The More Things Change

The more they go back to being the "same".  Yesterday, while long and at times extremely tedious, was a good day at work.  I got the greenhouse watered, loaded three carts with water heavy trays of perennials, cut up and replanted an ancient Jade for a customer,  asked a coworker to repair the leaking hose on the right side of the greenhouse.  The "same" was the tedious part when I would rather have been home reading a book or folding laundry.  I am the sort of person who would rather go home than stand around.  I know it's odd, because everyone else enjoys standing around.

My work schedule has gone back to two week days and one weekend day (just when I had gotten used to three days a week).  I teach my final class of the Fall Season this coming Saturday.  Putting the Garden To Bed.  I teach segments of this class each day on the phone with customers.  Yesterday, twice.  I also described a new Invasive Plant  Removal technique.

Still need to take an allergy tab each morning to get my nose to stop running.  I read, in a blog, that a running nose can be a symptom of a gluten allergy.  I had no gluten yesterday or today.  So, that is not the trigger. It is getting colder in the evenings here in Maine, and that means wood smoke.  Doesn't make my nose run but does make my chest tighten and I start coughing.  I KNOW I am very stressed by wood smoke.

I tried a new pasta substitute.  As a vehicle for pasta sauces.  Julienne zucchini strips, heavily salted and allowed to drain (and get crisp), then rinsed before being briefly heated (I poured boiling water over) and served with pasta sauce.  In this case the delicious (but final) serving of meatballs in homemade marinara.  We didn't eat this meal the day I julienned the zucchini (and my thumb) so I know it keeps well, rinsed, layered with paper towels, in a plastic container in the fridge.  If your zucchini is longer than the ones my supermarket had (6 inches) then you will have strands you can twirl onto your fork.  I like the zucchini strips better than the spaghetti squash (SS) but the SS was more filling.  I think SS would be a good choice if I were making a pasta free mac and cheese.  I can imagine the warmed zucchini strips being very nice in a Chinese stir fry as a sub for lo main noodles.

I have been thinking about doing another two weeks of pure induction to sort out my diet.  That means no fudging on the carb count.  Less Splenda each day.  Only 4 ounces of cheese.  Absolutely no breading on chicken (the only way I can eat it) or Meatballs. No cereal or yogurt (even though I watched an Induction Prep video and the woman (quite heavy) had yogurt on the counter with everything else.  Lots of stuff in fact.  When I did Induction I had much less in my "pantry" of allowed items.  Perhaps, I was being to rigorous?  I do know I fudge a bit with Ranch Dressing when I have it on my salad.  And mayo.

This morning I started the day with a ham and cheese MIM with one scrambled egg.  Two ounces of cheese and 3 of ham.  I've already used up all the Splenda I can have today but I don't see myself drinking any more coffee.  G wants chicken soup for dinner tonight.  So I must venture out of the house for chicken thighs and carrots.  Riley wants a walk and the library wants the book I am reading back.  That about fills the day, because I need to finish reading the book.

I weighed one pound less this morning.  Which makes me feel happy (happier) than I did in the days before.  My rings are loose but not sliding free (a better indication) so I am hydrated more than usual.  Enough Navel Gazing for one day.  Sorry to bore you, but, at times, I need to use this blog as a journal of sorts.  And perhaps, lurking out there, is a reader who needs to read these things, being on the same journey of diet and wellness.  I never know.   A diet buddy is always a lovely thing to have.