Who needs store bought mustard anyway?
Last night, as Lucas and I stood munching on lettuce while waiting for dinner to finish cooking, I thought "these 30 days won't be too bad". Sure, I had a headache. Sure, I was already searching for other breakfast options instead of eggs. Sure, I wanted was some gummy bears. But, all in all, the first 2 days weren't so bad. Before anyone starts to scream "but wait, it may get worse", I am aware. I've read all the blogs, spoken to friends who have finished or are in the middle of this. But I had a small victory of feeling in a good place, so I stuck with that.
I'm lucky enough to be in my slow season at work. I use the term lucky very loosely because, after all, no one wants to not be working. However, because of this, I have the time to menu plan, to re-purpose leftovers and to do all that I can to help us get through the next 27 1/2 days (but hey, who's counting?).
A few mandatory things had to happen over the first 2 days. First off - snacks. We love snacks. A mid afternoon snack makes me happy. And the crunchier the better. Enter kale chips and nuts. Easy peasey lemon squeezy to get this thing started.
For those of you that haven't made them before, do it. Super easy and tasty. And Trader Joe's even sells a bag of already chopped for $1.99 if you are feeling lazy (we were).
Do me a favor people - toast your own nuts. So much more flavor and you can control the sodium.
I just roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, but you can add other herbs or spices depending on your mood. Our next batch of almonds might have some rosemary. Or maybe some cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Oh....or some chili powder. You get the point.
Next up, maybe some tahini and roasted veggie dips to help make those carrots seem more enticing...
Second was condiments. Next time you pull out something from your fridge, take a peek at the labels. It just might encourage you to make your own too. As I was making 'approved' ketchup last night (we needed something to top off the meatloaf), Lucas looked at me, laughed, and asked "so you're just going to make all the stuff we used to eat then?" And the answer is yes. At least for the next 30 days - and honestly, probably after that too. If you can omit the sugars and stuff you can't pronounce permanently, why not?
We also needed mustard. And of course, both kinds. Apparently French's yellow mustard is approved, but none of the fancy French stuff because of the wine (sigh). Now, I realize that not everyone has mustard seeds and mustard powder on hand. Enter, the pantry of a chef. When Lucas and I first moved in with each other, he asked me if I really need all the spices that I had. The answer was yes then, and an even bigger yes now. We'll see how many I need to restock when this is all over. Thank goodness my cousins gave me a gift certificate to Penzeys for Christmas!
Unfortunately, the positive attitude that was present before dinner, didn't last long afterwards. It was good meal - healthy and filling. But....well...... Those of you who have done this before don't need me to finish that sentence. Before we went to bed, the comment "so, off to Harp and Bard for a bacon cheeseburger - with the bun of course?" may have been uttered in this apartment.
The body is an amazing thing. And how it reacts to foods that it has been dependent on fascinates me. I know I'm getting rid of toxins. But I'm really going to miss some of them.
Off to the grocery store again tomorrow, armed with a new list of other ideas for snacks, "sweets" and something else to eat besides eggs.
Disclaimer: before I go any further with this "project", no one is allowed to critique any photographs. I don't have a fancy smancy camera to take pics of my food :)
I'm lucky enough to be in my slow season at work. I use the term lucky very loosely because, after all, no one wants to not be working. However, because of this, I have the time to menu plan, to re-purpose leftovers and to do all that I can to help us get through the next 27 1/2 days (but hey, who's counting?).
A few mandatory things had to happen over the first 2 days. First off - snacks. We love snacks. A mid afternoon snack makes me happy. And the crunchier the better. Enter kale chips and nuts. Easy peasey lemon squeezy to get this thing started.
For those of you that haven't made them before, do it. Super easy and tasty. And Trader Joe's even sells a bag of already chopped for $1.99 if you are feeling lazy (we were).
Do me a favor people - toast your own nuts. So much more flavor and you can control the sodium.
I just roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, but you can add other herbs or spices depending on your mood. Our next batch of almonds might have some rosemary. Or maybe some cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Oh....or some chili powder. You get the point.
Next up, maybe some tahini and roasted veggie dips to help make those carrots seem more enticing...
Second was condiments. Next time you pull out something from your fridge, take a peek at the labels. It just might encourage you to make your own too. As I was making 'approved' ketchup last night (we needed something to top off the meatloaf), Lucas looked at me, laughed, and asked "so you're just going to make all the stuff we used to eat then?" And the answer is yes. At least for the next 30 days - and honestly, probably after that too. If you can omit the sugars and stuff you can't pronounce permanently, why not?
We also needed mustard. And of course, both kinds. Apparently French's yellow mustard is approved, but none of the fancy French stuff because of the wine (sigh). Now, I realize that not everyone has mustard seeds and mustard powder on hand. Enter, the pantry of a chef. When Lucas and I first moved in with each other, he asked me if I really need all the spices that I had. The answer was yes then, and an even bigger yes now. We'll see how many I need to restock when this is all over. Thank goodness my cousins gave me a gift certificate to Penzeys for Christmas!
I only had yellow mustard seeds, soaked in water, not wine. Insert sad face here. My whole grain doesn't
look quite as pretty as store bought ones (and will taste a bit
different I assume - although that could be more because of the lack of
wine - mmmm, wine).
Buzz up, e voila - mustard. It needs to sit for a few days for flavors to blend, so I'll let you know how it turns out.
Unfortunately, the positive attitude that was present before dinner, didn't last long afterwards. It was good meal - healthy and filling. But....well...... Those of you who have done this before don't need me to finish that sentence. Before we went to bed, the comment "so, off to Harp and Bard for a bacon cheeseburger - with the bun of course?" may have been uttered in this apartment.
The body is an amazing thing. And how it reacts to foods that it has been dependent on fascinates me. I know I'm getting rid of toxins. But I'm really going to miss some of them.
Off to the grocery store again tomorrow, armed with a new list of other ideas for snacks, "sweets" and something else to eat besides eggs.
Disclaimer: before I go any further with this "project", no one is allowed to critique any photographs. I don't have a fancy smancy camera to take pics of my food :)
AJ was raving about the almonds Lucas had at work yesterday. He made some last night! It smelled like he was making popcorn😊 the almonds tasted better then popcorn! Love them!
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