Cuckoo for Cooler bags

You can find this ADORABLE bento box here on Amazon. It's called the Laptop Bento Box. Mad props to Shelly from The World According to Egg Face for finding it. She had gastric bypass surgery and has lost a tremendous amount of weight. She also has some of the best recipes I have seen in the blogosphere. Very creative and simple as well. Check her out!

Until recently, I had enough "lunch pails" and cooler bags to make an orphanage envious, but in the big clear-out due to the kitchen remodel, I gave many of them away.  For a while back in my lean days, I even carried a diaper bag because there are so many great compartments and some of them are insulated. I always lamented that no designer ever produced a really trendy "IT" bag that is also a cooler. Back then I thought that there must be a huge demand for such an item! When I mentioned it to my 'normal' friends, I got polite acknowledgment or just blank stare. It was a sign.

That was back in the day when I was really focused on being as lean as my body could ever be, and torturing friends and family alike while ordering food in restaurants. I ate as little fat as possible and tried to fill up on lots of fibrous veggies and protein. Barely a carb passed these lips (popcorn excepted). I ate a lot of egg whites (NO YOLKS!). I drank a lot of smoothies. I was lean. I was also a grouch.

I remember a couple of years ago, we had just gone out to eat with some friends. When we returned home from the restaurant, I promptly walked over to the microwave to pop some popcorn. Our dear friend, Ron exclaimed, "What are you DOING? We just ate!! Do you have WORMS or something?!" My friend Jill came to my defense by pointing out that I had only ingested a few lettuce leaves so it was no surprise that I was obviously still hungry!

Here is a photo of us going out to eat on that day. I'm actually drinking a shake on my way into breakfast. There's the diaper bag. I did love that thing...it was indestructible:

2007, ~133 pounds and carrying 4 pounds of food and a smoothie on the way to breakfast

For the record, I still do drink a 100-300 calorie shake every morning and as a 'snack.'  Occasionally I will drink a shake if I'm starving before going to a restaurant.  It helps to take the edge off intense hunger so that I don't do a face-plant into a bowl chips and consume 500 calories before the meal ever arrives.

You know, I understand the Clean Eating & Oxygen Magazine's concept behind eating 5-6 small meals/snacks a day, but it just did not work for me. I found that I spent the whole day either eating, prepping or packing food (in one of my many coolers). If I wasn't eating, I was starving and therefore thinking about my next meal/snack.

I have found in the last few months that larger, more filling meals (with some fat) work better for my body and mind. Yes, I'm about 5-10 pounds heavier, but it's worth it to me.

November 2009. ~142 pounds.

It was when I wrote this post on trying to be "more normal" that I was finally able to loosen my death-grip on the cooler bags. I no longer feel the need to always carry huge amounts of clean eats on my person at all times like I used to do. Yes, it was smart to always have a stash of carrots, celery, a few hard boiled eggs, a shake and some Laughing Cow Light cheese. But to go to the market!? The market that is TWO minutes away?? Silliness. I learned a valuable lesson a while back: Unlike emotional hunger, REAL hunger can wait. This one a-HA moment served as a blow to the world-wide cooler-bag industry as I would no longer be single-handedly keeping them afloat.

So while I still use a cooler bag for an emergency shake and when I'm eating lunch out, I don't rely on packing all my food for the enitre day anymore. It is liberating, I won't lie. I do also keep an assortment of non-perishable emergency snacks in the purse, but far fewer than before.

Having said all that, if that super cute Bento Box at the top of the post actually had a separate compartment for a laptop, I would be defenseless against such cuteness and practicality. After all, it's called the "Laptop Bento Box!" Hello, I'm all for blogging over lunch!

For any new readers, feel free to check out this past post on chlling out when things don't go as planned (or 'your food is covered in oil and you eat it anyway.')

So I leave you with a text from Ron on Thanksgiving day 2009:

• Ron: "Have a great Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much! Well, don't let the worms eat too much"

Q: Do you have worms? I mean, do you eat little and often, or do you eat 3 squares?

Smoothie Saturday/Sunday- Holy Mole Smoothie

At Thanksgiving my SIL, Arizbe (who hails from Mexico) was chatting with me over a shot of tequila. What? Every family doesn't do tequila shots on Thanksgiving? Anyway, I informed her that she's really going to like this weekend's Smoothie recipe. To which she replied, "Why, does it have tequila in it?" Hee,, such a card! No, sadly there is no booze involved, but she will like anyway. Read on...



I remember the first time I tasted 'mole' sauce (pronounced MOLE + ay). It was in East Los Angeles where I was working at a community clinic. Someone had brought in one of the most amazing dishes I had yet to taste in my life. It was chicken cooked in a rich, dark sauce and I was told that it had some of the most remarkable and fabulous ingredients: peanut butter, chocolate and coffee!

There are about a zillion types of mole sauces as you can see by clicking here to read about it on Wikepedia. The women in the clinic told me that to make an authentic mole sauce from scratch, you have to stand and slave over a hot stove all day, stirring and stirring. Or you can take a short cut and head over to the market and buy Rogelio Bueno's version (which is what I had that day). Not a calorie-bargain you can imagine, but soo good. Interestingly enough, Wikepedia did not list any of the sauces with coffee, but this girl at the clinic thought it would be good, and boy was it ever!

Being SmoothieGirl, you know that I eventually would find a way to get all this stuff into a blender (sans chicken of course). Here's the line-up:

Notice Samantha's new toy from Auntie Heabie

• 2-3 cups water
• 1-2 cups ice
• Chocolate Protein powder 1 scoop
• 1/2 to 1 T Peanut butter
• Peanut butter flavored FrankenSyrup if desired (Sugar free- like Torani or DaVinci) (or if you don't want a chemical festival, use a splash of almond extract)
  
• 1 T Dark cocoa powder
• Dash stevia
• Xanthan and Guar gums to desired thickness
  
• Sprinkle chipotle powder (THE STAR INGREDIENT!)
• Instant Coffee 2 tsp

That's one Frothy Fiesta!

The chipotle was just too much for Sam's toy.

This is such a delicious if odd combination of flavors. The variations are ENDLESS: you can use any nut, seed or spice. But in my opinion, all is bueno if there's chocolate & peanut butter involved!

Q: Have you ever eaten something with a mole sauce? What is your fave Mexican dish?

Tips for Healthy Holidays

Hello readers! Well by now we are about to sit down to a Henry-the-Eighth-style Thanksgiving meal, right? (Hopefully not!) It's official- we are right smack-dab in the middle of the HOLIDAY SEASON!! Eeek! We can run, but we cannot hide from the holidays. They can be loads of fun but they can present even the healthiest of people with some challenges for staying sane, healthy and not gaining 10 pounds by New Years!

I received a couple of requests to write a post on staying healthy during the holidays. While not an expert, I certainly can provide my humble two-cents worth based on my own experience.

First a bit of history for any newcomers: For a number of years, I was heavy, very heavy. You can read about my weight loss story here and here. Before my weight loss, I viewed the holidays as a free-for-all. And I also believed that they lasted from Halloween (yay copious amounts of candy!) until my birthday at the end of January. Let's see, that's 3 months. That's a quarter of the year. Hmm, free-for-all eating for 25% of my year? No wonder I kept gaining and gaining.

233 pounds in 1997

Once I got my weight down to a reasonable place, the holidays were no longer a free-for-all. But then it took a concerted effort to not gain more than a couple of pounds over the course of the holidays. I will not lie and say that it's easy now. In fact, maintaining a large (or small) weight loss is downright challenging. Ask anyone who has done it. Here are some tips that I find helpful over the holidays. If you haven't already, I hope that you can incorporate some into your arsenal of healthy-living tricks.

• Try to keep up your exercise schedule:
  

Make it a priority to exercise as much is as reasonable for YOU. If you have a very busy life, the holidays just get busier. It might entail sneaking out on your lunch-break and taking a walk. Personally, I love to get out of an office for some fresh air for at least a few minutes per day, if possible. Or perhaps it means getting up 15 minutes earlier and doing a kick-arse lunge and squat routine like this one. Trust me, you'll be glad you did it. Any little bit helps both your mind and your body.

Perhaps the Trail beckons for a 20 minute hike

• Keep your stress to a minimum.
  

Easier said than done right!? The holidays can be stressful- very stressful. Anything that you can do to decrease the stress will help. Here's an example from my family. One year, my very wise Mom decided that enough was enough with the Christmas gifts. Not meaning to be a scrooge, she suggested that we do a gift-exchange like many offices do. Draw a name out of a hat and get ONE gift for ONE person, WITH a dollar limit. I cannot tell you the joy this brought to our family. Instead of trudging out reluctantly to the mall to get everyone something that they may or may not appreciate/need/want, we were able to focus all of our efforts and energies into a thoughtful and meaningful gift for one person. Gift-giving means so much more to us now. Keep in mind that we don't have any small kids in the family, and I would NEVER recommend holding-out on prezzies for the littles ones- it's their magical time of year after all!

Means of reducing stress is different for everyone: getting a massage, taking 10 minutes to knit or do a sudoku puzzle (am I the only geek who loves these?), taking a hike, making your holiday dinner a pot-luck rather than doing everything on your own. You be the judge. Just try to find something to make things less manic at this crazy time of year.

10 minutes eating lunch outside can make you feel great. Hugh Jass Salad optional.

De-stress with a little yoga

• Try to be reasonable with your food intake.
  

Again, like I mentioned in this post about surviving your vacation, do not attempt to "diet" excessively in order to "earn" a splurge. I would admit that I do cut back a tad during the holiday season, especially if there is a lot of baking/lunching/dining out. Offices are notorious for having loads of goodies lying around. It takes all of your self-control not to dive into everything. It's like being at a buffet! If you can just choose a few items that you really truly want, and if you can sample a bite or two like I discussed here, then do it. If you're not a 'sampler', then it might be best to walk away from the temptation.

It really backfires if you try to starve yourself and "save your calories" for later indulgences. Here's a small example: I might cut out my sprinkle of granola on my breakfast smoothie-in-a-bowl. I will have plenty of carbs later in the day and I can survive without it. But don't you DARE try to take away my nut-butter-on-a-spoon because then I'll have to take you down. And it won't be pretty.

You don't have to eat raw fish and tofu (there go all my vegan readers!), but try to keep your meals balanced and nourishing...you might be less tempted by the gingerbread cookies later :-)

• Try to appreciate your fortune and your blessings

(This tip is more for your soul than your body, of course.)

If you are reading these words, then you have a certain level of fortune. Sure you may not own a home or a car, but you can read, you have a roof over your head and you own a laptop- this is a privilege not everyone enjoys. I can get very caught up my little world of healthy living. But there are so many people who are less fortunate in about a zillion ways.

I wrote a post straight from the heart that you can read here. Basically, it was about counting your blessings. We all have problems and issues. But if we are lucky, we enjoy a certain amount of love and support from those around us. This includes bloggie friends as well as those I call my "Brick & Morter" friends (those I know in "real life"). And of course family.

Guess what this is...our Wedding photo! April 1994

• GET BACK ON TRACK ASAP
  

I learned the hard way after my last vacay, that it does you very little good to survive your trip, only to mistakenly let your guard down when it's over. You need to get back to a healthy balanced lifestyle a.s.a.p. or else weight gain WILL be inevitable. Trust me... I'm living mu'u mu'u-wearing proof. Whatever works best to get you back into the swing of things: keeping a food diary, limiting sugar or alcohol, counting calories, getting back to the gym...different strokes for different folks. Find what works best for you.

For me, daily smoothies help me back on track. What works for you?

I don't know about you, but I can gain weight VERY, VERY easily AND quickly. What I gain in a week usually takes a month or more to shave back off. This is partially because I no longer Kamikaze "diet" my way back down the scale (leading to a horrific cycle of yo-yo weight-cycling).

Q: What's your best strategy for staying healthy and sane over the holidays? I'm constantly learning, so pummel me with your wisdom, people!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my dear Bleeps- and thank you for taking the time to read my blog and leaving such kind, insightful and intelligent comments. I learn from you and I am enriched by your presence and for that I am so grateful!

How to Fold A Yoga Mat

OK, disclaimer up front: part of this post might offend natural blonds everywhere. For this, I am truly sorry. And it's really not my fault...I am merely relaying a true story.

A very dear 'real life' friend who happens to be smart, funny and blond has made the determination that I am a Natural Blond! More than once. Gasp. I know, shocking. Apparently, sometimes I say or do things that she thinks are not phD-worthy.

Case in point: I have done yoga for over twelve years. My mat is so well-loved that I have worn little "bald patches" where my Downward Doggin' Feet go - about 62 times every time I practice. For every vinyasa (a series of poses in yoga that ends in a Downward Facing Dog), my little (or rather large) bare feet scrape little particles of yoga mat, which end up scattered on the mat itself. Then, when I end up face-down in Child's pose, the little bits of mat stick to my sweaty face. Cute.

Yes, I'm the one who pops into the market on the way home with blue yoga mat dandruff stuck to my cheek. The poor checkers try not to stare, but just like with huge pus-filled zits, facial yoga dandruff is really hard to ignore. 
 
I digressed. My point was that I've done yoga for a really long time, and until last year, I did not know how to roll my yoga mat. Don't get me wrong, anyone can roll a mat. The trick is to roll it up without getting the sweaty cooties from the studio floor back onto your mat, where your face will eventually lie (leading to embarrassing moments at the grocery store).

I think about the ick-factor at the end of every class, however as soon as the mat goes into its leopard print carrying bag, I have that opioid-like serenity that makes me say 'whatever'.

I lurrve my yoga bag!

One day, I was at my hard-core step class at the legendary Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, Ca. The instructor is a fabulous woman named Heidi. Not a yogini, but obviously a smart cookie, she provided a classic A-HA moment for me while we rolled up the borrowed yoga mats for working our abs. She taught us how to roll our mats... sans micro-organisms.


Yoga mat Folding 101A:

1. Bow your head in gratitude for the practice of yoga & thank your instructor
   
2. Slowly stand up- try not to pass out
3. Do not Roll your mat
4. Fold mat in HALF!! I will repeat this part: Fold mat in HALF!
5. NOW roll mat as usual.
6. Insert into Leopard Print Bag and squeal because it's so darned cute
   
7. Buy Greek yogurt with (clean) yoga-mat dandruff on your face
   

The theory goes like this... the part of the mat that will touch your face will only ever touch your face, and never the floor! And the yucky underside that touches the dirty, sweaty floor will always touch the floor and not your face! GENIUS!! BRILLIANT. Thanks Heidi!!


Q:  Do you practice yoga? Do you sport embarrassing facial yoga-mat dandruff?

Scream alert!

This was the only "screaming" photo I could find. Thank goodness there are no others.

Can you all scream with me?? C'mon please, some Decibel-Therapy for SmoothieGirl: let's hold cyber hands and scream together! My poor Google-Reader subscribers will have in their inbox a typo-filled, non-linked rough-draft of an upcoming post about surviving the holidays. And for this I am so sorry!

Can someone from Blogger please explain to me why is it that when I hit 'enter' after typing in a partial label (repeat: A LABEL!!!), it PUBLISHES THE WHOLE FREAKIN' POST!!?!?!??!?!?! Some genius braniac computer-nerd's head really should roll for this oversight in the software program! If I ever find the pocket-protector-clad kid responsible, I might take him out myself.

So I just wanted to alert you to please delete the rough draft and wait for the real post some time in the next week or two. Or save it just for yuks to see how much I change it between now and then. Your choice.

Meanwhile, I hope you guys are enjoying your Sunday!

New recipe: Carob Chickpea 'Butter'

Hey SGET readers! Unlike yesterday's rather deep Flashback Friday, today's post is nice and light. Thank you to for all of your very sweet comments - they (and you) make a huge difference in my life! I am grateful to each and every one of you...commenters and lurkers alike :-)

Those of you know already know me know that I love me some good nut butters as evidenced in some earlier posts! I especially love to make my own whenever possible.
I felt like straying from my Saturday/Sunday Smoothie format as it's getting chilly nowadays...well, that and I haven't created any new smoothies this week :o) But I did create a bizarre new food product...well, it's new for me!

Warning people... this is random and weird, but I like it!

I bought some dried chickpeas from a Persian market (I have no idea how they dry/dehydrate them.) They are sold in bulk, so I can't even show you a package. They are roughly normal size, perhaps a bit smaller than the type you buy in a can. They are crunchy, but not hard like a Corn Nut. You can pop them into your mouth and eat them as a snack like nuts. However, they are not oily like nuts. In fact they are quite dry to just chomp on. After eating a few, you feel like you need a milk or water chaser. (Bourbon would work too, I suppose, if you felt so inclined.)

So you KNOW that I had to stick some in the Vitamix and see what would happen. I ended up with a powder a la PB2, only with some tiny granular chunks (I probably could have run it longer to get it to be a finer powder).

Here I have basically 'Chickpea PB2'. So what do I do?

L to R: Dehydrated chickpeas...Chickpea powder...Roasted Carob Powder...Carob Chickpea 'butter' (the finished product)

Rehydrate with a little water, add stevia and my latest obsession: Roasted Carob Powder.

Carob Chickpea 'Butter'

You can see it went deep, dark brown and was so thick and creamy. I ended up dipping strawberries into it and It.Was.Amazing!!!!

So there you have it- weird, random, yummy.


Q: Any weird random yummy recipes to share?

Flashback Friday: Thankful time of year

Really, we should be thankful all of the time, but Thanksgiving really gives us the opportunity to formally give thanks for our many blessings. Even though I'm a week early, I have been thinking a lot about what was happening in my life a year ago. Just to let you know: This is not a fun post- you will not laugh. It might make you sad. If you're not up to it, click off...I certainly don't mind.

Without going into excruciating details, suffice it to say that about a year ago, things were a bit rough. We were trying desperately to keep our cat of 14 yrs, Charlotte (Sam's mom) alive after being diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma. We went from our regular vet to a veterinary cancer specialist much further away.

We started with oral meds, but when they failed, we moved to Chemotherapy. When she wouldn't eat enough, she had a feeding tube placed in her belly. We gave her blended food and numerous meds through the tube, and at first it was beyond stressful as Charlotte was not digging the process. However, after a while, she hardly even noticed when we were feeding her, and it was a half an hour that we got to spend just petting and brushing her (all the while sneaking food into her belly, heh heh). She was finally stable and actually doing well after several tough months. Ahh.

The mom, Charlotte and her daughter, Samantha- many years ago

Charlotte November 2008, wearing the little sweater that kept her feeding tube from flopping all over the place.

Hey, the girl liked her margaritas. Sporting a cute little sweater (oops, correction: it's technically a HOODIE) to hide the generic white one.

Next, the family had a wonderful celebration of my brother's birthday in San Francisco. Dad and I decided to drive the scenic Pacific Coast Highway and we managed to eat and wine-taste our way up to SF. We also had fun being tourists at his alma Mater, Stanford University. We were having the time of our lives, blissfully unaware of what lie before us in the coming months.

Dad, at Adelaida Winery- one of the best in Paso Robles. Mid-November 2008


Picnic of Champions: Rockin' the wine and cheese, ham and crusty bread. Mmmm

My Bro, Steven at his 'BIG' Birthday in San Francisco. November 16, 2008

The Gang at the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. November 2008

Let's just say that things got rough the day after Thanksgiving. Again, I'm not going into huge detail. However, with the exception of a sympathy week between Christmas and New Year, my Dad was at USC Norris Cancer Hospital until middle of January. That's a lot of time to be in the hospital. His (and therefore the whole family's) experience ranged from merely uncomfortable to outright frustrating to beyond horrific. 'Nuff said.

A week before my Dad was released from the hospital, my Mom, Brigitte, contracted a simple cold, which became bronchitis. This had happened numerous times in the past. She had battled Multiple Sclerosis for 16 years and was wheelchair- and bed-ridden at this point. The day my Dad was released from the hospital, my Mom's diagnosis was changed to pneumonia and her meds were changed.

Let's just say I was a huge ball of stress. I had no idea what kind of recovery my Dad would make, or how much care he might need over the course of time. And I knew that there was a very real possibility of the need to convince my Mom to be admitted into the hospital the very day after my Dad was released. I was as close to 'on the edge' as I had ever been in my life. Seriously.

Mom and me. Thanksgiving 2008

So that night I did what any normal (read: insane) person would do: after crying all night and sleeping for just two hours, I got up at 4am and went to the gym. Completely alone, I found a VersaClimber outside on the balcony that would have overlooked the Pacific Ocean had it not been pitch black, and I hopped on. I climbed to nowhere and cried for an hour.

When I was done, I came home and walked in the door to have Derek take my hand, sit me down and tell me that my Mom had passed away in the night. As I lay sobbing on the sofa, I looked over to see Charlotte (who had been relatively healthy as of late) repeatedly wobbling and falling down. A drama-queen worth my weight in grief, I threw myself on the ground and screamed "Please NO!? Not TWO in one day?!!!"

We immediately took Charlotte to the vet who said that her organs were, in fact shutting down. We had to put her to sleep on the way to my Mom's house where the rest of the family was gathering. So, in answer to my earlier question: Yes, two in one day. Rough. Surreal. Totally unexpected.

I did not write this post to garner sympathy. Let me repeat that: I did not write this post to garner sympathy. I wrote it to remind myself that when I start getting upset about things that seem to matter to me at this moment (like the fact that I've been nibbling on too many sweets to fit into my skinny jeans), I need to recall the things that really matter in life. Yes, I'd like to lose a few vanity pounds, and I'm regrouping for a good effort to eat healthfully and mindfully over the holidays. But I also need take stock of the many blessings that I do have right now.

I have no idea what the future holds. No one has any control over that. I can only choose to try to live life to the fullest right now because in reality "these are the good ol' days".

Q: Thanksgiving 2009- for what are you thankful this year? How has your gratitude changed over the years?

Definitely, Maybe

Did any of you guys see the movie Definitely Maybe a while back? I thought it was cute. This post has nothing to do with the movie, but I thought I would borrow the name

I was working out at the gym thinking of the fact that some things in my life are pretty much non-negotiable, and then there are things that are more optional. So I started running through some of them in my mind (obvi not working out hard enough if I had the energy to expend thinking!)

So in no particular order, here are some of my current Definitelys & Maybes...Note: they can change at any time! And some of the "maybes" I wish were "definitely" as denoted the high-tech mildly-displeased-face icon.

Definitely: Floss
Maybe: Moisturizer
(Edited to add: moisturizer is no longer optional!)

Definitely: Toothbrush
Maybe: Hairbrush

Definitely: Deodorant
Maybe: Body Lotion

Definitely: Conditioner
Maybe: Shampoo

Definitely: Pedi
Maybe: Mani

Definitely: Hair color
Maybe: Hair cut

Definitely: Lip color
Maybe: Mascara

Definitely: Eyebrows
Maybe: Earrings

Definitely: Sunscreen on face- rain or shine
Maybe: Sunscreen elsewhere
(Edited to add: Sunscreen is now obligatory everywhere!)

Definitely: One smoothie daily
Maybe: >1 smoothie daily



Definitely: Thinking about the blog
Maybe: Posting on the blog


Definitely: Kitty smooches
Maybe: Kitty brushies


Definitely: Working out if I feel like it
Maybe: Sitting on the couch if I feel like it


Definitely: Heart Rate Monitor
Maybe: Stretching

Definitely: Snacks in the purse
Maybe: Smoothie in the purse/cooler

No, really these all lived in my purse at the same time. Really.

Definitely: Email
Maybe: Phone

Definitely: Reading blogs
Maybe: Reading anything else

Definitely: Twitter
Maybe: Facebook

Definitely: Earplugs during exercise classes
Maybe: Taping feet

Definitely: Strength & cardio
Maybe: Cardio solo

The "Pebbles Flinstone-With-A-Mullet" Hair 'do- at the weight room

Definitely: Sweet
Maybe: Savory

My obsession: Wonka Tinglerz. I panic-purchased many of these when I heard they were to be discontinued. Did I mention that I'm an overbuyer?

Definitely: Protein
Maybe: Grains



Definitely: Nut butters
Maybe: Jams

A very old photo. Right now I've got also pecan, brazil, cocoa almond, and I threw away that nasty faux PB from Walden Farms- gag!

Definitely: Coffee
Maybe: Tea



Definitely: Family



Definitely: My blog friends

The lovely Ms. ThinspiredBlog, Lara

The adorable ms. meals & moves, Janetha

Definitely: Heab meetup soon!



Definitely: Friends Definitely: Operation Beautiful




Definitely: Operation Chocolate Covered Kindness



Definitely: LMAO



Definitely: Sprinkles

Definitely: Smoothie-In-A-Bowl

Smoothie in a bowl, with Sprinkles

Definitely: I ran out of Maybes :-)



Q: What is on the top of your Definitely/Maybe list?








Deb