grains are gross

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you how I really feel. Strict Paleo/Primal eaters are hard core in their anti-grain beliefs. I take a bit softer approach but I did go gluten-free many years before I knew what Paleo was so, except for an occasional cheat, I stay away from wheat and I've reaped many rewards in return. 

I won't get preachy here but I want to include a couple of links to a fuller explanation, in case you want to know more about the thinking behind this crazy no-grain notion. Believe me, these people are serious about it and they don't mince words. But you may find them to be insightful. In our house, we haven't completely eliminated all grains but we've significantly reduced our consumption because we're pretty convinced that grains are very difficult to digest and, therefore, inflammation. And inflammation is ugly on every level.

Mark's Daily Apple 
Everyday Paleo 

Let's get one thing straight, though. I'm not anti-carb. We NEED them. We just don't need as many of them and we think we do and we want to consume the kind that will give us the most nutritionally dense bang for our buck. So let's talk about some good places to start. If you're not convinced yet (or ever) that you want to jump in with both feet, you can still test the waters with a few simple baby steps. 

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Anti-pasta

I've never been a huge pasta lover so at some level it was easy to cut it out and faggetaboutit. However, there are a few favorite recipes I wanted to keep in rotation and spaghetti squash is a good alternative. Now, when I make my beloved Cincinnati Chili, I simply serve it over baked spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti. It's different, yes, so don't try to trick your kids into believing it's the real thing. But it's good in it's own right and it's counts as another nutrient-dense vegetable serving, so how can THAT be bad? Give it a whirl under one of your own favorite sauces and see what you think.

Almond flour

Almond flour is a real staple for Paleo eaters and for those who suffer from things like Celiac and other digestive and/or auto-immune diseases. I've gathered quite a collection of favorite recipes from various sources that I will share with you in upcoming posts. Maybe this goes without saying but definitely you should NOT try to substitute almond flour for regular flour in one of your favorite cake or cookie recipes. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be disappointed. Use a recipe specifically designed for it.

I find that I miss my grains mostly at breakfast. I used to eat a slice of toasted millet bread with sunflower butter every single morning. I still do that on occasion but mostly I have an egg and a biscuit made with almond flour. The almond flour (made from 100% blanched almonds milled into a fine flour) is obviously grain-free and quite high in protein and good fat and all kinds of other nutrients. I order mine online from Honeyville Grains. Trader Joe's has almond meal for about the same price but the almonds aren't blanched so it has a coarser texture. One small biscuit is dense, super filling and satisfies my craving for bread. It may not look like much on your plate but I guarantee that if you eat it you won't be hungry an hour later. Oh, and if you like them, I suggest you do what I do: Always make a double recipe and throw them in the freezer so all you have to do in the mornings is pop one in the microwave for about 20 seconds and you're good to go.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!!

Source: elanaspantry.com via Kathi on Pinterest

lions and tigers and cannibals. oh my.

I set a number of personal goals for myself in 2013. I spend much of my time alone and much of it in silence, with only the voices in my head to keep me company. I love Ted Talks, so this year I'm vowing to view or listen to at least one of them each week. Of course, I hadn't really thought through how I would carry out my plan so today I logged on to the website and became immediately overwhelmed with all the choices before me. So I randomly selected something that looked interesting to me from a list of the most recent talks and now, in hindsight, I believe it was the perfect kick-off to my year.

It should come as no surprise to me that I would be drawn to the particular talk I chose, being your classic Type 6 in the ancient personality-type system called the Enneagram. In his book, The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, Richard Rohr says that we sixes have a special importance because our root sin (each "type" has a particular sin associated with it) was not recognized as such in Western society: fear. How did he know I love being special? Many people who have worked with the Enneagram for a long time are convinced that the six is by far the most frequently encountered human type in our society, yet he claims that at Enneagram workshops, only a few are willing to identify themselves as such. More good news.

In our most immature, or unredeemed state, we sixes are anxious, fearful and even paranoid. We tend to hold our cards close because we believe whatever we divulge about ourselves will be used against us. The list goes on but I think you see where I'm going with this and perhaps you get now that my randomly selected Ted Talk 2013.1 probably wasn't a random choice at all.

In her talk, "What Fear Can Teach Us," novelist Karen Thompson Walker suggests that the most creative minds are the ones who fail to leave all fear behind. She goes on to make an interesting link between fear and stories, as they both possess the same components or architecture. Fears provoke vivid imagery and suspense, and so do the best stories. Both force us to think about the future and, in a good story, one thing always leads to another. So the real question is, "How do we choose to READ our fears?" And our answer to that question will have a profound affect on how we will choose to live our lives. Properly read, they can offer a little wisdom, a little insight and ultimately lead us to the truth.

So I leave you with this thought, and the link to the video I viewed:

"Courage means to feel fear, but in its proper context and perspective.In The Republic Plato Makes the Guardians of the City the mavens of courage. The way they acquire that virtue is to learn what should legitimately be feared and what should not be." - The 9 Ways of Working.

May your 2013 be year of great courage and beauty.

open mouth. insert food.

Because I often speak about things like nutrition and CrossFit with (sometimes nauseating) frequency and passion, some people are tempted to hold me up as perfect "model of health," assuming that it comes naturally to me and I've got it all figured out. Yeah. Not so much. Truth be told, like most of us, I struggle to know what is best for my body and how to faithfully live that out each day.

I was a pretty sickly kid, suffering from horrible and regular migraines starting when I was 2 years old. My diet consisted almost entirely of the processed foods that were new and all the rage when I was growing up. My poor mother didn't enjoy cooking and, frankly, had very little understanding of what it meant to eat "well" so she was happy to let me eat cake for breakfast if that's what I wanted, because at least I was eating SOMETHING. Honestly, I shudder when I think about the lack of real nourishment that my body needed so desperately.

Me, at 6 years old, right after my tonsilectomy. That cute little outfit can't disguise the fact that I'm barely more than a skeleton underneath it all.

In college, I made a huge shift for good and started running regularly. I learned more about good nutrition but old patterns were hard to break. Like many young women, I walked into the world of anorexia/bulimia. Autoimmune disease hunted me down in the form of Graves' disease in my late 20s so my thyroid gland was irradiated and no longer functions. I have a laundry list of food sensitivities as long as my arm, a crooked spine, a bulging disc in my lower back that rests on a nerve leading down my left leg, and now the beginnings of arthritis in the same area. I endured 9 years of (unsuccessful) fertility treatment in my 30s and early 40s. 

Other than that, I'm a model of health.

My point here is that I've spent most of my adult life interested in how to take care of my fragile little body, making many mistakes along the way. My husband recently remarked that our list of "fad" diets over the last 30 years is trumped only by our legendary lineup of hairstyles. Okay, that stung a bit but I think he's right! We joke about it but we agree that much of we did was based on the best scientific information that was available at the time. Remember the low-fat lalapalooza of the 1990s? In my mind, I can still look across the table in the break room at my co-workers' palid plates of boneless skinless chicken breasts and that horrid low fat pasta salad that was all the rage. Seriously, who even LIKED that crap? Back in those days, I could easily polish off an entire sleeve of graham crackers or 1/2 a box of animal crackers in one sitting, thinking I was being "good." And breakfast was cereal or a plain bagel or, on a really lucky day, a ginormous chocolate low fat muffin from my favorite bakery. Talk about your monochromatic culinary wasteland! I now, not-so-fondly, call that era "50 Shades of Beige" or "Fade to Brown."

So, what's my point? Back to that passion-for-nutrition-and-health thing. If I struggle with my own laundry list of issues, then I know you likely have your own version. My medical history pales in comparison to some of yours. Others of you are remarkably healthy and simply want to do what you can to stay on the right path. And while I'm far from a professional in any way, shape or form, I do spend lots of time reading and researching, and I love it when friends seek my advice. So I decided put together a series of blog posts with some down and dirty tips and this is my introduction.

The way we're eating at my house could best be described as "Paleo-ish." We learned about the Paleo/Primal way of eating when we started CrossFit and have found that it really works for us. The short story is that we mostly eat meat/fish/eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts. If we were strict Paleo, that's ALL we would eat but we're not that disciplined and, frankly, not completely convinced that we have to be fundamentalists about it to still receive most of the benefits. If you'd like to know more details, I found an interesting and super entertaining Q&A here: http://www.fitbomb.com/p/why-i-eat-paleo.html. This guy knows way more about nutrition than I ever hope to know (and he's funny) so you'd do yourself a favor to check it out. 

Look for more posts to come in the near future. I promise they'll be shorter and more to the point. And the point here is not just about me (insert snoring sound fx) but, hopefully, more about me helping you move a little further in your journey. Most things are easier when they're done together, right?

up with autumn

I hold a most unpopular opinion of autumn. I don't love it. See what I mean? You just thought, "What kind of crazy person DOESN'T like fall?" I know you did.

But as I sit sun-soaked, staring at newly brilliant hues of autumn leaves set against the clearest Carolina blue sky with windows and doors flung wide, insanity seems a fitting diagnosis. If I can't call this perfection then my percept-o-meter needs some serious re-calibration. So it's not really that.

Winter annoys me. I kid you not, the very thought of it sends shivers all up and down me timbers. I can't help it. This little body of mine wasn't made to function well in frigid temps and don't you dare tell me to "put some meat on your bones." Sheesh, if I had a quarter... It's not that simple and I'm likely to pound YOU for such ludification so don't try me. 

Therefore, my story has always been this: It's not that I don't like fall, it's just that I hate what's coming just around the corner so I have trouble enjoying it when I know I'll be miserable soon. And therein lies the real heart of the matter. It's my own stinkin' inability to fully live in the moment with gratitude for the gift it brings. Granted, some moments require deep digging. But, come ON. Days like today are low hanging fruit. So, why let thoughts of tomorrow's potential pain dump buckets of (freezing) rain on today's perfect parade? I mean, seriously.....

For now, I will join my cats on the bedroom floor for a little nap in the afternoon autumn sun. Tomorrow's winter woes will take care of themselves. And who knows? By that time, perhaps I will have mastered this fine discipline of gratitude to the point of actually enjoying a romp in the snow. Seems unlikely, but why not dream big?

mid century modern double danish love

What happens when your buddy summons you to Raleigh for design assistance on her gorgeous master bedroom redecorating project? You go. You shop. You listen. You give your opinion. You listen some more. You watch her buy. 

And then you pick up a little something for yourself. 

And so it went for me. Our Saturday morning trek to the fairgrounds flea market netted me the steal of the (mid) century, as I snagged myself two amazing Danish modern chairs for a mere $50 each! "Where to put them when you live in a condo full of someone else's furniture" was tomorrow's worry. Schlepping them back to Charlotte in my teeny tiny Mini Cooper was the immediate challenge at hand, but nothing that the nice man who sold them to me and I couldn't overcome together.

Some mineral spirits and 2 coats of Refurbish brought the beautiful finish back to their sexy arms and legs.

 

Richie gives his official "Green-eyed monster seal of approval."

Our landlords recently reclaimed 2 of their chairs from the condo, creating the perfect space in our living room for these Danish beauties. I found e what I wanted from my friends at Modern Fabrics, Larry Dellinger waved his magic re-upholstery wand for me one more time, and this is what emerged.....

For a total investment of less than $550, I got two new modern classics that look like a million bucks and will last well into the middle of this new century!

beauty from ashes

Friday, September 7, 2001 was a spectacular day in NYC. I was visiting my dear friend, Lynette, and we happily began our morning with a HOT NOW donut at the new Krispy Kreme on the first floor of the World Trade Center. To this day, I still laugh about the "coffee incident" (one of many, over our many years of friendship) when Lynette was forced to relinquish control of her cup as they insisted on adding cream and sugar FOR YOU behind the counter before handing over to their customers. It could've been quite ugly but she was gracious, as is always true. Or, at least, that is how I'm choosing to remember it. (Old friends can joke this way, OKAY??) We savored every bite, licked the last of the icing off our lips and she continued her subway journey across the Hudson to her office as I set out to shop and explore.

Our extended weekend of adventure came to a close on Monday evening. Storms rolled in and my plane waited them out on the runway at Laguardia. They were threatening to close the airport but we got out just in the nick of time. I wasn't worried, though, as I had a free place to stay another night if that happened. 

Back in Charlotte the next morning I rolled in to my office, only to find my co-workers staring in stunned silence at the TV screen. The Twin Towers were ablaze and the hellish destruction was just beginning. I imagined what was happening that moment at the Krispy Kreme, as surely the patrons were now running for their lives. Lives that were forever affected. Harrowing stories of tragedy emerged alongside countless acts of heroism and help. People came together as true brothers and sisters to carry each other's burdens. Party lines were crossed as we chose for a brief moment to identify ourselves only as Americans, united in a true state of cooperation. 

And what emerged was, indeed, beautiful.

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear,
even though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea.
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake
with its swelling,
there’s a river
whose streams shall make glad
the City of God,
the holy place of the Tabernacle
of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her.
She shall not be moved.
God shall help her
just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged,
the kingdoms were moved.
He uttered his voice.
The earth melted.
The Lord of Hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come behold the works of the Lord
who has made desolations in the Earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the Earth.
He breaks the bough
and cuts the spear in two.
He burns the chariot in fire.
Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted in the Earths.
The Lord of Hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge.

- Psalm 46

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

A year ago we unloaded our home of 16 years and loaded most of our earthly possessions into storage. Then we sent ourselves and our cats packing, to live in a rented condo full of someone else's stuff. Lovely stuff but not OUR stuff. 

I've struggled to straddle the line. Living fully in the moment (with contentment) while still pursuing the dream of something different is a graceful dance of discipline. My own timeline for this journey would been much shorter but pesky little details like unemployment and major career changes (yet another pursuit of another dream) have caused us to shift our focus. Only one pot at a time can cook on that big front left burner, right? The other pots must submit and simmer slowly.

Left to our own devices, most of us tend to slide in the direction of discontent and ungratefulness. I know I do, and I've been around long enough to realize I'm not that different from the rest of you. Imagine attempting your yoga practice in the highest most slippery heels on a newly varnished hardwood floor. As much as I love my stilettos, I'm smart enough to know that nothing good can come from a silly decision like that! Only with feet laid bare on the sticky mat foundation of trust can we live firmly and joyfully with whatever has been given to us in this moment, secure in the knowledge that the One who loves us can also be trusted for each moment ever after.

"We take the moments as bread and give thanks and the thanks itself becomes bread. The thanks itself nourishes. Thanks feeds our trust." -Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

So I proceed with hands open, holding loosely to my dream with the knowledge that it could come to pass exactly as I imagine. Or not. But it will be exactly as it is supposed to be.