How can we be more like Daniel?—Daniel Chapt. 1 (Shirley Fisk--The following is paraphrased with principles italicized.  Read the scripture for yourself and see what principles you find).

As predicted by the prophets the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into the hand of King Nebuchanezzar due to the disobedience of His people (God says what He means and means what He says). Daniel was chosen to serve the king along with others because he was healthy (give thanks and don’t take your health for granted), handsome (Jesus thinks you are handsome too), showing an aptitude for every kind of learning (open to what the Holy Spirit wants to teach us next), well informed (paying attention to the world and the people around us), quick to understand (always ask for God’s wisdom) and qualified to serve (be motivated to do our best as we do our work as unto the Lord no matter where He has us).   He resolved  (be determined to show love for God by obeying Him) not to defile himself with the king’s rich food (trust God to make a way for you His child, He is bigger than our habits or cravings).  Daniel showed respect to his overseer by asking for permission not to defile himself in this way (treating others as we want to be treated, honors God as well as others).  The overseer talked with Daniel regarding his concerns about the king possibly being displeased with the results (pray for God to move on the hearts of others).  God caused the overseer to show Daniel favor and sympathy (be patient and wait on the Lord).  They agreed to a 10 day test of vegetables and water (walk in faith).  At the end of the 10 days Daniel and his friends were healthier and better nourished than the other young men who ate the royal food (we can be healthier and better nourished too).  So they were able to continue honoring God by keeping his statutes regarding what they ate (be faithful, He is faithful).  

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6

(Ask for God to increase your faith.  He loves that prayer!)

I am happy to be on this adventure together!  Shirley

Don't Jump Off the Wagon!

Whether you are following the Daniel Plan with the PRF small group or not REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED! Even if you have yet to "start." The seed was planted in your soul to make a lifestyle change to be healthier. 

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!

This is a plan that is FOR YOU~ because it's Your Plan. Make no mistake about how personal this journey is. Each and every one of us have a different story. Different health issues, bad habits, triggers, emotions that surround food choice, exercise and awareness. 

Sue is doing an Amazing job giving us a front row seat into gluten free living. She has shared her story that motivates us all. For those that want to really dig in and investigate our foods and what they do to our bodies thoroughly what a great blessing to have someone that has walked through what Sue has. 

For those that are feeling overwhelm by the Daniel Plan~ Don't Be.

This weeks topic was "Focus" (chapter 6). And what a phenomenal topic this is. I will be blogging about it when I can get myself in a deeper "focused" state of mind. For now, I wanted to remind you all that change can happen on any level. If you are starting this journey by only doing a few small things: like cutting out soda, label reading to try to not take in so many chemicals, walking every morning, whatever.... As long as it's positive change in the right direction you have already succeeded! 

The minute you let your mind feel like you have "failed" you have kicked God out of the car. HE is the motivation. HE is for You. For your health. For your Happiness. For your well-being. Let Him back in the front seat and just keep your eyes open to be fully present for the ride. 

The Daniel Plan is a guide. Think of it like a map. People like Linda, Lesa, Sue and myself are gas station attendants trying to support weary travelers. Attempting to give clear direction and hopefully provide a place to refuel. God is in the passengers seat to love, enjoy, support, and encourage your amazing road trip. Where you go and how long you travel is entirely up to you! 

Pray and Set your Goals. 

How far do you want to go? What do you want to see along the way?  

On the video about focus they said something along the lines of this: Your ideals, wishes, wants, and desires are just dreams. It's not until you put it on your calendar that it becomes your goals. 

Get those calendars out people! 

Gluten Free Lady Top Restaurant Pick in Marble Falls Texas!

Tea Thyme Cafe

 

Tex-Mex Restaurant · Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant · Deli

 

Don't let the small little sign fool you! This place has incredible food and our server was delightful!

 

 

 

I've been eating gluten/wheat free since 2008 due to serious health challenges.  Dining out has always been a real challenge. In the beginning when first starting out with my gluten/wheat free food journey it was near impossible to eat out especially with friends and family who just didn't get it.  I didn't like being a pain or causing any disruption choosing the place to eat or during the meal, etc.


It was always such a big ordeal so we just stopped going out to eat.  Not only was it difficult with finding gluten free choices but avoiding the contamination that most people and restaurant servers don't understand can be so dangerous, especially for someone with gluten/wheat allergies.   This last year though since we starting attending PRF and meeting new friends, pot lucks, etc., I've had to really be more cautious again about eating out.   It's not so bad now like in the beginning because I've learned a thing or two and can teach and coach anyone else on this too! 


I've become a holistic home chef myself and everyone loves my food so I've gotten pretty picky when it comes to dining out.   I'm so happy to have found this restaurant Tea Thyme recommended by someone I met on Friends of Spicewood Facebook group!   This was my first experience with them on June 25th and you betcha I'm going back real soon!  Hey this is actually a home cooking restaurant so anyone will love it here! There were a LOT of men eatin there so what does that tell you?!  It's gotta be a good place right?  Not some tea and crumpit place that's for sure!   LOL!


What an awesome place to dine!  Great atmosphere and everyone is so friendly and helpful!
Now this place is all gluten/wheat/sugar free so absolutely no worries about contamination!!
They have a smoothie bar, salad bar with salads and hot bar full of fresh homemade food! We got there about 11:30 am. The restaurant is roomy with a very clean and pleasant atmosphere. There weren’t many people there early but at 12:30 that place was buzzing! There was hardly a table left open!


Their salad bar at only $7.99 and with hot bar $9.99 is very reasonable. They had two types of chicken dishes and a shredded beef, butter beans, red potatoes, two other veggies I think I saw and some hot pears.   Next time I'll snap a pic! 


There's no diet coke here gang! It's all organic soft drinks, green, black tea, etc.  I had green ice tea, my friend had coffee and water. 


My friend Marilyn, is not gluten free.  We both decided to eat off the menu and both had the same thing, a Ruben sandwich with salad. It was SOOO good we ate every bite!   It's  been over six years since I've had a Ruben Sandwich out anywhere!   She even loved the gluten/wheat free bread! She said the food definitely does NOT taste like card board!  Their pastrami was so fresh and delicious! The grilled bread was amazing!   I loved the salad dressing, simple and delicious balsamic vinaigrette just as good as I make at home!


We both had hot pears with coconut ice cream topped with whipped cream and nuts. OMG that was so yummy!  My friend loved it! 


The service was great and our server was very informative and attentive. I left my business card for Gluten Free Lady and let her know I’d be posting favorably about the food and our experience on my blog!  And I'm taking my hubby and trying the Chicken Tacos with Avacodo!  


Keep in mind they are only open 7 AM til 5 pm Mon--Fri and 7 AM til 2 pm on Saturday and they serve breakfast!  


Who else wants to go back with me? And let's make it soon ok? <smile>

Enjoy the Journey!
Sue


Holistic Health Coach &
Home Chef

Gluten Free Lady Quick Left over Potato Veggie Omelet

What's on my fork today? Whipped up this quick, healthy and yummy omelet for brunch with some left over for Clif's Tues and Wed morning breakfast!


Had six left over egg yolks from the Squash Quiche’s I made this last week which have 3 egg whites and 3 whole eggs in them so didn’t want to just throw these extra yolks out! hmmm, what can I make? I was out of my usual protein shake today so this is what made it to my fork!













One of the good habits I've had to really focus on is in preparing what to eat!!    We're also learning a lot about this in our The Daniel Plan group.   It's not always been easy even for someone like myself who works at home.  I didn't always enjoy cooking either!  I ate fast food 3 to 4 days a week and we ate out at restaurants all the time or ordered Chinese carry out! 


It's been about six years since I've been through a drive through fast food window or even stepped foot in one and now when we do eat out I research the restaurants first!  And there are a LOT of great choices believe it or not! I've even learned how to make some of their stuff at home and make it healthier too!   This has become a well worth HABIT and has saved us a ton of money just in cutting the fast food out alone!  Not to mention what's it's done for my physical and mental health, my BRAIN is much more focused now!   


I suffered with depression for years!  Up and down bi-polar ..  Clif never knew what sort of mood I would be in. I was either in bed for days at a time or totally manic and all over the place, spending money like crazy and not making good decisions.  My holistic doctor weaned me off all the medications and I haven't been on any prescriptions drugs for over 8 years including thyroid medicine which I was on 32 years.   I was also in the first stages of dementia in 2008, and could not drive anywhere by myself.   If I had not changed my habits then I would most likely be in a nursing facility today! 



A good habit to develop is planning and preparing ahead and using up what we have in the frig.  You'd be surprised how good something like this can be when you stop and just take a little time to throw something together!   Not only healthier for you but tasty too!   Like this egg yolk omelet I whipped up today!  So good with the right stuff to fuel our body and keep it going strong!





6 Egg Yolks mixed with a little Almond milk, about half a red potato I have left cut into small chunks, cut up some slice of tomato that was left over from last night, half a small green pepper and onion from the garden,  kosher salt, garlic pepper,  whisk up in a small bowl.


1 TB Coconut oil in a small nonstick pan


Cook potato until soft and pour in the egg mixture and cook on medium until it starts to firm up.  Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top Put a lid on top, lower heat and cook until the egg is done. 


Cut into fourths and eat up!  Top with a little sour cream if you eat dairy.  Or some goat cheese would be terrific too!    If I had any mushrooms those would have been thrown in with the potato too! 


How about some fresh blueberries on the side for a boost of antioxidants to fuel up your day!  YUMMMMMY RIGHT!?







One of the books I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about powering up the brain, is by Dr. David Perlmutter, who's a leading Neurologist.  'Grain Brain'  I order all my books used at Amazon.  They are about half the price!   I bought 'The Daniel Plan' hardback book in like new condition for $8.99 with tax and shipping.  
 



Enjoy the Journey!
Sue the Holistic Home Chef

God Uses Circumstances to Change Us!

I just finished reading the chapter about Faith in ‘The Daniel Plan’ where Pastor Warren is talking about God using circumstances to change us and it really struck a chord with me personally!  Some of you have heard or read my story.

“God’s ideal way to change us is through the Bible so that we can find out how we should live and then through his indwelling Spirit, who enables us to do it.  Unfortunately, we can be too often stubborn, and we don’t change that easily or quickly. Bad habits get ingrained. So God brings in a third tool to work on us: Circumstances! This refers to the problems and pressures, heartaches, and hard times, difficulties and stress that we all experience. Problems get our attention, and the more painful they are, the more we pay attention!” 

As I shared in an earlier blog post, back in 1993 after or second son was born when I was 40, is when my real group exercise journey actually began and continued on for the next 15 years until I was seriously injured while walking.  That was one painful circumstance but the circumstance I’m speaking about today was during the chronic illness and fat around my belly I struggled with for over 12 years.   I knew too that having that fat around my tummy was not good for my heart!  


Even though I was exercising 3, 4 sometimes 5 times a week consistently week after week for over 15 years in group classes, my stomach was still always fat!  Of course now I realize it was all because of the 'food' I was eating.  Lot’s and lots of fast food, bread, pasta, carbs, gluten and wheat.  No matter how much I exercised it just wouldn’t go away.   Exercise was good for me but I needed to change my 'foodie' habits big time!


Even when the holistic doctor I saw in 2005 did blood testing to reveal that I was highly allergic to gluten/wheat and she recommended I stop eating anything with those ingredients in them, it took me two more years to comply!  Mostly because I was addicted to it and some because of my own stubbornness to change.   I resisted it as long as possible.  And even when I was lying in bed in so much pain I could barely walk, my sons were bringing me fast food that I was asking for.  The very poison that was making me sick!  When my doctor told Clif, "Sue is going to die if she doesn't stop eating gluten and wheat!" ... that got my attention along with the severe joint and migraine pain!


It took severe pain to make me change!  And in 2008 when finally having enough of the pain I decided to make the change to a gluten/wheat free diet.  All my life I had only been on one actual ‘diet’ and that’s because I was working at the ‘Diet Center’ in 1989 when we lived in West Virginia and to work there you had to go on their diet.  I lost a lot of weight on that diet but it was one of those starvation diets and I hated every minute of it and gained a lot of that weight back eventually.  Diets do not work long term!  That’s why they call them yo yo’s! And what’s worse is we gain back more than we lost in the first place!  Now that’s just not RIGHT!


So I’m not a dieter and do not really consider what I’m doing a diet.  It’s a lifestyle, the way I live day to day and one that saved my life and to be honest it's one that can add years to a person's life!

Just look at this photo:   Quite a transformation isn't it?!

Almost within a week the migraines started to cease and the pain started to go away.  Over some months I started to lose the ‘wheat’ belly as my body started to adjust to the new way of living.  It wasn’t easy to change and I do fall off the wagon now and then when it comes to grains like corn as well as sugar and sometimes I’ve gotten glutened by accident in a restaurant or eat something I know isn’t good for me and then pay dearly in another painful circumstance!


Foodie Story: 

Last year in September when we visited our son at Fort Meade near Baltimore he took us out to a nice restaurant called Bridges on Kent Island.  The first thing I always ask is “do you have a gluten free menu?”   The answer was yes.  So I took a look.  I had a tenderloin steak with some veggies and potatoes with peppers that Friday night and felt fine.  Then on Monday our last night there he took us back to the same restaurant.  

Looking through the Gluten Free menu, I noticed they had chicken wings as appetizers.  So I asked the waiter to please ask the chef how they prepare them and if they use flour.  He came back and said they don’t use flour and told me how he makes them.  So I ordered some with a salad not even thinking about those wings being fried in a dedicated fryer!  

Our son ordered soft shelled crabs which is fried.  Those chicken wings were so good!  BUT… that night my stomach was on fire and we had to be up at 5 AM to catch a 7 AM Flt back to Austin!  I thought uttoh!  What was I thinking! 

Being with our son, out of town, having such a good time, it didn’t dawn on me that they probably fried those chicken wings in the SAME fryer as the other wheat fried stuff!  Clif had to get me pepto tablets just so I could make it through that 3 hour flight. Ugh!   It ended up taking about FIVE months to clear that wheat out of my system and who knows what sort of damage it did!  I had severe neck pain from about December to March and that’s most likely from the contamination.     

For two years now I’ve been on supplements to heal my gut from Dr. Tom O’Bryan (he works with Dr. Mark Hyman with the Gluten Summit) so I really believe those have helped a lot to heal my gut or it could have been much worse.  Dr. O'Bryan always says, "you can't be a little pregnant and you can't have a little gluten/wheat!" 


I’ve learned a valuable lesson again because of a painful circumstance so you can bet that the next time we go to see our son this fall we’ll be going over the Kent Island to that restaurant and I’m sticking with the steak and veggies or the Rockfish Clif had from the gluten free menu!  I had a taste of that and it was yummy!   :)


It took a lot of prayer and constant commune with God to give me the power to change my life and start the journey back to health in 2008 and it's been well worth the effort because now I know I can do the work God has planned for me.


Being a part of The Daniel Plan at our Church has also been a real blessing because of the 'Spiritual Mind' aspect of this plan!  When we really start to understand in our 'minds' that our body is the temple of the Lord a spark goes off inside our head and we have a desire to take good care of the body He has loaned to us so He can work much better through us!  


More energy, less chronic illness, better thinking brain, more focus on the right stuff! 


Back when I was so sick, in pain and foggy brained, God was all I had at the time here in Austin, along with my family who diligently stood by my side and never gave up on me.   I'm truly grateful and blessed that they have been with me through it all and they are thankful to have the real me back!

Enjoy the Journey!


Sue the Holistic Health Coach
& Home Chef

God in food~

I don't know why it amazes me so when I am reminded how God is in Everything. You would think after a lifetime of "knowing" God. His presence. His grace. His blessings.  The way He shows up when I need Him....
I feel so foolish to admit that it is a new discovery for me to learn/realize how God shows up in food as well. I mean, if He IS in Everything. Then why is it a big shock to see that He encompasses all of my food choices?
As I told youguys in previous blogs Brian and I's main "baby-step" into lifestyle change is focusing on awareness. Really just: Mindful Eating.  What we have been experiencing lately is when we veer from the daniel plan it is pretty easy to return because we are awake to the choices we are making. Both of us will testify that within less than a month we feel better! Less tired, no cravings, satisfied, not hungry. It's amazing how much easier it is to resist temptations when your cravings are gone. Thoughts like that are what has opened my eyes to God's presence in our bodies in regard to food.
I am in Awe of the divine design.
How our bodies crave what is good for us.Yet when we ignore those good cravings and feed ourselves what we think we want in return the good cravings go mute.  Our "bad" cravings are disguised to satisfy when met. And they do satisfy.... for a insignificant moment. Then we crave more! Just like the devil designed~ The more we eat/drink the "bad" stuff the deeper we dig our own graves.
The alternative~ When we listen to the soft whispers of God's gentle encouragement.... Our body craves only what we NEED. Those good cravings nourish, sustain, and grow our bodies.
Have you ever noticed that when you are Really thirsty. Like after a big run or working outside on a super hot day...You crave water. Not tea, soda, beer, etc. When you drink that tall glass of water it feels like that was exactly what you needed. Because it WAS.
With this kind of awake awareness of food and beverage intake Brian and I are learning what God wants for us as far as diet goes. And the repercussions of those good choices is prompting a landslide effect for all our physical woes getting washed down the mountain.
It's a wonderful feeling!
Thank you Lord  =)
bami~

Exercise is the RIGHT stuff!

Had to run to town early in this morning.  Well 9 AM is early for me!  Ha!  Banking, grocery store for a few items and then thought heck I’ve already got my work out clothes on why not just run by Curves and get a quick work out in, then I don’t have to go home and back to town again later!

So I got there at about 10:30 when they were finishing up the Zumba class (which I haven’t tried yet btw), and the place was packed.   Here are a few things I noticed when working out in the AM vs at 3:30 to 4:15 in the afternoon as I normally do.

1.  I didn’t know anyone, since I usually go in the afternoon.  So although there was quite a bit of chit chatting like we do in the afternoon I didn’t really get into any conversations except with the owner just a bit.  First thing I noticed was I was paying more attention to my actual WORK out vs talking so much or working on the brain teasers puzzles with everyone.   I was sweating more too!  The only thing is the owner had the music turned way down and I prefer it blasted up!  Gets me more jazzed and into the work out.  :) She said these ladies like to talk more than work out.  teehee!   I could tell.   Told her I prefer to work out!  Especially on a good day when I’m feeling really energetic!
2. I really felt better in the AM, had more energy physically and mentally plus had a lot of energy throughout the day AFTER the work out which is a good thing! 
3. I didn’t have to go out in the HOT of the afternoon and I had my grocery shopping done early too!!!!  That means not being out when all the traffic picks up about 5 pm on 71!!    Yippee!  That’s a really good thing!  ha!
4. During a conversation after with the owner I mentioned that I really like my afternoon girlies, our conversations hearing all the latest skuttle butt, and the fun we have figuring out the brain teasers together, laughing, etc.   She mentioned that all this actually raises our hormone levels. Of course we all know how beneficial a good belly laugh can be right?

My conclusion:   Well not quite sure yet, I’m torn between the morning and the afternoon now and may try AM for a while and see how it goes.   Doesn’t matter really as long as I’m working out 3 to 4 days a week.

I’ve been working out since our second son was 9 months old. I was 40 when I had him and would take him and all his baby stuff to a work out class at a church when we lived in West Virginia.  He would get fussy and start crying in his little baby seat so I’d have to pick up and leave.  Then I found a lady to care for him while I was working out because I was determined NOT to have any excuses to quit!

Well I continued to work out for the next 15 years!  Aerobics, step aerobics,  boot camps, classes, walking, kick boxing, etc at our local Recreational Center when we lived in Lake Jackson.   Clif would meet with me there too after work so we were both working out!   He also started running in the late 90’s and ran 10 marathons (Houston and Austin) within the next five years or so. He also did the MS 150 Bike ride from Houston to Austin twice.    

I worked out consistently up until I got sick in 2007 and couldn’t do much of anything.  I finally got back into doing something and started walking 3 miles 4 days a week in 2010 here in my neighborhood until one morning I left the house and started my walk and then fell on some construction material down the street from us and broke my wrist.  It was a real tragedy, very painful, ended up having surgery, took me over 9 months to heal with intense physicial therapy, and was out of walking for quite some time because I was afraid to walk on the streets here thinking I could fall again.

When I did get back to working out again I decided Curves for Women in Lakeway would be the best option and started in 2012 because I wanted a group environment to work out in. Personally I do better in a group where I have to actually get out of the house and go. I like the circuit work out and get in and out in 45 min or less.  Plus I can go as slow or fast as I want depending on how I feel that day and it’s a great work out when done on a consistent basis.  At least 3 days a week.

Bad news is that the owner of Curves franchise in Lakeway is selling the club.  If she doesn’t sell it the doors will be closed.  We like the way it is now but the new Curves International owners want to impose all sorts of rules on the franchises that she and we don’t want.  One of them is they bought out Jenny Craig and they want it in the club and for them to push this on their clients.  Personally I’m not interested in Jenny Craig.  They also are demanding them to bring in all the Curves apparel and push that on us too.   All this of course would be a big extra expense for the current owner.  All we want is to go there and work out. We don’t want all that other stuff.

Exercise raises your endorphin levels!  This is the feel good hormones, natural pain and stress fighters! How right does that sound?!  Cortisol levels go up too when we're under a lot of stress and that can also cause that fat around the belly...  Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels also increase risk for depression, mental illness, and lower life expectancy. More on that later...

I’m praying and thinking about perhaps becoming certified in aerobics again so we can find out about starting an exercise class at PRF like they are doing at Saddleback church with the Daniel Plan.  Or perhaps start one here in Briarcliff using their community facility.  We could work out together to an exercise DVD (they even have Christian based work out DVD's) as long as we have someone certified at the class.  

Not sure about all the ramifications of putting togeher something like this or even who would be interested, when we'd have the classes, etc.   People would probably have to do a health assessment and fill out a form saying they have permission from their doctors if they have any health issues, heart, blood pressure, joints, etc. releasing the church for any liability.  I learned about this some years back when I got certified as a Personal Trainer at the Cooper Institute in Dallas.  

We could also invite people outside our church to bring them in! Who knows what could happen from a ministry such as this?   Is God leading me in this direction?   I’m looking into it and any feedback and all prayers from my PRF homies are always welcome!  :)

Enjoy the Journey!
Sue

Holistic Health Coach...
Gluten Free Lady