Wellness Wednesday #16

A very sleepy good morning to you all! I have been having some insomnia issues, which happen periodically for me. It is throwing a kink into my exercise schedule because if I don't get enough hours sleep, my migraines increase. So, that is my area that I need to work on improving - getting rested so I can get up early enough to exercise!

But the good news is that in spite of this I weighed in at 316# this morning! Yeah!

This past week has been an adventure in testing the limits of my growth and change. I am pleased that overall I passed the test! Friday night my husband had an interview/evaluation that we have been diligently preparing for, for a month or more. I knew he would be stressed, so I told him I would have a treat for him when he came home late that night. I made our white chocolate covered popcorn. Usually I can't leave this alone. However, this time, it tasted just so-so to me. Well, it tasted good but my desire to eat it was not so strong. Chocolate items or homemade cookies are still a struggle for me. Sunday we took the kids to Wendy's for lunch after church. I splurged and had one of the new Frosty's with Oreos in it. Fast food is junk food. Period. But instead of having a big burger I had a junior burger with the kids and a large fry was split between four of us. At first I felt guilty because I was eating this bad for me food but then I realized, "This is real life. Real life isn't perfect and sometimes things come up. Part of healing is dealing with the imperfections in the appropriate way." I no longer feel guilty. It won't become an oft repeated offense, so I'm going to leave it at that. In case you wonder why I didn't eat a salad - besides the fact that they have more calories than what I ate, they are generally treated with sulfites (I'm allergic to Sulfa) or other preservatives which make my stomach sick.

So, back to economically switching over to healthier eating. Phro5gg pointed out in the comments that growing your own food is not only economical but YUMMY! :o) She is so right. I have grown food organically in the past and it is not difficult. However, where I am located now I can only container garden and the heat is too intense (no grass or shade, all metal, concrete, asphalt or volcanic rock surrounding us in the trailer park) to grow much beyond May except for hardy things like geraniums. Organic gardening is something I am trying to learn more about before we move so that I can be ready to start when we get there.

Related to this, do you know about "The Dirty Dozen"? On my journey blog I have a sidebar that lists them. These are the ones that if you can only buy certain things organic, these are the most important. It's a good place to start. You can allocate money to these and save on other products that are conventionally grown.

Another cost saving way to purchase healthy foods is to go to farmer's markets. It's simple math - when you eliminate the middle man, it costs less. It's also a good idea to get to know your vendors. Talk to them about their farm. Some farms may have grown their products organically but cannot afford to go through the process to get certified. Their products will costs less than organically certified. This spring and summer I want to try more markets. If you don't know where one is, google for it. They are becoming increasingly popular and many areas have websites listing where they are located.

Joining a co-op is a great way to save money too. Many co-ops form stores. We have a good one locally, but I have not joined because I don't have the $300 up front. If you do, it can be helpful because you receive dividends and there are special member appreciation days where you receive a discount. Many home school associations have co-ops where families join together to make a large purchase at a reduced price. And some customers of merchants that sell mixers and mills do this same thing. Again, google is your friend! :o) I am looking into Azure Standard, which is a Christian co-operative in Oregon. Many of the products I can get locally, but this may be a good resource for me to find bulk organic grains.

Remember last week I talked about finding good recipes free online? I found a new site Sue Gregg's Cookbooks and tried her blender batter corn bread. It was really fun to make. It uses corn and soft white wheat, which you put directly into your blender. I have a Vita-Mix, so I used the dry ingrdients container which has blades made for grain. But she says a 450 watt Osterizer blender will work as well. I used yogurt and it made a very sour corn bread so not all my family would eat it, but it was the moistest, most evenly textured corn bread I ever ate. This could be made and left to ferment in the blender overnight as well. There is great benefit in fermenting grain. However, I was too inpatient.

So, I have to admit that I am "lazy" this week and did not research other ways to save money on switching to healthy eating, but I have a sick kiddo and we are packing up our school room and moving some old furniture out in order to receive our new couch and loveseat tomorrow night. I will leave you with a few new sites I found this week:

Organic Fanatic LOTS of info - Deborah you'll like this and also my VA readers/friends.
Spending Time In The Kitchen With Sue Gregg This is an interview on CrossWalk and has good info for getting started.
Sue Gregg's Cookbooks You can download some portions of the cookbooks to try a preview. Her recipes follow along the lines of Nourishing Traditions and the The Maker's Diet principles.
Through The Cooking Glass (another Nourishing Traditions cook)
Wild Yeast bread and baking adventures
Sweet Sins more bread and baking adventures

I'll leave you with this poem by Noma Johnson of Lobatse, Botswana quoted on page 8 of the Mennonite Cookbook, More With Less.

O God,
We've wasted
We've complained.
We've grumbled.
We've misused our resources.
We've confused
our needs
with our wants.
For these sins
Father forgive us.
Help us
reset our priorities
according to Your will.
Amen.