Five for the road

This weekend was cause for celebration.

With a lot of love, work and the grace of God, Mark and I marked five years of marriage. It's been quite the ride, these 1,800-plus days, but I think we're both happier for having taken the journey.

This anniversary seemed like such a milestone, much bigger than the others, and so we decided to celebrate in the most fitting way: Ordering carry-out and fighting with Miles to eat his dinner.

You might think I'm kidding but I'm not. Our anniversary day, Friday, was non-descript - work and family. We had considered going out but Miles was in no mood to be in public and our baby-sitter (aka my mother-in-law) was recuperating from surgery. Before you feel bad, which I know you don't, I think it should be said that a) I think it was a good celebration of the life we created; b) we had a date night last week; and c) there was cake.

An amazing chocolate-strawberry cake from a nearby panaderia. Oh. My. Word. It was so delicious and far better than the cake I had on my wedding.

Wait. I didn't have cake at my wedding. Sad but true. I was too busy dancing and talking to eat the piece my friend had saved. When I went back for it, the catering crew had thrown it away.

The one thing Mark and I reflected on, over this weekend, was that the wedding and the marriage was/is so much more than us. It's about the family we've made, the friendships we have fostered and the bonds we celebrate.

Terrible photo but it does show that people were actually at my house.

So it was only fitting to have some of those who were there for us on Dec. 13, 2008, to be with us this weekend as well.

I made a dinner of braised short ribs and creamy polenta, and our friends brought green bean casserole (hello, it's the holidays!), bread and wine.

It was a delicious meal filled with food, conversation and drink. While I was not hip to the custom cocktail when I was in the midst of planning my nuptials, I made a perfect drink for our guests.

Made with ginger ale Zevia, triple sec and pomegranate juice, it was fruity and sweet and a bit too smooth. As in you can drink several before you realize that you are drinking alcohol. It was a gorgeous burgundy color that made it quite festive for the season. For the under 21 population, it can easily become a mocktail by substituting orange juice for the liqueur.

Ginger Holiday Sparkler

1 ounce triple sec
4 ounces pomegranate juice
Ginger ale Zevia, chilled

Pour triple sec and juice into a wine glass. Top with Zevia. Garnish with orange slices. Drink and be merry.

Disclosure: I was provided with Zevia, free of charge, for an upcoming review but was not required to create a recipe or write a post. All opinions and alcohol consumption are my own.

Holidaze

Today is shaping up to be just like any other day.

I got up for an early morning workout (4.25-mile run with Denali followed by squats and lunges). I made a quick breakfast and fed Miles. There was the requisite shower and subsequent dressing. I prepped dinner in the slow cooker and packed my lunch for work.

Of course, today is not just any day nor is it just an ordinary start to the week. Not only is it Christmas Eve but today seems to kick off a two-week stretch of crazy schedules, family obligations and lots of temptations. It can be hard to navigate the holiday minefield (excuse the term) healthwise without feeling like everything is going to blow up in your face.

Here are some tips from The  Laughing Cow Community Leader Sarah Dussault - and some of my own as well.

Plan your workouts. You are more likely to make it to the gym if you've already scheduled it into your day. It also helps to plan what exercises you will do that day.

For the past six weeks, I've been following the Turbo Fire plan as closely as I can while still running and doing BODYPUMP. This means that I've been doing a lot of double workouts - getting up for Turbo Fire at 5 a.m. and running with the dog at 7 p.m. It's not a terrible plan but I know it might not be as easy this week.

Instead, I am going to try to get in one good morning workout. This morning, I ran and the rest of the week will look like this: Tuesday, rest; Wednesday, early a.m. run + YMCA class for work in p.m.; Thursday, Turbo Fire w/strength; Friday, Turbo Fire and a lunch run as schedule allows; Saturday, Bodypump; Sunday, run.

Make your workouts social. Instead of having dinner with your friends after work, try out a new fitness class you've been reading about. The more support we have, the harder we work toward our fitness goals.

I love, love meeting friends for classes. It helps me break outside my traditional routine, and the group atmosphere pushes me to work harder. I recently tried a Real Ryder class, and Mark and I are going to try to make it to a class while he's on break.

Moderation. Don't deprive yourself of foods you know you love! Make sure to include your favorite foods but in reasonable portions.

I've suspended the no sugar rule until Christmas, and thus far have enjoyed a single sugar cookie from my neighbor, tested a maple cinnamon chip cookie for Santa (quality assurance) and had a bite of my friend's gingerbread fudge. Small portions and sugar only once per day. I was going nuts trying to live up to this arbitrary rule, and it's OK to enjoy treats. Plus, I'm still six weeks sans Diet Coke. HOLLA!

Fuel up. Try having an English muffin or bagel thin with a wedge of The Laughing Cow cheese. You will burn extra calories if you consume something before your winter workouts due to the increase in energy. For a great post-workout snack, have a Mini Babybel Light. It's creamy, delicious and packs 6 grams of protein.

This advice also applies to pre-party eating. Tomorrow, I will have a good breakfast and lunch, as well as an afternoon snack before heading to my in-laws for dinner. By not going hungry, I'll save myself the mindless munching.

Buy a new gym outfit. We all get excited to wear our newest purchases so spending on your fitness clothes will make you want to visit the gym to show off. Or, reward yourself with that stylish top you've wanted once you drop those few final pounds.

Done and done. I am already pumped to wear my new Old Navy outfit to the Y class on Wednesday. And who knows what Santa will bring!

Three things Thursday: Somebody is trying to kill me

1. Holiday work luncheon

2. Christmas gift from my boss

3. Association-wide famous cookies from my neighbor

All of that came to me in one day. A day full of so much sugar. For someone who has sworn off sugar for the Healthy Holiday Challenge.

Yeah. I entered the Garden of Temptation.

I normally don't have a tremendously difficult time during the holidays. I indulge the day of, eating things that I couldn't have any other time or are particularly special. I am sure I have a treat here or there but it's not something I remember feeling insanely drawn to or guilty about.

Until this year. I am not sure whether it's because I have the mind set of "I can't have it" rather than "I don't want it" or the bombardment of treats in such a short time. But I'm pretty sure it's not normal that I sniffed those sugar cookies for a full 3 minutes after delivery, trying to decide whether to forgo the challenge for one sweet, melt-in-you-mouth cookie.

It's only because I'm stubborn that I didn't. Well that, and dreams of Brownie Peppermint Ice Cream Cake, which I'm making Christmas Day. If I've gone this long without sugar, it's dang well going to be worth it.

Currying favor

So ugly yet so good.

When I signed up for Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Holiday Challenge, I knew one of the key things would be not only planning my lunches but finding creative meals that fit the plant-based lifestyle and, more importantly, my tastes.  I didn't want to eat kale salads, though delicious, every day. I wanted hearty dishes that were full of flavor.

Dishes like this Indian buffet-inspired rajma.

There's nothing like hitting the Indian buffet - and hitting it hard. Saag paneer, rajma, chicken tikka masala, basmati, daal, naan. Oh, and that rice pudding and mango lassis. It's utterly delicious but a complete calorie bomb, and you leave feeling like you're going to birth the next Dali Lama. Not quite the goal of the Healthy Holiday Challenge.

These Indian-Spiced Kidney Beans bring home the flavors of your local Taj Mahal without the fat and calories. There's warmth from the cinnamon, a smokiness from the cumin and heat from the chili powder and cayenne. The beans are soft without being mushy and the sauce is perfect to soak up with a piece of whole grain naan.

Even better - it's in the slow cooker. Make it on a Sunday night, and you have lunches for the week come Monday morning. Wait. There is something - it used items I already had in my pantry, and probably cost a whopping $2 to make. Far cheaper than the buffet.

Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Kidney Beans

1.5 cups red kidney beans, rinsed but not soaked
1 medium onion, diced
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1-inch piece ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 whole cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups water
1/8 cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Place all ingredients except the cilantro in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans begin to break down and become thick.

Remove the cloves. Stir in cilantro.

If you wish, use an immersion blender or masher to break up some of the beans to create a thicker sauce. To make it non-vegan and a bit creamier, stir in 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt.

Serve with basmati rice and naan, if you are so lucky to have it. I managed to time this perfectly with a shipment of Stonefire Naan, which included a whole grain variety.

Forget that, eat this

If there is one thing I've learned over the years of trying to find a healthy lifestyle it is forgiveness. Forgive yourself for having a bad day. Forgive yourself for eating two pieces of dessert. Forgive yourself for hitting snooze and taking an unplanned rest day.

Of course, I say this with a belly bursting at the seems. The bland tuna casserole made with white pasta, which went against my healthy holiday challenge, sits heavy in my stomach. I almost feel sick, and the sad thing is that those extra bites weren't even worth it. (In my defense, I think I kept eating it in the hopes that it would magically get better.)

But rather than beat myself up for a less than stellar day, I'm going to move on and relish the rather inspired eats of recent days.

1. Hash made with green peppers, onions, broccoli, spinach and red potato with an egg on top.

2. Mini whole wheat bagel with homemade cinnamon almond-pecan butter and a sprinkling of trail mix.

3. Apple with trail mix (raisins, seeds and nuts)

4. Thai Fried Quinoa with marinated scrambled tofu (Figging amazing. I swear.)

5. Hospital salad with cottage cheese (no dressing) and Naked juice

6. Baby carrots

7. Cuban-style sandwich made with leftover roast pork, grilled onions and jalapenos on Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Flax bread. It was served with broccoli.

Of course.

A healthier mindset

Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. It has been 342 posts since my last confession.

I've been keeping something from you. Something almost monumental: It has been two weeks since I last a Diet Coke. Fourteen days since the effervescent bubbles passed through my lips. Three hundred thirty-six hours since I filled my body with aspartame.

I know this might come as a shock to many of you. I have unapologetically pledged my love for the sweet, refreshing beverage but I assure you that it wasn't a rash decision.

Wait. Maybe it was.

A friend of mine shared Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Healthy Holiday challenge on Facebook, and I couldn't help but be intrigued. The challenge was designed for devotees of Fuhrman's plant-based Eat to Live lifestyle to recommit during the holidays. While I've never had any interest in the plan - it is far too restrictive for my liking though I admire and support people who can do it - the challenge was posted just after I questioned whether my eating habits could be considered healthy. As I thought about it - and later accepted, a day later, - I hoped it would allow me to focus on whole foods and, just possibly, retrain my brain and stomach to crave a more plant-based lifestyle.

Among the goals for the two-month challenge:

• Eat at least one large salad every day
• Eat generous amounts of cooked green vegetables, mushrooms, and onions
• Eat beans every day
• Eat at least three fresh fruits every day
• Avoid white flour
• Avoid sugars and artificial sweeteners
• Use oils sparingly

Easy enough, right?

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Not only did the challenge start the week of Thanksgiving, when I would be traveling and craving my favorite Cincinnati foods, it made my already open eyes even wider as I realized just what ingredients some of my favorite foods contain. Peanut butter? It has sugar. Any salad dressing, even the best, have oils. Many wheat breads have white flour, as well.

Beyond that, it solidified my awareness that I was dependent on sweet flavors - if not addicted. I put stevia in oatmeal, sugar-free syrup on pancakes and honey on sweet potatoes. I craved chocolate after lunch and Diet Cokes after a hard workout. I immediately went for a Skinny Cow after dinner. Looking back at my food tracker, I easily logged 300 empty calories from mini chocolate bars or so called diet-friendly ice cream treats.

Adhering to the guidelines of the challenge required almost drastic changes to my diet, palate and meal preparation. I could no longer rely on processed foods - at all - and I would have to retrain my brain from healthy eating, diet style, to healthy eating, quasi-nutritarian style. Among them: I've had to learn how to enjoy oatmeal without sweetener; find suitable beverages that don't involve sugar or sweeteners, artificial or natural; make my own nut butter or go to Fresh Market for the freshly ground; get creative with snacks, especially night-time; plan and prepare lunches for the week; and hit up the grocery more often for fresh vegetables.

It's been overwhelming at times, to say the least. I've felt lost about what I "can" eat and unenthusiastic about drizzling vinegar on a bowl of greens rather than using the fork-dip method with my beloved ranch. Thanksgiving was a buffet of white flour and sugar at which point, I gave in and ate as many vegetables as I could and picked select foods to indulge in. Joining the challenge did give me a free membership to Dr. Fuhrman's recipes but his eating plan is nearly vegan, in addition to being salt- and oil-free, and the recipes have tested my comfort levels and budget.

At the same time, it has been gratifying to reach a point where I no longer need sugar and feel proud of the way I am eating. I'm adjusting the challenge to meet my needs and own goals (oil is OK and meat one meal a day) but feel like it's something I can do for two months. Longer? We'll see but I'm hopeful.

Oh, in case you were wondering: I still miss Diet Coke. Like, really, really miss it.