Tips for Restrictive Eating While Traveling

I’m slowly tackling the changes that have been needed in my diet. Until it became necessary for me to give up all things dairy that I really became aware of how many foods contain cheese and yogurt and sour cream and cream cheese. These ingredients make so many of the foods we easy so yummy! I’m a little lucky in that I don’t have to give up cakes, cookies and baked goods that contain milk, but sauces and icings are still a struggle.

In addition to eliminating the dairy, I have decided to significantly cut the amount of bread and fried foods that I eat. Yesterday, I had lunch at Cracker Barrel and everything tasted terrible and smelled just as bad. There was nothing wrong with the food so please don’t take this as anything against the CB. The problem is me. I have noticed that as I change how I eat, my appetite and food tolerance are changing as well. And No, I am not pregnant. That was the first thing my mother asked when I said everything tasted and smelled bad. ☺ My problem, and really it is not a problem but a revelation, is that I’ve been hanging around and eating dinner with my vegan friends and my body is craving more of a natural, if not completely vegan, diet.

I think if we are really going to tackle the weight and health issues, we have to look beyond the what the dairy, farming and weight loss industries are telling us. We have to stop listening to them and start listening to our own bodies.

These are the things that I know about me.

• When I drink more water, I want less sugar.
• I enjoy the thick, creamy sauces that are made with cashews rather than milk or heavy cream.
• I still enjoy and crave the yogurty goodness of a nice Indian curry sauce. I will just eat a few times of year and suffer through the headaches that comes.
• Cake is still a craving but I crave it less.
• The more vegetables I eat, the less meat I desire.
• I am loving the homemade version of some of my once favorite take-out items…like pizza.
• My midsection as decreased as I have decreased my intake of bread.
• My plantar fasciitis hasn’t bothered me in at least 2 months. I think this is a result of the increased water intake.
• My body loves eggs.

I’m sure there are many other things I will learn as I continue to modify how I eat, but since I have been prone to travel in the past for work, I wanted to make sure I concentrated on how to continue eating more healthy fare while on the road. I am currently on the road for a job interview. For 3 days, I have been trying to make the best decisions possible so as not to feel terrible while driving or while doing the interview. My solution was to rely on the grocery store. There is a Publix supermarket just a few blocks from my hotel and since I have a refrigerator in the room, I decided to go over and buy boiled eggs and fruit for breakfast and edamame salad to snack on. I thought I would eat out after my interview but I ended up going back to the grocery store for more fruit and a nice spinach, mushroom and carrot salad. I still found myself at Zaxby’s a little later, but considering how much fruit and veg I had consumed, I have no hard feelings about the chicken tenders and extra Zax’s sauce. This trip only took me 5 hours away from home, so I will need to do more planning for longer trips. In the past, I would try to drive straight through as much as possible only picking up things that I could eat while driving. I will have to change that habit if I am going to keep my travel time as healthy as possible.

This is a work in progress but as I make more changes, my momentum is growing and more changes are being prompted. I encourage you all to make a couple of small changes and see how your body reacts. There are many reasons to change how we eat, but if you are resistant to listen to anyone, open up to listening to your body.

Frog or Finish Friday-Socks

When cleaning out my stash, I came face to face with my pile of unfinished knitting projects. Some of these have been on the needles for years. As part of my journey towards a simple life, I’m going to tackle each of them and determine once and for all if I will frog the current project or finish it. My goal is to tackle them a couple of weeks at a time so I can figure out what their next life will be (if they are frogged).

So, first up is a toe up sock that I started in February of 2008. I bought the yarn from a local dyer and I’m happy to say she no longer sells this. She changed her yarn base shortly after I bought this.



This is a very pretty yarn when skeined and it feels good to the touch, but I was not happy about the look of the yarn when knitting the sock. That was one of the reasons I never finished this sock. I think this yarn would be happier as a piece that can show off the striping nature of the yarn better. Also, I have no idea what pattern I was using to knit these.



So, I decided to frog it. I also decided to go ahead and wind this into a new ball as well as wind the remaining skein into a ball. During the process of ripping out the sock, the toe broke off. I took this is a one-off and decided to keep going. When re-balling the yarn, it broke yet again. I decided to stop for fear that I would end up with a ton of yarn pieces floating around. The yarn was not this fragile when originally knit and it has been protected from bugs so I’m not sure why it has become so fragile. This completely alters any plans I had for the yarn. If I’m going to have to spice constantly while trying to knit this up, I won’t get a good striping effect as desired.



So, I’m open to suggestions. I’m tempted to trash the ball that is falling apart, but I don’t want to be unnecessarily wasteful. What does this yarn want to be?

Books for April

My book journey continues on. I’ve knocked out 5 more books in my journey to read 100 books this year. I’m still terribly behind but I’ve finished 18 so far and I feel quite accomplished. You can follow my progress through Goodreads. There is also a status meter in the sidebar. I would love to connect with you all and see what reading goals you are setting for yourself. Below are the titles that I have tackled during the month of April.

All book links provided (in the sidebar) are from Amazon where I am an affiliate, but please support the book seller of your choice.





I listened to the Audible version of this book and I cannot speak highly enough of it. Joshilyn really knows how to tell a story and I appreciate that her "southerness" comes across as genuine and not manufactured. This was also read by the author and that in itself was delightful. I will be reading/listening to other titles by Ms. Jackson and can not wait to see what else she has put into the world. I already have two in my Audible library ready to be heard. I highly recommend this title in print and/or audio.



I had the pleasure of meeting this author/blogger at Blissdom 2012. Since deciding to combine my life with that of another, I have been on a journey of pairing down and simplifying. I refuse to believe that he and I can’t comfortably share the two bedroom home I have cultivated as a single girl. I want a good life that is lived within limits that are comfortable but not wasteful. This book has been helpful in helping me make some decisions about how we as a family will use our space. I have yet to do the 10 day clear out/cleaning process that she suggests but it is definitely in my future. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to live better without living bigger.

This was quite an interesting little book. It was written back in 1968. Some of the information is now outdated, particularly in terms of laws and public perception but it still is a good read. The author wrote this so boys and parents could more easily approach the subject of sex, but I would not want to read this as a parent and I wouldn’t want my child to read it. Well, I would think twice about both. But there are things here that all parents should know so I will be passing this on to friends with a son. We’ll see what they think of it. I almost hate to part with it. The copy I have is a very early edition and the only book I own that I can say was actually printed on a press and not using more modern printing processes. It’s quite lovely being able to feel the print on the page. I think I’m more of a physical book lover than I knew.




Thank God this book is a quick read. It was interesting and completely boring at the same time. The author brings up some interesting points about fidelity, infidelity an relationships, but he never expounds on anything. This book is nothing more than a collection of single thoughts that may hit you in passing, but there are no full discussions. Because of this, I think the book falls short of being anything more than a book of quotations on monogamy. Unless you need a good quote, skip this book.




I listened to this book as an audio selection. That is such a mistake. I like Dave Ramsey but I’m convinced he has no inside voice. His intensity is high octane all the time and that can get exhausting when listening to someone for three hours. But, he believes in what he speaks and I believe it as well. So many people have become debt free following his message which is based on biblical principles and one day I hope the future hubby and I can say the same. I highly recommend you read this book, but please buy a paper copy and skip the audio…unless you like being yelled at for hours at a time.