Laughing Ladybug Yoga

All my blogging energy has been spent lately on my new food blog, From Cows to Quinoa.  This is where I’m writing about the journey my husband and I are on, led by our uncovering of his gluten sensitivity. Join me there for stories, insights, tips, and recipes.

I’ve been struggling lately with “doing too much.” It’s kind of a cliche, isn’t it? Women who do too much? After talking it through with a good friend, I realized that many of my commitments were bringing no real value to my life and weren’t fulfilling their original purposes. I won’t bore you with those details; I’ll just say that I’ve been running on a hamster wheel and expecting to find connection, inspiration, enlightenment, and time! Oh, and by the way, I was forgetting to make conscious time for myself or my marriage. (!)

So I’ve gone through my schedule with a new consciousness and an eye for priorities. I’ve let go of some things that I can admit weren’t working.  And lo and behold, one of those things has actually started working a little better without my ironclad grip on it!

I’ve also revisited some decisions I’ve made and changed them. One of my favorite sayings is a Turkish proverb that reads: No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road, turn back. Funny how I make sure everyone knows this applies to THEM, and how I forget that it also applies to me. 

Another thing I’m going to do is take a break from this blog. “But Beth,” I hear you saying, “you haven’t written on this blog since your bithday. (Great post, by the way!)”

That’s true. (And thank you. ) So I guess what I really mean is that I’m going to take a break from feeling guilty when I don’t write on the blog. Every week, I have it on my list.  BLOG ENTRY.  Then when I don’t have it checked off by the end of the week, I feel like I’ve failed. So I put it on the list for the next week. Again, fail. So no more of that. I may write here, I may not. When I do, I’ll let you know.

You can always catch me on Facebook or Twitter.  And I’ll always have my schedule up to date here, so you know where to find me. And check out my  new nifty chat box, there on the left. If I’m online, it will tell you so, and you can IM me right there in that box. Cool, huh?

So you can find me if you need me, and I’ll post here when I can. In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to build the life of my dreams, learning not to let things that are less important take precedence over things that are more important. It’s all important. I won’t forget that. I will be prioritizing much more skillfully.

Usually, when people ask me the inevitable birthday question, “So, do you feel different?” I  have to admit that, “No, I really don’t.” But this year is a big exception. Today is my 40th birthday. I have to say I’m excited to be 40. I feel strong, healthy, optimistic, and happy.

Looking back over the landscape of my 30s, I can see now how transitional those years were. Extremely transitional. I quit smoking, got married, lost weight, and started studying myself. A lot of my 30s became about forgiving myself for things I did in my 20s!  These are all good things, but of course, none of them are easy changes to make. They all take an extraordinary amount of love and commitment, and they take loads of support from the people around me.

Uncooked Quinoa

I’ve been experimenting a lot with quinoa. I grew to love it very quickly. It’s easy to cook and extremely versatile. It’s the only grain that’s a complete protein all on its own, so it’s a great addition to vegetarian dishes. And it adds a loving, feminine fluffiness to this otherwise manly bowl that I’m going to tell you about. Sorry I don’t have a photo for you this time. I’ll get one next time for sure. It’s a beautiful dish and it was so good that we gobbled it up before photos could be taken.

Beth and Weldon’s Bowl of Vegetarian Superpowers

Layer in your favorite shallow bowl:
About a third cup of Fritos, crushed. Not to dust, but you want the pieces smaller than regular Fritos.
About half a cup of cooked quinoa.
About half a cup of black beans. I used canned. You can get fancier if you want, but there’s really no need.
Half an avocado, diced.
Salt to taste.
Top with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a couple of spoonfuls of your favorite salsa. For us, it was Mrs. Renfro’s Roasted Salsa.

It’s really as simple as that. If you’re a die-hard carnivore, or even a flexitarian, you can sub diced chicken for the black beans. Weldon thinks you could have both, but I think that might be too much. It’s already a very filling dish. I’d choose one or the other.

Try it and you’ll join me in my new motto, Quinoa gives me superpowers!

From Twitter and my friend Bryan: bryanjd  At J’s practice yesterday, I was mistaken for a runner. Wait…I AM a runner. After 2.5 years & 50 lbs less, I’m still getting used to this.

This is a weird phenomenon, and one that I’ve experienced several times. Even after losing 95 pounds, it took a while for me to remember that I actually lost 95 pounds! It’s like I didn’t quite own my new body yet. Years later, I still have moments of disbelief, or dysmorphia, or whatever. Even during the process of weight loss, I still needed reminders.

A couple of years ago,  I was shopping with a friend for a hiking trip we were going on.  I tried on a pair of jeans in the size I’d been wearing for the past year. She took one look at me and said, “Those are too big for you.”

“No, this is my size,” I insisted.

“Maybe it WAS your size,” she said, “but now you need a smaller size.”

“No, that can’t be right,” I said, looking at her like she was crazy. “This is my size.”

“No,” she said, looking at me like I was crazy. “You need an 8.”

“AN 8?” I cried out. “That can’t be right!”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve never worn a size 8 in my whole life.”

“Well,” she said, bewildered by my rock-solid logic, “you do now.”

She made me put on a pair of size 8 jeans, and sure enough, they looked and felt better. I bought them, but still felt for a while like someone would come take them away from me since they “weren’t really mine.”

Isn’t it strange how it can take us a while to grow into our new body after a large weight loss (or grow out of our old one)? It’s like we continue to carry the energy of our former body even after the literal mass is gone.

Weight loss is as much work in the mind and emotions as it is in the physical body. There are many beliefs to be changed, negative habits to be replaced, and much unkind inner dialogue to reprogram. It’s most definitely a journey that doesn’t end when your goal weight appears on the scale.

Friday night is our pizza night. We make it at home. It’s a lot less expensive and you know exactly what you’re getting since you have control over the ingredients. We’ve come up with some really great stuff, too. I’ve made spinach, pine nut, and gorgonzola pizza, for instance, that’s fabulous! I also have learned to make my own sauce. It’s easy and delicious.

Last week, we got an eggplant from our co-op and we weren’t entirely sure what to do with it. Thursday night as I was going to bed, Weldon suggested that we substitute Eggplant Night for Pizza Night. I suggested Eggplant Pizza. He’s up for anything, so he agreed that was a good solution. Friday, I found a great recipe for Eggplant Garden Pizza.

In addition to eggplant, it has zucchini, tomato, onion, and red bell pepper. These ingredients are diced coarsely and sauteed until tender. Then the vegetable ingredients are spread lovingly atop a pre-baked crust of your choice (for us, two small Udi’s Gluten Free frozen pizza crusts; more on why GF in a later post) with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. That’s right, this is a sauceless pizza and you won’t miss it a bit!

Finally,  sprinkle with dried thyme, oregano, and basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and slide into a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The result is fine, fine pizza.

One of my favorite dinners is pizza and wine. My choice for this meal was a $6.95 bottle of Delicato Chardonnay. Vanilla-y and buttery and good. Not a traditional choice for pizza, chardonnay, but since it wasn’t competing with a spicy tomato sauce, it was just perfect.

See photos of the process on Laughing Ladybug’s Facebook fanpage.

Reata's Trio Platter

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a business lunch today at Reata Restaurant in Fort Worth. They are famous for their Texas cuisine, which includes things like Jalapeno Cilantro Soup, Smoked Quail with Jalapeno Cheese Grits with Molasses BBQ Glaze, and Chicken Chile Rellenos with Roasted Corn Chowder. So what did I choose to eat, a person who gains weight easily and prefers to eat somewhat lightly? The Trio Platter! It includes chicken breast, a choice of salad, and fruit!

It was perfect! Two small chicken breasts that were grilled and smoky and flavorful, a huge wedge salad with a vinaigrette dressing of pico de gallo, lime, and blue cheese crumbles, and TONS of beautiful, fresh cut fruit, including raspberries! I was so excited, I wanted to hug my plate!

I remembered to take a photo to share with you, my friends, I expressed my gratitude for the countless being that gave their lives and labors so I could eat, and I ate joyfully and was nourished much.

Starbucks was giving away free pastries today with the purchase of a beverage. The team I work with in the office, mostly made up of Starbucks fans, decided to take a trip to Starbucks as a group outing. Our building is on the southwest end of downtown Fort Worth, so the closest Starbucks is only a short walk away. 

About 9:30, we stepped out into the sunshine, our eyes squinting against the welcome brightness. The strong breeze ruffled our jackets and shirtsleeves, and it was a cool breeze, but paired with the warm sunshine, it made for lovely walking weather. What a perfect moment. 

I got my tall decaf Americano with steamed soy milk and a petite vanilla scone. While I waited for the rest of the team to finish up their ordering, sugaring, and half-and-halfing, I held my coffee under my nose and inhaled the deep, earthy fragrance.  I thought about how much I love working with these people, and how much I love that they’re willing to have a spontaneous field trip in the middle of the morning for free pastries and coffee. Another perfect moment. 

On our way back to the office, the church bells at one of the downtown churches were ringing. Not just ringing, but playing a song. A long song! They were the most beautiful church bells I’ve ever heard! So there I was, walking through a downtown cityscape that I love, in the cool breeziness of early spring, warmed ever so slightly by a sun that’s just bringing its attention back toward our hemisphere, hot coffee in hand, listening to what seemed to me to be spontaneous church bells. ANOTHER perfect moment!

You know, the truth is, every day is full of perfect moments like this. The trick (is it really a trick?) is to be conscious of them.

My only regret about this supper is that I didn’t take a photo for you. I was so busy enjoying it that the picture-taking slipped my mind.

1. Poach one or two eggs per person, using your favorite, most reliable poaching method. Poaching is a new thing for me. I’ve been doing it the old-fashioned way of slipping the whole eggs gently into salted just-below-boiling water. This is still in the experimental stages. It sometimes does weird stuff. If you have a favorite way, whether it’s stovetop or microwave, do what works best for you.

2. Place gently over a few spears of steamed or boiled asaparagus. The point here is to have it be tender, yet crisp. Season it to taste. I used salt and pepper and a sprinkle of herbal salt.

3. Serve alongside a small mix of your favorite mild greens. I like spinach mixed with a little romaine lettuce. Dress lightly, with maybe a little olive oil, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. While you’re at it, squeeze some of that lemon over the asparagus for grins.

4. Have a piece of garlic-rubbed toast on the side. Toast your favorite whole grain gread, then rub it with a clove of raw garlic until you just can’t see straight. Add a smudge of butter if you like.

5. Enjoy with an affordable glass of buttery chardonnay. Or your favorite wine, or iced tea or whatever. Just be sure to raise that glass of whatever and clink it with the glass of your dining partner and declare, “I had a wonderful life today.” Do this part as many times as you’re inspired to.