I've been very into hummus lately. I started making it in October with canned garbanzo beans, and then in December, I started making it from dried beans (no BPA). We've had it a lot (maybe once a week) for the last month or so. I love it because twoK and Three-a will eat hummus and oNe will eat plain garbanzo beans so it's an easy "whole family will eat it" recipe.*
I decided to try this for a change. It was sort of green, so we know that twoK didn't like it. I got all the girls to try the new food. Three-a ate a small serving. oNe ate her bite and said it wasn't awful, but she didn't like it. twoK threw a fit about tasting it, but finally she did. She didn't like it, but I don't think she would have liked it even if it tasted liked chocolate. The green-ish color was too much for her. Sigh.
(Thank goodness she doesn't know about what I put in the fruit shakes.)
I liked the recipe, I'll make it again for a nice change, but I like regular hummus better. I made the recipe pretty much as it was on the other page, except I halved the oil, added only 2/3s of the salt, left the sesame seeds out, and added an extra zucchini. Errr, not too bad for me--remember, I can't follow a recipe.
Also, when I made it, I was scared of adding the cumin, so I didn't. Then I pulled some out and added the cumin to a small amount... Definitely ADD THE CUMIN! It's slightly bitter without the cumin. The cumin mellows and sweetens it. After I tasted the stuff with the cumin, I added cumin to the rest of the batch. Now I have a lot of hummus and "zany zucchini"** dip in my refrigerator and my belly. (I ate too much, but it was YUM!)
(My modifications)
3 zucchini, chopped
½ cup lemon juice (or approximately 3 lemons)
2/3s tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 cup raw tahini (the Artisana brand is nice; substitute regular tahini if you need to) (I'd cut this back to 2/3s of a cup next time)
2 tbsp olive oil
*We only have a handful of recipes, if that many, that the whole family will eat. Even though oNe doesn't eat hummus, she eats chickpeas so I count it. It's my goal to expand the number of recipes that everyone will eat this year.
**I've decided Zany Zucchini is a good name for this.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sports day
Bleh. Tomorrow is sports day at oNe's school. The email discussing sports day suggested having the child wear a shirt with the logo of a favorite team.
oNe has NEVER watched a sporting event because that's how we roll around here. We are not into sports. Okay, the other suggestion is to wear clothes from a sport you like to play. She does gymnastics. That counts as a sport, yes? Maybe she can wear the top she sometimes wears to class under her shirt.
oNe has NEVER watched a sporting event because that's how we roll around here. We are not into sports. Okay, the other suggestion is to wear clothes from a sport you like to play. She does gymnastics. That counts as a sport, yes? Maybe she can wear the top she sometimes wears to class under her shirt.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
keeping with the broccoli theme
I found another broccoli salad recipe
here
I might make it as is and not modify it. It sounds good.... except I need to by some fresh coriander before I make it--otherwise, it'll be made with dried coriander, and I don't know if that would be as good. Maybe I'll try to make it this coming weekend. I'll let you know if I like it.
Raw Broccoli Salad Recipe
(Serves 2)
3 cups of chopped broccoli
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbs of finely minced coriander
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp of sea salt, or if you have it, flor de sal
Method:
Wash and finely chop the broccoli, several florets at a time. Include 1 garlic clove in the chopping. Chop for another minute and then add the second clove. Keep chopping until the broccoli pieces are about 1/2cm to 1cm.
Place the broccoli into a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and then mix well with a metal spoon. Cover and let the broccoli sit in the fridge for one hour.
here
I might make it as is and not modify it. It sounds good.... except I need to by some fresh coriander before I make it--otherwise, it'll be made with dried coriander, and I don't know if that would be as good. Maybe I'll try to make it this coming weekend. I'll let you know if I like it.
Raw Broccoli Salad Recipe
(Serves 2)
3 cups of chopped broccoli
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbs of finely minced coriander
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp of sea salt, or if you have it, flor de sal
Method:
Wash and finely chop the broccoli, several florets at a time. Include 1 garlic clove in the chopping. Chop for another minute and then add the second clove. Keep chopping until the broccoli pieces are about 1/2cm to 1cm.
Place the broccoli into a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and then mix well with a metal spoon. Cover and let the broccoli sit in the fridge for one hour.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
what do you feed the girls?
I've been talking a lot about what I've been eating, and that's kind of egocentric of me, eh?
I thought I'd spend a little time talking about what the three little (actually not so little any more) girls eat. I think a lot about food because I want to 1) keep MWH and I healthy for them, and 2) keep them healthy.
The girls eat a lot of plant-based foods and for the most part have never really eaten meat. They have turkey meatballs (I buy them frozen from Whole Foods) about once a week, and they eat hard boiled or scrambled eggs once a week or so. They love their dairy and eat cheese, yogurt, and drink milk all the time. I'd like to reduce their consumption, but change is slow and takes time.
Up until about 6 months ago, I didn't think there was anything wrong with dairy, and then until a few months ago, I couldn't imagine life without dairy, but here I am... dairy-free. I've been that way since beginning of December (I think--I wish I'd written it down). As the girls get older and are more amenable to change, I'll probably try to get them to reduce their dairy consumption.
As they are getting older, I'm asking them to eat more veggies and fruits. They all will eat lots of fruit--even twoK, remember this? Now, I don't agonize over twoK and what she eats that much. She has her days that are bad, but for the most part, she's not too bad. (Except when we travel, but we don't travel that often, so I don't worry about it.)
All the girls eat broccoli, carrots and peas. (twoK will only eat broccoli for n3nny, but whatever, I'll take it!) They all drink spinach blended in fruit shakes--twoK and oNe don't know it's in there yet, Three-a does, and she's fine with it.
I've given up soy milk, so consequently, they have too. Soy can cause problems with digestion, thyroid and disrupt other endocrine systems in the body, including those related to fertility. (Not that I care for myself, but I do care for the little girls! I want grandbabies someday!!!!) I've been drinking unsweetened rice milk and mixing it in with the fruit shakes to make them creamier. (Some day I'm going to make rice milk from scratch!) (And, google "dark side of soy" or "problems with soy" to read more if you're curious.)
The girls eat lots of whole grain tortillas, pastas, and breads with peanut butter, cheese, hummus (it's a new big favorite around the house twoK loves it the most), or guacamole (Three-a and oNe). They also eat lots of rice, salsa, marinara sauce, fruits. I can't think of it all right now, but I'll come back to it.
One of my goals for this year is to "expand" what the girls will eat. I've just instituted a rule that they need to try one bite of whatever Mom and Dad are eating... I forgot to enforce it tonight with the chard and onions I made for MWH and me--oops! They've tasted the peanut butter soup and they say they don't like it. We'll keep working on them.
twoK is pretty sensitive to textures and I try to be sensitive to her dislike of anything lumpy in something smooth. It's one of the reasons I make so many fruit shakes.
Oh, the other thing about the girls' diet, they really don't eat much refined sugar. Or at least, I don't feed it to them. N3nny gives them more than I do. I think she might feel a little sorry for them and how healthy we eat around here. My feeling is, and always has been, if they don't know any different, they don't miss it, so I don't give it to them.
Anyway, this post is kind of a snoozer, thanks for reading if you made it this far....
I'll close with an advertisement for that broccoli salad I told you about.... scroll down. SO YUM! I doubled the recipe and made it again on Sunday. It'll be gone tomorrow (W). I love that salad!
I thought I'd spend a little time talking about what the three little (actually not so little any more) girls eat. I think a lot about food because I want to 1) keep MWH and I healthy for them, and 2) keep them healthy.
The girls eat a lot of plant-based foods and for the most part have never really eaten meat. They have turkey meatballs (I buy them frozen from Whole Foods) about once a week, and they eat hard boiled or scrambled eggs once a week or so. They love their dairy and eat cheese, yogurt, and drink milk all the time. I'd like to reduce their consumption, but change is slow and takes time.
Up until about 6 months ago, I didn't think there was anything wrong with dairy, and then until a few months ago, I couldn't imagine life without dairy, but here I am... dairy-free. I've been that way since beginning of December (I think--I wish I'd written it down). As the girls get older and are more amenable to change, I'll probably try to get them to reduce their dairy consumption.
As they are getting older, I'm asking them to eat more veggies and fruits. They all will eat lots of fruit--even twoK, remember this? Now, I don't agonize over twoK and what she eats that much. She has her days that are bad, but for the most part, she's not too bad. (Except when we travel, but we don't travel that often, so I don't worry about it.)
All the girls eat broccoli, carrots and peas. (twoK will only eat broccoli for n3nny, but whatever, I'll take it!) They all drink spinach blended in fruit shakes--twoK and oNe don't know it's in there yet, Three-a does, and she's fine with it.
I've given up soy milk, so consequently, they have too. Soy can cause problems with digestion, thyroid and disrupt other endocrine systems in the body, including those related to fertility. (Not that I care for myself, but I do care for the little girls! I want grandbabies someday!!!!) I've been drinking unsweetened rice milk and mixing it in with the fruit shakes to make them creamier. (Some day I'm going to make rice milk from scratch!) (And, google "dark side of soy" or "problems with soy" to read more if you're curious.)
The girls eat lots of whole grain tortillas, pastas, and breads with peanut butter, cheese, hummus (it's a new big favorite around the house twoK loves it the most), or guacamole (Three-a and oNe). They also eat lots of rice, salsa, marinara sauce, fruits. I can't think of it all right now, but I'll come back to it.
One of my goals for this year is to "expand" what the girls will eat. I've just instituted a rule that they need to try one bite of whatever Mom and Dad are eating... I forgot to enforce it tonight with the chard and onions I made for MWH and me--oops! They've tasted the peanut butter soup and they say they don't like it. We'll keep working on them.
twoK is pretty sensitive to textures and I try to be sensitive to her dislike of anything lumpy in something smooth. It's one of the reasons I make so many fruit shakes.
Oh, the other thing about the girls' diet, they really don't eat much refined sugar. Or at least, I don't feed it to them. N3nny gives them more than I do. I think she might feel a little sorry for them and how healthy we eat around here. My feeling is, and always has been, if they don't know any different, they don't miss it, so I don't give it to them.
Anyway, this post is kind of a snoozer, thanks for reading if you made it this far....
I'll close with an advertisement for that broccoli salad I told you about.... scroll down. SO YUM! I doubled the recipe and made it again on Sunday. It'll be gone tomorrow (W). I love that salad!
Oops... I ate the whole thing...
Yesterday's huge bowl of broccoli is almost gone... MWH only had a little. I think I liked it!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
I can't follow recipes
I don't seem to be able to follow recipes. Part of it is that I don't always have the ingredients, and part of it is that sometimes the ingredients sound gross to me. In this case, I didn't have something that spirals zucchini, and I didn't like some of the ingredients. But, I made a broccoli salad based on this recipe and it was yum.
For the veggies, I used chopped broccoli (4 small heads), zucchini (2), and red pepper (1). I was too lazy to chop up the carrots, as used in the other recipe, and I ate them instead, heh. I eat lots of raw carrots, so I don't feel too bad about not putting them in. MWH isn't crazy about carrots.
For the dressing, I used:
3 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 pinches black pepper
2 Tablespoons of olive oil (original recipe was more, but it is good with as little as 2 tablespoons)
I made the same recipe the other day without the mustard powder, because I didn't have any, and then I got some. After re-making it with the mustard powder, I must say I think the mustard powder adds a lot of nice flavor. I'll continue to make this salad this way.
I am wanting to eat more raw foods, yup, freaky healthy on you again. I don't love raw broccoli. I love cooked broccoli, but raw, I would rather leave it. However, in this recipe, the acidic lemon sort of "cooks" and softens the broccoli.
I think it looks very pretty...even in a blurry iPhone photo!
For the veggies, I used chopped broccoli (4 small heads), zucchini (2), and red pepper (1). I was too lazy to chop up the carrots, as used in the other recipe, and I ate them instead, heh. I eat lots of raw carrots, so I don't feel too bad about not putting them in. MWH isn't crazy about carrots.
For the dressing, I used:
3 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 pinches black pepper
2 Tablespoons of olive oil (original recipe was more, but it is good with as little as 2 tablespoons)
I made the same recipe the other day without the mustard powder, because I didn't have any, and then I got some. After re-making it with the mustard powder, I must say I think the mustard powder adds a lot of nice flavor. I'll continue to make this salad this way.
I am wanting to eat more raw foods, yup, freaky healthy on you again. I don't love raw broccoli. I love cooked broccoli, but raw, I would rather leave it. However, in this recipe, the acidic lemon sort of "cooks" and softens the broccoli.
I think it looks very pretty...even in a blurry iPhone photo!
Here's a funny picture, I accidentally hit the camera button on the iPhone while I was trying to email the photo of the salad to myself. Now you can see a picture of my computer while I was blogging this post. (Now that's a good use of internet bandwidth to send this photo and then have you all download it. I crack myself up sometimes.)
This salad is what I took for my lunch on Wednesday... I added pasta to the veggies and ate it as a pasta salad. (Yes! I took a lunch! Go me!)
If I continue to make a big salad like this on the weekend and another one midweek, it should be fairly easy to take my lunch at least once, if not all the time to work. This kind of salad can easily be eaten on noodles, rice, or tortillas. So, you'll notice I'm not going "ALL RAW" (yet), but, as I said earlier, trying to increase the raw in my diet. If you want to read about raw diets, here's one place and another place.
Go ahead and say it, she's gone totally over the edge and into freaky healthy.... Probably, but I'm just still trying to get over those blood test results I got last fall. The results are still freaking me out.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
perhaps I was daunted...
because, good grief, I had a lot of goals last year....
Let's review....
1. Continue to work on a healthy diet and learn more about vitamins and nutrition. One trick I'm learning is to make sure I eat the good stuff before I eat the "extra" less good stuff. When I do this, I often am not hungry for the empty calories. I do this with the girls and it works with them. Why didn't I think of trying this for myself sooner?
Check. I've become more "freaky" healthy in the eating department. I am really not eating much added sugar now. I eat fruit, but I don't count that as sugar as long as I'm eating the whole fruit (with all the fiber and good stuff that is packaged with it naturally). I could go into a ton of details here, but then I'd never get done.
2. Hang more pictures on the wall and just get more organized (e.g., loft and our bedroom)... (Maybe start to figure out new furniture for our bedroom--don't panic MWH!.)
Um..... Failed miserably. We did order a new couch for our bedroom.... We need to figure out night stands and headboard. The couch should come in the next month or two, and then we'll organize more. It'll be a big exciting new thing.
3. Try to not get stressed out at work. Figure out how to have fun at work again. The first 5 years I worked where I work were THE BEST ever. I guess that the next 6 needed to be hard and not so much fun to make up for the first five. (You know, balance and all.) When I teach again, try not to get stressed out by it. I am getting better at it (because of experience) so I will make it a goal to have a little more fun with it and not let it consume me quite as much.
Did okay at this.... I'm working on not taking on too much stuff. I don't currently have any projects that I LOVE so it's easy to not be too sucked in. I miss teaching... I miss it a lot, but I have a lot more time when I'm not teaching. If OLU offered me a class, I'd jump though....
4. Workout-wise, I'd like to add more strength and flexibility training. Adding a yoga class would be super good for me.... or, just taking some classes (to get the basics) and then finding a good video. I'd love to add in a ballet class, but I know it will be really painful. (I used to dance and it is much harder than working out....) The last few nights I've made myself stretch for a few minutes before bed. Maybe I can get into a routine and stretch at night....(or find a yoga class). I need to make myself do weights after my aerobics and zumba classes ... Maybe I can start with 10-15 minutes after T/Th class and work up from there?
I definitely added in both. The Pilates I'm doing is super good on strength and flexibility. I can do the splits on the right side again! I need to do more upper body strength training. I'm doing 10-15 minutes after Zumba sometimes.... I need to get more religious about this.
As a related point to this goal....I don't know whether I want to get certified to teach Zumba or not. I can't decide. This sounds so wimpy, but my numbness is limiting me and bringing me down. I am so tired after a class. It's not like I'm not in good shape tired, it's my numbness tired. I can feel it in my head and in my body. My body feels a little less connected to my brain as it recovers, my head feels really fuzzy, my hands are more numb, and I get tingling in my legs. It goes away and I think it's just because I get so warm when I work out, but it's a problem. I know I can't push it as hard as I want to push it. Maybe I'll get in better shape, and not notice so much, but I don't know. Maybe I just felt it more (last Friday) because I hadn't worked out that much over break.... I'll give it a couple more months, do a little more reading about the problem, and think about what I should do.
Still debating........
5. Work on being more green. (Yea, I use re-usable shopping bags, SIGG bottles (so I don't have to use plastic water bottles), a re-usable coffee cup, and do some other things (I should do a post about this) but I know I can do more. I need to think more about this. If you've made decisions about how to be more "green" what are they? Please post a comment if you have ideas!
I think I did some... there's always more to do, but when I make a change, I make it for good, so that has to count.
6. Spend more time reading with the girls. MWH usually does bedtime reading. If I pick a chapter book and read with the older two during the day (like HP) (or some of the fun ones we've gotten for Christmas) it will be good.
Did okay... didn't always read more, but I've been cooking with the girls more and painting toe nails and sitting down with them while they watch a tv show a little more. I will continue to work on this.
7. This is a tough one... Spend less time just goofing around online. I can still be online a lot, and I will, but I think, especially when I'm not teaching, that I need to limit myself here and do more #6 and being silly with the girls. I want to read more too (more fun, novel-type books. I read lots online and I learn lots online, so that kind of being online is okay, but sometimes I find that I've spent 1/2 hour looking at pictures in Facebook of someone I don't even KNOW when they were at a party. That seems a little, ummm, unnecessary to me...) (Does this happen to anyone else?)
Failed pretty miserably at this one.... I am reading more fun novels--thanks to the iPhone!
8. Send in more blog posts from my iPhone. I need to get better at texting on it. I figure the only way I will is to practice. If I make myself send in one post a week from the iPhone, it ought to help to post a blog entry once a week from the phone.
I no longer hate texting on the iPhone. I still prefer the keyboard, but I used to feel dizzy when I texted. That is gone now and I can text just fine.
9. Spend more time with friends and family!
Can always do better, but we had some great pool parties last summer (Thanks P & L!) and got to hang probably more than usual.
10. Keep learning! (I want to read a lot more about brain research, exercise and aging.)
I am a learning machine. I don't need to make this a goal because that's what I do.
11. Spend more time hangin' with MWH. When we do get to hang, we laugh a lot. Sometimes, when the girls are around, they don't know why we're laughing, but they start to laugh anyway. I love it.
We didn't get enough date nights/afternoons....so we'll need to work on it this year! I <3 you MWH!
Let's review....
1. Continue to work on a healthy diet and learn more about vitamins and nutrition. One trick I'm learning is to make sure I eat the good stuff before I eat the "extra" less good stuff. When I do this, I often am not hungry for the empty calories. I do this with the girls and it works with them. Why didn't I think of trying this for myself sooner?
Check. I've become more "freaky" healthy in the eating department. I am really not eating much added sugar now. I eat fruit, but I don't count that as sugar as long as I'm eating the whole fruit (with all the fiber and good stuff that is packaged with it naturally). I could go into a ton of details here, but then I'd never get done.
2. Hang more pictures on the wall and just get more organized (e.g., loft and our bedroom)... (Maybe start to figure out new furniture for our bedroom--don't panic MWH!.)
Um..... Failed miserably. We did order a new couch for our bedroom.... We need to figure out night stands and headboard. The couch should come in the next month or two, and then we'll organize more. It'll be a big exciting new thing.
3. Try to not get stressed out at work. Figure out how to have fun at work again. The first 5 years I worked where I work were THE BEST ever. I guess that the next 6 needed to be hard and not so much fun to make up for the first five. (You know, balance and all.) When I teach again, try not to get stressed out by it. I am getting better at it (because of experience) so I will make it a goal to have a little more fun with it and not let it consume me quite as much.
Did okay at this.... I'm working on not taking on too much stuff. I don't currently have any projects that I LOVE so it's easy to not be too sucked in. I miss teaching... I miss it a lot, but I have a lot more time when I'm not teaching. If OLU offered me a class, I'd jump though....
4. Workout-wise, I'd like to add more strength and flexibility training. Adding a yoga class would be super good for me.... or, just taking some classes (to get the basics) and then finding a good video. I'd love to add in a ballet class, but I know it will be really painful. (I used to dance and it is much harder than working out....) The last few nights I've made myself stretch for a few minutes before bed. Maybe I can get into a routine and stretch at night....(or find a yoga class). I need to make myself do weights after my aerobics and zumba classes ... Maybe I can start with 10-15 minutes after T/Th class and work up from there?
I definitely added in both. The Pilates I'm doing is super good on strength and flexibility. I can do the splits on the right side again! I need to do more upper body strength training. I'm doing 10-15 minutes after Zumba sometimes.... I need to get more religious about this.
As a related point to this goal....I don't know whether I want to get certified to teach Zumba or not. I can't decide. This sounds so wimpy, but my numbness is limiting me and bringing me down. I am so tired after a class. It's not like I'm not in good shape tired, it's my numbness tired. I can feel it in my head and in my body. My body feels a little less connected to my brain as it recovers, my head feels really fuzzy, my hands are more numb, and I get tingling in my legs. It goes away and I think it's just because I get so warm when I work out, but it's a problem. I know I can't push it as hard as I want to push it. Maybe I'll get in better shape, and not notice so much, but I don't know. Maybe I just felt it more (last Friday) because I hadn't worked out that much over break.... I'll give it a couple more months, do a little more reading about the problem, and think about what I should do.
Still debating........
5. Work on being more green. (Yea, I use re-usable shopping bags, SIGG bottles (so I don't have to use plastic water bottles), a re-usable coffee cup, and do some other things (I should do a post about this) but I know I can do more. I need to think more about this. If you've made decisions about how to be more "green" what are they? Please post a comment if you have ideas!
I think I did some... there's always more to do, but when I make a change, I make it for good, so that has to count.
6. Spend more time reading with the girls. MWH usually does bedtime reading. If I pick a chapter book and read with the older two during the day (like HP) (or some of the fun ones we've gotten for Christmas) it will be good.
Did okay... didn't always read more, but I've been cooking with the girls more and painting toe nails and sitting down with them while they watch a tv show a little more. I will continue to work on this.
7. This is a tough one... Spend less time just goofing around online. I can still be online a lot, and I will, but I think, especially when I'm not teaching, that I need to limit myself here and do more #6 and being silly with the girls. I want to read more too (more fun, novel-type books. I read lots online and I learn lots online, so that kind of being online is okay, but sometimes I find that I've spent 1/2 hour looking at pictures in Facebook of someone I don't even KNOW when they were at a party. That seems a little, ummm, unnecessary to me...) (Does this happen to anyone else?)
Failed pretty miserably at this one.... I am reading more fun novels--thanks to the iPhone!
8. Send in more blog posts from my iPhone. I need to get better at texting on it. I figure the only way I will is to practice. If I make myself send in one post a week from the iPhone, it ought to help to post a blog entry once a week from the phone.
I no longer hate texting on the iPhone. I still prefer the keyboard, but I used to feel dizzy when I texted. That is gone now and I can text just fine.
9. Spend more time with friends and family!
Can always do better, but we had some great pool parties last summer (Thanks P & L!) and got to hang probably more than usual.
10. Keep learning! (I want to read a lot more about brain research, exercise and aging.)
I am a learning machine. I don't need to make this a goal because that's what I do.
11. Spend more time hangin' with MWH. When we do get to hang, we laugh a lot. Sometimes, when the girls are around, they don't know why we're laughing, but they start to laugh anyway. I love it.
We didn't get enough date nights/afternoons....so we'll need to work on it this year! I <3 you MWH!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
2010 Goals
I haven't done my review of last years goals yet, but I will, here are some for the new year.
Continue to eat mostly plant-based (no dairy/meat). (I am eating some salmon because of its anti-inflammatory properties. I can't decide on whether I want to eat eggs or not.)
Continue to work out with Pilates, Zumba, weights, Aerobics. I like to do something every day. I'd like to add in a yoga class, but I don't know if I have time. I'll make it a goal to at least try a yoga class before the year is over. This year is about building more muscle. Unofficially, I'm calling it "the year of the glutes," but really, it's about muscle everywhere.
Take my lunch to work at least one time a week. I usually just get a salad at work, but taking my lunch will be 1) good for the pocket book, 2) more green (no throw-away stuff) and 3) I'll know that I'm eating organic. We don't know if the salad bar is organic or not.
Continue to expand my repertoire of "raw" or mostly raw foods--both eating them and preparing them.
Continue to work on being green. (Specific ideas will appear at some point, but hey, taking my lunch counts!)
Continue to make at least 8 hours of sleep a night the goal.
Organize the house.... um, yea. (I did not get any homemaking skills whatsoever. I guess, I like to cook, but that's it.)
Hang with the girls and MWH more. (I'd like to make taking a family walk/hike a thing we do at least once a month. We took one on New Years (or the day after) and the girls loved it. This would be good and healthy!)
Hang with friends more. (We're all so busy... bleh.)
Continue to eat mostly plant-based (no dairy/meat). (I am eating some salmon because of its anti-inflammatory properties. I can't decide on whether I want to eat eggs or not.)
Continue to work out with Pilates, Zumba, weights, Aerobics. I like to do something every day. I'd like to add in a yoga class, but I don't know if I have time. I'll make it a goal to at least try a yoga class before the year is over. This year is about building more muscle. Unofficially, I'm calling it "the year of the glutes," but really, it's about muscle everywhere.
Take my lunch to work at least one time a week. I usually just get a salad at work, but taking my lunch will be 1) good for the pocket book, 2) more green (no throw-away stuff) and 3) I'll know that I'm eating organic. We don't know if the salad bar is organic or not.
Continue to expand my repertoire of "raw" or mostly raw foods--both eating them and preparing them.
Continue to work on being green. (Specific ideas will appear at some point, but hey, taking my lunch counts!)
Continue to make at least 8 hours of sleep a night the goal.
Organize the house.... um, yea. (I did not get any homemaking skills whatsoever. I guess, I like to cook, but that's it.)
Hang with the girls and MWH more. (I'd like to make taking a family walk/hike a thing we do at least once a month. We took one on New Years (or the day after) and the girls loved it. This would be good and healthy!)
Hang with friends more. (We're all so busy... bleh.)
Good things!
On Friday, we painted toe-nails....Three-a, twoK and me. The little girls chose a blue glittery polish (thanks Z--she cleaned out her drawer and gave us lots of cool colors) and I chose pink. I need a real pedicure soon! PS? Z?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
A guilty pleasure
I love the Kindle iPhone App and I love the free books on Amazon. It's like having access to a library in my pocket! It's so nice to have a book where EVER I am on my iPhone. Since having kids, I haven't read very many novels because I haven't had time, but now, even if I only have a few minutes, I always have a book with me. It's so convenient.
Since Christmas break, I've read:
Murder Takes The Cake [My review: A totally easy read, predictable, but fun mystery novel. I don't think I would have bought it, except at an airport, but I would definitely check it out at the library, or get others from the author.]
Mossy Creek [My review: Really nice stories about life in a small town. It made me laugh and cry. Great characters, but not the typical book I read, but I'm glad I read it.]
My Soul to Lose [My review: A young adult novel, so, um, okay, not great, but I didn't have access to buy any more books and I needed something to read. It was a very short book.]
Bloodfever [My review: The second book in the series and the only book I've paid for on the Kindle. It's hard core demon-y fun. I want the third book.]
Darkfever [My review: The first book in the series. It was a little hard to follow all the Celtic names and "traditions" at first, but the writing caused my heart to pound and kept me turning the pages. And, I bought the second book in the series. It is an odd book though and if you're not into weird vampire-y stuff, you might not like it. I don't know if it's free any more on the Kindle.]
For work I bought: Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom [My review: It's got a few new ideas that I've not thought about before, but if you're a cognitive scientist, there's nothing new here. I'm not sure what teachers would think, but I thought it wasn't very informative. I'm only 3/4s through. Maybe it'll surprise me in the end, but probably not.]
Other freebies I've downloaded for the Kindle iPhone App:
Hide in Plain Sight
Southern Storm (Cape Refuge Series #2)
Cape Refuge (Cape Refuge Series #1)
Dark Pursuit
Exposure: A Novel
Midnight in Madrid
The Crossroads Cafe
Since Christmas break, I've read:
Murder Takes The Cake [My review: A totally easy read, predictable, but fun mystery novel. I don't think I would have bought it, except at an airport, but I would definitely check it out at the library, or get others from the author.]
Mossy Creek [My review: Really nice stories about life in a small town. It made me laugh and cry. Great characters, but not the typical book I read, but I'm glad I read it.]
My Soul to Lose [My review: A young adult novel, so, um, okay, not great, but I didn't have access to buy any more books and I needed something to read. It was a very short book.]
Bloodfever [My review: The second book in the series and the only book I've paid for on the Kindle. It's hard core demon-y fun. I want the third book.]
Darkfever [My review: The first book in the series. It was a little hard to follow all the Celtic names and "traditions" at first, but the writing caused my heart to pound and kept me turning the pages. And, I bought the second book in the series. It is an odd book though and if you're not into weird vampire-y stuff, you might not like it. I don't know if it's free any more on the Kindle.]
For work I bought: Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom [My review: It's got a few new ideas that I've not thought about before, but if you're a cognitive scientist, there's nothing new here. I'm not sure what teachers would think, but I thought it wasn't very informative. I'm only 3/4s through. Maybe it'll surprise me in the end, but probably not.]
Other freebies I've downloaded for the Kindle iPhone App:
Hide in Plain Sight
Southern Storm (Cape Refuge Series #2)
Cape Refuge (Cape Refuge Series #1)
Dark Pursuit
Exposure: A Novel
Midnight in Madrid
The Crossroads Cafe
the week
This week has been a little emotionally roller coaster-y.
The earthquake has me sad and worried. MWH and I donated some money to Partners in Health. Other things have made my heart sing, I've been mad (L and work), frustrated and worried. I'll fill you in on them later. I'm working on becoming more "glass is half-full" again. I think I used to be more optimistic. I need to focus on the good, not the bad.
I also need to work for about 5 hours on analyzing data today.... oNe got caterpillars for Christmas and they've turned in to beautiful butterflies and I need to document that (on the other blog). I want to organize my room, and the kitchen, but mostly I just feel overwhelmed. I want about a week off of work, but I don't have that time. I keep debating on what I should do at work. Do I reduce my hours and have more free time, or do I just continue to work on projects I don't like that much? It seems like an easy choice when I write it like that, but it's a little more complicated.
And, the never-ending question, do I get certified for teaching Zumba?
The earthquake has me sad and worried. MWH and I donated some money to Partners in Health. Other things have made my heart sing, I've been mad (L and work), frustrated and worried. I'll fill you in on them later. I'm working on becoming more "glass is half-full" again. I think I used to be more optimistic. I need to focus on the good, not the bad.
I also need to work for about 5 hours on analyzing data today.... oNe got caterpillars for Christmas and they've turned in to beautiful butterflies and I need to document that (on the other blog). I want to organize my room, and the kitchen, but mostly I just feel overwhelmed. I want about a week off of work, but I don't have that time. I keep debating on what I should do at work. Do I reduce my hours and have more free time, or do I just continue to work on projects I don't like that much? It seems like an easy choice when I write it like that, but it's a little more complicated.
And, the never-ending question, do I get certified for teaching Zumba?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
new bedtime
I'm working really hard on making between 11 and 11:30, and hopefully closer to 11 my new bedtime. The last few years, MWH and I have gone to bed midnight or 12:30. It works okay if I can get up at 8:30 or 9, but with oNe in school, I have to get up at 7:30 or 8. I do okay on 7.5 hours of sleep, but not for too many nights in a row.
It was also the case that over the weekend, I'd sleep in, and then Mondays would be painful because I'd be so well rested and sleep late on Sunday that it would be difficult to fall asleep Sunday night.
Boy, I am exciting.... this is one of my new goals for the year. We'll see how it goes. I failed miserably on the second of January, and slept late, but this week has been better.
I still have to do a year in review post, but for some reason, it seems daunting. Maybe I'll do it in small chunks.
In other news, my knees (mostly the right one was the bad one) are getting better. Woo. Who knows if I'll end up all the way back to normal, but I think I'm at 90%. I can jump a little. I'm still working on strengthening my back before I go all crazy on the jumping. I will have to continue to work on my leg muscles to keep them really strong (weights), but I am so thrilled that my knees aren't done for when I'm only 29*.
I'm so excited that I can bend down to pick up things by bending my knees into a deep squat--handy to be able to do if you wear a straight skirt and drop stuff.
I guess, one thing for the year in review, I learned a lot about the importance of weights and making muscle this year. My core is getting stronger, and my back feels better most days. I still have a little more strengthening to do on my back before it feels even better, but I'm hopeful it's not as good as it's going to get yet. It's better, but my PT thinks it can get a little better still.
Oh weights, how good you are for me and all that ails me.
*Yea, shut up, this is my fantasy blog.
It was also the case that over the weekend, I'd sleep in, and then Mondays would be painful because I'd be so well rested and sleep late on Sunday that it would be difficult to fall asleep Sunday night.
Boy, I am exciting.... this is one of my new goals for the year. We'll see how it goes. I failed miserably on the second of January, and slept late, but this week has been better.
I still have to do a year in review post, but for some reason, it seems daunting. Maybe I'll do it in small chunks.
In other news, my knees (mostly the right one was the bad one) are getting better. Woo. Who knows if I'll end up all the way back to normal, but I think I'm at 90%. I can jump a little. I'm still working on strengthening my back before I go all crazy on the jumping. I will have to continue to work on my leg muscles to keep them really strong (weights), but I am so thrilled that my knees aren't done for when I'm only 29*.
I'm so excited that I can bend down to pick up things by bending my knees into a deep squat--handy to be able to do if you wear a straight skirt and drop stuff.
I guess, one thing for the year in review, I learned a lot about the importance of weights and making muscle this year. My core is getting stronger, and my back feels better most days. I still have a little more strengthening to do on my back before it feels even better, but I'm hopeful it's not as good as it's going to get yet. It's better, but my PT thinks it can get a little better still.
Oh weights, how good you are for me and all that ails me.
*Yea, shut up, this is my fantasy blog.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
little sisters
twoK and Three-a are only 15 months apart. In the past, oNe was needed to help Three-a really understand the games they were playing, oNe could help Three-a in a way that twoK could not. twoK knew what she needed to do, but didn't have the cognitive abilities to help Three-a play.
Now, Three-a is older and she and twoK are so close in age that they LOVE to play the same things together. They are "best friends." They tell me this every day. They want to grow up and get married at the same time,* and then move into the same house. Three-a asked if I could buy them a lot of clothes before they did this.**
It's so cute and sweet to see them playing. I didn't have a sister. When I was little, I spent a lot of time wishing for a playmate and playing by myself. I love watching the sisters!***
*MWH and I encouraged all three of them to get married at the same time to cut wedding costs. One venue will be cheaper than 3!
**Practical girl.
***Even when they get into a LOT of trouble together. More than they would by themselves.
Now, Three-a is older and she and twoK are so close in age that they LOVE to play the same things together. They are "best friends." They tell me this every day. They want to grow up and get married at the same time,* and then move into the same house. Three-a asked if I could buy them a lot of clothes before they did this.**
It's so cute and sweet to see them playing. I didn't have a sister. When I was little, I spent a lot of time wishing for a playmate and playing by myself. I love watching the sisters!***
*MWH and I encouraged all three of them to get married at the same time to cut wedding costs. One venue will be cheaper than 3!
**Practical girl.
***Even when they get into a LOT of trouble together. More than they would by themselves.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
2010: The first 3 days
I don't believe I said, Happy New Year!
So far, the first three days of 2010, have been lovely. I've meant to blog, but haven't had a chance. I started the year by going to Zumba first thing on 1/1/10! So good. That night, we had favorite friends over for dinner. It was lovely. I made this soup, but I forgot the salt. It wasn't bad, but it is MUCH tastier with the salt. My friend made the yummiest brussel sprouts and caponata. We had a vegan feast!
On Saturday morning, after oversleeping, I got to see a friend and have breakfast. On Saturday afternoon, the whole family took a walk together. We walked about 2 miles. (I want to make this a monthly thing for us.)
Today, the neighbor girl came over and played, and then after a couple of hours, we (the five of us) and part of the neighbor girl's family (the girl, her brother and dad) went to the park. When we got back from the park, twoK and the neighbor girl wanted to play some more so twoK went over to their house for a while. Super fun. twoK feels she never gets to play with the neighbor girl, so she was ecstatic today.
Late this afternoon, Three-a and I went to the store and gathered food. Three-a is my little buddy so it was nice for us to have some one-on-one time. I'm cooking black beans from scratch (simmering now). MWH and I had chard for dinner (yum!). The girls ate pasta and some veggies.
Reading about the weekend doesn't sound that exciting, but it's been wonderful. I'm totally chill and I don't want to go to work. All the craziness is scheduled to resume tomorrow. Argh! I'm going to try to maintain MORE balance in my life this year. Really. This feels really nice right now. Goals for the year coming soon.
So far, the first three days of 2010, have been lovely. I've meant to blog, but haven't had a chance. I started the year by going to Zumba first thing on 1/1/10! So good. That night, we had favorite friends over for dinner. It was lovely. I made this soup, but I forgot the salt. It wasn't bad, but it is MUCH tastier with the salt. My friend made the yummiest brussel sprouts and caponata. We had a vegan feast!
On Saturday morning, after oversleeping, I got to see a friend and have breakfast. On Saturday afternoon, the whole family took a walk together. We walked about 2 miles. (I want to make this a monthly thing for us.)
Today, the neighbor girl came over and played, and then after a couple of hours, we (the five of us) and part of the neighbor girl's family (the girl, her brother and dad) went to the park. When we got back from the park, twoK and the neighbor girl wanted to play some more so twoK went over to their house for a while. Super fun. twoK feels she never gets to play with the neighbor girl, so she was ecstatic today.
Late this afternoon, Three-a and I went to the store and gathered food. Three-a is my little buddy so it was nice for us to have some one-on-one time. I'm cooking black beans from scratch (simmering now). MWH and I had chard for dinner (yum!). The girls ate pasta and some veggies.
Reading about the weekend doesn't sound that exciting, but it's been wonderful. I'm totally chill and I don't want to go to work. All the craziness is scheduled to resume tomorrow. Argh! I'm going to try to maintain MORE balance in my life this year. Really. This feels really nice right now. Goals for the year coming soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)