A.L.O.E. 09.23.12

I'm sitting in the backyard by the fire pit, Steely Dan sweetly straining from my iPhone.  It's a clear, cool night and there doesn't seem to be many 'skeeters.  Why not stay right here and jot down my thoughts for our Sunday A Little Bit Of Everything session?  Of course, I'll go inside smelling like a big hunk of lox, but that is what showers are for.  

Wedding Bell Blues
Tab and I had the good fortune to be invited to her former roommate's wedding yesterday.  These things are often tricky because you really can't control what gets put in front of you, only your ability to say no.  I'm a sucker for a cocktail hours and passed hors d'oeuvres.  I noshed on a few here and there to go with my pint of Blue Moon beer.  Aside from the chicken skewers, there weren't any decent choices to go with a slimming lifestyle.  Nor, did the buffet offer help in the way of lighter sustenance, either.  I've resigned myself to make certain allowances for these scenarios.  My life is such that there is a firm foundation at all other times, so the very occasional variance shouldn't derail me from my long term goals.  I'm not saying I am happy with the choices I made at the wedding, but I won't lose sleep over them.  A word to you future brides and grooms, put out a vegetable platter and have some options for your health-conscious/vegetarian friends and family.  It won't cost you much and you'll be seen as hugely considerate.

Brown Rice Now, Too?
A few months back there was a report out that many apple juices contained unsafe levels of arsenic.  Now they are saying the same holds true for brown rice products.  If you read past the "Cya, M" line on my daily posts, you know that I eat a decent amount of brown rice in my diet.  According to Consumer Reports, there are many brands that you should avoid and some that are seen to have somewhat acceptable levels of this nasty stuff.  The 'naughty' list includes everything from Uncle Ben to Snap, Crackle and Pop.  Never trust a spoon-wielding elf I guess, let alone a trio of them.  Instead of worrying about which brand I am consuming and its likelihood to slowly whack me, I am going to limit my intake to around two times per week.  I'm thinking the benefits will outweigh the negatives.  Check out the report, should you want more info at: 
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/arsenic1112.htm.


Getting Geared Up For 'Notober'
My program isn't about exclusion as much as it is inclusion of healthier choices used in a tasty fashion.  I don't want to feel deprived, nor should anyone attempting to better their way of life.  Success isn't bred from deprivation.  Since I am freeing myself of meat and alcohol for the month of October, I titled this section using the catchy, but inaccurate moniker, Notober.  I don't like the vibe, though. Yes, I am NOT eating meat and NOT imbibing during October (one exception being my trip to my friend Ray's place on 10/6 for his Octoberfest party), but I am amping up the use of vegetables in my meals to push past this lull in weight loss.  I love my veggies and I look forward to the meals I'll create and eat.  I won't miss the chicken, beef, turkey or pork one iota during this span.  No, dear wife, I will not be joining the ranks of vegans anytime soon.  I'm not sure how I could fare long term with such restrictions, but that is a blog for another day.  I will be looking out seasonal recipes and devising some of my own for preparation in this Vegtober.  Hmmm... that one doesn't have quite a good ring to it either.  Octoberfast?  Nah. More negative mojo on that one, too.  Maybe I'll just eat more sweet potatoes and call it "Octuberfest".  I just know I will be eating well next month.  I need a marketing consultant to come up with a snappy nickname for this meatless month.  Anyone have a good one?  Leave it in comments below.

Cya for weigh-in tomorrow,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ 2 banana pancakes with a very small amount of real maple syrup and buttery spread. My guess is this treat clocked in around 350-400 calories. Worth every bite.
Lunch ~ turkey on whole grain bread with pickles, lite mayo and mustard
Snack ~ carrots and hummus
Dinner ~ As you can see below, my food stylist is back from Milan and she captured a beautiful plate of teriyaki-glazed salmon over mango salsa w/brown rice. I also had some wine with the meal.  It looked great and tasted just okay.  Unfortunately, you don't know how good the tomatoes, mangoes or avocados  are until you get home and taste them.  And why do "tomato and "mango" get an extra E when plural, but not "avocado"?  Had the produce stepped up, this dish would have been raised from 'good' to 'great'.
After Dinner by the Fire ~ Hazelnut decaf w/fat free half and half
Exercise ~ about 1.5 hours in the yard, trying to further progress of my front lawn's revival