Detoxing & A Good Coconut Oil Granola Recipe

As some of you might already know, I lost 35 lbs a year from this past August.  Well, I have managed to gain back 10 lbs.  I haven't had to buy any bigger clothes and I am not going to allow the need for bigger clothes.  I got rid of all the clothes that were too big after losing weight the first time and I am determined to not find myself back in the store buying the next size up.  I have had a hard time buckling down and making myself work on eating healthier again and getting back in to exercising.  Mostly, eating in moderation, which now that we are past Christmas, I really have no excuse to sit here and add on top of the 10 lbs I have already gained.  Instead, I should work on losing whatever amount of that makes me feel better and give me more energy.  I have no plans to be stepping on the scales except for once every couple of weeks to see if it is budging.

Last night I did a detox I found online.  It was all things I have at home already, so this didn't cost me any extra money.  I don't know anything about Dr. Axe, but I did get the recipe from his website for the detox.  He had a video explaining the detox a little bit and all the ingredients are ones I have used before, just not all combined together as a drink for a detox.  He calls it his Secret Detox.  It doesn't seem so secret if he is sharing it, but I was willing to try it.  I needed something to help me get myself started in the right direction.  I feel it has done just that.  I woke up this morning feeling very full, but also it cleaned me out, so to speak (sorry if that is TMI).  I did very good with my eating all day long as I felt full, but also felt the need to drink tons of water and of course I know a cleanse is all about cleansing, and that of course indeed did happen.  I will for sure be doing this again!

Secret Detox
12-16 oz glass of water
2 TBS Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 tsp cinnamon
a dash of cayenne pepper
1 packet of Stevia ( I didn't have Stevia, I have Agave, so I used a splash of that instead)

It actually tasted pretty good and it can be done quite often.  I feel like this really helped me today!  I am glad I tried it.  It didn't cost me anything but a trip to my cupboard.

Because of finally feeling like I am heading back on track, I decided to also make homemade granola again.  The first time I made it was about a year ago.  I have made it several different ways and I have learned a few things about myself in the process.  1) I love food and homemade granola is really good, you can't mess it up as far as taste.  2) I need to keep it basic.  The first time I made it, I followed a recipe that had all kinds of yummy stuff in it ( chocolate chips, brown sugar, butter, etc).  The second time I made it, I decided to go for a healthier route.  I will tell you why.  If I make it with all of the super yummy stuff, then I end up eating it like candy :)  This is not a good thing when trying to eat in moderation and trying to make something that is supposed to be healthy and good for me.  Really, granola should be a sprinkled topping on yogurt or a small snack, not a whole entire bowl full of yumminess.  You can and will gain weight from super yummy granola made with all the extras, trust me, I know this first hand!  Granola is super yummy when it is homemade even when it is basic.  You can add something in to small portions to change it up some if you wish.  Maybe you have better will power than I do, but this is what has worked for me.

Here is my basic recipe.  It has coconut oil in it which is really healthy.  Keep in mind that the granola will feel oily, but this is a healthy oil , not a fattening oil.

Coconut Oil Granola
3 cups rolled oats  ( I use Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey ( local honey if you can)
1 TBS cinnamon
2/3 cup sliced raw almonds ( you can use any nuts you want, this is what I like)

Place the 3 cups of rolled oats in a medium sized bowl.  Melt the coconut oil and the honey in the microwave.  Stir all ingredients together in the bowl.  Spread out on a baking sheet (no need to spray the baking sheet - it won't stick with the coconut oil).  Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.  Stir the granola and cook for another 10 minutes.  Even if it seems like soft granola, take it out of the oven.  Cooking it longer will over cook it.

Yummm!  Enjoy!  This was a small yummy snack this afternoon!

Praise Him in the hallway!

I apologize for not blogging for a while.  I have been pondering, thinking, praying, and trying to figure things out.  Yes, us women do a lot of that.  And as a military wife after what still feels like a fairly recent move, I have been doing quite a bit of it that last couple of weeks.  Feeling both up and down in my feelings, my thoughts, and my prayers.  We move and we move a lot.  We have maybe stayed in the same location for 2 years, maybe close to 3 years a time or two.  A year or less a few times.  You know, the moves where you don't take out of boxes what you really don't need and can live without. This time should be our last military move or it could be close to the last.  We never really do know in the military if it will be for any certain length of time when we get our orders to move to a new location.  There is always an adjustment time, and yes, even an adjustment to moving right back to the very same place, as we have even done that before as well.  Moving back to Fort Leavenworth, KS after having lived there for a year previously and having grown up an hour from there, one would only think that it would be a piece of cake and a super easy adjustment.  For me, it was anything but that.  I struggled the first time there and I let it color my second chance there as well.  Our first time there was really a time that was challenging with Corey and I didn't even allow myself to put any roots down as it was very temporary, actually less than a year.  I look back at all of this and I think of how I let time really pass by and I let myself be robbed of chances for new friendships and joy that I missed out on.  The second time was way better than the first for a lot of reasons.  Pat had an incredibly flexible schedule in his 2 year position there.  We had an amazingly wonderful amount of family time.  It was truly a blessing.  Corey had much better school experiences and it was over all fairly easy and enjoyable.  I still really didn't allow myself to put down roots and grow friendships, I too knew this was temporary.  At the same time, we saw family quite a bit.  My mom works 30 minutes from where we lived and she would come eat dinner and spend the night quite often.  Corey had overnight trips to grandma's house a lot.  That created a certain amount of balance for us.  Corey was in horse riding lessons and had made several really good friends.  We really miss family, horse riding lessons (along with Tonya and her kids at the farm), and Corey's friends.  But I felt myself itching to move on for some reason.  Maybe because I didn't allow myself to put down roots.  Why I do this to myself, I am not really sure.  I think it must surely be a defense mechanism and a way of coping with the moving.

This time now with living somewhere completely different from Kansas, I am finding new challenges.  We have great neighbors.  Corey is involved in Cub Scouts and loves it!  We have found an awesome church.  Yet, Pat has a very full schedule and I am here all day trying to figure out exactly what it is that I am supposed to do.  Keep in mind, I know we are only here for a couple of years.  Do I dare put down roots?  I am now trying to break that cycle of thinking.  I am really trying hard.  I have met some really nice people and made some great new friends.  I am thankful for this.  I do not need to worry about whether I will get 1 or 2 years with them or if it will be a life long journey of close friendship.  That is my problem indeed, worrying to much about the unknown.  So in my quest to try to figure out exactly what it is I should do here, I have applied for a hand full of jobs.  I have received calls on 2 of them.  One would require me to be leaving my house at 5 AM to start the day and a lot of traveling.  It did sound like a really fun job, but I had to decline.  The other job I heard back from this week did not have hours that would work for me.  I am not sure my heart was really ready to take on the 2nd job to be completely honest.  I have several other jobs I am waiting to hear back from and during this time I have made some new friends and I have started a weekly bible study.  I am also getting to the gym consistently to exercise.  I am starting to feel a routine coming in to place and a bible study I am excited about.  Do I really want or need a job?  Is that really a part of figuring out what I am to do here in this place?  I don't know at this point. I am praying about it and trying to be obedient.  While I was in the car a few days ago and listening to Christian radio, I heard someone say, "While you are waiting for God to open a door, praise him in the hallway".  I then felt very convicted of my attitude and my mindset on where I am at and what I have been waiting for.  God wants me to praise him right now in the midst of what I am going through. He wants me to find joy and be thankful for him and what he is doing right where I am at and not miss what he has for me right here and right now.  I am starting to embrace where I am right now and remember that God has a plan for me even if I don't see right now.  

I have to tell you that the bible study I went to was very on target for my needs :)  I sat down in a group of other military wives who are a mix of emotions also.  We are doing a study called God Strong, written by a military wife Sarah Horn.  Apparently I am not alone in my feelings, thoughts and fears, there are others out there that feel similar to me.

Now I am looking at the D.C Metro and how crazy it feels to me and realize that there are a ton of other military wives out there in my same boat.  I am not alone and I am not crazy.  I am also feeling less crazy as time goes by.  I am feeling more at peace and feeling less like I have to be on a search for where I fit in.  I don't need to worry. God has a plan for me, I just need to trust him.

My 99 cent lunch and the best ever dark chocolate brownies!

Today was the first day of my husband Pat being back at work after Christmas and New Year's Day and also the first day back to school for Corey.  I find a day like today hard to get a hold on what needs to be done and how to get it all done and also be awake enough to get it all done.  We all had to get up earlier than when we had Christmas break to wake up at our leisure.  And of course, to make my day all that more interesting, our dog Mitch got out this morning and I had to chase him and get him back home safely as we have busy roads near our house.  This was before Corey go on the bus this morning.  So as you can imagine, I had to also make sure that Corey knew his dog was ok and it was fine to get on the school bus and make his journey to school.

I had a hard time getting myself in to a productive mode this morning.  I checked Facebook statuses and my email.  It really brightened my spirits to start receiving emails for birthday goodies at different businesses as my birthday is next week.  I used one of those birthday goodies today!  Noodles & Company gives a free bowl of noodles up to a $9.00 value the month of your birthday.  I went and used it today and I got an iced tea along with my yummy noodles.  I paid a whopping 99 cents!  Now that is a cheap lunch on a day when I just really needed a pick me up.  On a day when I was trying to figure out how to get this house back in order and also just catch my breath.  Then I came home and ate one of my favorite brownies!

Here is the recipe for the Best Ever Dark Chocolate Brownies.  I have been using this recipe for about 4 years, but only in the last year have I adapted it to be a tad bit healthier (if that is possible with brownies) by adding the dark chocolate.

Best Ever Dark Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

12 Tablespoons Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate cocoa powder (100% Cacao)

  4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup melted butter

   2 cups of white sugar

   3 eggs

   1 teaspoon vanilla extract

   1 cup all purpose flour ( use unbleached flour)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together cocoa powder and oil until well combined.  Stir in the melted butter until completely blended.  Stir in the sugar and then beat in the eggs.  ( I do this all without a mixer and it is easy with less clean up!).  Add the vanilla and stir and then the flour.  Pour in to a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com original recipe.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all and any of you out there who may read my blog.  I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, I never have been.  Instead, I tend to reflect on the year past and see where I have come and what I would still like to accomplish or try to improve on.  I am sure there are others of you out there like me.  I look back at 2012 and I we had some pretty major changes take place.  We are a military family and for us, that meant a move to somewhere completely new and different to us.  We now live in an area that is way more busy than I ever imagined and traffic and driving that I never pictured myself dealing with.  We have continued another chapter in this military journey in a different house with different neighbors (well actually, I should say with good, friendly neighbors for a change), and a different work location for Pat along with a commute on the metro for Pat and a new school for Corey (and of course, not only a new school for Corey, but also moving from a special ed class room to a regular class room with a para assigned to him).  A lot of changes, yes.  Good changes, yes.  Challenging changes, yes.  Changes that grow us more and build our character, yes.  Some of it has been quite easy, some of it has been quite challenging.  I would say the more challenging aspects are the traffic and driving in this area, Pat's commute to work, and getting Corey in his new school routine. We have adapted to all of these things and more.  There will be more in 2013 as far as challenges and changes I am sure.  What they are, I don't know.  But my hope is that we move forward, growing in our relationships with our Lord Jesus Christ and rely on him to help us through the challenges and to continue to grow and strengthen us.

I look back at 2012 and I think of how much different we eat now and I am really quite surprised!  We used to go eat out at least 2 or 3 times a week when we lived in Kansas and our drives to restaurants were short and Pat was home from work early every day.  Now we only eat out once every couple of weeks (except for holiday times).  This is a good thing.  It didn't really happen out of us wanting to make the change, more out of circumstances.  Pat gets home later and he is tired enough that eating out isn't desirable to him.  The traffic here is not worth the effort to go fight it to eat out for the most part.  It is a challenge we would rather not face most of the time.  I cook more now than I did earlier in 2012 that is for sure.  That also brings me to another part of 2012.  We don't eat nearly as much processed food as we used to.  I am cooking most of the time, so I can control what we eat most of the time.  I would say we are about 70-80% real food and only 20-30% processed foods now.  You might wonder why we still linger at the small percentage of processed foods, but the simple fact that I will not make my husband give up things he really enjoys and I will not tell Corey he can't have pop tarts if his dad is eating them, or I will not make a loaf of bread every week to have it only last a couple of days before it spoils and throwing most of it away because we are a small family of 3.  Yes, it can be done.  Wives have made their husbands give up pop tarts and other treats they like to have and some of these wives will not buy bread from the grocery store shelf.  I personally see the progress we have made as a huge success and the changes we have made as permanent and not just a fad.  The main reason is, I haven't gone crazy and expected anyone to give up the few certain items they really like and cherish and want to have in the house.  Corey still drinks juice pouches in his lunch and I still buy a small amount of packaged snacks as he has to take 2 snacks a day to school and he takes his lunch every day.  I don't buy anything that is prepared from a box mix, it just doesn't happen here.  It doesn't taste good to us and we don't like those kinds of things.  I don't buy frozen meatballs, they aren't hard to make and freeze ahead. I can't take my family away from Kraft macaroni and cheese, that would be cruel, they love it.  So we find a balance that works for us.  It is great to look back and see that 2012 was full of those kinds of changes.  Good changes!  No soda pop in this house any longer, we don't eat boxed cereal, I make granola that Corey and I put on our yogurt and we eat oatmeal for breakfast occasionally.  I do occasionally buy a frozen dinner entree at Trader Joe's, but I always put the disclaimer out there, that this is from Trader Joe's and I did not make this - lol.  If it doesn't turn out tasting good, all I did was pop it in the oven.

In 2013 I hope to continue our healthy eating changes.  It has come a long ways and we have made a lot of progress.  I also plan to be more intentional.  More intentional about growing in my relationship with God, spending time reading my bible and praying.  More intentional about spending time with friends, and that also means keeping in better contact with friends who we don't live close to.  I hope to procrastinate less and enjoy life more.  Procrastination is something I do quite well, so this will be a tough one for me.  I am also starting a bible study this month, the first bible study I have signed up for since moving here.

So here is to 2013!  I hope it is as great of a year as 2012 if not better!