July 31, 2012 - I DID IT!

I write you this morning from Warm Springs while having coffee with my mom. My first day of vaca was busy but WAY fun! It's a wonderful thing to be able to eat anywhere and eat what I choose. I will say it's a bit challenging at the nicer restaurants who cover all foods with sauces and cheeses. BUT......it can be done! How many of you know that we wrestle not against flesh and blood???? Sometimes that means we have to remember we are not wrestling against ourselves!! While God came to give us abundant life, the destroyer came to kill, steal, and destroy. And, part of what he wants to destroy is ANY confidence we have that WE CAN live in freedom. Have you ever questioned EVERYTHING you do? Have you had that conversation before? "I'm always gonna struggle with my weight.........Vacation is always the struggle for me and I always lose............I can never eat out because I always make the wrong decision." Let me remind all of us - if we have Holy Spirit within us, we have the mind of Christ. That means we DO have victory over our flesh - we DO have victory over our desires and emotions. BUT - we must determine which voice is speaking the loudest at this meal, during this vacation, at this restaurant. We're not battling our flesh - we're battling the voice of the one who wants us to always fail, lose our trust in God, and give up. YOU are NOT WRESTLING AGAINST YOU, you are wrestling against principalities and powers. BUT..... we win! Keep declaring that today and speaking it out loud. Speaking out loud allows us to be encouraged and allows our doubts to be confronted. I had to talk to myself yesterday at the Sundial with my grand babies and work with our waitress - but I left declaring, "I did it." Come on fam, how many times today can you say, "I DID IT!" Write it down and celebrate. - PK

July 30, 2012 - The Power of a Group!

Good Monday morning and what a GREAT one it is for me! I started a 2 week vaca yesterday! YEA!! It all started with LIfe Group here at my house - what a treat. For those close to me you know I love people, I love to eat, and I love to cook. So having a group come once a month to share and "think out loud" and PRAY - YUMMY! Maybe I am so happy from a selfish point, as I really needed some help in getting out of the rut in which I had been for a couple of months as far as eating the same foods. I think boredom is one a Satan's tricks to get us to look "elsewhere." Say amen. :) And that can be bad in LOTS of realms. But when we are tired of the same foods, sometimes we look to the right or the left and compare, or get jealous, or decide to try something new. Sometimes......we look back at our past failures and decide "being heavy is just my "lot" in life." NO, NO, NO to all of this..... My husband said after last night's group, it's great to have fun with people and learn about different foods we can use to "spice-up" our meals. We also sat and talked about ways to enhance different foods. I tend to default to making sweets and actually pushed myself to create some new veggies and someone else brought things that were new to me as well, like eggplant. Then after we prayed for a physical bodies - I felt my body surge with energy. It's like the Holy Spirit powered-up our food, discussion and prayer. I NEEDED that! We made our plans for next group and what foods we would experiment with. I am determined to live the REST of my life filling this body with whole, healthy foods and giving my cells every opportunity to produce LIFE! But I am more convinced than ever - there's such power in a group. My encouragement - find a small group at work who desire health, as you do, and share lunch responsibilities. Create a "Recipe Share" and be honest about where you default. No one food or food group should dominate our health plan. Our bodies need a variety! One of my BFFs uses an app on her phone My Fitness Pal with some others. Isolation is the wrong place for any of us. Here's another testimony - one of my family started on a similar plan to mine last Friday - protein, fruits, veggies, healthy fats - no sugar, no milk, no grains....and is down 7.8 pounds as of this morning. YEA! And she's young - what a GREAT time in life to embrace health. And part of that was a group who agreed to eat exactly what she eats, weight when she weighs, and be accountable. There's power in being in the group and not feeling isolated. Find your GROUP, make a plan, and NEVER LOOK BACK. Our HEALTHY bodies are a testimony that FREEDOM is worth the FIGHT! :) PK

July 26, 2012 - Switch On The Light

Have you ever thought about REALLY how much easier it is to walk without stumbling and without tripping or breaking things when LIGHT is present. Sometimes even walking at night in my neighborhood, when the street lights are on, makes me uncomfortable because it's harder to see a dog that might run up or a crack on the sidewalk. I soooo much prefer the LIGHT! I know we CAN walk without the light, but it's much easier and safer when we can see. I was discussing with someone about the choice we have daily to walk in the light. If I get up at night, and the house is totally dark, I have the choice of stumbling around or turning on the light. Even a small amount of light is really beneficial. You're asking how this applies to our health?? Light really symbolizes TRUTH. So, when we choose to do what we KNOW as correct concerning our health - it's as if we switched the light on. When I am unsure about a food product or how the body responds to a certain food, I start doing research. Here's what I know - the closer to all natural, the better. When we have the choice of a 100 calorie snack (a totally processed food) or an apple (about the same amount of calories) and we choose the apple, we switch the light on. Can you imagine what our cells are thinking as we consume the contents of the 100 calorie snack bag? Here's what they are saying to one another, "anybody know what this is? how do we digest something we can't pronounce? is this real food because I'm having trouble breaking this apart to grab the nutrition? ISSSSS there any nutrition in this?" Can't you hear them? Given the choice of a pre-packaged 100 calorie container of Pringles (which are easy to pack, eat, etc......) your better choice is the apple. Same amount of calories - processed SO differently. While it takes hours for our cells to turn the LITTLE bit of nutrition in the Pringles to energy - the apple gets switched-on quickly. That's light! That's truth! Don't walk in the dark and say "calories are calories." Switch on the light and realize an apple and Pringles are the SAME calories, but they function in our bodies TOTALLY DIFFERENTLY. I'll take the one that gives me good fiber, great energy, feeds my cells properly, and does it quickly. Give me the LIGHT! Are you coming Sunday night - I need to know. :) PK

July 25, 2012 - A Prayer For Our Family

We ended yesterday's blog talking about the need to ask for God's wisdom each morning. How many of you know we'd be better off with His wisdom as we execute our day as opposed to our own? That was my first prayer this morning. I also thought about the Psalm on our blog yesterday and how it began with praise. What I'd like to do this morning is pray for our team and speak blessings over you! "Good morning Father, and thank you for this day! You are loving and kind and always steady! You always have our heart close to you and we praise you for thinking of us when we are going through our day. Thank you for living in us and keeping us on the right path throughout some tough places that we will journey before this day ends - that comforts us. Thank you for loving us more than we understand or deserve. Thank you for never leaving us alone because we KNOW you are always present and know every thought and word that we speak and don't speak. We know that you desire for us to live according to your plan for us and we ask for your help and wisdom. Father, we thank you for your Word which is always true and the hope it gives to each of us. God you know that our heart's desire is to be healthy and strong so we can accomplish your will in the earth. We confess our weakness in this area at times and Holy Spirit, we ask that you guide us into TRUTH. We ask you to speak loud and clear to us as we make food choices this day. Help each of us to eat what we need and not just what we want. Help us to feel your strength when we want to default to bad habits that we know lead to death. We give you thanks in advance for your support. We love you and we are grateful to be your children. Thank you, too, that your word is filled with promises of goodness and we are grateful for that. We expect the blessings of the Lord to chase us down and overtake us THIS DAY!" I pray this over us today - stop and ask the Holy Spirit before you consume even one bite of something that will clog your arteries or continue to propagate YUCKY stuff in your body. Love you! PK PS - Life Group this Sunday night 6:30-8:00. Please let me know you're coming so I know what to purchase. Address: 10 Sedgewick Ct Sharpsburg, Ga 30277 Friends are welcomed.

July 24, 2012 - Asking For Help!

I love reading the Word of God. I know each of us has our favorite authors for various reasons, as do I. But God's word is filled with such HOPE. Just reading this Psalm communicates so much - God is our helper, God gives food to the hungry, the Lord frees prisoners......ON and ON and ON. On our journey sometimes we can become self-absorbed. I hated the way I looked; I hated that I had no self-control and I was consumed with me and desperate I was. While I had convinced myself that God could heal this food addiction "if he wanted to" - which he always did - I often forgot to PRAISE him for just WHO HE IS and not what he could do for me. God never opened my mouth and inserted the food, nor did He consume thousands of calories daily "on my behalf." I did that and it became a huge distraction. Let's get off that stand and stay off! This Psalm begins with PRAISE.....let's begin there today! Let's not put our confidence in powerful people, but in a God who always keeps His promises. And, let's thank him that he sees our day and let's ask for Godly wisdom in EVERY AREA of our life. His word declares that if we ask for wisdom - he gives it. SOOOOO......have you ask today? I have. And God will honor his word. Tomorrow, before our feet hit the ground let's ask for wisdom AGAIN and then follow the plan of the Lord. Much love, PK Psalm 146 1 Praise the LORD! Let all that I am praise the LORD.2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israelt as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God.6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.

July 23, 2012 - Where Does My Help Come From?

Good morning and happy Monday! I am getting ready to head to the pool for water aerobics - it is my "addiction" these days. It's nice to be able to work out HARD and not have my knees buckle. I wish I had a covered pool area - I'd gather all of you and we'd work out together. Don't forget our Life Group THIS Sunday, 7/29. I know it's a week early, but I will be out of town next week. And, we need to move the time to 6:30 as I will be at a party for one of my babies. :) Please bring a healthy dish to share and the recipe. If you can't bring a dish - come anyway to gather new recipes and get prayer! Please let me know if you are coming so I can prepare. :) Also, bring a friend who needs some new, healthy recipes and prayer for their body. The older I get the more I am aware of those little things that tug at my body. However, being sensitive to the "little things" can be a GREAT thing too. The Bible says, "it's the little foxes that spoil the vine." I was showing one of my granddaughters how certain things can cause a build-up of plaque in our arteries and eventually, as with a water hose, those places get clogged or weak from ballooning and they burst or close all together. Did that happen over night? NO. But it happens. When I was so heavy, my doctors continued to encourage me to loose JUST TEN POUNDS. To me - that was like a million pounds. Occasionally, I could loose this "little fox," but my inability to see years down the road and my addiction to food caused me to REWARD myself and the next thing you know I was up 15 pounds. Anybody understand??? After seeing my mother-in-law suffer with several issues that I know to be food-related and hearing her cry for help for many years, I am more committed than ever to not be swayed buy a future I cannot see. I don't have to see my future - there is enough data from OTHER'S LIVES to speak loud and clear about food-related diseases. I bought every diet pill known to man, tried hypnosis, wrapped bands around my body - where is my help???? I wanted to live......I wanted a slim body.......but at no physical cost to me. I could spend the money, but I couldn't change my eating. Where did MY help come from? The realization that I was eating myself to "death." I prayed and begged for God's help - and He was ALWAYS willing - but I wanted HIM OR SOMEONE OR SOMETHING to do all the work and let me reap the benefits. It just doesn't work that way. I wish it did. I like easy - you do too. :) BUT I PREFER HEALTH to sickness and that takes work - discipline - boundaries. Choose life and eat to live - PK

July 20, 2012 - Retirement Plans

Good morning fam, I know it's been a week since we've talked, but I am just getting back in the saddle from Granny Hill's funeral and vacation. WHEW! Thanks for your prayers. My heart's desire was to see his family move toward restoration as several of them had not spoken in years to their mother or each other. This was a huge issue! His mother adored her children, but years of poverty and abuse (by his father before getting saved) had turned several away from their family. God answered our prayers. In FOUR of his nine siblings, we saw restoration begin between they and their children, some among the siblings, tears flow, forgiveness expressed and "I love you" conveyed. RIGHT in front of our eyes. I was honored to be able to preach Granny Hill's funeral and graveside service and God honored His word in mighty ways. Not only did He confirm his Word with restoration, there was physical healing as well as prophetic direction that caused a REAL breakthrough in my niece's life. While momma got her eternal healing, her family got a DEEP healing as well. God is SOOOO into bringing life from death. We have spoken a lot about destroying our old ways of thinking concerning a healthy lifestyle and how difficult that can be. But thanks be to God, He can take our discipline and use it to restore life to our bodies. He created natural vegetation on the earth to feed us and feed us well. We created preservatives and processed foods and they can never substitute for fresh, whole foods. Sometimes we roll the dice with our health, don't we? Somedays we "do" good and others, "well, Kathy, I can't be as disciplined as I really should all the time." I don't understand that statement. The older I get, the more valuable LIVING gets and LIVING life in a healthy manner gets. AMEN! Dealing with our health is really not like playing with a deck of cards. I don't want a 50/50 chance of survival because I don't want to play the game correctly. Each of us will exit this life someday, but I would like to be a sassy, 100 year old, HEALTHY person, leading water aerobics, cooking lean protein, and consuming tons of brightly colored fruits and veggies who someday sits down to take off her shoes - closes her eyes - and opens them to see God. (that SO makes me smile) I cannot guarantee that, but I can plan for that. We spend years planning for our retirement, putting away funds, and making a portfolio to give us a great future. I am doing the same type of planning for my future health. Have you ever heard someone say, "You can never get insurance when you NEED it." Well, I feel the same way about our health. It's the wrong time to scramble and try to "be healthy" when disease manifests. We need to start today, and do whatever we have to EACH day, to plan for a healthy future. Unless God touches us with a miracle - as I witnessed this past weekend - it takes years sometimes to really bring our bodies back to health following years of abuse. (that's why I want my grand babies choosing healthy foods NOW) Let's not put off healthy planning and be caught "trying to scramble." NO rolling the dice for me!!! I am building my health portfolio as I type. Let's do it together! PK PS - As I will be gone the 1st Sunday in August, my health Life Group is meeting NEXT Sunday on the 29th. Last time we made coconut whipped cream and key lime yogurt together. We shared sugar free pound cake and black bean brownies. YUM! Next Sunday, I will be making a LOW CARB parmesan chicken to share. Wanna come? My house from 6:30-8:00. (Time shift as I have a birthday party to attend - my youngest grandson will be one!) Last month, we shared GREAT food and prayed for our bodies. We will do the same each month. (USUALLY the 1st Sunday of the month) Come and bring a friend who wants to "EAT TO LIVE!"

July 13, 2012 - The Truth about Fruit

Hey fam, I think my husband's mother is going to experience her eternal birthday this morning. Thanks for your prayers. She has eaten only teaspoons of food the past days and a sip of water. The hospital just called and told them to come as her blood pressure is dropping now. They have asked me to do her Home Going Service. I will keep you posted. A lot of people ask me about fruit when I tell them I don't eat sugar. Yes, fruit does have sugar but fruit on the low end of the glycemic index has fiber and a high water content which balances the sugar load. So, yes, I eat fruit, a couple of servings a day - unless I am CRAVING something sweet and I will add another portion (or another bowl of watermelon). I don't eat dried fruit, pineapples, grapes, or bananas - which tend to be on the HIGH end with not much fiber. Here is a list of fruit groups from low to high as far as sugar content. Also, find a good table to display the glycemic index. I reference mine often. :) PS - fruit adds color to your meal as well. :) Choose wisely! PK Fruits vary widely in the amount of sugar they contain. For example, half a cup of raspberries contains 3.5 grams of net carb, whereas half a cup of raisins contains 61 grams. These categories of fruit are roughly in order from low to high, sugar-wise, though there are some exceptions. Here is the complete fruit list, with each fruit linked to more information, including low-carb recipes for some of them. 1. Berries - Berries are, in general, the fruits lowest in sugar -- and also among the highest in antioxidants and other nutrients. 2. Summer Fruits - Melons, peaches, nectarines, and apricots are next in sugar-order. 3. Winter Fruits - Apples, pears, and citrus fruit are moderate in sugars. 4. Tropical Fruits - Pineapple, pomegranates, mangoes, bananas, and fresh figs are high in sugar (guava and papaya are lower than the others). 5. Dried Fruit - Dates, raisins, apricots, prunes, figs, and most other dried fruits are extremely high in sugar. Dried cranberries and blueberries would be lower, except that a lot of sugar is usually added to combat the tartness.

July 12, 2012 - Attached To The Right Thing

Good morning, You know that I have been gleaning from my watermelon plants all summer and yesterday......another revelation. (maybe you know this, but I just discovered it. wink) As the plant/vine grows, it creeps out away from the main source and travels EVERYWHERE! They spread out like untamed kudzu. So, last evening I noticed one of the vines had maneuvered to my rose trellis and started climbing upward. While that may look okay - I thought, "NO watermelon can hang on this trellis and grow. They are too heavy." So, I decided to simply move the vine. Easier said than done. The vine sends out tentacles every couple of inches that attach and coil themselves around WHATEVER to stabilize the vine and ensure it's survival during a windy storm, etc. I actually had to RIP those little anchors and redirect the vine to a place where it can produce healthy fruit. WOW! I so see the truth here. We can be traveling along, growing as we should, throwing out anchors to seemingly support ourselves only to discover we have anchored to the WRONG thing. The vine had NO ability on its own to get off the trellis - it was stuck. Something bigger and more powerful and with some wisdom (me) had to dislodge and redirect or the vine would have looked pretty, been colorful, BUT BEEN UNABLE TO SUPPORT LIFE. In our journey to live a healthy life, we MUST try to anchor our focus on healthy TRUTH which gives us the best chance of sustaining life. Sometimes we are tossed about by the next diet pill, Dr. Oz show, a friend's dramatic weight loss, WHATEVER and we run and attach ourselves to that "truth" out of desperation and not wisdom. That can be dangerous. Let's attach ourselves to truth that really can give us the best chance at life. And, when we find truth - wrap our tentacles around and around it so that when circumstances come to dislodge us and try to influence us - like those who jeer and say, "living without sugar is stupid - you can't do that the rest of your life," we are GROUNDED and unmoveable. Let's be honest, we need these type of TRUTH-anchors in many areas of our lives. (I have a deep stirring in my spirit that many are being led astray in areas of Godly truth in this day in which we live) That's why I asked, "are we anchored to the right thing this morning?" Wendi sends this video/article from WebMD that says MANY of the things that I have been blogging for the past 13 months. It's nice to have the medical community support us. :) And, WebMD is a reputable, reliable source to which we can ANCHOR part of our journey. Let's find supported TRUTH - not dramatic promises that sell products - and let's fight to be grounded there. The Bible says, "you shall know the truth (be anchored to it) and the truth will set you free." Free to live, produce watermelons and feed others. YES!!! That's a beautiful, spiritual truth right there. Yes it is! http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction?ecd=wnl-day-070912&ctr=wnl-day-070912_ld-stry_1 Keep sending your thoughts and reading selections - I enjoy hearing from you. Blessings on you this day my friends - PK

July 11, 2012 - Letter of the Law

Good morning all, Sorry this is late - I am on staycation. :) I have never been so excited to see rain as I was last night. It has been such a long, dry season at our house. I know others around us have received water - but none here. Last night it rained for about 30 minutes and I must have opened the door 5-6 times just to feel the rain. Thank you, God! I have been reading in Romans about the law this morning and what really made someone a Jew or a Gentile. Some people could only see that following the law "made them" God's chosen. Paul is challenging this philosophy and reminding them that being circumcised has value ONLY if you never break the law - and we know that NO one is without sin. That's why we need a savior. That's why we are grateful for grace through faith - yes we are! Paul's response at the conclusion of chapter 2 speaks directly to a conversation I had with someone last night about eating: Roman's 2:29 "No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praiset from God, not from people." The person I was speaking with last night was talking about the diligence they impose "on them self" in relation to certain things in life that have been stumbling blocks to them in the past. I agreed. I, personally, cannot go back to my old way of eating and living as it produces death - FOR ME. BUT......I cannot enforce that "law" on everyone around me, nor can I get frustrated when people choose to do something different. I know what has made my body healthy, I can explain that to someone, but we each have a choice. That's why Paul says it's about a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. When I first adopted my new health plan - it was very strict - legalistic in fact. And, in order to achieve success - I followed it to the "letter of the law." However, the long-term success factor of my health journey is not about the "law of dieting" and the "I CAN'T SYNDROME." My heart (often translated in the Bible as mind, will, emotions) has CHANGED to now see what life as a healthy person looks and feels like. I am happy here; and when others eat things around me that were part of my past - but are not part of my future - I cannot legalistically impose MY WAY on them or look back with regret. I don't walk this journey out of fear or compulsion - it's just my way of life. It's a NEW HEART- A CHANGED HEART. It's so like my walk in Jesus - such a cool parallel. And I gotta be honest - at first the applause of people was an encouragement to me. Now....healthy blood reports, healthy joints, no depression, a healthy life really bring me joy. It's a total mind shift. It happens daily in my heart. That's a good thing. So today's encouragement - let's delete the "I can't" from our health journey and confess "I CAN eat WHAT I WANT." I can eat anywhere and anything that I CHOOSE! And then - choose well. :) PK

July 10, 2012 - Eat With Your Eyes

Good morning and thanks for your prayers for Terry's mother. She is very frail and will more than likely be moved to hospice soon. She has developed a staph infection in her blood that is almost always fatal with the elderly who are already so ill. However, we trust God for his perfect will in this matter. My husband is with her and was able to speak with her for a few moments yesterday. That is a GOOD thing! Thanks for your continued prayers for Granny Hill. Last week one of our family responded to my blog and remarked, "we really do eat with our eyes." She had brought several colorful veggies from the garden, washed and prepared them, and while arranging them on her plate marveled at the colors - how vibrant. I immediately thought about how much I LOVE color. I so much enjoy sitting in a room with life, warmth and color as opposed to a black and white or sterile surrounding. When my plate is filled with colorful foods, which I know are healthy, I FEEL differently about the meal. It's almost a sense of JOY before I start eating recognizing that I am giving my body the best choices so that it can, in turn, refuel my organs and keep me at optimum efficiency until my eternal birth date. That really is true. It's kind of my challenge daily right now - how many colors am I getting in? :) How many did you get in yesterday? Speaking of eyes, wanted to remind you that those beautifully colored foods ALSO help ensure eye health. A poor diet can lead to inflammation and increased risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and other "eye-related" problems. On the fiip side - some foods, like blueberries, can actually PROMOTE eye health. Can you say deep, rich color? Blueberries are rich in antioxidants that help in a host of areas, especially keeping our cells "fighting" any bad guys that try to act rebellious and mutate as they divide. We call those cancer cells - rebellious, mind-of-their own, sneaky guys. But, we can feed our bodies with whole, healthy foods and actually help OUR HEALTHY cells fight the rebellious ones and that is a great thing! So, as you approach your meals today - count the colors of your fruits and veggies and vary them meal to meal so that the differing vitamins and minerals are incorporated throughout the day. Eat with and for your EYES today - PK

July 6, 2012 - A Heavy Family

It's Friday and my daughter's 33rd birthday. :) When we all say, "time flies," I would also add, "and waits for no one." Birthdays come and go but should really serve as our reminder to do a "self-check." You know in January everyone checks the batteries in their smoke alarms. On our birthdays, our car tags and insurance come around. There really is something to be said for annual self-examination. For us, the longer we wait to embrace a healthy journey - the harder the end of our life could be. I don't remember as a child having my mom discuss with me the value that healthy eating played on my heart, skin, or hair. But let's just say - I am SOOO doing that with my daughter and granddaughters now. Mackenzie and Kailey need to start sooner than later, so they won't be scrambling as I was at 53 to get on the path. :) Foods play such an important part in this journey. Scientist are finding that lots of red and yellow colored fruits and veggies improve our skin tone and color, citrus fruits (choose mildly acidic ones) can actually cause skin to be more radiant (especially under the eyes) and rosemary aids in memory. God knew what he was doing when he wanted us to be healthy. We just have to take the time to select the right foods and get them into our bodies. Natural medicine has been around since the beginning of time. WHY do we pay so much for the scientifically generated ones when there are other options??? I heard someone saying, "just loosing 5-10 pounds can make such a big difference in diabetics and so few can lose that." It broke my heart! The journalist went on to announce that something like 65% of all children are in the heavy and obese range. HELP ME! I know we can't change everyone, but we can change our families. We might not lose 100 pounds (unless your name is Cheryl), but 5-10 pounds to help with diabetes???? YES! When I heard this doctor say that parents who "let their children be heavy" are setting them up for a life time of failure and disease - again, my heart was moved. We don't want bratty children, so we discipline them. We don't want lazy children, so we train them. But it's okay to have overweight/obese children and "someday when they're older they can fight this fight????" NO! Can we all embrace change? YES! Can we all embrace a healthy journey? YES! When we shop for the weekend - let's fill our buggy with color, help our skin tone and memory and set a platform for our family and their families to live long, productive lives! PK

July 5, 2012 - Never Give Up!

Well, we enjoyed another holiday. YES? It's really great NOT TO dread holidays, the heat, or eating at someone's house. I went to the pool yesterday morning to get some stretching in (following a HARD workout on Tuesday afternoon) and enjoyed some time with my daughter and granddaughters. Ended the night with some friends and stayed on plan. It's so great when people finally understand that you choose healthy eating and it's not awkward for them to be around you while you eat. :) Watermelon for dessert and everyone was happy. YES! and YUM! The storms yesterday took power away from the community right next to us and yet we had NO rain, NO storm and NO interruption in power. I determined I take things for granted - like electricity. :) We went to a friend's house who lived in the community with no power. And while we could cook on the grill, no power meant no flushing the toilet. UGH! So, we gathered them and some food and headed back to our house to cook and while on the way - there was a clear line of who received the rain/storm and who had not. I was thinking - isn't that like life? I always wondered why some people were "gifted" with metabolic "powers" and were able to eat whatever and whenever without limit. I always saw that as so unfair. AND......why were some people born with "perfect" bodies and I was always chubby???? Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time? These little skinny girls with tiny waists and I was stuck with a thick trunk. Was that fair? Honestly - I fought with that most of my life. However, in reality, some receive rain, some receive storms, and some receive nothing. Life gives each of us a different set of circumstances. Some people are born thin - I was not. But God HAS given us a sound mind and we have the freedom of choice. When thrown a bad circumstance last night, we had to try THREE different routes to get to our friends - but we never gave up. We had to change our location to prepare dinner - but we never gave up. We had to drive over branches and debris - but we never gave up. And, while dinner was late - we had a lovely time - BECAUSE we never gave up. The moral to this story - no matter how your day was yesterday or the last seven days - keep trying every possible route until you experience victory. You are worth it! Have a great day. PK Anybody have any yummy recipes that you tried over the 4th that you'd like to share? :)

July 3, 2012 - Herbs

Good morning all, I am just really trying to branch out and start using more fresh herbs, and I LOVE the way she says they can take ordinary food and make it EXTRAORDINARY. Herbs are a great substitute for fat, salt, and sugar. I hope you enjoy reading this - I did. :) Whether you plant them or pick them up at the grocery store or farmers’ market, adding fresh herbs is a quick way to transform ordinary meals into extraordinary meals. Besides helping flavor foods when cutting back on salt, fat and sugar, herbs may offer additional benefits of their own. Researchers are finding many culinary herbs (both fresh and dried) have antioxidants that may help protect against such diseases as cancer and heart disease. (ROSEMARY HAS BEEN PROVEN TO AIDE IN MEMORY ISSUES) If you’ve always thought you’d like to plant an herb garden, you’ll find information on how to do that at the end of this article. Take some thyme (pun intended!) to cook with fresh herbs. Here are some tips to help you enjoy the flavor and health benefits of fresh herbs in your cooking. When Substituting Fresh Herbs for Dried Herbs A general guideline when using fresh herbs in a recipe is to use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb. When substituting, you’ll often be more successful sub- stituting fresh herbs for dried herbs, rather than the other way around. For example, think potato salad with fresh vs. dried parsley! Sarah Browning, Horticulturist, Extension Educator UNL Extension in Lancaster County 402-441-7180 • http://lancaster.unl.edu sbrowning2@unl.edu “An herb is the friend of physicians and the praise of cooks.” —Charlemagne When to Pick or Purchase Herbs Purchase herbs close to the time you plan to use them. When growing herbs in your own garden the ideal time for picking is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. This helps ensure the best flavor and storage quality. How to Store Fresh Herbs Fresh herbs can be stored in an open or a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days. If you don’t have access to commercial perforated bags, use a sharp object to make several small holes in a regular plastic bag. If you have more herbs than you can eat, enjoy herbal bouquets throughout your house. You can use either single herbs, combinations of herbs or you can use the herbs as greenery mixed in with other flowers. To help preserve the aroma and color of your herb bouquets, place them out of direct sunlight. How to Wash Herbs Wash herbs when you are ready to use them. Wash smaller amounts of herbs thoroughly under running water. Shake off moisture or spin dry in a salad spinner. Pat off any remaining moisture with clean paper towels. If you’re washing a larger amount of herbs at one time, treat them as you would salad greens. Place in a clean sink or deep bowl filled with cold water and swish around. Lift from the water and transfer to another bowl so dirt and grit remain in the water. Pour out the water and repeat the washing process in clean water until dirt and grit are gone and the water is clear. Note: If you plan to harvest a large amount of herbs from a home garden, consider washing them down with a hose the day before to help remove any large particles of dirt or grit that might be on the leaves. Annual herbs can be harvested down to about four inches tall and they still will regrow for use later in the season. For perennial herbs, don’t take off more than a third of the plant at any given time. How to Prepare Herbs for Cooking For most recipes, unless otherwise directed, mince herbs into tiny pieces. Chop with a chef’s knife on a cutting board or snip with a kitchen scissors. To speed cutting with a scissors, cut herbs coarsely into a small bowl or cup and snip back and forth with your scissors. Some recipes may direct you to cut large leaves, such as basil, “chiffonnade- style” or into thin strips. An easy way to do this is to stack several leaves (about 3 to 5), roll into a tight roll, then cut into thin (1/16 to 1/8 inch) strips with a sharp knife. While some recipes call for a sprig or sprigs of herbs, normally the part of the herb you harvest will be the leaves. For herbs with sturdier stems, such as marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme, you can strip off the leaves by running your fingers down the stem from top to bottom. With small-leaved plants such as thyme, you can use both leaves and stems for cooking early in the season. Later in the season, as the stems become tougher, use just the leaves. For herbs with tender stems, such as parsley and cilantro, it’s OK if you snip some of the stem in with the leaves when you’re cutting these herbs. Be careful if using a food processor to cut herbs — it’s easy to turn them to a paste rather than tiny pieces. When to Add Herbs During Food Preparation Unlike dried herbs, fresh herbs are usually added toward the end in cooked dishes to preserve their flavor. Add the more delicate herbs — basil, chives, cilantro, dill leaves, parsley, marjoram and mint — a minute or two before the end of cooking or sprinkle them on the food before it’s served. The less delicate herbs, such as dill seeds, oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme, can be added about the last 20 minutes of cooking. Obviously, for some foods, such as breads, batters, etc., you’ll need to add herbs at the beginning of the cooking process. Fresh herbs can be added to refrigerated cold foods several hours before serving. Allow time (at least a couple of hours, if possible) for cold foods with herbs to chill helps the flavors to blend. Freezing Herbs Several books and articles on herbs recommend freezing as an easy way to preserve herbs. Recommendations vary on the best way to freeze herbs, how long frozen herbs will maintain a satisfactory flavor and which herbs will freeze well. Be aware that when herbs are frozen, they become limp, lose their color and are best used in cooked foods. The most conservative guidelines for how long herbs will maintain their quality frozen range from two to six months. Here are three possible ways to freeze herbs: 1) The easiest method and one recommended on the National Center for Home Food Preservation Web site www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/herbs.html states: “Wash, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap a few sprigs or leaves in freezer wrap and place in a freezer bag. Seal and freeze. These can be chopped and used in cooked dishes. These usually are not suitable for garnish, as the frozen product becomes limp when it thaws.” 2) Another method recommends washing herbs, cut- ting them into tiny pieces and then filling the sections of an ice cube tray about half full with herbs. Cover herbs with cold water and freeze until solid. Transfer frozen cubes to a freezer bag and squish out as much air as possible. Drop them into soups, stews and sauces as needed. Be aware herbs may stain plastic ice cube trays. 3) To save time chopping herbs into tiny pieces, you might try making a “slurry.” Simply puree your washed herbs in a blender with a small amount of water. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and add to foods, as desired. Regardless of how you freeze herbs, label them as to type (they tend to look the same frozen) and the date frozen. If you freeze quite a few herbs, it may be easier to find them in your freezer if you store the individual packages together in one large container. Which method works best? Experiment for your- self with small amounts of herbs at the beginning of the season and sample your results a month or so later. Determine your personal preference before committing a lot of time (and freezer space!) to frozen herbs. Herb/Food Combinations Here are some ideas to help you start combining fresh herbs with your foods. BASIL — a natural snipped in with tomatoes; terrific in fresh pesto; other possibilities include pasta sauce, peas, zucchini CHIVES — dips, potatoes, tomatoes CILANTRO — Mexican, Asian and Caribbean cooking; salsas, tomatoes DILL — carrots, cottage cheese, fish, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes MINT — carrots, fruit salads, parsley, peas, tabouli, tea OREGANO — peppers, tomatoes PARSLEY — The curly leaf is the most common, but the flat-leaf or Italian parsley is more strongly flavored and often preferred for cooking. Naturals for parsley include potato salad, tabouli ROSEMARY — chicken, fish, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes, soups, stews, tomatoes SAGE — poultry seasoning, stuffings TARRAGON — chicken, eggs, fish THYME — eggs, lima beans, potatoes, poultry, summer squash, tomatoes WINTER SAVORY — dried bean dishes, stews Pastor Kathy Hill New City Church "God has not changed HIS mind about you!" email: kathy@newcitychurch.net blog: kathyshcgfamily.blogspot.com Pastor Kathy Hill New City Church "God has not changed HIS mind about you!" email: kathy@newcitychurch.net blog: kathyshcgfamily.blogspot.com

July 4th - Independence Day

Hey gang - Happy 4th! No blog today, just a prayer that the Holy Spirit would bring HIS help to EACH of us so that we can enjoy the sun, our families, a day of rest andNOT end the day feeling like a failure. It is for FREEDOM that Christ came to set us free (Gal 5:1) not FAILURE and DEPRESSION. I am praying right now that we will desire the best foods today, resist those that contribute to obesity and early death and smile knowing that we are no longer trapped in our minds. We KNOW what to do that's right and we declare THIS DAY that we will choose, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that which we KNOW to be life-giving and not life-robbing! Have a fabulous day! PK

July 2, 2012 - Wave the White Flag

Good morning all, As much as we talk about victory, this morning I want to talk about surrender. During a battle there is much to protect - one's life, one's family, one's country, one's honor. And yet, sometimes, even though you've done all that you know to do, there comes a place of surrender. How many of you know how difficult that place is? It is so difficult to give up our right to defend our actions or defend our feelings. One of my favorite sayings that I have tucked in my older Bible is an excerpt that reads, "I don't have to be first, I don't have to be right, I don't have to be in charge, I don't have to be applauded......" This statement says humility and surrender to me. Sometimes we are called to surrender and sometimes more than we like. Jesus surrender his life and we gained eternity. Many of us surrender our position in a fight and gain peace. Sometimes, we surrender our old mindset about life and we gain LIFE! I am convinced that a large portion of dealing with the fight for a healthy life style is an inverted and WRONG defending of bad habits. I was encouraging a woman on Friday who cannot seem to find the strength to break free in her eating and gave every reason for her RIGHT to be heavy. Isn't that crazy? But, isn't that what excuses are? I so wanted to grab her and say - surrender....just give up.....realize you don't need to defend a wrong manner of thinking.....submit to a new way.......LIFE is worth surrender. We sometimes see surrender as a bad word. We talked about last night, at our Healthy Eating Club, that while I can eat "most anything," I have tried Ezekiel bread three times and every time I do, I gain weight. WELL......I have to surrender. It's not a battle I can win. My body immediately responds by gaining. Maybe not with you - but with me, so I told Paulette last night - I cannot eat it. Surrender. And, I would rather surrender and LIVE than make excuses for it's place in my life. While the seeds and nuts in which the flour is made may be okay for you - they are not for me. I can eat them plain, but not in the bread. Surrender. While you may be able to eat starch and sugar with no weight gain......I cannot. Surrender. And, I must rejoice in your journey and not be jealous of your body's response. Surrender my "right" to eat what I want........ There's a great, biblical principle in this! Today, what areas in your life do you need to surrender? MAYBE you need to REALIZE that you cannot fight obesity on your own and you need more accountability......surrender. MAYBE you need to vary the fruits and veggies.....surrender. MAYBE you need to weigh more.......surrender. MAYBE you need more water..........surrender. Quit trying to defend a wrong mindset and surrender to the DESTINY OF HEALTH God has given each of us and choose LIFE. Drink extra water in this heat - we evaporate it as well. :) PK