Is this spring fever?

Some kind of shift has happened in my head in the past few days and I’m entirely unsure as to what may have prompted it. But it’s really all good, so I don’t want to question it too much. Change #1:

i woke up yesterday morning and decided that after 31 years, I don’t want to smoke anymore. 31 years. Now, I think I’ve been building myself up to this subconsciously for some time, but I’m entirely unsure as to what changed in my head yesterday. Certainly not complaining about it, though. No, instead of complaining I’m reading Allen Carr‘s excellent little book, hoping that will reinforce whatever is going on in my head. And tomorrow morning I’ll be heading off to the health food store to pick up a lung-detox kit.

Change #2 – I’m suddenly serious about losing weight – tracking my eating, calories, etc. Now, modern wisdom usually dictates that one either quits smoking OR attempts to lose weight, but not both at the the same time. Screw that, I’m going for it.

it is entirely possible that I will completely lose my mind in the next 12-24 hours, but honestly, I don’t think so. I feel pretty good – surprisingly so, actually. I picked up a Fitbit today, so I can track my walking, activity and meals all together, either on my computer or phone. I have found in the past that tracking really helps me. Going for 2 pounds/week, which will put me at my target weight on July 27- the day after my 17th wedding anniversary.  All I can say is this – there had better be a diamond waiting for me if I make it!

To juice or not to juice?

A few weeks ago I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 2 on Netflix, and was rather captivated by Joe Cross and his message. Did a little online sleuthing and came up with a Joe Cross 3 day juice cleanse. Hey, this would be a good way to jump-start some weight loss, right? How hard could a 3 day cleanse possibly be?

So, off I went to the grocery store where I promptly spent about $70 on produce. Honestly, given the quantity I needed to buy I was surprised it didn’t cost more. Came home and stuffed my fridge full of kale, parsley, carrots…you name it, I bought it.

I won’t bore with you all the details, but let’s just say if anyone ever suggests that you drink a juice made of tomatoes, kale, cucumber and onions, you should pour that juice on their head. It is gag-inducing. (I like V8, so thought I’d enjoy this too. Not so much.) Those green juices really take some getting used to, and I’ve learned that if you don’t like something, you’re not going to suddenly enjoy it because it’s in liquid form. However, carrot, apple orange and ginger make a lovely juice, and I’ve been having one of those each day since.

Deciding that Joe Cross is a little extreme for me, I picked up The Ultimate Book of Modern Juicing by Mimi Kirk, which is chock-full of great suggestions, recipes and some stunning photography. And 17 years after I received it as a wedding shower gift, my juicer is finally getting a work-out!

Oh and the 3 day cleanse? I was ready to gnaw my own arm off by 6pm on the first day. I caved. But I am planning to do it again using some recipes from the book, which are far more palatable.

So here we go!

I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, and always wanted to have a vegetable garden. About 4 years ago, I finally persuaded my husband to dig up a corner of our tiny backyard so I could plant a few tomatoes and cucumbers. I don’t know exactly what I did to those plants, but they were nuclear. They grew taller than 6′ and I seriously had more tomatoes than I knew what to do with.

So I learned about canning. Unfortunately, the recipes that I chose that year were less than stellar, either that or I just didn’t know what the hell I was doing, and I still have a shelf full of pickled green tomatoes that nobody will eat.

But I was not deterred! Each year my garden has grown, and I’ve learned through trial and error what my plants like. I also have a herb garden, which I raid regularly when cooking and subsequent canning experiments have been much more successful. And I discovered that I really dig eating things I grew and made.

A few months ago I began to spend much more time at home, my work situation changed, and I wasn’t commuting into the city every day any more. That has given me time, to do the things I always said I wanted to do when I was a too-busy commuter. So, I’m spending more time with my kids and husband, getting the house organized and keeping it clean (as much as possible with a 4 year old and an 11 year old), I’ve begun to bake a lot more, and to cook much more than I used to. I’m also trying to get healthy and lose some weight, and have been curious about clean eating.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tosca Reno, who has published several books and a magazine on the subject of clean eating, several years ago, she and I were seated next to each other at a wedding reception, and she told me her story, how she began her quest in her early 40’s. Over the past couple of years, as my weight struggles have plagued me (mostly due to the arrival of my daughter when I was 41, and the ridiculous amount of weight I gained while pregnant with her), I have replayed that conversation with Tosca over in my head several times. I’ve picked up her magazine, and tried a couple of recipes. And I liked them.

So, I’m going to give this a shot – for health, weight management, to feel better about what my family is eating, and to avoid Monsanto. 😉 There are a few packages in the pantry – I’m attempting to not replace them when they’re used up. We’re not going vegan, or gluten-free or anything else, just eating clean and homemade.

Tonight’s dinner was ribs (with homemade bbq sauce), homemade potato chips, and steamed broccoli. All in all, not bad, although I substituted tomato paste for ketchup in the bbq sauce, and it was a little too intense. Duly noted. I’m off to make some crock pot apple cinnamon oatmeal to be ready for breakfast in the morning.

Wish me luck!