My Body: God's Temple

I post quite a bit about healthy (or at least, healthier) recipes, but have never really given a reason for doing so.

 I am sure that many of you who actually read this blog already know that I used to be quite a bit heavier than I am today.  Right now, at the age of 27 and having had two children, I am about 40 lighter than I was in high school and my freshman year of college.  I know it's not all about weight - it's about balance - but for me, weight certainly has a lot to do with my life in so many ways.  It affects the way I view myself, the way others view me, the things that I can do or am willing to do, and so much more.

I have always been "overweight".  I can remember getting a report back from our school nurse when I entered junior high that said I was 200 lbs.  When I think about that, I can hardly believe I was that size at the age of 13!   I struggled with it when I was young - I didn't want to be overweight and unhealthy.  But I also didn't ever believe that I could do much about it.  I remember crying when I was alone, wanting to be a "normal" size like other people, but I don't think I ever let on how much I was hurting.  I just believed I was destined to be that way and nothing I did could change that, so why try?

It wasn't until after my freshman year of college that I saw such a huge need to lose weight and get into shape.  This afternoon as I was looking over some writing I did that first year of college, I reflected on the two experiences that changed my life.  The first was a one-mile hike up an incline in order to reach a castle in Germany.  I wrote about how dreadful that hike was, and how embarrassed I was that the really nice athletic boys that everyone liked had to coach me up that hill.  The second memory is similar; it was a few weeks later in Colorado when I was trying to hike up to Hanging Lake with my college singing team.  A couple of those same guys were nice enough to lag behind in order to help me get to the top.  I was mortified. 

That was the beginning of the end.  The end of the embarrassment, of having to shop in the Women's section, of having to look like an old lady when I was 19.  But it was also just a beginning.  I finally realized that it wasn't my genes that condemned me to this life of shame.  It was myself. 

And something that I didn't even know about then, but have been mulling over lately is that not only is it important to mine and my family's health to be careful about overindulgence and to keep up at least somewhat of an activity level; it is actually pleasing to God. 

Consider these passages:

1 Cor. 6:12 NIV Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.  (And the love of food was definitely something that mastered me)

1 Cor. 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Or, as I was just reading last week in 1 Samuel, there is the example of Eli the priest.  I have always wondered how his sons turned out to be wicked when Eli was so godly.  Then I read it again; Eli was actually reprimanded by God for taking the "choicest meats" from the sacrifice and for overindulging.  He was the one who taught his sons to be so selfish in the first place by his example - his sin of gluttony!

As I am learning more and more of God's desire for us to glorify Him in everything that we do, I am convinced that part of that is in taking care of our physical bodies.  I remember hearing a man who was not a believer during his younger years tell of his disdain for his college president, who stood up front telling the students not to drink or smoke.  He told these students that they must have control over their bodies and what they put into them, yet the president clearly had no control over the food that he put into his own body as he was at least a hundred pounds overweight.  The students listening to him scoffed at his hypocrisy.

So am I opposed to eating some unhealthy foods?  Am I saying that I think we should exercise, exercise, all the time?  Absolutely not!  After all, the key to everything in life is balance.  Any one thing - whether that is food, alcohol, exercise, another person - can become an idol when its value is placed above God. 

My goal in this post is simply to explain my view of health and our bodies at this point in my life.  I adore a good creamy, cheesy dip as much as the next girl.  But I also love that God gave us so many delicious fruits, veggies, and grains to enjoy as well!  I want my testimony to be that of someone who loves God and who believes that her body is a temple - a vessel to be used for His honor and glory.  And from where I stand today, I believe that part of that honor and glory comes when I take care of the vessel that He has given to me.

Weeknight Apple Cake

I had made this recipe once before after finding it in a Taste of Home Cooking School edition magazine and decided to rename it from "Moist Apple Cake" to "Weeknight".  First reason: I'm not a huge fan of the word, "moist".  Second reason: since it's not terrible for you, you don't have to wait to the weekend to eat it! 

 

Samuel went on a walk with Daddy to pick up some ice cream - a reward for finishing his potty training - so Julia and I had some much-needed one-on-one time in the kitchen.  She helped by putting the diced apples into the bowl and helping me stir together all the ingredients.

You can put the cake batter into a regular 9x13 pan, or into a bundt pan, which is how I like to do it - the presentation is so much prettier!

When the boys got home we ate dinner, and then had an unexpected party.  We didn't really mean to have the whole shebang in celebration, but since David and Samuel were picking up ice cream and I already had the cake on the menu . . . we decided to have a party.



Happy Big Boy Underwear, Samuel! 

Weeknight Apple Cake

1 1/2 c. sugar (I only use about half that)

1/2 c. applesauce

4 c. (appx. 2 lbs) apples, diced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c. chopped walnuts, optional

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine sugar, applesauce, and apples in a large bowl.  Mix in eggs and nuts. 

In another bowl, stir together dry ingredients.  Add to apple mixture and stir until combined.  Pour into a greased baking dish.  Bake for 1 hour.  Sprinkle with additional sugar or powdered sugar if desired. 



Blackened Chicken and Beans

Here is one of our most favorite healthy recipes ever!  No allergens here, people!  Just chicken, spices, beans, corn, and some salsa.  And the best part: it can easily be recycled to make the leftovers into something totally different. 

I should have recorded the process . . . but it was such a nice day when I made these on Tuesday, here is what I was taking pictures of instead:

 

David brought the dump truck home so he could sleep a little later and not have to back track.  Samuel was one thrilled little boy, and I'm happy I got these and the chicken didn't burn!

Next time I make this dish, I think I'll double the bean and corn mixture.  My family really loved it so I only had one serving left, which I mixed in with taco meat today.  A little more would have been even better!  And the chicken - I made a little extra and saved half back immediately after cooking it, and I plan to use that for quick fajitas on Saturday.  I also cut the breast halves into strips so that it would cook a little faster and it would be easier for the kids to eat.

Blackened Chicken and Beans

2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 c. frozen corn

1 c. chunky salsa

Combine the chili powder, salt and pepper; rub over both sides of chicken.  In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for abouat 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.  Remove and keep warm.

Add the beans, corn, and salsa to skillet; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.  Transfer to a serving dish and serve with chicken.

What a refreshingly simple and healthy dish.  Definitely a keeper - can't wait to make it again!

Skinny Enchiladas

I've been looking for at least somewhat healthy on Pinterest.  It's not that easy to find them sometimes!  After an enchilada experiment that had my whole family turning their noses (so the sauce was green, who cares?!), they were relieved when this one turned out quite well.  We had just enough left for lunch the next day!

I thought I turned this picture . . . oh well.  I started by grilling the chicken on our beloved indoor grill for great flavor!

While that cooked, I mixed up the sauce - just some salsa and some Greek yogurt.  So easy!

Shred the chicken with two forks.

Mix sauteed veggies with some Greek yogurt for the filling.

Fill tortillas, top with sauce and cheese, and bake!

So really, the only differences I made from the original recipe were in the cheese.  I used full-fat, because I'm not really a low-fat kinda girl.  And I also (obviously) used more than 1/4 cup on the top.  But all things considered, it was still a pretty healthy meal.  

Skinny Enchiladas

Filling:

1 1/2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped bell pepper

1/2 c. nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 c. low-fat shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese

Sauce:

3/4 c. salsa

1/4 c. nonfat Greek yogurt

1/4 c. low-fat shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with Pam spray

2. Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until onions are brown

3. Mix veggies with nonfat yogurt, chicken, and cheese

4. Spread appx. 1/4 c. chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up, and place seam down in dish

5. Mix salsa and Greek yogurt in a bowl and spread evenly onto tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheese.

6. Place foil over dish and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Debt vs. Family

I put in a two-week notice at my evening job last  night.  It was bittersweet telling my supervisor that I would be leaving, knowing that it will leave a gap that they will have to fill, but today I am filled with joy as I watch my children and know that after next Thursday, we can finally be a "normal" family (and normal may be relative!).

Since having children, we really have not been what I would call "normal" because we've been on such a mission to earn income.  Now, I have to say, we have no high hopes of becoming rich by any means . . . we just made a few un-wise decisions early in our marriage that we had to live with and learn from for the past few years.  As I mentioned in a previous post, we are committed to getting out of debt, which means paying off all of our student loans.  After that our only debt will be the mortgage, and we can live with that!

So why would I quit my job?  Normal to us would be where Daddy goes to work, and when he comes home, the family is together - eating, conversing, working on a project - just together.

After making our "bad" decisions (though we've come to realize they were necessary and God used them to teach us to follow Him better), we spent several years playing catch-up.   We had more bills than income, and were constantly trying to fill those gaps.  So David started a demolition business.  I started selling Discovery Toys.  David got a job at McDonald's.  I got jobs at the mall and as a janitor at a local manufacturing plant. 

None of these were bad things to do.  There is no problem with starting a business or selling something out of your home, but we didn't have the capital to be able to make them turn a profit.  There is no problem with getting a second job, but we let those jobs take time from our family.  When David was at McDonald's, he was working about 16-20 hours a day, leaving me at home alone with the kids. While I've been working, David and I meet at the door and he comes in while I'm going out.  Our only time at home together is Wednesdays and weekends.  We're usually busy on Fridays and Saturdays, so we've started using time that we would usually attend church to stay at home and have that family time we've been missing.

We started talking about it and questioning how we could possibly get out of debt, and one of us working a second job seemed like the only way.  Then we met with our CPA to do our taxes.  She is an awesome, godly lady who is familiar with what we are trying to do and has also been through Financial Peace University.  She worked with us and helped us to find a way David can prevent the govenment from taking so much out of his paycheck (yes, it's totally legal!).  And that amount is equal to what I have been making the past few months at my job!

We doubted, we didn't trust that God would take care of our desire and honor our commitment to be debt-free.  Yet, He still provided a way when we didn't expect it!  How awesome! And so, last night my job began to end.  I have 5 more nights of working, and I am so looking forward not only to having evenings at home being a mommy to my children and a wife to my husband, but to going back to church for more than just the morning service. 

I am so thankful for a God who does care about us, who wants us to follow Him and to train our children to do the same.  He provided for us in spite of our best efforts to do so ourselves. 

Eph. 3:20-21 has long been one of my favorite passages: "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever"!!

Unexpected Allergies: Part 2

We went to see the allergist (whew!  boy, do I have a story on the payment for that one!  but that's another day . . .) in August, two months after the initial wheezing/coughing/hives outbreak in June.  She was wonderful.  She spent about 2 hours in the room with us, talking about all of Samuel's issues and figuring out for what we would be testing that day.  Samuel sat like a champ through 18 scratch tests on his little arms and waited for them to show us our results.  We were pretty surprised - he tested positive for 13 of them. 

Grass.
Dust mites (several kinds).
Cat hair.
Dogs.
Horses.
Pollen.
Soy.
Eggs.
PEANUTS.

The soy and eggs were actually miniscule in comparison to the others, so at this point, we have been told that they shouldn't affect him too much.  But peanuts??  Oh, that one was reeeeeally bad!  Samuel hated PB&J and all other peanut things for a long time, but peanut butter is so convenient, I forced it upon him only months before until he liked it at least somewhat.  Not to mention, there are lots of foods that are manufactured with peanuts in the same plant, so we need to avoid those, too.

And dust . . . who doesn't have dust in their house?  We were advised to clean our house as spotless as possible, as often as possible.  And we're supposed to get rid of our carpet (fortunately only one room of our house is carpeted and the rest is hard wood).  I was interested to learn that it's dust mites.  I didn't even know there was a difference.

 And she told us to keep our windows shut during high pollen times, and that Samuel shouldn't spend a lot of time playing in the grass, especially in the heat, as his eczema is exacerbated by being too warm.

Then there was the prescribed medication, which after a couple of months we realized was triggering outbursts of anger in our sweet boy.  We took him off of that pretty quickly after figuring that out!

We've learned since that Samuel is extremely allergic to bean dust . . . which is a problem since Daddy is a farmer!  We found that out after Samuel took a ride in the combine this fall and I ended up driving about 75 mph the entire 7-mile trip home with him choking in the backseat.  Talk about a helpless moment.  As a result, all through harvest David had to come home and take everything off at the back door, then jump into the shower before touching or even being within a few inches of Samuel.

Samuel's legs during the bean dust outbreak.  Here, he was on the nebulizer while I sponge bathed him in a chair.

So far, we have been with or close to Samuel's nebulizer and a bottle of Benadryl each time he has had an allergic reaction, and for that we are extremely thankful.  We carry epipens, but have not yet had to use one.  (Although, Samuel did administer one to himself at Thanksgiving just "for fun", haha)

As far as these allergies, aside from the bean dust which causes immediate anaphylaxis (throat closing), the hardest part for us is that none of the others cause such a reaction.  Think of it this way.  You have an 8 oz. cup in front of you and pitchers of allergens in your hand.  Pour in 3 oz. of peanut, 2 oz. of dog dander,  and then 4 oz. dust mites, and the cup is suddenly running over with allergens.  This is what causes the reaction.  Sometimes we don't know if or how much Samuel has been exposed to one allergen, and don't realize it until there is just too much for his little system.  There are also likely other things Samuel is reacting to that we have not yet tested, so we try to keep track of exposures as much as possible.

Samuel has constant eczema issues and needs thick lotion once or more per day, and sometimes uses a topical steroid as well.  I show his legs here, but during outbreaks, his hands and eyes are usually swollen as well.  As seen in the photos, Samuel's eczema is a day-to-day issue that is worse some days than others.  We just spent a few minutes outside and he already has the hives all over his right hand and arm. 

Samuel's legs today - a good day!



Backs of Samuel's legs today

 Samuel is also very sensitive to temperature - he overheats from very little exertion, which as mentioned before makes skin/breathing problems worse, and he gets very cold much more quickly than most of us as well.

As far as our eating . . . I am all for sugary, yummy treats.  But a friend in the medical world as well as others have told us that sugar weakens the immune system if it is already weak.  And Samuel definitely has a weakened immune system.  So while we enjoy some sugar still, we have really tried to cut that amount way down.  I don't know for sure if it's helping or not, but we at least feel like we're doing something good!

As I mentioned in the last post, we are just so thankful for God's provision since June, that we have always been close to our nebulizer and Benadryl when Samuel has had a reaction.  We will need to continue to see the allergist once a year and continue to do testing, but the hope is that he will outgrow at least some of the allergies by kindergarten. 

We pray that none of this is a lasting condition, but until he outgrows it or until eternity . . . we'll keep trusting the Lord to show us how to help our son.

Unexpected Allergies: Part 1

I'm not one of those people who gets all hyped up about medical stuff.  You know what I mean - I've never quite believed the ones who are allergic to everything, have pains everywhere, etc.  But I just thought I'd take the time to share our story and my own heart a bit regarding our family's little medical struggle and God's providence through it all. 

Samuel was born in '09 a healthy little boy.  We couldn't have been happier.  David and I have always been very healthy ourselves, only needing to visit the doctor once every few years , so we fully expected to have the same in our children.  And I must interject right now before I really start, that I know there are so many people with much more difficult or severe conditions, but to us, this is huge!

People commented to us right from the start that Samuel was a heavy breather.  I can't count how many times others would ask me if he was okay because he was breathing so loudly!  When Samuel was about 9 months old, he had RSV.  We put him on a nebulizer for a few weeks and he seemed fine.  He also had unusually dry skin.  Not a big problem to us. 

Fast forward to this past summer.  June 18, 2011.  We had Julia's first birthday party and spent hours outside where the kids ran through the grass and got very hot!  My parents and my in-laws became very concerned when Samuel was breathing heavily.  Since this happened fairly often, David and I dismissed it for awhile.  However, Samuel broke out in hives all over and we knew something was wrong.  Not knowing really what else to do, we gave him some Benadryl and used hydrocortisone lotion, and he and David sat in the bedroom for the remainder of the afternoon working on calming down so he could breathe.

We still didn't think too much of the whole thing until exactly one month later.  It was a routine morning at home, and Samuel had been "helping" me fold laundry.  He had disobeyed somehow and I had given him a brief time-out in his room.  At about 8:30 a.m. he started wheezing and coughing uncontrollably.  His skin turned red again, and this time I knew something was definitely wrong.  The worst feeling in the world is when your child can't breathe and you have no idea what caused it or how to fix it!  My 2-year-old baby was so panicked, and so was I!  I did all I could think of - ran the shower with hot water to get some steam going, and held his face over the steam.  I honestly have no idea what Julia was doing at the time, and she is usually pretty "needy".  I thank God for so many things that day, including keeping me at least somewhat calm and keeping the baby occupied and unhurt while I cared for Samuel!

As soon as I got Samuel to a point where I felt he could breathe without coughing (he still couldn't talk, though), I called the doctor's office where they put the on-call nurse on the phone.  She immediately scheduled Samuel to see our doctor just as soon as we could get in.  Another praise . . . it takes 45 minutes to get to our pediatrician's office, and I got dressed, took Julia to a friend's house, picked up David from work, and got to the office within an hour! 

By the time we got to the doctor's office, Samuel was only wheezing every few breaths.  It was at that point that we remembered the episode one month earlier, and I actually remembered at least one other time where Samuel had wheezed and coughed and broken out in hives.  I had completely dismissed that and forgotten until we were at the dr's that day.  He sent us home with a nebulizer, some epipens, and steroids, and scheduled us to see an allergist.  He told us there is usually a link between the breathing issues and what he labled as "severe eczema".

Never would we have guessed before July 18th that we have such a "sick" little boy!  We are so thankful that God has kept him safe thus far and has provided with each subsequent outbreak of hives and wheezing the ability to get help/relief within minutes.  I will continue this story in a second post with the test results from August and how we've dealt with Samuel's issues since then!

Our sweet little cowboy!!