Formulating a Plan

Well, it’s time I quit talking about getting serious and actually get down to business. I’ve been conjuring up an idea of a plan in my head this week. Yesterday I downloaded a weekly meal planner template and hope this evening to get a list going of my favorite recipes. I’m starting with the evening meals, then will work on breakfast and lunch. I also have loads of laundry to work through, so we’ll see how far I get – a little at a time, I suppose.

Along with the pms, I have other nagging health issues, and I’m really getting tired of always feeling sick in some form or another. This week it’s nausea and indigestion getting me down, something that comes on every now and then (no, I’m NOT pregnant!). I’m starting to think that may be something like gall bladder or acid reflux. That’s potentially a whole lot more serious than pms or psoriasis, so I’d better start paying attention to what my body is telling me. You know, 39 is just a couple of months away. Ugh!

In light of all that, these posts on Through the Cooking Glass are very timely: Planning, part 1 and part 2. I certainly needed a little inspiration, not to mention some practical help. Eating well takes work, you know. But it is so worth the effort. I know a few years ago when I was doing a better job of following The Maker’s Diet, I felt much better than I have been lately. My husband and I got a late start as parents and I want to be able to be there for my kid(s), to be able to do for them and have fun with them.

I have a long ways to go before I can completely follow the “Nourishing Traditions” way of eating. I’m so not there with things like juicing and grinding my own grain. But, I’m going to start where I am and do what I can do. So, here I go. I’ll post my results as I go. Maybe it’ll help someone else get started. Hey, I’d love to hear from you if you’re embarking on a similar endeavor.

Doggy Update

I wrote the last post about my dog Saturday evening. We made it through the night without him having to go out, and he seemed back to normal Sunday. So we resumed his regular food. Eeeeeh, not so fast.

We arrived home Sunday evening and soon noticed he had the runs again. He has been making it outside, so no yucky accidents to clean up – thank goodness. But we skipped his breakfast.  Boy has he ever moped around today. I don’t know about other breeds, but the two bassetts we’ve had seem to be all about food. So, he’s very sad that we haven’t given him any, poor doggy.

So, for dinner tonight, he’s going to have some chicken and rice. I’m cooking about a quarter cup (dry) of rice. I will chop up some chicken my husband is grilling and mix that into the rice. I’ll probably need to continue that for a few more meals to get his system back on track. Anybody out there have any healthy recipes for dogs?

ADDED NOTE: It took about a week of chicken & rice to get him back to normal. The initial rice I made above was a trial run. The batches I made after that consisted of 1 cup water, 1 cup chicken broth, and 3/4 cup brown rice – cooked until liquid was absorbed and rice soft. Then I mixed in whatever chicken I had available. The last couple of days I started mixing in some dry food, gradually increasing the amount. He is now back on dry food only. We haven’t yet re-introduced any canned food.

FYI Pet Food Recall

We are visiting my folks for the weekend and have brought our canine member of the family-a big old floppy eared basset hound. He’s been getting into the resident dog’s food and has been given some different dog biscuits. We assume these are what have caused his not so fun case of diarrhea.

Well, tonight as I went to check my Yahoo mail, I came across a news story about a pet food recall, which includes Iams – the brand we use – specifically the foil packs we brought on our trip. It’s OK, as the date code on our foil packets are before the recalled codes. But they were produced at the same plant. So, likely our first assumption is correct. He’s gotten into stuff his system is not used to. Apparently the only pets reported ill have been cats, anyway. But, I would consider this a near miss. Whew!

Well, here’s a link to the Iam’s website regarding the recall: Voluntary Recall. And, here’s a link to the Yahoo article that brought it to my attention: Pet Food Recall.

Trusting

It seems much of my focus thus far, here, has been on food. But, living a whole life involves much more than just what you eat. We have physical bodies that need to move (exercise – bleh). Even more than that, though, we need to pay attention to other aspects of ourselves, spiritually, emotionally, relationally/socially. This post regards my personal spiritual life, in response to my vent in the last post.

Now, I’m not out to tell anyone else what their spiritual life should entail. That is certainly not up to me. For me, I believe the God of the Bible. Yup, I’m one of those Christians. I’m a follower of Christ. Anyway, between the frustrations I expressed here, and a post lamenting my downfalls as a parent on my other blog, I was feeling somewhat discouraged. So, before switching off the lamp, I opened up my Bible and began to read. I was directed in my spirit to verses regarding God’s faithfulness. I quoted some of them on my other blog. But I was quite amazed to even find some that applied here:

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.  Psalm 145:15-16

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

Paranoia and Other Thoughts

After watching the documentary clips linked in the last post, I went to the Commissary (military grocery store) for some groceries. I was nearly paralyzed in the produce section staring at the tomatoes wondering, “how do I know that these are not genetically modified???” There was no information, whatsoever, on where they came from. sigh. Well, I needed tomatoes and can’t grow my own right now, so I closed my eyes and put some in a bag. Aaack!

As I commented on the last post, my main concerns regarding food centered on meat and dairy. [Speaking of which, I added a link to The Meatrix videos to my "Other Links" section on the side bar.] But, I hadn’t put much thought into the rest of our food consumption: fruits, vegetables, grains. As a matter of fact, I believed if compromises had to be made due to budget, it was best to compromise in the produce department. But I now see that issues from genetically modified food cannot simply be washed away with some veggie wash.

We’re having some temporary budget constraints this month and I can’t make my beef order. So it’s just chicken for a while. The expense of buying organic food is a real issue for many. For that matter, even getting access to organic food is a problem in many areas of the country. Where my mom lives in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, they don’t have a health food store or even “organic” options in the conventional store.

We do have a health food store across town. And I can get many “organic” products at our local Costco. But, guess what? The only “organic” milk I have been able to find at either, are brands currently being boycotted by the Organic Consumer’s Association! Yeah, they’re not all they’re cracked up to be. But, I’m figuring they have to be at least a half-step above conventional milk. They do claim no growth hormones or antibiotics. So, again, I close my eyes and put it in my cart. But the milk is still coming from confined, grain-fed cows. Aaargh!

Another thing that drives me nuts is finding, say, organic milk, but no organic available for any other dairy products. What’s the point?! Why spend the extra money on organic milk if you’re going to consume conventional cheese, yogurt, or countless other products containing milk. It all frustrates me to no end.

This post doesn’t really have a point. It is just a vent. To my hubby, I was not angry at you when we discussed the budget issue and putting off the meat order. I suppose I’m just angry at the world right now. At times I wish I could go back to blissful ignorance. I suppose I need to re-read the Rich Mullins quote over on the side bar and take a deep breath. Ultimately I trust in my Creator to provide for our most basic needs. I do the best I can with the resources at hand and everything will be OK.

Tag Surfing

I was tag surfing this evening and ran across Fragility Savored, a blog of an individual who has been recently diagnosed with Crohn’s. He tells quite a dramatic story of how he found himself having emergency surgery. If you’ve read my about page here, you know that my food and nutrition obsession interests kicked in when my husband became ill, ultimately being diagnosed with Crohn’s. So, naturally, my interest was piqued. He has some interesting posts about the future of food and experimental treatments for Crohn’s, among other things.

Not having Crohn’s, myself, I opted not to comment leaving unsolicited advice. But in the event anyone who’s interested in the subject comes by here I do want to recommend reading Jordan Rubin’s story about his battle with Crohn’s and trek back to health. He tells that story in his book Patient Heal Thyself. He’s also written another book on the subject with Joseph Brasco, Restoring Your Digestive Health. Again, for anyone looking for info on digestive health issues, my humble recommendations.

By the way, my husband is doing very well and has remained med free this year, since leaving behind a high stress job. All this in spite of my inconsistency in the food/diet department (as the one in charge of that arena for our family). He graduates from the Sgt Major Academy this May, so who knows what the next assignment will entail. Hopefully he has learned how to relax and manage stress along with the rest of the course.

ADDED NOTE: Regardless of your interest in Crohn’s, if you’re interested in the food you eat, you must click over to the the Future of Food post I mentioned and take the time to watch the video. This first video actually gives a history of genetically engineered food. I believe if you follow the links given, there are additional videos discussing the implications and the future of genetically engineered food. I’m off to do that now. Thank you, Fragility Savored, for sharing this information.

My Favorite Meatloaf

I suppose meatloaf is one of those dishes you either love or hate. I happen to love it. Of course I try to use grass-fed beef whenever I’m using beef in a recipe. I believe that makes a huge difference in whether it is healthy or not. To learn more about the difference between 100% always and only grass fed beef, and feed-lot grain fed, check out EatWild.com in my links.

When I do make meatloaf, this is my absolute favorite recipe. I think I printed it from a recipe program on the computer, which I can’t think of the name of. It is not installed on our current computer, so I’ll have to look for it to give proper credit. In the meantime, here’s the recipe.

Flavorful Family Meatloaf

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
• dash pepper
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (I use frozen)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• Salsa

Mix all ingredients, except salsa, well. Bake in small loaf pan 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, or until cooked through. Slice the loaf and spoon salsa over the slices. This makes 4 servings. To make a large, 10 serving, meatloaf, use 2 1/2 pounds ground beef and double the rest of the ingredients.

Enjoy!

More on PMS

So, on Peace06’s recommendation/reminder on the last post, I checked out westonaprice.org to see what info they had on the subject: Natural PMS Relief. They offer some nutritional guidelines for relieving those bothersome symptoms. It seems I’ll have to give up coffee AND tea, wine, and chocolate! Actually, this isn’t news to me, but I kind of liked feigning ignorance. But I have been under the impression that some wine, in moderation, was actually good for you. And, what about green tea??!! I just read an article about the cancer fighting properties of green tea that I was thinking of posting about. Maybe they just mean black tea.

They also list some vitamins/minerals that may need to be supplemented, as well as foods rich in those nutrients. That’s helpful. Additional information includes herbal helps, homeopathic treatments, and other considerations. It seems if I’m going to get serious about this I’ll need to give my diet an overhaul, and have another look at whole food supplements. Again, I’ll be perusing those aisles at the health food store. But these articles help me to know what I’m looking for. I hope it has been helpful for others, too.

Understanding PMS

I get a Women to Women newsletter in my email every so often featuring articles on various aspects of women’s health. A month or so back they featured PMS and PMDD. I hadn’t had much time to really read it until recently. It has lots of great information regarding what’s going on with your body, symptoms, diagnoses and treatment, diet and exercise, stress, etc: Understanding PMS and PMDD.

Most women feel slightly fatigued, tense, or emotionally low the week before menstruation— with the emphasis on slightly. It’s when premenstrual symptoms begin to worsen or disrupt your personal life, work or self-confidence that it could be time to take a closer look at what’s really going on. Patients often tell me that they feel out of control right before their periods — as though they are on an emotional and physical rollercoaster with devastating dips into fatigue, pain, anger, and depression. Some women are completely disabled each cycle by PMS, while others with more moderate symptoms hold out as best they can, knowing the ride will be over in a few days. 

I think most months I fall in the “moderate” category, holding out as best I can for about a week. My worst time, usually, is the first day or two of bleeding, which comes with moderate cramps. I’m not sure if the cramps have lessened with age, or if I have just learned to manage them better. I think it’s probably the latter, as occasionally they come on in the middle of the night and are quite severe. During the day I start the Aleve as soon as I feel them coming on. But at night, I guess I’ve passed that point by the time they wake me up.

But it seems the premenstrual symptoms may be worsening, with fatigue, headaches, and all that jazz, every month right about a week before my period starts. That is starting to effect my ability to keep up with my very active little boy and my household duties. In light of all that, I’m beginning to seriously consider the natural treatments the authors of this article recommend. I don’t know yet if I’ll sign up for their program or search out the local health food stores for PMS remedies. But I am definitely thinking something beyond popping Aleve and curling up with the heating pad needs doing.

At any rate, I’m certainly not the only female around with menstrual woes. So I thought I’d share the information here. I’d love to hear about any other articles or books that have been helpful for anyone else.