The New Journey

I recently started a new program with the Metabolic Research Center that is teaching me tricks on how to eat healthier. It's a lifestyle change for me, one that takes some getting used to, but I'm already seeing some great benefits from it after only being on it for 6 days. I started last Sunday with the "Preconditioning" phase, which pretty much means learning how to discipline myself around food and most likely to help get all the nasty toxins out of my body that years of fast food, junk food, and otherwise unhealthy fare has deposited there. After only 6 days, I have more energy, I've lost almost 6 pounds, and I've got motivation to keep moving forward.

I can't say this new direction hasn't been without a few bumps. I could definitely feel my body resisting when I first began the program. After all, I had been used to stuffing myself silly, and now, I usually feel empty between meals. I'm not necessarily hungry, but the habit of overeating all these years has left me feeling like if I don't feel full then I must be hungry. Also, the amount of water I have to drink is quite daunting. I have to put back 96 ounces a day. That's 3 quarts! At first, it was definitely challenging, but now I've got it down to a science: 1 quart in the morning, 1 quart in the afternoon, and 1 quart in the evening. This has been easy at work. I just hope I can keep up over the weekend as my first one is looming ahead. That impulse purchase of those quart-sized pitchers from ABC Distributing is definitely coming in handy now.

But all the little setbacks are going to be worth it in the end. I'll have a new me with a better ability to cook nutritious meals for my family.

That's what this blog is about: my new cooking style. On this program, I have a list of foods I can have, and I'm told how much from each food group to consume at meals. So, since I already love to cook, this is a new, exciting challenge for me. It's like my own version of "Chopped", except I get to choose the 4 ingredients instead of pulling them willy-nilly from a basket.

Recipe Random will be just that: random recipes that I create while staying in the confines of my new meal plan. I've already had some interesting dishes come about from this initial phase. I've learned that melba toast doesn't really make a good breading without some sort of binder like eggs. I've learned that ground up oranges aren't really a substitute for the sticky sweet sauce I love on Chinese dishes. I've learned that cabbage cut into ribbons tastes fine but doesn't really kill a pasta craving. But even with those drawbacks, I've had some pretty good successes, and this will be my archive of those successes. If anyone is out there reading this, I hope you enjoy these recipes. And if not, I'll enjoy having a way to come back and find them as I continue onward.