Better Than Betty || Hit 'Em With The Flex

I, Karla With a K, am what you may call a Flexitarian. While the word sounds like something I just made up off of the fly, sadly I must admit that I'm not that witty. I've been dabbling in the world of vegetarianism for about two years now. I went 6-8 months straight vegetarian. But...then I had a craving for ribs and fried chicken and that went out the window. Before that I did a semi-vegetarian state where I ate vegetarian during the week and had meat (if I chose) on the weekends.

That's where I am now. It works for me and I've already slimmed out and feel less bloated after two weeks of going back at it. That could also be contributed to me being sick and not really eating for a week, but I digress. So you're probably asking yourself "Man, I wonder what she eats if she's not eating meat and what not."

Well... a lot of things. As you may or may not know, I tend to go through food phases where I get hoooked on one thing and go all in until I can't stand the sight, taste, or smell of it for a while. Right now my current obsession is sprouts. The brussel variety. Yup. I, Karla With a K, have an obsession with brussel sprouts. In fact, my dinner last night consisted entirely of roasted brussel sprouts. As well as my dinner last Thursday, Wednesday, and Tuesday.

But when I'm not eating brussel sprouts I eat pretty much everything else. Just not meat. Here's a breakdown of what I normally eat during the week.

Breakfast:

• Yogurt and Granola (my previous obsession. I ended up taking a break for about a month from it because I was getting sick of it but now it's back in the roatation.)
• Eggs/ Omlet with spinach and mushrooms (no, I do not count eggs as a meat. I follow the ovo-lacto vegetarian "guidelines" hence the dairy and eggs. Don't hate.)
• Granola Bar

Lunch/ Dinner:

• Soup: Black Bean, Tomato, Country Vegetable, Miso, Cabbage. I don't discriminate with soups. I love them all.
• Salad with black beans, kidney beans, corn, onions, tomatos, raspberry vinegar and olive oil
• Pizza/Pasta
• Sushi (noms)
• Brussel Sprouts
• Chips and Salsa
• Or whatever is around the house

Nothing special honestly. And nothing super fantastic, besides the brussel sprouts. Honestly, please go get some brussel sprouts and try them. Simply toss in olive oil, bake in a toaster oven at 375 for about 10 minutes until the top layer gets crispy, sprinkle with salt and pepper or whatever seasoning you're in the mood for, and enjoy. Seriously, if you don't like them, you're weird.

Until next time...

The 40 Day Diet

[Disclaimer: Religion is one of those things that gets people's panties in a huge bunch. These words below, and this entire blog, are my thoughts. Hate them, love them, they are mine that I choose to share with you. I mean no harm and hope not to offend. But if I do, please respond with care.]

Today is Wednesday. Also known as Hump Day. It just so happens to be the Wednesday that falls after the gluttonous holiday of Fat Tuesday, so you know what that means? Today is Ash Wednesday. Also the beginning of what seems to be the infamous "40 Day Diet" aka Lent.

For those of you who know understand the correlation, let me explain. Lent lasts 40 days and 40 nights. While it's original purpose was for the parishioners to get closer to God through a "preparation of the believer". This period consisted of prayer, of course, repenting sins, selfless giving to others for a religious purpose or rite and self-denial aka fasting. Fast forward some years (many) and Lent has been generalized as a period of time when giving up fats and sweets is the norm. Hence what I like to call the 40 Day Diet.

[EDIT: It was brought to my attention by a reader that it seems as though I was thinking Ash Wednesday being preceded by Fat Tuesday was some sort of coincidence. Wrong. I'm completely aware of the connection between Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Simply put? Feast before fast. Carry on.]

How did everything change from worshipping and preparing for Easter to not eating fried foods?

Don't get me wrong. I myself have participated in many 40 Day Diets and remember giving up meat (last year), fried foods (the year before), and chocolate (a year in high school while I worked at a candy store). So I'm not knocking everyone who decided to give up facebook, coffee, sodas, fried foods or what have you. I'm just trying to figure out where things went awry. And why are we so focused on giving up things when Lent is supposed to involve many other aspects? I don't know, the whole giving to others thing strikes me as something that's worthy of participating in for 40 days and 40 nights. But that's just me. Maybe I'm the crazy one.

I remember a few years ago the thing I was "giving up" for Lent fell in line with this. I gave up my money. Now before you come after me with pitchforks or flip your desk over in confusion, let me explain myself. When people asked for donations, I gave them donations. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. In those 40 days I probably donated a total of $100 but I got so much more out of it. I helped people. Lots of people and organizations and foundations. I even gave $10 to a homeless man and his daughter who were begging for food. Were they really homeless? That's not for me to decide but for the one that they answer to at the end of the day. But before I start rambling, I'll wrap this bitty up.

If you're going to participate in Lent (and that's not for me to decide for you. I truly, could care less if you do or not), think about giving up something that will help someone else. Not as a way for you to fit into your bathing suit in a few months. Helping others is just as much as a way to better yourself as reducing your calories.

Oh. And it probably wouldn't hurt if you went and repented for those sins that you've done. You know... Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, every Friday night? But again. I don't judge. It's not my place.

Until next time...