The Maker's Diet meets Pampered Chef...

I should be writing my paper for grad school right now...it’s about motivation in the classroom.  But in Life,  we are supposed to do what motivates us right? And writing a paper for school is NOT motivating to me, so I'm writing you instead :) What motivates me right now is my health, this cleansing diet, the act of helping another, and what motivation plays into my life.  I believe that I am a motivated person when I really want something and set my mind to it.  My motivation lately in this Life is to remain in remission and my passion is to make that happen. This diet has been energizing and uplifting for me.  I used to be such a pessimist, but as I read in a fitness magazine this week 'Pessimist tend to view events as beyond their control, so remind yourself who's boss the next time your nervous about a goal you set or a deadline.  Success is in your power; all it takes is disciplined steps towards your goal.'  I've challenged myself, disciplined myself, pushed myself, and have seen my potential, endurance, and inner strength.  I am strong- now mentally AND physically (I can see muscles!  Along with this diet, I have been working out at the Y and I am seriously in the best shape of my life! I have been having less headaches and stomach aches and so much more energy...It's really unbelievable until you try it!).  You have no idea how much this diet means to me.  Not only has it made me healthier, it has helped draw me even closer to God in many ways I just can't put into words yet.  He heals, He answers, He is God...and I am thankful.  Now, I'm not going to become a crazy health nut after this 40 day cleanse (by the way, I'm HALF WAY DONE ALREADY!), but this diet has shown me a new way of life.  A new positive step into my future for a healthy me, husband, and family.  What I eat now, when I'm pregnant, and when I'm raising a family is so important to their own health.  If I can pass on good health to my children, maybe their risk of getting cancer will decrease...as well as my own coming back.

So this past weekend, The Maker's Diet and Pampered Chef had a duel!  I hosted a party for my sister in law Beth.  She became a Pampered Chef consultant to help with the Operation Baby Groman adoption funds, so when she asked if I'd host a show, I said OF COURSE!  She is such a blessing in my life and she loves to cook, so this was a perfect fit!  I love my own Pampered Chef products (my moma got me started when she was a consultant!) and I'm not much of a 'party host-er', but this was such a success thanks to many people whom I love dearly and would help out in a second if they ever asked.  THANK YOU ALL who put in an order...please know that you are apart of something so much bigger than that awesome Salad and Berry Spinner we all saw - you are helping a great family become an even bigger great family!  Also, with this Maker's Diet cleanse, I have been shown some really neat recipes that I want to continue making after the 40 days is up...so I finally have a new recipe book that will be filled with all my favorite recipes I try!  I love new adventures!! Cooking nutritiously may just be the next one! :)

Day 5 of The Maker's Diet

It's getting better people....

It's been 5 days without any sugar, pop, or processed foods.  And I'm still alive!  I can honestly say that as the days went on...this diet became easier and easier.  I have only been tempted one time and that was on Day 2 when I was just SO hungry.  Andrew was working and I was just watching TV, and what do you do when you watch TV?? Yup, eat.  It's actually hard to sit and watch a show without incorporating your other senses, don't ya think?  But I was just hungry and I literally went to the kitchen and about pulled something out of the cupboard when I stopped myself and literally said 'God, I do not want to fail at this.  I'm doing this to make this body healthy again.  Healthy enough to not get cancer again, carry my own baby, and to live as long as possible.  What do I do?'  And I swear, as soon as I took my next breath, I came upon a thought in my head that I hadn't had before.  I am supposed to eat veggies in my eggs in the morning, but I hardly ever wake up in time to eat breakfast at home, so I just take my hard boiled eggs and carrots/yogurt and eat on the way to school.  But then I remembered...I hadn't eaten the veggies yet from breakfast...and you wouldn't believe what my favorite thing to order is from Mexican restaurants...yup, grilled veggies!  So I chopped up some red and green peppers and onions and grilled them up in some evoo and it was SO good as I watch TV!  So I have not cheated yet, and I'm actually feeling good.  I have some headaches off and on, but it could be the change of diet and also my neurology stuff.  I'm also exercising and running again...life is good!

So I wanted to share two recipes with you that I was very 'iffy' about cooking, but after I made it...OH MY was it SOOO good! And trust me, I typically HATE salmon, but with this recipe, I would eat it every week!  We have made it 5 days now and I told Andrew how proud I am of us.  And it's gets even better because next weeks menu includes chili, fajitas, meat loaf, curry, and hamburgers!  It's all in how you cook it and what you eat with it!  We are past the mostly fish days and I am so happy to see menu items that I have actually cooked before! :)

Oriental Red Meat Salad
1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
1/2 cup lemon jiuce
6 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or expeller-expressed peanut oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 lbs. snow peas (lightly steamed and cut in half)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 lbs. bean sprouts (steamed lightly)
~Cook the meat however you prefer (skillet, broiler).  Mix lemon juice, soy sauce, oils, ginger, and red pepper flakes together.  Cut the meat into small slices and marinate with the soy sauce mixture for several hours in the fridge.  Then mix together the meat, salad, sesame seeds and veggies just before serving.


Wild Alaskan Salmon with Pecan Pesto
4 wild salmon fillets
1/3 lbs shelled pecans
3 oz. butter, cold
2-3- fresh jalapenos
1 small lemon
1 3-inch sprig of rosemary
olive oil
celtic sea salt
pepper
~Toast the pecans for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees.
Rub salmon with olive oil and coat with salt and pepper.  Cook in in a skillet on med heat until it is totally pink inside with a nice golden crust on the outside.
Meanwhile, add chopped jalapenos, chopped rosemary, the zest of 1/2 small lemon, pecans, and butter in a food processor about 8 seconds until it becomes a paste.  
Put the pesto over the salmon and WOW is it SO good!  And I can hardly eat salmon!


Some other updates on the Life of Laura...my brother bought a house and when the moving truck gets his stuff, I get my piano so I am very excited when that day comes!  We are stripping wall paper tomorrow in his house, I've become a pro at this throughout my years of moving.  And my sister in law Beth became a Pampered Chef consultant to help with the expenses of their adoption.  We have hit the 6 month mark (most children get placed within 6-9 months with the agency they are going through) so any day now I could become an aunt again! I am having a party to help her out, so if you need anything, let me know or go to her website at www.pamperedchef.biz/bethlikestocook and order under our products!  AND...Andrew finished the bathroom!  It is so much better than the yellow walls, linoleum floor, and white counter top that used to be there.  We don't have a new shower curtain or a new window curtain yet, and the pictures I took don't show the true colors because of the flash, so you'll just have to see it in person :)  The best part is that there is this low lighting for when I take my bath in the whirlpool tub...totally relaxing and a man after my own heart! He tiled and framed in the window too! Great Job Andrew! Now, off to the next project...he ordered my new closet doors for the bedrooms! :)

One more thing...today marks another moment in Life that was very sad, yet brought 2 people together.  It's been 5 years since the Bluffton University baseball team bus accident that killed 5 students.  I remember going to my 8 o'clock class at BU and hearing the news.  Commotion on campus started very quickly with the accident on CNN and news vans pulling up more every hour, and as we started hearing more and more names of students who didn't make it, I started getting scared.  At that time, Andrew and I were 'on a break', but on that day, he was the only person I wanted to be with.  He had a way to calm me down, but on that day, he was away at Army drill and I knew from that day on, I didn't want to be with anyone else.  I knew then that Andrew was something more to me than anyone else in this world is.  I knew I had to call him when I heard about David, and that phone call changed us.  I'm not sure what he felt during those days, whether he was thinking about me the same way I was thinking about him, but all I can say is that we have grown closer together every day since then...  

Andrew and I, back together after the accident in the Spring of 2007