The prodigal returns

I realize it has been several (GASP) years since I updated this blog. A lot has happened in the past few years....and I do mean A LOT! I only stumbled on this blog again out of curiosity and found to my surprise that it was actually still here. I began to read my own writing and realized how humbling, and how amazing, this blog really was for me.
I originally abandoned the blog because of a few "bad seeds" discouraging my work. I know now just how wrong this was. I also know that God has called me to this calling, and I can no longer deny this. After rereading some of my original posts on this blog I can see now that my own self doubt was so very wrong. God has most definitely called me back to this place and nothing can stop the will of God!
After a very personal tragedy in my life (the sudden, but not unexpected death of my young, 49 year old mom last week) I am reaching out for change in my life. I think that's what led to my seeking out this blog again. I just have a strong desire to get back to where God called me. I am reaching for something more, and I am letting God take me there.
I was healed, by God, of depression back in 2006, and I refuse to ever go back to that dark place again. I'm going to allow my mom's life and death to inspire something good in me, not bring me back down, so that is why I am here again. In some ways I feel like the prodigal daughter returning to her father.
I have to admit that I not only abandoned this blog, but overtime, after some very personal issues (the death of a close friend, and the birth of a beautiful baby girl), and a lot of discouraging words, I also abandoned my church women and the JOY group. I cannot apologize enough for this. All I can do is return to what God gave me - the calling to lead others, and myself, to joy and health. My entire life is one big testimony, and it is up to me, and only me, to allow that testimony to shine - not hide from it. So with that said I have decided the time has come to return. I'm going to be walking very slowly at first, maybe even crawling, but I am coming back - and God's going to move mountains for me - I can just feel it deep within.
I have learned one important lesson in the past few years: When God gives you a calling and a ministry He will make a way - but only if you obey the call. Not everyone will be on board, but that is not your concern. Not everyone agreed with Jesus' work either, but that did not stop Him. He didn't need a fancy building to do His work, or special circumstances. He ignored the scoffers, preached anyway - sometimes with nothing more than a hill of grass under his feet, and now His message lives on! God wants to do great things in our lives, but we too often let the thoughts of others dictate what we can and cannot do. God said go and do, so we must do just that and nothing else.
I was going to start an entirely new blog, but after reading this blog I realized it is already a great format and why should I mess with what works? The only thing I am changing is the template with a slightly newer design because the original html / design no longer works. I am leaving all of the original posts up for reference. I cannot guarantee how often I will post here, but just knowing the blog is still here gives me encouragement to go forth.
Pray for me.

JOY Meetings and an update

Hey everyone. I want to apologize for not updating the blog lately but we are in the last 2 weeks of school with the kids. We have to be most of the way finished by next friday and completely finished by the end of the month. So we have been really busy trying to get that all finished along with everything else in life lol. Anyway I have not abandoned you and I will try to start updating this blog more as soon as things are less hectic around here.

In other news I am still trying very hard to stick with my plan. I have now gone back to eating regular foods but I am mixing it with more fruits and veggies and healthier food choices. I am still only at a 19 pound loss total but hopefully I will have a better report at the end of June on this! I am going to go back to the fruits and veggies again next week after I go grocery shopping this weekend.

Now for the Joy meetings. I know that things have been crazy lately and we've had a meeting or two when we shouldn't have but this month we will try to go back to the normal schedule. Unless I tell you otherwise the meetings are always the 2nd and 4th wednesday of the month (unless of course I got this mixed up and it is supposed to be the 1st and the 3rd - please correct me on this if need be lol). So the meetings this month will be June 10th and the 24th. If the weather is nice we will be meeting at the park, the res, or maybe even the local nature trail. I will keep you all updated on this.

God Bless!

JOY meeting will be at the park

This message is for my JOY ladies. We will be meeting at the park tonight instead of the church. See you all there at our regular time - 6:30.

God Bless!

No Joy

Due to things going on right now we will not have our meeting tomorrow night as scheduled. We may have one next week instead to make up for the lack of meetings lately.

Also to the Joy women. I want to apologize for this but I will be unable to do the relay for life. There are several factors as to why I cannot participate but I will explain at the next meeting. If any of you would still like to participate in the Relay for life then please contact Kevin or Vanessa as I think they are still doing this with the youth.

All of our other activities will still be as planned and don't forget we are still on a mini challenge right now!

I am already 12 pounds away from meeting my goal - how are you doing? :-)

No updates this week!

I am going on a mini family trip this weekend starting Thursday, and I have a final exam tomorrow morning so there will be no updates this week. I apologize for not posting this yesterday but I have been extremely busy trying to get my house in order before we leave and getting things straightened out.

Also there are a couple things going on in my life right now that I would like all of you to pray about.

To the JOY women - The meeting is next week, not tomorrow night. Remember the meetings will always be the 2nd and 4th wednesday of the month!

God Bless everyone and see you next week.

Friday Find - House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles

House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles 4 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I've heard about these noodles for years but since no one carried them locally I never had the chance to try them. You may have heard of them from Hungry Girl. These noodles are supposedly a good replacement for pasta and at only 40 calories for the whole bag (which makes a big plateful of pasta) I figured it couldn't hurt to try them. I finally found these noodles at my local Meijer store for just around $2.00 a bag the other day and I was excited to try them. They are made of Tofu (soybeans) and Yam flour. Since they do not contain any added oils, sugar or white flour this makes them acceptable for my current diet right now. They come in three varieties (shapes): Fettuccine, Angel Hair, and Spaghetti. So far I have only tried the spaghetti and fettuccine. I did not try the angel hair because they looked a little too thin and squiggly for my taste. I may try them later.

At first glance these bags of noodles are a little scary and funky looking. They do not look appetizing because they are long, white, stringy noodles squirming inside a bag of murky looking water. When you read the nutrition label though it might inspire you to give them a try in spite of their appearance. They only have 20 calories per serving (40 for the whole bag) only 3 grams carbs, and 2 grams of fiber. A plateful of pasta of similar size could easily have over 400 calories and too many carbs and sugar to count!

When you open the bag you may notice a very strong odor (they call it an "authentic aroma" on the bag). This isn't all that bad unless you get very close - aka don't stick your nose down in them to smell them lol. It took me making these things twice to realize what the smell reminded me of - it is very similar to ammonia, but maybe not as strong. The trick to removing this odor is to rinse them several times, probably no less than 3 times. Once they are rinsed and drained lay them on a plate and then blot them with a paper towel 4 or 5 times. You will need to blot and toss the noodles several times to get them thoroughly dry. After you have rinsed and dried them, the instructions on the bag suggests microwaving them for a minute or two and the smell practically disappears.

I found the texture to be quite good - not rubbery as some people suggest. They were also not slimey like others have said. But I think this would be because I really blotted them well to remove as much water as possible. I think that step is very key in getting these noodles to work for your dish. The noodles themselves with just a little salt had a nice flavor and tasted a lot like regular pasta noodles to me and I did not find the taste strange or odd even with the strong odor. I made these with the peanut sauce and some veggies and they really soaked up the sauce well. They seem to absorb the flavor of whatever you are cooking with.

From the way that these look in the bag I expected them to be very fragile and mushy so I was quite surprised at how firm these were and how they held up well. I preferred the spaghetti over the fettuccine only because the fettucine was maybe a tad bit more squishy and seemed to have a lot more water on them. These were also very filling and my mind really seemed convinced I was eating real pasta lol.

I have heard that there is a clear line on who likes these noodles. Usually you either like them or you don't. If you can get past the smell - which I did - then I think that most people would actually really like these as a pasta replacement.
Overall I gave these 4 out of 5 because of the strong smell. I would give them a 5 but I feel like some people just would not be able to get past the smell in order to even try them. If you can ignore the smell, and be willing to do the little bit of extra work to make them right, then I think you would have a perfect pasta replacement in these noodles.

The peanut sauce was good! - New Recipe

I was really wanting to try to make this peanut sauce again, and to make it right. So after a little experimenting today this stuff was actually very good over the tofu noodles and some broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. It's still not 100% fantastic but it is a welcome change from plain vegetables and olive oil. There were several things that went wrong with this recipe the other night: I burnt the peanut butter in the pan, I added too much cayenne, I used agave nectar which has it's own distinct flavor and added too much flavor to the sauce, I waited too long to add all of the liquid ingredients, and I added a dash of olive oil - which it did not need at all. I also found that the trick to getting this just right is to add the liquid ingredients first, one at a time.

So here is the new and improved recipe:

1/4 to 1/2 cup all natural organic peanut butter (ingredients will say just peanuts)
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar (I did not have rice vinegar so I used regular - next time I will try rice vinegar)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
barely 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup all natural coconut milk divided into two 1/4 cups (they do carry this at Meijer btw, in the asian / ethnic section for only $1.79 a can)

In a medium sauce pan over very low heat add the peanut butter. Let the peanut butter melt just slightly and then add one 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Stir gently until peanut butter is mixed and melted into the coconut. Coconut milk loses it's flavor as it is heated so that is why it is important to divide the coconut milk - you do not want to add it all at once. Stir in the soy sauce and vinegar until it is well mixed. Add the dry ingredients next. Continue to stir the sauce and adjust the heat as necessary to prevent this from scorching. Add the last half of the coconut milk just before you remove the pan from the heat. This will help retain some of the coconut flavor. Remove from heat. Pour over your favorite dish. Or use as a dipping sauce for chicken, fish or beef.

Thursday 13 - Changes I've seen since starting this fast

For those of you that are new to this blog this thirteen is about a Daniel Fast I started on April the 13Th. I was going to do the fast for 10 days but decided to continue for a full month or for however long God leads me. If you would like to read more about my adventure look back through old posts. These are the changes I've discovered since starting this:

1. There is now less of me. I'm 14 pounds lighter and 11 inches smaller.

2. Confidence in myself. I am learning to trust myself to do the right thing.

3. A new found love for cooking. I love to cook and I love to experiment so making all these new recipes is a blast. I also cook a lot more than I did before I started this.

4. I have more energy than I did two weeks ago.

5. Confidence in the Lord. God led me to this a few months ago. I did not listen then. Now I am learning to trust Him more.

6. My skin is a lot clearer and has a somewhat "healthy" glow.

7. My hair is shinier and thicker.

8. My IBS is virtually non existent now. My stomach is not as distended and bloated as it has been from all of the stress of IBS.

9. I am not as hungry as I used to be and I have to remind myself to eat sometimes. My blood sugar is probably the most stable it has been in years or ever for that matter.

10. I have an excitement for life now and an even stronger desire to be healthy and be here for my family and to be a light for the women of my church.

11. My clothes are all getting looser and a few things probably don't even fit anymore.

12. I've turned into one of those people I used to think were a little crazy. You know the type: A vegetarian, almost vegan, organic and raw foodie lol. *No offense to anyone lol.

13. I have found a new appreciation for God's food and creation. I feel like I know just how much God loves me when I eat a food that He designed specifically for the health of my body. An apple with all it's little seeds, a carrot with it's beautiful orange color, even an onion with it's distinct aroma; these are all tangible signs of God's love and amazing power.

I cheated, I ate the peanut sauce, and I lost 11 inches!

I do not make steak. Scratch that. I do not make steak well so I do not make steak often. Last night at the grocery store I saw that they had some pretty good steaks on sale for around $2.50 a package. I'm no expert on steak or on how to buy the best cut. I just saw that they were cheap and my family could easily have them for supper with some veggies. I've not made steak for my husband in about 2 years (yeah I'm that bad at it lol) so I really wanted to try to make these steaks as tender and tasty as possible. I knew I wouldn't have time to mess with a marinade so I bought a meat tenderizer to give that a try. (I never used one of those before. Wow that is fun! lol. Definitely a good way to vent your frustrations!)

After pounding those steaks to death and throwing them on the foreman grill they looked like they were pretty good. The smell was awesome too so I thought I might have a winner. After cutting up the steak into small pieces for the kids the temptation was too great. I just had to try that steak to see how I did. I had a piece about the size of a nickel stuck to a fork and it was sooooo tempting me to eat it! I tell you I could hear it saying "eat me" lol. My husband gave me the ok and said that it would not hurt anything if I tried that small piece. He assured me that I would not go binge on Twinkies after just one small piece of steak lol. After my husband and kids started chanting "eat it, eat it, eat it" I hurried up and stuck it in my mouth. I felt like I was on fear factor or something putting that steak in my mouth lol.

It was indeed very good. But I was able to walk away from the rest of it and not eat anymore. Victory! I was satisfied with sampling that small piece and I do not feel the least bit guilty for it. As I've said before this is about breaking some chains - not about starving myself or giving up food that I love. For me to be able to walk away without binging on the rest is truly a chain broken for me.

So after the steak incident I went on to make myself some tofu noodles, steamed broccoli and the peanut sauce recipe from Tuesday. Now in theory that sounds like it would be really good. Which it was alright, but I some how messed up the recipe. I've had peanut sauce before in TV dinners but I've never tried to make it myself. The noodles were surprisingly good actually (look for the review tomorrow) and the broccoli of course was delicious but the sauce was only good for maybe 2 or 3 bites. Then the cayenne started heating up my mouth. And then it started burning my esophagus and my stomach and I could not eat anymore! I added way too much cayenne. I accidentally wrote down the recipe as needing 2 tsp. of cayenne when in reality it only needed maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of a teaspoon or even none. I actually sprinkled more into the sauce after it looked like I had not added enough. That cayenne overpowered the sauce so much that I could not taste anything else. I plan to try this again with very little to no cayenne. So I want to apologize to anyone who wrote that recipe down on tuesday with the 1-2 teaspoons of cayenne. It should have been 1/2 tsp. The corrections have been made to the recipe below, but please make sure you check your recipe before you make this stuff.

Now for my exciting news! This is my end of the month progress report. I measured myself at the beginning of this fast and then I measured myself again this morning. I was totally and completely shocked! I've lost 3 inches from my waist and an overall 8 inches everywhere else for a total of 11 inches!!!!!! I knew I had lost a little because my favorite skirt was almost too big for me yesterday. I wasn't expecting to see 3 inches off my waist. I was so stunned I went back and measured it 3 times lol.
And as of this morning I am now down 14 pounds total from the beginning of April. Woot Woot!! Keep me in your prayers as I go through this release of unwanted weight and chains! :-) I will post a new progress report at the end of May.

Tasty Tuesday - Peanut Sauce - includes Daniel Fast approved version

Peanut sauce is traditionally used in asian cuisine. It is used with meat dishes, like chicken skewers, with noodle dishes or even on top of vegetables. Peanut sauce uses a combination of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors to add to it's unique taste. Because this recipe uses peanut butter and coconut milk it is not really a low calorie sauce, but when it is used sparingly over vegetables it can add some life to your otherwise bland veggies and (whole wheat or tofu) noodles. I am planning to make this over some tofu shiratake noodles (I found these in the organic and vegetarian section at Meijer btw! If you decide to use these be sure to rinse them very, very well and pat them with a paper towel until they are super dry.) and some steamed broccoli.


Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup all natural peanut butter - chunky or creamy.
2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
1/3 cup coconut milk - this is sometimes hard to find so you can substitute this with vanilla soymilk or just plain water.

Place all ingredients for sauce together in a small saucepan over medium to low heat. Whisk until smooth. Stir gently until sauce begins to thicken. Add water if needed to get desired consistency. Serve immediately.

I am still following the fast but not as strictly as before because I've added a few more ingredients to my diet like tofu and some canned items that have minimal oil or sugar in them. Here is an alternative version to this recipe that I will be using to stick to my fast:

(Daniel Fast Version)

1/4 cup all natural organic peanut butter or almond butter.
2 teaspoons agave nectar (I may make an acception to this and allow honey for this recipe because the agave nectar is very expensive.)
2 tablespoons all natural low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup all natural coconut milk, almond milk or soy milk.

Instructions same as above.