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Friday, September 30, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Monday, September 26, 2011
Priscilla said at 11:50 PM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Today ends my first week on my cleanse! You may have noticed that I have not blogged at all. This is because I am a pretty terrible blogger. :D Let's see if I can change that in week two!
Day 1: Sunday, 9/18 Musings: It never really occurred to me until this morning how few breakfast items are free of gluten, soy, egg, and dairy. I wanted to start the month off with a treat and order in from The Organic Grill, a gluten-free spot on Seamless that delivers to my apartment, but every single thing on their breakfast menu was stymied by one detail. The gluten-free pancakes or french toast had maple syrup and a side of tempeh sausage, both no-nos. The omelets and frittatas were out for obvious reasons. I find it frustrating that gluten-free restaurants are likely to be vegan as well, and practically everything has soy protein or soy cheese or soy kitchen sink. Looks like I'll be making Amaranth. Mmm, the nutritious, gluten-free whole grain that is high in protein and calcium and reminds me of the Codex Alera! I will kick off this cleanse with something I intended to make a regular feature, but neglected to do so! My first I Can't Believe This is Allowed: Strawberries with Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter! Like Nutella? I sure as hell do. Like strawberries dipped in Nutella? Even better! Nutella is a major no-no, but I recently discovered Justin's Nut Butter has an all-natural Nutella equivalent, and it is DIVINE. It tastes nuttier and less sugary than Nutella, richly flavorful. I brought it to a sleep-over party a few months ago, and we dipped strawberries in it that evening and spread it on our pancakes the next morning. I'm overjoyed to see that it narrowly squeaks into permissible territory. Ingredients: Dry roasted hazelnuts, organic evaporated cane sugar*, organic cocoa*, organic cocoa butter, organic palm fruit oil, natural vanilla, sea salt.I'll still need to enjoy this in moderation, as it has 7g of sugar per 2 Tbsp serving, but hey! Strawberries with a natural Nutella equivalent! I can't believe this is allowed! Food: Breakfast: Amaranth. Snack: "Mary's Gone Crackers" Caraway crackers with Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. Dinner: Il Bagatto: Half spring chicken marinated in garlic, lemon, rosemary and thyme; cannellini beans with tomatoes, garlic, shallots and rosemary. Day 2: Monday, 9/19 Musings: Strike what I said yesterday. It is impossible to find ANY food that satisfies the requirements of my cleanse. I am so hungry. I am hungry to the point of distraction. I barely have the attention span to read complete sentences. I may have to resort to actually cooking. I might as well turn in my New Yorker card right now. Food: Breakfast: Amaranth, "DeLish" mango trail mix crunch. Lunch: Minute Maid apple juice, Karam II: cauliflower, babaganoush, stewed string beans, falafel, chopped salad. Dinner: FreeFoods: mixed greens salad with lemon chicken, olives, asparagus, and roasted peppers, with balsamic and EVOO. Day 3: Tuesday, 9/20 Musings: I am fantasizing about cooking a sumptuous gluten and dairy-free Indian foodgasm this weekend and eating it forever. Too bad I have no experience cooking Indian food, and apparently it's crazy difficult to cook at home when you're not drastically changing the recipe. I am calculating how soon I can have Indian food after the cleanse is over. Answer: not soon enough. Fortunately, I've hit my first windfall: Steve's, the all-natural ice cream parlor right across from Bryant Park, where my coworkers and I eat our lunch nearly every day, has options that actually fit in my ridiculously restrictive cleanse! Come to my belly, cucumber shiso sorbet. You are welcome here. Food: Breakfast: FreeFoods: oatmeal with raisins and walnuts. Lunch: Karam II: Chicken Shawarma, hummus, rice. Steve's: Cucumber shiso sorbet. Dinner: Leftover chicken shawarma, hummus, rice. Day 4: Wednesday, 9/21 Musings: Dear god, I am going to have to eat every single meal this month at FreeFoods. I will have no money. I spend an hour searching for new places to eat lunch, and then I just go back to the same standards. FreeFoods is delicious, and they have a wide variety of options that fit my cleanse, but this is not sustainable. Food: Breakfast: FreeFoods: oatmeal with mixed berries and walnuts. Lunch: FreeFoods: Wild Rice and Summer Squash with Chopped Walnuts and Fresh Basil; Roasted Artichokes with Pignoli, Olives and Parsley Pesto; Spanish Style Free Range Chicken Skewers with Grilled Vegetables and Salsa Roja; Tomato 'Lasagna', Cashew ‘Ricotta’, Pistachio Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato Sauce Dinner: Leftover lemon rosemary chicken. Day 5: Thursday, 9/22 Musings: I have never had sushi without soy sauce. It's actually delicious without it! I am the worst foodie ever. Food: Breakfast: FreeFoods: oatmeal with raisins and walnuts. Lunch: Mai: Salmon Avocado sushi roll, broth with mixed vegetables. Steve's: Cucumber shiso sorbet. Dinner: Gustorganics: Cauliflower ginger onion soup, 1/4 gluten-free, dairy-free veggie "pizza." Day 6: Friday, 9/23 Musings: I met with my doctor this morning. With my Mom on speakerphone, we went over my blood work from a couple weeks ago, in which I had approximately twelve gallons of my precious bodily fluids drained to feed an elite sect of Hollywood vampires. I was pleased to report that my sense of smell has improved, which I credit to the zinc lozenges I've added to my daily regimen. I treated myself to a bit of cleanse-friendly decadence at BareBurger and enjoyed a lovely rain-drenched evening, betaing Jim's latest as I ate. Okay, this cleanse is not the end of all joy in the universe. The waiter tried to tell me balsamic vinegarette contained milk, which is false, but id does traditionally contain brown sugar, and is therefore off-limits. Sigh. My dinner salad was therefore dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Acceptable. Food: Breakfast: 1/4 gluten-free, dairy-free veggie "pizza." Lunch: FreeFoods: mixed greens salad with chicken, asparagus, olives, roasted peppers, and avocado, with balsamic vinegar/EVOO dressing. Dinner: BareBurger: lamb burger on gluten-free tapioca rice bun, with sauteed onions. Garden salad with EVOO and lemon juice. Day 7: Saturday, 9/24 Musings: My last night before the most restrictive week of the cleanse! I will only be permitted fruit, veggies, and rice. I won't be allowed meat for 12 days. So why did I eat vegan today? I am clearly tired of finding places that serve meat that satisfy the cleanse guidelines. Food: Breakfast: Remaining 1/2 gluten-free, dairy free veggie "pizza." Dinner: Earth Matters: Kelp noodles with tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, cashews, parsley, paprika, olive oil, sea salt, lemon and garlic; "Alkaline Water": pH-balancing trace minerals, alkaline water, oregano oil, lavender, rosemary, and lemon juice. Priscilla said at 11:41 PM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Friday, September 23, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Priscilla said at 11:40 PM
Monday, September 19, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Sunday, September 18, 2011
I started this blog eleven years ago, and for most of those years, I actually blogged faithfully. Then I got sucked into Twitter, and I got a 50-hour/week job, and my blogging practices atrophied and died.
However, I now have a reason to blog again. I'm embarking upon a month long cleanse with an extremely narrow range of foods I can eat. Any of these limitations individually are doable, but together, they're very intimidating. By blogging about my efforts, I can wrangle my teeming thoughts and concerns into something coherent and manageable. I can post recipes and restaurant reviews to remind myself of all the cool options available to me. The blog will also provide a place for me to solicit advice from folks who have undertaken similar dietary restrictions. And who knows, it may prove helpful to future foodies, looking to improve their diet! Here's what I'm facing: FRUITS INCLUDE: Unsweetened fresh, frozen, water-packaged, or canned fruits; fruit juices (except orange). EXCLUDE: Oranges, orange juice. VEGETABLES INCLUDE: All fresh raw, steamed, sauteed, juiced, or roasted vegetables. EXCLUDE: Corn, creamed vegetables. I will also exclude spinach, as I have a sensitivity to it. This sucks, as spinach is my favorite vegetable. STARCH INCLUDE: Rice, oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat. EXCLUDE: Wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye; all gluten-containing products. BREAD/CEREAL INCLUDE: Products made from rice, oat, buckwheat, milley, potato flour, tapioca, arrowroot, amaranth, quinoa, teff. EXCLUDE: Products made from wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley; all gluten-containing products. LEGUMES INCLUDE: All beans, peas, and lentils (unless otherwise indicated) EXCLUDE: Soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, other soy products. NUTS AND SEEDS INCLUDE: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, sesame (tahini), sunflower, pumpkin seeds; butters made from these nuts and seeds. EXCLUDE: Peanuts, peanut butter. MEAT AND FISH INCLUDE: All canned (water-packed), frozen, or fresh fish, chicken, turkey, wild game, lamb. EXCLUDE: Beef, pork, cold cuts, frankfurters, sausage, canned meats, eggs, shellfish. DAIRY PRODUCTS AND MILK SUBSTITUTES INCLUDE: Milk substitutes such as rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, EXCLUDE: Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, frozen yogurt, non-dairy creamers. I must add coconut milk to the "exclude" pile as well, as I'm sensitive to coconut. FATS INCLUDE: Cold-expeller pressed olive, flaxseed, canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame, walnut, pumpkin, or almond oils. EXCLUDE: Margarine, butter, shortening, processed and hydrogenated oils, mayonnaise, spreads. BEVERAGES INCLUDE: Filtered or distilled water, herbal tea, seltzer or mineral water. EXCLUDE: Soda pop or soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, other caffeinated beverages. SPICES AND CONDIMENTS INCLUDE: All spices unless otherwise indicated. For example, cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, carob, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, tumeric, vinegar. EXCLUDE: Chocolate, ketchup, mustard, relish, chutney, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, or other condiments. SWEETENERS INCLUDE: Brown rice syrup, fruit sweeteners, blackstrap molasses, stevia. EXCLUDE: White or brown refined sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, candy, desserts made with these sweeteners. DAYS 1-6: I follow the above Basic Dietary Guidelines, supplementing it with Xymogen OptiCleanse powder twice daily in almond or hemp milk. This powder provides nutritional support for the body's natural detoxification mechanism, gastrointestinal health, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. DAYS 7-13: From the Basic Dietary Guidelines, eat only from these categories: fruits, vegetables, fats, beverages, and spices/condiments, plus rice. Increase the powder to 3x/day. DAYS 14-15: Add back bread, cereal, starch, and milk substitutes from Basic Dietary Guidelines. DAYS 16-18: Add back legumes and nuts and seeds. DAYS 19-28: Add back meat and fish. After that, I'll slowly reintroduce foods from the "naughty" list. I check them by eating the purest form of that food (like, if I wanted to check cheese, I wouldn't get pizza--I'd get the cheese alone and have my way with it) twice in one day for two days to see if I have a negative reaction or an increase in symptoms. I'll check my resting pulse before and after eating the new food, and if it increases by more than 10 beats per minute ten minutes after eating food, it's an indication of sensitivity. I'll also be testing the pH of my morning urine to check acidity and inflammation and keeping a running dialogue with my doctor about my body's reactions. My mom will also be a great source of sanity in my life--she's a certified holistic health coach. This is my mission, and I choose to accept it! Bring it on! Priscilla said at 3:07 PM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Friday, September 16, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Monday, September 12, 2011
Priscilla said at 11:50 PM
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Priscilla said at 11:50 PM
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Priscilla said at 12:00 AM Title cartoon by Bruce Eric Kaplan, used without permission.
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