The Skies Are Limitless

I always believed in the phrase "The Sky's the Limit," encouraged that in the moment of engaging with that notion, all limits were lifted; I truly could do anything. And then I began to travel more and had an Oprah "ah-ha" moment.

When I fly, I make a strong effort to arrange a window seat if at all possible. I enjoy gazing into the clouds, watching their fluidity and looking for recognizable shapes, sometimes imagining God has written a message into the cotton candy of the sky just for me to see. (Unsure why but I often see profiles of grumpy old men or gorilla faces in the clouds. Or seahorses. I see lots of seahorses.)

I enjoy seeing the community from above that I am either ascending from or descending to, developing stories of what the people in the tiny houses and tiny cars below are doing on the day I am flying over their heads. And I like to look for crop circles left behind by aliens. *wink ;)

Then it hit me today as I sat gazing at the plane's wing unfortunately blocking my view of the fluffy cotton balls: "The Sky's the Limit." I repeated this to myself. "The Sky's the Limit." I said it again, this time with an Adele accent. "The Sky's the Limit." This has always been a phrase of elation, encouragement, and endless possibility until today when I felt there was more I hadn't recognized before. I daydreamed a scenario of being weightless, lifting to the skies when suddenly I was blocked and could go no further. Like a glass ceiling was holding me steady.

As I looked out across the skies past the tip of the wing, I realized that the skies are limitless! Limitless, folks! There is more than simply ascending up. I can turn west and I can turn east, broadening my scope of exploration and exponentially broadening my range of opportunities in this life! Oh and that got my wheels-a-spinnin'. What am I missing out on? What have I been failing to recognize simply because I was limiting myself to what was "Up"? 

Be encouraged. Broaden your scope of opportunities and believe that your skies are limitless too! What possibilities are waiting for you to discover if you only reached for the skies but then turned right or left? :) 

You Were a Waffle, Weren't You?

"Oh, good! An open lane," I thought as I was approaching the cash register. The soft, serene snowflakes had turned into angry sleet pellets so I wanted to get my groceries and then skedaddle home to avoid a treacherous drive. I was looking for the shortest line and I found it! My goal was to attempt little conversation with anyone so I could speed the transaction. I was on a mission.

As I was pulling closer to the conveyer belt to unload my cart, I noticed a somewhat familiar gentleman lingering, talking with the cashier in a manner that revealed they were friends. This guy reminded me of someone I knew in high school, except he seemed more, oh what's the word I'm looking for... hipster? Homeless? (sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference these days) I unloaded my things by category (because that's what I do); refrigerated things kept together, fruits and vegetables kept together, vegan carrot cake in a category all by itself; then pushed the cart to the end to position myself to pay.

I then made a huge mistake. I made eye contact with the cashier. What was I thinking?! My plans to swiftly exit were thwarted. As our eyes connected, we both instantly recognized one another. He was also from my high school and looked exactly how I remembered him.

"Heyyyyyy!" I said to him with a voice that climbed in octaves and dangled in the air longer than it should have.

"Hey! How are you?" he greeted as he was simultaneously scanning my items.

"I'm great!" I replied through a smile.

He asked if I lived in the area and for whatever reason, I felt the need to not only affirm that I did in fact live in the area, but to also tell him where. I might as well have given him the latitudinal and longitudinal degrees and a GPS. I get chatty when I am nervous. I was nervous.

He continued to scan my items and also seemed a little nervous. "You know, I need to apologize. I never gave you that camera like I should have and, gosh, so much time has passed, and I am sorry."

My wheels were spinning... Camera?.... Camera?... What camera is he talking about? Does he think I am someone else? Is he remembering an event that I wasn't a part of? I needed a little clarification. So I inquired. "Camera?"

"Yeah.  You know. You and I were the same thing in Student Council... What was it? Secretary, or something?"

"I was the Historian," I responded, still trying to connect the dots.

"Yeah! That was it! Well, you know. I have felt bad for so long. I'm married now. I've been married for 9 years. And, you know. Yeah. Well."

I wanted to congratulate him on the happy marriage but I was still trying to remember this incident that he clearly felt so guilty about. "You know, I guess I wasn't too upset and didn't hold a grudge. I don't even remember this!" I awkwardly laughed (because that's also what I do when I am nervous) and hoped I had helped clear his conscious.

He looked relieved. "Oh good!"

<insert awkward silence>

I was still thinking he had me mistaken for someone else until he broke the silence. "You were a waffle, weren't you?"

"Oh my gosh! You remember that?! I can't believe you remembered!" I knew then that he knew exactly who I was. And he has apparently been living with this guilt of some camera incident for 15 years.

"You had the best costumes!" he said while still scanning my groceries. Apparently I had more than I thought!

"Yeah. And then I was a cupcake! Do you remember that one?" He didn't remember. "Oh that's right! You graduated a year before me. I was the cupcake during my Senior year so you missed that one. I had some crazy costumes! That's for sure!"

"Did you buy them like that or did you make them?" he asked, a little more confident in his conversation, now that his conscious was clear.

"Oh no, I made them. My mom and I designed and made them by hand. Weird, I know." I smiled.

"Did you keep them?"

"Oh of course I did! Well, I loaned the waffle to someone and don't remember getting it back. But I still have the cupcake costume. I doubt it still fits."


By the time our conversation was approaching another awkward pause, he was done with my transaction and I was antsy to get to the car. All this time that I was trying to remember the camera incident, I was also trying to remember his name. I could completely visualize the group of friends he had and the kind of guy he was back then but his name was evading me in a stubborn way. Thankfully receipts these days are printed with the store number, register number, and cashier's name, but I didn't want to make it obvious I was searching for his name.

"Well, it was really great to see you!" I said as I was pushing the cart away, trying to not seem rude.

"Yeah, you too. Have a good night. Thanks for coming in!"

I replayed in my mind that entire encounter from beginning to end as I drove home (because that's also what I do). How strange that after all these years, the waffle costume's reputation still lives on and that I would run into someone from my home town who would remember it. I still don't know what inclined me to want food as my Halloween costumes for my Junior and Senior years of high school, but I was determined to dress as a waffle and then as a cupcake. My mother, bless her heart, encouraged this crazy notion and even helped me construct the life-size food items.

His name was Kyle - the cashier, not the waffle.

These are the stories of my life...

-With One L








Here is the waffle costume in all its glory; made out of foam bed padding for the waffle part, cardboard and aluminum foil for the fork and knife, and more bed foam for the square of butter between the silverware. Seriously, who thinks of these things? HELLO, braces and shin-high socks. I was such a nerd. The cupcake costume can be seen here.

Valentine Schmalentine, Crying Time

Crying? Yes. These are tears of joy. Joyous happiness at all you disgustingly in love people. I see your beautiful flowers and candy, and freaking adorable love notes from your freaking adorable kids who write letters backwards (freaking adorable!). I see your surprise spa gifts and dates at expensive restaurants. I see all of that and I raise you a multitude of hairballs strategically placed on my special linens, a traffic ticket, a hole in my pants, a dent in my car, a broken shoe and a rolled ankle, and a depleted Starbucks card (could the day really get ANY worse?). So yes. Yes I'm crying. I'm crying because I'm so happy. So freaking happy.

-With One L

Parody - Two Black Cadillacs

So do you ever have something really dorky that you like to do? I make parodies of famous songs for fun. They often come to me when I am driving in my car so I sing the words to the tune of the song playing, and then I laugh at myself. I laugh because the words are usually ridiculous and I am no Celine Dion, I'll tell ya that. :) These parodies usually revolve around my cooking experiences (often disastrous), which gives much to write about. This parody is of the lovely Carrie Underwood's Two Black Cadillacs, that I call Two Black Angus Cows. It's about animals fighting back against being slaughtered for human consumption. :)

Now if I could only find someone to sing my parodies and make music videos for me...

TWO BLACK ANGUS COWS:

Two black Angus cows in a pasture eating hay

Sunlight shining bright in the middle of the day

One is for her hide

The other for the farmers to milk her night

Two black Angus cows meeting for the first time

[Chorus:]
And the horses said he was a good man

And the chickens said he was a good friend

But the Angus in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry

Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye

They took turns laying some straw down

Kicked a hoof full of dirt into the deep ground

They didn’t want any more of their farm friends to die

Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, Bye

Two black Angus cows, two black Angus cows

Two months ago the Angus noticed less of their friends around

Turns out, farmer man was taking them into town

They decided then he’d never get away with doing this to them

Two black Angus cows waiting for the right time, right time

[Chorus:]
And the horses said he was a good man

And the chickens said he was a good friend

But the Angus in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry

Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye

They took turns laying some straw down

Kicked a hoof full of dirt into the deep ground

They didn’t want any more of their farm friends to die

Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, Bye

Yeah, yeah

[Bridge:]
It was the first and the last time they saw each other face to face

They shared a snouty smile and just walked away

And left the secret at the grave

[Chorus:]
And the horses said he was a good man

And the chickens said he was a good friend

But the Angus in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry

Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye

They took turns laying some straw down

Kicked a hoof full of dirt into the deep ground

They didn’t want any more of their farm friends to die

Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah 

------------------

Nighty night, y'all. :)

-With One L

Ain't Nobody Got Time Fur Dat!

(Fair warning. I'm talkative tonight...)

Weeeeeeeell, the detox challenge is now technically over as of yesterday! Can I confess something? I don't feel this detox went as well as the first. You see, my goal in all of this is to find health. My body is not the wellest (that is not a word) it should be and I am trying to uncover why. What am I doing wrong? That's what I'm trying to know. During the previous sugar-free experiment, I felt the BEST I have felt in years! But this go-round, I felt less than stellar.

On Jan 8th, I woke up so sick. If puny and pathetic had a mascot, I was it. I needed help getting myself to the Dr because my entire body ached terribly, my throat felt like I was swallowing glass, my temp was over 101, and I couldn't stand or walk far without nearly passing out. All signs were pointing to Mono, but I got tested for Flu and Strep anyway; both of which returned negative. Mono it was. I have had it (and will always be a carrier...ugh...) since 2007 and since then, my poor immune system has been exactly that: poor. I hadn't had an "episode" in years but somehow, my body gave up and I was so very unwell. I ended up missing 4 days of work and many, many hours of my life because all I could do was sleep. And that's really what you're supposed to do. It took me another 9 days or so to start feeling fully back to normal.

But I thought I was getting healthier! I thought I was doing all of the right things! Detoxing from sugar (and frankly, avoiding it altogether) is, as I have been researching, a great way to help the immune system heal. I gave this analogy to my dad: imagine trying to fill a tub with water while the drain plug is pulled so the water doesn't stay. That's what it feels like is happening with my immune system. I am "filling" it with healthy eating but I must still be doing something wrong. I must still have the drain pulled somewhere. I must find where...

While I was resting during this sick time, I watched some very interesting things on Netflix. (I love me some Netflix!) I watched the documentaries "Forks Over Knives," "Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue," and "Food Matters". (Prior to this, I had also seen "Food, Inc.," "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead," "Vegucated") I was noticing a common thread throughout: Organic plant-based nutrition is the best thing for the human body. I was certainly increasing my fruit and veggie intake but oh buddy, my animal intake was high! You could not separate me from my love: bacon. :) But, I am interested and fascinated by the scientific research presented in these films about the affects of animal proteins on the body.

Then, someone recommended I watch "Earthlings" (www.earthlings.com), so I did. Folks, this rocked my world. I cannot condone the treatment of animals in the manner that many large-scale farms do. This film reveals so many unsightly things. Unacceptable. AND, those animals that have to withstand filthy conditions and then I consume that animal? Just because it tastes good? How is that healthy? Ugh. (But bacon tastes so good!!!!!!!! *sigh...)

So here I am, continuing on this journey of trying to find health by ways of good nutrition. I still have a long way to go to understand all of the scientific reasoning behind food but the logic I am uncovering in my research clicks with me. I am going to try a new approach to this health quest. I am going to continue the Paleo diet practices but eliminate animal products. I do believe Paleo is a very healthy way of eating. But I am now not convinced that eating animals is good for the body. (Feel free to feedback on this.)

I really dislike getting sick. It makes me angry, actually. And, honestly, ain't nobody got time to be gettin' sick!!!!

(Enjoy this video: http://youtu.be/bFEoMO0pc7k)

Planning: Squared, or Thirded

Mondays. I am not a very big fan of Mondays. My alarm clocks (because I have several) seem to be broken on most Mondays.

So it's the end of Day 7 of 21 (already?!?) on this sugar detox and I have to say...I am having more fun this time than with the first one I did over a year ago. That could be due to having more knowledge about what foods I think are D-lish and how to cook them, and also knowing more about the abundance of combinations I have with so many good, whole foods. Additionally, I have a more sincere care for consuming foods that will lead me toward health and not toward unwellness (I think I made up that word).  I went to Zio's (one of my favorites!) today for lunch and was able to completely refrain from eating any bread. That. Is. Progress, friends!!!

I follow several people on social media sites that give me inspiration and ideas on how to live this life healthier and cook some yummy foods. Since I am still fairly new to this whole cooking thing, I need all of the inspiration and ideas that I can find! :) Cave-Momma's Quest posted an idea on Facebook for the meal planning stage that resonated with me, so I tried it:

Fold a piece of paper into thirds. On left panel: plan your week's meals, middle panel: list ingredients, right panel: list what you need to buy. This took some time (partially because I was distracted with funny episodes of Monk and Psych) and as you can probably see, I didn't finish the week's meal planning but I am not worried about that. I have a feeling I will have leftover food for several meals. :) But this strategy of planning meals is what I did not do on the first sugar detox. Not planning made the last detox frustrating sometimes, and yes there were moments of tears (lots of tearful moments). But somehow I made it through with great success, and this concept was so simple that I think it will make this detox even better! You should try it. 

Success can really be enhanced with planning and the practice of writing those plans down. I mentioned this before and it's funny that I keep coming back to it. Perhaps there is something I am still not learning. :) 

"If you fail to plan, plan to fail" - Benjamin Franklin

More good news is that I haven't burned bacon again. Whew! On that note, I think I shall go cook some for tomorrow. :)

I Burned the Bacon

Friends!!! Happy New Year! Oh, how I have missed you. I am so sorry to have been away for so long. I have so much to tell you, but I don't want this post to be long enough to stretch to the moon and back (but maybe to the Equator and back). So, I will try to give you some highlights today and sprinkle in the updates over a more regular posting schedule. How's that sound? How have you been? Did I mention I missed you?

There has been so much change in my life since the last time I wrote. Let's see...

• I completed the Sugar Experiment and was a champ! I continued it for about 6 months and felt the best I have ever felt (made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with out cheating on a sugary treat once. Not once!)
• I got a good grade on this sugar project I was doing for my Nutrition class
• I started Grad school in Education
• Stopped Grad school in Education
• Changed directions for Grad school and am now taking prerequisites for a degree in Dietetics and Nutrition
• Got a new car
• Got a new job
• Moved to my favorite part of town
• Completed a triathlon
• Completed several 5K races
• BECAME AN AUNTIE!!!
• Became a Paleo diet follower
• Became an Online dater (have mercy)
• Became a published photographer 

And somewhere along the way amidst all of this, I fell off the sugar-free wagon. And when I fell, I fell HARD. My old eating habits returned and my car started driving itself to Braum's for a large Mix w/ Reese's and M&M's (drool). My excuses that "I am just so busy, I don't have time to cook." and "I am too exhausted to cook." and "blah blah blah" were taking over and I simply slacked off. This Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were not sugar-free for me. In fact I can recall sitting in the recliner at my parents' house with an entire bag of iced sugar cookies and eating them...all. So, here I am. Starting anew. I'm washing my produce and new stainless steel cookware and starting over.

It's a new year and I am starting this sugar-free diet again. This time I am following a different plan. I am following the 21-Day Sugar Detox (21DSD) by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites (http://balancedbites.com/2012/12/the-biggest-21-day-sugar-detox-begins-on-january-1-2013.html). I have been reading their material for a few months and really enjoy their approach. They simplify things. I like that. Simple. It's nice.

Day 1 = Jan 1: I was doing really well until... I burned bacon. I seriously freaking burned bacon. What??!! I love bacon (you really don't understand how obsessed I am). This doesn't happen to me. Is this a bad sign? It looked like hazardous waste on a plate and smelled even worse. I probably should have ionized the air in the house and worn a Hazmat suit to carry it outside to cool off. It was laughable.

I really thought this new year was off to a horrible start until it ended with this beautiful surprise. Heck yes:

I am happy to be back to the writing world. One thing I should mention if I haven't before: I do not consider myself to be a doctor, nutritionist, registered dietician, or the like. I am working my way toward those credentials and am learning as I go, and share what I learn and the awkward things that happen to me along the way.

Happy New Year to you and please... Don't burn the bacon, please.

-With One L

Why Can't Food Cook Itself?

*nom nom nom nom....

That's the sound of me munching on my last meal of the processed kind. After buying groceries tonight, I moseyed on over to my favorite fastfood place that I will greatly miss: Chic-Fil-A. I am convinced they know me by name AND menu selection. But they will soon forget me for another regular, predictable customer. Maybe I should swing through the drive-thru to say "HI" but not order anything. Would that be weird?

Ok, so the easy part is over. I have some groceries. I say "some" because I am sure there is plenty that I failed to purchase, but I also already had some of the required foods in my freezer (chicken, fish, veggies). So, here's what I bought for under $80:

 













(Some fruits, veggies, salad greens, cheeses, nuts, lentils and black beans, shrimp, lunch meat, and mustards. P.S. did you know pineapples come with instructions? Who knew!) 

This small purchase took me several hours to buy and I have NO IDEA how many meals these will last. I used the shopping list I mentioned yesterday, but for the first time in probably EVER, I read labels. I was "that" girl at the grocery store. And you know what? It felt empowering... a little. I am still learning how to read those persnickety things too. However, it was so depressing to discover that sugar was a top ingredient in just about everything! One thing the grocery list didn't mention were things to buy to spice up the fruits, veggies, and meats. That's why I got mustards. There is no sugar in most mustards. Be sure to read the labels. Dijon and Spicy Brown are safe. So, we'll see how many dishes I can make with my new yellow BFF. :)  


I didn't have time to develop 30 days of meals, but I have managed to get tomorrow's meals in order. Laying out 30 days worth of meals in one night might be a little bit too optimistic, especially since Pioneer Woman is not my name (have you seen what that woman can cook?!). Tomorrow I will work on building more meals. But, here's what's on tomorrow menu:


B: (I'm not a big breakfast eater but need to become one) - apple / coffee (no cream or sugar)
L: salad greens w/ almonds, cranberries, and lemon juice / water 
S: raw carrots / water
D: grilled chicken (with maybe a hint of mustard cooked into/onto it), sauteed onions, mushrooms / salad greens w/ balsamic vinegar dressing / water


If I can only plan all of these things out and pack my lunches for work the night before, I just might actually be successful at this. I just wish the food would cook itself. *sigh...


I am still trying to find a good resource for recipes. I have a bunch of food now but have no idea what to do with it all. Have you happened to stumble upon any good ones you'd like to share? Body For Life has some good ones that I will need to modify occasionally by removing grains, but for the most part seem great. I am open to suggestions so please feel free to share what you've found! And feel free to share how your journey is going. I would love to hear that you too have begun the sugar-free journey!


Tomorrow's the big day! I should get some sleep so I can be strong to fight the devilish cravings... 


Final tasty treat...(drool...)

Write the Vision, Write the Plan

I am taking a break from studying for my Nutrition test tomorrow to share with you the "plan" I plan to follow (pun intended). Well, truth be told... I haven't technically started studying. I've printed of the PPT slides and keep getting distracted with sugar research. I can pull an all-nighter, right? No. No I can't.

The more I have determined to change my life for 30 days, I am reminded of a principle that I find so powerful: writing down your goals, writing down your vision. I mentioned it in my post Tulsa "Birthday" Run and I will mention it again, and again, and again. In a way, it's like an outline for an essay. It's like blueprints for a tree house. It's like the recipe for Granny's punkin' bread. And it's kinda like those New Year's Resolutions that never come true. :) All of these things start with a plan; a road map of how to get from here to there. Some folks like to use a vision board; a modern version of this that might be familiar to you would be Pintrest. The concept is rather similar: writing down or pinning down thoughts, goals, images of what you want to accomplish in your life and where you want it to go. But, that's just the first step. That's just Act 1, Scene 1. The rest of the success story involves action steps; movement toward accomplishing that goal.

Step 1- WRITE with fervor. Step 2- ACT with courage. Step 3- REPEAT with diligence. (I am copyrighting that slogan. ;) )

My Plan: I feel content with following Dr. Scott Olson's 30-day sugar free plan that I referenced yesterday. He has a small free booklet that you can download that briefly covers the basis of the plan, which is to avoid foods with a high or medium glycemic index and consume those that have a low glycemic index or are below the glycemic index. So basically, avoid sugar, grains, starchy vegetables or high glycemic index fruits and drinks with calories in them. You can enjoy most veggies, most fruits, most proteins. Ok, so what do I go shopping for??? Here's the list (green list is good, red list is bad):


(Click image to enlarge.)

Ok, so I get the right foods in my pantry and fridge, but then what? This is where I cry out to Rachel Ray for help!!! *sigh.... And I guess this is also where I will learn to become a cook out of necessity since Chic-Fil-A can no longer come to my delicious rescue. If you already have been born with the Good Cook gene, you are several leaps ahead of me (can I come over for dinner?). But if you have not, join me on the journey of learning by trial and error, or trial and fire. My goal for this portion of the adventure is to write down 30 days of meals (breakfasts, lunches & dinners) and prepare my meals in advance a few days at a time. I have no idea if that is practical, but it seems to make sense in my head. I will tackle this task tomorrow so if you have any recipe suggestions, I would love to hear them. I may pull some recipes from the South Beach diet and modify if necessary. I also might pull some recipes from Body For Life. Whatever I choose, I will share with you.

So, there you have it. The plan is written. Tomorrow I will finish my Nutrition 6-chapter test and then shop for food. I will clean out my cupboards (and give to John 3:16 Mission's food pantry) and then develop a month's worth of recipes. Seems simple enough, right? Well, we will see tomorrow. :)

The Last Meal

The irony that is occurring right now is slightly overwhelming. As I am researching more about how to live sans sugar for 30 days, I am eating a delicious piece of my sister's double-decker birthday cookie cake while A&E's Intervention is playing on the tele in the background. I imagine watching the next episode and seeing, "Many of Americans struggle with addiction. This is one story: Alison, addicted to sugar. Alison thinks she is in a documentary about addiction. She does not know she will soon face an Intervention." I am Alison, and I struggle with a severe addition to sugar.

What a concept: sugar as an addiction. It is SO true though. Have you ever thought about it? The similarities of the addiction and the substance that causes the addiction are uncanny when comparing sugar to any other drug. Now, I may get some flack for that comment, but I will retort with a polite, "Do some research. Sugar kills." :) It is interesting that much is talked about and is considered controversial about drugs and alcohol. Please don't get me wrong... I am aware that the addictions to those things are incredibly serious and cause much turmoil in one's life. But, it seems that the urgency to talk about the health issues that sugar causes is not there. Often though, the side effects of sugar are not immediately seen and may not immediately harm someone, so maybe that's why. But under the dermis, sugar is working its evil magic inside your body. Are you educated on its effects? Let's educate ourselves together, shall we?

I Googled "sugar free diet" and stumbled upon this fella's website: http://olsonnd.com/30-sugar-free-days/ Dr. Scott Olson nails it with this statement, "Whenever you eat sugar and foods that act like sugar, you are taking steps towards those diseases [heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and so many diseases] in the same way a smoker takes a step towards lung cancer with every puff." Wow! I fully admit that I have so much to learn, and I hope that if you are following this blog that you will be enlightened to the health problems that sugar causes and the benefits that can result if you, too, choose to remove sugar from your diet. 30 days. That's just the start.

So, as I embark on this 30-day journey void of processed sugars, I have been fantasizing what my last sugary treat will be (I do realize how pathetic it is to fantasize about food...). Will I settle with a delectable Starbucks drink? What about a slice (or two?) from the Cheesecake Factory? Or perhaps a special request of my mom's cherry pie? I just might select all of the above. :) Whatever I select, I know it will taste more than delicious. And it will be the last sugary thing I will consume.

Thursday, September 29th is my Day 1. When is your day 1?

-WIth One L