Veggierific

I'm noticing more and more how much my body and soul crave vegetables. When I eat a meal solely comprised of whole and unprocessed foods, I can feel my body healing itself. It's an amazing thing to experience after spending so much of my life eating fast and highly processed foods from a box.

Even though I know the benefits of healthy eating, it's easy to fall back into a habit of frozen pizzas and macaroni and cheese. It's convenient, familiar, and inexpensive.

It's not surprising that my ratio of healthy food to junk food has teeter-tottered into an unhealthy balance. It's time to reexamine and reset my behavior.

I'm declaring today: Veggierific Friday. I will be eating all of my vegetables, and then some. To round out my diet, I'll throw in some organic beans, eggs from a local farm, cold-pressed olive oil, and soy milk.

This next part is a lot to take in. But let's break down each meal and examine the health benefits of some of the ingredients in today's menu.

Breakfast
Omellette:

• Egg
  
• Dandelion Greens—Has a rich source of nutrients that could improve liver function, promote weight loss, and improve blood-sugar control. It is a lean protein and has a rich source of medicinal compounds that have a "toning" effect on the body (I definitely need some of that).
  
• Chard
  
• Spinach
  
• Sundried Tomatoes

Lunch
Butternut Squash Chili:

• EVOO
  
• Onion
  
• Garlic
  
• Ginger—Has natural healing properties. Is used to help with nausea and problems with digestion. Ginger promotes lower cholesterol, stops diarrhea, and naturally freshens bad breath. That fact that it relieves gas and bloating makes it a great ingredient to compliment the black beans in this chili recipe.
  
• Carrot
  
• Red Pepper
  
• Green Pepper
  
• Org. Black Beans—Has cholesterol-lowering fiber. High fiber prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal. They are a source of fat-free high quality protein. Helps detoxify preservatives in the body. Black beans are loaded with antioxidants. Can possibly reduce pre-cancerous cells. Helps lower heart attack risks. And gives you energy to burn while stabilizing your blood sugar.
  
• Butternut Squash
  
• Org. Veg. Broth
  
• Soy Milk
  
• Sucanat
  
• Curry
  
• Sea Salt
  
• Parsley—is packed with nutrients including vits K, C, A and Iron. Helps neutralize carcinogens and helps prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. Increases antioxidant capacity of the blood. Promotes a healthy heart and provides protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis. 
  

Dinner

Stir Fry:

• Yam
  
• Broccoli—Protects against cancer. Boosts body's detoxifying enzymes. Supports stomach health. Contributes to a significant reduction in heart disease risk. Helps prevent cataracts. Builds stronger bones. Boosts the immune system. A birth-defect fighter. . . . Broccoli is really, really good for you.
  
• Onion
  
• Spinach
  

Snack

• Oven Roasted Radish—Is good for the liver, stomach, and helps detoxify blood. It helps reduce jaundice. Aids in digestion and reduces bloating and constipation. It brings down the body's temperature and helps reduce inflammation due to fever. The radish is a natural breath freshener. Regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation, is a treatment for headache, nausea, sore throat, and gastric problems.
  

It feels great to know that I've done so much to help improve my health today just from eating some really yummy food.

Date Night

It's not often we get a date night these days. It requires a night off and the forethought to schedule a babysitter—two things we lack.

Sometimes things magically fall in place like they did the other night: My mom was watching Sage as she does one night every week so I can mountain bike, but my plans fell through. I had to work late. Then Chad called to tell me he was getting home early. Kismet! Insta-Date Night! (My working late is still getting off early for Chad).

We both arrived home around 7:30 PM and promptly got ready for our date.

No, we did not go to a romantic, candle-lit dinner. However, it was dimly-lit. We went trail running, in the dark, in the pouring rain. Yes, you heard me: trail running, in the dark, in the pouring rain. A lesser woman would not be able to handle this kind of thing, but for me it was exactly the therapy I needed after staring at a computer monitor for ten hours straight.

I laced up my gortex trail running shoes and threw on a headlamp and hit the trails. We warmed up for the first 1/4 mile before splitting up, Chad runs way too fast for me. As it turned out we happened to pass each other a few times out on the trail. And because it was a date, love-pats and smooching were allowed mid-run. 

We both saw a half dozen deer and an owl that lives near Lost Lake. We had a great time and it was a lot of fun. 

I love date nights.

Yoda

I'm one of those people who is always trying to improve themselves. I'm trying to run faster, ride farther, improve my skills at work, be a better mom and wife, improve my health, study the Bible more, etc. I understand that in any endeavor there are bound to be lulls and valleys. But it seems like I've been in one of those valleys for awhile now. I'm not making progress in anything.

The other day, while talking to my husband about eating healthier, I heard myself say a phrase that I've been saying a lot: "It's just so hard because . . . " And then I fill in a myriad of excuses. 

It's hard to eat healthy because it's easier to grab the chips than make a healthy snack. 

It's hard to train for a triathlon because of my busy schedule.

It's hard to read my Bible more because I'm so tired by the end of the day.

It's hard to improve my skills at work because my hours have been cut and there just isn't enough time.

Reasonable excuses? Not really. They are just excuses. What I'm doing is giving myself an allowance to fail. To continue on with how things are. A reason to be lazy.

Think about it.

Is it really that hard to eat a healthier snack than junk food? No. Not at all. It's not any more physically demanding to grab some veggies and hummus over a bag of chips. 

Is it really that hard to read my Bible more? I read all the time. I just need to set one of my novels down for a few minutes and read the Bible.

Is it really that hard to train for a triathlon? Well, yeah, but I'm used to that. If I really want to pursue that, all I need to do is to switch to AM workouts to allow for a consistent training schedule.

I can do all these things and more, it's really not that difficult. But once I get into a debate with myself, I've already lost. I let myself think that there are hurdles that don't really exist. I can satisfy myself by saying that I'm trying and I can comfort myself when I fail by saying that it was just too hard.

The truth is, Yoda was right: "Do or do not . . . there is no try."

It's just that simple.