Day 7 of the cleanse. okay I’m ready for hot chocolate. November 24, 2009

Still feeling pretty great from this cleanse. I think the biggest difference in my day-to-day experience that I haven’t felt overly full, or super hungry. Which seems odd. I have pretty much stayed in that place in the middle. When I have felt tired, it was either time for the next shake or a snack, like a few almonds or celery. (Yeah! celery!) Or the meal of the day.

The hardest thing for me in this little week has been staying away from hot, frothy coffee and espresso drinks. Yesterday was the first day I craved caffeine. I had a decaf coffee with soy milk and splenda and let that be my treat.

I love hot cocoa. And cappucinos. And I’m dying to try that caramel brulee latte drug. Holy moly.

And here’s something exciting…

My catering pants fit again! It’s been a very uncomfortable season. I’ve been sneaking off to unbutton the top button and breathe and hope the captain doesn’t see me and think I’m very strange.

So, Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Followed by a holiday season filled with, I hope, lots and lots of parties. The challenge will be to really enjoy the food I’m eating and when I feel good, stop. And to enjoy the drinks and dancing and not feel the need to pass my limit to have fun.

I like fitting into the pants I own! It’s much more comfortable.

I’m a big believer in getting a head start on the new year. I’ve been working on getting a balanced relationship with food and exercise for a while, but I’m not quite there. I want to be in the place where I can be around cheesy french fries and they won’t be this dramatic temptation that I either give into full-time or feel extremely taunted by if I forego them. I just want to separate myself emotionally from those decisions. Either eat those durn fries and fully enjoy them, or don’t! I’m hoping this regimented week will help me to make good choices without feeling like I’m limiting my experience of life!

Definitely the lack of bread, pasta, dairy, alcohol, and caffeine has had a huge effect on everything from how my stomach feels to my mood to my energy. So my thoughts are that I should keep those minimal in my life in general. (Okay: At least the bread, pasta, and caffeine. Wine and cheese bring me joy and I will let my soul reign free in that gouda and malbec.) But if I am at a potluck party, and someone makes a mac n cheese from scratch, damn, I am having some mac n cheese! (Btw—Someone should do that.)

I actually experienced something odd yesterday. I had just finished my baked salmon, brown rice, and spinach salad, and felt pretty good. But that salmon was sooo yummy that I wanted to just eat the last bit I had cooked. I took a bite, and that guilt kicked in, because I knew: my body didn’t really want it! My mind is just so programed to going a little past that full place that I reached for it. So, I threw it away, and left feeling good.

In other news: I am really freaking excited about Turkey Day. Hope you all have wonderful holiday plans. I’m taking some Bailey’s and decaf coffee to my friend Anna’s. MMMM.

picking out the best apples October 24, 2009

The other day I was in Food Emporium, picking up some groceries. I found myself thinking, I just want to be at the point in my life where I really enjoy picking out produce!

I have a fantasy of my adult New York City life. For some reason this always takes place on the Upper West Side. Not that I really want to live there, but maybe I have watched too many New York City romantic comedies from the 90’s. Like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail. She has that giant 1-bedroom apartment with a great kitchen and room for things like tea time with friends.

When I have someone over for tea, the question always is: “Who gets the ottoman and who gets the floor?”

(The guest of course. But they always feel bad and offer me the lone sitting tool. Please, friend, enjoy the ottoman! Sorry there is no back to it! Here—I will sit on the bed, so we can see eye-to-eye! Ouchouchouch I just spilled my tea. Anyways, carry on!)

We’re talking tight quarters over here!

So I imagine myself picking out produce at that grocery store around 66th Street. I can’t remember the name because I never actually shop there. But I would be picking up avocados, trying to find the ones that are just the amount of ripe I’m looking for. I’m picking up apples and smelling them to find the best ones. (This is not an actual technique for picking out apples, but Future Me finds it very helpful.) I’d be putting the best apples in my eco-friendly bag so that I could bake an apple pie from scratch in my giant kitchen. It’s generally around the holidays in this fantasy. And I have the space to have some friends over. This way I don’t eat the entire apple pie. (Naturally I have also achieved THE body in this fantasy, and have a very healthy relationship with food.)

Well I sort of laughed to myself because, although I don’t have the space for this holiday party quite yet, if it is really important to me to enjoy grocery shopping right now, THAT is within reach!

So in that Food Emporium that isn’t exactly my dream grocery store, I told myself: If you want to enjoy picking out some fucking apples, now is your chance! This is a store, there are apples. Go for it!

getting crazy with quinces April 13, 2009

Today I bought lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
I picked up one of these:

That’s a quince! I’ve never had a quince before. What’s it like? An apple of some sort? Or is it in the pear family? I dunno. I could easily look it up and find out. But I’m gonna be a little wild and crazy and just see what it tastes like!

I also got some of these greens:

Dandelions! I’m excited to do some cooking at home and play with some food I’ve never tried before!
(It’s the little things.)
(P.S. Lookie! I figured out how to add images! Watch out, world.)

Update: Dandelions: Yuck! These are not good just steamed in water. They are green like kale so I treated them the same. Alas, all green, leafy vegetables are not equal.

And the quince didn’t do much for me either. A little tough and not very juicy! Well, you two fruits will not stop me from getting crazy at the produce market again soon!