Progress

Progress is all I can really ask of myself these days.  Perfection is out of the question.  And I refuse to let myself fail.  So progress it is.  If I slip up, I make a mental note of the mistake and I move forward. 

My January goals went remarkably well.  No, they were not perfect, but in the past 31 days, I have definitely moved forward and not backward, and that's all that I ask of myself.  In review, I ate 90% of my meals at home, dosed myself with about 11 vitamins daily (with only one day that I forgot), and drank so. much. water.  Two liters every day!  And at the end of the month, I find myself 17 pounds lighter.  How's that for progress?

February's goals will build on those accomplishments.  I will continue to cook at home, allowing myself one meal out per week.  It could be dinner at a restaurant or grabbing lunch downtown, but once I've had my one weekly meal, that's it until the following week. 

I also will buy and cook one new vegetable every week.  I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to veggies, and I've tried just about all of them out there.  But I tend to stick to my safe veggies that I buy: zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, spinach.  I'm kind of in a vegetable rut.  So I need to branch out and learn to cook something new.  This week, I'm going with beets.  I plan to roast them and serve them in a salad. 

Finally, the fitness goals.  I tried to focus on making new habits and sticking to them in January and didn't pay much attention to exercise.  This month, it gets incorporated.  My goal is 150 minutes every week.  That's 2.5 hours, divided through the week however I want.  Even if I go on a 15 minute walk four days in a row, then spend an hour and a half at the gym for the fifth day.  The key is to just build the habit.  I also want to get a quick five minute stretch in every morning.

I hope everyone had a fabulous first month to this year!  Keep at it in February.

Thin & Minty

Over the past several months, the transition from eating gluten to going gluten-free has been surprisingly easy.  If I craved pizza, I ordered the G-F crust from Austin's Pizza.  If I needed a beer, I drank hard cider instead.  Cookies and muffins and bread are all easy to find at the stores.  All of my cravings have been sated.

Until Monday morning.  On Monday, I walked into work and my coworker informed me that she had an order form for Girl Scout cookies her granddaughter was selling.  She immediately realized her mistake in offering me the cookies and apologized.  I told her it was fine but I have spent many hours in the past week thinking of Thin Mints.  Yeah, the Samoas and the Trefoils and Tagalongs are all delicious, but there is something about a Thin Mint cookie that just makes me happy.  And I don't usually care for mint in any other foods or desserts.  Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream?  No, thanks.

But ohmigod, Thin Mints.  Straight from the freezer.  Crushed up on top of ice cream.  Or with a glass of milk.  There is just no acceptable replacement for a Thin Mint.  I can't run to the store and find G-F Thin Mints waiting for me.

This makes me sad.  It also gets my creative juices flowing.  Can I produce something that remotely resembles a Thin Mint?  I think I just might have to try.

The week in food

First off, everything I made last week was delicious.  I only made three of my five planned dishes due to an unexpected social evening downtown on Wednesday, but those three rocked.  The shrimp and grits were cheesy and buttery and amazing.  The shrimp tomato chowder was hearty and filling, and perfect for cold weather.  And the veggie enchiladas I made on Friday have lasted through the weekend and will be tomorrow's lunch.  My vegetarian sister gave her approval by eating about four of them.  Those recipes will definitely stay in the dinner rotation.

For the upcoming week, I have ground beef and chicken breasts as my proteins.  I will move my two chicken dishes from last week up to this week, but not until Tuesday and Thursday.

Monday: G-F Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
I read somewhere that ricotta cheese can take the place of breadcrumbs in meatballs. Testing that theory with this recipe.

Tuesday: Pan-fried Chicken Strips and G-F Waffles with Fruit Salad
Haven't tried G-F waffles yet. I've been told they're pretty bland, so I have plenty of butter and syrup on hand.  Just in case.

Wednesday: Wild Mushroom Fricassee over Polenta with Spinach Salad
From Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals II (Not a fan of her as a person so much, but some of her recipes are pretty interesting.)

Thursday: Thai Chicken Soup
Two trips to two different HEBs and no sight of green curry paste.  I got red, so no big deal, but this soup better be worth it.

Friday: Shepherd's Pie with Spinach Salad
Out of a 2008 issue of Rachael Ray's Magazine.  Horseradish mashed potatoes on top of ground beef and veggies in a beef broth sauce. 

Saturday (maybe): Grilled Chicken with Green Bean Gremolata
Secret you thank me for later: take any green vegetable that is pretty boring on it's own, and make a gremolata for it. Minced garlic, parsley, lemon zest and kosher salt.  Grind it all together with your chef's knife and sprinkle it over the veggies.  Instant incredible flavor.

This looks like a pretty good week of recipes, but I am most excited about the Swedish Meatballs!

The sun has come out again

Not literally.  It's cloudy and gray here again.  I'm ready for sunshine and warm breezes. 

But figuratively?  Yes!  The sun has come out again for me.  It's no secret that I've dealt with depression for the last couple of years.  Or really, the last decade if I want to be honest with myself.  But in the last two years, it has been bad.  Seeing-a-psychiatrist-and-taking-medication bad.  I had no energy and no motivation.  Waking up and getting out of bed every day was a huge ordeal.  Just making it to work every day was a chore.  I didn't want to be social.  I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything.  It was a dark period in my life.

But in the last two months, I've felt a change occurring.  I have more energy and motivation than I can remember having in a long time.  I smile and laugh more.  I spend more time with friends.  And most importantly, this change has occurred without the medication.  I took myself off of them a little over a month ago.  I felt the same off of them that I did on them.  So what was the point? 

I really feel like going off of the gluten is one of the reasons I'm feeling so much better.  It's hard to be happy-go-lucky and feel good mentally when you feel so poor physically.  Food allergies also cause a lot of inflammation, including in the brain. 

So, now that I'm feeling better, I'm making a list of all the things I want to do that I have not been doing in recent times.  My list of hobbies I want to try for the first time or take up anew are:

• Learning Spanish. N. is currently downloading Rosetta Stone for me.
• Drawing classes. I've never been particularly artistic, but I want to learn how to draw the human body more than anything. Maybe one of those classes with a nude model?  Who knows.
• Photography classes. Also want to invest in a good camera when my finances allow for it.
• Volunteering.  Joining Austin Junior Forum this month and looking into working at Town Lake Animal Center on some weekends.
• Cooking classes. Whole Foods offers a few gluten-free classes I want to try.
• Boxing lessons.  I found a boxing gym in North Austin that has received good reviews and promises to get me in awesome shape.
• Dance classes.  Ballroom and/or ballet. No dance skills at all.  This one should be fun.
• Hiking in various areas around Austin.
• Joining a co-ed softball team.  It's been almost six years since I stopped playing and I miss it.
• Joining a running group, like USA Fit. I ideally want to train for a half marathon.
• A book club. I need to read more, and I would love to discuss literature with other people.

 This is just the beginning of my list of things I want to do.  I plan to continually add to it.  I'm so excited to have things to look forward to again!

This week's menu

Being that I live alone and only cook for myself, I don't see the need for an extensive menu every week.  I've decided to stick to two proteins per week, and make two meals out of each.  Last week, I picked pork chops and flank steak.  Outside of those four meals, everything else will have to be vegetarian.  It will save costs and be healthier in general to not have meat at every meal.

This week, I'm picking shrimp and chicken.  Shrimp meals will be tomorrow and Wednesday, followed by a vegetarian meal for Thursday, and then chicken on Friday and Saturday.  I don't want to buy a pound of raw shrimp and then have it sit in my fridge until Friday.  Also, I'm not cooking tonight.  With Erin in town this past weekend, I cooked a huge pot of risotto and a full pan of cabbage, potatoes and sausage.  I just finished the cabbage today for lunch and I'll turn the risotto into pan-fried risotto cakes for dinner tonight.  I also have half of a roasted chicken left that I will make into a chicken salad to take for lunch tomorrow.

Last week, I loved my cabbage and pork chops, but was sadly disappointed  by the pork stir fry.  Not sure if I did something wrong, but it lacked flavor.  The grilled flank steak and creamed spinach was delicious.  I had to force myself to put the leftovers in the fridge, rather than eat all of it for dinner.  That good. 

This week's menu is as follows:

Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Grits from December's issue of Food Network Magazine
Wednesday: Creamy Shrimp & Tomato Chowder
Thursday: Vegetable Enchiladas in a Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
Friday: Chicken & Waffles
Saturday: Thai Chicken Soup from November's issue of Food Network Magazine

Happy Third (?!?!?) Week of January everyone!

And the Golden Globe goes to...

I've been watching this show since the very beginning, and I actually am not really sure who won what.  Except that Mad Men has not won anything.  And I am not OK with that.

I was not disappointed with tonight's fashion at all.  I actually had a hard time narrowing down my favorite dresses.  There was plenty of color, interesting designs, accessories, and gorgeous detailing all around.  That being said, there were plenty that will make the Worst Dressed list tomorrow morning.

On to my top 12 picks:

Best color: Kyra Sedgewick in Emilio Pucci

I love the mango-tangerine-other fruit color of this dress.  Also loved the turquoise earrings with it.

Best print: Heidi Klum in unknown

I love Heidi for not wearing expected or boring to these award shows.  Love the colors in this print, too.

Best sparkle: Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive

Not always a fan of Anne's red carpet choices, but I love this one.  Head to toe shimmer is good.

Best minimalist: Dianna Agron in J. Mendel

I do not watch Glee, but I have loved this chick since she started showing up.  Love this simple look.

Best nude: Scarlett Johannson in Elie Saab

Aside from the awful hair, I love this nude dress with the sparkles and tulle.  Also love the sleeves.

Best ruffles: Julie Bowen in Tadashi Shoji

Love the greige color of this dress and the gorgeous, but not over-the-top ruffles.

Best one-shoulder: Sandra Bullock in Jenny Packham

I love that one-shouldered dresses outnumbered the strapless ones.  And this was my fave.

Best black: Julia Stiles in Romona Keveza

Love the tulle on the bodice.  It's far from basic.

Best figure-flattery: Christina Hendricks in Romona Keveza

My girlfriend gets an automatic pass onto the list, but I love the fit of her dress. And I love that she isn't afraid to wear red as a redhead.

Best non-traditional: Michelle Williams in Valentino

She is so adorable, I forget how much I disliked her back in the Dawson's Creek days.  This dress in unexpected for the Globes.

Best long-sleeved: Angelina Jolie in Versace

She is covered up but still sexy in this dress.  Again, I love that everything isn't strapless...

Best overall: Olivia Wilde in Marchesa

...but, my favorite of the night IS strapless!  LOVE this dress.  Olivia looks smashing and the sparklies are wonderful!

I am eagerly looking forward to the Oscars and the pretty dresses it will bring!

My so-called diet

So, my goals so far are going great. I've been cooking at home for every meal, except for dinner with Erin this weekend (more on that to come in just a moment), I've taken all of my vitamins every morning, and I've had 2 liters of water every day.  That last one definitely comes with a price.  I think on Wednesday I counted 16 trips to the bathroom.  16!  Ridiculous.  But, the upside?  I've lost four pounds this week.  I know it's just water weight being flushed out.  But still.  Four pounds without really trying is nice.

And it's not like I was eating super healthfully either.  This week I have eaten: pork chops, stir fry, steak, creamed spinach, risotto, lamb shank, potatoes, chocolate ice cream, pecan shortbread, creme brulee and several other delicious things.  Not to mention many a few glasses of wine. All delicious and all gluten-free.

Dinner plans with Erin were set before I made my goal of not eating out.  So we headed downtown last night with the intention of going to Bess.  She had never been and I've been twice.  I had my heart set on sea scallops with risotto.  But the other eight thousand people there had similar plans.  There was a two hour wait.  No, thanks.  So we walked a few blocks down Sixth and went to The Belmont.  I had been here once before, for my birthday two years ago, and I remembered it being good.  There was a half hour wait and open seats at the bar.  Yes, please.

Bess who?  My dinner was hands down one of the top ten meals of my life.  That good.  I ordered the lamb shank.  Included were pistachio butter, polenta with celery root, swiss chard, and roasted beets with whole garlic cloves.  Incredible.  And the creme brulee we split was perfection.  I was slightly worried about my food coming out contaminated with gluten.  My waitress didn't seem to know what exactly had gluten and what didn't.  She wasn't sure if I could have hominy, polenta or grits. (They are all corn and gluten-free.)  But I'm happy to report no rash or side effects from my dinner. 

So my goal for this coming week?  Less wine and dessert.  Cut the wine down to two glasses (for the week, not per night...) and two servings of ice cream.  Hopefully, water weight will continue to come off.

January goals

I've read on a few other blogs that monthly goals are way easier to stick with than yearly resolutions.  Makes sense.  So I made a few for this month:

• Eat every meal at home (or pack my lunch for work).  It is ridiculous how much money it costs to eat lunch downtown every day.  Or go out to dinner.  So I'm saving money and being healthier by cooking breakfast and dinner every day, and taking leftovers for lunch.  Going well.
• Take vitamins every day.  Sitting next to my counter, I have bottles of Evening Primrose Oil, Fish Oil, Woman's Daily multivitamins, Chromium tablets, CoQ10 and a few others.  Unfortunately, I remember to take them about once a week.  So now I'm taking them every morning before I leave.  I like to think I notice a difference when I take my vitamins.  Perhaps that is my overactive imagination.
• Drink 2 liters of water every day.  Going well.  Definitely flushing the body out.  Side effect: going to the bathroom about 12 times every day, and once in the middle of the night.

Already working on making my February goals.  They will focus more on what I'm eating (since I'm making the habit of cooking at home) and incorporating more working out into the daily routine.  Inspired by the popularity of the Barre Method workouts and the fact that my sister has left a ballet bar in my closet, I'm searching for an inexpensive Barre DVD.  Perhaps one that incorporates plenty of pilates-esque moves.  Also wanting to stop being a pussy and get out and run so I can do the Cap 10k in March.  We'll see how that goes.

A recap, a preview, plus food!

We're going to kill three birds with one stone in this epic post!  Let's get to it.

Weekend Recap:
On Friday, I didn't work.  It was wonderful.  However, I was up at 7:00 am cleaning my apartment because my mom was in town.  She had stayed the night at my sister's, but was coming to my place to spend the day.  After cleaning my kitchen, doing laundry and sweeping floors, we drank coffee and lounged during the morning hours.  We went to Chipotle for lunch.  I eat at Chipotle regularly, but my mom had only eaten there once before and wasn't impressed.  The horror.  This time she got what I get and she loved it.  We then proceeded to Big Lots.  I went in to get dish towels, and came out with dish towels, a vacuum, a scale, lotion, spices, and some kitchen utensils.  That store is dangerous.  We cooked dinner at home that night.  We made broiled grouper, aparagus and mushroom risotto, and roasted cauliflower.  The risotto was ridiculously incredible.  There are no words for how amazing it was.

Saturday, we woke up and had leftover risotto for breakfast.  Yes, that good.  My sister came by apartment and we enjoyed a few hours of being The Girls.  We then went to meet two of my sister's friends for lunch at Torchy's Tacos.  My mom had never been and we're all obsessed.  It was the first time I had eaten there since going gluten-free but I got the Resolution (January's Taco of the Month) and was quite pleased.  It has grilled mahi mahi, avocado slices, mango, queso fresco and the diablo sauce.  We also all shared their amazing guacamole and their crack.  I mean queso.  My mom then had to get on the road back to Houston whiel the rest of us headed to the Town Lake Animal Center.  My sister adopted a dog.  It is a Great Dane/Lab mix, and her name is Stevie.  She's cute.  And she was free!  Apparently during January, dogs over 45 lbs. are free.  We had no idea but were pleasantly surprised.  We used the saved money on dog things at Petsmart.

Sunday, I slept in way late.  It was cold and rainy all day, so I stayed in my pajamas and laid on the couch and watched football.  I also baked gluten-free chocolate cupcakes and watched Sin City.  I contemplated going to the grocery store, but saw no reason to get out in the nasty weather.  Groceries can wait for Monday.

This coming week should be a good one.  Thursday is an awesome show going on at The Ghost Room downtown.  And Friday my best friend Erin is coming in from Houston.  We are planning on dinner at Bess Bistro for Friday night, and then a whole lot of fun for the weekend.

My dinners for this coming week:
Monday: Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples, Onions and Cabbage.  And maybe a little apple cider gravy to go on top.

Tuesday: The rest of my pork in a stir fry with broccoli, bell peppers and snow peas.  Served with rice noodles (which I bought at Big Lots for $1.00).

Wednesday: Grilled Flank Steak and Creamy Parmesan Spinach (out of October's issue of Food Network Magazine).

Thursday: I have half a package of arborio rice left from the weekend, so there will be more risotto!  I think I will make this one a spinach artichoke risotto.  Or perhaps I will do an assortment of wild mushrooms. 

I have this dilemma

I feel like I already know what I need to do, but I am still not sure it's what I want to do.  I want to start dating again.  In April it will be two years since I broke up with my ex.  I thought we were headed for forever.  (Apparently not.)  I haven't really had the desire to date since the breakup.  It just felt wrong somehow.  I just haven't been ready.  Now I feel ready.

However, I also feel like I have a lot to work on personally before diving into another serious relationship.  First and foremost, my health and weight.  While I know it isn't impossible, I just don't feel like anyone can really love me how I am right now.  I also know that as soon as I meet someone I like, I'll spend less time working out and eating healthy, and more time cuddling while watching movies and eating takeout. 

So do I really want to say that I'm not interested in dating or a relationship until I reach my ideal weight or goal of wearing a certain clothing size?  It's been an eye-opening but lonely stretch of time since the break-up.  I'm ready to spend time with someone else, but I think my health needs to come first.  Who am I kidding?  I know it needs to come first.  And when I feel my best and am bursting with self confidence, I can be a better girlfriend. 

So I guess this is where I'm officially going to say I'm not dating.  I'll give it a few months and after some hard work, I may have a change of heart.  But as of right now, I'm putting all of my energy and effort into myself. 

2011, please be good to me

2009 was the worst year of my life.  2010 was an improvement.  Let's continue the upward trend, shall we?

This past year wasn't terrible.  In 2010, I:

• Ended my unemployment with a job at Bank of America.  I will celebrate my one year anniversary with the company this Wednesday.
• Met some amazing new friends.  Dannon, what would I do without you???
• Hosted Katie and Sabrina for their first visit to Austin.  
• Spent some wonderful time with my family and watched my nieces and nephews grow up before my eyes.
• Moved into my new apartment and lived by myself for the first time in almost four years.
• Got some wonderful news from my best friends.  Breanna is getting married in June and Sabrina is expecting a little girl in January!
• Discovered that it is possible to hate my little sister but then get over it and love her like crazy.  She is truly my best friend in the world.
• Made an important discovery about my health and gave up gluten forever.  I realized that this didn't mean I had to give up my passion for baking.

In 2011, I hope to:

• find myself in a career and position that ignites my passion and challenges me on a daily basis.  I can only hope that it also pays me enough that I can pay down a significant portion of my student loans!
• let go of the hurt and pain from The One I Thought Was The One, and allow myself and my heart to be open and ready for when I really do meet The One.
• see new places and discover new loves.  Right now, I'm making plans for a voyage to the Northwest.  Portland, OR here I (hopefully) come!
• let others know how much they truly mean to me.  I want to let go of petty differences, not hold any grudges and spend my days loving, not fighting.
• reclaim my health, once and for all.  I'm continuing with a gluten-free lifestyle, but I also want to create and embrace an active lifestyle.  I want to go out for a run because I WANT to and not because I feel like I HAVE to.  I want to willingly and happily eat vegetables every day rather than when I feel my pants have gotten a little snug.  I want to reach my fitness and weight goals.  This year will be the year.
• see my family more.  I miss so much because I live in a different city.  I want to see my nephew play basketball and watch as my niece learns to read.  I also want to spend as much time as possible with my grandparents and great-aunt and -uncle.  Unkie turns 82 this year and I feel like every moment with him means a little more than it used to.

 Here's hoping we all get what we're really wanting this year!