Back on the Pumpkin Wagon: Healthy Hearty Pumpkin Bread

I'm celebrating the holidays some lightened-up pumpkin bread. I subbed most of the oil for low-fat plain yogurt, whole wheat flour for most of the AP, and reduced the sugar (because I don't like it too sweet). With all the holiday junk floating around, I might as well cut corners where I can, right? I made this recipe a while ago and wrote a post, but totally forgot about it!!! Anyways, I took some nice pics for this, so enjoy!

RECIPE: (adapted from food.com) makes two 9-inch loaves
*2 cups canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree
*1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar
*1 cup water
*1/4 cup vegetable oil
*3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
*4 eggs
*1 1/3 cups AP flour
*2 cups whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons baking soda
*2 teaspoons cinnamon
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

PREPERATION:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.) Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a bowl
3.) Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, water, oil, yogurt, and eggs in a seperate bowl
4.) Combine wet and dry ingredients
5.) Grease and flour two 9-inch pans
6.) Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until pick comes clean

How to get rid of Menstrual Bloating

Ahhhh, the cramps, the feeling of wearing a diaper, and the gross bloated stomach- aren't they all just beautiful gifts mother nature bestows upon us females? And for the guys reading this, did you know there's actually an ipone app for tracking your spouse's monthly cycle so that you know which days to be a bit more considerate and actually put the toilet seat down after you take a piss?

These are some tips that I've garnered through personal experimentation. I've read a lot of articles on this, and each woman is different, but for most women employing the following tips will be a surefire way to get rid of the gross bloating and cramps. When I follow these rules, my bloating is greatly reduced and there are hardly any cramps at all.

Hope these help!
1.) Don't drink or eat anything ice cold. This is an old Chinese edict that may have some scientific backing to it. I just know that although at first I thought this was just an old wive's tale from my mom, I found myself getting cramps every time I ate a popsicle or drank anything icey during my period. Whether you believe this or not, it's still probably better to not eat anything that will shock or upset your stomach.

2.) Eat often, and eat a hot breakfast. Having 5-6 small, evenly spaced meals a day will help prevent dips and spikes in blood sugar, easing the mood swings. Also, cramps don't hit as hard when your stomach is full.

3.) Avoid refined carbs. White carbs have little nutritional value and can cause bloating by themselves. By eating more fiber, your digestive system will thank you by not making your stomach swell. Steer clear of "whole wheat" bread or pasta unless you're 100% sure it actually contains a significant amount of whole wheat. I don't eat refined carbs 90% of the time, but my carb choices are still wide- fruits, brown rice, oatmeal, various grains, beans...

4.) Move more. Combat PMS with exercise endorphins. As they say- "Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don't commit murder. They just don't." ... No matter how tempting it is at times, i.e the time my brother spilled coffee on the sketch I had worked over three hours on.

Five Mile Run

I've done it. I've finally run over 4 miles! I have never run over 4 miles in my life without stopping, and yesterday I did a tempo run for around 5 miles.
I started out around a 9 minute mile, but overall pace was probably aound 8:50-9 minutes. I clocked in at running 5 miles in just under 45 minutes. This may be a lap around the park for seasoned runners, but since I spend more time doing high-intensity bodyweight cardio interval training and pilates, it's a first for me!
Surprisingly, I barely felt tired at the end of my run and not much soreness; I feel ready to tackle another 5-6 miles today, but will go the wiser route and take a rest day. I just have a one and a half hour dance class tonight, and it's not super strenuous (it doesn't make me break much of a sweat) so it should be fine.
My appetite wasn't really up after that either, as usual, since running at a steady pace (not interval treadmill) seems to be the one form of exercise that doesn't excite my appetite... interesting.

The only thing I was really craving was protein, namely, red meat- hey I'm a huge carnivore. I mean, I eat lots of tofu and looooooove me some veggies, but I don't remember how much I love red meat until I have it again and it's in front of me. I'm not that into hamburgers and the such (though as we all know I'll eat pretty much anything) as I am to meat that looks like it isn't suspiciously ground up and could have anything in it, like my mom's pot roast or stewed pork or mutton...
I respect your choices, veg/pescaetarians(/atheists), but if God didn't want me to eat meat then why'd he make it taste so damn good?
So it's a great thing my mom made one of my all-time faves; Uyghur lamb and rice!

Needless to say, my love affair with organic, freshly cooked mutton began anew...

Maybe I'm missing B6 or B12? Idk... we just had beef soup with rice noodles last night (yum! Love your cooking you mom) , and I had peanut butter with veggie sticks as an after school snack today, so it' probably not that. Oh well- the important thing is to listen to your body and honor your cravings.
Though you're probably needing calcium when you're craving ice cream, at least you're getting some through a pint of Haagen Daz caramel chocolate chunk. And Chocolate, btw, is a food group.
Just so you know. ;p
Crowd out the bad stuff with the good, but nooooo deprivation!