Craving vegetables

We're back from vacation and I'm so craving vegetables!  And I'm so over fried food.  I'm working on next week's food plan - and i think it will be something like this:

Tuesday - mason jar salad with leftover rotisserie chicken, edamame, leftover roasted veggies, salad greens

Wednesday - tuna salad (I'm craving it) with iceberg lettuce wraps

Thursday - out for lunch with hubby

Friday - mason jar salad with leftover tuna salad, english peas, corn, carrots and salad greens

I indulged this past week and downloaded a cooking reference (I'm hesitant to call it a cook book, but it does have some good recipes).  Ratio by Michael Ruhlman.   I'm really wanting to cook now.

And he finally explained bread baking in such a way I think I can do it.  It's always been a bit of a disappointment that I've never been able to bake bread very well.  There are three things I've felt I must conquer in the kitchen as a southern woman:  homemade bread, pie crusts and biscuits.  I just about have biscuits down.  Bread is next.  And then pie crusts.  Mmmm - really wanting some quiche.

D and I took one day trip while we were on vacation.  We drove over to Highlands and down to Whitewater Falls.  I haven't been there since my college days.

There was a very short hike put to the falls. It wasn't even that steep of a hike.  But it winded me.  And that's when I decided it was time to reclaim my health.  And I figured out a way to do it - just in time for June's habit - intentionally move 4-5x per week.

I've been kicking and screaming and making every excuse in the book when it comes to my health.  I wish it could just happen with out a little bit of work.  And as Hemingway says "isn't it pretty to think so?"   But it hit me - I don't have to be at work by 8 AM every morning - just Tuesday mornings.  So, I can get up at my usual time, have a cup of coffee with D and get myself woken up.  And then go for a walk or do a short (30 minutes) strength training program (I like Jari Love for this).  This is doable - 4 days a week and on the weekends.  And I'm looking forward to it.   This is good.

The World's Healthiest Foods

I'm reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food and it's already got me rethinking my 'obsession' with nutrition, but I do think most of us either have forgotten or need to learn how to eat healthy, real food. George Mateljan's web site The World's Healthiest Foods is a great resource to learn about the nutritional content of foods and how it can help you make incorporate healthy foods in your diet.

It also has tons of recipes and healthy cooking techniques. Overall, it's a great site. One thing I really like is that while Mateljan does sell his book through the site, he doesn't push it on site visitors. He generously makes so much information available for no cost at all. I appreciate that.

Here's that site again - giving the URL this time: www.whfoods.com