Tag Archives: food

Day 12: Cheese is wonderful.

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We’re back, winding down Day 12 on the cleanse. I’ve gotta be honest: I have broken it, twice. Once, for chocolate Jen brought back from New Zealand (because you only live once) and once for wine at work Happy Hour.

Other than that, sticking to it hasn’t been so bad, especially now that we’re able to eat cheese again. We’ve visited two new restaurants so far, the Veggie Grill and Tender Greens, both of which were delicious. We’ve also learned how to snack smartly – I have been eating a lot of citrus, fruit, and nuts.

We attempted to make whole grain wheat pizza dough in celebration of cheese being back in our lives, but I think we killed yeast (read: I killed the yeast) so it was more a flatbread. It was still pretty good, but it was definitely not perfect – we’ll have to work on that recipe.

Overall, I think that this cleanse, so far, has lead to drinking more water, more cooking, and really thinking about what you’re putting in your body. Which has been the most important part, I think. When you have to stop and think about everything you eat, you’re doing yourself a favor. I have been eating less because I stop and think, “I don’t want that for a snack.” Well, if you don’t want that, it’s probably not hunger driving you to eat – it’s boredom, or thirst, or lack of sleep, or some other basic need not being met.

I recently read this quote, and it really stuck with me:

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

– Ann Wigmore

I think this cleanse is teaching us to eat food. Not just eat things disguised as food, but actual, tangible things that came from this earth with the purpose to nourish us. I love the occasional candy bar, soda, and chip, but chemicals and fake sugar aren’t even food to begin with, and learning that is an important step in learning about eating the way we were meant to eat.

Heading into this weekend, we have two scheduled dinners (both home cooked) that I can’t wait to share with my friends. I hope you have delicious plans, too, friends.

it’s a good thing there is no cheese in my house.

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You guys, I feel like a crazy addict. It’s Day 4 of our cleanse, and really Day 3 of the no-cheese world I am living in (because I had cheese earlier this week by accident) and thoughts of brie are haunting my dreams.  It’s a good thing there is no cheese around, or I am sure I would have dove right into it last night.

Last night, I was making dinner for Jeff and I, coming up with a lackluster protein (beans) for our spaghetti squash with pesto (homemade, sans cheese) and Brussels sprouts. I thought chicken, but we’ve been chicken heavy this week, and Jeff doesn’t like fish, and I hate the idea of tofu. I was making dinner, hungry from an afternoon of clementines and a handful of cashews, when I realized: I can have peanut butter. So I got myself a teaspoon of it, and let me tell you, peanut butter has never tasted so good.

I really wanted to add cheese to the pesto, cheese to the dinner, eat cheese before and after the meal, but I had to stay strong. So instead, we had popcorn for dessert as a treat (popcorn is intrinsically pretty good for you!) I was dreaming of cheese as I enjoyed my peanut butter, hoping that I could make it to Tuesday (Tuesday! So many days from now!) when I can eat cheese again.

Surprisingly, the no processed foods hasn’t been so hard (except you guys, I am so over nuts. I think I need to rethink this strategy and come up with some other snacks than cashews) but the cheese, the cheese! I can’t wait until I can get at that again.

In the meantime, I am stocking up on veggies and protein (just had leftover lemon chicken, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and broccoli!) and am trying to drink more water. This weekend, I plan on getting some oatmeal ready for next week’s breakfasts, making my own hummus to snack on at work, and figuring out some more snacks (maybe even good old peanut butter!) to bring to work so I’m not starving by 5 pm.

Any delicious snack ideas for me, guys?

30 day cleanse: here we go.

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Well kids, it’s day 2 of my self-imposed-roping-Jeff-in-too cleanse. Here’s what’s on our list of no-no’s:

Cheese (1st week)
Red meat (2 weeks)
White flour (1 month)
Processed foods (1 month)
Fried foods (1 month)
Alcohol (1 month)

Day 1 was hard because I was hungry for most of the day due to my rushed lunch-making. I made a salad but didn’t have time to add a proper protein, so instead of delicious tuna or chicken I had a handful of edamame, which just wasn’t quite enough. My snack drawer at work is full of processed foods, so I had to turn to granola (mostly nuts) and fruit (mostly citrus) which wasn’t exactly filling.

Day 2 was hard because I went out to lunch with my coworkers, and had to figure out a way to not sound like a snotty hippy. I got a kale sandwich on wheat bread (whole grain/wheat bread is a cheat I’ve allowed because I don’t have time to be making my own bread all month) but it had cheese on it, so looks like I’m tacking on a non-cheese day to the end of the week.

I know, I know, this sounds like torture, right? So why am I doing this?

Well, for one, I want to see if I can eat unprocessed foods for a whole month. You quickly realize all the things that you can’t have, but I want this to teach me just what I can have. I can have any fruit or veggie I want. I can have whole grains (think quinoa, brown rice, farro, barley, bulgur) and eggs and dairy (save cheese for week one.) Learning what is processed will get Jeff and me to think about what we are putting into our bodies.

Secondly, I want to get back to cooking at home on a regular basis. In December we got busy, and the first thing to go is cooking, because it’s time consuming, which is understandable. But if we pay attention to the task of preparing food for ourselves, we’re doing ourselves a favor of keeping our bodies healthy (see number one.)

Thirdly, I haven’t been doing the best at eating my fruits and veggies, and winter is even tougher to get those fruits in there (hello clementine number 7 of the day!) Limiting what I can eat makes me rely on fruits and veggies for nutrients, which is how it should be, because they’re chocked full of everything needed to guarantee a nutritious diet.

Finally, because somewhere between “yes” and “let me see the video,” in the excitement of the engagement, I agreed to run a half-marathon, and I think taking care of my body will help me get to a place where running, yoga, and general exercise are taken in stride rather as a burden.

So for the next month, things here might get a little cleanse-heavy and a little running heavy, too. I hope you stick with me, friends.

Happy Birthday to Liz!

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This is my friend Liz. It’s her birthday, today. This is her at her wedding, obviously. She’s pretty down to Earth, as you can see. Cool as a cucumber, she keeps me calm at work, she entertains me at events, and she coaches with me on the weekends, making five year old soccer that much more bearable. She’s funny, she’s smart, she is great to work with. Basically, she’s downright delightful.

Also, she blogs. Please check her out. She’s a better cook than I am, for sure, and I strive to be more like her in that way. If you’re ever in Southern California, you’ll have to stop by and hang out with her, and me, and she’ll give you tips on fine French cooking and delicious wine.

Happy Birthday to a great friend, and Happy Friday to the rest of you!!

We all knew it was coming.

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Guys. I’m sorry I’ve been MIA.
If you remember last fall you’ll remember it’s quite busy at my job in the fall. No excuses: pressing on. Anyways, I wanted to let you know some exciting news. After pestering a bit and lots of encouragement, Corelyn and I have decided to start a food, life, love blog. I will continue to post here, but occasionally I’ll point you to there to enjoy food photography, recipes, etc. We’re excited to be starting a project together, and we’re excited to share it with you. We hope you’re excited, too.

Garlic, My Soul.