Oi! Hellooooooo weekend! Even after a short 4-day week, I’m oh-so-happy to see you, dear weekend.
Now that the holidays are over and done, the madness has finally died down, and winter is really setting in (except not, hello temps in the 50s in January!), I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend of puttering around the house. Snugs with the family. DIY home improvement projects and midnight crafting. Some day I’ll start going to bed by 11 . . . but not today. Yay weekend!
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And now let’s get to the good stuff: Le Love List!
1. Gardening in January.
The weather this week has been wild, reaching up into the mid-50s, and sunny. Squee! Waits and I took full advantage and finally were able to put the garden to bed for reals. Pulled out all the dead and dried plants, and spread some hay for good measure. Waits really, really loves to garden and seeing his enthusiasm is just such a pleasure.
2. Being featured on The Huffington Post.
!!!
No really, !!!
I’ve been taking on some freelance work these past few months, and this week one of my articles made it onto the Huffington Post. Ain’t gonna lie, I’m pretty proud!
3. TCB
Taking Care of Business, as Elvis used to say. Dental health, mental health, and the health of my girly bits too. Life Insurance. Harley’s tumor. Smog check.
T. C. B.
Also! road trips // lavender satchets // hummus and olives // watching the hens mud bathe in winter, they’re so cute and happy! // watching Waits try to have a conversation with Siri (the iPhone’s “intelligent personal assistant”), which is absolutely adorable and hysterical // Pinterest // cooked greens and raw desserts // my cast iron pan! . . .
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Alright guys, now it’s your turn – tell me what you’re loving this week!
My darlings, this happy little post will stay at the top of the page all weekend, so stop by any time to leave your Love List, ask a question, or offer some feedback! Or if you’re new, please introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’! This is your community, so get involved!
Happy weekend guys! Make it a great one!
In 2011 I set about on a journey to regain my health – a series of dietary experiments. You can read the backstory here. Prior to beginning these trials, I had used an elimination diet to clear up a systemic Candida infection. I was also healing my gut/digestion through the intensive application of probiotics via fermented foods and beverages, and it worked, because cultured food is magical!
The Test
In April, I eliminated all grains.
The Theory
More so than in previous months, April’s experiment was almost exclusively borne out of curiosity. Grain-free? It’s pretty drastic, but I couldn’t help but wonder. I knew that most of my issues were related to either digestion or blood sugar (or both), and I knew that I already felt so much better after cutting out wheat (THE main grain) and processed sugar.
There are some healthy-eating folks who will argue against the inclusion of grains in any diet. The “primal” or “paleo” crowd insist that the advent of agriculture was the beginning of a nutritional degeneration of sorts. A relatively recent addition to the human diet, grains can be difficult to digest and hard for the body to handle (they are broken down into simple glucose, which can produce the spike-and-crash blood sugar effect). As well, most grains contain anti-nutrients if not properly prepared. Grains – especially refined grains – can even cause inflammation throughout the body.
So what would happen if I ditched them altogether? It seemed to work wonders for a lot of other people, so I figured I’d give it a try. I was rockin’ without the gluten and the sugar. I thought I had nothing to lose . . .
The Results
There’s something to be said for quality of life.
Eating a grain-free vegan diet can be tricky, and trying to eat out? Total pain in the ass. Which is okay with me, to a certain degree. I don’t mind a “pain in the ass diet” when I’m reaping great rewards from it (ie, RAW!), but the problem here was that . . . I wasn’t. I didn’t feel any different and I certainly didn’t feel any better. I’m pretty familiar with grain-alternatives already, so eating at home wasn’t as much of a problem. I can wrap my sandwich fillings in lettuce leaves, serve my burrito innards in cabbage cups, and spoon a stir fry over spinach. I just had to eat a little more volume to compensate for the missing calories, but overall, it was okay.
Eating out, on the other hand, was tough. And you know what? Eating out is fun. But suddenly each of our favorite spots was a no-go. Thai is full of rice and noodles. Mexican relies on rice and tortillas (both wheat and corn) (yes, corn is a grain). Ethiopian isn’t the same without that glorious spongy injera. I could do Mediterranean – minus the pita, minus the falafel, minus the tabbouleh. Super. Sad. Trombone.
It was an interesting experience, because it wasn’t “hard” in the same ways as the other challenges. But it was infinitely more frustrating. Because it felt so . . . pointless. Deprivation for deprivation’s sake just isn’t my bag. After three and half weeks I threw in the towel. Even neurotic me didn’t feel the need to finish out the final week!
However, the month wasn’t a total wash. Quite the opposite in fact – this experiment helped me begin to form the foundation of what would eventually become my over-arching food philosophy. Since I *didn’t* have the same reaction as other people reported (ie, great benefit) from dropping grains (ie, going low-carb), it really hit home that different people require different macronutrient ratios. And now I firmly believe that this is why such divergent diets work so well for various people. Which has got to be at least part of the reason that there’s so much conflicting nutritional research out there! I don’t know why so many people – both professional and layman – seem to ignore this.
[Edited for clarity: when I say "different diets work for different people", I am referring ONLY to macronutrient ratios - fats, carbs, and protein - all of which can be adjusted as necessary within a plant-based diet!]
Anyway, that’s mostly what I got out of April, and I’ll consider that a success. Plus, next month was May, and May meant one of my very favorite changes . . . but we’ll get to that next time!
Edited to link in the rest of the series:
Introduction
January
February
March
We didn’t partake in this particular cake, but it sure was gorgeous. Yay chocolate wedding cake!
What a way to welcome in the new year! We spent January 1st in the adorable little town of Ashland (home of the best co op I’ve ever visited, and you know I’m a connoisseur!), celebrating as two of our dearest friends were married. In a book store! Because they’re both writers! Ahhhhh, I do so adore my friends.
It went a little like this:
Continental Breakfast, Yee-haw!
The Ashland Springs Hotel is quintessential vintage charm. Lovely, impeccable, and sweet as can be. Also very vegan friendly!
For our complimentary continental breakfast (eaten in our room) we had: fresh fruit, vegan oatmeal with raisins + vanilla stevia (from home) + peanut butter (from home) + coconut milk (from home), lots of coffee (not pictured) with stevia and coconut milk, chlorella tablets (from home), and some coconut yogurt for Damian (from the Ashland co-op).
Nothin’ fancy, hit the spot!
Lunch
After breakfast and a bath, Waits and I ventured out to meet up with the bride-to-be at her B&B. Her sister was finishing the cake, her father was trying to find his notes (so he could perform the ceremony), and her friends were all hanging out. I love love love the getting-ready-before-the-event time. I think it’s my favorite part of weddings! I just wish I could have been more involved. Alas, these toddler days have me taking a step back from the hands-on planning. Waits and I played in the kitchen and on the stairs, chatted with pals, and snacked on pistachios. After a while it was time to head back to the hotel for a very necessary nap.
I made up a lunch plate while Waits was sleeping. All stuff we’d brought: The best bread ever – Dave’s Killer Bread – with hummus, one with cherry tomatoes and pickled garlic, the other with olives and pickled peppers and pickled garlic. Baby carrots on the side. This rocked my world.
Wedding Time!
My friends are both writers and so they held the ceremony in a small book store. It was so beautiful. Waits was completely captivated by the string trio! (he’s a musician for sure, no doubt)
Dinner and the party were back at the Ashland Springs ballroom. Our camera ran out of juice before dinner arrived, so I had to use the iPhone. You get Instagrammed dins!
1) Precious centerpiece. 2) Simple salad with dried cranberries, toasted hazelnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette. 3) Roasted acorn squash stuffed with seasoned Great Northern beans with a pesto drizzle; the best microgreens and shaved fennel salad I’ve ever had. 4) Waits ate nothing but fruit for dinner. Lots and lots of fruit. 5) My dessert, a raw tiramisu. (apparently from the Ashland co-op) 6) Damian’s dessert, chocolate cake. (apparently from the Ashland co-op)
THIS MEAL WAS REALLY GOOD!
We had a great time, but Waits was pretty rascally and either Damian or I had to be up with him through most of the evening/dinner service. He’s not really one for sitting still, haha.
Late Night Snack
We left the wedding pretty early because Waits was verging on a complete meltdown. After such a stimulating, exhausting day, we figured he would crash out pretty quickly. WRONG. Here’s a tip: don’t feed your toddler nothing but fruit (sugar!) for dinner. After trying and trying to get him to sleep, we finally bundled ourselves up and went for a drive at like, 10:45 pm. Thankfully that did it, and he was snoring by 11:30. I was totally beat and by then I was hungry again (dinner ended around 8). So . . .
Peanut butter and banana sammie. Leftover New Year’s champagne. Snuggles and HGTV in bed with my man.
Not a bad way to begin 2012, I’d say.
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I’d really wanted to show the outfit I wore to the wedding (mustard yellow tights! vintage 1940s shoes!) but I didn’t get a single [good] full body shot. Oh well. We snapped these casual outfit pics on a coffee stop during the drive home the next day.
- Black hoodie: thrifted
- Grey lace print mini skirt: secondhand
- Black leggings: very very old
- Looong thick scrunchy socks: Sock Dreams OF COURSE (these ones)
- Black boots: super old, pre-gan
What did you do on New Year’s Day?
On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.
#24
The blogosphere seems to be split into two: the “I-don’t-believe-in-new-year’s-resolutions-because-we-should-be-making-positive-choices-ALL-year” camp, and the “I-always-hated-resolutions-but-recently-I’m-drawn-to-the-idea-of-setting-some-good-intentions (but-I’m-still-not-calling-them-resolutions)” camp.
Me? I love a new year and a fresh start. Any opportunity to clean house, to take stock, to re-inspire, and most of all, to make lists! That’s all good as far as I’m concerned.
Each December I spend the month reflecting on the year that’s past, revisiting what I had hoped to achieve, and imaging what I want the next year to look like. I’ve written in the past about my yearly Word doc – the one that sits on my desktop so that I always have easy access to my ambitions.
I make a new doc each year. First, I copy and paste the old one. I like to scroll back in time, from more recent years to the oldest ones, to remember how far I’ve come (and how successful I’ve been at fulfilling my aspirations!) At the top of the new doc I always start with a title for the year – something to sum up the overall tone I’m going for. For example, 2009 was titled “Living The Dream”.
And this year, 2012?
“You Only Get One Shot”
Underneath my title, I outline my annual intentions. There’s always a theme – for example last year was “Quality Over Quantity”. And then I list my specific goals.
And this year, 2012?
“This is my ONE LIFE. What is *really* important? What will have mattered once I’m gone? “You only get one shot” – so make it count! Fill it with joy. Unplug. Fill it with laughter. Family comes first! Always, always Live in the Love.”
This year I’ve listed some specific goals (which I’m choosing to keep private), but what I’m intending to do for January – and for this MMM – is to outline an actual plan of action to help me achieve each of these goals. Step by step! No excuses! I find that it helps to work backwards, to begin with your end goal and then to imagine where you would have to be in order to take that last step to get there. And then what would get you closer to that second-to-last step? And so on.
For example, I always mean to send birthday cards to my friends, but I never do. I hate that! Why does it happen? Here’s a plan of attack:
End goal: Sending Card
What keeps me 1 step away: Not being able to find the time to get to the store for a card. (gah!)
Action: Buy (or make) cards NOW, and keep a stash on hand (with stamps!)
But what keeps me 2 steps away: Not remembering birthdays in time (oh shame!)
Action: Go through iCal and set reminders for all important birthdays – 2 weeks in advance with a 1 week follow-up.
End Result: Cards are easy to send!
That’s just one small example, but you get the point. So, this MMM is all about -
- Setting intentions for a new year, and
- Outlining a very specific plan for conquering those intentions
Are you in?? Have you already set some intentions? Know how you’re going to keep the momentum?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
