Get Three Healthy Bread Recipes Down Pat

I've made several attempts over the years to make bread.  The only time I really succeeded was making challah.  Every time I made it over the years it turned out beautifully, as well as tasting VERY good.  The problem with it?  It has too much white sugar, butter and white flour to be placed in my healthy category.  Plus, it's almost like cheating when you make things taste good with lots of butter and sugar- those things make everything taste better, don't they?  I've made other breads but have never been completely satisfied with the outcome- not attractive enough, too heavy, etc. 

So my next life list item:  I want to be able to make three different kinds of healthy, tasty breads to have under my belt, in my recipe collection, or just to impress....myself. :)   I also don't want to spend hours a week when I finally get the recipes.  So they need to be fairly simple.  I have a recipe book in mind and will share when I have a recipe picked out.

The above picture isn't bread made by my own hand.  It was delivered by the milk man (yes milk men still exist).  It's healthy, tasty and too expensive.  I want to make it- much cheaper. 


On to the updates:  I took several weeks off from working on the trophy  (after being sick) I started again this week hoping to be ready for the new year with several good habits well on their way.

I'm still digitizing CDs- a tedious project that I don't work on every day, but I'm slowly crawling there and I'm more than half-way done.

Also?  My clothes closet is looking better and better, and even though all my clothes are black :),  I have started seeing them individually.  Plus, I haven't missed anything!

Reset with Reality

Okay.  So apparently I needed a reality check.  After the last post when I was updating my awesome trophy run...I got sick.  This rarely happens and I didn't figure I'd need to account for it by not giving myself any slack for consecutive weeks.  I have now learned that this is probably going to be impossible.  Shit happens.  I do get sick and injured on occasion.  So I am resetting my consecutive life list item to 56 weeks mostly consecutive with two weeks of allowance.  Meaning I will still be on target if I happen to miss a week of getting a trophy.  I will allow this to happen twice.  I'm hoping it won't but now I have learned.  Like I said shit happens.  SO.  My life list goal is rewritten as 56 weeks of consecutive trophies on my heart rate monitor by getting at least 4 workouts in a week (running, weightlifting, jump rope, hiking, biking and HIIT- high intensity interval training, etc.)  I was hoping to avoid the January 1st resolution rush, but it looks like that's where I'm headed. :)  Though I will attempt to start this this week.

Digitizing all CDs

Most likely the first item on my Life List to be completed will be digitizing my music CDs.  I'm about halfway through with this pain in the ass little project and will be SO glad when it's OVah.  It's been nice to remove the CDs off the bookshelf and make room for the books that haven't fit on there until now.  Just one more step to minimizing and getting rid of stuff I don't need.  My i tunes is looking a little unruly but better there than on my shelves- those things I have to look at every day in my living room. :)

Update:  I'm still on course for my trophies, I think I have seven weeks down.  I've also been cleaning out my kitchen items and it looks and feels (most important) so much lighter.  AND, the psychological part of this whole minimizing is the best.  I just feel so much better and saner with less stuff in my life.

Halfers- Lose 50%

I've decided to commit myself to getting rid 50% of the stuff in my life.  I would like to work my way (with passion- not half-assed like I have in the past) to simplifying my life.  I'm starting with my clothes closet (mentioned in the previous post) and with my kitchen (do I REALLY need a zucchini spiralizer? WTF? I think not).  The game plan here is to give away to family and friends the things they can really use (without encouraging clutter in their homes), and then give the rest away to good will or the equivalent.  This will also include paperwork, spending (I'm pretty sure I can cut this back 40% after looking at my budget-  I know *gasp* right?- plus this will help minimize adding anything to the unnecessary clutter), magazine subscriptions as they run out (easily 80%), all CDs- I've started digitizing all of my music, pantry- using up and not replacing (unless it's an absolute staple like chicken broth and flax seeds), recipes, ex-hobbies and more.

 Trust me, this picture scares me more than it does you. :)

The only things I can't half at this point is the camping equipment, beds (we have two- one for guests or sick or pissed significant others :)).  I'm also not ready to give up 50% of my books- that's probably my biggest attachment and I'm not really sure why.  I am now dedicated to minimizing the stuff in my life by half, it's a challenge to see how really low I can go.... I think it's a good measure to my happiness. :)

  

Cleaning Out my Closet

I've decided I need to clean out, give away, throw away or replace at LEAST 50% of the items in my clothes closet.  I have so many things I don't wear and it is a huge cluttered mess.  It drives me crazy every time I go in there.  It has always been a source of discontent in my life.  I have occasionally gone in (like it's a torture chamber) and organized while getting rid of a few things.  I need to get tough, turn into a raging bitch and get that stuff out of my life.  It doesn't make me happy on any level, and I know I would be a much happier coming out of my clean closet.  :)  I want to get rid of all inauthentic clothes and shoes, pick a style I'm comfortable with and stick with it.  Right now I just have a bunch of workout clothes, items I haven't worn for years (and still, yet hang on to) and shoes that I'm utterly sick and tired of.  So, the plan is going to be:  Filling up a box a week with clothes, shoes, swimming suits and accessories until at least 50% (probably more like 70%) is taken out of the house and given away, and then replaced (or not) with only items I absolutely love and know I will wear.  I'm going minimalist!!

(Sorry for the lack of pictures. I will share as I pull the items out of the dreaded closet. :)

Cook My Way through a Cookbook

A lot of times I end up cooking whatever latest food blog entry matches up the best with what I have in my kitchen.  Basically I have a hard time planning meals and then sticking with that plan....food porn, you know. :)  But I have a cookbook in mind.  One that I would like to make all the recipes:

I've had the "Vegetarian Option" for over a month now, and I'm very intrigued with it.  I like his writing and recipes look absolutely interesting, different enough and doable.  I'm not a vegetarian but thought this would be a good recipe book for my plan- especially since it's not TOO big.

The pictures are beautiful (obviously mine doesn't do justice) :).  I'm one of those people who can spend hours looking through and reading recipe books and recipes-  (same thing with pouring over maps, but that's neither here nor there).  My plan is to make each recipes from front to back (as always no deadlines), take pictures and share them here in the recipe section (along with other recipes). 


What I really need to do is make some shorter term plans so that I can start checking some of these things off my list....and start feeling accomplished. :)

Food Photography- Collage

I want to take pictures of food.  I want to take GOOD pictures of food.  I also want to make my own art.  I have an idea for the wall between the  kitchen and dining room.  I want a collection of my own food photos- food as art.  It can/has been done.  For me I guess it will take a lot of practice, good lighting- not evening or dinner pictures now that it's getting dark earlier.  I have some ideas and if I can get my printer set up to the right computer (and an office), I think I will have a good start.  I like the idea of healthy, whole foods as art.  It can be so beautiful!  There are so many great colors and textures in nature.

This photo is not exactly what I have in mind (this had another purpose), but I still enjoy it.  I have several frames I plan on using for macros and whatever beautiful items I might come across in my kitchen :).

The thing I really like about this whole Life List idea is that there are no deadlines- no specific dates that anything has to be completed- it's a LIFE list after all! :)  I just try to look over my list every day to make sure I'm on track with it all.