Coasters and Cholesterol

A quick glance at my calendar just revealed that I’m about to reach the top of my Summer roller coaster. Beginning tomorrow it’s going to be full speed ahead—chock full with winding and upside-down turns all along the way. I officially have something going on every weekend from now until the middle of July.

That just ain’t right.

On an unrelated note, is anyone else out there dying to get their hands on Burger Kings new Loaded Steakhouse Burger, with all its 970 calories of glory?

Filed under: Burger King, Cholesterol, Roller Coasters, Schedules, Summer, Weekends

Chicken Curry

As we were preparing dinner tonight I got so excited about what we were having that I just had to share. The following recipe is and has been a staple of the Mud Puppy diet. As you will see, it probably factors into my high cholesterol levels, but it is SO worth it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 TBSP curry powder (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
• 2 cans cream of chicken
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 cups sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté onion and butter until tender.

2. Add soup and broth and heat until bubbly.

3. Lower heat and add remaining ingredients.

4. Heat until piping hot.

5. Serve over prepared rice.

6. Garnish with crushed pineapple, chopped peanuts or raisins.
_____

Previous Recipe: Pan-Seared Asian Salmon w/ Noodles

Filed under: Chicken, Cholesterol, Cooking, Curry, Food, Recipes

Water With Lemon

I read a really great book right before the end of the year called, Water With Lemon, by Zonya Foco RD. I’ve been able to collaborate with Zonya on a few different projects here at work, as well as hear her speak, and she is amazing! In my opinion, she’s a step away from becoming the next Rachael Ray.

I definitely encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and give it a read. The subtitle mentions weight loss, but this is an overall health type book. Overweight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure … whatever you struggle with, this will cure it. And it’s not written as a manual, but in the form of a novel. The first of it’s sort actually.

The main idea of this book is The Power of One Good Habit. Allowing each step to be a success, and to build on each other. There is no failing if you do it at all. Here is a list of the eight habits listed throughout the book:

1. Drink Water – And think before you drink anything else.

2. Include Breakfast – And stop eating two or three hours before bed.

3. Eat Often – And include a fruit or vegetable each time.

4. Tame Your Sweet Tooth – So you will naturally eat as little sugar as possible

5. Find The Fat – And know the good, the bad, and the ugly

6. Replace Processed, Chemically Enhanced Foods For Wholesome, Close-To-The-Farm Foods – And as much as possible, avoid products that list food colorings, chemical flavor enhancers and preservatives you can’t pronounce.

7. Eat Only Until You Are No Longer Hungry – And stop swallowing the lead-filled beach ball.

8. Every Once In A While, When The Urge Or Circumstance Dictates, It’s All Right To Eat Outside The Guidelines Of The Other Habits – And understand that this habit is just as important as the other seven.

Download PDF here

The book paints the picture so much clearer as to why these steps are beneficial, and how easy they are to implement. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series!

**UPDATE**
Healthy Habits May Give 14 Years

Filed under: Books, Cholesterol, Diet, Food, Reviews, Zonya

Status Check

I’ve posted about a couple of high aspirations recently. To keep myself in check, here is a status update.

Summer of George — Well this started off with a bang. It hit its stride around the first of July. Then the wheels fell off. I got really tired of my old bike and, honestly, a little laziness set in. For the record I kept up the breakfast / soymilk part through June and July. The exercise part ended up regressing each month after a solid month of perfection. Now that I’ve got a new bike, and new aspirations, I should be able to be a little more consistent. All in all I still think I did some good in preparation for the cholesterol test. I’ll keep you posted. (I still have a few bowls of Cheerios to eat to finish off the supply I had Tonia buy.)

Culture Gap — This is going a little better than expected. Thanks in most part to the addition of Netflix. I still have a few left to complete the list, however there are a few I’m thinking of eliminating. I’ve heard no good reviews to warrant giving Clockwork Orange a look. And after the first Monty Python movie I watched, I’m positive it couldn’t get any better with Life of Brian. And I seriously doubt I’ll watch all of the Star Trek and James Bond movies, but I will catch a few so I’m not completely out of the conversation. (Any recommendations on those?)

Filed under: Cheerios, Cholesterol, Culture, Goals, Movies, Netflix

On My Mind

Here are a few things I’m thinking about on the 6th day of my Summer of George fitness and eating-well plan.

• Does putting sugar on my Cheerio’s cancel out the good stuff?

• Would bowling for two hours constitute 30 minutes of exercise?

• How about mowing the lawn for an hour?

• Is a breakfast burrito from McDonalds helping or hurting the cause?

Filed under: Cheerios, Cholesterol, Diet, Exercise

Summer of George

Well, not exactly.

After chatting with my doctor a few weeks ago I decided to get a full physical, and have my cholesterol checked, at the end of this summer. This will allow me three months to better my diet and exercise in preparation for the big day. So, to prepare myself, I’ve devised a little plan.

To begin, I historically never eat breakfast, so for the next three months I will eat something for breakfast every day that I’m at work. Included in that breakfast will always be a 8.45oz Edensoy Extra Vanilla. To go along with that, I also plan to do the following:

June — 3 days per week of at least 30 minutes of exercise & 3 days per week I’ll eat a big bowl of Cheerios.

July — 4 days per week of at least 30 minutes of exercise & 4 days per week I’ll eat a big bowl of Cheerios.

August — 5 days per week of at least 30 minutes of excercise & 5 days per week I’ll eat a big bowl of Cheerios.

I’m also going to make a conscious effort to limit my pop and fast food intake. I won’t go so far as to put any limits on them, but needless to say, they will be monitored.

I am so glad that our softball season begins in 2 weeks!

Filed under: Cheerios, Cholesterol, Diet, Exercise

The Avocado

The avocado has gotten a bad rap. Mostly because they are high in fat. (As much as a quarter pound burger to be precise.) However, it turns out that most of the fat in an avocado is monounsaturated — the “good” kind that actually lowers cholesterol levels. Thanks to this new understanding, the U.S. government recently revised its official nutrition guidelines to urge Americans to eat more avocados.

This is really cool information for me personally because A) I love guacamole and B) I have high cholesterol. In researching more on the “butter pear,” I also found a really cool ministry that involves avocados. It’s called The Timothy Circle and they are a ranch that supports a ministry to adult men who are developmentally challenged. These men assist in the picking and packing of each shipment. It sounds very cool and I’m going to send them a little support. If you want to do the same you can do that from their website. You can also order boxes of avocados from them Here.

For more information on avocados and their benefits:
avocado.org »
webmd.com »
food411.com »
all-about-lowering-cholesterol.com »

Filed under: Avocado, Cholesterol, Guacamole