Day 2 - Part II

Finished my leftover pancakes for a pre-workout snack... definitely going to be making another batch or two of those to have on hand when I'm wanting something carby or need to eat on the go.

These aren't actually MY zone pancakes, but they pretty much looked like this... just a little more well-done on one side because I got distracted while they were cooking...



Dinner today was a Stir-fry of:

1 eggplant (2 blocks carb)
1 brick tofu (3 blocks protein)
1 veggie burger (1 block carb, 1 block protein) (I'm guessing)
1/2 tomato (1/2 block carb)
1cup Coconut water (1/2 block carb)

...all chopped up with some olive oil (1 1/3tsp = 4 blocks), herbs, and coriander for flavour.

Good idea in theory, however all tofu and eggplant cook quite dry (the eggplant absorbs any added water or oil), so next time I'll have to look up a sauce recipe. The half a tomato was an attempt to make it a little less dry, which kinda worked, but I'll still be looking into creating some sort of zone dijon sauce or dressing that I  can have on hand when I cook.

I had half the batch, so that makes a 2 block meal, perhaps a little heavy on the protein, but after an evening workout, the extra is probably going to be put to good use in repairing my sore traps!!

This weekend's challenge will be to stay as balanced as possible and eat clean since I'll be travelling to Scotland to visit some family and may not have access to block information or things like skim mozzerella, tofu, or 4 egg whites to balance out a pasta-type meal.

This also means I might not be able to post much over the weekend, but I'll try to keep track by wrote and post anything that seems worth sharing... as well as hopefully getting a few more food pics to add some colour to my posts!

PS. Here's the block list I've been using...

http://www.mitymous.net/weights/zoneblox.htm

I mostly ignore the 'favourable' aspect as I'm just starting out and am more focused on getting the values right and most importantly making sure my proteins match the other two blocks - not easy when you can't just throw a piece of ham on there to add an extra protein.

Day 2

Today I tried making Zone pancakes and it actually turned out really well! I used a clean recipe, and just adapted it a bit to have less carbs and more protein. The recipe ended up being:

1c oats (ground up in a food processor) - 3 blocks carbs
1c milk - 1 block protein, 1 block carbs
2 eggs and 2 egg whites - 3 blocks protein
2/3 tsp coconut oil  - 2 blocks fats
6 almonds on the side - 2 blocks fats

I let the ground up oats sit in the milk for a few minutes, then mixed in some cinnamon and a weensy bit of agave, then cooked them in a pan with the coconut oil (watch out, coconut oil has a lower smoking temperature or whatever it's called than butter or olive oil, so keep it on medium heat or it starts to jump out of the pan). It made about 15 really mini pancakes, so I had half of them for a 2 block breakfast and will have the other half for a 2 block pre-workout snack later on.

Next time, I might try a dash of baking powder as is in the original recipe to see if they rise a little bit.


Lunch was a half-assed zone meal, so it won't count in my 2 for the day - I had a 2-egg spinach omelet in a wrap with some cheese. In theory was approximately a 3-block meal, but I'm a little iffy on what hard cheeses count as (a protein or a fat), so I'll have to do a little looking up online.

As for dinner, we shall have to see! but speaking of, I had better hustle to the grocery store for some tofu before it closes!!!

Day One Part II

Some adaptations in the menu for Zone meal one:

Because of the fact that France is RIDICULOUS and all the grocery stores close at 7:30, I was unable to procure my tofu. Instead I added eggs on the side and a melon-tomato-feta salad instead of having cheese on the ''pasta'' and the peach for dessert., but because of the added volume of the salad and the feta, it is in fact a 3-block meal rather than the 2 block one that was planned. After the WOD I just did, though, I'm thinking I needed the extra!

In other news, Coriander is my new 'herb obsession'... added a little to the zucchini pasta to change up the normal 'herbs de provence' and pepper flavouring I usually use.

Day 1: The Decision

Hi all, and welcome to my brank-spanking-new blog about nutrition, health, and fitness!

Before we get into all that fun stuff, here's a little about me:

I am a 23 year old University of Ottawa graduate (in the fields of Political Science and Environmental studies), I am an avid reader, a former lifeguard, a theme-party lover, a rower/runner/soccer player/swimmer/boxer/crossfitter/all around fitness addict, and of course, a vegetarian.

Having been an athlete for most of my life - at times even at very high levels - I am fully aware of the role proper nutrition plays in fueling the mind and body to tackle their daily challenges. I recently took up crossfit and learned about the Paleo and Zone diet philosophies. While I can see their theoretical merit, as a ecological vegetarian of 3 years, I simply can't get behind the enormous emphasis on meat consumption - particularily in the Paleo diet. That being said, however, I am well aware that my own if relatively healthy diet could still use a serious clean up.

This is where 'The Decision' came into play. I decided today as I once again followed my perfectly balanced veggie omelet lunch with an ice cream bar that this habit needed to stop, along with many other unhealthy nutritional habits that I have long held. I decided that excuse time was over, that I had the support systems I needed, healthy food at my fingertips, time to devote to cooking and prep, and the desire to change, so I had no reasons left to hold on to those old habits.

This decision left me with another one - how to go forward from there. I thought long and hard about all the different diets and recipes there are available, and I decided that since I have launched myself back into crossfit after a work-filled and crossfit-weak summer, I would dive headfirst into the lifestyle outside the gym as well and try the Zone diet - vegetarian style. Now, right off the bat while I'm still getting used to the block systems etc., I am going to start of with only two actual Zone proportioned meals per day, but with all other foods and snacks being 'clean', 'whole' foods (no processed grains or ice cream for this girl) for the first two weeks, and then build from there.

For more info on the zone diet in the cadre of crossfit, check here:
http://crossfitimpulse.com/the-zone-diet-explained-edited

One challenge that will come back into play at the end of this week is the fact that the French family I am living with will be coming back from vacation, and I will no longer have much control over what is made for dinner (they have a penchant for quiches, tarts, and pastas....and of course bread and cheese). However, I have one whole week to detox out all the processed sugars from my system, deal with cravings, learn recipes, and so on before they get back, so for now I'll just take it one day at a time and figure out how to overcome that obstacle when I get to it!

Tonight's zone/clean recipe with be 2 block Zucchini Pasta with tofu!

Olive Oil (2/3 tsp) (2 fats)
Zucchini (2 cups sliced) (1 carb)
Tofu (2oz) (1 protein)
Mozzarella cheese (1oz) (1 Protein)
Peach (1 carb)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/health/22recipehealth.html?_r=1