Past the halfway point

An update on the cleanse:

GOOD:
- I'm enjoying cooking.
- Plenty of fodder for my food blog
- The Wii Fit claims I've lost 2 lbs. (I'm not sure)

BAD:
- I WANT BAD FOOD.  I want wine.  Cheese.  A Runza.  Chocolate.  Tacos.  Banh Mi.  Egg rolls.  I want to be able to snack & drink beer when I tailgate this Saturday.
- I'm getting sick of doing dishes.
- Every vegan or clean eating blog I read says "My hair is so shiny & my skin glows!"  What. Ever.  That crap does not happen to me. In fact, both times I've done this cleanse, I've gotten a major breakout on my face.  What gives?

5.5 more days to go. (and starting Saturday, I'm allowed eggs & gluten-free grains!)

Food Fantasies

I'm finishing the last day of Phase 1.  This is the most restrictive phase.  Tomorrow, I can have salmon and lentils!  I'm putting a root vegetable mulligatawny in the crock pot tonight - yum!

The cleanse feels easier this time around for many reasons:
First and obviously, it's shorter.  12 days seems so much more do-able than 21, and I'll be able to have turkey in time for Thanksgiving.  Hopefully, this'll have me craving a side of brussels sprouts, too.

Second, I've done this before & know what to expect.  I'm comfortable with all of the "rules"", so I've experimented more with the "legal" foods & created my own recipes.  I knew that after two days of caffeine headaches, I'd feel much better.

Third, I have a juicer!!  It's almost impossible to mess up juice.  It's an easy breakfast, and I've gone through two whole bunches of kale in four days!

Finally, I'm doing it with a friend, which makes it so much better.  The work "lunch bunch" ate together today, and I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

Tonight, I went back to Open Harvest for only the 2nd time since I was last doing the cleanse.  I'm in love.  I looked in the deli case & they have so much homemade YUMMY stuff.  I bought 2 types of hummus to eat tomorrow :)  Plus, they have weird vegetables that I want to try!  I bought some bok choy, a persimmon, a pomegranate, a turnip, a ginger root, a black radish, and some lacinato kale.  I've never even heard of those last two before!  Plus, I picked up some dried pears, dates, and raw cashews.

Unfortunately, they also have a lot of healthy delicious food that's NOT on the cleanse diet, like a whole cooler full of mouth-watering cheeses.  I think I crave cheese even more than the leftover Halloween candy lurking in my house.  When the 14th hits, I'm throwing myself a Harvarti Parti. nom nom nom  Other food fantasies:  beer cheese soup & lavosh from Lazlo's and banh mi.

Eating for One

Well, I'm at it again.  I'm on Day #2 of an abbreviated 12-day cleanse.  In January, I did Whole Living's 21-Day Action Plan.  Basically, I went 21 days without:

- processed foods
- added sugar
- dairy
- gluten
- caffeine
- alcohol

This time, my friend Audrey & I are shortening it to 12 days, & I'm armed with a juicer.  I drank some green juice this morning, and I've got a sweet potato in the oven.  You can check out my other blog, http://whatnikkiate.blogspot.com, to see what I'm eating.

Yesterday, I was talking to my parents on the phone & mentioned the cleanse.  My mom asked why I was doing it.  "Well, I just feel like my eating habits have gotten out of control, and nothing even sounds good to me lately.  Even meat is grossing me out - you know what I mean?"  My parents were quiet for a second, and then my mom mumbled something & giggled.  She thought I was pregnant.

Not quite, Mom, but I am getting plenty of folate!

Learning about sweeteners

I’m on Day 6 of no artificial sweeteners, and I’ve gotta say – this is a useful “Without”.  When I used to look through the list of ingredients on a wrapper, aside from sugar & aspartame, I had no idea which sweeteners were natural and which were artificial.  Everything ending in –ose started to freak me out.  Now, I’ll try to avoid saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and neotame.  I’m cool with Truvia (stevia).

Even though I’ll try to avoid them altogether , starting Monday I’m gonna make Ben do a blind test with me and some waters sweetened with various stuff so I can nail down which one is the culprit!

Also, I’ve been missing pop.  Even the syrups for homemade pop have artificial sweeteners.  So does Crystal Light.  Then I found Crystal Light Pure at the store!  Sweet! (pun intended)  And now I just found THIS!

No pain...yet

Hershey bars and beer have no artificial sweetener!  Woohoo!

So far, no painful reactions to anything I’ve eaten.  I made coconut-curry chicken with quinoa last night, and hash browns & eggs this morning (with tomato & cheese).  My friend Brandee gave me a bag full of apples she’d picked, so I juiced them last night & drank my no-sugar-added juice this morning J 

This is making me want to try the cleanse again!

A Week Without Artificial Sweeteners

It’s another food one!  This week, I’m going A Week Without…Artificial Sweeteners.

This one came out of the reaction I was having to drinking pop.  Frappucino doesn’t seem to affect me, so that could rule out caffeine.  Carbonation from our homemade pop machine doesn’t always affect me, either.  I had a bad reaction last night after a very healthy dinner at my parents’ house, so I’m suspicious of the Splenda that my mom put on the fresh strawberries for dessert.  I Googled it, and found several articles like this one.  Could aspartame or Splenda could be the cause??

At home, I’ve got:

-          Honey

-          Sucralose (generic brand Splenda)

-          Simple syrup

-          Agave syrup

-          Stevia drops

-          Brown sugar

-          Truvia

…notice that white, granular sugar is not on that list.  Weird.  In all honesty, I don’t USE a lot of these – unless I’m baking cookies or something.  That’s why they’ve kind of piled up!  Ben & I may have to do an experiment after this week to see if I have a reaction to each of these J

Most of the artificial sweeteners in my diet come from processed foods that I buy (e.g. Coke Zero).  That’s why it was tricky finding a grab-and-go breakfast at Walgreens this morning.  Pop tarts?  No.  Egg McMuffin?  No.  Donut?  No.  Ashamed of my recent breakfast habits?  Yes.

“But Nikki, why didn’t you cook a healthy breakfast at home?”

That’s my plan tonight – to make-ahead a breakfast casserole that I can eat all week.

“Why didn’t you just grab a piece of fruit?”

Why didn’t you….shut up?  (no good excuse here.)

Here’s what I found, which only lists “sugar” and “brown sugar syrup” as sweetening ingredients.

Here’s hoping my week is a sweet one!

Caffeine Reaction?

Done!  My second "Week Without Pop" is in the books, and I'm 99% sure I'm giving up my Coke Zero habit.  It seems I've developed a reaction to it: chest wall pain.

Before you tell me to call 9-1-1 & get into an ambulance - know this:

- I've suspected all along that it is gas or something (you're welcome for that visual!)
- I had all of my numbers checked by the Nebraska Heart Institute at the end of 2010, and they said I was the "picture of health" when it came to my heart
- No heart attack history in my family - just high blood pressure/cholesterol issues on one side
- I live with a hypochondriac heart attack "expert" who wants to rush me to the hospital for paper cuts, and even HE says that my symptoms don't match a heart attack.

I am not a doctor.  My hypochondric husband is not a doctor.  This blog is not medical advice.  I take chest pain very seriously, and if I've learned anything from working with the American Heart Association & going through the BetterU program, you should too!  In fact, this is a good reminder to go get my numbers checked again.

OK - disclaimers said, here's what happened:

Everytime I drank a diet pop, I'd start having chest pain.  Exercise didn't affect it, and it normally happened while I was sitting down.  It seemed to correlate STRONGLY to pop.  So, I gave it up for a week.  Symtoms vanished.  This morning, for the first time in over a week, I had a pop.  Like clockwork, the pain is back.  I think my Coke-Zero-with-breakfast tradition is over.

Sidenote:  We got a soda machine (basically a carbonator) for our wedding, and since my Week Without Pop had ended, I made some fizzy Crystal Light "pop" yesterday.  No symptoms.  I think it could be a reaction to caffeine or another additive.

Caffeine Headache

Day 2 with no pop, & I'm starting to get my first caffeine headache.  Could also, very likely, be a stress headache.

I almost ordered a Diet Coke with my Schlotzsky’s sandwich yesterday, but I caught myself in time.  Having a water bottle at my desk helps, but I could definitely use a Coke right now!

On an UNRELATED note: I’ve started a second blog, which is food-centered.  It’s still in the works, so it’s pretty underwhelming right now.  But, if you’re interested to see what’s in my crock pot – check it out!  http://whatnikkiate.blogspot.com/

Déjà vu

Despite choosing to drive on Thursday, my Week Without Biking was an overall success.  I’ve got 3 of my 10 commutes in the books, which means I’m well on my way to completing my resolution.  I hope to bike a couple of days this week.  Bonus:  During my week of biking, we installed a new bike rack in the office garage!

This week, I’m bringing back an oldie but a goodie.  I just passed the first anniversary of this little blog, so I’m resuscitating the week that started it all:  A Week Without Pop.  It’s fitting, too – because lately I’ve begun to suspect that I’m developing a reaction (gasp!!) to soda.  If I feel better this week – I’ll likely give up pop for good.

Coke Zero, you & I had a good run:  Mornings together at the office, road trips, lunches at Mr. Goodcents, breaks at the vending machine… good times.  You even surprised me with gifts from your CokeRewards Points.  I’m sorry, but it’s time for me to move on.  It’s not you.  It’s me.  *burp*

The Downsides

I’m on Day #3 of bike commuting.  First off – I like it.  Second – there’s a lot of positives that bike commuters are always preaching about:

“It’s good for the environment!”

“You’ll lose weight!”

“You’ll feel great!”

“It saves you money!”

Yeah, yeah.  Those are all TRUE.  However…I don’t hear a lot of the negatives.  So here it is – the sh*t they don’t talk about:

-          You fall.  In front of people.  It’s embarrassing.  (and sometimes hurts)

-          You have to get up earlier & plan ahead much more. (...and then they’ll cancel the morning meeting anyway.  Harrumph.)

-          If you’re not used to biking, your nether regions are going to hurt for a while until they get used to it.  Even with bike shorts.

-          You’ll care about wind more than rain.

And the one even bike people talk about:  Drivers don’t see you.  They will run over you.

So far, my rides have been fairly uneventful.  I’ve watched out for drivers.  I’ve had fantastic weather.  I have the ideal work situation for bike commuting.  And I’ve felt great!  And aside from falling over yesterday in front of rush hour traffic, I’m happy with what I’ve done so far.

LOOK AT ME!

Day #1 of bike commuting was a success!  I experienced a bunch of things on the way to work that I wouldn’t have in a car:

•           A cool breeze on my face
•           Exchanging “good mornings” with 2 dog walkers, a utility worker, and a homeless guy
•           Meeting the electricians that were working at the office
•           Burning a few calories

Plus, I was really awake & in a great mood when I got to my desk.  (I can hear the “I-told-you-sos already…)  

Half of my route is through residential streets, and half of it is along busy streets in a commercial area.  I have ridden with traffic before, but I’m not yet comfortable enough to do it during rush hour on those streets.  Besides, I have a feeling my slow butt would seriously impede traffic!

The ride home was a little bit more stressful.  I actually yelled “LOOK AT ME!” to an oblivious driver on a cell phone.   Both the forecast and my schedule have worked out perfectly for this week – so I’m hoping for another successful ride tomorrow.

A Week Without Commuting by Car

It’s been months since I’ve done a “week without”, but that’s not to say that I haven’t been self-improving J  My husband and I have been cracking down on our horrible sleep habits, clutter covering the house, and next we’re looking to improve our finances.  There’s no shortage of things that we need to organize…

After a few weeks of HOT weather including three-digit temperatures, Nebraska is starting to feel like fall.  Perfect for football, and perfect for riding my bike to work!  “Ride my bike to work 10 times” was one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2012, and it’s high time I got it crossed off my list!  So, starting tomorrow, I’m going a Week Without Commuting by Car.  I can still use my car for other things, but I’ll be getting to & from the office on two wheels.

On another note, I’m taking a long weekend beginning Friday to cross off another reolution:  taking an overnight river trip.  If all goes well, I’ll be paddling down the Dismal River – which I hear is contrary to its name.

No sloth in sight! Even though my Facebook addiction remains strong, I’ve been doing a lot
less sitting around & a lot more DOING. I’m like a Home Depot commercial on meth! I’ve been staying late at work almost & running errands over my lunch hour & after dinner every day. I’ve only made it to the gym once this week (..and not for a class), but I’ve been getting a LOT of activity anyway.

Some highlights:
Tues: got my replacement drivers’ license, cleaned fridge, worked out at gym

Wed: applied for a marriage license, composted & tilled the office garden, walked around Holmes Lake, went grocery shopping

Thurs: met with my Teammate, skipped a board meeting (I never do that!) to work late on an edit, wrote a couple more thank-you notes, bought a wedding gift, hand delivered a mis-addressed invitation, dropped something off at work for an early-morning shoot

Today: I am taking care of more wedding stuff over lunch & getting a lot done for the big spring/summer projects at work…you know, the stuff I keep putting off until later. Ha!

I have kept myself busy & running around all week, without much of a chance to watch TV
or play online. If I’ve had free time, I’ve spent it exercising or checking things off my list. Ok, I DID allow myself some beers on a friend’s deck – but I much prefer that to throwing my time away on Facebook or Pinterest!

If I can take care of those last couple nagging items on my list (Yakima parts, mail a gift), I’ll feel MUCH better than I did at the beginning of this week. Even if I don’t make it to spinning class :)

Since this week is a pretty vague “without”, I’m looking for a specific, quantifiable one next week.
I’m toying with “a week without a bed”. Any other ideas??

Gettin' Stuff Done!

Holy productivity! Not only was it a CRAZY busy day at work (no time for a lunch break, and I stayed really late), but I got a lot done!

- Stopped at tux store to confirm stuff for wedding

- Decorated my boss’ office…LIKE A BOSS!

- Mailed off a thank you note

- Mailed off a baby gift

- Wrapped three presents

- Got fiancé to follow up on some wedding things

- Made a big to-do list for the rest of this week

I set the hourglass timer on my phone for an hour of idle time, and I still have about 9 minutes left. It’s keeping me from losing track of time & wasting all of my at-home hours. My fiancé thinks it might be keeping me TOO aware, because I didn’t relax much at all tonight while I was “on the clock”.

Fiancé’s argument: You suck at relaxing in the first place. Why are you putting even more stress on your down time?

My argument: I’m stressed because of things I keep putting off! Making myself do some of these things will ease my stress, instead of paralyzing myself like I normally do. Also, YOUR FACE!

Although I’m a pro at procrastination, I am horrible about relaxing. Really. HORRIBLE. I will lay down with my fiancé, but he’s the only one who can nap (for 3 hours at a time!!). I can’t even sleep on international flights. When I took my landlord to small claims court, I didn’t sleep well for about 3 months. I’ve developed nervous tics that only close friends will recognize. When someone gave me a meditation CD, I literally checked the back to see which track was the shortest - because I was running late for something and too stressed to meditate. Ha!

So, with the wedding –and lots of work projects- looming, you can imagine the amount of relaxing I’ve done. I think the gym is a good idea this week.

Another busy day is on deck. Since I lost my wallet, I’ve got to go get a new driver’s license so I can get a marriage license. Oh, and drive. J Plus, I checked the class schedule at my gym. I think I’m going to try spin class on Wednesday. Anyone wanna join me??

In keeping with the “sloth” theme for this week:

Kristen Bell’s infamous sloth meltdown on Ellen

Baby sloths (they look like they’re wearing pajamas at the end) CUTE OVERLOAD!

A Week Without Sloth

“I’m back, bebeh!”-Bender Bending Rodriguez

Time for another “Week Without”! And this time, it’s a Week Without Sloth. Ah, Sloth. It’s perhaps my favorite deadly sin: Lounging on the couch, soaking up bad TV, browsing the internet for interesting videos, playing word games, and wasting time on Pinterest & Facebook. I’m really good at sloth.

Truthfully, my big goal this week is to get myself off the couch and into the gym. I used to be very successful at setting weekly goals & working out at the gym. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ve been there in 3 months. Embarrassing.

Since it’s difficult to quantify sloth, here’s my wish list for a successful week:

- 2 new classes at the gym (maybe spinning & a BodyPump-type class??)

- Get some cleaning done around the house (the fridge is getting gross)

- Take care of a couple gifts I’ve been meaning to deliver FOREVER

- Get some wedding planning done

- Mail the WRONG replacement parts back to Yakima & install the other things on my roof rack

I’m not going to rule out TV & internet, but I’m limiting myself to an hour a night. (That’s a very strict media diet for me!)

“Heyyyy youuuu guyyyyys!” - Sloth

A Week Without Clutter

I’m in the middle of a Week Without…Clutter. Sort of. My fiancé came up with this one, and it’s more like a Week WITH than a Week WITHOUT. Whatever. The important thing is that my fiancé suggested we do something that I’m always nagging him about.

Fiancé: “Hey, I have an idea for your next Week Without…”

Me: “What?”

Fiancé: “Every time we leave a room, we have to pick up one thing.”

My head: (insert hallelujah chorus here)

Me: Ok! And if either one of us gets caught not doing it, we have to pick up TWO things.

Fiancé: Ok. Or turn off the light.

Me: What?? You should do that normally!

Fiancé: Oh. Ok.

So this week is going very well! I think I do a decent job of cleaning up after myself, but this is a good reminder. And getting to tell my fiancé to clean up is the icing on the cake.

Here’s a little peek into how crazy (or typical??) I am: My mood changes drastically based on three factors: The weather, exercise, and how clean the house is. Not mopped-and-scrubbed-and-sanitized-clean – My standards aren’t that high. I just need the clutter contained. If the flat surfaces in my house (counters, kitchen table, beds, pool table) aren’t covered in mail, clothing, or dishes, I’m pretty happy. The temperatures have been in the 70s this week, and my kitchen has been clear of clutter. If I get myself on the bike, I may reach nirvana.

A Few Recipes & a LOT of Garlic

We’re mid-Lent, which means it’s the time of year when Christians are doing a few “weeks without”. I’ve finished my “Week Without Aisle 11” (paper towels, Kleenex, Ziplock bags, etc.) and I’m currently between challenges.

Although I’m not giving up meat for Lent, I HAVE been getting a little more adventurous in the kitchen, including quite a few meatless meals. My new strategy at the grocery store: Tell my fiancé to “go pick out a couple of weird vegetables”. If you’re curious, here are some of the recent recipes I’ve tried:

Whole Wheat Healthy Pancakes (Momma Hen’s Kitchen)

I topped these with pumpkin butter and walnuts. Yum! Thought this would be an easy recipe, but I had to make a lot of substitutions (skim milk + lemon juice = buttermilk; ground flax seed + water = the little bit of egg that I was short of). Nikki, check the fridge before you start a recipe. Duh.

Quinoa Egg Bake (Whole Foods)

This has become my fiance’s favorite breakfast, so I make it often. Morning is when he struggles most with blood sugar issues, and this recipe seems to help. Plus, I can throw in whatever veggies I have on hand, like a yucca root (see weird veggie explanation above). I also added Caribbean jerk seasoning, which sounds odd, but tastes great in this!

Crockpot Vietnamese Roasted Chicken (Crockpot365) *Meaty, non-Lent recipe*

My first experiment with Fish Sauce! I cooked a single serving of rice in a coffee mug and served the chicken on top of it for dinner. Pretty good.

Hummus (Simply Recipes)

It had been awhile since I’d made a batch of homemade hummus. This recipe is a good basic one. I looove tahini!

Hearty One-Pot Meal Miso Soup (Fat Free Vegan)

This recipe was my destiny. It perfectly used up all of the unusual ingredients I had on hand, including bok choy, edamame, and miso powder. I hope it tastes as good as my kitchen smells right now.

…This list makes me sound awfully healthy, but remember that I’m the same girl who hasn’t made it to the gym in over a month. Also, I may or may not have eaten a spoonful of peanut butter and chocolate chips tonight. Worth it! Plus, since I can’t think of a good segue, here’s the story of my cauliflower incident:

For years, I’ve been meaning to try mashed cauliflower in place of potatoes. People on Pinterest say to try it. My friend April recommends it. Jillian Michaels recommends it! So, after roasting some cauliflower the other night, I thought “What a perfect excuse to use my immersion blender!”. It worked beautifully. Then, I thought “These would be great with some garlic!” …followed by an accident with the garlic powder that rivaled the BP gulf spill. But by then, I’d already spent a good half hour baking and blending. I was eating that cauliflower.

Garlic is not spicy in the same way that peppers are spicy. Garlic is flavorful, but not hot. This was so much garlic, my mouth burned. And I still stubbornly ate a good half cup of it.

Fiance walks in the door: “What’s that smell?”

Me: I can explain!!

I thoroughly brushed my teeth and mouthwashed (is that a verb?...it is now.) THREE times before bed and I still had garlic breath until the next afternoon.

So, aside from lethal doses of garlic breath, who's got an idea for what to give up next??

Wiping the Slate Clean

I’ve had a few slip-ups this week, but I feel like this “week without” has kept a lot of waste out of the trash!

I’m a creature of habit, so I had to hide my Kleenex box from my desk. I stowed the napkins and paper towels away in the kitchen cupboards. I brought a hankie and a towel to work, and those have worked…except for a couple times when I habitually grabbed a paper towel after washing my hands. When I ate fast food this week, I (mostly) remembered to save the napkins and not use them. To be honest, I’m still a little grossed out by re-using the same cloth over & over to blow my nose. I’ve only used it a couple times, and it’s still very clean. But still….it gives me the heebie jeebies, and that’s probably something Kimberly-Clark has worked hard at instilling in me.

On that note, here are new wasteful products that even *I*, a paper/plastic junkie, am appalled by:

At-home disposable paper towel dispenser

…because your bathroom towels aren’t sanitary enough. What?! No. We already use paper napkins, paper tissues, and toilet paper. Paper towels are already in the kitchen. You’ve got feminine hygiene products, Q-tips, cotton balls, and disposable makeup wipes. You’ve even started making automatic shower cleaner-sprayers and soap dispensers. Let me have the towel rack. This commercial makes me angry every time I see it.

Pan-lining paper

It’s not parchment; it’s not foil; It’s parchment AND foil! …Because heaven forbid you have to hand wash a dish. That goes for you, too, crock pot liners! Grease your bakeware & use elbow grease for anything that sticks. (Confession: There’s a soft spot in my heart for Press-n-Seal when my mismatched container lids don’t fit)

Wipes

For every cleanser invented, there’s a matching tub of pre-soaked towelettes. Are we THAT lazy?? I use one tub of Clorox wipes at my desk, and I think we might have some old dried-out car care wipes in the garage. And now I’m feeling guilty about those. Buy some cleanser (or make your own!) and use a dang rag!

Disposable tools

People don’t even mop anymore – they “wipe” their floors with disposable mops, scrub their toilets with disposable brushes, and dust the furniture with disposable…fluffy things.

Convenience is flippin’ WASTEFUL so I’m changing my ways. My "recycle" is pretty healthy, but my "reduce" and "reuse" could use a major tune-up. Use a towel more than once and wash it every so often. Wash a dang dish without a machine’s help. And unless it’s for a baby’s butt, forget the wipes.

*sigh* Apologies. Annoyed rant over.

Disposing of Disposables

I was excited to find an old, wadded up handkerchief in the back of my drawer this morning. You read that correctly.

This week, I’m giving up Aisle 11: no paper towels, no napkins, no disposable Ziplock baggies, picnicware, and…Kleenex. Hence the excitement over the discovery that I own a reusable cloth hankie! I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is NO. I’m not giving up toilet paper. Kudos to the environmentally-conscious folks who compost their, um…leavings. I’m not going that far. I will, however, make a trip to one of the health food stores & check out the options for biodegradable or recycled toilet paper made from corn husks and old cereal boxes (or whatever it is that responsible people put on the roll).

The hankie is great, but I’m already realizing some supplies I’m missing: a terrycloth towel to dry my hands at work, a regular set of flatware for my lunch, and a cloth napkin. Unless I attempt to eat lasagna with my bare hands, I’m going to have to make a trip home over the lunch hour.

Sticky update

Just a quick update, since I’m not currently in the middle of “a week without”:

The cleanse seems to have…worked? I’m still craving healthy stuff instead of fast food. Despite that, lack of preparation has led to a lot of drive-thrus this week, so I went on a cooking blitz tonight to remedy that.

• More of the roasted winter vegetables just came out of my oven
• I made roasted chickpeas for the first time
• Ben’s pick: a quinoa egg bake is cooking now
• Plus, I’ve got the ingredients for a whole wheat veggie lasagna &/or pizza

More stuff that stuck:

I go without makeup &/or my purse pretty frequently. I choose water over pop a lot more. And we’ve been turning off the tablet in the bedroom earlier. Sometimes. Ok, we’re still pretty hooked on electronics.

Right now, I’m trying to decide my next week without. I have two ideas:

• A week without Aisle 11. That is, no paper towels, napkins, disposable plastic baggies, press-n-seal, etc. But I draw the line at toilet paper. I’m not that hardcore yet.
• A week without nagging. I think Ben will love this idea. J

So, what should I give up?

Night Owl for Life!

Electronics were banned from the bedroom for this whole week. If you read the rules of this project, you know that I can’t give up anything that directly affects my fiancé without his consent. Well, he agreed to it.

First off, I have been sleeping well this week. Second, we will not stick with this.

The biggest and only challenge has been bedtime. We’re used to watching a rerun or two before falling asleep. To get around the no-electronics rule, we both still stayed up to watch TV…we just watched in the living room instead and stayed up WAY too late as a result. I self-imposed an 11pm curfew, but ended up doing crossword puzzles in bed…alone. My fiancé had major trouble falling asleep without TV, and slept on the couch a lot. I DID convince him to come to bed early one night, if I let him use his Kindle Fire with headphones (he gave up). Just like the Kindle, things have slowly been migrating back into the bedroom. I ordered that the alarm clock (he insisted on) be hidden under the bed where it’s little light wouldn’t shine. And after 5 days of making a zombie trek across the hallway to hit “snooze” and stumble back to bed, I caved & twice brought my phone back into the bedroom…but only to hit snooze at arm’s reach. (No Facebook, no texting, no Words With Friends).

Because I slept better this week, I woke up refreshed and got to work early each day. Just kidding. That didn’t even happen a little. Despite sleeping a little better, I was still a Crankasaurus Rex, hit snooze several times, skipped breakfast, and got to work around 9am. Not quite the result I was hoping for.

When I gave up pop for a week, I realized my “addiction” wasn’t nearly as severe as I’d suspected. This week has shown me how horrible my bedtime routine really is. While I’m willing to make some gradual changes, I’m not ready to give up this bad habit quite yet – You may have noticed I posted this after 11pm. J

Sleep Tight

I slept well last night! Plus, I followed the advice of research I read & made sure to give myself some sunlight as soon as I woke up. (Thanks for installing the new curtain rods & tie-backs, honey!) HOWEVER, When it comes to bedtime maturity, I am a toddler. I fight sleep kicking & screaming. Sure, we banished electronics from the bedroom. But instead, we stayed up until ONE THIRTY AM playing on our laptops. (and I still haven’t finished all of the internets!) I am an idiot.

Solution: In addition to the bedroom ban, I’m self-imposing an 11pm screen curfew for the remainder of the week. Books, crossword puzzles, and snuggling are all still allowed J

Ben, last night in bed: So is the lamp allowed?

Me: Yes, that’s electric, not electronic.

Ben: Define electronics. You mean screens? Solid-state devices? Things with transistors? You should specify that on your blog.

Me: (laughing) I don’t think the two people who read my blog will care if it has a transistor.

Ben: I read your blog! Nate reads your blog! He knows the difference. He’s a smart cookie.

Me: Goodnight.

Update: Despite the Girl Scout Cookies and unhealthy habits which have snuck back into my dietary repertoire, the healthy habits from the past three “weeks without” seem to have stuck! I made vegetarian chili in the crock pot, baked this quinoa breakfast casserole, and roasted another tray of balsamic vegetables. Yum!

Good night

They say it creates artificial stress. They say it suppresses melatonin. They also say it interferes with your circadian rhythm. And I’m guilty of doing it every night. This week, I’m going without electronics in the bedroom.

I watch TV. I check Facebook. I play games on my phone until I can’t keep my eyes open. This week, I’m following the advice I’ve heard a thousand times & turning OFF the electronics in the bedroom. We’ve already removed the touch-screen computer, which is usually playing Futurama or Star Trek at bedtime. The glowing red alarm clock has been unplugged. Phones and laptops have been banned from the bedroom. Tonight, I’m going to town with some black electric tape and covering up everything which can’t be removed (like the carbon monoxide detector). My alarm will be set in the next room, so I'll have to wake up to turn it off.

I’m hoping I’ll sleep better this week and be less cranky in the morning. Goodnight!

Discreps

When I used to work as a director for the TV station, we’d have a very brief meeting after the evening newscast. We’d go over everything that didn’t go as planned (breaking news, technical difficulties) and figure out where mistakes/discrepancies happened so we could prevent them in the future. The crew called this meeting “discreps”. Here are my discreps from the 3-week challenge:

- Wedding food tasting

Technically, I knew about this in advance. I had a few bites of meat, a little cheese, and I’m sure a few other bits of “outlawed” foods, but this was contained to the afternoon of the first day, and it was for my wedding!

- Peanuts

Whoops! Since I could basically only eat fruits, veggies, nuts, & seeds during Week #1, I assumed peanuts were legal. Then I remembered they were actually a legume & common allergen. I ate them 3 times in the course of the challenge.

- Pickles

Really? My tried & true standby diet food? Even YOU have added sugar? No excuse here. I read the label. It said “less than 2% high fructose corn syrup”. I was tempted. I rationalized it and ate some.

- Olive oil spray

I got sick of all of the oil in the recipes, so I tried this and realized even the can labeled “Olive Oil” contains propellant & lechithin.

- Bottled lemon juice/lime juice

I learned that “Real Lemon” is a half truth. The bottle actually contains lemon juice from concentrate, sodium benzoate, sodium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite. But because nearly every recipe called for lemon juice – I gave in and allowed myself the cheat. A couple teaspoons here & there can’t hurt – right?

- Craisins

It is flippin’ impossible to find unsweetened dried cranberries. Impossible, I tell you! Even at the health food store, the best I could do was “cranberries infused with pineapple juice”. I did what I could, but I ended up eating about 2 tbs of Craisins, which contain sweetner. Blurg.

- Coconut/Oat Flour

You heard me – coconut flour & oat flour! What? You don’t have these in your cabinet? I got –­­­really curious after perusing recipes on vegan blogs. I found a vegan, gluten-free, no-sugar added cookie recipe! It used these two types of flour, plus some sunflower seed butter and a few eyedroppers full of stevia. All of these were WHOLE ingredients (only “coconut” and “oats” were listed on the flours’ ingredients), so the only processing was the milling. I ruled it legal and shared the cookies. Yum!

­­­­­What I’ve learned:

- Although I couldn’t do follow all of these restrictions long-term, I think I could totally go vegan OR gluten-free. In fact, we’re going to attempt to prepare a vegan/whole foods dinner weekly. Who wants kohlrabi??

- People who tell you green smoothies are delicious are lying liars. Lettuce and parsley do not a breakfast make. Even with pineapple added.

- The health food & specialty food stores in this town are awesome! I will definitely be doing more of my shopping at Open Harvest or Red Clover or Akin’s or Trader Joe’s!

- Roasting vegetables is super easy & Ben loves them! It’s so easy to throw some frozen cauliflower or sweet potato wedges or kale on a cookie sheet with some olive oil & whatever seasoning you want. This’ll be a habit that sticks.­­

- The garbage disposal in my sink doesn’t like to eat vegetables as much as I do. When fed too many, it spits them into the sink and dishwasher in rebellion. Yuck.

- Weird food alternatives & are not just for hippies and people with food allergies. Coconut flour, ­­almond milk, and stevia drops are all in my kitchen. I baked with sunflower seed butter. I drank coconut water and beet juice (Not mixed together. Gross.) I grilled bok choy & learned to love prunes as dessert.

- Failures –although sometimes inedible– are often funny. My no-egg-no-baking-soda falafel turned into an oily sesame soup…and the salvaged part wasn’t much better.

- You knew this already, but the interwebs rule. When I got tired of the challenge recipes, I was actually able to find vegan-whole-food-gluten-free-no-sugar-added recipes. I’ll never understand the people who rotate through only 7-10 go-to recipes. I love me some vegan blogs.

- I learned that I should get my thyroid checked out! After 3 weeks of cutting out calories & possible culprits, I’ve lost ZERO weight. I also just found out about some family history of thyroid problems. And since January is National Thyroid Awareness Month, why not? If it’s not to blame, at least now I know it’s not the chocolate, either J

- And finally – I learned that I have a phenomenal support system. Fo’ reals. Ben put up with my whining, my caffeine headaches, helped me prep meals, and dried when I washed. My future father-in-law saved the day when my vegetable peelings clogged the sink and dishwasher. My friend & lunch buddy Audrey actually jumped on board and started doing the cleanse w­­ith me! My other co-workers lent their juicer or gave me healthy snacks. My family offered to eat cleanse-friendly meals with me for Sunday night dinners. And Facebook friends, blog readers, fellow cleansers & and even Martha watchers J have been great cheerleaders & resources. Not to be melodramatic – after all, this was just a 3 week detox diet – but my friends & family pretty much rule. It made this a fun experiment.­­

So…what am I giving up next?

Home Stretch

Less than 2 days to go! I’d like to say that by now this feels like a normal diet which I could continue. That is not the case. The cravings have hit hard. My fiancé gets weirded out because I’ve started staring at him as he eats. It’s not my fault! He eats things like delicious chicken fingers and wheat dinner rolls and cheeseburgers! They smell soooo good.

Meanwhile, I’ve been forgoing many of the Week 3 recipes and experimenting instead. I cooked slabs of tofu in a little oil with homemade taco seasoning. OK, but not the same as tacos – especially with no tortillas. My fiancé promptly ate all of the tofu, but left the accompanying shredded veggies untouched. *sigh* Last night, I found this recipe for blueberry oatmeal & put it in the crockpot. It was awful, but not because of the recipe. It was awful because I didn’t FOLLOW the recipe. Not only did I not have all of the ingredients, but I didn’t have enough of the ingredients I had on hand….which led to some odd substitutions. And instead of baking it in a dry heat, I used my crockpot, for way too long. Long story short, I wound up with a purple tasteless goo. I choked down a bowl for breakfast and regretfully washed the rest down the sink. Blech.

I still wasn’t feelin’ the recipes today, so I dug through my cupboards & found a curry mix from the natural foods store. Unbelievably, the ingredients didn’t include any chemicals, sugar, dairy, or wheat! It’s supposed to be used with chicken, but I dumped it into the crock pot with a bag of frozen cauliflower. Fingers are crossed.

I’ll have fish, quinoa, & a salad at my parents’ for family dinner night. If I can pack some healthy stuff tomorrow at work, I’m home free! Runza, here I come! J

Pièce de résistance

I’ve resisted temptation for 16 days – 5 more to go! Here are the highlights:

I said “no” to:
- spaghetti at a family dinner
- homemade pumpkin cream cheese bars
- 10 takeout pizzas vying for the “best in town”
- Cookies from the Cookie Company in my department
- drinks and snacks at the bar
- Homemade cookies at Game Night
- jalapeno poppers fresh out of my oven
- A box of chocolates/cookies at a lunch meeting
- A giant jar of frosted cookies sitting 2 desks away
- the Cheese Nips and cinnamon ice cream that keep staring at me whenever I open my cupboard or freezer

…Plus countless images like this one on Pinterest. *drool*

I talked to:
Martha Stewart! The segment they did about the cleanse aired live on Tuesday, and they’ve posted it online: http://bit.ly/wISBTq One of the other “cleansers”, Erin, had already lost 14 pounds as of Tuesday! There is a chance (albeit tiny) that we’ll be asked to make a return appearance for an update on the cleanse. I doubt it will happen, but I’ll be sure to post if Martha calls!

I got picked for:
a random drug test at work. I’m pretty sure that’s the cleanest urine that facility’s ever seen. EVER.

I scheduled a:
massage at a local spa! I’ve been stressed and I still haven’t cheated on the cleanse. I’ve earned a non-food reward!

I lost my:
mp3 player! It’s been missing since a gym visit last week, and I’ve searched high & low. I really miss my workout playlists!

In the crockpot: Kale, white bean, & potato stew
In the fridge: Toasted coconut muesli

Detox Weight Loss

I am 2/3 done with the Whole Living 21-Day Detox Challenge! I’ve already gone 2 weeks without processed foods or beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, or alcohol. Several people have asked me if I’m going to stick with it when I’m done. My answer: Every time I do something like this, it introduces me to new things (yoga, rutabaga, Open Harvest) and helps reinforce the healthy habits I already have (tracking what I eat, getting more activity, cooking healthier meals). This is a cleanse, not a long-term diet, so I never intended to stick to this as a permanent diet. That being said, I have a whole new respect for vegans, paleo dieters, and whole/raw food devotees! It takes a lot of planning, preparation, and my least favorite - dish washing - to eat this way. And yes...I will still drink Coke Zero.

When I first started this cleanse, I said that I didn’t expect to lose weight. Well, I’ve been averaging 1130 calories/day (yes – I actually calculated the past 10 days!). Well guess what? I haven’t lost a dang pound! I thought I’d lost a couple, but when I double checked, it was just wishful thinking. I didn’t embark on this detox as a weight-loss challenge, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. The other women doing this challenge have reported losing weight, and I’ve been staving off cravings and meticulously counting calories for 2 weeks. I know this is great for my body, but I sure wish there was a visible result!

Dishwashing and waistlines aside, this has been a good experience. I have proven to myself that I have a lot more willpower than I thought. At the risk of sounding like a holistic weirdo, I really do feel more in tune with my body. I can feel when I’m not getting enough protein in my diet. I can better distinguish when I’m craving something, when I’m dehydrated, and when I’m actually hungry. I’ve also trained myself into healthier portion sizes. I still fight naps like a cranky toddler, but I succumb to it a couple times a week now. J

Tonight: Salmon, gym, and an early bedtime

Tomorrow: Martha, eggs, & non-gluten grains!! I love me some quinoa!

Martha & a Mouthful of Bugs

I’ll be on The Martha Stewart Show live via webcam on Tuesday. The producer tells me it airs live, but I’m not sure that’s the case in my area. The three “weeks without” I’ve been doing are taken directly from the 21-Day Detox Challenge in Whole Living Magazine….a Martha Stewart magazine. As I’ve been making recipes, I’ve been following Whole Living’s blog posts and Facebook page. One afternoon, they asked their Facebook followers if any of the 21-day cleansers would be interested in talking about their experience on The Martha Stewart Show. I replied with my contact information & received a call about an hour later. The next day, I received a laptop, webcam, and microphone that they’d overnighted for me to use (not to keep…). Lucky me, I work at a TV station, so I’m using the studio at work to do the segment. I won’t have to miss work, and I’ll have great lighting J

We did an equipment test & quick run-thru on Friday, and everything went smoothly for me. The only bad news? The rehearsal is at 7:15am on Tuesday (ouch!) before the live show at 9:30am. So – if I look really tired or sound like Frankenstein, now you’ll know why.

My kitchen is in a constant state of disaster - just as I finish a load of dishes, I have to start another one and hand wash another sink full of them. Plus, my sink is backed up (and no, that's not a detox euphemism...), so I guess I haven't been being careful enough about all of the vegetable peelings going down the garbage disposal.

Today, I made my first –and long overdue- visit to the Open Harvest co-op grocery store in Lincoln. I’d heard nothing but glowing reviews about it, and it –mostly- lived up to the hype. First, the service was incredible. I knew the woman who was handing out samples because we’d met through a couple shoots for work. My cashier was the friendliest, most helpful guy ever. Second, they’re super green. I expected this, but it was cool to see people bringing in their own containers and leaving with reusable bags & boxes (you get a discount for doing so). Thirdly, I found some of the weird ingredients for the cleanse that I couldn’t find ANYWHERE else! Delicata squash, miso soup powder, hemp seed, and tons of no-sugar added organic dried fruit. But it wasn’t all good news…I came home and mixed up some of the dried fruit with nuts to make some cleanse-friendly trail mix. I had eaten a couple of handfuls when I noticed ANTS in the jar!!! I am quite sure I ate a few of those little guys, and they’re NOT on the detox menu! haha That being said, I’ll take my chances & revisit Open Harvest. – but I’ll be double checking my fruit.

Currently craving:

- chocolate

- Amigo's soft taco

- Sam Adams

New Year's Cleanse Day #9

Week #2 is wonderful, but very busy! I had another antioxidant smoothie for breakfast, but didn’t pack a lunch. Since I had to meet with my Teammate across town followed by an all-staff meeting, I couldn’t run home, so I went to the grocery store instead & loaded up on spinach, peas, and cabbage at the salad bar. Skipped the meat & the dressing, but I got to have a few strawberries & some balsamic vinegar instead (not together – that would be odd.)

Last night, I felt so good after dinner that I wanted to work out. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was so late & I got there 15 minutes before they closed! I busted my butt & got 2+ miles in on an elliptical before I had to leave. I’m goin’ back tonight!

Plus, this blog/cleanse is leading to fun things! The Public Relations guru from my gym asked to interview me for the monthly newsletter, and there’s a chance I’ll be on the Martha Stewart Show via webcam! Crazy, right?

On the menu for tomorrow:

Scrambled Tofu with Collards and Turmeric

Red Lentil Soup with Turnip & Parsley

...that's if I can get the kitchen cleaned up. It looks like a DISASTER right now.

A Religious Experience

Today kicked off Week #2 of my three weeks without processed foods, added sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. If this is a “detox”, then a lot of the foods I like are poisonous. J

The detox symptoms are gone, and I’m feeling good! How good? Yesterday, my work day flew by, I got a root canal, worked out at the gym, ran errands, and STILL stuck to the cleanse. Yeeaahh! This afternoon, the junk food cravings hit hard, but I stayed far away from the vending machines.

While I’ve been eagerly awaiting Week 2 foods (never in my life have I been so excited for lentils!), I didn’t cook last night, and I didn’t have time to make breakfast/lunch today, so I fell back onto a Week 1 smoothie and butternut squash soup. Tonight, I celebrated my Week 1 victory with a mani/pedi. Then drove straight to the grocery store and made a beeline to the butcher’s counter for some wild-caught salmon. My dinner was a religious experience: salmon, half an avocado, red onion, cilantro, grape tomatoes, and some steamed Brussels sprouts.

Plus, my friend Audrey decided that she’s going to do the 21-day challenge, too! Hooray for at-work support!