1 Mile Run and the Walk for Water

Hey Everyone! I owe all you readers an update for sure. :-)

I haven't been blogging because the numbers have not budged on my scale, but today I accomplished running for 1 mile without ceasing. This has been a goal of mine for a long time! Plus, despite my reluctant scale, my clothes have observed a change and are noticeably looser.

Also, this past Saturday, I raised funds--I'm kicking myself for not advertising this on my blog--for Water Missions International, and I walked 1/3 mile with a 22 pound bucket of dirty water in order to slightly demonstrate what thousands of people have to do on a daily basis. This cause has been on my heart since a good friend, Rusty Smith, mentioned to our congregation that 25,000 people, 10,000 of whom are children, die every day due to waterborne illness. The walk convicted me. How selfish am I to eat and drink as I please, to literally feed my addiction, when 10,000 children are dying daily from a lack of clean drinking water? Water. A basic need.

This also made me question God's provision. Why does He provide for me so richly and not the people in these remote villages? Are they not also His creation? Why aren't they getting the most basic of all necessities? I know that through Him, my church was able to raise $40,000 for a filtration system in Kenya--but it doesn't seem like enough.

I wonder if 3 months from now: will I complain about a short power outage or fret about my Brita filter malfunctioning? Is this a temporary change of heart? A momentary conviction? I hope not. My friend TJ is selling bottled water as a non-profit to support the clean water crisis. A 100% of the profits go to providing water filtration systems for remote villages. I told him that I want to help, but now I feel like it's less than a "want" to help and more of a Need to Help.

So, that's my life right now. I'm enjoying my life of teaching part-time and using my time off to support my family by making a home for them and improving my health. Also, I am so eager to see what God does with this sense of purpose to help. Last night I had a dream that our world no longer had borders, or countries, or conflicting governments. That we provided for each other without greed or suffering. It was wonderful.

To Purpose and Milestones,
Cheers,
Katy

50th Blog Post and a New Goal!!

So T-minus 70 days until my 30th birthday! I've decided to celebrate by running in my first ever 5k! I was going to run in the Mushroom Festival's 5k, but I'm just starting to train with this great Couch to 5K program for the iPod and I don't think I'll be ready by September 11th. However, I want to go run/walk it as practice for my birthday run.

The 5k I want to participate in is called the Lupus Loop in Philadelphia. October 30th at 9:00 am the run begins! Will you run with me? Having the moral support of my friends would be awesome! So who's with me?

To Starting Age 30 Right!
Cheers,
Katy

Fruits and Veggies and Freezing, Oh my!

In The Essential Vegetarian Guide, Shaw recommends freezing and preserving fruits and veggies so that eating wonderful and healthy summer produce continues through the cold winter months.

After a shopping spree at our local produce junction, I decided to take Shaw's advice and learn how to preserve my fruits and veggies for quick access in healthy recipes all year long.

So far, I have frozen corn and sweet potatoes using this extremely helpful website. The instructions are simple to follow and encouraging. I have a ton of mushrooms that I'm so excited to use in this slow cooker vegan recipe I found for cream of mushroom soup! Now, I have to get over my fear of canning. I don't have a canner, and I might just ask for one for Christmas to make the starting process a bit easier.

Now, I am off to freeze some bell peppers! :-)

With the pound of blueberries and 6 grapefruits, I decided to experiment with making sorbet with a simple recipe from allrecipes.com. Juice the grapefruit and then blend with blueberries and 1 c. sugar. Freeze the mixture for 3 hours or until solid, stir to smooth out ice crystals, freeze again for another 3 hours or more. I'll have pictures tomorrow!

To learning new things,
Cheers,
Katy

Sweet Potato Chili

It's Friday night, and the skies have opened. Thunder, or "wonder" as my Libby would say, is rumbling. Lightening is flashing. I want comfort food. With three pounds of sweet potatoes calling my name, I know exactly what I want... no... need to make. I came across the idea in The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. Atlas' approach to the chili is wonderful, but somehow I've seemed to make so many adjustments after misplacing my only copy of the recipe that the chili has become my own.

For this recipe you will need:
6-7 small sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered slices
Fresh Salsa (I use the Giant brand, but feel free to improvise)
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
28 oz can of low sodium, vegetarian black beans
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 c. Vegetable Broth
A dash of nutmeg and salt to taste

1) Prep your sweet potatoes
2) In a large saucepan, add your extra virgin olive oil and salsa. Simmer until salsa is fragrant and onions are golden and stir frequently.
3) Add sweet potatoes, vegetable broth, black beans, nutmeg, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil a simmer for 15-20 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.
4) Serve with tortillas and light sour cream (if you prefer)


As you can see, my kids love this recipe! It's incredibly simple, healthy, and easy to prepare.
Have fun cooking, and feel free to share any variations or adjustments.








To Healthy Comfort Food,
Cheers!
Katy

Called back

My old school district called me back in. I start teaching September 1st. What?! This month I dedicated my time resigning to the idea that teaching full-time wasn't for me. That maybe my passion and intelligence weren't enough. I received the letter an hour ago, and after a couple frantic calls (1) to my husband, who's on his way back from a business trip, and (2) to my mother, and listening to all their practical reasons to go back, and I agreed.

Harrison and Libby were disappointed with the decision. The childcare for them was set up before I was laid off and it was never canceled, so logistically, they would be in school while I was in school. Their anxieties were deeper than practicality. They were afraid that last year would repeat itself. That they would lose their mommy from September to June. Last year, however, taught me to prioritize my health and relationships before my career.

God help me keep these priorities. I know that I became work obsessed last year, and hopefully that knowledge and the maturity I have gained through experiences these past few months will help me keep a healthy perspective.

To Going Back But Not Regressing,
Cheers,
Katy

Tuna Noodle Salad a.k.a."The Sponge-Bob"

Hey Everyone!

I have to go grocery shopping. No bread, no milk, no cheese. Unfortunately, when preparing food for my kids these items are considered staples. Libby woke up from her nap around 2:00 and, due to a serious undertaking with home organization, I completely forgot to prepare lunch.

After searching through the cabinets, I found a can of tuna, light mayo, relish, and 1/4 box of bow tie noodles! Ah ha! I quickly boiled the noodles, and cooled them. Then I combined the noodles with the can of tuna, 2 Tbsp. of Light Mayo, 1 Tbsp. of relish, and we ate the salad served with a side of fresh pineapple. It was awesome! Libby kept saying it was the best lunch ever, while Harrison whimpered apprehensively at the thought of eating something other than the norm. After a few bites he warmed up to it, but he wasn't as fond as the Libster of this improvisational dish.

To Improv,
Cheers,
Katy

Bread Baking

I am going to try it! The first menu in Shaw's book calls for whole wheat bread to accompany a curry egg salad, and if I'm really going to do this challenge I want to do it right. Shaw's recipe for "hearth-warming homemade bread" looks simple enough, but I have my trepidations!

I relate to Shaw as she admits attributing her failed attempts with bread baking to "...a threatening demeanor that scares the life out of tiny organisms such as yeast, a free spirit that can't bother to distinguish between a half cup and a whole one, and an artistic temperament that favors impulse and improvisation over meticulous measuring and timing. In actual fact, the reason is that I'm impatient, disorganized, and way too undisciplined for an art that requires such precision and care." (Shaw, 396)

This quote summarizes most of my excuses for any failure and the actual reasons for those failures. My "creative temperament" has been my reasoning against discipline. Routines were tossed aside because they felt too legalistic and stifling. Shaw's saving grace was a snow day. She took the time to follow the recipes "letter by letter" and commit to perfecting her skills. Afterward, she applied her improvisation. Maybe this should be how I go about learning my routine. Follow a plan letter by letter, and then add my creativity after I've become so familiar with the right way that my creative impulses aren't derailing to the ultimate goal.

It's raining today. Not a blizzard, but still, it's a great opportunity to stay in and bread baking will be fun project to do with Harrison and Libby.

To First Attempts,
Cheers,
Katy