Slaying the Dragon(fruit)

As I get older, I find that I've become more open-minded about trying and experiencing new things.

I'm at that point in my life where I'm less cautious, less restrained when it comes to seeking out life experiences. I want to create an amazing memoir, a rich collection of lively anecdotes, the right to say "been there, done that" more often. If I were to delve deep into my motivations, I would probably say growing older terrifies me. I'm not so much scared of aging; I'm afraid of one day looking back and finding that I lead an unfulfilled life, that I lived within a tiny box, that I wasted my time on earth not taking in the full bounty of what it had to offer. I'm afraid of dying without having passed on my stories and my life lessons, my own claim to immortality.

This mindset has lead me to eat some pretty interesting things the past couple of weeks, like fried gizzard and livers (I'm assuming that it's pork!)

The other night, my mom and I went shopping at Lotte, an ENORMOUS ethnic grocery store that has everything from Latin foods to Vietnamese foods and everything in between! The variety of foods this store carries is beyond description. My favorite part of the store is the produce department. The fruits and veggies are fresh and inexpensive. I can buy my strawberries, bananas, and bok choy in one trip!

These are some healthy foods I brought back: strawberries, baby bella mushrooms, Rainer cherries, and two packages of shirataki noodles. I learned about them from Lyn of Escape from Obesity, who posted a recipe for this low-carb, low-calorie, low-fat tofu noodle. It's wonderful! I also bought a dragonfruit!

I remember seeing these brightly colored pink fruits and wondering about them each time but never buying one.

 But I wanted one! So when my mom said we were going to the store, I did an Internet search on how to pick and eat one.

Then the moment I'd been waiting for!

It was interesting to see the pale, white speckled fruit inside the hot pink and green exterior. For some reason, it reminded me of flax seeds.

They are supposedly firm and crunchy, but this was soft, like a kiwi (it is supposed to taste like a cross between a kiwi and a pear. Yum, right?)

The taste!

The verdict...

It tasted like a kiwi mated with a potato. I don't get it! Maybe I picked a bad one? I'll have to research more about this fruit! I won't give up on it yet!

Exercise!

Today, I decided to switch my schedule around a little. I ran my 3.5 miles this afternoon through my parents' neighborhood. I'm not used to a hilly track, so it KILLED me. It was also 89 degrees and very humid!

Tomorrow, I will take my rest day because I think my body (especially my knees and back) wants a rest.

Oh, and I've already lost 2 lb of the 5 I gained on vacation!

Till tomorrow!

Deedah