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Friday, July 30, 2010

More than fruit for Breakfast


This morning, I ate the normal fruit and went for a 2 mile walk in the park. When I came back I reached for more fruit. We went out to the trampoline and the fruit was just not cutting it. So when we came back in I opened my Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. THE Breakfast Sandwich. I had to alter it a little with what I have in my fridge, but it was yummier than I thought! I still want an good old egg sandwich, but maybe if I had the Vegan Bacon or Ham that was suggested, I would be happier.

So slice up some tufu, salt and pepper it and put it in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil. Cook 2 min, add soy butter and flip, add vegan cheese (I used american tofutti). Cook 2 more min. Toast bread (I used The Baker Whole Grain Goodness, which is big so I cut it in half and only had one slice). Soy butter on bread, then tofu with cheese. Optional: tomato and vegan ham or bacon and ketchup.

Last Night's Dinner


I'd like to share with you the new recipes I try, if they are any good of course. So, I happened to have barely in the pantry, who knew! I used to mix it into Emma's baby food to give her some carbs, I had half a bag left. Either Parent's magazine or Fitness Magazine (who knows when you rip the pages out) had a grilled vegetable section in the last mag I read (I'm a couple months behind so it was probably May). Since I am did not dive in to being Vegan, I am getting there slowly, I did have regular Feta in the fridge and only put a little tiny bit on my plate, and the suggested amount on Evan's. It was not a success with Emma, she barely got the fork to her lips and spit it out. She did however eat a whole ear of corn, then chugged chocolate milk until she was full. Evan and I both thought it was delicious! And sorry about the picture, I can't figure out how to turn it, so you will have to turn your head!

Grilled Vegetables over Barley with Feta and Basil
(6 servings, but I cut it in half, except the sauce, I did the suggested amount)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of barley and boil until tender but slightly chewy, about 45 min. Drain.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the juice of 3 limes, 1 1/2 tbsp honey, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 tsp ground black pepper and 1/8 tsp chili powder. Whisk in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil. Reserve 1/2 the sauce for barley.
3. Brush 4 ears of corn broken in half with dressing. Toss 2 red bell peppers, seeded and quartered and 12 whole button mushrooms with remaining dressing.
4. Preheat grill to medium high. Season vegetables with kosher salt; grill, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Toss barely with 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil and the reserved dressing. Spoon onto plates and top with vegetables. Sprinkle with 2 tblp chopped fresh basil and 1/3 cup crumbled feta.

448 calories, 10 g protein, 60 g carb, 22 g fat, 10 g fiber

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Skinny Bitch

For those of you that have not read it, I'll sum it up for you. I do not suggest reading it if you are offended by cursing, or don't like getting yelled at. "A no-nonsense tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!" Obviously, #1 give up the crap. No more coffee, smoking, refined sugars, OTC meds, no excessive alcohol, you know the usual suspects. Carbs: you need them, but try to eat whole wheat and not white flour. Give up meat, it's full of fat. And in the chapter called, "The dead, rotting, decomposing flesh diet" they go on to explain how animals are treated and what chemicals are in them, etc, to convince you to give up meat. It works. Dairy, while coming from those same mistreated animals, is full of fat. Give it up too. It goes through the myths and truths of protein, we need it, but not as much as you might think and you can get it from foods other than meats. Pooping is healthy, try to do it twice a day. Don't trust the FDA and USDA. When looking for organic products, look for California Certified Organic Farmers, Oregon Tilth, Marin Organic Certified and Demeter Certified Biodynamic. You are what you eat so try to eat well. Then it goes through vitamins and where to find them and that you will need to take a B-12 supplement. Next it has sample diets, and suggested foods, that these girls think taste delicious. The end of the book is little fun facts. The authors aren't perfect and you will occasionally see them doing things that are not suggested. Read the ingredients of everything. And control portions. Just being overall smart about what you eat.

I need to include more whole grains, brown rice, barley, rye, buckwheat, millet, oats, beans and seeds in my diet. Spirulina. Ener-G egg replacer. Check out goveg.com. Add more pineapple, papaya, mango and banana, lightly steam all veggies, and add wheat grass, sea vegetables and legumes. Replace coffee with organic decaf tea and fresh squeezed juices. Use natural unrefined celtic sea salt.

Here is my proposed plan, from what I learned in the book:

Week 1- Make breakfast all fruit and lunch all veggies. As we run out of things, condiments and such, replace it with organic vegan. Slow caffeine and nicotine intake. Sounds easy right? Little changes help change a life style, so it's not just a diet, and it might actually stick.

Week 2- No more caffeine or nicotine. Better portion control (especially at dinner). Do yoga every day. Keep up the replacing things with organic vegan.

Week 3- Switch to organic no sulfites added red wine. Keep water in check, 8 glasses a day. No more pills, give up advil and zyrtec and prevacid. Donate blood.

Week 4- Review the book. Research fasting.

And I want to point out that I am starting week 3 now. I am still (although loads less than 2 weeks ago) drinking coffee and occasionally smoking. Sometimes fruit isn't enough for breakfast, so I keep mini muffins and yoga bread around. Portions are under control, I had no idea how easy that would be. And if I go without doing yoga for a day I don't like the way I feel. This is much easier than I thought. But not for everyone. I know. A couple websites to check out: HappyCow.net, VeganPeace.com, VegCooking.com and GoVeg.com.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Getting Started

Hip super mom, fashionista, tons of products for hair, nails, skin, etc, 50 pairs of shoes and 40 purses, toddler daughter walking in my footsteps, has a light bulb come on after days of cleaning. I need to clean out my life. While looking for an organic cleaning book (because I know there is a simpler way with out the harsh chemicals that I don't want to expose my child to) I find the book, Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Oh, sounds like me, or what I will be. So I pick it up. At first I'm skeptical. Vegan, poop, I could never do that I love red meat. I know they treat animals badly, but it tastes so good. Plus we need protein right? Well, in case your wondering, the book answers all your questions. By the end of the book, I'm all in. I want to be healthy and skinny. I am thinking (unless really expensive because I'm on a budget) I'm going organic and a little more vegetarian, at least. I go directly to a whole foods store and skip the grocery store. Hooked. There are a ton of options. I can eat more than 3 things. I can try new tastes. I like it. And it just so happens, my meat-atarian, non-organic, asthmatic, and should be a specialist on allergies husband is out of town for 2 weeks on business. Done deal. I start leaning toward veganism. I just don't like throwing out food, so we'll eat what's in the fridge and go from there. With this "new life style" comes cleaning the chemicals out of the house. What is the point in eating organic if I'm absorbing chemicals through my lotion and shampoo and make up every day? But I'm taking the same approach there also. As I run out of things, the new thing I buy are going to be organic and natural.

So I picked up a second book. Green This! by Deirdre Imus. The first of a three book series about cleaning out your life from horrible chemicals. I went in with the same skeptical thoughts as the first book. She's over the top, this is crazy. But I'll try a little at a time and we'll see. I'm not quite finished the book, but I'm wondering why I didn't read it years ago. I ordered the whole series of books on Amazon, as well as the series of Skinny Bitch last night. I'm totally in. I cleaned out my bathroom closet (because I always clean the bathroom on Fridays) and gave my sister a bunch of lotions and hair products that I'm sure I can live without. I kept some yummy smelling ones for date night and special occasions. It just sounds so much easier to live green and it also doesn't sound as expensive as I expected. I'm cleaning out the cleaning products this week. I'm sure I'll be a Kimberton Whole Foods again and I'll be looking for the Imus GTC line of cleaning products, as well as some vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice that I should stock up on.

I am happy to report, I am turning into my mother. As long as my children don't start burning my recipes in the fire place and saying even the dog won't eat it! Hopefully, I'm starting early enough that Em will just join in and not question me. I really want to do the best thing for my child as I can and I am well aware that the bleach smell that comes from the bathroom every Friday may mean it's clean, but can't be good for anyone's lungs. I also started doing yoga. Never in my life did I think I would. Now I work out daily, I'd say religiously, but cardio and strength training. I happened to be getting a little bored with my routine only a week or two before starting to read these books. So, on a whim I tried Jillian Micheal's yoga. Not quite traditional, but it's where I started. I still don't do the "real" yoga, but I do Less is More Yoga and Fitness Fusion Yoga, it feels like cardio and stretching at the same time. Now I hate going more than a day with out doing it!

So here I am. Greening my life and loving it! Feel free to join me in my quiet crusade to save the world, one child at a time!