Clean Eating and Clean Living

In my fledgling quest toward better health, I've been looking around at recipes and the myriad of ways of eating that fill bookshelves, internet searches, and my personal favorite--Pinterest. One of the newest trends that has intrigued me is "clean" eating. Just the name itself sparks my curiosity--"clean" eating. Hey, my food is clean, I'm very careful when I cook to not cross-contaminate and all those other safe cooking rules, and I insist that no one come to the table without having washed hands.  What could be cleaner than that? Well, I dug a little deeper and made a shocking discovery--clean eating could just as easily be called "the way my grandparents ate" eating--fresh as possible, free of artificial flavors, preservatives, and over-processing--in other words, the way our grandparents ate, with garden fresh food, meats that many of them raised themselves (or at least mine did), and very little from the grocery store. We all would be much better off health wise if we returned to those same ideals--more work, yes---less convenient, definitely--family will protest--count on it--but eventually they'll get over it. We haven't gone cold turkey on eating out, and some processed things still come in the house, but gradually, I'm working those things out of our house, and we're discovering that we really do feel better. I can tell a difference when we go out to eat, too--restaurant food just kind of lays there like a brick now in my belly, and I don't like it!

I really began to think a few days ago about how this trend of clean eating could easily cross over into how we live--clean living. This year has been a particularly pervasive year, it seems, for what is considered acceptable and popular, and what it is not. I, too have been very saddened by the number of ladies I know, who call themselves Christian, who have followed the path of what's popular and have read those "shady" books, have been to the "magical" movie, and have just gushed about their excitement and how much they enjoyed it. And, now we have the world getting up in arms because a God-honoring man spoke his convictions--and just how many Christians were surprised by the backlash?

Clean living Christians were not surprised or shocked at all that the world jumped on the Cathay family and their beliefs with the intensity that  has come. Clean living is very similar to clean eating, and the plan was laid out very clearly in God's word--and he never stuttered once or wavered in his commands for us. Jesus said it clearly in John 17:14--"I have given them the Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." He told us again in Romans 12:2 --"Do not conform to the pattern of the world...." Clean living is doing what is right in the sight of God, following his commands in our lives and not following the popular path. Did He promise it would be easy? No, not any easier than it's been to purge my kitchen and experience the protests that my body has sent my way. Is it popular? Definitely not! Will you lose some friends, be mocked and teased about your stand? Get ready, because you will and it won't be pretty, and you will get bruised and hurt in the battle. Is it worth it? YES, YES, infinitely worth it! You will draw closer to God as you pray for strength and turn to His Word for guidance and comforting promises. You will find new friends that will make the fellowship so much sweeter when you are with them. You can go to sleep at night with clean hands, a clean heart, and an unpolluted mind. And you will find that you did't miss a thing!

Have a glorious weekend!
Missy

The Great Sweet Tooth War...uh, Challenge

 In my fledgling quest toward better health, I have teamed up with the good people of sparkpeople.com. Last week I signed up for the Tame Your Sweet Tooth Challenge--or, in my case, should probably be renamed the GREAT SWEET TOOTH WAR!

Here's a journey into my past. I cannot, absolutely cannot, remember a time when I did not have a hankering for all things sweet. I'm not one of those people who can vividly remember a multitude of details about my childhood--nothing dark and sinister, I guess it was just that normal--but many of them do revolve around sweet things. I can remember going to see my father's parents when I was really young--like 3 or 4--when they lived in two shotgun houses put together like a "T" in the middle of a cotton field in Arkansas--electricity, yes, indoor plumbing, NO. This was also the beginning of my long term commitment to coffee, too, but that's another story. I would get up at dark-thirty (that's southern for the rooster's crowing but the sun ain't shining yet)  with my Mamaw and Papaw, waking to the smell of the coffee. I wanted to be big like my Papaw, so he would pour some coffee into a cup for me, and then sweeten it with a tiny saccharin tablet. It would fizzle and dance around the top of the coffee as it melted, and then I would sit there and drink my big girl cup of coffee with him.

Other memories of growing up also revolve around sweets. During the summers after I started school, my sisters and I (or at least me until they started school) would go and spend a week with my mother's parents. Before they would go home, my daddy would give me a dollar to spend--hey, that was big money then! I could hardly wait for my mamaw to take me to the country store a few miles from her house, where Miss Kathleen still had a case of penny candy. Man, it was like trick-or treating in July! I would go back with a sack FULL of banana taffy pieces, chocolate footballs, bubble gum, tootsie rolls, and penny suckers the size of quarters. Don't you know my dentist loved me!

So you see, this challenge will be a war for me, between me, my body's cravings for sweet, and my mind telling me that I really need to indulge! But I am determined to conquer, one day at a time, one minute at a time if necessary--and a month from now, I may emerge bloodied and bruised (so to speak), but the victory will truly be sweet!

I just had to finish this with a picture of one of my favorite movies....kind of fits, don't you think?

Have a great Monday!

Some Things Just Need Salt

One of the health problems that my extended family seems to have a lion's share of is high blood pressure--and that includes me. And it's no surprise that the first rule of getting control of your blood pressure is to reduce the sodium in your diet.  That's not a huge issue for me--I quit salting food at the table years ago, and I'm conservative in how much I use to season when I'm cooking. BUT--there are just some things that just need salt, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Let's start with a breakfast food that really has an art about preparing--grits. There is really no way around it--those grits need salt while they are cooking, not after the fact! It's so much easier to get them just right when you add the salt to the cooking liquid before the grits, so it can be deliciously absorbed into the grain. Try it sometime--there really is a difference! Cooks north of the Mason Dixon line and most chain restaurants, pay attention!

Another food item that just needs salt is potatoes. Getting hold of a bite of mashed potatoes without salt--you just might as well eat library paste! Again--put some salt in that water before you cook those babies. Baked potatoes are a different story--and I won't even address that offense upon the world that is the instant potato--you just can't save that.

There's something else, or rather someplace else, that just needs salt--and is begging for it every second of the day--and that's our world. Those who call themselves followers of Christ have a command to be the salt of the earth. It's our job, our CALLING, to season the world with the precious love of Jesus through our words, our actions, our REACTIONS, and our faithfulness to the family of believers that is our church. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that our world is dreadfully unseasoned. If every person who calls themselves "Christian" lived it to the fullest, we would see a radical change in our world. But, sadly, our impact has been weakened by those who have made the decision not to be the salt of the earth. Some will take offense with this and insist that have not done anything to hurt the church--but by their very silence toward what they see and hear every day, by passing by because it doesn't fit into their schedule, or they just don't want to be involved--they have made their statement.

Some things just need salt.  Our ever-darkening world needs the salt of the new life in Christ that we have to offer--salt that cleanses, purifies, and preserves! So what's it going to be for you--are you going to help season the world, or let your salt go to waste?  That's what I'm musing about today.......

Roadblock

I'm on this journey toward better health, and yes, having confidence that losing weight is going to come along with it. Today is day 10 since I began this journey again, and it's a roadblock day.

I'm not quite sure what's in me today.  Maybe today is the day I'm hitting that first roadblock, where my body is beginning to realize what I'm doing and it's staging it's own little rebellion. You know what I'm talking about--you begin to make those health changes, are feeling good about yourself, then--BAM! Body realizes--hey! where's the sugar? Where's the salt? WHERE'S MY FRENCH FRIES? Where's all this water coming from? Why is she walking this much?

So it starts about 4 a.m. this morning--phase one of the rebellion--"let's send a little extra reflux her way."  Yeah, that's fun--so now you're up, looking for the back-up antacid until it's time to take the Prilosec, drinking water to try to dilute, eating a bowl of cereal trying to absorb--anything! Then--too late to go back to sleep, so let's get the day started. But then body stages  phase 2--I don't wanna do anything! Then phase 3--since she's tired already, won't be too hard to get a little crying jag going here--and let the waterworks begin!

So today didn't start so great, but instead of succumbing, instead of deciding to just stay in the bed, pull the shades, and just let it overtake me like I would have in the past--today I got up, and took it one step at a time--my first lesson learned in therapy. (More about the therapy journey soon)  Get dressed. Eat. Get out of the house and get one errand done--I actually did two.  And, when I got back home, I felt a little better--so I launched my phase of attack--water, MOVE the body, SWEAT!  Guess what? I'm feeling better! So, maybe this will be a good Tuesday, after all, and I'll get around this roadblock!

Mississippi Monsoon

Good morning, friends!

I don't know where you are, but in my little corner of the world just outside Meridian, It looks like it's monsoon season--second day of rain in a row! I'm not talking about those pop up summertime showers that just make everything steamier, but honest to goodness steady rain, and the temp outside and the wind blowing have convinced me to give the A/C a break and open the windows. I know the power company is going to love that! Allergy sufferers are rejoicing because the pollen count is at ZERO!  This is most unusual for the middle of July!

Watching the rain wash and refresh my part of the world is just reminding me how much God loves and cares for us, and for His provision.  You go through a dry spell in your life, where you feel like no one is listening and nothing is working--even God.  but, God is God, and He is good, and all of a sudden when we have nothing left to do but just bare everything a cry out from the depths of our drought--monsoon season! Refreshing showers of his loving kindness wash over us, renewing us to pick up our armor and get back to the work of the kingdom!

So, if you can today, slow down, throw open a window, and enjoy the "monsoon"--and let God wash over you just as he is washing over our corner of the world.

Be blessed!

Missy

Hello World!

Hello, world! A few years ago I began blogging, but had a HUGE detour/roadblock/train wreck in my life, and I abandoned just about everything--but that is a story I will tell you, bit by bit, because it has shaped who I am now.  I'm excited to share my musings with you about life, my work, my family, and this incredible journey that God has me taking right now in my walk with him.

But today.....today there's a beautiful, gentle rain falling outside. The temp has come down--way down--so I cranked up the ceiling fans and opened the windows so I can hear the gentle shower and the rhythmic dripping off the eave of my front porch.  I do believe that later--after I take lunch to the high school senior son in the middle of his last band camp--that I will make myself a nice little lunch, a glass of iced tea, and go sit on my porch and enjoy this little slice of God's beauty today......I hope your day is beautiful, too!

Blessings!

Missy