We've been making wonderful improvements in our diet in the last month. We are eating mostly whole foods, little to no white flour or white sugar, eating less processed foods and eating as much organic products as we can. I can't speak for the other four in our home, but I can speak for myself when I say ... I am starting to feel good. I can tell that my body is 'purging the evil'. :) The next step is to incorporate exercise.
Usually I am always up for exercise. Growing up, we had a full gym in our house and I watched my parents use it routinely. It was natural as I got older to feel that life is not normal without it. After each pregnancy (until now), I've always been strictly regimented. After Colin's birth, I've been too tired to even care for it. I realize that I am due some grace since I am caring for 3 children under 3.
But alas, this is the year of no excuses, right? So here is to today, to begin a healthful return journey to exercise. And who knows what goods I might find along the way. Strength, energy .. my brain, perhaps. Oh how I have missed my brain. :)
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Purge the Evil Among You
A few months ago, our sunday school classed welcomed Mr. M, a former elder in our church, to come and give a teaching on Deuteronomy. In his first lesson, he discussed why God gave the Israelites clear instructions on how to live. Sometimes we look at God as a drill sergeant and a party pooper. But God was trying to keep his people safe and healthy. Just like when we tell our children not to drink poison or not to run out in front of a car.
One of the commands that God gave them was not to mix breed their cows, because that would cause marbling in the meat, which is fattier and unhealthy. It was when Mr. M explained this passage that I felt a twinge of guilt for what I had been feeding my family.
During this time of our study in Deuteronomy, I was also in a women's bible study class called Hayesod. A christian teaching on our Jewish foundation. There were two significant sections to me during this bible study. One study discussed the Jewishness of Jesus and how he followed the Jewish customs, even their diet, and how Paul also followed the Jewish customs, along with their diet. Restraints in eating was a way to honor and show reverence for God.
I began to mull this over in my mind and could start recalling passages of scripture where God gave very strict and clear instructions on food. What to eat, what not to eat. When to eat, when not to eat. Where to prepare it, how to prepare it. Who was to eat what and when.
Tim, at this time, was also reading passages of Deuteronomy out loud to me. I realized how many times the book says, "Purge the evil among you." I don't suppose that he was referring to their food, but that is how I interpreted that at the time. Purge the junk food among us.
And so begins my journey.
There are so many healthy ways to eat. And I feel like I have forgotten how to eat healthy. So I bought a book of Amazon called, Feeding The Whole Family. The author focuses on whole foods. She defines whole foods as anything that has been around for thousands of years. There are other criteria as well such as, can you read the label and know what the ingredients are? Can you picture where the food originated from? Can you imagine it alive or growing?
I think this is a great way to start. God filled the earth with things for us to eat and enjoy and keep us healthy. We were never meant to eat chemicals.
Living on a budget will restrict how far we can take this food journey, but we will definitely do what we can.
One of the commands that God gave them was not to mix breed their cows, because that would cause marbling in the meat, which is fattier and unhealthy. It was when Mr. M explained this passage that I felt a twinge of guilt for what I had been feeding my family.
During this time of our study in Deuteronomy, I was also in a women's bible study class called Hayesod. A christian teaching on our Jewish foundation. There were two significant sections to me during this bible study. One study discussed the Jewishness of Jesus and how he followed the Jewish customs, even their diet, and how Paul also followed the Jewish customs, along with their diet. Restraints in eating was a way to honor and show reverence for God.
I began to mull this over in my mind and could start recalling passages of scripture where God gave very strict and clear instructions on food. What to eat, what not to eat. When to eat, when not to eat. Where to prepare it, how to prepare it. Who was to eat what and when.
Tim, at this time, was also reading passages of Deuteronomy out loud to me. I realized how many times the book says, "Purge the evil among you." I don't suppose that he was referring to their food, but that is how I interpreted that at the time. Purge the junk food among us.
And so begins my journey.
There are so many healthy ways to eat. And I feel like I have forgotten how to eat healthy. So I bought a book of Amazon called, Feeding The Whole Family. The author focuses on whole foods. She defines whole foods as anything that has been around for thousands of years. There are other criteria as well such as, can you read the label and know what the ingredients are? Can you picture where the food originated from? Can you imagine it alive or growing?
I think this is a great way to start. God filled the earth with things for us to eat and enjoy and keep us healthy. We were never meant to eat chemicals.
Living on a budget will restrict how far we can take this food journey, but we will definitely do what we can.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Patty Pan Squash
A vegetable that my mom introduced to me a year ago was Patty Pan Squash. Since then, I've noticed that not many (younger) people have heard of them. Probably because they are pretty expensive.
Patty pan squash is delicious! Tim and I are not big squash people, but we love these. The best place to get them around here are at any market. We get ours at central market. Though the picture below shows yellow ones, we always go for the green. And the smaller, the better.
Health benefits? Squash is not a well researched and studied vegetable as others have been. But there are some things that they know for sure. Squash is becoming more and more known as an antioxidant, surprisingly. Helps maintain blood sugar, so a wonderful vegetable for diabetics. Prostate benefits, contains Omega-3, contains anti-cancer properties. So that's good.
But really, all I care about is finding a vegetable that I look forward to eating. And that Tim looks forward to eating and requests frequently during the summer months.
How to cook them? Just boil them for a few minutes and then salt and pepper them. Healthy goodness.
Patty pan squash is delicious! Tim and I are not big squash people, but we love these. The best place to get them around here are at any market. We get ours at central market. Though the picture below shows yellow ones, we always go for the green. And the smaller, the better.
Health benefits? Squash is not a well researched and studied vegetable as others have been. But there are some things that they know for sure. Squash is becoming more and more known as an antioxidant, surprisingly. Helps maintain blood sugar, so a wonderful vegetable for diabetics. Prostate benefits, contains Omega-3, contains anti-cancer properties. So that's good.
But really, all I care about is finding a vegetable that I look forward to eating. And that Tim looks forward to eating and requests frequently during the summer months.
How to cook them? Just boil them for a few minutes and then salt and pepper them. Healthy goodness.
Cleaning Routine
Home Sweet Home ... right? Not right, if your house is a mess!
Being home means I am becoming anal about keeping things tidy and clean. As anal as I can be while pregnant, that is.
I've decided to pick a day to clean something on a certain floor of the house. This is what I mean:
Monday - Second Floor - Kids Floor
Tidy both rooms and bathroom
Collect trash and empty diaper pails
Put away clean laundry and collect dirty clothes
Pick one extra thing to do (Ex. bathroom, vacuum, go through clothes etc.)
Tuesday - First Floor - Main Floor
Tidy
Pick one project (Organize a closet, clean windows, vacuum, etc.)
Wednesday - Basement - Where Small Group Meets
Tidy
Vacuum
Bathrooms
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Anything that needs to be done
Go back to first floor, work outside, etc.
Sunday - Relax
Then there is, of course, the everyday list of chores that need to be done such as ...
Bathe the children
Cook and clean up dinner
Clean spills, messes, stains
Etc, etc, etc, etc and ETC!!!
It never takes me more than an hour and a half to finish any of these things. So I am not over doing it. I've found by keeping a routine like this, keeps the house pretty tidy and clean all the time. One day I hope to be at the point where things are clean, the house just needs a good tidying up.
Being home means I am becoming anal about keeping things tidy and clean. As anal as I can be while pregnant, that is.
I've decided to pick a day to clean something on a certain floor of the house. This is what I mean:
Monday - Second Floor - Kids Floor
Tidy both rooms and bathroom
Collect trash and empty diaper pails
Put away clean laundry and collect dirty clothes
Pick one extra thing to do (Ex. bathroom, vacuum, go through clothes etc.)
Tuesday - First Floor - Main Floor
Tidy
Pick one project (Organize a closet, clean windows, vacuum, etc.)
Wednesday - Basement - Where Small Group Meets
Tidy
Vacuum
Bathrooms
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Anything that needs to be done
Go back to first floor, work outside, etc.
Sunday - Relax
Then there is, of course, the everyday list of chores that need to be done such as ...
Bathe the children
Cook and clean up dinner
Clean spills, messes, stains
Etc, etc, etc, etc and ETC!!!
It never takes me more than an hour and a half to finish any of these things. So I am not over doing it. I've found by keeping a routine like this, keeps the house pretty tidy and clean all the time. One day I hope to be at the point where things are clean, the house just needs a good tidying up.
To Market, To Market
I've started back on my Tuesday routine to head to Central Market. The fruits and vegetables taste so much better and are much cheaper than the grocery store. For example, last week it was $1.50 for 1 lemon at the store. At market I got 4 lemons for $1. Huge difference!
Disclaimer: Not all items are cheaper at market. It's good to have an idea of what the prices are at the store to compare.
Here are my favorite stands:
The Turkey Lady
My husband and I love this stand. She makes wonderful turkey sausage. My husbands favorite is the spinach and feta. We also love her deli turkey. Lots lots lots less fat than regular sausage and you can't tell the difference.
Ric's Bread
One day I hope to start making homemade bread, but for now, this stand is WONDERFUL. We've been making grilled sandwiches with their bread and the turkey lady's deli turkey. Amazing. And to finish off the sandwich, a perfectly ripe juicy mango (also from market). They also have a thin crust pizza crust, rolls, homemade english muffins and of course, different loaves of bread. The bread does mold fast because there are no preservatives, but I prefer that. Less chemicals the better!
Lemongrass
This is a fabulous Thai restaurant and as a treat for buying local, every tuesday I always buy us something for lunch. Their curry's are delicious. Can't wait for this tuesday!
Eat Fresh. Buy Local.
Disclaimer: Not all items are cheaper at market. It's good to have an idea of what the prices are at the store to compare.
Here are my favorite stands:
The Turkey Lady
My husband and I love this stand. She makes wonderful turkey sausage. My husbands favorite is the spinach and feta. We also love her deli turkey. Lots lots lots less fat than regular sausage and you can't tell the difference.
Ric's Bread
One day I hope to start making homemade bread, but for now, this stand is WONDERFUL. We've been making grilled sandwiches with their bread and the turkey lady's deli turkey. Amazing. And to finish off the sandwich, a perfectly ripe juicy mango (also from market). They also have a thin crust pizza crust, rolls, homemade english muffins and of course, different loaves of bread. The bread does mold fast because there are no preservatives, but I prefer that. Less chemicals the better!
Lemongrass
This is a fabulous Thai restaurant and as a treat for buying local, every tuesday I always buy us something for lunch. Their curry's are delicious. Can't wait for this tuesday!
Eat Fresh. Buy Local.
Big Grocery Trip is Better
My usual grocery shopping routine includes a few hours of creating a food menu for the week, a well thought out grocery list and clipping appropriate coupons. When I am at the store, I usually check out the Redbox first, spend a couple bucks on a few dvds. Then I splurge on name brands and extra things I think would be fun to try or have in the house to throw away later down the road.
This month I changed things up and so far I am diggin' it. I created a food menu for the entire month. Created a long grocery list that included all non perishable and freezable items and things I would need for this week. The I created a smaller list for each week that consisted only of perishable items like vegetables, fruit, dairy and bread.
How did this go for me? Super! I hardly ever go to the store without my coupons, so I had those with me to save as much as I could. But I found that by starting the month off with a super large grocery list changed my mind set to ... miser. I didn't check out the Redbox, I bought cheaper brands and I did not stray from my list ... not one iota.
Overall I spent less money and time in the store. That was the most surprising factor. Instead of my usual hour and a half stroll through the store, I was in, out and leaving the parking lot in one hour!
This month I changed things up and so far I am diggin' it. I created a food menu for the entire month. Created a long grocery list that included all non perishable and freezable items and things I would need for this week. The I created a smaller list for each week that consisted only of perishable items like vegetables, fruit, dairy and bread.
How did this go for me? Super! I hardly ever go to the store without my coupons, so I had those with me to save as much as I could. But I found that by starting the month off with a super large grocery list changed my mind set to ... miser. I didn't check out the Redbox, I bought cheaper brands and I did not stray from my list ... not one iota.
Overall I spent less money and time in the store. That was the most surprising factor. Instead of my usual hour and a half stroll through the store, I was in, out and leaving the parking lot in one hour!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Cross Stitching Fun
I finished my first cross stitch! What an enjoyable project!
This was so much fun. If you're looking for something creative to do with your hands that you can pick up while your husband's watching the game or you're looking for a quiet afternoon while the children nap, pick up your cross stitch and create a little!
Once I started this one, I could not put it down. I just had to finish it and see what I could do.
I'm looking for hobbies like this that I can do with my hands and give away! I'll have to keep some, of course, but I'd like to give most of them away. We will most likely send our kids to a local private school where they hold an auction every year to raise money. I'm hoping that some of my finger skills will be good enough by them to donate some of my work. I really have a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. It's great!
For my next cross stitch I've been looking at the ones of famous paintings and a few by a European company called Vervaco. But first, I need to figure out how to use my sewing machine!
This cross stitch took me about 2 weeks and I will be hanging it in the boys room. Very proud of this one for being my first one since elementary school.
This was so much fun. If you're looking for something creative to do with your hands that you can pick up while your husband's watching the game or you're looking for a quiet afternoon while the children nap, pick up your cross stitch and create a little!
Once I started this one, I could not put it down. I just had to finish it and see what I could do.
I'm looking for hobbies like this that I can do with my hands and give away! I'll have to keep some, of course, but I'd like to give most of them away. We will most likely send our kids to a local private school where they hold an auction every year to raise money. I'm hoping that some of my finger skills will be good enough by them to donate some of my work. I really have a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. It's great!
For my next cross stitch I've been looking at the ones of famous paintings and a few by a European company called Vervaco. But first, I need to figure out how to use my sewing machine!
This cross stitch took me about 2 weeks and I will be hanging it in the boys room. Very proud of this one for being my first one since elementary school.
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