My first meatless meal

I've decided to eat at least one meatless meal a week. I have no intentions, at this time, to become a vegetarian but in my quest to become healthier I think this will help. So I decided to make eggplant parmesan. I got the idea from Meimeika's 12/17/08 post. She always posts great looking vegetarian dishes and this one was one that I felt I could pull off with ease.

So on New Year's day when Rodney made his weekly trip to the farmer's market I decided to tag along. He's been on a big fruit and vegetable kick since he was diagnosed diabetic and has incorporated healthy eating and exercise with great success. Anyway, I picked up an eggplant and some garlic but when I told the meal that I planned he said "what meat are you cooking?" So I figured that he wasn't ready to take on my challenge so I waited until today to make the meal.

It actually turned out pretty tasty. I peeled my eggplant and sliced it on the diagonal. I rubbed both sides with a crushed garlic clove, dipped in egg wash and Italian style bread crumbs and oven fried them. A little spaghetti, marinara, mozzarella cheese and a side salad and voila one tasty meal. It was actually very filling and I didn't miss the meat. I have some eggplant left over and I'm sure they will heat up well in the toaster oven. Yummy!

Looking back at 2008

2008 is almost over and as I look back and reflect on the this year I feel a little like I've been here before. Reflection is a good thing, isn't it? 2008 was a year of change and one of complacency. I started off the year with a bang. I was changed my diet and exercised on a regular basis. I joined an online group, sparkpeople.com, and was tracking my changes and preaching the gospel of healthy living. Well, that lasted all of the 1st quarter. That's when I started slacking on my online posts and funny as it may sound, hiding from my online community. I became complacent with my weight and as long as I didn't gain the 9 lbs lost back, I was happy. Now, I'm headed into 2009 and yes, I've gained the weight back. Not all, but most so I guess you can say I'm not happy. But is that what's it's really all about? I don't think so. There's something inside me that must change for me to be successful. What the "something" is I'm not sure, but I am damn sure going to try and figure it out.

So I think I'm going to change the purpose of this blog to reflect my search. My "natural" journey is about so much more than my hair. I think I will expand it to lead a more natural and healthy lifestyle. One thing that I learned while locing my hair is that it is a process, so I know this new transition will be a process as well. I haven't worked out all the kinks and I don't know exactly what I mean by a natural and healthy lifestyle, but just like my locs it will be what it is to be.

Me and my locs

My locs and I have been getting along lately. I don't know if there's really anything different going on. I really think it's more me. I have become a little more patient and accepting during this process that we call locing.

There's a sister here at work that was locing her hair. You wouldn't have known it to see her since she always had a wig on. But she would ask me about my hair from time to time and finally stated that she was locing. She wasn't ready to show the corporate world her babies, so she opted to wear a wig. But then wondered why her hair wasn't locing at the rate it should. Well I saw her a few weeks ago and although she's still sporting the wig, she told me that locing wasn't for her. I completely understood because I kind felt she wasn't ready for the journey.

It took me a while to accept me and my decision to loc. I also went through questioning myself, wondering how I would be accepted by my peers, friends, MEN, etc. But then I came to realize that it wasn't them that I had to be concerned with it was all about me. Once I made my decision then the real work began. But here I am almost 18 months later and I wouldn't change much.

I would still loc but I would have gotten bigger partings. I wouldn't have been the product junkie that I've become. And I would have adopted the habit of keeping my locs covered. But overall I am happy with my progress and look forward to seeing my locs continue to mature and change as I continue to mature and change. Right now they are in a good place and I think that's because I'm in a good place.

My current maintanence routine:

• Shampoo with dish detergent every two weeks. Yes, I read about this on some blogs and decided to try it. It's seems to be the best thing for getting rid of all the residue and build up. I don't use a lot.


• ACV rinse. I only do this, maybe, once a month. I found my hair a little dry when I did it more frequently.


• Condition once a month or every 6 weeks. Right now I'm using Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner. Again, I don't use much, mostly water with a little conditioner mixed in.


• Rinse my hair once per week. I give my hair a nice wet down once a week in the shower.


• Brush my locs. I don't do this daily, but when they seem to need a little pick me up I get out the brush and go at it.


• Palmroll once per month. I try to only palm roll my full head once per month. In between, during my two week shampoo I might to the very front, but it depends on how fuzzy I am around my edges. I use an alchohol free clear gel, I can't remember the name, but I know longer mix it with oil. That seems to be what was attracting dust and lint.