blue artichoke

February was National Heart Health Month; February is over, so go ahead and forget about your heart health for another year. Welcome to March, National Nutrition Month! What? Nutrition and heart health sort of go hand-in-hand, so I think February is getting more than its due. Of course, it got screwed by being the shortest month and having that confusing leap year day to contend with, so I guess this evens things out a bit. Either way, the 29 Days of Being a Health Nut overlaps both months, which was unintentional but fitting.

So far, I've been feeling pretty good about the 29 Days. Today is Day 13, and today is rough. Week 1 was OK, I kept up with my exercise program and ate healthily but for a half-slice of coconut pie. Week 2 began with an illness that kept me from any exercise for two days and light exercise for three days, and involved a chocolate meringue pie and a baby-shower piece of cake (well, two half-pieces, really. I had to try both the chocolate and the vanilla cakes. I liked the vanilla better).

Today is a cold, dark and drippy day, the kind of weather that sends me into the kitchen to bake up a ray of sunshine. I miss baking. The Banana Bread Snackdown is on hold, with only three more recipes to try (!), and cookies, brownies and other quickbreads are no-nos for a health nut. I did make a loaf of bread (in my bread machine) that is packed full of good things like whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, oats, wheat germ, oat bran and flaxseed. I made grilled cheese sandwiches with it today for lunch, but that still doesn't ease my desire to bake. GC just discovered that our basement flooded last night, so that'll keep me busy for a while, but it'll also keep me from a good cardio workout on the beast elliptical, which has been temporarily moved to higher ground. It's rough being a health nut.

* March is also

* National Caffeine Awareness Month®
* National Flour Month
* National Frozen Food Month
* National Noodle Month
* National Peanut Month
* National Sauce Month
* UK: National Veggie Month

so be sure to eat your frozen British veggies with noodles in flour-thickened peanut sauce this month, and be aware of the caffeine in the soft drink you wash it down with.

I think I'll go make some granola.

Getting to Know All About You: what are your thoughts on mayonnaise?