Addiction

This is the post I was going to put up yesterday - except that I felt too wretched to actually do it.

My body hates me.  We are told that processed food is addictive.  We say this rather glibly, I think.  Oh, yeah, soft drinks are addictive, the companies add stuff to keep you craving more.  I'm not sure how true that is, but I do know that nasty things can happen when you stop eating that stuff. 

Right now (about 48 hours in), I am exhausted, my skin is rough and scratchy, my stomach is screaming, and I have the runs. All because I switched to healthy food. Isn't this stuff supposed to make you feel *better*?!  I know it will pass (in a year, maybe?) but it still is an ordeal.  Beware, my friends.  You are taking a poison that will stalk you should you try to leave it.  Beware.

I still believe it - the stuff about addiction.  But now I'm wondering whether I'm just not made to eat raw tomatoes.  I didn't have any yesterday and today I feel fine.  Time for an experiment.  Meanwhile: Breakfast

Old fashioned oatmeal with a chopped black plum, walnuts and dates

 Hey!  Where'd the dates and oatmeal come from (they weren't in the basket).  Sorry, I forgot.  I already had them in the house. Amazing what one uncovers when one cleans out the fridge .  

I'm also celebrating meeting my fitness goal for the week: five days of at least one hour of exercise each day.  It is time for a break!

Evening Update June 27, 2012

As promised, here is what the rest of the day looked like (through the lens of cuisine, of course).

Lunch:

Purple Cabbage Dal with Brown Rice

Snack:

Sliced Gala Apples with Hummus

Dinner:

Steamed Zucchini with Stir-fried Chickpeas, Mushrooms & Onions with Garlic, Ginger, Jalapeno Pepper,  Olive Oil and Lemon Juice.

Snack:

Shaved Cucumber Tomato Salad with chopped Onions, sliced Kalamata Olives, Lemon Juice and Hummus Dressing

I took my evening snack with me so I wouldn't gnaw my arm off.  Or bum-rush McDonalds for  french fries.

It worked. I walked right past a McDonalds and had no desire to enter because I had my snack with me. I ate it when I got home and added a Banana.  I've discovered that eating something sweet before sleeping is a "thing" for me.

Back on the Road Again

It's been a while since I've posted.  There has been some backsliding and avoiding.  On May 19, 2012, I decided to re-dedicate myself to a fresh-food lifestyle in a truly serious way.  I'm easing my way back into it and I'm really happy with the way things are going.

Yesterday I decided to challenge myself: eat only the foods that are in these baskets  for the next week.  If that means pre-cooking and packing some meals, so be it.

Food Basket June 26, 2012

By the way, this entire basket of food cost just $27.51. Even I was surprised.  Here is the grocery list with the prices:

1 3lb bag of apples - $3.99
2 8oz pkgs sliced mushrooms - $3.00
2.5lbs bananas - $2.01
2 Green squash - $1.48
1 160z pkg Chick Peas - $2.49
2 lbs Yellow Onions - $.99
2 16 oz pkgs organic carrots - $.99/each
4 Yams - $1.30
2 slicing tomatoes - $1.76
4 Plum tomatoes - $1.79
1 5pk Garlic - $.99
2 Jalapeno peppers - $.24
3 Cucumbers - $1.50
.25lb ginger - $.50
4 lemons - $1.60
5 black plums - $1.80

This basket is the stuff I already had in the fridge. Minus the olive oil - I forgot to put that in the picture.  Olive oil is a staple.

Stuff from the fridge

This basket contains:

Kalamata olives
Tahini Sauce (roasted)
Pinto Beans
1 head of Purple Cabbage
A quarter bag of walnuts
Nori
Brown rice
Shredded Coconut

I got some helpful equipment to help me stay on track.  These come from the container store.

I just LOVE the this set even includes chopsticks.

It's really easy to stick to the plan with this food storage system.  Be careful with liquids like soups.  These leak!

I'm also faithfully working out.  Although not with Jim.  I think Jim understands.  I'm seeing Marcus Garvey Park now.  At some point I'll share the EPIC workout, but for now the plan is 1 hour of exercise 5 days per week.

Today's breakfast was amazing - and so simple.  The plums are very tart, so I thought I wouldn't like them. But they contrast wonderfully with the very sweet bananas.

Breakfast June 27, 2012.  Banana Plum Salad

Look for an evening update cataloging the rest of today's meals.