Lundie's Life

Ok, so Jen‘s book, 7, definitely has sent me off on a whole new path! I’ve watched Food, Inc., Food Matters, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (Thanks Hulu!) and just today, Forks Over Knives. So, after being raised Seventh Day Adventist, leaving the church and its (then) irrationally executed “health message”, I’m finding myself seriously re-evaluating my standard American diet and reconsidering vegetarianism.

Juicing

My first step was to research juicers. Food Matters and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead both convinced me that adding juiced fruits and vegetables were going to be the quick method of getting nutrients that I’ve been severely lacking. So I settled on the Omega 8003. It’s a “masticating juicer” that runs at a slower pace so it doesn’t overheat the juice. (From what I’m reading, heating the juice kills a good chunk of the natural enzymes that make the juice so beneficial. If I’m gonna work this hard to get the juice, I’m certainly NOT going to destroy it in the process!)

Family Friendly?

The main thing that is going to make this a challenge is the wife/mom aspect. It’s one thing to make a drastic dietary change for myself, it’s another thing to change the food I serve my family. J4 is pretty cool with me moving things in a healthier direction, but convincing J5, an already finicky 6 year old is going to be the real challenge. A friend recommended I get him directly involved making the juices, maybe he’ll be more invested. He’s definitely enjoying making the juice so far, but tasting has been slow in coming. But it’s a start!

Test Kitchen

So far, we have made the following juices: apple, pineapple, pear, cucumber, carrot, blackberry/apple, blueberry/melon. I mixed the pineapple and pear, and that was nice. Also mixed the cucumber and carrot. Not as much of a fan. Need to find something to bring down the “green” of the cucumber. The carrot was a bit sweeter than I expected, but had a mildly bitter aftertaste. Hopefully I’ll narrow it down to a few balanced regulars that I can make for breakfasts. I am not a huge fan of breakfast, so if that’s the meal I charge up on, that would work for me! I found one on the Whole Foods website that looked like a good place to start.

Quick Summary

Ok, so I’m not really going hard-core vegetarian just yet, but I am definitely making strides towards increasing the ratio of whole plant-based foods in my diet. Here’s to good eats!

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

The basic summary of this book is that Jen (with the support of family and friends) decided to spend 7 months (with a few small breaks) fasting in 7 categories:

1. Food – Select 7 foods to eat
2. Clothes – Select 7 items of clothing to wear
3. Possessions – Give 7 items away every day
4. Media – Fast from 7 media/technology sources
5. Waste – Select 7 habits for a greener life
6. Spending – Select 7 places to spend money
7. Stress – Practice the Seven Sacred Pauses and practice Sabbath

This book is written in journal format, with real-time reactions and storytelling as she goes through each category. One of the things I love most about reading from Jen is because she’s funny. She seems honest and genuine, with just the right blend of humor and humility. I got to walk through this journey with her, and I am coming away from it changed.

Click HERE to read what my review categories (below) are all about.

That Certain Spark
by Cathy Marie Hake

In the Christian Historical Fiction category, this book receives a 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t bad, just didn’t wow me.

Honestly, it has been several months since I read this book, so it’s not particularly fresh in my mind. Standard Christian Romance storyline. Stoic man, outspoken/independent woman, in a time when women were not supposed to have their own lives. Clash then romance. Nice little book.

In the whirlwind of the holidays, I haven’t had much time to stop and reflect. Or at least, I haven’t taken the time. This year, our New Years’ ended up being a quiet evening at home, a couple of movies, a couple of bottles of champagne. J4 and I had a light conversation about what things we’d like to be different in 2012.

I’m not one for a long list of resolutions, quickly forgotten. I did blog-drift around a bit this morning and came across a site that sounded more like my kind of thing. OneWord365.com.

All you need to do is choose “one word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live or what you want to achieve by the end of 2012.”

I know that many of my dreams, wishes, goals, you name it. are not coming to be simply because I have not become willing to do what it takes to accomplish (and in some cases, even pursue) them. I am a stubborn gal. One of my most remembered and repeated childhood quotes is “I can’t want to.”

So, after some brainstorming today, and some reflecting, I kept coming back to the idea of being willing. Underlying my failure to accomplish so much in my life is an unwillingness to let go of the things that hold me back. This willingness is what I am going to pray for this year. There is a lot of life I have been missing, and I pray that I become willing to partake in it!