Less Meat, One Heck of a Migraine...Coincidence?

A couple hours before bed on Monday night, I had a heck of a headache building.  For reasons I do not understand (what the hell was I thinking??) I went to bed without taking anything for it. 

I woke at 5am Tuesday morning with a beautiful, knock down, drag out, nausea inducing, light sensitive, migraine.

I immediatly blamed the lack of meat on Monday.  Jokingly.  The migraine hung on for two full days, in which I did eat some meat (not a lot), a grilled cheese sandwich (comfort food), and finally, last night I had a glass of wine.  Seemed to do the trick with relaxing me, as I woke this morning headache free.  Headache free but suffering from a migraine hangover.

I had a little meat today and a huge salad.  I will try a meat free day again soon, maybe even before Monday.  Poor Meatless Monday...

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!

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.

Not a Nutritional Week

This week I became obsessed with salt, potato chips, candy, cookies, Taco Bell, chili dogs, corned beef, pastrami....yes, my first bout of PMPD in six months. That's PMS on steroids for those unfamiliar.
Not only that, I have pretty much been hungry since Monday. Chew my own arm off and dip it in Ranch Dressing hungry.
And we won't discuss the emotional side...or what I like to call Dr Jeckle and. Mr Hyde rides the scariest rollercoaster in the world.  Or the physical illness that accompanies that special time.
I had been on meds that wrapped my whacky cycle in a neat, happy package. Some months I didn't even realize it had happened. I went off them.  Now I remember why I went on them...
So now that I understand why I've lost all senses, I can get back on track. My goal is no meat until well into next week and tons of water. And nothing fried. And nothing with HFCS. Please wish me luck (and my cats who ran for cover days ago).

Dinner at Chipotle

Chipotle is truly "food with integrity".  I love Chipotle, as it's one of the very few places that I can satisfy a hankering for meat with naturally fed and raised options.  No hormones, no GMO grains, no rBGH, no Frankenfood. 

Tonight I opted for the burrito bowl with Barbacoa, rice, black beans, cheese, and sour cream.  Yes, dairy, but dairy that doesn't contain the Frankenfood stuff.  Somehow my system handles that better than the alternative.

If you want to learn more about Chipote and thier impact on our world, click here

More info about about the naturally raised animals can be found in the movie Food Inc, available everywhere a DVD can be bought or rented (a must see, but more on that later)

Cheese, oh Evil Cheese

I have not had cheese for two weeks. Dairy and I have a love hate relationship. I love cheese, yogurt, sour cream, cream sauces, bisques....and dairy hates me.
Today I have fallen off the wagon. Macaroni and cheese. Potato chips and chili cheese sauce.  I may actually explode.
The lesson here is never give into the sweet, seductive smile of cheese ..