The Mascot

The company I work for periodically has pep rallies to boost employee morale, and, since one is coming up in the next few days, my co-workers and I were chatting about what a strange ritual high school pep rallies are.  I always made a point to skip them in my day, generally opting for hookie joyrides with my buddies, but I did end up going to at least one.  The one I remember attending will be etched into my mind forever.

It was 1994, and the predominantly flannel-laden student body poured into the gymnasium for a special pep rally.  It was a tryout for the lucky kid who would don that year’s beloved mascot costume, the Wildcat.  The ten or so hopefuls had to dance and cheer, wearing their own makeshift interpretation of what they envisioned as the spirit of said mascot.  Most were just dorky or very gung ho guys clumsily jumping around and shouting cheers with a felt tails pinned to their jeans and whiskers drawn on their faces, but I remember the singular girl who tried out.  This was, hands down, one of my clearest high

school memories, besides the time my boyfriend drank an entire Clearly Canadian bottle full of vodka before Geometry class and puked on his semester exam, but I digress.  This 16 year old girl, whose name I will never forget—Ashley Jackson—slinked out, hands behind her back, in a black leather corset, garters, kitty cat ears, 2-inch long lashes, and patent leather stilettos.   The cheers from the crowd sort of faded into a moment of silence as we collectively drew her in with our eyes to make sense of what was going on.  The faculty stood in disbelief.  This young lady paused, haughtily eyeballed the crowd, took one hand out from behind her back, clawed at the air and hissed as if possessed by Julie Newmar.  The crowd silence continued as teenage boys struggled to find the presence of mind to scoop their jaws off the bleachers.  Then, the girl took her other hand out from behind her back to reveal a black leather bull whip, which she cracked mercilessly on hardwood gym floor.  The crowd erupted in applause as she proceeded to do backflips and a number of gymnastic feats to Salt N Pepa's "Push It", ultimately ending in the splits and a final whip crack.  Everyone in that room left a changed being, including myself.   I was maybe even a little jealous that I hadn’t thought of it, but I do so cherish this memory.

It has taken me 20 years to say it, but a belated congratulations to you, Ashley Jackson, the official Wildcat mascot of 1994 and forever reigning mascot of all of the sexually comfortable.  Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I’m sure you know that you were, and probably still are, a woman ahead of your time.

HOW I DID IT!

Tips and Tricks I learned while losing 25 lbs in 2 months.  The right way.

This blog post isn't any fancy wording...I'm just spitting out my weight loss secrets in bullet points at 2am just to get it into a format that can hopefully help some people meet their goals.

• The biggest help was the app MyFitnessPal.com and gave myself a 1200 calorie goal.  If wanted to eat more calories, I had to earn it with exercise.  It taught me to look at food in a whole new light.
• I joined a gym, ran 5 times a week, usually 3.2 miles (with some walking in there), skated about 7 miles a couple of times a week.  It was hard at first, but I noticed it getting easier as the lbs started to come off, so that was incentive in itself.  I just said, "it'll just be easier next time" every time I hit the treadmill.
• I ran a 5k and constantly plan on training for 5k's with a target of under 30 minutes.
• I learned the value of a good playlist.  Never underestimate the power of Joy Division, Eagles of Death Metal and Front 242 in heavy rotation...but find what works for you.
• I learned to love the sweaty me.  Sweat is sexy.  And a good workout can feel almost as good as sex.
• I learned that you can't outrun your bad eating habits.  If you work out all the time, but just can't seem to lose any weight, it's all about your diet.
• I cut out all salt and alcohol completely for the last month.  Cut out many carbs.
• I learned to use spices creatively so I wouldn't miss the salt.
• I started drinking sparkling water with lots of fruit in it in social situations so I wouldn't miss the alcohol.
• I avoided alot of events that might set me up for failure - until I felt I had the will power to resist alcohol and bad foods on my own.
• I lived on avocados, fruit, smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, steak with only Sriracha on it, salads with no dressing or just a bit of olive oil.  Not all fats are bad fats.
• Soups I made were low in calories, but I could put a ton of veggies into them, so they'd fill me up.
• I learned to have fun with my food.  Fresh veggies are beautiful and colorful and look great on a plate posted on Instagram.
• I posted pictures of my pretty and healthy meals to social media.  People love to look at food!
• I posted pic so my progress on facebook not only to keep me accountable, and to rely of my FB friends for encouragement during the rough times.  It's amazing what a little positivity will do--there's nothing wrong with receiving a bit of the ol' "atta girl" to keep you going!  Plus, I figured my posts might help someone else that needs motivation.
• My boyfriend dieted with me and helped motivate me.  It helps to have a partner in crime to share your experiences with.
• When i got a sweet tooth, I had a Pure Protein bar, chocolate deluxe flavor.  180 calories, but only 2g of sugar and a whopping 30g of protein.
• I used to make breakfast my biggest meal of the day since it was my favorite, but I decided to make that my "throw away" meal so I would just eat unflavored instant oatmeal packets with either mashed banana or a handful of raisins or currants in it.  I made it just something to get me through til lunch.
• I drank TONS of water.  I told myself I can have a coffee/tea/diet soda if I drink 8 glasses of water
• I drank better coffee.  I learned to drink coffee with only non dairy creamer powder in it, so the coffee flavor itself had to be good to be bearable.  If it was really bad coffee, though, I'd put a packet of splenda in it as well, but I tried to avoid the splendas if possible.
• I substituted Dr. Pepper 10 for my regular Dr. Peppers.
• I traded sweet tea for half sweet / half unsweet tea.  Restaurants will do that for you if you ask.
• I posted about my progress on Facebook so I felt I wasn't doing it for just me, but I was doing it for everyone who wanted to do it, but they just needed to see someone else do it first.  I was just hoping it would help someone else along the way.
• OH and did I mention SRIRACHA????  And SMOKED SALMON???  Those saved my life. 

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I could think of at the moment.

If I can do it, you can do it.  Keep me posted on your experiences.  I love that shit.

GOOD LUCK!

Trigger Mortis

I concocted another tasty, healthy recipe at around 500 calories the other day, no additional salt and posted photos of the end result on Facebook.  More than a few people inboxed me and commented that they wanted the recipe, so, without further ado, I have for you the recipe for my lastest invention!

Trigger's Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

6 oz. 90% lean ground beef / 10% fat

1 C Bertolli - Olive Oil and Garlic Spaghetti Sauce

1 C chopped green bell pepper 

1 C chopped mushrooms 

1/2 med chopped red onion

2 T olive oil

1 t red curry powder

1/2 t cayenne pepper powder

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4 C low-fat mozzarella cheese

fresh parsley

Serves: 2 people, total calories per serving: 506

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Cut the raw spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds into the trash.  The skin is tough, so be prepared to put your back into it.  You can do it!
3. Mix curry, cayenne and one tablespoon of olive oil together in a small bowl. (You can omit or reduce the cayenne if you can't do spicy, but I prefer it super spicy!)
4. Use a basting brush to brush the mixture onto the surface of the squash meat
5. Lay squash face down on a foil-lined cookie sheet, pop into the oven and bake until the outer shell is soft to the touch, usually 22-30 minutes.  (You can tell by looking, too - the squash shell will start to sink in a bit when cooked the proper amount).  Remove when ready.
6. While you are waiting for your squash to cook, you can be working on your sauce.  Over med heat, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan, making sure to coat the bottom of the pan.
7. throw in the garlic, onions and bell pepper and stir constantly until a softer (about 6-7 min)
8. Add in ground beef if you desire and stir in until browned.
9. Add in mushrooms and continue to stir for another two minutes.
10. Add in spaghetti sauce (or plain tomato sauce with a bit of basil if you would like to go more natural, but I like the taste of Bertolli and it's easier).
11. *OPTIONAL* - if you like your sauce a little sweeter like I do, mixing in a 1/2 - 3/4 of a packet of Splenda is good to sweeten it up a bit.
12. Reduce heat and stir the sauce constantly to prevent a bubbly mess.  By the time your squash is done being baked in the oven, your sauce should be ready.  (20 minutes total on sauce simmering should be enough).  Remove from heat.
13. Remove squash from oven and let cool a bit, so it's easier to handle.
14. Flip squash halves over so the meaty, flat side is exposed and the skin side is down.
15. With a spoon, begin to scoop out/stir the squash meat, which should then start to separate into spaghetti-like strands.  I like to leave the squash inside the shell and use that shell as a built-in bowl, but you can scoop the spaghetti squash onto a plate instead and throw away the skin if you like.  Should make two plates minimum.
16. Top each plate/bowl of spaghetti squash with 1/2 cup of the sauce you just prepared.
17. Top with just a bit of low-fat mozzarella cheese and fresh parsley.
18. Serve and wait for everyone to bow to your feet and promise to be your personal slave for life, because they will!  Wait for it.....

Please feel free to post your comments, questions and/or experiences with this recipe.  I'm always looking for ways to step up my food game!