i knew i needed to get through some produce that's been sitting in my fridge. so i remembered an eggplant some friends gave me...i paired that with some recently acquired tomatoes...and an onion. nom nom nom.
it's currently cooking. and i'm waiting. it was refreshing to see the vibrant colors of the eggplant and the tomatoes. :) i can't wait.
that's it.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
food you make
you have to slow down when you make your own meals. we're used to fast food and convenient food. so tonight i made a lovely weight watchers meal. i haven't even tasted it yet, but i smell it, i touched it, i made it, i heard it. i tried to interact with all of my senses on this one. there's something special about interacting with your food.
so, i forgot to get tomato sauce for this pizza so i decided to swing it. i had gotten some oregano and basil from our garden and i knew that it would probably be good in tomato sauce. i did a quick search for homemade tomato sauce and found something that seemed easy enough. it wasn't creamy like normal tomato sauce but it was just as delicious. i threw that on the pizza with the other ingredients. i think it will turn out good :)
just 12 more minutes until we get to eat it!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
the deals you make
before i start this post i need to share something with you. SOMEONE STOLE from our garden. :(. i'm so sad. when i went inside to ask k if he had picked the bell pepper and our garden salsa peppers, i expected him to say yes...but when he said no, we realized that someone got to our food before us. sharing is hard, isn't it? especially when you aren't asked.
alright. now to the blog.
have you made deals with yourself? examples: diet starts monday! i'll workout tomorrow....i'll do x, y, z tomorrow. as soon as i'm down this many pounds, i'll do this.
i have used those excuses at some point in my life. i remember eating an enormous amount of junk food on a sunday thinking that on monday all of my troubles would disappear and i'd have a renewed sense of commitment to eating well. or i'd leave work and pass the gym promising myself that tomorrow i'd work out. i never did start eating well on monday and i didn't get to the gym b/c something else would seem like fun. most of the time i would come home from work, take a nap and then eat something delicious like cookie dough. i recently thought about what i was thinking during that time. i had gone through a pretty significant break up when i was in grad school and my eating habits began to change. i still worked out but i ate for companionship. that same behavior followed me to omaha. i was living in a city that didn't seem familiar and the only familiar thing was food. so, many pounds later, i would breathe heavily when climbing the stairs, i would notice how my car would lean when i got in it, i noticed how i couldnt' buckle the airplane seatbelt that easily...and my parents offered to pay for WW. and that's where my journey with WW started.
as i started to lose weight i made a new deal. as soon as i got to goal weight i would try to go for being a workout instructor. i wanted to feel comfortable in my skin and lead people in good health.
my deal was really behind fear...it wasn't that i needed to be at goal weight, it was that i needed to be confident. so, i've had the opportunity to face that fear. my workout instructor and friend is out on leave for a foot surgery she had, and now i'm subbing for her. it is quite the experience to watch your every move in a huge mirror. i do wish i was at my goal weight, but this is part of the journey. i love that there are classmates who are on this journey with me and that i'm not doing this alone.
my deal this week is to be okay putting my full health as a priority.
alright. now to the blog.
have you made deals with yourself? examples: diet starts monday! i'll workout tomorrow....i'll do x, y, z tomorrow. as soon as i'm down this many pounds, i'll do this.
i have used those excuses at some point in my life. i remember eating an enormous amount of junk food on a sunday thinking that on monday all of my troubles would disappear and i'd have a renewed sense of commitment to eating well. or i'd leave work and pass the gym promising myself that tomorrow i'd work out. i never did start eating well on monday and i didn't get to the gym b/c something else would seem like fun. most of the time i would come home from work, take a nap and then eat something delicious like cookie dough. i recently thought about what i was thinking during that time. i had gone through a pretty significant break up when i was in grad school and my eating habits began to change. i still worked out but i ate for companionship. that same behavior followed me to omaha. i was living in a city that didn't seem familiar and the only familiar thing was food. so, many pounds later, i would breathe heavily when climbing the stairs, i would notice how my car would lean when i got in it, i noticed how i couldnt' buckle the airplane seatbelt that easily...and my parents offered to pay for WW. and that's where my journey with WW started.
as i started to lose weight i made a new deal. as soon as i got to goal weight i would try to go for being a workout instructor. i wanted to feel comfortable in my skin and lead people in good health.
my deal was really behind fear...it wasn't that i needed to be at goal weight, it was that i needed to be confident. so, i've had the opportunity to face that fear. my workout instructor and friend is out on leave for a foot surgery she had, and now i'm subbing for her. it is quite the experience to watch your every move in a huge mirror. i do wish i was at my goal weight, but this is part of the journey. i love that there are classmates who are on this journey with me and that i'm not doing this alone.
my deal this week is to be okay putting my full health as a priority.
Monday, August 10, 2009
well rounded health?
last week i had quite the week. kenley and i had a really good conversation. in that conversation kenley reminded me that i'm carrying a lot of stress. i don't think that i acknowledge that it's a stressful time in my life...and by me saying that doesn't mean i'm not caring about someone else's stress :)
but because i'm stressed it doesn't take much to push me over the edge.
that brings me to the question of well-rounded health.
i'm borrowing marcia's copy of bell hooks' sisters of the yam: black women and self-recovery. the most challenging chapter has been knowing peace: and end to stress. funny that this chapter follows work makes life sweet.
the chapter begins with 'when we live in peace, our lives are not tormented by the anguish of stress.'
hooks continues by writing 'we are only able to make lifestyle choices that enhance well-being and reduce or eliminate debilitating stress if we believe we deserve to live well. Most black women do not have this sense of 'entitlement.' we are not raised to believe that living well is our birthright. Yet, it is. We have to claim this birthright. Doing so automatically creates a change in perspective that can act as an intervention on the stress in our lives.'
i read this book just about a chapter a week b/c it's incredibly challenging. stress affects all parts of our health. right?
so yesterday i was reading Wired...there was a pretty hilarious four page spread on technology. at the end of the article/segment there is a section about not working all of the time. the writer mentions a decision you have to make between calling in sick to go on a 3 day vacation with friends to iceland....or going to work. the writer encourages the reader to think to five years from now and wonder how will this decision affect me in the future and how will this make my life not about work. there's no question, i would call in sick and take that vacation. well i'd probably just take a vacation day...but if you know me, you'd know what i'd do. i think we take ourselves too seriously, especially when it comes to work, and when we take ourselves too seriously we get stressed out about things that are ridiculous and we stress other people out.
so to have well rounded health i really think that we have to live life...well. this isn't living life in disrespect to others or as irresponsible adults, but it's living life and enjoying what life is. we're surrounded by every day miracles, chances to interact with people from all walks of life, opportunities to accept the invitation to remember we're not as important as we think we are....and to just be.
so. my suggestion for well rounded health. i think that people could take a vacation day or a half day once a quarter (especially on a friday) and just be. :)
but because i'm stressed it doesn't take much to push me over the edge.
that brings me to the question of well-rounded health.
i'm borrowing marcia's copy of bell hooks' sisters of the yam: black women and self-recovery. the most challenging chapter has been knowing peace: and end to stress. funny that this chapter follows work makes life sweet.
the chapter begins with 'when we live in peace, our lives are not tormented by the anguish of stress.'
hooks continues by writing 'we are only able to make lifestyle choices that enhance well-being and reduce or eliminate debilitating stress if we believe we deserve to live well. Most black women do not have this sense of 'entitlement.' we are not raised to believe that living well is our birthright. Yet, it is. We have to claim this birthright. Doing so automatically creates a change in perspective that can act as an intervention on the stress in our lives.'
i read this book just about a chapter a week b/c it's incredibly challenging. stress affects all parts of our health. right?
so yesterday i was reading Wired...there was a pretty hilarious four page spread on technology. at the end of the article/segment there is a section about not working all of the time. the writer mentions a decision you have to make between calling in sick to go on a 3 day vacation with friends to iceland....or going to work. the writer encourages the reader to think to five years from now and wonder how will this decision affect me in the future and how will this make my life not about work. there's no question, i would call in sick and take that vacation. well i'd probably just take a vacation day...but if you know me, you'd know what i'd do. i think we take ourselves too seriously, especially when it comes to work, and when we take ourselves too seriously we get stressed out about things that are ridiculous and we stress other people out.
so to have well rounded health i really think that we have to live life...well. this isn't living life in disrespect to others or as irresponsible adults, but it's living life and enjoying what life is. we're surrounded by every day miracles, chances to interact with people from all walks of life, opportunities to accept the invitation to remember we're not as important as we think we are....and to just be.
so. my suggestion for well rounded health. i think that people could take a vacation day or a half day once a quarter (especially on a friday) and just be. :)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
age
yesterday at work i was complaining about how my hip was hurting...and then how my back was hurting. i immediately felt old.
today in the gym i realized that in the past two years i can tell a marked difference in how my body responds or doesn't respond to exercise...and weight loss. when i first started weight watchers i lost weight almost every week. granted i had a lot of weight to lose, but i never had a truly difficult series of months. but this time around, i'm noticing that it takes a little bit more work to really encourage these pounds to go hiking. i have to run a bit more. i have to weight train a bit more.
and i know it's worth it. i'd love to turn 30 and be in the best shape of my life. i admire the women who come to the gym each morning and are well into their 50s...and look amazing. committing to health is a life long journey!
today in the gym i realized that in the past two years i can tell a marked difference in how my body responds or doesn't respond to exercise...and weight loss. when i first started weight watchers i lost weight almost every week. granted i had a lot of weight to lose, but i never had a truly difficult series of months. but this time around, i'm noticing that it takes a little bit more work to really encourage these pounds to go hiking. i have to run a bit more. i have to weight train a bit more.
and i know it's worth it. i'd love to turn 30 and be in the best shape of my life. i admire the women who come to the gym each morning and are well into their 50s...and look amazing. committing to health is a life long journey!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
blogstalker
i said that i was going to use this blog to reflect more on my journey with food an weight loss and in between. i guess my journey has to be reflective of all of the areas of my life....spiritual, social, emotional, mental. etc.
so, one of my favorite things to do is to follow blogs. especially blogs about people moving to omaha.
i remember stumbling on alice kim's blog. she recently opened a sweet store in the old market, trocedero, and moved from new york to omaha. sound familiar? i knew that her experience wasn't goin got be just like kenley's, but i knew that he would have someone to talk to about his move to omaha from new york (he will be here a year at the end of this month!)
so. daphne told me about a blog about a young woman's journey to omaha. what intrigued me was that she was a member of the Episcopal church. britt, mar, kenley and i just finished our inquiry class and because one of my strengths is INPUT, i want to devour everything Episcopal. she recently arrived from the west coast to o-town! welcome!
anyway. i stalked her blog. enjoy!
so, one of my favorite things to do is to follow blogs. especially blogs about people moving to omaha.
i remember stumbling on alice kim's blog. she recently opened a sweet store in the old market, trocedero, and moved from new york to omaha. sound familiar? i knew that her experience wasn't goin got be just like kenley's, but i knew that he would have someone to talk to about his move to omaha from new york (he will be here a year at the end of this month!)
so. daphne told me about a blog about a young woman's journey to omaha. what intrigued me was that she was a member of the Episcopal church. britt, mar, kenley and i just finished our inquiry class and because one of my strengths is INPUT, i want to devour everything Episcopal. she recently arrived from the west coast to o-town! welcome!
anyway. i stalked her blog. enjoy!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
creation
when i pick kenley up in the morning, i always try to get there a little early so i can peek at our garden.
this morning, after the gym, i ran by and picked up my laundry and stood in the garden a bit. the rain from last night must've fed the plants a lot. i kneeled and stared in awe at the plants. these little plants started from mere seeds at some point. there are a few plants that i started from seeds (some basil and thyme - the thyme is trying to grow!)...and other plants that we bought as planters. i'm amazed that in a little seed, there are molecules, cells and etc and all and then some...that know what to do with the right food, water, ingredients. life bursts forth in the midst of solitude. it's amazing.
i stood up and looked at the herbs. we have lemon verbana, oregano and basil. i looked at a particular basil plant that i have quite an affinity towards. there was an afternoon when k and i got into a disagreement and the tears started to flow. the tears weren't a response to the disagreement, but it was an emotional response to what's been growing inside of me. i get married in less than three months, i move, i'm learning about myself as a woman...lots of heavy things...and i'm trying to grow in the midst of brokenness. so, this basil plant got eaten up by this green worm. its leaves were destroyed...i didn't think it was going to make it. but i replanted it with the hopes that a new home near other herbs would make it happy. that move saved that litel plants life. it's now thriving with life...after brokenness.
so this morning i just stood in wonder at all the things that were growing. the butternut squash that is loving life...the blossoms that continue to catch my eye with its telltale orange/yellow blossom. then i catch a whiff of our tomatoes...and then i smell the basil. i haven't even touched the basil, but its fragrance is overwhelming (in a good way). it covers the garden in a sweet healing and protective aroma.
i love the garden.
this morning, after the gym, i ran by and picked up my laundry and stood in the garden a bit. the rain from last night must've fed the plants a lot. i kneeled and stared in awe at the plants. these little plants started from mere seeds at some point. there are a few plants that i started from seeds (some basil and thyme - the thyme is trying to grow!)...and other plants that we bought as planters. i'm amazed that in a little seed, there are molecules, cells and etc and all and then some...that know what to do with the right food, water, ingredients. life bursts forth in the midst of solitude. it's amazing.
i stood up and looked at the herbs. we have lemon verbana, oregano and basil. i looked at a particular basil plant that i have quite an affinity towards. there was an afternoon when k and i got into a disagreement and the tears started to flow. the tears weren't a response to the disagreement, but it was an emotional response to what's been growing inside of me. i get married in less than three months, i move, i'm learning about myself as a woman...lots of heavy things...and i'm trying to grow in the midst of brokenness. so, this basil plant got eaten up by this green worm. its leaves were destroyed...i didn't think it was going to make it. but i replanted it with the hopes that a new home near other herbs would make it happy. that move saved that litel plants life. it's now thriving with life...after brokenness.
so this morning i just stood in wonder at all the things that were growing. the butternut squash that is loving life...the blossoms that continue to catch my eye with its telltale orange/yellow blossom. then i catch a whiff of our tomatoes...and then i smell the basil. i haven't even touched the basil, but its fragrance is overwhelming (in a good way). it covers the garden in a sweet healing and protective aroma.
i love the garden.
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