The Biggest Loser Season 8 Finale: Livebloggin’

Welcome, readers, to the official CHG 2009 Season 8 Biggest Loser Finale Liveblog! (CHGSEBLFL for short.) We were going to have a t-shirt made, but didn’t want to swamp CafePress at Christmastime.

In the grand tradition of bloggers (note: Sports Guy), I’ll be providing running commentary on the results show as it goes along. New updates will appear at the top of the post, and will be refreshed every few minutes as BL progresses. This actually makes it more of a running diary, but technology is hard and I’m an idiot.

Feel free to add your own ideas in the comment section, and I’ll post fun ones as they come in. Interactivity is neat!

Oh! Also? Please excuse any typos. We’ll clean ‘em up later.

8:58
Daniel down 111 pounds, or 35.58%, or me in 6th grade.

8:56 
Amanda and Daniel, sittin' in a tree! Eating J-E-N-N-Y-O-T-U-R-KEY.

8:55
Shay's story is compelling, but I wish she'd cry a little less. Prediction: she will lose 214 pounds, 15 of which are tears. (Actually: 172 pounds, or 36.13%)

8:54
Commercial break, done! Reader Jen says: BL Drinking Game, Rule #1: drink every time Alison says 'highest percentage of weight loss'"

8:48
Dr. Wayne, Old West MD, comes on to defend BL methods, slam bypass surgery, sell elixir to old time cowboys to cure their consumption.

8:47
Shay, Daniel, Rebecca, and Allen are up now. Rebecca is slammin' in a shimmery silver gown and blonde Twiggy bob. If inspirational speaker doesn't work out, she has a very successful go-go dancing career in her future.

8:45
Tracy's weigh-in. 132 pounds, gone. She takes the lead from Julio and the terrorists win again. I guess it helps, not having to weigh a soul.

8: 43
Abby story ... can't type ... weeping. To its credit, Biggest Loser treated her story very delicately. And she looks fab and lost an even 100 pounds, for 40.49%. LOVE HER!

8:40
Oh NO. They're bringing up Dina's damn stool again. (Um ... again, that didn't come out sounding right.) She's down 31.23%, but gained awesome hair.

8:39
Back from break. Have moved on to mangos. Mo is looking a lot like a thin James Earl Jones and drops 25.92% of his weight.

8:34
Yay Abby! She's my fave. Boo, Tracy. She is Molly Shannon, but not as charming and insaner.

8:33 
Did anyone else catch Sami saying Tracy looks "crazy good"? Well played.

8:32
Julio drops a gobsmacking 180 pounds. Reader Stanny! says "Julio could lose 8 more lbs if he shaves his eyebrows."

8:31
Here comes Julio. How is that the same guy? Did they give him a mustache and replace him with Evil Julio, a la Knight Rider?

8:29
Sean is 14-years-old and has an entirely new face. Reader Mo says: "sean! i love you! you are cute and still squeezey!"

8:26
Alexandra - won't win, but a great job with 29.45% lost.
Antoine - holy moly. 157 pounds lost. 40% lost.

8:25
From reader Jen, about a sneaker commercial: "ShapeUps shoes? Seriously? I'm pretty sure that any shoes not nailed to the floor will let you shape up."

8:24
Jillian's hair gets more luxurious every season. I want to swim in its waves. I do, however object to her "Someone Had a Difficult Childhood, So I Will Yell at Them" style of training.

8:22
And we're back! Bob and Jillian come out for the first time, both dressed as cat burglars.

8:20
There's a SECOND Chipmunk movie? The terrorists have won.

8:16
Sean, Antoine, Julio, and Alexandra are out. They all look great, but Julio looks freakin' amazing. Almost like a different guy, though might remember him from this conversation earlier this year:
JILLIAN: Julio, what’s emotionally wrong with you?
JULIO: Nothing, I think.
JILLIAN: Does your family hate you? Do you hate you?
JULIO: I don’t think so.
JILLIAN: No! You’re very sick in the head.
JULIO: Uh … I have to go.

8:15
"Is there anything you want to say to America?"
"Um ... water? Please? I'm very dehydrated."

8:14
America loves ... Amanda! Even though she's from Jersey.

8:12
Chocolate diamonds are not what I wanted them to be.

8:11
Reader Stanny! writes: "Neither woman finalist is a stick figure. Don't they know how America works?"

8:10
Inopportune commercial break #1! I want to punch the guy in the Ziploc ad out of principle. And then I want him to punch the Old Navy modelquins.

8:09
Aaaaannd the voting. Ten bucks on Hot Granny.

8:08
Here comes Liz! Whoa. Hot Granny alert. (Okay, now I feel weird.)

8:07
Amanda comes out in a cute pink top, next to her greenscreen Old Amanda. She is ten seconds from fainting dead away.

8:05
Danny's voice has actually changed since the beginning of the show. It sounds less muffled.

8:03
Cue inspirational music. I have been inspired! I WILL finish this beer! Thank you, Biggest Loser!

8:01
Ooo ... Lord of the Rings mountains. Remember Tracy? She was this year's psychopath. She makes Courtney Love look like Wolf Blitzer sanity-wise.

8pm
Sami Brady, lookin' good. And not in that Salem-esque-I-finally-got-my-baby-back-from-that-kidnapper way.

7:59pm
I'm here with occasional CHG writer Rachel! We've got Corona Light! We're eating halibut cakes! Let's do this thing.

It's 6:52pm right now, so we'll be officially starting in 68 minutes. Tune in!

Ask the Internet: Wedding Beer Question, Answered!

Before we get to today’s Ask the Internet, a very special announcement: tonight, we’re live blogging the Biggest Loser finale! Log on around 8pm for a play-by-play of all the inspirational, yet slightly disturbing dieting!

A few weeks ago, Ask the Internet featured a question from an unassuming food blogger about what kind beer to serve at her wedding. Readers offered a ton of good suggestions, and the food blogger, a procrastinator of the highest order, finally held the tasting over the weekend. She also stopped talking in third person at the end of this paragraph.

You guys, it was great! Here’s how it went down:

• After the comments and Facebook votes were tallied, our final four beers were Brooklyn Lager, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, and Smithwick’s.
• Fat Tire, Shiner Bock, and Bell’s all received multiple votes, but none are available in New York. (And according to the beer guy won’t be until: 2011, “a few years,” and “never,” respectively.)
• Five people participated: me, the Husband-Elect, Ma, my sister, and her manfriend T.
• We rated each beer on a 1 to 10 scale.
• I was the only person who knew which beer was which.

These are our results and comments. The winner is revealed at the end!

BEER A
Label: Brooklyn Lager
Points: 28
Comments: “Not so good,” “not a favorite,” “I’m not crazy about ales,” “hoppy and bitter,” “Filling – I could probably only have two of these before I was too full for pie,”

BEER B
Label: Magic Hat
Points: 26
Comments: Far and away Ma’s favorite, but unexpectedly unpopular with the other tasters: “tastes like soup,” “smells funny,” “This beer is the new paisley.”

BEER C
Label: Sierra Nevada
Points: 32.5
Comments: “drinkable, but not my favorite,” “easy to drink,” “a lot like the first one – maybe slightly better,” “an aftertaste,” “Is this Blue Moon? Because it tastes like Blue Moon.”

BEER D
Label: Smithwick’s
Points: 36
Comments: “deep and nut browny,” “light, smoky, creamy,” “good and a little bitter, like me,” and from my sister, “normal” (note: this is the highest compliment she can give a food or beverage.)

Meaning, after all was said and done, the winner was…

Which is awesome, because it’s one of my favorite beers. Thank you, everyone, for all your suggestions! We really appreciate it, and are sure our friends and family do, too.


Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

Comedy Nerds Podcast and Today's Re-Posted Recipe

Hey you guys! Two quick things:

1) My friends Dustin and Dan run a sweet website and accompanying podcast called The Comedy Nerds. I'm the featured interview today, talking a little about my old job. If you're interested in comedy at all, they're funny guys and it's a good time. (Rated slightly PG for language and bizarre dreams about Harrison Ford.) Check it out here: Comedy Nerds: The VH1 Voice and Comedy From Unconventional Places.

2) RSS subscribers - sorry about the mis-post earlier. Today's recipe (and fun question) is up now here: Chicken Fried Rice: A Recipe for the Ages.

And that's it! Happy Monday.

-Kris

Chicken Fried Rice: A Recipe for the Ages

Last week, I experienced one of the dozens of daily events that remind me I’m well into my 30s. It started during a Friday Night Lights marathon on Netflix. If you’ve never seen the show (and most haven’t), know a few things: A) it will make you care about football, B) it will make you care about Texas, and C) everyone is insanely good-looking. Like, these people make Catherine Zeta-Jones look like an old mushroom.

On the show, there’s a character named Tim Riggins who is particularly aesthetically pleasing. He’s cute squared, cubed, and then squared again. (So, cute to the 7th power.) Sadly, he’s supposed to be a junior in high school, making this my problem: at 32-years-old, is it okay for me to find him handsome? Or is it kind of creepy? Is the Coach (a 40-something) more appropriate for my age? Is “handsome” a word that young people use?

In all seriousness, this has been bothering me for several days. I don’t know if it’s mortality thing or what, but I’m adding it to an ever-growing list of Disturbing Things That Signal My Aging/Adulthood. This list also includes:

-I have become very aware of the ways in which my back can and can not twist.

-The Husband-Elect’s inability to put laundry INSIDE the hamper (as opposed to on TOP of the hamper) has usurped human rights in my hierarchy of Things to Care About.

-I refer to major league ballplayers as “kids.” Ex: “That Jeter kid sure is a good shortstop.”

-I buy tissues when I’m not sick.

-Hangovers, while only occasional, don’t last six hours anymore. Minimum, two days.

-The music that was popular when I was in high school (R.E.M., Oasis, Nirvana, etc.) is now played primarily on classic rock radio.

-Interns look like positively fetal to me now.

-I make involuntary noises when I get up off the couch.

-“I’m 32” has replaced “I don’t feel well” and “I have to be at work early tomorrow” as a legitimate excuse for staying in on Thursday nights.

-I plan my dinners days ahead of time.

That last one is antithetical to every meal I ate from ages 17 to 27, but it’s a central principle of this whole food/frugality thing we’ve got going on here. Today’s dish, Chicken Fried Rice, is a good example. It’s a hybrid of three recipes from Simply Recipes, Cookie magazine, and Robert Irvine (of Dinner: Impossible fame) and requires several cups of refrigerated leftover rice. Without this essential planning ahead, you’re left with a blobby, hyper-absorbent pile of mush.

Beyond that, the recipe is tasty and super-quick to throw together. It can be customized to include more vegetables or different proteins, and the soy sauce can be adjusted as well, depending on your salt tolerance. (Mine is very high. I kind of wish I was a deer just for the salt licks.)

Now, I’m off to eat Chicken Fried Rice and contemplate this Tim Riggins thing further. For someone my age, it might take awhile.

P.S. Readers, how do you know you’re getting a little older? Use your newfangled computer technology to discuss in the comment section. (Then, get off mah lawn!)

~~~

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
• Orange Sesame Stir Fry with Shirataki Noodles
• Veggie Lo Mein

~~~

Chicken Fried Rice
Makes 3 full meals or 5 side servings.
Adapted from Simply Recipes, Robert Irvine, and Cookie.

8 ounces chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 egg whites
1 egg
6 scallions, chopped
3 to 4 cups leftover rice (must NOT be freshly made)
3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
3 tablespoons soy sauce

1) In a small bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 a teaspoon of sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. In another small bowl, beat egg whites and egg together with a little salt and pepper.

2) In a large nonstick skillet, warm 1 teaspoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 or 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

3) Reduce heat to medium low and warm 1/2 teaspoon canola oil in skillet. Add eggs, swirling them around pan and gently breaking them up with a spoon as they cook. When barely done, set eggs aside with chicken.

4) Jack heat back up to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon canola oil to skillet. Add ½ the scallions and cook 2 or 3 minutes, until slightly soft. Add rice and spread it around as much as possible. Cook 4 or 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until rice is warmed and a little crispy.

5) Add remaining sesame oil and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir to coat. Add chicken, eggs, carrots and peas, stir to combine, and heat another 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat and top with remaining scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with extra soy sauce on the side.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price Per Serving
3 servings (full meal): 446 calories, 12.9 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $1.18
5 servings (side dish): 268 calories, 7.8 g fat, 2.2 g fiber, $0.71

Calculations
8 ounces chicken breast: 249 calories, 2.7 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.85
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil: 60 calories, 6.8 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.09
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.02
1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil: 186 calories, 21 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.11
2 egg whites: 34 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.66
1 egg: 74 calories, 5 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.33
6 scallions, chopped: 48 calories, 0.3 g fat, 3.9 g fiber, $0.44
3 to 4 cups leftover rice (calc for 3.5 cups): 676 calories, 2.9 g fat, 3.5 g fiber, $0.42
3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed: 56 calories, 0 g fat, 3.4 g fiber, $0.33
3 tablespoons soy sauce: 25 calories, 0 g fat, 0.4 g fiber, $0.30
TOTAL: 1339 calories, 38.8 g fat, 11.2 g fiber, $3.55
PER SERVING (TOTAL/3): 446 calories, 12.9 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $1.18
PER SERVING (TOTAL/5): 268 calories, 7.8 g fat, 2.2 g fiber, $0.71

Top 10 Links of the Last Two Weeks: 11/20/09 – 12/3/09

Today, it’s all about changing careers, shocking costs, and the New York Times, all the time. Can I get a witness!

1) The Dessert Psycho: Punk Drummer Transforms Into World-Class Chef With Alarming Swiftness
LOVE this story about Brooks Headley, who went from touring clubs to whipping up delightful concoctions for Mario Batali’s Del Posto. It’s hardcore in so many ways. (Note: except the porn kind.)

2) Eating the Road: What Should I Eat – Cereal Edition
Undecided about breakfast? Don’t fret, morning glories! This handy, super cute infographic will make your choices for you, depending on age, level of sobriety, and many more pertinent characteristics. Incidentally, do they make BooBerry anymore?

3) NY Daily News: 'How to Cook Everything' author Mark Bittman shares his sensible plan for weight loss
In which our minimalist hero details his “Vegan Until 6” diet. I gotta hand it to him – he makes it sound do-able for everybody. Even my dad.

4) NY Times: Across U.S., Food Stamp Use Soars and Stigma Fades
Read it and (seriously) weep, folks: one in eight Americans and one of every four kids are now on food stamps. And it’s affecting everybody, all across the country, from white collar businessmen to the nice lady down your block. On the (only?) upside, it's leading to more widespread acceptance of people down on their luck.

5) LA Times: Culinary schools rebound from recessionary slump
Related story: seems my compatriots in out-of-work-edness are making a career change to cheffery. Eat it, law schools!

6) Food Politics: Food safety bill deserves support, even from small farmers
In matters of food safety regulation, Marion Nestle seems to come down pretty heavily on the side of increased government control. Still, she strongly supports small-scale farmers, many of whom see regulation as inherently biased toward Big Agriculture. Great debate, good points on both sides.

7) Natural Resource Report: Ten-year snapshot shows changes in food consumption
We’re eating less beef! We’re eating more fish! We’re drinking less milk! We’re eating a hell of a lot more yogurt. Thank you, Jamie Lee Curtis?

8) The Atlantic: The Cost of Wasted Food
Could it be true? Could HALF of the food we buy go uneaten? That can’t be right. Can it? I feel ill.

9) EHM Executive Healthcare: The Cost of Obesity in the U.S.
Don’t look don’t look don’t look don’t look … dang. I looked. Another neat infographic predicts 42.8% obesity rates by 2018, if we keep going the way we’re going. There’s more, but you’ll have to look.

10) New York Times: Back to the Land and Health Care Savings Could Start in the Cafeteria and Is There Such a Thing as Agro-Imperialism?
The Times had a bumper crop of excellent CHG-related posts this week, so I’m combining them in one massively mega colosso-post. If you ever wanted to know about slow, cafeteria, or oppressive food practices, this is your lucky day.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Kitchn: Holiday Gift Guide – 10 Kitchen Basics Under $25
Pyrex! Own it!

Money Saving Mom: Freezer Cooking Day
Jaw. Agape.

NY Times: The Daily Grind
I’m not saying this reflects my life in any way whatsoever, but Flying Saucer, I salute you.

Salon: Ruth Reichl has better salsa
A look into the charming Gourmet EIC’s fridge. Don’t you kind of wish she was your second mom?

Serious Eats: Buy a Home, Get Pork and Beans
This is really real. If you buy a mansion, do you get elephant beans?

The Simple Dollar: How to Start a Meal Exchange
Meal exchanges: they’re like potluck dinners you can take home and feed to the rest of your family. (Slogan alert!)

The Simple Dollar: Simple Ways to Save Money on Salads
Leafy greens and dressing can cost pennies, often doesn’t. Trent has more.

Wise Bread: Fuel Up Your Kids - Frugally
When I was little, all we got for lunch from the school cafeteria was a piece of cardboard and some glue. And guldernit, WE LIKED IT. Now, Wise Bread is trying to mess things up with their fancy-schmancy, newfangled, tasty practical suggestions. I miss the old days.

Wise Bread: Homemade Peanut Butter – Recipe and Cost Comparison
Turns out, making peanut butter on your own might be worth it.

FOOD SONG OF THE WEEK

“The Oatmeal Song” by Mike Birbiglia and Mates of State
Less of a standard standup and more of a superb storyteller, Mike Birbiglia is one of the best working comedians out there. Special note to moms: with the exception of a few four-letter words, Birbiglia’s material tends to be pretty PG-rated. So you can generally watch it with your kids around. Check his “What I Should Have Said Was Nothing” special for the best Dennis Eckersley bit in existence.



CHG ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB

• Carnival of Gluten-Free Recipes @ Wheat Free Meat Free
• Make it From Scratch @ Frills in the Hills

Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!