drink-water

What Do You Drink? Day 37

Today is another white bread kind of day. So I mixed it up with Oroweat’s 100% Whole Wheat and Artesano white bread. This is about the third time I’ve got to enjoy eating Artesano. It really toasts up very well.

Sara Lee's Artesano bread.

Sara Lee’s Artesano bread.

There has been inquiries on my beverage consumption. Do you not drink soda? How about alcohol? Don’t you need caffeine? No, no and yes.

I drink about 10 cups of water on most days. I don’t measure it out. It has always been part of my routine. Or perhaps it’s been my mom nagging me all these years. I love water and I don’t really need anything else. I view soda and alcohol as empty calories. That is the main reason I don’t consume either. Honestly, I’d rather consume my calories in a foreign sounding dessert (Kouign Amman anyone?) than a large cup of soda or a milk shake.

I do ONE cup of black coffee in the morning, with Stevia, therefore I don’t report it in my caloric consumption. I really believe in the potent antioxidant content in coffee, I’m a true believer in good coffee, and one cup of caffeine is really all I need to drive me through the day.

Mixing it up

As Connie told me to increase my calcium consumption in the form of nut milk, I decided to be bold and try different nut milks. The almond kind was okay. Bland, but palatable. Then I tasted Cashew nut milk last night. It was the most horrendous drink I have ever consumed. It tasted like a slurry of chalk and Elmer’s glue! Did this big brand even send this product for sensory testing? How can it be ok to sell this? I want my money back. Least to say, it would be cruel for me to pass this nut milk off to someone at NedSpace, so I had to pour it down the sink.

One thing I cannot get enough of is coconut water. I drink it because it is high in potassium and I need potassium to counteract the sodium levels in my bread diet. It has calories, so I do limit myself to 2 cups a day. I stock up on coconut water at the Asian grocery store. They are much cheaper there because they import it directly from Thailand (coconut water capitol of the world).

Yes, I do drink many kinds of healthy beverages, but I also keep away from unhealthy ones. A good diet is all about making the right choices, and understanding where your calories are coming from. With this diet, I hope to show you that you can have a ton of fun, eat the food that you enjoy, and not gain a single pound.  I can do it. So can you!

Here’s what I ate on Day 37 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Oroweat® Whole Grains 6 slices (38g) 480
Sara Lee® Artesano 6 slices (38g) 600
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 2 Tbsp 160
Coconut water 2 C 100
Butter 1 Tbsp 100
Homemade Pesto 1 Tbsp 80
Yogurt Cheese Spread 1 Tbsp 22.5
Nutella 1 Tbsp 100
BBQ Pork 2 oz 140
Sauteed Greens 100g 150
Orange 1/2 orange 40
Blueberries 1/2 C 40
Strawberries 4 20
Run -500
Total 1532.5

 

bakers-dough- eat bread 90, bakery

Be Passionate About What You Do: Day 24

Artesano® bread by Sarah Lee is probably one of the most favored bread here in the Pacific Northwest. It is a white bread, without a gummy texture. I can eat this toasted with butter all day. Why do I choose this bread? Mainly because I wanted to try what it feels like just to eat white bread all day. I love it. No guilt here. Just pure indulgence into my favorite food in the world, bread. White bread.

We also recorded our 4th podcast today sponsored by Manildra, co-hosted by David Deblauwe and I. Our guest was Scott Baker (yes, he is a real baker), CEO of 5 generation bakers. They make an amazing raisin swirl bread under the label Jenny Lee®. Talking to Scott really gives me hope for this industry.

Passionate Baking

His success story is about being really good at something, repeating that, and growing it by leaps and bounds. Scott is a genuine baker. He chose to be really specialized at producing one thing, and that’s raisin swirl bread. The way he broke down his process (which I feel is a really difficult process), how he cared about the quality of his bread, and how that affected his growth decisions indicated to me that he really cares about his bread. I was excited to have found a commercial baker who is successful after starting from ground zero and growing his bakery to a multi-million dollar business. Above all, I love seeing passion being rewarded. Look for this podcast on iTunes (coming soon).

 

“Skills are cheap, passion is priceless” – Gary Vaynerchuk

It is true, you should always be guided by your passion if you want to grow a successful bakery. This can be seen with the success stories of 5 Generation Bakers, Grand Central Baking Co., Dave’s Killer Bread and Blue Star Donuts.  If you bite into any of their products, you will feel the passion. It is what keeps your customers from coming back again and again.

Here’s what I ate on Day 23 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Sara Lee® Artesano 11 slices (38g) 1100
Ricotta Cheese 2 Tbsp 50
Artichoke Bruchetta spread 2 Tbsp 67
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 4 Tbsp 80
Salami 6 Slices 180
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Dickinson’s® Lemon Curd 2 Tbsp 120
Orange 1 orange 45
Nutella 2 tbsp 200
Tilamook Butter (Salted) 1 Tbsp 100
Kale Soup 1 C 48
Marie Biscuits 10 pieces 150
Banana 1 105
Calcium Supp
Bike -300
Total 1985