tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84659624902276576192024-03-20T20:55:36.835-07:00More With Much Less: An Anorexic's Guide to Mennonite CookingI am a Christian, Mennonite specifically, with anorexia nervosa. This blog is my journey cooking through a recipe each week from the Mennonite cookbook, More-with-Less by Doris Janzen Longacre.
You might wonder what the point of this is. Sometimes, I wonder the same thing. But I think it is important as Mennonites and other Christians think about the ethics of food, hunger, and the poor, that we do not shape the conversation around the idea of guilt.Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-83778825975966740252021-07-14T16:39:00.003-07:002021-07-14T16:40:20.313-07:00Baking and Cooking with my Kids!!<p><span data-offset-key="8aj2g-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">I plan to start typing on my recovery </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="8aj2g-1-0" style="font-family: inherit;">blog</span></span><span data-offset-key="8aj2g-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"> again soon! Stay tuned for more posts. I will be posting about my new food recovery journey: cooking and baking with my children! We have loved watching <i>Nailed It!</i> and <i>The Great British Baking Show</i>. I am so happy to be in a place of rewired recovery that my brain can handle watching a food show without restriction or extreme anxiety. And the best part is, my kids and I have baked together and done our own version of <i>Nailed It! </i>Stay tuned for stories of: Nailed It! fails, cooking through a children's Star Wars themed cookbook, children's cookbooks from my childhood, and hard tack that my daughter learned about reading my husband's childhood WWII books.</span></span></p><p><span data-offset-key="8aj2g-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-offset-key="8aj2g-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy8b0vPwNUUu1ki4hCyefGZ1l3mPiqKHE6S9ny6HufYBsijKKeek2TYE6_XzDkL-z6zgHVW3XYMPjtQdmq2nwUCCD8dobCGLMR5ODs_iIJjUsPB9-nWvveS6tyYbpss2iMx2v9ydaV5U/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="700" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy8b0vPwNUUu1ki4hCyefGZ1l3mPiqKHE6S9ny6HufYBsijKKeek2TYE6_XzDkL-z6zgHVW3XYMPjtQdmq2nwUCCD8dobCGLMR5ODs_iIJjUsPB9-nWvveS6tyYbpss2iMx2v9ydaV5U/w447-h257/1140-princess-cake-fail.imgcache.rev.web.700.399.jpg" width="447" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-9500195065239942712020-06-12T06:49:00.000-07:002020-06-12T06:49:46.847-07:00Diet soda<div>This was also where my mind was in August of 2013:<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As a person who struggles with anorexia nervosa, I am a master at
restricting my food. Evidenced in a previous post, I understand and
embrace a monotonous diet, eating the exact same foods everyday.</div>
<br />
But I don't understand and embrace celebrating.<br />
<br />
When
I first started having symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN) and
restricting my food, I told myself that I was not going to link food and
relationships with people. For me, that meant that I could sit at a
table with friends or family and not eat but still fully participate in
the relationship and the celebration.<br />
<br />
I was going to completely separate food and people. <br />
<br />
I've
sat at many celebratory tables--Thanksgivings, Christmases, weddings,
birthdays--and either did not eat at all or restricted what I did eat.<br />
<br />
This idea that I can somehow make food devoid of any meaning is not healthy nor achievable.<br />
<br />
By
trying to make food not have any meaning for days of celebration, I
have effectually made food the most important part of a celebratory
day. I spend most days of the year restricting and not allowing myself
food that I would like to have, so when a celebration day comes around, I
begin obsessing about all of the foods that I could let myself have.<br />
<br />
I
fantasize about Subway sandwiches, bananas, fruit, salad, ice cream,
bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter. My mind obsesses about the
possibilities, the calories, what I will have to give up to choose one
of these other options, the next time that I can let myself have a
celebration.<br />
<br />
I don't "affirm faith and relationships as the basis for celebrating" (Longacre).<br />
<br />
When
I do allow myself a food as a way to celebrate, I also co-opt it into
my restrictive pattern and turn it into something completely devoid of
joy.<br />
<br />
Over Christmas, I had my first diet soda. Before that, I had almost completely restricted soda since high school.<br />
<br />
I
do enjoy these zero calorie beverages, but I have changed them from a
part of a celebratory day, like the last day of school or Christmas
vacation, into another part of my system of restricting.<br />
<br />
Instead
of sitting down with my husband and drinking a diet soda to celebrate
our ten year anniversary, I spend the day planning when I will drink it,
worrying that caffeine is bad for me, Googling the effects of caffeine,
feeling guilty that I spent 50 cents for the diet soda, and feeling sad
that I will only have one and wishing that I could have more. <br />
<br />
But I further strip any joy out of the experience once I actually <i>drink </i>the
diet soda. I will watch the clock and only drink at certain times,
hoping to prolong the enjoyment of the drink, therefore not enjoying the
actual celebration. And wanting to hold onto these feelings of joy and
excitement even longer, I will save the diet soda and drink it all
week.<br />
<br />
This allows me to think about it every day and
plan when I will drink it and be excited about getting to drink it and
hoping that I will feel the same elation I felt when I was celebrating
with people I love.<br />
<br />
So, instead of enjoying a nice 15
minute time of sitting with my husband to celebrate our ten year
anniversary while I enjoy a diet soda, I will spend the next week
guiltily gulping sips of it out of the bottle while I stand in the
kitchen with the refrigerator door open.<br />
<br />
By trying to make food devoid of any meaning for celebrations, I have made it carry all of the meaning of the day.<br />
<br />
We create special food days to try and make a random day like the
first Friday in June special. But everyday can't be, and doesn't need
to be, a celebration. We don't need to cling to a feeling of joy or
falsely manufacture days to celebrate. Life is full of beautiful
relationships and amazing faith worth affirming. <br />
<br />
Since
I have discovered that food cannot be disentangled from relationships
with people and celebrations, I want to re-prioritize what it means for
me. I want it to play a complementary role as I affirm faith and
relationships as the basis for celebrating.<br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-17995749869089144602020-06-12T06:44:00.001-07:002020-06-12T06:45:00.374-07:00Reflections on the word "diet"<div>Here is something I wrote on August 6, 2013 while working on this blog and before the hiatus and brain re-wire work.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>When I encounter the word <i>diet</i>, my mind sometimes follows this trajectory: losing weight, eating less, being healthy, working out, bathing suits, obsession, scale, my stomach feels fat, I am fat, I need to work out more, I should work out right now, How can I eat less today?</div>
<br />
Sure, most people have had these thoughts run through their minds. You're walking through the mall, and you see a display of swimsuits and wish that you were in better shape. There's an ad on TV for the latest weight loss plan (gimmick), and you entertain the idea of learning more about it or maybe even trying it.<br />
<br />
But my mind didn't use to stop with those thoughts. My mind would latch onto a word, an image, an idea, a thought and not let go of it.<br />
<br />
If someone mentioned that they were starting a diet, my mind would eventually lead me to think and believe that I needed to start a diet. Depending on the day, I may have even convinced myself that the other person had hinted or even suggested that I too needed to go on a diet.<br />
<br />
But before I drag you further into the dark creveces of my mind, I want to talk about the word <i>diet</i>. <br />
<br />
I would like to say that I understand and use the word <i>diet</i> as defined on Wikipedia as : "(nutrition), the sum of food consumed by an organism or group," as opposed to the definition of <i>dieting</i>: "the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake.: <br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet" target="_blank"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet</a><br />
<br />
But I do not feel that I even talk about food in a healthy way, let alone think about, or eat it in a way that promotes health and well-being. <br />
<br />
You may argue that it is a game of symantics, that my word choice does not matter. But to me, it matters immensly. Using the word "food", "nutrition", or "nutrients" for what I consume can feel as important to me as if someone calls me "white", "anglo", or "American". These words feel very different as they are applied to me as a person. The same is true for the words that I use for the <i>stuff </i>that I put in my mouth that I consume to survive.Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-61399329864564341782020-06-11T19:39:00.002-07:002020-06-12T06:38:53.971-07:00Come journey with me on the path of re-wiring I definitely took a hiatus. I'm not sure you can count multiple years as
a hiatus, but that is what I called it. Since my last post there have
been numerous Lenten seasons, life-altering moments, and many monotonous
moments. So goes the life of human beings. I have done some very hard
work with re-wiring my brain, which I wrote about a couple of years ago and just posted tonight. I just
wanted to say that I am here. I am re-starting my writing. The format and content are changing, but the theme and message will remain the same. My project of cooking through the Mennonite cookbook did end with my last post in 2014, but I have so much to share from my journey to health and recovery. I plan to take you with me on this journey as I share what it was like to re-wire my brain through journal entries from the past few yeas and stories that have shaped my life. Thank you
for reading.Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-32851123398019173522020-06-11T18:53:00.001-07:002020-06-12T06:40:00.375-07:00Is four years still considered a hiatus?<div>I wrote this in 2018, and I am now ready to post it:<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Wow, four years ago I took a hiatus from this project. From 2014 to the fall of 2015, I was on a slow trajectory of becoming more unhealthy and getting stuck in Anorexia. I am grateful for the people in my life who spoke into this and asked me to get help. I went back to my doctor to do blood work and began the slow and difficult process of re-feeding, yet again. I felt somewhat defeated as I had done this cycle before. But I also felt hopeful because I was doing it more because I wanted to and desired health for myself.</div>
<br />
It was a process of re-gaining my physical health as I would still restrict and then reactive eat. I tried Whole 30, and a metabolism diet because I thought I was binging on sugar and thought I might be developing bulimia or a sugar-addiction. I tried the intuitive eating idea after reading the book by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. I made up a food plan that consisted of the exact same foods everyday, with the bulk of my food being a Subway sandwich and cookie. The people at Subway know me and my order. All of these things were me attempting to find a safe way to be healthy, to make my brain less anxious, to feel in control around food. But I was still eating only my foods, and only after 7PM when my kids had gone to bed. And I still wanted to avoid places and things with food.<br />
<br />
Then, I rediscovered the blog by Tabitha Farrar in May and have been on a completely new path since then. In the past year, I've been able to express that sometimes my brain feels like I've gotten on the wrong path, I've gotten more anxious and narrow-focused. It's hard not to be obsessed with food and the anxiety surrounding that. When I read Tabitha's blog and book, Rehabilitate, Re-wire, Recover, she confirmed this feeling. Anorexia nervosa is a brain-based mental illness. My brain has been wired to fear food. And when my brain is around food, it shifts into the Parasympapthetic Nervous System, which is fight or flight. My brain was usually screaming at me to get away from food, to get it out of my house, to get it away from my husband and kids. Farrar explains that this was probably originally a mechanism that some people had during the days of migration. A person whose brain was wired with anorexia would go into migrate mode when put into nutritional depletion. So, I would have been the person that told the others to put the food down and move to a new area where the food was plentiful when we were running out of food or the herd was moving. All of this really resonated with me: the extreme fear around food and wanting to move away from it and get it out. I recognized all of these behaviors in myself.<br />
<br />
But I had been going about recovery completely wrong. I thought that to feel safe around food, I had to completely control it. I asked my husband not to buy foods that I thought I would eat without control. I used to call these binges but have since learned that if I have a restrictive eating disorder, these are not binges. They are reactive eating experiences in response to restricting. So, I would try and eat only foods that I deemed safe. And these safe foods and safe experiences have changed so many times over the 20 years that anorexia has been activated in my brain. My brain always found a new way to change and adapt, so that I would continue restricting and be ready to migrate. But during the days of migration, the restriction served a short-term purpose to get the group to migrate to abundant food. And then people ate, and there wasn't nutritional inadequacy anymore. But for me, I kept going back to the restrictive and depleted nutritional state.<br />
<br />
And when I would allow myself to eat unrestricted, it was still while in the Parasympathetic Nervous System. My brain and body were still aroused and anxious, and I was continuing to dig the trenches in the channels of my brain that said food is to be feared. And when you do have the foods that your body is asking for, you end up eating them in a quantity that is past satisfaction.<br />
<br />
I started reading Farrar's book about re-wiring in May, 2018 and realized that to recover, I had to do all of the things that my brain is afraid to do. My brain is wired to fear food. I can re-wire it to not be afraid of food.<br />
<br />
Some people may read this and misunderstand what I am describing with the general cultural hatred of fat and gaining weight. They are two separate issues, both worth addressing, and both very serious. A culture obsessed with weight, and food lifestyles, and ethical eating, and prolonging our lives, and our outward appearances creates an environment that is easy for eating disorders to get activated in those people pre-disposed to them. But there are many people who will go on diets and lose weight who do not have eating disorders, and their brains will not then be wired to fear food. Food will not become a threat to be avoided.<br />
<br /><div>
Here's an example to share how an anorexic brain responds to a food that it believes to be a threat. In May, 2018 we had teacher appreciation week. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to have candy or other sugar foods in my box or in the teacher's break room. One morning, I was teaching a reading lesson in a small group, and an e-mail popped up that said "Donuts in the break room". It was instantaneous. I read it. My brain perceive a threat, and I went into full-on, high alert, fight-or-flight mode. I was trying to plan the rest of my day to avoid walking anywhere near that room.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-45291829917267298612014-03-17T08:24:00.004-07:002014-03-17T08:24:59.474-07:00Hiatus <i> Hiatus:</i><br />
<i>2<span class="ssens"><em class="sn">a</em> <strong>:</strong> an interruption in time or continuity <strong>:</strong> <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break">break</a>; <em>especially</em> <strong>:</strong> a period when something (as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted <span class="vi"><after a 5-year <em>hiatus</em> from writing></span></span></i><br />
<div class="snum">
<i><span class="ssens"><span class="vi"> </span></span><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hiatus" target="_blank">http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hiatus</a></i><span class="ssens"><span class="vi"></span></span><br />
<br />
It is quite obvious that I have not written in a while, and I find it humorous and ironic that the example given for the definition of hiatus is taking a break from writing.<br />
<br />
For various reasons, I have not made another recipe sine my last posting. And I even convinced myself that the reasons were good ones: sickness in the family, holidays and traveling, exhaustion, didn't have the ingredients, dinner plans at other people's houses, not wanting to...<br />
<br />
As you can see, the reasons seem less and less valid. It became comfortable for me to avoid cooking and eating new recipes from <i>More-with-less</i>.<br />
</div>
<div class="snum">
For me, anorexia nervosa requires and involves a certain level of becoming comfortable with things that are typically uncomfortable: hunger, exhaustion, avoiding meals with loved ones, eating foods I don't like/not eating foods I do like, working out through pain...</div>
<div class="snum">
</div>
<div class="snum">
Over the years, I have become comfortable with being uncomfortable and found ways to avoid new and different aspects of my life that would bring me pleasure, health, and joy. I have continued this pattern with the project I began in this blog.</div>
<div class="snum">
</div>
<div class="snum">
On June 3, 2013, I posted the following project proposal:</div>
<div class="snum">
<i>"I intend to read the book and cook one of the recipes each week and
blog about my experience. You might wonder what the point of this is.
Sometimes, I wonder the same thing. But I think it is important as
Mennonites and other Christians to think about the ethics of food, hunger,
and the poor, that we do not shape the conversation around the idea of
guilt."</i></div>
<div class="snum">
<br /></div>
<div class="snum">
I still believe this and intend to continue with my project.<br />
<br />
I appreciate the people who have asked me about the blog and expressed a desire to read more of my journey.<br />
<br />
During the rest of this time of Lent, I will pray and think about how to re-start this project and my desire to continue finding healthier ways to live.</div>
<div class="snum">
<br /></div>
<div class="snum">
<br /></div>
<div class="snum">
</div>
<div class="snum">
</div>
<div class="snum">
</div>
<div class="snum">
<br />
<span class="ssens"><span class="vi"> </span> </span></div>
Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-50786410388489185842013-11-18T08:57:00.000-08:002013-11-18T08:57:55.960-08:00Pizza Rice CasseroleRecipe #10: p. 129, Pizza Rice Casserole--Myrna Schmidt, Lakewood, Colorado<br />
<br />
rice<br />
ground beef<br />
onion<br />
tomato sauce<br />
garlic salt<br />
sugar<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
oregano<br />
parsley flakes<br />
cottage cheese<br />
shredded cheese<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipbKb_uyidlx_vFp5odYwSLltuyzo94ScS_q-cfmf6elufTKrXyLKkTAmEzDSdhI61pfTCfUFg8laDfTQsd-zs5DjMJpJFPdAoZtLIuGim4Vn_cq5c0hYBjVauRvMn2_vX25GcN3xwPU/s1600/DSC05609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipbKb_uyidlx_vFp5odYwSLltuyzo94ScS_q-cfmf6elufTKrXyLKkTAmEzDSdhI61pfTCfUFg8laDfTQsd-zs5DjMJpJFPdAoZtLIuGim4Vn_cq5c0hYBjVauRvMn2_vX25GcN3xwPU/s320/DSC05609.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This meal was simple to make, but I burnt the rice the first time, which was frustrating. It tasted very good and was like a lasagna with rice instead of noodles.<br />
<br />
This weekend, the women of our church had our annual women's retreat. This year, it was a silent retreat, and it was my first experience with one. We had common meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner eaten in silence. At each meal, we had a prepared, written litany to read, but there was no spoken communication during the meals. It was my first time eating with people in complete silence, and I enjoyed the experience.<br />
<br />
I prepared the following for the litany that we read during our silent lunch.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Silence that leads to Awareness</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ephesians 3:17-19</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“So that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may
be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and
height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">During this lunch, please read the following excerpts
on mindfulness and try to practice mindfulness during this meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal with mindfulness is that it will
lead us to an overall awareness of the love of Christ for us.</span></span></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">What is Mindful Observation?</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“Being mindful means that you
do not attempt to change your thoughts and feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You do not try to distract yourself, and you
do not try to numb your experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
a mindful observer, you simply take note of whatever it is that your mind
serves up for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You watch your
thoughts and feelings come and go without attempting to change them, hang on to
them, or make them go away…The key to mindfulness is your willingness to
observe and experience your thoughts and feelings without trying to hold on to
them, change them, or run away from them…As you develop willingness, you will
give yourself space and room to maneuver in different directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through mindfulness, you open the door to
taking action so that you can move toward the most important values in your
life.”</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">p. 65 <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Anorexia Workbook</span></span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<i><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What is Mindful Eating?</span></strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Mindful eating involves paying full attention
to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. We
pay attention to the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures, and even
the sounds (crunch!) of our food. We pay attention to the experience of the
body. Where in the body do we feel hunger? Where do we feel satisfaction? What
does half-full feel like, or three quarters full?</span></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We also pay attention to the mind. While
avoiding judgment or criticism, we watch when the mind gets distracted, pulling
away from full attention to what we are eating or drinking. We watch the
impulses that arise after we've taken a few sips or bites: to grab a book, to
turn on the TV, to call someone on our cell phone, or to do web search on some
interesting subject. We notice the impulse and return to just eating.</span></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We notice how eating affects our mood and how
our emotions like anxiety influence our eating. Gradually we regain the sense
of ease and freedom with eating that we had in childhood<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/child-development" title="Psychology Today looks at Child Development"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a>. It is our
natural birthright.</span></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The old habits of eating and not paying
attention are not easy to change. Don't try to make drastic changes. Lasting
change takes time, and is built on many small changes. We start simply.</span></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pick your
mindful eating homework:</span></strong></span></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">(1) Try taking the first four sips of a cup
of hot tea or coffee with full attention. <br />
(2) If you are reading and eating, try alternating these activities, not doing
both at once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read a page, then put the
book<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>down and eat a few bites,
savoring the tastes, then read another page, and so on. <br />
(3) At family meals, you might ask everyone to eat in silence for the first
five minutes, thinking about the many people <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>who
brought the food to your plates. <br />
(4) Try eating one meal a week mindfully, alone and in silence. Be creative.
For example, could you eat lunch behind a <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>closed
office door, or even alone in our car?</span></i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
<i><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Enjoy your meal!</span></strong></i><br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mindful-eating/200902/mindful-eating</span></i><br />
<i>
</i><br />
Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-69373159389372643682013-10-19T13:44:00.000-07:002013-10-19T13:45:29.377-07:00Ten-Minute All-In-One MealRecipe #9: p. 143, Ten-Minute All-In-One Meal--Flo Harnish, Akron, Pennsylvania<br />
<br />
whole wheat bread<br />
tomato<br />
onion<br />
hard cheese<br />
<br />
This meal was very simple and very fast. It tasted good and can be eaten with a fork or fingers! <br />
<br />
I closed my previous blog with this statement: We do not live in isolation, but we act as if we do, which leads to
lack of empathy, which in turn leads to violence. To counter this
destructive chain, we must actively seek to follow Jesus and his example
of empathy and compassion towards others.<br />
<br />
I left readers with a challenge to actively seek to follow Jesus, and now I would like to offer ways that this can be accomplished through Mennonite Central Committee's Relief Sales and Penny for Power campaigns. <br />
<br />
<b>Information about Mennonite Relief Sales:</b><br />
<i>Beginning in the late 1950’s, Mennonite Relief Sales began for the
purpose of raising funds to support the projects and programs of <a class="ext" href="http://www.mcc.org/" target="_self">Mennonite Central Committee</a><span class="ext"></span>,
a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches. MCC shares God's love and
compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human
needs and working for peace and justice. Forty three relief sale events
in the U.S. and Canada raise over five million dollars annually. Sale
events are hosted by local communities with the help of thousands of
hundreds volunteers who contributing their time and resources. Relief
sales today are festive events, enjoyed by large crowds that come for
the food, fellowship and opportunity to support the relief, development
and peace work of MCC. Attendees can purchase hand crafted quilts,
wood products and a variety of other donated items. Some events include
fun-runs, music and childrens activities. Learn more about <a href="http://reliefsales.mcc.org/">relief sale locations</a> and how you can get involved by browsing through web page.</i> <a href="http://reliefsales.mcc.org/aboutus" target="_blank">http://reliefsales.mcc.org/aboutus</a><br />
<br />
<b>More resources about MCC relief sales and food and water shortages around the world:</b><br />
<a href="http://reliefsales.mcc.org/" target="_blank">http://reliefsales.mcc.org/</a><br />
<br />
<i>Every five seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry.</i> <br />
<a href="https://resources.mcc.org/sites/default/files/site-configuration/field_attachment/Foodbasket_GivingCalendar.pdf" target="_blank">https://resources.mcc.org/sites/default/files/site-configuration/field_attachment/Foodbasket_GivingCalendar.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<i>Did you know people can survive 2 months without food, but will die in 3 days without water?</i><br />
<a href="https://resources.mcc.org/sites/default/files/site-configuration/field_attachment/MCCWaterWorks_GivingCalendar.pdf" target="_blank">https://resources.mcc.org/sites/default/files/site-configuration/field_attachment/MCCWaterWorks_GivingCalendar.pdf</a><br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-1089169022115614802013-09-29T15:40:00.000-07:002013-09-29T15:40:47.712-07:00No-Bake Cereal CookiesRecipe # 8: p. 287, No-Bake Cereal Cookies--Rosemary Moyer, North Newton, Kansas<br />
<br />
brown sugar<br />
light corn syrup<br />
vanilla<br />
peanut butter<br />
cereal flakes<br />
flaked coconut (optional)<br />
<br />
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I made these no-bake cereal cookies for my children's three-year old
birthday party, and they were easy to make and a huge success. My children's birthdays in August and my upcoming birthday in October has caused me to reflect on my own childhood.<br /><br />
By nature, I was an anxious and sensitive child. I was easily overwhelmed when I heard stories of people suffering. When I was about five years old, I remember seeing a cartoon with a character wearing a barrel held up by suspenders. That night, I have a distinct memory of praying for that man to get clothes.<br />
<br />
Whenever I saw a person holding a sign asking for money on the side of the road, I would ask my parents to go buy food to give to him or her. We did this quite a few times during my childhood.<br />
<br />
My feelings of wanting to help others were out of kindness, but more than anything, they were from guilt. Why did I have things and other people didn't? Why were people mean to others? Why don't people share the food they have?<br />
<br />
As I moved into my teenage years, my intense desire to not see people hurting continued, but the world began showing itself to be more cruel and unforgiving than I could handle. Life seemed overwhelming, chaotic, scary, and unmanageable, and I did not feel prepared to face this world as an adult.<br />
<br />
According to the book <i>Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline</i> by
Becky A. Bailey, there are seven powers for self-control necessary for individuals to learn and practice. I always had family, friends, and church members who loved me and let me know that they loved me. But there was a disconnect that did not allow me to learn the powers of self-control that Bailey writes about; the powers of: attention, love, acceptance, perception, intention, free will, and unity. Being ill-equipped with the powers of self-control, I turned to other forms of surviving the overwhelming feelings of fear I had.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Love-Difficult-Discipline-Cooperation/dp/0060007753" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Love-Difficult-Discipline-Cooperation/dp/0060007753</a><br />
<br />
As a young child, obsessive compulsive thoughts and behaviors had already manifested, and by the fifth grade, those obsessive compulsive thoughts became centered on my physical body. I have memories of asking my mom and my sister multiple times a day if I was fat or pudgy. After my sophomore year of high school, those thoughts became obsessive compulsive behaviors. <br />
<br />
I went on a diet to lose weight the summer after tenth grade, and that was the beginning of me engaging in eating disordered behavior. It began a long road of isolation, self-hatred, and continued guilt. <br />
<br />
After many years of therapy and recovery work with people who love me deeply, one of the things that I have discovered about having an eating disorder, is that it does exactly the opposite of what I intended it to do.<br />
<br />
I wanted to be in control of my body, how I looked, how people perceived me, and what they thought about what I looked like. I wanted to be perfect and not do anything that would allow people to be upset with me for any reason.<br />
<br />
It numbed the sensitive, caring side of me that allowed me to see people in need and want to help them. Instead, it made me only able to think about myself, about my body, about my weight.<br />
<br />
My ability to empathize was diminished, which consequently lowered my ability for compassion. Empathy is "the capacity to recognize emotions that are being experienced by another <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentient" title="Sentient">sentient</a> or fictional being. One may need to have a certain amount of empathy before being able to experience accurate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy" title="Sympathy">sympathy</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion" title="Compassion">compassion</a>." <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy</a><br />
<br />
And being in a state of semi-starvation did not allow for me to expend any energy on recognizing the emotions being experienced by those around me. All I could focus on was my need to restrict calories, exercise more, and lose more weight. <br />
<br />
The article "Empathy and social functioning in anorexia nervosa before and after recovery" by Robin Morris, Jessica Bramhan, Emma Smith, and Kate Tchanturia, comes to the following conclusion: <br />
"Results. The acute AN (anorexia nervosa) group reported lower levels of
empathy than the recovered AN group and HC (healthy control), but they also reported less
antisocial behaviour. No differences were found in emotional recognition
or social conformity.<br /><br />Conclusions. These results suggest that
emotional empathy is reduced during acute AN. Lower levels of antisocial
behaviour may reflect a contrasting desire of people with AN to
minimise presentation of antisocial behaviour in the acute state." <br />
<a href="https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/empathy-and-social-functioning-in-anorexia-nervosa-before-and-after-recovery%28f4af3016-2076-4964-8cce-c9af828ef2ec%29.html" target="_blank">https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/empathy-and-social-functioning-in-anorexia-nervosa-before-and-after-recovery%28f4af3016-2076-4964-8cce-c9af828ef2ec%29.html</a><br />
<br />
So, according to this article, I was able to recognize emotions and artificially conform socially to fit in with the people around me, but I was unable to fake it with being empathetic.<br />
<br />
Once my body, brain, soul, and spirit were well nourished with food and love, I was able to learn how to empathize with people in a way that allowed me to show compassion not based on guilt. <br />
<br />
Empathy is a skill that is essential for individuals to learn but seems to be increasingly difficult to teach to our children. Lack of empathy comes from a focus on self for whatever reason and getting one's own needs met. <br />
<br />
A comedian named Louis C.K. was recently in an interview where he said the following about his hatred for cell phones:<br />
"And they (kids) don’t look at people when they talk to them and they don’t
build the empathy. You know, kids are mean, and it’s ’cause they’re
trying it out. They look at a kid and they go, 'you’re fat,' and then
they see the kid’s face scrunch up and they go, 'oh, that doesn’t feel
good to make a person do that.' But they got to start with doing the
mean thing. But when they write 'you’re fat,' then they just go, 'mmm,
that was fun, I like that.'" <a href="http://lybio.net/louis-c-k-hates-cell-phones/comedy/" target="_blank">http://lybio.net/louis-c-k-hates-cell-phones/comedy/</a><br />
<br />
As a person with AN, my empathy was hampered by my isolation within my physical body. Many of us today are experiencing this same isolation due to our computers, cell phones, single-family dwellings, individual cars, and the ability to do everything for ourselves. <br />
<br />
Isolation diminishes empathy, which leads to less compassion, which allows for violence. The violence that I inflicted was on my own body. Other people's isolation becomes violence turned on others.<br />
<br />
The <i>More-with-Less </i>cookbook challenges us as disciples of Jesus to empathize with the hungry of the world and show compassion on others by recognizing that the choices we make about our own food are not isolated decisions.<br />
<br />
As Longacre states,"Communication happens swiftly in our world. How can we continue overeating in the face of starvation and be at peace with ourselves and our neighbors...Jesus recognized the desire to get more and more as a destructive force when he asked, 'For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?'" p. 24<br />
<br />
We do not live in isolation, but we act as if we do, which leads to lack of empathy, which in turn leads to violence. To counter this destructive chain, we must actively seek to follow Jesus and his example of empathy and compassion towards others.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-60535947457890739482013-09-21T15:19:00.002-07:002013-09-21T15:19:19.471-07:00Anneliese's post on: For Everything a SeasonThank you to Anneliese for publishing what she wrote for my blog on her personal blog: <a href="http://foreverythingaseason.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://foreverythingaseason.blogspot.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
I have appreciated the dialogue that we have been able to have about food and faith and look forward to more dialogue with others.<br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-69847576354834662092013-09-10T09:41:00.001-07:002013-09-28T15:52:55.451-07:00Mashed Potato CasseroleRecipe # 7: p. 230, Mashed Potato Casserole--Helen June Martin, Ephrata, Pennsylvania<br />
potatoes<br />
sour cream or yogurt<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
sugar<br />
margarine<br />
milk<br />
dill seed<br />
chives<br />
cooked spinach<br />
cheddar cheese<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago with no real anxiety leading up to it, while cooking it, or when I tasted it. It was very easy to make and came out great. I hadn't allocated enough prep time to skin the potatoes, so it wasn't finished baking in time for our family dinner that night. But it re-heated really well the next couple of days, and the family all enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
In the past, this recipe's name alone would have scared me away. Mashed potatoes conjure up memories of butter and holiday meals with an excess of food surrounding me. Too many people would inevitably comment on my appearance and small amount of food consumption. <br />
<br />
Casseroles represented a place for secret fatty ingredients like butter, cream, and many other "scary" foods to hide. I imagined that people would add things to recipes to cause me to gain weight, and casseroles were a great place to hide calories.<br />
<br />
Although I sound like I was paranoid, well-meaning people in my life have resorted to these types of methods in an attempt to do what they thought it would take to save my life.<br />
<br />
When we love people, we resort to extraordinary and ludicrous acts to protect those people. Sometimes they are healthy for the relationship, and sometimes they are not. Regardless, they are an attempt to put that love into action.<br />
<br />
When a family is affected by an eating disorder, the whole family suffers. So do any of the people who love the individual with an eating disorder (ED). Many people look for a cause for the ED. They search for a treatment and a cure. They want answers to questions like: Why does this happen? What causes it? How can we stop it?<br />
<br />
But what they really want to know is: Did I do anything that led to my loved one's ED? Did I do something wrong? Didn't I love her/him enough?<br />
<br />
In short the answers are: Yes, you did something that eventually influenced your loved one to use an ED as a coping mechanism. Yes, you did something wrong in your relationship with the person you love. No, you didn't love her/him enough.<br />
<br />
Before you get mad and think that I am blaming parents and other loved ones for EDs, keep reading...<br />
<br />
There is not consensus on what causes an eating disorder. The National Eating Disorder Association list various psychological, interpersonal, social, and biological factors that may contribute to eating disorders.<br />
<a href="http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/factors-may-contribute-eating-disorders" target="_blank">http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/factors-may-contribute-eating-disorders</a><br />
<br />
The infuriating and depressing thing about not knowing what causes eating disorders is that we do not have a guaranteed way to treat them. And when you also know the following facts, it is almost more than a person can handle:<br />
<br />
<i> Between 5-20% of individuals struggling with anorexia nervosa will
die. The probabilities of death increases within that range depending
on the length of the condition.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest death rates of any mental health condition. </i><a href="http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa" target="_blank">http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa</a><br />
<br />
But back to what I said earlier:<br />
We ALL do things that influence our loved ones to use unhealthy coping mechanisms.<br />
We ALL do things in our relationships that are not loving.<br />
We ALL will never be able to love a person enough.<br />
<br />
I am not trying to excuse people's poor attempts at loving one another, just pointing out that many of the things in our relationships that cause conflict are motivated by our love for others. But sometimes we try to love others by controlling them. <br />
<br />
I can choose to remain angry and resentful that the people who love me sometimes tried to control my actions, or I can choose to acknowledge that they were loving me in the best way that they knew how.<br />
<br />
Only God can love us in a way that is always healthy and supportive and patient. The rest of our relationships will be full of blundered attempts at putting our love into action.<br />
<br />
The important thing to remember for people with anorexia nervosa and those who love them is that we are not working against each other. We are on the same side. We must work together more openly and honestly, so that we can heal wounds, reconcile resentments, and find healthy ways of loving one another to ensure that the people with AN can live long, joyful, lives; lives that can be dedicated to being disciples of Jesus.<br />
<br />
*The National Eating Disorder Association has many resources to help people as they are supporting their loved ones recover from an eating disorder. <br />
<a href="http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/parent-family-friends-network" target="_blank">http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/parent-family-friends-network</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-64224784609046011122013-09-06T14:24:00.001-07:002013-09-06T15:54:18.232-07:00Guest Blog from: Anneliese of mennonitegirlscancook.ca <i>Michelle Porter's introduction:</i><br />
<i>I discovered the blog <a href="http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/" target="_blank">http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/</a> and really enjoy the idea of Mennonite recipes being shared in a blog and now in a cookbook. </i><br />
<br />
<i>The contributors describe their blog in the following way:</i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.3426324378233403" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #330033; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We<b> </b>are a group of ten women who share recipes and and our faith, with a <b> </b>purpose, inspiring<b> </b>hospitality while using our resources to help needy people around the world. A simple recipe blog that started to document our family favorite recipes began in 2008 has resulted in two cookbooks.</span></span></b></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Mennonite Girls Can Cook .. . is more than just recipes. </span></span><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">We encourage you to think about HOSPITALITY versus entertaining. </span><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Our hope is that you find the joy in BLESSING versus impressing. </span></i>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Our
recipes are about taking God's bounty, and co-creating the goodness
from God's creation into something that we can use to bless family,
friends and those who need a caring meal. We take everyday ingredients
to make recipes which will nourish, provide energy and delight our taste
buds.</span> </i><br />
<br />
<i> <a href="http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/p/about-us.html" target="_blank">http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/p/about-us.html</a></i><br />
<br />
<i>I contacted the women with a list of ideas about food, faith, being Mennonite, and eating disorders, and Anneliese found one of my questions intriguing and has written a guest blog. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I appreciate her thoughtful response and hope that it encourages continued dialogue about eating disorders, food, and faith.</i><br />
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-CA">Food and Faith</span></b></div>
<b>
</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA">Question: How did growing up in a Russian Mennonite
family affect your relationship to food? Did your family come from a history
of shortage? If so, how does that affect how you view food
consumption/restriction now?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><b>From Anneliese of <a href="http://mennonitegirlscancook.ca/" target="_blank">mennonitegirlscancook.ca</a></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><b> </b> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Growing up in a Mennonite home I knew that
my mom would always have something prepared for meals. Even when she worked
full-time, I never heard an excuse coming from her, saying she did not have
time to cook. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was not a lazy bone
in her, the biblical meaning of which was lived out in both of my parents’
lives. She made things from scratch as much as possible, ever conscious of the
cost of prepared foods. She prepared ahead by having keeping basic ingredients
in the house, making soups, baking breads and preparing home-made food to pack
for lunches. We did not grow up with snacking foods, when the meal was served
we were hungry and the food was nourishing. Mealtimes were family times. We
waited for each other and talked about our day. It was a time to connect. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">My father and my grandmother went through
food shortage and hunger in </span><span lang="EN-CA">Russia</span><span lang="EN-CA"> during
the war and later, in </span><span lang="EN-CA">Germany</span><span lang="EN-CA">, after the war.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-CA">My father had to look for
food in trash cans and my grandmother shared with me how her health suffered
from lack of sugar and butter. I often take her words into consideration now,
with the talk of how both are not good for you. The fact that hunger was
something very real to my father played a big part in how he raised us. We were
not allowed to complain about food and we were not allowed to throw food from
our plate into the garbage. We were taught to give thanks for our food and to
be grateful for full tummies. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">This brings me to something I consider to
be important in my view of food, be it consumption or restriction. I believe
that the giving of thanks for what God has given plays a vital role in how food
affects us. When we realize food is a gift from the One who provides for our
needs, we will be careful about how we handle it. We will not try to find fault
with it unnecessarily, be it the ever fluctuating views about foods or just
plain pickiness, which shows ungratefulness. I believe that the giving of
thanks can bless food to cleanse it in instances where we have no choice. There
are times I question some of today’s dietary restrictions and where they are
coming from. Obviously there are situations where it is very important to
follow a certain diet, but sometimes our self induced diets can lead to a life
of problems, stemming from some form of worry or ungratefulness, which is
exactly where the enemy of our souls would have us be. So let us give thanks to
Him who made the world along with the food we eat and blessed it, proclaiming
it to be good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">Exodus 23: 25 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexod-23-25"><span lang="EN-CA">“Worship the </span></span><span class="small-caps"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span><span class="textexod-23-25"><span lang="EN-CA"> your God, and his blessing will be on
your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexod-23-25"><span lang="EN-CA">1 Timothy 4:4 </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexod-23-25"><span lang="EN-CA">“For everything
God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
thanksgiving.”</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-59817162552171923672013-08-31T15:40:00.000-07:002013-09-28T15:52:33.951-07:00Quick Chocolate PuddingRecipe #8: p. 264, Quick Chocolate Pudding, Grace Whitehead, Kokomo, Indiana<br />
<br />
sugar or honey<br />
cornstarch<br />
cocoa<br />
milk<br />
vanilla<br />
margarine (optional)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSaFxoBGyIn8qEnSIjTY9n4w40AacERdMS9WH2VOu_F-iU5xMN7G-9Dml3hcqjzU1LGlPRUl_TFZI6uXRtLWZMJg6AwvEVPCN2_fJ65AzkEv3c4OOoeIVlHF5kZCrPKcA9rauf9pvVrM/s1600/pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSaFxoBGyIn8qEnSIjTY9n4w40AacERdMS9WH2VOu_F-iU5xMN7G-9Dml3hcqjzU1LGlPRUl_TFZI6uXRtLWZMJg6AwvEVPCN2_fJ65AzkEv3c4OOoeIVlHF5kZCrPKcA9rauf9pvVrM/s200/pudding.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<br />
"After being diagnosed with cancer, Doris started keeping a journal. Some
of the entries addressed the writing of Living More with Less, and her
frustration with how her illness prevented her from working on the
manuscript."<br />
<br />
"Journal Entry—November 4, 1979 (written from Hershey Medical center)<br />
I so much want to complete this book, one of the creative works of my
life. But weighed in the balance against more time with Paul, Cara, and
Marta, (husband and daughters) the book is like a dry dandelion ready to blow. But I shouldn't
have to make such choices. If I get well enough to work on the book I
will have time with my family."<br />
<br />
<i>"Doris died quietly, peaceably, and surrounded by family on November 10, 1979, the manuscript not yet completed.</i><br />
<i>But the unfinished manuscript itself may be symbolic. The task of living responsible is never finished. In her preface to the</i> More-with-Less Cookbook<i>
Doris describes the search for more responsible eating as a "kind of
holy frustration." This holy frustration for more-with-less living needs
to continue in our households, travel, recreation, and church life."</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.heraldpress.com/Bios/Longacre/journal.html" target="_blank">http://www.heraldpress.com/Bios/Longacre/journal.html</a> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Doris</i><i> kept a list of things she felt were the
frivolities of life—things one should not let get in the way of the
enjoyment of living. </i><br />
Life is too short to ice cakes; cakes are good without icing.<br />
Life is too short to read all the church periodicals.<br />
Life is too short not to write regularly to your parents.<br />
Life is too short to eat factory baked bread.<br />
Life is too short to keep all your floors shiny.<br />
Life is too short to let a day pass without hugging your spouse and each of your children.<br />
Life is too short to nurse grudges and hurt feelings.<br />
Life is too short to worry about getting ready for Christmas; just let Christmas come.<br />
Life is too short to spend much money on neckties and earrings.<br />
Life is too short for nosy questions like "How do you like your new
pastor?" Or—if there’s been a death—"How is he taking it?"<br />
Life is too short to be gone from home more than a few nights a week.<br />
Life is too short not to take a nap when you need one.<br />
Life is too short to care whether purses match shoes or towels match bathrooms.<br />
Life is too short to stay indoors when the trees turn color in fall, when it snows, or when the spring blossoms come out.<br />
Life is too short to miss the call to worship on a Sunday morning.<br />
Life is too short for bedspreads that are too fancy to sleep under.<br />
Life is too short to work in a room without windows.<br />
Life is too short to put off Bible study.<br />
Life is too short to put off improving our relationships with the people we live with.<br />
<i> <a href="http://www.heraldpress.com/Bios/Longacre/" target="_blank">http://www.heraldpress.com/Bios/Longacre/</a></i><br />
<br />
If anyone is following my posts, you may have noticed that I skipped from Recipe #6 to Recipe #8. I have already made Recipe #7, but this one feels more timely.<br />
<i> </i><br />
Today, my daughter turns three years old, and I made chocolate pudding for her birthday. The recipe called for very few ingredients, and the instructions were very simple: Combine ingredients. Cook. Stir constantly unti thickened.<br />
<br />
This sounded simple enough, and, in reality, it was. I just did not have realistic expectations for how long it takes for pudding to thicken.<br />
<br />
I really enjoy stirring pots of cooking food, and I always have. I have fond memories of stirring pots of sauce or holiday foods when my family was cooking.<br />
<br />
And the process of watching cornstarch turn powder and liquid materials into a thickened substance, was really quite intriguing for me.<br />
<br />
But it took forty-five minutes of constant stirring for my <i>Quick</i> Chocolate Pudding to thicken. Those were forty-five minutes that I could have been reading a book with my daughter, or tickling her, or telling her stories about her first three years of life.<br />
<br />
While I agree with Longacre, that Americans in general overeat sugar and processed foods (<i>More-with-Less </i>p. 21), I also believe that she is correct when she says, "There is not just one way to respond, nor is there a single answer to the world's food problem. It may not be within our capacity to effect an answer. But it is within our capacity to search for a faithful response" (<i>More-with-Less</i> p. 13).<br />
<br />
This search for a faithful response must also take into Longacre's list of <i>Life is too short...</i><br />
<br />
And for me, life might just be too short to make my own pudding in the future.Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-61549448489407226992013-08-24T16:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T15:28:18.564-07:00Quick Fruit Cobbler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Recipe #6: p. 273, Quick Fruit Cobbler--Jocele Meyer, Brooklyn, Ohio<br />
<br />
sugar<br />
flour<br />
milk<br />
baking powder<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
salt<br />
<br />
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</div>
<br />
"A
dessert is (almost by definition) a food containing sugar. But before
getting into dessert recipes, let's remind ourselves that not all meals
require a sweet ending. The daily dessert habit is firmly entrenched in
North America, but not with most other people. In many countries
sweets are used for celebrations only, not to top off everyday meals." <i>More-with-Less</i>, p. 261<br />
<br />
My son turned three about a week ago. He loves food and eating, which is both helpful and difficult for me as a person with anorexia nervosa.<br />
<br />
It can be difficult when he gets down from breakfast and immediately asks about snack. It can be difficult when I ask him what his favorite part of the day was and he names a food he ate. It can be difficult when it seems like so many of his thoughts revolve around food.<br />
<br />
It can be helpful when I realize that he is learning to care for his needs and his body. It can be helpful when I realize that he shows as much joy and exuberance for food as for everything else in life. It is helpful when I realize that so many of my thoughts also revolve around food, but at least his are about his enjoyment of eating.<br />
<br />
So, when I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, "cake" was his response. He also listed play with cars, and sing "Happy Birthday," but food was definitely part of his desire for his special day.<br />
<br />
I used to believe that I could engage in a celebration with other people and not partake of the food. It was my way of saying, "The food has nothing to do with my relationship with these people. I can be a part of this relationship just as much as everybody else, regardless if I am eating with them. My family and friends should love me for me, not for what I do or do not eat."<br />
<br />
But over the past 10 years of therapy and recovery work that I have done, I have come to understand that my belief was false. Eating a meal with someone is a way of sharing life with them, loving them, and letting them love me.<br />
<br />
<br />
Of course, for food to be a healthy part of a relationship, people
have to be healthy and mature enough to not use food as a way to guilt,
manipulate, or shame themselves or each other.<br />
<br />
My son's birthday offered an opportunity for me to choose a dessert to share with him to celebrate the day of his birth. It also allowed me to support Longacre's view about the over-consumption of sugar and desserts in the U.S. by choosing a dessert that limits the amount of sugar and takes advantage of the natural sweetness of fruit.<br />
<br />
I chose to use Granny Smith apples in the recipe, and it tasted pretty good. The edges browned more quickly than the middle, so I did not cook it for as long as the recipe indicated. Next time, I will cook it for the correct amount of time and try a glass baking dish instead of a metal pan. <br />
<br />
So, along my journey to recover from disordered eating and to be a faithful disciple of Jesus, I am learning to
eat during celebrations while also thinking about the foods that are
part of the celebration. I do not have to buy a traditional U.S.
birthday cake loaded with sugar and frosting. I can make a cake or cobbler from <i>More-with-Less </i>that provides recipes that value celebrating and caring for God's earth and people.<br />
<br />
As Longacre shares, "Sugar never was good for us...We've long been aware of sugar's role in tooth decay, diabetes, and obesity."<br />
"Much land now devoted to sugar should be used for other crops yielding proteins, vitamins, and minerals." <i>More-with-Less</i>, p. 260-261<br />
<br />
Sitting around the kitchen table with my son and the rest of my family
enjoying cobbler was a moment free of guilt, manipulation, and shame as I
ate a dessert that tasted good. It allowed me to use food to
celebrate in a way that felt joyful and also faithful. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-9244333404556097872013-08-08T12:26:00.000-07:002013-08-14T15:02:37.468-07:00Cake is the biggest temptation in life"'Doctors are allowed to tell us things which they might not do themselves. They know what the right this is, but they may not be able to do it themselves. That does not mean that their advice is bad advice.'" Mma Potokwane p. 109<br />
<br />
p. 110 <br />
"'Maybe there are people who would say that I eat too much cake.'"<br />
<br />
"'But you do not eat too much, do you?'" observed Mma Ramotswe.<br />
<br />
Mma Potokwane's response came quickly. "'No, I do not. I do not eat too much cake.'" She paused, and looked wistfully at her now emptying plate. "'Sometimes I would like to eat too much cake. That is certainly true. Sometimes I am tempted.'"<br />
<br />
Mma Ramotswe sighed. "'We are all tempted, Mma. We are all tempted when it come to cake.'"<br />
<br />
"'That is true,'" said Mma Potokwane sadly. "'There are many temptations in this life, but cake is probably one of the biggest of them.'"<br />
<br />
p. 111<br />
"'Temptation is very difficult,'" said Mma Ramotswe quietly. "'I do not always resist it. I am not a strong woman in that respect.'"<br />
<br />
"'I am glad you said that,"' said Mma Potokwane. "'I am not strong either. For example, right at the moment, I am thinking of cake.'"<br />
<br />
"'And so am I,'" confessed Mma Ramotswe.<br />
<br />
Mma Potokwane stood up and shouted to the girl outside. "'Two more pieces of cake, please. Two big slices.'"<br />
<br />
From the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series <i>In the Company of Cheerful Ladies </i><br />
<br />
<br />
I love reading series of novels during the summer. As a child, I read Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children, and many others. This summer, I discovered the delightful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series about a woman in Botswana, Africa who starts a detective agency.<br />
<br />
Each book has various mysteries, but the majority of the books deal with issues in Botswana and the rest of Africa, rights of women, education, cultural norms, changing societies, and many other intriguing topics.<br />
<br />
Written by a Swedish man who was born in Zimbabwe, Africa, I have enjoyed gaining more knowledge about Botswana. Particularly interesting to me have been references to food, bodies, and body image. Mma Ramotswe, the protagonist, is proud of being a traditionally built lady and makes various comments about thin women and feeling sorry for them. <br />
<br />
In <i>Morality for Beautiful Girls</i>, Mma Ramotswe is described as follows:<br />
"She had a taste for sugar, however, and this meant that a
doughnut or a cake might follow the sandwich. She was a traditionally
built lady, after all, and she did not have to worry about dress size,
unlike those poor, neurotic people who were always looking in mirrors
and thinking that they were too big. What was too big, anyway? Who was
to tell another person what size they should be? It was a form of
dictatorship, by the thin, and she was not having any of it. If these
thin people became any more insistent, then the more generously sized
people would just have to sit on them. Yes, that would teach them!
Hah!”<br />
<br />
I have been unable to reconcile this description with the cake scene. If Mma Ramotswe really does feel justified in being a traditionally built lady, why is language like <i>temptation, confessed, </i>and <i>resist</i> used to describe cake?<br />
<br />
And while her question, "What was too big, anyway?" might be valid, why does she go on to judge thin people as <i>poor </i>and <i>neurotic, </i>accusing them of the <i>dictatorship of the thin</i>? <br />
<i> </i><br />
In the U.S., with an epidemic of obesity and an obsession with thinness, the messages are just as mixed up and confusing. It would be easy for one to believe from the media that everyone in the U.S. is either obese or dangerously thin. We all either need to be losing or gaining weight. We are all weak and tempted and just need to resist the enemies, which arefood and our bodies. <br />
<br />
I believe that people who are unhealthily overweight would live a more fulfilled life if they were able to lose weight. I believe that people who are unhealthily underweight would live a more fulfilled life if they were able to gain weight.<br />
<br />
I believe that we would all live more fulfilled lives if there were not a gigantic scale that we used to measure our physical bodies, and therefore our "goodness" or "badness".<br />
<br />
While I appreciate that the U.S. government and medical profession have launched campaigns in the war against obesity and the modeling world and advertisement professions have spoken out against the dangers of eating disorders, I hope expectantly for a day when the phrase "real women" is no longer used.<br />
<br />
What is a "real woman"? <br />
Do real women always have curves?<br />
Are real women not the models who walk the runway? <br />
I choose to answer the first question based on my Christian Mennonite beliefs and faith.<br />
<br />
Real women are disciples of Jesus.<br />
<br />
The rest of the questions don't really need to be answered.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i> </i>Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-19092007284645294102013-07-23T19:57:00.000-07:002013-08-14T15:02:51.894-07:00Six-Layer DishRecipe #5: p. 137, Six-Layer Dish--Bonnie Zook, Leola, PA; Martha Buckwalter, Lancaster, PA; Fern Lehman, Kidron, OH <br />
<br />
potatos<br />
carrots<br />
uncooked rice<br />
onions<br />
ground beef<br />
canned tomatoes<br />
brown sugar<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
"Much of the what's-wrong-with-us material relating to world food needs centers on overconsumption of protein. While protein is widely lacking in poorer countries, most people in Candada and the United States eat much more than necessary.<br />
Much of the protein we eat, in contrast to poorer nations, comes from meat, milk, and eggs. Beef cattle are poor converters of grain to food protein." <i>More-with-Less</i>, p. 20-21<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-03-18/news/0403180191_1_pedro-alvarez-cattle-cuban-economy" target="_blank"> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-03-18/news/0403180191_1_pedro-alvarez-cattle-cuban-economy</a><br />
<br />
"In communist Cuba, only the state is allowed to slaughter cattle and
sell the meat. Citizens who kill a cow--even if they raised it
themselves--can get a 10-year prison sentence. Anyone who transports or
sells a poached animal can get locked up for 8 years.<br />
"My
brother-in-law got a 12-year prison sentence for killing 12 cows," said
an accountant who lives in the cattle-raising region.<br />
But it's not
unheard of for Cubans to sneak into a pasture at night and butcher a
cow on the spot. Residents have been known to descend on a cow struck by
lightning, carving it up in minutes even though the meat often is
charred and they risk a fine if caught by police.<br />
The same thing
can happen if a cow is hit by a car or dies of illness or malnutrition,
in giving birth or of old age, even though residents admit the law
requires them to leave the carcass alone and notify local officials."<br />
<br />
<br />
Last week, I cooked this Six-Layer-Dish that had one pound of ground beef for 4 people.<br />
<br />
Recently, I learned about the rarity of beef for Cubans.<br />
<br />
Granted, Communist Cuba does not accurately reflect the same realities of all of the poorer countries in the world, it does highlight the extremes with regards to protein-consumption between the U.S./Canada and many poorer countries.<br />
<br />
As a person who has battled Anorexia Nervosa (AN) for years, beef has been for me one of my "scary", "off-limit" foods due to so many news stories and conversations about red meat being bad, ads for double quarter pounders with cheese, and the idea of the typical fatty high school lunch of burgers and fries sending me into near-panic-attacks about gaining weight.<br />
<br />
So, when I read Longacre say that people in the U.S. and Canada need to limit their intake of beef, it is easy for me to rationalize that this statement pertains to me specifically. It is also easy for me to live out this limitation since I probably eat beef one to two times a year.<br />
<br />
But my restriction of beef is not with the altruistic motive of helping people in other countries have access to more protein. It is based on fear of being fat or unhealthy. It is just as self-focused as someone who chooses to eat a double quarter pounder with cheese a few times a week.<br />
<br />
In Cuba, the government is choosing to restrict beef. In the U.S., the
government chooses not to restrict the overconsumption of beef. <br />
<br />
Restriction and overconsumption (or lack-of-restriction) have the same outcomes:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
obsession, numbness, selfishness, greed, sadness, hopelessness</div>
<br />
Somewhere between the extremes of having unlimited access to beef and scraping a lightning-charred hunk of beef off a road is a healthy, faithful way to eat and enjoy beef. And I hope to find it one day.<br />
<br />
<br />
*By the way, this recipe was amazing, and I enjoyed the little bite of beef that I allowed myself.<br />
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<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-27817107053882467112013-07-13T16:48:00.003-07:002013-08-14T15:03:20.482-07:00Beans with Sweet-Sour SauceRecipe #4: p. 99,Beans with Sweet-Sour Sauce--Helen E. Reiger, Newton, Kansas<br />
navy beans<br />
<b>fat</b><br />
flour<br />
sugar<br />
corn syrup<br />
salt<br />
vinegar<br />
<br />
An excerpt from an e-mail I sent to some of my friends:<br />
"I'm preparing to make my next meal from More with Less for my blog, and I am such a cooking novice that I need some help! The
recipe calls for 1.5 T of <b>fat.</b> What do I use? I don't have leftover
<b>fat</b> from meat or anything, so I don't know if I use an olive oil,
crisco, butter. Can any of you help me?"<br />
<br />
<br />
"Characteristics of anorexia nervosa include self-starvation and a strong fear if being<b> fat</b>." <i>"I'm Like So<b> Fat</b>!" </i>Dianne Neumark-Sztainer p. 11<br />
<br />
<br />
"Rollie: I feel so <b>fat</b>.<br />
Kathy: You feel <b>fat?</b> I feel really <b>fat.</b>..<br />
<br />
When teenagers, particularly teenage girls, engage in fat talk, they're often looking for reassurance...<br />
<br />
What does it mean to "feel" <b>fat</b>? Author Sandra Friedman (<i>When Girls Feel Fat...</i>) correctly states that <b>fat</b> is not a feeling...Unfortunately, dieting won't erase the feeling, because <i>being</i> <b>fat</b> is not the issue." <i>"I'm Like So <b>Fat</b>! </i>Dianne Neumark-Sztainer p. 59-60<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>FAT</b><br />
Talk about a terrible word for a person suffering with Anorexia Nervosa and one with so many meanings, memories, and feelings associated with it.<br />
<br />
I distinctly remember in fifth grade beginning my eating disordered thinking. I had always been an anxious child and had tendencies toward obsessive compulsive behavior, but in the fifth grade my anxieties became centralized in my body.<br />
<br />
Many stressors in my life compiled along with actual physical changes related to puberty during that time period, and I began linking my negative feelings with being <b>fat</b>.<br />
<br />
"Do I look <b>fat</b>?" was a question that I asked my mom countless times during that time in my life and would ask many other loved ones over the next 15 years.<br />
<br />
As you're reading this, you may think: "I've felt <b>fat </b>before," but the feeling is extreme for people with AN, and it leads us to take extreme measures to ensure that we do not become <b>fat </b>or are able to reverse these <b>fat </b>feelings.<br />
<br />
The <b>fat</b> feeling used to compel me to restrict food, to exercise a few more minutes, to obsessively plan ways to cut calories, and to imagine how much calmer and happier I would be if I didn't feel <b>fat</b>.<br />
<br />
Now that I'm further along in my recovery, <b>fat </b>no longer holds the same power over me as it once did. I can stand up straight and not "cover" myself with my arms hoping that no one will see my <b>fat</b>. <b>Fat</b> is not something that I need to avoid or remove from all of my food and from my body. I am able to look at <b>fat</b> as an ingredient in a recipe instead of as something that I embody.<br />
<br />
And for those of you who are wondering, I ended up using a butter-substitute in the recipe, and the family and I all really enjoyed the beans. We highly recommend them! <br />
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<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-69547284284421856252013-07-05T13:22:00.001-07:002013-08-16T15:46:47.294-07:00Willow Wands Who Bend Whichever Way the Wind Blows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
"I sometimes think of victims of eating disorders as willow wands who bend whichever way the wind blows...I have heard many people describe eating disorders as a consequence of low self-esteem...I believe the problem goes far deeper. In fact, I find that individuals with eating disorders have <i>no</i> sense of self or identity except for the fulfillment of their extremely subjective perception of others' expectations" <i>The Secret Language of Eating Disorders </i>by Peggy Claude-Pierre p. 42-43<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfnSvttwuJFt-wpLooIh8sOjMLfabc68lfq-EekBQ9EsI_sJCd7Gecsh9zqOZwoGBChwgEeyIjVb1G7_Pcr5aWTB3LC654VqZi9X26r8pdtg-28Dv4_x64DpVseGi_s4Qb6DmqrwR2B4/s1600/Secret+Language+of+Eating+Disorders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfnSvttwuJFt-wpLooIh8sOjMLfabc68lfq-EekBQ9EsI_sJCd7Gecsh9zqOZwoGBChwgEeyIjVb1G7_Pcr5aWTB3LC654VqZi9X26r8pdtg-28Dv4_x64DpVseGi_s4Qb6DmqrwR2B4/s200/Secret+Language+of+Eating+Disorders.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Language-Eating-Disorders-Understand/dp/0375750185/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376692731&sr=1-1&keywords=the+secret+language+of+eating+disorders" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Language-Eating-Disorders-Understand/dp/0375750185/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376692731&sr=1-1&keywords=the+secret+language+of+eating+disorders</a><br />
<br />
"I broke free from Ed, my eating disorder, through a therapeutic approach I learned from psychotherapist Thom Rutledge, which involves thinking of the eating disorder as a distinct being with unique thoughts and a personality separate from my own...In order to change my relationship with Ed, I had to learn to stand back and separate myself from him. I had to make room for my own opinion, which created the opportunity for me to disagree with Ed. I realized that my food obsessions and my condemnation of my own body were coming from Ed, not me. To this day, recovery is about making room for the real me to exist." <i>Life Without Ed </i>by Jenni Schaefer Introduction xix, xxi, xxii<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvhmFxwGnIx6C0SgcY9-1jZ5KBSPLLOeyLbPn2wJtrm6kyUBGX4emgyL0hMjWP2vFCdE10n5a1ocx6yoOK87hCanOH4872aDfyBlYpq37kVAFh6DOMjNnvolrAqgPQRfuWXE6nOFLcGc/s1600/Life+without+Ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvhmFxwGnIx6C0SgcY9-1jZ5KBSPLLOeyLbPn2wJtrm6kyUBGX4emgyL0hMjWP2vFCdE10n5a1ocx6yoOK87hCanOH4872aDfyBlYpq37kVAFh6DOMjNnvolrAqgPQRfuWXE6nOFLcGc/s200/Life+without+Ed.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Ed-Declared-Independence/dp/0071422986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376692781&sr=1-1&keywords=life+without+ed+by+jenni+schaefer" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Ed-Declared-Independence/dp/0071422986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376692781&sr=1-1&keywords=life+without+ed+by+jenni+schaefer</a><br />
<br />
I read both of these books and have revisited them at different points during my recovery journey. They are great resources to help understand and treat eating disorders.<br />
<br />
But while I found both of these books to be helpful resources for myself and for loved ones in my life helping me with recovery, I also found both of them to be lacking something necessary for my recovery.<br />
<br />
It wasn't enough for me to be able to discover my identity and things I value and enjoy. It wasn't enough for me to no longer base my life on what I thought about other people's views of me. It wasn't enough for me to be unconditionally loved by people in my life.<br />
<br />
I
thought my life's purpose was to do something "meaningful", which for
me meant helping people who were suffering. Along the way, I suffered
with a dangerous mental illness, anorexia nervosa and wasn't able to do
anything to end my own suffering. I thought if I could just work hard enough to end other people's and my own suffering, that would be enough to help me recover.<br />
<br />
But I realized somewhere along that journey that the purpose of life (yes, I am making the bold declaration that I may have discovered the purpose of life!) is not to end suffering. That in itself is not enough. <br />
<br />
When I read Dorothy Day's book <i>The Long Loneliness</i> last year, it was life-changing for me. She writes about her early years starting the Catholic Workers' Movement, and the line that captivated my heart and mind was Day explaining that life is about "human flourishing".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZyJc4secKf0mtejeL5OYRDSxBji5RYKGwJS6xoNwZ_7aLhdS3b69sWoy_vFK-xGuvrtCNRNwXs5VyMkQxbBgm9usOF8mi5EdI_cHZKtx5EsnDT-ZEQ10fv3HOpA52Z_1S-Us5K-wgDA/s1600/Long+Loneliness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZyJc4secKf0mtejeL5OYRDSxBji5RYKGwJS6xoNwZ_7aLhdS3b69sWoy_vFK-xGuvrtCNRNwXs5VyMkQxbBgm9usOF8mi5EdI_cHZKtx5EsnDT-ZEQ10fv3HOpA52Z_1S-Us5K-wgDA/s200/Long+Loneliness.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Loneliness-Autobiography-Legendary-Catholic/dp/B0075IB4AA/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376692870&sr=1-3&keywords=long+loneliness+dorothy+day" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Long-Loneliness-Autobiography-Legendary-Catholic/dp/B0075IB4AA/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376692870&sr=1-3&keywords=long+loneliness+dorothy+day</a><br />
<br />
I had assumed that life was about the absence of suffering, restricting my enjoyment so that others might not suffer as much. And that was the attitude I brought to my first encounter with <i>More-with-Less </i>by Longacre. If I can just limit my food a little more, than other people will not suffer as much.<br />
<br />
But I missed the point. As Longacre writes, "There is a way, I discovered of wasting less, eating less, and spending less that gives not less, but more." p. 18<br />
<br />
She also points out Jesus "entering wholeheartedly into times of joy and feasting". p. 26.<br />
<br />
It's not enough for me to work hard to end suffering, be that world hunger or my own hunger imposed by an eating disorder.<br />
<br />
Dorothy Day writes in <i>The Long Loneliness</i>, "What we (The Catholic Workers' Movement) would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler
for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them
to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly
for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights
of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a
certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little
cell of joy and peace in a harried world." <i> </i><br />
<br />
I must remember that this cell of joy and peace that Day refers to is the redemptive love of God lived out through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God intends for us to live lives of joy and human flourishing.<br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-89705018062468855702013-07-03T12:39:00.001-07:002013-07-10T13:43:37.904-07:00Garden SaladRecipe #3: p. 248, Garden Salad<br />
shredded carrots<br />
diced cauliflower<br />
frozen peas or chick-peas<br />
chopped celery<br />
chopped tomatoes<br />
chopped cucumbers<br />
chopped lettuce<br />
roasted sunflower seeds<br />
<br />
"Good cooks don't need many salad recipes. The best salads are simple collections of raw vegetables with only a light touch of dressing."<br />
--Longacre p. 243<br />
<br />
I am definitely NOT a good cook. There is potential for me to be a good cook one day, but for years my battle with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) has always limited my chef-abilities. Therefore, I will include the Salads section in my adventure in cooking through the <i>More-with-Less </i>cookbook.<br />
<br />
Last week, plans changed unexpectedly on the day I intended to make this salad, and as is true for many people who suffer with Eating Disorders (ED), change can cause me anxiety.<br />
<br />
In the past, my main means of dealing with stress, anxiety, anger, tension, and any other feeling that I deemed as "negative" was to restrict my food or work out extra. Now that I actively seek recovery and reconciliation in my life and with my body, these are not my main coping mechanisms.<br />
<br />
But sometimes I still try to control situations that cause me some anxiety by manipulating food and my menu. I decided that it was too complicated to try and make a recipe on my usual day of Monday and told myself that I would make two recipes this week.<br />
<br />
As usual, my intentions were good, and I even had the ingredients for both recipes. But by Sunday night, I had allowed options for other meals to enter my mind. Once I allow myself to think about changing a meal or eliminating calories or adding a few more minutes of exercise, it's as if it is then something that I have to do. It morphs from a possibility to a requirement.<br />
<br />
So, Monday morning it no longer felt like an option to make two recipes. And it even seemed silly and irrational. I told myself that no one is really following this Blog very closely and won't know if I made a recipe last week or not. I told myself that Monday is my busiest day of the week, and it would be too stressful to try and do a second recipe. I told myself that it would be easier to just eat the garden salad that I had already made on Sunday and not have to think about trying two new foods at one meal.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unlike with recipe #2, Apple Snack, I had already decided that I would actually eat this salad and had even decided that I would eat one piece of each ingredient that was in it instead of only eating the ones that I have arbitrarily labeled as "safe" for me to eat.<br />
<br />
At 6:00 our friends arrived, I had already heated the baked potatoes and black beans, and I felt very little anxiety about eating my garden salad. I did have guilt and feelings of failure that I hadn't followed through with making the new bean recipe that I had planned to make, but by the time I sat down at the table, I had allowed myself some grace and moved on. The conversation was fun, I liked the salad, and our four kids all played well. After they left, I enjoyed watching a little TV and reading, and then I went to bed.<br />
<br />
Tuesday morning, I didn't work out extra or more intensely, and I didn't spend the whole day trying to figure out how to "undo" the calories that I had eaten the day before. <br />
<br />
I can tell that I am further along in recovery because a situation like this would have seemed virtually impossible for me a few years ago: eating something not labeled with a calorie-amount, not obsessing about what I was eating while I was eating it, showing myself grace when I didn't do something as well as I could have, and not obsessing about something I had done and trying to make up for it later.<br />
<br />
But being further along in recovery has also been my excuse in the past for not continuing to move forward. I justify to myself, and people around me, that I did something different, I took a risk, I ate "more". It has been a way for me to do something but not really do anything at the same time. It allows me to stay stuck.<br />
<br />
I was reminded this week as I started reading <i>The Life Model--Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You, </i>that recovery is not something that I can achieve on my own just because I am working really hard. As the authors say, "The time-honored Christian approach to pain and wholeness involves our activity as well as God's: <i>His work in us is to bring redemption to all of that traumas that have broken us, and our work is to strive for maturity as we progress to wholeness.</i>" p. 16-17<br />
<br />
My prayer for today is that I allow God to bring redemption to the pain I have experienced and caused due to the AN as I work to mature in my faith and relationships as I move toward wholeness.<br />
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<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-70776320426011316682013-06-28T11:32:00.003-07:002013-08-16T15:53:05.637-07:00A Poem to Ponder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You have heard it said<br />
that because of hunger in Third World countries<br />
we should not overeat.<br />
But I say unto you<br />
that the abuse of your body, mind, and soul<br />
is never justified.<br />
<br />
You have heard it said<br />
conserve for the sake of the crisis<br />
because of limited amounts available to use.<br />
But I say unto you<br />
the only wise use<br />
is that which brings glory to God.<br />
<br />
Let not your hearts be troubled by this kingdom<br />
but let your bodies and energies be dedicated<br />
in service to God and man.<br />
Surely you will find<br />
the future kingdom<br />
already being fulfilled in your life.<br />
<br />
--Martin Penner, Recife, Brazil<br />
<i>More With Less </i>p. 16 <br />
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<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-66951478473733315712013-06-19T11:48:00.003-07:002013-08-14T15:05:08.423-07:00Apple Snack<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Recipe #2: Apple Snack p. 306 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Peel, core, and halve apples. Shred apples coarsely and put on buttered cookie sheet. Bake until dry.</span><br />
<br />
<b>Confession #1:</b> Recipe #2 was doomed to fail from the beginning.<br />
<br />
I chose to make a snack instead of a dinner food this week because I knew we were having friends over to play a board game. It was also a decision I made based on eating disordered reasons. I chose a recipe with the least amount of ingredients that I could find and then planned to eliminate even some of those.<br />
<br />
So, going into this recipe with the intention of altering it, it's no wonder that it did not turn out well. I just now realized that I didn't even prepare the apples correctly.<br />
<br />
The recipe gives the following steps:<br />
1. Peel. <br />
2. Core.<br />
3. Halve.<br />
4. Shred.<br />
5. Put on buttered cookie sheet.<br />
6. Bake until dry. <br />
7. Store in air-tight container.<br />
<br />
This is what I did:<br />
1. Core with apple slicer that cuts 8 slices.<br />
2. Peel.<br />
3. Oops, already cut them into slices<br />
4. Shred--How on earth do you coarsely shred apples? I tried a carrot shredder and a cheese grater.<br />
5. Put on toaster oven tray.--I decided not to use the full-size oven.<br />
6. Bake until tired of checking on the soggy mess.<br />
7. There's no way I'm trying this or keeping the leftovers.<br />
<br />
I told Matt and our friends that the apples weren't going to turn out very well, and they didn't have to try them. My friends graciously tried them, but Matt didn't.<br />
<br />
Matt asked if I followed the recipe, and I immediately got defensive, felt guilty, and was angry with him for interfering. My friend asked if I had put the butter on the tray. Then, she asked if I had sprayed the tray to keep the apples from sticking.<br />
<br />
I hadn't. I know the label says the fat free cooking sprays have zero calories and zero fat, but there's a little note that says one of the ingredients adds a trivial amount of fat. Therefore, my AN brain won, and I didn't spray the tray.<br />
<br />
Matt responded that of course it didn't work without the butter. My immediate response to that comment was to ask him if he was mad at me. <br />
<br />
My guests and Matt were gracious and kind for my failed apple snacks.<br />
<br />
<b>Confession #2:</b> I think I had already decided to find a way to not eat this recipe and therefore sabotaged it. <br />
<br />
When the apples didn't turn out perfectly, it seemed like an easy excuse to not try them. Unfortunately, my kind friends tried them, and one even said it was like apple pie. It's hard to justify not trying them after that.<br />
<br />
I knew the apples weren't inedible, and they actually smelled pretty good. But I told myself they weren't good, therefore I didn't have to eat them. My justification in my head was that I already restrict and punish myself with food, so I refused to "waste" any of my calories on something that didn't look great and I didn't feel like eating. Therefore, I consciously chose not to try them.<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson #1: </b><br />
Matt jokingly reminded me that the cookbook is already called <i>More-with-Less</i>.
He old me that I don't need to take out any ingredients because it's not like a mainstream cookbook asking me to add a bunch of junk to the recipe. If the recipe calls for butter or onions, then use butter or onions.<br />
<br />
The lesson here for me is that I do not need to be in charge. I can trust the cookbook and the people with whom I will share the fellowship of the table. I do not need to alter the recipe to "protect" myself from fat or ingredients that I may or may not like. <br />
<br />
My blog is called <a href="http://morewithmuchless.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://morewithmuchless.blogspot.com/</a> because that has been my worldview and decision-making motto, but I don't want to continue living from that paradigm.<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson #2:</b> <br />
I need to find a different way to decide what recipe I will cook next week. I had already chosen one based on my previous requirements of:<br />
1. Very few ingredients with very few calories or fat<br />
2. Something that I can alter in some way<br />
<br />
I have decided to choose three different recipes that I would actually like to try and then have Matt chose the order that I cook them for the next few weeks. <br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-72421867468160859542013-06-15T14:57:00.000-07:002013-08-16T15:48:52.808-07:00"The Fellowship of the Table"Sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting a sequel to the <i>Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings</i>. This is actually a section heading in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's <i>Life Together</i> published in 1954.<br />
<br />
As I said in an earlier post, the idea behind the More-with-Less cookbook is to find ways to faithfully share our table and food, in the literal and metaphorical sense. I've put together some quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian, and Longacre.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer</a><br />
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These quotes do not need me to expound upon them other than to say that as a Mennonite and someone who struggles with AN, I hope to find ways to faithfully eat my own daily bread, share my daily bread with others at my table, and remember that Jesus Christ is the Eternal daily bread for all.<br />
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Bonhoeffer, p. 67<br />
"Every mealtime fills Christians with gratitude for the living, present Lord and God, Jesus Christ. Not that they seek any morbid spiritualization of material gifts; on the contrary, Christians, in their wholehearted joy in the good gifts of this physical life, acknowledge their Lord as the true giver of all good gifts; and beyond this, as the true Gift; the true Bread of life itself; and finally, as the One who is calling them to the banquet of the Kingdom of God. So in a singular way, the daily table fellowship binds the Christians to their Lord and one another." <br />
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Bonhoeffer, p. 68<br />
"The table fellowship of Christians implies obligation. It is <i>our </i>daily bread that we eat, not my own. We share our bread. Thus we are firmly bound to one another not only in the Spirit but in our whole physical being. The <i>one</i> bread that is given to our fellowship links us together in a firm covenant. Now none dares go hungry as long as another has bread, and he who breaks this fellowship of the physical life also breaks the fellowship of the Spirit."<br />
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Longacre, p. 25<br />
"As Christians dealing with human hurts, we have to remind ourselves again and again that we are not called to be successful, but to be faithful. Our first directions come from the way Jesus told us to live, not from what we think will work...Wayne North, then a Mennonite pastor, made his point in an editorial entitled 'Can We Really Help Hunger?... For however they may have felt, the disciples responded in obedience. They shared what was available. Though it seemed totally inadequate, they brought the little lunch for distribution. Their act of faith was to share and let God take responsibility for the rest." <br />
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Bonhoeffer, p. 69<br />
"So long as we eat our bread together we shall have sufficient even with the least. Not until one person desires to keep his own bread for himself does hunger ensue. This is a strange divine law. May not the story of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand with two fishes and five loaves, have, along with many others, this meaning also?<br />
The fellowship of the table teaches Christians that here they
still eat the perishable bread of the earthly pilgrimage. But if they
share this bread with one another, they shall also one day receive the
imperishable bread together in the Father's house." Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-62928694698684863402013-06-11T12:08:00.002-07:002013-08-14T15:06:28.776-07:00Broccoli RicePart of the quote from Raymond Sokolov that introduces the topic of Main Dishes with Rice on p. 125:<br />
"In the short term, there is probably nothing anyone can do to forestall mass starvation in some<br />
rice-dependent areas. But the very least we can do is to take a symbolic stand and cook rice with<br />
reverence...Perhaps we could even inaugurate our own rice ritual: a moment of silence for those<br />
who are not getting enough."<br />
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I wish that my thoughts about rice included reverence and a moment of silence for people who are not getting enough to eat. That is my hope for future times of rice-cooking.<br />
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But last week and yesterday, my mind was ruminating on more mundane and eating disordered thoughts, mixed with glimmers of hope and excitement.<br />
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Now to the recipe:<br />
The idea for this Blog came about through discussions over the years with my husband and took shape more specifically over Christmas vacation 2012. I even picked out this recipe much earlier this year. I chose it based on the ease of preparation and the relatively few and low-anxiety-causing ingredients.<br />
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It just took me awhile to get the courage to actually begin the process of cooking from this cookbook. It also took me a little while longer to be completely sick of my diet of bread and yogurt!<br />
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This is what I decided to make:<br />
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<b>Recipe #1: p. 128 Broccoli Rice</b><br />
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Sauté in small skillet:<br />
margarine<br />
chopped onion<br />
Add:<br />
broccoli, cooked and drained<br />
grated cheese<br />
milk<br />
cooked rice<br />
Bake for 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Back to the running commentary this past week and yesterday as I prepared to make the first recipe:<br />
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Last week:<i> I have the option of just preparing the recipes and not actually eating them. The challenge I posed on the blog says nothing specifically about me actually eating the food.</i><br />
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<i>Last week: If I do eat it, I can just really overestimate the amount of calories in it, so that I will end up eating less calories than my regular diet.</i><br />
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Sunday night and Monday morning:<i> I need to stop at the store and get skim milk because all we have left is 1 percent, and I don't want those additional 10 calories in the recipe. I know that those 10 calories are going to get split between the whole recipe, and I'm only going to have a tiny bite, if any, but if I can get away with having less calories in it, then I will. I'm also not going to do the part with margarine and onions because I don't like onions (or margarine because it adds fat to the recipe).</i><br />
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Monday 10:15 AM:<i> I feel guilty that I am stopping at the store after teaching my class because I didn't ask Matt if he minded if I was 10 minutes later coming home. I can justify it by saying that he encourages me to not ask his permission to do things that I need or want to do.</i><br />
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Monday 10:16 AM:<i> Now that I'm in the store to get the milk, I notice that the small containers of yogurt that I'm trying to buy less of are on sale at this store. But I don't have a basket or a cart...I can go get one...but then I'll be even later. I'll just carry as many as I can and grab the milk on the way out.</i><br />
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Monday 10:28 AM:<i> I feel guilty that I'm trying to get in the house and put away the groceries before Matt notices that I stopped at the store, but I know that I'm also going to tell him that I stopped. I just don't want him to see that I bought more yogurt for me and feel disappointed in me.</i><br />
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Monday 1:00 PM:<i> I feel like I should use nap time to cook this meal so that I'm not rushing at the end and in case anything goes wrong.</i><br />
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Monday 1:05 PM:<i> Right now, I feel excited about cooking, and I plan to eat a small bite. I feel strong and courageous.</i><br />
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Monday 1:07 PM:<i> I feel pretty dumb that I'm looking up how to cut and cook broccoli on my Kindle. </i><br />
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Monday 1:10 PM: <i>I feel energetic, enthusiastic, idealistic. I should cook like this everyday!</i><br />
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Monday 1:30 PM:<i> I notice a burning smell, but I think it's probably just water going down the side of the rice pot.</i><br />
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Monday 1:32 PM:<i> Yep, I burnt the rice. </i><br />
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Monday 1:34 PM: <i>Why on earth did I decide to make this recipe on my busiest day of the week? I teach, watch another family's baby, tutor (but not this week), and have people over for dinner. Why did I decide to do this cooking project in the first place? It's easier and faster to have sandwiches and just do what I know and what feels safe.</i><br />
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Monday 2:00 PM: <i>The house still smells like burnt rice, but at least the broccoli is cooked, and the second pot of rice looks good. But will the food turn out ok since I'm not going to cook the onions and margarine and then add the other ingredients? What if I cook it, and it's a disaster? Will Matt be mad that I changed the recipe?</i><br />
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<i> </i>Monday 2:15 PM: <i>I'm more obsessive about making sure that I've measured things correctly since I'm planning to eat this than when I make foods for other people. Correction, I don't measure them correctly; I measure them to ensure that I skimp a little bit on all of the ingredients. But I hope that the recipe still turns out alright. I hope it's not a disaster and that I anger or disappoint people. </i><br />
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Monday 4:00 PM: <i>I don't feel too much anxiety right now thinking about tasting what I made. I like the smell of the cooked broccoli and rice, and I'm proud of myself for making something new. I'm also really proud that I didn't spend all week asking Matt to reassure me or make the decision to go ahead and follow-through with cooking the first recipe. And I'm even more proud that I'm planning to taste it. I feel kind of excited.</i><br />
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Monday 5:30-6:00 PM: <i>I'm really enjoying the conversation with our friend who is over for dinner. My mind is surprisingly focused on the conversation, and I am looking forward to trying the broccoli rice.</i> <br />
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Monday 6:15 PM: <i>Even though I only have a dollop of plain yogurt and a miniscule bite of broccoli rice on my plate, I feel like part of the fellowship of the meal. The broccoli rice is pretty good, if I do say so myself!</i> <br />
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Monday 7:00 PM: <i>I know that I barely ate enough of the recipe to justify it in my calories for the day, but since I already planned to, and I feel a little anxiety about not counting it, I will adjust my calories for today. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't risk trying a little bit more of the broccoli rice or at least more accurately estimating its caloric content.</i><br />
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Monday 7:00-10:00 PM: <i>I'm surprisingly calm, not-obsessive, and really enjoying my evening.</i><br />
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Monday 10:16 PM:<i> Well, I'm going to bed. I count it a success that I didn't let my negative, obsessive thoughts keep me from following through with preparing and tasting my first recipe. But did Matt and my friend like the recipe? Did they notice that I ate any? Were they proud of me for trying it, or were they disappointed that I didn't risk a bigger challenge?</i><br />
<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-91362750529058167852013-06-11T11:22:00.000-07:002013-08-16T15:28:59.921-07:00Copyright and recipes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't know copyright laws, and even if I did, I don't feel very comfortable posting entire recipes that I cook. So, I will post the ingredients and the cooking preparation and process without specific amounts and times. I will also give you the page number that corresponds with the book edition that I have--Updated Edition, Copyright 2011.<br />
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I like to support Mennonites in meaningful work, and I encourage people who are interested to purchase the <i>More-with-Less </i>cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre.<br />
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It's available on Amazon.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/More-With-Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370974866&sr=8-1&keywords=more+with+less+cookbook" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/More-With-Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370974866&sr=8-1&keywords=more+with+less+cookbook</a>Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465962490227657619.post-12053339346726153452013-06-07T15:21:00.002-07:002013-08-16T15:31:38.709-07:00National Doughnut Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Be willing to celebrate. Around the world, people who must live on monotonous diets still manage an occasional celebration. Undoubtedly their celebrations bring enjoyment in <i>proportion</i> to how much they vary from the daily routine.<br />
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The four Gospels show Jesus entering wholeheartedly into times of joy and feasting. We celebrate with family and friends when a holiday or special occasion brings us together. But the fact that in North America we tend to feast nonstop can dull our festive joy. We feel guilty about a Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings when we have not lived responsibly in the weeks preceding it. We require more and more trimming to turn any celebration into a meal distinguishable from our daily diet.<br />
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A wedding, a daughter or son's homecoming from far away, an aged parent's birthday, Christmas or Easter--food can help express what these days mean to us. But there are simple ways to turn meals into celebrations. Hold in clear perspective the reason for celebrating. Don't expect food to be the total experience. More with less means affirming faith and relationships as the basis for celebrating, and letting food play a complementary role."<br />
p. 26-27 Doris Janzen Longacre <i>More-with-Less </i>(italics added for emphasis) <br />
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Today is National Doughnut Day.<br />
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The only reason I am aware of this holiday is because I heard a short blurb about it on National Public Radio (NPR) the other day. The story explained how Dunkin' Donuts will begin offering its new sandwich on National Doughnut Day: fried eggs and bacon on a glazed doughnut.<br />
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Intrigued by National Doughnut Day, I began my <i>scholarly</i> research via Wikipedia and Google searches to learn about this day and other food days.<br />
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Here's what I discovered:<br />
"National Doughnut Day started in 1938<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Holey_holiday_1-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Doughnut_Day#cite_note-Holey_holiday-1">[1]</a></sup> as a fund raiser for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago" title="Chicago">Chicago</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army" title="The Salvation Army">The Salvation Army</a>. Their goal was to help the needy during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression" title="Great Depression">Great Depression</a>, and to honor The Salvation Army "Lassies" of World War I, who served doughnuts to soldiers."<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Doughnut_Day<br />
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Many countries have specially recognized food days. <br />
Italy has National Espresso Day.<br />
The Netherlands have National Pancake Day.<br />
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Depending on which list you look at, the U.S. has somewhere between 175 and over 300 food days. Some days even have two special foods. August 2 is National Ice Cream Sandwich day and National Ice Cream Soda Day!<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_food_days<br />
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/National_Symbols/American_Hollidays.html<br />
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We have essentially made National Doughnut Day's real meaning irrelevant because we've created so many other pointless days.<br />
The reason for celebrating has been lost. We don't know that we're supposed to be honoring the women who volunteered with the Salvation Army. We're just having a doughnut.<br />
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And to compound the issue, we're "just having a doughnut" many mornings. One statistic claims that more than 10 billion doughnuts are eaten every year in the U.S.<br />
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_doughnut_get_eaten_each_year <br />
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As Longacre pointed out, "celebrations bring enjoyment in <i>proportion</i> to how much they vary from the daily routine." If we have a doughnut every morning, the celebration is lost when it comes time for National Doughnut Day.<br />
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Not only do we not remember the reason we're celebrating, our joy has been dulled so that a regular glazed doughnut won't satisfy. We have to continually create new exciting doughnuts, like the egg, bacon, glazed doughnut to make the celebration feel any different than a regular day.<br />
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<br />Michelle Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03620217400577517710noreply@blogger.com2