Moved on to greener pastures

GUE has opted for sleeker look and moved on to a nicer platform with tumblr, as well as a slightly newer and friendlier format.

You may find us at our new home address: http://growingupeating.tumblr.com

hope to see you soon!

Culinary Art

So while browsing through the Fall 09 issue of Gastronomica, I came across an awesome article on Pauline Baynes. You may not recognize the name, though you should since she is responsible for the original illustrations in the Narnia series as well as being involved with Tolkien on some of his non-LOTR works.

Apparently she was involved in food projects illustrating cookbooks and her art adds on to the classic feel of the old cookery texts.

Pauline Baynes (1922–2008), best known as the ‘Narnia’ artist, had also illustrated three cookbooks: Recipes from an Old Farmhouse by Alison Uttley (1966), Kitchen Essays by Lady Jekyll (1968), and The Times Cookery Book by Katie Stewart (1972). [via Too Many Books...]

Being a closeted illustrator/artist, looking at these pieces, the very intricate and elaborate works, definitely surges inspiration in picking up the sketch pad again. Mainly, though, this points me a step closer to finding the illustrated swine butcher chart that I will need as a base design for my permanent skin work to be done at some point this decade.

Photo Lost

So it seems blogger has decided to stop hosting a lot of the photos I had uploaded and hence you will find several posts with missing images. I would try to fix it, but as you may have noticed I barely have time to keep up with posts, much less back editing.

For now, enjoy the following image and hope that it holds together any voids you may feel created while sifting through GUE.

2010: Space Odyssey

So 2010 is nothing like the entertainment industry had led me to believe. No flying cars. No regular trips to outer space for business meetings. Most definitely no crazy Barbarella looking girls bearing tons of skin trying to save me from extraterrestrial world domination.

2010, however, appears to be a year of renewal, soul cleansing, and brain-reconstruction (in an effort to sway from the usual self-destruct mode).
A lot went on in 2009 that showed me who I was and where I am and what I want and most definitely what I don't. Things that inspired me to be better and reach new heights and things that inspired me to innovate and break patterns.

Towards the end of the year I met a few people with whom I've been able to share life stories of myself, the family's circus-like rollercoaster, and my culinary inclinations, explorations, and discoveries. A thing that has sparked interest within me to retake this blog back to its roots and continue on retracing my lineage. Genealogical, Academic, Professional, and in the way everything all ties together through the personal, inter-personal, emotional, spiritual, and over all mind-bending.

A lot of adventures have taken place that GUE has yet to recant and with thsi post I intend to sort of attempt at a domino effect of posts to relay the recent happenings.

Hope all of you get what you want in this coming year, I know I'm working my ass off to get what I want and I intend on getting it.

Happy New Year from GUE!

Trial and Error

Well, needless to say the 66 Day Challenge didn't quite make it past the 5 day mark. A lot of stuff has been going on in my life that has more than prevented me from maintaining any kind of discipline. Time constraints, money constraints, life constraints. In any event. A lot of things have been going right! Although the tempest was making the skies of opportunity dim, a lot of things went on that have opened up doors and new sets of inspiration. So I'll put up my best efforts to keep this updated. also, trying to bring back the biographical timeline since Hopefully I figured out a way to get my scanner running again. Anyways. I'll be back! Life is getting hiot and exciting again!

Day 5

Kinda what I feel like right now.

'Tis friday, no less. Few things going on, which are very inviting, but I'm trying to maintian my compulsion to go destroy my insides and brian cells by way of overpriced liquids in an effort to deal, or not deal rather.

Work has been crazy busy the last couple of days, which is good, since it's kept my head out of the gutter where it would otherwise be. Been staying late, and leaving work late seems to be good for time-killing.

Meal plan for friday, also has not really worked out as planned. First breakfast was thrown out the window by the kind people of Washington Metro who ruined my life by making me arrive to work significantly over my start time. Followed by a surge of inner depression caused by...let's say, the weather. Which compelled me to go get myself a ridiculous bowl of pho, which I ended up picking up as carry out and eating at a bagel restaurant, where all I wanted was to stuff myself with 35 sesame bagels with jalapeño cream cheese. My chicken pho was a good option though, as well as a treat.


Today's meal plan was a little too ambitious, and more so as time has progressed from the beginning of the week till now.

Day 5
Breakfast - none
6 oz juice
Western 1 egg omelette
Decaf coffee/tea
Snack
Turkey Rollups - none
2tbsp cilantro mayo
Lunch - chicken pho
Gazpacho
Grilled turkey burger (half bun)
Tossed salad
Sugar free Jello/apple/pear for dessert (choose one)
Snack
Cucumber rounds with babaganoush - none
Dinner - i have a feeling it is not going to be anywhere near what I had planned.
Balsamic Chicken
Sautted tomatoes and onions
Steamed Spinach
Tossed Salad
Dessert
sugar free pudding cup/sugar free fudgesicle

there will not be any gym tonight, but most definitely so tomorrow and sunday.

Money spent thus far: $12
Balance left: $10.00 (maybe a six pack of something cheap and I'm out of comission till next Monday)

Day 4

Things are not very stable right now, so I'm holding on to this in need of a constant, although I really don't want to. Nothing would make me feel better than a piece of pie, some ice cream, a slice of cheese, and some baked ziti from Tony's.

I need to focus my energies on something else though and not let things affect me as much as they are. Today was another day where keeping food in check was difficult and I slightly faltered at night. I'll just have to keep on keeping on.

Day 4
Breakfast
6 oz juice - none
1 egg florentine - none
2 slices canadian bacon or turkey bacon - none
Decaf coffee/tea - none
Snack
Baby carrots or celery w/ laughing cow cheese - none
Lunch
Shrimp Salad with Herb Dill dressing - grilled chicken ceasar salad
Sugar free Jello/apple/pear for dessert (choose one) - none
Snack
10 cherry tomatoes with fat free feta (or low fat cottage cheese) - cheesestick
Dinner
Broiled Sirloin/Chicken - Cheese quesadilla and half a bean burrito - i felt severely ill afterwards
Steamed Broccoli - none
Broiled tomatoes/jalapenos - none
Mashed cauliflower potatoes - none
Dessert
sugar free pudding cup/sugar free fudgesicle - none

Money spent today: $15.00
Balance left: $22.00

The gym was bust again today. But Saturday and Sunday I plan on hitting it hard.
I have a feeling Friday is going to be pretty insane.

Day 3

When life throws curve balls your way, it tends to get difficult to maintain a new discipline, especially when you're your first week in. The plan comes to a certain stage of arrested development. Fortunately, I've had nothing but time to focus on me and how I'm going to make this work. I've dodged birthday cakes, chocolate gifts, and heavy drinking. omg. Heavy drinking. How i miss thee.

Although I had set a meal plan for the rest of the week, I haven't been able to eat as I planned, but have tried my best to use it as a guide to plan on what I ingest.

Day 3
Breakfast
6 oz juice - none
I egg asparragus/mushroom omelette w/ 2 oz part skim mozz - 1 hard boiled egg
Decaf coffee/tea - coffee
Snack
Baby carrots or celery w/ laughing cow cheese - none
Lunch
Chef's Salad - hummus, feta, cherry tomatoes, and avocado, with pita squares
Olive oil and vengar dressing - - none
Sugar free Jello/apple/pear for dessert (choose one) - none
Snack
10 cherry tomatoes with fat free feta (or low fat cottage cheese)- none
Dinner
Baked tilapia in scallion ginger sauce - none
1 small whole wheat roll or wheat pita (if bread wanted)- none
Steamed snow peas - none
Mashed cauliflower potatoes - none
Dessert
sugar free pudding cup/sugar free fudgesicle - sugar free pudding

No gym today, but life indeed is starting to give me a work out.

Money spent today: $13.00
Balance left: $37.00

Day 2

Ok, so day 1 was interesting. Spent about half of my $100 weekly budget on groceries, which brings me to my dilemma. Are groceries to be counted as fixed expenses? I mean, we have to eat no? In any event some of the stuff I bought will probably last longer than a week, hence making it cheaper next time I go. Hypothetically.

We ended up doing really well on our eating, following the meal plan as closely as possible. And crushed 1 hour at the gym no problem.

Today is day 2 - the challenge continues.


************************
Day 2
***update***

Breakfast

6 oz juice - done
1 egg (hard boiled or scrambled) - done
1 tortilla/slice of toast - done
2 slices canadian bacon or turkey bacon - done
Decaf coffee/tea - done

Snack

Turkey Rollups - done
2tbsp cilantro mayo

Lunch

Tuna chopped salad - Grilled chipotle chicken chopped salad
Sugar free Jello/apple/pear for dessert (choose one) - done


Snack

Baby carrots or celery w/ laughing cow cheese - cheese stick

Dinner

Baked Chicken breast - grilled veracruz salmon tacos
1 small whole wheat roll or wheat pita (if bread wanted)
Steamed broccoli
Tossed salad (mixed greens/cucumbers/green peppers/cherry tomatoes)
Olive oil and vinegar dressing



Dessert

Jello cup

Day 1

I've transferred all my money out of my ING Checking account and into savings., leaving only a little over a $100 (to avoid any inadvertent overages). These $100 will have to go until Sunday night. !!!

For the mealplans, I borrowed the SBD format and modified it to fit my needs. I will track progress by adding an update to this post at the end of the day.

**************************
**UPDATE**
Here's how the eating actually turned out -

Today's meal plan:

Day 1

Breakfast

6 oz juice - Mango Juice
1 scrambled egg w/ 1 tortilla - 1 poached egg w/ 1 tortilla
Decaf coffee/tea - coffee

Snack

1 Part skim mozz cheese stick - check

Lunch

Grilled chicken breast salad - Rotisserie chicken salad w/
w/ low sugar balsamic vinaigrette - oil & vinegar
Sugar free Jello/apple/pear for dessert (choose one) - none

Snack

Baby carrots or celery w/ laughing cow cheese - cheese stick

Dinner

Grilled fish (salmon/tilaps/mahi mahi) lemon and rosemary - baked lemon salmon
1 small whole wheat roll or wheat pita (if bread wanted)
Steamed asparragus - check
Tossed salad (mixed greens/cucumbers/green peppers/cherry tomatoes) - steamed brocc and cauliflower
Olive oil and vinegar dressing - none


Dessert

Sugar free jello/pudding - OMG YES!

Gym:

1 hour of cardio at the gym. - Done