Tanaka Farm-isms March 31, 2009

(let’s see what spell check thinks of Cole’s particular brand of the English language – AKA Cole-bonics)

 

Cole, in produce stand: “Mom! M-A-M-A!! Look!!!! STAWBEAWIES!”

Me: “Those aren’t strawberries. What are they?” [tomatoes]

Cole: “Um….domadoes!!!!”

Me: “Good. And what are these?” [avocados]

Cole: “Um….awbocawdos!!!”

Me: “You’re right! And what are these?” [asparagus]

Cole: “MY DINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 

• ****************************************************

Liv: “Mom, can I have more salsa? I LOVE tomatoes. And I would eat them with a house. And I would eat them with a mouse…….”

 

(She went on to eat almost the entire container of pico de gallo. Not like I have much room to talk. I just polished off container 1 of 4 of the yummy roasted tomato salsa. Thank you, El Napolito and Tanaka Farms for making my day!!!)

aren’t birthday parties supposed to be easy?! March 30, 2009

Gone are the days of the simple party. Open your doors, set out food and beer, and you’re done. Instead of getting easier with practice, kids birthday parties are only getting more difficult and stressful. At this rate, I’m probably on the fast-track for anxiety and  high blood pressure meds, not to mention the long list of what Brian will need so he DOESN’T KILL ME when this is all said and done.

 

So I’ve narrowed it down to 2 birthday party ideas and locations, both with their own inherent set of problems.

 

Idea #1 – Titan Bowl @ CSUF

The date I want is currently open and they have no designated times – I have my pick of the whole day. They recommend 2-hour parties for kids, but 3-hour parties are an option. You can choose 2, 4, 6, or all 8 lanes, with their recommendation of 5 people per lane (sorry parents, you’re SOL on this one unless we have a side game going). For a 2-hour party, it is as follows:

4 lanes = $154

6 lanes = $231

8 lanes = 308

 

We can bring in our own food and Titan Bowl sounds super flexible. But my problem is I like afternoon parties and 2 hours might seem really short. Our backyard still needs new sod (the reason why we didn’t have Liv’s party LAST YEAR – thanks Brian). So I don’t really want to do an after-party at my house with 8 gazillion people.

 

Pros: Flexibility; close to home; easy parking

Cons: More expensive; it’s a Saturday night and I’m all about after-parties; short duration (2 hours seems like enough, but for those with kids, figure by the time you actually schlep them to the party, you’re an hour late. Oh wait, that’s just me.)

 

Idea #2 – Corona Del Mar, just like last year. Liv asked for the beach again (but Brandi and coerced her into accepting the bowling party idea). She loves the mermaids and pirates idea. And all of us talked about doing a bonfire last summer and never got around to it. If the party started around noon, for those who felt like staying, we could roast hot dogs and marshmallows around 5 or 6.

 

Pros: Everyone loved the beach last year!!!; new facilities; less expensive

Cons: PITMFA to get the stuff there and keep cold foods cold; guests have to pay for parking or park above on the streets and walk in

Potentially: going to see if we can park our trailer there. More storage, use of fridge, a hide-out for cocktails

 

Currently I have at least 40 kids on the list, and those are just cousins, close friends, and kids from Liv’s class. I loved H’s Friday party at Hullabaloos, but I think that’s like a 20-kid max.

 

So, in the spirit of resisting prescription medications, any and all advice is appreciated.

potentially might be crazy March 11, 2009

I’m questioning my sanity for even *thinking* of homeschooling Liv. Although a small part of me respects the concept of teaching your own child at home, the other part of me is screaming, “OMFG! Are you nuts?!” Not even just for the fact that all moms look forward to that coveted 5 day-a-week break. Yeah, yeah, we’re sad that they are growing up so fast. But still, it’s some breathing room.  No, I want to kick my own ass for contempating homeschooling because, after seeing all kinds of socially mal-adapted by-products of that system, I can’t believe I’d put my daughter through it.

 

But between budget cuts raining on our parade for getting into Beechwood, wait lists for the 2nd best alternative, and a very difficult schedule with the 3rd choice, I’m turning around and around in circles and feeling like a dog chasing its tail.

 

So I’ve been talking to EVERYONE about this school stuff. There’s a mom at Liv’s dance class who homeschooled her first daughter because she was adopted and needed that one-on-one attention and support. She mentioned this program through Whittier Christian School. Homeschooled kids go each Friday for actual classes, music, PE, etc. They also have monthly field trips and all kinds of parental support. And it’s only $70 a month!  And I keep thinking to myself: If I did opt for this, it would only be for Kindergarten (hopefully). By then, I could get her into the school I want.

 

It really, really sucks that parents have to have not only a Plan B, but also a C, a D, maybe an E….

 

Cross your fingers for good news on the multi-age programs. And let me know if you find any good deals on cloning to I can figure out how to be in 2 places at once for school drop-off and pick-up!

duh, mom! February 23, 2009

Conversation on the way home from preschool today:

(fire engine passes by)

Liv: “Mom! Look!  A fire engine! I want to see another one.”

Me: “Were you outside to see the fire engine at dance class last week?”

Liv: “Did you see me outside?”

Me, having no idea if she was peeking outside to see the fire trucks and paramedics during the commotion: “Um, no.”

Liv: “Well, if you didn’t see me, I wasn’t outside and I didn’t see the fire truck!”

Oh. My. God. Is it just me or does she have a great chance as a future defense attorney?!

off the wagon February 5, 2009

Thanks to Super Bowl *weekend*, I’m feeling the need to start detoxing again to kick my butt into gear. Hang on a sec. Let me grab another Dirty Potato Chip to snack on while I type. Ooooh. Shiny keyboard!

 

I think I’ll blog my reactions written a few days post-detox, juxtaposed with my current state of self-loathing.

 

(a couple days after detox ended)

 

I was making my lemon water this morning and was thinking of The Shawshank Redemption. Near the end, when Morgan Freeman’s character is finally paroled from prison, he is still living life as though he is incarcerated. Scary that I keep relating dieting to jail…obviously something I might have to work out on the couch one day.

 

I still have the detox diet so embedded in my brain that it feels very odd being able to eat whatever I want. Yes, things have sounded good. But I’ve wanted and been able to resist junk food. I didn’t rush out to get that Panera baguette I had been so desperately craving all week. We were at Starbucks after Liv’s dance class yesterday and the lemon loaf and I made eye contact. For once, I didn’t make that impulsive decision to order one (or two).

 

Christine brought over some really yummy vegetable soup, of which I ate probably 8 cups. And for dinner, I needed something quick and easy. I thought of making pasta, but didn’t want to jump right back into the carb rut. So I dug out some Trader Joe’s organic brown rice pasta which me had made in the past. No wheat, gluten, or lactose. I threw a bunch of broccoli (thank you, spell check) and carrots in the water, then splurged on my last can of this amazing pasta sauce you can no longer find. So, yay, I got to have tomatoes!

 

Today, I woke up and had lemon water, but am now stepping outside the box and trying milk in my smoothie (mostly because I ran out of rice milk and almond milk). Actually, I’m thinking I like the rice milk better. When I gave up milk during high school, I LOVED rice milk, so it wouldn’t be hard to make the switch again.

 

Probably one of the biggest reasons I’m keeping up with the healthy foods is that my fridge is already stocked with them. It was such a pain to assemble all the assorted ingredients for 7 days of dieting. Now I can see how much I relied on quick and easy foods, which are generally the worst for you, unless we’re talking crudités!

 

So, the things I will be giving up or limiting following this detox are sweets and breads. I’m also going to attempt to include a lot more fruits and veggies into everything I eat. I have my Shaklee CINCH shake here (fell in love with this stuff all over again) and I threw in berries to give it that extra oomph.

 

(today)

 

I hate myself!!! Super Bowl is THE DEVIL!!! And now I have Super Suppers tonight and will be making and eating yummy food. Maybe I should simply avoid anything termed, “Super.” Obviously that is code for, “eat really bad, unhealthy, yet delicious foods.”

 

(PS – and now my hip hurts again!)

Laurie’s day 7 January 27, 2009

Day 7: WE DID IT!!! (And here I am the morning after drinking my lemon water upon rising)

Wow, what an interesting week it has been. I am so proud of Lily and myself for taking this detox and completing it!

Day sevens meal were all easy and tasted GREAT. Although a handful of raw almonds for a snack are not enough so I had a few handfuls.  I steamed Halibut for dinner, first let me say I have never made Halibut myself and I am not a big fish eater. It was yummy! Oh, and my roasted squash was to die for; I roasted then in a pan with olive oil and sprinkled them with Tastefully Simple Onion Onion & Garlic Garlic (I’m salivating at 8am thinking about it – ok, that would not have happened before this detox).

I want to go back to Day 6: I read Lily’s blog and how could I not DITTO it. OMG, that great list of YUMMY things and places to eat!

Day six was BIG. For the first time in the detox we ate to meats in one day; steam salmon (lunch) and detox teriyaki chicken (dinner). After dinner my stomach was FULL and my stomach was in pain. I ended up taking some Tums and those helped. I feel like it was a little test to let me know you don’t need to eat this much. On the other hand, it could have been that my schedule was way off and I was eating dinner way too late, but I have done that pretty much all week and did not have any trouble before.

Now for the IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Lily and I borrowed a juicer from Michelle (Thank-you!), so on day six we juiced the Super Green (like we were suppose to in the beginning) and ta-da it was a drink (not a blended/puree kale mixture that you had to almost chew to drink). For anyone who decides to do this detox a Juicer is a MUST HAVE or borrow. I am sure the beet juice and the detox mojito would have been better juiced.

What have I learned? I have learned that fish is my friend and my rice cooker/steamer is my best friend; what an easy way to cook. My Vita Mix rocks and need to stay on the counter to be used regularly for smoothies.

I too, have lost the cravings of my biggest downfalls of bad eating/diet (sweets and crackers to name the biggies).

My results: I have lost 7 pounds this week!!! And I feel better!!!

What will I eat next: I too do not know! My plan is to keep the morning routine for at least 5 days a week (I have to have allowances for David’s breakfasts) and then to have salads and/or some kind of veggies with all my lunches and dinners. I also want to eat smaller portions several times a day. All these things that I have experienced in the detox are what you hear from every diet guru or plan everywhere – now to just DO IT!

What would I change if I did it again? I would get more exercise in (one day was just not enough) and do some yoga as the directions for the detox suggested.

Would I do it again? YES! If I need to re-kick start my habit of staying on track for healthy eating I will do it again.

Now I am on to doing a 14 day colon and liver cleanse from Henry’s that Lily gave to me because she decided not to do it. I know there is controversy on to do or not to do, well see between the two of us one is and one isn’t, so we will see what happens.

Good eating to everyone who reads this and if you decide to do this detox – GOOD LUCK, YOU CAN DO IT!

Last day. It’s kinda like getting sprung from jail. January 26, 2009

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Raspberry & Rice Milk Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Vegetables
4pm (snack): A handful of almonds
6pm (dinner): Steamed fish, quinoa, roasted squash

 

 

Do you remember when you were younger and birthdays were actually something you looked forward to? Christmas, too. I remember counting days on the calendar, and I felt like I was going. to. die. if my birthday or Christmas wouldn’t hurry up and get here. Once you got really close to the date, your mind knows the end is near, so you think, “Ha! I could’ve waited *even longer*!”

 

I’m wondering if that’s how people in jail feel when they are waiting to get released. “Those 6 years were a breeze. I could’ve done 10 no problem!” Well, provided Brian toes the line, I’ll never have to find out firsthand

 

But that pretty much sums up this detox. After 7 days of depriving myself of some of the best foods on earth, I no longer crave them. Tomorrow is actually quite anti-climactic, especially after a number of people have reiterated that the whole point of a detox is to give things up or change your eating habits (killjoys!). Even Cole’s preschool teacher said today that Laurie and I would probably be ill tomorrow if we jumped right in on all the old foods we were eating.

 

I had an addiction to sugar like a crack fiend has for the good stuff. It literally took this detox to break me of my downward spiral. Now, I’m almost afraid to eat all those yummy, sugary confections lest I fall into the same bad pattern.

 

When I gave up meat, I was quite young, and I didn’t start eating fish until long after meeting Brian. I don’t remember if I went through withdrawals like this, but I can tell you that, after being a total carnivore for the first 12-or-so years of my life, there is not one single kind of meat I have craved since. Well, maybe pepperoni. But is that even meat? Believe me, life would be WAY easier if I ate meat. It’s a big PITA being the one picky, snively vegetarian/pescetarian among a bunch of meat eaters.  This detox might be a bit on the rigid side, but think about it: if we could limit (or eliminate) those muffin-top makers like bread, pasta, and sweets, we probably wouldn’t be doing this damned weight loss challenges after Christmas!

 

So….to make a long story short, for those who have asked what I’ll be eating tomorrow, I’ll have to say I still don’t know. Foods appeal when I see them, but it’s definitely not like before where I’d think of a food and then crave it to the point of driving there to get it. I’ll still be doing smoothies for breakfast, but maybe splurging on an orange juice-banana-strawberry shake. Though I’m now quite fond of raspberry-rice milk detox smoothies.

 

And I actually *am* going to limit my salsa intake (GASP!) to see if my hip keeps feeling so good. Seriously, this is unreal. I’m really hoping it was all that sugar intake and not the salsa. I’d rather limit the Beverly’s Best than the salsa, but we’ll see.

 

But I can tell you one thing: I will never, ever, EVER, in my entire life, drink a pureed beet again. I’ve officially drawn the line.

 

And I am really, really looking forward to not spending 8 hours a day buying and prepping and cooking these foods. I think I’ll leave the hardcore detoxes to celebrities with personal chefs. Del Taco = Mom-Friendly.

detox, one day to go January 25, 2009

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Mixed Greens with Steamed Salmon, Olive Oil & Lemon Juice
4pm (snack): Super Greens Juice
6pm (dinner): Detox Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice, steamed zucchini

 

 Instead of talking about meals today, I think I’ll list all the foods I’m dreaming about. I really don’t know which one to eat first. Logic says I have to pare down my list a bit. All I know is that whatever I put into my mouth Tuesday morning is going to be DAMNED GOOD.

 

• Dave Dye’s homemade tortilla chips (turned into nachos) (oh, and add salsa, please!)

 

The bread family

 

• Panera bread – entire French baguette & lots of pats of butter; Roasted Tomato Asiago soup
• Le Diplomate – bread with their tomato dipping sauce; pasta; pizza
• Renaissance Bistro – crusty bread and olive oil/garlic dipping sauce
• Macaroni Grill – rosemary bread with olive oil and balsamic; WINE!!!!
• Olive Garden – breadsticks and alfredo dipping sauce; salad with pepperoncinis
• Lascari’s – fettucine alfredo and salad
• Top Class and Angelo & Vinci’s pizzas – anything with tomatoes and olive oil

 

Salsa and Mexican Food

• Tanaka Farms – chips and salsa from El Napolito (I’m really considering driving here Tuesday morning)
• El Torito salsa
• Harbor Mexican Café salsa
• Cabo Cantina – potato tacos, salsa, and margaritas
• Del Taco – burrito and a bean & cheese cup (and maybe some fries too)

 

French Fries

• In-n-Out – French fries; Grilled Cheese with tomatoes and pickles
• Seafood Grill’s tartar sauce and French fries

 

Sweets

• Anything from Beverly’s Best
• Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
• Cappricio Gelato – pistachio and panacotta
• Frati Gelato – Frate (marzipan, pistachio and pine nuts)
• BJ’s – pizookie (and cider!)

 

Meals

• Alicia’s – sandwiches, soup, and cookies
• SUSHI!!! (PS – anyone up for sushi sometime this week? Brian keeps talking about the O roll at Chomp that the Dyes got him hooked on)
• King’s Fish House – Ono braised with drawn butter with sides of mac & cheese and garlic mashed potatoes
• Airport Café – gardenburger and fries
• Any Thai restaurant – Tom Kha Guy soup; fried tofu
• Lee’s sandwiches – avocado/cheese baguette; veggie spring rolls

Laurie – I survived day 5 January 24, 2009

I survived Day 5 and am eagerly waiting Tuesday!

The morning routine rocks; I’ve got it down and it has made me realize I really miss my morning Shaklee shake that I used to make. So, that will be a renewed constant for me, well, for a least the most of the week because I am also missing David’s yummy breakfasts (will have portion control).

Lunch was not been bad either, actually I grazed my lunch all afternoon and it was yummy.

And then 4pm snack came along: I got on twitter to divert my attention; I just didn’t know if I could do it. I definitely need a juicer! This juice was not something my VitaMix could handle; well it handled it, it was pure pulp (people I drink pulp free OJ and made my mom strain my OJ as a child). I tried a bit (literally had to chew it) and immediately called Lily for HELP! She added carrot juice to hers (didn’t have any of that), so she suggested apple juice. I had to remix it three times adding more and more apple juice to be able to drink it. I will not be adding this juice to any of my future meals.

Then came dinner: who ever decide cucumbers and avocado would make a good soup was crazy! Again turned to my VitaMix to do the job and it did. I did not half my cucumber and my soup was too cucumbery tasting. I added pepper but it helped a little and I ate it. I should have called Lily earlier for help on this one (hello, I’ve got Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic and Onion Onion too, just not smart enough to use it).

Two days left and counting…

day 5 (are we done yet???) January 24, 2009

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Peach & Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Raw crudite (carrots, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini) with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
4pm (snack): Beet, Carrot, Apple and Ginger Juice
6pm (dinner): Cucumber and Avocado Soup

 

If I can get through today, then I know I can handle Sunday and Monday. The reason? This is the last day Alicia’s Cookery and Beverly’s Best are open. They’re closed the next two days. That means NO TEMPTATION!!!

 

I’m a sucky breakfast eater. So much for the tea and water. I luckily remembered about the smoothie when my stomach started rumbling. I forgot to buy peaches, so I made a raspberry-rice milk smoothie. Cole shared it with me. “Like this! Not yucky!” But now he’s calling it “yucky juice” (yet still drinking it…go figure). Although one would think a child would a good indicator if something was palatable (since they are so damned picky), that isn’t the case with Cole. In fact, just before drinking my smoothie, he had consumed a about half a mug of my mom’s cardiac arrest super-strong black coffee. (He liked the coffee – no sugar – better than the smoothie).

 

I’ve been going through tomato withdrawals and couldn’t understand why we had to give up nightshades on this detox. I was talking it over with my mom and she said when she was researching dietary modifications for her SIL’s severe arthritis, everything she read said NO nightshades. Something about causing inflammation? And it hit me: I haven’t had any hip pain in days now!!! I have bursitis in my right hip. The orthopedic surgeon noticed it right away and I realized, oh yeah, I’ve been living with hip pain for a long time. In the last couple weeks, the pain has been pretty rough. I never take pain medicine, but had to start hitting the Advil (which didn’t even help). I’ve been so miserable that I wondered if this is how people feel who live with chronic pain and I’ve been pretty bummed out.

 

I really don’t know if giving up tomatoes is a fair compromise for no hip pain. I’m thinking a killer salsa might just be worth the hurt!

 

The beat juice was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to consume. Using a juicer instead of a blender might have helped (let me stress *might* because I don’t know if anything could help this stuff). I detest beats. They made the smoothie taste like I was chomping on sweetened dirt.

 

The avocado-cucumber soup, however, was tasty! I’m ready for a second bowl. Laurie wasn’t too fond of hers, but of course, I’m the recipe modifier. I halved the cucumber, then added garlic and onion. It was like creamy guacamole! But, just before I made the soup, Laurie had told me about David’s nachos, which made me crave his amazing homemade tortilla chips. The soup would’ve rocked with some of those. And some tomatoes