so excited

This may seem like a very silly thing to be getting excited about, but I just can't help it.  My friend sent me the link to a blog by the Leake family, who gave up eating processed foods and refined ingredients for 100 days, completed that challenge, and then committed (and completed) to doing it again, but on a budget. Their goals are little more strict that mine have been, but it is very encouraging to see that "eating green" can be done, and it can be a long-term change. The Leake family defines their rules here and why to take on this challenge here.

These are the rules I have been abiding by since the beginning of this semester (mid-January):

No Preservatives
If I read the ingredients, and any of them look like something I may have learned in chemistry, I put it back. I only buy things that I actually know what each ingredient is. And just because I know what citric acid is, doesn't mean I'm allowed to bring it home - NO preservatives, period, dot. Reading the labels on everything is key. My biggest challenges have been bread and yogurt. I have completely given up on yogurt and I have temporarily given up on bread (until I am done with school and reunited with my stand mixer), aka I buy it however it comes.

Healthier Eating Out
If and when I go out to eat (which is not often) or I am a guest at someone's house, I try to make healthier choices. I do not heavily restrict myself, but I am hoping to become more disciplined as time goes on.

Water (and coffee)!
This probably falls under the "No Preservatives" Rule, but I feel it's still a good one to draw some special attention to. I limit myself to only drinking water with meals. And for my sanity and GPA, I must have coffee. I have parted with my delicious flavored creamers (pumpkin spice, I miss you!), and now only use organic milk and organic sugar (unless I'm at starbucks - regular milk and sugar). Oh, and I also have the occasional glass of wine when I visit the hubs :)

I must admit, there have been a few slips, but I feel like I have come a long way in my eating habits, and I am finally figuring out how to do it in a more budget friendly way (I spent less than $100 for this 2 weeks - record!). I think it would be amazing to move toward what the Leake family does to further discipline my eating habits, but that will come with time. Until then, I will definitely be using their blog to find some new recipes and tips.

PS - I've almost been married ONE WHOLE YEAR!

03.06.10

chicken pad thai deliciousness

I made a super quick and easy Chicken Pad Thai last night, and just reheated it for dinner tonight. It was and still is so good that I just have to share it. I took a picture on my phone, but it doesn't do it justice, so I'll let you try it out for yourself and see how good it looks in person :)

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8 ounces rice noodles
4 tsp vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 chicken breasts, cut into small, thin slices
2 cups mung bean sprouts
6 tbsp rice vinegar
5 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp sugar
3 tsp chili-garlic sauce
chopped peanuts (to top off this glorious dish)

Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until golden, about 10 seconds. Add eggs and scramble for about 30 seconds.  Add raw chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add drained noodles to wok, toss about 1 minute. Add bean sprouts, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and chili-garlic sauce. Toss for about 3 minutes, or until sauce thickens a bit. 

Sprinkle with peanuts and serve! This makes about 3 decent sized servings.

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A few learning points from my first go at Pad Thai:
1 - Have everything out, sliced, and diced before hand.  Because the oil is heated over high heat, it does not take long to cook anything! I made the mistake of not having my eggs out or chicken chopped before I added my garlic, so it got a tad too toasty.
2 - I thought I had checked all of my labels, but it turns out the chili-garlic sauce was not preservative free :(  I found a recipe here that I will be trying for my future makings of this dish.

Enjoy!

green-inating

today, i plan to (finally - after a week of staring at it) part with my preservative filled foods.

goodbye reduced fat creamy jif peanut butter, filled with magnesium and zinc oxide, ferric orthophosphate, and copper sulfate. goodbye deliciously salted pita chips, with your absorbic acid and thiamin mononitrate. goodbye glorious Christmas candy, filled with who knows what.

it is a sad day, but hopefully a day of permanent change and awareness. and grocery shopping :)

life is flying

i am back in atlanta after a busy three weeks at home. i loved my time there, but as always, it went by so quickly. i enjoyed my time with the best husband ever, my time with my family and jared's (which is now also my family - love it), and the short amount of time i had with a few close friends (although i would have loved more). i'm hoping to tweak and organize some pictures from my break here shortly, and post them later.

at the moment, i am enjoying snow day number TWO! it is gloriously white outside. since i have no schoolwork to catch up on yet, i spent yesterday sledding with a few friends, and truly loved it. it was one of my best and most memorable days at georgia tech so far. but i am so sore today from the miles of walking through snow and the sledding down hills and walking back up them to sled again, that today i plan to relax and rest.

ah yes, 2011. i suppose that since it is a new year, it's time for some goal making:

start "eating green"
i am not participating in the full Daniel Fast as i did last year with my church, but i still am hoping to challenge myself so i rely more on God. my goal is to eliminate artificial preservatives, chemicals, and additives from my diet. this is so much more difficult than you would think, especially when life is busy and you need something quick and convenient. almost every canned good (which i LOVE to use) has some sort of preservative or chemical in it. so i started checking labels this sunday on my grocery trip, and i'm easing my way into eating green. i'm hoping for this to become a permanent change for me in my life, and to rely on God every step of the way in making this change.

show His love in all i do
i always fear i am just "going through the motions" in my reading and prayer. i want to truly learn from His word and apply it in my life. i also want to be in communication with Him more often. i want to live for God every minute and have His love shown through my every word and action.

survive grad school
i worked harder than i ever have in my life last semester, and i want to continue that discipline and determination this semester and next, so i can graduate with a good gpa in august :)

so here we go, 2011!