Looking at Breakfast a Little Differently...

Slowly over the years, I have found change after change that I could make to live a healthier life.  The biggest one is changing the way I look at breakfast.  Soups, stir fries and leftovers from dinner.  This morning's was a good example.  I cook up 1/3 cup of millet with a pinch of grey sea salt.  Then layer it with a mixture of sauteed red onion slices, mushrooms, spinach, olive oil and turmeric.  Third layer, a heaping tablespoon of kimchi or other cultured vegetable.  And lastly, an over easy egg.  Simple and delicious.

Here We Go Again....

There are some who have heard me say, "I hate labels!"  Well it was true in the past and it is still true.  And yet here I am, or have been rather, attempting to label myself over the last few months.  It never ends well.  I know these labels that we willingly take on lead to locking ourselves up inside boxes of various sizes and shape.  Labels and boxes demand that we submit ourselves to man-made laws.  It is just the same as praying for something very specific and then dictating to God who, what, when, where and how it will be accomplished.  I am very thankful for all I have gone through.  These months have taught me so much that I would not otherwise have learned.  The journey is not over.  Thank goodness!  I still have so much to learn.  I do hope that I finally have fully understood this lesson, so as not to have to repeat again.  As I grow and learn to follow the Creator, I aim to avoid labeling myself or allowing others to label me.  It is much more important that I live well.  Really, it boils down to fear.  Fear of judgement.  Which just creates more fear.  What a nasty cycle!  The choices we make should promote love and peace in our lives, never fear.  It is a wonderful in born compass.  Using this compass, has me make decisions I did not have the courage to make in the past and it is leading to physical healing.  I now have gone quite some time with no pain or exhaustion.  I am excited to see where the future leads.

Totally Plant-Based

Well it looks like it is time to give it up!  Yep, I have to give up dairy.  It was a hard decision to make.  I have really enjoyed my morning kefir.  I believe it is what has helped me put on some weight that I had lost, but ultimately it isn't healthy for me.  Constant sinus issues are not my idea of true health and that is what I am reaching for.  Also, eggs are out the door, at least for now.  I will reevaluate eggs at a later date, to see if they are effecting me negatively.  Then again, I may feel to good to even try it.  I guess that makes me a vegan.  Hmmm, I have been in this place before and it didn't work out very well.  Digging through research over the last few years, I have figured out where I went wrong.  It was a difficult task.  There is so much conflicting information out there and not all research is equal.  I know that we were created to eat a plant-based diet, I just had to figure out the details.  For me personally this means making sure I don't eat too much raw food and that I get a lot of calories!  The first time I tried a vegan diet, I made both of these mistakes.  I have to keep my calorie intake above 2750 and the majority has to be cooked with plenty of starches in the form of squash, potatoes and beans.  One other major difference is wheat.  When I had tried going vegan before, I still didn't know about my wheat allergies!  Over the last few days I have been switching over.  My sinus are clearing up and my energy is soaring and my brain-fog is drifting out!  I am so excited about how this is going to work out.  I can see so much positive improvement already.  Thank you Yehovah for giving us the perfect diet!

Here's to living at the farmer's market and growing a garden.

Getting To Work

As much as I am enjoying watching my garden grow this spring, it is time to get to work!  I have quite a few projects lined up.

• 3 new sets of cloth pads
• 4 projects that won't be named here ;-) (they are gifts)
• recovering the chair cushions on 6 chairs on our patio
• soap making (bars and laundry soap)
• improvements on my tichel pattens
• pattern making and sewing of a dress in some gorgeous brown linen 
• painting several shelves and a coat rack
• turning an empty frame into a bulletin board and another into a dry erase board
• sewing curtains for the living area
• reorganizing the herbs and spices in the kitchen, linen closet and the pantry

After these are done, I am hoping to slow down and get back to quilting.  Something tells me I have forgotten something.  No problem, if I remember I will add it to the list.  As these projects are worked or completed or delivered I will post pictures of them. 

Raising Children- Personalities

Something that has been extremely helpful in raising my 3 awesome children has been to understand the differences between different personality types.  The two big ones are introversion and extroversion.  Despite introverts being only about 25% of the population, in our family we have 3 obvious introverts and 1 borderline extrovert (hubby) and 1 very obvious extroverted child.  To top it all off I (an INFJ) am considered to be only about 1% of the population.  Crazy, but true.  Balancing my need for quiet and my extrovert child's need for noise and social interaction is difficult.  Difficult, but possible.  There are two great places to determine the sometimes subtle differences in a persons personalities are http://www.personalitypage.com/cgi-local/build_pqk.cgi for children 7-12 and http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp for adults and older children. 

The answers these tests give can really help make a difference in interacting with our children and choosing a homeschooling curriculum.

Homemaking... Living the Simple Life

Homemaking is simple and yet it is not.  It is a life that is slowly evolving for many of my generation.  Some would say that we are going backwards, attempting to live a life from the past generations.  I disagree!  For one, I don't do daily baking, Monday washing, Tuesday ironing, and so on.  Many in my generation are working hard to learn skills that have been neglected and lost.  We want to produce, not be constant consumers.  We want to offer the world something other than filling a spot at some desk in corporate America.  The new homemaker has shunned an 8- 5 job and taken on something so much more important.  We are attempting to heal the world through simple everyday acts.  Acts that have the potential to turn things in another direction.  The world has slowly been degrading into materialistic and morally bankrupt societies separated by focusing on differences.  Homemakers can turn the tide in a positive direction.  First, by embracing simplicity and change.  For me personally, this involves homeschooling my children, daily washing up, gardening, soap making, candle making, cross-stitch, quilting, coming up with new grain-free recipes, and even the occasional building or refinishing of furniture.  This life looks a little different for everyone.  Just as much as our daily tidying of home and caring for our children, we need to connect with others, to create wholesome communities.  Teach the skills we have learned to others who are interested.  Spreading this wholesome sense of community as we do.

Vegetarian Chili

During the fall and winter, a nice bowl of chili is nice and warming.  Sometimes, I just don't feel like a bowl of meat and sauce.  I crave something with more flavor complexity and plant based.  This is my go to recipe. 

Veggie Chili

2 cups chickpeas
3 cups kidney beans
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 diced onion
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp cumin
Generous pinch red pepper flakes
1 to 2 Tbsp garlic powder

Soak and precook chickpeas and kidney beans.  After this initial step, the chili can be cooked stove top or all ingredients can be placed into a slow cooker.  Stir to combine. 
Stove top:  cook on low for 2 hours
Slow cooker:  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
                      Cook on high for 4-6 hours.
                      Times will depend on your specific slow cooker.