We are normally only around rule-breaking foods for brief periods of time, and distracting my children from those foods usually serves as a pretty big distraction for me as well. This weekend was a totally different story though. For the first time in over a year I went away with my girlfriends for the weekend…no kids and no husbands. I felt that packing my food for the trip was fairly easy (compared to preparing something for my whole family), but roaming around the beach house with forbidden foods out for display all weekend proved to be a little harder than I thought.
Each and every time I walked through the kitchen I had to remind myself to not reach into one of the many bags of chips or pretzels, 
not to sample one of the dips that were sitting out next to them, and especially not to dig into the little dish of chocolates (or tray of brownies for that matter). I also had to turn down the margaritas that my girlfriends were making. Wow, what a weekend to really test my own personal limits!
Luckily I brought some of my favorite foods to munch on (and to share) to help curb any unwanted cravings. And since I do love to share real food with others, I even offered to make dinner for the group of 8 girlfriends the first night we arrived. Not to mention that would guarantee at least one meal where I could eat the same thing as everyone else. So prior to leaving for the weekend I chopped away preparing a big batch of veggies/mushrooms (for fajitas) as well as some accompaniments like pico de gallo and guacamole. I also made a couple dozen homemade flour tortillas to wrap everything up in.
I am fairly confident that most of my girlfriends don’t regularly eat vegetarian dishes for dinner, and one friend even admitted that she brought some cheerios to munch on later (certain that she would still be hungry). Once we sat down to eat I was thrilled to hear that everyone was enjoying the meal, and about halfway through her first fajita my cheerios friend couldn’t believe she was already feeling full. I know I have said it a thousand times, but real food is filling!
Later on in the weekend I was lucky enough to enjoy a little something special that I have wanted all summer 
long…a fruity cocktail drink! I occasionally get tired of wine and unfortunately most of the fun cocktails that I like are made with sweetened juices and other stuff in them that I can’t have (not to mention liquor is not on our list of approved items either). One of my girlfriends was nice enough to make me a modified version of a sparkling wine & strawberry wine drink (sans the chocolate coated rim). The chocolate did look like it made for an awfully tasty combination on everyone else’s glass, but I was just happy enough to finally enjoy at least one fruity cocktail this summer!
Meanwhile at home, Jason was on daddy duty. It is always nice when us moms can occasionally get away, but I was especially happy to get a break from having to bend over backwards to feed everyone approved foods. And while my husband is extremely supportive of our new whole food diet I am not so sure that he realizes how much time I really spend in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. So I purposely did not buy or plan any of their meals for my weekend away because I wanted to be sure he got the full experience 
.
All in all he survived, and unfortunately he also got a good dose of what I experience regularly…the never-ending dish duty! He of course couldn’t escape and take the kids to Chick-fil-A in mommy’s absence. Instead my husband prepared burritos (including making his first batch of tortillas!), scrambled eggs with brown rice and zucchini, a picnic lunch with grilled cheese and fresh fruit, and a special treat to top off the weekend. He experimented with making a caramelized banana dessert that he said the girls loved! I am glad I didn’t plan anything for them and left them to their own devices. As I suspected they did just fine on their own, and they just might have a tiny bit of renewed appreciation for all of the menu planning, cooking, and cleaning I do when I am home!
Could you share the tortilla recipe?
Ooops I forgot to link to the recipe when I posted it! I updated the links, but here is the recipe…http://thefoodillusion.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/recipe-whole-wheat-tortillas/
I found your blog this weekend and I love it!! I also live in the Charlotte area. Would you do a post on places in Charlotte that you have found to eat? It was day one for me and my partner! So far so good…who doesn’t love organic fruits, nuts, etc!!
Also, if you are ever speaking in the CLT area I would love to know!
Welcome to the blog! I will definitely add a post about good Charlotte restaurants to the list…thanks for the suggestion!
Wow – I love your commitment, but I just don’t think I could do it! I fall short of cooking as it is, let alone with extra obstacles! You are amazing and hearing how and what you do makes me want to push a little harder to do more and more. Don’t ever glass over the details of work- it’s good to hear! Thanks for posting yoru weekend. Glad you got your drink!
Thanks for the comment!
I started the 10 day pledge ready to roll. Enjoyed being mindful about the foods I was eating, purchased $5 a dozen local eggs and became a co-op member for local meats and poultry. All very good and inspiring, though I wasn’t able to complete the 10 days due to very stressful circumstances. My father was diagnosed with brain cancer. Whole foods does not exist at my dad’s house or at the hospital. Truthfully, I was seeking out “comfort” foods anyway. Back in my own home, I was bitten by a stray cat which got seriously infected, lots of sundry antibiotics and the opposite of being mindful about foods. Kudos to you for keeping to the pledge during challenging circumstances. You are doing great! Looking forward to your posts over time.
I am so sorry to hear about what you’ve gone through since starting your pledge. I think I would have caved as well if I experienced similar circumstances. Hang in there and I hope you feel better soon!
Speaking of margaritas… I love a good margarita. My boyfriend and I generally make them at least once a week since we have a heard time eating tacos or burritos (a regular dish for us minimally processed, local food devourers) with one. We eat as much as possible from the farmers market. Which right now has kept us pretty busy especially with our fridge full of produce from the CSA. We aren’t good at hard fast rules but we are going in the right direction. Anyway….
We were appalled to read the label on the pre made margarita mixes, which was mostly corn syrup. We have started making our own and can never go back. A handful of limes, a whole lemon, some simple syrup made with a small amount of the cleanest sounding sugar we can find, and good quality liquors. After the 100 days are over, if you add liquor back to your diet, I recommend making your own margaritas to accompany all your home made tortillas.
We will absolutely be making some homemade margaritas when all of this is over…just hearing you describe yours makes me want one even more!
Great site!!!
The woman at my local ABC store suggested using agave syrup when making a homemade margarita. I think I’ve also heard reference to using agave as a sweetner for other cooking applications on either Dr. Oz or some other food/health show. The woman had a bottle of it behind the counter but it’s probably easily obtained at health food stores. Salud!
We are familiar with agave and from what I understand it is best to use “raw” agave. I never thought to try it in a margarita…thanks for the suggestion!
I know, I know… but I’m a picky proofreader at heart. “Fajita” is a cut of meat. Anglos call it a skirt steak, but the Spanish word means “little belt” and the meat is about 18 inches long and about an inch thick.
So technically, your delicious-sounding dish isn’t fajitas! I think they would be called Veggie Soft Tacos, but Taco Time sells those and they are Not Real Food (although they have some real ingredients)…