I am posting my menu for this week because several friends have asked for recipes to use on the Paleo diet. I found these surfing paleo sites on the web.
Sunday
Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Cucumbers and Tomatoes in Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing
Boiled Squash and Onions
Cauliflower Tots (I modified the recipe by substituting cream and butter with coconut milk and coconut oil)
Brownies (modified recipe using almond and coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut oil, honey)
Monday
Broiled Salmon Steaks with Citrus Rub
Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Almonds, Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
Cantaloupe
Tuesday
Coconut Chicken Fingers (will leave out the parm cheese)
Fresh Okra and Tomatoes (Southern Living Recipe)
Brown Rice (technically not Paleo)
Wednesday
Hungarian Ghoulash
Mashed Potatoes for the rest of the family
Green Beans
Jenny's Chocolate Cake that I will not eat :(
Thursday
Red Curry Chicken
Cauliflower Rice
Fresh Fruit
Friday
Quesadillas and Taco Salad (Friday and Saturday I try to be kid friendly, I just eat leftovers)
Lunches consist of almond butter jelly sandwiches on whole wheat for the kids, fruit, deviled eggs, Pizza Rolls (yes....). I eat warmed-up dinner from the night before or a Larabar and a coconut milk smoothie.
Let me know if you try any of the recipes and what you think! I have had the chicken fingers and the ghoulash...they were keepers!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
My Journey By The Decade
As I look back over my life so far, I find it odd that periods in my adult life have been defined by each decade...20's, 30's and 40's. Let me explain. And it's very personal, but I want you to know how I got to where I am.
My 20's are best described as "show me the party". I was single, worked for one of the largest US banks on the corporate side, and lived in big cities. I flew to lots of places and lived in hotels for a few years. Money flowed, as did the beer and other adult beverages. I was my only concern. I grew up in church, but did not attend regularly until my later 20's. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it", Proverbs 22:6. I didn't depart, I just took a detour. I really, really enjoyed my 20's.
I got married just six weeks before my thirtieth birthday. I also left my corporate job then for a small town bank job. Big change in lifestyle! My 30's were all about starting a family. That didn't go so well. At 32 I had our first daughter. The pregnancy was flawless, the delivery wasn't. They say you forget the pain....not so. That's a lie. But I got a perfect baby girl out of the deal! Our plan was to have our children two years apart. We had not yet realized that God is in control, not us, and His plans are not always the same. We lost the second baby just two weeks after realizing we were pregnant. Not so big a deal....according to statistics 25% of all pregnancies miscarry. We went camping with friends that very day to get our minds off what might have been. A few months later, we lost another baby in the second month of pregnancy. This was a little harder, but my mother-in-law passed away two days later and our minds were distracted by that. It really sucked because my husband was out of town on business that week. I called him to tell him we lost the baby, then I called him and told him his mother had died. Yikes. He came home. We waited a little longer, got pregnant again, and lost it too. Now I'm not handling things so well and am on Prozac. I desperately wanted to know why we kept losing babies, but there were no answers. There was nothing we could do to help out. Anxiety became a big part of me. I suppose I was not a lot of fun to be around. I know I got on my doctor's nerves. There is probably a psychological note in my file. Unstable would be a fair description. I can say this now that I am on the other side. This was the point I began trusting more in God's plan for my life than I did my plan. It seems that when we are at our lowest we draw closer to Him. Did he place these circumstances in my life to draw me closer? Perhaps. The Bible tells us that all things work to His good will and pleasure. He would find pleasure in my drawing closer to and trusting Him. I see myself making the transition from it being all about me, to it being more about Him. I gave up some control. Just some, not all. At age 36 we successfully delivered our second daughter. She is the last. I figured I would quit with a win. I'm not sure I could have taken any more losses and remained sane. Then there went the hormones! After returning to my pre-pregnancy weight, which I thought at the time was too high and would die for now, I proceeded to gain fifty (50!) pounds in six months. It physically hurt to gain weight that fast. I only gained twenty-five while pregnant, over nine months. Emotionally I was a mess. I felt like something was wrong, but again there were no answers. I felt out of control, but I think most people just thought I was crazy. More psychological notes in my file, I'm sure. And to top it all off, I got my post-baccalaureate certification to teach music and started a whole new career as a band director simultaneously as all of the above. I was crazy. I really, really did NOT enjoy my thirties.
Now I'm in my 40's, almost to the mid point. Things are much better. I feel better and back in control. Why? What changed? It's funny - to feel in control again, I gave up control and turned it all over to God. My life is still a mess sometimes, but the stress is waaaaaay less. Hopefully I am a better person to be around. I'm a better teacher now, I know. I think I'm a better mom and working on being a better wife. My husband probably has suffered the most through it all, God bless him! I'm glad he hung in there. I am de-cluttering my house which is having the therapeutic effect of de-cluttering my life. I have found will power where previously there was none. There are many verses I have claimed, but the one over all verse that best describes my journey now is "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" (Phillipians 4:13). I still have a loooooong way to go, but there aren't any more psychological notes in my file (I don't think). Today I give all the glory to God for who I am, it is not at all about me. I live my life to not fall short in honoring Him. I mess up a good bit, but thank goodness for grace. I am LOVING my 40's!
My 20's are best described as "show me the party". I was single, worked for one of the largest US banks on the corporate side, and lived in big cities. I flew to lots of places and lived in hotels for a few years. Money flowed, as did the beer and other adult beverages. I was my only concern. I grew up in church, but did not attend regularly until my later 20's. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it", Proverbs 22:6. I didn't depart, I just took a detour. I really, really enjoyed my 20's.
I got married just six weeks before my thirtieth birthday. I also left my corporate job then for a small town bank job. Big change in lifestyle! My 30's were all about starting a family. That didn't go so well. At 32 I had our first daughter. The pregnancy was flawless, the delivery wasn't. They say you forget the pain....not so. That's a lie. But I got a perfect baby girl out of the deal! Our plan was to have our children two years apart. We had not yet realized that God is in control, not us, and His plans are not always the same. We lost the second baby just two weeks after realizing we were pregnant. Not so big a deal....according to statistics 25% of all pregnancies miscarry. We went camping with friends that very day to get our minds off what might have been. A few months later, we lost another baby in the second month of pregnancy. This was a little harder, but my mother-in-law passed away two days later and our minds were distracted by that. It really sucked because my husband was out of town on business that week. I called him to tell him we lost the baby, then I called him and told him his mother had died. Yikes. He came home. We waited a little longer, got pregnant again, and lost it too. Now I'm not handling things so well and am on Prozac. I desperately wanted to know why we kept losing babies, but there were no answers. There was nothing we could do to help out. Anxiety became a big part of me. I suppose I was not a lot of fun to be around. I know I got on my doctor's nerves. There is probably a psychological note in my file. Unstable would be a fair description. I can say this now that I am on the other side. This was the point I began trusting more in God's plan for my life than I did my plan. It seems that when we are at our lowest we draw closer to Him. Did he place these circumstances in my life to draw me closer? Perhaps. The Bible tells us that all things work to His good will and pleasure. He would find pleasure in my drawing closer to and trusting Him. I see myself making the transition from it being all about me, to it being more about Him. I gave up some control. Just some, not all. At age 36 we successfully delivered our second daughter. She is the last. I figured I would quit with a win. I'm not sure I could have taken any more losses and remained sane. Then there went the hormones! After returning to my pre-pregnancy weight, which I thought at the time was too high and would die for now, I proceeded to gain fifty (50!) pounds in six months. It physically hurt to gain weight that fast. I only gained twenty-five while pregnant, over nine months. Emotionally I was a mess. I felt like something was wrong, but again there were no answers. I felt out of control, but I think most people just thought I was crazy. More psychological notes in my file, I'm sure. And to top it all off, I got my post-baccalaureate certification to teach music and started a whole new career as a band director simultaneously as all of the above. I was crazy. I really, really did NOT enjoy my thirties.
Now I'm in my 40's, almost to the mid point. Things are much better. I feel better and back in control. Why? What changed? It's funny - to feel in control again, I gave up control and turned it all over to God. My life is still a mess sometimes, but the stress is waaaaaay less. Hopefully I am a better person to be around. I'm a better teacher now, I know. I think I'm a better mom and working on being a better wife. My husband probably has suffered the most through it all, God bless him! I'm glad he hung in there. I am de-cluttering my house which is having the therapeutic effect of de-cluttering my life. I have found will power where previously there was none. There are many verses I have claimed, but the one over all verse that best describes my journey now is "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" (Phillipians 4:13). I still have a loooooong way to go, but there aren't any more psychological notes in my file (I don't think). Today I give all the glory to God for who I am, it is not at all about me. I live my life to not fall short in honoring Him. I mess up a good bit, but thank goodness for grace. I am LOVING my 40's!
Going Paleo
"Paleo" is a term for a way of eating without any sugar, grains or dairy in your diet. It is more of a lifestyle than it is a "diet". It sounds very strict, and it is, but it has not been difficult for me to transition to. It has been more difficult for the girls. I am just going 50/50 for their diet right now. We'll see how that goes.
The term "paleo" comes from "paleolithic", as in cave man. Their theory is our pre-historic ancestors, prior to the agricultural revolution, ate meat, vegetables and some fruits and were healthier than those post-ag revolution. They say our digestive systems have not evolved to be able to handle grains, dairy and sugars. I have difficulty with the whole evolutionary thing, as I am a creationist and this conflicts with that. But the science and physiology behind the diet makes perfect sense to me. Sugar, grains and dairy have been shown to cause inflammation. Inflammation causes most diseases that are so prevalent today (diabetes, heart disease, thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, asthma). It seems pretty obvious to me that if I can reduce or eliminate inflammation, I will be healthier as I age. Just because it makes sense to me doesn't mean it is correct, I'm just a band teacher, not a doctor. But I am middle aged and beginning to face some of these diseases. I know if I continued on the road I was on they were in my future. I know from my own experience how much better I feel since I cut them out of my diet. Only time will tell if this paleo thing is on to something. But I feel better, and that is good enough for me right now.
I had blood work done 6 weeks after changing my diet. I was a little disappointed there were not bigger improvements in my cholesterol, but everything was good overall. Triglycerides were down, yea! My weight is down, yea! I suppose if I gave up coffee my blood pressure would go down, but that's not going to happen. Period. I didn't give up coffee when I was pregnant. Don't look at me like that! I don't drink (much), or smoke, I don't mess around (remember that song in Grease?). Forgive me this one vice! Anyway, they say now coffee helps prevent cancer...
Well, that explains Paleo in my terms. I recommend it to one and all. Just try it for 30 days. If you don't feel better, get out that loaf of bread and enjoy it!
The term "paleo" comes from "paleolithic", as in cave man. Their theory is our pre-historic ancestors, prior to the agricultural revolution, ate meat, vegetables and some fruits and were healthier than those post-ag revolution. They say our digestive systems have not evolved to be able to handle grains, dairy and sugars. I have difficulty with the whole evolutionary thing, as I am a creationist and this conflicts with that. But the science and physiology behind the diet makes perfect sense to me. Sugar, grains and dairy have been shown to cause inflammation. Inflammation causes most diseases that are so prevalent today (diabetes, heart disease, thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, asthma). It seems pretty obvious to me that if I can reduce or eliminate inflammation, I will be healthier as I age. Just because it makes sense to me doesn't mean it is correct, I'm just a band teacher, not a doctor. But I am middle aged and beginning to face some of these diseases. I know if I continued on the road I was on they were in my future. I know from my own experience how much better I feel since I cut them out of my diet. Only time will tell if this paleo thing is on to something. But I feel better, and that is good enough for me right now.
I had blood work done 6 weeks after changing my diet. I was a little disappointed there were not bigger improvements in my cholesterol, but everything was good overall. Triglycerides were down, yea! My weight is down, yea! I suppose if I gave up coffee my blood pressure would go down, but that's not going to happen. Period. I didn't give up coffee when I was pregnant. Don't look at me like that! I don't drink (much), or smoke, I don't mess around (remember that song in Grease?). Forgive me this one vice! Anyway, they say now coffee helps prevent cancer...
Well, that explains Paleo in my terms. I recommend it to one and all. Just try it for 30 days. If you don't feel better, get out that loaf of bread and enjoy it!
Entering the Blogosphere!
I have made the jump into the blogosphere! This is something I have been contemplating for some time now. I call my blog "Getting It All Together" as I have spent this summer making some changes for the better in my life. I have gone "paleo" with my diet. I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. And being fat. I have dropped 17 (whoohoo!) pounds since I committed to this on May 28 of this year. And I don't feel sick and tired anymore. More on that later! I have de-cluttered and organized my home. I am very busy during the school year (I teach, have kids, etc) and the house gets neglected. I have purged closets and girl's rooms and it has felt good! Now to see if we can keep better control on the mess during the school year...we'll see. You know what they say about intentions!
I want to use this blog as an accountability tool, and I think my friends get tired of my posts on Facebook. The blog is more for me than you (whoever is reading it), but I am glad to open up and share my struggles and my successes with anyone who is interested. Perhaps someone will realize they are not the only ones with the same issues I have and will feel better knowing there are others out there with the same struggles. Hopefully I can help someone by my pontificating. I tend to have strong opinions, especially on religion and politics. Do not get offended, just ignore those posts if you don't agree with me. Don't put hate comments on my blogs, please. I tend to be fragile! ;)
I am sure this blog will be sporadic, directly related with how busy life gets at times. I do think it is important to take time to organize my thoughts and this is my tool I have chosen to do that. So, here goes!!
I want to use this blog as an accountability tool, and I think my friends get tired of my posts on Facebook. The blog is more for me than you (whoever is reading it), but I am glad to open up and share my struggles and my successes with anyone who is interested. Perhaps someone will realize they are not the only ones with the same issues I have and will feel better knowing there are others out there with the same struggles. Hopefully I can help someone by my pontificating. I tend to have strong opinions, especially on religion and politics. Do not get offended, just ignore those posts if you don't agree with me. Don't put hate comments on my blogs, please. I tend to be fragile! ;)
I am sure this blog will be sporadic, directly related with how busy life gets at times. I do think it is important to take time to organize my thoughts and this is my tool I have chosen to do that. So, here goes!!
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