It's Been Awhile

If being absent from something means being present with something better, than that's my only excuse for the lack of updates, lately. Being present with, well, life. And of course, with the lack of updates comes a barrage of the "what have we been up to" all in one post for your pleasure (or torture, you call it). I'm presently drinking a cup of coffee brewed with cinnamon and a bit of coconut milk (more on that, in a moment) trying to remember how these last few weeks have been.

A great visit from dad and sue, our nursery furniture coming in (and the debacle that was having to send back the crib and re-order it... waiting patiently still), the last of my baby showers (the one with my family in Maryland, and our shower-palooza weekend here in TN with a stop in Cleveland and then back here in Nashville), and a busy stretch of weeks on the photography front top of the list of the "interesting" stuff. Throw in a little personal album-designing and photo-editing, house-choring, yard-prepping (for Spring), and (almost) total food lifestyle changing here and there, and that about covers it.

But, about the coconut milk. A little over a week ago, Cliff comes in with these pamphlets he got from his Crossfit gym from their nutritional seminar they'd had the weekend before. Whole30 by the Whole9 organization, it says. And I'm like, whaaaa? One booklet with recipes, one with guidelines for the Whole30 challenge, and another with general nutrition information. If there's anything anyone should know about me and food is guidelines and I don't go together well, coming from a cyclical pattern (practically my whole life) of restriction and total free-for-all. I tend to look at guidelines as "rules" and I break food rules (usually on purpose), that's all there is to it.

But I could see this mattered to Cliff, who, has ridden the tides of change that came with my pregnancy, which basically meant food-whims and a total lack of desire to meal-plan and cook as I had in the days of yore. But these pamphlets, and the added motivation of some folks in his gym taking on the challenge the month of October, put something in this guy I've never seen before. He wanted to meal plan, make food sacrifices, cook, and reap the hopeful benefits in his performance in the gym (and life). And while I had my own hang-ups about the challenge for me personally (and have since compromised them by not doing it strictly, seeing as I'm in home stretch of making a baby and I'm not sure how much she or my body would appreciate a complete cut-out of some things they're used to), it mattered to me that it mattered to Cliff. There was little way he could do it without my jumping in full-bore, even with my hanging on to milk and not shutting the door completely on grains (though relying on them much less, especially in processed form, than before).

And so with a handful of new recipes, a trip to the farmer's market, and some time spent thoughtfully reading labels in the grocery store, we've started this week off with a bang. I have cooked everyday this week (GASP!). Thus, I have remembered the joy of throwing things together artfully and tastefully - using my hands and mind in a way that is not just duty but creativity, and discovered the pleasure in food that is so incredibly basic but delicious and fuel for the body. I've also spent so much time looking for new recipes and thinking of how to turn old classics into Whole30-friendly dishes - I forgot how much I love that part of this process.

Here's just a sampling of foods we've eaten (because I find when I've stumbled on blogs about Whole30, actually knowing what people have eaten is helpful): egg kale quiche, carrot-raisin-coconut salad, spinach greens w/ turkey and avocado, chicken sausage-sweet potato-apple hash, egg muffins, "mel's favorite chili" (my favorite of the week!), cinnamon apples w/ sliced almonds, fried eggs w/ sweet potato hash (my go-to comfort food in the morning), red peppers w/ chicken-avocado salad, baked red snapper w/ roasted asparagus & roasted acorn squash stuffed w/ apple-raisin-pecan sauce. And yes, we keep coconut milk around for Cliff's pre-workout snack and other uses, one of which is making my coffee a little creamier (than black) and I must say, it's rather tasty. While I could add the milk I keep around, there's just something unique about the coconut flavor I can't say "no" to!

And I am so proud of Cliff! This would be the week he is presented with food at work EVERY DAY that would normally be right up his alley. But he has quietly made choices out of his available options (sometimes foregoing all that is offered) that he's never thought to do before. And it's just 30 days. 30 days that gives his body (I would say our bodies, but because I'm not doing it strictly I don't think it counts entirely so much as the full challenge, though I can say for sure I am reaping the benefits both nutritionally and mentally of my level participation) a chance to reset and decide what it does and doesn't actually like. Be it dairy, grains, sugars, alcohol, or even just the beans and white potatoes - he can see at the end of this (after cutting them out completely) what his body thinks when (and if!) he chooses to reintroduce them.

We're typically pretty uncomplicated people when it comes to living (and thus, eating), and it will be interesting to see how things go after these 30 days, especially for Cliff. We've become so accustomed to saying no to nothing that saying no to some of the most common and present things around us seems so counter-culture. We believe in moderation, but for 30 days, not even moderation has its place (again, for Cliff). Even now, I know we sound like crazies. But crazy we'll be if that's the price we pay to feel better, have more energy, and hopefully do our temples some good.

Walking is Normal

So, today I went for a walk. It was not your average walk, considering I was out running (walking?) errands, those being namely going to the bank (post-budget committee meeting) and to the grocery store. We live within a half to a full mile from every major grocer, bank, fast food restaurant, and coffee shop in the area (heck, even our church is a mile away!), so I thought I'd take advantage of a breezy, warm mid-July (yay!) morning and get some stuff done, today.

Back before it was "green" to do so and before gas was up to $4 a gallon, I remember walking, or at least biking, to so many places when I was younger. Most of the places that come to mind are libraries, 7-11's, ice cream shops, grocery stores (for candy), and TCBY. I guess in those days if I wanted to get somewhere pre-driving, those were my only options. Once I had a car, the novelty of air-conditioned convenience blinded me to the bliss of pedestrial mobility (I totally made that up). It was only when I moved to Green Hills after college that my mind was re-awakened to the idea of using something besides an automobile (perhaps my own two feet?) to get where I needed to go. So much was within reach, I just had to walk (and I was a poor grad student). Novel idea, really.

Today was perfect. Well, despite the fact that I had to walk in the opposite direction about a half mile to go to the non-Publix U.S. Bank and then in the other direction to actually go to Publix. (Remember that one? ...whatever, it's the principle of the matter.) Here I was with my little reusable canvas grocery totes walking around Franklin and absolutely loving every second of it. (Okay, except for the part where the dump trucks drove by and conveniently exhaled a great deal of mess that I subsequently inhaled.)

When I left Publix with two full bags under both my arms, I must have looked a sight. I purposely made our list small considering the week is nearly over and we'll be at the lake for the Fourth, so the bags weren't awful. I made it halfway home when a very kind woman pulled up to me in her car and asked if I needed a ride somewhere. I was rather taken aback by the gesture, and when I said "no, thanks!" with as much cheer as possible, she prodded further. She said "it'd be no trouble - I'd love to help you out" and I told her it wasn't "a bother for me to walk on such a beautiful day" and she gave me a look of sympathy and drove off. I guess it hadn't occurred to her that I had walked to the grocery store by choice?

Before making it home, I dropped off a bill at the post office and thought about how happy I was to be walking. Whether it seemed crazy or not (why should it?), walking is absolutely normal. I mean, there are countries all over the world where walking is the norm and to do something as simple as getting food for the week involves working for it. And not just the working to make the money to buy it, but the effort that goes into getting it. In fact, the norm probably involves a much larger distance than I had to go today. I have it easy.

It reminds me of the whole "God gave you two legs, so use them" adage. Of course, that's typically used when you ask someone to do something for you when you could just do it yourself. But I think it rings true in these circumstances as well, that if I can, I should, at least as often as I can. It gives me perspective, saves money, gets me outside and active, and ends up helping the environment in the long run. What's not to love?

Organic Living

Okay, before you fly off the handlebars, here's our disclaimer: we're starting slow. It's been something we've talked about for awhile, and are taking small (haha, baby) steps towards changing - and not just to jump on the bandwagon. It started with sprouted bread, specifically Food for Life's "Ezekiel 4:9 Bread". This stuff took some getting used to, for sure. It has a much drier consistency than even your normal whole wheat bread. It's fabulous toasted, so I've been putting the bread in the toaster a bit before making our sandwiches for the day.

I went to Publix the other day and they were out of the normal kind we get, and I discovered the Sesame flavor (bright turquoise label instead of orange) and I must say, after finishing my lunch a few moments ago, I am a goner. That stuff is awesome.

And while we cannot afford to shop at Wild Oats, it seems Publix (and even Kroger) are doing a farely decent job of including more opportunities for organic grocery shopping. After the bread, our biggest switches since have been milk, yogurt, and eggs. And let me tell you, we're feeling it in our purse strings, but we're starting to really believe it's worth it. Fortunately, Publix's Greenwise label has a gallon of milk that costs almost $1.50 less than getting two Horizon or Organic Valley half gallons, Horizon's yogurt is cheaper than the Yoplait we used to buy, and we get organic eggs in bulk from Sam's.

Next stop? Meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables. But that will be awhile.

In the meantime, we'll keep on with what we've started, eating our buckwheat pancakes with flaxseed meal, organic eggs, and a glass of (delicous, and totally noticeably different) organic skim milk.

Oh, and I've finally decided to stop letting the fact that we don't have a convenient place to take recycling keep me from actually doing it. I'm setting up bins in our laundry room for us to store our piles and I'll just get off my lazy butt once a week and actually take it to the station. Heck, I might even walk there since it's less than a mile away!