21 Day Challenge To Make Healthier Eating Habits V.2

Note on The Challenge Round 2:

Hi everyone, I've decided to resurrect my original eating challenge because I find those old habits already creeping back in and I CAN"T STAND IT!! lol! As I mentioned before, I do not get lunch on the go anymore and find myself cooking a meal at upwards of 9 pm the night before just so I can have lunch to take to work the next day. I do have to say, that is quite an accomplishment for me.  I'll admit I get tempted to just not worry about it and deal with the lunch issue the next day but then I think about the options I have if I don't prepare my lunch (get fast food, eat some bananas, or just plain starve) and none of those appeal to me so I end up getting off the couch to make my lunch. :)

However, for some reason, I keep giving in to the little voice in my head saying "eat some salty snack foods, it's okay. Just this once won't hurt anything." It's driving me crazy. You know how this cycle goes. Once turns into twice, then thrice and well you get the picture.  I'm a "junk food junkie" and I will overcome this!  How many of you can relate? Please share your story in the comments below. Let's drop the habit!


Today is a Monday and would be a great day to start except I've already blown it today.  So I will start tomorrow. Blogging about the challenge last time really held me accountable and I hope for the same results. I guess that's how my brain works.  For some reason, whenever I was tempted to succumb to "my habit" remembering my challenge and my commitment to my readers to follow through on it helped me overcome those moments.  Let's keep our fingers crossed the same will happen this time around.  :)

I encourage you to join me on this challenge. Please share in the comments your experiences. I'd love to discuss with you!

Take care for now!

Days 12-21

Hi folks, long time no post and for that I apologize. 

I kept notes on each day but rather than list off the things that I ate that weren't particularly interesting anyway, I'm just going to summarize the valuable lessons learned during this round of the challenge.  

I learned change doesn't happen overnight. Don't expect it to. I learned the mind is a powerful thing.  I was able to succeed the first round because I set my mind to it. To be honest, since that round, I've been dealing with some other things in life that are causing my mind to be distracted and stressed therefore, not so focused on succeeding on this eating challenge. I learned that I have got to drop the junk food habit not because of  its "bad rep" in the diet world but because of the scary truth of its ingredients and how they adversely affect our health.  I also learned that it is easy for me to throw that out the window for the temporary satisfaction of junk food that has been a psychological condition years in the making.  I learned it's going to take much more than a challenge to truly be set free.  I learned I don't have all the answers and that I should always seek out knowledge and truth, especially regarding my health.  

I will continue to blog about my cooking endeavors and adventures as I have been.  I'm pretty sure I won't do another one of these eating challenges but I will certainly post about my progress, experiences, stories, etc as they occur. Wishing you all the best in your endeavor to live a long, healthy, and happy life!

Take care folks and I'll chat with you later!

Day 11 (Friday, January 25, 2013)

I didn't make it through Day 11 so successfully.  In most people's view, there's nothing wrong with the choices that I made but let me say once again, my goal for this challenge and in general to kick some bad habits of mine: eating junk and dining out too much. So the reason Day 11 did not turn out so well was because I didn't pack my lunch the night before and ended up stopping by Subway for lunch.  I was actually called to go to another store location for work and thought it would be nice to stop and pick up a $5 footlong for me and my co worker.  That was my justification.  Is that acceptable or do you think I was just trying to find a reason or excuse to do what I wanted to anyway?  Let me know what you think n the comments.  :)

I have really got to get better about starting the day out right with breakfast. I was on a roll at one time and cooking breakfast every morning but something has thrown me off that routine.  Day 11 was another "breakfast-less" day.  

Lunch was a 6 inch  subway veggie on flat bread with honey mustard and bbq baked chips.  I did indulge further in junk items (smh). This round is tougher than the first. It seems like the first challenge's success was not necessarily a sufficient indicator that my habits were changed.  This will be a long term journey and goal.  I'm not going to be too hard on myself but I am not giving up ever!

While earlier in the day I didn't succeed, dinner was a total success! Two  veggie whole grain wraps and a juicing (cuke, carrot, apple, and minneola fruit) It was sooo good!

Day 10 (Thursday, January 24, 2013)

Wow I've gotten behind in my posting! My apologies.:)

Day 10 was a good day overall. I ate some salad and soup that I made and an orange for a snack. I did eat a late night snack of  roasted Korean seaweed and romaine lettuce (weird, I know lol) and guess what else? 2 slices of my Ezekiel bread and apple butter!

Despite the late night snacking, I did make it through the day without eating any junk or dining out. :)

Day 9 (Wednesday January 23, 2013)

I picked up my mixed fruit and veggie box today and made a salad for dinner with all the goodies that came in it: chard, romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, purple onion, bell peppers,  and some other veggies I had on hand: mushroom, carrots, and cukes.  I also had some leftover soup so soup and salad for dinner it was. 

Lunch of course was leftover soup that I prepared on Day 8.

I actually ate breakfast  on Day 9! Would you believe it? Lol.  Two slices of my Ezekiel 4:9 bread and apple butter. 

Time for confessional folks:

Despite the seemingly good day on “paper,” I have to confess the “sin.” Lol

I succumbed to the little voice today that said, "Eat cheezits and a brownie."  And to be honest, I’m no longer concerned with the calories of these items like I used to be but with the ingredients and manufacturing processes of them.

The “guilt” I endured was not out of a feeling of “blowing” achievement of a weight loss goal as much as it was “blowing” a healthy lifestyle goal.  This is a totally new perspective for me and I’m happy to have it.  To be honest, in the past, when my weight was under control, I had no guilt about the type of food I ate, just the amounts and the frequency so I was more or less in an “everything in moderation” mentality.  However, old emotional eating habits would be triggered and the weight would come back on as a result of over-eating the wrong types of food or just over-eating in general.  Then this would trigger an “I am so sick of dieting and exercising” mentality which would further contribute to weight gain. Then I would get depressed, and then fed up, and then the cycle would start all over again. 

Why I'm Even Telling You This

As you know, that’s the reason for the blogging/vlogging.  After I discovered some not so new truths about food and assessed my own struggles with achieving a healthy lifestyle, I decided to put these truths into practice and reprogram my thinking about eating, dieting, food, and overall health and fitness.  Many of us know that this is the key to successful weight management and I want to share my testimonial with the world to show those who can relate that it is possible to have the victory regarding weight and health.  While I have only been at this for about 6 months now, I am so very confident that I will succeed because I’m not living chained to a diet or exercise program or living restricted. It might seem that way but but once things are put into a certain perspective, I realize that it is to prolong my life and make it happier not to make myself miserable.  Discipline is never fun but it’s good for us. It helps us live better lives.  We are more successful and happier in general.  In America, we are not raised with a disciplined mentality when it comes to a lot of things. We are raised with a selfish and over-indulgent mentality that is destroying this country in my view.  This challenge and this blog are not only a way for me to share my personal story but also a way for me to be part of the solution and not the problem for America (and the rest of the world for that matter). We are all in this boat together.  Even the slightest and most random acts of kindness (and this includes kindness to ourselves which is not selfish) can make a global impact and work to build a better future.  Ok enough of this talk guys! Sorry about the random rant! Lol. 

A note on the junk consumption.

I immediately felt terrible afterwards, not just mentally but physically. I could tell a huge difference in my energy and mental clarity.  I was not as sharp at my job that day and I felt so sluggish and sleepy.  It seems like every time I put the slightest bit of junk in my body, I immediately am affected by it which works to help me pass it up more easily.  However, it’s that moment when I’m enjoying the taste and comfort it offers that keeps me going back to it. *SMH* 

Well, tomorrow is another day, another chance to make wrong things right in my life and in this world.  On that note ladies and gentlemen, I will talk to you then!

Day 8 (Tuesday January 22, 2013)

Throughout Day 8, I ate 3 Slices of Ezekiel 4:9 cinnamon raisin with apple butter. It wasn't quite enough to get me through. I should have brought my raw sunflower seeds but forgot them at home.

Dinner was vegetarian tofu and broccoli stir fry from the neighborhood pho restaurant with friends.  This truly makes maybe the 3rd time I've dined out this month! Yea for me and each time has been vegetarian at the very least. :)

Afterwards I hit the gym and pretty hard actually compared to my workouts previously and for the fact that I haven't been very consistent, especially over the last year or so - I will be blogging more about this on my fitness blog sometime in the future lol. The idea occurred to me on the treadmill kind of out of the blue to make some veggie lentil stew when I got home. I guess I was haphazardly thinking about what I would make for lunch the next day and then lightening struck - veggie and lentil stew, my seemingly go to meal these days.  As simple, practical, and logical as it may seem, for some reason, I felt so relieved and on top of my game at that moment.  :)

Veggie Lentil Stew Recipe

I didn't have any leftover marinara to add this time (and didn't deem it necessary to open my single can of organic, no salt added canned tomatoes.  Please don't judge me for the canned good lol) but I did have some tomato paste (vegan friendly and the lowest sodium content I could find.  I'm just not quite yet sophisticated in my home cooking skills to make my own but it is one of my lifetime goals). But because the paste did have some added sodium, I added very little.  I went about this stew slightly differently than in the past.  First I made a veggie stock using leftover broccoli stalks and kale stems I had  frozen a while back along with fresh carrots, dill, onions, garlic, and frozen (packaged, unfortunately) spinach - although I am glad I finally found some use for it. It had been in there for some months.  I brought it to a boil and then simmered, about 10 minutes at a boil and 20 minutes simmering.  I scooped out the broccoli stalks and kale stems, chopped up about half the kale stems and added them back. Then I added mushroom, radish, yellow squash, brown basmati rice, and green lentils.  I brought  it to a boil again and then let simmer, for the duration of about another 20-30 mintues. During this time, I seasoned with some sweet paprika, fresh ground peppercorn,  sea salt, and a pinch of cumin and coriander because it was just a tad too bland and the greens flavor was too overpowering.  I seasoned to taste and then took it off the heat.  It’s got a slight kick which I like.  The main differences were the ingredients and the seasoning choices I made and the timing of the seasonings.  Before I tended to season from the beginning and throughout but this time I waited until the end.  Another difference was the lack of tomatoes. The only tomato flavor I added was the tiny bit of tomato paste. And adding the dill, radish, and spinach was a new try for me as well.  The total cook time was about an hour and prep time just about 5 min or so.  I was able to do other things around the house while the stew was cooking and I cooked a big stock pot’s worth so I’ve got a healthy lunch for just about the rest of the week! Score as always!

Other veggie lentil stew posts:
http://thegreenhomecookdiva.blogspot.com/2013/01/hearty-vegetable-and-green-lentil-stew.html
Day 18 of the first round of the eating challenge
http://thegreenhomecookdiva.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=15

Veggie stock recipe post:
http://thegreenhomecookdiva.blogspot.com/2012/10/making-your-own-soup-stock-is-easy-i.html

Day 7 (Monday January 21, 2013)

No breakfast again on Day 7.  Maybe I need to start a breakfast challenge, lol!

Lunch was leftover bibimbap from Day 6 dinner. Nothing exciting really lol. 

For dinner, I had 2 spelt wraps (I was starving and needed some fuel for a good workout) with sautéed kale, raw cukes, onions, and bell peppers and Dijon mustard. Pretty good stuff, at least to me. 

I worked out afterwards and it was great. The legs were feeling the burn! Because I’ve been hitting the workouts pretty hard recently I decided to get a protein snack from the café at the gym. I opted for the vegan oatmeal cookie with 15 gr of protein called Lenny and Larry's The Complete Cookie. I chose Oatmeal Raisin. The link is below.

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Being vegan and full of protein were the only 2 good things about that cookie. But at least my muscles will get the protein it needs to repair, at least I hope so. The only other options I had were to come home and boil about ¼ cup of lentils which I’m starting to think might not have been a bad idea after all.   This is stuff that I should probably post on my fitness blog.  I hope to successfully blog about the benefits of nutrition and healthy eating habits in achieving fitness goals and overall optimum health. J

Overall, day 7 was a successful day and I’m very pleased with the rapid turnaround from days 3 and 4!

Day 6 (Sunday January 20, 2013)

Breakfast

Day 6 was yet another day that started off well. I had a fruit cup for breakfast (from Panera Bread, doesn't count as "dining out" it's fruit for crying out loud! Cut me some slack! lol).  I had some computer work to do at work that can only really be done successfully during non-operating hours because of all the rebooting and tech stuff that had to be done and of course, that's not easy to tackle when you have customers to take care of.  So I decided to head to Panera Bread beforehand for some coffee and fruit. :) 

Lunch

After I left work, I stopped by the health foods store, The Fresh Market, and the neighborhood Asian market to pick up a few needed items. By this point, I was starving.  Lunch was an easy meal preparation of fresh peanut butter and apple butter on Ezekial 4:9 cinnamon raisin bread.  I decided to go with apple butter because, well, honestly, it was the only thing I could afford! Honey was outrageous at a good $11 a bottle

                                                   

Click on this link and you will see for yourself! However, you may find that this is reasonable for you. :)

for the organic stuff! I've decided to stay away from agave nectar because I've come across some bad press about it that's left me with doubts about this acclaimed "miracle" sweetener alternative.  It seemed that I've heard some health and fitness professionals somewhere along the line mention apple butter as part of their diet and so I decided to give it a try.  The ingredient list looked acceptable for the most part and it was organic.  The verdict: good stuff for sure! Will be crazy about it on a "nutella lover" level? Probably not.  If I come across organic honey at a more reasonable price, I"m sure I will choose it over the apple butter because well "peanut and apple butter" sandwiches just doesn't have the same ring to it as "peanut butter and honey" sandwiches.  Not only that, but the apple butter has a certain tartness that is tasty with peanut butter but doesn't offer me the same comfort as the sweetness of  honey mixed with peanut butter.  But I must say, it certainly makes for a sweet treat for those dieting, exercising, and/or simply being more health conscious.  

The Ezekiel bread is very good. I'm definitely a fan of it until I can at least learn to make my own.  I've recently taken up an interest in running and feel guilt free about carb-loading on this stuff to fuel some harder runs for me.  And of course, their commitment to making organic, non GMO bread according to the Bible verse Ezekiel 4:9 rich in fiber and nutrition with no preservatives is worth mentioning.

Click the image to be rerouted to Amazon's detailed listing about this product. :)

NIV transaltion: “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side." Ezekiel 4:9

Dinner

Dinner was brown rice, green lentils, veggies, olive oil, tofu, and chilli pepper paste mixed together.  Upon first mixing, the dish was pretty but after continually mixing in more paste the bright colors turned drab and the tofu was soft and changed the texture of the dish.  But it was still tasty and full of protein and nutrition. I chose to add tofu because I’ve been back in the gym and doing some strength training. I need the protein to help repair the muscle tissue.  J I may have had another slice or 3 of cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter and apple butter.   Hey, at least it wasn’t a box of cookies! Like I said, baby steps. One day at a time! :o) lol

Day 5 (Saturday January 19, 2013)

Day 5 was another fast day if you will, to sort of recuperate and recover from the damage done the day before.  At least that’s how I see it. I don’t really have any good info that this is a wise practice but it’s generally what I do to help ease any digestion issues.  Of course, I drink plenty of water and snack lightly if I have to. For example, raw sunflower seeds got me through the hunger pangs and I slipped only once, a minor slip, and reached for a small bag of Doritos (as I said, so readily available at the store I worked at that day).

Veggies were sliding down lol

However, dinner was a huge success! Spelt wrap with sautéed kale and other veggies and it was soooo good! I did eat 2 though, the second one as a mere culinary experiment to compare ingredients and flavors to try to get a decent recipe to post for you guys!  The first one had way too many raw veggies and not enough flavor to really speak of, perhaps if I had added a heaping scoop of hummus, honey mustard, or ranch (clean of course) or something it would have been more flavorful. The second one just consisted of the sautéed kale and garlic and just a couple raw veggies, cukes and bell peppers.  It was much more flavorful but still needed something.  So I will keep experimenting!

Sauteed Kale: 

Strip kale from stems (optional) and tear to bite size pieces, massage in lemon juice, heat a skillet and sautee garlic in oil (I chose coconut oil) for about a minute or so, add coarse sea salt to the oil as well so flavor distributes evenly throughout kale, and then add kale and sautee for a few minutes until kale turns bright green and is wilted.  Add to virtually anything! Be creative! I made a wrap out of it and it was yummers (if yummers is even a word!)!!

Day 4 Friday (January 18, 2013)

Breakfast was bought for me because I had to come in to work early to take care of some things (was heavy with meat and sauces, hearty and filling but certainly not part of the eating plan – a chipotle chicken subway sandwich with bacon - OUCH!)

Lunch was brought from home- a new spin on  my usual bibimbap recipe. I added a lot more different veggies that are not typically served in this dish but by the very nature of the dish, can still be called bibimbap (rice mixed with veggies). I added dill, carrot foliage, radish foliage, onion, radish, carrots, garlic, yellow squash, cucumber,  all raw. Served mixed with olive oil (I was out of sesame oil), gochujang (red pepper paste), brown rice and green lentils cooked on the stove top.   Was very tasty.  I was so very full at 2pm. 

Dinner: So terrible I am too ashamed to even to confess to it on this post! I will say this: It was vegetarian and did not contain wheat.  Day 4 brought about some reflection on my dietary choices and committment and I would like to share them with you.

Thoughts that occurred to me on Day 4:

"It seems as though I’m settling down comfortably in the zone of “flexitarian”  which is funny because I’ve always been that way somewhat even without meaning to be.  I grew up heavily influenced by Asian cuisine (a lot of vegetables, rice/noodles, tofu and soy foods in general, seafood, chicken, and  little red meat and pork).  However, I consumed a large amount of processed and inorganic goods which is a big part of the change I’m making now.  If anything I have become more conscious of my “flexitarian” dietary choices and needs and seek out more consciously recipes and meals to meet the dietary requirements of a plant based diet.  I’m happy here.  However, I need to keep an eye on my unconscious consumption of meat when I dine out.  So if I have a choice, I will choose vegetarian or vegan. If I don’t have a choice (which is rare but it happens on occasion, primarily work related) then I will consume the meat.   I will continue to seek to reasonably reduce the amount of times I dine out in a month and most certainly drop the junk habit. There is absolutely no reward there in my view other than a guilty pleasure.  I’m not saying that I will never nibble on junk food or that is my goal. My goal is to change my thinking to be more conscious of the junk I consume and not give in so easily to a “craving” that is not a true representation of hunger or my body’s natural mechanisms to seek out nutrients of which my body is in need.  I realize that is quite a lofty endeavor but I know that I’m not alone in this which gives me confidence that I can make some positive changes in this area in my life as long as I try my best.  I also know that this is not going to happen overnight and that I will make mistakes and fail sometimes but I do not intend to give up and I do know that this is a lifelong journey, a journey I’m actually looking forward to taking."

Day 4 was one of those weaker days for me in the area of junk.  (it was readily available right in front of me at the store I was working at that day).  Most of the time I can make it through without thinking twice but there are some days when my “craving” for a salty food wins the battle but the war is far from over! J

Day 3 (Thursday January 17, 2013)

Day 3 started out on the right track (organic salad with a clean, homemade vinaigrette) but by dinner, I found myself in front of "Hombre Nachos" from a local eatery called Butch Cassidy's Cafe.  A friend treated me and it's a locally famous place in historic Midtown Mobile that I've been wanting to try for a very long time but never had the chance... until Day 3 of this challenge round 2. :/

The "Hombre Nachos" were the only vegetarian choice on the menu. Need I remind you where I live - Deep South, USA so one might imagine how much more difficult it is for me to stick to this challenge and succeed! Everything was fried, heavily meat ladened, and most certainly not organic, gluten free, or non GMO.  As a matter of fact, there is only one cafe in the entire county that I know of that serves that kind of menu and that is the Sunflower Cafe located in the back of the health foods store and of course, they are closed by the time I am off work.  

I did manage to do a little aerobic, cardio exercise afterwards to get the blood pumping and heart rate up.  It made feel a little better about dinner (not calorie wise so much as just doing something good for my health to offset the dinner I ate).

Stay tuned for Day 4! Cheers!

Day 2 (Wednesday January 16, 2013)

Well, I made it through Day 2.  +Justas Ežerskis shared on my Google+ post about this challenge:

  "please post every day :) because first 3 days are the major one. When I was trying go to vegan first time - by the 3rd day I was dreaming about juicy stake :)  But after that - I managed to control my self. Cheers and Good luck.!"

This is so true folks! If you refer back to Day 3 or 4 of my original challenge you will see notes on my struggle. It seems that those first few days are the hardest for some reason.  And the same has been true this time around.

The Excuses

I found myself overwhelmed with this urge to get in my car, crank it, burn gas to go to the health foods store, and peruse their snack aisles for something "justifiable" on which to munch.  The excuses that played throughout my mind:
1. It's early enough in the evening to indulge.
2. You haven't eaten much today so even if you do eat the whole bag, it's ok as long as it's no more than say, 600 calories or so. You can afford that.
3.  They're the healthy kind. You can find GMO free, gluten free, vegan snacks so it won't be that bad.

Yep literally stuff like that ran through my mind like a electronic scrolling banner display and in second person too! I almost caved.  But of course, blogging about this challenge helped pull me through but the excuses rang louder and stronger than ever before.  In hindsight, it was kind of scary how it consumed my mind like that for a few minutes.

But then I started another banner display that read like this:
1.  It's really cold outside. Do you really want to get out in this weather just for this? After all, you were just there last night picking up some groceries. How silly it would look for you to come back just for snacks.
2. Do you really want to spend and waste the money like that?
3. Why not make a fruit smoothie instead as a little treat for yourself? Wouldn't that be nice?
4. Here is a better idea: Browse Amazon for some great deals on some needed items and order some organic produce to be delivered.

The Outcome

So yes, I survived Day 2.  I do have some not so good news though.  Out of absolute necessity I had to eat a chipotle chicken sandwich from Subway.  I was asked to work unexpectedly around 12  and did not have anything to eat prior and the only thing available to me to eat was a 6 in sandwich on flatbread.  So much for a vegan day. :/

Dinner consisted of another salad similar to Day 1 and an awesome smoothie for dessert (despite the cold weather outside).  I juiced a couple carrots and added about a 1/2 c coconut milk as my liquid base.  I added about a 1/2 frozen organic banana and about a handful of organic pineapple and mango each along with a handful of ice from the ice maker.  All of that totaled about a 16 oz smoothie and it was SOOO GOOD!! OMG! :o)  I didn't take any pictures though.  It turned out almost sherbert like and immediately I thought it could easily substitute as an ice cream/sherbert like treat as opposed to a smoothie.  Just for the sake of variety, that idea appealed to me. ;o)
  

The first two blenders above are the Ninja Kitchen system which I have seen and been curious about. The first one seems to try to replicate the Vitamix at a more affordable price.  The middle one resembles more of what I currently use which is the last picture you see, a Cuisinart that I purchased from Best Buy about 6 months ago (all are BPA free). I use my blender for food processing too. I learned in a cooking class that the only real difference between a blender and food processor is that a blender requires a liquid base to function whereas a food processor does not. So if you're like me, already in possession of a blender, debating whether or not to purchase a food processor, I would suggest holding off a little longer.  I've been able to "process" everything in a blender with very little difficulty.  As long as there is enough liquid available to blend it up.  If adding a little water or lemon juice isn't going to throw off your recipe too much, I think for the most part it will be fine to continue to use a blender.  By the way, if you click on the links, you will be redirected to the online stores to purchase these items. :)

A fruit box delivered from www.offthevine.org. I prepped and froze
a good bit for smoothies.

No pounds were lost and I feel that right now I'm retaining some fluids and that might be why.  Weight loss is not the most important aspect of this challenge or this lifestyle change but weight loss signifies to me that I'm learning to eat mindfully and consciously. It signifies to me that I'm "eating to live" and not "living to eat."

Talk to you again soon!

Day 1 (Tuesday January 15, 2013)

Hi folks! Day 1 was a good day.  There's not much to tell though so this post will be short and sweet.  

I pretty much fasted most of the day since I had a rough day yesterday.  I stayed hydrated with a bottle of water and decided to eat some leftover seaweed soup and brown rice around 4 pm.

Nutritious and detoxifying

I stopped by The Fresh Market and picked up some veggies for a salad.  Today's purchase (and salad) was not a usual one.  I'm trying to make sure I get a good variety of foods in my diet instead of the same ones I always eat so I picked up a bunch of carrots and radishes, dill, yellow squash, and raw sunflower seeds along with some other "usuals" (mushroom, spinach, spring mix, cucumber, yellow onion).  I added the greens from the bunch of carrots and radishes along with 1 radish and apple chopped to my salad and of course all the other aforementioned veggies.  The dressing consisted of about 2.5 TBSP of organic olive oil and about a TBSP of balsamic glaze (basically bring 1 cup of balsamic to a boil and then simmer for about 30 min until there is about a 1/4 c or so left and it has thickened to a glaze) and 1 TBSP of organic red wine vinegar.  OMG! It was soooo good!  And afterwards, I juiced 1 beet, 1 carrot and 1 granny smith apple and 1/2 fuji apple.  To top off this Tuesday, I finished with a glass of organic merlot.  Not too shabby of a day if you ask me!  

Hearty Vegetable and Green Lentil Stew

--> Hi folks!
My 21 Day Eating Challenge is now complete.  One of the new meals I cooked during the challenge was organic vegetable and green lentil stew.  I was so pleased with the outcome that I decided to make it again tonight (plus I didn't have much else I could create from what I had to work with lol).  If you read my eating challenge posts, then you know the story behind my organic green lentil bulk purchase from Amazon but for others, just a quick note: I have six 16 ounce boxes of Eden's Organic Green Lentils in my cupboard.  Needless to say, this meal is an easy go to meal to prepare when I'm low on groceries, need to get rid of some aging veggies, or just being lazy.

The story behind the stew

simmering on the stove

As I was deciding what I would eat for dinner today (while at work lol), I considered stopping to pick up more salad fixings on the way home, preparing pasta to use up some leftover homemade marinara, eating one of my easy favorite Korean foods, or making this stew.  Well, because I had some leftover brown basmati rice in the fridge (that was dry and hard and I knew it wouldn't heat up well in the microwave), I decided on the stew because I could throw it in there and it would soften up and make a great ingredient.  I  added in all my leftover veggies including green onion for flavor (I was out of lettuce so it was nay on a salad to accompany the soup) and the leftover marinara.  I seasoned it with a little tiny bit of salt, sweet paprika, worcestershire sauce, fresh garlic, crushed red pepper, a pinch of cumin and coriander, and some fresh ground pepper.  It turned out spicier this time because of the crushed red pepper and slightly more generous amount of paprika but the taste was just fine for me although I will not be adding the cumin and coriander next time. It just didn't "fit in" with the rest of the ingredients.  I did make the mistake of putting too much black pepper though. I read recently that freshly ground black pepper aids in weight loss and I think I got a little too excited about that when adding it to the stew.  :)

Here are three different kinds of worcestershire sauce, two of which are organic that I have yet to try.  The third one, Lee and Perin's, is the one I used for this stew and the one I'm most familiar with.  I purchased this item prior to my switch to organic items. I'm not sure how important it is for this one to be organic really and truly (as opposed to a Dirty Dozen item) but because of my commitment to greener, sustainable, and less toxic production methods, I prefer organic and vegan (because vegan options are inherently non-GMO) at all times. :)

 

Food is my addiction!

I'm excited about having lunch for the next few days because that means less headache on a daily basis and I can maintain the commitment I made during my eating challenge!  It's still difficult to adjust these habits and as great as challenges are, it's gonna take a miracle to cure me of my addiction to food lol! I've learned over the years that I cannot make sudden changes and stick with them. It has to happen gradually and I will fail sometimes but as long as I'm committed wholeheartedly to a life long goal of healthy choices, then I know I will be able to get back up again and succeed a little more each time.  And I'm certainly wholeheartedly committed to that goal.  It's not only a physical change but also a mental and emotional change.

It's time to break the cycle!

In the past, I strictly focused on the physical changes and just did whatever it took to reach those physical appearance goals but guess what, it was very difficult to maintain.  So as I started this blog and this new lifestyle, I set goals focused on eating healthier, cleaner, more balanced and nutritious, and less processed foods. This was nothing I had really ever tried before.  When I dieted, I did make healthier choices many times but healthier relative to hamburgers, fries, and colas.  I've since learned that those "healthier" choices, albeit weight loss is possible, aren't necessarily the healthiest choices I could be making.  Hence, the birth of this blog and others.  As far as fitness is concerned, I'm not setting a goal to knock P90X or Insanity out or anything like that. I'm merely setting goals to move, period.  And I'm setting a goal to heal my body via nutrition and yoga.  By no means am I where I want to be yet (and the key word is yet) but as I said before, this is a life long commitment and there is no going back.

It's gonna be a battle but I will win!

With that being said, wish me luck as I struggle to overcome some difficulties regarding food.  Many of you can relate I'm sure because this truly is a nationwide epidemic and it's growing to a global scale.

*This post has been linked to A Blossoming Life blog community.*

My 21 Day Challenge To Make Better Eating Habits

I started a 21 day challenge to make better eating habits for myself.  I want to share with you my experience.  I hope for this to hold me accountable and inspire you to challenge yourself to achieve your health goals.  I will post each day as I record it. I reserve the right to post multiple days at once should I find it necessary. :) I will continue to add updates to this particular post to keep my blog from appearing random and clutter free!
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 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!

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!

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)

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)

Another short and sweet one for you today.  For breakfast, I cooked two fried eggs. Lunch was a little leftover brown rice and curry (didn't have much of an appetite that day) and dinner was a small salad.  I was hungry again shortly after the small salad so I snacked on a boiled egg, some veggies, and some almonds.  Another successful day marked on the calendar.

Day 5 (Friday, 12/14/2012)

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet.  Breakfast consisted of the (leftover) hot cereal heated up. I can't afford to waste and learning how to eat "down" the fridge along with 1 egg fried lightly in coconut oil.  For lunch, I had brown rice and curry which I made from scratch the night before.  For those who have read my post on curry before, I am pleased to announce I have improved greatly and have found a consistent combination of spices and milk/tahini to create a decent tasting curry.  Yea for me! lol.  Raw veggies in a colorful assortment is an absolute must in our diet to stay healthy so the way I get those in (as most Americans do) is via salads.  So needless to say, that was dinner last night.  Overall, a very successful day and the urges to grab junk snacks or stop by somewhere are not as bad as they were on Days 2 and 3.  

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.  

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.  :)