I've got 20 minutes for writing tonight. Why? Because it's been one of those days. The kind where you breath in at about 7 a.m. and then take your first breath out at about 8:30 pm. If I don't go to bed pretty soon tomorrow is gonna be another "one of those days." What's really tough about this Forks Over Knives diet is that when I typically have a rough going day, I make dinner really easy...and usually that means not healthy. But by that point in the evening, my focus is just on ending the day as quickly as possible. This boils down to, 1) feeding us and, 2) getting us in bed. On these nights, changing into pj's and brushing teeth are optional because they delay goal #2. Tonight, Brody got a frozen pizza that looked incredibly amazing and smelled like Napels and I got some brown crap over rice.
Today I went back to Trader Joe's. I spent $94 and my goal was to get fresh produce, some convenient meals, and ingrediants to try another recipe. This Punjab Eggplant stuff was one of the things I bought. It's an Indian dish I have never heard of before and, I hate to say it, I think it breaks the rules. It has sunflower oil and salt in it. But today I wasn't so strict while in the store so it's home and waiting to be taste-tested with the rest of my new stuff. Salt is something I struggle with on the diet. Partly because I am a total salt-lover and eliminating it has been difficult and also because using "salt to taste" (as instructed per the Forks Over Knives How To Companion) is a little vague for my Type A brain. If I'm going to use "salt to taste" in almost everything savory on the diet, why is it not OK in a pre-made food like this one?
I also bought something called Farro. Ever heard of it? It's this little grain in my hand that looks like a deyhdrated Sugar Smack. I thought the grain looked pretty promising for being added to salads and stuff and it packs a whopping 10 grams of protein per serving so in the cart it went. The guy at check-out said you could use it the way you use rice. I'll keep you posted.
But what I'm really excited about is the pasta dish I am going to try this week. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am beginning to believe that the better foods and recipes for this diet are derived from modifying an already awesome recipe rather than using one from the Forks Over Knives Cookbooks. While in Home Depot on Monday, I purchased the most recent volumn of my favorite cooking magazine, Fine Cooking. Actually, I purchased a special edition of the magazine that highlights the best foods for the upcoming season. These quarterly editions they title "Cook Fresh." On a side note, I cannot recommend this magazine enough and, trust me, I have done my homework on cooking magazines. Did I adequately mention how much of a foodie I consider myself to be?
I also bought something called Farro. Ever heard of it? It's this little grain in my hand that looks like a deyhdrated Sugar Smack. I thought the grain looked pretty promising for being added to salads and stuff and it packs a whopping 10 grams of protein per serving so in the cart it went. The guy at check-out said you could use it the way you use rice. I'll keep you posted.
But what I'm really excited about is the pasta dish I am going to try this week. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am beginning to believe that the better foods and recipes for this diet are derived from modifying an already awesome recipe rather than using one from the Forks Over Knives Cookbooks. While in Home Depot on Monday, I purchased the most recent volumn of my favorite cooking magazine, Fine Cooking. Actually, I purchased a special edition of the magazine that highlights the best foods for the upcoming season. These quarterly editions they title "Cook Fresh." On a side note, I cannot recommend this magazine enough and, trust me, I have done my homework on cooking magazines. Did I adequately mention how much of a foodie I consider myself to be?
The "looks like a vegetarian meal" on the front prompted me to grab it from the stand. Once I glanced through a lot of the recipes, it seemed there were several I could easily modify to meet the Forks Over Knives diet restrictions and still have excellent flavors. So I am going to put my recipe theory to the test later this week by attempting to make this recipe on the front. It's Linguine with Roasted Asparagus and Almond Pesto. Sounds pretty good, eh? Well, let's not jump to any conclusions yet. This here diet has a history of completely debunking my preconceived ideas about what recipes might be good. Exhibit A: Southwestern Mac and "Cheese." Exhibit B: Curried Rice Salad. But third time's a charm, right?
I'm going to follow the recipe but modify the way I roast the tomatoes and asparagus and also modify what ingredients are used in the pesto. I'm actually going to attempt a hybrid pesto using ingredients listed from the Cook Fresh recipe and the pesto recipe in the Forks Over Knives Cookbook. At this point, I am cautiously optimistic. More to come.....
I'm going to follow the recipe but modify the way I roast the tomatoes and asparagus and also modify what ingredients are used in the pesto. I'm actually going to attempt a hybrid pesto using ingredients listed from the Cook Fresh recipe and the pesto recipe in the Forks Over Knives Cookbook. At this point, I am cautiously optimistic. More to come.....
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