Changing Gears

For more than six months now I've stuck to the same simple food plan because it's easy, cheap, nutritious and works perfectly for me. This was my daily diet, broken up into 4 meals:

4 skinless chicken thighs
2 cups brown rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 or 3 cups of fresh veggies
2 oranges or 1 grapefruit
1 can of pineapple chunks without juice - the perfect bedtime treat

In a matter of three minutes, I could throw my daily portion of chicken into the oven. We'd buy the huge bags of frozen skinless boneless thighs from Costco and they're ridiculously convenient - frozen separately, I'd just reach into the bag in the freezer and pull out four pieces, throw them onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with spice. A $10 bag lasted a week. The only culinary decision each day was which spice to sprinkle on the chicken - almost always Mrs. Dash (truly a salt-eliminator's best friend) with the addition of a little chile powder or tarragon, depending on my mood of the day. I'd make a pot of rice every other day, so at mealtimes I'd put rice in the bottom of a bowl, cover with freshly washed and chopped veggies, a cut-up chicken thigh on top, and after three minutes in the microwave, voila, a super-good, very filling meal. Like I said, totally a cinch, and quite delicious, too. I loved it from the start and felt satisfied every day. It was calming, to just step away from all the "What will I eat today" ruminations, and it closed the door to a million opportunities to get off track. It also got me in the habit of eating four small meals a day. Low fat, very low salt, no refined flour or sugar, good nutrition - it's been a pleasure, it really has.

And, frankly, it was incredibly successful - I lost 120 pounds on it.

But it's been six months. Anything pales in six months. Even (especially?) something good for you.

Besides, I'm a different person now. I'm much more active and can be on my feet for hours at a time instead of just a few minutes. I've always loved to cook, and I need a new challenge to engage my interest. And I've discovered the most amazing international food market here in Albuquerque which not only sells the freshest, cheapest veggies but has aisles crammed with imported spices and foods from twenty or more countries, China and Japan and Thailand and Korea, India and Pakistan and Morrocco, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, and more. It's a heavenly resource and has me itching to experiment.

When I mentioned to my housemate that I was thinking of going vegetarian (vegan really - eggs and dairy are booby traps for both of us) , she said she'd love to join me, so I made the decision - and commitment - to go green!

With the help of a nutrition analysis tool I found online (I highly recommend it) I've set the parameters for my new program:

Eight ounces tofu
1 cup beans or legumes
1 ounce of nuts
2 cups brown rice, rice noodles, grains, corn or potatoes
4 or more cups veggies (all kinds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or salt equivalent)
2 oranges or one grapefruit
1 can pineapple chunks without juice (still the perfect bedtime treat)

The nutritional analysis is really phenomenal: About 1800 calories, more than enough protein, a 40% reduction from the RDA (recommended daily amount) of fat and salt, and ALL the vitamins I need without taking supplements. It was incredibly gratifying to work this out and feel fantastic about the nutritional quality of the food I plan to eat. It's all about healthy and delicious for me now.

The new program looks simple, and it is, but there's plenty of room for variety - curry, dal, lentil chili, hummus, bean soup, phad thai, kung pao tofu, stir-fried everything, salsa, enchiladas, rutabega stew . . . a world of cuisines to choose from!

So last week I did some preparation.

I raided the library for cookbooks on Indian, Chinese, Thai and African cuisine, tofu, greens, beans and general vegan cooking and compiled a list of ingredients I don't already have in the house.

I went to Whole Foods, where I raided the bulk food aisle, getting all sorts of beans and spices.

I completely reorganized the pantry shelves and washed about fifty jars and tupperwares for my gorgeous new collection of ingredients.

I pulled out my housemate's pressure cooker and taught myself how to make beans and grains.
I bought myself a really good quality wok pan.

I did about an hour's worth of prep time with the food processor which resulted in at least two week's worth of tasty additions: I now have jars of minced garlic, ginger, tahini and basil in the fridge, along with freshly chopped and roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. Believe me, it's a real time-saver to be able to dive into ready-to-go things like this.

Finally, I returned to my international market and stocked up on tofu (about 65 cents for a day's portion!), my favorite soy sauce, roasted chile peppers, and a veritable cornucopia of amazing veggies (including things I hardly ever get, like kohlrabi and asian eggplant).

I started last week with an Indian banquet, filling the house with the aromas of toasting spices like coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, clove, turmeric, garam masala, and cardamom (I could've just bought a pre-mixed curry powder but I wanted to do it "from scratch"). What a meal! Tofu curry with Chinese broccoli, bamboo shoots, red bell pepper and scallions, a creamy fat-free dal of split chickpeas flavored with ginger and bay leaf, and chewy brown rice. We sprinkled chopped roasted peanuts on the curry and dug in.

Since then I've made a delicious lentil stew in the pressure cooker (it only took ten minutes!) with onions, carrots, a squeeze of lime and Morroccan spices; I slow-roasted some marinated tofu slices until they were chewy and golden brown; and tonight we're having phad thai with rice noodles and lots of fresh spinach. I make enough at dinner for my housemate and I to have another portion (in my case, two portions) for lunch the next day. How simple can you get!

I'm having a ball and am thoroughly enjoying this change. So far it's been easy to make the switch, and I'm delighted to start this new chapter in my nutritional evolution.

Food is my friend.

And I nurture myself by preparing and eating healthy foods with loving care.