FIrst CSA box

So excited!!  Our first CSA box came today!  We were able to choose our produce which was awesome, and when I came home from class, there was the box sitting at my door.  I already ate an amazing plum and can't wait to try the organic pear.
We also got some amazing yellow carrots, fingerling potatoes, tomatoes, and broccoli.  The best part is that it's all organic!  No yucky pesticides and all the nutrients.
So I don't usually eat potatoes, so tonight I will look up a healthy and simple recipe.  Hopefully I can incorporate all my veggies and make an awesome meal.  I love this already - getting myself away from my normal weekday night meal, which is just a stir fry of a bunch of random vegetables and tofu.
Can't wait for our next one in a couple of weeks.

Wrong Week to be clean

So it turns out that I am a bit sick - not a great week to start a new chapter.  But nevertheless I am going to try to be good.  Yesterday my roommate and I made a trek to the farmer's market.  Oh my goodness I spent so much money and got some amazing stuff!!
Such great looking organic strawberries, asian pears, nectarines
and also green beans, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, lots of mixed greens, and tomatoes So last night I made a tofu stir fry with some veggies, and tonight I grilled up some and threw it over an amazing blend of mixed greens (random greens I would never buy unless at the farmer's market - which is awesome) and added some tomato and oil/balsamic - so delicious!!
Of course today wasn't all good.  I bought a parfait at school - granola and yogurt and fruit - none of which was organic and I have no idea what the actual ingredients are.
For lunch all I wanted was PB&J - to make it better I used honey and asian pear instead of J.  The bread though - I noticed has a ton of ingredients that I don't understand.  And the peanut butter - although organic contained sugar!  what?!  isn't it supposed to be peanuts and salt??  where does this sugar come from?  But I ate it anyway.
So, not the best start - but Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

Getting Back on Track - Going Clean

How many times have I said I need to get back on track?
I recently picked up a book that I haven't looked at in about two months (various reasons.. mostly busy) by Michael Pollan: In defense of food.  I read a good section of it on the plane back from Vegas, after killing my body with too much food and alcohol, and it really helped me get motivated to get back on track.  I knew I was going to have to detox a bit, but this really helped me.
So according to the book, here are my new rules for a bit:

1.  check the ingredients and understand every one of them 
• So if I have to look it up on my phone - that isn't good
• it has to be pronounceable
2. No foods with more than 5 ingredients
• The example Pollan gave was bread that had more than 5 ingredients - in fact around 40 total..that makes sense - but am I supposed to give up chocolate?  even my organic chocolate has a few more than 5 ingredients: Organic Chocolate Liquor, Organic Raw Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Organic Vanilla Extract, Organic Whole Milk Powder 
• Also I don't really know what Soy Lechithin is... Pollan talks about Soy and Corn being two ingredients we have way too much of in many forms.., but whatever, baby steps...I can't just cut everything out quite yet.
3. Don't buy anything incapable of rotting
• McDonald's fries do not rot - not that I eat at McD's, but they don't..eww!
• Also, if you have to wonder if it rots - don't buy it.
• I am extending this to expiration dates - if it doesn't have one or the date is super far in the future (canned goods? frozen foods?) don't do it.
4. Avoid foods that claim they are healthy
• no more lean cuisines, although I haven't had one of those in a while
• if you stick to healthy ingredients, your finished product will be healthy
• I like the line in the book - if food products claim to be healthy on the package they must first have a package
5. Get out of the supermarket
• I have always loved farmer's markets - the vibe and the food, so why haven't I been to one in months?  And the one or two I did go to within that time were amazing!
6. Join a CSA
• already looked into it.  Going to take the leap.  So excited, because sometimes you just can't get to the farmer's market but still need good organic food in the house, before going crazy.

So this is the plan, let's see how far I get...

stressing...

So yesterday I was walking down the three blocks from school to my new apartment and I realized that I hadn't looked up.  So I did, and it was an experience I can't even explain.  I saw the beautiful hills out in fronts of me and the green park and it all felt familiar yet so new.
It was a beautiful day and yet, I was staring at the ground.  So this past week has been stressful to say the least.  After a minor breakdown and almost getting sick (i think it was all mental) I am back, but now I have to undo the wrong I did.  With the stress came bad food choices and choosing things due to convenience rather than health.  But last night, my roommate and I went to Trader Joe's I was so excited about making organic tofu and organic vegetable stir fry, that I think I got way too much food!!
Although I do like the TJ's, they don't have much in the way of organic produce.  Although I did get some delicious organic broccolini, yum!
This blog is getting re-invented.  I have gotten so far off track that I think I need to just get healthy again. I have neglected my workouts and gotten of track with food, so after finals, I am getting back into all of that. Stay tuned to see how it all turns out.