And now for something completely different

I really don't like to go out on a limb and say things like, "Best ever," "Nothing like it," and "Life-changing," because those are pretty big words that could lose a lot of their oomph if you use them haphazardly.

Keeping that in mind, you may know that last October I took the first step on what has turned out to be a truly life-changing journey for me. I signed up for Bodyback, a more intense program from the fab mama who created Stroller Stride that includes workouts and a food component and it ended up to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. When I tell people about it, I have a hard time talking about the food part of it because it is definitely not a restrictive diet or calorie counting. I guess I haven't exactly found the right words to describe that part of it. The next eight-week Bodyback session begins next Monday (my third!) and I was looking back over my food journals to see how I was eating when I started this process.

My very first day of Bodyback, when I came home from my first group workout with my new food journals in hand and I had done no shopping to prepare any of the meals included, I had a bowl of cereal and a protein smoothie (one of the Bodyback recipes) made with a banana, yogurt, rice milk, protein powder, flax seed and peanut butter (because we are the type of family who has all these things in the house at any given time). It was a few days before I was only eating one of the breakfasts at a time - I did a few days of the peanut butter protein smoothie with something else, like the egg breakfast sandwich or the breakfast quinoa.

It took me about a week to incorporate the two snacks into my day, and then a few more weeks to actually eat them consistently every day. Looking over all of the week's of food journaling since October 24, there hasn't been one entire week where I didn't have at least one after dinner snack, be it healthy or not!

Now that I am working out six days a week, my eating and need for energy has changed so dramatically from my needs the first few weeks. Add on top of that I am achieving a personal best for running distance each week as I train and prepare for the Capital City Half-Marathon, and some days I find myself needing to eat every hour and a half to two hours! Certainly a change from the beginning.

Anyway, I promise to update this more as I move through this next session of Bodyback., My goals are different and my body is different from when I started, so I really have no idea what to expect.

So It's Been a Long Time. Whatevs.

Anything less than a year and I consider myself a candidate for sainthood.

Today happens to be Valentine's Day 2012. Our kiddo's third day Valentine's Day.

We (okay, maybe it's just me - I probably shouldn't speak for the hubs) would put ourselves squarely into the "less is more" category when it comes to giving gifts. I got my husband a thoughtful card and made us a super delectable, unexpected Valentine's Day treat (The New York Times' Dark Chocolate Cherry Ganache Bars). I'm planning a flavorful yet relatively healthy dinner (The Gracious Pantry's clean eating curry chicken and Enlightened Cooking's Moroccan quinoa salad) and that's it. It should be noted here that I love to cook and would have made dinner anyway - now I get to make something brand new. We got the toddler a big ol' red mylar Valentine's balloon and a card that plays music. And that's it.

That being said, I can't help but feel like I should be doing more, what with all the ads littering the right side of my Facebook news feed for 14 dozen roses, delivered by a dancing cat dressed like your favorite character from Downton Abbey, and the posts from friends in which they share that they made their kids a fully-functioning servant robot.

I've never been one to go all out on Valentine's Day and, in fact, I am a pretty awkward romantic dinner date. I'm also a hot mess at arts and crafts and other homemade-y gifties. What about you all? Do you go all out on this day, or is it just an exceptionally pleasant February day?  

Here come yum yums!

For Christmas I received "A Homemade Life," written by Seattle's very own Molly Wizenberg. I have to admit to a bit of a girl crush, here, as Molly, at least what I know of her through her writing, is the type of person I thought I would end up becoming. At the very least, I know we would become fast friends were we to ever meet.

Anyway, I finished the book a few days ago (I don't get much time to read these days). I get most of the recipes I make and my ideas for meals from magazines and books. This book has already found it's way into heavy rotation in my kitchen.

In the last three days, I have made from this book the red cabbage salad with lemon and pepper, the tomato soup with two fennels and the mega-yummy custard-filled cornbread (hence, the photo of the half-empty pan).


The cabbage salad? Gone. The soup? We've had it for two meals and I see a revival for dinner tonight. The custard-filled cornbread? Well, we had it for breakfast this morning and it's already half gone, so I don't think it's long for this world, either.

Before the baby was born, we cooked and baked ALL. THE. TIME. We made our own bread all the time (like, for realsies - we did not buy bread at the store for anything, sandwiches, toast, whatever). When baby showed up, the cooking (and for that matter the regular meals) kind of went by the wayside. We'd dappled here and there in cooking, but once she turned six months old I had an epiphany/breakdown. The baby honeymoon time of screwing around, not cleaning the house and eating like garbage was over and it was time for us to start making meals that normal people would recognize. And that would go onto a plate before going into our mouths.

Although she'll never read this, I would like to send up a heartfelt thank you to Molly Wizenberg for the kick in the pants I needed to start looking forward to meal prep and grocery shopping again. For me, cooking and baking are where I feel creative and sane and I'm pleased to have both back in my life.

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Okay, so what is with me being all serious for an entire blog post?

The List Goes On

Bought a new laundry basket today and started gathering supplies in it for the home birth. I know it's a bit early, but I need something to fixate on.

You do buy a home birth kit but there are things not in the kit that you need to have ready to go. Most of them I get - maxi pads, extra set of sheets (with a handy dandy diagram to show you how to make your bed for the big day), towels, washcloths, sitz bath, crock pot to keep washcloths warm, so on and so forth.

The one I don't get is a cookie sheet. If someone plans on making me cookies during this process then I am VERY happy. If not, what is it for?

My guess is an implement tray.

Although I'd prefer there be cookies on it.

Jicama and other oddities

Currently, my baby is the size of a large jicama.

WTF?

Thanks, BabyCenter weekly emails, for forcing me to learn about fringe veggies.

Bacon. The Candy of Meats.

Do you know what happens if you google "quotes about bacon?"

I do.

The first result is an Ogden Nash quote which is actually about bacon (score one for Google).

The second result is Francis Bacon quotes (minus one for Google. Tally = zero).

Sixth down the list was my winner, "Top 10 Quotes About Bacon From Television." With that I give you...

“Special day! Oh, what have I forgotten now? Now, don’t panic. Is it Bacon Day? No, that’s crazy talk!” Homer, The Simpsons

My friend Anne today sent me a link to what is quite possibly the most uplifting Web site in all the land - http://bacontoday.com/.

With such headlines as "Courageous Firefighters Save Bacon Before it Happens," about two little piggies rescued from a well (wait for it...I know, funny, right?) and a recipe for Turbaconducken (Turducken wrapped in bacon, naturally), this is truly a site that has the power to bring hope and unity to a nation torn asunder.

To restore a former glory and recall a history not filled with hatred and spite, but with tolerance and forgiveness.

This, my friends, is the power of bacon.

Bow your head before it's awesomeness.









Turbaconducken

I Heart Ideas For the Blog

A month or so back I was frustrated with myself for not taking the time to update this blog more often, so I decided to take advantage of a slow period during the work day (i.e. I was bored of working) to write down a list of things that I'd like to write about.

Still haven't actually written ABOUT any of them, so I thought at the very least I could post the list here. Then it's kind of like writing about them, right?

* Why I like wearing shoes with heels: What it is like to be short

* How I became an obsessive bread baker

* Jamming (as in making some and putting it in a jar, sans botulism)

* The Olympia Farmer's Market: Real life food porn

* The high importance email epidemic - or people who think everything is of the utmost importance (to the guy at the deli: I WAS NOT cutting in front of you so don't get snippy with me, you looked to be in line with the woman in front of me, seeing as how you were digging in her purse and all)

* How annoyed I was at the short-lived corn processors association commercials trying to convince me that high fructose corn syrup is GOOD for me because it is made from corn and all natural. Uranium is all natural and you don't see people drinking that in their juice boxes.