Fit for Christ

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2010-07-29T09:44:00.001-07:00

Variety in our Exercise

2010-02-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

For about 1 year and 9 months now I have been a pretty consistent runner. But now, I'm stuck in a rut. I want to be a runner for the rest of my life, if the Lord wills, but I also like variety in my choices of activities. It's the running rut. I"m not the kind of runner who can just run without a goal in mind. I must have a goal to motivate me to run. I want to reach that goal. It might be a goal of getting faster, getting a PR in my next race, or wanting to achieve a certain distance. Right now, I am in the rut of not having a goal to achieve. I'm also not closed to varying my main exercise with other main modes of exercise. I'm not close to a pool but I do have a bike. So I am training with a new goal in mind.

While still running a couple days a week, I will be transitioning to training for a cycling event. I've never participated in a cycling event before and have been intrigued by doing it. I have yet to decide whether I will do my "cycling" event by myself or in a regularly organized event. The farthest I have ever cycled is 30 miles. I would now like to upgrade to a full Century ride. I am excited and just got a training plan yesterday. I hope to be able to complete a century ride some time in the next few months. I will also still be incorporating strength, core training, vigorous walking, and running so as to vary my routine, and make all the parts of my anatomy strong and healthy. May the Lord be glorified in this new venture of my fitness routine!

Fitness - It's a Religion

2010-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

I know. I know. I haven't posted in ages. But I'm still the same age since I posted last, so here I go.

This is not something that came to my mind on the spur of the moment but a thought that I have pondered deeply and long over the past few weeks, months, even years. My point is "Fitness is a religion." Runners may diss a Christian runner for being religious, but in reality they are just as religious or even more so. They may not attend a church every Sunday, but their religion is centered on themselves, not on the God who made them and designed their bodies for doing amazing physical feats. They forget, however, to acknowledge and praise their Maker and Creator for what He has done in making and designing them with so many amazing features. But instead, man, who is naturally self-centered, gives himself the credit for his accomplishments. They publish their accomplishments in newspapers and on the web, and they gather their crowd of worshippers who fall down at their feet and admire them with their gifts and idolatry. Man revels in the praise he doesn't deserve. Every man wishes to be a god to himself and others but in the deepest parts of their being, they know there is a God and He is very real. But he tries to supress that by using many instruments like fitness and sports to supress the fact that there is a God, and instead of using it to praise God for what He has done in designing them, they use fitness to praise themselves, for what they have done all by themselves. But let us come to the realization that, we have not and could never design such a wonderful and complex body that God has given us and that He is the ultimate source of our abilities and our capabilities. He is the Creator and Maker of all things. Remember when you accomplish a hard workout, whether it be a 30 mile bike ride, a 10,20 mile run, or 10 repeats of 300 pounds on a bench press, that God gave you those abilities and we are to give Him all praise and thanks!

Check out this giveaway!

2009-09-30T09:16:00.001-07:00

Check out this giveaway over at MIndful Living. http://tponz.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/my-first-giveaway/#comments

Fit for Christ - Why?

2009-07-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Fit for Christ -
 Let me share with you how I chose the name of my blog. Two years ago, I started to exercise regularly. I really did not want to aspire to be a couch potato, but I knew I didn't want to live a sedentary lifestyle. I wanted to incorporate the exercise into my life so I could serve God to my full capacity. I wanted to be active and healthy for my future family so I could produce children, that too would carry on "our" vision for the kingdom of God. So why are you active? Why do you get on the treadmill every morning? Is it to sculpt a beautiful, lean, thin body to match all of those fat couch potatos? Or is your goal much more eternal than that? Set your sights high with a vision for the future. Do not look at the temporal benefits of your choices but look at how they will affect you for eternity!  E.S.

Nutrition - Soaking Your Grains

2009-04-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Nutrition - Soaking Your Grains

Many of you have probably heard of the concept of soaking your grains before baking, i.e. wheat flour, oats, etc... This seems like it a time consuming task but it actually does do something special for you? Recently we have taken on the tradition of grinding fresh whole wheat flour the night before we make bread and soak it in buttermilk, yogurt, or kefir. The reason for this is something very closely related to the digestive system. In most or many of these complex carbohydrates they have a casing called a phytate. The phytic acid is difficult for our body to break down and digest on its own, but when we use an acidic cultured substance like yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir it breaks down the phytates, which results in better digestion. When the grains are not soaked like the bread you purchase at the store your body can not digest it. Marilyn Moll has a very simple recipe for soaking the bread. http://articles.urbanhomemaker.com/index.php?page=index_v2&id=358&c=root. Then continue with her famous whole wheat bread recipe. Soaking the grains not only improves the digestibility but also the texture of the bread. The bread comes out soft, moist, and tastes wonderful with a slice of butter and a dollop of honey.  

Oats - If you ever like to eat oatmeal for breakfast, try soaking your oatmeal before hand. Soak 1 cup of dry oatmeal with 2 cups of warm filtered water and 4 tbsp. yogurt or kefir or buttermilk. THen prepare in the morning by adding 2 cups more of warm water. This serves 5-6 people and is a filling breakfast. Serve it with peanut butter, honey, milk, and fruit!

Endurance vs. Speed

2009-04-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

In all of the things I have been learning this week, I came up with something that I found interesting. I don't know if anybody else will find this interesting.

In relation to the Christian life running can be very similar. It's hard, physically exhausting, and your muscles ache after wards. The life of the Christian is very much the same. Just as in the midst of a long speedwork session on the treadmill you feel as if you can not go on any longer, the Lord lifts us up and gives us endurance to finish the race, both physical and spiritual. The Christian race does not call for but endurance through to the end. Remember that God will give you the strength to make it through even when life is not easy. Just keep persevering and the Lord will bless you.

Ab Exercises

2009-03-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Any of you looking for some great ab exercises to really get those stomach muscles working! Well I have a few here for you.

Some of these are popular Pilates moves, the exercise originally started by Joseph Pilates, focusing on the "core" of the body.

The Hundred - Lay straight down on the floor and extend your legs out. Bring your legs up, keeping your pelvis stable and move your hands up and down for one hundred counts. Make sure to keep your stomach sucked in and stable or you are cheating.

The Roll up - Some say it's equal to six crunches... I'm not sure if I believe that but here goes.. Lay down on the floor flat and bring the top half of your body up until you are sitting at an upright position. Return to your laying position and repeat. Make sure not to bend your knees and keep your pelvis stable.

Leg Lifts - Extend both legs out and using the power of your stomach contract your stomach muscles and lift your legs keeping the upper half of your body stable. Do this for 10-12 repeats.

Last of all - The Famous Ab Exercise - "The Plank"

Put your elbows on the ground and lift your body from the ground keeping a straight "pushup" like position. Hold this for 30-60 seconds. Let down and then repeat.

For more pilates moves go to pilates.about.com.

The Christian Balance of Being Healthy

2009-03-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Balance of Being Healthy - By M. Roach

I wonder if any other word could hold so many different meanings to so many different people. To one, it means, organic, whole, raw, green vegetables. To another, is merely means no trans fats or Twinkies.

So what’s the balance? How are we, as Christians, to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit as we seek the Kingdom of God?

There are many different aspects that affect our health – the food we eat, the water we drink, exercise, genetics, the state of our soul before God – the list goes on. We could go on for days in great detail and hardly begin to scratch the surface. But an exhaustive study is much beyond the scope of these meager thoughts on paper.

In writing this, I am not suggesting that I have the right answers; I am definitely still learning! And in fact, I think the answer may be just a little bit different for every family. Scripture has given us the principles, and there is liberty within those principles. Our family certainly does not have this figured out, and I feel very inadequate to be writing anything on the topic. But here’s my best shot on a few guidelines that our family generally tries to keep in mind in the area of eating.

Fewer calories does not necessarily mean healthier.
There seems to be a common misconception among our culture that all that matters is the calorie count on the nutrition facts label of a food. Our world is obsessed with maintaining a physical image they deem “beautiful,” and their solutions are often found in following diets. These diets have produced a whole new line of foods carefully constructed not necessarily by nutritional value, but caloric value. As tempting as it can be to “count calories,” this solution ignores the root problem of self control, regulating food intake by a plan created by a group of “professionals” who are far removed from the people consuming their foods. This has replaced the necessity of each individual to exercise self control according to how God has made his/her own body. What the calories are is just as important as the calories themselves. Consuming a balanced diet is crucial to maintaining the precise levels of vitamins, minerals, chemicals, enzymes, and bacteria that God’ marvelous creation – the human body- requires. You don’t want to eat 2,000 calories a day of all carbohydrates, even if it consists of whole grains!
Stick with less processed.
I think it is a generally known fact that the less processed a food is, the more nutrition it retains. Our stores are filled with foods that have not only been stripped of their God-given nutrients, but also chocked full of artificial preservatives. As we remove components of the whole food (as in homogenized milk, white flour, white sugar, white rice, fruit juices, pasteurized juices, milk and honey, instant oatmeal etc. ) we begin to lose the good vitamins, minerals, and nutrients the food naturally contains. Our family likes to make things from scratch as much as possible, leaving out artificial preservatives. The obvious down side of this is that food doesn’t last as long and we have to be careful to make sure we are good stewards of the resources God has given us and not let things go to waste.

Fresher is better!
Many people are deceived into thinking that they are getting good nutrition when they eat canned fruits and vegetable. The truth is that the by the time a vegetable gets through the high heat of the canning process, nearly all of the antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients are killed. By the time, the cans hit the grocery store shelves, there really is not much nutritional value left. Similarly, frozen or dried vegetables and fruits are devoid of many of their nutrients, though they retain more than their canned counterparts. To keep your body chocked full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals, stick with fresh! A small tip on fruits and veggies: If it can’t go bad, there’s not much good!

Stay away from microwaves!
Microwaves are very convenient to have, but they don’t help us on our path to healthy living. Here’s the basic way it works: microwaves vibrate the molecules of your food at very high levels that food wasn’t designed to experience. This rough vibrating destroys the fragile components, and not only destroys, but sometimes actually alters the molecular make-up. For example, the make-up of blood heated in a microwave for a transfusion was altered, killing the patient it was intended to save. There are many studies being conducted right now, and the evidence is mounting for the detrimental results of microwave use. Use a little creativity in your own home for heating up leftovers ; try heating things slowly on the stove, or just using the oven. Sometimes it takes a little thinking ahead and a lot of extra time, but I think in the long run, it will be well worth the extra trouble!

Use moderation.
Taking care of the temple of the Holy Spirit requires good old fashioned self control. All the diets in the world, and all the healthiest food available won’t help us without self control. It’s not just what we put in our mouths that matters, but how much we put in our mouths. I have found in my own life that if I am truly grateful for every bite, I am usually content with less. How important it is that we not be ruled by our stomachs! This is the hardest part for me, so I certainly don’t speak as an expert! I struggle with this every day. My constant prayer is that I may walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Then I am ruled, not by fleshly desires, but by the fruits of the Spirit, one of which is self control.

There are many verses that speak to this subject in the Scriptures, but here are just a few:

“For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness with clothe one in rags.” Proverbs 21:17

He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.” Proverbs 21:17

“Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, that you not have it in excess and vomit it.” Proverbs 25:16

Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time, for strength and not for drunkenness.” Ecclesiastes 10:17

There are so many principles in God’s Word that each family must bring to bear. Your family may choose different applications of those principles than mine has – and that’s OK! We are certainly not a perfect standard to follow.

We must each take care of the temporal shell the Lord has seen fit to give for the work of His kingdom. But let’s keep a proper perspective of the majors and minors and not become obsessed with the physical body to the detriment of the spiritual body. “There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.” Mark 7:15

May the Lord give us wisdom as we each seek to glorify God with our bodies!

2009-03-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

For you Treadmill Runners:

Want to break up your treadmill routine or the "dread"mill boredom?!?

Try a speed workout on the treadmill. I have tried them and it makes it much easier for me to pump out 8 miles on the treadmill then running for a constant hour and a half at 6.0 miles per hour.

Sample Speed Workout:

If you are normally going on the treadmill at the speed of 6.0 miles per hour try this.

Warm up: 6.0 miles per hour - 1.5 miles

Then up your speed to 8.0 miles per hour for one mile.

In between do 800 meter jogs, .5 mile, at 6.0 miles.

Repeat this till you are ready to stop and cool down at 6.0 miles per hour for about 1 mile.

This makes running on the treadmill so much easier and more fun!

Being Naturally Healthy

2009-03-04T13:48:00.001-08:00

This is something that I have studied for a long time and although I do not feel at all qualified to present this before you I thought I would share some tips with y'all for being Naturally healthy, not "artificially" healthy.

1. Make Exercise a priority. Studies show that regular exercise, 3-5 times a week, be it strength training, biking, running, walking, elliptical, etc... strengthens the heart, boosts the metabolism, gives more energy, and aids in weight loss, "if you have any to lose."

2. Don't stuff yourself with junk food. If you don't normally exercise and all of sudden you start to exercise you might start feeling hungry all the time. Instead of snacking on junk food, bagged chips, processed foods, like cookies, doughnuts, etc... fill your cupboards with healthy snacks. These would include foods like whole wheat crackers and cheese, vegetables and hummus, sliced bananas/apples with peanut butter, unbuttered salted popcorn, or a slice of bread spread with all fruit jam, honey, etc..

3. Eat small but frequently. Instead of just eating 3 meals a day rev your metabolism by eating 6 meals a day, 3 snacks, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It doesn't have to be something large at your snacks. Just eat a handful of pretzels or an apple.

4. Drink lots of water. The good athlete knows the importance of good hydration. IT keeps wastes and food moving through your body and cleans you out. THe recommended intake for the average adult is around 8-8 oz. glasses a day. Of course not all of your water has to be drunk. Fruit also contains a lot water as do vegetables so those can replace some of your water intake.

5. Stay away from liquid sugar. Limit your intake of fruit juices, especially sodas, chocolate milk, sweetened iced teas, etc.. Instead drink a glass of water.

6. Rest. Even though exercise important don't overtax your body. Give your body a couple days of rest a week. Don't pig out but enjoy the food and rest God gives you.

7. Another important thing is for you to, each day, get at least 15-30 minutes of Vitamin D, sunshine, a a day. IT's important for the skin to be strong and vibrant.

These are just some tips that have helped me and I hope they may help you!

Christ's Always: E.S

Running on the Treadmill

2009-02-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

The second topic Emily asked me to share with you about was how to be consistent and disciplined in keeping up with a rigorous jogging schedule and not get bored with doing the same thing every day. I'll share with you, dear sisters some of the things that I do, but I'd encourage you to seek the Lord in what He might want you to do and He may show you other things as well. For about 2 years now, I have been consistently jogging on our treadmill 4-6 days a week. Most of the time I jog 3 miles, but once or twice a week I'll go 5 miles. For a long time I just listened to music, but decided that I'd try to redeem that time in other ways too. Years ago someone told me that they practiced their memory verses while jogging. I thought, "No way could I ever do that. I'm working too hard to think that hard." But, finally I decided to try. I copied the chapters of my Bible that I had memorized and then laminated them. Now, I listen to music (instrumental, like Pirates of the Caribbean and also other songs that have words), while I practice my memory verses. I haven't yet tried to memorize on the treadmill, because I like to see the words clearly when I memorize. Sometimes I've watched movies while I jog, but I'm doing that less and less (in fact, I almost never do it now) because it's just not a very profitable way to spend time. Praying is another way to use this time wisely. Sometimes I just listen to up-beat worshipful music, and when the weather is nice I sometimes jog outside. I prefer the treadmill because I can push myself harder, but I love to be outside, so either way I win. :) Most of all I think we just have to keep a positive attitude with our exercises. When I first started jogging I hated it. I didn't mind riding our recumbent bike or doing our rowing machine and even stomach exercises and stretching weren't so bad - but the treadmill, now that hurt. But, working out does hurt and I've learned you just do and keep going, one step at a time and eventually you cross the finish line. I've even started to enjoy my running... sometimes... mostly when it's all over. :) No, not really. I do enjoy it more often now!

Again, I am no master at all of this - I'm still learning day by day. I truly want to fully belong to my King and listen to His voice, not only because He loves me and I love Him, but also because He has graciously given me this body as a gift and I want to keep and protect and take care of it so I can serve Him to the fullest. After all, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit - now that is an honor! I want to be responsible with this gift and keep myself as healthy as I am able to to serve my King, and serve my family and someday if the Lord so desires carry and deliver any children He blesses my future husband and I with. I am learning that it is not just me that is affected by my discipline or lack thereof in this area of exercises and health - it affects my family and friends and my future husband and children as well. But most of all, it hurts my Lord if I have anything in my heart that is above Him... like food, or a desire to stay free from the pain of working out. He wants to be God alone in my life, and even though it's painful for my flesh, I must tear down the idols in my heart. If I don't, then because He loves me He will (and He has), and that will hurt even more (and it does!). Dear sisters, don't give up, keep fighting this war - for Jesus, for your family, for your husband (or future husband) and for your children (or future children). Let us run the race with endurance!!

"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:11-14

Flexibility and Stretching

2009-02-26T05:52:00.000-08:00

For His Glory - Being Flexible and Limber: By A. Gibas:

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19&20

I was convicted the first time I read this verse and since then every time I've read, quoted or meditated on it, it hasn't lost its power. For the last several years the Lord has been teaching me that I am His, and as such I should be seeking to glorify Him. I have a little problem though... actually, it's a BIG problem in my life. I don't have very much self-control. I like food a lot. And for a long time I hated getting on the treadmill. Recently, I've realized that I don't just enjoy food because it's a wonderful thing that the Lord made for me to enjoy - I idolize food. When I like something I keep eating it, whether I'm full or not - which is gluttony. My metabolism is really slow which makes it even more difficult. Plus, I am blessed to be in large family and I'm constantly either making, serving or cleaning up a meal or snack, so I'm around food almost all the time. I've often asked the Lord why He gave me such a difficult combination - I like food a lot, am around food all the time, and have a very slow metabolism. Well, I believe it's because He wanted me to learn to cling to Him and let Him fill me with His strength in this area of self-control. I just can't do it (have self-control/not be a glutton) on my own and He is teaching that He can do it through me. I need Him to have victory in this area, because I've seen that the more I sin with this the more it affects the rest of my life. The lack of self-control has affected and hurt me in other areas since I didn't learn my lesson in this area of food when the Lord first tried to teach me. I still haven't learned it fully yet these last few years, and I often fail, but slowly I'm winning a few battles here and there. And yet, I want to win the war, and so often I forget that my powerful, risen Saviour is the One enabling me to fight and fight to win. I'm willing to share a few things that the Lord has used to help me grow, but know that I'm no expert! In fact, I was feeling discouraged in this area the day Emily asked me to write this article. We just have to remember that sin is not overcome in a day or a week. It's a battle, and a battle that we will be fighting for the rest of our live - but it's worth it. We can't forget that.

The first thing Emily asked me to write about is stretching and flexibility. It's not the most important part of keeping a healthy body, fit for serving the Lord to the fullest, but I have found it helpful for a few reasons. Our family does a lot of hiking, back-packing, rock climbing, mountain biking, volleyball, ultimate frisbee and other physical activities, :) and I rarely (in fact, I think only once) get injured. I jog on our treadmill about 5 days a week and so far I haven't gotten any injuries or pulled muscles or anything like that. It could just be coincidence, but I think if also might be that I stretch a lot. I'm never sore the day I run or the days following and maybe it's just that I'm consistent in my jogging, but I think stretching could be a part of that too. When I was somewhere around age eleven I decided that I wanted to be able to do the splits. So, I started stretching. I stretched every evening for 10-45 minutes when our family was watching the olympics. We were just sitting there anyway, so I decided it was a good time to stretch. In about a month I could do the splits and now nine years later I can still do them. After that first month, I haven't stayed as consistent, but I still stretch 2 or 3 times a week for about 10 minutes. I usually do it after I do my cardiovascular workout, and I've found more useful ways to spend the time rather than watching olympics. :) Now I listen to worshipful music, pray or practice the passages of scripture I have memorized. I'll try to explain some of the things I do, but putting my "stretch routine" into words may be kind-of difficult. :)

1. Fist of all I lift each leg in turn to a 90 degree angle, lean forward and pull my toes back for about 1 minute per leg. This exercise I do right before I jog.

2. The first thing I do after I jog is something I think many people call the butterfly. Sit down, make the bottoms of your feet touch and bring you feet in towards your crotch as much and possible. Push your knees down with your arms and lean forward. Ugh... it almost hurts just writing this. Actually, I probably wouldn't put stretching in the category of pain, it's just annoying. :)

3. Next, still sitting, I spread my legs as far to each side as I can, kind-of making a V position. Make sure to keep your legs and knees completely on the ground, and lean in toward one leg and pull your toes back. Hold for 30-60 seconds, at least. Do other leg, then lean straight forward striving to keep your back straight and pull toes back.

4. The next step for me is doing the splits, right leg in front, left in back, straitening my back and leaning forward onto my right leg. This stretches most everything in my legs.

5. The last thing I do is stand up, plant feet shoulder length apart, keep legs strait and touch toes.

Hopefully these tips are helpful, but there are many other things to do to keep your muscles loose and stretched out, so if these steps don't work for your body search for other ways that work better for you!!

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

2009-02-22T20:26:00.001-08:00

Another good, healthy recipe! Delicious and Nutritious!

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Broccoli Cheese soup has always been one of our favorite soups, so once when we had lots of cauliflower on hand, we decided to substitute cauliflower for the broccoli. The results were delicious! Perfect on a cold winter night with a slice of fresh whole wheat bread.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small white onion, finely chopped

3 T butter

2/3 C flour

2 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

6 C milk

6 C chicken broth

3 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1 head of cauliflower

Melt butter in large pot; sauté onion until tender. Add about half of the flour, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add about 1 C of chicken broth; stir. Add remainder of flour and stir well. Cook again for one minute. Gradually add the rest of the liquid (milk and broth) stirring frequently until thickened. Meanwhile, cut cauliflower in small bite size pieces. Steam until tender. Put half of cooked cauliflower in blender, add some of the water from steaming the cauliflower in and puree. Add to soup. Add cheese and remainder of cauliflower. Cook on low until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

My own homemade granola

2009-02-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

A Delicious Meal, Granola is a popular health food in today's health "nut" culture. I have a delicious recipe that everybody from 1-92 will enjoy.

3/4 c. honey
1 cup olive oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
8 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups of chopped nuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, or walnuts
2 cups of fruit, dried or fresh, bananas, blueberries, craisins, or raisins
2 cups coconut
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. ground flaxseed

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 30 minutes till crisp and browned. Serve with bananas, yogurt, milk, or fresh fruit.

Meatball Sandwiches

2009-02-14T08:28:00.001-08:00

One more Recipe - Meatball Sandwiches - Also a credit to M. Roach:

Meatball Sandwiches

A classic that never grows old, these sandwiches are very tasty and a great way to use ground meat. When my brother brought home an elk last year, we quickly found that this one way we love to eat elk! We made big batches of sauce and meatballs and freeze them for a quick and easy meal.

Meatballs:
2 - 2 1/2 lbs. ground meat (we have used beef and elk)
2 eggs, beaten
1 C Italian bread crumbs
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
4 T spaghetti sauce

1 loaf of whole wheat French bread

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Garlic salt

Butter

Spaghetti sauce:
2 large onions, diced
8-10 cloves of garlic, minced
2 - 106 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 T olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 t black pepper
4 tsp. garlic salt
8 tsp. sugar (to cut the acid)
1 T garlic powder (we really like garlic!)
1 T onion powder
4 T basil
4 T Italian seasoning OR 2 tsp. rosemary, 2 tsp. sage, 2 tsp. thyme, 4 tsp. oregano

Sauce: Heat olive oil in large pot; saute onions and garlic till onions are translucent. Add tomato sauce and seasonings. Simmer all day.

Meatballs: Mix meat, eggs, and sauce. Mix dry ingredients together in bowl; add to the meat mixture and mix together with hands. Roll into balls (we usually do walnut size) and place on cookie sheets. Bake @ 350 for 10-15 minutes, depending on size. Add to pot of sauce and simmer as long as conveniently possible. The longer it simmers, the yummier they are!

Slice French bread in half length-wise. Spread with thinly with butter; sprinkle with garlic salt. Broil until golden on edges; add mozzarella cheese and return to broiler until cheese is melted. Add meatballs and sauce and slice into 3-4” sections. Serve immediately.

Grilled Chicken Salad Wraps - Delectable and Delicious

2009-02-14T08:26:00.001-08:00

Grilled Chicken Salad Wraps

These wraps are a very balanced meal; protein, vegetables, whole grains, and fat. The chicken marinade gets compliments every time we serve it, and the combination of everything in the wrap is delectable. It’s an easy meal to put together. We like to have these wraps on Sunday after church.

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts

Balsamic Vinegar Marinade

¾ C olive oil

¾ C canola oil

2/3 C red wine vinegar

¼ C balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. black pepper

3 tsp. salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ head of green leaf lettuce, torn

2 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced

Sprouts

Feta cheese (or other cheese if you prefer)

1 large cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced

12 – 10” round whole wheat tortillas

Creamy Garlic Dressing

½ C sour cream

1/3 C mayonnaise

¼ C milk

2 T olive oil

2 T white wine vinegar

½ t salt

1 T parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

Fresh ground pepper

Beat chicken till equal in thickness; poke with a fork (to help marinade soak in). Mix all marinade ingredients in blender. Marinade chicken overnight (you may not need all the marinade for just 4 chicken breasts – but it doubles well as a salad dressing). Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling. Heat grill on high to 500 degrees. Place chicken on grill, turn down heat to medium. Grill on each side for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through – don’t overcook! Cut into strips. Blend all creamy garlic dressing ingredients in blender.

Fill tortillas with all ingredients – lettuce, tomato, avocado, sprouts, cucumber, chicken, cheese and dressing. Enjoy!

This recipe is credited to M. Roach.

Cutting Calories and Cooking Healthily

2009-02-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Cutting Calories and Cooking Healthily

At the age of 14 and half I began to take over the kitchen, cooking meals and baking goodies more and more to keep my family going to better conquer the world for God's kingdom. My whole life I have had a natural love for cooking and as we say in our house, cooking is my love language.

But as I have learned more cooking and baking techniques I have also become much more interested in nutrition and feeding my family healthily, not with junk food. Our family does occasionally enjoy “junk food” and when we do we all have a good time praising the Lord for all His blessings to us. But I do believe that we should normally make use of the natural foods that God has given us, not filling ourselves with the empty junk foods created by man's hands.

The first thing to remember about healthy cooking is that you can make foods like macaroni and cheese, fettucine alfredo, etc... low fat without sacrificing the delicous taste these dishes are famous for. Don't be afraid of cooking with fats. Just be mindful of what are considered healthy fats and which ones are considered unhealthy fats. With most cream sauces, instead of using heavy cream or half and half you can use skim milk, supplementing it with plenty of spices, and thicken it with flour or cornstarch. You can also use a very minimal amount of butter, not the 1 cup that a lot of recipes call for. This will still produce a very creamy sauce but minus the guilt.

I have also experimented a lot with my baked goods as I have had to substitute plenty of times when we run out of an ingredient. Several ingredients that usually work in place of oil or fat in a recipe are crushed fruits, i.e., crushed dates, crushed bananas, applesauce, or crushed pineapple. However remember that if you add bananas or pineapple to a recipe that doesn't call for them you will probably end up with product that tastes rather like those two fruits. The best crushed fruit to use is applesauce as the taste does not overpower any of the other tastes in your recipe. If you are a little reluctant to replace all of your fat with applesauce try half and half first and then you can proceed from there.

Another option to a fettucine alfredo is instead do a soup and salad. Both are low calorie, and in my opinion, extremely delicious. You can do many things with soup and your family is getting full servings of nutritious vegetables or fruits, if it is a fruit salad. I'll be posting some recies for delicous soup and salads in the next few weeks.

Also, when a recipe calls for sour cream, you can substitute plain yogurt or homemade vanilla yogurt. The key to keeping the flavor in many of these recipes is experimenting with plenty of spices and not being scared to try new dried herbs or more salt and pepper.

If you have a recipe that calls for melted butter and you'd rather use olive oil, go ahead. You make get a heavier taste but it will still taste relatively the same.

If you remember many of these simple principles you can make many of your dishes healthier, without having to remove them completely from your diet because they don't fit the low fat , low calorie category. But don't be afraid to serve homeamade doughnuts or french fries ocassionally to treat your family. If they've been working hard, they deserve it. I will also post a recipe for whole wheat doughnuts that my family found to be very delicious.

Not Obsessed

2009-02-10T19:14:00.001-08:00

Not Obsessed

I write this article for one reason only. This is because it is something I have struggled with and I want to share how I have overcome my struggle. Ever since I have started running with my brother, Danadelfos, it has been a huge struggle to fight the temptation of making my body and my running an obsession. The culture all around us screams it into our faces with the magazine racks and pictures of unrealistically thin athletes and movie stars. Even though I had striven to resist the temptation, I must admit that I had often times given in and let it obsess all my thoughts and conversations. But lately I have really realized that this must not misplace God in my life I have fought the urge to sin in this way.

Another thing that teenage girls especially struggle with is worrying about how much they are eating. Phillipians 4:6 says Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. This is something that needs to stay in our hearts and minds every time we sit down to eat a meal with the family. In Timothy, it also says, Bodily Exercise profiteth little. In reality, God did not mean for exercise to consume our lives like many professional athletes or elites. Their bodies and their running are their God.

But the bible also says not to worship other things before God, including food. So even though you could lean towards making exercise your god, don't focus on food constantly either. Remember the guiding principle of doing everything in moderation, even eating. The cause of many overweight Americans is not trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. It is because they make have made food their God and they live to eat.

The first thing to remember is prayer. Pray that the Lord would keep your focus on Him even when you are tempted to get your focus off of Him. Make your bible time a major party of your day and look forward to it every morning or evening. If you are spending one hour in exercise each day, you should probably spend equal time in spiritual warfare. I admit that I don't always follow these recommendations either but I am really striving to make my Lord and my God a major part of my life.

My final exhortation to all you sisters and fellow athletes in Christ is to run the race that is set before you with patience, not so you can win the gold ribbon or that trophy at the end, but so that you obtain an eternal crown of glory in heaven and to sit in eternity at our father's feet.

Macaroni and Cheese - Revamped

2009-02-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

On this blog I'm also going to share recipes with you blooming cookers who want to serve your family a healthy meal but not sacrifice the taste.

Macaroni and cheese - Your typical higher fat recipe.

8oz.long,round€macaroni
1 cup of butter
1/4 c. + 3 tbsp. flour
2 cups half and half or milk (Not skim)
1 tsp. Worcestshire sauce� �Ø
3/4 lb. Sharp cheddar cheese
Ritz crackers finely crushed
1 tsp. salt
Butter

Boil macaroni. Drain and rinse well. Melt butter&# Slowly stir in half and half or milk. Ad worcestshire and salt. Heat and stir until slightly thickened like cream sauce. Add cheddar cheese and stir till melted and sauce is smooth. Fold into drained macaroni. Pour into buttered quart cassrole and top with thin layer of cracker crumbs. Dot with butter. Bake
uncovered @ 325 for 25-40 minutes until bubbly and slightly golden. Double this recipe for our family

My Redone recipe

8oz.long,round€macaroni
1/2 c. butter (We maybe didn't cut out the butter but we did half it)
1/4 c. + 3 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk made with 2/3 c. powdered milk - (Using powdered milk does not sacrifice on taste and you save around 140 calories for 2 cups of milk)
1 tsp. Worcestshire sauce
4.5 ounces Sharp cheddar cheese (We found that using about half the amount of cheese still worked to produce a delightfully creamy dish)
Ritz crackers or homemade croutons work wonderful finely crushed
1 tsp. salt

Boil macaroni. Drain and rinse well. Melt butter&# Slowly stir in half and half or milk. Add worcestshire and salt. Heat and stir until slightly thickened like cream sauce. Add cheddar cheese and stir till melted and sauce is smooth. Fold into drained macaroni. Pour into buttered quart cassrole and top with thin layer of cracker crumbs. Bake
uncovered @ 325 for 25-40 minutes until bubbly and slightly golden. Double this recipe for our family

Being Consistent and Active

2009-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog... I hope you will enjoy the recipes, articles, tips, etc... and it will help you to

lead a healthier livestyle to the glory of God.

Be consistent, be active, and Setting priorities straight.

For the past year, I have realized the value of consistent activity whether it be 20 minutes or 30 minutes of biking, running, walking, weight training, or a session of Pilates. The two keys of exercise are being consistent and staying active in your =l everyday life. The primary reason many of today's teens and children are overweight is that they are not active enough and not nourishing their bodies with the right foods. However, the American culture tends to lean towards one extreme over the other of worshipping their bodies, or making a god of their food. More and more I have realized that the age old practice of bodily activity is important in order to have energy for serving and building God's kingdom.

The first key to being fit and healthy for the Lord is being consistent. An occasional bout of exercise frenzy won't keep you in shape, neither will swimming for 5 hours one day, and then turning into a couch potato for the rest of the year. Your exercise routine needs to become a daily habit, something that you incorporate into your daily tasks. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 days a week is sufficient to keep one fit and healthy along with a healthy diet. However this doesn't mean that you will lose all the ground you have gained if you rest for 3 days. An obsessive exercise routine can also lead to a burnout on exercise. It's better to be moderate and in your routines than to load yourself with a huge routine and get burned out. Also make sure that exercise is not your sole priority.

The second key to a healthy, God-glorifying lifestyle is being active. If you can't get your 30 minutes of exercise in in one day then go take a walk or stay active by walking around the house, doing laundry, cooking, housecleaning, etc... Many americans spend a majority of time at their computer desks never getting up to move around and so they become sluggish and unhealthy. The Lord gave us our legs and arms and we need to use them. Leading an active life style your whole life will help you to stay healthy and energized well into your later years.