What, you can't have beer?

I gave myself until the end of January to get everything together for my gluten-free and dairy-free lifestyle.  I decided to hold off on going Legume-free, because it is difficult to give up so much at once, but I am moving forward on the new diet changes.  I started this month off by beginning to experiment with recipes, menus and what to eat for snacks for all of this new stuff.  Actually it is a lot easier than I thought, as long as you cook with simple fresh ingredients, it is pretty easy to eat well.

If you know me then you know that the two biggest things that I have to give up is beer (I love a good beer) and cheese (brie, sweet brie).  There are no good substitutions for either of these and I am going to have a bit of mourning before I am ok with that.  A few years ago when I was watching LA Ink, a guy came in to get a memorial tattoo of cheese.  He had had a major car accident which left him without part of his intestines and he could no longer digest the lovely, gooey cheese which made him happy.  So he decided to get this memorial tattoo, to really express how much he LOVED cheese.  At the time I thought it was hilarious, but I can now understand the sadness of giving up something that you really enjoy.

So if you want to be nice to me, please do not state how sucky it is to be giving up beer and cheese, I KNOW, trust me.   But not as sucky as losing my battle with MS.

Goodbye dear foods

CSA s and More

Soon I will be embarking on my "lifestyle change"(trying not to call it a diet).  I was concerned that this new venture would be difficult, especially in the times that I am running 40 mi a week.  It is hard to balance full time work, exercise and scratch cooking 3x day/7 days of the week.  Although I am not confident in it all yet, I am learning more each day.

In fact I applied (these places are run out of shares) for a Community Supported Agriculture Farm (CSA) in which I pay $500 for 20 weeks of veggies, fruits, herbs and flowers.  I chose Lavender Lane BioDynamic Farm based on the fact that they choose to grow their stuff Biodynamically.

Here is a quick definition for those of you that do not know what that means (from growbetterveggies.com).

Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms, with an emphasis toward balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, and animals as a closed, self-nourishing system. Regarded by some proponents as the first modern ecological farming system, biodynamic farming includes organic agriculture's emphasis on manures and composts and exclusion of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical calendar to determine times of planting and harvesting.

Anyway, it is good stuff and I am excited to support local farmers who support  the local environment.  After talking with farmer John (as he is known), this CSA also provides recipes for ideas on how to use stuff like kholrhabi and daikon (for the non-cooker like me).

I will be picking a date soon to start my lifestyle changes; I am looking at the end of January, but I need to write it down so that I stick to it (I am looking at it similar to my training plans).  Until then, I will be fatting myself up.

On another note, I did my longest hike yet since all of this "stuff" started - 7 mi.  Felt good, energy felt good, and it was pretty on the trails (snow, yay!).

Holiday Eating Tips

Since I am going gluten, dairy and legume free starting at the end of January, I have decided to make up for it this month  To be funny here are some "Christmas Eating Tips" that I am currently living by.

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.