Country with the smallest gender wage gap
Egypt, where the World Economic Forum says the gender wage gap is 18 cents – so women can expect to earn 82 cents for every dollar a man gets.

Country with the most female politicians
Rwanda. In the African country, as of February, women held 45 of the 80 seats in Parliament.

Country where women live the longest
Japan, where women can expect to live 87 years, compared with 79.2 for men in the country. In Canada, the average life expectancy for women is 82.8 years – nearly five years longer than men. In Afghanistan and Lesotho, the average girl won’t live to see her 50th birthday.

Country most friendly to female billionaires
China. According to a recent Forbes study, the Asian nation has a “uniquely high” number of self-made women among its richest citizens

Best country to pass off the vacuuming to the man in the house
Denmark. According to a study by the OECD, women in the Scandanavian country do only about 50 minutes more of unpaid labour a day than men. Compare that to women in India, who are doing five hours more a day of unpaid labour than their male counterparts.

Country with most women in the work force
Burundi. According the World Economic Forum, 92 per cent of female citizens in Burundi have paid work – compared with 88 per cent of men.

Top country for women in positions of power
Jamaica, where there are more women than men serving as legislators, officials or managers (59 per cent vs. 41 per cent, according to the World Economic Forum).

Safest place to have a baby
Estonia. The maternal mortality rate, which includes death during pregnancy, childbirth, or 42 days after ending a pregnancy, in Estonia is two deaths for every 100,000 births. In Canada, the rate is 12 in 100,000

Best place to stay at home with your kids
Germany. German mothers get 14 weeks off at 100 per cent of their wages. They collect a parental allowance of 67 per cent of their wages for 14 months, and both parents have the option of three years of parental leave in total.

Country with the lowest rates of domestic violence
Georgia. According to a United Nations study in March of 2011, the lifetime prevalence of sexual or physical abuse against a woman in Georgia is 5 per cent. Canada comes second in a list of 86 countries, at 7 per cent. In Ethiopia, the rates of violence against women by a partner is horrifically high: 71 per cent of women are physically or sexually abused over the course of their lives.

The land where women stay single the longest
French Polynesia. According to data collected by the World Bank, Polynesian women don’t get married, on average, until the age of 33.  The US and Canada is 29.

Polynesian wedding tradition. Neat, huh?

Top country to be a single mother
Norway. According to a Scandanavian study, 4.1 per cent of children in single-parent families were deprived of quality of life measures, including being able to heat their homes properly, being able to afford a meal with meat every second day, and manage unexpected expenses. The study placed Romania last.

So, what’s you think?? I think it’s so nice of Germany to do such an extended maternity leave!  From what I hear, Canada is pretty generous too.  Not so much in the US.

– Have you noticed differences for women when you travel?
– Any “woman’s issue” that you want to see addressed or changed?

Hey!  Just popping in to say….I didn’t disappear forever! I just caught the dreaded stomach flu (or maybe really bad food poisoning?) and so I’m laying low a bit (read- sleeping, curled up, hating life).

We all know that reading blogs is generally the last thing anyone wants to do with a stomach flu (ahem, pictures of food, stories about food and eating, etc) so I haven’t been around commenting or reading much.  I’m at work today and feeling better, so fingers crossed it’s all better from here!  So far though, nothing but saltines, gatorade, and gingerale in my tummy.  And you know what, for the first time in my life, I’m actually really liking the flavor of gatorade!  Saltines?  Not so much

Hope you guys are doing well!  See you this weekend.

– What’s your favorite color gatorade? Red or blue for me
– Gingerale or 7up when you’re sick?  I like 7up.  Being sick is my only excuse to drink soda.  Tastes funny still.

Well hello, What I Ate Wednesday. It’s been awhile, but I missed you this week so thought of participate again….even though Wednesday is already mostly over!

How’s your day? I had a meeting mix-up scheduling wise at work, so it shifted my day around a bit but ended up much better. I ran this morning and am going to kickboxing tonight…oh and it’s 68 degrees outside still! Pretty good for a hump day.

Okay, back to the food….

Breakfast. Akmak crackers with peanut butter and a sliced banana. Green tea on the side.

Leftovers for an early lunch sweet potato, broccoli, and leftover chicken pesto

Snack A sliced orange and TJs wasabi peas…my love of the week.

And last but not least….
Dinner! Salmon, steamed greens, and a corn tortilla.

A yummy day.

And just something to say…all you TJs fans…do you bring your own bag and enter the raffle for the weekly gift certificate?? I ALWAYS do…and have never ever won. I’m convinced it’s a fake raffle. Have you ever won?? Know anyone who has??

Happy Wednesday!!

-Do you bring your own bags when you grocery shop?
-what was your workout today?
-Do you like wasabi peas?

Hiiiiiiii! I’ve been in super stay cation mode the last few days, but wanted to pop in and wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Regular blogging to resume tomorrow.

Cozy sweats and glasses is how I’ve been rolling the past few days

Jared got home on Friday and we’ve been out and about around the City with Charlie. Some highlights?

Beninhana double date with friends (those people in the background were our table mates, not my friends)

So fun to watch the chefs. I ordered tofu because I wasn’t in meat mood

We’ve taken “exploration walks” each day where we just pick a starting point and walk around for a few hours to see where it takes us. Fun!

And we’ve discovered some neat areas

I’ve baked two delicious things that ill share next week.

And the big exciting news? We bought the new car yesterday!!! We looked at SUVs two months ago, but had to wait until after the Ironman and shoulder surgery to actually get it. Jared decided on the Suburu Outback and is sooo happy with it. Took us 5 (!) hours of negotiating and paperwork

Buying a car is exhausting and no fun. I have no idea if we got a good deal, but we tried hard. Charlie came with us and was such a good boy. Coincidentally, another lady buying a car had her cockapoo with her so the two pups played together for a little bit. Was pretty cute!

An SUV means we’ll have a much easier time going up to the mountains this winter!!!!

This year has ended terrifically. I feel grateful and happy and full of excitement for the future. Having an extra long weekend to relax and focus on things I enjoy has been sooo nice! Feel like I’m recharging my batteries.

Tonight, we’re forgoing the big party thing (partly because of Jared’s shoulder…he cant really be in crowds where there’s a potential of being bumped) and doing something really low-key. I’m hosting people for dinner (just casual…this was really last minute) and we’re going to a fun nearby bar/lounge with everyone to ring in 2013!

While i reflect on this year, I think that most of all, 2012 has taught me that things don’t always go as planned or in the exact way I want them to….but as long as I work hard, try my best, and keep the faith, they all work out just exactly the way they should.

Happy New Year! Enjoy your night and be safe. And honestly- thank you soooo much for reading and for being a part of my life. Blogging has been one of the absolute best parts of 2012.

Xoxo
-Go big or low-key for New Years?
-Best lesson you learned in 2012?

Hey friends! I don’t know about you, but I’m still on holiday vacation mode…even though I’m at work, there’s just a mellow mood everywhere. And I LOVE it.

It was pouring rain all of Christmas, which made for a really cozy, quiet day and it was so nice to spend time with family.

I haven’t taken many pics, but wanted to share some highlights with you…

Sitting around a warm, cozy fire with Xmas music playing in the background…

Smowman sourdough bread…

Book of Mormon…such a funny, good show!

Lotsa time to stare at my shiny new ring…(yep, it was finally done at the jeweler’s!!)

And ordered new glasses…I’ve been needing new ones for a while and it’s nice to check it off my list.

And now I’m going back into work-mode (I’ve only gotten 3 emails all day..I think the whole country is on vacation!) and then more relaxing mode (wine with a friend tonight). What are you guys up to?

–Do you wear glasses? Or contacts? I wear contacts most of the time.
–Do you have a fireplace?I don’t at my apartment, but really wish I did.
-What’s the last musical you’ve seen? Have you seen Book of Mormon?

I usually buy Trader Joe’s brown rice cakes in bulk. They’re always sitting in my cupboards and I usually eat at least one per day, usually smeared with jam, with an avocado on top, or plain by itself. You probably already know that because they’re all over my WIAWs.

But lately, I keep reading articles about how they’re not actually good for you at all. In fact, some say they’re just plain bad for you. AHHHHHHH, my beloved rice cakes! Could this be true? I did a little research and here’s what I came up with on why they’re supposedly not healthy….

1) They have a really high glycemic index (91 our of 100), so they’ll raise your blood sugar quickly. This is not enough to make me stop eating them.

2) Some have additives. Mine don’t…the only ingredients are brown rice.

But the real reason…..

3) Toxicity. Rice cakes are created in the same manner as typical processed grains, like cereal. The high tempatures in the factories remove proteins and make it “puff” and in turn, the process makes the grain toxic.

Whole grain brown rice cakes are produced in VERY high temps, making their toxic properties come out strong.

Hmmmmmm

My verdict? Welll…I’m taking it with a grain of salt. They’re not the most nutritious, they might be a little toxic, but I don’t think it’s worth freaking out about. Many things these days are toxic, I suppose. If the majority of what I eat isn’t processed, then I should be okay. I think this might be in the back of my mind next time I buy them, but oh well. If I freak out about everything having chemicals or some level of toxicity, I’ll go crazy. So pass me a rice cake.

– Do you like rice cakes?
– Would you eat them if you knew they were produced in a way that brought out some toxicity, or would you not care?
– What’s your favorite rice cake topping?