Wellness Wednesday #8

Sorry this is getting posted late again. Lots of things were happening yesterday.

Checkin: 320#! Yeah! Never thought that would be something to be excited about! LOL It is 5# I lost in the 8 weeks I have been doing Wellness Wednesday; it's not a phenomenal loss but it is a healthy loss. Considering I am not actually dieting, I am very pleased. After the holidays I plan on adding walking and watching a little more diligently. I already enjoy how even that small weight loss makes me feel and move as well as how my clothes fit. I am writing this yere to serve as a reminder for myself so that I won't be too tempted to over indulge. The truth is that some things that in my mind I think are really yummy, are not when I eat them. Other things like homemade cookies...well, they still taste really, really good. I imagine this may be a life long struggle.

This last week, my emphasis on health has been around finding a bread my family can eat on a regular basis. One of the best candidates so far is the Beet Bread that my Grandma Hopkins used to make. It comes from the Ten Talents Cookbook, which is a Seventh Day Adventist cookbook. It's an excellent resource, written in the 60s and relying on soy, but has a lot of bread recipes and vegetarian fare and cooking information.

What I ended up deciding after talking to many people about eating gluten free, is that I will first try incorporating many gluten free flours into my baking, using a variety of grains and decreasing the amount of wheat instead of going completely gluten free. The theory is to reduce inflammation by eliminating wheat, however, I think taking all the steps at once won't let me know which step helped. So, the first step is eating healthier and getting some pounds off. If I then continue to struggle, I will pursue going gluten free further. What I found in experimenting is that there can be some pretty tasty muffins, pancakes and quickbreads with gluten free flours, but breads and things like pasta are another story! At the present time I need to focus on my children an dhusband as well as my own health and I don't want to overwhelm them with too many things they consider "yucky" or they may eschew healthy eating and living altogether.

Charlotte recommended Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, which I received from Amazon several months ago, but now need to READ! :o) Do any of you have a favorite bread recipe, method, book?

I am continuing to read about health and on my bedside table right now are The Maker's Diet and Nourishing Traditions. I am wondering if any of you have also read Wild Fermentation, which is co-authored by Sally Fallon.

From the library, I checked out every book by Bette Hagman and have found her bread and Comfort Foods books the most helpful.

My brain is swirling with all kinds of ideas. Thank you to everyone who comments on Wellness Wednesday. I get a lot from your suggestions and experiences. How are you all doing on your health journeys? Christmas is a hard time to "be good" isn't it? I'm so glad I am not working in the pediatric clinic right now! Drug reps, patients and co-workers brought in all kinds of goodies every day! It was wonderfully horrible! LOL Here, I just need to get started on making the Christmas cookies to take to neighbors.

So, if you need a break from holiday stress, below are some of the new sites I have visited in the last week or so:

The Bowl Mill I am saving to buy a cherry wood bowl for my bread dough to rise in.

Presto Pressure Cooker Outlet I am also saving to buy a pressure cooker for canning and healthier cooking.

Heartland Mill They sell organic grains and stone ground flours.

Ten Tips For Better Bread This comes from Farmgirl Fare's blog. I tried #6 and it worked!

A Year In Bread This is a fun site with lots of recipes, book reviews and breadmaking discussions.

Weir Dolls & Crafts For when I need a break from cooking! LOL I am thinking about making my girls Waldorf girl dolls for their 5th birthday in March. Also, Joy's Waldorf Dolls. Does anyone else have any other other suggestions or information?

The Stitching Room This is an interesting sewing blog and the link is for a tutorial for a small stocking stuffer you could make your favorite seamstress!

Serve God, Save The Planet I want to read this book, but haven't yet. Have any of you?

Seed Savers Exchange When I have a garden again, I want to use heirloom variety fruits and veggies from non-altered seeds.

Frugal Hacks Lots of money saving ideas.

Blissful She has a mini-wallet tutorial for another cute last minute, home-made gift.