Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4
It wasn't until I read this in the devotional that I realized 1. how did I de-memorize this verse? and 2. this actually really applies to my healthy eating lifestyle. Results do not come quickly. I realize that at 21 years old, me gaining 40 lbs since I graduated from high school does not look like someone else gaining 40lbs, and that if I lost all of that weight, I'd probably look pretty sickly. Given that, I know that someone people would be more than happy to have the body I do, but I need to honor what I've been given. Anyway, perseverance is EVERYTHING on this journey. I've been eating well and exercising for a couple of weeks now, and haven't lost. any. weight. It's annoying, but I said I wasn't doing this for the numbers, and I think God took that statement and ran with it. I should concentrate on the fact that I worked out 5 days this week, and they were good, solid workouts too. And I didn't go too too crazy with eating on the 4th of July. Yes, I ate a lot and yes, I ate several brownies, but I indulged and have been good today and yesterday.
On June 30th it was one year since the night I sat on a friend's kitchen floor, scared and alone, knife in hand ready to end my life. Look how far I've come in a year! I cry from happiness a lot (yes that's pathetic but oh well). God has done so much in my inner being in a year, I can't wait to see what He will do with my outer being in the same amount of time. I'm saying this as Satan has waged a war within me. My last post was about some changes I'm making in my life, and Satan is having a field day with placing memories of past mistakes into my mind, leading me to anxious moments and loneliness. But I declared victory over that part of my life, so I am pulling out my go-to pieces of scripture to continue to fight the good fight. I REFUSE to go back to that place I was a year ago. But hey, the testing of my faith produces perseverance, and hopefully, in a year (as long as that seems), I can declare victory over an unhealthy lifestyle, and honor the Lord every step of the way.
I've also discovered how much I enjoy cooking. I never thought I'd say those words. My cooking experience consisted of sticking Mom's pre-made casseroles in the oven for G and I to eat when Mom still worked 12 hours shifts. I, of course, was capable of following a recipe, but I complained the whole time. Baking is really my first love, and that comes from the countless hours I spent in the kitchen with Grandma before she died. I usually plan out what I'm going to eat after I eat breakfast. That way, I'm not hungry and can rationally think about what I'd like to eat. I do snack between meals, but healthy snacks (veggies and hummus, greek yogurt with fruit, almonds, a little trail mix, etc.). It's fun to throw a bunch of things together and see how they turn out. Plus, let's be real for a minute, I'm a college kid who will graduate with a lot of debt, so cheap and easy meals are the way to go.
Really, I guess I just eat a lot of chicken and vegetables for dinner. Here are a few of my favorites from the last few weeks:
Meatless Meal:
-whole pasta
-black beans
-mozzarella cheese
-spinach
-balsamic vinegarette
1. Boil water for pasta. While waiting go ahead and drain and rinse the black beans (I used canned and seasoned per Mom's advice)
2. While pasta is cooking, steam spinach in pan with a little bit of water. At the same time, heat the beans either in microwave or in saucepan
3. Drain pasta and place in bowl, mix in beans, spinach, and cheese (I had to get crafty and used my mozzarella string cheese but just tore it up)
4. Drizzle balsamic over it and voila!
This was a cheap meal to make and I was able to save a lot and eat off of it for a few days.
Pinterest Recipe: Balsamic Marinated Salmon
-salmon fillet
-balsamic dressing
-lemon
-salt/pepper/whatever seasonings you'd like
-aluminum foil
1. Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray or a little oil so salmon doesn't stick to it
2. slice lemon- as much as you'd like!
3. Place salmon on aluminum foil, season to taste, place lemon slices on the fish, then cover in balsamic dressing
4. Wrap aluminum foil so salmon is in a "pocket"
5. Bake at 425 for 7-8 minutes
I paired this with some brown rice and a spinach salad with strawberries and goat cheese.
Ok, so I'm no expert chef, but these are some easy, college kid recipes that I can make out of a residence hall where I have to go to another floor to use a kitchen.
This week has been a good week in terms of eating and exercising, so praises to God for that, I hope this week goes well too!
Smile, God loves you!
No comments:
Post a Comment