30 Days of Thankfulness - Days 28 - 30

I never know what I am going to learn from my kids next.  The other day, the mailbox flag kept falling.  It wouldn't stay up.  I grumbled that maybe I could bend it to stay up or if we couldn't figure out how to do it, then we'd have to buy a new mailbox.  I really wasn't surprised when Hunter said, "Oh I can fix it!"  Then he took me to the mailbox, showed me the area inside the mailbox where you can tighten the flag, and that was that!  It works perfectly now.

OK - I honestly was surprised then.  I guess I had seen that adjustment area in the mailbox before, but I just never paid enough attention to it to think about what it was for and how it worked!

Hunter will probably have that bumper sticker one day that says "Question everything."  Today I asked him what sort of vehicle he wanted when he grew up.  He doesn't know but said it needs to haul a lot of stuff.  Tabby wants a Mustang.  Solomon wants a hot dog truck.  Snicker ...

Day 28 - Cleaning out & organizing:

Last Friday and Saturday, I was able to spend most of those days up in the attic.  The attic was completely trashed!  Holiday decorations, homeschool things, clothes, several bins of Lilly's things, and stuff everywhere.  It made me sick to my stomach to even go up there.

Here's a view of one side - the mess goes all the way to the end:

Friday night, I finally achieved a cleaned out and organized area on the opposite side:

I had 5 boxes and 7 large trash bags of "good stuff" to donate.  And I lost track of how many bags of trash I had.  Plus I got a nice collection of stuff to try and sell on Ebay and/or CraigsList.

I need one more half a Saturday to finish up the remaining messy area in the attic, then I will be done!

It actually surprised me just how good this made me feel mentally.  I mean I don't even go up in the attic much.  But just knowing that it is organized and much of the excessive stuff is gone made me feel "lighter" emotionally and physically.  It really did!  I'm not a minimalist by any means, but keeping too much stuff really can be a burden. 

Day 29 - Hand-me-downs:

While I was in the attic, I was able to "shop" for clothes for Solomon - he's moving up into the 3T size.  Money is extra tight right now, so I feel so blessed to have everything he needed on hand.  The things are a combination of hand-me-downs originally from "JL" - one of my brother's sons, things I bought for Hunter from Walmart (love the affordability of the "Granimals" brand), Ebay, and from friends. 

Here is Solomon dressed for church yesterday: dress shirt that JL wore and then Hunter wore, pants from Ebay, and shoes from a friend:

A fun aside about the shoes - they were originally give to Hunter from my friend Jennifer.  (She gave us a bag of nice clothes her son had outgrown, along with some toys.) Jennifer and I both grew up in the same neighborhood in northern Virginia and were on the same soccer team.  (Her dad was our coach.)  Jennifer moved to this area of N.C. before Tabby and I did.  Some of her children go to the school that Frank works at and that Tabby attends.  Her son practiced with Tabby's cross country team for a bit when the season started.  He and Tabby hit it off and ran at practice together.  They were later shocked to hear that their mom's once walked to school together!  Small world ...

Day 30 - Trim Healthy Mama style eating:

Back in September, I posted that I had realized I had gained weight, and so I went back to the "Trim Healthy Mama" way of eating.  (My post is here.)  I ended up easily losing about 17 pounds in about 3 months.  I realized yesterday that I gained FIVE pounds back over the Thanksgiving holidays.  Goodness!  I didn't think I had eaten that much more.

But I jumped back on the plan today, and know I'll lose that weight quickly.  I'm so thankful for the two sisters that have shared all their knowledge about eating!  (Super condensed version - eat low glycemic foods and for each meal/snack - have a protein with either a fat OR carb - don't mix fats with carbs.)  Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison initially wrote a huge book/cookbook explaining the eating style and more.  Then this past September, they published a simplified version - The Trim Healthy Mama Plan and a separate cookbook - Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook. 

My whole family likes almost every recipe I have made from the cookbook.  I like that the foods are "normal" every day types of things that are easy to prepare.

Right now, my favorite drink from the cookbook is "Good Girl Moonshine."  This drink is so healthy and has a real zing to it.  It is made with apple cider vinegar, ginger, stevia type sweetener, water & ice cubes, and optional extract for flavoring.  The health benefits are numerous:  it is slimming, and a digestive aid.  Plus it "detoxifies, clarifies, and alkalizes your body."  You can get the recipe from their website, here, for free. 

Check out the Trim Healthy Mama store for books, food, and skin care products.  (Note - they have some special Cyber Monday stuff on sale today.  They've had a hard time keeping all their products in stock, as the demand has been so high.  But their book lists alternatives in case you can't, or simply don't want to buy their stuff.  By the way - I really love their sweeteners.

sunrise

This concludes my 30 days of thankfulness.  It was a good exercise for me.  I learned a little about using my new camera - especially that I have A LOT MORE to learn. 

Re-embracing the Trim Healthy Mama eating style

Earlier this summer, all in the same week, I had two people ask if I was pregnant. (One said “congratulations” right out.)  I’m not!  How discouraging.  At first I was thinking it was just because my diastasis recti seemed to be looking larger than usual.  (Diastasis recti is the separation of the two outer most abdominal muscles.  These muscles usually support the back and organs but separate during pregnancy.  If they don't close after, then basically you’ve got “the mummy tummy.”  My pooch is very rounded and sadly, really does look like I’m pregnant.)

(An aside - I was able to heal my diastis recti after Hunter and Lilly’s births by using the Tupler Techinique. This program uses massive repetitions of a few stomach exercises.  Plus the wearing of a splint around the waist.  We moved 3 weeks after Solomon’s birth, and between that and horrible postpartum depression, I did not do the exercises consistently like I should.  (Once I reached the point where I was to do several thousand repetitions, several times a day, I felt too overwhelmed.)  However I did wear the splint tightly around my belly.  Apparently I wore the wrap too tight and for too long though, as I ended up with ... (much to my horror) ... prolapse.  Ugh.  I contacted the Tupler Technique person and was told not to wear the splint and not to do more than 25 repetitions of the exercises a day.  In my initial panic/horror I began scouring the web about prolapse.  I found a website called Whole Woman which explained prolapse and how to manage it through Whole Woman posture.  I also learned that surgery was NOT a good idea to “fix” my new problem. FYI - The Whole Woman program really works!) 

Out of curiosity, I stepped on the scale.  Ooops!  Somehow I had managed to gain about 15 pounds since I had lasted checked.  Uh - where did that come from??!!  And no wonder some of my clothes seemed to have shrunk!

Solomon is helping make lavendar-tea tree oil goat milk soap

Time to loose some weight.  After Solomon was born, I was able to loose about 5 pounds a week by following the eating style outlined in the book Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.  (See my initial post HERE.)  So I picked up my book, which I was still using at times for the recipes, and reacquainted myself with the chapters on “The Satisfying Meal” and “The Energizing Meal.”   These both use low glycemic foods.  (And no - “low glycemic” does not have to mean “low taste”.)

Then I headed for chapter 28 - “One Week Fuel Cycle.”  This is an eating plan that pinpoints stubborn weight.  It helps overhaul your metabolism and gets weight loss going.  Different days have different effects on the body.  Using the authors’ lists of examples, I came up with a one week eating plan (detailed at the end of this post) and ended up following the same one for two weeks.  (Note: I am NOT an adventurous cook - there’s a lot more variety in the book for the fuel cycle than I used.)

The result?  I lost 4 pounds in the first two days! 

After those two weeks (which I ended up not being able to follow perfectly), I went into the normal eating plan, alternating “satisfying” and “energizing” days.  I’ve now lost 13 pounds total. My clothes fit normally again and, because my stomach is smaller, my diastasis recti looks smaller.  (So I don’t look as pregnant.  Sigh.)  Note that I don’t always follow the plan perfectly.  If we’re having a special meal, birthday dessert, are at a potluck, or I’m eating at someone else’s house - I’m not afraid to eat things not on the plan. 

wild sunflowers along our road

The Trim Healthy Mama book is huge and full of recipes and ideas for meals and snacks.  (Plus really good information on other things, such as hormonal issues.)  The recipes are things my whole family can eat - I don’t need to eat “special meals.”  (I don’t have time to cook separate meals anyway.)  We’ve have some family supper favorites from the book, including: Fantastic Meat Loaf (p. 316), Coconut Crusted Chicken (p. 322), and Crockpot Italian Style Chicken (p. 315).

I know at least one person that finds this book confusing.  There must be some others out there, because on September 15th, the authors are releasing a new book which is supposed to be a condensed and simpler to understand version of the plan: Trim Healthy Mama Plan: The Easy-Does-It Approach to Vibrant Health and a Slim Waistline.  On that same day, they are also releasing another cookbook, which I am looking forward to Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook: Eat Up and Slim Down with More than 350 Healthy Recipes. 

Finally, there is a Trim Healthy Mama website filled with information and videos at:   www.trimhealthymama.com .  They also have their own online shop now where you can order sweeteners, glucomannan, zero calorie noodles, etc.  They also sell some good skin products.  (Click here for the direct store link, or go to the Trim Healthy Mama sidebar at the right of this blog.)

If you can’t stand the taste of stevia - try their Gentle Sweet - it tastes SOOOOO good its hard to not eat it by the spoonful!)

Well, I’m off to go eat a few chunks of Skinny Chocolate (p. 371)!

Do you follow the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan?  If so - what is your favorite recipe in their book?

the wild sunflowers are beautiful scattered in vases around the house

 

My One Week Fuel Cycle menu (B = breakfast; S= snack; L = lunch; D = dinner):

Day 1:
B - eggs, sausage
S - lemon mousse (p. 367) (order glucomannan here)
L - crispy salmon (p. 283), chunk of sharp cheddar cheese
S - lettuce & turkey deli meat roll up, meringues (p. 370)
D - green salad (with oil/vinegar dressing), taco meat, skinny chocolate (p. 371)

Day 2:
B - basic whey smoothie (p. 243), turkey bacon
S - lettuce & turkey deli meat roll up; chunk of sharp cheddar cheese
L - fat stripping frappa (p. 240) (see my blogpost with recipe here)
S - skinny chocolate
D - green salad, crispy salmon, meringues

Day 3:
B - eggs, sausage
S - turkey deli meat, meringues
L - crispy salmon, cheese
S - lemon mousse
D - big green salad with strips of chicken, skinny chocolate

Day 4:
B - cookie bowl oatmeal with berries (p. 233)
S - 2 Wasa crackers with Laughing Cow (Creamy Swiss Light) cheese spread on them; turkey deli meat
L - Gorton’s grilled tilapia, Konjac noodles with parmesan cheese, meringues
S - Fat Stripping Frappa
D - green salad with mozzarella cheese (lemon juice for dressing), soup (chicken broth, chunks of chicken breast, seasonings), lemon mousse

Day 5:
B - Greek yogurt with berries and whey powder mixed in
S - 2 Wasa crackers with Laughing Cow (Creamy Swiss Light) cheese spread on them; turkey deli meat
L - egg white omelet (p. 217), Konjac noodles with parmesan cheese
S - Fat Stripping Frappa
D - green salad with mozzarella cheese (lemon juice for dressing), ground turkey with marinara sauce & 1 Tbsp. parmesan over Konjac noodles

Day 6:
B - yogurt with 1 Tbsp. Polaner All-Fruit
S - chicken deli meat; apple
L - Trim Healthy pancakes (p. 223) topped with Greek yogurt and berries
S - scrambled egg whites, Trim Healthy pan bread (p. 266)
D - green salad, tuna, Trim Healthy pan bread

Day 7:
B - Trim Healthy pancakes with Greek yogurt and berries, turkey bacon
S - tuna,  Wasa cracker, apple
L - Trim Healthy pan bread, chicken, apple
S - Wasa cracker, chicken deli meat
D - green salad, chana dahl burgers (p. 339), quinoa

Repeat for a second week.

Taste testing: broccoli

When I was growing up, we had at least one vegetable every night for supper.  Unfortunately I did not, and still do not, like many vegetables.  And I am embarrassed to say, that even at my age, I still involuntarily gag trying to eat some veggies.  I think it was in the 1980s that broccoli was put on the "anti-cancer diet."  My mom, a big broccoli fan, quickly fell in to the habit of feeding us broccoli several times a week.  Yuck.  If we kids dawdled too long over eating anything, we would be served a second helping.  We always had to clear our plates.  (And I bet my mom is reading this thinking "you don't have cancer do you!"  No mom I don't nor does any one else in our family.  Thanks to the broccoli??!!)

So last month, when I read Getting to YUM: The 7 Secretes of Raising Eager Eaters by Karen Le Billon, I was excited thinking "maybe I will finally learn to start liking more vegetables!"  Oh yeah, and I want my kids to eat them well.  (Tabby already does though.)  And ... for Frank to eat more too.  The author wrote, and used evidence, that repeated exposure to a food can help a person develop a taste for it.  Hmmm.  I was very skeptical when I read this because I've eat lots of "yucky foods" - besides broccoli - hundreds of times and still despise them.

However, she pointed out that when the French teach their children to like foods, they expose them to that particular food in many different forms.  Interesting.  Thinking back to my childhood I remember only eating broccoli cooked one way.  (Sometimes I was allowed to smother it with cheese, so maybe that counts as two ways.)

And, I reflected on an amazing broccoli experience I had earlier this year.  Tabby had asked me to make a recipe called "broccoli bites" from a cookbook I have called Effortless Read Food:  Taking the Kitchen Approach to Health by Wendi Michelle.  In this recipe, you mix sharp cheese with lightly steamed broccoli and them roll it into little balls and into a mixture of salt, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.  Fry in grape seed oil.  I forced myself to try one and was surprised.  IT WAS NOT BAD!

So I knew that I could tolerate a little bit of broccoli prepared at least one way. In Getting to YUM the author states broccoli is one of the "mildest green vegetables."  (Really?!)  I decided to start our experiment in taste testing with broccoli.  I would prepare it several different ways for several days.  I would use the recipes in Getting to Yum.  We would discuss what we liked and didn't like about it.  Life happened though, and we only had two recipes.  Two more to follow this week.

First I made "George's Broccoli Puree." I managed to eat several small bites without gagging.  Frank didn't say a word and had his serious face on as he ate.  Hunter tried it and said "I don't care for this."  Solomon ate half of his without protest.  Tabby smiled with the first bite and said "YUM!  I really like it!"  She was happy to get to finish up the boys bowls of puree.

George's Broccoli Puree

The next recipe we tried was called "Mollie's Enchanted Broccoli Rainforest."  (The author of the book said that it has been proven that people like things better when they like the name.)  It was a fun sounding name.  Reactions:  same as first night, though we thought it did taste a little better than the puree.  Tabby once again ate it smiling.

Mollie's Enchanted Broccoli Rainforest

Sigh.  I was hoping for fast results.  I know, I know, that was only two tries.  Two more coming this week.  Then after that, it is time for carrot taste testing.  I am determined to expand our eating horizons!  (I know any "foodies" reading this must be shaking their heads in bewilderment!)

I thought I would share one recipe - a non-broccoli one!- that I have been obsessed with this summer.  It is from the book Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison & Pearl Barrett.  It is called "Fat Stripping Frappa" and the author's describe it as a "creamy, icy, chocolately drink."  It reminds me of a fluffy Wendi's Frosty, but not as overly sweet.  It will fill you up for hours and is a great drink for losing weight.  I don't need to lose weight but am addicted to it anyway.  :)  The recipe is on pgs. 240-41 of the book, and I have re-written it below, using the amounts of everything I use:

1 - In blender, put in 1/2 c. of milk AND 1/2 c. of water (I use our goats' milk - the authors suggest almond milk).
2 - Add:  1 heaping Tbs. cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp. glucomamman powder, 2 pinches sea salt, 1 tsp. NuStevia Pure White Stevia Extract Powder [or Truvia], and a splash of vanilla.
3 - Blend well, then add about 20 ice cubes.  (It gets really thick - I use our Vitamix and use that push down thing that came with it to get things to mix when it's on).
4 - Add 1/2 to 1 scoop of plain whey protein powder and blend again.
5 - Pour into a quart sized jar and enjoy.  YUM ....

On a non-food related note, I bought Solomon his first pair of rubber boots last week.  It was so funny seeing him learning to walk in them. (They are up to his knees so I'm sure it felt weird!) He had lots of short practice sessions one morning and then by the afternoon was walking pretty well.  Now he gets so excited to put on his rubber boots when we go outside and put ours own.  When you live on a little farm like we do, you WANT to wear boots outside.  ;)