day ten...we will overcome

photo cred: Kathy Gilbert via instagram

I learned a lesson tonight. And I learned it through a song—God can work in any way He likes, and tonight He used Jeremy Camp to teach me that lesson. I went to the tribute tonight honoring Pastor Chuck Smith and being taught a lesson was the last thing on my mind. I figured it would be a time of remembering and just enjoying the speakers and music. But oh no...the Lord likes to work all the time...even at a tribute.

So anyways, Jeremy Camp was singing this song called "Overcome". And in the song he sings "every victory is Yours". Every victory that I experience is only done because of the Lord. He is the reason I have victory in those tough moments. He is the reason I was able to say no to fast food when my whole family was eating it after the tribute. I just sat there drinking water. And you know what? It wasn't hard at all! All glory to the Lord alone. Jeremy Camp then goes on to sing, "We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony, everyone overcome". This is just an encouragement for me concerning the future. I will overcome my addiction. I will overcome my destructive sin habits. But it's not because I am so wonderful and great, but rather because Jesus died on the cross for me and had victory over sin. Since He already paid the price, I too can have victory through Jesus Christ.

I hope that encourages you as much as it did me. You can listen to the full song by going here.

Okay, now onto the eats for today. My meal times were a bit off because I slept in this morning, but I still got my 5 medifast and 1 lean and green meal in.

Breakfast: Pineapple Mango Smoothie

Wonderful start to the chilly morning. I am loving this weather by the way. I absolutely just love the cold...and rain! We are supposed to be getting rain for the next two days! Bring on the warm chunky sweaters and boots!

Morning Snack: Meatball Casserole

So technically this is my lunch, not morning snack. I made a comfort food lean and green meal. So delicious! It is a meatless meatball casserole. Basically it is just mashed cauliflower on the bottom, meatless meatballs on the top and then a little bit of marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese on top. I know it looks like a lot, but it was a small, shallow pyrex dish—perfect portion size for one. Kept me pretty full for the rest of the day!

Click here for the recipe!

Medifast Lean and Green Breakdown:
Lean: Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs (6), 1/4 cup of light mozzarella cheese
Green: 1 1/2 cups of cauliflower, 1/4 cup of Trader Joe's marinara sauce
Healthy Fat: 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Lunch: Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks

I didn't grab a picture of these because I was eating them in the middle of the tribute. Note to self: Don't bring an extremely crunchy snack when you know it is going to be silent all around you. ;)

Afternoon Snack: Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

I ate these at the tribute as well. I was able to snap a picture of these because I made them before I left. I will post the recipe for these soon as well...SO GOOD!

Dinner: Cinnamon Roll Crunch Bar

Yeah...didn't get a shot of this either. At this point we were driving in the car and it was too dark.

Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie Soft Bake

Do you notice the background? It's my blog post! I was actually eating dessert while writing this post. I also added a tad more water then the directions called for, and it turned out great! Usually it is pretty hard and crumbly, but tonight it was soft and chewy. Loved it!

It's getting late, so I am off to bed! But I pray you all have a blessed week!

xoxo,
Toni

day two...a paddle out and a craving attack

This morning was an emotional one. I woke up around 8:30 and began to prepare my first meal. But my reason for getting up this early on a Saturday evening was because I was going to a paddle out at the HB pier to honor the life of Pastor Chuck Smith. The photo above is when all the men were gathered around yelling out verses and singing hymns. It was definitely a moment not to be forgotten. 

So on my way to the beach I had a mocha shake. I love shakes and I love coffee. So this was just divine. 

After that I had some cinnamon pretzel sticks. Good thing I brought them with me, because I was still at the beach when it was time to eat my meal again.

So yeah, not too excited about those pretzels, they were ok, but not great. Next I had my "lean and green" meal for the day. I got creative and had the exact same thing I did yesterday: 3 cups of salad, 4 ounces of ground turkey, and 2 tablespoons of light dressing. 

Soon after that it was time to eat again and so I grabbed a cinnamon roll bar. Yes, it was good...but not as good as a real cinnamon roll.  

Then for some reason I just had massive craving attack! And it was like an hour after I just had the bar! Now, I am allowed to have diet and sugar free drinks, so I ended up drinking a zero Monster. I know it's not the best, but it's a lot better than eating a bunch of junk. 

After that it was time to have yet another meal. So, seeing that I could treat myself on this lovely Saturday, I made the Mac and Cheese. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't bad at all. Totally hit the comfort food spot. It wasn't as bad as it looks. Promise ;)

Lastly, I had my dessert meal after getting home from church. I ended up baking their chocolate chip cookie. It was surprisingly not bad at all! I was expecting some chemical tasting nastiness, but it actually (mostly) tasted like a chocolate chip cookie. I feel like I'm cheating by eating this kind of food, but it's totally ok! I think I'm going to do this (it's about time too).

Please keep praying as I continue this journey to get healthy and lose weight!

xoxo,

Toni