Eyeing It Up

I'm pretty sure everyone I've told about this organic/healthy trend I'm on thinks I'm nuts. And why not? I know I have really bad follow through. I've learned so far, that planning for meals is planning for life. The more I do this, the easier it's going to get.

Probably my favorite organic moment so far was when, driving to Wegman's Saturday night, I tell my boyfriend that we should get organic wine. He has a really hard time controlling his facial expressions and the tone of his voice, especially when it comes to what I think he thinks are whims and he looked disgusted with me. Kind of made me feel terrible for wanting to do this. But, this is what I want to do, and I'm not letting anything deter me. I keep moving forward for me for a better me, because I have to.

Anyway, we did end up getting organic wine, but not without a bit of a mess. I asked the dorky kid at the counter what he knew about organic wines, and ten minutes later after a loud and embarrassing time of being talked at about "pepper nuances" and "sunshine smells" and certified organic French wines, I settled on Nature Perrin from the Cotes Du Rhone of France. It's a 20% Syrah/80% Grenache. The Grenache definitely toned down the Syrah and made for a smooth swallow with a pepper taste in the end as the young sommelier informed us.

As for our shopping trip at Wegman's, here's what I learned:

So far, organic orange juice and milk is the easiest to find. Is it twice as much? Well, the milk seems to be ($3.29 for the milk) but $2.59 for the orange juice seemed reasonable compared to normal orange juice. In fact, what I love so much is how the milk and OJ tastes like it did when I was a kid. I stopped drinking milk because it tasted nasty to me. Now I think I'm going to have to buy a whole gallon starting soon instead of a half gallon per week. And the OJ... it's sooooo good. I'm a big fan regardless, but it's yummy when it's organic. No matter what, I'm staying organic for these two.

Stonyfield Farms Yogurt: So far, it's ok. Stonyfield was featured in Food, Inc. I eat yogurt because I know I have to. Stonyfield is a bit watery, but the maple flavor was good. To be continued...

Kosher. It's great time for it with Seder and all. On my first trip to Wegman's looking for organics, I ended buying more vegetarian (Amy's) and kosher (Macabee's Kosher food). It's an ok first step. And so far, the kosher breaded eggplant is excellent. Amy's frozen everything is great too... even though I love meat generally, once in a while I go for Amy's in the frozen food section anyway, so this isn't a shock to the system. I've had their pesto pizza and their vegetarian garden lasagna so far. I know frozen food is not where I want to be if I'm buying organics and buying healthy, but it's a start. I'm easing in.

I bought Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal. It sounds pleasant but I haven't tried it yet. It looks like Pops on the cover but I know I'm being cleverly deceived. To Be Continued...

Kiss my Face Moisturizer. I was out of moisturizer conveniently when I was going to Wegman's. So I went organic. About $7 for this honey lemon (I think) face moisturizer, but it's thick, needs only small dime-sized little dollops for application, and is a fairly sizable tube. I like it so far.

Best thing ever: Duck Bacon. Especially when it's vegetarian fed and doesn't have any growth hormones. My boyfriend cooked it perfectly. It doesn't dry like normal bacon and crunch like normal bacon. It stays rich and thick and so very yummy. I love meat.
In other news:

No diet coke today. Hard. This is a big deal. I feel like my life is over. But I felt like that when I quite smoking. So... I think I'll be ok.

Meatless Monday. I didn't mean to do this today. Breakfast was leftover blueberry pancakes, lunch was eggplant and greenbeans and grapes, and dinner was yogurt, veggie lasagna, milk and some edamame. I really didn't mind not eating meat on Monday. Might be an idea I can swing.

Hiking. We went to Oregon Ridge in Hunt Valley for a few hours yesterday. It was wonderful. It's so great to get out. I want to hike at least once a weekend. Seeing fresh water streams and hills, green grass and trees... Makes me want to quit work, quite frankly, and go out in the wilderness. As I get older, the city constantly reminds me to leave and get out into nature.

Especially with this week-long headache I've had, most likely caused by my eyes, it's all the more reason to get away from the screens when I can.

Ok, off to an ab workout and some good, honest sleep.