Meatless Monday

I decided to embrace Meatless Monday.  I found a recipe for a chilled dish that required no cooking (other than defrosting the rice), and I could make up at in the back room at work.  I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work, recipe in hand. 

Apparently January 2 is NOT the day to look for Black Eyed Peas.  I've not heard of this tradition before, but learned about it in my quest to make this dish.  Not a can or frozen bag to be found.  None.  Zilch.  Nada. 

I did some substitutions.  Between substitutions for things I don't like and not being able to find black eyed peas, it ended up as...

• 1 can black beans, drained (instead of black eyed peas)
• 1 cup brown rice
• Diced bell pepper (instead of celery, blech!)
• Bunch Diced green onions
• Diced tomato
• 1/3 tube Basil (instead of fresh parsley)
• Two tablespoons minced garlic
• I did not add the tablespoon of lemon juice.

Mix in large container, chill for an hour.

It was really good.  I've let the leftovers chill since last night, and it's really smelling amazing.  I probably overdid the garlic, but you can never have enough garlic!

It Was a Dairy Kind of Day

As I lay in bed last night with a headache, congestion, bloaty, and feeling quite lethargic, I had to laugh.  I consumed more dairy in one day than I have in the last several months! 
We had a coffee bar at work. I was three lattes and a hot chocolate down before I realized that i was drinking REAL milk, and I'd had a lot. Then I was really hungry, and I had a half a slice of cheese pizza.
I remember at the time saying "I'll pay for that later!" I usually ask for soy in my lattes. And since I've pretty much given up caffeine, its rare that I have one at all.
There was a "picking at" appetizers all day. We had breakfast and lunch appetizers. One of the best was the shot glass of tomato bisque. At the end of the day, I was still hungry and craving the dark side. I joined my coworkers for a drink and more appetizers.
The cravings happens when I throw caution to the wind.  Too much of a good thing makes me want more!
I ended the day with bread sticks and half a bowl of pumpkin crab bisque.  It was so good. I love bisque.  I love pumpkin crab bisque! So interesting and a soothing experience.  Wrap yourself in bisque at the end of a long day....
I then went home fell into a dairy induced coma. Today I'm still a little blech but I'll survive.  I know that a day of clean eating will bounce me back!
Was it all worth it? Yes!!!  The food was excellent!!!  I'm glad I didn't overindulge.  Lots of picking, so not a lot consumed.

Detoxing, sorta...

Yup, that's my breakfast and lunch today.  I have a green smoothie planned for dinner. 

Breakfast was a Honeycrisp Apple, purchased at The Fresh Market.  It was quite tasty.  A little Fiji like.  I've never had one before so I thought I'd try it.  When I tell you it took me three hours to eat that apple, I'm not lying!  It was HUGE!

Lunch was a little something I whipped up in the "kitchen" at work.  Corn tortillas with black beans, white rice (forgive me, I like white rice), spring mix, and a tomato/avocado mix with lemon.  I added lots of black pepper to the rice and beans.  It all could have used a little umf.  It was also dry.  It needed sour cream (but I'm staying away from dairy.)  It needed cheese (see previous comment about dairy.)  Someone suggested a chipotle ranch dressing.  That could have done the trick...anything is better with Ranch Dressing :-)

I can already feel my body releasing all the crapolla I've consumed in the last week.  It's a good thing!

Steak!

I had steak last night. Haven't had that in about six months. It was good. Went to my favorite steak place and also had salad, loaded baked potato and an appetizer.
The good news is I had nearly all my salad, four bites of potato and half the 7 ounce steak. I was absolutely stuffed.  I also had half the appetizer.  But seriously, no way another bite could get in there!
Is this what they mean by having your cake and eating it too?  If I can have a little steak every six months or so, I'm happy :-)

My First Raw Food Experience - Vida De Cafe, St Pete Beach Florida

Yup.  Went to a Raw Food Restaurant.  Kind of an oxymoron since nothing was cooked.  Well, cooked fully.

Vida De Cafe was pretty good.  A number of interesting, not too scary things on the menu.  Two of the people I went with were vegans, so they were in heaven.  My other friend is NOT, but she did pretty good. 

I opted for a large Green Juice and an Apple Avocado Salad, and two glasses of water.  It was filling enough, and very good.  The dressing for the salad was quite yummy!

My friends got crab cakes, tacos, the same salad I did, along with Key Lime Cheese Cake (which was unbelievable!) and a Fudge Brownie and Choco Chip Ice Cream (which I didn't enjoy as much as my two bites of the key lime cheese cake).

The gals working there prepared each item, and it was presented very well.  Below are photos of some of our meal.  I wish I'd taken a pic of my juice, it was soooooooooo good!!

Would I do it again?  Probably.  Once in a while.  Why not???

Cheese, Congestion, and the Migraine

This has been an excellent week for the great dairy experiment!  I've had lasagna, cheesecake, pizza, potato salad, chicken strips, and saucy things that I KNOW have HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), and who knows what else.

The night I had lasagna I got super congested, and got a migraine. 

The day I had cheesecake, pasta, and cold cuts, I got a migraine.

The day I had chicken strips with bbq chipotly sauce dipped in ranch dressing, I had some tummy distress.

Today I had pizza with feta as well as pizza cheese, and I had a bit of potato salad, and guess what....MIGRAINE!!!!

I truly find this facinating.  It's very interesting to watch how my body responds.  I doubt I'll ever give up these tasty treats completely, but it's nice to know I need to plan ahead.

Comfort Food

I went to a wake today for a man who loved to cook - no, create culinary explosions of delight - for those around him. He fed me my first plate of Lobster Newburg.  It was like nothing I'd ever tasted. He made award winning New England Clam Chowder. He could roast potatoes and make them magical.  Corned Beef and Cabbage was an event.  He was a culinary genius.

I will miss him. He was a grandfatherly figure for me. His humor and zest for life reminded me of the best parts of my grampas, who passed on a long, long time ago.  He was full of stories and he loved his wife, truly, in the most wonderful and sweet way.

In true style, his children hosted "refreshments" after. He would have loved the biggest, cheesiest lasagna I've ever seen. A platter of pasta salad that could feed a third world country. Chicken, antipasta, beverages, and a dessert table filled with snickerdoodles, cannolli, and mini cream puffs, eclairs, and petifores and more I can't remember. And pies. Lots of cheesy, sweet comfort food. Did I mention the cheese? 

I buried a little sorrow in lasagna, chicken, and pasta salad. I treated myself to a mini cream puff and eclair. I drank a lot of water.  It felt comforting, warm and embracing. My head is now sore, I've become congested, and my tummy is dancing, but the cheese was well worth it. Sometimes a girl needs comfort food.

I'll never eat lobster, be it boiled with butter, bisque, newburg, or on a roll, again without remembering him. Prime rib and roasted potatoes will make me smile with warm memories.  And I'll never forget the Bourbon Pumpkin Pie he made with me in mind one Thanksgiving day. It was the most spectacular pumpkin pie I'd ever had.

Tomorrow I'll return to juice and salad and natural, healthy fair. Today I will remember with comfort food.

...and some weeks are better than others...

This has been a very challenging week.  I lost a dear friend this week.  He lived a long, full life, and for that I'm glad.  His passing has left me reevaluating everything, as passings often do.

I'm working on my business.  I'm working on my food.  I'm going to be a better person.  I'm going to find a purpose. 

Food wise, not a horrible week, but I did give into M & M's, potato chips, and a processed pulled chicken sandwich.  I of course got a headache, and no one can tell me that by eliminating HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) from my diet, that it's not causing headaches when I let it back in. 

Maybe this will be my next food experiment!

Rest in peace Don.  Your family and friends will miss you.