Below is VLOG I made to launch the challenge.
The Reason for the Challenge
The point of this challenge is to reprogram my mind from purchasing and eating packaged snack foods at will and dining out more than 2-3 times a month. While I have successfully cut out frozen processed foods and boxed meals, I find myself justifying eating "healthy" packaged snack foods that meet the requirements of my eating commitment (organic, non-gmo, gluten free) but I find that I overeat because they don't leave me feeling satisfied (and it's healthy, right?). Afterwards, I retain water and my digestion gets adversely affected. Also, I have noticed my skin is being adversely affected as well. And of course, I will be able to further reduce my carbon footprint.In regard to dining out often (2-3 times a week), well, there's just really nothing good that can come from that even if I only eat vegetarian. Period. Why? Because the vegetables are not organic, the sauces are not fresh, corn, white flour, and salt are heavily used, and I just don't really want to know the quality of oil they use. Let me clarify, I'm referring to Mexican, Chinese take-out, and sub shops mostly. But you can also lump the nicer sit down restaurants in this category too to some degree which is why I set the goal of dining out to 2-3 times a month so that I can attend special occasions that call for meals at these type places. Not
to mention, this will save me a good little chunk of change.
Days 19, 20, and 21 (12/28/2012- 12/30/2012)
Hi folks! In case you are wondering what why I have skipped from Day 18 to Day 21, I regret to inform you that those write-ups have disappeared somehow while I was trying to upload a picture for Day 21. Sorry folks! There was a lot written there too. I tried my best to summarize those days for you. If you already read those posts, great but if not, I think I included the most important points for you! Cheers!
Day 21
fell on a Sunday which was a very lazy and restful day for me. I made a two egg omelette stuffed with onion, green onion, tomatoes, and mushroom topped with leftover marinara and garnished with parsley. I use coconut oil when I make my eggs whether scrambled, fried, or omelette and I don't notice any change in the flavor. :) So eggs can be a great way to take in coconut oil if that is one of your goals. I use only three different kinds of oil at this time, organic extra virgin olive oil for non heat activated foods such as salads and perhaps mayonnaise or hollandaise sauce (neither of which I have tried but would like to someday!), coconut oil for most cooked or baked items (such as buckwheat pancakes, eggs, cookies, or cakes), and sesame oil for any Asian style dishes I prepare (such as fried rice, bibimbap, etc.). I am interested in venturing out with different oils such as grapeseed, safflower, and sunflower seed oils. I will keep you posted! Lunch was leftover pasta and dinner was just a bowl of rice and lettuce wraps (wrap rice, fresh garlic, and red pepper paste in a piece of romaine lettuce - so delicious!). I did snack on some leftover sweet treats from Christmas rather late into the evening (smh) but I do have a victory story. I needed to pick up something from the dollar store and I actually perused the snack foods aisles to consider a snack and I just couldn't bring myself to purchase anything! I actually opted for a bottle of water instead! Yea for me!
Here are two types of organic coconut oil. The first is refined and has a slightly higher smoke point that unrefined. Unrefined oils are said to contain more nutrition than their processed counterparts. Basically, heat was used to refine the former, thus stripping the product of some its natural nutritious content. Like I said, the refined oil will start to become more toxic once heated past 365 degrees F while unrefined's smoke point sits nicely at 350 degrees F. Choose according to your cooking needs. Once you click the images, you will be redirected to the site and there is more information there for you to help you make a good decision. Cheers!
On Day 20
which was a Saturday, I believe I skipped breakfast again and snacked on sweet potato mid morning. Lunch was the same leftover lentil soup and it was delicious! For dinner, I prepared a hearty, nutritious, colorful, and organic salad along with a pasta marinara. The marinara was homemade (although I used canned tomatoes and paste), sweetened with stevia and agave nectar, seasoned lightly with salt, fresh garlic, parsley, fresh ground pepper, dried Italian herb blend, and sweet paprika. The pasta was a vegan friendly brand I picked up at the health foods store called Explore Asia Organic Mung Bean Sprout Fettuccine. It was a delightful meal though the canned tomato paste added some unnecessary sodium to the meal.
On Day 20
which was a Saturday, I believe I skipped breakfast again and snacked on sweet potato mid morning. Lunch was the same leftover lentil soup and it was delicious! For dinner, I prepared a hearty, nutritious, colorful, and organic salad along with a pasta marinara. The marinara was homemade (although I used canned tomatoes and paste), sweetened with stevia and agave nectar, seasoned lightly with salt, fresh garlic, parsley, fresh ground pepper, dried Italian herb blend, and sweet paprika. The pasta was a vegan friendly brand I picked up at the health foods store called Explore Asia Organic Mung Bean Sprout Fettuccine. It was a delightful meal though the canned tomato paste added some unnecessary sodium to the meal.On Day 19,
I ate leftover soup for lunch (see Day 18) and I treated a friend/coworker to dinner that night because this friend will be leaving town soon and for his graciousness in carting me around when I was having car trouble. For dinner, I ate a Mexican vegetarian plate. Not the best of restaurant choices but where I live, there is not much choice!Day 18 (Thursday, 12/27/2012)
Just a few more days left! I've enjoyed this challenge and didn't find it restrictive in any way. I did face some "challenges" though in trying to reach my goal but I was glad to try to overcome them. It was more fun than anything else! However, there was about a week's span of rather uninteresting meals that kind of got old. But things got back on a roll and I began to see a colorful variety of veggies in my meals once again.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but I recently placed a small order on Amazon for some organic green lentils and brown basmati rice. The dried lentils available in the grocery stores locally are just too expensive and I absolutely cannot justify that purchase when I can get a much better deal on Amazon >-<. I basically got twice the amount for half the price and delivered to my place of work (it's absolutely fine with my employer). Just to give you an idea, a bag of organic beans ran about $5-$7 and organic brown basmati rice the same. I paid about $35 to Amazon and received 6 boxes of Eden Organic green lentils and 6 packs of Village Harvest brown basmati rice. You do the math. : )
Here are the links to the items available on The Green Home Cook Diva's Shop on Amazon. If you're interested in ordering, please use these links and/or visit my store to place your order. The earnings will finance more blogs and vlogs for you!
I skipped breakfast and ate a small salad as a mid morning meal. I had a little bit of leftover pizza (see day 14) still and threw that in the lunchbox too so I wouldn't starve as well as end up wasting food by throwing that away. It did not hold me over and I was quite hungry by quitting time. We had a quick meeting after work and the boss treated us to a Zaxby's/Foosackley type meal from a locally operated establishment within walking distance of the store at which the meeting was held. No choice there. I was starving and I didn't want to seem ungrateful or snobby. It was already ordered for me and waiting for me to arrive. So I ate that for dinner.
Upon arriving home, I noticed I was feeling a little sluggish and debated whether or not to go the gym or prepare food for the next day's lunch box. As soon as I got the idea to make vegetable and green lentil soup (with some leftover salad veggies that on their own weren't quite enough for a good, hearty salad), I was sold on the latter option. I was so pleased with results!
It's a very easy thing to make. I started by creating a little vegetable broth with some leftover frozen broccoli stems, onions, carrots and let those nutrients seep into the water. I scooped out the broccoli stems and added more carrots, onions, tomato, and some fresh garlic and of course the green lentils. I even threw in a little brown rice and some chick peas. I seasoned it to taste with a very small amount of salt, some freshly ground pepper, cumin, sweet paprika, and probably about a tablespoon or two of worcestershire sauce throughout the cooking process which was just a matter of bringing it to a boil and then back down to a simmer for about 30 min to an hour (or until the lentils were cooked and I was happy with the flavor).
There are moments every now and then where I want to slip back into my old ways and it's at those moments when I think about the impact on my health that has and I also reflect on how far I've come and what a shame it would be to turn back now. That pretty much tides me over until I can find some new recipe or great deal or something which gets me excited about my new lifestyle!
Just two more days left in 2012. Wishing you the best now and always! Thanks for reading!
It's a very easy thing to make. I started by creating a little vegetable broth with some leftover frozen broccoli stems, onions, carrots and let those nutrients seep into the water. I scooped out the broccoli stems and added more carrots, onions, tomato, and some fresh garlic and of course the green lentils. I even threw in a little brown rice and some chick peas. I seasoned it to taste with a very small amount of salt, some freshly ground pepper, cumin, sweet paprika, and probably about a tablespoon or two of worcestershire sauce throughout the cooking process which was just a matter of bringing it to a boil and then back down to a simmer for about 30 min to an hour (or until the lentils were cooked and I was happy with the flavor).
There are moments every now and then where I want to slip back into my old ways and it's at those moments when I think about the impact on my health that has and I also reflect on how far I've come and what a shame it would be to turn back now. That pretty much tides me over until I can find some new recipe or great deal or something which gets me excited about my new lifestyle!
Just two more days left in 2012. Wishing you the best now and always! Thanks for reading!
Day 17 (Wednesday, 12/26/2012)
I'm still hanging in there, I'm happy to report. I was off on day 17 and didn't do much at all except rest. I just ate leftovers from Christmas dinner as most of the rest of America did I'm sure. LOL :) I'm writing this post a few days later than usual and my memory escapes me of what I actually ate for dinner if anything. To be quite honest, I believe I just snacked lightly on some veggies.
Day 16 (Tuesday, 12/25/2012)
Ah, Christmas day. One might think this would have been a day spent eating home cooking but not in my family. I hate to admit this but Christmas dinner was courtesy of Shogun Hibachi and Sushi. The original plan was to cook together as a family but that plan fell through the cracks and we ended up at grabbing Hibachi after catching Les Miserables (which was a FANTASTIC movie btw). I opted for the vegetable plate which ended up being quite salty. Well, since it was Christmas dinner I'm going to count this as one of those special occasions that must not exceed 4-6 times a month. So far since I've started this challenge, I've attended 3 meals out. I never realized just how often I dined out and what an easy crutch it is until I started this challenge. It is a real "challenge" literally to stay out of restaurants. Junk food wise, I only slipped once and that was at the movie theatre. I hadn't eaten anything all day and shared a small popcorn with my mother during Les Mis. We also had a holiday sweet treat together later that night. With it being Christmas, I'm giving myself that one "cheat" day. Back on the grind on Day 17. Stay tuned!
Day 15 (Monday, 12/24/2012)
I worked on Christmas Eve as most people did I'm sure. I actually cooked breakfast for myself for the first time in at least a week! It was my typical two fried egg breakfast with a dash of salt, pepper, and turmeric powder. I only eat pasture raised, free range eggs these days even though they cost an arm and a leg because I just can't bring myself to consume the eggs produced by today's mass manufacturing standards. However, this can't be avoided during social gatherings at restaurants or homes of family and friends and at those times, I concede happily but in my house, no way! If only farm fresh eggs were readily available to me... still on the hunt for those until I can get my own plot of land and my own hens and roosters to squawk about! And for the skeptics out there (I once was one myself) I feel much better since I've made the switch to organic and ethically raised/farmed foods. The impact food has on our overall health, including mental health is no laughing matter. I personally feel the rise of mental health problems in first world countries, particularly America, is due to our diet and I also feel 'Big Food' is one of the large contributors to this epic crisis we are facing. There. I'm just going to put it out there once again. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Sorry in advance to those I may have offended. :) |
| Table salt is an unnatural occurring compound that is a crystallized substance created from the fusion of sodium and chlorine that offers no nutritive value. Sea salt is better because it obviously occurs naturally and provides more minerals to us. |
I brought leftover homemade pizza (see Day 14) for lunch and was starving by the time I left work at 6:30. I prepared some Korean food for dinner that night - seaweed soup, brown rice, romaine lettuce and fresh garlic along with red pepper paste (used to make "lettuce wraps" if you will with the brown rice), and a Korean black bean side dish (black beans mixed with sesame oil, soy sauce, and a little honey or some kind of sweetener, and sesame seeds). It was very delicious though high in sodium. I gotta watch that sodium intake! We all do actually. It can cause water retention and bloating in the short term and high blood pressure in the long run which can lead to heart problems among others. So drink lots of water to flush out that sodium chloride in your body which is what I'm doing right now as I write this!
I made it through day 15 successfully I'm happy to report!
Day 14 (Sunday, 12/23/2012)
The second week of the challenge has drawn to a close. Of course, I skipped breakfast...again. However, I did finally pick up some groceries including milk and eggs! For lunch, I prepared a homemade pizza using buckwheat and spelt flour. I found a pizza crust recipe online that did not call for yeast of any kind and did not require any kneading or anything. The recipe was easy enough but I was not 100% pleased with the results. The recipe called for 1/4 cup of honey, agave nectar, or some kind of sweetener. This is where next time I will alter the recipe. I keep agave nectar on hand as my liquid sweetener and while the dough itself tasted fine (no eggs, don't worry), the finished product was too sweet for my tastes when mixed with the pizza sauce (which I sweetened slightly with stevia). The sauce was great on its own and the crust not so bad on its own but mixed together was just a bit too sweet for my liking. And the crust came out very cake like and I followed the directions exactly. Perhaps it was the 3 tsp of baking powder it called for about which I hesitated but followed the instructions anyway. More work will need to be done on my part to perfect a pizza crust according to my tastes and preferences and I'm looking forward to that day. :)
I elected to use canned organic tomatoes and tomato paste for my sauce just for the sake of simplicity and to fit my current lifestyle. I would like to mention that I did this grudgingly. I prefer fresh and organic and up until this point had been able to maintain such a lofty aspiration but recently many things have piled up on my plate and it was the next best thing I could do to purchase organic canned foods. I did choose the "no salt added" variety so I suppose that counts for something.
The sauce was a very easy task. Mix one 15 ounce can of organic diced tomatoes (blended up in the blender) with one can of organic tomato paste, a splash of water (I use the water to rinse out the remainders of tomatoes in the can), a little salt, a little stevia to taste, some Italian spices, and a teaspoon of sweet paprika. I basically just heated it up on the stove a bit before topping the crust. Then I added my toppings. :)
Dinner was leftovers because that's how I roll! lol
I hope everyone is having a great time with their loved ones this Holiday Season and may 2013 be filled with many blessings for you and yours!
Day 13 (Saturday, 12/22/2012)
Hi all, well according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end on Day 13 of my challenge but it looks like all is well the world over or at least as well as it has been or could be. Well, it could be better but that's going to take more time and more cooperation.
I worked on day 13 and didn't pack a lunch the night before. Luckily I was able to pick up some oranges and bananas to get me through the day. Dinner was at Lenny's with a co-worker in which I ate a black bean burger on wheat. It was a tad too salty for my taste and it reminded me why I even made my food commitment to begin with. Not that it wasn't good, it was. It was just a little salty. I'm not one to eat wheat products hardly at all anymore but I made an exception this time. As I continue on this journey, I'm finding a balance that I never knew before. It's a new kind of balance that I'm pleased to have discovered. For example, day 13 was the first time I had eaten wheat bread on a sandwich for at least a few weeks. Rather than completely deny myself (so that I practically can't engage in social activities outside of the home at all) I can allow myself moments where I may indulge and socialize while still maintaining my healthy lifestyle.
At this point I feel renewed and revived in completing this challenge.
Day 12 (Friday, 12/21/2012)
Hi everyone, Christmas is truly right around the corner! I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season this year!
As I have mentioned before, many things have accumulated on my plate since the start of this challenge and it has taken an unexpected direction but a positive one nonetheless. My original goal was to strictly not dine out or eat any processed snack foods whatsoever for 21 days without taking into account any unexpected social and work events that may arise. I have stuck to this goal faithfully with the exception of work dinners. Dinner with friends and the like can be rescheduled and with it being such a busy time of the year, most folks are busy taking care of Christmas so that's an easy one to bypass.
So now at Day 12, I'm giving myself some wiggle room if you will on the dining out part of this challenge. Work and social events are most definitely allowed but no dining out for lunch or dinner on the go. My goal of 2-3 times a month may be slightly exceeded to perhaps 4-6 times at most as long as it's for work or social reasons. I still intend to pack a lunch or eat some fruit and nuts to get me through the day.
On day 12, I skipped breakfast again (smh) and ate steamed brown rice and steamed carrots mixed with red pepper paste and sesame oil. I dined out with the boss last night for dinner. I indulged in some sweets lightly and kept it vegetarian. I pulled through day 12 satisfactorily in my view and I'm happy with where this challenge is going.
Day 11 (Thursday, 12/20/2012)
Day 11 was relatively uneventful. I skipped breakfast again because I have yet to stop and pick up some milk and eggs (*smh*). Lunch was a yummy, colorful salad and an apple. In my salad was the usual: spinach, tomato, onion, mushroom, green olives, apple, and carrots with home made olive oil and red wine vinaigrette, all organic. I love putting apple in my salads. In my opinion, it adds a nice texture and slight sweetness that just makes it so enjoyable. I usually use Fuji apples for my salads, never green apples, too sour. I was mentally exhausted by the time I got home from work and chose to just heat up a bowl of organic lentils for dinner. I was actually quite pleased with this as a meal. :)
I used the above brand and it was very delicious. If I'm not mistakened, this is a pretty popular organic vegetarian brand available at health food stores and the Fresh Market. It's also available online too. This offer is bulk packaged pricing which is better on your pocketbook and the environment. I also have an organic goods store on Amazon called The Green Home Cook Diva's Shop which offers dried and canned organic goods among others. I prefer dried but it was not an option. However, I am pleased to announce afterwards, I immediately placed an order on Amazon for some organic dried green lentils and brown basmati rice and at much better prices than at the Fresh Market or even local health foods store. My order was eligible for super savers shipping so shipping was free and they will send the items together in one shipment so not only have I done something great for my health, I was able to get a good deal and reduce my carbon footprint by combining the shipment.
I do have to admit I got a mad craving for Papa John's last night (and after I had already eaten dinner) out of nowhere. Honestly, I struggled with this one. I read a book called The End Of Overeating and it explained the psychological effects of restaurant and convenience foods. Basically, our minds are stimulated by fat, sugar, and salt to create a pleasant experience when we eat those foods containing high amounts of those ingredients hence our love for fast food, pizza delivery, and frozen and junk foods. So I have deduced that the craving came as a result of the salt I added to the lentils stimulating that part of my brain that was once satisfied by Papa John's offering. I satisfied that craving by eating a small amount of black beans and snacking on a few olives. A few minutes later, that craving was completely gone and I was able to fully recognize what had come over me and release it from my thoughts. Here is a link to the book. A very informative read. :) I also included a link for emotional eaters (of which I am guilty as well).
Other than that, day 11 was smooth sailing. Happy Holidays!
Day 10 (Wednesday, 12/19/2012)
Today was my off day and a good day to cook for the week but I elected to take care of a few things around the house and run some errands instead. I ended up skipping breakfast again (due to lack of milk and eggs) and lunch was steamed brown rice and chick peas mixed with red pepper paste and sesame oil. Easy, fairly nutritious (the red pepper paste contains sugar so I use about 1/2 TBSP), and I already had these items in my kitchen inventory :). I mentioned before my appetite is shrinking and I'm bypassing first signs of hunger because I'm technically "not out of fuel" yet if you will. I also have quite a few things on my plate right now so I'm under some stress which also could be contributing to the loss of appetite. For this reason, I elected to juice last night for dinner. Keep in mind I ate lunch around 11 am and didn't eat anything all day until about 7:30 when I started making a salad and snacked on some carrots. I originally was going to make enough for dinner that night and lunch the next day but decided to just prepare the next day's lunch and juice some carrots, an apple, and some spinach. It was so yummy! And I remained full until bed time. Just eleven more days to go. :)Day 9 (Tuesday, 12/18/2012)
Exactly seven days away from Christmas. Is everyone ready? Are you ready for the many blessings in store for 2013?I hope so! I am.
I was so blessed with some great news on Day 9. I was asked to dinner by my boss which was actually not all that uncommon and I was actually concerned about this during my challenge. But this was purely unavoidable. Well, I was blessed with some great news at this dinner so there is a trade off here. :)
I have to be honest, I skipped breakfast on Day 9 and it's not something I wish to defend. But it happened. Lunch was leftovers from dinner the night before (see last post). That was very tasty and surprisingly held me over until dinner around 7:30. Dinner was oriental style food. I stayed away from meat and stuck to spicy vegetables and tofu with my rice and some miso style soup. I did not snack any at all.
I've noticed my appetite getting smaller yet my energy is strong. This is telling me that it doesn't take as much to fuel my body as I would have thought. That's good news! I can save money by eating less! I've noticed my habits are pretty ingrained so I think I may just do another round just to make sure I've retrained myself and truly adopted these new eating habits permanently. I don't want to fall off the wagon per se. I feel pretty confident I won't have the same problem with the processed "snack" food but dining out is another beast. I really need to work hard to break myself of that one. Stay tuned!
I've noticed my appetite getting smaller yet my energy is strong. This is telling me that it doesn't take as much to fuel my body as I would have thought. That's good news! I can save money by eating less! I've noticed my habits are pretty ingrained so I think I may just do another round just to make sure I've retrained myself and truly adopted these new eating habits permanently. I don't want to fall off the wagon per se. I feel pretty confident I won't have the same problem with the processed "snack" food but dining out is another beast. I really need to work hard to break myself of that one. Stay tuned!
Day 8 (Monday, 12/17/2012)
I haven't been cooking much lately because I've got a lot going on right now and finding new recipes has been at the bottom of my list (it's too bad because I was hoping to try to make some new holiday recipes). With that having been said, the meals I ate this day were less than impressive, lol. I snacked on carrot sticks and almonds in the morning for breakfast/midmorning snack and ate some leftover curry and brown rice (yes, again!) and dinner consisted of steamed brown rice, chick peas, broccoli and carrots(all steamed) mixed with red pepper paste and sesame oil. It was all in all quite tasty and I packed a little leftover for lunch the next day. I also snacked on some raw veggies as well. I was hoping to cook some more new things during this challenge but it has turned out that this challenge is pushing me to eat down the fridge and cabinets before going to the grocery store to buy more stuff which I'm really happy about! And again, not one single urge to eat any processed snacks or stop by somewhere! Success!Day 7 (Sunday, 12/16/2012)
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| Photo Credit: Nagymanm |
Today was a very easy day. Two fried eggs for breakfast again today. Lunch was at church which is prepared by the women's group from scratch and usually with organic veggies grown in their gardens. The dishes prepared were Korean vegetable side dishes, too numerous to list but yes, including kimchi. :) I couldn't finish the veggie side dishes on my plate so I brought those home for dinner. I finished those off with some brown rice from home. And may I add, not one single urge to stop anywhere or eat any salty snacks. I did get a chocolate "craving" but I think that was because I was under some stress and my mind wanted relief from that stress and cried for some chocolate. But then I got busy with some other things and quickly forgot about it. :) Officially one week in to the challenge exactly 14 days left. I really feel some positive effects but I think I may continue this challenge another round or so. I'm not sure if I will blog about it though.
Day 6 (Saturday, 12/15/2012)
Day 5 (Friday, 12/14/2012)
Day 4 (Thursday, 12/13/2012)
I cooked some hot cereal (not GF but I bought this before I decided to make the transition to GF and it was all I had to eat for breakfast lol) but I realized I was completely out of time so I stuck it in the fridge and took off for work. I snacked on a few almonds mid morning. The first initial hunger pang passed and did not occur again until that time, thankfully. Lunch consisted of sweet potato fries I made the night before after I came home from the gym (nearly 10 pm - this is dedication, ya'll! lol). On the way home from work, I stopped by The Fresh Market to pick up some organic veggies for a salad. Total spent was about $20 which included pasture raised, free range, hormone free eggs at $4 (gulp). I was in dire need for some raw veggie nutrition stat. After that, I headed out to the gym. Woot!
Day 3 (Wednesday, 12/12/2012)
First off, I would like to commemorate this day in time that will never occur again in my lifetime, 12-12-12. :)
Okay, now on to the challenge! I have to admit it's starting to become a struggle. The tempting thoughts of picking up junk food or resorting to something to eat on the go keep creeping into my head but I refuse to give in! I will succeed at this challenge.
One moment in particular occurred after I left the gym that day. The thought to stop and pick up some "healthy" snacks from the Fresh Market (located in the same shopping center as my gym) hit me as soon as I walked out the door. I immediately tossed the idea and recognized and briefly meditated on the fact that this was strictly out of habit and nothing else! Junk food, snack foods, processed foods are not a substitute for food so there is no justifiable and logical reason why I should be eating these items instead of "real" food as long as I have the choice. So I got in my car and drove home. This was at the end of the day so let me backtrack to the beginning of the day.
Breakfast consisted of half a microwaved sweet potato (I know, I seriously need to do some grocery shopping. Payday is 3 days away...Hanging on as long as I can). Lunch was leftover seaweed soup and rice and I snacked lightly on almonds, the other half of the sweet potato, and a banana.
Dinner was fried rice using leftover rice stored in the fridge. It turned out tasty except that I added way too much lime juice and it just took over in flavor. It was still edible and a new lesson has been learned. Now, I am fully aware that eating the same foods over and over can create food allergies so I will be adding more variety. It just so happen that this was what I had to work with at the start of this challenge. In no way do I condone eating a diet that is limited to just a few (in particular low fat, low calorie) food items and nothing else.
*Note* If you decide to do a challenge for yourself (or simply aim to change your eating habits like I do), please do not feel you must be limited in what you eat like this. I've only made these choices out of necessity. For example, prior to this challenge, I would have resorted to picking up something to go while at work. I feel it necessary to mention that I choose vegetarian and wheat free as much as possible but eating out often, despite choosing the "healthier" options, is still not good for our health, our waist lines, or our finances. The money we save there can be used towards other purchases to boost our economy in other sectors or saved for large purchases or retirement. :)
Day 2 (Tuesday, 12/11/2012)
For breakfast, I ate sweet potato heated in the microwave ( I know, so interesting, right?) I stayed the night with my family the night before and didn't have many choices. I bought a few things to get me through the day from the Fresh Market and managed to get by on sweet potato, bananas, and almonds. The lesson learned was that it really doesn't take much to keep me going. I was surprised at the amount of energy I had and how full I was throughout the day just from lightly snacking on almonds, a banana, and a sweet potato. To be quite honest, it was really a break through for me mentally. That's the biggest obstacle for those who struggle with weight and yo yo dieting I feel - the mentality about food. So I was really pleased to discover this during my challenge.
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| Seaweed soup (miyeok gook) by yours truly! :) |
Dinner was more interesting though. At least to me, especially compared to what I had eaten throughout the day. I steamed brown basmati rice in the rice cooker and made seaweed soup (a Korean dish). Method: I soaked dried seaweed for a few minutes while I heated sesame oil in a saucepan. Then I chopped some onion, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, and some green onion and added it to the oil. I let that saute for a bit (on med heat, not too long or else the aromatics will burn) and then I added the seaweed and soy sauce and sauteed a bit more, stirring. After that, I added 3 c of water and brought to a boil and added 1 egg, stirred some more. Then brought it back down to a simmer for about 20 min or so. I added a dash of salt as well after I did a taste test to help bring out the other flavors. It turned out tasty! I was pleased (leftover is great too). I simply mixed the rice with the soup and had a nutritious and filling meal before I left for the gym to do a little strength training.
All in all, day 2 was quite successful. Now on to day 3. :)
Here is a brand I use and enjoy. It's best to store oils in a cool, dark place away from the stove. This company sells in bulk which saves time and money! Sesame oil will keep well so no worries!
Day 1 (Monday, 12/10/2012)
The first day of my challenge went pretty well. I do have to admit the first thing on my mind when I woke up was going to Starbucks and getting coffee and oatmeal and read a book or hook up to free wifi. However, I immediately tossed that idea as I remembered my commitment to 21 days of no dining out or junk food of any kind.Breakfast:
So at about 9:30ish, I brewed some coffee and scrambled two eggs (I mixed turmeric, a few grinds off black peppercorns, and a dash of salt.) After I had scrambled them, I remembered I had some green onion in the fridge (that I need to use up asap) so I chopped some and garnished my eggs with it. What a delicious breakfast it was.Lunch:
I stayed full until about 1 or 1:30, maybe even closer to 2pm. For lunch, I steamed some organic brown basmati rice (1/2 cup rice with 1 cup of water turns out some decent but somewhat moist rice) and made a Korean style meal called Bibimbap (literally "rice mixed with vegetables"). I had some leftover Korean side dishes (kimchi and other vegetable side dishes) and mixed it together with my rice. It was so very delicious and kept me full until about 5 pm at which point I snacked on a non-organic apple by peeling the skin (non organic was my only choice). Then I went to yoga at 5:30.
Dinner:
I stayed the night with my family who live in a neighboring city that night. So I volunteered to pick up some groceries for dinner. A new Fresh Market has just opened there (small town, USA lol) and it was a great reason to stop by and check it out. However, when I got there I realized that I don't really have a clue about my mom's kitchen (tools, current inventory, etc.) so I had a hard time deciding what to purchase that everyone would agree on. So I went with a pre-made pizza made at the The Fresh Market (not a frozen, shipped one). It was a Greek style vegetarian pizza and of course, made with white flour but everyone was happy and technically I didn't dine out or eat packaged junk food but truly, the pizza was made with ingredients similar to what you would find at a restaurant :(. But I find that this meal was justified otherwise AND I did not overeat. :)
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