Breakfast was a piece of French bread that I had baked the day before. I had intended to use it for French toast, but I'm out of vanilla extract. Lunch was rigatoni with marinara sauce. I couldn't decide what I wanted for dinner and I got home really late so I stopped by Burger Kiing and got a veggie burger and some fries. It was better with lettuce on it since it helped with some of the blandness. I really have to stop with all of the starches. Aparently, it's my most loved food group.
For snacks I had a little bit of a cinnimon flavored kettle corn popcorn. It's delicious, but addicting so I was careful not to get carried away. I also had banana chips and then a few Baked Lays (but I think that was technically this morning - morning of the 20th day).
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Day 18
Today was another croissant for breakfast. I had "chicken" tenders and sweet potato fries for lunch and a few chips and salsa for a snack. For dinner I had a salad and then mashed potatoes and cabbage. I haven't made real mashed potatoes since college or had cabbage outside of visiting my parents. Curt always makes those nasty instant potatoes. They're not horrible, but they're not the same. I get that they take less time, but I was happy to finally have real ones. He must be really happy that I'm doing this since I've cooked more meals in the last 18 days than I have since we've been married. Sad isn't it?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Day 17
I was going to make banana french bread, but my vanilla was expired so I just made 2 pieces of cinnamon raisin toast for breakfast. I made wild rice for lunch, but it took too long to cook so I had Pop Tarts while I waited. I finished the rest of my snap peas off (I only had about 5 left) and then had croissants for snacks. Too bad I ate like 3 of them. I have a love for croissants and a fear of them going stale. I normally buy them one or two at a time, but Curt buys them in bulk and I end up living off them for a few days. For dinner I snuck over to Subway and got a veggie foot long. I gave up my BLT's over summer for a veggie so that wasn't anything new, but for some reason it felt like it was lacking something today. I added a few of my BBQ Baked Lays to the sandwich and they gave it some texture. I don't know what urged me to do it, but I figured it fries were good on a burger than chips would work on a sandwich. Speaking of burgers, I haven't eaten any of my Boca Burgers. I'll have to remind myself they're in the freezer.
Day 16
Today was a croissant, or maybe two (I don't remember), for breakfast. A mandarin orange and Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts for lunch. Again, I was too lazy to pack a real lunch. And dinner was 3 small pieces of pineapple pizza. I didn't snack at all. That was probably more due to the fact that I feel asleep early rather than my ability to just say no. =)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Day 15
With two weeks completed, I'm still doing well. I didn't make a lunch so I ended up just throwing a bunch of stuff into a bag and taking it with me today. For breakfast I had veggie sausage. It's a pain to cook so once what's in the freezer is done I don't think I'll buy it again. I had mashed potatoes for lunch since it was the only thing in the fridge I could grab, as well as snap peas, and a few banana chips. I had found nutty bars in Curt's stuff and snagged those and had them as a snack.
Dinner was fun. I finally made my sandwich. I think it's called a peanuty apple sandwich. I used cinnamon-raisin bread and mixed peanut butter and apricot preserves together and spread it out on one side of the bread. You're suppose to add some type of mustard, but I'm not a fan so I left it out. Then I cut thin slices from two different apples and added some lettuce to it. It was really good. I added some sweet potato fries and that made the meal even better. I'll definately make them again.
For dessert I ate the last mint-chocolate brownie. ;)
Dinner was fun. I finally made my sandwich. I think it's called a peanuty apple sandwich. I used cinnamon-raisin bread and mixed peanut butter and apricot preserves together and spread it out on one side of the bread. You're suppose to add some type of mustard, but I'm not a fan so I left it out. Then I cut thin slices from two different apples and added some lettuce to it. It was really good. I added some sweet potato fries and that made the meal even better. I'll definately make them again.
For dessert I ate the last mint-chocolate brownie. ;)
Day 14
Sorry, I fell asleep and didn't get to post.
I had "brunch" today. I was craving veggies so I made a stir fry of green peas, snap peas, mushrooms, and broccoli. I had snap peas for a snack and then macaroni and cheese for dinner. too bad they changed the boxes and I grabbed the wrong one. They were little shell pastas instead of macaroni and the sauce was some type of three cheese sauce. I didn't love it, but I could eat it if starving. The sauce got stuck in the curves that the shells make. I'm picky about my pasta noodle and the shells just aren't for me.
I took the brownies that I made to work with me and handed them out. I managed to not even eat one of them. They were a big hit. It was great.
I had "brunch" today. I was craving veggies so I made a stir fry of green peas, snap peas, mushrooms, and broccoli. I had snap peas for a snack and then macaroni and cheese for dinner. too bad they changed the boxes and I grabbed the wrong one. They were little shell pastas instead of macaroni and the sauce was some type of three cheese sauce. I didn't love it, but I could eat it if starving. The sauce got stuck in the curves that the shells make. I'm picky about my pasta noodle and the shells just aren't for me.
I took the brownies that I made to work with me and handed them out. I managed to not even eat one of them. They were a big hit. It was great.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 13
Today was hash browns for breakfast. The last apple strudel and a handful of snap peas for a snack, or an impromptu lunch. Sadly, I didn't get to have a real lunch. For dinner we stopped by Taco Bell on the way out for the night. Curt and I both had nachos without the meat. The lady at the drive-thru widow sounded dumbfounded that someone would want to take the meat off of a meal. Only in the South would they ask us multiple times if we were sure. He had them add some rice to his nachos. I might try that next time. They taste funny without the meat. Curt tried to argue that it wasn't really meat anyway, but I didn't waver. I was hungry when we got home so I had some chips and salsa. I'm craving veggies, but it's almost 2 am and I'm trying hard not to snack.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day 12
Breakfast was a granola bar, lunch was fiori with marinara sauce, and dinner was a stir fry with a honey sauce.I adapted a really good recipe for a honey chicken stir fry and used the sauce with broccoli, green beans, peas, mushrooms, and potatoes. Next time I'll leave out the potatoes. I was just felt like adding them for some reason. It wasn't bad, but it would be better without them. Snacks included another apple strudel. I almost didn't eat it, but if I don't they'll go bad. I finished making Chocolate Mint Brownies last night so I got to try them out today. They were delicious. I loved them. The only problem is that you can't let them warm up since the mint center has to stay cold.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Day 11
I started out healthy with cereal for breakfast. Who would have ever thought I'd give up my Apple Jacks, Lucky Charms, and other sugary cereals for Total? I had wanted to try out an apple sandwich for lunch today, but I was running late for work so I decided to hold off until I had time, which will hopefully be tomorrow. Instead, I had my banana and peanut butter roll up for lunch since I already had the ingredients out and could quickly throw them in a bag and go. My boss gave me his Lil' Debbie's again so I strayed from healthy at that point when I added it to my lunch.
Curt got me a baked potato from Wendy's for a snack since I was hungry. I would have been okay then, but he gave me what was left of his fries and surprised me with a Frosty. Luckily those were both smalls, but I had been trying to be good and leave out the fries. Of course, there's no way I'd ever turn down fries so I ate them. I would have saved the Frosty, but I was at work and sans a refrigerator to keep it from going bad. So, instead of splitting it up over a few days I ate the whole thing. I rarely ever crave Frosty's, but Curt likes them so I end up with them every now and then when he's trying to be sweet. =) I also had a few dried banana chips and grapes as a snack before my lunch. I really need to wash my snap peas so I can start snacking on them.
For dinner I had the last two egg rolls in the box. And a few hash browns. I know they don't go together, but I haven't had hash browns in a long time and now that they're in my freezer I had to try some.
Curt got me a baked potato from Wendy's for a snack since I was hungry. I would have been okay then, but he gave me what was left of his fries and surprised me with a Frosty. Luckily those were both smalls, but I had been trying to be good and leave out the fries. Of course, there's no way I'd ever turn down fries so I ate them. I would have saved the Frosty, but I was at work and sans a refrigerator to keep it from going bad. So, instead of splitting it up over a few days I ate the whole thing. I rarely ever crave Frosty's, but Curt likes them so I end up with them every now and then when he's trying to be sweet. =) I also had a few dried banana chips and grapes as a snack before my lunch. I really need to wash my snap peas so I can start snacking on them.
For dinner I had the last two egg rolls in the box. And a few hash browns. I know they don't go together, but I haven't had hash browns in a long time and now that they're in my freezer I had to try some.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Day 10
I didn't eat too well today, if I'm to be honest. I tried 2 pieces of veggie sausages for breakfast. For some stupid reason I thought I'd actually taste like sausage. It wasn't horrible, especially if you drench it with syrup. =) I could eat them again for breakfast, but I don't think I'd ever crave them. You can't get woken up by the smell of sausage and bacon in the morning when you're not eating sausage and bacon. I don't know whether to be sad about that, or to just move on and not care.
I ate my lunch about an hour later. I had to veggie egg rolls. They were actually delicious. I use to hate egg rolls and spring rolls, but I tried them again recently and was glad to be able to add something back into my diet. I have a feeling that I'll end up eating the box before Curt even gets to try one. I just picked them up on a whim yesterday when searching for things without meat. I didn't think I'd like frozen ones since they normally don't taste as good, but they're kind of addicting.
For snacks I had Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts, a few grapes, and some banana chips. My boss stopped by to check in and he always gives me the Little Debbie snack that his wife had packed in his lunch if he didn't eat it since he knows how much I love them. I got the little heart shaped Valentine ones. I've been really good and not bought any Little Debbie's, but when offered I'll take them. =) Actually, that's one of my treats if I make it 30 days. I'll get a box of Swiss Cake Rolls. It's rather sad that I like them that much.
I had dinner really late. I tried Morning Star Chicken Nuggets. After the sausage I didn't get my hopes up, but it was a lot closer than most of the other substitutes. I think that's because of the breading, not because it actually tastes like chicken. I'm almost sad that I tried the nuggets since I'm sure I'll be eating more of them and I could be picking healthier options. Although, they are a lot healthier than the nuggets I use to eat and I can't complain about actually finding something I'm willing to eat. I paired the nuggets with some red potatoes, green beans, and carrots - I guess it was kind of liked country fried potatoes?
So, after writing all this down I couldn't figure out why I thought that I had eaten so poorly. While the Little Debbie's and the Pop Tarts weren't good, it wasn't anywhere as bad as I had in my head. Then, I remembered my really bad moment. I had a 2am snack in the morning. I ate an apple strudel. I haven't been sneaking food in the middle of the night so that was kind of a big slip up for me. I think it's because I spent all day with Curt and my eating times and habits tend to change when he's around. Apparently I've been eating healthier when our work schedules end up conflicting with one another. I think it's just because he eats lunch at 4 o'clock and then tells me we've already eaten dinner when I ask what he wants to do for dinner. When I eat that early I'm going to end up snacking. Especially because my work schedule generally ends up with me getting dinner some time between 7:30 and 11ish depending on the day.
I ate my lunch about an hour later. I had to veggie egg rolls. They were actually delicious. I use to hate egg rolls and spring rolls, but I tried them again recently and was glad to be able to add something back into my diet. I have a feeling that I'll end up eating the box before Curt even gets to try one. I just picked them up on a whim yesterday when searching for things without meat. I didn't think I'd like frozen ones since they normally don't taste as good, but they're kind of addicting.
For snacks I had Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts, a few grapes, and some banana chips. My boss stopped by to check in and he always gives me the Little Debbie snack that his wife had packed in his lunch if he didn't eat it since he knows how much I love them. I got the little heart shaped Valentine ones. I've been really good and not bought any Little Debbie's, but when offered I'll take them. =) Actually, that's one of my treats if I make it 30 days. I'll get a box of Swiss Cake Rolls. It's rather sad that I like them that much.
I had dinner really late. I tried Morning Star Chicken Nuggets. After the sausage I didn't get my hopes up, but it was a lot closer than most of the other substitutes. I think that's because of the breading, not because it actually tastes like chicken. I'm almost sad that I tried the nuggets since I'm sure I'll be eating more of them and I could be picking healthier options. Although, they are a lot healthier than the nuggets I use to eat and I can't complain about actually finding something I'm willing to eat. I paired the nuggets with some red potatoes, green beans, and carrots - I guess it was kind of liked country fried potatoes?
So, after writing all this down I couldn't figure out why I thought that I had eaten so poorly. While the Little Debbie's and the Pop Tarts weren't good, it wasn't anywhere as bad as I had in my head. Then, I remembered my really bad moment. I had a 2am snack in the morning. I ate an apple strudel. I haven't been sneaking food in the middle of the night so that was kind of a big slip up for me. I think it's because I spent all day with Curt and my eating times and habits tend to change when he's around. Apparently I've been eating healthier when our work schedules end up conflicting with one another. I think it's just because he eats lunch at 4 o'clock and then tells me we've already eaten dinner when I ask what he wants to do for dinner. When I eat that early I'm going to end up snacking. Especially because my work schedule generally ends up with me getting dinner some time between 7:30 and 11ish depending on the day.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Day 9
Today was fun. I went shopping for the first time since I started all of this. There were moments when I realized that I had a lot more options than I had though, but there were also moments that had me sad. I got all excited when I realized that the story finally has stocks my favorite Rice-a-Roni. I got all excited and then Curt reminded me that there was chicken in it. I had the look of a 5 year old whose favorite toy was taken away. I looked at some other options that I thought would be fine, but apparently they use chicken broth in a lot of them. I'm glad that I read the backs before i decided to cook them. I did find one or two that didn't have any animal products in them, but I'm going to miss my chicken and broccoli. I also realized that I can't have jello (not that I ate it frequently). The real painful moment was when Curt found that Panda Express has a line of sauces out now. When I saw their orange sauce I almost cried. There's not a Panda around here, but when I go home, or to visit friends that live in larger cities it's one of the first places I stop. I have to decide if I'm going to give it up forever, or if that will be one of the few times I allow myself to have meat. Luckily I still have time to make the decision, but I think this will be one of the more difficult choices I'll have.
I was excited to find some fake chicken nuggets. I'll probably hate them since I haven't liked a ton of soy based products, but I'm looking forward to trying them out. I also found pizza rolls that are cheese only. Maybe I shouldn't have looked since my diet would have been healthier without them. =) After we left the regular grocery store, we went to the health food store and I realized that I have even more options. I didn't get more than what i had planned on, but I'll have to go there first next time.
I did ask the girl in charge of all the vitamins if I needed any supplements. I'm glad I did. Apparently there's a vitamin that I you can only get from meat, diary, and egg products. If I decided to be a vegan then I'd have to have that. I will got some if I keep drinking milk, but I'll be drinking soy more frequently than milk and I only eat eggs if they're in a cake or baked into other foods. I should probably take some type of vitamin that has it since I'm not consistent with the milk and eggs. She did mention bee pollen, as a supplement as well. It'd have B-12 and protein in it. The girl that helped me is a vegan so it was great that she had done her research. Apparently you can't replace all of your protein with soy based products. They have high estrogen levels and they aren't healthy for you in excessive quantities, hence why people use nuts, lentils, and other replacements. I learned a lot today.
For breakfast I just had my left over spaghetti and garlic bread. I intended to make breakfast, but Curt can't eat breakfast so I didn't see the point of making a big deal for just one person. I didn't really have a lunch, just an early dinner, unless you count the peanut butter Snickers Bar I snuck between shopping trips. We got a cheese pizza while we were out and then added pineapple to it since they don't sell pineapple pizza at the store. It wasn't bad. I thought I'd miss pepperoni, but it's good to have a pizza options. It'll be difficult when people buy pizza at work and all since they don't even order pineapple, but at least I can have some at home. For dessert, we just had grapes.
I was excited to find some fake chicken nuggets. I'll probably hate them since I haven't liked a ton of soy based products, but I'm looking forward to trying them out. I also found pizza rolls that are cheese only. Maybe I shouldn't have looked since my diet would have been healthier without them. =) After we left the regular grocery store, we went to the health food store and I realized that I have even more options. I didn't get more than what i had planned on, but I'll have to go there first next time.
I did ask the girl in charge of all the vitamins if I needed any supplements. I'm glad I did. Apparently there's a vitamin that I you can only get from meat, diary, and egg products. If I decided to be a vegan then I'd have to have that. I will got some if I keep drinking milk, but I'll be drinking soy more frequently than milk and I only eat eggs if they're in a cake or baked into other foods. I should probably take some type of vitamin that has it since I'm not consistent with the milk and eggs. She did mention bee pollen, as a supplement as well. It'd have B-12 and protein in it. The girl that helped me is a vegan so it was great that she had done her research. Apparently you can't replace all of your protein with soy based products. They have high estrogen levels and they aren't healthy for you in excessive quantities, hence why people use nuts, lentils, and other replacements. I learned a lot today.
For breakfast I just had my left over spaghetti and garlic bread. I intended to make breakfast, but Curt can't eat breakfast so I didn't see the point of making a big deal for just one person. I didn't really have a lunch, just an early dinner, unless you count the peanut butter Snickers Bar I snuck between shopping trips. We got a cheese pizza while we were out and then added pineapple to it since they don't sell pineapple pizza at the store. It wasn't bad. I thought I'd miss pepperoni, but it's good to have a pizza options. It'll be difficult when people buy pizza at work and all since they don't even order pineapple, but at least I can have some at home. For dessert, we just had grapes.
Day 8
I didn't realize until the next day, but I've managed to go a whole week without meat. i'm honestly a bit surprised that I haven't been more tempted.
On day 8 I had a granola bar for breakfast, and then a small salad and a mandarin orange for lunch. At dinner we went out to one of my favorite restaurants, Abuelo's. It's horrid Mexican food, but they have a wonderful chicken salad. I got it without the chicken of course. The salad has avocado, mandarin oranges, golden raisins, and toasted almonds. I must say, it was a lot better with the chicken, but that's okay. Curt will be happy that I'm not obsessing about the place anymore.
In the last few days he hasn't had any red meat. He says he'll give up steak and chicken but he's sticking with fish. He swears that a lot of vegetarians do it, but I told him he's kidding himself. I don't mind that he's eating fish, we're just debating on whether or not he can call himself a vegetarian if he's still eating meat. We've basically agreed to disagree and move on. =) At least he'll have more options than I will. Although, he's always had more options that I do since he's not picky. I wish I could be like him in that aspect.
On day 8 I had a granola bar for breakfast, and then a small salad and a mandarin orange for lunch. At dinner we went out to one of my favorite restaurants, Abuelo's. It's horrid Mexican food, but they have a wonderful chicken salad. I got it without the chicken of course. The salad has avocado, mandarin oranges, golden raisins, and toasted almonds. I must say, it was a lot better with the chicken, but that's okay. Curt will be happy that I'm not obsessing about the place anymore.
In the last few days he hasn't had any red meat. He says he'll give up steak and chicken but he's sticking with fish. He swears that a lot of vegetarians do it, but I told him he's kidding himself. I don't mind that he's eating fish, we're just debating on whether or not he can call himself a vegetarian if he's still eating meat. We've basically agreed to disagree and move on. =) At least he'll have more options than I will. Although, he's always had more options that I do since he's not picky. I wish I could be like him in that aspect.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 7
I don't think I've ever eaten as little as I did today. I had a granola bar for breakfast and skipped lunch. I went out with some friends for dinner tonight. It's kind of hard to explain why I'm not eating meat while actually sitting at the dinner table. It's not exactly tactful to describe how they slaughter the animals as someone's ordering one. I know that the two people I were with wouldn't have been bothered by it at all, but it did leave me with something to consider in the future. Almost everything on the menu had meat in it. Even the pizza toppings. It was more of a home cooking style Italian restaurant so things like pineapple and veggies weren't available. Besides plain cheese pizza, spaghetti with marinara sauce, and a salad, french fries and onion rings were it. I guess that's pretty good for the south I had some of a side salad, about 1/2 of my spaghetti and 2 pieces of garlic bread. I didn't even snack today. I need to make sure I get some more food in to balance out my diet. Maybe it's because I ate so much yesterday?
Day 6
So, last night I decided to try the veggie burger from Burger King. It wasn't really for me. I can eat it, but I'm definitely not going to crave it. Rather than being mixed up veggies in the burger there were actually chunks of veggies. Maybe it's just me, but I like my burgers to have a consistent texture.
Today my breakfast didn't turn out so well. I gave the oatmeal a chance and added some brown sugar to it this time, but it was just as bad. That's what I get for trying to pick the healthy stuff. Napoleon was happy to get another bowl of oatmeal out of me. =) After that didn't work, I gave up the breakfast idea and thought I'd just make pasta, but when I went to grab the sauce it turned out it was meat sauce. We never get meat sauce. I almost didn't even check the label on the jar. With pasta being a no go, I decided I'd give the tomato basil soup a try. I only ate about 1/8th of it. I could eat it if I had to, but as usual, I didn't actually like the taste of it. When the soup didn't go over well I gave up on breakfast all together.
For lunch I had the peanut butter and banana roll up again. I've found a new yummy treat that I'm going to stick with. I also had some peanut butter whoppers. I've been good and haven't had candy in a few weeks so I figured that was okay. Problem was, it was a two fer deal so I also had some pretzel M&M's. =) I think that was why I stopped eating candy to begin with. I also ended up with french fries. A co-worker was nice enough to offer me some. Sadly, I can't say no to french fries. It's an addiction. I've been able to cut out the caffeine, and limit the candy, but I've never been able to give up the fries.
Dinner was just a small salad and bread sticks. I was very tempted to try chicken nuggets after seeing the McDonald's bag, but luckily it was only a short debate and it ended up with me not even feeling remotely sad that I decided to go home to my salad. I still need to find some new recipes. The cookbook that I got from the library only gave me breakfast ideas. After not finding any entrees I closed the book. I really didn't need to be tempted by any more dessert recipes.
Anyway, I'm going to stop typing right now since my cat is trying to sleep on my key board and no matter how many times I move him he keeps coming back. His paw seems to prefer the delete button. =)
Today my breakfast didn't turn out so well. I gave the oatmeal a chance and added some brown sugar to it this time, but it was just as bad. That's what I get for trying to pick the healthy stuff. Napoleon was happy to get another bowl of oatmeal out of me. =) After that didn't work, I gave up the breakfast idea and thought I'd just make pasta, but when I went to grab the sauce it turned out it was meat sauce. We never get meat sauce. I almost didn't even check the label on the jar. With pasta being a no go, I decided I'd give the tomato basil soup a try. I only ate about 1/8th of it. I could eat it if I had to, but as usual, I didn't actually like the taste of it. When the soup didn't go over well I gave up on breakfast all together.
For lunch I had the peanut butter and banana roll up again. I've found a new yummy treat that I'm going to stick with. I also had some peanut butter whoppers. I've been good and haven't had candy in a few weeks so I figured that was okay. Problem was, it was a two fer deal so I also had some pretzel M&M's. =) I think that was why I stopped eating candy to begin with. I also ended up with french fries. A co-worker was nice enough to offer me some. Sadly, I can't say no to french fries. It's an addiction. I've been able to cut out the caffeine, and limit the candy, but I've never been able to give up the fries.
Dinner was just a small salad and bread sticks. I was very tempted to try chicken nuggets after seeing the McDonald's bag, but luckily it was only a short debate and it ended up with me not even feeling remotely sad that I decided to go home to my salad. I still need to find some new recipes. The cookbook that I got from the library only gave me breakfast ideas. After not finding any entrees I closed the book. I really didn't need to be tempted by any more dessert recipes.
Anyway, I'm going to stop typing right now since my cat is trying to sleep on my key board and no matter how many times I move him he keeps coming back. His paw seems to prefer the delete button. =)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Day 5
Trying new recipes is killing me! I tried a peanut noodle salad. I took one bite and boxed the rest of my plate up for Curt. It was disgusting! I was so excited to try it since I thought I could actually eat it. Lo Mein, peanuts, peanut butter, and some other stuff that I cut out like onions and peppers. Curt kind of liked it, but it definitely wasn't for me. I keep being brave and trying new things, but I'm being let down quite a bit. I'm determined to find something good that doesn't count as a dessert.
I had cereal again for breakfast. When my lunch failed I made myself a salad and had some peas. For dinner I'll either have a veggie burger or stop at a Chinese food restaurant. Normally I'd wait until I was done with my meals to eat, but I'm helping someone out tonight and won't get home until 4-5am. I'l let you know what I picked on my next post.
I had cereal again for breakfast. When my lunch failed I made myself a salad and had some peas. For dinner I'll either have a veggie burger or stop at a Chinese food restaurant. Normally I'd wait until I was done with my meals to eat, but I'm helping someone out tonight and won't get home until 4-5am. I'l let you know what I picked on my next post.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Day 4
I tried a new recipe today and failed miserably. I attempted to make a middle eastern rice dish and I followed the directions exactly, but it didn't work. The cinnamon floated at the top and didn't mix in with the rice even though I mixed it. I'm going to have to experiment some more with it before I'm able to get it to work. Someone made it for me once and it was delicious, but mine was bland and just didn't taste right. I'll have to leave out the saffron next time so I don't waste money. I'm debating on whether to suffer through what's left of it or if I should feed it to the dogs. If I ever get it to work I'll put the recipe up.
Besides that, I had my cereal again. Then two mandarin oranges and some chips and salsa as a snack. For dinner I made a salad with romaine, apple slices, honey roasted almonds, and some really good croutons with a blush wine vinaigrette. I almost added the bacon bits that Curt bought last time he went shopping since they're the kind that I don't think are actually made from bacon. I looked at the ingredients and they didn't mention having any meat in them at all, but I figure I should check with the company before risking it. I didn't want to slip up so early in the month.
I meant to try the tomato soup, but I never got around to it. Besides, I think I need crackers if I'm going to try soup.
I did some more research on why it's better to not eat meat. Some of what I learned I already knew: expanding grazing lands are hugely responsible for the deforestation of the rainforest's and other forests, the methane gasses released by cattle are damaging the environment, and being a vegetarian lowers your cholesterol and decreases your risk of having a heart attack. Other stuff I had never even considered. Apparently half of all water used in the U.S. goes to livestock production. Can you imagine how much water we'd save? Also, almost all of the grain and wheat grown in the world go to feeding livestock. Grazing land could be used to grow crops that are cheaper and can be used to feed more people (potatoes, grains, and wheat) meaning less starving people. Plus, ethanol could become a viable alternative fuel if we weren't sending all of out corn to cattle farms. Although, using the corn for energy doesn't help with the starving people bit. Also, China's meat consumption is skyrocketed over the past years. As there consumption of cattle increases our situation is going to get even worst. It seems like the overall point is that we should all eat less meat. Red meat, especially. You don't have to give it up, but eat it for dinner instead of lunch and dinner. Pick a day, or a few days of the week where you'll be meat free. Even a little bit can help if enough people participate. Some businesses and schools have meat free Mondays. I think that's pretty cool.
Besides that, I had my cereal again. Then two mandarin oranges and some chips and salsa as a snack. For dinner I made a salad with romaine, apple slices, honey roasted almonds, and some really good croutons with a blush wine vinaigrette. I almost added the bacon bits that Curt bought last time he went shopping since they're the kind that I don't think are actually made from bacon. I looked at the ingredients and they didn't mention having any meat in them at all, but I figure I should check with the company before risking it. I didn't want to slip up so early in the month.
I meant to try the tomato soup, but I never got around to it. Besides, I think I need crackers if I'm going to try soup.
I did some more research on why it's better to not eat meat. Some of what I learned I already knew: expanding grazing lands are hugely responsible for the deforestation of the rainforest's and other forests, the methane gasses released by cattle are damaging the environment, and being a vegetarian lowers your cholesterol and decreases your risk of having a heart attack. Other stuff I had never even considered. Apparently half of all water used in the U.S. goes to livestock production. Can you imagine how much water we'd save? Also, almost all of the grain and wheat grown in the world go to feeding livestock. Grazing land could be used to grow crops that are cheaper and can be used to feed more people (potatoes, grains, and wheat) meaning less starving people. Plus, ethanol could become a viable alternative fuel if we weren't sending all of out corn to cattle farms. Although, using the corn for energy doesn't help with the starving people bit. Also, China's meat consumption is skyrocketed over the past years. As there consumption of cattle increases our situation is going to get even worst. It seems like the overall point is that we should all eat less meat. Red meat, especially. You don't have to give it up, but eat it for dinner instead of lunch and dinner. Pick a day, or a few days of the week where you'll be meat free. Even a little bit can help if enough people participate. Some businesses and schools have meat free Mondays. I think that's pretty cool.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Day 3
Today I realized that I am in no way even remotely prepared for this challenge. My life revolved around ready made food a few days ago, chicken nuggets, microwavable dinners, pizza bites, ramen... I eat like a college students. Funny thing is, I actually cooked healthier meals when I was in college. Now I only cook if people are coming to visit. While my husband did some grocery shopping, he only got me enough stuff to make two meals. Due to my work schedule, I might actually get to make one tomorrow.
I looked in my fridge today. I have 2 apples, some lettuce (I guess I need to cut it up for salads) and a lot of juice and condiments. That's really it. The dogs got treated to the sandwich meat so I wouldn't be tempted. My freezer has some frozen veggies in it, waffles, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, sausage, chicken wings, ribs, and fish (the last three being my husbands). Now there are Boca burgers too. I thought I'd take one to work with me, but it turns out they're not individually wrapped and I was kind of running out the door as it was. So, so far I can eat apples, lettuce, broccoli, waffles, and Boca burgers.
Next I went to the pantry. I have rice and cans of peas and green beans which are good, but then there's a lot of chicken noodle soup. What am I suppose to eat when I'm sick now that I can't have chicken noodle? I have stuff to make apple pie and brownies (although no eggs), lots of condiments and spices. I have oatmeal, but I tried to buy the healthy kind and the last time I made it I ended up feeding it to the dogs. I did buy brown sugar so maybe that would make it edible? I have ramen, but it's chicken flavored. I guess I could try plain ramen, but it took me three years to get me to stop cringing at the chicken ramen. It's powdered flavoring...I wonder if there really is any chicken in there at all. Eek...powdered cooked chicken. Maybe I should be happy I'm not eating that anymore. It's probably parts of the chicken nobody wants. There are chocolate chips. Those are yummy. Curt's tuna.. Icky! I don't know how anyone eats tuna. There are about 5 different types of chili, all with meat of course. Then there's a thing of tomato basil soup. I've never liked tomato soup. I eat tomatoes, but I never go looking for them. I'm not a huge fan. Maybe I'll try it for lunch tomorrow and see if my tastes have changed. Then there's a bunch of cereal. Curt's had two stupid bags of Cheerios since last summer. I keep trying to throw them out since they're stale, but he keeps telling me they're just fine and I should save them. If they're fine why does he keep buying new cereal and eating it instead of the Cheerios? He shouldn't be allowed into Sam's Club. Buying in bulk means half of it gets thrown out in our household. I wonder if I should start feeding my dog a bowl of Cheerios every morning to get rid of them. My husband would probably think I liked them then and buy me more to be nice. Cheerios are only good if they're drenched in sugar and since I'm trying to stop eating like a child I guess I should avoid Cheerios.
It looks like I'm going to have to go shopping and do more research. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, waffles for lunch, and since I was working around dinner time I didn't get to eat. I took food, but I forgot a knife. I couldn't get the peanut butter out of the jar without a knife and no one had any plastic utensils. I decided I'd just eat the pretzels and a few more almonds and raisins since I couldn't make the dinner part of my meal. I had a few chips when I got home since I wasn't really hungry anymore. Apparently they're right about eating breakfast being good for you. I use to snack constantly. It's kind of nice to not be stuffing my face. Maybe if I worked out I'd actually lose my chicken nugget and Swiss cake roll weight. Swiss cake rolls are the best thing on earth, by the way. That's an important fact there. They're better than flowers or jewelry when you've ticked me off. Puppies are a close second, but seeing as how I'm at my limit on the dog front, Swiss cake rolls are always welcome.
Okay, so my meals today weren't great. Although, sadly the waffles are probably healthier than what I use to eat. I'll have to look at more recipes and see if I can find something. Napoleon is happy though. Over the last few days he got my left over steak, sandwich meat, and he'll probably get the sausage too. I'm sure Curt will eat the rest of the stuff around the house. I came home and he had had fish. Looks like I called it right when I said he wasn't going to be joining me on Monday. =) That's okay though. I really didn't expect him to switch his habits.
Oh yeah! Apparently, in 2007 the average American eats at least 222 lbs of meat a year and that number has increased drastically every year since the 50's. Seeing how it's 2011 it's probably getting closer to, if not over 300. In 2008 Americans ate 12,452,000 metric tons of beef and 8,995,000 of pork. I didn't find the numbers for fish and poultry for the year. The number of chickens killed has got to be astronomical. Is it sad that I'm okay with eating fish? It doesn't bother me as much for some reason. Although, I hate the taste of fish so it's not really an option for me. I can't get the image out of my head of that machine clipping the hoofs off the cow so easily that you'd think it was cutting through butter. I've been having nightmares about it.
I looked in my fridge today. I have 2 apples, some lettuce (I guess I need to cut it up for salads) and a lot of juice and condiments. That's really it. The dogs got treated to the sandwich meat so I wouldn't be tempted. My freezer has some frozen veggies in it, waffles, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, sausage, chicken wings, ribs, and fish (the last three being my husbands). Now there are Boca burgers too. I thought I'd take one to work with me, but it turns out they're not individually wrapped and I was kind of running out the door as it was. So, so far I can eat apples, lettuce, broccoli, waffles, and Boca burgers.
Next I went to the pantry. I have rice and cans of peas and green beans which are good, but then there's a lot of chicken noodle soup. What am I suppose to eat when I'm sick now that I can't have chicken noodle? I have stuff to make apple pie and brownies (although no eggs), lots of condiments and spices. I have oatmeal, but I tried to buy the healthy kind and the last time I made it I ended up feeding it to the dogs. I did buy brown sugar so maybe that would make it edible? I have ramen, but it's chicken flavored. I guess I could try plain ramen, but it took me three years to get me to stop cringing at the chicken ramen. It's powdered flavoring...I wonder if there really is any chicken in there at all. Eek...powdered cooked chicken. Maybe I should be happy I'm not eating that anymore. It's probably parts of the chicken nobody wants. There are chocolate chips. Those are yummy. Curt's tuna.. Icky! I don't know how anyone eats tuna. There are about 5 different types of chili, all with meat of course. Then there's a thing of tomato basil soup. I've never liked tomato soup. I eat tomatoes, but I never go looking for them. I'm not a huge fan. Maybe I'll try it for lunch tomorrow and see if my tastes have changed. Then there's a bunch of cereal. Curt's had two stupid bags of Cheerios since last summer. I keep trying to throw them out since they're stale, but he keeps telling me they're just fine and I should save them. If they're fine why does he keep buying new cereal and eating it instead of the Cheerios? He shouldn't be allowed into Sam's Club. Buying in bulk means half of it gets thrown out in our household. I wonder if I should start feeding my dog a bowl of Cheerios every morning to get rid of them. My husband would probably think I liked them then and buy me more to be nice. Cheerios are only good if they're drenched in sugar and since I'm trying to stop eating like a child I guess I should avoid Cheerios.
It looks like I'm going to have to go shopping and do more research. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, waffles for lunch, and since I was working around dinner time I didn't get to eat. I took food, but I forgot a knife. I couldn't get the peanut butter out of the jar without a knife and no one had any plastic utensils. I decided I'd just eat the pretzels and a few more almonds and raisins since I couldn't make the dinner part of my meal. I had a few chips when I got home since I wasn't really hungry anymore. Apparently they're right about eating breakfast being good for you. I use to snack constantly. It's kind of nice to not be stuffing my face. Maybe if I worked out I'd actually lose my chicken nugget and Swiss cake roll weight. Swiss cake rolls are the best thing on earth, by the way. That's an important fact there. They're better than flowers or jewelry when you've ticked me off. Puppies are a close second, but seeing as how I'm at my limit on the dog front, Swiss cake rolls are always welcome.
Okay, so my meals today weren't great. Although, sadly the waffles are probably healthier than what I use to eat. I'll have to look at more recipes and see if I can find something. Napoleon is happy though. Over the last few days he got my left over steak, sandwich meat, and he'll probably get the sausage too. I'm sure Curt will eat the rest of the stuff around the house. I came home and he had had fish. Looks like I called it right when I said he wasn't going to be joining me on Monday. =) That's okay though. I really didn't expect him to switch his habits.
Oh yeah! Apparently, in 2007 the average American eats at least 222 lbs of meat a year and that number has increased drastically every year since the 50's. Seeing how it's 2011 it's probably getting closer to, if not over 300. In 2008 Americans ate 12,452,000 metric tons of beef and 8,995,000 of pork. I didn't find the numbers for fish and poultry for the year. The number of chickens killed has got to be astronomical. Is it sad that I'm okay with eating fish? It doesn't bother me as much for some reason. Although, I hate the taste of fish so it's not really an option for me. I can't get the image out of my head of that machine clipping the hoofs off the cow so easily that you'd think it was cutting through butter. I've been having nightmares about it.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Day 2
Today was a weird day. I really didn't eat much for some reason. Seeing how I'm a huge snacker, that's rare for me. Although, since I gave up McDonald's two months ago after I got sick from chicken nuggets, I've slowly started eating less and less food. (I was a McDonald's baby, so giving it up was a huge deal. I use to go 4-7 times a week, I was that addicted. I still miss the fries.) I had yogurt, a granola bar, and a few almonds and raisins. I really don't like regular raisins, but I accidentally asked my husband for California raisins thinking they were the golden kind. Being brave for once in my life, I just ate them rather than ignore them until they're expired in the cabinet. Still don't love them, but I survived and I'll take more to work tomorrow for a snack.
Anyway, I had two firsts today. One, I tried soy milk. I don't have to drink it since I'm not going vegan, but I've always been curious and I forced myself to go with it. Seeing how I don't like milk, I figured I'd never be able to drink fake milk. Normally substitutes are worst than the original. I was pleasantly surprised. I actually liked it since it was kind of sweet. I'll have to try some other brands and flavors before I'm completely sold, but I won't run away from cartons in the diary aisle anymore. =)
My second new experience was mixing bananas and peanut butter. I like bananas and peanut butter, but never bothered to try them together. I found a recipe where you take a tortilla, put peanut butter and some cut up bananas on it, then you sprinkle chocolate chips on top of it and roll it all up. It really good. I think next time I'm going to heat up the peanut butter and chocolate chips for a few seconds before adding the banana just to see what will happen. I was even good and just sprinkled a few chocolate chips instead of a whole handful.
I'm happy that I'm doing this (for now at least) because it's forcing me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. Not that I'm going too far out of my comfort zone, but at least I'm taking baby steps. It's also making me think about the junk I've been putting in my body. French fries, chips and candy every day... not a good thing.
As for my husband, he's already crashed. He went out with the guys last night and had wings, chicken strips and who knows what else. Then, for the super bowl today he had wings from Hooters. He tells me he's going to start on Monday, but he still has ribs in the freezer so that won't be happening. I have a feeling he'll just eat meat when he's out of the house. That's okay though. He'll still be eating less meat. Maybe he'll only save 1 cow a month, but it's still saving an animal. I wonder how many cows and chickens the average American are responsible for over the course of a month. Something to research I guess.
Anyway, I had two firsts today. One, I tried soy milk. I don't have to drink it since I'm not going vegan, but I've always been curious and I forced myself to go with it. Seeing how I don't like milk, I figured I'd never be able to drink fake milk. Normally substitutes are worst than the original. I was pleasantly surprised. I actually liked it since it was kind of sweet. I'll have to try some other brands and flavors before I'm completely sold, but I won't run away from cartons in the diary aisle anymore. =)
My second new experience was mixing bananas and peanut butter. I like bananas and peanut butter, but never bothered to try them together. I found a recipe where you take a tortilla, put peanut butter and some cut up bananas on it, then you sprinkle chocolate chips on top of it and roll it all up. It really good. I think next time I'm going to heat up the peanut butter and chocolate chips for a few seconds before adding the banana just to see what will happen. I was even good and just sprinkled a few chocolate chips instead of a whole handful.
I'm happy that I'm doing this (for now at least) because it's forcing me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. Not that I'm going too far out of my comfort zone, but at least I'm taking baby steps. It's also making me think about the junk I've been putting in my body. French fries, chips and candy every day... not a good thing.
As for my husband, he's already crashed. He went out with the guys last night and had wings, chicken strips and who knows what else. Then, for the super bowl today he had wings from Hooters. He tells me he's going to start on Monday, but he still has ribs in the freezer so that won't be happening. I have a feeling he'll just eat meat when he's out of the house. That's okay though. He'll still be eating less meat. Maybe he'll only save 1 cow a month, but it's still saving an animal. I wonder how many cows and chickens the average American are responsible for over the course of a month. Something to research I guess.
Day 1
I saw the episode around 1 am. I then spent the next few hours on the internet trying to find recepies for meals that I might be willing to eat. By 5 am I had only found four I'm willing to try. Here's my biggest problem - I'M PICKY! Everything has tofu, onions, peppers, and black beans on them. I've never liked any of those things. My pickyness is part of the reason why I'm not even bothering to try going Vegan. Oh ya...cheese is on a lot of stuff too. I don't like cheese. I like overly processed parmasean and nacho cheese, or cheese on pizza, but that's it. It takes me an hour to eat string cheese since I have to peal it into pieces so small that I can't taste the cheese. I'm also not an egg eater. If they're baked into something and I can't taste them, I'm fine, but eggs by themselves make me sick. My husband hates cooking for me because I eat the same 8 things over and over again. Now, I'm going to have to get inventive.
During this time I'm also thinking about the fact that my husband is still asleep and has no clue I've decided to give up meat. I don't know if he'll laugh at me, still cook like normal and shove meat on my plate, support me, or even join me in this attempt. I gave up caffiene 2 months ago because I was tired of the headaches and it took him a month to adjust to that. He kept bringing me home diet cokes I couldn't drink. He wasn't trying to be mean, but it was just habit for him. Crossing my fingers, I taped my four recepies to the bathroom mirror with a note that I'd given up on meat for the time being and crawled into bed.
When I woke up that afternoon I had a bowl of cereal and called my husband to ask him if he thought I was crazy. He immediately said yes. =) Surprisingly, he said he'd be more than willing to give up meat, but then bitched at me for being picky and told me he'd only do it if I could guarantee that we wouldn't be stuck eating pasta every day. That was my fear too. It's what I did last time I tried to give up meat. I love that he just willing went along with my decision without me even asking him. He loves ribs, pork, burgers, steak... He'd have to give up Five Guys! I never expected him to do this with me. He's amazing. He even went to the grocery store to get us some food to try out.
I did my research in the wee hours of the morning and found out that Burger King, Wendy's and a few other places offered veggie burgers. So, on my way into work, I stopped by Burger King to try one. They were out. I called Wendy's. They were out. This is kind of already sucking. Luckily, I remember seeing a website that said Mexican food places were good because you could just leave the meat off. So, I went to Moe's. I ordered the nachos and left off the meat. I even had them put some black beans on a few chips to try them. They have tofu, but I'm not brave enough to try it yet. The one and only time I'd tried tofu was on a plane to London. I somehow got stuck with the vegan meal. I know it's not fair to judge based on plane food, but it was a tramatic experience. I spent 20 miniutes poking it just to find out what it was. One of the guys sitting with me got brave enough to try it for me, otherwise I would have never known it was tofu. Anyway, it was strange to eat nachos without the meat, but it wasn't bad. I even managed to eat the black beans. I didn't like them, but at least I can stomach them now. I'll have to try them in something homemade to see if I can really eat them.
For dinner, I just had a peanut butter sandwich. I didn't have time to make anything else. I'll try something unique when I don't have to work at night.
I figured I'd make it through day one. I'm worried about days 4-10 for some reason. (Fingers crossed.)
During this time I'm also thinking about the fact that my husband is still asleep and has no clue I've decided to give up meat. I don't know if he'll laugh at me, still cook like normal and shove meat on my plate, support me, or even join me in this attempt. I gave up caffiene 2 months ago because I was tired of the headaches and it took him a month to adjust to that. He kept bringing me home diet cokes I couldn't drink. He wasn't trying to be mean, but it was just habit for him. Crossing my fingers, I taped my four recepies to the bathroom mirror with a note that I'd given up on meat for the time being and crawled into bed.
When I woke up that afternoon I had a bowl of cereal and called my husband to ask him if he thought I was crazy. He immediately said yes. =) Surprisingly, he said he'd be more than willing to give up meat, but then bitched at me for being picky and told me he'd only do it if I could guarantee that we wouldn't be stuck eating pasta every day. That was my fear too. It's what I did last time I tried to give up meat. I love that he just willing went along with my decision without me even asking him. He loves ribs, pork, burgers, steak... He'd have to give up Five Guys! I never expected him to do this with me. He's amazing. He even went to the grocery store to get us some food to try out.
I did my research in the wee hours of the morning and found out that Burger King, Wendy's and a few other places offered veggie burgers. So, on my way into work, I stopped by Burger King to try one. They were out. I called Wendy's. They were out. This is kind of already sucking. Luckily, I remember seeing a website that said Mexican food places were good because you could just leave the meat off. So, I went to Moe's. I ordered the nachos and left off the meat. I even had them put some black beans on a few chips to try them. They have tofu, but I'm not brave enough to try it yet. The one and only time I'd tried tofu was on a plane to London. I somehow got stuck with the vegan meal. I know it's not fair to judge based on plane food, but it was a tramatic experience. I spent 20 miniutes poking it just to find out what it was. One of the guys sitting with me got brave enough to try it for me, otherwise I would have never known it was tofu. Anyway, it was strange to eat nachos without the meat, but it wasn't bad. I even managed to eat the black beans. I didn't like them, but at least I can stomach them now. I'll have to try them in something homemade to see if I can really eat them.
For dinner, I just had a peanut butter sandwich. I didn't have time to make anything else. I'll try something unique when I don't have to work at night.
I figured I'd make it through day one. I'm worried about days 4-10 for some reason. (Fingers crossed.)
Why?
I tried giving up meat back in high school after dissecting a chicken and a fetal pig in biology. I didn't fare very well. I'm an obnoxiously picky eater and I didn't have the ability to substitute anything healthy for the protein I wasn't eating. I replaced it with potato chips, french fries, and sweets. I got sick pretty fast because of that. Of course, rather than researching and trying new foods, I went back to eating meat. I won't touch raw meat and I'd only eat it if it were so overcooked there were no juices in it to remind me that what I was eating was once living. 15 years later I saw something that makes me want to give up meat all over again. I saw an episode on Oprah where her staff did a 5 day Vegan challenge. I thought it'd be funny to watch, and it was, but I also spend a lot of the episode crying. She showed a clip of what happens in slaughter houses. They've obviously become more humane that they use to, but I still had a hard time stomaching what I was seeing. So, I decided to give up meat. I'm not sure if it will be permanently, but it will definitely be until I get those images out of my head. I'm hoping that if I learn some new recipes and change my eating habits a bit that I'll at least eat meat sparingly, rather than with almost every meal as I use to. For now, my goal is simply to make it 30 days without meat. Wish me luck!
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