Foodie Friday

Foodie Friday will definitely be one of my favorite "themes!" I LOVE food and since I'm on a journey to find out what I can eat and how to make the best of it, being a "foodie" is truly fun for me now!

Today it's all about the beet! Yes, a simple beet! 

I hated beets as a child. They had a taste that could not be acquired. But now I am drawn to their naturally sweet flavor!

According to WHFoods, Beets "Provide optimal health, protect against heart disease, lessen inflammation & protect against birth defects." In 1 c. of boiled beets you will consume only 74 calories and still get a whole lot of essential nutrients. 

Beets compliment salads very well! I wouldn't know about the power of beets + feta because I've never had that combination, but have heard it's phenomenal. Because I'm still a plain-old-Jane (working towards more) I appreciate spinach + romaine + beets + grilled chicken + olive oil currently. Try it out - I think you'll like it, too! And the "beet" goes on....

CHEERS!

Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad

Day 105.

It was a wonderful weekend! Ryan's birthday is on Tuesday, so we spent the whole day yesterday celebrating!

I will post tomorrow with all the places we went and the things we did.

Tonight I want to tell you about the dinner I made for us tonight. I made a Salmon salad, with Quinoa and homemade dressing. I highly recommend it. Here is how I did it (served enough for Ryan and I):

• Chopped Romaine Lettuce
• ~ 1 c. Quinoa with fresh squeezed lemon/sea salt/pepper
• Grilled Salmon
• Dressing: 2 Tbsp Olive Oil + 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice + sea salt + pepper

Mix it all together. Unbelievable! A clean eat, with a citrus twist.

Yesterday I felt ok for most of the day. I did not feel good, at all, at night. I felt achy and flu-like. However, no mouth problems. Today my fatigue finally lifted. The spell since Tuesday has hopefully been broken (well, at least until last night's dinner catches up with me). The fatigue this past week was so awful. That may be almost worse sometimes than the rest of the reactions I get. I felt great today - worked out a ton. I got the red dots in my cheeks last night after dinner, which makes sense because we ate out and because my mouth is annoying me just a tad bit more than yesterday. I would say it was about a 3/4 today vs a 1/2 yesterday. I was great until about 3pm today, then I got bloated. My left side hurt (bloat) from there on out.

Here was my day:

Breakfast (pre-6 mile run)

• Fruit Fusion

Snack (post workout)

• Peets medium soy latte + stevia
  
• Banana

Breakfast

• Protein Pancake
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Lean turkey
  

Lunch (pre-workout)

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with Lean Turkey + paprika
  

Snack (post-workout)

• Apple
• Organic baby carrots
• Watermelon
  

Dinner

• Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad
• Small glass red wine
• Watermelon

And we're off to another week......

"Foodie" turned Foodie

Day 84.

I have come to a realization about why this whole journey is frustrating for me.

Sure, it's frustrating that there are so many things I feel I'm restricted from: Cake, ice cream, chips, candy and daily Soy Lattes. (But gross - how unhealthy - except that Soy Latte!)

But this is not the root of it all. The real root of it all is that I feel as thought I'm restricted from the delicacies that I love. I'm a "foodie," or at least I'm a self-proclaimed "foodie." I've loved food my entire life, but it wasn't until later in life when I began to appreciate, savor and grasp the concept of good food.

I could take any craving at hand and turn it into a healthier version to satisfy. Here are a couple examples:

1. When I wanted something sweet and creamy, I would take 1 container of Voskos 0% and add to it 1 pack of stevia and 3/4 c. blueberries. It was perfect.
   
2. When I wanted salty, I would grill tofu and baby shrimp. Then I may put honey mustard on it or BBQ or just plain sea salt. I might mix it with broccoli, edamame or baby corn.

Both of these are simple. They are healthy. They were satisfying to me. I miss them.

It's funny how being a self-proclaimed "foodie" can play these mind games with someone who can't actually be a "foodie." Then again, perhaps I'm still entitled to be a "foodie," despite my disadvantages in "that" world.

So I researched: What does being a "foodie" actually mean? Who is a "foodie?" According to the Wikipedia a "foodie" is:

An amateur who simply loves food for consumption, study, preparation and news. A foodie wants to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food. For this reason, foodies are sometimes viewed as obsessively interested in all things culinary.

The Wikipedia also has "Persuits" for "Foodies." Here they are:

• Typical foodie interests and activities include the food industry, wineries and wine tasting, food science, following restaurant openings and closings, food distribution, food fads, health and nutrition, and restaurant management. (Side Note: Nutrion, found here, is extremely interesting to me.)
• A foodie might develop a particular interest in a specific item, such as the best egg cream or burrito. (Side Note: I will never be on the hunt for the best egg cream or burrito, as I'm sure you can imagine! I am on the hunt for the best red wine, the best protein and the best overall concoction, among many others.)
  
• Many publications have food columns that cater to foodies.
• Interest by foodies in the 1980s and 1990s gave rise to the Food Network and other specialized food programming, popular films and television shows about food such as Top Chef and Iron Chef, a renaissance in specialized cookbooks, specialized periodicals such as Gourmet Magazine and Cook's Illustrated, growing popularity of farmers' markets, food-oriented websites like Zagat's and Yelp, publishing and reading food blogs (a number of people photograph and post on the Internet every meal they ever make or consume), specialized kitchenware stores like Williams-Sonoma and Sur La TAble, and the institution of Celebrity Chef. (Side Note: I guess I'm already in this category, with my food blog. Additionally, I believe that Williams-Sonoma is one of the most fun stores. Most of our kitchen items are from Williams-Sonoma. I believe that food tastes better and looks better when it's on the right dishes. We have the Apilco Edwardian Windows Dinnerware. You can see them here.)
  

Perfect! This is Sarah Kay Hoffman. I am definitely a "Foodie." And since I have come to this understanding I won't say "Foodie" anymore, I'll just say Foodie. I believe that it's time for me to stop feeling bad about what I cannot have, shift my thinking and make magic happen from what I can have. Ryan said this to me on Friday, "You already know you can work magic…sometimes you just have to be patient for your magic to happen, though!" And he's right - after all, I'm a foodie. I should be able to make magic happen from anything.

Have a beautiful Sunday. I'll be back later tonight.