More Tests and an Update…

I’m back!  Life continues to throw a plethora of set-backs my way and blogging continues to take a back seat in the line-up of things!  Unfortunately, the doctor visits and a number of tests are taking the front line in my life right now.  I wish I could share something more exciting with you, like the number of delicious recipes that I’ve been cooking up or all the family fun we’ve been having over the last few months, but not today!  God has different plans for me right now, plans to focus on healing my body and guiding me in the right direction to be the best mom and wife I can be through these trials. 

Although it seems SO VERY long ago, we did have a quiet but wonderful family Thanksgiving dinner!  This was the first year that we decided to stay home and attempt our first Thanksgiving meal together as a family.  We did so in part because of the many food restrictions I have right now and I just didn’t want to ask a million questions as to how the food was prepared or end up sitting without anything on my plate.  This seemed to be the best option for us this year and now I can say I cooked my first turkey!

		Thanksgiving 2013 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Christmas was a bit the same, we celebrated Jesus’ birthday in the morning with homemade cinnamon rolls (managed to pull together a grain free, dairy free and egg free version) and finished out the evening with a fiesta…carnitas tacos, cilantro lime sweet potatoes and homemade guacamole!  I made a veggie taco for myself and prepared the rest of the meal to my specifications so I could enjoy with the rest of the family.  Although we didn’t see a lot of extended family this year, it was just what our little family needed!

Christmas 2013 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

While we’re talking about food, being on such a restrictive diet we haven’t ventured out too much as it is so difficult for me to find anything to eat and enjoy.  But since the hubs and I haven’t spent much “alone” time together lately, for Christmas I put together a little date for the two of us.  It was nothing big, but just what we needed…a trip to the Headquarters at Seaport Village for lunch at Seasons 52 and then to a matinee showing of The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug.  The Headquarters is fairly new, with several dining options and some higher end shopping venues.  I was very impressed by the service at Seasons 52 as they were so kind to accommodate all my “restrictions”!  . 

The hubs enjoyed some “Red Mole” tacos with a side of “Tamale Tots” and a fresh mint lemonade.

For me, it was a juicy grilled chicken breast (seasoned with only olive oil and salt and pepper) served over baby roasted carrots and potatoes.  Although there wasn’t much seasoning (how I needed it to be prepared), it was still very delicious and I simply enjoyed the fact that I could eat out with no worries!

We had a couple of hours to kill before the movie and decided to walk around Seaport Village a bit since it was such a beautiful day!

I realized I so need more days like this!  Spending time away from home really helped take my mind off any pain or emotional struggles that most days bring.  And any quality time I get with my hubs brings refreshment and a new perspective to my day.  As I continue to go through tests and diet changes, having a positive perspective and a good prayer life has been essential!  It’s been a struggle to even be in the kitchen these days!  While I love to continue to cook healthy meals for my family, I have become quite discouraged when it comes to cooking for myself.  I think I have eaten the same thing for the last month and a half or so (usually some combination of carrots, artichoke, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms and sometimes some sweet potatoes or butternut squash) and I am so done!!  Give me some variety!!!

Since I am so over food right now, here is a quick update on all my lovely tests happening this month…continued blood tests (amino acids, white blood cell count and platelet levels continue to be low), a colonoscopy and an endoscopy.  Woo! Hoo!  Sounds fun!  My prayer is that when these tests are finished I can start adding some foods back into my diet and begin to get back to some sort of “normalcy!” 

And of course I continue to crave the foods I cannot have…isn’t that how it always works?  Unfortunately I don’t have the energy to spend a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen, but every now and then I get the urge.  This week I came up with this delicious breakfast treat….

Grain Free Blackberry Baked Pancake (dairy free and vegan)

Ingredients:

3 cups almond flour

3/4 cup arrowroot powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

3/4 cup non-dairy milk ( I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add in wet ingredients and mix well.  Fold in blackberries.

4. Spread batter into prepared baking dish.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

6. Serve warm as is, or with a drizzle of maple syrup!

Definitely not your traditional pancake, but the flavor is certainly there.  It’s a dense breakfast treat, so a little piece goes a long way which is why I decided to cut it into small squares.

The blackberries add a wonderful surprise to each bite.  I missed a picture, but ended up topping each piece off with some warm blackberry syrup.  The fam thought it was Saturday morning or something, but it was actually a quick meal to pull together.  I love that it freezes well and can be used as a quick breakfast on a busy morning.

One last hoorah before Christmas break was over…finally put our fire pit to use and roasted some marshmallows while telling funny/scary stories!

Inhaling her smores!

While this one savors each bite!

MY LOVES!!

Now we are back into the swing of school and regular schedules which makes this mama happy!  However, I am working on being a bit more flexible and open to what God brings my way each day…heaven knows that God’s plans for my day (and life) and far better than mine!  In fact, oftentimes God will use our experiences in life as stepping stones to prepare us for what He has in store next.  Scripture tells us that He will even take the things the enemy tries to bring against us and turn them around and use them for our good!

Blessings,

J’lene

Weekend Recap…

Girls on The Go run weekend!  The hubs graciously drug himself out of bed at 4:30am Saturday morning with me…we let the princesses sleep in until 5:00 and then piled our tired little selves into the car.  First stop, Grammy and Papa’s for a princess drop-off!!  The hubs, my sister and I booked it down to Mission Bay because we had not picked up our race bibs yet and were not quite sure where we were headed.  Thankfully there was no traffic and we made good time because it was quite a trek just to get to the registration and race festivities area!  As soon as my sister and I got our bibs I made a b-line for the bathrooms, which I ended up waiting in line until just before it was time to take our spot for the race.  I left the hubs in charge of the camera and bless his heart for trying to capture some good pics (they’re a little on the blurry side)!! 

 Ready to run, but not quite awake yet…

Waiting amidst the sea of runners….I’m thinkin’ my sister is a little more than excited to get going!

And we’re off…with smiles on our faces (it sort of looks like I’m sticking out my tongue)!!

And we’re back….

Still have those smiles!  I was so proud of my sister for running her first race at under a 10 minute mile pace the entire way.  I swear the socks with the capes really helped…they almost made us fly!!

Our finisher’s medal…my first medal with a little “bling!”

There were lots of “freebies” being handed out and I snagged these, plus a water, to hydrate after the run.  My sister and I agreed that coconut water is somewhat of an acquired taste.  She’s not a fan and thinks it tastes a bit like dirty feet.  The hubs LOVES the stuff and I enjoy it occasionally, but it’s not my first choice for a drink.

My princesses made it down safely, sporting their “Wonder Woman” attire.

Stretching out and getting their “race faces” on…

Watch out for this one!  It’s just a “fun run” sweetie, no need to get aggressive!

My babies…so proud of them!

And they’re off…

They look like they’ve done this before!

And they’re back!

I think they’re hooked or they just want another pretty medal!  Either way, they both had a lot of fun and were so proud of themselves for running the whole way!

My biggest fan…My Superman!!

 

Enough with the running, let’s go eat!!  We met my parents at The Eggery near Mission Beach to fill our bellies and celebrate our victory as well as an early Mother’s Day.I opted for a spinach frittata with onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.  It was so good and just enough to fill me up without feeling stuffed.

Everyone enjoyed their meal and the service and atmosphere was fabulous!  Although parking was a bit of a hassle, I would definitely recommend this beach-front restaurant for breakfast!!

In the middle of her meal this little princess decided to lose her front tooth!  Just bit into a pancake and it popped right out onto the table!

I finished off the weekend feeling blessed and loved by my sweet little family!  The hubs preached a wonderful Mother’s Day message that left every mother in tears or at least tugging at their heart-strings.  After church the hubs and my princesses said the “day was mine,” so what better to do than shop…for none other than groceries and home improvement goodies!

Pinterest projects here we come!

I’m a regular…the “Ramona Gal” who shops here faithfully every Sunday. 

 Apparently the princesses had a couple other places in mind as well…

 Jamba Juice…to power through the shopping and because it was so blazin’ hot outside!

And because she wouldn’t hear of me cooking on Mother’s Day… My little Cailyn insisted that I have my favorite veggie tacos at Chipotle!  Two treats in one day, now that is simply unheard of!!

The hubs blessed me with a new “donut” pan (I’m thinking there’s a little hint behind that gift!) and an awesome Crossfit journal.  Now I can successfully live up to this (except it looks like I’ll be baking donuts this week!)…

And speaking of Crossfit, today’s WOD is a doozy!

Max double unders in 3 min.

400 M run

Max hand stand push-ups in 3 min.

400 M run

Max strict pull-ups in 3 min.

400 M run

Just thinking about it is making me sweat!  Have an awesome week!

Blessings,

J’lene

Prep It and Make It….

We’re at the end of week two of the “Fitness Challenge” and I’d have to say we’ve had a really good week.  So far, the biggest challenge for me is what seems to be an endless amount of prepping food and logging every meal we eat.  There’s no question that I love to cook, but having to prepare three healthy meals a day for the family is not easy!!  I got kind of used to the hubs pouring him and the girls a bowl full of cereal or defrosting an oatmeal bake from the freezer most mornings, leaving me the opportunity to get other household chores done.  This week nothing seemed to happen that “quick and easy!”   It’s okay, though, because our family is trying new foods and we’re feeling healthy…this is a CHALLENGE, right?!

Here are a few meals on our menu this last week that I felt were “quick and easy” enough to keep our day running smooth!  Starting with breakfast…

Overnight Banana-Cinnamon Pudding

(yields 1 serving)

Ingredients:

I ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbsp flax seed meal

1 Tbsp Sunflower butter (or sub in your favorite nut butter)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Optional Add Ins:  chopped apple pieces, raisins, chopped pecans, etc…

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together and mix well.  Place in a sealed container in the fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning!  May be served cold or warm (heat in the microwave for about 35 seconds).  Top with additional toppings if desired.

This is by far one of the hubs’ favorite breakfasts last week!  I think he’s requested it more than twice (think it’s time he learns how to make it!), saying “it’s like eating dessert for breakfast,” and not to mention it is quite filling.

So, for a little variety I made one with a little less banana and more berries along with some coconut to change up the flavor.

 Overnight Coconut-Berry Chia Pudding

(yields 1 serving)

Ingredients:

1/2 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 Tbsp unsweetened, shredded coconut

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 handful mixed frozen berries

Optional Toppings: seeds, nuts, “paleo” granola, etc…

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Place in a sealed container in the fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning!  May be served cold or warm (heat in the microwave for about 35 seconds).  Top with additional toppings if desired.

This “pudding” has a lot more texture, but the same great “staying” power as the first.  The chia seeds definitely do their job in keeping you full for quite some time!

Our favorite quick lunch last week (with requests to have it on the menu again this week!)…

 Avocado Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

juice from 1/2 a lime

3 slices cooked bacon, chopped

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast

butter lettuce, washed and dried

sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, mash avocado.  Add lime juice, sea salt and pepper and mix until well combined. 

Add chicken and chopped bacon to avocado mixture and stir to combine, making sure chicken is well coated.

Scoop 1/4 cup of chicken salad onto lettuce leaf.  Wrap and serve!

 These are best eaten the same day (the avocado will begin to turn brown), but we had a couple left over so I stuck them in the hubs’ lunch the next day.  He didn’t seem to mind his slightly “browned” chicken wrap!

It was a bit cold last week, so I brought out the crock-pot on more than one occasion to make some soup for dinner.

Ham and Greens Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups baby spinach

3 cups rainbow swiss chard

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups fully cooked ham steak, chopped

1/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

2 cups organic chicken broth (make sure it’s gluten free if you don’t make your own!)

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrots and garlic to pan; cook 5-6 minutes or until beginning to brown.

Transfer onion mixture to a crock-pot.  Add in ham, salt, pepper and broth.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  Stir in spinach and swiss chard; cook an additional hour.

Our family loves us some soup and this one was definitely a keeper.  Even though it has very few ingredients it packs a punch in the flavor department!  I know I’ve made something good when my little Cailyn asks for seconds…YEAH!!

The weeks seem to be rolling one into another with no breaks in between, so “hi-ho, hi-ho it’s off to prep and plan I go!”  This week we’ll continue to log our meals and daily routine, keep up on our “homework” and complete three mandatory WODS for CrossFit.    Speaking of WODS and CrossFit, I was super excited to PR in several of the benchmark WODS last week!  Here’s a look at how I did…

800 M run – 4:08

5 Rounds of “Cindy” – 5:49

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 squats

CrossFit Total - 205

Back Squat – 80lbs (PR!)

Shoulder Press – 40lbs (PR!)

Deadlift – 85lbs (PR!)

Fight Gone Bad (1 Round; 1 minute each station) – 78

Wall Ball – 26

SDHP – 25lbs; 12

Push Press – 25lbs; 10

Box Jump – 22

Row (for calories) – 8

For the busy week ahead I pray for clarity of mind so as to remember…

And my prayer for you my friends…”Lord, do something supernaturally wonderful in someone’s life this week!”  Amen.

Blessings,

J’lene