ASK YOURSELF...

Well, we're a little bit past half of this year!  I seem to read a lot about goals, self-discipline, and to put it in today's terms - living your best life!  Something I was thinking and reading about the beginning of this year in relation to this had you ask the question of yourself:

WHAT WERE YOU PROUDEST OF LAST YEAR?

Well, for me the answers were pretty easy.  There were two things.  One was related to personal health and clean eating.  I successfully lost weight and felt better and changed some bad eating habits.  The other was to get a service project for women, by women at church underway.  We ended up doing a whole week of service and many women participated!  

So far this year I wouldn't say I've done much to be proud of...but coming up this week is our 2nd Women's Service Week, and I'm pumped!  We were ambitious in planning more than last year, and prayed God would bring the volunteers!  Pictures and a full report to come.  

I'm curious...do you think over your life at the beginning of the year or the school year and do any kind of goal setting?  Does it help you reach your goals?  Have you ever asked yourself this question?  

SUPPORT FOR YOUR HEART AND HOME...

Our kitchen has been under construction since late August (Grrr...)  Actually they started it then wasn't sure which way to repair it so started on the facade repair on the front, then did some repairs on our back patio overhang and now are finally back around to the kitchen.  We had noticed over the years that our ceiling was cracking in the middle and after some consultation and measurements, it was discovered that the ceiling in the middle was 1.5" lower than the outsides of the room.  We definitely had a support problem!  You could even tell with the floor in the bedroom above the kitchen.

Sometimes our lives are the same way.  We may look all right on the outside, but slowly, without proper support, things unravel and without some repair, things could come crashing down all around us.  How do we ensure that we stay strong and keep it together?  I'm no counselor, but I feel like I've learned a lot through my life experiences (aka my age!).

MAINTENANCE - check yourself occasionally.  Take a walk, a mental health break, meditate.  Think about what Matthew 7:5 says, "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." It's a humbling experience.  I think daily rituals for this are the key.  Pray, read scripture, just find the time that works best for you meet with the Father and examine yourself.

RESTORE - call in a professional if you need to - sometimes we need help! I appreciate the passage in Acts 9 that recalls Saul's conversion.  He was blind for three days afterward and did not eat or drink.  Then Ananias was sent to him.  What do you those three days were like for Saul?  His soul needed repair, and God blessed him through Ananias.  Sometimes it's hard to reach out for help but restoring mental/spiritual health will take your stress away.  God provides peace during rebuilding.  

All of this re-construction going on in our 39 year old house just reminds me that nothing here on this earth was meant to last.  It's all temporary!  I'm so looking forward to that heavenly home God is preparing for his children!

THE DECLUTTERING CONTINUES...

It's nice when you can get some others behind you in decluttering!  The Hubs and I are in the midst of some major home improvement projects!  One of them is the front of our house, which you really can't see and we really haven't seen in the 17 years we've lived here!  Although I love the trees and the tree tunnel you walk through to get to our front door, we realized it was time for them to go.  Maybe all those Fixer Upper episodes played a part in our decision... :)

 Before

 My son and his friend took down 9 trees for us!

 After

 All this trim was rotten after 39 years!

I got to give our home a new Tudor design with arches with the help of our contractor.  I love it!  

The first morning after this was completed I went to the dining room window downstairs and looked outside and thought, "Oh, it's so bright and sunny today!"  Then I realized it wasn't especially bright or sunny, it was just the blue sky showing where all I saw before was the shade of those trees!  

I can't help but make the correlation with our lives - do we let things grow up and cover us up unknowingly?  Does it take a major overhaul for us to realize what we've been missing?  

THE DESSERT I UNEXPECTEDLY LOVE...

Avocado chocolate pudding!  Discovered this HERE with my recent interest in clean eating.  

 It's so easy - three ingredients and so good!  Better if you let it set in the refrigerator a while.

Here's my adaptation of the recipe:

Avocado half

1 T. cocoa

1 T. honey

Mix together well.  

Let set in refrigerator for intense flavor.

Eat alone or with a dollop of whipped cream or with fruit.  

Pretty AMAZING!

EATING BETTER, FEELING BETTER....

For many years now, I confessed to enjoy exercise much more than eating right.  In fact, my main reason for exercise was so I could eat the way I wanted, which meant dessert.  Dessert every day, multiple times a day!  They were always around and I was always making them - especially for hungry teens.

I've not been very aware of my body and how it feels when I eat certain things and am always amazed at people who talk about it.  But I have to say since April 4, I am paying attention and feeling better!

I had noticed the past few years that I could take off a few pounds, but after a few months it would always return.  I knew eating right was the piece of the puzzle I lacked.  My pants were getting tight again and I was increasingly uncomfortable in my nice fitted clothes.

So I jumped at a free offer from a friend who has really shown self-discipline through the years in her lifestyle.  She was starting a Facebook group and offering encouragement and a 7 Day Cleanse Eating Plan.  She also sells supplements to go along with it, and although I did not do that part of it due to medication I'm already on, I have loved the eating plan!  I have learned to be creative with vegetables and tried several new recipes.  I even made a nutty cookie type thing that curbs my cookie cravings!

I followed the 7 Day Cleanse Plan religiously, and lost 4 pounds!  Since then I have lost 4 more on the maintenance plan (which is basically the same with more food choices added).  I've have splurged occasionally - have had a few bites of real desserts three times in three weeks.  The Hubs and I also pigged out on Mexican food one Saturday after working extremely hard on an outside project for my MIL.  We needed that boost!  We just don't need that kind of boost every other day.  Everything in moderation; just hope I can keep the mindset!

So today was a special day - I'm thrilled and happy to be back in the 120's!  Better than numbers on the scale, I feel good when I go to bed.  No more full stomach! I'm not sure if it's the increase in vegetables or the reduction in sugar and flour and junk foods.  Probably a little of both.

Thankful to Rita and her plan and encouragement!

"You can do anything for 7 days!"

THINGS I LEARNED (ABOUT MYSELF) ON THE 7 DAY RESET...

A friend of mine was promoting healthy living on Facebook and I joined her group.  She promotes good health with an eating plan and exercise, along with supplements.  She was encouraging everyone to do an April Reset, starting with a 7 Day Cleansing Diet.  I told her I would be interested in the recommended cleanse diet but nothing else.  I haven't done anything like this before!  So I'm really kind of shocked, but I've lost 4.5 pounds in 7 days!  Yes, you read that right.  4.5 pounds in 7 days!  Crazy! 

 Things I learned:

Lemon water is the worst way to start your morning, if you ask me!

I never bought a cucumber before this - but they are great with hummus!

Ezekiel bread saved me.

Rice cakes taste less like styrofoam with a tablespoon of nut butter on top.

Guacamole every day is pretty awesome!

Getting carbs for dinner ONLY IF YOU EXERCISED THAT DAY is a pretty good motivator to exercise!

Plain Greek yogurt is tolerable with 1/2 cup berries added to it.

I would rather eat almonds than fruit for my snack!

Eggs are my favorite protein choice.

Cottage cheese is pretty awesome when it's the only cheese you get.

Strangely enough, I didn't miss sugar or flour the past week!

SHACK IMPROVEMENTS...

My son bought a  Scooby Shack Snocone business a year ago, and he had a really good time running it over the summer.  Little did I know he had great plans for making improvements this coming season!  He decided he wanted to try opening weekends in April and September and went and negotiated a deal with the landowner.  

Then he decided the deck needed replacing, so he got busy and with his friends and Dad's help they put on a new deck that is twice as large as the old one, plus some more bench seating on the edges of the deck.  He also ordered some shade sails and put posts in the ground to fasten them to - I had no idea he knew how to do all this, but he's learning and it looks really good!  

Looking good!

I helped him out by making some much needed new menu signs.  The old one was creative, but really faded and hard to read.  

 Having kids is so much fun and such a surprise sometimes - You never know what you'll be doing for them!

UPGRADE YOUR ICE CREAM DESSERT...

I don't know about you, but to me, Vanilla ice cream almost always calls for chocolate syrup or a brownie.  Never fruit!  But I wanted to serve a simple healthier dessert the other night, and decided on ice cream with  some kind of fruit topping.  I found a recipe I liked, then tweaked it a little, because the cherries just looked so good at the store.  So here's what I ended up with, feel free to tweak it to your liking.  I really enjoyed the mix of berries and the hint of spices in it.

Fresh Berry Topping for Vanilla Ice Cream

2 c. sliced strawberries

1 c. raspberries or cherries, halved and pitted

1 c. blueberries

2 t. vanilla extract

1 T. lemon juice

1/3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ginger

Combine the strawberries and cherries, then mash by hand.  Add in blueberries and vanilla and lemon.  In a separate bowl, mix the spices with the powdered sugar, then sprinkle over all and stir in.  Let sit at least 30 minutes before serving to allow time for the flavors to blend.

I DID IT...15 BY 50

Well, I met my goal.  Woohoo!  At the beginning of the year as I thought about turning fifty years old, I decided I really wanted to lose the weight that had been annoying me a long time.  My pants were all so tight!  So my Lose 15 pounds by age 50 goal began.  It wasn't a lot of weight, but something that made me feel that I wasn't as healthy as I should be.  I wanted to look good in the graduation and birthday pictures I knew were coming and oddly enough, I don't think we even took a whole lot!

Around Christmas last year, the hubs decided to cut out refined sugar when my daughter told him how much sugar was in the hot chocolate drink he got daily (sometimes more than once) at Starbucks.  She said, and I quote, "Sugar is like Crack to your body."  So that is one thing he and I have both been made more aware of...just how much sugar is in the foods that we eat. He's lost 24 pounds! He does eat things sweetened with raw honey.

I didn't totally give up refined sugar but have been eating more fruits and less dessert.  I found that I could get away with something sweet in the afternoon, but not after dinner.  Also, if there's not going to be kids at home for dinner it has changed to more like a snack.  Weird, I know.  My exercise regimen has just changed slightly.  I still do some kind of exercise 5 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour.  We trained for the OKC Memorial Marathon relay race, even if we ended up not running it due to weather this year.  So my exercise regimen has varied between Curves, Body & Soul classes, running, and now I've even added in Pilates classes.  I'm beginning to sound like an exercise junkie.  I guess that's a good thing!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention my motivation jar!  I made THIS and it's in my bathroom.  I weighed every morning.  Yes, every single morning and paid myself $1 if I maintained.  I got $5 if I lost and had to pay $5 back to my husband if I gained.  Even though it was just a small amount of money, I rewarded myself at the end of every month.  It may sound selfish, but I decided it could not be used on anyone else. The last day of the month I had some fun money for some new beauty product or a pedicure - no food rewards!   For some reason I feel guilty about spending money on that kind of stuff, so this made it all right.  Anyway, it worked for me and I felt success every time I got to put in a $ and disappointed every time I had to pay out of it.  It motivated me to do better!

So I revealed my secret.  Everybody has their own way of maintaining a healthy weight and hopefully I'm there for a long, long time.

Do you have any behavior/diet modification 

secrets you want to share?

UPGRADE YOUR SNACKS...

Since we've been on a health kick, we just made these bars for the second time in just a few months.  Must mean they're good!  Really, it's one of the few healthy snacks I know with chocolate but no refined sugar in it.  I have to credit my sis-in-law for this recipe, although she called them Cliff bars.  I think they taste better than those, actually, so I have given them a new name:

FAUX SNICKERS

6 c. uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal
6 T. ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1 c. finely chopped dried fruit (raisins, craisins, cherries, whatever you like)
2 c. finely chopped nuts or seeds (we used peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds)
1 c. honey or agave syrup
1 1/2 c. nut butter, any kind
1 T. vanilla
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate baking squares (we use Guittard dark)

Combine the oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit and nuts in a large bowl.  In another bowl combine the honey, chocolate, and nut butter and heat in a microwave until melted and well blended 30 seconds at a time.  Stir in vanilla.  Add the melted ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Press into sheet cake pan lined with wax paper.  After chilling, cut into bars.  Store in refrigerator or freezer.

HEALTHY BIRTHDAY CAKE...AND OTHER RANDOM THINGS

I couldn't decide how to title this post: "Some bad birthday pictures," or "Almost breaking my arm on my husband's birthday, " or just "The healthy birthday cake."  So there's all you need to know about this weekend!  

We went downtown OKC to bike even though it is February and cold and windy.  I was game for whatever the birthday boy wanted to do...don't I look safe with my helmet buckled right under my lip?  Ha - it probably was too tight with the ear band I wore but I didn't care how I looked.  I was trying to stay warm!  Here we are by a really cool sculpture - no name - down by the Devon boathouse.  It's new since last fall.

Oh, and did I mention I fell over when about halfway through the ride we decided to turn around because of the wind?  I attempted to turn around without stopping, lost my balance, couldn't get my foot out of the pedal basket, and fell over, bruising my left arm up pretty good.  Maybe I'll share a pic when it gets to be really pretty colors...

 

Awkward pic celebrating Dad's birthday at Fish City Grill

Ahhh...probably what you came for!  I'll never be a food photographer, but here you go!  I got this from Pinterest and the cake is really good.  It's definitely an UPGRADE from the normal birthday cake I would make.  My husband is on a no refined sugar kick and this cake gets it's sweet from pure maple syrup!  It also has grated carrots, beet, and zucchini in it.  We loved the cake but the frosting has a weird wang.  Probably from the goat cheese in the frosting.  The frosting did have powdered sugar in it, so my husband just scraped it off.  I would definitely make this cake again, different frosting, though!

 Harvest Cake

Makes one 9" layer cake

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder 
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 1/3 cup grated carrots 
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup finely grated beets
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins 
1 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 
2/3 cup safflower, canola or other mild-tasting oil
4 eggs

For the frosting:
15 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup pure maple syrup

For garnish
8-12 walnut halves or 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
flowers

Arrange oven racks to divide oven into thirds. Preheat oven to 400° F Grease two 9in x 2in cake pans, dust with a spoonful of flour and tap out. Line each with a round of parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, stir together carrots, zucchini, beets, nuts, and raisins.

In a large mixing bowl, beat maple syrup and oil together until emulsified. Add eggs one at a time, beating until batter is smooth. Add flour mixture in three or four batches, mixing gently until mixture is even. Gently mix in the vegetable mixture. Divide between baking pans.

Place one baking pan in center of each of the racks. Bake 25-35 minutes, until a skewer or paring knife inserted into centers comes out clear and cakes are pulling away from the sides of pans. Cool on a rack about 5 minutes, then gently remove from pans. Cool to room temperature before frosting.

To make frosting:
Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon and a strong arm, beat goat cheese and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. Beat in maple syrup. Chill about 30 minutes, until firm.

To assemble:
Following our instructions on how to frost a layer cake, cut four strips of parchment or wax paper to line cake plate under the cake's edges. Place first cake layer on plate. If it has a peaked top, carefully shave it off using a bread knife or sharp slicing knife. Using an off-set spatula or table knife, spread with frosting, pushing it to edges. Place second layer, top down, squarely on first layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over entire cake to eliminate crumbs. Frost with remaining frosting. Arrange walnut halves and/or flowers around edge. Can also be garnished by gently pressing handfuls of finely chopped walnuts into frosting.

A MOMMA'S INFLUENCE...

Organic Squeeze...had to stop by and try it!  This guy used to be an intern with our youth group, so I wanted to check out his shop.  He and his brother have opened an organic juice bar here in OKC, and all due to their mother's healthy influence way back when...

We stopped by Saturday morning with our Starbucks in hand (yes, really- Starbucks is just two doors down) just to see if Mike was in and he was!  After all the niceties, we bought some beet juice and he gave me the sales pitch.  Everything, I mean everything in their store is organic.  So it's not cheap.  But you can feel good about your purchase and know that you are adding life to your body, not taking it away.

I had actually looked for beet juice a few years ago, when my daughter suggested it for red blood cell production.  Since we were headed to Colorado's thin air, she suggested that the more red blood cells I had, the better I would adjust to the altitude.  The only problem was that it was pretty scarce.  Even the juice shops we had around here, beet juice was a trace ingredient.  So we made our own with her juicer, and added some apple juice to make it more palatable.

I'm happy to say Mike's Organic Squeeze makes a pretty good beet juice drink, with beet juice as the first ingredient!

UPGRADING CHICKEN ENCHILADAS...

A family favorite, made in my new casserole dish!

Chicken Enchiladas

4-5 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
Cream of chicken soup
Small can green chilies
13 oz. Evaporated milk
8 oz. Velveeta cheese
16 small flour tortillas

Heat soup, chilies, milk, and cheese.  Add chicken breast to the mixture.  Spoon 2 tablespoons into the middle of tortilla and roll gently, placing it into greased pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

Chicken Enchiladas, UPGRADED

4-5 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
Cream of chicken soup - Healthy request
Small can green chilies
13 oz. Evaporated milk - 2 %
4 oz. 2% Velveeta cheese
Laughing Cow Queso Fresco lite- 6 triangles
16 small corn or corn/flour mix tortillas

My main upgrade here is cutting the cheese in half.  I did that by adding the Laughing Cow cheese for flavor and spread it on each tortilla before spooning in the chicken mixture.  I've also made the conversion to plain Greek yogurt for my sour cream.  Next time I should make my own cream of chicken soup and chop my own green chilis!

UPGRADING TUNA SALAD...

Tuna salad has been a staple in our house as our Saturday lunch for years.  I never really liked it growing up but eventually did, with enough mayo and sweet pickles added.  My upgrade involves fresher, local eggs, sweet pickle relish with no added high fructose corn syrup, and crackers with no sugar!  Here's our original version and the UPGRADE:


THE basic recipe:

Tuna Salad Sandwiches
3 Cans of Tuna, packed in water, drained
3 eggs, boiled and chopped
Miracle Whip lite, to taste
Sweet pickle relish, to taste

Eat on toasted bread, or with crackers.  My favorite is Wheat Thins.
Even better if you have sliced apples or grapes with it!


Our UPGRADED recipe:

3 Cans of Tuna, packed in water, drained
3 eggs, boiled and chopped, bought from a local farm
Miracle Whip lite, to taste
Sweet pickles, grated, to taste  - no HFCS like in store-bought

Eat on Wasa crisp bread, broken up like crackers!
Eat with sliced apples or grapes.

It's not easy to pass by my beloved Wheat Thins but the facts are too obvious to ignore.   Wasa has less than half total calories and sodium than Wheat Thins.  It also has zero sugar.  I'm not saying I'll never eat Wheat Thins again, but I'm trying to make the swap!

Have you got any tips for me on this one?

MY WORD IS UPGRADE...

Maybe you make a new year's resolution, or a goal.  Or maybe you just think about making some life improvement.  Following a trend in our culture with one word titles for just about everything, I've come up with my new word for this year:  UPGRADE.  I have to give the credit to my daughter, really.  Sometime in November we were talking on the phone about a nutrition class she was taking through her yoga studio.  Included in the class was a tour of Whole Foods and recommendations for products to replace our fatty, sugary unhealthy food choices.  I agreed with her and told her of a recent change I had made in a standard meal at our house, and she said "YOU UPGRADED!  That's what they call it in my class.  Don't say diet food, say you made an upgrade!"

I really like the whole idea of the word UPGRADE.

  In terms of UPGRADING your life, it's a step up.  Doing something better than what you did before.  Trading in the old for the new.  Telling yourself when it's hard that this is a good choice.  Whether it's a diet, or habits or time management, give yourself an UPGRADE because you are worth taking care of...maybe it's your relationship with God, maybe a financial goal, whatever it is that you feel in your heart needs to be attended to, do it.  Call it an UPGRADE.

So you may see this word occasionally on the blog this year.  I've decided to UPGRADE a few family recipes and meals to reflect better choices.  This is going to be a little more effort than my Soup of the week feature I did last year!  That took some time choosing a recipe, buying ingredients, and of course, making it, but this will require a little more thought and acceptance from the family of these changes.  Should be fun.