El Fin!

So, I made it to the end of my unprocessed week! I am disappointed in myself for being so loose with the rules at the end of the week and also for sort of getting sick of the blog. But fear not! I am back, and excited again. I decided that purely writing about my meals is not enough to keep me hooked (and if I can't even hold my own interest, how can I hold yours?!). I'm in Dallas this week, though, and really looking forward to staying true to my original blogging intentions: to write about life on the road. But first, of course, some closing remarks on the Unprocessed Foods Challenge of 2009.

Sunday I woke up with a very upset tummy after almost a full week of feeling great. Is it related to the fact that I spent all of the previous day ignoring the rules? Quite possibly! (See closing remarks.) I had a banana around 7:30 before meeting up with my mom for the RACE FOR THE CURE! It was a 5K walk/run, but I was able to convince my mom to come into the city so we walked it together. Probably smart because of the Freya Cough. We had some nice time to bond (right, Mama?), picked up some FREE Yoplait lemon parfaits in the free stuff section, and then went to Fig & Olive for brunch. That's when I probably could have followed the rules but decided I didn't feel like it. Bad bad. We split a poached egg/salmon/avocado thing and a lamb skewer panini. The egg dish was kind of cold, which was disappointing, but I really liked the lamb panini and the balsamic vinegar on the side salad. Fig & Olive is one of my FAVORITE restaurants for dinner, but I may not be running back brunch.

No pictures, because it's too embarrassing to do at restaurants.

But here are some pictures from the race! Before:


Almost at the end:


Post-yogurt:


I can't believe I'm saying this as someone who runs a lot, but walking that whole thing made me more sore than I think running it would have. It just involves being active for so much longer! So, Mom, you did good!

I ended up having a yogurt + peach + granola snack later on, and then I went to SHAKE SHACK for dinner with Alex, Amanda, and Katie to "break the fast"! I was just not in the mood for a burger, so I got the Shack-cago dog, dragged through the garden, of course. (No, I did NOT order it like that.) We shared some fries and a lot of delicious custard/ice cream for dessert. It was a really nice way to end the weekend and our week of eating unprocessedly, and to possibly even have brainstormed my new life passion/endeavor?

Also no pictures, but this time because we felt like pigs.

My closing remarks:
I actually kind of enjoyed the week. I like following rules, and it wasn't THAT hard once I got the hang of it. Things I craved but could not eat: bread, chocolate, sorbet, Berrywild, cereal. Things I was pleasantly surprised by: making my own granola, making salads/dressings, the magic of roasted vegetables, banana "soft serve" with almond butter, and really enjoying fresh fruit. And last but not least, I felt GREAT. I felt kind of light and comfortable, and I don't think it was psychological, but it's entirely possible. I will admit to not really feeling satisfied a lot of the time because I craved sweet things, but I did put honey on lots of my salads and yogurts (ok, fine, I ate some agave nectar by the spoonful. Don't judge). And that banana soft serve could be my choice dessert every night if I weren't too lazy to always wash the food processor. All in all, I found ways around the processed things without feeling TOO deprived, but definitely a little deprived. I hold that if I could have had chocolate, I would have been ok. And at the risk of sounding like I have a problem, I also realized I would have been really sad to give up alcohol all week. I don't drink much anymore, but there are nights when a drink is really JUST what I want. And I just mean a glass of wine or a beer, nothing else. I think wine is one of life's simple pleasures, and I wouldn't give that up permanently. I don't regret having some beer on Saturday.

And so, ladies (and gentlemen?), I rejoice that the week is over, but I am really glad I did it. I think that in making future choices about food, I will make an effort to eat unprocessed foods, but it won't rule every choice I make. For the time being, I am experimenting with going gluten-free, since I had essentially no wheat this week and felt really good. And that's the only major food that I think I cut out of my diet. I've been looking for a food culprit, since I'm often so uncomfortable after I eat, so I figure I might as well see. Wheat/gluten is not something I have ever tried to eliminate before. We shall see!

And so, I conclude the week of unprocessed eating, and I begin the week in Dallas! I realize I'm getting behind, but I plan to post Monday and Tuesday later tonight/tomorrow, with lots of insights into working in another state. I am now going back to my room to watch The Office on TBS, which is my Tuesday night event. Yippee!