Weeks 4 & 5

Man, I'm so behind on this blog!

I started a new job on the 14th, so I no longer work from home, my routine's all different, and I'm discombobulated.

So let me see if I can piece together the ideas that I had in my head for this post:

1. I went to a WalMart last week to pick something up that the local grocery store didn't have in stock. I walked in and the smell hit me: plastics, chemicals, fumes. I thought to myself, "maybe they just unloaded something for a display near the front door." But no, that smell was throughout the entire store. How could the shoppers and people working there not smell it? How was it not bothering them as much as it was bothering me?!? I couldn't wait to get outta there! So I guess my sense of smell is heightened, because it happened to me again at...

2. The nail salon. My husband was kind enough to send me on a day of pampering the day before Valentine's Day. I had just had a one-hour Swedish massage and was now going in for my spa pedicure. I had never been to this nail place before and when I walked in, I was hit in the face by the overwhelming smell of chemicals. And once again, I pitied the people that work there, because they sit in that space all day long, 6 days a week. YUCK!

3. I have lost a total of 10.2 lbs (yes, I include ounces, those are MY ounces and they count!) since starting this program on Jan. 17th. Craig has lost 15 lbs. 

4. Remember Craig's alopecia areata I mentioned in my first post way back when? The catalyst for this whole dietary change? His hair is starting to grow back.

5.  We're kinda scared of stopping the program and introducing the old foods again. We feel good, we're losing weight, and Craig's gastro stuff is completely under control. But we're also getting really tired of the same foods, over and over again. And this is where my brain shuts down. Because new foods will take time, effort, and thought. And that's exactly why I sucked at meal planning before doing the Clean program. I like being told what to make and how to make it. Alejandro, if you read this, please, please, please publish a cookbook. Please? Get your dietitian friend, have a glass of wine (ok, maybe not wine, maybe juice) and assemble a book of more recipes. Please?

Please?

Now for some food. I tried the Halibut Baked in Parchment w/Olives & Thyme, only halibut isn't in season yet and it's very expensive when it is, so I used wild caught Orange Roughy instead (cuz the fish monger told me to). I didn't really need to tell you about the fish monger, I just wanted to use the word monger.

The prep for this dish is super quick, it's very easy to assemble, and the cook time is very short. I did use parchment paper, but I wasn't able to get it to close up like a calzone (Mmmmmm, calzone....) the way they described it in the book. I couldn't get the folds to stay closed in the oven, but it didn't matter. Everything cooked just fine.

I had a lot of zucchini leftover, so I decided to just slice it up and throw it in a saute pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. I served it as a side, along with some quinoa.

It was absolutely delicious! The fish was moist and succulent. I ended up eating Craig's olives because he hated them. He tried one half of one olive and spit it out. He's not a fan of such strong flavors. He said it was too salty for him. I was proud of him for at least trying it. He ate everything else, though.

The week of Feb 7th, another arctic front blew in, driving temps down into the teens overnight (that's cold for us Austinites). Since I could not get warm, Craig decided to try something. Hot cocoa made with almond milk, unsweetened cocoa (the same kind we use for our blueberry/carob smoothies) and agave nectar.

We sprinkled it with cinnamon. It was fantastic! It really reminded me of Mexican hot chocolate, made with Ibarra, only a little more better for you.

His recipe wasn't all that scientific. He just took the mugs and filled them with almond milk and then poured it into the saucepan. He used 4 teaspoons of cocoa and 4 teaspoons of agave nectar. That's it. Craig, if I got that wrong, post your correction, please.

And here's another new food:  Quinoa pasta. I stumbled upon it at the grocery store and decided to give it a try in the chicken stock/veggie soup I make.

Normally, I'd be leery of anything made with corn because it's probably going to be GMO. But this says it's organic, so I felt better about it.

I've had gluten free pasta before...

...and I thought it was ok, not great, kinda tasted funny. But the quinoa pasta is very much like real pasta in texture and flavor. I liked it much better than the Schar brand.

So Week 5 was weird for me, because I started the new job, which now requires I get up earlier than before, then I have a commute to the office, my eating times are different, and it's all just weird. I found that by 9 or 9:30, I'd start to get really hungry and headachey. I'd eat an apple with almond butter, but the headache was still there. And it felt like a caffeine headache, too, so that was a bummer. I guess I'm going through an adjustment period or something, but I feel like I need to figure out some snack options. I'm getting bored with apples.

If you are doing the Clean program and have some snack ideas, please feel free to share them!

More to come as we progress. On to Week 6....