Tasty Tuesday

Ok, so I've been thinking about veganism for quite a long, long while. The idea came to me today to post about and ask for your favorite vegan things to eat. As I was thinking about that I turned on the Oprah episode I recorded today and it was all about veganism! I feel like vegan eating has been smacking me in the face for a very long time. Do you ever feel like the universe/God is beating you over the head with something that you conveniently choose to ignore?

To be clear, there are MANY messages God beats me over the head with. I'm choosing to focus on veganism today. And the message is much deeper than the food I'm putting in my mouth.

Why veganism for me? When I pay attention to where the meat I eat comes from I am repulsed. It's not worth it. Not only is it not necessary for my health, I truly believe it's detrimental. Why do I continue to eat meat. Selfish. Ego. Mindless behavior. That's the reason I participate in many, if not all, of my self destructive behaviors.

My initial thoughts about this post were to focus on vegan food that I, and/or you, truly enjoy. No one likes to eat something out of oblgation. I enjoy every bite of lightly steamed broccoli, seasoned with Bragg's Liquid Aminos, mixed with black beans and Seeds of Change Quinoa & Whole Grain Brown Rice w/garlic packet. I feel happy when I eat it. I don't feel deprived in the least. I love salad with Galeo's Miso Dijonnaise. I love guacamole with baked corn chips.

Please post about a vegan meal you love.

Tofurky Kielbasa

I was really trying to feel moved and inspired to write something profound and introspective today. In general, I feel conflicted and overwhelmed and self-destructive, aware of all of it but still not inspired to write about it. I guess if you are trying to feel inspired then you're probably not going to be really inspired.

I was moved by my mother's post today and the posts on 37 days but the one thing that I can't get out of my head is this . . . Tofurky Kielbasa. Even the raccoons don't want it.

I tried the above veggie sausage and after eating it twice just couldn't embrace it so I pitched it. Invariably, when I take the trash outside there are empty packages on the ground of things formerly in the trash that I couldn't believe any animal would want, starving or otherwise. Those little fuckers must be desperate I often mutter to myself.

Well, today I was taking out the trash and noticed the package of my remaining Tofurky Kielbasa sausages on the ground. dirty but ALL still there. Are you f*cking kidding me?! Even the raccoons won't eat it?? They'll eat rotten hamburger but not my Tofurky kielbasa? For the record, I really like typing and saying Tofurky.

That's it. No metaphor for life. Just Tofurky Kielbasa. Even the raccoons don't want it.

Seitan

I finally tried seitan, pronounced say-tan, which I purchased at Whole Foods. It is a chewy, neutral-flavored, protein-rich food made of wheat gluten, used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes. It is sometimes referred to as "wheat-meat".

Most of the meat substitutes I have purchased at our local grocery store contain TVP, textured vegetable protein. I haven't minded the taste of the TVP products but have found it gives me monster gas. Seriously bad. Plus, those products are pretty processed. Still better than processed dead animals though.

The seitan had a much nicer texture than the fake beef crumbles and fake chicken strips, tasted better and so far noone has kicked me out of bed. Unfortunately, I can only buy it at Whole Foods. It is fairly simple, but time consuming to make from scratch. As soon as we move I'll make some in my new fabulous kitchen!

13 Reasons to be a Vegan

Here are thirteen reasons that have compelled me to give veganism a try.

1. Because every package of chicken contains a little poop. Yes, POOP.
A USDA study found that 98 percent of broiler chicken
carcasses had detectable levels of E. coli, indicating fecal
contamination.

2. Because grain used to feed animals could be used to feed hungry people.
Eighty percent of U.S. agricultural land is used to raise chickens, pigs,
and other farmed animals; seventy percent of grains are used to feed
them. If the massive quantities of grain, soy, and corn now fed to
factory-farmed animals were freed up, there would be plenty of food
for the world’s starving people.

3. Because when animals feel pain, they scream too.
If you burn them, they feel it. If you give them electric shocks, they feel
it. Animals feel pain in the same way and to the same degree that we
humans do.

4. Because more than half the water used in the U.S. is used to raise animals for food.
A totally vegetarian diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a
meat-eating diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day.
Time magazine reports, “Around the world, as more water is diverted
to raising [cattle], pigs, and chickens, instead of producing crops for
direct consumption, millions of wells are going dry.”

5. Because you wouldn't eat your dog.
Most people are horrified that some cultures eat dogs or
whales, but these animals suffer no more than animals
commonly consumed in the U.S. The difference is only cultural,
not moral.

6. Because no one should have to kill for a living.
Slaughterhouse workers have among the highest rates of
injury and illness in the country, and working in a
slaughterhouse would dull anyone’s sense of compassion.

7. Because this is not what wings are for.
Chickens, pigs, and other farmed animals never get to breathe
fresh air, feel the sun on their backs, build a nest, nuzzle their
young, or do anything at all that they were born to do.

8. Because eating fish does not make you a vegetarian.
Fish have the same ability to respond to pain that birds and
mammals have and are also interesting individuals in their own
right. According to a review of the science published in Fish and
Fisheries, fish are “highly intelligent”—they have long-term
memories and learn from one another, use tools, form social
hierarchies, and “can even be favourably compared to nonhuman
primates.” Explains marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle, fish
are “so good-natured, so curious. You know, fish are sensitive,
they have personalities, they hurt when they’re wounded.”

9. Because they feel fear.
Their hair stands on end, they urinate on themselves, and they shake,
just as we do when frightened out of our minds with the prospect of
being hurt or killed.

10. Because no matter how you slice it, it's still flesh.
Other animals are made of flesh, bone, and blood, just as we are, so
“meat” is just a euphemism for a decomposing corpse used as food.

11. Because even prisons aren't this crowded.
Animals on factory farms are crammed into so little space that many
of them are unable to do anything natural to them for their entire lives.

12. Because no living creature wants to see her family slaughtered.
Cows love their calves, sows love their piglets, and chickens
love their chicks. Farmed animals love their families and
mourn their loss.

13. Because you shouldn't have to lie to your children about the food you eat.
Children would be horrified to learn about the cruelty and
violence involved in turning chickens, pigs, and other animals
into nuggets and other “foods.”

These reasons are all from Goveg.com.

For more Thursday Thirteens go HERE

Another Vegan Revelation

I'm not sure, but I think I stink less! Yes, that's what I said. I stink less. I've always been one of those people that needs to wear deodorant . . . all the time. It's not like the person standing next to me is offended or anything but by the end of a hot day, like today, I need a shower and a fresh coat of Secret Clinical.

From the moment I wake I feel like I'm sweating. This morning I realized I hadn't put deodorant on yet and also realized that I didn't stink yet! I still put some on. I'm not going to be one of those vegetarians. It's now the end of a hot, sweaty day and, although not odor-free, I still smell pretty good! Interesting. And really gross if you think about it. Was all that dead animal flesh I've been eating all my life seeping through my sweat glands and making me stink. Ewwwwwww.

I know this doesn't hold true for everyone. If there's a meat platter on the menu, my husband orders it. He has virtually no body odor. Ever. It's weird. And nice.

Now, the gas I'm passing is a whole other story that I won't go into. I just can't catch a break.

Day 10 of Quantum Cleanse

I'm not sure if I should continue to call this the Quantum Cleanse. It feels more like 'Day 10 in the Life of a Virgin Vegan'. Veganism is the one thing I feel really committed to right now which is huge for me, in and of itself. Although, I have given up caffeine, unless you count decaf coffee which apparently still has a little. I have given up the big wheat items like bread and crackers but if a vegan item, like a veggie burger, contains wheat then I eat it. SO MANY things have wheat in them; you would be surprised. I have been pretty good about the sugar although I have definitely not omitted it entirely. I've pretty much eliminated artificial sweeteners. I have not given up wine. Overall, I'm definitely cleaning up my act.

How do I feel? I feel best about the vegan thing but more in a mental and spiritual way. Physically, I feel good because I've lost a couple of lbs but I would probably feel the same if I had lost it another healthy way. My skin looks a lot better which I attribute to the vegan lifestyle. I am sure the effects of a vegan lifestyle will have even more/better long term effects as time goes on.


What is the hardest part? I think it's just breaking old habits. The way I miss caffeine is more about my habits and ego than anything. I feel just as awake in the morning drinking decaf but I feel like a dork ordering decaf at Starbucks. I miss my afternoon diet coke, not because of the pick-me-up but because I love diet coke and chocolate together. I have to admit I had about 4 sips of a diet coke this afternoon with a choc/pnut butter protein bar. The Cliff Builder's Bar happened to be one of my favorites even before I started paying attention to vegan ingredients.

Even though I have never big a big sandwich eater I have been craving sandwiches lately. Soft wheat bread with anything in between. I'm more than happy to fill it with vegan mayo, vegan ham and vegan cheese (which is really hard to find btw). I haven't broken down yet but maybe soon. Oh, and pbj sounds sooooo good. It's just not the same on a rice cake.

Day 9 of Quantum Cleanse

Tempeh

So, yesterday I woke up all cranky and thinking that eating this way sucked. I wanted to pig out on something. My normal vices weren't available but I wasn't ready to give up yet. I was reminded about what I read about 'feeling the feeling' instead of self-medicating with food. Whatever. I had a spoonful of peanut butter. I went to Whole Foods and had a vegan oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie. Deeelightful. Satisfying. A little wheat, a little sugar, no one harmed.

Today I went to Qdoba and had a naked (w/o taco shell) vegetarian taco salad. no dressing. black bean corn salsa. grilled veggies and pico. guacmole. no cheese or sour cream. baked corn chips. I had some vegan sour cream I was going to try but I was too hungry and scarfed the salad as soon as I walked in the door.

For dinner I tried something new. Tempeh. It's a soybean cake. I bought one that had added carrots, red and green peppers. I sauteed it with olive oil, garlic, onion, portobello mushrooms,fresh green beans and teriyaki sauce. It wasn't bad at all. The texture of the tempeh was not what I am used to but it was good. Plus, I was comforted by the fact that is wasn't animal flesh.

Oprah had her vegan chef fed-ex food to her in Vegas. What a pussy. Just kidding. You know I love ya Oprah.

Day 8 of Quantum Cleanse

Our task must be to free ourselves . . . by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. . . . . Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.

~Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize 1921

Day 6 of Quantum Cleanse

It really seems like its been more than 6 days. What did I do before I focused on eating this way? I'm still going strong. No gluten, refined sugar (unless wine is refined sugar), wheat, caffeine or animal products that I'm aware of today. Beware, they can sneak that stuff in where you would least expect it. Did you know many of the "veggie" products on the market are not "vegan"? Many of them contain milk or casein. Casein is the predominant phosphoprotein that accounts for nearly 80% of proteins in milk and cheese. Apparently that's bad.

Saturday morning is almost upon us. In our household it is often a morning of biscuits and some type of pork accompaniment. In honor of all the bacon and sausage that will be eaten tomorrow here are the

Top 10 Reasons Not To Eat Pigs per GoVeg.com.

1. Porking You Up
It’s a fact—ham, sausage, and bacon strips will go right to your hips. Eating pork products is a good way to increase your waistline and increase your chances of developing deadly diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and impotence. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. Every time you eat animal products, you’re also ingesting bacteria, antibiotics, dioxins, hormones, and a host of other toxins that can accumulate in your body and remain there for years.

2. Pigs Have Feelings Too
Ninety-seven percent of pigs in the United States today are raised in factory farms, where they will never run across sprawling pastures, bask in the sun, breathe fresh air, or do anything else that comes naturally to them. Crowded into warehouses with nothing to do and nowhere to go, they are kept on a steady diet of drugs to keep them alive and make them grow faster, but the drugs cause many of the animals to become crippled under their own bulk.

3. Pigs and Playstations
According to research, pigs are much smarter than dogs, and they even do better at video games than some primates. In fact, pigs are extremely clever animals who form complex social networks and have excellent memories. Eating a pig is like eating your dog!

4. Pigs Prefer Mud, Not Crud
Pigs are actually very clean animals. If they are given sufficient space, pigs are careful not to soil the areas where they sleep or eat. And forget the silly saying “sweating like a pig”—pigs can’t even sweat! That’s why they bathe in water or mud to cool off. But in factory farms, they’re forced to live in their own feces and vomit and even amid the corpses of other pigs. Conditions are so filthy that at any given time, more than one-quarter of pigs suffer from mange.

5. Farming Family Values
Factory farms are pure hell for pigs and their babies. Mother pigs spend most of their lives in tiny “gestation” crates, which are so small that the animals are unable to turn around or even lie down comfortably. They are repeatedly impregnated until they are slaughtered. Piglets, who are taken away from their distraught mothers after just a few weeks, have their tails chopped off, their teeth are clipped off with pliers, and the males are castrated—all without painkillers.

6. The Manure Is Blowing in the Wind …
A pig farm with 5,000 animals produces as much fecal waste as a city of 50,000 people. In 1995, 25 million gallons of putrid hog urine and feces spilled into a North Carolina river, immediately killing between 10 and 14 million fish. To get around water pollution limits, factory farms will frequently take the tons of urine and feces that are stored in cesspools and turn them into liquid waste that they spray into the air. This manure-filled mist is carried away by the wind and inhaled by the people who live nearby.

7. Bacteria-Laden Bacon and Harmful Ham
Extremely crowded conditions, poor ventilation, and filth in factory farms cause such rampant disease in pigs that 70 percent of them have pneumonia by the time they’re sent to the slaughterhouse. In order to keep pigs alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them and to promote unnaturally fast growth, the industry keeps pigs on a steady diet of the antibiotics that we depend on to treat human illnesses. This overuse of antibiotics has led to the development of “superbacteria,” or antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. The ham, bacon, and sausage that you’re eating may make the drugs that your doctor prescribes the next time you get sick completely ineffective.

8. Hell on Wheels
More than 170,000 pigs die in transport each year, and more than 420,000 are crippled by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse. Transport trucks, which carry pigs hundreds of miles through all weather extremes with no food or water, regularly flip over, throwing injured and dying animals onto the road. These terrified and injured animals are rarely offered veterinary care, and most languish in pain for hours; some even bleed to death on the side of the road. After an accident in April 2005, Smithfield spokesperson Jerry Hostetter told one reporter, “I hate to admit it, but it happens all the time.”

9. Killing Them Without Kindness
A typical slaughterhouse kills up to 1,100 pigs every hour, which makes it impossible for them to be given humane, painless deaths. The U.S. Department of Agriculture documented 14 humane slaughter violations at one processing plant, where inspectors found hogs who “were walking and squealing after being stunned [with a stun gun] as many as four times.” Because of improper stunning methods and extremely fast line speeds, many pigs are still alive when they are dumped into scalding-hot hair-removal tanks—they literally drown in scalding-hot water.

10. Ditch the Bacon and Get Fakin’
Save pigs from hell and yourself from bad health by feasting on faux pork products instead. Stuff a sandwich full of Yves brand veggie ham slices, or throw some Lightlife Smart Bacon into a sizzling skillet—the freezer and “health food” sections of your local grocery or health food stores are packed full of these and other tasty substitutes.

If you are still reading and want to view the evidence, take a look at this video.

Day 5 of Quantum Cleanse/Day 13,489 of my Human Existence

WARNING: this is a long and rambling post. It may be one only a mother would want to read. Thanks in advance, Mom : )

I'm beat. It was really sunny and hot today which I know most people are loving but being in the sun just makes me tired and hot and stinky.

I took Henry, Lucy and a friend to a park this afternoon that has a great little creek. The creek is super shallow and it's hard for anyone to get into too much trouble. As usual, the boys went straight for it. Lucy then convinced me to roll up my jeans and walk with her through the middle of the creek. She was absolutely NOT going down the big slide but apparently uncharted water was not a problem. The water barely covered my feet most places so it was perfect. I really wanted it to be one of those days where I appreciated the cool water running over the rocks and felt grateful to be in the shade. I wanted to enjoy just BEING with my 2 yr old daughter who delights in just about everything. I did enjoy her and her delight but I was also a little edgy and ready to get the hell out of the dirty creek. I felt like I had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Eckhart Tolle would say the fact that I was aware of my ego means that I am growing spiritually. If you haven't read A New Earth then you may not know what I'm talking about. But trust me, I'm growing.

On another note. The Quantum Cleanse one. I am doing really well overall. I did have a moment of complete weakness last night when I was starving and my husband brought home a piping hot pepperoni pizza. My unconscious self took control and I furtively scarfed down a greasy, cheesy piece of animal produced goodness. I have to admit, it was really good. I quickly resumed control, did not eat another piece and vowed not to let it effect my day or my plan.

Today has been a day of vegan, gluten free leftovers so there is nothing new to report there. I have to say that it has been remarkably easy to stick to the vegan part of the cleanse, especially considering that I am not a person who normally eats many fruits and vegetables.

I have jumped on every Atkins, Nutri System, Weight Watchers, Tae Bo, Ab Roller bandwagon in the past with no long-term success. I realize 5 days does not constitute long-term success but I really think that the added aspect of being kinder to the earth and animals has made this 'bandwagon' easier. It has taken my whole concept of eating to another level that is not all about ME. I'm actually thinking about other things besides the size of my ass. Although, if this vegan thing doesn't doesn't make my ass just a little bit smaller I will be sorely disappointed. I don't think disappointed enough to go back to eating defenseless animals though.

Day 4 of Quantum Cleanse

I made the trek to Whole Foods today to purchase a few items that weren't available at my local grocery such as vegan mayo, sour cream and cream cheese. My husband is starting to wonder why it's so expensive to be a vegan since it seems as if I'm not eating a whole lot of anything yet I keep going shopping.

As I searched for nutritional yeast flakes, slowly walking the aisles, reading label after label, looking like a total vegan virgin, I stumbled upon some vegan tuna salad in the cold aisle. When I got home I was a little nervous to try it. I tentatively put a little taste on a gluten free sesame ginger rice cracker and holy mother of earth it was downright tasty!!



Why give up gluten (for 21 days) I wondered? Gluten, a protein found in many foods, including wheat, barley, rye, and malt, is the most common irritant of the small intestine. For most people, consumption of gluten can cause the immune system to attack the small intestine through inflammation, leading to gas, diarrhea, skin rashes, and may prevent the absorption of vital nutrients and vitamins, leading to depression and exhaustion. Holy Moly! Are you telling me that's my problem and not the three kids and two dogs?

Each individual has a different sensitivity to gluten, but almost everyone suffers some irritation from it. Abstaining from gluten for the period of the cleanse is supposed to allow the small intestine to soothe and heal itself.
(Kathy Freston, Quantum Wellness, p 82-83)

Day 3 of Quantum Cleanse

I took veggies burgers to the cookout last night and was able to resist the buffalo chicken dip and pork tenderloin.

I almost caved on the caffeine today as it is my second day without. I pushed through though and ordered a decaf soy latte.


My lunch today was my best vegan meal so far! I had a Boca Vegan Burger which was the best tasting veggie burger I've had yet. I melted soy cheddar cheese on top which was tasty as well. On the side was a spinach salad with cucumbers, avocado and miso dressing. Yum!

I had a massive headache by dinner but Tylenol cured that. I made Smokey Cowboy Beans and Rice for dinner and it was quite satisfying.

Today: no gluten, animal products, refined sugar, or caffeine!

Memorial Day and Day 2 of Quantum Cleanse

Memorial Day is a tough one for cleansing. However after reading all of the information about where my meat comes from on GoVeg.com it was not hard at all to resist the burgers and dogs.

I started the day with some herbal tea, gluten free cereal and soy milk. For lunch I snacked on potato chips, spicy hummus, fruits and veggies. We went to our neighbors for a Memorial Day feast and I passed on the meat and had a small serving of Orzo Salad (contained wheat) and Bacon Blue Cheese Potato Salad. I did eat a small amount of the bacon and blue cheese in the salad. Oh, and 1 glass of wine.

We are invited to another cookout tonight and I am taking the boys. I feel confident I can pass on any animal products, sugar or caffeine but am not sure about the gluten and alcohol. We shall see.

In honor of all the burgers eaten today I am including this video. Did you know that by drinking milk you are supported the veal industry? I didn't.

The Egg Industry

I am posting this because my mom said she thought it was ok to eat eggs because the chickens weren't harmed. I had no idea until I googled it that this was how the chickens were treated. I guess I have had my head in the proverbial sand. I will have a hard time eating an egg (or a chicken) after watching this video. Keep in mind that this is from GoVeg.com.

This website says, "According to the egg industry, 98% of eggs come from hens in battery cages."





For more information on this topic go to GoVeg.com

To be fair, I will do some follow up research within the egg industry.

Day 1 of Quantum Cleanse

I decided that there's no time like the present even though I started off the day with caffeine and dairy. I am not going to have an all or nothing attitude. I figure I have a whole lot of room for improvement so I might a well get crackin.
Breakfast: coffee with sf creamer and then a skim sf caramel latte
Lunch: Veggie Chicken Strips with Garlic Teriyaki Sauce, Brown Rice and Edamame

It had been in my fridge for awhile and was past the due date but still tasted ok. The rice was a little mushy and the teriyaki sauce had too much sugar to be ideal but it was a better choice than the pulled pork bbq sandwich that I would have had otherwise. Lunch is generally pretty easy for me. The true test will come later in the day.

Snack: apple with Whole Foods honey roasted peanut butter. I'll have to wean myself off of that sweet peanut butter. It's yuuummmy.

I said NO to my usual afternoon Diet Coke.

Snack #2:

A premium blend of organic sugar snap peas, roasted potatoes, and red peppers with garden herbs, lightly seasoned and steamed to perfection. Quite tasty. I have purchased before and will again.







Dinner:
Baja Burger over spinach with miso dressing. The burger wasn't vegan because it had cheese although I couldn't taste any among the big pieces of black beans, corn, roasted peppers and rice. It had a lot of flavor but was quite dense and made me feel like I need to have BM soon after. The pkg came with two burgers. I will eat the second but I don't think I will purchase again, although it was quite a filling meal for under 200 calories.

Alcohol: I did have wine this evening. I wanted to congratulate myself on a job well done: ) The thought of no coffee or latte in the morning is already making me squirm. I don't think I can tackle caffeine, dairy and alcohol all at the same time so I'm going to start with the caffeine and dairy and leave my favorite for last.

It appears I have a lot more time on my hands that Oprah to have given such detail. I suppose I could have spent that time cooking up some of those gourmet recipes but blogging with pictures is the one thing that kept me motivated. Oh, and the environment of course. And all those little piggies and chickens.

Why Reduce Meat Intake? Producing 1kg of animal protein requires approximately 100 times more water than producing 1kg of grain protein.

Pimentel D, Piementel M (2003). Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment. AM J Clin Nutr 78 (Suppl), 662S

Quantum Wellness

Oprah had Kathy Freston on her show the other day talking about her new book Quantum Wellness. Most of the things they talked about rang true to me. That being all that body, mind and spirit stuff (she calls them 'pillars'). They also talked about something that I hadn't thought about before and I always love to ponder something new.

There's one wellness practice that Kathy says should be observed above all others. "The mother of all pillars is conscious eating," she says. "It doesn't only make a difference to our own personal health and well-being, but conscious eating means you stay aware of where your food comes from, how the animals are treated and how the environment is affected by the foods that you eat. You take in the energy of whatever went into creating that food." Kathy is a vegan, which means she doesn't eat meat, eggs, or dairy. "Nobody was harmed—that's conscious eating," she says.

Sounds great! I see my children being harmed with me eating that way.

She suggests a 21-day cleanse in the book where you give up
* Sugar
* Alcohol
* Caffeine
* Gluten
* Animal products

That's pretty much my entire diet. Sounds pretty impossible. But I like her point about being realizing your attachment to certain foods and letting your mood be ruled by those attachments. I really do think it would be beneficial for me to address those issues in my own life.

So Oprah is doing the 21-day cleanse and blogging about it. After three days she has been completely satisfied feasting on vegan dishes such as asparagus "cream" soup, strawberry rhubarb wheat free crepes and an eggless quiche. Other suggested recipes include Tempeh Scallopini with Madeira Peppercorn Sauce, Artichoke and Oyster Mushroom Rockafeller and Cajun-Seared Portobello Fillets with Avocado Cream. Ok, that all sounds yucky great but I really can't see myself juggling those recipes while preparing our normal fare of chicken nuggets and bagel bites.

But I am thinking about trying it and blogging along with Oprah. I'm not sure what would be the hardest to give up. . . wine. . . lattes. . . Jimmy Dean Lite breakfast sandwiches . . pizza. . . morning coffee . . cheese . . wine . . . oh, I already said that. I definitely think its going to make me crazy worth a try. But I'm still just thinking about it as I drink my coffee with caramel creamer. Oh yeah, and I need to find a personal chef to whip up those delicious recipes.