Food... Real Food

Over the past few years my goal for my family is to get us off of processed foods and onto a whole foods diet.  I have thought of the extreme of making my family of four going vegan and have found that I need to find a balance.  I hope to find that balance once I have a garden of my own.

My mother has 2 acres and I was hoping to utilize her land to grow food for my family but it turned out to be a difficult task to drive 20 miles out of my way a few times a week to tend and harvest my crops.  I have watched movie and movie and read book after book and am still convinced that this is what I need to do.

But I also think we need to make our vote at the grocery store with what we purchase.  I am going to try over the next few months to re-educate myself (and plan and have a wedding) on food.  I am currently watching a movie called Fresh.  It is opening my eyes once again to where I need to get to.

Grow your food and know your food... that will be my family's motto.

Fierce Beauty

If you have a daughter, you should read this.  If you have a granddaughter, you should read this.  If you are a woman, you should read this.

Far too many times in a womans' life she is tested.  I personally, at one point, thought that being pretty would be enough.  It wasn't until I came to know God that I realized that being pretty is nice but it isn't everything.  Beauty really is only skin deep.  When you look past yourself and share your love of Jesus with others that is where true beauty lies.

This book is one of the best books that I have read in a long time.  I do not have daughters but I have nieces and other girls in my life that this will help.  I recently heard how Jesus + Nothing = Everything.  And this is true.  If you hold to the fact that only a Disney Princess can live happily ever after that this, and God will change your life.

Fun with Felt... for Valentine's Day!

I have suddenly become obsessed with two things... felt and wreaths.  I made a sweet Christmas wreath (which is packed away and I forgot to take pictures of) and had so much fun I decided to make another.  I bought the vine wreath with my 40% off coupon at Michaels the other day and had some felt on hand from making the boys Halloween costumes.

I made some cute little felt flowers and hot glued them to my new wreath... cute huh?

A Great Gift

I got this book for me and my husband and found it to be full of cute ideas and great recipes for love.  I would have liked the book to have a little more structure but I found it a nice quick read.

If you are looking for a gift for a newlywed or a wedding gift this would be a great book.  It is full of interesting love facts, love recipes (for food) and cute ideas on how to spend time with your loved one.

It also offers great biblical quotes to help nurture the start of a marriage.

Day Two - Juice Fast

Yesterday was not so bad.  Since this is my 4th fast I think my body realized what I was doing.  So here we go on to Day Two and I am excited.

Day One Weight Loss: 1 lb

Morning Juice - Green Orange
1 apple
1 celery stalk
1 red bell pepper
3 oranges
5 red chard stalks

Day One - Juice Fast

Morning Juice - Vampire

1/2 mango, peeled
3 oranges, peeled
1 beet
2 carrots

Process in juicer in order.

Midday Juice - Mean Green

1/2 bunch red chard
1 cucumber
2 celery ribs
1/4 lemon, peeled
1/2" ginger root
1 granny smith apple

Process in juicer in order.

Lunch Juice - Rainbow Juice

2 red apples
2 oranges, peeled
1/2 lemon, peeled
1/4" ginger root
2 carrots
4 oz blueberries
small slice of purple cabbage

Dinner Juice - Black & Blue Lemonade
(ok so this was more dessert than dinner but it was yummy)

2 apples
1/4 lemon, peeled
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries

juice and enjoy!

So I believe that was my last juice for the day.  I will have to say it is very hard to feed two hungry boys while drinking only juice but I did it.  I did have one spoonful of natural peanut butter.  But my boys love helping me make juice so much that they started requesting their own.  I made them an orange/apple juice to have with their lunch.

Here's to Day Two... may the Lord give me strength to make it through another day of juicing.

Juice Time Again...

So my husband and I are off on another juice fast.  We love how it makes us feel on the inside, not quite warm and fuzzy but all clean and energetic.  This will be our 4th juice fast since August 2011 and we are so excited about it.  Today is Day One and I will post all of my juices here along with my daily weight loss... since, yes, weight loss is one of those great bonuses that we get from doing them.

We re-watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead to get motivated and it helped.  I know that many of us watch movies over and over again and get different things out of them each time.  That is how it is for us.  We love to see the transformation as well as the facts behind it.

My goal for this fast is just one week... seeing that our wedding is less than 2 months away and my dress fits now I plan to fast again after the wedding and throw in some gym time too.  The gym is off limits for now since I have on a walking cast for 3 weeks.

So keep checking back for my updates on my juices as well as how I am feeling.

Bible Verse of the Week

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4: 9-10