The First Three Days: An Update

I finished the first 3 days of trying to establish or re-establish, as the case may be, a new habit. So how is it going so far? Not bad. Not perfect, but who is?

Day 1 went very well. Woke up and made steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar and dried cranberries. A little bit of cinnamon and milk and it was delish! Decided that that will be my go to breakfast until I decide I need a change (then I will probably just change up the fruit) Lunch was good also, Cannelini bean and tomato bruschetta on toasted french bread rounds. Great little recipe, simple to make and I can see tossing it with warm pasta (adding some spinach and Asiago cheese) when I need a change. For dinner, I had to have pork and sauerkraut (I need as much luck as I can get) and a little bit of unsweetened applesauce.

Day 2 was not so great :o( I woke up and made 4 days worth of oatmeal, this time I added walnuts in addition to the brown sugar and cranberries. Good but I will probably add them on their own when I feel like it instead of forcing myself to eat them everyday. Walnuts are very good for you but I would say they are probably my least favorite nut. Lunch was bad, very bad. I had cheese and crackers, enough said. Dinner wasn't much better a ham and cheese sandwich. This is my problem, I got busy doing things and didn't have *go-to* foods. Needless to say, I didn't beat myself up.

Day 3 was better but I still didn't do as well as I could have. Oatmeal for breakfast, still yummy. Cheese and crackers for lunch, ugh! Cheese is my enemy and it must be kept out of my house(with the exception of the hard cheeses, I can use restraint with those) Dinner was good. I had scrambled eggs with lots of red peppers, onions and a little bit of ham for flavor.I'm trying to use up my Christmas ham, what can I say?

So far today I am doing FANTASTIC! Had my oatmeal for breakfast, the Cannelini bean bruschetta for lunch (this time I put just a touch of Asiago cheese on the rounds when I toasted them in the oven. It added just the right amount of extra flavor) I am soaking Navy Beans so that I can make a yummy soup for dinner(and yes, it will probably have some ham in it) With the soup I will serve corn bread, yum!

Recipes
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Cannellini Bean and Rosemary Bruschetta
(taken from "Whole Foods" By Nicola Graimes)

1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (2/3 c dried Cannellini beans)
1 can organic petite diced tomatoes, drained or 5 fresh tomatoes if you have them on hand
3 tbsp olive oil
2 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed (I like garlic so I used more)
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary(I am not a fan of rosemary so I used 1 tsp dried italian seasoning mix in it's place since it has rosemary, marjoram, oregano and basil, liked it much better than when I did it with just rosemary)
freshly ground pepper (and salt if you use fresh tomatoes and dried cannellini beans)

French bread rounds or sliced Ciabatta bread, toasted in the oven
Asiago cheese, optional.

1. soak and prepare beans if you are using dry. Drain and rinse beans if you are using canned. Set aside.
2. remove skins from tomatoes, if you are using fresh, and dice. Drain tomatoes if you are using canned. heat oil in frying pan, add the fresh or canned and sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and rosemary or Italian seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down and soften.
3. add tomato mixture to the Cannellini beans, season to taste.
4. toast bread lightly, adding grated Asiago, if desired. Spoon the Cannellini bean mixture on top of the toast.

Steel-cut Oatmeal with Dark Brown Sugar and Dried Cranberries
(4 servings)

1 cup organic steel-cut oatmeal(Irish style)
4 cups water
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

1. bring water to boil. Add oatmeal and return to boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer about 30 minutes until oatmeal becomes thick.
2. add brown sugar, cranberries, cinnamon and salt to oatmeal and stir well.
3. serve hot in bowl with cold milk.

I adjust the amounts to my taste so feel free to add or adjust as needed.

21 Days to Create a New Habit?

I had always heard it took 21 days to change a habit. That seems doable. Then I came across this article: How Long to Form a Habit
The article proceeds to tell us that in actuality it is closer to 3 months on average to adopt a new habit and have that habit become automatic.(which is really what we are striving for, isn't it?)

I was curious to see if the 21 day thing was accurate as I was preparing to sit down and create a menu for the next month that would help me get back to eating whole foods like I had up until my wee tot was born. 21 days is totally doable, that's three weeks. Three weeks goes by like that [insert finger click here]

Now you tell me three months? Still doable but I can't prepare menus for three months. Well, I can, but will I really want whatever I planned three months from now? Regardless, I do believe that if I can plan my menus three weeks out and stick to them, I will be that much closer to making the habit stick. After all it did take me a couple years to break the good habit I had. I can dedicate the next three months to becoming healthier and happier.

The nice thing the article mentioned is that missing a single day did not reduce the chance of forming a habit. I hope to not miss an entire day, maybe a meal here or there, but it is reassuring to know that you can just climb right back up on that horse and soldier on.

In the coming weeks, look for some of my favorite (but long neglected) whole food recipes. [my all time favorite:Potato Rösti (a swiss potato pancake) with marinated tofu and tomato sauce, YUM!)

Now, I must go prep my kitchen and pantry for a return to healthy eating!