happy halloween everyone~~~

I guess you guys are enjoy Halloween party right now, unfortunately I don't have any Halloween party tonight, BUT I have a tw0-person family party, so that's even better!

I'm so tired now! I woke up at 5am, went to the airport, the flight was one hour delay. While I was waiting I was falling into sleep, so a large Starbucks coffee. Back home with Dad, we went together to campus because I have to teach today. He wanted to see me teaching....his little girl is teaching now...... that's incredible for him..... so I let him sit in my class. He was the happiest Dad in the world and I was the happiest daughter at the same time watching him so proud and so happy~~~

This afternoon my home is a total mess.....my roomie is moving out and my friend is moving in, so you can imagining all the box and random stuffs in the living room. I cleaned, organized and cook for Dad.

Today is Halloween and my way to celebrate it is to have a lot of pumpkin (isn't it obvious by now?) I had pumpkin oatmeal twice today, for breakfast and for dinner.

Breakfast combo was

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup almond breeze
• 1/2 cup baked butternut squash
• vanilla
• cinnamon
• a pinch of salt (this is a key ingredient to let oats to release its flavor, I just learned it from Heidi's book)
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/4 cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp coconut flakes

No FT today, instead I was reading the material that I had to cover in today's discussions.
This combo hold me from 6 am to almost 1 pm..... so satisfying and delicious!

Lunch was baked tofu, sour and spicy soup with eggs and curry veggies with meat (pre-made), and rice. Typical chinese meal.

I cleaned and organize the kitchen for 3 hours, when I finish I was needing a big snack... so I had apple with cottage cheese, tons of cinnamon and a big bowl of EnjoyLife granola.

My fridge is totally empty. I was planning to go to do groceries with Dad this afternoon....but both of us were really tired and decide to postpone it ..... so, dinner was really simple, I came up with a porridge made with millet, brown rice, a canned salmon and chinese dark egg, S+P. My Dad really liked it!
I made two side dishes as well....One is black fungus salad and the other one is a hydrated green leaves salad (similar to spinach), both of them seasoned with soy sauce, salt, sugar and sesame oil.
I wanted more pumpkin oatmeal, so I had another pumpkin oatmeal (just oats, baked butternut and water).

I was so full when I finish dinner that I couldn't have dessert....but 30 min later, some digestion was done, a Fage would fit. So, I had Fage with cinnamon. (no pic!)

While you guys are having fun with your amazing custumes (which I want to see pics later), I'm heading to bed soon. Really really tired........ !! Hopefully I can get a good night sleep so I can take my Dad tomorrow to DC and show him around.

Enjoy your party for me~~~~~~~~ ^_^

sleepy but excited little girl~~~~~~~~~

This will be a quick post because I have to finish up my work before going to bed early. My Daddy will arrive tomorrow morning, I have to be at the airport at 6.30am!

Okay, about food. This morning I had tropical flavor oatmeal..... (a little soupy though)

• 1/3 pre-made steel cuts
• 1/3 almond breeze vanilla
• 1/3 cup of chopped pineapple
• 1/2 large banana
• coconut flakes
• cinnamon
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese

I love the mix of flavor of this combo, the sweetness of banana and citrus of pineapple! so yummy~~~~~
When I finish the bowl, I felt needing something more.....so more citrus....an orange.
I woke up sleepy this morning, so two hours after the breakfast I wasn't awake yet! so second cup of coffee with a bowl of EnjoyLife granola.
Two hours later, still not awake....... more drink and snack
Mate and little cup of pumpkin seeds (new cup! isn't it cute?)
Lunch was baked tofu (marinated with BBQ sauce, S+P, tomatoes paste, gram marsala), 1 poached egg with sauce and some aduki rice with veggies heated together with gram marsala, S+P. Quick, simple but colorful and delicious meal....

Dessert was baked butternut squash with cinnamon
After lunch I went to campus for a lecture and then office hour. (still sleepy!!!)

When I came back I had a chopped apple with 1/4 cottage cheese and 1 slice of Ezekiel with laughing cow!!!

I didn't really need snack but I continued sleepy, so more food to keep me awake. (isn't the other way around? that more food makes you sleepy? )

For dinner, I made a squash oatmeal with 1/3 oats and some baked squash. Sauteed spinach with mushrooms with garlic, S+P and a pinch of soy sauce. Light dinner since I snacked too much during the day and wasn't hungry at all.

But I did need a big and satisfying dessert. 1 fage and 1 cup of raspberries. OH~~~~~~~~~ Love how creamy it is and of course its color!!!
and peppermint tea
Tomorrow will be a busy day. Pick up my Dad, teach 3 discussion sessions right away, help my friend to buy a bed since she's moving in this weekend......do groceries........and BE with my DADDY~~~~ So excited....and so sleepy!!! Fortunately it's night and I can go to sleep soon~~~


Tomorrow is Halloween!!!!! Can't wait to see what you guys do tomorrow to celebrate it!

well.... it wasn't a short post!

long long day~~~~~~~ but GREAT!

First, I'm so glad that you guys liked my story about my weight ups and down. I feel like there are many girls out there who is suffering as I did in that period of my life and I really want to help them to get out of that dark episode of life and begin soon to fully enjoy their lives. Life is so beautiful! There are so many pleasant and lovely things to do before focusing only and exclusively on our weight. My resources to help them is limited, by sharing my story in this blog I think could be the first step. So, if you reader or anyone that you know who's having this problem and you think I might be able to help, please let me know.

Today is a long day of work, I did my research this morning until 12pm, had a quick lunch and went to school all afternoon...two long seminars about financial crisis! Not so encouraging! But I did have a good workout after seminars. It was a 55 min spinning class which made me sweat despite the freezing weather.
About food....today's a day for leftovers. Two reasons: one I had no time to cook, second I have to finish most of my leftovers, because someone very special is coming to visit me this weekend. MY DADDY~~~~~~~~~~~ He's going back to China (from Argentina) and will make a stop to visit me. I'm so excited!!!!!!!! I haven't seen him for 10 months!!!!
Lunch was leftover lentil soup with last three turkey meatball and frozen okra with some aduki rice.

Didn't have time for dessert so I grabbed a marroc on my way to school.
Simple but very satisfying!

As I was going to spent all afternoon in school....I packed one sliced apple with cinnamon and 1 cup of mix of granola and cereal.
I also had one cup of coffee with soy milk from co-op and without sweetener!!!! And I kind of liked it!~~~~~~ ^_^ A big progress.

Before dinner I had a cup of almond breeze. Dinner was leftover pumpkin polenta chili with a handful baby spinach. On the side I had some baked squash. (acorn and butternut).
Dessert was 1 cup of Fage 2% with 1/2 cup of blueberries with more EnjoyLife granola + peppermint tea.
mmmmmmmmmm.........I will never get tired of this dessert!!!!

And the best part of today: I received two books that I ordered. I am 100% sure that ALL of you will like one of them!
DADAAAAAAAAAAA~~~~~~~~~~
cooking with Pumpkins and squash
I saw this book in MissTiffie's blog and couldn't resist and ordered it right away!

The other is the popular book of Heidi Swanson: Super Natural Cooking.

Hope everyone had a good wednesday~~~mine was busy but great!

I began my day with "sunny oatmeal"~~~~ (my story 2)

These last few days we had rainy and windy day, I'm craving for a sunny day~ Unfortunately I can't change the weather, but I can change the way to begin my morning. So, I made my own little "sun" in my oatmeal.

• 1/3 pre-made steel cuts
  
• 1/4 almond breeze vanilla
• 1/2 large banana
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1 poached egg
• 1 tbsp tomatoes sauce
• 1 tbsp Parmesan
• pinch of S+P+basil
• New Bowl

That bowl of yummy started my day with full of energy!
The only imperfection was that I really wanted the yolk to melt into my oatmeal, but I cooked too long (while checking blogs) and no yolk today.

This morning I want to share with you guys my weigh evolution story inspired by mi who asks about how often do we weight. That reminded me how I struggled with my weight 8 years ago. yeah~~~ I've not been always thin. In my worst days, I weighted 30 pounds more than my current weight.
Well....the story begins
I've been thin since childhood....never thought I would gain weight in my life
age of 9 or so?!

I've gained a little weight in high school, but not a big deal, I guess that was part of the process of being a girl to a woman. Until the age was 16-17 I've maintained around 108 pounds, pretty normal.
oh... btw, I'm 5'4. By then, I didn't care about my diet at all, eat whatever I wanted and had no problem with food/weight. Fortunately I've always liked healthy food in general, didn't like fries but did crave cookies.
The problem began in summer 1998. I went to Uruguay with my high school friend and gained a couple of pounds there.
6 months later, we went to another trip to Uruguay with 4 others girls. We spent a week in a beach house, eating, drinking yummy food all the time, maybe 4-5 a day (not so healthy though) and wearing loose clothes! and of course no workout at ALL!!!!! I've gained 7 pounds in a week!! Look my face in this photo!!!!!
When I went back home (Buenos Aires) I couldn't believe the number in the scale.....130 pounds!!!!!!!!!! Then, the nightmare began. I wanted to loose weight as fast as possible. I tried all kinds of diet, the soup, the 3 days apple and can't even remember thousands of others. I weighted every morning and got upset and then go to the fridge for more food to comfort myself and thinking that tomorrow I will begin seriously my diet. And the process go over and over again during a year or so. Of course, I didn't loose weight and I felt terrible. Finally I got into a detox diet for 5 days which consisted only fruit and yogurt and lost 6 pounds in a week.
this is December 1999.

I gave up trying to loose weight compulsively, I stopped thinking that I could loose all at once. So, I began to exercise regularly and eat more balanced meal. I began my undergrad studies in 2001, attending two universities for two completely different degrees. I had 40 hours of lectures hours and many more for study. You guys can imagine how stressful I was during that period but I managed to continue exercising and eat healthy. My weight shrink during the first two years until I reached my lowest weight of 92 (in 2004-2005), in that period, everyone was concerned about my health. I ate healthy but maybe too few amount and few good source of fat (maybe unconsciously I was afraid going back to be a fat girl again). My skin was dry and itchy. And I looked terribly skinny......
I thought I needed to change something....... I did a lot of research on nutrition and got really interested in the topic..... I learned what is a real balanced diet (before I just knew I had to eat more fruit and veggies), that I need to have more whole grains and good source of fat. Little by little I learned how to prepare healthy, nutritious and yummy food. Btw, I got very interested in cooking. And my health condition changed as well..... I gained few pounds but look much more energetic.

Now, I don't weight myself often, just when I feel loose my pants. The opposite of most people who weight to avoid gaining weight, I weight to avoid loosing weight. I didn't want to say that before because I might cause some angry from readers, but I saw veggiegirl's comment on mi's blog saying that and I guess it is okay. Trying to maintain a healthy weight is the goal for all of us. We all try to exercise and eat healthy to order to get energy, what I learned through these years is that those things can be done with pleasure. The key is to follow our intuition, create joy for our self and enjoy it 100%.


P.D. conclusion: DON'T GO TO URUGUAY ON VACATION IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT.

Tortilla pizza night~~~

I finally made it!!!! yes, tortilla pizza which I've been craving for days, specially after seeing other bloggers having it.

Well... before that, afternoon snack.... Back home around 3.30pm I needed some warm and comforting food. Maybe it was the cold weather that made me need more fuel.... So I had a mate tea and a zucchini muffin........so yummy~~~~
And another one ....... ^.~
I studied for 3 hours more and did one hour of flow yoga (usually I go to sacred space yoga at Tuesday night, but as I studied until late, I missed that class. But my body is programmed to have yoga session today, so I did it on my own). Even though I was so excited about my tortilla pizza plan, I finished the final relaxation part (which I just began to understand/feel its importance)

Well....finally I made this delicious "pizza". I used Tj's rice tortilla. I toasted it a little bit in the oven while I prepared the veggies. I used one shredded zucchini, half medium onion, half red pepper, handful of baby spinach (basically what I had left of fresh veggies). I microwaved them with S+P for 4 minutes. By then, the tortilla was crispy, so I just spread some tomatoes sauce and then the veggies, finally 1/4 cup of mozzarella. Boil for 10 min and the amazing tortilla pizza is done!!! So Yummy~~~~~~~~~~~

I also had sauteed romaine lettuce and mushrooms as yesterday.
I finished it all and totally satisfied.
I was a little bit stuffed to have dessert, but I had it anyway, because it's squash+Fage. How can I resist it?
I'm going to bed early tonight because I bought two books this afternoon. After I finished "factory girl" which was really interesting, I felt I regained my crave for reading. I haven't been reading no-school books for long time and forgot how pleasant and healing is reading. Fortunately that wonderful feeling is back......and I'm so happy about it!
well...... now the books:
1. The famous and so popular Eat, Pray and Love. So I don't have to introduce it to you.
2. Plato and a Platypus walk into a bar... understanding philosophy through jokes. It's national best selling book. I read the introduction and it totally catched my interest. It's so fun and so deep at the same time.
and I also got Yoga Magazine! so many to read~~~~~~~~~