The Incredible Edible Egg

"Mmmm I love eggs, from my head down to my legs"

The humble egg is a top contender for my favourite food.  The egg has had a bit of a rough ride in the reputation stakes in the past, but it's very firmly in my 'eat often' section of the pyramid.


Eggcellent Points About Eggs:

1. Versatile - scramble, poach, hard or soft boil (I don't fry) - and that's just the simple version!  Don't even get me started on frittatas, quiches, salads...
2. Packed full of high-quality protein and 13 essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants
3. Keeps me going until lunch time - when I have an egg as part of my breakfast I don't need morning tea
4. Tasty - a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper is all you need
5. Inexpensive
6. Quick to whip up
7. Natural and unprocessed
8. Brilliant for post-workout recovery

So what about cholesterol?  Wasn't that what all the fuss was about in the first place?

Well... on average one egg has 185g of cholesterol and the recommendation for an average healthy adult is 300g per day (admittedly from a pro-egg website).  Plus all of the cholesterol in eggs is in the yolk, so if you're chowing down on heaps of eggs, it's simple enough to separate a few yolks out.

I'm eggstatic... what an eggcellent eggsample of a eggsemplary food...

The Elusive Fat Burning Zone and Harry Potter

This morning was my first attempt to exercise in my fat burning zone (125 - 135 bpm running/walking).  This is surprisingly much more difficult that I imagined.

Stage One: en route to Fort Canning Park
Achieving that heart rate walking along the street was impossible at a walk - "fine, I'll run". But 10 meters at a slow shuffle sent my heart rate up and over 140 bpm.  This left me in an awkward walk/run/shuffle motion.  It must have been hilarious (or rather confusing) to street on-lookers, but I didn't even notice them because I was constantly checking my watch to make sure I was in the zone.  Ah the price we pay for health!

Stage Two: around Fort Canning Park
Having walk/run/shuffled my way to the park at a fairly consistent heart rate, I was now faced with a second test... undulation!  Up hill, down dale, flights of stairs, ramps... oh dear.  I felt like a yoyo watching my monitor.

Stage Three: return to Parc Emily
Back into the walk/run/shuffle and feeling moderately chuffed with maintaining a fairly consistent heart rate around the corner I see in the distance someone from my condo.  I have to admit, I cracked, and upped my pace so I looked like I was doing 'proper'exercise.  Luckily he couldn't tell I was listening to my Harry Potter audio book - my credibility would have been shot to pieces.


I guess at some stage I should (a) embrace the fact that I'm going to look like a moron for a month or two as my fat burning zone gradually improves, and (b) stop feeling guilty that I am borderline obsessed with Harry Potter.

Potentially on the fourth read... or ninth?

Save the Words!

www.savethewords.org

I heard about this outstanding website in a magazine.  The premise: words which are no longer mainstream in society are in danger of becoming extinct - save the words!



I've started a Word of the Day on my communicator status at work, and you can sign up for a daily word email.


My word of the day: veteratorian (adj.) - subtle "her veteratorian hints on choice of birthday present were not getting through to him"

Too Much of A Good Wine?

About four weeks ago we started a Vibrant Living program at work, aimed at making all of us healthier (and therefore more efficient working machines).  It's perfectly lined up with what I'm trying to achieve here, so I'm throwing myself into the program.

Yesterday we got the results of our blood tests back and had a workshop to establish our overall health score baseline so we can gauge our improvement for testing again in three months time.

So these are my results:

For each section you go through a scoring exercise from 1-5 with 5 being the worst, and then add them all up.  A score of 30 means I actually just scrape into the 'poor'category, so clearly I have some work to do, but it's not all doom and gloom.

For example, my total cholesterol is in the mid range, but in actual fact my bad cholesterol levels are very low and my good cholesterol levels are very high (relative to normal for each).  So in my head I'm going to score myself two points less on cholesterol, which puts me into the 'good'category :-)

It stands out quite clearly that I have some areas of improvement on skinfold testing (I'm in the top bracket - gulp!), waist to hip ratio and alcohol consumption.  I'm sure my quest for healthier living without great sacrifice will take care of the skinfold and waist to hip ratio.

Where I know I'll struggle is on the alcohol consumption - simply because I don't want to improve.

NZ Central Otago pinot noir - so good!

It seems unfair to call out Amisfield specifically
when there are so many fabulous options

Let's think practically.  Scoring myself a 4/5 for alcohol consumption means that in an average week I drink between 9 and 11 standard drinks.  Sound high right?  BUT consider that a standard drink is 125ml of wine vs a normal person's (ok, a Bex person's) glass of wine, which is probably closer to 200 - 250ml (about a metric cup).

Now let's dust off the grey matter and do some math...

11 standard drinks = 11 x 125ml = 1375ml of wine
Bex standard wine = 200ml
1375ml / 200ml = 6.8 Bex glasses of wine

Now a typical week could have a combination of any of the following:

• Once a week with dinner at home - 1 glass of wine
• Once a week dinner with bf's parents - 2 or 3 glasses of wine (and/or a gin and tonic)
• Casual drinks on a Friday/Saturday night with friends - maybe 2 to 4 glasses of wine (depending on the occasion)

And this doesn't even include if we go to a party/BBQ/into town (granted, this is not every week - god, I'm getting old).

By testing standards I've pretty much prescribed myself as a heavy drinker, but I actually think I drink less here in Singapore than I did in NZ, and when I compare myself to friends I don't actually think I drink that much (maybe I do??)...  I know, I know, excessive consumption of alcohol has all sorts of health problems associated with it and will slow down my 10kg goal, but at this point in time I don't feel like this is excessive.  

I like wine, and giving it up would be a major sacrifice to me, and since this is a quest for healthier living without great sacrifice, I'm going to keep my 4 points on the alcohol scale and maybe try to have one fewer glass per week.

On an extremely positive note, official weekly weigh in was this morning and I am back on track - down 2.5kg in total in 7 weeks.  That's 0.4kg per week, which also includes two weeks in India on a business trip.

Yippeeeee!  

My Very First Omelet

You know those nights where you just can't be bothered cooking?  Last night was one of them for me... and it was my turn to cook.

Not the best frame of mind to be trying something new, but oh well... here goes my first omelet.

Verdict?  Unusual combination, but delicious!

Cauliflower and Feta Omelet

yield: Makes 2 servings

active time: 20 min

total time: 30 min

INGREDIENTS

• 5 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch-wide florets (3 cups)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

METHOD:

Beat eggs with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté cauliflower until browned and tender, 5 to 9 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, then add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and sauté 1 minute.

Pour eggs over cauliflower. Cook, lifting edges to let uncooked egg run underneath and shaking skillet occasionally to loosen omelet, until almost set, 4 to 5 minutes. Slide out onto a large plate. Put skillet over omelet and, using pot holders, firmly hold plate and skillet together, then invert omelet back into skillet and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Slide out onto plate and sprinkle with feta and parsley.

I didn't have parsley, so used basil.  I also used 3 whole eggs + 2 egg whites instead of 5 whole eggs.

Served with a green salad, it was a perfect QUICK meal.

Also, in writing this post today I now know how to spell omelet correctly.

 

Super Sashimi

I absolutely LOVE Japanese food.

It's an accepted fact that Japanese women are not fat, and today's lunch helps answer why.

Three little words... sashimi... edamame... miso

yum

yum

and yum

And unusually, no sugar craving.  Brilliant!  Maybe it is all in my mind....?

Topped off the day with a game of tennis and about to watch a movie... tough life!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Now that I’m back from India it’s time to get back into the swing of things.

I have signed up for a new boot camp (which is conveniently operating out of the park right next to my condo) on Wednesday’s and Friday’s.  Friday morning was a bit of a shock to the system after two weeks of (I think we could say) gentle exercise, but it felt great to get back out there.  Boot camp is pretty much the best invention in the world for me.  I’m such an externally motivated person – there’s no way I’d ever push myself that hard or make myself do so many strength exercises.  And somehow it all seems a little more manageable if there are several other people sweating, grunting and sometimes swearing under their breath from the exertion. 

There was a smoothie revolution in my house while I was away.  A surprise blender purchase by my bf (vindication for losing a coin toss and therefore prioritising a magic stick purchase) has yielded some wild and wonderful results.  The best combination so far seems to be apple, banana, spinach, peanut butter, honey, LSA, ice and water.  Weird huh?  But so tasty!  The worst combination so far involved carrot... I love carrot juice, but carrot smoothie... a little too fibrous. 

Friday night was the best way to get back into the swing of things though – a Glee marathon, an anti-pasto platter and a few glasses of rosé.  I really do wish I was living in a musical... singing and dancing my way through life just seems so fun!

I also figure it’s about time to start running – put that on the list for next week.  I love how everything starts on a Monday J

In five minutes I have a Skype conference call with four fabulous friends who happen to be scattered all around the world – New Zealand, Australia, UK.  Better go and get myself plugged into the interweb!

Stay tuned sports fans...

Further Hotel Idiosyncrasies

Further Hotel Idiosyncrasies

I had to laugh when I saw the gym at my latest hotel (Le Meridien, Bangalore).

 

Before you ask...

Yes, the gym has three pieces of equipment.

Yes, those three pieces of equipment appear to be placed in the central concourse of the first floor.

Yes, the central concourse of the first floor is visible from the second floor (where photo was taken), and third floor, and fourth... etc

And yes, those are people exiting the elevator in the background.

How very public!

Still... given that I haven’t done any exercise (apart from taking the stairs) for the last three days, I will be donning my lycra and scaring the hotel patrons off their breakfast tomorrow morning.

Internally-directed question of the day:  If I don’t even like the taste of Diet Coke, why do I insist on having one after lunch in lieu of a sweet treat?

Thinking About Staying at the Lalitha Mahal Palace in Mysore? Don't!

Review: Lalitha Mahal Palace, Mysore

Overall: 3/10

One Line: Never stay at a government-run hotel in India on a business trip (or any trip in fact) in India, no matter how beautiful it is.

Pros:

• Beautiful historic hotel, quiet, very colonial feel
• Hosted a wonderful birthday surprise for Indira (horse cart, musicians, birthday cake and flowers)

 Cons:

• Rooms not as nice as rest of hotel (single beds!)
• Shower doesn't work (have to use handheld).  Initially only cold water from faucet, then scalding hot water only for next two days.
• Wireless Internet doesn't work in room or in lobby (have to connect via LAN cable in business center)
• Breakfast buffet (if you call it that) is very limited

Since when does the internet 'conk off'?

This is all very well and good... but the shower requires the knob to the right!

But the very worst thing...? Touts for the hotel shops accost you in the corridors trying to persuade to you buy from their shop. In India, your hotel needs to be a refuge from all that!

I'm glad to be leaving for the luxurious sanctuary of the ITC Maratha Mumbi.

Food Disappointment

Food Disappointment - back dated to 11th February

How awful is it when food is an anti-climax? As I'm feeling under the
weather today I thought a mandarin-sized dose of vitamin C would be a
good idea, but peeling back the layers revealed a shriveled tasteless
segment.

As I said, so disappointing!

Sniffles and Sugar

Sniffles and Sugar - back dated to 11th February

Having given my reason for not going for a run yesterday as that I wouldn’t bounce well off a truck, this morning I changed my mind.  The morning was so beautiful, crisp and clear that it seemed criminal to pound away on a treadmill (let’s be honest, treadmills are boring).  So at 7am I picked up my camera (benefit of being fortunate enough to have two cameras – point and shoot and SLR) and off I went.  The traffic wasn’t so bad – a few trucks, motorbikes and pedestrians.  I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb – there were no women out and about, and certainly none in running tights and a hot pink Nike singlet!  I’d forgotten what a pleasure it is to run in the crisp morning air – it’s always at least 26 degrees in Singapore.  As I ran along a pathway I came across a group of men doing yoga in the morning sunlight – it gave a whole new meaning to sun salutations.

Last night I failed dismally with my ‘off switch’ at dinner.  You could have rolled me home I was so full.  The immediate feeling was guilt at having such dismal self control.  I have a feeling the ‘off switch’ is going to be my major challenge along this journey.  More than the sweet treat craving, more than increasing my exercise, probably more than completing the Angkor Watt Half Marathon!

I unfortunately have a cold. It's actually quite a significant event because I very rarely get sick. Having grown up pulling my afternoon tea directly out of the vege garden, I think I've developed a tough-guy immune system. Conversely, whenever I do actually come down with something it takes on man-flu significance. Woe is me!

Sniffles + tired body + sitting down all day = tough going.

My sugar cravings have been through the roof and like irascible tigers. The only recognizable sugar nearby my research center takes the form of orange tictaks... I'm onto my fourth pack. I'm also on my fourth bottle of water with a seeming unquenchable thirst and scratchy throat.

Another delicious thali for lunch today, followed by a dish which tastes like spongy carrot cake without the cream cheese icing. Yum!

Thali before...

Thali after....

Yummy spongy carrot cake

Our restaurateur's yoga guru - yikes!

Tonight after research we're having a surprise birthday cake for a woman in our group. I'm thinking today is pretty much a health write-off... Oh well, I was exemplary up until lunchtime.

I hope I'm feeling better tomorrow. My sightseeing endurance will be hugely limited if I'm not. Think positive Bex!