What's for Dinner?

Two weeks down already in the new year! I hate to say such a cliché thing, but..."time flies...and, I can't believe it." In all honestly, living in a world of 92% routine is a scary thing. Days, then weeks, then months, then years are in the past. I always feel a little guilty when I'm complaining about a slow day, because then, when the month is over I say, "Man, I wish time would slow down."

Back to dinner; food has been a very large part of my 2011. I feel like I have been to the grocery store more in two weeks than I have in the past 5 months! In my last blog, I wrote about our decision to go organic. Well, along with that decision has come new recipes, new budget, new pantry and fridge. Luckily I get off work at 5pm and my husband is not a picky eater. AND, most of all, thank God for google!

Over the past two weeks, I have been cooking organic lunches and dinners, face masks and juicing multiple times a day. The goal is for 51+% of each meal to be raw...let me just clarify that this is incredibly difficult and rarely happens. This is, however, the reason for so many trips to the grocery. We try to have a salad with every dinner and sometimes have totally raw dinners, but Luis does not always appreciate those options...

The greatest thing about our new menu has been discovering new flavors, cooking with color and feeling physically and mentally really great about our choices.
Some of the new recipes include:
Couscous and vegetable stuffed peppers
Vegetable curry

Fish Tacos

Salmon and vegetables

Tofu Stir-fry
Mock Chicken salad sandwiches made with garbanzo beans
Spaghetti with vegetables
Eggplant lasagna

And the list goes on...

Now, if you're wondering about the face mask I mentioned, this is a concoction of diced tomatoes, lemon juice and oats.

When I first used this mask, I wondered if Luis was questioning his decision to marry me! :) HA!

And finally, juicing. Juicing is a large portion of the Gerson diet. Gerson recommends juicing 12 times a day. Yes, this is impossible unless you devote your day to it because you cannot make a bunch on juice and drink it over the coarse of the day. It has to be drank right away otherwise the enzymes are gone and therefore, the entire health benefit is lost. We try to juice twice a day - although this, as you can imagine, is expensive so once a day is my goal.

It's really very surprising what tastes good when juiced together. Luis and I have experimented with different cocktails of apples, oranges, carrots, yams, pineapples, cucumbers, etc. We have not gone down the tomato juice path just yet; we will though.

So that is the status quo of the Polo household.

Netflix & Wellness

I say it again, "Netflix has changed our lives," for the better might I add.

Luis has become quite fond of the documentary options, on demand, that Netflix on our Wii offers. It started out with conspiracy theories on 9-11, documentaries on Islam and the Federal Reserve but now is targeted at food and the body; this is where I entered the picture.
I will first tell you about Luis and my diet habits over the past 3 (+ a little) years.

Year 1: Luis is a poor bartender, Sarah is a poor college student working at Panera. Diet = ramon noodles, spaghetti, beer, Panera, spaghetti, mac & cheese, coffee, McDonalds.
Year 2: Luis and Sarah move in together. Sarah is a waitress until hired on at current place of employment, Luis an interpreter until Urban Active comes along.
Diet = Spaghetti, lots of deli sandwiches, some beer, chicken casseroles, red meats, Mac & cheese, eggs and hash-browns, tofu stir-fry, McDonalds, Subway, sushi.
Year 3: Luis and Sarah are married. Sarah is working at current place of employment, Luis starts nursing school.
Diet = Spaghetti, tofu stir-fry, fresh fish, red meats, cheerios, eggplant, mac & cheese, McDonalds, some beer & wine, coffee, fresh fruit, eggs.
Start of Year 4: Sarah is working at current place of employment, Luis is in nursing school.
Diet = fairly healthy to 90% organic; lots of veggies, fruits, rice, salad, No meat, little fish (sushi!), water, coffee, some beer & wine.

The following movies/documentaries have contributed to a huge change in lifestyle and budget arrangements for not only ourselves but a few close friends and family members (my Mom is one of them):
1. Food Matters
2. Food Inc.
3. The Gerson Miracle

I Recommend #1, Food Matters to everyone! #2 and #3 I also recommend to everyone! And I am not blowing smoke, as I am not one to fall easily for bull shit especially when it means a major change in budget and spending habits (I'll save this for another blog, but just know it is very hard for me to adjust). Also, it only takes a couple hours to watch these movies and then you can make your own decisions.

Anyway, my main reason for writing about this is just because it is a big deal in my life and I wanted to write about it; but also because I definitely think it is worth looking into and it is something that is becoming a passion in my life - health and wellness and cooking and enjoying.

A few facts that are rather alarming...

"Fact: It is illegal to treat cancer in the U.S. with anything but surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Fact: Chemotherapy hurts your immune system by lowering the number of white blood cells produced in your body. White blood cells are important in preventing and fighting infections.
Fact: Radiation is cumulative. All forms interfere with cellular activity and suppress immune system function.
Fact: No surgery is risk free.
Virtually nothing is done in medical school to teach students that nutrition may often be the most important element of diagnosis and treatment."

Food For Thought...

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.