No sugar-day: It's tougher than you think

"The Day of No Sugar Challenge is tomorrow. Any takers? I'm going to try it. It includes all sugars, including honey & syrup, even though they're unrefined & natural. My morning tea will be the hardest for me, I think."

My friend posted this on Facebook yesterday. I thought, I ought to do this anyways, being diabetic. And after all, how hard could it be? I drink diet soda. I (normally) avoid a lot of junk food, and I don't make it a practice of adding sugar to anything. 

What I've found already in a few short hours that avoiding sugar in your diet is tougher than I thought. My initial thought was avoid the kids' Eggo's and syrup for breakfast and focus on a protein smoothie. I smugly added my protein shake powder to my vanilla almond milk, took a drink, and had a thought: Did it really NOT have sugar?

And sadly, I was disappointed.

As lunchtime approached, I found myself not being able to try my coconut cashews. Those I knew had sugar, but it was a fun way to get a little protein to tide me over until noon. I stayed clear of the bagels and cream cheese in the office even as my stomach began to grumble.

So I turned instead to my emergency stash of lunch supplies in the office:

Yes - even your beloved Mac n' cheese has added sugars!

Before you correct me, I realize macaroni and cheese isn't exactly health food, but it was great to keep stashed in case of bad weather or in the event of a work crisis (which never happens...) I had comforted myself with the fact there actually was some fiber and two ounces of protein. But this too, was tainted with sugar. Deep within the ingredients there was maltodextrin and corn syrup, not to mention good old-fashioned “sugar.” 

I ran home over lunch hour for a conference call and to start dinner. This time I didn't blink when I whipped up some hot cocoa and milk while I was prepping. At least Starbucks has the decency to spell it out as sugar. I knew I was going down there.

Dinner, at least, I can say is sugar-free. I checked. Leftover potatoes; steamed broccoli and chicken breasts in Cream of Mushroom sauce. I checked the label. No sugar there. 

But let's not talk about the sodium....

Go Green, Get Fit!

Twenty miles in three days. You'd think I was a fitness buff.

But no, I'm truly just a tired mom working a week at scout camp.

I've carried the idea of getting in shape for years now. I haven't had a consistent workout routine since I walked a half-marathon, pregnant with my 4 1/2 year old. First it was new mom exhaustion. Then it was not having money for a fitness class since my husband was out of work for a few years. Then it was time.

But I finally realized have to stop making excuses. My health, my family is far too important for that.

My turning point was sheer exhaustion...as I could barely make it through the work day. I've slowly made changes the last several months, reducing my starchy carb intake (I truly was eating far too much), introducing meaningful exercise (like taking a walk instead of sitting in a chair to discuss something at work), making sure I get enough sleep and getting my blood sugar levels back in check.

Yes, I'd love to love 20 pounds. Thirty or forty would make my doctor happier. But my first goal was simple: Having enough energy to survive Girl Scout camp each day. Halfway through the week, I can tell you I've succeeded. I'm sore, but I've succeeded.

All this hiking has reminded me I have the potential to be stronger, and it's a great kickoff to the Go Green, Get Fit blogging challenge that starts June 18. I'm excited to be part of a diverse group of bloggers, from the experienced athlete to the aspiring exerciser.

Here are my goals for the coming months:

1. Exercise each morning. I am honest enough to realize that although I hate getting up in the morning, it's my best window for real exercise--a mix of aerobics, stretching and strength training. I am committing to 30 minutes each morning. Even more so, I am committing to slipping in exercise even if I hit the snooze too many times or my kids wake up early.

2. Incorporate my kids. We are blessed with walking trails and a pool nearby, not to mention a plethora of balls, lacrosse tools and other outdoor toys. Taking advantage of these things means I'm setting a great example for fitness and telling them, yes, I will play with you!

3. Build my aerobic fitness. I do well with the little things, but I need to push myself more. My dream? To  run a 5k this fall. I know I have a lot of work to get there, but I'm rooting for myself!

4. Eat seasonally. As much as I love gardening and attending farmers markets, when I'm busy eating seasonal produce admittedly falls by the wayside. I want to recommit to that for our family's health.

I know these steps seem minor. But if there's one thing I've learned this week, it's that goals can be achieved, one step at a time. Are you with me?

I’d love to hear about your fitness or health goals for the coming months! And please join us on June 18, when the Go Green Get Fit Challenge begins!

In the meantime, join us on Facebook to get details and updates!

You can also follow the Go Green, Get Fit Challenge on Pinterest, Healthy Home Magazine, and Twitter.

I survived the eat from the pantry challenge

Making a meal from your reserves. It's not as difficult as you'd think.

Despite snowstorms, work, fussy children and going on two weeks of being sick, our family lived through our eating from the pantry (and freezer) challenge and lived to tell about it.

Even better, we added a few dishes to our repertoire.

We cracked open a breadmaking book, borrowed a month ago from a friend, and let the aroma of freshly baked bread fill our home. Our kids asked for it to snack on at breakfast, between meals, even after dinner.

We cleaned out the random items in our freezer, those half-used bags of beans, the boneless chicken breasts overzealously bought on sale.

I dusted off old cookbooks and cooking magazines, bookmarking ideas for winter soups and fruity desserts. We're even having corn on the cob this week, harvested at the peak of Indiana summers.

Too many winters have been spent saving the previous summer's harvest for a special dish, only to hurridly clean out frozen, frost-covered produce the following June. So this was a nice reprise.

And the fact we hardly touched a grocery store for a month didn't hurt either.

How did you do? Did you finish your month's pantry challenge? Did you find new dishes to enjoy? Have a cooking disaster to share? Would you do it again?

Clean out the cupboards: The sick day edition

You can start the week with great intentions. And then life will throw you a loop.

This week our family's cupboard challenge was completely derailed by a little thing called Mom Being Sick.

With Mom Being Sick, you don't have the energy for tiffs over toys, let alone expending the energy for a home-cooked meal. With Mom Being Sick, it's hard to keep your head up, let alone safely balance a knife on the cutting board. With Mom Being Sick, about the only thing that's boiling is a temper at times. All of this has, in retrospect, led me to two conclusions.

1) Menu planning might just mean making a freezer meal or two to keep in the rotation.

2) Sometime's it's OK to just open the blue box of mac and cheese.

It doesn't mean we didn't have our successes. My dear husband made homemade marinara sauce for the very first time - without a recipe - and nailed it. (Why he didn't just take some of the sauce in the freezer, I don't know.) We made stirfries and a favorite chicken dish we hadn't made for months. And I can't argue with grilled steak cooked outside on a cold January day (yes my husband has issues).

Sometimes, with Mom Being Sick, you just go with the flow. And that's OK with me.


How are you sticking (or not sticking) to your pantry challenge? Are you making progress? Trying new recipes? Frustrated with your efforts?

Clean out the cupboards: Finding success in planning ahead

Cleaning out the cupboards. Wow, I should have done this a year ago!

Week 1 flew by, the kids ate with little complaint, but I had a few struggles.

1. Planning a menu.
2. Planning my plan B.

I started this week with great intentions. I got my new laptop out, settled in with some cookbooks and started planning out recipes to try when certain key items went on sale. What I should have done is plan out more than a day or two in advance what we were actually going to eat, because we weren't planning on hitting the stores.

It is one thing to plan a menu. It is one thing to roll the dice and hope your food defrosts in time.

More than a few times, we had to scrap our meal plans because the sauce or meat from my freezer was still a frozen hunk in our fridge. And, with little in the way of produce in our fridge (our winter market had been closed for the holidays), it presented a larger challenge to make a well-rounded meal.

But we survived. Frankly we ate quite well, all things considered:

• Peanut butter oatmeal and blueberry baked french toast for breakfast (both easy fixes that were fast to reheat on school mornings)
• My mother-in-law's chicken wings for New Year's Day
• Pitas stuffed with a fabulous makeshift mixture of ground beef, spices and tomato pesto (will post recipe later)
• Grilled chicken
• and more.

I have to admit, you can probably do anything for a week, and we've been fortunate that we were able to make it through with very little in terms of purchases. We even cleared out a few condiments along the way. Sure, I haven't touched much in the way of vegetables, and we've had to make some creative substitutions, like maple syrup for honey in oatmeal bars or black beans instead of red in chili. But we managed to get away in week 1 with only purchasing milk, honey (which I thought I needed for a later recipe), two cans of tomato sauce and (blush) Diet Coke. Not bad for a family of four, who just found out their budget's being ursurped by not only tuition textbooks and home association fees, but also the replacement of a toilet, not a small expense.

Staying away from the store will be difficult at best. It's hard to break the routine of just picking up something on the way home from work, or to start the routine of thinking ahead for an entire week. But by forcing ourselves to think ahead, I think we'll be far better for it, and wiser in what we do spend later.

Clean Out the Cupboards, Week 1

I hate canned food.


There. I said it.

As I've stared at my pantry for the 10th time this weekend, I realized that I really don't like canned food. Not canned tuna. Not canned veggies (though mushrooms and anything for Chinese is ok.). Not canned anything.

I should have realized this months ago. Thanksgiving day, I tossed out can after can - filling a garbage can - with canned items I'd bought at a good price and promptly ignored. Not because I can afford to waste money on our cramped budget. But because I just don't like to use canned goods.

If I think about how I cook, it's rare that I grab anything that's canned out of the pantry. Soup, beans and mushrooms seem to be the exception to the rule. We rarely buy spaghetti sauce anymore since I started buying tomatoes for massive sauce-making and freezing in August.

If I really look at my pantry's contents they can be summed up as:

• Breakfast stuff


• School lunch stuff


• Pastas


• Leftover junk food and Christmas treats my husband bought


• Abandoned canned goods


• Stuff to make other stuff

It's the last two items I'll be worried about most during this pantry challenge. Figure out how to use, actually use, those canned goods in a meal, instead of bypassing them to grab last summer's veggies from the freezer. I'll figure out how to use the obscure condiments (coconut milk, anyone?) and other cooking items we've grabbed because we might use it in a recipe someday.

If I was just eating cooked, canned green beans it would be easy. But making the most of my pantry, rather than just letting things go waste, is a bigger challenge for our plates. It's time to dust off those cookbooks and get tasting!

What are your goals for the challenge? Is it simply cleaning house? Cutting back on your food budget? Shaking up your meal plan?

Clean Out The Cupboards Challenge

For all of my scratch cooking, frozen produce from last summer and other efforts, I have to admit. My pantry is a mess. Stocked with teas, cocoas and things I am not really sure why we bought them in the first place.
Admit it. Your pantry is no better. It's time to do something about it.

Welcome to the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge, co-hosted by Laura at Frugal Follies, Denise at Shopper Strategy, Crystal at Mrs. Happy Homemaker, Rebecca Jean at Midnight Maniac and me.

This month, the five of us plan to challenge ourselves to eat from our pantries – to use up all that excess food sitting in the backs of the cupboards, the refrigerator door and the freezer – and limit our shopping to as little as possible.
And we want you to join us, too!

The rules are simple: Make up your own rules, based on what’s best for your family. But a few basic principles:

Eat! This is not a diet or eat as little as possible challenge. Prepare healthy foods for your family, even if it means doing more shopping than you expected.

Don’t load up this weekend with a month’s worth of groceries. Go ahead and do your regular shopping.

Don’t not buy groceries, but then eat at restaurants all month long. Of course, feel free to eat at restaurants if you normally do.

If you need to stop the challenge mid-month based on the needs of your family, do so.

As for the details of the challenge, it’s up to you!

• You might want to purchase dairy and produce throughout the month; others might try to stretch what they already have.
• You might want to limit your challenge to food items, or extend it to personal care items, paper goods and cleaning supplies.
• You might want to allow yourself to purchase great deals; others won’t.

On Monday, we’ll kick off the challenge by posting our goals. So figure out what your goals are – is it to save money? to have more room in your pantry? to stop wasting food and thus help the environment? Figure out why you want to participate in the challenge – I look forward to hearing what your goals are!

(Bloggers: if you wish to join us, we’ll have a linky each week where you can link to your challenge posts. The linky will appear at the blogs of all five co-hosts.)

Are you in?

Lessons learned from the pantry challenge

Like a lot of people, I flirted with the idea from the eating from the pantry/freezer challenge in January. Was I consistent? Hardly so. But it's the thought that counts.

Here's what I learned from a month-long attempt to clean house:

A menu plan should be in the works. Too many evenings were spent glaring at our pantry, which seems to house more boxes of tea, pasta and random items (coconut milk, anyone?) than anything else. We have a number of family favorites. We just need to be a bit more organized in it beyond getting what's on sale, and then splurging on everything that goes with it.

Eating simply doesn't have to cost a lot. As I learned from our birthday experience, baking a cake from scratch is not more difficult or costly than buying the pre-made mixes or frostings. It's a bit messier, but that just makes it fun.

Old food is wasted food. Yes, you realize that with wilted produce or spoiled milk, but the same effect can happen in the freezer. We wound up tossing out several frozen dinners we'd bought for work lunches but had long ago forgotten about, only to find them freezer burnt months (years?) later. Making a rotation schedule will be on the to-do list after the freezer is finally defrosted.

A little creativity can go a long way. We stumbled on a few good surprises like shitake mushroom pilaf just by tossing what we had on hand into a pan.

Restocking should be done with a plan. While buying things because they're on sale is great, we're going to be a little smarter moving forward as to what canned products in particular we'll use faster and which ones we should just hold on. Unless, of course, I can talk my family into a diet of red beans and peaches.

For those of you who dived in, what did you get from this experience?

Rice pilaf recipe

Still in the midst of my pantry and fridge purging, I had to come up with a dish Friday for a pitch-in at work. I stumbled across this recipe over at Kid Appeal for a Shitake Mushroom Rice Pilaf.

I did sub white rice for brown, omitted the onion and added lots of cracked black pepper as that was what was on hand, but it got rave reviews!

And, I should say, it was easy!

Frozen finds: Dishing up dinner from the deep freezer

Inspired by a blogger's challenge to eat a week just out of the pantry (with a little extra inspiration from a tire purchase, tuition and my unplanned dryer repair), I declared to my husband that my goal was to spend the next week cleaning out. The fridge. The pantry. The deep freezer. Particularly the freezer - that frozen tundra where food goes to die. (I think of those "mystery meat" meals my mother would make in the crock-pot as a kid...)

And no matter how crazy the menu, we were going to do it.

This is a true story...No sugar-coated posts about how wonderful it was to clean things out and how much money we'll save. It's all about, at the end of the day, getting those kids (and their dad) to eat a meal.


Day 1

I confess to cheating: I open it up to the kids' desires. Hot dogs and tater tots it is. (My husband really shouldn't be eating those anyway!) I munch on a rogue bag of microwave popcorn from the pantry. DH does his own thing.

Day 2

We plan to stick to a staple - baked chicken and rice. I'd gotten the chicken out of the freezer the day before. DH forgets to start it until about 10 minutes before we're home. We bake it; the kids dine on leftover soft taco fixings, homemade low mein and veggies. At least the random dishes are gone.

Day 3

The pressure's off - the entree is done! I whip up a batch of green beans sauteed with basil, oregano, onions, mushrooms garlic and water chestnuts no less - a loose takeoff from a recipe the Princess & The Frog cookbook my daughter received for Christmas. Her interest in playing tsou chef tonight lasts about 2 minutes, though she pops in periodically to mooch off a water chestnut while I'm cooking.

The kids go to bed, and I take stock of the freezer - it's a lot emptier than I thought. Lots of leftover berries and other fruits frozen when in season; not much for meats. Realize I actually have no more greeen beans in the house - surprising considering how much we froze from our garden this summer. Will have to get a little more creative as the week progresses.

Grab from the freezer a loaf of French bread (gotten from Sam's some time ago), some chopped apples (that never did make it for streudel) and cranberries (which sadly, were from last season)and use up my eggs prepping baked French toast.

DH casually goes into the freezer and pulls out a new bag of blueberries for a fruit smoothie the next morning. I stare at him. Did you check the garage, I ask? We bought a ton this summer when it was in season - and only have about three gallons of blueberries left. Hence the reason for our purge!


Day 4

A cold Saturday day is perfect for soup, I reason, and I'd finally gotten a recipe for carrot soup from the caterer from our commercial shoot. I'm anxious to try it and mention it to my husband. My husband gives me that look that he's about to throw up, then practically runs to the kitchen. The next thing I hear is, "Do you want macaroni and cheese too?"

After lunch, I start clipping coupons, and stumble across a recipe, which I don't normally read in the coupon section. I get excited as I realize I have every single ingredient...then find out we actually have no ground beef in the house. I truly think it's a first.

For dinner we'd planned on our one big splurge - our small roast that I'd picked up for our holiday celebration and then tossed in the freezer when we found out we were visiting the in-laws. Except it's still frozen on the bottom shelf of the fridge. The family has chicken fried rice instead.

Day 5

Sunday tends to be a free-for-all for us. With church times and nap times, we're often cramming a lunch whenever and however we can. Still bent on my soup kick, I heat up a bowl of leftover corn chowder that I'd frozen from last month. I offer it to my 2 year old, who flat refuses and asks for crackers. He is offered crackers and asks for chicken. (There are no chicken nuggets in the house.) He throws his sippy cup in protest. He is banished to nap time.

We hear from down the hall: "Daddy...hungry...chicken..."

Thankfully, he thinks the roast is chicken and eats three servings at dinner.

Day 6

Am driving to pick up the kids and have a panic moment: My planned dinner is still in the deep freezer. Whoops.

Determined not to have another meal from the big blue box, I spring the idea of pasta and ricotta on the kids when I arrive at daycare. They love it. We run to the store to grab some ricotta and walk out $20 poorer. (To my defense, soups were on sale for $.79, and they're a cooking staple in several of our family's dishes.)

Wind up cooking 1/2 package of pasta and tossing 1 cup of ricotta, 1 tablespoon butter, and some sauteed garlic (a large spoonful from the bulk jar) and 1/2 pound spinach in my pasta. More leftover spinach stays raw and is hidden by Mandarin oranges and some raisins, dressed with the leftover juice from the can. Little fingers keep picking off the spinach as I prepare the dish.

I offer the hungry natives the salad -- they're ready to meltdown over who ate the last of the dried okra -- while I finish prepping the pasta. My daughter eats the salad. My son makes it clear no spinach will cross his lips as he tosses the raw leaves aside. But then, he did ask for thirds on the pasta dish....

Day 7

The great thing about cooking at home is the ease of making extra. I whipped up the whole box of pasta and used half last night. Coupled with the leftovers still in the fridge, some fruit and the green pepper I picked up last night at the store, we're good to go for dinner. Not high cuisine, but happy kids.

Day 8

Today, I'm blessed to have an unexpected day off and am home with the kids. We make use of more leftovers - polishing off the rest of the spinach, pasta and ricotta for another batch of the dish for lunch. Of course, what was eagerly gobbled two days ago earns me the look of "Whatever!" today. At least I have tomorrow's lunch packed.

The end results

Total cost for the week: $30-$40, including the groceries (chicken nuggets) that mysteriously showed up in my home while I was at work.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. While my deep freezer has probably more ice and leftover Christmas cookies than anything at this point, it's good to rotate stock to prevent freezer burn. And while I didn't use as many canned goods as I thought I would, that's a task for another week.

Moving forward: I'm trying to be smarter about what I shop for and do a better job of menu planning and writing my grocery lists as opposed to my "grab on the way home" mentality of cooking. Too often, I remember that I need to pick up a few ingredients for a dish, and that wastes money, time and many times food, as I tend to overbuy in those instances.

As I'm watching the news, I'm acutely aware of the devastation in Haiti. The latest is that water and electrical systems are failing, adding to the crisis. While we're not rich people by any means, my plan is to do this again this week and send our grocery savings to Catholic Relief Services for the Haitian relief efforts.

How are you doing on your pantry challenges?

Firing my warning shot

Consider yourselves warned...

I'm seriously considering giving up Diet Coke for Lent. I feel I need to give you all fair warning so you can 1) move out of the country, if needed, 2) duck and cover or 3) be generous and stock up on aspirin for me for those post-caffeine withdrawal headaches.

I have no idea why I am subjecting myself to such torture. After all, I have a huge deadline coming up at work for April 1. The kids are not sleeping well, and neither are we. And franky, I need something for that morning jolt and mid-afternoon perk.

And then I did the math. 40 days. 4 Diet Cokes or so a day. I realize I'm a creative person and not a math person, but that's 160 sodas, or nearly 14 12-packs. Yikes. That's got to at least fill up my recycling bin at least once, even if the cans are flattened. And that doesn't count the paperboard cases or the gas and wear on my car from traveling to and from getting my fix.

What's just as bad is the other math. Fourteen 12-packs - when prices are good - tops out at $50 easily. That's a lot of money that can make a difference to someone in these challenging times.

So be forewarned. I may not have my usual smiling face. And if you're my guest in my home, I'm dragging you down with me. No sodas in my home. Or at least that's the plan.

Is anyone else equally crazy? Willing to give up something that makes a difference but will be a bit painful in changing your routine? Or is the rest of the world just giving up chocolate?

Our growing challenges

The forecast this week is calling for snow. And yet, spring is on my mind.

Maybe it's a survival instinct for my mental health. But I'm counting the days for warmer weather.

It's a problem made worse since moving to Indiana. They say here not to plant outdoors until after Mother's Day - Mother's Day! - when I'm still used to seeing flowers at the markets in March and April back home in Kansas City.

And then the catalogs keep coming. We're tempted with pictures of a rainbow of flowers - none of which would likely survive under my brown thumb - and unusual produce picks. So a few weeks ago, I placed my first order. Actually, I won some seeds from May Dreams Gardens and Botanical Interests. So my daughter and I hopped online to do a little shopping.

Her wish list? "Rainbow carrots"and the multicolor pack of bush beans. And then she requested of all things, shallots! Too bad they weren't offered there. I supose I'll have to keep hunting! (It goes without saying that tomatoes, which she loves to grow but loathes to eat, will be on our list as well. I'm just not brave enough to start them from seed.)

In the next few weeks, I'll break down and round out my shopping list. So soon, but not soon enough, I'll actually get to plant them. The trick is two-fold: Getting anything to survive in Indiana clay, and getting everyone at my home to enjoy them!

Actually, I upped the ante this year and signed up for the Growing Challenge over at One Green Generation. The goal of the challenge is to not only grow something but also to learn to save seeds to enjoy it for future seasons. I'm not sure how this will turn out, but I'm all for learning something new along the way.

Challenged by my challenges

Two months ago, I took on the one task that most people thought was laughable: reducing my intake of Diet Coke.

But that wasn't all. I also swore off eating out, added sugar, seconds and processed food, all in the name of exploring what it's like to live without.

On the surface, I failed miserably. I went out with my coworkers a few times for lunch; I admittedly stress-ate (on multiple occasions); I even had a (gasp!) Eggo waffle or two with syrup.

But here's the deal. I really came out O.K.

Not only did I drop 12 pounds in the process, but I also learned a few things about myself. I can actually change my habits if persistent enough (my soda consumption is down 25 percent, and I'm hoping to eventually pare it back more). I'm learning to find other ways to deal with my stress, and while they're not foolproof, they are alternatives that I'm sure I'll need to turn to in the coming months.

I've gotten to know myself a little bit better these last few months, and the reality is sometimes, other things in life take priority. Right now, my family's welfare is taking center stage, as we're approaching the start of month six of my husband being without full-time work. We need prayers, people who support us through our stress, and, ultimately, a paycheck, and that trumps little things like questioning the perfection of every item that touches your lips.

I guess you could say I'm challenged all around by our challenges, both fun and not-so-fun. But realizing where you're starting at is the first step to making changes.

Thursday morning musings

Random thoughts while I wait for the first Diet Coke in 24 hours to kick in...

• Giving up anything cold turkey is not fun, no matter the reason (in this case, one part financial/one part situational--couldn't get to the store). So this probably evens out my week's attempt at the discretionary challenge. (Chile, this is where you say something really inspirational...)
• I mentioned in my meatless meals post below that the bok choy from my CSA last week was a mushy mess by Monday. I may have found the reason why. According to the CSA's weekly post, "Choy is probably one of the most precious and fragile vegetables we handle. One little snap of the stalk and the leaf is dying within a day or so." Hmm...could have used the warning last week!
• Speaking of my CSA, I actually tried okra for the first time this week. It took quite some time to find a recipe that didn't involve shrimp (as in gumbo) or frying (which I tend to stray from for health reasons.) I found a very simple recipe buried online: Slice the okra; slice some onions. Saute both in olive oil. (In retrospect, we would have added garlic as well.)
• I have to come to terms that summer is over. I finally had the opportunity to go to the Wednesday-evening Greenwood farmers market last night, but it was just too late in the season. There were football players instead of stands. Maybe next year!
• Speaking of, thanks to those who gave me moral support for my posts earlier this week about the little things we did and didn't do this summer. I think we're all guilty at one point or another at failing to see the little positives in a world where big changes are needed (fast).
• Finally, I leave you with a great quote I read this morning by columnist Leonard Pitts Jr.: "We are becoming the stupid giant of planet Earth: richer than Midas, mightier than Thor, dumber than rocks. Which makes us a danger to the planet -- and to ourselves. This country cannot continue to prosper and to embrace stupidity."

The name of this Indianapolis CSA was deleted from this post on January 28, 2009. This small green parenting blog has been falsely accused of libel by this CSA and I will no longer promote them by using the name of the organization. The First Amendment is a beautiful thing, please do what you can to preserve it!

On Jan. 30, 2009, I removed links to the CSA's site. I am sorry if you can't handle the fact that the links were left; there were only a total of nine links in this post before I removed yours.

Discretionary challenge midway point

If calories burned are more than calories in, you lose weight. That is the one good, tangible thing about this discretionary eating challenge: I finally broke through a post-baby plateau.

I am halfway through Chili's discretionary eating challenge and I set several lofty and possibly unobtainable goals for myself:

• Avoiding restaurants, take-out, prepared deli foods, and frozen meals.
• Avoiding highly processed and refined food stripped of its nutrients.
• Avoiding sugary foods and drinks.
• Avoiding food eaten after physical hunger is satisfied (or to fix a low blood sugar).
• Watching my caffeine intake. Note I didn’t say significantly reduce!!

Why did I do this to myself? Because if I only aim halfway, I won't put in the effort. And the reality is I go out with great intentions and then backslide.

So how have I been doing? Here are just a few candid observations I've made:

• I'm doing 10 times better at packing lunches for work, but I fail to factor in healthy snacks and have been called to more work-related lunches than I've been to in a long time. I won't call out any coworkers specifically, but apparently our most productive meetings occur at Enzo's Pizza.
• I struggle with breakfasts. It's tough when you've admittedly been dependent on a morning diet of prepackaged oatmeal, containers of yogurt or Eggos. Even harder when a 3 year old demands frozen waffles or cereal most days - you wind up weighing the time demands of extra cooking plus managing a tantrum when the tired one doesn't get what she wants to start the day.
• I have more energy overall, but I'm finding my Diet Coke habit is directly correlated with Olympic coverage and teething.
• I could kill for some really good dark chocolate. Good thing no one's brought any into the office!
• Is it me, or does everything have added sugar or artificial sweeteners in them?
• It's a challenge to explain to my husband that I really don't need dinner after a late meeting. He's sees a diabetic; I know I'm not hungry,

I admit it's difficult to see the impacr of a few less envelopes of prepackaged oatmeal or one less soda. But, it's all about a growing awareness of what we produce.

Notes on the unemployment diet

I'm on the unemployment diet, I have joked to my friends. Eating out is out. Staying in is, for better or worse, in.

During the last three months I've been acutely aware as to how discretionary spending does or does not impact they way we eat. I've been guilty far too many times recently, in trying to save money, of eating leftover bagels or treats in the breakroom instead of a "real" lunch on days when morning meetings prohibited me from carrying my meal.

I've realized how too easy it is to fall into eating traps and why it's so easy for those who are poor to become obese.

Simply, it's cheap to eat crap. For $1, I can buy a burger at McDonald's, which has protein and some carbs. Or I can buy a box of processed macaroni and (powdered) cheese. Or, I can spend $1 on an apple, which does have fiber but will largely burn off quickly. Two dollars will buy a package of hot dogs or 1/2 pound of cheese.

Granted, snacks become an equalizer. I can spend $2 on a pound of baby carrots, or $2.50 on a bag of potato chips these days. But what if you're in an area where fresh produce isn't accessible? Many impoverished areas of this country simply don't have great produce available in their stores.

It's sad. You may "save" cash, but you feel worse, as I can attest. I made sure my children ate healthy, but I put myself off to save money. I was exhausted, my blood sugars were erratic and I was cranky.

After about a month of living that way and a visit to my physician, who never even questioned my diet (being a working mom with two little ones was an easy answer), I looked at ways to help myself feel better. And I decided investing in myself was just as important as watching what my kids ate, even if money was tight.

The reality is you still can eat healthy while on a budget. It just takes a little more work.

Sunday, I spent three hours chopping, freezing and cooking food. I made up a week's worth of lunches, made fajita kits, chopped green beans for dinners and freezing and made a homemade dinner. And yes, I was tired of cooking and was thrilled the next night when my husband cooked.

Day to day, it requires a little planning, attention to what's in season and buying what's on sale. We'll shop based on what we get in our weekly CSA share and at the farm stand first, then fill in from there.

• I may not be able to have dried mangoes or papaya for my daughter's afternoon snack, but she loves apples, blueberries and oranges. In fact, I give her a bag to let her "shop" and select her own fruit and vegetables at some stands.
• I may not be buying jarred pasta sauces, but I can toss pasta with tomatoes and herbs fresh from our container garden.
• I may cringe at the cost of baby food, but I can cook and blend my own from the random items in my CSA shares. (And frankly, those are the most gobbled up!)
• I may go meatless for several days, but we'll also enjoy steak or fish on occasion when we see a good price.

It's work, but I'm starting finally to feel like me again. Who knows, maybe someday I'll feel good enough to drop my Diet Cokes.

Of waists and waste

Americans eat too much. That much is certain. Two-thirds of us today are overweight, and the numbers of morbid obesity jump each year.

I know this not only from the news but in the daily role of helping market our hospital’s weight loss services. There truly is a need for us to shape up.

But the reality is this waste is hitting not only our waistlines – but also the environment. If the average American is consuming 1,250 to 1,500 calories more than they should each day, that’s a lot of food that never needed to be processed. Writes Julia Whitty, Mother Jones' environmental correspondent:

Nineteen percent of total energy used in the US is tied to producing and
distributing food.

So I’m doing my part. (OK, it’s not entirely altruistic; I’ll be the first to admit I’m not exactly a size 5.) So when Chile proposed a new challenge to cut out discretionary eating for August, I jumped on board.

I’m either really brave, or really foolish.

So here I am, on the record. For thirty days, I am going to reduce my intake by:

• Avoiding restaurants, take-out, prepared deli foods, and frozen meals. Shouldn’t be too hard, being on the unemployment diet; however, I need to be cautious of my habit of eating those oh-so-appetizing frozen meals.
• Avoiding highly processed and refined food stripped of its nutrients. This should be easy as long as I stick to my plan of planning meals.
• Avoiding sugary foods and drinks. I admit even being diabetic that my sweet tooth will get to me, so I’ll plan ahead and incorporate fruits to help stave those cravings.
• Avoiding food eaten after physical hunger is satisfied (or to fix a low blood sugar). Yes, I need to cut out my snacking, which tends to be stress-related.
• Watching my caffeine intake. Note I didn’t say significantly reduce!! Water it is.

I've probably gone a little overboard, but there. It’s public. So I now have little excuse to get into gear!

Anyone else in?

Monday morning musings

Random thoughts this Monday morning:

• After a disappointing experience with try to go berry picking at Alpine Berry Farm in Batesville, our Saturday plans evolved to a trip to the Franklin Farmers Market, located at the Johnson County Courthouse. I’m thrilled to see it doing as well as it is…a month and a half ago, this area was completely under water.
• I love going to the farmers market, but how many times do I have to tell my child not to run off with random produce to wash them in the bathroom?
• Good Morning America this morning discussed its Carpool Challenge, touting that it can save consumers $3,000 a year. I’m all for carpooling – but what really are your options when you children to take to day care?
• Speaking of challenges, I am actually sticking to one. My plan for July was threefold: reduce or eliminate plastic bag usage, limit extra computer screen time and load up on water at the office. So far, my plastic bag count is seven. It did help that we got reusable bags at our work. Now, my husband’s car has a few bags on the passenger seat, ready to use.
• It’s five months and four days until Christmas. If you haven’t already, sign up for my Have a Handmade Holiday challenge and create one gift this holiday season.

Have a great week!

'Have a handmade holiday' challenge

Christmas in July. Actually, in my family, it's Christmas shopping in July.

What began as a survival tactic as a broke newlywed, recent college graduate - starting my holiday shopping six months in advance, so that I could actually afford gifts - has stuck as a family tradition. And while my sister-in-law laughs at me now, it's me who's laughing and truly enjoying the month of December, when I am not anywhere near a shopping mall.

It's the middle of July, and I haven't started shopping yet (with the exception of a Christmas toddler dish set I bought at Babies R Us, clearanced for $2, back in March). Given the vast evolution of our financial situation, I'm already thinking about the most cost-effective yet meaningful ways I can celebrate the holiday season with my loved ones.

I feel this holiday season will be very much akin to the months after 9/11, when shoppers scrambled to stock up on essentials - sweaters, jeans, etc., rather than the latest and greatest Nintendo. This year, I plan to be more creative in my gift-giving and stay away from many of the stores if I can.

So we have five months and 11 days until Christmas, a few days less until Hannukah. I am encouraging you to think how you can use your talents (or even purchase someone else's) to create unique gifts this holiday season.

My challenge to you? To come up with one "handmade" gift for the holidays, birthday or other gift-giving event.

A few ideas to get you started:

• Maybe you can't live without hitting the closest scrapbook store. Use up your stash to create a personal album for someone who doesn't scrapbook, make a set of notecards for your grandmother, create an "art kit" for a kid.
• Love to take photos? Create a calendar for the grandparents of favorite family pictures from the year.
• Cook like crazy. If you're not a baker, consider making a few dishes that can be stored in the freezer until needed. Who wouldn't want to have dinner simply ready to heat on a hectic evening?
• Create a gift certificate for babysitting, lawn mowing, car repair, computer repair, dish washing - any service, no matter how small, that would be greatly appreciated by the recipient.
• Knit up a frenzy. If you're a newbie, create new scarves, dishcloths, or other simple items.
• Not crafty? Challenge yourself to make a gift basket of items from your local market: a soap/lotion basket or bottles of local wines or sauces, etc.

While I'm not planning to give away what I might be doing this year, I will post ideas as we get closer to the holidays. And yes, if I can do this as a working parent, so can you.
So who's up for having a little handmade holiday?

Green karma and other Monday thoughts

It's Monday morning. Our work e-mail has been cut off from the outside world. It's a perfect excuse to get online and share a few quick thoughts:

• Is there a such thing as green karma? I've taken to drafting posts on paper while my kids are playing, so I can reduce my screen time. However, several of my torn-out pages have gone missing! Payback for paper waste?
• There are things I never thought I would say as a parent. Like, "Pick up your mess, or no farmers market today." But the best? "Honey, don't wash the garlic in the bathroom."
• I committed this month to reduce my plastic bag usage. So far, my count is at two. My lesson learned? Even if you think you're going in for one item, bring a bag just in case.
• I'm still surprised that with the number of stores selling reusable bags that so few people are using them. The checkout boy at Kroger this weeked was utterly confused - and even tried to double-bag them.
• My cousin, who visited from Arizona this weekend, was appalled by the lack of convenient recycling here in Indiana. I've lamented the lack of services here, but my aunt has it worse - there is no curbside recycling in her town, and she has to travel to recycle papers. I've toyed with the idea of hording my #5 plastic stuff so it can be recycled later, but it comes down to a space, time and gas issue. So my question is this: Given gas costs, how far would you drive to recycle?