Food Day!

Today was food preparation day.  I parsed out blueberries and grapes into containers to take to work.  I cut up kiwis and red and yellow peppers as well as made a week of leafy green salads.  (No iceberg lettuce, it isn't worth it nutrient wise.)  I sliced up sweet potatoes in my food processor that the hubby got me for Christmas.  I use the food dehydrator to make those into sweet potato chips.  I sprinkle them with a little table blend Mrs Dash.  They turn out really good!!

Normally, women might be upset by getting a small kitchen appliance for Christmas, but not me!  If you remember yesterdays post, I posted about not getting along that well with my kitchen.  Because I take Plavix and aspirin everyday, cutting myself is not a good thing, so I am glad to have it:) (They are both blood thinners).  This keeps my house from looking like a crime scene!

I also made some more hummus--I make my own because I don't eat any added oil and store bought hummus has a lot of oil.  I have found because I am not using any added oil, cannellini beans (white kidney beans) work best.  They are a little moister than garbanzo beans.  I use two cans of cannellini beans, the juice from one lemon, garlic, and a dash or two of Braggs Liquid Aminos (you can find it at a store like Whole Foods--it is vegan soy sauce).  Put it all in the food processor and  blend till smooth!  Very easy.

I use the hummus as a base for my salad dressing.  I don't measure, so you just have to find the taste you like.  I take a whisk and mix up some hummus, orange juice, balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard--a no oil dressing that is very tasty.

I find the oddest things at my little C&S grocery store here in town.  I found the no oil tortilla shells I have been looking for--who would have thought?  I had them for dinner last night and filled them with brown rice, black beans and salsa.  It was very tasty.  I fixed a small pot of black beans and corn to eat with them this week.  I prepared brown rice for the week as well as some whole grain pasta.  I also fixed some veggie chili.  I take the chili and the pasta and basically make chili mac.

I am all set for the week!

My big challenge today is that I am going out to eat tonight with a good friend. This is the first time eating out since I started this.  I have been avoiding it. I found that Houlihans has a vegetarian menu that they offer.  I think I can make some of those choices more vegan by having them leave off the cheese.  I will have to ditch the no added oil, but I feel pretty good that there is at least one place I can eat out.  This will be a much bigger challenge for me at the end of March when I go to Vegas for five days.  The book for idiots has a chapter on eating in restaurants. I will have to read it again, because I think this is going to be a large challenge to be away from my controlled food fixing for five days.  On the flip side, as a photographer, I am very excited to take pics on the orange carpet at the ACM awards.

I am officially down 10 pounds today.  I have been doing this four weeks.  The first step on the road to skinny bitch!