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.

Weekends

Remember how I said I'd be posting what I eat?  There is a caveat. 6pm Friday to midnight Saturday are the exceptions to that.  During that time, I eat whatever I want and I don't have to show it to anyone.

This is how I handle cravings - by setting aside that special time for satisfying whatever culinary desires I have. That way, when I am confronted by a craving during the week, I can simply refer it to those magical hours between 6pm Friday an midnight Saturday.  I keep a list during the week and choose what to indulge in on the weekend.  The wonder of it is, I usually find that by the second or third item, my cravings have been satisfied.  Delayed gratification, yes, but gratification just the same. So, go forth and indulge! It's the weekend.

Happy Friday!

My date with Jim went so well today!  It is Friday so we took it a little easy - level 10 on the Hill program.  Sixty minutes of devoted attention and I feel so good!  Here is a picture from our date.  Jim has a number of flat screen TVs (I know!) and I got to see Dr. Oz pushing Kola nut.  Anyone from West Africa will probably find this hilarious.  I did.

 My Date with Jim: February 17, 2012

After a nice stretching session I felt awesome - ready to go on with my day.  So I went home and made lunch.  This is a very quick and simple but tasty and nutritious meal.

 Pho Stirfry with Garlicy Spinach.

Pho (pronounced "Fuh") is a rice noodle from Vietnam.  Later I'll tell you the story of this particular Pho and post the recipe for this meal.  In the meanwhile, here is some information about Pho: Wikipedia, SteamyKitchen.com, TheKitchn.com.  The recipe at Steamy Kitchen.com is  excellent and the site has lots of wonderful information about Pho.  However, the recipe calls for meat.  I happen to be vegan - so I have posted a vegan alternative from TheKitchn.com.  Enjoy!

Food!

Jim has given me a great idea.  Since being in fabulous shape is about working out and what you eat, I'm going to share what I eat with you, too.  Now, this is a big deal for me because I've decided that I'll have to be honest.  If I eat it, I post it! That's great, though, because it encourages me to stay faithful to the commitment I'm making to my relationship with Jim.  After all, the success of this relationship depends on what both of us bring into it, right?  So here is my breakfast this morning:

Masoor Dal Porridge

This Dal happens to be made of red lentils. It is very yummy and a great source of protein.  There are tons of options for how to season and prepare Dal.  I opted for a very simple preparation.  First I rinsed the lentils thoroughly.  Then I seasoned them with salt, a generous amount of dill (maybe 1.5 tablespoons - I don't usually measure) and a half block of vegetable bullion.  I mixed these all together and then added enough water to cover the lentils by about an inch.  I let the lentils cook slowly until the water was mostly gone and the lentils had a porridge like consistency.  I've decided to use Dal to replace the soy yogurt I used to have each morning (more about that later). Visit these websites to learn more about Dal: Wikipedia, IndianFoodForever.com.

Ok - I'm off to prep for my date with Jim!

Meet Jim!

I am so excited about my new boyfriend! His name is Jim but he spells it Gym.  He says it's the European spelling. I think that's a little pretentious but, hey, I'm not complaining. He makes me look good and we're going to be spending a lot of time together.

He's as dedicated to my goals as I am.  He understands that I have a number of big events coming up that I'd like to be in fabulous shape for: my debut gig in New York City on March 14, my blrgsotyth birthday on April 9th and my 20th high school reunion in July.  Jim has promised to be there for me every step of the way.

I so adore him and I want to share my joy at finally finding someone who will truly stand by me come what may.  So, welcome to my relationship with Jim :).