Not Enough Time to Eat Right - Check out Jenn's Amazing Free E-book!



Having enough time to accomplish everything is so important in today's crazy world.  "Not enough time" is the number one reason people mention to me that they don't succeed eating 'FoodsbyGod'.  If this describes you, I suggest you check out Jenn's ebook.   Jennifer is sharing her e-book for free  as daily posts on her blog, starting this Sunday.  Her book is a "Seven Week Guide to a Clutter-Free Home and How to Keep It That Way". 

This summer,  Jennifer has helped me 'gain' more time.   She shared her e-book with me, The Intentional Home, and I loved her day by day guidance.  Room by room my home was transformed.  I love how open and clean everything feels.  While I am not gifted like Jennifer with decorating, I have  learned many things watching her in action.  And I have gained the confidence to experiment, as with my screen porch shown above - I love the feel of my de-cluttered and cleaned porch. 

 

Jennifer's simple, yet fun, method of de-cluttering and cleaning one's home has greatly impacted my life and now you too can be blessed!  Thank you, Jenn, for your cheerful spirit and willingness to help others. 

Weekly Challenge - Week 33 (August 13, 2013)

Be creative!

Have fun this week and be creative with your food.  Look through your cookbooks or on-line for ideas.  Aren't the apple cups above cute!!!  I did not make these but found this on-line.  If this is a bit too complex, then try just cutting your veggies or fruit is fun shapes (celery swords and carrot eyeballs are great fun for little ones).  Or you can use the shell of a cantaloupe or watermelon as your bowl for fruit salad.  At a luncheon last week, several loved having cucumber wedges with the egg salad.  They said they have only seen fresh cucumbers cut in rounds - they thought having the cucumber wedges from my garden cucumbers was a fun refreshing change. 

You might add an ingredient your family loves or change the spices in one of my recipes.  Or experiment making a new flavor of ice cream.  Think out of the box and do something different (and share your ideas of what you have tried with Jenn on the FoodsbyGod facebook page). 

 

Tired of standard ham sandwiches and tired of quesadillas for lunches, Jon decided to make a ham/cheese quesadilla yesterday.  Both Jon and Tom loved his new creation.  This made a great lunch combined with some cucumber wedges from our garden (I cut the cucumber wedges in half so they were shorter for my luncheon). 

 

Or make a car or train or fish design out of your food for lunch.  Even if you don't have kids, it is fun and appealing to make your plate of food pretty for a meal.  No excuses that you are not creative because I am not creative yet even I can think of fun things to do such as our July 4th yogurt breakfast or my chili with steak.



The more you try things and practice the easier and more fun it becomes.  Enjoy God's foods and have fun letting your creative juices flow!

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16:11

Fruit Salad

 



This may not seem like it needs a recipe, but I am amazed  by how many people ask me how to make my delicious fruit salad.  So today I will describe what I do - it is so very, very simple.  The key is to use only fresh fruits in season and nothing else.  Don't add any sugar or even honey or any sweetener to your fruit salad.

 

Ingredients:

 

Fresh fruits in season - I like to use about 5 different fruits.

 

I usually begin with watermelon filling the bowl 1/3 to 1/2 full with watermelon cubes.  I typically purchase conventional watermelon (they are not one of the dirty dozen but are on the clean 15 list). 

 

Next I add cantaloupe cubes.  I purchase either organic or conventional cantaloupe, depending upon what is available (but only conventional cantaloupe that has been grown in the USA - see clean 15 list).

 

We have been fortunate to have a very long season of organic strawberries this year.  I next add about two cups of strawberries that I have de-stemmed and cut in half or quartered, depending on size.  I never buy conventional strawberries, which are one of the dirty dozen list.  Buy organic.

 

Next I like to add organic blueberries, about a cup or two.  Again I only buy organic blueberries, which have been plentiful this year also.  I have been getting large containers of organic blueberries at Costco all summer.

 

Finally, I like to add something green for the final color dimension of the fruit salad.  In the salad in the photo, I have added organic green grapes.  Never buy conventional grapes (red or green); they are loaded with pesticides.  I like to cut the greens in half to make the salad easier to eat.  Years when organic kiwi are plentiful (not this year), I love to add kiwi for my green color.  I typically add about a cup of green grapes or one kiwi cut into pieces.

 

Don't cut your fruit salad up too far in advance.  Toss when ready to serve.  It is best within a day of when it is made.  This is a great dish to bring to a party in the summer or to serve when you have visitors to your home.

 

This is naturally sweet and delicious and needs nothing else but the fruit.  We make a bowl of fruit salad almost daily in the summer.  Yum, so nutritious, colorful, and delicious!

September Class, Tuesday September 17, 2013



Mark the date for our next class on your calendar if you live in the north Dallas area:  Tuesday, September 17.  We will be changing the time slightly to make it easier for those who work.  Class will be from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.  I can't wait to see everyone and hear how things are going for you.  Email me for more details if you aren't on my email list already (I will be sending out an email with details for those who are on my distribution list).

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over!  I am helping my oldest get ready to go off to college next week which is why I have not been posting many things lately.  When school starts back up, and things start to cool off a bit, I will get more recipes posted for you. 

I hope you have been following the weekly challenges and are ready to start cooking up some great dishes this fall as the seasons change.  I have many more recipes I need to post for Tom so I will be working hard this fall getting more recipes on-line.

We have been gathering the things he will need at college (see photo above) and, of course, I have a glass pot to send with him so he can bake a chicken and make broth.  He is fortunate to have access to a kitchen facility.

Tom is serious about continuing to eat God's foods in college and I hope the fact that a college kid plans to purchase and eat good quality foods is inspiration to you.  He will have to give us all an update on how it is going this fall!

Weekly Challenge - Week 32 (August 6, 2013)

Acknowledge your food addiction(s).



This is a very, very tough one this week.  I know.  But it is very important if you want to succeed.  If there is any food or ingredient that you MUST have daily, then you are addicted to it.  Foods/drinks that you are addicted to will adversely affect your health. 

It is very easy to be in denial about your food addictions.  As long as you are in denial though, you will not be able to conquer it (them).  So often, those in denial say, "I'm not addicted to ________, I just enjoy it and like to have it every day so I see no reason to cut it out of my diet."  Well, great but please do a test for me.  Give it up for just one week and see how your body reacts.  If you don't crave it or have any symptoms, then you probably are not addicted to it.

One item that might fall into this category is coffee.  If you truly are not addicted to it, then purchase a excellent quality organic coffee and enjoy.  But please do the one week test to determine if it is controlling you. 

I would like to share a friend's story with you.  My friend  refused to acknowledge that coffee could be causing him health problems for years.  His blood pressure was high and he was on blood pressure medication.  He ate great and was trying lots of things to naturally reduce his blood pressure.  I suggested he give up his coffee and he said that he knew it was not a problem and he drank only one cup in the morning anyway.  He was a bit defensive, so I didn't pressure him about the matter. 

About three years later, his blood pressure was not only high but no longer controllable with medication.  It had become very erratic.  He again came to me for advice.  I said, I know coffee is not a problem, but why don't you give it up for just a week or two.  It may not help anything but it certainly won't hurt anything.  So, he did.  Two weeks later, his blood pressure was normal and he was completely off all blood pressure medication.  Wow - even I was amazed at the quick change (but remember he also did eat extremely well). 

I tell you this so that you will not be in denial with the attitude, "I could give it up, I just don't want to".  When someone says that, it is my first clue that the food/drink being referenced is something they are probably addicted to.  

God has given our bodies amazing healing power if we just stop putting things that are toxic into them and instead supply them with the necessary nutrients from the foods God gave us to eat.  That is what it means to me to go 100% - stop eating addictive foods altered/tainted by man and eat foods made by God.  No other restrictions.    

 

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret;  but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.  Therefore it is said, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.'"  Ephesians 5: 11 - 15

So this week, find an accountability partner to verbalize your food addiction to or write it down on a piece of paper.  Acknowledge it and bring it into the light.  This is an amazing healing step that reduces its power over you.

If you don't think you are addicted to anything - GREAT!!!  But confirm this with someone that knows you well.  If they mention something, see if you can easily give it up for a week.  If you can't, it is likely something you are addicted to.

What things might you be addicted to?  Here are the top two ingredients for most Americans:

1.  Caffeine

2.  Sugar

You might be addicted though to something more subtle, such as cheap salt, cheap fat, or some other man-made artificial ingredient that has been added to some food you regularly eat.  These things are in the addictive foods we buy such as chocolate, white flour, snack chips (Doritos, Lay's, etc.), ice cream (loaded with sugar and often artificial ingredients), candy, or soda (including caffeine-free or diet) to name just a few.   Many of the processed foods today are manufactured to MAKE you crave them.  They want you to be addicted.

 

If you have been to one of my classes or read my story, you know that I am a sugaraholic.  I no longer have processed sugar in my diet, but I say "I am" rather than "I was" because I know I can have none.  I am like an alcoholic is with alcohol, who can't have just one drink.  I can't eat just 'a little' sugar without it controlling me again.  I don't have a strong enough willpower, nor do I want to deal with needing this level of willpower.  That is no fun.  I've tried.  I know that once a sugaraholic, always a sugaraholic.  Acknowledging this has helped me so much - I now know I cannot control it so I don't try.

 

So, knowing that I am a sugaraholic, I eat only sweets that are sweetened with raw unfiltered honey, maple syrup, dates and other dried fruits.  I also eat a lot of fresh fruit.  On a rare occasion, I have something with agave nectar (when it is used in prepared foods which I purchase such as Coconut Bliss) and I drink only water, milk, an occasional Izzie (sweetened with fruit) and unsweetened tea so I don't use stevia.  My sweets made with dried fruits, honey or maple syrup (God's sweets) do not control me like processed sugars do. 

I did not openly acknowledge to others that I was addicted to sugar until five years ago when I taught my first 'Eating God's Foods' classes, but once I did I finally was able to conquer it and I am no longer even tempted.  It did not work for me to keep my 'secret' from others or to think I could control it.  I should have realized this years earlier when I got some homemade birthday cake out of the trash can to eat.  I had put it in the trash can in the kitchen the night before so I could not eat any more of it.  But that did not stop me - that addiction, that craving for sugar was too strong.   First thing I did the next morning was get a piece out of the trash can and eat it for breakfast!  Keep in mind this was homemade cake using all organic excellent quality ingredients but it contained raw sugar. 

I had tried freezing it immediately the previous year, but that was easy to get to and though it required a little thaw time, it was still readily available.  Since the kitchen trash can did not work, the next year I put the cake (I was only making homemade delicious birthday cakes for the boys' birthday parties) in the smelly trash can outside.  Phew - finally I had enough will power to not get it out and eat it.  Really - this is control?  How could I possibly think I could control my sugar addiction with this track record?    

Don't make the same mistake and remain trapped.  Share what you are doing with your friends and acquaintances.  Tell them you are eliminating man-made processed foods, including all processed sugars from your diet which are made to make you crave them.  Share what you are doing with confidence.  Claim your freedom. 

 

My experience with caffeine was not pleasant.  When I got out of college, I started drinking one Dr. Pepper a day with lunch.  I went out for lunch every day and if I went to a restaurant that did not have Dr. Pepper and I would get iced tea instead, I would get a horrible headache mid-afternoon.  It took me awhile to figure out having a soda would eliminate the headache and thus my brain cells were being controlled by caffeine.  It was hard to give up my daily Dr. Pepper, and even after stopping for a year or two, it only took drinking one to be re-addicted.  I think the sugar was more addictive for me (causing me to crave it) than the caffeine.  But the withdrawal symptoms from caffeine were much more painful.  It has now been probably 20 years since I have had a regular soda of any kind - I could not tell you the last time I had one.  I know it was before Tom was born which was 18 years ago.  And the thought of drinking a soda is now repulsive to me!  I thank God for helping me see the addictive power of these readily available foods and freeing me from them.

 

"You shall have no other gods before ME."  Exodus 20:3

 

While I only want you to acknowledge your addiction this week, you might want to start praying to God, asking Him to help you overcome your addiction.  God tells us we should put nothing before Him.  A food that you must eat, an addiction, something that controls you, is something that is standing between you and God.  God wants to help you.  He wants nothing to stand between you and Him.  He wants all of you and wants to bless you when you acknowledge you need Him and surrender to Him.  Try it right now!

 

^"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."  Mark 12:30 

Rose Biscuits



They always do such fun things in preschool.  I learned about rose biscuits many years ago when Tom was in preschool.  Of course, I modified the recipe using whole grain homemade biscuits and jam without sugar or artificial ingredients.  Canned frozen biscuits (which the preschool used) are filled with artificial ingredients, cheap bleached white flour, hydrogenated oils, and sugar and thus are not a good choice if eating a diet of Foods by God.

Biscuits are extremely easy to make; I love my sweet cream biscuit recipe which you can whip up in no time.

For the rose biscuits this time, I added 1/4 cup of finely grated white patty pan squash to the sweet cream biscuit recipe.  These are very delicious and so much fun to make and eat.

Ingredients:

One batch of sweet cream biscuit dough

1/4 cup finely grated summer squash (white patty pan or zucchini) - optional

Fruit juice sweetened jam (I used Crofter's Organic Raspberry Just Fruit Spread)

 

Prepare biscuit dough per the directions.  If using, add the squash to the liquid ingredients before combining the liquid and dry ingredients together. 

 

Preheat oven to 425 °F.  Cut out biscuits and place on greased (with butter not non-stick spray) cookie sheet.  Then with a clean scissor, cut an 'X' into the top of each biscuit. 

With a knife, gently lift up and out each cut edge (making the rose petals). 

 

Next, with a small spoon, place a blob of jam into the center of each biscuit.



Bake in preheated 425 °F oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until done.  Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a cooling rack.  A fun treat to make and eat anytime of the day! 

Blueberry Muffins



This blueberry muffin recipe is one of the first ones that I converted to healthy ingredients.  So easy to convert most recipes once you know a few little tricks.  Will share those soon.  You can use fresh (which I used today) or frozen blueberries.  I only use organic berries.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups soft white wheat berries, ground fine
  (or 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour)
1 Tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 range-free eggs, fork beaten
1 1/8 cups fresh milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup pure honey
2 cups blueberries (thawed if frozen)

Combine flour, baking powder, sea salt and nutmeg in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, melted butter, honey and vanilla.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into center.  Gently mix, incorporating dry ingredients from the edges.  Don't over mix. 

Dry blueberries after rinsing, if using fresh.  If using frozen blueberries, thaw and place on paper towel.  Then sprinkle some flour on the blueberries to lightly coat them.  This trick is one I read in a Martha Stewart magazine and works great to keep the blueberries from bleeding into the batter and turning it blue.

Add blueberries to batter and gently mix.  Grease muffin tins with butter and fill 2/3's full.  I like to use my antique cast iron pans, shown in the photo below.  I bought them on Ebay and at antique stores to avoid the non-stick coatings on the newer pans of today (I have several cast iron ones and I love them!). 

Bake at 375 °F for 20 - 25 minutes until lightly browned.  My bake time in my oven is 22 minutes.  Remove from pans and allow to cool.