From Ground to Grindz — Day 3: Finding a Rhythm

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Berry, Berry Good

Posted Tuesday Sept. 28, 9 a.m.

The fear that gripped me on Saturday and Sunday is giving way to a sense of grudging acceptance. I walk into my kitchen or open up my fridge and I don’t even see those food items that are off-limits. I’m zoned in.

Each day since Friday, Korina and I have done some food shopping of some kind, and with each successive shopping trip, we come home with more and more local food. Tuesday morning I had a sweet breakfast: Kula (Maui) strawberries.

We purchased two pounds at Whole Foods Monday night, and Korina chopped them into slices Tuesday morning. I had a bowlful for breakfast with a couple of eggs, and Korina brought two small tupperwares of berries to have for breakfast with hard-boiled eggs at work and as a mid-afternoon snack.

The more ingredients you have in the kitchen, the less it feels like you’re on a restricted diet. I have a feeling this is only going to get easier as the week goes on. Famous last words?

Loving the Leftovers

Posted Tuesday Sept. 28, 3 p.m.

OK, something’s going on here. I think my stomach is shrinking.

Our Monday night main course — swordfish baked with numerous veggies — was split into four even portions: one for Korina’s dinner, one for her lunch, one for my dinner, and one for my lunch. I was clearly hungry after dinner — Korina reported that she heard my stomach growling in the middle of the night.

I was pretty famished when I returned to the office from the 2010 Hawaii Energy Expo at about a quarter after 2. But I ate slowly and took sips of water frequently — a different tactic from my usual scarfing — and found I was full with onions and mushrooms still in the tupperware. I was even satisfied enough to offer some strawberries to my coworkers.

There’s no way that would have happened on Sunday. There wasn’t one morsel to spare.

Korina reported a similar experience in an excited post-lunch e-mail:

“I think..operative word being think…that my body may be starting to get used to the smaller meals. I was really full after eating our fish leftovers and one of my strawberry containers.”

If nothing else, Eat Local week seems to be helping me learn portion control.

Sweet Buttery Goodness

Posted Tuesday Sept. 28, 9:30 p.m.

Our third Eat Local dinner was the best yet.

Korina pan-seared salted opah filets in Naked Cow Dairy butter, garlic and chives until they were coated in crusty, creamy goodness. Also getting the butter treatment were some bok choy and the Mao Farms “sassy” lettuce.

Side dishes included napa cabbage and scallions with garlic, mac oil and sea salt and a cucumber-onion “kim chee” that had been fermenting in salt for the past 24 hours. And we washed it down with a glass of Ulupalakua Red wine. Delicious.

Fresh-caught opah pan-seared in local butter with sides of Hawaii vegetables.

Considering all the butter and salt we consumed, it might not have been the healthiest meal we’ve eaten, but I can safely say that it’s one that I’ll be happy to eat again even when I give up this 100 percent local diet.

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