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.

Monday Motivation - Living healthy because it's the right thing to do

How many times have you thought about your diet with dread? How many times have you woke up and thought, I just want to eat whatever I want today? This is what we like to call "stinkin thinkin." We dread the diet and the exercise because we have not made it part of who we are. We have not made the choice to live healthy a part of your everyday life. The diet has become like an extra curricular activity outside of our normal lives and routines.

A friend of mine always likes to say that being on a diet will never work because eventually you have to go off the diet. This is so very true. Many of us have started a new diet only to go off of it at some point. A diet is not truly living. It is no fun to starve yourself one day and then binge the next and then hate yourself the third day because you've gained another 5 pounds.

Living healthy has to come natural to your daily life and it has to be something that you make an important part of your life. You choose to live healthy not because society tells you to, or you are being forced to do so, but because it is the right thing to do! I don't even like to refer to it as dieting but rather choosing to live healthy. You can choose life or you can choose a candy bar - that's your decision to make. But whatever you decide don't do it because you feel defeated, make the choice on what the right thing is for your body and where God is leading you.

Last night the minister spoke on giving something up for God. I have chosen to give over my weight battle to God. I am not choosing to diet but rather to live a healthy lifestyle in the sight of the Lord. He gave me this body and I plan to use it for His purpose. I cannot be used if I can barely get off the couch from my weight and the health issues that keep me burdened down.

There have been many times during this process that I have wanted more than anything to go back to my old way of living. I had a really tough weekend with craving bad foods again. It was mostly mental on my part. Last night my family stopped at a local fast food place - one that has most of my favorites. It was very tempting to give in to my cravings "just this once." I almost caved in until I remembered that if I caved in just this once, and made an exception then I would be going back on everything I believe in right now. If I could make an exception that first time then it would be easier to make exceptions in the future. I am not depriving myself of these bad foods. Actually, I would be depriving myself of victory if I caved in.

I was really feeling sorry for myself and being quite pouty all weekend over being "stuck on this diet." My husband looked at me, after hearing me whine and complain, and said oh it won't hurt if you do it just this once. That's when it hit me that I'm not doing this because I "have to" I am doing this because it's the right thing to do. I am not stuck on this diet. I am not being forced into this. I am doing this because I choose life and health. My life is so much more valuable than any fast food meal. God has shown me the path to health and I cannot stray from that path. Satan tried to tempt Jesus with bread, he tempted Eve with forbidden fruit. How am I any different that he would not tempt me with the very foods I want?

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

It was never God's will for us to be unhealthy from the choices we make. Nor to be burdened down with health problems, poor self esteem and all of the issues that come along with weight problems. It is right to be healthy. It is right to want to live. It is right to lay aside your burdens to be able to work for the Lord. Don't let satan try to tell you otherwise. You are perfect and wonderfully made, after the image of a living God, and you should strive to stay that way.

Heb 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Daniel Fast Recap - Days 7, 8, 9

Ok so I didn't get to post the updates last night like I thought I would. Thankfully I am in my very last week of college - minus one final exam in may - and I will be FREE! Hallelujah!
Anyway there wasn't anything major that happened over these last few days anyway. I did have one episode with my stomach on Monday (day 8), after going nearly 7 days with no problems, but it was not at all like it was in times past. I am doing much better today and I feel healthier than I have in a long time. I have had many times this week that I have felt the strong urge to overeat and eat things I shouldn't but I persevered and I fought the temptations. I am feeling so good and energetic now. I have been praying about this and I've decided that I will continue the fast for a full month. I will not be updating daily anymore but I will keep you all up to date on how things are going. I just realized that I am feeling really good, my stomach is the best it's felt in a year, and I'm losing weight so why stop a good thing? After a month I will see how I am feeling and then I will take it one step at a time. God is with me in this and I know that my old habits are dying a little each day I do this. I am breaking chains that have held me down for over 15 years and I am seeing that there is indeed a light at the end of this tunnel. Be sure to tune in tomorrow to see my final, day 10, results!

Day 7 Menu:

Breakfast - Fruit Salad made with blueberries, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, and chopped almonds. 1 large cup carrot juice.

Lunch - Steamed Red Potatoes and parsley, Green Beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil and topped with toasted almonds.

Dinner - 1 avocado topped with spicy mustard.

Snacks - Seedless grapes

Day 8 Menu:

Breakfast - Did not have breakfast

Lunch - Mushrooms, garlic cloves and sliced bell peppers sauteed in olive oil and topped with toasted almonds.

Dinner - Large bowl of corn with salt and pepper. Warm fruit salad (fried in the skillet) made from sliced bananas, raisins and toasted almonds.

Snacks - no snacks.

Day 9 Menu:

Breakfast - No Breakfast (Now that my blood sugar is more stable I am not as hungry as before)

Lunch - Bean Burritos made with vegetarian refried beans, onions, green onions, tomatoes, green chiles, and wrapped in large lettuce leaves.

Dinner - Split pea soup following this recipe. (This turned out totally delicious btw, and I don't even like split pea soup! My husband and children even ate it without complaint - but of course I had to toss some turkey bacon into theirs lol.)

Snacks - Trail mix made from walnuts, almonds and raisins. 1 cup of carrot juice.

Monday Motivation - Daniel's Diet Cures Cancer

The day that I started this fast I decided to look for some videos of people who have tried this as well. I came across this CBN video and I thought her story was pretty inspirational.

Daniel Fast Day 6 - Sugar has a way of sneaking up on you.

Recap from yesterday:

This fast has always been about so much more than just wanting to get healthy and lose a little weight in the process. It is also about breaking some personal chains of mine and getting closer to the way the Lord has intended for me to live. I believe with all of my heart that I am being called into this just as I was called to lead the women of my church on a mission to become healthy. I am being called out of my old way of living in a way that on many levels resembles how I was set free from depression.

One personal chain of mine that needs to be broken is that of sugar addiction and binge eating. That is a pretty powerful thing for me to admit online but I think if most people look at me they can see that I have food issues to begin with. I did not get overweight eating salads. It came from years of abusing food - yes I used the word abusing as if I am referring to a drug.

You can be addicted to anything, not just drugs or alcohol. Anything that makes you lose control and forces you to live your life by it's rules is an addiction. Sugar, high carb foods, and just plain bad for you foods are the drugs that have chosen me.

I have had issues with food for as long as I could remember. I have overcome bulimia and anorexia just to fall into the hands of compulsive overeating and binging. I was never thin like a "true" anorexic or bulimic. That is one stereo type that I would like to see smashed. A person dealing with anorexia and bulimia is not always skeletal in appearance - especially when they first start out. Someone you know may be stuggling with this and you would never know because it is a somewhat easy thing to hide.Compulsions with food come in many shapes and forms, and often times if you struggle with one issue you will ultimately end up facing the other issues as well. Food issues in my opinion are all the same: They all have one root cause but are called by different titles.

When I was set free from the depression I began to be healed from my food addictions and issues, but I have always said during this whole process that when God set me free He only opened the door. Once that door was opened I just had to walk right through it. I have felt for the past 3 years since my freedom that I am on the road to recovery but I am just merely standing in that doorway.

This fast I believe will be the completion of my healing and I am starting to see an end to my journey out of my former self. Complete healing does not always come with the sick person immediately taking up their bed (John 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.) Recovery is sometimes a slow process where the person may have to relearn how to walk and live normal again. That is how I feel. Like I am learning how to walk all over again, but this time as I am walking, I am held up by arms that are much stronger than I am, the arms of Jesus.

When a person is recovering from an illness they are very weak. It is the same for someone who is recovering from addiction. You are weak. Just as the person who is learning to walk again must stumble and fall along the way so does a person recovering from addiction. It is not an easy road. Some days are more of a struggle than others and sometimes you do stumble and fall. I have fallen many times in the last three years. The difference is that I did not stay down. I got up and continued to walk.

Never was I more sure of my addiction to sugar and issues with food than this morning - the morning after day 6. Last night I had an unexplained episode of wanting to eat like I used to and to binge my feelings away. I did not cave in because I knew that there is a higher purpose in what I am doing right now.

I did discover however that it is possible to binge, even on a diet of just fruits and vegetables. I did not binge like in times past but it was as if I wanted something to eat but could find no satisfaction.

After downing a large plate of stir fried mushrooms and olive oil and a whole avocado I felt very full but still unsatisfied. I found myself very confused by this and very disheartened. I could not understand why after 5 days of eating so good, and feeling so good, and really not even wanting a taste of anything sweet that I would be having these old feelings crop up.

I was extremely down this morning and wondering if what I am doing is right. I knew that I would continue with the fast but I felt very saddened by the fact that my food issues could find a way to pop up even when I am starting to feel so clean and free. I know that satan can, and does, try to come between you and a closer walk with God and will use anything in his power to do so. That tool he used on me came in the form of some dried dates. That may sound ridiculous to you but that is exactly what happened.

I have checked the ingredients on every food I have bought that is not in fruit or vegetable form. I have made very sure to not have anything with added sugar, chemicals or vegetable oil in it. I know that sugar is a weakness for me. It causes my hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) to go crazy and causes my binging issues to be worse. This fast was a way for me to rid myself of this sugar addiction.

The other night I purchased a container of dried dates that I double checked the ingredients. I was pretty unsure of them so I checked the container several times. I could not find any ingredients on them at all so I assumed that meant it was just dried dates and nothing else - a lot of "natural" foods do not list the ingredients.

I went out with my children for a few hours yesterday and I wanted a small snack to take with me in case of sudden hunger. I decided to make my own mini trail mix with almonds, raisins, walnuts and these dates. Still in the back of my mind I was having this little nagging thought about those innocent looking little dates. So before putting them in my baggie of trail mix I checked that container again for the 4th or 5th time. I still saw no ingredients. Satisfied with this I went about my day and snacked away on my date infested trail mix.

Fast forward to this morning (day 7). I am still feeling like I want to eat everything sweet in sight, but am determined not to give up. For breakfast I decide to make myself fruit salad with bananas, blueberries, strawberries, almonds and oh why not a few of these dates for added sweetness. That's when I saw it. Right there on the lid of the container in curved writing. Ingredients: dates, dextrose. SUGAR! These things have SUGAR! Dextrose is sugar. Oh NOOOO I've had sugar!..... Ok so I didn't quite panic that much, but what I did feel was an immediate sense of relief.

This was quickly followed by the thought of - did I just ruin my fast? I now feel ok knowing that I'm not going crazy and that the sugar craving was in fact triggered by hidden sugar. But now I also feel a little bit let down by the fact that I unknowingly allowed one of my old foes to come back in during a time that was meant solely for God. I know that I have bad eyes and need glasses most of the time but I do not see how, after looking that container over top to bottom 5 times, I could have missed that. I believe that this was a trick used against me. Satan knows our weakness and if it can be used against us trust me, he will try it. Just look at Job!This brings new meaning to the phrase "being blinded by the devil."

I realize that this mistake was not intentional and I do not plan to end the fast. I do not believe for a second that my time of cleansing has been ruined. This is just another time where I have fallen and must get back up again, rebuke the devil, and continue to walk toward my higher calling.

Those dates were harmless and in all honesty they were far more healthy for me than what I would normally eat. When I go off of the fast I am sure I will enjoy them whole heartedly but for now this time is meant for God and for my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to be clean and new for His purpose.

Day 6 Menu -

Breakfast: Mock hasbrowns made from apples, potatoes, diced onion, lime juice, olive oil, and fresh ground pepper and sea salt for seasoning. 1 cup of 100% grape juice.

Lunch: 1 avocado with french's spicy horseradish mustard on top (the only condiment I have found so far that is of completely natural ingredients - plus it's really good!)

Dinner: Very large plate of mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with the spicy mustard again.

Snacks: Too much trail mix made from almonds, raisins, walnuts, and the infamous dates.

Day 3 Menu - Daniel Fast

This is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: A smoothie made with 2 bananas, 8 strawberries, 4 tablespoons of ground flax (the only grain I'm allowing for the added fiber content), 100% applejuice and ice. 11 whole raw almonds (1/2 ounce) on the side.

Lunch: Baked Zucchini and yellow squash slices coated with olive oil. Seasoned with salt and garlic herb seasoning. (This was super yummy but a word of advice: Be sure not to bake this on a pan with holes on the bottom or you will have oil and seasonings dripping on the bottom of your oven which then will smoke your entire kitchen out, which will make your smoke detector all the way in the other room go crazy, and which will then make your children start jumping and hollering and running around. The house still smells really good like cooking food but all that smoke wasn't fun lol. Yeah, next time I will use parchment paper underneath.)

Dinner: Steamed carrots, broccoli and cauliflower lightly seasoned - I think I am putting this Mrs. Dash stuff on everything lol.

Snacks: 11 Almonds and 1 box raisins. 1 dried fig. A handful of dried prunes (nasty stuff those prunes - don't like these at all but I just thought I'd give them a try.)

Wordless Wednesday - My Grocery Haul

We went to the grocery store on Monday night so that I could stock up on plenty of fruits and veggies for my Daniel fast (Daniel Chapter 1). If you want to know more about why and how I am doing this then read the last 4 posts from this week.
My groceries looked so pretty and still life like laid out on my table that I just had to snap a pic of them. Of course I did help just a teensy bit with the arrangement ;-)

Daniel Fast - What I'm eating

I realized that it might be important to some of you to know what I'm eating so I will be keeping track of that as well on here along with the daily update. Here is the menu for the last 2 days:

Monday April 13, Day 1 (This first day was very small because I had very few veggies in the house. Unfortunately I did not eat enough and became quite dizzy and sick later):

Breakfast - 1 Banana

Mid Morning Snack - 1 can of black olives drained and rinsed well (2 or 3 times) to rinse any salt or preservatives off.

Lunch - 1 can of yellow hominy (corn) again drained and rinsed well.

Afternoon Snack - 1 box of raisins

Dinner - 1 Banana, 3 dried figs (super yummy btw - I never had them before this!), 2 8 ounce cups of pure carrot juice.

Several cups of water.

Tuesday April 14 - Day 2:

Breakfast - 1 Banana, 11 Raw whole Almonds (1/2 ounce)

Mid Morning Snack - 1 apple, handful of sliced mushrooms

Lunch - Large bowl of butter crunch salad greens (about 3 cups), sliced mushrooms, grape tomatoes and about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, ground black pepper, and Mrs. Dash garlic & herb for seasoning and dressing.

Dinner - Baked Yukon Gold Potato (these taste much better than the other potatoes for baking - they have an almost buttery sweet taste), with the skin coated with olive oil to make it crispy. This was then topped with some chopped chives and a little bit of salt.

Evening Snack - 1 box of raisins and 11 more almonds mixed together for a sort of trail mix type snack. (This was very delish btw!) about 1/4 cup of 100% apple juice.

Several cups of water.

Daniel Fast - Day 3

So far so good. I have stuck with this for a full three days. That is unbelievable to me because normally I don't even last an afternoon on a new diet. Well I guess I do know the reason. It's because this isn't a "new diet" or fad. This is a life change. The Lord is leading me and guiding me every step of the way in this and I am stepping out in faith on this one.
I did have some issues with my stomach last night. I can't explain what it was but so far today I haven't felt it. I ate a big salad yesterday afternoon. Then around 5 or 6 I felt intense pain in my stomach that made it feel like it was burning inside. This happened off and on for the rest of the evening and subsided a little after I ate a plain baked potato. It was almost totally gone by the time I went to bed. I am hoping that doesn't come back again.
So far I am starting to feel like I have slightly more energy than normal. I am also feeling like my head is coming out of a fog so to speak. I am not craving any bad foods right now and it is really interesting that I am actually eating less food than before even though I have the ok to eat all of these healthy foods that I want. I just don't feel as hungry and I am feeling satisfied on just enough food to keep my hunger down. I am letting my body control how much I eat and my body is naturally wanting the correct amount of calories. I have been keeping track of what I eat daily and I am eating right around 1200 calories per day. If I eat less than that I feel really hungry and sick but if I eat more I feel too full and bloated. The body is an amazing thing and if given the chance the body knows what to do to keep you running. God is truely the ultimate engineer!

Keep me in prayer as I go through this.

Monday Motivation a day late - Daniel's 10 Day Fast

Hello everyone! I apologize for the lack of posts lately but things have been very hectic and busy around here lately. Keep me in your prayers because I need it for sure right now! I know that this is late for the Monday motivation. That is not because I forgot about it yesterday but because I have been debating whether or not to share with you what is on my heart right now. With much thought and prayer I decided that I would in fact share this with you all because I want you to be a part of my day by day testimony. I will try to keep this as short as possible but I make no promises lol.

As some of you may know I have been very sick for almost a year now with stomach issues. I have brushed it off for the most part as being IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), but in the last month or two I have gotten worse and am now experiencing pains in my stomach that are unexplainable to the IBS. I would go to the doctor but since my doctor is not the best (she has misdiagnosed me on more than one occasion and actually indirectly caused me to have an overnight stay in the ER once) and I cannot get into a new doctor at this time I decided to hand this one completely over to the Lord. God has shown me on several occasions just what I need to do to allow myself to be healed. Why I have not followed through yet is a mystery even to myself. Fear maybe? I don't know, but I have decided to finally listen to what I feel the Lord is telling me to do and what my bible has taught me.
A while ago I read in the bible where the prophet Daniel "fasted" for 10 days from the foods of the king (Daniel ch. 1). He and his men ate nothing but fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and water for a full 10 days. At the end of the 10 days they were healthier and stronger than all of the kings men. I had not heard of this story before and knew nothing of this "famous" Daniel diet. When I read it the story spoke directly to me and I knew that someday, somehow, I would follow Daniel's example and try this for myself. Daniel's point in doing this was to prove to the king that God's ways always win over the ways of men! I too want to prove that God's way can win over man's way which includes overcoming my own fleshly desires. I am going to bring my body into subjection (1 corinthians 9:27) to God's way of living. I made the decision to follow in the steps of Daniel and fast from the foods that are harmful to my body until I feel that the Lord is done working with me and until I am ready to claim my healing. If this means following this for the rest of my life then so be it. I had originally wanted to do this for 10 days but now I feel I am being called to do this longer. The plan right now is to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, nuts, water and a little olive oil for cooking and a few natural spices and seasonings for the next 10 days. After the 10 days is up I will decide if I should continue. I will then add in other foods every 10 days beginning with lean meat like fish and chicken, then grains like oats and brown rice and I will leave dairy, fats and sugar for last. I will also begin to exercise a mile a day on my treadmill beginning on the 4th or 5th day or whenever I feel strong enough. The switch has finally flipped inside of me and I have made up my mind to take control once and for all and I am claiming, in faith, that my life will be changed from this. From this point on in my life I will no longer be the overweight, unhealthy, and low self esteem woman I am today. God is going to move in this. I know because it was He who called me to this place.

I will be using this blog to chronicle everyday of the "fast" and let you all know how it is going. I looked all over the internet to find information on how people's body and health physically changed from this, but I could not find much information pertaining to how it affected someone physically. There is an abundance of information about the fast itself but nothing on how it changes people health wise. So I decided I would share how it is changing me and maybe it will help someone else out there.

I started the fast yesterday. I began by praying first and then weighing myself to have a starting weight. I will not weigh in again until the end of the 10 days - which just happens to fall on a joy meeting, so hopefully I will have some good news to share with the joy women that night lol. We also went to the store last night and I stocked up on all kinds of fresh fruits and veggies, 100% juice, dried fruits like figs and raisins, and canned fruits and vegetables.
I am currently day number 2 into the fast and so far I am starting to feel slightly better. Yesterday I was very dizzy and weak and I felt sick to my stomach but that is because I did not eat enough. I realized that in order for this to work I must eat more often than before because my body is burning these foods a lot faster. I am hypoglycemic so I will need to eat continuously to keep my blood sugar levels in check. I am also feeling a slight energy boost today along with feeling less desire to eat the foods I would normally eat. I still want those foods but the cravings aren't as strong today. The most important part is that my stomach is not hurting today for the first time in a very long time and that is my first sign of faith that God is indeed leading me in this. God will receive all the glory for this when I am healed.

Monday Motivation - Trust

Don't gasp or fall over, it really is a current post from me :-). I'm actually home and at the computer at a time convenient to post so I thought I'd put something up today. We will be talking about this at joy tomorrow night but I decided to post it one day early.
In the past few weeks we've been talking about eating fruits and vegetables. We talked about how awesome and wonderful it is to know that there is a God who cared so much for us that he gave each food a specific purpose to our bodies (I will post an interesting email I received on this subject at the end of this post or sometime tomorrow). God is not slack in His care for his children just as we are not slack in caring for our own families. He has given us a bounty of healthy and delicious foods that are not only beautiful to look at but beautiful in the way they work to take care of our bodies. It is amazing to think that something as small as a carrot is full of vitamins and minerals specifically designed for our needs and by eating that carrot we are trusting it to do it's job inside our bodies.
We all have faith in God and we know the right things to do without anyone ever telling us so, but to act on that faith is called trust. You can have the faith and knowledge that something is right for you and that God knows exactly what you need but if you never step out in faith then you are not fully trusting in God. You are not giving the battle over to Him. When we eat the foods God designed specifically for our every need you are telling God, yes, I do trust you! If we continue on the same road we've always been on (i.e. eating unhealthy and unnatural foods) then we will get the same result we've always gotten - unhealthy bodies. God said "here's what I've designed for you to eat, this will make you healthy and give you strength" but instead of trusting that we turn to ourselves and say "no I think this is what I want" and then we are surprised when the end result is not how we expect it to be. It is always a matter of seeking the desires of our own flesh, putting trust in ourselves instead of in God. The bible says to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Seek God first and be amazed when you receive, in faith, the things you've been seeking all along - including a healthy body! The first step is a step of faith. You have to step out on that limb and say ok God, direct my path, I trust you, and no matter how much my attention is swayed to the left or right, I'm still going to trust you. Did you know that there is an actual diet plan laid out in the bible? It's in the book of Daniel. It is a wonderful story of trust:

Daniel 1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.
Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.
As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

So for 10 days Daniel ate nothing but pulse, which is a mixture of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and water - foods all created by God's own hands. You see Daniel had to not only trust in God himself but he had to trust in God's creation to help bring him in safety from his situation. Daniel trusted so much in God's plan that he risked his own life to prove that God's ways are better. In the end, for his trust and obedience, he was rewarded with good health, wisdom and knowledge and the respect of the King. When we trust God there is nothing but good to be gained. God does not lead us to harm but rather to the safety of His arms. The process getting there may be a tough long road but the end result is worth every step of the way.

Ruth 2:12
The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.