So Joe…

OK, it wasn’t hot water, and I haven’t been called baby for a while, but I love that quote from Rain Man, and it relates to the situation I’m in right now. I had planted some Jalapeno peppers in my garden, and they have gone nuts. I went out today and picked everything that looked ready, must be around 50 peppers. I had read on the internet (did you know they have that on computers now too?) that you could just freeze them without even blanching, and not wanting to learn how to pickle them (the other option, short of trying to eat them all in a week) I decided to do that. I sliced them all up, just like the kind you get in a jar at the store, rinsed them off in a container of water to get rid of all the loose seeds, and put them on a baking sheet to freeze (once frozen I’ll put them in a big freezer bag). Well, about a half-hour after I was done, I noticed my hands had a few spots that felt irritated. Within an hour, this small irritation had turned into quite a burning sensation. The tops of both hands were burning like I had poured boiling water on them. No discoloration or any visible sign that something was wrong, just a burning feeling. While I was cutting them, I occasionally had to cough, kinda like how onions make your eyes water, peppers make your throat itch. Anyway, it’s been this way for about an hour now, I’ll report back on how things go, but this is proof that you never stop learning, especially when it’s the hard way. Be careful when cutting up a couple pounds of peppers!

After moving into my first house, I decided I needed a good set of pans for the kitchen. I wanted something non-stick, but was very displeased with the couple random non-stick pans I already had. With most of them you have to use plastic utensils, otherwise the coating gets scratched and starts to peel off. Well, my pans were all peeling, so I’d end up with what looked like pepper, but was actually non-stick coating, in my food. I Googled around a bit and did some research, and found the Scanpan website. Their non-stick pans use a ceramic-titanium non-stick method that is bonded to the metal of the pan, it’s not just a spray on coating. I looked around and only saw good feedback about them, so I jumped in and bought the ‘Chefs Set‘, a 9-piece set of pans. Read more…

No, I’m not talking about those little metal fasteners, I’m talking about those basic food items you can’t do without. Instead of hiding them away in your pantry and your cupboards, showcase them! This not only frees up room in your pantry and cupboards for other items, but creates a visually appealing display in your kitchen, and puts those often used food items within closer reach. Read more…

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Well, I’ve been plugging away for two full weeks, getting up early every weekday, counting calories, rowing and eating breakfast 14 days straight! I’m well on my way to making this a routine. In just those two weeks I’ve lost 1″ on my waist. At this rate I should be able to loose another 7″ and get down to my high-school waist size by June 1st. KIDDING!

I did that killer workout again yesterday, and I can tell I’m going to be sore soon. For dinner, I decided to try and make my own ‘natural’ spaghetti sauce. I used two large tomatoes (had them frozen from my garden), a medium yellow onion, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, 6oz of tomato paste, and oregano. Threw it all in the Cuisinart and then warmed it up. Not to bad, maybe a little much garlic, but I like garlic, so no big deal. Made enough for two big servings, so I’m having the leftovers tonight before bowling.

I’ve been averaging about 96oz of water a day now. Got some ground Flax for use at home since I have the grinder at work so I can have it on weekends. The Green Tea Extract showed up, I got the 100mg pills. I’m taking three a day with meals. Wicked taste, so you have to get it down quick. If you recall, it’s supposed to help speed up your metabolism, along with numerous other benefits. I haven’t noticed a difference, but I’m already reved up pretty good from the exercise and food, so it may not be enough to be noticable.

Went to bed at 11:30, woke up once around 4, then again around 5:30, and finally about 6:45. The first two times would be right on my sleep cycles, the last was a little early, perhaps one of the cats woke me. Did an interval row, breakfast and out the door.

I’m staying on pace, up at 6:30, interval row today, breakfast, and out the door. Drank a gallon again yesterday, it’s getting easier as I get used to it, and I still visit the bathroom frequently, but I think it’s getting a little less frequent than a week ago. I tried the yogurt with 1tbsp of Flax seed ground up into it yesterday. Was a raspberry yogurt, you couldn’t really taste the Flax, it was just the texture that was changed, as it made the yogurt a bit more ‘gritty’, but no reason not to keep on it. I was at Sendik’s yesterday using a gift certificate someone got me for Christmas, and I noticed they had Flax seed there, so I bought a pound and I’ll keep using it. I also got a bunch of whole-wheat pasta, which is supposed to be better than the ‘enriched bleached flour’ that is used in the normal pasta I’ve been using. Costs much more, but it’s kinda like free money, so I’ll give it a try and see if it’s worth it.

I had decided to do a weight routine last night when I got home, and I had recently ‘procured’ a DVD called ‘Tom Holland - Total Body Workout’, so I figured I’d give it a try. It’s about 40 minutes long, and basically combines aerobic, crunches, lunges, and work with dumbells. You don’t stop at all, it’s a solid push through, and man, was I exausted when I was done. I didn’t think I’d be able to move today, but I’m not bad, I guess all that stretching and winding down that is incorporated into the program really does help. I’ll probably try to work one of those in a couple/few times a week to get things started before I venture off into a more standard weight lifting routine.

Afterwards I had the salmon with some sauce on it (it’s a vegetable dip I bought with sour cream mixed with a spice, kinda like a taco dip almost). I baked it for 20 minutes, then broiled it for a couple to brown the top. Warmed up some broccoli with it, and buttered a piece of bread, damn that was a good meal. Costs a little more than most of the meals I eat at home, but nice to treat yourself now and then, and it was still low in calories and high in nutrients.