Month 1: Seven Foods

Month 1 of Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

So, you may remember that in back in the fall, I read Jen Hatmaker’s book Seven.  I mentioned then that a group of us would be tackling a similar project in 2013.

Well here it is.

We are a week into Month 1 which is FOOD.

Everyone in the group is doing a different variation on this project of eating 7 foods for a month.  Some folks are giving up 7 foods.  Some are eating 7 foods.  Some are tailoring it to their lives without really feeling the need to be boxed in by the number 7.

What I love about it is that everyone in the group is looking at food in their life and saying, Where can I make a sacrifice? 

Everyone’s sacrifice is different, but we are all cheering each other on and making jokes about missing cheese or wine or chocolate together.

There is already a movement to have a party at midnight on February 28th.

We even have a hashtag: #7FN.  The FN stands for Fellowship North, but you do not have to be a part of Fellowship to join in.  Anyone can play.  There are no rules really.  Just read the book and do what you want to do.  Maybe pray about it.  Send Sarabeth or me a message and say, Add me to the group.  It’s worth it for the comment stream, I promise.

My seven foods are oatmeal, apples, beans, rice, onions, eggs and corn tortillas.

Only I decided today (one week in) to switch the eggs out for spinach.  Can you do that?  Of course I can!  I told you there are no rules.

I chose the foods I did to create monotony in my eating, and to eat more like someone from a poorer country where there are not infinite choices about meals.  So I am eating oatmeal and apples every morning for breakfast.  And beans and rice for lunch and dinner.

The family is eating whatever they want for breakfast and lunch, but are being fed rice and beans every night for dinner, which they are doctoring up with salsa, avocado, tortilla chips and other foods not currently available to me.  Even with all their fancy toppings, they are maybe a wee bit tired of beans and rice, which might explain why three out of four of my children were not home for dinner Friday night.  Resourceful, they are.

The monotony is beautiful in some ways.  No thinking about what’s for dinner.  Routinely soaking beans every other night to make the pot for the next couple of days.  Less money on groceries.

In other ways the monotony is, well, monotonous.  I am a little concerned that a dish I formally loved (and have fixed once a week for years) may be forever ruined for me.  I used to think all different kinds of beans tasted all different kinds of ways.  Now they are all the same.

I am curious to see if I will stop thinking so much about it all as we move into Week 2.  If the routine will create more space in my brain to focus on other things.

We shall see.