foodie blog one

A fence in central Texas at sunset
Copyright (c) 2005 Wendee Holtcamp

After thirteen days drinking a cayenne pepper-lemonade concoction and no food, you'll understand that I've been drooling over food the last few days. I've been reading Vegetarian Times magazines, and creating a list of yummy recipes. I only started doing the cleanse in 2006, which I blogged about in sisterhood of the lemonheads and weirdest place to put cayenne pepper, and I never thought I'd go more than a few days but to my surprise I made it nine days. You're supposed to do a minimum of ten days, but I thought nine was a-ok for me. I've used this cleanse in the past as a way to give up bad food habits, such as my old habit of drinking Diet Coke. I knew aspartame was bad for me, but I was addicted to the stuff. Not anymore! I haven't touched it since that first cleanse in 2006. I had thought I may have a gluten allergy at one point, and I gave up wheat, oats, and all gluten-containing products for over a year by first kick-starting that with the Master Cleanse. It's a good transition to a new healthy food lifestyle. And you lose a few pounds in the process! I've been working out nearly every single day at the gym, or walking or running, for the past month and am super proud of myself for that. I can thank Doug, who joined my gym and has been a huge motivating force.

I really wanted to make it to day 14, but when yesterday evening came around, I munched on an almond, slowly chewing it and delighting in each and every savory bit of flavor. And then I had a golden raisin. And then another almond. And I knew it was time. Time to transition back to regular food. I had been doing very good with extending my cleanse a few days past ten (yesterday was 13) and the transition is liquid and soup for a couple more days. So in a sense the cleanse aspect will continue through the transition.

I call the transition soup "Stone Soup" like the children's book! I put some filtered water in my crockpot, and then add whatever veggies I have on hand. This time, I threw in chopped celery (including leafy bits), chopped fresh cilantro, a chopped carrot, a bit of frozen spinach, frozen butter beans, frozen green peas, a half can of garbanzo beans, and a can of chopped tomatoes with green chiles. I also added about a half cup of millet and quinoa (combined) - two healthy whole grains. Then in a tiny bit of olive oil I sauteed some white onion, elephant garlic, and a half of a yellow bell pepper, and added this to the soup. (Just now I remembered to add some dried shiitake mushrooms). It's really a hodgepodge of stuff in there. For spices, I add hot curry powder, some turmeric (curry contains turmeric but it's super good for you so I added more), garlic powder, and salt. Then I let it cook in the crock overnight and through the day. Today for lunch I will have broth and tonight more in combination with fresh squeezed orange juice (organic of course) and more lemonade.

So after I created this creation and it had started brewing in my crockpot, I remembered I'd bought leeks at the grocery store for this very purpose. I had never bought or cooked with leeks before, but I knew that they sounded like they go in soups, right? So I got them out, and thought, what the heck do I DO with this thing? If you're not familiar with a leek, it's like a ginormous overgrown chive. With chives you just cut up and eat the green parts. With the leek, the leaves are tough, so I was clueless. Thank God for Google! I found a site that said to put a couple of the leaves in soup for flavoring. In fact you can create a bouquet garni, which is a little creation tying the leek leaves around cracked peppercorns and bay leaf (where's the Youtube video for that, I ask! sheesh), and then plopping that in your soup. The leek leaves didn't seem long enough to tie everything up (I later learned you're supposed to tie with string or something else but I was in a hurry because Doug was coming over so we could watch Seinfeld, a show I've never watched, believe it or not).

I knew the white bulb part of the leek could be used but I didn't know how far up the stem - in the "light green" part of the leek between the white bulb and the dark green leaves - I could go. So I just chopped a bit of the white bulb part and threw it in the soup. I saved the rest in my fridge, but I just found this video online "How to Chop a Leek" that I wish I'd seen last night! Apparently you can go about 5 or 6 inches up the leek from the bulb. One thing I'm glad I learned was that all the leaves hold a lot of dirt and grime so you really have to peel each of the leaves back and clean or you'll end up with dirty leeks in your food. I'll leave you with a video on how to chop a leek (unfortunately it doesn't show a good view of what a whole leek looks like). Another video on ehow.com said that in soups he just cuts the leek part in half (3 inch pieces). He shows several different cutting techniques, which is cool.

I have made a list of vegetables I plan to use in various recipes. I've decided it doesn't totally count to use it as a part of a hodgepodge stone soup either. The recipe has to highlight that veggie prominently. I'm going to try to go mostly vegetarian again, and I have found a bunch of amazingly delicious recipes that I'm going to try out on my family, and when he's in town, Doug. Here's the veggie list in no particular order... drumroll....

Cauliflower
Turnip
Kohl rabi
Collard greens
Sweet potato
Broccoli
Bok choy
Green peas
Sugar snap peas
Cabbage
Kale
Radish
Mung bean sprouts
Brussel sprouts
Beets
Parsnips
Fennel
Eggplant
Kabocha squash
Butternut squash
Acorn squash
Spaghetti squash
Yellow (summer) squash
Zucchini
Broccolini
Broccoli rahb
Cactus
Radish
Tomatillo
Leek
Artichoke
Jersalem artichoke (sunchoke)
Turnip greens
Okra

Note that while I generally love most things, and most veggies, a couple of these things I have absolutely hated my whole life. Those include green peas and brussel sprouts. And turnips and parsnips? Meh. I have already found a couple recipes with Brussel sprouts and green peas that look actually very good, so I'll keep ya posted!

Savannah and a friend on Halloween. I love this pic and never got to share it so am now!

An end of January hodgepodge

Ruby Beach, Washington on the Olympic peninsula
Copyright (c) 2008 Wendee Holtcamp

I hope to blog more frequently again (have I said that before?!) but I wanted to post before too much time got away. It's been a crazy January. It never slows down does it? This month I focused on my January resolution of clean-purge-simplify. It started in December, actually, but continued through the month. I focused on donating stuff to charity, and cleaning out drawers and closets (I generally keep the rest of my house pretty clean - thanks to my wonderful kiddos!) I can't say my whole house is spotless and decluttered, but I made huge progress. My bedroom closet is so spacious - I can see the back of it now! Likewise the closet in my office is a completely different space. So yay, I think I met my goal. In a future post, I will mention my February resolution but I have to make this quick as I'm about to head out the door to go to Body Pump at the gym.

With the surrender, clean, purge, I think God had some plans for my life I didn't like at all. I will reveal the details in time, but suffice it to say it is devastating (everyone is fine, don't worry). I am trying to place my trust in God, and work on my relationship with Him, rather than trying to do things on my own power, and I am very good at taking control of things that I should let go and let God!

I'm continuing with the 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse, which has been interesting but I think the most important thing I'm doing I just started this week. I started an Experiencing God Bible Study at my church. I got this book years ago, and tried doing it on my own but it really requires a small group setting. So when I heard my church was offering it, I jumped at the chance. And then I missed the first week. I tried to make it the second week. I decided I had too much on my plate. But then I thought it over and decided I would go. But then the third week, I was all set to go and I came down with a headcold right at the last minute! Excuses, excuses huh. So I went this week - yay me! And I am already being blessed in my walk with the Lord. I have started catching up in the workbook and starting to see synchronity happen again in my life - one way the Lord speaks to me!

For example I came across this story (in a couple forms) not once, but twice in the same week that the "bad thing" happened. When a friend received a promotion, Albert Camus would give his condolences warning that they might get stuck in complacency. When his friend lost his job, he would open a bottle of champagne and celebrate, because it would force them into new experiences they wouldn't have had otherwise. There's another version - it's a Buddhist parable I believe. I'll try to find it.

I am on day 12 of the Master Cleanse, which is part of my January clean-purge mode. I will be finishing it soon and got a couple Vegetarian Times magazines from the library and am uber-excited about trying some amazing recipes!! In fact, and I credit my Montana friend Elissa with this, I have started a list of veggies to use in recipes - everything from kabocha squash to kohlrabi! I was thinking about maybe doing some foodie stuff with this blog, and talking about the recipes I try. I love cooking and it's becoming more and more a passion of mine. I'm an on-again off-again vegetarian and I am going to TRY to minimize meat consumption, especially if it's not organic or humanely raised. I have become much more aware of food issues since doing my Animal Planet blog! Well I better get off to the gym!

consciousness cleanse

Peruvian Amazon rainforest along the River Madre de Dios
Copyright (c) Wendee Holtcamp 2006

I'm using my old desktop computer, which actually is not that old, but it is slow as a slug, and the keyboard is incredibly annoying. I had to mail my laptop off for repairs. Everything is falling apart it seems - my trusty Subaru had to be taken down for work yesterday too. It was getting awfully loud, and I thought it was just age. But turns out the wheel bearings were so bad that I was lucky it didn't just lock up on me. I only brought it down on a whim. Glad I did!

I have started doing the 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse, and the coolest thing is that I got several friends to do it alongside me, so we're all sharing our experiences. The Consciousness Cleanse is based on a new book by one of my favorite authors, Debbie Ford. There are online meditations and readings, but I got the book from my library and it's got some additional reading material. On the first day, which we did yesterday, you sort of come up with what area of your life most needs your focus, and to create an inner and outer goal to help you achieve it.

The audio meditation allows you to sort of think through and figure out what feeling you would have inside were that dream to come true to your wildest imaginings. I initially thought of financial success. Which is so unlike me, because I have always sort of despised people who have a lot of money. Maybe despised isn't the right word. Distrusted, maybe? It's like I have issues with people who seek money for money's sake and because of my own upbringing (I had a hippie dad, what can I say) I had/have some negative associations with money.

Yet I have always been extremely responsible with money, and done well for myself but the last year was tough on me financially. Hence the new focus. I have a future I need to save for. And I want to come to grips with the fact that not all wealthy people are selfish or greedy, but that is just a semi-conscious mental attitude I picked up along the way. And maybe a little bit of envy. But in my ponderings and such on this goal, I realized that what I really want is to make a difference, and I feel if I had wealth or greater success I could do more good the world. There's so much I dream of doing that is just impossible without the money to do it. And it brought me back to my book, and dreaming of its success. And wanting it to make a difference in terms of getting the message out there that God is love, and God is truth, and that science reveals truth about the natural world, God's creation, and science and faith are fully compatible! And all this brought me back to the fact that because of financial struggle I don't feel as much joy and passion for my work, which sometimes keeps me from giving my 100% attention to it as I should. The writing becomes more of a struggle, something that has to be done, rather than a true joy. And I crave that passion again for my work, for whatever I do. So that is what I'm working towards.

I started smiling at everyone I meet. It is amazing how by giving a smile, you can bring joy to them, and back to you. Just a simple little thing. And I've noticed a little more spring in my step the last few days. So that's where I'm at, and some of the things on my mind and heart lately! What's new with you? Leave a comment! ;)

i give up

Copyright (c) 2007 Wendee Holtcamp
Bees on lavender at Green Gulch Zen Center Farm, Sausolito, CA.

I give up. I officially suck at this cleanse thing this time around. I've done the Master Cleanse about a zillion times now, ranging from 10-18 days and never once "cheated" or had any food (well technically in the last one on the last day before my transition I did eat a few chocolate chips...). However I have been on this now since last Friday (over a week ago) and besides the first weekend I've had some sort of food I think every day! Right now I'm sitting on my back patio, eating a piece of veggie pizza and earlier I had a few bites of blueberry lavender sorbet. I am hopeless, utterly unforgivably hopeless.

Every day I'm like, ok this time I'm going to be serious, I'm going to go for the rest of the week doing my lemonade thing. Well today I had it, I give up! I'll just have to try again another time. I started my transition veggie soup earlier but not even sure if I need it given that I just ate a piece of pizza... well I guess it's healthy and delicious so I'll go with it and eat lots of veggie soup during the next few days. I don't know what it is, I think maybe I miss the kids. And today was a crap-ass day, so what can I say? I must renounce my crown from the lemonhead sisterhood.

One positive thing about this is that Thursday night when Mysteries of the Shark Coast comes on I can have a glass of wine with my friend Melody while we watch it!! We're having a viewing party on Saturday but I'm afraid everyone will be talking and I won't be able to hear anything!