1.
Change the way you think. Just like I mentioned insanity being the (summed up and in my words) inability to understand cause and effect. The realization that I don’t like the way I feel when I don’t take care of myself forced me to choose to change the way I think. The little ugly negative thoughts, the excuses, the whining, other’s perceptions…those have had to change one thought at a time.
The truth is that I do have some control. I can’t change my genes or family disease tree but I can make it really challenging for the family disease tree to fully root in the soil of my life.
With a change in thinking comes change in action. What I believe I will act on. I didn’t like Brussel Sprouts or the idea of rabbit food at every meal. But, I was a vegetable bigot.
Vegetables taste really good when you give them a shot. I ate spinach leaves, cranberries and slivered almonds without dressing the other day. I didn’t know what was in the dressing so I passed. And I once thought a salad without a mound of dressing, cheese and croutons was a waste of stomach space. Nope. It was good. Really.
2.
Make the changes in thinking leak over into the choices you make. This vs. this? That’s a choice. Choose the healthiest one and pretty soon, little choices at a time you are going to have a life that becomes more of what you wished for vs one that you are stuck with. Do you have extra time on your hands? Do you have options? You could use it to walk. You could use it to pray. Or read your Bible or take a class, or learn the hobby you’ve always wanted to learn.
To be continued....after the long and going-to-be-beautiful-in-these-parts weekend.
It’s overwhelming to think about all that you SHOULD do and the changes you should make to become healthier. And then when some crazy person starts blogging about their own journey and throwing out an alphabet soup of bizarre words, foods and techniques, it can be even more overwhelming.
Almost four years ago we decided to start this journey toward better health. In four years we’ve learned a lot. And looking at what’s out there, we have a long, long way to go down the learning path. Some of what we found is contradictory. Really. “Health” is a lot like Christianity with it’s camps and bents and denominational mindsets. From those who swear by exercise to those who say food choices alone are the ticket…to the ones who swear that your blood type determines your metabolic profile and cravings, to those who are raw foodists, there are hundreds of ways to think about what you put in your mouth and what you do with your body.
Two years ago I met my first true blue vegetarian. At the time, I was like, no way, too rigid for me, as I watched her scrutinize menus, and tweak recipes and bring along a dish that she could eat so she wouldn’t starve. She strongly embraces the blood type theory. And she introduced me to the whole idea of raw eating. She had been there, done that, for six months but found it too restrictive (and too painful if she stepped away into cooked food for a meal or two.).
But, I’ve learned that sometimes, your opinion can change with changes in circumstances.
Truth…we are able to choose some of what our life will become, and who we will be, and how we will feel. Not all. But some. And those little choices can add up to a lot in the long chain of little choices.
In a reversal of what I was doing... growing weaker and achier and heavier with each passing year, now making different choices has me growing stronger, healthier and teenily incrementally smaller within each of the past three years of healthier changes.
I don’t really like paying attention to what goes in my mouth, or actively choosing to be active and move. I’d rather sit on my couch and eat bag upon bag of whatever sounds good to me. But. I don’t like the outcome of sitting and eating. Not at all.
So, since I subscribe to the theory that Insanity is making the same choices but expecting different results, I decided to change my choices. Here are a few simplistic but really powerful choices I’ve discovered that helped me further down the path of feeling better.
I'll be back....you know the drill.
The farm.
At noon we met up, grabbed lunch, put our grubby clothes on. (Except my sweet new pink gloves... I had to take a picture because they won't ever look like this again.) The plan was to leave at 12:30. The skies opened up at about 12:45. When I say opened up, I mean OPENED up. Lightning, thunder, buckets of rain. (The picture didn't quite capture said torrents.)
We arrived, thinking, that possibly the women would be hiding in an outbuilding, or waiting in cars. No. The ladies were ankle deep in mud, out in the field wrestling with two by fours, building a dam.
We jumped out, sloshed into the field and began working. The greenhouse had a small river running through it. We harvested lettuce once the lightning died down though the warning about not touching metal was restated. The squatting and duck waking was made more challenging because of the greasy black river and the extra ducking to avoid the metal shelving.
Today's harvest and packaging took only five hours. Impressive. The team seems to have their stuff down. Even though the spinach needed an extra wash....aphids... ants' little herds of cattle, and someone accidentally put some spinach in the lettuce wash bin and the spinach had to be painstakingly picked out. And, there was the forgotten radishes in two boxes incident. Counting is not my strength, and there were 23 boxes.
Another successful day, another harvest of goodies in the fridge, and another night wherein I slept like a baby.
Today should be a full day.
Yesterday was as well. It included two long walks in the slightly sticky but beautiful, beautiful weather, a trip to procure a used burnt orange chair for 24's book nook room redo, and eating leftovers for dinner.
Today blooms with the promise of some old-fashioned sweaty good work. It's farm day.
And somehow I'm hooked. Big time.
24 is committed via verbal and written commitment, but I was the substitute helper. I had every intention of not going today. The other helper is back, and, well, they could do it without me. But the day promises to be beautiful, and there is something about the snipping and gathering....the smells, the sounds, the sweat that is getting under my skin.
If I go, the process will be that much quicker and smoother.
And I'm sure I'll have some stories or comments to share with you all so that you feel like you were there, too.
So barring a downpour...I'll have a thing to two to blab about...come back tomorrow.
And Mom and Kim your comments cracked me up. Tell Dad that his remarks on the banana did indeed spark the banana bars. My taste-buds thank him and if he plays his cards right he'll get to taste his inspired dessert sometime.
We had two sorry looking bananas on the counter. I could've frozen them for a future baking opp, but decided to find something to do with them right then and there. I looked up a few recipes, combined, made a few tweaks and got some yummy results.
A nice mix of cake/bars. Chewy, dense, moist and flavorful.
Banana Bars
3/4 Cup coconut oil
1 Cup sugar
3 TBSP ground golden flax seed
5 TBSP water
2 Ripe bananas
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 Cup flour
2 Cups oatmeal
1 Cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 chopped nuts of choice (optional)
Set oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 pan (I use the oil left in the bottom of the measuring cup after I dump the coconut oil into the bowl. )
In small cereal size bowl mix flax seed and water together. Allow to sit while you stir sugar into the coconut oil in a medium to large mixing bowl, Mash bananas into that mixture, Stir in vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add the flax seed mixture and blend well. Stir in flour and oatmeal. Finally mix in chocolate chips and nuts.
Bake 30-35 minutes.
X-ta asked for more menu ideas.
So here are a few....
Cashew no-Chicken
over prepared brown rice or quinoa
Chop Salad with Asian dressing..
Purple Cabbage, Edamame, diced celery, onions, bits of ginger if you like fresh ginger, chopped almonds or peanuts and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Or here's a recipe I think I need to try...
Another favorite
TJ's has tasty falafel in their freezer case.
We have a great Dhal recipe over rice. Served with Vegan Naan bread.
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 teasp cinnamon
1 clove garlic minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried lentils
1/4 cup cilantro (fresh) or 1 tsp dried
Heat olive oil, saute chopped onion, garlic. Add spices and vegetable broth. Add lentils. Bring to low boil, turn down heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool a bit, blend to a chunky gravy.
And a link to another version.
Have a terrific weekend.
So I was waxing on about this organic superpower, a woman who exudes horticultural wisdom and many, many, many green thumbs... (Super Organic Girl - SOG) in the heart of small town Iowa. This woman who sounded lik
e a mix of gun-toting, chew-chomping Granny Clampett and Windchime Moodring Stamensniffer, the love child of the "Make Love not War" 60’s prom king and queen.
I was intimidated. Me, a part-time volunteer, clueless plant-gatherer, daring to step onto her property…very intimidated.
We pulled up to the compound located on a ribbon of intersecting gravel roads. The gate was open, and clearly it was a garden as there were large greenhouses next to the modern home. A few people milled around. We’d been told that we might not get to see “her.” But that her assistant would help us out.
But then the sun glinted off a flash of metal and a gasp escaped the farmer. She said her name…the grown-up professional name, not the y-ended softie nickname. Upon glimpsing her, I renamed her Plant-Xena.
Let me describe her. Have you seen the Terminator movies? (Not sure which one, I tend to multitask during thos
e types of movies.) However, I do remember one scene wherein the female lead is all muscle and sinew, and packing heat. She puts a whole new spin on the word stunning. If you know what I'm talking about pull up that mental picture. Replace “heat” with a knife, some gloves and a stick, the camo clothing with crocs, and dirt encrusted jeans and t-shirt, and the golden hair with glittering silver and yo
u might have a good mental image of Plant-Xena.
Plant-Xena would make a perfect poster-girl for organic growers. Lean, mean, planting/harvesting machine. Firm handshake, no apologies for any dirt streaks on her face, no time for wasting. “Grab your boxes and let’s go ladies.”
We power harvested, all the time listening to the functional plantish conversation between our farmer and Plant-Xena. I did notice that every time I worked up the courage to look at Plant-Xena she was nibbling on leaves. “Oh, this kale is delicious.” “Have you tried the chard? Try it!” and she would make short work of whatever green she was bunny-rabbiting.
When the boxes were filled, she dismissed us, then hesitated. “Wait, come in for a minute. Chop. Chop. Ladies.” We chopped, chopped. “Here, taste this.” She filled two cups with green liquid. “Dandelion tea.”
So.
I had tea with Plant-Xena the Organic Warrior Queen. What did you do on Tuesday.
: ) Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
