Help for Clutter, Hoarding and Emotional Eating at NurturingHope.com » Friday Fun

How I Found the One

Catherine — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:54:34 +0000

Our Wedding - 2005

This is really a Friday Fun post, but it’s a day late )

In my early adulthood I didn’t have a clue about men or love. I made a lot of bad decisions. And then, shortly after I turned 30 I began adding Tweaks or positive habits to my life. Gradually, I began to realize that I am a worthy, precious person and I slowly started to treat myself accordingly.

Magic started to happen. I got happier and it showed. Men started to notice me. It dawned on me in a blinding realization that fat does not mean unattractive. I was an attractive, vibrant woman even though I was still very heavy.
Once I realized that there were in fact PLENTY of men who found me attractive, a funny thing happened. I got picky about men. In fact, I got super picky. I stopped considering men I would have dated out of desperation before. I stopped considering men who seemed “okay.” I was holding out for just the right one and I knew I’d find him.

And now the truly magical part: I did. One day I got a response at an online personals site that got my attention right away. An attractive man with a sweet, sensitive face who spoke to me in a way that made me think that he really read my profile and got it. We talked, and we talked and we talked some more. The sense of “this man really understands how I think and what I value” was overwhelming. I still wasn’t sure because we hadn’t met, so I was holding my heart safe. But then we met and he was everything he seemed to be, and he smelled good too! (Never fall in love with a man you haven’t smelled yet LOL — chemistry is critical.)

This man is Martin, my husband, and we have been life partners for over six years. Every day I have to pinch myself because I cannot believe how fortunate I was to find such a tender, generous and passionate man. I know for certain that I found him because I waited until the right guy came along.

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A Treat for Valentine’s Day

Catherine — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:36:34 +0000

Jimmy Moore

I have been a fan of Jimmy Moore for years now. Jimmy and I have something in common. Like me, he too was once super morbidly obese and he has lost an amazing 170 pounds. His life’s work is to show others how to achieve the weight loss success he has had with low carb eating, and he shares his message at the popular Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Blog.

What I love most about Jimmy is that everything he does is an illustration of his enthusiastic, joyful approach to life.

This week, Jimmy interviewed Karly Pitman about Valentine’s Day and how to show love to others and, even more importantly, ourselves. Jimmy calls this interview “a soothing, hot bubble bath” and I could not have said it better. I hope you take some time today or this weekend to immerse yourself in this comforting and empowering message. Click here to listen to Jimmy’s interview with Karly.

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Tunisian Food — A Great Example of the Healthy Mediterranean Diet

Catherine — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:12:49 +0000

Ever since we moved to the small North African country of Tunisia last summer, I have been thoroughly enjoying eating Tunisian food, both at restaurants and at home. I’ve also lost about 20 more pounds and I’m smaller than I have ever been since I was 21 years old! I don’t think this is a coincidence. Here’s why.

Tunisia has a long Mediterranean coastline and its cuisine is a fine example of the Mediterranean diet, rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, fish and poultry, nuts and good oils. These foods are high in antioxidants and fiber and nutrient-rich so they are naturally satisfying and healthy.

Tunisians love spicy food, and the national condiment and an ingredient in many dishes is a paste called harissa, made from garlic and smoked hot red peppers.

Some of the highlights of Tunisian food culture help illustrate why the traditional Mediterranean diet is so healthful:

Couscous is one of the most popular meals in North Africa. Couscous appears to be a finely-textured grain but the individual grains are actually made from semolina dough like pasta. I buy wholewheat couscous to increase the fiber and nutrient content. Couscous is frequently served with a stew of vegetables, sometimes with meat, chicken or poultry. Couscous can also be served as a desert steamed with dried fruits, nuts, spices and drizzled with honey.
An abundance of fruits and vegetables are grown in the northern coastal regions of Tunisia, where we live, and they are sold in the vast outdoor and indoor market nearby. Depending on the season, we can buy fresh dates, citrus fruit, apples, pomegranates, nectarines, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, melons, tomatoes, eggplant, artichokes, green onions, leeks, cabbage (red and green), peppers, fennel, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, fresh and cured olives and so much more.
Dried beans, chickpeas, and lentils are sold in bulk. Where we live, the most popular street food is a baguette filled with hot chickpeas, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with olives and tuna, egg or sardines. I had this for breakfast the other day before the gym — my husband and I split one sandwich and I was full for hours.
With such a long Mediterranean coastline, fish is a popular dish. Fresh grilled fish, fresh and canned tuna, octopus and squid all figure prominently.
Delicious Tunisian mint tea is made from green tea, black tea and mint. Full of antioxidants and, when purchased at a cafe, unfortunately sugar. I want to try substituting stevia for sugar.
What do Tunisians eat when they want a snack? Well, along with the deep fried sweets that are popular (we have these for a very occasional treat), a favorite snack option are the freshly roasted nuts and seeds that can be bought in little bags at ubiquitous little Fruits Secs stands.

Want to experiment with cooking Tunisian food? You can check out some yummy Tunisian recipes here.

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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skrb/

Mommy Bloggers Carnival

Catherine — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:45:25 +0000

The Mommy Bloggers Carnival, which is being hosted at SisterlySavings.net this month, featured my post about decluttering, 7 Steps to Declutter Your Home in 15 Minutes a Day . Take a look at the Carnival for other interesting posts written by mommy bloggers including:

Thanks to SisterlySavings.net for hosting the Carnival!

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16 Nutritious, Easy Crockpot Recipes for Cluttered Kitchens

Catherine — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:04:31 +0000

I was reminiscing lately about the old days when my kitchen was a mess, and the lack of homecooked meals as a result. I hardly ever cooked because the counters, table and sink were so cluttered all the time that I couldn’t really begin to think about putting together a meal. So we ate a lot of junky takeout food. Today I was thinking that it would not have been that hard to combine a few ingredients in the crockpot for a hot meal later in the day.

The Tweaks System is all about one little step at a time. You don’t have to start cooking three-course meals at home. Here are some simple, good-for-you homecooked meals that you can just throw together in a crockpot — so much cheaper and healthier than pizza or fast food. The majority of these recipes use no more than five ingredients:

Pot Roast This is a flexible recipe; it uses potatoes and carrots, but you can add chunks of any root veggies you have in the fridge — turnip, rutabaga, parsnips, celeriac.
Italian Pot Roast This is great with Italian bread and a green salad.
Chicken Taco Meat Super easy way to prepare taco meat for now or for the freezer.
Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic There’s no reason why you couldn’t substitute dried rosemary for the fresh rosemary in this recipe.
Turkey Breast Get turkey breast on sale and use this easy method to cook it for sandwiches and salads.
Green Chili Beef Great on burritos with a little cheese and some quacamole or sour cream. This makes lots of leftovers that you can freeze or use for lunches.
Refried Beans Simple, healthy and very economical.
Mexican Pork Gives pork and beans a whole new spin — spicy black beans with lean pork loin cubes.
Italian Sausage Try this with whole wheat spaghetti or multigrain rolls. It’s safe to skip the boil-in-a-pot step at the beginning of the recipe.
Swiss Steak A nice small recipe for two servings.
Tomato Chicken A whole chicken and a jar of spaghetti sauce. What could be easier? Try throwing in some halved potatoes halfway through and some cubed zucchini in the final hour for a full meal.
Chicken Fajitas So much cheaper than restaurant fajitas, and healthier than Taco Bell!
Oatmeal Porridge Have kids? This is a great way to wake them up with a hot breakfast on hectic mornings. Just put oatmeal, water and a pinch of salt in the crockpot right before bed.
Aztec Black Beans Vegetarian, cheap, healthy and delicious. A real winner.
Curried Chicken Legs I’d throw in some baby carrots or cubed carrots for the final couple of hours and then serve this over rice.
Sloppy Joe Lentils Another non-meat recipe. This makes a big batch so you can freeze half for microwaving later.

This is a Friday Fun post.

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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orbitaljoe/

Decluttering Emotionally Charged Stuff

Catherine — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:23:29 +0000

My son (who is 16 years old now!) has a dwindling collection of kitties (figurines) that he collected in his boyhood. A couple of weeks ago two of his kitties, a pair of black porcelain cats, mysteriously appeared on my desk. I inquired and he told me that he just really didn’t want them anymore.

Well, I didn’t really want the kitties either, to be honest, but still my heart kind of ached at the idea of getting rid of things that once held meaning for my used-to-be-little boy. The kitties spent the last two weeks on my otherwise uncluttered desk.

Today I had a flash of brilliance. We live on a busy street with lots of pedestrian traffic, and lots of kids. I passed the kitties over to my husband and asked him to walk them a block or two away and find a wall to put them on next to the sidewalk. In my imaginings, a child would find the kitties and treasure them (for a while at least). Thinking this, I could part with the figurines. “But take a picture!” I begged my hubby. I knew I would want to tell this story on my blog.

Hilarity ensued. When Martin found a nice wall for the kitties and put them up there, the smaller one crashed to the ground and broke! A tragic loss But here is a picture of the lone surviving kitty, waiting for its new owner.

Sometimes it really is hard for us to part with our clutter. People like us who have clutter and hoarding issues tend to imbue objects with intense emotional significance, and we sometimes even feel guilt toward the objects themselves when we are ready to release them from our lives. When you run into a quandary like this, consider whether there is a creative way you can part with the item without anxiety You might be surprised at what you dream up!

This is a Friday Fun post.

Read all the decluttering posts here.

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A New “Now” Picture