Iron Chef Challenge : EGGS

Whole30 breakfasts tend to involve eggs (a lot of eggs, eggs all the time) and vegetables. It's not that bacon or sausage are completely out but made without added sugar makes them much more difficult to find. For only thirty days I didn't bother to order the W30 compliant bacon and I only found one brand of sausage that worked (chicken red pepper links) so really we're back to EGGS. I've taken this to new levels of personal madness, mostly because it's for Chris...a small sampling of what can be done with EGGS, leftovers, bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes and avocado. 

Tomato Omelette with Sausage and Avocado Slices

Turkey Breakfast Tacos with Omelette "Tortillas"

Eggs Baked in Avocado with Zucchini-Bell Pepper Hash

Please Enjoy ;)

Projects rarely proceed as planned

Sidetracked from my blanket by Reine's desire to have a scarf "made with love"

 

I have clarified my 

inspiration 

to keep until the project moves back up the to-do list

The challenge of being creative should not be...

...finding my crochet needles.

I have another two weeks to complete the first creative challenge. Ordinarily this would not be too much of a problem but having concurrently decided to be on a time-consuming food cleanse and reorganize my den I may have overreached. Or I can just find the crochet needles and be inspired by the cold weather to create a blanket in my lap. 

On a to do later list (due date: future) I have a vision of a perfect guest room (https://www.pinterest.com/isabelleb4/guest-room-ideas/) with a winter beach as a my palette, 

designed around a cozy, hand-crocheted striped blanket.

Step 1: Crochet a blanket

Here is the blanket in it's current state. Wish me luck!

Whole 30 and the theoretically non-compliant Pho

The gist of the Whole 30 program is to reset your physical, metabolic clock with a 30-day no sugar diet which excludes all obvious sugars, plus dairy, alcohol, beans, grains, and corn. It's similar to Paleo (but with all the reading we've been doing we are definitely not into Paleo) I love the occasional "cleanse," and Chris is always on board for food experimentation (details here if you're interested: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/).

The NOs are pretty straightforward, skip forward to theYESes. (http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-shopping-list.pdf) Fifteen days in, we are eating plenty. In fact, we're surprisingly craving free and never starving. What started out as three meals a day has settled into brunch and dinner with some grazing of fruits, nuts and baked sweet potatoes.

We've been good, we've been following the rules.

I spent two days making homemade Pho (using this recipe: http://steamykitchen.com/3136-crock-pot-pho.html), Two days of a house smelling like a Pho shop. I ran out to get fresh Thai basil and bean sprouts (just the plant part) and found these noodles made out of sweet potato starch. After 15 days I am practically made of sweet potato, which makes this perfect.

See how perfect.

But then this from a Whole30 moderator

"While the ingredient is technically compliant, I would file this under 'paleofying poor food choices' " 

Sadness ensues. Hmmm, let's call it something to consider for the future and meanwhile I will call this a rubbery version of a compliant sweet potato.

Feeling a little self righteous this morning. I think the Tiger Blood is kicking in.

Wow! It's been a while, my introverted blogging isn't very prolific.

January 2015 seems like a good time to try again, especially mid Whole30 and starting a creative challenge, More interesting posts pending.

I have a new idea (no surprise) for how to keep up with this blog that involves a rotating schedule of posts with ideas/plans, progress updates and outcomes, recipes, etc...that would have me posting something about 3 times a week. Ambitious for someone who takes two year breaks, but there you have it, always the optimist.

So...

GOALS FOR January (into mid February)~

• Successful Whole30 with Chris (a month without dairy, grains, beans, corn, sugar or alcohol)
• Project 1 of the Creative Challenge 2015
• Organize my Den
• Everything else (including first four weeks of HUMS 390 Child Welfare) all the errands, laundry, and household management items plus a few extras I'm ignoring.

1000 Cranes: Update

The origami themed baby shower came and went before I could complete my 1000 crane project but ultimately it was a perfect first birthday gift for our little Jocelyn.

The cranes are stacked in a shadow box frame (10 cranes across, 20 cranes high, 5 layers deep). In the back corner there is one unique crane with my wishes for Jocelyn from the Celestial Crane. I went completely overboard on my wishes but I think things have a way of of sorting themselves out.

One Senbazuru done, none to go.

My Philosopher's Stone

I have had a lifetime issue with financial good sense.  I’m not a complete loon; I do pay bills and prioritize electricity over shoes. However, my threshold for acceptable additions to wardrobes and collections is low and our cluttered house is proof of that.  This is the year that I’m going to change how we do things because it’s clear to me that the status quo isn’t great. We have a lot, we make a lot, and without fail we spend more than we should.

 

If you know how to spend less than you get,

you have the philosopher's stone.

~Benjamin Franklin

2013 is my Year of the Philosopher’s Stone (and if it’s my year then it is everyone else’s year too).

Why now? Because I’m sad. Because I’m tired. Because I find it impossible to be creative in a home cluttered with the accumulation of years of indulgence.  I want to paint. I want to make giant butterfly sculptures for the yard. I want to read good books. I want a kickass vegetable garden.  I want the world to be populated with stray thoughts and ideas not a new purse and dress. I want to learn more and spend less. We’re not in a hopeless pit of despair (as Reine pointed out); we are a loving family in a great house with all of our needs met so a little tweaking of our spending brain should be miraculous.

This isn’t an entirely new endeavor but here are the reasons this year will be the year we master these skills.

1)      I’ve been reading articles (a lot of articles, always a bad sign) on the connection between instant vs. delayed gratification and happiness—clearly happiness is on the side of patience.

2)      My previous foray into Weight Watchers gave me the revelation that food tracking, more activity and moderate consumption was a permanent lifestyle not a short period of miserable deprivation—this applies easily and completely to money.

3)      All the lessons learned from the past two years (meal planning, exercise, etc.) apply.

4)      Making this activity a shared one will get things done. Especially if we erase the culture of “want” with more active family time. Oxytocin is scientifically proven to be a good reward system and nothing is better for that than our style of togetherness.

5)      Free is the new mantra (the library is our friend) but also amortize. The memberships that we pay for we need to use the crap out of, Netflix be forewarned.

It is not how much we have,

but how much we enjoy,

 that makes happiness.

~ Charles Spurgeon

This for me is a year of being deliberate. The things that bring me joy can't be found in Target (no matter how lovely those things really are).

Woke up tired

January is flying by quickly and I can’t shake the feeling that one month into 2013 I’ve already failed. Waking up is a chore, followed by a vast array of chores, some done some undone. I’m weary today. Will I be weary tomorrow?

If you're tired when you wake up, maybe you should just go back to bed.  Is there a purpose to morning coffee? It doesn't seem to be working. The book I'm reading isn't teaching me anything. I haven't accomplished anything today, I think I would have been better off sleeping. I might stick a fork in this day and call it done.

1000 Cranes

I'm working on this for an upcoming baby shower, because I love the momma and I know I'll be loving little Jocelyn currently still nestled in her momma's womb. It has to be love, because the reality of origami cranes in this quantity is that they're a huge pain in the ass requiring precision, organization and above all else, repetition. Which as far as I can tell makes mythical Japanese cranes crazy about the anal retentive...because no one else will fold enough of these things to get a wish.

Step one: 40 sheets of 3"x3" paper

Step two: all of them folded into Basic Form 6 (the box is origami too which is to keep the stacks in order while I work...and it seemed only fitting to make the containers as well)

Step 3: Basic Form 6 becomes Basic Form 7 (40 times)

Step 4: Basic Form 7 goes through extra folds to become a tiny crane added in a specific order to a string of cranes...40 of them (there's a pattern to this madness)

Step 5: Repeat Steps 1-4 an additional 24 times. Sigh...

Chris figures there must be an option for something less than the full wish, I think real wishes have to be earned one fold at a time...

Happiness is...

an email from Reine with reassurance that both she and her brother are having a great time at camp and this picture:

Pemmican to Beaver Hats

Did anyone else watch James Burke's "Connections" series?

Unschooling is a strange thing, it means that we are always in school and always "on vacation" simultaneously. So now, while we are actually on vacation, it feels like we're prepping for an appearance on Jeopardy...starting with Pemmican. A mini-lecture brought on by mommy validation of Philip's beef jerky breakfast decision. Which led to an exploration of the north american fur trade (http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/carlos.lewis.furtrade )...the concept of bartering, a discussion of property rights, small Eddie Izzard reference ("do you have a flag?"), how great a deal the Louisiana Purchase was, and ultimately a long discussion about beaver hats in the pre-umbrella, pre-plastic era.

Is this how everyone spends their mornings? Sometimes it's hard to gauge what actually constitutes "normal" breakfast conversation.

Drakes vs. Roosters

Birds...check
Beautiful...check
Yummy...check
Special abilities...swimming vs. kicking the crap out of everything else in the barnyard (hmmmm)
The kicker...roosters require a 1:12 mating ratio or their hens start losing their back feathers but ducks are good with a 1:1 ratio (although apparently not averse to 1:5)

I dig ducks :P

Grown-Up Coloring Books

This week I got to re-visit the little kid stage of family life. Lessons learned: (1)If you never actually say "No" 4-5 year olds are too literal to understand the no they get with the word "later" (2) parenting with all of the related schedules, life lessons, and need to avoid danger and stomach aches is much harder than grand-parenting where the aforementioned "no" is completely optional (3) coloring rocks! If I was standing in an airport store contemplating the selection of gossip mags and puzzle collections and I saw a coloring book (not geared for the under 5 set) with an attached pack of markers...I would be all over that, hunched over the tray table with my little overhead light coloring my way across the Atlantic! Anyway, hanging out with the kids watching TV, I decided to sketch out a sample page of what I would look for...feedback welcome :)

Clearly the problems I have updating my blog are related to the incredibly poor lighting conditions I exist under. I find myself both under & overwhelmed by this social-networking thing, the blog at least should be less pressure and yet somehow is another chore added to my list. If I work under the assumption that no one will read this, updates will (ok...might) be more frequent.

Apparently I find shrimp and steak fajitas very exciting. I mean, EXCITING! Or I just need to remember that Chris only takes one picture of anything and good or bad or truly horrendous never creates the possibility of a second picture...so I better be well-lit, one-shot perfect everytime. No pressure.

Spa Day for Mom

Around 6 pm Philip asked me if I had ever been to an all-day spa. He wanted to know what one cost and I told him about $100 (I could be wrong) but suggested that he could get a mani-pedi for about $40. Ends up our whole bizarre conversation was a prelude to one of the those mother-son moments when you realize that the eight hours spent at the amusement park slowly turning into a giant freckle while paying out the nose for greasy amusement park food made your only boy want to treat you to a spa day for being the best mom in the world. Not a terrible end to a day that started with me chopping off locks of his hair (by request) so that the swim goggles would be easier to put on. I think that Philip is my gift from the Universe for learning patience.

The Virginia Renaissance Faire

Outings that include corsets, ax throwing and a purse full of chain mail bits tend to work well for us. In spite of some initial complaints (all Philip) about the heat, the sun, the "why do we have to do this hot boring thing?" moments... we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Next year we're aiming for Pirate weekend...argghh.

Reine treated herself to a braid called the huntress.



Philip got to throw an ax, something I never allow him to do at home, much to his chagrin.

Emile and I tried on corsets. Note what seems to be missing from the pictures Emile took of me (in fact there was no picture available with my head), what do you suppose that means?



While I was getting cinched in, I had a terrible moment of claustrophobia. I think I was imagining the impossibility of a quick exit if I suddenly felt incapable of breathing. Sips of water and actual breathing helped. It's surprisingly comfortable even if a deep breath isn't possible. I suppose the choice is perfect posture and a tiny waist over full lung capacity.

Establishing a transatlantic World Cup pool has elevated procrastination to a whole new level in this household. At least for the grownups. I accomplish almost nothing from 7 AM to 4 PM daily. In theory this will pass as we move out of the group round because I have tests to take and papers to write and a kid summer schedule of pools and amusement parks that beckons.

Basil, Thyme and Household Clutter

I haven't written in a while, almost a month, because I am perpetually mid project and up to my nostrils in stuff. I'm not quite drowning. If I tiptoe I can breathe but I'm fairly certain that hardcore bailing is now required. I obsessively watch shows on hoarders in a way similar to how watching an exercise video almost feels like exercise. Watching extreme hoarders try to sort out their lives almost feels like sorting through a pile of ancient bills that need to be tossed (and by tossed I mean shredded for all lurking identity thieves).

Chris and I started the morning at the farmer's market and planted new basil, chives and thyme in our herb garden. So today my plan is to keep going--no long internet session, just a short blog entry--the next post will be of something beautiful we accomplished.

Einstein's three rules of work include this, out of clutter find simplicity, that is my new mantra.

Picklese (Pikliz)

I loved pickled vegetables and I love spicy foods. Haitian picklese, essentially a Habanero infused cabbage slaw, fits into this culinary niche perfectly. I honestly put the stuff onto or next to everything I eat. Recipes are easy to find online but I made a few changes to my version that while keeping the flavor essence of Haitian picklese produces a vibrant magenta hue.

Ingredients

6 Scotch Bonnets or Habanero Peppers
2 cups thinly sliced Red Cabbage
1/2 cup thinly sliced Carrots
1/4 cup thinly sliced Red Onions
4 whole Cloves
1 tsp Salt
8 to 10 Peppercorns
3 cups White Vinegar

Quarter the Scotch Bonnets, removing the seeds and stems. Salt the cabbage and let it sit, the cabbage softens and shrinks down considerably. Since I tend to oversalt, I rinse it off before shoving it in the jar. Put all the ingredients in a quart size jar (preferably wide-mouthed) and top with the vinegar. Close it tightly, put it in a refrigerator, and then resist the temptation to eat any for a minimum of one day.

I use a mandolin (not the musical instrument) on the cabbage and onions then switch to julienne for the carrots. It's just a personal preference for a slight textural difference. I'm not sure it matters once everything is pickled but I find knife work soothing which is probably in keeping with my lawful evil quiz results.

In addition, quantities should all end in -ish...for example the batch I'm making has about three cups of cabbage or 2-ish. Pickling in this household is less an exercise in precision and more of a jar-packing, extra vinegar sloshing thing.

That's it, as promised, my pickly process.

Flexitarianism

A lot of people - and by people, I mean participants in reality TV shows - like to give more than 100% of their efforts towards whatever generic goal is set before them. That way failure can be blamed on something other than effort. Perhaps someone else had the advantage of physical fitness, longer arms or a heretofore unknown ability to stack puzzle pieces into the likeness of Lincoln...whatever the case, lack of effort is never a contributing factor.

I'm not sure I've ever given more than 100% to anything. I don't think I even believe in the concept. Three natural births and I'm fairly certain that I have yet to achieve complete, total, effort. Didn't I rest, have moments of inattention, contemplate the ceiling tiles, wonder how long it could possibly take for Chris to park a car? Maybe it's just me. A little bit of over-thinking and every action loses about 10% effort. I over-think a lot.

Key words: Action Plan

If you have a really good action plan, with diagrams and lists, sometimes you run out of time or energy for actual action. My current state of being involves a serious thinking process that culminates in two theoretical project completions - a de-junked garage and a painted/rearranged/cleaned girls' room. (Updates pending but I would not be holding my breath). Not to forget the vegetable garden that needs starting, IKEA furniture to assemble, and all of the regular bits and baubles of scut work that still hold prominent position on the "to-do" list. I would say I'm behind, and that is probably a kind assessment of how far from a hypothetical state of project completion I really am.

Now we add the earnest desire of a 11.5 year old to "be a vegetarian."

Emile has a friend that has gone vegan and we (Chrisabelle plus Emile) have been discussing the odd lack of family support she seems to be getting. We don't really know as all of our information is filtered through the lens of teens, but we're willing to believe that the average American household would have major changes to make in order to accommodate a vegan. In this case, they've opted to let her buy and make her own meals. From the standpoint of a household that cooks regularly from scratch, eats an enormous variety of vegetables, shops organic and local, I have been happily basking in the parental one-upmanship of our "supportive" parenting style which should have been an indicator of a pending karmic stumbling block. Inspired by this very cool girl and an apparently new love of cows, Reine has declared herself a vegetarian.

We eat a lot of greens but we also like this t-shirt http://www.threadless.com/product/490/Meat_is_Murder_Tasty_Tasty_Murder so an earlier attempt by Chris to have 3+ "meatless" days failed. Quantity reduction - absolutely! Total elimination and the omnivore crowd started to grumble. He blames me as the Omnivore Club president but I think he didn't give 117% and anything shy of more than total effort should be considered not trying hard enough. At least, that's my new position on this issue.

So this is where things currently stand. After some research (all mom) we have settled on what I will call Pesco Lacto Ovo Vegetarianism a semi-vegetarianism that includes fruits de mer, dairy, and eggs. Plus there are several key requirements to the PLOV diet:

1 a better acronym
2 enthusiasm for vegetables - in particular the ability to eat something you may not love but doesn't produce a gag reflex either
3 willingness to try everything more than once to "acquire" the taste
4 if regular people should have 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day a vegetarian should have at least 10
5 a prohibition from telling everyone you meet that you are a vegetarian until you are at the Lacto Ovo stage and no longer technically a flesh eater

So really the flexitarian is me, as I force myself off the high horse of parental superiority and get down to the nitty gritty of helping my baby try something new in a way that is healthy and informed. (Note to self - it is easier to make them do everything themselves). It's hard to struggle against a kid who is asking to add more vegetables to their diet. At least it's hard to struggle without feeling like a hypocrite. Chris will get his meatless days and I will feel like a flexible, supportive parent which is a 100% good thing. Maybe even 110%