Artomatic 2012

Artomatic is a "month-long art festival in the DC area that is "by artists, for everyone." It is absolutely free to the public" (artomatic.org). It is organized by unpaid volunteers, and is the largest (I don't know of any larger) independent, unjuried art show in the country, if not the world.  (If anyone knows of a bigger one, let me know.)

I've been volunteering for Artomatic for the last 2.5 years, getting to know the wonderful community of people who work so hard to pull off this monumental event.  Just to give you an idea of how BIG this art show is, here are some stats: In the last event, in 2009, over 76,000 visitors attended, over 1,000 artists exhibited, over 600 performances were enjoyed, and a 9 story building was full of every variety of art you can think of.

Artomatic 2012 opened last Friday night, with attendance over 3,000 people!  I was there for about 6 hours, taking in art on only 2 floors out of 10!  I'll be back for many more visits over the next 6 weeks, and try to see everything in the building. (over 1,000 artists exhibiting, probably over 10,000 pieces of art).

This is my first time participating as an artist in the event, and I'm very satisfied with how my exhibit space turned out.  Each artist was allowed to chose a space in the emptied DOD (Department of Defense) building.  The building is 11 stories, 2 of which are closed to the artists, and one is reserved for other activities.  I chose a 17 foot space on the 8th floor.  Here is the evolution of my installation:

Here's a map of where you can find my space on the 8th floor, space #377.

The space, raw and office-like.

Ripped off all of the phone wire encasements.

Painting!

Splattering.

Bob doing my advertising.  How nice of him!

Now for hanging!

Finished space, complete with track lighting, an awesome sign that you can't really see, QR code and business cards.  Near Bob's head is a short artist bio, and the grey patch in the middle of the wall is painted to look like sheets of paper with the lyrics of "Case of You" written on them.

I have a few improvements still to make, which I'll do on some afternoon when no one else is around (I need to add a guest book, etc).  Other than that, I think the space looks pretty great.

During my first 6 hours at the event, I took a lot of pictures of images, techniques, and ideas that were inspiring to me.  I plan to do this on each visit, and will post them as an update to this post as I get them.

If you're in the DC area, visit www.artomatic.org to get directions, hours, and a calendar of events.  There is NO REASON to not experience this most-amazing of art shows.  I can't really express how incredible and mind-blowing it is.  It is very RICH, very REAL.  You must see it to understand.

Also, I'll be playing a solo/acoustic set as part of the Songwriter's Association of Washington's showcase on Wednesday, June 6th at 7pm!

"Zombies, Run!" iPhone Game Review

I'm trying to get back in shape.  I'm trying to stay motivated.  I'm trying not to hate running (a conclusion I inevitably come too).  I'm trying to get my lazy bones out on the streets.  And now, thanks to Zombies, Run!, I'm trying to save the world, and myself, from the Zombie Apocalypse. 

Here's what it says on their website:

I found out about this game a few weeks ago when I searched for running apps to help keep me motivated and track my runs.  I wasn't on the bandwagon soon enough to donate to their Kickstarter (which earned $60,127 over their $12,500 goal--amazing), but I did wait anxiously for the release.  The app (which is out on iphone and ipod touch, but not android) is $7.99--GASP!  Now, before you balk and write it off as the Cadillac of apps, just consider that the world of $.99 apps is dying, and we all knew they couldn't stay that cheap forever.  Its not really fair for the developers (in this case, independent developers, designers, writers, etc) to sell such a well-made, thoughtful, useful, creative, and fun product for nickels.  I took a leap of faith on the $8 price tag, and couldn't be more happy about it.  (Besides, $8 is less than the price of 2 trips to Starbucks.)

Here's how it works: You start the app, start your first "mission" and chose a playlist (which you make in iTunes).  The game begins with audio narratives that tell you who you are, what you're doing, and fills you in on a bit of the back story of the world you're about to enter.  The first song on your playlist starts, you run through it, and between songs you get another audio narrative.  While running, you "collect" supplies--a voice interjects "collected a first aid kit/overcoat/axe/etc")--that you use in the game after you're done running.  With every narrative, you get deeper into the world and the game--you meet people, learn about the geography, and you get chased by hordes of the undead.  Yes, occasionally, guttural gurgling and moaning will rise from the back of my earbuds, getting louder and louder as flesh devouring zombies lumber behind my pitter-pattering feet.  I was truly surprised at how effective that was to light a fire behind my tush!  It was pretty nerve wracking.  If you "outrun the zombies", meaning if you run 20% faster for 1 minute, you don't get your brains eaten.  If the zombies catch you, you lose all of the supplies you've gathered on your run.  Bummer, but your brains remain in tact.

Each mission (there are 13 in this first download, and 17 more promised in future updates) lasts about 25-ish minutes.  When you return to "base", you distribute the supplies you've collected to various parts of "Abel Township"--this place where you live with a small group of people struggling to survive amidst the "Zombs".  As you distribute the supplies, various parts of the town grow bigger, and can support more human life, which is the goal.

I finished my 3rd mission today.  I am not kidding when I say I wish I could have gone running twice today.  I finished my 40 minute run and wondered how long I should wait before I took off again.  I resisted, but THAT FACT THAT I HAD THAT THOUGHT proves that this app is amazing!

Here are some screen shots from today's run:

I've encountered some more interesting things about the world of Abel Township: twitter accounts, websites, and a few questionable characters.  Its like being a character in a novel!  The writing is excellent, the voice-over work is really compelling, and the mix and sound effects are great--all of these elements work smartly together to create a very engaging story.  That engagement gets me RUNNING! I even woke up early to run today, something I haven't done in over 8 years.  Wow.

I'm also really excited for the forthcoming updates.  Bugs will be fixed and features added, as well as extensions of the story. 

To keep track of all of my essential running stats, I use Runmeter in the background.  It sucks away my battery, as both apps use GPS.  Future updates of Zombies, Run! will integrate stats like distance, time, pace, calories burned, etc.  For now, Runmeter is great for me.

I am a total nerd for this game.  I hope they create other seasons and stories, because at this rate, I will definitely reach my fitness goals for the year.  And as my body gets stronger, I am surely going to outrun the zombies.  Win/win!

Follow Zombies, Run! on Twitter
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Plant Based: 30 Day Vegan Challenge--COMPLETE!

On February 1st, 2012, I successfully completed my first month of eating a plant-based, whole grain diet.

Epic Winning!

RECAP:

Physical~

• total weight loss: 4 lbs
• total inches lost: 6
• More restful sleep; easier to fall asleep/wake up. (Still have progress to make.  Monday mornings are torture, and I'd still like to go to sleep earlier.)
• INCREASED ENERGY!  After my morning juice, I feel energized and bouncy.  I know this is a result of both my diet and my workouts, and was definitely what I had been missing.  It feels awesome!
• My tastes have transformed quite a bit.  I don't crave super sugary food or greasy food (ie cake, candy, sugary drinks, burgers, fried food, etc).  I never really ate very much of that food anyway.  My cravings for cheese have not yet waned, but I've been shocked at my ability to resist it.   I don't crave milk at all; soy milk and rice milk have kept me very satisfied.
• The first 2 weeks of working out, I didn't feel much transforming, just a lot of discomfort.  It was HARD.  The 3rd week, I felt my body changing--running farther without stopping, less winded, less soreness, lowered resting heart rate, etc.  
• At the end of the 3rd week, I felt the first real endorphin boost while working out.  I get a good kicker in the middle of most workouts now--it feels great and is super motivating.
• Clothes fit better.  That's nice.
• Significant decreases in feelings of "bloating".  Awesome.

Mental/Emotional~

•  Eating this way is not nearly as "extreme" as people think it is, or as people told me it was.  Now, it seems like the "typical American diet" is a lot more extreme and a lot scarier.  I'm not really talking about people who eat fast food every day, because I've never done that, and we all know that is an extreme way to live.  I've increased my awareness of ingredients, I see processed foods that I once thought of as "healthy" in a different way now.   It has become increasingly prevalent to me that most of the processed food we eat is just corn, fat, and sugar pressed into different shapes.  Take away the color and a few different sweeteners and a pop-tart is the same as an oreo is the same as Coco-Puffs is the same as Chicken nuggets is the same as Grape soda....etc etc.'
• I realized how many vegetables I wasn't eating before.
• I proved to myself that I can make significant changes in my habits and lifestyle, and that 30 days is long, but not long enough to permanently change habits or thought patterns.  It is going to take much longer than 30 days to erase years of false info, misconceptions, and acquired tastes.
• I feel pretty jerked around by the scale.  I'll be down 4 pounds one morning, and up 5 the same night, then down 3, then up 2, then up 4, etc etc.  I wish I weren't so concerned by the numbers, but you know, I'm a woman, so, there's that.  Pretty lame.

I could continue to pontificate, but I think you've got the gist.  I've decided to continue with this new way of life.  I did allow myself a slice of pizza, a looser approach to vegetable oil,  and a few deserts since I completed my 30 day goal, but those were just rewards for a job well done.  I'm refocused now, and have no intention of deviating.  (I proved this to myself last night when I could have ordered my favorite chicken dish at the Indian restaurant, but ordered vegetarian instead. That is dedication!)

My friend Kim has an awesome blog, where she has written about a lot of topics related to a vegan lifestyle.  She writes about recipes, projects, workouts, and informative pieces about everything from protein to high fructose corn syrup.  READ HER BLOG!

Thanks for following my little experiment!  Its been great, and will continue to be great.  My next experiment, a 10 Day Juice Fast!  More on that later....

Plant Based: Days 13-25

As I write this, I am nearing the end of my 30 day goal.  I'm excited to make my final report and assessment of the 30 Day Experiment.  To recap days 13-25, I will break from the pattern of the last few posts, and refrain from making long lists of day-to-day mealings.  Instead, I'll give you some lists and other more general impressions....

I experimented with recipes a lot more the last few weeks.  Most notably, I started doing something I've been meaning to do for a very long time, but was always a little too chicken (haven't seen that word for a while)--I finally started experimenting making INDIAN FOOD!  I LOVE Indian food, but that long list of spices always intimidated me.  Last week I decided to just buy all the spices and go for it, and it has been amazing.  Seriously.  Lesson learned: Cook the food you love!  When I know I have delicious Indian food to come home to, I am not tempted by anything else.  Make enough for LEFTOVERS.  I had two or three "leftover days", when I didn't have to make anything new, and those were some of my favorite days.

Mid-Month Favs:

Breakfast:  

I make a fresh juice or smoothy every morning and it keeps me going until noon or 1pm.  This always includes green veggies and enough fruit to make it sweet.  My body has adjusted to the intense blast of vitamins (it made me a little queezy in the beginning), and, I've never had coffee before, but the blast of wakefulness/vitality/energy I get from that juice is what I imagine its like to drink coffee in the morning.  Its awesome!

Lunches and Dinners:

Rips Big Bowl--one of my favorites.  I look forward to eating this!  You can add or replace or change the ingredients to fit what you have and what you like; it is VERY fiber rich, very filling, and very delicious.  And I love cereal, so its amazing.  I probably never have to eat cereal from the box again.

Eggplant Stew--This recipe makes a big batch, and, the 5 year old that I nanny LOVED it.  He asked for it all week.

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream-- This stuff is wicked good, and perfect for satisfying that sweet tooth.  I can't live without ice cream, and I don't feel like I have too.  WIN.  (I omitted the sugar; with the vanilla almond soy milk it was sweet enough.)

Hot and Sour Soup-- I love Hot and Sour soup.  This recipe was pretty good, but surprisingly better with age; I liked the leftovers better than the first bowl, but I have no idea why.  It was really easy.  I obviously omitted the meat.  I added mushrooms and water chestuts because I didn't have bamboo shoots.

Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)--This was my first attempt at Indian food and it turned out great.  I love cauliflower, but it is hard to eat a whole head of it with only two people, so I used the entire head and had awesome leftovers.

TIP for Indian cooking: Turmeric is a very commonly used spice and adds a lot to a dish, but stains everything it touches yellow.  I use quite a bit of it in my Eggplant Stew and now have "special" yellow wooden spoons reserved for cooking with turmeric.

Chole Palak (Spinach and Chick Peas)-- This is mine and Kyle's new favorite dish.  Fo rills!!  It is so amazing I made it twice in one week!  It is my new favorite way to eat spinach.

Aloo Paratha (Potato stuffed flat bread)-- I love Naan and other Indian flat breads, and this one seemed easy enough to make.  It is easy to make, and very tasty.  I made this one twice too.

Chick Peas and Red Pepper with Couscous--My BFF gave me this recipe with her enthusiastic endorsement.  Chick peas, red pepper, carrots, and about 10 delicious spices.  It was really flavorful and I love couscous.

Aloo Baingan (Potato and Eggplant)--Even though I had to use canned tomatoes instead of fresh, this dish turned out thick, creamy, and tangy.  A great way to eat a potentially useless eggplant!

First time tries:

Bocca Burger-- My wonderful friend Judy made these for Kyle and I.  They were super tasty, and could easily be used as a beef patty in a hamburger.

Veggie Pizza at Epicure Cafe--since my beloved art gallery closed, Epicure Cafe is my new hangout.  Their food is really quite exceptional for a small, independent cafe in a random strip mall in Fairfax, VA, and their pizza menu is diverse and delicious (and written on a vinyl record in silver sharpie=awesome).  I had this veggie pizza twice in two weeks, and Kyle was able to get his meat fix by putting whatever toppings he wanted on the other side of the pizza.

Cajun Lentil Patties--I tried these, they looked interesting, but we didn't like them enough to make them again.  It also took far more oil than I wanted to use.  I would like to find some kind of "patty" as a meat substitute (besides Bocca Burgers).

Lobia (Black Eyed Beans)--this could have been good, but I used canned beans that had their own smokey kind of flavor, so it didn't turn out very well.  Kyle liked it though.

Best Quick Snack:

• Sugar snaps/mushrooms/cherry tomatoes in homemade hummus

• Granola

• Nuts and dried cranberries/apricots/raisins

During these middle weeks, my body was still adjusting--trying to shake sugar cravings, increase my endurance through feelings of hunger, and getting used to working out 4x a week.  Its hard to tell if my increased energy levels, easier sleeping and waking, and general increase in positive feelings is due more to my changed eating habits or to exercise.  I'm pretty sure its a lot of both, and its a LOTTA good.

Plant Based: Days 7-12

Firstly, THANK YOU to all who have been following my little experiment and buoying me with your words of encouragement and support.  Knowing that there are a few out there interested in my progress has helped me to stay strong in moments of weakness, and has contributed to my commitment to continue learning and striving.

Biggest Lesson of the last 5 Days:

Don't be hungry!

I don’t think it is bad to feel hungry, in fact, part of this whole experiment is attempting to improve my resistance to feelings of discomfort when I’m hungry.  I don’t NEED to be satiated ALL of the time.  I don’t NEED to reach for the easiest, most convenient foods just because they’re there and I’m experiencing a little bit of discomfort.  I do not frequent fast food restaurants as a habit, but I have been more prone to indulging in fast food this last year.  These last two weeks of eating a plant-based, whole food diet obviously rule out fast-food, which I don’t miss at all (with the exception of Wendy’s Frosties...I know, I know...but I’m just keepin’ it real).  

So, I made a new rule—whenever possible, I only eat at home.  After all, I’ve bought all of these great fruits and veggies that will go bad if I don’t eat them, so every time I eat a meal outside my home, they are just getting older and older.  Crucial to the success of this rule is having healthy snacks in the car, because the truth is, I have never found myself sitting at home getting ready for dinner and asked Kyle, “Do you want to go out to Wendy’s/McDonald’s/Burger King/Arby’s/Taco Bell/etc etc tonight?”  No, the ONLY time I eat that food is when we’re driving around and we’re hungry!  If I’m home and I want something from a restaurant, we’ll go to a “real” restaurant or we’ll order take-out (which is usually just as bad, ie pizza, chinese, Thai—MSG, grease, fat, fat, fat)--and we really don’t do that very often.  So, as long as I can plan for long hours away from home, and bring prepared meals and healthy snacks, I can avoid the tempting convenience foods and not become ravenous.

So, the lesson I learned this week:  DON’T BE HUNGRY.  

I really mean DON’T SKIP MEALS.  I woke up late a few times and didn’t have time to make my morning juice or eat anything.  By ten o’clock, every stupid awful piece of food looked amazing.  Cheese sticks, Gatorade, fruit snacks, Wonderbread—if there had been a twinkie on the counter I would have drooled.  Luckily, my schedule is flexible enough that I was able to go home and make a wonderful juice that solved the problem immediately, but it was amazing how fast my defenses were broken down by those destructive feelings of hunger.

***Listen to this AMAZING song whilst you read/scroll/skim through the boring part of this post***

“Are you some kind of bad dream?” (What’s with the pipe cleaners?) 

 
DAY #7
Breakfast: Juice: Grapefruit, 2 kiwi, 2 granny apples, kale, spinach, 1 pear.  Grapefruits make a wicked lot of juice, and the flavor is very strong (bitter).  I think I’ll only use half a grapefruit from now on.
Lunch: Rip’s Big Bowl (I actually get excited when I get to eat this!  Sooooo good!)
Dinner/snack: Pita with hummus

I was awesome at drinking water today (over 80 oz), and I ran on the treadmill for 35 min (410 calories).  Go me.

DAY #8
Skipped breakfast, could have chewed my arm off.
Snack: 2 clementines and dried peaches
Lunch: A Vegan Cafe: Sandwich with some kind of fake “chicken”, artichoke, tomato, and fake “mozzarella”
Midday Juice: 2 apple, 2 pear, kale, spinach, 1 cucumber
Dinner: Left over Potato Taco (huge and delicious!)

Today I ran around all day and was away from home.  Must wake up earlier, I was sluggish and tired most of the day.  DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST.  Worked out to Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred.

DAY #9
Woke up late again and skipped breakfast. *grits teeth
Lunch: Juice: grapefruit, 2 kiwi, pineapple, orange, green pepper, red pepper, cucumber
Snack: sugar snaps and hummus
Dinner: Potato with red bean and lentil sauce, steamed broccoli, spinach salad with tomato, mushroom, carrot, and ginger dressing
Dessert: I was eating as a guest at someone else’s house and they had already made a vegan meal just for me, so we had “whole wheat” shortcake and “organic” cherry sauce.  I considered it cheating, but I felt too bad to turn it down.  I feel it was a reasonable allowance to make, but I only did it to be polite.

Workout: Jog 35 min on treadmill, 400 calories

DAY #10
Breakfast: Juice: cucumber, spinach, kale, carrots, orange
Lunch: leftover Squash Stew
Snack/Dinner: big ‘o Grapes

Workout: bike 15 min, elliptical 10 min, jog around my pond--53 min total, 620 calories

I went to the store again today and got about $100 of fruit, veggies, and whole grains.  It was a much faster, easier trip than the first time, so that was encouraging.

DAY #11
Breakfast: Juice (half before workout, half after): kale, spinach, cucumber, carrots, apples, banana, avocado (really good!!) 
Snack: mushrooms, sugar snaps, and hummus
Lunch: Big Bowl: walnuts, almonds, flax seed, shredded wheat, banana, kiwi, almond vanilla soy milk
Dinner: Wendy’s Baja Salad.  Let me explain: Kyle and I went to one of my gigs that lasted much longer than I thought and we were starving by the time it got done.  So we went to Wendy’s, and I picked the only thing on the menu that I thought would be alright to eat.  All of the salads have either chicken or bacon on them, and this one had Chili.  I didn’t remember that Wendy’s Chili has ground beef crumbles in it, so I picked out what little there was in there.  Also, there was some shredded cheese on the salad that was nearly impossible to pick out, but it was pretty inconsequential.  I did feel like I was cheating a bit, but then I looked across the table to see Kyle killing his large Frostie (exactly what I would have been doing), and knew that I was trying my best and a few little pieces of shredded cheese didn’t change that.

Workout: 10 min bike and 1 hour of racquetball with Kyle; upper body lifting.  1 hour 45 min. 831 Calories, 49 grams of fat.  Go me.    
 
DAY #12
Breakfast juice: Kale, spinach, carrot, apple
Lunch: Big Bowl: walnuts, almonds, flax, oats, shredded wheat, banana, blueberries 
Snack: small cup of leftover squash stew
Dinner: Eggplant Stew

Workout: Basketball game at church, 60 minutes, 637 calories 

Synopsis of the last  6 days:

• It is getting easier to wake up before 8am, but it still feels like I am trying to change my biology, like trying to think my hair a different color.  It is getting easier though.
• Don't skip breakfast--make juice!
• Changing my lifestyle in this way is sure to cause social issues, ie. going out to eat with friends, being invited to other people's houses for dinner, etc.  Do your best, forget the rest.  Be polite, but take care of your own interests too.
• I'm starting to feel the improvements that come with working out, ie feeling less weak, more energy, improved workout performance
• my resting heart rate has lowered by about 15-20 beats per minute, crazy!
• The numbers on the scale are a bit discouraging, so I may have to re-evaluate some things in the second half of the 30 days

 

I still feel good and am looking forward to this week!

Here is a demonstration of how to make delicious homemade hummus:

 

Plant Based: Days 1-6

Rather than post every day and bore you to tears, I've decided to update every 5 days or so, or whenever the blog bug bites.  So, here is a synopsis of my experiences during my first 5 days of eating a strict plant-based, whole food diet (otherwise known as vegan--I'm getting a bit more comfortable with that word).


DAY #1

I started a new job today, nannying for an awesome 5 year old, which requires that I wake up at 7:30am.  I am NOT a morning person.  I haven't had to wake up regularly before 9am for like, I don't know, 5 years.  I am a night owl, its in my blood.  I go to sleep late and I wake up late, and I am so sluggish and useless when I wake up.  I've always wanted to change this, but have failed every time.  Today was no exception--I woke up early enough, but I (and my body) didn't like it.

I took my measurements today--16 points of measurement totaled 341.75 inches.

Breakfast: a banana and some dried apple and peach

Snack: A handful or two of mixed nuts/berries

Lunch: Large juice--5 carrots, 2 celery, half a green pepper, 4 small apples, one pear

Dinner: Stir Fry with Rice--celery, red peppers, green pepper, zucchini, onion, garlic sauteed in soy sauce and put over rice.

DAY #2

Waking up was miserable, as expected---SO EARLY!!

I went grocery shopping. $175 worth of excitement, inquiry, clueless staring, and the inevitable wincing pain when you see the price tag.  GAH! BUT--not all of that was food to support my new habits; I also had to buy a new sharp slicing knife (because the only thing my knives slice well is my soul, and even then its more like bludgeoning), a veggie scrubber, and I accidentally bought a few things at way-to-high prices.  Also, I probably bought enough to feed a family of 5 for over a week, even though I am only feeding myself and my husband (when he chooses to participate in my "craziness").  I have no idea how much produce to buy when that's all I'm going to eat, but the good side is that if things start to look like they are going bad, I'll just juice them and call it good (or green, as the case may be).

Things I bought that I have never purchased before: star fruit, ginger root, veggie stock, butternut squash, flax seed, soy milk, granola, and beets.

Breakfast:  Large smoothie--peaches, banana, orange juice, carrot juice, frozen strawberries

Snack: granola mix, raw mushrooms, dried fruit/nut mix

Late lunch/early dinner: "Mean Green" Juice--I got this juice recipe from Join the Reboot.com.  They have a lot of juice recipes and a lot of awesome resources, etc.  This is the website that supports the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", which was hugely influential to my decision to start down this path.  I adjusted the "Mean Green" recipe a bit, subtracting some celery (because I don't like it very much) and adding 2 more apples (because I like it very much).  However, next time I will go much lighter on the GINGER.  Holy crap.  Ginger is some wicked strong stuff, and honestly, I had a hard time choking down this juice.  I had to save the second half of it until Day 3, and added it to my morning smoothie with a lot more stuff in it to dull the sting. 

I wasn't hungry enough to eat again, which is different from my usual habits of grazing in the kitchen sometime between 9pm and 11pm.  

DAY #3

 It was easier to wake up today, thank goodness, aided by the fact that I went to sleep before 11pm, which is very rare indeed.

My body feels like I need to exercise--my body, not necessarily the rest of me.  I don't feel like I have a tremendous amount of energy, but I do feel like I need to move.   Maybe there is energy stored in my cells that is itching to be freed or maybe the exercise will help move "the sludge" better--I'm sure both of these are true, and my body is undeniably telling me I need to start shakin' what my momma gave me.

I LOVE my heart rate monitor!  I love watching the number of calories tick away, and being able to see what my heart is doing.  The message is clear--I am stinkin', pathetically out-of-shape.  I jogged for like 2 minutes and my heart rate was in the 160's!  HA!  Its okay, if I stick to it I know the numbers will get better really fast.

Breakfast:  10 oz leftover Mean Green added to the juice of one grapefruit, 3 apples, and blended with strawberries, blackberries, and a banana= 38 oz delicious smoothie.

Lunch: Flat Bread Wrap with hummus, spring mix, tomato, cucumber mushrooms, spinach, topped with lemon juice, salt and pepper. (Delicious!)

Dinner: Tofu Steak with Steamed Potato-- sauteed mushrooms and extra firm tofu in soy sauce, steamed red potato with rosemary, side salad with spring mix, tomato, avacado, kiwi, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cucumber with lemon juice on top.  First time eating tofu I made myself, and it was what I expected--tastes like whatever you season it with, and has the texture of strange cottage cheese.  Tofu seems like filler. Whateves.  The potatoes were awesome! 

DAY #4

I'm down 2 pounds today (from Day 1) and feel less bloated and sluggish.  Today was the first day I felt really peppy.  I felt lighter, with a spring in my step.  I'm pretty sure it was because of the jog/walk that Kyle and I took around the pond near our house--even though my legs, back, and core feel SO weak from my sedentary lifestyle, it felt great to get my blood pumping, and I definitely felt the endorphins.  The whole rest of the day I felt more ALIVE than I have in a while.

Workout: 30 min jog/walk, 10 min stretch

Breakfast: Smoothie--3/4 grapefruit, carrots, apples, banana, strawberries, blackberries, cherry tomato, kale, spinach

Snack: granola, cranberries, small apple

Dinner: Potato Tacos--I was a bit stumped for dinner, so I went to the internet and found this awesome Potato Taco recipe.  I changed a few things from the recipe (omit peppers, added olives) but this was probably my favorite (and Kyle's favorite) meal yet.  It was really delicious and really filling!

DAY #5

Workout: Elliptical/bike  45 min, 521 calories, 28g fat

Late breakfast (11am)--worst juice I've ever made.  Seriously, it was so horrible.  I think I added all the wrong things together to get the perfect storm of gagtastic nastiness.  Here goes: one beet, 1/2 pomegranate, 2 celery, 4 apples, handful of grapes, 2 pears.  It should have been good; the beet juice was shockingly sweet, and soooooo red.  Pear, apple, grape? Delicious!  Celery, awful, I'm getting to hate celery more and more, which is sad, but I know I need to include it, so I keep trying.  The pomegranate seemed like a great idea, they're delicious right?  Yes, they are, but their juice is awful.  The whole concoction was sweet/pleasant going over my tongue, but as soon as I took a breath there was an overwhelming bitterness like Satan at a bunny-themed garden party.  It was like the blood of a thousand murdered kittens.  Horrible.

Lunch: I had to make up for the juice fail, so I tried a variation on this recipe from Engine 2 dot com called Rip's Big Bowl.  I didn't have a few of the ingredients, so my bowl consisted of walnuts, ground flax seed, oats, one banana, one kiwi, cranberries, and one of my favorite new discoveries, Pure Almond Vanilla Soy Milk.  This is going to be my new go-to fiber-filled breakfast.  It was amazing!  

DAY #6

Today is Sunday.  In my effort to keep a lifetime goal of honoring Sunday as the Sabbath Day, dedicated to worship and rest, I did not workout today.

Kyle and I shared "Rip's Big Bowl" for breakfast on our way out the door to church.

Lunch:  my first time ever making Butternut Squash Soup!  I am a huge fan of soup, so hopefully this will be my first of many soup experiments.  I changed the recipe a bit--added a bit more broth and water at the end, because it turned out really thick.  I added cumin and flavored it with salt/pepper to taste.  I also only pureed about 1/4 of it and added it back to the chunky, stew-like soup.  Kyle and I both agreed that it tasted better as more of a stew than a pureed, brothy soup.  Toasted pita on the side.

Dinner:  The Butternut Squash "stew" was so filling, I wasn't really hungry the rest of the night.  I drank water and felt satisfied....but then, as it always does, my sweet tooth started itching...So I searched for vegan desert recipes.  Most of them had some kind of oil or some kind of oil substitute that I don't have.  But this Chocolate Banana Almond Ice Cream recipe looked do-able, even though I don't have an ice cream maker.  I made it in the blender, then put the whole blender in the freezer for over an hour, blended it back up and had a delicious "milk-shake".  It was sooooooo good!

Final thoughts on week #1:

As I sit here sipping my soy milk, I am completely satisfied.  How unexpected!  Here is a list of things I that make me feel satisfied right now:

• the delicious food I've eaten all week
• more energy/feeling of vitality
• easier sleeping/waking
• all the new things I'm learning and experimenting with
• renewed sense of discipline and determintation
• renewed CONFIDENCE in my ability to make wise food choices
• knowing that this 30 day goal is one I will accomplish; no matter how "good" something looks or smells or seems, I am COMMITTED to this goal
• the support I've gotten from my family, friends, and others
• knowing that I am positively impacting my health
• having an open mind to things I've never done or tried or even imagined I would consider
• the knowledge I have of the principles of faith, personal agency, and obedience that steer me toward the best things of this world
• my ability to change and to always improve myself
• an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the ABUNDANCE in my life

 Bring on next week! 

Plant Based

In 2012, I'm turning over a new leaf--lots of them really.

I've decided, for the month of January, to eat an entirely plant-based diet.  Whoa.  Yeah.  Its going to be awesome!

But I don't love the word "vegan".  I like "plant based", "raw", and "plant power", so those are the words I'll use.

I've been consuming a lot of plant-based food propaganda recently that has influenced my decision to make this goal.  Most influential have been the documentaries "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", "Forks Over Knives", "Food Matters", and "Food, Inc".  As I progress toward my goal of eating only plant-based food for 30 days, I will chronicle my experiences and progress here on my blog.  There are a lot of concepts, facts, and research that has contributed to convincing me to try this out, and I plan to summarize my findings for you here.

I couldn't do this without the support of my amazing husband (who will NOT be eating tofu), who gave me this ridiculously awesome juicer from Breville as a Christmas present.  Here's what I woke up to on Christmas morning--way to go Kyle!:

I am really excited to plunge into this new lifestyle and look forward to sharing my experiences with you!