Becoming Sick

I am still fighting this nasty cold. I would have stayed home today, but I just hate the thought of work accumulating on my desk. It is funny to talk about healthy eating when I am feeling so unhealthy - but the healthy eating must continue! For the sake of my health, but more so for the sake of the blog!

This is a pretty sight. I cut these from my peony bush. I've got pink ones out front and white ones out back. The white ones are just starting to bloom.

Wait, this blog is called Becoming Health, not Becoming A Gardener! Onwards and upwards...

For breakfast, I had a Classic: about 3/4 cup of Dorset Muesli, 1/2 cup of plain non-fat yogurt, 1 sliced banana, and 1 spoonful of almond butter. Delicious!

For a snack, I mixed the classics of cherries and walnuts. Instead of making muffins or cake, I just ate, well, cherries and walnuts! (Tasty, but not as good as cherry walnut muffins!)

For lunch, I loaded up on the veggies with another salad. What made this salad special was the large number of pecans I put on top. I love pecans! Too bad they are so expensive. This salad also had hummus, avocado, and sliced figs with fig balsamic vinaigrette, along with the usual assortment of veg. I always use spinach in salads, not only because I buy it for my Green Monsters, but because spinach is much healthier for you than lettuce.

Since I wasn't feeling well, I treated myself to a medium-sized non-fat vanilla latte from Second Cup, the best creator of lattes this side of the Canadian-American border! Sorry Starbucks.

I still ate my 3:30 apple, because, well, it was 3:30 pm! No picture :(

For dinner, I made an egg burrito. Ooh, a new addition to the flog. I took a whole wheat tortilla (worth about 200 calories) and loaded it up with 1 egg and 2 egg whites fried with broccoli, zucchini, tomato and feta cheese. I topped it with some salsa and had a cup of guava juice for some extra Vitamin C.

I foresee many more egg burritos in my immediate future.

Now I haven't had dessert because it is only 6:21 pm. However, I had to take a picture of this slice of blueberry coffee cake that I intend to eat in the next hour or so. I made this on the weekend based on a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. It is VERY GOOD and I definitely recommend it.

Hubby just read a section of the paper to me. Paul McCartney wants the world to have Meatless Mondays in which people abstain from meat one day of the week to help the environment. Did you know that a vegetarian or vegan diet is the #1 thing you can do for the environment, even more than driving a hybrid or recycling or praying to the moon goddess in your birthday suit (?). Yes, this is true. Ok, enough proselytizing for one flog entry.

MESTEMACHER (I don't know what this means, but it sounds very important!)

I was excited to dig into this organic sunflower seed loaf I picked up at The Health Shoppe yesterday. I trusted the ingredient list, the protein and fibre grams, and - most importantly - the lady on the front of the package.
OBVIOUSLY she is pretty and fit so by eating this product I, too, will be pretty and fit. This is how it works, right?

I knew I could trust this German-made loaf (The Germans make great, dense bread products). For breakfast, I had one slice with some organic raspberry jam, one hard-boiled egg, and a sliced banana, strawberries, and blueberries.
The loaf was kind of bitter. Maybe not bitter, just not as tasty as I had hoped. I don't think I will buy it again, although I will finish off the loaf. I hate to see organic, German goodness go to waste!

For a snack, I had the very filling combination of the last of my Mary's Organic Crackers with a small container of my homemade hummus. This was a great snack and kept me full beyond my usual lunch break.
For lunch, I had some leftover spaghetti. I wish I had a salad instead, but this was still tasty.

I feel like I have been consuming a bit too much caffeine lately, so I decided to skip my usual coffee in favour of a simple green tea. If my research is correct, a cup of green tea has about 1/2 of the caffeine of coffee. And since I usually consume 16 ounces of coffee at once (in comparison to 8 ounces of tea), I thought this would be a good switch. It seemed to work and I didn't get tired this afternoon like I usually do without my usual infusion of Starbs.

For a snack, I had an apple. I was so anxious, I bit into it before realizing that I must take a picture! Old habits die hard.
I was glad we were having burgers on the BBQ for dinner because that meant I could make a fresh salad.

It contained spinach, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, carrot, orange pepper, mushrooms, avocado, walnuts, feta, and sliced figs with a maple balsamic vinaigrette.

I had it with an Amy's garden burger with a bit of chipotle salsa on top. And...a glass of wine!

For dessert, I dipped into one of the many chocolate bars currently frozen in my freezer. I chose some organic dark chocolate.

I ate it while it was still frozen, but I was too anxious to wait for it to defrost!

I am really tired this evening. I would like to take it easy and just read. I picked up a Prevention magazine earlier today. I know this magazine is for those over 40 years old, but I want in on the secrets to living a long, healthy life. Might as well start as soon as possible, right?

Temptations

Today has been a day full of temptations. We had yet another birthday party at work (what is up with spring birthdays?) but there was only ice cream and chips. The Rolo ice cream was looking pretty good, but I didn't have any. I don't like being that person who doesn't participate, but I feel like my tastes are changing. This is weird. Hubs went grocery shopping today and brought back a Mississippi Mud Pie. The picture on the box looked amaaaaazing. But the ingredient list? Was gigantic and full of Frankenstein words. And 1/8th of the pie was 380 calories. That isn't too palatable. If only I hadn't read the box! Knowledge is power...or is it?

I started the day with a Green Monster. It contained:

• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of guava juice. This was an exciting development.
• 1/2 banana
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 Tbsp of flax meal

The juice really sweetened this up and I could taste the guava. Humina.

I had this with two slices of Ezekiel with cinnamon raisin peanut butter. Very good.

For a snack, a medjool date and a few pecans and cashews. Oh, the damage I could do if left alone with a box of medjool dates!

I had another salad for lunch. This one had spinach, carrots, peppers, cucumber, tomato, one boiled egg, hummus, raisins, and pumpkin seeds with fig balsamic dressing.

I forgot to take a picture of my 3:30 apple! But I think you know what this looks like. I also had a coffee, which I nursed during the birthday party like a big old party pooper!

For dinner, hubs made spaghetti. He put some mushrooms and peppers in the sauce. I had this sprinkled with some parmesan and paired with a glass of red wine! I really need to incorporate more red wine into my...entire life.
For dessert, the last of my chemical chocolate with some comic relief!

Now, I am drinking some peach white tea I bought at the health food store today. We are about to watch He's Just Not That Into You, one of the very few "chick flicks" I can convince hubs to watch with me. Later!

A Case of the Mondays

Greetings from my couch! I've got the expandable pants on and am listening to nothing except for the birds outside singing and my fingers typing. It's nice to catch a bit of peace and quiet on a Monday.

Maybe it was a case of the Mondays, but I forgot my camera today! So no snack or lunch photos, but here is a photo of me and Dr. Snuggles last night. She was feeling oddly affectionate (hence the blogging with cat on arm last night) and she nestled into my neck. It was pretty cute so I had to catch it for posterity.
I am not wearing any make-up in this photo and I can't believe how clear my skin is. I don't mean to toot my own horn skin, but I really think it's those glorious Green Monsters that have done this.  Praise the Almighty GM!

For breakfast, I had my #2 favourite (#1 favourite breakfast is a GM and toast with nut butter, which I will be feasting on tomorrow). This is 1 cup of spelt, 1/2 cup of non-fat plain yogurt, 1/2 sliced banana, 2 strawberries, a few blueberries, a few raisins, pepitas, and pecans, and a spoonful of raw almond butter. It was so good! I feel like the raisins give this well-rounded cereal mess a nice texture.
For a snack, I had 1/2 cup of 1% cottage cheese with a small handful of frozen blueberries. I am pretty much out of cottage cheese now :(

For a lunch, I had a big salad. It contained the usual assortment of vegetables, as well as some avocado, three sliced figs, a few nuts, and a hard-boiled egg. I had some fig balsamic vinaigrette made by Kraft. This is probably my favourite dressing.

For an afternoon snack, I had my usual coffee and 3:30 apple.

Wow, this is freaking boring without pictures.

For dinner, I made some hummus! I made it using chickpeas I soaked the night before and then simmered in water for about 1/2 hour. I mixed about 3.5 cups of cooked chickpeas with 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/4 lemon juice, 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 Tbsps of tahini and that's it. Writing this out, I realize I forgot to add any spices. D'oh! It still tasted good, though.
I had 1 cup of Campbell's Healthy Request Garden Vegetable soup and a sandwich with hummus, spinach, tomato and cheddar cheese on toasted whole wheat.

Then I had more of my delicious chemical chocolate! I think I feel a stomach cramp now. Meh. It'd be worth it!

Now I am going to spend the entire night rotting my brain on television. Don't be jealous!

So much Internet, so little time!

A few days away from my beloved Macbook and I am trying to catch up on my favourite livejournals, health food blogs, and - out of pure necessity -  the celebrity gossip!  Without the Internet, cable, telephone or really even clocks around to tell the time, I've been able to keep productive and focussed.  I was up, dressed, had breakfast, swept the floor, and baked a batch of scones all before 10:30 am.  This is VERY out of character.  No worries, though, because now that I am re-connected to the outside world, I will be sure to stop productivity altogether!

Today was another "good" day, in terms of healthy eating.  Having the day off from work definitely helps with that.  For breakfast, I had 3/4 cup spelt flakes with 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt, one sliced banana, and some raw trail mix on top.  It was a very satisfying breakfast.  It was my first time trying spelt but not my last!  Oh no.  Not my last.

We had the cable/phone/Internet installed and then went out to run errands, so I didn't really have a proper lunch.  For my first snack, I had an apple and almond butter (polished off that jar, onto the next!)

For my second snack, I was stuck in a car so I was forced against my will to eat a delicious Larabar.  It had chili and cocoa in it.  I approve of this combination.

By the time I got home, it was almost 3:00 pm and I was STARVING (caps necessary).  I had one of the blueberry scones I baked earlier in the day.  I used my favourite scone recipe from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance but I attempted to health-ify the recipe.  I substituted 1.5 cups of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat, and subbed 1/6th of the oil with apple sauce.  They were pretty good for being health-ified!  I had one along with the last of the chickpea and olive salad.

I was still hungry, so I finished off some pasta salad too.  I probably didn't need this, but I wanted it.

For dinner, I tried out some new recipes.  Since I've forfeited the idea of kale in Green Monsters, I decided to cook it with some lemon and garlic.  I added too much lemon juice and it was SOUR.  I made this Greek Frittata from a recipe in a recent issue of Women's Health.  Only 206 calories per serving and I get to eat eggs and feta cheese?  Sign me up.  It was really delicious.  And, lastly, I had a simple baked sweet potato topped with some non-fat plain yogurt and cinnamon.  Triple deliciousness.

Now I am just drinking some lemon green tea and eagerly anticipating the premiere of Jon and Kate Plus 8.  Or should that be Jon Plus 4 and Kate Plus 4?  I have to admit, I am a sucker for other people's drama.  It is even better when it is televised.

Now where is my almond butter?

I am moved and settled! I am so happy to be here in my new home with everything unpacked. I can breathe a sigh of relief after a month of living amongst cardboard and garbage bags! It's been a busy few days. I can't say it's been the healthiest few days, but it's been productive! We had company over on Friday and Saturday, so I ate lots of pizza and champagne (our real estate agent brought it over in celebration, so how could I resist?  It was my first time having bona fide REAL champagne.  It was tasty, to say the least!). 

Yesterday, things calmed down a bit and I was able to get my eating back on track! I even made it to the grocery store and bought a few treats, like Mary's Oraganic Crackers and Hemp protein powder with maca (whatever the heck that is!).

I started my Sunday off with a Green Monster for breakfast (Ok, I am new to this blogspot thing and have no idea how to rotate photos!). The psychological benefits of one of these is worth it alone. I feel so great after consuming one! This one contained:

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of almond and dairy milk (mixed because I ran out of almond!)
• 1/2 cup grapes
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 3 kale leaves
• 1 scoop of hemp protein powder (60 calories and 7 grams of protein!)

I enjoyed it like always, but I think I am going to convert back to spinach for my Green Monsters.  I just can't seem to blend the kale up enough and they are WAY too chunky.  I also prefer the brighter shade of green provided by the spinach.  Call me vain if you will!

For a snack, I was itching to dig into these babies:

They were on sale for $3.50, which is much cheaper than usual.  I probably should have picked up many boxes, because they are so delicious.  I had one serving.

For lunch, I made a big salad with spinach, avocado, broccoli, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and some raw trail mix sprinkled on top with balsamic vinaigrette.  I also had some chickpea and olive salad and some pasta salad left over from the night before.  I love lunches like these.  You've got the healthy (veggies) mixed in with the not-so-healthy (oil-covered carbs).  It strikes a good balance.

I didn't have a snack and I have no idea why not.  I was at a little "welcome to the neighbourhood" party, and didn't eat a thing!  It was hot in the sun so I stuck to water.

For dinner, we kept it easy with roasted red pepper and tomato soup coupled with an egg salad sandwich, a leftover from the move on Friday.

For dessert, some mango and blackberries...

And one of these 60% dark chocolate Lindor chocolates for a snack:

It felt good to get my eating "back on track".  Now that we are out of an apartment and in a house, I am excited by the ability to buy staples on sale and store them in the basement.  I imagine myself hoarding boxes of Larabars and Mary's crackers in a corner by the furnace.  

I am so stoked to have the Internet back, I'll likely post tonight about what I ate today.  Can you handle the anticipation? ;)

Snack Attack Strikes Again!

I don't know if it was the packing, the excitement, or what, but last night I had another SNACK ATTACK.  It all began like so many snack attacks do...with a piece of chocolate.  One measly piece of chocolate turned into finishing the box of Kashi crackers, followed up by finishing off a can of peaches.  Almost immediately afterward, I felt sick to my stomach and then I got a headache.  I wonder if the headache was from the sodium of the crackers (exacerbated by the canned soup I had for dinner?).  No matter, it was not a pretty sight.  I felt like I had a hangover, but without the fun drunk part first.  

But the beauty of a failed snack attack is that tomorrow is another day, right? I began this day with a healthy, well-balanced, and very delicious breakfast of 1 egg plus 2 egg whites scrambled with asparagus and red pepper on top of a piece of whole grain toast, as well as a chopped banana and strawberry topped with the last of my plain non-fat yogurt, and finished off with a cup of coffee. Wow, that was one long, ungrammatical sentence! But tasty-sounding, no?



I won't be able to maintain this journal for the next few days, as I am currently existing in the middle of this!


The Internet is being shut off sometime today and i won't get it back until they install it at the new house on Monday (can't get here soon enough!). In the meantime, I hope to keep with my schedule (three meals and three snacks and NO snack attacks!), my habits (lots of whole, healthy foods), and my mentality (positivity, through and through!) until I can resume journalling again. Peace out, homies.