March 18, 2014

Lent: Day 13: The Eating of the Greens

Lent: Day 13: The Eating of the Greens
Having a little fun with hairstyles for St. Patrick's Day.
Having a little fun with hairstyles for St. Patrick’s Day.

What better day to celebrate eating your greens than St. Patrick’s Day?! We had another big snowstorm coating us with about 4 1/2 inches of snow! Schools were closed yet again and it was a snow day for all.

Spring? A gorgeous surprise snowstorm, arriving just days after the temperature got as high as 73 degrees.
Spring? A gorgeous surprise snowstorm, arriving just days after the temperature got as high as 73 degrees.
Starting the day off drinking the greens . . . the Body Builder smoothie.
Starting the day off drinking the greens . . . the Body Builder smoothie.
Egg white omelet. My omelet making skills seem to get worse with time. Perhaps there is not enough grease going in to my pan on my healthy eating diet but the omelets keep sticking and are hard to remove.
Egg white omelet. My omelet making skills seem to get worse with time. Perhaps there is not enough grease going in to my pan on my healthy eating diet but the omelets keep sticking and are hard to remove.

To create some fun on this snowy St. Patrick’s Day, we had a contest for the children to see who could wear the most green. The outfits they came up with were quite clever.

St. Patrick's Day outfit St. Patrick's Day outfit St. Patrick's Day outfit

Then, to add a little more fun, I looked up St. Patrick’s Day hairstyles. I did this clever and easy to do 3-leaf clover for the girls (with a slight variation to braid instead of twist the sections) and I attempted to do a variation of this Celtic knot. I tried my Celtic knot with braids on my hair. I don’t think you can see the knotted effect very well but it was fun to try anyway.

The clover-leaf hairstyle...a fun twist for St. Patrick's Day.
The clover-leaf hairstyle…a fun twist for St. Patrick’s Day.
Even big girls have to get in on the fun sometimes. I tried a Celtic knot bun with braids but you can't really see the knotted aspect to it.
Even big girls have to get in on the fun sometimes. I tried a Celtic knot bun with braids but you can’t really see the knotted aspect to it.
Costco was selling these cute shamrock-shaped ravioli, which made for a fun lunch for the kids.
Costco was selling these cute shamrock-shaped ravioli, which made for a fun lunch for the kids.
Lunch for me: Thai chicken burger over salad greens.
Lunch for me: Thai chicken burger over salad greens.
After playing outside in the snow, there is nothing like a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up.
After playing outside in the snow, there is nothing like a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up.
. . . unless if you are on a healthy eating diet, in which case you have to settle for mashed sweet potato with Chinese Five Spice Powder.
. . . unless if you are on a healthy eating diet, in which case you have to settle for mashed sweet potato with Chinese Five Spice Powder.
To keep peace in the family, I end up making two dishes for each meal on this diet--one for me and one for everyone else. Here: a pot of chicken noodle soup and the "imperious" sweet potato and black bean chili.
To keep peace in the family, I end up making two dishes for each meal on this diet–one for me and one for everyone else. Here: a pot of chicken noodle soup and the “imperious” sweet potato and black bean chili.
Dinner for me: More of the imperious chili and salad with green goddess dressing.
Dinner for me: More of the imperious chili and salad with green goddess dressing.
Dinner for them: Their favorite chicken noodle soup from their Grandma's recipe.
Dinner for them: Their favorite chicken noodle soup from their Grandma’s recipe.

Yesterday, I was really missing sugar. I felt completely low energy and tired. I skipped my exercise because I just didn’t feel up to it. The hardest part of getting Americans to adopt a lower-sugar diet is going to be the energy factor. Who would sign on to a program where you still have to do all of the activities of your daily life but with 30% less energy? The Harvard Medical School tips seem to say that we need to get used to eating a little less energy and getting used to doing a little less and taking more naps. That is a big adjustment.

I am already trying to prepare myself for how I will adjust this diet after Easter. I know that I won’t be able to keep following it all the time but the lower sugar factor is very important for health and for weight maintenance. So far, I have found that when you are feeling low energy and can’t reach for a sugar boost sometimes just moving around doing things in a tired state (like washing dishes, putting away laundry, etc.) will after 20 minutes or so result in more energy. I am not sure where this energy is coming from, maybe it is like an exercise high.

Today, I am feeling much better energy for reasons unknown but I hope to seize on it while it lasts. Hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

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