My New Favorite Things: Food Edition

I always get ideas for blog posts right before I go to sleep. That usually means that I forget them, but I didn't forget this one. I'm not one to brag (okay, I am), but I am so proud of myself for remembering!

I remember 3 dreams I had last night. Two of the three were about chocolate cake and cereal. I obviously miss these things, but I do have some yummy substitutes!

• Fresh Dates - Seriously folks, these things are delish! They are great with your morning oatmeal or just as a little snack. I would recommend getting the fresh ones though; the ones that are dried are not nearly as flavorful. On a side note, they are also full of potassium!
• Splenda - Mrs. Attempted Domestication has raved about this sugar substitute for years, but being a sugar purist I never even tried it. Now that my triglycerides are high, however, I have given in and joined the Splenda wagon. I get the granulated variety and it tastes pretty darn close to sugar.

• Fruit, Fruit, Fruit - I have a hard time limiting myself 3-5 servings of fruit per day, especially if it is a weekend as I eat when I am bored. My favorites are honeycrisp apples, strawberries, dates, and peaches, but I like virtually all fruits.

• Frozen Yogurt - I get a craving for ice cream nearly every day, but once in a while ill indulge in some frozen yogurt instead. Its not as creamy as ice cream, but that also means that you don't feel as if you're about to explode if you eat a bit too much of it.

• Natural Peanut Butter - JIF and Skippy have really yummy natural peanut butters. I know I eat too much PB, but they are so good! I should get the PB with less sugar in it, but that stuff is like a chore to eat.

Okay, so obviously I have a sweet tooth as all of the above foods are sweet... but that is where my life has changed the most in the past 7 weeks. Thanks for all your support friends!

music musings

We had a good time while home this past weekend. We got to see 2 of my friends from high school and their children, both our families, 1 friend from college, and I went shopping at my favorite second hand stores! Also, I splurged a lot and ate too many sweets and delish fattening dips. No worries all, I paid for it on Monday with a killer stomach ache. I also am finding myself craving more sweets than I had before we went home... I hope my detox is not as bad as it was when I first 'quit.' However, I am learning about more and more slightly-better-for-you sweets. Thanks to my family for being supportive of my new lifestyle change!

This past weekend the husband and I were driving and one of my favorite songs from high school came on the radio. I cranked up the volume and went into a full on rendition of the song, microphone and all (ps. the mic was also my thumb). The song was "Grand Illusion" by Styx. For those that may not know, I was a HUGE Styx fan circa 2000-2002. While most of my peers were loving Usher, Destiny's Child, and whoever wrote 'who let the dogs out', I was lovin 40 year old dudes who used to have mullets. Whatevs, they got me through some hard times (aka hello clinical depression). Anyways, this got me thinking about favorite artists and bands that I had growing up... so here is a list about it.

5th Grade - Hansen: Sorry, but I was 11. I had no musical taste. My favorite one was the drummer. Its always been drummers...). The spice Girls were a close 2nd though.

6th Grade - I dont remember really being into music this year... except for Mariah Carey and No Doubt

7th Grade - Puff Daddy and the Family: This was my brief stint into the rap scene. I loved me some Puff Daddy, Ma$e, and Usher. Coincidentally this is also when I discovered contemporary christian music (Avalon, anyone??!?).

8th Grade - Aerosmith, Steve Miller Band, Styx, FFH. This was also the first year I went to a real concert. my parents took a friend and I to see Steve Miller Band. it truly was trippy.

9th Grade - Styx, Carole King, tons of Christina bands (Jennifer Knapp, Jars of Clay, Third Day, SuperTones).

10th Grade - Styx, Creed, POD, Kirk Franklin, Jars of Clay, bad worship music, Jennifer Knapp, and Skillet

11th Grade - Any and all Christian Rock Music. I owned a lot of of 2.99 music samplers.

12th Grade - Dave Matthews Band, early-mid 90's music, Carole King, Jars of Clay

These days I am enjoying the occasional classic rock, but I am mostly sticking to Rilo Kiley, DMB, Gillian Welch, and Sufjan Stevens. I may stick with this folky scene for a bit... I'm really enjoying it!

Today's Potential

This has been a pretty boring week. I can't pinpoint exactly why. Perhaps it is that nothing exciting has happened lately (except for Kagans Baby being born). I think the most thrilling thing that happened this week was that I made a really healthy and delish dinner last night.

But, today has potential. After work Tim and I are going to Indy. I am getting my hair cut there (woo-hoo!!) and then going out with my friends I met through VISTA. Emily and Mark are moving to DC in August, so it is our farewell dinner and drinks. We are going to the Elbow room of course! We weighed other options, but there is just no place better than the Bow for us. We can be loud, don't have to be really dressed up, and they have cheap drinks and meals.

So, here's to hoping tonight makes up for the boringness of the past week; and knowing my friends, it certainly will!

Random thoughts

• Well, today I walked to work. Hooray. However, I am dreading the HOT walk home. I know its only a 7 minute walk, but I really hate being sweaty.
• Tomorrow I am going to a diversity symposium for work. I've had diversity training before, but its always just been people coming to my work and giving a speech. I have a feeling this will be a bit more 'hands-on'. Im interested to see what happens.
• My friend Kagan had her baby!!! Welcome to this awesome-crazy world Renzie Jordan Masters!
• I found a new website where you can swap all things vintage. I am so excited about this! I have quite a few things that are 1960's and 1970's that I no longer want (and most friends wouldnt let me leave the house in) ... and would love to replace them with more 40's and 50's things! It's a form of shopping that basically costs nothing but shipping!
• I reconnected with Yacko, Wacko, and Dot today by watching Anamaniacs!

Thanks for letting me ramble...

Movie: No Impact Man

I recently watched the Documentary "No Impact Man." This man, his wife, and his 3 year old child try to live a full year without impacting the earth negatively. Obviously not everyone can or would want to do this, but it was a neat social experiment. The whole point of the movie/blog/book project was to question what you could live without and still enjoy a productive and happy life.

I think the movie worked, at least for me.

I see myself as a pretty ecologically and ethical person. The husband and I recycle, use CFL's, and try not to buy firsthand if we can buy secondhand. I love garage sales, thrift stores, and resale shops. However, there are things I could do to lessen my impact on the earth in which God entrusted us.

Here is a brief list:

1. Stop driving to work - I work about 4 (town) blocks away from our apt. However, I often find myself driving to work for multiple reasons, but mostly because I am always running too late to drive. I know you city folks think im ridiculous, but just remember when we all drove to class when it was a 3-5 minute walk?
2. Actually remember my grocery bags - I always forget to bring my reusable grocery bags to the store! I have so many of them yet they do me no good since I always forget them.
3. Walk more- Again, this relates to always running late. Also, I am lazy and hate being sweaty.
4. Air dry clothes - Since we got this new dryer I have not air dried much clothing. this is mostly due to the fact that we have no convenient place to put the drying racks in our small-ish apartment. Call me crazy, but it just feels weird when laundry is drying in the kitchen.

With that being said, there are a few things that I feel I need in order to be a happy and productive member of society. Those are things such as air conditioning, electricity, and a washing machine.

We all have our limits. What would yours be?

Website Wednesday

I found myself laughing out loud today in my office when I was reading the website Sh*t my Dad Says. The tagline says "I'm 29. I live with my 74 year old Dad. He is Awesome. I just write down sh*t that he says."

This man is hilarious; and not in the 'dad joke' kind of way, more in the 'im-old-so-I-can-say-whatever-I-effing-want" kind of way. Therefore, do not read it if you are not okay with various vulgar curse words.

For those not into vulgar humor, I found another website I really like: EatingWell.com. Mostly I like it because it gave me a recipe for watermelon sorbet... but it has other good stuff on it too.

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In other news, on Friday I will have been eating healthy for 4 weeks! I'm mostly excited about that, but I dont think I have lost any weight since my clothes all fit exactly the same (I don't believe in scales). Granted, I am not eating healthy to lose weight; i'm doing it to lower my cholesterol and take care of physical self.... but I would have expected to lose something! It's a bit maddening really.

It might have something to do with the fact that I still have a goiter, but the Doc said that it wasn't inhibiting my thyroid functioning. Oh well. Even though I haven't lost weight I have had positive results from this lifestyle change; I don't get stomach aches anymore and I have more energy!

Speaking of energy, here is my to-do list for tonight:

• Eat Dinner
• Grocery Shopping
• Water plants in community garden for at least an hour
• Work on current sewing project

Hope all is well with you folks!

Website Wednesday: Thursday Edition

Sorry about not updating my blog lately! I was going to yesterday, but I was super-cranky for no reason, so I thought I would spare you. You are welcome.

Anyway, since finding out about my high cholesterol I've started to live a healthier lifestyle; a lifestyle that involves far less sweets. I've been doing pretty good about things, but I often get cravings for yummy things like muffins, hot fudge sundaes, waffles, and buttercream frosting. I may sound a bit crazy, but it's the truth!

I was pumped to stumble across the blog How Sweet it is today. It has a good mixture of typical sweets (i.e. things that include buttermilk, cream, and a lot of sugar) and healthier sweets in which to indulge. The recipes that really got me were the strawberry-yogurt-granita and frozen hot chocolate. It's pretty obvious I am in an ice cream mood. ;) So while I may not be eating my sister-in-laws almost famous frosting, I am able to satisfy my taste buds with a wonderful substitute.

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On a completely different note, I am considering cutting my hair again. I have my hair cut in the traditional "middy" style of the 40's in order to make putting my hair in rollers easier. The cut is wonderful in that sense, but the problem is that I have not been rolling my hair much due to the humidity and all around hotness that is Indiana summers. Therefore, i'm thinking about going with a bob or some other shorter style that doesn't require much work but still has a bit of versatility. I think when fall or winter hits I would go back to the middy - but another style might be best for now.

Any thoughts or suggestions?