Pokez

David and I went to a new restaurant before the game last night. Well, the restaurant's not new, it's quite old, but I've never been there before, so it's new to me. It's called Pokez and it's a mexican vegetarian restaurant, which is quite an unusual theme considering that just about everything on the menu can be made with meat or tofu (or other veggie selections). It's very nice for me to be able to sit down at a restaurant and have so much to choose from and such a wide variety of options that include tofu. I really liked the food, it was very healthy and wouldn't have been too "heavy" except that I ate the whole humongus tofu burrito! It was huge, and very tasty. Not sure if David thought much of the shrimp burrito, but then he had already had the best lasagne EVER elsewhere for lunch, so maybe he'll try something different the next time we go :) The building looks like a beat up dive bar downtown, but it had a great artsy eclectic vibe to it, which was very groovy. We're going back for breakfast next time, I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Grilled Fruit with Strawberry Dip

If you're grilling this weekend for Memorial Day, here is another great option to help increase your fruits and veggies.

Ingredients
4 peaches, halved or quarted
8 chunks of pineapple
4 plums, nectarines or papayas, halved
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. granulated sugar

Dip
8 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. plain non-fat yogurt
1/4 tsp. dried, ground ginger
8 strawberries, halved

Preparation
In a blender, puree cheese, yogurt, ginger and strawberries until smooth. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for two hours. Thread fruit onto eight skewers and mix vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Grill fruit until lightly browned, turning frequently and brushing with vinegar mixture every few minutes. Serve with strawberry dip on the side.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts per serving
Calories: 106
Carbs: 18 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Fat: 2 grams
Fiber: 2 grams

Recipe courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research, www.aicr.org.

Delirium

David and I went to see Cirque du Soleil's Delirium last night. It's rough going out on a school night, we were already tired before we left, but the show was really good. They don't even have a picture of my favorite part of the show though. There was a dancer who used hula hoops, it was soooo cool! She was very good at her art. Now I have to get a hula hoop for practice :) I've been to a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas and David took me to see Cavalia for my birthday and it is always quite a show. You can find it on TV sometimes as well. The music is amazing. But I am always amazed at the strength of the performers, their bodies are like machines. One guy had an 18 pack, he was well beyond 6 pack :) We had a good laugh about that, laughing with appreciation at the work they put into the performance. Tonight we're going to the Padres game and then I have to clean up my apartment in preparation for the family getting here next week. Looking forward to my boxing classes this weekend too!

Grilled Bananas

Ingredients
4 bananas, cut in half
Cinnamon sugar
Melted butter, optional (or olive oil spray)

Preparation
Cut bananas in half so that both halves have all the skin on. Cut the halves lengthwise (so the bananas are shaped like boats) and LEAVE THE SKIN ON. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. (If using butter, brush bananas lightly before sprinkling with cinnamon sugar. I WOULD RECOMMEND USING OLIVE OIL OR CANOLA SPRAY TO MAKE IT LOW-CAL).

Place bananas cut side down for 1 to 3 minutes or until bananas have grill marks. Turn over and continue cooking until warmed through. When the banana skin starts to pull away from the fruit, they're done.

Eat right out of the skin while still warm or serve on top of fat free or no sugar added vanilla ice cream.
Recipe SummaryPrep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes

Episode#: CL9359Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Good times :)

This is David having a good laugh... I love this picture!! I love it when he finds something so funny he grins like this :) this means good times. We've been having lots of good times recently, which is one reason I haven't been posting so much. I'll have to take a minute soon and write about all the stuff we've got going on. We recently went to Sea World, which I call the Sea Zoo :) It was my first time going there even though I've lived in San Diego for 6 years. We've been going to many Padres games, I've got to get a picture up of the cute little jersey that I bought to wear to games and the hat that David bought me, because it is the perfect hat!! We went to a game on Mother's Day with his family and that was really fun... but we didn't take pictures, shame on us. Tomorrow we're off to Six Flags Magic Mountain, more Padres games coming up and my mom, brother and sister-in-law are all coming out to visit at the end of the month... lots to do! Oh, and I forgot we're going to see Cirque du Soleil "Delirium" on the 24th, that will be so cool. Then we have to work in the midst of all this! I promise to catch up on my postings because Sea World was really cool. And we have to start taking the camera with us everywhere we go now :) Good times!

The Boxing Club

I just signed up for a short term membership to try out classes at The Boxing Club. My friend Angela and I tried a class there last month and it kicked our butts!! It is a great workout and feels very empowering to put on a pair of boxing gloves and get out some aggression on the bag :) I think it's going to be the best way for me to get in strength training and toning since I get bored with traditional weightlifting routines. This seems like something that will keep me interested.

Go Meatless - One Day a Week

Meatless Mondays, what a great idea! Read more on how reducing your consumption of saturated fats can have a positive impact on your health.

Vegging Out

Lose Weight by Vegging Out on MSNBC.com. Are you part of the 11 percent meeting the government's minimum Dietary Guidelines for Americans (see also MyPyramid.gov) for both fruits and vegetables? I've already had 4 servings of fruits & veggies and I'm eating stir-fried veggies over a baked potato as I write this for 2 more. We're having a challenge at work right now to ensure that we get in at least 6 servings of fruits & veggies per day. We have the chance to win a weeklong trip for 2 to Europe or Hawaii, so that makes it worth it! Besides the fact that it helps me maintain my weight :)

Our program measures servings differently than the government's minimum. All servings must be consumed in a low-fat/non-fat context to be counted as a serving.

One serving of fruit =

• 1 medium piece of fruit (approx. 6 oz. of the edible portion)
• 1 cup of mixed fruit
• Dried fruit & fruit juices do NOT count as a serving

One serving of vegetables =

• 1 medium sized potato or about 6 oz. (including sweet potato or yam)
• 1 cup of cut vegetables
• 3 cups of leafy vegetables
• 1/2 cup of beans or legumes (including tofu)
• All vegetables are included

As part of our challenge, we also have a minimum number of HMR meal replacements and a minimum amount of exercise that we must do each week. I went for a 4 mile run this morning and am going to walk for a couple of miles after work. Have you exercised today? Make a commitment to include at least 10 minutes of exercise before the end of the day. Be fabulous!!

Dinner in the Elation Room

David and me with our favorite person on the ship ~ Ni, our beverage server at dinner :) She even let me have one of the single wine carafes that she brought to serve our wine, I don't think she was supposed to do that, but I think she was charmed by David :)

I had a ball in Ensenada

OK, so we're cruising around Ensenada, sipping on cervezas, doing a little shopping and yes, there is a statue of a donkey with a little chihuahua on his back pointing out his huge... well you know. Look at that grin on his face! He's just waiting for some stoopit American tourist to get talked into taking a picture like this by her boyfriend. Hehe, who knew it would be me?! Yes, I know, everyone knew it would be me. I think the picture is hysterical, but more hysterical is after our dinner that night, we were telling our tablemates about the statue and one girl asked me how they tasted! She thought we were talking about having real donkey's... well you know. She was very confused... or just had too many cervezas :)

I know Monica is having a *big sigh* right now :) but she really shouldn't be surprised, hehe!!

David's Life Path Number

Your Life Path Number is 1

Your purpose in life is to lead others. You have great drive and determination. Nothing is going to stand in your way. You seek out challenges and the spotlight. You'll take all the work - and all the glory. Status and success are important to you. You demand the best from everyone and everything. In love, you tend to take a protective role. You enjoy being the provider in relationships. You expect others to be like you, and as a result, you are often disappointed. A little selfish and vain, you always put yourself first. Remember, everyone already knows you're great - you don't need to remind them!

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Jello and Fruit ~ YUM!!

Mine and David's new favorite food of the moment is sugar-free jello with fruit in it... I know, very old school :) but after being sick and living on jello for a couple of days, I made orange jello with canned mandarin oranges in it... YUMMY!! Up next is strawberry-banana jello with bananas in it. I'll keep you posted.

Rachel's Life Path Number ~ I like peace :)

Your Life Path Number is 2

Your purpose in life is to promote peace. You are very sensitive and insightful. You often know what others are thinking. Patient and tactful, you bring ease to any tense situation. You have an incredible amount of inner strength. Use it, and you can achieve almost anything. In love, you know your partner's needs and desires - and do your best to fulfill them. While your sensitivity is your greatest strength, it can also be your greatest weakness. At times, you tend to take what others think and say a little too seriously. Sometimes you tend to run from confrontation when your best option is to stay and fight.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

I will rejoice

"This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." I got up yesterday with that thought in my head, and then turned on Joyce Meyer to watch her show. Besides being sick last week, I have been dealing with some issues from my past which have kept me from blogging, but I am feeling so happy even in the midst of "issues" that I'll likely start sharing some aspects of what I'm dealing with. What am I grateful for today?

• David of course, more than ever... I need him :)
• My therapist ~ it's necessary to have an objective and therapeutic ear to listen and help me sort through my "stuff"
• My support network of friends and family who listen to me and call on me when they need someone to listen to them
• Food! I wasn't able to eat for a couple of days, I like food even when it's healthy tofu & veggies or not so healthy french fries and nachos. Glad to be eating again!

Cruisin'

David and I took a cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico weekend before last and had soooo much fun! We relaxed in Ensenada, chilled in the jacuzzi by the pool on Sunday, played in the casino and kept each other laughing all weekend. However, on the last night of the cruise, David got violently ill with what we thought was food poisoning.... but nope, it was stomach flu, as I found out on Thursday when I became a little less violently ill! So I have finally recuperated and am back to blogging and getting some pics up here from the trip. I tried to take care of David while he was sick as best as I could, but I had no idea how much he was suffering until I got sick! By then, he knew exactly how to take care of me while I recovered, moving me from bed to couch and making sure I had crackers and Gatorade and jello by the couch (in a cooler, no less!!) when he came home from work to check on me. He's the best :) I'll keep adding pics from the cruise, but here are a couple of the sunset from our stateroom and us in Ensenada.