Sister Skinny: I DO like you

Showing posts with label I DO like you. Show all posts

April 1, 2008

True Story

Vegetables added to homemade macaroni and cheese automatically negate all fat and calories in cheese and butter.

February 19, 2008

Here's a brief history of yoga in my life: I have never enjoyed it. EXCEPT for one class taught at my old gym by a guy named Daryl. I loved the class. Loved it. Never missed it. He was a great teacher,most of the participants were not really the gymrat type and I always came away feeling like I had been on vacation for 45 minutes - not in a sweaty gym aerobics room. But alas, sinced we've moved it's about a twenty minute drive and since it's a night class just doesn't work with my life right now.

So I've searched. I've looked on my tv's On-Demand, at the gym,...ok...so I haven't looked THAT hard...I just haven't found a class that I like. Scratch that, a teacher I like. Daryl always had these profound change-your-life things to say at the most random times. We'd be in warrior pose and he'd break out some real-life tribulation analogy. Yes, it was cheesy, and I ate up every minute of it. I've tried two different teachers at my gym: the first one was an older guy: very zen, very cool, kinda old. He made me really uncomfortable because he'd walk around the class noticing specific things about our positions. "Ok everyone! Look back here at Shana...Her spine is perfectly aligned and her breathing is spot on! Look. Look now!" And Shana would be red-faced and frozen in because hello. All 40 of us were staring at her. Anyway, it was weird, there was this competitive thing going on like "who could get the teacher to come give me a gold star" vibe. Of course he never pointed me out, I think I caught him even rolling his eyes at me once...I suppose it could've been my imagination...

Anyway, the other teacher was just very boring. And I bet if you've been doing yoga for a really long time, you want it quiet, you want to hear your muscles contracting or something. Not me. Not only do I want someone to tell me exactly where I'm supposed to put my foot, I also want to know what it represents, "What? Tree pose? rooted. focused. balance...check."

Well tonight I think we may have stumbled onto a fantastic yoga instructor through the YOGAmazing podcasts. (And by we I actually mean AARON AND I. Yes that's right people, my husband joined in and did some yoga tonight. I suspect it had more to do with the fact that this new instructor looks slightly like Steve Carrell, but whatever.)

Meet Chaz:

We both liked him. He is so friendly, really easy to understand, and has just the perfect amount of spiritual energy. It really did help us, we've both been pretty worn out (that little stunt the toddler pulled didn't exactly help). Here's a link to his podcast on iTunes (It's free!):

So, anyone want to convince me yoga is the perfect thing for me right now? Want to tell me why you love it? Or have you (like me) had some not-so-fantastic experiences with the whole thing? I'm curious about the general yoga consensus among our readers...

February 12, 2008

Do You Blanch?

Do you blanch your veggies?

You should.

Here's why:

All the cool* kids are doing it.

It will make you feel culinary.

Your veggies will automatically look more appetizing.

..And thus, your veggies will taste better.

People will assume you have a knack for finding beautiful produce. They will like you more.

(Bedsides the time it takes to boil some water on the stove) It takes under a minute.

You will eat more healthy foods and live longer.

Here are my broccoli "before and afters:"

Straight out of the fridge:

After I blanched them (same time of day, no flash, no color adjustment):

In conclusion, If you have at all tried the all-day veggie tray (which, by the way, has been wildly successful), blanching is a must. Or if you find yourself pre-packing raw vegetables to take to work or in a cooler, just give it a try.

*(I'm just assuming all of you already don't do this...I could be totally off base here...you may all have an extensive background in vegetable preparation for all I know...cut me some slack, I'm relatively new to the liking-raw-vegetables arena...)

Here's a basic rundown of the procedure:

1)Throw a handful of your vegetable of choice into a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds (the time will vary depending on the veggie and the amount: anywhere from 15 seconds to a minute)

2)Then quickly transfer them into a bowl full of ice water until they're not hot.

That's it. (If you'd like more detailed instructions, you can find them here: How to Blanch Vegetables) And just a general FYI, the best vegetables to do this with are broccoli, carrots, snap peas, snow peas, cauliflower, green beens, fennel, and asparagus. Stuff like celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, don't need it.)

What do you think? Too busy? Not worth it? Give it a try I say!