Practice, Practice, Practice

Journaling my food intake every day is, well......kinda groovy.

I thought it would be a hassle. I thought I ate healthy so why do it? I thought I knew what foods to avoid.

First thing in the morning I write down what I ate the day before - breakfast, lunch, snacks and supper.  I reflect on how I felt - did I have a headache? Was I dizzy? How was my energy level? How was my mood? What did I do to workout? Did I sleep well? Was I having hot flashes all over the place? Night sweats? I write it all down.

Everything.

Potato chips and all.

Then I fight with myself all day because I'm afraid I'm a narcissist.

Then I think that maybe I can help someone with the things I'm learning so........

Here's what I've found out so far.

Sugar is not my friend. I knew that but I thought it was because it gave me headaches almost immediately after I put it in my mouth. After a month of charting my eating, it does give me headaches but it looks like it also makes me sluggish and irritable the day after. It also leads to big time night sweats. Have you every thrown dried leaves on a bonfire? That's what I'm talking about.

Potato chips are delicious and only have three ingredients and I love them.

I've wooed them, I've caressed them, I've handled them with care, but they do not love me back even though I beg and I plead.

They don't give me a headache but they make me feel yucky. Is that a good technical word?  By yucky I mean general malaise, a bit of a tummy ache, like I don't want to do anything but sit down. You know. Yucky.

Vegetables are good. Have you heard that before? The more I eat the better I feel. Vegetables for every meal!

I've been eating a lot of avocados and spinach. I love artichoke hearts in my salad. Of course tomatoes and cauliflower. Have you seen those baby peppers that come in a bag - yellow and red? Yummy. Olives. I like the "Lindsay Naturals" black olives. Roasted asparagus is one of my favorite things. Let's not forget seeds. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are delicious. I'm also eating a lot of nuts - mostly walnuts.

I'm eating meat as well. For example, I pulled out a package of ribeye steaks (our last one from the half beef we ordered) and Farmer Boy grilled them up. We had steak, roasted asparagus and a tossed salad for our Sunday dinner.

Is any of this helpful? I hope so.

I have one more thing that I've been trying.

The two T's.

Trust.

Thankfulness.

In the morning after I write in my food and exercise journal I take a few moments to think about my day and to simply sit still and breathe. I'm attempting to trust God with all the details and to be purposeful in going through my day with a grateful outlook.

It's definitely something to practice everyday. Practice implies imperfection and I am definitely that. Have you ever taken a yoga class? They talk about yoga as being your practice. They say not to judge yourself or others. They show you poses and then say something like, "Only do it if your practice allows."

Good advice. I'm practicing trust. I'm practicing thankfulness. The more I practice the better I'll get.

Before I go you should check out these sites when you have a minute.

Here's my favorite smoothie for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I love it. I throw in spinach, walnuts, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds. I also don't use almond milk. The almond milk I have found has too many ingredients for my liking and I am a dairy farmer's daughter. If my additions sound a little too much, try the true recipe and see what you think.

Here's some other things I've tried lately.
Coconut Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew - Farmer Boy liked this! Couldn't believe it but it's true.

Salisbury Steak Meatballs - The family loved these. I made them with some egg noodles and a huge salad and everyone was happy.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken - The kids and Farmer Boy loved this. I thought it needed a little something else. Still not sure what was missing. I love her site though. She has lots of good things I'm going to try.

Time to go.

Have a fabulous day.