One thing I "rediscovered" about myself is how much I enjoy making soup on cold, winter days :-) Here's today's creation, although I did start the chicken stock part last night in the crock pot. Love waking up to the smell of food already cooking in the morning!!! As I'm not in a very chatty kind of mood tonight (just one of those "off" days, if you know what I mean), I'll leave the rest of my post to the photos.
The veggies for the stock.
The chicken carcass after I picked it pretty much clean & ripped it apart :-)
Water and seasonings now added.
Chicken stock after it's been cooking for 11 or so hours. Gorgeous!!!
Sauteeing up freshly diced veggies for the soup.
Adding in the chicken I picked off the carcass last night.
Everything combined and seasoned to start cooking all together and melding its flavors together.
Stock now added and coming to boil then back down to a simmer.
Ahhh!!! A delicious, comforting, and healthy bowl of homemade chicken soup!!!!
I was thinking last night (yeah, yeah, I can hear you all
groaning now, a scary concept my thinking – LOL!!!), and I thought it’d be kind of appropriate to
have a weekly “people/things I’m grateful for” post on Sundays.Plus, I even took my thinking a step further (doubly
ambitious of me, no doubt!) and decided to go through the alphabet – each week
a new letter.Because if you think about
it, there are 26 letters in the alphabet and 52 weeks in a year. Oh, crap, there's 54 weeks in a year, isn't there...Dang, almost worked...Oh, that's right, I get 2 weeks vacation, don't I?!?!!Anyways, I can go through the alphabet once to
the half-way mark of 2012 and then start all the way back at the top again, not
repeating anything I’d already said I was thankful for. Now that’s a lot to be grateful for!!!Sure,
some of the posts will be all nicey-nice/touchy-feely , but others are just
straight out things I’m uber thankful for.Since it’s already the second Sunday of January, I figured I’d start out
by posting for both the letters A and B….Here goes :-)
A- I’m saying AMEN to ANIMALS!!!!No way in hell I could ever possibly be a vegetarian – LOL!!!!I love my animals, how good they taste, and all that they produce
for us to live healthy lives.I LOVE me
some cow and pig, that’s for sure!!!!I
just realized all the exclamation points I’ve used so far...Can you tell I’m excited about this one?!?!!!So, thank you to the animals who have
sacrificed their lives so that I can eat some yummylicious meals and also for
the meat they provide and the other products they produce, such as milk and
eggs :-)Oh, and just so you all know, I’d say about
90% of what I now buy in regards to protein-related products is grass-fed,
pasture-raised, wild caught, free range, and/or cage free.If you haven’t done a comparison in the taste differences, you
definitely should…AMAZING!!!As a side
note, go watch the movie FOOD, INC. and you’ll REALLY, REALLY understand where
I’m coming from on some of this.
Farm-fresh chicken eggs, whole milk from grass-grazed cows, and Taylor Ham from the pigs!!! Today's breakfast!!!
B – I’m saying AMEN to BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For anyone who really knows me, this one is
most certainly NOT a surprise by ANY stretch of the imagination - LOL!!!As I stated above, I love the pig; but bacon,
by far, is the ULTIMATE in taste pleasure.There is absolutely no more I could possibly say in regards to this wonderful
bit of bliss to do it any more justice.I LOVE YOU BACON!!!!!!!!!! Bacon, you're not just a piece of salty meat...you're my...you're my friend :-) [And kudos to those who get that last reference - You rock!!!]
BACON!!!!!!!!!
And on that note, we’ll see what next Sunday brings for the
letter C.Enjoy your week and remember
to wake up in gratitude each day :-)Life
should be about all we already have and are thankful for, not about what we wish we had!
but I got nothin' for you tonight, ladies and gentlemen - LOL!!! No words of wisdom or ponderous thoughts. Basically the creative part of my brain is like an old-fashioned television screen of mind-numbing snow. You remember that, don't you? Back when TVs had bunny ears to get reception, before all this digital television stuff, back when it'd be all fuzzy and speckled looking when you went by an "empty" channel. Ahhh, those were the days :-) Made choosing what you wanted to watch pretty easy. No 800+ channels, HD, no HD, English, Spanish, Indian, Chinese, so on and so forth to choose from. TVs went as high as Channel 13. Good 'ol PBS! OK, anyway, I digress...
Today was just a pretty chill day here for us. Took my son to his tumble class, which he still doesn't seem to like, came home, and we just relaxed: watched tv, some time with me on Facebook and him on his LeapPad, cooking, doing lots of puzzles (Jigsaw puzzles are his new favorite thing to do!!!). Yeah, nothing too taxing on our brains. Nothing wrong with that on a Saturday, though, right? :-) There was some definite "negativity" going on in my thoughts today in regards to my son's father and crap he's done the past couple days that have a negative impact on my son's health, but figured I wasn't about to air the details. Just not worth it, you know what I mean? Why give him that kind of power over me? I dealt with that for 8 years...No more!!!
So on that note, I'm going to leave you with a couple photos!!! Things that make you go "hmmmmmm..." - LOL!!!! What can I say, I'm tired and punchy...deal with it!!!
Yep, that's right, 2 butterflies caught in the act; and I'm right there to capture it all!!!! LOL!!!
Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?!?!!! The one on the bottom almost looks like it's smiling ;-)
I must say, one thing I’m realizing is that I truly love the
area of NY where I live!!! Yes, as much as
I dislike the political BS of this state, all the freakin’ high taxes and
insurance rates we pay, the cold weather, the fact that I’m supposed to pump my
own gas (Hey, I’m a Jersey girl and never had to pump my gas before moving here since it’s
illegal to do so in NJ!!!), not to mention how
expensive it is to live in my particular area of the state (Orange County), I actually LOVE all that surrounds me here :-) In
particular, the farms and all the locally-grown produce, eggs, meats, and other
locally-made nommy goodness!!! Even though I’m only about an hour from New
York City, there is an abundance of wonderful farms in my area. Today is a great example. Went to one of the local farms where their farm “stand”
(rather a large barn/building) is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during
the winter months; plus they host a larger farmers market on the last Saturday of each winter month which includes
vendors from the surrounding area. This
is when I definitely stock up on my grass-fed beef; pasture-raised bacon, sausage, and
ham steaks; yummylicious goat cheeses; and other delectable items I can find :-) Today I was able to purchase a dozen
farm-FRESH eggs; a nice chunk of Peppercorn Colby goat cheese; organic whipped
butter from pasture-raised cows; plus some delicious whole milk from a nearby
NY farm that also pasture-raises their cows.
This is the kind of old-fashioned milk that comes in glass bottles and
you either scoop off the cream layer on top and use it or shake it up so that the
cream can incorporate back into the milk.
Had I not done a big food shopping yesterday, I could have gotten some
produce, too, that they grow in their greenhouses/hi-tunnels during the winter
months so one can have fresh greens/veggies year round! It really is a blessing to be able to
purchase such wholesome, nutritious food ten minutes from where I live. I feel so spoiled when I tell people about it!!! Don't get me started about all the wineries in the area, too ;-)
Produce from springtime farmers market.
Grass-fed/pasture-raised beef from Lowland Farm. A staple in my home!!
A delicious and healthy veggie/fruit smoothie. Love my VitaMix!!!
In April my home will be put on the market, as part of the
marital separation agreement between me and my son’s father ("Legally" he’s
not my ex-husband since we’re not divorced, but I also cannot and will not
refer to him as my husband by any stretch of the imagination, either). Once the house is sold, I’ll need to find a place
to live (rent) with my son. As I
mentioned at the beginning of this post, this area really is expensive. Especially for me since I cannot work due to
my Multiple Sclerosis and have to live off of my SSDI income and what child
support/temporary maintenance we get. Since we
have to live within a “reasonable distance” (whatever the heck that means - LOL) from my son’s father, I’m just
hoping I can stay in the town we now live or one of the surrounding ones so I
can take advantage of all the markets near me. During the Spring, Summer, and Autumn months I can go to a different farmers market each day of the week!!! But in my heart and soul, I honestly believe and trust in that things will work
out for the best. A positive mind and positive energy are
always the first steps in a successful journey!
Yes, I admit
it! Since Monday I’ve been spanking the
monkey nonstop. Didn't realize how difficult it would be ;-) No, no, no…Not THAT!!!! Now come on, get your mind out of the gutter
people!!!
What I’m referring
to is the monkey on my back…Addiction…Sugar addiction to be precise.
I am convinced now, more than ever, that sugar really is an addictive drug, just
as addictive as alcohol, heroin, or any other “feel good” drug out there. Detoxing from it is insanely difficult, too.
Don't be fooled!!! They're not as sweet & innocent as they appear :-)
On January 2nd
I started The 21-Day Sugar Detox to rid my body of sugar and grains (gluten
being another nasty and useless item for your body.) Now, I know I’ve always had a sweet tooth my
entire life; but most of us do…Don’t we???
Come on, I grew up with a mom who used to bake all the time and was
known for her mini cupcakes that she’d make each year for my birthday. Heck, I have friends from when I was in grade
school and high school who STILL remember those cupcakes with fond memories!!! From an early age, I have continued to carry on her tradition of baking lots and lots of yummy desserts and treats for friends and family. Heck, you may as well now call me "The Sugar Dealer." But, anyway, back to my detoxing experience. One of the reasons I took up this challenge
has to do with one of my New Year’s Goals of getting myself on a more nutritionally
healthy path. With having Multiple
Sclerosis, I really do need whatever edge I can get in managing my disease. But to do that, I must first rid my body of
these toxins (sugar, gluten, chemicals, dyes, etc.) that are in so many of our
foods and beverages.
Day 1 of the
detox wasn’t bad ,and I really didn’t crave or “miss” anything food wise. I did notice a small headache coming on right
around bedtime, but didn’t think twice about it. When I woke up on Day 2, the headache was
much worse and definitely noticeable.
However, the sugar cravings hit BIG TIME!!! Didn’t matter what it was; if it had sugar in
it, I wanted it – NOW!!! I was at the
point of looking at some of the chocolate chip morsels I still had in the house
and wanted just one…I kept telling myself
“Not the whole bag or even a handful…Just ONE hit. That’s all I need.” I’m strong; I only needed one quick hit to
get me by. Well, that kept going through
my brain all freakin’ day. Then,
yesterday, Day 3, it was even worse. I
was all antsy/jittery, cranky as all get out…All I needed was just one cup of hot chocolate or one chocolate
chip morsel and I’d be good. Really. Then it got me thinking, this is
how an addict must feel…Just one shot of alcohol and it’ll be all good, just
one more hit of my drug of choice and I’d be fine. I could handle it. No big deal, right? Yes, that’s when I knew and acknowledged that
I truly did have an addiction to sugar.
To be honest, it was a very sobering moment. I know I’m strong and can get through this. It’s just going to have to take the will, desire, determination,
and strength to do so and to continue on, one day at a time.
Today was Day 4 and the sugar craving is still there, but a little less
than yesterday.
I’m hoping I’ve turned the corner. I’ve still got 17 more days to go. Even after the 21 days are over, I know I
will need to monitor and really think about what I’m eating and putting into my
body. Be aware of the “hidden” sugar and
gluten in all the foods that are out there.
Even the sugars in fruit, which is a definite downfall of mine will need
to be watched. But, I will say, that
even with only detoxing 4 days now, I can feel a difference happening in my
body and my mind, and it’s all for the better!
Besides, when you’re as sweet as I am, who needs all that extra sugar
anyway?!?!!!!!!
It’s that time of year again.The beginning of a new year and so many
people start asking “What are your New
Year’s resolutions?”Well, I’m here to
tell you that resolutions are for the weak.Yes, I know that’s a pretty harsh thing to say, but it’s something I’ve come
to realize.If you think about it, what
are the usual resolutions most people make:I want to lose “x” amount of weight.I’m going to go to the gym and work out “x” amount of days for “x”
amount of time.I want to find a new job/start
a new career.I want to make more money.I want to go back to school to further my
education.So on and so forth.But, most of the time, these are just
thoughts or things you work on or think about for only a short amount of time at
the beginning of each new year before giving up on them and they fade into the
background.I know for a fact that I can
attest to the losing weight one.Can’t
even begin to tell you how many times I’ve made that New Year’s resolution in
the past.I do great in the beginning
and then quickly fall right off the diet and exercise wagon within a couple
months and go back to life as it was.Usually gaining back more weight than I just lost. It's the weak who fall off the resolution wagon. If we really wanted to achieve the resolutions we set for ourselves, we'd make a plan/take them more seriously.
I do some of my best thinking/"reflecting" while being by the water.
With that said, this year, I’m not jumping on that resolution wagon.This year, I’m making goals.What’s the difference you ask?Goals are attainable and you actually need to
make a step-by-step plan to achieve them.You break it down into tiny steps; and once each step is completed, you
can check each mini accomplishment off the list until you reach the ultimate goal you set.I’ve learned that anything worth having in
life is worth working for.That is what
I plan on doing.Working to reach my
ultimate goals.Some of them may be
short term and others long term, but while on my “Rediscovering Kristyn” quest,
I plan on working hard to achieve the goals I’ve set out for myself.
The U.S. flag always reminds me of determination.
Look for my goals in a future post.Still working those out right now, but I know
I’ve definitely taken the first steps towards a few of those goals already!
