Day 4 -- Sunday

So, I finally had some ramen noodles today. Ramen is what everyone thought I'd be eating each day. Ramen is really total junk food. The 'block' contains 14 grams of fat and 1900 mg sodium. I think a big Butter Burger over at Culver's will give you more fat but not sure on the sodium. AND I have to say, it was good. I had pork 'flavor' which according to the package, the pork is really dehydrated pork broth, milk and yeast extract. The pork flavor powder is actually the fourth ingredient in the flavor packet after salt, MSG, hydrolyzed corn, wheat and soy protein. Is this even real food?

A neighbor brought over some venison loin and roasts today and I gave her some herbal tea I made from my summer garden (that's what people do here in South Dakota!) and we were talking about my doing the challenge. At first she said, "I could do that!" But that changed as we talked more about it. It 'seems' simple but it's not.

I also candied some orange peels and soooo wanted to try one but didn't because sugar wasn't on my challenge list. Mike said they were as good as Swedish Fish which is a HUGE compliment. I had to catch myself too! I almost scooped one in my mouth without even thinking. That's the mindless nibbling that I know I do a lot but have not this week. Just think of the calories I am saving! Another friend described this as a "weight loss and social experiment". That would be cool.

I have now gotten two comments that said, "You must not be eating anything healthy." I think this part is a misconception. You CAN eat healthy. The trick is to make it taste good. To do that, a few spices, sugar and salt would help immensely.

Here's the candied orange peel recipe:

Peel an orange and cut the peels in small squares until you have about a cup (about two oranges). Put the peels in a saucepan and cover with just enough cold water. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Then drain and rinse peels and do the same process two more times. This gets much of the bitterness out of the peels. After the last drain and rinse, put the peels, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup white sugar in the pan and bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to medium. Really watch so it doesn't burn. Let it cook for a few minutes while stirring to make the peels are coated. When all the liquid is gone, pour the peels out to cool / dry. I use wax paper with a bit of canola oil rubbed on it. In fact, I had some blood orange infused olive oil I used instead. Try to have the peels not touching each other but be careful because they are burning hot.

Store them in a jar in the fridge. You can chop them up for stuffing, baked goods, salads or (like Mike) just eat them as is!

Today:

Breakfast: Guess! Yes, oatmeal with 1/3 banana (need to ration these guys) and black GV coffee. Still liking the coffee. Coffee with cream seems so luxurious.

Lunch: One cup of cooked black beans and a quarter of an orange chopped up in yogurt. It really is amazing how filling beans are!

Dinner: At least it looked different. Pork (flavored) Ramen made with a few carrot slivers and spinach thrown in. Since I added extra water, I added a bullion cube. Good thing I got the low sodium bullion cubes! I also, steamed a baked potato with some black beans (this is a good combo) and ate the other half of a hard boiled egg.

What I learned today: I do a lot of mindless snacking and during this challenge I am learning to pay more attention to what I am eating and why.