100 Days of Eating Better

Junk food. We all love it. I know I certainly do. Same with processed food. It's all so quick, easy, and oh so convenient. But its also pretty bad for you. French fries are probably one of my most favorite foods in the world. Especially Chick-Fil-A's. The waffley goodness, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, all covered in salt. They truly are heaven. :-)

Ok, enough day dreaming. We all recognize that we can eat better. High fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING, and as much as I love french fries (*sigh*), I know how bad they are for me.

So I found this site called 100 Days of Real Food, and got inspired. This woman, and her family, decided that for 100 days, they would eat absolutely nothing processed. Her list of rules included no processed sugars, whole grain everything, and lots of fruits and veggies. I love the idea of this, but I personally think some of her rules won't quite work for us (locally raised meats, organic everything). I don't really buy into the whole organic thing. If you disagree with me, fine. I'm not here to argue it. Just stating my point of view.

That being said, Travis and I really liked the idea, but realized that doing this cold turkey was going to be very difficult - especially for Penelope, who every time we go out for any sort of meal starts begging for french fries (looks like she got my tastebuds!) So what we've done is come up with a schedule for us that will help us to wean off of processed foods slowly, but still allow us to get there, and will allow us to try all sorts of new foods that we never would have considered. In fact, that's one of the new rules. Every 2 weeks, we have a try a new food we would never have considered before.

We've divided our steps into 14 weeks (which equals about 100 days), and each week, we will add a new "rule" to our habits. Some of them will be easy for us, some will be tough (NO soda, EEK!), and each of us will have different rules that are harder for us than others. Either way, we're both looking forward to doing this and giving it a try.

Our one other rule - we're going to be as strict as possible about this for ourselves when we're at home. However, if we're out with friends, or at a birthday party, we will eat whatever they provide and will not preach to them about what we're doing and cause a stink. If they offer us cake, you can guarantee we're gonna have cake. :-) Because honestly, if you completely deprive yourself of certain things, you're self control is eventually going to break down, and you're going to binge. That's why we're taking this in baby steps and only making single changes each week (sometimes 2 because of the new food rule)

So, that being said, here is our plan:

Week 1: No eating out – at all

Week 2: Try a new food

Week 3: At least 1 serving of fresh fruit everyday

Week 4: 1 soda the whole week. Try a new food

Week 5: New recipe week! Try a new recipe every day

Week 6: Make homemade stocks/broths. Try a new food

Week 7: To the farmer’s market for veggies

Week 8: Vegetables at every meal. Try a new food

Week 9: Only one small serving of sweets for the whole week

Week 10: Try making your own whole wheat bread. Try a new food

Week 11: New recipe week! Try a new recipe every day

Week 12: No soda. Try a new food

Week 13: No sweets

Week 14: Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label. Try a new food

Our weeks are going to start every Monday, because that is my grocery shopping days, and we've decided that today is our first day. One exception to the no eating out rule is on Monday afternoons. Penelope and I share a Publix sub for lunch, but its already included in the monthly budget, and frankly its just easier to give that to her to keep her busy when I'm trying to put groceries away. 

Care to join us? Feel free to use our plan, or create one that works better for your family. Either way, you'll be eating better, and it won't be quite so painful all at once!

Or don't. If you're happy with what you're doing then great! I'm not here to preach about this or judge you based on what you do (see previous post). I just know for us, this is the direction we need to head towards! 

So if you're going to try this, good luck! If not, look forward to weekly posts about our adventures, how things are changing, and how we're feeling!

Clarification

So I caused quite a stir on Facebook yesterday with a link I posted that really explained well how I feel about breastfeeding and parenting in general. (The link) And I didn't realize what all the stir was about until I clicked on the link and it brought me right to the comment that I had posted on the blog. Oops.

Let me first apologize for that mistake right now. It was not my intention to post my comment on the blog to Facebook. My intention was the post the entire blog post, as it screams what I feel about the topic. For those who's feelings were hurt because of what I said, I'm sorry your feelings were hurt.

That being said, I am not apologizing for the link, as I still believe it explains how I feel very well. I hate...HATE this arguing, judging, preaching, pushing, that is constantly happening between parents - especially mothers. Everyone seems to think their way is right, and is always trying to make the other side feel bad about it.

You're guilty of it and so am I. And it's not right. Not at all.

We moms should be supporting each other REGARDLESS of how we feel about someone else's parenting practices. It just frustrates me so much that we are constantly being pitted against each other when we should be more understanding of each other! We're all moms, doing the best that we can, and doing what we feel is best for our children! I'm about to impart a huge word of wisdom that will shock you. You ready?

IT'S OK IF WE DISAGREE!!

Crazy I know.

I'm not going to go on and on about this, because, frankly, most people aren't going to listen. I don't want to start another riot, and this is all I'm going to say on this topic. So here it is: my stance on any and all things parenting:

You're going to do what you feel is best for your children, and I'm going to do what I feel is best for my children. If we don't agree, don't preach to me or judge me for doing parenting my way, and I won't preach to you or judge you for doing parenting your way. All children are different and we're all going to deal with our children as we see fit. Plain and simple.

So, breastfeed or don't. Circumcise or don't. Give birth in a hospital or don't. Use drugs during childbirth, or don't. Co-sleep or don't. Vaccinate or don't. Cloth diaper or don't. It's up to you and no one else.

Now, can we PLEASE just play nice?

Coupon Savings: April 2012

This month was a bit rough for us. Not only was it a 5 Monday month, but we also had Easter, and I bought a bunch of diapers to help us stock up. Thankfully, we won't need any for awhile :-) Here are the numbers!


April 2012:
Total (before savings): $869.93
Spent: $587.58
Savings: $ 282.35
Percentage: 43.79%


2012 YTD:
Total (before savings): $2,825.57
Spent: $1,944.39
Savings: $881.18
Percentage: 31.19%

Here's hoping May is a little easier!

Recipe: Lamb Bone Broth

I love Easter, and as a Greek tradition, my family always has lamb at our Easter feast. This year was my turn to prepare the lamb - a feat I had never tried before. I cooked the entire meal and gave my mom the day off from cooking. I had such a blast doing all the cooking, and the meal was amazing! After we picked the lamb clean, I was feeling bad about throwing away the lamb bone because there was so much goodness still left on it, even though it was in little pieces. My mom suggested I boil it and make a lamb broth. So that's just what I did.

Recipe: Lamb Bone Broth
The great thing about broths is you can use pretty much anything you have on hand to put in the broth. Any veggies, spices, etc will work to help flavor your broth. I used carrots, celery, and onion and no spices. I wanted the flavor of the lamb to speak for the broth...that and my lamb was already seasoned from the meal. To make this broth, I used filtered water from my refrigerator. Everything I saw online suggested filtered water because any extra minerals in the water can affect the taste of the broth. I've made broths with tap water before and never had a problem, so its entirely up to you.

I choose to make this in a crock pot so that it can simmer as long as I want it to, without the risk of an open flame in my kitchen (we have a gas stove). It's a lengthy process but oh, so worth it!

Ingredients:
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
1 onion, quartered
1 lamb bone - I used a leg bone, but you can use any bone
Enough water to cover the bone by 2 inches
Crock pot
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Procedure:
1. Using a heavy knife, split the lamb bone at the knee (if using a leg). If you have a knife heavy enough to cut the bone into 2 inch pieces, do that. If not, just cutting at the knee will work.

2. Place the bone in the crock pot, and add the veggies. Pour enough water over the top of the bone to cover it by 2-inches. The vegetables will float.

3. Add the apple cider vinegar to the pot and give it a little stir. Cover and allow to sit for an hour - this draws the calcium out of the bone.

4. After an hour, give the broth another stir and then turn the crock pot to low. Let simmer for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. This is why a crock pot is handy. You can literally set it and forget it. You'll notice after about 12 hours, that the broth is darker and may be starting to simmer. This is when it gets good. The longer it simmers, the darker the broth, the more tasty it becomes.

5. After 48 hours, turn off the crock pot. Strain the broth through a sieve using a ladle.

6. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool. This will cause the broth to solidify and all of the fat to rise to the top.

NOTE: If the broth doesn't solidify, that's ok. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. It just means you didn't tap into the marrow in the middle of the bone. Mine didn't solidify.

7. Once cooled, scrape off the congealed fat. Feel free to put the remaining broth back in the refrigerator to allow more fat to come off. I left mine in the fridge for 24 hours.

Eww!

8.  Spoon the broth into a large saucepan, a little at a time to melt it down. Skip this step if your broth didn't solidify. Mine didn't.

I took cup sized portions, put them into ziplock freezer bags, and placed them on a cookie sheet in my freezer. The broth will last 6 months to a year in the freezer

11.5 cups of broth! Just under 3 quarts!

Enjoy!

Oh, and just because I think its really funny, this is what the bone looks like after simmering for 48 hours. The knee literally fell apart as the connective tissue holding it together disintegrated.

 

So now what? You've got all this broth. What can you use it for? Well, you can substitute this broth in any recipe. Or, you can do what we're doing and make this: Leftover Lamb Curry. Come back tomorrow for my review of this recipe!

FLYing

Last week I posted about a new home cleaning endeavor I was taking on at Flylady.net. I must say a week and a half in, and I'm quite impressed! Every morning when I wake up, I know exactly what I need to do to get my day started. I get up, make coffee, have my quiet time and pray, and work for 2 hours while everyone else is still asleep. Then, when Penelope wakes up, I give her breakfast, empty the dishwasher, make the bed, and start a load of laundry. Then while she's watching Sesame Street, I'm stacking the dishwasher, doing 15 minutes of decluttering, and the mission of the day. I typically have it all done by 10:30. And my house? Well, each week, it looks better and better.

Last week, we were in the master bedroom. I was able to clean the bedroom, go through some books, and get our sheets clean. Now that I see how lovely our room looks clean, and how little time it takes to make the bed, I do it just about every morning! I was able to jump right in and start doing the missions on the launch pad where they were, just like Flylady says. I didn't try to catch up on the week, like my previous instincts were telling me.

This week was my first full week FLYing. We were in the living room and I did each mission every day. I also decluttered for 15 minutes every day and got our media tower, mantle, and Penelope's things cleaned up and put away where they needed to go. I cleaned inside my couch, dusted my trinkets and decorations, dusted the entertainment center, and gave the whole room a really good vacuum. You'd be surprised at how little time all of this takes when you do it a little every day.

 I must say, this Flylady thing is working out really well, and I'm really happy with how my house is looking. Each week, my house is slowly being put back together and the CHAOS is slowly leaving. In fact, my sister came over on Wednesday and commented on how the house looked :-)

Happy FLYing!

Coupon Savings: March 2012

I did REALLY well this month! I even came in under budget! Woot! Here are the numbers:

March 2012:
Total (before savings: $548.68
Spent: $373.37
Savings: $175.31
Percentage: 31.95%


2012 YTD:
Total (before savings): $1,955.64
Spent: $1,356.81
Savings: $598.83
Percentage: 30.62%

I'm having such a hard time believing that its almost April already! This year is just flying by so fast! AND, Penelope will be 2 in just a few months! June is coming WAY too fast!

Flylady Baby Steps: Day 1

I am not a good housekeeper. People think that staying home, I would have all the time in the world to keep my house clean. But the reality of it is, between changing diapers, walking the dog, making meals, playing "cooking", counting to 10, saying the alphabet, and cuddling while Elmo or Curious George dance across the TV screen, and trying to fit in 4 hours of work, there just isn't enough time. (Come on, SAHMs. You KNOW what I'm talking about!)

I'm at the point where I want to give up. I tried to create a schedule of "clean this room this day", but I've never stuck to it. Some rooms just seem SO much to tackle. Add that to the fact that we're trying to clean up the office so we can move Penelope into her big girl room, and the whole house becomes overwhelming...until now.

A few months ago (or maybe closer to a year!) a friend of mine told me about The FlyLady. It's essentially, a step by step road map to cleaning your house and keeping it clean. FlyLady asks if you have CHAOS in your life - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. With a screaming yes, I raise my hand! I looked into what she wanted us to do and decided, at the time, that I wasn't really sure I was ready for all that. Well, now I am.

The principles of the FlyLady are simple. Every day, you have a morning and an evening routine, and then you spend time in a particular room (Zones). You work on one Zone for an entire week before moving onto the next zone and you rotate through those zones so once a month, your entire house gets a tune-up. Seems simple enough. I was still pretty overwhelmed by all that I had to do each day, but then I found a few quotes on the site that helped to put all that into perspective

 - “Your home did not get dirty in one day, and it will not get clean in a day either.”

 - "You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are."

 - "Perfectionism is Shelved in 2012!"

The second one in particular hit me pretty hard. I tend to have the "all or nothing" idea about cleaning. If I'm going to clean a room, I'm doing it all and I have to start from the beginning to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be. The fact that I could just start today, on some random Wednesday, and not worry about if I did Monday or Tuesday made me feel really good about the whole program. From how I understand the program, I'm supposed to be subscribed to the daily emails (which I am), and once I get through the Baby Steps, then I start working on the different Zones. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I had a little extra time today, so I decided to do the Flight Plan for today which was dusting the top and bottom of my door and window jambs in our bedroom. I feel pretty good about it.

Today began my Baby Steps. Day 1: Shine Your Sink. I've got a stainless steel sink and always thought it was pretty shiny, until I followed FlyLady's instructions. Man! I've never seen my sink THAT shiny! Don't take my word for it! See for yourself!!

Before

After

 

See what I mean? It almost looks new (besides all the scratches)! My sink NEVER looked this good no matter how much I cleaned it. I definitely have a sense of pride about this sink now - even though the rest of my kitchen is still in shambles. That's ok. My house didn't become a mess in one day, and it isn't going to get clean in a day either.

I look forward to getting into these habits so I no longer have CHAOS :-)