Hi all! A "freilachen Chanukah to everyone. Well, we are about halfway through and there were so many many food challenges. But come to think of it, when are there not?
Every day there are different food situations to face and i guess the less I cave in to the cravings the more successful I'll be. So this week was a week of SUCCESSES!!
Starting with Chanukah - Day 1: A beautiful wedding - huge smorgasbord, luscious looking meal - but it was in the middle of the day and I knew I was having company at nite so I didnt eat there. At night, when I saw the donuts and the latkes and I thought about the oil, I also thought that I am doing too well to "test" myself. I made sure that I had lots of salads and veggies prepared for me - funny that NO ONE ATE THE SALAD-they were too busy eating the latkes and donuts (there was an entire fleishig meal too). So I had leftover salad for days. Each nite there were more latkes, more donuts and each day as I walked into the grocer store for this or that there were the fresh-baked-just-delivered-delicious smelling donuts. Every day I think "dont give up what you want most for what you want at the moment" . There are still a few more days and a few more parties to go. I take you all with me to each one and I'm also going with you....let me know how we did!

Hi all. Just wanted to add a bit to my post - I forgot for a moment how much time I am spending thinking of Chanukah food prep - which leads me to answer RivkA's question about how much time I spend in the kitchen. Like a new job, I used to spend a lot more time preparing when I didnt know as much as I do now. Then, as I spent more and more timeat this "job", I became more efficient. I used to use ony fresh veggies in my soup - a lot of shopping and chopping. Now I use some fresh, some frozen. I prepare my food 2 times a week - Sunday morning and Wednesday night.
I make sure Ialways have soup, baked potatoes, steamed cauliflower, broccoli, a medley of eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, tofu and broiled salmon. I also cut up the following and put them in separate tupperwares:
tomatoes, onions, radishes, mushrooms, peppers, sun dried tomatoes, scallions, cucumbers,carrots, turnips, and fresh peas. Then when I come home I dump a bag of lettuce in a bowl and select from my "salad bar", top with dressing - select a protein, vegetable, starch, throw a mug of soup in the microwave and in less than 10 minutes after I get home a full dinner is on the table.
This Sunday night I am having my family over for the first night of Chanukah. During the day I am going to a wedding, so I'm not sure what I will be making for my company, but rest assured MY FOOD will be well-planned and prepared.
So RivkA, to answer your question, I spend about 1 1/2 hours in the kitchen twice a week. Is it worth it? You bet it is!!

Good morning - it is so good to communicate with you in so many different ways - this blog, the forums, and via e-mails. It lets me know where the interests and concerns are - and let me tell you, I share them all with you. My busy life feels like it leaves no time for exercise, food planing and preparation - but I also know that if I dont put those FIRST, then I will be less productive, totally unhappy and angry. Last time I shared with you about how I am preparing my own food and eating out less and less often. It became a priority and I am much more satisfied. The other thing I have started to do (much to my amazement) is experiment with different kinds of herbal teas. Tea has never been one of my favorite drinks - frankly, herbal tea always made me feel like I was drinking perfume. One of my friends started to mix the flavors, putting a peach teabag and an apple teabag in the same cup - it was great. So here are the results of my "mixology" - lemon and mint, green tea and mint, apple cinnamon and "sleepy time", apple and raspberry, strawberry kiwi and peach - they all taste better than they sound and they are good hot or cold.
Let me know what you think.....

Hi all. Thanks for all your comments and support. It still boggles my mind every time I sit down at the computer that there are so many "lose weight quick" diets and so many things that dont make sense. One of the latest is a "colon cleanse". Here's the truth: Your colon has the ability to cleanse itself. It doesnt need any help to function properly beyond what every other body part needs to function properly which is: Proper nutrition, Proper hydration, Proper exercise and Proper rest. Slacking off in any of those areas (and find me someone who isnt guilty) will result in sluggishness, tired feeling, false hunger, irritability, and looking for some "quick fix"....the quickest fix is the Proper one.

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I'd like to share my latest "experiment" with you. I've been making more of my own food rather than eating out. So, here's what I know:

- any food I buy outside will be prepared with more oil, more salt and more MSG than I would ever use at home.

- the portion size of any prepared food I buy outside is larger than I should eat.

- much of the food I buy outside has been laying around longer than I would like to think about.

- what I buy out is always more costly.

- I like my own food better.

But, I dont like shlepping my lunch to work and I am often too busy to cook for myself and buying out is so much more convenient - these are all my excuses (or some of them anyway, I have more)

So, for the past few weeks, I have resisted convenience and here's what I now know:

- I can find time to batch cook.

- Salads last for 2 days if I dont put in cucumbers or dressing and store in an airtight container.

- Soup tastes just as good at room temperature from my thermos.

- The ingredients I put in my salads far surpass any of those that are in the stores - mushrooms, peas, scallions,peppers,pickles, hearts of plam,artichoke hearts, marinated eggplant, olives, avocado and that's besides the usual lettuce, tomatoand cucumbers

- There are more lunch proteins besides tuna. I have packed fresh salmon (cooked the night before - leftover from dinner), tilapia, eggs, farmer cheese, tofu, beans - monotony is a big reason for going off track

AND FINALLY - I KNOW THAT WHEN I PREPARE MY FOOD IT IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEED, PREPARED WITH LOVE AND A SENSE OF ENTHUSIASM AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Anyone out there game to try it?