Popular Posts

Saturday 11 August 2012

Hooray! It's Monday...

Really? A rousing cheer for Monday? Of course. Monday is do over day. I get a fresh start if I choose. At least that's how I choose to see Mondays now. I need do overs. So, today I am shooting for health supportive, nutrient dense foods to nourish my body with. Today is the last day of anitbiotics...hooray again! I still feel groggy, tired and very low energy. So, I need to find a way to support myself to bounce back to health and vitality.

I didn't do much this weekend, including shopping. Have I ever told you how much I love to shop? Well....I used to shop for recreation. I enjoyed browsing, touching and drooling over all sorts of pretty little things. But in the past couple of years, I have been feeling smothered by all our stuff. There is stuff everywhere, it is amazing that we can even breathe! So after many many trips to donate all the excess stuff, I stopped shopping for the sake of shopping. Shopping is not entertainment, is what I tell myself.

I went beachcombing and pulled together all the ingredients to complete all of the centrepeices for my daughter's wedding. Yay! I got to check something else off my list! All I have to do now is find the fabric for the dress I dreamed up while I was sick. Other than that, all the other wedding related projects on my list will be completed the week prior while I am at my daughter's. Fun fun fun!!!

I have some nice black beluga lentils in my cupboard. They call to me every time I open the cupboard, so I am thinking about a salad. I actually bought the lentils because I used to get the most amazingly delicious beluga lentil burgers...mmmmm loved them! I saw the lentils, thought of the burgers and made the purchase. However, I find that I am not as interested in the "burger" experience as I once was, so the lentils have been sitting there, neglected and lonely. So, I decided to find some other ways to use beluga lentils. I think salad. I will let you know how that goes. I should think a few brightly colored vegges, mixed with shiney black lentils will be a treat for the eyes and for the palate. Of course, I will let you know how it goes.

Lentils are high in fiber and protein, and since I don't eat any red meat (or chicken or pork) I am always on the lookout for good sources of protein.

Update: The beluga lentils remain lonely and untouched in the cupboard. They did not turn themselves into a salad, and although I beleive in magic, I am no Samantha Stevens. I apparently have to do something more than twitch my nose in order to turn a pantry staple into a salad. I will keep you posted. Until then, I continue to have do-overs, Monday or not!

I have also made a choice to include some chicken and a little beef into my diet...we will see how that goes.

I`m Back!!

Yummy! Israeli Couscous salad.

We have returned from a 2 week summer vacation. On the agenda this trip was a family reunion. I have known about the reunion for at least a year, and as the excitement mounted, so have the pounds. I have put on even more weight, and I think I have broken my own record for all time high...even during pregnancy! Sigh.....

I learned even more about my family at this reunion. I have an even deeper understanding of my Mom and the choices that she made in her efforts to protect me. I am not saying I agree with all of those choices, but I am able to understand them. I have a deeper sense of respect for the lived experiences of famly members, for theirs are stories of love, loss and courage...This is where I come from, and in them I also see myself...humour, creativity, strength and courage... Our family story is one of loss, separation, and coming back together again. My story is their story too.

We have returned home, and along the way discovered that both 100 Mile House and Williams Lake have Farmers Markets on Fridays...cool! We stopped at fruit and veggie stands and filled the coolers with yummy food.  So, this morning, I decided the israeli couscous would come out of the cupboard.

I bought the couscous at a health food store in Powell River last summer. I have browsed recipes and found a few I would like to try, but haven't yet. Today, I decided not to (re) invent the wheel, and just make something relatively simple and yummy.

Israeli couscous are little pasta nuggets, lightly toased and yummy. I cooked one cup in 2 cups of boiling water until the water was all gone. Then a quick, cold rinse to end the cooking process. What I have learned in my extensive research about all food and diet related topics, is that cooking your pasta el dente makes it lower on the glycemic index than if it is (over) cooked. This means it takes more energy over a longer period of time to digest properly which may result in feeling satieted longer, and may help to keep blood sugar more steady.

I added the following veggies, all diced approximately equal in size: 3 celery ribs, one red pepper, 3 carrots, one small zucchini, 1/4 sweet onion, one broccoli head separated into small florets....tossed with the cooked couscous and the following as a dressing:  4 cloves garlic minced, 2 T extra virgin olive oil, cracked black pepper, juice of one lemon, 3 packets of stevia, italian herb mix, tarragon and a little water (about 3 T). Shake the dressing ingredients in a jar then pour over the other ingrediants. Toss together.

It tastes yummy right away, but I am going to let the salad marinate until dinner time. I plan to have a green salad, israeli couscous salad and a bbq chicken breast for dinner. A delicious start to a renewed commitment to good goddess health.