Saturday, October 16, 2010

Saturday ~ Rest & Tofu


I woke up this morning to the sound of rain...now all who know me, know I'm not a lover of running in the rain, or cold, I'm a girl from AFRICA!! ...
So any excuse to say...NOT going today ~
A rainy day would be the day I say no to running outdoors.

My hubby was very happy to hear I had decided not to run as we had a long chat last night about how I'm feeling lately.
Down in the dumps...stressed....and not myself.
I told him that I was not finding running as easy this last week.
He told me to REST...to take a few days off and then see what a difference it would make to my next run.
He also added that he knew I would not listen to him and would run.
( which is normally the case )
But at the moment with being diagnosed and then confirmed that I have MS I have to take it easy as I remember when I had my first MS symptoms a year ago this December I was over training and my brother was leaving me messages on Dailymile saying,
PLEASE REST, YOU ARE DOING TOO MUCH...I never listened
As the one year anniversary of my first relapse is around the corner I am telling myself that I have to listen and REST...
So today is my 2nd rest day in a row, something I have not done in the last 6 months.
Tomorrow I will join the ladies on our Sunday morning run...come rain or snow!!
But today I am RESTING ~ and feeling okay with my decision.


Quark is a product I have never seen in South Africa...when I first came to Germany I had no idea what QUARK was...and still not 100% sure as it can be used on bread and also eaten as a pudding....There are special ones for bread, like the Quark photo above and then there are flavored ones for pudding, those I love...
I think the best way to explain Quark
( any German reading this may correct me in the comment sections )
Its *like* Creme Cheese...

Quark is a type of fresh cheese, also known as tvorog, topfen, etc. It is made by warming soured milk until the desired degree of denaturation of milk proteins and then strained. Dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese or cottage cheese, although most commercial varieties of cottage cheese are made with rennet, whereas traditional quark is not. It is soft, white and un-aged, similar to some types of fromage frais. It is distinct from ricotta because ricotta (Italian: recooked) is made from scalded whey. Quark usually has much lower fat content (about the same as yoghurt) than cream cheeses and has no salt added.

In Germany, quark is sold in small plastic tubs and usually comes in two different varieties, "Magerquark" (lean quark) and "Sahnequark" (cream quark) with added cream. While the former is often used for baking and as health food, e.g. as a breakfast spread, the latter also forms the basis of a large number of quark desserts. Much like yoghurts in most parts of the world, these treats mostly come with fruit flavouring ("Früchtequark", i.e. fruit quark), and are often also simply referred to as quark. As the large popularity of quark desserts is limited to mainly the German-speaking countries, confusion might arise when talking about quark with people unfamiliar with the German of Austrian cuisine.

I have never cooked Tofu....I bought some about two years ago and then when it expired threw it away unopened and uncooked ~ yesterday I decided to buy and try again...
Thinking of making Tofu with a salad for lunch instead of my usual sandwich...every other day.
See the expiry date is the 24th ~ the day before I leave for my 56 day holiday to Cape Town...I will have to be brave and cook it...can't be that hard, instructions say to fry in a little olive oil...any other suggestions from blogland?

Today while watching The Biggest Loser I heard Jillian say something so interesting
When you are dieting and training and gain weight...
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS :~
You weigh more as you have gained muscle, that muscle weighs more than fat
She says trainers use this saying when they train their members
but not true!!!!
You gain weight as your eating is off or you not training enough...
That's that!!
WE have to stop making excuses when we gain weight.



9 comments:

  1. For what ever reason your photos aren't showing up today Marcelle, maybe it is just me ;-).
    WE have cream cheese too usually spread on a bagel, I like mine toasted LOL!
    So glad you are listening to your body, after this much time you know when you have pushed to hard and need a break, good for you for following through, I know that's not easy!
    Have a great weekend! and hope the sun comes out for you tomorrow.

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  2. I really enjoy getting tips from the biggest loser. Jillian is so great at being no nonsense. Let me know how the tofu tastes. I bought it once yearrrsss ago and didn't like it. Maybe I would like it now, or at least find a recipe it tastes good in.

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  3. I don't like tofu so no suggestions how to use it.

    I have to disagree on the quark that it's like cream cheese. I think it's two different things. I never eat quark on my sandwiches. You can use quark for breakfast or use it in desserts. We can buy flavoured quark here which I sometimes eat as a snack.

    Good for you that you take two days of training. And I hope for you that it's not raining tomorrow :)

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  4. Fran
    I see when I googled that many people think its like cream cheese.

    Traditional quark cheese is pale cream to white in color, very thick, and creamy. Some people mistake quark for cream cheese, a similar product, but quark is a bit thinner than cream cheese, and it is made in a different way. Quark can be spread on bread plain, blended with herbs and spices to make a flavored spread, or it may be used like cream cheese in cheesecakes. It can also be offered as a dessert cheese or made into a rich cheese custard which can be served with fruit or other foods.

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  5. So glad you are taking some down time. Rest days are needed for our bodies and minds :)

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  6. Glad you are resting and I too must join you ...I have been exhausted and you are so right about over doing and making worse
    I think the paprika tofu looks good tell me how it was...
    HUGS and Rest

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  7. I love tofu and with tofu that has already been marinated or flavored you can just cut it into cubes or slices and eat it cold or warm. I hope you enjoy it! I have a couple of really good healthy dessert recipes with silken tofu, if you're interested - people are always amazed to find out there is tofu in them.

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  8. PS - I think Jillian is right!

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  9. I've been too chicken to try quark, but it is available here. One of these days...

    Also, I love that you are taking a rest day. My running partner was reminding me just the other day that being at our optimal weight is 80% eating well, and only 10% training. The most effort should be put into eating well. The pesky 10% of genetics does not go in my favour! :(

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