Eating Right...

So...we have been on a serious 'change your eating habits' at our home...and when I say change...I mean...I have not had any type of bread for the last month and a half...nor had any starchy foods come near...that includes potatoes people! The only sugar I have eaten has been from fruit. And can I tell you??? My happiness at times directly relates to the food that enters my mouth...and every category I have just listed are those that make me the happiest! Which is the scary truth of it all!

There was a time several years ago that I actually got too skinny...I look at pictures of myself and think that was just not very attractive as you can see below and not to mention...I was very unhealthy in my obsession with it all. It ruled my life! And that is also not a happy place to be...



But in my struggle to let that go...as well as blowing out 2 disc in my lower back due to my obsession with exercise and weight... I have swung back the other way where I don't take as much time to care about what goes into my mouth. So I have gained weight. And that is not a happy place to be either.

Don't get me wrong...I still love to run and exercise! That is not where the problem lies. The problem is the food that goes in my mouth. My body does not process breads and starches well. I can eat a 1000-1200 calorie diet and still gain weight. It is no lie...but the minute I cut out bread/sugar/starches...the weight comes off.

I know this but yet I don't want to live by it. Know what I mean...we know things are not good for us but we want it anyway. When I was diagnosed with Graves disease, there was a period of time when they killed my thyroid that I gained 30 pounds in about a 2 month time frame...what did I do?...cut out the above and guess what...I had lost all the weight in about a month and a half. So as I continued to see the scale rise again in the last couple of years...I have been forced to look at my lifestyle and know that if I want to be thinner...I have to choose.

I love to cook and that is the hardest part of trying to be healthy. But I know that at some point once I get back to where I need to be, I will be able to reintroduce "some" of those foods into my life but at the same time, I also know that I just can't eat those things. For me...it is just easier to cut them out completely.

The good news is...you do get past the point that you crave those carbs the way you use to. The harder part is to get my kids to eat that way. That is the hardest thing for me...I want my kids to want to eat healthy but at the same time, it is on me as to why they don't. They did not take themselves to the grocery store and buy all the processed foods and sweets they have been use to their whole lives. Of course I would always make sure they had some fruit and veggies along side their pizza rolls or lunchables. (??!!) So funny! that it actually made me feel better about the awful stuff they were eating by throwing in a few slices of apples. What are we doing to our kids when we teach them that all this stuff is alright to eat? Please don't get me wrong...I am not Mrs Organic...I would love to be able to say that I am but I am just gonna be honest...it is hard to pay 2 and 3 times the cost for organic food. I also am setting here with a diet a&w cream soda sitting next to me. No...I am by no means close to where I want to be. But that is the point! I want to be better! And I want my family to want to be better. Even if that means taking it a step at a time.

Maybe it is age...maybe it is because I want to help my children understand that taking care of our bodies is so important because we only get one. Maybe it is because I don't want to continue to take for granted that I am always going to have my health and flippantly treat my health as something that is a God-given right. Maybe because it is important! So I strive to try to change some of our habits and in the process have also embarked on a mission to try to be creative and use my love for cooking to find recipes and invent some new healthy favorites for our household. It is not easy! But we are going to keep going. As we keep going, I will try to post some recipes we find along the way.

Dave has been playing tons of raquetball and has also commited to this change in habits...he is down 25lbs and guess what...so am I :o) It is worth it. It may not seem like it at first but I refuse to be a slave to food!! Its purpose is to provide nourishment to our body...not fill our spirit! I want my spirit to be filled by the One who provides everlasting nourishment!

Spring!

Spring is very busy! I have spent a lot of it at basketball and baseball games but a large part of springtime is always devoted to the garden. And can I just tell ya? I am worn out! My shoulders all the way down to be fingers were aching so badly when I got out of bed yesterday morning! Oh well…much needed exercise for tank top season!

This year I think I have gone a little crazy in the pepper department…probably 8 jalapeno plants and countless types of bell peppers…I planted yellow ones, red ones, green ones and even purple ones this year! Even trying some poblano peppers as well. We’ll see how all the different types do in the Oklahoma weather. I haven’t really experienced too many problems growing peppers.

I have around 15 tomato plants this year which is pretty close to what I usually do…and is way too much for my family of four but I love it!! I really wanted to start canning last year but I get too overwhelmed by it and then don’t do it. How I wished my grandma were still here so she could show me how. I have read about it and I know that it all sounds fairly straight forward but to then go and buy what I need to get started…well, I simply sit there in the store and stare at all the stuff on the aisle and think…I totally have no clue what I am doing!

This year I am also trying eggplants, which is a whole new thing for me. I bought two different varieties so we will see which one does better. Of course I put in two more raised beds in addition to my garden space, which I cannot say my husband is thrilled about, but he will be happier once there is produce…maybe:o) I have to say in his defense, the beds are at the side of our house which is the side for mower access to the rest of the back yard. I did leave enough space for the mower to get through…but let me tell you…it just fits through! Less space wasted means more veggies for us…[ :O / ] that’s Dave’s…do what you want, you’re going to anyway face… They are totally dedicated to cantaloupe and cucumbers…and speaking of cucumbers…I just took this pic last night. It is the first of the cucumber plants that just popped through.

I so get a kick out of seeing these plants start from just a little seed and then grow and grow and actually produce food that we use to nourish our bodies with! Such a God thing! No other way for me to look at it!

Here are my precious strawberry plants that come back year after year…I think that is why they are so special to me :o)

And this is the first little bell pepper emerging to meet the world! Hello little pepper!

And here are the first flowers on my beloved tomato plants…didn’t even see the spider there until I looked at the pic on the computer with it enlarged. Fun or ewww! I love spiders outside eating all the other bugs but I hate them crawling on me...just can't deal, sorry~ it's my girl side that I let out every once in awhile.

Ok – here is quick run down of the rest…Radishes, 3 different types of lettuce, squash, zucchini, also cherry tomatoes as well as a variety called jelly bean tomatoes…suppose to be little bitty but sweet, sweet, sweet. I have never even heard of them before so we will see how it goes… basil, oregano, cilantro, lavender, dill, sage, parsley, tarragon, chives (which also came back from last year) and I know there are a couple more spices but I’ll remember you when you start growing :o) and also some green beans (those didn’t do too hot last year but I think I planted them too late for the spring planting and too early for that late summer planting so we’ll see what happens.

Now to attack the rest of the flower plantings…much work on the front end but so much pleasure in the months to come. Also – I will try to do another blog here pretty quick about Ruby’s. It is the greatest nursery! And their prices are so reasonable…I mean like .50 to.99 cents a plant on most veggies and single qt flowers!!! (Walmart and Lowes were selling veggies from $4-$6 a plant!!! Are you kidding me??) If you live close to the City and you still haven’t got your seeds in the ground, they are excellent to buy from!

Happy Spring All!!