August 2023 Update

late august Sunrise over aransas bay in fulton, texas

On August 3, 2023, I received the Business of the Month award from the Rockport Fulton Chamber of Commerce. It was very humbling to hear others speak about how I’ve impacted their lives through my volunteer service. Afterwards, one of my friends reminded me that I forgot to share the key aspect of what sets Wellness With Dee apart - Wellness With Dee is different because I don’t only focus on food, i.e. Nutritional Wellness. When I work with a client, we dig into multiple facets of the Wellness journey.

The Elephant in the Room

Let’s address this. Things have been quiet at Wellness With Dee for a while. I’ve been quiet for over a year. Me and Jesus have been working on some things. I’ll tell that story another day. But I want to say thanks for being here today. I’m happy to see you.

A lot of wellness wizards will tell you what to eat and when/how to move. That’s it. That’s all they do. And there is merit in that. For many people that’s all they want. And that’s ok.

At Wellness with Dee, I see wellness from a different perspective; a whole-person perspective. Food and movement is just one piece of the puzzle. Wellness is so much more. Mental, emotional, physical, relational, spiritual, & nutritional. Helping your pieces fit together optimally is the goal of Wellness with Dee.

As I celebrate being named Business of the Month through September 7th, I’ll be sharing more about the pieces of the wellness puzzle. Thanks for joining me in the solving of this riddle.

Recipe: Heavenly Jalapeño & Bacon Eggs

I added 11 females to my duck flock in May and now they are ALL laying eggs 6 days a week. I’m getting a total of seven dozen duck eggs per week. Oh. Em. Gee. What to do with all these duck eggs!

There is a feed store just up the road that buys from me to resell. But that’s only about four dozen gone. That leaves me with three dozen duck eggs on top of the constant supply of chicken eggs I already have. Everyone who comes into my home must leave with a dozen eggs. Well, that’s my hope, but it rarely actually happens. I’m getting into the habit of just randomly leaving a dozen eggs on some unsuspecting neighbor’s front step but those pesky Ring doorbell cameras are going to land me on YouTube or Inside Addition.

Get ready to see a lot of recipe development centered around duck eggs in the near future. Today’s submission is Jalapeño & Bacon Heavenly Eggs. When my family tried these, angels sang. I hope your family feels the same. Click the link for the printable version.

Heavenly Jalapeño & Bacon Eggs

Deviled eggs so good the angels sing.

Recipe Card

Heavenly Jalapeno & Bacon Eggs

INGREDIENTS:

12 duck eggs, hard boiled

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1-2 jalapeno, minced fine

2T Red Onion, minced fine

2T chopped fresh cilantro

1/3cup Mayo

2T Yellow Mustard

Dash Coconut Aminos

Salt & Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

To boil duck eggs:

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold all the eggs in a single layer with enough water to cover the eggs - 2-3 inches. Bring water to a roiling boil over high heat. Place room temperature eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Boil for 7 minutes for med-soft, 9 min for medium, and 11minutes for hard boiled. Drain eggs and place in an ice bath until cool enough to peel.

For the Heavenly filling:

Slice boiled and peeled eggs in half on the 'long' side. Remove the yolk and place it in a medium mixing bowl, using a fork to mash them fine. Add about half of the bacon, all the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, mayo, mustard, and coconut aminos to the yolks. Stir to combine. Taste for salt & pepper need, then season accordingly. Place yolk mix into a zip-top bag and cut a small corner off to make a piping bag. Pipe yolk mix into egg halves on a serving plate. Top eggs with remaining bacon crumbles. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

A note about jalapeño - the more vein you leave, the hotter the pepper in the dish. The heat will increase as the eggs sit

Garnish options - additional thin-sliced jalapeño and chopped cilantro

Chia Butter Coffee

When the calendar reaches the Autumn equinox our tastebuds turn to the quintessential tastes of fall. Cinnamon, pumpkin, cocoa. But the reigning queen of fall flavors is Pumpkin Spice. She’s the Spice Girl no one knew existed until that green siren dropped the first #PSL on the scene. You either love it or hate it and advocate passionately for your preference. There seems to be no middle ground with Pumpkin Spice.

Enter Chai. Warming and cinnamon-centric, Chai is more humble than Pumpkin while at the same time sharper. Chai Spice is commonly tied to tea while Pumpkin Spice is deemed suitable for coffee. There are cross-overs but they are rare; a dirty chai tea latte adds a shot of espresso to the hot tea. In regards to tea and coffee, I am a purist and think the two shall never meet. Is that just me? I don’t think so.

I don’t recall exactly when or why I started adding Chai Spice to my butter coffee, but it is now a fall staple.

Pumpkin Spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice includes cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. Chai Spice adds cardamom, allspice, black pepper, and sometimes star anise. The cardamom and black pepper give Chai its signature bite.

Chai Coffee can be made a couple of different ways.

You can add a chai spice blend to the basket in your drip coffee maker. This allows the spices to steep with the coffee and keeps them out of the finished product. Most of us don’t like dregs in our cup.

The spice blend can be added to a blended coffee or latte during the blending process. This is a less intense flavor and the spices do not dissolve. You’ll see them resting in the bottom of the cup as you drink.

My personal favorite is the French Press method. I admit to using a mortar and pestle to get the freshest spice possible. Right now I am loving Four Sigmatic coffee with mushrooms. Here is today’s recipe. I’ve included a link to a downloadable PDF for your convenience!

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Chai Butter Coffee

Chai Butter Coffee dusted with cinnamon

• 32 oz French Press

• High-powered blender or Immersion blender & jar

• 12 oz filtered water, just off boil

• 2T Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee with Chaga & Lion’s Mane

• 2t fresh ground spices or Chai Spice blend of choice.

  (1 Star Anise pod, 2 whole cloves, 1” cinnamon stick, 1/4 whole nutmeg, 1 cardamom pod, 1 black peppercorn pounded in a mortal & pestle or ground in a spice grinder until course)

• 2T Grass-fed Unsalted butter

• 2 Scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

• 1t Erythritol (for Keto) or 1t Maple Syrup (for Paleo)*

• Ground cinnamon (for garnish)*

  Add coffee and spices to your French Press. Pour in water and stir. Allow to brew for 5 minutes and press. Pour into either a high-powered blender or jar for immersion blending. Add butter, collagen peptides and sweetener if desired. Blend until fully combined and frothy, 60-90 seconds. Pour into your coffee cup and sprinkle with cinnamon.

An Unexpected Lesson

We all know that we need to move every day. Movement combats fatigue and depression. Daily movement improves sleep, digestion, and helps regulate blood sugar. Almost any one asked, “should you move daily?'“ will answer yes. However, when that same group is asked, “Do you move daily?” the inevitable answer is no.

I’m guilty of that lack of daily movement. And I surely know better. “When you know better, you do better.” FALSE!!! I just feel more guilt when I don’t “do” better.

Today, I chose to move. Well, movement chose me. Actually, the yard needed mowed. Though that’s not the entire truth. There’s a rain front moving in this weekend, the grass is unruly, my hubby likes a tidy yard, and I don’t hate riding around on the Cub Cadet ZT1. So, ride it around I did. Hey, it’s movement. Don’t judge.

My nemesis and teacher today, FS56RL.

When we mow, the edges need tidied up by a weed-eater. The Stihl FS56RL is my nemesis. It hates me, and there is no love lost on my side. A more devilish device does not exist in yard care.

Now, I love my husband (DH), and love doing things to make his life more pleasant. It’s a two-way street for us. One of the things the DH doesn’t love is weed eating. So I thought that running the weed-eater around the yard after I mowed today would be a nice way to make his life more pleasant. And, It would be an extra oomph in that daily movement I chose today.

There was no way this act of love was going to be a surprise. I had to text and ask which can held the mixed gas for the torture device, I mean, weed-eater. Then I texted to ask where the string was. At this point, DH calls and informs me about the string, then asks with no little amount of incredulity if I was sure I wanted to try this weed-eater thing. A cheery, "‘yep, I do!’ from me and I could almost hear him shrug his shoulders saying, ‘your funeral’ in his head. He did tell me to be sure to wear my safety glasses. Thanks, babe.

String located. Weed-eater gassed up. YouTube doesn’t know what kind of string-head there is on this thing. So back to its’ Master (DH) with a ‘how do I…’ question. String changed. YouTube does know how to start the thing, which is good because I didn’t.

The Stihl FS56RL is a straight-shaft beast and I’m now certain you need to be over six feet tall with orangutan arms to operate it properly. I’m no slouch at 5’6” yet I was not tall enough to let the instrument of torture fall at arms length and just swing away. DH makes it look so effortless and easy. And he does a nice, neat, straight job with it. HOW!?!

So I’ve made it up the sidewalk, around the house, and across the back of our detached garage. I’ve used two strings already. Weed-Master said I should only need one string unless I got into the wire fence around the property. I haven’t and yet two strings are already gone. I’m not defeated. No, ma’am. I just know when to take a good, long break and get an in-person assist from the Master of this device.

I’d say I got 20% of the necessary edges trimmed up. Not with any grace or professional finish, and I’m pretty sure DH will go back over them. But today I tried a new thing, and I’ll try the weed-eater again. Not bad for my first try. I hope.

Now there’s a lesson to be learned from this and if you’ve read this far, I want to share it with you.

In general, I hate asking for help. But today, I chose to embark on a task for which I was not equipped. So, I asked for help from the Master of the Weed-Eater. And I went to YouTube for guidance. I also stopped pushing the issue when I knew it was too much for me, and asked the Master for a lesson in order to improve my skill.

So many times in life, I’m not willing to reach out. If I think I “should” know something, I won’t ask for help. Pride, fear, and arrogance are terrible teachers and leave me paralyzed, unmoving. But the Master of my life, Jesus gently tells my heart, set pride, fear, and arrogance aside, daughter, and take my humility for it is a light burden and I will help you carry it. I lean into Him for the lesson and listen to Him for guidance. He has never left me paralyzed with pride or fear. Arrogance cannot exist in the presence of His humility.

So the movement I enjoyed today was not simply physical. The Lord moved my heart. I pray He moves yours as well.

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Spiced Banana Bundt Cake

Hanging in the sun has allowed these beauties to ripen nicely

My neighbor has banana trees that bore a bumper crop this year. One bunch fell off early and he gifted us the ultra-green bananas about two weeks ago. Being the rednecks we are, we used a tywrap and bungee cord to hang them from a porch rafter to see if they would ripen up.

They did!

So, as these bananas ripen, I’ll be using them to make some simple recipes. Today, I harvested four that had black spots and were perfect for a cake. These bananas are not super sweet but they are full of flavor. They are also smaller than most, only being about 4” long.

I used a tube pan for this cake, but you could use a bundt pan or make cupcakes, or even two loaves. Use what you have available. I like to serve it warm with butter or heavy cream.

Other upgrades you could make include adding dried fruit, nuts, or cinnamon chips. Play with it and make this recipe your own!

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Spiced Banana Bundt Cake.

Spiced Banana Cake

INGREDIENTS:

4 Small Ripe Bananas (about 1-1/2 cups)

4 Eggs

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1 t Vanilla

1 t Pumpkin Pie Spice or 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon + 1/4 t Ground Nutmeg + 1/8 t Ground Allspice + 1/8 t Ground Ginger

1/2 Cup Otto’s Cassava Flour

1-1/2 Cup Almond Flour

2 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Baking Soda

1/2 t Salt

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DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat your cake pan with ghee or line your muffin tin with parchment liners.

Add bananas, eggs, syrup, and vanilla to a high-speed blender and mix until frothy, about 1-2 minutes on medium-high.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.

Pour the banana mixture into the sifted dry ingredients and fold to combine. Pour batter into the prepared pan or cups and let set for 10 minutes.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thick portion of the cake comes out clean. For muffins, bake 20 minutes and test for doneness before removing.

Serves 12 / Cal 109 / Fat 3.5 g / Carb 17 (15g net) / Protein 3.5 g

Mexi-Cauli-Rice Dish

Mexi-Cauli-Rice

When Taco Tuesday needs something different.

Do you ever get in a food rut? You know what I mean. The same 10 dishes are on rotation in your week and there doesn’t seem to be any end to the routine. This twist on Spanish Rice will give your Taco Tuesday a makeover to jolt it out of any rut.

This dish is under 20 minutes from fridge to table for an experienced cook and maybe around 30 for a novice. I’ve also got some options to spice it up or down.

One thing folks forget is that with any recipe, you must make it to fit your family’s tastes. I like a spicy dish but you might not. Keep that in mind when you give this one a try.

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Mexi-Cauli-Rice

This recipe makes 4 generous servings

Ingredients:

• 1 LB Ground Meat

• 1 T Avocado Oil

• 1 Small Yellow Onion, diced

• 1 Small Red Bell Pepper, diced

• 1-2 Jalapeños, diced

• Taco Seasoning, to taste

• 1 LB Frozen Riced Cauliflower

• 1 16 oz Can Diced Tomatoes

• Salt & Pepper to taste

• 2 Limes

Optional Ingredients:

• Chopped Cilantro

• Avocado or Guacamole

• Sour Cream

• Extra Jalapeños or other pepper

• Salsa or Pico de Gallo

• More Limes

Directions:

1. In a heavy pan or dutch oven, over medium heat, add oil and meat to cook. Break up the ground meat as it browns. When the meat is half cooked, add the taco seasoning, onion, and peppers. Continue cooking until the meat is cooked through.

2. While the meat is cooking, in the microwave, cook the frozen riced cauliflower according to package directions.

3. When the meat is browned, add the cooked riced cauliflower (carefully, it’s hot!) and canned tomatoes, stirring to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Cook until heated through and thoroughly combined.

4. Add juice of 1-2 limes after the dish is off the heat. Stir to incorporate.

5. Serve with toppings of your choice or none at all.

Raising Chicks

Spring Chicks

hanging out in the guest bathtub to keep warm. Seven Buff Orpingtons and five Americaunas made themselves right at home and prepare to join the rest of the flock.

As a girl, I never dreamed of being a chicken lady. In fact, my family owned a commercial layer farm; raising the chickens that laid the eggs that became the chicken you bought at the grocery store. I grew up as a tiny cog in the wheel of a Poultry Giant. My folks contracted with a few different companies over the course of my growing-up years, but they were all big companies complete with their GMO feeds, mortality limits, and bean counters. I didn’t think much about it at that time. It was how we put groceries on the table and where I learned what hard work really was. Fast forward 25 years,

Now, I have backyard birds and they make me happy. I started with “sacrificial chickens” in August 2018. Don’t freak out. I had a lovely friend with a large flock who were past laying age. She gifted me 10 ladies to start with. See, I have bloodhounds and they needed to be exposed to the birds and taught, “Chickens are friends, not food.” We have six of those original 10 left and the dogs leave my ladies alone. Mission accomplished.

When I received these “spent hens” they were actually laying three to five eggs a day from 10 hens. Not bad for ladies that were supposed to be past their prime. Through this winter, my girls have gifted us with three to five eggs a week, and now we’re back up to three a day from my six hens.

Why have I invested so much time and effort into adding to my flock? Backyard eggs are the best. That is the bottom line. More details? Ok. Here goes.

“Backyard eggs have approximately 25 percent more vitamin E, 75 percent more beta carotene, and as much as 20 times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as do factory farmed eggs. Backyard chickens, if given the option, will eat vast amounts of green vegetation (high in beta carotene and omega-3's and low in cholesterol), bugs and tons of grains. Their eggs are a byproduct of this nutrition.”  from Mother Earth News

In addition to the nutrition value listed above, I get to choose what my hens eat. It’s not cheap to do so, but I refuse to feed them anything genetically modified, no corn, no soy, no chicken by-products. They range freely on an acre, helping control the bug population. They’ve been spotted fighting over some baby snakes lately and I heartily support this behavior.

Today it’s 73 degrees outside and my new girls are being introduced to the old biddies. They will nest together tonight but remain separated during the days for a few weeks. Wish the new family members all the best!

Begin Again

Eight months. I let my blog sit for eight months. WOW. In my last blog post I wrote, “time is a thing easily lost if not carefully guarded.” How true that is. As I began the NTP course, I felt certain that I could manage the course, blog, home, my full-time job, marriage, and all life would throw at me. I was oh, so wrong. To realize a profound truth and not be able to live up to it has been a serious blow to my confidence.

I’ll save a more detailed account of the struggles faced for a later time. I’m not yet ready to rehash the battle of depression and anxiety of the past year. Suffice it to say, I’m not fully on the other side yet, but I see more light than dark these days. Praise the Lord!

In the post-course-work schedule, I’m realizing that time is still a thing that is easily lost if not carefully guarded. There are a lot of time-suck activities that do not add value to either my life or my dreams. I’m using a great goal-planning calendar to help guide my time and dedication to The Pursuit of Ordinary and the launch of my in-person Nutritional Therapy Practice. Details coming soon!

Upcoming: Recipe Development, Cooking Guides, Spring in Rockport, TX, and new spring chicks!

See you soon.

NTP Week 1

It's been an interesting week to be sure. I've always had a knack for putting too much on my plate. This week, I expected to transition from one-on-one training to a more self-guided program. Also, my home is in the disarray that can only be brought on only by multiple repair projects. And the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner course I registered for in February started. Even as i intentionally tried to clear my schedule as much as possible, I've come to understand that time is a thing easily lost if not carefully guarded. 

Number one priority for me is the NTP course. There, the week was spent getting acquainted with the web-based learning portal and introductions from both fellow students and instructors. There is much encouragement to be shared in the forums, and many people to get to know. 45 to be exact. For this introvert (at heart) that's a lot of connections to make. However, even now I am excited about the prospect of so many new friends.

Starting with the basics, the NTA sets out to build a solid foundation from the very beginning. I've become acquainted the web-based portal, and learned how to navigating their system. While the course could be done entirely on a computer, I'm a fan of putting pen to paper. As such, I've downloaded and printed slides and notes and outlines for the whole course, all lovingly organized in a three ring binder. #nerdalert 

I've been nervous for the past month about just getting started. Since the kickoff webinar on Tuesday, my nerves have calmed and I'm now eager for the course ahead. Sometimes the anticipation of the unknown can be worse than the thing itself. 

I plan to spend some time this weekend getting a leg up on the next couple of modules while my guys finish a portion of the home repair still lingering from Hurricane Harvey.

I pray you have a blessed weekend enjoying whatever endeavor you choose. 

Push Ups aka Personal Training

After a six, no wait, seven... Okay. For real though, it was probably actually about a year out of the routine of three to four and sometimes five days of group classes each week at a cross-fit style gym. There were a lot of contributing factors with my hiatus, but that's for another day.

I've signed up with Amber at Rising Tide Fitness to help me get back into the swing and lift of a regular training routine. My focus is on retraining proper lifting form & technique, and core stability. Amber is a US Marine and has a teacher's heart. She pushes me further than I can push myself, and that is what I want in a trainer. She & I sat down and had a conversation before she ever asked me to move a muscle. I really appreciated that. She was prepared and had several questions for me, and listened to what I expected out of one-on-one training versus the class setting I had experienced before. 

Squat Form

I've worked with Amber before, but never one-on-one. Right now we are keying on basics like squat form & shoulder progressions. Here Amber is guiding me about collapsing knees and strong posture. It's like I'm starting over again but it's a good thing. 

Previously at Rising Tide, I attended the classes rather than going the personal training route. This decision was mostly based on the cost consideration and my husband & I attended class together a lot. However, no matter how much I loved the camaraderie of the class setting, it was too hard on me. I'm competitive and pushed too hard in classes to keep up with others or do the workout as prescribed (Rx). Autoimmune conditions require consideration when determining what physical activity will best suit. Working with someone like Amber who wants me to succeed as much as I do makes the needed adjustments easy.

Here are some things you should consider when determining how your own personal physical activity will look:

1. Cost. Yes, get the money question out of the way up front. You know your budget. Adding a cost that increases your stress can negate any positive results. Walking at the park or in your neighborhood is free. Gym memberships cost money. Personal Training can get expensive. Have that awkward conversation before you sign anything.
2. Time.  How much time do you have to invest? Be realistic. Realize something else will be compromised to carve out time for classes, training, or walking the neighborhood. Consistency equals results.
3. Personality. Should you choose to go the route of a personal trainer, as I have, you need to make sure that your personalities are going to mesh. Lots of things can be taught, but personalities in adults are usually pretty set.
4. Comfort. If you're interviewing a trainer who makes you uncomfortable, ask for a reference to a trainer who will make you feel comfortable. Trainers & trainees may cross some awkward personal space lines. 'Nuff said.
5. Listening. Amber listened to me. She heard what I said about pace. She listened to my goals and wrote them down. Don't use a trainer who wants you to follow their agenda rather than programming for you. The opposite is true as well. Your trainer is a paid professional. Listen to them! I'm not paying Amber to be my therapist, she's there to help me improve my physical fitness. I'm sure as heck going to listen to her.

I'm going to be able to do one unassisted push-up by the end of 2018. I will listen to Amber and follow her programming. We will evaluate progress and adjust accordingly. I will groan & cry out in frustration.  I'll show up. I'll work. I'll sweat. I'll be so much better for it.

Do you have anthing to be added to the list above? Have you had any good or bad experiences you would like to share? Comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say.

Texas Wildflowers

Bluebonnet field at Live Oak Park in Ingleside, TX.

Spring in Texas brings about the iconic annual bloom of wildflowers. Depending on which parallel is closest to where you call home, the actual timing of the ubiquitous bloom varies widely. In the south, along the Gulf Coast and Rio Grande Valley, the bloom can begin as early as mid March and continue for three to six weeks based on how quickly the summer heat rushes in. The Hill Country comes on some three to four weeks later depending on how late the cold of winter lingers, how many sunny days are enjoyed, and how much rain falls during late fall and winter. 

There are so many variables when seeking to enjoy a spring wildflower drive.

Living along the southern Gulf coast, the wildflowers bloom early on in my hometown. This year, we began to see them in mid-March, and they will continue to bloom through most of April. The actual blooms will vary and the variety of blooms will be ever changing. As I write this, the rights-of-way are blanketed with small purples, bright yellows, tiny whites, and fiery reds. Many a school child learns the names of mother nature's decorations, however I choose to simply enjoy them and not worry too much about names. 

Colorful wildflower mix in Rockport, TX near the intersection of Airport Road and TX 35 N.

Much like people, these little gems are dependent upon nourishment and sustenance from sources that can be hard to predict. 2017 was one for the record books in my home of Rockport, Texas. Record rain, scorching heat, and actual measurable snowfall accumulation. Those in and of themselves are a banner year according to local meteorologists. The crown jewel of the 2017 weather calendar, however, was Hurricane Harvey. A creeping landfall speed of two miles per hour coupled with 130 mile per hour sustained winds brought devastation that is difficult to put into words even now, seven months later.

The wildflowers persist, as do the people. After an autumn of turmoil and recovery and a bitterly cold winter, it is good to see the blooming harbingers of spring. I will enjoy their multicolored blanket on roadsides, pastures, and in yards as long as they last. 

Get outside & walk in the wildflowers. I always have a more positive outlook when I do. 

Happy Spring!

White flowers on the roadside near Aransas Airport at junction of TX35 & Airport Road.

Take me out to the Ballgame

My husband & I went to our first baseball game of the season last night.  Baseball games mean baseball food! The hot dogs with mustard, cheesy nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks! Oh the culinary delights of an evening at the park.  The variety at our local Double-A team’s Whataburger Field is actually quite good for a small, open-park venue and of course, there’s a Whataburger right there in the park!

What is a whole-food eating, gluten-free preferring, lover of Ameria’s past time to do? I’m not staying home. I’m not putting cotton up my nose so I won’t smell the smells and be tempted. I’m going to enjoy me some baseball! With that in mind, I’ve got some tried and true options for you when it comes to navigating the gastric delights of the ballpark.

Option 1: Know before you go. I frequent Whataburger Field during baseball season and make it a point to know what they have available each season. Be aware - most parks change their options each year.  Doing a bit of homework and asking Google some questions can alleviate some serious anxiety for a sensitive foodie. And there is probably a club you can join that will grant you entry into the swanky restaurant on site. Some Nolan’s fajita beef on a baked potato with fresh salsa from the Patio and a fruit cup make this baseball fan happy. 

Option 2: This is actually my favorite: eat before you go. Whether we have dinner at home before a 7:05 first pitch, or go straight from the office to one of our favorite local eateries along the way, eating outside the park is my #1 choice. It’s generally more economical, and of course, even in Corpus Christi, Texas, eating outside a venue allows much better choices than eating at the event.  I’ll be sure to share some of my favorites later.

Option 3: Schedule your intermittent fasting for the evening on the day of a game. Now this is not a good option for me or a lot of others, and if you are new to IF, it is definitely not the time to be trying to make a go of it. Just the smell of food begins a cascade of hormone reactions that can only be stopped by the ingestion of FOOD. However. Should you choose this tactic, I can recommend that you come fully hydrated, and make sure to drink lots of water during the game. Also, don’t bring along your beer drinking baseball buddy on this outing. Nothing can put an end to good intentions like a negative influence. 

Option 4: The trickiest of the maneuvers is of course sneaking your own food into the park. I’ve been successful in this particular feat a couple of times. Even with a small cross-body purse that the ticket taker checks out. You ladies know that there are spots you can stash a pouch of Justin’s Almond Butter or a protein bar where no one will ever see. Preferred, though, is the honest approach: tell the ticket taker that you have food sensitivities and require special food. They are very accommodating. Sometimes.

Option 5: Eat the Hot Dog. yes. Eat the hot dog. Or the funnel cake. Or the nachos. These memories are too important to be hampered by food fear. So drink a beer, have a pretzel, a fruit cup, some Dippin’ Dots. As long as it’s a choice you make and not you being too lazy to plan ahead. 

Sunshine. Friends. Memories. Go out to the park. You’ll never regret it when you go prepared for the inevitable question, “What do you want to eat, honey?”

Starting an Ordinary Blog

I've imagined starting a blog or website for years now. Today I finally pulled the trigger and launched The Pursuit of Ordinary to the world. The advice I've read about websites & blogs almost always said to worry about perfection after you get started. Start scared. Launch before it's perfect. Get yourself out there. Just get started. So I did. 

Managing stress has been very important in my healing journey from the beginning. I try to keep my stress level low. But let's be very honest here; launching a website is not a low-stress task. At least not for a perfectionist like me. 

I would love to share that the website was easy to build and that the decisions that had to be made were simple. They weren't. But once I knew what God wanted me to do, it fell together quite simply. I put aside some of the future plans I have for the website in favor of getting started. Look for the adjustments as the site matures and my learning curve with Square Space improves.

I pray that this endeavor will be what God wants it to be and I share what God wants shared.