Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
Stress! We live in such a fast-paced society. We always have so much to do. Our to-do list gets longer each day, and it seems as though we will never get it done. So many of us are caring for children, or parents, or even both. We worry about if we are good parents or good children. We worry about our spouses. Women, especially, are told to be the Proverbs 31 Women. I have to be honest here. I tried getting up earlier to get everything done. I was so tired by 8:00 a.m., all I wanted to do was go back to bed. All these demands on us just stress us out.
Stress can have negative effects on our bodies. It can cause high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Those are a few of the “biggies”. It can also lead to weight gain and an increase in viral and bacterial infections due to a weakened immune system. Have you ever felt like you have been sick forever? That can be stress. Stress can wreak havoc on us.
How do we deal with this stress?
Healthy Tip #5
As I’ve stated before, give it to God! Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB) states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Give it to God and do not take it back. He can handle it; we can’t!
Meditate. I’m not talking about New Age meditation or yoga or anything else. I’m talking about meditating on the Word of God.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NASB) goes on to say, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
We should memorize scripture related to what we are dealing with and then meditate on it. If we learn to refocus our thoughts on these things, that will lower our stress.
Stress accomplishes nothing. Really, it doesn’t. When was the last time we felt great when we were stressed out? It’s time for us to give it to God.
Cut asparagus into three-inch pieces and blanch in salted, boiling water for about one minute. Pour into colander and let drain for a few minutes. Do not rinse with cold water. Pour asparagus into bowl and add all other ingredients and stir. Let sit to absorb dressing. Serve at room temperature.
This is the fifth installment in my living healthy series.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
I thought I would take a break from my healthy living series today to talk about grief because I just learned of the passing of a great man.
Not only was he a friend of mine, but he was the grandfather of a friend of mine. I’ve known him for about ten years and I think I bonded with his granddaughter because we are so much alike in that we had very close relationships with our grandfathers. They were so close, just as I had been with mine.
I remember a few years back, I was working with my State Representative to pass a bill for farmer’s markets. I needed people to attend a meeting at the State Capitol with some of the representatives. He was the first to say yes even though he lived well over an hour away, and he called me several times to check on the progress and to offer help and advice. This was a two year process and he checked on me during the entire process. He would pick up things for me that I needed that were close to where he lived.
As I started writing this, God spoke to me and told me to stay with my series because grief affects our health. So here is the fourth installment in my series.
Grief and Health
I’m not a counselor but I have experienced deep grief and I know that it can affect one’s health. I miscarried our first child (I wrote about it earlier) and have lost all of my grandparents, one of which for whom I was the primary caregiver.
I never really dealt with any of this grief until my grandfather passed away. I didn’t realize I had been carrying around grief for all those years that I had just bottled up, AND it was affecting my health. While my grandfather was going through the dying process (hospice term), it was difficult for me to admit that he was dying. I did everything I could to keep him going because I wasn’t ready to let go.
During this time I started having medical problems. My hormones were out of whack. My neck and shoulder hurt all the time. I lost and gained weight like I was on a roller coaster.
The day of my grandfather’s funeral, I almost passed out as I approached his casket. I really do not remember that part but I do remember my husband and the funeral director’s wife sitting me down in the car.
I thought this was just part of MY aging process until I started going to a grief support group. I realized that these health problems manifested themselves because I had bottled up my grief and refused to deal with it.
After quite a bit of counseling, I realized that I had not been taking care of myself. I had taken care of my grandfather. I was taking care of my three children. I was homeschooling my three children. I owned a small business. I was a farmer’s wife to a husband who also had a full time job. I was doing for everyone else, but I was not taking care of myself.
I had even pushed God away. I was not angry with Him; I just thought I could do everything by myself. I felt abandoned. I still went to church and went through the motions. I was what I always called a “pew warmer.”
Luckily for me, or should I say only through God, the support group facilitator was a very open, wonderful Christian woman. (She is also the one that convinced me to write.) She helped me to see that I needed to turn to God and that He would help me through this.
Healthy Tip #4
Take care of yourself. Take time to pamper yourself, whether it be taking a hot bath, reading a book, watching a movie, whatever is your getaway.
Also, eat properly. When we are upset, we tend to eat “comfort foods.” These are generally high fat, high sugar foods that temporarily make us feel good. Avoid those and try to eat something a little more healthy.
Most importantly, spend time with God. Do not shut Him out. It is only through Him that we can get through our grief.
Healthy Recipe
Snack Wraps
2 large whole grain tortillas
1 ripe avocado
1 small clove of garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste.
Thinly sliced cucumber, chopped tomatoes, or other vegetables.
Instructions:
Cut garlic in half and rub over tortillas. This gives a great light garlic flavor.
Next smear avocado over tortillas.
Place other vegetables in a line down the middle and roll up.
Cut in half and enjoy.
This makes a quick light lunch or nutritious snack.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
My husband and I love gardening. Okay, maybe “love” is too strong of a word. We certainly do enjoy it as it is a major source of income for us. The one thing that we dislike about our hobby/occupation is the WEEDS.
My husband and our two sons were working out in the garden one day about 12 years ago, when one of the boys asked, “Why do we have weeds?” My husband explained to the boys that when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that the weeds were a part of the punishment.
Then to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field.” –Genesis 3:17-18 (NASB)
Weeds and sin are the same! They both get in the way of productive lives. Weeds keep the plants you want to grow from thriving. Sin keeps us from thriving. It keeps us separated from God. When we are wallowing in sin and not living in God’s will, we cannot have a complete and full relationship with Him. The weeds (our sin) gets in the way.
In case you have been following my series on healthy eating and living, yes, this is the third installment in that series. (Check out post #1 & #2.) You may wonder what this has to do with being healthy. Well, the growing season has arrived. It is time to get out there and start planting all those fresh veggies. And, yes, you will have to toil and get rid of the weeds but you will have a great crop of yummy, healthy food to show for it.
Health Tip #3: Grow your own food. This not only gets you fresh vegetables to eat but it also gets you out of the house and into the fresh air and gets you active. This is especially good if you have children who are picky eaters. When they get involved in growing and preparing their food, they are more likely to try new things.
Gardening does not have to be difficult or a lot of work. Start with container gardening. You just need a few large pots. You can put a variety of greens in a pot now. Add some radish and carrot seeds to one side and you have fresh salad for weeks. You can put a tomato plant in another pot and squash in yet another. Just make sure that you get bush type plants/seeds for the plants that get bigger.
The maintenance of these pots is fairly simple. Start with a good growing medium. Do not use dirt from your garden as it can contain weed and grass seed.
Like us, your plants need to eat and drink. Do not overdo it. When the soil starts to dry out, water them. Periodically, I feed mine fish emulsion. This is available in garden centers or you can make your own.
One of the best things you can do if you’re a coffee drinker (make at home, not Starbucks) is add your coffee grounds.
Your tomato plants will also love your banana peels and eggshells. One more thing about the tomatoes is that if they are blooming but not producing, beat them with a broom. Yes, literally, run a broom back and forth over them and that will help pollinate them.
Just a few hours a week and you will have great-tasting vegetables in your own backyard.
Recipe: I’ll be sharing recipes for garden veggies in the next few posts.
Asparagus
1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T olive or grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil, then remaining ingredients, stirring constantly. Cook for about 3 minutes and serve.
I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
Have you ever thought that you just don’t have the time, patience, or money to cook delicious, homemade meals? If so, get ready to have your mind completely changed.
As part of the Encouragement Challenge, we want to help strengthen our bodies by feeding it nutritious and delicious foods so we can serve God and others to the fullest.
Two of our contributors, Julie and Toni, are teaming up to show you that cooking with real food is easy, affordable, and delicious!
Julie and Toni will be cooking up some of their favorite easy, delicious, real food meals and teaching you how to do it all too!
Whether your a beginner or seasoned in the kitchen, you will learn a little something new.
Not only will you get a chance to learn how to prepare these delicious meals but you will also get to:
Learn that it is economical to eat real food.
Taste-test the dishes prepared that day.
Return home with a recipe book of menu ideas to add a little extra fun and ease to your dinner time schedule.
Be encouraged physically & spiritually.
When:
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Time:
9:30am – 12:00pm
Where:
Natural Grocers in Edmond, OK
3325 South Boulevard St
Suite 169
Cost:
Free
(Thank you to Julie of Fit Fare 5 and Toni of Healthy Living for volunteering their time and skills and to Natural Grocers for supplying the groceries.)
Allergies?
All meals prepared that day will be gluten free.
Space is Limited
Space is limited to the first 50 people who show up.
Let Us Know You are Coming!
Come laugh, learn, and eat with us. This event is completely FREE. Signing up here simply gives us an idea of how much food and how many recipe books to have prepared. Let us know you would love to come by clicking on the image below and “registering” for the class. IF you forget to sign up, just come on over that morning. Again, this is just to help us get a ball park count of how many to expect.
Click the Image Below to “Register”
Share & Follow the Fun!
by using #CaGDRealFoodCookingClass
See you January 30!
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