"Streams in the Desert"

Here is a book that I wish I could personally give to each of you who are hurting right now. 

It is called "Streams in the Desert"

The book was given to me last summer when I experienced an unexpected miscarriage.  Actually the whole pregnancy was unexpected but we became very excited that God had given our family another child…"a gift" to us.  We are still waiting to learn what "the gift" is that He has given.  

It's times like these that I remember some advice a good friend shared with me years ago.  She would say "Carma…don't forget in the darkness what God has told you in the light"  Such wise words.  

These daily readings from "Streams in the Desert" are rooted in scripture and amaze me with the way they weave together the heartbreak of this life and the triumph of God.  Encouraging us not only to survive through life's trials and dark moments but to LIVE there in them so that the "sense of God's presence can become the unwavering possession of our souls, enabling us to continually say as the psalmist wrote. "You are near oh, LORD" (Psalm 119:51)

Maybe you, like me, have had a physical illness that has sidelined you.  Maybe you have lost a baby or feel the pain of not having one.  Or maybe cancer is a daily discussion in your family. (my step dad is still pressing on, Amy is engaged the battle and doing well..thank you for your prayers) I have a friend who is walking through the pain of being abused as a child…feeling alone and helpless.  I have a friend who just lost both of her parents in an accident this weekend.  I have another friend who turns another year older this year and so wants God to provide someone to share this life with.  

I can't fully imagine what your pain is today.  I just pray that you will reach for the truths of the Bible.  That you will hold tight to the truths that God gave you in the light…when all was beautiful and felt good.  He hasn't changed…He is still here...it may be dark in your world for a time but you are not alone.  

Oh how I wish we could sit, have some coffee and read together...   

Lentil Soup!

Lentil Soup!

This recipe is one of my regulars.  I really got into it when I first started eating gluten free and needed the fiber and protein.  I also love that it is warm and spicy and goes with everything!  We eat this as a soup or throw in chicken or hamburger.  Some times if the lentils have soaked up a lot of the broth we will use it on toritllas in place of beans.  


Wish you could smell my house right now....mmmm!

Ingredients: 

1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 quarts gluten free low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes.  
1 lb. lentils 

Directions:

Soak lentils in water for 3-4 hours ahead of time for best results.  (You can surely make the lentils without soaking but you will have to add more broth so they won't be as tastey.)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil for 2-3 minutes in a large soup pot.  

Add all other ingredients and simmer for 2-3 hours. IT"S THAT EASY!

My young lady wanted to eat this for breakfast... I told her only if she let me take a picture first!  Love her!!! 

Last but not least...divide the leftovers into individual sized glass containers and freeze for another day!

Special Hints:  

**Go for organic if you can here - Garlic, onion and lentils are sooo much better tasting organic and they aren't expensive.  Open Harvest often has cheap organic lentils in their bins. 


**You don't have to use Italian style tomatoes, you can use Rotel if you want it spicy but regular diced tomatoes are great too.  I usually use the small can but this time I used a large can because that is what I had...whatever you have is great.


**I like this spicy but my family does not.  So I make it mild and then add spicy salsa or green chile when I heat mine up. 


This recipe makes my home smell good and makes me feel a little bit like Rachel Ray...I'm so not an excellent chef...but I will take the "feeling" for a day!  Hope you can too...

Happy Friday! - I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

I just wanted to drop in and let you know I have not fallen off of the face of the earth!  (the picture is old but made us laugh yesterday...and resembles my week in so many ways!)  


Maybe your week has been like mine...catching up from having children home for Spring Break, being ill and now trying to get life back on track!  Needless to say, I've been away from my computer!  


I pray you have a blessed Friday and an AWESOME weekend!  


I Hope to be back next week with: 
A Great Lentil Recipe, Protein Snack Ideas, and a P90X Hybrid Workout Schedule for those who love Insanity & P90X!  


Happy Friday!!!

What We Do Eat - Banana Cookies

Banana Cookies

I don't know about you but there are not too many foods more comforting than warm homemade banana bread!  In my quest to feed my family healthier, less processed and more nutrient filled food, somewhere along the line I came up with these banana cookies to help fill the void of not eating banana bread.  I just made some last night so I thought I would share them with you!    

The Ingredients:
3 Ripe bananas
2 Cups rolled oats 
1/3 Cup oil ( I use 1/4 C coconut oil plus water to make 1/3 C)
1 Cup dried cranberries (or dates or raisins)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup walnuts 


The Directions:
Mash Bananas
Stir in vanilla, oil, oats, cranberries, walnuts
Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes
Drop by teaspoon on to ungreased cookie sheet.  
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  
*The cookies will get slightly brown on top and will harden up like chewy granola bars when they cool.  Don't overcook if you want the warm banana bread experience. 

Now look at those happy young ladies :). Lets just say they I think they were tired of waiting for the cookies to cool!

What We Do Eat - Healthier Blueberry Muffins

These blueberry muffins are loved in our house!  

So much so that Macey made them on her own this week!  

This recipe is a great example of moving toward healthier eating.  You can start with a good solid recipe and change it a little at a time.  Note that these muffins are not gluten free or dairy free, but with a little work they sure could be.  

Wheat-Oat Blueberry Muffins

The basic recipe: 

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 Cup sour cream

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Cup light brown sugar

1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats

1 Cup frozen or fresh berries

     (if frozen don't defrost)
Walnuts if desired

2 tbs sugar for topping if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line muffin tin with liners

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt

In a large bowl beat eggs & sour cream

In medium saucepan on medium heat, melt butter & brown
     sugar together.  Beat this mixture into the egg & sour
     cream mixture

Stir in oats

Fold in flour & optional walnuts

Fold in berries 

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full

Drop a generous pinch of sugar on top of each muffin

Bake for 25-28 minutes

Cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan & finish cooling on rack

Makes 12 muffins

Changes in recipe you can make...


Not a fan of whole wheat? 
Start with 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 Cup regular baking flour.  Then next time you make them switch it up to all whole wheat! 


Want Healthier Yet?
Substitute a better oil such as coconut in place of the butter.
Substitute real yogurt for the sour cream - I do this in other
     recipes and it works great!
Substitute applesauce for half of the brown sugar

Fitness - Just Make It Work Monday!!!

I know...it's Monday...

But if we want reach our fitness goals consistency is the key!  

We need to exercise regularly every day.  

So some days...most often Mondays...TODAY...we need to find a way to just make it work and get the job done.  I know it's not easy.  There are so many other things we need to get done but if we don't press through with our fitness today, we will just have to start over again tomorrow.

So what are our excuses?  

We are busy
We are tired

We have no time

We don't have the right tools or weights

If I may show you a beeauuutifull (not really) video of us (Brad) doing our best with what we have:  

*At my grandparents house

*In a basement

*Low low ceilings 
(i.e. no standing shoulder presses!)

*No pull up bar

*No Big Screen TV for my DVD

*No Beautiful view or windows

Just us and our DVD!

Me in my corner.  I love the Styrofoam cooler used for holding my computer!

Brad in his corner…doing push ups and using the green band  (in the picture at the top) for a modified pull-up.   
Yep he's the king of proper technique :)

So now you can see that sometimes you just have to make it work!  

It isn't pretty!  

But pretty isn't what we are going for right?  

Remember, consistency is the key!  

So go get em...there is only a few hours left in this Monday! 
You can do it!

A Tribute Larry - Thanking God for you!

Yesterday I got the kind of call you don't want to get.  One of my childhood "Father" figures passed away after battling liver cancer.  


It's all kind of surreal as several people I love are battling cancer and I'm not sure how to manage it all in my heart and brain so tonight I am sad...but I am choosing to celebrate a man whom I loved and looked up to as a little girl.  Below is a paragraph from something I've been writing from time to time.  

"Here in Lincoln Nebraska,  I grew up being the little white girl in a neighborhood of many cultures, ethnically, and economically.  My mom worked a lot to pay the bills so my "second home" in the neighborhood was the Rodriguez family that lived two doors down the street.  As the story goes...I was 4 years old the day we moved into our new house and that day I "walked to Rodriguez's house in my mamma's high heel shoes and never went home".  Their house is where I learned about Mexican culture.  I grew up eating homemade tortillas every day and prided myself on being a part of their family… especially in the summer when my skin would get extra tan and I looked even more like them!  Their home is also where I learned that I had a hole in my heart that only Jesus could fill.  I love the Rodriguez family for taking me in, making me a part of their family and caring for me."

Our family moved out of that neighborhood when I was in 8th Grade.  While time has gone on and we have grown apart I cherish the childhood memories I have shared with them and I honor them for what they have taught me.    


So today I thank God for Larry and his life.  I sit in awe at how fast time has flown by - Thirty years has come and gone... It seems like just yesterday we were planting that tree in your front yard, holding baby Gina Marie, testing out the hot salsa on Friday nights and eating deer jerky from that deer you hung in the garage for days!  I remember you helping us carve pumpkins, pull out my teeth and watching a ton of baseball together.


I guess the beautiful thing about time passing quickly is that there will be a time, not too far away, when there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more death...  when we will be reunited with Christ in the clouds and all will be fully well again.  What a day that will be!

Cold Weather Encouragement - For Those Who Hurt This Morning!

"Lord, I need this to go away..NOW please!"

(This picture could only be more perfect if it had a mound of cold snow on top of it!)

I don't know about you but this morning when I woke up this morning I felt like this cactus.  Then, when I looked outside and everything is white and cold I thought…"Lord, I need this to go away..NOW please!"  Not only am I naturally a warm weather outdoor girl but for those of us with autoimmune issues (and probably past physical injuries)  the change in barometric pressure and cold often bring a lot of pain and fatigue.  

There are actually scientific reasons.  When the barometric pressure changes it actually affects the pressure on our bodies and joints causing them to ache.  There are also autoimmune syndromes like "Raynard's Syndrome" which is essentially a big word for really bad circulation in the fingers, toes and the ability to feel warm.  

For me, I just can't regulate body temperature.  I'm always cold.  My feet, my fingers.  I pretty much feel chilled 24/7 and it just makes me want to sleep.  And when I sleep I hibernate..not much can wake me up. 

So what do you do when you wake up feeling physically exhausted before you even get out of bed?  (other than move to Australia of course because I'm told that is where there are the least changes in environment!)  

Well - I look for re-enforcement.  I lift my head toward God and say (after complaining of course :) )  "What do you have for me today in this cold, uncomfortable place"   


I pick up the Bible or in this mornings case a book that my great friend Amy gave me and read.  It reminds me of truth.  Truth that I can hold on to throughout the day.  I wanted to share some of it with you today that you may be encouraged!

An Excerpt from:  Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings [STREAMS IN THE DESERT]

2 Cor 7:5  " We are harassed at every turn"

Why is it that God leads us in this way, allowing such strong and constant pressure on us?  

One of His purposes is to show us His all-sufficient strength and grace more effectively than if we were free from difficulties and trials.  "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show us that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Cor 4:7)

Another purpose is to bring us a greater awareness of our dependence upon Him.  God is constantly trying to teach us how dependent we are on Him - that we are held completely by His hand and reliant on His care alone.  

This is exactly where Jesus Himself stood and where He desires us to stand.  We must stand not with self-made strength but always leaning upon Him.  And our stand must exhibit a trust that would never dare to take even one step alone.  This will teach us to trust Him more.  

There is no way to learn of faith except through trials.  They are God's school of faith, and it is much better for us to learn to trust Him than to live a life of enjoyment.  And once the lesson of faith has been learned, it is an everlasting possession and an eternal fortune gained.  Yet without trust in God even great riches will leave us in poverty. " 

So this today, if you are hurting physically or just plain hurting…let us remember the truth that there are eternal purposes at work…things gained that will last forever.  A God who loves you and has a plan and holds out hope that will carry you through until the sun is shining and warm and your hurt has faded away!

My Current Short Term Fitness Goal! (not the sticker chart...the video!)

So here's the deal... 
I have to have a fitness goal.  

Not only do I need a sticker chart to keep track of that goal, but I also need a reason to keep pressing on when my body hurts and I am tired.  

My ultimate fitness goal is to be strong and healthy, keeping my Lupus and Arthritis as contained as possible. 

But how do you measure that?  I used to measure my health by how I feel each day but that is so subjective.  The positive physical benefits like fitting into a certain dress or swimsuit have never been motivators for me.  Maybe a piece of awesome cheesecake!  (Not a good idea!) 

So last year I decided I would "measure" my fitness by setting a short term goal and it worked!  My goal last year was to be strong enough physically to enjoy a full day of water skiing with Brad's family.  The prior year...I couldn't enjoy it because it made me so tired.  So last year, not only did I get to actually enjoy skiing...the added benefit was that I had enough energy to keep up with my children.  I have more memories of last summer having fun than memories of just wishing I could take a nap!  I'm hoping for the same this year.

A personal note...please know I share this with you...not for my own benefit.  I fear always talking about me.  But, I have learned through these past years of not feeling well...that life is short and I'm hoping that you will be encouraged to live life, get moving, enjoy each moment God gives you and make some great memories...

Sooooo - My fitness goal this year is to feel strong enough by spring to physically to do this:

Yikes!  (don't tell my mommy!)

So today the question is...what is your fitness goal?  Long term?  Short term?  Maybe it's to be able to physically sit on the floor and play games with your children.  Maybe it's to play basketball and be able to walk off the court of your own free will. :)  I don't know what it is...but I believe if you don't set some goals...you can never reach them.  

You can do it...decide, commit to the process, make plans and jump!

Fitness - Goal Tracking...A Shout Out To My Sister!

My precious sister is taking her fitness and health by the horns and I'm soooo proud of her! 

Today she called me and said "Hey, I just stopped at Target and picked up some markers... I'm going to write my goals on my mirror and start checking them off!"  

Her excitement encouraged me to get to writing a few fitness posts here as well.  So right now I would like to talk about tracking your goals.  

For me, one of my goals is to complete round 2 of the fitness program P90X.  I know from finishing round one some months ago that I am going to have to focus and find a way to stick with the program.  

So to put a smile on your face and let you know it's OK to be a child again sometimes....here is how I track this goal!

CAN YOU SEE IT?

YEP - IT'S A GOOD OLE FASHIONED STICKER CHART!!!

NOTICE HOW I HAD TO PUT AB-X IN IT'S OWN CATEGORY! 

(It's more work...so it deserves it's own spot!)

Sooooo.... get out the markers.  Break out the stickers.  Write down those goals and start marking them off!  

Let me know what your goals are and when you reach them so I can do a celebration dance with you!

Beachbody - Reverse the trend of Obesity

These are my beautiful daughters sharing the growing obesity epidemic in America.
Not only is it good information...it's pretty cute too!

Inflammation - 7 Foods to Avoid...Where Do You Start?

By now you may be feeling overwhelmed, wondering where to go from here?

Knowing which foods are harmful to you and actually getting them out of your diet takes work but it is sooo worth it!

My approach is not scientific.  I am not a doctor.  I have however, read several books, spent hours talking with like minded people and walked through this process over the last 5 years.  So these are my thoughts and suggestions:

Decide where you are in the process...

1.  Do you feel pretty good and just know you need to live healthier for the long haul?  Do you make pretty good food choices regularly but just want to continue to grow in this area?  If this is you then I would start by writing a daily food log which will help you really see what you are eating regularly.  If your daily food log shows that you are doing OK with your choices then from there I would take a week (or a day) to focus on each of the 7 foods to avoid and see where you can make changes in your diet.  If not for the benefit of you...do it for the benefit of your children and family.

2. Do you feel like you are at the end of your rope and feel physically bad more days than not?  Have you been diagnosed with a disease that involves inflammation?  Have you been to the doctors office many times in the past year and really have no answers?  How about us ladies who often get told "it's in your head?" Or how about my friend who was finally told to "go see a psychiatrist".  (can you tell I"m a bit hot about this one!)  If I were you (and I am)  I would do an Elimination Diet.  I would decide to take the bull by the horns and get rid of all of the things listed in my first 7 posts.  Know that you may not have to lose these foods forever but for the next 3-6 months you are on a journey to feel better.  Once you get all the foods out of your body then you can start adding them back in one at a time.  THEN, you will KNOW how those foods are affecting your body.

 - I know people who have lost 10 pounds just by cutting out dairy..their body was fighting against it!

-I know people who feel like they have more energy than they have had in years by cutting out gluten...it was messing up their digestive system and taking all their energy.

-I know people who don't have near the sinus and allergy problems because come to find out...they were simply allergic to one of these foods.

In the scope of life - 3-6 months of focusing on your foods is so worth the outcome of knowing what triggers your pain.

Avoiding these 7 foods is not the answer to everything... it is however a piece of the puzzle.