Food Revolution

Over the past month or so there's been a major food revolution going on in my home.

You might remember me posting a story about my hubby's trip to the doctor and his slightly elevated cholesterol levels.  Or you might not.

Anyhoo, instead of filling the prescription we decided that diet and exercise would be worth a try.

To be quite honest I was thrilled with the high cholesterol diagnosis, I'd been trying (and failing miserably) to convince hubby and the boys to give vegetarianism a go, that they wouldn't starve without meat in their diets (although my middle son decided to become vegetarian on his own over a year ago).

So this high cholesterol thing was going to work in my favor AND it totally has!

For the first 3 weeks I put us both on a raw food only diet (okay, I snuck a few latte's and snacks here and there when he wasn't looking).  The first complaint I got was that he felt hungry all the time, I had heard this might happen and reinforced that he can eat as much as he wants as long as it is raw fruits, veggies and nuts.  This seemed to do the trick.

Within the first two weeks I saw a difference in his energy level, his smile was brighter and he was always in a really good mood.  Awesome!

Around week 3 we headed to the cottage and because there wasn't adequate cold storage for alot of the veggies, I did what I could with what I had, we did end up eating a few meals of fresh fish and the odd burger, but always had either sliced raw veggies or a vegetarian side dish to go with it.

What amazed me was that on week 3 people were noticing a difference in his body!  We ran into a guy at the cottage who we see maybe once per year and he immediately commented on hubby's weight loss! 

For me I've noticed an increase in clarity and intuition, as well as a slight slimming of the body.  I'll be honest and tell you that I eat bread at least once per day, I just can't seem to kick my PB&J addiction!

Other than my daily bread, we are no longer indulging in processed foods like salad dressings, packaged snacks, etc. unless it's an 'emergency' (as in I haven't done groceries for a while and we're desperate).

As of right now we are eating 1/2 raw and 1/2 cooked vegetarian meals.  Hubby is loving this new food lifestyle and is sticking to it like glue, he's loving the benefits of how it makes him feel and is anxious to go to the doctor again soon to see what his weight loss has been. 

He now gets comments all the time on the changes in his body and everytime someone compliments him it just makes him more determined to keep going.

The one thing I think is really funny is he is now a huge advocate for raw/vegetarian lifestyle, he tells everyone about what he's doing and why and how it's making him feel.

Amazing!  Who would've thunk that this meat eating man would be so happy as a veggie eater?

I wish I could post this with a 'really bad word' as the heading!

I really wanted to call this post "FUCK!!!!!" 

But I really wasn't sure how that would go over.

So I sweetened it up a little...

Sitting here, right now;  I am overwhelmed.

By what you may be asking?

Well, nothing in particular.  Except the pressure I am putting on myself.

That's all.

The pressure of finding something interesting and delicious to 'uncook' for dinner.

I have recently gone on a 'we need to eat more raw/vegetarian type foods' in the name of my husbands good health and today, I just don't feel like I have the energy to even Google a good recipe!

Plus, all of the good recipes on Google (the ones with the pretty pictures) require sprouted this and sprouted that and other things that I can't even pronounce.  And my black bean & chick pea sprouts aren't ready yet!

Fuck Fuck Fuckety Fuck! ACK!

I want to keep the momentum of this new food revolution going!  I really really really want to succeed...  It's been great to not have to cook anything over the past week (since I really don't enjoy cooking, as is clear by the wilted veggies and burnt meat I serve to my family each night),  it's super easy to throw a few veggies and fruits together in a salad or experimental casserole and hubby is already noticing a change in his body since beginning this endeavour.

As much as I want to keep it going and be successful, it would be so much easier to just throw a box of something on the stove and cook it into oblivion.  For old times sake!

I'm having trouble with the variety.  Presenting something new and exciting at each family meal.

I can see why all the raw vegan websites talk about how difficult it is to maintain this lifestyle and how most people will fail.  I can see my raw food plane going down already and we've only been in flight for a week!

This healthy raw diet is challenging me to change all of my beliefs about how food should be eaten and why.  It's challenging my entire family for that matter (the men think I'm off my rocker - they could be onto something there!) to try new things and have faith that we won't starve just because there isn't KD in the pantry!

In fact, what may be the hardest part about this experience (besides the finding of easy recipes to provide variety) is that the kids are too used to having 'ready to eat' food stocked on our shelves and right now, there isn't any.  There is nothing for them to open up and chew on or microwave.  There's no fast food in this house and it's driving them just as mad as not having a recipe for tonights dinner is driving me!

It's a house of madness.

Watching my 14 year old come into the kitchen, whip open the pantry door and scream "there's nothing to eat in this house"', reminds me of a drug addict going through withdrawals.  I swear if I looked more closely at the boy he'd be shaking uncontrollably.  I reminded him of the plethora of fruits and veggies in the refrigerator and he came back with "it's all just ingredients!  There's nothing to just EAT"

{laugh}

And therein lies the problem....  for all of us! 

'Ruler of the Household'

We all know one of the most important duties of Ruler of the Household Stay at Home Mother is the stocking of the castle cupboards and refrigerator....

This morning even I cringed at the lack of food available for my children's lunches....  Which doesn't happen often let me tell you....  With only one lonely apple left in the fridge it made it difficult even for me to go on my daily morning "there are plenty of healthy foods in the fridge" speech.

So, off I went to the magical supermarket, where, by the way there is absolutely no bliss to be found (and I thought the bingo halls were bad).  I don't know about you but I pick the oddest times of the day to do my grocery shopping in the hopes that I will be the only shopper there, but alas, it was not to be today....

Today was one of those 'handle with care' shopping days, you know the ones where your shopping cart is so full that things just start to fall off randomly...  As hard as I tried to strategically place items so that they wouldn't fall, they still did!

I felt triumphant as I rounded my last corner, eggs balancing precariously on top of the bread, when I realized I had missed pancake mix and black olives....

Shit  Shoot.....

The only two items my children ACTUALLY asked for....

By this point my cart is too heavy to push, so I park it in an out of the way spot and run to get the things I had forgotten.

All set.

Time to find the appropriate cash out line.  The shortest one, but not the one with the cashier I had last time attending it.  THAT was a treat.

I think it's me....  All cashiers hate me...  They see me coming with my $400 cart of groceries and they desperately wish it was their break time....  They do their best to avoid eye contact, but it's no use, I am like a heat seeking missile, I want the hell out of there and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

By the time they are done scanning all of my items they have sweat running down their faces and the look of exhaustion they give me as they hand me my 5 foot long receipt almost makes me feel sorry for them....

Almost...

Because their not the suckers that have to put this stuff away when they get home!

And you know what the darling little Merritt Princes will say to their Ruler Mother???

Go on....take a guess.....

"There's nothing to eat in this house!"

This is the moment that if I were living in the wild as a lion or other ferocious animal, I would eat them.....

My name is Jenn....and I'm addicted to food!

Yesterday I chased my oatmeal with a spoonful of chocolate icing.

Then I wondered why my jeans don't fit me.

Yesterday I ate a second piece of my son's birthday cake as a reward for getting outside and taking a walk.

And I wonder why I'm not making any progress in my quest for weight loss.

I drink a green smoothie to start my day, then ignore all common sense and eat 3 oreos.

I hide the "goodies" in my bedroom so my kids don't fill up on sugary treats throughout they day and then find myself digging under my bed for the chocolate granola bars.

I don't discriminate mind you.  It doesn't have to be sugary.  It can be anything edible!

I'm addicted to food.

The good news is (although, maybe this isn't good news at all) that I'm not really craving the sugary stuff.

I just eat it, really without thinking about the consequences.  It's like I am on autopilot, like I'm sleepwalking and waking up when it's too late.  Maybe it's boredom, maybe it's just because I can (I'm the only one who knows where the good stuff is hidden) and because sometimes it feels good just to fill myself with something, anything!

Yet most times it feels really bad.

I need to make some changes and take control of this insanity!