Wow, already Wednesday! I made a super quick and yummy dinner using leftover lemon rice and an Indian sauce that I’ve never tried before called Spicy Vindalo (by Maya Kaimal). I sauteed 2 roma tomatoes and 1/2 a yellow onion to add to the sauce (next time I’ll blend it after cooking). Then I just threw the ingredients for mint raita in my blender. Yum is all I can say! I love making a big pot of rice for the week because everything else comes together nicely when you don’t feel like cooking.
I had a therapy session today. It’s something that I’ve been doing once a week for almost a year this June. For those just tuning in on my blog, I was diagnosed with PTSD due to a life threatening surgery and stay in the ICU during the peak of the COVID pandemic. I know there is a stigma about PTSD, but I am living proof that if you work with doctors, (in my case surgeons too), and go to therapy, you can reduce your symptoms exponentially. 🙂
I had an amazing 50 min hike today. The weather was so nice and sunny this afternoon. So far, aside from 2 chocolate truffles a friend gave me today, I’m still on track with my goals. Continue reading for the Mint Raita recipe. Have a safe and cozy night!
Today, I woke up thinking this challenge was a mistake 🙂 I know I’m doing it for myself, but I really wanted to bake cookies when I got home this evening. As I pushed all of my plants by the window to get some sunlight for the day, played with little Archie, and made a smoothie this morning, I told myself that I got this. I know that once I lose the weight, it will be easy to maintain and that gets me through it.
I surpassed my steps today and enjoyed shopping with a neighbor early in the morning. She’s teaching her daughter how to cook and wanted to do something with pork. I gave her a great recipe from college for Greek Souvlaki that you can grill on a skewer. When she invited me for dinner, I couldn’t say no. Here’s the dilemma – how do you eat vegetarian only meals as a guest when meat is the main course?
I offered to bring the sides: a simple cucumber and tomato salad along with today’s recipe Greek Lemon Rice with Turmeric. I also added a little Violife feta to it and chopped herbs larger than I usually would so that her daughter could scoop it off if she didn’t like it. (She scooped them off 🙂 I got two thumbs up for the rice though. So, lesson learned. If you have a specific diet, find out what the host is making and offer to bring a side dish or two that complements the chef. Night everyone!
Today was the first day of my 90 day challenge. Was it a success? I think so. I went to bed little later than usual but got 5 hours of solid sleep. This is progress for someone that suffers from chronic insomnia. I think the melatonin helped. I’m excited to see if the challenge improves my sleep. Tonight, I plan on reading a book that I borrowed from my neighbor called House Plants for All by Danae Horst. The plants seem to do better if I push them directly under the windows when I am gone for the day. I know that might be a pain once I get more plants. For now, Archie loves watching me do it. It’s almost as if he is directing me of each plant placement by hovering over me 🙂 I think I need to get out more lol.
I clocked in 45 minutes of brisk walking and made sure to go up and down steep hills. It felt great not to be confined to a treadmill. I also walked to the grocery store. Editing my manuscript at night is going well. You always have your doubts but I was like that with my dissertation and I got extremely high marks. Why are we our worst critics? Anyways, this morning I made it a point to stand outside with a neighbor to wait with her kids at the bus stop. She’s had to deal with meanie moms. It gave us a chance to catch up and I can see why it’s so important not to isolate yourself as we had to do in COVID lock-down. Part of the Blue Zone theory is that one key to longevity is to socialize outside of work daily. So for me, it was a successful first day that didn’t take much effort. It was fun.
Now for my passion…food! This evening I made briam or briami. It’s Greece’s version of roasted vegetables including, but not limited to: tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, red onions, and parsley with lots of good-for-you olive oil. I like to pair it with my tzatziki and couscous, however, switched over to quinoa for the challenge. That will take some getting used to. I have a secret ingredient for braim so be sure to click read more for the recipe.
Happy Sunday! I hope you all are enjoying the weekend. Today is a big day for me fitness wise. My birthday is coming up and I wanted to give myself the gift of wellness. My manuscript is really coming along and I finally found the perfect pitch for my novel (its essential when querying agents). That being said, it will be a waiting game no doubt with a lot of rejection. So I knew I had to be at my healthiest. Previously working with the World Health Organization had its advantages. I worked on projects preventing non-communicable diseases (mainly heart disease and diabetes in villages throughout Fiji) I have an idea of what to do health wise to prevent myself from NCDs. After getting the okay from my doctor, I gave myself 90 days starting this Monday to loose 20 lbs. This would bring me back to the weight I was at 19 and a very healthy BMI. I had to promise to take my multivitamin with iron and B12 supplement, and check in with her religiously 🙂 She’s the best!
Getting Started
By sticking to the Mediterranean diet and incorporating what we know about Blue Zones where people live the longest in the world, I hope to document how this helped me loose weight and achieve happiness. As you may know, the Mediterranean diet consist of a proportionally high consumption of unprocessed grains, legumes, olive oil, fruits, and vegetables. And although the identified Blue Zones lack extensive scientific study, it made sense to me. Those that lived longest were close to family and friends, practiced mindfulness whether that was through meditation or therapeutic acts of gardening, walking (a lot!), eating primarily a plant-based diet, and getting plenty of rest.
My 90 Day Goals
Yesterday I had a trial run on my daily goals. On average, without hiking or going on a long walk, I walk about 5,500 steps. That means I need to take the stairs instead of the elevator (6 flights!) and go on about a 60 min brisk walk to meet my initial wellness goals. For gardening, I decided that my new hobby of houseplants would suffice. After all, houseplants have been proven to reduce stress, boost mood, and help purify air. Not to mention my little Archie loves being around nature and misses the outdoors. Speaking of Archie, I’ve been trying to talk to him on his level more – pet goals. Yesterday, I headed to Trader Joe’s to get another little plant to add to my new apartment. This leads me to food, my favorite part of my 90 Day challenge. I was with a friend yesterday so my plant-based meals had to be American food friendly 🙂 – protein packed plant-based smoothies, tacos, and pizza! Spending the day with someone I loved…check! I can already see how this 90 Day Challenge will be amazing. I just have to work on my sleep. My doctor recommended no caffeine after 2 😦 and a melatonin supplement. So there you have it. I’m off for a walk before it gets dark. Read more for yesterday’s recipes.
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