Monthly Archives: October 2015

A quick primer on what I eat

Good morning to all, it is coffee time and then running and a workout before work. A quick post before I make it happen on this sunny October Tuesday. I weighed in today, still stuck in the mid 160’s but to me maintaining is better than ever gaining. I will be consistent and break my plateau and get to goal. I am focusing on fitness and health first.

It was suggested to me to do a post about what I eat daily, and Sunday through Thursday I pretty much eat the same each day.

Monday was a good day, I did not skip any meals and I made sure to eat something at work. I do not really believe in rules, since I think it makes your mind a little crazy when you tell yourself you cannot have a particular food. With that said, I do eat clean and try to do the 80/20 rule. Most of my diet is clean, and then and now I sneak in a little treat. What is life without the finer things? Oh and coffee, coffee is a non negotiable every morning after my 16 oz of water and banana. 

What I eat Sunday Through Thursday pretty much is the same, Friday night and Saturday I still eat healthy but I have a little more variety.

Breakfast daily

16 Oz water and then water every hour

coffee with sugar and non dairy cream, and a little inspirational reading before my workout

banana or two, and a ThinkThin bar, peanut butter or Brownie Crunch

After workout and running my Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or greek yogurt, or two eggs

fruits, and veggies

1 slice Food for Life Ezekiel tst

On commute I either eat a few almonds, a kind bar, or pick up a kale smoothie with fruits and veggies and almond milk

Dinner at work

Chicken breast, veggies, and one sweet potato

Late night snack

dole chocolate covered bananas, 4 to a pack. Or fresh fruit. Sometimes I dip an apple in caramel sauce, just a little.

This is pretty much how I eat daily, with Saturdays as my day off I deviate a little. Friday nights I will eat something like a Homemade soup or Chicken Chili.

 

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Like I said on weekend I may deviate a little and have a little San Francisco sourdough bread if we are out to dinner, or a little pizza or whatever we are eating. I try to also eat healthy when dining out. Last week on Saturday we went to the famous Sutro’s Cliff House restaurant and I had the vegan plate to stay in balance, with a little bread and butter. I was there for the view.

This was grains and mushrooms with a sweet potato cake and kale. I did have some bread with it, and a bit of butter,

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That is pretty much how I roll on days I workout and work. It is easy to stick to my regimen on those days. Saturdays are the most challenging for me. I have tried cutting out carbs completely but it made me cranky. Off to run and workout. Have a sunshiny day and never give up.

Namaste’ love and light. 

Rose

 

NEW MONDAY

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Sometimes it is so easy to get side tracked, everything just seems to pile up and there is little time to do what you want to do because of adult responsibilities and pressures.The good news is my Mother is home and on medication and feeling well. I made my best time at my 5k and now I am looking for a 10k to do before the year ends.

I am wearing so many hats of late; wife, waitress, author, weight loss/philanthropic blogger, fitness enthusiast, yogi, not to mention I am a poet and writer and I prefer to have some alone time to get out of my body and into my head to translate my thoughts into words. My book is getting great reviews and it is low on stock at Bookshop Santa Cruz, so I am incredibly grateful. There is a lot more work to do on the book front, (marketing wise) but I am taking it one day at a time. I will be heading back to Santa Cruz soon, and soon to LA as well. 

Yoga and working out gets me out of my head and into my body, and my writing takes me deep within. When I have to work extra hours waiting tables, it takes me to a place of chaos and stress. Do not get me wrong, I am appreciative of the ability to make some extra cash since we live in the most expensive city in the states, but to say I am burned out it is an understatement. I do not get home usually until 11 pm and i have felt physically exhausted. I had a mini meltdown last Thursday and I ate a bowl of pasta Alfredo. My first pasta in one year. I deviated from my workout routine and I was beginning to feel out of control. I spoke to Melissa from Melissa Bender Fitness and she suggested I just pick up where I left off.

It took that phone call and  a beautiful day in the city along the coast with my husband James and our dear friends Sara and Tor to help me regain my balance. When I am in nature and with amazing souls, I find my zen and my meditation place.  I also realized no matter how late I get home, I need to be in bed within the hour. It has made all the difference and today on this brand new Monday Morning I begin anew. 

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I went to bed I believe before one am, and I woke up by ten am. I am now writing and having my coffee and ThinkThin bar and soon I will do my workout. I have plenty of time before work and I feel like this week I may regain my center. I have chosen to really focus on the fitness after my first over 50 lb weight loss, since my weight has been forever stuck in the 160’s. I recently found out all the female members of my immediate family are on medication for thyroid issues, so that is something to explore in the future. As soon as the chaos and money issues quiet down and I am able to slow down I will be deciding on my next charities.  In the meantime, eat healthy, workout, work, do yoga, run off the stress and repeat. One day at a time is not a cliche’ it is the best way to get through any difficult situation. Keep going and never give up!! 

Namaste’ love and light

This week I am repeating week five.

So here is week 1 Month 2 of BenderFitness Bikini Prep Workouts

 
 
Tuesday Day 2: Bikini Ready Tummy Workout and Body Definition Workout (Body Definition Workout was done interval style, 2X through. The breakdown is listed in the information above the Bikini Ready Tummy Workout). 
 
Wednesday Day  3: Strong and Toned Lower Body: Legs, Thighs, and Butt and 30 minute run on the treadmill. Day off from work
 
Thursday Day 4Ab Exposure Workout
 

MY NUMBER ONE INSPIRATION ( in the black bathing suit)

That’s my beautiful Mother in a black bathing suit and the age of 15. 

A lot has been going on here. My book Camellia in Snow is out and getting great reviews and feedback.  I am working on my Benderfitness workouts and my diet and my running training. I did a 5k and beat my best time.  My weight is still in the mid 160’s but I will keep going and get to goal. I am looking for another 5k and a 10k to do before the year is out.  I have a lot of book promotion events and to do’s on my list. We are probably moving again, there is a lot happening on that front but we decided moving during the holidays is not an option.

Through it all I am looking for charities and volunteer options and I am also working a lot more than I wish to, but I am grateful for the opportunity to make money and get ahead. I feel lately I am wearing too many hats, and sometimes it feels like those hats are too tight, cutting off the circulation to my brain and causing my muddled mind to go a little insane from the chaos of everyday life. In those moments I try to meditate, do yoga and breathe. I  go running, removing the metaphorical hats and I get lost in the music and the beauty of the bay. Exercise is the best way to let go and let your problems be. As my friend Linda said, run it off.

Today I was going to post race photos, but those can wait for now, Some are on my Facebook page. I beat my best time and I am so proud of the accomplishments I am making and goals I am working on.

My dear Mother was admitted to the hospital today, she is either having a stent or bypass surgery.This happened suddenly and  I will know more tomorrow. I decided since I am always talking about inspiration I would share my number one inspiration of strength and survival, my Mother Shirley. I wrote this in 2005 the year she had her first triple bypass, join me in healing thoughts and prayers that she comes through with the same fighting flying colors she did in 2005.  Mom, I always love you more.

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My Beautiful Mother in black with a friend and my big sister Dona Tony.
PRICELESS LESSONS

Dedicated to my Mother Shirley Bruno. Below is my Mother in black.

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My sisters and I used to love to go to the grocery store with my mother. We would follow like little disciples, contributing our wish list of meal choices for the family dinner. This was the one thing that kept us together, the family meal; the one thing that protected us from the ominous storm that was about to brew.

Growing up in Cleveland Ohio was not an easy feat, with my fathers disappearance at the age of ten, well lets just say things were bleak to say the least. After that fateful day, memories of that time are a mish-mash in my head. My father was an Italian Restaurant owner, and the one thing he did well before he vanished was to pass on one last gift to my family; he taught my mother to cook with passion. We were far from well off, and we had many tough struggles, but there was always something delicious waiting for us at the end of the day; comfort food personified.

When my mother was growing up, she had artistic abilities, talents that she never had the opportunity to fulfill. She could pick up a pencil and sketch a portrait, and sing like a songbird, but her mother taught her dreams were unrealistic and unattainable. Over the years those dreams were left at the wayside, replaced with children to raise, and the constant need to just get through a day and survive. When my father first met my mother, her cooking skills were so lacking, she could not even boil an egg. I believe when she picked up that wooden spoon for the very first time, the artist in her was reborn; the wooden spoon was her pencil, and the food she created was her masterpiece. Her cooking would be the light that kept us from despair during those challenging years of childhood, and I believe her culinary talent became the basis of her identity and our lives together.

Our home did not have many creature comforts, and we lived in sparse spaces lacking color and light. However, our humble kitchen was my mom’s oyster; and a place we all came together and connected, a place where we all came alive. I can remember coming home from a long day at school, pre-teen angst causing confusion within, and my mother would whip up my favorite meal, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli and homemade biscuits with butter. Suddenly all the grief I felt from not belonging disappeared, and was replaced with something that would stick to my ribs along with the meal; my mother nurtured and loved me, and showed it through her passion of cooking.

My mid age school days were turbulent to say the least, yet I always knew no matter how my day went, as soon as I walked in the door my mind would clear. My Mother would whip up something fabulous, even if it was incredibly simple. She had a way of taking whatever ingredients she had on hand and turning them into a culinary work of art. Home was a place that may have been lacking material possessions, but we made up for them in love and spirit and there was plenty of laughter and love to go around. We were nourished in more ways than one.

As we grew into our teens, birthdays meant big meals with spaghetti with meatballs, and all the accompaniments that go with a a huge Italian meal. Our friends were always welcome, and there was always enough food to share with anyone who stepped on our doorstep; kindness to others always came first. We might not have had much, but there was always enough to share. Through my mother I learned it is so much more important to give than to receive. A value I believe has shaped me through the years.

As the years went by I never took a liking to cooking, I was always off doing my own thing and lets face it; who needs to cook when you have someone always doing it for you. I could never compete nor did I want to; that was her arena. Then the day came when I wasn’t within driving distance of my mother. My husband had an opportunity too good to resist and we had to relocate to Hartford Connecticut. It didn’t dawn on me until  that Thanksgiving when I found out my husband had to work that first holiday away from home. I had an ethical dilemma, do I go home and see my family or stay and attempt Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings? I decided on the latter, I could not leave him alone, that would be wrong; but what to do now? I had not the slightest idea what to do with a turkey, let alone a whole Thanksgiving meal.

I consulted my mother and through the phone she guided and taught me how to cook my very first Thanksgiving dinner; and oh what a challenge it was. She always made it look so easy and simple. I was a wreck that day, literally calling home every five minutes. It was like a comedy, me with flour in my hair totally clueless. The first challenge was when my Mother told me the first step, to remove the neck from the main cavity.Excuse me? I was totally repulsed, I had been a vegetarian for almost ten years and here I was removing a neck from a body cavity…I took a deep breath and conquered the cleaning the turkey; next I had to baste it and place it in the oven for hours. I mastered the stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, yet I burned the sweet potato casserole. The last step was to remove the turkey and make sure it was cooked thoroughly and finally make the gravy. To this day gravy is not my forte. Both my sister and mother in law called to check on me, and asked if I remembered to remove the other bag from the other crevice. Pardon Moi? What other bag from what other crevice? I cooked the bird with the bag of giblets in tow. The bag burned, I removed it and the turkey was no worse for wear, but I could not say the same for me.. I questioned myself how she made it look so effortless.

The meal was on the table when my husband finally walked through the doors at seven pm tired from a long day at his new job. The table looked lovely, I on the other hand, well I was a disheveled mess.. How do women time and cook such a large elaborate meal and find the energy to make themselves presentable and pretty? He didn’t care about my unruly hair nor the fact I was wearing sweat pants, he just wanted to sit down and eat Thanksgiving dinner with me, his family.

It was just the two of us, and it was a bit melancholic being so far from our family and loved ones. Traditions are so hard to break, and you can either wallow in your woes or find ways to remember your far off loved ones. We chose the latter, sat down to try my very first culinary feast courtesy of my mothers teaching via the phone. I sat nervous wondering if I had pulled off a success. The look on his face when he took the first bite said it all as he proclaimed ”this tastes like Cleveland Ohio.” I smiled wide, took my first bite and giddily. agreed, I had cooked a replica of my Mothers famous Thanksgiving dinner and did so on my first try.


Lights went off in my head. I cooked much more than a meal. I cooked memories of Mom and I realized what I had learned that very first Thanksgiving away from home, and it was priceless; I would have my mothers traditions for the rest of my life and the lessons that came with them. My mother taught us to be kind to others, to share your gifts even if you do not have much, because it is far more important to give rather than receive. I could not have had a better teacher of life and I am grateful for my treasured upbringing. I wouldn’t trade those memories for all the money in the world. Those teachings have been the basis that has shaped my identity as cooking shaped hers.
In the years since that first Thanksgiving away from home I moved to NYC and now I reside in Los Angeles California. I have mastered most of my mothers beloved recipes, with her famous spaghetti and meatballs to be my next challenge. Everything I have cooked and learned I did on the phone with my remarkable mother who could put even the food network to shame, and I do so with love and gratitude. I am farther than ever from my mother in distance, yet I feel closer in heart because of the new connection we have formed. We bonded over cooking,sharing, and the blessings of life. We are two very different individuals yet we found such a common ground built of tradition, family,giving, and love.Tomorrow I think I may cook Sunday dinner, roast beef with all the trimming ala Mom, and sit down to a meal and be transported to a modest yet magnificent kitchen somewhere in Cleveland Ohio; never forgetting to make enough in case someone shows up hungry on my welcome doorstep.