Today was just one of those days. I had to get my car tags renewed, so I went to the DMV early and I got there when they opened and was the 72nd person in line. I have no idea how that happens, but I had left my smoothie in the car while I went in. I wish I would have brought it with me, my stomach was growling.
I got to work at 9am to find out two people had been fired. Not a great start to the day.
I had to go to the plumbing store at lunch to pick out my bathroom vanity top and my shower kit, and I went by a new place downtown, Cafe Gratitude for lunch.
The place was great. I loved the vibe, my server Matt was awesome and I was in a great mood despite the day's happenings.
I had a veggie burger that was really....earthy. I'm not sure I'd have it again. For veggie, it was good, but I kept expecting a juicy burger. It is a challenge for a reason. I'd definitely go back though because I do want to try their other offerings.
The afternoon was pretty painless, but I couldn't leave work fast enough.
Tonight was book club, so I went to my parents' and ate black bean enchilada leftovers then headed to book club where it was French night. Cheese abounded. For the first time all challenge, I ate dairy. Very small pieces of cheeses with some white baguette. I also had some pasta with carmelized onions. I hadn't had pasta in 18 days. It had parmesean on top and was yummy. We took strawberries with cocoa nut dip, which I enjoyed immensely. I did eat pears and asparagus too so I could get in some of my 90/10 balance. Maybe not a total success for the day, but considering the events, pretty good.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Day 17: Business Travel
I got up at 4am this morning for a work trip to Dallas. I had an apple on the way to the airport and packed peanuts and a banana in my bag.
There isn't much to report from the trip. We had our meeting then went to a store to see the bakery. I really REALLY wanted to buy some of the delicious looking bread, but I didn't. We had lunch at the store. It was a Mexican store. Well not really a Mexican store, but their demographic is Mexican so the food at the store was all Mexican. Not vegetarian. I had rice and beans for lunch on top of homemade corn tortillas. Yum.
I ate the banana before we got back on the plane to come home.
I came straight home from the airport and had some edamame and black beans. I did random stuff around the house and then went to my parents' for No Pasta Lasagna. It was super filling and really good. I'd definitely eat it again. It was the first experience with soy cheese and it was a great fit.
There isn't much to report from the trip. We had our meeting then went to a store to see the bakery. I really REALLY wanted to buy some of the delicious looking bread, but I didn't. We had lunch at the store. It was a Mexican store. Well not really a Mexican store, but their demographic is Mexican so the food at the store was all Mexican. Not vegetarian. I had rice and beans for lunch on top of homemade corn tortillas. Yum.
I ate the banana before we got back on the plane to come home.
I came straight home from the airport and had some edamame and black beans. I did random stuff around the house and then went to my parents' for No Pasta Lasagna. It was super filling and really good. I'd definitely eat it again. It was the first experience with soy cheese and it was a great fit.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Day 16: Back to Work
I had a green smoothie with pear, pineapple, banana, flax seed, spinach and almond milk for breakfast. Yummy, easy and filling. There was an interesting taste in there and I can't pick out what it was, but the smoothie was still good.
A woman at work makes cakes for fun and she brought in a strawberries and cream cake for a different woman who is having a baby. I had to try a tiny piece of the cake and I was sure glad I did. It was awesome. The little piece was definitely enough for me though, as I didn't feel awesome when I was done eating it, but that didn't last long.
We went to lunch early today and ended up at Chipotle again. I had the same thing as last time, except with grilled veggies this time. I could eat that food every week. It is good, decently healthy and very filling. Except by 3pm I was hungry again. Thankfully a woman at work had some leftover carrots. I ate the whole bag.
I grabbed a leftover salad when I got home from work and had that and a banana before heading off to softball. The games were pretty decent. I played third. A guy on the other team snapped his ankle during the second game, so that was a total bummer, but we won both games. Night 1 of 10 in the books.
Some edamame with soy sauce rounded off the night and bedtime came early because 4am will come even earlier.
A woman at work makes cakes for fun and she brought in a strawberries and cream cake for a different woman who is having a baby. I had to try a tiny piece of the cake and I was sure glad I did. It was awesome. The little piece was definitely enough for me though, as I didn't feel awesome when I was done eating it, but that didn't last long.
We went to lunch early today and ended up at Chipotle again. I had the same thing as last time, except with grilled veggies this time. I could eat that food every week. It is good, decently healthy and very filling. Except by 3pm I was hungry again. Thankfully a woman at work had some leftover carrots. I ate the whole bag.
I grabbed a leftover salad when I got home from work and had that and a banana before heading off to softball. The games were pretty decent. I played third. A guy on the other team snapped his ankle during the second game, so that was a total bummer, but we won both games. Night 1 of 10 in the books.
Some edamame with soy sauce rounded off the night and bedtime came early because 4am will come even earlier.
Day 15: Road trip again
We were on the road again today. I ate an apple for breakfast and then got in the car to drive for four hours. At some point I grabbed the grapes because I was so hungry, but they were much more sour than the other grapes. It didn't stop me from eating quite a few.
We stopped at the Fiddlesticks place again for lunch and I had a spinach salad with green apple, green grapes, slivered almonds and avocado. I had green poppy seed dressing that was actually really yummy. Some nuts in the car while the drive continued rounded out the afternoon.
We finally made it home and had to go to the store and stock up on essentials, so we didn't have dinner til about 8, and we had black bean enchiladas. There was too much chili powder and I wasn't totally pumped about the tomato sauce base, but still pretty yummy with guacamole, lettuce and tomato.
We stopped at the Fiddlesticks place again for lunch and I had a spinach salad with green apple, green grapes, slivered almonds and avocado. I had green poppy seed dressing that was actually really yummy. Some nuts in the car while the drive continued rounded out the afternoon.
We finally made it home and had to go to the store and stock up on essentials, so we didn't have dinner til about 8, and we had black bean enchiladas. There was too much chili powder and I wasn't totally pumped about the tomato sauce base, but still pretty yummy with guacamole, lettuce and tomato.
Day 14: Dessert
It was the day of the party. I started off well with an apple and a banana at the hotel. Then it all pretty much went down hill from there.
We got to the party after we stopped at the grocery store and bought some fruit. I spent about an hour cutting up all various forms of fruit once we got to the house, and I made quite the lovely fruit trays. There were tons of strawberries because my cousin was making a cream cheese tart she needed to top with fruit.
Once everyone arrived, there were hot dogs, 2 hams, 2 crock pots of pulled pork, BLT dip, a huge veggie tray, fruit, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, fruit dip and chopped salad from Portillos. I'm proud to say that I did not eat any meat the whole time. I had brought my leftover falafel from Aladdin Pita and warmed that up. Of course I got weird comments about it, but hey, whatever.
I ate lots of veggies with hummus and quite a bit of fruit. I did try the baked beans because they were a special recipe, but didn't eat anything dairy....until dessert.
I had told myself that I was going to let myself have a piece of birthday cake. Well there wasn't a good cake, so I had 2 cookie balls, half of a chocolate chip cookie and a small slice of the cheese cake tart, which was delicious and did not ever get topped with fruit.
I didn't feel great after dessert so I ate more veggies and munched on some bean dip out of a can. I know it isn't good for me, but it was better than the other options. All in all, I'd say a pretty good party.
We got to the party after we stopped at the grocery store and bought some fruit. I spent about an hour cutting up all various forms of fruit once we got to the house, and I made quite the lovely fruit trays. There were tons of strawberries because my cousin was making a cream cheese tart she needed to top with fruit.
Once everyone arrived, there were hot dogs, 2 hams, 2 crock pots of pulled pork, BLT dip, a huge veggie tray, fruit, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, fruit dip and chopped salad from Portillos. I'm proud to say that I did not eat any meat the whole time. I had brought my leftover falafel from Aladdin Pita and warmed that up. Of course I got weird comments about it, but hey, whatever.
I ate lots of veggies with hummus and quite a bit of fruit. I did try the baked beans because they were a special recipe, but didn't eat anything dairy....until dessert.
I had told myself that I was going to let myself have a piece of birthday cake. Well there wasn't a good cake, so I had 2 cookie balls, half of a chocolate chip cookie and a small slice of the cheese cake tart, which was delicious and did not ever get topped with fruit.
I didn't feel great after dessert so I ate more veggies and munched on some bean dip out of a can. I know it isn't good for me, but it was better than the other options. All in all, I'd say a pretty good party.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Day 13: Caved
Breakfast this morning was a little boring. All I had was a banana and some blueberries, but I thought it was the best option.
We went over to my cousin's, and waited for my Aunt to make it in town. Then we drove down to the Shedd Aquarium. The line to get it was 2 hours long, and I was starving, so I had a veggie burger from a food stand. I was impressed they even offered a veggie burger, but it was salty and surrounded by white bun. Alas, it was better than starving for the next 6 hours.
It did the trick to tide me over until after aquarium fun was had. We met a bud for a quick drink before heading out to the suburbs again for Mexican dinner with the entire family.
At the Mexican place, I did stay away from cheese, meat and dairy. I did not, however, stay away from tortilla chips. I was hungry and I love them. We did order guac so as to kind of get some veggies, but alas, I ate too many chips.
I had veggie fajitas with corn tortillas for dinner. There were even a few pieces of broccoli, squash, cauliflower, it had lots of onions, some mushrooms and was pretty good.
A glass of wine later and it is time for bed to get ready for a record high day in Chicago tomorrow.
We went over to my cousin's, and waited for my Aunt to make it in town. Then we drove down to the Shedd Aquarium. The line to get it was 2 hours long, and I was starving, so I had a veggie burger from a food stand. I was impressed they even offered a veggie burger, but it was salty and surrounded by white bun. Alas, it was better than starving for the next 6 hours.
It did the trick to tide me over until after aquarium fun was had. We met a bud for a quick drink before heading out to the suburbs again for Mexican dinner with the entire family.
At the Mexican place, I did stay away from cheese, meat and dairy. I did not, however, stay away from tortilla chips. I was hungry and I love them. We did order guac so as to kind of get some veggies, but alas, I ate too many chips.
I had veggie fajitas with corn tortillas for dinner. There were even a few pieces of broccoli, squash, cauliflower, it had lots of onions, some mushrooms and was pretty good.
A glass of wine later and it is time for bed to get ready for a record high day in Chicago tomorrow.
Day 12: Finding Veggie Fare
As we started the day in Hannibal, MO, the first order of the day was a green smoothie that had been prepared before the trip began. The smoothie was somewhat earthy, which didn't make sense except that it had broccoli in it. Hmmm...
We walked around Hannibal for a bit, taking in the shops and river setting and then headed on the road. Shortly after we got on the road, we realized that going through Champaign would not be that far out of the way, so we headed that way and I started contemplating what I wanted to eat while we were there. Dad voted for Murphy's, but I was pretty sure there would be nothing Eat to Live proof there, so I opted for Za's instead. I thought the one on campus was still closed, but we googled it just instead. The website came up and said that only the two were on Springfield and Neil. We went to the one on Neil, and I had a whole wheat crust with mushrooms, spinach, onions, olives and pineapple. It was a tad bit burnt on the bottom, but other than that it was pure Za's goodness.
After lunch we headed to campus just to take a quick drive around. Mom and Dad hadn't been there since I graduated, and a lot has changed in 8 years! I can't believe it has been 8 years. Pure strangeness. Where has the time possibly gone?
We drove the rest of the way to our hotel and decided we were going to eat on our own instead of going to non-veggie friendly Portillo's. I yelped a veggie restaurant close to where we are, and all I found was a place called Aladdin Pita a few miles down the road. We decided to try out this Middle Eastern place out. It. was. awesome.
First they brought us all these yummy appetizers of hummus, babba gnoush, cucumber & tomato salad and another cucumber and tomato thing with yogurt. All this was eaten with pita. Pitas are non-eat to live approved, but they were good. I had falafel after that and it was even better. Stellar. Not quite my famous falafel from France a few years back, but still good. We got the bill and it was $15. For 3 people to be full and take food home it was $15. Crazy.
We stopped to get some wine on the way home and made it back to our hotel to enjoy a glass of wine before stretching out on a pull-out bed for me. Boy that king sure looked cozy, but all was well, I was super tired and passed out quickly.
We walked around Hannibal for a bit, taking in the shops and river setting and then headed on the road. Shortly after we got on the road, we realized that going through Champaign would not be that far out of the way, so we headed that way and I started contemplating what I wanted to eat while we were there. Dad voted for Murphy's, but I was pretty sure there would be nothing Eat to Live proof there, so I opted for Za's instead. I thought the one on campus was still closed, but we googled it just instead. The website came up and said that only the two were on Springfield and Neil. We went to the one on Neil, and I had a whole wheat crust with mushrooms, spinach, onions, olives and pineapple. It was a tad bit burnt on the bottom, but other than that it was pure Za's goodness.
After lunch we headed to campus just to take a quick drive around. Mom and Dad hadn't been there since I graduated, and a lot has changed in 8 years! I can't believe it has been 8 years. Pure strangeness. Where has the time possibly gone?
We drove the rest of the way to our hotel and decided we were going to eat on our own instead of going to non-veggie friendly Portillo's. I yelped a veggie restaurant close to where we are, and all I found was a place called Aladdin Pita a few miles down the road. We decided to try out this Middle Eastern place out. It. was. awesome.
First they brought us all these yummy appetizers of hummus, babba gnoush, cucumber & tomato salad and another cucumber and tomato thing with yogurt. All this was eaten with pita. Pitas are non-eat to live approved, but they were good. I had falafel after that and it was even better. Stellar. Not quite my famous falafel from France a few years back, but still good. We got the bill and it was $15. For 3 people to be full and take food home it was $15. Crazy.
We stopped to get some wine on the way home and made it back to our hotel to enjoy a glass of wine before stretching out on a pull-out bed for me. Boy that king sure looked cozy, but all was well, I was super tired and passed out quickly.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Day 11: Road Trip
Wednesday evening was spent preparing for the weekend road trip, so smoothies, salads, fruits and veggies were all in supply as Thursday hit.
I had to work, but first had a smoothie with strawberries, pears and beet greens. I really love beets. I do not really love beet greens. In my smoothie they were stringy and crunchy. Not good attributes for a smoothie. I made it through though and headed to work.
For lunch, one of the women I work with suggested we hit up Chipotle. Amazingly, they have a good option for eating no meat and no dairy and no grains. I had a burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, lettuce, corn salsa and guac. As I was eating the bowl, I wondered more than once whether the rice was actually brown rice, but I enjoyed the flavors so much that I decided not to care either way. I was definitely full after lunch, but in true challenge form, I wasn't stuffed and I didn't feel full for long. I had a half of an avocado waiting on my desk when I returned to work. One of the women likes to eat them, but doesn't want the entire thing. Score one for me! I od'd on avocado though. I had guac for lunch, the half of an avocado and then some in my wrap for dinner.
The story on dinner is that we drove from KC to Hannibal, MO. On the way I had a massive salad that we had prepared. The salad was scrumptious, romaine, spinach, mushrooms, orange peppers, celery, carrots and beets. I was quite content for the drive, but after we got to our Quality hotel, I still needed dinner.
We walked over to Fiddlesticks and perused the massive menu. My appreciation for anyone trying to eat remotely healthy has only been heightened by this challenge. There were maybe 20 salads on the menu, all of which had chicken, cheese, croutons or some other healthy-killing attribute.
I ended up getting a california club wrap without chicken or bacon, which left the tomato tortilla, spinach, tomato and avocado. Exciting huh? I had to get salsa to give it a little more flavor, and I got a side of the "garden" rice. Another thing about this challenge: not being allowed to have salt, when things are salty they are SALTY. This rice was definitely salty. By normal standards it wasn't ridiculous, but after having very little salt over the past 11 days, it was much saltier than I liked.
Alas, day one of the road trip is complete and went relatively well in light of the situation. The harder part of the challenge during Memorial Day weekend is coming up....
I had to work, but first had a smoothie with strawberries, pears and beet greens. I really love beets. I do not really love beet greens. In my smoothie they were stringy and crunchy. Not good attributes for a smoothie. I made it through though and headed to work.
For lunch, one of the women I work with suggested we hit up Chipotle. Amazingly, they have a good option for eating no meat and no dairy and no grains. I had a burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, lettuce, corn salsa and guac. As I was eating the bowl, I wondered more than once whether the rice was actually brown rice, but I enjoyed the flavors so much that I decided not to care either way. I was definitely full after lunch, but in true challenge form, I wasn't stuffed and I didn't feel full for long. I had a half of an avocado waiting on my desk when I returned to work. One of the women likes to eat them, but doesn't want the entire thing. Score one for me! I od'd on avocado though. I had guac for lunch, the half of an avocado and then some in my wrap for dinner.
The story on dinner is that we drove from KC to Hannibal, MO. On the way I had a massive salad that we had prepared. The salad was scrumptious, romaine, spinach, mushrooms, orange peppers, celery, carrots and beets. I was quite content for the drive, but after we got to our Quality hotel, I still needed dinner.
We walked over to Fiddlesticks and perused the massive menu. My appreciation for anyone trying to eat remotely healthy has only been heightened by this challenge. There were maybe 20 salads on the menu, all of which had chicken, cheese, croutons or some other healthy-killing attribute.
I ended up getting a california club wrap without chicken or bacon, which left the tomato tortilla, spinach, tomato and avocado. Exciting huh? I had to get salsa to give it a little more flavor, and I got a side of the "garden" rice. Another thing about this challenge: not being allowed to have salt, when things are salty they are SALTY. This rice was definitely salty. By normal standards it wasn't ridiculous, but after having very little salt over the past 11 days, it was much saltier than I liked.
Alas, day one of the road trip is complete and went relatively well in light of the situation. The harder part of the challenge during Memorial Day weekend is coming up....
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Day 10: leftovers
Making food every night is hard work. As we're going out of town tomorrow, today was more about eating as much of what is already in the fridge as possible. So this morning, I finished off some more strawberries and grapes. Then, I had forgotten my phone at my parents' last night, so I went by and mom had made me a green smoothie this morning. I thought the double dip on fruits would hold me over throughout the morning, but by 11am, I was, in typical mid-morning fashion, starving. I had some peanuts to hold me over until lunch and then headed home a bit early.
I had the last falafel patty and some more grapes for lunch, as well as a spoonful of natural peanut butter. Dad came over during lunch because the master bedroom/bathroom remodel has begun and he's working on getting it framed in. It will be so nice to have a brand new bedroom and bathroom in about 3 weeks. There are lots of decisions to go before then though! I have some decision making to do. I picked the shower base color in approximately 45 seconds this past weekend, garnering an "Are you sure already?" from my mother, but I just have to go find the time to pick the other stuff and we should be on the move. I did take before pictures, so I'll post those sometime here in the future.
Work was absurd today. It was one meeting after the other, so when I finally made it home I was pooped. I had some peanuts and helped dad with leveling the floor a bit before mowing the grass.
Then I headed to my parents' to help them clean out the fridge. We had leftover soup, sweet potato patties and broccoli for dinner. We spent a good bit of time after dinner experimenting with beet chips (yummy once I figure out how long to bake them for), making green smoothies for tomorrow and Friday morning, and cutting up tons of veggies for the road trip this weekend.
We tried to find a vegan or vegetarian restaurant in Hannibal, MO where we will be staying tomorrow night and didn't have much luck. It'll be an interesting trip.
I had the last falafel patty and some more grapes for lunch, as well as a spoonful of natural peanut butter. Dad came over during lunch because the master bedroom/bathroom remodel has begun and he's working on getting it framed in. It will be so nice to have a brand new bedroom and bathroom in about 3 weeks. There are lots of decisions to go before then though! I have some decision making to do. I picked the shower base color in approximately 45 seconds this past weekend, garnering an "Are you sure already?" from my mother, but I just have to go find the time to pick the other stuff and we should be on the move. I did take before pictures, so I'll post those sometime here in the future.
Work was absurd today. It was one meeting after the other, so when I finally made it home I was pooped. I had some peanuts and helped dad with leveling the floor a bit before mowing the grass.
Then I headed to my parents' to help them clean out the fridge. We had leftover soup, sweet potato patties and broccoli for dinner. We spent a good bit of time after dinner experimenting with beet chips (yummy once I figure out how long to bake them for), making green smoothies for tomorrow and Friday morning, and cutting up tons of veggies for the road trip this weekend.
We tried to find a vegan or vegetarian restaurant in Hannibal, MO where we will be staying tomorrow night and didn't have much luck. It'll be an interesting trip.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Day 9: Sweet Potato & Bean Burgers
Breakfast: strawberries & grapes
Lunch: leftover soup from the other night and some grapes
Dinner: Sweet Potato & White Bean Burgers with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and mustard. Side dishes of broccoli & cauliflower. I found the recipe from someone on facebook and I definitely recommend it.
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html
The burgers were awesome. Not really burger like, but definitely scrumptious. I also made baked edamame and chickpeas to try out for a snack this weekend. The chickpeas ended up awesome. I have some work to do on the edamame baking.
Lunch: leftover soup from the other night and some grapes
Dinner: Sweet Potato & White Bean Burgers with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and mustard. Side dishes of broccoli & cauliflower. I found the recipe from someone on facebook and I definitely recommend it.
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html
The burgers were awesome. Not really burger like, but definitely scrumptious. I also made baked edamame and chickpeas to try out for a snack this weekend. The chickpeas ended up awesome. I have some work to do on the edamame baking.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Day 8: edamame
There really isn't anything exciting to report from today. I had strawberries and bananas after I slept 1 1/2 hours longer than when my alarm first went off. I have to stop doing that.
The morning was full of unexpected meetings, then my boss took me and a new girl to lunch because he didn't want to take her alone. We went to Granite City and I had the Greek salad without feta and pepperochinis (or however you spell that).
I golfed pretty well afterwork, but I came home and ate some leftover falafel patties with salsa first.
After golf went and had a glass of white wine and came home and enjoyed some go-to edamame with soy sauce. Pretty solid Monday. Only 3 days left in the week!
The morning was full of unexpected meetings, then my boss took me and a new girl to lunch because he didn't want to take her alone. We went to Granite City and I had the Greek salad without feta and pepperochinis (or however you spell that).
I golfed pretty well afterwork, but I came home and ate some leftover falafel patties with salsa first.
After golf went and had a glass of white wine and came home and enjoyed some go-to edamame with soy sauce. Pretty solid Monday. Only 3 days left in the week!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Day 7 : Laying low
After a horrible night of sleep in the new bed and new room, I didn't wake up feeling great this morning. I walked to my parents' house for breakfast like I do every Sunday and we had oatmeal, peaches and pineapple. I felt a little better after breakfast, but still not top notch.
We did some mid-afternoon shopping and hung out a bit, it was a pretty lazy Sunday, which was just fine with me because next weekend we'll be in Chicago for a birthday party. I got my rest in while I could.
For dinner we decided to have a Cream of Mushroom soup. We had to visit Whole Foods earlier in the day though because we couldn't find carrot juice at Hen House. Whole Foods was bonkers. We got what we needed and got out of there. I'm not sure if it is the solar eclipse or what, but today was just a weird day. I felt horrible, we saw a poodle riding shotgun in a red convertible, a man wearing shorts only young females should attempt to wear and a flower painted car. Plus, I was irritable. I think because I didn't get much sleep.
Mom also made apple strudel for dessert. Just apples, oats, cinnamon and egg white. No ice cream, much to my dad's disappointment.
The parents are holding up pretty well on the challenge. They've cheated a few times, but if it is necessary to fit it into the way of life, so be it.
I've decided to start taking photos of my meals because that is way more exciting, so I'll attempt that this week. There is much challenge ahead though. Four days of traveling and being in a hotel doesn't bode well for the challenge. We'll see how it goes....
We did some mid-afternoon shopping and hung out a bit, it was a pretty lazy Sunday, which was just fine with me because next weekend we'll be in Chicago for a birthday party. I got my rest in while I could.
For dinner we decided to have a Cream of Mushroom soup. We had to visit Whole Foods earlier in the day though because we couldn't find carrot juice at Hen House. Whole Foods was bonkers. We got what we needed and got out of there. I'm not sure if it is the solar eclipse or what, but today was just a weird day. I felt horrible, we saw a poodle riding shotgun in a red convertible, a man wearing shorts only young females should attempt to wear and a flower painted car. Plus, I was irritable. I think because I didn't get much sleep.
Mom also made apple strudel for dessert. Just apples, oats, cinnamon and egg white. No ice cream, much to my dad's disappointment.
The parents are holding up pretty well on the challenge. They've cheated a few times, but if it is necessary to fit it into the way of life, so be it.
I've decided to start taking photos of my meals because that is way more exciting, so I'll attempt that this week. There is much challenge ahead though. Four days of traveling and being in a hotel doesn't bode well for the challenge. We'll see how it goes....
Day 6: Steady as she goes
I woke up Saturday morning for the last time in my bed for the next month or so. My master bedroom, bathroom & closet are being redone by my pops, so the morning was full of moving stuff to the spare bedroom. I finally got in breakfast around 10 and had a bowl of strawberries and bananas. Quite a way to start the day. Around noon we began the demo of the bathroom and didn't stop til around 3 when I was famished! I ate a falafel patty and found my new favorite snack of the challenge: edamame. I love edamame normally, so I bought the frozen stuff and it was great. I threw on some soy sauce, probably not challenge approved, but Kate approved, and ate up the treat.
I went to my parents' house for dinner, mostly because I was exhausted and they have the air conditioning on. We decided to have whole wheat pita pizzas for dinner. I haven't had bread in a week, so it was a welcome meal. I had tomato sauce, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, tomato, onion, mushroom and black beans on my pizza. Stellar goodness.
My mom had had a brunch party earlier in the day and had made a tea with apple juice and two kinds of tea in it, so I tried that. I'm not sure if that was what made me feel horrible Saturday night or what, but boy oh boy did I not feel well.
I had weighed myself before I left my parents house and I've lost 9 pounds in one week. I think maybe my body is having problems adjusting that fast.
I went to my parents' house for dinner, mostly because I was exhausted and they have the air conditioning on. We decided to have whole wheat pita pizzas for dinner. I haven't had bread in a week, so it was a welcome meal. I had tomato sauce, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, tomato, onion, mushroom and black beans on my pizza. Stellar goodness.
My mom had had a brunch party earlier in the day and had made a tea with apple juice and two kinds of tea in it, so I tried that. I'm not sure if that was what made me feel horrible Saturday night or what, but boy oh boy did I not feel well.
I had weighed myself before I left my parents house and I've lost 9 pounds in one week. I think maybe my body is having problems adjusting that fast.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Day 5: the Picnic challenge
It is shaping up that each day of this challenge poses another obstacle.
This morning I was going golfing with the family for the Croatian Open. I had an apple for breakfast because I didn't want the green smoothie effect on my system while I was in the middle of the golf course without easy access to the facilites. I took a banana to eat halfway through the morning, but when I went to leave my house my garage door wouldn't open. My car was stuck inside. I had to call my dad to come and get me and in the rush to switch all my stuff to a different car, my banana got left behind. Oh boy did I want it bad around 10:30am.
We finished golf around 1:30 and I hadn't eaten since my apple at 6:30am. We went to the after-picnic and there was an entire spread of ..... meat. Sausage, turkey, brisket, ham. Yum. Potato salad and baked beans were also in attendance. Oh, and also there was lots and lots of cold beer. I sat at the picnic table and talked with family without eating a gosh darn thing. It was torture. Somewhat disheartening, but torture. This challenge will only last 42 days. I understand completely what is and is not good for me, and the social aspect of food and drink is good for me. Anything else makes me sorely unhappy. It is one of the reasons I will probably never stop drinking beer. It's what one does after a round of golf, while sitting at a baseball game or at a backyard bbq. I get that "customs" can be changed, but only if the necessity of changing is readily acceptable. It isn't for me.
I slowly enjoyed falafel and broccoli when I got home and felt a little proud for holding out, but also a little empty too. Not just of the food, but of the social sharing. It is what it is though, and probably for the better.
Mom made cashew stir fry for dinner with oodles of veggies and brown rice and it was quite yummy. Another keeper for even after the challenge is over.
The second obstacle of the day came at a birthday party. There were chips and dip and cookies and pretzels and oh.....tortilla chips. Man I love tortilla chips. I could eat a whole bag in one sitting. I resisted it all though and didn't drink anything because all they had was beer.
Work week 1 is complete and the challenge is still intact.
This morning I was going golfing with the family for the Croatian Open. I had an apple for breakfast because I didn't want the green smoothie effect on my system while I was in the middle of the golf course without easy access to the facilites. I took a banana to eat halfway through the morning, but when I went to leave my house my garage door wouldn't open. My car was stuck inside. I had to call my dad to come and get me and in the rush to switch all my stuff to a different car, my banana got left behind. Oh boy did I want it bad around 10:30am.
We finished golf around 1:30 and I hadn't eaten since my apple at 6:30am. We went to the after-picnic and there was an entire spread of ..... meat. Sausage, turkey, brisket, ham. Yum. Potato salad and baked beans were also in attendance. Oh, and also there was lots and lots of cold beer. I sat at the picnic table and talked with family without eating a gosh darn thing. It was torture. Somewhat disheartening, but torture. This challenge will only last 42 days. I understand completely what is and is not good for me, and the social aspect of food and drink is good for me. Anything else makes me sorely unhappy. It is one of the reasons I will probably never stop drinking beer. It's what one does after a round of golf, while sitting at a baseball game or at a backyard bbq. I get that "customs" can be changed, but only if the necessity of changing is readily acceptable. It isn't for me.
I slowly enjoyed falafel and broccoli when I got home and felt a little proud for holding out, but also a little empty too. Not just of the food, but of the social sharing. It is what it is though, and probably for the better.
Mom made cashew stir fry for dinner with oodles of veggies and brown rice and it was quite yummy. Another keeper for even after the challenge is over.
The second obstacle of the day came at a birthday party. There were chips and dip and cookies and pretzels and oh.....tortilla chips. Man I love tortilla chips. I could eat a whole bag in one sitting. I resisted it all though and didn't drink anything because all they had was beer.
Work week 1 is complete and the challenge is still intact.
Day 4: The BBQ Challenge
Day 4 brought one of the hardest challenges yet. The morning started out perfectly ok. I had a variation on the smoothie I've been having lately with banana, spinach, mango, strawberries and apple, but instead of almond milk, I switched it up for coconut water. From the time I woke up, my stomach just wasn't settled. Of course Thursday is my day of meetings, and I wasn't feeling great, but gotta power through.
The Senior VP of Business Development came down around 9 and asked if we (my boss and I) wanted to go to lunch with a visiting retailer. I asked where we were going and he said Johnny Carino's. He indicated that they have a salad bar and soup station. Perfect, I can make that work perfectly with the challenge.
When we were pulling in the parking lot of the restaurant though, the VP asked the visiting retailer which she'd rather have, Italian or BBQ. She chose bbq because in her words "You can have Italian anywhere, but when in Kansas City, one should get bbq."
Absolutely true statement, but as soon as she chose my boss and I looked at each other and laughed. What the heck were we going to eat?
The restaurant was Arthur Bryant's. Now here's the thing, I have an appreciation for the point made in this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/dining/a-vegetarians-struggle-for-sustenance-in-the-midwest.html?pagewanted=all, but bottom line is you don't go to a bbq restaurant and try to eat vegetarian or vegan. It is like going to a Chinese restaurant and asking for a taco. It just isn't the place.
I didn't have any choice though, this was where we were going. Nothing on the menu fit the stipulations of the challenge. The only meatless options were coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans (possibly?), french fries, and sweet potato fries. Another consideration was a smoked chicken. After much internal debate I went with coleslaw and sweet potato fries. I have no idea if this was the best option, but I tried to evaulate what I had to work with and came up with that. The coleslaw was filling, but unfortunately the sweet potato fries had a seasoning on them that included brown sugar. They were good, but not idea for a main entree.
I survived the challenge though. Of course we got a few questions as to why we weren't eating meat, but at least I felt good when my boss said he would have caved and had meat if I wouldn't have been there to lead the way. It really is best to do these things with support.
I didn't feel great after eating, I had a headache, but after I got back to the office and scarfed down a banana and half of an avocado, I was feeling better.
Mom made black bean tacos for dinner that were really yummy and having those and a big salad rounded out the first REALLY challenging day of the challenge.
The Senior VP of Business Development came down around 9 and asked if we (my boss and I) wanted to go to lunch with a visiting retailer. I asked where we were going and he said Johnny Carino's. He indicated that they have a salad bar and soup station. Perfect, I can make that work perfectly with the challenge.
When we were pulling in the parking lot of the restaurant though, the VP asked the visiting retailer which she'd rather have, Italian or BBQ. She chose bbq because in her words "You can have Italian anywhere, but when in Kansas City, one should get bbq."
Absolutely true statement, but as soon as she chose my boss and I looked at each other and laughed. What the heck were we going to eat?
The restaurant was Arthur Bryant's. Now here's the thing, I have an appreciation for the point made in this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/dining/a-vegetarians-struggle-for-sustenance-in-the-midwest.html?pagewanted=all, but bottom line is you don't go to a bbq restaurant and try to eat vegetarian or vegan. It is like going to a Chinese restaurant and asking for a taco. It just isn't the place.
I didn't have any choice though, this was where we were going. Nothing on the menu fit the stipulations of the challenge. The only meatless options were coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans (possibly?), french fries, and sweet potato fries. Another consideration was a smoked chicken. After much internal debate I went with coleslaw and sweet potato fries. I have no idea if this was the best option, but I tried to evaulate what I had to work with and came up with that. The coleslaw was filling, but unfortunately the sweet potato fries had a seasoning on them that included brown sugar. They were good, but not idea for a main entree.
I survived the challenge though. Of course we got a few questions as to why we weren't eating meat, but at least I felt good when my boss said he would have caved and had meat if I wouldn't have been there to lead the way. It really is best to do these things with support.
I didn't feel great after eating, I had a headache, but after I got back to the office and scarfed down a banana and half of an avocado, I was feeling better.
Mom made black bean tacos for dinner that were really yummy and having those and a big salad rounded out the first REALLY challenging day of the challenge.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
It's Day 3 and I'm cranky.
I'm not really sure if the crankiness has anything to do with the challenge, but I know it isn't helping.
I had the same smoothie for breakfast this morning that I had yesterday morning, but this morning I woke up starving. I guess the bean soup last night wasn't as filling as necessary.
For lunch I came home and had a cauliflower soup that my mom made for her and my dad last night. The soup was just too spicy for me. It wasn't hot spicy, well it was, but I think that spice was pepper. I'm not a pepper fan. I know that is a weird dislike, but I'm really not that fond of it. If I do use it, I do so very sparingly. But then again, I realized I'm not a big spice person in general. My favorite spice? Cinnamon. Or maybe cumin. I do like herbs, especially basil, but spices, especially curry are just not my thing.
I digress.
I did try to eat most of the soup because it was all I had, but I only made it about 3/4 of the way through, which was ok because, as per last night's reviews, the soup was very filling. I had some cherry tomatoes and grapes to finish off the lunch.
I had to have some peanuts when I got back to work to feel a little more full, but I was in a work meeting from 3pm on and I felt like I was talking forever. I started to get cranky then because my stomach was growling.
When I got home, I just couldn't decide what I wanted to make for dinner.I had to have a spoon of natural peanut butter to tide myself over while I decided. I wish someone would just provide me a list of what to eat each night and this would be better. I need to just make one in advance so I don't play this game all the time.
I ended up having falafel from a box. It was....spicy. Ha. I think it was corriander, but I masked it a bit with salsa and ate some broccoli with it and made it through. At least I was full. I have 9 more mini falafel patties in the fridge, so I better suck it up.
I had the same smoothie for breakfast this morning that I had yesterday morning, but this morning I woke up starving. I guess the bean soup last night wasn't as filling as necessary.
For lunch I came home and had a cauliflower soup that my mom made for her and my dad last night. The soup was just too spicy for me. It wasn't hot spicy, well it was, but I think that spice was pepper. I'm not a pepper fan. I know that is a weird dislike, but I'm really not that fond of it. If I do use it, I do so very sparingly. But then again, I realized I'm not a big spice person in general. My favorite spice? Cinnamon. Or maybe cumin. I do like herbs, especially basil, but spices, especially curry are just not my thing.
I digress.
I did try to eat most of the soup because it was all I had, but I only made it about 3/4 of the way through, which was ok because, as per last night's reviews, the soup was very filling. I had some cherry tomatoes and grapes to finish off the lunch.
I had to have some peanuts when I got back to work to feel a little more full, but I was in a work meeting from 3pm on and I felt like I was talking forever. I started to get cranky then because my stomach was growling.
When I got home, I just couldn't decide what I wanted to make for dinner.I had to have a spoon of natural peanut butter to tide myself over while I decided. I wish someone would just provide me a list of what to eat each night and this would be better. I need to just make one in advance so I don't play this game all the time.
I ended up having falafel from a box. It was....spicy. Ha. I think it was corriander, but I masked it a bit with salsa and ate some broccoli with it and made it through. At least I was full. I have 9 more mini falafel patties in the fridge, so I better suck it up.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Recipe Stumped: Day 2
The thing about this challenge is that it is easy for breakfast, somewhat easy for lunch and impossible for afternoon and dinner. I really have no problem eating green smoothies for breakfast. I make them the night before (today's was strawberries, blueberries, mango (which I won't eat again cause it is hairy), pear and spinach in it) and scarf them down quickly. I had grapes for my mid-morning snack and hit up the salad bar at Hen House for my lunch. There sure are some things that I love that can't be on my salad these days, like cheese, boiled eggs and croutons, but I made it through.
After work was WAY harder. I had unsalted peanuts for mid-afternoon snack, but had to bust out the celery and peanut butter directly after work because I wanted crackers or bread so much. I resisted though and managed to make it to dinner. I did have to pop open a bottle of wine, partly because today was stressful, and partly because I was hungry and needed something to do. Not a great reason, I know, but I started from the beginning saying my cheat was going to be wine.
I was having quite a time deciding what to make for dinner. I really wanted something with black beans which is totally random because I never crave black beans, but I ended up making a red and white bean soup with the veggies and spices in my parents' house. I would have loved a piece of bread with my soup, but had to settle for sliced tomatoes instead. A healthier option to be sure. I did have a piece of cheese before bed. Somehow the block has to get eaten so it doesn't go to waste.
I made it through day 2 after some serious doubts on whether I'd be able to do this. Can only take it one day at a time.
After work was WAY harder. I had unsalted peanuts for mid-afternoon snack, but had to bust out the celery and peanut butter directly after work because I wanted crackers or bread so much. I resisted though and managed to make it to dinner. I did have to pop open a bottle of wine, partly because today was stressful, and partly because I was hungry and needed something to do. Not a great reason, I know, but I started from the beginning saying my cheat was going to be wine.
I was having quite a time deciding what to make for dinner. I really wanted something with black beans which is totally random because I never crave black beans, but I ended up making a red and white bean soup with the veggies and spices in my parents' house. I would have loved a piece of bread with my soup, but had to settle for sliced tomatoes instead. A healthier option to be sure. I did have a piece of cheese before bed. Somehow the block has to get eaten so it doesn't go to waste.
I made it through day 2 after some serious doubts on whether I'd be able to do this. Can only take it one day at a time.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Eat to Live: day 1
A few people I work with bought a book last week: Eat to Live. There is a much longer and fancier title, but the gist of it is how to eat healthy and lose weight. After much hubub, these colleagues decided they were going to do this "eating plan". Ok, for real, it's a diet, but supposedly leads to a lifestyle change instead of just a temporary diet.
The initial plan is for 42 days and the food one can eat consists of vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans. In other words, not much. I decided that I would take this challenge with my colleagues, and decided against buying the book because I have read enough about not eating animal products and dairy to know that it isn't the healthiest way to live. My mom decided her and my dad were going to try the diet change too, so this past weekend we did what we could to eat meals that we would miss while on the challenge.
Saturday I had a burger, Sunday lasagna and apple pie. We went grocery shopping and only went to the produce department and the bean aisle. My house is sufficiently stocked. Except I had tuna and white bean salad in the fridge and a block of cheese.
We started the challenge today, but I didn't officially start, and won't, until the tuna and cheese are gone. Probably by the end of the week. I decided not to waste food, but won't buy any more dairy until after the 42 days.
This morning for breakfast, after the chest and back P90X workout, I had a green "popeye" smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, a banana and spinach. Yum.
Lunch I didn't really think was going to be difficult until a retailer decided to take a co-worker and I to Chili's. Let me just help you understand that Chili's is not a place to go if one does not eat meat or fish. There were two options. I was going to get fire roasted corn guacamole with a side of black beans, but they couldn't take the jalepenos out of the guac, so I got a salad with a bunch of fruit on it. Not exciting, but pretty tasty. The biggest problem though was after lunch. I was starving.
I had to eat some unsalted peanuts at my desk to hold of my stomach eating itself, and one of the other women came by with a sliced up apple to help. This is gonna be rough.
Dinner was the tuna and white bean salad.
After golf I came home and had two slices of cheese and a bowl of peas. The biggest challenge of this whole things is that I think about food for a living. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to try and blog everyday about what I eat. I hope this will keep me accountable and chronicle the challenge for anyone interested.
The initial plan is for 42 days and the food one can eat consists of vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans. In other words, not much. I decided that I would take this challenge with my colleagues, and decided against buying the book because I have read enough about not eating animal products and dairy to know that it isn't the healthiest way to live. My mom decided her and my dad were going to try the diet change too, so this past weekend we did what we could to eat meals that we would miss while on the challenge.
Saturday I had a burger, Sunday lasagna and apple pie. We went grocery shopping and only went to the produce department and the bean aisle. My house is sufficiently stocked. Except I had tuna and white bean salad in the fridge and a block of cheese.
We started the challenge today, but I didn't officially start, and won't, until the tuna and cheese are gone. Probably by the end of the week. I decided not to waste food, but won't buy any more dairy until after the 42 days.
This morning for breakfast, after the chest and back P90X workout, I had a green "popeye" smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, a banana and spinach. Yum.
Lunch I didn't really think was going to be difficult until a retailer decided to take a co-worker and I to Chili's. Let me just help you understand that Chili's is not a place to go if one does not eat meat or fish. There were two options. I was going to get fire roasted corn guacamole with a side of black beans, but they couldn't take the jalepenos out of the guac, so I got a salad with a bunch of fruit on it. Not exciting, but pretty tasty. The biggest problem though was after lunch. I was starving.
I had to eat some unsalted peanuts at my desk to hold of my stomach eating itself, and one of the other women came by with a sliced up apple to help. This is gonna be rough.
Dinner was the tuna and white bean salad.
After golf I came home and had two slices of cheese and a bowl of peas. The biggest challenge of this whole things is that I think about food for a living. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to try and blog everyday about what I eat. I hope this will keep me accountable and chronicle the challenge for anyone interested.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Perks of the Job
One of the perks of my job (there aren't a ton), is random tickets to Royals games. On Friday, the group sales manager brought me tickets to today's game against the Yankees. I called the only Yankee fan I know to see if he wanted to go to the game, but he couldn't because he already had two family events planned. Today is my parents' 34th wedding anniversary, and they decided they didn't want to go, so I invited some friends. Going to a game with these tickets is only slightly different than going and having to buy tickets. We got a parking pass and didn't get in the park til the top of the 2nd, but since it had poured rain this morning, the weather wasn't as hot as it was yesterday. We took our seats and admired the view. Not too shabby at all. The beers were still $9.50, but after settling in under cloudy skies, we only had to deal with a bit of hot sun. Sadly, we also had to deal with a 10-4 Yankees win, but that didn't diminish the fun had.
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