Forks Over Knives (FOK) Update

Well, we made it through our first week of major dietary changes. The verdict so far: we have yet to go to bed hungry, we are eating higher quality and quantity of food than ever before, and most importantly, the taste of the food has been GREAT! Jonathan has been fully on board. I am very proud of him. We even went to Moe's and followed all the "rules." We each had the Art Vandalay on whole wheat tortilla. We got pinto and black beans, roasted corn, lettuce, sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, pico de gallo, and rice (don't know if it is brown rice, so I guess that might not have completely followed the "rules"). We added spicy salsa from the salsa bar and it was DELICIOUS. I really thought I would miss the sour cream and cheese, but I didn't at all! So far so good!

And to top it all off...I lost FOUR pounds this week! Yay! Even if I wasn't enjoying the food (which I am) that is great incentive to keep going. I know that my family is becoming healthier by the day! Can't say it has been all easy, but we are fully committed. Yesterday I was craving "old" food (ie: Chicken Pot Pie and Yogurt Mountain). But I persevered and didn't give in. Lots of will power being used here!

So what is to come this week? Gnocchi with "Meat" Sauce, Creamy Noodle Casserole, Veggie Stir Fry over Brown Rice, Zingy Italian White Bean Soup, and Layered Tex-Mex Lasagna. Yummy Right? Here is a picture of one of the dishes we had last week: Veggie Delish Pasta Dish. Yummy sauteed onions, mushrooms, green bell pepper, orange bell pepper, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lots of spices, and balsamic vinegar all over whole wheat pasta. I ate almost every bit of this with no worries as to calorie counting because I knew every bite was nutritious!

So I finished the first book on my list, "My So-called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife," and will write about all I learned on the next post.

Meet Sweet Reagan

Meet Reagan!

Reagan is the newest member of our family at just over 3.5 months. Jonathan and I didn't think we wanted a girl originally...but oh what we would be missing if we didn't have our sweet Reagan. She is such a good baby (or maybe it's that we are second time parents). She has proven to be very laid back and easy going. She smiles and coos often which is completely contagious. You can't help but smile when she does.

Laughing!

She already loves her big brother and watches him as he rambunctiously roams the house. She has recently hit a big milestone: rolling over! She can easily go from back to belly in under one second. She doesn't exactly love her belly though, so she isn't too happy once she has rolled over. However, if I put her on her back again, she immediately rolls over to her belly. It's as if she can't help herself!

Reagan has also hit another HUGE milestone: sleeping through the night (Hallelujah)! It has only been two nights, but I am absolutely thrilled! I put her down around 10:00 PM and she gets up around 5:30 AM. Not too bad!

I am very close with my mom and am thrilled to have that same relationship with my little girl. One of my big goals this year is to gain wisdom in the area of parenting. I hope to use what I learn along with daily guidance from God to be a great mom to a girl (and hopefully avoid the drama of the tween and teen years)! I'll let you know how that goes :).

I'll introduce you to my charming toddler and handsome husband soon!

Forks Over Knives

So today marks a time of MAJOR change in our lives. Today we start working towards a lifestyle change that will make us healthier, trimmer, and that will increase our energy! It will protect us against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic health problems. Sounds perfect huh? Well, I have a feeling it is going to be some work and a LOT of adjustment, especially on Jonathan's part. Today we start a lifestyle of eating only plant-based whole foods. What does that mean you ask? Well it means no animal products. That's right...no meat, no eggs, no milk, no cheese.
I know the looks a lot of you are giving me (through the computer) are of disbelief, disgust, and of why in the world? Well, I can say for our family it is a decision we made after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. If you have Netflix you can find it in the movie section. It was very, very eye opening as far as what chemicals in animal products do to our body. And I am talking about naturally occurring chemicals, not the ones the we add (which are also very harmful).
So what do we eat if we can eat meat and dairy? Well, you would be amazed at all the foods out there other than meat and dairy. We will eats lots and lots of vegetables and fruits. We will eat a great deal of beans and legumes of all kinds. We will eat whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads, whole wheat pita's and whole wheat wraps. We will eat hummus instead of mayo and mustard on sandwiches. We will eat oil free salad dressings (you would be amazed at how many recipes there are out there).
We certainly will not be starving that is for sure! In fact, we get to a whole lot MORE than most people because every calorie we put into our bodies is nutrient rich, versus the empty calories of the normal American diet. I am very excited about this new endeavor, but a little nervous too. I am married to a man who was raised on the meat and three mentality. However, I must say, he has been much more open to this than I expected.
I am sure you are asking..."What about eating out or eating at someones house?" Well, we have agreed that this lifestyle is what we will do when we are at home. We will never let it interfere with going to someones house to hang out. We wouldn't ever want to make it hard on someone else. And about twice a month we will probably eat out whatever we want. We do not intend to be so extreme that these changes take over our lives, but do intend to make the changes for the sake of our health.
So I HIGHLY recommend you watch the documentary Forks Over Knives as well as the Engine 2 Diet movie on Netflix. The Engine 2 video is made by Rip Esselstyn who is the son of one of the physicians who did the research for Forks Over Knives. Both movies are a wealth of knowledge and evidence-based information on eating a whole food, plant-based diet. I encourage you watch the videos and make a decision for yourself and your family.
So, what's for supper tonight? Veggie Chili....YUM! I'll keep you posted on how it is going, how much weight I lose, and of course, what are we eating.
Have a wonderful, blessed week!

Here are the links to the websites coordinating with the videos:
www.forksoverknives.com
www.engine2diet.com

Art Work Display

Well I finished my Pinterest inspired Art Display Area project. Now I can hang Nolan's numerous art works as well as my weekly schedule. I got this idea off of pinterest and it was incredibly simple. Slightly time consumming, but I think that is because I have a toddler and infant and had to stop several times. I have included instructions of how I made this project, but unfortunately I didn't take picutres along the way. Hopefully I will remember to do that on the next project. It probably cost me about $20 total.

Materials:

1x2x8 board

Spray paint in color of your choice (I used Valspar Satin Brown Velvet)

Large clips (Number needed depends on size of your boards)

Picture Hangers

Wood Glue

4 Nails (large enough to support your boards)

Hammer

Measuring Tape

Instructions:

Step 1) Cut boards to size according to your wall. My boards are 40 inches long each. I had a neighbor with a saw cut my boards, but the home improvement store will usualy cut them for free also.

Step 2) Spray paint each board according to directions on can (I did three coats).

Step 3) After last coat of paint is completely dry then put Picture hangers on the back of the boards according to where they need to hang on your wall (I did this after I glued my clips on and it was a little difficult so I recommend doing it prior to putting the clips on so the board will lay flat).

Step 4) Use wood glue to attach large clips evenly spaced along the board (this will vary depending on the length of your boards and how many clips you intend to use.

Step 5) Put nails in the wall in alignment with the picture hangers on the boards and hang your display boards.

Step 6) Display all your kids art work other things such as schedules, menus, etc.

Here is the completed project on one of my kitchen walls.  

Nolan proudly standing by his art work!

Here is a close up of the clips I used (they are actually magnetic clips, but they attached to the wood with wood glue without any problems. They came in a pack of three at Staples)

Hope you are inspirted to make an Art Display Area for your kids works of art! Let me know if you have any questions and I can clarify one of the steps if needed. Now on to another project for me. Not sure what it will be yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do!

Who am I and why and I writing a blog?

Some who read this blog already know me, but if there are others out there who don't then I'll give you a quick backgroud (you will all probably get to know me better than you wanted after reading all the things I will blog about). I am wife to Jonathan, mother to Nolan (2.5 years old) and Reagan (3 months), and most importantly daughter of Christ. I "used to be" a Family Nurse Practitioner, but just started the new adventure of being a stay-at-home mom.

Why am I blogging you ask? Well, I have made a committment to become a better wife, mother, friend, and person in 2012. I don't think am particularly bad at any of these (except maybe the friend part, but I'll address that later), but I want to be more. I want to be more for my family and I want to be more like God. How do I plan to do this? Well for starters, I have a list of carfully chosen books to read this year that I feel will significantly help me reach my goals (see future blog post). Below is a list of the books I will be reading, and I intend to blog about what I learn from each as I go. My hope is that I will give encouragment to others out there struggling with the same things I am. I also hope to give insight, as I get it, by reading the books and through what God is showing me through reading them.

On another note, I am an organziation freak! I love to be organized (although am not always successful) and make lists, tables, etc. that will keep me that way. I was introduced to Pinterest a few months ago and now an admitted addict. I have already completed several projects and will be working on more. I intend to blog about these projects also.

Lastly, there a few medical/health topics that I feel are very relevant and important which I will likely post about occassionally as I am still on the outskirts of the medical profession.

So in conclusion this blog will contain posts on my family, insight I get through reading and prayer, craft and organization projects, and the occassional medical issue. I hope you enjoy it and gain encouragment through my journey.

Book List: