Mondays...

Sometimes, I still cant get over the fact that Hubs favorite day of the week is Monday! Its not like I hate Mondays, but seriously favorite day of the week. I think not! Give me a FRIDAY!!!

This past Friday didn't disappoint. Hubs and I baby sat 3 beautiful kids and had a blast! Are we getting old?

Saturdays... I LOVE THEM TOO!!! This past Saturday was Hubs and my day to just be together! We ate out every single meal... who does that? Well we did and we tried new places! Breakfast (at 11am) we went to Tartine Egg white omelet for the lady, Salmon Tartine for the gentleman. Lunch was at a new restaurant in town Kabob House we split a Hummus Platter, Felafel's, and Hubs had some Gyro Meat stuff I wouldn't touch. Dinner was out with Hubs parents! It was a great day! Filled with lots of Fun!

Sunday we had a dinner party and now we are onto MONDAY, BLAH! Oh well, I am VERY thankful it SUNNY outside!

Yay for a Sunny Monday!

11.11.11

I am thankful for today! I am thankful for a great friend and her precious son who graced me with a lunch date! My friend Shelby moved away from town several months ago. We hardly get to see each other anymore, but when we do, we could talk for hours! I so miss our Friday morning coffee and walk, but am so thankful for lunches and hours of time to catch up!

10!!!!

Today is the TENTH day of November! I cant believe it... this month is nearly half over and I still feel like it is summer time (when I don't look outside and see the snow) Reality hits when I walk outside and feel the cold air or when it is dark on my drive home from work. Hubs and I were discussing the other night it is kind of relaxing to have it dark so early...

One thing I love about summer time is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. But the farmers market is over and now we get to celebrate fall and all it has to offer. I found this great article on Shape.com it is 50 fall foods... it is a great reminder to the awesome food that is in season right now.

so today I am thankful for the change in season and that God provides for us in each season!

In honor of the TENTH day of November...

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Day 9

Well we had our first snow of the season. I cant say I am excited about it, but what I am so thankful for is COVERED PARKING! It is a HUGE blessing not to have to clean off my car after a night of snow!

Speaking of Snow it makes me crave  yummy comfort food! I think I am going to bring back Butternut squash soup tonight, in honor of our first snow of the season.

The other thing I want to make tonight is another batch of yummy quinoa granola

• 2 cup whole rolled oats
• 1/2 cup quinoa (I used 1/6 cup each of of red and regular quinoa)
• 2 T chia seeds
• 3/4 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup agave or honey
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

This recipe can be adapted to however you would like. I typically just use almonds or walnuts and I roast them in the oven or in a skillet till you smell them.

Mix all ingredients together

Bake on a baking sheet at 225 for 60 min.

Enjoy! I usually put it over plan greek yogurt as it is high in calories but they are good calories.

Check out the Stats: about 1/4 cup, maybe slightly less

24 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		102.0
Total Fat		6.2 g
	Saturated Fat	2.3 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.2 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		0.2 mg
Potassium		43.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate		10.2 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.9 g
	Sugars	2.2 g
Protein		2.7 g

Passion

Day 8 of thanks!

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I am thankful for people in my live that encourage me to keep my passions alive. I am looking at you Husband!

Since I have been awful this month with blogging... Day 2-7 of thanks...

Day 2: My Mom and a fun dinner at La Mie

Day 3: Friend Brooke who I got to have Girls Night with!

Day 4: Hubs made it home safely

Day 5: Baking day with Family

Day 6: My Brother and Sister-in-law...Happy Anniversary 7 years!!!

Day 7: Beautiful weather in November



HAPPY DAY

Thanksgiving time is one of my favorite times of the year... the leaves are changing and comfort food is on the rise. I traded in my cold morning smoothies for warm pumpkin oatmeal. It warms my body and preps me for the day!

To get in the mood and participate in the season I am going to write something I am thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving.

Thankful For:

Yesterday was Time at home to clean and organize my closets!

Today breakfast with my pops and great conversation

I was asked what relaxes me and relieves stress?

walking
baking
chopping vegetables
pedicures
massage
long drives with hubs
laughing
lunch with mamma and sisters

In other news today is American Heart Association National Day of Health!

What are you eating healthy today?

What I ate Wednesday (WIAW)

oatmeal and egg whites for breakfast
Spinach Salad with Chicken, feta, and olives for lunch
Greek yogurt with chopped apple and strawberries for a snack
Dinner with Mom at La Mie (probably eat salmon)

Make one healthy choice today! Health starts with one change at a time!

Part Trois... Health!

like the french :) I heart France! The french and a pretty good outlook on emotional health... actually I think Europe in general does! Hubs and I are going in May and I CAN NOT wait!

Emotional Health (weakness of mine)

They take siestas in the afternoon
They have a slower pace of life
They take an entire month of for Holiday

I think all of these contribute to good emotional health... with that said, here is my list of what emotional health is to me.

taking every thought captive
ability to discern why/ what is the emotion from
ability to discern if the emotion you are feeling is justifiable
experience all emotions at various times (happy, sad, angry, joy, content)
balance of emotions
communicate emotions effectively


I am sure I will think more on emotional  health, it is a challenge for me to not become overly emotional or and to discern if my emotion is legit or not. I am so thankful for a husband that helps be balance my emotions and has taught me to discern emotional responses.

Healthy cont...

Part two of What is my definition of Health?

Spiritual Health: God is the leader of my life !

Daily Connection with Jesus

Application of Phil. 4:6-8

Displaying the Fruits of the Spirit

Showing Gods Love to the Others

Being a light for the Lord

Going Deep...

I was recently asked a few questions that I thought were so simple, yet I was having a hard time answering them. So I decided I would take some time to pray, ponder, and list my thoughts on them.

The first question was... What is your definition of Health? Well, I guess I think of so many things and that is why it might be hard to come up with an answer.

I think there are many different aspects of health...physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational.

So lets take them one at a time.

Physical:
Energetic
Healthy Weight
Good internal Health (Cholesterol, blood pressure...)
Ability to be as active as you desire
Drinking LOTS of h2o
Balanced Diet (for me this means eating an endo and candida diet)

Diet is always something I have a hard time with. Practically everyday I hear something new or different. If you go to the book store you will find hundreds of different diets or ways to eat. Really if I listened to all of them, I wouldn't be eating! Ha ha! So finding this healthy balance I have had to turn to the Lord and listen to him. What is healthy eating? I am still working on this question but will get back to it. I do believe it is eating what God has put on this earth for us to eat... that means not eating fake food. The other thing I need to figure out is the amount food to eat... this is a hard one!

More to Come...



Blissful Vacation

After 10 blissful days in Florida with Hubs and part of my Fam (missed you Jr's) we are back to the daily grind and back to reality... Boo Hoo!

Typically I am ready to come home, but for some reason this vacation was just too wonderful to want it to end. I am not sure what it was that made it so perfect...
maybe it was the perfect weather (little rain for shopping and lots of sun for beaching it)
maybe it was daily walks with Hubs and so many fun conversations
maybe it was being off medication and feeling normal again
maybe it was baking yummy cakes and drinking yummy wine with family
maybe it was seeing Grandma and Grandpa
maybe it was the tan I got
maybe it was lazy mornings in bed watching HGTV

I am sure it was a combinations of everything, but boy it was hard to come back home on Saturday night. I am thankful that God is gracious and gave me a wonderful Sunday with Hubs and a great coffee date today with a dear friend! I guess its easing me back into life.

Hopefully I will get some pictures of Vacation up soon... I didnt take many, but my mom is a photo guru so I can always count on her to snap our life away!

Unmasked

In the movie, Ever After a Cinderella Story, the king and queen hold a masked ball in their son’s honor.  All the ladies dress up in beautiful dresses and masks intended to enhance their looks by hiding flaws.  All in the hopes of catching the eye of the prince.  Each lady is announced before entering the ballroom.  And, much like us today, rest assured as every lady in attendance turned to see the next woman entering; they summed her up and compared her to themself.

Beginning at a very young age, we compare ourselves to others.  We notice every little flaw, and out of those comparisons, we begin to notice areas of life we struggle with and for some of us, these areas are masked for years as we grow into adulthood. We all have parts of us we don’t like.  We don’t like thinking about it or looking at it, let alone revealing it to others.

We don’t want to take off the mask. We become comfortable with the mask, it feels good, it looks good, it is accepted by family members, church member, and society. To often we try to please man. Galatians 1:10 speaks of this “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. What if we all dared enough to take off the mask, out of an act of service? Revealing what is accepted and created by our Heavenly Father? Matthew 11: 28 says, “Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest..”.  I believe if we follow this command several things will happen…

God will show up giving you rest in your weaknesses

People will accept you knowing they too have struggles being masked

Our community will have authentic relationships

We can encourage others as they too take off their mask

Healing will take place

We will delight in who God has made us to be

I will admit there are many times when I don’t want to take off the mask… there are times when I see what is unmasked and I HATE it. That is when I realize, I need to apologize to the Lord. How can I HATE something He has created? God wants us to reveal His creation, refine his creation and to encourage others He has created! I encourage you to stop hiding His perfect Creation with a mask. Be real with each other. If taking of your mask reveals some deep struggles, it is ok! God will provide the tools it takes to heal them, and refine you.

Back to the movie.  Jacqueline, the kind, free spirited younger step-sister goes to ball with a much different mask on than most of the ladies.  She wears a horse mask.  It fits her personality, it reveals a lot about her nature.  Spunky at times, gentle at times; not perfect, but real and transparent. She wears a mask that isn’t meant to hide her.

Enjoy the true beauty God instilled in you! Don’t be afraid of what lies beneath the mask.

Welcome Fall--Hello Florida!

It is BEAUTIFUL outside... this might just be my favorite season! It used to be Summer, but Fall is starting take the lead! Why-- Beautiful colors, Perfect Temp, Time to Bake and make chili! Yay for Fall!

Soon we will be leaving the beauty of Iowa and Heading to the Beauty of Palm Trees and Oceans. God is so good! He is so creative in making beauty. It is just a quick plane ride to Florida and so much changes from the Fall season in Iowa.

It makes me think how creative God is in creating each individual and our individual Beauty. Enjoy exactly how He created you and Enjoy the scenery He gives us each day!

Bad Day...

OBGYN + Cavity filled = BAD DAY!!! Enough said right! My tooth is still hurting and now I get to go have blood work done today... Oh the trials of life! Good thing I was done with all that by 4pm and there was still 5 hours left to my day for some much needed improvement!

Luckily hubs came home :) I made a yummy dinner and we got to play with our two nieces all night! There parents had the unfortunate task of working late! They lifted my spirits and turned the day around!

We played hide and seek, pretended to be monkeys, went on a walk, ate ice cream, and watched sponge bob! How can these precious faces not brighten a day!

Psalms 25:1

Trust is one of the hardest things for me, when I don't like what I see and am not really sure what is going to happen... I find myself in this place sometimes with the Lord. It is hard for me to trust that His plan is going to be a good one. Why? Has he ever failed me... NOPE! So I cling to this verse that I have taped to my computer.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Psalms 25:1

This verse gives me energy to keep on trusting and keep on going :)

Happy Hump Day! God always has a plan! You never know how He is going to use something!  Enjoy some pictures from Pinterest! Clever ways to use...

 Tarts in a Mason Jar Lid

 Black Sand Paper on top of lid to light a match

  CD packs for ribbon storage

 Perfect Pancake

4 days off and Feeling GOOD!

Sometimes we just need to take a day off or maybe 4... I took sometime off last week and am feeling so refreshed!

I was able to do all of my favorite things...

I baked Banana Bread and Made some healthy desserts to throw in the freezer for hubs. I went shopping with my mom and out to Breakfast at my favorite! La Mie! I went to out to lunch and shopping in the East Village. I stayed home all day Friday and did absolutely nothing (cleaned, baked, worked out, watched TV) Hubs and I spent time with our families. Visited my sister at her Bazaar. Went to the Body World Exhibit. It was FASCINATING!!!!

Church was great yesterday too! I am really trying to embrace who God made me to be and to live to be that person! Following Him every step of the way. There are many times when this is hard! Like right now when I am not happy with my hormone overloaded body (ie...the weight I have gained) but I know God made my body exactly how he wanted it and my body will respond to meds just has God designed. So I need to keep treating it well and enjoying life.

Listen to our sermon here. I don't think you will regret it!

Fall is in the Air!

Man does it feel like fall today! I cant wait to start making soups, eating a ton of squash, and watching the leaves change! Fall also reminds me of running, it is perfect running weather right now. Which means is marathon season! Saturday morning I woke up to cheering, honking, and yelling as spectators cheered on runners, running in a 10k race downtown! It made me miss running, at the same time, I am really enjoying P90X!

Our pastor has a great devo today about Marathons, that I want to sare! I think it is very fitting for any circumstance in life.

SCRIPTURE

Col. 2:6-7

6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

RUNNING A MARATHON

 Every marathon runner will tell you that there comes a point in the long journey when you hit a wall.  Your body aches and cries out for you to quit.  But that is the point where you must gather yourself and keep going until the finish.

The Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon.  It comes with many peaks and valleys.  It is a long run.  The words of the apostle Paul encourage us to keep going strong.  How can we do it?

Remember your start.  Remember that you have received Christ and that you welcomed him into your life.  Remember your joy and peace that you embraced at the moment you came to know him.

Gain strength from Christ.  Don't run in your own power.  Live IN HIM, stay rooted IN HIM, be built up IN HIM.  Maintain a close, personal, and vibrant walk with Christ.

           

Be strong in the faith.  Call to mind all the things you have been taught from the Word.  Recall his promises.  Be strengthened by the wonderful guidance and wisdom of the Bible.

Overflow with thanksgiving.  Spend plenty of time giving thanks to God.  Nothing does more for your spirit than to come to your Father and pour out your heart and soul to him in thanks for all his blessings.  Count your blessings and thank the Lord continually.

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Apple Crisp

Typically when I make Apple crisp at home... I use coconut oil, not butter. Agave not Brown Sugar, Stevia not sugar. Wheat flour not white...But when your cooking in a foreign kitchen it calls for drastic measures and A LOT of creativity. So what did I do without my stable swabs.

For the apples I tossed them in corn starch to create a goo (for lack of better word) Then I added a liberal dash of all spice and tossed it all with some knock off stevia (I don't recommend it). For the topping it was a bit more difficult. I didn't want to use butter, just not a fan of the fat or the diary. So I used 1Tbsp of Canola oil. I mixed it in a bowl with some white flour :( and Oats :). It wasn't wet enough for baking so I needed to get creative.... Honey check! Still not wet enough. As I searched the kitchen high and low for a healthy alternative to my loved coconut oil and applesauce. I found it! Orange Juice! My grandma uses OJ in place of fat in her pies! So I splashed some OJ in the mix! It was perfect. It added the liquid I needed and the sweetness it was lacking!


So all in all the crisp turned out... I just don't think I would do any of it again except the OJ.

In other news... Our beloved capital view was gone this morning! Its the first day of fall and you can tell by the low clouds and the low temps!

We are hosting a party tomorrow night so I am off to spend the day prepping for it! Cheers to a great weekend!

You know your tired when...

You fall asleep in the dentist chair... yup that is me! I just got back from the dentist where I took a nice nap while being poked at for 90 minutes. I cant say it was the best nap I ever had, but I guess I needed it! These past few days have been so exhausting... I have been up at 5 every morning this week, not sleeping well and didn't get to sleep till midnight on Tuesday. Put lack of sleep with back to back crisis counseling and I guess that is what I get... Nap at the Dentist!

Tonight we are celebrating my Mother-in-laws birthday and hers and Papa Rychs ANNIVERSARY!!! 37 Long blissful years! How wonderful! I am so lucky to have such amazing in-laws! Hubs and I are extremely grateful that both of our parents have been great examples of Godly marriages! We love our parents so much and respect them immensely!

I am bringing a Salad with all my yummy favorites in it... Feta, Tomatos, Peppers, Cucumbers, Walnuts... The list goes on of yumminess!

I am also bringing, in honor of apple week, an APPLE CRISP al a mode (of course) My apple crisp is a healthy rendition on a typical crisp. Since not everyone is as much of a health fenadic as I, I decided to make a peach cobler full of butter and sugar! It looks awesome!

So what is in my apple crisp... not sure yet... becuase I havent made it yet... that is next on my to do list! But here are few pictures of what I am going to try to recreate in a healthier version.



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Apple Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts, like Apples oats are very versatile and they go great with Apples!

Imagine warm Cinnamon applesauce swirled into hot oatmeal, cold crisp apples topping off over night oats! YUMMY!

Apples can be the perfect pair to so many wonderful foods

APPLES+Walnuts
APPLES + Yogurt
APPLES +Caramel
APPLES + Onions
APPLES + Peanutbutter
APPLES + Almond Butter


really an apple can be paired with anything!!!

My favorite Salad at Cheesecake Factory has apples in it! Yummy! The Factory Chopped Salad!

Enjoy an Apple for me today!

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Apple A Day... Keeps the Doctor Away!

I love Apples, I eat them almost everyday, you can imagine my excitement with fall coming!

There are several things I love about apples...besides the many health benefits (we will get to later) Apples are delicious, convenient, and versatile! Think of all the things and apple can be.

1. Snack
2. Dessert
3. Sauce
4. Savory (think sauteed onions and apples,  or turkey stuffing)
5. muffin

This list goes on... I will have apple recipes coming to you all week!

Now on to the health benefits of an apple.

1. Bone Protection
2. Alzheimer's Prevention
3. Asthma Help
4. Lower Cholesterol
5. Cancer Prevention (lung, liver, colon, breast)
6. Diabetes Management
7. Weight management (fiber packed)

Not to mention all the nutrients these babies pack (make sure to enjoy the skin)

One medium apple has about...

95 calories
4.4 grams of fiber
195 mg potassium
11 mg Calcium
20 mg Phosphorus
9 mg Magnesium
0.064 mg Manganese
0.22 mg Iron
2 mg Sodium
0.049 mg Copper
0.07 mg Zine

Enjoy these babies today as a quick convenient snack... they are portable, don't need to be refrigerated and always available... one organic large apple is only 69 cents at Trader Joe's! Think of all the money you can save from medical bills...

Coconut Popcorn

If you love fresh kettle corn and love coconut, but don't love the extra sugar...well I have the perfect solution for you!

Coconut Popcorn!!!! It is yummy and it is HEALTHY!!!

There are so many health benefits in Coconut and in Popcorn. Ready for the long list of how this yumminess is will help you!

Coconut Oil (source)

•  hair care, skin care, stress relief
• maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss
• increased immunity
• proper digestion and metabolism
• relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer
• dental care, and bone strength.
• These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.

Popcorn is a wholegrain and when popped with Air it is considered a clean food! Yay!

Popcorn (source)

• Antioxidants are present in popcorn, most notably polyphenols, the much-touted antioxidant found in foods like tea, olive oil, and chocolate.
• Popcorn is relatively low in calories. Air-popped popcorn – that is, popcorn that has no added fat – has only about 30 calories and half a gram of fat per cup. It also has 1 gram of fiber.
• Popcorn is rich in B vitamins. Among the vitamins that popcorn contains, B vitamins are the most prevalent.
• Popcorn is an excellent source of fiber. The fiber in popcorn is reputed to help constipation and promote healthy digestion.

So how to make this wonderful snack?

If you don't have an air popper go buy one! They are a great investment! Target even sells a bowl you can put unpopped kernels in and pop in the microwave! Click here to find several options for air popping!

1/4 cup of unpopped popcorn kernels
1tbsp of coconut oil
1/2 tbsp of sea salt
1/2 tbsp of stevia

microwave oil in a small bowl till it liquefies, pop popcorn in air popper, drizzel coconut oil over warm popcorn. Toss with sea salt and stevia!

It is so yummy and tasty. You also get quantity which I always love when you are in need of a snack!

Look at the stats....

Calories		188.6
Total Fat		8.3 g
	Saturated Fat	5.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.4 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		590.0 mg
Potassium		110.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate		25.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	5.0 g
	Sugars	0.0 g
Protein		4.0 g

Cheesecake = Discipline

I seriously had to practise some major discipline yesterday! "Oh My" as my husband would say! You see, I have two long time co-workers moving... one to Africa (yes AFRICA, read his family blog here) and one to Ohio (not as jaw dropping, but equally disappointing) So like always we decided it was a good reason to go out for dessert to see our good byes and have a great time with co-workers friends.

We decided on Cheesecake Factory... duh... its all in the name. Now Cheesecake is not where the discipline comes into practise. I myself am not a fan of cheese (except goat an feta) But... I am a fan of Carrot cake, Red Velvet Cake, Apple Pie and of course ICE CREAM!!!! But I resisted remembering a) I celebrated my dads birthday with cookies and ice cream, b) I split of scoop of ice cream Sunday night with hubs at a friends house (yes just one little scoop) c) I have to stand in front of hundreds of peeps Saturday at my brother-in-laws wedding and read scripture... which means I better feel decent in my dress... so DISCIPLINE had to pay a HUGE roll in ordering this....

Strawberries and a little pile whip cream (I didn't even eat half the whip cream)

instead of ordering this...

or this...

or any of these....

I am happy to say I was and am very happy with my decision!