Cooking with Love

Everybody knows that the true secret ingredient in any meal is love.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to land upon that ingredient in my kitchen yet. I know others who have, and I spent a long time envying them until I came up with a plan.

I would try to cook more frequently and see if I could manage to at least not-hate it.

Before we started following Paleo eating guidelines, about half of the food I served came from a box or a bag. When we embarked on our Whole30 I was forced to do something I had never done before: prepare full meals without the aid of Betty Crocker or Velveeta. (I know. Gross.)

I know many people enjoy doing big weekly or monthly cook-ups where they get several meals prepared at one time, but that process hasn't made itself clear to me still. So my meals have been prepared just before mealtime.

Before Paleo, I'd get some crazy idea to follow a recipe from Food Network. I'd have out 3 pans and 1 pot and the food processor and a strainer.....and a disaster. The food would end up in the trash because, really, if you're not putting it inside of mac & cheese, why would you even dare to eat cooked carrots? (Gag!)

I thought I couldn't cook. I was discouraged and envious of people who can whip up a dream of a meal without breaking a sweat. Nevermind that most of those people actually went to culinary school.....

This just wasn't my style of cooking, as I soon determined.

Anyone who knows me would probably describe me as very basic as far as my outward style goes. Once I thought about that for a moment, all the things that I was trying to be in regard to cooking fell away.

All of a sudden it went from "I can't cook" to "I am a simple cook."

And I was happy with that. It felt right and true and empty of ego. It was my way of putting into words what I already knew and had been running from. Accepting this fact has helped to pave the way to my ultimate goal of "cooking with love." I'm not there yet, but at least I know where "there" is on this one.

For me, cooking with love means that I don't squint angrily into the pot while I wait for the beef to brown. Or for the water to boil. I may not end up singing as I cook, but I can at least get to the point where I allow the elements to do their own thing in their own unique time. And, at this point, that is what love looks like for me. It could look vastly different to you, and that is just the kind of thing that makes the world beautiful.

Cooking with Stainless Steel

I'm going to start breaking down some of my discoveries into manageable chunks.  Some things overlap, but that is the true nature of living!  Everything is connected.

I threw out our non-stick cookware in December because it was getting scratched.  I didn't take much delight in the fact that damaged coating can release chemicals into the food I was preparing for myself and my family.  But, I do admit that the convenience of non-stick pans was hard to let go of.  I had already purchased a stainless steel cookware set but neglected to use it due to my not wanting to take the time to get to know it better.

Once the non-stick set was gone, however, it was just me and the steel.  Showdown.  

It beat me.  

My fiance' hated those pans.  In fact, I believe he just about went to the store and bought a new non-stick pan.

I'm thankful that he held off.  He usually has faith in me and my "crazy" endeavors, but I think this one was pushing his limit!

I tried butter.  The eggs stuck horribly.  Ghee: same story.  Olive oil was only marginally better.  Then, as we embarked on our Paleo lifestyle, I tried coconut oil.  Lo and behold - that stuff did the trick!

I haven't tried any other oil since that day.  

We stuck with it and experimented until we found a wonderful solution.  Not only does coconut oil work amazingly in the pan - it also works wonders within the body!  [I'll link more articles on coconut in the future.]

Once again, the power of perseverance pays off!  Stick with the little things, and you'll build something big.

Shift Happens.

Somehow, since January 2nd of this year, I have gone from craving breads and sweets to freaking out that I have run out of spinach.

Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that is weird. To the point of being almost unbelievable!

I've talked before about substitutions. I think they are fine for a little while, but then there comes a point where you must decide: "Do I want to continue making these imitation treats or do I want to be free from the idea of NEEDING a treat at all?"

Of course, I would hope that I chose freedom every time. Truly absorbing what "needs vs. wants" means is as slow a task as any other form of true progress is.

Another thing that I have found myself craving is meditation. I did a 21-day meditation challenge that I was halfway successful at. Big improvement. The two challenges I did before that, I only ever made it to days 2-4.

Deepak Chopra says that starting a new habit or quitting an old one does not have to be all-or-nothing right out of the gate. If you want to quit smoking, and can only quit for one week before you NEED another cigarette, fine! You haven't failed. You have given your body a break, and have built up an idea of what works and what doesn't work for you.

Then, you try again. You may quit for a month this time.

If you continually set your intentions, they will lead you to action.

Eventually, you will be free from smoking, and I will have a solid meditation practice. And then we will set different intentions and move on to other tasks.

How I Got Clean [the short version]

I quit working at the bank in August of 2010. I downloaded several books onto my Kindle & began reading my brains out as I started to de-stress myself. One of the books I got was No Impact Man, a story about a man who swears off anything that can harm the planet.

Although his story is a bit extreme, I was still very compelled to do my best at making "no impact."

My first rule for myself was: Don't buy anything that comes in a box. Especially referring to food. My only goal with this rule was to reduce waste. It was hard. I probably reduced my boxed-food-buying by 50%.

The next book I read was No More Dirty Looks, a wonderful how-to (and how-not-to) guide through the maze of the beauty industry. I cleaned up my act by getting rid of every single item in my home that was made with any chemical found in their hugely extensive list of no-no's. This included cleaning supplies, shampoos and soaps, toothpastes, sunscreens, and makeup products.

I then replaced almost all of the cleaning supplies with Dr. Bronner's products. And grabbed about 5-6 clean beauty products that I "can't live without" to replace what I got rid of on much more of a minimalist scale than what I had going on before.

I started doing CrossFit in August of 2011, and was introduced to "Zone eating" which was made popular by the Zone Diet books. This way of eating emphasizes having protein, complex carbohydrates, and fat with every meal. Bread was on the "Unfavorable Carbs" list, which meant you could eat bread, but you have to measure it out perfectly in order to stay on task because of how the body processes grains.

The next step in my eating came when I decided to participate in the Whole30 challenge. This program is very similar to Zone eating, except instead of some things being "Unfavorable" they are simply just not allowed. The ONLY things you may consume on the Whole30 are: Meats & Seafood, fruits, vegetables, and fats (nuts, seeds, coconut oil etc.)

So I began shopping for this lifestyle on January 2nd 2012, and I finally noticed that NOTHING I bought was coming out of a box. Sure, eggs had their cartons, and coconut milk came in a can. Those things are sort of unavoidable. There was no cereal coming into my home. No granola bars. No fruit snacks. The list goes on and on.

Somehow, over the last year and a half I have finally made it as close as I can get to my goal of not buying foods that come in boxes. See, if you set an intention, you have NO idea how long it will take or by what means it will come to fruition. But if you truly set an intention for YOURSELF - not others - you will see it come to pass.

I didn't realize until earlier today that I had met my goal of not buying food in boxes. And I didn't realize that everything I learned along the way was a necessary next-step in this process. What a wonderful gift, to be mindful and committed to something and see it manifest in your life! I hope you all have a story like this to share with me.

Leaping!

Yes, today is Leap Day! Not only is Leap Day sort of special, it is an entire EXTRA day! How will you spend your extra time today?

You could:

Do something new and adventurous

Create a Leap Day tradition with your kids

Leap over something

Get in some extra _______ (cleaning, sleep, shopping, exercise...)

I am going to play leap frog with my kids this afternoon when they get home from school.

I did a lot of leaping yesterday at CrossFit Five Flags. We did 5 minutes of box jumps. Yep, it is exactly what it sounds like. You jump from the ground onto a wooden box (or, in my case, a monster truck tire).

Jumping is not one of my best skills. I have never been blessed with much coordination, and I have very poor eyesight and perception on top of that. Add to that the fact that I have strong memories of falling down a concrete staircase (with my clarinet and my backpack that probably weighed 50 pounds), and you can see why I would be afraid of box jumping.

I did my first box jump last month. I was so afraid that I became paralyzed. Literally could not move my body to jump onto the box. I did 3 jumps, and then the fear was screaming inside of me while I did 2 more jumps. So, I did step-ups for a while, and then decided to try jumping again. I managed to get 5 in a row three more times (with lots of stepping up between the sets of jumping). I was so proud of myself!!

I hadn't died, or busted my teeth out of my face, or gouged my leg on the corner of the box. And I was shocked that none of those things happened.

Yesterday was the next time I faced the box. I did 20 jumps in a row! It was still pretty scary, and I know any onlookers could see my hesitation at times. I did 55 step-ups after those jumps because I am not very proficient at jumping yet.

I really consider this to be a great fear of mine that I faced. Every time my feet slam onto the box top, I am stomping on that Voice of Fear inside me. I haven't been in many situations where I have really felt that sort of power. Each leap I take onto a box is another wound against Fear. I imagine that one day it won't be inside me at all, and I will remember how great it felt to smash it into dust.

So, today, you can take a big leap or a little leap. A figurative leap or a literal leap. Just don't miss this opportunity!

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If you are visiting from Easy Peasy today, welcome :)

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Don't Do This in the Kitchen #1

Remember to make sure your blender is empty of any utensils before turning it on to make your favorite smoothie.

If you forget, you will hear a loud clanking sound and think, "Hmm...the blueberries sure are frozen extra solid today..." until your daughter strikes up behind you with, "MOM! You left the spoon in the blender!!"

Oh.