31 Days of Natural Nutrition ... a blogging challenge

Hello there! If you're visiting for the first time, scroll down to read the first post in the 31 Days of Natural Nutrition series. I'm linking up with Nesting Place on this challenge.

31 Days of Natural Nutrition: Day 2 ~ Fun Food Finds

31 Days of Natural Nutrition: Day 3 ~ Why Organic?

31 Days of Natural Nutrition: Day 5 ~ What NOT to do (aka why there was no Day 4)

I like numbers. I like challenges. I like making goals and meeting them. I like nutrition and have become very passionate of late about what my family eats. 


SO, I have decided to hop on board for the month of October's 31 Days of ... challenge hosted by Nesting Place. I actually found out about the challenge via the (in)courage community, which is an amazing online community for women. If you don't know about it, check it out. We need all the encouragement and support we can get as women. 


The 31 Days of challenge is a challenge where you choose one topic to devote your posts to for the entire month of October. I didn't have to give my topic more than a moment's thought because it's been on the forefront of my mind over the course of the year and this is just the kick in the pants I needed to get it going full force. 


My topic is 31 Days of Natural Nutrition. Why natural nutrition? First off, I have a love affair with alliteration, so the word choice was only natural. Pun intended. Secondly, I have been on a journey this year to strip down our food choices in our home and restore our diet to natural, traditional, wholesome foods. It has been a roller coaster ride for me, as I'm a foodie without necessarily the most distinguishing of palates (cheese puffs, anyone?). 


I've begun to explore what real food is, not just foodstuff or artificial filler. It's been no picnic and most days I feel guiltier for what I'm eating than what I'm not, but progress has been made and we're the better for it. We started by joining a local co-op where we get mostly organic produce, as well as locally farmed meats, cheeses, natural body and household products, and more. It's been fantastic so far, and I've learned so much about food. The funny thing is I realize there is still so much yet to learn. 


Over this month, I will strive to share what healthy, natural nutritional choices we've been making in our home, what we've steered clear of, and ways we have benefited. This will come in the form of recipes, food finds, and definitely some what-not-to-dos if I know myself and my propensity for all things junk food. 


It's high time we clean up our eating around this house. Our bodies are temples to the Lord and I'm feeling the push to polish this temple and make it shine for the Lord's glory. 


I hope you'll join me on my journey and throw in any healthy, natural tidbits, recipes, helpful hints, etc., that you would like. I can use all the help I can get. 


In the immortal words of Cosmo Kramer, "Giddy up!" 


*As an aside, this is all-too-fitting timing given the fact that I crashed my truck into one of those poles (you know the ones that guide you around the drive-through) at McDonalds yesterday afternoon on the way to pick up my natural, organic produce from co-op. Nice. Intervention accepted. 

Eating plan update and ramblings

I'm right about halfway through my 30-day trial of the new eating plan. As most things go with me, I can feel that I'm losing steam. I was very dedicated and disciplined the first week. That was until we went camping that weekend and ended up eating pizza twice. Yes, twice! Ugh! Just call me Fatty Arbuckle. I learned a valuable lesson from that indulgence though. 

I had a couple of days of withdrawal at the beginning of the eating plan. My body was adjusting to missing out on all the carbs and sugar it was used to. I'm not going to lie. It was rough! By Wednesday afternoon though, I was feeling better than usual and the week continued on a high note. I felt a marked improvement in my energy and didn't have to take even one single Tum (which I typically live on most nights of the week). Then I had pizza. When the carbs came back, so did the indigestion, restless sleep, and lethargic mornings. 

I have since been fairly strict, only waffling here and there to accommodate cravings or eating out with friends and family. I'm happy to say that, even after I indulge in one of my "forbidden" foods, it's typically not satisfying me the way it used to and I'm craving something natural to almost cleanse my palate (typically fruit). I am finding much satisfaction in the convenience foods God gave us instead of in the convenience foods Little Debbie gives us. 

I'm pressing onward despite the fact that I haven't adhered totally to the plan as required, which is a huge step for me. Typically, I would feel as if I had failed and just quit. Instead, I am trying to make this a lifestyle change. It's just not feasible to say I'll never eat out again, or I'll never have cheese again. But, it is feasible to say that I will only do those things and the others that contribute to my PCOS sparingly. 

I will pass on a yummy recipe I made this last week in my search for a "dessert" that wasn't dairy, didn't have too much sugar, and was practically natural and clean as possible. Enter Watermelon Granita by the lovely Pioneer Woman. If PW doesn't ring a bell, please do yourself a favor and check out her site. Great recipes, funny posts, and awesome giveaways! 

I've wanted to make watermelon granita for a couple of years now, but thought it seemed like too much work. Until I saw PW's post. I made haste and got that granita going in about 20 minutes, which is saying something 'cause I'm slow as molasses in the kitchen. My little monster helped me make it, all the while saying, "I will NOT eat that!" 

Fast-forward five hours and he was sitting cheerily in front of the tele with a big bowl of watermelon granita. He forgot all about those silly watermelons; this was just a cool popsicle of sorts. Feed it to your fruit-challenged kids, I promise they'll like it if my kid did. 

Two more things to add to this long post (I'll be brief): 

If you like cherries, get yourself one of these. It's called the Cherry Chomper, and you can get one via various websites for between $8 and $10. It's super fun to use, kid friendly, and encourages gorging on mass quantities of cherries, which I'm all for! 

Are you still praying for our buddy Tripp? Please remember him in your prayers each day. He's not doing any better. Still about the same, heavily sedated and in pain when he's awake. It breaks my heart to see that he hasn't turned a corner yet, but I know God can and does work miracles. Tripp is a fighter and is more of an inspiration than I can ever hope to be. Please pray for God's will in his life and for strength and peace for his parents as they live out God's will for their precious little boy. 

That's all. Gosh, writing about Tripp at the end here kind of makes all the stuff above it seem like fluff, just not important. I feel so useless not doing anything but praying. However, prayer is precisely what God wants from us in times like these. I'm grateful to Tripp for keeping me in closer communion with my Lord. 

God bless,

Miss K

Boo! Yay! Boo!

A brief explanation.


Boo #1: Potty training commenced at 7:30 a.m. yesterday in my house. Potty training ceased at 9:30 a.m. today in my house. After many a battle of wills, my stubborn son has won. For now. I realized A) he's not interested in the least (no form of bribery worked, and believe me I tried) and B) I don't want to do potty training by forcing and punishing (this would've been the route we had to take if I really wanted to make it happen right now). So, I was feeling pretty deflated and like I just got a big, fat F on my motherly report card. FAIL.


Yay: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." ~ John Keats
After running into a cheeseburger (translated "eating lunch" in our home, per Super Mario who runs into mushrooms to get power), I am regaining perspective and my Chicken Little world is not ending. Cut to the doorbell ringing. It's the UPS man. He's got a package. The timing couldn't be better, as I move quickly toward the door shoving down the chip I just doused with guacamole. Ta da! It's this beauty right here:

Ain't she somethin'? She's a round sterling silver platter with mother-of-pearl butterflies etched capriciously about her. I love her. I can't wait to have a party just to serve some wonderful food off her beauteous face. I love her most because her MSRP (I shudder even typing that horrid acronym) was $120 and I got her for just $25. Score! Nothing like a little retail therapy, right? 

Boo #2: I'm riding on Cloud 9 after my special guest arrives, and things are looking up. Then, a little Alanis Morrisette enters my life unwelcome. There's a black fly in my sweet tea. Yeah, I know Alanis said "in your chardonnay," but it's way too early for me to be drinking chardonnay and I'd pick muscato over chard anyway. To make matters worse, I think the fly has actually been fermenting in my tea pitcher since yesterday when I made the tea. Ugh! Soooo gross. Like gag me with a spoon for reals gross. 

Alas, the day is young, so I'm hoping for another Yay! moment to help even the score.