mainly wanna win the game

i have been wanting a small herb garden for many years now. in the whimsical land of erin, i have a lovely window box in front of my kitchen sink. in reality, i have a second storey apartment with a small back patio. but this delight below could work! the author even grew tomatoes in hers.

swallowing glass just to stay pure

i'm finishing my thirty days as tho i haven't cheated for three of them. then i'm going to go for celebratory wings and beer.

i have decided.

strangely, i haven't even really been craving sugar. mostly it has been the inconvenience of having to properly prepare something myself that is the challenge. when i'm hungry, i want something now. pronto. stat. popping something in the toaster seems too long. which is silly. i need to (a) have good things on hand for when that feeling strikes and (b) get over the instant gratification i've become accustomed to. i suppose that just takes time and effort. same as anything else that is good for you.

one thing i am totally in love with is rice noodles. i prefer them to even whole wheat or multi grain pasta. so yummy. and quick to prepare. last night i had them with grilled tofu and zucchini and sun dried tomatoes. mmmm that reminds me... i have leftovers! my favourite.

let me walk down your street

i blew it. two days in a row actually. went to an oscars party sunday and decided i had earned an indulgence (yes, i just make up rules to suit myself as i go along). i had a piece of cheesecake and a few other things, like feta in my salad. today i was supposed to be back at it. i was fine most of the day but i came home (from another remilio sheen show! delightful tho not quite as amazing as the first.) and my body demanded wendy's. quite honestly, i just didn't have the energy to resist anymore.

the most frustrating part is that (aside from the cheesecake) the indulgences were rather disappointing. they didn't satisfy me deeply. mostly they make me mad that i wasted cheating on something other than beer. and now i feel kinda ill.

so now the decision... start over with 30 days to go? keep going and pretend this never happened? or give up altogether? i should probably wait til morning to decide. life has more hope in the morning.

trying to get as far away from myself as i can

my thirty days is now down to 19. i like the sounds of that. over a third down. and it's still going pretty well.

last night i had a major ice cream craving. we made our way down to the market on yates hoping to discover a treat that reasonably resembles ice cream and yet is made without either dairy or sugar. ask a lot, don't i?

would you believe, i found something! and it was even good!

at first i was just looking at the sorbets because i couldn't believe any of the soy or rice options would actually satisfy. but my craving demanded creamy and chocolate so i decided to at least have a look. i could try something new there every week for a year at least. but the one that caught my eye was the so delicious coconut milk frozen dessert. i was skeptical. but i am converted. it was delicious.

the ingredients list is beautifully short. coconut milk. agave syrup. chicory root. cocoa. and a couple types of gum. it was pricey, but still less than a little ben and jerry's or haagen daaz. of course i devoured the entire thing already.

i might celebrate day 31 with a tub of the chocolate-peanut butter swirl. mmmmmm.

serve with flair a culinary cabaret

happy delivery day to me!

bin number two arrived today full of fresh goodies for me to enjoy. i had been eagerly expecting it all week since it contained both avocado and tomato and i've been wanting fresh salsa something fierce. it was every bit as fantastic as i had dreamed. i devoured the entire bowl already. but i have plenty of left over jalapeño and cilantro to flavour tomorrow's lunch.

i also had mixed beans with cumin today, as suggested by darling serena. i really must use more spices. they do make such a difference. nothing boring about my food today!

something i could do to make you smile again

i've been laid low the past couple days with a headache like a freight train. from what i've read that is not a symptom of sugar withdrawal. besides, the headache hit monday morning and i can't imagine barely 24 hours would make my head explode.

whatever it was, it's gone now. and i am still successfully sugar/gluten free! five days down!

i do have to confess two things. first, i accidentally put cream in my coffee this afternoon and i didn't pour it out as it was the end of the pot. so i drank it. it really wasn't much cream at all. but i had to tell you.

second, my food is still pretty boring. breakfast doesn't concern me. in the morning i'm not interested in much more than getting something in my belly that will last til lunch. the rest of the day i take only as much time as i absolutely need to prepare something simple. even when i cook it's pretty basic.

and snacking is ungood. i do that a lot and it's hard to find something good yet cheap. i hate to buy those prepackaged health snacks. they're ridiculously expensive. plus i really want this to also be about me learning to make my own food. i very much appreciate the suggestions. i'm gonna try the bean salad with cumin tomorrow. if you have any other tips feel free to post them.

throwing bricks at the moon

day one: i'm off and running! spoonful of natural peanut butter and coffee for breakfast; tuna on rice cakes for lunch; rice crackers for dinner; and the worst banana boat ever for late night snack. day one was a success but only in the strictest sense of the word.

i need to properly prepare food for each meal, not just try to eat on the run. that will make a big difference in the quality of the food. also, trying to replace what i would normally eat with 'healthy' alternatives isn't the way to go. it's expensive and disappointing. (in other words, banana boats with sugar free chocolate and no marshmallows just aren't worth the effort. lesson learned. tough stuff.)

if the west can be a desperate place

i've been so focused on cutting out sugar that i forgot about the gluten. i'm cutting that out too for the thirty days. i hadn't expected that to be a problem for me since i don't generally eat a lot of wheat but i did a quick search of what gluten free would entail and i was surprised. i assumed rye would be safe and it's sure not. same with barley, spelt and kamut. and i came across many warnings that oats are a controversial choice.

and as soon as i'm told i'm not allowed to have something, i want it.

but i can do this! i have self control and self discipline!

ya, not so much. but i do have many inspirational blogs written by other poor unfortunate fools on the same diet. and these people know how to eat.

pictured above is a gluten/sugar/dairy free pancake. and it looks fantastic. if i get ambitious enough to attempt cooking one (or more) of these i'll let you know how it tastes too. for now i'm probably going to stick with the controversial oatmeal with almond milk and maple syrup for breakfast.

cut myself on angel hair

the whole 'not eating sugar' thing isn't going so well. surprise, surprise. self control has never been my strong point. justification and indulgence, however, i could win prizes in.

i've decided one of the problems is accountability. and since i've been on a food kick on here recently, i'm going to make myself accountable to the webbernet. i may lie, i may cheat, and i will likely get very angry that i've made myself accountable to anyone. but i need to cut the sugar for thirty days. starting next week.

i know, the procrastination! it just makes it worse. but i have some chocolate laying around, as well as a half a bottle of wine. and i feel the need to psyche myself up for this. so sunday, february 21 is my start date. no sucrose, no lactose, and limited fructose until march 22. we can do it!

now to finish off those chocolates. i'm doing it as a favour to my future self. no, really.

keeps me from dancing

my bin arrived on thursday, as promised. i promptly devoured the roasted hazelnuts. the apples and bananas aren't lasting much longer. at the moment i am simmering a leek and potato soup, since that was the simplest and most popular recipe for leeks.

leeks are, essentially, giant green onions, as most of you are probably already aware. i was not. and i do not like green onions. this soup smells delicious, however.

another feature of epicurious is the comments. they're helpful because people who actually know what they're doing with food will post what they did to improve on the original recipe. for instance, most people who commented on the recipe i used here said it was a little bland. they recommended adding garlic and bacon and more chicken stock. i ignored their suggestions because i didn't want to cover over the flavour of the leeks the first time i have them. but i do think that if i make this again i will try this recipe instead. more involved but sounds delicious.

you sail to the sky

fresh, local produce programs operate in most cities in canada. even prince george had one while i was there. (as far as i know it's still active but i haven't checked since i left). i am finally jumping on this delicious and convenient bandwagon.

share organics is victoria's version and i'm signed up to receive my very first bin on thursday. i received my order preview a couple days ago - there's going to be apples and oranges, bananas, roasted hazelnuts, spinach, onions and leeks. and mung beans. and other things that aren't coming to mind.

i've never eaten mung beans before. not knowingly, at least. and i don't really know what to do with them. happily, another nice feature of share organics is that they provide recipes to correspond with their offerings.

i'm thinking of trying egg drop soup. it looks very simple. after bringing four cups of broth to a boil, add one celery stalk and half an onion, both diced. let that simmer for about twenty minutes. beat two eggs and add to the broth while stirring continually. then add the mung beans and your choice of braising greens. i have some red chard in the fridge or some spinach arriving in my bin on thursday. i might use a little of both. and that's it. easy peasy, eh? i'll post pictures of how it turns out.

sleep while i slip poison in your ear

i am still on my home made food kick (it's lasted for days and days now! i think that's a record.) today i received my instructables newsletter, which i always find inspiring. i started out browsing the candy recipes hoping for something sweet and delicious but not so full of sugar. from what i could see, sugar is a necessary ingredient in candy. i got distracted pretty quickly, though, so there may be something out there i just didn't see.

what i did find is this amazing recipe for making your own mozzarella cheese!


How to Make Great Fresh Mozzarella Cheese - More DIY How To Projects

who knew? unfortunately, i am supposed to be cutting all sugar - sucrose, lactose, fructose, happiness-ose - out of my diet. just for the time being. it was strongly advised by a professional. don't worry about my being extreme. she actually advised that i be slapped if i continue to consume any form of sugar until my body has a chance to sort things out and heal itself. but i'll be right back at fruit and dairy (and beer) as soon as i'm given the go-ahead. until then... you should make this cheese and let me know how it works out! i'm dying to try it.

through storms of red roses

i am homed once again. after couch surfing across the country for seven months i am thrilled to have landed. and i am absolutely smitten with the space. it is a bright open character suite with a delightful garden in the backyard. apparently the area was originally upper chinatown. there is a goji berry bush growing next to the driveway.

at the moment i am thrilled by the idea of cooking. it may be because i've been living off no-prep food for far too long, or it may be a new kitchen equipped with my new roomie's fabulous kitchen supplies. or i may just be hungry. whatever it is, i've got the bug.

i've been scanning epicurious for recipes and ideas. i love their setup! you can search by what you have on hand or prep type or cuisine type... and the pictures are mouth watering. then, once you find something you want to try, save it to your recipe box. from there select the recipes you want to make this week and it will compile a shopping list for you! even organized by aisle. o technology. how i heart you.

today i made granola. we met a woman in winnipeg who kept a large glass jar of homemade granola on hand at all times and i've wanted to try it ever since. i didn't follow the recipe exactly. i'm terrible for measuring. too lazy and impatient. plus i hate dirtying all those extra dishes. i skipped the pecans and raisins and dried blueberries since payday is not until friday but i made up for it with extra almonds and dates, then added some pumpkin and flax seeds. before i mixed it all together i sprinkled cinnamon on the roasted seeds and almonds. mmmm i guarantee this is not going to last long.

white as a knuckle and terribly upset

i have made yogurt twice now.

wait, that's a lie.

i have successfully made yogurt twice now. there was some trial and error but i have mastered my own process. i am eating some of my second batch right now and i have not died or even fallen seriously ill.

it's actually quite simple. so simple it seems like it shouldn't work. warm your oven to 100 degrees and turn on the interior light. at the same time, bring a pot of milk to a boil. watch it carefully because once it hits boiling point it foams over in half a second. remove from heat and let cool until it is lukewarm to touch. technically you want to heat the milk to 180 degrees, then cool it to 110. i still use a thermometer because i'm very impatient and messed up at least one batch by not letting it cool long enough. once cooled, stir in a tablespoon of plain yogurt with active cultures - this is likely any plain yogurt you buy at the store or leftovers from a previous batch. cover with a lid and place in the warmed oven. leave the light on but turn the heat off. the light is enough to maintain the level of warmth that will cultivate the bacteria. after seven hours you will have yogurt! and the longer you leave it past seven hours, the thicker and more sour it will become.

i prefer plain yogurt. i add honey or fruit when i eat it so i don't have any suggestions for how to flavour your creation. but it's yogurt! and you made it! i say just try it to feed to friends. yogurt party!

slipping in and out of those ocean breezes

reasons i do not need to be addicted to evil chemical candy:

dried figs
black licorice
dark chocolate
dried mango

can't wear a toque or your mohawk's crushed

it is definitely trying to snow today.

so to comfort myself, i have turned to food. i attempted a squash soup about a week ago and it wasn't quite right so today i went for the second round. newest room mate (carmel) insisted it was wonderfully easy. and after i compared my lunch of doritos with hers of grilled tofu, i decided a proper meal was a good idea.

this one turned out much better than the first. i think i used far too much chicken stock last time. and a little too much pepper this time. but it is amazingly easy. even for a... well, me. whatever i am.

love is the heart of fear

i do not enjoy food preparation. i am very likely the laziest person in this regard. i despise having to think about or plan or prepare or anything to do with food prior to eating it. if i was rich i would hire a chef before i would hire a maid. i go through phases of eating pop tarts or popsicles for every meal simply because they are brainless.

it's definitely a trait i inherited from my mother. she cooked out of necessity, not pleasure. and she often told me that we would save amazing amounts of time and energy if we didn't have to eat everyday - and multiple times everyday!

it's true though. if i dedicated as much time to writing, or painting, or playing guitar, or graphic design, or service, or reading the Bible... the list goes on - all the things i'd rather be doing. for the sake of example, let's say playing guitar. if i spent hours everyday and set aside a budget every month solely for guitar, i would have actually learned an entire song before i turned 24.

i just remembered that britt is doing (or just finished) the master cleanse. i did that a couple years back and it was fantastic. except i did miss the joy of eating.

so i suppose in my paradise food will just be lying around waiting to be eaten. platters of sushi, trays of tarts, banquets and feasts randomly set up throughout the earth. perhaps britt and karen will take care of that for me.

there's a lot of me inside you

monica pointed out to me at some point long ago that i like to collect canned food. i don't know where this started or why i feel the compulsion to buy my food in this form but it's true. i watch myself fill my cupboards with peaches and soups and beans and am unable to stop. i generally prefer to eat fresh food so i think i must be storing up for armageddon. my emergency kit, perhaps? i've decided to ban myself from the canned food aisle until i've used up what i have. anyone have recipes for corn, mixed bean salad, tuna, and pineapple?

i'm the coffee not the sleep

this has to be a quick one. i'm sitting at a table in a brother and sister's kitchen on a farm in southern saskatchewan. we just finished an amazing lunch which included some of the fresh corn, watermelon and cantaloupe that they grow themselves. the best ever. i could be convinced to live here if i could eat like this all the time.

we were in moose jaw the other day and now we're making our way through the big muddy badlands. it's our outlaw trail. we toured the tunnels under moose jaw where al capone used to hide and now we're trying to find the caves that butch cassidy and the sundance kid used.

i never expected saskatchewan to be pretty but it really is. there are boring parts but there are also beautiful valleys and rolling hills.

o dear. time to go. lunch is over and we're going to roll ourselves into the van. hopefully we get close to the manitoba border tonight. tomorrow we'd like to see the international peace garden, then winnipeg on friday. i'm working on getting pictures ready to post on here. hopefully not too long. or, more likely, i won't get it done until i'm settled somewhere.

our statial shape is the rhombus

my parents are here!! i'm muy happy to have them. but muy sad that it means that i'm leaving soon. it feels like everyone's leaving. jeremiah left yesterday, britta's leaving today, mikaela and angie are next week, and i'm the week after. then most other people are gone by the end of march. but we're planning a mexican reunion in june. in calgary, of all places. works for me.

i must go now, as we are going for a welcome parents slash goodbye britta breakfast. and we're going to have beer. for breakfast. but it's ok cause we're in mexico.