Changing Our Minds + Pizza Hummus

I believe, that a major step in leading a healthy lifestyle is getting our mind and thoughts right. What I mean is, I was (and sometimes still am, if I'm not careful), an avid black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinker. When you have this mindset, you've automatically set yourself up for failure.

Think about this... you're at the office and you've brought your lunch. You've eaten your lunch and you feel on top of the world, when a co-worker comes into your office and offers you a donut. If you're like me, it's pretty hard to pass up a donut, so you eat it. And here enters the mindset that leads to failure. See, eating the donut itself has not led you to failure...its what happens next. You know what I'm talking about. "Well, there goes my 100% perfect diet. I may as well just have 2 donuts. You know what? It's not worth going to gym now either. I think I'll just grab a pizza for dinner and sit on my couch, while I watch tv. I'll try again tomorrow." See? Failure.

Instead, what if your thought was this: "Mmm, well that donut was delicious! And totally worth every bite! Looking forward to the gym tonight and reaching my goal. And I can't wait to make that mouth-watering healthy recipe that I found on Pinterest for dinner!" See? Not failure.

So, how do we get our thoughts to go from example A to example B?

Well, I'm not going to lie. It's going to be tough. But, it IS doable! The secret? Jesus Christ.

I have failed every time I've tried to change my behavior or thought patterns on my own, unless I'm working with a professional Christian psychologist. Or unless I'm simply praying and asking for God's help.

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:23-24, "...and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

We need God's help in renewing our mind, so we can be created new in His likeness. And Jesus was able to fight off temptations! (see: Matthew 4:2-4)

So, if you're tired of trying to change your ways on your own and you have no strength left. Why not give Jesus a try?

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Today was a blast!

First, I revisited my "Why" list for some inspiration. If you haven't created your own Why list yet, I highly encourage you to do so. And I highly encourage you to make sure "look good" or anything like it, should NOT be on your list!

Then, my girls and I headed to the YMCA. Today's challenge on TIU's Love Your Body series was to do a 45-minute interval treadmill routine. It kicked my butt! I ended up walking most of it, but I still managed to go 3.3 miles in 45 minutes! Not bad for having not run in quite some time. After the run, I did the Shoulders & Arms routine from P90X and did a version of the P90X Ab Ripper routine, too. I was dead tired by the end. And my exercise-induced asthma was going haywire. But, I made it through and was sooo excited about it! I can't wait to get to the gym and workout again tomorrow!

For breakfast, I had my usual shake mixed with black coffee, but couldn't finish it. I didn't have much of an appetite and didn't want to feel like I was going to hurl during my workout.

For lunch, I just threw together a MIAG with strawberries, kale, mixed veggies, almond milk, hemp seeds and a little bit of stevia.

Snack was cut up celery dipped in Katie's Melty Pizza Hummus. Yum!

I was craving warm comfort food for dinner, so I made up another batch of Angela's Gingerbread Pumpkin Vegan Oats, with just a few changes (mentioned below).
*sub: Raw Yacon Syrup for Blackstrap Molasses
*sub: Raw Coconut Nectar for Maple Syrup

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Don't forget to visit my Facebook page to let me know what your goals are for tomorrow!

2013 Inspiration

'Tis the season for New Year's Resolutions.

And while I'm not a fan of them, because so many people just set themselves up for failure, I've seemed to be on a journey this week to find "renewed inspiration", I will call it.

It's not a new resolution for this year, but rather, a continued journey in becoming, "Healed, Healthy, Whole."

I'm hoping, that by sharing the inspirations I've found recently, it will help you to find yours, too. So, together, we can make 2013, the best year yet!

THE OBSTACLE
Before I continue, I must make this disclaimer... even the best of intentions can be met with, well, life. Life gets in the way, holidays ruin our intentions, wrongful thinking can self-sabotage us, etc.

My biggest obstacle? My need for perfection. So, as trials come up (and they will), my goal in 2013 is grant myself some grace, pick myself up quickly and move onto the next healthy choice. If we make enough small healthy choices, eventually we'll find ourselves at our goals! :-)

MY MOTTO
I absolutely love this from Tina Reale and have made this my motto for 2013:

THE SUSTENANCE
I've proven to myself many times before that without God, I fail. My inspiration can come from anywhere, but He will be the one to sustain me. So, that's my first goal... to find inspiration every day and to keep my eyes focused on Jesus.


MADE TO CRAVE
One of the ways I do this is by reading a devotional on YouVersion titled, "Made to Crave" and each day there's some really great stuff on there. Yesterday, I got this quote:

"God made us capable of craving so that we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only One capable of satisfying them."

 I don't know if you've ever had a craving attack, but being a past-food/sugar addict, I often find old patterns coming to the surface in times of stress. But really, giving into the food/sugar doesn't quench the craving, because as my best friend says, it's like "trying to scratch a spiritual itch with physical things."

Today, I got this nugget:

"Today, your heavenly Father is telling you the same truth: “You were made for more!” More than this failure . . . more than this cycle of defeat . . . more than being ruled by taste buds, body image, rationalizations, guilt, and shame. You were made for victory. This truth is a great script to play in our heads every time we’re tempted with guilt, rationalizations, or the “I’ll-do-better-tomorrow” escape clauses. Do any of these sound familiar? Addressing our thinking is one of the most crucial steps toward permanent progress in any area and stopping the cycle of shame and defeat. We have to rewrite those negative scripts by getting into the habit of saying truth. And, the first of these truths is, “I was made for more.” Wrapped in this truth is a wisdom and revelation that unlocks great power. We need strength greater than our taste buds, hormones, temptations, and our inborn female demand for chocolate. Yes, the truth of who we are and the power to live out that truth — that’s what we need. So, say it out loud with me today: I was made for more!"

How am I going to keep these in the forefront of my mind? I have a journal, where I track my food. On the front page of that journal, I'm going to doodle little sayings like, "Only God Satisfies" and "I Was Made For More!" These should be just enough to jog my memory of these truths and keep me going.

KEEPING ME INTERESTED
I bore easily. This can be another obstacle. So, I'm always looking for new recipes by reading other food bloggers, or taking on new exercise routines, like P90X. I also follow the Tone It Up girls and love that they offer different fitness challenges every so often. The different daily routines, should keep me from getting bored. And it's like having my own personal trainers! Their newest challenge is the "Love Your Body" challenge, which I'll be taking on (at least until surgery... yes, I'm having another surgery and I haven't blogged about it yet. Please check out: http://caringbridge.org/visit/amybrand if you'd like to find out what's happening).

Here's a few inspiring quotes from the girls:

Your body is the one thing you have your whole life. It is yours- it is beautiful and it depends on you to treat it right.

Tell yourself how beautiful you are every morning-- how you can make anything happen and how today is the first day of the rest of your life to make your dreams happen. 

This last one above ^^^ I'll be posting on my mirror in the bathroom, so that every morning before I start my day, I'll look in the mirror and tell myself exactly what it says above! Positive affirmations never hurt anyone. :-)

JESUS CALLING
Another devotional I've been reading through is called, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.

Today, this is what I got from it in regards to living a healthy lifestyle...

• Approach God with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed
• Do not cling to old ways (see above regarding my cravings)
• Be ready to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, through a journey with God
• Believe, wholeheartedly, what it says in Jeremiah 29:11 that God's plans for me are, "plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give [me] a future and a hope"

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Well, that's enough inspiration to get me through my workouts and healthy choices (at least for tomorrow!) ;-) Looking forward to continuing this journey with you, my faithful readers! As always, thanks for reading my blog. I sincerely mean what I'm about to say... you all inspire me to keep going, every single day! xoxo

P.S. If you're interested in having accountability for your daily goals, I'll be posting mine on my Facebook page and interacting with my readers there. Come join us, because remember, it's all about small choices, every day!

 

Homeschool: Update

Many of you have been asking for an update on how homeschooling is going. And in light of the recent elementary school shooting, I feel it is an appropriate time to write this post, as I sense there may be an increased interest in homeschooling because of this incident.

Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment and send my condolences to each and every family that lost their Kindergartners. There is no words that anyone can say to make your grief any less felt or any easier to manage. I pray that God can comfort you and fill the void that was once your child.

If you're wondering how I can hold onto my faith in Christ after this horrific and senseless tragedy, let me explain. I believe in free will. I believe we each have it. Without free will, there would be no purpose for love. Genuine love. If this is true, this free will thing, then it makes sense to believe that things happen every single day that aren't God's will. And if this is true, then it suffices to also say that God is there, grieving with each of us. He didn't make the shooter pull the trigger. The shooter made that "free will" decision on his own. But, He is there, in the aftermath, caring for the children that entered heaven, loving on the adults who joined them. And he is there, comforting those who mourn and are broken-hearted. I keep my faith because Jesus is my hope in this increasingly horrific world. Without hope, I've got nothing.

[Jesus] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. ~Psalm 147:3 NASB
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In case you missed our first day of homeschool, you can read about here and compare to how we now do things. I've learned a thing or two in the past 13 weeks.

Homeschooling no longer takes us over 3 hours, but rather 1-2 hours per day.

Our mornings are filled with playing, cooking, running errands or going to the local YMCA.

After lunch, I put my 17-month old down for her nap and the Kindergartner and I begin our schoolwork.

So, our school day begins around 1PM and ends between 2-3PM.

Most days are a lot of fun with total cooperation and excitement from my student. But, occasionally, there are the rough days. The days when we both end up in tears. Luckily, those days are few and far between and a lot is learned.

Here are some things I've learned from the hard days:

• My child lacks self-confidence at times and just needs me to be her cheerleader.
• DD reacts to my reactions. If I start to get frustrated, so does she.
• My child likes to pick the order of subjects, rather than me pick them for her.
• Sometimes, she needs to be moving while I'm reading. And that's okay.
• It's okay to not get everything done in one day. It can made up another day.
• My child's heart, and my relationship with her, is way more important than anything she's learning.

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Here's what we learned today, in the order in which my child picked her subjects to study.

Bible Memorization
 
We listened to this week's memory verse song on "Sing the Word: From A to Z". We're currently memorizing Isaiah 45:22.

Handwriting

Today, we learned how to write the letter "A". First, I wrote it on the chalkboard and then DD tried it.

Then, she built it using block lines.

Lastly, she practiced it in her workbook (which I forgot to take a picture of).

Language Arts: Creative Expression: Writing Song Lyrics

Today, my DD was instructed to come up with her own song lyrics. She had so much fun doing this! The concentration wasn't on proper punctuation or spelling, but rather to get her to practice writing and mostly to have fun doing it!

Math

First, we watch the lesson being taught on a DVD. I pause the DVD along the way when the "teacher" asks questions, so she can answer and see if she's understanding the lesson.

After the lesson, we get out her color-coded blocks (blues are tens) and her workbook and she begins practicing what she just learned.

Some days she does all 6 pages in her workbook in 1 day. Other days, she only does 1 page. I let her go at her own pace. We're currently on week 18's lesson (and this is only week 13 of school) so you can see how quickly she's working through the lessons.

Today we learned how to add by 10's. She chose to only do 1 workbook page today.

Reading

I'm finding that the reading in our current program is a bit juvenile for my DD, meaning, she sat down one day and read through all 26 books by herself. However, I've chosen to stay with them, so that she can build confidence and master the different things she's learning with each book. We read the same book every day for 1 week, then we move on to the next book.

In her free time, though, she gets library books that are more advanced. She enjoys reading those, too.

History/Geography

We use 3 different books for History/Geography throughout the week, but today, we used a book called, "I Heard Good News Today".  This is a book about how each of the parts of the world first heard about the Good News of Jesus Christ, among other heart warming stories about missionaries and pioneers. Today, we read about how Braille came about.

Afterwards, I had DD draw a picture of the boy who invented Braille in her timeline book.

And then we found France on our map, which is where the boy lived.

Bible

We're working our way through Egermeier's Bible Story Book. Today, we read about how the Ark of God troubled the Philistines.

Science

Today, we read about Creepy-Crawlies, like dragonflies, bees, spiders and snails.

Afterwards, we answered some questions and did some activities in our workbook about what we had just read about.

One thing I love about the Usborne's Children's Encyclopedia is that they have a link to go to on the internet with other links to learn more about the subject they just read about. Sometimes it's through videos, sometimes it's through games, sometimes it's through reading more or looking at pictures.

Read-Alouds

At night, before bed, my DH and DD spend some time reading some of the recommended books. Tonight they read from "The Llama Who Had No Pajama" and "The House At Pooh Corner".

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Many people may have questions about homeschooling, so I'd like to start a Homeschooling Q&A. Please email me at foodie4healing@gmail.com or comment on this post with your questions and I'll try to get them answered as best as I can.

2012 Best Food Blogger Contest

Thank you soooo much to whoever nominated me for the FriendsEat 2012 Best Food Blogger Contest! I am truly honored!

What can I win?
The winner of each category will receive a prize from the sponsor Le Creuset as well as $25 worth of FriendsEAT advertising credits.

The blog chosen as “Top Food Blogger of 2012” will receive an iPad mini and $75 worth of FriendsEAT advertising credits.

How can you vote?
People can vote with Loves. 

What are loves?
You should now see a box in the upper right corner of my blog with a "Love" button. If you click on that button, you vote that you "Love" my blog. The blogger with the most "Loves" by the end of the contest (December 17th) in each category, wins!

What is FriendsEAT?
FriendsEAT is an online social community for foodies and one of the world's leading food websites with over half million visitors per month. Started in 2006 by Antonio Evans and Blanca Valbuena, FriendsEAT has become one of the best source of what's going on in the culinary community.

Remember... Voting offically ENDS December 17th, 2012, so go vote now!

Online Silent Auction: Dec 1-8

Remember Oak's story?

If you've read that post, please re-read it. I've since learned that I had a few of the details wrong and have updated that post.

If you haven't read it, please do! :-)

So, how can you help?

Visit our Online Silent Auction and bid on one of our items! 

We have over 100 items being auctioned off and there is something for everyone at every price range. We have: photography, personal training, party rental items, babysitting, handmade walking/hiking sticks, handmade greeting cards, gym membership, handmade holiday decor, sunglasses and handmade jewelry, tree decorating lessons, wall mural painting, dance lessons, gift certificates for dining-makeup-itunes-nails-jewelry, handmade candle holders, handmade crosses, handmade games, autographed baseball, sheet cakes, movies, books, massage, swim lessons, and MORE!!!

Tell your friends!

Auction ends December 8th, don't miss out!

Erika & Oak, in Haiti

Bring Oak Home!

Dear Readers,

My friend Erika, and her husband, Jason, are in the process of adopting a beautiful baby boy from Haiti. His name is Oak and he is 5-months-old.

Since July, Erika has been living and serving in Haiti as she oversees the job-creation and youth mentoring programs of 3seams, a ministry established by her family (www.3seams.com). Though she went to Haiti to serve and help raise families out of extreme poverty, she was approached about intervening in the life of a newborn baby who had lost his mother. Erika and Jason were asked to adopt and rescue him from an unsafe situation, in a country that is profoundly broken.
The process has been swift and because of the circumstances, there was no time to plan or save money, only to act immediately as God directed them. Though they have scraped together the funds needed through the early parts of the adoption, the costs of the attorney and the orphanage were more substantial than they expected.

As they neared the completion of the process, they were informed that the process could not be completed, and Erika would not be able to return to the US with Oak, until nearly $10,000 was raised to cover the final expenses...and thus began the “Bring Oak Home!!” campaign.

In the meantime, Erika and Oak are living in conditions far below standards considered acceptable in the US. The personal living space for the two of them is one 10’ x 10’ room. Running water and electricity are sporadic. The water and much of the food is unsafe for consumption, so water must be boiled for cleaning and purchased for drinking, and food must be shipped in with missionaries. They have no car or personal means of transportation, and when they are sick, they’re access to reasonable health care is extremely limited…and far from US standards. This was particularly scary, for example, when Oak was spiking fevers of 105 degrees. Being a new Mom is difficult enough; could you imagine having to do it alone in a country like Haiti?

Please consider making a donation or visiting our silent auction from December 1 - December 8th at: http://32auctions.com/bringoakhome

It's Ok To Take A Break.

I have a confession.

For the past few weeks, I've slowly fallen farther and farther off the healthy train.

I lost my mojo.

I just wasn't inspired to eat healthy, nor to exercise.

This happens every so often and every time it does, I've beaten myself up.

Until now.

I've realized that it's okay to take a break.

Leading a healthy lifestyle, is not a destination. You won't "arrive" at the place when, for the rest of your life without wavering, you'll exercise daily and never put a morsel of processed food in your mouth again. I'm just being realistic here. Birthdays happen. Holidays happen. Vacations happen. PMS happens.

While, I'm in no way condoning yo-yo dieting, in fact I downright think it's unhealthy, I am saying that sometimes, it's okay to take a breather. It's okay to indulge from time to time. It's okay to let your body rest for a few weeks. It's okay to let your hair down and not worry so much about every little thing you're putting in your body.

The truth is, leading a healthy lifestyle, especially when it doesn't come naturally, can be downright stressful. If it becomes more of a burden then a help, that's when you know that it's time for a time-out.

Now, here's the key, make sure you get this... you can't stay there.

Healthy eating is a journey. You have to pick up your knapsack and keep trudging forward.

The way I start to regain my mojo and find some inspiration, is by reading up on some of my favorite bloggers! Nothing motivates me like reading about all the delicious yummy food that I want to be eating (and that I can be eating cause it's healthy). Or reading about all the races they're running in. Makes me want to be running right alongside them!!!

Also, I know I need to examine my mindset. I used to have black-and-white thinking.

"Well, I just ate brownies for breakfast. There goes my diet. Guess I'll just eat whatever I want today."

"Well, I missed a workout, guess I've screwed up the entire 8-week plan. Guess I can just stop working out now."

I've worked really hard and by the grace of God, I've been able to change this way of thinking...

"Well, I just ate brownies for breakfast. Those were nummy. Better make sure I make healthier choices the rest of the day." or "Oh man, my tummy hurts after eating brownies for breakfast. Guess I won't be doing that again!"

"Well, I missed a workout in the plan. Perhaps my body needed the rest. Tomorrow I'll keep going!" or better yet "Well, I missed a workout in the plan. There's still hours in the day! I'll do it tonight instead of this morning, like I had planned."

This mindset had helped me to take breaks without guilt and also to stay on track!

I also know, that I know me. I know that I need a plan. I need to plan my meals ahead of time, so I don't have to think about "what do I feel like eating" in the moment. For me, that leads to poor choices. I know that I need a workout plan to follow. If I try to fly by the seat of my pants and decide the day of what I "feel like" doing for my workout that day, the workout won't happen. I also know that I need accountability, because it's too easy for me to say, "I'm too tired. I don't feel like working out." or "that doesn't sound good. I'll eat brownies instead."

So, here I am. Feeling refreshed from my few week break and ready to get back on track!

The plan:

• Workout: I've decided to give P90X a try. I may substitute a few of the workout videos for classes at the gym, or a home workout, or do the weights videos with free weights in the gym. I also would like to keep up with my running, so I may add in a few runs during weights days. Then again, I may not. It all depends on how my body is holding up. I am battling endometriosis, afterall ,and that can be unpredictable. Realistic goals, ladies, realistic goals.
• Diet: I will not be following the P90X diet, as it doesn't line up with what's best for treating my endometriosis and PCOS. I won a lifetime membership to YU and have received a number of meal plans already planned out for me. All I have to do is shop for the ingredients and make the food! Easy peasy. YU is vegan and therefore, follows closely The Endo Diet rules.

In addition to tracking my workouts and diet here on the blog, I'll also be tracking on myfitnesspal.com. Feel free to follow me and offer words of encouragement or a swift kick in the pants, if I need it! ;-)

Readers: Have you been taking a break? Have you made the switch from black & white thinking to being more flexible? How do you stay on track? What motivates you to get back on track? Do you need a new diet & exercise plan or does flying by the seat of your pants seem to work for you?