Easter eggs

So festive

Environmentally friendly water bottle

I picked up this super-sweet water bottle at a health food store in Pennsylvania. It's a "Corntainer" - made from corn instead of petroleum. It can be refilled up to 90 times and biodegrades in 80 days according to the label. As a bonus, the top includes a carbon filter that removes chlorine as you drink. The cherry on top? This bottle cost a mere $5.99. So awesome.



I did discover one catch on the Corntainer web site. The bottle needs to be disposed of in a commercial compost in order to biodegrade properly. There's a list of places here. Of course, even if it goes to a landfill, I assume it will degrade way before plastic. Also, while you're drinking your 90 refills you aren't using 90 new plastic bottles made from a rapidly dwindling resource.

The end of Phase One!

Today I officially celebrated getting through two weeks of detox by rewarding myself with:

A delicious bowl of beef pho! It was sooo good! I went with my new friend, Eric, who took me to a new (to me) place in Chinatown. It's called Xe Lua, and it's south of Canal on Mulberry. We also had spring rolls - Vietnamese style which means wrapped in lettuce with mint and dipped in that awesome sauce that that they give you to pour over your bun (rice noodle bowl.) I'll have to find out what it's made of, although I'm guessing it's fish sauce and something sweet.

Okay, I just looked it up, and sure enough, it's made with fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, plus chili paste. I just love the internets, don't you? Here's the recipe from About.com:

INGREDIENTS:
2 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red chili paste, as desired
PREPARATION:
Finely mince the garlic. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Yields about 1 cup.

When I got home, I also indulged in a glass of red wine. I got a buzz off a half glass - see what quitting alcohol for 2 weeks will do? And then... I'm so ashamed... I ate a bag of gummy bears! It was left over from a movie expedition to see Sweeney Todd and had been sitting on my bookshelf in a plain brown paper bag taunting me for the entire two weeks of my detox. I have such a weakness for gummy candies of all shapes and flavors. And these were those lil' german ones with the really fruit-like flavors. It was a small bag... so I ate them all!

Now that the sugar frenzy is out of my system, I'm back on the plan and heading into Phase 2. The only thing I'm supposed to add is 1 "friendly" carb per day, choosing from: 1 piece of sprouted grain toast or tortilla, 1/2 cup of cooked carrots, peas, sweet potato, butternut or acorn squash. Not a big change, but I guess it's time to switch to slow weight loss. I'm pretty sure I'll be adding plenty of alcoholic beverages back in, though. It's my only real vice left, since I gave up smoking and recreational drugs.

I haven't taken my new measurements yet, but on the morning after 14 days of Phase 1 I had lost 10 pounds! HOORAY!

Coffee talk

I am a confirmed coffee addict. I've spent the last two weeks drinking my coffee black, a major change for me. It's been easier than I thought, and I have cut my caffeine consumption down to one cup of brewed coffee per day. No soft drinks, no chocolate, no tea, no Red Bull. Nothin' else. I can't explain the strange path that led me to this wikipedia entry about caffeine - wait yes, I can: first an email from a friend regarding photo work, the photographer's web site, the American Chemical Society site, a google search for "caffeine molecule," finally arriving at: wikipedia, of course. Where I found (again!) that humans are crazy obsessed with finding odd ways to learn about the world - especially when it comes to testing things on animals.

Caffeine has a significant effect on spiders, which is reflected in their web construction:


Another quote from the wiki article:
In large amounts, and especially over extended periods of time, caffeine can lead to a condition known as caffeinism.[63][64] Caffeinism usually combines caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching (hyperreflexia), insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis[65] and heart palpitations.[66] Furthermore, because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid, high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Yikes! I'll stick to moderation.

In case you are wondering, yes, I am thinking of getting a tattoo of the caffeine molecule! Science! I love it. Other molecules in the running for skin art: capsaicin - the spice in chili peppers or maybe chocolate (the alkaloid theobromine - from theo "God" and brosi "food", meaning "food of the gods".)

SUBMIT!

Hey everyone,

It's happening! A printed version of Fork This is in the works. I'm looking for someone who knows about design and layout to help out. I'm also looking for contributors. If you would like more information you can call my blog contact number from the side bar or send me an email. Sweet. Can't wait to hear from other foodies and talented friends. Take care!

m

Weight loss on Fat Flush

At the end of last summer I lost between 10 - 15 pounds on the break up diet. For about two or three weeks after the tragic event, I couldn't eat. I had no appetite and felt like throwing up all the time. I forced myself to have a yogurt in the morning and I would snack on frozen grapes because that didn't feel like eating. I slowly added small portions of salad here and there and eventually my appetite came back. I don't recommend this technique, but on the bright side, everyone told me how good I looked. I like to think of it as nature's way of getting me ready for dating again. Ha ha. (Ironic laughter.)

I also had been riding my bike a lot during the summer, so the combination of exercise and sudden fasting put me a size smaller and fitting into clothes I hadn't worn in a long time. I liked it. I felt better. Less squeezed, more agile. Then came several trips to seattle: 3 weeks in September, 3 weeks in December. My favorite food places old and new: Pho Cyclo, Bagette Box, Presse, La Spiga, La Carta, Thaiku. The holidays: my birthday, Christmas eve dinner, christmas day buffet, new year's day chili cook-off. My appetite was back in big way. So like most of us, I looked to the new year for new beginnings: new boys, new me. I had regained about 5 pounds. I decided to try something like the detox I did a while back. My mom suggested Fat Flush. Yes, it seems like another diet fad, and I suppose it is, but I like the basic principles: natural healthy food, lots of fluids, mild exercise every day, extremely restricted diet for just a short period of time.

The Fat Flush program was originally created as a two-week quarterly detox of the liver and lymphatic system. The book, which my mom bought for me, outlines additional phases where certain foods are added back in slowly, but I'm just trying the two weeks (phase 1,) and I'll see how I feel.

The basics:
Food - no dairy, no wheat/grains, no alcohol, no sugar, no caffeine, no salt, no beans, unlimited vegetables, 2 servings of fruit/day, 2 eggs per day allowed, 4 oz of lean protein at lunch & dinner, 2 tablespoons of flax seed oil per day, 64 oz of unsweetened cranberry juice & water in a 1:7 ratio, 1 cup of hot water with lemon juice in the morning, GLA supplements, vitamin & mineral supplements, ground flax seeds.

Sleep: 8 hours per night, preferably from 10 pm until 6 am.

Exercise: warm up, stretch, 5 minutes on a mini-trampoline, 20 minutes vigorous walking

Journaling: Record beginning weight & measurements, log daily food intake, exercise, experiences

Today is my fifth day on the plan. I have been feeling pretty good. I am cheating in two ways: by drinking one cup of organic coffee in the mornings (without milk,) and by using salt upon occasion. Today at work I noticed that I didn't get my usual afternoon drowsiness. Very cool. I am still craving something sweet after I eat, but instead of walking around the office to scavenge from various candy bowls, I eat a piece of fruit as a snack.

The food options sound limiting, but once you figure out what you can eat, it's not hard to come up with tasty recipes. Instead of frying or roasting in oil, I can use low-sodium broth. Ginger, garlic, cayenne, cilantro, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, mustard powder, parsley and dill can be used in any amount. Here are some phone cam pics of a few meals I've made followed by recipes. A few were fantastic, others still need improvement.

Mashed Cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower
roasted garlic
cumin seeds
coriander seeds

Core cauliflower and cut into florets, steam until very tender.
Meanwhile, toast cumin & coriander seeds in a small skillet until lightly toasted 4-5 minutes. Crush with a mortar and pestle or whatever crushing device you have lying around.
Drain cauliflower and return to pot. Add as much roasted garlic as you like. Add crushed cumin/coriander. Mash it all up. Yum.

Sauteed Kale
Low-sodium chicken stock
Fresh Garlic, minced
Onion, sliced
Kale
Lemon wedge

Heat broth in pan, add garlic, saute for 30 seconds, add onion, stir and saute for 3-4 minutes, add kale and additional stock if necessary, stir. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 4-5 more minutes. Serve with lemon wedge.

Meatloaf
Nothing new here - in fact I'd say this recipe needed some work. I'll give it as made, and then offer some of my ideas for making it better. Remember this is a Fat Flush recipe so no dairy, no breadcrumbs, no salt or pepper!
Lean Ground Beef
Onion, diced
Garlic, minced
Mushrooms, diced
2 eggs
Cayenne pepper
Parsley, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients, press into loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.

Here's what I'd do differently: pre-saute the onion and garlic, add some more veggies (red peppers? jalapenos? tomatillos?,) and smother it in tomato sauce. The thing was dense! Especially because it was made from a very lean ground beef. **Update: I think adding some ground flax seeds would help with the texture.

Stuffed Mushrooms:
Mushrooms
Finely diced veggies
Minced garlic
Chopped parsley
Ground turkey
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Chicken stock
Preheat oven to 375. Remove stems from mushrooms, finely dice. In a medium bowl mix ground turkey, chopped veggies, garlic, parsley and cayenne. Shape into small balls and fill mushroom caps. In a baking dish arrange caps and add stock to the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 2-3 minutes until tops are lightly browned.


Ok, here's one that was OFF THE HOOK:

I knew the soup would be though, because it's a staple in my regular diet! I learned how to make it when I worked at The Boat Street Cafe in Seattle. It's a very basic brothy tomato soup with fennel and garlic and a tiny kick of spice. Here's the recipe:

3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg white onion, cut into slices
1 bulb fennel, cut into thin slices
2 lg cans Glen Muir whole peeled tomatoes
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 lg bay leaf
4 cups chicken stock
(I cheated and used a teaspoon of olive oil to saute my veggies, but I found out that I can legally use an olive oil spray, so that's what I'd recommend here.)
Saute garlic over medium heat in a soup pot until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add fennel and onion and continue to saute for about 4-5 minutes. Add a dash of chicken stock if it starts to stick. Meanwhile begin adding the tomatoes by tearing each one into bite sized pieces over the pot and adding the pieces. Add a bit of the tomato juice from one of the cans, about a 1/2 cup. Add the bay leaf and cayenne. Add the chicken stock. Increase heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until fennel and onion are tender.

The salad is just arugula and yellow peppers with the FF dressing: 4 parts flax seed oil, 3 parts cider vinegar, 3 parts fresh lemon juice. I added some chopped dill to the dressing.

Baked Salmon: You really can't go wrong. I covered the salmon with fresh dill, topped that with thinly sliced lemons, poured a bit of chicken stock into the dish and covered it with foil. I was going to put fresh garlic on it too, but I forgot! It was still amazing.

So there's a few healthy recipes I've tried so far. I'll add more as I go.