New Year Nourishment

 Happy New Year💛
I can't believe we're  almost a week into 2018 already. We had kind of a rough start over here, due to a stomach flu paying us a visit. I was out for three days; I spent literally all New Years Day in bed. The worst of it was that it was the last day of my sister and brother-in-law and niece's visit, so we didn't get to do all the fun stuff we had planned before they flew back home. So that was disappointing. The silver lining though was that since I was already two days into "fasting" due to an unhappy tummy, I decided to stretch that out into a "veggie detox fast" for two more days, so I had a "clean start" to the new year, diet wise.

 

I was also forced to take some time for self care, which was much needed after our hectic holiday season. A hot bath with some essential oils, herbs, and Epsom salt, beeswax candle, mug of herbal tea, magazine, and some calming music from YouTube are my favorite combination for relaxing after the kids go to bed.

Tea and chicken broth with herbs. I simmered veggies in the broth and let my family eat the soup, but I wasn't feeling too great at this point yet, so only broth for me.

Added in some cauli puree once I started feeling better. And hungrier. Even though I'm calling it a veggie "fast", once my tummy was feeling better and over the flu, I did eat vegetables/broth whenever I was hungry.

Grabbed this carrot juice in town while running errands for a veggie only lunch while doing my "veggie fast". I did a liver detox a few years ago and I felt like it helped my digestion and my skin, and I've been wanting to do it again. I did drink chicken broth this time, so it wasn't purely vegetables, but I didn't feel the need to be a purist about it; my goal was just to give my tummy a break and feel good. Mission accomplished. I felt like I had a clear head and I noticed my stomach was flat too. I do want to clarify, fasting and starvation are not the same thing. If you're thinking about fasting, do some research and plan ahead for it. Skipping meals and calling it fasting is not exactly the same thing, and some people should not fast, so be careful.

Family dinner, post fast, of salad with HM dressing, roasted sweet potatoes, broiled broccoli with avocado oil and garlic powder, and fried chicken tenderloins. (Coated with a blend of GF almond flour and cassava flour and spices) It was so good.

I baked cinnamon swirl bread, a recipe I grew up with but now make gluten free, to take to my nephew's first birthday party. A year ago, I was honored to attend his birth, and I cannot believe how fast he is growing! I often bake this bread or my banana bread in a Bundt pan to make them feel extra special. In case you haven't figured it out by now, baking is my love language.
Just kidding...but I do put a lot of love into my baking and nothing warms my heart more than watching people enjoy all my treats.

A quick dinner of omelet, GF toast, and carrot juice. Omelet was filled with spinach, Kerrygold cheese, ham, green onions, and topped with guacamole.

I've been making broiled broccoli quite a bit the last few days. It's really simple and fast and I love the flavor. I grabbed a bag of fresh broccoli florets from Costco, and then I cut them so they are all the about the same size. (No big pieces, they won't cook through) I spray them with avocado oil, but you could also toss in melted butter. Season with salt and a dusting of garlic powder, and then pop under preheated broiler. Keep an eye on them; I think I usually turn the broccoli after about 5 minutes, but all ovens are different. As you can see below, I leave them in until they are just starting to brown in spots. The broccoli florets get slightly crispy on the ends and just cooked through on the stalks. Yum. I love adding leftovers to salads too.

I don't really do New Year's resolutions...I prefer to just change things when I want to, listening to my body and being flexible.

Generally, it seems like the kind of resolutions most people make tend are so rigid and just set you up for guilt and failure, or at the very least, stress. I think people often bite off more than they can chew, so to speak, and a healthy diet and lifestyle is something that takes years to get used to, not a month. Baby steps are the way to go. Set yourself up for success.

My goals right now are more vegetables, more yoga, less stress, more Bible reading. (Not listed in order of importance ;) ) I don't like to give myself an exact number anymore; I have too many priorities, and life with kids is constantly busy and ever-evolving so saying things like "I will do yoga 5 times this week, for 20 min at a time" really just creates stress. Deciding to eliminate all treats might work for like 4 days, but doing so for longer than that also eliminates a lot of joy for me, so that's also out. 

Finding things that will support you becoming the person you want to be and deciding to incorporate them into your life when you can is a lot more doable than, say, cooking only out of one cookbook for the entire month of January. It's also alot more sustainable. Decide what's really important for you and how far you're willing to go to make it happen. Think about how this will affect others in your life and how much joy or stress it will add to your life and schedule. And then don't try to do all the things at once. Baby steps in the right direction will still get you to where you want to be.

Another thing to remember is that nourishment needs to be holistic: physical, spiritual, emotional, mental. This devotional is being thoroughly enjoyed by Brian and I, and I highly recommend it. I have learned that spiritual health -a close relationship with God and resting in Him- goes a very long way in your overall health, so be sure to pay ample attention to nourishing your spiritual self, not just your body.

I have had insomnia again for the last month, and I've been making an effort to spend my awake time praying rather than tossing and turning and stressing. The other night, I challenged myself to read the entire book of Hebrews before going to bed, since I would probably be up anyway. A mama's gotta make the most of any free time she gets, right? There are some things you never regret doing, and reading the Bible never feels like a waste of time. 

Nature walks, or just being outdoors in general, is very nourishing for your whole self, but especially if you need some help boosting your emotional and mental health, you should make getting outside a priority. Houseplants are good too. God's glorious creation has such a beautiful way of calming the mind and spirit, so immerse yourself in it often.

I've been meditating on this verse the last few days:

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:2)

It's so easy to get caught up in the here and now, in our personal plans and goals. Stress and guilt and fear knock at the door of our hearts and threaten to suck all the joy and peace out of life. We feel like we aren't good enough, like nothing is under control, feel like things get worse everyday,and we grow weary and bitter. But when "we set our minds on things above", we can sigh a deep sigh of relief and remember that this life is only temporary and there are far greater things to come. Living for Jesus, living for Heaven, really lifts so many burdens off our shoulders.

So before you make those New Year resolutions, ask yourself what's really important and what you need to do to become your optimal self for His glory. 

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5)

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage....They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion." (Psalm 84: 5&7)