thankfulness | Living Free

Archive for the ‘thankfulness’ Category

Look What I Came Home To!

Posted in anniversary, celiac, eating out, grains, thankfulness, traveling GF, Uncategorized, vacation, verse of the day, yoga on August 3, 2010| 8 Comments »

My cat Lyla had her babies while we were in Florida! She had three little cuties and she is being such a good mama 🙂 Now time to schedule a spaying!

I have had a VERY hard time getting back to real life since arriving home on Sunday afternoon–hence the no blogging. I want to say ‘THANK YOU’ for the supportive comments on my last post.

My vacation was total bliss but my tummy ended up a WRECK!! We ate out way more than I anticipated and even though I tried to eat ‘safe’ foods, you just never know what you are truly getting when eating out. I did however find a really cool place called Cosimos that had a full gluten free menu. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Look what I got:

and this: gluten free carrot cake

This was by far the best meal I had while on vacation! I really splurged here with grains and dairy, but by this point, my gut was rebelling against everything I ate. So, I figured why not enjoy it 8) Hubby and I ate the leftover pizza for lunch the next day before hitting the road.

Here are some random pics of the week:

We watched the sunset almost every evening–breath taking!!

Twenty years and counting!!

We really had such a great time and I am SO thankful we had the opportunity to go. But, back to real life means back to work so I better scoot.

Ephesians 5:31 ” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

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A Day with Hope

Posted in balance, body image, exercise, God's goodness, thankfulness, yoga on January 3, 2010| 4 Comments »

First of all, I want to say thanks to those that left supportive comments on my last post 😀 You guys are awesome!

Yesterday, I was so happy to be able to hang out with my dear friend Hope. We always say we are kindred spirits because we are so much alike and can relate to each other in so many areas. Hope and I go to church together, but find it hard to always spend time catching up. Well, thankfully we finally had several hours of a day that we could just hang out.

That picture isn’t very good–sorry 😦 My hubby took like a billion and they just weren’t turning out. Not enough light maybe? Anyway, Hope and I spent most of our time sitting at Barnes and Noble talking our little heads off. Then we left B&N to run to Target for a minute only to end up BACK at B&N to chat some more!! I think we would NEVER run out of things to talk about, but it’s SO funny because we inevitably end up talking about food, diet, health etc. That’s not all we talk about though.

Hope is one of the people that spurs me on spiritually and I love her for that! There was a time in my life when I was really struggling with my eating disorder and Hope called me EVERY day to go over Scripture together. So, yesterday, we also talked about how we can hold each other accountable in certain areas of our lives. I have to be very careful with New Year’s Resolutions and goals in general. I tend to set myself up for failure a lot of times and I don’t need that! I am trying to learn to walk in God’s grace and not my own expectations 🙂

As I have been thinking and praying about goals (I don’t want to call them Resolutions) for this year, here are some general ideas:

1-be able to set goals but still be flexible 😀

2-spend more time reading, praying and journaling

3-continue on my journey to better health–physically and emotionally

4-make yoga a part of my regular routine–I have really slacked off in my yoga practice and am realizing how much better I feel when being more consistent.

5-cardio/strength 3 days a week (will most likely use Wii Active for workouts)

6-a real biggie for me is: I want to come to a place where I am content with the body God gave me and stop putting such high expectations on myself. I don’t want to strive to be a certain weight, but let my body get to it’s natural weight and be totally okay with that. That has been a desire of mine for a long time but it is also VERY HARD to get to that place! In other words, I want the eating disorder tendencies to LEAVE ME ALONE !!!!!!!! 🙂 I have asked Hope to hold me accountable to only weighing once a week (on Fridays). I have not owned a scale for a long time, but now that I have the Wii Fit, I can weigh anytime I want which could turn in to a huge trap for me.

Did I ever tell you guys that I actually burned a scale before? Yep! My hubby was burning a big wood pile one time and the scale was causing SO much turmoil in my life that I threw it in the fire. I felt like I was casting my idol on the fire and it felt good and bad all at the same time!

Anyway, obviously goal #6 is going to take LOTS of prayer and faith 😀 This has been a long journey out of my sinful eating patterns, but I want to keep taking the next step and not look back!

HOPE–Thank you for your sweet friendship and for loving me through the good and the bad 🙂

Readers: Do you set New Year Resolutions? Why or why not?

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HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

Posted in almond flour, balance, candida, celiac, cookbook, diet, exercise, rambling, thankfulness on January 2, 2010| 12 Comments »

Well, the holidays are over and time to get back to ‘normal’ life–whatever that means. We had a fabulous Christmas but I don’t have any pics loaded on the computer yet. I have been extremely lazy about getting on the computer. My favorite gift that I received was a Wii Fit Plus from my hubby. I LOVE IT!! I also got some Christmas money and got the Wii Active. I quickly learned that the Wii Active can kick my tail!! It is more of a workout than the Wii Fit–although the Wii fit can burn some booty too 🙂 Anyway, I am currently pretty daggone sore from them both!

I thought I probably should get on here and kind of explain why I haven’t been blogging for the last few weeks. It really had little to do with the busyness of the holidays. After reading this post by Heather, I thought that I too should be able to be honest on MY blog. Ya see, I kind of stepped back because I have been feeling like a hypocrite or a lunatic–which ever one is worse. I say that because of the fact that my diet is EVER changing and confusing. I say I’m doing one thing only to find that it doesn’t work for me. Every time I think I have something figured out–I realize that I don’t. Then I feel all this pressure to stick to what I said–EVEN IF IT’S NOT WORKING!! So, that is BAD, right? Yeah!

This past year has been one of the most confusing where my health is concerned. I loved what Heather said about labels and gave that a lot of thought. Thanks Heather 🙂 I am NOT labeling myself anymore. I am NOT vegetarian(for real), high raw, vegan, low carb, macrobiotic yada, yada, yada!

I DO, however, HAVE to stay away from gluten due to Celiac and I HAVE to stay away from things that feed my candida. I have tried way TOO hard to force my body to do one thing or another and it has been miserable!! This past week has been so freeing because I am eating what sounds good–as long as it’s not going to worsen my health. Last night, I had cooked cabbage and onions with ground deer meat that I seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and paprika(sorry–no pics–I gobbled it up!). It HIT THE SPOT!! Gasp, I ate deer! Yes, my hubby is a hunter and that is something I have never felt comfortable enough to share on my blog due to all the veggie fanfare 🙂 That’s all I’m sayin’ on that note. So, I am eating meat again and feeling SO much better. I DO think that some people just don’t thrive on a veggie diet and I’m learning that I’m one of them.

Along with the meat in my diet, I am mainly eating eggs and tons of veggies. This seems to be helping my yeast some and for that I am SO grateful. It’s NOT about labels, but about finding what will make me well!! I am also HAPPY 😀 to report that I am eating some almond flour and doing okay!! You have NO idea how happy that makes me!! I got ‘The Almond Flour Cookbook’ and have made several things out of it. Of course, I have to tweak and use stevia instead of agave due to the candida, but it’s working.

Last but not least, my hubby has agreed to eat whatever I’m eating with a few exceptions–a.k.a he is eating cheese and I’m not–little things like that. It has made life SO much easier and he’s losing weight to boot 🙂

Sorry about the picture less post. I’ll be a little more prepared next go around 🙂 See ya!

Lots of smileys in this post–that is a good thing!! 😀 😀 😀 Hope you’re smiling today!!!!

VERY IMPORTANT P.S.–HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HEATHER!!!!!! I think this day calls for some protein ice cream!!

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Yummy Eats

Posted in almonds, balance, black beans, body image, candida, celiac, coconut, diet, eating issues, kale, pudding, quinoa, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, thankfulness on November 28, 2009| 7 Comments »

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and I have been loving some new recipes! First of all, I am happy to say I made it through the holiday without even sniffing gluten or sugar! Yay me 😉 I was a little lot worried that I would not be able to resist all the traditional food. So, I made sure to take my own and basically stayed away from the large table of food at my mom’s. I have been learning more about the anti-candida diet and really prayed hard that God would help me stick to it! He answered my prayer 🙂

My Thanksgiving day started off with a yummy HOT breakfast–southwestern style. I have realized that I do much better with a BIG HOT breakfast–not cold and raw (more about that later). Here are a few I have been enjoying.

1 egg + 2 whites, cooked peppers, onions and black beans over spinach

More eggs, peppers, onions and black beans over spaghetti sqaush

Coconut flour pancakes with Sweet Almond Sauce--OMG!!

Did I mention I have a new BFF? I don’t think she knows it yet, but Ricki at Diet, Dessert and Dogs is saving my life with this Anti-Candida thing!! Thanks a million Ricki! I still have SO many more recipes to explore! The recipe for the Sweet Almond Sauce is here and it is to die for!!

Lunch on Thanksgiving day was:

Kale Salad with Sweet Potato Fries

These recipes were also on Ricki’s blog🙂 I’m afraid sweet tators may be out for me for a while though–they make me crave sugar! UGH!

Dinner on Thanksgiving:

Anti-Candida Stew

Yet another wonderful recipe from Diet, Dessert and Dogs! I used quinoa instead of rice and I did put the sweet potato, but will probably leave it out next time. I took this with me to my mom’s and didn’t touch anything else. I KNEW if I took even ONE bite of the traditional food, my taste buds would go BONKERS and I would be in trouble!

Dessert on Thanksgiving:

Tofu Carob Pudding (sugar free:)

I’m still not sure that tofu works for me, but it was certainly better than eating sugar and gluten. Tofu doesn’t make my stomach hurt, but I have noticed some unpleasant reactions to it. I think it is worth eating occasionally, but I couldn’t eat it every day.

So, basically, Ricki saved my Thanksgiving. I LOVE the blogging world. We have never even met and yet blogs are SO helpful!

Just a quick note about the raw diet in my life. I went to the ND the other day and she and I both think it is best if I just concentrate on staying away from sugar and gluten. With my past eating history, too many rules was REALLY freaking me out! Food was VERY quickly becoming my enemy and I just can NOT go there again. So, I will eat raw when I want (like kale salad) and cooked when I want. I’m sure it will be more cooked than raw and that has to be okay–if for no other reason than to keep my sanity! Eating disorders are a powerful form of bondage that I don’t want any part of–EVER AGAIN!! I have to see food as fuel and as my friend,and I wasn’t seeing it that way when trying to follow so many rules. I am feeling MUCH better emotionally since coming to this place with my diet 😀 I know there are rules to follow on the anti-candida diet, but I think it is easier than trying to do mostly raw. I’m not much into raw eggs, but have been loving them scrambled for my breakfast!

Better run now. I think my daughter and I are going to try to go to a movie today and maybe do a little window shopping 🙂 Hope you have a blessed weekend!

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Less is More

Posted in God's goodness, rambling, thankfulness on October 11, 2009| 6 Comments »

Happy Sunday everyone! I haven’t been around much lately and thought I would check in and let you know I ‘m still alive:) I have been making an effort to not be on the computer so much. I am realizing that there are things that are needing my attention and less time on the computer means more time for other things.

I have been doing a LOT of reflecting lately about my life and some things that I want to change. I am going to be turning the big 4–0– at the beginning of November and have been feeling like I need to get some of my priorities in order. I don’t mean this in a heavy, bad way. These last couple of weeks have actually been very good for me. I’m realizing more and more what is most important to me.

One of the big changes I want to make is to be more diligent in serving my family. Mom’s tend to serve 24/7, but I am realizing that I am not always happy about that or at peace in my serving. I want to cultivate PEACE, LOVE, and JOY in my home! I want to be able to remain in a peaceful frame of mind even when things are a little haywire. God is REALLY helping me to choose peace instead of anxiety all the time! I am actually in the process of re-decorating a room in my house to just have a place to go and rest and relax. This is the room that I usually do yoga in and thought it would be nice to make it a really cozy place to go–whether it’s for yoga, reading or just sleeping.

Another priority is to continue working towards being healthy. It has been an ongoing goal of mine over this last year to try to feel well by the time I turn 40! I am finally feeling like I am making progress and am SO excited to see how God is going to continue bringing me to a place of health and energy. Speaking of energy, I had a couple of days this past week that I felt more energetic than normal. I was shocked at how good it felt! I thought to myself how cool it would be to feel like that most of the time and actually be able to get things done that I normally can’t do. So, I am on the right road with seeing the ND, diet, herbs, yoga and learning to relax:)

I have other things that I am working on, but don’t want to write a novel. Basically, I said all of this to say–I don’t know how much I will be on the computer for blogging. I am still reading blogs, but not as much. There are SO many WONDERFUL blogs out there, that it is hard to keep up with them all. I am trying to just read a few each day and then stay off the computer the rest of the day. I will post occasionally, but not stress about it if I can’t. I hope you will stop by every now and then and say ‘hello’.

Last , but not least, I hope you are enjoying the life God has given you to the fullest measure!!

XOXO to you all!!

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More to life

Posted in anniversary, bread, coconut milk, eating out, rambling, sunbutter, thankfulness, traveling GF on August 10, 2009| 6 Comments »

My hubby and I ended up going to Gatlinburg, TN for our over-nighter! We had a really good time, but I didn’t take a single picture of my food because it really wasn’t anything to write home about. I did learn a very important lesson though–THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN FOOD/EATING:) I seem to have forgotten that lately as I am trying to figure out how to get well. It seems that my brain has been overloaded with thoughts of what I can and can not eat. So, hubby didn’t want me to pack any food for our trip. That was a HUGE stretch for me! I did however manage to take along my Sunbutter and a little Gluten Free Sprouted Bread. I had taken the bread to my ND appt.(more about that another day) to see if she thought I could start eating some occasionally.

I mainly survived on salad while we were away–by salad, I mean very plain simple ones that my body could digest. Still not able to eat certain veggies raw. I realized while eating salads at restaurants that fresh organic veggies are SO much better and worth the price! We couldn’t find (due to time and fighting traffic) any really nice or unique places to eat, so that left us with pretty ordinary choices. My first meal(salad:) was at Shoney’s. Let me just say, it wasn’t even worth chewing. Everything tasted ‘dead’ compared to the fresh organic produce that I am used to having at home.

I also ate some of my bread and Sunbutter and we picked up a few things at Kroger. Saturday afternoon was extremely hot and I wanted ice cream!! The ND said I could start having a little agave and I already could have coconut milk. Do you know what that leads to? Coconut milk ice cream of course! We bought a pint and sat outside and ate the whole thing–so much for a little agave. Hey, when you have been living on non-filling, tastless salads–some ice cream is a must!

We walked around all the shops in Gatlinburg until about 3pm and decided it was time to get out of the heat. We headed towards home, but made a pit stop first to see this little beauty:

Reagan Rene'

4 days old:)

This is my cousin’s daughter’s baby. They live in Kingsport, TN which is where I was born:) These are the only blog worthy pictures I took while I was away.

All in all, we had a very relaxing weekend. I may not have had all the foods I would normally have at home, but I was content–even with tasteless salads. I was just glad to be with my husband and away from all the things at home that require so much attention and work. My tummy was out of whack by the time we got home but I was okay with that. I am really trying to learn to relax about my health and to enjoy life going on around me:) This trip was VERY good for me!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

p.s. For some reason this is not putting spaces between my paragraghs! Sorry if it’s hard to read:)

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So, THIS is what ‘normal’ feels like!

Posted in buckwheat, celiac, coconut milk, oatgurt, protein powder, smoothie, spinach, squash, sunbutter, thankfulness, yoga on August 3, 2009| 5 Comments »

I had a REALLY good day today! Last week, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it. I ate TERRIBLE and couldn’t figure out what was going on. No matter what I ate, I could NOT get satisfied! It felt like my body was completely flipping out on me and it was scary. By Friday, I realized that maybe my body was screaming for more protein–DUH! The diet that the ND put me on is so limited that it made it very difficult to get enough. I had been using Hemp protein powder and decided I was going to have to make a change–or else I was going to eat everything in town!! The Hemp powder only has 8 grams per 4Tbs. So, I went back to the trusty old PlantFusion protein powder. It has 22 grams per scoop! Today is the third day of upping my protein and I am beginning to feel somewhat ‘normal’–wow, is this even possible?! Okay, let me back up to the start of my day.

I tried a new breakfast this morning instead of juicing or having a smoothie. Can I just tell you–I have been REALLY hungry!!

blog pictures 647 This isn’t a very good picture, but oh well. Last night, I soaked 1/3 cup raw buckwheat in 1 cup SoDelicious Coconut Milk. This morning, I added a scoop of PlantFusion protein powder and a little water and cooked the buckwheat on low. I then added some organic mini blueberries–and 1 tsp. honey–which I’m not supposed to have. Buckwheat just has such a distinct flavor that I HAD to put a little honey. It turned out pretty good and kept my belly happy until lunch–NO tummy pain, bloating etc. WooHoo:)

For lunch I had this salad:

blog pictures 648 The salad had:

spinach

homemade veggie kraut

cooked summer squash & onions

raw soaked/sprouted seeds

Around 3pm I had a protein smoothie.

blog pictures 650

blog pictures 653

My smoothie had 1 cup coconut milk, scoop of PlantFusion, BIG handful of spinach, 1Tbs. unsweetened Sunbutter. That held me about 5 hours!

I had HOT Yoga at 5:30pm. Is it possible to be addicted to yoga–most definitely! Is it possible to get too much Yoga–NEVER:) I am SO happy because the studio is doing another 6 week round of Hot Yoga. Count me in!

I drank coconut water with lime on the way home from yoga. Then I had this: Again–not a good picture!

blog pictures 654

Is that OATGURT? Oh Yeah!!!! After putting my thinking cap on, I realized that I may have been reacting badly to the oatgurt because I wasn’t using gluten free oats!! DUH! Where is my brain when I need it. I wanted to try regular oat grouts because they are way cheaper than gluten free oats. Oats themselves do not contain gluten, but they can be cross contaminated with wheat. That makes them a no-no for most Celiacs. Well, I learned my lesson. I am doing gluten free oatgurt again with NO PROBLEMO! Doing the happy dance now:) I put some chocolate hemp protein powder, a little coconut milk, and 1 tbs. unsweetened Sunbutter in my oatgurt and gobbled it up!

Not only is my appetite getting back to normal, I also had more energy today. I was able to get things done around the house that I haven’t been feeling like doing. I did still have to have my afternoon nap (or rest I should say–I didn’t go to sleep) but overall, I got a lot more done today. This in itself helps me feel better. I can’t stand it when my house is messy and I can’t muster up the energy to clean it.

I had a minor melt down at church yesterday which I think also helped me feel better today along with feeling better physically. I don’t feel quiet as overwhelmed as I did:) My brother, who is the Associate Pastor at our church, stopped me as I was getting ready to leave and talked to me for a long time. It was SO helpful just to be able to be real with someone and have his support and prayers. I am SO blessed to be a part of the church I go to! By the time I left church, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me and it felt really good! I felt my faith increase and the strength to keep working toward health. It IS taking a LOT of work–but I have to have faith that God is with me every step of the way.

Anyway, I say all of that to say that I am doing better this week and God IS giving me strength. I look forward to getting stronger and seeing how God is going to work in my life through my ‘illness’. I realize that I will most likely still have bad days (maybe even tomorrow), but I can rejoice in the good days:)

Oh, one more thing–Hubby is back on day shift!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta run now. I’m tired and about ready to collapse, but it’s a good kind of tired. I had a productive day and am ready to chill out:)

Have a great week and count your blessings!!

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BUSY week and SWEET surprises!

Posted in bread, buckwheat, chicken, chocolate, cookbook, diet, juicing, oatgurt, thankfulness on July 16, 2009| 12 Comments »

Boy, this week has completely flown by! My cleaning schedule has been intense lately! For those of you new to my blog, I clean houses to put food on our table. One of my sweet surprises was actually at a new client’s house. I started cleaning for a lady I go to church with. We had never even really talked before due to the fact that they are a pretty new family. She has some pretty severe health issues and hired me to help her out. She has FIVE daughters ages 9 and under–whew! Anyway, so I go to clean for her and we just really clicked. I went to ‘work’ and made a new friend! I love it when I can be friends with the people I work for:)

Another sweet surprise I got this week was this:

blog pictures 587 In case you can’t see it, this is a very sweet handmade card (from Kristin) and a gift card to Barnes and Noble!!! WooHoo!! This just happened to come on a day that I was really struggling. I had worked really hard that day and was feeling a little down in the dumps. I got home and had this wonderful surprise waiting in the mail for me–well, it was actually for me AND my hubby:) We house/dog sat for our friends a few weeks ago and they sent us this as a ‘thank you’. Bet ya can’t guess what I got with this gift card! Okay, first of all, my hubby is NOT a book person. But, I told him we would split the card half and half. He could spend his on coffee etc. and I could get a book–since I can’t drink coffee:) Do you know what he did though? He gave me to whole amount. He always does things like that to bless me. He doesn’t usually ever want to buy for himself. SWEET surpirse! So, back to what I got. If you guessed a cookbook–you are one smart cookie:) Speaking of cookie, I sure would like to have one right now. FOCUS KIMBERLY!!! Thanks for the book Kristin!!!!:)

blog pictures 598 This book has tons of good info. and even more yummy recipes. Only a few pretty pictures though. That’s okay, the pages are nice and shiny:) This book is about raw living food. I will say that it is a little extreme. I have learned that I will NEVER agree with EVERYTHING in any book–except the Bible🙂 I did learn some new things about food etc. but the recipes are what really sold me on this book. As for the info., I will take what I like and throw out the rest. I think this dude is into some different spiritual thinking than I would agree with:) That doesn’t mean I can’t use his recipes though.

Okay, on to my next SWEET, AWESOME surprise of the week. I am SOOO excited about this one! I mean if I had the energy, I would seriously be doing the happy dance:) My hubby has worked all sorts of weird off shifts our whole 19 years of marriage. He has been on midnight for a while now and it gets pretty lonely sleeping in a bed all by myself (with my kitty). Our meals are all out of whack because he wants breakfast when it is our dinner time. Anyway, HE GETS TO GO TO DAYSHIFT!!!!! Is that not awesome?! He has one more week of night shift and then we ‘might’ have a ‘normal’ life.

So, what have I been doing when I’m not working?

blog pictures 597 Sprouting (buckwheat and broccoli sprouts)

blog pictures 596 Started a batch of buckgurt (oatgurt only with buckwheat). I tried this once before and it was a complete flop but I really think I had a bad batch of buckwheat. The buckwheat grouts I am using for this smelled and looked completely different. The first time I tried it, the buckwheat smelled really strong (in a bad way). What I started today had a really good fresh smell. We’ll see how it goes. I will update in a couple of days on this.

As for my ‘experiment’–I am still experimenting:) I am pretty much doing raw until dinner, juicing(only once a day though), and ‘trying’ to watch my food combinations. I can’t always worry about perfect food combining because there are times that I feel like that is too restrictive. I don’t want to fall back into restricting my food so much. For the most part though, I think I’m doing okay most of the time.

How am I feeling? Well, I am VERY tired but I think that is just because I have been working more than usual. My stomach is doing well–most of the time. There are a couple of foods I have noticed cause me problems though. One of those is Stevia. EVERY time I use it, I notice I just do not feel well and I get headaches. I do better with pure raw honey. I use so little of it though that I am not going to worry about it (sugar wise). Another very unfortunate thing that has been bothering me is chicken!!! It was NOT my intention to go back to vegetarian when I started eating more raw. But, I can NOT deny that my tummy feels MUCH better when I don’t eat meat of any kind. Have tried chicken twice (each time a week apart) lately, and both times–it got me! I do plan on trying fish in a few days.

Overall, I think the change in my diet has been a good one. I am shocked and totally amazed that raw food is NOT killing my tummy! I am still eating some cooked foods –like my sprouted gluten free bread, 70% chocolate, a little sunbutter etc. My energy IS an issue, but we’ll see how I feel next week when I’m not working as much. This raw ’til dinner must not be too bad because ‘something’ keeps motivating me to do it:) I got up this morning and was thinking I would just eat whatever–and then I found myself wanting to eat fresh ‘living’ food! If anyone has ideas about energy–I would love your input! I’m open to try new things:)

I go to the ND tomorrow. I’m still not sure what to think about it but it won’t hurt to check this lady out. Who knows–maybe she can figure my gut out!

I really didn’t mean to write a novel. That’s what happens when I don’t blog for a couple days! Anyway, God has been SO good to me this week with all the sweet surprises! What are you thankful for this week?

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Move over spinach smoothie–There’s a new breakfast in town!

Posted in beans, bread, breakfast, coconut milk, dairy free, grains, protein powder, smoothie, snacks, soup, spinach, sunbutter, thankfulness, veggie burger, verse of the day, yoga on June 28, 2009| 10 Comments »

blog pictures 320 I have really been into spinach smoothies for breakfast lately. I have had one every morning for I don’t know how long. Well, yesterday I finally decided to give something else a try. I think I am developing a slight addiction to oatgurt:) I have been putting it my smoothies, but I wanted to just eat it in a bowl this time–with some yummy stuff on top!

blog pictures 429 When I went to the health food store the other day, my daughter found this nut free, dairy free, gluten free trail mix. I almost didn’t buy it because it was just one more pricey thing to add to my already expensive food budget. But, it was on sale and she begged me to get it for myself. She was getting a treat and felt bad that I couldn’t have what she was having. Isn’t that sweet:)? So, I bought it and am SO glad I did. My breakfast consisted of the following:

3/4 cup oatgurt

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup trail mix

1/2 scoop PlantFusion protein powder

a little stevia

My belly was VERY pleased! I had the same thing for breakfast today–only a tad bit more:) Whew, I’m stuffed. I rarely feel full when I eat, but this did the trick!

I tried something else new this week.

blog pictures 425 This is some spinach (gotta get my spinach in) and red bean soup that I made and topped with Miso. I have never had Miso before and I really liked it. I’m all into trying new fermented foods because I think they are really helping my gut to heal. This picture doesn’t look very appetizing but it tasted really good. It was pretty filling too.

blog pictures 435 For snack yesterday, I had frozen berries with homemade coconut milk yogurt (more fermented food:) and a little stevia. I just love how it gets all icy. Talk about brain freeze though! Oh, I also had a sunbutter bar. I was really hungry yesterday! Lots of yoga and walking worked up a good appetite.

blog pictures 436 Last but not least, I had a very yummy homemade bean burger on gluten free flax bread. I really want to post this recipe–I just keep forgetting! I was a little nervous about eating the bread due to the fact that I don’t digest a lot of grains very well. I was really craving it though and I am happy to report that I had NO tummy trouble last night! Yeah! I think my digestion has been better this week and it feels REALLY good:)

Note added later:) I think the bread got me! Tummy is NOT happy today. Pray that the sprouted bread that I talk about below will work:) I also realized that the bread AND the bean burger BOTH had egg in them. I was hoping I could sneak them in, but evidently not. Will try bread mentioned below without eggs. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I found a recipe for gluten free soaked/sprouted whole grain bread online last night. My gluten free grains are soaking as I type this. I’m really excited about this bread. It will be like a gluten free version of Ezekiel bread! YeeHaa! I figure if I do so well with fermented oats, I should do well with sprouted bread. I found some really good articles about sprouted bread and why it is good for you, but I’ll have to share more about that later:)

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40: 3

I am so thankful to God! I have been praying for Him to show me what foods will help me and He is doing that! I have not felt deprived this week. He is helping me to be satisfied.

I hope you have a fabulicious Sunday!

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Oh Happy Day:)

Posted in diet, recipe book, thankfulness, yoga on June 2, 2009| 3 Comments »

My day started out bright and early at 5am.! I actually woke up because my tummy was NOT happy. You see, sometimes my cravings get the best of me and I eat gluten. I know I should know better! But, at least I knew why I was in pain this morning, which is better than having no earthly idea. I figured since I was already up, I would go ahead and do my Beth Moore Bible Study. I am doing the one on Psalms called ‘Steppin’ Up’. I started this one over because I had laid it down for a while. Then I saw on Polly’s wonderful blog that she was inviting others to read the Psalms with her this month. After my devotion time, I went for a really nice walk. It was still kind of early and there was a cool breeze. The smell of honeysuckle was fabulous! Walks like this always make me so thankful to God for many things in my life that I tend to take for granted. I then wanted to try out some Yoga. This was my first experience with Yoga, although it reminded me a lot of Pilates. It felt so good to stretch and breath. I did two of Polly’s videos. One was for digestion, which I needed for sure. I’m very thankful that my tummy didn’t hurt as bad as it usually does when I cheat:)

Remember just recently I was talking about what to do with my gazillion recipes? Well, the picture above (sorry about the darkness) is of a notebook that my dear friend made for me. She is an avid stamper and a Stampin’ Up demonstrator. You can check out her blog here. My level of creativity is slim when it comes to stamping so I was so thankful that she was willing to help me out:) Now, I just need to get to work filling that sucker up!

Diet changes: I have been keeping a food diary for over three years!! Can you believe that? I have done so for two reasons. First of all, I do have significant food and gut issues. It’s always helpful to be able to look back and try to see a pattern in the pain. The second reason I have done it is for accountability. I am much more likely to eat healthy and not starve myself to death when I know my nutritionist is going to look at everything I eat. Anyway, I have been looking back at some old food diaries to see if I could figure anything out about all the trouble I’ve been having over the last couple of months. I have seen a pattern with the following foods: corn, eggs(questionable), apples, dairy, gluten(of course), nuts and seeds. But I also discovered something I didn’t quiet expect. I realized that I have been having pretty consistent issues since adding meat back into my diet. Does this mean I am going back to all veggie? I don’t think so. I am just going to go a bit and only eat fish and see what happens. I don’t really want to cut out meat, but I am awfully curious about what will happen. I added quinoa back to my diet yesterday and seem to be okay so far. Yeah! Anything that I can add without pain is a really good thing:)

Okay, the perfect ending to my day: My husband cooked for him and the kids AND washed the dishes. And I do mean washed the dishes–we do not have a dish washer. I’m usually it! They had pork chops, potatoes and baked beans. Not bad, huh? I didn’t feel like having a big dinner so I just ate some unsweetened soy yogurt with blueberries and a little stevia. Have a good night:)

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