Meal prep

I like it when I don't have to think about what I'm going to eat. You know, 'cause, who's got time for that, right? Plus, I've just never been 'into' food all that much. It's just something we gotta do!

Admittedly, though, I'd grown a little lax in this department since I quit working. And to be fair, I have never much bothered with dinner/supper (whichever you call it). Jane has always done that. She likes to cook, and not only do I not want to deprive her of that joy - ahem - I can also say I don't know if there's ever been anything she's prepared that I haven't eaten (she's a good cook!). Still, I do take care of most of my own breakfast and lunches, and I prefer to plan ahead.

This week I got on the stick and got 'er done.

This is what I will be eating for the bulk of the week:

BREAKFAST -

This is usually the same, other than on the weekends when Jane will usually make a big breakfast (either for breakfast or lunch): Bowl of oatmeal and blueberries.

LUNCH -

I bought a bag of Romaine Hearts, bag of Diced Chicken Breast*, a can of mixed vegetables, lima beans, and black means, and divided it up into four containers (except the diced chicken, which will last for a couple weeks at least). I mix the veggies and chicken in one bowl, and when ready to eat I microwave it for 44 seconds and then dump it into the salad bowl. Top with a bit of salsa, and it's good to go!

SUPPER -

This week (and last) we happened to have some Factor meals delivered. We'd gotten a discount coupon we couldn't pass up, and I actually kind of like them. We don't use them a lot (gets kinda pricey), but they're nice when we do. Jane will also get Hungry Root or something similar sometimes. Whether it's with their ingredients or her own, she always makes something scrumptious.

*The chicken will also work nicely with rice (which I may have next week); and sometimes I will use canned tuna instead of the chicken, or no meat at all.

I usually try to have a banana or apple as an afternoon snack. After dinner is another story! Ugh. I have to watch myself if we have too many snack items around. Lately I've been making pudding with Casein protein mix between supper and bedtime (which is okay), but if there are chips or something... forget it! That's why I don't like to have chips, cookies, candy, or anything of the like around. I've no control.

This stuff, though, I can dig it. :)

Food fix

 

Is is wrong if, when I go to bed at night, the happy spot I take my mind to as I drift off to sleep is of my breakfast the next day... Especially when it's oatmeal?

I am one of those people who will eat the same foods over and over again for quite awhile. Eventually I'll change it up, and then eat those foods over and over again for awhile.

Lately I've been on an oatmeal kick. I've never really like plain oatmeal all that much. For awhile I got the Kodiak single-serve packets, then the Quaker single-serve packets. Then I discovered ... TOPPINGS! I never imagined you could make oatmeal taste so good!!

My current food fixes have been:

BREAKFAST -

• Tea and coffee
• One hard-boiled egg (around 6:30am)
• Oatmeal with either blueberries, peanut butter & dark chocolate, maple syrup, or cinnamon and raisins (around 9:30am)

LUNCH -

• A salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, peas and either chicken or beans or both, or
  
• A salad with the above minus the chicken or beans and instead either a chicken salad or peanut butter/jelly sandwich

AFTERNOON SNACK -

• A banana or a protein drink (usually after my run)

SUPPER -

• We've been having Factor home-delivered meals four days a week (the ones with around 450-500 calories per)

BEFORE BED SNACK -

• Casein protein pudding
• A handful of unsalted nuts
  
• Sleepy Time hot tea

That's been pretty much it (other than weekends when we go out for supper on Friday, and I don't usually eat lunch on Saturday or Sunday). It's usually 1200-1500 calories per day.

I've been tracking my calories using the free MyFitnessPal app. In order to reach my weight-loss goal I was supposed to average about 1700 calories per day. Of course, naturally, since I've been coming in low on calories I haven't been losing as much weight as they said. Still, I'm down about 10 pounds. I'd like to lose another 10 before I get into marathon training though. So I may need to do something else. I'd like to be around 150.

So, that's about all there is to that.

(I couldn't think of anything else to write about today)

Jane's birthday

My lovely wife turned 57 last week. She keeps getting better every year!

We did not do too much for the special day. I got her some chocolates and coffee, and we went out for both breakfast and supper - which is quite the feat what with covid and all! We also took a nice walk in the park because the weather was beautiful all weekend (in the 50s on her birthday, and up to 63f on Sunday!).

Sunday night we went out to the Feipel farm and celebrated both Jane and Scott's birthdays with a scrumptious lasagna that Carrie made.

On her birthday we tried a new place (to us) for supper. We've always wanted to go there because we've heard good things, and it is downtown near where we both work. Nawa is a locally-owned restaurant featuring culinary influences from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia. The name literally means "new beginning" in Thai, so it was the perfect place for a birthday celebration! It did not disappoint!!

The place was nostalgically decorated with a "casual classy" feel to it, and the food was sooooo good. Jane got the Pad Thai Me Up, and I got crazy and tried the Massaman Curry. I'm not usually adventurous when it comes to food, but I LOVED it! They were even kind enough to give us a huge piece of chocolate-covered cheesecake on the house! This is a pic of my plate.

 

So, while it wasn't a very eventful day, I think she was happy enough. Now on to another year! Hopefully this will be much less eventful than the past one.

***

“Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all.” — James 1:17

 

How to make roasted chickpeas

 I recently ran across this article at https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-make-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-in-the-oven?utm_source=pocket-newtab. Jane has made them before, and I think it's something I could maybe actually do sometime...

How To Make Crispy Roasted Chickpeas in the Oven

Yield: Serves 8, Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 2 to 4 teaspoons spices or finely chopped fresh herbs, such as chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, smoked paprika, rosemary, thyme, or other favorite spices and herbs
  

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F.

2. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Open the cans of chickpeas and pour the chickpeas into a strainer in the sink. Rinse thoroughly under running water.

3. Dry the chickpeas. Pat the chickpeas very dry with a clean dishtowel or paper towels. They should look matte and feel dry to the touch; if you have time, leave them to air-dry for a few minutes. Remove any chickpea skins that come off while drying, but otherwise don’t worry about them.

4. Toss the chickpeas with olive oil and salt. Spread the chickpeas out in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Stir with your hands or a spatula to make sure the chickpeas are evenly coated.

5. Roast the chickpeas for 20 to 30 minutes. Roast, stirring the chickpeas or shaking the pan every 10 minutes. A few chickpeas may pop – that’s normal. The chickpeas are done when golden and slightly darkened, dry and crispy on the outside, and soft in the middle, 20 to 30 minutes total.

6. Toss the chickpeas with the spices. Sprinkle the spices if using over the chickpeas and stir to coat evenly. Serve while the chickpeas are still warm and crispy. They will gradually lose their crispiness as they cool, becoming addictively chewy.

Using roasted chickpeas: Besides eating these chickpeas as a snack, you can toss them with salads or sprinkle over soup in place of croutons.

Emma Christensen is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories.

***

Genesis 1:29

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

What I eat and where I sleep

I was going to skip today because... well, Thursdays are tiring days for me, plus... I'm just so fed up with everything. But, alas, I suppose it would do good to distract myself for a few minutes here...

FOOD

My foods lately (at least during the workweek) have been:

• Breakfast - Plain Greek yogurt and I mix in organic blueberries.
• Lunch - I've been getting into avocado sandwiches (just avocado on a hot dog bun usually), but I just started adding cucumber and a wee bit of cream cheese. Yum.
• Snack - On a good day I will have a banana for an afternoon snack, but it might instead be pretzels or tortilla chips or something.
• Supper - I eat whatever the lovely Lady Jane puts on my plate. It is almost always healthy, and always good.
• Night Snack - I generally have a generous portion of almonds between supper and bedtime. Again, though, if it's been a bad day, it could be anything from chips to cheese and crackers.

SLEEP

Last night we tried sleeping in the basement again. We have the twin beds pushed together down there from when Isaac & Ricci were here. We slept there once, and then kind of... forgot, I guess. It's much cooler in the basement, and although our whole house is insulated very well, there's nothing like dirt and concrete walls to keep out noise even more. Plus the fact that, with the two twin beds, even though we're technically sleeping together, we don't feel one another move when we roll over or anything. I think it sleeps better. Though I generally sleep like a rock anyway.

---

So, there ya go. It's Thursday; I just returned from a 50-minute bike ride in 90+ temps; Facebook is sooooo aggravating to me; I'm ready for the weekend. Although, I must say, work hasn't been terrible since my boss is around so seldom.

Peace out; and in.

What I'm eating

Every now and then I like to keep a record of what I'm eating. I don't know why, really. I guess it gives me something to do. I'm also sort of a habit eater, in that I tend to eat the same things for a period of time. Then, once I get tired of that, I will switch to something else.

So, here's a rough list of the foods I am currently in the habit of eating:

MORNING -

• I start every day with a big glass of water right off the bat.
• I make a big mug of green tea (with a splash of milk) to take to work. It usually lasts from 4:30-8:30-ish.
• I have been eating breakfast between 8 and 9 am. Usually a cup of plain Greek yogurt that I mix with blueberries. Once in a great while I will have scrambled eggs with veggies. I will also drink a couple cups of coffee after eating breakfast.

LUNCH -

• I've been on a big avocado kick lately. Generally I will have a half or whole avocado one of three ways:
• On a mixed green salad (and the avocado serves as the dressing). I will also add in some other veggies like tomato, carrot, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, etc, as well as sunflower seeds. Or,
• A slice of turkey or ham with avocado rolled up in a tortilla shell. Or,
• A slice of turkey or ham with avocado between two slices of whole wheat or whole grain bread.
• Water to drink.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK -

• I just started a week long green smoothie "thing." I think it's called the 'Simple 7 Smoothie Challenge' or something. There are just seven ingredients, for seven days. Each day's smoothie consists of either: Spinach or Kale, and banana, strawberry, mango, oranges or pineapple. 
• When not doing smoothies I will generally have a side salad or fruit (apple, banana, or melon) or a raw veggie like celery, carrot, broccoli, or cauliflower. I may use peanut butter with the veggie sometimes (rarely anymore).

SUPPER -

• Jane takes care of supper. She is a great cook, and most of the time she makes super healthy suppers of fish, chicken, turkey or hamburger, with rice and/or some other type of healthy vegetable.
• Occasionally we will splurge and have a frozen Tombstone pizza (my favorite treat), or maybe order out or go out to eat. If we go out, it is almost always to the same place, where I will get a cheeseburger with a side salad (and ranch), a flat-bread of some sort, or pizza. We try to go out once a week.
• Water to drink if at home. If we go out it is usually beer.

LATE SNACK -

• I try not to snack after supper, which isn't usually too difficult since I also try to go to bed around 8 pm. 
• If anything I may have some almonds, which I keep a bag of beside my recliner in the basement.
• Most nights I will have a couple glasses of wine between supper and going to bed.
• And, just like how I start every day, I end every day by drinking a big glass of water before going to bed for the night.

That's pretty much it. Every day. I vary my diet very little, although it does change slightly on the weekend. Mostly because Jane usually makes a big sausage, egg and potato breakfast, and sometimes we don't have lunch if that's the case.

While I am not intentionally intermittent fasting, I do usually go from 6 pm to 8 or 9 am without food. So I guess that's 14-15 hours of fasting every day. That's just kind of how it works out.

Overall, I'm actually pretty happy with my food choices. The day before writing this I had: yogurt with blueberries, turkey and avocado sandwich, spinach/banana/mango/pineapple smoothie, some kind of turkey and veggie mixture for supper, and two glasses of wine at night (along with the tea and coffee and umpteen glasses of water during the day).

To be honest, I do have my weak moments though. If I start eating Tortilla chips I have a hard time stopping. Same with chocolate, cheese, and cookies (hmm, they all start with a "c"). I am at my worst when we visit my parents. I don't know how they've lived so long and stayed so healthy, because their house is full of the worst food choices. :) 

Anyway, I try not to be too much of a fanatic about food. I try to keep things as simple as I can, and the foods I eat seem to agree with my body well. I think that's what's most important. I prefer a rather bland diet, and foods I am familiar with. I also try to eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible, and water.

And that's about all there is to say about that!

Peace out; and in...

Muesli time

I have lately been on a Muesli kick. Muesli and yogurt, to be specific. I take it to work with me and have had it for breakfast every day for the past couple weeks.

I had never even heard of the stuff but one of my coworkers gave me some as a gag Christmas gift. It sat on the counter for almost a month and I finally decided to give it a try. I kind of like it! Though I have to add extra raisins or blueberries or something for flavor.

According to Wikipedia: "Muesli is a breakfast dish based on raw rolled oats and other ingredients like grains, fresh or dried fruits, seeds and nuts, that may be mixed with milk, soy milk, almond milk, other plant milks, yogurt, or fruit juice. Developed around 1900 by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital, muesli is available ready-made in a packaged dry form, or it can be made fresh."

I purchased the pictured 'Bob's Red Mill Old Country Style' at Fresh Thyme and just add a handful of extra raisins. I did not realize they have other flavors available too!

So far, the only way I've eaten it is with a glop of Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt. I toss it together in a plastic container and mix it as best I can with a spoon and simply eat it cold. It's quite filling. Hopefully it is also somewhat healthy, but I don't honestly know.

Anyway, I felt this new food source worth pointing out.

If you've got the time... they've got the breakfast. :)

Simple 7 smoothie challenge

I just completed the "Simple 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge." I do have to say, it was simple, and there were smoothies. I even liked it!

I can't remember why I was looking up smoothie recipes at work one day. I'd never had a smoothie before in my life that I know of. Anyway, I just wanted to learn how to make them. So, I went to Google and inquired. Geezaroo, there are a million books and websites on smoothies.

What I liked about the Simple 7 plan is... they not only give you the recipes for free, but the free guidebook packs helpful hints, measuring charts, the shopping list for everything you need, substitutes you can use, and there's a single sheet you can post on your refrigerator that has all 7 ingredients needed and what you need for a delicious smoothie each of the 7 days (below)!

They say it will boost your energy and help you lose pounds. I don't really even know if that's true. I haven't weighed myself in awhile, and my energy level has several minds of its own. Yet I did actually enjoy making a different flavored smoothie each day using only 7 ingredients for the entire week: Spinach, kale, bananas, oranges, mango, pineapple, and strawberries. You literally just need 7 ingredients... to blend 7 green smoothies... with just 7 minutes a day... for 7 straight days!

One thing I quickly learned was that it helps to blend each ingredient on its own. For instance, blend the spinach or kale with water first. Then blend in the next fruit. Then the next. And so on.

So, like I said, I don't know how much I may or may not have benefited health-wise, but it was a great intro to the smoothie world for me and I think I'm hooked! I look forward to experimenting with some other ingredients now. :)

A whole 30 (without drinking)

Jane and I (and daughter Carrie) did the 'Whole 30 Program' during the month of January. Jane and Carrie were likely pretty strict about it. I basically just ate whatever Jane prepared for me, so mine was probably more of a "modified" version. I still put an occasional honey and milk in my tea and had some non-fat Greek yogurt now and then. The big thing for me, though, was NO DRINKING OF ALCOHOL for the entire month! And, actually, it's been over a month since I've had a beer (I was taking daily shot(s) of whisky around Christmas-New Years while I was sick).

As far as the food part, I think the Whole 30 is pretty good (tasty). There aren't many things we have to do without as part of our daily diet, and you can eat as much as you want. So my/our diet doesn't change that much. Jane is great at making a variety of great-tasting meals - many of which she found in the whole 30 cookbook - and there was never any deprivation food-wise. I'm a big fan of veggies anyway!

Again, the biggest difference for me/us, was alcohol. Not that it should take a special meal program for us to change our drinking habits..... but it certainly doesn't hurt. We actually gave up drinking for Lent last year, and Jane did a whole 30 late last year as well (I did the eating part but didn't give up the drinking).

So, not only did I lose some weight this month (I'm down to 160 - could stand to lose another 5-10 lbs), but I feel great mentally and physically as well. I like not drinking. Not that I don't also like having an occasional beer, glass of wine, or nightly nip, but my mind simply works better when it's clear and I have more energy. I also tend to like myself more as a sober person.

I could probably go without alcohol altogether if not for the occasional social encounter. However, being someone who struggles with addictive behaviors, even social drinking is sometimes difficult for me. So I'm going to play this by ear for awhile. As of right now I have no desire to drink whatsoever.

So, that's that. I don't really know what I weighed at the start. I'd guess I maybe lost not quite 10 lbs - and over the holidays even - so I'm happy about that. 160 actually feels pretty good on me. I had to switch back to my 30x30 jeans (when I actually wear something other than sweat pants). I could live at this weight, but I could also still stand to get rid of the remaining ripple of this spare tire around my midsection. 150 is ideal; 155 is probably a little more realistic. We will see.

I guess I would consider myself a fan of the Whole 30. It doesn't seem like a diet at all to me (and maybe it's not), and the food is actually really good. And that's about all I know...

We've become poachers

We recently purchased this handy dandy egg poacher at Bed Bath & Beyond. Mmmmm. This was always my favorite way to eat eggs as a child. My mom had a poacher, and somehow she managed to cook them just long enough so the yoke didn't run but was still good.

I am yet to utilize the contraption myself, but Jane has been doing a mighty fine job of it. Apparently poached eggs are one of the healthiest ways to eat them, plus it's neater and cleaner with a poaching pan.

I will normally have 2 poached eggs and 1 piece of Zachariah bread (toasted) each morning for breakfast. Sometimes I'll have a couple slices of turkey bacon as well.

So... that's happening.

The cleanse

Jane and I just finished a 7-day modified candida cleanse. I got it from a friend (Justin Meier), and apparently this is his concoction. I think if you click and enlarge the pic above you'll be able to print it off and see the details. I'm not exactly sure how Justin arrived at these particulars, because if you google "candida cleanse" (or diet), there are a variety of ways to do it. Most I saw don't allow fruit, but his does. (Here is a "Candida Cleanse" website). At any rate, I guess candida is some kind of fungus or bacteria or something that grows in your stomach and isn't good to have too much of.

Justin's plan entailed making this super yummy vegetable-ish soup and eating at least 3 bowls of it each and every day of the cleanse. Then you ate the following on these days:

Day 1 - eat only fruits, all you want (no bananas). No juice.
Day 2 - Start the day with a baked sweet potato (the only thing you can add is oil and raw cinnamon). Then eat only vegetables, all you want (no starchy vegetables like corn).
Day 3 - eat only fruits and vegetables, and all you want (No starchy vegetables or bananas).
Day 4 - eat only bananas, milk, and unflavored Greek yogurt.
Day 5 - eat only tomatoes and proteins like fish, chicken, and turkey.
Day 6 - eat only proteins like fish, chicken, and turkey along with nonstarchy vegetables.
Day 7 - eat only fruits and vegetables.

Also, every day:
1. Before you eat anything, work up a sweat on an empty stomach.
2. Take a table spoon of organic apple cider vinegar.
3. Take an over the counter "live culture" probiotic.
4. Drink at least 8 - 8 oz. glasses of water with essential oil cinnamon or clove or a combination of both.

So, we did it, and it was rather difficult. We also didn't drink any caffienated coffee or alcohol. I drank a fair amount of green tea along with water though.

We both thought it sounded rather easy, since you could eat as much as you wanted, plus we usually eat fairly healthy anyway. Boy were we surprised. The first several days were pretty tough, and I'm not really sure what it was due to. And day 4 was the worst as far as the food we ate, but that actually seemed to be the turning point. I started to feel GREAT on day 4. I wasn't hungry anymore (too much), and I had so much more energy. On day 5 I felt a sense of clarity like I haven't felt in several years.

I ended up losing 8 1/2 pounds over the 7 days (171 to 163). I'd lost 6 by Thursday, and for some reason really slowed down at the end. I think I even gained weight on Sunday on just fruit and veggies. Still, I feel much better physically and mentally. It's probably hard to tell if it's from the cleanse or just from not drinking for a week though. At any rate, I'm glad I/we did it.

Some additional thoughts: I thought the soup was great! I love it. One thing I thought would happen, though, was that I would go to the bathroom more often (#2). Interestingly enough, that never really happened. In fact, it almost seemed like I went less.

Going forward I want to continue trying to eat healthy, and I'm also going to try to stop drinking alcohol. I'm shooting for staying dry until Jane's birthday (2/27), and maybe even through Lent. So we'll see.

All in all, I'd recommend this cleanse. It's not easy, but you don't have to starve yourself either. It's a good way to get off sugar (other than through fruit). I may try doing it every few months, or at least a couple times a year.

Work party

We had a work party last night at the Tucanos Brazilian Grill. I guess we had some gift cards for this place (one of our customers). Anyway, it was for employees only (no spouses), and there were only 8 of us there (2 opted out). It was still a fun time. And, I was actually surprised at how nice this place was! I'd never had any desire to go there since it opened, but it was good, and I left very stuffed and satisfied.

We met right after work - around 5:45ish. You simply pay $22.95 per person and then eat what you want. They have a huge salad bar with both cold and hot items, then you get a meat plate with some tongs. Different servers come around with these giant skewers of various kinds of meat - steak, chicken, seafood - and they cut off however much you want. I had heard that the portions were kind of small, but I had no problem with them. I don't think I could have eaten anymore. They also have a full bar (which the web menu fails to mention).

I tried to get a couple of the servers to say, "We have the meats!" - like the Arby's commercial - but they wouldn't do it. Tucanos really does have the meats though.

Anyway, as I said, I was pleasantly surprised. Kyle, Drew, Kendra, Colin, Michael, Thomas, John and I had a pretty swell time. I look forward to taking Jane back there sometime.

Where I'm at: food/eating

A typical lunch at work

In order to have a full week of these "where I'm at" posts, I wasn't sure what to include after running, church, coaching, and work. So I figured another important aspect of life for me - that I have some control over - is food. Today I will post some of the foods I typically eat.

I just downloaded a calorie-counting app on my phone (I think I prefer MyPlate over MyFitnessPal), so I've never really known where I was at in that regard. After 1 day of about 1400 calories - which included 2 beers and no running - I supposed I'd like to average somewhere around 1500 calories a day. I can usually do that pretty easily as long as I avoid beer and a random bag of chips or going out to eat. Every now and then I'll have a fail day, but for the most part, this is what I eat.

Morning:
- 2-3 cups of coffee (1/2 caff)
- either a 160 calorie Pure Protein shake, or a couple eggs (toast if I eat out)
- twice a week I meet people for breakfast and then have way more coffee
- Mid-morning I will have a hard-boiled egg, avocado half, or banana

Lunch:
- 160 calorie Pure Protein shake
- a handful of baby spinach, kale, lettuce or other green
- a handful of blueberries or some type of raw veggie
- *on Saturdays we usually go to a local eatery and have 2 eggs, sausage, fruit and wheat toast

Mid-afternoon:
- some type of raw veggies (radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery)
- maybe a piece of fruit (kiwi, banana) or avocado half, or handful of almonds

Supper:
- some type of meat (chicken, fish, beef)
- some type of veggie (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussell sprouts, etc)

Evening snack:
- usually some almonds and/or walnuts

I probably drink between 75-100 oz. of water per day. Sometimes I'll have some hot tea, or add some lemon to my water. As I said earlier, my main culprit is if I have beer, because I've lost a taste for lite beers so it can be a problem in more ways than one.

All in all I generally like my food choices. I eat fairly healthy and try to vary fruits and veggies from time to time. I don't really know what I would change. I like the things I eat, I rarely feel hungry at all, and other than the occasional binge when we eat out or I get a bag of chips, I'm pretty good with things for now.

Healthy eating

I've kind of been on a healthy eating kick lately. I've been trying to get plenty of protein, vegetables, and limit my sugar intake (thus the minimal fruit). Here is a rough list of my regular foods - at least during the week.

Breakfast -
- Eggs (scrambled or over-medium) & toast, if necessary
- If not eggs, it's probably a protein shake of some sort

Lunch -
- Raw Vegetables (usually an assortment of celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cucumber, "power greens" (spinach, chard, kale & mizuna)
- Protein of either a hard-boiled egg or almonds
- Possibly an avocado half
- Fruit - blueberries, and maybe a kiwi (with skin)

Supper -
Jane usually makes a scrumptious meal including a meat (beef, chicken or fish), and a vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussell sprouts, or something). Will will occasionally have a carb in pasta or something.

Night-time snack -
- Cup of hot water with honey and lemon
- Mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts)

Liquids -
- Coffee in the morning (2 cups unless I am meeting someone at a restaurant - then I have quite a few more)
- Hot green tea (most days I will have 2-4 cups at work; sometimes it's just hot lemon water)
- Water (I drink probably 80-100 ounces per day - and always at the beginning and end of each day)

Fort wayne food trucks "redeemer wednesday"

We wanted to get together with the grandkids (and their parents) for supper last night, and daughter Carrie suggested the "food truck thing" on Rudisill. We were okay with that, so we met them there.

Apparently every Wednesday night they have a "Food Truck Rally" at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Rudisill Blvd from 5-8 pm (they also have them at other locations on different nights). We found a parking spot along a side street. They also have a few available spots in the Redeemer parking lot. And... there are 6 or 7 of Fort Wayne's finest food trucks. It was pretty neat.

Most of them have their menu on a big board either on the ground or the side of their truck, and you just walk around and decide what you want to eat, then you can sit in the grass, in your car, or stand and eat in the parking lot. There was a nice little crowd of people, and of course some "unique characters," and we had a good ol' time. One guy had a huge St. Bernard dog - that ended up only being 11 months old! It was such a nice looking dog!

Anyway, we opted for the Brava's food truck (I had 2 Reggie Millers) and we found a spot in the grass to eat. The kids had a good time, and my hot dogs were fantastic! Some of the other trucks there were: PizzaBomba, Ragin Cajun, Spicer's, and... I can't recall the rest (apparently it varies).

In any event, I thought it was a splendid idea, and it's things like this that make me LOVE living in Fort Wayne! Way to go, Food Trucks! Although I kind of like the name "Redeemer Wednesday" myself (because it's at Redeemer...), I hope to go back regardless of what you call it. Highly recommended!

Turkey dinner, x-mas decoration, motorbike stuff

We had our Thanksgiving dinner last night. Jane (and Anna) made all the fixins... turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, noodles, green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry stuff, rolls, pumpkin pie, chocolate dessert, and Carrie brought her carrot casserole. Wow, I way over-ate. It was all fantastic though. We will most likely all have leftovers after church today ("all" meaning, us and the Feipel Five).

Jane also got our Christmas decorations out yesterday. Last year we left both trees together with the lights on and put them in the laundry room in the basement. So yesterday I just brought the one tree upstairs and put the other one in the downstairs living room. Jane and Anna hung the decorations, and Jane also put the lights on the two bushes outside. There are other various Christmas-y things throughout the house too.

I messed around with trying to winterize the motorcycle. At first I was going to drain the gas tank, but I eventually decided to just use that Sta-Bil gas treatment stuff. Of course, when I went to start the bike the battery was already dead. So I texted Dr. John and asked if I could come get the little trickle charger he told me I could have. I swung over and not only got that, but he also gave me the 3 motorcycle helmets he had left (including the one he was wearing when he totaled his Harley). It was kinda like Christmas!

So it felt like we got some stuff done yesterday. Although... I do still need to put the plastic on the inside of the living room windows upstairs. And some other stuff. Meh. I think now I will have some leftovers from last nights supper for breakfast, then it's off to church. I like going to church again. Most Sundays.

Detox cleanses

I ran across this site full of detox/cleanse plans. We are having our Thanksgiving supper tonight, so I may need one of these after that. :) I would like to try one someday. Not a seriously radical one, but something on the order of one of these...

• The 7 Day Detox Plan - http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/detox/plan.htm
• The 3 Day Clean-Food Detox Plan - http://life.gaiam.com/article/3-day-clean-food-detox-plan
• The Hallelujah Diet - http://www.myhdiet.com/what-is-the-hallelujah-diet/
• The Jay Robb Fruit-Flush 3 Day Detox - http://www.jayrobb.com/books/fruit-flush-diet-ebook.asp
• The Ultimate Tea Diet - http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Tea-Diet-Metabolism-Kick-Start/dp/0061441759

There ya go.

My new menu

I'm kind of a creature of habit when it comes to eating. I gave up on that last weight-loss diet awhile ago, and Jane and I have turned to more whole and - hopefully - healthy foods. This is my eating plan for most days (though it suffers pretty poorly on the weekends):

7am-ish -- Eggbeaters or the egg & bean burrito

11am-ish -- banana

1pm-ish -- lettuce, carrots, celery, tomato

3pm-ish -- rice & beans (or some such smallish portion)

5pm-ish -- an apple (usually a Gala if I can help it)

7pm-ish -- Jane usually makes a really good meal of some kind. All whole foods and such.

My biggest problem is, after I eat the meal, I seem to be the most hungry. We have some raw almonds to snack on. Sometimes I have a few too many though.

I basically only drink water throughout the day - always remembering to start my day and end my day with a big glass, and probably a gallon in between. I also have 2 cups of decaf coffee in the morning, and usually a large regular coffee for when I get to work.

Friday night to Sunday afternoon are usually the worst. We always go out to eat Friday night, and then again Saturday for lunch. Saturday night and Sunday lunch are kind of dependent on what else is going on.

Overall I feel pretty good about our eating right now though. Probably the worst thing I have is an occasional order of pancakes, or the breakfast potatoes at Spyro's. I will usually have a salad or something off the low-cal menu when we go out on Friday nights.

So, that's about it. It's amazing how much better real food does taste. Especially without the smoking. This is day 4, and so far, so good.

Egg and bean burrito

I've been making an egg and bean burrito for breakfast lately. I had been simply scrambling up some egg-beaters, but one day I wondered what it would be like if I added some beans to my eggs. Jane had mixed up a batch of assorted beans. Then I though, "Well, why not warm a tortilla shell and make it a burrito!?" I can't believe I actually thought of it all by myself. It tastes really good too.

So, I use those pre-measured cups of egg-beaters; dump it in my frying pan; add a few beans; and scramble it up. Then I heat the tortilla shell in the microwave for 10 seconds, dump the egg and bean combo into the shell, roll it up, and enjoy. It is very satisfying and a good way to boost my morning protein intake.