Good Health Habits=Productivity?

Well, I'm a week into my no whole grains no alcohol lifestyle and in this week I have begun to re-write sections of my novel, finish an edit of my story that is going to be published in the March issue of the Hawaii Women's Journal. Then had a moment of inspiration after talking to Ann, one of the editors of Bound Off and wrote another, hopefully better revision. I finished a pair of socks, started working on finishing another pair, and began baby brother's birthday fingerless gloves (the poor baby works outside).

And I lost 8 pounds.

Feeling like a rockstar this Sunday after throwing myself a pity party for one last night.

Kill me now.

It's Saturday night and I'm home watching Bette Midler's Las Vegas show, knitting and waiting for my underwear to dry so I can go to bed. And I filled out an online dating profile.

#imisshavingalife

Dinner Break

Well, I'm on a little health kick. Not, resolution for a new year health kick, but really thinking about the food I eat. It's been a huge problem since I started my new job. Faculty lounges a full of sugar, carbs, and other high fat items. It makes sense when you think about it. Teachers get up early, go to bed late, and in the hours in betwee, you're doing shit. It's the msot exhausting job I've ever had. No wonder we consume sugar at the most insane rate I've ever seen. Sometimes it feels like you need it to get through the next hour.

For 30 days, I'm doing a little experiment. Little to no sugar, little to no whole grains and no alcohol. That last part is actually the hardest part. I love a good glass of wine, or a smooth martini, or a nice frothy beer. Especially after a day at school.

The other day I recounted the healthy and delicious dinner I made the other night. Yesterday it was my very light take on beef with steamed broccoli topped with low sodium soy sauce. Tonight? Salmon cooked on top of the stove with a little olive oil and a lot of steam, some avocado lightly salted and some steamed spinach.

What I didn't eat today? The bagels and cream cheese at work (easy because I don't LOVE bagels) and the blueberry muffin tops (which I do LOVE). I had a bite of the cherry gluten free deserty type thing one of my co-workers made but only after ascertainging the ingredients. And seriously, only a bite.

This is easier than it sounds and mostly it's about me being less lazy than I usually am. The post New Year's Rush at the gym should be over so I'm going to join some time next week. In the mean time....A picture of dinner (sorry it's the phone camera. I couldn't find my regular camera):

No More Resolutions: A Recipe

I didn't really make a respolution this year. I don't think I really made one last year either. I'm just making some small changes here and there so I can continue to make myself happier.

I generally cook pretty healthy food...although I do have a weakness for coconut milk based curries...Yum!

Tonight I made a "Pasta" all'inverno. Now, I'm not a huge fan of winter. In fact, it's my least favorite time of year. I love springtime and the dish I think of most when I think of my favorite season, is pasta primavera. Simple Italian fare but good.

Tonight I made my own little bit of springtime, only it's winter so I called it "pasta" all'inverno--winter pasta instead. So why the quotation marks around the pasta part? Well, I didn't use any pasta for this dish.

in order to make the dish healthier I took a couple of zucchini and sliced it lengthwise and super thin. An easy way to do this is to use a potato peeler and then slice those pieces so that they look like noodles.

You can also make real pasta (just less of it) and mix it with the zucchini "pasta".

I made my standard tomato sauce:

Olive oil, freah garlic, onion and then add the tomatoes--roughly chopped.
Add salt and pepper as needed.

When the tomatoes are nearly cooked down into a sauce, add the zucchini "pasta".
Earlier you should have tossed your peeled and deveined shrimp in some salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook until pink. I would have added basil but it's winter and all the basil at the market looked gross. I did add some spinach for that little extra green kick! .

Oh and I was in the mood for a little arrabbiata so I added in some crushed red chilli pepper.

In Memory of 2010

I thought I would just give a quick rundown on the goings-on of 2010 before I take on 2011. Let's see...

2010 started out with a little bit of a broken heart and very broken knee. And yet, I managed to make it out to Michigan in the eary days of the year to celebrate birthdays with my dear Jen and Patrick. My knee was slightly healed by then but I successfully managed to re-injure it swordfighting at two in the morning because, I'm awesome like that.

In March, Little German Girl Number 2 aka Liebescroissant came to visit Iowa City. Then Batch came to Iowa city. Then Wifey came to Iowa City. And I remembered just how loved I was.

Sometime in between all those visits from friends, I began the job search.
And I turned 30. And I got to celebrate other with other good friends as they turned 30. We drank lots of champagne because that's what you do when you turn 30.


In 2010 I worked as a college professor (Assistant Adjunct, but still, I was an honest to god professor). I made the difficult decision to leave Iowa City behind in the hopes of finding a new home and a new life on the East Coast. And with that new life came a new job title. I decided I would teach high school. I interviewed in New York, Philadelphia and then, Baltimore where I would ultimately find my home.


Summer of 2010: I had a month-long adventure with and Italian Lady, a FFrench neuro scientist, a Greek architecht, and the founder of a local Opera. We drank lots of champagne and had dance parties and dinner parties and general happiness and merry making.

I TA'd another summer class at the workshop and made more, lovely, and talented friends.

I co-habitated for the first time with a partner(of sorts). It was only a week but it was a LONG week. (Won't be repeating that anytime soon)

I made my last road trip (for a while) from Iowa City to Philadelphia making one stop in Ann Arbor

In 2010 I took up residence in Four states. Iowa for 7 months, Pennsylvania for 2 weeks, Delaware for a month, and then Maryland.

I met a psychic who told me I would be a successful writer. Seriously, she walked up to me on a New York City street and said "You're a writer and you're going to be very successful." I'm going to take her word for it.
My first story will be published in March of 2011. The first step is always the hardest.

I threw about 4 pretty awesome parties in my places of residence in both Baltimore and Iowa City.

I came up with an idea and outline for a second novel. And then a third.
I discovered Battlestar Galactica. I began my first sweater. I taught my first semester of high school.

I ended 2010 with my heart intact and renewed sense of excitement.