Saturday, April 2, 2016
We finally had our last meeting of the very long and
difficult week this morning. Hopefully, from this point, we’ll all be able to
go forward with spiritual and emotional healing, and see God work miraculously
in the lives of those involved.
Before we left for our early-morning meeting, I had my
delightful bowl of 7-grain Kashi with coconut milk, and more dried fruit than
cereal. The dried blueberries and cranberries, in addition to raisins, really
improve the flavor of the cereal, and drown out the milk completely. I use just
enough milk to moisten the cereal. At this rate, this first half-gallon of
coconut milk is going to last me a lifetime! :-( NOOOOO!!!!
I’ve been very busy with my dehydrator, using apple chips or
banana chips, and even the odd carrot chip, to settle my munchies without
adding either liquid (since I’m limited) or sugar to my diet. When the kids
went fishing with my dad today, I sent with them a bag of the fruit leather
that I had made from unsweetened applesauce, and a bag of the dried fruit I had
made. They enjoyed it immensely! J
And I felt good about being able to provide them with a healthy snack. Who is
this lady offering them dried fruit instead of homemade cookies? I’m gonna lose
my Grandma card! J
For lunch, since the kids were gone with their grandpa, I
wended my way through some of the leftovers. Our microwave died last night, so
I reheated the spin dip on the stove, which dried it out a bit further. Then I
mixed some salsa with the Great Northern Bean dip, since it already had the
avocado in it. That improved it to “nearly edible,” and I used tortilla chips
to eat some of it, but didn’t finish it off. I finished my broiled polenta
crisps (from Monday?) with the spin dip, and one of the kids snitched the last
bit when she got home, so that is gone for now. While I had the kitchen to myself, I used the
dehydrator to dry the cilantro and the last of the green onions that were
threatening to go south on me. I love having an inexpensive way of preserving
food that otherwise might be wasted! Dehydrators are SOOO COOL!
The biggest challenge I faced today with my food choices
might seem strange to some of you. I’ve always been kind of a private snacker.
I am a hoarder by nature, and this translates to my relationship with food. I
can make a package of Oreos last 8 months (I did this during one of my
pregnancies!), or a dozen authentic buckeyes from Ohio last 6 months. Yes… I’ve
had chocolates spoil before I ate them. Because of my hoarding tendency, I am
more likely to hide a treat in my room, and enjoy just a bite of it when no one
is around. This works well when you’re making a snickers bar last a month, but
it doesn’t work well when you want to be honest before God about what you’re
eating. The first thing I thought when all my kids were gone today was, “I
should have a glass of milk.” Then I remembered I had told God I wouldn’t, so
my next thought was, “Well maybe a cup of coffee then.” Same story… I’m humbled
to admit how close I came to failing in my commitment, but by God’s grace, I stayed
strong, and stuck with the plan. I didn’t even snitch a crumb of the no-bake
cookies (yes, one of my favorites!) that the kids made and left open on the
table after having them for dessert! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
I used the last of my date honey (better make more! That
stuff is versatile and yummy!) to make the Apricot Breakfast Bars from the
Daniel Fast book, because I was in the mood for something sweet besides the
oatmeal cookies I had made earlier in the week. These bars are much more
flavorful, especially with the diced dried fruit, and really hit the sweet spot
I was struggling with.
For dinner, I apparently hit another home-run. There is a
recipe in the Daniel Fast book called Chunky Potato Soup, but my family likes a
creamier soup, instead of broth-y. I used the last of my veggie broth (Looks
like I’m going to be cooking some more this weekend) with chopped carrots
(finished those off), celery (out of that, too!), and onion, as well as the
last few crumbs of broccoli and cauliflower that the kids hadn’t finished off
earlier. Add potatoes and seasonings, then run it through the food processor to
blend everything together, and VOILA! The color is less than appetizing,
because it has green and orange veggies in it. But the flavor is fabulous! Some
of us ate it without anything added. I tried part of a bowl with veggie sausage
crumbles, but thought it was better without. None of the kids added cheese,
although I had told them they could, and a couple used bacon. It was quite
flavorful, and everyone voted to do it again soon! Yay! Another victory for
healthy eating!
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