Prepare for change: cleaning out the pantry

Wanting to change your life by adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle? Here are some suggestions on how to rid your house of the "bad for you" foods!

1. Eat it. All.
Okay, this is the worst advice, but tends to be the most popular way people rid their house of food. A bit ironic almost, and exact opposite of what you want to do, eat healthy or lose weight right? Have one cookie, then find another solution for the rest; don't binge on junk food like it's Mardi Gras! This lifestyle change should be a permanent change; make that decision right now & it'll make this whole process easier!

2. Trash them. 

Just chunk it straight into the trash, empty your trash and drive it to the dump, if you must! This was a safer alternative to "burn it" or "shoot it", but I make no judgment nor accept responsibility for any injuries.

3. Give food away
Can't waste "perfectly good" food? Give it away to your friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors! For us, food sensitivities played a huge role in getting rid of foods, so some friends were open to accepting the foods we couldn't eat.
My surefire way to make food disappear: Just leave it in the break room, and it'll disappear eventually. ESPECIALLY if you use those goods to make other dishes (cookies, etc)

4. Arts & crafts

Hellllo cheap art supplies. Anyone else remember the macaroni noodle decorated photo frame? Rice filled heating pad? Peppermint decorated balls? Gingerbread houses? I mean, your options are only limited by your creativity and/or Pinterest capability! No need to chunk everything if you have young kids who can use the items! Or maybe a church preschool who could take the donation for art projects?

5. Donate it.
You could donate the food to a local food pantry if it's unopened (say boxes or cans)!

Find your local food bank!

Whatever you do, get the food OUT of your house and DO NOT buy more if you want to be successful. Stop shopping in the inner aisles of the stores and only buy what is on your grocery list!

Do it now, don't try to wait to start your lifestyle change until after you finish that bag of chips or gallon of ice cream.

And don't think you can just keep some junk food in the back of the pantry; you will eat it sooner or later.

We are all cheering for ya!

~RR

Disclaimer: none of these pictures are mine

Solomon's Wisdom

Solomon was 12 years old when he became King after David's passing. We read in 1 Kings 3:5-15 the Lord came to him and told him He would grant him anything. Solomon asked for wisdom to lead God's people. At 12 years old. How many of us would have or are asking for these types of things now? Let alone at 12?

I have been reading the Bible from cover to cover this past year. During this time, I have read and been reminded of the full story behind so many popular scriptures we all have memorized. I have always loved the context of scriptures and it is good to read the context of the chapter and book! This being said, my reading yesterday brought me to:
Luke 11:9-10: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

We all know the scripture, but it was the rest of Luke 11 that reminded me WHY the door is opened. It is not because we keep asking or because we even ask in the first place. But it is because of the good Lord having compassion:

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-14)

Here's the deal, since the first time I read of Solomon's story, I began asking for wisdom. Since then, the Spirit has certainly helped me discern, it has helped me distinguish right and wrong, it has shown me insight. But to what avail is wisdom if we do not share? I do not have a country to lead, I do not have a podium or a tree stump. I have this blog, I have family and friends. I have shared the times God has opened my heart and given me metaphors. I have shared because if it helps me, it could help others.

But I have been sinning lately. I have held onto some enlightments and not shared.

Matt Chandler is currently doing a sermon series in which he has listed the main two sin hurdles for men and women.

Men: passivity and selfish aggression

Women: comparison/competition and perfectionism

(Watch the sermons here: http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/ )

In my selfish desire to write the PERFECT blog with correct punctuation, formatting and hey why not pictures?, I have delayed sharing wisdom given to you. Sure, I am not saying it is a matter of life or death or that it is earth shattering wisdom, but I cannot count how many thoughts and drafts I have started but not completed simply because it is not perfect yet. Will it ever be perfect, though?

Probably not. Not by my will alone. Perfection can only be attained through Christ's work on the cross, because He is perfect. A thought from the sermon: how can you ever be at peace if everything has to be perfect? STOP carrying the burden of perfection.

This is my apology and committment to share more openly and with less of an attitude of needing to be perfect. If He is speaking through me, the ears He has opened will hear it as it is intended; I could never perfectly articulate everything for everyone (mainly due to my run-on sentences :P).

So back to Solomon and the excerpt from Luke I leave you with the question, what gifts are you asking for and why? Why aren't we asking for more gifts of the Spirit? Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongue, interpretation of tongues.

Continually growing & learning,
Rachel

Hauling Around Expired Condiments

This week I threw away our last bottle of Olive Garden Salad Dressing (expiration date 2013) and Parmesan cheese (expiration date Aug 2014). Before you are concerned for our health, no we haven't used either since, well, 2012 most likely. These bottles were sitting on the bottom shelf of our fridge door, and I only noticed them because Roc' took it upon himself to lick the cheese container (gross).

It was then when I realized, how many times has the fridge been stocked full and we've rearranged to squeeze in the last bit food? So many times we could have better used the space being held captive by these expired, toxic (read: full of allergens) items! It's as though I got used to them being there that I never truly SAW them. One just expects those items to hang out in the fridge, ya know? I think it was earlier this year when I went through all of the condiments and realized they were expired, too, because we just don't use them since going allergy-free. (side note: WHY did I miss these 2 condiments the first time around? Did I really just miss them, or did I not want to part with them yet, like maybe I'd actually use them in the future?!)

Where am I going?

How much crap do we all carry around in our lives because we just expect it to be there and don't truly notice it anymore? Like condiments in a fridge (mayo, mustard, ranch dressing), we just expect to see them and get used to their presence, whether or not we actively engage them. Negative thoughts about ourselves or others have taken occupancy and rob us of filling that space with healthy, positive thoughts. We haul around critics and harmful relationships, carry others' burdens and stresses, self-doubts and worries about our futures; there are mistakes, failures, times of shame or embarrassment, others' judgement of us (or maybe our own judgments of others) we just can't shake. We fill our life fridge with junk, expired junk. And times have changed but we hold onto these views, because they are comforting? Because we are just used to them being there? Because we know they hurt to confront them, so we've stopped looking at that part of our life.

It's time. It's time to confront these negative attitudes, thoughts, relationships. Purge or change them. Make room for happiness, new memories, and love. Take a look in the mirror and see the masterpiece, a masterpiece without expired, toxins. YOU.

Also, consider this a PSA to check all expiration dates on your condiments, especially the ones you don't currently use...

-RR

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

- Ephesians 2:1-10 NIV

By Faith...

Sometimes when I am running with my 80lb black lab, we approach a foreign object: a fire hydrant, an electrical box, a plastic flag for marking power lines, etc. These extremely dangerous objects cause Ol' Roc' to slow down his pace and stick suuuuper close by my side. By the time we actually pass these objects, he is at a slow walk hiding behind me with his head down and ears back. Watch out ladies and gents, he's a ferocious one!  The next time we run by this object he only slightly slows down, and the times after that, he is not even phased. In our most common route, he has no fear when approaching these objects, but will occasionally return to his cautious stance on routes we rarely take (it's like he forgets we've conquered that feat).

Roc' trusts me to not lead him to danger and that I will protect him. Eventually, he either knows to not fear the situation, or he has full confidence being by my side. (It's hard to tell which since he is a dog and I cannot ask him, but since he no longer hides behind me I can assume one of these explanations).

I couldn't help but see the resemblance in how we should be in our walk with God when approaching difficult times. We see a difficult situation ahead and we cling to God's word and promises. Our prayer life is off the charts during the obstacle when we just hope we can make it out alive. The next few times we find ourselves in similar scenarios, we slow our pace and cling to God, but with less doubt. We can trust in Him based on previous experiences where He has led us through "the valley of shadow and death".

This year I had a New Year's goal to strengthen my faith, as I think that should be a valid goal for everyone. I had no ides how to do this though. How does one strengthen faith? I can't do it at the gym, I can't order it online, I can't even just absorb it at church. Truth is even if I read the Bible, study His words, listen to people's testimonies and spend more time in prayer, I can't necessarily just build faith. (Hey maybe some people can but honestly, I'm a learn-by-doing kind of person.) In fact, I don't think it has to do with ANYTHING I can personally do.

Faith is described In Hebrews 11:
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

I have just recently began to appreciate fully the rest of the chapter, too, that explains how it is "By Faith" many believers trusted in God's promises. They had confidence in Him, even before they knew the immediate outcome or even though they wouldn't see all of His promises fulfilled. They knew enough about Him that in times of struggle, they relied on Him. They had more faith than doubt.

This year my father had back surgery. Which on the skin is ironic since he is a chiropractor (in fact chiropractic is what helped postone this surgery by a decade or so, but that's another story). Anywho, the thought of surgery was odd, as we were raised a natural lifestyle and back surgery almost seemed taboo, like he was giving into the thought of just 'doing what was easier'. I felt like my father having this surgery was a direct stab to his own teachings; he was a traitor!

During this time I searched myself and realized I was in no means the victim (bad selfish Rachel). This was a serious matter that was postponed as long as possible and lessened due to chiropractic, but yes, modern medicine was developed for times exactly like this-necessary operations to alleviate pain. (Fyi he had a disc removed that was putting pressure on nerves; he was slowly losing feeling in his legs.)

So instead of worrying, I put all effort into praying; into giving my fears to God. Prayers for healing, direction, comfort. Praying because that was better than stressing more.

And then it hit me while on a run with Roc', actually. That same run I previously described. There are times when events in our life just don't seem fair, they are difficult and we really would prefer them not happening. They scare us, and during those times when life doesn't make sense, all we can do is slow down, cling onto our Faith in God and make it through the times.

I might never fully understand why this had to occur. 

It did, however:
1. Reinforce the belief that yes, healings can occur multiple ways.
2. Remind me of my own experience and how the Lord taught me so much through it about situations we don't understand.
3. Strengthen my faith for the above reason. Everytime we are put in a difficult situation, choosing to lay down our doubts and stresses and just trust in God is an opportunity to strengthen our faith.
Teachings, readings, experiences all were backup for my acknowledge of His superiority of the matter. During those arduous times, it's okay to slow down your pace in life and cling on. The more often these times occur, the easier it is to not be as scared and have confidence in the unseen.

What's that story about footprints in the sand?

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

-RR

The Best Tex-Mex Salsa!!

The best salsa recipe,
BUT FIRST: an update on my tomato plants

This year my tomato plants went CRAZY. They grew like a weed; a very tasty, fruitful weed that we actually want to grow therefore NOT a weed.

In part I would like to give credit to my own efforts in growing these tomatoes. I researched the best way to plant the tomatoes, which involved sideways planting and filling the hole with nutritional items for better growing.

I also have spent the last few months pruning suckers off these plants to enable a more focused growth on the fruit. The suckers behave like stems and will create a more tangled web of a tomato plant if you let them all go!

I'd like to make a plug about a little gardening insight here. The hardest part about gardening is pruning. A master gardener knows good and bad growth; he/she knows when a limb, branch or even fruit could cause more harm than good. In a sense, I see this in God's intervention in my life. He knows the best way to guide and prune me. Even if at times I don't understand because I feel like I had potential to grow fruit; He knows what is best for me, His little plant in His garden.

Just recently I started rooting these suckers to plant as their own plant. We'll see how this goes; a bit late in the season so this experiment might have to be postponed until next spring! 

 

 

One of my suckers is even putting out fruit, how fun!

Well, meanwhile in the #RosenbaumGarden my tomato plants are GINORMOUS!
Even Ol' Roc' can't believe his eyes!

They tower over me!

But more importantly, these plants are loaded with fruit!

And my grape tomato plant is also going nuts!

Unfortunately I have to pick the tomatoes off the vine as soon as they blush.
This is normal windowsill decor, right?

I'm having a bit of a critter issue; if I don't remove them right when they blush they are pretty much goners. :(

Here's to hoping I can keep these critters away. Though I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with a variety of pests. I think expecting a portion of the crop to be sacrificed back to nature is the best way to not be as disappointed when it does happen. I am growing an organic garden; I have to expect other visitors to my garden!

Okay enough about the plants, let's talk SALSA!

Once 10-12 nicely sized tomatoes have ripened, it's time to make some good ol' Tex-Mex Salsa! Use closer to 12 tomatoes if the tomatoes are smaller, 10 if they are larger.

Gather your ingredients.

 Then it's time to core the tomatoes.

 


Time for our #1 Tip for the BEST SALSA EVER. Here in Texas we like salsa like we like our summers...HOT! Salsa hotness can be achieved by adjusting the amount of jalapenos, whole or cored. However, we've found the best smoky flavor comes from GRILLING the tomatoes and peppers for about 15 minutes! Yum!!

 

After [my wonderful Grillmaster of a husband is done] grilling, I use a blender to process and combine all ingredients. 

This recipe fills an entire blender and lasts about a week in my house! What can I say, we basically drink salsa out of a straw here; it's a household staple.

My next experiment will be learning to can so we can save some of this homegrown & homemade salsa for the winter, or maybe Christmas gifts! Canning tips anyone?

Here's the official recipe!

Good luck in your tomato growing and salsa making!!

~RR

"He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate-- bringing forth food from the earth..." -Palms 104:14

180 Degree Change

J   U   N   E

June is my sentimental month.

I have much to say about June. So many things come to mind: my wedding anniversary, our pup's birthday, my high school graduation anniversary and the anniversary of my diagnosis of & surgery for Crohn's disease. 

Each June I reflect on the latter event as a new aspect is revealed to me. Every year God shows me just a little bit more of his plan in my life, and every year I'm just a bit more grateful for my journey that has brought me here.

This past year I've seen the greatest direction in my journey. I wasn't quite sure why some things happened to me, but I accepted it, and I've shared my story with any and everyone. I wasn't quite sure why my younger brother had so many allergies, but when we discovered all of my husband's allergies, I thought it made a little more sense. What I've learned in the past year has completely shaken anything I thought I knew about my life before. It's funny, how one event in your life can just change as the years go on. How much I can learn from a 10 day hospital stay. My original memoirs are located here in which case you will read about my struggles and miraculous healing. Every time I read these words, I am filled again with hope, love, and thanksgiving to a merciful, omnipotent Savior. The truth is, my Crohn's journey and my Faith are so heavily intertwined, I cannot share one without the other.

In 2012 I reflected on the things I had learned since my surgery. That was my 4 year anniversary, and I thought I had learned it all. I thought God had revealed most of the reasons. I was wrong.

6 years ago today I was in a hospital bed recovering from surgery. 

5 years ago I was participating in Fish Camp where I met my husband 

2 years ago I was a newly wed, ecstatic to cook for my new husband, months later only to learn of his food allergies that was a catalyst for our health journey

8 months ago I learned the true meaning of the scripture "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1


6 years ago, on my hospital bed the day before the surgery, I accepted a healing. In the following days in my talking with my Lord, I accepted a full healing and promise I would never have the pain again. As I've mentioned before, my scar is my rainbow. A little physical reminder to me of my promise from God. I had no idea how or why, but I had Faith in God's healing. I had Faith in a pain free life. As coached by my grandfather, a man of many healings, I cast out all doubt and clung to that promise, having Faith when others had doubts.

For 5 and a half years I held onto that promise.

This year, after we'd adjusted to a gluten-free, semi-paleo lifestyle, I stumbled across a resource from The Paleo Mom. What I learned was there were people with autoimmune diseases, specifically Crohn's, in remission from their disease, largely in part to their food choices and diet, as well as their lifestyle. There were people living with Crohn's who felt better and had reduced inflammation in their intestines by limiting certain foods from their diet by following The Autoimmune Protocol.

The lightbulb. The ah-ha moment. The pot of gold at the end of my rainbow.

For so long I had no idea how, I just believed the Lord had delivered me. This year I learned, all of my husband's food allergies finally forced me to become paleo, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free and soy free. All of these are suggested in the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP for short).




I was basically almost following the AIP diet; that was no coincidence. For the past few years, I thought my younger brother coached me into knowing how to cook for my future husband.



Ironically, God has actually used my husband to finally force me into a strict paleo lifestyle, for my own health. I have additionally have given up all grains and nuts, and am proud to say I so paleo I could give Wilma Flintstone a run for her money-er...dinosaur?


So where am I going? I'm not done yet learning all God has intended for my life. I know there are more things that will come out of this. There is hope for my future.

  

In general, my life looks completely different now than it did 6 years ago. I realized that when I compiled this comparative picture; there was so much more than the physical "then and now"





There is a 180 degree change in my life. Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, gramatically...


This photo just sums up the self-control, discipline and inner peace I have now found. I'm done just pushing through life; there is a purpose in all I do, witness and have happened to me. There is focus, determination and hope; there is a plan for my future larger than I can imagine and better than I deserve.
What I started as a fun side-by-side comparison of my life and current accomplishments forced me to think about a lot more than the surface differences. I know I have a long road ahead of me; there is much, much more for me to learn. But with my Faith in Christ, a soul mate equally accepting of & excited for OUR life adventures, and supportive friends & family, I know this road will not be hard. I might stumble, I might take a few steps forward & a few steps back, but I am on the right path.

   

As I read earlier today,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." -Psalm 121


The inner peace, that's from the Lord.

~@Rachel_Unrefined

21 day Sugar Detox-week 3

Week 3 was probably the hardest for me. Partly because I got tired of cooking and doing dishes every night, and partly because I spent 4 days making flowers for my first wedding weekend of 2014 and I was just straight up exhausted. Knowing my upcoming schedule, however, I was able to properly plan my meals with adequate leftovers and food to eat during the week when I didn't want to cook.

Planning ahead
Cooking beforehand: I made a triple batch of the pork sausage at the beginning of the week. Cooked 2/3 of the batch and froze half of the cooked, then froze the remaining uncooked 1/3 in a sausage roll, like what you'd purchase from the store. James cooked this ready to make sausage Saturday morning when we had friends spend the night after the Friday wedding (that I did flowers for and James was a groomsman for so we attended...more on that below) while I finished the flowers for my Saturday wedding.

Oh you know, just another meal as a florist.

Floral photo props make great food props too!

Large meals: I planned roast for mid week as my last meal that would be cooked among the floral frenzy that explodes in the house for wedding weekends. It was cooked in the crock pot so not a lot to clean up, and I didn't have to take time away from designing to cook dinner.

Comfort foods: We didn't experiment with any new recipes this week; we stuck to the basics. While I followed the 21dsd recipes as compared to my own, the food was about par to our normal meals: chicken thighs, meatballs & spaghetti squash and roast.

Same ol' same ol' breakfasts: Breakfast meals are about the same every day. Meat (bacon or sausage balls), spinach (usually) and an occasional piece of fruit possibly with nut butter. Routine only because I love it so much and I feel so much more energetic during the day!

New adventures for week 4
Mashed Cauliflower: technically this fell on Day 22, but because I ate leftovers for half of week 3, I thought I'd highlight this meal: shepherd's pie. Another comfort food that we have grown to really enjoy but this time I made mashed cauliflower for the top instead of using white potatoes, to remain a 21dsd meal. It was tasty and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. A winner in our books. Need to stock up on cauliflower now.

Chicken Pot pie: I waited until after my initial 21dsd to make this recipe because it contains dairy in form of butter and eggs. I have never made a chicken pot pie before and I'm not so sure how successful the pie part was but it was tasty, warm & filling.

Pumpkin spice smoothie: made with full fat coconut milk (from a can, not the carton "beverage"), this smoothie is the creamiest non-dairy smoothie I have had yet. The spices are those used to bake a pumpkin pie: nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, or simply "pumpkin pie spice if you buy the pre-mixed bottle. And I had a Sam's 3 pack of pumpkin I needed to use up, so I have been making this smoothie farely often.

Easy Salad dressing: Olive Oil, juice of a lemon and an herb (I've used oregano and basil). A guilt free salad dressing that has a great texture and taste! Simple to make one serving and is ideal for a dinner salad!

Baked Nutty Apple: I grew up eating a similar treat, made with simply butter and cinnamon. Adding the nuts was a fun twist for me! I create it with coconut oil so it remained dairy free!

The disaster: Wedding food. My problem with not eating at home is the temptation to just throw my hands in the air and just eat any and everything. This happened on the Friday wedding. There was a vegetable platter, in addition to the fruits and cheese. There was shrimp cocktail, in addition to the rest of the Hors d'oeuvres that contained gluten, dairy, eggs and everything else I shouldn't normally eat, let alone while on my detox. And don't get my started on the beverages and cakes. I take full responsibility of my actions (threw self-control out the window when I went back for the second piece of cake-gotta try each type), and so the next part is mere observations rather than complaints. For the first time in my life, I was bloated. I had complained about it before, but no prior situation was as bad or painful as how I felt after the wedding. I believe because I had cut everything out of my diet that my body just went into full rejection of sugars, food allergies and intolerances and everything I ate. Before bed I had a good long look in the mirror- I looked 4 months pregnant and my abdominal muscles were stretched to the max and HURT. That night made this detox worth it and my solidified my permanent lifestyle change. It took me close to 3 days to return to normal. 3. days. Never before had I experienced this, and I hope to never again. This is me being real here; I'm not regretting eating cheese and sweets because of the calories. In fact if you know James and I you are right in the assumption we were burning up the dance floor and probably danced off more calories than we even consumed.

[[Side note- This year's goal is to learn the footloose line dance and the thriller dance so I can obtain the ultimate wedding guest status. Invite us to your wedding or event for a good gift and to guarantee dancing on the dancefloor to any song! Dancing includes but is not limited to two-step routines, Cotton-eyed joe, copper head road, electric slide, cupid shuffle and the macarena, but that's rarely played anymore. ;) We can provide full résumé including references if needed.]] 

This week was the end of my 21 days, so I will follow up with my review which is in the works, as well as a look into what we are continuing to implement even after the detox!

~RR

"Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, 

loyalty, and persistence." -Colin Powell

21 Day Sugar Detox week 2

"Cheat Days"

This term is frustrating. I prefer to call it "give into convenience & temptation and suffer from headaches and stomach aches all day while complaining and swearing to never do it again" day, because that's what they end up to be for me.

It started with a quarter of a sandwich mid afternoon on Day 10 and went to Taco Tuesday dinner, morning snack of doughnuts Day 11, uncle Julio's lunch and cheesecake and cookies snack.

Minus the doughnuts and cheesecake, that 24 hours easily resembles my normal food choices and sweets. 

This time though, it hurt.

My brain: mind became foggy by 2pm. I found it really hard to focus on anything let alone have the ability to think all the way through. I started spacing out and felt a sugar crash.

Sinus pressure: I get the worst sinus pressure from allergies on my cheek bones. From there it goes to the temples then eventually at the base of the head/back of neck. Not fun.

Stomach: bloated, loud (I swear they put a microphone in there when they did surgery and adjusted things), & hurt. The worst I've been in awhile.

Energy level: slim to none

Saving redemption: starting the crock pot of a 21dsd recipe at the beginning of Day 11 so I knew I will have a good end of the day.

So basically, my relapse really set me back. I was feeling really well for the most part, enjoying the foods I was making and feeling awesome the days I ate properly. I wasn't really craving the sugar, until I saw the table of doughnuts. Being at work is the worst time for me to want to cheat because I'm not limited to my own foods in the pantry or fridge.

So now that I've finished describing why a "cheat day" isn't as easy as it sounds & straight up not worth it, let me touch-base on the exciting things of the week.

New foods:
-Butternut squash mash: tasted similar to a carrot souffle my mother-in-law makes for Christmas, except it was sugar, egg and dairy free! I really liked it, but I don't think James went back for more.

-Caulirice (grated cauliflower to a rice texture): Once again, I liked, unsure about James. We don't eat a bunch of cauliflower so it was a nice veggie rotation at the very least. Didn't cause discomfort for me the next morning.

Is it rice or is it caulirice? Chicken Abado with Caulirice.

-Zucchini noodles, aka "zoodles" using my new Spiralizing machine: nomz

A pretty nifty machine.

Zoodles! Turned out to be like a Lo Mein

Nomz

-Sunflower seed butter, aka sunbutter (like peanut butter): Cheaper than buying a jar but I'm not patient enough to make it as creamy as the recipe showed or of that we buy. Perhaps it was my food processor? Yeah we'll go with that. But still equivalent taste!!

-Coconut butter: honestly, fail. My food processor isn't powerful enough to make this. When in doubt, blame the food processor. Ended up buying for week 3. Coconut butter was used to create sunbutter, so that might be another reason that wasn't as creamy as recipe showed.

-Tuna steak: though I used it differently than the original recipe for which it was purchased, it turned out well and was a pleasant surprise. A bit expensive to purchase, I will add this meat to my list of "only buy when on sale or super special occasion"

-Brussel sprouts: I have never cooked or even eaten brussel sprouts before but they were exceptionally tastey! A winner in James's book, and I have added them to my mental "frozen veggies to have on hand" list (including spinach and green beans), though I bet fresh tastes better. Sometimes I just prefer having frozen veggies to throw into a meal last minute instead of fresh produce that is normally planned!

-Parsnips: as mentioned in my first blog, I had to google what these even were in order to find them in the produce section. Upon cooking, they had an interesting taste. Unlike carrots which tend to have a sweeter taste, the parsnips tasted...bitter? Different, though I haven't given up on them. Purchased more for week 3. Once again, first time I cooked with and eaten this vegetable.

Recipe flops: 

For the first time I made a recipe that we weren't fond of. In part I blame me not reading it all the way through when I chose to make it. If I make it in the future, Cottage Pie will only have a quarter of the spices for which the recipe called. Just a bit too hot, even for me! (Says a lot, really. I prefer salsa that makes you sweat and buffalo wings that make your mouth burn the remainder of the day.)

Looks similar to shepherd's pie

Used leftover pork shoulder from last week as the meat instead of ground hamburger.

IN LOVE WITH

-The avo-ziki sauce. We used it as a substitute for dip with veggies. Along the lines of guacamole except no cilantro or pico to give it a spicy kick. Who doesn't loved mashed avocados? Best part, it didn't turn brown in the fridge by the next morning. Most likely the lemon juice played here but hey, cool!

The perfect dip for veggies or chips!

-Perfectly grilled chicken. When reading the recipe once through James thought I was crazy for picking it, because it was exactly how we prepare chicken anyways! Marinade in balsamic vinegar (okay we used balsamic vinaigrette before-an easier cheat we discovered last summer) and a few herbs. HOWEVER butterfly cutting the chicken made all the difference when it came to grilling. So yay for learning new techniques more than exciting recipes (though still a good recipe for someone who hasn't tried this way before!)

Perfectly grilled chicken breast with butternut squash mash and brussel sprouts

-Pumpkin spice smoothies made with coconut milk (from a can not beverage from a carton), canned pumpkin, frozen banana and pumpkin pie spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice).

Breakfast Meals:

Root Hash made with parsnips and carrots. I got inpatient so the parsnips just got chopped.

Brought back the homemade sausage in form of balls. Plus spinach and some apples with sunbutter was a lovely breakfast.

As always I am enjoying trying new recipes, these recipes are awesome in that I really don't have to modify them! Always a nice change of pace to not be googling substitutes and hoping for the best. I still highly recommend this 21dsd!

Week 3 is in the works, sorry I got a bit behind! 

~RR

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing.
That's why we recommend it daily." -Zig Ziglar