Learning To Listen

     I had a rough week last week and I am still trying to recover from it. I learned a year and a half ago how to listen to my body but whenever it is bogged down with bad food, stress or whatever I find that I go right back to not being able to hear what it is saying again. This is a place that I really do not like to be. Every time it is a struggle to empty my body of whatever has it blocked so that I can again hear its quite voice. When I am able to hear that voice I take it for granted and when I can no longer hear it I wonder how I could ever have taken it for granted.



     I wonder if God keeps allowing me to repeat this same cycle until I finally learn to appreciate all of the wonderful gifts that he has given me and not to ever take them for granted. It is so hard to get back on track when you feel so very bad and can hardly hear that voice that God gave you to guide you.


     I am truly in awe of how God made us. He gave us a spirit to connect with His precious Holy Spirit to guide us and commune with Him. How amazing is that? We are definitely fearfully and wonderfully made. God is so awesome! Thank you Lord for making me and for making me to connect in such a wonderful way with you.


     For know I will just go over this path again and try to not forget the lessons that I am learning this time. I pray that God helps me to remember these lessons, that I will not need to go through this "class" again and that I will pass the test this next time.

Words of inspiration:

Let's Hear It For Smoothies!

     Lately I have been trying to eat mostly fruits and veggies. You would think that eating raw would mean that that was almost all you be eating anyway but that is not necessarily true. I have eaten 99% raw most days and still felt poorly because I was eating too many nuts, seeds and dried fruits. These foods are wonderful and wonderful for you but they should make up very little of your diet, especially if you are trying to lose weight.


     I have been making a lot of smoothies lately and it has really helped. They are fast, fill me up and get me through my morning. By lunch time I am ready to fix a fast and easy salad or crackers and veggies. I can really tell a difference on the days that I have crackers. I love them and tend to eat too many of them and then end up feeling a little sluggish later in the day. On the days that I stick almost totally to fruits and veggies I have more energy. I am really working on only having a few crackers with my salad or veggies, and I am better about that than I used to be, but it is something that I have to be constantly on guard about.


     What helps you in your day and what is your biggest challenge? Enjoy your smoothie!





Words of inspiration:

    

Cheesy Chili Kale Chips

    
     I just made my fist, second and soon to be third batches of Cheesy Chili Kale Chips. Yummy! Amber Shea Crawley has a cookbook out called Practically Raw that I really like and highly recommend. She has a second cookbook coming out soon called Practically Raw Desserts that can hardly wait to get. Amber has an entire chapter on kale chips, how awesome is that! Her recipe for Cheesy Chili Kale Chips is amazing. I see a lot of kale chips in my future.


     Have you seen the raw kale chips at the health food store? I am glad to see raw foods hitting the shelves of the health food store but I definitely not afford what they are charging. The raw kale chips are $8 to $10 a package, a very small package at that, and at that cost I could make 5 to 10 times as much myself. I know that dehydrates are pricey but they really do pay for themselves if you use them.


     I used to cook all the time but since I have been preparing mostly raw foods I have really gotten out of the habit. As a result of this the last few times that I have cooked something I have ended up burning it. Maybe God is trying to tell me that I should stick to raw foods of maybe I have just gotten spoiled to the fact that I don't have to wait for anything to cook to eat it or if it's something like kale chips I can just stick it in the dehydrator and forget about it. These are a couple of many great things about eating raw.


     I would love to give you her recipe but I do not have permission. So until you get your hands on her book yourself here is a link to her website and her recipe for Pizza Kale Chips. I am going to be making them very soon! Let me know what you think about them or what your favorite kale chip recipe is. Hope you all a very blessed and kale filled day! : )



        







Words of inspiration:

Getting Back on Track!

      Sorry it has been so long since I have posted but I am still trying to get back on track with both my health and my eating. I still have days where I feel bad, and it is harder to eat well on those days, but at least I feel better than I was feeling. I ate very badly over the holidays and gained quite a few pounds, several of those pounds seem to not want to leave again. It is very frustrating how quickly you can gain weight but how very long it takes to get those same pounds to come back off!


     I am not trying to improve my eating only to lose weight, although that is why I started looking into eating healthy to begin with. : ) It is funny how you start doing something for one reason and end up doing it for a totally different reason. That is kind of how my whole relationship with food has been. My journey with food has been long and exhausting, not that I would change anything, but it has not been easy. Of course I am someone that really appreciates those things that I have really had to work for. Maybe that is why this has been so difficult .


      I have come to realize that I am addicted to food. I have said before that it was like I was addicted or something but not until now did I realize just how true that statement was. Whenever I eat certain foods, trigger foods, it is like I lose all control. I just can't seem to stop eating. I can understand why it so hard for a drug addict, alcoholic or any other addict to give up their addiction. I know that all addictions are different but there is a similarity when them, too. Having A piece of cake for me is like an alcoholic have A drink. I know this and yet I keep on doing it!


     I feel like I stick out everywhere that I go, I am always different from everyone else. This is nothing new to me, as I have always been different, but food is the one area where I was not different. Until now that is. There are temptation every where I go and what seems to be the hardest is the fact that everyone says that is ok to have (fill in the blank), that it is just (fill in the blank) and that they eat like this and are perfectly healthy.


     Now I am not trying to get you to change the way that you eat but why do you insist on explaining to me why I am wrong for eating the way that I do? It really hurts that I have to deal with this with christian friends and family. I know that I probably sound bitter but I am really more sad than anything. I can say that this has changed the way I treat other people and for that I am truly grateful. I am going to start posting more about what I am eating now and even a few recipes, although I am really bad about writing down amounts, and I look forward to reading your comments.



Words of inspiration: