Day 32, Two fun new recipes

Today has been a good day. I am finding ways to stay positive and I realized that I have been telling myself a story I don't like and need to change it now (you know, the one about not being organized).

I had my smoothie for breakfast and a very nice salad for lunch, it had chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cucumber, and carrots on a bed of spinach. I added slivered almonds, pine nuts, and a little bit of Cougar Cheese (made by Washington State University students) and some Italian dressing.

For dinner I had an awesome salad that I made up! (this is a big deal for me, I don't cook remember?)
It was delicious and I am very proud of it, and, of course, it is VERY EASY.

Spinach Fruit Salad:
Bed of spinach
2 dried mango slices (Trader Joe's sells the best, sweet but tangy) that have soaked in a bit of water overnight
3 fresh strawberries (small)
Pine nuts
Feta cheese
Raspberry vinaigrette (I use Newman's Own LIGHT RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE (10 - 1.5 oz Pouches) Dressing)

I also want to share some marinated mushrooms I made (as in made up the recipe, yay 2 in a week!) and devoured on Thursday.

Marinated Mushrooms:
Portobello mushrooms cut into 1/8's
Apple cider vinegar (just a sprinkle, a little goes a long way)
Lots of dehydrated onion flakes
A splash of soy sauce or Nama Shoyu
Dash of salt
Lime juice
YUM!

You can find these recipes and more in my Recipes Page

Enjoy and have a great night!

Days 29 & 30 (and the start of 31) New measurements, and Why did I let myself get so far behind?

It is no coincidence that this is my third post in a row with a question for title.

I tend to question myself a lot, which is good, sure, don't want to live an unexamined life, but I tend to go a little overboard.

Maybe I could just let it be that the last couple of days have been busy (but they always are), and the kids are on spring break (though we've hardly done anything fun with them), and that some days I really don't feel inspired to write anything (but I hardly ever do, and I know the inspiration comes after I start typing)... See how my brain works?

Food wise the last couple of days have been a contrast of strong cravings and very satisfying salads. I have been saying for almost a week that I am sick of salads and need to make more hummus, or guacamole or something else interesting, and yet I have been eating two salads* a day (plus my smoothie in the AM) and feeling very satisfied (both physically and emotionally) by them. (Maybe this would be a good time to go back one post and see my "flaky" song video)

I feel like I have been eating bigger portions, and I have been trying to avoid getting way hungry before eating, and guess what? I weighed in at 171 this morning.

Go ahead and laugh, I did.

So I was temped to take my measurements and...


March 8th              March 15          March 22         March 30        April 8th (one month since first #'s)

Weight 183 lbs       179 lbs              175 lbs            173 lbs             171 lbs

Bust  39.5"             38.25"               38"                   38.5"                38.5"

Waist  35.75"         34.75"               33.75"             33.75"              33.5"

Hips 43"                42.25"               42"                   41.75"              41.63" (5/8) (it's almost silly to record that little difference, but I have to get my victories somewhere!)

Thigh 26.5"           26.25"               26"                    26"                   25.5"

So, since I first measured myself a month ago (on Mardi Gras) I have lost 12 lbs., 2.25" from my waist, 1.37" from my hips, and 1" from my thighs. And, according to the tables in The Zone by Barry Sears (The Zone: A Dietary Road Map to Lose Weight Permanently : Reset Your Genetic Code : Prevent Disease : Achieve Maximum Physical Performance in the last month I have lost...

11.69 lbs of fat!! and only 0.31 lb of lean body mass. My body fat percentage went from 34.57 to 30.16% Yay!

Now I must be off. I am still working on what feels like a thousand projects at once, and I am not making much progress on them. It is hard not to get discouraged and just keep focusing on how wonderful it is going to be when the whole house is done (and re-done! my friend Ana -of the blog Home Styling is decorating my room, which we had never quite finished, she is also going to do L1's new room in the loft and turn the girls' room into L2's room (and guest room), which means we are already re-decorating the first room I ever finished!). The taxes are also calling me... ugh

OK, thanks for reading, I will try to post an update tonight with my menu for the day (I had buckwheat with dried blueberries and almond milk for breakfast). Oh and I will post a new recipe I made up for Marinated Mushrooms (very yummy!).

* Salads: I have discovered that Wendy's will make me one of their Baja salads without the chili, and most of the time they are willing to add extra guacamole and pico de gallo in exchange. They are very nice and very filling (they "whole" size)

Day 22, Weights and Measures, third week.

Weight and measurements compared to the last weeks:

March 8th              March 15          March 22         March 30

Weight 183 lbs       179 lbs              175 lbs            173 lbs

Bust 39.5"             38.25"               38"                   38.5" (?? I must have been holding my breath)

Waist 35.75"          34.75"               33.75"             33.75" 

Hips 43"                42.25"               42"                   41.75"

Thigh 26.5"           26.25"               26"                    26"


So, according to the tables in The Zone by Barry Sears (The Zone: A Dietary Road Map to Lose Weight Permanently : Reset Your Genetic Code : Prevent Disease : Achieve Maximum Physical Performance since last week I have lost...

0.64 lbs of fat and 1.36 lb of lean body mass (body fat holding at 31.75)

NOT COOL

OK, ok, sorry I digress, I am still losing weight, I still feel great, I still need less hours of sleep, I am still off my reflux and allergy medication, I still have lots of energy, aaaaaand (checking back over the numbers I have written all over the margins of my copy of The Zone I discovered that) my lean body mass has fluctuated between 111 and 120 since I have been keeping track. So, things are still good, although I would like to discover how to lose only fat from now on.

On that note, I am off to EXERCISE :) so I will tell you today's menu and be off:
Smoothie with one scoop of protein drink
Water
Water
Water... remembered I had a small (100 calorie) bad of raw trail mix from Trader Joe's in the glove compartment of the car!
Raw trail mix baggie
Water
Handful of raisins L1 gave me
About 1/3 cup of Savory Brazil Nuts
Big serving of Asian Slaw
Small servings of Pico de Gallo and Guacamole
and an orange juice with white wine.

Have a great night and happy eating!

PS. For those of you following L2's health, she went to school today, no fever but had a stomach ache in the afternoon.

Day 19, Forced Presence, continued (with yummy photos!)

When I got home today I lied down for a few minutes (don't tell the kids I was crying).

Loren was as sweet as ever, he put the covers over me and gave me a clean handkerchief, then went into the kitchen and made me these:

Lettuce wrap with Guacamole, Savory Brazil Nuts
(and Pepitas) and Pico de Gallo
Chef: Loren Powell, Photographer: Me

Which include these:

Savory Brazil Nuts (and Pepitas)

All the recipes are in my recipes page!!

For snack I had dried apple rings with raw almond butter and white wine mixed with orange juice (that's why you buy the cheap wine).


On a somewhat unrelated note... there are A LOT of sites on the internet that offer recipes for raw food. I am very appreciative of the fact that people have taken the time to create things like the raw substitute for mashed potatoes and gravy, but, to be perfectly honest, those recipes just don't work for me.

I don't cook.
(Thank you for feigning shock)

In fact, I have been known to say I cook one meal a year (Costa Rican Christmas Eve dinner, featuring my dad's leg of pork, rice with heart of palm, cabbage and cilantro salad, mashed black beans, tortillas, chips with salsa and/or anchovy dip, and a couple of not so Costa Rican favorites: prunes wrapped in bacon, and maple syrup and balsamic vinegar Brussels sprouts), the rest of the year (and ONLY because Loren has been working nights for a few years so he is not here to cook) I make: chili, spaghetti, pasta primavera, eggs and Gallo Pinto (also Costa Rican, basically spiced rice and beans --out of a can), Picadillo (details in this post, I'm not adding it to the recipes page because it has meat and, well, it is cooked) and -my favorite- frozen Taquitos with mashed black beans out of a can, cheese and salad (no bad ingredients, I read all the labels!!), and, of course, you will always find an "emergency Pizza" in our freezer.

So, for a person that doesn't cook these recipes seem a little over the top. I do not want to spend hours in the kitchen, slaving over a lukewarm dish that wants to be something else. I would rather stay away from things that are going to remind me of stuff I can't have and just enjoy fresh, yummy things that take very little preparation and are not going to make me wish I were eating something cooked!

So, if you're like me, I hope to be of assistance. You CAN eat healthy without cooking, and by that I mean even if you are eating cooked food, you can find the healthy alternatives at the grocery store so you don't have to frustrate yourself in the kitchen.

And, most importantly, I *support* you in your inability or unwillingness to cook.
Non-Cooks of the World UNITE! and be ashamed no longer!

PS. Loren also made himself a very interesting and tasty wrap with raw Tahini, olives, tomato and alfalfa sprouts, awesome combination of flavors!