PHBLOG! Last Day Best Day?

"If you believe, they put a man on the moon"
Just a random picture from our escapades at the Planetarium
(I mean, our OUT OF THIS WORLD ADVENTURE!)

As far as the title of the post, I can't really say BEST day, because I had enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie earlier this afternoon... But I am happy to say my little experiment (Eating Consciously - for my health and that of the planet, and recording every little detail for the blogosphere) has seemed to be very helpful for me. I think I will still weigh in on Tuesday (maybe even tomorrow?) for a natural close to the experiment, but I am definitely going to keep going with our conscious eating: thank you Misters Pollan and Bittman. It has been life changing for our family. (And on a more selfish and personal note: I wore the suit from our wedding dinner to church today -- haven't been able to fit into that for a while. And there was -- get this -- actually BREATHING room!)

Here's Why -or- What I've Learned:

• Spending a little more money, for better higher quality ingredients means I am more likely to use them (and surprisingly save me money in the long run. First, I don't want them to go to waste; and second, the less tweaking I have to do the food to enjoy it. Think caprese salad with vine ripened tomatoes, fresh water buffalo mozzarella, EVOO and fresh basil.)
• You can lose weight eating desserts, pizza AND bread -- but it just has to be done in moderation (and they really ought to be home made, from scratch and with as many whole grains as possible). We are primarily eating whole grain breads, pizza is home made and cookies are now a treat (eating one instead of six... unless you count that Superbowl Party, but I'm speaking overall.)
  
• Giving up processed food and meat is soooo worth the trade off for a little extra butter in homemade soups, fresh cookies from out of the oven, and REAL food made with REAL ingredients by REAL people (as opposed to food-like products, made in factories.)
• Cooking is a lot easier when you have loads of produce on hand (and spend a little time each week prepping. "Chop Chop")
• I really enjoy cooking. Who knew? And i can do it, pretty fast...without the help of a can of cream of mushroom soup. HA!
  
• Choosing into my health, my family and the environment has never tasted better.

Phblog:
A few apple slices to start the day (man I am not much of a breakfast eater. I have learned that too.) For lunch - Danny enjoyed the turkey-bacon BLTs last night, he asked for them again for lunch! So I enjoyed Whole gain bread with cream cheese, lettuce and guacamole (we ate the end of the tomatoes last night! Argh!) Some milk...And yes, I had that cookie I told you about; and for dinner I made whole wheat biscuits and butternut squash & carrot soup with a hint of tarragon: using the rest of the left over 'broccoli water', some EVOO, a teaspoon of butter and a dash of salt. (I usually use chicken stock in my soups, but the veggie water has been working out for us.)

Time to sign off. Thanks for being a part of my phblog.... the journey definitely continues.

Holden's Tricks (The Gorilla Makes an Appearance)

I told you I'd post the gorilla.
You may not think it's that great, but we think it's friggin' AWESOME!

Weekend Phblog:
Friday: Seriously "off day"... I think I had the 24-hr stomach flu. So the entire day's intake consisted of peppermint tea for breakfast, some other variety of herbal tea at the hair salon (gross), cream of asparagus soup, two pieces white bread and one bite of clementine. Saturday: Wild mushroom enchiladas at Z Tejas. We've had a gift card for a while, and hadn't used it yet. I really enjoyed the ancho-chili mole (pretty good stuff.) Holden loved my rice, the corn bread, and ate almost an entire bowl of guacamole. I felt like it was a big day for the entire Mangum clan, as I let Holden eat "Chain-Restaurant Food." For dinner I made (t)BLT's. Danny picked up some great whole grain bread, I had turkey bacon in the fridge and made sandwiches that rivaled any greasy spoon (but without the grease). We used cream cheese instead of mayo (not fans of mayo or miracle whip in this house), lettuce, tomato, avocado and Danny had the bacon (I opted out, of course). A little fresh made guac and a side of organic tortilla chips, glass of milk and we had an easy, breezy dinner in less than 20 minutes.

The "Nola"

Recipe Here if you don;t want to read my diatribe

In high school, most of my lunches were not spent in the Skyline cafeteria (or the West parking lot). No, I'd be noshing at my BFF's place: Tara Cook Smith (nee' Tara Jade Cook). Besides the delights of a PB&J with (shock me, shock me) WHITE Great Harvest bread, sometimes, in the Cook fridge you could find her mom's home made granola. It was fantastic - and I need to get her recipe.

Because I love 'the nola.'

And Danny loves the Nola too.

But it tends to be vastly overpriced... especially the artisan varieties. And I don't care much for Maltodextrin or Xanthan Gum these days.

So...PROJECT TIME!

Lets make some!!!

True, at our home there seems to be a constant give-and-take between me: trying to make things for Danny that he thinks taste as good as "Big Food" (eg. Papa Johns vs. from scratch whole wheat greek pizza), AND him: trying to find a way to diplomatically say: "Sure I enjoy vegan stuffed peppers, but not as much as a #6 at Wendys."

Apparently there's something to potassium citrate or glucono-delta lactone that he really enjoys? Both are 'ingredients' in his favorite from-the-package Sauerbraten gravy...I don't mix it with water for him. I also have yet to spend 3 - 10 days making Sauerbraten pot roast from scratch for him; so call me catty.

But despite what a nag I've become (not to mention how difficult I've become to live with in my 30s), I really do want to cook things he'll enjoy (and save the planet, and help him keep his boyish-figure). Plus, I've been searching for something easy (and healthy) to enjoy for breakfast; and you can only eat so many avocados and clementines off your child's high chair tray before you start to crave something more, you know?

There's the wheat waffle option, but spending just the 15 minutes means Holden's done before I've even started.

And true, depending on how you make the stuff (the nola, that is), it can be choc full of 'sugar' and calories (in the form of maple syrup or pure honey)...but I'll trade that out for lucky charms or honey nut cheerios any day! Besides, it's a great source of whole grains (oats, as long as you're using the real thing and not some stripped away quick-cook variety full of salt and additives)... and there's the all the nuts, seeds and fruit your little heart desires.

So enter my friend (who doesn't know I exist) Mark Bittman.
Thankfully a recipe similar to the one I used from "How To Cook Everything," can be found online at his blog.

So get some ingredients:

Oh, almost forgot! Bought these at Costco eons ago and they need to be put to good use:


Mix it all together (actually, just follow Bittman's instructions... they're genius but easy enough for a simpleton like moi)...


And get your Nola on.


(PS. Tara Jade, if you're out there: do have your mom's recipe?)


Phblog: Operation "Save the Planet and My Waist Line" Continues
Granola (of course) for breakfast with milk and a few apple slices. Bites of clementines off Holden's tray (will it ever stop?) A few bites of twice-baked potato filling (mushrooms, grilled onions, sour cream, cheese and S&P), a cup of my potato cheese soup & glass of milk. Green beans, 1 slice artisan multigrain whole wheat bread, 2 halves twice baked red potatoes, a few tastes of maple-apple chutney, 2 bites molasses cookie (mot really worth it), one of my chocolate cjip cookies (def worth it. I was feigning for something with chocolate.)

A Barefoot Contessa, but without the unidenim

So I tried another mile of the barefoot running today (avec socks), though on the recommendation of my cousin, I will try it with out socks later.

Unfortunately, my feet have not had a pedicure since I was pregnant...but this also means, fortunately, my feet can't really get worse.

However, I will say that the part of my body most affected from this is experiment has to be my calves. They haven't felt this sort of 'integration' since 2000; when I ditched sandal-like 'Simples' for 3 1/2-inch platform stilettos on a random four-day business trip to Texas. Running through airports and hustling down moving-sidewalks with your feet bound, and heels elevated for the first time in years, takes a toll.

But it's true what they say about Texas... everything is bigger. Even calf pain. ;)

Phblog
Oh my! This exercise of food logging is almost over. I think I will continue to log for my own personal records (at least through Lent), but I'll keep it in a notebook or something. No reason to continue to take up prime real-estate on the internet, right?

Breakfast:whole wheat waffles with maple syrup & peanut butter, glass of milk. A few bites of orange and clementine. Lunch: snagged a few veggies while I made lunch and worked on pasta primavera for dinner (yes, I used butter today instead of EVOO, but sometimes it's worth it!) From scratch potato cheeses soup (pat of butter, a few sliced onions, 4 red potatoes, veggie stalk-- from the blanched carrots & broccoli I made earlier this week--a bit of milk and some Colby Jack & Havarti cheeses, plus a little S&P). As far as soups go, it was pretty good -- especially with veg broth instead of chicken; and one bowl completely filled me up (well, that and the 1/2 slice of hearty whole wheat bread I made). See, I told you I wasn't on a diet! Snacks: I made granola from scratch today too (mostly like more on that tomorrow). So I tried out a cup with milk... Dinner: the Pasta Primavera - whole wheat spaghetti noodles as that was the only variety of whole wheat pasta we currently have on hand, with broccoli, carrots, red peppers, garlic, Parmesan and butter. If you're wondering why all the butter, I used less about 3 Tbs (between the pasta and the soup), and Danny's been enduring meat-free dinners for a while now, so a little animal fat goes a long way when it comes to taste. It was nice to indulge. Tomorrow, back to EVOO ... besides, margarine is the devil. But Butter? Butter just makes everything better. Snacks part II: I made oatmeal chocolate cookies tonight to take to some neighbors this week. I knew it would be bad (for me), because I always have to taste my cookie dough... and I did. And I lost count. I only had one cookie, but the cookie dough? Let's just call it this week's Warterloo.

Kinda Seriously Bummed (or not)

8:30 am
So, the scale was not my friend this morning... it said I had gained 1/2 a pound. (Heavy Sigh.) Sometimes that happens. But I was actually kind of excited to 'weigh in' because I sneaked-a-peak mid-week and the scale said 152. So I was pretty confident I had lost a couple of pounds. Oh well...over all, I'm still feeling ok about this journey.

I feel healthier, happier.
The planet is reaping the rewards, right?
My clothes fit better.
Danny says I'm 'wasting away' ... bless his soul, I married a good man.
And even my brother-in-law mentioned I looked like I had lost weight.

But the most important thing is that how I shop, cook and approach food overall is changing... and so I have to remind myself that is more important than 1/2 a pound.

(Reminding myself, reminding myself... hope it soaks in.)

12-something pm
Stupid dumb OCD-like tendencies. Had to weigh myself again...(just in case.) And HUZZAH! The scale said 152.5. Apparently water weight really does make a difference.

And yet few hours later...
I give up! I was convinced it would say 154 again, nope... dropped another pound. 151.5?!?? Maybe my scale's is protesting because I am bothering it too much. Aren't you supposed to be heavier in the afternoon than the morning? This is exactly the type of behavior I was trying to avoid. (Heavier sigh.)

Moving On
In other news, I tried barefoot running today (as part of my workout). Just a mile, that's all...on a treadmill. No shoes. Just socks. Cassandra thought I was crazy. But I think it might be the answer to the bone spur in my left heel AND my arthritic knee (at only 32! So sad!)

To get me inspired for my barefoot running adventures, I also tried to check out this book from the Library:
Must be a pretty great book. There's a 4-week wait at County library system, AND the City Library has 20 copies, but expects about the same wait time too.

Anyone checked it out? (Sure, pun intended.)

Spencer D. is right: I need a Kindle.


Phblog
Small bowl oatmeal with strawberries and whole milk. Apple, cheese, baked sweet potato, handful black olives, avocado, blanched carrots & broccoli, tapenade (I made from black olive, artichokes, EVOO dash of salt & ground pepper, about a tablespoon of onion in the food processor for deliciousness!) Home made Cheese (old standard) and Greek pizzas (new creation for us) for dinner. The Greek variety I made with Whole wheat (home made) crust - my tapenade, feta cheese, diced fresh tomatoes, grilled onions and fresh spinach.
I shouldn't have done this, but at 9 pm the cale says 152. I think I'm safe in saying I lost a couple of pounds this week.

Parties that are OUT OF THIS WORLD!

The Mangums have been party animals lately! Between Danny and Holden's birthdays earlier this month, a few dinner parties AND benefits/appreciation nights for the Planetarium and the Children's Museum (just got back this evening), our social calendar has been packed.

It's actually been wonderful. I feel like I'm finding a flow in motherhood... now that Holden's walking, and eating real food AND we've ditched the pump, I honestly feel like a new woman. (Not to mentionmy clothes are fitting better on this 'eating for the betterment of the planet-plan... so my spirits are a bit higher.)

So below are some pics from the Planetarium night.

Our Martian Chronicles

Max (nephew) on the Moon

Nitrogen Ice Cream!
Isn't Science Fabulous & Delicious?

The Happy Family by the fresh Doughnut Bite stand (oh, if I had one of those machines at my fingertips, it would be dangerous... like you're own private Krispy Creme Man... but without the silly hat.)

Phblog:
Yogurt, soy milk, and frozen fruit smoothie. A few bites of clementines & avocado; orange slices. A leftover whole grain stuffed pepper (mushrooms, carrots, spinach, whole grain rice, onions)... which Holden LOVED! Paired with spinach, strawberry, avocado and feta salad... a couple of rolls and some lettuce with 3 tomatoes at the Children's museum, and some 0 calorie sobe pear juice that I'd wished was plain water; vegetarian cafe rio salad without the chips on top and no beans (I really wished I like them, but ew...) tomatillo dressing, of course.

I am craving mint brownies right now, but I think I better stick to drinking more water.

Gimme Sum (of that Chinese New Year Splendor)

The happy couple... love the Buddha head!

So our friends Q & Christie hosted a Chinese New Year party on Saturday night.

Lameraux's & Danny

I was surprised because they (Q&Christie) are very conservative, and so I thought they would be against anything so RED. They did give Danny a copy of the Communist Manifesto; but it's not quite Mao's "Little Red Book." And Q went to hear Senator Hatch (R-UT) this weekend, so I'm pretty sure they're still in good standing with the GOP.

You've seen this one of Little Bits - an oldie, but a goodie... I can't believe a year ago he was this size!

But seriously, the party was awesome. Me looking awkward. Danny looking dazed...

We had a such a good time. It was also a "first" for the Mangum-clan, as we got a **babysitter outside of our parents to look after Holden as we partied.

**In the interest of full-disclosure, Q & Christie also happen to live in our basement, so the childcare provider we had was one of the neighborhood girls who played with him upstairs for an hour before we came and put him to bed and then just took the monitor downstairs while he slept. But still, it was a big deal for us....


But back to the party:

Q had been cooking since Friday, and the food was amazing.Q & Emily P. in the background

I can't remember the exact list of menu items... I ate a pot sticker (ate around the pork)... indulged in the rice and vegetarian dishes, and had my mouth on fire from a mixture of chili-sweet-and-sour sauce, peanut sauce and a 'fire dragon of a dipping sauce.'

Danny and Boyd P

Dessert I stole a few bites of the Rice Krispie treats Danny was noshing on (they had fruity pebbles in them. I kept thinking about Michael Pollan's "don't eat cereal that changes the color of your milk" rule. But I'm pretty sure everything about Rice Krispie treats are a no-no as far as he's concerned.) I had already ate a few servings of Chocolate-coconut bread pudding. (I had made this earlier Saturday to bring to the party.)

Please note the 'demon drink' you see in my hand from Christie's pictures is actually vanilla cream soda (I think Danny's is root beer). We're all a tee-totaling bunch.

The Stewarts

Since we're talking about food... I totally ate chicken yesterday. I didn't mean to. Remember, I gave up animal for Lent? It's just that I went to a baby shower; (loaded my plate with salad, had a roll with raspberry jam), and took a little spoonful of the Mormon rice & (chicken) chashew casserole. It wasn't until I was having a conversation about 'giving up animal for lent' with a neighbor that I made the connection.

There was CHICKEN in the Rice & Cashew CHICKEN casserole. (I know, DUH right?)

I rushed back to check the casserole and realized you couldn't even see the chicken in the dish... but I knew it was there. I had just completely spaced...forgot, and had probably swallowed 2 tablespoons of fowl! Please forgive me. I had just been all wrapped up in baby and neighborhood gossip and joy. It could happen to anyone.

(Phew, glad to have that off my chest.) The rest of the Food is below.




PS. On a separate note: Jason Chaffetz, please stop talking. You're embarrassing humanity (mostly Utah).

Weekend Food+Log (PhBlog)...
My guess is this is not a complete list (some was listed above). But I did horrible at writing things down, but I'll take a shot. In no particular order. Home made guac with tortilla chips and cheese, strawberries, (twice I had) pancakes with maple syrup, peanut butter, and apple sauce, cheese, mushroom soup, more salad like Friday night's, a giant white roll, sweet and russet mashed potatoes, orange juice, glasses of milk...I know I ate more than this.

No offense, but I am really looking forward to NOT posting how much dessert I eat on the weekends. I feel like it has helped me be more aware of what I eat... and it's certainly helping me make decisions about eating more consciously for my health AND the environment... but I feel like a good pattern has been set. So one more week, and then I am signing off. (Though I'm sure I'll still write about food occasionally... just not in this fashion.)

Stuffed! (Peppers that is...)

I had a request for my stuffed pepper recipe, and so I posted it here.

A few of my friends are doing a recipe club, and so I decided to use the blog for cataloging personal recipes too. (I hope they'll forgive me).

Not much to update on - except maybe that Holden tries to imitate Danny imitating a gorilla. It's kind of adorable. Maybe I'll get it on camera for you.

Also, remember when I tweeted about trying to do something nice for my husband but he called me a 'goth?' Well, it's time to come clean. I painted my nails blue, because it's a well known fact that he fantasizes about rocker-chicks from Hot Topic (remember the blue hair?) So I tried to live on the edge, and instead he said they looked black; and that I looked like a Goth and then mumbled something about listening to the Cure too much.

Curling is one of my favorite Olympic sports.

Phblog:
Some strawberries, avocado, asparagus, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, onions, red peppers, mushrooms, white bread with butter, wheat bread with applesauce, few bites of noddles with red sauce and a a shared piece of Biaggi's cheese pizza, penne pasta in a red cream sauce ginormous salad with all the fixins from above (except the strawberries) & vinaigrette, caprese salad and two glasses pomegranate Italian soda. Since I had the soda I opted out of dessert... which is saying a lot since dinner was Danny's Grandma's bday party and there were cupcakes, carrot cake and three different varieties of pie!

Yoga Is:

union * peace * serenity * standing on your head upside down* changing your vantage point * calm * what I do so I don't have to take Xanax * changing a diaper * waking up at 3 am because someone just needs you * love * falling in love, again, and again, and again * respecting your opinion, even though I disagree with it * bhakti * the rush from a first kiss * empowerment * surrender * breastfeeding * adoption * remembering God loves Charlton Heston too * letting go of attachment to your body * letting go to attachment of another * an oblio reunion tour * stuck in the mud * smelling the flowers * planting a garden * riding a roller coaster * being ok with aging * embracing differences * loving your neighbor * being free from the chains of addiction * baking a cake * seeing the sun dance * salutation * exclamation * reconnecting * movement & being moved* pitter patter of all kinds of feats * pinkie toes and nursery rhymes about piggies * a fresh ganesh * being teachable * breath * energy * prana * stillness * humility * laughter * friendship * getting the Led out * being an aunt * finding flow in motherhood * serving * honesty * union

What is yoga to you?

Phblog (just for 11 more days, can you believe it?):
strawberries & avocado for breakfast, leftover vegetable and thyme wholegrain soup for lunch with a spot of Parmesan, whole wheat bread (I made it today!!!), two glasses of milk,

Oh, and I realize that I was going to post if I worked out or not, but it's kind of been a non-issue, meaning: I've been getting in at least 5, sometimes 6, days a week of physical activity. I try to get to yoga class three times a week (between 60 - 90 minutes each time), and on the days I can't, I usually end up doing that Jillian Michaels '30 Day Shred' video... even though I think she's pretty much a product-whore. I've gone jogging a few times, but the weather and the inversion make it a little easier to chose indoor aerobic and strength activity. Just so you know...

**Update on dinner, we went to a benefit/appreciation thing for the Planetarium Thurs night, and the food was awesome. Thankfully all in the form of 'small bites'...so it was dinner, but in the appetizer mode. I had a little 2-bite veggie wrap with chili-pepper sauce, some crackers and cheese, a few veggies (asparagus, carrots, a tomoate with a moz) with a little ranch dip and washed it down with a glass of their mango lemonade. Dessert came in the form of freshly made on-site hot doughnut holes (worth the price of admission and the guilt) ... I had four of these little bite-sized delights with a little chocolate sauce and a single scoop of nitro-custard-cream with raspberry sauce (yes, ice cream made in front of you by pouring liquid nitrogen into a bowl and stirring the ingredients...it was cool to see science at work!)

Stuff That You Could Read...

I mean, if you're not too busy; or have something more important to do (like washing your hair, or saving the world)... you could read this post. Or not. I won't know either way because my google reader thing-y has been turned off for months.

So I only know if you stop by if you leave a comment, or put a post-it note on my front door (yeah, don't use the back door... I never check it for correspondence).


Alphabet Soup:

A) Mel's right - I need to drink more water. Oh and I've peppered in some pictures for good measure, even if they have nothing to do with anything... but honestly, how coherent are my posts anyway?

"Sassa" (aka Cassandra my older sister) & Me loving the red rock in SG

B) I totally pulled a 'super mom' move (see below) and unclogged our shower drain (pretty glamorous, eh?) Of course we needed a 'drano-free' option, so I consulted the world wide web. I remembered reading something about baking soda and vinegar (Danny was skeptical, as he usually is of my green weirdness)...but VIOLA! Erm, I mean: VOILA! We're now unclogged and still toxic-clog-fixing-chemical FREE (baking soda and vinegar are SOOOO not as scary to have in your cabinets as Drano, eh?) Try it sometime. Seriously, it's way cheaper and way good practice for that science fair volcano you'll be making someday with your little ones. And then you can feel like this:

C) Yoga Journal is my favorite mag. I like it even better than (the now defunct) George. And anyone that knows my passion for politics, knows that's saying something. It's like my yoga teacher said (paraphrased): when I read fashion magazines, I'm left feeling inadequate (not to mention having developed a serious false sense of NEED)...but when I read Yoga Journal, I feel inspired, empowered and peaceful. So if you're looking for some shanti or shakti, check it out. (I promise, you need not be able to balance on your head to enjoy.)

D) Speaking of yoga... Monday night I was in this burly and fierce Flow class. We were working our way into an arm balance and found ourselves in Vashistasana, again... (Remember, I had that dream I was 'doing it' and felt like I was floating?)

Anyway, we're moving, and flowing, and I feel this fire; and so I think "I'm just going to go for it." And tried this... Obviously, my take on the posture was not as divine as that picture, but I was shaking and aching and pushed to my limit. It felt great! And then I came out of the posture and had all of this anger. I mean literally: I was clenching my fists and my jaw and felt all this anger bubbling inside (and out!) of me. I think it was a good release, but also makes me wondering what I'm suppressing?

Holden and Mommy at the Children's Museum "Discovery Gateway" last week. He doesn't look it, but he was really happy.

E) In honor of the Chinese New Year, I thought you might enjoy these pictures of this WAY AWESOME home around the corner and down the street from our place in Saint George.

First it was this...

Then they added this...

F) A video of Holden being adorable and hitting on my friend Cassie's darling little girl Sophie at DG.

G) The PHBLOG continues. (You know, Food+ Blog= FBLOG... but I didn't want you to think I was cussing (Oh F!)... thus the "PH" ... so a spoonful of sugar, (just kidding) it was actually a spoonful of yogurt, a cup of strawberries, three pinches of shredded cheese, a carrot stick, 1.5 pieces of 9 grain bread, some avocado (of course), grapes, home made veggie and thyme soup (mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onions, left over whole grain rice from last night's concoction and a veggie broth); clementines, buttermilk au gratin potatoes, two glasses of milk, and some brownies (call it a day).

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!

A Case of the Mondays?

Actually, today has been a brilliant day -- a brilliant weekend actually. But as you may have noticed I have not kept good on my promise of the food journal. As I mentioned, we didn't bring the laptop to SGU, but I never finished writing that I ate a sugar cookie on Friday's trip, or that on drive down I felt really good about things because I had made spinach salads for us!

We usually stop off at some lame fast-food joint and eat 'potatoes' that aren't worth the animal fat their fried in. Like Michael Pollan says: "Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does."

I think Danny was a little bummed he missed an opportunity to 'suffer through' a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's, but I think he'll survive. (Maybe I should've put the orphan quotes around chicken instead - eh?)

Ok so down to business:

The Art of Eating A Cupcake (or two)
So yes, I made it to 25 Main. As I mentioned, on Saturday I had my Peanut Butter Chocolate divinity and relished every last bite of it. I actually brought it home, took it out of the box and cut it into six pieces so I would slow down and enjoy it. A little Winder Farms milk...perfection. We actually ate there this morning for breakfast (grilled 'panino' with spinach, artichokes, fontina cheese; some fruit to share with Holden, and grilled potatoes. Steamed milk with vanilla)... and we completed the trip with one more cupcake... that's two in a weekend. I think when I was pumping I would eat three a day on our St. George excursions. I don't think the two cupcakes are going to be THAT big of a deal for tomorrow's weigh in; but the Five Guys Fries, the Papa Murphy's pizza, sugar cookies and eating out on Sunday will tip the scales... literally.

PS. Great to run into you at the joint Jo. Congrats on the wedding!



Giving Up the Animal
So I'm thinking of giving up Animal for Lent... obviously not becoming a vegan or anything; I think I am still going to eat cheese, drink a little milk, indulge in some ice cream occasionally. But I feel like there are so many positive reasons to do this. (*According to a United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization Report - global livestock production is responsible for about one-fifth of all greenhouse gases -- more than transportation.) But I'm wondering if I can 'do this' until Easter. We're going to Maui for my sister-in-law's wedding...isn't it like required to eat fish when you're in Hawaii? So maybe I'll give up eating animals that walk. I'm also going to throw in shrimp, crustaceans and the like because after reading about the degredation to Thailand, I can't eat them in good conscience either.



A (not-so) New, Pop Secret
Let's shift to something I am going to eat. POPCORN! We haven't been much into "POPCORN!" (can't say it without getting excited) at the Mangum (Suite-Mangum) casa. It's not that I don't like it. Oh, quite the contrary. I think POPCORN! is a delightful treat... but I don't have a popcorn popper; making it over the stove with oil makes me anxious with Little Bits at my feet, and the stuff you buy in bags for the microwave is full of crap. Enter my best friend in food (he doesn't know it yet, but I'm a big fan!) Mark Bittman tells us all it takes is a brown bag, a microwave and some kernels! (I'm not usually a fan of microwave cooking, but this little secret is too good to pass up.




Other food from today I ought to tell you I ate:
Two pieces of Papa Murphy's pineapple pizza-POPCORN! w/ salt and a hint of olive oil- some oranges slices...





*From Mark Bittman's 'Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating.'

Saint George Serenity

OK, I am behind on the food log. I know it. We're in SG and I have been jotting notes on paper because I left the laptop in SLC so this is on borrowed time.

So here's the food log.

We're running on Cassandra Suite-SMith time and activity agenda; so while I didn't work out today, between hiking, volleyball, playgrounds, etc. I'm feeling pretty good.

But today -

Whole Wheat waffles with a little splash of peanut butter. (I wanted some smuckers jam, but looked and the ingredients and there's high fructose corn syrup... whatever happened to 'with a name like smuckers it has to be good?'

Lunch - Spinach salad with a few bites of grilled chicken, a bite of Danny's pizza, and a sugar cookie... a piece here and piece there. Whole wheat tortilla with melted colby jack cheese; and some Winder Farms milk.

Snack-

Orange

Dinner we went to Five Guys. Yeah, I'm not really doing the meat thing; but the bun loaded with veggies -- grilled onions and mushrooms especially was great. And I love their fries. Yes, I had fries. Remember I'm not on a diet... I've just given up HFCS and preservatives mostly.

And I indulged in a 25 Main cupcake... just one. A small yet GREAT feat for yours truly. I ordered ONE peanut butter chocolate cupcake and waited to partake until I was home with milk.

Saint George is perfect.

Nothing Says Friendship Like Elephant Poop

Have you mastered the art of gift giving? Not me.

Yes I try to give gifts that are thoughtful, and personal... but sometimes I just fall way short and end up hitting up bath & Body Works for the scented lotion bit you know?

But my friends Marissa.... and Brandi... have mastered the art.

For Holden's Baby shower, (among other things) they gave him a picture book of Andy Warhol animal renderings.

They know me.
They know my likes.
They embrace my eccentricities.

On Wednesday they hit the nail on the head with a paperbox from here:
www.poopoopaper.com.

That's right, they gave Holden (and me) a box and paper made from recycled animal poop. To celebrate Holden's birthday and my 'accomplishment' of making it through the first year of Mommydom (or maybe it was my part time stint as a Winder Dairy cow.) Either way, it was the perfect gift.

Sure, it may sound odd to you...poop as a present.

But consider the following:

• It had a mommy and baby elephant on the front
• It matches the light green of Holden's nursery.
• Totally eco friendly and made from recycled products
  
• Everyone knows Holden and I love Ganesh
  
• Not to mention that first time elephant mommies can be very awkward with their babies and depending on [the mommy's] experience can play a role in hindering the baby from feeding (ugh! The nursing drama!!!).
  

Sounds pretty perfect, eh?

Totally thoughtful.
Completely perfect.

Danny couldn't believe how much I loved it. He said that next time he needed to get me a gift he was going to remember how much I 'liked crap.'

Not "crap" Danny...elephant poop. Big difference.


Food
Breakfast a few wheat waffle 'hearts' w/ maple syrup and a glass of OJ. Yes, I know Pollan says not to drink your fruits and veggies.

Cupcake Town USA

We're heading to Saint George today. That means CUPCAKES! Oh 25 Main, I will try and practice a little bit of self-restraint, but your Chocolate Peanut Butter variety is my favorite dessert in the world -- (I think.)

Wish I had your secret recipe. But in the meantime, I'll stick with Mark Bittman's Golden Cake Recipe. Holden seemed to like it...even if he didn't smash it in his face (see yesterday's movie.)


A little sample from the cupcakes I made for Holden's party. Remember how excited I was for the India Tree cake decorations? Well, I think the sprinkles I got from Spoons N' Spice turned out great (and they taste delicious.)

I know I'm supposed to be eating healthy, but even Pollan says you should break the rules once in a while...


Food
Breakfast - just a few bites of pineapple and grapes, and some pieces of left over avocado from Holden's tray (I did not do well eating a real meal or 'eating at the table' for breakfast). Lunch was at my moms. She had left over stuffed turkey peppers that were even better than mine, and some veggie chicken soup. Also a few carrot sticks. Totally wanted to indulge in one of my sister's home made snicker doodles, but passed. Dinner -- back to my mom's (so nice to have home made food!)- she had made grilled chicken, veggie/tomato sauce and angel hair pasta. Side of broccoli...(Hmmm, no "H" in broccoli? Missed that one.) Holden LOVED the little trees. And serious treat tonight -- sugar cookie from Danny's mom as a valentine present. How could I not partake? :)

I want, I want, I want...

I want to be the person that sends thank you notes on time.
(Actually), I want to be the person that writes thank you notes on paper, and not just in my head.
I want to be gracious.
I want to spend less, but give more.
I want to be more patient.
I want to do the splits.
I want my eyebrows to grow back in and look normal.
I want to get a brow wax.
I want to educate without sounding dogmatic.
I want to learn more.
I want to look good in a swim suit, and believe it.
I want to stand on my head. (Hmmm, maybe I'll do that now.)
I want clean cabinets and bathrooms.
I want my electrical rewired. (In my home, not necessarily me personally or philosophically.)

Also, I don't think the 'chocolate cake the size of the world' I've wished for every year at my birthday, since I could make a wish, is actually going to bring world peace. Bummer.

Speaking of cake, a couple of minutes of Holden eating his birthday cupcake. We thought he'd get all crazy (not so much)... apparently that's reserved for beets, avocado and yogurt.

Food Log
Breakfast-Glass of milk and whole wheat waffles with syrup and peanut butter. I just used some of yesterday's batter. Lunch 1/2 leftover stuffed pepper and a small twice baked potato (I will be sad when all the left overs are gone). Spinach salad w/ avocado, and a bunch of other veggies I forgot to write down (I also had this salad around 4). Dinner: wheat tortilla with a bit of chicken, Parmesan, sour cream and pico. I'm sure I had a few bites of something else (most likely fruit off of Holden's tray.) But I didn't write it down and it's late. I am not withholding information on purpose... my brain just feels lik mush.

154

So is it a coincidence that my weigh in is the same as Biggest Loser weigh in? Maybe, but mostly I just wanted a recovery time from the water weight of Sunday sugar overdoses.

So...drum roll puh-lease.
Two pounds...that's what I lost last week. My new Magic Number is 154...(not so magic, is it?) But I'll take two pounds. Sure, with two birthday's the first week of the month AND a Superbowl party; two pounds is worth being happy about.

Below, Danny and I all 'gussied' up for his Birthday Date Night (2/5/10). His little sister was kind enough to come over and do my eye makeup... pretty sassy, eh?

The Day, The Food, The Confessions:
Breakfast: 2 dollar Whole Wheat Pancakes with real maple syrup (not that fake high fructose corn syrup crap) with a glass of fresh squeezed Orange juice with water. Snacks: Bites of cheese and fruit from Holden's high chair (I always seem to steal a few bites here and there of his fruit while I'm cutting it up). Lunch: Twice Baked potato (I made these for lunch with small russet potatoes,tweaking the recipe to include grilled mushrooms & onions instead of a ton of cheese and butter...still used some sour cream, cheese and a small pat of butter.) Spinach salad (yet again) with apples, red grapes, avocado and the end of the blush wine vinaigrette. I'm going to try and make my own variety instead. Afternoon Snack: 4 bites plain baked potato Dinner: Twice baked potato and 1/2 an avocado Luxury: 3 bites homemade chocolate mint brownie

In other news... it really perturbs me that our state legislature wastes it's time with THIS. Especially when most car accidents happen well within that parameter. Seriously Utah Congress? I am so over you.

Thought you might enjoy this video of my son walking, 'talking' (not doing yoga...) and then attacking me vociferously.

Also, I posted a link earlier in the blog, but Holden's Bday Party Pictures are loaded here.

Just another Manic Monday

Are you singing the Bangles in your head right now?
Wish it was Sunday.
Just wondering.
Cause that's my fun-day.
I was trying to come up with a catchy title to say "more randoms,"
It's an 'I don't have to run day.'
But I lacked the creative fortitude to do it.

So let's just get to the matter at hand:

Way to go Kim Kardashian and the entire city of New Orleans. Superbowl Champs. I thought God would be on your side because you know: "Saints" and all. Which makes me wonder, if Utah ever gets a NFL team, do you think we'd be the Latter-Day-Saints?

My heart goes out to Peyton Manning, because I adore him. (His rookie season coincided with my time in Indiana.) So I was pretty much cheering for whomever was on offense. But I do think it's a great win for Who Dat Nation.

Next:
Last night I had a dream I was trying out for a volleyball team, but we had to 'do' yoga. So I got into this really juicy Vashistansa, and I felt like I was going to float off of my grounded left-hand... I mean, I felt so light. It seems counter intuitive right? Don't get me... ok, try to do it, right now, on your living room floor. Who ever feels like floating in this pose?


Also:
I felt so nasty this morning after last night's cookie-fest and sugar-splurge, that all my system could tolerate for breakfast was a spot of cheese and peppermint tea (I had one bite of of Holden's fuit this morning, but it was way to sweet). I feel like I'm back on the wagon...for today at least.


Furthermore:
Holden and I went for a jog this morning... yes I put my son in a stroller, he did fine. He actually seemed to enjoy banging his feet against the back panel of the push chair. But our little 25 minute jaunt, seemed much more tiresome than that 5k from last month. Maybe it was the extra 23 lbs I was pushing. Maybe it's that you can't walk a block in my neighborhood without finding a hill, or 20! Maybe it's the elevation? Maybe I lacked the endorphin rush that comes with an actual race..I just know I didn't plod as far or as long today and it seemed a lot harder than the 5k. I don't know why I'm telling you (maybe just so my friend Em knows I've 'started'... sort of.)


Additionally:
I never learned the proper or correct way to type. That is why so many of my entries that are suppose to include apostrophes (') have semicolons (;) instead. They're right next to each other on the key board, and I am usually using my middle finger to hit the key (and my middle finger usually doesn't make it over.) I just thought you should know why that's my number one typo.


Finally:
Besides the aforementioned breakfast, today's victuals included...
Snacks: grated colby jack cheese, 1 spoonful of yogurt I did not enjoy, bits of avocado and a taste of peppers as I was preparing dinner.
Dinner was actually quite a delight-
Spinach salad with grapefruit, avocado, yellow bell peppers, a hint of shredded colby jack cheese, blush wine vinaigrette dressing and fresh mushrooms.
-Then-
"Meat"loaf Peppers: Red peppers stuffed with ground turkey (hormone free, of course!) and fresh onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. It was pretty good...would've been better with homemade chili sauce, but I have used up the last of our canned deliciousness, and it's probably better for us to do without the extra sugar, anyway. Also, I ate just over 1/2 of mine, so now I have something easy for lunch tomorrow. Holden even enjoyed his (sans pepper shell, of course.)
Oh, and I made white grape juice to go with dinner. I had some green grapes (from the co-op) that were about to call it quits --some already had-- so I found a recipe and improvised. Better than Welch;s if you ask me... curse you semi-colon!


Almost Forgot:
And if you're interested, my friend Christie took these of our front yard the other night. On a separate but similar note, we always get hunters parking in front of our home scoping out their prey. Apparently we've got a great view of the ridge line so they can track the deer's movements or something. I'm thinking of posting a sign out front because they all give me the willies:

Thank you for not stalking Bambi or his mom from our front yard. -Management

Thoughts?

Don't waste your time reading this.

My day - no breakfast or lunch (for religious reasons, not because I was saving calories) and then a Super Bowl Party (which also happens to be Danny's family bday party):

salad with baslsamic dressing
fruit - pineapple, mangoes, red & green grapes...
veggies & dip, roasted red pepper hummus
chips and tomato salsa
chips and mango-blueberry salsa
chips and spinach artichoke dip
more chips, just chips for chips' sake

cookies (lots of cookies, an embarrassing amount of cookies):
-4 oatmeal butter scotch
-3 granite bakery sugar cookies

Texas sheet cake
milk

I feel ill. And ashamed. Seriously, I told you NOT to read this.

Wondering why I posted my binge (without the purge)?

I should be skinny by now, right?

So it's been almost a week since I started our "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." experiment in lifestyle change at the Mangum-(suite-)Mangum household. Danny has taken to eating animal for lunch, and 'suffering' through peppers stuffed with rice & veggies and salads in the evenings.

Of course, it's been like six days (and I worked out every day this week), so I was obviously thinking I should be 10 lbs thinner AND have a six-pack by now. Ok, maybe not washboard abs, but at least the spare tire should be gone... right?

Except it's not.
And it NEVER works that way, does it?

Things I'm Feeling Good About:

• Working out everyday (bless and curse you Jillian), and getting to two yoga classes this week, is really the best 'fitness' week I've had since Holden was born (yes, that's more than a year.)
  
• That I have done a pretty stellar job trying to eat 'food' all week. I know that sounds counter intuitive, but cooking more meals at home, and not taking short cuts with food-like-products (like a protein shake for example, no preservatives, etc), I can tell a huge difference in how I feel.
  
• And we've definitely been eating Mostly Plants -- just ask Danny.
  
• And with the exception of last night's date night pizza, food portions have been more on target for a healthy lifestyle.

I could've done (or do) better with:

• It seems like I've totally cut back on treats, but my food may look like I haven't given up much. (Monday's cookie, Thursday's lime decadence by Cassandra and last night's gellato.) But when you can tear up 1/2 dozen cupcakes (or more) in a weekend, apparently three treats in six days is something to feel good about.
  
• I definitely need to be drinking more water.

I'm sure some of you may be wondering about my 'protein' intake, but I was a vegetarian for more than 10 years and vegan for part of college... all whilst I was a collegiate athlete (volleyball, thank you for asking).

As such, I'm not too worried about it, because lately I have tons more energy than usual and feel the best I've felt physically since before I was pregnant. Besides protein...like fat and carbs and whatever else is "in" or "taboo" with 'Nutrionism' seems to sneak in here and there when you don't even realize it.

This experiment of ours (ok mine), that I am forcing on my family because I am the one that shops and cooks, is about more than just losing weight though. It's also about the impact that we have on the world because of our food choices.

We're not perfect all of the time, but we're trying... most of the time. And who knows, maybe we'll end up with smokin' bods because of it!!!

Food Diary
Potatoes with onion, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and avocado. Ginormous salad with cucumbers, red bell pepppers, carrots, avocado, spinach and goat cheese with raspberry vinaigrette. Bites of mango and blueberries whilst I was chopping up ingredients for Superbowl blueberry mango salsa. Six organic tortilla chips (organic-schmanic...they're still junk food, eh?) (Hormone free) chicken fajitas for dinner with golden onions, yellow and orange bell peppers, guacamole with pico, colby jack cheese and sour cream. Grapefruit.

I am looking forward to enjoying treats tomorrow for Superbowl Sunday. Finally my dang sugar cookie (and then some)!

The Best Post In the World (a tribute)

This is not, the best post in the world... this is just a tribute (to Danny).

"Don't you think I was made for you? I feel like you had me ordered -- and I was delivered to you -- to be worn -- I want you to wear me, like a watch--charm or a button hole bouquet--to the world. "
-Zelda Sayre to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Spring 1919

As far as wordsmiths are concerned, I can't compete with "Mr. F" ... but in this case, I don't think it's a matter of me being made for you. But I think you were made for me. Because the truth is, Cher Danny, you could've made a million women in the universe happy, but you were the ONLY one for me.

Who else could put up with my 'stuff?'

Thank you for being my companion, my best friend, an active and engaged father, a role model, a yoga partner (even begrudgingly), a provider and my one true love. I hope your day is epic.




Happy Birthday Modest Mouse.


Food Diary
I did not do very well documenting, so I probably missed a few bites of something here or there, but Holden mostly ate oranges and avocados today and we are out of snack foods...so I'm mostly eating a bite here or there while I prepare our food.

Breakfast - Made Bob's Red Mill oatmeal and it was not good at all (poured the milk in so the milk was warm and the oats were totally uncooked. It was like warm granola with no sugar or flavoring - ew. So I snagged some of Holden's clementines, started on a glass of milk, didn't finish and settled for an apple and some cheese slices.

Lunch- Ginormous salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing: lettuce, spinach, red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms (and get this - no cheese!)

Dinner Danny's birthday dinner at Settebello. So worth the extra calories!!!!
I got (and devoured) the Margherita Pizza with Crushed Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Basil, Parmigiano Reggiano and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We also shared a salad with Mixed Greens, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Artichoke Hearts, Fresh Tomatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Kalamata Olives and Pine Nuts. We finished off with a shared serving of coconut gellato.

Everyone Wants to Be Me

So what's up with that chick from "Seriously So Blessed" blogstalking me? Don't believe me?

OK, I draw the court's attention to the following evidence:

Exhibit A: Her sudden interest in Infant Pottying.

Exhibit B: Tuesday's post!!!

It's like she reads my posts and then finds fodder for her latest satirical tirade...oh, what's that? She's mocking me?

...Oh, wait, not me "personally" you say, just the blogs like mine?

Oh well. "Hmph"... there's strength in numbers.

***
In other news - Danny's b-day tomorrow. It's birthday (grand) central station at the Mangum casa.

Danny & Little Bits from our trip to Boston last Fall

The Food Diary
Remind me why I'm doing this?
breakfast
carrot apple muffin (yes, oat bran and homemade by my mother, mama suite), a pear, a glass of milk and a slice of cheese

Snax
other 1/2 of holden's muffin from breakfast... is that like you eat fat you are fat... you eat muffins, more muffin topping in your fancy pants?

lunch
I kept forgetting to eat lunch (not good)... so I snacked on a few bits of cheese, some grapes I was feeding Holden, a piece of white cinnamon bread (naughty, naughty) and then finally around 3 o'clock I ate some tomatoes with goat cheese, olive oil and a little S&P. I need to do better tomorrow.

dinner
We've been joining Danny's family for dinner on Thurs. Danny's mom is so sweet to feed us. She tends Holden while I teach yoga from 4:30 - 5:30. So I had one (yes, one...I practiced self restraint) chicken fajita but with the fixin's: tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, guac and salsa. And of course, some chips (maybe 7?) and guacamole before dinner. And some delicious lime cheesecake concoction my sister Cassandra made... just a few bites. I didn;t feel as guilty about this as the cinnamon bread. :)

Late night snack at 10:30 - a clementine (though I was totally craving something starchy and carblicious.)