Carbs? Who needs Carbs? ~ Vida Bonita

Who needs carbs? This girl. I would require a medical statement from a doctor stating the absolute and dire necessity that I eliminate carbohydrates from my diet before I would ever consider it. I like carbs. They make me happy. Seriously, I'm grumpy with out them. I also can't wrap my head around the idea of eating endless amounts of bacon and cheese and that being good for me without consequences. I'm not knocking low carb diets, I've seen them work (temporarily) for people and to each his own, but they're just not for me.

BUT I did tell you about my new year's resolution to eliminate simple carbohydrates. I gotta tell ya, so far so good. At first I struggled because I wasn't sure what to eat and I didn't have a lot of time to plan out my meals. I made a little trip down to Whole Foods on my lunch break the other day and picked up a few things that will satisfy my need for carbs, the good kind. I got some 100% whole wheat bread to make sandwiches. I also got some whole wheat pasta. I picked up some other odds and ends because I really like that store. It is the best smelling grocery store that I have ever been in.

I also found this yogurt that I am kind of in to. The brand is Siggi's. It's organic, non fat, has 120 calories and 16 grams of protein. It is a little thicker than a traditional say, Yoplait yogurt, but I think I can get used to it. It was on sale and I had a coupon, so it's about $1 each. Yoplait is usually about $.50 each so it's more expensive, but probably more than twice the nutrition benefits. A lot of people are all over the Greek yogurt craze. I haven't been able to jump on board yet. It's more expensive and I think it tastes bad. I also made the mistake of getting the plain kind and didn't add any type of flavoring or fruit to it and I guess that's a novice mistake in the Greek yogurt world. It's not bad in a smoothie though. It changes the consistency a little bit, but I can handle that.

Whole foods is a cool store but I always feel like such an idiot in there because I go by myself and I really have no idea what I'm doing. They do things differently than traditional grocery stores. I'm a big fan of the buying in bulk section, but it's almost ironic to call it the bulk section because I buy such tiny quantities. I highly recommend trying out some Quinoa in the bulk section because it's really good for you and there's a lot you can do with it and it's cheap. It's currently my experimental ingredient of choice. They also allow you to buy spices in tiny quantities which is cool because I'm usually cooking for one (my parents don't like the random weird things that I try to make). Spices are expensive! One time I tried to buy some Oregano and I got such a small amount that it wouldn't register on the scale so they just gave it to me. I was willing to pay the $0.12!

Anyway, back to simple carbohydrates. I'm doing alright so far. Just planning ahead and bringing my lunch like I normally do anyway. We only have subway and some little burger cafe on campus and I can only eat so many sandwiches. AND I don't think Subway has the kind of bread I am looking for. I like a good salad, but not every single solitary day. It also concerns me that the chicken at Subway always looks exactly the same. Makes me think it's fake food. Just being honest.

Here's the part where this simple carbs gets tricky though. Tomorrow morning I will jump on a plane and go see my beloved. (Ha ha I promise to never say "beloved" again I wanted to see if I could make it work). Well this man of mine really has no concept of diet, nutrition, or restrain. He's one of those annoying people that have been really thin their entire life no matter what they eat. AND HE'S A REPUBLICAN! Just had to throw out the things I don't like about him. Although he's probably going to register into the Party of Shanna before too long. We could be the Party of Matt & Shanna. The name isn't important. Maybe we'll make up a new name. Like the Party of .... well never mind I couldn't think of anything that wasn't offensive. So all that nonsense being said I'm a little nervous about this weekend. Matt tempts me with things I shouldn't eat all the time. I told him that I'm giving up beer until the wedding (going strong since September!) so he has offered me beer at least 2938 times since then. Why??? WHY!??! Because he's a punk. That's why. There has been exactly 1 occasion when I have visited Matt and came back weighing less than or equal to the amount that I left with.

So, I'll let you know it goes. I would hate to break my New Years Resolution a mere 5 days after I start it.

Tonight it baby brother's homecoming (although he's a junior). Tomorrow I get to see my child. I will take pictures of all of these happy events and post soon!

Thanks for being a loyal reader. I think you're awesome. I hope my blog doesn't make you crazy. I hope you don't read my blog despite it making you crazy because that means that you're addicted to the punishment and I don't want that for you!

Oh- one last crazy thought. I just recently realized that I can see how many people read my blog (obviously not who specifically) and what country they read it from and all that good stuff. Turns out that someone from Alaska regularly reads my blog. I hope it's not Sarah Palin because that would be a horrible way for her to start her day. Or maybe I do hope it's Sarah Palin 'cause maybe she's learning a thing or two. If you see her on TV and she said something about conforming her policy "To the Party of Shanna Don't ya know!" we'll have our answer!