Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wordless Wednesday - Help save this baby
and others like him/her. By sponsoring myself and the members of J.O.Y. as we walk in the Walk America / March for Dimes now called March for Babies on April 19th. You can sponsor us by going to this website: http://www.marchforbabies.org/AjoyfulWalk and giving a small donation. All proceeds will go to the March for Babies foundation. Your help would be greatly appreciated and it does not take much to make a difference. You can donate $5.00 or less and even just $1.00 can help us reach our goal. Every dollar counts! Be sure to leave a message for us at the website to let us know you stopped by. Thank you so much and God bless!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tasty Tuesday - Pot Roast and Cabbage
This is a recipe I am well known for among my friends and family. My family used to make this when I was a child and I started making it for my own family a few years back. Nothing says love like a good home cooked meal of pot roast and vegetables. Yummy! Nutritionally this isn't the best for you but it is certainly much better for you than a big mac or processed food. We don't eat this all the time in my house because of the price of beef and also the fact that beef is not something you should indulge in all that often because it is high in fat and cholesterol. If we use the bible as our example then we would save the "fatted calf" only for special occasions.
Pot Roast with Cabbage and Vegetables
1 5-8 pound roast - choose the leanest possible, the less marbling (white streaks) the better
1 small head cabbage
1 medium - large onion
1 small bag baby carrots
1 can green beans
1 can corn (frozen corn is good also)
8-10 red potatoes (these are also called new or russet potatoes)
Seasoned Salt and Pepper to taste
In order for this to turn out right you have to have patience. This can also be cooked in the crock-pot but I personally prefer the oven method. Preheat your oven to 350. Place the roast in a casserole dish that is approximately 9x13 (I use a glass pyrex pan). Put about 1-2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan and then cover with foil. Bake the roast for about 2 hours. While the roast is cooking go ahead and chop the cabbage and onion into large pieces. It really doesn't matter how large you chop the cabbage and onions because they will get softer and mushier as they cook. I usually just quarter them. Chop the potatoes into halves, or quarters if needed. After about 2 hours of cooking take the roast out of the oven and remove the foil. Layer the onion and cabbage pieces all around and on top of the roast. Be sure to get some of the onions close to the roast because this will help to add flavor to it and make it more tender. Add the potatoes, corn, carrots and green beans. If you are using canned vegetables it is ok to add the liquid as well - this will help add flavor and keep it [the roast] from becoming too dry. Sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper all over the top. Cover the pan again with foil and put back into the oven for another 2-3 hours. The longer you let this cook the more tender it will be. You will know it is done when the vegetables are nearly wilted, and the roast literally falls apart when you try to pick it up with a fork.
1 5-8 pound roast - choose the leanest possible, the less marbling (white streaks) the better
1 small head cabbage
1 medium - large onion
1 small bag baby carrots
1 can green beans
1 can corn (frozen corn is good also)
8-10 red potatoes (these are also called new or russet potatoes)
Seasoned Salt and Pepper to taste
In order for this to turn out right you have to have patience. This can also be cooked in the crock-pot but I personally prefer the oven method. Preheat your oven to 350. Place the roast in a casserole dish that is approximately 9x13 (I use a glass pyrex pan). Put about 1-2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan and then cover with foil. Bake the roast for about 2 hours. While the roast is cooking go ahead and chop the cabbage and onion into large pieces. It really doesn't matter how large you chop the cabbage and onions because they will get softer and mushier as they cook. I usually just quarter them. Chop the potatoes into halves, or quarters if needed. After about 2 hours of cooking take the roast out of the oven and remove the foil. Layer the onion and cabbage pieces all around and on top of the roast. Be sure to get some of the onions close to the roast because this will help to add flavor to it and make it more tender. Add the potatoes, corn, carrots and green beans. If you are using canned vegetables it is ok to add the liquid as well - this will help add flavor and keep it [the roast] from becoming too dry. Sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper all over the top. Cover the pan again with foil and put back into the oven for another 2-3 hours. The longer you let this cook the more tender it will be. You will know it is done when the vegetables are nearly wilted, and the roast literally falls apart when you try to pick it up with a fork.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thursday 13 - Ways to Exercise without a Gym
1. Walk. You can walk around the block, walk around your house, or even march in place while watching tv. Who says you need a treadmill?
2. Take the stairs. Instead of the elevator take the stairs, or if you have stairs at home you can use them to exercise on. Just go up and down 10 - 20 times.
3. Take the longest route possible. When going shopping, and if you're not in a hurry, try to park as far away as you can. The extra walking from the parking lot to the store will be great for you.
4. Use a chair for exercise. You can do an entire exercise routine just using a chair. Youtube has some great videos that can show you how. Just do a search for "chair exercise."
5. Strength train your upper body with just a pair of hand weights. If you don't have hand weights try using soup or vegetable cans.
6. Put a little elbow grease into it. Give your house that extra scrubbing it's been needing all while giving your body fat an extra scrubbing as well :-)!
7. Do some crunches. You don't need a special machine to work out that belly flab. Just get on the floor and do some old fashioned crunches!
8. Do something fun like play volleyball, tennis, or even go for a bike ride. You will easily trick your body into thinking you're having fun instead of getting healthy exercise!
9. Dance! Put on some upbeat gospel music and go to it. Just make sure nobody is watching lol.
10. Play with your children (or play like a kid again). Play tag, jump rope, throw the ball around, jump on the bed (shhhh I won't tell). Who says the fun has to stop just because you're an adult?
11. Waiting for the dryer or microwave to stop? Do some stretches or march in place while you wait.
12. Don't leave the hard stuff just for the guys. You can take out the garbage, cut the grass, or rake leaves too!
13. Go shopping. Go to a museum. Just get out and move! Exercise doesn't have to be complicated or require fancy equipment. All you need for a healthier body is to move it!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Wordless Wednesday - 2 Corinthians 9:6
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tasty Tuesday - Breakfast Egg Bake
This is a recipe that I kind of came up with myself but you could in some ways just call it a crustless quiche. This is great for making ahead and keeping in your fridge for breakfast all week.
Breakfast Egg Bake
1 8oz. carton liquid eggs like egg beaters
4 - 6 strips turkey bacon cooked and crumbled
half of a small onion chopped
2 tbsp. flour (preferrably whole wheat)
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1/4 cup regular shredded cheese
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. parsley
1 - 2 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
In large bowl mix together all ingredients. Pour into a pie pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until this has risen and is golden brown. This will rise a lot while cooking but it will come back down to a normal size while it cools. This makes 8 slices at about 200 calories each. For variation you could also try peppers and diced turkey ham, or even broccoli and chicken instead of spinach and bacon.
1 8oz. carton liquid eggs like egg beaters
4 - 6 strips turkey bacon cooked and crumbled
half of a small onion chopped
2 tbsp. flour (preferrably whole wheat)
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1/4 cup regular shredded cheese
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. parsley
1 - 2 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
In large bowl mix together all ingredients. Pour into a pie pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until this has risen and is golden brown. This will rise a lot while cooking but it will come back down to a normal size while it cools. This makes 8 slices at about 200 calories each. For variation you could also try peppers and diced turkey ham, or even broccoli and chicken instead of spinach and bacon.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Some new stuff and a new diet plan
I have some new stuff for all of you. After much prayer over our short break I decided it was time that JOY went in a slightly new direction. It's not much different than what we have been doing but I decided that we needed to have a unified goal in mind. My desire for JOY has always been to increase the fellowship of the women at church all while getting healthy. Well we have certainly went above and beyond on the fellowship aspect. I've gotten to know all of you so much better and I feel so much closer to my church sisters! Praise the Lord for that! Now I feel it is time for us to work on achieving our health goals as well. So I felt that it was the right thing to do to give JOY an actual diet plan. I realize that the word diet has some negative connotations associated with it but for most of us learning to eat healthy takes the restrictions of a diet. Diet is not a negative thing unless you make it a negative thing. A healthy diet is a just a way of living and eating for life. It is something you can do and say "yes, I can follow this for the rest of my life." A good diet will teach you important things like moderation, portion control, self control, and it can encourage you to harness your will-power! As long as a diet is teaching you these things without negative effects on your body then there is nothing wrong with that. I never even realized what was wrongt with my eating habits until I followed a popular diet plan a few years ago. I knew I was overweight and needed to get healthy but I had no idea what to change or where to start. I eventually went on to lose 90 pounds but I realized I couldn't live the rest of my life that way. What I did learn however is what to eat, how much to eat and what works for my own body. I think we can all be in agreement on the fact that you cannot live the rest of your life restricting certain foods or eating strange foods and food combinations. You have to learn to do what's best for your own body to keep it healthy!
I decided that the best diet for this group to be following, given the fact we are a Christian group, is one based on the bible. You can't get any simpler than the basics right there in the bible. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and non-processed foods are the best way to live along with moderation! Yes you can eat what you want, just keep it in moderation and enjoy as much natural food as you can! We will be counting calorie on this diet which is important to teaching portion control and moderation. No you do not have to count calories for the rest of your life but for those of us who struggle with food issues, counting calories is a way to open your eyes and say "I realize I didn't need all of that food after all." Sometimes you just have to retrain yourself to do what's natural to your body especially after spending so many years doing what's unnatural (i.e. gluttony and over-indulgence). Imagine the person who is in a car wreck and has to learn to walk all over again. They're not going to tell the person to take off running. They are going to take them step by step every single day until they can learn to walk with the aid of a crutch or cane and then it may take years to learn to walk without the aid of that crutch or cane. You have already taken your first small steps by deciding to get healthy now consider counting calories your crutch. Until you can learn to "eat normally" on your own then you must start over from the beginning and learn to eat as God intended. We all need to go back to basics and learn to eat the foods God designed for our bodies, and in the portions needed just to fuel our bodies. We should eat to live and not live to eat.
I am tired of this world telling us what we can and cannot eat. If God did not want you to eat carbs then why would He send bread from heaven [John 6:31], or give us carb loaded potatoes and vegetables? The bible even refers to eating whole eggs, not just the whites [Job 6:6]. This means they - people in biblical times - did not worry about cholesterol. For those of you worrying about your cholesterol I wouldn't worry about it in eggs because I'm sure your cholesterol worries are coming from sources far worse than an egg! Even beef was eaten in moderation, just consider the prodigal son and his homecoming meal. God has a plan for everything in life, including diet, and with everything in God's plan all you have to do is read and follow! Mark 1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
With that said here is our new diet plan - Print this off and hang it on your fridge - These are also posted under the weight loss tools on the right hand side:
The Joy Diet Plan
I've also made a chart showing foods listed in the bible:
Foods in the Bible
(If you notice any foods missing from the list feel free to contact me.)
God bless everyone and joyful dieting.
P.S. I've already lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks of following this plan. God's ways always work over the ways of men!
I decided that the best diet for this group to be following, given the fact we are a Christian group, is one based on the bible. You can't get any simpler than the basics right there in the bible. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and non-processed foods are the best way to live along with moderation! Yes you can eat what you want, just keep it in moderation and enjoy as much natural food as you can! We will be counting calorie on this diet which is important to teaching portion control and moderation. No you do not have to count calories for the rest of your life but for those of us who struggle with food issues, counting calories is a way to open your eyes and say "I realize I didn't need all of that food after all." Sometimes you just have to retrain yourself to do what's natural to your body especially after spending so many years doing what's unnatural (i.e. gluttony and over-indulgence). Imagine the person who is in a car wreck and has to learn to walk all over again. They're not going to tell the person to take off running. They are going to take them step by step every single day until they can learn to walk with the aid of a crutch or cane and then it may take years to learn to walk without the aid of that crutch or cane. You have already taken your first small steps by deciding to get healthy now consider counting calories your crutch. Until you can learn to "eat normally" on your own then you must start over from the beginning and learn to eat as God intended. We all need to go back to basics and learn to eat the foods God designed for our bodies, and in the portions needed just to fuel our bodies. We should eat to live and not live to eat.
I am tired of this world telling us what we can and cannot eat. If God did not want you to eat carbs then why would He send bread from heaven [John 6:31], or give us carb loaded potatoes and vegetables? The bible even refers to eating whole eggs, not just the whites [Job 6:6]. This means they - people in biblical times - did not worry about cholesterol. For those of you worrying about your cholesterol I wouldn't worry about it in eggs because I'm sure your cholesterol worries are coming from sources far worse than an egg! Even beef was eaten in moderation, just consider the prodigal son and his homecoming meal. God has a plan for everything in life, including diet, and with everything in God's plan all you have to do is read and follow! Mark 1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
With that said here is our new diet plan - Print this off and hang it on your fridge - These are also posted under the weight loss tools on the right hand side:
The Joy Diet Plan
I've also made a chart showing foods listed in the bible:
Foods in the Bible
(If you notice any foods missing from the list feel free to contact me.)
God bless everyone and joyful dieting.
P.S. I've already lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks of following this plan. God's ways always work over the ways of men!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Wordless Wednesday - My dinner
It was so pretty, colorful and healthy looking I just had to take a pic of it. I just wish I had a better camera lol. See everyone, I am behaving :-)!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A return to JOY
Our first JOY meeting of the year is tonight at 6:30. I am excited to be returning to Joy and to the blog again after so many weeks of extreme busyness! I'm feeling refreshed and ready to start on JOY again and head into this new year with a new attitude towards acheiving our goals. I hope and pray that you are all with me on this and I hope to see some fantastic results this year! See you all tonight! :-)!
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