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Friday, March 30, 2012

Self Care

About one year into motherhood, I experienced what I felt was a near nervous breakdown because I was not taking care of myself and it was a SCARY place to be.  Once I reached this miserable place I knew I had to improve my self care so I booked a weekend trip to NYC (brave and huge for me).  I remember when I was there finally breathing, taking care of myself, slowing down and having some HUGE revelations about what I needed to do to start repairing my miserable existence.   How ironic that I needed to go to NYC to find some quiet in my mind?   I spent the next part of a decade figuring out how to put myself on the top of the list (and 10 more trips to NYC).  And now because I take care of myself, I can actually give back MORE to my family, job, friends, etc.  Here's my self care tips:

1.  Find Hobbies

Once I became a mother, every hobby and every passion was shoved away so that I could be the "best mother" possible.  While it worked for awhile, I can tell you that it lead to complete misery.  Now, the way I discover my passions is to go with my "flow".   If something feels good to me, interests me, or lights me up I follow it.   My current hobbies are gardening, traveling, meditation, cooking, biking, reading, music, blogging, running, photography and puzzles.  Keep in mind, I do not have time for a lot of these hobbies daily because I need to work and get 3 kids three different places, but every day I try to squeeze in part of one hobby.

40th Birthday - Trip to Utah / pampering & hobbies



2. Pamper Yourself:

Pampering yourself means many different things to different people, but EVERYONE can find ways for pampering whether it's a candlelight bath, meditating to music or strolling through the woods.  I personally love massage, so once a year I buy a package (buy 5 get 1 free) and am guaranteed a massage every other month.  Just the thought of a massage makes me HAPPY and relaxed.    If I'm REALLY stressed and need some pampering, I will beg and plead my family to rub my feet.  Pampering can also be a manicure at a mall salon (cheap) or even a cup of coffee at your local coffee shop. 

I also LOVE to shop for new clothes, but I found that I was always buying clothes for my kids.  Now, if I need to do a new season shop-a-roo for my kids, I also buy myself at least one new outfit.  And, I believe if you are buying your kids expensive clothes, you are just as worthy and should not skimp on yourself.  After all, your clothes will last for awhile, your kids will outgrow them in 6 months.


3.  Get Enough Sleep:  I really believe everyone should aim for 8 hours of sleep a night.  And, if you have time and you're tired during the day, take a cat nap.  Personally, I know that I'm defensive, unhappy, and unfocused when I haven't had enough sleep. 



4.  Exercise:   I also believe exercising is the key to your happiness.  Of course there's a million different exercise routines available to you, but it's a matter of scheduling it in.  Currently I'm in a period of transition, but I've started running and biking again weather permitting.  Since the weather is iffy in the month of March, I also have been playing "Just Dance" with the kids, or following an exercise video on Netflix (there's a TON).


Crunches on the Ball!


5.  Eat Right:  Again,  what you eat directly affects not only your physical health but your mental health as well.  My daily treat:  1 ounce of dark chocolate (70%) and kombucha.  Dark cacao is one of the most nutrient dense food in the world, and I could go on and on about kombucha.  After my treat of chocolate and kombucha, I almost feel like I have a little beer buzz, but without the after affects of alcohol.    How cool is that? 

6.  Social Networks:  Part of my breakdown in 1999 was related to the fact that I was new to the area, lived in the sticks, didn't have family around, and did not take any time to develop new friendships.  Eventually, I joined a book club, joined a fitness group, and started to meet other moms as Graham started different sports and this made all the difference.

7.  Keep your mind sharp:  Part of self care means taking care of your mind too, whether that's reading, crossword puzzles, words with friends, or sudoku - taking care to nurture your mind is an important part of taking care of "you". 


I LOVE to Read


8.  Power of Positive Thinking:  My Grandma Evelyn was the queen of positive thinking, and I'm grateful I inherited this gene from her.    If you think good thoughts, you will feel good and if you are grateful for what you have, you will get more.   And, it's totally possible to change your thinking.

9.  Maintain a spiritual connection:   Most logical people know that you can not be happy without a spiritual connection.   Spirituality is different for everyone, but for me I find spirituality in nature, meditation, and prayer.  


Greta and Me - Spirituality in nature = Copper Falls



10.  Self-Talk:  No surprise that negative self talk causes tremendous stress.  While it's hard to do, it is possible to change your internal dialogue, I know it's possible because I reversed my self talk over the course of  a decade.   In my experience, meditation, silence, being in nature, and breath work all can help reverse the negative dialogue.  My goal is to be in the moment and have ZERO self talk (positive or negative).  If I'm in that state, I know I'm in the moment and life is pretty dang good no matter what is going on around me.



Whew!  I started with 2 paragraphs but this got LONG.  If you got this far, thanks for reading!
And remember, you can not meet the needs of others if your own needs are not met.



What do you do to take care of yourself?  I'd love to hear!


Kristin

Friday, March 23, 2012

Milk!

I know this is slightly controversial  BUT my family and I drink and enjoy unprocessed milk.  We've visited our local farmer and filled up our glass bottles directly from the milk tank for over 3 years with great results.  Not only have we eliminated the plastic gallon jugs from our house, we are drinking milk that tastes FANTASTIC and is actually healthier for us.


Milk in a glass bottle


I grew up on skim milk and raised my teenager on skim milk and as many of you know, skim milk has been stripped of many nutrients and preservatives are added back in.  They even add something back to the milk to make it white. Not to mention, skim milk has more sugar than whole milk.  Anyway, when I was feeding Graham skim milk, he would eat 4 bowls of cereal for a snack but once I switched to unprocessed milk, he was full and satisfied on one bowl of cereal.   In fact, we all lost weight when we switched to raw milk.    A recent study in Sweden proves that kids that drink whole milk versus skim milk weigh less.  Amazing.

Read this blog on the health benefits of unprocessed milk, and you too might make the switch:  Benefits of Raw Milk

I love to make home-made butter too with the milk I receive from the farm. 

BUTTER:

Pour the cream from the top of the milk into a glass jar
Let the cream sit out overnight (12-20 hours)
Add a lid to the jar and shake until you have butter
Add salt to taste


Home-made Butter

I also make my own ricotta cheese which is ridiculously easy.

RICOTTA CHEESE

2 cups of whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vinegar

Microwave above for 2 - 4 minutes (4 minutes in my micro) until the milk separates.  With a slotted spoon drain into a paper towel-lined colander.  I drain mine in the fridge overnight and have 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese goodness in the morning.

I have many ricotta based recipes, but I'm saving that for a later blog.  Today I enjoyed the cheese spread on an English Muffin with a little agave nectar drizzled on top.


Ricotta Cheese - Greta and I have been working on this puzzle and our nails :)


Here's my favorite milk-based soup:

Zucchini, Corn, Potato Chowder

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup of zucchini
3 potatoes cubed
1 onion
1 cup of carrots
2 cups of corn
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of whole milk (Sometimes I use goats milk from the goat Myrtle)
Salt, pepper and parsley

Saute zucchini, onion,  and carrots for 5 minutes.  Add broth and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Add corn and milk - done when the corn is warm.  Delish!!

Corn Chowder

Going to our local farm is an outing for the kids and me.  We usually go in and visit the cows and my kids are growing up with a real connection between animals, plants and the food we consume. 


Happy Cows make Happy Milk

Moooooooo!


Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Sunday, March 18, 2012

St. Patrick's Day

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love almost any holiday - especially St. Patrick's Day even though I'm full-blooded Norwegian.  Every day this week I've worn something green and this we're eating only green foods.  In addition to the recipes below, I've been drinking green kombucha daily, and I made some nummy kale chips (roast kale with olive oil and salt and pepper for 20 minutes).

One night we had Cabbage Rolls. Delish!  I love cabbage, and this was just divine! 


Cabbage Rolls

CABBAGE ROLLS

1 cabbage - peeled and blanched
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 can of lentils
1/2 onion
3 garlic cloves
Tomato Sauce, salt, pepper, oregano

Saute onion and garlic.  Add lentils and stir until warm, add brown rice and turmeric.  If rice seems dry, add vegetable broth (I always have a box in the fridge).    Add 2 tablespoon of mixture per cabbage leave.  Roll up thick side and add to a pan.  Cover with tomato sauce.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano on top.  Yum!



We also made a yummy green jello salad which of course was a HUGE hit with the kiddo's.  Gus made it, and he had the hardest time waiting for it to set up.  Poor kid. 

St. Patrick's Day Salad in my Grandma Evelyn's Salad Bowl .  This was picture taken on Wednesday.  As of today, the snow is almost gone!


Green Jello Salad

2 packages of lime jello
1 cup of pineapple
1 tub of whip cream

Mix jello according to directions, add pineapple when semi-firm, top with whip cream.  Yum!

Next we made pistachio parfaits:


Pistachio Parfait in my Grandma's Ice Cream Dishes


Pistachio Pudding
Go Lean Crunch Cereal

Layer for absolute goodness!


Last but not least, we made Leprechaun Shakes for the kids.  Let me tell you, these were the hit!


Leprechaun Shakes in my Grandma's Bubble Dishes


Leprechaun Shakes

2 cups of ice cream
2 Tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 drops of food coloring
Stir and serve with whip cream and a cherry!

I had HUGE plans for St. Patrick's Day this year, but they fell through because Greta had an infection that put her in the hospital (she's o.k. now).  Even though this blog was done on Thursday, I was unable to post it on time because our sucky internet has been down all weekend.

On the positive side, I woke up on St. Patrick's Day with a kiss on the lips from 7 year old Gus.  As he kissed me he said, "Happy St. Patrick's Day Mom" - he has a way of melting my heart.  The weather was fantastic so off and on all day I watched as the kids made leprechaun traps, searched for four leaf clovers, and talked about how they will find the pot of gold if they see a rainbow.  Instead of feeling sorry for myself for my messed up plans,  I was feeling pretty grateful to have 3 awesome kids to keep me entertained. 

What's your favorite St. Patrick's Day food?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Three Easy Pizza Recipes

Pizza is VERY popular in our household.  This week I experimented with some fun and delicious pizza recipes that I need to share. 


CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

I declare this to be my favorite entree for all of 2012!   The crust is made out of cauliflower, but you can't tell....how great is that?!  I even screwed up the recipe (I forgot to bake the crust ahead of time) and it was still to die for.  Yum!!!  Here's the recipe:  Cauliflower Crust Pizza  Thanks to Connie Vold for the idea.   My picture does not do it justice.


Cauliflower Crust Pizza


The second pizza is made with a cornmeal crust (yum!).  Cornmeal contains a long list of nutrients. This whole grain is a good source of niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and vitamins B-6, E and K. It contains 18 amino acids and valuable minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.  To be totally honest, this was good but I wouldn't run out to make it again.  Maybe after the cauliflower pizza, nothing could compete.
Here's the recipe:  Cornmeal Crust Pizza

Cornmeal Crust Pizza



And last but not least, Chad has been making the family pizza boats once a week.  This week, Gussy picked this for his meal.  As you may remember, everyone gets a turn picking and making a meal, and if it's their night, they get to sit in a special chair.



Pizza Boats

1 fresh loaf of french bread
1 jar Green Mill pizza sauce
1 package pepperoni
12 ounces of mozzarella cheese

Cut the loaf into 6 inch boats.  Add pizza sauce, meat and cheese.  Bake until the cheese is melted.   I can guarantee this is a hit with the kids!

What's your favorite pizza recipe?

Thanks for reading!

Kristin



Friday, March 9, 2012

March Cleanse

Cleansing is a healthy way to make your body work at optimum power.   We are exposed to toxins daily like pesticides, microbes, and mercury to name a few.  Cleansing by eating a mainly vegan diet (no meat, dairy, sugar or processed foods) and taking supplements can eliminate toxin build up in the kidneys, lungs, colon, and the liver.  

I broke down and bought a "Total Body Cleanse" kit at the organic store.  The kit contains two supplements:  one to be taken in the morning and one to be taken in the evening.  The supplements contain all natural ingredients like flax seed, dandelion root, ginger root, cayenne, etc.  



Here's the cleanse I'm following this week:  Two Day Wonder Cleanse       Four years ago I did a 20 day cleanse, lost 8 pounds, and felt like I had enough energy to conquer the world.  But, I eat healthier now, so I'm just following the cleanse off and on throughout the month of March.   I'm going to winter camp tomorrow and to a St. Patty's day party next week, so I'd be cheating if I tried to commit for the month.

For breakfast, I've been eating quinoa and prunes made in the crockpot.  Trust me, this is super delicious, very healthy and fills you right up!



Crockpot Quinoa

CROCKPOT QUINOA FOR BREAKFAST

1 cup of quinoa
3 cups of water
1/2 cup of milk (I use soy milk)
1/2 cup of prunes

Add to a crockpot and cook in low for 8 hours.  Add cinnamon and milk for a GREAT breakfast.

Here's a sample of yesterdays lunch that had me feeling like I was in a super powerful zone all day:


Power Lunch, Kale Smoothie, Kale Salad and Spirulina Kombucha


The Kale, Apple, Walnut salad I purchased at the Rice Lake co-op and I plan on making it this summer (wow, yummser!).   The Kale Pineapple Smoothie looks gross but was actually super good and an easy way to pack in 4 cups of Kale (yes, that's 4 cups of kale blended).

Super Power Kale Smoothie

4 cups of kale leaves
1/2 cup of pineapple
2 artichokes (canned or from a jar)
Blend and add water if needed. 

Trust me, after this smoothie, the salad and the kombucha I was golden. Proof to me that what you eat directly affects performance whether at work. exercising, or playing. 

As part of my cleansing, I also have been eating some delicious cabbage soup.  Trust me, this is yummy!
Here's the recipe:  Cabbage Cleansing Soup


Cabbage Soup


And last but not least, Kerry Rothgeb gave me her mom's wonderful brussels sprouts recipe:

Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt
4 cups pomegranate juice (I used sugar free)
1/2 cup sugar (I used 1 tablespoon of steevia)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Roast the brussels sprouts in a 350 degree oven (salt, pepper, olive oil) for about 35-40 min turning every once in awhile until caramelized.  Mix 4 cups Pom juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 TBSP lemon juice and add over med heat. Still occasionally until dissolved. Reduce heat to low to med until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 1 hour. Store in jar in fridge.

I used sugar-free juice and steevia in place of the sugar to stay true to my cleanse.   My sprouts did not make it into the jar, because they were so good we ate them right up.  Yum!!   Thanks to Kerry's mom for the recipe!


Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts



As part of my March cleanse, I'm also drinking GT's mult-green kombucha (with spirulina) which is the healthiest drink on the planet (trust me, I did my research).  But more on that soon because I'm making my own!

Also as part of my cleanse I had a massage - can't think of a better way to improve circulation and remove the toxins.  After my massage I took a detox bath which is Epsom salt, baking soda and some essential oils (I used peppermint).  The skin is one large organ not to be ignored, and my skin feels fantastic!!

Next up, I'm taking a detox yoga class on 3/22.  Detox yoga is a technique to flush out all remaining toxins to the point where you actually smell the toxins in your urine.  That's a powerful yoga class!

Here's a little video of Gus' snow tunnel:










Happy detoxification month!  And, thanks for reading!

Kristin

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Vinegar, Standing, and Ice Cream (totally random, I know right?)

We are having one huge leap year blizzard in Northwest Wisconsin, we're sitting without power, snowed in and loving life.    Holy Moly.    Two feet and it's still coming!



Stuck on Christiansen Road - yesterday this road was CLEAR blacktop.


I've told my family I'm on a cooking strike this week.  Don't worry, my kids won't starve since I made a few big batches of soup and such to heat up, but no family meal planning, grocery shopping or cooking all week  Ahhhhhhhhhh.  I deserve a break, right?  So, what happens when I stop cooking?  I have other random thoughts to blog about:  like the awesome power of vinegar, my fetish with standing up, and the one mighty ice cream dessert Chad made for us that still has me drooling.  All random things but hey, sometimes I enjoy whimsical thoughts. 

Vinegar

After using my homemade dishwasher soap for a week, I noticed that I had cloudy dishes.  Normally my dishes are slightly cloudy because we have hard water, but they became exceptionally dingy.  I added some vinegar to my rinse-aid slot in my dishwasher and I literally have never had such shiny dishes.  Unreal!  Shiny dishes makes me really EXCITED!!  I guess it doesn't take much.

If you rub vinegar with a cotton ball over your nails before painting them, the nail polish will last longer.  How cool is that!?

Also, my new vinegar cleaner has been a godsend to us (1 T borax, 2 T vinegar, water, and peppermint oil).  Man, I love this cleaner.  I'm on my second bottle in 2 weeks.  Works great!!

Graham supervises Greta cleaning the bathroom with vinegar



STAND UP

After years of sitting on my duff all day at work, I started thinking about the unhealthiness of being so inactive during working hours.  About 3 years ago, I created a stand-up work station.    At first I thought this was one stroke of genius (don't laugh), but low and behold I've run across others who had the brilliant idea LONG before me.     A recent article in Men's Health states that 54% of those sitting all day will die of a heart attack at an early age, even if they exercise and are non-smokers.   So, why not stand? 
Before my stand-up desk, I would have visitors come in and talk for extended periods of time with no real agenda (you know, shooting the breeze?).  Now, if someone wants to have an extended conversation it's with an appointment, a purpose, and it's in a conference room.  Talk about a time saver.  I've also had guests confused by my lack of seating, sit on the floor to talk while I'm still standing (it's tough to know what to do in that situation, get down on the floor too?).   What usually happens though is that I'll have a pointed conversation and move on with my work.  If you know me, you know that I am not big into long hyper-verbal conversations.  I used to think this was my curse, but now I've accepted it as who I am.  And what if everybody loved to talk, talk, talk?  That would be exhausting.




Guess I shoulda' combed my hair....lol.  Notice the Kombucha? 

KILLER DESSERT

Since I'm on strike, Chad actually went to the store and made us a "to-die for" peanut buster parfait dessert.  Normally, I would try and abstain but before and after the Birkebeiner I was unable to eat.  I'm a hungry girl so this was quite unusual for me, but by Monday I felt like if I didn't eat I was going to have to add barbecue sauce to my arm and chew away.   Anyway, Chad filled the bottom of my Grandma's ice cream sundae dishes with warm chocolate and Spanish peanuts followed by a scoop of ice cream and more warm chocolate and peanuts.  Oh my gosh, I was pretty sure I'd died and gone to heaven.  So, if you are looking for a special, simple treat:  peanut buster parfaits.


Peanut Buster Parfaits in my Grandma's Ice Cream Dishes

Here's a little video of the kids LOVING the snow:



And yes, I do have 3 kids but the teenager was playing Monopoly with the neighbors all day.  The Byrd's are a pretty cool family, and I don't blame him.


What's your favorite dessert?  Thanks for reading!



Kristin