[enthusia]

Thanks, Klara, for such a prompt response and the advice! Good to "meet" you--I find posting my goals helps keep me on track.

I am trying to move away from the sweet tooth developed over the holidays--I am hoping the rice fast (I am not planning on pushing it for 10 days) will help "reset" my system. My diet is either extremely basic (rice, soup, veg with a small amount of shoyu and whatever sea veg I'm craving) or I succumb to social pressure when out to lunch or in meetings and have that cup of coffee with sugar and cream and a croissant! When I worked from home, I never had this problem, so I need to adjust my behavior to this new environment (quite a bit!).

I have a copy of Macrobiotic: Community Cooking, and Macrobiotic Cooking for Everyone. It's not tough to cook for myself, but my spouse has different requirements, so I like to keep my process pretty basic. It is amazing how quickly my mom's Christmas Chocolate Cake and a weekend full of Holiday Spirits can push me back into bad habits! I think part of it is the weather.

Here's to the remainder of the season being filled with lovely, roasted squash, lots of soup and creativity in the kitchen!