Flying By....

It's hard to believe that I'm half way through my 2nd block of school already.  The first 6 weeks seemed to go slower and these 6 weeks is flying by.  I have only the Foundations II class this time, but it is a very fast paced course.  It's all stocks, sauces, soups, veg, starches, grains...etc.  One day we are in lecture class observing a demo by the chef, and the next day we are in the kitchen lab replicating what he did the day before.  It is challenging, frustrating and exciting all at the same time.  I love it!  I have also noticed, as I get deeper into learning about food, how to prepare it, and even the financial part of it, that my goals and dreams are changing just a bit.  What I thought I wanted to do with my new career going into school is now morphing into something else.  I'm still not completely sure what I will be doing after I graduate, but I'm just going to wait and see where this whole experience takes me.  So much can happen to direct, or redirect my path even while I'm in school. 

I've had 2 cooking practicals and a written mid-term exam so far in this class.  My grades on the practicals were okay, but I wanted to do better.  I have another one coming up in a week and I'm sure I will do better on it.  Before I came to AZ and started school, I would sit at home back in Texas and watch videos of past students on the Le Cordon Bleu website.  One of the ladies I recognized as being a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen.  In her video she talked about how good it felt when her chef instructor held up one of her dishes and announced to the class how good it was.  The moment I she said that, it became one of my goals to work toward.  In my current class we always cook 3 items of whatever it is we are learning that week.  A week ago we did 3 soups and one of them was Broccoli Cheddar.  I was so nervous to bring my soup to the chef instructor to taste.  I had never made a soup before and wasn't sure I executed it correctly.  The chef instructor tasted my soup and then just looked at me.... I thought, "Oh crap I screwed it up."  Then he leaned toward me and said, "It's the best one I've tasted all day."  My eyes got big and my mouth swung open as I exclaimed, "Really?!"  The chef then held up my soup and told the class that it was perfectly executed; it was exactly like the one he demoed the day before, and invited them to come over and taste it!  I was on cloud 9.  I felt like a silly teenager, but I didn't care.  I was just so excited that I had met my first huge goal and it kind of validated that I am supposed to be there.  Of course, two days later we were back in the kitchen and I had the worst day I've had so far....so I came home, climbed under a blanket on the couch, turned on my music and cried.  My husband came home to find me just sitting in the dark crying. LOL This cooking thing can take me to my highest high and my lowest low, but I still keep coming back for more.  I love it!  =)

Determination and Persistence....always pays off.

Thanks for reading, "All About My Business"

Crystal Campbell

Getting Juiced!!!

A couple of weeks ago, the hubby and I watched a documentary on Netflix called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It was so inspiring that we decided to go for it.  We've been wanting to get a juicer for over a year now, but never seemed to have the money for it.  After watching the documentary and realizing how urgent it is for us to get on the healthy track, we decided to bite the bullet and buy our first juicer.  After doing some research we decided that the Jack La Lanne juicer was a good starter investment.  It's about $100 and will yield as good of juice as the $200 Breville.  I was going to do a 10 day juice fast and Scott was going to do a 60 day, but then we found out just how expensive that would be.  So instead, we are going to juice 2-3 times a day along with making some better eating choices.

Of course, as soon as I said "I'm going to do a 10 day juice fast" my brain and body went into panic mode, and before I knew it, I was in Wal-Mart buying a bag of caramels, a bag of Kit Kats and a 2 liter Dr. Pepper.  WTH??!!  Well, I've figured out that I should not tell myself that I am limiting certain foods or cutting out so much.  Instead, I will say that I can have anything I want, but I choose to eat the healthier foods.  It works!  When my brain and body knows that it can have anything it wants then it usually does not bombard me with strong, uncontrollable cravings, (except of course one week out of every month..lol). 

So Sunday was the first day of juicing and we made the "Mean Green Juice" which consists of Kale, Celery, Lemon, Granny Smith Apples and Ginger Root.  I then decided to add Cucumber and Gala Apple, (for additional sweetness) and Lime.  It actually is not bad...of course, it will take some getting use to.  I think of it like this: If you grew up eating nothing but healthy, crispy fruits and veggies your entire life...not junk, only healthy.  Then, say when you are about 40 years old you decide to try a slice of pizza, (you know, to see what all the fuss has been about all your life...why everyone love it so much), and you take your first bite.  Do you think you will "love" it immediately?  Probably not, as it will be a much different texture than the fresh, crispy veggies and fruits you've always eaten.  It might feel a bit soft, maybe even soggy in your mouth, you probably won't like the oily feel on your pallet or greasy taste, and it may even upset your stomach.  However, if you continued to eat pizza on a regular basis and even ventured out to other fast food, then you would probably come to like it in time.  It's the same thing in reverse...most of us have spent 20, 30, 40 or more years of our lives eating nothing but greasy, fatty fast food or restaurant food so that is what our pallet is accustomed to eating.  Once we begin eating healthier foods we need to give our pallet time to adjust to the new textures and flavors, and our bodies time to absorb the vitamins and nutrients it so badly needs.  The first 3-5 days of juicing is basically detoxing your body, (especially if you go all juice and not solid food), so you may feel sick, but once all the toxins are out then your body can reboot and will begin feeling stronger, you will have more energy, clarity of mind...etc.  

I highly encourage everyone to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It is the most inspiring thing I've seen in a long time.  It will make you feel good and maybe motivate you to make some changes in your life as well.  I've also made myself a juice of Carrots, Oranges, Grapefruit and Grapes....it was delicious!  I used 5 Carrots and didn't even taste them!  =)  Below are some photos of our juicing journey....I'm going to ditch the candy and DP and get back on track, because I choose to do so, not because I have to.  ;)

Thanks for reading "All About My Business"
Crystal Campbell

Our Juicer

I just LOVE all the new "colors" in our kitchen and fridge.  They are the colors of healthy!

Mean Green Juice

Don't bee fooled by the look, it's actually quite good. 

 

Carrot Juice

Orange Juice

There is nothing like fresh orange juice in the mornings....

 

 

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead