For the last three weeks, I've been working 10-12 hours a day and that isn't going to let up any time soon. The result is that I'm eating poorly again. The first week we ate a lot of pizza and burgers, and the stress means I'm craving sugary and fatty things...sodas, chips, cookies. I've tried to indulge a little bit, but some days it takes all my willpower to keep from pigging out completely. And the worst part is, I don't feel well when I eat like this. I feel bloated and gross and tired, but I'm having a lot of trouble controlling myself.
At the beginning of last week, I tried to offset this problem by incorporating crockpot meals into my weekday routine. This isn't ideal for my goals, since I'd much prefer to be lightly cooking/steaming fresh veggies each night rather than letting the nutrition cook out of them all day long. But I haven't had much choice in the matter, and at least this way we're getting organic meat and veggies in a more-or-less home-cooked form. We also make burgers pretty often with the grass-fed beef because they TASTE SO DARN GOOD! Seriously, I will crave these burgers if it's been more than a week or two since I've had one. In this area, at least, fast food is no substitute. I might still have french fry cravings, but I no longer want burgers from the normal places.
I can't wait for things to settle down a little more, so I can get back to living healthy and weaning us off even more store-bought goods. For example, a friend last weekend told me that she'd just recently learning that most pickles have dyes in them. Sure enough, next time I went to Kroger, I checked every single brand (including Claussen), and all of them contained at least one dye. Why is that necessary?!? So now my weekend plans include trying out homemade pickles along with planting a few herbs and veggies. I'll let you know how they turn out. ;)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
I don't know if anyone else has the same experience, but often I'll start writing a blog with the intention of discussing one topic and instead something completely different comes out. I just kind of go with it, because then I already have another blog waiting in the wings for those weeks when I may have a little writer's block. Of course, I've discovered that the subject of healthy living is easy to talk about, especially now that friends regularly send me links to articles or products related to healthy living (for which I am very grateful...keep them coming!!). All in all, I may end up posting more often than once a week simply because there is so much information.
In my last post, for example, I intended to share a recipe with you guys, but something completely unrelated took over and the recipe wouldn't have fit. So now I can tell you what happened a few weeks ago. We had an appointment right after church one Sunday morning, and I knew we'd be starving by the time we got home. To make lunch easier and quicker, I cubed a grass-fed beef roast and tossed it in the crockpot with carrots, onions, a few spices, and a little water with the intention of returning to a simmering, delicious beef stew. Unfortunately, the lean beef soaked up all the water, leaving tender, perfectly cooked meat and veggies but no broth. How can you have stew without broth? You can't, obviously.
I started to panic because the whole point of this exercise was to have lunch ready to go. Then I had a brilliant idea. I put three cups of organic, reduced sodium beef broth in a saucepot and turned the heat up to high. As the broth heated, I tossed in some spices...a little salt and pepper, but primarily Penzeys English Prime Rib Rub, which may be the most glorious blend of spices ever...and stirred it regularly so nothing burned. I also took a little unbleached flour and water and whisked the two together to form a gravy base. Once the broth was boiling, I poured the flour mixture into the pan a little at a time, whisking constantly between additions to make sure it dissolved thoroughly before adding more. Once the broth was a good consistency (a little thinner than my normal gravy), I turned the heat down and scooped the beef and veggies into the pot. I let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to give the flavors time to mingle and get to know one another. The result was even better than I hoped...even J gobbled it up and he's not a huge beef stew fan. He said it tasted even better than the Campbell's chunky beef soup...high praise indeed. ;)
Then I had an even more brilliant idea...what a perfect way to use leftovers when we have a beef pot roast! If your family is anything like mine, they don't always appreciate leftovers the next day. I do my best to turn them into something exciting, but my creativity is somewhat limited in this regard so I'm very excited to have a new weapon in my arsenal. I hope it helps some of you as well!
In my last post, for example, I intended to share a recipe with you guys, but something completely unrelated took over and the recipe wouldn't have fit. So now I can tell you what happened a few weeks ago. We had an appointment right after church one Sunday morning, and I knew we'd be starving by the time we got home. To make lunch easier and quicker, I cubed a grass-fed beef roast and tossed it in the crockpot with carrots, onions, a few spices, and a little water with the intention of returning to a simmering, delicious beef stew. Unfortunately, the lean beef soaked up all the water, leaving tender, perfectly cooked meat and veggies but no broth. How can you have stew without broth? You can't, obviously.
I started to panic because the whole point of this exercise was to have lunch ready to go. Then I had a brilliant idea. I put three cups of organic, reduced sodium beef broth in a saucepot and turned the heat up to high. As the broth heated, I tossed in some spices...a little salt and pepper, but primarily Penzeys English Prime Rib Rub, which may be the most glorious blend of spices ever...and stirred it regularly so nothing burned. I also took a little unbleached flour and water and whisked the two together to form a gravy base. Once the broth was boiling, I poured the flour mixture into the pan a little at a time, whisking constantly between additions to make sure it dissolved thoroughly before adding more. Once the broth was a good consistency (a little thinner than my normal gravy), I turned the heat down and scooped the beef and veggies into the pot. I let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to give the flavors time to mingle and get to know one another. The result was even better than I hoped...even J gobbled it up and he's not a huge beef stew fan. He said it tasted even better than the Campbell's chunky beef soup...high praise indeed. ;)
Then I had an even more brilliant idea...what a perfect way to use leftovers when we have a beef pot roast! If your family is anything like mine, they don't always appreciate leftovers the next day. I do my best to turn them into something exciting, but my creativity is somewhat limited in this regard so I'm very excited to have a new weapon in my arsenal. I hope it helps some of you as well!
Recovering
I've spent most of the last week sick with something not fun...bad cold, severe allergies, I'm not sure what exactly it was. I think I may finally be over it, though, and I'm trying to catch up on my blog and Facebook pages. Yay!
I have some exciting alex+von news first: I just ordered the starter kit and training materials for the suki line of products. I've been using the nourishing line of products for a couple of weeks now, and they are really helping with my extremely dry winter skin. Once I have time to review the training materials, I can take a test and add suki to my list of specialized boutiques!
It's funny...when I began this whole process, I really just wanted to make a little extra money in addition to my normal full-time job. The more I use these products, though, the more I really want to share them with other people, and I've spent far more time than I planned in promoting them to my friends and family. I'm still trying to break into general online sales, but I have many things in the works (web site, etc.). It's a just a matter of finding the time and money to do them! In the meantime, keep ordering from alex+von, using me as your consultant, and I'll keep sharing the latest specials with you. In fact, right now 100% Pure is giving away a free 6 oz. body scrub (plus free shipping) when you order at least $70 worth of their products. If you've never used a body scrub before, you're missing out. I normally use mine right after shaving, and my skin feels so incredibly soft...ridiculously soft, really.
Here's a link to the body scrub, if you'd like to read the ingredients or browse the site to place an order. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have and don't forget to feed the fish before you leave!
I have some exciting alex+von news first: I just ordered the starter kit and training materials for the suki line of products. I've been using the nourishing line of products for a couple of weeks now, and they are really helping with my extremely dry winter skin. Once I have time to review the training materials, I can take a test and add suki to my list of specialized boutiques!
It's funny...when I began this whole process, I really just wanted to make a little extra money in addition to my normal full-time job. The more I use these products, though, the more I really want to share them with other people, and I've spent far more time than I planned in promoting them to my friends and family. I'm still trying to break into general online sales, but I have many things in the works (web site, etc.). It's a just a matter of finding the time and money to do them! In the meantime, keep ordering from alex+von, using me as your consultant, and I'll keep sharing the latest specials with you. In fact, right now 100% Pure is giving away a free 6 oz. body scrub (plus free shipping) when you order at least $70 worth of their products. If you've never used a body scrub before, you're missing out. I normally use mine right after shaving, and my skin feels so incredibly soft...ridiculously soft, really.
Here's a link to the body scrub, if you'd like to read the ingredients or browse the site to place an order. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have and don't forget to feed the fish before you leave!
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