May 31, 2012 - Mosquitos!

Good morning all, Wanna talk this morning about mosquitos. Does anybody like them other than frogs???? They bug the stuff out of me! They never give up, they don't care that you hate them and they are determined to bite you. Sometimes I feel like my own fleshly desires in relation to food are this way. I can go to certain restaurants and nothing bothers me, but the old favorites - all the mosquitos come! The waiters bring the bread and butter to the table (that I LOVE) and everyone is eating and laughing and there it comes - the mosquito to remind me of how I am "suffering." The waiter brings the appetizers and everyone grabs and laughs and I sit and smile - mosquitos. YEP!!! Food is so social for me and at the table with friends, with the "mosquitos swarming," I wanna start swatting. So on Tuesday, while sitting through this scenario and smiling while drinking my water and dealing with my mosquito attitude, I wanted to swat someone. I did all the right things though, smiled, sipped my water, confessed that food was not my boss - but every time that "mosquito" was "hovering" over the shrimp and peppers and drawing my attention - I finally had to move the plate away. Fried shrimp in the sauce at Longhorn with the peppers is one of my FAVORITE appetizers. I knew I couldn't eat it, and was just being kind to buy one for the table to share, BUT when I am tired, my flesh was attacked by those little "mosquitos" as everyone else was LOVING the appetizer. Then the questions started: How about just one? Is there really anything on there that can hurt you? These are small shrimp It's your favorite! But how many of you know, just that one little open door, FOR ME, could have started a pattern of making excuses. Then I got irritated - I didn't plan, didn't have any "snacks" with me, was eating late, purchased my favorite to bless others and be tormented - MOSQUITOS! The moral of the story - make a plan! Mosquitos will be with us forever, as irritating as they are, but they TOOOOO are not the boss of me! I got through the meal with no bread, butter, fried shrimp, croutons, or birthday cake. VICTORY DANCE. Choose life and eat to live - PK PS - And let's kill all mosquitos that want to provoke us to wrath and let's enjoy what everyone else is enjoying without partaking of what they partake. There is a HUGE difference. LOVE YOU!

May 28, 2012 - The Freedom Yoke

What a fabulous day to celebrate the greatness of our military people who give themselves openly for our protection and security. I am proud to be an American! And, to the greatest fallen warrior of them all, who died FOR me and whose life GIVES me freedom - Jesus Christ! I am proud to be a disciple and to know that his fallen life and his residence in my heart places me on the journey of love, joy and peace IN SPITE of anything this world brings my way. How fitting today that our family scripture describes Jesus' love of freedom (Gal 5:1). "It is for FREEDOM'S SAKE" means that Jesus knows, understands, and values freedom SO HIGHLY that the thought of us in prison prompted him to give his life for MY FREEDOM - OUR FREEDOM! His value of freedom and his love for each of us is the reason we fight to MAINTAIN that freedom. Now I certainly understand that fighting to maintain our salvation is a questionable phrase - so let me just say it this way - we are saved by grace through faith but everyday is a struggle and fight against the sins of our flesh that so easily entangle and whose purpose is to cause us to turn and walk away from God. The Bible speaks of a time when our ears could be "tickled" by things other than the truth and even the elect "could be" deceived. We fight for truth on MANY LEVELS, but the truth that applies to our family journey today is undeniable - extra weight places our body, organs, cells, and mind in a place of weakness and fear. Obesity is imprisoning us and our children and robbing us/them of long life due to food-related illnesses. Side note - I was taught as a young child to love foods that were high in fat and laden with sugar - obesity freedom, for our children, is teaching them the truth about food choices as early as we teach them to read. (wink) Jesus cares about the little things that we care about, so I KNOW he cares that we struggle to maintain and lose (for those still on the journey downward) and that it is a consuming journey sometimes. I think the hardest thing to reconcile, FOR ME on my personal journey, is that I KNOW Jesus COULD heal the hunger/food addiction so that I could EAT everything and anything I want without bother - HE COULD! But, he has not yet. I have been totally healed of certain things, but not others. Sometimes I just wanna know why....... God spoke to my heart two weeks ago and said "I could tell you the why - but it would NOT change the circumstances. Just trust me." SO, I fight! Okay then - I go back to Galatians 5:1: Jesus loves freedom and values it enough that he died for it I must make a stand for that freedom that Jesus values enough to die for I have a responsibility to NOT GO BACK and PICK UP the issues of my past that placed me in the cell of obesity or make excuses today to satisfy my flesh, which often is not lead by the Spirit Slavery is a yoke and Jesus said, "take MY YOKE - for it is easy......." I choose HIS YOKE today, tomorrow, and for all eternity. Gotta get myself running, the kids and grand kids are headed my way! I am firing up the grill and making yummy foods that fit within the FREEDOM YOKE that Jesus gave me. Thanks be to my Lord, Jesus Christ who freely gave......... PK

May 25, 2012 - Put It In The Ground

Good and HAPPY Friday - I am so excited to have my grandbabies coming on Monday for a swim with Nina, a birthday cookie (my oldest grandson and my son both have birthdays in one week), and a grilled dinner that brings a HUGE smile to my face! Hope you're planning to have a fun-filled and yet restful holiday. Consequences are not always what we want them to be, are they? But.......there are few of us who escape them. So many in the generation in which we live, where money can change so many things, don't really count the cost as they should. Maybe none of us REALLY do. Why is that? Perhaps because we can't see into the future and REALLY capture what our actions will precipitate??? Maybe we feel that time will place enough distance between what we do and the consequences of our actions???? Maybe we can escape consequences "this time?" I'm not certain that is wise nor am I certain it is true. And yes, the consequences of our actions are sometimes unfortunate. The Bible teaches WHAT..SO..EVER a person sows - that also will they reap. UGH! Does that mean only money??? Unfortunately, we all know the answer to that! My actions, attitudes, responses, etc......can all be sown. AND, reaping is the consequence. If I am always angry, I sow anger; guess what I get to reap? If I am always fearful and worrying around my children and grandchildren, I sow fear; then, I find myself having a difficult time TRUSTING God. And, if I constantly make excuses for an undisciplined lifestyle, I sow a "compromised" attitude toward life and I VERY POSSIBLY could reap negative consequences in many areas - health, my attitude toward life, my marriage......bunches of areas! For example......people who don't floss find that eventually their gums bear the consequence of bad habits. At that point - it may be a long journey to health, if at all. Flossing takes less than a minute but the benefits are great. Low-impact exercise, LIKE water aerobics (which is KICKIN my boooooteeeee and really toning my body after loosing so much weight) only takes a couple of hours weekly, has great benefits, but the consequences of NEVER moving our muscles and/or never allowing our weight-bearing joints to be challenged, may prove to be detrimental in OUR LATER life. OR.........if I start allowing small "cheats" to my health plan - those "babies" (THAT I SOWED) grow up and eventually I find myself bearing the ugly consequence of obesity and horrible self-esteem AGAIN! My prayer is that each of us could honestly examine our lives and have the courage to say, "that one little "cheat" has the potential to compromise my entire journey." Now while I am speaking of food, I felt the Holy Spirit remind me that could apply to ALL areas of our lives. NO CHEATING - if we sow cheating - I can promise the consequences won't be pleasant! Flip side - SOW fabulous hydration into your body - reap beautiful skin, great elasticity, lack of water retention - SOW beautifully colored veggies and reap happy cells who make your organs smile - SOW limited portions and reap the benefits of smaller clothes - SOW a smile and reap smiles all around. So, put the good stuff "in the soil of your flesh" and REAP the positive consequences and benefits of sowing WELL. Much love to all, PK PS - A dear friend that I taught school with, Rocky, sent me this recipe for grilled veggies. I have never tried this, but look forward to adding this to the grill on Monday: Zucchini, summer squash, asparagus Season to taste with garlic or onion powder and maybe your favorite Italian seasoning. Grill with a little olive oil if you like just until tender. I like a little crunch in mine. Thanks, Rocky! How about you? Do you have a planned yummy that you could share with the fam so Monday is a victory dance for us all? :)

May 24, 2012 - Recipes for Memorial Day and a Word About Freedom

We are on count down to another family, eating event. I don't know about you, but my family has finally climbed on board. YEA! I am not totally set on what we are grilling yet, but certain that a fruit trifle will be part of the dessert. Here's what I am doing: 2 regular cans of Goya cocunut milk in refrigerator for several days to cause the milk to harden leaving the water on the bottom. 2 pints of heavy whipping cream 4-6 pkgs of truvia 1 tsp of coconut extract Pour the the final three ingredients in a bowl, then scoop ONLY the solid from the Goya cans, you can drink the water BUT it's high in calories and stay close to the bathroom - BUT YUMMY in taste and AMAZING for your muscles. Whip all of this until very firm - it will triple in size so a deep bowl is needed. Could take 5-7 minutes to turn to whipped cream. Set aside. Prepare your strawberries and blueberries separately and set them aside to CHILL well. (not combined) When ready to serve, layer the whipped cream, strawberries, whipped cream, blueberries, whipped cream and some sliced natural almonds on top. Serve immediately in clear bowl so colors look patriotic. SOOOO, yummy! I am experimenting with taking the coconut whipped cream mixture, adding an 8 oz pkg of well beaten cream cheese (combining) and doing the same layering thing. I think the whipped cream would last longer???? The water from the fruit breaks down the whipped cream fairly rapidly, but I am thinking the cream cheese would hold it together for several hours. I'll let you know. I am also serving a watermelon/cantaloupe appetizer. Those lead off foods don't always have to be veggies and dips. :) Several of you responded to the blog yesterday and I am grateful that we can all "bear one another's burdens." One of satan's greatest tools is to whisper, "you're the only one." But remember, he can never utter the truth. He is the father of all lies. And, we are all doing battle. THAT IS THE TRUTH. I wanted to share from one of my devotionals this morning. It's great when I read devotionals that utilize scriptures we have memorized and stand upon. Hope your Thursday is amazing. PK PS - if you have any creative recipes on tap for Monday, please share. I will send to the group. :) Hope you are encouraged by this: Promise #142: I open prison doors and set captives free. Isaiah 61 was a prophetic declaration of the ministry that Jesus would usher in when He started His public ministry. God's heart has always been to proclaim good news for everyone who needs to hear it. He opens up every prison door and He sets every captive free! Hallelujah for a Savior who is so committed to our personal freedom! His proclaimation of freedom is as relevant today as it was the day that Isaiah penned these words. God wants you and I to be completely free because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty! (2 Corinthians 3:17) My prayer today is that every prison door that still holds us captive would be consumed by the love of God so that we could live a really free life. It is for the very love of freedom that Jesus has set you and I free! (Galatians 5:1) May each one of us experience a deeper level of God's freedom today than we have experienced before. May every weight be lifted off our shoulders and may the joy of the Lord be our strength. He never created us to be captive. We were created to be free!

May 23, 2012 - The "What If" Game

Good morning to all, Man - really tough situations all around in people's lives. I tell you - the enemy of our soul is roaming the earth SEEKING his next meal. (we are not the only one with a food plan) The Word teaches us that he comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Sometimes we only see that in the natural realm - but there are so many levels to that verse. He cannot KILL us physically, only God knows our natural birth date and our birthday into Heaven. However, sometimes the torment of our mind is WORSE that physical death. Often we are tormented by the "What If" game and let me remind us.............God doesn't initiate that game - that's for certain. I have had so many in my office in the past few weeks that are caught in that game - and usually out of brokenness and loss we just give up. Our adversary is counting on that......give up on your food plan, your marriage, your job, LIFE. I want us to go back to Galatians 5:1 this morning and repeat loud and clear: IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST CAME TO SET ME FREE. I, KATHY (INSERT YOUR NAME) WILL STAND FIRM THEN AND NO LONGER LET MYSELF (KATHY) BE BURDENED AGAIN WITH A YOKE OF SLAVERY. So many are saying they are tired of fighting and often we comfort ourselves with things other than God OR THE TRUTH. The truth is that our life is a SHORT season and while it may APPEAR to be an ETERNITY for us, it's not. Hearing the brokenness of people's lives and how desperate people are to just be happy, grabs my heart. Let me remind each of us - the battle is not with FLESH and BLOOD - but principalities and rulers and etc that ALWAYS cause us to go, "what if?????" The battle for freedom is fought in our minds. Making wrong food choices, chocolate, starch, sugar are NOT the enemies of our soul. But there is a dark presence whose daily objective is to get you to not trust God, not trust God's love for you, not trust your love for God. And, often we feel trapped and when trapped we need something to comfort us or something with which to slaughter those who are hurting us. YIKES! Remember this: anything or anybody (other than God) that you run to in a time of crisis is an idol. SLAUGHTER IT........food, your friends, your checkbook, Dr Phil. God alone is the source of our strength. I am walking my own journey - as are we all - and sometimes I have to remind myself - oooops - IDOL. I want you to know, for what it means, I value YOU, I am praying this morning for EACH OF YOU, and I am reminding ALL OF US - NO IDOLS! They are an abomination to God. He created us and wants us to allow him to share in every area of our lives and HE desperately desires that we turn and run to his safe arms when hurting. Let me be your sticky note today - "GOD IS OUR SOURCE EVERYTIME." So........recipes tomorrow for the holiday coming up - but today.....We FIGHT for our freedom. PK

May 22, 2012 - Paulette's Voice

Good morning all, I realize I live in a subdivision, but we are blessed to have so many trees around everyone's house. And as our property, which is over an acre, is half covered with trees, opening the front and back doors in the early morning sounds as if I reside in a bird sanctuary. It's so amazing and so blesses me! We have a lot of houses, but the people around are pretty quiet and not too may loud cars. Only occasionally do we have to grab the shot gun and chase down the hip hop car. JUST KIDDING! Although we have a FEW times had to step outside in the late night and deal with a blaring sound system. It's amazing that we don't hear that at 5:45 -6:00AM. Hmmmmmm???? :) Paulette sent this to me this yesterday and it re-inforces our own personal journey and that we ALL need to help each other stay on the path. Everyone needs encouragement. Amen? Paulette is a first generation health fighter. She and 2 others were in the first group of people I coached. Today God has blessed and increased our family and we have members throughout the US, Canada, South America, and Russia. WOW!!! People all over the world choosing to fight for their freedom from the chains of obesity. Thank you God for people who REALLY understand and are REALLY real. Have a blessed and productive day! PK PS - Our Healthy Eating Life Group starts June 3rd. It's a share-a-dish, share a recipe, and pray for our health. Group will meet the first Sunday of EACH month from 6:00-7:30. ALL ARE WELCOMED! Here's Paulette's voice of encouragement: Amen Kathy, It so easy to get comfortable with the past victories from losing the weight, that we sometimes forget what it took to get to this point. We get bored with the choices and think that there is a better way to keep the results we have now, when the results are maintained by keeping to the same healthy choices. During my devotions last week the Lord spoke to me concerning the story of the Israelites in 1 Samuel asking for a king to rule over them. The Lord had told Samuel to go and tell them how a king will treat them. And after Samuel described to them in details what a king would do.....they refused to listen to Samuel's warning and wanted a king regardless because they wanted to be as other nations. The Lord spoke to my heart that sometimes that is how we relate to foods. We hear all the great information you are sharing with us regarding proteins, veggies and fruits and how they effect our bodies for good and how the wrong choices will cause our bodies to break down in so many areas. Then sometimes, when we get tired of the choices and say, "but I want to enjoy all the foods. I deserve to eat whatever I want to eat..I want to be like other people and eat whatever choices in foods I want," and then we hear the warning: Remember fam - this is NOT a fad we are choosing for a season but a NEW structure with all the joints and bolts and foundational components secure. The winds of life WILL BLOW strong against our resolve, but having the determination to do what's right to "go the distance" CAN keep us to our course. I am thankful for all the reminders you give to us of how sugar and other processed foods cause our bodies to react. It helps me to stay focused on this wonderful journey of a healthy, nutritional lifestyle that the Lord has equipped me for. Love you and thanks for all you do, Paulette

May 21, 2012 - The Memory of a Rat

Happy Monday morning to you all, Can I say how PROUD I am hat watermelons have dropped in price??? That is one of my staple foods and when funds are tight I have to ask myself do I REALLY NEED that watermelon. :) The answer - absolutely yes! News flash - Crissy sent me a text last night that she found a Smucker's jam sweetened with stevia and it was good. YEA! The food industry is changing so that we are having more and more options. I know the pharmaceutical companies are not very happy as they need us "taking our meds." But........choosing healthy living means we get to choose to decrease, or eliminate, our weight-related meds. :) Smaller clothes, more energy, focused life, better health = win, win, win, win situation. Yes?? Today I want to leave you with a thought-provoking article. I know you guys think I am the sugar nazi - but this research article supports another wonderful reason to decrease or eliminate sugar in your diet as well as your family. How many of us want to increase our memory potential??? That would be me! Hope you enjoy this - have a blessed day and choose LIFE. PK Lab Notes: Sugar Sours Memory, Fish Oil Trumps By MedPage Today Staff Published: May 18, 2012 Rats fed a sugary diet forgot how to run a maze they had previously mastered, but the effect was countered by omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Also this week: new hope for Fanconi anemia. Sugary Diet Impairs Memory Rats in a maze study performed worse when their diet was supplemented with fructose water, researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found. The team trained 24 rats to run a maze over 5 days, and then randomized them to a diet enriched with or without docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and with or without a fructose solution. After 6 weeks on one of four diets, the rats ran the maze again from memory, the researchers reported in The Journal of Physiology. Rats with a DHA-enriched diet that were not given fructose water had significantly better times on the maze than did rats given sugar, whether or not their diet was enriched with the omega-3 fatty acid. However, rats given sugar water and the fatty acid managed to perform better than ones without DHA. Rats given neither fructose nor fatty acids performed better than either fructose group, but not as well as rats with the DHA enriched-only diet. The research team noted that "the lack of [omega-3] fatty acids in the diet elevated parameters of peripheral insulin resistance, and resulted in disrupted insulin signalling in brain, and these effects were aggravated by fructose treatment" and that "dysfunctional insulin receptor signalling was associated with lowered learning performance" in the maze. In short, the omega-3 deficiency led to memory deficiency, which was amplified further by drinking sugar water. -- Cole Petrochko