Grow...Food

    No, I am not starting a vegetable garden, I do not have a green thumb.  I am growing in my mindfulness about food, again.  Jim and I are on day 20 of Whole30.  I haven't been perfect in keeping of the rules and recommendations of the program, but I have been pretty close.  Jim has done a great job following the rules.  We are both feeling better and thinking about the food that we eat.

     The basic "rules" of the program include no dairy, no legumes, no grains, limited nuts, and no added sugars.  There are very little processed foods that made without these items, so we have been cooking from scratch and using 'real' foods.  Most days we are doing okay with this .  I really miss my coffee...coffee is allowed, but not my sugar and cream.  I am looking forward to adding this back into my mornings.  Jim misses chips.  Sadly, we don't get to jump into eating all the stuff  on day 31.  We add things in slowly to see if our bodies have physical reactions.  It will be interesting to see what happens during that period.

     Jim and I both know how we should eat.  We have both watched the movie Food, Inc (a must watch for anyone concerned about food).  Two of my favorite books are Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.  We know the benefits of eating real food, but we also get lazy.  Fast food is convenient, lives are busy, and we get tired.  The last 20 days, Jim and I have been planning our menus.  We have been cooking at home, with fresh ingredients and 'real' food.  We have been enjoying some new meals and have made some favorites healthier.  We have both been cooking, rather than just throwing something in the microwave.

     We won't be able to maintain Whole30 forever, but it's my hope that we take the lessons that we are learning as we move forward.  I hope to continue to meal plan, and cook with healthy ingredients.  As I continue to grow in 2020, I want to be mindful about the foods that I eat.  When I eat better foods, I feel better.  In order to do more this year, I need to feel better.  It is cliché, but it really does start with food.

Word...Version 9

     It's hard to believe that I have been picking a word since 2011 (I skipped a year along the way).  Some words have stuck with me in many ways, others...well it's good that I blogged what they were, because I would have no clue otherwise.  Last year was one of those years.  My word, intentional, is a great word, but I just let it slide.  Some words come to me in a whisper, others as a shout, and others just sing to me.  This years word sang to me.

     Jim and I were watching The Sound of Music the other day.  We love that musical in our house.  When the VonTrapp children started singing Edelweiss, the line "bloom and grow" would not leave my mind.  It played on repeat for days...even after Delainey watched the movie again.  But what word, bloom or grow?  I felt that last year, I was stagnant...I don't feel that I grew much, so I am not sure that I am ready to bloom just yet.  I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just how I feel when I look back on 2019.  So in 2020, my plan is to grow...in many ways.

     I feel that I have put a healthy lifestyle on the backburner for a while now.  My plan is to start Whole30 this month to kickstart better food choices for us.  Jim, D, and I are all attempting this adventure starting on Monday.  I know that we can do it, I have several friends who are planning on supporting me in this journey.  The family and I have also started of the year hiking.  The weather has been amazingly warm here, so we have taken advantage of it twice so far.  We have even taken the dog with us...not easy since she is horrible in the car!

     I also feel the need to grow my faith more this year.  I find time to read almost every day, but I struggle to find time to read my Bible and do a daily devotional.  My priorities need to be adjusted a bit.  I have a group of ladies who I am hoping will hold me accountable for my study time.  As a family, we need to get back to our Wednesday night classes this year.  Again, it is a matter of making it a priority for us...which means planning meals for everyone and making sure that we have time to get to church each week.

     I have several other things that I plan to grow this year...I just need to make a plan and follow it.  I am sure that there will be days that I don't do what I have planned and that's okay.  I also am sure that I will learn things that I can't imagine today.  But here's to 2020 and growing!