Forever and a Day...

Yeah, I know it's been that long! Sorry. Life has been a little crazy and blogging just hasn't been a priority. But fear not, I have been gardening, planning meals and cooking...mostly.

Our very best friends who live less than a block away are moving to Australia at the end of July. Since we learned of this, we have been spending as much with them as possible. This unfortunately means that we've been eating out a lot. Plus we've had quite a few birthdays within our little group (and a few outside), so that didn't help. Both our bank account and the scale reflect this as you might guess. And to top it off, Kira told us she was pregnant! And she's leaving me! Ugh. But, she'll be back with her family, which is good for her. With her first child, who is now 7, she was here in the US and knew very few people aside from her husband and his immediate family. This made it hard, so I am very happy for her. I know her mom is over the moon :) But I'm still sad...

Other goings on:

• I had the birth control implant removed a little over a week ago. Hopefully this will help me in the weight loss area as well as just feeling better in general. I am going to start using the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). After reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility I decided that it will be the way I go now. I want to get the chemicals out of me and try to find a natural rhythm. I've been on BC now for about 10 years. I first started using it to help with really painful cramping (I've passed out a few times from the pain), so I'm a little leery about that, but I'm hoping being a little more mature will help alleviate some of the issues I was having. We'll see! I am also not as opposed to getting pregnant now as when we were first married, or when my husband lost his job. So, if I don't get FAM down and we do get pregnant, I'll be okay with it.
• Hubby's job seems to be holding well and he's liking it more and more :)
• We got a puppy! 

This is Texas Bones. We adopted him from friends 

who had to give him up due to their daughter 

being highly allergic. We've known him since 

he was a puppy and love him very much :)

• The garden is going well. I have almost all of my two beds full, and have added two more beds which will hopefully get some more sunshine than the others do. I hope to get some pictures up this weekend.
• I got an apple tree! Our wonderful friends got me one for my birthday this year. Thanks guys!
• The weather has finally broken for good (I think) and I'm getting back into running. 
• I'm also going to try Atkins one more time and see if it will work long-term now that my hormones will be more level. I went on induction in October of last year and continued on it through Christmas and stopped losing at about 20lbs lost, 180lbs. The October previous to that, when I got the implant, I weighed in at 168...still not good. I haven't gone completely off the low-carb thing, I just haven't been as strict. I've enjoyed the occasional potato or bowl of ice cream since then. I've managed to gain a few pounds, so my starting weight this time is 183. I've also decided to that artificial sweeteners and I don't really get along. I know they aren't good for you, so I'm trying to cut them back. I'd much rather eat a little bit of honey than a bunch of Splenda. I also have some Stevia leaf, but you just can't put green leafy flecks in ice cream! So I'm going to try and cut out sweets more completely than I did last time. We'll see. I believe ultimately, I will end up bringing in a few natural sweeteners as well as whole wheat sourdough, beans and a few other higher-carb  yet nourishing foods. The good news is that I've learned to like a few more veggies :) Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, turnips and rutabagas have all made their way into our diet permanently.

I know there's probably more, but I think that's it for now. Work is still REALLY busy, which means I don't have time to take a lunch somedays even, let alone blog. Then by the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit down in front of the computer again. I really enjoy being outside and I'm trying to do it more. I will also keep trying to update as often as I can.

Adventures in Noodle Making

Well, as promised, homemade low-carb noodles! These were so easy, it was ridiculous.

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• some water

On a clean cutting board or counter, pile baking mix and make a well in the middle. Add egg and cream to well and beat. Gradually mix in baking mix to wet mixture. Mix into a workable dough (add extra water if necessary, you don't want it quite as well as a bread dough).

Now, I wish I had a pasta maker, but I don't. So I just rolled them out and cut with a pizza cutter. If you remember correctly, I made these while I was sick, so I didn't try very hard. They are a little on the thick side. Normally I would have separated the dough into three or so batches, but this was all I could muster. And they were perfect for what I needed.

I dried them for about an hour before I added some into chicken stock with chicken, a few herbs and some green beans from the pantry, canned last summer :) The perfect meal for a sick day.

The rest of the noodles I let dry for the rest of the day. I am storing them in the fridge though, since the baking mix has flax seed and some other things that don't always store well at room temp., like almond meal.

Adventures with Cauliflower Soup

Yes, you read that correctly, cauliflower soup. I myself was skeptical, but I'm expanding my horizons, and I'm glad that I did!! The original recipe came from Pioneer Woman. Thanks for the inspiration :)

Unfortunately, everyone liked the soup so much I didn't get a chance to take a picture. But it was delicious. I used ham stock and put in a little bit of ham I had in the freezer from the holidays. I omitted the salt as a result of that. So good! Have I said that yet :)

6 servings. 6 carbs per serving!

Ingredients

1/2	stick butter
1/2	onion
1/2	carrot
1	stalk celery
1	cauliflower head (or two if they are small. You can also use frozen.)
2	T parsley
2	quarts stock (chicken, ham, veggie or beef will work)
1 1/2	cup whipping cream
2	t salt
1	c sour cream

Directions

1. Cut up cauliflower, celery and carrot into bit sized pieces. Place in roasting pan and roast at 375 for about a 1/2 hour. (This step isn't completely necessary, but I think it makes it tastier!)
   
   
2. Melt butter in soup pot or a dutch over. Add diced onion and cook for a few minutes (I added garlic too!). Add roasted veggies and parsley. Stir to combine.
   
   
3. Cover and cook on very low for 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Pour in stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
   
   
5. Ladle about 1/2 of the soup into a blender or food processor and blend. Return to soup.
   
   
6. Add cream and simmer on low for a few minutes. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.
   
   
7. Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add 2-3 ladles of soup and mix with sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.
   
   
8. Serve immediately.
   

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/cauliflower-soup-recipe-r314516#ixzz0d6s60JCP

Just Checking In

Wow, I have been CRAZY busy lately. Working way too many hours and I just don't have the energy to blog when I get home! Sorry guys. Things should settle down soon, I hope.

This is an example of what NOT to do.

I hosted Thanksgiving at my house this year for my in-laws. It all went pretty well, but I ran out of room in my fridge! Do NOT go to the store the weekend before and buy all your groceries PLUS a 20lb turkey that needs to thaw and then come home and make 18 pints of chicken stock before you have your mom's pressure canner. Don't do that, it makes life difficult. Thankfully I did fit everything in, just barely!

But we did have so much food leftover that the first night some things lived on the front porch. Thankfully it was nice and cool the whole time :) After having a dinner of leftovers with the neighbors Friday, I managed to get it all in the refrigerator.

Things are going well with the low-carb thing. Some days are harder than others, that's for sure, but overall it's not bad! I've lost about 15 pounds so far, which is great, and feel much, much better.

I haven't shared any recipes like I had promised, but I really don't have anything exciting to share. I've just been eating the some stuff, just without the carbs. I have a few yummy tricks, like whipping cream and a teaspoon of sugar-free chocolate pudding mix whipped together, YUM!

Since I'm past the two-week induction phase, I've started to add a few more carbs in. I'm sticking at 25 for the moment because I've really seemed to slow down in the loss category. I think Dr. Pepper is to blame. I was doing really well with soda, only drinking the occasional glass of diet orange with cream and not 2-3 cans of diet dr. pepper a day like before. But then my mother-in-law brought a case for Thanksgiving and left it hear. It was delicious and wonderful, but got me pretty much hooked again! Not as bad before, but I crave it again. The good news is that I just finished the case off yesterday, so I guess I drank it more slowly than I used to (and I wasn't the only one drinking it on Thanksgiving Day, just after...).

Since upping my carbs to 25, I've been able to add in strawberries and cocoa roast almonds. Even though I'm paying almost $4/quart for strawberries shipped from California, right now I think they're worth it. Here in Ohio, we're all about the root veggies right now and the only remnants of fruit are apples. And of course when I made all of my jam this summer, I was not thinking low-carb at the time, so West Coast berries are my treat now. It's not ideal, but I'll take it!

I did make a yummy pumpkin cheesecake (sugar-free) for Thanksgiving that turned out great, and I've managed a ketchup and bbq sauce. Those recipes should be up when I can get back to blogging regularly. But other than that, I've just been omitting the carbs. Like homemade beef-a-roni, only I used cauliflower instead of macaroni. It works for me!

I am, however, getting a little sick of eggs for breakfast. They're good, but sometimes I just want a really quick prep breakfast, no cooking involved. So, I did end up buying a few Atkins shakes and Atkins bars for when I'm desperate. This morning is only my fifth shake since I've started and I'm half-way through my second box of bars. So I'm in no way reliant on them, but they do come in handy once-in-a-while.

This is a picture of three eggs about to be scrambled.

Can you tell which came from my mom's chickens

(the new ones are laying now, woohoo!)

and which came from the store? Mom's are still a little small,

but the color alone shows you how much better they are!

Lastly, I am starting another new adventure. I can't say much about it yet, but I hope to help other people learn to be frugal (and a little treehuggy too!). My first step is complete, I've made my own shopping bag! I used the Charlie pattern at BurdaStyle.com and I think it turned out pretty well. I don't have a serger, so I used french seams and bias tape. I think I will tweak it a little bit for the future, but overall I like it!

Charlie Bag

And one last thought to leave you with...our first snow!

And no, not all four of those recycle bins are mine, we share pickup with the neighbors :)

Adventures in Low-Carb eating

image from lovefoodhatewaste.com

I've made it five days without really cheating, woohoo! I don't see any real change yet, other than I fell a lot less lethargic. I also tried to stop drinking soda at the same time. That didn't work out. I am too addicted to sweets to do both. I have managed to really cut back on the diet soda, but not entirely. That'll be a next step. I am drinking lots and lots of water and trying to ignore the headache I have right now.

It has really gone a lot better than I anticipated. The hardest part so far has been chocolate. I want it badly! I did make a nice concoction of whipping cream, cocoa powder and stevia that was pretty tasty. I think I whipped a little too long though, because after I finished I felt a little like my tongue was coated in butter! Last night, however, was killer. We had friends over for dinner and afterwards I served up small dishes of icecream with my homemade chocolate syrup. That actually wasn't the problem. The problem was the three little drops of syrup that ended up on my cutting board. It killed me. I so badly wanted to just whip them up with my finger and lick it off! The jar of syrup I was holding in my hand didn't bother me, just those three little drops. I guess I'm not ready to make cookies yet...

Anyway, I don't really have any recipes yet because I'm still in the induction phase and it is VERY low carb, like under 20g a day. So I'm basically eating meat, cheese, lettuce, broccoli and asparagus. I'm sure I'll start to expand soon, but for now that's it.

I did, however, make my own taco seasoning. I had previously just bought a big container from Sams and used a little bit when I needed it. Unfortunately one of the first ingredients in that is flour. So I made my own. And I don't think I'm going back! Hubby likes it and our friends like it last night. It's good. I used a little chipotle powder in it, yum :-)

I don't have the recipe with me, as I'm blogging from work right now. But I will try and get it up soon.

On a bit of another note, I am really glad I decided to go this route right now. After reading Dr. Atkins' book, especially the chapter on Candida yeast overgrowth, I am convinced that I am struggling with this issue and have been for some time.

There is a lot of information out about Candida, so I won't go into a lot of detail. But basically, Candida is a yeast that lives in your gut. Sometimes, due to overuse of antibiotics or steroids, among other reasons, it becomes overgrown. This can cause a number of symptoms, including craving sweets and starches, feeling tired and "spacey", being prone to itchiness and rashes and having nasal congestion and drainage. The list is very large, but many of the symptoms describe what I've been going through perfectly. So I am trying to control this.

One of the first places I heard about it was from Shannon at Nourishing Days.

The good news, one of the best ways to treat Candida is to remove all starches and sugars from your diet, something I'm already doing. I'm also supposed to limit my intake of caffeine, moldy cheeses, vinegar and fermented condiments. Oh, and no nuts, smoked or cured foots, wine, beer or spirits.

Some of the last things mentioned are going to be very hard for me. I'm a recovering ketchup-aholic. Since I can no longer eat ketchup, at least the kind purchased from the store, I've been using cheese and other yummy sauces (usually based on vinegar or fermented soy sauce) to stand in for ketchup. Without these, I'd be in trouble. So, we'll say I'm taking baby steps.

I'm not completely off caffeine yet, I'm working on it. And I do love good stinky cheeses, though I am trying to stick to mozzarella and cream cheese. I haven't had nuts yet on this new diet plan, though I was looking forward to introducing them back into my diet in the future. And I don't drink, so I have that part covered. I've also ordered a probiotic and hope to start taking that soon to speed the process along. Getting rid of a Candida overgrowth can take quite a while, especially one that's been hanging around for a while, like I'm pretty sure mine has.

Hopefully, all these changes will help me to feel better again. We'll see. And in the meantime, I may just lose these extra 40 lbs I've gained recently too!