Surprised by Grief
When I finally surrendered to God earlier this month over His calling, I wasn’t surprised to see doubts and fears crop up, understanding that part of this “incubation” period is to work through them. What I wasn’t expecting was grief. It’s hit hard over the past few days, overwhelming me with its force. With doubts already present, it’s caused me to question whether I’m just fooling myself in believing that not operating in my favor (ie gifting and calling) has been the problem. Because maybe I’ve been the problem all along and maybe I’ll always be a “business flunky.” (Side note: that thought right there? It’s actually a sign the…
Fighting the Spiritual Battle of a Sugar Addiction
When it comes to a sugar addiction, it’s as much a SPIRITUAL battle as a physical, mental and emotional one. 🥊 The enemy LOVES to use it to keep you from reaching your full potential because he knows you blame yourself for the battle. It also can be a sign you are operating in unbelief over what is possible for you in your health. As a result, you give the enemy a right to continue taunting you in this area. This is rarely talked about when it comes to our health, so it may sound a little odd. However, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you know…
new year’s Q&A
Since it’s the new year and I’ve had many new readers join me here, I thought it would be fun to share more about me and why I started eating a plant-based diet plus I’ll answer a few of the questions I get asked most often. Before we dive into that, if you missed it last week and are looking to refresh your diet this year, you won’t want to miss what I shared in this post. All right, now for the Q&A… How long have you been eating a plant-based diet? Since May 2012 What caused you to make the switch? My dad was diagnosed with extensive…
Fig + Pear Salad with Cherry Balsamic Dressing
Oh my salad greens goodness! Each time I see this picture, I get hungry all over again. Normally, I rotate between 3-4 salad recipes each month…ones with ingredients that are easier on the budget than pistachios and cherries. However, there are times and occasions where something special is called for…like Mother’s Day perhaps? Or maybe a lunch with a friend who is like a mother or a sister to you. Perhaps it’s the pistachios that made me think of Mother’s Day. Because unless you buy shelled pistachios, you know it’s a labor of love to crack open enough for a meal. And word of advice? If you have lots of…
plant-powered pizza crust (vegan, gluten free)
Finally! I feel like I can enjoy pizza again. Since changing my diet to a plant-based one, I also found myself losing my desire to eat wheat-based foods. I experimented with a few pizza crust recipes, including a cauliflower one, but hadn’t found one that I really loved until now. This pizza crust is mostly potato, a little bit of cauliflower and can be made with a gluten-free flour of your choice…I prefer brown rice flour. It’s chewy and crusty and holds up well under all the toppings. I could seriously eat them as is. I prefer to make these as indiviual mini-pizza servings…perfect for customizing them to suit any…
Dinnertime fail to lunchtime win
If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen last night’s post where I shared about a total dinner fail (vegan moussaka). My kids definitely were not thrilled with the results and I was ho-hum about it myself. My husband came home just in time for us to leave for our small group with friends so he didn’t have the pleasure of tasting it. LOL I was not looking forward to eating the leftovers today for lunch, either, until I discovered that I had some chana masala left over from Sunday’s dinner. BINGO! Before switching to a plant-based diet, I never would have considered combining these two dishes. I’m much…
5-ingredient key lime pie bites (vegan, sugar free)
One of the most frutrating things about changing your diet is relearning how to cook. The substitutes for the ingredients you used to rely on (sugar, white flour, eggs, dairy, meat etc.), don’t behave in the same way. In the first three months that I spent eating a plant-based diet, I was brought almost to tears several times because the kitchen suddenly felt like a foreign place. Which makes the victory all the (sugar-free) sweeter when I hit on the right mix of ingredients the first time I make up a recipe. And judging by how quickly these little bites disappeared with our small group from church, I’d say these…
the perfect pot rack
We did a partial update of our kitchen a couple years ago, but still had some projects that got put on the back burner. And we still have a few things to take care of before we officially declare the kitchen “done.” Since we actually lost some storage space with the redo, I felt like we needed a pot rack, but was looking for something cost-effective and unique. Pinterest to the rescue! I found an idea for repurposing an old ladder as a pot rack. I’ve had the ladder for a while and got it either free or dirt cheap…I can’t remember exactly because it’s been that long. The only…
crockpot carrot cake oatmeal (vegan, sugar free)
This week I’m running a 6-day clean eating crockpot challenge through a private Facebook group. The recipes for apple cinnamon and banana bread oatmeal in the meal plan got me thinking about what other kinds of desserts could be transformed into a healthy breakfast. Carrot cake immediately came to mind. Naturally sweetened only with fruit and containing hints of cinnamon and ginger make this oatmeal a tasty way to start the morning. And because it’s made in a crockpot, it’s already warm when you wake up. If you are interested in learning about upcoming clean eating challenges, please leave a comment and I will contact you. Crockpot Carrot Cake Oatmeal…
fridge, freezer and pantry apps
How many times have you gone to the grocery store, made your purchases and returned home only to find you already had one (or more than one!!) of those items already in your fridge, freezer or pantry? Or stored leftovers from a meal in the freezer only to forget you had them there in the first place… until many months later when they are covered in the freezer fuzz? I’ve been there way too many times myself and a conversation with a friend today prompted me to search for apps that can help with that. Here are a few free apps I found that let you track what is in…