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: