We Made It!

It’s been a good week, mostly because we are now done with that detox.  It’s hard to believe a simple piece of bread could bring Kory so much joy.  Those last three days of the juice fasting left us both weak and hungry, but we made it and feel like we’ve done a good reboot on our bodies.  I think Kory is thinking twice about what he puts in his mouth now, which is good. 

I hate how much time it takes to eat healthy.  I gave Kaleb the book “Do Hard Things” which encourages teenagers to rebel against low expectations, and it was then that I realized I myself don’t do hard things.  I always want the easy way out – sitting down rather than exercising; reading the news and going on Facebook rather than diving into a Bible study; eating convenience food half prepared rather than making things from scratch.  Even making a salad takes more time than I’m willing to put in each day, but the last three weeks have certainly served to change that. 

For a few years now we’ve just had smoothies and nuts for our breakfast.  I put in all kinds of things in that smoothie so it’s filling and lasts us til lunch. That’s a habit I’ve already developed so at least that doesn’t take any additional effort.  Kory and I love the smoothies but Kaleb’s not real hip on them.  I put in a banana, apple, pineapple, blueberries, pomegranate seeds, pear or mango, papaya, carrots, kale or spinach, flax oil, coconut oil, protein fiber or tofu and Kombucha (a fermented drink).  It’s a good way to start the day.  We haven’t gotten a cold or the flu since we started that elixir so there must be something to it.

Lately I’ve been setting out a plate of cut up veggies on the table and they somehow disappear before dinner. It only takes a few minutes for that change, and it’s much easier than eating crackers or other processed foods, so that’s an easy habit to keep up.   Making a huge salad every other day is not so fun or quick, but it’s something I’m doing right after breakfast so it’s ready for lunch.  And I’ve been making my own dressings, which I must say are kinda fun to do now that I bought a Magic Bullet – this little blender thing I got at Costco.  Triple love it.  And the dressings really make a difference on how the salad tastes day after day.

I’ve been making a big pot of soup on Sundays that last us for the week for lunches and if there’s extra I’m putting them in large paper cups in the freezer for a quick cup of soup down the line.  We all love soup so that’s cheaper and healthier than buying canned soup, which is so high in sodium.  Simple changes really, but it sure helps with the whole “eating healthy” thing.  Dinners are the only real challenge.

Last night I made a few things I’ve never made before – eggplant for one.  When I was a kid my mom made an eggplant and all us kids wouldn’t touch it.  She made us stay at the table until we ate it, but we sat there for so long my parents were going to miss the nightly news.  They got up from the table to watch TV and left all five of us in the kitchen to finish our dinner.  It was in the 1960s and protests were on the news every night so we hatched a plan to sneak off into our bedrooms and make protest signs DOWN WITH EGGPLANT, WE HATE EGGPLANT, NO MORE EGGPLANT, and we all marched into the living room carrying our protest signs.  My parents cracked up so much over our demonstration that we actually didn’t have to finish the eggplant and I’ve never had eggplant since – until last night.

I didn’t say a word to Kaleb about the eggplant, and he didn’t know my history with it, but the minute he took a bite he said, “What’s this?” with his nose curled up.  I told him it was eggplant.  He said, “It’s gross.”  I told him then and there, he didn’t have to eat it if he didn’t want to.  That kid eats everything and I didn’t want to scar him for life over a vegetable, so that was that.  I was just proud of myself for taking on a vegetable with so much baggage, but I will say, I’m never cooking it again.  Kory was fine with it though.  I served it with Tempe – another thing I’ve never cooked before. It’s fermented soy that works as a chicken substitute.  It has a nice consistency and it soaks up whatever flavor it’s been marinated in, so that was a pleasant discovery and we’ll definitely be eating that again.  Life is such an adventure.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about vegetables and I just finished reading the book of Leviticus in the Bible and I think it’s no coincidence that the old Hebrew law required sacrifices of grain and meat and didn’t require them to bring any vegetables.  I’m sure it wouldn’t be a sacrifice!  I’m thinking they must have had vegetables as such a main part of their lives that only a real sacrifice would be things they didn’t eat so often…. 

I’ve also been devouring books on heart healthy diets and it’s curious to me why the body heals itself so quickly on just vegetables and fruits.  The challenge for me remains to keep the bulk of our food intake in the plant-based realm and stay away from fats, dairy, meats and processed foods.  I’m in the learning curve so every night is an adventure.  I’m hoping to discover some good recipes that I can just repeat a few times a month and stop this non-stop search for something good and healthy to eat that everyone loves.  I’m sure it can be done. 

I told Kory his new theme song should be “Stayin’ Alive” (from the 1970s movie “Saturday Night Fever”) cuz that’s all I’m trying to do – is keep him alive, and it seems it’s more do-able based on what he eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and therein lies my challenge.

Life is good.  Dinner may not be, but life sure is.

(All the photos posted are of the same tree - as seen from our deck.)