A Couple Of Old Friends
Meet Four Seasons Mall…
It’s a traditional 80’s style strip mall. As a kid/teen, it was the closest “mall” to our house and somewhere my family spent a decent amount of time. There was a grocery store, liquor store, dance studio, Synders, pizza place and countless other small businesses. Today all that’s left is the pizza place and a Kaplan Professional School. The talk is that the place will soon be torn down and a Walmart will go up. I’m guessing that a Walmart will draw more cars to the parking lot than a pizza place and a Kaplan.
Today with much trepidation and much excitement, I headed to that pizza place to enjoy a little “pizza party”. Marcello’s offers up excellent cheese bread and pretty tasty pizza. It was a favorite from my teen years and it’s still a favorite today, sorta like cheese.
I ate cheese to my heart’s content and it was delightful, delectable, delicious, dazzling and deliriously good. I was nervous going in that I would be like an alcoholic, once returned to my vice, helpless in its grasp. So far though, I feel good about it. I think my cheese and grease monkey has been satiated and should stay quiet for awhile and I’ve had no adverse stomach reactions. After being away from cheese for 34 days, the thing I noticed most about it other than it’s deliciousness was it’s saltiness. It’s some salty stuff. Nothing like a little distance to make one appreciate cheese with all of its beauty and its one fault.
Join me in a little 80’s nostalgia by looking at a few pictures of Marcello’s.
There it is, number 26, Marcello’s Pizza & Pasta.
Check out that 80’s decor. Hasn’t changed, not one little bit since the first time I was there over 25 years ago. If that’s not staying power, I don’t know what is.
It’s hard to find chandeliers like that now-a-days and the faux ivy painting all over the walls is to die for. This place is a classic. The booths are original to the joint as well. Nothing in the whole space has been updated since the place opened.
The piece de resistance, Marcello’s garlic cheese bread. It’s always perfectly cooked, perfectly cheesed and perfectly buttered. Unlike ever other place where you get cheese bread and they use some pre-made garlic butter stuff that all tastes the same, here the butter is real and so is the garlic. It’s a hand-made concoction that is nothing short of perfect. Yum!
It's A Wrap
October is over and done. The vegan challenge is over and done. So far I’m still eating vegan. I’m not sure why, I’m not sure what I’m doing going forward…I’m feeling very unsure.
I had a plan in place and felt really good about it, 2 vegetarian meals a week and 2 non-vegan sweets a week. This new plan was motivated by both my health (the vegan part) and my desires for cheese and milk chocolate (the non-vegan part). I had planned to keep that up until I felt some reason to not keep it up. I guess that’s still what I’m going to do, but a bunch of doubt has entered my mind as to what I should eat if I am eating for “health” and nothing else.
There are lots of different opinions about diet, health and nutrition out there, many of them backed up by research. I’m beginning to wonder if a strict vegan diet is truly the most healthy diet you can eat or if allowing some small bit of animal stuff into the diet from time to time might be beneficial. Jamie is convinced that a vegan diet is the best and healthiest way to eat and I thought I was convinced as well, but I’m just not sure anymore. I plan to read more and try to come to my own conclusion, but in the meantime I feel my bets are hedged. If vegan is the way to be, I’m mainly eating vegan and the downside to a couple of meals a week that are non-vegan shouldn’t be a big deal. And if it really is beneficial to get some calories from animal products, I’m doing that as well.
I question why I don’t feel any different or better after eating vegan for 33 1/2 days and why I don’t feel supercharged by “plant power” the way that so many vegans describe their state of being. I really don’t feel any better physically. I have more gas and I visit the number two toilet more often; that is the extent of how I feel different.
Psychologically I feel 100% better. My mind is still consumed with food, but in a good way. I’m eager to try new, chocked-full-of-nutrient recipes and I spend a lot more time cooking. I think about what I eat to make sure that I’m eating nutrient-dense food, whereas in the past I was mainly concerned with not gaining weight. I still wear leather, use glue and otherwise participate in animal stuff, but I’m not eating animals and that feels really good. I feel lighter and more at peace with my food choices.
My cholesterol has always been on the high side from the first time I had it tested at 17 until the last time it was tested a few years ago. My HDL levels have always been great and my LDL levels are low, so it hasn’t been a big concern, but I plan to have my cholesterol checked in about a month and I’m hoping to find that it has gone down considerably.
So I guess that’s it. It’s a wrap as they say in show biz. The challenge was so much fun and sparked lots of good conversation with many different people. The challenge also brought about a real change in my perception of food and how and why I eat. Hopefully the change will stick with me…
Now I just need to find a new challenge. Does anyone have any good ideas?
Day 26 of Vegfest
The month is close to over and with that the vegan challenge. I’m still having a great time experimenting with vegan cuisine, but I’m a little glad that the month is drawing to a close. Cheese and I have a date and we’ve missed each other a lot and can’t wait to hang out. Hopefully my gut will agree. I’m planning a little pizza party for sometime next week.
All of that said, I do plan to keep up with the vegan thing for the most part. I think it’s good for me and for the planet and for all my animal friends. I like the way I eat better when I eat this way. I like how I feel on my insides better when I eat this way; I experience far less food guilt. Food guilt is something that I’m normally steeped in. I can’t say that it’s all gone, food guilt and I are almost as good of friends as cheese and I, but the food guilt is much dissipated. I think no matter how I eat, I will always feel like I’m not doing a good enough job.
On the poundage front, I’ve now lost 7 pounds. The weight loss is so easy and natural and that feels good. I think in time, maybe lots of time, I will return to a weight that I am comfortable with and feel good about. I feel relaxed and very low-key about my weight. I think it’s because I realize that eating this way it’s hard to gain weight and much easier to lose weight and so if I just sit back and hang out, my weight will take care of itself.
I have noticed a general slacking with other things that I do in my life that I feel are important and have a positive impact. I’ve been a reusable bag fiend for several years and I’ve accepted several plastic and paper bags during this month because I haven’t had enough bags with me. In the past I would shove the extras in the shopping cart, then the car, then bring a bag out to the car when I got home to put the extras in. I’ve found myself throwing small pieces of paper away instead of walking to the kitchen and recycling them, and feeling less guilt about plastic containers that contain pre-made vegan goodies than I would had they been regular baked goods. It’s as if I can only be so “good” and the vegan thing requires more of my “goodness” than my other way of eating.
I’ve been meaning to post lots of other vegan stuff this month, but it’s been a really busy month and I haven’t devoted as much time to writing as I would have liked. I guess all of those other posts will just have to wait for next month. See you after Halloween!
Veg Party!
Okay, not really, but today is day 19 of the 30 day vegan challenge and I’m proud to report that both Jamie and I are still going strong. My stomach issues haven’t abated, which I find frustrating, and those cheesy, cheese thoughts are still creeping in, but I’m feeling good. I’ve lost 6 pounds and still feel psychologically lighter than I did before. I haven’t noticed any other physical changes beyond the weight loss and the constant hunger and bloated cycle I seem to spin through, but once again the challenge is still proving challenging and fun.
The grocery store and I have become really good friends. I seem to visit it three or four times a week, and even with that frequency I always feel like I’m missing something. I think a big part of this is learning how much and what to buy when I’m at the store and the other part is it takes some time to stock up a vegan kitchen.
When the month is over Jamie and I plan to do a comparison of what our family spends on average per week to eat vegan versus what we spend on our regular diet to feed ourselves. I feel pretty certain that we are spending more now and I also feel that if we were on a tight budget, we could eat vegan for way less than we are spending now. It will be curious to look at the numbers and see what they have to say.
So far the best thing I’ve eaten this month wasn’t good for me, but it was good and that is Mama Peas Dough Balls. They remind me a lot of the peanut butter cookies that have a Hersey’s Kiss in the middle. I’ve tried a mushroom (I still don’t like them, but I’m going to try them at least 10 more times before I really make up my mind. I’m growing.), eaten lots of brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, hummus, pita bread, granola bars, english muffins, Triscuits and fruit and veggie smoothies. That list seems much better than my old list and the only similarity is the granola bars. The worst thing I’ve eaten was the mushroom, but like I said I haven’t given up on them.
If nothing else these last few weeks have gotten me out of my comfort zone and into trying different things than I would normally eat. For someone like me who would be happy to eat the same thing each day for weeks on end this is a big step in the right direction.
If you would like to check out my other vegan posts, follow the links below!
The Kate Club
Mazie has joined her first social club. It’s called “The Kate Club” and it’s quite exclusive. You must be a girl, garner an invitation, and you must be willing to “eat” a leaf before you join and every day after that. The club members call it “eating a leaf” but really all you do is put it in your mouth, chew it up, and spit it out. The club meets during recess and focuses on chasing boys and doing what Kate says. The club is named after Kate since she started it and so it only makes sense that she would instruct other members about what they should be doing while the club is in session.
I’m loving this club. I’m thinking about starting my own Tammy club where each day we drink a mommy beer and chase men…and of course, do what I say.
Day 12 Of The Veg!
Here’s how I’m feeling on day 12…For the most part, all is well. I have begun to mourn the loss of certain foods, like cheese, but for the most part it hasn’t been a big deal.
Eating out is much less fun than before and a much bigger hassle than eating at home. My tummy is still experiencing some adjusting pains due to the new diet, but I’m hoping that it all settles down in there in the next few days.
I can’t say that I feel more energetic or less or any happier or less happy or anything like that. I do feel like I’m eating much healthier and that pleases me and I’m happy that my current eating doesn’t involve any animals, but that’s about it. The almost euphoria of the new that I felt at day 5 has faded, but I’m still enjoying the experiment.
I’ve lost 3 pounds, which is nice, but I’m also hungry a lot of the time. I find it difficult to be full. Either I eat and I’m hungry shortly afterward or I eat and then I feel really bloated and gross. Once again, I’m hoping these issues work themselves out in the near future. I also wonder if maybe “full” feels different eating this way than it did when I ate lots of cheese and other such things?
Sometimes I can’t wait for the experiment to be over so I can have pizza or cheese bread or some other cheese thing and other times I think I might extend the experiment another month or two to really give it a fair shake. It is an interesting thing to try and now that I’m doing it I’m surprised that I’ve never tried it before. It’s not as hard as I thought it would be in terms of sticking to it and the unforeseen benefit of not feeling consumed by food is very nice. Stay tuned for the next update…
PS: If you missed the other posts about this topic and you’d like to catch up, visit this link and this link to get all of the details.
It's All Vegan In Here
Welcome to day five of my and Jamie’s vegan challenge! So far, so good.
I’ve known a lot of vegans and vegetarians over the years and for a long time I’ve had some moral qualms about my eating meat, but never once until just a few weeks ago had I considered giving up all animal products for any length of time. Everything that I love in food life has something to do with an animal product. After reading Eating Animals (an amazing book) about a month ago, the idea to at least give an animal free diet a try was born.
I have no expectations for this challenge other than wanting to complete it. I am curious to see if I lose weight, if I feel “better” either psychologically or physically, if I discover anything new about myself, and what I think and feel like after the month is up. So far the process has been much more transformative than I would have imagined. It seems stepping outside of myself food-wise is uncharted territory and it’s sort of re-framing some part of how I see the world…like maybe food isn’t everything or food can be something, but it doesn’t have to be everything. I’m having trouble articulating the idea and it might be old news to the rest of you, but it’s new news to me and I’m interested to see if the idea develops and resonates into the future.
So far there have been no earth-shatteringly great meals and a lot of trying to figure out what to eat, but I haven’t felt deprived and I haven’t found myself craving anything. As of now, it seems possible to eat this way long-term, but it’s only day 5. I’m enjoying the challenge more and having fewer issues than I thought, but I’m aware that these feelings may change at anytime and tomorrow a chips-n-cheese or cheeseburger dragon might erupt from my being. But for now, all is well on the vegan front.
Best Of The Road - Part 1
On our recent family vacation, we did the most American of things…We hit the road for a week-long road trip. Because of my general fear of flying, this is something my family is very accustomed to doing. For us, it’s not some novel concept of returning to the family vacations of my and Jamie’s youth, it’s just the way we roll (I think I just did a pun; how cool is that? I don’t pun often).
This year we took a slightly different take on the all-American road trip: We traveled the road less taken. I mean that quite literally as most of our route directed us onto small, never heard nor seen before roads. Roads that make you wonder why they exist, as they don’t lead anywhere except to some other nowhere.
It was not grand nor exceptional, but it was peaceful and refreshing. We began our journey at The Natural Gait, just outside of nowhere, somewhere in the middle of Iowa. I don’t remember the name of the town we weren’t in and it’s not really important. No one should go to The Natural Gait, unless maybe they have horses and want to vacation with them. And then, it’s just a maybe. We hung out with some good friends from Iowa City and that made The Natural Gait a much better place to be. Enough said.
From there our mini-van took us to Dubuque, Iowa. Dubuque is not a hot-bed of tourism and I don’t remember how I decided we just had to visit, but visit we did. There are a few cool things in Dubuque, so if you ever find yourself there, hit these places up…
The National Mississippi River Museum - It was a pleasant surprise. The section on steamboats was the unexpected highlight of the visit. We spend a couple of hours, but if we had been without children, we could have easily spent a couple more.
Fenelon Place Elevator (it’s a funicular) - This thing was a trip (Are you noticing this; another pun!). A small, old, rickety car takes you straight up a very steep hill on a small, old, rickety track. Jamie and I both felt elated to avoid death or serious injury while riding. The kids thought it was a blast. The history behind the Elevator was interesting to learn as well.
The Hotel Julien - This is the type of hotel that I am always happy to find. A lovingly restored downtown hotel with all the modern amenities including a pool, spa and lots of character from the past. The rooms were clean, spacious and attractively decorated. We had breakfast at the restaurant two mornings and were impressed with our food. The hotel also had a separate bar that was handsome in decor and hopping with people and good times, but we didn’t have a chance to check it out.
L. May Eatery - Our meal here was the best we had during the trip. Outstanding food was in short supply during our trip, but this place was pretty darn good. It’s a small, upscale restaurant with a charming atmosphere that focuses on the local, sustainable food movement, and both Jamie and I eat that kind of thing up (Is it another pun? I’m flabbergasted.). They didn’t have a kid’s menu, but they were accommodating and welcoming to our little crazies. Jamie’s meal of lobster lasagna was particularly good and we all, kids included, had a charming time.
From Dubuque we hit the road and drove a short distance (about 19 miles, hardly a drive to us city folk) to Galena, IL. I’d never heard of the place until I was looking for accommodations in Dubuque, but it’s a touristy little spot. The town has a quaint, expansive downtown that most women would love to spend a day or two perusing. It screams, “Come, shop, dine!” Turns out I am like most women in this regard and could see spending a weekend enjoying the historic blocks of downtown Galena. The area also had things more manly to attend to, but in our short stay we did not participate in any such offerings. We walked the downtown, had a sub par lunch, and jumped back into the mini-van to head to our next destination.
This is turning into a much longer post than I’d intended. Hopefully, I haven’t bored the ten of you to death. I think I’ll break here and pick up with the rest of the trip in another post. Till next time…
I'm Going Vegan
Don’t get too excited everyone. It’s not happening right this minute and it’s not happening forever, but I’ve decided to try a 30 vegan challenge. Eating vegan seems hard to me on many levels, but I love a good challenge, so why not?
It’s the next step in my trying to eat better for myself, the planet, and the animals raised for food. I’ve decided to take the month of October and give it a try. There are no summer BBQs to worry about, no State Fair, Thanksgiving or Christmas. It seems like a good time to dive in and see what the water is like.
I plan to blog about the experience during October and include recipes that have worked for me and the family. Jamie’s decided to jump on the vegan bandwagon with me so that I won’t be lonely. Even if you have no interest in eating vegan long-term, why not give it a try for a month? Join Jamie and I on the vegan bandwagon! Doing things together usually makes them more fun…
I’m using the remaining two weeks of September to gather recipes and psych myself up. If you have any good vegan recipes, please pass them on. I know I’m going to need all the help I can get!
I'm Back!
I’ve been on hiatus for the past four weeks. I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but I’ve been gone. We went on vacation for a week and then I decided to take a week off of general stuff, which turned into two weeks and then three weeks. It was nice to take a break from the regular grind, and now I feel new and fresh. I almost considered abandoning the blog for good, but I really do enjoy writing and I think the discipline of writing three times a week is good for me.
This morning was also my first run in four weeks. Along with a general avoidance of “stuff” there was also an avoidance of getting up early and running. Last week I found myself looking forward to this week and feeling excited to get running again, so I think the absence might have done me some good.
I ran outside today for the second time since I stopped running while pregnant with Tyler and the change in scenery was pleasant. The treadmill offers privacy with no one watching my sweaty, largish self and distraction in getting to watch a TV show while exercising, but it really can’t beat the fresh air and vibe of being part of the world at wake-up. I watched the moon set and then the sun rise as I slowly made my way around Lake Harriet. A few people in shadow made way for more and more people as the horizon lightened. The quiet of dawn gave way to the hustle and bustle of a weekday morning and I got to be a part of it all.
Never mind that four weeks of not running left me barely able to make it around the lake at a light jog and when I returned home I felt physically exhausted. The run was great. Goodbye treadmill and hello world.