As I was reviewing the highlighted portions of her talk a quiet impression came to me. Eating is necessary. There's no getting around the fact that eating is a necessary part of life. You should be eating those things that will help you to feel good, give you energy, and clarity. Wow. Making and eating good food should be a necessity. Several months ago I also received an impression that following the Word of Wisdom is key. By following the word of wisdom our senses are made clear and we become more in tune with the spirit. Instead of our bodies being numbed by over eating, eating the wrong types of food, or too much food. This was a powerful impression. Never before had I thought of food as a way to either bring me closer to or away from the spirit. But I have experienced times in my life when I've eaten far too much candy and my senses are numb, I hurt, and I just want to disappear from reality. I am grateful to say, since that impression(personal revelation), that I have not numbed myself, my senses, or my spirit with food. Okay, maybe I have a few times. But I recognize it and I quickly take an about face and change my ways. Feeling numbed from life is not the path for me. Nor does it feel right or good.
Then my friend sent me this quote by Elder Ballard:
"Often the lack of clear direction and goals can waste our time and energy and contribute to imbalance in our lives. A life that gets out of balance is much like a car tire that is out of balance. It will make the operation of the car rough and unsafe. Tires in perfect balance can give a smooth and comfortable ride. So it is with life. The ride through mortality can be smoother for us when we strive to stay in balance. Our main goal should be to seek “immortality and eternal life” (Moses 1:39). With this as our goal, why not eliminate from our lives the things that clamor for and consume our thoughts, feelings, and energies without contributing to our reaching that goal?"
I remember reading this towards the end of last year. I have been struggling with setting goals. My goals in the past were set for all the wrong reasons. I set goals that were not attainable, or doable. When I didn't reach those goals I mentally beat myself up about it. Telling myself that I was a failure, and a worthless human being. So sad. I had to re-learn that setting good healthy goals is okay. Striving to live a healthier life by eating vegetables, fruits and salads is a righteous desire. Taking a number, a size, or a body type out of the equation has made all the difference. It's freeing.
Earlier in his talk Elder Ballard does talk about physical activity as being a part of a balanced life. But after today, I feel as though my main priorities are shifting. Becoming close to my God, getting to know Jesus, and understanding His atonement is Essential. Staying close to the spirit so I can hear those promptings to serve, hear impressions, have clarity to understand new thoughts and ideas is what my energy should be focused on. Yes, I still have a desire to exercise. But gone is my desire to do two a days. 30 minutes is enough for me.
If yesterday was a B. Today was an A. I don't care that I had a soda. I know that some day I will over come that weakness. But that day is just not today. There are so many other good things for me to be focusing on. One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. I can't expect to get up my mountain in 15 minutes. I ate a total of 1223 calories. Perfect. I had a green smoothy for breakfast, a huge salad with sauteed yellow squash and mushrooms and my protein was a 93/7 hamburger patty. I dressed everything with Litehouse's Ginger and Sesame dressing. It was delicious. Then I snacked on Atkins mudslide bar. Eventually I wont have to be so reliant on those protein bars either.
And to make a perfecting ending to my day, I made these beauties:
Chicken dumplings!
My cute daughter modeling the deliciousness.
Last year our neighbor, who is asian, brought us some. I remembered seeing her recipe in the Ward Cook Book. I made them for the first time last year on my birthday. They were bit of a disaster, but still tasted good. I've tweaked the recipe and there are never any of these left over. This is one meal that I can honestly say that everyone loves. We really fight for the last ones on the plate. Here's the recipe.
1 package of round wonton wrappers. (they have to be the round ones)
Filling
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch of green onions, rinsed, trimed and cut into large pieces.
1/2 bunch of cilantro
A peice of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, peeled and cut into smaller pieces.
1/2 head of cabbage, cleaned, and cut into smaller pieces.
Putting the garlic, ginger and cilantro first into a food process, then the green onions and cabbage, pulse until it's all mixed and finely chopped.
Next
Take 2 chicken breast that are still slightly frozen, cut them into large pieces. Putting one chicken breast at a time, place in a food processor with 1 tsp salt and pulse until it looks like hamburger. Gross, I know, but you will love the result.
Next
In a large bowl combine the chicken and cabbage mixtures.
Taking the wonton wrappers, with your fingers dip them into water and go around the outer edges of the wrapper. Put about a tablespoon of filling in the center and seal the edges. Crimp together.
Next
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. On my burner I place it between 6and7. You want it hot, but not too hot. Then add 2 tablespoons of either canola oil or I used coconut oil. Let that heat up and then add as many dumplings as you can to the pan without crowding. None of them should be touching. Cook in the oil unil the bottoms are golden brown. Then, with a lid that firmly fits on your pan ready, pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan and place the lid quickly on top. Let steam for about 3 minutes. Repeat this until all the dumplings are cooked. Serve right away.
I entered all these ingredients onto myfitnesspal, and four of these are only 164 calories. Ya, I could eat about 20.
What a great way to end my day. It was a good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment