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Food School: a 31 day course (day 9)

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 What do you call your diet?

How do you eat?  What do you eat?  The word diet confuses the issue a little bit, doesn’t it.  

I talk food with people all the time with the conversation always moving away from talking about healthy options.  I was curious about that.  Then I was watching Brene Brown on Oprah–she is the “shame” specialist, my mind clicked.  While Brene is speaking about being vulnerable–I was thinking about how we view food is a snapshot into how we view our health.

I think deep down we all want to be healthy, yet we have dug a hole of fast food, processed food and apathy.  We have stopped caring about anything!  We have stopped thinking about what is in our food.  Food has become so ubiquitous that we breath in chips and exhale without any thought.  Some people exercise like crazy then drink like a fish–there is such a huge disconnection in the mind/body/spirt organization.  

But it doesn’t have to be this way!

You can be the change.  You have the power.  You are responsible for you first–then others around you.  If it matters to you–make one change!  If being intentional is important–step into intentionality.  Being mindful is a every day practice into being the very best version of ourselves.  What do you want your very best version to be?  How?

Just start!

Here are my top ten ways to make a change TODAY!

  1. Go to the store and buy 7 apples.  One for each day of the week.
  2. Eat an apple every day.
  3. Plan on going to a Farmer’s Market.  (I’m not asking you to go–just asking you to be mindful that the opportunity for you to go exists.)
  4. Make a meatless meal–Pasta with Red Sauce–takes 15 minutes.
  5. Go to the library and check out a cookbook, gardening book, or one of the books suggested below this post.
  6. Read the book from #5.
  7. Set on goal for the week.  Eat an apple a day.  Sit quietly for 15 minutes to just be.  Take a walk in nature.  Sit on a bench by a pond and just be still (or retention pond–that is what I have in my neighborhood).  The goal doesn’t need to be huge–but it does need to create a pause in your life!
  8. Replace a glass of water for a pop/soda or sugary beverage (is better for you and reduces waste–even if you do recycle, it cuts down on how much needs to be recycled.)
  9. Go for a walk.  I just read in Health magazine that walking provides the same benefits as jogging–it just takes longer.  Walk on your lunch hour or go pick up your kids 15 minutes early and walk around the soccer field or parking lot.
  10. Start a food journal of all the things that you eat in a day.  This is amazingly insightful.  I did this for a while because I thought just because I bought the healthy food–I would eat it–but what I discovered is that I didn’t eat as much of the apples or salad as I thought.  Either someone else ate them or I ended up composting the greens!  I became mindful and less wasteful.

And I just want to add that you can make your own changes without waving a Vegan Flag or any other kind of flag!  You can make your own choices without sharing it with the world!  I don’t hide my choice to limit the amount of meat that I eat to be nearly zero for this reason, the minute I declare myself a Vegan–someone will point out how I have failed.  I don’t really need that to help me make mindful choices.  I say that I’m “mostly Vegan” and leave it at that.  I find that will encourage a more positive dialogue rather than the “all or nothing” mindset.

This is a fun info graphic that I found.  I will be discussing some of these issues in upcoming posts.  If you have a topic that you would like me to address, please send me an email or leave a comment.

A special thanks to all of those who have sent me emails!  I know that some of these topics might be uncomfortable to discuss in a open forum like the comments section–I get that!  I’m happy to answer emails or continue the conversation privately as well!

 
 
Vegan vs. Meat-Eater

by RoranStronghammer.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

 

Be Blessed as we embrace the health of our bodies, mind and spirits! 

To receive a free copy of my Blessed by Breakfast cookbook, please go to http://blessedbybreakfast.com and sign up! I send updates that include; family tested and approved recipes, video tutorials, tips and tricks on how to begin your day with the blessing of food.

cookbook coming soon

Books I suggest: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat,

Young Readers Edition The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Some of my friends have also joined the 31 day challenge:  

Anastacia Maness  http://rocksolidfamily.com/31-days-building-commitment/

Racquel Narciso http://howtomakeitinsanfrancisco.com/…/

Pamela Hodges http://ipaintiwrite.com

I’m linking up to these blogs. 

 

31 days of Honesty, Authenticity and Truth Day 2

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Welcome to 31 days –the idea comes from the Nester who challenges bloggers to write each day for the month of October.

The idea of this project seemed very big to me–I had already written my post, let’s be honest, I’m fat, and published it before I discovered the 31 days challenge.   Maybe it was divine intervention?  so I have decided to write this month about honesty/truthfulness/authenticity.  We will see where this idea leads . . .

On Tuesday’s I write a Top Ten List and post with Angie at Many Little Blessings–I enjoy the top ten concept, yet needed to keep it on topic of my 31 days . . . (not sure what I’m going to do for Ultimate Recipe Swap on Thursday:-)

What I’m scared of:

  1. I’m scared of my kids dying.
  2. Not being loved.
  3. Water that I can’t see the bottom of–like water you might swim in or falling into a well.
  4. Growing old.
  5. Never finding my purpose.
  6. The amount of stuff that I have . . . the accumulation.
  7. Being homeless.
  8. My impatience or temper that has come with being menopausal–I’ve not felt this way since my youth.
  9. Not being heard–not the same as #2 . . .
  10. That I’m not a good mom–that is my biggest fear!

As this 31 days of HAT (Honesty, Authenticity, and Truth) continue I will be writing about all of the above topics.

Feel free to leave a comment or share a post.

Be Blessed.

Many Little Blessings, Just Write, On Your Heart, Soli Deo Gloria, Hip Homeschool Moms, What I Learned This Week, Titus 2sdays, Teach Me Tuesday, Heart and Home Linkup, Into the Beautiful

Top 10 List of Lists

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Do you keep lists?  I do.  I keep them on steno pads–I have years and years in a box of steno pads–of course I didn’t date anything so it would be a challenge to piece my life together from these list but . . . I love my steno pad–my Mom used to leave us the chore list on a steno pad and I remember her leaving a “I love you” or “have a great day” sentiment as the kids worked a small farm while she was at work.

Growing up we  had a steno pad at the cabin–the entire family would go in separate directions so we would write where we were and how long we thought we might be gone–on the dock, out on the sailboat, at the beach . . . over at Karen’s cabin.  The places that we went were more or less the same but the combinations of kids would change.

I live by lists now.  I still have a steno pad, I use One Note, Evernote and my iPhone.  They are my safety net.  They are my journal of sorts.

When I need a list on the internet I go to Donna Young’s website DonnaYoung.org.  It is a “homeschooling site” but it is not just for homeschooling–it is for anyone wanting to be more organized.  Of course there are thousands of websites that have lists and even list makers–but I have found all that I need on Donna’s site.

  1. Budget Planner–lets’ me plan a budget for the entire house, groceries, special event or school project.
  2. Menu Planner–I have used several menu planners–I even bought a monthly planner that had a spot just for menus and grocery lists.
  3. Grocery List–I have a list of items that I purchase  all the time and check off when I run out of something.  Even though I buy milk every week I still put a check by it . . . because sometimes I forget things . . . (my mind can only hold so much).
  4. Grocery/Freezer Inventory–this helps me plan my stockpile.
  5. Google Calender for the family calendar so both my husband and I can access one calendar and then you can add more calendars to it–like a menu. This allows me to plan a simple meal on the busiest of days or pull something out of the freezer.
  6. 6 week curriculum planner is an Excel spreadsheet
  7. Reading List for the kids
  8. My HP printer has a blank calendar that I can print.  I thought it was sort of useless but I find that I use it quite a bit–a visual way of having the kids achieve a goal or just show them how long until . . . The words “go check your calendar” allows them to manage the concept of waiting–or at least postpones more questions for a few minutes.
  9. Tax List (handwritten) is very useful to streamline what we need and what is outstanding.
  10. Vacation List–We go on vacation to the same place each year and I find it very helpful to refer to my list from the prior year.  I keep notes on the way home of what we used and what we didn’t so the next year the packing will be streamlined.  (But that doesn’t really happen–in theory it is a great idea but each year is so different.  What it gives me is a baseline of really good information).

Some friends have a cleaning schedule–I like that idea and if the house would magically get clean according to the schedule, I would create that list!

I feel less stressed when I have a list.  I feel more organized when I have a list.  I forget less things when I have a list.  It is what works for me.

Thank you God for the gift of organization.  You are truly amazing in the way that you have created the world in such an orderly way.