Healthy Tipping Point

… That you actually want to eat!

A reader asked me a week or so ago to do a post on cooking tofu.  Tofu is definitely one of my favorite foods, but it’s also the type of dish that can go really, really wrong if you don’t follow some basic principles.

There are two ways that I usually prepare tofu:

Fried on the stovetop in a wok

Baked in the oven

I prefer the second method (baking) but frying on the stovetop usually wins out because it’s much faster.

The first thing you must do when cooking tofu is buy the right type.  I REALLY like the Trader Joe’s kind, but Nasoya runs a close runner’s up.  No matter what brand you choose, go with Extra Firm.  It is (obviously) firmer and contains less water, which means you won’t have squishy tofu (yuck).

The second thing to know about cooking tofu is that you’ll probably want to press it before cooking it.  Pressing it removes even more water.  You can press it by wrapping the block in a few clean dish towels and putting it in between heavy plates for 10 – 15 minutes OR you can get a tofu press (like my friend Tammy got me – Thanks, Tammy!).  After pressing, you’ll want to cut the tofu block into squares or triangles.

I’ve found that the Trader Joe’s brand does NOT require pressing, which is why I love it so much. 

(Very Orange Tofu Quinoa) <—One of my favorite recipes

If you plan to cook on the stovetop, you’ll want to follow my Cast Iron Tofu directions.  It’s really simple.  The most important things to know are 1) spray non-stick spray on the wok first; and 2) the wok and butter/oil should be hot before you add the tofu (be careful!).  You can marinade the tofu beforehand OR you can add some flavors to the oil in the wok.

(Pumpkin Spice Tofu)

If you opt to bake your tofu, at the very minimum, you’ll want to toss the pressed tofu pieces in some oil before putting it in the oven.  I usually use olive oil or melted coconut.  Add some salt, too.  But it tastes best if you add flavors.  You’ve got to try my Perfect Baked Tofu recipe.  It’s one of the most popular recipes on my blog (I included it in my book for a reason!) and it’s super simple.

Other fun tofu recipes:

‘Chicken’ Salad Sandwiches (shown above)

Scrambled “Egg” Tofu (great vegan alternative to eggs)

Breaded Baked Tofu (awesome for toddlers)

Cilantro Zest Tofu

Pistachio Stir-Fry

What’s your favorite way to do tofu?

Here’s an awesome way to start off Monday – with a jogging stroller review and an amazing giveaway.

I was super excited to test out the Chicco Tre stroller, and I’m even more excited to give one away.  The Tre is a great jogger – I actually like it more than my BOB Ironman!  But before I get into a point-by-point comparison of the two strollers, let me sing the praises of the Tre.

Why do we love the Tre?  First of all, if you already own the Chicco KeyFit carseat (which we do), you can “click” the carseat to the seat of the stroller.  You don’t even need to buy any extra attachments (as I would’ve had to do with my BOB).  But this means that you can use the stroller to walk your baby almost immediately.  The coolest part is that the canopy of the carseat seamlessly matches up to the stroller’s canopy, creating a wonderful windbarrier (you can see a picture of that in this post). Even with the carseat in the stroller, the stroller feels very sturdy.

When your kiddo is older, they’ll sit in the actual seat.  I have lots of thoughts on this seat!

Our BOB Ironman’s seat reclines too much, even in its most forward position.  The Tre’s seat is MUCH more upright, more like a real chair.  Henry LOVES this.  Getting him into the Ironman has actually been a battle recently – he’s always SO reclined in the Ironman that he fights to sit upright and ends up miserable.  With the Tre, he can see everything!

Of course, if the kiddo does slip into a slumber, you can let the seat recline into a comfy sleeping position…

I also like the fact that this stroller comes with cupholder attachment and has a generous basket underneath.

The first time I used the Tre, I couldn’t figure out why the safety leash was SOOOO long.  But then, on a walk, I needed to tie my shoelace – and realized that I could reach down with the leash around my wrist and still reach my shoe! 

Like most jogging strollers, it has a handbrake.  My only complaint about this stroller was that you use the handbrake not just to slow the stroller, but also to put it in park.  It’s kind of cumbersome.  I like a foot brake for parking more.  Also, it’s kind of challenging to collapse.

But how does it run?  Dude – it’s amazing.  It’s really smooth and, because it’s compact (more on that below), it’s easy to turn. 

Let’s talk the Tre v. the Ironman:

Now, I love my BOB Ironman – it’s a hard stroller to beat, actually.  It’s designed purely for running – and running fast. It’s about 23 pounds (5 pounds lighter than the Tre) and has a big, fixed front wheel that make running down relatively straight lines (like sidewalks) a breeze.  It’s also currently $65 less than the Tre.

But… with a smaller front wheel that can be fixed or rotate, the Tre isn’t designed for JUST running.  You could use this stroller at the park, at a festival, or in your neighborhood.  As far as jogging strollers go, you could even get away with it in some shops – it’s about 5 inches shorter in total length than Ironman.  It can turn with just a flick of the wrist; because the Ironman is fixed, you have to lift the entire stroller to turn it (which takes some getting used to).

But for some reason, even though the Ironman is “designed” to be a pure, fast running stroller, the Tre seems SO much better on the road.   It rides really, really smooth.  And the Tre comes with so many perks that the Ironman does not – an adjustable push bar for the parent, an included cupholder, the crossbar for the kiddo, the ability to click in a carseat (but only the KeyFit), a storage area that’s easier to access, and a MUCH better canopy.  In conclusion – I want to stay loyal to my Ironman (because it IS a good stroller) but man – the Tre is so. much. better.

So I’m giving one away!  Use the widget below to entire.  As usual, I’m closing comments on this post so there’s no confusion on how to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

Disclosure:  The Tre was given to me for product review purposes. 

My workout yesterday included twenty minutes of jumping on the bed (this is way harder than it sounds!)…

And 35 minutes on the trainer.

My bike!  Such a beauty.  I haven’t sat on her since October 2013 when I did my Half Ironman.  Which feels like it was forever ago AND like it was just yesterday.  My bike has been hanging up in my garage (in pieces) ever since I got home from the race and unpacked.  I’ve still got the race number on it!  It was fun to put it all back together, pump the tires, and set it up on the trainer.  I hope to ride more often now – I want to get triathlon ready.

Oh – let’s talk about Vega One.

I am ALL. ABOUT. THE. VEGA. ONE right now.  It’s basically a plant-based (mostly pea) protein powder that aims to be more than just a protein powder.  It’s got 20 grams of protein, 50% of your daily intake of vitamins and minerals (thanks to the addition of actual fruit and veggies), 25% of your daily fiber, 1.5 grams of Omega 3s, probiotics and six servings of greens.  SIX SERVINGS OF GREENS.  How awesome is that?

So, yeah, I don’t think Vega One replaces eating actual veggies in their whole form, but I’ve been struggling with two aspects of my diet, and Vega One is totally filling those gaps.  The first area that I’ve been struggling with is breakfast.  You guys know I love my breakfasts and normally cook up pretty intense meals.  Well, since Claire arrived, mornings have been kind of crazy, to say the least.  I went a few weeks where I was eating dinner leftovers for breakfast or some slapped-together random mess of carbs.

The other area that I’ve been struggling with is late night snacks.  I was eating lots of potato chips and chocolate (a pregnancy habit that I need to break) but my sugar and carb fest was making Claire’s middle-of-the-night wakeups extra miserable (and they are already pretty bad, obviously <—minus the cuddle time).

For breakfast, I’ve been making a jacked-up Vega One shake.  I add a big banana, frozen berries, and about two tablespoons of peanut butter.  This gives me meal with enough calories to power me through to lunch, and I can eat it with one hand (bonus!).  AND I don’t have a ton of dishes to wash after.  I know some people don’t like liquid calories in the morning, but it’s actually been really satisfying thanks to all the protein.  Plus – WAYYYY better than eating Henry’s leftover toast while Claire spits up all over my shoulder. 

I’ve been prepping all the ingredients in my blender the night before, which eliminates a lot of effort in the morning – it still tastes great once I blend it up.

I’ve also been having just the powder + milk (which also tastes fine) as a late-night snack.  The chocolate flavor is awesome for curbing my sweet tooth (I’ve also tried the French Vanilla – love! Just my opinion, but the Vanilla Chai is groooooss). 

Okay – there’s only one problem with Vega One.  It’s expensive!  So expensive.  I know high-quality, non-GMO stuff like this is expensive for a reason, but still – it’s like $3 a serving.  Ouch.  But I kind of figure that it’s a worthy investment if it means I don’t eat like crap and actually feel good all day (and night) long. 

Here’s a cheaper healthy snack – roasted chickpeas!

So good.

And last, but not least, here’s my Book a Week review…

I read Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham.  First of all, I watch the show Girls and think Lena Dunham is super funny (and wonderfully weird).  So I thought I would like the book.  And I did like it – but I also thought it was weird (and not always wonderfully weird), a bit disjointed, and about 50 pages too long.  I HATE to say that. 

I realized earlier this week that I really, really dislike criticizing any book, mainly because I’ve written three (and 1/4 that is languishing on my desktop) and know how freaking hard it is.  A book is someone’s baby, and it sucks to have a reader not ‘get it.’  But… I just didn’t LOVE this book.  Now – don’t get me wrong.  There are some VERY funny bits where I laughed out loud.  I loved her voice and style of writing.  But… I don’t know.  There’s no big conclusion or focal point to the collection of short stories, and that was disappointing.  I didn’t even realize I was at the end of the book until I turned the page and started to read the acknowledgements.  I think Lena’s probably learned some really thought-provoking things, and although the advice is sprinkled throughout, I wanted a bigger, grander statement about what it means to be a young woman in today’s world.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.  You’ll love it if you’re a huge fan of Girls, but if you hate the show, you’ll despise the book.  I still think Lena is awesome, though.

Here’s the rest of my Book a Week reviews.

I got an email last week from a reader named Hannah.  She asked:

I was just wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing your experience with placenta encapsulation this second time around.  I know your births with both Henry and Claire were very different, but do you think there have been any noticeable differences in your postpartum self (mind & body) that you would attribute to the pills?  Any similarities after both Henry and Claire’s births that you think are a direct effect of the pills?

Short Answer:  HECK YES!

So, I ate my placenta after both births.  I didn’t eat it-eat it (no gnawing on raw placenta for me, thank you very much).  I paid a specialist to come to my house after birth.  She dehydrated, pulverized, and encapsulated my placenta into little pills (as shown above).   Local readers – I used this company both times, and they are awesome.

Perhaps you are thinking, “What the heck are you talking about? Why in the world would you eat your placenta?!”  I wrote this explanation out last time:

Placentophagy (the act of eating your placenta) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice that has been done in China for thousands of years. 

Those who support the practice claim there are many, many benefits – ingesting your placenta is supposed to help stop bleeding; increase breast milk supply; boost iron, Vitamin B, and other vitamin stores in the momma; reduce the risk of post-partum depression; and stabilize mood.  I’ve personally spoken to many women and midwives who were thrilled with the impact that placentophagy had on their health.  One midwife even told me of a women who was hemorrhaging after birth – she asked for her placenta, took a huge raw bite out of it, and the bleeding stopped!

Another argument that I’ve heard for placentophagy is the fact that most mammals eat their placentas.  However, this argument has never really rang true to me – I’ve always thought that animals probably eat their placenta to help ward off potential predators.  Or they really need a snack and don’t have access to a refrigerator.  Also, dogs eat their own poop.

So.  I ate my placenta after giving birth to Henry and didn’t think it made a huge difference.  But I had nothing to compare it to, right?  I took my pills as instructed.  I got a touch of the post-baby blues and anxiety, but nothing severe like PPD.  But I did see a lot of ‘positives’ in my post-partum period.  My body bounced back pretty quickly, and my milk supply was always abundant.  My take-away after Henry was that I wasn’t sure if the pills helped, but they definitely didn’t hurt, so I would do it again.

Claire was born and I had my placenta encapsulated again.  And that is when I really felt the benefits.

I had an easier birth with Claire than I did with Henry, and I went home from the hospital feeling great.  I started taking my pills and continued to feel good.  When you take placenta pills, you take a certain number for a week or so and then you drop down to fewer pills per day.  My husband always hands me my vitamins in the morning, so I had no idea when the “step down” occurred. 

But about 10 days after birth, I suddenly found myself feeling so sad and hopeless.  I remember sitting at the dining room table and just staring into space.  My mood was really, really low.  I felt terrible!  After two days of this, I mentioned something to Kristien.  He told me that my placenta dosage had dropped three days before – about 24 hours before my symptoms kicked in!  Coincidence? Maaaaybe.  But I bumped back up my dosage and… wouldn’t you know it… I felt better within a few days!  My mood never crashed again, even after I dropped my dosage and eventually ran out of pills.  And my milk supply stayed strong, just like last time.

So I believe in placenta pills.  I would definitely do it again (but I don’t think there won’t be an again – hah!). It’s sort of kooky and off-the-wall for Americans, but I think it really helped! 

Related Post: How Long Did It Take You To Get Over Childbirth?

Did you eat your placenta?