Health is Wealth

I have really enjoyed my protein-rich weekend!  Last weekend I struggled a lot, both with lack of energy and the temptations brought from having my meat-eating husband around.  Weekends, for us, are for family breakfasts, fancy brunches and Saturday nights out with friends!  It's not for staying home and eating vegetables!  Well, that attitude has changed, and changed for the better since I have hit my two week point on the Standard Process.  The introduction of FISH into my diet makes for a very happy Angela.  Friday I promptly went out for a favorite- sushi at Wasabi.  It was easy to stay within the Standard Process guidelines and enjoy myself; my husband and I ordered three different kinds of tuna (Toro, Bluefin, Albacore) for a "tuna tasting" and enjoyed detecting the differences between them.  I also ordered miso soup with extra wakame (green sea vegetable), hot green tea and a salmon/avocado roll with brown rice.  Delicious, nutritious and within cleanse guidelines!

This detoxification has helped me focus on cooking everyday, which is healthier and less expensive than eating out.  I have learned how to cook a ton of different, healthy things- like boiling and pickling red beets this morning.  Having thought about this for awhile, I have decided to use this cleanse to transition back to a primarily vegetarian-based diet.  I will also eat fish, eggs and dairy, but will avoid beef, pork and chicken.  As it is Day 14, I already have two weeks under my belt.  I feel really happy about cutting meat out of my diet permanently.  I'm big on fish and seafood and love cooking with meat alternatives.  I believe this is the most positive lifestyle change that could come from this (and as you know, there have been a lot).  Go heart health!!

So with all that comes my first bump in the road:  I don't eat chicken stock.  When I need stock for a recipe, and since I cannot stand store-bought vegetable stock, I have gotten into the habit of making my own at home.  It's the easiest thing I've ever done.  I keep my dutch oven on the stove top and constantly throw in the vegetable peels and any other vegetable waste I accrue throughout my meal preparations.  Sometimes I add things on purpose if they haven't found their way in yet.  I especially love to throw in hot peppers like Jalapeños or Serranos and fresh herbs that I have around.  Simply boil and simmer it and add more water if necessary.  Leave it to sit out overnight if it's too hot at the end of the day and store it the next day.  Just use a colander to filter out all the vegetables.  I pour mine into a pitcher and use it to transform rice, lentils or any dish that requires water. 

On another note, I made stuffed Cremini mushrooms today, having made the stuffing over the weekend.  When I was washing the mushrooms and removing the stems, I realized that I could use them to add to a stir-fry and threw them into a plastic baggie.  It might seems silly to some, but we waste so much food in America and every household's effort to reduce food waste means reduced landfill waste (http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Supply-Chain/Half-of-US-food-goes-to-waste).  Fruits, vegetables and fresh foods are pricey (it's expensive to be healthy) and by going the extra distance to utilize my produce to the max, I feel better about my grocery bill, my health, and my carbon footprint.