vegetables

This past weekend, I watched The Kids Are All Right. Have you seen it? If you haven't, you simply must. It's just outstanding. (& nominated in four categories for the Oscars next week, including Best Picture!)

Photo of Annette Bening and Julianne Moore courtesy of Chino Kino

In this movie, Mark Ruffalo's character is an organic farmer. And everybody eats so many vegetables! It reminded me of a New York Times article ("Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries") from last September about how most Americans don't eat nearly enough vegetables. Then I became very very aware of how my eating habits have been slipping down a slippery slope. I'm normally a pretty clean eater, but this winter I have indeed eaten pizza, french fries, meat (?!), cake, milk and cheese. And on Friday night, I even allowed my friend Alen to buy me some white-chocolate frozen yogurt.

There. I've said it.

So, with all of that thrown into harsh perspective when I watched Julianne Moore & Co. eat vegetable after fresh vegetable in sunny California, I decided in no uncertain terms that the time had come for a shift. Saturday afternoon, I went to the grocery store and I bought so many vegetables. And I steamed them— kale, broccoli, garlic— and I ate them. And I was well.

It didn't stop there. Sunday afternoon I conjured up this treat:

Photo by Shanti Knight

It was some kind of pretty little orange-and-yellow-skinned tomato. I sliced it, topped it with dried sage (home-grown and home-dried by my organic gardener friend Steve from home) and then sprinkled the whole mess with Celtic sea salt. It was just delightful!

So while it's not The Master Cleanse, it's a jumpstart. Combine that with the running and Pilates I did over the weekend and my body is feeling more alive than it has in a while.

I love springtime! (Even if it is still February.)