Less is More

One would think that meat without hormones, antibiotics, and all the other stuff would actually cost less, but it doesn't.

I have decided that perhaps it is time to leave my mid-west "meat and potatoes" meal paradigm behind in instead, fill my plate with things that are green and never went "Moo." So I went to Whole Foods market (the fancy-pants organic/gluten-free grocery store) where they have an entire aisle of bulk seeds, beans, and other things I didn't even know existed. What the heck is quinoa?

It was like I had gone to an alternate universe bizarro-world market - the layout was the same as any other grocery store: produce, meat, dairy aisles, but on closer examination, everything was different.

Anyway, so I've got my little DP shopping list including organic fruit and veggies, lean free-range chicken, spices, omega-3 eggs (never even knew there was such a thing), lots of legumes, and other things. It was a bit intimidating, but fun overall, and I am sure I will get better at it the more I shop there. Mia even scored some gluten-free oreo wannabe's.

Most interesting find of the day: Veganaise. Yep, I said it. Not only that, I found it, bought it, took it home, and tried it. Believe it or not, it tastes pretty much like mayo, but has 1/3 the calories and is dairy-free if you need that sort of thing.

Meal of the week: Chicken pesto on a bed of spaghetti squash.

What I did: baked a whole spaghetti squash at 350 degrees for an hour, sliced it in half, scooped out the seeds, and then forked out the stringy stuff that looks like angel-hair pasta. In the meantime, I grilled a chicken breast, sliced it into strips, and sauteed it with some pesto sauce. that I got at Fresh and Easy (very good stuff!), and served it on a bed of the squash, with a salad and steamed veggies.

What I should have done: Spaghetti squash is on the sweet side, and did not go well with the pesto. I should have used a sweeter sauce like marinara or vodka sauce. I will try that next time, and maybe add some mushrooms for good measure.

Success Breeds Success

Yesterday was a great day!

I have been noticing that my pants have started to fit a little looser, but yesterday was the first tangible piece of evidence of success - one hole tighter on my belt! I was so excited I had a dance party in the living room.

My mom has been "encouraging" me to lose weight for years, especially after my son was born when I was my heaviest. We won't be discussing numbers here, but let's just say, it was a lot. When I called her to give her the good news, she said, "Well, success breeds success." She's right. I am more motivated than ever to get healthy and stay that way.

I think I'm even ready to buy a bathroom scale!