Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes...yum

So someone on facebook post-St. Patty's day posted a list of food that was now settled in their stomachs and it all sounded wonderful! One of the items stood out among the rest. I think mostly because I was forced to do one on my birthday and I am not a fan of the drink itself. Anyways that's besides the point. So on my birthday we were at an Irish Bar in Portland, ME called Bull Feeny's, actually one of my favorites in the Old Port, Irish music and the whole 9 yards. I am not a fan of Guinness though and that of course is the staple Irish beer! So on my birthday I was forced to do an Irish Car Bomb shot and just as I remembered it, it was gross. I don't like stout, but what I do like is the taste of dark chocolate and I figured that a dark roasted malt that was in a stout would pair nicely with a dark chocolate. SO I read the post on Facebook and thought, alright I could make these, so I did. My first batch came out okay, nice the cake was a little dense, but the ganache was wonderful and the frosting was of course the best part (really you can't go wrong with buttercream.) So since Orion's birthday came soon after mine AND St. Patty's day I thought I will make them for him, especially since I already made him Meat Cup Cakes for his 29th b-day (see earlier post) and of course he will eat nearly everything I cook, and love it. So I made them again. I used the same recipe which is posted here I just used super dark chocolate and some single malt scotch in the ganache. So here is the progression of them from cake to finish. Of course these cupcakes are fat-free, calorie free, gluten free, and dairy free, they won't make you gain any weight and you can eat all you want for the rest of your life. Really that is not true, but I wish it was. If you do think about what are actually in these cupcakes it is terrible. I know all the ingredients and I selected as best I could. The cake has these simple ingredients in it: Flour, sugar, baking soda, eggs, sour cream, butter, cocoa powder (+ espresso powder to make it pop.) The ganache is Dark Chocolate, butter, cream, and a tad bit of scotch. The frosting is butter, powdered sugar, and irish cream. There isn't really anything crazy in these cupcakes. I am not defending them, they aren't health food by any means, but they are homemade with an extra special ingredient: Love.

Wakame Salad

I love posting new stuff I love, I guess this isn't technically "new" for me, but I only learned about it and started loving it within the last year. It is seaweed salad. I have always loved Seaweed when it is used in sushi, and apparently it is really healthy. So I found out I liked it at a friend's wedding where she had sushi, and seaweed or Wakame Salad. So I tried some and loved it and found a recipe and made it and LOVE IT! Also it is super easy to make:

Wakame Salad
3.75 dried Wakame (found in the "Asian" section of Whole Foods)
3 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Sesame Oil
1 tsp sugar
red pepper flakes
sesame seeds


Cover the wakame with about 2 inches (over the Wakame) of hot tap water and let it sit until most of the water absorbed (3 min or so.) Drain the wakame and squeeze excess water out with a paper towel.

In separate bowl mix next four ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Add dressing to Wakame and toss, when ready to serve add sesame seeds and red pepper flakes to taste.

YUM!

Breakfast Salad

So here it is and here I am, sitting on a ferry boat crossing the Long Island Sound, 31 years into my life never thinking this would ever happen, but it is. I am eating salad for breakfast, AND I LOVE IT! A few weeks ago I read a book called BORN TO RUN (which I referenced in the Barefoot running post) and as part of the book he was seeking the help of a nutritionist who suggested eating a salad for breakfast. So I was already a barefoot runner, and I have been eating pretty healthy for the past 6 months so I gave it a shot. We had some left over salad and were out of my new favorite Greek Yogurt. So I put it in a bowl, threw some leftover chicken on it and ate it. I was surprised to then feel so great all day that I ate another one the next day and the next. Today is my third salad and I look forward to the breakfast salad. To add protein I either add chopped Walnuts, chopped eggs or leftover chicken. I usually have been adding just a bit of dressing and this time we had run out of the Trader Joe's Greek Feta dressing which was yummy! So I made my own with a little Rice Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Crushed Garlic, and pepper.

Also to add to the being the healthiest I have EVER been I got an A+ from my doc who said I have gone from on the brink of Diabetes, cholesterol meds, heart problems, and all that junk to being in pretty good shape! I may even be able to FINALLY pass the Presidential Fitness Test, which I never was able to do. Currently I am at the weight I was at freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL! HIGH SCHOOL! I mean I was think back to when I hit puberty and I swear I went from 60 pounds to 160 over the course of a few months, or weeks, I mean suddenly I wasn't wear the kids clothes and I was wearing men's size 32. Now I wear a men's size 32 and fit into a 32 and LOVE IT and it is actually my size, not my if-I-lie-on-the-bed-and-breathe-in-deep-enough-and-suck-in-my-big-ole-gut-size. I am pleased with myself but could keep going. I still haven't ran my 20 miler and I still haven't done my Marathon. When THAT happens then I will have achieved my goal and a good goal it is!

Well enough of this back to my breakfast salad! Have one they are YUMMY!

Barefoot running?

So since I started back up running a few months ago, I really wanted to get into it. I wanted to be better then I have ever been before. I wanted to really train, to run like I have never run before and to prove once and for all I can run and not not stop in the middle of the race even after all the hard training I had done. I know in the past I have written about running 3 half marathons and a few 5Ks and other races, but this time I wanted to run that full marathon. In the past I signed up for and was accepted to the NYC Marathon, and each year I put it off. Well I lost my spot, as well as almost $300 in registration fees, dumb. SO this time I am FO' REAL! I lost some weight to make running easier on me and my knees. After a few years of running short distances I couldn't shake my pain off, I looked online at all the blogs and websites about running and what works and what doesn't. A lot of the blogs kept saying the same things, motion control shoes or stability shoes which are expensive and never really helped! I also wondered (like so many others) the real reason to ALWAYS replace your shoes after 500 miles and why some people wear little thin shoes and some wear the big clunky shoes? What is going on? Seriously.
SO I remember what a friend of mine had said about these tiny little shoes called Vibram FiveFingers. Like anyone new to running I was skeptical about running in these things. How could something so little and thin and with no support be good for you? I really didn't understand, but like anyone willing to try anything, I bought some and started running. I did do what was recommended and run slowly at first because your legs are not use to this kind of running. The first time I ran with these things on, nothing happened. I was expecting the worst shooting pain in my calves like I was told, but nothing. So then I tried it the next day, and so on. I was only running 3 or 4 miles at a time, but what a difference between these and running in shoes or "shod" running. Let me tell you I WAS HOOKED! I figured I could run in these for the short 5ks and that was it. So I ran longer one day, and ran the 10k setting on the treadmill, and then did it again the next day. I still figured I needed something for the half mile distance. So I started searching again I could run in these thin flimsy little things that aren't suppose to be very good for you. How can this be? Well I looked into it some more and I still never found anything real except that I didn't have knee pain anymore and my my running time was improving what other evidence do I need? Also really why was this, and was I permanently damaging my feet and legs? At this point I was running faster and feeling better for it. I still wanted to find out and I kept reading on websites about a book called Born to Run.
Apparently I was onto something. The book referenced a lot of the barefoot running to running in little sandals I was wondering about. It also concerned a guy who wanted to run, but was pretty much told he couldn't, even by the top physicians in running. The book answered pretty much all of my questions. I highly recommend it and I highly recommend trying barefoot running. I love it a lot!

So onto my other point. I am training, training for my first LONG race, and for me 20 miles is a long race. I am going to start in Kittery, ME and end in Salisbury, MA. A pretty flat course but I think it will be fun! I love running and I want to continue it for a while. I want to keep smiling while running. Even if I am running in the cold and the wind is whipping, I yell a little, want to stop, then say NO - KEEP - GOING, start smiling, and keep running. Oh and since we are training for this 20 mile run we decided to keep training, for that run even further, a FULL Marathon. So in May we will be running the Providence Marathon in RI. I am hoping to finish this race in a little under 4 hours, good aim, and hoping I reach it!

2010 over and out, what did I accomplish this year?

Two years ago I posted 55 things I accomplished. I was aiming for about 30 I think, but you know what I accomplished more! So I figured I would do it again for 2010. You know we are starting a new decade (or not depending on who you ask) and I am now in my 30's. So I was talking to Jeremy about what we accomplished this year is it was a lot! Without further ado, here is the list, lets see if I can make 30!

1. Bought my first house
2. Adopted a very calm, very cute dog
3. Bought a car with Jeremy
4. Changed all the electrical outlets in my house to grounded ones
5. Rejoined a gym and didn't go for 6 months
6. Started going to the gym and haven't stopped since August
7. met new friends
8. Joined a new church
9. Joined a Stitch and Bitch
10. Dropped my cholesterol by more then 100 points
11. Dropped my Triglycerides to the lowest levels ever
12. Bought a second big boy car
13. Started running again
14. Started running in 5 fingers and have fallen in love
15. Dropped over 40 pounds
16. Lost 7 inches on my waist
17. Started the adoption process for a child
18. Attempted a garden with limited results
19. Made a wreath out of a branch from my tree
20. Hosted a beer/wine/cider tasting party
21. Hosted a brunch for new and old friends
22. Was a Vegetarian for 6 months
23. Was a Vegan for 9 weeks
24. Became a presenter at a National Conference
25. Made pickles
26. Made homemade hard cider
27. Got new windows for one floor of my house
28. I started and finished the Edge Revolution
29. Read multiple diet books
30. Went to two museums in NYC I have never been to!


This was a harder exercise than I had expected. I wish I had accomplished more, and I am sure there are some things that I have forgot about, I am looking forward to 2011 and have some things on my plate that I am looking forward to such as more running and losing a little more weight.

Weight Loss journey on the EDGE Revolution

My Weight Loss Journey with the Revolution: Before, During, and Hopefully After

My name is Andy White, I have always been a large guy, I wanted to set out and change that. I have always been honest with myself, and have found within the last few months, I was not. I decided the diets in the past haven’t worked and it was time for a change.
Since I graduated high school I have tried diets and diets galore, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Body for Life, Vegetarianism, Veganism, you name it I looked it up and tried it. I would always lose a little weight and then go back to the way I was, eating whatever I wanted. The weight came back time and time again. Never being an athletic person one day while sitting in a hotel room in Ohio with a piece of Coconut cream pie on my fat gut I realized what I had done to myself. I had made myself gross and fat. I stepped on the scale when I got home and realized I had weighed 235 pounds!! When did this happen; I asked myself? So I decided I was going to run, and try to run I did. I didn’t get very far. I decided to run a 5k race and signed up for one a few months down the line. I did it but still had only lost about 10 pounds. I decided I liked running so much I was going to do a Half Marathon, I would be a fat half-marathoner, and so I did one, and another and another. In one year I ran 3 half marathons, and numerous 5 k and one 5 miler! After an injury and cold weather I stopped running, and stopped dieting and stopped caring again. I gained the weight back and was hovering around 226 for a few months. This is when I got scared into losing weight by someone.
My partner is a nag sometimes, lose weight, go to the gym, you know typical spouse stuff, but this someone else was the one who had never said this to me: My Doctor. I went in for a physical exam so I can adopt a baby, after initial blood work came back she said I was obese, high risk for heart disease, diabetes, and borderline blood pressure and she said something to me that ticked me off, “if you can’t take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of someone else?” It is true, so I did something about I started diet and exercise. In about 6 weeks I lowered my cholesterol and blood pressure and dropped about 18 pounds! I wanted to do more though; I was hitting a plateau and I wanted to be at least at the weight my first license: 175. So I joined the revolution and have seen great results!
Over the past 8 weeks I have been disciplined with my eating, making sure I get my exercise in everyday, even when I am traveling, and I am sleeping better, waking up better and have so much more energy. The nutrition aspect of it is something I will carry with me for maybe the rest of my life. I am so glad I had this journey and I am kind of sad that this revolution is coming to an end, but I can always do it again! So here I am on the last day of a program I was reluctant to start but am glad I finished, I am being told I look HOT, and am being told I don’t even look like the person who started this program. I am glad I am no longer that guy sitting in a hotel room with a slice of sugar filled evil coconut cream pie on my fat gut. I feel better, I look better, and I am performing better! I am glad I had this journey and I am glad I had support along the way!

Food for thought

So I have been on this "Paleo-Diet" for about 8 weeks now, actually 7 since I didn't follow it the first two weeks of the Edge Revolution, and I feel good. I actually feel good, no complaints about not eating enough or not feeling hungry or what not, I feel good. I also have found that it is a good diet to experiment with different recipes. I love creating new recipes with the foods in my fridge (sometimes) and sometimes they come out GREAT and sometimes, well lets just say some hungry pigeons or seagulls somewhere in that great dump are getting a good meal. Anyways, so we have a farm share and during this farm share we get some veggies which are great when we first get them and then we say "what the hell am I going to do with this??" or "Cabbage??? AGAIN???" Or "really what else can we do with radishes besides salad." So I was making baked cabbage one time (which came out awesome) and decided that I wanted to try some kind of warm cabbage slaw or warm cabbage salad. So I did it. I like to do it on nights when I cook for myself since then I have no one to tell me its gross...or I can just dispose of the evidence of my horrible creation. So tonight I did, I made a warm cabbage salad, and it wasn't that bad this is the basic recipe, since by chance I had all the ingredients...By the way, I usually don't have fresh cranberries, I just happen to get them from a good friend who owns a cranberry bog.

Warm Cabbage Salad:
1/2 head of cabbage slice thin
2 carrots (match sticked)
1 whole gala apple (cored and sliced)
1 broccoli stalk (not the floret here)
1 cup of whole fresh cranberries
chicken stock (optional sub. for whatever yummy liquid you have)
apple cider (hard is what I had)
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP White wine vinegar


mix veggies together in a bowl and toss with sesame oil and vinegar
add cranberries to about a 1/4 cup of stock (they will boil and pop and sizzle) and cover for about 5 min or so then add the veggies and apple.
Cook down for a few min, add the cider and stir and cook and stir and cook until tender.

Drain that sucker (if there is left over liquid) and use the liquid with pork to make a nice little reduction.

I ate this with some yummy pock chops, it is good, the cranberries defiantly add some nice dimension to the taste.

Enjoy!