Well...kinda

My last post was a declaration that I'm back on the blogger grid and then I went off it again, of course. This is life, no? I apologize for being scattered but my desire to be committed to this is true. I need to put action to those desires and step by step the writing and posts will come.

Some conversations this past weekend fueled my desire to write here. I was more social in the past three days than I have been in a long time (maybe even in the past three months). And oddly enough many of the conversations I had somehow linked back to food and more specifically the ketogenic diet or "keto". I've been eating a low sugar, low carb, high fat, keto diet for almost four months and have found some decent results. It's not the kind of diet or lifestyle change I talk openly about as I know a)most people don't want to hear about my food, and b)when you tell people you're eating 70%+ of your food as fat they tend to get a little squirrelly. We've been taught that low fat foods and a diet rich in snacking are optimal. There are low fat versions of everything! Without getting into all the examples and facts from documentaries, YouTube videos, articles, books, etc. I'll just say that the ah-ha moment for me was when I realized all this low fat eating isn't making anyone any smaller or healthier. If one way wasn't working for me then why not try another way. Just try it.

So I did and now almost four months after I started I'm down 25lbs and feel more energetic, curbed my sugar cravings, have stopped being 'hangry' all the time, and am finally starting to get a grip on my food issues.

I look a little different now, find myself having to come up with ways of declining baked goods at my kids' playdates, and just generally operating in a carb-heavy world. And a few of these recent incidents have resulted in real conversations about keto and food. It's been fascinating to find out some people around me are also on their own food and weight exploration journey. Some are following a ketogenic diet too or have dabbled in cutting back on sugar.

Maybe I'll post next about my experience in my depth, and document some of my go-to foods and recipes.

I'm back!

Almost five (FIVE!!) years after my last post here, I have been bitten by the blogging bug once more and have enough motivation to start typing again. There has been very little (though also a whole lot) going on in my life during my hiatus from these pages. To make a long story short: I now have a six year old little girl who is going on 14, a "threenager", my hub-bub, my full-time out-of-home job, and a whole new outlook on life. Does that last part sound a little fluffy? I can see that but it couldn't be more true. I'm a more grateful and positive person now, and I practice mindfulness and meditation to counter anxiety and stress. I'll go in to more of all those things at later times through this blog. And also cooking! I've never stopped cooking and baking, watching cooking shows, looking at food blogs, and talking about recipes and techniques. Food has remained my hobby, my escape, my stress-reviler and outlet.

Here's how I decided to dabble back into blogging: St. Patrick's Day was nearing and I was talking to a colleague about fun times I'd had at a previous job in my younger and freer days. St. Paddy's Day was a time of indulging in a few Irish traditions, including lots of drinking and eating. I fondly recounted the Guinness chocolate cake recipe I always made for the office potluck we would have to mark the holiday. I make that recipe every year and was inspired to make it again - and bring it to my office to share some St. Paddy's cheer. And where did I dig up the recipe? Right here on my blog, of course. That cake recipe was the first thing I ever posted here. Way back in 2009! I made the cake (with some influence from the Kitchn's recipe) and it was a hit once again. Duh. It's Guinness and chocolate and butter. But you get the point.

I've come full circle, and this fits my new outlook so perfectly that my mind was made up before I could even have an doubts. And here I am. Hi, it's been a while.

Spring ahead

Spring rolls tend to be a go-to snack in our house. They also help celebrate our pending spring, eating lighter and satisfying snacking cravings in a healthy way. Rice paper rounds are available in the international section of the grocery store. They're easy to use; I just wet each one with warm water as I'm getting ready to use it, fill it, and roll it.  A quick internet search can show you how to roll them if you're not sure. The finished rolls can get sticky if they're left out too long...but this usually isn't a problem for us :)

Our typical filling includes avocado and shredded carrot. Sometimes I add cabbage or kale, asparagus, herbs, or other veggies. Many people add noodles to theirs, and some add meat or shrimp. It depends on what you like and what you have on hand. With just cold veggies, it's a quick and nutritious snack...and gluten-free, too.

You can make your own dipping sauce or use a store-bought Asian salad dressing (like I often do). They're so fun to dip and surprisingly filling. Happy Spring!

Keeping up with life

At an event last week, I got to speak with several other moms of young kids and the conversation turned to food. The other ladies all agreed that keeping up with the family meals is difficult in the best of times. Where are the sales this week? Where is the best produce? Can I fit a grocery run in on my lunch break? Does cereal for dinner more than one day a week mean I'm a bad mother? It's so interesting to learn about other families' situations and how other moms deal with challenges. And it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who freaks out a little at meal times.

I like to think I have my life together most of the time. But this week has been a doosey. And what has suffered the most (aside from my mental fortitude)? Our family lunches. I usually do the job of planning, preparing and packing lunches. Which I love to do and have a natural inclination for...plus my partner in parenting does almost ALL the cleaning. I know, I've got it good!

Anyway, the food planning has been an increasingly important job as we budget our time and money. The morning rush is tough on us and our almost-fifteen-month-old tike. Thankfully, she stays with my mother for the day so even when I'm not on my food game, Nanny has it covered. She loves our little gremlin like her own (or perhaps even more) and she has duplicates of everything: diapers, cereal, treats, sippy cups, etc. It means I can be lazy about packing a bag for the day if I want or need to. Be that as it may, I still like to have things planned and assert some initiative in the healthy diet of our family.

I make at least one big-batch recipe a week which is used for several meals. I roast or steam vegetables and have those on hand in the fridge. And I often have fruit and some snacks packaged up on stand-by (like already-cut-up strawberries, Nutrios or other cereal, or yogurt). Processed foods are limited and we offer drinks like water, milk and only real fruit/veg juice like this one. I make smoothies with yogurt, fruit and vegetables. It can take up to an hour each night to get things in order for the following day for the baby...not to mention the two adults in the house.

All that prep really helps with the mornings and the short half hour evening window between getting home and getting baby to bed before she explodes in screaming tantrums of tiredness. It's a challenge every day. We do splurge with a treat out but usually on the weekends for time's sake.

Sometimes, though, even the best intentions fail and this mama slips up. This week, vegetables have been overcooked and even burnt, chickpeas have been used as a protein several times despite baby not really liking them, and I even sent a frozen salmon fillet in the lunch bag with cooking instructions. One night, I was very thankful for pierogies I had pre-made and frozen the other week...and even more thankful that the kiddo ate it up like it was the best food she'd ever eaten.

So I try to remember my Girl Guide days and the motto Be Prepared. But sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow. Even if that means cereal for dinner.