I couldn't sleep the other night so I got out my note pad that I write everything on, like recipes, house decor ideas, goals and dreams, lists....you name it! But before I tell you what I wrote I need to get you into the mood of my night...
Previously, you may have read in one of my recent posts that I was sick with some sort of nasty bug, and I was doubting my health. I know everyone gets sick once in a while but I rarely get sick. So when I do I question EVERYTHING.
WHAT AM I EATING THAT MADE ME SICK?
WHAT AM I EATING THAT IS LOWERING MY IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT ALLOWED ME TO GET SICK?
ARE THE KIDS GOING TO GET IT?
SHOULD I BE EATING EVEN MORE HEALTHIER?
WHAT DO I NEED TO TAKE OUT OF MY DIET NEXT?
(I DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING OUT OF MY DIET)
MAYBE MY HEALTHY EATING ISN'T WORKING AT ALL...
MAYBE I NEED A HEALTH BREAK...
MAYBE I'M DOING ALL OF THIS FOR NO REASON...
These were my thoughts. They sucked! I was sick and in pain, and like I said I doubted my health. It was all becoming TO MUCH! To many rules. Eat this. Don't eat that. HELP!
So I decided I wasn't going to make "health" about food (at least for a while). I wanted to open the word health and dissect it. Because health doesn't always have to be about the state of your body, it can also be about your actions and choices.
This is what I wrote down....
What is health to me?
It means being able.
Able to be as active as I want to be. If I want to run a 10K, I WILL!
Able to turn things around when I'm frustrated or mad and keep it "chill" (As Tod would say)
Able to see family grow and be apart of it
Able to love people for who they are AND their preferences
Able to love yourself and your body
Able to strive forward, always looking for a new positive challenge
Able to be a good roll model
Able to help others when they need it
Able to set and accomplish goals
Able to volunteer your time
Able to earn respect & give it
Able to make time for your kids and play a board game (if that's what they love!)
Able to watch your kids play a sport or do swimming lessons (not every time but as often as possible)
Able to keep promises
Able to give your heart and soul to another
Able to trust in the ways of God
Able to keep calm and see the beauty of the world
Able to wait
Able to listen instead of always giving advice (sometimes I need to be quiet)
Able to inspire those who are looking to make a change
Able to give more then you receive
Able to show others that you walk the walk
Able to treasure you own life
Able to quiet the ego and let the soul do the talking
Able to be in the now
Able to have passion
Able to stand up for what you believe in
Able to let others make their own mistakes and grow from them
Able to see the good in others, even when it goes against your lifestyle
Able to have compassion
Able to work hard, but take a break when needed
Then I thought of going on a vacation to Costa Rica with the family, cooking all my meals with fresh whole foods from the market. Playing on the beach with the kids. Taking pictures and loving our time together. Then I drifted off to sleep.
I look back at this list and want to add so much more. But I like where I am at and maybe I can add to the list in a year or so but for now I'll focus on those things. Being able to do those things makes me happy, & so I am proud to be healthy.
In the last three years I have been so strict with my lifestyle. Eating organic, whole foods, gluten-free baking and cooking, very little dairy (except unsalted organic butter on our popcorn), no refined sugar, little to no processed foods... when I think about all the foods I can't eat I just want to say BA and eat a burger! (It would most likely be a veggie burger from our fave little restaurant in town). So my next step is not to push healthy food away but to stick to my regular diet but not be so picky. Go out for lunch more often. Hopefully enjoy a cup of coffee once in a blue moon. Eat sprouted grain bread with an over easy egg if I want! I barely ever eat eggs! Why not!?
I am definitely in a time in my life where change is happening. And I don't know where I'm headed. I'm just going to stop trying to control everything and let "fate" run it's course. In the mean time I will continue to cook food that I love and take fun pictures because that's my passion. And eat this matcha granola because I love matcha anything!
Thanks for reading my crazy blog. It's been so fun writing, creating and taking pictures. I love it all! Thanks for being apart of my passion. xoxo
Mandy
MATCHA ALMOND GRANOLA
Modified from Top with Cinnamon's Grain-Free Matcha Granola
Makes 3 1/2 cups of granola
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tsp. matcha powder
- 1/4 cup unpasteurized honey
- 1 heaping large spoonful of organic peanut butter, smooth
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
- 1 tsp matcha powder
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts or pecans
- 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup quick oats (optional)
- pinch of celtic sea salt
What to do
1. In a medium sauce pan, over the lowest heat, add wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. Turn off heat.
2. Add dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir well. Pour in wet ingredients and stir.
3. Add to paraflexx dehydrator trays and spread granola out evenly. Dehydrate on 130° for 2 days. If you wish to bake the granola, bake on 265°F (130°C) on a cookie tray, middle rack, for 15 minutes, stir, then add another 10 minutes. Let cool before eating.
PS. This granola will get you a bit wired so make sure your kids don't eat it and try to eat it in moderation. THANKS!
0 comments:
Posting Komentar