Phat to Fabulous!

Five things about ~L~. This is the longest that it has taken me to do any tag. Surveys are always easy. Trying to think of things that I haven't already shared on here are not. So here it goes. I don't think it will be nearly as interesting as the post that V'ron did, but here it goes anyway...

1. I have a strange unnamed phobia. I cannot and will not take any food or beverage type of item into a bathroom. I don't really have a problem with toothbrushes and a gargle cup being in the bathroom, but that's about it. If I am at the mall and I have a cup of something from the food court, I have been known to throw it away if there is no one with me to hold it while I am in there. Not that you will find me in a public restroom too often, since I am pretty sure I have a phobia of those as well. It's weird I know. My youngest little germ bucket will walk into the bathroom with a cup or an apple and I just about flip out. Its bad, I am dealing with it.

2. I live in Packer-land and shhhh...this one's a secret. I HATE THE PACKERS! Maybe I have shared this before, if so oh well. I love football and many other sports, but I hate the Packers. Maybe my hatred of them stems from my love for the Cowboys, Redskins and Ravens. Not sure, not that there is any real rivalry there. Its not like I am a Vikings or Bears fan or something. I honestly hate the fact that in this state if Brett Favre farts they burst into the news with a breaking news bulletin as though it was something important like our president discovering that there really is a Santa Claus. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind certain players for the Packers...Donald Driver, Ahman Green, even Brett himself, just hate the brainwashed mentality of cheeseheads, including my husband and most of his friends.

A friend on MySpace sent me this and I just had to share. I have no words!

*crowd cheering* PHAT TO FABULOUS! You like me you really like me! lol Seriously, thanks to everyone who took time to vote. I won the mkeonline.com's Blog of the Year contest. For those of you wondering what do I win, nothing really just a spot on their site saying I am the bestest of the bestest of the bestest. :) All the votes I had helped me to beat down those other blogs like Taylor beat down Ouma last Saturday! Thanks again!

By the way I am still working on my post of 5 things y'all don't already know about me. Like I said its pretty hard since I pretty much will spill anything and everything on here.

Until next time...holla at ya girl!

Need a Christmas Ho Ho Ho? Go here!

So I am a slacker and I have been a little lazy lately in checking my email, go figure that I just read an email that was sent to me last Thursday from Sara O. over at mkeonline.com about the final round of their blog of the week series.

Back in March of this year, I was the first semi-finals winner of their blog of the week contest for 2006. At the end of the year they do a vote of all the semi-finalists from the year for the Blog of the Week Finals. So apparently, tomorrow...as in Wednesday is the last day to go out and vote. So what are you waiting on, go vote for me, here. NOW! Scoot I say!

Thanks!
~L

Hey y'all just checkin' in so that everyone knows I am still breathing. I am still doing this blogging thing just not as frequently as before. As with everyone else, this time of year is busy and crazy and hectic as can be. So in the midst of the madness, what have I been up to? That's a good question I am glad you asked...well you didn't but you're going to find out anyway.

One, Two Cha Cha Cha
So since September when my girls started back with Ballet for the year, I told you that I was taking a salsa class since I had to sit there and wait for them I may as well break a sweat while I wait. Well the class has been really fun, I have picked up a lot of stuff and I seem to actually be hanging with the little youngins. While the class is fun and a great workout...I am poor as hell! I don't have extra money right now to be spending on dance lessons with my buddy Enrique, as wonderful as he is, I have other things that are pulling on my cash flow that I have to deal with. We will get to those things or that thing in a minute. Due to my little inner revelation I have decided to 86 my dance class to save $40-ish each month that I already didn't have.

A friend sent me this email and I thought it was valuable enough to share. I have seen over the past year just how difficult it is to find nutritional info on food from restaurant foods. I think this article from WebMD has a valid point that if restaurants were forced to give patrons this info at the point-of-sale that many of us would think twice about getting that Super Jumbo Hamdog with cheese!


Dietitians name their top nutritional nightmares.
By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic
Published Friday, October 27, 2006.
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Some foods are so bad for you, they qualify as a nutritionist's nightmare.
WebMD asked several registered dietitians and other food experts to nominate their favorite "food horrors". Their submissions ranged from empty-calorie foods masquerading as nutritious, to outlandish concoctions that tip the scales with obscene amounts of fat and calories. Have any of them ever lurked around your plate?

1. Frightful Fried Foods
From a nutritional standpoint, some of the scariest foods are the deep-fat fried concoctions you can find at carnivals and state fairs.
Americans have tossed everything from turkeys to Twinkies in the fryer, but have you ever heard of deep-fried cola? Debuting at the Texas state fair -- and winning the creativity honor at the Big Tex Choice Awards contest -- was this deep-fried, Coca-Cola flavored batter, drizzled with cola fountain syrup, and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry.

2. Scary Steakhouse Specialty
Nutritional nightmares are readily available at many of your favorite neighborhood restaurants. Christine Palumbo, RD, nominated the deep-fried onion appetizer popular at some chain steakhouses.
One such appetizer, Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion, has more than 800 calories, 58 grams of fat and 22 grams of saturated fat, plus 1,520 milligrams of sodium. These numbers don't include the dipping sauce, which is also loaded with fat, calories, and sodium.

3. Monstrously Misleading
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, a New York University nutrition professor and author of What to Eat, takes issue with not-very-nutritious foods that are labeled or advertised with healthy-sounding terms. She nominates "kids' fruit snacks that have no fruit whatsoever and are basically candy in disguise" as one potentially misleading food.

4. Big, Bigger, Biggest Burgers
There appears to be no end to the amount of calories and fat you can fit onto a bun.
Hardee's has the Monster Thickburger, boasting 1,420 calories, 107 grams (g) of fat, 45 g of saturated fat, and 2,740 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Carl's Jr. takes it a step further with the Double Six Burger, featuring two burger patties and three slices of cheese -- weighing in at 1,520 calories, 111 g fat, 47 g saturated fat, and 2,760 mg sodium.
Burger King is not far behind with its BK Stacker, loaded with four burgers, four slices of cheese, and 8 strips of bacon, coming in at 1,000 calories, 30 g saturated fat, and 1,800 mg sodium.
And the list doesn't end at fast-food chains. Ever hear of the "Hamdog"? This culinary creation from the former Mulligan's Tavern near Atlanta starts with a hot dog padded with cheese and half pound of ground beef. That's dropped in the fryer, then loaded onto a hoagie roll and topped with chili, bacon, onions and a fried egg. Mulligan's was also famous as the home of the "Luther Burger," a giant bacon cheeseburger with a Krispy Kreme doughnut for a bun.
Someone call the food police!
Of course, "most people know when they order one of these that it is not good for them," says Jayne Hurley, RD, senior nutritionist for the watchdog group, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
If you are thinking of your health, try ordering a plain burger with sauce on the side, along with a side salad.
The bottom line is that we should eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (equal to about 1 teaspoon). If you're salt-sensitive (that is, if your blood pressure is highly affected by salt), the number drops to 1,500 mg.

5. Appalling Appetizers
Dietitian Cynthia Sass, RD, nominated TGI Friday's "sizzling triple meat fundido -- a combination of cheese, pepperoni, bacon, and sausage served with breadsticks." While nutritional information for this appetizer was not available on the restaurant's web site, the fat-laden ingredients ensure that the fundido is a nutritional no-no.

6. Calorie-Laden Cakes
As if cheesecake were not high enough in fat and calories, the Cheesecake Factory adds chocolate candy, cookies, mousse, ganache, flourless chocolate cake crust, and other equally caloric extras to the rich dessert, says Jayne Hurley, RD. Even if you're just ordering a plain slice, cheesecake will set you back 630 calories.
Looking for a little nosh with your coffee? Starbucks Old Fashioned Crumb cake looks innocent enough, but that little square packs 670 calories.

7. Diet-Demolishing Drinks
The real problem with high-calorie drinks is that they go down easily, and don't tend to fill you up.
"Coffee drinks and smoothies don't set off bells and whistles to alert you to the calorie load," says Hurley. "Starbucks' white chocolate mocha is a Quarter-Pounder in a cup; any Frappuccino Blended Crème has 490-580 calories; and a venti Java Chip Frappuccino has the equivalent of 11 creamers and 20 packets of sugar.
To reduce the calories in your favorite coffee drink, order a small size, make it "skinny" (with low fat milk), and skip the whipped cream.

8. Mammoth Mall Munchies
Most people know when they order a gigantic burger that it is not good for them. But what really scares Hurley are the not-so-obviously fattening foods that people snack on at the mall.
"The highly aromatic cinnamon used in a Cinnabon (810 calories) or the smell of Mrs. Field's milk chocolate macadamia cookie (320 calories) tempts mall goers into thinking nothing of eating a snack that has half a day's calories or fat," she says.
Bring along a 100-calorie pack of crackers, some trail mix, or raw veggies to help you resist the tantalizing aromas of such high-calorie mall treats.

9. Dining-Out Diet Disasters
"Fifteen years ago, when I first started evaluating restaurant food, I was blown away by the 1,500 calories in a serving of Fettuccine Alfredo, but the trend has gotten worse, not better," says Hurley.
Fried macaroni and cheese and cheese fries were other nominees in the category of frightening foods found on restaurant menus.

10. Stupendous Servings
It's not just fast-food meals that have been super-sized in the last couple of decades.
"Muffins, bagels, salads, sandwiches, pasta servings -- almost everything is much larger today than it used to be or needs to be," says Hurley. "You can expect most restaurant appetizers, entrees, and desserts to each weigh in around 1,000 calories."
Here's a sure-fire way to start your day off on the wrong dietary foot: the enormous omelet sandwich at Burger King. This fork-free meal is loaded with two slices of cheese, three slices of bacon, two eggs, and a sausage patty on a giant bun, totaling 730 calories and 47 g fat.

Do Food Horrors Really Matter?
Yes, dietitians say, there are some truly frightening foods out there. But do they really matter to the average American's diet?
Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don't Work, thinks that once a person indulges in a decadent dessert or monster burger, it triggers the "'I've already blown my diet, so why bother?" mentality.
Beyond that, May believes, the real horror may be the American mind-set about food.
"We were raised to clean our plates so we could be rewarded with dessert, which further enhances our desire to eat sweets and eat meals without recognition of fullness," she says.
Further, consider that many of the most frighteningly fattening foods are sold in restaurants. Americans now spend 48% of their food dollars in restaurants, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. And the most popular restaurant food eaten by both men and women is the hamburger, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm.
Hurley thinks most people would think twice about ordering food and drinks that they realize are "hideously high in fat and calories." She'd like to see nutrition information about restaurant foods become more readily available, and believes this would encourage restaurateurs to offer more healthful options.
"Let's give consumers the choice and educate them with the nutritional information of restaurant foods at the point of purchase, not the web site," she recommends.
Published Oct. 27, 2006.

This is an account of an instant message between a friend and I that took place just moments ago. We would like your thoughts on this issue, its very important to every one of us and it needs to be addressed...

ME: so in the cafeteria i picked up some ketchup, the packages say ‘fancy ketchup’ what makes it fancy? like are the tomatoes prettier.
Stewart: it's not fancy. that's all a big lie
ME: if this really was fancy wouldn't regular ketchup feel left out, like why can't it be fancy
Stewart: they're just poisoning your mind with their evil tricks of manipulation
Me: and what about this catsup guy, what's he really all about? is that even made out of tomatoes?
Stewart: i think it's similar to penis envy. the packets know that half the time they'll get thrown out or put under someone’s tire... they just wish they could be in the big bottle instead, which is truly the fancier of the two.
ME: or stashed in a drawer
Stewart: right
ME: until 4 years later someone comes by to say do you have any ketchup/catsup
Stewart: claiming that they're fancy is their only way of feeling better
ME: at which time you dig it out of your drawer and look t it with a questioning eye not really knowing how long it has been there, but not wanting to reveal your wonder to the seeker of things that are tomatoes-like
Stewart: exactly. fancy my ass. it's all a big charade.
ME: a c-o-n-spiracy, by the way i am posting this rant as a blog today
Stewart: awesome! someone needs to speak out against these tomato-based-bastards!
ME: it’s a serious epidemic! for anonymity purposes i am naming you stewart
Stewart: right - no one will figure that out good thing - i'd hate to leave work today and find my car covered in ketchup

Fancy...really?

This conversation on my part may have been a side effect from my medication as it turns out I spent my wonderful weekend with strep throat. Stewart really has no excuse, however in his/her defense this is not the first conversation we have had like this and in those instances I was not medicated at all, other than my own natural high. I now return you all to your regularly scheduled days...carry on.

~L~

...than with a freaking Blizzard Warning! WTF? I still don't know why the heck I live here seriously! I don't like cold, I don't think that snow is pretty even before it has been turned grey from people walking and driving on it or yellow from little boys peeing in it. It's cold, it's wet, it's heavy and it's a bitch to get out of your driveway. And for all the idiots that have been on the news saying that this is getting them in the holiday spirit, I say to you a hearty bah-humbug. Since I haven't blogged in a while, let me share with you a little countdown of 10 reasons why I hate winter...