This has been a crazy few weeks. I had a wake and funeral to attend and that messed me up emotionally, mentally, and dietarily. Things leading up to it and after it have not been the greatest either. I’ve had a few days that definitely have more meat in them than I’m trying to aim for. I’ve also been struggling with food prep for the week, which has definitely impacted things.
It’s led me to come to the realization that I need what I am now calling “Poof Food”. I need food that is readily available and needs minimal preparation most of the time. Like my rice and beans bowls: I take the rice, add the 1/2 cup of beans, add some Violife shredded cheddar, and mix. That’s it, aside from microwaving. It’s just combining ingredients. I bought some tomatoes to use this week for lunch and I haven’t touched them yet. When I thought about it, I realized I should just buy the Pico de Gallo so I can add it instead of having to cut up the tomatoes. I’m trying to save money by getting tomatoes, but if I just throw them out, what money am I saving?
But, coming up with the term Poof Food has helped me define that feeling. It’s amazing how coming up with a phrase for something can help you to identify it. It’s helping me to get motivated and to actually get food prepped to make it easier to have lunch after I get home from campus.
I attribute it to ADHD Brain. I just get to a point where I know I need food, but putting work into it is just not an option. So I end up going and buying food from elsewhere instead of making food. Which has all sorts of problems.
There’s nothing wrong with having low-prep foods around. Especially if they keep you eating the foods you want and avoiding the others. As much as I am trying to cut back on processed foods, there are non-processed or low-processed foods that are easy to turn into Poof Food. I bought a bunch of half pints of blueberries this week because they were on sale. I tend to eat half a pint at a time anyway. This way I can just pour the container into the strainer for rinsing. I’m going to keep some of the containers so I can reuse them for blueberries when I buy pints. Also, they’re so delicious!
I’m working on getting myself back on my track. I made up a batch of rice Wednesday night because I had the spell slot for it and decided to go ahead and do it. I’ve still got plenty of cooked beans because I froze them. It’s feeling good getting back to the plants. I’m realizing how much I missed them.
So, it’s been a month since I started working meat and dairy out of my diet outside of dinner. It has been a really good month! It’s been a month of exploring different options and food combinations to see what I like and what works.
As much as I love the ancient grains bread from Whole Foods, I found that my eczema was getting worse in a few places. I’ve figured out that having a certain amount of gluten in my diet regularly makes the eczema flare up. I don’t have any other obvious symptoms related to gluten intake, but the flare ups are enough to make me stop. Combine that with the lack of meat to put in my sandwiches and my decision to just eat when I get home from classes, it was easy to stop getting the bread. I do miss it, because it is so delicious. But I know without sandwiches I wouldn’t eat enough of it before it went bad to be worth getting. I’d be throwing away more than I ate.
So, last Sunday I did some major meal prep for the week. It made me realize how little I had to store this food in, so I’m having to be careful going forward until I can get some more glass food storage containers. I used my InstantPot to make up 2 pounds of black beans. I had a bag that was 2 pounds and the cooking tips I found said they can be frozen after they’re cooked, so I did the whole bag. That’s why I used the InstantPot in slow cooker mode. Cooking 2 pounds of black beans requires 12 cups of water. But they were beautifully cooked after about 3.5 hours.
2 pounds of black beans, cooked and divided up.
I washed out the pot and put in my short grain brown rice. I can’t remember how much rice went in, but it made at least 4 cups of cooked rice that lasted me the week. I cannot recommend the InstantPot enough for cooking rice. I used the Multigrain function so I had more control over the time. It was delicious rice and it kept really well throughout the week. Just a few tablespoons of water per cup in with the rice before going in the microwave keeps it from drying out while reheating.
I also made up some pico de gallo. I love pico de gallo. It’s so fresh and crunchy and has just the right amount of acid to it. Unfortunately, the recipe can’t really be cut down further because it only uses half an onion, and I don’t use onion in a lot of my cooking. So I made up the whole thing, minus the jalapenos, and it was delicious! But I only got through about half the batch. I’m definitely going to use it again, but probably when I know it’ll all get eaten.
The initial intention behind all of this prep was to make layered rice bowls for lunch. Rice, beans, cheeze, pico, and avocado. Like this:
But after a couple of days, it just didn’t quite hit the spot. So I shifted to something more simple and nice and delicious: rice, beans, and cheeze. I’d put them all in the bowl, mixed up, and then microwave it until the cheeze melted. Then I’d mix it up so it would be cheezy rice and beans. So delicious! And the combination of rice and beans creates a complete protein, on top of the fiber and other good stuff in the foods. I’m figuring that’s going to be a bit part of lunch this week. Sometimes I’d add the avocado after it was cooked, adding more healthy fats and omega-3s. Yes! Avocado has omega-3s just like fish, but it’s a plant and I love avocado anyway.
I feel like the thing that’s different about this time is that I’m not making myself feel guilty over wanting or eating meat and dairy. Usually during Lent, for example, I would be drooling over my hubby’s meat at dinner, wishing I could have it. Granted, that was just for one day, and the point is to give up the meat for the day. But I haven’t been feeling that lately. I haven’t been missing meat or dairy.
There’s a few things I feel are why this is the case. One is that I’ve been loving almond milk for years, so having that option instead of milk has been the case for a while now. Another is that cheeze. Violife’s plant-based cheese are amazing and provide that comfort of cheese without the dairy. Shredded or sliced, it is an amazing plant-based cheese. Another is my enjoyment of the beans and rice. It’s taken me a while to come to enjoy beans. Usually they were too mushy for me and it was hard to enjoy beans of any kind. Or they were *shudders* lima beans in pot pies and mixed veg. Ugh. But I’ve come to enjoy beans and now I’m cooking them for myself. And that complete protein I get from the rice and beans is likely really helping me not miss meat-based protein.
One last benefit I’m finding from this diet shift is that it is very ADHD friendly. I have no diagnosis, but everything I’ve read about it points at me having ADHD. Right now I’m trying to do what I can to properly care for my brain so I can have the focus I need. I’m not opposed to medication, that’s just not an option for me right now. But I can control what I eat. And eating a diet that is high in fiber, complex carbs, protein, and omega-3s, among other things, while being low in sugar and processed foods is really good for someone with ADHD. That’s what I’m eating.
I am definitely going to keep going with this shift. It’s making me feel so much better both physically and mentally. This week I’m on break, so I’m looking forward to being able to cook without pressures of time. Which is why today I’m trying to get caught up on dishes so I can get the rice and oatmeal ready for the week tomorrow. It’s just easier to make those two grains up ahead of time. They cook better in big batches. At least they do for me!
It’s kind of funny. I started this post as a way to keep myself from posting all the time about this journey and I kinda forgot to finish it up at the end of week 1. Oh well, here’s highlights from week 1
Tuesday
When I went grocery shopping for the week, I picked up a tote of Honeycrisp apples because they looked delicious and were on sale for $1 per pound. On Tuesday, I got a craving for peanut butter with my apples. I haven’t eaten “regular” peanut butter in a long time. Especially once I found out how easy it was to make it! So I went up to the grocery store and got myself some peanuts. I also picked up some cashews. I figured why not try to make some cashew butter, too!
Both use the same preparation method: put in food processor and blend until creamy. You can always roast and season your nuts at home before doing so. But I’m usually good with how the nuts I buy are already, so they just go in. The cashew butter was a lot stiffer than I thought it would be. I’m going to see how they work on the apples because it feels too thick right now for putting on bread without there being huge holes torn. The peanut butter came out just right. I used some of the fresh peanut butter on my apple. I don’t know if it’s because it’s fresh, or these peanuts are just really well salted, but it was a bit salty. But I’ve never used peanuts from this store before, so it’s a learning experience.
Totally worth the work though. Such tasty apples and peanut butter!
Wednesday
I’m trying to keep from beating myself up over what I do and don’t eat. It’s part of why I never really stick to these diet shifts. But this time I’m really trying to remember that it’s more about adding more plant-based food to my diet, not about banishing things from my life.
I didn’t have time to pack my lunch this morning, so I figured I’d just swing by Starbucks after class today. I’ve been feeling off lately–before the diet shift started–and I knew I wanted some comfort food from Starbucks. Today, that meant getting a matcha latte with almond milk, banana nut bread, and bacon gruyere egg bites. I felt so much better afterward. After I got home, I had a small peanut butter sandwich and an apple in the time before dinner. I’ve also been drinking a lot more water thanks to changing the water filter. I think I can actually make some sustainable changes here!
Thursday
At this point in the week, I’m noticing I’m making some great decisions. I’m allowing myself to figure out how to do this. I’m not trying to make drastic permanent changes, but trying to make little changes as I can. I’ve been making changes that involve less processed and sugary foods. I usually have a Pepsi with dinner, but I’ve been deciding to just go with water. I’m not forbidding myself from drinking Pepsi, just listening to my gut.
Doing research
I’ve been feeling kinda off since about a week before starting the shift, so I knew it wasn’t that. I realized that I might be low on iron, so I did some research. Turns out one of my favorite foods is a good plant-based source of iron: black olives! When I went grocery shopping for the week I picked up some cans of black olives so I can snack on them during the week. I also picked up some iron supplements since they were BOGO free and we were restocking our magnesium glycinate. There was only the one magnesium left, so my hubby suggested the iron. I have been feeling better since I started taking the supplements. Whenever I go to donate blood, I have just a high enough iron count to donate, so this is nothing new.
When I went grocery shopping, I figured that I would find a cheese I liked at Whole Foods. I was kind of disappointed by the small selection of vegan/plant-based cheese at my local Whole Foods. I ended up picking up some Daiya slices for my sandwiches. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried them yet. Yesterday’s sandwich had the last of the Havarti. Today I simply stopped off at Starbucks for lunch. Tomorrow should be the first day of plant-based cheese! That inspired me to do a little research into plant-based cheeses and deli meats when I got home. I found a nice article about vegan cheese slices (https://www.worldofvegan.com/vegan-cheese-slices/) and vegan lunch meat (https://vegnews.com/vegan-guides/vegan-lunch-meat-deli-sandwich).
It’s going to be at least next week if not longer before I’m out of my turkey for sandwiches, but this way I know what is out there and what to keep an eye out for. Thankfully the Fresh Thyme nearby has a great selection of cheeses and a good selection of meats. Whole Foods has a good selection of meats too. I also did a search on a few of the lunch meat websites and found other stores nearby that have them. I think the biggest hurdle I’m going to have to overcome is diversifying my options. I choose turkey because I like it, but also because it doesn’t have the health concerns attached to other lunch meats. I can eat vegan corned beef without all the sodium and beef of it all.
I am really looking forward to trying out different lunch meats. This shift is really starting to work. And reminding myself that I’m trying to shift to a plant-based diet really helps. It’s not like I’m going vegan. I’m just trying to figure out a more sustainable set of eating habits.
Hopefully these weekly check-ins will be more on-topic and timely going forward. But it’s been a good first week! Here’s to week 2!
So, as you all know, I love my Adagio teas. But, while I was in NYC, I was introduced to Celestial Seasonings’ Red Zinger tea. I was hooked at the first cup. There was something about the combination of ingredients in this herbal tea that created such an intriguing taste. It’s bold, deep, rich, and I can’t get enough!
When I got back home, I started checking the shelves for it so I could make it at home. Despite being a signature tea of the brand, no one around me carried it. I was so frustrated. So when I was in Columbus on Friday, I decided to search on their site to see where it was sold there. Thankfully Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, and Raisin Rack all carry it. After I was done with my grocery shopping, I made a beeline for the nearest Whole Foods and got two boxes – it was on sale – allowing me to keep one box at home and take one to work.
Best decision ever! I haven’t wanted to have any of the raspberry tea I had been habitually drinking before the trip. It’s getting me to drink more fluids that have no sugar in them. And I’m pretty sure the ingredients are agreeing with my body because I’m feeling so good! I’m on my second cup at work today. It’s so easy to make and drink. I think I found another habit I can keep going and not give up on!
For whatever reason, I was in a funk recently. During that funk, I was eating horribly. I was eating too much candy and fast food and not enough actual food. Thankfully I realized I was in a funk and decided to start making some changes.
First step, reducing my sugar intake. Right now, that means cutting out pop/soda, candy, and other mostly processed sugar items. I’m still allowing myself things like green tea from Wendy’s, my bottled raspberry tea, sugar crystals in my tea at home – which I’m trying to get back into the habit of drinking instead of the raspberry – and foods with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit. I don’t want to cut out all sugar, but I figure consuming stuff that is basically just sugar isn’t the greatest idea on many levels. I’ve been mostly successful, with only one intentional indulgence because I couldn’t get the thing off my mind.
The next step is going to be a reduction in fried foods. I’ve actually been kind of working on it, but it’s been more out of a desire to spend less money than intentionally not eating them. It also helps that Wendy’s grilled chicken has improved, or I’ve gotten used to it. Either way, I’m back to preferring that when I stop by. I had really developed a taste for Homestyle, which is not the best thing in the world to be eating more than once a week. I’m hoping that by easing myself into this, I’ll be able to build some lasting habits that will help me fight the funk.
Getting things taken care of around here will help too. But I have to remember to stay focused so I can get my school work and unpacking done. Hopefully eating better will help with that. It sure can’t hurt.
Since going from living on my own during the week and only being home with the hubby on weekends, I have had some struggles with my eating habits. When I was on my own, I was doing really well. Mostly because I only had enough food in the apartment to get me through the week. I didn’t keep much in the way of snacks around. I also was living on tea, with my utiliTEA right on my desk. It made making tea so much more convenient.
Moving back home changed things. There’s more food in the apartment because I’m not the only one buying food. I’m also making dinner for the two of us, not just me anymore. Which means I need to take his tastes into account. **I am not complaining at all. I love my hubby. It’s just going from living single to living together again.** There were plenty of times during the past school year when I would make chicken thighs for myself every night and not get tired of them. Not only does he prefer white meat, but he wants more variety in his main dishes, which is fine. I was also drinking less tea because it isn’t right in my face all the time anymore.
Because my tea is all on it’s own table now! And as I type this I realize how much this has changed since I took the picture…
Basically, I had developed a set of habits while I was at school, but hadn’t brought them home with me. I was snacking out of boredom. I was drinking Pepsi (made with real sugar, delicious!) instead of tea or water. I was creating mounds of food on my plate for dinner and eating all of it, despite being full. I was eating a small meal when I got home from work so I wasn’t starving while waiting for hubby to get up for the day (he works third shift). I was eating candy and fast food at work.
But, over the semester I’ve noticed these problems and worked to change them. And I’m noticing the effects. I’ve been making a point of having at least one travel mug of tea for work each day. The caffeine wakes me up and helps me stay focused. Having something healthy to drink keeps me away from the pop in the break room. I’ve been working on snacking less at work. It’s better for my waistline and my wallet. I’ve also been making an effort to drink more tea at home as well. Both from my vast stores of tea and pre-made cold tea from the cooler at the grocery store. Yes, it’s not as healthy as drinking tea I’ve brewed, but it’s still better than drinking Pepsi.
I’ve also been changing up my eating habits. If I stop by a drive-thru for food, I am making healthier choices. I order only the amount of food I actually need – usually a sandwich and a drink, no fries – and it’s not a double cheeseburger with bacon every time. But, more importantly, I’ve been changing my eating habits at home. I’m keeping lots of healthy snack choices/meal components around to keep me from overdoing it. Like the bag of LÄRABAR Bites. That way when I want just a little chocolate – like last evening – I can have one or two, instead of going for the Snickers. I’ve got fruit cups and cheese crackers and cheese sticks. That way I can have one or two things to tide me over until dinner without being full once dinner’s ready.
I also noticed that I don’t necessarily need to go gluten free, but I need to be careful about how much bread I’m eating. I feel better overall when I’m not eating a ton of basic breads. Breads like pumpernickel and rye and sourdough are friendly breads. Multi-grain bread too. I’m also putting more thought into dinner. I’m trying to make things from scratch more often. I’m also allowing myself to be okay with leftovers. I put as much food as I want on my plate. I can always go back for a little more if I want, which is better than forcing myself to clean my plate.
Since being more mindful of what I am eating, how much I am eating, how I feel about what I am eating, I feel so much better! My clothing is fitting much better. My skin is clearer – both from acne and eczema. And, most importantly, I don’t feel like I’m starving myself or denying myself anything. I’m letting my body tell me what to eat and it is really appreciating it. Listen to your body. It knows what it needs. Eventually it’ll get through to your brain and you’ll feel so good!
I first bought Tea-Tox last year. I bought the entire Body and Soul set, but this is the one I use constantly. Well, I did until I started to get low and decided to wait until my refill came. The refill that came in the package I almost didn’t get.
On Thursday, I remembered that I had the refill for weeks now. I had no excuse to not make myself a cup again. I’m hooked yet again. It is a wonderful blend of “milk thistle, burdock, green rooibos tea, cinnamon bark, peppermint leaves, dandelion root & lemon balm”. This combination tastes delicious and really does leave me feeling better. I don’t care if it’s all in my head. I feel better for drinking it. Also, milk thistle has been a remedy for detoxifying the liver for a while now. Everything in there has benefits to the body.
It’s delicious and refreshing. It kind of puts a “reset” on my eating habits. Lately I’ve been stressed with a lot of things piling up. On Thursday, a lot of those stresses were gone, finally. I’ve been making sure to have a cup at least once a day. I am worried that it is possible to over-do it.
I’m writing this to share my experience as well as to remind all of us that we need to take care of ourselves. Never forget that. Take care of yourself, both bodily and mentally. Don’t let things overwhelm you. Take care of yourself!
This morning I got an e-mail letting me know that my order has been shipped. It’s the most amusing notice I’ve ever had!
Courtney,
Your bar of Native Deodorant was gently pulled by our team of experts and placed on a gold-trimmed pillow stuffed with the finest fibers known to man. Then, a team of six inspectors examined your deodorant under a magnifying glass, ensuring it was in perfect condition.
Once the inspection was complete, our veteran polisher (he was previously employed at the Tower of London, where he was responsible for polishing the Queen’s jewels) polished it as a quiet hush fell over the warehouse. “This package is getting shipped to Courtney,” he whispered. “Take good care of it.”
We hope you had a wonderful time shopping at Native. In celebration, we have placed your name on our wall under the title “World’s Best Customer” and assigned you a dedicated parking spot right upfront. We’ve also hired a pilot to skywrite “Courtney Rocks!” above the Golden Gate Bridge. Thank you for supporting Native!
I’ve been wanting to try out Native Deodorant for a while now, but I just haven’t been ready to commit…and I needed to be able to buy it. The other day I put in and order for their Women’s Sampler Pack:
3 sticks of their paraben free, aluminum free deodorant in different scents (including unscented) for $30. Basically it was buy 2 get one free! I haven’t used stick deodorant for a while now. I haven’t found something that my skin agrees with anymore. These have a great chance at becoming my regular deodorant. Especially having multiple scents to work with. Those will come in handy when costuming.
I am really looking forward to trying them out! And if you’re interested, use this link and I’ll get a free travel-sized stick if you order, and you get one too! I have no ties to Native. I just want to share this amazing product with all of you!
One way I’ve been taking care of myself lately is to get more into Dudeism. I reread The Dude and the Zen Master. The first time I read it, I did so on my Kindle. I loved it so much that I knew I needed the physical book. That’s what I read this time. Sometimes you just need the book in your hands and get away from the many glowing screens in life.
Lost my train of thought there…
Anyway. It’s an amazing book. I got so much out of it. I wrote down many, many quotes, and made many, many notes. I will post them soon.
I finished it and found myself wanting to read The Dude De Ching. But I knew it was at home, since my hubby’s the one who turned me on to Dudeism, and I didn’t know it was available for free for Kindle and Epub since a new, annotated version is out. So, I started reading The Abide Guide for the I-don’t-know-what-number time. It’s always good to refresh the basics every once in a while.
But, I’m setting it aside briefly because I’m soaking in the wisdom of The Dude De Ching. I’m thinking it’s going to be another book that I’m going to get my own copy of so I can have it on hand wherever. I’m only about half of the way through, but it’s got some sage advice put “in the parlance of our times”.
What can I say? Dudeism and The Big Lebowski are providing me with advice, wisdom, and guidance that are going to help me weather the political storm that is coming, unless something drastically changes. I even decided to become a Dudeist …I still haven’t decided which word I want to use to refer to myself. Being Catholic, “priest” just doesn’t quite work. I may just go with being an ordained Dudeist and be done with it. For me it’s more of a philosophy to live by than a religion…
Lately my eating habits have not been the greatest. I have been trying to make changes, but nothing is sticking. Then I had a thought. Whenever I’d eat something, like Twinkies, that’s not the greatest for me, I thought about how I wouldn’t want to post it in a What I Ate Wednesday. So I’m going to start posting, either here or on Instagram, with what I’m making for meals. Knowing that it’s out there for people to see might get me to stay on track.
We’re going grocery shopping tonight, which will kick things off. I know my hubby isn’t going to be too happy with the long list I’ve created. But some of that is going to make large batches of things that will last well past one meal. I think I’m on the right track to getting my diet on a healthier path. Hopefully I can come up with something that I can stick with.
In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t even close to the first time that I’ve done this. I just keep sliding back into old habits. But I guess the most important thing is that I keep trying to change the unhealthy ones for healthy ones. One of these days it’s going to stick and I’m going to feel so much better!
Polymind 