Thursday, March 27, 2014

Turning PITY into PURPOSE - #MAXIMIZE!

Hello!! And welcome to week 3 of my Made to Crave ACTION plan!!! In this week’s video, we learned to #maximize the nutrition of our health plan…and to let GOD #maximize the sanctifying nature of this journey. It’s easy to get trapped in a pity party! To mope and moan that your cross happens to be food. But as Lysa encouraged us this week, we can find purpose in this journey rather than wallowing in our own pity! This health plan is an opportunity for me please God! To move UP instead of letting defeat continue to hold me down!
The challenge this week was to increase our polyphenol consumption. Polyphenols act as antioxidants. Here's a list of some fruits, vegetables, legumes, and other polyphenol-filed foods! In this week’s study, we learned that the lack of polyphenols and other key nutrients in the typical American diet has caused an epidemic of malnutrition. In other words – we are stuffed…but still malnourished.

Since I’ve been focusing on eating more fruits and veggies overall, I was blessed to see that I already eat a TON of polyphenols. Here’s tonight’s supper – which just happened to be packed with Fiber, Omega 3s, and polyphenols.


SALAD: Raw spinach salad with cashews, strawberries, craisins, aged cheddar, and raspberry vinaigrette. 
BURGER: Salmon burger on a multigrain skinny bun; I used this recipe as a starting point. My burger contained onion, red bell pepper, garlic, parsley, basil, capers, and vinegar. Here's a peak at the patties before we pan seared 'em!
DESSERT: As you can tell above, we even treated ourselves to a little dessert – dark chocolate covered dried mango! Nick brought them home from his recent trip to the Philippines. They have so much more flavor than dried mango in the US. Delicious!

It’s hard to believe, but the Made to Crave ACTION plan study is drawing to a close! Can't wait to check out what everyone else made this week. Stop by next Thursday for my final group post!

Until then…in HIM

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Let's get PHYSICAL!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/337066353330716118/

It’s week 3 in our Made to Crave Action Plan!!! As you may have guessed from the cheesy image above, the focus of this week's video was EXERCISE!!

We all know the equation: 
http://www.bernardgoldberg.com/stay-out-of-my-kitchen/
http://www.gregstransformation.com/category/cardio/

But as I confessed in early March, exercise makes me want to cry! As a result, the only “exercise” I’ve completed in the last...well...let’s just say t-o-o l-o-n-g...has been at a snail’s pace with about 50% energy. I’ve know that it burns less calories and settled for activities that are low enough impact to multitask and therefore complete the "exercise" for longer stretches of time. For example, I'd walk for an hour while scrolling Facebook on my phone.

Needless to say, it was eye opening to hear this week’s scientific explanation for the KIND of exercise that I should be doing. In order to induce a physical stress response that will decrease inflammation, increase metabolism, and stabilize overall health, Dr. Chilton stated that I only need to exercise for 30mns (yeah!), but that I should do this 5 days a week (ugg)…and in a vigorous enough manner to hit a target heart rate (double ugg). For me, that is 125-165 beats per minute, with a target of 150 beats per minute. I’ve since tried this…it makes me sweaty. But it also feels empowering!

So…I’m CHOOSING to #EmbraceTheEquation. I’ve completed this recommended exercise every day since watching the video. And while I’m secretly praying for all of it to suddenly becomes fun, I’ve realized that I can walk in faithfulness either way. Like Lysa said - "Lazy is a lie...I am courageous!"
http://authentictruthseeker.wordpress.com/

Even if I never transform into an gym junky...purposeful exercise is still a necessary step in my health plan…not to mention a tangible way of putting God’s plan (for health and balance) over my own preference (for gluttony and sloth). In the end, I want to be physically healthy, but I need to be spiritually healthy. And victory in both areas is about intentional sacrifice…about choosing long-term over short-term…about small, sanctifying surrenders that help me #CraveGod more than any thing else in this world! So in the end, if  “eat less, move more” bring me closer to Christ, it will have been more than worth it!

P.S. Anyone else out there LOVE this week’s bonus interview? I was floored by Renee Swope’s insight about seeking significance and satisfaction from completion and connection!! God help me!!


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Fish and Fiber!!


This week’s “Made to Crave ACTION Plan” challenge was to #EatSmart by focusing on fish and fiber. In our week’s video, I was quite moved by Dr. Ski Chilton's reflection on John 6, the passage in which Jesus feeds 5,000 with...remember this…5 barley loaves and 2 fish.

Seriously?!?!

Barley loaves and fish!! Jesus fed the masses with barley loves and fish…the very omega-3 and fiber filled foods that we are learning can
  • decrease inflammation
  • prevent heart disease
  • protect against diabetes
  • slow the aging process
  • reduce depression
  • sustain satiation
How interesting to think that the bible supports healthy eating in yet another way! My mind was already blown with my previous reflections on the role food played in the Initial Fall, the Wandering Israelites, theTemptation of Christ, and the Final Revelation. Having further scriptural support of the Made to Crave ACTION plan....it's just incredible! What an unbelievable, miraculous God!

So about that fish and fiber! Here’s some foods I stocked up on while prepare for Dr. Chilton's "Fish/Fiber" challenge. There’s tons of omega-3 in the frozen salmon, canned salmon, and ahi tuna (prepared below!!!). I also bought some fiber-filled-funness. Check out the pumpkin flax cereal (5g of fiber per serving), slivered almonds (4g), sandwich skinnys (5g…AND only 100 calories per loaf!), fiber cereal bars (8g for the regular bars and 2g for the low cal version), and lentil soup (2g).

Now for the dinner pick! It was an omega-3 and fiber-filled supper, capitalizing on the asian’s flavors of tuna, sesame, brown rice, avocado, and asparagus. Here's the menu, recipe links, and a picture of the final presentation! 

I gotta tell ya, ladies. Cooking this meal really took me back. Some of you may not know, but I LOVE cooking. Much of my recent dependence on food stemmed from a true passion for cooking and consuming beautiful meals. In 2012, I actually completed a cooking project called the "Year of the Food Rainbow". Each month, I cooked a special 4-5 course meals focused on a single color! There was Floral White February, Jet Black July, Scarlet SeptemberNavy November…and the list goes on!

Cooking this meal tonight…it brought back that joy! The fun of planning, prepping, and presenting a beautiful dish! The pleasure in watching others enjoy their supper and the fellowship fostered by sitting down and eating the meal around a shared table.

But this round...on this Made to Crave "Journey with Jesus"...there was an extra sense of peace. A tranquility that can only come from knowing the thrill of cooking, eating, and sharing food is NOT my primary purpose or pleasure. An assurance that these delights come FROM God but can never REPLACE God. A confidence that...when I keep these priorities aligned...all sources of earthly happiness can serve to glorify God and reflect His own eternal joy. 


Saturday, March 8, 2014

WALK THE TALK - Week 1 of our M2C "ACTION PLAN"!

Even my love language is lazy…

I’m a sucker for words. I love how a powerful lyric can stir emotions and a meaningful story can ignite deep passion. What I DON’T love…is moving!

As Jesus Girls, you’ve probably heard the saying: “If you’re going to talk the talk you’ve gotta walk the walk!” Funny – I’m quick to apply this to sins like gossip and lust. But if taken literally, the cliché directly implies a need for physical exertion. 
Needless to say, this Made to Crave Action Plan study couldn’t have come at a better time. For those who don’t know, the original Proverbs 31 Made to Crave study ended last week. It focused on finding our “want to”. Now Proverbs 31 is hosting the ACTION PLAN version of Made to Crave, which provides practical, research-based tips for tackling “how to” get healthy.  And our blogs this round are supposed to be “picture-centric”. A nice challenge for this word-loving lady!

I’m late on posting this because I’ve spent the last several days browsing Dr. Ski Chilton’s website (http://www.genesmart.com). I wanted to know exactly what “ACTION” would be recommended before deciding if I would make any additional lifestyle changes. 
After all (insert super-self-righteous-tone)...
"I lost 10lbs on the ORIGINAL 
Made to Crave study…BY MYELF!!
What more is there to learn?"

Don’t be impressed. Here’s how I “managed” the weight loss so far.
  1. Set rigid limits on my daily food intake
  2. “Consider” exercise
  3. Actual follow through on my calorie cap
  4. Forgo exercise at all costs
So…when this week's Action Plan video talked about simple changes like eating more fiber..my legalistic flesh screamed:
“HOLD UP!! High fiber foods are like…
REALLY HIGH CAL! If you eat more fiber...
you’ll HAVE to exercise!”

Boy oh boy…that kind of attitude is SO not about craving God. It's just a sneaky way of switching direction...while still holding the reigns. 
There's CLEARLY more to learn!! Even more grateful now that this is a "Grace Place"!!