Apologies

I must apologize. I have failed fairly miserably at this wealth of health business. When I was staying home always, I had the time and energy to make food every night but slowly I was given more freedom. Slowly we started eating out. Slowly we stopped eating healthy. We have made a few feeble attempts at healthy food but really it's just pretend. The kind of healthy that looks good but really has no nutritional value whatsoever. Not that I'm particularly making excuses for myself. Being busy is certainly a lame excuse anyway. I'm simply explaining my downfall.
Now I'm explaining my climb back up. I'm currently back in the hospital. Sick. I'm tired of sick. So I'm done allowing myself to get sick. If I ate an orange every day for breakfast instead of Jack in the Box, I would have a heck of a lot more vitamin c. If I ate salads for dinner instead of TGI Fridays, I would have more fiber. Maybe, just maybe, with vitamin c and fiber, I could have fought off this bug without having to spend a week in the hospital. Maybe.

My first step in my climb is realizing that my poor diet choices has caused a poor response from my body to infection.
My second step is realizing that continuing the way I am will continue a slow deterioration of my body.
My third step is choosing the appropriate method for gaining health.
My fourth step is setting reasonable goals for diet and exercise.
My fifth step is realizing that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. This is also a continual process. There is no peak of the mountain. I will never arrive at a point where I do not struggle with lazziness or a desire for unhealthy food. I will however grow stronger and resist with more force.

My climbing shoes are prayer. Constantly getting a foothold. Never ceasing.
My rope is Christ. Holding me up. Anchoring me to solid ground.
My power bar is the Word. Fueling me. Giving me strength for one more step.

I can do this. I will do this. I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.




Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Olive Oil Sandwhiches

2 slices of bread
2 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
garlic powder
lemon pepper
rosemary
thyme
slice of cheese
slice of salami

place olive oil in a sauce and ass seasonings to taste. using a brush, smother both sides of bread slices with olive oil. place on hot grill. once the first side is golden brown, flip. add your cheese and salami to one slice. flip second slice on top and grill both sides to golden perfection. enjoy :)

Chicken and Rice

1 whole chicken, boiled & deboned
1 cup rice
1 can pinto beans
1/2 cup lentils
3 medium carrots
2 large celery stalks
2 cups water
oregano
sea salt
rosemary
thyme
garlic powder
onion powder
lemon pepper
black pepper

Boil the chicken, covering in water, for an hour. Place chicken on a plate to cool. Pour chicken broth into the crock pot. Add rice, beans, & lentils. Add spices to taste. Add two additional cups of water. Using a potato peeler, peel carrots. Cut carrots and celery into 1/4 inch pieces and add to crock pot. Debone chicken, adding meat to crock pot. Turn on lowest setting and let sit for 6-8 hours. Do not remove lid until ready to eat.

Our Stew

1 gallon water
2 tablespoons salt
6 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 small yellow onion, coarsely diced
1 heaping teaspoon ginger, minced (use a grater)
6 stalks celery, sliced
7 large white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1/2 tablespoon ground sage
1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 tablespoon ground rosemary
1/2 tablespoon dry basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
handful of parsley tops
mushrooms & potatoes first. carrots & celery last. throw everything in a pot and boil.

Sweet Casserole

Sweet Casserole
1 sweet potato
2 gala apples
2 red pears
cinnamon
agave
brown sugar

Slice all fruit thinly. Layer: sweet potato, cinnamon (sprinkled), apple, agave (drizzled), pear, brown sugar (sprinkled).
Serve with a ceasar salad and dinner rolls to balance out the sweet. I was told that it would be better as a dessert rather than the main dish.

Monday Dinner

5 Bean Salad
1 can pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 bowl spring lettuce
1/3 cup grapenuts
1/3 cup feta cheese
cucumber, diced
red bell pepper, diced
green onion, diced
red onion, diced

Throw everything into a bowl and enjoy!

Behind!!

Mk, so at the end of my last blog, I noted that plans usually fail. My plans for this week failed. Although, I can't say I mind. I rather prefer the way this week has turned out :) Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've made some pretty incredible things since my last entry. The reason I've been putting off posting is because, I'm ashamed to say, I've neglected the visual part of this site. I made awesome dish after awesome dish and didn't take a single picture! THE SHAME!! Alas, I still want to share my recipes and the epicness of my food this week.
Monday night we went to Chili's for dinner. I was sorely disappointed in Chili's. I ordered a small shrimp salad. Their small salad is fairly large and their large salad is fairly massive. So I ordered a small only to discover that ::gasp:: it's actually small! There were four measly shrimp on the whole salad. Three tiny chunks of pineapple. Washed out green tinted lettuce. Not green lettuce, mind you, white lettuce with green tint. Disgusting. I kindly, politely sent it back, explaining that if I pay $10 for a salad, I should receive $10 worth of salad. At least $7 worth of salad, I think. I ate the chicken off of Jason's salad. By the way, his salad cost less than mine, had more meat, lettuce, and veggies. Why? I don't know. Thank you waitress, for being kind about it.
Tuesday night I made Black Bean Burgers! They were amazing! I gotta brag on this. They were the best black bean burgers I have ever tasted. Notice I said burgers because Mrs H made black bean patties last week that were pretty stupendous. We had cheesy grits over her patties. I made actual burgers. Sort of. I couldn't bring myself to spend $15 on a package of burger buns (The same people that make Genesis bread make these buns) and I wasn't about to buy white or wheat which are mostly bleached flour. Side note: If you're going to switch to whole wheat or whole grain breads, read up and do your research first. It may not be worth it. Producers know how to trick consumers with words and stamps like "organic" or "whole grain." My preference is Genesis bread. It's a very meaty bread, if that makes any sense at all. So I went ahead and toasted Genesis bread and called it a hamburger bun. Here's the recipe:

Black Bean Burgers
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion (coarsely chopped)
1 medium red pepper (chopped)
4 medium cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 can black beans (drained)
1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic. Cook while stirring frequently until soft and onions are translucent. Stir in cumin, turmeric, and cook for an additional minute. In a food processor, combine beans, rice and onion/pepper/garlic mixture. Transfer to a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. Season with salt and hot pepper if desired. Flatten 1/4 cup amounts of mix into patties and they are ready for the grill. Cook about 3-5 minutes each side. Save some of the mix (enough for two patties) for the next recipe. If you've got plenty of mouths to feed and you're not worried about left overs, go ahead and make the last two patties :) Sidenote: My mama always told me that cooking's messy. When you're adding in the breadcrumbs, dig those hands in and mix that way then just make your patties from there :)

Wednesday was spent at the H home as usual but I made enchiladas for lunch for Jason with leftovers from the burgers.
Black Bean Enchiladas
2 patties worth of black bean mix
4 flour tortillas
1 small can enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar

Warm enchilada sauce slowly. Meanwhile, toast the tortillas until slightly brown. Once sauce is warm and slowly boiling, add black bean mix and stir. Season to taste. Spoon mix into the center of the tortilla in a line. Top with cheese and roll up. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Place in oven safe bowl and pour remaining mix on top. Top with the rest of the cheese. Cover with tin foil and warm at 325 for 10 minutes. Send him to work with a fork, the dish, and lots of napkins.

For lunch on Wednesday, I have no idea what I ate. All I can remember is the Rhubarb Crisp. The H family is from up north and they eat northern things on occasion. Typically, I am one to not eat northern foods but this stuff is spec-tac-ular! I am going to keep my eyes peeled for some rhubarb.
Dinner was Mrs H's pizza. She made one meat lovers, one veggie lovers, and one cheese. I had several slices of the veggie and it was pretty fantastic. I can't make crust like that :/ I've tried several times now to make some sort of crust and it just never turns out quite right. You'll read more about that in a minute.
Thursday for lunch, I had a grilled chicken sandwich. Bread, garlic mayonnaise (it was organic and had actual garlic in it!), left over chicken that Sharon made Wednesday, Roma tomato, mozzarella, spring lettuce. It was pretty tasty.
For dinner, it was Dad's birthday so Jason and I cooked dinner for him. I made pesto salad and warm apple pie. Jason grilled steak. I juiced some orange carrot apple juice and Sharon made tea. It was a very lovely dinner. Jason is a fantastic steak cooker! I didn't save the recipe that I used but that's alright because I'm planning to use a different one next time. The pie crust I made wasn't too fantastic either so I'm not even going to bother posting that recipe either.
Friday was a pretty good day as well. I made pesto tacos which are basically pesto sandwiches except in a tortilla instead of bread slices. I baby sat and drank lots and lots of water as well as a glass of tea. For dinner, Jason, Ethan, and I went to Jason's Deli and ate soup and salad. I only had one helping of pudding! Woo!
Tomorrow, we are celebrating several birthdays. Me, Jason, Dad, Sharon, and Casi all have January/February/March birthdays so we are celebrating all together for the second year in a row. I do believe this is a new family tradition. I am making ceasar dressing to go on a salad.
I'll try to get back on that picture taking part for my next post. I'll also try to keep the posts more frequent so that they're not super duper long like this one.
Til later!!