Cheesefry Nation

Delicious...and good for you

2008-05-16T22:27:31Z

The Most Decadent Diet Ever!" is no exception. So far I tried out the zucchini boats and the banana coconut muffins. Both were tasty and easy to make. Try the zucchini on for size. It's a cool way to eat your veggies without sacrificing taste. ]]> You'll need: 4 small zucchinis olive oil spray (I used Pam and it tasted fine) 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic salt and pepper 3 1/2 ounces of crumbled goat cheese 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dehydrated chopped sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil) 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped basil Set your over to 350 degrees. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into two halves. Run the tip of a spoon down the center to scoop out top row of seeds. Spray lightly with oil. Flavor with salt, and garlic. Bake 19 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle on goat cheese and tomatoes. Bake another 5 minutes. Apply basil, and enjoy.

GHG winners

2008-05-16T17:26:37Z

Here's are the folks who won prizes for their participation in the Get Healthy Guilford Challange. Congrats on your sucess! Nutrition Consultation: Melissa Al-Rammal, Kim Lightsey Family Pass to the Greensboro Children's Museum: Brooke Aukes, Bernice Bennett, Cheryl Cheston, Kim Everett, Pam Foxx, Gina Garrett, Shirley Marcus, Amanda Martin Gold's Gym Gift Certificate: Ash Brown, Jeff Ryals, Ann Smith Rush Fitness 1 yr Adult membership: Travis Compton, Terri Hancock YMCA 1-yr Membership: Vicki Morrow, Kerry Revels Omega Sports Gift Certificate ($25): Diane Elliot Food Lion Gift Card ($50): Diane Coad, Chris Marriott, Eleanor Nesbit, Joe Vereen Let's Dish Gift Certificate: Susan Jones, Nancy Miller Entrée Vous Gift Certificate ($25):Bobby Mitchell, Carolyn Spence Greensboro Grasshopper Tickets: Jamie Owens Grasshopper Paraphernalia: Karen Rowland Triad Lanes Gift Certificate: Lynn Smith Earth Fare Goodie Bag: Debra Whitesell

The Sledgehammer Workout

2008-05-15T21:20:05Z

So my friend Chris calls me up. "I've got something for the blog," he says. "A workout." "All right," I said. "I"m listening." "Well," he said. "Do you have a sledgehammer?" Why? One word: Shovelgloving. That's right. Shovel. Gloving. No, you won't find it in your dictionary -- because it was invented and spread on the Internet, the weird little brainchild of Reinhard Engels. Reinhard is an odd duck who hates the gym, doesn't particularly enjoy sports, finds even pushups and situps degrading. So, in his twisted neurosis about forms of deliberate physical exercise, he asked himself: why didn't our ancestors need gyms? The obvious answer: most of them routinely performed physical labor. They had to -- it was part of life. They chopped wood, churned butter, shoveled and lifted things. And so he came to buy a 10-pound sledgehammer, wrap the end in an old sweater for cushion, and come up with an exercise routine that simulated the sort of manual labor guys like me and Chris might have done before we had desk jobs. Here's what it looks like: So -- Chris and I got together over the weekend, wrapped our sledgehammers and tried this stuff out. How was it? Exhausting. Ten pounds doesn't sound like a lot. And it's not. Most reasonably healthy people could curl that, no problem. But put it on the end of a stick and begin swinging it around and suddenly you're working muscles you don't usually think about in ways they don't usually get worked. Here's what we looked like doing it: ]]>

More fruits and veggies for your shopping dollar

2008-05-09T23:03:45Z

If you're trying to eat better, and fresher, food, you probably discovered what Joe and I learned: fresh fruits and vegetables can cost you a bundle. Never fear, thrifty shoppers. It's time for the farmer's market. We hit up the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market last weekend. We knew we were going to get tasty, locally-grown commodities. What we didn't realize was how affordable it was going to be. We picked up potatoes for 69 cents a pound, zucchini for 99 cents a pound and an 8 oz. package of baby portabella mushrooms for $1.89. I saw the same mushrooms -- on sale -- at our regular grocery story for $2.50. Some deal. And it's only bound to get better as the summer season rolls on, and more fresh offerings. Food costs are rising, in part, because of fuel prices. It costs so darn much to ship fresh food all over the country. So why not shop locally? By the way, there is also a farmers market in Greensboro, open on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

But ... they're cheese fries!

2008-05-07T06:00:10Z

Reader Fred Gregory sends a link to an article about restaurants beginning to print their nutritional information on their menus. Its title: Would you eat 2,900 calorie cheese fries? For the record, Outback Steakhouse's Aussie Cheese Fries (the very ones that inspired this blog) have been named Men's Health magazine's #1 Worst Food in America.

"In Defense of Food" author lecturing @ Google

2008-05-06T22:58:33Z

Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Delimma lectured recently as part of the Authors@Google series. Here's the video. Really good stuff. Pollan, a professor Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkley, has written extensively about everything from the health implications of the ubiquitousness of corn and high fructose corn syrup to the politics of the way we eat. There's also an audio interview with him from NPR's Science Friday here.

Baskin-Robbins founder dead at 90

2008-05-06T21:11:06Z

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who helped build the 31-flavor craze at ice cream store Baskin-Robbins has died at age 90. Irvine Robbins died Monday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Daughter Marsha Veit says he had been in ill for some time. Generations of kids trooped to Baskin-Robbins stores to buy ice cream flavors like Pralines 'n Cream, Daiquiri Ice and Pink Bubblegum. Robbins opened his first ice cream store in Glendale, Calif., in December 1945, following his discharge from the Army. Robbins offered 21 flavors at that store. His brother-in-law, the late Burton Baskin, opened his own ice cream store in neighboring Pasadena a year later. The two eventually joined forces. ---- First the inventor of the Egg Mcmuffin dies at 89. Now one of the founders of Baskin-Robbins at 90. It's been a rough year for the visionaries of deliciousness, but at least it seems they've had a good long ride. Not too much of their own medicine, obviously.

Running with Charlie

2008-05-06T20:12:00Z

Charlie Engle runs like it doesn't hurt. That's because the way he runs -- at 20, 50, 70 miles at a time -- is more about mental endurance than physical stamina. "If you can enjoy the moment and get through it, you can change as a person," he said. The Guilford county resident was the guest of honor at the first annual United Healthcare Greensboro marathon pasta dinner last Friday night. He told some incredible tales of his trip running across the Sahara. Charlie kicked drinking and drug habits years ago, and promptly replaced those obsessions with another: running. Running those insanely long distances, under incredible stress, was a habit he acquired accidentally while on a trip to Australia. He joined a 100K thinking it was a 10K. And despite a total lack of preparation and a strong desire to stop, he actually won. "I won simply by attrition," he said. Charlie's not a fast runner. He averages about a ten-minute mile. But he's stubborn. So trekking across the Sahara (which you can see chronicled this summer in theaters in the documentary "Running the Sahara") seemed like an obvious thing to do. He went through 25 pairs of shoes and drank 1,400 liters of Gatorade. He lost 40 pounds, despite his best efforts. "My body finally said one day, "Oh I get it. You are trying to kill me.'" His next endeavor? Running across America. In the heat of summer, starting June 21, Charlie will run straight across the continent from California to New York. He's going to have to run about 70 miles a day to get there by August. With all the hell he's put his body through, will he actually make it there? He's not sure. But he's going to go for it anyway. "The next best thing to doing it is actually trying it," he said. Sign up to run with Charlie during Running Across America here. Or you can run with him on any given weekend. He usually runs at Country Park on Saturdays at 7 a.m.

Vacation temptation

2008-05-05T18:40:40Z

Here's what we were up against on vacation: For what it is worth, we didn't eat the Twinkies. We bought apples at this store. Apples covered with chocolate, caramel and nuts. MMMMMmmmmm.

Melting fat, one hip-piston at a time?

2008-05-05T16:53:42Z

So I finally broke down and decided to try "Shimmy," one of those strange FitTV exercise shows. As you might guess, this is one of those get-fit-the-fun-way programs, much like "Sweatin' to the Oldies" and striper-cise. When I hit the dance floor, I'm all hips and shoulder moves and a twist variation. Those are all the moves I've got. Belly dancing seems to be mostly hips and arms, so I figured I might be good at this. On the show, an unseen narrator explains the movements as the dancers move around. She teaches you a few moves -- in this case the snake arms and hip-piston -- slowly. Then they put them all together in one routine and gradually build up speed. I could certainly get my hips and shoulders to sway around the way they recommended. But I don't know how graceful I looked bumping around the living room last night. I did work up a light sweat, though. It might have been better if they had given me something to keep me busy during the three-minute commercial breaks. Proof it works: my lower abdominals were slightly sore this morning. Considering this is a problem area for many women, I recommend trying this out as an alternative to all the crunches at the gym.

2008 Get Healthy Guilford, by the numbers

2008-05-02T21:55:11Z

Get Healthy Guilford 2008 Wrap-up Participants: 693 Total pounds lost: 1734 Age range: 6 to 94 years Average age: 43 Sex of participants: about 90 percent female Greatest weight loss in a single person: 35 pounds

Good-bye bum dimples

2008-05-02T15:00:49Z

Nearly 700 participants signed up online or sent in game cards for this year’s Get Healthy Guilford challenge. They lost a total of 1,734 pounds, according to Leslie Armeniox, Get Healthy Guilford coalition director. That means all sorts of folks have said buh-bye to butt dimples and love handles. Congrats! If you missed out, there is still time to get healthy. The coalition is asking folks to “Spring into Health,” and commit to six more weeks of heart healthy activity. Folks who sign the pledge will promise to increase the intensity or frequency of their exercise program starting May 11. Come out to Bur-Mil Park this weekend, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to sign the pledge and celebrate your weight loss success. And Joe and I will see you there. Bring your walking shoes to get an early start on that promise.

Chocolate-flavored set back

2008-05-01T21:48:54Z

I am going to be fat forever. That is how I felt Wednesday night as I was slurping chocolate ice cream of a plastic spoon. Actually, it's what I said to Joe, who sat across from me, nibbling on a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner. He paused and considered this. "Are you serious?" I didn't respond. "Do I get a vote?' Well, no. Not unless he plans to hold me captive and start feeding me intravenously, which is about what it would take to make me totally give up chocolate. I admire his resolve. And his 11 pound weight loss. (I lost a mere 8 pounds in the last ten weeks and catch up seems near impossible.) But he can't have enough will for both of us. He can, however, lean on me to stay committed. That might just be the key to our success throughout the Get Healthy Guilford Challenge. It might be what makes me snap out of this I-can't-lose-another-pound funk get on with our next goal, ten more weeks of consistent weight loss. The Journal of the American Medicine Association reported earlier this year that people are more likely to keep weight off if they have regular contract with a weight loss professional. Now, Joe's no nutritionist, but I am guessing his help and support has a similar affect. It's hard to let yourself slip when someone is watching your back. I can only hope I can help him, too. I promise to start by washing the chocolate ice cream down the drain.

Dr. Oz on Discovery Health tonight

2008-04-29T20:26:27Z

I think I've mentioned the book You: The Owner's Manual on the blog a few times now. It's been a huge bestseller and I recommend it to anyone interested in a clear, concise and often humorous explanation of how our bodies work and simple ways to make them work better. One of the book's authors, Dr. Mehmet Oz, will be on Discovery Health tonight with two back-to-back shows. The first (9 p.m. ET) based on his book You: Staying Young and the second You: The Owner's Manual (10 p.m. ET). Dr. Oz has been a regular on Oprah for a while and is always witty and informative. I'll be watching him tonight - you should too.

Rapid Review: Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng

2008-04-29T19:40:36Z

Since we began the Cheesefry Nation blog I've gotten more e-mails about drinks - water, soda, diet soda, juice -- than anything else. Water's clearly the best choice -- but sometimes it's not a lot of fun for your taste buds. Amanda and I have found a few diet sodas we like -- but not many. And while they're certainly the lesser of two evils, many doctors and nutritionists will tell you diet sodas aren't that much better for you and have even been linked to weight gain and chronic disease. But here's the thing: water, soda and diet soda aren't your only choices. Try some Green Tea -- which I've been drinking the last few days in the form of this fine product from the Arizona tea company: Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng. First ingredient: Premium Brewed Green Tea using filtered water. That, some natural flavors, Vitamin C, citric acid and honey, Splenda (which I much prefer to aspartame) and Ginseng extract. No calories, no carbs, one gram of sugar and 10 grams of sodium per serving. All of which would mean nothing if it didn't taste good. And it does. It's not water, but it's a step above diet sodas. Here's what Dr. Mehmet Oz (author of the excellent You: The Owner's Manual) has to say on the subject: "It may have only one-third the caffeine of coffee, but because it has extra natural chemicals in it, it gives you the same punch. Green tea is unfermented tea that hasn't been oxidized yet, so whatever biologically active, natural goodness was in the plant is still in there." I'm going to begin making the tea at home (to further avoid any of the extra stuff) and see how it goes. I also have to recommend the Arizona Diet Peach Tea, sweetened with real fruit juice with no preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. Good stuff. What are you guys drinking?