Farmer's Market and Consignment Shops!

Hey guys!

Well holy comments, Batman!  Thank you for all your input on my birthday outfit. :)  It looks like the top winners are dress #3 and #4.  And for me, that works.  I think it might depend on where we go, so my plan is to wear dress #3 if we go bar hopping or to the clubs.  If we do something like jazz or a wine bar, dress #4 it is!  Thanks again for your help, all. :)

So!  Today I wanted to show you my take from the Farmer's Market today!

Potatoes, jalapenos,eggplant, bell pepper, two cucumbers, a vidalia onion, dill and three types of tomato: yellow, red and pink.  

Here are the salads I made Dan and I for lunch:

His is just lettuce, chicken, tomato, cucumber and feta.  Mine I added avocado (he doesn't like it.)  :)

So, I know some of you are overwhelmed by farmer's markets, so I thought I'd give you a little rundown on how I approach it.  There is inevitably a lot of stuff that you might not know how to use, or that you might not even know what it is.  For me, I mainly buy what I would normally buy at a grocery store:

-Cucumber

-Lettuce

-Tomato

-Bell Peppers

-Zucchini

-Yellow Squash

-Onion

-Broccoli and Cauliflower

-Jalapeños

-Potatoes (for Dan)

I will occasionally buy other things, and do so with last-minute intention to make something special.  For this trip, that includes:

- Dill

-Eggplant

I saw they had these two things, and immediately thought, "What kind of recipes do I usually hear of with these ingredients?"  The ones that came to mind were:  Eggplant Parmesan and Grilled Eggplant.  I also figured I could use fresh dill for the recipe Wes posted over at Gay Weigh.  And of course I got the jalapeños because I tried the jalapeño popper recipe Beth posted over at the B.E.T.H. approach and HAD to make it again.  /bliss.

So, Dan is going to be grilling steak tonight and I'll be grilling the Eggplant for myself!  I'll post a recipe later for you guys to follow if you want to.

Really, the trick is to not overthink it too much. There's no need to buy beets or endive if you don't usually buy or eat it.  Don't sweat the stuff you don't recognize... just buy the stuff you recognize and enjoy eating.  Just remember you can use fresh veggies in your salads and omelets! :)

On another note, I went to a few Consignment shops in the Third Ward yesterday and tried on a few pieces.  I love that they pretty much have Thrift Store prices but it's way more boutique-ish than a Thrift store.  Here are a few items I got:

A pair of size 6 Banana Republic slacks.  Holy crap, they fit.  Stoked!  

Oh, and they were $7.

I saw this cute blue dress and thought it looked kind of vintage.  It fits me like a glove.  Sort of tight around the bust/ribcage area (usual for me,) but I love it!  Size 10, $9.

This cute blue shirt was only $4.99.  I saw the detail on the sleeves and had to have it!

Last but not least, if you guys would like to take a look at what's been keeping me so busy...

Click here to see the recent shots of the studio.

Click here for Colleen or Megan or Haley's boudoir shoots.

You can check out these gorgeous weddings here... 

Milwaukee Art Museum

Lake Park Bistro

Osthoff Resort

At Home and Fabulous

Oh, and this engagement session at the Lakefront Brewery.

:)

~Jenn

I'm Planning a Binge.

Okee Dokee.

So, I have just got to share this with you all.  I'm not sure if I'll regret it, but I'm planning a little binge.  I've never done it before.  Well, I've never done it with this degree of planning, though I definitely have eaten this way in the past.  And now that I think about it, I don't think it actually will qualify as a binge, but it's at least a planned break in my diet.

You all know that I'm a freak of nature when it comes to my eating plan.  I'll stick to it come hell or high water, and refuse even the greatest holiday temptation or the sweetest offer of non sugar free gum.  I've lost two pounds since being on vacation, and I'm pretty damn proud of that.  I'll be doing a post later on losing weight (or simply maintaining it) while traveling.

Anyhoo.  I should back up and explain WHY I feel the need to do this.

I used to work at the most awesome place ever.  In high school, I worked at TCBY.  If you don't know what that is, I'm really sorry.  It stands for "The Country's Best Yogurt."  And that's the damn truth.  I worked there for a few years, and it was delicious.  I seriously hope some of you know what TCBY is, because I'd hate to be alone in my obsession with their yogurt.  So.  I've been craving and craving and craving it.  I'm not normally a sweets person.  I don't go nuts over ice cream usually (though I do have my favorites:  Mint Chocolate Chip or Coffee Ice Cream... yum!  Oh!  Or Peppermint.  That's the greatest thing ever.)  But because I used to work there, I figure there's also some kind of wiring in my brain that associates it with happy feelings.

So for the past six weeks I can't stop thinking about White Chocolate Mousse.  With mini chocolate chips.  And Golden Vanilla with chopped peanuts.

Here's the trouble:  a) My diet involves no dairy or sugar.  (Well, shit.)  b) There aren't any TCBY's in Denver or Milwaukee.  Except... at the airport.  YAY for the airport!

So I'm actually asking my parents to drop me off at the airport an HOUR early.  This, so I can go to the TCBY, order something fabulous and sit and eat it really slowly and savor the experience.  And then, I still will have time to order another flavor if I want to.  I'm serious about this, people.  I'll be sharing pictures.

Many of you are probably thinking I'm insane, and that's okay.  We all know I'm a lunatic.  But you're probably like, "Umm, Jenn?  A half cup of low fat yogurt is NOT a binge, and it's barely a cheat, mmmkay?"  Yes, I know.  It's simply a huge break from my very specific diet plan.  It's just a big deal to me.

...But you guys?  It doesn't end there.  'Cause I can't stop thinking about Taco Bell.

So, of course, I've decided that I want to go get Taco Bell with Dan when I get home.  I want a bean burrito with no onion, a cheese quesadilla  and a crunch wrap and a super bell grande nacho deluxe or whatever it's called.  Now we'll see if I have the guts to follow through with the Taco Bell idea when I actually get home, or if I'll feel satisfied and guilty enough over the yogurt to not do it.

I know, I know, I shouldn't feel "guilty" over something like that.  But, I will.  I mean, it's been a vacation full of compliments and my head is huge now, especially 'cause you all are so damn sweet and supportive.  But I still am not to my goal.  I'm still overweight.  I just happen to carry my weight fairly well, and I'm blessed with decent proportions.  But I know how I feel and that the beginnings of muscle definition I have in my legs and the smaller waist I'm enjoying are only whispers of what I'm capable of.  I know I have more fat to lose, and I'll be more comfortable at that smaller size.  I still can't fit into those size 8's. :)

But then again, they say it's "okay" to cheat.  And I feel like it's sort of a reward for my hard work, and it's food I miss.  But, on the other hand, they also say you should have NON food rewards.  Well, I shop my face off and totally have no self control when it comes to just buying what I feel like I want to wear or getting a pedicure if I want one.  I'm a spoiled brat.  So, I just get confused and right now I want to stop writing about this because I'm sure you're confused too.

My point is:  I want TCBY and Taco Bell. 

So!  I wanted to update you all with my nuttiness and see if you have ever planned a binge.  Yeah, I guess this is only counting as a pseudo-binge if I do the Taco Bell thing, but dammit, I REALLY want to.

Mmmm, Taco Bell.

~Jenn

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

I've eaten about five of these things while visiting in Colorado, and they're freakin' delicious! They are my Mom's concoctions (toasted, with creamy PB and peach jelly.) YUM!

So... It's been an awesome trip. I have a few more days to go yet (I leave on Wednesday night to go back home.)

My food intake has been moderate... I think I'm doing better than I did the last time I was here.

Monday - Dinner - big salad with hard boiled egg, tomato and croutons.
Tuesday - Taco Bell bean burrito with no onion, cheese quesadilla and mac and cheese from the KFC menu. Then Chili's for dinner, 1/4th bean burger, salad, two margaritas.
Wednesday - PB&J sandwich, kick ass veggie sandwich at the Spicy Pickle, iced tea
Thursday - PB&J sandwich, leftover chili's. Three beers, one martini, one slice of artichoke and spinach pizza
Friday - PB&J sandwich, Olive Garden for dinner (salad, breadsticks, mushroom stuffed ravioli with roasted tomato cream sauce), a ridiculous number of Coors Light's (shared three pitchers with Wes and Jesse)
Saturday - Brother's Graduation Party: One veggie dog w/mustard and sauerkraut, one black bean burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup and mayo, handful of doritos, handful of organic tortilla chips with guacamole, handful of black and green olives, one piece graduation cake. I broke my vegetarianism for a four inch strip of Brisket made from super organic free range meat. A variety of veggies and fruits. That night was Wes' birthday party where I had something like five or six Pineapple Vodka/Sprite Zero's, some bean dip with tortilla chips and a roll with butter.
Sunday - PB&J (best hangover food, seriously) - big salad again, watermelon, tortilla chips with beans. Three tawaka bombs, 10 coors lights, drunk again.

So, it hasn't been too bad. I just really went nuts with the drinking this weekend. It's so funny, I don't drink in Milwaukee very much unless we have like, "margarita night" with friends once in a blue moon. But when I come home, it's a party all the time. Don't worry, I always have a Designated Driver, or I stay over at the person's house I'm visiting with. :)

My working out has, of course, taken a slight nosedive into nearly nonexistent. I brought the Zumba DVD's as I mentioned before. (Don't really like them that much to be honest with you guys, but I'll talk more about it later.) I did Zumba on Wednesday, then helped a friend wash wallpaper glue off his walls for 3 hours on Thursday, then helped my Dad paint on Friday, so I got some good activities in. After that though, I haven't done anything else. I was thinking about running outside tomorrow night or something. I haven't run in awhile, and it would be nice to run toward the park to see how far I can go. (I used to run when I lived at home.)

SO! I don't know what the plans are for the rest of the week, per se, but they should be winding down. I know I don't want to drink tonight... I'm getting too old for this shit.

:) <3

Jenn

BAN on Fast Food.

Yeah, you read that right.

South L.A. put into place a ban on fast food six months ago. Now, it didn't force fast food restaurants to close, but prohibited the developing of new fast food restaurants, or more of them.

You can read about it here in an article written by Mary Casper.

The decision was made in order to ensure that the land left to develop led to a greater variety of non fast food restaurants and grocery stores, as opposed to more unhealthy fast food.

According to the article, "When the moratorium took effect, 73 percent of South Los Angeles restaurants were fast food, compared to 42 percent in West Los Angeles."

So, once again, we see government dictating eating, in a way. It's no longer the biggest chunk of change, or first buyer that gets to develop whatever their business is on the land... it's what the government says is okay.

I have no problem driving past Wendy's or McDonalds or Burger King and not going to get a burger. I don't need my government to decide a percentage of available land for developing each type of business. I mean, what will it lead to? 5% for dry cleaners, 7% for fast food joints, 2% for smoothie shops, 10% for liquor stores, 10% for grocery stores, 15% for clothing retailers, etc, etc?

It's a little crazy. What do you think?

~J

Calorie Sticker Shock?

I just found this article (from July 2008) about New York requiring food establishments to post the calories for any food they sell in the same size and font as the price!

This is BRILLIANT. Wouldn't you love to be able to see this when you go out someplace?



I know I would. Man, I want this in Milwaukee.

Tell me what ya think... would you like this where you live?

The thing that most amazed me about this article was not the law. It was the part about the woman who ate at TGI Fridays and was all pissed off that they'd done it. (By the way, the fines start at $2000 if these places don't comply.) She saw the menu and that many of the meals were over 2000 calories each, and one of the desserts was 1500 calories. She said, "I wish they wouldn't have done this," and then asked if they had any of the old menus without the calorie count on them! Talk about denial. Seriously? You'd rather eat foods and have no idea how bad they are for you? Or, you know how bad they are for you, but you somehow think you'll feel better just blindly eating these foods without the facts in front of you? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. We should be HAPPY with this kind of information. Sheesh!

So... Anybody reading live in New York? How do you like it? Do you find it helps you stay on track with healthy eating?

You really don't know what is in the food you get at some places. A muffin could cost you 630 calories. When getting your morning coffee, I bet that would keep you from buying it.

~J

McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

Just a quick reminder how much fast food is grossing me out right now. I'm watching Supersize Me again. I just love it. I also ordered "Fast Food Nation" from Amazon (the book) and can't wait until it gets here. It's now been around 5 weeks since I have had fast food. That meal was a Chick-Fil-A grilled chicken sandwich and their cross cut waffle fries. *(yum...)* -- I loved it so much that I had a second grilled chicken sandwich. Chick Fil A is the healthiest fast food chain out there, according to many articles and studies I've read.

Before that, I had McDonalds sometime at the end of November. So, I'm calling it two months since I've had bad fast food, and a little over one month since any fast food at all. Not even a Diet Coke from a fast food joint. I seriously can't wait until I can say it's been a full year since I've eaten fast food! :D

I have been pretty much slacking on my working out the last few days, but still have been active over the weekend with cleaning and the Wii Fit. But I need to make sure I'm not using the Wii to allow myself not to go to the gym. I'm still paying for the membership... hellooooo!

Though, for any of you with the Wii Fit... have you tried the pushup / side plank? It's freaking hard. I also did the "bridge" and could BARELY hold for 30 seconds. That beat the hell out of my post-personal-training-workout-beating where I could only hold it for 10 seconds... but still. I should be at 1 minute for that pose. I can't wait to be in shape, have muscle definition and be able to do PULL-UPS.

Have I mentioned that's my goal? I want to be able to do at least 5 full pull-ups by this time next year.


Tomorrow is weigh-in day. See you then!

~J

Nasty McNasty

This is what I'm talking about. I don't know if this is real, but it's DISGUSTING:

Cliopatra, Changes, and McDonalds is Evil.

Hello everyone! I'm typing away again like a really cool blogger type person at a Panera Bread here off of 43 and Silver Spring in Glendale, WI. I was just thinking about McDonalds. But let me backtrack.

I got a comment (yesterday?) from Cliopatra, who helped me realize that "Meringue" was probably "merengue", as in the style of dance. I went over and visited her blog, and saw an entry called "Ch-ch-ch-Changes." She talked about things that she changed in her life that will make her 2009 better. At the end of the blog entry, she asks the question: What have you done to make your 2009 better so far?

I answered: I am going to attempt to NEVER eat at McDonalds again.

And then I realized... what? Did I really resolve that? Yes.

But if that's true, why am I resolving that? And also of equal importance, why haven't I blogged about it?

So I'm going to.

(Thanks, Clio :) )

So, McDonalds is evil. I know, I know, you guys are saying, "Jenn, you are in love with Big Macs, and McDonalds fries are your favorite." -- Well I can say that I've replaced my love for Mcdonalds fries with Chic Fil A fries (Come on, they're WAY better.) -- I also have realized a few things about McDonalds that make me never want to eat there again. Sometimes knowledge makes you change your ways (Just like I'll never shop at Wal*Mart again, but that's another story)--- so I'll share with you guys why exactly I'm swearing off my beloved Big Mac for good.

I suppose the seed was planted when I watched "Supersize Me" for the first time. I watched it (I think) with my friend Matt when it first came out on DVD. Though I hadn't eaten any fast food that day, I felt DISGUSTING after watching it. Now, Dan thinks that the documentary is ridiculous because it took a guy (Morgan Spurlock) who ate mostly vegan foods and put him in the position to eat nothing but McDonalds for 30 days. Yes, that's true, but if you think about how a human being should eat (being healthy, eating whole grains, sprouted foods, fruits and vegetables and lean meats) - the truth of BAD foods really shines through. And yes, though Morgan Spurlock's girlfriend (now wife) cooked vegan foods, he himself was not vegan, and did eat meats.

I digress.

I saw the documentary another one or two times in the few years thereafter, and each time felt so gross for eating fast food so often (several times a week) that I didn't go to a drive thru for a good week or so after seeing it. But, with my on again, off again Atkins dieting, nothing could really beat the cheapness of a few dollar burgers from Wendy's, Burger King, or McDonalds.

A few weeks ago I was hanging out with my friends Wes and Jesse in Denver, and Jesse told us he'd never seen Supersize Me. We put it on immediately. I watched it with new eyes, so to speak. I was just starting out with my healthier lifestyle, and the prospect of eating those foods really made me feel sick. I hadn't had McDonalds for a few weeks at that point; I wasn't knee deep into gluten free vegan wellness or anything (nor am I right now...) -- but I still watched and thought to myself, "Why would I do that to myself?"

I thought back to a few weeks prior when I was YouTube-ing McDonalds. I don't know why I was doing that, but for some reason it happened. I saw a short video done by Morgan Spurlock (this was not in the documentary) - about the shelf life of McDonalds foods. He took a bunch of jars and put various McDonalds foods in each jar. Big Mac in one jar, Fillet-O-Fish in another, Quarter Pounder in another, fries in another. He then took a "real" burger from a place down the street in one jar, and "real" potato-cut fries from the same place in another jar. His goal was to leave them out, and see how they decomposed. The "real" food from the restaurant decomposed very quickly... the fries and burger were green in a matter of two days or so. The McDonalds burgers decomposed much slower... and the most disgusting thing was that 6 weeks in, the fries looked exactly the same. Gross! It got me to thinking about when I would find a random fry that had fallen out of the bag on the floor of my car - and who knows how long that lone fry had been there, but it looked just like a regular ol' fry.

When thinking about how food breaks down, it's the bacteria in the air and around us that decomposes the food. So, healthier food will break down faster. Just like if you buy organic fruits and veggies, the food will go bad faster because it's free of preservatives and chemicals. The bad food... isn't even wanted by bacteria. So then I think about the bacteria in my digestive system. Just like healthy food will be digested easier and quicker... the bad food will be harder to digest in my system. What would those McDonalds fries do to my stomach?

Aside from all the more "obvious" food issues... there are also moral issues I take into question with McDonalds and how they operate. I won't even go into the blatant advertising done directly to children, or how long they went without offering clear and concise nutritional information to consumers, or how it took Morgan Spurlock's documentary to get them to change their ways (stop offering the "supersize" option, put healthier foods on the menu, etc) -- but something even worse.

The same night Jesse, Wes and I watched "Supersize Me", we also found a streaming video from Netflix called "McLibel." It was a documentary about these two roommates in London (I think) - who were handing out fliers to people on the street about McDonalds practices. McDonalds found out, and sued them for Libel. The whole process was terrible (I'm so glad I live in America) - but aside from the corporate representatives of McDonalds being extremely rude and awful to these people, the documentary also revealed a few things about McDonalds and how they operate.

To recap all of it would result in an even longer blog post, so I'll refrain from going into their effects on the environment, health issues, treatment of employees and all of that. Instead I will tell you about the thing that made me sickest to my stomach.

Baby bird killers. Yes. The chicken suppliers for McDonalds are filthy, disgusting bastards. They showed footage of the chicken farm (if you could call it that) - in which thousands of baby chickens were on a conveyor belt. The chicks are measured by hand, and any chicks that are found to be "unacceptable" (be it weight, neck to body ratio, etc) are "disposed of." -- They're squashed into this tiny feeder belt that goes to a scalding tank. The chicks are "disposed of." The three of us looked at each other with horror in thinking we had heard incorrectly. The chicks are "electrically stunned" - and experts have called into serious question the effectiveness of this "stunning" as a great deal of the chickens are left alive or conscious when they're put into the tanks.

Additionally, the beef suppliers have been called into serious question regarding the treatment of the cows. I've seen a few documentaries on this issue (not related to Mcdonalds) and it makes me cry. The animals are unable to move, crippled, sick, diseased, and kept in the most disgusting, terrible environments. (Chickens and Cows.)

So. With this, I don't want to eat at McDonalds anymore. Ever. But what makes me only narrow this down to "McDonalds is evil!"? -- Because the same beef they use is likely the same beef I can buy at the supermarket. I really want to expand my thinking on this subject to include all the foods that I eat. To buy more organically, to purchase foods from local growers and farmers. To buy free-range meats and eggs.

I know that I could never be vegan. I like tofu, but not that much. And I'm sure if I tried to make my own, it would be disgusting. I still crave meat sometimes when my body needs protein and I couldn't be satisfied with only eating peanut butter or seeds. But, I need to seriously re-think what my money goes to. I can't possibly support an organization that doesn't care about the treatment of animals. Though supermarkets and restaurants aren't directly torturing these animals... they play a big part in keeping those slaughterhouses open for business.

~J