Over half way through the Maker's Diet...or Just Beginning!

We are a little over half way through the Maker's Diet! It has been one of the most rewarding and informative health experiences ever for me. We have been far from perfect on in, but haven't given up either. I've been reflecting on it quite a bit and wanted to write some thoughts about it.

It is very difficult to change the way you do things, or the way you think about things--especially if you've done it or thought about it like that for years...since you were a child, and saw your parents doing it, it's simply all you've ever known. To sweeten your tea, you put sugar in it. To make chocolate cookies, you need flour, sugar, and brown sugar. Lunch? You need some bread. My favorite was Pepperidge Farm Oatmeal Bread. You never really ask what's in it or think to look into what some of those long words are in the ingredient list. Just buy it off the shelf, smother it with mayo and put some meat and cheese in the middle. But...It's just all wrong. All of it--just wrong. And to know where to begin and how to move forward can be very overwhelming. The industrialization of our food is literally deteriorating our health. I won't go into it too much, that isn't what I wanted to write about, and there are plenty of other people out there that can inform you way better than I can.

But, I've noticed as I get a little more understanding of how good good food is, I don't want the stuff that is bad for me anymore. Understanding is the key. Reading the Maker's Diet was great and very informative and inspiring and served as the beginning of our journey. But I definitely lost heart about a week ago. I was hanging in there (i lost nearly 10 pounds! of course I am game) but it is hard because I felt there are so many things that I love that I couldn't have. But then I found a recipe for Spelt Tortillas..Because I LOVE tacos. And then I found more blogs that reflect my heart on this issues and have gobs and gobs of recipes and resources. Guess what I made us tonight? Crock pot Chicken Parmesan! With sprouted grain breading of course! Not only is eating right possible, it is really easy once you know how to do it. I think people have such a hard time on diets because it is all about depriving of things that we enjoy. There is definitely wisdom and reason in doing that for a season, Phase 1 of the diet kicked my tail and was hard, but paid off! But it does not have to be like that. The reason to eat healthy is to be happy and enjoy life..and good food of course!

There is so much I don't know about healthy eating but I'm taking it one day at a time and making lists. First on my list of things to learn about: Cod Liver Oil. I read about it and see it in articles on respectable health website, in books, so that is next on my list...Wise Traditions, something I want to subscribe to...make my own kefir....make my own fermented sourdough bread...make Kombucha...and the list continues. And so do I...Continue on this glorious and liberating journey...Cheers to good health and good food!

Maker's Dinners

Ben and I were SUPER healthy when we lived in Florida. Whenever I went grocery shopping, I checked labels for ingredients ALWAYS. I wouldn't say we are unhealthy, but don't eat nearly as much good stuff as we used to. It's tough living in the south! Plus when hard times hit, you're just trying to survive it seems. We decided when we got back from my brother's wedding (which was in Florida:)  we'd start the Maker's Diet. It's definitely one of the most balanced diets we've seen. It cleanses your body of toxins and all those bad cravings. There are 3 phases. We did the first phase for a few days and then skipped to the 3rd which we are doing for 40 days. The first phase it tough--no grains (not even healthy ones) no bread, no sugar (which is the whole time) no beans, no sweet potatoes, no dairy from cows or soy milk or almond milk...It was tough to find something to eat! But it definitely is important to do it for a few days. We can only have sprouted grain breads (Ezekial 4:9 Bread) and tortillas made from spelt. I like how my sister-in-law coined it, "A Life-Style Change Diet." That's what we want, to start eating right! No more pastas...no more sugar....only on occasion. We've been sleeping so much better, and I've had way more energy. The other part I love about it is how much I've been cooking! I've been having such a blast in the kitchen. I wanted to share some meals and recipes to inspire others to eat healthier. The book is a must read! It's called "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan S. Rubin. It's really informative, inspiring, and eye-opening. He has a ton of recipes, which I use but add in some other things to make it my own. And also..I've lost some weight since I've been on it! I knew I would, but it was not my reason for doing it. I want to be healthy, bottom line.

                                                     BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

For the sauce, I got some organic ketchup sweetened with Agave Nectar and mixed it with a healthy Teriyaki  sauce, equal parts. Then I sliced sweet potatoes into 3/4 inch slices and boiled them for 10 minutes. Brush them with olive oil and throw them on the grill with the BBQ marinated Chicken Breasts! Yum! I also roasted some Asparagus in the oven, they were heavenly! Crispy yet melted in your mouth!

                                                                Thai Coconut Soup

This was insanely yummy! I boiled some chicken leg quarters. There's something sad to me about chopping up boneless chicken breasts and throwing them in a pot! I very much dislike eating bone-in chicken by itself, but boiling it not only gives the chicken good flavor it is very healthy. All those nutrients in the bones and marrow cook into the chicken. I had the leg quarters in the freezer so I used it, but you can use whatever kind of chicken you want! I put one can of coconut milk, 1 32 oz carton of chicken broth, some diced chile and jalapeno peppers, fresh minced garlic, fresh minced ginger, chopped lemon grass stalks, and the juice from 2 limes into the crock pot and let it simmer by itself for a while. It infuses the broth with flavor. I left all the bits in there, I red one recipe where you drain the broth but that just seems like a pain! I pulled the chicken off the bone and threw it in the crock pot along with some straw mushrooms. I could of done without the mushrooms, but i'm not a big shroom fan. Let it all simmer for a while, then when you serve it, throw some fresh cilantro on top. We had a salad with the most yummy Asain Ginger Dressing. I googled it and found lots of good recipes and just made my own. It was like i said, insanely yummy!

                      Grilled Chicken with Green Bean, Goat Cheese, and Sun-dried Tomato Salad

This was one of our first meals. Goat cheese is actually so yummy! I just cooked the green beans in coconut oil (no taste and way better for cooking than olive oil) and then tossed in some sun-dried tomatoes and topped with goat cheese and fresh ground pepper.