The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Soul

This was the post I was planning for a week ago last Saturday, before being side tracked by the 'ick'. 

Throughout the holidays we talk about food.  We eat too much, we want to try a recipe, someone brought cookies again, we giggle at Aunt Mable's annual fruit cake and we are thrilled with chocolate delights.  In fact, as most of our butts and thighs can attest, we are awash in a sea of fat and carbs from November to the New Year.  While these meals and treats feed our stomachs, we miss the most important thing - nourishing our souls.

We rush through life, especially the holidays - shopping and working and parties and cards - hoping all the while, we will have it done on time.  Sometimes losing our minds a little in the process and mostly missing the point of the season.  It doesn't matter your religion - the end of the year is about reflection, appreciation and grace.

Without a doubt you reflect on where you came from - your family, a favorite Christmas, your first game of dreidel or when you first celebrated Kwanzaa.  Perhaps you take the time to bake cookies for the teacher or mail carrier to express appreciation.  But do you embrace grace?

Grace has many forms, as you can see in this link.  

Grace is the one that matters most, it is becoming the embodiment of the goodness you seek in the world.  We all crave favor, kindness, friendship and forgiveness.  Yet, can we expect this to befall us if we aren't willing to endow these things just as freely?  The short answer of course is 'no'.

The full response takes years to unfold and embody.  It's a personal journey toward letting go and being willing to grow.  However, all of the pains we take are washed away as little lessons are learned and it quietly gives sustenance to our soul.  And that's what I want to impart this holiday season.

I am not perfect, in fact it's a daily struggle with my imperfections. (Hence the blog.) Still, I try to keep my eyes open and be trained by the universe to soak up what I need to improve in any way I can.  I know what you are thinking, "Okay all knowing one, how is this 'feeding of the soul' done?"

I'm but an apprentice, but I do have a few ideas: 

• Send an unexpected card or make that call you have been putting off.  Imagine the relief from years of pressure brought on by the unknown.
• Reach out to someone you don't even know.  A random act of kindness gives the feeling of accomplishment all day.
• Go overboard on a gift for that friend who has had a rotten year and be sure the note with it promises you're going to be there whether it gets better or not.
• Read to someone.  It can be a child, an ill friend or a senior at the local care center.  A warm voice can move anyone from despair.
• Give to a charity that touches your heart.  And if you can, give your time too.  Even $5 makes a difference and hours are worth more than money.
• Say 'please', 'thank you' and 'I love you'.  Simple words that will be shared in an endless chain.

I know you have many other ideas for becoming more graceful.  Put them in words, pass them on, but mostly do them.  And then see just how nourished your soul can really be. 

Yours in Health,

Kate

Food-borne Illness - The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Friday night and yesterday I had nice holiday time with my family.  But...

Wow.  It has been an ugly and long week.  My apologies for not following through with my plans to post recipes every day, but I got really sick.

Last Saturday I woke up feeling good, my wallet had money and it was time to finally start my Christmas shopping.  First things first, a good brunch to stoke the engine.  I went the healthy route and got an egg white omelet with fresh spinach (at a restaurant that will go unnamed), it tasted pretty good and I was off to the mall.

I hadn't been in the mall very long when I became soaked in sweat.  I thought, well the mall is packed and I am rushing around, no big deal.  Even though no one else was soaking their shirt.  Anyway, I went about trying to get things done and slowly felt worse as the day wore on.  I tried to write it off to a lot of things, but by early evening I knew - I was getting very ill.  I let the boss know and then hoped that my fever and chills would pass without much incident. Uh, nope.

I will save you the details, other than to say, it was fever, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, headache - horrible.  And it didn't last just 24-48 hours like a nice flu.  No, this drug on.  It was traced back to the spinach in my omelet.  It wasn't fully cooked, but I thought nothing of it until much later.  They even briefly thought I had e. coli.  By the way, this is a food-borne illness, not food poisoning.  The food hadn't gone bad, it was tainted by bacteria.

I finally made it back to work on Thursday, 15 pounds lighter and weak.  I was able to eek out some time to Christmas shop so everyone had gifts, but that spent the 'extra' energy I had.

Yesterday I thought I was feeling a bit better, so I ate a regular Christmas dinner.  Turns out, I am not fully recovered.  As I tried to go to bed last night, my body balked at the amount of food I had enjoyed.  It wasn't an insane amount, but compared to the rest of the week, I ate like a queen.  So, I spent most of the night writhing in pain and sweating, very little sleep too.

So, I came to work early.  I have been drinking some gingerbread tea and it is helping.  Going forward for the next week I have a new plan - very small amounts of food and BLAND.  Knowing my body, it will find a way to throw a fit anyway, but I have to give it a try.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Cookie Week - Cranberry-Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Over the past ten years or so, cranberries have come into vogue.  Sure, they've always been gelatinous for a turkey side, but for a decade this berry's profile has been raised by research into its nutritional value.

Cranberries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants.  These properties have been shown to help with everything from bladder infections to heart health.  Plus, their tartness is a great compliment to sweet.

Today's recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine.  My roomie made it last year and, though cranberries aren't my favorite, this cookie was awesome. 

The recipe mixes cranberries, whole wheat flour, egg white, walnuts and mini chocolate chips with some of the standard ingredients.  In the end this healthier little treat is a bundle of complimentary tastes.  Enjoy!

Yours in Health,
Kate

Noted: Alcohol and Acid Reflux are NOT Friends

I rarely drink.  In fact, I can count on one hand the number of drinks I have had this year.  I don't need alcohol to have a good time and I don't want to use it to release stress.  (Bad habit to start.)

Tonight however was the company Christmas party and I couldn't resist.  Just a chance to loosen up a little with my friends.  I had a rather weak, but tasty cranberry and vodka for cocktail hour and then during dinner half a glass of wine.  Finally, after dessert, we convened to watch the band play and I had a Bailey's and coffee.  Spaced out over 3 hours, not too bad.  Afterward I switched to water and regular coffee.

But, as time passed, I started to have weird pains in my chest and didn't feel well.  It took me a few minutes and then I remembered - if I drink more than one alcoholic beverage, my acid reflux rebels.  And it sure did.  What happens is that the acid overwhelms the stomach and basically starts jumping up the throat.  That causes the esophagus to spasm and press against the heart, sometimes causing pain - it can even mimic a heart attack.

Since I needed to come to work anyway, I left the party.  I came back here and took an antacid and drank some more water - all better.  So, the moral of the story is, I will go back to my non-alcoholic drinks and be perfectly content - and without pain.  :)

Yours in Health,
Kate

Candy!

The "C" word for those attempting to eat healthy.  It pops up everywhere during the holiday season.  Sometimes left in dishes off by itself with no witnesses to see you indulge.  If no one sees it, it never happened, right?

Well holiday candy is like everything else in life, you can have it in moderation.  But unlike other things, a little candy that weighs less than an ounce can be, not only a calorie bomb, but full of really bad fats.

Today I went forth seeking a healthier option and Martha Stewart has come through.  (No surprise there.)  I wanted dark chocolate because it's heart healthy and nuts for the same reason.  These Chocolate-Nut Patties fit the bill and they couldn't be more simple.  The only thing that might be a little foreign to you is tempering the chocolate, but the recipe explains that as well.  Enjoy!

Yours in Health,
Kate

Inspiration as We Head Into the Holidays

The holidays can be incredibly overwhelming when you are trying to lose weight and get healthy.  Cookies everywhere, pressure to indulge and the assurance from everyone that you can 'start again in the new year'.  Well, you and I both know that's how we got here in the first place.

So today I am sharing some inspirational stories from Ladies' Home Journal.  These five women found their inspiration and then set forth on their journey.  You may relate and even get tips, a reminder that you are not alone.  Think of these stories I will share over the next few weeks as your 'mental cookies' that may help you bypass the ones in the break room.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Mary Poppins Pop-in

Just popping into work briefly after Mary Poppins at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines.  Really a spectacular show.  While, as a fan of the original movie, the moving around of the plot through me off a little, the show was flawless.  The sets were jaw-dropping, the dancing outstanding and the voices beautiful.  If you get a chance to check it out, you really should.  I walked away feeling more relaxed than I have in weeks and if you have been following the blog lately, you know that's almost a miracle.


Tomorrow it's more things to feed my soul, like a Christmas tree and doing laundry.  No really clean undies will help feed my soul. :)

Yours in Health,
Kate

Get in the Holiday Spirit, damn it!

I have had a month long roller-coaster ride. Today, one of the worst things yet, my general manager announced he is leaving in mid-January. He is one of the best bosses I have ever had and is the reason I got back into radio. He makes work fun. He has also had my back all along the way. I do not know how I will fare without him. Or how are group will fare. He resigned after a budget squabble with our corporation. I am convinced the move was his way of loosening the budget a little and possibly saving jobs. This absolutely sucks one week before Christmas.

So, when I ran across one of those surveys regarding Christmas on Annette's Blog, I decided it was time to sip some egg nog and get merry, damn it. Here goes...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Depends on how much time I have. I prefer to wrap, but frequently fall into the 'bag it' category.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real this year for the first time since 1996. I have been living in apartments or too poor for a tree. Plus, with three cats, there was great fear of tree climbing becoming the sport of choice. Alas, they are almost uninterested. Which is good, but startling.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Just after Thanksgiving is preferable. But we had to wait for the funds to free up, so we got it last week. (Thank you Gordon for the truck.)

4. When do you take the tree down?
After New Year's day.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes. AE egg nog. Honestly I have never had any other kind and have never had rum in it, so maybe I wouldn't like the real thing. But AE is like creamy melted ice cream.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My record player. I was 6 and it was real. That was the Christmas I had confirmed for me that Santa was real. I didn't even tell my parents I wanted the record player, but there it was under the tree! After Christmas Mom took me out and I bought an Elvis single with my own Christmas money.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My Dad. I love him so much and he's given me so much. I always want that gift that really gets a reaction. I rarely find it.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Lori. If it is geeky or foodie, I am safe.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
No.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
When I have the money and time, mail. This year, e-mail. (My deepest apologies to the postal workers.)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Three years running people in my extended family got me sweaters that were size large. I was XXL at the time.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Christmas Vacation, The Preacher's Wife (Cary Grant version of course), White Christmas, Holiday Inn - oh wait, I was only supposed to give one.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
When I have the money. Read that as - this weekend.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not technically. It wasn't regifted, it was just given to the person and they knew it had been a gift for me.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Oh goodness, where to start? Grandma's oyster stuffing, Mom's soup, Lori's cookies, anything decorated by Caelen. I will eat anything, but as you can see, I prefer the things made with love.

16. Lights on the tree?
As many as I can have without causing a fire.

17. Favorite Christmas Song?
To hear sung well? Silent Night. For sexy Santa fun? Baby it's Cold Outside.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Always home within the bounds of the Des Moines metro. In fact, this year Christmas is at my new home. (We'll see how I feel about that brilliant offer on the 26th.)

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen on Comet on Cupid on Donner and Blitzen. (Yes, I always sing in my head to get those.) And of course Rudolph. Though I hesitate on the latter because he wasn't unearthed until the 1930's.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. The tree is mostly Star Wars, so it was a must.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
I like to wait as long as possible. But with multiple family Christmases, I have to bend somewhat.

22. Holiday-wear, yea or nay?
I have a couple of pairs of socks. I am going to buy another pair this weekend, but that's it. My only real seasonal wear is actually able to be worn all winter - a nice bright red sweater.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Well, after several years of collecting and waiting, we finally got to put up our Star Wars tree this year. Only one tiny snag, a box of ornaments is missing, so we had to go buy some balls. Oh well, it looks nice.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
If I had my druthers it would be pizza or soup and sandwiches. I would rather hang out with my family than stress over not burning the bird. That being said, I am lining up turkey, etc. for December 25.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
The same thing I always want - world peace. But as we all know, Santa can't fit it in the sleigh or we would have it by now.

Holiday cheers, Kate

Pictures of Me - Christmas Edition

I got a surprise in my e-mail yesterday. My sister-in-law Annette sent my a copy of a picture from this Christmas and one from last Christmas. She titled the e-mail "What a difference". Man was she right.

I looked it up, Christmas 2006 I weighed 213 pounds, or about my half way point in this journey. This Christmas, 151 pounds. It is only a difference of 62 pounds and it looks like so much more. I am stunned. In fact very often I am stunned by pictures I see of me, because there are so few.

But these pictures, while they make me feel a little sad from what I did to myself; they also make me feel empowered. They let me know how far I have come. And if I have made such great progress thus far, I can definitely finish the transformation and maintain my body in a proper way for the rest of my life. Because the other thing seeing these pictures does is solidify my resolve - I will NEVER go back.

So, here they are:



Yours in health, Kate

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are having a great Christmas! So far I have worked; put a load of wash in at my mom's; retrieved Starbuck's for me, my mom and Bruce; thrown said laundry in the dryer; put sweet potatoes in the oven; prepped broccoli and carrots; all gifts are ready in the car. Whew. Now that I have typed that, I see I have been busy. The elves have nothing on me.

Now time for the blog entry while the sweet potatoes bake and the laundry dries.

Today we are just going to have a little fun here, because I have already spent the season giving you tips, recipes and condoling on attempting make it through the holidays without losing your healthy side. So, I swiped this from Annette's blog. These are my answers, feel free to share yours.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Depends on my mood, neither is particularly healthy. ;) But... if it's egg nog, it's AE and cocoa, it's Ghirardelli at Disney World. Ah, yes, I have to complicate everything.

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped. And when my brothers were little, sometimes double wrapped to foil guessing.

3. Colored or white lights?
LOTS, don't really care what color.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
I haven't met a reason to yet. Yet.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Thanksgiving at my mom's. At home, well, we are waiting until we have more room for a real tree. So, the front door is the only 'festive' area and frankly, it looks sad.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Grandma's oyster stuffing, anything my mom makes.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
That's hard. Any time when my brothers were really little. I remember their faces so well when they were opening gifts. They both tended to get warm in their footie p.j.s and their cheeks would get crimson. They looked like china dolls then, they were so sweet.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Annette asked, "What truth about Santa?" on her blog. I am down with that. Santa is the magic of Christmas, he is eternal and everyone should keep the idea of him all year long. As far as the physical manifestation perhaps not existing on this plane, I was 10 and I gave it up quite begrudgingly.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Depends on whether I am at a parent's house. If not, then no, I LOVE to wait.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
My mom's is in red & gold, I mention that one, because I am in charge of getting it up every year. (Though mom rocked and put up the tree this year, I just had to lead on decorations.) The tree that Lori and I fantasize about will be Star Wars - I have been collecting for years in anticipation.

11. Can you ice skate? Well, I've only been once. But I also only fell once, so that is something.

12. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Hmmm. Apparently no. I am finding during these answers that my childhood memories are a bit blurrier than I might like.

13. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Telling family and friends the things I put off all year. While I try to make it clear throughout the year that I love them and appreciate them, I make a point of also saying the things you don't say during the year. For example that I respect them and know the sacrifices they have made.

14. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Well, the options are naturally endless. The Archway Nutty Nougats only come once a year, so that is nice, Aunt Linda's sugar cookies, almost anything mom or Lori create and of course - Stam's chocolates.

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Time with Caelen.

16. What is on top of your tree?
Well, when we do the tree we want to do... Millennium Falcon? Death Star? We'll work on that answer for next year.

17. Which do you like best giving or receiving?
Giving. Honestly, I need nothing, I love to give.

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Silent Night. I know that is a trite and pat answer, but done well, it gives me goose bumps every time.

19. Do you like candy canes?
Yes.

20. Do you like wrapping gifts?
If I have time, I love to make them very neat and they always have an extra flourish. This year as I am still trying to figure out how to schedule my new life, if it couldn't be put in an envelope or bag, it probably didn't get given.

21. Special wants for Christmas?
Peace. But then again, that's what I always want. Every time I see the first star it's what I ask for as well. This year I will add - more time with Caelen. (Then again, I should probably address that in my resolutions in a week's time.)

There it is, more about me than you probably wanted to know.

Merry Christmas, Kate

Christmas Eve Fantasy

I am lacking motivation today. It is why I am blogging at the moment instead of, well anything else.

Really, only two things I MUST do today - Go to workout at Fitness World West; buy a gift for my brother-in-law. Other than that (like the rest of the world) if I accomplish anything else, well bonus.

Oh, and there is one other thing I must accomplish, getting these freaking little candies off my desk. Excuse me for a minute... All right, that's better. They are now in the candy dish at the front desk. At least if I want them I have to move to get them.

By the way, I noted the Asian food festival we have at my Dad's every Christmas Eve. Well, it started with a burned dinner and emergency call to have Chinese food delivered like 10 years ago and then became a tradition. It is also our Easter tradition. Odd since we are neither Chinese or traditional. Tonight I will have to miss out though, I have to work at 5:45 in the morning, so I will go to bed instead.

That's all right though, I'll get to hang with my furry children AND I will not ingest all of the lovely fat and calories of Americanized Asian food. Hopefully my healthier dinner will give me visions of sweet things to dance in my head - "On Gerry, on George, on Jon and on Viggo... Dash this way, dash this way, dash this way all..." (For those keeping track that is - Gerard Butler, George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi and Viggo Mortensen.)

As a typical woman, you know what I want them doing -

A nice massage, home cooked meal, a little deep house cleaning, ooh, oh yeah and my car could use some work. (Slow anti-freeze leak, which one of you can twist a wrench?) Mmm. Thoughts like that will keep you warm on a cold winter's night.

So, whatever your fantasy, may it come true when the big guy drops down the chimney tonight.

Just a note regarding Santa: he may be big, but he is totally in shape and has amazing heart health. This is because he is constantly in training to withstand his annual night of magical world-wide travel. there is nothing like messing with the space-time continuum to give you a workout.

Yours in merriness, Kate

PS - Here are my little elves to help motivate you (and me):

Fudge

Let me be clear - I LOVE the holidays! I love to give gifts, I love the lights, I love the fun, I love the goodies... the last one is the problem. That last one is why I can't wait for the holidays to be over. I hate the holidays.

I had pretty much been able to avoid all of the pitfalls of the season until this last week. Then everyone, even people you could never imagine making treats, decided to share the wealth and bring in candy, cookies, bars, breads and yes, fudge.

They all do it with the same intention my mom has when she cooks to much, they want to show they care. Please, just tell me, don't bake for me.

I don't mean to seem like an ingrate, but you see, I'm a food addict. Just knowing those treats are in the building is almost too much to take. It has lead me to the break room far too often. Now, that being said, my overeating has eased - somewhat.

Now when I grab something, it tends to be half of one or just a corner cut off. But that adds up too. Especially if there are six things sitting there that look desirable.

The next three days will be the ones that truly try my soul. Today it is Christmas at Mom's. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, work treats and our annual Asian food festival at my Dad's. (Funny story for later on how that started.) And then of course the big one - Christmas day.

First, the gym is closed, so I won't even be able to partially offset any damage I might do. Then there is the celebration at my Aunt and Uncle's with my Dad's family. Then, if my mom makes it back we will hang with her in the late afternoon.

I am approaching these days with trepidation because if this last week has taught me anything, it's that - I still harbor a number of the same food issues I had before and a compulsion to act on them.

Now, I am going to type advice for fending off the urges and hope I follow my own advice:

*Moderation. Anything except lard is o.k. in moderation.
*Take just a taste and savor it.
*Be satisfied with just one - no matter how good something tastes.
*Drink a big glass of water before, during and after dinner to help fill you up. (Water causes everything to expand.)
*Also drink water after anything sweet to try to get the sugar out of your mouth, if you still taste sugar you will want more.
*If all else fails, brush your teeth with peppermint toothpaste, nothing tastes good after that.
*Fill up on the veggie tray that will be out before dinner, very few calories and full of fiber so you will feel fuller longer.
*Eat the meat. Turkey breast is lower in calories than most meats and it is a rocking source of protein. Protein makes you feel full and lasts longer in your stomach.
*Try to use what has worked for you before. Just because it's a holiday doesn't mean all of your new habits have taken a break. (Or at least I hope not or I am in trouble.)

Well, I better get it in gear, I have things to finish up and get ready for mom's.

I'll check in tomorrow with a report on how I did.

Yours in health, Kate
That's just a few