Fit Friday: January 31

FINALLY some movement on that scale. Down 1.7 for the week.  But, wow, I have been s-t-u-c-k forever in this decade. What a pain.

This week I feel like I've been derailed a bit.  We did a lot of unexpected running and activities that left me not quite sure how to get in the rest of life.  It also left me feeling the effects of winter where the walls are closing in and you would rather just not face it. 

Exercise was the first thing to go. Sad.  And, I'm betting the farm that that's the biggest reason I lost my motivation and interest in keeping up with life.  I stopped working on my goals, stopped meeting them, and stopped enjoying the benefits. 

Lord, I'm grateful you continue to work even when I give up.  There has been much my mind and heart has had to wrestle through this week and I guess I figured that warranted a rest for my body. Yet, you continued to work at healing and cleansing me physically while you were at work in my mind and soul.  They cannot be separated. You continue to show that to me. 

Thank you for the renewed focus and desire to press on.  I've made it past that middle hump in this decade and finally feel some hope to climb into the next.  There is just something about being in the middle that leaves me feeling slumpish.

Here's to a great weekend.  A weekend filled with those things that bring you glory, bring us health, bring joy, reveal your mercies, and reflect your goodness in our lives.  It's a beautiful truth for me to think on today that if I simply enjoy the goodness of what you have created for me to enjoy, my body will continue to change and grow as you created it to do.  Even this strange bug that seems to be going through our family with sneezes, headaches, and sniffles cannot take hold in a way that it would before. Thank you, Lord!

Tots-Teens-Tuesday

It's been many days since I've posted.  Life has been busy.

Busy.

This week we are celebrating our son's birthday. He will turn twelve.  He invited some friends to come and watch a movie and have some pizza this weekend. Tomorrow we will make a special meal of his choice, Vegan Stuffed Shells.

I thought I'd share pics of the cake I made.  It turned out wonderful!  The cake itself is sweetened with bananas, applesauce, and dates.  The frosting is simple, dates, water, cocoa powder.  I was quite impressed with how delicious it was. 

 

Serving *strange* food to 5 tween and teen boys was a little nerve-wracking.  Fortunately, the cake was a great success.  Whew!!

Fit Friday: Jan 24, 2014

I'm down about half a pound from last week. 

I was down more than that earlier in the week.

Feeling a little stuck in this decade right now.

Got in 3 workouts so far this week. Not sure I'm getting in anything beyond some shopping and a lot of running around today and the rest of this weekend. Still glad for the three days I did, though. I've been leaning toward Ttapp SATI more and thinking on picking one workout to do for a while to see more consistent results. 

Had a strange week of unknowns.  I've got my answer now, though.  Was thinking we were going to be welcoming a new little one in another 9 months, but that is not to be.  I'm feeling blessed by the prospect of it and content in the outcome.

Pressing on with another day. :)

Thrifty Thursday: Seasonal Selections

Did you miss me yesterday?  No time to get to the keys and today is needing to be short as well.

I'm working on getting into a rhythm of eating seasonal produce to keep our budget low for produce. I found this helpful chart that lists which foods are in season during each month.  This helps me to plan a weekly menu around some of those items as well as think through what I should be stocking up on to freeze or what to avoid for another time of year.

Also, now that I know which foods are out of season and, therefore, don't likely have their optimal taste, I can avoid wasting our precious pennies.

Hope this helps you as well! 

I may have shared this recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce before because it's a favorite that I make almost weekly.  But, since cauliflower is in season right now I thought I'd be sure you've got this recipe in your file. :)  We use it over vegetables, beans, and salads.

Tots-n-Teens Tuesday: Preschool

Watch Daniel Tiger episode on Amazon Prime

 

 

Sharing the link above to one of my very favorite episodes to watch with my little ones.  In the two featured in this, Daniel Tiger and his friends learn about vegetables growing in the garden and how to be brave about "trying new foods 'cause they might taste good".  That's become a favorite little song at our house now. 

 

Also, they enjoy some great dishes like Veggie Spaghetti and Banana Swirl (aka, Nice Cream!!).  I really think they wrote the show for the Nutritarian family. :)

 

Now my 3yo is smitten with the idea of making Veggie Spaghetti.  Of course, I am happy to oblige her request.  Monday is Pasta Night at our house, so she is often my helper at dinner time, creating a Veggie Spaghetti feast.

 

 

Here she helping to roll out the to bake in the oven. I use this recipe, but switch out flax *egg* for real egg and skip the cheese. 

 

We like these and serve them with the marinara sauce I make from the strained vegetables when I make broth. I shared that here recently.

 

What I like most about this little show is that it's reinforcing a great approach in helping children enjoy and embrace new foods.  There is a new sense of courage and determination in my little ones as they sing out a little ditty, knowing there could be something great waiting for them.  There is a visible, if not audible, sigh of relief in knowing that if they don't like the food, that's okay. We're all cheering that they made the effort. 

 

And, well, another bonus is that they are encouraging children to be brave in eating foods that are GOOD.  Foods that nourish and give their bodies life.  A little different than the Green Eggs and Ham that were served to me as a motivational meal. *blech*

 

In my experience, after trying a food numerous times, most of my children will come to a point where they can at least tolerate a food to finish a small portion.  There are exceptions, of course.  But I have found that patience, not making food the issue, and more patience does bring about some victories. 

 

Just ask my 7yo who discovered, after 7 years, this week that she does, in fact, LIKE raisins. And she will eat them with a mouse and she will eat them in a house.... :)



Monday Motivation: Emotional Eating

Emotional eating has been my biggest battle regarding my health.  When I couldn't control other aspects of my life, I controlled food.  Only, I wasn't really controlling it. It was controlling me.  Addiction is like that.

Some thoughts from Dr. Stoll from the chapter on Emotional Eating in his book, Alive! A Physician's Biblical & Scientific Guide to Nutrition:

"Our absolute dependence on food causes us to recognize that God is our ultimate provider and sustainer.  When we hunger, it is a reminder that we are weak, that He provides for us, and that we should hunger first for a relationship with Him."

In reference to the biblical account of man's fall into sin found in Genesis 3:4-5:

"And for the first time in history, God's provision of food became a vehicle of selfish gain and self-fulfillment. This is the first recorded incidence of emotional eating -- eating for personal gain beyond supplying nutrients for the body."

"Why did she take the fruit and eat it? Not because she was hungry or thought it would be good for her body. No, instead, her fleshly passions were kindled by the simple fruit hanging in a tree. The lust of the flesh - the fruit appeared to be delicious.  The lust of the eyes - the fruit was a delight to the eyes. And the pride of life - it would make them wise. These passions were driving Eve to reach up and take that fruit from the tree. The anticipated pleasure, power, and enjoyment of the fruit quickly eclipsed God's command."

John 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

"The enemy wants you to remain in fruitless cycles that consumer your life and make you powerless, weak, and sick.  Freedom is found in the hope and life of Christ, and we know that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippian 4:19). "

"We all eat emotionally, and God intended that we feel emotions during the eating process -- emotions that will inspire us to a closer relationship with others and Him. Pray today that God will restore this aspect of your life and bring you back into communion with Him with every bite you take."

I'm learning the amazing power in this!  Fasting, eating, understanding TRUE hunger versus toxic hunger, these tools are enabling me to commune with my Lord at a new level of gratitude and praise in my heart.  I am learning to WORSHIP my Creator and Father with every bite I take because I know it was created by His hand for my body, also created by His hand, all for His glory!  I would have never understood how the simple act of eating could bring such joy in comparison to the dread, compulsion, or self-pleasure it once held over me.

Goal Setting for This Week:
1.   Bed by 10pm
2.  Wake by 6am
3.   Personal morning and evening worship
4.   Blogging
5.   Keep up with meal prep
6.   Daily exercise: 20-40 minutes at least 4 times this week
7.   Bread once weekly (replace with small quantities of rice, potatoes, alternate flour)
8.   Computer time limited to morning blogging and any spare time before bed
9.   Simplify the menu - I need to get this set up today, I'm behind and it's only Monday!
10. Stay on budget with groceries

Sunday Sabbath

Gratefully enjoying this gift of a day of rest.  Praising the Lord for time with my family to refresh, renew, build, and worship the Lord.

Enjoying the beautiful snow He gave us to enhance our enjoyment of Him!

Saturday Set-Up: January 19, 2014

I'm posting this on Sunday, while my feet are up and resting from a busy prep day on Saturday. ;)  We got some good stuff done. :D

Oatmeal Almond Bars (only, we used walnuts in place of almonds) Scroll down to the bottom of the article on the link for the recipe. But read the article, too. It's a good one!

 

Chef AJ's Just Banana Muffins

 

Baked Falafel Burgers (I used the recipe at this link for the mix, but then I bake them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.)

 

Two pans of Baked Oatmeal (recipe on the tab at the top of the blog) and pancakes for the freezer.  (no real recipe for those. My dd just tosses in various flours, fruits, juices that we have on hand. They turn out different each week.)

 

Crunchy Veggies to go with our burger for dinner. I tried my recipe I made up on my last post.  This time I dipped broccoli, zucchini, and summer squash as well. I put it on broil and it was better. Crunchy and the mushrooms didn't go rubbery.  I still need to work on my technique, though. 

 

Warning: Broil on Hi + Parchment Paper = something more dangerous than you want to have going in your oven. Be careful!

 

Mexicali Pasta Salad  Skip the oil, cheese and salt to keep this optimal to your health.

Fit Friday: Baked-Fried Mushrooms Recipe

January 17, 2014

Sigh. 

I'm up a pound from last week. Stinks, but doesn't surprise me. This is my week to gain. Every month. This week. Gain-hold steady-gain-hold steady.  Sigh. 

Oh well, I had some good progress in other areas.

That new skirt I bought that was a little tight and I probably wasn't going to be real comfy in it for a few more weeks..yeah....no more tightness!  I guess those workouts are doing something after all, even if the scale doesn't know about it yet. :)

This week's goals:
1.   Bed by 10pm - I did great with this! I think I was only up too late one or two nights
2.  Wake by 6am - not so great. I need that alarm!!
3.   Personal morning and evening worship - only missed one day. 
4.   Blogging - a little late today, but made it every day this week otherwise
5.   Keep up with meal prep - good
6.   Daily exercise (experimenting with that a bit this week) - got in two workouts
7.   Bread once weekly (replace with small quantities of rice, potatoes, alternate flour) - ugh. No. Sigh.
8.   Computer time limited to morning blogging and any spare time before bed - Nope on this one too. Drats.
9.   Simplify the menu - NO new recipes - Tried a couple new recipes, but the only one that was derailing I saved for Friday night, so we were good. ;)
10. Stay on budget with groceries - so far, so good.

Okay, so I'm sharing my new recipe I tried tonight. Only thing is, there is no recipe. I made it up as I went a long, so now I'm stuck with the burden of writing out some guesstimate on measurements. Be kind.  I'll do the best I can, but I'm counting on your creativity to make this happen at your house.

Baked-Fried Mushrooms

1 pound Pennsylvania or Baby Portabellas, thoroughly washed, stems pulled out

2 TBS ground flax seed
8 TBS water

Mix flax seed and water and let soak for 15-20 minutes until thick and egg-like.  When mixture is thickened to right consistency, mix in 1-2 tsp spicy Dijon mustard.

1/2 cup (or so) of wheat germ (I'm thinking you could try steel cut oats or some kind of gluten free bread crumb mixture if you need gluten free)
1-2 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp garlic powder
generous shaking of Mrs. Dash seasoning mix
ground black pepper to taste
any other seasonings you might like. (I was thinking some kind of Italian seasoning mix, maybe some chili powder or even some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you want to spice it up.  Oh! turmeric would be good idea!)

Mix wheat germ with seasonings. 

Dip mushrooms in flax-egg mixture, thoroughly coating but letting the liquid drip out from the cavity left by the stem. You don't want the excess liquid making your crumb coating mushy.

Set the mushroom in the crumb mixture and thoroughly coat.  Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cavity side down.

I baked my 'shrooms for close to an hour. It took a while for them to crisp up.  The problem with that is that the mushrooms deflated quite a bit and the texture wasn't perfect.  My plan for the next go 'round is to cook them under the broiler. I think that will give them the crunch I want but keep the fluff of the mushroom that we like.

And, that next go 'round will be tomorrow.  These babies were a huge hit!! Three of my  non-mushroom eating kiddos (they only eat mushrooms if I chop them microscopic-like) loved them and duked it out for the last one.  (that would be the 1yo, 3yo, and nearly 12yo. That 1yo packs a punch, I'm tellin' ya'!)

I actually made a bit more than what I wrote down, leaving me with extra flax-egg and crumb mixture.  One great thing about not using real egg is that I can store and reuse everything I made without worry of making my family sick.  *Really* love that about eating plant strong. :)

Some of my family dipped their mushrooms in my barbeque sauce. (You'll have to wait for me to get that recipe written out some other day.)  One dipped hers in the Cauliflower *Cheese* Sauce I made to go with our dinner tonight. A few of us just ate them plain. The coating had a great flavor. I just wanted the mushroom to have more crunch and less mush. 

Tomorrow, I try again! :D

Thrifty Thursday: Vegetable Broth

My thrifty thought for today is to share my vegetable broth recipe. I did get it from a source.  I thought it was one of Dr. Furhman's books but I don't see it in there now. So, again, I can't site my source on this recipe.  Sorry about that.

I make this every week.  Well, sorta. I make vegetable broth ever week, but it isn't always the same. 

See, I start with this recipe as my primary guide.  But, I twist and turn a bit based on what I have on hand.  That's the thrifty part.

During the week I save some of the bits of vegetable scraps from our meals.  As I'm chopping mushrooms for G-Bombing our meals, I pull the stems off completely and toss them in a bag in the freezer.  Then, when I get to Saturday, I can just dump them and any other vegetable trimmings I have in the pot for my broth. 

I've learned that cruciferous vegetables aren't good for a broth, as they can make it taste bitter. So, I no longer add my broccoli stems to the broth.  Instead I reserve them for soup or to shred for salads.

I added a few notes to the recipe in parenthesis to show what I usually use in place of the listed ingredients.  I rarely have scallions, so those don't make it into my broth. Also, I don't measure the water. After I've put the vegetables in my large stock pot, I just fill it to the top with water.

Vegetable Broth
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup finely chopped scallions
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 28oz can diced, no-salt added tomatoes)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved crosswise (2 tsp minced garlic, no-oil)
3 bay leaves
1 cup chopped fresh dill (1-2 tbs dried dillweed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (1 TBS dried parsley)
6 whole black peppercorns (ground pepper to taste)
1 tsp dried oregano
14 cups water

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour.  Skim and discard any foam from surface. 

Strain broth, discard bay leaves but reserve the vegetables to eat as is or puree them and use to thicken soups or sauces.

Can be frozen in small containers; will keep frozen up to 6 months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the other thrifty thing I do with this mix.  Once I have strained the vegetables from the broth, I puree them in the food processor, like recommended.  When Monday Pasta night comes along, I have the perfect beginning for a home made marinara sauce. 

I dump the pureed vegetables in a pan and add a 28oz can of no-salt added crushed tomatoes and 1 6oz can of tomato paste.  Add in water or vegetable broth as needed.  Season with your favorite Italian seasonings (oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, bay leaves, pepper) and let simmer so the flavors mix. 

And here's a new thing I did this week.  I had some sauce leftover at the end of the week. I dumped it in with the breakfast black beans and that gave them a new flavor.  Not one that everybody loved, but it got eaten.  I'm sure, if I try it again, it will be better received.  I find that, for most of my family, the first time I serve a new flavor to their old stand-by there is some resistance that wanes as they get familiar with it through further introductions.

So, there ya' go.  Scraps, trimmings, water, seasonings.  All mixed and made into some flavorful broth for cooking during the week as well as vegetable puree for some creative uses along the way. 

I'd love to hear what you use your broth and vegetable puree to create.  Leave me a note with ideas!

Q&A Wednesday: Activated Charcoal

Here's a question *I* asked in the ETL group that I belong to (and receive AMAZING help and wisdom, I might add.)

Q:  Now that I've kicked my intense coffee drinking addiction, how can I whiten my teeth without an expensive trip to the dentist?

A:  Oil pulling (which, is out for me as I don't have any essential oils at this time)

A:  Activated Charcoal.

Really?  I HAVE that stuff sitting in my cabinet.  In fact, I've had it in there for several years now and it's still in it's sealed container. Sure enough, I was given this helpful link with the step by step on how to whiten my teeth by coating them with lovely blackness. I'm eager to give it a try. :)

You see, I was told that AC is useful for dealing with stomach cramping and GI issues. I bought some but then have always been too chicken to use the stuff. It's sat unopened on the shelf ever since.

That same week I asked about teeth whitening I was hit with some kind of virus. I'm at this strange place where I can't always tell if I'm really sick or not. But, one day my stomach was cramping so intensely, I was on the floor breathing through it like labor pains. It was bad, folks.

I remembered that AC and had no qualms about finding some potential relief.  As soon as I was able to do it, I swallowed two capsules and sipped one that had been mixed in with some hot water.  Instant relief.  Amazing.

Here is a helpful article on how to use AC for treating stomach flu and possibly preventing it. 

AC is useful in removing toxins from your body, hence it's effectiveness in whitening teeth and dealing with those pesky microscopic bad guys that are wreaking havoc on your innards.  With the amount of sickness I hear about right now, I'm thinking this stuff is going to be a real friend to many families.

There are cautions with using it, though.  Don't take it if you are on any medications. It will leach the usefulness of those from your system as well.  Be certain to talk with your doctor, especially while pregnant, before you use any forms of supplements for your health. (I have to tell you to do that, okay?)

I'll keep you posted on my teeth whitening progress. *bigcheesyalbeitcoffeestainedsmile*

Tots-Teens-Tuesday

I thought I'd share a couple of resources I used last month to with the children.  I used them as a health unit in our schooling.  They've both been helpful for the children to better understand and embrace some of the changes we have made.

The first is a resource I downloaded.  It's geared toward a younger elementary age group. There are several weeks involved and we're still working our way through it.


I'm hoping, at some point, to get the coloring book offered by the Fully Alive! ministry, as I know they'll enjoy using that as well.

http://engine2diet.com/resources-and-research/plant-strong-kids/

 

 

A resource I used with my middle school aged boys was a book I grabbed this summer at a library book sale.  It's not *exactly* the teaching we're following, but I like my children to understand that there are many different angles people have to understand and apply health principles.  By reading material that sometimes supports and sometimes conflicts with the choices we've made, they are learning to think critically, evaluate, compare, and make choices for themselves.  I've enjoyed watching them read this material for themselves. It's reinforcing what we're teaching while giving us a chance to discuss why there are differences of thought and how to handle that wisely.

 



 

 

 

 

I'm seeing great benefit from spending time with my children helping them explore resources that help them understand and embrace this new way of thinking. So many of the curriculum and children's books we've used in the past work under the assumptions that the government food pyramid is the only way to get in adequate nutrition. 

 

A Berenstain's Bears book I was reading with my preschoolers was teaching them that they must get in meat and dairy for adequate health. I love having these opportunities to look at those kinds of statements with my children and help them see that they can think outside of that box and find truth.



Monday Motivation: Plant-Based is so.....

weird....

hokey...

confusing...

same thing as vegan, right?

Nope.  None of those things. But, I'll admit it, when I first picked up Dr. Furhman's book, End of Diabetes, and read in the first chapter that he wants people to eat 2 pounds of vegetables EVERY DAY for the rest of their lives I made some sarcastic comment (I'm sure, I always do) and tossed it aside.  I didn't even LIKE vegetables. There was no way I was going to eat like that.  Even better, there was NO way my family would go for it.

Makes me giggle at myself when I think of that day. 

Nutritarian sounds so lofty.  We call it "hoity-toity" around here. I wish there was a word for it that didn't sound so elite or conjur up confusion.  I actually prefer to say we eat plant-based or plant-strong because my focus is to make plants, the original foods God created for my body to thrive on, the PRIMARY source of nourishment in our diet.  For me, that takes away some of the restrictive and negative connotations that accompany labels like vegan or vegetarian.  It's also stating my emphasis on choosing nutrient-dense foods versus simply avoiding animal products.  I mean, really, someone can be a vegan and binge on oreos and somehow feel they are doing their body good.  SAD story, folks. (pun intended).

So, given I'm choosing to eat plants as my primary micro and macronutrient food source and given I'm choosing plants and plant-products that are the highest in nutritional content (avoiding simple sugars like syrup, honey, molasses and oils that have lost their nutritional count) I guess Nutritarian, "one who chooses a nutrient-dense life" is a pretty good word even if it's unfamiliar and confusing.

So, let me help make it less confusing for you!  The more I do this, the more I understand how SIMPLE this really is. I mean, c'mon, when Adam and Eve walked the garden, they didn't pull out ANDI score chart and compare apples to oranges, did they?  Nope, they reached out and grabbed what was appealing to their sight and tasted to see that the Lord IS GOOD because every food surrounding them was made to be GOOD.  God said it.  I can do that too.

Take a look at the various charts I put here today. Maybe one will click for you and help you understand how this is simple, even if the transition is hard.  I agree, it IS easier to grab a bag of chips than peel and munch on carrot sticks. But the simplicity comes from seeing your body heal, strengthen, thrive, and reflect back the glory God intended for it to do.  You can do that...with a carrot!! Making simple choices for simple foods bring great glory to our Great God.

I'm including this link to an article by Dr. Scott Stoll, Fruit and Vegetable Diet. Give it a read. I'm so blessed by his writings and how he helps me see that my simple food choices are creating a stronger communion with my Lord.  Maybe you'll see something similar.  Maybe you'll be inspired to set a few goals for your week that will help you add in more of those life-giving food sources God lovingly created for us to enjoy.

While you're doing that, I'll set my own goals for this week.
1.   Bed by 10pm
2.  Wake by 6am
3.   Personal morning and evening worship
4.   Blogging
5.   Keep up with meal prep
6.   Daily exercise (experimenting with that a bit this week)
7.   Bread once weekly (replace with small quantities of rice, potatoes, alternate flour)
8.   Computer time limited to morning blogging and any spare time before bed
9.   Simplify the menu - NO new recipes
10. Stay on budget with groceries