switching it up

With the weather turning cold I've actually been chilly this past week! That is unusual for me. Sky depends on me for warmth! As a result I've been desiring hot things to eat and I've had oatmeal each morning this week. Taste buds are changing; I've had mine w/berries, a TBS of raw almond butter & a TBS of ground flax seed. Before it would have been butter, salt & pepper w/a little half and half; or just mixed w/cheese. I've been eating my oatmeal that way since I was a kid. Very rarely with anything sweet.

Well, I needed a change today. Pancakes sounded really good. Like my oatmeal, I've eaten them differently. As a child it was Bisquick mix pancakes with Mrs.Buttersworth's pancake syrup and a big glass of milk; then I would be asleep within the hour. As an older teen I started putting just a sprinkle of sugar on top after buttering them. Didn't make me quite as sleepy. As an adult I've taken to putting peanut butter or applesauce or both on them and then I don't fall asleep at all. Now I know what made me fall asleep in the first place AND I know how to put some real nutrition into the pancakes! I decided to give my old pancake recipe a makeover. Although this updated version is not vegan, it is gluten free, has protein, fiber and won't cause a blood sugar spike (unless you put syrup on them).

I had mine (pictured above) w/ a cup of mixed organic berries, yum! I also had 3 w/ a little bit of almond butter, very nice! This breakfast hit the spot (won't put me to sleep) and with an orange to go will it, will hold me till lunch! Best part? Great nutrition that won't go straight to fat.

This is my new Silver Dollar Garbanzo Pancakes recipe - TASTY!
Simple recipe makes 18-24, 2" diameter pancakes, serves 2 adults or 3 children:
1 cup garbanzo flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp stevia powder-optional (this is not Truvia or Splenda, this is the herb stevia)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
(I think next time I'll add 2 TBS ground flax seed, too, just to get the DHA in there)
Mix the dry ingredients in a 1 quart mixing bowl then add:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 egg
Mix well and let rest 5 minutes while your griddle is heating to hot (my guess is 300*)
Spoon batter onto very clean, HOT griddle (no spray or oil) and cook first side until you can easily slide your spatula underneath (4-5 minutes for the first ones on the griddle, 3-4 min. for the rest of them)
Turn over and cook another minute, remove to warm plate while you cook the next set

Garbanzo flour only browns very lightly.

All the essential ingredients can be found at most any grocery store.

Don't they look nice?

a taste for chocolate

So, my hubby, Sky, still needs plenty of calories. He has a very physical job plus he works hard physically at home (maintaining the house, outbuildings & acreage, getting wood cut for the winter while working in a plant with five floors and only two freight elevators, he burns serious calories). I baked brownies to pack in his lunch. The fragrance got me going on chocolate. I've been taught to tell myself, "It smells better than it tastes." I've discovered this is true...MOST of the time...but then there are times when you just need to get over the hump.

I used a boxed brownie mix with regular white flour, regular sugar, regular cocoa, 2/3 cup of oil & 2 eggs...all things that would set me back. My pain level has finally been going down over the past 10 days (more on that a bit later), I don't want to do anything to mess that up so, what to do? I don't want to say no to chocolate. The LORD helped me:

1 frozen banana (I froze a very ripe peeled banana in 1 inch chunks wrapped tightly in plastic wrap)
2 chopped dates (have to chop them up BEFORE you put them in the processor)
2 TBS organic cocoa (picked mine up at Nature's Best in Sheboygan at a decent price, they have it at Festival Foods also)
I might add a couple drops of vanilla extract or vanilla powder the next time I do this but, maybe not.

Put all these in my small processor and let it go till it was smooth...and had a chilly sweet very chocolaty treat with the consistency of a Culver's custard treat that hit the spot and was too rich to finish! Um mm good! No fat, plenty of micro nutrients, a bit of fiber, devoid of artificial anything that supplies pain encouraging toxins to my joints AND very VERY tasty!

Thank You Jesus!

Pain: I was told that as my body starts to clear out enough of the toxins that have built up in the fat, my pain level will start to decrease. (I'm expecting about four years until this process will be mostly complete.) Well, I've been eating 'clean' since mid-May and about 10 days ago the pain in my joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists especially) has finally begun to diminish. My knees still hurt when I'm on them but when I'm not on them the pain has dramatically decreased. I cannot tell you what a relief it is. I've actually been able to sleep much better at night because of it.

Thank You Jesus! You created our bodies; the psalmist says "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" and I continue to be amazed by You and Your wonderful works!

Redo...

It's been a very, very...VERY long time since I last posted to this blog. I'm going to start again. A 'redo' so to speak.

I haven't a whole lot of time to put into this but, I think I have something to share.

I'm on a journey to better health. Lower weight, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, lower pain level, no more CPAP, no more asthma, no more eczema and able to walk in the woods again are my objectives. I began in mid-May and already I'm experiencing seven of the nine objectives.

My end goals are to walk in the woods pain free at my ideal weight and maintain that status for as long as the LORD thinks I should be this side of heaven.

If blogging through this process allows me to gain some accountability and provide encouragement to someone else, my purpose here will have been accomplished.

So, stay tuned...and feed my fish...I'm sure they're hungry after all this time.

Peace!

(By the way, as of this morning I'm down 58 pounds. Yay!)