Since starting Paleo in October of 2011 I have slowly been coming to the realization of how simple food can be, but it really hit me today.
I have always hated paying for things that I knew I could make myself, but because of lame excuses like "I don't have the time" we seem to go buy it anyway. Pisses me off actually. So when yesterday I came home and lifted the lid of my crock pot I was so happy! And still am the next day actually.
I made home made applesauce. Yep, I did. Why is this such a big deal? Maybe I am weird but I am stuck on how simple it was. Apples and cinnamon. Core, peel and put in crock pot for 8 hours. I didn't even have to be home for the cooking! Mine was in for ten hours and when I got home stirred with a spoon and done! Didn't even have to throw it in food processor. Look at a jar of it in the store. I'm sure it has many more ingredients than that. The stuff I made has no sugar and doesn't need it.
I also bought an ice cream maker. I debated it for so long but decided to splurge. Hopefully in the long run it will pay for itself if it stops me from buying ice cream. It seems to be my weakness this summer. Only "real" hard ice cream is what I buy from Peppermint Andy's or the little pink store on Ross Street but still has dairy and sugar. Not to mention the waffle cones they must come in. My ice cream maker will only be fed coconut milk. Last week I made my first batch. Again super simple, and only 4 ingredients. Maple bacon flavor. Pretty good and fed Josh and I for two nights. I'm thinking of making another type and taking it to my step dad's birthday party this weekend. Save us from eating cake.
Next step seems to be making sauerkraut. Josh bought a jar for it and I think he has done enough research. Just gotta get some cabbage and we should b ready to go!
We have made a new resolution to avoid sugar. I am now seeing a naturalpathic doctor and turns out I have candida. It's an overgrowth of yeast in your belly. And guess what it likes to eat? You guessed it, sugar. She identified some other things we need to work on to get my body more balanced. I am keeping an open mind and hope it clears up my eczema and help me get pregnant. The kinda weird thing she found was I have a low temperature and blood pressure. She wasn't too concerned since I haven't reported feeling dizzy. But I have been having lots of mild headaches lately and would like to learn why.
It's all a jouney though. It was nice to hearthe doctor say that due to my diet I was ahead of a lot of other people ho first come to see her. :)
Friday, 27 July 2012
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Busy days
Wow, last post was July 10th. I knew it had been awhile but yikes. I was on holidays from the 12th to 24th so will have to try to remember all that I did! My plan was to get things done around the house that had been neglected but of course not much of that happened.
We did go on a river canoe trip and did a short camp trip last weekend. Does this count? lol. And the Mud Hero was just this past Sunday! It was sooo much fun! Even though I did hurt myself at the end. I baseball slid into the last mud pit. Rocks at the bottom. I forgot all about my bad knee that took me out of derby and that it didn't like that type of impact. Kinda put a damper on the finish when I had to limp. Oh well! Was still worth it. We can't wait to do the Spartan race in less than a month!
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures in here I will write some more. I usually so this on my work computer so don't have any pics on here.
I feel like a neglectful blogger!
We did go on a river canoe trip and did a short camp trip last weekend. Does this count? lol. And the Mud Hero was just this past Sunday! It was sooo much fun! Even though I did hurt myself at the end. I baseball slid into the last mud pit. Rocks at the bottom. I forgot all about my bad knee that took me out of derby and that it didn't like that type of impact. Kinda put a damper on the finish when I had to limp. Oh well! Was still worth it. We can't wait to do the Spartan race in less than a month!
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures in here I will write some more. I usually so this on my work computer so don't have any pics on here.
I feel like a neglectful blogger!
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Why do we do the things we do?
What is it about human nature that causes us to do things that we know are bad for you? We know what the consequences will be and yet we do it anyway. I think maybe it is the feeling of that instant gratification. I have heard that when it comes to food we are wired in such a way that when we come across high calorie, tasty food our goal is to get a much of it as possible as you never know when it will appear again. This is all fine and dandy in paleolithic times, but now we have this high calorie, tasty and bad for us food on every corner. Unfortunately our wiring is still the same and we indulge. Too often and too much.
During the week I do quite well staying away from all this temptation. The weekends are a different matter. I don't usually go crazy but have more treats than I should. I figured out this may be the reason why I always feel lower energy at Tuesday night WOD's.
Yesterday was Monday and back to work day. Stopped in the morning for a Chai latte and told myself that was my treat for having to go to work when I just wanted to be home with Josh. At lunch I went to the store for errands and had barely an issue avoiding all the candy and temptations there. But on the way home from another walk I wandered into the Mac's store. This started in part because I did not have any "sweet" n my lunch. Usually we have fruit on hand and Josh puts some in my lunch with coconut flakes and honey. I usually crave sweet after I eat my lunch and this does the trick just fine. Didn't have any yesterday though. I went in fooling myself that I would look for some fruit. Instead saw a milkshake machine they had. Open the cup of ice cream and stick it in a cool machine that will mix it for you. I went for it part for the evenly and partly cause I told myself it would help me cool off. (Was 30 degrees yesterday).
Of course it was super yummy! But not long after my guts were rolling and the bathroom was calling. I know better. Any fake food is bad but fake dairy? Even worse. My discomfort did not last long but the guilt stayed. My main symptom when I eat food that my body does not like is headaches. As the night went on I developed a good one. Bad enough to take some Advil after I went to bed. Another fail. I used to take them a lot until Josh's concern helped wean me off.
And so another promise to "be better". You would think after all this time we would have a strategy for this. Some say cravings are your body craving other things. The way we eat is so much better than before and we are getting much more nutrients. I think it is more about the feelings we get when we eat the food. Josh might agree. He is addicted to M&M's. Not joking, it really seems to be an addiction at times.
One good things is that we will not be able to find anything like those on our river trip coming up. Taking some canoes down the Red Deer River to Drumheller. Should take about 4 days. I am looking forward to it. That will be the start of my holidays from work. I had taken it off as we were panning to got o Denver for a Zombie Run but Josh couldn't get the time off. Hell he still hasn't gotten Friday off and we leave Saturday morning. Leaving me to try to get he canoe and everything else ready. Not too happy about that. But anyways, I think I am going to enjoy being off work and having no real plans besides the river trip. Not sure the last time I had a holiday when it wasn't all planned out.
The week after that is the Mud Run!!! Eeeee! Getting excited. Josh and I went for a run on Sunday in the blazing heat. I woke up early and told him we should go run. He Gave me this bleary eyed look and asked "who are you"? I didn't have an answer or explanation. We did the same loop but the opposite way which starts with a long incline. Wasn't sure if that was a good idea but after the hill I recovered ok. By the end though I was spend. Kept repeating to myself "just keep moving". It was so hot. But good news, we beat our times by at least a minute I think. We have averaged about one run per month since we started and have improved each time. Happy with that. I guess we will see at the Mud Run if it was enough! ;)
During the week I do quite well staying away from all this temptation. The weekends are a different matter. I don't usually go crazy but have more treats than I should. I figured out this may be the reason why I always feel lower energy at Tuesday night WOD's.
Yesterday was Monday and back to work day. Stopped in the morning for a Chai latte and told myself that was my treat for having to go to work when I just wanted to be home with Josh. At lunch I went to the store for errands and had barely an issue avoiding all the candy and temptations there. But on the way home from another walk I wandered into the Mac's store. This started in part because I did not have any "sweet" n my lunch. Usually we have fruit on hand and Josh puts some in my lunch with coconut flakes and honey. I usually crave sweet after I eat my lunch and this does the trick just fine. Didn't have any yesterday though. I went in fooling myself that I would look for some fruit. Instead saw a milkshake machine they had. Open the cup of ice cream and stick it in a cool machine that will mix it for you. I went for it part for the evenly and partly cause I told myself it would help me cool off. (Was 30 degrees yesterday).
Of course it was super yummy! But not long after my guts were rolling and the bathroom was calling. I know better. Any fake food is bad but fake dairy? Even worse. My discomfort did not last long but the guilt stayed. My main symptom when I eat food that my body does not like is headaches. As the night went on I developed a good one. Bad enough to take some Advil after I went to bed. Another fail. I used to take them a lot until Josh's concern helped wean me off.
And so another promise to "be better". You would think after all this time we would have a strategy for this. Some say cravings are your body craving other things. The way we eat is so much better than before and we are getting much more nutrients. I think it is more about the feelings we get when we eat the food. Josh might agree. He is addicted to M&M's. Not joking, it really seems to be an addiction at times.
One good things is that we will not be able to find anything like those on our river trip coming up. Taking some canoes down the Red Deer River to Drumheller. Should take about 4 days. I am looking forward to it. That will be the start of my holidays from work. I had taken it off as we were panning to got o Denver for a Zombie Run but Josh couldn't get the time off. Hell he still hasn't gotten Friday off and we leave Saturday morning. Leaving me to try to get he canoe and everything else ready. Not too happy about that. But anyways, I think I am going to enjoy being off work and having no real plans besides the river trip. Not sure the last time I had a holiday when it wasn't all planned out.
The week after that is the Mud Run!!! Eeeee! Getting excited. Josh and I went for a run on Sunday in the blazing heat. I woke up early and told him we should go run. He Gave me this bleary eyed look and asked "who are you"? I didn't have an answer or explanation. We did the same loop but the opposite way which starts with a long incline. Wasn't sure if that was a good idea but after the hill I recovered ok. By the end though I was spend. Kept repeating to myself "just keep moving". It was so hot. But good news, we beat our times by at least a minute I think. We have averaged about one run per month since we started and have improved each time. Happy with that. I guess we will see at the Mud Run if it was enough! ;)
Friday, 6 July 2012
Thoughts
It's been a week since last post and there's some thoughts I wanted to get out of my head and on to something permanent. I don't know if it will help or not but who knows?
First though I think I am making a bit of progress on my rope climb. Got a little higher up on my try at the gym last night. The rope still hurts the top of my foot like hell though. Was a good workout too. I used a higher step for the box jumps. Gonna try to raise the bar a little each time I go. Just a little. Don't want to get too crazy. ;)
Getting excited for the Mud Run! 16 days away! We have planned a canoe river tip next weekend for four days. Funny but it seems both of us are more excited about the run. Weirdness.
Okay, so for my more serious topic. I have been thinking and researching a bit about going back to school. Relatively speaking I have a good job as a probation officer. Government job and pension (someday), and the pay is good. However lately it seems as I have lost some interest in what I do. It's hard to explain, but part of my job is to hopefully help or be the push people need to change their lives. I know there will always be some who won't and that's fine. People make their own choices no matter what, but it has been getting tiring seeing them make bad choices over and over again. We are not allowed to physically slap sense into them so it gets frustrating.
I like talking to people. I like helping them help themselves to improve. The thought I had one day was that I would like to have a client base who WANT to come see me. Not seeing me because they have to. For this I would need to be some sort of counsellor or psychologist. This means going back to school. While watching a movie called 50/50 I had one of those "it would be cool to to that moments". It was about a man who was diagnosed with cancer and he started seeing a counsellor to help him deal with it all. This interested me right away. Turns out there is a field called health psychology.
While thinking about this avenue I also heard the term Wellness Coach on a podcast. It is sort of like a personal trainer (without actually working out with them) where you help people with their health/fitness goals. You don't make a plan for them but motivate and encourage. This only requires a certificate and I guess you could have your own client base or join with other health professionals. Even some big companies are employing them for their employers. Also interesting.
My dilemma seems to be evolving. The university allows me to get my masters online which is great. Expensive of course as any school usually is and will take about three years. Then I still must register with an organizing body in Alberta and maybe jump through some other hoops. The wellness coach thing I could take a certificate, for much cheaper and take much less time. But there is no real regulation in the industry. The biggest downside is that with both careers I could start out making a lot less than I am now. It could eventually turn out to a higher salary in a few year, but no guarantee.
So the debate. Josh feels if I would be happier doing this then there isn't much question. My sticking point is why leave a good job and possible pension for less money? I sometimes feel like why spend more money on schooling to earn less? Does not make sense to me. I think making less money might make me unhappy. Not in the material sense, but as in more stress to make ends meet. Especially if we want to have a family. Why put more stress on Josh as well?
I think the masters program is at least $18 000. This is a lot of money, especially when I think about how far that money will go towards our dream of buying land and building a sustainable house. We have been taking about his for a long time now and have been saving to try to make it happen. If I go to school that could severely delay these plans and that's something I don't want at all. Once we have built the house I can always consider school then. Or even take a wellness coach certificate in the meantime and do that part time.
I actually found myself saying last night that I probably was willing to stay in a job that I am losing passion for to help make this dream of ours come true. I know some of my thoughts on this sound crazy to Josh. Maybe they are a little crazy. I have always admired people who can make a living with their passions or interests and would always tell others to go for it. On the other hand, living in the country and building this house is something I really want to so whatever I had to do to help make that happen I'm still following one of my dreams.
Right?
First though I think I am making a bit of progress on my rope climb. Got a little higher up on my try at the gym last night. The rope still hurts the top of my foot like hell though. Was a good workout too. I used a higher step for the box jumps. Gonna try to raise the bar a little each time I go. Just a little. Don't want to get too crazy. ;)
Getting excited for the Mud Run! 16 days away! We have planned a canoe river tip next weekend for four days. Funny but it seems both of us are more excited about the run. Weirdness.
Okay, so for my more serious topic. I have been thinking and researching a bit about going back to school. Relatively speaking I have a good job as a probation officer. Government job and pension (someday), and the pay is good. However lately it seems as I have lost some interest in what I do. It's hard to explain, but part of my job is to hopefully help or be the push people need to change their lives. I know there will always be some who won't and that's fine. People make their own choices no matter what, but it has been getting tiring seeing them make bad choices over and over again. We are not allowed to physically slap sense into them so it gets frustrating.
I like talking to people. I like helping them help themselves to improve. The thought I had one day was that I would like to have a client base who WANT to come see me. Not seeing me because they have to. For this I would need to be some sort of counsellor or psychologist. This means going back to school. While watching a movie called 50/50 I had one of those "it would be cool to to that moments". It was about a man who was diagnosed with cancer and he started seeing a counsellor to help him deal with it all. This interested me right away. Turns out there is a field called health psychology.
While thinking about this avenue I also heard the term Wellness Coach on a podcast. It is sort of like a personal trainer (without actually working out with them) where you help people with their health/fitness goals. You don't make a plan for them but motivate and encourage. This only requires a certificate and I guess you could have your own client base or join with other health professionals. Even some big companies are employing them for their employers. Also interesting.
My dilemma seems to be evolving. The university allows me to get my masters online which is great. Expensive of course as any school usually is and will take about three years. Then I still must register with an organizing body in Alberta and maybe jump through some other hoops. The wellness coach thing I could take a certificate, for much cheaper and take much less time. But there is no real regulation in the industry. The biggest downside is that with both careers I could start out making a lot less than I am now. It could eventually turn out to a higher salary in a few year, but no guarantee.
So the debate. Josh feels if I would be happier doing this then there isn't much question. My sticking point is why leave a good job and possible pension for less money? I sometimes feel like why spend more money on schooling to earn less? Does not make sense to me. I think making less money might make me unhappy. Not in the material sense, but as in more stress to make ends meet. Especially if we want to have a family. Why put more stress on Josh as well?
I think the masters program is at least $18 000. This is a lot of money, especially when I think about how far that money will go towards our dream of buying land and building a sustainable house. We have been taking about his for a long time now and have been saving to try to make it happen. If I go to school that could severely delay these plans and that's something I don't want at all. Once we have built the house I can always consider school then. Or even take a wellness coach certificate in the meantime and do that part time.
I actually found myself saying last night that I probably was willing to stay in a job that I am losing passion for to help make this dream of ours come true. I know some of my thoughts on this sound crazy to Josh. Maybe they are a little crazy. I have always admired people who can make a living with their passions or interests and would always tell others to go for it. On the other hand, living in the country and building this house is something I really want to so whatever I had to do to help make that happen I'm still following one of my dreams.
Right?
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