Fashion Fun

Time for a break from health care discussions.

I'm loving the following fashions.  Fun, not too grown up and not ridiculously young.  If you have nice shoulders and arms, even better.  Check out the fashions I'm lusting after, waiting for sales...!

First, some Dresses.  There's something here for almost everything: spring wedding, work, casual night/day, and one terrifically overpriced.  Anthropologie.com is one of my favorite sites, but make sure to read The Reviews if you are going to buy online; I actually prefer the online shop of Anthro to the mortar stores.  The stores have too much incense going on.

Shoes, of course, present a whole different dilemma.  The styles this spring/summer are for high, gladiator-type sandals and pumps.  How not to look ridiculous?  And, not fall flat on your face?  Try these....

Now, what about skirts and/or shorts?  I may have to buy these Tory Burch shorts, on the left, even at full price to make sure they're not sold out (I can hear you know: don't worry, I'm sure they will be plenty to buy....!).  The gold skirt is Banana Republic.

 I love the beige tones for spring and summer (obviously).  It's a nice change from the black and white that seems to be suffocating everyone.  All we're really looking for is light, airy, relaxed, fun.  And something that doesn't make us look older than we are!

The only accessories I'm completely attached to for spring/summer are a few of the multi-layer necklaces, and perhaps a canvas satchel.  Best place for cheap one/two-wear jewelry:  Kohls.  Trust me.  Canvas bag from Tory Burch.

No Alcohol? No Problem

When was the last time You had a Drink?  Or, Why did I decide to give up alcohol for a month?

If you're anything like me, you're relatively surrounded by liquor, depending on where you stand in your house.  A liquor cabinet, wine glasses, wine bottles, wine openers, a bar, a bar sink, four different kinds of Vodka, three varieties of Scotch, multiple varieties of beer, multiple varieties of light beer, tonic water, soda water, Rose's lime juice, real lime juice, Lemon Martini mix, Blood Orange Martini mix, olives, glass swizzle sticks, real corks, fake corks, wine stoppers, and So Much More.  Everywhere.  And all while worrying about when/if my own children are drinking, not drinking, driving while drinking, texting while driving -- oops, sorry, got carried away; another topic for another day -- you get the point.  And, do I sound like an alcoholic?  Well, if you have at least one glass of wine every day and more on weekends or when you go out to dinner, and really look forward to that glass of wine, and sometimes savor that drink and dread going out to dinner and Not having a drink while others around you get Happily Toasted, does that make you an Alcoholic?  I don't think so ....

However, alcohol does seem to be an ordinary part of my, our, every day existence.  Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's been very interesting to me that others are so interested (or so they seem?) in my Abstinence Experiment.  When I opt for a club soda instead of a cocktail, there is a lot of wonder and speculation.  And, while it seems that people are used to others' abstaining from caffeine, and even meat, most are most shocked by my decision on alcohol abstinence.  Does this say more about me, or about them?  In any event, over the past few weeks, the Number One question people ask when I tell them my current diet regime is, "Why aren't you drinking? Did something happen?"

Here's what I tell them.

I simply got tired of Being Tired.  I refused to believe that being tired all the time was a product of either being 40-something or of my hectic life.  Instead, I read a few books, examined a lot of literature about vegan and meat-free diets, and investigated whole food nutrition, in order to see if I was doing something wrong, and go find out if I was doing anything right.  What I found surprised me.  If you take out the extremes, which a lot of nay-sayers focus on, you will find that a lot of the nutritional analysis is very interesting, and some of it even makes sense.  (See In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan for a mind-boggling explanation of the Food Pyramid that we all worshiped for so long.)  How long did it take Pollan to summarize the perfect approach to consumption:  "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

I was also tired of several things that had become routine around me.  For example ...  I'm tired of worrying about whether I should get in the car to pick up one of the kids after I've had a glass of wine.  I'm tired of seeing people unable to hold their liquor, of friends getting loud, angry and bleary-eyed by the end of the meal.  I'm tired of worrying about how guests who drink at my house will drive home safely.  I'm tired of timing my wine consumption to coincide opposite to my running workouts. 

Mostly, though, I'm just tired of being tired.  I hoped that giving caffeine and alcohol would make me less tired, and that eliminating most non-natural sugars and beef would bring back some spring to my step.

And, the Answer to the $64,000 question is .... Yes.  It seems to be working.  And yes, I'm still on track, for the most part.  Yesterday I had two small powdered donuts and a piece of pizza (homemade, with zucchini and mushrooms).  Other than yesterday, though, I'm making progress toward reaching my goals.  I'm learning more about my physical status, about which foods actually makes me tick, and which foods I actually love and can't live without (cheese).  I'm not nearly as tired as I used to be.  I don't have headaches and I don't crave caffeine first thing in the morning or mid-afternoon to get me through to evening.  Significantly, with spring finally here in New England, I don't have to worry about not being able to run the next day because of dehydration.  And, Debbie, I got through St. Patrick's Day Just Fine, thanks for asking!

Bill actually thinks the big test will come at Princeton Reunion weekend in May, where we will all be surrounded by cups and cups and cups and cups of beer.  Just the thought of drinking at Reunions makes me a bit nervous, however, and I'm currently thinking that Reunions weekend may be the easiest time of all to abstain.  Of course, that's easy to say from my kitchen table in New England.... 

10 Nine Days Strong ... Caffeine, Alcohol and Beef Free

Before I go any further ... OMG!  Spanks for Men!  What will they think of next?  Now That is what I'd pay good money to see (turns out they are spandex t-shirts, obviously for the upper half of the body, and not what I was imagining!).

Where was I .... ah, yes.   Going Vegan, but not really.  Vegan describes someone who intentionally, for whatever reason, avoids using or consuming animal products.  Vegans are distinct from vegetarians in that in addition to avoiding beef, fish, etc., Vegans also choose to not eat eggs or dairy products.  They appear to be Strictest Vegetarians.

And, for the record, I'm Not That.  Of course, compared to others in my house, I may as well be vegan.  I've started to not eat more than half of what Bill and the kids are eating.  After all, almost all our meals are routinely centered around a choice of beef, chicken or fish.  Side dishes always include a vegetable, usually green, and a starch.  I mix up the veggies and the starches, so that we rotate among polenta, rice -- including risotto, which the kids love -- and potatoes or pasta, which includes couscous.  I've moved on from starches that are completely white to things like whole wheat couscous and brown basmati rice.  Cheese often appears, usually in the form of parmigiana or cheddar, to enhance otherwise plain dishes.  As for eggs, the kids eat plenty of those on their own, either on a Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich in the morning or in a big pan of scrambled eggs, currently Will's favorite thing to cook.

The kids are in good physical shape, exercising almost every day. Their bodies need the calories, proteins and carbohydrates provided by the starches, meats, and eggs. Soda rarely appears in our house, and white bread only appears in the form of sandwich rolls (though, when we happen to be out for breakfast, Julia Always orders white bread for toast!). In other words, I won't be changing their diets any time soon.

My diet is a different story. This past week, I had no caffeine, and no alcohol. No pasta, no potatoes, and no bread; not even the lovely donuts Bill brought home yesterday morning. I decided that I would have at least one devoted protein per day, so I have eaten chicken, salmon and eggs (decidedly Not Vegan). Realistically, when you are forced to make a selection from a restaurant menu, you are going to have to pick a protein, unless you are happy with a garden salad. I've also had brown rice, so even though this "diet" that I'm on sounds a bit like Atkins or South Beach, it's definitely not completely carb-free. I haven't had much dairy yet, except for feta and goat cheeses.

The biggest change in what I've been eating is the Complete focus on green vegetables and fruit. I eat as much as I want of green apples, pears, and spinach. In addition, I've re-ignited my interest in vegetables the kids don't particularly enjoy, like cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and squash. I've always loved avocadoes, and I use them at least once a day, either in a salad or in a dressing. And for snacks I go for apples, carrots, celery, or dried figs.  Breakfast is actually the most difficult part of the day for me.  Just because all our traditional breakfast items are processed carbohydrates.  I haven't converted my pantry over from things like all-purpose flour to teff flour (what?) and flax seed (to replace eggs in baked goods).  Yesterday for breakfast I had quinoa with sauteed apples and walnuts.  Yummy, but something I had to think about putting together, so not your average quick grab.

Do I miss a glass of wine?  Do I want a hot cup of coffee in the morning?  Do I want to dive into Julia's french fries at 4:00 in the afternoon?  Abso-friggin-lutely.  But, I've held off.  Kind of my own personal Lenten abstinence.  Come April 1st will I have a large glass of red wine?  Definitely.  But for now, I'm good without it.

Of course, not sure At All what I'm going to do at the Wine Dinner we're expected at later on today.  Stay tuned ....

Fear Factor, Or .... Whole Nutrition and The Gross Green Smoothie

I know what you're thinking.  What is she doing now (.... or at least that's what my mother is thinking ....).

If you have spent any time looking at fitness and food magazines over the past year, you'll have noticed more and more articles about cleanses.  No, not the scrubbing bubbles kind, but the nutritional kind.  And, ever willing to try out any and all things Trendy, I've been considering doing a cleanse for a while now.  For example, Gwyneth Paltrow has an interesting one on her blog, Goop, that I had considered months ago but never quite got around to.  A few weeks ago, though, I came across what I thought was a reasonable, nutritious "cleanse" and I decided to try it out for the Month of March 2010.  Woo Hoo!  Julia turned 11 and I decided to get healthy with my eating habits.  At least for a month.

I'm currently on Day 5 and Things are actually going pretty well, so I thought I'd share.  (You know you'd never hear about this if I failed miserably!)

The "28 Day Elimination Diet" is a gluten-free version of cleanse brought to the public in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by the husband and wife team of Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.  The couple lives in Washington State.  He is a nutritionist, and she is an ex-personal chef.  One of their children has celiac disease and thus provided their inspiration for the Cookbook and the Diet.  They are on Facebook, and at http://www.wholelifenutrition.net.  I ordered their cookbook from Amazon (just in time, apparently, because when I ordered the book it was available immediately for shipping; I went on yesterday and the shipping dates were estimated at 2-3 weeks).

The deal is this .... Green Smoothies for 2 whole days (they have to call it Green Smoothies because they can't publicly call it "48 hours of actual torture"), then organic foods for the rest of your life.  There are different phases, akin to the Atkins Diet, and you are supposed to keep track of your body's reaction to the various foods that you add back in to your diet so that you can confirm over time how your body reacts to specific additions in your diet, such as wheat gluten, soy, egg proteins, etc., etc.  

While I have never had adverse reactions to Wheat Gluten in the past -- and I'm positive I don't have Celiac Disease or food allergies -- the whole idea of cooking organically, and focusing on fresh green vegetables is very appealing to me.  I don't expect my whole family to go along, but I wanted to give it a try and see how I would feel physically after ridding my body of things like caffeine, alcohol, processed foods and unnatural sugars.  The idea of giving up a couple of things that I rely on, like a morning cup of coffee and a dinner glass of wine, was also appealing.  I realize that I can't train for a marathon while doing this, so the month of March seemed as good a time as any to give it a whirl.

The Elimination Diet starts with two consecutive days of eating/drinking nothing but "Tom's Fruity Medicine Chest Smoothie."  That's what's in the glass above.  Green Goo.  Into a blender, you throw the following:  a green apple, a green pear, a 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, 1-2 cups water, 3 Kale leaves, and as much other greenery (spinach, romaine, etc.) as you can fit.  Blend together and then ... ooh, "Delicious!" is what all the reviews said. I drank 5 full glasses over 1.50 days before I couldn't do it any longer.  It was completely gross.  Julia tasted a drop or two on a fork and was complaining all day that it made her sick.

By the afternoon of the second day, I was wolfing down some fresh roasted beets we had made for dinner the night before.  And, let me tell you, those beets were the best things I've tasted in years.

So, I'm thinking that's how the diet/cleanse actually works.  You eat completely disgusting things for such a long period of time that when you add things that are not all that great, you realize how much you suddenly LOVE food like ROASTED BEETS!  And SAUTEED BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH GREEN APPLES that I made this morning for breakfast.  Though, I am a bit worried, because the brussel sprouts really did taste delicious.  Of course I made them with a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter, Not the organic coconut oil I'm supposed to use.

And that's the point.  I am too much of a Real Food Lover to ever rely on things like Millet (what?), Tempeh (also gross), Dal (Roald?), and Mung Beans (give me a break).  But, veggies for a month?  I can do that.  Stay tuned.  I'll let you know how things are going.

Here's my recipe for the Brussel Sprouts.  For those who don't know, brussel sprouts are low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol.   They are also a good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.  So there.  And Green Apples are just about the Perfect Food.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Green Apples

Core and Remove the Leaves from 6-8 Sprouts (if you don't want to separate the leaves,

              then you can just chiffonade the sprouts).

Dice one whole green apple (skin on).

Into saute pan, place:

1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Butter

Sprouts Leaves

Apple

Saute approximately 5 minutes until leaves have wilted.  Eat immediately.  Really Good!  Maybe

even better with a little lemon juice sprinkled over the top.