From the Archives: Where's Your Smile?

I dug this out of my archives.  I wrote this in December 2010 after a conversation I had with my then 11 year old son, Noah.

It is a great reminder to savor the moments that truly matter.  I pray that it ministers to your heart and encourages you during this blessed Christmas season to smile, smile, smile!

Merry Christmas!

❤ Lisa

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Where’s Your Smile?

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.

~Author Unknown

Why don’t you smile much?

I’m trying to wake up.

I know but you don’t smile much even when you’re not waking up.

This was a conversation I had with my son, Noah, yesterday.  Immediately that green character popped into my head.  You know the one.  The Grinch!  Is that what I’ve become in the busyness of my days?  Not smiling?  Grumpy?  Just like the Grinch?  Is this really how I want to lead my family into the Christmas season?  These are the questions that rolled through my mind after Noah, in his sweet way, asked a simple question.

I am a self-confessed Martha.  This is not an excuse, it’s who I am and I know it.  I am always so focused on what needs to be done and making sure that it’s done right.  I’m always doing 500 things at one time.  As I thought about what Noah said, I realized that in my busyness I’m not enjoying what’s going on around me.  I’m so focused on the tasks at hand that I don’t take in what’s going on.  Tragic!

Imagine if Mary, the mother of Jesus, was that way.  What would she have missed if she were cleaning up the stable, washing their dusty clothes from the long journey to Bethlehem, cooking and baking for the guests that came to visit them after Jesus was born and making handmade birth announcements to send to her relatives?  She would have missed it all. 

She would have missed a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the company of shepherds who came, the smell of incense and wise men falling to their knees in adoration of the sweet baby, the incarnation of perfect love.  She would have missed all the blessings surrounding the greatest moment in her life.

In Luke 2:19, Luke tells us this about Mary, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  She treasured and pondered.  Hmmm.  She actually took the time to stop and take in all that was happening around her right in that moment.  She was blessed, and she knew it!  And, I bet she was smiling!  How could she not?

If Mary took time to stop and take in that which was going on around her, why don’t I?  Why does it take my son to ask me why I’m not smiling for me to realize that I’m not noticing all the blessings around me?  Why do I find it more important to “get things done” than to “treasure and ponder”?  What have I been missing because I’m so busy with “tasks at hand”?  I believe that I’m missing quite a bit. 

I would like to encourage you to take the time to treasure and ponder all the Lord has given you.  I know that I will be doing that.

Don’t let the busyness of the season and everyday life cloud your view of what the Lord has blessed you with.  As you see the lights on your Christmas tree, let that serve as a reminder that your blessings most certainly outnumber those lights.  

The Lord is so good to us.  Let’s show all those around us that we know it by our smiles!

Christmas: What's On The Menu?

Our son, Noah, plays on the worship team at church.  He'll be playing at both the Christmas Eve {Saturday} and Christmas Day {Sunday} services this year.  So, we've had to tweak our weekend a little bit.

We're actually doing our Christmas Day morning festivities on Christmas Eve {Saturday}.  So, I'll make breakfast, we'll open our presents and enjoy a relaxing day.  We'll have Christmas Eve dinner mid-afternoon so there'll be plenty of time for us all to get to church.

Christmas Day, Scott will take Noah to be to church early for practice, and then we'll {my mom, Sarah and I} will follow.  So, there won't be time for a nice, big breakfast.  Everyone will basically fend for themselves.  We'll have Christmas Day dinner mid-afternoon after my sister and her family arrive.  I'm looking forward to having dinner early and then spending the rest of the day opening presents, enjoying each other's company and having dessert.

Here's what will be on the menu on Saturday and Sunday!  I'm really happy with what I've come up with.  I hope everything turns out great, and that everyone likes what's being served.

Merry Christmas to you all!! 

Christmas Eve

Breakfast

Frittata {I always make a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning.  It has bread, eggs, breakfast sausage, cheese, milk and butter in it.  Yeah...that's not happening this year.  As I was trying to think of something similar I could do, a quiche came to mind.  However, they're not very healthy, and the healthier ones I didn't really like what was out there.  So, I thought some more, and a frittata came to mind.  I found this great source on making frittats here:  http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/ultimate-easy-frittata-recipe-article.  I'm planning on making it with green & red peppers, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms...and no cheese.  I'll use coconut oil in place of the oil and rice milk.}

Fruit {apples, oranges, pears, grapes}

Beverages {lemon water, green or herbal tea, orange juice and coffee [the last two for my family]}

Dinner

Italian Style Flounder: {I made this recipe last week, and my family loved it.  I thought it would make a great addition to our traditional Italian Christmas Eve.  Here's the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/42931/italian-style-flounder/.  I will use coconut oil in place of the butter.}

15-Minute Skinny Shrimp Scampi:  {I always make a shrimp scampi but the recipe is not very healthy.  I came across this healthier version: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/15-minute-skinny-shrimp-scampi-recipe/.  I will use coconut oil in place of the butter.}

Green Beans {Steamed and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Everyone can add margarine or butter, if they like.  I usually add a squeeze of lemon to mine.}

Brown Rice {I have organic long grain brown rice.  It cooks beautifully in our rice cooker!}

Beverages {lemon water & green or herbal tea}

Christmas Day

Dinner

Baked Ham {I bought a Smithfield in-bone spiral ham.  I will omit the glaze that comes in the package.}

My Mom's Antipasto Salad {This salad is a meal in itself.  My mom made this for every holiday we had.  I tweaked it a little bit...but not much.  I'll be putting the following in the salad:  spring mix lettuce [mom used romaine, curly chicory and red leaf lettuces...I'm going with the spring mix for ease...it's cut down, washed and ready to go.], carrots [I found a bag of shredded...another bonus!], radishes [I found a package match sticks cut...nice!], tomatoes [I'll use grape tomatoes], cucumbers, celery, red onion, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, black olives, pepperoni and provolone.  Mom also put in red cabbage, I'm omitting that.  I'm not planning on eating the pepperoni and provolone, but will savor the rest of this gorgeous salad!}

Garlicky Roasted Broccoli  {I wanted a different type of vegetable than just steamed or boiled.  I found this recipe at http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-garlicky-roasted-broccoli-quick-side-dish-recipes-from-the-kitchn-199310.  It looks amazing, and I can make it ahead and just warm it up when we're ready for it.}

Brown Rice

Beverages {lemon water, green or herbal tea, sparkling white grape juice and Juicy Juice fruit punch [the last two for my family]}

Dessert

Fruit {apples, oranges, pears, grapes}

Coconut Brownies {I wanted to have some sort of dessert that didn't seem "healthy".  My nutrionist's assistant told me that if there was something I wanted but it wasn't close to the plan, I could have a little bit of it and just savor it.  So, that's what I'm going to do with this.  I have to always watch when I'm baking to make sure the recipe doesn't have dairy or nuts in it because my kids have allergies to them.  I don't even remember how I came across this recipe, but when I saw it it sounded really good to me.  Here's the recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/234882/gluten-free-dairy-free-coconut-brownies/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%2016}

Sugar Cookies {Sarah and I baked them from a dairy-free, nut-free mix.  She rolled them in red and green sprinkles.  So cute!}

Beverages {lemon water, green or herbal tea, coffee and hot chocolate [the last two for my family]}

Days 10 & 11: Operation HOPE

Days 10 and 11 are done!!  Both days were fine food wise {pretty easy, actually}, but physically I've been hurting and hobbling through the last two days.  My pain level is high and unbearable tonight.  I needed to take pain meds again tonight.  I live with pain every day, but when it gets like this I just don't know what to do with myself.  *sigh*

I'm so looking forward to celebrating Christmas this weekend with my family and having Scott home half day tomorrow and all day on Monday, but will be glad to have all the running, shopping, wrapping, cleaning and extra cooking behind me.  I know that once that happens, I'll get some down time and rest...which I absolutely need to heal.

I will be taking some time off from blogging in order to finish getting ready for Christmas, focus on my family, and most of all, focus on the true reason for the season...J-E-S-U-S!

I will post my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus tonight so you can see what we'll be having this weekend.  I'm actually proud of all I found to make this Christmas as festive as possible.  I was having a very hard time not planning our traditional Italian fare.  But, I want to feel better more that I want all that stuff.

My prayer for you is that you will be blessed tremendously during this Christmas season and in the new year; that you will find yourself surrounded by your loving family and friends; and, that you know and feel the presence of Jesus always in your life.

Merry, Merry Christmas!!

Day 9: Operation HOPE

Today was a pretty uneventful day.  I'm still VERY tired and hurting a lot.

I was trying to figure out today why I'm so blah.  This has been going on since Sunday.  The fact that I'm tired could be playing a role in that.  I also thought that last week I was really running on a lot of adrenaline with starting this program.  Even though I'm still very thankful and happy to be doing this program, I'm not as excited as I was last week.  And, I don't mean that negatively, it's just the simple fact.  The "newness" of the whole thing is done.  I'm establishing a routine, I know what's expected and I know {pretty much} what I need to do.  I'm down to the nitty gritty of work...the meat and bones of the process.

I love Christmas and everything that goes along with it.  But, having it smack dab in the middle of this process is hard.  Not from a food stand point, but rather from a busyness stand point.  I have so much to do in such little time.  I'm trying to breathe and slow down in all I'm doing and need to do so that I can savor this time.

Tomorrow is day ten...that's just crazy!  Can't believe it.  Sleep first...then day ten!

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Day 9: Menu

Breakfast was two hard boiled eggs with one slice of turkey bacon, green tea and lemon water.  One word...YUM-O!!

Lunch was spaghetti squash with meat sauce, green tea and lemon water.  I was able to freeze 5-6 servings of this from last week.  I liked it so much better today than I did last week.  I think it was because it sat together and "marinated" while it was in the freezer.  I also realized today that I didn't add salt and pepper last week, so I did that.  It was really good and really filling.

Dinner was chili with avocado, salad, green tea, lemon water and four ounces of wine.  This is probably mine and my family's favorite dinner meal.  It's so good, and so amazing how healthy it is.  I could hardly finish the salad.  I wound up having a detox tea in place of the green tea.  In place of the four ounces of wine, I had Enjoy Life dark chocolate.  So. Good!!

Snacks were an apple and raw veggies with hummus.

Day 8: Operation HOPE

Rough day.  *sigh*  Really rough day.  My day began at 5:45 a.m., and just stopped now at 7:25 p.m.  Today was filled with cooking, cooking and more cooking, running errands, food shopping, cleaning, wrapping presents, doing a history project with Sarah.

I woke up exhausted and hurting from head to toe.  The pain got worse as the day went on.  I actually had to take pain medicine today.  And, I've been very weepy today {not sure why}.

Now that I'm done with week one, I'm able to mix and match my menus.  I tried mixing and matching.  For some reason it was hard for me to do that.  Tomorrow I'm going to just do all the meals that I had on day four.  I liked day four's meals; and, they were pretty easy.

Another struggle I had was I was out through lunch time today.  I had already had my snack and drank all my "to go" herbal tea that I brought with me.  I was hungry...and then frustrated.  Frustrated because I was hungry and knew that I couldn't eat anything until I got home for lunch.  Frustrated because I couldn't just grab a quick something.  This was the first time I've had to deal with that.  I know it won't be the last.

This day was hard.  No getting around it.  Yet, even though it was hard, there were so many blessings to be thankful for today:  Sunshine.  Mailbox full of greetings from family and friends.  Christmas music.  Chocolate.  Staying on track.  Great herbal tea to savor.  Helpful children.  Understanding and compassionate husband.  Adorable puppy.  Christmas movies.  Warm home.

All of these things bring a smile to my face and lighten my heart.  These are the things I will dwell on as this day comes to a close.  Tomorrow is day nine.  Today will be in the past.  And, that is where it will stay.

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Day 8: Menu

Breakfast was a veggie omelet with peppers, onions and mushrooms, green tea and lemon water.  One of my favorite breakfasts!

Lunch was a huge salad with 4 ounces of chicken, topped with oil & vinegar, green tea and lemon water.  Another favorite.  Quick.  Easy.  Filling!

Dinner was a 4 ounce piece of chicken with veggies, steamed vegetables, herbal tea {trying not to have green tea in the evening}, lemon water and dark chocolate {in place of wine}.  I made the chicken in a foil packet topped with peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic.  I dotted the chicken with coconut oil, and after I placed the veggies on top I sprinkled balsamic vinegar over top.  Oh my!  This was good!  I had more steamed veggies on the side {leftover green beans, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower}.  They were good, too.  The herbal tea I had was from Celestial Seasonings holiday tea "Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland".  AH-MAZ-ING!!  And, the Enjoy Life dark chocolate was AWESOME!  I will always have that on hand!  ❤ Thanks Lauren for leading me to this wonderful treat!❤

Snacks were an apple and a KIND bar.

Day 7: Operation HOPE

One week DONE!!  {Insert Snoopy happy dance!!}

Today was a blah day.  No real reason.  Just feeling blah.  Food plan was fine.  Pain has been consistent throughout the day.  Exhaustion has gotten the best of me today.  Just plain t-i-r-e-d!

I saw this quote today, "Being in pain 24/7 takes it out of you not just physically but mentally and emotionally.  It literally drags you down more and more, the worst thing about it is, it's never going away."  This is so true in many ways.  After I read it, I thought, "Yeah, but, in my case I have HOPE that this pain will go away!"  Thank you, Lord!

Tomorrow I begin week two.  From week two through four I will be customizing my menus based on this past week.  So, I can mix and match, pick my favorites and have more of a say in what I have.  I'm super excited about this because I can leave the more in depth recipes/meals to days that I have more time; and, choose the easier meals for days that I have a lot going on.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the end of week 2.  I'm a little sad because I won't be able to do our traditional Italian Christmas Eve and Christmas Day food, but I know that this is just a season and I have to do what I have to do.  I'm planning on cooking for both days, and I do plan on eating with my family...or should I say that my family is going to eat with me.  I ran a few menu ideas for those days by my nutritionist's assistant, and she okay-ed every one of them.  She did say, "If in doubt just eat a small amount of something and savor it, and then get right back on board the next day!"  I love this!  I'm going to keep you in suspense what I'm going to make until the end of the week, though.  Partly because I love surprises & want to keep you in suspense; and partly because I'm not done figuring out exactly what I'm going to do.  I do know that Christmas Eve we'll be having fish, and Christmas Day won't be the traditional Italian fare that we normally have.

Looking forward to what week two brings, especially for Christmas!  But for now...I must sleep!

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Day 7: Menu

Breakfast was a vegetable omelet {with peppers, onions and mushrooms}, green tea and lemon water.  This is my type of breakfast.  I love eggs, especially omelets.  So, this was a winner!

Lunch was a turkey burger with mild green chilies {mixed into the meat}, romaine lettuce to act as the bun, red onion and tomato to top the burger, a small salad with oil & vinegar, green tea and lemon water.  I pan fried the burger in a little coconut oil.  Oh. My. Goodness!!  It was good!  Would have liked to have the chilies stand out a little more, though.  But, all in all, this was a winner, too!

Dinner was 4 ounces of shrimp, steamed or sauteed vegetables, small salad, green tea and lemon water.  I made another amazing recipe tonight.  It was Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Vegetables.  The veggies were asparagus and red & green bell peppers sauteed in coconut oil with lemon zest and salt & pepper.  Once I did that, I sauteed the shrimp with garlic in coconut oil.  Made a sauce with 1/2 cup white cooking wine and 1/2 cup vegetable broth with 1-1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch whisked into it.  Poured it over the shrimp...cooked for another 2-3 minutes until it thickened.  Served it over the vegetables.  W-O-W!!  This was amazing!!  I was so full that I couldn't eat the salad!

Snacks were an apple and a KIND bar.

Day 6: Operation HOPE

Day 6 is D.O.N.E.  Whoo Hoo!!  I cannot believe that I'm almost a week into this new lifestyle.  At times it feels like it's been forever, and at other times it feels like it's only been 6 days.  I can honestly say that it's not as hard from a food stand point as I thought it would be.  It helps tremendously that I'm 98% of the time very satisfied.

I've made some adjustments to the caffeinated green tea issue.  I'm trying to have it for breakfast and lunch only, and have an herbal tea for dinner.  Also, when I go out I make a travel mug of herbal tea to drink while I'm out and about.  This has helped calm me down a bit.  Thank you, Lord!

I did realized today that I feel alert and feel like I have more energy.  Joy abounded again today, and my smile and laughter continued.  In addition to the great nutrition, I'm taking 5000mcg of B12 twice a day, which I think is definitely helping in this area.  My mom noticed a difference in my demeanor, and Scott told me last night that it's been nice seeing me smile again.  These two compliments meant the world to me because of all the people in the world, they're the ones who have seen me at my absolute worse.  Thank you, Lord, for showing me and those I love these small {but huge} changes!

I can report that when I woke up this morning I noticed that my pajama pants, that used to "just fit", were a little loose and baggy.  Whoo Hoo!!  Now, mind you, I'm not doing this to get "skinny" {although that's a plus}.  I'm doing this to get healthy and get out of this oppressive pain.

Speaking of pain...yup...it's still here.  With. A. Vengeance. Tonight.  My back is screaming.  My hands, wrists and elbows are killing me.  My shoulders and neck are hurting.  My legs and feet are aching and sore.  So, this is why I'm doing this. This pain has got to go!

Tomorrow is Day 7...but I must sleep first!

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Day 6: Menu

Breakfast was a little weird.  I had to eat three different fruits every 1-1/2 to 2 hours apart.  I started with a whole grapefruit at 7 a.m., then 1 cup of grapes at 9 a.m. and an apple at 11 a.m.  I had no idea why except that's what the menu said.  Of course, I also had to have green tea and lemon water.  Nothing about this was hard at all, except watching the time from 7-11 a.m.  And, I really didn't even watch the time.  I set a timer!  So, it really wasn't hard.  Remember earlier this week when I said I really didn't like grapefruit.  Well, today I crossed over from dislike to like.  I totally enjoyed that whole grapefruit.

Lunch was a cup of the hour plus vegetable soup I made on Day 3 and a green salad with oil and vinegar, plus green tea and lemon water.  Nothing hard about this either.  I defrosted a package of soup this morning {I was able to freeze 6-7 1 cup packages of the soup on Day 3.  A bonus for all that hard work!}.  All I had to do was warm it up and then put some mixed greens & baby spinach in a bowl, and top it with oil and vinegar.  It all was so good, and so filling.  Oh, and so easy!

Dinner was 4 ounces of chicken, steamed vegetables, green tea and lemon water.  I made an awesome braised balsamic chicken with fresh onions, tomatoes, garlic, basil.  It was awesome!  The vegetables were whole green beans seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  I also spooned some of the balsamic sauce on the beans.  So. Stinkin'. Good!!

Snack was raw veggies with hummus.  I never got around to having this snack, and honestly didn't miss it.