Thoughts on Week 2, Diets and Permanent Change

 Here's how my week started on Sunday:

Look closely.  Or perhaps you don't need to look as closely as I did to figure out why it felt like there was tissue in my shoes.  

Have you ever gotten dressed in a hurry, in the semi-darkness of your walk in closet (the one that makes you feel a little bougie because you can actually walk in and turn on the light.  Yeah, that one), only to look down later and see that you have 2 different shoes or socks on?  Or, as happened to me on Sunday, your shoes on the wrong feet like your 3 year old grandson?

It happens.  Who's gotten to church or work and realized you still have your slippers on?  I feel like this "could" happen on Sunday, given the more relaxed nature of the weekend.  Not saying it has exactly.  But it could, that's all I'm saying.

I'm about to embark on a 2 week nutrition clean up.  My skin has been looking dull and spotty, my gut is a little off, and I know I've been unmindful about what I'm eating.  I just heard my grandma's voice in my head: "You are what you eat!"  Turns out, that's more true than she knew.  Our cells are made of what we put in our pieholes, and our cells make our organs and all that other stuff, like blood and guts, so...it stands to reason we are what we eat.  I know this like I know my name, but I still let it go occasionally with too much drink and the wrong foods for me.  

I gave up the diet culture - read depravation - years ago.  Honestly you guys, I did them all...counted points, calories, carbs, fats, used prepackaged no thinking about it meals, fasting...all of it. It got me nowhere. And, more importantly, taught me nothing about what I need to fuel my body with. When I finally slowed down, ate whole food to balance my blood sugars, passed on artificial food and dinner in a package my whole life changed.  All of a sudden my cravings were gone (sugar is my crack), my mood was so much better, I was thinking more clearly, my blood work was stupendous, I dropped weight like it was radioactive and everything was grand.  It took a year or so, and then a little more focus on learning how to balance indulgences, but it's the way to live, I'm telling you.  

I still hate to exercise, so there's that.  But I'm working on it.

Within the last year, my ever-patient friend, Cynthia has coaxed me outside and into the woods for beautiful walks. I really can't remember what month we started - or stopped - but I believe that it had to be in the spring or early summer of 2021 when we first stepped onto the leaf covered path at a local nature area.  It was beautiful.  It smelled heavenly, and I fell so in love with the fragrance, the sound and the vistas that I couldn't wait to get back into the woods day after day.  We saw and heard the most interesting birds, took pictures of native (and not native) wildflowers and I felt really good.  I bought walking sticks for balance and support and a skort for the hot days.  Then it rained, and all bets were off.  Not only did the rain start, but it was unusually windy and that combination drove us right to the local coffee shop to sip something warm and promise each other we'd get back at it.  I even bought a poncho for the rain, or rather my daughter bought it and sent it to me.  

In October I travelled to Ireland to see my daughter, her husband and my grandchildren.  It was unseasonably warm there last fall.  Normally, it's bone chilling cold with a wind, but October was lovely.  We walked in the most beautiful spots with moss covered trees and bridges, leaves heavy with dew and that heady woods fragrance.  I was anxious to get back at it once I got home to Oregon.  Until I got home to Oregon. Jet lag, more rain, and an incredibly destructive wind storm killed my motivation and Cynthia and I have been talking about meeting in the woods again ever since.  I'm not sure why I've mentioned all this, except now it's out there and I'll pretend that the tens of people reading this will hold me accountable.  

I did walk up to the corner 2 days in a row, so I'm training for the big forest walk.  I'll let you know how it goes.

One thing I do have a handle on is how to cook and plan meals that are healthy and that serve us well.  I generally, every morning, have a protein smoothie (it's like a chocolate milkshake for breakfast, so why wouldn't I?) full of vitamins and all the things and lots of vegan protein.  That holds me until lunch and I may have another smoothie or leftovers from the night before.  I love leftovers and can't imagine why some people don't.  For dinner I fix a simple (usually simple) protein, 1 or 2 vegetables like an interesting salad and then a roasted veg and sometimes I add a healthy starch like sweet potato or brown rice.  I've got that dialed in.  Where I fall apart lately has been after dinner snack attacks that have turned into 4th meal.  I'm not kidding.  I'm finding myself holding a cheese quesadilla or 1/2 a sandwich at 8:00 - and I'm not really hungry!  I know better, and I feel awful the next morning.  It has to stop, so on Monday I'm starting to tighten the schedule and I swear I'm going to be intentional about fueling.  

Anyone want to join me?  Nothing crazy, just taking care of business.  I'll be your cheerleader, and you can be mine.

Here's a great salad recipe that is a good side for fish or chicken and holds well for the next day's lunch:

Asian Summer Slaw

Dressing

1/4 c cashew or almond butter

2 T white miso paste

2 T lime juice

1 t sesame oil

1 t grated ginger

2-5 T water, as needed

Slaw

6-7 c shredded green and/or red cabbage

Mix of peppers - you can use spicy or sweet or a combo

2-3 scallions, chopped

1/2 c cilantro, including stems, chopped

1/2 c fresh basil, Thai basil and/or mint

2 Thai chiles or 1 serrano pepper, diced

sea salt

1/4 c toasted peanuts, peptitas and/or sesame seeds

1 ripe peach, thinly sliced

Make the dressing in a small bowl by adding everything but the water,  Whisk in enough water to create a drizzle consistency.  Set aside.

In a dry skillet, char the peppers, about 2 minutes per side. Cool to the touch, remove stem and ribbing and slice into thin strips.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, peppers, scallions, cilantro, basil, chiles and 3/4 of the dressing.  toss until combined.  Add the remaining dressing, if you want.  Sprinkle with sea salt. Top with nuts and sliced peaches.  Enjoy!

Notes:

I've made this with no miso, powdered ginger and no peach.  I've added grilled leftover grilled chicken.  It's pretty versatile, although fresh ginger is far better than powdered.  But I don't always have it, do you?

Not my photo (I wish).  Love and Lemons

June promises to be busy for the Oaks in the Glen.  There are 3 acorn weddings this month, with the first one this Saturday.  A sweet bride we've known since she was in grade school. Later in the month the wonderful son of friends is marrying the most awesome girl I can imagine for him and sometime in between a former co-worker is getting married.  That one will be a traditional Vietnamese wedding and reception with tons of food and singing.  I'll let you know how they all go.

Around the middle of the month our own acorn is coming home for a month with her 2 seedlings, our grandies.  I can't wait.  Even though I was just visiting them in October, before that it had been close to 3 years since I'd seen them (thanks pandemic).  The Grand Old Oak hasn't seen any of them since they had their first trip home after moving to Ireland, so it's been close to 5 years for him.  Grandies change a lot in 5 years, and so do Old Oaks. There are fun things planned, camping in a yurt being the highlight, climbing Multnomah Falls, and I'm sure a beach trip.  If you're from the PNW, did you know that you have to have a permit to go to Multnomah Falls now?  It's timed, costs $2 and doesn't guarantee a parking spot.  We'll see how that all goes.

 

One last word:  Check out Tom Morrison on YouTube.  He's fab with stretches and low impact exercise that'll make you feel like a CrossFit champ, and it's astounding how much doing them helps the aches and pains.  My daughter sent me my first video when I complained of a sudden and weird stiffness in my ankle that made going down the stairs a joke.  I looked like Chester from Gunsmoke.  I was amazed at how simple and effective the movements were.  Today I did a little routine that barely got me off the couch and my whole body was stretched.  Here's a good one for shoulder impingement:

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He's got a sweet Scottish accent, so there's that.  If the above link doesn't work, because it doesn't look like it will from my perspective, just search Tom Morrison on YouTube.  You'll be glad you did.  Unless you're already a body builder or something, but if you want to start from zero, he'll make you feel really good.

Until next week, my 1 or 2 readers!