Impromptu Nachos Anyone?

Hey blog world! 

I  had a dear friend in town visiting and we did lots of fun running around and eating out. The other night though, we needed something quick and convenient with few ingredients because I need to grocery shop!

After a little thought, I decided on taco meat. I had some soft shells, some crunchy shells and some multigrain Tostitos (my personal fav!!!). My thought was everyone could just do what sounded good to them with what we had.

When I bring ground beef home from the store, I brown it all up at one time with a general seasoning mix, and then store it in one pound portions in the freezer. This makes mealtimes so convenient for busy families!

I grabbed a couple frozen portions, defrosted them, and plopped them in my large electric skillet. After a few minutes of warming, I added some taco seasoning and water. It thickened in about 5 minutes. Simple. Fast. Dinner!

I sadly didn't even have any veggies to use, but we made do and my sweet friend Andrea was digging my impromptu nachos. They even looked pretty on the plate, so she said they deserved a blog post.

Here they are! I spread out the chips, spooned on the beef, drizzled some mild enchilada sauce and queso, tossed a little shredded cheddar, and shook on some dried chives.

Yuuuuummmmy indeed!

Cut Yourself Some Slack Jack!

Getting very practical about daily life is a must when you deal with chronic illness.  

There is so much that I would like to do differently that, right now, my body just will not allow.  Ideas and visions run through my head (or before my eyes on my Pinterest app!), and I quickly get disillusioned because I can barely keep my eyes open from the fatigue of sleepless nights!

It seems that no matter how intentional I try to be, I'm inevitably thwarted by some part of my body doing something that I can't stop. So, my thoughts for practical living for today are this:  cut yourself some slack!

I know.  I really do know how hard it is.  You have a standard you like to keep your house at!  You can't stand the messes you see lying around.  You try to ignore it all as you walk from one room to another and get lost in a sea of total disarray!  Where are those children you so diligently trained in chores??? Oh no!  They're being too quiet downstairs and you should see just what they are up to, but the mere thought of climbing those stairs...are you kidding me?

Or, wait, that's not you?  Perhaps you beat yourself up because the messes remind you of what a failure you have always been.  Maybe you never even knew how to train your children or you never got around to training them. Maybe you even feel guilty that you ask them to do things at all.  After all, people tell you that children should just get to be children and play.  They will have to work enough when they grow up.

The battering thoughts and voices seem to never cease no matter what part of the parenting spectrum you come from.  That's because the enemy is the father of lies.  The best the enemy can do is get you to doubt who you are and whose you are.

So...cut yourself some slack kid and get back to the truth!

For me, the truth is that I have diligently trained my children, but many times it seems you would never know it!  I can't make my body do things it's too tired or sick to do.  It's not sinful to ask my children to help.  I would do more if I could.  God still loves me just as much.  This will all be okay.  That's pretty much how I run it through my mind most days.

But, I get it.  It doesn't often feel like it will all be okay, does it?  God knows too.  Just try to offer yourself the same understanding and compassion that you would offer others if they were going through what you are.  You can't do it all.  You can't do more than what you are capable of.  Pushing yourself when God has not told you to only results in wearing yourself down even more, becoming sicker, and probably grumpier.  (Don't ask me how I know that okay!)  

Just do what you can do when you can do it.  Quit beating yourself up and stop caring about what everybody else thinks of you.  It only matters what the Lord thinks.  

Do everything as if you are doing it for the Lord.  That's all He asks. He knows your best and you know your best.  The rest of the people will just have to deal!  (Yeah, I know it's easier said than done.)

Do What You Can!

A few months ago I was thinking about how many changes have taken place in my body: my arms have a double wave now; my forehead and neck have huge lines; it's much harder to lose weight; bruises and scrapes don't heal as quickly; my normally "skinny" part (my legs) are not as effortlessly skinny anymore.

Sigh.

Aging. It's quite something.

It's unavoidable.

It's kinda discouraging.

But...it's also just part of life.

I have no desire to spend my money on potions or pills or surgeries. I will deal with what comes, but I did start wondering what I should be doing differently, so I researched to see what I could do.

I was amazed at how much muscle mass we can lose as we age! That's where I chose to start...with strength training to build muscle back.

I don't usually have a huge span of time in my day for a straight workout, but I read some great encouraging words about grabbing minutes where I can.

I started doing simple leg raises, small-weight arm routines and crunches while I listen or watch some kind of teaching or audio book. I hate wasted time and love to find ways to multi-task! One goal I made a long time ago was to read a chapter of something each day so that I continue to learn. With so much information available on technology now, I'm able to grow in knowledge AND do other things :-)

I also continued with my stretch routine I try to do first thing in the morning before I get out of bed because it helps me stay flexible and not hurt so much.

I am currently learning about the MELT Method, in which you use a foam cylinder to do different exercises that rehydrate the body's connective tissue. This is helping tremendously with back, neck, and head pain!

If I have time, I try to get in at least 15 minutes per day on my Urban Rebounder (a terrific mini trampoline). This is one of the best exercises one can do! It is low-impact and flushes the lymph system, removing toxins from the body.

All of these things can be done in just minutes a day and yield great results! Don't fall into thinking you don't have time. You make time for what is important to you!

Make time for YOU. You have one body so do what you can with it. Aging may be inevitable, but we can have some input on how we age! Do what you can!

Bread Alternative Lunch

Good Saturday afternoon to you!

I just ran to the store with my little fam and picked up the goods for our fried chicken birthday dinner. My son Alex turned 13 yesterday! All my guys want this meal for their birthday and it is a labor of love! Phew

Maybe I'll post about that later, but as I am grabbing a quick lunch, I remembered I wanted to share one of my favorite things that help me not miss bread so much!

Wasa Thin & Crispy Flatbread. They have a few flavors, but I'm partial to the sesame myself :-)

Today, I put some preservative/additive-free ham on top with some ranch dip I made out of plain Greek yogurt, cream cheese, ranch dressing mix and seasoned salt.

Sometimes I use turkey and cheddar cheese or chicken salad. It's a great alternative to bread...11g carb for 2 slices and a gram of sugar!

Tortellini Bake

I don't have a picture of tonight's dinner experiment but at least I can tell you about it!

I had a couple packages of Buitoni Whole Wheat Cheese Tortellini in the frig so I had a thought that I could use that and make a lasagna-type dish.

I defrosted a small bag of sausage as well as a small bag of beef. I poured a thin layer of Classico Four Cheese spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish (a trick to avoid sticking). I then used the remainder of the sauce to mix with the tortellini in a bowl. I put all that in the dish, then mixed the meat with some garlic seasoning and another jar of sauce and poured it on top the tortellini. I put a mix of Italian shredded cheeses on top and covered it with foil.

I baked it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees and then removed the foil. I popped it under the broiler until the cheese was brown and bubbly!

I served it up with a simple organic romaine salad and it was splendid!

Fast Steak & Asparagus Lunch

We had steak for dinner the other night, so I took what was left and cut it into small strips that I could use later for steak fajitas or something else.

Today for lunch, instead of fajitas, I sauteed the steak in a little butter (REAL butter!), some garlic salt, chives, minced onion, and A1 sauce.  

I had some asparagus that sounded scrumptious as well.  I snapped off the ends, rinsed it in a colander, and threw it on a cookie sheet with extra virgin organic olive oil, Lawry's seasoned salt, and pepper. I toasted it under the broiler on high for about five minutes.  I really wish I had remembered to squirt some lemon juice on it, as my sis-in-law just told me the other night that she loves that.  

It was a delicious little lunch on the fly!  

Don't be afraid to try an idea.  Some of my favorite meals have come out of my experiments!

Happy Thursday everybody :)

Warm Lemon Coconut Water

I've discovered another yummy coconut oil drink!

Warm water-8 oz (I got mine from the Keurig)
Organic, virgin coconut oil-1 Tbsp
doTerra Lemon Essential Oil- 2 drops
Truvia-about 1/2 tsp (you could use Stevia if you don't like Truvia)

I wish I could have this ice cold, but the coconut oil would solidify. It's nice though.  You could use honey to sweeten as well.