The Eating Experiment: Pt 1, the Whys of Going Gluten-Free

image found here

So I mentioned in my Lent post that I have been almost entirely gluten-free for going on two months now (save those dark chocolate brownies on the first day of Lent. Mmmmm, sacrilicious).  The desire to change my eating patterns for better health started several years ago--but I will write about that next.  The more recent impetus for this first change was that bad cold/viral/bacterial/who knows what that pretty much wiped me out for almost 2 months.  My family all got a touch of it, but just a touch--for them it was just a mild cold, easily shrugged off, while for me it became an ongoing, life-sucking drudge. 

(by the way, one of the fun things about writing in this blog is that I get to stir the gray matter a bit, and words that seem like they might say what I mean float to the surface, pleasant re-discoveries that don't normally come into use.  But I don't trust my instincts usually--I have to look the words up to make sure I'm not using them too outrageously.  So just now I had the pleasure of looking up the definitions of drudge, dredge, and dreck, and finding them all pretty much just what I had thought, which is most satisfying.  As is learning that dreck is Yiddish.)

So after being under the weight of illness for over a month, I remember talking and swapping woes with my dear Becky, who was herself also going through the same yuck.  She told me about a conversation she had recently had with her own mother, who lives just down the lane from her.  She had been bemoaning her illness, and commenting on how something was going around and everybody had been getting it (which was true--a friend of mine who is an ER doc locally told me when the wave of sick people started coming to the ER, the docs all said to one another, "Is this what the flu is going to look like this year?"  But then a month later the true flu suffers starting coming in, so something else had been making the rounds first).  But Becky's mom just said to her, "Becky, I haven't gotten it."  Becky's mom was attributing her overall good health to being gluten-free, which she has been for years.  So, Becky decided to try going gluten-free. 
So there I was, sick, desperate for anything to help me get better, and knowing in my core that my diet probably had something important to do with how I feel and how I fight illness--I heard this story from Becky, and in the very same week no less than three bloggers I read announced they either were or were going gluten-free, for health reasons. 

It seemed like the writing on the wall. 

Oh, and by the way, I did not go to the Dr. for my illness.  First I thought, Oh this will be over with soon, it's just a cold.  Then I was getting better, only to have a terrible rebound.  Then when it was at its worst, the last thing I wanted to do when I felt so cruddy and was just managing to keep my head above the water in my homeschool and household duties was work out the logistics of getting to the dr. without or without four children. So I said to myself, If I don't get better soon, I'll go to the doctor, but in the meantime I decided to try the gluten-free (GF) thing to see if it made a difference in my healing.   And it really was not that hard to do--a GF diet is free of wheat, barley and rye, but still allows oats, cornmeal, rice, quinoa and potatoes. (And a bunch of other uncommon flours and grains, like millet and almond flour, but I don't think I'll be going there.)  My goal was just to see if I could avoid gluten for at least 6 weeks and try to determine if being gluten free seemed to improve my overall well-being.  

I really do not know definitively whether or not the gluten was hampering my immune system; all I can say is I did get better pretty quickly after that. I would say I was 95% normal after a week and 1/2 of going GF.  But it could have just been the illness finally running its natural course.  So I decided to stick with the experiment through Lent, giving a longer time period for my body to respond.

I looked up the symptoms of gluten insensitivity on various medical webpages, and those do not particularly seem to fit me, so I don't think I will end up keeping a gluten free diet longer than Lent.  At that time I will re-introduce gluten foods slowly, just to help confirm whether or not I feel a difference in my body.  And I'll try to re-introduce only the grains that are best for us, like whole grains--and limit how much I ingest in a day, since while gluten so far does not seem like a big deal to my body, I am sensing that carbohydrates in general are problematic for me.

continued in Pt. 2, for anyone who might find this interesting ; )

  

file under "score one for my adventuresome kids"

Today's breakfast:  Peach Oatmeal Smoothie

Ingredients:

The last of the whole fat yoghurt (about 3/4 cup)
One large bowl leftover cold oatmeal (originally cooked with cinnamon)
Small bag frozen peaches
Last of the skim milk (about one cup? a little more?)
Generous dollup of honey

Blend it all up, serve immediately.  See if the kids can guess what all is in it.  Be amazed when they say it's decent enough that if I made it again they would gladly eat it.

Served with a side of fresh strawberries and an assortment of nuts.

And it was all stuff I wanted to use up!  (even the honey, which is getting old and crystalizing)  Whoo-hoo!

So glad my kids are so used to eating weird stuff trying new dishes that they happily try almost anything. : )

to my dear readers

My dear blog friends and family,

I love blogs.  I don't think there is anything else that has educated or enlightened or challenged or encouraged me as much as reading other people's blogs this past year.  I've learned about health, and illness, and courage, and hope, and homeschooling, and parenting, and living life more fully--just to name a few things!--all from reading the blogs of strangers, almost all of them fellow moms.  They write about things I want to know, or need to hear.  They share their stories, bare their hearts, and sometimes through what they share, I get to view the world just a little bit more like how I think God views it, seeing people the way God sees them.  And sometimes, through my reaction to these stories, I can even be part of making our crazy, messed-up world better. 

I want to share two stories with you today, to get your attention, in case you sense God desiring you to move, to be part of His miracles:

The first one is just tragic.  A beautiful loving couple completed all the necessary paperwork and jumped through all the hoops to adopt an abandoned baby in Russia.  After arriving in country and getting to the local court for the official approval--they were not allowed to take their son home, because he has Down Syndrome.  The judge said they were clearly a good family and they could adopt any other healthy Russian child, but they could not take home this little boy, because--basically--he is not worthy.  Please go here to read an overview and see sweet pictures, and then if you want to, go here to read the details from the family's own blog.  I don't know what we can do for this family except pray and get the word out, so that it reaches the ears of those who can help.

The second one is just pure hope.  There is another family who is adopting another special needs child from Eastern Europe, and are supposed to leave on this Sunday to bring their daughter home, but much of the financing they had been assured would come through has failed, and they are desperately needing a miracle to get the remaining funds for the adoption before they leave.  Is God calling you to be part of His work to bring this little girl home?  If you feel led to make a donation, there is currently a giveaway going on--every donation enters you to win a new iPad, and if you do it through this blog, you can also enter to win a new Kindle!  If you don't feel led to give, please consider passing this story on as well to the people you know who have a heart for special needs children, or adoption, or just miracles in general!

I love hearing these stories of people trusting God to provide, and have just recently read of several gorgeous stories of God actively at work to bring "the least of these" to loving families.

Here is one that is just simply beautiful, and leaves no room at all for doubt at God's plan and provision.  These people are either crazy (imagining things) or lying--or God is so Real you can almost see His hands at work.  Here is Part 1, and Part 2. 

Same with this story from Keri, whom I have written about before.  God is just everywhere in her life story--you could not explain it to anyone and omit God, He is so woven into its threads!  (I want to be able to say the same about my own story--food for thought.)  This one is also unfolding as we speak--Keri is now completing her paperwork and hopes to travel back to Russia to bring her son home in a few weeks!

Finally, remember Davids?  I have been following the new blog of the family who is adopting him and another boy from Latvia, and it is just so sweet to see the photos and hear the stories of these boys and their new parents.  They are actually in country now, and will be for a few more weeks as their paperwork is processed and final approvals are made. 

And these is just a few of the wonderful stories going on all over the world right now.  Right Now.

My prayer for us all today:  that we hear God whisper, and our hearts leap to answer. 

With love,

blessed

Humor of the Day: Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party

This link-share is dedicated to all my readers who are parents of small children.  Maybe I am the last person on earth to be seeing this, but it is good--be sure to read the comments for more chuckles!

My contribution to the list:  at any moment a short guy without his shirt might come up and pat your butt cheeks, giggle and say "hi!"

(Ok, truth be told I am honestly sitting here wondering if I have ever actually been to a frat party. . . Susan, help me out?  but I did have a good friend who lived in a frat, so I remember the ambiance and the stories, and I once saw both Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds, so that's close enough.  waaaaaaay close enough.  shudder.)

Monday--another day of randomness, Pt. 2: colors of spring

I get emails from etsy about once a day, tempting me with pics of things for sale, encouraging my patronage of the arts.   It is interesting and informative.  And sometimes, brightens my day:

Poppy Seed Pod Ceramic Vessel by whitneysmith

Beautiful Soup Mug in Robins Egg by AbbyTPottery

Bowls Porcelain Set of 6 by cherylwolff

Autumn ash bowl by Treecycle

These colors are the way my spirit feels at its most hopeful in this day of transition from winter to spring!

Monday--another day of randomness, Pt 1: everyone talks of the weather

There are so many things I have been wanting to write about and share, and posts I have even started writing but have not finished--in the meantime, a little more randomness.

It is technically Spring now, I guess, and as the sun tries to peek off and on through the grey skies today, I can kind of believe it.  Except we have had the strangest year--this past summer the coldest since 1973, so I heard, all fog and grey skies and DH making fires every morning to take off the chill.  Then this winter, with several spurts of gorgeous sunny upper 70's weather--us even getting our first short-sleeve sunburns of the year in January.  Now we are in March, and the rainy season is hitting us, finally.  So much rain in just two days that there are mudslides and power outages from downed trees, and roads washing out.  The seasons feel all flippety-flopped this year, and so it does not feel quite like Spring, and in fact the rain and sun battling behind the trees today seem to sum up the weather's overall inability to make up its mind.

Our power goes out frequently in the winter/spring, probably an average of 5 times a year, most during our rainy season.  I imagine some of you midwestern readers might have fewer outages, but yours might be for longer stretches, due to heavy snow and impassable roads for repair crews.  Ours are mainly caused by trees or big branches falling on the lines, brought down by the sheer weight of the water pouring down on them. 

(I had heard the expression "raining buckets" growing up in IL and IN, but never saw it happen until we moved to this part of Monterey Bay--the first year we moved into this house I remember it rained without ceasing for one whole week.  The rain varied from heavy mist to rain to cats and dogs to heavenly bathtubs upended but never actually stopped for seven. days.  That was the year one lane of highway 9 was washed out in the Santa Cruz mountains, and one lane of our road was washed out too, just a bit farther down from us so we were not affected by it.  Except for the time I was walking our dog Macey through the narrow part and some guy in his shiny cream BMW decided to run the stopsign at his end of the washout, thinking he could sqeeze past us at 30 mph.  Which felt really unsafe for myself and my dog.  Which caused me to yell at the driver, and flip him the bird.  I think the only time in my life I have done so.  Which was really unlike me, and of which I am not proud.  And yet which was not unnecessarily inappropriate under the circumstances.)

Anyway, this was the left side of our backyard one hour ago:

I tried to take a video so you could hear all the birds singing and the rushing of the creek down in the gulch, swollen from the recent rains, but the still image seemed to better convey the sunny tranquility.  Can you see some of my big, wild calla lillies?  (Double-click on the image to embiggen)

Now as I type this, an hour later, it is hailing.  My poor garden flowers--this is the third hail they have weathered this winter!

Just this morning I came across a blogger writing from Indiana, where I guess they recently had a 70 degree day followed by a light snow.  She commented that in Indiana they have the saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."  Really?  Weather when I lived in Indiana (4 winters/falls/springs, during college) was pretty consistent.  Really cold and lots of grey skies.  Some sun, but still cold. Snow that lingered beside roads all winter.  Much like Illinois, where I grew up.  Not much change within the course of a week, let alone from day to day.  No, when I hear that particular saying about the weather, I always think of Colorado, where we lived for the first 7 years of our marriage.  Now in CO, the weather does literally change in minutes, and hikers in the mountains should always be prepared for sudden lightning and rain storms.  Colorado--even farther back, when I was a little girl visiting the mountains--was the first place where I ever saw sunlight on falling rain.  I had never seen that in IL--when it is a rainy day, by golly, it is a rainy day, and the sunshine has the decency to wait its turn.

Another thing I witnessed in CO that I never would have imagined:  sitting at a large, busy intersection (Academy and Woodmen, for my Springs friends) on a day that was over all dark and rainy, but was not at that moment raining.  At all.  My windshield wipers were contentedly resting.  Except, I realized as I sat waiting for the light to turn, it was raining--on the other side of the intersection.  Pouring down rain.  I could actually see the line where the rain started, where the drops were smashing into the pavement, highlighted by the headlights of the cars facing me.  The light turned green, I drove forward, and there I was now in a rainy afternoon, wipers swishing furiously.

The rain is slowing now, and I can tell the sky is brightening.  Here in CA we do have the sunshine while it is raining phenomenon--and over the course of years living in different kinds of rain, I have realized that places that get the two together also get the most rainbows. I said the most, not the best--the best, most beautiful rainbows in my memory are the ones from childhood, huge things you could see for miles in the flatlands, and really imagine a physical end to.  Well, except for the one we saw just this past November, when I drove the kids up to visit great-grandma, 5 hours north:

It was a complete rainbow, and as the light shifted so did the particular beauty of the rainbow--now a double ringer from end to end, now colors so saturated, so vibrant the girls and I cried aloud in amazement and pleasure.  The spectacle lasted a good five minutes, presenting us with a full range of rainbow possibilties, most appreciated by the little audience of our mini-van pulled off on the highway's shoulder.  Pictures of course can never do a rainbow justice.

It is just drips outside, the birds are starting to venture forth.  The downpouring is over, for now.  Peace is spreading inside my house too--the children are quietly occupied with books or worksheets, or imprisoned in a crib.  Sweet respite--it too shall not last, so I'd better make the most of it. : )

Hope all of you are having a great start to your week!

just a thursday morning, and one of the things i like about our odd little house

I just realized that it is probably no coincidence that I last "really" blogged on a Thursday.  Wednesdays are busy days out and about for us, with Korean martial arts in the morning and recorder/classical guitar lessons in the afternoon, and lunch and naps and school to squeeze inbetween.  So on Thursday mornings I am ready to have a slower morning, and it just so happens my two older girls participate most Thursdays in an amazing literature immersion class called LitWits Workshops, the brainchild of my very own soul-sister Becky and her sister Jenny. (If anyone is interested--could be good idea gathering for you homeschool-minded moms--click on the link, and it will take you to the photos section of the site, where you can see the kinds of activities they do.  And see pics of Sunny and Merry. And if they look a little oddly dressed at times, it is because they were trying to dress like characters from the books they had just studied.) 

photo property of LitWits Workshops

(Perfect when they wore their new Christmas dresses for Anne of Green Gables; a little more interesting when they were doing Hans Brinker or Treasure Island. ; )  The class is from 9-1 over on the Westside of Santa Cruz (about 10-15 min. highway drive from us) and Becky is SO SO sweet that she actually comes and picks up our girls at 8:30 in the morning so I don't have to get us all out of the house quite so early.  Ahhhhhhh, what a luxury!  The "LitWits Bus" brings them home too.  (Sometimes the kids of other friends are in the Bus too, their moms living out in the country even less conveniently, so they drive their kids to Becky's house and the Bus takes off from there.)  It gets better.  Not only are my kids taking this amazing class from two amazing women, and getting chauffered, and spending those hours with some of their best friends, but our homeschool charter is paying for the classes!  It could not be more ideal.

ANYWAY this blessing means I don't actually have anywhere I have to go on Thursdays.  And my two oldest are being well-schooled, and not by me.  And I can stay in my pjs late if I want (as I am now!) and sit with my tea in front of the computer and write!  Don't get me wrong--we will still do school today, but it won't be at the same pace as normal.  Morning is really the best brain time, and when we do most of our serious schooling, so giving up the morning means I have more relaxed expectations for the rest of the day. 

So this afternoon we will have our usual quiet reading during naps, then finish up whatever worksheets or activities they did not complete during the workshop, just do a little math, a little correcting of the work completed yesterday, go run a mile, practice instruments, play a little Timez Attacks, or watch some Liberty's Kids or maybe watch this cool animated version of The Tempest, which was the LitWits selection this morning.  And then try to get the kids to bed at a decent time so that DH and I can finish watching X3: The Last Stand, which we started last night.  : )

Oh, and I won't be completely lazy today.  DH's dad just emailed to say he would like to come down this weekend to help on some house projects, so there's cleaning to do, and I need to do some sorting in the girls' clothes boxes.  And finish some laundry. And maybe try to cook some meat. And I should really take advantage of DH having a rare day working from home to run a couple of errands child-free. . . or maybe I won't, because then I would have to get out of my pajamas.

I realize this was a post about a whole lot of nothingness.  But, really, why does EVERY post have to have a point?  

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I'll close with some final randomness.

Some of those things about our life most of you probably don't experience in yours--waking up to a house 52 degrees.  Getting kids up and ready while daddy is making the fire (which normally he does before he goes to work), seeing your breath in your own bathroom.  We heat out little house with a wood-burning fireplace, and it does a great job.  Fine most of the time.  Great when daddy has the fire going when he leaves for work and I can stumble out of bed to a warming house.  Not as great when daddy sleeps in on a freezing morning and then I am the first one up, like today. ; )

When our kids bathe, they always call out "is the fire on?" from the shower room.  If the answer is yes, they come out and dry off in the living room in front of the fire. (The fireplace insert has a fan that automatically kicks on when the firebox gets hot enough, blowing the heat out into the room.)

Smiley on the potty while drying off from the bath.  Finishing the fireplace surround is one of my our projects for this summer.

I like our fireplace and the coziness of a fire.  The kids huddled around it doing their math in the morning--after the house is nicely warmed but they just want the decadence of sitting right in front of the blower.  Laying in bed at night watching the flickering of flames against the white beams and boards of our ceiling.  Being warm and snuggled in bed under our feather duvet during a cold night, feeling the chill air against my cheeks and nose, but then arising to the spreading warmth and sunlight streaming in the windows. Even the freezing floorboards under my bare feet when I get up in the still-dark hours to attend to calls of nature, which make it all the more satisfying to snuggle back under the covers against a warm spouse.

Those moments of homey warmth and natural cold reinforce the sense that we are living in our own little world--in our own Little House in its own Little Woods.  Where modern conveniences like central heating and double-walled construction don't comfortably insulate us from the senses of changing seasons.  Where the swift flow of contemporary culture seems to pass around us, as if we are nestled cozily in the lee of some mighty rock.  Where our unique circumstances lead to feeling like we are living just a little more in harmony with nature than most folks, and not so purposefully away from it.

So while the fire is sometimes a pain, and the occassional dead cold no fun (like when we come from from visiting family for Christmas and the house is as cold and dark and still as an abandoned icebox), I think the fireplace is one of my favorite things about this house.

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Oh, and just to let you know--Gabe, I'm talking to you, if you are still reading--I have not forgotten about my promise to post pics of my house.  In fact, about 2 months ago after my in-laws left and my house was as clean and neat as it ever is, I took pics when the light was good.  But then when I started to resize them and get them ready for a post, I was having trouble with my photo program, and a couple of the pics were corrupted, and I was trying to see if I could restore them. . . .  Anyway, I have not forgotten.  Just consider the project temporarily on hold.

 

If you are in the market for a new bag. . .

I just found out about this site that sells handbags and jewelry hand-made by Haitian women, who can then support their families.

I really like the bag pictured above.  And it is so reasonably priced!

I am all about buying local, and we live in an artsy area that abounds in hand-made goodness.  And if I can't find it locally, I have my beloved etsy for finding goods hand-made in the USA.  But I also believe in supporting the creative efforts of women in countries who do not have a local demand for such endeavors.  Here in the States it is rare that a woman is supporting her family through her handicrafts--usually it is a hobby that turns into a small side industry, extra income that is usually spent on extra things, like vacations and splurges.  In places like Haiti, women might be learning these crafts and hoping to sell them as an alternative to watching their children starve. 

(Really, even in the middle of a recession, we Americans have it so good.)

So if you need a handbag, or a gift for a woman in your life, please keep this site in mind.

Ist day of Lent (a day late)

I love Lent.  I have actually been anticipating Lent this year, knowing I sure needed a really Good reason to shake some bad habits that have been creeping upon me this past year, but not quite able to make myself start sooner.  In fact, I was not even able to make myself start on time.  Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, was actually the first day of Lent, but I used it to pray about what I was really supposed to be giving up ('cause as a Christian, if Lent is not about renewing the dialogue of faith between me and God, then something is wrong). . . and to gorge on chocolate, you know, in preparation for giving it up for the next 40 days.  Eh, my imperfections and His grace are what this is all about, so it's ok.  ; ) 

No, really, Lent is a human tradition, not some holy sacrament, and I actually enjoyed starting the official first day indulging in something I was "supposed" to be abstaining from as a way of reminding myself that giving these things up are my choice and the more I enjoy them, the more of a gift they are when I give them over to God.  And I liked starting out "fallen," so there was no urge for self-righteousness, or the legalistic (and self-elevating) pride in deed that would make Lent about me and not about God.  I mean, it is about me, and what God wants to do in me, and me stripping down and saying, "Take whatever pleases you, Lord, and just fill me with You."  But the reason for the giving, the beauty in it, the trust and love and freedom through it--those are all from God, and will ultimately have nothing to do with what I do or do not do for the next 40 days. 

Some of you have been reading my blog for a while, and might remember my Lenten journey of the past few years.  You might then be wondering why I am blogging, since that has been one of the things I have been needing to give up the past 2 years.  Turns out, this year I don't sense that blogging is in any way a heart issue for me--in fact, I have been terrible about blogging since the end of last year, and would really like to get back into it!  So, blogging does not have a hold on me at the moment, nor does blog reading (which is good, since God keeps showing me things through the blogs I am reading, and encouraging me through them, even with what I read today!) so I am not giving those up.  (Yay!)

What am I giving up?  (I.e. what do I think has a negative hold on me--on my spirit, my psyche, my time use?):

--Computer use does not feel like a problem, but sitting down does.  (So hard to retrain the body after months of sickness/inertia). So I am going to limit my time sitting down, and even try to add purposeful aerobic movement into my days.

--Tea is not a problem for me this year, and in fact has not been tasting as good for a couple of months. Hmmmm. So I might choose to abstain just to refresh my taste buds, but it won't be technically given up.  But I am still going to give up my sweets, yes, even my chocolate.  I am finding myself using desserts in place of actual food (which I hope to write more about later), and am definitely turning to chocolate to make me feel good. 

--And actually, I am going to try to eliminate not only sugars (other than fruits) from my daily eating, but also most carbohydrates.  I have not written about this yet (so look for that post for all the whys and details, if you are interested), but about a month ago I decided to try going gluten free in my diet.  That started out pretty well, and I felt like my blood sugar was stabilizing a little better, but after listening to my body and nudges of my brain, I am going a step further and go for a time with as few carbs as possible (without going crazy).  Since I am not excited about this, Lent is the perfect time to make the experiment--I'll have more reason to stick with the experiment, and a definite ending point, when I can evaluate any benefits. 

--Ok, confession time.  I bite my fingernails.  I have since I was a girl.  It's some kind of self-soothing thing, and I tend to do it most when I am reading or watching movies, my two favorite escapes.  Since college I have been able to go for long periods of time with neat, unbitten nails, when I had reason--I had nice nails when I got married, and when I started teaching college courses, and when my first baby was born.  But I also noticed that I would start to bite them at times of stress, and when I was in grad school I bit them off again every semester during finals.  But at least I grew them out again afterwards. 

The same thing has happened time and time again since being a mom out here in CA--only I notice I bite them more when DH and I are having marital stress, or when we have been around his parents.  ; ) I kept things at least sensible for years and years, but over the past year (maybe only 6 months) I have noticed that I am biting them more and more.  To the point of pain.  To the point of having fingers sore for days afterwards that affect my housework, everything.  They are now as short as they were in high school, which says a lot.  I don't bite them to hurt myself, so in that sense I disagree that nail-biting should fall into the same category of self-mutilation as "cutting"--in fact, it rarely hurts while I am biting them, and only later (like when I plunge my hands into the hot dishwater) do I feel the literal sting of remorse.  And if I do feel a sting while I am biting, I immediately stop--pain is not soothing to me!  But a few minutes later I'll find myself doing it again, on a different finger.  Most of the time I start nibbling without even being aware of what I am doing.   I have recognized for at least several months that I need to get this bad habit under control, but have not seemed to be able to stop.

So, no surprises that this seems like an excellent habit to give over to the One who is stronger than me!  This time it is going to be hard to stop, since it has become so ingrained.  I've already caught myself doing it several times today.  But I know this will be a Good thing, and trust completely that God will help me do it.  Looking forward to that!

If you know me In Real Life, please don't ask me how breaking the habit is going.  It is too embarassing.  Just pretend you never read this.  But when Lent is over, I hope I can post a pic of my hands for you all! ; )

--Lastly, not not leastly, oh no--I am going to make myself get out of bed at 7:00 each morning so I have time with God before the kids wake up around 7:30.  (If that seems like sleeping in to you, well, don't leave unkind comments about it--DH and I have not been going to bed at a decent hour for what feels like years, so this is a big deal for me, ok?) It was soooooooo painful this morning, as I inexpliably only got about 5 hours of broken sleep last night.  But, as I said before, that's what makes it a gift to God--that there is some sacrifice involved.  I had to start the day fully confessing to Him that I did not want to do it, but that I love Him more than I love sleep, and I completely trust that He will provide me with all the strength and patience and whatever other good stuff I need to make it through this day with grace.   I mean, I probably need to do this every day, since my failings as a mommy mostly come from trying to do it all on my own power, and with my own agenda in mind--so starting out Lent (one day late) like this was probably a really good thing. 

Anyone who wants to know more about why I do Lent, I added a category for it in the "Labels" section on the sidebar.   And anyone who wants to join me in this 40 day adventure, welcome!  It is seriously one of my favorite times of the year--nothing but positive.  I would love to hear your Lenten stories too!

  

Dinner: low carb, gluten free. oh, and really yummy.

I never expected to post about dinners again so soon, certainly not two in a row!  But this second one I made tonight, and was soooooooooooooo yummy, I just had to share it.

So this dinner is for Kari, who did NOT ask to be signed up for the Blessed Table Challenge, but who has two blogs that inspire me.  : )

Kari, you rock, and since I can't really make you dinner, please take this post as a bit of friendly encouragement from the West coast.  This meal was so yummy my family ate it almost all up in one sitting, and even the finnicky toddler ate every bit on his plate, with relish!  If Bean or Java will balk at the texture of the kale, try chopping it very finely. And in case you are not yet cooking with kale, be sure not to let it overcook--try to watch the pot to make sure it does not get dull "army" green, at which point it is officially dead and won't taste nearly as good (or have as many nutrients).

(oh, and yes, this was me using up things that needed to be used up--when it works, it WORKS)

**Don't forget to check out my disclaimers on Dinner #1, esp. about gas vs. electric stovetops!

Winter Turkey, Potato and Kale Soup

Ingredients:
--3 large leeks, trimmed and washed and sliced crosswise into quarter-inch rounds
--1 package ground turkey
--about 5 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
--1 heaping teaspoon "Better Than Bullion" (veggie)--(can also just use broth, or what you think is a right amount of another type of bullion)
--ground cloves and black pepper
--milk or cream


In a large pot, saute the leek for a few minutes in olive oil.  Then add the ground turkey. 

(And if you forgot to thaw it or are making this at the last minute, like I did tonight, no worries, just chuck the frozen meat into the pot and crank up the heat, making sure as much meat as possible is touching the bottom of the pot.  Let it cook, turning over the turkey every few minutes and using your spoon to scrape off the cooked meat from the frozen.  When the meat is all crumbled, cook it well, even putting the lid on the pot to get the turkey cooked all the way through.)

When the turkey is done, add a couple of inches of water to your pot, along with bullion (or just use broth instead of water).  Toss in your potatoes and put the lid on the pot and keep the heat on high to get it cooking quickly.  When the water is starting to simmer, stir, toss in your kale, put the lid back on, and lower heat until the food is just simmering. Let it all simmer for a few minutes, until the potatoes are just done but before the kale is overdone.  Turn off heat.

Stir in some ground cloves (don't know how to tell you this one, since I just eye-balled some out in my palm--start with a little over 1/2 tsp. and then taste) and black pepper.  Stir well, and then add some milk (the creamier the better--I used whole. a little half and half would work too) until it is as soupy as you like.

*I was making a bean salad on the side, otherwise I would have added one or two cans of cannellini (white kidney beans) to the pot when I added the kale--a perfect compliment to all the other things in the pot.

On the Side:  Mediterranean Chick-pea Salad

Ingredients:
--2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
--some red cabbage
--one big fresh tomato
--a handful of  fresh parsley, snipped
--a little green onion
--one large clove garlic, pressed
--some vinegar and oil salad dressing (I used Newman's Own, any balsalmic would also work great)
--black pepper

Mix it all up and serve!  This was really good to compliment the turkey soup.  Not entirely from scratch, but so quick and yummy--those are the dishes I am relying upon these days. : )

You can also use this salad on top of a bed of lettuce greens for pretty presentation and more of a traditional salad feel. 

The way I made these dishes tonight was gluten free (check your salad dressing labels though), and I think Kari--who is also trying dairy free, for the health of her kids and herself--could figure out how to make it "milky" without the milk, or could just omit it and have a yellow broth (I put the milk in not so much for its flavor, but really more for its aesthetic appeal).


Wishing you all a new week of eating well!

A Belated Dinner for Nydia

Well, the Blessed Table Dinner Challenge is over, but I never made a dinner for Nydia--because she was so cute and did not have specific foods to be used up but instead graciously offered me a whole loaded pantry of good food to select from, and where was the challenge in that?  ; ) But then in her blog, she wrote about wanting to cut down on the take-out their family loves, esp. on the weekends.  Ah, there is something to focus a dinner on!

So Nydia, here is your dinner--so full of amazing flavor (and fat) that your family should love it, even if they prefer hamburgers to spinach.  I hope you try it sometime!  If you do, please let me know!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that I did not make this up.  This was a recipe given to me years ago by a good friend Rebekah, who I think might have gotten it off of a Five Brothers pasta sauce label.  Duzza matta!  It is so, so, so yummy.  And so, so EASY.

Veggie Lasagna

One 8 oz. container Pesto sauce
2 cups marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
4 C. fresh chopped spinach
2 jars Five Brothers tomato and garlic sauce
4 C. Monterey Jack cheese
4 C. Mozzarella cheese
1 C. freshly grated parmesan cheese
10 lasagna noodles

Cook lasagna noodles. Layer ingredients in the following order:
5 noodles
1 jar tomato sauce
Pesto sauce
artichoke hearts
spinach
2 C. Monterey Jack cheese
2 C. Mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

[Repeat]

Cover loosely with tinfoil. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Remove tinfoil. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes and serve.

--------------------------

This is begging to be paired with a leafy green salad (try a bag of organic butter lettuce, if you can find it) with a balsalmic dressing, and maybe a fresh fruit salad.  And if you are not scared of so many carbs, crusty garlic bread.  Mmmmm.

Fun on the Web Weds. uh, Sat: from Karma to Grace

I can't believe it is already the weekend again!  I have started several posts this week, and then have not had the brain power or time to finish any. But the great news is, Thursday I realized I just felt normal tired, not sick tired!  Yesterday and today are more of the same: I am tired, but feel basically healthy! Whoo-hoo! Clearly not 100% back to health, but so much better!  So now I'm going to pretend I am posting these in a timely manner, when I began them.  

Just came across this article, in which U2's Bono explains some of his views on Grace. Bono is no theologian, but has been doing a pretty good job living out faith in deeds for years, using his celebrity for helping the poor, the broken, the voiceless.  He is not the most lucid of speakers, or at least not in this interview, but this comparison of karma and grace really blew me away:

"You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics; in physical laws every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

. . . I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."