Thoughts on food, cooking etc..
When I got a new job in 2012 after being laid off in 2009 things went pretty well for awhile. Unfortunately the job never really worked as a full time job and I got laid off again in June this year. Unlike last time though I did not get scared or freaked out I just kind of took a deep breath and said this has happened for a reason and I am OK with it.
So I have spent the last 2+ months cleaning up stuff, getting rid of things again and trying to keep from losing my cool over the ridiculousness of dealing with the EDD. And now I already have a new job starting in about 2 weeks.
One of the things that happened when I got the job in 2012 was I spent less time running around and gained back a little less than have the 35 pounds I had lost from 2010 to 2012. I had started in March, before being laid of again, cutting out certain foods from my diet and taking yoga classes. Getting laid off meant I had to stop the yoga but I could still be careful about the foods I decide to eat for the rest of my life and so far I do not miss anything I have given up over the last few months which are in order:
In March it was candy, not all sweets but all the total crap mass produced candy you buy in the junk section of Target, Safeway etc yup right before Easter I stopped buying M&Ms, Snickers, Skittles sour candies just about anything like that. I still on occasion buy nicer chocolates like organic candy bars and fancier handmade in the shop candies from specialty places around the Bay Area. I also do not buy big chain store bakery items or boxed cookies like Pepperidge Farm and Keebler Grasshoppers! Although I will allow myself the occasional Ding Dong now that Hostess is back I have pretty much stopped all mas produced big factory sweets buying and I have yet to miss any of it.
After the candy I gave up fast food, no more McDonald's, Wendy's etc although today I back slid a little and had an Auntie Annie s pretzel dog and cinnamon sugar pretzel bites but for about 3-4 months now I have not bought fast food(food that is mostly NOT cooked when I order it but is already prepared/mass produced) as much as I adore french fries I find I have not missed that either.
After the fast food I started to be selective of meats and veggies, mom has a great garden and we have things like fresh spinach, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, not mentions the herbs and fruit trees we have! We are also growing cucumbers and next year we will have asparagus and what I cannot get at home from the garden I try and buy if not organic at least no frozen or high fat and full of nitrate meats which mean no lunch meats any more except I do occasionally have a hot dog but I try to buy the nearly fat free Hebrew Nation hot dogs which taste fantastic!
The biggest quandary with that was should avoid nitrates in hot dogs but still have the huge fat content or go fat free and deal with nitrates. At this point fat free won since I am avoid as much nitrates as possible in other things I few hot dogs now and then should be fine. But I buy nitrate free bacon and freeze it in 2-3 slice bunches in the freezer and make a package last months.
And just last week I have cut back on how much cheese I eat and what kind of cheese I buy again deciding to stop buying the heavily processed brands like Kraft, Lucerne etc and go for more of the nicer deli section cheese and will also be buying the much nicer local brands like Cow Girl Creamery. If I am eating less cheese I can afford to spend my money of BETTER cheeses!
Not sure what the next step will be I know unless there is a health issue I will not be going vegetarian, I have never desired to do that and this health trend while it does deal with morals I also think being an omnivore is better for you in general.
And I am really hoping this will lead to more cooking now that I have a new job. I know tomorrow we have plans to make a batch of peach jam!
So I have spent the last 2+ months cleaning up stuff, getting rid of things again and trying to keep from losing my cool over the ridiculousness of dealing with the EDD. And now I already have a new job starting in about 2 weeks.
One of the things that happened when I got the job in 2012 was I spent less time running around and gained back a little less than have the 35 pounds I had lost from 2010 to 2012. I had started in March, before being laid of again, cutting out certain foods from my diet and taking yoga classes. Getting laid off meant I had to stop the yoga but I could still be careful about the foods I decide to eat for the rest of my life and so far I do not miss anything I have given up over the last few months which are in order:
In March it was candy, not all sweets but all the total crap mass produced candy you buy in the junk section of Target, Safeway etc yup right before Easter I stopped buying M&Ms, Snickers, Skittles sour candies just about anything like that. I still on occasion buy nicer chocolates like organic candy bars and fancier handmade in the shop candies from specialty places around the Bay Area. I also do not buy big chain store bakery items or boxed cookies like Pepperidge Farm and Keebler Grasshoppers! Although I will allow myself the occasional Ding Dong now that Hostess is back I have pretty much stopped all mas produced big factory sweets buying and I have yet to miss any of it.
After the candy I gave up fast food, no more McDonald's, Wendy's etc although today I back slid a little and had an Auntie Annie s pretzel dog and cinnamon sugar pretzel bites but for about 3-4 months now I have not bought fast food(food that is mostly NOT cooked when I order it but is already prepared/mass produced) as much as I adore french fries I find I have not missed that either.
After the fast food I started to be selective of meats and veggies, mom has a great garden and we have things like fresh spinach, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, not mentions the herbs and fruit trees we have! We are also growing cucumbers and next year we will have asparagus and what I cannot get at home from the garden I try and buy if not organic at least no frozen or high fat and full of nitrate meats which mean no lunch meats any more except I do occasionally have a hot dog but I try to buy the nearly fat free Hebrew Nation hot dogs which taste fantastic!
The biggest quandary with that was should avoid nitrates in hot dogs but still have the huge fat content or go fat free and deal with nitrates. At this point fat free won since I am avoid as much nitrates as possible in other things I few hot dogs now and then should be fine. But I buy nitrate free bacon and freeze it in 2-3 slice bunches in the freezer and make a package last months.
And just last week I have cut back on how much cheese I eat and what kind of cheese I buy again deciding to stop buying the heavily processed brands like Kraft, Lucerne etc and go for more of the nicer deli section cheese and will also be buying the much nicer local brands like Cow Girl Creamery. If I am eating less cheese I can afford to spend my money of BETTER cheeses!
Not sure what the next step will be I know unless there is a health issue I will not be going vegetarian, I have never desired to do that and this health trend while it does deal with morals I also think being an omnivore is better for you in general.
And I am really hoping this will lead to more cooking now that I have a new job. I know tomorrow we have plans to make a batch of peach jam!
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