-AND IT WAS SO.  I’m not sure I ever noticed how often that phrase was used in the Gen 1.  God spoke it and (you guessed it) IT WAS SO.  God created the oceans, the land, the stars just by speaking the words and it happened like it was nothing.  All God has to do is speak it into existence…whether that be a planet, an animal, a human life, physical healing, rescue from addiction, peace in a storm.  If God says it, then we can take it to the bank I WILL BE SO!  That same truth was reinforced w/ Abraham and Sarah in Gen 18: 13&14 when Sarah laughs and says “Will I really have a child now that I am old?  God’s response is “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”  That question truly resonated with me in this season of my life.

-SIN’S INVASIVENESS & AGGRESSIVENESS- Throughout Genesis from the fall on, we see how sin and Satan are not passive observers in this story.  Both are aggressive participants that quickly pervaded all of mankind.  God warns Cain early on in Gen 4:7 “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  DANG, isn’t that the truth…sin is crouching at my door.  Whether I resist it, ignore it, or give-in to it, it’s there crouching at my door.  1 Peter 5:8 says “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.  Sin wants to consume our lives. Satan is on the prowl.  We must be aware, we must resist, we must know the truth to combat the lies…otherwise we will be devoured.  We saw so many examples of this yest. and today. Three words, Sodom and Gomorrah! Enough said?

-OUR SCREWED UP ANCESTORS AND MERCIFUL GOD- What a bunch of liars, cheater, doubters, misfits (I could go on) our ancestors were?  I feel like I’m in good company!  From the manipulating wife I found in Eve, to the doubting and manipulating wife I see in Sarah, and those seem minor compared to Lot’s daughters (YUCK), Abraham and Isaac both claiming their wives were their sister’s just to save their own hide (chivalrous wasn’t it), Noah’s son’s giggling at their daddy’s nakedness, Jacob’s deceit, etc, etc etc. But the cool thing was in the midst of all of man’s messups, God was faithful.  He kept His promises.  I love Gen 21:1 “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised”.  God did all this, in spite of her laughing, her doubting, her manipulating.  He was faithful, even when she was faithless.  Thank you God for showing me today, that you can increase my influence, my legacy, my impact despite my inadequacies.  Not because I deserve any of those things, but because you are the same God who was gracious to Sarah, and I am SO THANKFUL that you are gracious to me!

Keep reading friends…God is speaking through His word and it will not return void!  We will be changed!!

What it takes to be successful on Paleo…

-Planning. This type of eating does require planning ahead and going to the grocery store more often.  When I am prepared with healthy foods I enjoy, I am not as tempted to eat sugary, processed junk (though it is yummy junk).

-A Change in Mindset.  I am choosing not to view this as a diet, but instead a way of life.  It is about making healthier choices and viewing food as fuel rather than fun.  With this mindset, if I choose to eat junk then I haven’t “cheated”, I just need to next time make a better choice.

-Creativity.  I have been making foods I never thought to make before or never had a recipe for.  I LOVE my pecan encrusted pork chops w/ baked apples.  I am also loving a lean pot roast w/ carrots and onions.   And I never knew how sad my eggs would be without some sauteed onions, spinach and tomatoes.

Benefits I’ve experienced…

-Weight Loss.  As I mentioned before, I’ve lost 12 lbs this month and my husband has lost 11 (that was in 3 weeks since he was out of the country for a week).

-Energy.  I did an hour spin class on Saturday for the first time since I had my 3rd baby and WOW, it kicked my butt, but I actually had plenty of energy.  I didn’t feel weak or deprived of food.  I actually felt good and my body has recovered well too!

-Healthier choices for my kids.  Because I’m eating more fruits and veggies, so are they.  I’m done buying sugary fruit snacks and instead we’re snacking on carrots, grapes, apples, etc.

So if you’re looking for a healthier way of eating, give Paleo a try.  I’ll tell you, it’s actually a lot easier than it seems.  It’s like these foods agree with your body and you don’t find yourself craving the bread, dairy, and sugar (or at least not very often).  For more info check out www.thepaleodiet.com

And best of luck to my sister and parents who are starting Paleo this week!

Breakfast

-Scrambled eggs w/sauteed onions, tomatoes and spinach, a fruit (like orange, apple, cantaloupe or berries), coffee (this is non-paleo, but a momma of 3 can’t go without it)

-Eggs over easy, fruit and coffee

Lunch

-Lean meat (turkey or pork generally), raw carrots, sometimes lettuce to make a lettuce wrap or spinach to make a salad, also sometimes 1/2 avacodo.

Snacks-These happen throughout the day.  Since I’m breastfeeding I eat whenever I am hungry as to not affect my milk supply.

-Handful of walnuts or pecans

-Grapes, tangerine or carrots

-Lara bar if on the go

Dinner- Here’s where there’s LOTS of variety.  It’s different almost every night.

-Taco Salad w/ lean ground beef or turkey, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avacado and salsa

-Pecan Crusted Pork Chops w/ broccoli and baked apples

-Roast Turkey w/ broccoli and cauliflower (I roast a large turkey breast weekly. I prefer it over chicken. Plus it provides tons of good meat for salads and meals throughout the week)

-Spinach Salad w/ rotisserie chicken (from the store), pecans, grapes, tangerines and dressing made w/ olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar and a tough of stevia

5 down, now how much to go?  Officially, I have 26 lbs of baby weight still to lose (yes I know that is all some people gain). In all 3 of my pregnancies I have gained somewhere between 55-70lbs.  And what is crazy is that my ending weight has been within a few lbs each time.  It didn’t matter the weight I started at, my body reached the same place each time.  Though I don’t recommend that type of weight gain to everyone, I gave birth to 3 healthy beautiful little girls with no glucose, blood pressure or other major issues.  I also have no stretch marks on my tummy, so once this weight is off I’m rockin’ the bikini (I may even post pics)!

So 26lbs of baby weight, though I think to be back in my college Lady Vol form, it’ll be more like 40 or 45lbs.  We’ll see when we get there.  Like I said yesterday, this is not a diet, it’s a journey to a healthier body and healthier family! (btw my husband is looking AMAZING, I’ll post his weight loss on Wednesday):)

Here are my feeling about my first week of Paleo.  I’m suprised how much I enjoy it.  I see a difference in my body already (we’ll talk pounds tomorrow). My digestive system also seems to be working much better- A HUGE bonus after the havoc a c-section takes on digestion. It takes more work to prepare food and it costs a little more, but I feel so good feeding myself and my family such good things.  A few of my favorite foods this week are:

Pecan Encrusted Pork Chops w/ baked apples

Baked Cinnamon Pears

Spinach Salad w/ Rotisserie Chicken, oranges, grapes, walnuts and homemade dressing,

Roasted Turkey

and of course LARA bars

We’re also eating lots of raw carrots, apples, steamed broccoli, cantaloupe, grapes, etc.  I think my diet is higher in fruit than most, but since I’m breastfeeding I’m not concerned about the extra carbs from fruit.  I’m also seeing a reduction in the amount of spit-up from my 2 month old.  She used to spit up EVERY feeding in large quantities. It is still most feedings at this point, but much less (PRAISE THE LORD). Overall, it’s been a good first week…we’ll see if the scale agrees in the morning:)

Well, tonight as Brian chipped away at old tile, we sent the girls up to their playroom to get away from the noise and flying debris.  After a few minutes, they begged to come back down, so we hung out in the kitchen and made cookies.  When the cookie preparations were complete, the girls ran into the family room and jumped up on the couch.  The noise and chaos of Brian’s project continued as the girls sat on the couch, ears covered, happy as clams.  Knowing that the noise level couldn’t be all that enjoyable for the girls (not to mention the possibility of flying pieces of tile) Brian again encouraged them to go back upstairs.  Ella looked up at him and said, “But daddy I LOVE you”.

In that moment I saw such deeper meaning for my own life.  You see, my girls were OK with the chaos, with the noise, with the mess, as long as they were with their daddy.  It wasn’t all of their toys or their favorite show that was keeping them there, it was the presence of their father.  While the playroom seemed, in my mind, a much more logical choice…full of all the pleasures a little one desires, it was void of the one person they wanted to be with.

I hope I can view my life in the same way.  That I will be willing to sit patiently through seasons of chaos, uncertainty, change, pain or even loss, as long as I am in the presence of my heavenly father. That I will value my time with God more than the “fun” this world offers me. That when tempted to choose the temporal over the eternal, I will remember the words of my three-year old, “But daddy I LOVE you.”

To enter click HERE.

With that being said, I still believe in the power of prayer and ask all of you saints, to continue to seek the Lord on our behalf.