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? 
 

Making Banana Pancakes, Pretending It's the Weekend...

*sigh*

Oh yes. Today is a *sigh* kind of day. Or week, rather.

My oldest DD has had a scratchy sore throat for days. We're still waiting to get the test results to see if it's strep.

And then last night, about midnight, my youngest started throwing up and hasn't stopped since.

So, today, we decided to play hookie from homeschool and instead we made banana pancakes and are watching tv, pretending it's the weekend.

Enjoy! (and if you wouldn't mind, please say a little prayer for our family)

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Angela's Banana Pancake Sandwich
This recipe was inspired by Angela's Banana Pancake Sandwich. This is essentially the exact same recipe as Angela's, but with substitutions and amounts increased in order to serve 3.

1/2 c brown rice flour
1/2 c oat flour
1 c almond meal/flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 dashes sea salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
1.25 tsp vanilla
1-1.5 c almond milk
1.5 bananas
a few handfuls gluten-free mini chocolate chips

see Angela's Recipe for directions

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Angela's Reduced-Sugar Syrup
Yields: 1

 
Substitutions:
*sub - 1T raw coconut nectar for maple syrup
*Note: It helps to warm up the coconut nectar & oil before trying to mix them together since they separate easily.

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And now... let Jack entertain you while you pretend it's the weekend!

An Apple A Day...

Tis the season for Apples!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as our family does.

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Lisa's Crockpot Apple Sauce
In my house, applesauce is a staple. My kids can't seem to get enough of it. But, thanks to this recipe, I won't ever buy homemade applesauce again! No preservatives!

In the morning, when my DD's bowl is empty of applesauce, this is what happens...

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Angela's Apple Pie Oatmeal

Substitutions:
*sub - raw yacon syrup for maple syrup

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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Serves 1

1/2 c raw oats
3/4-1 c water
dash of sea salt
1/2 c dried unsweetened apple rings, chopped
2T walnuts, finely chopped
cinnamon, to taste
powdered stevia, to taste

Make your oats with the water and sea salt. While the oats are heating, chop your apple rings and walnuts. Add to the hot oatmeal. Then, add your cinnamon and stevia, to taste. Enjoy!

Raw Cookie Dough!

What if I told you that you could eat cookie dough guilt-free?

What if I told you that it's egg-free?

What if I told you that this cookie dough tastes pretty darn close to the real thing?

You probably wouldn't believe me, right?

But, it's true!

Katie's Single-Serving Cookie Dough

Substitutions:

*sub - 5T oat flour for 5 tsp flour

*use - 2 tsp coconut oil

*omit - sprinkles

*sub - vegan chocolate chips, amount is as desired

*use - coconut sugar

*use - 1 tsp almond milk

*omit - forming into balls

*omit - cooking! eat raw!

Happy Eating!

Winner Announced + 2 Mexican Dishes

Congrats to Andrea for winning the Nuvia Cafe giveaway!

Thank you to everyone else for entering the giveaway. I'm hoping to have more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned!

If you are a company, interested in having me giveaway your product on my blog, please contact me by emailing me. Thanks!

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While I love the colors of fall, I don't love the colder weather coming in.

Yesterday had me dreaming of warmer, sunny days, like you see in Mexico.

Oh well. If I can't have warmer days, at least I can eat like I'm there.

Ashley's Mexican Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Serves 2-4

This was amazing! It had a bit of heat to it, so I couldn't believe it when my youngest cleaned her plate! 

This is a favorite and will for sure be made again in my household.

We topped ours with the following recipe, like Ashley suggested.

Averie's Raw Cheddar Dipping Sauce

Again, amazing! I think I've found my new favorite salad dressing, "cheese" for pizzas, etc.

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Life around here has been chaotic. We are running at least 2-4 nights per week for swimming lessons, small group and dance lessons. So, when meal planning, we're trying to take those nights into consideration, since we won't have time to cook and want to plan ahead so that we won't be tempted to eat out. We're trying to utilize our slow cooker more and make meals that can be eaten multiple times throughout the week.  This meal was perfect for all of those things! This recipe is even "freezer-friendly" so you can prep everything ahead of time, if needed.

Gina's Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
There are so many fun variations on toppings for this soup, but it's also good by itself, too. The first time I had it I used organic corn tortilla chips infused w/lime to scoop up the soup. I can't wait to try it with plain greek yogurt and/or avocado! Yum!

Substitutions:
*omit - chipotle chili in adobe sauce (only because we didn't have any on hand)
*omit - cheddar cheese (can sub w/nooch, if wanted)
*sub - plain greek yogurt for sour cream


Happy eating!