Vineyard Haven celebrated the 40th annual Tisbury Street Fair on Main Street tonight, on the 190th day of the year, with 175 left to go.
But who’s counting?
Yeah, that would be me.
Let me count the days and ways.
Tonight I veered in and out of the crowd, between the dunk tank, the face painting and the pony rides to count the temptations greeting me on the street.
1) My favorite kind of chocolate (Mocha from Mocha Motts – oh boy!)
2) Shoesfor summer (all strappy and fun!)
3) Dresses (on sale!)
4) Window dressings (how much is that coat in the window?)
I am proud to report I purchased nothing, nada, zilch.
But I admit, I felt the urge to splurge creep up inside me. It’s hard to quell the temptation of summer + street fair + 50% off sales.
Especially when Justin saw me eying a rack of clothes and mentioned he would buy one for me if I really wanted it. To which I promptly gasped, “that would be cheating!” (But secretly I love the fact that he offered.)
In the end I didn’t do it.
Which means, I did keep my promise.
And so can you — keep your promise — whatever that is.
Tomorrow I will tell you what I did purchase today…
a really yummy treat. Promise.
Today ends with a few things to celebrate around here:
1) I spent the afternoon in Starbucks and DID NOT order a Mocha!
2) Two of our favorite people in this world sold their house on different coasts on the same day! (and not to each other)
3) The best news of all, the Pup Report came back with no new news ~ which is good news!
All cause for celebration if you ask me.
Looks like our little guy will spend the next few weeks on bed rest in order to hopefully heal up and get well soon.
Our little Pup’s condition had me thinking hard over the last few days about how much good health is something to celebrate, nourish, and protect.
So here’s to your good health.
And here’s your Pop Quiz: How do you want to celebrate your good health? What do you want to keep doing? What do you want to stop doing? What do you want to add in?
I hope you have a moment to ponder this too.
I’ll share my own answers tomorrow.
Today, I did something I never thought I would do:
I made 3 meals and stuck to it without snacking.
No coffee and no chocolate either!
I also bought dandelion greens.
Not really my choice, it was officially Day 1 of the Colorado Cleanse.
More about those dandy little weeds:
I always thought of dandelions as just weeds, and welcomed their yellow tops peeking through the sidewalks as a sign of Spring when I was a child. Of course the fun part was singing this song and then popping off the flowery yellow tops…
Mama had a baby and it’s head popped off!
Turns out the greens I bought at Whole Foods today are more like a distant relative to my childhood play things. Here’s more about dandelion greens if you are curious.
They will eventually go in a green smoothie this week or maybe a salad.
Haven’t decided yet.
I have decided this:
Just one day in to this cleanse and I realize I have erratic eating patterns.
It may be a blood sugar issue, it may be just a 3 pm crash, but I know this ~ that is precisely when I crave sweets, specifically a square of dark chocolate, or even better a hot mocha.
Jamie did a cleanse and her head popped off!
So, it was today, at 3pm, I indeed thought my head was going to pop off.
What’s the cure?
I don’t know …all I can do is drink water in between meals.
So, I spent half the afternoon in the bathroom.
Which brings me back to dandelions …did you know the plant name is commonly referred to as pissenlit in French or pissabed in English?
So it’s kind of ironic that I have been in the bathroom half the day, and I just now realize I have yet to take a shower.
Yeah, that’s, um …pretty gross.
Signing off, as I need to make my way to a cleansing!
Today was the last day of being “off” real life and officially “on” vacation.
Thus begins the last hurrah.
And how did I celebrate?
By reading a book.
A real book, not text on my Kindle, but rather, a soft-bound, made a of paper (what’s that you ask?) page turner.
It was assigned reading.
Homework, actually.
Because on Wednesday I begin Day 1 of Spring Cleaning.
And, by the word “I” of course, I mean “we”… Meaning Justin and me.
It’s the Colorado Cleanse from Dr. John Douillard.
And it’s a way to Spring Clean from the inside out.
Kind of ironic, since we have pretty much been in summer for the last year.
But anyhoo, seasonal semantics!
We are about to embark on a 2-week journey that promises to burn toxins, boost energy, move the lymphatic system, and officially send us into a deep detox to increase immunity and burn fat — and, yes, those last two words were the magic ones that spoke to me.
It is actually part of The Promise 365. This year, as I invest in my head, heart, body & soul, I am committed to shifting my time and energy away from acquiring “stuff” and adorning my body and instead “doing” more to propel this body forward.
So spring cleaning here I come!
I am up for the challenge.
I read the book.
I am all in.
I am ready to go.
Bring it on!
Except for one thing…
No coffee or chocolate for 2 weeks!
Are you kidding me?
I still have two days before “go” time…
and I am already planning a last hurrah mocha run in the morning.
I may have a culinary defect, but baby, can I can bake! Seriously. I began my adventures in baking as a little girl.
I pined for a Betty Crocker Easy Bake Oven.
Boy did I want one. Remember those commercials on TV?
My mother, Mama Sling, was an exceptional baker (and cooker for that matter).
She thought it was pure crazy that her daughter wanted a light bulb operated plastic oven. Especially, since there was a real oven in our house, located in the kitchen. Oh, yeah, the kitchen. Where’s that?
Click below if you want a little time warp commercial action. Light bulb not included.
I took to baking.
My specialty was of course the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the back of the NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip bag. Hey, a girl’s got to start somewhere.
Twenty years later, I am focused on being good to my head, heart, body and soul.
The Promise 365 has me finding relief for my sweet tooth without turning to a bag of NESTLÉ chocolates.
Because I can eat the whole yellow bag if given a chance.
Really. I can even eat a tub of raw cookie dough (Lisa and Laura, vouch for me here).
Imagine my delight at finding the Chewy Mocha Dream.
Ringing in at 56 calories and touting no flour, all I can say about these cookies is …yum.
Hello Mocha McDreamy!
The cookies are somewhere between a brownie and a cookie. They do get a little sticky but so worth the finger licking exercise.
If you find yourself in need of a mocha moment, here is the recipe from Clean Eating magazine’s February issue. I tried to find an online link to no avail, so my typed version is below. (If you want to buy the real issue head straight to your local doors closing Chapter 11 Borders, it will be 40% off.)
Tomorrow I will share more green smoothie adventures. But, let us keep our priorities straight: chocolate is way more important, your mocha dream is waiting…
CHEWY MOCHA DREAM chocolate walnut brownie cookies
makes 24 cookies
hands on time 15 min.
total time 35 to 39 min.
ingredients
six egg whites
pinch sea salt
3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (make sure instant)
one half teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ounce dark chocolate 70% cocoa or more chopped
1/2 cup chopped unsalted walnuts
instructions
line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
preheat oven to 350 degrees F
in large bowl beat egg whites with salt using electric beater until soft peaks form
gradually add cane juice and continue beating until stiff peaks form
add cocoa powder, espresso, vanilla, chocolate, and walnuts
mix until combined (no need to fold, mixture will lose some volume)
drop batter by rounded tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, dividing evenly
bake one cookie sheet at a time on oven’s middle rack for 10 to 12 min, per sheet, until cookies are no longer shiny
This morning I stopped at Panera to grab a mocha and a little work time before the lunch crowd arrived.
I started to order my usual Mocha, until I looked up at the calorie chart. Cafe Mocha = 380 Calories.
I scanned down to regular coffee. Coffee = 5 Calories.
The irony is, I ALREADY KNOW how many calories are in a mocha and regular coffee from my food marketing days. But, since I crave mocha, I usually order mocha.
Today, that looming calorie board stopped me in my tracks.
Actually, two voices stopped me in my head.
This week, I started reading two books** which have skyrocketed my awareness level:
Only been reading for two days now and they are in my head.
You are probably familiar with these authors. Both are New York Times Best Sellers, one a man, the other a woman, one a data cruncher, the other a spiritual leader.
Here’s my thinking — there can be no better way to get the “skinny” on the body system than these two thought leaders, coming at the issue from two different directions.
However, this morning while contemplating the mocha/coffee decision:
Marianne was softly saying to me:
“Your body is perfection. What fear has aroused the need of mocha for you?”
Tim on the other hand, was screaming:
“Check it out, dude! The coffee is only 5 calories.”
Guess which one I ordered?
You got it, plain, old, coffee.
I do like both, but the coffee weighed in at only 5 calories.
As I work through these books my goal is to findMYvoice in the process. Maybe I’ll meet them in the middle. Maybe I’ll go crazy trying to take it all in, ping ponging back and forth. Either way, I promise to report back.
Sometimes, awareness sucks. But, I am already feeling that the more I know in my head about what is actually going into my body feels pretty sweet.
**(thank you for the book recommendations Debbie Phillips and Rob Berkley!)
Which is why this “How To End Your Coffee Addiction” post by Food Renegade makes me sad. Or confused.
It’s not like I’m looking to end my coffee addiction. I very much enjoy it.
It is part of my daily routine.
Part of the comfort zone in my virtual office:
Macbook Pro – check! Green Notepad – check! Levenger Pen – check! Coffee Cup – check!
I don’t drink an exorbitant amount of coffee. Somewhere between 1 – 2 cups a day.
But, it does disturb me a little – the whole caffeine addiction/nutrient deficient theory. Especially since the other side of the fence promotes coffee as a superfood/antioxidant.
Food theories and diets change like the shirt on my back. What’s in? What’s out?
I was in the food marketing business long enough to know that food is a fad. Just like fashion has a shelf life so does the latest blueberry/kale/quinoa/ craze.
Here’s a trend I’m following this year…listening to my head, heart, body and soul.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll denounce caffeine in all forms. Maybe I’ll start eating raw coffee beans? Maybe I’ll drink mocha upside down while patting my head and rubbing my belly? Or is that rubbing my head and patting my belly?
Or maybe not. The jury is still out. I know this much is true — being more aware is a fun experiment. I highly recommend.
Click to make your own promise and receive a daily reminder and a little nudge (or kick in the pants!)
About Jamie
Hi, I'm Jamie. This blog started on January 1, 2011. ...because I made a promise to myself.
I did not purchase clothes or shoes or other frivolous things (things I love mind you) for an entire year and wrote about it every single day. For 365 Days. Now, I am on year three!
Year 2: Lovemore+Fearless
2012 sent me rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon where I slept next to scorpions. I tossed my old engagement ring in a fountain in Paris, and swam with sharks in the Bahamas. In the end, I learned more about LOVE than fear.
Year 3: Abundance
Part of my journey this year is to dive deep into abundance which includes giving away a gift a day. I hope you come along for the ride!
I do hope you join me in making promises and reaching your goals.
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