Busy

Ok, so school has started and my schedule has been crazy. In other words, normal for this time of year. My well laid plans for great cooking were developed and shopped for last Saturday. Saturday night and Sunday both went well with good food and then came Monday. The details of why the great cooking for the week didn't happen are not what this blog is about so lets get to the food part.
1. The emergency stash of vegetable curry came in handy. It was a great lunch one day.
2. Ryan left me a nice bag of grilled chicken with brown rice with a hint of sauce he made. He's catching on.
3. You CAN order a salad on the side of Mexican food and keep it in the healthy range. You have to ask but they'll do it.
4. Even when you're just making food for dinner (aka - throwing something together) you can use the ingredients that you know are better such as whole wheat pasta.
5. The smell of freshly made cupcakes can be resisted, really.

I will admit that if I wasn't 5 weeks into the challenge I might have caved a little (or a lot) but I'm just not willing to put junk into my mouth very often any more. I sure do hope that this challenge mentality lasts a lifetime because I know the lifetime will be more enjoyable.

Just One Day

We went out of town this last weekend. We had a great time but healthy food was not on option. I know..... it should always be an option but not this time. Sometimes love of family is more important. But I learned something. Gosh, it seems like I've been saying that a lot lately. Anyway, I realized that one day of "bad" food does not mean you fall off the wagon of healthy, tasty food anymore that eating a healthy meal one time makes you a healthy eater.
When we got home I went shopping for my organic veggies, grains and natural meats. I planned for a week of healthy choices and cooked some yummy vegetables and lean meat. It felt great. Tabbouleh for lunch today and salmon for dinner. Divine.

Carb Fix

I've recently picked up a copy of the magazine "Eating Well" which is full of healthy recipes that are (hopefully) tasty. I was really happy to find some ingredients that don't necessarily make me think healthy, like grits. I love grits, cheese grits at that, which I normally whip up with butter and velveeta. Of course that doesn't really fit into the healthy food challenge so when I came across a recipe entitled "Goat Cheese Grits with Fresh Corn" I was both excited and skeptical. The recipe is really simple; grits cooked with fresh corn kernels, crumbled goat cheese and fresh chives. It was great! I finally got that creamy, carby side dish that normally doesn't happen in a health concious diet, but it is only 156 calories per serving. The magazine's website is www.eatingwell.com check it out : )

Dinner Out

Going out to dinner is part of our lives and shouldn't be a sentence for bad fish. I've known for several days that we would be going out to dinner for a friend's birthday. Knowing that we would be going out on Saturday, I keep the calories on the low side Thursday and Friday. I didn't go hungry or suffer but I ate those things that I know are on the low side. When we arrived at a wonderful restaurant, one I love, I had banked 800 calories. I was prepared to order the salmon but I didn't. This is one foodie who knows how to cook and my salmon is good. So I ordered the lamb, my favorite at this restaurant. But I didn't order with reckless abandon. When the waiter asked, "Mashed potatoes or rice?" I said neither. I got extra veggies. Again he asked, "What dressing on your salad?" My reply was, "None." He made a remark about me being really good. He's right but not in the way he meant. It is good eating. About this time the other woman in the group asked me if I was on a diet. I just said no with no explanation. The truth is that I'm not on a diet. I'm just learning to eat well. It was a birthday so a decadent dessert was ordered for all to share. I participated. I had one bite. That's right just one.
What have I learned? Going out to dinner is fun, even when you want to eat healthy. If you know ahead of time, save some calories. Order what you like but be smart about it. Realize that you will probably go over your goal for the day. I'm not on a diet, I want to eat like this forever. Food can still be enjoyed. That's what this challenge is all about.

Organic or Not

Education about food has becoming part of the challenge. I've read a report about organic vs. non-organic. Here's what I found out.

These are the dirty dozen and should only be eaten organic:
celery
peaches
strawberries
apples
blueberries
nectarines
bell peppers
spinach
kale/collard greens
cherries
potatoes
grapes


These foods don't need to be organic:
onions
avocado
frozen corn
pineapple
mango
frozen peas
asparagus
kiwi
cabbage
eggplant
cantaloupe
watermelon
grapefruit
sweet potatoes
honeydew

Two Weeks

This is the half way point of the original challenge. We have learned a lot about the food we eat. Organic and natural are a regular part of our conversations now. Our shopping habits are changing. Eating buffalo is not thought to be unusual. Two weeks ago I accepted a challenge that has the possibility of lasting a life time. I'm now talking about raising natural beef for our families and to sell some to those who might be informed of its importance.
On the foodie part I just ate the best pork noodle soup I have ever eaten. Whole wheat noodles, bok choy, natural pork and a tiny bit of sesame oil are the differences I tried. Paul and I both thought it was great. He doesn't know he just ate a healthy meal, he just knows it was good. Of course he did eat two bowls followed by an ice cream bar that has 22 grams of fat. He's not exactly a convert.