Detroit's Fading History: Tiger Stadium

Tiger Stadium is all but a memory now :'(

Morning Banana Diet, is it the Miracle Cure?

OK, about a year or so ago, I stumbled upon the following video, and decided to do some research, and eventually gave it a try.....

So the story goes, a Japanese Pharmacist created this diet, to help her fiance, a somewhat overweight individual, to lose a few pounds. In the end, he lost 37 pounds, so she concluded the diet was a success. Later, the diet was passed to a famous Japanese Opera singer, who later revealed on a Japanese social network that she had lost 27 pounds on the diet. Instantly, banana fever swept across Japan, banana sales rose over 80%, supermarkets sold out for months at a time, and anything with the word banana in it was an immediate sensation!

It should be said, of course, that Japanese girls, many of whom are already too skinny, are known to jump on any fad diet that's considered trendy, and with a well known singer getting behind it, this diet has become one of the most popular diets in history.

So last winter, I decided to do some research, and eventually tried the diet for a few weeks, with a few minor tweeks, and did have some success. Eventually, I caught a cold at work, and switched from bananas to chicken soup for a while. When the cold was gone, I had forgotten about my bananas, until recently.

The diet is simple (a little too simple), and designed to be a stress free way for those of us with busy lifestyles to drop a few pounds quick. I'll first go over the actual diet, and then my modified version.

• Eat at least 2 bananas every morning for breakfast...
• Eat whatever you want for lunch...
• Eat a snack, chocolate or a cookie, around 3pm...
• Eat whatever you want for dinner
• Have dinner every night by 6pm, 8 prefered
• Be in bed by midnight
• Throughout the day, drink room temp or warm water.

A few problems....first off, when they say whatever you want, they really mean it, pizza, burgers, fries, etc. You and I both know that if we eat pizza everyday, no matter how many bananas and warm water we had that morning, we're gonna gain weight! Combine that with the chocolate at 3pm, and your in for disaster!

This diet does however have some science behind it, and with a few tweaks, could work for some people. (disclaimer: Don't start any diet without first talking with your doctor! If you eat nothing but bananas for the next three months, it's not my fault if you end up in the hospital or dead! I mean it! )

Bananas contain a lot of good stuff, fiber, protein, potassium, resistant starch and vitamin C! The diet says to eat 2 to 4 bananas for breakfast every morning, or as many as you want, but remember, the bananas they're talking about aren't the cavendish bananas we're used to over here, they're much smaller, so for our terms, 1 to 2 bananas should be sufficient. Fiber in the bananas will help you to feel full, which should keep you from over eating, and also from eating in between breakfast and lunch. The resistant starch goes into your colon, undigested, and helps to burn extra fat and speed up your metabolism. Drinking luke warm water in the morning is calming, helps with digestion and metabolism, and is actually recommended by many dietitians.

With my busy schedule, I rarely get a chance to eat breakfast in the morning, which in turns leaves me feeling hungry on the way to work. Bananas are convenient, I can grab 2 on the go and eat them in the car if I need to, and the fiber will fill me up, making sure I don't stop for a donut or egg and cheeze muffin on the way. Plus, it's proven that your metabolism starts working sooner if you eat breakfast. If you don't eat in the morning, your body won't start burning calories until later in the day.

For lunch, I hope none of us are stupid enough to think we can eat anything we want. Eat a sensible lunch and dinner, as with any diet. You probably won't want to eat bananas for lunch too, but don't go for the pizza. Try for something healthy, and remember the green veggies!

Having a small snack at 3 will keep you from getting hungry before dinner, again, keeping you from stopping for a burger on the way home because you're too hungry to wait. I wouldn't do chocolate or a donut every day, although every once in a while would be fine. Yogurt, fruit, granola or a good trail mix would be good. Remember that nuts will fill you up too, keeping you from getting hungry before dinner.

Eat dinner by 8, 6 would be better. Hasn't my mother been telling me this for years?? This is just common sense, you want to eat early enough so that your body has time to burn some of the calories off before bed, and so that you have time to fully digest your food. Laying down with a stomach full of food is never a good thing! Besides not giving your body time to burn the calories, your more inclined to things like indigestion and acid reflux. Again, things my mom has been telling me since I was a kid.

No sweets for dinner, although having some fruit with dinner is acceptable, and no desert after dinner. Again, eating lots of calories before bed is never good.

Go to bed by midnight! Studies show people who get adequate sleep lose more weight. Your body just functions better if you get a good nights sleep. Personally, if I wake up well rested, I'm more likely to take the time to have a healthy breakfast. If I don't get enough sleep, I'm more likely to want to sleep in longer, leave for work late, and stop at the first fast food joint I come to. I'm not sure why midnight is the magic number, but get to bed at a reasonable time, and make sure you get adequate rest.

Most of this stuff is just plain common sense. Having bananas for breakfast might not be the miracle cure we're all seeking, but it can't hurt. If nothing else, it's a convenient way to make sure that you eat something healthy every morning, jumpstart your metabolism for the day, and help prevent you from overeating later in the day.

If your still not convinced, here's a video I pulled from YouTube of a girl, I believe Korean, who tried the diet. If she can do it, I think I can too lol!!

President Obama gets Nobel Peace Prize?? Really??

President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world "hope for a better future" and striving for nuclear disarmament. Really? According to Associated Press writer Gregory Katz, "the new president was hailed for his willingness to reach out to the Islamic world, his commitment to curtailing the spread of nuclear weapons and his goal of bringing the Israelis and Palestinians into serious, fruitful negotiations."

Goals? Commitments? Willingness? Every President in history has started out their presidency with goals and commitments, some have succeeded, some have failed, but they all had them to start. If that is the criteria, than shouldn't every President have won a Nobel Prize too? Isn't this prize a bit premature?

Shouldn't the Nobel Peace Prize go to someone who has done something to achieve Peace, not just someone who has every intention to do so? Isn't that kind of like awarding someone an Olympic Gold Medal because they have the Goals, Commitments and Willingness to someday learn to run track?

Past Presidents to receive this prize were Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919), and Jimmy Carter (2002), and all of these Presidents did something in their Presidency to warrant the Nobel nod. Why not wait until Obama actually does something in his Presidency, anything, before we decide what type of President he is?

In 2001, Bush's approval rating was sky high. By 2008, it was a different story. I am 100% behind my President, and although I didn't vote for him, I sincerely hope he someday becomes the President that everyone hopes he will. If he does, someday, give him a prize, more power to you, but until then, give it to someone who has already proven himself.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and post your thoughts!

~Matt

Slow Cooker Chili Recipe (courtesy Alton Brown and foodnetwork.com)

As fall is upon us, and winter swiftly approaching, I figured it was time to try out a few comfort food recipes. Of course, my favorite comfort food of all time has to be chili!

A friend of mine is vacationing in Romania for five weeks, coming back at the end of October, and the one thing he says he misses most (besides his dog) is good chili! A day after he and his wife return, I'll be having them over for dinner, so I figured I would try out a few recipes in the mean time, figure out which one I like best, and have some ready for dinner that night when they arrive!

This recipe comes courtesy of Alton Brown, from Food Network's Show "Good Eats." (for the original listing on the Food Network Website, click here ) Good Eats is most definitely my favorite cooking show, so I figured this would be a good one to start with. The only variation......since I don't have a pressure cooker, a stock pot will have to do, and instead of cooking 25 minutes, it will have to go for much longer, of course. Other than that, I have included the recipe verbatim the Food Network site.....

Ingredients

• 3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
• 1 (16-ounce) container salsa
• 30 tortilla chips
• 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.

Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.

Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.

Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately.

Please let me know if you like this recipe! I will post others in the coming weeks, and update the blogs with my thoughts on each.

~Matt

Ghost Video from Gettysburg PA

A couple of years ago, my brother and I went on a trip to Gettysburg, just before Halloween, and had the chance to go ghost hunting! We got some pics with some nice orbs, that were probably nothing more than dust on the camera lens! We didn't get to see anything like this! I believe this would be the Triangular Field that these people were filming, check it out!

Believe in ghosts or not, this is a bit creepy! It's almost Halloween, so I will try and find some more good vids and pics to post in the next month or so.
~Matt

Farnsworth House Ghost (Not Real)