Sameness is the New Black

Before we get started, a couple of pictures from the St. George Trip:




OK...

The SCALE, weighs the WHALE, and it's HEL....(ping)
So I weighed in this morning... still 154. I say staying the same is a blessing/miracle(?) considering the road trip, and the 'food-like' products I ate at the Coral Canyon cafe Sunday. Forget the cupcakes...That 'turkey' wouldn't have even made the Oscar Mayer cut, and the veggies tasted like they had been shipped from the other side of the world...

When is a tomato not actually a tomato, you know?

Just Say No To Eating Things with a Face (unless it 'swims')
So the more I think about it, the more I am excited about my meat-free extravaganza (giving up things that walk for Lent). My friend Mel suggested I just stick to fish on the Maui trip, but I think I'll tweak my 'under the sea' clause to be more about eating sustainable and eco friendly varieties of the water dwellers.

Which leads me to another point -- there seems to be a little confusion out there about my foodstuff 'tweaks.' Remember how I said I am NOT on a DIET? Seriously. I am not at all interested in low-fat, low-calorie, calorie counting or processed wonder foods. I am eating for the sustainability of the planet...
(imagine me standing on a soap box now, with real patriotic music playing in the background so you get all emotional and moved)....
...To reduce my carbon footprint! To offer reverence to God's creation and the bounty of the land! To teach my child healthy eating habits and keep HFCS and chicken 'nuggets' out of his system for as long as possible!

Though yes, I'm thrilled that I'm able to lose weight and find some semblance of my former body in the process. Obviously I need to lose weight. But if I make that the focus, it won't be a lifestyle change/d... it will just help me get into a swimsuit (fabulous, yes. Noble? Not so much.)

Besides, I am much better about doing things for a cause, than just because I'll end up looking hotter: After Dub-ya declared war on/in Iraq, I started biking to work a few times a week. Not because I suddenly developed the much coveted 'exercise addiction' disease, but because I was worried about the political implications of oil, etc and my role by driving my car too much. (At the time I was convinced the Iraqi invasion was about oil, instead of say "W" getting back at Saddam for George Sr's sake and/or just the fact that Cheney's a psychopathic war-lord.)

PS. Just asked my husband if it was an understatement to say that about Cheney... he laughed. I don't know if that's a yes or a no?

The Dish on the Fish
So back to the whole fish thing: It is not exactly something I crave... "I'm a social salmon eater" mostly. It smells... well, fishy, you know?

Like at a wedding dinner, if the choice is steak or fish, I'll have the salmon. If the choice is steak or halibut, I'll stick to the baked potato. Really, I don't even like it that much, but the health benefits cannot be denied so yes, my guideline for eating the water dwellers is going to be environmental impact: the Monterey Bay Aquarium has great info (I used to carry their pocket guide in my purse as a quick reference guide in case of a surprise trip to Market Street.)

Maybe I'll partake in Hawaii...maybe not. But it looks like I'll be ok with Clam Chowder Fridays because pretty much all varieties are either marked "Best Choice" or "Good Alternative" by the aquarium. Phew. ;)

Seriously, we are going to save so much money NOT buying animals this month! (I'm sure Danny will load up at lunch and when we eat at our parents.) Just another little green money saving tip in case you're interested.

The Evening's Fare
We're off to a great start, tonight's dinner:

• More spinach salad: this one with apples, almonds, avocado, tomato, strawberries and a sprinkle of Parmesan with my red wine vinaigrette
• More stuffed peppers: Danny likes onions and peppers, and peppers can be stuffed with just about anything, so I enjoy making them. Tonight's fare included yellow and orange bell peppers filled with carrots, onions, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and an organic Harvest Medley of whole grain rice (CalMati Brown rice, Wild Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Heirloom Red Rice). Picked up the rice medley at Costco for a steal!
• Some "easy" rosemary whole grain flatbread from Bittman's "Food Matters" that did not turn out how I thought it was going to... so much for 'easy' right? I will keep practicing this one. The flavor was fine, but the presentation left a little to be desired.

I know we eat a lot of spinach...I'm stoked about growing my own in our garden this summer. In the meantime, we pick up the organic variety in bulk from Costco (not that organic is everything. I have been chastised by Bittman and Pollan about this point... hopefully more on that another day.) But the spinach thing...it's like the wonder food. Bittman says that Spinach has more than twice as much protein per calorie as a cheesburger?

Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal and a few slices of grapefruit. Fresh squeezed OJ
Lunch: small (lame) salad that was left over from Papa Johns in Saint George - a few olives, wilted lettuce, tomatoes and some moz cheese...but my homemade red wine vinegar dressing made it palatable
Snack: 4 delicious bites of homemade mint brownie; noshed on veggies as I made stuffed peppers for dinner, clementines to share with Holden, and more popcorn with a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt.
Dinner: I already told you about it up there. Sheesh!