Red food

I am in serious need of some red food. I'm not sure how that fits in the chakra --- the base? I guess my foundations need shoring up.

There is a watermelon in a cooler at home and it is calling my name. The strawberries are pretty and sweet. "Stawbeh" is baby Gabe's second favorite fruit, after "Nana." And now that I think of it, I'll bet there's a tomato in the garden behind my office...

All of that sweet fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruit). Outdoor food... the kind you eat in a chair with your face leaning forward over your lap so you only get the juice on your face and arms and neck and not your cute white summer shorts. Just rub the dirt off the tomato and bite into it. Share the drippings with the ants... Pop the strawberries in your mouth and chew as the juice drips out. Are we filming the vampire movie yet? Sweet and wet and better than juicy juice.

Man I need some red food.

Don't go to the grocery store hungry

DUH. We all know that. And yet we still go to the store with our well-planned list and a growly stomach. We buy everything on the list and a couple of Snickers bars for the ride home, plus who knows what else that might taste good if you haven't eaten in a week.



This noon, I went to the store to get something for lunch. I wanted veggies. I wanted something easy that I can microwave and eat. I wanted something that won't make me want a nap. And look: chicken tenders from the deli department, a "steamer" bag of rice with brocolli and carrot dust, AND a bag of dark chocolate & almond candy bars & a Snickers bar for the ride back to work. I suppose it could have been worse.



In other news... a while ago Annie asked me to write about my experiences with Eating the Angel Way so she can pull snippets for her book. I am working on it, trying to be brief, concise, and specific, and god forbid, organized.



What I have been thinking about is:

• how the eating a rainbow a day resonated with me. It is simple and elegant. And I do love colors. My mom often color coordinated meals. Even now I tend to serve orange and dark green veggies with curry. Maybe I need to be a little more daring.


• how after years of spiral dieting, I don't even say the word any more. I don't mean to criticize anyone else dieting, but when I hear the word I get hungry. And not hungry for tomatoes and cheese on wheat bread, but for a pint of Ben & Jerry's Karmel Sutra ice cream.


• how in the years of spiral dieting I lost weight but gained back twice as much. I started out as a "plump" girl and now I'm a fat old woman. I don't even think I was really plump. I had breasts at a fairly young age for back then, & so I was rounder than the skinny girls. What an idiot! Oh well, that's the past.


• how hard it is to find blue food. I keep finding more: blueberries, raddichio, purple cabbage, purple plums, eggplant...


• how I worried in the beginning that I was just checking off the rainbow without "getting" the angel way of eating. For one thing, I often eat a rainbow plus a chili cheese dog and fries. And I hear the demons whispering that anything called a "ho-ho" has to be good. But I think I am hearing something else more and more. My own angels, my heart, my sense of self. Something is leading me toward better choices for myself and not so I'll wow them at my 35th high school reunion. And something is helping me to forgive myself for the Snickers and the chili cheese dog.

For more about Eating the Angel Way from the person who listened to the angels and from her scientifically grounded research assistant, check out Eating...the angel way.

Intentions for a good week

After a fairly colorful weekend, I am about to go back to work after a week off. I'm thinking chocolate chip cookies, but no...

Yesterday I had almost two rainbows again, coming up short on the yellow & Biv and going strong with the green, orange, and red. I nibbled grapes, tomatoes, and carrots all day long. I had an omelet with tomatoes, carrots, squash, & zucchini for breakfast and a salad with every color except yellow with supper.

Eating at work is easier for me than for some people, since I have a kitchen. I'll take the leftover veggies, rice, and tzatziki sauce and some of the salad for lunch. I don't want to be tempted to run to Hardee's for a little thickburger that will make me a little thick worker.

My intentions for this week are to eat at least one rainbow a day and choose food that makes me feel energized and not run down. I intend to eat local as much as possible and to eat fresh, even if I have to cook. I will move every day... walking, heavy cleaning, dancing, or chasing Gabe. Something.