W3 (Women Who Worship)

Hi,

There is a saying that I have taken to heart and applied to my life by Doug Kaufman “IF you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got”  Change can make a huge difference and its never to late.

Soft drinks (soda’s) are Americans # 1 drink of choice.  Teen boys avgerage  3+ cans a day, girls 2 + cans a day.

Soda pop Facts:  Harmful ingredients

Saccharin:  likely to be linked with MS & neurological problems .       Phosphoric Acid:  Blocks absorption of calcium & magnesium.  It’s a major  cause of kidney stones and interferes with digestion.                                      Caffeine: causes jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, vitamin & mineral   depletion ect…..                                               Artifical coloring: common to soda is red, brown, yellow and scarlet all very unsafe.   Yellow dye #6 found in candy & soda has high rate of kidney & adrenal gland tumors in rates.  These dyes are banned in Sweden and Norway.  Some children have bad reactions to some of these color that demenstrate themselves in behavioral issues.     

For some to say we will never have pop again isn’t realistic so you can make small changes that can have a huge impact.                                                       

Small changes I would recommned:                                                                  1.Cut your childs pop consumption in 1/2.                                                              2. Encourage them to drink water.  Squeeze a lemon, lime, orange, ect… in it.                                                                                                                                    3.Try some of the natural brew soda Meijer & Country Market carries them. 4. If you have an infant don’t give them pop even as they get older get them use to water, teas, and limited juices.  You can’t miss what you haven’t had. 5. Pray ask God for wisdom.  God cares about every aspect of our life he will give you the wisdom you seek out.                                                                              6. Be an example and do what you are asking your child to do so you too may walk in good health.                                                                                                7. Stay clear of diet pop.  It is very bad.  If you want more info. about this ask and I will post it.

Remember it is never too late to make a change that could impact the rest of someones life.  Pray and God will give you the answers, wisdom and strength you are looking for.

Ephesians 3:20  Now to him who is able to do immeasuralble more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Christie

I have been unable to blog about much because of the new year, preparing for the new study and just plain lazy.   Well, not really.

I started a quest for better eating and exercise habits, so I began the weight watchers diet.  And not OFFICIALLY.  I just borrowed grandma’s old copies of the first week of materials and am trying it out.  My goal is to lose 10-15 pounds and exercise 3-4 times a week.

Man, this diet is hard!!  I eat pretty decent, normally.  Before the diet, I typically avoided unnecessary carbohydrates, drink fat free milk, I buy only whole grain LIGHT bread and crackers, eat fruits and vegetables,  and control (for the most part) portion sizes.  But, for the last year or so, I have teetered back and forth between 4 pounds.  So, I decided to really give a diet a try.

IT IS NOT EASY!!!  I LOVE cheese… I put it on everything.  But, WW is not fond of cheese.  It seems that if I choose cheese, then I have to skip breakfast or miss that piece of fruit for lunch.  So, I reeeeeaaaaally miss cheese.  And it has only been a week.  Another thing is ice cream.  I am usually really good about portion size for ice cream.  1/2 cup is the right size and on my previous plan (when I was pregnant with gestational diabetes), I was allowed to eat this amount of ice cream and I did probably 4 times a week for my snack.  But, WW thinks this is too much fat, so I had it one time and I was starving the rest of the night because I used up my points.

I am going to try real hard to stick with this plan and so far after one week I have lost 1.5 pounds.  YEA!  But, tonight is date night for me and the hubby and I just don’t know how I am going to eat small portions at Red Lobster !

Oh well, I guess this is a female thing and even though I don’t necessarily HAVE to lose this weight (I am not technically overweight if you consider BMI), I just want to make my jeans fit better, they have become too snug.

Here’s to the age old New Year’s Resolution to “lose weight and exercise more”!!!!

Sunshine

Happy New Year!!

I plan on covering a sreies of different issues that relate to childrens health during the month of Jan. and Feb.  I will try my best to give practical tools that can be applied like recipes, activities, ect… 

I think people get tired of hearing about all the negative things in life or and hearing about how they need to change and never given the practical means to do it.   I believe we need to hear the truth negative 0r positive along with ways to overcome the problem areas.

PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS!!!  

Our Children are facing a national crisis physical, spritually, & emotionally.    PHYSICALLY:  Instead of being labeled generation Y they are now refered to as generation XL.  “Being overweight is the number 1 health problem affliciting children in the US”  Dr. Walt Larimore (Focus on the Family).  Obeseity is on the rise currently and children are at great risk.  By 2010 it is expected that 1 out of every 5 children will be obese.   Obesity opens the door for all sorts of health problems & Diseases.   One of those diseases is diabetes.  The Center for Disease control predicts that 1 out of 3 children born after the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes.  This disease causes blindness, heart & kidney disease, and loss of limbs.  (Please stay with me  I know what your thinking  I’ve heard enough, I will end on a positive note)  Sadly for most children there vegatable of choice is french fries which is not exactly a vegetable.  Emotionally: Children are facing all sorts of emotional problems. Teenagers are dependent on drugs now more that ever.  The number on children on ritalin & anti- depressants is on the rise.  Children are dealing schedule overload, bullies at school, self esteem, divorce ect……  Our emotions play a big role in our physical health.  Spiritually:  Nationally it apprears as though church attendance is on the rise but less people are truly following Christ.  Children seem to have little respect for their elders and in a lot of cases their parents.  I am not talking about the normal foolishness of children.  A lot of Christians are living the same life-style as Non-Christians.  I have heard it said that may teenagers don’t know why they believe what they believe refering to Christianity.  The Bible says that we have an enemy who comes to kill, steal, and destroy.  We need to live a life of prayer and purpose.

There is hope becasue God said their is Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  God created each one of us for a purpose. 

Please feel free to share your comments.  What I write is never ment to critisize anyone only inform and motivate.  I plan on writing a new post every Monday.

Christie

Jeremiah 29:11

Merry Christmas,

This seems to always be a busy time of the year, my girls have has a lot of activities at school.  I have missed sharing with all of you and I am back on track now .

For all of you last minute shoppers here are some great gift ideas:

1) Mini trapoline: I have one and I love it and the best part is so do my kids.  It has a lot of health benefits. Improves circulation, lymph, & more!! 

2) Consider Books:  Don Colbert’s  The Seven Pillars of health, What would Jesus eat.  Janet Maccaro’s Natural Health Remedies, 90-day immune system makeover. Jordan Rubin’s The Great Physican’s RX, The Great Physicans RX for women, or the newest one for children.  He also has great short reads about diabetes, cancer, ect…

3) Massage (who wouldn’t love this): Improves blood circulation. promotes relaxzation, naturally detexifies the body (drink lots of water), and much more. 

Healthy tips:

Since it is known that sugar breaks down the immune system and creates a lot of other problems CONSIDER decreasing the amount of sugar.  I have a lot of friends who tell me no way can they eleminate sugar so I suggest decreasing it.  Example If your cookies call for 2 cups of sugar use 1 1/2 cups or even 1 cup.  Most people don’t even know the difference. 

When you buy applesauce buy the natural (unsweetened) if you think about it who puts sugar on their apples when they eat them, so it’s not necessary for applesauce.

If you like maple syrup try use pure maple syrup the only difference is its better for you.  Meijer sells pure maple syrup by Maple Grove.

Web Sites to check out:

www.Mercola.com  My personal favorite, he is a Christian M.D. who takes a natural approach.  He has so much info. it’s unbelievable. You can so a search on anything, for example type in sugar and you can find all the research on it.  

WWW.BiblicalHealthInstitute.com  This is also a favorite of mine.  This is one of Jordan Rubin’s sites.  He has recipes, a ton of info. and free biblically based introductory health courses.  He also has Biblically health coach training courses (there is a fee for these) I am taking these courses and I really enjoy them.

www.mikehuckabee.com   He is a Presidential canidate and don’t worry I am not telling you who to vote for just to look at his site.  He is a former baptist minister who believes in marriage, and is pro- life.  I included this in my wed site because (I love this) his idea for health care is Prevention.  He lost a 100 lbs. and seen how his quality of life improve and he believes prevention is key and so do I.  We don’t need more drugs we see the horriable effects it has on everyone.  We need to be good stewarts of the body God has given us. 

Remember this Christmas share the greatest gift of all Jesus!!!  Merry Christmas, Christie

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Hi all, What a blessing it is to be alive this morning! It is crisp, with tiny flurries of snow lazily drifting down as I sit to write this post. The sun is trying to make it out from behind the clouds. I am thankful for sunshine.

Last night I tried something that I just had to share. I pre-made soaked grain pancakes which I just had a small plate of. Boy were they delicious! I can’t wait for the rest of the house to have some since they think my pancakes are kind of well… heavy on the stomach.  So, using my regular recipe I decided to try a new thing. Here is the recipe.

Soaked Grain Panckaes

The night before mix together in a bowl the following ingredients, cover with muslin, or fine cheese cloth and leave out on the counter. Yes, I said leave it at room temperature. This gives the benificial bacteria in the milk products time to neutralize the phytates in the grains and gobble up the sugar, making them easier to digest. 

1/2 cup of Organic Unbleached White Flour

1/2 cup Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 Tbls. Turbinado (raw cane sugar) or Rapadura

1/2 cup Plain Whole Milk Kefir

1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbls. Cultured Buttermilk

Pre- heat griddle to 400 degrees.

Just before cooking mix together:

2 Tbls. melted, Cultured Butter (Organic Valley sold at Country Market has a cultured butter)

1 whole egg

Stir in egg mix, then add the following and stir again, allow to sit a moment. The batter will rise considerably.

1 tsp. Rumford or Clabber Girl, Baking Powder (neither brand contains aluminum)

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Pour an 1/8 cup of mixture onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook first side until the edges look done and surface shows bubbles. Flip and cook until the pancakes lift easily off the griddle. This recipe originally made 8 pancakes. With the overnight fermentation it now makes 12! Since the pancakes are made with butter in them, you may find no need to add butter on top.  I had them with a tad bit of real Maple Syrup and they were light, fluffy, a little crisp and yummmm! I’m sure these could be made 100% Whole Wheat as well if you like. Experiment, try Buckwheat, or Spelt flours. Just stay away from Soy Flour.

In His Service, Cat

 Enjoy! 

I don’t know about you but I like to try new things.  Maybe this year instead of pop at Thanksgiving and Christmas try a festive drink that loaded with therapeutic benefits.  Share the  gift of health!!!

Green Tea with Pomegranate Juice serves 6

7 green tea bags

3 cups pomegranate juice

½ cup orange juice

2 Tbsp. raw honey

1 orange or lemon, thinly sliced, optional

Boil 6 cups of water, remove from heat add tea bags, cover, and steep 5 minutes

Remove tea bags add pomegranate juice, orange juice, honey and stir.

Garnish pitch on the outside with a slice of orange and lemon then put the other slices in juice.

Health benefits to green & black  tea:  reduce rick of cancer, improve immunity, aids in weight loss, lowers risk of kidney stones, and its a great alternative to coffee.

Pomogranante are loaded with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and improves circulation. (These are just a few of the many benefits)

Kids punch instead of green tea use wild berry tea.

We have so much to be thnakful for, the Bible says a cheerful heart is good medicine (PR.17:22) .  Take time to laugh and reflect on all the things God has done in your life.  There is enough bad news in this world lets share the GOOD NEWS.

A thanksful servant, Christie

Ephesians 5:20  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.  Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

God has blessed us with some many good things!!!

Garlic is a super food that everyone should eat.  Research shows that those who eat a diet high in garlic have less of a chance of developing stomach cancer.  Garlic contains alliin which helps slow the growth of tumors and inhibits the formation of esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer. 

Garlic  also has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties.

Garlic is one of the first things I eat when I start to feel something coming on.  I eat one clove if it is to harsh I would mince it in some fresh salsa or something like that.

Hosea 4:6  “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”

Christie

Have you ever had one of those days where you had a lot of catching up to do and before you know it it’s time to eat.  Well that was me today I forgot to thaw out my meat and by the time I realized it, it was to late.  I keep a few handy things around incase of an emergency.  So here is my healthy meal in minutes.

Bean & Vegetable Soup 

1  32 oz organic beef broth    &  1/2 of a 32 oz beef broth

2  cans of organic beans I used Edens white beans & black-eyed peas

1  28 oz can of organic petite dices tomatos (seasoned or plain) undrained

1  14 oz can of organic sweet corn

1 bag of organic frozen mixed vegetables

2 tbsp. reg. barley

powdered garlic and onion to taste

sea salt & pepper to taste

chili powder & thyme to taste

throw it in the pot.  Heat and serve.

We all have these kind of days.  The great thing about this meal that I like is really anything would work.  If you have some spinach or lentils some left over chicken and black beans.  You can add whatevrer seasoning and spices you like.  Everyone loved it! even my son who is not a fan of soup.   I hope this you when your in a pinch.

Genesis 43:11  Then their father Isreal said to them, ” If it must be, than do this:  Put some of the best products in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift— a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 

Christie

God is so good!!  He provides all that we need and more than we could ask for. Yogurt is an amazing food and it has so many therapeutic benefits:

It kills bad bacteria and restores the good microrganisms.

It prevents and helps treat intestinal infections, including diarrhea

It prevents and helps cure yeast infections.

Boosts immune system

Improves bowel functioning.  ect…….

WARNING the best yogurt is plain, if it is mixed with fruit watch for products that would make it worthless like aspertmane, hydrogenated oils, high sugar.  I have seen some really strange things in yogurt. Some brands that I recommend are Brown Cow, Culutral Revolution, & Woodstock water buffelo.  The probiotics or cultures that are added are what make yogurt so  beneficial.  I wish I could list all the benefits but there are too many to list.  A yogurt a day may keep the doctor away (just  a thought)

There are so many things you can do with yogurt,  I use it in place of sour cream, and mayo.  Here are some recipes ideas.

Creamy (My kids came up with this name)

3 c. frozen berries,   1c. plain yogurt,  1 tbsp. honey.  Blend in food processor and serve.

 I like to strain yogurt through a cheese cloth (overnight is best) in the refrigerator.  Then let your imagination go… Here are some of my ideas.  If you have some ideas please share them.

fruit dip:  strained yogurt, honey & cinnamon (to taste start with a little)

Spread for breads or rolls:  strained yogurt, vanilla extract & cinnamon to taste

Spicy dip: strained yogurt, dried hot pepper, onion powder,& 1 garlic clove, and a couple drops of lime juice    

Salad dressing: add your favorite dry seasonings, flax seed oil, sea salt.

Not only do they taste good but they are good for you!!!

Psalms 34:8  Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Christie

Sorry it took so long.

Super seed is a garden of life product (Jordan Ruben)

It is a whole food fiber blend that has been sprouted. For example millet, buckwheat, & lentil sprouts.

It has flax seed meal, whole chia seed. It also has a blend of probiotics. It aslo has stevia and cinnamon.

It taste great and its great for you.

Check out their website  www.gardenoflife.com. They have great products and info.

Christie