A Year to Run!

As I mentioned, this year is already off to a good start for my clan!  I see many fellow bloggers and face-book posters claiming words for this new year: Thankfulness.  Health and Wellness.  Abundance.

This has had my wheels spinning about what our word could be.  As I was talking tonight with David, the kids long asleep, we went over all the things that have been hindering us.  We have experienced major illnesses and surgeries, the death of a parent, starting a business from scratch, hurting children who struggle with things we never dreamed we would encounter, and so many more smaller trials over our last nine years together.  Yet, in all of those times, those desert times of intense struggling, we were also held back by something else.  Something we haven't been able to name until recently.

For myself, I am beginning to see that there have been struggles, yes.  But it hasn't just been the struggles that have held me down, hindering me from running loose.  I chose a lot of the hindering.  

I didn't chose it willingly.  But my eyes have slowly been opened to the things I have agreed with the enemy on for the last 32 years, deep things.  Things about who I am.

It has been as if I was working for a boss who kept me guessing about exactly what it was I was supposed to be doing as the worker.  I would work, and please, and work, and please- but none of it ever seemed to feel like enough.  Then one day, I realized I don't have to work at this place anymore!

That is a cheap analogy for what God has done in me over the past couple of years, but it's the best words can do.  At times, words are too simple to express the fullness of an experience. 

Conversely, at times, a single word can sum up so much more than pages of written experience.  And that is why, I am choosing a word for 2015.  I'm claiming it, and it is good.

Running.  

Running free/ long/ wild/ light/ unburdened/ unhindered.

So there you have it, 2015.  The year for Running!

A Healthy New Year

Ah, New Year's Resolutions...

Photo Cred: Stephen Jerkins

I have never been one to really make them.  I have tended to be more of a stand-and-watch-others-make-them type.  This was for many reasons, the main one being that I don't want to try to be my best self only at the beginning of the year.  That, and I'm also known for making over zealous goals that are not sustainable much past January 2nd!

But this year feels different...

Photo Cred: Carrie Joy Photography

On one hand it feels different because I'm starting off the New Year with an actual resolution, well, maybe more of a lifestyle change, or paradigm shift.  For so long I have used food as a way of self-reward, self-soothing, self-reliance, and any other self-hyphen word you can think of!  Food has always been something I could control, create with, and wield for better or for worse.  It seems like the last couple years I have slipped into the "worse" category.

I know this new way of thinking about, and experiencing food will actually be a lifestyle change because I began practicing it early during the holiday season.  Carrying it through the New Year is just a continuation of what I'm already doing.  My resolve is intact pre-New Year!

The New Year Me looks a little something like the following:  I am eating less sugar, and focusing on they "why's" of my eating.  Am I eating because I'm stressed?  Do I just want some feel-good feelings at the end of the day?  What do I really want to be controlling right now?  And is that even something I can actually control?  If I do want the feel-good feelings, I know where I can get them: a warm cup of tea or a hot bath, a deep talk with a friend or my husband, or inhaling some of my favorite calming smells.  All great options available to me any time!

This New Year Me will also be doing a Challenge with a wonderful group of people with accountability, daily check-ins, exercise ideas, recipes and more.  And the best part is that you can join me and this wonderful group!  To join in- contact me (side bar) for more information or check out more here.  Once you are a part of my team, you will receive more information and an invite to a Facebook group where we will all "gather" for the Challenge.

Try if you can to sign up before January 1st!  For anyone joining the fun Challenge by January 1st, there will be an additional gift from me to you! 

Here's to a Wonderful New, Healthier Year!

Photo Cred:  Stephen Jerkins

Connecting with Scent

Smells are powerful things.

Journey with me as I take us on a brief science lesson into the power of scent...

Whenever I walk past a place baking fresh bread, I am filled with memories.  Not just memories of events, like baking with my Granny as a child or laughing with friends in a bakery kitchen back when I was in Colorado,  but body memories.  My biology remembers hundreds of times when I ate similar carbohydrate rich baked goods, and my body can recall the pleasantness of getting a boost of serotonin.

Smell is not just linked to the thought of a happy event from the past; it's linked to physical, mental, and emotional processes in our bodies.

Of course, not all smells are associated with positives.

There is a small almond-sized part of the brain called the amygdala.  Our sense of smell is the only sense that goes straight to the amygdala.  Do you know what the amygdala does?  It regulates emotion.  Also, it sends out signals if triggered by something to Fight, Flee, or Freeze.  This means that when you smell something associated with early trauma, you may be triggered to fight or run away.  Sometimes that doesn't exactly look like punching or actual running, either.  You may have your stomach and other muscles clench, or perhaps you may even check out for a bit.

This is why smell is so powerful.  For better or for worse.

All those memories of terrible events or illnesses, evoking physical, emotional, and mental reactions, are linked in the brain with certain smells because you smelled something (we are always breathing :) when something bad was going on.  The smell and the memory (stimuli) "wired" together in the brain.  And what wires together will "fire" together.

For example, if you had an illness where you were hospitalized early in your life, your small nose inhaled certain smells (medicines, solvents, cleaners, sterilization chemicals, plastic tubing from IVs, and the list goes on and on).  All of these smells are now linked, or firing together, with the stressful medical event, which was encoded in the brain as trauma1.  Therefore, it's very possible that you may have a stress response (be triggered by the amygdala to fight or flee) when you enter a hospital or smell a similar sanitizing cleaning product.  This is just one example, but because there are many, many smells associated with multiple unpleasant memories or stressful events.  Thousands of similar scenarios exist.

But here is the good news, my friends! 

The brain is plastic2; it has the ability to make new connections and re-wire!  But it cannot do this alone, it needs relationships.

This is why, in my home, we use smell as a big part of the way we connect with our children.  Connecting with others can be a challenge for my kiddos.  Re-wiring all the negative processes in the brain takes time.  But I believe that pure, pleasing smells help us bond with our children, and enhance our ability to bring them healing.

The smell of fresh-baked treats made from whole foods is now paired with the experience of me looking after their dietary needs and nurturing their bodies.  The sweet aroma of a high quality massage oil (free of chemical solvents and artificial ingredients, of course) is combined with safe, loving touch from Mama and Daddy.  We even incorporate some pure, high quality scents into everyday activities like homeschool time and our bedtime routine to reinforce the positive experiences we try to provide for our kids.

A quick note about the purity of a smell for foster or adopted kiddos: Since their sensory memory contains many artificial smells, chemical solvents, and smells of multiple toxins from their previous environments, carefully choosing a pure, high-quality scent to aid in connection is key!

So the moral of this science story is that connecting with our kids can be enhanced with the help of pure aromas.  Also, we must keep in mind our children's past when they are "acting a fool" because they may just be triggered by some smell that connected them back to their trauma.  In knowing this, we can be better equipped to re-wire their brains (and our own:) to connection!

What are ways you have seen smell play a role in your's or your children's lives, positively or negatively?

Lemon Oil Chess Pie

(dairy and gluten free)

I'm a short-cut taker.  
I love recipes, but I always try to cut out steps if possible.  This pie was made with all you see here, full of traditional Southern style but with an allergen-friendly twist.  No dairy or wheat in this here pie.

A little cornmeal and any gluten-free flour will work.  But the secret ingredient is Young Living lemon essential oil!*  No zesting or juicing required for that old-fashioned lemon taste. 

Lemon Oil Chess Pie:

(dairy and gluten free)

Ingredients:

• 9" gluten-free pie crust
• 1/2 cup dairy-free butter alternative, melted (Nutiva buttery spread is what I use)
• 1/2 cup dairy-free unsweetened coconut milk yogurt (So Delicious brand is a good one)
• 1 Tbsp corn meal
• 2 Tbsp any gluten-free AP flour
• scant 1 cup of evaporated cane sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 4-6 drops of YL Lemon essential oil*

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix all the dry ingredients, flour, corn meal, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
• Whisk in the df yogurt, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.
• Finally, add in the drops of YL lemon essential oil, carefully so you don't add too many drops!  6 is probably plenty.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes in oven at 350 F until golden brown on top and set.  Tip: It should shake like a jello mold when set, as in the whole pie will jiggle as one!

*All recipes using essential oils on this blog are specific to Young Living essential oils only.  I cannot give recommendations and suggestions on any oils but Young Living's essential oils.  The statements made on this blog about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA.  These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Anyone pregnant, nursing, or suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician.  If you are currently on medication, please do not stop.  It's always good to do your own research.  I have done mine for my family and we chose to incorporate YL essential oils into our lives.  If you are wanting to follow and do the same, please visit here for more information. 

Dirt Cake

 

I'm not a cake person.  I never really wanted a cake for my birthday, growing up as a kid.  Actually I usually had a huge bowl of ice cream and a small icing-less piece of cake.  (Even as a child I was an icing snob.  No grocery store icing would do :).

So at some point, in middle or high school, I had "dirt dessert" at a local cafe.  It was a cute mini flower pot full of creamy goodness and Oreo cookies.  My mom graciously found a recipe for it and made for my next birthday, and most since!  Then I found out about my dairy intolerance and the original dirt dessert recipe (mostly dairy-based- cool whip, cream cheese, etc.) was not for me.  But since my big Three-O is coming up, I tried to revive the recipe in a gluten and dairy-free version for my family to eat.  We tried it out at the beach for my Grandpa's b-day which is the fourth of July, and it got rave reviews- mostly from the kids ;)

Although not pictured, this is a layered pudding dessert and is oh so creamy and addictive!  And this recipe does have sugar in it because of the brand of Oreo-like cookies; however, see recipe at the bottom for a refined-sugar-free cookie crumble option.  But if any day is OK for eating sugar, a birthday should be one!

Dirt Cake

This recipe yields enough to fill a gallon sized flower pot 2/3 full- for presentation (see photo above- but make sure there are no drain holes in your pot!), and can easily serve 15 people with a cup-sized serving.  But you can half the recipe and fill in individual layered mugs or ramekins. Decorate with gummy worms or flowers- depending on your audience :)

Ingredients

• 2 bags of chocolate vanilla creme sandwich cookies like this one, which is gluten/egg/dairy free
• 200 grams cashews (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 575 grams non-dairy milk of choice (2 1/2 cups)
• 126 grams honey, divided (1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp)
• 2 tsp agar agar powder*
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 6 pastured egg yolks
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• a 6 oz carton of non-dairy plain Greek Yogurt
• Coconut Cream from 3 cans of full-fat organic coconut milk, about 530 grams total**
• 60 grams powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup)- note: for sugar free, use powdered coconut sugar
• another 1/2 Tbsp vanilla

* for the agar powder, you can substitue gelatin, according to package directions for amount of liquid in this recipe. 
**refrigerate the cans of coconut milk overnight and the cream will rise to the top (of most major brands)

Method

• Soak the cashews in filtered water the night before or several hours ahead of time, then drain and rinse when ready to make your dirt dessert.
• Crumble the bags of chocolate creme cookies with a food processor (or hammer:) until they resemble moist dirt, and set aside.
• Then beat the egg yolks and half the honey in a heat safe bowl (also, if your counter is slippery- place that bowl over a towel or something with a grip on it).
• Heat the non-dairy milk, agar agar powder**, vanilla, and rest of  honey and bring to a scald (just before boiling where there are bubbles around the edge of sauce pan.
• Then slowly temper the heated milk mixture with your eggs while pouring it into the heat-safe bowl and whisking fervently.
• Transfer the whole mixture back into the sauce pan and stir with a spatula over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of your spoon/ spatula and you can swipe a finger down the back of spoon/ spatula and it makes a clear finger mark without running back over where you swiped your finger.
• Transfer to a blender, you may have to pass it through a strainer first if you forgot to stir for a while and there are lumps.
• Add the cashews, the lemon juice, and the vinegar to the mixture in the blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Then blend in the non-dairy yogurt.
• Place in the refrigerator for about 10-20 minutes- just so it cools down to about room temperature.  Cover with something touching the pudding mixture so it doesn't get a thick skin.
• While that cools down, blend the coconut cream (thick part that rises to the top of can when the can is refrigerated overnight), the 1/2 Tbsp of vanilla and the powdered sugar until combined. (NOTE: this step can be done any time- up to a couple days ahead of time.)
• Then add the coconut cream mixture to the other pudding mixture and set back in the refrigerator to cool another 10 minutes-until it's slightly set.  You don't want it to set all the way until you assemble the whole dessert.  You just want it to thicken up a bit.

For Assembly

• Start with a layer of the cookies (see below for refined-sugar-free "cookie" crumble recipe), then a layer of the refrigerated pudding mixture. 
• Repeat.
• Each cookie layer should be just enough to cover the previous pudding-type layer and the pudding-type layer should be set just enough to not let the cookies fall back down into it.
• Finish with a cookie (dirt) layer and decorate as desired.
• If you use a real flower, be sure to wrap foil or plastic wrap around the bottom of the flower (the part that will be inserted into the dirt cake) to avoid bugs or contaminants getting in your dessert!  You won't want it to actually taste like dirt :) 

Sugar-Free Cookie Crumble

I adapted this recipe from a cookie crumble of mine  from this post but I cannot attest that it will be enough for the flower pot-sized pudding proportions above, as I have not made the sugar-free version.  You may have to double it. 
Ingredients

• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 54 grams pitted dates (about 18 regular or 9 medjool)
• 1 1/2 cup nuts, like almonds
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil or dairy-free butter spread
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method

• Pulse all in a food processor until just combined.  This dirt is a little lighter in color- but still can pass for dirt ;)

This post has been linked up to:
Sugar-Free Sunday @ Flip Cookbook
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
Allergy-Free Wednesdays