Day Three of No Processed Foods

I am not going to lie, I am not feeling great. I don’t know if not having any processed foods are really impacting my body or if it is just psychosomatic. Having said that, I think that no carbs in three days is a making me feel a bit weaker than normal. I am not sure that I’m getting the daily caloric intake that I need since I really don’t feel great until after I eat dinner. Since I’m not doing a ‘no carb’ experiment, I had rice last night with a steak and mixed veggies. It was tasty! I did cheat and I had a small cup of frozen yogurt last night (I blame this on Pete as he wanted the frozen yogurt)! I was very good when he decided to have a Corona last night. I fought the urge to enjoy a tasty beer on a beautiful summer evening outside, but I did not have any beer; I just drank my water. Will power!

More than anything, I want a damn Diet Coke! I want a Diet Coke so bad that I can taste it. This surprises me because there are times that I go a couple of days without soda, so I am not sure why it is bugging me now!

For lunches, I made a roasted carrot soup, a roasted tomato soup and salads. I am (surprisingly) really enjoying almonds and sunflower seeds instead of crackers, but part of me still misses my crunchy Wheat Thins.

For dinner on Monday night, I made a very quick dinner before going to get my hair done. Dinner was a pork and ginger stir fry, which was like an inside out pot sticker. I left out the wontons and the spicy pepper since I am not a fan of spicy food. This recipe for Pork and Ginger Wonton Stir Fry comes from The Washington Post. Click this link to see the original recipe, but here is my version.

Pork and Ginger Wonton Stir-Fry

- Salt

- One-inch piece ginger root

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 scallions (will do more next time because I like cooked scallions)

- 2 TBS Olive Oil

- 1 pound lean ground pork

- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

- 2 TBS unseasoned rice vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

- 1 tsp cornstarch

Peel and mince the ginger and garlic, which can be chopped together. Cut the white and green parts of the scallions crosswise into thin slices. 

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the ground pork, using a spatula to break it up. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat loses its raw look.

Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup until well blended. Stir the sauce into the skillet and cook for 1 minute; add the scallions. Reduce the heat to medium-low. The sauce will thicken slightly.

I enjoyed this topped with shredded carrots and an avocado. Next time I think I will cook the carrots in with the mixture. I had intentions of putting this on top of rice or bean noodles to get that carb feeling and taste without having it, but I ran out of time.

May 2013 - A Fabulous Month in the Life of Lindsay

Oh my! So much has happened in my life since my last post on April 18th. That seems so long ago. Life is good. No, life is great!

Work Life: I am so fortunate to be working (what I consider to be) my dream job. I am working for a previous employer in Washington, DC called the National Agricultural Aviation Association...and I am able out of my home in Green Bay. NAAA is a national trade association representing the aerial application (crop dusting) industry. I am their new Manager of Meetings, Marketing & Special Projects. I am doing the meeting planning for two board meetings and one large convention each year, as well as various marketing responsibilities and projects. I loved working for the organization when I was there from 2004-2008 and I'm so happy that they kept me in mind for when the time was right! The time was right and I was ready for the new challenge! 

Engaged: Pete and I got engaged on May 1, which was his 40th birthday. We went to a wonderful dinner at a nice restaurant in downtown Green Bay called Hinterland. After dinner, we went to a coffee house named Kavarna for a cup of tea. We had our first date on March 2, 2011 at this coffee house and Pete proposed in the same spot where we sat the first time we met in person. It was such a great proposal and meant so much to me. The photo below was immediately after Pete proposed. 

I am so excited to marry Pete and have this fabulous partner for life. I am so overjoyed that I also get to be a bonus mom to Sam and Maggie (will be five and three in August, respectively). They are such great kids and I can't wait to be more involved in their lives. I feel so blessed and overjoyed with all the excitement in my life.

I can't wait to marry my best friend on May 31, 2014 in Green Bay at La Grange Ledgestone Barn.

My Beau is an Inspiration

Pete is an incredible athlete! He was clearly born an athlete and he enjoys a very active lifestyle. I admire it, I'm inspired by it, and I'm starting to "drink the kool-aid". He grew up an avid skier, cyclist, sailor, swimmer, etc. By "drink the kool-aid," I mean that I want to be more active and set goals for myself, but I don't want to do a sprint triathlon!

This past weekend, Pete participated in the Green Bay Sprint Triathlon, which consists of a 400m swim, 15 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. It was his goal to place in the top three of his age group.

Since Pete's mom is in town and she offered to watch the girls, I had the opportunity to watch and cheer him on, which was fantastic. I just hope that he appreciated my cheering (aka, screaming) at him during every transition! :) I knew he was doing really well in the race when he entered the bike to run transition area and he was arriving between groups of people that started several waves ahead of him at the beginning of the race.

Swim to Bike

Leaving for 15 mile bike ride

Leaving for 3.1 mile run

He is a fast cyclist and I was in awe at how fast he rode the 15 miles. I don't think the run is his favorite part, but he ran quickly through three miles. I was counting many of the sprint triathlon participants coming through the finish and I knew he finished high overall.

DONE!!

Congrats to Pete for finishing first in his age group and 14th overall.

The End of an Era

Dictionary.com describes an era as a period of time marked by a distinctive character or event; the period of time to which anything belongs or is to be assigned; a system of chronologic notation reckoned from a given date; a point of time from which succeeding years are numbered (such as at the beginning of a system of chronology); or a date or an event forming the beginning of any distinctive period.

I often associate eras with the last definition; an event forming the beginning of a distinctive period. The year 2005 marked the beginning of an important era in my life; and an era that ended on January 31, 2012. That era was becoming a homeowner and boy did I have an independent streak running through me during this time in my life. I was at a point in my life – and irritated with a relationship – that I decided I didn’t need a man to buy a house, nor a ring on my finger, or anyone! I could buy my own house and create my own home. This was true independence, a scary independence, but I went forth and did what I wanted to, didn’t care what the results would be and what people would say.

Although I still remember (and will never forget) the comment, “What do you mean you’re buying a home, you do that when you’re married and with a husband.” There is almost no comment worse than that, which will push a stubborn woman even closer to independence.

In 2005, home prices were soaring and I truly felt that it was the time for me to buy a home. I didn’t know what my future held for me, but I knew that I could afford it, I would enjoy it, and I would show that guy (whom I was awaiting a marriage proposal from) that I wouldn’t be sitting around forever.

I was so excited when I received the phone call on July 15, 2005 that my offer for a lovely one bedroom condo in Alexandria, VA was accepted. Oh my gosh, it had a washer and dryer in unit, a dishwasher AND a parking space that I didn’t have to pay extra for; I could finally stop hauling laundry all over the place! In a big city, these things are a major plus! I closed on the condo in August and had a painting party with several girlfriends to paint my living room, kitchen, and bedroom that very night. It was mine, ALL mine.

As the years went by, I enjoyed two years of living in the condo and I finally rented out the condo in 2008. My first tenant was my very good friend Mary, next was a guy who I would strangle today if I saw him, and finally to great tenants and now friends, Sara and Dave. When my last tenants left in June of 2011, the rental market had shifted in the D.C. area and I could not find a renter anywhere near what I needed to afford the condo. And boy was I underwater due to a couple of recessions!

Ultimately after several days of thinking, praying, and several discussions with various people, I decided it would be best to put my condo on the market, knowing it would be a short sale. I was so underwater that it would be decades before I could break even or make any profit at all. I decided that I needed to cut my losses and sell. This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make in my life. I pride myself on paying bills on time, keeping low or no debt and having a fantastic credit score. I knew all of that would sway to deal with selling the condo.

After four contracts, many discussions with my real estate team, lawyers, and the mortgage companies, my condo finally closed on January 31, 2012. It isn’t until now, at this moment, that I am shedding a tear over this condo, which is a shock to me. It has been the biggest pain in my butt for a few years, but after sitting and thinking about not just the condo, but everything that has happened in life since the beginning of that era, it is hard not to shed a few tears over the end of an era that brought many laughs, tears, drunken nights, and a great learning experience and education about life.

What A Difference A Year Makes

This is not a normal Lindsay blog post since it has nothing to do with food! I just want to comment that what a difference a year makes! As you all know, I had a dramatic change in my life this time last year. I have been thinking a lot this week about the past, but over the course of thinking (sometimes late into the night) I’ve shifted my thinking from what was, to what is. I always think about what is, but it's hard not to think about past experiences, relationships, etc.

Why do we spend so much time thinking about the past? I know I do because I want to learn from my mistakes. It was something that was stressed to me growing up; “Learn from your mistakes. There is a lesson to be taught in everything you do.” And it’s true, but while there is a lesson to learn in most of life’s everyday living, I’m slowly learning that once I learn that lesson, I don’t need to go back to that traumatic time every year. I am a date driven person, meaning that when something sad, traumatic, etc has happened, I never seem to forget the date and I harp on it every year. I’m not doing that anymore!  

I am blessed to have such a nice life with wonderful family, great friends, and hunky boyfriend who is such a huge source of smiles and laughs. I am very glad that I made the decision to stay in Green Bay after my divorce. I have such a great life here and such a strong support system of friends. (I just wish it were warmer!) So, if nothing else, please take away from this blog post that once you learn your lesson from an event in life, just remember that lesson and move on; it makes life easier and so much more fun!

Pete & Lindsay in the Smoky Mountains in August 2011