I braced myself from expanding my appetite for more more more by bringing juice to the office a couple times.  First a small, then a large tided me over till dinner.  But the one day I experiemented and purchased the same amount of fruits and vegetables as a cup of jugo costs and found I could get much more food.  In fact, I could get two days of fruit for a family of four.

That day I consumed 2 apples at lunch.  It was not enough, I felt hungry for 15 minuets.

Today I had 3 carrots and an apple, and it was just right.  I think I'll eat that combination until I turn orange around the edges.  No refrigeration necessary.  I was able to eat while pondering my work, and then had the mental clarity to really crank it out. 

I'm taking my inspiration from my kids who eat so little and have so much energy.  The paralegal was worried about me, but I say the problem is eating too much.  I say, stay hydrated, and eat your vegetables!

Going from dealing with food from the dirt up, to this new life is interesting.  I used to grow my own vegetables or at least get most of them at a local source.  I used to start most meals by chopping an onion...  Now, I heat up a starch, a protein, and a vegetable for most meals.  For breakfast, I line up three bowls of honey nut Cheerios with the only embellishment... a handful of frozen blueberries for nutrition.

I used to live in the country... 25 minuets away from any store.  Then a mini-store came in 10 minuets away, but I could avoid it easily.  Now I see food EVERYWHERE.  Good food, Great food.  The stuff that appeals to your medulla, it says eat me and you'll truly live today, and survive forever... this is what you need!! Hello Mexican Food.  Hello fried food.  Hello baked goodies and ice cream!!   

I feel my healthy tendencies melting away, and my energy level going down.  These food options appeal to my mind, but when they get in my mouth, I think.. this isn't as great as I remembered.  Then I have another piece, thinking it would recapture that magic. But I wasn't satisfied.  Too strange.

I'm going back to brown rice, vegetables, fruits, some protein, and tea. 

This is not unique.  I went to a frontier day and learned that most people in Texas 200 years ago lived on a tiny bit of food.  The mess kit displayed contained a bag of cornmeal and something to boil it in.

I can't continue my old time intensive ways of cooking, and I can't allow myself to be too friendly with the convenience foods in town. 

I think juicing, and bringing around vegetables for chomping is my best bet.  Because it's got be healthy, fast and inexpensive.  While husband required more meat, the kids and I really didn't miss the other stuff.

My biggest "cooking" discover after going back to work is... making homemade popsicles by layering frozen blueberries with unsweetened applesauce.  The kids love them, and it's good for them.          

Is it too late?

In a dark dusty bin, passed down to a family member, a bunch of recipe cards arrived.  The color scheme of the pictures, and the types of recipes made it clear, This is the taste of the 70s. 

My one year old son discovered them in the corner, and started tossing the cards into the air.  I decided it was harmless fun, and enjoyed thinking he was leaving his energy on the recipe cards, helping his top picks land on top. 

I thought, "Is it too late to do a Julia and Julia with these cards?"  Yes, probably so. 

Yet I did still make a cool carrot, spinach, rice, cheese casserole, that I'm certain would not land in a modern cookbook.  It was so good, that even my carrot adverse husband said it was good.  I also made crepes, and they have been a fun way to package up anything, including above mentioned casserole for my kiddos, and thus making them into a meal.  Brilliant!!  Thank you nameless 70's recipe card author.

Side note, I decided the mandolin is not worth the space in the kitchen.  Yes, I did slice the edge of my thumb off last week, even though I had 3 inches left on my zuccinii.  That's the reason I think the tool is not necessary...  I think you can do the cuts safely with a food processor, and that's a good thing.  Safety first!!