Progress

Busy preparing for next week's Detox...

I am so much more aware of our need for dark green leafy veggies. I am so much more inclined to include them in my regular recipes. I no longer search for "spinach" or "kale" recipes but simply add some baby spinach to my white bean casserole dish or include some frozen ones.
Kale might go into my soup or I might make some kale chips. The latest discovery was, of course, that it is good in a salad, too.
This way, I think, the rest of my family is also more inclined to embrace those oh-so-beneficial greens.

I'd love to hear your ideas on the matter.

The Salad That Keeps On Giving

Well, my (huge) bowl of salad was a hit with my family. By tonight there was only a small amount left which was turned into a Pasta Salad with the addition of some lovely Amaranth Penne.

It reminded me of a beautifully illustrated children's book Something From Nothing :)

(What am I going to do without my grains on the Detox???)

A New Salad Recipe is Born

BI've been playing with recipes for a (near) future detox.
I was going to make the Kale Salad on the Whole Living Detox site (Ingredients below) - but I did not have red cabbage or carrots. I had a bag of Coleslaw - which proved to be perfect.
Dijon Mustard was MIA - I substituted with a fancy Tarragon Mustard which gave the salad a unique taste. I had to increase the dressing b/c I made a large amount.
We had a lot of it for lunch - leftovers were turned into a chickpea salad: I added a can of chickpeas:)

Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and CarrotServes 4 

• Kale, 1 bunch
• Red cabbage, 1 small head
• Carrot, 1
• Fresh parsley, 1/4 cup leaves
• Red onion, 1/4
• Sunflower, pumpkin, and hemp seeds, 6 Tbsp 
• Mixed Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp
• Extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp
• Apple-cider vinegar, 1 tsp
• Coarse salt and pepper

Soup Recipes

I've decided to list my soups I tend to make in rotation.
I will include links whenever appropriate.
If interested - check the sidebar.

I never cared for soups. While growing up, the only soups I'd eat were Chicken Noodle (minus chicken)-
Pea Soup and Romano Bean Soup.
Once married, I added Potato and Leek Soup to my repertoire.
In the past 4-5 years I have tried many and learned to appreciate a variety of them. If I have a pot of soup on the stove (or in the fridge, or freezer) - the thought of making dinner does not send my heart racing:).

It's Time

It's time to start posting again...
It's time to focus on getting in shape again.
It's time to share new ideas, challenges...

So I'm here.

It is always tough at this time of the year. Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year are followed by two birthdays and a wedding anniversary... I can't even get serious until the end of February.
This year with the mild winter we've had, I can already see green branches on the Forsythia (!) and little buds on our Magnolia. Both remind me that spring is around the corner!

Normally, at this time, I get slightly antsy, anxious to start outdoor exercise. Well,  running is out for a while: I've been struggling with my ITB. (Spinning is impossible:( as are many yoga poses along with a number of exercises in my sculpting class) I'm not the happiest camper about this but...
I'm focusing on what I CAN do:
walking, sculpting classes (minus squats, lunges etc.) , self-directed yoga, ab exercises.

Food-wise we are still in "winter-mode". I've been experimenting a bit with some new recipes.
The latest is a cookie. Impressive. (just don't tell anyone you've made it out of beans:) )

Challenges:
I've been fairly low-key so far. This book has been my guide for weekly small changes. None of them have been drastic changes so far - just little tweaks.

I will try to post regularly - it keeps me on track.:)

Happy New Year

And here we go again:
Getting In Shape for the Summer, once more.

New Year Resolutions...
I'm not big on those - they tend to go out the window by February.

Challenges?
I'm always ready for a new one.
Are they always successful?  Depends what we call successful. I find them successful as long as I gained something out of them.
Are they perfect? No. Almost never.
:)

The Longest Time

It's surely been a long time since I posted...
I did not forget - I was simply too busy fixing up the house. In  fact, I still am but I thought I should drop by just for a moment and share how I was coping during this time food-wise.

Amy's frozen foods were a Godsend if a bit pricey. On the days when I had no hope of cooking a meal, I alternated between those and my own frozen supplies.  The latter ran out a couple of weeks ago, I am now trying to rebuild my stocks:). I am anxious to get back to my usual routine - during this time I have acquired a few wonderful cookbooks and I am eager to try new recipes.

Exercise really suffered.  I made it to the gym and/or yoga studio maybe 3 times in the past 5 weeks. I was most certainly on my feet all day but that is not the same...
I should be back to more regular workouts by next week.