Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

I'm thankful that even now before the throne of God there is One who lives to intercede for me. Pizza will never fill the hole in my heart. Only God can. What does intercede mean? to act or interpose in behalf of someone in difficulty or trouble, as by pleading or petition: to attempt to reconcile differences between two people or groups; mediate.  I don't know about you but I need an intercessor. There is no way I could, on my own, make myself right with God. Jesus is my Savior, my Redeemer, and my Intercessor. He is every pleading on my behalf. I'm not left to manage myself alone.  My heart has been hurting lately. Yesterday was a day of pizza temptation. I had this huge hole in my heart that was looking for comfort and my kids had pizza for lunch and dinner. I've been able to look past what they're eating pretty easily... but yesterday was different. I wanted COMFORT... and comfort looked like PIZZA. BUT I SAID NOPE! I didn't give in t...

So, I woke up this morning and knew it was time to get on the scale. I've been following the program to a T... but would it pay off? DOWN 8.4 lbs. and 6.5 inches in one week! Bringing myself to a total of 18.4 lbs lost in the past month! I had a few moments of weakness but have not been hungry. Focusing on getting all my fuelings in and enjoying making my lean and green meal. Today I made zucchini noodles with 5 oz of lean ground beef and a 1/4 cup of organic spaghetti sauce... so satisfying! I've hardly had any cravings. The occasional garlic mashers or fries is tempting, along with Brie cheese... but I find that it's not a physical temptation as much as it is an emotional one. I want to eat comfort food. I want to stuff down my feelings. I want to numb myself on a Sunday afternoon after church so I can zone out. I want to eat the pancakes my family is eating at IHOP. But I didn't. I ate a grilled chicken salad and whenI got home I took my chocolate chip pancak...

Sometimes you have to spice things up or it will get boring. One of my favorite recipes is a marinade that I used for chicken, steak, etc. it's a heavenly mixture of olive oil, soy sauce, Red Wine vinegar, fresh garlic, ginger, brown sugar & rosemary. One of my favorite things is when I mix it up and just start at it before the oil completely separates and the rosemary creates a lovely spiral affect on top. The grill has been my choice of cooking lately and I'm thankful my husband is quick to grill for me. Mmm... we've had some yummy steaks. This week I will marinate chicken.

Some days I just want to quit. I don't want to deal with the hassle of preparing food. I just want to drive-thru and say forget about it. Today especially packing and preparing to go the zoo with Michael and Peter. I mean I was already making sandwiches for them. Why do things different for me? Why not make a PB&J since I was already doing it? I mean if I fixed a salad for myself wouldn't I look hoity-toity amongst the other moms with their sandwiches and bags of chips? So I told myself. Just do it. Just keep doing it. Don't worry about what others think. Don't cave into the easy and simple. I fixed myself a salad and cut up strawberries and apples that I knew I could also share with the boys. Some almond butter to dip my apples in. I know some days I "fail". Sometimes I have setbacks. Sometimes I cave and have a dessert splurge or a sugary coffee drink with a friend. But the difference is I don't call it quits when that happens. I get right ba...

I recently purchased a bundle of e-books on home-making. Super steal. 97 e-books for $29.00 (a value of $640.00). In addition I also scored some free deals. A company called Cultures for Health gave me a free starter for yogurt. I got a Greek yogurt start for free and all I had to pay was three dollar shipping. I'm a fan of Greek yogurt. I love the thick tangy creaminess. I love drizzling it with honey and adding fruit. I enjoy the probiotics and the great amount of protein I'm getting. What I don't like is the cost. It's so expensive. So I'm branching out and making my own. Wish me luck. I'm super nervous because it seems really complicated. I never thought I would be one of THOSE women. You know, the kind that make their own yogurt. We'll see...

I fixed our Cobb salads for lunch today last night. I wanted to try and be ahead of the game. There's nothing worse than trying to start a new plan and not being prepared for it. You're starving and questioning yourself, what can I eat, what can I eat? I think one of the biggest differences between Paleo and Primal diets is that Primal allows you to have dairy. Not often and not much but still. So this morning all I could think is I don't want MEAT for breakfast. So I ate Greek yogurt and was satisfied. Off to munch on my Cobb salad now. Grateful it's already made and all I have to do is shake my home made dressing again and toss my salad.

The 3 Major Healthy Components for Health: Omega-3 essential fatty acids , "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. Lignans , which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods. Fiber .  How to use: There are a variety of ways you can add Flax to your diet... you can add it to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, cookies, muffins, pancakes, waffles, bread, salads, cottage cheese and fruit, burgers or meatloaf as a healthy filler. You can even use it to substitute oil and eggs in baking recipes. Use the flaxseed whole or ground (flaxseed meal) Also be sure to try flaxseed oil. I also enjoy this in my smoothies, salad dressings, using it when I sautee veggies, etc. But I did hear that if you "heat" it up it can lose it's value (don't know the truth on that one). The health b...

The world seems to me a very undernourished place. Having too much of the wrong food... and just plain not enough food will create malnutrition. I have felt the guilt of having such an abundance of food with the knowledge that others are starving... or worse... watching their children starve. This is a horrible reality that people face every day. BUT OVEREATING WILL NOT FILL OTHERS EMPTY BELLIES . You wouldn't think in this country of abundance that we would struggle with nutrition... but we do. We tend to eat a lot of empty calories... things that lack vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. We tend to eat the wrong kinds of fats, carbs, and even protein. A startling trend is how much we consume calorie wise in what we drink... whether in our lattes, our gatorade, sodas, and even juice... we as Americans consume a lot of calories in our beverage choices. I was thinking through some changes that could potentially help. 1.) Eat what you have . I don't do well with this one an...

I love eggs. They're such a wonderful protein. I enjoy them scrambled, fried, & over medium. I love them hard boiled and I enjoy adding them to my green salads as well as turning them into egg salad sandwiches. Mmmm. Add a little paprika or cumin depending on the dish. Eggs are my friends. Lately when I go out to eat and am eating breakfast items I order hardboiled eggs as part of my meal. I eat one then and save one for later to add to a salad. I love my egg slicer. It makes things quick and easy.

My goal for this week seems simple but I'm trying to track my points everyday! I'm also trying to create a variety of meals and snacks. This was lunch the other day... I love adding one hardboiled egg to my salad. I also used some left over rotisserie chicken. Carrots (Julienne). A few Craisins. Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. And my snack later of apple, a few pretzels and a tablespoon of Dark Chocolate Dreams: Peanutbutter with Cocoa... yum!

I have been frustrated with myself at my inability to be consistent but thankful for persevering through the ups and downs of the past several weeks. I lost 2 pounds at my weigh in. I knew I had gained weight last week... but I didn't weigh in because I went out of town. So I've really probably last 3 pounds or so. Yay! I've been trying to rethink what I traditionally eat. If I want cereal at night for dinner I have that. I love having p.b. with graham crackers instead of a "regular" dessert. Some times a bowl of home-made on the stove oatmeal with craisins and walnuts and brown sugar is more filling and satisfying than other equal point meals. I try to make sure I have enough protein... one of my favorite ways is Greek yogurt. Mmmm. So good. I love Chobani's Greek yogurt, blueberry and strawberry are my favorite.

This pie totally rocks! The flavor is fresh and amazing. At first I thought I didn't like it with the lemon zest but I didn't let it sit in the fridge long enough. I think this dish is best made the night before an occasion and once chilled the zest gives it an extra pah-pow. Creamy Lemon Pie - 4 points per serving. WeightWatchers.Com Ingredients 6 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers 2 Tbsp butter 11 oz fat-free sweetened condensed milk 2 large egg(s) 1/2 cup(s) fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp lemon zest Instructions Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grind graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Or place crackers in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Place crumbs in a small bowl. Melt butter on stove top or in microwave and pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; place crust in refrigerator while preparing lemon filling. In a...

Okay I've lost more than 5% of my body weight. Hurray! One of the things I've been trying to learn is what treats are worth it... And I don't just mean point wise but what will taste good and I won't feel yucky after eating it. My taste has changed. I definitely am liking certain things more and other things less!

So how did I do on my weigh in on Friday (the 7th)? Equivalent in weight of what I lost... 2.6 pounds! I must confess I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for something a little more drastic the first week... you know like between 5-7 pounds. BUT, I realized I'm losing weight healthier than I did in the past. My goal is consistency not dramatic results that just as quickly disappear and besides, I don't feel deprived. I even went away with Mike for an overnight... ate out twice (once at the Cheesecake Factory)... had desserts and coffee, etc. during the week and still managed to lose 2.6 pounds! Not only that but I can tell I'm losing inches. I feel it in my clothes! I can button up things I couldn't button up before. My jeans aren't cutting into my waist. I'm learning how to eat better so I'm satisfied longer... so I get the nutrition I need... and so I become healthier. I love it!!! I edited a recipe I love for banana chocolate chip muffins and made ...

One thing I’ve been doing different lately is really planning meals out. Now am I doing this breakfast, lunch, dinner? No, just dinner. But I find that it’s helping me organize my days better and my palate. If I am making fish for dinner I might tend towards a sandwich for lunch or a large salad. If I’m having breakfast for dinner I might eat chicken and veggies for lunch. It’s just been fun playing around with food. I’ve been trying a lot of different recipes lately and am excited that I’m branching out, so to speak. Some of my recipes lately have included: Cauliflower Cheddar Soup. Cabbage Rolls (or as my Polish roots say, Gwumpkies, spelling?) An altered recipe of Make Ahead French Toast. Baked Ahi Tuna that’s been marinated. Southwestern Bean Salad with Rice. Another thing I enjoy is using something already made/prepared to what I’m cooking. I made fish but then used Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash soup as an appetizer. I make a big batch of rice and have it on hand as a side d...

I have an enjoyment for home-made oatmeal. It can be quick cooking oats, that’s fine, but it absolutely must NOT be instant. My kids eat instant and that’s cool, but for me it must be made on the stove. I love to add cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans and craisins to my oatmeal with just a dash of milk to cool it down. Mmm. Slightly sweet and yet so satisfying. I love how good it is for me. It’s better for cholesterol. It keeps hunger at bay. This is a favorite meal before church. I enjoy making a big pot and doling it out to each of my children. It’s something we ALL eat… and that my dear is frankly magical.

Emotional eating is a huge struggle for me. I feel like I'm doing fine coping with all the stress of my life... dealing with anxiety and at times panic and depression... but I'm not. How am I coping with it? I'm eating. I'm eating through the pain. Eating through the sadness. Eating through the loneliness. Eating through the regret and then I'm loathing. I loathe myself for doing this. I don't want to overeat. The problem is I don't even feel "full". I never even feel stuffed. I feel like I could just keep eating and eating and eating. It makes me so mad. I can do really well and exercise and take my vitamins and drink water. I can be sure to eat a large salad with tons of fresh vegetables and a delicious balanced breakfast, etc... but when it all comes down to it I will eat the wrong things later as an attempt to satiate the pain inside me. I will eat the goodies and sweets that I know are calorie loaded. It breaks my heart. this...