Happy Valentines Day: Video Greeting
14 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in ValentinesDay
Author Archives: jackmansjourney
Valentine’s Day – Not Just for Couples
10 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in miscellaneous, Self Improvement
I grew up in a home where we celebrated Valentine’s Day as a family. My parents always had a card and chocolate treat for us. We woke up in the morning and went to the kitchen table to find something at the spot where we always sat at meals together. My parents always made sure that we knew they loved us, but they took extra effort on Valentine’s Day. Maybe that is why I have a different view of the day. Maybe you grew up that way too, but still feel like it is geared towards couples. Maybe you had a horrible experience with Valentine’s Day when you were younger.
You didn’t get a lot of V-Day cards from your classmates or were crushed by a girl or boy that was in your class. Get over it!
Society has pushed on us that this day is for people in love… for couples. If you are single the day is not for you! Wow! That is such a lie. Companies want to make money, so they push it and in the long run people get hurt. I’m tired of it all. I still love Valentine’s Day and think it should still be there, whether you celebrate it with a significant other or you share it with friends and family. You have 365 days of the year to show someone else how much you care about them and how special they are and how much you love them, but for those who need a little extra help to do this there is Valentine’s Day.
You don’t have to be in a relationship to celebrate V-Day. A friend posted a status update on FB the other day about the reminder of her singleness with V-Day coming up. I challenged her to not think of it in this way, but to consider ways she can show love to her friends and family – to those around her. There are far worse things in the world then being single, so why not make the best out of the day and make someone else feel special instead of feeling sorry for yourself that you don’t have a significant other in your life. I’m sure there is at least one person that you care for an love – like your Mom or Dad or a sibling or a friend or your cat or dog or snake.
I can say all of this because I haven’t always had a special someone in my life. I can say this because I have made the most of the day whether I have been single or not. I can say this because even if I am in a relationship I try to make others around me feel loved and special. Everyone has someone “special” in their life so why not make them feel special. In the end you will feel great. Who knows, it might change your thoughts about the day.
I challenge each of you to do at least one special something for someone else in your life on Valentine’s Day. Especially you singles who complain about the day – Yes, I am picking on you. Don’t worry, I won’t forget the guys who think the day is a waste when you can show love every other day – do something for your lady, because really how many times have you done something special for her?
Whether you are single or not, what are you going to do this Valentine’s Day to show someone you care? You know what to do… leave me a comment… I’d love to hear from you!
*Note* I know this isn’t a regular Friday Post and should be on a Tuesday, but I thought it should be out before Tuesday – which is Valentine’s Day. Now you have the weekend to think about what you are going to do instead of rushing on the day to get something done. Plan ahead, it’s a better way.
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Humanity’s Longing for God
07 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in God Time, Me and God Time
In Theology class we read a lot of Theologians work. We students, as our teacher tells us, are turning into Theologians too. In class we read everything except for what we were assigned for homework, but that is ok, because I might not have ever read the excerpt by Mechthild of Macgeburg. She was one of the most important women spiritual writers in the 13th century. I am going to post this little conversation she wrote between God and the Soul. As we read it in class it moved me and I felt God’s presence and knowing that He truly loves me and cares for me. I’ve known this all along, but I thought I would share anyways. You might have a totally different reaction, and that is ok.
God: You are hunting desperately for the one that you love; tell me, what do you bring me, O my Queen?
Soul: Lord, I bring you my treasure; It is greater than the mountains; It is wider than the world, deeper than the sea, higher than the clouds, more brilliant than the sun, more numerous than the stars, weighing more than everything.
God: O image of my Godhead, ennobled by my own humanity, adorned by my Holy Spirit, what is your treasure called?
Soul: Lord, it is called my heart’s desire, which I have taken out of the world, kept to myself, and denied to all creatures. Now I can bear this no longer. Where, O Lord, shall I lay it?
God: Your heart’s desire you will lay nowhere other than in my own divine heart, and in my human breast. There alone will you find comfort, and be embraced by my Spirit.
The Soul here has put her heart’s desire and trust in the hand of God. She finds rest in Him. Just as I find rest in Him and I receive God’s embrace that I may fully live.
Where is your heart’s desire? you know what to do… leave me a comment… whatever it may be.
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Dukan Diet: Food Substitution
03 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in baking, Dukan Diet, recipe, Update
I’m on the third phase of the Dukan Diet, which means I can have a few more foods than on the previous phase. I’m really enjoying this phase much better, and I am still losing the weight. Not as fast as in the first two phases, but that is all right with me.
I was looking through a recipe book to find a whole wheat pizza dough recipe (because tomorrow I am having a celebration meal of home made pizza – I’m excited) and I found a good muffin recipe. They taste good, but one does have to remember they are a very healthy recipe. If you are looking for a muffin filled with sugar this is not the right recipe for you!
Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins
Can you see how healthy they look. They are from “The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. I picked it up last Spring when visiting a friend in Muskoka. I browsed through the book and it seemed to have a lot of healthy recipes in it, so I was sold. I think
this is the first recipe I’ve made from the book … it’s a start. I know you want to run right into your kitchen and make these yummy healthy muffins, so I will share the recipe with you and my recommendations after making them myself. I feel like I can substitute one of these muffins for a piece of bread that I am allowed in this phase.
Ingredients:
1 c old-fashioned oatmeal, not instant
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 canned pumpkin
2 large egg whites + one yolk, lightly beaten
2 tbsp + 1 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup of milk or milk alternative or 1/2 c apple juice
1 tbsp double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c amaranth or quinoa flour or flour of your choice
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c maple sugar flakes
1/2 c dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line muffin pan with paper or silicon liners or coat with cooking spray. (Let’s face it, paper is the easiest way to go for clean up after!)
2. Combine oatmeal, pumpkin, applesauce, juice or milk, eggs and oil. Mix until all ingredients are blended.
3. Measure and mix all dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre and pour wet ingredients into dry. Add dried fruit if using. mix until dry ingredients are just moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15 – 20 min or until lightly browned on top.
Suggestions:
The book suggests to have some light cream cheese with them. They seem to be like they would be a good breakfast treat.
My Recommendations:
The only thing I did differently to the recipe is that I forgot the extra 1 tsp of oil. I also used fresh-frozen cooked pumpkin instead of canned. I used skim milk. I used normal baking powder. I used flax flour as “your choice”. I didn’t have maple sugar flakes but I had maple sugar pearls, so I used some of those but I didn’t use a full 1/4 cup, so my muffins have very very little sugar. You could leave out this step or if you don’t have the flakes you could probably use real maple syrup or honey instead. I will try one of those options next time. I also did not add any raisons or cranberries. Mine took about 25 min to cook.
Dukan Diet Consolidation Phase Update:
I don’t have much new to report but that I am 9 lbs away from my goal weight. How exciting is that? I went to the grocery store today to buy 1 thing and came out with one thing not even thinking about buying chips or any of that junk (even thought it still tastes good). When this phase is over all that is left is the last phase that is there for the rest of my life – 1 protein day a week. I’ll be glad when I get to that phase. It’s not too far off now. It definitely has been an interesting process for me.
[This is part of the Dukan Diet series. Check out the rest of the posts by clicking HERE.]
Something ELSE You Won’t See in Ontario
31 Tuesday Jan 2012
Posted in miscellaneous
As I read a comment left by Paula on last Tuesday’s post, Something You Won’t See in Ontario, I was reminded of something else that you won’t see in Ontario. This one saddens me as well. Let me tell you how I discovered this very wrong use of words “brown bread” in Ontario!
It was probably my first year that I was living in Ontario. I was going to college at the time, living in Cambridge. Someone invited me out for breakfast (one of my favourite meals to eat out) at a diner and I decided to go. We were giving our order when the waitress said,
“Would you like white or brown bread?” I got very excited as I heard her say brown bread, so I ordered it. I was so happy to find a place that had brown bread.
My friends and I chatted while we waited for our food. Then it came. I could hardly believe my eyes. That’s when I saw it. Whole wheat bread. It wasn’t brown bread at all! I could have cried, but I didn’t. As I went from restaurant to restaurant I began to learn that no one had brown bread even though I was repeatedly asked if I wanted some. I didn’t even find it in the stores or bakeries. Sometimes I wanted to explain to them that they didn’t have brown bread, but I just accepted the fact that when I was asked if I wanted white or brown bread they really meant whole wheat bread.
Last year I was out with some friends for supper and I told them my little story. This is what he told me:
“You see, they use to only serve white bread. When they started to serve whole wheat bread, they started off by saying whole wheat, but then they started to say brown bread because it was easier to say.”
Oh, so people just got lazy and shortened it up by calling it something that it actually isn’t. I’m sure if you are from the Maritimes you know what I am talking about. And even those of you who aren’t from the Maritimes might know what I am talking about. But for those of you who have no sweet clue what brown bread is I will fill you in.
Brown bread is delicious. What makes it so? Molasses. That’s right. Brown bread has Molasses in it (you might want to refer to the above mentioned blog post for the other thing not found in ON – molasses, which started this whole thing). The best is to eat it when it is warm with some butter on it. Yum. You can also put raisins in it, but then it would be raisin brown bread. I prefer it without the raisins. Anyway, needless to say if you have never had brown bread, you need to find yourself a loaf and dig in.
If any of my readers has an awesome recipe for brown bread they would freely share, please do so in the comment section. Not everyone has access to this wonderful bread and we need to share it with others! Plus, I would like it too!
What are some other things that you can only see/find in the Maritimes? I’d love to hear what you have to say. Leave me a comment below.
P.S. The picture is not mine, but the brown bread looks delicious!
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Dukan Diet: Consolidation Phase
27 Friday Jan 2012
Posted in Dukan Diet, Update
It’s been a week since I have been on the Consolidation Phase for the Dukan Diet. That’s the third phase, if anyone is following. I must say I enjoy being on this phase a lot better! I feel less constricted with eating. I ended up using my 1 celebration meal on Monday night with Delissio Pizza. Although, going on this phase has made me realize that I still need to be careful as I choose what I eat and make wise decisions. It could be that fact that I am adding things back into my eating plan that I haven’t had for a while and this is an adjustment week for my body or that now I know what foods cause me to gain weight – bread, carbs, and other stuff!
2 Carb Meals
My first one was on Saturday at Tim Hortons. I had a bowl of beef noodle soup.
My second one was on Wednesday. I had a big bowl of spelt spaghetti . It was really good. I probably ate a little too much of it. Mmmm… pasta.
1 Celebration Meal
On the first half of the consolidation phase you are only allowed 1 celebration meal per week. I had mine early in the week – on Monday. It was a Delissio Pizza. You can take as much as you want on your plate and it can be whatever you want. The only catch (there is always a catch) is that you can’t go back for seconds. And guess what, I didn’t! Win! I did eat three slices though. But it was delissio!
Fruit
I have been having 1 apple a day. Yum! I have some grapefruit in the fridge I need to eat up too. That will be tomorrow. Except on Wed night I hadn’t had a fruit yet so I had a grapefruit. It was so juicy and delicious. Half of it I squeezed and drank the juice, the other half I ate like you would regularly eat a grapefruit. When I was a kid I would load it with so much sugar that you wouldn’t be able to see the grapefruit through the stuff. Now I am happy to say I enjoy it better without any sugar at all!
2 Slices of Whole Wheat Grain Bread
I found some in the grocery store. It is a little chewier then normal whole wheat bread, but it is still good. Hello, you are talking to the girl who bakes with whole wheat flour so I think I can handle a little extra grain in my bread. Yes, there is a difference. I’ve been having a sandwich almost everyday, or a slice with some eggs in the morning. It’s so nice to eat sandwiches again. But, I don’t think I could get away with eating more bread then this in one day. I do remember when I was away at a Bible College for a year, they had bread at every meal … which I probably ate it at 2 out of the 3 meals in the day. That year I gained 15 lbs. I’m sure it wasn’t just the bread, but I am now aware that putting too much of it in my body is not good, even if it is whole wheat grain.
Protein Day / Weight loss … or should I say gain
On Thursday’s I have a protein day. This is recommended by Dr. Dukan. Even when I am done this phase I am suppose to have this day for the rest of my life so that I will maintain my true weight. I thought I was going to have a hard time through the protein day since I hadn’t had one for a while and I was enjoying eating some of the new foods. But I made it through the day (besides the 1 bite of lasagna I took from the supper for the “other” people in the house). This morning I was 1.6 lbs lighter. This is important to me because throughout the week I didn’t loose any weight. I know that Dr. Dukan says weight loss will slow down, but I was hoping for at least 1 lb. In a sense I got that pound, but in another way I didn’t because I actually gained 3.4 lbs by Thursday morning. There are many factors that can play in this weight gain and with today’s weight is really only 2 lbs in the end, but It would have been nice to have at least stayed the same weight. This week has showed me that the protein day that works as a detox day is important for me. I will say I’m not going to get all worried about those 2 lbs because I feel a heck of a lot better then I did 26 days ago when I started this thing!
At this very moment I can say that I am happy where I am and the success that I have made. Did you know that I have gone 26 days without chips! That is huge for me!! Win!
Oh, quick story about the Gingerbread Man. You might have caught it on FB, but for those of you who didn’t I will share it before I close off this lengthy post.
I made probably the most healthy gingerbread men (a future post will have the recipe) you can get for class this passed week because we were talking about sin and humanity in Theology class. I called the cookies “little sinners”. So of course I had to eat one to be sure that they were edible for other people. The next day I went to class and came home without any cookies. But there were a few that I left behind for a certain someone in our household. I was craving for something….anything that I could get my hands on.
I thought, “Just eating a head of one will be ok. I ate a full one last night, so a head won’t be bad.” My sister was in the kitchen. Talk about keeping me accountable. Sometimes we are each others will power!
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing…it’s just the head.”
“NO! Spit it out.”
So I did. I spit it out right onto the floor. I was actually trying to spit it at her but it got caught between my lips and feel to the floor instead. Not because I was mad, I just thought it would be funny. We did laugh…. a lot. Something that you need to do while on this Dukan Diet journey!
How do you face temptation, whatever it is? You know what to do, leave me a comment below! I would love to hear from you.
[This is part of the Dukan Diet series. Check out the rest of the posts by clicking HERE.]
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