More is More

My friend posted a stunning New Year's Eve outfit on the socials this morning accompanied by an Iris Apfel quote; 'More is more and less is a bore.' Yes.

I'm in the last year of my 30's and I've gotta say, I'm super excited for 40. I've spent the last year plus in the throes of starting a new business (Purl2 Walla Walla - Stop by if you're in town!) with a good friend and it's been an amazing year of learning more about myself, re-learning that elusive work-life balance. Acknowledging the things I suck at and working to rectify them if I need to, or asking for the help to fill in the blanks. Recognizing things I'm really good at and trying to let them shine.

This year. I want more. 

More laughter that makes me throw my head back, more tender glances at my kids so they have no doubts that my stern voice at times is backed with an endless well of love and empathy for them, more time spent without a screen to separate us, more fresh air breathed in. A little time by the ocean, some more in the mountains. A few deep breaths to take a beat and remember that parenting a range of kids, or any kids at all, is really fucking hard, but it doesn't have to be a slog; they're going to be okay. Being a rigid hag won't help anything.

More grace with my husband, more grace with myself. More movement of my body for the sake of how glorious it feels to work hard, not as a punishment or a guilty reaction to whatever I just ate. More appreciation of all that my body has done for me, less lamenting the things I don't love about it. Because for reals, what's more boring than hearing about what people hate about themselves?

More really good meals that take a long time to consume and are filled with conversation. More friends at my table. More time to be creative in a conscious way. Less clutter, leaving more space to be. More books read, more time spent listening. More of 'if it's not a hell yes, it's a no' to leave room for the things I really want to do. More travel. More exposure to cultures I don't understand, or don't know enough about.

There is a definite swing in our culture in this direction, and I am hopeful. We have so much chaos and ugliness right now, I want to do what I can to bring light. As a naturally anxious worst-case-scenario person, this is work. At the end of the day, or year, or life, I know it will be work worth doing. What do you want more of this year? What are you doing to make it happen?

Cheers to a 2019 that you'll reflect on with happiness and feelings of abundance.

(All photos credit to Gigi Hickman Photography; October 2018)

Whole Dirty Thirty: The Food

Rawkstar Fuel, indeed. Please meet Dump Ranch

I finished my first full round of Whole30 Thursday. I feel really good, am planning to keep most of the routines we've established and have added a number of the food bloggers I found during my meal planning straight to the top of my rotation. I've been asked by a few people for tips and recipe ideas so I thought I'd do a couple quick posts on the process. One on the food. The other the feels.

If you're not familiar with Whole30, it's basically a super strict version of the paleo diet, which was developed first to be an elimination diet to self-test for food sensitivities and give your body a general reset. Full disclosure, and I am the first to admit that I poo-poo'd the plan for a long time. It seems a little crazy to eliminate so many food groups, it's concerning that it wouldn't be a sustainable eating plan for me long-term, so any weight loss or other gains I made during the month could be easily reversed, and I just have a general disdain for anything that smacks of elitism because I'm a reverse snob. Give me a big old truck and some jeans and I'll feel at home. Plop a diet coke in the cup holder? Homier.

A month without sugar (including maple syrup, honey, agave or stevia), legumes, dairy (no ice cream?!), chewing gum (sugar or sugar substitute), alcohol (suuuugar-boo hoo and adios vino), soy or grains. What can I even eat?! Turns out, quite a lot. And it's even good.

With four kids, I have a large-ish family, and with our already busy afterschool schedules I wasn't down for signing up for something that would add a lot more food prep or planning, but I do love to cook and make dinner pretty much every night as it is. I kept the food relatively simple because I was not making two dinners. My kids would eat what they normally did for breakfast and lunch, but would have Whole30 dinners. And no dessert. So, I figured they'd catch a little benefit from that by default. (Just to get a feel for our routine; Monday through Friday I prep dinner a bit and then grab the big kids from school. By 4:15, I have dinner pretty much ready to either stick in the oven, or instructions for reheating and I take H to swim. J feeds the other three and starts their bedtime routine so that by the time I get back with H at about 6, we eat with each other. I can't wait until H advances to the next level and has swim in the evening because I really don't like the split dinner hour.)

I had been following the Whole30 Recipes instagram account for some time, and the food they featured there every day all looked so good, and very accessible and I had read the timeline (aka what to expect) a number of times (spoiler alert: I never found the Tiger Blood).

I was not interested in adding a bunch of stores to my grocery shopping routine, or quadrupling my grocery budget. There were a few specialty items that I sourced on amazon, but other than that, everything I bought was at Safeway, which is my usual grocery store. I think part of what is intimidating sometimes about the idea of doing a whole30, is that you have to spend your whole paycheck on food. Now, I have a pretty well stocked freezer re: meat and a very full range of herbs and spices, so there were a lot of staples that I didn't have to purchase. I'd add a good $100 if you're going to be buying almond flour, coconut aminos, coconut oil, etc. I would also add some time to your first shopping trip if you're not used to reading labels, because unless you're buying a specific brand that's been listed as compliant, read; they sneak sugar into everything. Costco has a lot of compliant foods now as well, and at great prices. Their unsweeted vanilla almond milk is one of my staples, and their large bags of dried mangos, apricots, dates and figs were great staples to have one hand. (dates and figs are often used to lend sweetness where you'd otherwise be using honey or sugar in some recipes).

My husband agreed to take the plunge with me, after some convincing, and we chose the day after holiday break ended as day one. I spent the week or so before starting to cull through my cookbooks and pinterest, and realized that the genius thing about being so late to the party is that the interwebs have done all of the work for you. Honestly, enter 'whole30' followed by any recipe you're looking for in the google search bar or on pinterest and you're in business! I didn't do any big cook-up days, or spend any more time in the kitchen than I previously did. Now, if you are used to grabbing something to go more than a few times a month or eat a lot of convenience foods, then it might seem overwhelming at first until you find your rhythm. I would highly recommend that you have an immersion blender and wide mouthed jar for making mayo, dump ranch and other condiments, and that you prep condiments on an open time that is other than dinner prep. I learned that the hard way when I tried to make ketchup at the same time I was supposed to be basting drumsticks with bbq sauce that was supposed to have said ketchup in it.

Secondly, and this is my personal opinion, I think whole30 would be really really hard if you don't like eggs. We went through, no joke, about 12 dozen eggs. Jared did the 30 days with me, so with two adults eating hard boiled, egg salad, shakshuka, over medium, frittata, egg muffins, scrambled, you name it, we were the Forrest Gump of eggs. We also ate a lot of greens. From kale to iceberg and everything in between, this plan is heavy on the protein and greens, light on the fruit and healthy fats, even lighter on carbs (though it's not a low-carb diet). If you don't like to eat salads, this might also be a struggle at first.

I did not have any issues with headaches or other symptoms of 'withdrawl' from sugar, other than a general sense of resentment that I was so chubby I had to do this to get a jump start on my path to wellness. But that's for the emotions post. Overall, I just felt good. The first couple days I talked about food pretty much non-stop and my husband finally asked 'Is this going to be one of those things that we talk about food all the time, but don't actually eat any? If so, I'm out.' Okay, message received. From then on I just referred to the menu board when asked what was for dinner, ha ha.

I tried to rotate what I had available each week so I didn't get burned out on any one food. I tried Sweet Potato Toasts (pretty delicious), and making my own mayonnaise (I'll never buy it again, so simple and delicious), and the sweet baby angels at Whole Sisters created, and then shared, dump ranch. For which I will be forever greatful. Dump Ranch got me through the first week or so. I actually prefer it to traditional ranch and that is a huge deal. I kept a variety of precut veggies on hand, which made a lot of the roasted veg bases for dinner super simple.

Sheet Pan Dinner, which you'll see on the menu board a couple times, is just a couple packages of Aidell's (or I actually found the safeway brand to have a couple of compliant flavors) sausages cut into 1-2 inch pieces, and a jellyroll pan of veggies roasted. During the last ten minutes or so of roasting, add the sausages to the top to warm them through; et voila! Dinner is served.

Breakfast was often leftover roasted veg from the night before and a couple over medium eggs. I kept things really, really simple so that it would not feel overwhelming. Once you know what ingredients work, you can adapt regular recipes, but there are so many great resources for already whole30 compliant meals you don't need to.

I don't want this to be a novel, but I need to address coffee. I will never love black coffee. I take my coffee with a splash of half-and-half, so I needed a substitute. Some ideas I tried were cashew, almond and coconut milks, all unsweeted and carrageenen-free. They were all fine. But just fine. I found success finally with nutpods creamer, which is half coconut, half almond milk and comes in orginal, vanilla and hazelnut and had to be ordered on amazon.

RX bars were also something that I kept on-hand for mornings that were just crazy and I didn't want to skip breakfast. They have a whole30 compliant mixed case that was available on their website with a 20% off and free shipping deal so I snapped them up. They are fairly expensive purchased one at a time, but the bulk deal made them just over $1ea. My faves were blueberry and chocolate sea salt.

Without further ado, my meal plans. I only planned dinners, as lunch was either a salad or leftovers. One night I ended up having to scrap what I'd planned and make something faster, but I moved that to the following week's plan. All of the recipes turned out really well (except sweet potato fries, I've tried every trick and they just don't work out for me). Look below the plans and I've linked where applicable! On taco night, I simply had taco salad instead of a shell. Other than that I didn't add any starches to the kids' dinners. Caulirice can be found already riced in bags in the produce section.

Whole Sisters; dump ranch, zuchini bites, BBQ drumsticks, and dump ranch. Oh, did I say that twice?

NomNomPaleo; kahlua pig, mocha rubbed pot roast

WellFed: Fried Chicken Meatballs, KickAssKetchup, Burger Night (well fed Weeknights cookbook)

Rural Eating: Grilled Romaine Salad with Hot Tomato Vinaigrette

Food Faith Fitness: Jerk Shrimp Strew with Cauli Rice (SO GOOD)

Are you contemplating a Whole30? Any other questions I can answer? Stay tuned for my post in the next couple days on the feels. Because it turns out this was more about meal planning and keeping sugar out of my gob. There was some real work to be done!

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday breakfast is when I usually roll out the big guns; cinnamon rolls, donuts, bacon...all things in the goodness of gluttony category.  The promise of donuts after church is sometimes the only thing that makes my kids sit through mass.

Today, I changed tact with a breakfast casserole from 100 Days of Real Food. With very few ingredients, this breakfast came together quickly and was really, really filling.

Start with a pound of good quality breakfast sausage (I used turkey sausage) that's already 'loose' or with the casings removed, and brown in a skillet on the stovetop. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of olive oil, which I omitted because I don't ever use oil to brown ground meat in. Dice a bell pepper (I chose yellow so that my kids were less likely to notice it in the midst of the egg yolks; tricky, tricky.), and when the sausage is browned, add that to the skillet and cook for a few minutes more until the pepper is tender. Because sausage is already pretty heavily seasoned, I'd urge you to refrain from adding salt and pepper until it's done baking, I didn't feel like it needed anything more, and the recipe doesn't call for any.

Transfer the sausage/pepper mixture to a greased 9x13 pan, spreading evenly on the bottom, and sprinkle with a half-cup of grated cheddar (or swiss). I used closer to a cup because I'm a rebel like that. Lastly, crack a dozen eggs over the top of the mixture covering as much of the surface as you can, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Love the horrid lighting in my kitchen; it's why I usually turn the lights off to photograph :/ Using a full block of cheese to freshly grate ensures that you aren't getting any additives that pre-shredded cheeses generally have as an anti-clumping agent.

lights off; better

To add some greenery, I wilted a handful of arugula for each of the adult plates, and gave everyone a slice of whole wheat toast. Even my little hobbits who eat copious amounts at the breakfast table were full after one serving. It's flavorful and filling and will definitely carry you over until lunch. Also, because of the limited amount of prep time, and the fact that you don't even have to dirty a bowl to pre-scramble eggs since they're cooked whole, this would be a great option for a school morning breakfast. It could also easily be made portable by wrapping the mixture up (including the arugula if you're so inclined) in a whole wheat tortilla.

If you've purchased the cookbook, have you tried any of the recipes yet? Tonight, we've got the Slow-Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas on tap.

100 Days of Real Food: A Review

Fold massive pile of scrubs or peruse new cookbook? Tough Choice

I first saw Lisa Leake's blog 100 Days of Real Food, probably via pinterest, when I stumbled across a post that addressed packing healthful and varied school lunches for your kids. The topic of school lunches is one that I feel pretty strongly about, but that's for another post.

Leake's blog was full of great recipes, meal plans, product reviews and videos and had a very accessible tone so I added it to my blog roll and started following her on facebook. Be warned, though, people on facebook can get downright nasty in their comments to even the most innocent posts. Like the time she candidly showed her kids taking homemade uncrustables to eat at the airport. Holy nut allergy sensitivity!

As soon as I saw she had finished her first cookbook/guidebook, I pre-ordered it. That was back in January and a whole bunch of life happened in between, so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived on my doorstep a week ago.

My first impression upon taking it out of the box was that this was no amateur job. There was clearly a ton of work and thought put into the content and organization so that it covers all the bases, gives you the tools and confidence to get started in your own journey to more healthful eating and food-prep for your family, yet still provides references to go out and learn more on your own.

Coming in at 339 pages, not including the reference section, this is one hefty tome. Yet, full of beautiful photos and a voice that is not at all condescending or pandering it invites you to bring it to your couch and flip through while you sip your coffee (with grass-fed cream, of course).

Starting at the beginning of her journey and walking you through the changes she made for her family without getting totally bogged down in the details, Leake leaves you with the understanding that this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. By first simply looking at the ingredient lists of the foods in your pantry to better understand what may or may not have been great choices to using her meal planning (even broken down by season so that you can utilize farmer's markets if you desire) and grocery shopping list templates you can start building your own whole food life. The first 123 pages focus on giving you the information you need, while the second half has the promised 100 recipes, broken into the following categories; breakfast, lunchbox, snacks and appetizers, salads and sides, simple dinners, special treats and, finally, homemade staples.

I love that there are examples provided of what she adds to the given lunch box recipe in order to pack a full meal for her kids.

Pizza bites made on mini whole wheat pitas; H will love these.

Breakfast tacos

Eggs in a Basket

These cinnamon apple chips will make a great addition to the rotation of after-school snacks (and sweet treats for me) this fall!

I know I'm sounding like a broken record here, but yet another thing I really like about her approach is that she does not shy away from the fact that committing to a more healthful way of eating definitely involves planning, organization and work, but that it's worth it.

In reading the book, you better understand that this is not an extreme 'diet'. You aren't ordered to immediately open your pantry and pull out the dumpster to rid your house of these dirty, dirty foods that are clearly killing your family right now. There also aren't a ton of rules to follow, calories to count, or food groups to eliminate, it's simply about understanding what you are eating (and feeding your family) and how those foods can either benefit your overall health, or not, then eating controlled portions of those foods (which Leake also addresses).The guiding principle, adopted from Michael Pollan, is that you should eat foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry.

Dairy, gluten and legumes are all whole foods and the elimination of them from a lot of trending food plans has been a real turn-off to me. Seeing great whole wheat bread recipes, the use of home made corn tortillas and real cheese made my heart sing.

That said, she also has several recipes that would accommodate people who need/want to eliminate those foods and there is even an index in the back that organizes the recipes by dietary need so they're easy to find.

Don't you just want to sit down at the table with her?

I especially appreciate that she candidly addresses the issue of budget. Her family's second round of the 100 Days of Real Food Pledge, involved her doing so on a budget that was voted on by her readership. For a family of four, she had $125 a week to spend on groceries. In her state, a full food stamp allotment for her family size would have been $167/week, so it was definitely a challenge, but they achieved it! You can read her posts about how she did that in the hyperlink above. A huge, and very real, barrier in a lot of people's minds when they think about making the change. Bottom line: eating whole foods certainly doesn't mean you have to/should shop there.

The only sections I skimmed (and they were small) were the ones addressing strategies for eating at friends' houses or when you're on vacation, or how to share the whole foods love. I'm just never gonna be the girl who eats before she goes out to eat, or offers to bring something to a friend's house as a guise, or is the huge party buzz kill talking only about Monsanto and GMO's. While these things are important topics to explore and research for your own personal benefit, it's a huge turn-off to me when people are trying to overhaul their eating habits and it's all they can talk about. Blech.

Overall, Leake's book is a great addition to any collection of resources on the whole foods movement, especially because it provides the specific help of meal plans and recipes to add to your rotation so you have not just the research, but the practical application. If you haven't already, definitely read Michael Pollan's books including The Omnivores Dilemma, In Defense of Food and Food Rules. There are additionally some really great documentaries available, most of which you can stream on netflix, such as Food, Inc., King Corn and Food Matters.

Now go forth and meal plan; school starts in two days!

Make You Banana Pancakes...

I recently took part in a five-day clean eating challenge, and had to share one of the breakfast recipes.

During my first trimester of this pregnancy, my established eating patterns of salads for lunch and egg-heavy breakfasts with reasonable dinners went out the window for the stomach-soothing caaaaaarbs. I heart gluten, that's certainly no secret, but I knew that if I stayed on the path I'd started down, they'd have to roll me to the hospital by month nine. 

This time around I'm determined to gain very little weight. Or none. (and unless you are my OB, please save the admonitions, this is not an unsafe thing to do if you're chubby to start with, are eating nutrient-dense foods, exercising sensibly, and your baby is growing at the normal rate)  As I've learned the hard way, the novelty of gaining 800 pounds over the course of a pregnancy wears off pretty quickly when you have to then work off said half-ton with a newborn. And older kids. And a life. On limited sleep.

That said, I was happy to find this protein-rich breakfast that honestly gave me all of the satisfaction of eating actual pancakes. I promise. They're good! I quadrupled the original recipe to feed myself and my three kids, with a few leftover for the next day...at which point they weren't very good. This is definitely a recipe that is better on the day it's fresh and hot. They were super fast, and if you make them small and let them cook long enough on the first side, they flip as easily as traditional pancakes. If you don't, they're an ugly mess, because they're just a smidge thicker than crepes. You've been warned. 

I love using a blender with a lip, because it eliminates the mess going from bowl to griddle with a ladle.

I chose to cook mine in coconut oil, but they would likely be even mo' bettah in a straight-up butter coated pan. Or, if you're boring, a naked non-stick pan. So bust out your blender and heat up your griddle; these babies are even quick enough for school mornings!

Banana Protein Pancakes (quadrupled)

Breakfast:

8 eggs

2 bananas

1 c. dry oats

2 t. vanilla

2 t. ground cinnamon

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until smooth.  Coat pan with ½ t. coconut (or olive oil or nonstick cooking spray...or grassfed butter) and cook just like pancakes.  

Spread with 1 T. almond butter or peanut butter. (make sure it's not straight from the fridge or you'll rip the pancakes). I also added a mix of fresh berries and you can add pure maple syrup or whatever your favorite pancake toppings are-get crazy.

Makes about 32 silver-dollar sized, thin, pancakes.  

Third Rising: Whole Wheat Bread (Again, Some More)

I've posted about my issues with bread-baking here and here using my mom's recipe, but I never did get it to work out perfectly every time. When I had Jack, my friend Emily brought soup and bread to us one night for dinner. It was so good, and she offered to have me over for a long playdate one day to show me exactly how she does it. She starts, as did my mom, with whole wheat berries that she grinds into flour. I don't have a grain mill (yet) so I go with the same brand of flour, Wheat Montana, which is nonGMO and can be purchased in bulk on amazon. There is only one store locally that sells it, and that's Wal-Mart, though I've requested it at two other grocery stores, so we'll see if they start to carry it. I love the Prairie Gold varietal, because it doesn't produce too dense a bread, but their other varietals are great, along with the all-purpose flour, which is a natural white flour; unbleached and unbromated.

The recipe she uses for her everyday bread is the Fresh Milk Bread from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, with a lot of' 'you'll know it's ready when it feels like this' and she'd pinch the dough between two fingers looking for the perfect amount of give. It was the best, most generous thing for her to host us for about four hours on a sticky, summer day. She walked me through each step, fed my kids lunch and sent me home with a loaf of fresh bread.


I ordered the book right away and embarked on my quest to replicate. After several months, I've had consistently good bread and am so grateful to her. My kids are brimming with gratitude as well. I believe H's direct quote was 'Can't we just buy bread at the store like normal people?' Brats. I do a one and-a-half batch of this bread to make three full loaves. My kitchen aid won't work a full double batch. The big-daddy kitchen aid is next on my appliance upgrade list. Also, I find that it's really important to weigh your flour because the way you scoop and measure it, may make the difference of about a cup when you compare weight to volume.

First rising

Punched down and risen again

use a bench scraper to divide into three equal balls and allow to rest on the counter

roll each ball with a pin into a rectangle and then roll up into a loaf and place in pans to raise for a third time

Third rising complete and ready to go into a 350 oven for 40 minutes

Golden Delicious

cool before cutting

Unless you baked it, and then you get a warm slice with honey and butter

Do you have a favorite bread recipe?

Meal Plan Monday

Another week has come and gone, which means another meal plan is ready. Planning what I'm going to eat helps me stay on track, and saves money because I'm not buying a bunch of random things and hoping they'll get used in a cohesive way before turning into the stank at the bottom of the produce drawer that gets tossed out.

On nights that are busy, we often do breakfast for dinner or a crock pot meal. The first two Mondays of the month are when H has Cub Scouts, so it was a breakfast night per H's request. 

Monday: Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches on Whole Wheat English Muffins, with berries. I had my eggs over a bed of roasted broccoli and Brussels Sprouts with some feta cheese crumbles.

Tuesday: Thai Chicken Salad (made into tacos for the kids)

This is also a day I'm using to prep some freezer meals during Jack's nap when the big boys are at school. On the menu for freezing are: Skinny Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups, Lasagna with Meat sauce in 8x8 pans, Minestrone Soup, Sweet Potato Turkey Chili and Taco Filled Pasta Shells.

Wednesday:  I'll be out of town, so the boys are on their own...could be dangerous

Thursday: -home late, boys still on their own. I'm sure Chef Boyardee will be involved.

Friday: Lasagna with Meat Sauce.

We're lucky enough to have a great butcher who makes their own sausage. I use a mix of their sweet and hot Italian sausages, along with the roasted tomato marinara I made from my garden bounnty this summer and froze. Adding fresh basil and minimal cheese atop whole wheat noodles makes a very hearty dinner that everyone likes.

Friday is always Family Movie Night and this week we're taking the boys to see the Lego Movie at the theater for Valentine's Day. Also, I'm making these strawberries for their treat, yum!

Saturday: Grilled Halibut with roasted Brussels Sprouts and Quinoa cakes (I make extra of these little cakes and keep them for breakfasts. They are so good under an over-medium egg, with some wilted greens or spicy arugula.)

Sunday: Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Also, for lunches this week I have some really good salads on tap. My friend made one for us when she hosted playdate last week, and I've been thinking about it since, so I bought the extras for it today. It was a kale salad with shredded red cabbage (maybe I'm imagining that part, but I'm adding it anyhow ;)), crumbled feta, pomegranite seeds and a little bit of brown rice that really just added another dimension of heartiness that made it a true meal. It was very simply dressed with and olive oil base and could be made even more filling with some chicken breast, but I liked it just as it was.

What do you have on your menu plan?

So, is it Chicken or Fish?*

*(and if you don't get that reference, you aren't a pop culture ho like I am...Newlyweds, anyone?)

image courtesy of angsarap.net

About six months ago, our local butcher started taking orders for seafood that has been amazing! Once a week, we get an email with what's available on Monday, place your order and pick up your fresh and bursting with the beauty of the sea vittles on Friday. This week, we bought bay scallops and huge white shrimp from Baja. They are the biggest shrimp I've ever seen. Last time the shrimp were available, I made fajitas with them and they were good, but this week I was itching to make something that was healthy and hearty, but a little fancy. I asked 'the facebook' for suggestions and had an immediate response with a recipe for Moqueca. Like most coastal countries, Brazil has their own version of a seafood stew. The thing that makes this one a fave that I'll make again and again is the coconut milk base; yum! The real deal is made with a fish caught off the northern coast, but we work with what we've got. I bet it would even be delish with some calimari.

What I loved most about this, was how simple it was to prepare. I already had everything in my house to make it, save for some cilantro and green onions and that was only because I'd just thrown out my sad wilty ones the day before. I was a little bit nervous about the instructions to generously salt and pepper each layer, but it really turned out beautifully. Just last week I was watching Giada and she commented that if you salt each layer as you're cooking, it'll turn out perfectly seasoned, whereas if you dump in that same amount of salt at the end, it's just salty.  I wish I'd taken a photo of ours, but it was gone in a flash.

The end flavor was a bit like Tom Kha soup, which is one of my favorite treats, and when I input the recipe to myfitnesspal.com so I could track it (I've been tracking every bite I put into my eager mouth) I was pleasantly surprised that, even using full fat coconut milk, it was just over 200 calories per serving (we got 6 servings out of the batch), plus about 100 calories for almost a cup of brown rice. I didn't add the garlic and oil to the rice that the recipe called for, I prepared it as I always do with chicken stock and water. It was very filling and the flavors were rich and deep and really, really satisfying. I love proving over and over that eating healtfully is usually even more satisfying than that big ole greasy burger and fries that make your guts dance a jig twenty minutes later. Bom Apetite!

Showgirls

When we get home on Friday from sunny Aruba, I promise to post about our epic flight, and the tantrum that launched a thousand ships, but until then you can read about my Vegas half-marathon/girls' weekend at My Sole Sister!

A Pound of Flesh: No More, No Less

I'm smack in the middle of a round of Game On!. This time J is in on the action, and we're competing against my sister and her husband, plus the perfect fifth wheel of our baby sister who is playing solo. She is diligent and disciplined and does not have a partner to drag down her average; dang her!

So far, it's been like a marathon. The first week we were jubilant and constantly saying 'This is so easy! This food is so good! We feel fantastic!' By the end of the first week, I'd lost 4.6 pounds and J was down 5 even. I was a little sick of spinach, but whatev' I was getting results, baby!

The second week, ended with me kicking up my game by having my first Cardio Strength Bootcamp class (highly, highly recommended) and I could just feel the metabolic disturbance that was going to rocket me to record weightloss. Aunt Flo be damned, I was on track to still lose the 1% of my body weight required to earn the weekly points bonus. I even passed up elephant ears at the fair. I! Know! I did succumb to bubble tea (the smallest size then had, thank you), but I still count that as a success, because I would have previously had both. Plus a corn dog. And a Hawaiian Shave Ice. And maybe some onion rings. You get the picture. And on Saturday's weigh-in, I'd done it again. Success!

Now, well into my third week something has happened and I'm bloated and up three pounds, which is making me feel frustrated, annoyed and just a touch on the childish side. Why is this happening? How is this possible?! I'm following the rules, I'm exercising consistently, drinking tons of water and getting a great night's sleep.

I would feel great, if a tiny bit bloated, were it not for those little numbers taunting me on the screen. Why do I do this to myself? I know that what I'm eating is healthy, nutrient-packed unprocessed food. I'm exercising (real exercise, not 10 minutes on the eliptical while I read a book) and properly rehydrating. This should be enough but alas, I want those numbers to give me instant bio-feedback that I'm a success and my efforts are being rewarded by an ever-shrinking gut. Forgoing peanut butter fro-yo that was calling my name from Blue Palm and instead having a serving of non-fat plain greek yogurt with some berries and almonds (see? lean protein, carbs and a healthy fat.) should feel like a victory, not a fruitless exercise in self-restraint.

For anyone that's made big diet changes, were there times that you felt like your body was revolting against the change? Fat Cells that felt suddenly empowered, crying 'Hell No! We Won't Go!"? Please tell me I'm not alone in this! Otherwise, it's okay, don't mind me; I'll just sit quietly in the corner, drinking my quiet juice-aka a spinach and greek yogurt smoothie with almonds and frozen strawberries. I know you're jealous. Don't hate me because I'm bountiful.

As for my kryptonite, otherwise known as Ben and Jerry's, they've just come out with a new not-to-be-missed flavor based on the awesome SNL skit with Alec Baldwin. Yes, their new flavor is 'Schweddy Balls.' I'll be eating a reasonable portion with my next meal 'off'. Mmm...those balls are tasty!


And now for a taste of the deliciously inappropriate. If you're easily offended, please don't press play!

Read my post over at My Sole Sister about speed workouts and wilted chard...in that order.

Coffee Talk

This morning as I sit to type, enjoying my coffee, I am feeling very well-rested because my entire family slept until 8am. This has literally never happened. I logged on to read my daily dose of inspiration on Another Mother Runner and it was exactly what I needed to hear. Tonia Blanchet was today's guest poster on the topic of 'Why I Run' and it really hit home.  Running gives you a sense of accomplishment that's so personal.

I cannot underscore enough the impact running has had; Becoming a runner changed my life. Not only because of the connections I've made with people, but because of the way it's made me feel about myself. Sure, I'd still have weight-loss goals, but I no longer look with a hypercritical eye. Instead, I try to find the things that have changed. My legs, chubby white girl's legs that they may be, have taken me almost a thousand miles in training over the past year and a half. A thousand miles.

I'm ecstatic about the fact that on my last few runs, I've hit sub 11:30 for the last mile because my usual average is in the 12's or 13's. Most people would cry at that time, but not me. I come home feeling energized and ready to take on the day. I am the stinkiest, sweatiest girl you'll ever meet, but now instead of feeling self-conscious about it, it just lets me know I've worked hard. Hit the shower and go about your business. Get over yourself.

I found a running partner that is going to push me, and it's just what I need. She's a new runner, but she's picked it up kind of annoyingly fast, and I'll have to work really hard to keep up with her. Her goal was a 10k (remind you of anyone?), but I've just about got her convinced to run the half with me; wahoo! I have big goals for my next two half-marathons, and they don't include just crossing the finish line. If that were my goal, I could just dink around until race day because I now know that I can finish, it's all in how I want to finish. Some of the little things I've committed to are drinking enough water every day,as in 3 liters at the minimum, and I've instituted a bed-time. Best gift I could have given myself, as I've had no problem rising with the first chime of my phone at 5:40 on those few mornings a week when I run with the sun's rising.

It was a struggle post-marathon, but I feel like I'm finally back. Each run is a challenge, and sometimes I feel like I'm starting all over again, but I do it and I feel a thousand times better when I walk through my door to find my family rising than I would if I were just starting to stumble around with my first cup of coffee.

Are you struggling to regain inspiration? How have you overcome a slump? New music or a mantra that replays itself in your head? Here's to just getting out there and putting one foot in front of the other.

*Cross posted on My Sole Sister

Choc-o-Holic

I saw a post from my sister-in-law's mom on facebook the other day referencing a chocolate sorbet recipe from Smitten Kitchen that she was making for later that day. Sorbet? Smitten Kitchen? Chocolate? Sign! Me! Up!


But, then I read the recipe and was so sad to see the second to last line;  Chill the mixture thoroughly,  then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Well, boo-hiss! Our ice cream maker was one of the appliances that didn't make the cut for our tiny apartment kitchen, but that I always thought I'd someday replace. 


Had I yet replaced it? Nope. J started home-brewing last fall and I thought it would be fun to upgrade to the professional kitchen aide and get the ice cream maker attachment so that we could make home-made ice cream and home-made root beer for a truly authentic summer treat. Well, the best laid plans and I've neither a bigger kitchen-aide or home-made rootbeer. But alas, the same mother-in-law-ish said that the Cuisinart ice cream maker was awesome, and you'd have frozen bliss in about a half hour. A quick scan of amazon showed me that not only was it a pretty affordable appliance since it was on sale, but the red was also cheaper than the white. It was meant to be.


Thanks to amazon prime, I had that baby in my hot little hands in less than 72 hours. I prematurely told the boys we'd have ice cream for dessert that night-what? You have to freeze the freezer bowl first? Obviously I'm a newbie.


After a night in the freezer, it was more than ready and I whisked the sugar, water and cocoa powder in a large pot on the stove, watching it work into a frenzy of a rolling boil and then remove from the heat to stir in semi-sweet chocolate and some vanilla, along with the other 
half of the water.

Because I'm super patient, I transferred the mix to a shallow pan and stuck it in my fridge so the 'thorough chill' would happen post-haste.

After about an hour, I transferred the mix to the fridgid bowl of my ice cream maker and the magic began.


I set the timer for 20 minutes, but it wasn't until after about 25 minutes of churning that it was the consistency of soft serve. If I let it be truly, thoroughly chilled, it'd probably have a thicker consistency, but I wasn't complaining! I plopped it in a plastic container (had I not read the directions, I'd have been storing my culinary delight directly in the freezer bowl) and put in back in the freezer while we ate dinner so it could continue to harden.

It was ridiculously good, and I have to say that I wasn't even able to finish my serving because it's so rich. I feel a little bit dirty even having to type those words!  

Yes, I shamelessly smeared it on their faces for a photo op...but it really is that good!  Hee hee.

On the food front, when I get back from visiting my parents this weekend, I asked J for a little sit-down so we can make some health and fitness goals for the coming school year. If I'm serious about dropping some lbs before getting pregnant again, something's gotta change because, while this was much healthier than eating, say, a pint of Ben and Jerry's, dessert is something that's snuck back into our everyday lives far too easily. Post-marathon, I've struggled to really embrace my running schedule again and it's a little like starting all over again. 


Alas, I will make this again, too many times, playing with additions like fresh raspberries or a little mini marshmallows and slivered almonds for the kids my own guilty pleasure. Oh, the dance between letting myself enjoy food and being a gluttonous slug. All I can say is it's a good thing I run! 

I ran my first 5k in almost two years this weekend and it was great! Click over to My Sole Sister to read all about it.

Whew! It's been a crazy few weeks. I'm fully into the swing of marathon training now, and am starting to feel confident and, dare I say, excited about completing a full in June. You can read all about my progress over at My Sole Sister. It's Superbowl Sunday, which means I'll be rewarding myself post-run today with pizza or some other ridiculously high calorie grease-fest. Go Packers!

On the knitting front, I've made significant progress on Tree of Life, with just one row of trees left to complete, then the border and I'm done. I went to 'the' mall for the first time since we moved here yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised that I'm able to fit in shirts two sizes smaller than before. I love that the scale isn't the only way to measure change.

In planning out my month, I'm realizing that this is the only weekend I don't have something on deck. Between running, birthdays, guests coming to town and just plain life happening, I'm booked almost solid until the weekend of the marathon and H's last week of school.

Which brings me to a couple of conclusions I've come to in my life. I'm ready to admit that I need help keeping my house clean. I'm not talking about someone to do my laundry or the dishes, or even making beds and vacuuming. But hells yes, I am talking about someone else to scrub my tubs, the stovetop and the inside of my microwave. Not to mention dusting and even washing the windows. H is starting swimming lessons this week and I know that life will only continue to get more hectic.

Speaking of throwing money at your problems: J and I decided this summer that we wouldn't put anything on our card we couldn't pay off the following month. We just want to have it in use, but won't be carrying a balance. So far, so good. All of our home projects have been paid for from our account so far, with only deposits for vacation rentals put on the card, and I feel really good about it. The down-side is that the house is coming together slowly, the upside being that I'm able to live in it and see how I really want it to be before making any rash decisions.

The next project I'm ready to tackle is tiling the bath surround in the master (good-bye wet walls everytime I let the kids bathe in my tub) and the backsplash in the kitchen. Keeping in mind this isn't our forever home, I've decided to stick with the simple tumbled tile that we already have, but in a rectangular shape in a subway pattern. For the bathroom, I'm taking it up to the windowsill...will that make it look too boxed in? Yes, I'm really asking for your opinion.

In addition to not accumulating new debt, we're committed to having zero debt when we purchase our next house (in about 5 years), excluding our mortgage, but including student loan debt. Anyone with experience with aggressive debt reduction while still having some luxuries and fun is welcome to leave a comment with a program you followed or things that you found worked for you.

I watched Oprah's special on happiness and it cemented my desire to give my kids experiences over giving them things. Did you know that the income at which happiness is no longer increased caps out at $75,000 a year? That was surprising to me. Additionally, joining a club in which you are expected to attend once a month increases your happiness the same amount that doubling your income would. It's all about feeling a connectedness to those around you, and having experiences rather than things.

So, of course, I immediately went online and bought the two pair of shoes (not on credit, mind you) I'd been coveting. What?! I'm not expected to experience everything with sub-par footwear am I? I know...all over the place with this one, but that's what happens when I go so long without posting.

Lastly, in exactly a month, I'll be having quite an experience as I celebrate my friend's 40th birthday with her at Kelea Surf Spa (paid in advance, thank you) on the North Shore of Oahu. This mama has worked long and hard and I feel like I deserve this break. Here's the thing, I hadn't even questioned that fact until people started looking at me in wonderment when they heard what I was doing, where I was going, and that my husband was okay with being left to fend for himself and the kids. Well, I guess my boss was right: You'll never have to worry about Wutzke getting her needs met. I do appreciate the support of a spouse who hasn't questioned my deserve level either. There, J, I said it.