Honesty

I love the Shutter Sisters photography website.  A group of photographers take turns posting a photograph with a insightful description and then invite viewers to post comments along with links to their own photographs.  Thus photographers from all over the world can explore a theme and see each other's work.  The site also offers annual projects.  One of these is the "One Word Project" -- exploring the meaning of a single word all year long through photography.

I love the concept of "one word."  It gives one a chance to mull over a word with all its meanings and nuances.  In 2012, without really meaning to, I realized I'd begun to explore the word "honesty."  It kept coming up in books and blogs that I read.  It kept popping into my head.  At first I didn't like the idea.  It nagged at me.  Why?  I've always felt that I am an honest person.  If you ask me to hold your purse or diary while you're gone, I'm never going to look in it.  If someone gives me the wrong change, I'm going to bring it to their attention even if it means I lose money.  I pride myself in taking responsibility for my actions and telling others the truth.

It was reading Frank Bruni's Born Round, that got me to thinking more about my honesty to myself.  Bruni lost a lot of weight, keeping it off even after becoming the food critic for the New York Times.  He stated, "The main difference between then and now wasn't determination.  It was honesty.  I didn't lie to myself the way I had in the past.  I especially didn't lie to myself about food."  (pg. 347)   After reading the book, I wrote a post about it here:  http://persistentelephant.blogspot.com/2011/11/born-round.html.  I realize now, it was a new chapter for me.

More to come...

Anchor

I feel so lucky to have found my way to the water fitness classes.  I love to take walks and thought I'd never want to exercise indoors, but there's just something about the swirl of the water and the slowed movements that truly appeals to me.  I love giving myself over to it, the class passing quickly as I'm concentrating on holding my abdominal muscles in and achieving correct form.  My brain is in a whole other way of thinking, which I find restful.  At the same time, my body is getting much stronger and more flexible plus I have more endurance.

The water fitness classes have become an anchor of sorts.  Some days I eat really well, but other days I find myself forgetting my resolve, sliding off track.  But I can -- and always do -- make it to water fitness class two mornings a week.  I'm not sliding off track as much or as long as I used to because those classes give me courage and remind me what I'm fighting for.

Veggie Soup

I've got my momentum going now.  Thanks to the water fitness class at the Y, I started the new year with a lot of hope.  I'm definitely more flexible and stronger than I was a month ago.  My cardio endurance is greater.  And I didn't gain weight over Christmas.

I'm still making the green smoothies, and I think they help with easing hunger, building nutrition, and promoting weight loss.  Now I'm making fresh vegetable soup for the same reasons.  So warm and good for winter!  

6-8 cups organic vegetable broth

1-3 tablespoons each of herbs (as you prefer) -- chives, oregano, basil, parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt to taste

1 onion, chopped finely

1 stalk celery (or celery salt)

12 cups organic veggies chopped into bite-sized pieces -- carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, cabbage, greens, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, etc.

Put broth in a large stock pot, add seasonings, and bring to a boil.  Add chopped vegetables and bring to a boil until veggies soften as much as you like them.  You may wish to add harder veggies (carrots, thick greens like kale) first and softer veggies (pepper, zucchini) last to preserve texture.

When the soup is done, I let is cool until barely warm and then put it into single serving containers.  They go into the fridge to chill and then into the freezer.  I'm getting in the habit of moving one or two from freezer to fridge for thawing each day.  I microwave them as a snack or appetizer.  (I love the Martha Stewart glass containers from Kmart!)

In this last batch, I added beets.  Ugh.  Won't do that again.  The whole soup is Barbie pink and tastes overwhelmingly of beet.  My favorite soup is heavy on the mushrooms and greens.