Ok we’re back!  These are my latest obsessions: baked tortilla chips and salsa and guacamole.  Yeah I go all out.

Ingredients

4 (soft) corn tortillas (cut into quarters)
2 tomatoes (roughly chopped)
1 avocado
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves (or 1 large clove) (chopped)
1/2 cup of cilantro (chopped)
sea salt to taste
1 lime

First the chips:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cut the tortillas into quarters and brush each side with vegatable oil.  Space them out on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes until your chips look like this:

While the chips are still warm, sprinkle with sea salt to taste and voila.

And the  guacamole:

Pit the avocado and roughly chop it in a bowl.  Squeeze the juice of half a lime on it.

Now mix in half of the onion, half of the garlic, 1/4 cup of cilantro and a quarter of the tomato.

Now the salsa:

There are many ways to make salsa, I like it chunky.  So I chopped up 2 tomatoes, a quarter of an onion, a handful of cilantro and squeezed a lime and voila!

Yum.  Enjoy!

peace,
e.

The first time I tried to loose weight, I asked my cousin how to start.  She said, “Eat half of what you eat now.”  Simple advice, that actually made a huge difference.  Now I am more nuanced (and educated) about how much I should be eating, but something I noticed in my package food was that there was normally more than one serving size included – particularly in my bottle sodas (which I desperately need to give up *sigh*) and bags of chips (can anyone say kyprtonite?).   Women’s Health has a slideshow to illustrate “the truth about serving sizes.”

I’m trying to find a graphic that shows how small serving sizes are – particularly of mean (the size of my fist? weak).

peace,

e.

So yesterday I was hanging with my bestie and she was telling me about some contraption she wanted to buy to tone her abs.  I gave her the side eye and said “Well, you already have that big exercise ball, what do you need that for?”  So then we started talking about how she could use stuff that she already had around her apt to make at home gym.  I also started thinking about the from the comments on my posts Being for real about our weight, parts 1 and 2 – if women really don’t want men to see them without makeup/sweaty/frizzy hair, etc, this is the perfect way to get in shape and save face.

So what do you need: worst case, if you are super broke, you can start off with nothing at all, and just use your body weight (with squats, lunges and push ups) and lift canned veggies or books to tone your arms.

If you do have a little money to spend, I would suggest getting:

yoga mat

exercise ball

weights (start with 5 lbs, then work up to 10lbs)

exercise bands

DVDs (if you feel like you need some encouragement or you just don’t know what exactly to do with all this stuff)

If you want to go hard core with your home gym, you could also get:

medicine balls

balance trainer

So what do you lovely ladies have in your home gyms?

peace,
e.

No I’m not gonna go Howard Stern on her, but I think she’s a perfect example of what I want to talk about.  First off, I love her confidence.  It’s not easy no matter the size, but for her to be that size in Hollywood and still have her self esteem (and sanity) in check is amazing.  But we must be for real, she is not healthy and we should not encourage her to stay this size.

The other day on twitter someone joked about how it’s the time for someone to talk to Gabby about her weight and not even 5 minutes later someone else tweeted “big girls rule, leave Gabby alone.”  Now I know this isn’t going to be popular, but we’ve got to stop.  If Gabby does not lose (a substantial amount of weight now), she might not make it to 50.  It’s just not healthy and we shouldn’t encourage this. I’m not saying turn on her, say bad things, think negative thoughts.  I’m not hating on Gabby.  I’m saying, we need to encourage her to do better.  We need to not make excuses for her not to lose weight.  At this point, she can afford better food, she can afford the gym, she can afford a trainer, she could even afford surgery if she wanted to go that route, so all these wack excuses you’re getting ready to throw at me are moot.

This post is not about bashing “big girls” or hurting their self esteem.  This post is a plea for us to stop encouraging each other  to stay large.  I get why we say “big girls rule” and other affirmations.  And I think it’s great that we encourage people to feel good about themselves no mater the size, but we have got to stop making excuses for our size.

Facts:

• African American women have higher rates of obesity than women of other races
• Black people were 50% less likely to engage in exercise than White people in 2007
• People that are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and other risk factors of heart disease (which is the #1 leading cause of death for African American women).

Collectively we need to lose weight.  I’m not saying try to become a size 2, I’m saying be healthy. If you’re already fit, great.  Now go out and help your mom, your sister or your best friend get in shape too.  Losing weight and eating healthy are not easy, but they are definitely feasible.  With some motivation, discipline and support, we can do it.

peace,
e.

sources: 1, 2

Last week I had the privilege to speak at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services forum “The Social Determinants of Health: A Discussion of the Relationship between Marriage and Health Outcomes in African American Communities.”  Throughout the day we had panels of researchers explaining marriage (and cohabitation’s) effect on health – there was one entire panel devoted to obesity.   Maybe two weeks ago, Belle touched on the topic of how our weight might be affecting our prospects at marriage.  My first reaction to the post was “well, duh” but the commentors weren’t having it… at all.  It got crazy.  Many self proclaimed larger women were going on and on about how they were landing men left and right.  But let’s get one thing clear: there is a big difference between some dude you just sleep with and a husband.  Many of these women had the former.  And if that’s all you want, then that’s cool.  But from what I’m hearing, most women want more.

Before I really get into what I want to say, let me lay out some facts for you guys

• Discussions of selection aside, people in better health are more likely to get married (there is a ton of research to back this up)
• Your weight is an indicator of your general health
• Black women are more likely to be considered overweight and obese (and yes, these are very different from thick)
• Black women are less likely to get married than women of other races (yes, yes I know, we’ve been beaten over the head with this all year)

So that said,  one researcher found that Black women are more likely to become obese after marriage than women of other races (granted, I think the assumption was that they were already overweight).  Well when it came to the Q&A people went in.  First it was the excuses that we as women are just too busy to find time to exercise.  Look, if Barack Obama can find time to exercise every day, you can find time too.  Then it was “but exercising isn’t fun.”  Are we being for real?  Brushing your teeth isn’t fun, but you do that every day.  Putting on makeup isn’t fun (at least not to me) but you’d better believe I take the time to look pretty in the am.  Going to work really isn’t fun, but we do that without fail.  That excuse is lame and I’m not going to justify that.  You’re an adult, grow up.  Then came the one I was waiting for  – “but my hair.”

Black women look at it like this: it’s your hair or your life. And I’m serious.  I can think of no worse reason to die young(er than everyone else) than the desire for your hair to look good.  We talked about how much our hair costs, how long it takes to do our hair, how we need to look good.  It all.  It was pathetic.  Surrounded by these amazing women doing amazing things and most of them were overweight and complaining about their hair.  Later while discussing this with another panelist, he bought up the fact that a lot of women he knows don’t like working out in the gym because they don’t want men to see them sweating.  Women, please stop the madness. A). I’m sure you’re still gorgeous under all your makeup and B). you’re supposed to look at little crazy at the gym, that’s how you know you’re doing it right (and trust, sometimes we are doing it all wrong at the gym, but that is another post).

Unsure if you are overweight or obese, check your  BMI (yes I know this isn’t the *best* method, but it’s start) or better yet, check your percentage body fat.  Most gyms should have a machine that will check it for you, or you can buy one yourself.  If you are overweight or obese, please take a good long look at yourself, think about how your body feels, think about how you feel about your body and then think about how you want to feel (and look) in the next 10 years and then reconsider not exercising.

So please, love yourself, take it to the gym, eat better and be happy.

peace,
e.

So I finally finished Skinny Bitch.  From the start, the tone killed the book for me.  The authors are literally bitches and from the first page the reader is pummeled with insults.  Aside from that, the book preaches healthy eating, specifically becoming a vegetarian and eventually vegan. I must admit, constantly referring to meat as “dead, rotting decomposing flesh” did turn me off a little.  But my love of meat triumphed in that battle.  They did get me when it came to milk – maybe it was by actually making me realize I am drinking another animal’s breast milk.  Gross.

What concerns me more than eating dead, rotting decomposing flesh is the lack of safety regulations regarding the health of the animals in general and sanitation after they are slaughtered.  Very much along the lines of Food, Inc. I think this tactic might work for people who are already on the fence about eating meat and people who need a tough-love push eat better.  All in all, I think you can get the same message from Food, Inc. without your self-esteem taking a beat down.

It was helpful to read their other book, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!), to get a better idea of what to actually eat.  Some of it actually looks really good.  You can read more about the Skinny Bitch franchise on their website.

peace,
e.

Ingredients:

• 1 can Italian tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 2 zucchini, grated)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (in my recipe I substituted this with basil)
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I LOVE garlic, so I added maybe 6)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth (substitute light, tastes the same to me)
• 1.5 cups orzo
• 6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Poor tomatos into a large bowl (I’d recommend not pouring in all the extra juice) and break apart using a pair of shears or your fingers.  Add the zuchini, mint (or basil), cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Stir.
3. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan over high heat.  Add orzo and cook for 4 minutes (you only want it partially cook, it’ll cook all the way through later).  Use  a sieve to transfer the orzo to the bowl with the veggies.  Stir the orzo into the mix.  Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart backing dish.
4. Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove all the rib and seeds.  Cut a thing slice from teh base to level the bottom of the tomato.
5. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth.  Spoon the orzo mix into the peppers.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes (maybe it’s my oven, but I definitely didn’t need that much time).  Remove the foil , sprinkly the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden.

I made this a while ago and loved it… the first week.  This recipes made about 10 (regular size) peppers, which was entirely too much for just me.  If you live alone, I’d suggest halving all the ingredients and you’re good to go.

Original recipe and video on how to make here.

peace,
e.

So in an effort to eat healthier, I’m trying to limit my meat intake to once a day.  Since most of the recipes I know require meat, I’ve been on the hunt for something vegetarian that’s not a salad but is tasty and will actually fill me up.

For my first dish, I came across this Roasted Portobello Caprese Salad recipe in Martha Stewarts magazine (hey it’s not my fault the chick who lived in this apartment before us doesn’t get her magazines forwarded).  Anyway,  it was definitely filling, I ate about 3/4 of this and an ear of corn and was stuffed for the night.  I think I would add more balsamic vinegar and garlic, but otherwise this was delicious.  Check out the full recipe below.

peace,
e.

Ingredients
8 portobello mushroom caps
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 bunch fresh basil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, slicked 1/2 inch thick
4 cups arugula
Toasted bread, for serving (optional) – I opted for homemade garlic  bread (yum)

1. Preheat oven to 400^o. Place mushrooms and garlic on a rimmed backing sheet; coat with oil and vinegar.  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper.  Roast, shaking sheet occasionally for 20 minutes (we found this to be way too long, maybe 10 minutes is better).
2. Flip mushrooms and garlic to recoat with oil.  Add tomatoes; flip to coat in oil, sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt, season with pepper.  Roast until mushrooms are tender and tomatoes are soft, 20 minutes more (again only took us 10).
3. Rub softened garlic into mushrooms.  Please 1 mushroom onto each plate and top each with basil.  Stack another mushroom and 1 mozzarella slice onto each.  Layer more basil, 1 tomato slice, more basil, then another tomato onto each.  Divide arugula among plates and drizzle with pan juices (we didn’t need to drizzle since everything was covered in pan juices aka balsamic vinegar).  Serve with bread if desired (it was).

Per serving: 529 calories, 11g saturated fat, 25g unsatureated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 21g carbohydrates, 1,373mh sodium, 22g protein, 5g protein.

That’s advice from my cousin about beginning a new diet and workout routine.

I’m not in shape and I hate working out in public – or rather, I hate when I can’t keep up and other people can see.  But that’s what happens when you’re a beginner and it’s ok.  You have to start somewhere, what’s important is that you start, right?

So last week I attempted to run Prospect Park, now I knew there was no way in hell I was going to run the whole thing – besides being out of shape I have shin splints – but anyway I started running and then I was out of breath, so I walked a bit.  When I caught my breath I ran again until my shins hurt.  Then I walked.  And although I hated the thought of all these strangers watching me stop and go, I did it anyway and felt really proud of myself at the end.

So whatever it is that you’re trying to do, be it starting a new routine, getting back on the wagon or changing your diet, just start and be ok with being a beginner.

Good luck and tell us how you’re doing.

peace,
e.

Jeez man, so I’m reading this article on CNN about how the nation is getting larger (no surprise there) and how clothes manufacturers are actually changing the size of the clothing – so whatever number you’re reading on your jeans may not even be your real size anymore.

The article continues to talk about BMI and how women with normal BMI’s are considering themselves to be normal as opposed to overweight.  (You can calculate your BMI here.)  But I’m saying, if everyone around you is obese, and you’re just a little overweight, that makes sense.  We’re not constantly surrounded by twig women, well at least I’m not.  The place I notice this most is on the subway when that oh-so-large person squeeze in the middle seat and now you’re squished becuase someone underestimated the size of their hips.  booo.

So while the article is applauding the fact that we have a heathly senses of self, it also points ou tthat as a nation our BMI is increasing.   There’s this scary map that shows average BMI by state.  There is a lot of dark blue on there (BMI= 29% to 32.5% that’s obese).

So what’s a SASSY woman to do? I, for one, am not down for being obese.  That’s no sexy now is it.  Over the next month I’m going to explore different ways to tighten it up and lower that BMI.

Tell me SASSY women (and gents), is your BMI scaring you? Is it motiviating to you get it tight? Lemme know.

peace,
e.