My Resolutions

Back in January, I made a list of 10 resolutions that I wanted to keep this year.  At the end of each month, I've been going back to take a look at my resolutions.  On some, I've made fantastic progress.  On others, I seem to have stalled out completely.  I really need to make a push to work on some of them.

1) 365 Grateful
I have been journaling occasionally.  I've been taking pictures almost daily.  It's been nice to focus on the positive things I have to be thankful for each day!

2) Lose 10 Pounds
Done!  Who-Hoo!  11 pounds down from January!  Can you believe it?

I decided to go ahead and work on the next ten pounds.  I'm down 2 more pounds this month, for a total of 13 pounds.  Slow and steady progress, sustainable changes to my eating habits.  It would be fantastic to see a loss of 20 pounds before the end of the year!

3) Run
I haven't actually been running, but I have been walking more.  I park at the far side of the parking lot at work, and on nice days, I walk around the business park before I go home.

I still have this elusive vision of myself running a 5K and finishing in the middle of the pack, or maybe even running a marathon.  But, the more I actually look at how much I despise running, the more I don't think I'm actually ever going to begin running.  But, I am getting more exercise every single day!  On the whole, that's more important than running.

4) Get Out of Debt
Making progress.  We are paying cash for everything now except for gas. 

I've been setting aside money for the boys textbooks this fall.  I have a goal of paying cash for those books! 

5) Finish Cleaning Out the Basement
I spent some time down here last weekend.  I can walk around the room, but there is still a lot of work to be done.  I have some serious sifting and sorting to do. I'm aiming for another garage sale come August/September.  We have plans to spend more time down there this weekend.

6) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt
Last month, I had begun piecing the quilt blocks together.  I haven't made any more progress on this project this month.  I was zipping along when the needle broke on my machine.  It took me two weeks to find a replacement needle.  I have the needle - I just need to figure out how to put it into the machine to make it work.  I lost the instruction manual long ago, and I can't find instructions for this 30 year old machine anywhere on the web.

7) Spend More Time With My Family
With an almost empty nest, I treasure every moment I get with the kids.  We had all of Memorial Day weekend together, and moved oldest child into his apartment Monday afternoon.  Relay for Life is this weekend, and we will ALL be spending the night together with friends and family. 

8)  Finish the Book I Keep Saying I'm Going to Write
No progress AGAIN this month.  Starting a new job has kind of put a cramp in that. I really need to push to get this started again.

9) Finish the hallway bathroom
Still saving for this.  We want to pay cash for this, there's no way it's going on a credit card.  The problem is, we're also saving for the fall textbook purchase, too.

10) Get Back Into My Music
Done and done.

How are you doing on your resolutions?

Another Stop on my Wellness Journey - Nutrition

So, one of the very cool things about the place where I am now working is their incredible focus on wellness.  Not only teaching wellness, but making certain that everyone who works for the institution is also well.

I've been putting in a lot of research on nutrition, and I've discovered many things.  Like the fact that you really can't eat too many vegetables.  And that herbal tea is really good for you.

This morning, I stumbled across a cookbook that I had to share with you.  The Longevity Kitchen.  Written by Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson, this book is basically a "how to" guide for choosing healthy foods, which includes the reason WHY these foods are good for you, and what they do for your body.

Intrigued, I searched for and found her other books "The Cancer Fighting Kitchen" and "One Bite at a Time".  All of her books highlight the importance of food in fighting disease and keeping us healthy. One Bite at a Time is especially intriguing as it offers appealing recipes for people currently going through chemo.  The recipes are designed to appeal to those who's stomachs can be considered to be "tricky" at the best of times.

I have been intrigued beyond words with the thought of what food can do to help keep us healthy, but I've always been daunted at the thought of where to start.  These books solve that mystery.  You start smoothly, with foods that are in season, and appeal to you.  The included recipes are easy to understand and follow.

Our own family is having her recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner tonight. 

I do admit to a driving curiosity about everything around me.  And so, I looked for and found more information about the authors. 

The website for Rebecca Katz is here: http://rebeccakatz.com/

If you have the time, take a look through her vibrant and informative web site.  I was so easily sucked into her web page, the plethora of information, and the ease of navigation kept me involved for much longer than it should have!

I especially enjoyed the "Culinary Rx", the list of 16 superfoods that will help to keep you healthy.

I found the recipe box to be very helpful.  While not all of her recipes are listed on this page, she does have a link to the recipe for a Walnut, Date, and Herb Salad that we are having for dinner tomorrow night.  The link to this beautiful salad and recipe is here:
http://rebeccakatz.com/the-weekly-yum/walnut-date-herb-salad/#more-1407

Tasty, beautiful, and easy to make recipes that will help keep our families healthier for longer?
Priceless!!


An additional note:
We just finished eating dinner.  The wonderful, fantastic Chicken Tortilla Soup on page 70 of The Longevity Kitchen.

30 minutes after I pulled out the cutting board and the knife, we were sitting down to dinner. 

The soup itself was scrumptious.

I used a vegetable broth, to accommodate the vegetarian in the family, and cut the chicken up separately so that anyone who wanted it could add it, and the soup itself remained vegetarian.

This recipe was definitely a keeper!

My Accomplishments

This past week was the week I've been both looking forward to and dreading for six months now.  My mammogram.

Six months ago, I went in and was astounded to find out that I had over 300 cysts.  Several of them were determined to be "suspicious", and I was put on a six month call back.

Over the last six moths, I've changed my diet.  No more caffeine.  No highly processed sugars.  Doctor's orders. 

I have been doing some research of my own since then about nutrition and cancer and breast health.  Long story short- more veggies, and eat as organically as possible.

I've had mixed success with sticking to this plan over the last six months.  But, the moment of truth came last week.

One mammogram and one ultrasound later, the number of cysts has been cut in half.  The "area of concern" is gone.  Most of the cysts have shrunk.  Two have grown a little larger, but they were able see them with the ultrasound and determine that they are smooth - nothing to worry about.  I've been put back onto a one year call back.

I am fortunate - so very fortunate.  Breast cancer has affected many of the women in my family.  I'm glad to know that, for now, I have nothing to worry about.

When you think about it - preventative medicine- getting mammograms early, so that cancers can be detected early and treated early - while they are still treatable - is probably one of the best investments you can make.

My Other Accomplishments:

Oldest child is living in an apartment this summer with friends.  All of them are working full time on campus for the summer, but will be moving back on campus in the fall.  Between the three of them, they were able to provide furniture from parents' houses without anyone having to go shopping.

We attended the Empty Bowls dinner at the high school.  For $5, we had a fantastic bowl of soup, great converstion, and we received a bowl made by one of the students.  (I chose the one made by my daughter!)  All of the money collected went to our local soup kitchen.

I hit up the discount rack at my favorite produce stand.  For 50 cents, I picked up a 5 pound bag of sweet peppers that were "on the edge".  The peppers all went into a stir fry that same night.  At the same stand, I also picked up a head of cabbage for $1.

The discount rack at my grocery store had a plethora of dried beans.  I picked up 10 one pound bags of black beans for 33 cents each.  The same rack also had CFL bulbs for $1.50.  I picked up 5.

After the food bank distribution on Saturday, there was a lot of leftover produce.  It was given away to the volunteers since it would go bad before the next distribution.  We were gifted wit 5 pounds of onions and 5 of spinach.  (5 pounds of spinach is a lot of spinach!)

The shrubbery in front of our house is way overgrown.  There were several bushes that were as high as the roof on our one story ranch house.  We pulled out the two biggest bushes, and really opened up the front of our house.  One of the shutters had pulled off of the house several years back.  With the bushes gone, DH was able to get back there and replace the shutters on that window.

I spent a couple of hours in the basement with the kids, cleaning up the big, messy room.   It's slowly improving.  It's by no means finished, but it is better.  Still not good enough for me to post a picture on here!

What wonderful things did you accomplish this week?

Memorial Day

Or as our grandparents used to call it, Decoration Day.

This day is set aside to honor those who have fallen in service to our country.  "Land of the Free, Because of the Brave".  It's not just a saying, it's the truth.  How many people have willingly put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of family at home?  Since the inception of our nation, millions.

My gratitude and thanks go to all who serve.

Military service is a long and proud tradition in our family.  My Dad was a career officer, who served in Vietnam.  Our family has served in the United States Military for decades.  (Yes, we even have some who served in the CSA in our family, and we are just as proud of them.)

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to those who are currently serving. 

While you're sitting around today, enjoying family and barbecue, please take a moment to remember WHY you have this day off.  Fly your United States Flag, high and proud. 

image: USAA, Facebook photo, 5/26/2014.

 

Dinner Tonight

As part of the healthy eating challenge, I've been searching for recipes that will help me incorporate tons of vegetables and some grain and protein at every meal.  I found an awesome recipe that we had for dinner on Friday night.

Loaded with veggies, the most difficult part of this meal was the dicing of the veggies.  This can be prepared in advance, and served chilled, or eaten immediately.  We had it for dinner on Friday, and I snuck out a serving to have for lunch yesterday.  It was just as good cold as it was warm.  Awesome, quick and easy meal!

I found this awesome recipe in the book The Power of Ancient Foods, by Dr. Gene Spiller and Rowena Hubbard, RD.

Quinoa Pepper Salad

4 cups water

2 cups quinoa

1 medium summer squash

1 yellow or red pepper, seeds removed

1 Anaheim Chile, seeds removed

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup pineapple juice, unsweetened

1 TBSP sunflower oil

½ cup roasted sweet peppers

½ cup sunflower seeds

Bring water to a boil, add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer gently for 15  minutes, or until all water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  Cool.  

Finely chop all vegetables.  Fold vegetables into quinoa.

Combine the pineapple juice, roasted peppers, and oil.  Toss lightly with quinoa and veggies.

Sprinkle with sunflower seeds just before serving.

A Wellness Challenge

We are having a wellness challenge at work.  Not to lose weight, but to change our eating habits, and see if we can change our eating patterns for the better.

I am sharing our plan here, with you, because I think that everyone can benefit from a change in their eating patterns once in a while.  Since farmer's markets are open, and locally grown fresh produce is more easily available, this seems to be a wonderful time to introduce some new eating habits!

The Plan:
Exercise (walk, run, swim, bike) for 30 minutes a day, 5 days out of 7.
Sleep: 7 hours a night.
Water: Drink 3 liters a day, every day.
Veggies: 5 servings a day, every day. (1/2 cup serving size)
Fruits: 4 servings a day, every day.  (1/2 cup serving size)
Whole Grains: 3-6 a day, every day.  (Think, Quinoa, Millet, Amaranth, Brown Rice, etc.)  NOT white flour!
High Calcium Foods: 2-3 servings, every day.

Beans: 5 servings a week.
Nuts: 5 servings a week.
Fish: 2 servings a week.

I know, that's a lot of veggies every day, isn't it?

Are you willing to see if you are up to the wellness challenge with me? 

Moving the Boys Home

Ahhh... move out day from college.

I remember my own move out days well.  Finals would begin, and when I was in between finals, or procrastinating, I would pack.  My last final would arrive, my Mom would show up, we'd pack the car, and off we'd go.

Many times, I'd have to wait until Friday night, and we'd load up the car on Friday evening, then head back home on Saturday morning.

Moving the boys home this year was an experience.

Both boys attend the same school.  Both had the same time slot for their last final.

I had to work until 11:30, and I had an appointment at 2. 

I worked out with the boys that I'd swing by with the vacuum cleaner and a box of cleaning supplies after I got off of work, and then I'd head to my doctor's appointment, come back, and pick them (and their stuff) up.

Wait... did I mention that yesterday was also Commencement Day for the Graduate Students in the University of Maryland system?

Chaos.

I arrived to a scene of mass chaos on the drive surrounding the dorms.  I called middle child on his cell, and told him I was on campus.  I couldn't find parking, so he came down to the car and pulled out the cleaning supplies and vacuum cleaner as I slowly drove past.

The police were out in force, yelling at people who were blocking traffic, double parking, making stupid choices... oh the list goes on and on.

I left to head up to my doctor's office.... my doctor's office that is located next door to another University of Maryland school.  The police didn't want to let me into the parking garage, and were yelling at me, telling me that parking was across the street.  I yelled back, and told them I was there to get a mammogram, and did they want to pay the cancelled appointment fee?  Tempers flared, they asked me to verify that I had an appointment, I asked them how do I do that?  Finally, they let me into the parking garage.

Appointment over, I headed back out, down to go pick up my kids from their school. 

Middle child was ready and waiting when I drove up.  He hopped in the car with the remains of the stuff that he hadn't taken home over the weekend.

I texted oldest child and sat outside of his dorm, waiting for him to show.  And waited.  And waited.  We texted again.  And again.  It was getting close to 5, and the dorms closed at 8.  I had picked up middle child at 3.

Finally, a little after 5, oldest child showed up.  He'd been out, signing a lease for the summer with his room-mates.

I headed up to his room with him, expecting the best.

Imagine the expression on my face when I realized that he had NOTHING packed.  NOTHING.  There was trash everywhere.  I looked at my watch and looked at him.  Less than 3 hours until the dorms closed and they had to be cleared out.

I went back down the van and found a big black trash bag, and began picking up the trash from the floor.  When I had the bag filled (it didn't take as long as you might think) I picked up the trash bag, took it down to the dumpster and sat in the back of the van.

Finally, at 7, he and his brother began hauling boxes down to the van.

He was checked out a little before 8, and then came the fun of sticking the boys into the van with all of their STUFF.

Finally, we got home, and began the task of unloading the car. 

Finally, at 10 o'clock, everything was unloaded and shoved into our living room.

Now, we get to move middle child into his apartment next week!

My Accomplishments this Week

What a week this has been!

We moved one boy's stuff home from college.  They will both be home for a week.  Oldest child will then be moving in with friends for the summer, and he will continue working with his research job on campus.  I still thank God every day that he found this job.  The research he has done has translated into published research, that he has presented at a National Conference.  This is, in turn, helping his in his quest to go to Grad. School.

Middle Child will be home for 3 weeks, until he returns to the camp where he works for the summer.

We cleaned out the carport.  The wood has all been stacked up into the log rack.  From the tree branches that came down over the winter, we have a half cord of wood to start this fall.  The snow shovels were put away, and the rock salt was covered tightly and moved back into the shed.  We got a van load full of trash together off of the carport that went to the dump.

I cleaned out the boys' room.  I am packing up oldest child's stuff.  This week, I put together a box with all of his yearbooks and photo albums.  I found a whole bunch of middle child's paperwork lying on his book shelves and in his drawers.  I took the best of his submitted papers, and put them in plastic page protectors and put them in a binder.  I had a hoot looking at the papers from his Excellence Folder from Middle School!  The work just captured the essence of the boy that he was.  I still see vestiges of that boy in the man he has become, but some of that playfulness hides a little deeper than it used to.

I had some dental work done yesterday.  Ouch.  I had a crown put on.  Not a root canal - thank heavens - just a crown.  My jaw is still sore, but I haven't had any Motrin since early this morning.

We packed several hundred pounds of topsoil up next to the foundation of the house.  Over the 40 years since this house was built, it's settled.  As a result, water is draining towards the house - and into our basement.  We built up the foundation around the house more.  Husband would put down a bag of topsoil, then pound it down again and again until it was as hard as he could pack it.  We're still looking at putting a front porch on the house in order to put the water further away from our house, but we hope we've put that time off a little bit longer, so that we can do it on our terms, not as a knee jerk reaction to the situation.

I knitted a blanket/shawl for my niece for her high school graduation.  I went to my mother's house the Friday before Mother's Day, and left it with my Mom.  She is going to give it to my niece at her graduation party.

I have one other blanket/shawl that I made for one of my kids' friends who is graduating later this month.  I am planning on dropping off her blanket next weekend, just before her graduation party.

I hit up the local thrift stores, in my continuing to search for professional summer clothing.  I found a couple of very nice shirts, but I am still searching for capris.

I managed to lose enough weight that I have gone down one size.  The upside of this is that I have been able to pull out the clothes I had saved "in case" if I managed to lose the weight.  So, a few more shirts have been added back into my wardrobe, as well as one more pair of capris.

We cooked every meal from scratch over this past week.  Have you checked out the prices of a pound of meat lately?  Many of our meals over the last week were vegetarian.  It's great to be able to put together a meal for less than $5 for all of us.

What did you do to save money this week?

Random Pictures

Cherry Blossoms!

Believe it or not, this little dino  sits on the file cabinet at work.

Early Spring, down in the "crick", deep in the woods.

The leaves are out!  Hooray!

A rainbow appears, early one morning, just as we were leaving for school.

Spring has sprung in the Mid-Atlantic.  It's wonderful to see the green on the trees, beautiful green grass, and see the yellow sheen of pollen on my car when I go out in the morning to go to work.

I hope that, wherever you are, spring is showing it's beautiful head and showing the bright new colors of renewal and hope of the new season.

The Resilient Gardener

Here's an awesome book:  The Resilient Gardener:  Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times, written by Carol Deppe.


We are living in some very uncertain times.  The weather is uncertain, with the result that our food crops for the next year could also be very uncertain.  Massive droughts in California are threatening a huge chunk of the U.S. food chain for the next year. 

In a time when people are becoming concerned about the source of their food: organic or conventionally grown,  GMO or heirloom, and unique dietary challenges facing more and more people, the one way to make certain that you have total control over what is in your diet is to grow your own food.

I was fascinated by the in-depth look at gardening methods.  I am by no means a new gardener, but I learned a lot of new tricks that gave me insight into how I planted my garden, and how I intend to maintain it this summer.

Not only does the author look at the entire garden, she looks at how to garden with special dietary guidelines in mind, and provides recipes for the gluten intolerant.  (HOORAY!  I can't wait to try her corn bread recipe!)

I originally checked this book out at work, and read it through once.  I returned it, and two days later, I found myself pulling it back off the shelf to find out how best to plant and maintain a garden when you have a bad back.  Put it back, pulled it out again a couple days later to find out more about fertilizing with grass clippings.  Put it back on the shelf, and checked it out again earlier this week to research potatoes a little bit more.  I know, those potatoes should already be in the ground... I'm hoping that it's not too late.

If you're interested in gardening, and supporting your family's budget by growing your own food, it's worth checking this book out from the library and giving it a read through. 

Sorry for the Long Silence

I love my new job.  I love the challenges, and most of all, I love the people. 

I've been there for 6 weeks now. 

Slowly, but surely, I have gotten myself used to the new routine.

Previously, I would wake up early in the morning, get the kid ready for school, send her off, go out for a long walk while the weather was still cool, and then come home and blog.  If I was subbing, I'd skip out on the walk, and most days I'd blog before I went to work.

Now, I have a 40 minute commute.  I get up at 6, and then get the daughter up.  We are out of the door a little before 7.  I drop her off at school on my way out of town.  It's on my way, and I really enjoy spending that little bit of extra time with her.

Most days my commute is 40 minutes.  For some reason, on Fridays, my commute is 30 minutes.  Traffic is always lighter on Fridays.  I think a lot of people telecommute on Fridays.  On really bad days, it can take up to an hour.

I get to work before 8, my official report time.  If I'm more than 15 minutes early, I'll go walk through the labyrinth before work.  (How cool is that?  We have a labyrinth literally right outside the door?)
I work in the library.  It's a great place to be, when you spend your day surrounded by books and the people who love them.

I'm done by noon.

I have finally found the refrigerator, and I now eat my lunch on campus before I leave.  Most days, I eat outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.  If it's really nice, I walk to the end of the business park and back before I leave - the walk is a little bit over a mile long.

On the way home, I run errands, get groceries, etc.

Daughter gets home at 2:30.  Except for the last two weeks, she's had Driver's Ed. and stayed after school until 6.

I then spend some quality time with just the two of us, before starting dinner.

It's wonderful.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed subbing.  I loved every single minute of it, and working with the kids.  This is a different challenge, and I am enjoying it immensely.  Even better, I have guaranteed hours, so, I have a guaranteed paycheck.  Nice not to have to rely on people being sick in order to get a day's pay.

And so, the long silence is ending.  When daughter gets home from school, after we've had a chance to catch up on the day, and the absolutely absurd things that have happened, and before I start dinner, I have some time to work on the blog.

I have so many things to share.  Awesome new books I've found.  Observations about the world around me.  New insights into preparing meals for pennies in advance.  Pictures, oh so many pictures.  The list goes on...  If you care to continue to join me, I do have some things to share!

Dinner Tonight

I found this recipe on the ACE (The American Council on Exercise) website.  They have a plethora of healthy recipes.  This particular recipe is from their flier, Healthy Cooking on a Budget.  http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/PDF/healthycooking/ACE_HealthyCooking_1_BUDGET.pdf

We made this for dinner earlier this week.  It was so good!

I will say this: we did not have brown rice on hand when I went to make this recipe.  I don't like to run out to buy any one item, so I used the Bob's Red Mill Wild Rice blend that I had sitting on the shelf.  The recipe calls for cooked rice.  Make sure you cook it before you add it, or else you will end up with a boatload of rice!

Brown Rice and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

5 cups brown rice, cooked
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup corn
2 cups chopped vegetables
1 cup onions, diced
1 12 ounce bottle enchilada sauce
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375*.  Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, except for cheese.  Pour mixture into a baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove dish from oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and serve.


A few more notes:

1) Husband and daughter are allergic to dairy.  No cheese went into our version, it was amazing!

2) I made my own enchilada sauce.  It was so much easier than I was expecting! You can link to the recipe that I used for enchilada sauce here: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/red-enchilada-sauce/

3) The website for the American Council on Exercise: www.acefitness.org/acefit/PDF/healthycooking/ACE_HealthyCo

4) This was amazing the second day when we served it in warmed corn tortillas!

365 Grateful

The leaves are out on the trees!

My Resolutions

I'm still keeping track of my resolutions.  It's been 4 completed months now....

1) 365 Grateful
I'm not journaling every single day.  I am still making a point of listing something different that I am thankful for every couple of days.  I might have to begin doing my gratitude journal on here...

2) Lose 10 Pounds
Done!  Who-Hoo!  11 pounds down from January!  Can you believe it?
I'm going to work on the next 11 pounds, but this isn't one of my resolutions.  I'm going to keep going while I've got the momentum.

3) Run
I haven't actually been running, but I have been walking more.  I park at the far side of the parking lot at work, and on nice days, I walk around the business park before I go home.

4) Get Out of Debt
Making progress.  We are paying cash for everything now except for gas.  I pay about $35 to fill the Civic with gas, about once every 5 days.  The van costs well over $50.  I'm not sure how much since the husband drives the van and I don't.  He carpools with several other people in our neighborhood in the van down to the Park and Ride, where they catch a van pool.  He fills the van once every 10 days or so, but I have no idea how much it costs him to fill it completely.

5) Finish Cleaning Out the Basement
No progress made this month.  It's just such a mess, and just so darn discouraging.  Maybe this month....

6) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt
I've pieced it, and I've begun sewing the blocks together.  Progress!

7) Spend More Time With My Family
The boys will be home from college this weekend.  I have cleared the calendar so that I can sit around with them and catch up.

8)  Finish the Book I Keep Saying I'm Going to Write
No progress this month.  Starting a new job has kind of put a cramp in that.

9) Finish the hallway bathroom
Still saving for this.  We want to pay cash for this, there's no way it's going on a credit card.

10) Get Back Into My Music
Done and done. 

How are you doing on your resolutions?