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!

Day 23

Day 23. I don't feel well today. Yet I'm here, doing this.
1 I love that I want to be asleep but fighting it until its late enough in the evening to go to bed
2 I love that I was invited to Mexican food and ate very little
3 I love that I made time for friends this evening
4 I love that I worked an eight hour day today. Not more than eight, just eight
5 I love that I figured out the question with the new email program today
6 I love that I branched out and tried a new food today
7 I love that I got home early today! Already in my jammies
8 I love that I put color on my nails again. Its been weeks of clear
9 I love that I will be snug in my bed when people are doing the crazy black Friday madness
10 I love that I remembered my lunch today!  I really wanted pizza, but I had my healthy, tasty chili

Day 22

Day 22!  What a journey. Closing in on the finish. There are so many posts, does any really see them now?

1 I love my Sunday routine. Its all about relaxation and rejuvenation.  I work hard all week. Sunday is my day tp be selfish if I choose and just be by myself.

2 I love my fingernails.  They look like I get manicures but I don't.  Its been months since I started polishing them and keeping them up, and I love the results.

3 I love the "bracelet" I wear every day. Its actually a hairband, which ends up in my hair every day at some point. But I enjoy its double dutyness.

4 I love my hair. Its all one length and so easy. I haven't blow dried it in months. I am contemplating bangs for a change, we'll see

5 I love my sensibility

6 I love my lack of ego

7 I love that my cats like to snuggle on my feet

8 I love the new red color I bought to cover my grays. Its not the red I usually use!

9 I love that I've remembered to save my cat food bags for a friend who's making things with them.

10 I love that I'm obsessed with designer handbags and I carry a $5 zebra print bag I found at Pier One.

Day 21

Day 21!  Two thirds of the way to the goal.
1 I love that I'm nice to people, even when I don't want to be.  A dear friend and coworker told me I had to use this today. Three hours into our eight hour day I told her I didn't want to be nice anymore ha ha!

2 I love that I had a glass of wine with the girls after work. Mmmm. And yes, I was treated. Which means...

3 I love that I stuck to my budget goal today!

4 I love that I've continued to develop my Christmas gift giving plan, making a list, trying to match projects to people...its coming along.

5 I love that I remembered a stash of fabric that I can make cool scarves with! Fabric stash pays off!!!

6 I love that I spent the day working on a silly project that, in the end, will make people smile

7 I love that I know there are 90 feet between bases on a major league field

8 I love that I relax at the end of the day.  I would to meditate, but I can't slow my mind down. So I watch mindless TV and allow myself to drift.

9 I love when I make myself smile.

10 I love my strength of character despite all the junk in my life at the moment

Day 20

Day 20!  I think I can, I think I can...

1 I love that I went to the prepared meals place that's all natural, hormone/GMO free, organic, as local as possible, and got four meals which I split in half for my lunches.

2 I love that I'm challenging myself to eat the groceries I bought instead of eating out!  I'm on a budget...if I'm invited out as a treat, I'll go, but I'll still eat healthy.

3 I love that I spent $65 on groceries all together, and stayed in my food budget.

4 I love that I set a goal today at work, and did what I set out to do!

5 I love that I helped my boss with a small project, saving her time in the process

6 I love that I did Christmas shopping today for three people, and developed a plan for nearly everyone else.

7 I love that I just remembered I have non dairy eggnog in the fridge!

8 I love that my cats love me unconditionally.  And they get jealous of each other and demand equal time. Its
good to be loved.

9 I love that I realized today I tend to not take my supplements on Thu and Fri. Why? I have no idea! But I
haven't refilled that spot in my pillbox in weeks. I need to figure this one out.

10 I love that I slept good last night. And am tired tonight!

Sweet dreams y'all

Day 19

Day 19

1 I love that I'm dog tired and staying awake to do this post

2 I love that I had experiments go awry in the sewing room this morning which resulted in an Ah Ha moment

3 I love that I woke at 4am, didn't fall back to sleep, and was able to work a long day without hitting the wall

4 I love that a coworker tried Kind Bars on my recommendation and loves them too! (And bought me some
on sale!!! )

5 I love that I've shifted, for the most part, to my heavy meal in the afternoon.

6 I love that I took a leap and tried new things at the sushi place tonight!

7 I love my friends who can tell by my tone that I need a night out, and make me go.

8 I love that today was full of challenges and I'm not struggling with this exercise tonight

9 I love that the weird dry spot on my forehead is not visible.  I feel it, bit ya can't see it

10 I love that Co workers feel comfortable to vent to me.

I'm probably beginning to repeat myself. I hope not too much.

Day 18

Day 18. Wow.
1 I love that I find humor where there is humor to be found. There's a time and a place for serious
2 I love my crooked fingers. Actually, they are mostly twisty. Every one has been broken at least once, in a variety of mishaps and crazy freak accidents. I'll never be a hand model LOL
3 I love that I'm studying hand bags. How they are constructed, hardware, comparing the differences between high end and low end. I want to make them and I want to do it well
4 I love that I figured out a technique for sewing around small curves
5 I love that I'm really good at hand stitching tiny hidden stitches, even though I have a kickass machine to do it for me. Its not the same and not as finished looking
6 I love that I'm a good cook. I don't do it often, but when I do it's tasty!
7 I love that a week before Thanksgiving, I'm trying to decide if I should take better-for-me options to dinner or just have one day of indulgence
8 I love that I craved taco bell tonight, and I didn't go
9 I love that I'm still doing this. It's become more about finishing and finding things I like about me, sorry, love, than the final prize. And I do consider the program a prize, as it's beyond my reach otherwise
10 I love my chin. It has a great shape, and it houses my dimple. I suppose its more of a cleft since its large. My chin is a little square but not in a bad way. Fits my face perfectly!

Day 16

Day 16. Over the hump. Some days are easy. Some are hard. Here goes
1 I love that I ate only had the lasagna I was served tonight. I wanted it all, and it was a huge piece.  I die not go face down in my plate :-)
2 I love my supportive friends! Lasagna friend, upon learning of my giving up dairy, gave me a container of coconut milk based eggnog.  Its amazing, 90 calories, creamy, and non dairy!
3 I love explaining to people why dairy is evil. Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't care. Either way, it's a way to throw good intentions into the universe.
4 I love that I've taken time to learn this week. Its been a busy week.
5 I love that caffeine doesn't keep me awake! I don't have it often, but coffee sounded good tonight.
6 I love that twice in two days I've been told about thrift store finds. I never think to go there, and my friends are sporting cool looks!  In a previous life I would never have gone. Now I'm intrigued!
7 I love my glasses. I think I look good in them. They are chunky and colorful and I get many compliments.
8 I love that I don't see my age. Kids grow up, but I swear I look the same!
9 I love that I wear a black hair band on my wrist. Its jewelry, it deals with my hair when I can't. Its a fashion statement.
10 I love living where I do. I never thought a place could bring me joy.

Day 17

Day 17??? How can it be!  I may actually be on a roll now...

1 I love sewing.  I've made a shower curtain, a bib, and a purse in the last day and a half.  So rewarding, and so thankful I learned at an early age.

2 I love that I've stuck with this.  Even when it's really hard.  Like today.

3 I love that I'm starting to talk back to the bad self talk

4 I love that I got caught talking to myself earlier and I just carried on, not caring much what they thought

5 I love that I can find humor in situations that others would find distressing.  I choose laughter over crying or a nervous breakdown!

6 I love doing the speed limit in a school zone and making those behind me mad.  They have obviously never gotten one of those tickets before!  I like to think I'm teaching them patience...

7 I love that I spent 30 minutes building a holiday quiz using various tidbits and trivia from the world wide web.  Killed some time, and made by brain stretch (some of those questions are hard!)

8 I love that I'm not stressed yet about having NO Christmas shopping done yet.  Let's see how I feel in two weeks...

9 I love that I can go home in an hour!!!  And I have tomorrow off so I can relax and sleep in :-)

10 I love the scar above my right eye.  I tumbled down some three stairs when I was two, and got a pretty good gash.  Even now, 40-odd years later, it's noticable.  But it's not in the eyebrow, and it's not in a place that makes makeup difficult.  I think it gives me character!

--
~P

DAY 15! Half Way...

Day 15. Half way to my goal. I never dreamed I'd make it this far...
1 I love that I've posted every day for 15 days!!!
2 I love that I took the time to dig in the remnant bins and found two awesome purse fabrics for less than $5
3 I love that I helped someone...while shopping at Joann's!
4 I love that I believe in the power of prayer, positive energy, whatever the label. Doing so in numbers makes a difference, I just know it!
5 I love my ankles. When they aren't puffy, they look great!
6 I love that I didn't take anyone's bait today. There was bait to be taken, believe me! But I chose not to go there.
7 I love that I gave into a chicken wing craving. I didn't go face down. I had enough to satisfy the craving I've been fighting for three weeks. I no longer crave them
8 I love that I type these out ahead so I can paste them into this blog. That way I can find them to send to my blog!
9 I love when my cats sits in front of me with droopy, falling asleep face, purring.  Its because they love me unconditionally.  Silly cats!
10 I love that someone told me today that since she's done a cleanse, she now thinks about where her food comes from and what's in it. It was nice talking to her about it, and truly understanding how she's changed how she approaches food. The exchange made me smile!

Day 14

1 I love that I'm learning optimism
2 I love that my brother and I can not chat for months and then pick up right where we left off
3 I love that I am someone others can come to for venting and advice
4 I love that I chose beef and broccoli over fried rice tonight. I'm not sure its a lot better, but it feels like a smarter choice
5 I love that I found Naked juices on sale 2/$5! I stocked up for the week. The Green Machine makes an awesome, easy dinner on the go.
6 I love that after an emotionally exhausting day, I went grocery shopping
7 I also love that I made good choices at the store, not giving into temptation and staying out of the aisles. Except the one where I found my La Croix grapefruit seltzer water and Blue Sky soda
8 yes, two flavors of Blue Sky at the grocery. Neither was rootbeer. So I love that I took a chance and tried the Ginger Ale.
9 I love that I purposefully went back to sleep after waking twice during the night, sleeping in without guilt.
10 I love that I am grateful for my brother. He is amazing.

Day 12

1 I am an expert procrastinator.  I love that I’m working on not being so good at that.

2 I love that it takes me 30 minutes to get ready in the morning.  I really no longer care if I have wet hair and no makeup!

3 I love to try new foods.  I didn’t used to.  In the last 10 years I’ve become quite adventurous!

4 I love that I, a single woman, bought a house and paid it off in less than 10 years.  And my cats think I did that for them

5 I love that I can take “news breaks” and not feel like I’m missing anything in the world

6 I love that I’m a really good writer and editor.  People have me do that for them all the time!

7 I love that I feel proud when I design something new

8 I love that when things get crazy, I can stop, breath, and regroup.  This is something I’ve learned recently.  And it helps!

9 I love that I recognized early on I was not one to have children.  Some people struggle with that, but not me.  I don’t believe in bringing a child into the world unless I can handle it, and I’ve never felt I could.  Instead, I love my cats.  They are an extension of me, with amazing personalities, and I enjoy my time with them.  They are like the children I’ll never have, and they will never grow up!  My male is forever like an 8 year old, and my female is forever like a 13 year old.  Not my favorite age, but hey, she could be a real live girl!

10 I love that I’ve learned to cry without guilt

Day 11

Day 11

1 I am repeating, because today has been a HUGE test….I love that I can be extremely patient with difficult people.  I work in retail, and some people just require a little extra TLC

2 I love that I ate out for lunch today, and I got something super healthy!

3 I love that I got my exercise today!

4 I love that I can gauge a situation and head off troubling situations

5 I love that I’m very good at home improvement projects

6 I love that I don’t look my age J

7 I love that I still have a sense of curiosity

8 I love that I’m learning to be spontaneous.  It’s very challenging for a me, but I continue to work on it

9 I love that I’ve learned gratitude.  It was not easy, but now comes to me very easily.

10 I love that I truly do want to see a day that we achieve world peace.  It must be attainable!

Day 10

First milestone!  This is day TEN!!!  Wow.

1 I LOVE that I haven't given up on this and that I met my first goal (goal two is the full 30 days)

2 I love that I have strong convictions that guide me

3 I love that I've learned to slow down, stop, and smell the flowers

4 I love that I have a wide variety friends from all walks of life.  I'm friends iwth people who 20 years ago I would never have thought twice about because I didn't think I was worthy to know people like them

5 I love that I want to be healthy, in mind, body and spirit

6 I love that I can see the contributing factors to my parents diminishing health, and that I choose not to go down that path

7 I love that on an annual basis, I'm less sick than I used to be

8 I love that when I yell at my cat for being naughty, I always smile or giggle becuase she's just do doggone cute!  Who can stay mad at that face??

9 I love that I helped two people today, and both acknowledged that I changed thier day

10 I love that I'm learning to listen to my body, and how it reacts to food, beverages, and environment

Is that really 100???

Day 9, I think

I just had to go check. Yes. This is day 9. I must share my process.  I don't have internet.  I do have a smart phone. So I have to post from the phone. I first type It out in an email.  Then I copy it. Then I send the email to post to my blog. The I go to Tera's blog and wait about 15 minutes for the page to fully load. Then I paste, edit, submit. It uses about 70% of my battery and the whole thing takes about 30 minutes. That said....
1 I love that I'm stubborn enough to do this each day
2 I love that my super severe allergies don't hold me back
3 I love that this payday I vowed to make positive grocery choices rather than buy fast, easy, and cheap (its expensive to eat healthy)
4 I love love love that I did not give in to my craving for biscuits and gravy today
5 I love that I outgrew my need for expensive, cool shoes, and now live in Crocs.  Flip flops, Mary Jane's, Ballet Shoes, you name it. They are comfy!
6 I love that I am learning to live simply.
7 I love my red hair
8 I love that I take time for myself to rest and rejuvenate once a week
9 I love that I reuse glass jars for storage and water bottles
10 I love that I've now come up with 90 unique things I love about me.  Ok, that one was weak, but I think it should count because this is hard work!

Day 8, 10 Things I Love About Myself

So far I've posted 70 things I love about myself on the Tera Warner Blog.  I don't think I've repeated.  It's getting harder.  I will say that reading other people's posts has inspired me to think outside my negative little box and recognize things in myself that others see in themselves.  I think that's good?  So here goes, 71-80...

1 I love that I've finally found the most wonderful night time moisturizer....raw coconut oil! 

2 I love that I'm getting better at projecting a happy persona, especially on days that I'm not so happy. Why?

3 I love that I protect people from my inner strife.  I have a lotta stuff going on, and really, when someone says "How are you?" they rarely want to know.

4 I love that I hang with my friends, even when I don't have time or feel like being social.  It's good for me, and I recognize that.  Once I get there, I always feel better

5 I love that I make a concious effort to buy local, be it food or goods

6 I love that I spent two months boycotting made in China items.  I wish I had the funds to do it full time

7 I love that I woke this morning with my two cats snuggled up against me sound asleep.  I hated to wake them up!

8 I love that I've moved to an almost black wardrobe.  Not because I'm sad or depressed, but because it's easy!  I can accesorize with color, and add a blouse or jacket with color, but the t's, shells, and pants are all black and I no longer agonize over what to wear in the morning.  (I am contemplating bringing gray and brown into the mix...)

9 I love that I've remembered to take my supplements 5 days this week!  I only missed Thursday.  That's huge!!!!

10 I love that I've made a difference at work this week, doing in-depth profit/loss analysis.  We've learned so much!

WOW!!! That's 80!!!!!  I love that too.  Until tomorrow...

Day 7 Redux

I was speaking to a gal at work about this process last night. We laughed at how hard it's getting! Day 7. Deep breath...
1 I love that I can make people laugh
2 I love that I'm short. If I had to choose between short and tall, short is the way to go.
4 I love that I have color memory. I can remember colors and match things without having to carry the item with me.
5 I love that I can design something in my head and create it, usually on the first try.
6 I love how I look in glasses. I use them as a cool accessory. And to see.
7 I love that I've devoted the last four months to doing and maintaining my own nails. I don't do hair or makeup, so they make me feel pretty. And presentable.
8 I also love my toenails. They are little, on my little toes, attached to my little feet. I think they are cute. When people say they hate their toes, I show mine off
9 I love that I balance my love of dark twisty TV shows with comedies that make me laugh out loud
10 I love that I can shop the daylights out of a sale
3 I love that I am the person who proofreads three times before sending...and found that I missed #3!!!!
There. That's 10. Omg! Is that 100????

Day 7

I was speaking to a gal at work about this process last night. We laughed at how hard it's getting!  Day 7. Deep breath...
1 I love that I can make people laugh
2 I love that I'm short. If I had to choose between short and tall, short is the way to go.
4 I love that I have color memory.  I can remember colors and match things without having to carry the item with me.
5 I love that I can design something in my head and create it, usually on the first try.
6 I love how I look in glasses. I use them as a cool accessory.  And to see.
7 I love that I've devoted the last four months to doing and maintaining my own nails. I don't do hair or makeup, so they make me feel pretty. And presentable.
8 I also love my toenails.  They are little, on my little toes, attached to my little feet. I think they are cute. When people say they hate their toes, I show mine off
9 I love that I balance my love of dark twisty TV shows with comedies that make me laugh out loud
10 I love that I can shop the daylights out of a sale
Omg! Is that 100????
9