Jumperless

Some couples are child-free by choice

Childfree Cruising

Society, Politics, and the Overpopulation Problem

Two is Enough

Baby or Career?

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A healthy, calorie-restricted diet does not leave a lot of room for pasta, especially low-carb diets. The few times I do eat it, it’s usually carefully portioned whole wheat or whole grain variety. During a Costco shopping spree, I flipped through the Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide and came across a product on the pasta page that seemed too good to be true, House Foods Tofu Shirataki Low Carb Pasta.

At only 20 calories per serving (not 180 to 200 like most traditional pastas), it seemed like a dream come true. I tracked it down at Whole Foods, where the cashier carefully examined and fondled the refrigerated plastic bag stuffed with noodles and liquid and asked how I was planning to cook them.

The first recipe I tried was to make my own ramen noodle style soup (I used to love it as a teen before I knew better:)), I poured a can of chicken broth into a sauce pan, added the Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti, canned shrimp and Cajun seasoning and simply heated it up.  Not bad, I could tell they weren’t authentic noodles with a slightly different flavor and more rubbery texture, but close enough for being well under 100 calories.

The next evening, I tried a little recipe fusion with the Spaghetti by wok-frying yellow squash and brocoli, then adding a can of tomato sauce, italian seasoning and adding the noodles in at the end creating wok spaghetti.  It was very tasty and I noticed the noodles tasted more like pasta when cooked in a wok, there seemed to be more flavor and I really did not notice the rubbery texture.
I also tried Hungry Girl’s Girlfrado and enjoyed it.  Can’t say it tasted exactly like fettuccine alfredo, but had a very enjoyable, cheesy flavor for under 100 calories.  And it’s super quick and easy.

I could easily see these replacing traditional pasta for most of my recipes and found the taste and texture adaptable and hardly noticeable in most recipes.  Plus these are much easier to cook, simply drain, rinse and heat up either in a stir fry, soup base or microwave.  It’s not cheaper than traditional pasta, a 2 serving refrigerated package is about $1.40, but still cheaper than fast food and many times better, a must for any low-carb pasta lover.

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Childfree couple want to stop the questions

Diary of a childfree couple

No Kidding

My Uterus, Husband and I Agree – No Children

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Still running the Windows 7 Beta and liking it a lot more than Vista, my computer is still fast and I’ve had no lock ups.  I’ve had no software issues yet, drivers seem to be fine.  However, the USB stopped responding after about 5 days of putting t he laptop in suspend mode and waking it up multiple times a day.  I’m usually connecting and removing external hard drives and thumb drives throughout the day, which probably has something to do with that.

Also, I had a problem with AVG free anti-virus restricting many websites on public internet connections with does not seem to be related to Windows 7, but a problem with AVG in general.

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I watched a Dr. Oz special on Discovery Health Channel recently where he accessed lifestyles of individuals, the impact it was having on their health and recommended changes.  While looking at one middle-aged woman’s life who was stressed taking care of her mother’s failing health, one of his points really rang home for me.  He stated during airline safety insctructions, they always ask you to put your oxygen mask on first before assisting a child next to you because you can’t assist the child when you’re passed out.  In so many ways, that’s true for parents who sacrafice so much, including taking care of themselves, for their kids, jobs, homes, etc.

So many of the parents I know are at their wick’s end trying to have it all and have no time to exercise, cook, or even eat right by the time they’ve put in a full days work, got in enough time with their children and caught up on house chores and kid’s activities.  Not too long ago, it was common for one parent to stay home while kids are young and that seems unheard of now.   Or next to impossible with higher costs of living and the pressure of keeping up with the Jones’.  

For us, volunteerily going down to one income and gaining child-related expenses is not an option and we both have college educations and good jobs.  Cramming a child into our chaotic work schedule is not an option either, something I’ve thought about a lot.  Even if I could make such a schedule work, I’d always be running thin and the slightest change could wreck havoc, not a healthy environment for kids or parents.  So I feel for parents out there juggling a full time career and have a lot of respect for them.

Unlike so many my age, I’ve been avoiding social network sites, every MySpace page I’ve ever come across was not only ugly, but seizure-inducingly busy with tacky backgrounds and poorly visible color choices while assulting visitors with over-played pop.  Recently, however,  I’ve joined Facebook after reading about a Girls in Tech group and have been pleasantly surprised that Facebook seems to be the anti-MySpace, no tacky profile pages and a nice selection of interest groups and networks to join (including childfree groups).  I confess that I’ve spent a bit of time looking up old friends,  but enjoyed talking to people that I have not talked to or even thought about in years.

One of which is an old friend from high school, from her profile I see that she’s married with one kid.  I sent her a chatty catch up message, giving a brief rundown of my life in a few paragraphs and inquired what was going on in hers.  Her response was less-than-thrilling, a whopping 2 sentences about her son’s sports activities and how her life revolved around that now and nothing else.  She didn’t even bother to answer me about how the holidays were, how her job was going, her new house, nothing.   At first I was a bit offended by this non-reponse, then I felt sorry for her for not wanting to gush about other aspects of her life.

As a child-free adult, it brought up a fear I had about having kids – that my life would be completely consumed by parenting.  In my excessive research to decide not to breed, I came across an article that stated there are basically two types of parents – those that adapt to the kids life and those that adapt their kids to their life.  I figured I’d be the later as a parent rather than have a house full of bulky, plastic toys.

I guess the point of this rambling post is that parenting seems to be getting more demanding, expensive and time-consumming in a time when both parents are expected to work or bring in some sort of income.

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I did something a bit crazy this weekend – made the Windows 7 Beta my primary OS.  Of course, I had 3 hard drive back ups and created a back up image of my Vista install before proceeding.  Like any good geek girl, I spent most of the lovely-weathered weekend indoors installing and tinkering with my PC.  Like me, you’ve probably read 14 billion articles and blog posts on Windows 7 full of reviews and first impressions, so I’ll cut to the chase on some things I’ve learned so far:

- Windows 7 will restore the back up files created by the backup tool in Windows Vista Home Premium and above

- The desktop gadgets will only show up if the UAC (User Access Control) is set to level 2 or higher

- UAC is configurable per user at 4 different levels

- Boots much faster and wakes from stand by many times faster than Vista in my experience so far

- Have not been able to install AVG anti-virus, but everything else seems to work fine

- Had no driver issues installing on an Inspiron 1520 and an HP 6715b laptop

- TrueCrypt files do not work properly with Windows Backup, after the initial back up, the secure files was never updated and older versions were restored

I like the new task bar with larger icons, no need to double it to fit in more app windows and the full date anymore.   Expect more Windows 7 posts as I continue to test and tourment my PC.

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This time of year is not great for newspaper advertisements for a youngish, active, childfree female.  During the holiday season, they’re cluttered with toys and other kid-related gifts.  Then, around New Years, the toys are replaced with exercise equipment for those with weight-loss resolutions.  For years before setting up a home gym, I was a member of public gyms.  I hated New Year’s, suddenly the gym was super crowded during January, waiting in line for an elliptical is not a great way to conclude a busy day at work.  But, like clockwork, the crowds would start to die off in February and be back to normal by April at the latest.  While it’s sad that so many well-intended resolutions to adopt a healthier lifestyle are short-lived, I was grateful to be able spend less time at the gym.

Of course news articles, TV shows and other media are also targeted to dieting and weight loss this time of year, including Oprah’s new drive to drop pounds again. I came across a disturbing article that stated 2/3rds of Americans are over weight and the percentage that are morbidly obese continues to increase.  Clearly there are a lot of Americans suffering with extra pounds they’re trying to get rid of.  I’m ashamed to admit that I’m noticing this more and more out in public after reading such statistics, I find myself looking around while in line at the grocery store, at the mall or in traffic to see if 2/3rds, or more, of the people around me are overweight.

This is an interesting article because not only does it claim lack-of-exercise is not the primary cause of America’s obesity “crisis”, but diet is more the issue than previously thought.  America’s average diet consists of more fat and processed foods than fiber and carbs, which are more common over seas.  I guess that’s easy to accept considering how many co-workers make daily fast food runs for lunch and families loading the back of the minivan with econo boxes of ramen noodles at the grocery store.  Processed food is plentiful, cheap and easier for those strapped for time.  Drive-thru’s and Hamburger Helper are easier than a home-made casserole, but not better for you or your kids. 

I made a resolution a few years ago to eat less processed foods and cook more, mainly to eat better and save money.  It was an easy change I had time for not having kids and cooking has become an enjoyable hobby since.  Recently I’ve increased the fiber in my diet considerably and wouldn’t trade the benefits I’ve noticed.  I’ve been trying to get my sister to adopt a similar lifestyle.  But between working full time, commuting, raising a toddler and maintaining a house, she has little time or energy to meal plan and cook, much less read or watch an entire TV show.  An average meal for her family consists of take out and/or leftovers from the previous nights take-out, not exactly balanced nutrition or positive influence for a growing toddler.  She knows this and has been struggling to change.

On average, I can have a home-cooked meal ready in 30 minutes or less.  Much less if I utilize my slow cooker, dinner is ready when I get home.  Considering that, going through a drive thru is not saving much time, but is certainly costing more and not helping the waistline.  There is no shortage of time-consuming recipes with an overwhelming list of ingredients burried in encyclopedia-sized cookbooks and I think such recipes is what prevents many people, like my sister, from thinking they can cook or have time to plan and prepare such meals.  But there are tons of great, quick, healthy recipes that have short ingredient lists and take little time to plan. 

AllRecipes.com has become one of my favorite recipe resources because it’s easy to find a highly rated, quick recipe that I have all the ingredients for.  Much easier than flipping through cookbooks and the recipe ratings assure me that it’ll be worth my time.  I could have a primary ingredient ready, like thawed salmon steaks, and find a recipe within minutes that I have all (or close enough) the ingredients for.  Here are some great recipes that I’ve found that are quick, healthy and easy for hectic week nights:

Szechwan Shrimp - This is a quick, easy one that can be used with frozen, pre-cooked bags of shrimp or mixed seafood.  I typically serve over whole wheat or whole grain pasta.  Ketchup, honey and soy sauce are easy ingredients to stock since they tend to last awhile.

Alternative Baked Salmon - I substituted the mayo with nonfat sour cream, can use non fat plain yogurt instead if you prefer.  This also uses a lot of common pantry ingredients and is quick.

Black Bean Chili - Great slow cooker recipe that will easily cook up to 10 hours on low and the pork loin meat is low fat and inexpensive.  Makes plenty of servings for leftovers and you can swap out the bean types if you like.  Slow cooking canned beans, which have already been cooked, all day reduces the, uh, gassy effect.

Simple Turkey Chili - Okay, it takes an hour, but well worth it!  The ingredients are easy to through together and you can healthy-ize it by draining the fat from the turkey after browning.  Plus, it makes great leftovers for weekday lunches.

Awesome Broccoli Marinara - a simple, quick, healthy side that works well with frozen broccoli.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi - Super simple and tasty mahi mahi dish that works well with dried ginger.  I use the frozen mahi mahi steaks from Trader Joes.

Easy Garlic Ginger Chicken - Simple and quick chicken recipe that works fine with lime juice from a container.

Salmon with Pineapple Tomato Salsa - A little more complex, but well worth it for the taste and will surely impress friends over for dinner.

Baked Salmon Fillets Dijon - Super simple salmon recipe that even those not fond of salmon’s strong flavor will enjoy.

Ginger Salmon - Easy, tasty and works well with dried ginger also.

Tomato Basil Salmon - Awesome and simple!

Almond Green Beans - Simple, quick and tasty side that works fine with frozen green beans.

Maple Dill Carrots - Simple side with a flavor that will please the kids.

That’s just a few of my favorite recipes.  I’ve really been into using the slow cooker lately with chilis and soups, perfect for cold winter evenings and produces plenty of leftovers.  AllRecipes is great for planning recipes for each day of the week before grocery shopping.  I’ll usually print the recipes out and stick them in a clipboard in the kitchen for easy reading.  I’ve saved a lot of money, usually have great leftovers in the fridge and rarely eat processed foods now and feel great about that.

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Many people fear a top, older (late 50s maybe) female executive I know, she’s very cut-throat, short-tempered and seemingly overall bitter.  Though very good at what she does, difficult to work with … kind of like if Ebenezer Scrooge was a woman I suppose.   She’s unmarried and I’d always assumed never had kids because there are pictures of herself on exotic vacations and her pets in her office, no one else.  In the back of my mind, I’ve always feared I’m destined to a similar future due to my decision to not have kids – a bitter, lonely person overly dedicated to my job.

During a recent conversation, she mentioned one of her daughters.  After further investigation, I found out she actually has 2 daughters near my age.  A surprise considering she’s never mentioned them before and has no pictures of them anywhere.  Inquiring more about them, it seemed she does not have a great relationship with them and does not talk to them much, which seemed sad to me and perhaps a huge cause to her bitterness.  On a selfish level, I was relieved to find out she had kids because it proves to me that becoming a parent is not the sole key to a selfless, happy future as some parents would have me to believe.

But, being a female with a ticking biological clock, I still wonder what emotional hell I might be facing in the later years due to my decision.  If there is an instinct in women to have kids that can kick our butts mentally later in life for choosing to be childless.  Articles like this are reassuring.  The Wikipedia page for the Childfree is quite entertaining, I like to think I’m “more highly educated”.  I also found this NY Times article interesting that being childfree is becoming more common and will probably increase more with the economy issues.  This is also an interesting study.  I can identify with many of the points, I am not overly dedicated to my career and certainly not a feminist.  Though, the top exec seems to meet the childfree stereotypes and she had kids.

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As I was leaving work for lunch, I was cut off by a Porsche leaving McDonalds’ parking lot.  “No big”, I thought, “It’s a Porsche and will surely move it, right?”  Yeah, wrong!  The driver was apparently having problems getting past first gear to get through the intersection and in the left (formally fast) lane no less.  Tired of waiting for a the action, I switched to the right lane and accelerated past it seeing the reason for such piss-poor driving performance – apparently the guy was finding it hard to shift and eat a Big Mac at the same time.  I don’t think he noticed my economy car and many others angrily flooring it around him.  Truthfully, I felt bad for the guy – how horrible to have to cram food on the run like that and not have time to relax and enjoy it, especially such a caloric indulgence as McDonalds.  And having to eat and not get to really enjoy driving a freaking Porsche!

Still, that’s a pretty common site today, I see many drivers eating fast food of some sort during their commute and usually while on interstates.  Having a relaxing, peaceful meal is important to me.  It’s not always possible, but I do value sitting down for breakfast and actually eating lunch during lunch breaks.  Who wants to cram 1,500 calories and a days worth of fat in minutes and without actually enjoying it?  I notice in my job that it’s common for co-workers to skip lunch, opting to hurriedly cram something at their desk instead.  Not much better than trying to drive and eat.  In the same breath, eating and trying to juggle toddlers can be equally stressful and distracting, I’ve watched my sisters do this many times.

As I become more of a foodie, it saddens me that so many people don’t get to enjoy their meals, a nasty by-product of a busy society I guess.  But, I wonder if and what health problems can arise from stressed, hurried eating habits.  Stress eating is nothing new and commonly mentioned in obesity articles, eating to relieve stress, not hunger, is bad and apparently in our nature.

Most advice to prevent stress eating, here and here, really, err, hammer relaxing while eating and eating slower to savor the food and give your stomach more time to register when it’s full.  Even if you’re not a stress eater, but occasionally cram something on the run, that habit could snowball into more stress eating.  I multi-task a lot of things, but mostly draw the line at eating, it’s not something I want to hurry through and/or maximize my calorie intake in a shorter amount of time.  One major side-effect of such a relationship with food is indigestion, a nasty little problem commonly related to stress and eating too fast according to WebMD.

Having those symptom regularly just does not sound like loads of fun to me.  Drug commercials are constantly reminding us what problems can arise from long-term heartburn and other indigestion symptoms.  Yeah, stressed eating habits just seem like an overall lose-lose situation and something that many people do and don’t think about today.  It’s worth it to look analyze if stress and limited time are interrupting too much of your meal time and do something about it.  How much time do you actually get to enjoy your food without trying to multi-task?  How long do you actually get to sit down and relax to eat without having to jump up for work or kids?  If you’re stressed just thinking about the answer, time to do something about it.

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