Eat To Live & Live To Give

Now that I have cable again (uggh!) I've been bombarded with cheery commercials all promising unparalleled holiday joy. As a wise woman once sang, “I am a material girl” and it’s painfully obvious that I am “living in a material world”.

Every year we spend billions “making merry”. As a culture we tend to overdose on materialism. I think it's okay to enjoy the finer things in life, but in moderation. After all, what are we working for if not to be happy, enjoying food and gifts with our loved ones? 

With that being said, I still empathize with those that have grown disenchanted by the holidays, those that look around and see selfish, instant gratification-obsessed, unhappy people. So while I think nothing wrong with the enjoyment of giving and getting the material things in life, it’s no secret that for many people, the holidays have become the least wonderful time of the year.

First Compost

I know, I know... you are on the edge of your seat, waiting to hear all about my first compost!  Well I am happy to say the wait is over! Here it is! After weeks of researching and saving up my green food waste, I was ready to build my very own makeshift compost bin. Since I wasn’t sure which one to buy (there are several varieties) I decided to keep it simple and use a large, old, wooden planter I found in the backyard. I dug out the old potting soil, and got to work!

From Stir Crazy to Stir Fry: The Color Cure

Taste the rainbow. No. I'm not referring to skittles.

Amidst these April showers, and sometimes snow showers, I'm feeling a bit impatient for the season's transformation. I know summer is coming, and it will probably be hot as hell thanks to global warming, but honestly, if I wake up to one more cold, wet, white day, I might lose it.

Let's face it, we all need some color during these transitions. If not in the sunshine and blue sky, then at very least, on our plates. Which is why I've had a colorful week, food wise. I've indulged in everything from homemade turmeric and ginger spiced tea to brilliantly hued vegetable & tofu stir fry.

I don't know which was pleased more, my sense of taste or of sight.

The Sweet Life

As the flowers start to bloom and life begins to emerge anew, I can't help but feel the colorful spirit of spring sweetly singing to me. The song is for the future and for all the exciting possibilities that drift on the dawn of each new day.

But before I can look too far forward, I'll take a moment to look back, and at the here and now, to acknowledge the hustle and bustle foreshadowing future transformations.

With so much happening this last month, it was easy to stick to my goal of not eating meat, while indulging my senses in life and its endless array of flavors, textures & colors. Gurpreet and I took a three day trip to rural Watertown, NY situated on lake Ontario, just fifteen minutes from Canada! While we were there for an interview, we were pleasantly surprised by the mouthwatering culinary experience we shared at the rustic Cavallarios Cucina.

Replacing Meat With Life- and one courageous guppy! This is March So Far...

 

What you see before you is my breakfast, a bowl of oats and almonds with fresh blueberries and of course, milk. It was my first meal of Meatless March, and it was so good, I had it for breakfast the following Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

For the last week or so I've been keeping a food journal to chronical my month long journey. It's helping me to stay focused and make sure I'm getting all the nutrition I'll need without meat in my life. It's also proof incase someone asks.

So far I've consumed 3 veggie burgers with spinach & portabello mushroom, 6 eggs, potatoes, toast, broccoli, spinach & artichoke dip, calamari, more mushrooms and spinach, chard, baby kale, 7 bananas, 1 grilled cheese sandwich, one mini cupcake, talapia, red kale, quinoa, 1 spoonful of apple sauce, carrots with roasted potatoes, 1 slice of plain pizza, more kale, more talapia, and hell of a lot of bread. Oh, and two slices of my favorite chocolate mousse cake from Whole Foods (an early start to the birthday festivities). 

    My supper last Friday: talapia, quinoa, and fresh red kale. Bon appetit.

I might have missed a meal or two, but you get the idea. So far I have not craved meat, even last Sunday when my whole family enjoyed a grass fed, organic roast right in front of me. What can I say? I'm too busy tasting life I guess- I got two cavities filled, reunited with a long lost friend, went blonde, adopted and rehabilitated a dieing guppie and passed my road test at the ripe age of (almost) 29! Delicious. No, but in all seriousness, I honestly have not been tempted and I think it's owed to the fact that I am really inspired to become better and make a positive change, not to mention I just really love vegetables :)

   The newest addition to the family: Lil Guppreet, my new guppie!

                                    Who are these two trouble makers??? Together again!

One, not so tasty change I have noticed though, is that I've been feeling somewhat fatigued, just in the last day or two. A lot has been going on, so there's no reason to assume it's diet related; I have been living at different people's houses for the last 2-3 weeks, learning how to drive, and drinking a bit more moonshine than I probably ought to be (not before or during driving of course). Hopefully as life gets back to "normal" I'll regain my energy, but thanks to the food journal I've been keeping, I realized that regardless of my current happenings I do need to introduce more seeds, beans, and other legumes into my diet for optimal health. So stay tuned because Ill be researching the best vegetarian "meat replacements" and trying out some new recipes over the new few weeks!

Until then, enjoy the unseasonably and downright strange warm weather and as always, happy eating!

    Artichoke, spinach dip

       I bet you wish this was your breakfast: fried egg with portabella mushroom and spinach

From breakfast to blonde; beauty comes in all forms.

Shout out to my amazing hair stylist Jamielynn for this stunning work of art! I'm feeling lighter inside & out!

    My aunt and I found this little guy abandoned, freezing, starving, and choking from lack of oxygenated water! He was the lone survivor of 6 guppies all left in a dark basement for 1 month! But somehow he managed to survive- #revenantfish. But it is, after all, the season for us Pisces and what better way to celebrate that than by adopting a fish? After buying a new tank, water filter, heater, food, and all the other essentials, Guppreet is doing much better and finally eating! Tomorrow we will redecorate his tank and bring him a friend :) There's nothing like kindess to rekindle a life.

Happy Birthday to me! Finally, after two degrees, living nearly a decade of my life in Jersey, and traveling (some of) the world, I am a NYS licensed driver! And all before the age of 29! Life tastes pretty sweet :)