My Refrigerator Runneth Over

Ever have one of those moments where you are totally aware of how much luckier you are than a lot of people? I had one of those this weekend. It wasn’t caused by any lottery winnings or a promotion or even a good grade on a paper, but just on the sheer fullness of my refrigerator.

I know I personally spend a good amount of time during the month lamenting my lack of financial resources. I’m going to try and stop doing that because I SHOULD be grateful for even having the option of eating mostly whole foods.

In a country where we can go to McDonalds and have a full meal for $3 off the dollar menu, and our kids can eat hot lunch for $2, “real” food is increasingly becoming a luxury item. This weekend I shopped for the next three weeks, and stocked up on a some more expensive sundry items (laundry soap, pull ups, spirulina supplements) to the tune of $346. (My mother is having a heart attack as she reads this.)

For the last week, I have been inventing meals out of the dregs of my freezer and cupboards, so $346 for at least three weeks, including proteins, doesn’t seem so bad.

Bottom line is, most of us should probably spend less time worrying about what we WANT to buy, and more time being grateful that we can buy what we NEED.

Hope you had a happy weekend! I spent most of mine in one grocery store or another, so I leave you with a view of my fridge and all the lovely things it has to offer.

And for those of you who wonder what to feed your kids when you are trying to get your family to eat more healthfully, I offer a glimpse into Anna’s awesome Scooby Doo lunch box.

(I apologize for the awful photos, it was late and I haven’t had much practice w/ my new camera.)

Photo 1:

100% pure maple syrup, manzanilla olives, ground flax seeds & silken tofu (for smoothies), and if you look really hard in the back you’ll see the last dregs of GG’s homemade hot fudge. I can’t just throw it out! What if there is a chocolate emergency!?

Photo 2:

2 containers of bulk hummus, 2 leftover portions of delish lemon-caper chicken, unsweetened plain coconut milk and vanilla coconut milk (for smoothies and soup).

Photo 3:

Anna’s lunch: natural string cheese, apple juice, homemade lunchables with free range turkey, cheddar and Kashi crackers; my lunch: assorted cut veggies, hummus and oranges; homemade applesauce, organic black beans, Jamaica tea and Ocean Spray 100% juice.

Photo 4:

Fruit and veggies galore! Apples, blueberries, strawberries, spinach, oranges, bean sprouts, broccoli, rainbow salad, asparagus, carrots and more! Also, some extra lean ground turkey for tacos.

Photo 5:

The rest of Anna’s breakfast, lunch and snacks: clementines, organic raisins, Kashi granola bar and crackers, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon raisin mini bagel and a couple of ginger snaps and licorice pinwheels. Combine this with the string cheese, apple juice and lunchables and that kid should not be hungry all day!

The photo of my fruit bowl is so bad that I’m ashamed to show you, but it holds bananas, apples, avocados, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, shallots and almonds.

Needless to say, I should be set for the next couple of weeks. Who’s coming over for dinner?

Guess what tomorrow is?? Payday, baby.

I’ve recently had conversations with several friends who say “what do you eat?!” and “I could never do that!”

That is hogwash. If I can, you can too.

Yes, it’s a pain in the butt to cook and plan all the time. It is, BUT the actual food-eating part? Not so bad. Honestly, I thought I’d miss cheese more than anything, but the avocado has really taken on that role. What I do miss the most is crunch. A cracker or a chip or something to give me that snap. 

For the most part any lingering cravings are manageable, except for when I’m having a panic attack, and then all bets are off. I had a really interesting light-bulb moment for that yesterday while I was mindlessly shoving almonds in my mouth as fast as I could (emotions play such a role in our relationship with food).

I’m actually really proud of myself for how well I’ve done. I haven’t been perfect, but I’m feeling pretty good about the progress I have made. And the best news is, tomorrow is PAYDAY! (Well, not the best news, the BEST news is 7 pounds).

To mark this momentous occasion, I’ve decided to bless you with my meal plan for the next couple of weeks, just to show you that the food is actually really good.

Breakfasts:

Fruit & Nuts

Smoothies made w/ ground flax seed, coconut milk and fruit

Lunches:

Leftovers from dinners

Dinners:

Potato leek soup w/ avocado, cucumber and tomato salad

“Fried” fish w/ quinoa pilaf and asparagus

Moo shu veggies w/ brown rice

Chicken w/ lemon caper sauce, brown & wild rice and asparagus

Homemade chicken nuggets w/ sweet potato fries and spinach salad (my 4 year old likes these WAY more than commercial nuggets, and she likes to help make them too!)

Chicken w/ stir-fried veggies and brown rice

Fish tacos w/ refried beans

Chicken w/ sundried tomato spread and lentils

Snacks:

Dark chocolate (at least 70%)

Hummus & sliced veggies

Olives

Apples & cashew butter

Misc. fruit

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in any recipes, and I’ll do my best to pass them on. Here’s to a great weekend of healthy, delicious food!

24 Sticks of Butter!

Hey, man, that’s A LOT of butter! That’s 12 batches of caramel corn, or 384 croissants! “Why do we care about that much butter”, you ask? “I thought we weren’t eating butter!” you sputter. Well, according to the scale this morning, that’s how much lard is not on my (ahem!) posterior. I’m not exactly sure how this happened, what with the Doing-of-Nothing all last week and the Great-Mac-and-Cheese-Caper of the week before.

BUT, it does make me slightly more motivated to continue to decrease my bad-stuff intake and increase the instances of nutrient rich, good-for-me, gassy-making food! Well, that and the trip to Florida in four weeks. God knows I LOVES me some bathing suits (she says while rolling her eyes).

I have things to report about this weekend, but I’ll stifle myself for now and bask in the less-fattiness that is I. How’d you do this week?

So, watch out Mom, cuz you might not recognize the leggy blonde supermodel –type (blatantly stolen from Kelli) coming off the plane in four weeks. SHUT UP! It could happen. Really.

P.S. Jillian Michaels X 4 arrived on Friday, so now I can look like an idiot in the comfort of my own living room with just the kid and the guinea pig to laugh at me.

Chocolate Chip Cookies are of the Devil, and Other Tales of Woe

So, you know in that movie Eurotrip when they all have REALLY bad nights and they all “DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT”? That’s how I feel about the last few days.  I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.

I don’t know whether it’s my body’s response to junk food deprivation or hormones or what, but UGH. I have zero energy, want to sleep all the time and am SO not interested in exercising.

So, back to the chocolate chip cookies. Thanks to my daughter’s great-grandma, there were cookies in my presence yesterday. Now, she’s the nicest lady ever, and so sweet, but COME ON! Who can say no to Tollhouse, I ask ya! Certainly not me. So, while in the grip of a bout of temporary insanity I had 2(or 3) of them. Gah!

It truly is an addiction. But, despite the cookies and an entire jar of olives (not the giant one either! and maybe some organic, blue corn tortillas), I’m down a couple pounds this week! Woohoo!

I’m trying to be forgiving to myself and be at peace with the fact that this isn’t the end of the world, and that 92% whole foods is way better than 50% whole foods.

I’ll punish myself with the Jillian Michaels DVDs that should be at my house right now…

Maybe. Or maybe I’ll watch a movie instead. But I definitely won’t be eating any Tollhouse cookies. Not because I can resist, mind you, but because they are all gone.

TGIF babies!

Oh, fish. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, um, none.

I am not a fan. I will eat it if forced to, and occasionally I try to like it solely (Get it? Sole?) based on the fact that it is good for me. Incidentally, I don’t mind it raw, in sushi. I’m weird, I know.

I’ve been branching out, however, within the confines of this detox plan.  So, this weekend I picked up some gorgeous tilapia for a great price and made up my own recipe for delicousness!

You won’t be sorry you tried it! I only made one fillet at a time, so you’ll have to adjust for more than that.

Cornmeal and Almond-Crusted Tilapia with Lemon Dijon Sauce

(Measurements are imprecise, sorry!)

Fish:                                 

1 large tilapia fillet

4-6 Tbsp Cornmeal (OR use nuts like pistachios or almonds ground in a coffee grinder)

2-4 Tbsp slivered almonds, crushed

Sea salt

Pepper

Tarragon

Granulated roasted garlic

Olive oil

Sauce:

~4 Tbsp prepared Dijon

~1 Tbsp lemon juice

Tarragon

1 clove minced garlic

Pepper

Rinse fish in cold water and flap it around to dry; set aside. Mix “breading” ingredients on a plate with a fork.

Heat a pan to medium heat (hot enough to crackle when you put the fish in), spread oil to coat the pan. Dredge fish in “breading” on each side and place in pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Lick whisk to test seasoning, adjust if necessary.

Cook fish for about 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked completely. Plate and drizzle fish with sauce and serve w/ brown rice and asparagus (sauce is awesome on the asparagus too).

So, that was my Sunday dinner. My four-year-old wouldn’t touch it, but I made her eat 2 bites like any other meany normal mother would do. It was a great end to a weekend full of “oops I ate the rest of the mac ‘n cheese” moments. Alas, I am not perfect. I aspire to do better this week!

Here’s what I learned this weekend:

·         It is nearly impossible to cook “kid” food for others and not eat any

·         I adore hummus and cucumber slices

·         Buckwheat groats (kasha) are disgusting and should never enter my house again.

·         Coconut yogurt is not doable at home(much to my dismay)

·         And this is nothing new: feeling stressed makes me want cupcakes. There are some in the break room. They are calling me, but I will prevail! Viva el sucre-resistance! (or whatever)

Pour Some Sugar on Me. Or don't; Cuz I Don't Care.

Howdy from day four!

The good news? My cravings have disappeared! The bad news? Preparing every meal from scratch is a big pain in the arse.

Let me say again: MY CRAVINGS HAVE DISAPPEARED!!!

Maybe this doctor/author knows what he’s talking about… But, lemme ask you, how do people live their lives with no convenience food? So far, this is my biggest challenge. I spend hours preparing meals that are consumed in no time flat. Last night I was cooking until 10:00pm, and to disappointing results: some not-very-tasty soup that I am going to eat anyway because I am cheap and can’t bear to throw anything away. Ugh.

Oh, and the cost! My trip to the health food store last weekend cost me, oh, about ONE MILLION DOLLARS (she says in Dr. Evil’s voice with pinkie raised to mouth). I resolve to do better with my shopping this week. Here’s what I learned about the stuff I did buy.

·         Amaranth tastes like cream of wheat when mixed with coconut milk

·         Don’t put too many ingredients in your smoothie

·         Soup made with old, frosty veggies is gross

·         Tofu goes just fine in a smoothie

·         I adore avocadoes, and am fine with them as a replacement for cheese

·         Cashew butter is the best thing ever(with apples, yummy)

·         Coconut milk and yogurt are super good (way better than soy which tastes like green beans)

·         Home toasted nuts are WAY better than store bought

And the icing on the too-much-information cake:

·         Eating a lot of fruit when you are not used to it makes you poop. A lot.

 (that’s for you Cath, I promised to talk about it)

Projects for the weekend include vegan potato leek soup, figuring out what to do with a bunch of purple kale and shopping for other stuff to snack on during next week.

Until later, my friends. I’m off to enjoy my day without being held prisoner by my cravings!

Out Damned Toxins! Out I Say!

Now, I’m aware that detox is all the rage right now, and  New Year’s resolutions are in full effect. I'm not interested in a here-today, gone-tomorrow solution. A few months ago I watched the movie Food Inc. It’s this horribly scary/enlightening documentary about where our food comes from. (You can watch it streaming on Netflix, if you have a membership)

You should totally watch it.

That said; I tend to be a doubter. Could it really be as bad as all that, or is this just propaganda to further the filmmaker's and author’s careers? I don’t have the answer, but the truth of the matter probably lies somewhere between “not that bad” and “disgustingly awful”.

In my quest to know more, I have checked out numerous books on varying subjects from the library including: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan,  Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and The Profitable Hobby Farm by Sarah Beth Aubrey. Since I did what I usually do, and requested all the books at the same time, I ended up with about 30 at once, so I really only skimmed through most of them. What I did learn, however, is that there is a whole bunch of stuff you can do to live more naturally. You can even grow and mill your own grain if you want (ugh)!

In December, my mom gave me this book: Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss. It is a very interesting read. In it, Dr. Hyman (snigger, snigger) talks about many different things that affect our body and how it metabolizes food. How inflammation, toxins, trans-fats and chemicals in our food are literally killing us.

I don’t want you to think that this is a commercial for this book. Dr. Hyman (!) is, after all, trying to make a buck and weight-loss is big business. After speaking with my doctor and obtaining my current lab results I decided to go ahead.  Since most of the book fits with what I have come to believe about our food supply, I am following the book's the guidelines for detox.

So, that’s where I’m at today. Detox day two is going smoothly, and I’m hopeful about the future of healing my body.  

Pssst. If you want to learn more about how you can learn about whole foods and detox and don’t want to get a special book from the library or Amazon, check out this website instead: wholeliving.com

Amaranth, Allergies and Ah-Ha Moments

So, you know that sayings about moms, right? The one about how they know everything? Turns out it’s (almost) true. Let me tell you the story of a spazzy girl, her mom and her neighbor the nurse.

One evening while enthusiastically preparing for the first day of detox, a girl (let’s call her Famie) cooks a batch of Amaranth for the first time. Turns out it smells pretty bad, but if you mix it with coconut milk, applesauce and walnuts, it tastes kind of like Cream of Wheat. Anyhoo, after reporting the results of her experiment to her mother and sister, Famie goes to snuggle with her kiddo, who is studiously ignoring her.

AND THEN

The prickly, itchy, allover sunburn-y feeling starts.

Now, being that Famie is just a little bit spazzy, she proceeds to freak out, take 2 Benedryl and run upstairs to the lovely retired nurse (who, BTW, deserves a medal for dealing with her neighbors and their children) who lives on the second floor and babble at her about her new Amaranth allergy.

*Sigh*

Turns out after a consult with her all-knowing parents, Famie realizes that it is not an allergy at all, but something called Niacin Flush. Last week my Famie’s doctor suggested she take Niacin for her slightly elevated triglycerides. Since she hadn’t had a reaction since starting it, she totally forgot about  the side effect of flushing. It’s a good thing her mom remembers what medications she is taking, since Famie is obviously an air-head.

Crisis averted! Now if Famie could just push through the Benedryl-induced comaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

And so it begins.

Welcome to my first blog post! I’ve read, I’ve researched, I’ve shopped and I’ve glutted myself on the oh-so-good-but-bad-for-you stuff. Tomorrow marks a new day in my household.

Starting with a three week, no dairy, no gluten and no sugar detox, I am beginning my adventures in whole foods. My main goal is to drastically improve my health and get myself off my blood pressure medication. AND I really, really, really don't want my daughter to grow up and deal with the same problems I have.

Lots of people are on blood pressure medication. But here’s the thing—I’m 33 years old. Combine this with my increased chances of developing Type II Diabetes and I have a real reason to be concerned with my health.

I’d like to use this forum to share my hopes of success, my inevitable failures, new foods and recipes that I’ve tried and hopefully some inspiration that I find along the way.

I hope you enjoy any small bit of my adventure!