What's on My Plate

I thought since it is Day 20 of my Boot Camp, an update would be appropriate. Above is a photo of my dinner tonight. Let me tell you, that is a HUGE honkin' salad on a dinner-sized plate. I can not believe the sheer quantity of food I am able to consume eating like this. In addition, I ate a baked sweet potato, totally plain. I am really thriving on this whole mostly vegan, mostly raw eating style. I occasionally indulge in some brown rice, or steamed kale, or a baked sweet potato, but the vast majority of what I am eating is raw.

Here's how I'm doing after 20 days of October:

--30 Day Shred Workouts? Yep, 20/20 days. Today was day 10 of Level 2. Level 3, here I come! I've also walked almost every day.

--Gluten free? I had one piece of my homemade bread early in the month. and 2 bites of a pizza that smelled amazing. That's all.

--Dairy free? I've had precious little in just a few things. I would guess a total of 2-3 ounces of dairy in 20 days.

--Vegan? I ate a little homemade tuna salad one night, but did not like how it made me feel. I also ate a few pieces of chicken in some stir-fry I made. Other than that and the small amount of dairy mentioned above, I've managed okay.

--Mostly raw? I would say I am eating 80-90% of my foods raw.

--Caffeine? Zero. Zip. Nada!

All-in-all, this month's Boot Camp is going well. I'm hoping to continue with the plan and finish strong.

Coming soon: knitting update! (I know you are all on the edge of your seats!)

A Letter

This morning I stumbled over my running shoes and workout clothes sitting in the middle of my floor. I don't remember putting them there. How did they get out of my closet?? Then I noticed a piece of paper sitting on top the exercise gear. Much to my dismay, the following words were scrawled across the page:


Dear Self,

You know, for a pretty smart cookie, you sure can act dumb sometimes! When are you going to learn that you just can't eat and act like "normal" people and feel "normal?" How many times do we have to go through this cycle of feeling totally crummy before you are going to get it? I know it doesn't seem fair, but face it, Honey, life isn't fair. So what if other folks seem to be able to eat junk and get along fine? I can't do it. I am special and you have to take better care of me! I'm the only body you've got.

Remember last year when you were eating clean and working out hard? Remember how great we felt? Ahhh, good times! Yeah, yeah. You hurt your back and that was a royal pain, but that's no excuse for totally throwing in the towel. Besides,that was months and months ago. What's your excuse now? Time to move on from that. I know I may sound mean, but I think it is time you had a little tough love and faced the facts:

--Notice how our clothes seem to be getting tight on me? Yeah, I put on weight when you don't make good food choices.

--And what's with the lack of exercise? Look kiddo' if you don't take me out and work me hard a bit, we are going to end up with a horrible middle-age spread.

--But let me be frank, gaining a little weight and our vanity is the least of our problems! Let's talk about allergy symptoms, muscle knots, sore joints, lethargy, muddled thinking, yadda, yadda, yadda...you know I am not functioning optimally. You know you can't get everything done when I feel like I have the flu. Don't make me use the "fibromyalgia" word!

Oh, please! Stop whining and feeling sorry for yourself! This is the way it has to be. You know the drill, but I'm gonna' tell you anyway:

--Get back on your mostly-vegan, mostly-raw eating regimen. It works for you. It isn't the easiest or most convenient, but put on your big girl panties and do what you know is right for you.

--Drink more water.

--Cut back on the coffee.

--Get plenty of sleep.

--Get up and get moving more. I don't care what you do, but since you haven't been behaving like the brightest bulb in the box, I will list here some ideas. These won't cost you a penny because you already have all that is necessary to do them:

Couch-to-5K
30 Day Shred
Tae Bo
Tabatas
The New Rules of Lifting for Women
Jumping rope
Walking
Biking

Or any combination of the above. As the famous ad campaign says, "Just do it!"

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm being hard on you, but these things needed to be said. We're a team and we've gotta' work together. With a little will-power and self-control on your part, and some hard work and sweat on my part, we could be so much better. Whaddaya' say?

Signed with much love and a swift kick in your ever expanding pants,

Your Body

Cursed Kitchen???

Ya' know, if I didn't know better, I would begin to think some nefarious force has placed a curse on my kitchen!

Last week my microwave (my less-than-4-month-old microwave) died! I mean dead. No lights, no nothing.


This made heating Easter dinner leftovers a royal pain. I am actually a little wary of microwaves and would be happy to not have one. I have lived without a microwave and it can be done. However, I have found that my kids will eat more leftovers when they don’t have to put them in a pot and stir, or wait for something to heat up a half hour in the oven. I hate to throw away food even more than I dislike microwaves. So, now I have to buy a new microwave. The Oster company is honoring our warranty and refunding our money, but that will probably get here months from now…you know how that goes! Not only that, but we got a great deal on that microwave, and it looks like a new one will cost us a good $50 more than what I originally paid.

Then, the blender attachment to my Bosch kitchen machine stopped working (again).


There is a design flaw in the part of the blender that attaches to the drive shaft and it gets stripped, thus making the blender not blend. Well, I am rather partial to smoothies, so I actually use my blender. I have already replaced this part 2-3 times! And I refuse to pay another $15 or so to get another little bit that is just going to break in a few months. So, I will have to buy a new blender.

Are you keeping count?? That's two appliances that need replacing.

Then yesterday, I was being domestic diva (baking bread, making homemade Lara bars, etc.) and the glass bowl to my vintage KitchenAid mixer slipped out of my hands into the sink and broke! Waaaaaah!


This was my grandmother’s mixer and has great sentimental value to me. It is a model 4C which was produced from the early 1960's through the 1970's. The company doesn't even make a glass bowl that fits this mixer anymore. I have looked online and found a metal replacement at the tune of about $50 plus shipping! :-0 To replace it with a glass bowl like the one that comes with it is hard to find and costs even more dough (pun intended.) Although my Bosch kitchen machine is great for kneading bread and mixing really large batches of stuff, we regularly used the KitchenAid for cookie dough, cakes, icing, etc.

And then to top it all off, while I was still trying to hold back the tears over the broken mixer bowl, my kitchen sink suddenly and mysteriously decided to refuse to drain!


It was working fine, and then all of a sudden it wasn’t. We have poured chemicals down it, boiling water, and tried a plunger. We even went to the hardware store and bought a plumber's snake. 15 feet of snake later, still no drainage. GAAAAAARRRRRGH!

Score:
Kitchen appliances to be replaced plus a plumber's bill -- 4
My bank account -- 0

Do you think the plumber could be bribed with homemade bread???

Today's Lunch

Whole wheat sub bun stuffed with avocado, cucumber, tomato and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. Fresh pepper strips and hummus for dipping. YUM!

Wait! Are there a few bites missing from that sandwich??? Well, of course I had to test it before I shared it with y'all!

Neglected...

Ah, Green Monster! Once we were such close friends. We communed daily. What happened to our relationship?

Okay, I know. It is really all my fault. I am the one who wandered away. But you must admit, you are rather raw and so cold! It was easy to lured away by warm, comforting drinks during this bitter wintry season. I was weak. I am sorry. But I would like to renew our ties. Whaddaya' say?


And as for you, Ms. Michaels...


I am not sure if you are really my good friend. After our get together on Tuesday, I limped around the house in much agony for two days. Yeah, I know. Once again, that is all my fault. If I had been working out for the past few months, our visits wouldn't be so painful. Do you remember our glory days?? Remember the times when we felt so strong that we would do Level 1 and Level 2 back-to-back in one day? Good times!

Do you think we could recapture the magic? I hope so.

It is often said that bad company corrupts good morals. I know that is true. I fear I have been running around with the wrong crowd, spending too much time hanging out with empty carbs, coffee, comfort foods and the sofa. Oh, they can be a lot of fun in the moment, but I hate myself later for the way I behave around them. They are a bad lot and I have allowed myself to be led me astray.

Do they care about me? No!

Do they make me a better person? No!

Do my jeans feel tight? Yes!

Something's gotta' change. And it is gonna' start now!

Winter's Day Well Spent

Friday night and Saturday brought a little snow and a lot of freezing rain, sleet and ice our way. It made for a very grey, cold, wet day.

OUTSIDE: Brrrrrr!



INSIDE: Simmering chili.



OUTSIDE: Cold!




INSIDE: Corn bread. (To go with the chili, of course!)



OUTSIDE: Lonely swingset.



INSIDE: Monopoly by the fire.




OUTSIDE Not much traffic today!




INSIDE: Warm, spicy chai. (Recipe can be found here.)



OUTSIDE: Ice everywhere.




INSIDE: Plenty of time for knitting. You can read more about my Valentine's scarf here on Ravelry.



I lived in Michigan for 5 years. I remember how stir crazy I could get with months of days like this. I certainly don't miss that! However, in these parts we don't get much "proper" winter weather. A weekend of forced hibernation has been rather nice. It has been quite pleasant, I confess, to have a few days where everything shuts down, and everyone slows down!

REAL Food.

Have you noticed how much of what we Americans eat is not really food? I mean, look at the ingredients on a loaf of bread in the grocery store...what IS all that stuff??? I make bread. It's simple and easy...whole wheat flour, water, honey, oil, a little yeast, and a little salt...like I said, SIMPLE. The ingredients are real. Not a lot of chemicals, preservatives, colors and flavorings. I am amazed at how much junk, mass-produced and manufactured stuff we put into our bodies. Don't let me get started ranting about the sodium levels and evil high fructose corn syrup!

And I find that REAL food is more satisfying. Tonight for dinner we had grilled chicken kabobs (seasoned with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper), fresh corn on the cob, fresh picked green beans, baked potatoes (with real butter) and a salad. We were all sitting around afterwards saying to each other, "Man! That was GOOD!" My body feels like it has not just been filled, but it has been truly fed.

Oh, and for dessert? I've got some homemade scones baking in the oven to go along with fresh strawberries and whipping cream (not the fake stuff). Good old fashioned strawberry shortcake. Yum!

What's for dinner tonight?

Tonight's menu: taco salad topped with fresh homemade guacamole and pico de gallo. Perfect on a warm southern night.

I can not tell you how many people have raved over my pico when I take it to parties and gatherings. Now, here's my confession...my homemade pico is actually made with Rotel Tomatoes! They are so yummy and the "original" version has just the right amount of green chiles in them to pack some punch. I drain the extra liquid and chop them up in a mini food processor. Then I add fresh cilantro and chopped onion. That's all it takes. If I feel like it, I might add a squeeze of lime juice. But gosh, it can't get much easier than that! I now have a hard time eating store-bought salsa; this homemade pico tastes so much fresher!

What true love looks like.

Would you like to see a picture of love and sacrifice?

Or, as the Pillsbury Dough Boy says, "Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven."


Why yes, that would be homemade-from-scratch lassagne! And yes, I did make it with my own two hands even though I feel majorly crummy.

Oh, and did I mention the homemade-from-scratch chicken pot pie that I cooked yesterday, even though death was knocking at my door? And when I say from scratch, I mean from scratch. No canned soup, no Bisquick, no processed chicken.

Okay, so maybe I was feeling just a little guilty about the frozen pizza we had for Sunday dinner.

FREE Starbucks!!

WOOT!!!! I just found out that on Thursday, March 15th (that is tomorrow as I type this) Starbucks is having their COFFEE BREAK from 10 am to noon. Stop by your local Starbucks and get a free 12 oz cup of regular coffee!

(Heh! Heh! My poor Starbucks son will be working during this madness.)

Thanks, Kim, for the inspiration!

My lips are orange.

You may be asking yourself, "Why on earth are her lips orange?" Well, I shall tell you. My lips are orange because instead of having a second cup of coffee today, I pulled out my juicer and juiced some yummy, organic carrots. I sacrificed my java as an act of solidarity. My internet friend, Kim is trying to kick the coffee habit. So, I figure if the caffeine queen can give it a go, so should I.

Actually, I need to do a total overhaul on my eating and drinking habits. There is too much bad and not enough good these days. I know that this may sound extreme to most of you, but if I really want to feel good, I have to cut out caffeine, sugar, dairy, processed foods, red meat, most other animal products, and do proper food combining (fruit alone, proteins with veggies okay, carbs with veggies okay, but don't eat carbs and proteins in the same meal). I managed it after my last baby was born. I ate lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and drank carrot juice regularly. I lost weight (which was nice, but not a major goal for me now), and more importantly, I had energy, my joint and muscle pains went away, and I felt good. I was also frequently making two different meals...one for my family and one for me. That got old. Also, I missed the whole social part of eating. I did well for months until the holidays came around. Then I fell off the wagon. I just haven't had the will power and determination to do it again.

However, I am getting pretty tired of feeling crummy, so I am praying about what I should do. I want to be my best and not settle for falling apart at 40.

The Best Way to Eat an OREO!!

Oreos and how to properly eat one...I know that there is much controversy on the subject. Do you take it apart and eat the cream first? Do you dunk it in milk? Well, my dear friends, I am here to tell you that today I made a fantastic discovery. Perhaps it is nothing new. Perhaps you have known this all along and neglected to tell me the wonderful news, (shame on you if you did!) but I have stumbled upon the truly BEST way to eat an Oreo. No glass of milk for me. No sirree! You dunk it in...a cup of coffee! Oh yum! Oh ecstasy! Oh delight! All these years and to think I never knew!!!

Can You Smell It???

My wheat finally came in last week! So today, just like the Little Red Hen, I ground the wheat and made the dough and baked the bread. Mmmmmmmm! Can you smell it??



And just like the Little Red Hen, plenty of folk showed up once the baking was done, happy to help me EAT the bread! Truly, it took less than 60 seconds for the entire first loaf to disappear!!

One Big, Healthy, Family

I have boxes of organic, whole grain cereal that have been sitting in my kitchen, untouched for over a month. BUT, buy a 38 ounce bag of Marshmallow Mateys (a Lucky Charms rip-off) and watch it disappear in less than 48 hours!