I support the right of every American to marry, regardless of sexual orientation. I believe that marriage and other civil rights protections are essential to making all families safer and more secure. If you feel the same, sign the Million for Marriage petition.
May 2008Monthly Archives
Geography Fun
How Well Do You Know Your States?
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You Know Your States |
 You got 10/10 correct. You’ve got a pretty good handle on US geography. |
Blogging Without Obligation
Ok, so I seriously love this concept! No more feeling guilty if I don’t get my blog updated every single day. From now on, I will be …
If you click on the logo, it will take you to the original BWO post. If you’d rather not have to go elsewhere, here is the premise:
- Because you shouldn’t have to look at your blog like it is a treadmill.
- Because its okay to just say what you have to say. If that makes for a long post, fine. Short post, fine. Frequent post, fine. Infrequent post, fine.
- Because its okay to not always be enthralled with the sound of your own typing.
- Because only blogging when you feel truly inspired keeps up the integrity of your blog.
- Because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your
- Because for most of us blogging is just a hobby. A way to express yourself and connect with others. You should not have to apologize for lapses in posts. Just take a step back and enjoy life, not everything you do has to be “bloggable”.
- Because if you blog without obligation you will naturally keep your blog around longer, because it won’t be a chore. Plus, just think you will be doing your part to eradicate post pollution. One post at a time. . .
If you feel the same way, visit the creator’s site by clicking the logo above for more information and logos.
Until next time … 
Greetings from Palm Springs
My friend Nick and I arrived safely in Palm Springs after driving through a horrific thunderstorm in Moreno Valley. We heard later there was apparently a tornado that went through not long after us, so we’re really thankful we didn’t caught up in that!
Our plan for tomorrow is to take the aerial tram up to the top of Mount San Jacinto. Imagine my surprise when we got out here and found out there’s still SNOW up there and the forecasted high for tomorrow is only 40°F. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! I’m not sure I brought warm enough clothing for those conditions! 
The hotel we’re staying at doesn’t offer free WiFi, but I managed to locate a signal out on the balcony. So, after having gone to one of my favorite vegan restaurants for dinner, I’m now sitting here on our balcony enjoying all the hub-bub from an English pub on the street below and doing a lot of people watching on a very pleasant spring-like evening. Nick is inside doing a bit of cross-stitching while I finish this post. After that, we’re planning to play a bit of Gin Rummy or Canasta. Life is good. 
Until next time …
Worst Foods in America
Ok, so I know this list came out several months ago, but I thought it was worth mentioning again. It’s a list of America’s Top 20 Worst Foods as ranked by Men’s Health magazine. It was compiled by Matt Goulding who is also the editor of the book “Eat This Not That” which was written by Men’s Health editor-in-chief David Zinczenko.
I think it’s a great reminder for us about the importance of making healthy food choices when we go to restaurants. It also reminds us that not even everything that might sound healthy is necessarily a good choice. Some of these numbers (especially sodium levels) are simply staggering! So, do YOU eat any of these foods??
20. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal
McDonald’s Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce
830 calories, 55g fat (4.5g trans fat), 48 g carbs
19. Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo’d Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)
900 calories, 10 g fat, 183 g carbs (166 g sugars)
18. Worst Supermarket Meal
Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)
1,020 calories, 64 g fat, 86 g carbs
17. Worst “Healthy” Burger
Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger
1,145 calories, 71 g fat, 56 g carbs
16. Worst Mexican Entree
Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories, 47 g fat, 125 g carbs, 2,656 mg sodium
15. Worst Kids’ Meal
Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese
1,210 calories, 62 g fat, 3,450 mg sodium
14. Worst Sandwich
Quizno’s Classic Italian (large)
1,510 calories, 82 g fat, 106 g carbs , 3,750 mg sodium
13. Worst Salad
On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef
1,450 calories, 102 g fat, 78 g carbs, 2,410 mg sodium
12. Worst Burger
Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger
1,520 calories, 111 g fat, 60 g carbs, 2760 mg sodium
11. Worst Steak
Lonestar 20 oz T-bone
1,540 calories, 124 g fat
10. Worst Breakfast
Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes
1,540 calories, 77 g fat (9 g trans fat), 198 g carbs (109 g sugars)
9. Worst Dessert
Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
1,600 calories, 78 g fat, 215 g carbs, 950 mg sodium
8. Worst Chinese Entree
P.F. Chang’s Pork Lo Mein
1,820 calories, 127 g fat, 95 g carbs
7. Worst Chicken Entree
Chili’s Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce
2,040 calories, 99 g fat, 240 g carbs, 4030 mg sodium
6. Worst Fish Entree
On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans
2,100 calories, 130 g fat, 169 g carbs, 4,750 mg sodium
5. Worst Pizza
Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
2,310 calories, 162 g fat, 123 g carbs, 4,470 mg sodium
4. Worst Pasta
Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
2,430 calories, 128 g fat, 207 g carbs, 5,290 mg sodium
I think this one shocked me most! 
What’s in those meatballs to make it THAT high in calories, fat, and sodium?!
3. Worst Nachos
On the Border Stacked Border Nachos
2,740 calories, 166 g fat, 191 g carbs, 5,280 mg sodium
2. Worst Starter
Chili’s Awesome Blossom
2,710 calories, 203 g fat, 194 g carbs, 6,360 mg sodium
1. The Worst Food in America (drumroll, please ….. )
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories, 182 g fat, 240 g carbs
Given how much Americans tend to dine out regularly, is it any wonder we have such an obesity problem in this country? Food for thought … (yes, the pun was intended 
)
Until next time …
Mother’s Day
I hope all of the moms who read my blog had a great Mother’s Day today!
Sorry I’ve been kind of quiet here for the past week. It’s been a combination of work and personal stress.
As some of you likely know, due to some issues from my childhood, I don’t have much of a relationship with my family. Mother’s Day has just been a big reminder of that. The person in my family that I was closest to was my paternal grandmother and she passed away a few years ago, so I don’t have a whole lot of contact with them now. In fact, if it weren’t for me contacting them from time to time, who knows when we’d talk at all.
Anyway, I sent both mom and my sister a dozen roses each that were delivered on Thursday, but hadn’t heard a peep out of either one of them. I finally broke down and called mom this afternoon and her only response was, “I meant to call yesterday (already 2 days after the flowers were delivered), but it was storming and then I forgot.” How does one forget when there is a dozen roses sitting on the table?! 
Sometimes I wonder why I still even bother anymore.
So, that’s kind of where my head has been the past 72 hours. On the upside, I haven’t emotionally eaten over it (I’m notorious for that), and I’ve even gotten in some workout time. I should have gotten in a wog today, but I just didn’t get it done. I’ll try and get one in tomorrow instead. This will be my last somewhat unstructured training week since my Sprint triathlon training plan starts next Sunday.
I did get in a bit of cooking this weekend though. I’m really hoping to get into the practice of doing some bulk cooking on the weekends so I have food for lunches during the week. This weekend’s recipe was something I just kind of made up as I went along and it turned out pretty darned tasty, IMO. To save myself some calories, I completely skipped the whole breading of the eggplant part. I’ll definitely make this one again, but I think next time I’ll augment it with some mushrooms and perhaps even some artichoke hearts.
Here’s a photo followed by my recipe. (I forgot to take the photo until after I had cut it into the servings.)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Eggplant Parmesan
Serving Size : 4
2 pounds eggplant, whole
1 1/2 cups classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce — (1/2 jar)
4 ounces part skim milk mozzarella cheese — shredded
Italian seasoning — to taste
Preheat over to 375 degrees. Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2″ slices. Spread onto a baking sheet or parchment paper and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 45-60 minutes and then pat dry with a paper towel. Spray a 2-quart casserole with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 2-3 tbsp of the pasta sauce in the bottom of the casserole and top with a layer of the eggplant. Lightly cover the eggplant layer with some more of the pasta sauce and then some of the cheese. Continue layering until you have used all of the ingredients. Top with the Italian seasoning. (I use Paul Prudhomma’s Pizza & Pasta Seasoning.) Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the eggplant is tender. Remove the aluminum folk and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and browned slightly.
Per Serving: 172 Calories; 6g Fat (33.3% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 15mg Cholesterol; 380mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.
Hope everyone has a great week! Until next time …
