Food Diary for Friday 27 April 2012

Breakfast:
Bowl of cereal with 2% organic milk, sliced fresh strawberries, and bananas.

Lunch:
Organic cottage cheese, organic white peach, chocolate chip clif bar. Big glass of ice water (not pictured).

Snack:

Half a seedless watermelon.

Snack:
2 slices cheese and raw unsalted cashews. Bottle of water (not pictured).

Snack:
Half a clif twisted fruit rope (shared with Annabelle :)).

Dinner:
Glass of organic strawberry banana juice (slightly watered down), a grass-fed beef hamburger with slice of cheese, mustard, and ketchup on whole wheat bun. Side of baked beans. I also made asparagus, but left it for my husband to eat... I'm personally not a fan of the, ahem, side effects. :)

Dessert:
Slice of cheesecake (as you can see from the photo, my husband got to it before me :)). Two small glasses water (not pictured).

Not pictured:
1/4 whole wheat hamburger bun and several spoonfuls of baked beans I snacked on while cooking dinner :)

I also take several vitamins/supplements a day that I won't waste time taking photographs of. They consist of a prenatal, Vitamin C, Calcium + Vitamin D3, and a fish oil capsule.

Note to self: drink more water!!! After posting this I am going to go drown myself in several glasses!

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

         The French philosopher and gourmand Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote those famous words back in 1825. I had heard various renditions of the quote, and never really took any of it to heart. How in the world can what one eats portray who one is? It just didn’t make any sense to me. Food was food and that was that. Flash to today and the meaning is really starting to sink in.

         I’ve never been one to really care about the ingredients of foods I’ve eaten. Sure, I went through several dieting fads here and there where I would read a label to check serving sizes and calorie content, but that was the extent of my concern over what I was putting into my body. As long as it fit into my daily calorie budget, I was buying. I’m not quite sure when this switch to actual ingredient concerns happened. I suppose it might have been around the time I started becoming more conscious of what was in my cleaning and personal hygiene products.

One day I overheard on the news talk of SLS, or sodium lauryl sulfate. This science project is an ingredient that makes products get bubbly and sudsy, and apparently it was in hand soap, shampoo, and even toothpaste! Now, the sodium LAURYL/LAUREL sulfate isn’t the worst contender. It can be irritating to the skin, yes. But its evil twin sodium laureth sulfate is the real felon here. Scientists decided to alter sodium lauryl sulfate so that it was no longer irritating. This new compound, laureth sulfate, has been linked to cancer! And it’s in practically everything it seems, such as the aforementioned hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and it is even in baby shampoo. Can you believe it? So, I set out on a mission.

I started making our own liquid hand soap by grating a bar of Dr Bronner’s soap, adding the shavings to a gallon of boiling water, stirring until it all dissolved, and then letting it set for 24-48 hours to allow it to congeal into a liquid hand soap consistency. I add essential oils and gylcerin to the mix (glycerin helps prevent the soap from globbing up in your soap dispenser). I use Dr Bronner’s baby mild bar soap to make liquid soap for my toddler’s baths using that same process. I re-evaluated my toothpaste and mouthwash and after discovering it was all laden with sulfates, I started purchasing Desert Essence’s natural tee trea oil paste and rinse. I started buying Tom’s of Maine roll-on liquid crystal deodorant, and stashed my old powder white sticks deep in a drawer to be used for emergencies only. I still use my cheap-o shampoo that has nasty sulfates, but I am working on finding a replacement for that. I did try the “no poo” approach, but I just couldn’t get into it (using diluted baking soda for hair wash, and diluted apple cider vinegar for rinse). We use bar soaps for body wash now, instead of their liquid counterparts. I’m still figuring all of that out, though, as I’m not sure the shower bar soaps we are purchasing are truly safe. But, I hope it’s a step in the right direction.

        

In my mission to detoxify our home, I also started making our own spot cleaner for the carpet using water, vinegar, and baking soda. It works like a charm every time! Toddler stains are no longer a match for me! I also stopped buying the solution recommended for our carpet shampooer and started using hot water, white vinegar, baking soda and essential oils in the machine. Our carpet has never been softer or cleaner after shampooing. I did make our own laundry detergent for a few months, as well, but I missed the scent that lingered on our clothes after using store-bought detergents, so we are still on that bad boy train.

I haven’t parted with my beloved Lysol wipes, and there are still store-bought cleaners that we use for various purposes. It’s all about taking baby steps and simply becoming more conscious about what you’re purchasing and using around your home. And I believe that realization is what opened my eyes to what I was putting into my body. And the realization came just in time, as I soon learned that I was pregnant again, and a day after getting that positive pregnancy test, a doctor told me that I had some pretty serious health issues that needed to be addressed. So, armed with the knowledge that I had a thyroid full of tumors with the possibility of cancer, an auto immune disease that the doctors were trying to figure out and name, and a precious new life growing inside me, I knew it was time to take charge of my health.

I have the world’s sweetest sweet tooth, and junkiest junk tooth. There is no doubt about it. These have been my Achilles heel when it comes to trying to change my relationship with food. So, I have spent years trying to hold myself more accountable for these cravings. Especially because I have since learned that the cravings are all an illusion and my body REALLY craves REAL food, but my mind has been fogged into believing it wants the crap food. Ay yi yi. Thus, the whole reason for this post…

I am going to start taking a photograph of every. single. thing. that I eat and drink. This is not for weight loss purposes, as I am pregnant and that could be detrimental to my growing baby. I am simply wanting to force myself to look at what I’m putting into my body each and every day. I know I frequently make good decisions, but I also know that I make just as many, if not more, very bad decisions (ie I sent my husband to the store the other day for pizza rolls and bagel bites). I want to try and face these decisions head on and really see them for what they are. If I am what I eat, then I am both very good for you, and also very, very bad. Sounds about right :)

All-in-all, I just want to set a good example for my children, and I want to give my body what it needs to help fend off any potential illness and disease that may try to take it down. I want what every other person wants, to live a long, happy, healthy life… and that is going to start with the food I choose to fuel my body. This is not a diet, this is a lifestyle. So here goes, my journey to a healthier relationship with food via a photo blog*. Bon appétit!

*Along with my personal daily food photo blog, I will still be posting various recipes, food finds, and now, other homemade (and store-bought) ways to make your home, and you!, healthier!

Fickle Pickle's Favs:Annie's Chocolate Bunny Grahams

So, I post once and then you don't hear from me again for weeks. I don't call, I don't write... I don't send a carrier pigeon. What gives?! Truth be told, I was geared up and ready to start writing several posts a week, while dishing out homemade deliciousness in the kitchen on a more frequent basis. But, ended up taking a mini-vacation and am currently in Kansas spending some quality time with my family. Now, when I am in the kitchen... I tear it up. You can't see 5" in front of your face through the flour clouds. So, I have stepped back and taken mercy upon my brother's kitchen and have been eating mostly pre-packaged yummies while staying here. Which brings me to today's post... an ode to a Fickle Pickle Fav!

Annie's Chocolate Bunny Grahams 

These adorable chocolate bunny grahams are a huge hit in our household, from my food-lovin' man's man of a husband, to our picky finger-food eating baby girl. And they're something I can feel good about feeding to my family... no trans fats, no HFCS, and absolutely no fake ingredients made in a lab beaker that I cannot pronounce, let alone find in nature! They're crunchy, they're sweet, they're incredibly chocolatey, and best of all... they are super duper satisfying.


We love us some Annie's Chocolate Bunny Grahams! Now if only we could keep our hands out of the box long enough to make them last more than a day at a time...

Dark Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I'm all about chocolate, and I'm even more crazy for it when I can justify the indulgence by pairing it with a healthy sidekick... thus, the homemade chocolate chip granola bar. Sure, it may not sound like anything special... you can find them front and center in your grocer's cereal aisle, decked out head to toe in shiny cellophane wrapping. But the great thing about being homemade: you know exactly what goes into them, you can tailor them to fit your unique taste, and you can indulge without feeling (too) guilty. The recipe to follow will absolutely astound you with its simplicity. I looked high and low for a recipe that worked for me, and when that failed, I threw this together. The fact that these vanished less than 24 hours after their debut from my oven... well, that should speak for their utter deliciousness itself (or for the incredible magical powers that these bars may or may not possess). Totally worth the 10 minutes they take to whip together, these bars, whether delicious, magical, or magically delicious, are sure to be a hit and a welcome addition to your regular recipe rotation. Enjoy!

Homemade Dark Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Ingredients

2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour*

1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar**

3/4 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (I used a heaping 3/4 Cup :))

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Canola Oil***

1/2 Cup Honey****

1 Egg*****

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)Combine the oats, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and salt in a medium/large bowl. Make sure you show those brown sugar clumps who's boss!

3)Whisk the oil, honey, egg, and vanilla extract in a separate, small bowl. I simply used a fork, as I really despise cleaning whisks... but if you have one, and aren't anti-whisk cleaning, I would advise you to use yours. Otherwise, a fork also does a bang-up job.

4) Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix well.

5) Grease a 9x13 pan. Using a greased spatula (and some wet hands) spread the mixture into an even, flat layer in the pan, making sure it all reaches the sides in one uniform layer. Do not worry, though you will wonder if it is even enough to fill the pan, with patience, diligence, and more patience (and again, a greased spatula and wet hands) you'll be able to get a pretty, flat, uniform layer of big 'ol granola bar.

6) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn light brown. Watch these very closely! Every oven is different, and if you need to... start checking on it at 10 minutes, and then every 1-2 minutes thereafter.

7) Cool pan on a wire rack, and once completely cooled, cut into individual granola bars. Store bars in an airtight container. They also freeze nicely if you want to make a couple of batches at once so you always have some on hand, because as I said before, these yummylicious bars go fast!

*You can also try a combination of 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat & 1/2 Cup All Purpose - I would have made these like this on my first attempt, but I was out of WW flour at the time; I will try this combination soon and update with my results)

 **If you like sweet, add up to 3/4 Cup; if you can get by with less, you can probably do 1/4 Cup with good results

***Vegetable oil would also get yummy results; do not use any other kind of oils than the two I have listed here! I am also going to keep experimenting with a few different oil substitutions... stay tuned!

****Buy local! Not only supports your local beekeepers, but eating honey from your area helps your body cope with allergies specific to your location!

*****Cage Free, Free Range :)