New Life

2019 Start Anew

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Happy New Year! Welcome to 2019.

As the New Year begins–I thought I would “muse” about the to come. I know, it probably will consider better eating, being more present with my child and family and trying to become more focused on my priorities and values.

But I do that every year. Just like everyone else, I try to better myself, to focus on things that more me up the “human later” (if you can say there is one.) I’ve decided that 2019 needs to be different. It needs to take out the expected and pull in the fun, silly, happy go lucky feeling that we all wish upon our children. Or ourselves.

So instead of focusing so hard on a diet that is near impossible without planning and thinking–I am going to work at remembering why i enjoy eating the healthier foods. Trust me–not eating bread and things that way my gut down helps me feel better. Getting a big bag of cooked veggies is tasty and flavorful. And the colors i try to eat, the more excited I get about “eating the tainbow” (as I like to call it.)

So instead of stressing about always being there for my family–I am going to enjoy the moments I do have. Play tent with my son more. Smile with him as he drags me off the couch. Walk hand in ahnd with my husband through Disneyland feeling nastalic and yet parent proud about our son gradually growing up int he imagination we once (and continued) to explore in.

And instaed of worrying what others will say when I or whether or not i’m portraying the right image–I’m just going to worry less about the image and things that don’t exist and put my mental and emotional effort into the things that do exist. To the heart-felt missions I want to stand behind. Remember the blessings from those around me (at church, home or elsewhere) and how each person I know can truly have an impact.

What’s your plans for 2019? Do you have any? Is it worth making more? Let’s try to focus on what matters this year on a deeper level. Instead of living through the fake images that surround us.

This entry was posted in New Life, Theological ThinkTank.

Blog Boost

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blog image

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get back to my blog. Kids happen and memories to me are more important that documenting it all.

But I realized that my blog was a little outdated and needed some help. And the only way it was going to get help was for me to get back into posting and writing.

So just be prepared for new posts, new items and (dare I say it) — its own Facebook “page.” Please help it gain popularity by liking the page, checking out the blog and even suggestion things on the page you may want to hear discussions on. I’m pretty much open to anything. Musings of an afterthought, afterall 😉 (of course subject to personal choice.)

 

This entry was posted in New Life.

The Mean, Green, 2018!

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Welcome everyone to the New Year!

I know its a little behind. And there are always excuses for this. But I am honestly going to work on a more regular schedule for this blogging. We shall see where that goes.

To Recap: 2017 was both awesome and crazy of a year. Our kiddo turn 1 in August and he had many first events including giggling, crawling, walking and running. Yep-we’ve got a toddler folks! He’s still adorable as ever. Now he just makes your heart jump out of your chest as he runs down the hallway or tries to climb the sofa or recliner. Slow down kid!

2017 was also the beginning of me finally getting a chance to address my health. As previous posts have indicated… I have PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is a hormonal disorder where my ovary look like they have theese “cysts” (and some women can have actually cysts) causing me to not release an egg each month (aka not ovluating.) This is why conceiving was so hard and emotional for me.  It is also what causes my excessive hair growth, my overweight-ness despite working out a lot in previous years, trying the “nth” number diet only to lose little weight. BUT this year i actually lost 56lbs following my OBGYN’s suggestions to give up gluten, sugar and now going ketogenic. I’m meeting with her right before Lent to suggest some of the things I am going to talk about now.

So — for 2018 here are my goals (not resolutions, but going to accomplish things)

  1. get out of Debt: Shawn and I have a plan for this and prefer to keep that between us as much as possible. I admit I have spending problems but lets face it… one of the FEW girly things I enjoy is shopping and the thrill of something new and fun
  2. Get On with PCOS — while I have been doing a lot, I want to keep this momentum going. mostly because if Shawn and I want to consider any future children (which is a discussion best kept between us as well), I will need to be healthy and have a better grasp on my PCOS issues. I know things now, have a lost enough to make a differnce. My specific goal is to lose the additional 60 pounds to reach my “ideal weight” and go more gluten free/dairy free/unprocessed as much as possible. I don’t want to be on anyone’s “high risk” any longer. WHY? – for the sake of my son. I want to be here when he’s 30 or 35 or whenever. I want the most out of life with him and Shawn. Managing my PCOS also includes emotional health, physical health and pyschological health. While pregnant, I played the “pregnancy” card for a long time. Because I couldn’t get a grasp on myself. It made me bitter…and that sucked. I want more than that.
  3. Get going on work goals — I prefer not to discuss too many of these details either. But I have some very specific things I want to reach at work. Since I worked hard to bring myself up from being out on leave last year. I want 2018 to only look 10x better than 2017.

 

What are your goals? Do you get specific, general, or don’t even plan? Share with others about goals you have met and goals you are struggling with. Reach for it!

 

This entry was posted in Diabetic-Coated, Mommying in the Modern Era, New Life.

The struggle is real: keto diet

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So in efforts to both struggle and enjoy my ketogenic diet, I thought I would spend a blog entry venting a little about some of the things I miss now that I can’t eat them.

Ketogenic diet with nutrition diagram written on a note.

So one of the biggest things I miss is bread. Not pasta; not soy sauce. Fluffy white or crispy toasted bread.  I absolutely love the smell of pretzels, of cinnamon rolls and sugar. Of cupcakes. Yep–even plain fresh baking bread. It just drives me nuts. If for just one day– I would devour all the bread I could eat. But yeah–that would probably damage me for life. I can dream, right? And ironically every time It think about having a little…I get worried i’m going to have a night in the bathroom or be sick. And I don’t want that. I prefer just not eating it.

That being said–the second thing I do miss is copious amounts of sugar. As in i would eat icing out of the can regularly beforehand. Cookies. Candy. Yum Yum. I could even be gluten free and still enjoy a ton of sugar. But again, I think of how my body can’t process it and how much damage I did eating straight sugar so I am okay living this one on the side. The only thing I get frustrated is learning all the things that have high levels of sugar that I didn’t expect. Like BBQ sauce. Or even coleslaw. Fraps and smoothies and Jamba juice. Tons and tons of sugar. ::sigh::  I’ll be alright. I’ve learned to let it go.

Finally–if I could give up these two things. I would probably want to be able to enjoy rice. When i was in college I used to cook rice in a rice cooker and cover it in butter and pepper for dinner. As I got older– I added spices and sauces but whenever I was depressed, a good big bowl of white jasmine rice and butter.

In regards to missing actions. I think the biggest thing I miss is being able to go out and get anything to eat. Taco Bell, Del Taco, Jack in the Box, you name it. Drinking milkshakes, eating french fries and tacos. Yep–i wish I could do it all. But then I think about how that always made me feel and I back away from it very quickly. My only small goal is if I have a good doctor’s report in February- Shawn and I are going to enjoy a heart-shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day. And maybe a milkshake in the morning and taco bell for lunch. For One day.

 

This entry was posted in New Life.

Meal Prep Keto Style

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So I am on day “ugh I don’t know” on my Keto diet. Just thought I’d pop in, comment on how I’m doing and let y’all in on some secrets/tips helping me out.

So starting this last week I noticed my body finally fighting back to this new diet. All the books and writings tell you to expect this in the 2-3 week so I was prepared a little. But not in the way I reacted. Dieters of getting Keto “sick” as they call it, I got Keto emotional. Seriously. I cried over commercials, got snappy and no, it wasn’t THAT time of the month. And no baby either so don’t go getting ideas 😝 I know my body well enough that “three” is the magic number for my hormones to check themselves into and out of things. 3 months after Austin was born, 3 months when I went off birth control. 3 weeks for Keto. It all fits with my body chemistry which is fun to know.

<<<<<<
s–I was meal prepping late last night and thought there are a lot of tips and tricks I use to keep on this. We can not talk about the huevos rancheros I ate Sunday night but at least I stayed busy cooking afterwards and I walked 14k+ steps so hopefully that will help.

Tip #1: plan!

Keto doesn't work without planning. Every time I don't think ahead about what I'm eating…I'm eating boring bland food or something super expensive. Neither of which I like doing. The weeks I did great I planned. It just works better. I lucked out the two books I've been using have 30 day or 4 week challenges to keep you Keto. One with pictures and how to use leftovers. I'll let you know those at the end. This week since I slipped a little, I decided working on writing down everything I knew I needed to factor in. I scanned the books, kept things the way I liked them from last week and wrote out on a sticky note and pasted it to the fridge. Helps Shawn and I are working to eat at home more.

Tip#2 : No Distractions

I know–I'm crazy asking this. But for this momma it's more a safety as well as a separation anxiety issue because my kid is a distraction. But I highly recommend doing this after kiddos go to bed or if no kids, blocking out time so you can focus. The times I do meal prep if I don't have any distractions, I get it done faster. And yes that does mean minor sleepless nights sometimes but hey-it's the only time I've got and in the end it's fine.

Tip#3 : your tools

My meal prep time has been seriously affected by what tools I have. This is why planning Is important. If you plan, you can shop Friday/Saturday or whatever day your goods. Then you plan a prep day. Plan small at first (3-m days or all family dinners for a week) and eventually you can move to two meals or the whole day plus snacks!

Also make sure you have the kitchen hardware. Currently I have a Hamilton beach smoothie " bullet" type blender. I currently love making protein shakes for my morning meals. I even have sugar free s'mores and other syrup flavors making the shake world exciting.

Last night I used my cast iron and I would highly recommend using this if you're cleaning as you go, then going from one recipe to another is a snap. I made my dish of no tortilla breakfast burritos, rinsed and oiled and went right into a pseudo "pasta" dish. It's so simple, easy to clean and quicker than the dishwasher.

Tip#4

Find help!–honestly A quick and easy guide to ketogenic diet cookbook and The Wicked good Ketogenic cookbook. Have made foods easy/quick and simple to understand how it fits the diet.

Here are the links:

Quick & Easy Ketogenic Cooking: Meal Plans and Time Saving Paleo Recipes to Inspire Health and Shed Weight https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628601000/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zL9gAbFC1XCBZ

The Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Easy, Whole Food Keto Recipes for Any Budget https://www.amazon.com/dp/162315734X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_bM9gAb8QY6GXY

This entry was posted in Diabetic-Coated, New Life and tagged , .