Sunday - Usual Beer Day

Today was a busy day at the cafe, I have one shift a week to keep my skills up and to spend time with fellow Phil & Sebastian employees.  When I got home I started making food for my week.  Almond butter, steel cut oats, random veg concoction for pasta.  I was going to have a beer as is custom during my lenten time, but I'm sitting here not really wanting a beer.  It's strange to wait all week for something, then when the time rolls around to have it, you don't really want it.  Anyways I will save it for next week and perhaps I will want it then.

Almond butter was a challenge today, so much patience was needed.  It took a very long time, but in the end the patience was worth it.  Though I did add a little too much salt to it, and alas it's a little salty.  It will be good for toast and cookies and the like.

One thing that is making this year a little harder than last year is the lack of black and white rules.  It's not just animal products, it's everything in a package.  Well almost everything.  Oil's and vinegars come it packages about 99% of the time, so they are allowed.  As are spices and condiments that are currently in my possession.  Or food that had been prepared a head of time that was from a package, or canned food that had been put up last summer/fall.  It's a little more to the persons discretion, but it's more challenging which is what I desired so I suppose I'm getting my wish.

At work today I tasted the new salad that we are serving, but it had mayonnaise as a base, and it was one of the stranger feelings in life to totally chew and taste something, then spit it out.  It's one thing to spit out a milk beverage after making sure it tastes alright, but to have food of substance and spit that out was very very odd.

And that was my last few days.

The Beginnings of Lent 2011

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Lenten Season of 2011.  I had a really rough Ash Wednesday culminating with the internets hating me and not working and not allowing me to post.  I was wound pretty tight as I was tired and had a pretty stressful day at work.  Today was a much better day, more balanced with regards to food and energy levels, but it's only 9 or so, and I'm already fading so I might need to catch up on some sleep before I tackle another day and another good amount of preparation.  Today I got some clarity as far as my goals and aspirations for the mental and spiritual side of Lent. One major theme I want to investigate is rest, how I rest, why it feels like my current ways of resting doesn't work, and how I can remedy this.  

A few weeks ago fellow Lenters, Simon, Mel, and Chris, decided that we would one up last years veganism and would do Vegan again, aside from Chris (he's a real vegan), but we would also eat only food that did not come in a package.  It's a pretty lofty goal, and a much bigger challenge then I first imagined it would be.  So many things that I love come in some sort of package.  Last years saving grace, hummus and pita and sprouts, all come in a package so alas I will have to come up with some other sustainable food items that can be made well in advance and stored safely.

I've been researching food items and things to prepare, I'm excited for the extra culinary challenge that lays ahead.

Thanks for reading.