About this blog

In other words, the Zone + Crossfit = Optimal Heath!
This blog focuses on nutrition, using the Zone Diet as the basis. However, I often eat Paleo foods in Zone proportions.
I love to investigate anything having to do with food- what we eat and why. And what happens within our bodies, our organs, our brain, when we do? My precious mother struggled with eating disorders. I want to avoid this delimma based on research, common sense, and the natural consequences on my body. The Zone shows me where the balance lies between eating too much and eating too little.
My husband runs a Crossfit gym. Exercise and choosing the right foods have become a mission for ourselves and our children. We don't want to be nerds about it, we just want to be healthy.
I have been asked by several friends what I feed our family, especially our kids. My husband and I follow the Crossfit prescription to nutrition (meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar). If you know me, you know that the sugar part of this equation will be a life long struggle given my love for chocolate! Evan adheres to the stricter version known as the Paleo-Zone diet (and I do on my good days!) which requires the same foods in a ratio of 40% protein, 30% carb, and 30% fat. Children require 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. If you're wondering how to figure this out, I do it on a per meal basis and I have a "block" chart from the Zone website.
It seems like a headache at first, but if you're interested, just know that it is not that bad once you practice it for a couple of weeks. All you need is a $10 scale and some determination. It really is quite simple and makes my life easier at the grocery store and when cooking dinner. Most of all, I feel great when I eat well- mentally and physically, and we all know that the physical can affect the mental and visa versa!
Evan and I are hunter/gatherer wanna-be's! This blog will track my journey of health as it should be, and the honest reality of living in a sugar fried culture. When it comes down to it, I get excited to talk about nutrition, but I am definitely not perfect at it! If you have the desire to eat well, but it is often a challenge to overcome the temptations along the way, then you are in the right company!
I hope you leave this blog feeling enlightened and encouraged as you go throughout your day!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

8-31-09 Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal Breakfast/Day 1 of Angela Zoning

So I want to do something different for breakfast in the morning...I looked up oatmeal recipes on FOODNETWORK and found Ellie making a cherry vanilla oatmeal for breakfast. Sounds good, right!? Great for the kids, but I have to figure out how to make it a three block breakfast for me, too (because it sounds good and I want some!). I think I will just use two pans so I can make sure I've kept my measurements straight. I'm using whole oats to get more bang for the buck and so I will cook them on the stove top to avoid a mess in the microwave.

Carbs:
Oatmeal= 1/3 cup cooked =1 block
1 tablespoon of black cherry All Fruit fruit spread (jam with no sugar, just fruit juice sweetened)=1 block
2 tablespoons of wheat germ =1 block, almost
1/2 tsp. of vanilla
(I will put dried cherries in the kids, but not mine b/c my carb blocks are used up already)

Fat:
2/3 tsp. butter (yes, annoying to measure!)= 2 blocks
1 tbsp. half and half in my coffee= 1 block

Protein:
Frittata with 2 eggs and 1 1/2 oz. feta cheese (I will measure this in my nifty scale)
Ellie also made this on FOODNETWORK and it looked so easy. She made hers with broccoli and red onion. Mine will be more simple since I am having oatmeal too. I just need plain protein!

The "Fruit Spread" is riding the line, well, it is "unfavorable", but oatmeal needs flavor, right? I will update whether or not this caused a problem for me later in the day. Also, I will not be working out this morning, otherwise I might be a bit more weary of having anything sweet at all.

Coffee factor: Get used to it without sugar! You can if you want it badly enough! That has been my experience. I actually don't like it sweet now. My dad experienced the same thing when he was changing his diet after learning he had type 2 diabetes. I didn't believe him that he was ok with no sugar because I thought he was telling himself that because he had to, but it has proven true for me, too.


For Lunch: 3 block meal
I will be gone all day and have packed my lunch:
One small can of white albacore tuna to eat plain (maybe salt)= 3 blocks protein
1 large apple= 2 carb blocks
2 cups raw broccoli= 1 carb block
2 teaspoons of ranch dip for broccoli= 3 fat blocks
water to drink
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2 comments:

  1. Angela SatterfieldAugust 31, 2009 at 2:13 PM

    So, my energy level was great today until 3:00. Please take into consideration that I kept 6 kids under the age of 3 from 8am until then, though. I'm sure that depleted my energy stores a bit! My breakfast at 6:30am lasted until lunch at 11:30. I felt great all morning.

    I had a couple of problems with lunch- not enough dip to finish off the broccoli (I figured this would happen, even being conservative with each bite!) and it took me too long to eat the broccoli. Other than that, it was good. Since I didn't finish the broccoli, I got hungry around 2pm and so I ate my snack a bit early (normally I would wait until 3pm, but that is ok). I forgot a carb with my snack of string cheese and 3 almonds, so I ate a cup of strawberries when I got home at 4pm. I was not starving, but my energy level probably would have been better had I had the strawberries to eat at 2pm. So, there you go!

    Oh, I loved the oatmeal, and so did Sam- he ate 3 little bowls full. However, Jack and Sophie did not care for it. I have noticed that they do not like the texture of whole oats compared to 1-minute oats with way more sugar. I'll keep trying; they'll like it eventually if they forget the alternative! So, I gave them greek yogurt (lots of protein!), didn't want to eat it, so I made them drink some milk and warned that they would get hungry later. Sophie admits that she did get hungry, Jack says no.

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  2. Angela SatterfieldAugust 31, 2009 at 2:19 PM

    One more thing about cooking time:
    The frittata takes 10 minutes (8 min. in the skillet, 2 min. under broiler)- this is a great alternative to scrambled eggs or omelet.

    The oatmeal doesn't take long-5 minutes, but you do have to give yourself extra time to get it just right- it is not something to make in a rush.

    Between making theirs and mine oatmeal and frittata and coffee-
    20 minutes! Not bad! I set the timer on the coffee maker, though. :)

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