Shirataki Noodles...

Hi All, 

So I thought I would post a quick little 411 on these "noodles" I discovered a couple months back. They're called, as the post title suggests, Shirataki Noodles - what are they? Depending on the brand, it's usually a mix of tofu and Konjac flour, which comes from the roots of the yam-like Konjac plant grown in Japan and China.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not in the least bit trying to suggest that this "pasta" did/is/will replace my normal, good ole' flour/egg Italian pasta ANYTIME soon, BUT, for those watching their weight, this does provide a GREAT alternative when you're trying to be "good", and still eat the foods you enjoy.  Keep your traditional pasta for a splurge or cheat night, and eat these during the week. 

Texture - I'm BIG on texture, and these do provide a bit of a challenge, though, I did find that between the Tofu Shirataki and plain Shirataki noodles, the Tofu Shirataki is less "rubbery" than the plain one.  The best way I can describe the texture is a slightly more "rubbery" than rice noodles consistency.  I've found that the best application for these noodles is some sort of Asian mix - whether you stir fry veggies and chicken and mix with the noodles, or use them as an "udon" soup type of thing, they're great at absorbing lots of flavor, which most Asian dishes have.  Also, since you're probably more used to different pasta "textures" in Asian cuisine, your brain will probably accept and adapt more easily to the Shirataki in this application, whereas trying to treat it as traditional spaghetti and meatballs would be a little strange. 

Smell - yes - WARNING - upon opening the package of noodles, there is a definite "fishy" smell - don't let that discourage you. I'm not at ALL a big fish eater, so if anyone should be discouraged, it would have been me, but once you open the package, drop the contents into a strainer, rinse off with some cold water for a few minutes, then drop into boiling salted water for just a couple minutes - then you can use them as you'd like. If you're going to stir fry them however, I suggest you dry them off first, so you don't have oil splatter all over the place. 

Shirataki noodles aren't only low-cal, they also provide a huge amount of fiber, which is beneficial to all diets, and fiber also helps you feel fuller for a longer time period, so you eat less.

Just a quick "FYI" for you guys about a product that's definitely worth checking out and experimenting with!  =)

Once you pop, you can't stop...

I'm not quite sure who I am... I'm currently in limbo between the person I've known for 30 years, and the person that would always make me cringe (gym buff/health-nut)... not sure yet, which force is stronger, and which side I'll end up on...but for now, I'm here. Where is here? Well... "here", is apparently being super, super aware of the stuff I put into my body, and the reawakening of my body's muscular structure, which has been on a MASSIVE siesta for oh, about 13 years...It's time to wake up, bitch!

Anyone who knows me, knows that "heaven" to me, is, was, is, "was/is" a massive bag of chips, with super, ginormous iced cups of soda.  Nothing could be more perfect.  Sticky-hot summer's day? Grab your chips and your soda, and you're set... cold, chilly winter's night? Grab your chips, soda, and blanket, and you're set... it's all I knew...scratch that... I knew better...it's all I LIKED...scratch THAT...I liked many, many more...hell...I'm a damn trained Chef for God's sake...it's just what I did...and apparently, I've stopped doing that...for now? for good? I don't know just yet.  Is it an addiction? I absolutely believe it is...so we're workin' on that for now.  Does this mean I'll never ever have chips again? Hell no!!!!! After all... I DO like the stuff, and I do NOT believe in deprivation, whatsoever...however, exit deprivation, enter moderation...

After taking 2 classes (Zumba and Boot Camp), and doing weights at the gym last night and leaving 3 hours later, tired, exhausted, in pain, lightheaded, and near tears, I realized that the mentality that I had going into this of "I'll work out, and maybe once or twice a week allow myself to have the chips and soda, junk, etc., that I'm accustomed to and like, and since I'm eating better and hitting the gym, I'm still ahead of the game.."... Um...no... after a session like that, you start to think a little differently.  Note to self... remove "Epic Meal Time" from your YouTube subscriptions...

Are those two days out of the week WORTH losing what I worked SO hard to gain at the gym??? Why would I punish myself that way? So now, rather than sticking with that mentality, I've adopted a new one, which is allowing myself the recommended "cheat meal" per week, and keep my "treats" for special occassions, events, milestones, etc. For now, the 4th of July is a good enough special occassion to allow myself to loosen up a bit... I won't, however, be celebrating, say "Flag Day"...lol. A piece of chocolate here and there...a taste of something new, etc... that's all fine... but I won't be going on a massive fake food binge anytime soon! I hope...!

Happy Birthday, America! Can't wait to celebrate your birthday!  =)

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M.I.A.~
I know...I know...5 months....well, crazy things happen when you decide to purchase a new car, new phone, new house... crazier things happen when you decide to do all three, at the same time! Let me tell you - NONE of it is easy work, it's all, well, CRAZY! So, that explains my hiatus from blogosphere.  I was actually thinking to myself about an hour ago that I need to get back to blogging, when I received a Facebook notification from someone who has apparently wire-tapped my brain, telling me to "Blog"... Well, she scares me, so here I am, blogging.... more on her later...

PURCHASES~
So yes, bought a car...2012 Honda Civic... it's not as "ooh-factor" as my old car (which wasn't quite "ooh-factor" to me), but it's reliable, it's economical, and cute, and I'm happy with it.  The phone- Droid Razr Maxx by Motorola - amazing phone. I abuse my phone like none other, and this puppy takes the beating and keeps on ticking - amazing battery life is a major plus in my book! The house - ugh - the house... this is a love/hate relationship.  Right now, I'm loving hating on all the things that bug me about the house, but in time, it will become a "home", and we will be happier with it. Just happy and proud that after 30 years of working her butt off, my mom owns a property, and is taking advantage of the pool and finally learning to swim lol!

SHE WHO SCARES ME~
I generally consider myself to be a fearless person. Bugs/insects that jump, scare me.... earthquakes, scare me, the dark, yes the dark scares me...commitment....ok that's another blog.... basically it's the "unknown" factor and anything I don't have control over...One day, for one reason or another, I decided that I need to get in shape (shut up)... so I decided that I would (once again) try to eat healthier... I'm the first person who knows that you can't get in shape with diet alone, and that I would have to take other measures to reach my goal....enter, exercise...

I decided that I would join a gym, so I could exercise, work out, TRAIN. Yes...I'm training. I've been told that that's the term that serious, dedicated people use, instead of "work out"... pshh... well I'm dedicated, and I'm serious, and so I'm training.  Enter- beast.  There are people who talk, and there are people who do... Beast, does, and does it mean.  What I want to know is, how can someone so pretty, be such a DICTATOR when it comes to training? Don't get me wrong...I heart her (no, I'm not 15, I just refuse to use the word l*** at the moment...see above commitment reference)... but she scares me.  She's apparently able to read my mind, and do something far, far more frightening than anything thus far... She's able to inspire, motivate, and choke-hold me into doing things that I normally wouldn't do, or think I could do. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't get influenced, ever, by anyone. Except her apparently...

She's taught me that the near-death experience of pushing yourself to limits you didn't know you have, getting light-headed, puking, and sweating like a hippo wearing a fur coat in Kenya, in the summer, is absolutely ok, if not, desired.  She's helped me realize that I'm not really weak, and that I'm stronger than I thought I was. And every time I want to stop, well, she scares me, and I thank her for it. So there you go friends, my reasons for why I've been M.I.A., paired with my new developments of becoming the future female Tony Little... scratch that... I don't want to be annoyingly psycho....just psycho will suffice for now. Stay tuned!

Fruit 'n Veg 411...

Hi Friends!

Not much to report today, but while I was doing some personal research, I came across this great website, which lists nutritional facts, health benefits, and other information about various types of fruits and vegetables! It's quite informative and can be helpful for those with special vitamin needs, dietary restrictions, and for those who are looking into starting a juicing regime!  It's quite detailed and very informative. The panel on the right also displays juicing tips, and information for those with dietary and health restrictions who want to try juicing. Give it a look:

http://www.juicingbook.com/

Also - you've probably heard the term "Superfood" thrown around quite a lot in the past year or so - not sure what that means? Well, it's a list of foods, which contain super-saturated amounts of essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, and are very beneficial to your health! They're also great additives to any breakfast smoothie, oatmeal, salads, etc.! Basically, they're foods that everyone (unless you're allergic to a specific food, in which case, there are plenty others you can substitute with) to incorporate into their daily meals!

Here's to a happy, healthy you!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/superfoods-everyone-needs



Cleanliness is next to...

The protein powders at Sprouts? Well...maybe not quite, but, that's where I found it at least! First off - HAPPY New Year, folks! It's been a while! Sorry, I've been a bit busy trying to teach myself everything I NEVER wanted to know about the tech world - building a website is, well, I'll just leave it at "detailed". So yes, my time's been consumed by totally un-culinary related issues for a while, but never fear...I'm still here.

Now, for my cleanliness post...I'm pretty sure bacon grease and red blood cells run through my veins at almost a 50/50 percent ratio... I'm ok with that...however, I'm NOT ok with how tired and groggy I constantly feel because of it!!! Not one to EVER give up the food that I love, I decided to try one of my most hated words in the English language - "moderation" - isn't it gross?! I mean, it's all or nothing, right?! Well....that's what I thought, but it doesn't have to be that way! I can have my bacon, and eat it too, just in...gulp...."moderation". Here's where "juicing" walks in...

I had heard several of my friends talk about juicing this, and juicing that, and how they feel sooo much better, and can focus more, and all these great things as a result of their decision to start juicing more - so I decided, what the heck, let's give it a whirl.  Now, for those who don't know, juicing is pretty self-explanatory - it's the process of using whole fruits and vegetables, herbs, greens, etc., and juicing them in a juicer to provide you with a nutritious, vitamin enriched drink that replaces a meal or two a day. This should be done with caution, of course. If you have any special dietary needs/restrictions, make sure you consult your physician to make sure it's a good choice for you.  Also, this is something you might want to ease yourself into, which is what I'm currently doing.  I also realized that since I work during the day, that I would need some sort of protein source to keep me going through the day so I could function at work - that's when I decided I would get a powdered protein supplement to add to my juice - I headed to my local Sprouts to check out what they had. Here, I met a nutritionist who suggested I try a cleanse first, because it would get rid of the toxins that my body's gotten "used to" over the years from eating poorly.  She said once my body was rid of most of those toxins, it would be less dependable on those chemicals, fats, sugars, etc., and juicing wouldn't be as difficult. She sounded pretty logical, though I rarely listen to suggestions from others without doing my own research, it sounded like a reasonable explanation, and I went with it.

I purchased a 2-week cleanse program, which consists of 4 pills that you take with each meal.  The pills are rather large, but don't have an overly "gross" flavor that most vitamins, etc. can tend to have.  These are naturopathic, kosher, and vegetarian pills - they're also gluten free, should any of that be of concern to you. I started the program not expecting much - most things you purchase do little to nothing close to what they promise - this wasn't the case here. I purchased Michael's Ultimate Detox and Cleanse, and let me tell you, coming from someone who wakes up having Coke for breakfast, and goes to bed practically with a can in her hand, I have had only one HALF a can of soda during this entire process.  I haven't craved or "needed" soda the entire time I've been doing the cleanse, and I've really been feeling the difference.  The cleanse detoxes your blood, colon, liver, and even fat! Yes...even your fat cells carry more than just "fat", they also carry toxins! It's said to help metabolize fat as well, and I think this carries some truth because even though this isn't a weight loss pill, I've managed to lose on average about 5 pounds during this process - true, most of that may be attributed to the fact that I'm trying to eat a little better and trying to cut out sodas, but I'm almost certain that none of that would have been possible without this cleanse. 

I'm on my last 2 days of this cleanse, and will hopefully start juicing when I'm done. The theory is to try and juice for 2 meals out of the day, and will allow myself to eat whatever I want for dinner. We'll see how this goes - I have a feeling the worst part of it is going to be cleaning my juicer every single day - ughhh! Anyhow - I'll keep you all posted on how this works out! Ta-ta! =)

Can opening safety....

Yeah...you read that right...can opening safety. No...I haven't run out of ideas and topics to blog about, I just figured it's about time, if not, a tad too late to address this.  On my day off, while lazily watching Food Network shows, it occurred to me...am I the only person in the world that obsessively cleans her can opener?!!! It can't be! But...from what I see on TV, I just may be! Show #1 - hand-held can opener... Chef grabs can opener out of drawer, opens a can of garbanzo beans, throws can opener back into drawer. Show #2 - electric can opener... Host grabs can of diced tomatoes, heads to electric can opener, opens can, proceeds to let lid sink into the can, drains tomatoes, tosses into pot. Show #3 - hand-held can opener...Chef grabs can opener out of drawer, opens can of tuna fish, throws can opener back into drawer. I know, you're thinking, it's just a show, they probably don't do that at home, etc., but that's just it - it's a show, and "probably" isn't something that crosses people's minds - they're tuning into these shows to get ideas, learn techniques, etc. - if the Chefs aren't emphasizing proper tool handling skills and sanitation guidelines, they're just passing on the contamination to their viewers. For some applications, such as the diced tomatoes going into a marinara sauce that's going to be cooked, the situation isn't quite as grave, as it's going to be cooked and will reach, hopefully, proper temps to kill bacteria - however, that's not always a guarantee, and especially when canned garbanzo beans are making their way into a salad, or some other cold prep, it's just a pure breeding ground for bacteria, germs, and the perfect storm for cross-contamination. So, what do you do? It's really not that hard...

I, personally, use a hand-held opener - I have the electric as well, I just don't like to clutter up my counter space. I treat my can opener like I do any other tool in my kitchen (i.e., knives, spoons, spatulas...) I wash it after every use. Think about it - if I open a can of tuna, then throw the opener back into the drawer - the blade and the gear on your opener are covered in stinky, smelly tuna water/oil, which just sits there, and accumulates dirt and germs.  Imagine reaching for that opener 20 minutes later to open a can of, let's say black beans to use in a salad...do you really want that tuna flavor, and bacteria in your beans? If you do - fine.  If not...keep reading.

The lid - when you bring your groceries home from the store, do you wash and disinfect your canned goods with hot water and soap? Yeah..I didn't think so - neither do I, that's why you want to make sure that your lid never ever sinks back into, or touches your food inside the can.  If you want to use an electric can opener, be sure to shop for one with a magnetic strip on top of the blade mechanism to keep your lid held up securely as you're opening your can.  That's half the battle - be sure to unplug your opener from the wall, and give your blade a good scrub down - be careful not to get the motor and inside mechanism wet, though. If you're afraid of doing that, then just get a clean sponge really nice and hot and carefully wipe away at the blade for a bit, you can go one step further by dipping a Q-tip into some bleach, and carefully wiping along the blade and gear, and then wiping down with a hot sponge.

Hand-held opener - you have no excuse to not have this sucker be totally clean. I wash mine along with my dishes after every single use, then, let it air dry.  Additionally, once a week, I put the entire can opener into a pot of boiling water with a little bit of lemon juice and salt, and let it boil away for about 15 minutes - be careful, the opener will get very hot in this process, so be sure to drain the water out, and cool it down with cold water before handling - you'll be amazed at the gunk you see floating on top when you do this for the first time - I'm proud to say mine boils away without any floating gunk since I clean mine regularly.  Nonetheless, this is a great way to ensure that your opener is always clean and ready to use without any fear of cross-contamination. 

(Psst...professional Chefs...this goes for you too! Clean that table-top industrial can opener as well!)

There you have it folks! Who ever thought one could write so much about this topic? Haha - additionally, I've been told I have to state the following - completely unrelated to the topic, and all-together mean, I have to say:

I'm a Febreeze whore. There, I said it - ugh.

Happy New Year friends!

Holiday Dining/Celebrating Etiquette (aka - making sure you're invited again next year)...

With the Holidays right around the corner, most everyone will have parties to attend, dinners to host, and families and friends to entertain for the next week or so.  With all the fun and festivities going around, it's easy to slip up on an important, yet often missed aspect - etiquette...mostly, dining etiquette!  While there aren't specific guidelines or rules of etiquette to follow for various occasions, dining etiquette, specially, around the Holidays is quite important. Why? It's simple - everyone wants to have a good time, you don't want to upset someone who was thoughtful enough to invite you to celebrate with their loved ones, and, well, you want to be sure you get invited year after year! Nobody wants to be "that guy"...you know the one. Horrible Christmas sweater...wrinkled khakis...Chia Pet in tote as a hostess gift...ends up drunk, and crying on your sofa over his once again failed relationship...ya...that guy...DON'T BE HIM! (or her...even worse!)

To help guide you into the right direction, thus avoiding the "God, do NOT invite your coworker next year" syndrome...here are a few bullet points to commit to memory:

*The invitation said 7....arrive at 7. Not 6:45, not 7:45...punctuality tells your host(ess) that you respect them, their house, and you paid attention to their request.

*Now, this is a tough one, but really important - consider the gathering, and consider the guest list - notice, nobody on the list has kids, but you do? It may be tough - but, find a sitter! Everyone thinks little Suzy is adorable, and little Bobby's a slick one, but I don't want him sticking his grubby fingers into the crab dip, and finger-painting on my newly redone, designer wallpaper. Please!

*What's that smell? Mmm...dinner's ready! Yum! - Do me a favor buddy...chew with your mouth shut...CHEW.WITH.YOUR.MOUTH.SHUT! Capisch?!

*It pains me to even have to say this, but, do not belch, blow your nose, pick at your teeth, or lick your fingers at the dinner table! Heck, I'll even go as far as saying don't do any of that at any point while you're a guest! If you absolutely have to, excuse yourself, step into the restroom, have at it, and come out, prim and proper.

*Your brother's wife can't cook...her dogs won't eat her food...we know it, he knows it, she probably knows it as well, but, she's been nice enough to invite you over - evaluate the menu quickly, see what's most palatable, and take a serving - don't ever mention that something doesn't taste good - it's rude, and hurtful.

*Don't EVER smoke at the dinner table, or, inside the house, unless you know for sure that the host does so, and even then, be courteous of the other guests, and step outside or to the balcony, have your puffs, slowly killing yourself because smoking kills (I digress), and return to the party.

DO:

*Bring a small gift ...yes, you, Mr. Cheapskate! Times are tough, we know, but you were invited to a party, and you can probably dig up $2.00 in change in your sofa and old pant pockets - and as long as there's "2 buck Chuck", you have no excuse - it's the thought that counts - doesn't have to be Godiva chocolates, anything will do, and shows your host that you are thankful and took a few moments to do something special in return for them.

*Be respectful of other guests at the celebration. Your old war stories might be (likely aren't...) entertaining to the crowd for the first 2 minutes, but 45 minutes later, take a look around - The host has gone outside to work on the Christmas lights, the hostess is wrapping up leftovers, Bob is snoozing on the sofa, Carol is trying to find any possible surface in the house to dust, and everyone else is trying to find a way to leave the party early. This is your cue to dodge the shrapnel that is your war story, and let someone else speak!

*Offer to help clean up after dinner. Chances are, your offer will be kindly rejected, and you'll be asked to go join the others in the festivities, but, it shows great manners and thoughtfulness.

*Be mindful of the time. It's hard to stay on track when you're having a great time, but you don't want to overstay your welcome! Look for clues that your hosts may be getting a little tired. Chances are, others may want to leave as well, but don't want to be the ones to break up the party. When it's time to go, it's time to go.

There are plenty more things to list, but I wanted to keep this fairly short, so it's easy to remember. I hope you all have an amazing Holiday season, and a wonderful New Year. I leave you with these last few reminders for guests, and the host: