Piece of naan
Hi guys! Hope your day is going well! I’m SO STOKED it’s almost the weekend 🙂
Thanks to all of you guys who took this morning’s April Fools post so well. I really just intended it to be light-hearted and funny and some people were offended by it. For the record, there is nothing wrong with a pulled pork sandwich..and there is EVERYTHING wrong with a cookie diet 🙂 For a certain girl to say I was encouraging forbidden attitudes about food by my post was a virtual slap in the face.. especially since I try to encourage positive thoughts about food and fitness :/
Anywho,
I did indeed make Indian Food last night 🙂
The only daunting thing about Indian cuisine is the amount of spices you need
(I had fun smashing up the coriander)
And the amount of chopping required.
After that, it’s a piece of naan 😉
I made some channa masala using this recipe.
And some of my favorite, Baigan Bhartha, using this recipe. Thanks so much to Sonia for sending it to me 🙂
They came out fiery and supah SPICY!!!!
I warned the pilot, but he said he could handle it 😉
*swoon*
Complete with garlic naan for the pilot (store-bought), it was a perfect little Indian feast.
I’m really not sure how that wine got in there 😉
Well I’m off to chill with the pilot, who got off work EARLY today, then head to work.
Have a great day <3
Gina
Have you had Indian cuisine before?? What’s your favorite dish? If not, what are you waiting for?! 🙂
124 Comments
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You had me believing the April fools joke at first! I must not have been awake. I think i actually read it twice like “what!? Keep up your humor; it was funny. I think I like all Indian food!
I’ve never had Indian food! Where do I get it? What is the best?
I’m coming out of the woodwork as a longtime reader and first time commenter. I’ve been so enjoying your upbeat attitude toward food and exercise, and you’ve inspired me by providing your specific workouts and delicious recipes, many of which I’ve made.
I thought your joke this morning was funny, as it’s clearly meant in jest and not to offend. You write this blog for you, and it’s an added bonus that others get to benefit from your thoughts and what you put out here.
Having said all that, and I’m sure you’re sick of comments on this already (!), I think it’s totally ridiculous that people are leaving you messages to tell you that they’re going to stop reading the blog. Really? Go quietly, friends! Why do you need to check in to make Gina feel poorly about potentially having a negative effect on a hypothetical reader? If someone reading this blog chooses to take everything Gina says as gospel, that’s really her/his problem. This is a BLOG- it is a collection of GINA’s personal feelings, thoughts, trials and errors, etc. It is not a personalized-to-you plan of action. So, if someone in recovery or struggling sees something she/he finds problematic, let her/him worry about it. Don’t try to make the author of a blog feel badly about being funny, or honest, or anything. You don’t have to read it, but you also don’t have to let everyone know that you’re not going to, either.
Whew. Sorry for the long comment, but I wanted to weigh in. Thanks again, Gina, for everything you put out here.
Signed,
Abby, one reader who’s not going anywhere
abby, you’re amazing.
thank you <3
Well said. I’ll amen to that.
I did not see anything wrong with the post, April fools is about doing something unexpected or so out of the norm FOR THAT PERSON! My Fiance hates veggies but today when I offered to make him pizza and asked what he wanted on it he told me mush, and green pepper, I was shocked but thought maybe my healthy habits were rubbing off. I chopped all the veggies forgetting it was Aprils fools and then he told me April fools. To some this may not be odd but for him it was so out of the ordinary that I just cracked up laughing. I love Ginas blog and realize that what she does works for her and in no way is she saying that is what I should do 100%. It is a blog and we are all free to read it or not.
Anyways I have never had Indian food and have always wanted to try but just have no idea what to order.
um…..you are now officialy ……my favorite blogger. i had no idea it was april fools. i read the previous post twice and had to double check the author. i was wondering “where the heck did this come from?”. i actually went and looked at the cookie diet (never heard of it) to see if it was some sort of “raw” thing ……um no, BEEF protein was the 4th ingredient. barf!
still….best post ever!! i honestly was disturbed. i giggled out loud in my kitchen while reading that it was a joke.
seriously awesome
ewww beef protein is in the cookie diet?!
Please excuse my commenting twice dear Gina, but I have to get this out there…
Gina has one of the HEALTHIEST attitudes about food and exercise of ANY of the healthy living blogs that I read. She eats when she’s hungry, stops when she’s full, knows when to fuel and with what, and most importantly, knows what works for her.
Gina my dear, YOU are one of the reasons I keep blogging, no matter what rough patches I may go through. Your healthy attitude towards food and exercise is so refreshing in this messed-up blog world, and I love that you are more than willing to splurge and NOT “run it off” the next day.
All you anonymous or non-anonymous negative commenters: grow up, and find something better to do than to criticize one of the nicest people out there. So she doesn’t eat white flour and advocates the same for others… BIG DEAL! There are also bloggers out there who eat nothing but forms of sugar all day and no one rips them a new one for doing so.
thank you, friend. i love you <3
Seems to me that the hype is really by the commentors and not the bloggers themselves. I read nothing in the one blogger’s article was really major, and nothing in this blog’s post that was offensive in reply. It was a joke, not all people like certain jokes. Hey, no two people are alike.
And I forgot to add every has the right to express themselves.
For the record…I liked your AF day joke 😀
Looks delicioso! And I love the pilot’s tough’guy face too, lol! My fave Indian dish is palak paneer (aka saag paneer). Mmmm.
I don’t think I’ve ever commented, but I am an avid reader of your blog as are a lot of my friends 🙂 When I saw your post this morning, I immediately thought that someone had hacked your blog! I was going to facebook the pilot (we grew up together :)) and tell him to let you know. Then, I got it – and I sat at my desk snickering and then told my friends who read the blog to come read it b/c it was good today!
I can not believe that someone would take offense to what you wrote! I find it quite preposterous that someone would take anything that you wrote and completely twist and contort it in to an ugly post! You are a talented writer/blogger, you give awesome advice, and you are never condescending to others – you always make sure to tell people to listen to their hearts and bodies and do what is best for them. Some people just enjoy being ugly to others – don’t let them get you down lovely lady 🙂
My favorite Indian food – ALL OF IT! We just had a new Indian restaurant open up down by the beach; I’m fairly certain my kids and I are keeping them in business.
I thought your joke was funny. Get some humor peeps!! Seriously! Life is too short….lighten up.
That being said…your Indian meal looks great!! Indian is one of my favorite cuisines!
YES thank you for those indian recipes!! and don’t worry about those negative nancys. you have such an amazing following and positive feedback for a REASON. just because a very small percentage of feedback is negative shouldn’t say anything. i know its hard to get past it, but you clearly are doing a fantastic job with everything you do for this blog and in your lifestyle. keep doin your thang!!!
As a casual reader of these blogs, I was pretty curious to see what caused all of this conflict… and I am not impressed by this blog’s reaction.
The other blogger raised a bunch of well thought-out points that were spurred on by seeing your post. Clearly they are a reader of yours otherwise they wouldn’t have seen it. I can understand you disagreeing by writing out an equally well-thought out response, but to resort to name calling is pretty off putting.
Maybe instead of taking a break from blogging you can just apologize and let the whole thing blow over.
People need to CALM themselves! I agree with everyone here…Your joke was funny! You are one awesome blogger who inspired me start start my own. You rock. Do your thing girl. For every one person who feels the need to hate, there are way more that love what you do! 🙂
-Kat
I agree with Jeanna’s comment above. No two people are the same, and we are entitled to our own opinions. I read both of these blog posts (your April fool’s one and Megan’s) and found neither of them to be offensive…but think of the thousands of people that read these blogs everyday and you are always going to have people who are affected by blog posts. I know I have been both postively and negatively affected by food blogs, which is in conjunction with disordered eating habits, but I also find it really rude of bloggers to say that it’s the readers entire fault for getting upset by posts…do you (rhetorical use of you) know how addicting these blogs can be? I love healthy living and reading about it, but it’s upsetting to read about blogger’s obsessive exercise styles that ultimately, we all compare ourselves to. I think Megan’s purpose was that it’s all blogs in general and not just yours. Your lifestyle and eating habits are very healthy, and obviously cookie diets are bad, and white stuff should be avoided often, but most of the blog readers are already really fit to begin with and know these things. Again, it’s not your blog that I’m singling out alone, it’s all of them in general. Moderation is obviously key to anything: blog reading, “splurge” foods, and heck, even moderation.
I thought that the way Caitlin responded to the blog post was very mature and she didn’t write complaints on her twitter either. Perhaps that will inspire you to do the same.
I hope you can see, Gina, that I’m just adding my (different) opinion and I’m still going to read your blog once in a while because the recipes are good and so are the exercise tips!
thank you, hannah!
People seriously need to lighten up.
I am way late to this party…but WOW.
I found Megan’s post pretty fascinating, and I think it made some interesting observations. Gina, I’ve been reading your blog regularly since sometime in summer or fall 08 — it was one of the first. I love your upbeat attitude and general positivity. I truly don’t think Megan’s post was intended to attack you, but I do understand how you may have felt singled out.
Regardless — the idea that your decisions about your body must necessarily have implications for everyone else in the world says much more about them than you. That kind of thing drives me CRAZY, and it’s so common — “well, you want to lose weight and you’re skinnier than I am so therefore you must think I’m a COW!” You’re entitled to make your own decisions without having to decide what effect it might have on everyone else. For what it’s worth — I had pork tonight and it didn’t even occur to me to feel bad about it 🙂
oh, and PS — I totally tried baighan bhartha bc of this blog! I used to stick with aloo gobi for my veg dish religiously, but now I’m a convert 🙂
i thought your april fools’ day post was quite clever and funny. once i figured out it was joke that is…you had me going for a while. i think your an awesome blogger. i really enjoy reading and appreciate all the time and energy you put into making it so informative and entertaining. you rock!
I read both yours and Caitlin’s posts this morning and I was not offended at all. I also expected an April Fool’s joke so I was prepared. While I don’t think Megan’s post was necessarily attacking you I understand why you are so frustrated. The joke wasn’t about you eating white bread and french fries.. it was about you eating meat! That is what was so ridiculous about the post. I didn’t take it as patronizing at all. You do lead a very active lifestyle and do eat in what most would consider a “very restricted way” but that is what works for you and your body. Nothing pisses me off more than when people question or comment on the way other people eat! It is YOUR body and you treat it as best you can. I don’t sense any disordered eating as previously mentioned.. people mistake eating healthy as being weird but really I feel the opposite is true.
That being said I can see where Megan got upset. People are really critical of themselves, especially women.. and especially what they eat.
I read both yours and Caitlin’s posts this morning and I was not offended at all. I also expected an April Fool’s joke so I was prepared. While I don’t think Megan’s post was necessarily attacking you I understand why you are so frustrated. The joke was less about you eating white bread and french fries.. it was more about you eating meat! That is what was so ridiculous about the post. I didn’t take it as patronizing at all. You do lead a very active lifestyle and do eat in what most would consider a “very restricted way” but that is what works for you and your body. Nothing pisses me off more than when people question or comment on the way other people eat! It is YOUR body and you treat it as best you can. I don’t sense any disordered eating as previously mentioned.. people mistake eating healthy as being weird but really I feel the opposite is true.
That being said I can see where Megan got upset. People are really critical of themselves, especially women.. and especially what they eat.
I love naans!
Listen people, the bottom line is that this is Gina’s blog and she is protected under the first amendment to speak her mind as such. She ahs not singled anyone out or called anyone out for what they choose to eat. She is only speaking on how SHE chooses to eat and live. If you don’t like it, see that X in the top right corner? Click on it and DON’T READ ANYMORE! Give her a break! IT WAS A JOKE!!!
I don’t get all the drama. I’m not going to comment on either post because it’s a moot point now, BUT I think it’s hard for people to understand why you wouldn’t feel defensive about being called out. It sucks. I stopped reading a lot of food blogs because I did feel like people weren’t “practicing what they preached” and/or being too pushy, but yours is one of the few that I’ve kept on my Reader because you are honest, know a lot about health/wellness/nutrition/fitness, always have a great, positive attitude, seem to really ENJOY blogging, and just seem like someone I’d want to go to dinner with. You never come across as fake, preachy or as someone who looks down on others. I know that it’s taken you awhile to come to a healthy place with food and I TOTALLY respect that. I am a super sensitive person so I know it sucks when you feel like you are being attacked, so just know that for every person who is “not gonna read your blog” or something, there’s a ton of us who love you for who you are. Take care of yourself! <3
Gina~
I’ve been lurking on here since your POMtastic adventure and I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blog. I hope you don’t take the haters too seriously, if the mention of white bread not being healthy offends them, then they probably have more problems than your blog….seriously people read the nutrition labels, it’s common sense.
Keep up the good work! The Indian food looks amazing.
Kat
P.S. Your pilot is totally swoon worthy you lucky girl. Does he have a brother??
thanks, kat!
sadly, no. he has no male relatives his age. i say it’s a waste of amazing genetics
Why in the world would people get nasty about the April fools joke?? I thought it was cute! People need to lighten up. You are such an inspiration to so many people, and if they don’t like it they don’t have to read your blog!
I didn’t read the other blog/comment in question, but the fact your little April Fools joke got so twisted and misinterpreted by others is a little sad. People need to get a grip, lighten up, and not take everything so seriously 24/7. For pete’s sake! Life is short. Live a little. Laugh and have some fun- it’s one of the best things you can do for your body. 😉
Love your blog Gina. I pop in at least once a day, though never comment. Stay your sweet, strong self and don’t let this bum you out.
Cheers!
Just a regular reader here…. love your blog 🙂 AND I totally loved your Aprils Fools joke. Heck with those who can’t laugh. Keep up the great work…. and keep making us laugh 🙂
i especially like the part about “visualizing exercising” hahah especially since you’ve been so frustrated with NOT being able to sweat it out! since when do you like an easy workout?? nicely done Gina!
Ok. Gina, I don’t know you other than this blog, but I love you to death because of it! To everyone else that gets offended… like someone previously commented, ITS NOT ABOUT YOU. Here’s what I see – those of you that are being ridiculous about this situation have food on a pedestal. You see all foods created equal, and “making fun of” one of those categories of food is, gasp, just wrong. The horror! Get food off of your pedestal. It should be fuel for our body AND it should be enjoyed… but fuel comes first. Don’t “live to eat”, instead “EAT TO LIVE”. That’s what Gina does. FOR HER. And that is what I do. FOR ME. When I first read Gina’s blog, I sometimes didn’t agree with her not eating enough protein (IN MY OPINION). Big deal. I eat enough protein and that’s all I worry about. I liked (and still do) her sense of humor and general lifestyle. Agreed, she’s letting her laundry out to dry on the blog world, but I’m not understanding what gives you the right to comment about HER lifestyle. She’s certainly not commenting about yours. And sometimes it’s almost annoying (in a good way Gina) when she says “I’m just saying this works for ME”. I already know that! And even if she WAS trying to “push” it on her readers.. so what? At the end of the day, the decisions I make are MY CHOICE. If I CHOOSE to let her joke offend me, that is ALL ON ME. And what do I care if she doesn’t eat pulled pork AND IF she were to make fun of it and I ate it… SO WHAT! Not everyone likes vanilla ice cream. I think the people that initially started hating on Gina are the ones who take things too personally. Life is too short. Get over it. AND her life is VERY balanced when it comes to diet and exercise. I’m a competitive athlete traveling to Japan this summer and I train 4 hours A DAY, including having a full time job and writing a nutrition book. Where in what book does it say “if you exercise for over an hour, take some crazy pills, because you are going overboard”? Show me, because exercise/nutrition/wellness ARE MY MAIN JOBS. And no one has EVER called me crazy because of my lifestyle.
Gina, you rock. And your pilot is pretty cute. Next time you’re in AZ, I’ll buy you a pulled pork sandwich. 🙂
Wow…Gina, I am so sorry that what gave me my first laugh of the day ended up causing you such grief.
I’m utterly sad because a) you are awesome and share so much insight, joy and information with all of us,
b) people with such negativity and fierce one sided closed-mindedness always make me sad and c) this probably means you won’t pull another awesome April Fool’s joke next year :(.
I would like to thank you (again) for this blog because you really do provide both very helpful information and a great place to hang out and get inspired!
And by the way, you totally had me until I saw the cookie diet bit…then I knew it had to be a joke.
Also, I’m a vegetarian and honestly, this was still hella funny and not at all offensive imo. I agree with your Pilot, people need to lighten up and be happy to have such a great place to visit online!
How happy (or unhappy?) were you with your rendition of your beloved Baigan Bhartha? You should try the Vegetable Korma (veggie curry), or mushroom masala (omg yumm). I’m sure you can find SOMETHING you like at that local Indian rest., don’t give up just yet!!
People got upset over your April Fools joke? Seriously?! Please don’t let it bother you. The majority of your readers would have found it funny knowing that is not at all how you eat, or the kind of “diet” you would embark upon. It takes all kinds in this world and no matter what, you will always get some that have to rain on the parade.
Keep doing what you do because 99.9% of your readers love it the way it is!!
WOW! The reaction to this really makes me wonder what would have happened if your post had actually been serious. Gina- people should not be getting mad at or offended by you for stating facts: Fact: Pulled pork is not good for you because BBQ is full of refined sugar; refined sugar has a high glycemic index indicating it leads to spiking glucose levels Fact: White bread (high glycemic index) contains refined grains which also cause high glucose levels. Fact: High glucose levels in your blood lead to release of cortisol from the adrenal glands in an effort to increase glucose metabolism (lower blood sugar levels). Fact: Chronically high cortisol levels are correlated with heart disease, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, thyroid disease, muscle wasting, impaired immune response, obesity (especially abdominal fat accumulation), kidney disease, bone disease, and many other health risks. Fact: Continually fluctuating or high glucose levels lead to development of type II diabetes and/or diabetic symptoms (think peripheraly neuropathy (numbness in your feet), blindness, amputation, and kidney failure). Fact: Development of these symptoms will not happen in everyone, it’s largely genetically determined. Fact: Exercise increases insulin release from the pancreas and decreases glycogen stores resulting in lowered blood sugar levels.
Maybe Gina eats and exercises this way because of family history of disease, maybe she does it because it’s healthy for anyone to largely avoid processed and sugar-laden foods and to exercise regularly – which is exactly what she advocates: avoiding this type of diet USUALLY and routinely engaging in physical activity. She does enjoy refined sugar from time-to-time, and makes no excuses for it when she does. I’m sure she is informed of all the information I listed above, and that is why she is comfortable indulding in moderation- these things result from a consistently unhealthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, “unhealthy” has become a relative term in today’s society as obesity and a sedentary lifestyle have become frightenly common, and I think that is where all the controversy comes into play. You can call someone out for being “too healthy”, but it’s rude, offensive, and discriminatory to comment on someone being unhealthy. It’s ridiculous. The point is, it’s her body, and she can do what she wants. The same is true for someone who eats horribly and avoids exercise- they can do what they want with their body.
Gina, you do a great job of being well-informed about the things you post. I don’t think this post was offensive, and I’m not sure how it even could be taken as offensive, even after reading the comments. I didn’t read the other blog post, and don’t do Twitter, so I can’t really comment on that aspect. This is the internet, and people can (and do) write whatever they want without anyone checking the accuracy of their claims. Thank you for feeling a sense of personal responsibility for making valid points and not just spouting off your opinions and trying to pass them off as facts. I have learned a lot from your blog, and it has definitely encouraged me lead a healthier lifestyle and to try new things. It has helped me to appreciate my body for what it can do instead of how it looks, and to fuel it according to the respect it deserves.
P.S. sorry for perhaps the longest post ever- just got fired up! XOXO
I have to admit I am a reader of your blog and someone who never leaves or read comments but couldn’t help check out what all the controversy was all about. Come on…really. I think it has been covered that what you wrote was a joke. The whole idea of the joke was because it was out of the ordinary for you, that‘s the point. This is your philosophy on eating and you are entitled to that. I am sure most people that read your blog don’t eat the way you do but still enjoy reading what you have to say if for nothing your eating habits are fun to read about (which is why I keep coming back). I have similar philosophies on eating but could never eat only raw I tried it, as a mother of a 2 year old with one on the way it just doesn’t work for me. Keep doing what you do; obviously you have a lot of people that like what you post. Part of putting yourself out there is hearing the bad. Get that cookbook going I would love to have some of your recipes in one place. One thing I do love is the breakfast cookie…. I often celebrate Friday’s with one.