What Message Does My Life Speak?

What Message Does My Life Speak?

Have you ever heard the expression “Live Out Loud”? The phrase is in a popular song and my interpretation is that our actions transmit a message. This concept has been transformed in my mind lately. I’ve never really sat down to think about how my life affects other people. I’ve definitely never functioned with a belief that I lived in an island all on my own or anything but as we have continued on this journey I am enlightened by the reality that how I live, good or bad, sends a message.

Up until this point I have been very content with the message my life sends to the world around me. My life resume speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

I am the child of wonderful and respectable parents who absolutely love me unconditionally. I have had the honor of having my life deeply impacted by not ONE but TWO sets of amazing and God fearing grandparents. I have a husband who is brilliant, handsome, absolutely adores me even after almost 7 crazy years together, and most importantly loves God with all his heart, soul, and mind. I have a wonderful & supportive extended family and friends. I could go on and explain all my academic and professional accomplishments but I think you get the point right? At the onset I am an outstanding citizen, from a good family, in a healthy relationship, educated, loved, and a productive contributor to society.  Right?

Wrong! The reality is that the message that my life sends goes a lot deeper than all of that. As I journey further down this path of getting healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually I am humbled and horrified to look back and see some of the areas that my actions fell short of God’s glory. My obsession with food, gluttony, and obesity showed the world that my true worship was not 100% completely to the God I claimed to serve. My heart was divided between the physical desires that constantly scratched at my mind and my love for God. The message of my actions didn’t match my word! In retrospect I can see how my co-workers, friends, associates, even neighbors could probably see just by looking at me something that I was oblivious to. I have a problem with food! So rather than 100% of my life message pointing people to the Christ that I follow, the loudest message of my life was “Food is my god”!

Please hear me on this; I am in NO WAY stating that Christ followers have to be perfect in every area of their lives. I’m a firm believer that we are all a work in progress and no one will ever be perfect. However, when we live in such a way that our actions are blatantly in conflict with our words….well let’s just say there is a problem that must be addressed!

When I started this blog it never occurred to me that I would inspire others. It is a humbling reality that only God can get the credit for. Did you know that part of my new identity is a “regular” at the gym, oh yeah that’s what they call me, these strangers who walk up and tell me that I inspire them by how hard I’m working. Seriously only the grace of God can cause that kind of authentic transformation in my life and yours! I am daily in awe of how God has been using our journey to touch the lives and hearts of other people. It has been amazing the numbers of people from friends to complete strangers that email, stop us at the gym, talk to us at our WW meetings, and message us that express gratitude and encouragement from our New life message. I thank God for the opportunity to point people to Jesus on daily basis. God ALWAYS has a plan for our pain and struggles and when we are faithful to Him, He truly will bring something for the good out of it. It reminds me again and again that our daily lives speak a message to everyone around us. I thank God that He alone is transforming the message of my daily life to give Him glory! My new prayer is that I may live a life both outwardly and inwardly that honors God each day!

Questions for you to ponder…

1.       What message does your life speak to the world around you?
2.       What areas of your life message are you challenged to change?
3.       What is the first step for that change?
4.       How have you seen God use a struggle for good in your life?
5.       How would you like God to use your current struggle?

Exercise???? Exercise!!!! Exercise.

Exercise????

My husband and I have been on this journey of getting healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually for exactly six months and have definitely experienced highs and lows along the way. In the beginning I had loads of questions regarding exercise. I shared with you all in my blog post “Finding the path…to regular exercise” some of the history behind me and the dreaded “E” word. So when approaching exercise in September 2011 I battled physically through limitations due to the infections in my lungs and being morbidly obese at almost 300 lbs. I also battled emotionally through a life history not being athletic, shame from trying in the past and giving up, and shame from being overweight in the first place. Somehow I functioned by an irrational belief that everyone else in the world knew exactly what to do at the gym and that everyone would be looking at me with judgment and criticism. In the past I would have allowed these limitations, insecurities, and questions to ultimately cause me to give up yet again but not this time!

Exercise!!!!

My husband, my personal trainer, and several wonderfully supportive friends have really been an amazing asset as I am learning all about exercise for the first time ever! After about two solid months of training, exploring the gym, trying different activities, and learning about the muscles in my body I have gained a huge amount of confidence. By this time God had been really working on my heart and attitude about this exercise thing. I had a revelation that Exercise is NOT Punishment but is part of God’s perfect plan for our overall physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Have you ever thought about that? Exercise was divinely inspired! Wow! It still rocks my world to think that the God of all creation intricately designed our bodies to function at their maximum potential only as worship him through exercise, eating healthy, getting plenty of water, and appropriate rest. Wow! It honors God when I exercise, mind blowing!

It was fun at Christmas to visit Ohio and join a gym for only the two weeks we were there. This may seem strange but we were so committed to exercise and didn’t want to fall out of our routine while traveling. I wondered if my confidence would translate in this new environment and it did! I wasn’t intimidated by the “regular” muscle men types that love to mark their territory and get annoyed with new comers. I felt comfortable using unfamiliar machines with the general knowledge that I’ve gained. I was able to modify our workouts based on the equipment available at this facility which was quite different from our gym in Dallas. I even taught my mom two of the work out routines my trainer developed for us. Let’s just say my exercise enthusiasm & momentum could not be stopped, I was a leaner, meaner exercise machine!

Exercise.

So if you’ve been following my story you know what comes next. Immediately after our holiday trip to Ohio I got sick again, Bronchitis Ugh! Since I was released from bed rest in last August 2011 with the fungus infection in my lungs, I’ve had bronchitis 3 times in five months. (September 2011 – January 2012) Each time I was put on bed rest for at least 3 weeks, had to take oral and inhaled steroids along with a bunch of other meds, and did up to 4 breathing treatments daily. Adding that up it is 19 weeks of bed rest since June. Let me just tell you that continually takes a toll on me physically and emotionally and it would be very easy to lose whatever exercise momentum I have built up with that fighting against me. I mean let’s be honest I have built a routine of exercise avoidance for 35 years and with only 6 solid months under my belt I think the odds are definitely against me if I was a betting girl ;)

However, I’m a firm believer that God uses everything for His glory and definitely has a purpose & lesson in everything. I think my lesson through all the ups and downs of illness regarding exercise has been that I need to Exercise Period. As long as I have the approval of my doctor, trainer, and husband I am going to exercise. Rain or shine, good mood or bad mood, low or high motivation, and fat days or skinny days I am going to exercise. Especially when challenged with continued illnesses that are likely to occur I maintain a commitment to exercise. I maintain a commitment to honor God with my body through Exercise. I knew when I began this journey that it would be long and trying but I also knew and hold on to the confidence that as a Christ follower I can trust in an ever loving and faithful God to continue to guide and inspire me along the way!

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone

Words & Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

In Christ Alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

CCLI Song # 3350395, © 2001 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Here is Natalie Grant's remake of this classic hymn so you can hear it too!


This hymn has such profound value and meaning to me as a Christ follower particularly as I walk through this journey of change. I believe that all human beings are separated from God through a nature we are born with that willfully and deliberately violates  the holiness of God (Romans 3:23). I believe that the son of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth through a virgin birth, lived a holy and flawless life, died a brutal death on a cross, and three days later rose from the dead (Matthew 1: 20-21, John 3:16, Acts 2:24). God made this sacrifice so that we may be reconnected to him and no longer separated by sin (John 3:17-18). I have in my life sought out satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace through relationships, through money, through alcohol, through trying to be perfect in my own power, and through food. In my life none of those things compared to having a personal intimate relationship with a living God. I don’t think my life is all that different from yours is it? I believe deep down in the core of our being we are ALL searching for the hope, love, and peace mentioned in this beautiful hymn.

Yet having received Christ as my personal savior and walking through this life in relationship with Him I find that some of the words ring heavy in my heart. As the writer states…

And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

I know in my head that as I have confessed my sins to Christ and have been forgiven I too am walking in this victory. I know this in my head but if I’m being honest with myself and you there are days that my feelings don’t match up with this reality. There are days that the curse of sin seems to be drawing me over and over again to that kitchen, or restaurant, or dessert. There are days that I feel very far away from this truth. The reality is that the word of God is clear and true no matter how my feelings waver. When my feelings begin to dominate my actions it is time for me to get those feelings in check! I am forgiven and happily reminded as I read my Bible or sing a song like this that the truth of God’s word has and will time and time again reset my wondering feelings. I don’t know about you but I need reminders like that from time and time again.

Celebrate this last part with me will you?

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

I love to read that over and over again and let it sink into my heart and mind. As I walk through this journey to getting healthy I have hope that there is NO power that will keep me from the will of God. It is not my cravings, my failures, my defeats, my obesity, my laziness, my perfection, my schemes, or my strength that I have to depend on. I can depend on a loving and living God who holds my life in the palm of His hand. I am certain that he cares so much for me and you that he has every hair on our head counted (Matthew 10:29-31). He knows & provides every breath we will ever take. He commands my past, present, & future and nothing can separate me from him! I am encouraged, strengthened, and invigorated by this truth! So on this journey through life I can scream to the mountain tops that Here In The Power of Christ I’ll Stand!

Are you able to scream that too? Do you have questions or trouble with anything I wrote?  I would love to hear from you so please comment below or if you’d like to be more private please email me at mrsadrianpina@yahoo.com.

Dear Future Self.....

I was watching an episode of a popular sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and in the episode the single guy would write a letter to himself after a breakup with a girl. He did this so that in times of future desperation & loneliness when his “future” self would be tempted to get back together with the girl he would pull out the letter he wrote post break up. This letter of course was filled with all kinds of humorous advise, feedback about the relationship, and reminders of why he broke up with the girl in the first place. He would always title & begin the letter “Dear Future (and then fill in his name).  This gave me a great idea for a letter I want to write me my future healthy, fit, and trim self.

I have heard so many stories of people who have worked very hard to get healthy through disciplined eating, vigorous exercise, and plenty of water & sleep. Then after they reach their goals they become comfortable and casual about the disciplines that were such a huge part of their lives. Lysa TerKeurst has a chapter in her book “Made to Crave” titled “The Curse of the Skinny Jeans”. In this chapter she details and unspoken expectation she had that arriving at her goal weight would bring with it a perfect life free of troubles, trials, and temptations.  I myself have shared with you that I have fallen into a cycle in the past where I have lost 40, 50, even 60 lbs and then got caught up in the moment and “fell off the wagon” as they say. I found that even after such an accomplishment “life” still happened. Temptations were around every corner along with the stress that led me to indulge each and every time.

I have hope that this time is going to be different for a multitude of reasons…..just in case I thought it would be fun to write my future self a letter filled with the truth about what those indulgences lead to. So here is goes!

Dear Future Jen,

I am SO proud of you for reaching your goal and learning to honor God with your body. I know that you have gone through so many ups and downs throughout this journey and you have learned a lot. It must feel so good to see that number on the scale and fit into those clothes that you worked so hard to achieve. I want you to cherish every moment of this success with the Lord and fully embrace the new identity that you have developed.

In this glorious historical moment in your life please remember these few things. Please remember that this is one step in a lifelong process. I know you may fall under the momentary illusion that you have “arrived”, don’t fall under that spell. You MUST embrace this process the rest of your life and never under estimate the power that this addiction had, has, and will have over you. Continue to be committed to accountability, to faithfully following a healthy food plan, and making choices with your body that honor the Lord.

For years of your life you built habits to run to food during times of stress and anxiety. You fell into the pattern of making food a bigger priority than God, than your husband, and your family. You turned holidays and special occasions into feasts of gluttony and did not honor the true meaning of the occasion. Remember the shame and despair you felt when buying clothes a size bigger, again and again. Think back to those uncomfortable moments in tight airplane seats, walking up flights of steps, and squeezing into small spaces filled with humiliation and regret. Ponder the effects your weight had on your breathing, the horror of pneumonia over and over each year, chronic bronchitis, swollen feet and hands, and not even being able to take your wedding rings off to clean them. Running to food, over indulgence, being out of balance and unhealthy only caused your suffering and pain.

I pray even now for you Future Jen, I pray and ask God to “fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And I pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:9-12)

With much love & hope for the future! Your future is bright!
Past Jen

Whew! I don't know about you but that totally made me cry which I did't expect. Have you ever thought of writing a letter to your future self? Would you have the courage to write and share it? I think I could have gone on and on with this exercise, I could write to my future "wife" self, or my future "counselor" self, or even my future "mom" self by God's grace. I wonder what you would say to yourself? What topic you would choose to address? I'd love to hear your letter if you'd like to share it!

3 Healthy & Yummy Soup Favorites

I shared with you in “Let the recipes begin…Basic Chicken Broth” that we are a soup loving family. We often make a big pot of soup on Sunday night and eat on it all week long. So here are three of our favorite soup recipes.

Lentil & Veggie Soup

First I’ll begin with a lentil soup recipe that is healthy, hearty, and totally easy. I got the shell of this from Weight Watchers but added some of my own personal touches.

Ingredients
10-12 cups of my Basic Chicken Broth or a store bought Fat Free broth
1 pound dry lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery *including the celery leaves adds terrific flavor*
2 cups diced yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic minced
4 medium bay leaves
3 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
28 oz of diced tomatoes including juice
4 fresh large tomatoes diced

Instructions
·         Combine the broth, lentils, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and seasonings in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes with tomato juice, fresh tomatoes, & the vinegar and simmer about 30 more minutes until desired thickness is reached & tomatoes break down. Remove bay leaves prior to serving. Yields 2 cups per serving. This recipe makes between 8-10 servings.
·         This is definitely a soup that gets better each day that you eat it. If it gets too thick after a day or two I’ll defiantly add another cup or two of chicken broth. It freezes well and is rich & flavorful!

Ground Turkey & Veggie “Yankee” Chili

Ingredients
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 ¼ pound raw extra lean ground turkey
2 cups diced yellow onion
2 cups diced green bell pepper
4 cloves of garlic minced
6-8 cups of my Basic Chicken Broth or a store bought Fat Free broth
2 cups diced & pealed carrots
2 cups diced celery
28 oz diced tomatoes with tomato juice
28 oz whole tomatoes with tomato juice
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp Italian herbs
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
*for extra spice add 1-2 tsp of chili paste
16 oz dark red kidney beans

Instructions
·         Brown ground turkey with oil, onion, bell pepper, & garlic. Once meat is cooked completely add carrots, celery, & seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add diced & whole tomatoes & broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Add the kidney beans and simmer for additional 10 minutes. Yields 2 cups per serving. This recipe makes between 8-10 servings.
·         I know everyone has a way to make chili and the foundation of this comes from the Betty Crocker cookbook. This chunky chili has an added boost of nutrition with all the yummy veggies. It has a “Yankee” flair and added protein from the kidney beans. We will often eat it over baked potatoes or angel hair pasta topped with fresh diced tomatoes & onion. It also freezes really well and tastes even better the next day.

Chicken Noodle Soup

*Did you read my blog entry “Let the recipes begin…Basic Chicken Broth”? I am going to use not only that broth but that cooking process for the chicken in this chicken noodle soup as well. As I mentioned in the previous blog you can use any type of chicken; whole, thighs, split breasts, or leg quarters. I am going to use leg quarters because that is what was on sale. The absolutely best way to infuse terrific flavor into chicken noodle soup is making your own broth. So if you don’t make the broth for anything else do it for this soup.

Ingredients
1 family package of chicken leg quarters - qty will vary based on package but there is usually 4-5 large pieces of chicken. Cook chicken according to the Basic Chicken Broth recipe. Allow to cool enough to comfortable debone and separate the meat. Once deboned I had 21 oz of chicken meat so that will vary based on the type of chicken you use and the size of the package of meat.

2 cups of diced onion
2 cups of diced carrots
2 cups of diced celery *including the celery leaves adds terrific flavor*
4 bay leaves
8 cups of my Basic Chicken Broth or a store bought Fat Free broth
4 cups of water
1 package of wide pasta noodles (egg or no egg doesn’t matter)
*chicken bouillon cubs or salt if needed

 Instructions

·         Combine the 2 cups of broth, onions, carrots, & celery and cook in a large stock pot on medium until the veggies start to get softened. Add shredded chicken, remaining 6 cups of broth, 4 cups of water & bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Taste to see if it needs salt or an additional chicken bouillon cube. The reason we use the water is to temper the salt if you like more salt you can replace the water with broth. Bring back up to a boil and add the package of wide pasta noodle. Boil with noodles only 5-6 minutes until noodles are just tender. Yields 2 cups per serving. This recipe makes between 8-10 servings.
·         If you plan to eat this over several days you’ll notice that the noodle will absorb broth and grow in size. It is best to reheat a bowl at a time instead of reheating the entire pot to limit the sogginess of the noodles. Additional broth can be added with reheating if needed. The basic simple flavors of this soup are great when you are sick or on a cold winter day.

Pina favorite meals, snacks & treats

I’ve had several people ask about some of our favorite meals and how I plan our menus. We have found in the last few months many things that work for us and many things that don’t. I’m going to share some key meals that we have regularly and then some key snacks & treats that are must haves in the Pina household. Remember how I told you guys awhile back that I am a self proclaimed foodie. Well that definitely comes into play with my meal planning because I’m always thinking about something new to try and staying creative. My husband is a full time seminary student and works a part time job & due to my continued health issues I am laid off and will probably remain that way for a little while. What that means to our meals is that we eat at home 99% of the time. We only eat out one meal every week to save money and it will usually be a meal of no more than $30 including tip, aka. not an expensive restaurant & usually one that provides their nutritional info online.

As I begin to think about what we may want to eat for the week I usually find that categorizing the meals really helps me. I create a basic menu and then write out the grocery list. I try to include at least two of what Weight Watcher’s calls “Power Foods” into each of our three meals per day. Power foods are things like: fruit, veggies, low fat proteins, high fiber breads, rice or pasta or grains. Prioritizing Power Foods helps ensure the high nutritional value of our meals.

*Note* I mentioned in “Finding the path….to adequate sleep & water intake” we really only drink water these days. We typically drink about 32 oz of water with each meal. Rarely we’ll use a sugar free mix-in with the water when we want something different or sweet. Neither of us likes drinking our calories.

Here are some common favorite meals in the Pina household…
Breakfasts:
-Sugar Free Instant Oatmeal (any flavor) cooked with ½ cup of 1% milk & an orange

-Sara Lee 90 Calorie English Muffin with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter & a banana

 -2 pcs of Nature’s Own Raisin Bread toasted with spray butter & an apple (Adrian checked a bunch of brands and this has the least amount of fat & carbs, or for WW it has the least amout of points plus value.

-2 pcs of 35 calorie wheat bread toasted with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter & 1 Tbsp of Jam (any flavor) &  fresh strawberries

 -Deep chocolate Vitalicious* VitaMuffin Vitatop & a banana (these are found in the freezer section near the breakfast items but for the best price order them online)

Lunches:
Lunch will often incorporate left over’s from dinner or if I make a big pot of soup we will eat on that at lunch for a few days. If not here are some of our favorite lunches

-Pita Pizzas made with a whole wheat pita, 2 Tbsp Oscar Mayer bacon bits, loads of veggies, 1/3 cup of part skim mozzarella on each half of the pita, ½ cup of tomato pasta sauce + some kind of fruit. This is at least a twice a week meal in our household. We love to get that yummy cheesy indulgence without all the entra calories from normal pizza. We even tried BBQ Chicken this week and it was delish!

-2 Oscar Mayer 98% fat free hot dogs with ketchup, mustard, & chopped onion + Potato Straws & some kind of fruit (occasionally we’ll do these with low fat canned turkey chili & a Tbsp of 2% cheddar cheese)

-2 black bean tostadas made by baking white corn tortillas until crisp in the oven. Then I take fat free canned whole black beans and crush them with a fork and add a clove or two of grated garlic. Mix in finely diced onion and spread mixture over crisp tortillas. Top with 1/3 cup part skim mozzarella & bake until cheese is melted. Serve with  ½ cup of salsa and 2 Tbsp of light sour cream + some kind of fruit (Even my meat loving husband adores this dish!)

-Some kind of sandwich made with 35 calorie bread (photo above). We like BLT’s (bake bacon crisp in oven, pat off most of the fat, & weigh out 2 oz. on the food scale), turkey or ham lunch meat, tuna or chicken salad made with Hellman’s Olive Oil Mayo. Key on each of these is fresh tomato, lettuce, and pickles (with lunchmeat). + some kind of fruit of course and possibly Apple Straws.

Dinners:

-Meatloaf – I use either 1 ¼ lbs of raw extra super lean ground turkey or ground beef (no more than 5% fat), 1 egg, ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs, ½ cup finely chopped onion, 1 tsp dill, 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic salt. Form into a log and liberally top with ketchup. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. I use this same recipe and fill green bell peppers for stuffed peppers. I serve this with 6 oz of boiled potatoes & at least 1 cup of steamed broccoli (I seriously can’t get enough broccoli).

-Ground turkey tacos – 1 ¼ lb extra super lean ground turkey, 1 cup of diced onion, 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 1 Tbsp oregano, 1 Tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp garlic salt. Cook this mixture until meat is fully cooked & then add 1 package of taco seasoning & 1 can of Rotel. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Did you notice there is no oil needed in this recipe? We eat these on white corn tortillas that have been warmed on the stove, 1/3 cup part skim mozzarella, tons of salsa, and 2 Tbsp of light sour cream.

-Grilled chicken parmesan – Clean, trim & fillet (cut in half length wise so that it is thin) 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast. Season the raw meat with 1 tsp of garlic salt & 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to hot pan and cook chicken about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. We serve this with ½ cup of warmed tomato pasta sauce (I love Classico’s Sweet Tomato & Basil) and 1/3 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese. This can be served with a side of baked spaghetti squash or 2 oz of angel hair pasta. Super simple, fast & yummy!

-Roasted pork tenderloin – Pork tenderloin either pre-seasoned by the store or seasoned with garlic salt & ground pepper, or a variety of seasoning packets from the grocery store. Placed on roasting pan in pre-heated 350* oven for 30 -45 minutes depending on how large the loin is. We serve this with Rice-A-Roni or roasted potatoes & steamed cauliflower or sautéed zucchini.

-Baked egg plant parmesan – peel & slice egg plant ½ inch thick, wash in egg whites and dredge in bread crumb mixture. Bread crumb mixture is ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp garlic salt, 2 Tbsp Italian herbs. Spray cookie sheet and bake breaded egg plant pieces at 400* for 20 – 25 minutes flipping once in between. Egg plant should be crisp on each side. Next form the dish by placing one layer of egg plant into sprayed baking dish, then top with 2/3 cup of tomato pasta sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Then repeat layer of egg plant, layer of sauce, layer of cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until cheese is melted. Super Yummy! Yes my meat loving husband adores this dish!

Snacks & Treats:

Bananas, grapes, pineapple, apples, pears, strawberries, blackberries - always fresh & we eat between 3-4 fruits each per day

Light Yogurt (especially light banana pudding yogurt with a sliced banana and light whipped cream – super yummy)

Light String Cheese

Baby carrots, sliced apples, or celery stalks with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter (everything is good with peanut butter)

Fat free tortilla with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter & a banana (also good for breakfast) The best brand I have found hands down is called La Banderita in the northern states & Ole in Texas but they are the same company. You would NEVER be able to tell this is fat free they taste amazing!

Potato, Apple, or Veggie Straws by Sensible Portions. This is the best thing that has happened to us in a long time as far as snacks go. These are so good especially on days when we are craving something salty & crunchy. They are SOOOOOOOO good! You find them usually right above the rice cakes.

Jolly Time Healthy Pop Butter Popcorn 97% fat free *not because it has WW logo on it but we tried a BUNCH of different brands and like the flavor of this one best

Vitalicious* VitaMuffin Vitatops & VitaCakes (there are tons of flavors available online and they taste SO much better than the Fiber One products in our opinion – see image of Vitatops above) This Fudgy Chocolate cake satisfies my chocolate craving anyday and it is only 1 WW pointsplus!

Rainbow sherbet ½ cups. Preportioned makes it so easy and limits me from over scooping :)

Vanilla ice cream ½ cups

Sugar free Fudgsicle fudge bars. Yummy only 1 WW points plus and I eat one everyday :) You would seriously never been able to tell these are sugar free so they are great for kids.

Sweet Delites ice cream bars. These are a brand new find for us actually today. I am already in love and one bar is ZERO WW points plus. Also really good if you have kids.

Ice cream sandwiches – this is my husband favorite daily indulgence

Yes I know its winter but we love our frozen treats :)

So these are some of the meals and items that we have tried and really like. Using our plan and being creative we can feel good about what we are putting into our bodies and don’t have to feel left out or deprived. Our meals are always evolving and change often. I’ll keep you posted on all my yummy discoveries!

Questions for you….

1.       What are some of your favorite meals?

2.       What are some of your favorite healthy snacks?

3.       Was there anything interesting here that you might try at home? 

Let the recipes begin...basic chicken broth

I have followed some of the famous cooking blogs, such as “Confessions of a Pioneer Woman” by Ree Drummond @ http://thepioneerwoman.com for years. As I begin to share my recipes and thoughts on food I want to begin with a few disclaimers. I have loved to cook for the majority of my life. I love to host parties, plan menus, decorate, buy the cute matching dishes, and all that goes along with it. In some circles I may even be known as a “Hostess with the Mostest”. However, given the fact that I live in a TINY seminary housing apartment and the best camera that I have in my unemployed possession is the camera on my phone – these pictures will definitely not be the quality of my Pioneer Woman companion! That said I hope that you will enjoy seeing the process that I use in making the base for 3 of our favorite soups (soup recipes coming soon). I am trying this picture idea out with my Basic Chicken Broth recipe to see how it goes.  I use this basic chicken broth not only as a base for my soups, but in tons of different recipes because it adds a ton of wonderful flavor.

Why start with soups? Great question! Meal planning has always been a big part of our world since the beginning of our marriage. As I’ve mentioned in the past we have both always worked full time jobs and gone to school full time for the last almost 10 years now. So without some intentional planning we would be eating out almost every meal. A revelation about my husband early in our marriage was his absolute love for soups. I didn’t really grow up eating too many homemade soups outside of the frequent pot of “Yankee” chili during the cold Ohio winters.  So as a new wife I began to learn and love soups. A big pot of soup will usually have between 8-10 servings and this translates in our family of 2 into 4-5 meals. My soup journey began with making a big pot every Sunday evening along with preparing a normal meal. The soup wouldn’t be eaten then but was in preparation for our week. It allowed for several easy, hot, healthy, homemade, and convenient meals and has become part of our repertoire since then.

Ok, on with the food. I am going to share how I prepare a basic Chicken broth. I am going to use this broth in the three soup recipes that I will share with you soon. I choose the make the broth over buying it in the box for three reasons: 1. I save money, 2. Homemade has much better flavor, 3. Homemade allows me to control how much fat & sodium are in my soup. When preparing a chicken broth you have the liberty to add many different ingredients to enhance the flavor. As I will be using this in three totally different flavors of soups I am keeping it very basic and simple and will be adding more “flavoring” agents directly to each individual soup recipe. Please note it is best if you are planning to make a soup that you prepare this broth at least one day in advance.

To begin you will need the following:
-A large stock pot or crock pot to cook it in. Size should be enough for your meat, veggies, and at least 8-10 cups of water. The larger the pot the more broth you will make.

-As for the chicken I am using a family size package of chicken leg quarters because they were only $0.88 a pound. I will also use a whole chicken, chicken thighs, or split chicken breast depending what is on sale.

-A large onion, 4-5 unpeeled carrots, 4-5 stalks of celery preferably with the leaves on. These veggies just need to be rinsed well and cut into a good size to fit into the pot. You don’t have to be fussy about chopping or peeling anything. These are just basic flavor agents.

-3 chicken bouillon cubes, 8-10 cups of water. This is where some of my sodium control comes in. Adding bouillon cubes will enhance the flavor of the broth and will be the only salt item that I add. With a pot this size I use 3 cube of this brand.

So now that we have all the players in place let’s begin with putting ½ of the veggies in the bottom of the pot. One of my planning tools also including my well worn crock pot. I have set this to cook Sunday morning while we are at church and I can leisurely complete the process later this afternoon. If you don’t have a crock pot the same process is easily done with a large stock pot on the stove and we’ll get to more on that in a bit.

Next I will rinse and trim the chicken. I am only trimming the huge chucks of fat (pictured on the left side of my cutting board) that are visible on the back of the leg quarter. After this has cooked I have a great trick to share that will easily remove all the remaining fat from the broth. Again this doesn’t need to be a fussy process.

Next add the chicken to the crock pot

Next add the remaining veggies over the top of the chicken so that all the chicken gets exposure to our flavoring agents. Crumble the bouillon cubes and add water till you reach the top of the pot.

I set me crock pot on the 4-6 hour setting depending on how much meat I am preparing. If you are doing this on the stove in a stock pot you will want to bring the completed above preparation to a boil first for about 20 minutes and then turn it down to simmer on medium/low heat for at least 4 hours.

When cooking is complete and the broth has developed nicely after at least 4-6 hours this is what product should look like.

Another part of the beauty in this process is that the chicken will be used in my chicken soup recipe so nothing goes to waste in this process and my grocery budget is maximized. You will remove & discard the veggie flavor agents that have completed their work. Place the hot chicken in a collinder to cool so that it can be deboned.

After everything is removed from the pot you will have a wonderful rich color broth remaining.

Laddle every little bit of the broth into convenient *plastic* containers. There may be small pieces of chicken & other bits that add tremdous flavor to the soup so definitely don’t discard that. Plastic is important if you are going to freeze the broth as I will be for future use because glass doesn’t always freeze well. I find these tall narrow containers work really well and fit easily into the door of my freezer.

Do you notice the distinct color difference due to the separation of oil at the top of the chicken broth container? As I mentioned earlier if possible it is best to make the broth the day before you want to cook one of your soups. This fat separation is the reason that early preparation is necessary. As this broth cools either in the freezer or the refrigerator the fat will solidify into a white waxy substance at the very top of the container that will easily be scraped off and discarded.

This is the most efficient way that I have found to remove the fat from a homemade chicken broth. That leaves you with a beautiful, rich, flavorful broth that is practically 100% fat free. Check out the before & after below

So that is my Basic Chicken Broth recipe. Pretty simple huh? The difference is flavor is huge compared to what you can buy in the grocery store. Coming soon are three of our favorite healthy, low fat soups: Veggie & Lentil, Ground Turkey & Veggie "Yankee" Chili, and my famous Homemade Chicken Noodle. Each of these recipes have a totally different flavor profile and this basic chicken broth works perfectly in each!

My Eyes Are Open

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

~ By Portia Nelson ~

Chapter 1

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter 4

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter 5

I walk down another street.

Have you read this poem before? Can you see yourself in it? I can and do often. I have over the years fallen in the same hole over and over and over again. There are still areas of my life that I am stuck in Chapters 1 or 2 and I wonder if I will ever make it to Chapter 5. My journey to getting healthy was definitely one of those areas for years. It took me being so sick that I was bedrested for almost 3 months. My chronic poor health finally shook me and my eyes were opened. I’m not going to say I’ve made it to Chapter 4 on this journey yet but I have hope. More hope than I have ever had in my life in this area. I believe that it was only God who could open my eyes to this hole that I kept falling into. He has opened my eyes to my own self destruction. He has opened my eyes to how much he cares about this area of my life. He has opened my eyes to how much his love for me will sustain me as I learn for the first time in my life to find another street. Learning a new path in an area of your life that has been so engrained is not easy. It will take time, prayer, dedication, and patience with myself, and a lot of getting back out of the hole immediately when I see I’ve fallen. I am here to report that I am FILLED with hope and My Eyes Are Open!

24 Things to Always Remember...and One Thing to Never Forget

24 Things To Always Remember…and One Thing to Never Forget
By Collin McCarty

Your presence is a present to the world. You are unique and one of a kind. Your life can be what you want it to be. Take the days just one at a time. Count your blessings, not your troubles. You will make it through whatever comes along. Within you are so many answers. Understand, have courage, be strong. Do not put limits on yourself. So many dreams are waiting to be realized. Decisions are too important to leave to chance. Reach for your peak, your goal and you prize. Nothing wastes more energy than worrying. The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets. Do not take things too seriously. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets. Remember that a little love goes a long way. Remember that a lot … goes forever. Remember that friendship is a wise investment. Life’s treasure are people together. Realize that it is never too late. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way. Have heart and hope and happiness. Take the time to wish upon a star. And don’t ever forget… For even a day…how very special you are.