Good evening fellow bloggers and friends,
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.
GREEK BRIAM
*Serves 4-5 people
Ingredients:
2 zucchini, sliced
3 potatoes, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 large Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup of chopped Italian flat leafed parsley
2 sprigs of dill (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
*Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Seasoning Blend (optional) Secret ingredient 🙂
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 F. and start prepping your vegetables.
2. Place the vegetables on a baking tray.
3. Drizzle the olive oil and add the garlic, parsley, a few sprigs of fresh dill, salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of Green Goddess Seasoning Blend to the pan.
4. Mix veggies well and lay out in a single layer on the pan. Put it in the oven and bake for 30 min.
5. Remove the tray from the oven and stir everything again. Place back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes. After veggies are roasted remove dill sprigs and let cool.
6. Serve with tzatziki and freshly baked bread. Goes well with a hot bowl of couscous or pasta!
Enjoy! 🙂
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