Time Out for Quilting

As you probably know by now, I've been learning to make quilts since I retired.  Writing this blog has caused a definite slow-down in the quilting, but I finally finished this quilt that I'm going to send to my cousin Sandra in Connecticut.  As soon as I saw these sawtooth cats, I thought of Sandra right away and decided it would be for her.

I had two goals for this quilt:  (1) to learn to do the sawtooth triangles, and (2) to make the quilt using only my scrap pile, without purchasing any fabric.  The triangles turned out to be easier than I expected, although quite time-consuming.  I nearly made it without any purchases, but I wanted the border of white to match the off-white patterned fabric behind the kitties and I didn't quite have enough, so I did buy some of that.

For the backs of my quilts I usually buy fabric with a pattern that I think the recipient will like, or that goes with the theme of the front, but for this quilt I had just what I needed in my sewing room closet.  When my mother was alive, she and I had made a bedspread and wall hanging for her bedroom in her retirement apartment and they were lined with this blue and white flowered cotton.  I had no use for the bedspread, so I reused the lining.  Sandra loved my mom, so I knew she'd love having something Mom had used.

The hardest part was making the cat faces.  I considered leaving them without faces, but I thought if they turned out cute, it would make the quilt even better.  Of course, facial expressions can be tricky, and if they didn't look cute or friendly, it would spoil it.  They're not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with the result.

So, I'm ready to wrap it up and get it in the mail.  I already have an idea for what I want to make next!  If you'd like to see some of my other quilting projects, they're on a separate page of this blog.

Are Eggs Good For Me?

In a word, yes!

I avoided eggs for three weeks of my cleanse, because in The Wahls Protocol, Dr. Terry Wahls recommends doing an elimination test for eggs as they are a common allergen.  I then ate eggs at breakfast and lunch for two days in a row to see if I had any uncomfortable symptoms, and I was fine.  I was reading another book, Primal Body, Primal Mind by NoraGedgaudas, and she recommends eggs as a good source of many nutrients, so I decided to look online to see what others have to say. 

I used the following websites for information.  Remember these are bloggers, too, and I really don't have any idea of how accurate, or not, they are.  I try to read several sites and pick out common information.

PaleoLeap

Cholesterol and Health

Nutrition and Health Education

What's Cooking America

I learned that contrary to popular wisdom, the yolks are actually the most nourishing part of the egg, and we actually need the cholesterol we’ve been told to avoid.  Both the whites and yolks of eggs are good sources of protein,  but yolks contain all of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as all the carotenoids, leutine and zeaxanthin, found in an egg.   (I had never heard of zeaxanthin – it is one of the two carotenoids found in the eye – leutine is the other one - and both contribute to eye health.)

Egg yolks also contain fatty acids – both the essential omega-3 fatty acid DHA, necessary for the brain and the proper function of the retina in the eye, and the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, required for healthy skin and hair, libido, reproduction, growth and response to injury.  They do not contain EPA, which is a different fatty acid that interferes with arachidonic acid.  (I seem to associate the words arachidonic acid with spiders – arachnids – and think it is something bad, but I don’t find any connection in Wikipedia.)

My breakfast this morning

Egg whites contain two anti-nutrients.  One is an inhibitor of trypsin, a digestive enzyme used in the digestion of protein.  The other is avidin, a glycoprotein that binds to the B vitamin biotin and prevents its absorption.  Biotin is necessary for fatty acid synthesis and the maintenance of blood sugar, and is especially important during pregnancy.  Cooking deactivates some, but not all, of these anti-nutrients and some websites warn that eating raw egg whites daily can lead to a biotin deficiency.  (So, no need to throw that raw egg into a protein shake every morning!) Apparently it's the white that causes most egg allergies, and some allergic people find they can eat yolks without symptoms.

Cooking the yolk destroys some of its nutrients, and the more it is cooked, the more are lost.  On the other hand, the protein in eggs is more available when heated.  So, ideally, we cook the whites and leave the yolks runny – a perfect poached, fried or soft-boiled egg in my opinion! Isn’t it sad that for many years we were told to limit eggs, especially yolks, to avoid cholesterol?  I never enjoyed those egg white omelets as much as a nice yellow omelet using whole eggs.

Stan's delicious fruit omelet with berries and a dash of Grand Marnier

My sources all agreed to the importance of buying eggs from free-range chickens.  Chickens who live in factories may have been given hormones or antibiotics and tend to be less healthy.  It doesn't make sense to avoid grains in our diets but eat eggs from chickens who were fed grain.  We get more omega three fats and other nutrients from chickens who eat insects (yum!), seeds, and whatever else they find in the barnyard.

One of my favorites - eggs with cabbage, onion and tomato

I also read, or started to read, several vegan websites about why vegans don't eat eggs.  It made me feel really bad, although I guess not bad enough to stop eating eggs.  I won't burden you with details, but it's hard to be reminded how badly we humans mistreat our fellow creatures of other species.  I guess I excuse myself by thinking that one person's actions won't make a difference... flimsy excuse.  If you're interested in reducing your use of eggs, on one of my favorite blogs the Detoxinista gives instructions for making an egg substitute from either flax seeds or chia seeds - not exactly a tasty breakfast, but could be used in place of eggs for baking. 

 My takeaway from this research is that I’ll enjoy whole eggs in moderation – one or two for breakfast some days, but not every day.  I notice most paleo baking uses quite a few eggs and I love my paleo muffins, so I’ll get some that way, too, though I might try the substitute ideas.  I will be aware that raw or undercooked whites may be less good for me – that would be in meringue and, oh yeah, raw cookie dough.

Hidden-veggie muffins from Against All Grain by Danielle Walker

Third Monthly Assessment – March 31st

In my third month of health I feel like I’ve made some progress, but not without sacrifices!  Remember I wrote about my personalized cleanse?  Well, I stuck with it pretty well, quite well in fact, for the whole month of March.  I lost four pounds, down to 133, and ¾ inch around my waist, to 31¾.   Overall, I'm feeling well and sleeping well.

January 31st

March 31st

January 31st

March 31st

Here’s how I did on each item in my cleanse:

Coffee – I have actually not had any coffee this month!  I substituted tea, mostly Irish Breakfast, but also Earl Grey, Lady Grey and Twinings Green Tea with Lemon.  I take my tea without cream or milk so this eliminated a lot of dairy, and I found that after one or two cups I didn’t want more and I was hungry for breakfast.  Not like coffee,  which leaves me less hungry but wanting a third cup.  I love coffee, and when I got a whiff of Stan’s I really missed it, but I’m going to be more aware and more cautious now – maybe have tea-only days, and switch to decaf, and sometimes drink it black.

Wine – Not too bad.  I had nine wine-drinking occasions during the month, and for most I only had one glass.  It’s getting easier at home now to just have my kombucha before dinner and drink water at dinner.  Still need to work on social occasions, but I think a glass now and then is okay.

This is non-alcoholic wine that I thought might be nice for special dinners.  Ariel Vineyards makes the only non-alcoholic wine that has won medals in competition with regular wines.  For me, however, it tasted like nice grape juice - it just doesn't have the zing of regular wine.

Sugar – I was sad to note sugar is the fourth ingredient in my favorite creamy tomato soup.  Also in pizza sauce I used for an experimental gluten-free pizza.  I didn’t have any dessert items other than my daily square of dark chocolate, and occasionally two squares.  Oops – and a spoonful of ice cream one evening when we had guests for dinner.  My only sweetened drink was the club soda with lemonade I had with Mira on our trip to the Great Wheel.  I guess my feeling about sugar is that when I eat it I want to know it and enjoy it.  That would mean a really nice dessert is fine (or an eggnog latte?) but I don’t want it hidden in my regular food and I don’t want to waste it on ordinary store-bought cookies or cake – only the really good stuff!

Gluten – I did okay avoiding gluten, though not perfectly.  I had a slice of bread at The Outback while waiting for my salmon dinner with extra veggies and ate a crouton or three on a Chicken Caesar salad.  We ate a favorite easy meal that is potato-encrusted cod fish made by QFC and I know there are bread crumbs in the crust.  I don’t feel any symptoms when I eat gluten and I don’t think having it occasionally hurts me, but I'll continue to avoid it most of the time. 

Dairy and Eggs – I missed eggs for breakfast at the beginning of the month, but soon got used to my sausage and veggie stir fries.  I did eat some paleo muffins I had in the freezer that were made with eggs.  To my knowledge the only dairy I had was a few times when I forgot and ate cheese.  I had several chicken Caesar salads without cheese and was surprised to find I didn't even miss it.  I love a little milk when having a wine-free dinner, but I got used to just having water.  However, when I start drinking coffee again, then I know I’ll want milk or cream.  I'll add it back into my diet slowly, and watch to see if I start gaining weight.

Weight machines at the Y Wednesdays and Fridays – Both Stan and I have been quite faithful – I think we only missed two days – once to go golfing and once busy around the house.  It feels like the results are happening very slowly, but hopefully muscles are being made.

Try out Gentle Yoga class – never happened.  I’m loving walking so much that I don’t really want to start something else.  I was swimming twice a week for a while, but I really prefer walking – my last walk was 7.8 miles, with a stop for Jade Citrus Mint green tea at Starbucks.  (Just remembered – I ordered a slice of pumpkin bread with my tea – sugar and gluten!  Even as I was eating it, it tasted too sweet and I noticed one of their slices is really as big as two slices.  I wished I had gone for the package of salted nuts instead.  Hope I remember that next time!)


How about the non-health-related items on my list?  I noticed just having written out what I wanted to do caused me to remember these things and take action.

Get up by 7:30 AM – this was easy until the day we sprang forward for daylight savings.  It took awhile to adjust, but all month I’ve been up before 8.  I like the quiet early morning, and it is when I write most of my posts.

Tidying up clutter – This worked well, but mostly because I’ve been too busy blogging to sew and mess up my office/sewing room!  My desk is tidy and I’ve been careful to file papers instead of putting them on the desk.  I still get a pile of books, papers and magazines around my chair in the family room, but I have sorted it out more often this month.

Paint the family room – not done, but we realized we weren’t one hundred percent happy with the color we were planning on, so I got a few more samples and we're ready now.

Visit with Tyler, Alethea and Mira – had two nice visits!  Mira and I had an adventure to the Seattle Great Wheel, and I went up to see her in a school play, a fun mix of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, with a nice opportunity to chat with Alethea while waiting for Tyler to get home. 

Facetime with Melanie – well, we didn’t use Facetime, but we talked on the phone several times and we have a mother-daughter getaway planned for April!  We’ll spend a weekend at Cannon Beach, and Melanie's husband, Ben, and my granddog, Wilbur, will join us for part of a day on the beach.  I can’t wait!  

Goals for April:

Keep up the good work!  I know if I just stop the cleanse and go back to what I was eating and drinking before, the effort will be wasted. I want to see if I can add back a limited amount of coffee, eggs and dairy without regaining weight.

Do physical therapy exercises more often