GULP = Give Up Life's Pleasures

Year 3, Halfway Done

2012-01-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Today marks the end of my second week of G.U.L.P for year three. Halfway! It has gone by so quickly, I can hardly believe it!

Yes, I'm tired of the 10 ingredients. Yes, I miss all the wealth of food that I have available to me. Yes, I am proud that I have the discipline and self-control to stick to this project. The things that I miss most are coffee, Brussels sprouts, and cheese. Big surprise there. I am kept busy coming up with new combinations of my ingredients so have new things to savor every day.

I've fallen in love with rice flour crepes and make them every few days. With one cup of flour I can make about six crepes - a huge value for the money, if you ask me! Plus they're a bit more flavor-neutral than the garbanzo socca are, and so they're more versatile. They're the closest thing I've come to GULP bread of any kind.

Here are some photos of the things I've been eating in these last couple of weeks.

Breakfast burrito!?

rice crepe with rice, egg, and spinach, topped with curried carrot butter

Rice porridge (white rice with yogurt and apple stirred in)

This was a delicious breakfast, especially when I added almonds and cinnamon! It's as close as I'd get to oatmeal, and it does hit the spot on a chilly January morning.

GULP pizza

rice crepe, refried bean spread, spinach, eggs and a bit of yogurt.

It's amazing how gratifying just using a fork to CUT something is, when everything I eat is normally shoveled in via spoon.

The BEST breakfast burrito born on Saturday. The hash is both russets and sweet potatoes, chopped finely and then baked till crispy - it was a lovely addition. After the burritos were rolled I put them back into the oven to get a crispy shell. Delish!

Potato hash, black beans, scrambled egg, curried carrot butter.

GULP huevos.

Max filled the rice crepe with hummus and folded it in quarters, which made for a perfect foundation for this meal.

rice crepes, hummus, hash, sauteed spinach, fried eggs

I'm wondering now about how to "finish" this year's GULP. I wonder if I couldn't pull off a party (at SAME Cafe?) where I encourage people to come and donate to the organization that I choose. I have one in mind, more to come soon, and believe that they're worth paying attention to.

Year 3, week 1 done

2012-01-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Happy snowy Sunday.

I've been having a hard time defining my project lately. So the question is, what are the GOALS of GULP? What am I aiming for?

My reply would be to:

Consume less
Spend more time with my food
Spend less money so that I may donate to a local organization
Nurture my culinary creativity by limiting my ingredients

So by that rationale, I am allowed by buy and use derivatives of my 10 ingredients, right? So I use bean and rice flour, is that cheating? Beyond that, I have discovered that there are many pre-fab items at the grocery store that are all organic and contain only my 10 ingredients (coconut water, apple juice, rice crackers, etc.), but are they cheating? What if I go to a restaurant and only order spinach and a boiled egg? Year one I justified buying bean and rice flour because I knew that I could MAKE them at home using the raw ingredients I am allowed. Same thing for nut butters and juices. But this had muddied the waters and diluted my purpose.

So perhaps I need to add another goal, to:

Consume food that is less expensive than my norm.

When I say, "less expensive" I am referring to the overall cost of food, not just for my budget, but for the larger societal cost. For example, foods that require lots of land, water, or processing, are genetically modified, etc. Anything that I can make at home I should not buy would be the rule to help accomplish this goal. This will also help me learn about the foods that I am confined to, and all of their amazing capabilities.

(or two)

Invest time and energy into doing more (as much as I possibly can!) with less.

With that in mind, here are some photos of other things I've eaten this week.

Max (genius that he is) found recipes that we could modify to make a GULP burger!

Black bean burger, rice flour flatbread, with curried carrot butter and dill yogurt,

plus russet steak fries and bean dip.

Funny thing is that it was awful. The bean flour in the burger made it overly beany, and the rice bread was gummy and terrible. What was supposed to be GULP gourmet was a giant FAIL.

Sweet potato pie with pecans

I forgot about these in the oven and they burned. Boo.

GULP gourmet brunch!

Brown rice and spinach frittata, hashbrowns, warm apple and spinach salad with spiced yogurt.

I dried Granny Smith apples to add to a nut mix to bring as a snack to a hockey game.

It was great!

GULP soup with the best base ever!

I took the bean stock from the pintos I just finished and added 2 carrots and the stems of the spinach I'd been saving plus Crazy Jane's spice mix. I let it simmer for 2 hours. Then I added brown rice, and some of a bean mix. I toasted the ends of the potatoes from the hashbrowns for dipping.

SO GOOD!

Maybe I'll make this all into a cookbook. Thanks for reading!

Off with a bang and a full fridge

2012-01-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

The best way to GULP and still have time to work, sleep and blog is to cook mass quantities of rice, beans and potatoes on a regular basis. Which is what I did, naturally. My fridge is full and it feels amazing!

Here are a few photos of the food I've made and eaten in the last 4 days. Pretty amazing how much more interesting this stuff is when you compare it to GULP 1.

New Year's Day Breakfast!

Socca crepes with curried carrot butter, yogurt, spinach.

Not too shabby for a first meal! I happened to have yogurt, spinach, carrots (serendipitously made into curried carrot butter a day ago) and garbanzo bean flour on hand. It's like I meant to do that!

Puzzles, movies and GULP

Spinach leaves with various combinations of: curried carrot butter, black beans, dill yogurt, chestnuts (roasted myself!), sticky white rice, and hard boiled eggs.

If you have never roasted chestnuts you should.

Dinner at my friend Otto's (hence the beautiful non-chipped dishes)

White bean, wild rice, carrot, spinach soup with socca and a boiled egg.

I used the broth from the garbanzos to cook the rice and the broth from the white beans for the soup itself. Pretty genius if you ask me.

Breakfast today

Socca huevos with curried carrot butter, sticky rice, and spinach.

The socca is tastiest with a sweet (non-beany) topping like curried carrots.

Dinner

Fancy short grain brown rice, curried carrots, sweet potatoes, coconut, apple, and 12 bean mix as the base.

Using the overcooked 12 bean mix made an amazing base here for the rest of the flavors to combine. Also, this rice literally pops in your mouth like popcorn. Like magic.

Puzzle Guardian

FROZEN YOGURT with "tea" of lemon, water and honey

Why did I never freeze the yogurt before? Duh.

A New Beginning

2012-01-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

It's me, again. Solo GULPer ready to explore food, attempt discipline, and dabble in blogging.

2012! I had an incredibly luscious December and hardly thought about GULP at all. I woke up 1/1/12 and said, "I'm going to GULP" and here I am. No exaggeration. I realized that last year GULP was sour and since then it has become clear to me that successful self-exploration depends on having the right attitude. Further, and I'm not proud to admit it, but I never gave any money to a local NPO last year. I never visited one of the organizations I was hoping to donate to. I felt like a total failure. I may have been.

This year however, is a totally different story. I began this year and this GULP with a renewed sense of dedication and curiosity. I am ready to take it on full force. I am leaving the ending open. I may donate to a local non-profit organization, or become a buddhist, but I doubt that this year will feel like failure.

A piece of pop wisdom that I've come to believe in comes from the movie Dodgeball (quality flick!) and it goes like this,

I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya, it feels phenomenal. -Peter LaFleur

True, no (in a Buddhist sort of way)!? So this year I leave the ending open to whatever will come. Have any brilliant ideas, let me know.

My ingredients this year should look similar by now:

Apple
Carrot
Spinach
Lemon
Bean
Rice
Nut
Egg
Yogurt
Potato
Olive Oil
Honey
Dried spices that I have on hand (including one very living basil plant)

2012, BRING IT ON!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Day 31: the end

2011-01-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

Today is the last GULP day officially and I must now apologize to any of my loyal readers. I am sorry that the story telling and photos this year were less than stellar, and that my general attention to the project was lax, at best. I simply feel like there is no story to talk about and no photos to show you any more.

As I'm sure you read here, my 2011 GULP project couldn't be more different than that from 2010. Last year GULP was a challenge that I took seriously for a month and then celebrated when it ended. This year GULP wasn't very challenging and now that it is complete I don't feel any sort of ending. I sit here typing while risotto is bubbling on the stove and black eyed peas have been in the slow cooker all day. GULP is not over but has rather, become part of my life. This does not mean that I will only cook with 11 ingredients forever. What it does mean is that I've become so accustomed to the slow food, simple food way of life that to do otherwise would be contradictory to my overall foodlosophy (yes, it's a word because I say that it is).

Eat simply so that you may simply eat.

The beautiful thing about this (among the other clearly obvious ones) is that this makes every instance where I decide to splurge on a glass of wine or go out for Japanese food a really big deal! And that's super because I think that it should be! I want to take advantage of all of the abundance that is out there, but I want to do it with a mindset that it is a treat and that every bite of it should be savored and not taken for granted.

In a time where our national unemployment is at the highest level since the 1930's, I feel proud to know that I can and will survive because I have grown to love living simply. My grandmother would be proud of me, not only for my resourcefulness but also for my honesty. Eating at home and bringing my lunch every day has been standard operating procedure for me for years and this is just the next level. The next level down into what's needed versus what's wanted.

Who's to say what will happen in the next year, but I'm thinking about starting a whole new blog with a great friend where we'll talk about foodlosophy and about a food life that is more precisely because it is less.

Day 30: Last Sunday

2011-01-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

I get to go snowshoeing today and so I need a hearty breakfast.

spinach omelet, home fries, black beans, yogurt + paprika

I did a lot this weekend. Lots of friends, lots of activities, lots of lounging, lots of cooking. Here are the meals that I ate. I start loosing track of what happened when but I decided that I'd only take pictures of what I want to, instead of everything.

I lost the photo of dinner...

Tomorrow is the last last day...

Day 29: Last Saturday

2011-01-29T15:02:00.001-08:00

In between a million loads of laundry, cleaning the house, returning emails and phone calls I ate the following...

these are leftover from dinner last night

baked braeburn apples + clove/nutmeg + cinnamon yogurt

brown rice + black beans + eggs

baked potatoes + peanut yogurt, sauteed spinach

The photo of dinner...

Day 28: Last Friday

2011-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

All photos failed except this one... :(

brown rice + egg + black beans + spinach

I was invited to my friend's Jen and Danielle's house for dinner. It was simple and lovely. We had brown rice, lentils, spinach and yogurt - a sort of make-your-own concoction that was great. I made baked apples with cinnamon for dessert.

Day 27: Last Thursday

2011-01-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

brown rice + wilted spinach + yogurt + egg

the runny yolk is key! I've said it once, I'll say it again.

Lunch - noodles, beans, spinach

Snack - potatoes, egg, yogurt

FYI: the full fat Greek yogurt is a-mazing! I can feel my body soaking up the fat in it!

apple + yogurt + honey

I'm sure dinner was some kind of combination of rice, beans and spinach.

Day 26: Last Wednesday

2011-01-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

yep, it's a Wednesday. Days and food are running together. Pictures are not being captured. It's very frustrating. I think that these meals are from Wednesday but I can't tell...

Day 25: Last Tuesday

2011-01-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Oh Tuesday...

Breakfast: wild rice, curried black beans, wilted spinach ala yogurt

Lunch was rice noodles, spinach and wasabi yogurt - yum!

rice noodles + frittata, black beans w cumin

did it ever occur to you that baked eggs have almost the EXACT same consistency as tofu does?

beans need oil. period.

Day 24: Last Monday

2011-01-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

You may start seeing a trend where I label the days of this last full GULP week with "last" in the title, and that is intentional. I'm over it. I'm going to finish my project and of course donate to a local NPO, but I'm officially done with the self-imposed and ridiculously narrow limitations of GULP.

I feel clean. My body is running on pure fuel and it feels phenomenal. I have everything that I need, without a doubt. What I'm missing out on is the bounty that is also beautiful and plentiful here. I don't intend to have kobe beef every day, but I don't think that using tomatoes or pumpkin in my cooking would be a bad thing. It's all about balance. Limitations and excess. Bounty and restraint. Me versus us.

frittata and baked potatoes

brown jasmine rice+ beans + spinach

This is a perfect example of how I intend to keep GULP going. This meal is nutritional and savory and probably costs $2. There is absolutely no reason to not keep eating this meal and create scrumptious variations on it.

GULP Carbonara: rice noodles + sweet potatoes + apples with ginger and dill, egg yolk

Another thing I love about GULP is the lack of waste. The most I wasted in the last month is a batch of overcooked cannellini beans, egg shells, and the rice flour disaster from Saturday. My trash can is only about 1/4 full and I still have a week to go. I literally eat everything that I buy and cook. It's pretty right on.

Day 23: Last Sunday

2011-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine is leaving Denver to accept a killer job in Seattle. We went to brunch and I was happy to say that I adhered to GULP!

fried sweet potatoes, beans and rice, spinach and 2 eggs

I was stuffed to the brim after eating all of this! Linner was later than normal, but after a lunch of munching on peanuts I was fine.

rice + beans + egg

I can't wait to have avocados and tomatoes again. How about coffee?? Oh man!

Day 22: Saturday of reflection

2011-01-22T11:22:00.001-08:00

So lets revisit my lack of connection to the 2011 GULP. Last year I visited the three non-profits that I was thinking about donating to. This year I didn't even have them selected until 2 days ago. Last year I met Brad and Libby and witnessed the SAME Cafe first hand. This year I have no personal connection to any of the organizations that I've nominated. Last year cooking enough to keep me full and nourished was a major challenge. This year I'm on top of the cooking and have more than enough food to keep me full. Last year I was motivated to keep GULPing, this year it seems trite.

My point here is that if my philosophy is indeed to give up life's pleasures and to honor simple food by eating it, then this philosophy should extend beyond the month of January. My love of food and simple pleasures should not begin and end but rather it should remain a true and integrated part of my life. This integration of GULP philosophies and food is something that has become a part of me in such a way that doing the project for one month seems unnecessary, and inadequate. The challenge has been overcome, and with it goes my resolve. The isolated use of GULP ingredients and implementation of the philosophy is no longer enough.

I imagine that I will continue to cook rice, beans, potatoes, eggs and always buy apples, spinach and yogurt for the rest of my life. I will continue to cook these things because they offer unparalleled nutritional value, with a very low cost.* I know how to live on beans and rice. I know how buying a bag of potatoes can feed you for a week. I know that eggs are a fabulous and healthful ingredient. I have experienced first hand the versatility that is available to me through time, attention, and creativity. I no longer feel like I have to talk about it. Which is why, to return to the initial thought finally, my posts are so short and food-centric instead of involved and explanatory.

Nevertheless...

wild rice and spinach frittata, yukon gold hash browns + dill yogurt, lemon and mint yogurt

This afternoon I decided to try the sweet rice balls stuffed with the sweet adzui paste that I made. Now, here is not a pretty story. My bean "paste" is more runny that it probably should be because I sweetened it with honey instead of sugar. I bought sweet rice flour like this recipe says and followed all of the directions (surprise!) to the letter. What I was left with is a ball of flour. It's almost impossible to "stuff' the ball with the paste because at the exact same time that the paste is too runny, the dough was way to sticky to maneuver. I managed to make a few just to see what they tasted like and much to my dismay they taste like a gooey blob of approximately nothing. Not happy. Apparently the assumption that sweet rice flour would be sweet was way off base.

they're slimy and taste like wet flour

honey crisp + yogurt + cinnamon

I probably had another bowl of brown jasmine rice for dinner, but alas I didn't take a photo of it.

* when I say "cost," it refers not only to the monetary expenditure, but also the societal and environmental impacts of the food.

Day 21: Friday, oh thank you...

2011-01-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

I finally get to come home and do nothing tonight. Meanwhile, a day of work. Focus, you'll make it.

baked chives/garlic potatoes, scrambled eggs + spinach

my phone sucks, so you'll have to imagine the photos of the rest of today's food

fried rice + wasabi yogurt

brown jasmine + curried sweet potatoes

rice noodles + honey + cinnamon

10 bean chili

I finally realized that adding potato flour makes corrects the bland soupiness that I hate. This chili was really like chili, instead of just beans in spiced water. What simple things...

Day 20: A case of the Thursdays

2011-01-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today is Thursday, which means that it's not yet Friday. I have been going non-stop for so long now, and I'm thrilled to say that my plan for tomorrow night is to do approximately nothing. I'm sure some cooking will inevitably be involved though...

brown jasmine rice

This, although it looks plain, is one of the most lovely things that I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.

I've done a bit of research and the number of nutrients in brown rice is almost twice that of white rice. I love jasmine rice for it's fluffiness but I've never seen BROWN jasmine until my trip to the Pacific Mercantile. I cooked it, as suggested, in a wide tall sided pan to increase the surface area of the rice so that it could be more steamed than boiled. I added salt and it is phenomenal. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and be happy. Maybe I will...

gnocchi + soft boiled eggs + herbed oil/lemon

chili beans + brown jasmine, spinach + edamame salad with dill yogurt, knishes + wasabi yogurt

how lovely is a salad with dill...

Day 19: Almost there!

2011-01-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

I must admit that I've lost motivation. I haven't found a place that I'm dying to donate to and that is taxing my motivation. You've probably noticed by now that my posts from this year are all about food. There is less introspection, less explanation and overall less motivation. I'll talk more about this as it becomes clear to me.

rice + egg

gnocci + herbed lemon and oil + yogurt

yogurt, apple, soft boiled egg

Just adding honey changes everything

chilisoup + sweet potatoes + spinach + yogurt

Day 18: Potato cooking storm with Jax!

2011-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

wild rice mix + egg + yogurt

Clearly I'm obsessed with this rice medley thing. I'll have to write more about it for you to understand.

edamame, curried potatoes + garbanzos + spinach (needed yogurt)

Lunch at 2:00 is NOT okay with me.

10 bean soup + chili seasonings + rice + yogurt

I attempted to make GULP Chili but I used the slow cooker and must have gotten the water to beans ratio way off cause what was in the slow cooker when I got home from work was soup. BUT, this was fine because I have a problem with making soup because I don't have broth. Put this soup over rice and it's pretty right on.

Jacque is my cooking friend. You may remember her from my post last year, "Cashew Soup and kitchen hardware" where we made cashew/honey/lemon "cookies" and brazil nut "butter." Cooking with Jacque is always 1) entertaining, 2) fun and 3) educational, and this cooking storm was no different. We wanted to make gnocchi, which I somehow never made last year.

Jax plus gnocchi dough

rolled out...

indented

boiling

eating - with EVOO + herbs + salt

They're a bit mushy, I'm not going to lie. So we decided to add another egg to the second half of the dough and make them into balls and fry them.

round 1

they're like little doughnut holes!

then we decided to flatten them to get more of that super fabulous crunch!

we dipped them into dill yogurt, lemon yogurt, and added honey and cinnamon to some.

Overall the potato cooking storm was a total success and I now have gnocchi for lunch at least twice this week. Soggy gnocchi albeit, but gnocchi nonetheless.

You're the BEST Jax, thanks for playing GULP with me!

Day 17: Back in the "Sunshine" state and a lunch date

2011-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Back in Denver...

I ate wild rice cold out of a tupperware a lot this trip, but only got this one photo of it.

wild rice + egg, applesauce

My trip was amazing but being back in my own kitchen is comforting and I immediately began cooking. I made peanut dipping sauce, fried rice, lemonade, and 2 flavors of baked potatoes.

fried rice

I'm going on a picnic today so I'm thrilled to have some new flavors in my arsenal.

Dinner was pretty funny. I love noodles and this got totally out of control. They were basically a pile of tangled rubber bands with some accidental veggies in the bottom.

Day 16: Sunday in Cleveland

2011-01-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

After a huge party all I wanted for breakfast was eggs and yogurt. My camera killed the photo of it...

wild rice + sweet potatoes +yogurt

Interestingly enough, Traci's young sun finished off the rest of the can of sweet potatoes. You just can't help it I suppose, they're TASTY!

rice and beans + spinach + yogurt

I love the soupy texture of this dish.

It was almost as luscious as the lasagna that the rest of the group was eating. ;)

Day 15: Halfway and a Birthday Celebration

2011-01-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

Today marks my halfway GULP point. It also happens to be the day of a giant surprise party that will be an incredible time!

Breakfast was wild rice and an egg - my phone killed the photo of it. :(

Shopping: gala apples, sweet potatoes, lentils, beans and rice and jasmine rice

jasmine rice + lentils +yogurt

This dish was again so tasty that Traci wanted some. I'm not sure if her raving about it is just to make me feel good about eating "weird" food, but I'd like to think that she really liked it.

The party was ah-mazing and tons of fun for everyone!

Day 14: No work!

2011-01-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

I'm traveling today to Cleveland for my best friend's 30th Birthday. Hooray! She has no idea that I'm coming so I have to wait to post these next few days until after the surprise is over. I'm a bit nervous about traveling whilst doing GULP but I've decided to do my best but not forgo fun in the name of my self-imposed rules. I'll probably have some cake and champagne and I'm okay with that.

Caribbean beans and rice + egg and gala apple

jasmine rice + split peas + lemon/oil/dill sauce, baked apple + sweet potato pie + apple juice

Who knew that apples and sweet potatoes would compliment each other so well!

apple + peanut butter

Upon my arrival

wild rice

I set out to make enough rice to hold me over the 2 days I would be there.

What a great idea glass lids are!

wild rice +crazy Jane's + yogurt

This GULP meal was so tasty that Traci had some and raved about it!

Sometimes simple food is the most satisfying.

Day 13: Family Dinner

2011-01-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

wild rice medley + 2 fried eggs

bean noodles + split peas + garbanzos + soft boiled egg

What a joy to have dinner with my family. What a blessing that they humor me by doing a GULP dinner with me.

brown rice + spinach + scrambled egg topping

sweet potato FRIES

Dessert was baked apples + cinnamon + nutmeg + cloves + honey

Both dishes were super and I ate way more than I needed too. :) Thank you Jane for making me dinner!

This is my sister, Jen and niece, Shanti.

Shanti could have had all the eggs on our dinner and more. She's growing and eating like you wouldn't believe!

Day 12: Pacific Mercantile GULP jackpot

2011-01-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner. Same drill, different day. What made today so different though was a lunchtime shopping outing to a local Asian market. Turns out that some cultures have found ways to use beans and rice that I have no come across yet.

Breakfast: white rice + yogurt + apple + honey

warm fingerling potatoes + spinach + yogurt

This may look bizarre but the creamy potatoes are super satisfying and the warm spinach makes it visually appetizing. The yogurt helps bring it all together.

fried garbanzos + mung bean noodles + "house" spices

This looks flavorless and it was. But NOODLES, now that's pure excitement!

Pacific Mercantile booty

adzuki beans, soy beans, bean and rice noodles, split mung beans, "sizzling rice cakes", house spice, sweet rice flour, white bean snack, individual bean noodles, 4 lbs brown jasmine rice

rice noodles + split peas + house spice, baked apple + cinnamon yogurt

This dinner made me FULL for the first time since I started GULPing.

I plan to make sweet rice balls (with the sweet rice flour) with the adzuki paste inside. I've found a really interesting recipe that I'd love to try.
Next week I'll make socca and potentially gnocci! Hooray!

Day 11: getting bored

2011-01-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday. Yippee.

split pea "soup" + sunny side eggs, sweet potato pancake + lemon yogurt + honey

This "soup" is less than super. The peas are undercooked and since there is not really any broth to speak of, it's basically just water and split peas. I decided to experiment by using egg as a way to thicken it up. It was alright, but not fabulous.

Sometimes it's enough to know that food is there to nourish you, even if it's not exciting.

This is how my desk looks at the beginning of the week, with a fresh supply of afternoon-snack apples.

wild rice medley + fresh garbanzos + fingerling potatoes

peanut yogurt

I got a wild hair and decided to make peanut yogurt. I can't tell if I like it but at least it's a new flavor for me, which counts for a lot right about now.

One of the things I miss most when I GULP is color. My lunch today is a perfect example of the colors that are available to me. I have variations on brown to choose from. I have black and white and shades of brown plus green or red apples, orange sweet potatoes, and green spinach. Not much when you compare it to the rainbow of colors that is a grocery produce section. I miss red peppers, and soy sauce.

fried garbanzos + cinnamon + paprika

I love both cinnamon and paprika so why not put them together to make this Spanish dish, inspired by this article in the NYT. I offered these tonight as a snack to my girlfriends and they said they liked them. I hope that these will be good topped with yogurt and served over rice. We'll see...

white beans (undercooked, again) + wilted spinach + fingerling potatoes + dill yogurt

I should do more with apples and spinach, simply because they offer a bit of color...

I can tell that I'm bored now because each meal that I had today was less than satisfying. The undercooked peas, the beige lunch and the fairly uninspired dinner were all very blahh. I decided to put the white beans back on the stove to finally cook them, and I ended up overcooking them. This I have never done! Now I'm left with a white bean "dip," so I'll see what I can make of it.

New ideas: spinach "pesto", potato + spinach + egg casserole, lemonade

Day 10: One week check in

2011-01-10T11:09:00.001-08:00

I've decided that the notion of dividing my GULP ingredients by whether I think that they're a main ingredient or condiment makes no sense. I use yogurt more as a condiment than a main dish and the rate at which I use salt probably qualifies it as a main ingredient. I also think that grouping them together will increase my ability to come up with more creative options for combinations. For instance, lemon juice and oil make a lovely dressing, and why have I never made eggdrop soup?

So the revised GULP list has 11 ingredients (I'm trying to come up with an acronym that will help me remember what they are):

eggs
beans
potatoes
yogurt
apples
spinach
oil
lemons
rice
honey
dry herbs & spices

In the past week I've had 2 people comment on me being thin, and one ask me if I was "afraid of blowing away from eating all of this rabbit food?"

Breakfast was warm, creamy and perfect.

cinnamon scented jasmine rice + apple + yogurt + honey

garbanzos + ranch, sweet potatoes + crushed red pepper (this is what you get at the office)

wild rice medley + spinach + salt

The hot rice steams the spinach, it's like my new favorite thing!

sweet potato pie + yogurt

(I forgot to use sweetened yogurt, which is essential)

Day 9: Long live Sunday brunch!

2011-01-09T13:16:00.001-08:00

I woke up today to a chilly welcome.

When it's cold and snowy, and to celebrate being 25% done with my 2011 GULP I want a hearty brunch so I set off immediately to make it so.

Bean flour

I learned in year 1 that buying it is MUCH easier than destroying your blender in the process of making your own. This is one of my "shortcut" ingredients, that contain the right GULP ingredients but have been processed a bit. This saves much time and energy.

sweet potato + egg + bean flour

for sweet potato pancakes!

oil + lemon juice + dill

A light dressing to top the warm spinach and apple salad.

eggs!

poached eggs are my FAV!

Just remember to

1. have your eggs already broken and in a bowl where you can plop them in at the exact same time and 2. swirl the water so that the eggs stay together in the middle.

honey, "shortcut" apple sauce, and dill yogurt

these are toppings for the sweet potato pancakes!

BRUNCH!

sweet potato pancakes, warm spinach and apple salad with a lemon dill dressing, poached eggs

warm apple and spinach salad

The last bite. Very sad that it's over. "I wanna eat it again!" I said just after this one went down.

Lunch was less than thrilling but quick, which IS thrilling.

curried mashed sweet potatoes, wild rice mix, apple + cinnamon yogurt

can of black eyed peas + lots of spices + soft boiled egg + super nerd

soft boiled egg

Today I decided to learn about the mythical soft boiled egg. I've never had one and I've never seen anyone else eat one but I've seen the cup that holds one when they are eaten and I think that they're really cute. This is my first attempt and to be totally honest with you, I'm hooked. I threw the egg and yolk in my soup and it was lovely!! The soup was thick and savory and just all around super.

I recommend soft boiled eggs to be added to anything to make them better. And you can quote me.

Next ideas: fried chickpeas for Girls Crafting Night snacks and egg drop soup.

Day 8: Cooking Storm!

2011-01-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today I get to go to my first opera performance. Granted, I'm going to a local movie theatre to see it but it's a performance of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West with subtitles and backstage interviews. Plus it's only $25. So breakfast was tasty but quick.

cinnamon scented jasmine rice + fried eggs (YOLK!), apple + lemon yogurt and honey drizzle

I LOVE RICE! At least once per day I am grateful that I added rice to this year's GULP list. It is lighter than beans or potatoes and quicker and incredibly versatile!

cinnamon/clove scented jasmine rice + green split peas + curry powder

This dish was portable (I ate the first half of it at intermission #1) and curbed my appetite well.

I sometimes binge cook and I name the event a cooking storm. Today I had a bit of a sweet tooth so decided to focus on things to quel that.

I found a great food blog that has a few recipes that use beans and rice in a more eastern way, with Japanese and Korean dishes. With this resource and some of my own hairbrained ideas, I set off to make baked apples, sweet red bean paste and sweet potato pie. Here are my results.

Before baking - 2 gala and 2 jonagold + peanut butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey

After baking - delish!

I wish I would have added more honey inside the apple. This oil and sweetener free peanut butter is too dense to be as "melty" as I had wanted. These are sweet, and spicy but soft and lovely.

Before - sweet potatoes + cinnamon + egg

After - they're all puffed up!

This stuff was incredible!

Eaten with a bit of cinnamon yogurt, it was almost exactly like the "real" deal. I consider this a total success, GULP style!

red adzuki beans + honey + salt

I'll use this paste to make a couple of Japanese pastry dishes.

wild rice mix, fresh canillini beans, wilted spinach salad with dill yogurt.

This photo is for my friend Becca, who asked what wilted spinach was. Here's how it's done. Simple.

Day 7: First Friday

2011-01-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

I love rice. I am grateful almost every day that I added rice to my GULP choices this year. It's lighter than potatoes or beans and cooks quicker. Not to mention that it's super versatile and easy to deal with!

brown rice + honey, cinnamon + apple, boiled egg

This meal lasted me from 8am to 1pm, even after a tough gym workout! Very impressed with rice...

fresh garbanzos, tarragon potatoes, spinach and sweet potato salad w ranch

My friend Jen decided to have her birthday party at the SAME Cafe, I hope you remember them from last year, but if not check this post. Brad and Libby remembered me and were happy to accommodate me and my GULP project requirements. They prepared a lovely meal for me so that I could join the party without issue. I am so appreciative of them.

SAME scrambled eggs + spinach and fried sweet potatoes

YUM!

Me. Pretty excited about eating out at SAME.

Day 6: National Bean day!

2011-01-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Yep, more eating.

3 egg omelet and wild rice + paprika

This was a hearty breakfast and really filling and satisfying. I get extra credit for making a perfect omelet too!

spicy jasmine rice, curried lentils, spinach and sweet potato salad with ranch

I love salad!

Spicy jasmine rice + spinach

I love to heat food and then toss it with spinach. It steams the leaves just enough that they're soft but not mushy.

garbanzos + wild rice + pintos + cumin + paprika + chili powder + s/p

This was a fun dinner. The best part was that the spices made the rice taste like TACO MEAT! I was kind of freaking out once I realized that. Now I want to make socca tacos!

Shopping: rice and beans are so pretty!

Have you ever had black or dark rice? Did you know that it's like 10 times as expensive as brown rice? I had to get just a little bit of it to see what it's like.

This is the most perfect, beautiful gala apple I've ever seen. Not kidding. It's like magic!

Potatoes of all kinds. Fingerling, new, russet, yukon gold, red garnet, jewel

These are all the beans I have!

HAPPY NATIONAL BEAN DAY!!

Day 5: does it really matter?

2011-01-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

I actually took a photo of my breakfast! I left my brown sticky rice at the office so I ate what I had in my fridge. Which just reinforces my idea that if you cook A LOT on one day that you can go for a couple without cooking and relax. This relaxation is how I know that I am getting the hang of this, and I've gotta tell you, it feels phenomenal!

roasted tarragon new potatoes + fried egg

The yolk here is KEY!

Lunch was fun too, I opened the fridge at work and pulled out stuff to eat! Hooray for being prepared! A dear friend of mine with lots of experience with food mentioned that putting too many ingredients together just gives you one flavor, so learning to separate ingredients to give me more flavors is a goal of mine. Here is my first attempt, and I was a success to be sure.

curried red lentils + yogurt and spicy jasmine rice

Afternoon soup was not enough to carry me through the following 3.5 hours until I went home but I have to admit that it was better the day after.

pinto and cannellini beans + jasmine rice + yogurt soup

You're right, and it does taste like it looks.

I was s.t.a.r.v.i.n.g. by the time I got home but boy it was probably the best MEAL(and I do mean meal) that I've had so far! This day's lesson is about separate but equal.

wilted spinach + dill + lemon zest

fresh garbanzos

wild rice + paprika

shortcut apple sauce

I kind of feel like I'm obsessed with salt. I put it on everything. Except for apple sauce. For now.

So by the way, as of yesterday I feel lighter and cleaner than I have in a long time. No cheese, meat, alcohol, wheat, or processed food (beyond canned beans) make me feel like a million bucks! Add a steam bath and yoga and there's nothing I can't do!

Day 4 - lessons

2011-01-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

I packed my lunch today in true Rachel fashion. I walk up to the fridge, pick some stuff out and throw it into my bag. With no plan or attention to what these things will make or not make when combined. Luckily I'm experienced in this very technique and by throwing enough things in my bag I had lots of good stuff to eat.

I forgot to take a picture of my breakfast. I'm not sure why I keep doing that, but it really annoys me and I apologize.

Imagine a photo of...

brown sticky rice + cinnamon + granny smith apples

It was really sweet and I am so glad to have something heartier than yogurt and apples but more filling than potatoes for breakfast. It's a beautiful thing. I think that rice keeps me full in a way that potatoes don't - as an added bonus.

Lunch was interesting mostly because of my fancy ranch dressing. It was more dilly than I wanted but I love dill so it works out. It was really rich!

fresh cooked garbanzos + tarragon baked potatoes + pinto beans + ranch dressing

I like eating so I decided to have an afternoon snack.

wild rice and sweet potato slices and ranch

I'm really excited about my ranch and (standby for a funny family story) remember a time when my dad tricked my grandpa into eating raw sweet potatoes instead of carrots. He never realized it. I think that most people aren't aware that sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, so I thank my family for enlightening me with this important information.

I wanted to make a soup for dinner that didn't include potatoes so I settled on this White Bean and Spinach soup with some edits to GULPify it.

1. sub rice for noodles

2. omit tomatoes, onion, jalapeno

3. broth = ricey water + herbs

I also made curried red lentils once it dawned on me that the soup was going to be less filling than I originally anticipated.

Tuscan White Bean and Spinach soup & Curried red lentils

I want to bake apples soon, and perhaps attempt an apple frozen yogurt.

Day 3 - getting into the swing of it

2011-01-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

So if days 1 and 2 were rough, day 3 was when I started to get my mind in the GULP game.

Breakfast was the rest of the potatoes we made in the mountains and a couple eggs. I forgot the picture cause I'm a slacker.

Lunch was tasty but the soup is a bit starchy.

curried potato soup

My afternoon snack was wonderful. I learned from my sister last summer about adding rice and a fried egg to a salad and it's incredible! I heated the rice and then tossed it with the spinach which essentially wilted it just a bit. It was satisfying and delish. I'm learning to love wild rice for it's nutty taste and interesting texture.

Dinner was apple sauce, an egg and cooking. Thrilling.

So I'm NOT the only one...

I went to the library to get a couple books to teach me about rice and I'm pretty excited about what they have to offer.

Since I actually had enough time to cook at home I wanted to make a lot of things so that I have enough food to last me a day, or maybe two.

Here's what I made:

sticky brown rice + cinnamon stick + cloves

I plan to add yogurt and apples for breakfasts. YUM!

Thanks for the slow cooker Jane- it's a life saver already!

"ranch" and "cinnamon cream"

(AKA yogurt with stuff)

These condiments will be used for dipping sweet potatoes and apple slices.

garbanzos

the good ole bean is better with a bay leaf or two!

baked potatoes + taragon + olive oil

These are a quick dish and super tasty. Add yogurt for even more flavor.

How do you know that Rachel is GULPing?

Her kitchen looks like this!

Random thought:

If I allow myself an ingredient does that also allow me to have anything that can be made from that ingredient? For instance, can I have tea which is essentially dried herbs, or noodles that are made from rice? I allow myself to buy apple sauce, bean flour and last year I had peanut butter, so where are the lines with GULP? If you promise to eat one thing and then you find that you can purchase it already cooked and processed, is it cheating? It's a tricky question. I think the answer boils down to feasibility. I live alone so the cooking that must be done must be done by me. If I don't buy it I don't eat it.

So the line is the battle between integrity and sanity, between the foodie and food justice, between want and need. This is why I GULP.

Days 1 and 2 - a rough start

2011-01-02T17:44:00.001-08:00

So Jan 1 and 2 were a bit rough. I was in Winter Park with a group of friends for New Years Eve and as it happens GULP is not really conducive to champagne and all day grazing on chips and seven layer dip. I did my best, but I have to admit that I'm not perfect.

Breakfast started out good enough but I didn't make it to the store so it was a really boring meal.

granny smith + brown rice

By lunch I had made it to the store so I had black beans and the rest of the brown rice but then forgot to take a picture. You can imagine it.

I did make Hoppin John for dinner for everyone and it was great! I've never had black eyed peas but the combination of beans, rice, and spices was perfect for a fa-reezing day in the Rockies (-27 NYE). I don't have a photo of that one cause my phone died. Sorry.

Breakfast was fun and is easier to cook in a group. I had potatoes and eggs with lots of hot water. Phone is still dead so no picts.

Lunch - the rest of the black beans and rice and apple sauce. Boring...

I finally made it home and boy I was so grateful to be back in my kitchen!! It was wonderful and very satisfying. I have no idea how I never managed to make potato soup last year, it's super!

potato soup + yogurt, spinach + granny apple salad

Tomorrow is my first day at work GULPing. Wish me luck.

The 2011 Plan

2010-12-29T23:16:00.000-08:00

GULP was a big deal to me in 2010 and so I've decided to do it again, but change it up a bit. To give you some perspective...

Here was the plan from 2010:

9 Ingredients -

eggs
nuts
beans
spinach
carrots
apples
lemon
potatoes
yogurt

5 condiments -

salt
pepper
olive oil
honey
curry powder

Here's the plan for 2011:

8 Ingredients -

eggs
beans
potatoes
rice
spinach
yogurt
apples
lemon

You'll notice that I've cut out carrots because they turned out to not be all that versatile or interesting, and nuts because they were really expensive (if you read my post from 2/2/10 you'll see why). I may regret not including nuts because they were so super portable and added something interesting to each dish. I've added rice which I think will make a huge difference to 1. the overall nutrition content and 2. the meals I can make.

Condiments -

salt
pepper
oil
honey
dried herbs and spices

By allowing myself more variety in herbs and spices I can be more creative with what I make. Being more creative with spices will allow me to use fewer ingredients. I think it's a fair trade.

My Goals

consume less, and do more with fewer ingredients
return to the necessities - remember that food is ultimately about survival
connect with global food trends (for lack of a better word) - most of the world lives on mostly beans and/or rice
cleanse my body - turns out that meat, alcohol, cheese and processed foods are bad for you!

The Project

In 2011 I will learn about local food production. I will visit 3 local places that are involved in bringing local food to a market and to the community. One of the organizations I learn about will receive a donation from me at the end of the 30 day GULP.

** If you know of an organization that I should check out please post a comment here.**

I've already got my first recipe all ready to go for the big 1/1/11. Hoppin John is made with black-eyed peas (beans) which is GULP approved and for an ADDED BONUS it's supposed to bring you good luck if you eat it on New Years Day! Of course I'll be limited to using the black-eyed peas (beans), rice, and spices only...

2011

2010-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

It's time for GULP 2011. I'm getting geared up for another month of doing more with less, so stay tuned for new recipes, new challenges and a semi-familiar snarky attitude.

I'm changing my goals, my ingredients and my cause but it will be an adventure for sure!

What now??

2010-09-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

So another new year seems to be just around the corner and so I've been thinking about doing the GULP again and I've been mulling over a few questions...

Should I invite some friends to do it? How much could we collectively give if we all GULP? Who'd do it with me? Would it be more supportive or frustrating to do it as a group?
Should I change my ingredients? Should I add a grain to balance out my diet? Should I add rice to make my ingredients more global?
Should I buy a slow cooker? How much "Slow Food" philosophy do I want to infuse into the project?

Should I do it again?

Percolating...

Inquiring minds want to know...

2010-02-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

So after 30 days of limiting my food consumption, I...

have an even greater respect for the labor that goes into food,
learned to enlist the help of those interested in engaging with the challenge while not taking it personally that some people don't,
know how it feels to panic about not having something to eat,
took almost 200 pictures of every meal I ate for 30 days,
savor the feeling of being truly full,
can save money,
am familiar with the possibilities and limitations of a few ingredients,
can be creative with food in ways I never thought were possible,
am so very lucky to have all that I do,
spent almost twice the amount on nuts as I did on apples, beans, eggs or potatoes
can be disciplined when the motivation is right,
don't think I have lost weight,
will always see recipes that can be adapted to GULP,
don't need juice drinks anymore,
have an huge respect for people who can write about how food tastes,

I will take into my "real" life, A/an...

consciousness about how and where I spend money,
expanded ability to discern flavors and appreciate each one individually,
hope to share my experiences and knowledge with future GULPers,
sense of how essential truly supportive friends and family are,
desire to give of myself to those in need,
inclination to share myself with a select few people who "get it",
incredible sense of discipline and self confidence

A million thanks to...

Jacque for being my fellow foodie and finding bomb recipes
Max for letting me talk about GULP every time we talk
Jane for helping me to see my larger purpose
Brian for inspiring me to actively be involved in the local food scene
Ann for starting the GULP movement
Traci for being my best friend

I may do GULP every so often, when I feel like I need to be re-centered and reminded of all that I have and what I take for granted. Maybe January will be GULP from now on... maybe.

I think my next project will be a month long exploration into one ingredient. I hope to become as familiar with one ingredient as I have with my 9 GULP ingredients.

Perhaps I'll start with something simple and inexpensive, like carrots...

Stay tuned.

mid-year realizations

2010-02-01T12:05:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, after eating nuts and an apple for my mid-day snack, I needed to go grocery shopping and found that the five things I needed were carrots, spinach, potatoes, yogurt and eggs...

Wow. So apparently I don't hate the GULP ingredients enough to not eat them any more. I am thinking about continuing to use them en mass but to add the flavors and extras that I love and missed so dearly. Namely, herbs and spices. There is no reason that I can't save money over and over again but still use garlic! I even started pinto beans to soak this morning so that I can cook them tonight. There are so many more dished I wanted to try that I never managed to fit in. I only ever cooked garbanzo and black beans. I never worked with any of the others!!

And now that I can use rice and grains I may just add a few things to the GULP list and keep going with it. Fewer restrictions but the same mindset that I can make more with less.

Notes to future GULPers

2010-01-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a list I made as the project was in process. I've learned these things the hard way, but feel free to take them and run!

1) Beware: black beans stain everything including the counter, your clothes, tupperware, and wooden utensils.
2) making chickpea flour with your blender will ruin the sharp blades.

3) keeping an apple, nuts, peanut butter, and honey in your desk drawer and/or bag will save you time and time again.
4) empty or rearrange your fridge, herbs/spices rack, and cuppards of non-GULP items so that you can

   a) see what you have to work with and
   2) not be tempted by the items that you are not allowed.
5) when cooking beans or potatoes, make at least 3 times as much as you think you'll be able to eat in a given period of time and freeze the overflow in sandwich bags.
6) tell key people about your GULP project and ask for their help when you need it.
7) checkout recipe books from the library to give you inspiration. books specific to your ingredients but also the limitations in general (vegetarian, raw, vegan, etc)
8) choose one ingredient to focus on for a meal and use the others as supporting flavors.
9) after buying groceries, prep your supplies so that you'll have what you need later. See post from 1/20/10.
10) hardware helps.
   a) I found the following essential: blender, mandoline, potato masher, potato ricer.
   b) These are helpful: mandoline, dehydrator, juicer, food processor, hand mixer.
11) make sauces, dips, spreads and other foodie "accessories" that you can add to other dishes to spice them up. I made spinach pesto, hummus, sour cream, honey yogurt, and carrot butter on a regular basis but also intended to make mayonnaise and sweet potato dip.
12) breathe

Day 30: The Final Frontier

2010-01-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

As I begin this last of my GULP posts I am filled with a profound sense of accomplishment. I have done other things in my life that I am proud of, and have many things for which I am thankful, but this project has been so very personal that I am forever changed. It was self imposed and self designed which makes it different from any other project I've been a part of.

Forcing myself to blog about it has made it even more profound in that I have to think about it enough to write about it. I never mentioned that on top of GULP and my regularly busy life, I also decided to promise to take photos of every meal I ate and write about it every day. What an added pressure!

GULP was a total success. Everything I set out to learn, I did, and so much more. The challenges that I could anticipate were real but the outcomes are worth all of the hard work. The lessons I did not anticipate were hard to go through but I have grown immensely from them.

These last three meals will be very important to record accurately. I think this picture is interesting to show you what is left after a month of cooking. I bought the olive oil, and honey and filled the salt bowl and pepper mill on day one.

sea salt, honey, pepper, olive oil

Bruch was fabulous, and not just because it was brunch. This meal tasted fantastic, was filling, and probably cost $4. I realize that it looks like a lot of food for one person but with all of the errands I have to run today I don't want to be starving at noon.

fried yellow and sweet potatoes + brazil nut "cheese"

egg whites + spinach

sweet yogurt + granola

I was out and about so lunch was a non-event. I went to visit Brad and Libby at the SAME Cafe and offer them my donation. They are both friendly, gracious people who I am proud to support. My donation will go to feed 100 people who live in the same neighborhood as I do. These people are just like you and I. They are students, families, young professionals, and hard workers. They will go to SAME and will get high quality, local food in a respectful and dignified manner. To support a project like that makes every hard choice and sacrifice I've made over the last 30 days worth it. I left the cafe with a deep sense of pride and joy. I think I was glowing.

Dinner was something I am now calling Potato Overload. It was tasty and while the dishes were drastically different in flavor, I understand that the nutritional variety leaves something to be desired.

sweet potato + honey + salt

potato salad (sweet + russet + yogurt + lemon + spinach)

I will go out tonight to meet up with some friends and plan to be at the 27th floor of The Grand Hyatt at the Peak's Lounge at 12:01, glass of champagne in hand to celebrate my accomplishment.

It was obviously too dark to get a really great shot of this but what you're looking at is a glass of bubbly and the clocktower of Denver in the background. It was an absolutely perfectly subdued way to celebrate the end of this very personal and transformative journey. The champagne tasted crisp and light and familiarly exotic. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and go to brunch.

When people ask me what I'm going to eat on my first non-GULP day I have a hard time answering them. There are so many things that I would love to eat, but really in a nutshell what I look forward to most is the freedom of choice. I can eat at home and cook anything I want. Or not. I can go out and order anything I want. Or not. I don't necessarily look forward to anything extravagant like fillet mignon but rather, I crave the fresh and varied flavors of herbs and vegetables. I lust after the ease of opening the fridge and assembling a simple PB & J. I hope to never again take those simple things for granted.

Day 29: Fried Day

2010-01-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

So I had a long day away from home today so I made sure to do a lot of cooking last night so that I could have enough for the entire day. I boiled potatoes and eggs and was sure stock my bag with mixed nuts and a bottle of water. And, of course, I also packed a lunch and dinner.
But breakfast was very satisfying so I was sure that I would be fine with a start like this.

boiled then fried sweet and yellow potatoes + poorly fried egg

apple sauce

I packed my bento last night, but here's what it looked like. I'm pretty proud of 1) how nutritionally rounded it is and 2) how lovely and appetizing it is. Yay. I ended up saving an egg to combine with the lentils + carrots I have for dinner... still.

sweet and yellow potato salad (boiled potatoes + spinach + s/p + lemon + yogurt)

carrots + peanut butter

golden delicious

boiled eggs

lemon cashew cookies

So, it turns out that I had time to go home to eat. What a wonderful change of plans that allows me to have a hot meal!
Have you ever noticed that when you have leftovers that are kind of so-so or not really that fabulous that they last forever!? And that the leftovers that are amazing are gone before you even notice what happened to them? That is exactly the case with this split pea + carrot + peanut thing I have here. I feel like I've had it 10 times in the past week. This is finally the last little bit of it.

split pea + carrot + peanuts

sweet potato + black beans + steamed spinach

cameo

The sweet potato + black bean + spinach dish was one of the most beautiful GULP dishes to date. The bright orange combined with the intensity of the black beans and the leafy green spinach is really great.

Tomorrow is the last day. I can hardly believe it. I can hardly wait.

Day 28: Thursday again

2010-01-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

What a hectic week. The days of this month are starting to run together. It's a good thing that I've cataloged this entire journey as I went.

sweet potatoes + black beans + egg = hash

peanut butter + sweet yogurt

Lunch: I used the last of my socca... so sad. When I eat chili (not GULPing) I have found that a perfect combination is to take a tortilla, smother it with sour cream and then add celery and wrap it up and dip it in the chili. Well, here is the GULP version. It was hearty almost like tomato soup and grilled cheese are... amazing. I will totally wrap more things in tortillas like that from now on. The socca is kind of brittle like corn tortillas are so after picking it up once you can't put it down lest it will completely fall apart.

spinach soup + carrots + russets + garbanzos

socca + sour cream + carrot slices + spinach

Dinner had to be rushed again so thank goodness I had lots of choices in the fridge. In fact, I was in such a hurry that even this photo is blurry. Sorry about that.

nuked russet + yellow potatoes + carrot butter

yogurt + sweet yogurt

I have a really long day tomorrow and have to pack both lunch and dinner... ahh, to be a GULPer means that you are also, by default, a bag lady.

Day 27: Wed-watch-a-video-of-me-nesday

2010-01-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

What to remember: The people who "get" it don't need any explanation and the people who need an explanation don't "get it."

Breakfast Tacos! socca + egg + potato + sour cream + carrot butter + spinach

sweet yogurt

The tacos were a bit dry even after the carrot butter and sour cream. The spinach could have been wilted to help that. They were incredibly tasty though, for sure.

chickpea fries + tri-color dips (sour cream, hummus, carrot butter)

cold sweet carrot + garbanzo curry concoction

granny smith

At work, Erin got a new iPod Nano with video so she did an impromptu interview of me. I'm a total nerd but it's a pretty cool thing to see. I love how after I offer her a nut that she instantly refuses, I try to feed it to the iPod. Typical!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Meanwhile the rest of the office was partaking in a Charcutrie plate that looked and smelled amazing. Wonderful...

Dinner was pretty tasty but bland. I was so excited to have a bean burrito that I forgot to add anything to make it more interesting. My bad.

socca + black beans + sour cream

carrots + peanut butter

Tomorrow is my last Thursday and I finally feel like I can begin to look forward to plans on Saturday and Sunday. Until now those days seemed too far away to think about.

Day 26: Sweet Potato Pie Tuesday

2010-01-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

The sweet potato pie was a wonderful success. There were 2 pieces left after the Birthday party and Raquel took them home. I was really happy to be able to share in the festivities, and even happier that I had a bit leftover at home to savor for dinner.

Sweet potato pie + GULP version

I won't tell you about how I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner because that's what I say every day. Here are my pictures to prove it.

last latka + honey

egg whites

wilted spinach + lemon juice

sauteed garbanzos + carrots + honey

curried lentils + more carrots

cashew lemon cookies

I was kind of not paying attention when I packed my lunch this morning. This is obvious by the fact that carrots are in both dishes. Not that I have anything against carrots, but really? I'm impeding my own variety... not okay.

braeburn + peanut butter

sweet yogurt + "granola"

last bit of sweet potato pie

Tomorrow is the last Wednesday and I'm already thinking about what I'm going to have on Sunday for BRUNCH!

Day 25: the last Monday

2010-01-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

As I approach the finish line I begin thinking, this is the last... Today it occurred to me that this is my last GULP Monday. Not that this is an epic fact, but it's just how I think.
Breakfast was fun. I whipped up eggs and poured them into the leftover potato skins I had. They look like little boats, don't they!? Maybe I'll call them breakfast boats...

breakfast boats: russet skins + eggs

yogurt + applesauce

I went to picnic with my friend Lara, which was really fun. Eating out of tupperware doesn't make for very nice photos though, sorry about that. The photos don't do the food justice... I forgot my olive oil dressing but as it turns out a bit of lemon and honey do the trick really well. Just another happy accident. Bob Ross would be proud.

chickpea fries

curried carrot butter + hummus + sour cream dips

spinach + boiled egg + carrot (w honey + lemon dressing)

granny smith apple

I've been tasked with making a sweet potato pie for another (yes, another one!) WESTAF birthday party tomorrow. I've never made SPP but I'm really excited because I'll get to make a portion or two GULP so that I can participate in the festivities as well. Yay!
That said, dinner was more of a series of snacks than an actual meal. The best part was this peanut butter and honey latka sandwich. Why did I not thing of using latkas as bread before now? It was gooey and sticky and hot and glorious. I felt like a 4 year old again with honey all over my hands.

russet + grannysmith latkas

peanut butter + honey

Here is the regular sweet potato pie and 2 GULPtastic versions in single size ramekins JUST FOR ME! It makes me so happy to get to be part of the party, I can hardly stand it. I hope they like it...

Sweet potato pie & GULP spp

Day 24: Sunday Funday

2010-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

How could you not love a day that starts with yoga and is followed by rollerblading? I forgot to eat breakfast so lunch was really great. I felt like I had a million options because of the cooking I did yesterday. I finally can relax and get to other things and not feel like I need to cook.

chopped potatoes + wilted spinach + sour cream

fried curried garbanzos

sister's yoga gig waterbottle + water

I managed to slide an afternoon snack in too. I sauteed a granny smith apple, added peanut butter, pecans, andyogurt, wrapped it in a socca and smothered it in honey. Holy tasty!! It's amazing how the addition of one new ingredient can expand the possibilities almost exponentially.

Socca + sauteed grannysmith + peanut butter + pecans + honey

Now dinner was an amazing adventure. So I made socca so I had about 15 of them to play with. I love breakfast so why not make breakfast burritos? I added coconut to the hashbrowns which was a really interesting addition. Jacque sent me a recipe that included curried carrot 'butter" so I decided to use it as the signature element (to replace salsa) in the tacos. I gotta tell you, they were to die for! I would totally make them after GULP. I decided to call them Exotic tacos because they only resemblance they have to Mexican tacos is the structure. The flavors are new and wild and amazing.

Exotic Tacos!!

scrambled eggs

russet & yellow potatoes + coconut hashbrowns

sour cream

curried carrot butter

socca

I ate two. I could have eaten 4.

Day 23: Cooking Storm!

2010-01-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

I love to cook ("no duh!" the audience says). Weekend brunch is one of my favorite occasions in the world and I literally look forward to it all week every week.

russet + grannysmith latkas (1 + honey, 1 + sour cream)

poached eggs

applesauce + peanut butter

And I love Saturdays because they give me time enough for the longer projects that I can't get to during the week. Jacque (bless her little heart!) sent me two recipes that I've been eager to make this weekend. Socca and Chickpea fries were the two that I picked from her original list of two dozen things that I should make.

One of the beautiful things I've learned during GULP is that bread is amazing. Period. Bread is like canvas in that it is infinitely versatile. To not have bread, makes life sad. Here are my adventures in making Socca. 2 cups of flour + 2.25 cups of water made about 15 Socca!!

Successful Socca

I ate the first few and added variations of honey, peanut butter, applesauce, and yogurt. I also think because they're savory that making a filing of beans would be like a burrito! How glorious would that be!? I also contemplated adding curry powder or honey to the batter itself to make the Socca itself a different flavor. Now that I have these things to play with I will try lots of things I'm sure.

Between making and munching on Socca, I made potato skins because that's what should be eaten while while watching football. I added s/p, evoo and various toppings and they were great. This was "dinner."

hummus, sour cream, curry powder, s/p only

I made the Chickpea fries too. They're interesting but only for a GULPer. They do definitely add another texture to the mix.

chickpea fries

Probably one of the most exciting GULP advances today was this beautiful thing. I love granola and so in one of my many discussions with friends I think I've devised a way to replicate granola within the GULP confines. First, I thought about the elements that make up granol and then used a GULP ingredient to substitute. And what you have is this. Now if only I could find a milk substitute... do you think that coconut water counts?

flakes = sweet potato chip chards

nuts = mixed nuts + coconut

fruit = dried apple pieces

clusters = chickpea fry pieces

chickpea fry pieces + dried grannysmith + nuts + sweet potato chips

By the way, if you have never had the good fortune of having the opportunity to open a fresh coconut, you should. It's really fun and fascinating.

Day 22: 3 weeks down, 1 to go

2010-01-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Friday January 22nd,

Where did you go!?

~Rachel

leftover potatoes + spinach + lovely fried egg

sweet yogurt + minced hazelnuts

grannysmith

Every time I go to refill my water I am confronted with the evil Breakroom Treats Table. Yes, that IS RUM CAKE right there and gummy jellyfish too. Each and every time I get water, which happens to be about a dozen times per day.

And hey, what do you know? Leftovers for lunch because I left my real lunch at home. Good thing I have a habit of bringing an apple each day and have a stash of Walgreens Mixed nuts in my desk...

curried split peas + carrots + peanuts

lemon cashew cookies

jonagold

Dinner was quick but tasty.

steamed carrots + garbanzos + cashews + honey

eggs + Brazil nut "cheese" + spinach

Week 3 Thoughts:

As I begin to see the finish line I have a few thoughts about my project.

The first week was discovery, the second week was getting comfortable, the third week was about stamina and I have a feeling that week four will be about discipline. I say discipline not because I am sick of the food, but rather because I'm exhausted. Everything GULP is about time. It takes the better part of 30 hours to make garbanzo beans, I spent 3 hours today making Socca, carrot soup for lunch takes almost an hour. There is nothing quick about GULP. If I start soaking beans before work in the morning, I will be ready to eat them (this is just plain beans, mind you!) at 8pm. Sometimes I wake up at 2am to turn off a pot of boiling water so that I'll have lunch the next day. I say this not to complain, but to give you a rounded view of the project. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback about my blog and my pictures but what you don't see is how many times I've screwed up or how often I eat just an apple and a few handfulls of nuts or a boiled egg and a carrot in between meals.
I wanted this project to help me discover food and it has, but there has been a cost. I named my blog Beans & Beads because I hoped that GULP would allow (or rather, force) me to stay home and spend more time with myself, which would allow me time to bead. In actuality what has happened is that I must spend so much time making food that I don't have time for hobbies. GULP has become my hobby this month.
People ask me if I'm excited for GULP to end so that I "can have real food again," and of course I say yes (as if I would say no!). What that means is that I'm excited to be able to open the cabinet and eat granola out of the jar, to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and run out the door, to throw berries in yogurt and call it breakfast, to make simple spaghetti. I want a glass of wine, to partake in the pizza at the Birthday party, and to be able to say "yes, thank you" when I'm offered popcorn at the office. The difference now is that I will appreciate the small conveniences of life; where food is at our fingertips at all times, ready to eat, and never in short supply.
GULP is less about pretending that you don't have food, but rather forcing yourself to see what a gluttonous consumer you are without even thinking of it. My sister, Jen said it perfectly when she told me that after GULP I'll "know that I'll never go hungry" because I know how to survive off of such limitations. What an amazing gift of perspective to appreciate everything you have and how easy your life truly is by willingly living with less for 30 days.

Day 21: week 3 is almost over?!

2010-01-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

Another breakfast. It was so much easier this morning thanks to the preparations I made last night. I love to heat the applesauce with the peanut butter and then swirl them together. If I were to have it in a crust it would be such a decadent pastry!

pan fried russets + spinach + sour cream

apple sauce + peanut butter

Lunch was divided into pre-workout and post-workout. The split peas were a bit al dente but I'd rather have them that way than soggy. The chips were a big hit with my colleagues, everyone wants to know how they get so curly. As it turns out, the Cashew Lemon cookies are amazing by GULP standards. They could use more time either in the dehydrator or in the oven to make them less chewy and more crispy. I also thought about treating them like lemon bars where you have a crust on the bottom and the chewy filling in on the top. More experimenting...

curried split peas + carrots + peanuts

refried pintos + sweet potato chips

sad edamame

CASHEW LEMON bars

Dinner was a series of produce + dips but was not really worth talking about. I'm beginning to crave things like crazy now that the end of GULP is within site. 8 days is still a long way off though, so I need to control those urges or else I'll go crazy.

This kind of office sabotage doesn't help... thanks a lot guys. DANGIT!

Day 20: whirlwind

2010-01-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

1) Breakfast 2) lunch and 3) dinner

scrambled egg whites + brazil nut "cheese" + garbanzos + spinach

gala + yogurt + peanut butter

Spanish omelet + spinach

sweet potato chips + black and pinto bean dip

refried pintos + egg + sweet potato chips

Anyone who's been to brunch with me knows that I covet huevos ranchero. I'm not sure why it took me so long to make this. It was great, although I did have to eat it in the car on my way to Jane's house which is a bummer. Also, the beans are canned but they were not as "tinny" tasting as the others I've had.

I got to try the Lemon Cashew Cookies and I have to tell you, they are fabulous!! I could easily eat the entire sheet of them in one sitting (perhaps this is why I had to eat in the car), so it will take even more willpower to make them last. I will make these again for sure. Perhaps this weekend even.

I'm trying my best to not have this week be as hectic as last but even that takes work. I planned on going grocery shopping tonight so we'll see how that goes. Can you believe that I'm already out of lemons, apples, and yogurt!? AGAIN! After shopping I went home and prepped all of it. I made hummus, boiled split peas, made sweet yogurt and sour cream (by dividing up the yogurt into smaller portions and treating each one differently), boiled eggs, and sliced potatoes for breakfast (yay mandoline!). I made enough potatoes and split peas that I'll have leftovers. What a whirlwind!

A friend (thanks Dan) reminded me that I only have 10 days of GULP left and somehow that doesn't seem like a very long time. While I do miss a few things, and I have begun to get sick of eating similar flavors every day I still feel like I can GULP for much longer than 10 more days. I may.

Per another friend's suggestion(thanks Max), I have decided to formulate a conscious plan to integrate flavors and ingredients back into my diet after GULP is over. I want to use my newly found skills to savor every flavor and not be overwhelmed by them again. It's important to do this slowly and consciously. I think that I have learned that the power of simple foods is that you can really taste every flavor, and I hope to bring that into my post-GULP life.

Day 19: Cashew Soup and kitchen hardware

2010-01-19T22:21:00.000-08:00

I hurried through breakfast as I ran to work (is it Tuesday already?). So I reheated my Spanish omelet and combined applesauce with peanut butter and nuked it. YUM!

spanish omelet + spinach

applesauce + peanut butter

Work is kind of crazy today with lots to catch up on. I had the rest of my carrot cashew soup and it was absolutely delicious! The steak fries were pretty awesome too and with my baked apple for my afternoon snack I was set.

carrot + cashew + yogurt soup

steak fries

baked apple + wal and hazelnuts

I had plans to cook with my dear friend Jacque after work. So I ate random stuff for dinner.

sweet potato + honey + yogurt

gala apple

curried lentils + yogurt

Now, our cooking party was really interesting. Image me with a pair of channel-lock pliers whacking away at a young coconut on the floor of a garage... That's how we got into the thing. It was entertaining and I was hit by coconut shrapnel at one point. Jacque is the queen of kitchen hardware so I was excited to use her dehydrator (at one point referred to as a dehumidifier), and her juicer. She's done cleanses in her day too, so she has become a wonderful recipe buddy.

We had three things to make:

Brazil Nut "cheese", Cashew Coconut cookies, and Sweet Potato Chips

and 12 hours later...

We baked some just to experiment and those are the ones here on the top that are extra browned. They're crispier than the dehydrated ones but more greasy.

On the other rack of the dehydrator was our cashew + lemon + honey chewy cookie thing. It needs more time to dry so you'll have to come back for the conclusion of this one.

Now, lets discuss the Brazil nut "cheese". I would recommend about half as much lemon juice, less oil, and I'm still not sure why we had to bake them. I wouldn't actually describe this thing as a cheese, but it is spreadable more like butter. The recipe called for baking the entire thing like you would a wheel of cheese but I made the executive decision to make them into smaller individual logs for easier use.

All in all the night was a total success and I would describe it as "SCHUPER!"(say it as if you have just put your retainer in your mouth for the first time).

Day 18: Non Violence day

2010-01-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful to be home and to have time to cook at my own pace. I finally went shopping and while it feels ridiculous to buy almost 15 pounds of potatoes I know that I'll use them quickly. (24 hours later my yogurt is already almost gone). Here's what that looks like.

yellows, russets, and yams

I decided to make another Spanish Omelet and this one looked much more like the traditional one. I used yellow potatoes instead of the russets because I like their waxy texture better.

Brunch was lovely and the sun was shining and life is good. The MLK parade left from City Park (just 2 blocks from my house) so I ate as I watched people walk by to the park.

Spanish omelet (yellow potatoes + eggs + spinach) + yogurt

honey yogurt

Lunch was awesome because at the potluck someone mentioned that they made Carrot Ginger soup. I have been wanting to make carrot soup but didn't want to spend all day doing it. So I sauted 4 carrots, added curry powders (all 3), water, cashews, and yogurt. Then I pureed it, added lemon zest and called it soup. It was luscious for sure but needed more time for the flavors to come together. I hope that the leftovers will make a great lunch for me tomorrow.

carrot, cashew, yogurt soup + lemon zest

Dinner was really fun because I've also been wanting to make steak fries (thanks Trevor). I decided to bake them instead of fry them, and I'm not sure that it was the greatest decision ever. I'll have to experiment more. I made French lentils and added the garbanzo beans I had left with curry and yogurt. I was going for a middle eastern sort of flavor and I'm not completely sure that I was successful. I wish the lentils were a bit softer, so maybe this dish is better with regular green lentils instead.

The walnut spinach salad was bomb! By heating oil and adding the chopped walnuts and then drizzling it over the spinach, the leaves are warmed and wilted just ever so slightly. It was crunchy and warm while being bold.

warm spinach + walnut salad

creamy curried French lentils + garbanzos

steak fries

When I camp I make baked apples. It's really easy so I could't see a reason to not do it GULP style. I normally stuff them with instant oatmeal, raisins and maple syrup or honey so I had to adapt but I think overall it was a success. So much so in fact that I forgot to take an "after" picture. Whoops.

So much of GULP I'm discovering, is trial by fire. The experimentation factor is huge and I find that most of my meals start with notions like, "I wonder if peanut butter is good in apple sauce?" or "how bout if I add yogurt to the curried lentils to cool them down a bit?" It's fun, but requires a large degree of flexibility on the part of the eater. You can't assume that every dish and every meal will be perfect or even something you'd agree to have again. I appreciate Max for so often being my guinea pig with these dishes. It's nice to have a second opinion on adding peanut butter to everything.

Day 17: Homeward bound

2010-01-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

Seattle was fun and busy but almost exhausting. Being a single mom to a 4 year old is more than a full time job and I am so impressed and inspired by my sister's work. We got to sleep in until 9am and then I made breakfast while Aaron made a fire and Jen started laundry. Talk about teamwork. Shanti kept us all entertained by running around turning us into "toad frogs" with her faery wand. It is so nice to just stay home and relax! The last thing I wanted to do was spend time cooking, so I made something fast to get to have more time to play.

boiled yellow potatoes + curry

scrambled eggs + yogurs

honey water

After successfully saving the forest, subduing the "toad frogs," and making beaded jewelry we ate lunch and had showers.

remaining curried lentils + nuts

remaining apple + carrot + lemon concoction

faery wand for turning things into "toad frogs"

And now (already!) I am off back to Denver and hopefully some sunshine.

mixed nuts + honey crisp lovliness

Embraer 190

I accidentally ran into a potluck at Max's house and while they ate corn chowder, and chocolate cookie sundaes I had my GULPtastic dinner.

black + pinto + garbanzo beans + boiled egg

mixed nuts

last honeycrisp

This was the first opportunity I've had to be in a large group of people while GULPing. Although it was a challenge to not breakdown and eat the food it was absolutely great to be among energetic and joyful people. I had a great time and laughed a lot! As an added bonus, it seems like people are inspired by my project so I hope that the word keeps spreading.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so I don't have to work. I'm really excited about that so that I can catchup on my chores and hopefully play outside in the shunshine.

Day 16: In the NW

2010-01-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday is a day for yoga, birthday parties, hockey games and family. Before going to Jen's first yoga class, I threw 2 eggs into the remaining smashed potatoes from dinner last night in an attempt to make a pancake (until Aaron had a different idea), and added fresh local honey into yogurt. This is more like it, but still leaves something to be desired... I ate in the car again and left my two apples on the counter. Sheesh!

mashed potatoes + spinach + egg

honey yogurt

I was honored when Jen talked about my GULP in her yoga class, and mentioned that it makes her more aware of the food that she eats. My brother, Aaron made us lunch once we returned from 2 yoga classes. I was so excited that he took on the challenge of cooking for a GULPer that I had a hard time focusing on anything else. Jen began soaking the pintos the day before and cooked them last night, so re-heating them was easy. Then basically you just find whatever else is around and throw it in.
Yes, I had two helpings. The second was more soupy because I added the boiling liquid to the bowl. This is creativity at it's finest.

pintos + yogurt

carrots + green beans

potatoes + eggs

honeycrisp

After lunch we jetted off to a pool party of Shanti's best "boyfriend," Devin at the local recreation center. My afternoon snack with Aaron was nuts and another honeycrisp apple because THEY RULE!

honey roasted nuts from CO

raw Trader Joe's Mixed nuts

honeycrisp

way to hot water

After the party we had dinner on our way to the Seattle Thunderbirds hockey game. While the family ate pasta (while I was thinking, "oh my god, I miss noodles") I had the dinner I made before we left and packed into the To Go boxes.

red lentils + curry + spinach + crushed mixed nuts

grannysmith + carrots + lemon

Even though our team lost, the game was fun and I realized that peanuts out of the shell are fun to eat. GULP food can be fun!?!

GULP spreads the love

2010-01-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Please see the gadget to the right titled Other GULP Blogs. You can see that the giving that is GULP is spreading (to the West coast nonetheless)! I'm so thrilled and wish you all the best of luck!
Stay in touch.

Day 15: Halfway

2010-01-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

At 6am while rushing to catch a flight no one cares about food, even me. I knew that I had to eat but was not going to spend the time to make it pretty or even tasty. In fact I threw it in a plastic tupperware so that I could eat IN THE CAR! I'm embarrassed to even admit it, but try not to hold it against me.

canned pintos + black beans+ yukon golds + boiled egg

no water - I forgot it

Lunch was in Washington! In the rain. We found a warm and dry place to picnic and my dear sister brought the food. She's fabulous and very supportive of my project. She's got this great lunch pail that's divided into two compartments held together by latches. When you latch them and put them in the protective case, the food even stays warm! And then when you're ready to eat, poof they're already in bowls! They're genius. Now if only we had utensils...

green BEANS + carrots

boiled eggs + green (?) salt

mass amounts of water

Lunch with my sister, niece, and brother was lovely. Then we went sightseeing and visited the Seattle Aquarium. The day was full of fun and snacking on apples and nuts. By the time I got home to my sister's house I was really tired but hungry again. Dinner was simple but intensely satisfying; because I was surrounded by the people who love me most (Plus, I got to eat in my PJ's with my niece running around with her bathing suit on backward!).

smashed potatoes +spinach + walnuts

scrambled eggs + curry powder

ridiculously hot water

Week 2 Thoughts:

This week was filled with haste and honestly it has flown by in a way that is almost worrisome. Less time to spend with the food meant that my meals were less than spectacular. It has become painfully obvious that it is the time with the food that gives it the substance it really needs beyond the nutrition. I would have given anything for some help this week. Just an extra pair of hands to help chop, prep, or start a pot boiling would have been wonderful.

It occurs to me that whenever we choose to take on or are thrust into a trying and challenging situation, the only way we can endure is through the help and support of others. As a chronically independent person, it is hard for me to ask for help and it is even harder for me to accept help that others offer. I have learned to depend on me and no one else, which can make life really hard sometimes. Especially the life of a busy GULPer.

My time in Seattle will force me to depend on the people around me, which makes me anxious. I make food for me, yes, but can I learn to say "yes" when someone else wants to cook for me? Have they really listened to my choice, and do they understand the implications of it? Will they help me to buy the foods that I have chosen and will I have time to prepare them in the ways that I know are best? Will our schedule allow me to eat when I need to? Will it be a burden or an inspiration to them? Will they partake in the food limitations to get a tiny glimpse into GULP because they believe in it, or will they chose to ignore it?

This requires a great deal of time and attention on their part and a great deal of trust on mine. I feels very self centered and also very vulnerable. I believe that part of the purpose of this project is to learn about generosity, but it never occurred to me how that would happen on such an intensely personal level.

GULP requires learning how to give and equally how to accept the generosity that is there for us.

Day 14: Almost halfway

2010-01-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

Not only am I in a rush this week to accomplish all that I need to, I'm getting down to the bottom of my supplies again. Needless to say, breakfast was good but happened in waves as I was running around getting ready. I do recommend the curried eggs though, they were great!

yukon golds + canned pintos

curried eggs

wata

Again with the canned food. I could smell the second that I opened this can of pintos that they were not fresh. It sounds obvious but the point is that I have such a sensitive sense of smell that I can tell that these are NOT black beans but also that they are not fresh. Wow. That's pretty incredible.

I had a meeting over lunch so I had to eat out (this meal does not come out of my funds because it was a work thing! Don't worry!) It was hard because the only thing on the menu that had the 9 GULP ingredients was a salad, so here it is! Please notice my contractor's burger, fries, chili, and coffee in the background.

spinach + cannellini beans + egg + sweet potatoes + apple + carrot + oil

water + lemon

Because there was hardly any substance to lunch, my dinner was more like linner and was the pureed spinach soup that I also ate on Tuesday.

pureed spinach soup + carrots + potatoes + garbanzo beans

a giant "to do" list

I ate a late snack of two carrots and peanut and almond butters, an egg, and a grannysmith apple. This was my first foray out to the bar where my friends were eating and drinking. Amid pizza, beer, and strawberry shortcake I sat drinking water. I don't crave non-GULP food until I see and smell them. And this was no different, but I did not cave.

I leave for Seattle tomorrow and while I'm excited to see my family I have to admit that I am a bit apprehensive about how my choice will affect them, and how they will be able to work with me.

GULP and the Foodie Wannabe

2010-01-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

My cousin Liz wrote about my project on her blog which is aptly named Foodie Wannabe.

I wonder if there's a gene that makes you gravitate toward food...

Check it out at http://foodiewannabe.typepad.com/foodie-wannabe/2010/01/gulp-project.html

Thanks for the support Liz!

Recipes

2010-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

You have asked me to post the recipes I've created and adapted for GULP and the answer is yes, I will. I have a wealth of information for you. My plan is to get through this month and then take time to reflect on the project, test recipes and then I will post them for you. Doing that everyday would all but be impossible; I can barely keep my head above water now!
Also, I am also working on a Tips for Future GULPers page that will summarize the lessons I've learned about dealing with the restrictions and the food.

Please stay tuned and any suggestions are welcome.

Day 13: Wednesdayness

2010-01-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

I was looking through a Vegetarian Times cookbook I came across a recipe for a Spanish tortilla that is basically eggs and potatoes and to my delight I have both! So if you click here you can see what a Spanish tortilla is supposed to look like.

Please keep in mind that I'm only 1 person so mine is much smaller and I didn't use the same ratio of eggs to potatoes. Nevertheless, it was a very tasty meal. I totally recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes for breakfast as they hold their shape well and cook quickly. The potatoes were amazingly creamy and I was actually FULL after eating. Also I have about perfected the tri fold of a French omelet. Go me!

yukon gold potatoes + egg

honey yogurt

water

I keep getting the sensation where I want to add peanut butter to everything. I wonder if that is a side effect of GULP or more than likely, just the way I am programmed. And another thing, people are beginning to smell like food! One smelled like maple syrup and the next smelled like thyme. The real question is whether they do and I'm just now noticing it because my nose is awesome or if they don't and I'm senile (this is a rhetorical question, no need to answer it).

lunch! I have made a point of cooking fresh legumes for this project but this week has been especially hectic so the lentils in this lunch and my dinner are from a can. The difference in taste is unreal! The canned lentils are really salty and taste sort of metallic, even though they're organic. This just goes to show you that fresh is best no matter what you're talking about. I've taken to storing honey at my desk so that I can add it to anything, but especially hot water. Yum.

canned lentils + black beans + boiled egg

gala apple

carrots + peanut butter (from yesterday)

There are so many things that need to happen this week that I brought my dinner with me this morning in the hopes that I could eat it before I left the office. That did not happen, so by the time I got to Jane's I was brain dead from not eating for 7 hours. After I made the WBP 6 Bean Soup I froze half of it for just this reason - thank goodness I did! I added the remaining lentils and ate ravenously. I've discovered that it's a great idea to talk about cookbooks and other food when eating something that has such a subtle flavor that you can't tell one bite from the next. Good psychological game to play with yourself.

WBP 6 Bean Soup + lentils

Tomorrow is Wednesday and it is just as hurried as today... so I'll end up packing lunch and dinner again. I hope I actually get a chance to eat it this time.

SAME posts about GULP

2010-01-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

The SAME Cafe posted about me on their blog here http://news.soallmayeat.org/2010/01/11/fwd-newsletter-132.aspx.

They are such amazing people, doing amazing work and the community notices. Please check out this post so you can see the details. If you would like SAME to win the GULP funds please vote for them in the poll to your right.

Day 12: Good and bad apples

2010-01-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Seattle this weekend to visit my sister and niece so I'm trying to determine the amount of food to have on hand to last me until I go, but not be wasted while I'm away. I bought spinach, apples, carrots, flour, and peanut butter yesterday and still have some things at home but I'm trying to make it all last but not have any leftovers. It's a challenge and I find myself fixating on it.

spinach + smashed garbanzo bean + 3 eggs = omelet

lemon + honey + yogurt

hot water + apple juice

I decided to add the garbanzos to this omelet to make it a heartier meal. If I don't eat this quantity of food for breakfast, I find myself fading way before lunchtime.

I went to the stockshow parade before lunch and here's me eating a gala apple next to a really tall man (I do this periodically as you may or may not know). I then attempted to feed the apple core to a horse. I was denied. By a horse. FML.

My new Macbook arrived during lunch so I have to admit that I was a bit distracted. Here's my machine and my goofy goofy self. WELCOME TO 2010 RACHEL!

I took a picture of lunch, but have no idea what it tasted like.

pureed spinach potato soup + carrots + chickpeas

boiled egg

carrot spears + peanut butter

Dinner was pretty ideal really. A giant salad and dessert! This is, strangely enough, the first time I've had raw spinach or a salad of any kind. You would have thought that it would be the easiest thing ever to make but I really need warm food when it's chilly out.

The apples were sauteed in hazelnut honey, and then I added crushed walnuts and hazelnuts. This is definitely the most decadent and luxurious thing I've had to eat in the past 2 weeks.

spinach + boiled egg + chickpeas + soy nuts + pepper yogurt dressing

granny smith apple + hazelnut honey + hazle and walnuts

Day 11: Monday Monday...

2010-01-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

Play song from Lala.com

I was in such a rush this morning that I didn't have time to eat at home but instead threw food in my bag. This happens from time to time both and before and during GULP. Only this time I knew that going without was NOT an option. It's a good thing that I love my sweet potatoes and eggs enough to have it basically every day!

nuked sweet + 2 boiled eggs

In between emails, I ate lunch including what I have now since named Bat Man Soup because of it's black and yellow colors. My boss, Anthony just returned from Greece and brought each of us WESTAFfers a shooter of Ouzo, which is definitely NOT GULP endorsed and reminds me that I love licorice flavored liquors (and Iron Chef America)... oh well.

WBP 6 Bean soup + yellow potato

Maxwell's hot curry bean dip + sour cream

last carrots

gala apple

aqua

NOT OUZO

There was more Greek office sabotage afoot, but I was not swayed.

In fact, no one even knows what this stuff is.

After eating, I walked to the local Vitamin Cottage to get apples, carrots and spinach. Did you know that you can buy all kinds of flour!? I saw garbanzo and fava bean, hazlenut, potato, and even almond flour! It was incredible!! I learned from experience that making your own garbanzo flour is really not fair to your blender, mine is pretty worthless now. Garbanzo beans/chickpeas are like rocks. So, I decided to bite the bullet and buy garbanzo flour and more peanut butter. I realize that based on the original GULP rules these things may be considered cheating but I took care to purchase things that contain only GULP ingredients.

I realized once I got home that it has been 3 days since I've cooked beans. This means that I've been living off of leftovers and 'fast food' like carrots and hummus for three days. It's time to get back to work! A colleague was talking today about potato soup and it reminded me that I love potato soup. I got home, opened one cookbook and the first page was Purreed Spinach Potato Soup. How perfect. I was starving so I had an apple and peanut butter so I didn't pass out.
When I began GULP, I made the executive decision to empty my herbs and spices rack (except for 3 kinds of curry) so that I would not be tempted to use non GULP items. Here is what that looks like. My dinner is in the bowl there and was the last of my precooked supplies.

Green split peas + garbanzos + yogurt s/p

The sense of panic I got when I realized that I didn't have very much ready to eat food around really startled me. I knew I could eat raw apples, carrots, spinach and other things but I also knew from experience that I would not last very long. A good friend (who also happens to be a personal trainer, so I'm sure he knows what he's talking about) told me when I started GULP that I would be hungry all the time. It turns out that he's right!
The soup was beautiful!! You'll see why tomorrow.

purred spinach + potato + water for the soup

Clearly Siena is comfortable with my activities.

Day 10: Out, About and Hungry

2010-01-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday started off with a "ssssssssssplat!" I used a potato ricer to make mashed potatoes (pict 1). I've seen recipes for smashed potatoes with an egg baked in the middle in sort of an egg/nest situation and so I decided to make my own variation by poaching eggs. I love poached eggs. The key to poaching eggs is to swirl the water and drop the eggs in (from a bowl where they're already cracked) the vortex in the middle which keeps them together better (pict 2).

1) smashed yukon gold + sweet potato and 2) poaching eggs

I slid the eggs on top of the potatoes that were warm and creamy and a perfect balance of savory and sweet. The egg yoke broken over the mashed potatoes made the dish! Part two was sweet apples with yogurt sauce. I heated a tablespoon of peanut butter with honey until it was saucy. I added the apples and more honey and sauteed until they were soft but not mushy. The house had the best greet yogurt ever, "pronounced Fa-Yeh!" and so I added it to the apples with a bit (more) honey.

smashed sweet + yukon gold potatoes

poached eggs + s/p

sweet apples + peanut butter + Fage

elephant water

The rest of the day was spent running errands and hanging out down town. I decided to pack my lunch from left overs and while a friend ate at the Cheba Hut I ate my GULP dishes.

sweet apples + Fage

carrots + hummus

curried sweet carrots + spinach

boiled egg

Cheba Hut water + lemon

This was not enough to hold me over until I got back home, so about 8pm I was STARVING! My stomach was cramping from hunger pains and I felt so weak that I thought I might fall over. I decided to run to Walgreen's and buy nuts. While walking through the isles I was almost brought to tears because all that was there to eat was junk food. There are entire sections of the store dedicated to seasonal junk food and candy, and permanent sections dedicated to more junk food and candy. I wanted to yell, "where do I go if I want something cheap, nutritious and not covered in salt or preservatives?!" I found nuts, purchased 2 cans and a bottle of water and proceeded to eat half of a can before I made it home.

Unsalted nuts = travel food of the GULPer

Needless to say, dinner back at home was less than plated. I refried the black beans I had, mixed pepper with sour cream and dipped and ate right there from the counter. Hunger is something that I don't deal well with and GULPing makes it even more real because I can't just pick something up.

carrots + refried black beans + lots of curry + sour cream = Maxwell's hot curried bean dip

For someone who is attempting to eat as cheaply as possible and still be healthy, the food options are very limited. I spent $7.50 for 2 cans of nuts and a large bottle of water. I'm sure that could have bought a "value meal" at Burger King but would it have been worth it for my body to have to process that mystery food? I think not.

Day 9: The SAME Saturday

2010-01-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

The more I talk about this project the more I think I could do it forever. I've never been so motivated about anything like this. I have to remember though that this is only the end of week 1, with 3 more weeks to come so I need to keep my feet on the ground.
Brunch was sweet potatoes again because I am in love with them. The split peas were cooked the other day but definitely added the bit of body to the eggs that makes the whole meal more hearty. This was my first attempt at an apple "smoothy" and I think it went pretty well.

sweet breakfast chips
split peas + eggs
apple smoothy

After brunch I went to the SAME Cafe to talk to Libby and Brad about their restaurant (while I could not partake in their food, I have to say that they have some killer water!). SAME is located on Colfax at Vine Street and at 1:30, 30 minutes before closing time, it was hard to find a place to sit. Almost every seat was taken, even those on the patio (I love Colorado cause it was 40* and sunny today). The atmosphere is simple but clean and cozy with African Violets on each table, and an art show by a local photographer up on the walls.
SAME is "wonderfully different" in that they offer a menu with 2 soups, 2 salads, and 2 types of pizza but with NO PRICES! People are asked to give what they can, what they think that their meal was worth and if they cannot afford to give money, they are encouraged to work in the kitchen for 1 hour to pay off their meal.

Libby and Brad (the only 2 full time employees) purchase local produce from farms around the metro area and so 95% of what's on the menu is organic. They recycle, are wind powered, and offer biodegradable to-go containers.
The menu changes every day depending on what the farms have to offer, but every day there are vegetarian and vegan options. From 65% to 95% of the operating expenses for SAME are paid for from the donation box with the remainder coming from local donations and grants.
With an average of 95 people per day eating at SAME, the impact is huge on this community. Volunteerism at SAME is incredible, with 15 1-hour time slots being available every day from 10 to 3. The other hours of the day are spent prepping for service, outreach/marketing, or other community projects.

I'm sure I'll be back soon to eat and to spend time serving. Thanks for your time Libby and Brad!

Linner was among the best I've made recently; maybe all of this inspiration is coming through in my food!
The twice bakes potato was a bit dry but I added a bit of evoo, and it was tasty.
The carrots were to die for! The combination between the sweet sticky honey and spicey fragerant curry powder really made the dish sing. And what about the colors! When the carrots crunched in my mouth it felt bright orange. And again the 6 Bean Soup from WBP is always a good addition to round out the meal. I was hoping to try an apple dessert but got lazy and opted for honey water instead. I wish I had brought those honey roasted nuts I made the other day. :(

I'm house/dog/cat sitting for some friends this weekend and their dog, Cinder is the cutest. I also appreciate that there are white dishes so you can finally see the food without that intense red background like you're used to by now.

carrots + honey + curry powder + spinach
twice baked potato + spinach
WBP 6 Bean Soup + sour cream
water in the coolest elephant cup ever!

While I am house sitting, I get to pretend that I am a dog owner and that I live in Wash Park in a really sweet Victorian house. But the best part of house sitting is that I get to use modern appliances like the DISHWASHER! What a total luxury!!

It's pure heaven, I'm not gonna lie.

Day 8: Week 1 thoughts

2010-01-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to announce that my sour cream experiment worked perfectly! It is really thick and sticky so I may thin it out a bit with lemon juice. But I'm thrilled to have another condiment in my tool kit.

Sour cream

leftover water

I love sweet potatoes for breakfast. The sweet creaminess combined with the runny and savory egg is amazing. I will definitely eat this for breakfast after GULP because it is super! I wonder if all of this sweet potato and carrot will make my skin turn orange??

nuked sweet + 2 overeasy eggs + SOUR CREAM + s/p

granny smith apple

carrot juice

water + honey

Here is my bento for today. On a plate at lunch it looks like this.

black turtles + green split peas

fried sweet chips + honey roasted almonds

carrots + hummus

granny smith

My dear friend Jane made me dinner tonight. She doesn't consider herself a foodie but she is a supportive friend and it means to the world to me that she's cooking for me. The love that comes through a meal cooked by a real friend is priceless (take that Master Card!). Meaningful and joyful conversation with a person who gets why you GULP is a wonderful way to end this week 1. (Jane also has lovely antique flatware that is beyond cute!)

cranberry, red kidney, and fresh lima beans + carrots + green beans + curry powder + yogurt

mashed sweet potatoes + walnuts

lemon water

AND FOR DESSERT!!

braeburn apple + crushed pecans + honey

lightly fried

yogurt

It was heavenly.

++++++++++++ ++++++++++++ ++++++++++++

Week 1 Thoughts

This project allows me to flex my sociological theory muscles and I enjoy hearing people's reactions and feedback about it. Some people have the impression that the project is a weight loss or fitness regimen and while that may be true to a degree, it is (I hope obvious by now) not the central motivation for my choice. One person said, "You're eating what people ate during the potato famine" and that notion has stayed with me. I was doing more research last night in the 3 cookbooks that I have about potatoes and vegetarian meals and I discovered that some of the recipes that are GULPtastic are from around the world.

Knishes and Kugel - Jewish

Pommes Anna - French

Pierogi - Polish

Lefse - Norwegian

Gnocchi - Italian

Yorkshire pudding - English

Aloo Saag - Indian

So while I have to adapt to my self imposed limitations, these recipes demonstrate that cultures around the world have been using these simple limited ingredients to create tasty, nutritious, and sustainable meals for a long time. What's more is that they are so important to these cultures that they have been named and added to written records which enables them to be passed down through time!

Some people have questions about my GULP. Here are my answers:

Maria: You're right, maybe I should get a white GULP plate to photograph my food so the colors are balanced.

Ryan: My body is functioning normally, thanks. If you cook the beans properly they don't mess with you. It's a matter of respect.
Jane: Yes, I miss going to the bars with my friends.
Paul: No, I can't partake in Burrito Friday.

Laurel: No I don't crave anything (just yet anyway).

Dad: It's going well. Thanks for asking.
Court: I also got burned toasting those nuts, of course.
Everyone: Yes, I'd like you to send me recipes. Yes, I think that I could keep this up and "go veggie"

Jacque: my feelings about the food are this...

I am humbled to eat. The time and attention that has gone into each dish I create makes me cherish and savor every bite. That is NOT to say that I love every bite, but what matters is that I have a more personal relationship with the food now. I do not skip breakfast. I do not eat in the car. I do not rush through dinner so that I can do something else. I pay keen attention to the amount of time it takes to toast nuts which means that I see every shade of color change from light blond through chestnut. This leads to me tasting every flavor when I eat them. Which leads to me finding quick foods to be less meaningful.

I notice food everywhere in shop windows, billboards, bus stops, my desk, and realize that the American public is so wrapped up in consuming food and resources that it makes me nauseous (or is that the exhaust wafting up from the street? My sense of smell has also become more heightened because my diet now is very subtle (read: bland)). We consume food at a rate and by quantities that other nations can't come close to. We have little idea where our food comes from and what sorts of processes (chemical or labor) it has gone through to get to the plate. This is not a judgement, this is fact. When our grandparents call us self-centered and over indulgent they are right. Their generation learned to do without and do more with less and we have not learned these lessons because we are lucky. You do NOT NEED Arby's or Fogo de Chao but you have been enticed into eating there because you can afford it. I now abhor food adds just as much as I do clothes adds.

Ask yourself this:

What will we do when we can no longer afford to live like we do?

We will GULP.

For all of the people who don't have, I am proud to make the choice to do without.

Planting seeds

2010-01-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

Ann created GULP and I am grateful to her for being the brave and determined pioneer that she is. The idea is great and I am proud to say that her seeds of compassion, self awareness, and giving are growing in me and each of the people who read and follow my blog.

Here is Ann's 28 Day GULP blog- http://28daygulp.blogspot.com/2010/01/planting-seeds.html

Please watch this video from Ann about her GULP wrap up thoughts. She's amazing!

Day 7: One week down!

2010-01-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 25% progress into the GULP program and I'm still really excited about my discipline and inspired by the culinary possibilities!

My picture of breakfast didn't turn out (I have NO idea why!) but you can imagine the red bowl, my forearm, the kitchen floor and

[missing picture goes here]
nuked sweet + 2 boiled eggs + s/p
l'eau chaud

I put more black turtle beans in a bowl to soak so I could cook them tonight. I love black beans, they're my fav. With this batch (around 1 cup) I'll end up making refried beans and some kind of bean cake with yogurt. They're such a pretty and intense black color and I love their creamy texture (is it lunchtime yet).

I pack my lunch every day, whether or not it's a GULP day. Here is my bento box, that I love, with my lunch packed and ready to roll (yes all of my kitchen stuff is red, what of it!?). Such cute little gold bunnies on the top! Who wouldn't eat a lunch packaged like this!

Here is what it looks like on a plate instead of the box.

twice baked potatoes + spinach + evoo

black turtle beans

freezer burned edamame

I had my two office guinea pigs (Trevor and Paul) try the twice baked potato. They both said,

"wow, that is so good!"

My daily afternoon coffee ritual has morphed into a hot water + honey break but what matters most about it is that I 1) get out of the office to get my body moving and 2) that I get to meet and catch up with friends. Not that I get a super sugary, caffeinated, fatty, decadent coffee drink that costs too much and doesn't last. These are the lessons I'm learning. The lack of coffee/tea also means that there is no afternoon caffeine boost, so getting enough sleep is becoming important to my overall performance.

Then we celebrated Jen's Birthday and I was not swayed by the Apple, Berry, and Cherry crumbles, although it looked and smelled absolutely fabulous.

A: Apple, B: Berry, C: Cherry S: Seyan

instead I opted for crumbles of another sort from my handy dandy reusable snack pack from Talulah Jones.

Dinner was like Fish n' Chips! I had to laugh at myself for making such a funny comparison.

Fried sweets + carrots (with the chickpea flour)
new potato chips

spinach salad + evoo + s/p

yogurt + lemon +p dipping sauce.

So I found a recipe online for making sour cream from yogurt, and I'm a sucker for sour cream so I decided to try it. By putting the yogurt in a cloth and letting the liquid drip out over night I should be left with a more concentrated thing.

Making sour cream by draining the liquid from yogurt.

And I decided to make more honey roasted nuts since I'm out and they're the closest thing I get to GULP dessert. When toasting nuts it's important to go "LOW AND SLOW" and to stir them constantly so that you don't burn them. They made my apartment smell so incredibly wonderful I almost started giggling.n After toasting them I laid them out to cool so then I could put them in a jar into the freezer.

Almonds + peanuts + cashews + honey + salt

And I finally bought ramekins and VANILLA BEANS... any idea what I want to try to make with these??

Day 6: Chillyness

2010-01-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

TODAY IS NATIONAL BEAN DAY!! What an amazing coincidence!!

Breakfast was warm and satisfying.

**Note: The curious kitty was company for breakfast. Although her nickname is Beans, she is not considered part of the GULP nutrition plan. :)

remaining curried mashed russets + boiled egg + s/p

yogurt + applesauce (swag)

carrot juice!

sister inspired hot water + honey

And while the snow falls sideways I had lunch at my desk.

WBP 6 Bean Soup

sweets and new chips (variety of crispy and jerky)

applesauce

**Note: The office pet Spidey is not part of the GULP nutrition plan but he makes my desk pretty and keep me company while I work. The headphones were playing Regina Spektor, who rules.

Women's Bean Project 6 Bean Soup.

This is the soup I began soaking yesterday morning and cooked for 3 hours last night.The black turtle beans turn the broth and the lighter beans black but I think it's still pretty cause I love black and black beans. This soup is less soupy than what the recipe calls for but it is very hearty and tasty and perfect on this "really friggin cold!" day (that's you Laurel). My tongue appreciates the different colors and textures. I wonder if my tongue can tell colors.

Dinner was warm and satisfying for sure.

yukon golds + yogurt + spinach

carrot spears + hummus

aqua

Now I know why they tell you to never use canned beans. In the course of the last week I made hummus from both canned and fresh garbanzo beans and you can definitely taste a huge difference! The canned beans taste metallic and vinegary while the fresh beans taste... well, amazing!

Day 5: Settling in

2010-01-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

It's a Tuesday and all is well in GULP land. Breakfast was good but not thrilling.

applesauce + walnuts

2 scrambled eggs +garbanzos + wilted spinach + yogurt

sister approved water + lemon + honey

I began soaking the beans from the Women's Bean Project to make soup tonight. The packaging is really simple but highlights the variety of shapes, colors and textures of the beans and peas themselves. Please disregard my fat finger in this picture. (Thanks for the salt holder, Court!)

At work life is hectic so lunch lasted 10 minutes. Here's what I scarfed down in that time.

fried goodness (sweets and carrots)

curried mashed russets

hummus

golden delicious

water (not pictured here)

Dinner was pretty relaxing. With some good reading material and a bit of the Food Network I'm a happy camper. The recipe I was looking into was a soup made from potatoes, fava beans, yogurt, and curry. I'll end up making it eventually.

remaining red lentil + yellow/green split peas + black/garbanzos + yogurt

gala + blueberry honey from AK (thanks Court!)

water

My favorite show, "Good Eats" was focused on peanuts if you can believe it! What a perfect coincidence. If I can find any raw Virginia peanuts I'm going to boil them just cause. Paul, do you know where your brother got his??

Meanwhile... I rinsed the soaking beans and put them on to boil. I need something for lunch tomorrow and these take 3 hours to cook so waiting is NOT an option.

WBP 6 Bean soup - post soak, pre cook

** so beautious **

It's supposed to get really cold so having soup tomorrow will be great. How about some chips to go with it and a side of apple sauce since I'm out of apples (again). Some nuts for an afternoon snack and I should be set.

Day 4: Working and Digging DUG

2010-01-04T12:22:00.001-08:00

First workday of 2010 and what do I have to start off?

2 eggs + garbanzos + spinach + sweet/new hashbrowns

applesauce!

super fab hot water

Then I got to go meet Abbie at the Denver Urban Gardens office for a chat about what they do. I had no idea that DUG was so far reaching. This year they will celebrate their 25th Anniversary and will begin their 100th garden! There are hundreds of gardeners who benefit from the program and innumerable people who benefit from the work that volunteers do in the 95 gardens around the city.

I learned that my $300 could provide free seed and transplants to "a lot" of families or perhaps buy 3/5 of a share of the Delaney Farm Community Sponsored Agriculture project to go to a family or organization in need.

There are so many ways to give with DUG that I'll need to take some time to research how I would like to contribute.

After my meeting with Abbie I had lunch which was very hearty and satisfying and kept me going all afternoon.

curried red lentils + green/yellow split peas = soupy

gala

Bull and Bush water (just for you Traci)

(yes that is a spork, thanks to Raquel)

No, I did not succumb to the office sabotage but I do appreciate the kisses!

Dinner was not exciting enough to photograph and happen over the case of an hour. By the time I got home I was so hungry that I had a dinner ala kitchen countertop, in true single girl fashion.

[insert imagined pictures here]

yellow delicious apple + almond butter

fried goodies + peppered yogurt

boiled egg + sea salt

I finally have enough groceries so I feel like I can walk into my kitchen, peruse my supplies and whip something up without hours of planning. I also feel like I have a firm grasp on the appropriate combinations (carrots are often listed with cashews in recipes, and apples with potatoes), and cooking techniques so that I can be creative with what I've got. My favorite tools are Mandoline (duh), potato smasher, slotted spaghetti spoon, and potato ricer (thanks Jane!)

It occurs to me that when you have ingredients that are either 1) expensive or 2) in limited supply, you treat them with care and will eat whatever you make with them. In the book, "Soul of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman (Thanks Beezy!) there are two passages that describe this phenomenon,

"...he learned the care of ingredients there while prepping asparagus that the restaurant had paid eleven dollars a pound for. After that you'll take the same care with asparagus that costs one dollar a pound."

and

"When you take thirty minutes to chop shallots you make sure they're used properly."

With the overabundance of ingredients in the way of produce that is out of season and imported from across the globe, or bought in outrageous quantities at Sam's Club, with limitless access to 24-hour grocery stores, we have become careless with what we buy and how we use it. This project has reminded me that the time you put into creating a meal is equal to the amount of satisfaction you get from consuming it. It's no wonder then that the recipes that work best for the ingredients I'm limited to come from those areas where people's access to a wide variety or abundant supply of food is scarce. I hope I do them justice.

Women's Bean Project pulls ahead in the poll!

2010-01-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

If you ever had any doubts about the power of social networking, today you can rest assured knowing that it actually works.

The Women's Bean Project posted on their Facebook page about my GULP and I couldn't be more thrilled to see people's feedback.

Between my meeting with Diana on Thursday and this posting,

the votes for WBP have DOUBLED!!

You can view the Women's Bean Project Facebook page here.

Today I'll meet with Abbie at the Denver Urban Gardens and I'm eager to hear what she has to tell me.