In the last year, I've very much come to realize how important it is to have a goal of being the woman in Proverbs 31. I loved the series we did at our contemporary service on the differences and roles of men and women. It was through that series that I realized how vital it is to be the "mistress of my domain", which is my home. Especially now, as a stay at home mom and wife, it is my calling to keep the house at least relatively clean, my family fed healthy meals, and to help my husband in any other way that I can.
As a perfectionist this seems so totally overwhelming. I am literally chasing 4 children around, trying to cook dinner while still cleaning up lunch and breakfast. By the end of the day, I'm more tired than the kids and often look at the pile of dishes from dinner thinking "I'll do it tomorrow". On my good nights, I'll shake it off, pull up my pants with the belly supporting panel, and get the kitchen and dining room ready for the attack of food the next morning. But there are other nights, when the floating blanket keeps coming down the stairs; under it, my daughter who thinks I can't see her if she's wearing the blanket or has her face covered with a pillow. Sometimes the kids just won't stay in bed unless I'm laying next to them. It's those nights when I fall asleep before they do in bed with them or lying on the floor next to them. I usually wake up at 2am or so, sneak out of the children's bedroom, and climb into my own bed. Sometimes I have to move the folded laundry that I was going to put away before I went to bed to the foot of the bed so they might get put away tomorrow. If there is more than one of those nights in a row, the house is a disaster. That's when the coping mechanism of my perfectionist personality comes into play. My most often used coping mechanism is avoidance. I'm so glad my grandma helps with laundry on a pretty regular basis. Even though she only does the kids' laundry, it's a huge help. And, even though she's doing the kids' laundry, I still manage to have a pile of adult laundry flowing over the hamper. Speaking of which... time to do a load! My "laundry reminder" on my phone just dinged!
Ok, I'm back! One load of laundry folded, another in the wash. Go me!
Clearly my passion is not cleaning, so it's something I have to intentionally do. I do, however, have a passion for health and wellness in my family. Last Christmas we were in the ER because my 2 yr old had a vertebral seizure and one of the twins had a much worse cough than the other kids. She was given both Mortin and Tylenol at the hospital for her fever, within less than 2 hours of each other. He was x-rayed to check for pneumonia and given antibiotics and breathing treatment for a respiratory infection. It was then that I realized my kids were sick at every holiday, either with a runny nose and cough, or fever, or stuffed up. And I noticed that it seemed to be within 2 days of being at my in-laws that these symptoms would appear. Being stressed out from having 4 constantly sick kids, I was to the point where I told my husband that there is something about his parents' house that is getting our kids sick and I was going to avoid going at all costs. Maybe it's the dogs. Maybe it's the plug-in air fresheners in every room to hide the smell of the dogs. Maybe it's the less than food we ate. I just couldn't narrow it down. Whenever the mention of going to my in-laws came up, my anxiety went through the roof.
Also at this time, I was learning about essential oils. My cousin had given some to my husband for his stuffed nose, and it cleared it up in seconds. She then told me about the oils and the business opportunity that comes with them. It was my first fall as a stay at home mom, so I was definitely thinking we were going to need some extra cash. I jumped on board, ordered my starter kit, had my mom, my aunt and my MIL purchase a kit using my member number. The next month I got a check covering the cost of my kit. I started going to classes to learn more about the oils. People talked about how they helped with all kinds of different ailments. So, when my kids got sick, I would put oils on them, maybe see some improvement, but we still ended up taking that trip to the ER on Christmas Day. I was so frustrated that I was being told all these stories of people who haven't been to the doctor in years since they started using oils, and somehow my kids were still constantly going to the doctor. What was I doing wrong?
Well, I think I may have figured it out. In the last year, we've cut out most gluten and sugar from our diets. We've also started diffusing every night in our bedrooms. My now 3 and 4 year old girls get oils on their feet as well as in their diffuser. The twins get oils in their diffuser, and only on their feet when I feel they might need an extra kick for their immune systems. Or, if their teeth seem to be bothering them, I'll put copaiba on their gums. I even took my diffusers when we stayed at my in-laws' house for the holidays. This is what I've noticed. My kids aren't really getting sick. Do they still get green boogers once in a while? Yes. However, we made it through October, November and December, all 3 months full of sugar, traveling, and usually some scary sickness, without a single trip to the ER or readymed. There was a terrible virus going around in our area where people were going days without being able to eat or even get out of bed. Something hit my house, and it was way more mild than anything I was hearing about from other people. There was some loose poop, and the oldest vomited once... in our bed, of course. But guess what... I'll take that any day over a trip to the ER.
Now it seems as though I've gotten off my 31 lady rant, but I haven't really. The "ideal woman" in the Bible not only takes care of her home, but cares for her family, helps support the family financially, and is a God fearing woman. I feel like being involved in "the oil business" is helping me and hurting me as I try to become this perfect woman. The company I am affiliated with has a founder and CEO that is a devout Christian and shares oils and oil infused products with us knowing that God gave us plants for us to maintain our health. His faith and dependency on God's direction is very motivating to me to continue growing in my faith and leaning more on God for direction. This is something the "perfect woman" does, right? These products help me care for my family using the gifts God has given us. And, I'm surrounded by a group of people who are also interested in natural Godly health and wellness. To top it all off, I have the potential to help my husband financially so he's not so stressed about money. Sounds great, except when you take into account my two weaknesses... organization and procrastination/time management.
I am so excited about these oils, how they are keeping my family healthy, and the potential to soften the financial burden on my husband, that it makes it very easy to focus on ways to share oils and focus less on maintaining my domain. Today, I committed to teaching an "Oils 101" class every Tuesday at our local library for the month of February. Hopefully it will educate some people who have no idea about essential oils, and maybe add some people to my downline. However, I'm going to have to put some extra effort in maintaining a clean and comfy home. To accommodate my time/planning/organizational deficiencies, I've decided to try a daily planner. Everything is going to be planned out. Meals. Snacks. Clean up. Naps. TV time. Everything. Then, if I put of block of time designated for my oils, maybe I'll be able to stay focused on non-oil stuff throughout the day. I might even have to schedule in phone time so I can check my Facebook, as that seems to be a huge distraction on some days as well. AND, now that this is published, maybe I'll hold myself a little more accountable to sticking with my schedule :-)
I've printed a planner template from Chaos40.com and as soon as I log out of here, I'm going to get started planning. Whoot! Maybe someday I'll have time to create a template that works more for my lifestyle, but until then, this basic "goals and appointments" type will have to do.
Pray for me to be focused and maintain focus. They say if you do something consistently for 21 days it's become a habit. Hopefully I can get this great idea to become a habit!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Jealous God
I just made a realization today about how awesome the first commandment is. When God says "You shall have no other Gods before me," He is not being a proud, demanding, selfish jerk, He's showing us how much He loves us. Often, our relationship with God is compared to a marriage, other times it is referred to more like a parent/child relationship. Either way, loving a jealous God finally makes sense to me.
As a wife, I imagined how I might feel if a man, other than my husband, wanted me to be his wife. Now, at first it might be flattering knowing that my husband has such a great wife that someone else wants me, too. But what if my husband told this other guy, "Sure! We can share her! I'll have her on even days, and you can have her on odd days."?! I'm pretty sure I would be outraged and hurt. By handing me over to someone else, my husband would show me that I'm not worth as much to him as I may have thought. Most things, if you truly value them, you keep to your self, safe and protected.
As a daughter, I can imagine someone saying to my parents "She's such a great daughter! Can she be our daughter too?" Again, I'm sure I'd be flattered and pleased with myself at being such a wonderful daughter. But, if my parents were to give me up to some other person, I'd feel so much less special. I'd feel like they didn't love me enough to want to keep me as their own. I know I am special to them and they love me because they claim me as their child. They don't say that I'm theirs only when I'm doing something that they're proud of; I'm theirs even when I do things they are not proud of.
Luckily, God is the same way, but even better. He's loved us from the start, before we were even born, before our parents even thought us up! He loves us and claims us as His, regardless of the things we say or do. He loves us so much, that he wants to be our one and only Father (or husband, depending on which comparison you're going to run with).
The difference is, God is perfect, all-knowing and all-powerful, and everything that he allows to happen in our lives is for our own good. Our parents or our husband may do things or say things because they feel it is for our own good (or because they're so frustrated they don't know what else to do or say). God knows exactly what to do and when to do it, what to say and how to say it, so that you will eventually become closer to Him. How amazing is that?! Someone who could have anything He wants at any time, loves me (you) so much that He wants to be my (your) only desire! I love this song by Sidewalk Prophets that explains the purpose of the "things" we go through in life, so that we learn to focus on our God, our One True Desire.
AMEN!
As a wife, I imagined how I might feel if a man, other than my husband, wanted me to be his wife. Now, at first it might be flattering knowing that my husband has such a great wife that someone else wants me, too. But what if my husband told this other guy, "Sure! We can share her! I'll have her on even days, and you can have her on odd days."?! I'm pretty sure I would be outraged and hurt. By handing me over to someone else, my husband would show me that I'm not worth as much to him as I may have thought. Most things, if you truly value them, you keep to your self, safe and protected.
As a daughter, I can imagine someone saying to my parents "She's such a great daughter! Can she be our daughter too?" Again, I'm sure I'd be flattered and pleased with myself at being such a wonderful daughter. But, if my parents were to give me up to some other person, I'd feel so much less special. I'd feel like they didn't love me enough to want to keep me as their own. I know I am special to them and they love me because they claim me as their child. They don't say that I'm theirs only when I'm doing something that they're proud of; I'm theirs even when I do things they are not proud of.
Luckily, God is the same way, but even better. He's loved us from the start, before we were even born, before our parents even thought us up! He loves us and claims us as His, regardless of the things we say or do. He loves us so much, that he wants to be our one and only Father (or husband, depending on which comparison you're going to run with).
The difference is, God is perfect, all-knowing and all-powerful, and everything that he allows to happen in our lives is for our own good. Our parents or our husband may do things or say things because they feel it is for our own good (or because they're so frustrated they don't know what else to do or say). God knows exactly what to do and when to do it, what to say and how to say it, so that you will eventually become closer to Him. How amazing is that?! Someone who could have anything He wants at any time, loves me (you) so much that He wants to be my (your) only desire! I love this song by Sidewalk Prophets that explains the purpose of the "things" we go through in life, so that we learn to focus on our God, our One True Desire.
AMEN!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Evolution of my eating this year
Does anyone else feel like someone they love isn't open to the idea of healthy living? I have made it a high priority to research healthy lifestyles so I can prepare the most healthy meals and snacks for my family, and I get excited and share with anyone who will listen :-) Then, it can take the wind out of my sails when someone you want to see improve their health, purposely do the opposite of what you've been talking about.
I am not a nutritionist. I have a degree in psychology and education, not a degree anywhere related to health and wellness. I am self-educating by researching and consulting with people who DO have medical and nutritional degrees. When I learn something new, I want to apply it to our lives as soon as possible so I can slowly learn how to adjust our lifestyle. This way is best for me because I can be kind of a perfectionist to the point of quitting if I mess up. The "start it and continue to learn" method works for me because I'm OK with making mistakes as I'm learning more information about the lifestyle change.
The first adjustment I made to our diets was avoiding gluten. It took me months to feel familiar enough with places gluten hides to make confident purchases at the grocery store. At about the same time, I reduced the amount of dairy. We used vanilla almond or soy milk for cereal. (The girls called it ice cream milk because the vanilla flavoring reminded them of ice cream.) We still don't do much dairy, but we do have milk with the occasional bowl of cereal. My kids LOVE cheese and our ND said that our bodies process cheese more easily than cow milk because of the way it's processed. He suggested goat milk instead of cow milk. Apparently goat milk enzymes are more compatible with our bodies.
Then I looked into Paleo. Let me just say, that if you are a person who is conscious of the chemicals that are in boxed, canned and bagged foods, Paleo is an easy way to go. I was so stressed out while I was grocery shopping, checking labels for toxins and the 60 names for each toxin, and different names for gluten contents! For a while, I literally had a list of all the chemical names in my purse to check before putting something in my cart.
Then, when I decided Paleo was even better of an option than gluten-free, my stress moved from looking at the chemical contents in everything to the cost of everything. I no longer had to worry if I missed one of the ingredients, or if there was an ingredient name that wasn't on my list but also wasn't familiar to me. It was SO EASY! If I could buy it "as is" from an organic farmer or grow it myself, then it clearly didn't contain all those things I was looking for on boxed and canned foods. However, I was concerned about pricing. Organic fruits, organic vegetables and meat from animals that live as naturally as possible can be pretty expensive. But, what I noticed is that I wasn't spending money on gluten-free waffles, chips, and snacks; so, when the final bill came at the register, it wasn't any different than before.
Next I looked into the Alkaline diet. At that time, I had some skin issues and suspected candida albicans overgrowth was responsible. I tested my pH frequently and was always EXTREMELY acidic (prime breeding grounds for things like candida and disease). So I tried to merge the Alkaline diet into the Paleo as well as the Candida diet. Oh deary me! I probably could have done a 3 ring VennDiagram and would've only had broccoli and asparagus that was acceptable on all 3 diets. How frustrating!
Finally, I talked to my ND, got confirmation of my candida suspicions and asked for diet suggestions. Candida is a yeast/fungus that is naturally in our bodies, but when intestinal flora is out of whack can allow the candida to kind of take over. It feeds on access sugar, so people on the Candida Diet don't eat sugar and sometimes don't even eat fruit because of the high sugar content. When I expressed my frustration with my ND about finding a proper lifestyle, not just a diet, for our family, he suggested Trim Healthy Mamma. I put the book on my Christmas list and found a copy at the library to hold me over until Christmas! I have not read the 600+ page book, but from talking with our ND, it makes sense. Our body's reaction to foods depends on a lot of things, including what other things we eat with it. For example, he said that if you eat a meat and a starchy carb like potatoes, it causes a bigger spike in our blood sugar and stimulates our pancreas more than if the carb was eaten separately. This book is all about the glycemic index. If there's no excess sugar in my body, the candida has nothing to feed off from, right? Plus, it also seems to be 99% Paleo friendly, using organic, natural and preservative free foods.
SO... what I've decided is this: I'm going to try out the Trim Healthy Mamma lifestyle and keep you all posted :-) From what I have been reading on different blogs and on the THM website, my husband probably won't notice any difference in our diet! We'll be eating meats, fruits, veggies, eggs... all the stuff we were eating honoring the Paleo thought process, but the food items will be paired more intentionally. There are even some great recipes for sugar-free desserts and even CHOCOLATE!!! Now, I haven't had much of anything sweet since I found out about the candida. Let me tell you, if I can't have it, it's not coming in this house. If there is any kind of sweets in my house and I know I'm not supposed to have them, I eat them. Plain and simple. I have great self-control at the grocery store, so I don't buy sweets. If there are any sweets in my house, they were gifted to my husband or children, most likely by my in-laws or one of my grandmas. Point being, I'm looking forward to these new recipes that will satisfy my sweet tooth without feeding the candida.
I'll keep you posted and might even share some recipes :-)
I am not a nutritionist. I have a degree in psychology and education, not a degree anywhere related to health and wellness. I am self-educating by researching and consulting with people who DO have medical and nutritional degrees. When I learn something new, I want to apply it to our lives as soon as possible so I can slowly learn how to adjust our lifestyle. This way is best for me because I can be kind of a perfectionist to the point of quitting if I mess up. The "start it and continue to learn" method works for me because I'm OK with making mistakes as I'm learning more information about the lifestyle change.
The first adjustment I made to our diets was avoiding gluten. It took me months to feel familiar enough with places gluten hides to make confident purchases at the grocery store. At about the same time, I reduced the amount of dairy. We used vanilla almond or soy milk for cereal. (The girls called it ice cream milk because the vanilla flavoring reminded them of ice cream.) We still don't do much dairy, but we do have milk with the occasional bowl of cereal. My kids LOVE cheese and our ND said that our bodies process cheese more easily than cow milk because of the way it's processed. He suggested goat milk instead of cow milk. Apparently goat milk enzymes are more compatible with our bodies.
Then I looked into Paleo. Let me just say, that if you are a person who is conscious of the chemicals that are in boxed, canned and bagged foods, Paleo is an easy way to go. I was so stressed out while I was grocery shopping, checking labels for toxins and the 60 names for each toxin, and different names for gluten contents! For a while, I literally had a list of all the chemical names in my purse to check before putting something in my cart.
Then, when I decided Paleo was even better of an option than gluten-free, my stress moved from looking at the chemical contents in everything to the cost of everything. I no longer had to worry if I missed one of the ingredients, or if there was an ingredient name that wasn't on my list but also wasn't familiar to me. It was SO EASY! If I could buy it "as is" from an organic farmer or grow it myself, then it clearly didn't contain all those things I was looking for on boxed and canned foods. However, I was concerned about pricing. Organic fruits, organic vegetables and meat from animals that live as naturally as possible can be pretty expensive. But, what I noticed is that I wasn't spending money on gluten-free waffles, chips, and snacks; so, when the final bill came at the register, it wasn't any different than before.
Next I looked into the Alkaline diet. At that time, I had some skin issues and suspected candida albicans overgrowth was responsible. I tested my pH frequently and was always EXTREMELY acidic (prime breeding grounds for things like candida and disease). So I tried to merge the Alkaline diet into the Paleo as well as the Candida diet. Oh deary me! I probably could have done a 3 ring VennDiagram and would've only had broccoli and asparagus that was acceptable on all 3 diets. How frustrating!
Finally, I talked to my ND, got confirmation of my candida suspicions and asked for diet suggestions. Candida is a yeast/fungus that is naturally in our bodies, but when intestinal flora is out of whack can allow the candida to kind of take over. It feeds on access sugar, so people on the Candida Diet don't eat sugar and sometimes don't even eat fruit because of the high sugar content. When I expressed my frustration with my ND about finding a proper lifestyle, not just a diet, for our family, he suggested Trim Healthy Mamma. I put the book on my Christmas list and found a copy at the library to hold me over until Christmas! I have not read the 600+ page book, but from talking with our ND, it makes sense. Our body's reaction to foods depends on a lot of things, including what other things we eat with it. For example, he said that if you eat a meat and a starchy carb like potatoes, it causes a bigger spike in our blood sugar and stimulates our pancreas more than if the carb was eaten separately. This book is all about the glycemic index. If there's no excess sugar in my body, the candida has nothing to feed off from, right? Plus, it also seems to be 99% Paleo friendly, using organic, natural and preservative free foods.
SO... what I've decided is this: I'm going to try out the Trim Healthy Mamma lifestyle and keep you all posted :-) From what I have been reading on different blogs and on the THM website, my husband probably won't notice any difference in our diet! We'll be eating meats, fruits, veggies, eggs... all the stuff we were eating honoring the Paleo thought process, but the food items will be paired more intentionally. There are even some great recipes for sugar-free desserts and even CHOCOLATE!!! Now, I haven't had much of anything sweet since I found out about the candida. Let me tell you, if I can't have it, it's not coming in this house. If there is any kind of sweets in my house and I know I'm not supposed to have them, I eat them. Plain and simple. I have great self-control at the grocery store, so I don't buy sweets. If there are any sweets in my house, they were gifted to my husband or children, most likely by my in-laws or one of my grandmas. Point being, I'm looking forward to these new recipes that will satisfy my sweet tooth without feeding the candida.
I'll keep you posted and might even share some recipes :-)
Monday, November 17, 2014
ADD/ADHD and salicylates
WOW! I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT THE WAY OUR BODIES WORK!
Tonight I stumbled across something called a salicylate sensitivity. Some researchers believe that many people with ADD/ADHD have sensitivities to a naturally found chemical called salicylate. If you like chemistry, then this post is for you! Salicylates are specific type of phenol compound. For those who are like me and struggled through high school chemistry, it just means that they contain certain elements from that chart we had to memorize that are attached in a specific order or pattern. Anyway, these natural chemicals are often beneficial for our bodies as long as our bodies are processing them correctly. They are found in wonderfully nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables and nuts. BUT, if our bodies don't have the proper enzymes to process those foods, then those typically nutritious and helpful chemicals can cause our bodies to react negatively.
As I was reading this page, I thought "What a plethora of information! I need to share this!" Then I read, and reread a paragraph about the cause of this sensitivity. In the paragraph titled "Why Do People React To Them" the author states "In a normal body, one with the correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes, phenols and salicylates are easily metabolized. The body utilizes what it needs from the chemicals and properly disposes of the rest through the bowels. In those whose levels are abnormal, or in the case of leaky gut syndrome, intolerance to this chemical family can occur rather quickly." (Italics/bold added for emphasis)The statement about correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes got me thinking about how someone could fix that deficit. So, I did a little more research (because that's what I like to do!). Sulfates are a natural form of sulfur compound, which also can be found naturally in foods. Another way that you can get sulfur (which you need to make up a sulfate molecule) is taking a supplement.
My husband struggles with ADD, so I'm ordering a sulfur supplement to see if he notices a difference. I do know that when he was taking DMAE, he noticed a difference. So we'll do a comparison and keep you posted!
I also learned that sulfur deficiency can cause all kinds of sensitivities to foods such as tree nuts. If you have lots of allergy issues, adding a sulfur supplement might be something to consider.
The statement in the article about salicylates also mentioned levels of liver enzymes. Well guess what can cause a change in liver enzymes. Medicines such as Aleve and Tylenol! Incorrect levels of liver enzymes are a sign of metabolic dysfunction and liver inflammation. Other medications that can mess with your liver are some anti-biotics, some anti-fungals, some antidepressants and others.
Here are a few more pages you might be interested in if you're interested in the effects of sulfur, sulfates, salicylates, etc...
The difference between sulfa drugs, sulfate, sulfite, and sulfur.
The importance of sulfur compounds in our bodies.
The importance and use of MSM, a specific sulfur compound that is beneficial for the natural function of our bodies.
Tonight I stumbled across something called a salicylate sensitivity. Some researchers believe that many people with ADD/ADHD have sensitivities to a naturally found chemical called salicylate. If you like chemistry, then this post is for you! Salicylates are specific type of phenol compound. For those who are like me and struggled through high school chemistry, it just means that they contain certain elements from that chart we had to memorize that are attached in a specific order or pattern. Anyway, these natural chemicals are often beneficial for our bodies as long as our bodies are processing them correctly. They are found in wonderfully nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables and nuts. BUT, if our bodies don't have the proper enzymes to process those foods, then those typically nutritious and helpful chemicals can cause our bodies to react negatively.
As I was reading this page, I thought "What a plethora of information! I need to share this!" Then I read, and reread a paragraph about the cause of this sensitivity. In the paragraph titled "Why Do People React To Them" the author states "In a normal body, one with the correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes, phenols and salicylates are easily metabolized. The body utilizes what it needs from the chemicals and properly disposes of the rest through the bowels. In those whose levels are abnormal, or in the case of leaky gut syndrome, intolerance to this chemical family can occur rather quickly." (Italics/bold added for emphasis)The statement about correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes got me thinking about how someone could fix that deficit. So, I did a little more research (because that's what I like to do!). Sulfates are a natural form of sulfur compound, which also can be found naturally in foods. Another way that you can get sulfur (which you need to make up a sulfate molecule) is taking a supplement.
My husband struggles with ADD, so I'm ordering a sulfur supplement to see if he notices a difference. I do know that when he was taking DMAE, he noticed a difference. So we'll do a comparison and keep you posted!
I also learned that sulfur deficiency can cause all kinds of sensitivities to foods such as tree nuts. If you have lots of allergy issues, adding a sulfur supplement might be something to consider.
The statement in the article about salicylates also mentioned levels of liver enzymes. Well guess what can cause a change in liver enzymes. Medicines such as Aleve and Tylenol! Incorrect levels of liver enzymes are a sign of metabolic dysfunction and liver inflammation. Other medications that can mess with your liver are some anti-biotics, some anti-fungals, some antidepressants and others.
Here are a few more pages you might be interested in if you're interested in the effects of sulfur, sulfates, salicylates, etc...
The difference between sulfa drugs, sulfate, sulfite, and sulfur.
The importance of sulfur compounds in our bodies.
The importance and use of MSM, a specific sulfur compound that is beneficial for the natural function of our bodies.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Homemade Almond Butter
My kids LOVE peanut butter, but store-bought peanut butter is full of preservatives and sugar. So, I decided to make my own. Then I thought that if I was going to spend the time making it, I should make it super healthy. Peanuts have been getting some "bad press" because of the fungus that is often found on them, which creates a toxin called Aflatoxin. We've been eating peanut butter in our family since my husband and I were married, and fed it to our children. As far as I can tell, we've had no issues with peanuts, but I had just purchased a bag of organic raw almonds...So, I made almond butter instead. Not only is it packed with nutrients, but it's delicious too! Since I was only experimenting, I used inexact measurements and made a small amount. This is what I did, which yielded about a cup of almond butter:
In my MagicBullet, I threw in 3 handfuls of almonds (here is some information on almonds), 2ish tablespoons of coconut oil (Here are some health benefits from coconut oil), and a few dashes of cinnamon (health benefits of cinnamon). After a minute it was completely pureed and perfect! The coconut oil made it a bit runny at first, but once it cooled back to room temperature, it got more solidified. If you wanted to add some sweetness to yours, you could add some honey, agave or stevia. Since I'm trying to avoid sugars, I opted to leave it as is. A drop of pure vanilla extract might be something yummy to add as well!
Our family is also limiting the amount of grain and yeast products we are eating, so we've had to get creative with meals and snacks. Many people typically think of things like sandwiches or soups for lunch because they're quick and easy. Most canned soups that I find have either some form of gluten, MSG or both. And breads, even gluten free breads, have yeast to help them rise. Thinking outside the box, we've decided to try romaine lettuce for sandwiches. My kids love it! They decided to try the new almond butter on their lettuce sandwiches. I couldn't make the sandwiches fast enough for the boys; and the girls, well, they eventually decided it was good enough to eat. To be fair, they were expecting something more like peanut butter. It just wasn't what they were expecting.
In my MagicBullet, I threw in 3 handfuls of almonds (here is some information on almonds), 2ish tablespoons of coconut oil (Here are some health benefits from coconut oil), and a few dashes of cinnamon (health benefits of cinnamon). After a minute it was completely pureed and perfect! The coconut oil made it a bit runny at first, but once it cooled back to room temperature, it got more solidified. If you wanted to add some sweetness to yours, you could add some honey, agave or stevia. Since I'm trying to avoid sugars, I opted to leave it as is. A drop of pure vanilla extract might be something yummy to add as well!
Our family is also limiting the amount of grain and yeast products we are eating, so we've had to get creative with meals and snacks. Many people typically think of things like sandwiches or soups for lunch because they're quick and easy. Most canned soups that I find have either some form of gluten, MSG or both. And breads, even gluten free breads, have yeast to help them rise. Thinking outside the box, we've decided to try romaine lettuce for sandwiches. My kids love it! They decided to try the new almond butter on their lettuce sandwiches. I couldn't make the sandwiches fast enough for the boys; and the girls, well, they eventually decided it was good enough to eat. To be fair, they were expecting something more like peanut butter. It just wasn't what they were expecting.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Paleo vs. Gluten Free
As I have mentioned in my very first post, this blog and my facebook page are ways to document my growth as a stay at home mom of 4. Now that I am not a full time teacher, I have time to think about and research healthy choices for my family. Today I did a little bit of research about the Paleo diet. Now that I am surrounding myself with people who are health conscious, I'm hearing more discussions about gluten, preservatives, Paleo, toxins, and all kinds of other healthy living issues. One thing that came up a while ago was that there are still a lot of yucky things in foods that are gluten-free.
In Stacey Kimbrell's class earlier this year, she listed all the different names for MSG and other toxic ingredients that we find in the foods on the shelves of our local grocery stores. Names like formaldehyde can also be renamed so they are less recognizable by the consumer. For example, MSG can also be called whey protein, brewers yeast, yeast extract, and even "natural flavor". This page lists the different ingredients that can break down into MSG when processed. This allows the food companies to use the MSG as a preservative without any red flags for most people. So, for a while I brought my list of chemical names, looked at box and bag labels, checking each of the words on the label that I couldn't pronounce to see which toxins were in the foods I wanted to buy. Then I had to make the decision of "do I need or want it bad enough that I will allow myself and my family to ingest toxin x"? Many times I purchased the product thinking that we wouldn't be eating that much of it, or it was essential for a recipe I was planning to make, or it was a convenience food. I found myself making decisions like this: My husband wanted chips to snack on, and I had a coupon for either Bugles or Green Giant Veggie chips. I immediately grabbed the veggie chips thinking they'd obviously be the more healthy choice. Just for kicks and giggles, I compared the nutrition information and ingredients on the Bugles and the veggie chips. Surprisingly, the veggie chips had the most "chemical" ingredients. I used my coupon and purchased the Bugles, even though the ingredients list contained some of those naughty, yucky, hard to pronounce words. At least they were gluten-free, right?
I can read labels on gluten-free crackers, chips, cereals, etc. and see all kinds of unnatural ingredients. It has only taken me a few months, but I have realized, the easiest way to avoid these poisons is to eat food that hasn't been processed. Hence my search of information on the Paleo Diet. I Googled "Paleo Grocery List" and I found these two helpful sites: paleoonabudget.com and paleogrubs.com. Both have at least 2 weeks worth of meal plans and links to some amazing recipes. One of the authors mentions a few times how easy it is to make Paleo meals because the ingredients are so simple. You don't have to have all kinds of canned soups, dressings, or flavor packets to make these meals. Just stock up on meats, veggies and fruits! Paleo Poor also gives a list of seasonal fruits and veggies, so you know which ones will be the best buy. Not only that, she also lists which are "clean", "dirty" or considered more nutritious than the others. So, if I'm on a budget (which I most definitely am), I can decide to get a clean fruit or veggie that is not organic, and spend my extra few cents on getting the organic fruits or veggies that are considered "dirty".
So, today was my first Paleo shopping trip. It was so easy! I found a few things that were manager specials because they were a little wilted. But if we eat them tomorrow, they'll be just fine. According to my seasonal list, I purchased fruits and veggies that are in season now (squash, apples, sweet potatoes), so I didn't have to pay the extra for them to get shipped from the other side of the world. I didn't have to stress about which big words I needed to look up on my danger list. Amazing!
In Stacey Kimbrell's class earlier this year, she listed all the different names for MSG and other toxic ingredients that we find in the foods on the shelves of our local grocery stores. Names like formaldehyde can also be renamed so they are less recognizable by the consumer. For example, MSG can also be called whey protein, brewers yeast, yeast extract, and even "natural flavor". This page lists the different ingredients that can break down into MSG when processed. This allows the food companies to use the MSG as a preservative without any red flags for most people. So, for a while I brought my list of chemical names, looked at box and bag labels, checking each of the words on the label that I couldn't pronounce to see which toxins were in the foods I wanted to buy. Then I had to make the decision of "do I need or want it bad enough that I will allow myself and my family to ingest toxin x"? Many times I purchased the product thinking that we wouldn't be eating that much of it, or it was essential for a recipe I was planning to make, or it was a convenience food. I found myself making decisions like this: My husband wanted chips to snack on, and I had a coupon for either Bugles or Green Giant Veggie chips. I immediately grabbed the veggie chips thinking they'd obviously be the more healthy choice. Just for kicks and giggles, I compared the nutrition information and ingredients on the Bugles and the veggie chips. Surprisingly, the veggie chips had the most "chemical" ingredients. I used my coupon and purchased the Bugles, even though the ingredients list contained some of those naughty, yucky, hard to pronounce words. At least they were gluten-free, right?
I can read labels on gluten-free crackers, chips, cereals, etc. and see all kinds of unnatural ingredients. It has only taken me a few months, but I have realized, the easiest way to avoid these poisons is to eat food that hasn't been processed. Hence my search of information on the Paleo Diet. I Googled "Paleo Grocery List" and I found these two helpful sites: paleoonabudget.com and paleogrubs.com. Both have at least 2 weeks worth of meal plans and links to some amazing recipes. One of the authors mentions a few times how easy it is to make Paleo meals because the ingredients are so simple. You don't have to have all kinds of canned soups, dressings, or flavor packets to make these meals. Just stock up on meats, veggies and fruits! Paleo Poor also gives a list of seasonal fruits and veggies, so you know which ones will be the best buy. Not only that, she also lists which are "clean", "dirty" or considered more nutritious than the others. So, if I'm on a budget (which I most definitely am), I can decide to get a clean fruit or veggie that is not organic, and spend my extra few cents on getting the organic fruits or veggies that are considered "dirty".
So, today was my first Paleo shopping trip. It was so easy! I found a few things that were manager specials because they were a little wilted. But if we eat them tomorrow, they'll be just fine. According to my seasonal list, I purchased fruits and veggies that are in season now (squash, apples, sweet potatoes), so I didn't have to pay the extra for them to get shipped from the other side of the world. I didn't have to stress about which big words I needed to look up on my danger list. Amazing!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Rules for a reason
Isn't it amazing how our perspectives can change when you become a parent? As I was growing up, I associated rules with control, or lack there of. Most people who knew me growing up knew that I often had to turn down invitations because my mom said "no". Now that I have children, I understand her concerns and reasoning behind not allowing me to go to parties, stressing about grades, telling me what not to wear, etc. I saw it as having no control of my own life and her not wanting me to have any fun. She knew the possible consequences for those choices and viewed my restrictions as helping me avoid painful consequences. (If you're familiar with Love and Logic parenting/teaching, my mom would have been considered both a Drill Sergeant AND a Helicopter parent.)
The same holds true for the rules God gives us in the Bible. However, the difference between my well-meaning mom and God is He doesn't make them up in an attempt to control the outcomes of our lives, they are given to us because He knows the consequences of those actions and loves us enough to warn us. Lets take the 10 commandments, for example.
1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me. What are the consequences of setting priorities or "gods" higher than our Lord God? What if you value money more than God? What if you value your self image more than God? The consequences are often continual dissatisfaction and eventually self destruction. When money is more important than God, you lose sight of the value of all the other things he has given you: health, family, friends, food, etc. When external image is more important to you than God, you are blinded to the natural beauty He has created in you and spend your time changing what He created. You were made in His image, you are beautiful.
2. Do not use the Lord's name in vain. To understand this, you must understand the word "vain" in this context. In this verse (Ex20:7) the Hebrew word or root for "vain" is "shav", meaning emptiness, vanity, deceit, lies, or falsehood. So, then, what would be consequences of using God's name with emptiness or falsehood, being deceptive? You will lose your integrity, and people will not trust you. How many issues in our world today are directly related to a lack of trust in people, businesses, communities or organizations?
3. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. This is important for a lot of reasons, I feel. If you take one day a week to focus on and study God's word, maybe you'd learn to listen to Him and hear what he's telling you. So often we get caught up in cleaning house, sports tournaments, or paperwork we need to get done for the boss back at the office, that we find ourselves too busy to listen to whatever God's trying to tell us. Also, studies show that people are much more effective and efficient at work when they've had some time to decompress. I know that when I was a public school teacher, I was much more energized and ready to face a classroom of needy children after one of our breaks. Life is physically and emotionally draining- allowing yourself one day with God, will refresh you for the days to come.
4. Honor your father and mother. This command is not just saying "always do what your parents tell you", per say. It's basically saying not to be an embarrassment to your parents. Act in a way which will make your parents proud. Why is this important? Personally speaking, I can remember a time in my life where I was "finding myself." I was pretty much doing the opposite of this commandment. Let me tell you, it was pretty stressful on me trying to cover up what I didn't want my parents to know and stressful on my relationship with my parents. If you don't have a good relationship with your parents, for whatever reason, you know how difficult and complicated it can make life. My husband and I have been married for 7 years and started dating 10 years ago. This past weekend, my mom found out for the first time that I had met my husband on the internet. It wasn't something I thought my parents would approve of, and therefore took a lot of fibs, stories and awkward conversations to keep them from finding out. Coincidentally, this fib was happening at the same time as the fore-mentioned "finding myself" period on the timeline of my life... so I had quite a few stories I had to keep straight when talking with my parents. Would my life have been less stressful if I'd stuck to doing the things that I could tell my parents about? You bet!
5. Do not kill. Interesting that this one is also a "law of the land"... For people who don't believe in God, where do they get the moral standing of killing is wrong? That's a whole different post in and of itself! Likewise, a whole blog post could be on the relationship between this commandment, abortions and birth control. Let's keep it simple and narrow it down to what we should all agree is murder... ending the life of a person. (Again, we'll leave the "when does life begin" argument for another time). What are the consequences of killing? You go to jail, and depending on which state you live in, you could be put to death "humanely". Chances are you'd also have some major psychological issues added on to whatever issues you had that caused you to commit murder in the first place. Not only are you affected, but the family and friends of the person that was killed would have a lot of emotional stress which can lead to financial stress.
6. Do not commit adultery. In Exodus, the command is simply "don't commit adultery". But what qualifies as adultery? The obvious answer is sleeping/sex with someone who is married or with someone other than your spouse if you are married. However, in Matthew 5:28, we are told that even having lustful thoughts about someone that is not our spouse is also considered adultery. So, that means if a "hot chick" or "hot guy" walks by and your mind says "wow, I wonder how he/she is in bed" you've committed adultery, even if you didn't actually sleep with them. Keeping a pure mind makes a wedded relationship run much more smoothly. Married couples already have other things to argue about: money, in-laws, parenting styles, etc. Unfortunately, the act of adultery has created a wedge in many marriages. Spouses become unable to trust each other; wondering if their husband or wife is really where they say they are or with who they say they're with. Divorce is usually the outcome of infidelity, and that creates a whole truckload of baggage, especially if there are children involved.
7. Do not steal. Another "law of the land" like commandment #5. Not only will you end up in jail (or at least a court record of some sort, depending on your age and the value of the stolen goods), you will end up not being trusted. I've also noticed that people are much more willing to help out someone in need with integrity, than someone who steals to get what they want.
8. Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. In Exodus, the word used for "neighbor" is "rea". When this word is used other places in the Bible, it is interchangeable with "friend, companion, fellow, another, husband, lover, mate, opponent and neighbor". "Testimony" and "witness" are also interchangeable here. In short, don't make up lies about people. Those people are all people, not just your friends or the people who live next to you. When you make up lies or spread gossip about people, others will not respect you, you will not be a trusted confidant, and you may end up with no friends. Some lies can actually ruin the lives of those about whom the lie was spoken.
9. Do not covet your neighbor's house, and 10. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, servants, ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. These two I'm putting together because of the same general theme... do not be jealous of things that other people have, and you don't. The old saying goes "The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence". I recently saw a quote on Oola's Facebook page that is related to this commandment: "Jealousy comes from counting others' blessings instead of your own." You will never be happy with what you have if you're constantly comparing yourself, your things, and your life to others. People who are not grateful for what they have often find themselves ruining relationships and even their health to get what someone else has. Setting goals is wonderful, but the motivation behind those goals needs to be genuine, not because "life will be better when I have (fill in the blank) like (fill in a name)".
There are many other "dos" and "don'ts" throughout the Bible, all of which have been given to us to prevent us from having to go through pain and heartache... drunkenness, homosexuality, foods to eat and foods to avoid, laziness, etc. Literally every aspect of our daily life can be guided by the "rules" God gave us in the Bible. From the moment we wake up to the time we drift off to sleep, our choices can either make life easier (by following "the rules") or create a struggle for ourselves and/or others (by not following "the rules"). Even the best of us struggle with one or two issues. Luckily, He loves us no matter how many rules we break or how messed up we've caused our lives to be!
The same holds true for the rules God gives us in the Bible. However, the difference between my well-meaning mom and God is He doesn't make them up in an attempt to control the outcomes of our lives, they are given to us because He knows the consequences of those actions and loves us enough to warn us. Lets take the 10 commandments, for example.
1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me. What are the consequences of setting priorities or "gods" higher than our Lord God? What if you value money more than God? What if you value your self image more than God? The consequences are often continual dissatisfaction and eventually self destruction. When money is more important than God, you lose sight of the value of all the other things he has given you: health, family, friends, food, etc. When external image is more important to you than God, you are blinded to the natural beauty He has created in you and spend your time changing what He created. You were made in His image, you are beautiful.
2. Do not use the Lord's name in vain. To understand this, you must understand the word "vain" in this context. In this verse (Ex20:7) the Hebrew word or root for "vain" is "shav", meaning emptiness, vanity, deceit, lies, or falsehood. So, then, what would be consequences of using God's name with emptiness or falsehood, being deceptive? You will lose your integrity, and people will not trust you. How many issues in our world today are directly related to a lack of trust in people, businesses, communities or organizations?
3. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. This is important for a lot of reasons, I feel. If you take one day a week to focus on and study God's word, maybe you'd learn to listen to Him and hear what he's telling you. So often we get caught up in cleaning house, sports tournaments, or paperwork we need to get done for the boss back at the office, that we find ourselves too busy to listen to whatever God's trying to tell us. Also, studies show that people are much more effective and efficient at work when they've had some time to decompress. I know that when I was a public school teacher, I was much more energized and ready to face a classroom of needy children after one of our breaks. Life is physically and emotionally draining- allowing yourself one day with God, will refresh you for the days to come.
4. Honor your father and mother. This command is not just saying "always do what your parents tell you", per say. It's basically saying not to be an embarrassment to your parents. Act in a way which will make your parents proud. Why is this important? Personally speaking, I can remember a time in my life where I was "finding myself." I was pretty much doing the opposite of this commandment. Let me tell you, it was pretty stressful on me trying to cover up what I didn't want my parents to know and stressful on my relationship with my parents. If you don't have a good relationship with your parents, for whatever reason, you know how difficult and complicated it can make life. My husband and I have been married for 7 years and started dating 10 years ago. This past weekend, my mom found out for the first time that I had met my husband on the internet. It wasn't something I thought my parents would approve of, and therefore took a lot of fibs, stories and awkward conversations to keep them from finding out. Coincidentally, this fib was happening at the same time as the fore-mentioned "finding myself" period on the timeline of my life... so I had quite a few stories I had to keep straight when talking with my parents. Would my life have been less stressful if I'd stuck to doing the things that I could tell my parents about? You bet!
5. Do not kill. Interesting that this one is also a "law of the land"... For people who don't believe in God, where do they get the moral standing of killing is wrong? That's a whole different post in and of itself! Likewise, a whole blog post could be on the relationship between this commandment, abortions and birth control. Let's keep it simple and narrow it down to what we should all agree is murder... ending the life of a person. (Again, we'll leave the "when does life begin" argument for another time). What are the consequences of killing? You go to jail, and depending on which state you live in, you could be put to death "humanely". Chances are you'd also have some major psychological issues added on to whatever issues you had that caused you to commit murder in the first place. Not only are you affected, but the family and friends of the person that was killed would have a lot of emotional stress which can lead to financial stress.
6. Do not commit adultery. In Exodus, the command is simply "don't commit adultery". But what qualifies as adultery? The obvious answer is sleeping/sex with someone who is married or with someone other than your spouse if you are married. However, in Matthew 5:28, we are told that even having lustful thoughts about someone that is not our spouse is also considered adultery. So, that means if a "hot chick" or "hot guy" walks by and your mind says "wow, I wonder how he/she is in bed" you've committed adultery, even if you didn't actually sleep with them. Keeping a pure mind makes a wedded relationship run much more smoothly. Married couples already have other things to argue about: money, in-laws, parenting styles, etc. Unfortunately, the act of adultery has created a wedge in many marriages. Spouses become unable to trust each other; wondering if their husband or wife is really where they say they are or with who they say they're with. Divorce is usually the outcome of infidelity, and that creates a whole truckload of baggage, especially if there are children involved.
7. Do not steal. Another "law of the land" like commandment #5. Not only will you end up in jail (or at least a court record of some sort, depending on your age and the value of the stolen goods), you will end up not being trusted. I've also noticed that people are much more willing to help out someone in need with integrity, than someone who steals to get what they want.
8. Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. In Exodus, the word used for "neighbor" is "rea". When this word is used other places in the Bible, it is interchangeable with "friend, companion, fellow, another, husband, lover, mate, opponent and neighbor". "Testimony" and "witness" are also interchangeable here. In short, don't make up lies about people. Those people are all people, not just your friends or the people who live next to you. When you make up lies or spread gossip about people, others will not respect you, you will not be a trusted confidant, and you may end up with no friends. Some lies can actually ruin the lives of those about whom the lie was spoken.
9. Do not covet your neighbor's house, and 10. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, servants, ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. These two I'm putting together because of the same general theme... do not be jealous of things that other people have, and you don't. The old saying goes "The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence". I recently saw a quote on Oola's Facebook page that is related to this commandment: "Jealousy comes from counting others' blessings instead of your own." You will never be happy with what you have if you're constantly comparing yourself, your things, and your life to others. People who are not grateful for what they have often find themselves ruining relationships and even their health to get what someone else has. Setting goals is wonderful, but the motivation behind those goals needs to be genuine, not because "life will be better when I have (fill in the blank) like (fill in a name)".
There are many other "dos" and "don'ts" throughout the Bible, all of which have been given to us to prevent us from having to go through pain and heartache... drunkenness, homosexuality, foods to eat and foods to avoid, laziness, etc. Literally every aspect of our daily life can be guided by the "rules" God gave us in the Bible. From the moment we wake up to the time we drift off to sleep, our choices can either make life easier (by following "the rules") or create a struggle for ourselves and/or others (by not following "the rules"). Even the best of us struggle with one or two issues. Luckily, He loves us no matter how many rules we break or how messed up we've caused our lives to be!
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