Challenge #8: Bicycle Girl

I Want to Ride my Bicycle…

And so I shall, each day for the next two weeks.  Rain or shine, I’ll put in at least one mile on the bike every day.  Short post, yes, but better short than not at all.

Thus far:

• Day 1: 2.5 miles
• Day 2: 1.2 miles

Challenge #7: No Soda

I never posted about my current challenge, which is to go two weeks without soda.  (Note to self: This blog thing?  You’re doing it wrong.).  I’m two days away from finishing this challenge and I have to say that this has been one of the easiest ones yet.  I don’t drink that much soda (or pop for those of us from Michigan), yet in the past few months, I found myself drinking much more of it.  One day, while reading the back of a bottle of Diet Coke, I realized that not only could I not pronounce half of the ingredients, I also had no clue what these things even do.  I did a bit of research, didn’t like what I read about the effects of some of these, and decided I would quit.

I’ve been drinking a lot more water the past 12 days, and I’ve lost 2 pounds.  These alone make me feel like this challenge has been a success even before it’s finished.

Challenge #6: Goodbye, Chocolate. *sob*

Since my last two challenges have been about me doing things, I figured it was time for me to give something up again.  A coworker suggested a few weeks ago that I try giving up all sweets.  While I’m definitely up for a challenge, I know myself well enough to know that’s not going to happen, so I narrowed it down: no chocolate.  For two weeks, no deliciously melty, wonderfully comforting, bite-sized pieces of Heaven like this:

Look at that picture.  Now, look at it again and realize that I’m not going to be able to have anything that decadent for two weeks.  Pity me, then realize that, yes, I am a crazy woman.

It’s only Day 1 and I’m already understanding the ramifications of this challenge.  As I type this, my husband is cooking dinner, which includes a lovely French baguette.  Sitting on our table is something I always enjoy with a baguette: Nutella (or, the off-brand equivalent in this case).  And I can’t have it.  Dammit, chocolate, you delicious temptress…  Letting you go may prove to be even more difficult than bacon.

Mmm… bacon…

Challenge #5: Cthulhu

I’m not sure what happened, but it seems that some of my earlier posts have been eaten by the internet.  Rather than attempt to recreate my write up about the end of Challenge #4 and the beginning of Challenge #5, I’ll keep it brief:

Challenge #4 (lottery) surprised me.  I ended up coming out ahead.  I wagered $100, and ended up with $122 at the end of the two weeks.  I won’t be able to quit my job, but at least I didn’t lose a bunch of money, either.

Challenge #5 has not been going well.  My friend Rob (AKA Cybermudgeon) challenged me to read two H.P. Lovecraft stories every day for two weeks.  Although I am an avid reader, prior to these two weeks, I’d never read any of Lovecraft’s works.  All I knew was that he was the Cthulhu guy.  I’ve been trying to keep up with this challenge, but it’s been difficult to find the time to read two stories a day (even with some very short ones).  By the end of today, I should have completed 26 stories.  As I type this, I’ve managed to read 15.  It’s not all bad, though; I’ve discovered a writer I very much enjoy, and have read 15 stories I’d never read before.  So, though I may not be on track, it’s not all bad.

Off to curl up with Cthulhu for a little bit…

Challenge #4: Gambling Woman

Up to this point, my challenges have been about resisting temptation and going without things I want/like.  For Challenge #4, I’m going the opposite direction and forcing myself to do something that I normally wouldn’t do.  In this challenge I want to find out how much is too much?

I always say things like, “When I win the lottery, I’m going to do such-and-such a thing.”  Of course, that’s pretty difficult if I never actually play.  Occasionally, I’ll buy a scratch off ticket or play Keno while at the bar, but, in general, it’s pretty rare for me to squander my hard-earned money like that.  But, like Morgan Spurlock in Super Size Me, I’m going to give it a shot, even if it’s bad for me.  For the next two weeks, I will be playing the lottery in one form or another every single day.  I’ve set aside a predetermined amount of money ($100) for this, and won’t spend beyond it.  My goal is to see if the odds are actually as stacked as they seem to be (instincts say yes).

Show me the money!

(A few people have mentioned that I should blog more about my experiences during the challenges, so I’m going to attempt to do that for this challenge, too.)

Challenge #3 Wrap Up

Time is limited for this post, so rather than ramble on as I tend to do, I’m going to post my thoughts about Challenge #3 in bullet form.

• Portobello mushrooms make a delicious substitute for beef.  The first night of the challenge, my husband and I made burgers using the mushroom caps.  Though not quite the same as beef, they were pretty tasty.  Another night, we made fajitas, and replaced the strips of steak with sliced Portobello mushrooms.  Again, not the same, but still delicious.  Both of these meals are definitely going to become part of our regular meal rotation.
• I picked a great time of year to give up all meat.  I was concerned about how difficult it would be to find vegetarian items on menus when dining out.  Thankfully, because of Lent, many restaurants were running vegetarian specials.  One particularly delicious find was the vegetarian lasagna at my favorite local restaurant.  To be perfectly honest, I’m disappointed it’s not a regular item on their menu.
• I never thought I would say this, but there is such a thing as too much pizza.  I usually only eat pizza once a month (or less), so I surprised myself by overdosing on it.  In the 14 days of the challenge, I ate pizza 4 times.  I’ll admit: it was the easy way out.  It was quick, easy to make vegetarian and involved little thought on my part.  Sometimes laziness trumps my enthusiasm about the challenges.
• Even though I don’t consume a ton of meat in my daily life, because I couldn’t have it, I wanted it that much more.  In particular, I found myself thinking about bacon and chicken.  All of the time.  I’m pretty sure that a chicken club sandwich is in store very, very soon.
• I figured that soup would be a good choice for this meat-free lifestyle, but I was surprised by how many soups are made with chicken stock.  Of course, I could have cheated and feigned ignorance, but I wanted to do it right, so I only ate soup made with water or vegetable stocks.  It gave me a new appreciation of people who choose this lifestyle full-time.

Challenge #3: No Meat!

I grew up in a very food-oriented home.  Dinner was an important part of every day, and we were definitely a very meat and potatoes kind of household.  But, I know that there are many people who don’t eat meat at all and are quite happy without it.  I’ve often wondered if I could do that, too, so, my next challenge to myself is to go without meat for two weeks.

Off limits: Beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish.  I am allowing myself eggs, but will try not to eat them too frequently.

I’d like to use this as an opportunity to expand my cooking repertoire a bit, so if anyone has any suggestions of particularly delicious vegetarian recipes, please feel free to leave them in the comments.