An Old Fashioned Diet

I found this old writing by a man named William Banting. He lived in the 19th century, and suffered with obesity. His article is probably one of the first records of someone losing weight in modern Western society using a low-carb approach. It's so interesting to read how he dieted and lost his weight. I found this pamphlet sweet and endearing. Old men are cute anyway, but old men from the 1800's... ADORABLE!!! Enjoy!

On Corpulence by William Banting

Children Learn What They Live

My mom has a little laminated card on our fridge. On it is this poem:

Children Learn What They Live:
If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Lessons to be Learned...

When I was little and had made a mistake, the first person I would always run to would be my mom. I knew that her love for me was completely unconditional, and that no matter what I had done she would help, guide, and teach me to make things right again. In fact, there was a song that she would always sing to us kids when we had done something wrong, had taken ownership of our mistake and were truly repentant. Here's how the song went:

Take three steps forward and one step back, and you've made a little progress.
Take three steps forward and one step back, and you've started on your way
Take three steps forward and one step back, then one great leap ahead.
Now look around see how far you've come; it's hard to believe where you've begun.
Take three more steps plus an extra one.
And you've come a long, long way!

This song has been so helpful to me as I've grown and changed and made many, many mistakes over my teenage years. This song is especially helpful to me now. I want my body to react to things in the "normal" way, and it's just not happening. I think that especially when I was in Denver it was difficult, because FOR GOODNESS SAKE THESE PEOPLE ARE RELATED TO ME, and yet I'm so different.

I need to learn to accept me for who I am, with all my short comings, and weird health things, and everything...and try to be happy with that person. It's a long and arduous journey with many steps forward and backward, but I know that God will be with me along the way, and with the support of my incredible family and friends I can do it.

So, I've just experienced a few steps back, but as Anne of Green Gables says: Tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it. God willing, tomorrow I will take a step in the right direction!

Here's to tomorrow!! :)

Baby Steps

Boy oh boy! Isn't life just crazy sometimes? Phew. I feel like this is one of the first moments in a long time that I have just been able to breaaaaaaaaathe.

School has just been insane. Because of my unexpected trip to Denver and my over-achieving, I can take on anything attitude, I gave myself a course load in school that was just too much for me. School has consumed my life in the past few weeks. Generally when this type of thing happens EVERYTHING falls by the way side-- relationships, health, piano, exercise, emotional stability, sleep-- and I would look and feel like a total mess. I think, however, I am finally beginning to grow up and learn and change, and it is so wonderful. Although most things have been neglected, the most important things have not. Sure, exercise, piano, sleep, and an obsessive conscientiousness over what I eat have not been as consistent lately, but I have not taken out all my feelings of stress and anxiety on the people that love me most.

I am so thankful to God that He forgives and allows us to repent. There are still sooo, so, sooooo many things I need to work on, but it's encouraging to see a little improvement!

Menu Plan Monday

What an insanely crazy month it has been!! My parents were out of town for two weeks, my grandmother passed away and i was out of town for five days, my mom is gone this weekend, my parents are leading a marriage retreat in two weekends, I am behind.. waayyy behind in schoolwork.. does the list ever end?

The good news is *drumroll please* our wonderful, grassfed cow arrived early this week, and now I have plenty of yummy, nourishing, nutrient dense meat at my disposal. This is a huge load off my mind. We usually receive our cow in September, and had run out of beef in July.. needless to say I was paying exorbitant amounts for my meat, and am so glad to once again have a freezer stalked with affordable, pastured meat.

My eating plan is going pretty well. I have messed up a couple time, but I'm doing okay, and beginning to feel a bit better. I hope it lasts!! I'm running dangerously low on veggies this week, but I really want to use up what I have before I make a veggie run.

SO.. my plan for this week is:

TO DO: Cook Ground beef

Monday:
Breakfast-leftover steak
Lunch-ground beef and green bell pepper
Dinner-ground beef, celery, and cucumbers

TO DO: Cook Turkey
Defrost Roast

Tuesday:
Breakfast-ground beef
Lunch-turkey, cucumber
Dinner-Roast, mixed veggie salad


Wednesday:
Breakfast-eggs
Lunch-Roast, tomato
Dinner-ground beef, bell pepper, onion

TO DO: Take out Pork Chop

Thursday:
Breakfast-ground beef
Lunch-Roast, cucumber
Dinner-Pork Chop, mixed salad

Friday:
Breakfast- eggs
Lunch- leftover Pork Chop, leftover salad
Dinner-Shrimp, homemade salsa

TO DO: Cook Ground Beef

Saturday:
Brunch-Ground beef, celery
Dinner- Salmon, onion, celery

TO DO: Take out Roast

Sunday:
Brunch: Ground beef, bell pepper
Dinner: Roast, mixed salad

For more menu planning ideas visit Organizing Junkie

NEW BOOK!!!!!

I finally got Dr. Weston Price's Nutrition and Physical Regeneration!! I am so excited!! I will be reading and sharing my findings with you. YAY!!! :)

I like blogging...

I've decided that I really like this whole blogging adventure. Even if I am the only person to ever read a word written in this blog... I like knowing that I am proclaiming my goals, struggles, and anticipations to the world. It keeps me accountable. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw that out there...

Menu Plan Monday

This week's meals are going to have to be fairly flexible. I will be leaving Wednesday evening to go to Colorado to attend my grandmother's funeral. Due to my strict dietary restrictions, I will be cooking my own food in Denver and not eating at any of the restaurants... of course, I know that there will be situations out of my control and I will just have to go with the flow.

I am really going to try utilizing leftover meat and veggies and working very hard on not cooking anything new unnecessarily, since I will be gone for almost five days.


MONDAY
Breakfast: eggs fried in a little lard
Lunch: Grass-fed ground beef and carrot sticks
Dinner: Grass-fed lamb, green beans, and onions sauteed in a tomato sauce

TUESDAY
Breakfast: eggs
Lunch: Leftover Lamb and green beans
Dinner: Ground Beef, steamed Broccoli

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: beef patty
Lunch: Leftover beef, tomato
Dinner: Turkey Leg, sauteed zucchini

THURSDAY: IN DENVER

FRIDAY: IN DENVER

SATURDAY: IN DENVER

SUNDAY: IN DENVER

For more MENU PLAN MONDAY ideas, visit Organizing Junkie

Glory to Your Holy Resurrection O Lord...

Christ is Risen from the Dead
Trampling Down Death by Death
And upon those in the Tombs Bestowing Life

Jesus having Risen from the Grave as He Foretold
Has Bestowed on us Eternal Life
And Great Mercy

These words from the Orthodox Easter service are so comforting. Christ rose and trampled down Hades so that those who die can be with Him forever.

My Yiayia died two days ago... on January 8, 2009... Here is a letter sent by my dad; he explains things much more eloquently than I ever could:


Dear Parishoners of St. John the Baptist,

As many of you know, I had to travel unexpectedly the day after Christmas, to Phoenix, Arizona because my mother became gravely ill. By the time I arrived she was already in intensive care at Banner Desert Hospital in Mesa, Arizona. She was unable to talk, unable to swallow, confused and greatly weakened on her right side. There was no diagnosis and her condition was critical. She underwent every conceivable test, but after two weeks the hospital could not determine what was wrong with my mother. Therefore we transferred her to Barrow Neurological Institute, one of the world’s top neurological hospitals, located in Phoenix, where she underwent many other tests. Finally on Wednesday afternoon, January 7th, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the spinal cord and brain. Although treatable in many patients, my mom’s condition was too advanced and her body too weakened to receive treatment, so on Thursday morning, January 8th, the family decided to not pursue treatment and to transfer her to a hospice facility and place her in the hands of God. She fell asleep in the Lord at 8:10 on that same Thursday evening surrounded by her husband of 50 years and her children. She died peacefully and surrounded by love and prayer. My family thanks all of you for your prayers, your love, support and patience with my prolonged absence. We could tangibly feel your love and prayers as we were taking care of my mom and desperately trying to find out what was afflicting her. It’s been a difficult journey for all of my family, but we are thankful to God for a beautiful life with such a great woman. Although my mom passed away very quickly, God was merciful to her in that she was able to say goodbye to her husband and her children. She did not suffer too long or with great pain. She fell asleep surrounded by her loved ones and with the prayers of the Church.



My mom’s funeral will be held at Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Denver at the end of this next week. Her wishes were that donations be made to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church for a liturgical item that her son could use in her memory.

In Christ,

Father Theodore

Tuesday Quote of the Day

"One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts--just mere thoughts--are as powerful as electric batteries--as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison." (The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett)

I know that I always have to remember that I have the ability to swat away thoughts as I would a fly... remembering that what is allowed into the mind, will enter the heart.

Hope you're having a blessed Tuesday. :)

Nourishing Resolution: Listening to my Body

Alright, this is going to be a year of learning, experimenting, and God-willing, figuring out what it is my body needs and how I can fulfill those needs. My body is very interesting in the foods that it can tolerate. I often joke that my body is incapable of adapting to a western diet, but I now believe that it is no joke, but that I am blessed in the fact that I cannot eat the foods that are silently killing western civilization. So, I have tried "jumping into" the Weston Price way of eating, but have discovered that even eating "nourishing foods" make me sick. Baby steps are necessary for my body to slowly heal. I tried drinking Kefir and Beet Kvass and eating butter and other nutrient dense foods/drinks, but my body isn't responding well. So, I will begin by only feeding my body what I know it likes, and slowly over the months introducing other nourishing foods into my diet. The key however, is to go SLOWLY.

As of now, my body best responds to the following foods in small quantities (that is another interesting fact about my body... it can only take very small portions)

So, here are the foods I feel best eating:

Turkey
Beef
Lamb
Pork
Crab
Halibut
Salmon
Shrimp
Swordfish
Eggs (in small quantities)

Artichoke
Egg Plan
Green Beans
Asparagus
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Lemons
Tomatoes
Radishes
Onion
Zucchini

I know this sounds utterly ridiculous, but honestly.. these are the only foods that I eat that do not make me sick. So, we will begin with these foods and slowly (God-willing) build up.

To give an example of how I eat these things in the most nourishing way possible today's menu will be:

Breakfast:
2 soft boiled eggs

Lunch:
Ground Lamb
Onions sauteed in the lamb fat

Dinner:
Pork Chop
Grilled Zucchini
Green Beans

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!! It's hard to believe that 2008 has come to a close. It was quite a year of struggle, hurt, learning, and hopefully growth. Generally speaking I do not make New Year's resolutions, but 2008 was quite a tumultuous and even traumatic year for me, and I am hoping and praying that 2009 is a year of recovery and healing.

Ergo, I have a few things I would like to accomplish in 2009.

More closely follow the dietary revelations of Dr. Weston A. Price. I have read Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon a few times through, and have followed Dr. Price's recommendations rather loosely, but with the support of my ever loving mother I am ready to adhere to a more traditional style of eating as best I can.

I really want to exercise six days a week. The great thing about the first six months of 2008 was that I had the time to walk 8 miles a day. Although those 8 miles will probably not be very attainable in this new and busy year, I loved how it felt being outside and moving my body every day and I want to get back into that.

I would really like to get a 4.0 in school this year. I think that with hard work and perseverance this will be possible.

I want to be more proficient in singing, both Byzantine and Western. I've loved singing my whole life and I want to keep working and improving.

I want to play the piano for at least 45 minutes a day. I took lesson for 13 years and always found time to practice, and I want to get back into that.

I want to read more spiritual books. It seems I always have time to read for pleasure and homework, but I don't make enough time to read for the nourishment of my soul.

Last, but most certainly not least, I want to pray more. I make the time to cultivate relationships with friends and family members, but I sometimes forget to even say "hello" to the person who loves me the most... even more than I could ever imagine.

So, that's it for 2009. It's a long list, but these are all things that are very important to me and I am ready to embark on this journey. I cannot wait to see what 2009 has in story for me!

Happy New Year! Kali Xronia kai Xronia Polla!!!