Healthy Foods

Thoughts on Food:

Part of my thought process lately has encouraged me to incorporate more healthy foods into my diet, focusing on organic and local produce, bulk foods (although I haven't officially bought anything bulk yet since I've been going through what we currently have first), other organic food (chicken, tofu, etc), etc. So I thought I'd share some pictures of meals I've made using fresher ingredients that don't take a lot of time (all of these are compiled of things I've made ahead of time so I can put them together and have a meal ready within 15-30 minutes). I've had to be creative about preparing foods with my schedule!


This is my cannellini bean stuff (I don't know what to call it - succotash maybe?) on top of oven-baked brown rice (see link for recipe) and sprinkled with cheddar cheese. I ate it with some whole wheat pita - I love it!

The mixture is Canellini beans (white kidney beans), sweet yellow corn, a little bit of sliced onion, sliced olives, some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), a splash of sweet wine (juice would also work), salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and maybe some other spices I don't remember (you can put in whatever you like - I just tasted it as I went).




A polenta (see link for recipe) bake in foil (single person dinner size - Nathan was out with friends). I layered slices of leftover cooked polenta in the pan with drizzles of EVOO, salt & pepper, sprinkles of mozzarella in between the layers and topped it with splendido tomato halves, peas and mozzarella




Lastly, a hummus sandwich! I used pre-made hummus, but I just looked up a recipe for hummus, so I want to make it myself soon (it looks pretty easy) from bulk chickpeas. I also put tomato and cheddar cheese inside with organic red leaf lettuce from the Isla Vista co-op. The bread is sprouted wheat berry from Trader Joe's. I like to toast it a little before using it (even for PB&J) because it brings out the flavor more.



What's funny is that I've been noticing that a LOT of my easy prep meals lately have been vegetarian, and could even be slightly modified to be vegan. And I'm not really missing meat that much, although I do still really like it (the fresh organic chicken I recently got from Trader Joe's was REALLY good).

What do you really like that is healthy, whole food, organic, etc? I'd love to get more ideas!

Not Dieting and an FO

Lately I've been researching and starting to put my hands and feet where my mouth is (more like where my brain is...I don't really talk about this stuff much, but it's been niggling the back of my mind for a long time) and simplify my ways of living, and start being conscientious about what my money supports (fair trade? sweat shops? local business and farms? the environment?) in terms of regular living (produce, groceries, cleaning supplies, clothes, amenities, etc), stuff I waste (electricity, plastic bags, paper packaging) and so on.

One natural outcome of this has been that it's encouraged me to be more resolute in eating healthier as well. If you are trying to eat organic, locally grown, and bulk foods, it's going to be a lot easier if you're eating healthier!

Honestly, I feel more FREE not worrying about tracking points, or counting calories, or specifically limiting certain foods, or whatever. I don't want to diet the rest of my life...I just want to be HEALTHIER, even if it means not losing weight as fast (although I have started losing weight again! Yay!). I don't want to be scared, or feel guilty about, eating something I enjoy either (like CHOCOLATE!). But when I'm generally eating healthier, I do notice I don't crave junk as much.

Anyway, Crazy Aunt Purl Posted today about this same subject of "Not Dieting" and I just love this quote. It put into words what I've been feeling lately:

"Sometimes it feels INSANE to trust myself enough to pick out my own foods without a diet telling me how. It feels CRAZY to let loose and give up dieting forever and just eat whole, nutritious food and once in a blue moon have a piece of warm sourdough bread straight from the oven."

Yay for not dieting! And for being healthy!

Lastly, I have an FO! Yippee Skippee! I haven't really worked on anything since I finished this Sunday, but I'm almost done with the crocheted bag. Only the last couple inches on the handle and doing the finishing and I can add that one to the FOs.

I made up this pattern as I went, and I like how it looks and how nubbly it is for scrubbing. I plan on making more for various cleaning purposes (I might crochet rather than knit, though) and also create some other house and body cleaning tools (I'm thinking of trying to make a cotton version of a shower poof). What I like about these things is that they are both reusable and WASHABLE, so they are more likely to be sanitary and also more likely to last longer.

So, here's my little dish washcloth: