Let the Training Begin!

Of course it’s hard.
It’s supposed to be hard.
If it were easy,
everybody would do it.
Hard is what makes it great.
A League of Their Own

The day has arrived. Day 1 of training for my first marathon here in Columbus on October 17th. Woo-hoo!! I’m super excited about this journey and the ways it is going to challenge me physically, mentally and spiritually. I’m feeling great right now and ready to take on this challenge. I’ve got my fuel belt ready, new shoes on the way, and have run up to 8 miles recently. It’s time to roll!

Below is a pic of me from this am. It’s definitely not my best shot but who really looks good in goggles and a swim cap anyway? Cross-training was on the schedule for my first day (read more below about the plan I’m following) so I swam at the Y at 6am and followed it up with some push-ups, planks, chest presses, pull-ups and a little more core work before heading home for breakfast. I was conveniently in a lane right next to a few guys training for Ironman. Nothing like a little motivation for me to get to work! The second pic is of my breakfast smoothie. My latest favorite combo (and yes, it’s quite a combo….I had simplified it for a while but have gone back to adding in lots of things) is about 6-10 very brown bananas, blueberries, raspberries, mango, granny smith apple, some combo of greens (including things like romaine, kale, spinach, and beet greens), beet, celery, fresh ginger, turmeric, mint, cilantro, spirulina, maca, coconut water, water, and ice. Sounds great, right? I think so and the kids drink a cup of it most days of the week – not always willingly but oh well.

I’ll be following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Training Program. I was originally going to follow Novice 2 but I decided I’d rather start my long runs at 6 miles rather than 8 🙂 I will eventually get to that 20 miler with either plan but I just wanted to start out with a bit less. The plan as it is written has the long runs slated for Saturdays. Since I teach a 9:30 class on Saturday mornings I decided to push the schedule back by a day and do my long runs on Sundays instead. We normally go to the 9:00 service at church but at least for the days when I will be running longer distances we’ll go to the 11:00 service instead.

For the last two half marathons I ran, I followed a training plan that included running 3x per week and cross-training 3x per week. I also did yoga every day. I never took a full day of rest (unless you consider a pretty intense yoga practice rest). For the marathon, my cross-training day will be on Monday and at this point I plan to swim on Mondays. I may also jump in the pool for a few laps on Tuesdays and Thursdays since I’ll already be at the Y those days for my daughter’s preschool class (through the summer). I plan to incorporate about 20-30 minutes of strength training and/or core work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and some arm/core work (like push-ups, planks, etc.) on the other days. I’d also like to continue my daily home yoga practice even if it has to be short. The marathon plan includes two days of rest. I’m not sure what I will do on these days. I’m a person who is always on the move and have found that I prefer active rest over passive rest activities like sitting on the couch or lounging around a pool. However, I’m going to feel out what my rest days should look like as I get deeper into the program. A full day of rest where I get off my feet might be good for me but it would also be very challenging. I’m used to doing some sort of exercise every day first thing in the morning so I’m not sure I’d even feel like myself if I did something different. I say this all the time in my yoga class even though it’s a pretty hard thing for me to do – listen to the body. I’ll definitely need to be listening to my body for this challenge! I will also spend some time in the hot tub, foam rolling, and hopefully enjoying a few massages along the way.

This will be my first time training for a race on a whole food, plant-based diet so I’m wondering how I will feel and if I’ll notice any differences. When I trained for the half’s, I was eating a large bowl of ice cream right before I went to bed then getting up and running without any other nourishment besides good old water. I’d like to think I’ll feel better in the mornings considering I’ll be operating on REAL food. I’m a bit nervous about the heat but I’m hoping getting out the door as early as I can will help. The last two longer runs I’ve done have been complete sweat fests and I left the house at 6am.

I’m excited to share my journey with you and I’d love to have you join me by finding your own race to train for!

Happenings Around Here Lately

It’s been more than a week since my last post so I wanted to update you on what’s been going on around here lately. After writing posts every day of my 3 week detox, I felt like I needed a little break. While I’d love to be a blogger that consistently writes every day, I’m just not there quite yet.

I have continued to follow the same eating plan that I followed on the detox and have been feeling great! I’ve had a little sugar in a few pieces of dark chocolate I’ve had over the last few weeks and have had two lattes. I’m trying to stick to one coffee or less per week as a treat. Both times I got a latte I ordered a tall soy latte. The soy milk at Starbucks is sweetened and thus does contain some added sugar. Otherwise my “treat” of choice has been frozen bananas blended with a few splashes of coconut almond milk and a date. I have been eating (very ripe) bananas like crazy. I can’t seem to get enough of them right now. I have changed my breakfast to be just a very large smoothie and it has at least 5 bananas + a few other fruits and veggies. Bananas are a great way to get a lot of calories and carbs (= energy) from fruit and the browner the better for digestion. I was eating a nut meal based “muffin” in addition to my smoothie but have felt great after eliminating that. I think the fats in the muffin were messing a bit with my blood sugar and digestion. Here’s proof that I’ve been eating a LOT of bananas. I finally broke down and just bought a case. Kroger often has bananas that are getting too ripe (for the normal person) on Manager’s Special and I lucked out the other day and found a bunch of bunches 🙂 that were marked down. Between the four of us, we are flying through them. I got my second case today. Pretty soon the whole house is going to be smelling like bananas. I’m definitely going to need to start thinking about a solution for fruit flies once the weather gets hot. We always seem to have a problem with them in the summer and this surely won’t help!

At the end of my detox and into the first week or so after I was feeling a little sluggish at times throughout the day and my friend recommended that I increase my fruit carbs even more so I added more bananas and an additional fruit + greens smoothie in the afternoon. It has made all the difference. My energy level is at an all time high and I seem to just be feeling better. My friend follows most (if not all) of Banana Girl’s Raw Till 4 lifestyle and while I’m far from adhering to all of the principles (like eating raw until 4!), I’ve adopted some of them and am moving toward others. It’s definitely a very different approach to eating than I’m used to and I find it fascinating.

I’ve continued to cook lots of new and interesting recipes and make up all kinds of creative concoctions too. If only I could figure out an easy system to capture the details of my creations! Scott and the kids have been awesome about eating everything I make. I normally just cook up a little chicken or ground turkey to go along with the meal for them and they are happy.

The kids and I made our second batch of sprouts in our sprouting jars. We sprouted alfalfa seeds this time. C enjoyed several handfuls (see pic below) for lunch the day we got them out of the jar and asks for them every time she seems them on my plate.

I am so proud to say that I’ve had ice cream only one time since the detox ended (the day after) and haven’t had strong temptations to eat it. I did stop at UDF to get gas the other day and considered for a moment going in to get some since it was on sale (yes, I can still be tempted by a good sale) but decided I’d feel much better if I just ate my frozen bananas and dates. It was a small victory for me. I took the kids to Graeter’s the other night for a special treat and did find myself salivating a bit as I watched people enjoying the giant chocolate chunks (my favorite part) in their ice cream but felt good that I didn’t end up getting anything. I will have it at some point but I’m trying to save it for when I REALLY want it. Chocolate has been the only thing that I’ve occasionally wanted in terms of sweets. I made a few vegan desserts that contained dark chocolate and the funny thing is that I really just wanted the chocolate and could do without the rest. However, I think the increase in fruit carbs in the earlier in my day has helped minimize these cravings. Here’s a pic of the kids enjoying their ice cream treat.

Scott and I had dinner Friday night at Portia’s Cafe. It’s an adorable all-vegan, gluten-free and mostly raw restaurant. We both had wraps that were made with raw and gluten-free tortillas. The waitress told me they were made of teff flour, tapioca flour or starch (I can’t remember), olive oil, salt, and water. Of course I hopped on Pinterest when we got home to see if I could find out how they were made raw and find a similar recipe. I found all kinds of interesting recipes for raw tortillas/wraps and other raw food items made in a dehydrator so that is next on my list of kitchen appliance “wants”. In the meantime, I will settle for these cooked Quinoa Tortillas that are made very similar to the 5-Ingredient Quinoa Pizza Crust we love. I made a batch of both today and thought the tortillas turned out great. The texture is spongier than a normal flour or corn tortilla but they are good and I’d highly recommend the recipe. We ended our dinner with Portia’s Chocolate Cheezecake. It was delicious! Unfortunately I had a pretty bad stomach ache the rest of the night so something didn’t sit well with me but it sure tasted good while we ate. Here’s a few pics from our dinner out.

On the way home from Portia’s we stopped at Saraga International Grocery. I’m a sucker for grocery stores – especially ones with tons of produce and things that I’ve never seen before. The produce section had about double or triple the offerings of a normal grocery store. If I ever need an exotic ingredient I will definitely head there.

E’s class took a field trip to the local Senior Center last week. I got to go along to help and really enjoyed seeing the students interact with the seniors. The kids shared about the Leader In Me initiative at Jefferson Elementary and each kid had a chance to talk in the microphone. I was amazed that every one of them spoke with no noticeable fear! They were so brave and articulate. The kids enjoyed a buffet style lunch with the seniors complete with a dessert table. I was laughing at how full the kids filled their plates with dessert. Left to their own devices they went all out. We eventually limited them to two cookies each 🙂 I’m guessing their parents wouldn’t have been too happy had they seen the first few plates that went through the line. I’m so blessed to have a flexible schedule so I can go to these types of things.

Both kids have their Valentine’s Day parties on Thursday this week. I’m in charge of organizing E’s but am not contributing anything other than two games. I made these candy cane hearts pictured below for him to pass out as his Valentine’s. I was worried I might not find candy canes anymore but I happened upon several boxes of candy canes marked down at Kroger last week! I heated the candy canes in the oven for a few minutes and then shaped them into hearts. Then I melted pink candy melts and filled the centers. We printed little tags to attach to the cellophane bags. They are cute and hopefully the kids will enjoy them. I have to make cut-out cookies for C’s class and will finish that tomorrow. The dough is made so we just need to roll it out, cut it into heart shapes, and bake.

A friend gave me this cute idea last year to do a “heart attack” on the kids’ doors. Each day in February leading up to Valentine’s Day I write a message on a heart telling them something we love about them. They love to see the new hearts each day and definitely love the affirmations.

I hope you are having a great week so far!

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!

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!

21 Day Detox – Day 19

January 19,  2015

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with our friends this weekend. My friend and I are like two peas in a pod in so many ways. We each have our own quirky habits and routines but we are so comfortable with one another that we don’t even care.  Most guests would have had a hard time being here while we were doing this detox but it was no big deal for her. It was great to spend quality time together in person.

We ate leftovers and quick meals all weekend so I didn’t end up cooking a real meal at all. It was nice to have a little break from more time intensive cooking but of course I still spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals and snacks. It seems the kids are always hungry! I used my Vitamix a lot to make smoothies because they are such a great way to get nutrients in easily and quickly (for myself and the kids).

Only a few days to go and I’ve definitely had treats on the brain. We had an employee party at the Y last night and they had cookies that looked so good. I almost saved one for Thursday but decided against it. I’m definitely not going to go crazy when this is done but I am going to have something small for sure. I’ve also been pinning lots of yummy sounding desserts that are made with healthier ingredients. I’m sure it doesn’t help me to be looking at all that!

Tonight for dinner I made these Crash Potatoes with some of both red and sweet potatoes. If you’ve never made this recipe, try it out! I love the way the skin gets all crispy. I seasoned them with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. I had the potatoes with half a black bean sweet potato burger, roasted zucchini, and sauteed onion and garlic on a bed of greens. I made this recipe for Almond Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders for the rest of the family. I used half almond meal and half cashew meal and replaced the parmesan with nutritional yeast since Scott isn’t eating cheese. They liked it other than the fact that I overcooked the chicken.

I did a lot of yelling again this weekend and this afternoon. We have a pretty small house so all the energy with the kids running around (especially the boys!) put me a bit on edge. I am still feeling very emotional and I get so mad at myself when I yell. I need to work on not letting my emotions get the best of me. I recognize my need for control so much in how I respond to the kids and it’s frustrating to me. Tomorrow is a new day…praise God!

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13

21 Day Detox – Day 18

January 18,  2015

Today’s been a mentally and emotionally challenging day for me…..one of those days when I would have turned to food for comfort before the detox. I’ve been struggling with trusting God in an area of my life that I have wanted to control for so long but He keeps reminding me that it is not in my hands. I have been on an emotional roller coaster and it’s exhausting. I’m almost to the end of this detox journey and I feel like it has been a necessary stop along the journey God is taking me right now. I’m so thankful for His presence with me each day.

Today’s reading in Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence couldn’t have fit more perfectly:

“I am leading you along the high road, but there are descents as well as ascents. In the distance you see snow-covered peaks glistening in brilliant sunlight. Your longing to reach those peaks is good, but you must not take shortcuts. Your assignment is to follow Me, allowing Me to direct your path. Let the heights beckon you onward, but stay close to Me.

Learn to trust Me when things go “wrong.” Disruptions to your routine highlight your dependence on Me. Trusting acceptance of trials brings blessings that far outweigh them all. Walk hand in hand with Me through this day. I have lovingly planned every inch of the way. Trust does not falter when the path becomes rocky and steep. Breathe deep draughts of My Presence, and hold tightly to My hand. Together we can make it!” (Based on John 21:19, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Habbakkuk 3:19)

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

Lord, I know you have me on the path I should go but it is hard not to be able to see where I am going. I want to get there fast and on my schedule. Help me to avoid the temptation to take shortcuts or circumvent your directions. Stay close to me, dear Lord, hold me tight and lead the way.

On a much lighter note…here’s a pic of the sunflower seeds I’m sprouting. I was so excited to see sprouts late last night that I ate some this morning already. I’m going to keep it going for at least another day before I eat the rest.

We’ll be saying goodbye to our friends tomorrow before they travel back to their new home. We are enjoying our last night with them and savoring the moments we’ve shared together.

And lastly, one of my favorite songs. If you’ve never heard it, check it out on Spotify or You Tube.

Lord, I Need You
by Matt Maher

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You’re the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You’re my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

21 Day Detox – Day 17

January 17,  2015

I taught this morning and then our friends arrived shortly after I got home. The kids were so excited to have their buddies here after several months of not seeing them. They’ve been bugging me for days about when they’d be here. It has been so fun for my friend and I to be together again and especially for us to catch up in person. I’m not much of a phone talker and I get lazy with texting so there’s a lot to tell each other. My kids were especially excited about having their friends sleep in their rooms. C has slept in her cousin’s room but this is her first overnight guest in her own room. I hope it goes well! Our bedroom is next door so if anyone calls out in the middle of the night I’ll be the one responding to the call (Scott never seems to hear them…or at least that what he claims :).

I didn’t make any new recipes tonight and we just had leftovers and some additional veggies for dinner. While the kids watched a movie my friend and I got out for a bit to go to a health food store for a few things I needed to pick up.

This verse has been on my bathroom mirror for the past year and has given me hope recently in areas unrelated to the detox:

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait patiently for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22-26

Lord, may my hope be found in You. Your compassion and concern for me is unfailing and is new every morning. I will wait for You even if I struggle in the waiting.