Mini vacation...

We had a min vacation this week and took the 5 youngest of our children to Victoria. We stayed in a nice hotel and ate in great restaurants and saw movies on an IMAX screen and went to Butterfly World and did all that stuff you do with your kids on vacation (have fun and get mad - in equal amounts). What surprised me though, was that almost every place we ate at had gluten free alternatives. Even the Spaghetti Factory, a family favorite, had a gluten free menu for those who wanted the pasta without the problems. Amazing.

I assume this will be another fad, but I hope the restaurants keep the alternative choices when it fades. I can always find something else to eat - salads and grilled chicken or fish are healthy and available at most places I go to. Still, it's nice once in a while to indulge in a pasta or a bread without experiencing the after effects of decreased energy and decreased cognitive processing.

The thing I didn't do on vacation was exercise. I could have - the hotel had a perfectly nice workout room with lots of equipment. And, it was locate right beside the pool so I could have exercised and watched my kids swim at the same time. Oh well, I just didn't want to. The problem for me is - now that we know so much about the links between lack of exercise and dementia, I don't get the same satisfaction from laziness that I used to - now I just get stress, so at least I walked a lot and tomorrow I'll be back at the gym first thing in the morning. I'm even looking forward to it.

Hey, have your best day possible. Here's a recipe I like to make for lunch sometimes on the weekend. It doesn't take long to make and it's tasty and energizing.

Aduki Bean Stir Fry

1		Savoy cabbage
1	tbsp	olive oil
2		garlic cloves, sliced
1		fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
1		can of cooked organic Aduki beans
1	tbsp	Tamari (wheat free/gluten free soy sauce)
1	tbsp	coconut oil (melted)
1.	Remove the outer leaves of cabbage then quarter it and take out the core. Slice the rest of the cabbage into shreds then rinse it and drain well.
2.	Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan and lightly fry the garlic and ginger.
3.	Add the shredded cabbage to the wok and stir fry for about 5 minutes
4.	Add the aduki beans to the cabbage and stir fry until they are all thoroughly heated.
5.	Add the coconut oil and soy sauce and toss everything together then serve immediately.

I'm at that point in the wheatless and exercise thing where the novelty has worn off and I'm starting to have to drag myself to Curves. However, I do manage to drag myself and I have no intent on stopping - my couch potato days are over-. I'm sure part of my resolve is the energy I have from being mostly wheatless (I just can't give up my pita bread at my favorite Greek restaurant - but I only go there about once every couple of months, and yes, I know, I do avoidance and denial very well). Anyway, I persevere and I can see some lessening of me. Still no major weight loss, no one but me can see the difference.  I know I'm not imagining it, I will soon have to buy a size smaller in clothes. Yippity doo dah!

Another thing that keeps me exercising is the connection between lack of exercise and dementia. Obesity is also strongly connected to dementia and let's face it, fear is a great motivator and I have FEAR. So, I keep going to Curves and I keep mostly wheat free and I feel great. I can't wait for the gardening season to begin because I know I'll have way more energy to tackle my lovely garden this year than last and I feel the creative parts of my brain just itching to create some new garden beds.

I love chickpeas - I add them to anything I can. This recipe is a tasty and easy to make salad that's great for summer meals and lunch at the office.



Ingredients

30 ounces of drained and rinsed chickpeas
4 large tomatoes  - chopped and cored
4 hard boiled eggs - chopped and peeled (of course)
2 cups of any type of sweet onion -  I prefer the purple Vidalia
2/3 cup of melted coconut oil
6 tbsp of white wine vinegar
a shake of salt, but you can leave this out if you have high blood pressure or other salt avoidant conditions
a touch of pepper
something green for garnish - green onions, chives, or parsley are nice choices

Combine all of the chickpeas, the eggs, and the onions
Mix the other ingredients together and then pour them over the salad
Chill for a bit then serv