I've always hated the word "dieting" almost as much as I hate doing it, but as of late I've decided to be more conscious of my eating habits and there are a few thoughts that have started to change the way I think about food, so I thought I'd share:

1. Don't eat until you're full. Eat until you are no longer hungry.
2. Better to eat a small meal and have a snack in a couple hours than overeat at every meal.
3. If you are not enjoying something you are eating, stop. Don't waste calories on something you don't even like.
4. Try to avoid eating because you are bored. Grab a stick of gum or a glass of water instead.
5. Don't feel bad for "wasting" food, even if you eat everything on your plate, you will be "wasting" it eventually.
6. If you are trying to decide between 2 items at a restaurant, default to choosing the healthier option every time.
7. A treat is fine once in a while, but if you do it daily then it is not a treat.
8. One bite of anything is not going to kill you.
9. Split restaurant meals or order ala carte options.
10. Don't drink your calories, save it for a piece of chocolate.

Have any tips to add? I would love to hear them.

Labels: diet, dieting, losing weight, thoughts

During the preparation of the awesome meal mentioned in the previous post we had a fun little interlude with our dog. Scarlett is a funny little critter who has a personality all her own. She is fearless when it comes to most things including people and big dogs, but there are 2 things she fears: heights and smoke.

When the tri-tip in the pan began to smoke, we immediatedly turned on the stove fan and opened the window, but the smoke was insanely thick and billowed throughout the apartment quickly. Scarlett began nervously pacing the floor. When it got pretty bad, we decided to open the front door. I found Scarlett sitting at the door waiting anxiously for me to open it. I could just hear her thoughts, "Come on guys, we should be leaving!"

Once I opened the door she sprinted to the edge of the stairs where she was confronted by her second fear. Would she chance a tumble down the flight of stairs? Maybe not. She returned to the front door, now sitting outside looking in, waiting for us to follow her precautionary lead.

I tried to assure her that everything was okay, but she didn't move. After a while I picked her up and put her on the couch. She climbed up on the arm of the couch and leaned over the edge so that she could see us in the kitchen. She monitored our saftey for the next 30 minutes as we finished preparing dinner. She finally relaxed when we sat down to eat. Our very own little Smokey the Bear.

Labels: dog, Scarlett, smoke

So the hubby and I came home after a long day and debated what to make for dinner. I had some tri-tip in the fridge that I was going to grill, but it was after 8pm, so he suggested frying it up in the pan. This was the first in a series of improptu decisions that made for one the of the best unplanned meals I've ever had.

So I seasoned up the meat and seared in our cast iron pan, but it was smoking too much so I had to pull it out and it was still too rare to eat. I sliced it up and seared the slices until they were perfect.

We popped some potato wedges in the oven and hubby grilled up some red bell pepper and onion. Grated some cheddar cheese and toasted a sourdough baguette, all of which added up to the best sandwich ever!

The odd experience for me was this: I had no idea what these elements were going to taste like all together. As a cook, I generally have a kind of zen communion with my food. I predict flavors as I cook, which is how I can make it taste the way I want, but this was a complete surprise and a fabulous one at that.

Labels: dinner, surprise, tri-tip

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I wanted to thank you for all of the wonderful things you have done for me. You are the best! I am a very lucky daughter and I don't go one day with being thankful for my awesome parents.

Please enjoy your day, you've earned it, many times over.

Also to my Grandmothers, wonderful ladies who have also taught me a lot over the years, even though one of them has gone on to her reward, their teachings will always be with me.

Labels: grandma, Mom, Mother's Day

A word about ham. My family are some of the best cooks in the world. No really. But we were never really "ham people". We maybe had one every other year for Easter, and it was not my favorite. Only recently have I discovered the wonders of the smoked ham. Ah, it is a beautiful thing. Our Easter ham this year was quite lovely and I can't imagine going back to just a plain old cured ham. I think I am now a ham snob.

Labels: ham, smoked ham

I was out of deodorant, so I stopped by Target to pick up a refill. I located my brand and spotted a new scent. "Cool Cucumber" the package said. I gave it a quick sniff and it smelled good to me so I bought it.

The next day at my desk, I smelled something odd. Sniff. What was that? Mildew? Was there food spoiling in the trash can? Odd, but I couldn't locate the source so I went about my day.

The day after that we took a trip to Austin, and upon our return as I sat at my desk, it recurred. Sniff. "What *is* that?" It was still there but hadn't gotten worse. Ick. Then I stuck my nose in my shirt. "Oh my gosh! It's my deodorant!" I decided the smell was such a bother to my sensitive nose that I would just dump it and buy a new one.

While standing in the store aisle with my mother, I let her sniff the stinky one. "Oh yeah," she said, "Deodorant is suppose to hide the smell. This one joins in."

(Title is credited to a former student of mine, who for a project, named her fictitious deodorant brand "Sniffy".)

Labels: What is that smell?

Wisdom of Crowds - Derek Powazek gave this presentation on a very interesting phenomenon. The idea is that even though people may not get something right individually, collectively they get much closer to the truth. Like the guessing game with the jar of jelly beans at the fair. No one guesses exactly right, but the average of all the guesses gets pretty close. This is something I think people are going to be paying a lot of attention to in the coming years. It's pretty valuable info if you know how to gather it. Well done, Derek.

Start Small, Stay Small - This panel was about starting your own business or going full time free-lance and how to address the new challenges you'll face. Jeffrey Zeldman moderated the panel and gave great insights along with rest of the group as to how you make this difficult move work. Remember to charge what your worth. Ask for a budget. Don't overbook yourself.

Turning Wine into Gold - Vay.ner.chuk. Gary is always a ball of energy and this was no exception. It is pretty difficult to not be inspired by his totally in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is style. He drove home his key points once again: Don't try to be me, be you. Play the game. Make good stuff. Win. Go find the video on WLTV, it is a must see. Quote: "If you live for weekends and vacation, your sh** is broken." (Translation: If you hate your job so much that weekends are the best part, that needs to be fixed.)

Presenting Straight to the Brain - I took 2 pages of notes in this session, and I am not much of a note person. First of all, best presentation I have EVER seen. Four panelists, all experts on presenting offered tons of practical suggestions for making great presentations. Don't make people read and listen to you, it doesn't work. Forget the bullet points, go for the interesting visual to drive the points home diagrams and images. Focus on how to better the audience with your information, rather than how to make a good presentation. These guys rocked:
Jared Goralnick, Cliff Atkinson, Craig Ball, Kathy Sierra.

Quitter - How to quit your day job and work for yourself. I already do this, but I got a lot of good info out of this session on how to make the most out of working for yourself. One thing that really stuck out to me was when one of the panelists said that letting your email rule your productivity was like letting other people put stuff on your to-do list without asking you. That is so messed up, yet true! Quote:"We're gonna start taking questions from the audience, but don't say your name if you're asking how to quit your day job."

SXSW = a good break from the norm, lots of great information, tons of smart people. Love it.

Labels: 2009, highlights, panels, SXSW, sxswi