March 18

breakfast: toast with smoked mozzarella

lunch: steamed cauliflower, hummus, sauteed mustard greens

dinner: veggie burger, fries

workout: Callanetics 10/10

My stomach is getting smaller! I think the time off was just what my body needed to start losing inches again.

March 16

breakfast: apple, raw milk

lunch: tom kha vegetable, thai iced tea

dinner: broccoli soup with creme fraiche and toasted walnuts

workout: Callanetics 10/10

I feel so much better since I've started eating healthier again. It's amazing what a difference fruits and vegetables can make.

Errands galore

breakfast: vegetarian quesadilla loaded with zucchini, swiss chard, and tomatoes

lunch: black bean tamale

snack: strawberries

dinner: toast with stewed apricots

Organic strawberries appeared at the farmer's market today. Even though they're the first of the season, they still taste amazing. Whole Foods has been trying to sell some pretty pathetic mostly yellow organic strawberries for weeks (Haven't they ever heard of quality? Guess making a buck is more important than anything.). It's nice to finally see great produce and signs that spring is starting.

Spent the day running errands. About 8 hours of them. Crazy! Glad that today was a rest day for Callanetics. It was nice to just sit and doing nothing for a few minutes tonight.

Day 3 Complete

breakfast: granola with raisins

lunch: salad, hummus

dinner: fried egg, steamed broccoli

workout: Callanetics 10/10

3 days done! I've now done the minimum number of days in a row you're supposed to do when you take a week or more off from Callanetics. It's nice to be taking some time for myself again. Granted, there has been a moment when working out wasn't my first choice, but I'm glad I did it because the results are worth it.

Day 2 Complete

breakfast: buckwheat granola with raisins

lunch: roasted vegetables, Tuscan chard soup

dinner: broccoli soup with goat cheese and walnuts, sauteed apples

workout: Callanetics 10/10

2 days down! It feels great to be working out again. Callanetics is so nice and relaxing. I like that I can even do it at the end of the day and have no problems going to sleep.

Day 1 Complete

breakfast: protein drink - banana, raw milk, hemp seed, almonds, flax seed, carob

lunch: tuscan swiss chard soup

dinner: roasted vegetables with riccotta salata, scrambled egg

workout: Callanetics 10/10

One day of Callanetics and healthy eating done. It's kind of nice to think of it as being a third of the way to the finish line.

Let's Get Back on Track...

I have a confession to make. I've been really busy lately and I haven't been making my health a priority. I haven't been eating well. I haven't been working out. I've been lazy. I've been doing the "easy thing." That's not fair to me. I should place myself higher on my list of priorities - at the very top and no lower. After all, I'm stuck with me forever. The work going on in my life right now is only temporary. I'll always be around. If I keep putting myself last, I'll have to deal with the consequences. No one put me in this position but myself. No one can make the changes for me but me. No one is responsible for my health or body but me.

So I'm taking charge.

Starting today, I'm doing Callanetics for a minimum of 3 days in a row. Want to join me?

Starting today, I'm committing to eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Want to join me?

Today is a new day with no mistakes on it. Let's keep it that way.

What a Weird Day or Grocery Stores Giving Everything Away for Free

breakfast: raw buckwheat granola, raw milk

lunch: salad, gf margarita pizza

dinner: salad, english muffin with smoked mozzarella and fried egg

I went to the grocery store today. The teller was someone who's been there for ages. A friend of hers was in front of me. I noticed she was only ringing up about half of her friend's items. Kind of odd! I wasn't sure what was going on.

When it was my turn, she again missed a few things. Then she said the total was "$45.71. Wait, I forgot the two bottles of olive oil." They wouldn't scan so she keyed them in manually and said, "$45.71." The exact same amount. I told her the olive oil didn't go in. She said, "No, I got them." Okay, then. I just got over $30 off at the grocery store.

Now, the store didn't have one key item I needed so I went to another store to get it. I saw a couple of other things while I was there - shopping while hungry produces interesting purchases. When I went to check out, the same thing happened. This time I got about $5 off.

I guess money can come to you in some pretty unexpected ways.

February 10

breakfast: granola

lunch: portabello and chickpea tart, salad

dinner: peas, cabbage, macaroni and cheese

My results with Callanetics are slowing down. I know it's because I'm so close to my goal. How much is half a size really? However, I can see more toning going on so at least changes are still happening. Too bad clothing size isn't affected by whether your triceps are tightening up.

February 9

breakfast: raw cheese, apple

lunch: giant salad

dinner: raw milk

workout: Callanetics 10/10

I wasn't hungry for dinner. I've never had a salad fill me up so well before. Usually I'm hungry shortly after eating just a salad. Interesting change.

Danish

breakfast: pear, raw milk

lunch: mushroom and chickpea tart

dinner: broccoli, roasted turnips, kale with garlic, half cheese danish

I made danish for the first time today. I changed the recipe a lot - replacing the wheat flour, using maple syrup instead of sugar, cream cheese instead of ricotta - and they came out perfectly. They are so light, fluffy, and delicious. No one could tell they weren't made with wheat and sugar.

I'm so surprised how easy danish are to make. You'd think it's be this intense laborious process, but you just throw some ingredients together, chill them, roll out, chill, turn into danish, let rise, and bake. Most of your time is spent doing nothing. I think the total amount of labor involved is about 40 minutes and that's spread out over hours.

February 7

breakfast: quesadilla de maize queso frioles

lunch: falafel, hummus, baba ganoush

dinner: yogurt with dried apricots

My legs are feeling better today. It's so nice to be able to sit/stand/walk like a normal person again.

February 5

breakfast: granola, pear

lunch: kale and cannelini soup

dinner: egg burrito

It's so nice to have some rain. I think this is the first real rainstorm we've had. All of the other couple of days have been soft drizzles, but this is the nice pounding kind where you can actually hear the rain coming down as it hits the roof of the house. Does this mean that winter finally decided to start after groundhog day this year?

February 3

breakfast: quinoa flakes, raw milk

lunch: tempeh and vegetables in lemon-coconut sauce

dinner: bread with raw butter, apple, yogurt with dried apricots

Okay, that's a pretty strange dinner. But it's what I really, really wanted. And it tasted soooo good.

February 2

breakfast: apple, manchego

lunch: really bad Indian

dinner: tempeh and vegetables in a lemon-coconut sauce, chocolate bread and rice cake

workout: Callanetics 10/10

January 27

breakfast: oatmeal

lunch: yogurt with apricots, baby bok choy with garlic, rice

dinner: split pea soup, bread with raw butter

January 7

breakfast: gluten-free muffin, raw milk

lunch: stomach didn't feel well, so I didn't eat

dinner: lentil and farro soup

I skipped working out today. My stomach just isn't feeling right. Hopefully, it'll be back to normal soon.

I haven't really know what to write in these posts lately. Maybe something will come to me... If you have any ideas, let me know.

Perfecting Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free Muffins

breakfast: granola

lunch: salad, roasted cauliflower and potatoes

snack: muffin with raw butter

dinner: baked unstuffed shells, swiss chard, carrots

I think I've finally perfected a gluten-free/wheat-free muffin recipe. The key seems to be soaking the grains in either buttermilk or yogurt to soften them and bring out the flavor. It also has the added benefit of reducing phytic acid and increasing mineral absorption. This time I soaked them for 24 hours and they came so soft, tender and fluffy - just like the real thing.

January 26

breakfast: oatmeal

lunch: vegetable soup

snack: yogurt with dried apricots

dinner: cabbage, baked sweet potato

workout: Callanetics 10/10

January 5

breakfast: raw milk, apple

lunch: quinoa, cannelini beans, salad

dinner: lemon-herb tofu, roasted cauliflower and potatoes, garlic spinach

workout: Callanetics 10/10

This new year is flying. It's amazing how fast everything is going by. Do you remember how when you were growing up things just took forever? The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed to last for months. Now, it's just over before you know it.