Collard Greens, not so bad, actually

I've been sick as a dog all week, so  the posting hasn't been going as well as I hoped.  The good news is that I somehow managed to lose 3.4 lbs last week.  This is one happy, happy girl.

Growing up in the south, I always thought that Collard Greens would be a food that I'd eventually have to face at my grandparents' house. After all, it appears to be a staple of the G.R.I.T.S. (girls raised in the south) diet.  Thankfully, my parents seemed to have the same aversion to the vegetable whose whole purpose seems to exist to stink up the house on New Years Day.  Therefore 3X years in, I was a complete Collard Greens virgin.

Then I went shopping.  Eager to try new things, I found myself agreeing to buy this imposing (and potentially stinky) vegetable with nary a clue about what I was going to do with it. The book offered a suggestion that I'd meant to try on New Year's Day (that would be the collard greens and black eyed peas soup).  That ultimately didn't happen due to a #beanfindingfail, but I was able to finally pull off the soup.

It was...interesting. The collards didn't stink up the house, exactly, but there was definite a need for hot sauce I wasn't anticipating.  Not that I don't mind hot sauce, but it's not exactly a go-to condiment for me.  In fact, the only two reasons I have hot sauces in the house are for scrambled eggs and buffalo chicken dip (both foods I can't eat anymore).

Plus, when you started considering that it was 8 points per serving, it seemed like a lot to go for a meal I wasn't completely in love with.

Still, I broke that hurdle.  The soup is out in the future, I think, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try something that has terrified me since I was a child. Little victories, right?

On the other hand, I was eating vegan Indian all week.  Well, except for that night I slipped and had to (HAD TO) go for chicken noodle.  I need to find an alternative, but I was too far gone that night, and there was no way I was going to make decisions.

One of the recipes I did pull off was this one...at a mere 6 points per serving, it's a downright bargain (though, I guess the brown rice does negate some of it).  It was fantastic, and I definitely see myself making gads of this over and over again!!  It's on the "company list" too since it was so easy. :)

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/yukon-gold-and-baby-spinach-masala/

The best laid plans...

The first thing, the very first thing that happened last night when I walked into my sister's house was her handing me a tray of meatballs (ww friendly, of course) and going, "Here do something with these."

At least I didn't eat meat after midnight.  The second that ball dropped, and Jenny McCarthy started making out with random servicemen, I grabbed the hummus and salsa for good and held on tight.  Even when my friend's husband offered me meatball after meatball, I persevered like a crack addict who knows that the next hit will kill her.

Then I went to bed.

But the mushrooms were amazing and the hummus and salsa that my date brought were awesome.  It's not that I didn't ultimately have options, it's just...you know what, forget it.  That was last year's problem.

This morning, when I woke up  -- completely not hungover and laughing at the fact that #WaffleHouse trending on Twitter -- I resolved to set the day right. I was going to use the Bayberry burn-time today to go through the cookbook, and figure out what I wanted to do with the things I had on hand and making the list of the few little things that I might need to round it all out.

Since it's New Year's Day, I figured the Southern-Style Beans and Rice Soup (pg. 155, 8pp if 4 servings; 5 if 6) would be perfect.  There would be black eyed peas for the start of the year, and the collard greens would be mixed into the broth, and it would be a perfect way to ease into the taste of a vegetable that, despite my southern upbringing, completely intimidates me.

Long story short, though, I couldn't find any black eyed peas.  Though I usually pick them up during Christmas week, that didn't happen this year.  And, let's just say that finding them on New Year's Day itself is a damn near-impossible prospect.  Oh forget the "near" part, it's downright not happening.

Oh well, the collard greens will keep for another day.  It's just an eye-opener though because I'm finding that I really don't have a clue what to do when things go south.  In the past, if I couldn't find what I needed for the recipe I was planning, I'd look at the basket, think through the contents of my fridge, and shift gears accordingly.  Trouble is, in the past, there were no restrictions.  Now that there are, it's a bit like showing up for a softball game and being told that you're going to play regulation football on the field instead.

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the first thing Alice encounters after she hits the rabbit hole is the DRINK ME bottle and the EAT ME cake.  Despite what happened to her after she followed the instructions, it would be nice to have signage like that, at least during these early days.

I know it'll get easier.  I hope that one day soon, I'll be standing at the grocers or the market, not seeing the ingredient I want and being able to adjust accordingly.  I just need to remind myself that not everything comes as easily as others.  Case in point: I'm a marathoner now, but I wasn't always.  When I first decided to take up running, I was thirty lbs overweight and slow as a drunk penguin.  It also took me three days to recover from a half.  I kept with it, though, and five years later, I think nothing of busting out a decently-paced half marathon distance after work and showing up at the office the next day.

But until I get to that point, I'll  be eternally grateful for marinara sauce, salads, and pre-mixed vegan Indian. :)