TCE- Day 2

Still holding on strong! Did well today, and will just now only have to take headache medicine. The true test of this will be tomorrow at work, where I have to be there at 6am, and stay there til 8pm! That will be the challenge, but there is milk there, and juice drink mixes. I am going to bring one of my rubbermaid bottles of water that will have been refrigirated overnight with me too. I think I can do this. I know I can do this. I did this in bootcamp. Different environment. great results

The great caffiene exodus-Day 1 (and feeling it)

So, in an effort to save money, lose weight, and be healthier in general, Josh and I have officially decided to cut soda and energy drinks out of our diet, and when we hit the 40 day mark of no caffiene, we are treating ourselves to a nice dinner out-Im a very reward-minded person. Given that we would routinely spend 3.99 at circle k each trip for a soda and energy drink usually at least 2x a day, that is 239.40 a month, and that is the conservative estimate! Wow! That is a good hunk of money. That's a wii, or 6 months of car insurance. I am floored. -- I can buy better ingredients or boots or something, or pay my bills even. We already don't eat out as much as we used to.. maybe 1 or 2x a month, and I have lost 10lbs since doing that, and changing bc, so maybe I will see more results with no soda in my diet. .... so here is how today(Day 1) went... wake up, not in a great mood, and starving, i make brunch for josh and i, and we both are very quiet today. I reach for my cold water in the fridge to have my meal with, and after checking things on the net, I fall back asleep. I wake up, and my friend the caffiene headache joins me. Never fear, I have excedrin migraine, and not only does it rid the head ache, it gives me a fun slightly buzzed loopy feeling. Some of my muscles are twitching, and I want to eat less, as I am not a fan of eating without a soda. I know, its a weird mental thing with me on this. But at this point, knowing how much money I will be saving and that there is a reward, I am pretty sure I can keep this up if I keep concious about it, and not give in when it is free and available to me. I will go forth! I will be successful in this!

my adventures in winging it and a very filling lentil soup

So, I had a bag of Lentils, and thought, hhmm... I should make soup. My hubs and I love lentil soup, and just about any middle-eastern food, and I was low on certain ingredients so soup was the simple solution. It was my first time making lentil soup so off to the web I go in search of a recipe. I could not find one that suited my own personal taste, or the lack of ingredients I had, I took bits and pieces from allrecipes.com, so I don't get originality credit. For my friends that have asked here is the breakdown:

1st in a large sauce pan or heavy bottomed pot (dutch oven, stock), brown and soften half an onion sliced, and 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil on med hi. Add 5-7 diced red potatoes halfway through the browning process (3 min when hot or so). Sprinkle librally with curry powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and a dash of sea salt. stir and add half a can of frozen oj, and half a can of water. Cover and let cook on med for 20-30 min, or still most of the moisture has cooked out.

Dump into big ol food processor and puree it til it is a nice thick paste. Pour paste back into cooking pot. Wisk in 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can of tomato sauce or stewed tomatos..your preference, and mix til thoroughly combined. Add lentils (1lb bag), and cover with addtional water (2-3 cups). Stir, and add same spices to taste, and cook on med to med lo for 45 min or until lentils are soft. I added a slice of bacon in these steps for extra flavor, but then it isn't vegetarian anymore. I also added a couple of bay leaves. enjoy.

This was an impromptu recipe so I hope all who try it are successful! It is quite yummy. Bon Apetit!