7/18/10

Sorry it's been so long since my last blog, I've had two very chaotic weekends with two very slow work weeks in between. Slow work weeks, of course, equal a tons of time to blog, and plan meals and get some exercise (yeah right), more time to stress about money. Ironically one of my chaotic weekends ended up saving me money, because my July 4th trip to PA fell through (very long and complicated story). And the following weekend ended up costing me all that money because my dog decided to collapse on the lawn on a Sunday. She couldn't have done it on a Monday when the regular vet is open, nope she had to do it on a Sunday so we had to take her to the emergency vet and spend triple the amount. And... THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH HER!!! She collapsed, was woozy all morning all the way to the vet, actually collapsed again at the vet, and then they did a bunch of tests and found nothing. Plus when the vet came out to tell me this she said Rosie had been awake and alert and wagging her tail in the crate in the back the whole time. She has been right back to her usual perky self all week. Who knows? We figure she either ate something weird on our walk last Sunday morning or just had a random seizure.

I think that this blog is turning into a "why do I eat when I'm stressed" blog rather than a blog about the importance of a nutrient-dense diet. Instead of going to PA we went to our friends house for July 4th and ate a whole bunch of junk (by choice, I think if I had said I wanted to eat healthy and vegetarian Katy would have been all for it). All week long after the 4th I found myself stopping at fast food places...like everyday. The weekend of the dog fiasco we sat in the vet's office for like four hours, so of course we ate whatever we could get our hands on that afternoon.

The second slow work week (last week) I was better, because I had a session with one of my favorite people, Nadia. I think in my last blog I had mentioned that she asked me why I was punishing myself with bad foods, and I spent the two weeks in between sessions thinking about reasons that I punish myself. So when I went to see her this week I told her that I think that made things worse because I just kept dredging up all this negative history in my life. And then she posed the question, "So why aren't you rewarding yourself?" She gave me some homework to validate myself everyday, no matter how hokey it sounds. And I've been doing it, it does feel a little hokey, but let me tell you I have driven past the fast food places more frequently and I have been more diligent about my smoothies this week. I have been taking ten minutes in the evening before I go to bed to tell myself that I did a good job during the day. It's basically meditation.

I feel like I need rehab, like drug addicts do. I need someone to teach me what to do with my feelings positive or negative. I went to a training this weekend that got me VERY excited, and all I wanted to do when I got out was eat to celebrate. Then I found out the building that my office is in got broken into last weekend and I'm a little afraid of that, of course all I wanted to do after I heard about it was eat to comfort myself. What am I supposed to do instead?!?!?! Maybe I should take up smoking. HaHa JUST KIDDING.

I don't really have a Cure this week, because honestly I wasn't very diligent with the plan and I was an emotional roller coaster. Maybe that's the Cure...by focusing on a nutrient-dense diet I don't have time for my life to be an emotional roller coaster. Actually that worries me a little, why can't I do both? Why can't I stick to the plan AND deal with the ups and downs? It'll come in time I suppose.

Ugh, sorry this isn't a very positive posting this week. Thank you all for reminding me to do it and keeping me on track. Here's my latest favorite recipe I got it from a friend's daughter's blog and I think she got it from Vegetarian Times. I've tweaked it just a little.

Ingredients
1 large bunch kale (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs.) rinsed, de-stemmed and chopped
12 oz. udon noodles (you can get these in a regular grocery store in the Asian section)
2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil or to taste
1 can of artichoke hearts (not in oil) chopped
2 Tbs. toasted white or black sesame seeds (i didn't even toast them, just put them in)

Directions
1. Use a little bit more water then you normally would for 12oz of pasta. Bring it to a boil.

2. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes less than cooking time indicated on package. Add kale stems and leaves, pressing down with back of large spoon to submerge. Continue cooking, uncovered, over high heat until kale and pasta are tender, about 5 minutes. (Kale tends to remain on top of pasta. Press it under water from time to time with back of large spoon.)

3. Drain pasta and kale and return to pot. Add sesame oil and artichoke hearts and toss with fork. Taste and add more sesame oil if necessary. Add sesame seeds and toss again. Serve hot or at room temperature.