Berries and Cream Ice Cream: Dairy and Refined Sugar-free Recipe

The older I grow, the better I get at coming up with excuses to indulge in fatty foods. French fries are covered in salt which I need to raise my very low blood pressure. Hamburgers are full of iron which I need to improve my energy levels. Bacon, well, bacon releases endorphins which I need to feel happier.

You name it, I can think of a health-improving reason to eat it. But this berries and cream ice cream doesn't need my sophisticated excuses. It speaks for itself, and it's saying,

"I'm full of anti-oxidants, healthy fat, and honey (which fights infections and treats allergies, studies suggest) Eat me! Eat me! Eat me!"

You won't regret it, guys and gals, especially you who have dairy allergies like I do. This easy-to-make ice cream is about to make your summer a lot healthier and tastier.


Here's what you'll need to make it:

• 1 16-oz bag of frozen berries (I used mixed berries for the ice cream in the photo)

• 3/4 of a can of full fat coconut cream —Trader Joe's coconut cream is my favorite*

• 1/4 c. honey

*Before making the ice cream, I put the can of coconut cream in the fridge overnight so it solidifies


Step 1: Stick the honey and coconut cream in a blender or food processor and pulse until they are blended. If you like really sweet ice cream, then add 1-2 more tablespoons of honey.

Step 2: Add the bag of frozen berries to the cream and honey mixture, and blend until smooth.

Step 3: Scoop up a heaping serving of the finished ice cream and enjoy! The ice cream will have the consistency of soft serve at this point, which is my favorite way to eat it. If you want it to be firmer, then pop it in the freezer for a few hours before serving.


Bon appetite!


-Sarah

© by scj

Banana Coconut Chia Seed Pudding: gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free

It's been a good week, folks. Spring is in the air; the birds are chirping with delight; the orange groves are unfurling fragrant blossoms; and on top of all that, I've experienced no flooding, no illness, no cars breaking down AND I've gotten snail mail from friends three times — count 'em: three times, people. This is nothing short of a 21st century miracle. A good week, indeed.

It's also been a week of mastery. I've mastered power walking across campus in high heels (HIGH heels). I've mastered the "crumpled, used kleenex-hanging-out-of-the-front-pant-pocket" look (hey, it's allergy season, Jack!). And I've mastered a divine recipe for banana coconut chia seed pudding. You guys. I can't stop making it. Or eating it. For every meal. It just so rich, creamy and healthy. "It gives me nutrients. It gives me eagle powers!" [Name that movie]. I can't think of a reason to not eat it.

You should make yourself a Monday pudding treat, right now. And a Tuesday treat. And a Wednesday-Thursday-Friday treat. And then, on Saturday and Sunday you should make yourself this fudge. Just in case you want to eat pudding for first breakfast and fudge for second breakfast. It's always a good idea to eat fudge for second breakfast.

Here's the handy dandy, quick and easy pudding recipe:

Banana Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups of coconut cream (I refrigerate the cans of coconut cream the night before I make the pudding so the cream is a nice, thick consistency)

• 2 ripe bananas (the more freckled they are, the stronger banana flavor your pudding will have)

• 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (or you could use regular vanilla)

• 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

• a pinch of salt (I use pink Himalayan salt)

• 2 heaping tablespoons of raw honey (you could add more if you like it really sweet)

• 6 tablespoons of chia seeds (I use Bob's Red Mill brand which you can buy at most health food stores, like Sprouts, and some normal grocery stores. You can also buy them online)

• toasted, unsweetened dried coconut (shredded or flaked, however you like it!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Blend the coconut cream, bananas, vanilla bean paste, lemon juice, salt and honey in a food processor or  blender for at least 1 minute, until smooth and lump-less.

2. When the ingredients are thoroughly blended, mix in the chia seeds.

3. Pour the pudding into 6 ramekins and let it sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes. 

4. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge overnight. 

5. Right before serving, top with toasted, unsweetened shredded coconut. You can toast your dried coconut ahead of time on a baking sheet at 300 degrees for 10-20 minutes. Just be sure to watch it carefully!

Bon appétit, my friends, and Happy Monday!

-Sarah

© by scj

Nike Flash Run: my favorite Christmas gift

A few days into my first week up in Washington for the holidays my sister asked if my mom and I wanted to participate with her in the Nike flash run in downtown Portland. Nike has line of “flash” running gear that lights up at night under the glare of headlights, and created a nighttime run during which the community could sport their flash gear. The run would take place in multiple locations around the world with the goal of encouraging physical fitness through the holidays.

A Nike Flash jacket reacting to the camera's flash

Boy it sounded fun. Back before living in this body of mine became an unpredictable adventure, I’d have pulled on my Nike running gear in a quickened, excited heartbeat.

But since I got sick 3.5 years ago, I’ve had to be cautious, limiting myself in ways I didn’t used to, trying not to overdo it. I went running a couple of times last spring when I first started to experience marked healing, but I pushed my body too hard and had a difficult relapse. Since then, I’ve stuck to non-running activities while I continue to gain strength.

I’m thankful I can be active in the year-round sun of Orange County. My delight at once again having a body that can move and produce endorphins and recover from physical activity still hasn’t faded. But I love to run; running has been central to my life for as long as I can remember, and my spirit aches when I can't do it. When I first ran last spring, after years of not being able to, I felt like a fish thrown back in the water. I felt me-er than me. It's been hard to navigate so much of my twenties without the joy of running.

And so, it was with a mixture of great trepidation and hope that I decided to take a risk and do the Nike flash run.

And you know what? I did it! All 4 miles, plus a little bit more. 

I felt grrrreat.

It was a beautiful, warm-ish night: the steady thrum of Washington rain miraculously stopped, and the trees twinkled happily.

The course had us weaving our way through downtown Portland. Every now and then we'd turn a corner and encounter a fun surprise Nike had planned, like an African drum troop, or a college drumline. Pulsing street beats were the name of the game. 

A little over halfway through the run we stopped at sports stadium that I should know the name of because I grew up here, but do not know the name of because I have forgotten all the names of things in my childhood stomping grounds. Early Onset Dementia. It's a scary thing. 

The stadium was grand and professional. While there, we did some strength training exercises and stair runs. 

After our stadium exercises we stopped for a bit to stretch, and enjoyed a Nike-sponsored fireworks show over the stadium scoreboard. And then we were off to the races again.

Throughout the run, we had to wait at stoplights a number of times, which provided a nice opportunity for rest and recovery. It was the perfect way to ease into a 4-mile run.

The last stretch of the run was along the river before we wound our way back into the heart of downtown to the finish line where we formed a tunnel and cheered the rest of the runners to the victory. 

And then, just like that, it was over. 

Until three days later, when I went on a run/hike, and two days after that when I went on another run, and three days after that when I went on another run. So I guess it was a banner holiday season. And I'm tempted to vacillate between planning a running regime for the next four months and worrying about causing another relapse, but I know better than that now. Instead, I've been trying to live in the present, listening to my feet pound the wet asphalt, watching my rhythmic breaths turn to puffs of steam in the cold air, reveling in the moment because I don't know when my body will allow me to do this next. And it's a good Christmas gift, learning to live in the moment like this.

Hoping for piles of happy moments for you today and the grace to enjoy them, my friends.

Happy Thursday!

-Sarah

Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar-Free Fudge

It's tastier than it sounds, I promise. If your allergies force you to cook creatively, then you'll probably love it. And hey, I think you'll like it even if you don't have weird dietary needs, Jack! In fact, I made it for a guy I dated this summer, and, after he'd licked his lips and raved about it, he promptly went home and googled a similar recipe so he could make it for himself.

This fudge is about the healthiest dessert I've ever made.  Coconut oil has loads of health benefits: it supports the thyroid, reverses or improves Alzheimer's Disease, improves Type 1 and 2 Diabetes, and more. Scientists think nuts can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, which causes heart disease. And studies suggest honey fights infections and treats allergies. This fudge is so healthy I often eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's so fun being a grown-up. 

I've taken a recipe I found floating around the internet and tweaked it just a bit for my needs. I think there are all sorts of fun variations you could make with this basic recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup salted nut butter (I use pecan, but it would be great with almond, cashew, or peanut butter, too)*

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Trader Joe's brand is my favorite; Hershey's is good too, but it makes the fudge taste a bit more like dark chocolate)

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (You don't have to melt it if you have a really nice blender or food processor that can blend the chunks of oil into silky smooth liquid)

• 1/4 cup honey

• A splash of vanilla

• Optional mix-ins: 1-2 cups of Rice Krispies, or chopped nuts, or marshmallows (my favorite is organic, brown rice krispies; although all three would be great together!)

*I make my own nut butter and have found that 1 cup of roasted nuts makes about 1/2 cup of nut butter.


DIRECTIONS:
 
Blend the nut butter, cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth and silky. If you want, mix in the optional mix-ins by hand.

Pour the mixture into a silicon muffin tray or a muffin tin filled with baking cups. I prefer the baking trays for mini muffins, since the fudge is so rich.

Put the muffin tray in the refrigerator or freezer until the fudge has hardened. Store the fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Bon appétit!

Cheering for ya, Home Skillets,

Sarah

Other gluten, dairy, egg and refined sugar-free recipes you  may like:
 Chocolate Mousse Parfait
Banana Chia Seed Pudding 
Berries and Cream Ice Cream
Pecan and maple waffles 

© by scj

For Those of Us Who Scarf

I've still got food on the brain as I await the return of my sense of taste.  All this wishing I could enjoy my food made me want to post this article from the archives:

--------------------------

Several months ago, after scarfing down a plate of scrambled eggs, ground turkey, and avocado, I realized that the seconds hand on the clock had only finished one short lap during the time it took me to eat breakfast.

This is what happens when you teach third grade for three years and are used to eating lunch while copying homework packets, talking on the phone to disgruntled parents, making last minute changes to afternoon lesson plans (or writing them for, say, the first time), comforting the kid who just got hit in the head with the tether ball, yelling (in the kindest, most affectionate way possible) at the fifth graders who just sprinted past the door, and rounding up paint for the last minute art project you're going to do that afternoon—all at the same time. In about eleven minutes, give or take.

When you are a third grade teacher (and grad student) your work becomes your life, which means you don't leave your work at work, which means you don't leave your Road Runner-style eating habits at work either. 

Enter: meal-breathing, the act of inhaling your meal in just a few short breaths while solving the world's problems. You've gotta breath anyway; breathing in your food is just a clever way of multi-tasking.

After years of eating so fast I couldn't actually taste my food, I decided to make some changes in my dining experiences. So I did what any balanced, well-adjusted 26-year old would do: I got out a stop watch and timed myself eating breakfast. 

And let me tell you, slowing down took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. It was torturous. It was with great delight that finished my meal, pushed my trusty timer's stop button, and looked down at the final time for my slow-motion meal: 

five minutes.

Folks, this is not healthy. Not healthy at all. A healthy person doesn't find a five-minute meal a grueling marathon. 

Healthy people recognize that meals are not just a few steps in a daily routine; they are a snapshot of a lifestyle that spills out of the heart. They are the outer evidence of an inner state; a mirror reflecting the noise and upheaval swirling around in the heart. 

Healthy people carve time out of their day to rest, to open themselves up to the work of the Holy Spirit in their noisy heart, and they may even use meals to do it.

I really want the healthiness of my meals to go beyond the fact that I've got a plate full of whole foods with the proper proportion of carbs to protein to good fats. I want to be the kind of person who is okay with silence, with being alone, and with slowing down to absorb and be thankful for life's little details, even when I have a mile-long to-do list. I want to be the kind of person who lives in the moment rather than trying to blaze through it; who has a well-ordered inside that results in a well-ordered outside.

Slowing down at breakfast and dinner is one of the steps I'm taking toward giving God a still and silent opportunity to order my inner landscape, since he's the only one who can truly do that kind of thing—our job is to put ourselves in a position that invites him to, thus partnering with him in this inner-ordering. 

So for all you fellow speed eaters and just plain speed live-ers, here are a few changes I've made that are transforming my breakfast and dinner dining experiences:

1. Set the table for yourself. Use your nice dishes (no paper or plastic allowed), stemware, and a lovely placemat, if you have one.

2. Light a candle.

3. Make sure there is always a vase (even a small one) of flowers at the table. Putting a vase of flowers on the table is like putting lipstick on after getting all dolled up for a night out. It is the final touch, the cherry on the sundae, the sprinkles on the donut, the generous dollop of sour cream on the taco salad. 

Furthermore, I once heard that having flowers around the house makes you live longer. To compensate for the hundreds of hours I spend in traffic here in Los Angeles, hours that no doubt raise my blood pressure and are accelerating my death, I have flowers in virtually every corner of my studio. I have also taken up gardening, just to cover my bases.

4. Do not turn on the T.V. I repeat, do not turn on the T.V.

5. Put your fork down after each bite (this is my mom's dinner wisdom). Look around, lean back in your chair, and take a deep breath. 

If you're having trouble loosening up from an intense day, try this breathing technique: Let your stomach totally relax so it's sticking out (you may not need to think about this, depending on where you're at in the meal), inhale through your nose (your stomach should expand, rather than your chest—work on that), and breath out through your mouth. 

I got this breathing technique from the Pioneer Woman, and let me tell you, she never steers me wrong. Except the time I tried to make her best ever frosting recipe and almost gagged from the copious amounts of butter. Other than that, she's very reliable.

6. Eat outside if you can. Between bites feast your eyes on the different shades of color around you, and if you live in Los Angeles, notice the different textures instead (cement, chain link, aluminum...). Smell the breeze and listen for birds.

7. Ask Jesus to join you. He will. He's great company. And company always makes meals seem like celebrations, especially if your company turns water into wine and parties with angels anytime somebody transfers their trust to him. Life should be celebrated.

8. Think back over/discuss your day; pray. Ask God what he's doing in your life and heart. Listen. He often talks into the silence, with a still small voice.

© by scj

Culinary Wonders that Everyone Can Taste

Glory of glories: this week the skies parted and flooded my soul with marvelous light, and the birds outside my window chirruped the hallelujah chorus with gusto.

I ate.

Real food.

Ground turkey with vegetables and rice, to be exact.

Best thing I've ever eaten, as far as I could tell.  You see, I can't really taste much.  I think this is because my tongue is still bruised, and I'm guessing my taste buds were burned off a bit during surgery.  It's not uncommon for tonsillectomy patients to lose their sense of taste for up to six months after the surgery, but oh! Lord, I pray this is not the case for me.

I'm still not terribly concerned (although I admittedly ask my mom if she thinks this is permanent at least 12 times a day) because it still hurts like the dickens to swallow and talk which reminds me that my little mouth just needs time to heal before it can do helpful things like taste.

In the meantime I'm trying to find foods that I can sort of taste.  Mango is out.  Popsicles are out.  Pecan butter is out.  Coconut ice cream is out.

But chocolate covered strawberries?

In.

I can totally, sort of taste them.  And if there's one thing I'd like to sort of kind of maybe be able to taste, it's chocolate covered strawberries.

The dark richness of the chocolate and tart zing of the berries make for a delightful combination of flavors.

Amen and amen.

My aunt and uncle sent me the chocolate covered strawberries in the form of a lovely fruit bouquet today.  It was such a cheerful surprise on this cloudy, hot, and humid day.

Isn't it fun?

I love the ceramic flower pot, and intend to keep the skewers along with it so I can reproduce the bouquet one day.  Can you see the kale around the base of the bouquet?  Its lacy frills add a perfect splash of green.

I think kale is one of the world's most underrated vegetables.  I tend to think this of any vegetable that can be made into a salty, crunchy chip.  Chips make the world go round, and kale makes great chips.  Cheesy chips, spicy chips, burnt chips.  I have a problem burning kale chips.  Nonetheless, I still love this terribly underrated vegetable.

In other news, it may be awhile before I can resume my Monday/every-other-Thursday blogging routine.  This recovery is turning out to be every bit as long as people told me it would be.  And until my head has cleared enough to think coherent thoughts, I'll be munching on chocolate covered strawberries while searching cookbooks for recipes I can taste.  It is quite possible that when you return my blog will have been converted to a food blog.  "Sous-Chef Sarah: Culinary Wonders that Everyone Can Taste."

Hasta la vista,

Sarah


© by scj

A Post-Surgery Update

There are four things I'd like to do today:

1. Eat a pizza piled with pepperoni and sausage

2. Eat fried chicken and twice baked potatoes

3. Eat a pesto chicken panini

4. Eat a waffle lathered in peanut butter, with a side of bacon and sausage


Instead I will slurp applesauce and sip water while I lie in bed and dream about eating.

Never, in all my 27 years of living, have I dreamt about food as much as I have this week.  In fact, sometime earlier this week when I was a little loopy-de-loo from my meds, I came up with an idea for Willie Wonka that I was certain would catapult his career into new levels of fame and wealth: water that tastes like pizza.  And fried chicken.  And bacon.

The narcotics-induced brilliance that's been flowing from my brain this week is inimitable, I tell ya.

With that said, I warn you that the following post-surgery update may or may not be coherent.

Everything has gone smoothly this week.  Early Monday morning we drove to the hospital, where I was checked in and put in a bed to wait for my anesthesiologist.

A side note: I could not say anesthesiologist before this journey, but now I can.  Just one of the many perks of having a tonsillectomy.

Here is Dr. H., my anesthesiologist.  He is getting ready to administer the good stuff:

Good stuff administered:

Right about here it was like Bye, bye, George. See you next Tursday.

(Name that movie).

Three hours, 46 ice chips, two doses of anti-nausea medication, and 1/16 of a grape popsicle later, I was awake, tonsil-less, and ready to go home.

Is it Tursday yet?

Since coming home Monday afternoon I have been lying in bed moaning and drinking lots of liquids.

It's been fairly eventless, except for the first morning when the power went off for 1 1/2 hours.  Of course the freezer was full of popsicles, ice, and ice cream--that's just the sort of thing the freezer is bound to be full of when the power happens to go out.  Fortunately nothing completely melted.

I tried to prepare myself for this recovery by doing research—not enough to freak me out, but enough that I wasn't totally clueless.  But I guess research is not the end-all, because I am daily surprised by this journey.

A few of the bigger surprises;

1. The pain in my jaw
2. The pain in my tongue
3. The pain in the roof of my mouth

Basically, more things hurt than I ever dreamed would hurt.  Talking, swallowing, and even breathing (because of the swelling) have proven to be difficult tasks.  I've been especially surprised by how much eating icy things hurts.  Like the dickens.  Give me tepid applesauce over a popsicle any day. Thank goodness I have a mother who can whip up healthy, tasty, slurp-able concoctions like nobody's business.  Having her here has been absolutely wonderful.

It really has been a smooth recovery all things considered.  Although I've battled nausea all week, I've been able to keep everything down.  Apparently 'tossing your cookies' (gosh what I would give for a cookie right now) can cause bad bleeding that necessitates emergency anesthesia and cauterizing.  So I'm thankful for my steel stomach thus far. My biggest fear for recovery is that I'd start bleeding and have to be rushed to the ER.  I'm still not in the safe zone (I won't be for 10-14 days), so I'm drinking lots of water and doing lots of praying.

If you'd continue to pray for quick healing and no bleeding, I would be grateful!

Thank you, also, for praying with me the last couple of weeks. I've had a sense all week that lots of people have been praying.

Hope you all had a happy fourth!

SJ

© by scj

Bet Your Bottom Dollar

My tonsils come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be narcotic analgesics!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Makes me antsy
And want to borrow
a massage chair!

When I'm stuck a day
That's full of 

swollen lymph nodes
I just gargle with salt water
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

My tonsils come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way! 

Bright and early tomorrow morning I'll be rid of my tormenters forever.  I'm about as ready as I'll ever be.

I have a freezer stocked full of cold treats, complete with ice cream maker:

Is your freezer as haphazard as mine?  I hope so.  I also hope your cupboards and closets look like mine.  That would make me feel better.

I have my meds:

The antibiotic is to prevent infection.  The codeine has been appropriately labeled an 'elixir.'  I hope it works its magical powers quickly and effectively.  

I have a vaporizer to keep the air nice and moist for my healing wounds.

I apologize if that sentence grossed you out as much as it did me.

This vaporizer has a light on it that looks like an oncoming train.  I'm not sure if it's supposed to double as a portable headlight (also known as a flashlight) or what.  I've managed to block its light with plenty of medical tape.  

I have books:

Plenty of 'em.

And I have this:

This is, quite possibly, my most riveting photographic work yet.  Can you tell what it is?

It's a bubble.  A Trident tropical twist bubble, that's what.  Apparently chewing gum helps to alleviate referred ear pain.  So I've stocked up.  Hopefully I don't chew it all by tomorrow.

And best best best of all, I have my mama:

She's flown down from Washington to care for me.  I don't know how I would have gotten through the last two years without her.  She's flown down to move me twice—the first time I had finals, job interviews and epic applications to complete, a third grade classroom to move out of, and an apartment to move out of, all in the same week; and the second time I was too sick to move myself.  And now she's here to nurse me back to health. She is a servant of all, and boy do I love her.

And that, my friends, concludes my impromptu blog series on tonsils.  You can bet your bottom dollar that, after tomorrow, I'll never write about them again.

At least I don't think so.

Okay, I'll probably give you an update, but after that I'm done.  And I mean it.  

Anybody want a peanut?

Sorry.  No penultimate post to a tonsil blog series is complete without a Princess Bride reference.

Signing off for real now,

SJ

© by scj

The Verdict is In

The verdict is in: my sinus infection is healing up nicely, which means, come Monday morning, I'll be on the operating table.

These tonsils are coming out, baby.

Haaaaaaaallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Haalle.luu.jah!!!!

*bring it up a key*

Haaaaaaaallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Haalle.luu.jah!!!!

*Aaaand one key higher*

Haaaaaaaallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Haalle.luu.jah!!!!

*Glasses break and windows shatter*.

Whew, I just had to get that out.  Who knows if I'll be able to sing like that when my tonsils are gone.

This morning when I heard the doctor tell me my sinuses looked good I was terribly thankful.  In fact, never before have I been so grateful to have someone pry open my nose with a long thin tool, look up my nostrils with little light on their head, and nod reassuringly. Emphasis on the nodding reassuringly.

However, the gratitude quickly dissipated and was replaced with fear and trembling when I was given a waiver to sign, indicating possible infection, excessive bleeding, loss of taste, change in voice, and sudden violent death on the operating table.

Okay, so it didn't list sudden violent death as a possibility, but that's only because the person who drafted the waiver never read Reader's Digest as a child.  If they had then they would have known that horrible, gruesome things can happen to anyone anywhere.

Those Reader's Digests will always, always come back to haunt me.

The reality is, although I'm so thankful for this surgery and the prospect of no longer living with chronic infection, I'm also kind of nervous to go under anesthesia.

I'm not sure how it is that the girl who used to jump off bridges and out of an airplane for kicks is afraid of going under.  But I am.  I guess this is what happens in old age.  I'm much more aware of my frailty, and the fallibility of other human beings—even experts, like surgeons and anesthesiologists.

We are weak and flawed, this is true.  But it's also true that I have a wildly active imagination.  Dreaming up tragically horrifying, far-fetched hypotheticals is one of my special gifts.

So I'm trying to reign in my imagination and dwell instead on good and true things.  Like the fact that my freezer is stuffed with popsicles and smoothie-making ingredients.  And the fact that my mama is coming to be my nurse.  And the fact that, if all goes as planned, I'll be able to join my family for vacation this summer (WHOO HOO!).  And the fact that God will not be asleep at his desk when I'm in surgery Monday morning.

And the fact that a lot of you have been praying for me these last two years as I've worked my way back to health.  Thank you for that.  I wish I had words adequate to express how thankful I am for all of you.

Well, I feel better already.  It's looking to be a good summer, folks.  And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat a heaping plate of roast beef before next week's liquid diet.

© by scj

A Terribly Uninteresting Post

I have nothing meaningful nor interesting to post today.  If this doesn't rivet, compel, and entice you to keep on reading, then just skip to the bottom before you click away, and read the last paragraph.

I'm a week out from my scheduled tonsillectomy, and I've come down with a sinus infection.  And tonsillitis.  Nothing new there.  The sinus infection, however, is very unusual.  I haven't gotten one in years.  The absence of sinus infections these last few years is strange because I have a deviated septum which makes me a prime victim for the infection-loving germs that cause sinus infections.  I'm also the daughter of a regular sinus-infection sufferer, and I got a lot of said parent's allergy DNA, so I should have more sinus infections than I do.  Yes, the absence of sinus infections in the last two years is certainly mysterious... I just wrote 'sinus infections' seven times.  Make that eight.

Are you still reading?

Good.

Because I want to tell you that this sinus infection is more than just mysterious.  It's a right pain in the rear end.  Or the 'rahrah end', as my neighbor and dear friend used to say.  It always sounded so sophisticated when she said it, and she didn't even have a British accent.  But if she did, she would have been the most sophisticated speaker of synonyms for 'butt' in the whole neighborhood.  And the most motivational.  Because, for the life of me, I cannot hear her say 'rahrah end' without also cheering,  "Rah Rah shishcabob, yoooooou can do this!"  Which may or may not be a legitimate cheer.  I'm too groggy to tell.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that my doctor will not operate on me next Monday, the 2nd, if I have a sinus infection.  This is borderline devastating news.

I need to get these tonsils out.  Asap.  Like, yesterday.  Not only because my body will be very relieved to not have to fight the infection it's been fighting the last 21 months, but because my family is going on vacation in a month, and I want to go.  I NEED TO GO.

All five of us kids will be there, including my sister-in-law (that is so fun to write).  The odds of all of us being free to travel the same week of the year are astounding, I tell you. Astounding.  Who knows when this will happen again.

But I can't fly for a month after my surgery, so if I have to push it back (to who knows when!) then I won't get to go on vacation with the ol' familia.  And my soul needs this.  My mind needs this.  My body needs this.  Basically I'm trying to tell you that I need this.

I also need to enter the school year without tonsils.  This is vital to my sanity, and, as far as I can tell, my physical health.

But then again, I'm not God, and I could be wrong about this whole tonsil scenario.  And that's what I've been trying to remind myself this week.  It's a pretty easy thing to remember when I do silly things like run into walls and drop glasses.

Here are two of the 5 billion pieces that my glass shattered into when I dropped it yesterday.  I have never seen anything explode like that.  It was epic.  Cleaning it up, however, was not.  I tried to pretend I was a little girl searching for diamonds in order to semi enjoy the activity.  It sort of worked.

The harder thing to remember deep down in my heart is that God is good, powerful, and with me—fighting for me.  So I speak these true words into the silence of my room often. It's become a mantra, of sorts.

Who knows but that my body's not ready for surgery, and this is God's way of intervening to save me from unnecessary suffering.

And who knows but that there's somebody I need to meet that I wouldn't meet if I had surgery on Monday, or somebody who needs to know about the Gospel of Jesus that I wouldn't run into if things went the way I've planned.

So I keep prying open my clenched fist and handing God my life-map about every five minutes or so.  I also beg him to heal me by my pre-op appointment this Thursday so I can proceed with the surgery with confidence.

I'd love it if you'd pray with me.

And while we're on the subject, I have lots and lots of time to pray this week.  So I'd love to pray for you. Just leave a comment or shoot me an email at sarahchristinejackson@gmail.com

If we haven't met, I'd love to meet you this way.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Love,

SJ

This is a Netti Pot, designed to alleviate sinus infection symptoms.  I have one that is no longer useable, so I had to buy a new one.  This coupon was taped to it.  It's these little provisions that remind me of God's active care for us.

© by scj

Confessions of a Former Carb Queen: Part II

Okay, yesterday I told you I ran into a couple problems in all my carb queen glory.

Odds are you've run into this problem at some point too, because it's probably the most universal of my two problems.

Problem #2: My pants got tight. Real tight. Fortunately I rarely had an occasion to wear them, but when I did I avoided bending over in my skinny jeans—just to preserve their life; and I avoided sitting down in my riding pants—the top snap popped open almost every time I did.

This is not the first time I've dealt with pant dilemmas, and I know it won't be the last. It's one of the many joys of being a woman.

When I was a freshman in college I was totally unprepared for the way that heavy weight lifting with my track team would transform my body. Just two months into a regime of heavy squats and power cleans, my favorite pants split clean and quick up the backside while I was hopping into my dad's SUV. It wasn't one of my finer moments.

I learned soon after that the sprinter/hurdler/jumper girls on my team had two pairs of pants: one for the off-season and one for the in-season, because of the way the lifting in the different seasons changed their bodies.

Alas, my days of blaming tight pants on sweaty hours in the weight room have passed. In fact, while sick in bed I began to rapidly lose muscle mass, and there was no way in the world I'd be able to roll out of bed and move around enough to get my toneage back and shed a few jiggly pounds.

But glory of glories, the necessary diet changes I'd begun to implement for my energy and immune system eventually got my body back to its normal weight, and kept it there. Without any exercise!

Here are a few more energy-boosting and weight-shedding diet tips:

1. The word "diet" comes from the Greek word "diaita," meaning way of living.Unless you have exceptional health problems, the way you eat needs to be something you can do every day for the rest of your life. It needs to be manageable.

If you're on a "Super-Size Me" diet, then you are going to need to make some significant changes and it won't feel manageable, so try to make the changes in doable chunks. Give yourself one thing to change per week, or even month. And give yourself grace. (But do not "sin" because grace abounds!)

2. Remember the "focus on adding rather than subtracting" rule? Once you've made some good additions to your diet, you can begin to focus on gradually taking away some of your more unhealthy options and replacing them with good ones.

When you can, choose God-made over man-made.

Your body will be especially thankful if you use caffeine and sugar sparingly. I know, I know, climbing Mount Everest on your hands sounds easier. And it probably is. But eating refined sugar and drinking coffee will make your adrenals even more fatigued, which will make you so tired you'll want to eat more, which will make your pants tighter, which will make you depressed, which will make you eat more, which will—well, you get the picture.

So give up soda first ("pop" for you northwesterners, and midwesterners). Then replace froo froo lattes with black coffee and a little half and half. Then work on drinking tea instead of coffee once a week. Then work on replacing bad carbs with good carbs. You get the picture.

If you can slowly change your diet and adjust to the accompanying difficulties, you will eventually have more energy than you did when you ate refined sugar and drank loads of coffee.Your pants will fit better too!

3. Some of you may hate exercising, in part, because it makes you so darn hungry all the time. The irony is that exercise can make overeating even more of a temptation!

If you exercise regularly, try to eat in the first thirty minutes after you work out.

I know food is the last thing you want when you're sweaty, panting, and nauseated, but your body is doing its most serious muscle repair work in that thirty-minute window.

In fact, if you can eat the proper ratio of carbs to protein in that window you will be less hungry the rest of the day and you'll feel better for your next workout.

It's like magic.

Here's how you can figure out what you need to eat in that thirty-minute, post-workout window:

To determine how many grams of carbs your body needs, figure out your weight in kilograms(use this converter), and divide your weight in kilograms by three. This is the number of carb grams you need.

Take that last number and divide it in half. That's how many grams of protein you need to eat.

For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, then you weigh 68 kilograms. Divide 68 by 3 and you need 22 grams of carbohydrates. Divide 22 by 2 and you need 11 grams of protein in that window.

4. "An apple a day keeps the doctor a day." It also keeps your pants fitting like they should.

Eat an apple and drink a tall glass of water before lunch and dinner. This will help you to manage portion size, especially since we're often tricked into thinking we're super hungry, when it's water that we need.

Well there you have it, my friends: Some sure-fire ways to feel confident when you zip up those fitted pants, and energized when you realize you need to run to the store to buy them in a smaller size.

Bon Appetit!

Confessions of a Former Carb Queen: Part I

Right around last Valentine's day I turned into a carb queen. No, it wasn't because I had boxes of Sees candies flooding my mailbox—although that would have been nice.

And no, it wasn't because I assuaged singlehood woes with potato chips and a carton of ice cream. Although some rocky road and a chic flick marathon would have been nice, too.

The source of my carb cravings was some seriously severe adrenal fatigue and the second round of mono in six months.

These illnesses sucked up every last ounce of my energy until I couldn't remain in a vertical position for more than five minutes without reaching for some sweet and savory carbs to give me a temporary energy boost.

And while I enjoyed my tasty indulgences for awhile, it wasn't long before I ran into a couple problems in all of my carb-filled glory.

Problem #1: The quick carb fix made me even more exhausted in the long run. Without fail, after every five-minute carb high passed I found myself feeling even sicker, weaker, and more exhausted than before.

I knew something had to change, and so did my doctor, so she ordered me to cut all gluten, refined sugar, and dairy out of my diet.

Goodbye joy and happiness.

Because really, who wants to eat cucumbers and raisins for an afternoon energy boost?

But overall health was more important than a short-term "fix", and so I turned into one of those health nuts that doesn't touch man-made foods, only shops at select grocery stores, and goes everywhere barefoot. Minus the barefoot part. Mostly because I hardly ever went anywhere.

Now don't get me wrong; I've always been a fairly healthy eater. I had to be to run track at a collegiate level for so many years. But I really loved my chocolate, cookies, and the salty, fatty carbs I ate to balance out my low-fat fibrous meals. I'm all about balance.

Not surprisingly, it took about four months of maintaining my new diet before my insatiable chocolate cravings died down, and it took just as long to figure out how to eat in a way that gave my body the nutrients necessary to repair itself on this long journey toward healthy living.

Thankfully I'd been picking up diet tips over the years that helped me to develop a way of eating that's slowly been restoring my body toward health.

I've taken what I've learned and have pieced together some trusty diet guidelines.

Give it a try, or your money back guaranteed!

And don't worry, you don't need to be as extreme as I am, and you sure DON'T need to give up sugar, gluten, and dairy to eat like this.

1. Here's the skinny on Americans: most of us have at least mildly fatigued adrenal glands. This is because our adrenal glands produce our adrenaline, and boy do Americans require a lot of adrenaline. We have fast-paced, action-packed, high-stress days, and don't often give our adrenal glands a reprieve from their adrenaline-producing frenzy. Nor do we feed them with the right fuel.

There are a lot of side-effects to having taxed adrenal glands because they play a role in regulating blood-sugar, monitoring hormones, and aiding the immune system. If you're prone to hypoglycemia, you could have fatigued adrenals.

Enter: good carbs.

Try to supplement your protein and good fats with carbs that won't spike your blood sugar, but will give you steady energy for the entire day. You can check this glycemic index for carbs that won't give you a temporary burst of energy before sending you crashing to the couch mid-afternoon.

Some carbs to avoid when possible:

• Potatoes
• Rice (especially white)
• Corn
• Chips
• Crackers

Some of my favorite good carbs:

• Black beans
• Oatmeal
• Apples

Is your heart sinking? Are you wondering if life is worth living without a daily dose of sour cream and onion potato chips?

I feel your pain.

Actually, I felt your pain. It gets better, it really does. Before you know it your body will be craving a handful of almonds and some cucumber with hummus. Bring on the beans, baby!

2. Focus on adding, not taking away from your daily eating routine. Every meal should have a serving of good carbs, protein, and healthy fats. If you're like me, then you don't have a problem getting a serving of carbs in at every meal and will need to work on adding a serving of protein and healthy fat at each meal.

I also try to focus on adding leafy greens to every meal too—even breakfast. It's amazing the energy some dark leafy greens can provide. And it's amazing how much easier it is to add good things to my diet than focus only on taking bad things away. This is an empowering, energizing way to begin changing a lifestyle.

By the way, a serving is about the size of your fist, although your fat serving will be about a tenth of a normal serving.

Back to good fats: I CANNOT sufficiently stress their importance. I know it may seem counter-intuitive to include good fat with each meal, but our body needs the proper ratio of fats, to protein, to carbs to function properly, with high energy.

Try to include one of the following healthy fats with every meal:

• nuts
• avocados
• olive oil
• fish

I promise you'll feel the difference after awhile!

This is all for today! Come back tomorrow for my carb problem #2 and part II of "Tips From a Former Carb Queen."