A Lovely Tuesday...

God is so incredible! This morning I woke up to my husband asking if he could hold me for a few minuets. We usually can't fall asleep cuddling, and lately we haven't been sleeping at the same times at all, so this was a really nice surprise, and it spoke my love language quite a lot!

Needless to say I got out of bed feeling very loved and grateful for a day off of school where I was healthy! 

Breakfast was Quinoa Oatmeal with Mango and Cinnamon:

Ingredients: 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup steel cut oats,1 cup boiling water, 1/4 cup cubed mango, a dash of cinnamon, a drizzle of honey, and a splash of almond milk (optional to add on at the end)                            

To make:

1. Bring water with quinoa already added to a boil for about 10 minuets (cover halfway with a lid)

2. Meanwhile cut up mango and mix with oats, cinnamon, and honey

3. When water is (almost!) gone, pour quinoa and boiling water (about 1/4 a cup) into the same bowl

4. Mix together and enjoy with some coffee! 

I took the bus to Starbucks for a date with my student's papers... They are very smart, but also very funny sometimes.... I choose to laugh instead of get frustrated with their antics; it's just easier that way :-) 

I also had a great egg, feta, and spinach wrap there for lunch! Which was very tasty and just what I needed to keep me warm with my hot mint tea. Then I began the 2 hour journey to go grocery shopping via CTA bus route, which was quite the adventure! I managed to get all of what I wanted to get, plus 2 honey greek yogurts, tomato soup, bananas, and 6 pink lady apples, all in my draw-string backpack and oversized bag. And I managed to get from the Beverly Starbucks to the Pullman Aldi, then to the West Pullman bus stop, all the way back to Roseland, and walk the three blocks to my house with only being asked for my number 3 times-- huge success!

When I got home, I had gotten a packaged from my mom with a pretty hot-pink mullet sweater (it's a thing, I swear...) a jury commission questionnaire (uh-oh!), and some throat-coat tea. What a nice surprise! 

After putting groceries away and warming up my numb feet (from the cold walk), I went ahead and got going with my Tuesday workout. I did these 3 videos, and even though the last one is only 10 minuets, it was defiantly the one that made me sweat the most...

So, God has really been wonderful! I'm about to shower off and get going on some whole wheat pizza dough for date night with my incredible husband tonight! I'll post that recipe for homemade pizza later... Have a blessed day!

Banish Fat and Boost Metabolism for your Temple

Hey Health-Nuts!

 I haven't updated you on my workout schedule and how that's all going because I've actually been really sick. I started off strong with my Zumba video (which some of you guys tried!), and then with the 60-minuet strength training DVD Slim and Lean, but then was kind of knocked out for a few days with an awful cold.

I am still recovering my voice, and my students tell me I sound like an old smoker, but hey!- I got through today's cardio workout without hacking all over, so I think I'm in pretty good shape.

I mentioned before that I have been off and on with Jillian Michaels; well, today I'm on. 

Check out her video:

I can safely say that I am drenched with sweat and feel pretty good after completing this. She also does some ab workouts, so you'll get that tummy toned up too.

My plans for the night: make a nice dinner and start on Romans again. I just finished Acts all the way through for the first time (can you believe it? I had never read it straight through!) I tweeted about this last week, but I totally think Acts would make a fantastic movie. Seriously; someone has to do it. I only wish there was a really good woman's role so I could play it.... Lydia maybe? Oh well :-)

Romans is a BEAST of a letter by the way! So it's a good one to start after a BEAST of a workout.

Your body is Christ's Temple, so treat it like the beautiful creation it is! Have a great night!

Eating Healthy, Eating the Rainbow

Today's post is inspired by the cookbook Color Me Vegan. It's not, however, exclusively for my vegan friends. Never fear! Meat-eaters who want to make sure they are getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals will benefit as well.

So, how can color impact your health? 

Well besides the emotional and mental effects that colors have on us (blue=peaceful, hot pink=energized, exc. ...), colorful fruits and veggies, according to the book's author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, can spark creativity and aid in your general health.

She tells us that "choosing contrasting colors (in your meal) can encourage creativity and inspire your inner artist". And indeed, if you check out her recipes, they are all kinds of colorful and artistic-looking!

But let's use our left brain to get a little technical:

There are several health-protective phytonutrients (google that word if you need to :-) in the deeply colored fruits and veggies we can choose from. Here are a few important ones and what they do for us:

• Beta-Carotene helps bolster your immune system.
• Alpha-Carotene helps to stop the development of liver, lung, and skin cancer cells in your body.
• Lycopene has been linked to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancers.
• Anthocyanins assist in combating cancers cells and diabetes.
• Resveratrol and Flavonols aid the health of your heart.
• Lutein helps to prevent cardiovascular disease and protects your eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. 

"Riiiiight.... but how do I know I'm eating those things?"

Here's a list compiled by Keri Gans, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, about what kinds of foods you can be on the look out for:

• YELLOW: yellow bell pepper, table queen squash (Beta-Carotene)
• ORANGE: Carrot (Alpha-Carotene); yam, pumpkin (Beta-Carotene)
• RED: Tomato, watermelon (Lycopene); strawberries (Anthocyanins)
• BLUE: blueberries (Anthocyanins); concord grapes (Resveratrol)
• GREEN: spinach (Lutein), kale, broccoli (Flavonols/Lutein)

Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how to incorporate these colorful fruits and veggies into your diet, or at least help you understand the importance of eating a variety of colored foods.

If you're interested in learning more about different benefits of consuming different colors, I suggest you check out Colleen's book! You might enjoy it, and it might spark some creativity into your diet!

Daniel, Get Your Protein!

Hello everyone. I have not come up with any spectacular recipes as of my last post, but I did want to write about ways to get your protein during the Daniel Fast.

Being a Vegetarian, most people look at me dumbstruck when I tell them that I don't have any trouble getting my protein. 

"But you don't eat meat!"

...Yes, I am aware of that... 

But really, even with being a Vegetarian, I don't have to worry about my protein intake as much as many think I do. 

Okay... if you live on twinkies and dr. pepper, then maybe you could end up protein deficient.... Nevertheless, I'm sure some of you want to know precisely how much protein you need, so here's the way to figure it out:

The rule of thumb for determining your protein needs is to aim for .8 gram of protein for every kilogram of your body weight. (For those that are not math folks: 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds).

So, for example, if you weigh 120 pounds, that's about 54.5 kilograms (120 lbs divided by 2.2 lbs per kg). Multiply 54.5 kilograms by .8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, and you get 43.6 grams of protein (or about 44 grams). 

Forty-four grams of protein isn't much! And don't worry, protein is in way more foods than you think!

To give you an idea of how easy is it to get the protein you need, take a look at the list of foods and their protein content below. 

Legumes (dried beans and peas)

1/2 cup most legumes, depending on type = 5-9 

1/2 cup bean burrito filling = 6

1 cup black bean soup = 16

1 cup vegetarian chili = 24

1/2 cup vegetarian baked beans = 6

1/2 cup garbanzo beans = 6

Nuts and Seeds

1 oz. nuts, depending on the type = 4-7

1 oz seeds, depending on the type = 4-11

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter) = 6

2 tbsp. cashew, almond, or peanut butter = 8

Grains and Grain Products

1 slice whole-wheat bread = 2-3

1 bran muffin = 3

1/2 cup whole-grain flake cereal = 2

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal = 3

1 whole bagel = 6

1/2 cup cooked whole grain pasta = 7

1/2 cup cooked rice = 2

1 peanut butter sandwich with 2 tbsp. peanut butter = 14

1 bean burrito = 8

Vegetables

1 cup most vegetables (green beans, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, kale...) = 4

1 cup cooked pasta mixed with 1 cup assorted veggies = 18

1 Avocado = 8 

Think about what you eat in the course of a day and the size of portions you take. Calculate your own protein requirement using the above formula, then compare that to the amount of protein you eat in a typical day as well as a Daniel Fast day.

Stay strong and trust in the Lord. No matter who hard it gets, turn to Him and think of His sacrifice for you on the cross. You can do this! He will and has already helped you!