Word matters

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Summer is starting to wane and the fall routine is falling into place. For me the change of season is always a time to look back, take stock and look forward. I find myself looking back at the summer with a very critical eye. Physically I am not in the shape that I want to be. At this time of the year I was hoping to be stronger, faster and about 5 pounds lighter than I am now. My studying, like my training hasn’t gone nearly as smoothly as I wanted it to go. All in all I feel like I spent more time beating myself up about what I was doing wrong this summer than I did doing them right.

Yesterday I sat down and made a list of things I wanted to do differently this fall:

  • I should run more
  • I should lift heavier weights
  • I should lift more often
  • I should get back to swimming
  • I should plan my meals
  • I should avoid junk and processed foods
  • I should cook 90% of my meals
  • I should study better

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Today that list is making me feel like I am not doing anything right. “I should run more” implies “I’m not running enough”; “I should lift heavier weights” implies “I’m not lifting heavy enough” and so on. I spent the entire summer beating myself up and all I got out of it was to lose my motivation. If I can’t do anything right why bother? On the other hand, I need to improve on those things. I understand the importance of being kind to myself, but I don’t think it should mean to sell myself short. I CAN do better than this summer and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t do it.

So how can I strive to do well this fall, and not sell myself short without ending up feeling like failure in the process? I think the key is in how I present things to myself. I’m a big believer in the power of words. I think they do make a huge difference and that the beginning of success, and happiness, lies in how I talk to myself. In this case, to me, there is a real difference between “I should” and “I can”. “I should” implies that I don’t. “I should be stronger” implies “I am not strong enough” but “I can be stronger” implies that the possibility for improvement is there. Isn’t it always?

I very sincerely believe this simple formula: What you say dictates what you think (even if you convince yourself that you are just “kidding”), what you think dictates what you believe, what you believe dictates your actions and of course, your actions dictate your results. The first step to a healthy mind and body is to adopt a positive way of wording our desires, goals and how we talk about ourselves.

I had a challenging summer in many ways, and yet I managed to run my very first 5K race! I kept training through the whole summer even doing boot camps for the first time. I studied consistently through the summer, and worked through the setbacks one after another. My summer was not perfect, but it wasn’t a failure at all either. Fall is almost here and things are settling down so I’m ready to step it up! So how can I rewrite that list?

  • I can add to my running
  • I can lift heavier weights
  • I can lift add a weight lifting session to my week
  • I can add swimming to my routine
  • I can plan my meals
  • I can limit junk and processed foods
  • I can cook 90% of my meals
  • I can focus on my study

Doesn’t that sound better? It sure does to me! I can do all those things and I will do them! What is done is done, I cannot go back and redo my summer. I can however learn from it, appreciate the victories as well as the lessons, and move on to a strong, motivating fall. I’m ready!

Apple-Fennel Slaw

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A friend asked me permission to put this recipe in her CSA newsletter, and that reminded me that I never posted it on here. I invented that last fall, and made it several times. so here it is for you to try and enjoy!!

I did all the cutting by hand, but it’d be very easy to accelerate the process by using a mandolin! It was really delicious, I have to make it again!

Here’s what it looks like (apologies for the cellphone picture, I shall get a better one next time I make it):

Apple -Fennel slaw
6 servings,

Ingredients
2 granny smith apple, thinly julienned
1 fennel bulb, cored, thinly julienned
2 TBSP lemon juice (or so)
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1 (generous) TBSP dijon mustard (I use whole grain, it’s prettier)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 packet stevia (or 1 tsp sugar)
1/2 TBSP (or more) poppy seeds
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix 1 TBSP of the vinegar with the lemon juice and pour over the apple juliennes as soon as they are cut (to keep from browning). Put in a big bowl

Mix the mustard, the remaining vinegar, the oil and the stevia in a little bowl, pour over the slaw. Add poppy seeds, salt and pepper and toss well.

Source: My own brain, please credit said brain if you’re going to reuse ;op

Nutritional info: TBD (I know, I say that a lot lately, I have to find an easier way to calculate! suggestions appreciated!)

My very first cookies ever!

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Ok, to say that I am not a baker is an understatement. A few years ago I have sort of mastered banana bread, but that’s as far as my baking abilities go. Thing is, I don’t want to learn too much because I’m afraid to start baking up a storm and eat the products of my bakiness. I know myself!

I recently replaced cow milk with almond milk, which I make myself out of unpasteurized raw almonds. I love the taste, I haven’t had any tummy troubles since, and it’s very easy to do. My only problem with it is that I end up with almost 2 cups of left over pulp that I don’t know what to do with. I froze the first batch and never did anything with it, so I have been throwing away the following ones. My freezer is tiny so… It bothers me though, so many people are hungry, and it’s so wasteful to just throw away food like that, I had to find some way to use it. Roaming the web, I came across a few blogs and websites that explained that you could dry it out and use it as almond flour. Meh! What a great idea!

So I spread the pulp on a cookie sheet, turned the oven on at the lowest setting (140 F) and put the sheet in leaving the door slightly open so that the moisture could escape. It was in there for several hours (about 3-4). Before I went in the shower to go to work my evening meeting, it was almost dry, but not quite, so I closed the oven door, bumped the heat to 170 F and went in the shower. After my shower, I turned off the oven, left the stuff in there and went to work. When I came back, it was perfect! I sifted the almond flour in a strainer, and used my mortar and pestle to break up the stubborn clumps. Et voila! Almond flour! Between that and the milk, I’m saving a fortune!!

I hear ya! Shut up Martha Stewart, we want to know about the cookies! Well, I figured that a good way to use some of my newly found flour, was to make my very first Oatmeal cookies. So I did! I love oatmeal cookies, but they tend to be very fatty, and huge. I’ve been meaning to figure out a more belly friendly recipe for ages. I had old bananas to use, so I started from a recipe I found on Sparkpeople.com: Banana Oatmeal Cookies. I think I modified it enough to be able to call it mine, but I wanted to still give some credit to my “start point”.

These are the first two cookies made by me, myself and I that we have ever eaten! So proud!

I built this recipe with what I had on hand. For example I had no butter, so I didn’t put in any.  Here’s what I ended up doing, feel free to modify to your own tastiness. I like chewy cookies, so I make mine fairly thick. If you like drier, crispier cookies, flatten them more (step 4) before you put them in the oven.

Note: They were quite sweet, I will cut down on sugar and sweetener next time I put in crystallized ginger.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies
14 cookies,

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)
2 TBSP raisins
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1 TBSP crystallized ginger, minced
1 large egg white
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sweetener (like Splenda)
1 1/2 old banana, smallish
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of clove

Directions

1. Set baking racks in top and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 F (depending on your oven next time I’ll put it lower). Coat 2 baking pans or cookie sheets with cooking spray.

2. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl (from almond flour to allspice). Add oats, dried fruits and crystallized ginger. Set aside.

3. Blend egg white, a piece of banana (about 2 TBSP worth), splenda and sugar until smooth (I did it by hand). Add remaining bananas and vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

4. Form little golf ball sized ball of dough and drop on the cookie sheet keeping space between them. Push down slightly to form a cookie using a wet thumb or spoon.

5. Bake 8 minutes and then turn the pans around and put back in for 6 to 9 minutes or until the cookies are browned lightly and feel mostly firm when pressed with your finger.Transfer cookies to a baking rack and cool. Store in an air tight container.

Source: Adapted, greatly, from a Sparkpeople.com recipe.

Nutrition value: TBD

So there you have it, my very first ever cookies! They were delicious (really) and as easy as can be! Now, to not eat them all today… WOAH!