Cabinet Inspiration

We have all been there.  There’s nothing in the house to eat either healthy or not healthy.  A trip to the grocery store is way over due and the family is grumbling.  The truth is that you don’t feel like shopping.  True, things look pretty grim around here but upon taking a second glance I find some treasures.  Marshmallows never used that were bought for a chocolate fondue.   Rice Krispies cereal that someone thought they wanted and then promptly decided it was not for them now just sits in the cabinet and probably will be for another year.  Wahlah!  What do I need for rice krispie treats?  These two ingredients plus butter.  I have it!  And thus we have some great junk food on hand totally unplanned for the week.  We are happy campers. 

After this revelation, I am reminded that we are out of wheat bread and it is critical to get to the store before the week starts because a day without wheat bread is a day without sunshine to some in my household.  Wait a minute…….Hold on……..I remember that I have wheat flour in the basement.  It’s something I bought a while back when I was totally inspired to make some wheat pita.  I know I bought everything I needed way back when but when was that?  Is it expired?  Can it still be used?  My objective isn’t to kill us all off.  To my delight, I find I am within the limits of the “its’safe to eat” status and I decide to play Martha Stewart for the day.  Oh, how fun it is this to be able to whip up a batch of wheat pita.  Wow!  Why didn’t I do this before?  It is totally simple and something I will do again especially since I have all the ingredients that are not used in any of my other recipes that I know of.  The recipe can be found on this blog and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Wheat Pita recipe

I’m out of time but I am sure to look for and report future occurrences of cabinet inspiration.  This I am sure because it’s like winning the lottery and we all know what a rush that can be.  I am thankful for the perception that our cupboard was bare.

It's Time that Wii Begin

We received a Wii a few years back and for the most part, the kids used it.  Every once in a while there would be a family competition but I always viewed it as another robber of time.  That is until………we purchased the Wii Fit with the balance board.  It seemed like a great Christmas present.  After all, there is nothing like the approaching New Year to motivate oneself into stepping out and trying something new. 

The kids went wild with the games.  I decided to check out the yoga, strength and aerobic section.  I made my Mii and vowed to do the body check everyday.  Basically, this charts your weight and BMI.  You can also do some coordination exercises to see how fit you are in years.  As a beginner, I did it all but eventually opted to weigh and end the process to save time. 

So here I was, ready to dive into a daily routine of the unknown.  A decision was made to take it slow and to be truthful it is very slow at first when one is watching tutorials.  I scheduled an hour a day and had no preconceived ideas of where this would take me.  Doing something everyday was more than doing nothing. 

I watched video’s with zest and then executed the moves with my Wii Fit personal trainer.  Next I would be scored on my performance.  I worked on improving my score every day.  Eventually, I got discouraged with how much time it was taking to get through the moves.  This is when I decided to make my own routines.  (this eliminated getting scored after each exercise). Beginning routines consisted of 1 row of yoga, and strength exercises for a week and then adding on 1 or 2 in each category every week thereafter to make a change.  I also dabbled in some fun aerobic games randomly.

The result…..Slow and steady does win the race.  I found I really enjoyed yoga and felt like I was taking care of myself.  Fitness experts will tell you to mix aerobics with strength training.  The Wii enlightened me on what strength training really was.  I didn’t need to join a gym and the best part is that I was moving in ways I would have never done on my own. 

To my surprise the best part of the Wii was that, although a machine, it recognized how many days I was working out, what kind of activities as well as calories burned and noted these milestones.  I found this rewarding and validating on my journey to change.  If I missed a day or two doing the body test, it reminded me of how long it had been and encouraged me to stick with it.  Is it for everyone?  No, but it was a perfect start for me in an effort to change my lifestyle.

Pros

• The Wii is utilized by my family in a wide variety of ways
• Tutorials on everything
• I moved in ways I would not have without it
• I felt like I was taking care of myself
• I felt the emphasis was on mind and body and not spot exercising
• A great beginner tool – Motivating interaction with positive reinforcement
• I felt more energy and more motivated to make changes
• I didn’t feel alone in the process
• No need to spend money on a gym and driving to it.
• Activity outside the Wii can be tracked.
• It tracks weight and activity and graphs it for you over time. 

Cons:

• Not for a hard core exerciser who is used to expending a large amount of energy in a short amount of time.
• Some may not have the patience to stick with this if they want results fast.

Diet?

Some call it a diet, I call it a lifestyle change.  I have always rebelled saying I was on a diet.  Diets are something people are “on” or “off" thus implying the quest is complete when you are off.  I knew I was overweight and didn’t have energy.  I didn’t find joy in shopping for clothes, taking pictures and didn’t have a lot of energy or confidence.

I utilized peertrainer.com,  a free site to log my food, exercise and dietary goals.  Wow, what a revelation to log my activity and what I ate.  Yes, I walked the dog sometimes but I had gotten away from it regularly.  My diet was filled with processed foods, very few fruits and vegetables and I can’t even say I got my daily dose of dairy or calcium.  No wonder why I was in the state of needing change.  My bad habits weren’t just one day, they repeated themselves over and over. 

I love peertrainer.com, however, It’s only as good as you make it.  It is private and failure to be truthful is really just failing to wake up and smell the coffee.  For me, it was a way to identify what I needed to work on.  You can join multiple groups or just create your own private group.  I have participated at all levels at this website and have found it enlightening and very beneficial. The great thing about it is that everyone on the site has a different style of getting where they want to be.  You can state your goals and ask others to call you on the carpet if your eating habits or activity levels don’t jive with your goals you’ve set or you can ask for no input and do some self reflection. 

After looking at my logs or a week or two, I knew I was delusional about my eating habits and exercise.  The logs didn’t lie and why should they?  I was the only one really looking at them through a microscope.  My journey to change my eating lifestyle officially began.  The best part about this for me was it didn’t cost me a dime but time!

The Enlightenment of a Simple Life

There's nothing like a vacation to help slow down life and do some soul searching.  We regularly take vacations and stay in condos at our destination.  This is one area we splurge on.  Pack a few books, spices, clothes and a journal and I'm set.

It's amazing how comforting an empty condo can be.  The kitchen drawers and cabinets are sparse but for the most part, I have everything I need.  The wall units, dresser drawers and closets are empty except for a few things we brought.  No overflowing cabinets with food, dishes, pans, utensils or medicine cabinets cluttered with who knows what.  In spite of this all, I find peace with just being there.  The condo allows us to live the simple life.  There is no time or room to accumulate a lot of "stuff".  Clutter is picked up quickly and never seems to pile up. 

I return home and see stacks everywhere.  Paper, laundry and the various items I have accumulated over the years sitting in or on desks, dressers, shelves, and closets, not to mention the basement.  In reality, many of these items are long forgotten.  I realize after spending a week on vacation, that although I am not a hoarder, I do have an excess.  It's nice but the truth is, it doesn't add extra joy to my life.

How did this happen?  I do box up items for charity on a regular basis.  The answer is a little bit at a time.  It's time to rethink what I want and what I need.  Vacations are wonderful.  Thanks to our wonderful getaway accommodations, I am enlightened to the possibilities of living a simpler life going forward. 

New Bride Chicken Curry

This is a recipe from one of my new favorite books, 5 spices, 50 dishes by ruta kahate.  In the last year I have dared to try new recipes that I wouldn't have even thought of before.  This Indian dish is easy to make, delicious, colorful and better the next day.  I served it on a bed of basmati rice, green beans, grapes and some french bread. 

4 Tbsp canola oil

2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

2 tsp finely grated garlic (about 4 large cloves)

1 1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp cumin seeds, finely ground

1 c plus 1 Tbsp hot water, divided

3 medium tomatoes, minced (2 cups)

3 lbs chicken parts (a combination of bone-in thights and drumsticks works well here)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and saute the onions until they turn dark brown.  Mix the garlic, cayenne, turmeric, and cumin with 1 Tbsp of the water to make a thick paste.  Add to the browned onions and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and stir constantly over medium heat until the tomatoes start to break up, about 2 minutes, making sure the mixture doesn't scorch.  

Add the chicken and mix to coat with the spice paste.  Stir over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Add the remaining 1 cup water and the salt and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken  is cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Add the vinegar and sugar, simmer for 1 minute, and then taste.  Adjust the salt, sugar, and vinegar if needed.  This curry should be sweet and sour and spicy-hot.  Serve hot.  

The hardest part is getting started.

About 1 1/2 years ago, I decided that I wanted a better quality of life.  I wanted to lose weight, get fit and have energy, and concentrate on the things I thought were important in my life.  I knew this would be a new lifestyle for me.  The one I was living wasn't exactly the one I would desire for others.  I am very thrifty (which will also be a large part of this blog)  so joining a gym or a weight loss program was out of the question.  I needed to do this myself and on my terms if this was going to truly be a lifestyle change. I sat down and thought about it and came up with some very simple ideas to get me started. 

• Wean myself off of processed foods
• Start moving even if it meant just 5 minutes more a day.
• Step out of my box and be open to various types of exercise - I refused to try to spot exercise.  My goal was to get fit overall.  Mind Body and Soul. 
• Tracking the cost of of my life style change and the effects on my family
• Find and utilize resources out there just waiting for me to tap them
• Utilize the wii fit we just recieved 
• Graph my weight daily but not to obsess with it.  Losing fast is not the objective.  I have all the time in the world.  A life style change is what I am aiming for.
• Look at my changes and successes in small pieces, like building blocks over time.  Continually find new blocks to add to my stash.
• Continue to log expenses but in a more in depth way to get a true baseline on where I am in this category. 
• Set some goals with rewards which are meaningful and supportive of my new life style
• Start journaling  (I have several journals going at the same time)
• Figure out how to add this time into my already daily routine successfully
• Look at the excess in my life and try to streamline it.  Toss it, give it away and figure out what is truly important.
• Find joy in the process