Productive Saturday: An Oxymoron?

Today was a wonderful day to get things done. The last free Saturday, we decided to just hang out and play a lot of video games. While that is definitely a great decision, this Saturday I wanted to feel like I accomplished something (other than a few game achievements). On the list was laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and some other usual chores. I also wanted to clean up what has become the "kids section" of the living room. It was becoming a little bit crazy.

Before

After

I had picked up two Rubbermaid totes so they will each have their own tote to store their toys in. Now the living room looks a lot more spacious, and I have big plans for this summer. I think it would be great to have a nice little place to sit and have breakfast by our large picture window.

Trevor decided to put the molding on the top of our shower, which would finally complete that project which we started a few months ago. He did it wonderfully and it looks great now that it is all done. It's so nice to married to such a handyman!

My hubby hard at work

All done and looking great!

Just One of Those Days

Yesterday was a wonderful day. Between getting to go to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and learn more about God and His Word, experimenting to find the perfect sugar-free honey-roasted nut recipe, and cooking up a wonderful spicy chicken rotini for dinner, what could make this day any better?How about a long overdue girls night!

We had been planning for about a month now to each bring a part of a dinner and meet up at a friends house. The meal turned out just wonderful (well, it looked wonderful anyway) and it was great to see some of these girls that I felt I hadn't talked to in ages.

It's so easy to become disconnected from everything when you are married. Part of it is the wonderful fact that you feel so much like a complete unit. Who needs anyone else when you have a built-in best friend to hang out with everyday? Yet, of course, we do need our friends and family also, and nights like last night are the perfect reminder of that.

We all agreed that we need to do it again next month. I'm looking forward to it already.

12 Days and Counting

I only have 12 days to go.

There were a lot of things that I wasn't very sure about when I started this diet. The doctor who gave it to me wasn't too free with the details.  Initially, I had thought that I would just try it for 3 weeks to see if I could detect any changes. Then I had to go and actually ask the guy who wrote it what he thought. His returning email was a little disheartening.

"I usually have my patients continue the diet for at least 4 weeks".

Four. Weeks. 

Really, that is only one week more than I had planned, so it isn't that bad. The most disappointing thing is that I haven't seen any results, so all this may have been is a fun experiment. However, during this experiment I ate extremely healthy for a month and learned how to cook some new foods, which are both wonderful things. No experience in life is waste if you learn from it.

Today I realized that the four week mark is only 12 days away. I am over halfway done.

I can almost taste the chocolate now.

When at first you don't succeed...

Yesterday, I made took my second stab at making banana bread. I had adjusted the recipe so I now I used twice as many bananas and a different kind of oil. There was much anticipation as it baked. It smelled right, but the last bread had smelled good also. Then it was out of the oven. It looked right, and it had risen much higher than the other bread. I could hardly wait for it to cool off enough to get a taste. Finally, I sliced off my first piece.

Hooray, it was good! Still a little bland, but so much better than the first loaf. The blandness may be due to me using regular apple juice instead of apple juice concentrate. I still put a small drizzle of agave nectar on there, for old times sake, but nothing near the deluge that was needed before. Maybe next time I will just put it straight into the mix and see how it goes!

Everything-Free Banana Bread
Dry Ingredients

• ¼ cup walnuts, ground finely in blender
• 1 ¾ cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose baking flour
• ½ cup arrowroot
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup raisins

Wet Ingredients

• 1½ cups ripe mashed banana (I used 6 bananas)
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 6 Tbsp. Brown Rice Syrup
• Egg replacer equal to 2 eggs (1 Tbsp. milled flax seed + 3 Tbps. water. Let gel for 5 minutes. Equals 1 egg.)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Do not over mix. Pour into greased 9”x5” loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until pointy object inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cool.

Unhealthy "Health" Foods

Yesterday's dinner started with the thought "I wonder what is the most unhealthy thing I can make that still fits into my diet?".

A little over 2 weeks ago, I started this elimination diet in order to find out if I was allergic to any food types. I have a couple of allergies that I've always had (I will spare you the details) and I was thinking that perhaps they might be food related. I didn't start this diet to lose weight, yet it is really hard to eat unhealthy foods when most fats and sugars are not on the "can-have" list.

So I challenged myself.

The potato on the left is a fairly large potato, but
nothing compared to Big Momma Potato on the right.

I ended up making fried potatoes. I love fried potatoes, but I hardly ever make them due to how long it takes without a deep fryer, and also how much oil you have to use. We did have lots of potatoes since I bought a 5 pound bag only to then be given some by Trevor's parents. They were the wonderfully fresh-from-the-garden-dirt-still-clinging-to-them variety, so I went to that bag first. There, sitting on top was the mother of all potatoes. this thing was massive. I couldn't help but select it as my victim for the night's meal.

After all the washing, chopping, salting, frying for 40 minutes and more salting, the potatoes were done. They turned out as a wonderful side to our now-familiar baked chicken and steamed veggies. The only thing that was lacking was a gluten-free, corn-free ketchup, and I'm sure I could have stirred some up if I'd have had the right ingredients on hand.

It all goes to show that if you try hard enough, you can still eat unhealthy foods no matter what. Take that, diet!

Sweet Substitutions

Hi, my name is Christy and I am a chocoholic.

My love affair with food started sometime around my first birthday and never really stopped. Along the way, I learned how to moderate amounts, but never have really been able to get my mind around the fact that food is nothing more than a fuel that you put in your bodies engine to make it go. I'm not even sure if that is the correct way of thinking.

Food is social. It's emotional. I relate food to holidays and special occasions. I like to have something sweet after dinner because it makes the meal feel "complete". And thats where my little Dove Chocolate Squares came in, a little something sweet to finish off the day.

From the ashes of disastrous banana bread, arises a
new creation! Hail, Honeybread!

I am starting to find replacements for some of those things. Even though this diet won't last forever, I see no reason to not enjoy myself while I am at it. I am cultivating a love for some of the more natural sweet tasting things, including strawberries, apples, pears, grapefruits, grapes, blackberries, and blueberries. Of course, there is also my affectionately titled "Honeybread", which is my banana bread attempt which really didn't turn out well and was only saved by a liberal drizzling of agave nectar. My latest discovery is dried figs, which really taste a lot like fig newtons.

Still, if anyone out there has created a dairy-free, sugar-free, cocoa-free chocolate, give me a call.

And now, in your weekend news...

What do weekends and race cars have in common? They both go by way too quickly.

This weekend for me was one filled with fun. We had the kids at our house, and that usually denotes a good bit of stress, but I've found that just a tiny bit of planning can make things flow much more smoothly.

Happy birthday Rose!

The kids usually arrive on Friday night. Right away Aspen informed me that it was her babydoll's birthday tomorrow. Although I was fairly sure this was a ploy to get some non-birthday cake (and maybe some miraculous presents), I decided to play along and be excited with her that "Rose" was turning 1 years old.

We started off on Saturday with an trip to McDonalds for an early lunch. One of the difficult things about extremely cold weather is that you can't go outside to get any exercise, so we needed another option. We invited my brother Jason along and we had a nice time chatting while the kids burned off some energy in the play place. I ended up eating apples and grapes, the only thing on the menu that I could order. We decided to invite Jason to dinner and the birthday party also, and he promised to bring a movie over later that night.

I think she decided to dive in headfirst.

We made a quick stop at the store to pick out a cake mix, some frosting, and some additional items for the night's meal (Cub isn't as bad as Wal-mart on the weekends, but still not pleasant) and headed straight home. I had decided to make slow bake barbecue chicken, so I had make my own barbecue sauce from scratch (most barbecue sauces contain corn starch). Once the chicken was in the oven, Aspen and I got started on the cake. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was my favorite when I was a kid too.

The barbecue chicken turned out well, although really spicy due a healthy dose of cayenne pepper. Along with some mashed potatoes, bread and green beans we had a wonderful birthday meal followed by chocolate cake. I couldn't eat much of the dinner, but the chicken was moist and flavorful so it was very satisfying. I had dried figs for dessert.

Enjoying our night in.

After dinner Jason and Ethan played Lego Harry Potter before it was bedtime for the kids, and then we watched "The Social Network", which turned out to be very entertaining. All in all, the weekend was busy but very enjoyable. It just goes to show that we can do a lot of activities when the kids are here, it just takes time and planning to make it all work.

Bye, bye, weekend! See you in a few days.

Great Expectations

Elizabeth Bennet may say it is "but one poor sonnet" that will kill love, but I say it is expectations.

I have a lot of desires for my life. I want to be a good wife and step-mom. I want to run a successful business. I want to be a friend who truly listens. I don't think it is wrong to have desires, but what happens when those desires turn into expectations?

Mark, our pastor at The Journey North, preached a wonderful sermon on this several years ago. In it he said some words that I will never forget. "Expectations set a bar that those around you then have to live up to. You are saying: if you can't reach this goal I have set for you I will be frustrated, angry, or disappointed in you. When you have expectations, you are putting yourself over the other person, expecting them to meet your needs."

Yet, how easily my desires turn into expectations! I think we all naturally have an idea in our minds of the way things should be in our lives, preconceived notions of how events will turn out. I am very guilty of being sometimes inflexible, finding it hard to change my schedule to meet the needs of others. Yet, how much stress could we eliminate if we could just let go of all the things we think we know about how our lives should be and just trust.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. - Isaiah 26:3

What does it mean to truly trust God? Could He even expect us to give up our very expectations of life, of other people, or even of ourselves? The short answer is: yes. It also means more peace for us. Don't forget that God's plan for our lives is the best plan, and our joy and his glory go hand in hand.

Cold Snap

Anyone who lives around here is well aware of the current state of events in the area. 20 degrees below zero with added windchill is enough to make even the most stalwart of Minnesotans run for their heated blankets. I would not count myself  among the ranks of those hardy winter warriors. Just walking to my car from the entrance of Wal-mart is enough outdoor adventure for me in these temperatures.

My favorite room in the house.

What would I usually be doing when the weather cools down? You might find me curled up by the fire, wrapped in a blanket, reading a good book. I may be sipping on a hot cup of cocoa and nibbling some graham crackers, or perhaps some coffee and dark chocolate. It's interesting how certain external things, like changes in the weather, can trigger internal cravings. In my current situation I just have to find substitutes for my favorite foods, or find activities that distract me from my cravings.

At least the fireplace and good book are here to stay.

What's For Dinner?

Again, I didn't feel like making anything for dinner.

This seems to be a recurring theme inside of my head. Maybe it's that I've been working more and more (and later and later). Maybe it's that my husband keeps crazy mealtimes and may or may not come home hungry. Maybe it's that the food that I have to make now just takes longer (opening a can of sauce vs. making a sauce from scratch). Whatever it is, as dinnertime approaches, my trusty Rice Krispies cereal starts sounding better and better.

Tonight I fought off that supper-time cereal urge and made some stir fry. As usual there were difficulties (how do you make a soy sauce without soy?), but answers were only a click away on the Internet (molasses + balsamic vinegar + salt). In the end, I had a serviceable Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry. I had put some ginger and garlic somewhere in there also, so while it didn't taste exactly like soy sauce, it had a definite flavor which was still quite tasty.

Please... No... More... Rice.

I didn't feel well last night.

Perhaps it was the finally going off of caffeine after slowly reducing it each day. Maybe it was the 3 bowls of crispy rice cereal that I ate, because my head hurt too bad to make anything else for dinner. Whatever it was, it did not end well.

When I woke up this morning, rice was the last thing I wanted to put in my mouth. Unfortunately, this is a very rice-heavy diet. Fortunately, my appetite was completely gone, and I really didn't feel the need to put anything in my mouth. Tonight I did make some banana bread which turned out acceptably once liberally drizzled in Agave Nectar (my honey substitute of choice). While in the kitchen, I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures.

The rice can take many forms.

There's no hiding from the rice.

Time to Move

I was great to get out of the house a bit yesterday, even with the challenges and planning involved. We ended up having a fun evening at our friends Zac and Holly's house, playing Playstation Move and watching Inception.

The chicken with rice and black beans that I brought turned out pretty good. However, the pico do gallo that I ate with it gave me the most tantalizing onion and garlic breath! So I ended up having some gum, which of some of the ingredients may have been suspect.

Sorry diet.

Eating Out

Today I had an interesting challenge. Something usually looked forward to, but now made difficult. Eating out. And for some reason I've decided to do it 3 times today.

It started with breakfast, as the day usually does. On Fridays, it is customary for me to eat at a cafe with my father. I realized this week that it would be almost impossible to find something that I could eat on the menu, so we just went to coffee instead. I brought a little something to snack on.

Yes, that is a faux Rice Krispy treat I am having for breakfast. No, I don't care.

For lunch, it was over to Grizzlies to meet with Trevor's parents. This turned out well, as they had a wonderful salad made with apples, grapes, and roasted chicken. Add a dash of my own homemade dressing and viola! One of the best meals I've had since Monday.

Tonight offers up yet another challenge: a night out at a friend's house. A lovely couple invited Trevor and I over for dinner and a movie. Trevor informed them about my restricted diet and they were very understanding. So I will be bringing my own dinner tonight, probably chicken and rice. And crying a little on the inside while they eat homemade pizza.

Substitutions

Lamb Stew. Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Chicken Spaghetti Marinara. Rice Krispy Bars. Salad Dressing.

These are all things I've made in the past couple of days. It's a typical menu for our house, with one small exception. They were all made without wheat, corn, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, or sugar.

As a staunch recipe-follower, making substitutions is not something I usually do. However, when you are faced with a self-inflicted challenge such as this one, there are hardly any foods you can make without swapping some ingredients.

So, a-substituting I will go. How bad could it be?

Everything tasted good, but never as good as the original. I think a big part of the process for me is making my mind accept that "tasting different" and "tasting bad" are not synonymous. The best recipe I've tried so far is the Crispy Rice Squares. Made with brown rice syrup and almond butter instead of marshmallows, this is quite good. It is also different enough from the original that I am tricked into liking it.

Surprisingly, the food I miss the most is bread. No amount of rice, whether crisped, wafered, puffed, or molded into an unnatural disc shape can make up for the wonderful texture of bread. There is a rice bread, but after administering the "poke test" at the grocery store, the rice bread seemed to have the consistency of styrofoam. It did not pass.

What I've enjoyed most is trying new and sometimes odd foods. Agave nectar? Quite good, reminds me of honey. Brown Rice Pasta? I prefer it to whole-wheat pasta. Nutritional yeast? This wins the award for "The Most Unappetizing Name", but actually turned out to be a tangy cheese-like seasoning. Who knew? Now I do.

Change never ceases to amaze.

That "New" Car Smell

As I drove home from running errands yesterday, there was only one thought running through my head.

My car smells funny.

The reason for my car's not so usual smell can be traced back to two summers ago, and a coffee shop date with a friend of mine, Rebecca. As I ordered my usual, an espresso smoothie with cinnamon, Rebecca asked the barista if their frozen yogurt had corn syrup in it. As my friend had not previously been exceptionally interested in the corn content of her food, I had to ask her about it. 

"I'm allergic to corn." she confided. "Now I just make sure I don't have too much, and I feel a lot better"

Interesting.

Fast forward to this spring at a routine doctors appointment. I asked the doctor if she thought that food allergies might be the culprit behind my year-round sniffles. 

"Possibly" she said as she callously tossed a stapled stack of sheets my way. Thanks for the help, doc.

I took the diet/menu planner home, but things were busy, and they sat gathering dust. All through the holidays I thought of it occasionally, but between all the get-togethers, eating out and generally strange schedule, it was not the time to start something new. That sort of thing, is a new years sort of thing.

And there I was, driving home with a car full of groceries, smelling a strange but familiar smell. The same scent that marks every health food store I've ever stepped in. I'm not even sure which of the myriad of unfamiliar ingredients which I had purchased that day gave off that particular aroma, but I was sure of one thing.

It was the smell of change.