Farmer's Market from Sparkpeople Blog 5/2/17

Tomorrow is a Farmer's Market day here in Corvallis, OR. I can hardly wait. If you don't shop your market I want to encourage you to do so. There are incredible finds there. I've always been adventurous when it comes to produce. When I was a little girl my grandparents always had a huge garden and I always had a row in that garden. My row was always Swiss Chard. I still adore Swiss Chard. My grandparents would plant certain things, like carrots, and cucumbers, and we had a lovely strawberry patch, but they also experimented. I remember the year they first tried bok choy and my grandma couldn't seem to find ways to use it all. 

Anyway, all this to say that most Americans eat a very narrow range of fruits and vegetables, but there are sooooo many out there that are delicious and overlooked. I made a beautiful egg white omelet this morning with shiitake mushrooms, green garlic, and arugula, all from the market. I wish I had taken a picture, but I devoured it too fast. (No picture could honestly have done it credit.) The buttery flavor of the mushrooms complemented by the deep flavor of the arugula, the mild garlic and a little Romano cheese was an intense sensation. 

The Farmer's Market gives us all an opportunity to eat gourmet meals. The ingredients are premium, and the flavors varied. If you are ever unsure about an item, just ask the grower. They can tell you what it is, some ideas on how to use it, and what it tastes like. They often will offer a taste if it is something that can be eaten raw. If you have grown bored with your vegetable routine, I encourage you to explore your market. 

Little Victories from Sparkpeople Blog 4/30/17

Victory is not always shown on the scale! As I've mentioned in one of my previous blogs, my hubby and children are eating buddies, and as such every time we want to do something as a family it seems to involve eating. My husband works delivering pizza (a job we are trying to get him out of), and he has been saving his change every night towards a family night. Now, for us that would usually mean a dinner out. 

Here is where the victory is, last night we decided to spend the saved money for a family night in the theater. We further decided that we would stop at the local co-op and get snacks to take with us so we didn't have to have popcorn and candy at the theater. Everyone in the family was allowed a sweet snack, and a savory snack, plus a drink. I was so excited to find toasted chickpeas as an on plan savory snack, and I already had a Skinny Girl protein bar, so that was my sweet/meal all in one. I was looking forward to a Zevia soda, but they didn't have any flavors I liked, so I had a slightly sweetened mint iced tea as well. 

So, learning portion control, and eating 6 small meals a day has been such a key for me. I was concerned that with this whole bag of chickpeas, that was 5 servings, and eating while in the theater, I would be unable to monitor them. I only ended up eating one and half servings. I stayed totally on plan, plus I think going to the movies was so much more memorable for us as a family rather than eating out. What fun! 

The still learning portions of the day are that my oldest daughter, who seems to know no moderation (sadly I've taught her that), had to buy this big sweet trifle thing as her sweet and probably almost a cup of sesame sticks as her savory. Much larger than a portion. My youngest had a bag of chickpeas like mine and ate the entire bag, she also ate a small, but still more than a portion bag of tiny peanut butter cups. My husband did okay, since he got only apricot bars and ate those. So the learning thing is that next time I will bring home treats and portion them, particularly the savory treats as they were hard to find in portion sizes. If I take them to the store to pick their own sweet I will be more specific about sizing and portion. 

However, learning aside I'm still counting this as victory. We did something as a family that, although it involved eating, didn't center around eating. Plus, I was able to "indulge" but still stay on plan with my family. Reinforcing for me that this is a journey of small steps and decisions that add up to a result.

Pursuing Health Part 1 from Sparkpeople Blog 4/28/17

So, I was rather late on starting the New Year's Resolution thing. I closed a shop at the end of December, and to be honest was ready for a bit of break. I took it easy for a few months, but started cooking at home. At the end of February I decided I would try Take Shape for Life (Medifast, Optavia) because I knew some people who had been successful with it, and I personally knew a health coach with TSL. So, I got my first shipment, unpacked it, and set a start date. The start date was March 15th. It only took me four days to decide it was not right for me. Let me explain a bit more about my background to explain why it wasn't right for me. 

I am a whole food person, and have been most of my adult life to varying degrees. When I was 18 I decided, for ethical reasons, to be a vegetarian. I did have neighbors that were vegetarian and they lived a longer and healthier life, so I knew it to be a healthy choice. However, there are things I didn't change about my diet. At 19, and for 4 years I ended up working at McDonald's. My love of fries didn't end there, although I wish it had. I was eating vegetarian, but not really overly concerned with what I ate. 

Then I moved to Colorado. I had started eating small amounts of meat before moving, but moving to Colorado changed everything. The great produce I had grown up with in Northern California became only a memory. Things may have changed, but when I lived in Colorado there were only a couple of really great local produce items because of the short growing season. I started eating meat more regularly, it was just easier, but I ate reverse of most people, I cooked vegetarian food and added meat. (I had learned to cook as a vegetarian.) 

Next, I met my husband. He was an adamant meat eater. The first meal I ever made for him was a vegetarian chili he still fantasizes about, but that at the time he claimed needed meat. It was a constant source of anguish for me. He felt like I was trying to make him a vegetarian, I felt like the food I made never made him happy. We were always eating buddies though. We ended up eating out a lot. We had busy schedules, and when eating out we could get what we wanted. This was not a healthy pursuit. 

I feel as if this blog entry will go too long if I continue this story today. I am going to leave it here for today, and complete the story tomorrow.