Elimination Diet: The First Few Days

See those roots? They are a perfect illustration of how my health feels like these days. Twisting, turning and ever ready to trip me up. Near constant flare ups that have become increasingly debilitating are beginning to seriously impact my quality of life, ability to do things and mental health. The inflammation has become constant and pervasive.

In an attempt to find some relief and turn things around the decision was made to go back to my Naturopath (who I haven't seen since early 2017). Conventional medicine wasn't working well enough to make a real difference and I was tired of living the way I was. Plus living with medication side effects when you the medication isn't working all that well anyway was beginning to feel like an extremely ridiculous thing to be doing.

After an hour and half appointment and a review of my bloodwork the Doctor added a few supplements to the ones I was already taking and she recommended that I do a four week elimination diet to see if there were any foods that could be causing or contributing to the chronic inflammation and flare ups I was experiencing. 

I spent a few days getting ready and started this past Monday. I'm not going to lie, it hasn't been easy! But I'm on my 6th day and still trucking along. And in the spirit of full disclosure it has been a rough week. Lots of inflammation and pain, flu like symptoms and too many bathroom trips...ugh. 

But I'm holding on to the hope that in the end this will be worth it and I'll begin to feel better. It's been a little frustrating coming up with a meal plan that works within the strictures of the diet. Any ideas are more than welcome! 

Some of the rules of the Elimination Diet that I'm following are:

-no gluten

-no dairy (can have ghee which helps!)

-no eggs

-no sugar (I can have maple syrup, honey or stevia in small amounts)

-no soy

-no nightshades (so no potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant etc)

-no mushrooms

-no bananas

-no chocolate

-no strawberries

-no cashews

-no peanuts (which I'm allergic too anyway so no big loss there)

and I could go on...but I wont so I don't depress myself even more than I already am (kidding, sort of)

Here are some of the meals I've been eating

One of my chosen breakfast. I decided that in the interest of saving my sanity I'd only make a couple a week and just eat the leftovers the other days. It's hard to come up with breakfast ideas when you can't have eggs or bread. I am going to have a look at some of the gluten free brands and see if there is one that I like and am allowed. This breakfast was made up of leftover rice simmered in coconut milk, sulphite free cranberries, cardamom, cinnamon and maple syrup. I topped it off with almond milk and walnuts for protein.

I made myself a creamer for my coffee (which I have to stop but I'm on the slow train to cut it back as approved by the doctor). I usually use half and half in my coffee but it's a no go so I thought I'd try to come up with something. This is made with a can of coconut milk, a couple of medjool dates, water and a bit of vanilla. It's not half bad but I'm still missing the cream in my coffee!

I've been drinking a lot of this. The licorice in it has been soothing my stomach a bit and it's helped somewhat with the congestion and flu like symptoms I've been having

The second breakfast of the week. Oatmeal with added flaxseeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds. I cooked them up with some frozen raspberries and ate them with walnuts and almond milk.

For my lunch I've been keeping it simple since I tend to eat breakfast closer to 11 or noon. So really it's more of a snack. A couple of days I had this tuna salad with carrots and celery topped with diced avocado. I used lemon juice and avocado oil to hold it together.

Other days I kept it even simpler with carrots, celery and hummus.

I've tried to make our dinners at least somewhat interesting within the parameters of what I'm allowed. The first night I made haddock and broccoli en papillote with rice and a detox salad blend topped with avocado slices

A sort of chicken lo mein. I used a bag of coleslaw mix for the vegetables in this and lots of garlic and ginger. The noodles are asian rice sticks. I seasoned it simply with wheat free tamari.

Baked Greek chicken, green beans and parsnip mash. I didn't know what to expect from the mashed parsnips to be honest nut oh my goodness they were delicious! Roasted parsnips, coconut milk, ghee, salt and pepper all thrown into the blender and sent spinning. I will be making this again for sure!

Pan-seared salmon topped with a cranberry compote. Side of roasted broccoli and steamed carrots.

I made the cranberry compote with cranberries from the freezer, honey and a little bit of water. It's definitely helping with the meals around here!

That's about it for now...hoping this will all be worthwhile!

xo

Last week in my kitchen

It's been a fairly busy week in my kitchen. From jam and donut making to regular meals and a birthday dinner a lot got done.

wild blueberry jam and the first snow fall

I only got a couple of regular meal photos but last week's menu was pretty easy. They included:

Sole topped with creamed spinach. Steamed carrots and rice on the side.

Sausage, eggplant and mushrooms over egg noodles

Gluten free fusilli with cheese and bacon

As well as burgers with oven fries one night, beef stir fry another and a couple of nights of leftovers. I kept the meals easy last week because we celebrated my aunt's 81st birthday last night. My husband's aunt and uncle were visiting from New Brunswick and we had them over, along with my aunt, my mom and my husband's sister. I spent a good portion of Saturday getting ready for it but that made the day itself fairly easy. It's all in the planning. We had:

-roast beef and gravy

-mashed potato casserole 

-rolls

-burgundy mushrooms

-beets vinaigrette

-pickles

-black forest cake

It was basically all made ahead except for the beef and gravy. The cake layers I made on Saturday then I made the frosting and assembled the cake on Sunday afternoon. It was a good evening with great company. Unfortunately, I had such a good time that I forgot to take all of the photos that I wanted to!

Tray of dishes for dessert ready to go

The table is set

Bread and buns. I used the rolls for the birthday dinner

Burgundy mushrooms...or as I like to call them nine hour mushrooms! These are amazing and well worth the nine hours, especially since most of it is hands off cooking

Black Forest Cake

My lovely aunt with her mile high Black Forest Cake

Cut view of the cake

Beyond that there's some other things I've been working on which I'm almost ready to share about. And our washing machine broke this morning...ugh. After my husband spending two hours trying to fix it we decided that it had given up the ghost so I need to make time for washing machine buying this week. And so it goes....

Seasons of grief and Thanksgiving

We celebrated our Canadian Thanksgiving last week. It was lovely to have some of the children here for the weekend Sadly, they weren't able to all be here as one lives with her husband in Switzerland and two others were working. Regardless, it was a beautiful day and we were 10 around a table laden with plentiful food and decorated with autumn harvest decor. As my husband said the blessing I was struck by such a stab of grief that I almost doubled over in pain. This was the first major holiday that we've had were my father wasn't with us to say the blessing. 

Loss is a part of life. We live (hopefully we live well), we die, we leave others behind. My grief is no more special than anyone else's. When we lose someone we love, we all hurt. My father passed away on May 16, 2019, so just a little over 5 months ago. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was extremely busy for the first few months after Dad's passing. Beyond that, I had to be strong, for my mom, my kids, my grandson, my husband (who has lost both of his parents since July 2018, within a 6 month period of each other)....there was no time to actually stop and process his death and deal with grief of my own.

But lately, the thoughts of loss and sense of despair at his passing have been pushing ever closer to the surface of my thoughts and I realized as I sat around our Thanksgiving table that the time had come to try to process his passing and the big hole he left in my life. I'm thankful that I had 51 years with him. I'm thankful that he was the man that he was. I'm thankful that I was able to be with him the last seven weeks of his life, from the time of a definitive diagnosis to his death. I wish I could have done more for him. Did he know how much I loved and appreciated him? I pray he did.

"For those who don't know me, my name is Carolyn Bateman and I am Bob's daughter.
Writing this eulogy is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Not because there isn't anything to say about Dad but because There's too much to say and I couldn't find the right words to encompass all that he was.
When my children were young people started wearing bracelets with the letters WWJD on them, they stood for What Would Jesus Do. But in my house the question wasn't What Would Jesus Do? It was What Would Poppa Do? Whenever any kind of problem, moral dilemma  would arise; my kids knew, as did I, that whatever Poppa did would be the good thing, the kind thing and the right thing.
Tuesday night was difficult for me. I was really missing Dad and the grief felt overwhelming and soul crushing. When I told my friend Scott about it, he asked me one question "What Would Poppa Do?" Immediately I responded that he would have a good cry, pray, then go to sleep, knowing that tomorrow was a new day. His question brought instant clarity and was a reminder that Dad was still with me.
My Dad had an unshakable faith, even at the end of his life he knew that God was with him.
The day that he went into hospice I wept as I hugged him and he put his frail arms around me and whispered "Don't cry, I'm not gone yet and I'll always be with you". Whereas others would have been numb with fear he was comforting me, putting aside his own needs, as he had always done. He offered us all his unconditional love, his helping hands and the voice of reason. In his quiet way Dad made his voice heard. Dad knew words mattered and he chose them thoughtfully and carefully. When he spoke, he truly had something to say and people listened.
If anyone at church, work, in the neighborhood or in the family needed a helping hand we all knew what Poppa would do- he would be there to do whatever had to be done, no questions asked and no payment necessary. It didn't matter whether he had known someone for years, days or not at all. He was the go to guy. Ever resourceful, Dad had the knack of being able to find a solution for whatever problem you had. He was our own personal McGyver.
To Dad community was everything- the world was his family. No one was a stranger. In Dad's eyes we were all painted by the same brush- we were all children of God. He found value in people and relationships not in things or possessions.
Dad appreciated the subtle things in life and found joy in even the smallest things. And he loved to laugh. As everyone knew, Dad had the world's worst puns mastered, a trait some of my children have sadly inherited. As bad as they sometimes were we always had to laugh after our initial groans.
Dad instilled in me a love of the outdoors, a sense of right and wrong and the belief that no matter how bad things got I could get through it.
My cousin said something that perfectly illustrates my Dad's character. He said that Dad had the wisdom of Solomon and The patience of Job. The many sorrows and challenges that Dad faced in his life only seemed to solidify his faith and hone his strength, which he gladly shared with anyone who needed it.
The last nine days of Dad's life were fraught with unbearable suffering. But I believe that the closeness that was knit as friends and family alike sat by his side and surrounded him with our love and prayers, would have made the sacrifice worth it in Dad's eyes. Bringing people closer to God and to each other was something he always strove to do. Bringing us together was his last gift to we who loved him.
My father was my hero and my rock. The person I could always count on. On the drive back from what turned out to be Dad's last appointment in Ottawa he asked me again what the Oncologist had said at his appointment on April 3rd. I told Dad that the doctor had said that he only had months left. I began to cry and said that wasn't enough time. Dad took my hand and replied: "there will never be enough time". And he was right. All the time in the world wouldn't have been enough to tell him how much he meant to me or to repay him for of the love and care he gave to em.
Dad's quiet dignity and kind heart equaled a huge presence. And life is much emptier without him in it. I will miss him to the end of my days and am so thankful to have had him in my life. We are all blessed to have known him."


That was my eulogy.
I wish he was here.

something's new

New post over at www.project21days.blogspot.com

I've got a bit of a reinvention going on and I'll be posting all about it over there for those who are interested :)

Since school began my normal rhythm has flown out the window. Because my morning gets thrown off it ends up throwing every single bit of the rest of the day off, including my weekly plan. So after two weeks of this mess I decided that it was time to rework the routines a bit. The biggest changes are in the morning but the remainder of the day has gotten some attention too. As has my weekly rhythm.

Because I'm still not back at work it has been easy to fit everything in. It's not so easy when you're working an 8 or 12 hour day (as a nurse I do both). For now this will work for me. When I do return to work the plan will likely remain the same with the knowledge that if I'm working on a particular day then things will get put off until the following day or just not done that week at all. It is impossible to make a plan for a traditional work week because I don't work the same days or shifts from week to week.

DAILY RHYTHM

Morning
~have lemon drink, make coffee, tidy main floor
~computer, drink coffee
~make breakfast, eat with kids, take vitamins
~do dishes, clean kitchen
~sweep main floor
~swish and swipe bathrooms, pick up bedroom
~workout, meditate
~skincare, shower, dress
~weekly chores
~creative time

Evening
~journal, cup of chai
~dinner prep
~dinner, take vitamins
~kids dinner chores, blog updates, herbal tea
~time with kids, husband
~skin care
~check calendar, prep for tomorrow
~gratitude journal, prayer, read

WEEKLY RHYTHM

~monday
clean master bedroom and bathroom, do my laundry, do groceries and run errands. Take garbage out and put up new menu.
~tuesday
clean main bathroom and powder room. Launder towels. Clean living room, dining room and entryway.
~wednesday
change and launder sheets. Water plants
~thursday
clean kitchen, do cooking and baking projects. Josh and Sam laundry.
~friday
Maddie and Nate laundry.
~saturday
kids household chores and clean rooms.
~sunday
church, then brunch. Clean fridge and collect garbage. Design week’s menu based on produce and sales, then make grocery list.

Rhythms not Schedules

I've been off work for a bit now and I'll continue to be off for the next 5 weeks at least. Even though I don't feel great there are still things I have to do and things that I want to do. But I find myself procrastinating and putting things off. This is not helping my energy levels or my ability to get things done.

But I don't like the term "schedule" it really bothers me. It sounds too hard and inflexible. So I've decided to use the term "rhythm". Rhythm is flexible, soft and enjoyable.

This is what I've come up with in terms of daily and weekly rhythms:

DAILY RHYTHM

morning

~have my lemon/aloe vera water upon awakening, then check blogs/emails while drinking my morning "coffee" drink

~do my workout (walk or yoga at the moment) then meditate

~wash/shower (dry brush first), dress, "swish & swipe" the bathrooms

~breakfast, second cup of "coffee" drink

~laundry, tidy up, weekly chore

~write one page

~finish weekly chores (if necessary), move laundry to dryer or hang to dry

evening

~journal, cup of chai tea

~dinner prep, cooking

~candles, grace, dinner

~kids dinner chores, update blogs, herbal tea

~wash/epsom salt bath (if no shower in am. dry brush first)

~time with kids, husband

~gratitude journal, prayer, read

WEEKLY RHYTHM

~monday

clean master bedroom and bathroom, do my laundry, do groceries and run errands. Take the garbage out and put up new menu.

~tuesday

clean main bathroom and powder room. Launder towels.

~wednesday

change and launder sheets. Water plants. Clean living room, dining room and entryway.

~thursday

clean kitchen, do cooking and baking projects. Josh and Sam laundry.

~friday

free day! Maddie and Nate laundry. Massage therapy appointment.

~saturday

kids household chores and clean rooms. Farmer's market.

~sunday

church, then brunch. Clean fridge and collect garbage. Design week's menu based on produce and sales. Make grocery list.

That's it. We'll see how it goes. A lot of this stuff is being done now anyway. It's just to try and bring more of a rhythm and regularity to my days and weeks. And hopefully, accomplish more in the long run.

update on homemade facial products

I thought I'd post an update on my homemade facial products. It's been fun and interesting but so far I've only made two things.

This is the exfoliator. I ground oatmeal, skim milk powder, oatmeal, dried lavender and cornmeal to a very fine powder in the blender. This I really like. It smells wonderful and your skin feels great after you rinse it off.

This is the citrus cream cleanser. The recipe called for lanolin but I didn't use it, I used extra beeswax instead. I made this about a month ago. It was a little tricky to make. You had to be really quick or your wax started to harden. This contains apricot oil, virgin coconut oil, beeswax, distilled water, a pinch of borax, vitamin E oil, grapefruit essential oil and lavender essential oil.

It smelled like heaven and I really liked the consistency. And it did a good job cleaning my face. BUT it's supposed to have a shelf life of 3 months if kept in the fridge and within 3 weeks it had gotten all watery underneath the cream layer. I tried to remix it but that didn't really work. Maybe I didn't do it quite right in the first place.

Both of these recipes come from the book "Do it Gorgeously" by Sophie Uliano. I'm going to be making more stuff out of here. I think as my technique improves so will the final product!

I'm still doing the vegan cleanse. You can find that blog at http://www.project21days.blogspot.com/

More later

Project: 21 Days

My daughter Madison and I will be doing a vegan cleanse. We are starting it tomorrow and will be blogging about our experiences at http://www.project21days.blogspot.com/.

Anyone interested in joining us, you are more than welcome to! I hope you'll follow along with us on our new journey.

Update on my summer so far

It's been quite the week!

I worked evenings last weekend and began the week tired. But I still managed to do okay with my new body plan. I've done yoga once this week and gone on one walk. (Not two...but still.) I've gotten my portions under control and only had dessert once this week. The only thing I eat after dinner is a rice cake with a small smear of peanut or almond butter. I've started every day with yogurt and fruit which seems to set me up for better food control throughout the rest of the day.

My favorite meal this week:

Marinated grilled steak and portobello mushroom with a baked sweet potato and sauteed spinach.

Belgian waffle with macerated local strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Yum!

I couldn't believe how hard the yoga was. Yoga is something I used to do every day. (Along with ab work, weights three times a week and walking/jogging three to four times a week) But it's been so long and I've gotten so stiff. But I know how this process goes. It's the getting started and getting into a routine that's the hardest part. If I can get past that then I've got it made. I'm trying to keep in mind how good I feel when I'm doing what I should be doing in terms of my health.

What else have I done this week you ask? I've learnt how to change a signal light on my van for one thing. I know it's a silly little thing but something I've never learnt to do myself. But now I know! And it's so nice to not have to rely on anyone else to do it for me...ever again.

I've also gotten the ingredients together to make my own "lotions and potions". I use Dr. Hauschka's skin line and it is ridiculously expensive. I'm almost out of everything and don't have the money to replace any of it. So I've got a bunch of recipes and picked up a few ingredients. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

I read the whole Stieg Larsson trilogy this week. If you don't mind violence, I highly recommend it. I was kept riveted to the printed page and couldn't stop until I was done. I got really invested in what happened to a couple of the main characters and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Now I've picked up "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I'm working two 8 hour shifts and two 12 hour shifts in the next week though so it's going to be a bit slower going.

My daughter graduated from Grade 8 last night. She looked beautiful and so grown up. I can't believe she'll be in high school next year! She wants to keep practicing her clarinet for band next year so I've decided to go the rent to own route and have to go in two weeks to pick it up. I'm glad she's sticking with it but I'm not looking forward to having to pay for those band trips! She's going to get to New York city before I ever do...My 16 year old has written a couple of great pieces on his blog and has been doing a lot of drawing this week. He finished his last exam a week ago so he's getting into a summer groove. He's got a work out plan in place because he wants to try out for football next fall. He also has a wicked sunburn from a pool party on Monday :) My oldest son has started work at a video store (he studies film in university) and is pleased that he's not stuck working in fast food! My youngest managed to bring up his grades so his final report card was good. He is looking forward to swimming at the pool, hanging out with his brothers and buddies and reading Tolkien! Like mother like son. My eldest daughter is living away from home and seems to be doing well. I'm always relieved when she calls just to talk and there is no pending crisis to get panicked about.

This is the sweater that I started late last summer. I took this photo in February and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't touched it since. I seem to have lost any desire to finish it. So I've finally decided to scrap the whole thing. Sometimes, it's just better to move on and actually do something else, rather than hold out and hope that you'll regain your desire for a project. So I've taken it apart and am going to make a meditation blanket for my eldest daughter. She meditates for twenty minutes a day and I think that this will be perfect for chilly fall and winter mornings. If it goes well (and it should, blankets are easy) then I'll make one for myself later. Meditation is something that I used to do religiously but have fallen out of the habit and would like to eventually get back on track with that as well.

The only other thing of note is we had a 5.5 earthquake on Wednesday. Worse one I've been in! I was outside at the time and could actually see my whole house shake and ripple. And it was so loud! Other than a few things falling off shelves and a picture off the wall all was well here. Glad I wasn't at work when it happened though!

I think this has gone on long enough! I hope all is well with everyone...Happy weekend!

Let's try this again, shall we?

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it"

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

There's the key. And the rub...begin it. Life totally derailed my plans of a few weeks ago. Those 20 pounds are still firmly entrenched and haven't budged. And it's easy enough to see why. I haven't done what I need to do. I've allowed everything and everyone else in my life to take precedence over the one thing I should be doing above all else...taking care of me.

The picture above represents my goal of where I want to be, once again. Yes, it was 10 years ago but I was in the best shape I'd ever been in my life and my intent is to be back there again. I know it's possible. As a matter of fact, if I do what I need to do then it's more than possible, it's probable.

So, I'm going to try this again. But this time I'm going to do something different. This time I'm going to BEGIN.

Goals for weight loss

This winter has been tough. 20 pounds worth of tough to be exact! But it's really got to come off. After all, summer is a comin'...And having lost 100 pounds (slowly!) back around 2006-2007 I'm terrified of being on this slippery slope. It's so easy to slide all the way down to the bottom when you're not paying attention.

I've been doing weight watchers for the last little while. And although it's worked for me in the past for whatever reason it's not really working this time. When I was at the bookstore last week I came across a book called "The Cheater's Diet" and after reading it, I think I'll give it a try.

Modified from the book this week's goals are:

1. Eat 2 fruit and 3 vegetable servings every day. No matter what. This is non-negotiable.
2. Cut my portion sizes by 25%. Again, non-negotiable.
3. Walk twice a week and do yoga once a week.
4. Weigh in. Done today...yup, 20 pounds :(
5. Keep a food journal.
6. Eat three meals a day. If dinner is going to be late, then have one small snack in the late afternoon.
7. Look over the week and incorporate 2 "cheater meals" and 2 "cheater snacks" into the week. But WATCH PORTIONS!

That's it. I'll check in next Wednesday and let you know how it's going. I'll also post new goals.
Happy Wednesday!

Maple Syrup time

Actually it's kind of late for a maple syrup post but anyway...I just pulled out a can from our case of maple syrup today and tried a new dessert. We buy a case of maple syrup every spring but really we should buy two since one only lasts for half the year (If we're lucky!)

Maple Syrup Squares

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch square pan.

Mix together:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

and pat into bottom of pan. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until light, golden brown. Let cool and spread over base:

1 cup walnut pieces

Turn oven up to 450.

Next mix in a small saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes, until sugar is dissolved:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup maple syrup

Let cool a little. Then mix into the cooled syrup:

2 beaten eggs

Stir in:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbl flour

Pour this mixture over the walnuts. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake for 20 minutes more. Cool and cut into squares.

Today

I don't want to clean my house today. I don't want to cook anything, clean anything or take care of anyone today.

Today, I am just tired. My soul feels weary and my spirit depleted. My body is aching and my eyes are gritty. The stress in my personal life has finally gotten to the point where it is manifesting itself in a myriad of ways.

So, I think I know what I am going to do. I'm going to lie down in the backyard and feel the breeze. I'm going to listen to the birds and gaze upon the flowers. I might just stay there all day.

I might just let everything else fall apart while I put myself back together.

Spring!!

The tulips are up...hope springs eternal!

Whole wheat and honey bread

I used to make this bread once a week. Every week...In keeping with my plan to get back on track I had a kitchen day today. I scrubbed everything down and made this bread, pineapple and bran muffins and chocolate cake. The cake is wrapped and put away, waiting to be iced tomorrow for dinner. The muffins are in the freezer waiting to be eaten for breakfast next week.


Here's my whole wheat and honey bread recipe.


3 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups white flour
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt

I just dump everything in my kitchen aid and knead it with the dough hook. If you don't have a mixer with dough hooks you get to get your hands dirty! I put it into a big, oiled bowl (turn the dough in the oil once) and let it rise about an hour and a half (or until doubled). Then I shape it into 2 loaves and let them rise again in greased loaf pans. I use 8 inch pans for this. Today, I let the loaves rise a bit too much on the second rising, (I had to run out for a minute) so the loaves are a wee bit misshapen :) But that's okay they're still just as tasty! After the second rising bake the loaves in a 375 degree oven for about half an hour. Easy!!

Spring Menu

In an effort to simplify things around here I've put together a two week dinner rotation for spring. I'm hoping to go through this for 3 cycles for a total of six weeks. I think by that point we'll all be thoroughly sick and tired of the menus and looking forward for something new!

I'm doing this because I'm fed up of coming up with menus once a week! The breakfast portion of the meal plan will be the same every week but that's okay :)

I didn't bother with the lunch menus because the kids make their own lunches with what's on hand and they all take something different.

I did the groceries for two full weeks today. I shouldn't have to go back to the store except for a few produce items...we'll see how it goes!

Spring Menu


Breakfast
monday------cereal or toast, oj
tuesday----- smoothie, boiled egg
wednesday--- pumpkin or banana loaf or bagels and cream cheese, oj
thursday----- oatmeal with fruit and nuts
friday-------- cherry or currant coffeecake or fruit muffins

Dinner
monday------ hamburgers or hot dogs, chips and salsa
tuesday------ chicken pot pie, salad
wednesday--- carrot & sw potato soup, brie, bread, crudites and cake for dessert
thursday----- tuna casserole, green and yellow beans, carrots
friday-------- baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread
saturday----- pasta w/tomatoes, artichokes and bacon, salad
sunday------- stewed chicken, new potatoes, bok choy, beets, biscuits
monday------ grilled sausages, potato salad, green salad, bread
tuesday------ cajun pork loin, sauteed greens, cheese cornbread
wednesday--- pea & spinach soup, cheddar, bread, cake for dessert
thursday----- lemon sole, sweet potatoes, broccoli
friday-------- falafels on pita bread, pudding
saturday----- baked potatoes w/broccoli, cheese and bacon, salad
sunday------- lasagna or pizza, salad, bread

*****alternate meals (just in case I have one of those days!)
veggie fried rice, grilled cheese and tomato soup

Chocolate chip cookies

This is the best chocolate chip recipe ever! Seriously. I'm not sure where the recipe originally came from but I've made it so often in the last 5 years that I know it by heart.

*Chocolate chip cookies*

Mix the following:

1 cup of butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Add and beat well:

1 egg

Mix in:

2 cups of flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate (I used a mixture of both in the cookies in the picture)

Drop by tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 10 minutes. Take out when they are just beginning to get golden brown. This important! This way they come out soft and chewy.

What I've been reading...

In commenting on a blog that I read, Beauty that Moves (http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/ check it out!) I wrote about some books that I 've been reading. It's actually just the tip of the iceberg!! So I thought I'd copy the reviews here and add a few more...

-Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (excellent, had me laughing and crying out loud. A young girl from a dysfunctional familly goes to live with her great aunt in Savannah, Georgia. What a cast of characters!)
-The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (beautiful, lyrically written. And the food descriptions were fabulous. I didn't want it to end.)
-Blackout by Connie Willis (Sci-fi. Gripping and exciting BUT has a horrible clffhanger ending and the rest of the book isn't out until October 2010. Frustrating to say the least!)
-In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke (dark and haunting. What happens after a plague dessimates the population. What makes a family. I loved this book, although I didn't love the ending, because I felt that it ended too soon and stops short. I'm hoping Kasischke writes a sequel.)
-Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman (Women and yoga. Need I say more. Nothing too deep here, but it was entertaining. Although I did find the dialogue a bit mundane and simplistic.)
-The Things that Keep us Here by Carla Buckley (Another dark novel set during an epidemic. Didn't love this one as much as Laura Kasischke's. Still, it was worth reading.)
-The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (I may be shot for this, since so many people really liked this book but I didn't love it. I couldn't seem to get invested in the characters and had to force myself to finish it. Interesting premise and the story itself was okay but all in all, the book left me cold.)
-Shanghai Girls by Lisa See ( I don't usually read alot of fiction set in Asia, but the book sounded interesting so I picked it up. Set just before the Japanese invasion of China and ending in the late 50's in America this book was really good. I learnt so much from it. And it was extremely well written. Loved it.)
-Good Things, Table Manners and The Sweet Life by Mia King ( I really liked these books. The first two are based on the same characters, so read Good Things first. Sort of fluffy, but good for reading when you want to lose yourself but don't want anything too heavy. I like the way these women pull themselves up by their bootstraps and change things in their lives. Inspirational in a way if that's what you're attempting to do in your own life.)
-The Girl who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen ( Just like her first book this one is set in a magical place that makes you wish you lived there. Her characters are quirky and interesting and she writes them in a way that you feel you know them. If you need some magic in your life, read this one and her other two as well.)
-Angels of Destruction by Keith Donahue (A little girl shows up at an elderly woman's house in the middle of a snowstorm. Who is she? Is she an angel? Really well written book. Intriguing concept. Illustrates the need for connection that we all feel. Loved this.)

That's it for now. Not because I haven't read any other books lately but because it's time that I get up and get some work done!!

Schedules

Along comes fall and everything changes. Kids go back to school or start the homeschooling year or as in my case, both. In the summer I try to get all my cleaning, grocery shopping and other errands out of the way in one day. Impossible to do during the school year. So, time to set up some new schedules. We'll see how it goes!


House routine

M -Launder sheets and towels. Water plants. Clean 2 bathrooms. Dust, sweep, wash floors etc... on main floor. Collect garbage. Put out recycling.

T -Take out garbage. clean kitchen. cooking and baking projects.

W-Do groceries, get gas and run other errands. Clean upstairs.

S -Kids clean bedrooms and rec room. Vacuum basement and change kitty litter.


Workout routine

M -functional fitness exercises, long walk/hike

T -ff exercises, strength training, short walk

W-ff, walk/jog

Th-ff, strenth training, short walk

F -ff, walk/jog

Sa-ff, strength training


Nathan homeschool routine

M -grammar, spelling, math, canadian history, art

T -grammar, spelling, math, canadian history, cooking, french

W -grammar, spelling, math, american history

Th-grammar, spelling, amth, french, creative writing, science

F -poetry, literature, creative writing, science

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas. The first for our new family. On Christmas Eve we hosted a buffet dinner including grandparents, my brother with his family and the Chef's sister.

The spread... Not shown is the delicious New England Clam Chowder that the Chef made.

The kids got there first.

The new crew.