Winter Rainbows

I got really excited in the produce department the other day.  Even though it's fall almost winter and it's actually been chilly, the produce department was a bright kaleidoscope of interesting fruits and vegetables.

I like the idea of winter vegetables more than the reality.  I don't know what to do with some of these things.  But they are pretty.  And so last week, I decided to roast a bunch of pretty colored winter vegetables.

I got rutabaga (like, what's that about?), pumpkin (not in a can and not for decoration), acorn squash, and potatoes.  But not just any potatoes.  Purple, yellow, and red potatoes.  OK, it's the purple ones that were really cool.  I cut everything up into large chunks (not nearly as easy as cutting, say, broccoli), drizzled olive oil over the whole thing and baked it.  I wasn't sure what to do to spice it up.  I used cinnamon on the winter squashes and Italian seasoning on the potatoes and rutabagas.  Everyone like it, pretty much.  Although everyone agreed that as usual, I went over board. 

Note to self:  you don't have to eat a rainbow at every meal, just throughout the day.

Supper conversation goes like this:

Bob:  Kathy, I appear to be eating a purple potato.

Me:  Um, yeah.  Do you like it?

Bob:  It's a potato.

OK.  That went well.  I can't wait to try the purple cauliflower.

Starting Slowly

Yesterday, I was in a super-di-duperdy crappy mood.  Given that, I think I did ok.  At least I kept track of what I ate (start small, rule 1). 

I started drinking coffee around 8 and kept going until about noon.  Black, strong enough to fix itself.

10 am  blueberry Greek yogurt.  Yummy.  It's so smooth it feels like ice cream.  My grandson Gabe has decided he loves Greek yogurt too.  I may be selfish, but I share that.

Around 12 I had brown rice/quinoa mix, pico de gallo (tomatoes, yellow onions, green peppers, cilantro, lime juice), shredded carrots, canned corn without added salt, tilapia with garlic and butter, cranberries. I bought all that stuff at the grocery store on the way to work and put it together.  As I walk through the produce section I think about what I want.  The cranberries were a neat touch.

2 pm I ate a piece of butterscotch candy.

I drank diet Coke all afternoon... well one bottle.

5pm at home.  I ate two chocolate chip cookies. 

6:30: spaghetti sauce (made with red, yellow, orange & green peppers) on white wheat bread with cheddar.  I don't really like white bread, even the "whole grain" kind, but that's what was there.

And then I ate about an inch out of a pint of Karamel Sutra.  At least I didn't eat the whole thing, and I do think that what I did eat made me feel better.  Some.

TODAY:

coffee
10: Peach Greek yogurt
diet Coke
2pm: Wendys small cheese burger, four fries, small chili.  My boss bought lunch.  It was pretty good and not too much.  A couple of fries go a long way.  I waited too long to eat and I was too hungry.
5pm: two chocolate chip cookies.  I'm still burping chili. 

I'm going to my counselor at 6, and I may eat yogurt or soup after I get back.

I don't think I've left anything off. 

I tried the meditation this afternoon.  (It's on Eating the Angel Way.)  I thought about being a baby and eating whatever was given me, not worrying about food choices.  I don't think I went very far, but I started to sort of panic.  I think I have food issues.  (Ya think?)  I'll try again later.

Eating... the Angel Way: Welcome!

Eating... the Angel Way: Welcome!

Annie and Karen are writing a book about Eating... the Angel Way, and I have agreed to follow the guidelines and share my experiences.

Let me start by saying that I have been following the guidelines for several months now... in theory. Just like I'm thinking seriously about going to the gym I paid a boatload of money to join last July. And so, this is, for me, a restart sort of. I'm starting at the beginning... again. Isn't that cool?

Today, tomorrow, and the next day, I will keep track of my eating. I will probably follow the guidelines even though it's not part of the first step because I usually do when I actually write stuff down.

I'll say this is going to be interesting because I'm in a really really really crappy place right now and all I want to do is crawl in bed with a pint of Chunky Monkey and a large bag of peanut m&ms. I'm not going to do that because there are so damn many people in my house I'd probably have to share, so what's the point?

But Eating... the Angel Way is not something we can only do when we feel really perky. Right now, for me to acknowledge that I want the Chunky Monkey and peanut m&ms is a pretty good step, I think. I suppose I ought to think about what it is I really want. What food will make me feel really good. What things other than food can help me deal with my very very crappy mood. Maybe I should right a children's book: "Mommy is in a crappy mood and I better not eat her peanut M&Ms." I think that might help.

We'll see.