Lost Blog Entry! And an update.

I found this (from February) when I went to update today. So I will post it first and then add an addendum in a new post.

This is going to sound trite, but...

Are there any books out there that help you improve your self esteem after you've had none for the last ten to fifteen years? I've found books that deal with a woman accepting her size, heavy, but not about how to feel thin. Or how to appreciate your new body.


Yesterday I had a really good day. I got dressed and caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of our oven in the kitchen. I look really toned and trim. I was pleased. That was probably a first.


I look down and still see myself mostly the way I was. Part of that is due to the scarring, extra skin and stretchmarks from my last pregnancy. I can grasp that. I accept that without surgery, that's probably there to stay. And it's not like I'm young enough to wear a bikini anymore anyways.


And deep down I know I'm smaller. If I can waflle between figuring out buying an extra small tee shirt and small tee shirt to see which one fits better, I know I'm doing something right. If I can buy size 3 or 5 pants in the juniors department, I know I'm smaller.


But why is it when I get dressed when I look at myself, and even though the clothes fit, I look the same?


I felt truly better after I got a haircut. I felt free and young. I felt automatically less dumpy. Less "mom"-ish. I took a picture of myself yesterday. And I posted it to my Myspace page. I haven't done that in years. It was odd that I found myself doing that.

Veggie Soup Recipe

2 tbs olive oil
3 Slices of Lean, All natural ham (may be omitted)
1 Medium Onion
4 Cloves Garlic
3 Carrots
3 Ribs of Celery
1 Medium zucchini
1 Medium yellow squash
8 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 cup wheat berries, rinsed
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen green beans (fresh if summertime)
1 pound kale, stems trimmed then roughly chopped
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), crushed by hand into bite size pieces

Sea Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook for five minutes until soft. Add zucchini, yellow squash and garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about three minutes.

Add chicken (or vegetable) broth, increase heat to medium high and bring to a low boil. Add wheat berries and stir. Simmer for ten minutes.

Add frozen green beans, and both cans of rinsed beans. Turn heat to medium and cook until green beans are heated through, about five minutes.

Add tomatoes and trimmed kale, cook until kale is just wilted about ten minutes. Simmer soup until wheat berries are tender (or to your preference). Taste and adjust seasonings.

Makes about a gazillion servings. :)

Eating Clean

Since I get a lot of "huh?" at work when I try and describe the way I eat and what I do for basic nutrition, here's and excerpt from Eating Clean Works:

In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: “if man made it, don’t eat it.”
A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

• Eliminates refined sugar and flour
• Cooks healthy meals
• Packs healthy meals
• Makes healthy choices when dining out
• Drinks a lot of water
• Eats 5-6 small meals per day
• Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
• Always eats breakfast

Seems pretty simple, eh? Just add "doesn't eat processed foods" onto that list and you're primed in what I do.

I combine this with principals from Tosca Reno's Eat-Clean Diet as well. Eating protein and complex carbohydrates with every meal. Protein is a very general term and it's pretty flexible. It can be anything lean. Which could mean beef tenderloin or it could mean quinoa or Ezekial Bread. It's pretty straightforward.

Your body struggles to digest all the protein, and uses the complex carbohydrates to fuel the body, thus using your metabolism to help you burn fat. And all the protein you're eating helps build lean muscle tissue.