Going Green (and white!)

So today, we finally got what everyone else in the nation has had...A SNOW DAY! Yes, it snowed in El Paso! Not much, but snow in El Paso is like snow in Alabama/Mississippi: we shut it all down because we don't know what to do... Unfortunately we didn't realize this until after Brian was up and dressed for work and I was awake as well...we made up for it by deeming today a movie day and lounging in our PJ's--my kind of day! And there's really no motivation to go outside...it is freezing. The temperature is somewhere in the 20's I think, but the windchill is biting! The wind blows all the time here, but when it's freezing outside, it really cuts through you! That's why I've chosen to be wrapped up in my blanket all day :)

So the Page household has begun to "go green", but not in the way that you might think. Yes, we are earth friendly, but this kind of green is more of a struggle for me...VEGETABLES. Yep, until about 4 years ago, the only vegetables I would eat were potatoes and tomatoes, and both of those can be argued into another food category other than vegetables...miraculously, a few years ago I craved a salad, and my life changed. Prior to that, eating a salad made me feel like a rabbit...and all other vegetables I harvested I used to "create" dishes in my playhouse with Emily. They usually consisted of vegetables and then other inedible things, like sand. And dirt.

But, as I grow up I know it's important to eat my veggies...sorry to my bones. I take calcium and iron vitamins, so no worries :) Recently there was an article in Real Simple about 25 superfoods that we should attempt to incorporate into our diets. Some things appeared appetizing, others, not so much...I figure we'll just chip away at the list. I have had success with two of the "superfoods" this week: edamame and kiwi! Now, I'm a fruit addict, so kiwis were no problem. And since they're $0.20 each at the comissary (the grocery store on post), I have been gorging myself. They're kind of a pain to get the fruit out, but I've discovered a new use for my vegetable peeler... let's be honest- it wasn't getting that much use anyways...

Some of the other superfoods include quinoa (gotta learn how to cook this first...but it's a classy food...I mean, the chefs on Top Chef use it all the time.), salmon, all sorts of berries (pumped about this!) and all sorts of other things. Some things I'm not too excited about: kale, mushrooms (it's a consistency thing...), eggs (I try, but I only like them in things...not on their own...), chard, and sardines (gross.) Although, I have had a traumatic experience with sardines. When Brian and I first started dating, we were hanging out in his dorm room with his roommate, Harry. Well, Harry "went to the bathroom", and Brian leaned over to give me a hug-or so I thought. Instead, he clamped down on me and yelled "Harry, come on--I've got her!", to which I then saw Harry running out of the bathroom, laughing, with a huge sardine on a fork. They attempted to shove it into my mouth. And I married this man?...Yes. I believe I demanded Bop's as a form of apology. Oh, and they failed in their mission--I'm a good squirmer.

Some of the superfoods I'm excited about and that maybe you can use too: oatmeal, whole grain pasta (hey, I used this too this week!), skim milk (yep, can't do this either...), walnuts, peanut and/or almond butter, barley, lentils, bulgur, almonds, nonfat greek yogurt, chicken breasts (skinless, boneless), broccoli, blueberries, avocados, black beans, sweet potatoes, EVOO, kidney beans, oranges, spinach, and pumpkin! Not too bad a list of superfoods! And yes, I don't like milk...I know, I know-I've been given heat about it for going on 24 years now... :)

So dream team--get to cooking! And share those recipes--haha! Anyways, I thought quite a few of these ingredients you might already have in your kitchen and could incorporate easily. And I hear that you can make kale chips...perhaps that's the only way I'll ever eat them...I'll let you know if I find some crafty ways to use these. Since I have no job, I suppose I'll cook :) Or bake...I reallly prefer to bake. Too bad things like sugar, chocolate chips, and icing didn't make the list. Sugar-free?...

Well, off to watch Top Chef Masters. I'm not too big into following TV shows, but Brian and I really like Top Chef. But most of the things they make I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like....

Here's to hoping for snow day #2 tomorrow! Hope you're all staying warm and doing well!