looking at the bright side

I've had a bit of a bad week. Feeling a little better now.

I'm going to list some of the good changes going on in my life so far this year.

1. I made bread. Not for the first time (maybe the third time), but the first time that it tasted good. And boy did it ever! Sometimes, I'm a really good cook.

2. I go on walks and hikes with John. Our goal is three times a week, and we're doing pretty good. Last Saturday we hiked in the White Tank Mountains. This week I think we're going to try Papago Park. Being outdoors with the one I love really improves my mood. Winter in Arizona is so wonderful.

3. I sewed something. John gave me a sewing machine for Christmas, and I used it! I can't wait to get better at sewing so I can try some of the projects I have floating around in my brain.

4. I'm still registered for the writing class...it starts January 17th. I'm still nervous, but still moving forward with it.

random thoughts today

I'm on a Bulgarian food roll -- I made Pulneni Chushki (stuffed peppers) last night. So delicious, except I forgot the most important part -- yogurt. :( But that's ok, because they were still tasty, and somewhat healthy.

And we are officially partied out. We went to a party on Friday and two on Saturday. We were invited to yet another party on Saturday, and were very sad to have to miss it, because we love the people who invited us. But luckily, we get to see them tonight. And as for the parties, I've had enough eating hors d'ouvres and making chit-chat with people I barely know, to last me for a long, LONG time.

Have you jump roped recently? I know you did it in elementary school, but have you done it recently? I pulled out my jump rope on Saturday and jumped for three minutes. That was enough to completely wind me. But the crazy part? I woke up on Sunday with horribly sore calves. And they're still sore today. Just from three minutes of jumping!!! I guess it's a sport you work up to, but I don't remember getting so sore when I did it as a kid.

I don't know how we're going to accomplish everything we have to do by Friday when we go to my parents' house for Christmas. We've got present buying, wrapping, delivering, cleaning, laundry, packing, and all kinds of other things to get done. I'm to the point where I'm considering bringing presents and wrapping paper to work and wrapping presents on my lunch hour...

But I'm excited to get away! And I'm taking time off work, so I'll be away from work for 10 whole days. Yes, 10 days. I'm overjoyed!!!

I'm thankful for so many things right now. Maybe I'll have to do an entry of some of the things I'm thankful for. Good idea.

i love cabbage

Our nutritionist told us a few months ago that John is insulin resistant. It took me several months to actually believe her. I’m a skeptic, and I had a hard time believing that it’s even possible to eat as few carbs as she suggested we eat. Let alone advisable.

But now I see that it is true. And for health reasons, it’s a good idea to finally pay attention and do something about it. What’s more, I may or may not have an insulin resistance myself, but I DEFINITELY get carb cravings when I don’t eat a ton of them. So what this means is that we have to change our diet around. Someone who’s insulin resistant should eat protein, vegetables, and one serving of a carb item (like rice or pasta) for each meal.

I’ll be honest and say that in the past some of our meals consisted only of carbs. :( I don’t generally like meat. But I loooove carbs. Give me a good loaf of bread and some cold cereal and I’d be fine eating only that for a few days. That’s not good for John, however. (Or me, but that’s another story…)

So last night I made a meal that consisted only of protein and vegetables. No carb at all! You’d expect a meal like that to be boring and gross. (Or at least I would.) But it was delicious! What was it? Well, I drew on my knowledge of Bulgarian cuisine, and morphed it into: cabbage and chicken! Doesn’t sound good on paper, but it was delightful to eat. And low in calories and carbs. I am so proud of myself for creating this dish. I think we’ll be eating it fairly often…

not in need of metamucil

I made the most delicious lentil soup yesterday. So yummy. So healthy. But guess what, folks? The soup had 22 grams of fiber per serving!

Holy bathroom break, Batman!