As a teenager I drank a lot of soda. Eventually, my senior year, I decided to stop drinking soda. I did this for about a year. During this time I drank a lot of carbonated water and flavored water, in addition to a large sum of blue raspberry Coolaid. This, in turn, led to a mild interest in healthy eating, which led to a prolonged stretch as a vegetarian.
About a year ago I took a health assessment and discovered that I have slightly higher than average blood pressure, in addition to high(er) cholesterol. I am 26 years old, and for those of you who don't really know me, I have a wife and newborn baby. This has inspired me to go back to my roots!
So I'm about a week in of healthy living. I have only had half of a 20oz bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper (it was intentional as a celebratory drink). My wife wanted one last night, I bought one for her, and I didn't have a drop. This is a big deal because I would drink about four-to-five liters of Diet Dr. Pepper per week, in addition to two or three cans at work (per week).
I have been drinking loads of water and, when the need for a fizzy drinks grabs me, I drink carbonated water. No Coolaid (too much sugar). We are also eating healthier - we aren't going vegetarian, but we aren't buying meat and cooking it in the home. We are saving meat for eating out celebrations only. We rarely eat out as is, due to single-family income-level status. We are doing lots of smoothies, vegetables, fruits, etc. A much better diet overall!
I told my wife that the only thing I can't give up is flour tortilla's. Whole wheat one's are utter rubbish! Also, I choose skim milk over soymilk for some things.
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Last night I bought a pound of garbanzo beans and boiled them. This morning I boiled 'em up, added one-and-a-half squeezed lemon (juice), about 1/3 cup of olive oil, 2/3 a can of vegetable stock, one minced garlic, a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of pepper, and a a half teaspoon of salt. Blended them together and...
I LOVE HOMEMADE HUMMUS!
My first attempt turned out well. I made two batches, one of which I've frozen. My second attempt was better because I had a better "taste" for what I was working with. Next time I'm going to try some pine nuts, maybe some diced tomato's and peppers... The possibilities are endless!
If anyone has any healthy recipe's they want to share, I'm all ears...
Tonight we are making cabbage rolls to get rid of the beef in the freezer. Woo-hoo!
