Let's Take a Moment to Recalibrate

Hello there.

Long time no speak, eh?

It's been about... well exactly, actually... 3 years since I last posted.

A couple months ago, I received a letter informing me of unclaimed Google Ad dollars generated by this blog, and by the way, I need to show my digital presence for a moment to collect them. Oops! I guess people are still finding value in my rants, raves and recipes. Who knew?

This month, out of the blue, I reconnected with the lovely people at One Green Planet, a leading resource for vegan cooking inspiration (among many other world-conscious topics). The new food editor had discovered a vegan pot pie recipe that I had created, and it will be featured on the site and Food Monster vegan cooking app, soon.

It appears that the ghost of my former self still haunts the internet, rather successfully. A lot changes in 3 years.

I now have two children, ages 2 and 5.

A day with 2 clean plates = a miracle.

Full Time Job: Keeping them Alive. Harder than it looks.

The older is beyond picky with food. The advice that kids will eventually eat if they get hungry enough is laughable. He's stubborn to the point of actual starvation. I'm not kidding. Whose kid is this? Couldn't be mine.

The younger is my food buddy. She loves mushrooms, tomatoes, pickles, eggs, and flavorful seasoning. She is 2, though, so there are challenges.  However, she can not hold out for more than 2 meals, unless she's actually ill.

Dinnertime is no longer a fun and anticipated climax to the day. Instead, it is a chaotic whirlwind of children running, screeching, hunger tantrums, special requests demands and refusal to eat. When the adult dinner is finally ready, it's a tag-team effort of managing mischief and drying tired tears. My day starts with cold coffee, and ends with warm white wine.

I am no longer a food blogger. I tried to be other things, as well. Let's face it: I'm a stay-at-home mom, whether I like it or not. And it shows. It shows in my lack of focus, on anything. It shows in my tired eyes. It shows in my stretched patience, and it shows in my body - even if I'm the only one who notices.

So, in 2018, let's recalibrate for a moment. I'm not the same, and as they say, you can never go home. What choices are failing me, in my life in the last couple years? Where have I succeeded? What can I do better? What can I do right now, to feel good, that doesn't take much extra time?

We can start with FOOD. I cook more than 3 meals a day, anyways. There must be room for improvement.

I would love to follow that with exercise, but that is going to take a little effort to find the time. I'm starting a new regimen soon, called the MUTU system. I'll share more details on this later, but to start, there are rules for eating during this 12-week program. My previous self, the one with no children, abundant discretionary income and patience, would have taken on these rules without blinking. Today, I perceive these rules as an overwhelming and enormous challenge.

Would you like to improve your diet and try new things in 2018? Then follow along with me, as I challenge myself to feed myself and my family better food. Let's move forward in 2018. I can almost see the light at the end of my tunnel. Can you?