I’m here in the middle of another round of home projects (remember the madness in January?). This time I stripped the wallpaper out of the workout room and primed and repainted. It’s almost done; just trim and room clean-up are left. I think that I’ll tackle my housemates room (master bedroom) next weekend with their help. Lots of wallpaper to strip, primer will be needed and I promised that I’d attempt a faux finish…what was I thinking?! Don’t I have homework to do or something…

Thanks to the shopping extravaganza earlier in the week, life on the BTD has been very compliant. I had a delicious stir-fry with spinach, onions, shredded carrots, cabbage and zucchini. On top of that I put a fried egg. Yum! Lunch today has been collard greens with a soy sauce (mixed with chile sauce) dip. There are ultra-fresh strawberries in the fridge along with crisp apples and juicy plums. Such good food available in Cali! I’m so lucky…

Just for the record, I haven’t forgotten about that 10 pound resolution by April 7th. I’m down to 176 consistently (I can swing up and down 5 pounds from day to day), and with another week of “concentrated compliance,” I’ll make it to 170-71. Even though I haven’t been to yoga as consistently as I’d like, I’ve noticed a difference in the lines of my muscles. Everything seems longer and better aligned. It’s cool! My goal to deal with the stress of going back to school is to get to the studio three or four days next week instead of just two. (I’ll need the strength and flexibility to attempt that master bedroom wallpaper/faux finish epic!) I’m still in the pool (almost) every day and have noticed that my strength, timing and speed have all increased.

Well, to all of you out in BTDland, happy eating, take care and smile!

Be well…

Take me to the river…wash me down…

Hey everybodee…it’s time to ramp up for NOJF (New Orleans Jazz Fest)…we’re leaving in just over three weeks. It’s a Jazz, Blues & Heritage Festival every year at the end of April/beginning of May. My mojo needs a boost and I’ve got to tell you that there’s no soul revival for me better than this. There’s gospel, zydeco, old, down-home blues, cajun, dixieland, the mardi gras indians…mmmm…a little lagniappe to take home, café au lait, crawfish po’ boys, red beans & rice, grilled barbeque oysters…

It could be a BTD disaster of epic proportions, but there are enough bennies available and DELICIOUS that I don’t foresee any problems. Besides that, I don’t indulge in the hurricanes or even Bourbon Street anymore, so it’s all good on that end. The few non-compliant food items are far overshadowed by the soulful benefits of that amazing sound, culture and history. Ah…I love this time of year…

On the homefront, we’re eating very well this week. I went crazy shopping and bought bags and bags of fresh produce. On an interesting BTD related physical improvement—it’s been a very long time since I’ve eaten raw veggies. I had been seeing a homeopathic doc for a while because of horrible acid reflux and sour tummy. She recommended that I eat only cooked veggies (even if steamed for a few minutes) to aid digestion. I sort of kept that habit, even after beginning the BTD again. Well, the lettuce and spinach and tomatoes are so fresh, ripe and flavorful right now that I was craving salad very badly. Anyhow, I’ve had lots and lots of salad the past two days without a single hint of reflux or nausea. I am chalking this up to the regenerative effects of the diet. Count that as yet another score for Dr. D’Adamo and the healing effects of ER4YT! More stories later…perhaps a recipe or two will come of this week’s bonanza of produce. We made veggie fritters again and they were amazing!! I’ll post that within the next day or two.

Until next time…be well…

Why is it that some weekends there isn’t a single moment to get to the market to stock up on produce for the coming week? Here it is, 7:30 on Sunday night and I’ve got nothing but an orange and an onion in the bins at the bottom of the ‘fridge…and the orange is an avoid!! Ah well, tomorrow starts terribly early, but finishes by mid-afternoon so I’ll make it to the market on the way home. Perhaps I’ll try to snatch a couple of apples from the mega-conglomerate-no-longer-striking-grocery-store-chain-monstrosity in the morning on the way to starting my day. Apples and PB & J are moderately compliant and better than chocolate bars and espresso…

More later…be well…

Yum! I love, love, love being home to cook!! I’m sure that there are many variations, but I learned how to make calabacitas (squash dish) with zucchini, yellow and mexican squashes, corn, onion, garlic, jalepeno, diced tomatoes and cheese. Really only the corn is an avoid for us AB’s and I’ve slowly pulled back the amount of cheese in the dish if I add it in at all. So anyhow, my modified dish today (one of those pull-it-out-of-the-veggie-drawer-and-create-something) included onion, yellow squash, garlic (lots!), tomatoes, and chile. I added some ground turkey and put a fried egg on top with beans on the side. Ah…though it would have been great if I had any tortillas in the house (and I’m sure the breakfast was a food combining nightmare)…it was a fantastic meal! I don’t even need my coffee yet…what a great start to the day before the weekend!!

I’m back in the pool today, yoga tonight and hiking (with ocean views!) tomorrow. Library? What library?! I need to shirk my studying duties just a pinch and have a little fun!! Campus Spring Break is this coming week and I’ve got a calendar full of scholastic obligations…so I get to slack off (only a little!) this weekend!!

I hope that this finds you all happy and healthy in BTDLand…be well…

Hey y’all, the good news is that I’m pretty much back to being compliant on the BTD…and I’m on the mend quickly from that mean ‘ole cold. The not-so-good news is that the cough is still holding on…but it’s getting better by degrees daily too, so as long as I go gently with myself, it should be out’ta here. I sent a note over to blogger Mike about that parsley soup that he mentioned several days ago and I have to say that I just love it!! It’s certainly one of those things that left me wondering as I made it…but I must say…it’s so yummy!! I made it with thin rice noodles (AB good!) and it was just divine! Go over and check it out dudes and dudettes!! You won’t be sorry! Take care of yourselves, happy (compliant) eating and go blow bubbles in the park, or do a cartwheel or set some seeds to sprout on your windowsill…spring is almost here…can you smell it on the breeze? Yahoo!!!!!

Note to Redd…Girl, you are too funny! I love your messages! My tier two bennies aren’t the same as yours (as you’re type O), but they come from the Live Right 4 Your Type book. Tier two is kind of like the “jet fuel” portion of the diet…best of the best for your system. Yup, warm water and lemons are for everybody in the morning. I read it in ER4YT and Cook Right. And I hear you on the whole body (including joints) aches that come along with non-compliance…but those girl scout cookies…sometimes being bad is just so good…*wink* And lastly, the reference on March 20 to skipping the water was a reference to the pool. As I felt like I was coming down with a cold, I thought that my already stressed immune system didn’t need me exposed to the elements and in the water. Our work-outs are pretty intense and I just wanted to give my body the energy it needed to fight off the germs.

Take care and be well…