Health update

Jesus said in Mark 10:27 “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

I’ve neglected you for far too long. Shame on me. Forgive me. I promise I’ll make it up to you…

Now that I’m done graveling, I can tell you wonderful news! My last doctor visit was Nov 9th for my 3 month lab results. My A1c dropped to 6.1. Boy, was my doctor shocked. I’ve only been staying as his patient to give him a last *raspberry* about not believing in the changes I’ve chosen to make and not believing a whole food plant based diet could heal and restore. He really didn’t offer me any advice but took me off more medicine and asked that I come back in 3 months… Yeah right… PEACE! Since then, I’ve shared my testimony with everyone I meet including the young adult bible study group at my church called the Chosen Generation for Thanksgiving.

I’m thanking God that He showed me the vision and is continuing to heal my body.

Just a recap, my A1c was 12.6 in 2008 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes,
9.9 in February,
9.8 in May,
8.1 in August, and
6.1 in November.

I started eating plant based in July 2015 (and gave up drinking alcohol). Now THAT’S how God shows up and shows out!

Although I’m in the prediabetic range now, I’m believing God for my next results to be normal. My message to anyone who had any infirmity in their body… Trust in God, not man.

O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
~Psalms 30:2 KJV

Pancake challenge (buckwheat flour)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3 packets Stevia
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Rice Milk
1/8 cup oil or cooking spray
Dash Cinnamon

Whisk all of your ingredients except the oil. Use oil or cooking spray to coat your pan.

Makes 4 pancakes

Since I used oil, it’s more fried and crispy than smooth but it turned out so yummy!

Pancake challenge (garbanzo flour)

I’ve been on a mission to make the perfect pancake ever since I’ve added honey and maple syrup back into my diet. I saw a good deal on garbanzo flour and thought, “Hey, I like garbanzo beans so this should be cool.” Well, the results were not so awesome to me.

The pancakes came out so fluffy and pretty. Yet, so dry. I even added a dash of cinnamon in my batter for added flavor. No help.

Here’s the recipe to my pancake batter:
1 1⁄4 cup Garbanzo Flour
3 Packets Stevia
2 tsp Baking Powder
1⁄2 tsp Sea Salt
1 1⁄4 cup Water
1 Tbsp Oil
Dash Cinnamon

Makes 6 pancakes

Fix it, Jesus!

Soul Vegetarian Mac N “Cheese”

My family and I traveled to GA to visit my Great Aunt. We had an amazing time hanging out, sightseeing and whatnot. On a Saturday, my husband and I ventured off in Atlanta for breakfast and lunch. Of course, we did lots of internet research (thanks Google) and found some great eats. For breakfast, we went to Radial Cafe. We had buckwheat pancakes that were the die for and veggie sausage that was…ehhh…okay but tasty. This our first time eating buckwheat. It made me miss pancakes so much. Why don’t I make pancakes more?! Anyways, for lunch we went to Soul Vegetarian Restaurant. The place was interesting in itself but the service was great and the food options were insane. You could order from the hot line or menu. I ordered tofu lasagna, mac n cheese, and sweet potatoes. Can’t go wrong with that! My husband ordered a lentil burger and a cinnamon roll. It was kinda dry for my taste but he added vegan mayo on it and it was good to him. All of our food was off the charts but we kept raving about the macaroni and cheese. It wasn’t like any Mac I’ve made at home. Was it cashews? Was the nutritional yeast different? Well when I got home, I went in the lab and found the recipe. I made a smaller batch but I’ll do a full pan for Thanksgiving.

 

Ingredients for full pan:
16oz Noodles of your choice
4 cups Soy milk
1 1/2 cup Oil
3 Tbsp Mustard
10 cloves Garlic
1/8 cup Sea salt
2 tsp paprika
2 cups Nutritional yeast
Parsley for garnish

Directions:
Cook your noodles as package instructions follow. Drain and set aside.

Blend all of your other ingredients except parsley until smooth.

Combine noodles and “cheese” mixture in a pan, then garnish with parsley. Bake 350°F for 45 minutes.

My husband LOVED it all over again and loved it even more since I made it 😍

Oh, yeah! It’s legit!

5 Real Explanations as to Why Your Friends Aren’t Clapping For You

Normally my posts here are reserved for my Mommy and Wife life. However, today shall be “Tell-It-Like-It-Is Tuesday” and we’ll get back to the regularly scheduled program tomorrow!

Source: 5 Real Explanations as to Why Your Friends Aren’t Clapping For You

Peanut Butter and Banana Sammich

I was a bit skeptical about this recipe but I figured if I can drink it in my smoothies, why not eat it as a sandwich for breakfast!? Hunty, when I tell you! That sammich gave me life with no parole! See, there’s a sandwich and there’s a SAMMICH. A sammich will get you right any day or night. I LOVE  a good sammich.

Ingredients
4 slices Ezekiel bread
1 Banana
Peanut butter (your choice)
Butter, not butter
Honey
Ground Cinnamon

Directions
Preheat your oven to 425°. 

Butter your pan.
Butter 1 side of your bread slices.
Spread peanut butter on the buttered sides.
Cut your banana in half. Then, cut each half into thirds. Place 3 pieces each on 2 slices. Drizzle a little honey on your bananas.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Assemble the sammich and flip over. Bake for 10 more minutes.

Cut in half for a cute presentation. Top with cinnamon and another drizzle of honey.

Makes 2 sammiches. Enjoy!

Garlic Flavored Hummus

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 can Garbanzo Beans (drained)
1/2 Lemon’s juice
1/8 teaspoon Chipotle Morita Chile Powder
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Mix garlic, olive oil, beans, lemon juice, chili powder in blender or food processor until most of the mixture is smooth (I like mine a little bit lumpy). Add 1 tablespoon of water if the mixture is too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla or pita chips.

Enjoy!

I’ve been afraid of animals for far too long

I am zoophobic. Fear of animals. I wear it like a badge of honor at times. “No, no. Don’t bring your dog near me. I’m zoophobic. Are animals going to be there? Cuz I’m zoophobic. I hope there’s no strays walking around. I’m zoophobic.” Sounds crazy, right? I didn’t think so until recently. This has been a lifelong struggle I’ve been dealing with. It’s a paralyzing fear and quite frankly, I’m tired of dealing with it. I don’t know how I developed this. I’ve never been attacked by an animal. My mother and grandmother didn’t like animals too much and they kept me away from them most of my life so it’s odd that I became so afraid of something I haven’t had much exposure to growing up.

I’m so grateful for the growing relationship I have with God. With much prayer and learning more and more about what it means to have power in my life, I made the decision that fear will no longer reside in me. It’s time I take my life in my own hands and give it to God.

My husband told me to create a list of scriptures to help me when I’m afraid. Even if you’re not zoophobic, these scriptures can help you with whatever you may be scared of.

Overcoming fear of animals and things in darkness

• Psalm 129:2, 4, 8 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed against me. The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. Neither let those who pass by them say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
• Ruth 2:4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”
• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
• 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
• Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
• Isaiah 41:10, 13 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.
• Psalm 91:2-6, 11 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
• Psalm 142:5 I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.
• Psalm 25:2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me.

I pray this post blesses you to your point of need, in Jesus’ mighty and wonderful name…amen.

Special thanks to my husband Tronell for being so supportive and interceding for me. He truly loves me as Christ loves the church. And thanks to my church family at Jubilee Christian Center Church— a great people, serving a great God at a great church!

Pecan & Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients
1 package Silken tofu (separated in 2)
6 teaspoons Fortified nut milk (your choice) separated
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 tablespoons Pecan butter (I used Ziegelmeier’s no sugar added creamy toasted pecan butter)
1 Banana (cut in half)
5 teaspoons Carob powder
Granola (optional)

Directions
Blend 1/2 tofu, 1/2 banana, 3 teaspoons of milk, cinnamon, and pecan butter until smooth. Pour and let set in the freezer for 10 min. Blend 1/2 tofu, 1/2 banana, 2 teaspoons of milk, and carob powder until smooth. Pour on top of pecan pudding. Some my setting in middle. Let set in freezer for 10 more min. To make two distinct puddings, set pecan pudding in fridge for 1 hour before pouring chocolate pudding. (As you can see, I couldn’t wait) Sprinkle granola on top for garnish.

Makes 2 pudding cups. Enjoy!

Another victory… God gets the glory

I began my whole food plant based lifestyle July 20th. That same day, I had a doctor’s appointment. I told my doctor my plans and if he had any suggestions of how to manage my medication if I run into any complications. He wasn’t trying to hear me. In fact, he didn’t even believe me and said he wanted to see me the following month to start me on insulin. Apparently I had exhausted all pill options. So I stuck to what I set forth, praying daily and being encouraged by my husband and friends. It has been fun exploring new foods and recipes. I don’t feel like I’m being deprived like I thought I would. Two weeks in, I realized I was having many hypoglycemic episodes so I called my doctor to hopefully get that help I asked for at the last appointment. He requested I do lab work and come in the following week. I did, which leads me to today. I get my lab work and my A1c is 8.1. WHAT?! In May, it was 9.8 and in Feb it was 9.9 so you can see why I was excited. I contribute it all to my eating habits. Nothing else had changed. My doctor was shocked. I told him “I actually changed my eating habits significantly like I told you I would” and he said, “No, this just means your meds are working wonderfully.” REALLY?! DID YOU HEAR ME?

But here’s the kicker…Dr took me off of 2 diabetes medications. (I take 4 meds for diabetes.) If they work so well, why are you getting rid of them. Hmmm???

God is good. His healing power is real. You just have to believe.

This is my testimony.

By the way, I’m looking for a new doctor now.