Just A Quick Post

Today was day 5 of my 21 day sugar detox. Things have bee going ok except that today was my oldest's 7th birthday. I ate potatoes, BBQ sauce, a roll, and cake. After my bagel Friday, I should really start day 1 tomorrow. One thing I am learning is not to feel guilty because of these set backs. Life happens, and I wasn't going to not have cake with my child. What changed though, was that I had 1 roll,1/2 the potatoes, 2 ribs, and a small piece of cake, as well as a 6oz sirloin and Caesar salad. Previously, I would have had more like 4 rolls and a huge piece of cake, I would also have had loaded fries vs loaded mashed potato. Not a huge difference in the potato choices, but at least it was only 1/2 of it. This needs to be a lifestyle change for me. I need to be healthy. Tomorrow, we are having salmon. I'm not a huge fish fan, but I'm trying to be better at eating heartily fish. I just need to keep moving forward with my journey to be healthier. Another piece to this journey is making sure that I am eating mindfully. I want to make sure that what I put in my mouth is really what I want. I want to stop mindless eating. Overall, I want to look at food as fuel for my body, as a way to keep me running for many, many years! Here's to living a healthy, happy, and long life. Amy

Sugar Detox

So, here it is, day 4 of my 21 day sugar detox and I have had some huge ups and some huge downs. Day 1 was easy and I thought, I can do this no problem. Well, then came day 2, and that did not go as well. I was angry, and had a headache as well as no patience. All I wanted was some starchy carbs and sugar. I persisted and didn't give in. I did try to make some approved biscuits, and yes it did help but they were not really what I wanted. Day 3 came and went but I did give in and I had a bagel and a Hershey kiss. Not happy that I gave in, but I did get right back on track and ate what I was supposed to for the rest of the day. On to today, day 4, and I've done really well. I've lost a little weight, probably 3-4 pounds since I first started and maybe 10 pounds from my highest weight. I still need to lose a good amount of weight, but I want to do it the right way and maintain what I lose. I want to continue to make lifestyle changes and not just changes to lose weight. Another positive to this diet change and maybe even weight loss is my nightly breathing. My husband has mentioned, especially when I was pregnant, that my snoring was awful and I would have issues with sleep apnea. Now I am overweight but not crazy overweight. I think it's more the foods I'm eating or should I saw not eating that is making the difference. He said that things have been much better. I am heading out tonight to buy a bought from deliciously organic. I think I am going to plan on staying mostly grain-free. I have heard from a lot of people that being grain free is very beneficial. I am seeing a lot of benefits, just in the last few days, which makes me want to continue. I also want to live a healthy lifestyle with clean eating, less processed foods, and local foods (preferably from my backyard). I still want to include creativity in my life, including crafts, gardening, as well as cooking. I'll be trying out a new recipe for bread with coconut flour as well as almond flour. Trying new recipes is always fun and creative. Like I said in my last post, with spring coming, I want to clean out stuff and get more organized. I am hoping that this diet change is going to help with my energy and clear headedness, which will help me with getting organized. I am hopeful, that with an organized life, I will have more time to be creative and also add some exercise into my life. Wish me luck on continuing my new way of life! Amy Sprouts and microgreens Latest mandala Curry turkey meatballs from paleomg.com

Figuring Out Who I Am

This winter has been a weird one. It started out pretty mild, the February hit and it has almost been the slowest winter. Though it has been cold and snowy, this is the first winter that I have not hated. Believe me, I am ready for spring, but I am dealing with the winter much better this year. I even, at times, wish we could move to Maine instead of thinking about moving South. With Spring on it's way, and the rebirth of life and energy, with longer days, and increased warmth to the days, I am taking this time to do some soul searching and taking some time to figure out who I am and what I need. I am looking at spring as a time for me to make changes in my life and as a time for me to reduce the clutter in my life and start fresh, or rebirth myself into the person I want to be. How do I plan on doing this? First, I am starting a 21 day sugar cleanse tomorrow. Second, I will be going through my belongings and looking to see what I can reduce, either by donating or by trashing/recycling. Third, I will be spending time getting organized so that my life is not the caps that I have been living (no ones fault but my own). Fourth, I will be increasing (ok actually doing) exercise. Finally, though this process, I am hoping to become more aware of me and who I am and what I want out of my life. I love my life! I love being married and having kids. I don't like what I look like or the amount of time I spend on the computer. I don't like how lazy I have become. I don't like how crappy I eat sometimes. I don't like how cluttered my life has become or how disorganized I am. These are the changes I want to make. I want to look in the mirror and be happy with who I am. I know that if I'm healthy and I get moving, I'll be happy with me. I will start moving and feeling better and stronger. I will spend less time on the computer and Facebook and more time with my family and actually be creative. I will get rid of clutter and get myself organized. With doing the sugar detox, I am hoping that my head will clear. I am hoping that I will be able to follow through with things and do what I need to do. I will be sharing my 21 day detox here, the good, the bad , and the ugly. I will share the foods I eat and how I feel while decoding. I'm not going to give up my coffee, but I am going to limit it and try to decrease the amount of cream in my coffee. I think eating clean, eating less sugar, and eating less foods that turn to sugar is going to me, my body, and my spirit loads of good! Amy

Diets, Nutrition, and Gardeing

For a while now, I have been thinking and rethinking my passions, thinking about this blog and why I started it. I honestly am passionate about living a handmade and natural life, but also a balanced life. If I remember correctly, I started this blog about 5 1/2 years ago when the kids were just babies and we started going to farmer's markets with them. I thought back then, at probably 36 years old, that I was going through a midlife crisis. I think I have slowly been going through one, because now at almost 42, I am still questioning my life and what I want out of it, and how to go about getting it. I know I do want to change the focus of my social work career. I would love to do something with food and food related issues. I, almost constantly think about food, diet, and nutrition and how it relates in my life as well as others lives. I think about what is the best diet to follow for me and my family. As much as I hate to admit it, I sometimes even think about what fad diet, low calorie diet I can eat to just lose weight. I then come back and remind myself, I don't need a crazy fad diet, I need a lifestyle change. With that thought that I need a lifestyle change, I think more about what type of foods I should be eating and how best to afford those foods. When I think about how best to afford them and how best to be able to prepare them, I think about how difficult it must be for some people to be able to afford to actually purchase healthy foods as well as have the time to prepare them. I am lucky enough that I have the time to plan, buy, and cook healthy foods. I also have the money to buy decent quality food, but I wish I could afford to buy better quality foods. I also have space and time to have an actual backyard garden. When I think about what type of lifestyle diet change, I have thought about becoming vegan, going completely gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, eating a Palo diet, eating a clean food diet, and I'm sure there are many other diets that I have looked at. As I think about it, I think the best think to do is to eat a clean diet. I am almost sure that the lifestyle diet I plan to follow for myself is to eat clean. I don't think that meat is evil, but I do think that there is easily too much meat in most people's every day diet. I don't think that legumes are evil like some proponents of the Palo diet promote. I do think that gluten, some dairy and most sugar are not a good thing for most people. I think that t eh best thing people can do it to eat the least processed natural foods that one can find. One of the best things I have heard, is to eat foods that your grandparents would know or eat only foods that you are able to pronounce. I want to continue to work on making my garden the best it can be. I want to be able to walk out into my back yard and pick my produce. I would love to be able to walk into my backyard and get eggs from my own backyard chickens. I want to be able to have my children pick berries from pants in our backyard instead of having to but berries packed in plastic bins from the grocery store. I want to be able to go to my herb garden and flavor my food. I want to go to my flower garden and pick flowers for my house. I want to eat foods that are not processed at all prior to me cooking them. My ultimate goal is to eat mostly green veggies, limit my intake of starchy carbs, get rid of gluten, eat good healthy dairy, limit my meat intake so that I can afford to by good quality grass fed meat. I think that legumes are a good thing for our bodies, at least for me. I want to also look at eating foods in it's natural state, meaning eating some raw foods, but I don't think that a raw diet is the only way to eat, but it is important to have raw foods in our diet. I want to learn about the different types of diets out there so that I can make good choices, so that maybe I can educate others on how to be healthy. As I have thought about this, I have also thought about how to reach people who have limited access to good healthy food. I have thought about people who have limited access to education about healthy foods. I have thought how people don't have the time or the knowledge how to create tasty healthy food. I want to reach these people, especially kids and help them with how to do this. To do this, I need to make changes in my own life. I need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. I want to find a way to use my social work degree to reach these people. I want to try to make change. I want to work directly 1:1 with people, but I also want to make more systemic changes. I don't know that I can do this on my own, but I know I can do it with support from other like minded people. I want to work with other like minded people, but I'm not sure where to turn. My first goal is to start eating clean foods 99% of the time. I don't want to be a crazy obsessive person who can't allow myself or my family a treat once in a while. I want to start my garden, even though it is still winter here in MA and we still have feet of snow in our yards. I am going to start plants in my basement under grow lights. I am not going to buy breads and sugars because my family and I can't seem to stop eating it when it's around. I am going to buy the healthy foods and start looking at things in a more positive light, not in a way that is negative or punitive. I am going to look at the different foods I can have and how I can really make them enjoyable. I need to take time and really enjoy my food, not just stuff food down my throat to take care of the hunger in my stomach. I am going to learn to listen to my body and eat what it truly needs, not the junk that I think it is telling me it needs. Today was a good start, but a not so good middle, and an ok ending. I have a green smoothie for breakfast, but then went to a family party and ate junk. I never sat down with a plate of food and took time to enjoy what I was eating. I stood up and picked at different foods the whole time I was there. I then went home and didn't give in to the crappy cravings that I was having. I didn't continue to eating junk and crap and say I'll start tomorrow, which never come. I am restarting my healthy eating now, not tomorrow, not Monday after the weekend is over. Happy eating and living the handmade and natural life, Amy Fratto, LICSW

Clean Eating

I have been wanting to change my diet for some time now. Recently, on Facebook, one of my friends (http://collagediva.typepad.com) mentioned how she went cold turkey and started. She dealt with the headaches and the detox symptoms, and she has done it. She said she feels great. I want to follow in her footsteps, but I am not going to go cold turkey. Yesterday, my first day back from vacation, I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work instead of stopping at dunkin donuts or my local muffin store. I ended up getting salad, yogurt, trail mix and things like that to take to work so that I didn't eat junk. I passed up candy and ordering out, which was a pretty big step for me. I did however go home and order take out. I had 2 good meals and 1 so not good meal. This morning, to help clear out my fridge, I made some bread with some dough that I had leftover. Again not the best, but the best part about eating it was that it didn't give me that same feeling that I usually have when I eat bread, you know, that feeling like I can't stop at just one piece and I have to eat the whole loaf. Was it good? Yes, but was is fantastically good? No. Again, I just got home from vacation and I need to go shopping. My husband has a broken foot, so I feel bad leaving him longer than my work day with the kids and I just get lazy once they go to bed. My lunch today should be interesting. I have a couple of carrot sticks, celery sticks and broccoli. Tonight will be chicken and greens and potatoes from the garden. I need to look into what I can eat on a clean diet. I want to ultimate3ly give up sugar, gluten, dairy, and caffeine. That means no more morning caffeinated coffee, no more bread, no more of many of the things I love. I am hoping that by giving up all these foods, I am going to gain some much more as is my family. If anyone has some resources to pass on, I would love you to share. I have some of my own from the past that I will share as I go along on this journey. This is definitely going to be a journey with small steps taken and I'm sure a few set backs. I know that I am of the mind set now that I want to do this, I just need to make the change and I know I will feel better. I'm hoping that I can learn enough over time to start using food and creativity in my professional career to deal with mood issues. I am hoping to do some research into how food, creativity, gardening, etch can play a role in our mood and behavior. I know that there are people out there that have done the research, and I need to read up on the research and learn more! Hope you all can join me on my journey to living a more balanced natural and creative life! Amy

Juicing

A while ago, I joined in with BzzAgent to help test out products.  Recently I tested out Neutrogena products and was very pleased with how smooth the eyeliner was.  I was just asked to test out some juicing info.  I joined in to try Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (which I have watched before and really enjoyed), as well as a new program, join the reboot, which I have not heard of.  I am really looking forward to re-watching the movie as it helps to keep me motivated.

As I've shared, I have the gene mutation for the BRCA2 gene which places me more at risk for breast and ovarian cancer, as well as a small higher chance for pancreatic and skin cancer.  At this point, I have opted to forgo prophylactic surgery for a more holistic approach to cancer prevention, meaning, I am looking to change my diet and increase my exercise as well as change my reaction to stress.  

I have been running for the last 4 months, with the goal of running every other day.  I have also been making green smoothies for the last 4 months also.  I haven't been as good as I should have been, and I really think that re-watching this movie will help me to keep motivated.  Even if I didn't have a higher cancer risk, I have to admit that I would still be interested in doing the lifestyle changes that I am making.  I have tried juicing my smoothies, basically straining them through a milk bag type strainer.  It's not as easy as I would like, but maybe if I learn more that juicing is more beneficial, I will maybe invest in a juicer.

Amy

I've Made The Decision

My husband and I have been running, or at least attempting to run for the last 4 months.  We have gone every other day alternating so that we each get to go and we each get a break.  We started back in February and we were getting up at 5:30 am.  Now, I am definitely not a morning person, so I switched from 5:30 am to between 8-9 pm.  I don't mind going that late, except, I tend to miss my running time due to a multitude of reasons.  I actually prefer running at night, but I may have to start going back to the mornings again.  I am missing to many times and it too easy to make an excuse.  Recently, I asked my husband how he was able to get up at 5 am (he actually stretches out, which is something I need to start doing).  He said he just made the decision to do it and he does it.  Sounds simple doesn't it?

Well, for me it hasn't been that easy, but I have decided that I need to follow his lead and just make the decision to commit.  Now, when I say I need to make the decision to commit, I am not just talking about running!  I am making the decision to commit to running (getting up early or sucking it up and going no matter what, unless I am really, really sick), eating a meat free/dairy free/gluten free diet, making time to create, making time to donate, and making time to live the life I want to lead.

I am going to take the time to get organized, clean, and purge what I don't need.  I have slowly been purging things, but I don't think that I have been doing enough.  This is a huge piece of what is going to make my life easier.  The better organized I am, the easier it will be to have the time to do all the other things that I want to do.  I think that making this decision now is good.  I was never a tv watcher, but over the last number of years, I have started to get sucked into shows.  Now that summer is here and season finales are over, I am hoping that getting in a good routine will help me remain in a routine once the new season starts again in the fall.  I'm hopeful that I will be in such a routine, that I won't want to watch as much tv.

I am going to start researching recipes that are meat free, gluten free, and dairy free.  Myself and my oldest  son are gluten and dairy sensitive.  My oldest was also recently diagnosed with PDD NOS (he has high functioning autism) and seems to do much better when he doesn't ingest gluten and dairy.  My husband's doctor wants him to eat an animal protein free diet and from what I've researched, I've found that this is the best diet for me to eat given my BRCA2 situation, especially since I am leaning against having surgery!

I have a ton of craft supplies, and when I think about how much money I have spent on them, I get a little sick to my stomach.  I was a little crazy with buying.  Since I love to create and I have a lot of supplies to create with, my goal is to create with them and then donate them to different agencies.  I am hopeful that I can donate and get rid of some of my supplies, as well as feel good about taking time to create.

I am making the decision to follow through with my goals in life, instead of just having goals that I don't follow through with!

Amy

End Of The Week

It's the end of the week!  My husband is on vacation next week and I can't wait.  I am hoping that we can take some day trips and just plain hang around and relax and have fun!

This week, I've written about a couple of goals that I have.Thanks to a couple of comments, I am more motivated to follow through.  First of all, my and my family's health is something that is really important to me.  It's always difficult to make changes, but I think in our case, slow and steady wins the race.  We have started our plants from seed tis year and so far so good, they are growing.  I have started our cold weather veggies in the garden, but we still have more to plant.  I am hopeful, that this year, we will be eating veggie from the garden, which will help with being healthier.

My other goal is creating to help others.  One thing I am going to do, thanks to a comment, is push myself more to create things for my twins group.  I have wanted to be a part of this, but I wasn't sure what to make.  I just sent an e-mail to find out some more information so that I can start making things that will help a group that I belong to that has been helpful to me.  I am also thinking that if a specific selectman gets re-elected, I may approach him about the farmer's market idea.  I'm not sure how much I want to commit, but it's definitely something to think about how to make that idea happen.  I have a bunch of ideas, I just need to get things together and clarify how, what, when, and where.  It may be a project that I have to work on and maybe start next year, but at least it is a goal.  I can get my goal of being creative and helping others taken care of all together.  I just have to see if the farmer's market is some where I can start this idea.  I'm sure that there will be more thoughts about it here, so that I can get some feedback and ideas on my thoughts and plans.

Amy

Healthy Eating and Living

I've written a lot about wanting to change my diet and my reasons for doing so.  I've also written a lot about my struggles with being healthy.  Currently, I am finding it really hard giving up meat.  I still want to give up meat and I think in time, I will actually do it.  I think my biggest struggle is figuring out a meal plan that my whole family will eat.  I am thinking that I probably need to make meat dishes for my kids, and maybe even my husband, and I will just need to have some restraint and follow through with how I want to eat.  Given my BRCA2 gene (and don't want to proceed with surgery yet), I think it is also important to reduce the amount of animal protein I eat (at least from what I have read).

At this point, I really need to stop eating gluten, dairy, and reduce animal protein.  I also need and want to reduce the amount of added sugar, especially white sugar, in my families diet.  I start off doing well and then, I flop and fail.  My oldest son is not supposed to be eating dairy and gluten either (we both scored 3's on our IgG blood test) .  Given that I have concerns about Michael having more of an issue than just a speech delay, I know that following through on no gluten, no dairy, and probably other additives will help him out tremendously!

At this point, I am really going to concentrate on following through with my healthy living goals.  Other than this week, when I have been sick, I have been doing great at exercise.  I could probably do more, but I am happy with what I am doing.  I need to add some short meditation and yoga in, but otherwise exercise is great.  I am trying to make time to be creative, which is going ok, but not perfect.  I am also trying to get organized which is extremely slow going and tedious and time consuming, and difficult.

My thoughts here seem a little scattered (I'm obviously not a writer).  I really just wanted to get down in words, my goals and what I am finding difficult.  I hope that taking time to write down, what I want and what barriers I am facing, even if those barriers are just invisible barriers that I have put up, will help me be more aware and make the changes I need to, even if they are slow going!

Amy

Where Am I Going With My Life?

I joined in with creativeeveryday.com to try to help force myself to make time to be creative every day. Overall, I did much better than I thought I would. I was able to work on more things than I actually posted, which I suppose makes sense. I would much rather be creative and not post than try to make time to post and not have as much time to be creative. I keep thinking that I am going to try to seel things I mark, but I haven't gone that way yet. I still have so much fear about failing, that I don't really try to peruse it. I really need to think about letting go of my fear of failure and go for it.

My latest sewing project for my 20th reunion.  I hand sewed it quick to have something to bring, but now I need to machine sew it so it lasts better.

I also really need to think about what I am going to do when I go back to work. I still have plenty of time, but if I don't start thinking about it, I'll be needing to find a full time job and I won't necessarily be Doing something I really want to do. Will I ever be able to make a living doing something I love vs something I like? Will I be able to be creative in my work instead of just following regulations? There has to be a way to use my social work degree, my love of creating, and my love of handmade and natural things in my career choice!

I really need to focus on what I want my personal life to be and maybe then my professional life will follow. I need to start eating right. I need to start making time to be creative and maybe making time to sell thinks I make. I need to continue to live a handmade and natural life and increase or even start practicing certain things like yoga, meditation, vegan/vegetarian eating, etc.

I will keep the focus on figuring out where I want to go with my life and figure out how to make sure that I can maintain a great family, a house and maybe start a new professional career in time for when I go back to work in the next 3 or so years!

Amy

What Do I Need To Do?

I have all these ideas and thoughts, but the follow through isn't always there.  With summer being here and my husband being home and Michael in school for the month of July, we have taken advantage of just having 2 kids to take out for our daily walks and have gone for a 4 mile walk usually about 3-4 days a week.  We have also attempted to spend a lot of time with the kids playing outside and maybe even getting some gardening done.  What we haven't really had is a set formal schedule other than Michael's school.  What this has done for me, is to take away some structure that I had and now I haven't gone and done a normal grocery shopping, made a normal meal plan, cooked dinner, cleaned house, done laundry, made time for creating, gone to any farmer's markets.  This means, my goals of being organized, eating healthy, being creative, etc have all gone by the wayside.  Also, we have my brother in law staying with us, and as much as it's not his fault, it has really either caused some planning issues or at least given me a way to rationalize (albeit an abnormal rationale) why I am not getting things done.

One of the reasons that I like writing this blog, is that it helps to keep my head a little more clear about what my goals are.  I may not always follow through with them, but at least I am thinking and writing and hopefully following some of them.  To give myself some credit, I have been exercising.  I have made some better meal choices, though not always great.  I have started making water kefir and milk kefir, though I am feeling like I am getting behind in that area as well.  I have been having some green smoothies, though I really want to have more.  I really want to start menu planning again.  For some reason, having my husband home has made me lazy in this area.  I need to get back on track.

Long and Short Term Goals?:

1. plan my meals for the week
2. have a green smoothie every day
3. exercise
4. be creative
5. cook/eat at home versus eating crappy unhealthy food out
6. continue to read more about aromatherapy and herbs
7. continue to research nutrition and healthy diet
8. reasearch and get new recipes
9. read and follow "the Body Ecology Diet", and allergy diets
10. go grocery shopping
11. finish Rebecca's baby shower gift!

Thanks to those who read!  I love having a place to put my thoughts and ideas down and sometimes even get comments/thoughts back!

Amy

Back To Basics

I'm once again writing about my diet, which is an on going battle.  One of my goals, when I go back to work is to maybe work with people with eating issues/disorders.  I have never really thought about that realm of social work, but given the struggles I am having, I am thinking it may be an interesting area to learn more about.  With that being the goal and add on to that goal getting some nutritional education behind me, I decided that I really need to get myself back in line with healthy eating and healthy living.  Along with that, I really need to get back to eating healthy and cooking for my family just to plain old save money.

Enter http://www.healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com.  The author of this blog started some posts about "The Beck Diet Solution".  Her posts got me intrigued and I am using this as an opportunity to get back to basics.  Day 1 of "The Beck Diet Solution" is basically to put down your goals.  The thing is, you have to actually read your goals twice a day.  I am going to try that, but we'll see how it works out.  Actually you are supposed to write down your reasons for losing weight so here are mine:

1. to be healthy
2. to reduce my cardiac and cancer risk
3. to feel better with how I look
4. to have more energy
5. to feel better about myself in general
6. to be a healthy example for my kids

Day 2 is to choose your diet.  I am choosing to follow Dr Neal Barnard diet, which is basically a vegan diet.  I am in the middle of reading his "Breaking The Food Seduction" which I am hoping will help with the multiple food  addictions that I have.  I  am also looking to follow the "Body Ecology Diet" for a multitude of reasons.  I guess, according to this book you don't necessarily rush right into the diet, there are 2 weeks of exercises to do.  I guess I should look at getting the book and looking at it so I at least know what I am attempting here.

Day 3 is to sit while you eat.  This is one that I have been attempting to do as a family but am failing miserably, with me being one of the main culprits.  I tend to multi task while I eat and as much as I know I shouldn't, I do.  I am going to really try to sit and enjoy my food with no distractions, as much as I am able to.

That's we we're at so far.  I'll continue to post what new changes/goals I am looking to make and hopfully this time, I'll be moving in the right direction!

Amy

Going Green (Smoothie)

With my desire to start being healthy, I have started to look at the raw foods world, at least for the summer months.  One thing that I noticed is the whole green smoothie "revolution".  Ok, so maybe not a revolution, but it;s certainly a popular concept.  A few years ago, my husband and I started to make green smoothies.  We bought a book by Victoria Boutenko, who has been promoting green smoothies.  Basically, it is a much easier and tastier way to get in your fruits and veggies, almost like a V8 fruit drink but better and probably better for you since you make it yourself.  Green smoothies basically consist of fruit, a green leafy veggie, and maybe some water and protein powder if you wish ( we've used protein powder in the past but I have used it recently).  I like my greens, but there are only so many I can eat at a time.  I can drink these smoothies and feel like I am being healthy and getting in my fruits and veggies.  Most recently, I have been adding in my homemade kefir with some stevia to sweeten the kefir.  I had some last night for a snack and even when my husband wanted ice cream, I was a little more able to hold off and not be persuaded as easily as I usually am.  I am hoping that one positive impact for me will be relieving me from my cravings.  I don't see it or expect that it will happen overnight, but I am hoping that these small changes I am making will help me with my overall health and in time I'll be able to listen to my bosy and really trust what it is telling me.

Last night, as I was researching green smoothies, I went to a blog I have been following for some time now, www.choosingraw.  One of the things that I read, which totally resonated with me was making small changes.  For along time now, and with many things, I often feel like I have to be perfect right away or else it is a failed attempt.  I am slowly realizing, I can make small changes to my diet that over time will accumulate to large very positive changes.  I am also realizing that it really isn't an all or nothing idea.  I can have some meat even though I want mostly to be a vegan.  I can have dairy even though I don't want to have it every day.  The healthier I get, the more I can listen to my body and the more I can trust it to tell me what it needs..com

Earlier in this post, I mentioned that I have been making homemade kefir.  I am making both milk and water kefir and am loving both.  I love water kefir.  It is fermented water that has some small bubbles in it.  Often I will drink it in a champagne flute or a wine glass just for the fun of it.  I love drinking out of fancy glasses even if it is just water.  I haven't really experimented with flavors yet, but I plan to do that soon.  I haven't really been drinking the milk kefir, but I have been using it in mainly my pancake recipes and have made butter out of it also.  I have strained the kefir and made "kefir cheese" and then used the whey in my pancake batter.  I have started (just yesterday) to add kefir to my green smoothie.  I really enjoyed it though I did need to flavor it with stevia, since straight plain kefir, like plain yogurt, is a little too tart for my taste.  I'm loving my kefir grains!

Green Smoothie Recipe #2

1 apple
1/2 C frozen blueberries
1/2 C frozen berries
1C frozen mixed fruit
1/2 C sunflower seeds (magnesium)
1 head of green leaf lettuce (from my neighbor's CSA share)
water to blend to consistency of your liking
1/2 C kefir/yogurt (optional)
stevia to taste (optional)
 (for the first smoothie of the day, I added the kefir at the end and just stirred it in with about 7-8 drops of liquid stevia.  Later that night, I re-blended a glass of the smoothie with some kefir and stevia and I think blending it made it more amalgamated and I really enjoyed it much more)

I usually blend the fruit and water and then add the greens.  You really can use any leafy greens you want.  My husband is lacking in the magnesium arena so I added the sunflower seeds to help increase the magnesium for him.  Blend to your favorite consistency and enjoy.

I am looking forward to trying more combinations as well as using veggies from our garden.  I will post more recipes as I make them.  I am hoping that, in time, these green smoothies with help me get my health back and as I've said, I can start trusting my body!

Have you had green smoothies?  Do you have favorite recipe?

Amy

Disconnect!

Recently, I started looking at a book called Nourishing Traditions.  I had thought I wanted to buy it, but after realizing what it is all about, and not that it's bad it's just not the direction I want to go, I decided that I most likely won't buy it.  What this book did for me though, was to make me think about my diet and how I eat.  I've already written that I have food addictions and I also have an issue with over eating and hiding the food that I eat.  What I realized first is, I have a real disconnect with food!  If you were ask me how I feel after eating certain foods, for the most part I wouldn't notice if I felt different eating certain foods.  I would also say that I couldn't tell you why I eat certain foods, why I over eat, if there are certain triggers that make me eat certain foods or at certain times of the day.  The only thing that I could tell you is that, I tend to eat food whose taste lingers in my mouth.  I tend to want that taste no matter how full I am.

My husband and I have been trying to eat a more vegan diet.  Mainly for health reason, but also for animal rights reasons, at least on my part, I won't speak for my husband.  Unfortunately with the summer here and the grill being used as well as my children seeming to eat more animal protein (they are only 3 and 2 1/2 ), I have found myself eating way more meat that I would like.  One thing I recently noticed is that when I have meat, especially beef, I tend to over eat it.  I'm sure, actually I know that there are other foods like that for me.  Because of this realization, I have decided that I think eating more vegan is the right way for me to eat.  I am also thinking that I need to start a food journal.  I really need to connect more with my food and really focus on why I am eating what  and is there something else non food related that is more what I need?

Now my dilema with going back to eating more vegan is, "What are some good ways to eat vegan in the summer months?"  I really enjoy beans, soups, stews, roasted veggies, rice, but I want to enjoy summer also and I really don't desire eating those heavy foods.  I wrote in yesterdays post that I was thinking about looking at the raw foods diet for the summer.  I still think I will do that, but if anyone has any thoughts on how to maintain a vegan lifestyle through the summer (since I just started going plant strong), and/or any recipes, I would love it!  I would love some good blogs sites as well!

Now as for the handmade part of my blog, I seriously need to get creating again.  Hopefully in the near future, I will be able to find some time to do this!  I have lots of projects, just not enough time to make them!

I am also thinking that I know the direction that I want to go when I truly get back into the workforce.  I am thinking that I want to move towards nutritional counseling and education.  I need to get myself on track first, but I really think I would enjoy that.  Now I just need to figure out how to do this over the next 3-5 years!

Amy

Eating In Balance

The name of my blog is "The Balance of Living a Handmade and Natural Life".  I'm not quite sure that I have been finding myself feeling very balanced lately, especially when it comes to eating.  My husband and i decided to move towards a vegan diet after his doctor and dietician recommended it for certain health issues and after some research about some family history on my part.  When the weather was cold, and here in New England it was raw and cold for what seemed like forever, I felt like it was easy.  Beans became a stable of our diet.  Of course the kisd hated this type of diet so we started to switch back to meat for the kids.  Then finally, the nice weather came and we started to cook on the grill.  I have now moved back into the meat eating, dairy loving person that I was before we made our diet change.  The problem?- I don't feel as good when I eat that way.  I love the taste, but I tend to over eat, I feel horrible after and the cycle continues.

How do I plan on fixing this problem?  Well, I have to say I feel more balanced when I eat a more vegan style diet.  I do enjoy it, and when I don't have a lot of meat, I tend not to miss it.  For me meat really ahs to be a once in a while thing or else I go over board.  My biggest problem is summer.  Now that the heat is here and that means BBQ season, ice and beans and roasted veggies don't really cut it.  I know I can roast veggies on the grill, and even fruit and I can eat lots of salad, but how do I make it filling and satisfying like when I eat beans and veggies soups?  One of the things that I am looking into, is the raw foods diet.  Again, balance, as this would really be for summer and really warm weather when you don't want to eat heavy.

Will I be able to enjoy a raw food diet?  That is the question that I keep asking myself.  For lunch i made my husband and I a green smoothie.  I really like them, but they tend not to hold me as long as other food, but I don't over eat with a green smoothie.  I think I just need to have a snack plan for when I get hungry (something healthy and satisfying). 

I am always striving for a balanced life, it just tends to be one of those things that I will constantly need to work on.

Today's "Green Smoothie " recipe:

2 bananas
1 apple
handful of green grapes
1 C frozen berries
a bunch of green swiss chard
water to blend

Blend all of the fruit together then add the swiss chard and blend until smooth adding water if needed.  Almost any green leafy veggie can be used.  Yesterday we had a variation using Red Russian Kale from our garden.  We're hoping to get some more leafy green growing so that we can have more smoothies and use things from our garden.  I would love to use more local fruits and hopefully I will be able to change that!

Amy

Moving Forward!

So I have definitely made some changes for the better, but still have a lot of changes to make.  I am still not quite eating exactly the way I should, but I have been better about eating actual meat.  I still have animal products more than I want to, but small baby steps, so that I can ensure that this becomes a way of life vs just another short term diet.  My goal is to give up dieting for good and to start eating healthy so that my weight and my health stay where they should be.

Yesterday, I bought "Breaking the Food Seduction" by Dr Neal Barnard.  I have only read a couple of pages so I can't say how it is, but I am looking forward to reading more and figuring out how to break some of these bad habits/food addictions that I have.  This is really going to be a huge change for me.  I am really looking to change my way of thinking in general about a lot of things in life and  the area of food, at least I hope, will make some positive changes in a lot of different areas in my life.  My biggest goal is to stop eating meat and any animal product.  I need to start increasing my intake of fruits and veggies, which I really enjoy when I actually eat them.  I need to find good healthy options to deal with different cravings that I get, but I need to remember that once my body is back in health, I don't think that I'll continue to crave things like I do now.  Hopefully when I crave things, it will be few and far between and I can allow myself to indulge on a small scale level.  I also really need to give up the whole starchy carb thing, especially wheat, gluten, barley, malt, and yeast.  These along with cow's dairy all came back as a high chance for allergies/intolerances and I know thta I don't deal well with dairy so I think it's time that I attempt to see how I feel when I don't eat these things.

I am hoping that getting better with my eating will help me to have more energy and concentration to work on other things in my life that I am interested in.  I am also hoping that with better eating and adding in some exercise, my body will get back to a shape that I will be happy with and I will feel a little better about myself and have less doubts.  Not that I was skinny and in shape before 3 kids, but having 3 kids, who at one point were all under 1, does not do nice things to your body.

So here's to taking control and getting my health back so that I can be happier in all areas of my life!

Amy

Getting Back On Track

I'm finally getting back on track, albeit very, very slowly.  There are some things that I have changed about my health/eating/creative life, which have gone back to my bad ways, but I am starting to get my focus back to where it needs to be and this time (even though I've said it before) I am taking things slow and really thinking about my decisions.  I am really, really going to try not to beat myself up for not following through.  I am going to really work at being positive about these changes that I want to make and I think just changing my attitude is going to be a huge help.

Along with changing my eating, there are a lot of other changes that I have been working on.  Some have really worked out well, and some not so well.  I was going to try to sew an hour a day this week, making clothes for the kids.  That pretty much didn't happen.  What I have done with regards to sewing for the kids is start working on their room darkening shades.  I still have quite a bit to do for them, but at least I got started.  Right now, as much as sewing clothes would be a benefit, I really need to focus on the shades.  I could buy them, but where's the fun in that.

I have decided that I really love cooking, I just hate the cleaning up part.  I think the cleaning up  (not to mention the addiction I have to eating out and eating crap) is what makes me not want to cook.  I am absolutely loving blogs.  I think I have a slight addiction to reading blogs, I just don't have enough time to really read all the ones that I want to.  I love that there are so many resources out there to help me find recipes that I really want to try.  I love that, even though I love to buy cookbooks, I don't have to.  I love that when I need to find a new and healthy recipe, I can just type in a search and I can find what I am looking for.

Along with reading cooking and craft blogs, I love finding natural health blogs.  Aromatherapy and natural cleaning solutions are a couple of the areas that I have an interest in.  I have to say though, my diet blogs are usually blogs that fall into the category of natural health because they are usually blogs that are vegetarian/vegan or deal with health and allergies, not just food blogs in general, or at least I look for healthy food options within my ideal diet on a lot of the blogs that I read (though I do admit to coveting a ton of non-healthy recipes that I don't make but would love to!).

Tonight I made broccoli rabe with white beans, carrots, and onions in a garlic walnut oil sauce and I ate it with brown rice.  OMG, was it awesome.  I love broccoli rabe anyway, but this was just a way to eat it with some protein and some other veggies and have it be just a little different.  I used this recipe, http://hungrybruno.blogspot.com/2009/01/broccoli-rabe-with-beans.html, but I didn't add the bread crumbs or the parmesan cheese, which probably would have made it even better. 

I am making a promise to myself now.  I will not ever give up.  the goals may change, but shouldn't they be fluid anyway?
Amy

What Am I Doing and Where Am I Going?

As usual, I start out with the best of intentions and then I totally fade!  I started out my day of a good note, but then I totally screwed it up.  I have so  much work to do to get to where I want to be.  I had planned on making a great veggie dish tonight, but ran out of time.  Here we are trying to eat more vegan, especially since my husband's doctor would prefer him to eat that way and that's how I want to eat, and I can't even get my act together to make meals.  I have everything I need to make dinner tomorrow night and will most likely make it early in the day so that I can't use the excuse that I ran out of time.  I am going to spend dome time and plan my meals for the week so that I again can't use the time excuse.  I'm not exactly where my time goes, but I'm sure that I'm not being as productive as I can be.

I am not stepping foot in the cafeteria at work.  First off, there is pretty much nothing I should be eating there.  Secondly, I really shouldn't spend be spending money when I have plenty of food at home that I can be eating.  Thirdly, I really want to be in control of my eating.  Finally, I really want to learn how to cook and plan delicious tasting vegan meals.

When I go home tonight, I am going to eat my red lentils with rice.  I am going to eat healthy snacks, like fruit and nut butters.  I need to get back into my running, which I may try to do tonight, or I will do with the twins tomorrow morning.  I really want to see how I do running without pushing a stroller, but I guess if I can run with a stroller, I can do even better without!  I really will get this some day!  I really will get healthy, eat healthy, and live healthy.  I know what I want to do, I just have to step up and do it.  I need to stop making excuses and start living my life the way I want and need to live it.

As for the creativity piece of life, I am starting to plan and cut out pattern pieces for kids clothes week challenge. I went to teh fabric store today and I have fabric and patterns to make.  Now I just need to get cutting and sewing!

Thanks for listening to my therapy session.  I feel like this way, there is nothing too sensitive that I am sharing, yet I am being accountable to anyone who reads this,
Amy

Meeting Goals

Last night, I wrote about a few goals I had for the week.  One of those goals was to make my daughter's Easter dress.  I went home from work last night and started cutting out pattern pieces and sewing and this is the almost finished product.  The only thing I have left to do is hem it.  Now I just need to make a barrette for her to wear.  I have the stuff, I just need to make it.

My little ham

Holding onto Woody

As for my other goals, I followed through with my dinner plans for tonight for the family, but I didn't make it in time for me.  I chose as best I could at work, eggplant parm.  I still haven't had any soda, though I have craved it horribly.  I did day one of the couch to 5K yesterday and tomorrow is day 2.  I still haven't gone shopping for clothing for this time of year, but I really need something to at least cover my arms!

I haven't gotten to the Salvation Army yet.  I really want to go and see what kind of goodies I can find and what I can do with them.  I am hoping that it will spark my creative ideas and I'll do something truly creative instead of just following someone else's ideas.

As for my kids' diet, I am almost certain that Michael has an issue with dairy.  We had pizza Saturday and then he had pizza last night.  I guess I was just hoping that he could have it once in a while, so we trialed cheese.  Needless to say it was a no go.  Last night was the first night in a long time, like 2 months (probably the longest ever), that he woke in the middle of the night.  Now to be fair, all I had to do is go in and put the blanket back on him, but that has never happened since we took him off dairy.  Then this morning when I went to get him up, I noticed that there was blood on his sheets from him scratching at his arm.  He has had a little issue with scratching his back, but I'm not sure if he just kept scratching at it because it was scabbing.  I also noticed that he was snoring worse this morning, another thing that had gratly decreased since going dairy free.  I am going to be very strict with what I give him.  I don't now if I will feel comfortable giving him pre-packaged foods unless I can be sure that it is dairy free.  I may need to look into seeing if there are other foods that may be contributing to this.

I am thinking that I really need to continue with watching all of our diets.  I am thinking that losing the starchy carbs for all of us would be a positive move.  I am hoping that with the right diet, we will all start to feel better.  I need to continue to create sine it is what I truly love to do.  I really want to make sure that I complete the couch to 5K and I actually want to run a 5K.  I am thinking that I may run a 5K with another twin mom this summer.  I really will feel good to complete the program and be able to run since this is a goal I have always had.

Amy

Diet Take 2!

So after writing last nights post, I started to think about what is going on in my life and where I really needed to start listening.  I am hoping to get some inspiraton on what to do with my life, but I think right now I need to listen to my body.  I am always talking about changing my diet, and I end up making some changes for a short time, but then I go back to my old ways.  Part of it is because I don't think I give my body enough time to feel better and then realize that it is worth making those changes. 

This winter has been really tough on me cold wise.  Right now I have a miserable cold that is totally kicking my ass (for the last week)!  Spring is now here in Massachusetts, and I am really wanting to get outside and exercise, play with my kids, and just plain enjoy the nice weather.  The problem,  I feel to miserable to do any of this!

I just started thinking that maybe, just maybe this is my body's way of saying "HEY, YOU, LISTEN UP!  I CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH OF THE JUNK YOU FEED ME.  I KNOW THAT YOU TRY TO BE GOOD, BUT YOU NEED TO TRY HARDER.  STOP EATING THE STUFF THAT YOU KNOW IS NOT GOOD FOR ME!"  If all my organs had the ability to talk, I swear that is what they would yell!  I am wondering if not eating right, and probably not taking my allergy meds is just putting to much stress on my body, so anytime a little virus/infection happens, my body has to do more to fight it?  Starting tomorrow, I am going to take my own advice and start listening.  I am going to start eating the way I know I should be eating and want to eat.  I am going to continue to not drink soda (which though hard is not all that bad).  I won't list out all the things I know I should be doing, but I will start writing about what I eat and any changes that I feel.  I really need to start drinking more water.  I have enough water bottles that I can have a ton in the fridge so that I can just refill, grab, and go.  This maybe too much to ask, but I am really hoping that this will help so many more aspects of my life, which I will write about later.

Here's to listening to my body!
Amy