eat this, not that

It's no surprise to anyone who knows me to hear me say that I've struggled with my weight my entire life. I remember weighing my food on a little scale around the age of 10. From 17-19, I jumped on the low-fat diet craze that was happening in the mid 90's. I lost 60 pounds from eating little to no fat those 2 years & even though I lost weight, I now believe I wasn't eating a healthy, balanced diet. Everything I ate from salad dressing to mayo contained no fat. I gained it all back, eventually. Later on, I was even prescribed diet pills from my doctor & lost 40 pounds. I gained half of that back. Not the healthy way, either. So what is?

A google search shows over 60 million websites for "weight loss diet". Countless, conflicting beliefs all claiming to be the ultimate in a weight loss plan. No longer do I seek to be skinny, I never will be. Being healthy is the goal.

Seven years ago, Dr. Weil heavily influenced my diet, buying every one of his books & memorizing "Eight Weeks to Optimum Health". I still incorporate (or try to) much of his practices into my everyday eating, such as limited to no processed foods. However, feeling that we should get nutrients from foods & not pills, I choose not to take the many supplements he suggests.

Next to capture my attention was the Raw Diet, which is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. And none of these foods can be cooked above 116F. Believing this diet is not healthy long term, I find it useful as a 3-5 day detoxing period.


For the past couple of weeks, I've been reading "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. It's a book that Terry tried to get me to read a long time ago, but at that time I didn't want to hear anything about how eating fat was good since there were still remnants of my low-fat days reeling in my mind.
Sally Fallon claims that animal fats as well as cholesterol are both essential for a healthy diet and a healthy body. It's also about preparing foods in a traditional way, such as soaking grains overnight. This isn't a weight-loss book, but could improve overall health, so I'm ready to give it a try.
This week for the first time since 1994, red meat was on my plate for dinner. Slowly adding red meat to my diet has been on my mind for months now. I must admit the steak was delicious & I had no digestive problems after. This is a big diet change for me, but feel it's a beneficial one. I'm looking forward to adding many recipes from "Nourishing Traditions" into my diet. I'll keep you posted on how things are progressing. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

a may weekend

Friday evening we headed back to Brown's Island in Richmond to see my favorite band, Railroad Earth. I first saw them in 2004 & have loved them ever since. I stayed up near the front of the stage, which I rarely do, for the entire show. They played plenty of new songs & I definetly got my boogie on. After the show, we were hanging out near the stage when the violin player came out & talked with us for awhile. Then the adorable guitar player was walking around near us, too. My friend, Scott, & I walked over to him & I got a hug! ;)


Saturday evening, Terry & I went with my parents to the annual YMCA bluegrass & BBQ bash at Kingston Plantation. We had a great time & I bought 4 cheap day passes to Busch Gardens from the silent auction. I was 13 the last & only time I was there. I have been wanting to go back for years. I love rollercoasters (Terry does not), but haven't been on one since 1996 at Kings Dominion. So, I'm super excited about finally getting to an amusement park this summer.
Sunday, we went to my friend Courtney's 27th birthday party with fire, food, drinks, & fireworks. It was a pleasant May weekend. How was yours?

begin the beach days

The weather is beautiful today, so I took Chase & Lily to the beach for a couple hours this morning. We met a friend of mine, Tracey, who worked at the daycare with me. She's a stay at home mom now who also watches a group of children.

Oh what fun the kids had, playing in the cold water & getting quite muddy making sandcastles. It's also nice for Tracey & I to enjoy some adult time, breaking up our usual children-only days.

Beach mornings always mean good naps for my two. They're snoozing now & I'm sure I'll have to wake them up soon or their parents may not be too happy with me later tonight.

I took these pictures with my Mom's camera, she's graciously letting me use. (I feel lost without having a camera). Mine isn't working now~ the lens won't open & reading online, that seems to be a common problem with some of the Canons. I'm hoping Terry will be able to fix it or it will just be an excuse for me to buy an SLR. ;) Happy Friday!

wonderful wednesday

I'm home, chillin' with Terry on our porch as he grills. And it's wonderful! We've been so busy that I'm feeling as if I'm ready to completely hide out here for a week, never leaving. I guess most women feel that way from time to time.. to just be able to stay home. We've only been here a night or 2 a week for months it seems. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy going out & being busy for the most part. (Honestly, most of what we go out & do isn't always necessary). But, I'm also a homebody. Workouts, sewing/crafting, house-work, & catching up on movies have all been on the back burner for awhile.
So, I'm enjoying this moment now. Being alone with the man of my dreams, enjoying the sunset.
Hope you're having a great hump day as well!

grace potter & the nocturnals

Terry & I made the 75 mile drive to Richmond yesterday for the Dominion Riverrock, which is a free event featuring acrobatic freestyle bicyling, kayaking, & an Ultimate Airdog competition.

It also has live music, which is why we went. The main act on Friday night was Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, who I've been wanting to see live for a year or so. And oh wow.. I was not disappointed. It was an incredible, high energy show! Grace Potter balances the stage between keyboard, guitar, & sultry vocals. Simply said.. she is hot! Watching & listening, I felt an almost Janis Joplin-esqe vibe to her.


It's plain to see the chemistry between Grace & her band, who also helped keep the crowd on our toes, adding bluesy rock jams. She even joked with the drummer about his pecs, obviously embarassing him. They played a few new songs off their new record due out next month. Back onstage for the encore, they pulled out an excellent version of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". I left the show feeling pleasantly overwhelmed, hoping Grace & the Nocturnals return to my area sometime again soon.

lettuce is in!

I always get so excited when the lettuce comes in during the spring. We eat a lot of salads & it saves us so much money. This year we have 6 different kinds, including endive, red leaf, & oakleaf. Our herbs are in, as well.. basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano, rosemary, & chives. I am slightly obsessed with basil. Don't ya love the smell of it? mmm
Summer is a'comin'.

weekend scenery

dear sushi,

I want to like you, but I don't. There, I said it.
I keep trying, hoping that my taste buds have changed.
But they haven't.
Part of it is the seaweed taste. I don't like seaweed salad or the nori sheets. I'm also not fond of sashimi, which I think is a texture issue. (I prefer crunch).
Most of my friends love you & you are hands down Terry's favorite. Still, I always go with everyone to our usual sushi restaurant, where the owners know us all. My friend, Dia, introduced me to rice paper which I like a little better, so I always order a roll made with that instead.


Our friends, Robie & Shane, invited us over to make sushi, which I haven't done since living in Boone. They had quite the spread, including crab, shrimp, salmon, eel, tuna & lobster. And of course, ya gotta have sake. ;)

We had a good time, helping prepare & then choosing what we wanted in our rolls. Robie even wanted to try to make a fried rice paper one for me, which we did. And it turned out pretty good, not quite healthy, but delicious.

Terry was in heaven! And maybe it was because I helped make them, but I tried every roll!

I'll keep on trying, but sushi is not a favorite or a craving for me... yet.

chase, lily, & carys

I've been watching "my kids" at their homes for almost two years now, since the daycare I was working at closed.


Chase will be 4 in June. He's all boy, loving tractors, dirt & being outside but is definetly my most sensitive one. He still gets messy when he eats, has to have milk right after lunch, & gives me the funniest face expressions. Because of scheduling, we spend the most time together alone, so he's also caught the heart of Terry & my parents.




Lily is 3 1/2. She's a feisty little girl & neither of the other two will mess with her because they know the consequences. She's a bright child who's great at puzzles & even though the smallest, she's my biggest eater. She plays the guitar & makes up songs as she plays, which always makes me smile.





Carys is 2. Having her since she was 6 months old has really made us bond. Her tight little hugs & big eyes always make me melt inside. She loves music & dancing, tea parties & books. Spending time with the two older children has greatly sped her development, making her quite the smartie.



My time with the two older ones is coming to an end. I only have Lily for another 5 weeks & Chase just through the summer. My last day with them is going to be extremely hard on me & on them. They are best friends.
I love them & know they love me. We share something special.. spending 9 hours a day, 5 days a week for 21 months all together.
I will never forget them & hope they will remember me.