A More Mindful Start to My Days

Scott and the kids were gone again a few weekends ago when I was supposed to attend a training for a new fitness class. I decided to forgo the training but they still went out of town since they had already made the plans. I taught a few classes, went to some of our church’s women’s conference, shared a fabulous meal with a great friend (more on that below) and of course spent lots of time in the kitchen cooking and listening to podcasts.

Unfortunately, the rest of the family was in a car accident on the way to Cincinnati. This was the second time in six months that Scott has been sandwiched in between two other cars on the highway traveling to or from Cincinnati. The first accident was in his car and this time the van. Praise God everyone was okay and the van was still drivable. It needed some major repairs and after a few weeks of waiting on the other people involved in the accident, we are finally getting it fixed.

One of my favorite podcasts from the weekend was Rich Roll’s interview with psychologist Michael Gervais titled Mastering Mindfulness in Sports & Life: High Performance Psychologist Michael Gervais. There were tons of great takeaways from the interview. I’ve been listening to many great podcasts and reading more and I want to remember some of the things I hear so I decided to start a Word doc to keep track of everything in one place. Normally I’ll jot stuff down on sticky notes or in my journal but I end up losing the notes or completely forgetting about it. I’m hoping having one central location will help. I found it ironic that I randomly picked this podcast about mindfulness to listen to since we had just had a discussion about mindfulness at a women’s Bible study I’m part of and mindfulness is the main topic of the March 2015 issue of Yoga Journal.

I’ve been including one of Michael’s suggestions at the start of each day and have found it so helpful to start my day off with more intention and focus. Most days I wake up to the alarm, jump out of bed and get straight to my workout. I am a morning person so it has never been hard for me to get up and going in the morning but I realized it would serve me better to begin my day at a slower and more mindful pace so that I can take a moment to just breathe, work through any anxiety I’m feeling and get my mind in the right place before I do anything else. I recently started getting up 10 to 15 minutes earlier than normal so that I could have some dedicated time to take a few deep breaths, read my Bible and devotional, journal and pray. It’s a small amount of time but after many years of unsuccessful attempts to do this for a larger chunk of time, this is a good start. I’m happy to report I’ve stayed committed to the plan for all but two days in the last several weeks. I’m feeling great about this accomplishment. The pic below is of my “morning spot.”

In addition to this, I’ve incorporated a simple 3-step routine before my head even leaves the pillow (Michael suggests this in his podcast):

1. Take one deep breath (and continue breathing of course!)
2. Have one thought of gratitude
3. Set one intention for the day

Lastly, I try to set a positive tone for how I’m going to interact with others that day by making my first interaction with another human a positive one. In the few weeks since I’ve been doing this short and simple routine, I have found that I start my days with more peace, less anxiety and a better state of mind overall. This doesn’t mean the rest of my days have been perfect but at least I’m starting them out better!

Here are a highlights from other things I did during the weekend they were gone.

My friend and fellow yogi / foodie / cookbook addict / etc. had an oh so yummy dinner at Banana Leaf vegan and vegetarian Indian restaurant on Saturday night. Check out this spread! We both got the buffet at the suggestion of the owner and loved everything. The buffet comes with an appetizer plate (the school lunch tray looking thing in the pic below) for each person that contains some common Indian street food. I’m not sure what everything was on there or that I ate from the buffet but I loved it all. It had been a long time since I last had Indian and I’d forgotten how much I like it. If only I could re-create these dishes at home. Of course I spent time that night on Pinterest looking for Indian recipes! Unfortunately my first attempt a few days later totally bombed but at least I tried, right? I knew it was bad before we even sat down for dinner but I kept my mouth shut and so did the rest of the family. I was shocked they ate it without complaining! I have a nice family 🙂 I’m going to invest in a few new spices and hope for success next time around.

After I got home I spent some time in the kitchen making a batch of homemade corn tortillas that I used in a meal later in the week and a batch of homemade whole wheat tortillas to put in the freezer. I tried a corn tortilla recipe a few weeks back and was disappointed in how fragile they were. I couldn’t even get the dough off my tortilla press. I used a similar recipe this time but saw a tip to cover the press with plastic wrap and it worked like a charm! The tortillas peeled right off in one piece.

The family got home on Sunday and I made this vegan spinach artichoke sauce pizza on quinoa crust. I added chicken and a little shredded cheese for Scott and E. I used elements of several different recipes and can’t remember exactly what I did so I’m not posting links to anything. But it turned out pretty good for my first attempt at a vegan pizza. The sauce was great. Next time I’ll bake the naked crust a little longer to get it nice and crispy before adding toppings.

I have been learning so much from listening to podcasts lately and by incorporating things I’m learning, I am starting to make positive changes in areas that have been challenging me for years. I am a routine person and like to be (or feel like I am) comfortable. Change has never been easy for me to swallow. This quote spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you.

What if I told you that
10 years from now,
Your life would be
Exactly the same?
I doubt you’d be happy.
So, why are you
So afraid of change?

Karen Salmansohn

Have a great weekend!

8 of My Favorite Vegan Sauces and More

I have a little confession….I’m kind of into sauces. Well, to be completely honest, I’m really into sauces. They are such a great way to add a little extra flavor to any dish. I’ve always been a condiment fan and back in the day I used to smother my eggs and pretty much anything else with ketchup. I moved away from ketchup several years ago after realizing how much sugar is in it but I still love sauces – everything from guacamole to hummus, hot sauce, salsa, pesto and more! The unfortunate part of many store bought sauces is that they often contain lots of preservatives or other unrecognizable ingredients. Fortunately it’s very easy to whip up a healthy and delicious sauce with a few ingredients and a blender or food processor. And also it’s easy to adjust most sauces to fit your specific dietary or flavor preferences. For example, I’ve found medjool dates to be the perfect substitute for sweeteners in sauces. You just need to blend the sauce a little more thoroughly.

And speaking of sauces….I have several sauce recipes I’d like to share with you.

I made this delicious Low-Fat Nut-Free Creamy Garlic Parsley Sauce to go with pasta and veggies. We loved the creamy, flavorful texture and I was surprised how much it tasted like a dairy based sauce. It would be delicious as a soup with the addition of veggies and a little broth or stock to thin it out. I will definitely be pulling this one out at Thanksgiving as it had a thick gravy like texture and would be great as a gravy or sauce for meat or roasted vegetables. I highly recommend trying this and experimenting with different kinds of potatoes. I love sweet potatoes so I’m going to try it with sweet potatoes next time. I made a few modifications to the recipe and used toasted almond coconut milk, veggie broth, a mixture of baking and red potatoes, and dried parsley instead of fresh.

I made this Yummy Sauce by Chef AJ earlier in the week. Chef AJ is a chef (surprise, surprise), author of Unprocessed, and has an amazing life story including how she has turned her life around by transitioning to a whole food, plant based diet. If you’re not familiar with Chef AJ or her story, check out Rich Roll’s podcast with her. You can also find his podcasts on the Sound Cloud app. Chef AJ is an inspiration and has so much energy you can feel it through the podcast. And onto the sauce…I love it! The flavor is unique and reminds me a bit of honey mustard with the sweetness from the dates combined with the savory mustard. I’ve used it as a dipping sauce for veggies and on romaine lettuce tacos and I imagine it’d be good with veggie burgers, crackers or pretzels if you eat that sort of thing.

I’ve made this Creamy Coconut Peanut Sauce (just the sauce part of the recipe) a few times now and really enjoy it drizzled over salad, veggies, zucchini noodles, and rice. It has nice flavor that you can spice up using a little extra hot sauce or diced jalapenos. I used about 1/4 cup coconut milk, coconut aminos in place of soy sauce, a mixture of lemon juice and rice vinegar, and homemade sriracha sauce. Mine turned out a little thick both times so I added a little water and veggie broth to thin it out.

This Buddha Bowl Sauce is great and the only change I made was to use some veggie broth in place of some of the oil. I also really like these two sauces from the “bowl” category – the sauce from this Roasted Buddha Bowl and the sauce from this Quinoa Cauliflower Bowl with Almond Sriracha Sauce (I use unsweetened hot sauce and leave out the syrup).

We enjoy eating Mexican and if you’ve never looked at the ingredients on most store bought enchilada sauces, you should. There’s a lot of junk in there! I’ve tried several enchilada sauce recipes and these are two of my latest favorites – Homemade Enchilada Sauce (I use veggie broth in place of some of the oil and leave out the brown sugar) and the sauce from this TexMex Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (I saute onions and garlic and blend it with the immersion blender. It is delicious for tacos or enchiladas).

We are Greek food fans in this house and have always loved tzatziki but now that I’m not eating any dairy I’m on the lookout for a good dairy-free alternative. I’ve pinned a few to try but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

And I’m always up for a yummy peanut/nut butter sauce. I’ve tried so many peanut sauce recipes and usually like them all so I don’t have any one specific recipe to recommend. I normally alter the recipe to take out the sugar / sweetener (and have replaced it with medjool dates several times) and often change up the nut butter I use.

That’s all on the topic of sauces. Here are a few pics and highlights of other things going on around here lately.

Scott and the kids were gone last weekend so I spent a pretty quiet weekend at home. I had an outing with friends scheduled for Saturday night but the snow hampered those plans. I spent most of the weekend doing things around the house, cooking, doing yoga and listening to podcasts. My friend recently recommended a podcast by Rich Roll. After listening to that and another one of his, I was hooked! As I mentioned above, I listen to them using the Sound Cloud app on the iPad and iPhone but you can also find them on his web site. Many of them are on the topic of plant based nutrition but there are lots of others with individuals who just have amazing stories to share and I was fascinated by every one! I was thinking earlier this morning how much technology has changed the way we communicate and podcasts are a great example. Before You Tube or podcasts someone would have to go on a speaking tour or write a book to share their story. Now it’s so easy to record and share anything. I’ve also listened to a handful from Howard Jacobson on his Wholevana Podcast and a few other random ones by Christian pastors. I’m thinking this might be a new addiction 🙂

When I took the kids up to Wooster on Friday we stopped to see our brand new beautiful niece Vienna. She’s a doll and seems to be a very good baby so far. The kids had a great time visiting with their cousins too. The pic below is of C, her cousin Mav and baby Vienna.

On the way home I stopped at Earth Fare to look around and pick up some Nori sheets. I’d been wanting to try them for making wraps and happened to find a package on clearance. I’ve tried a few random creations and have been pinning lots of interesting recipes to try! They are easy to use and definitely taste like seaweed (of course they do!) but I kind of like them. I’m pretty sure I will be the only one eating these in our house unless I make sushi rolls with lots of rice on the outside.

Scott got home late Sunday night and then we drove to Walnut Creek to visit my Grandpa and meet my mom to get the kids. I love going to visit him as he is such a neat man and the kids adore him. My grandma passed away just over a year ago so he’s on his own now. I took cabbage rolls, veggies, and rice up for him and for my brother and his family who just had Vienna. He was thrilled with that! We visited with him at his condo and then went to lunch at the Amish restaurant up the street. The second pic below is of Great Papa, the kids and their giant ice cream sundaes. They thoroughly enjoyed those. I was surprised that I wasn’t at all tempted to have any. I was much more interested in having my blended frozen banana and dates when I got home. The last pic is of C hand in hand with Great Papa. She kept going over to him to grab his hand. It was adorable to see her look up at him with her big brown eyes. It was a great visit and was so nice to see him and have the kids back.

The next day C and I went on a double date with our friends to Portia’s Cafe. It was great to go out to lunch and have some girl time. I realized that was the first time C and I have gone out to a girls lunch. It’s a vegan restaurant so we ordered the girls vegan cheese quesadillas. C was not overly pleased with her food so she chowed down on my spicy Pad Thai made with raw kelp noodles. She ate almost half of my meal and loved every bite. We got them chocolate mousse to share. It was made with avocado, cocoa, maple syrup and vanilla. At first they turned their noses up at it but then ended up devouring it. It was very rich but had great flavor and texture.

Lastly, I’m loving this song right now. I heard it on the radio and then we sang it at church last week. The lyrics and so powerful and it just seems to be speaking to me at this time in my life. You can find it on Spotify or You Tube.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)
by Hillsong United

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Have a great weekend!

Comparison

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Theodore Roosevelt

Our kids are constantly comparing with each other – the amount of food they have, how much money they have, the toys they have, length of show time, punishment received, rewards they get, etc. It drives me crazy! I think comparison is inherent with siblings. As kids, we desire fairness and equality but this problem often follows us all the way through adulthood. Comparison is a struggle for so many people and is a vicious cycle. There will always be more to accumulate and someone who has more than us. We will never feel content with our lives or ourselves if we are constantly comparing ourselves with others. We will never feel satisfied with who we are or what we have and void of a thankful heart. I’m not preaching this to anyone more than to myself! I struggle with comparison on a day to day basis. And I know first hand that there is nothing good that comes from comparison.

Our church recently started a sermon series focused on having an eternal perspective and this has made me even more aware of how silly comparison truly is when you look at it through an eternal lens. Comparison is all about this world and what we might obtain or become in this world. It is about desiring worldly stuff. It is a totally natural battle for all humans but is one that we must fight in order to find joy apart from things or circumstances. Comparison takes us away from the present moment and will rob us of any joy we might find in our own lives. It often results in judgment of ourselves and others. Comparison destroys relationships as it is often a source of resentment. It might make us feel good for a short time as we might feel “better” than someone else, but that is a fleeting feeling and a false sense of worth. And most importantly, it takes our eyes off Jesus and eternal things.

Yes, it’s good to be others’ focused, but not when it comes to comparing. Let’s not be so wrapped up in what everyone else is doing, what they have, or even what they think of us. Instead let’s turn our focus and energy inward and upward, examining our own hearts and focus, and determining if they line up with God’s desires for us!

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

(Lyrics from “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”)

Love That Heals Our Brokenness

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today I made some vegetable broth in the pressure cooker and I made the mistake of pouring the broth into the glass jar while it was still hot. I heard cracking sounds and realized the jar was breaking apart! I didn’t even consider this might happen with such a thick glass jar. Thank goodness I had the jar in the sink while I was pouring it.

Valentine’s Day (and other “romantic” holidays) is a happy, love-filled day for some while for many others it is a day that brings up feelings of sadness, depression, brokenness and hurt. A broken jar is such a great illustration of the brokenness many feel in their hearts. When we feel broken inside it is very difficult to love ourselves and to feel love from others. Instead of others’ love staying inside of us and building us up, it often leaks out just like liquid would leak out of a broken jar – leaving us empty and feeling the need for more. It’s only when we heal from past hurts and wounds that we can begin to experience love in the way God intended. We can find true healing from only one source – Jesus. All other substitutes will fall short. Psalm 147:3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice of love on the cross for us. John 15:3 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And He wants us to experience this deep love He has for us through a personal relationship with Him. A love that can heal our wounds and restore us so that we are able to experience love in a way that we would never experience without Him. The love He offers is freely offered to all, no matter what the circumstances. However, we must accept His offer and allow Him to transform our hearts. I have been on the side of hurt and pain and have experienced the depths of His love and grace. It isn’t easy to stay in His love as hurts from the past often creep back up and haunt us, but we have Scripture to remind of us the truth.

My prayer on this Valentine’s Day is that you and I would feel the true love of Jesus – the love that conquers all and surpasses all. If we are experiencing God’s love, loving ourselves and loving others, we are fulfilling our true purpose on this earth.

21 Day Detox – And The Results Are In….

January 30, 2015

I was going to wait to get my cholesterol rechecked post detox until the 6 week mark but since the test only costs $29 through Request a Test and we are paying $80 extra a month because of my high cholesterol we decided it’d be worth testing it now just to see. I went to the lab Wednesday morning and waited 45 minutes after fasting overnight plus working out. I’ve never had to wait at that lab so I did my normal workout which wasn’t such a good idea since I ended up waiting so long. In times like those, when I start to get annoyed because I’m waiting and feeling hungry I remind myself how short of a time I have gone without food compared to many people in this world and of the abundance I have available to me every day. It’s always good to put things in perspective…

I was thrilled to get my results back on Thursday. Here’s where I was on 12/17 and 1/28 – a remarkable difference in my opinion at least.

12/17/14:
Total Cholesterol: 258
HDL: 86
Triglycerides: 46
LDL: 163

1/28/15:
Total Cholesterol: 208
HDL: 87
Triglycerides: 43
LDL: 112

Yes, you read that right…a 50 point drop in LDL and Total Cholesterol from a 3-week detox (whole food, plant based, animal free, no sugar, no processed food).

As a result of my high cholesterol I was assigned a health coach through our new health insurance provider (Medishare). I had my first call with her today and I was able to share with her about my detox and the change in my cholesterol. She graduated me from the program! $80 more per month that we can now spend elsewhere. That’s a nice motivation to keep it going.

It’s a no-brainer for me: a whole food, plant based diet is right for this body. Now to work on making sure I’m eating enough of the right stuff to support my activity level and feel great all the time.

Have a great weekend!

Hope In Times of Discouragement

It is so easy to get discouraged when things aren’t going our way. When things are going the way we want, we can start to fall into a pattern of belief that we can plan for or orchestrate all situations in such a way that we avoid problems and hardships. But then something happens to turn all our well thought out plans upside down and we are reminded that no, we really don’t have control of our lives. Control is just an illusion. It is so hard to let go and leave it to God. But when we think of it as a daily decision it seems much more doable. The Bible promises that we will have eternal life if we believe in Jesus but it never promises us a life without challenges (big and small). We can be assured that when we trust God and allow Him into our weakest and most vulnerable moments, He will carry us through to the other side and will shine His light in the process. Lord, help me to keep an eternal perspective and not get bogged down by the problems of this world. They may seem monumental in the moment but are nothing compared to the hope of eternity in heaven with You.

This passage from Sarah Young’s Devotional Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence fits perfectly with this truth.

“Give up the illusion that you deserve a problem-free life. Part of you is still hungering for the resolution of difficulties. This is a false hope! As I told my disciples, in the world you will have trouble. Link your hope not to problem solving in this life but to the promise of an eternity of problem-free life in heaven. Instead of seeking perfection in this fallen world, pour your energy into seeking Me: the Perfect One.

It is possible to enjoy Me and glorify Me in the midst of adverse circumstances. In fact, My Light shines most brightly through believers who trust Me in the dark. That kind of trust is supernatural: a production of My indwelling Spirit. When things seem all wrong, trust Me anyway. I am much less interested in right circumstances than in right responses to whatever comes your way.”

(Based on John 16:33 and Psalm 112:4,7)

I pray you would feel God’s presence with you as you go through each day!

21 Day Detox – Looking Back

January 26, 2015

I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of what I learned from the detox and my plans for moving forward.

In case you missed the beginning, here are my posts leading up to the detox:

21 Day Detox – Starting January 1!
More on My “Why?” and The Mental Side
My Plan + Some Other Options
13 Steps to Success
Beyond Food
Final Preparations

I wrote a personal journal post for each of the 21 days but rather than post the links to each individual day here, you can go to enspirebalance.com and just type the day (i.e., Day 1) in the search box.

I also pinned lots of great recipes and some pertinent other info on my 21 Day Detox Pinterest Board.

I found each of the 13 Steps to Success important but I’d say most of all, it was absolutely necessary to plan ahead – not just for the beginning of the detox but also day to day meal planning. I did quite a bit of research, selected recipes and got ingredients I would need ahead of time. Then I would keep a running list of things to make so that I wouldn’t be scrambling at meal times. I also planned ahead for times when I was going to be away from the house at a meal time since it would have been hard to eat out on the detox.

I learned early on that I’d be more successful if I considered the food as fuel for my body and I had to think carefully about giving my body enough fuel and the right fuel. I tried not to focus so much on what I was cutting out but instead focus on all the good stuff I could eat. If I satisfied my hunger and cravings for sweets with great food there wouldn’t be room for the crap. Don’t get me wrong….I still wanted the crap, but I was satisfied by eating things like bananas, dates, and other fruits. I also had to make sure I ate enough. I tried to eat when I was hungry and eat a lot. I never counted calories and my plate was always full of great plant based options. I’m a very active person so without an ample amount of food I would have had zero energy. I mentioned this early on but I didn’t do this detox to lose weight. The scale was hidden for the entire detox. I did weigh myself after it was over and did end up losing 2 pounds but I think that’s pretty good considering I cut out a lot of calories by taking ice cream out of my diet. I’m going to wait three more weeks and will then get my cholesterol levels checked again. I wanted to give my body a little more time to adjust to the new way of eating. I’ve read a lot of literature lately saying that cholesterol levels aren’t the best determinant of risk for heart disease but I do have to pay extra for health insurance with my high numbers so for me it’s worth getting them down even if just for that reason.

I’d say the most positive change I’ve noticed was from cutting out caffeine. Before the detox I would drink a small cup of coffee in the morning and then about a cup of a mixture of coffee and a non-dairy based latte or iced coffee after lunch. I have dealt with anxiety and/or depression on and off for about 20 years and have always thought the anxious, jittery, spacey, and irritable feelings I’d have during the day were from that. I would also notice drops in my energy level in the late morning and late afternoon. I realized quickly after cutting out coffee that it was at the root of these feelings. I haven’t felt them since cutting it out! I don’t plan on going back to drinking coffee on a regular basis but will enjoy it every now and then.

I also noticed a decrease in muscle aches, fatigue and soreness while on the detox. I’m guessing inflammation was at the root of these feelings. I may have sub consciously ramped down my workouts since I wasn’t eating as much “bad” food but I think it was what I was eating before (sugar?, dairy?, etc.) that was causing the problems.

I found meal prep a little overwhelming at times because I made nearly everything from scratch. I’m already used to making a lot of things from scratch but this was even more. I could have simplified what I ate but I like variety and also like flavorful sauces and things like that so I tried lots of new recipes. A lot of people have told me they could never do this type of detox because of all the prep and while yes, it does require more prep than eating convenience foods, it is well worth the effort and can be simplified to fit any lifestyle.

This detox was so much more than a food thing for me. If you followed along with my personal journal posts, you know that this was very much a spiritual journey that challenged me to examine my dependencies on food and caffeine, my reliance on food as a source of comfort, and my tendency to turn to food when I’m stressed or anxious. I had to rely on God to help me along the way because there were several moments of frustration and irritability when I would have turned to my normal food outlets but couldn’t. I had many ups and downs spiritually throughout these three weeks and I have no doubt that the Lord used this time to grow me and bring to light several areas of weakness and several areas I needed to surrender to Him. This experience was very humbling and made me feel extremely vulnerable at times. I loved following along with the You Version Bible App’s 21 Day Reading Plan Streams in The Dessert and the daily readings from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence.  It was amazing how each day I felt like God was speaking to me directly through these readings.

I’m so proud of Scott for completing the detox with me. He followed my plan except that he kept in chicken, turkey, and eggs. He loves to eat out and is gone a fair amount at lunch and sometimes dinner so he had to plan ahead for those times. He is hoping the detox will help him get back on track with his eating and he’s definitely off to a great start! He also lost 8 pounds along the way and did that by just eating real food – no calorie counting and no supplements. He’s been very busy with a few work projects so he hasn’t been working out but plans to get back on track with that soon too.

Here’s a pic of Scott and I on our date night to celebrate the end of the detox. This was the first time we ate out on the detox (other than the night at the very beginning when we went out with our small group but I didn’t order anything). My mom was here to watch the kids and it was so nice to get out! We ate at Northstar and then got a piece of cheesecake to bring home from the Cheesecake Factory. We both did ok with the dinner but the dessert was a little too much sugar, especially for Scott. I don’t think we went overboard but it was very sweet. It was the second time I had sugar so I seemed to handle it a little better. His tummy was not too happy :(. He says he’d rather have the little shake concoction we had during the detox – frozen bananas, almond milk or coconut almond milk, medjool dates, and a scoop or two of nut butter blended up to a smooth consistency.

I realized quickly after the detox that I haven’t lost my sweet tooth. It is definitely less intense and I realize I can satisfy it many times with fruit or other healthy options. Scott reminded me that I’ve had a sweet tooth for my entire life and my ice cream habit has been going strong for 20+ years so I couldn’t possibly expect to kick that kind of habit in 3 weeks. I at least feel good about the fact that I curbed the need to have ice cream in abundance every night.

I’ve had a hard time mentally letting myself feel like I’m done with the detox. I do need to let go of it in a sense because I need to give myself a little more freedom and flexibility (without feeling guilty that I’m “giving in”) but in general I’d like to stick to the same type of eating as I followed for the detox. I felt great while on it and it was in many ways just an extension of how I was already eating so I don’t want to just go back to my old habits.

Going forward, I plan to follow a mostly whole food plant based diet with as little processed food and sugar as I can. I am not banning sugar even though I know it’s not good for me. I like treats and I’ll try to make treats that use little or no refined sugar (using things like pure maple syrup, medjool dates, and bananas as sweeteners instead), but the fact is I’m still going to eat sugar and enjoy it (at least until I get even more convicted!). I’m going to try very hard, however, to avoid sugar in places it shouldn’t be – anything other than treats. Sugar is hidden everywhere and one needs a careful eye to spot it. So I’ll continue to avoid packaged items as much as possible and make what I can from scratch. I’d like to save my refined sugar intake for sweet treats. I’m also going to enjoy desserts that are in no way healthy (i.e. ice cream and cookies) but in smaller quantities. I think this is doable for me and will allow me to enjoy what I like with more awareness and control than I had before. The detox was a great way for me to get started off on the right foot toward these goals!

It will hurt.
It will take time.
It will require dedication.
It will require willpower.
You will need to make healthy decisions.
It requires sacrifice.
You will need to push your body to its max.
There will be temptation.
But, I promise you, when
you reach your goal, it’s
WORTH IT!
(Author Unknown)

Thank you so much for following along with me on this incredible journey!

21 Day Detox – First Sugar Post Detox

January 23, 2015

I woke up yesterday feeling a little strange. It felt good to be officially done with the detox but also a little sad because it was fun to have the challenge. I didn’t want to jump right back into eating sugar like I was eating before but I was feeling like I wanted to have something small. C and I put the Paleo Chunky Monkey “Ice Cream” that we mixed up the day before into the ice cream maker first thing. We enjoyed a small taste once it was the consistency of soft serve ice cream. The base of the mix was allowed on my detox but not the chocolate, so I had a few bits of the dark chocolate and it tasted great. Once we put the container in the freezer it got pretty hard and is a bit difficult to scoop out unless you let it sit out for a while first.

I have to make a snack / treat for E’s basketball game tomorrow and a snack for our small group meeting on Sunday so I went ahead and made these The Infamous Neiman Marcus Cookies. The recipe is in no way detox friendly. LOL! I doubled the batch because I needed to make a lot. I put raisins and chocolate chips in half the dough for the basketball team and chocolate chips and chopped pieces of a giant Krackel bar we had in the cupboard in the other half for our small group. Since I doubled the recipe it was a ton of dough and my stand mixer was barely able to handle it! I didn’t eat any of the dough until I started baking and then I picked out a few of the chocolate chips. They tasted really good but my tummy wasn’t too happy :(.

I got an email from Graeter’s yesterday advertising a special on a small selection of pints that they had overstocked. I really like Graeter’s ice cream even though it is very rich and expensive compared to store or national brands. I decided to stop in to get two pints on my way home from teaching last night because I figured it’d be a good ice cream to have has my first post detox. And my mom is visiting and she loves Graeter’s too :). I got Peppermint Stick and Vanilla Gelato with Chocolate Truffles. After dinner I ended up eating one the cookies I made earlier (and thoroughly enjoyed it!) and then had the dish of ice cream pictured below a little later. It was a very modest sized portion compared to my normal (which would have been filled to the brim and maybe even a little more). I enjoyed it but definitely had a hard time imagining eating a whole bowl full. I had a little stomach ache shortly after but I’m not sure if that was the ice cream or the beans that we had with dinner. I also slept very restlessly. I had lots of dreams and was tossing and turning all night.

I’m definitely planning to have ice cream on occasion but I don’t plan to have it nearly as often as I used to. I know for sure I didn’t lose my taste for sweet treats though! I really just want to keep my consumption of sugar under control and not get back to habitually eating it like I did before. Not only do I feel better physically but I also feel better mentally not eating it so often.

I’ll be back with a more in-depth recap of the detox soon 🙂 Happy weekend!!

21 Day Detox – Day 21

January 21,  2015

Woo-hoo!! Only a few more hours and I will have made it 21 days on this detox and 21 days without ice cream. If you would ask anyone who is close to me I’d venture to say they would say they’re surprised I did it. Within the next few days, I’ll be posting a celebratory recap of the 21 days and some of the things I’ve learned on the journey.

The Vitamix was going strong this morning! I used it to make two smoothies, nut butter (I used raw almonds, cashews, and brazil nuts that I soaked, dehydrated and then roasted with a little coconut oil and Real Salt), and the mix for this Paleo Chunky Monkey “Ice Cream” (I used three medjool dates instead of the honey and vanilla extract instead of the almond extract). Tomorrow, I’m going to put the mixture in my ice cream maker with some pieces of the dark chocolate I got at Meijer yesterday. It will be my celebratory treat :). Don’t worry….I’ll be getting the real thing very soon.

I also made another batch of these Paleo Banana Muffins. Each time I make these I change up the recipe. This time I added a can of pumpkin, a large handful of shredded zucchini, raisins, and a mixture of grains I had frozen into muffin size portions that included quinoa, farro, and steel cut oats.

My lunch was a bed of chopped spinach and arugula topped with roasted parsnips, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and eggplant. I then added a handful of sunflower sprouts (that I made this weekend), and a saute of garlic, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, yellow bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms. I sprinkled a little nutritional yeast all over the salad and ate it with some yellow squash hummus, avocado, and salsa on the side. It was fabulous and beautiful to look at I might say! C kept asking me for bites and of course I happily obliged considering I’d love her to eat this type of thing on a regular basis. Normally if it’s on my plate she wants it but if I were to fill her plate with the exact same thing she’d balk at it. Scott was out of town for the day so I had leftover soup with the addition of quinoa for dinner and I made the kids chicken pizzas on homemade whole wheat flatbreads we had from the freezer. It’s a great recipe even though it doesn’t fit into the detox. I make adjustments to the recipe each time and they always seem to turn out just fine.

My precious kitchen helper wasn’t feeling well this morning. She woke up with what seemed to be a stomach bug and slept for about 2 hours out in the kitchen while I worked. I couldn’t believe she didn’t flinch when I blended the nut butter. It sounds a bit like a jet engine. She was all back to normal by 11. In fact she was in the best mood she’s been in for a long, long time. Craziest thing! Notice the baby in the picture. She bought it last night with money she’s saved in her money jar. She is so happy with her purchase. If only it were the real thing…

“Maybe the journey
isn’t so much about
becoming anything.
Maybe it’s about
un-becoming everything
that isn’t really you
so you can be who you
were meant to be
in the first place.”
Author Unknown

Thank you Lord for this journey. Thank you for walking ahead of me, by my side, behind me and carrying me when I needed it. Thank you for these encouraging words from today’s devotional in Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: Finding Peace in His Presence:

“I want you to be all mine. I am weaning you from other dependencies. Your security rests in Me alone – not in other people, not in circumstances. Depending only on Me may feel like walking on a tightrope, but there is a safety net underneath: the everlasting arms. So don’t be afraid of falling. Instead, look ahead to Me. I am always before you, beckoning you on – one step at a time. Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate you from My loving Presence.” (Based on Deuteronomy 33:27 and Romans 8:39)

Signing off for now. I’ll be back soon!

21 Day Detox – Day 20

January 20,  2015

Today has felt like a long day. I’ve been mentally and physically exhausted. I think I’m just ready for this detox to be done. It’s been such a great experience for me but I’m ready for the end. I’m not sure my diet will change all that much other than having a little more flexibility but I think it will feel different because I won’t be on an official plan. I took the kids to Meijer tonight so they could spend some of the money they’ve been saving and I went ahead and got two dark chocolate bars. I read the ingredients carefully to get the cleanest ones I could find. Of course they both have sugar but they are 85% dark and have under five ingredients. I’ll be breaking into those in the next few days :).

One of my students this morning was telling me about a 3 day juice cleanse she completed earlier this month. She said it was the hardest thing she’s ever done. I’ve never really considered a juice cleanse but it sounds interesting and very challenging. Maybe next time. If there is a next time….

I made this 10-Spice Vegetable Soup for dinner. I followed the recipe other than I used a combo of cashews and peanuts for the cream and used coconut oil instead of olive oil for sauteing the vegetables. I took a portion out for myself and then added ground turkey to the rest. We ate some of the soup for dinner tonight and the rest I’ll be giving to some family friends for their dinner tomorrow. The mom is pregnant and having some health issues so it will be a nice treat for her.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow. My last official day. Dear Lord, give me strength for the day ahead. You have been with me all along this journey and I’m confident I couldn’t have done it without you. Your grace has been sufficient and you have given me strength when I’ve felt weak and tempted. I give you all praise and thanks!