My One Word for 2013

Many of you have chosen one word to represent what you want to accomplish in 2013. This word represented what I most hope God will do in me this year— 

REJOICE!  

That's my main focus for this year.

Rejoice makes me think about a church song we used to sing when the boys were little: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice." The chorus goes something like "Rejoice, rejoice, and again I say rejoice". It's a fun song with a peppy beat and we used to sing it in rounds. When you sang it, the happiness bubbled up all over in you. You couldn't sing it with a sad face—that just wouldn't be right—you smiled or laughed and sang with, well . . . joy! (Overjoyed is another good word.)

Many years back I went through a huge life challenge. My mind had a blow-out with repercussions to every other part of me, and my joy vanished, along with my ability to think and respond sensibly. Fortunately, the cave in which I lived had a subtle glow from the hatch so that in time, I emerged back into the light of a busy life as a wife and homeschooling mom to my four sons. It was a rough time though, and my point is that I know first hand what the opposite of rejoice is. 

I think there are many others out there that have also felt a lack of joy—it might even be epidemic, considering the times we are living in and the crazy things that happen to people and their loved ones.

Well, this year will be a special time to reclaim my joy! I want to live life fully, get excited about it, let it seep into my bones, heart and mind. I want to face everything, even negativity, heartbreak, and disappointment in the face of joy—that my attitude of rejoicing does not waver, and if it does, it can bounce its way back.

Rejoice means to: feel joyful; be delighted; to fill with joy; gladden; feel happiness or joy. It's related to: being on cloud nine; exultation; jumping for joy; walking on air; triumph, glory, and elation.

How often do You Jump for Joy?

I just finished a wonderful book . . . Bird by Bird—Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott that my son gave me at Christmas. I don't want to give away the punch line but here's a quote: 

"When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship."

Sounds like rejoicing to me! And there's courage in that boat too. A big part of it is that we are interconnected, sharing those happy as well as crazy moments, with each other.

Some Questions I have to Ask Myself. . .

What is my source of joy? Is it found in material things? Family? Relationships? Egotistic ideals? God?

What are my foundations? How am I programmed to view the world? What expectations do I have? What or who do I trust? What happens if that trust is broken?

What am I thankful for? How often does prayer fit into the overall scheme? What am I afraid of?

There's more . . .  

What excites me? What makes me dance when no one is looking? What do I find myself doing that I can't live without? Who is on this rousing journey with me? Do I hang out with uplifting people? Who are they?

Who do I love? What makes me feel great about myself, and others? Can I visualize the person who I want to become? What does she look like, what does she say, what does she do?


These are all good questions to contemplate and ones that I'll be examining in the weeks to come. 

 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."     

—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Grain-free Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Grain-free Banana Blueberry Pancakes

We tend to eat the same things for breakfast each morning, and I'm looking to add more variety. I'm also in the process of embracing an anti-inflammatory lifestyle change which ideally includes eating gluten-free. I decided to try these this morning and served them to my husband and teenage son who gave them a big thumbs up.

Though a bit different in consistency from regular flour-based pancakes they were delicious, but the first batch were too large and fell apart when I turned them (I got to eat those), and you have to be careful that this banana/egg-based pancake doesn't burn. 

This recipe is very similar to the one from the book: More Anti-Inflammation Diet Tips and Recipes which I highly recommend.

Ingredients:

2 bananas

4 eggs (farm fresh preferred)

2 Tbs raw almond butter (or other nut butter)

2 Tbs melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dried blueberries (or fresh)

Whip cream and maple syrup (optional)

Place the first five ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Pour a minimum amount of batter into a hot greased pan or skillet making small-sized pancakes (not too large or they might break apart when turned). Add blueberries on top.

Cook on medium low heat and watch for bubbles while the bottom is browning. A good indication to turn them is when you see steam or smoke appear and bubbles cover the top and the pancake is firm enough to flip.

You can substitute for another nut butter in this recipe. The original called for sunflower butter. It reminded my husband of a cross between a pancake and a crepe.

I gave those remaining pancakes a squirt of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon! Not bad at all for a grain-free pancake!

GO here for a printable pdf of this recipe!

Are you making diet changes and honing in on developing better habits this year? If interested check out my Kathy's Kitchen & Raw Nutrition blog to follow my progress there and check out some great raw foods recipes. Thanks!

Linking up with Wellness Wednesday
 

My Goals for Healthy Habits 2013

The following is a guest post from my other blog: Kathy's Kitchen & Raw Nutrition. Please visit me there!

For breakfast this morning I’m sipping a thick, icy, delicious, “green” apricot-peach smoothie topped with a dollop of whip cream as I write out my Health and Happiness goals for the coming New Year. I have an emotional attachment to food—healthy or otherwise—and that’s just one of many concerns I’m dealing with. But for now, I’m simply going to enjoy the pleasure of this marvelous treat! Ummmm.

We all have our individual bents and devices. Whatever yours are—they are unique to you, and you owe it to yourself to pay close attention. Our bodies are God’s temples and they deserve respect. Migraines, fatigue, insomnia, and thick fungal toenails do not make life enjoyable! I got myself to where I am today and there’s hope to living a better life, if I treat myself well and feed my body what it needs and craves. (No, it’s not Junior Mints, chocolate éclairs, or beef jerky.)

What will make you healthier?

As you know, or can guess, eating raw, enzyme and nutrient rich foods is a priority that I believe can help heal what ails me. Do some reading at Hallelujah Acres or the Gerson Institute and you’ll glimpse some of the amazing benefits of adding more alkalizing fruits and vegetables to your diet and their relationship to the disease process. But that’s just part of my plan, and no, I don’t aim to eat all raw foods , but I am desiring a healthy lifestyle change and mostly raw is a part of it (and I’ve been at it for awhile).

Three months ago I fit into my clothes better than I do now, and eight years ago, I was 30 lbs. smaller and had kept it off for several years, but the weight slowly crept back up. I need more balance. Losing 30 pounds again is one of my goals, and I’m giving myself a whole year in which to do it, BUT, weight loss is not my main goal—Health is! Physical, mental, and spiritual.

I had an excellent Christmas 2012 with my family. 

I'm 5'10" though I look like a midget next to my very tall sons and husband.

 

I’ve outlined my goals, with extensive plans to implement them for the coming year, and part of my new plan at Kathy’s Kitchen blog is to break them down, concentrating one week at a time on just a few individual things to put into practice. I’ve selected four category titles to concentrate on each week to share: Move, Munch, Motivation, and Mindset. You can follow me there and on Facebook to see what I’m up to and if you are joining in on the Healthy Habits Linkup fun and community accountability, I’ll be following you and gaining inspiration from you all as well.

My Simplified Health Goals for 2013

• Improved overall health (#1 priority)
• Look good / feel good
• Assert a positive outlook and attitude
• Increase knowledge of health, fitness, and nutrition
• Maintain excellent eating habits specific to my health issues (including anti-inflammatory diet + raw foods-based diet)
• Lose weight—30 lbs total for the year (2.5 lbs per month)
• Increase energy, strength, and flexibility
• Exercise routinely
• Minimize stress
• Experience less frequent migraines and untoward symptoms of disease
• Have a well-fitting, slimming, wardrobe
• Reach out and help others, sharing similar interests and needs while following the Health Habits Linkup and post my weekly response
• Experiment, update, and add new healthy recipes and information to Kathy’s Kitchen . . . blog

Let’s Start . . . Week One:

Move

Exercise! I’ve been lax with exercise recently, but I feel so much better and my energy level increases when activity and exercise are part of my routine. For me, this is crucial, so it’s a priority. I simply won’t drop an ounce if I’m lazy. I like to pop in a Jazzercise DVD and I’m just starting to do a yoga routine (Yoga for Inflexible People) which I find very relaxing. In nicer weather I need to start walking around my neighborhood again. My aim is for exercising five times per week, put my feet up and relax in the afternoons for 30 minutes, and otherwise make a conscious effort to keep moving.

Munch

Drink My Greens! I like to do fresh fruit and vegetable juicing, but it’s time consuming and I don’t do it but several times a week if it’s a good week! But I can make green smoothies kind of quick and I can put organic dried green powder into a cup of water (with lemon, and stevia) for a quick nutrition boost. The plan is to drink my greens every day—fresh juicing, added to smoothies, or just in a cup. (Scroll down this page to see my basic smoothie recipe from an older post titled Breakfast in the Raw.)

Motivation

Something new! I’m excited to be alive today—the first day of the New Year, and I’m looking forward to this opportunity to renew my promise to love and care for myself, while working on some healthy habit changes along with other ladies through a Health Habits Blog Hop. Thank you, Dollie at Teacher's of Good Things for sponsoring it!

Mindset

Baby steps! I know the right answers; it’s implementing them that are the tricky part. Taken in steps, I can accomplish much and so can you. It’s like I’m starting over . . . One thing I am good at is that if I blow it, I will start again. So, while I’ve come a long way in changing my lifestyle and eating habits . . . say in the last 10 years, there’s much more I can, and want to do and learn.

Some sweet day in the future, maybe I’ll be able to share with you some before and after pics (I love those, don’t you?) but if you want added inspiration and care to read some very encouraging stories check out this link: http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/before-and-after-photos.html Two ladies that have positively motivated me to take a closer look at the way I eat and the choices I make (included on that page) are Angela Stokes and Tonya Zavasta! Keep in mind that we are not all Angelas or Tonyas but there are lots of things we can learn from others.

Excuse me while I pop in that Jazzercise DVD!