As I contemplate my preparation for TEOTWAWKI, or spiraling prices, or… whatever… I decided a few things needed to addressed about myself. I first started with a full nutritional exam, knowing that my hormones were way out of whack. Can we say menopause, hot flashes and mood swings?? Along with a variety of other issues that needed to be addressed.
Among those “other issues” is my weight. I went gluten-free March 2010, but my weight hasn’t changed. It is now 1 year, 3 months and 2 weeks since going gluten-free. I have decided it is time to get much more serious about my weight. TEOTWAWKI & overweight. The second will be a hindrance in the first. Not a good scenario in times of heightened stress.
One of the things I just started doing is going through the “Made to Crave” book and participating in an online support group as we go through the devotional. The devotional is a free download for the kindle. Though I do not own one of those there was also a free kindle application for the computer. You can get those here.
Is “carrying” excess weight a spiritual issue? YES! I have put my trust in food instead of the Lord. God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Author of My Salvation had designed each of us to crave… Him. Once Adam sinned in the garden our cravings turned from God to a multitude of other things.
For my ‘eating plan’ I am doing the following: first I am cutting my portions in at least half from what I normally eat and if I go back for seconds it can only be vegetables. I am also making the salad the larger portion of the entire dinner and usually some kind of salad for lunch. I figure this way I will have “shrunk” my stomach or appetite. From there I will be eating mostly grain free, greatly reducing the sugar & starches and increasing the fruits and vegetables.
For me, this is not a “diet”. Those are something you are on for a time and then you return to your ‘real’ eating. But putting all those hard lost pounds right back on. I am done with the yo-yo thing. This has to be a lifestyle change. And if I deprive myself of desserts, then that is all I think about. So they will be “allowed” just smaller portions and not as frequently. Also, my first “goal” is to lose 36 pounds. Does that sound like an odd number? When I reach that goal I will be at the weight I would consider the highest I ever want to weigh. I will then take 2 – 3 weeks to maintain that loss before continuing on with the next goal. Sort of a resetting of my metabolism “clock” or “gauge” or whatever “it” is. Set new goal, reach and stop to maintain, repeat.
I am also starting to exercise and am going to be doing T-Tapp. It seems to be the most comprehensive and doable program I have seen in a long time. I have done some of this before, but when I broke my arm I landed on my right knee. This has caused my knee to develop arthritis which is aggravated by doing… you guessed it, T-Tapp. My mom gave me some exercises that she does for her arthritic knees and they really help a lot! So I may be ready to resume T-Tapping.
So what does all this have to do with a breakfast cereal/mix?? As I thought about what we normally choose to eat for breakfast I realized those choices were mostly grains and wondered if eliminating or greatly reducing grains would help in my weight loss efforts. I had purchased an interesting non-grain breakfast cereal from Azure in the past and Arrow and I really liked it. I did not have The Patriarch try it yet. It was a pretty simple mix of seeds, nuts, dry fruits and some minimal spicing. Since I had all of these ingredients in bulk already, I tried making my own mix. It turned out really well!
I also realized that this breakfast cereal/mix would be a great preparedness food. It is made from things easily stored. It is simple to mix up a batch. It does not require any cooking in order to eat, but can be warmed up by using a hot liquid. It is naturally gluten, dairy and grain free. The individual ingredients are packed with good protein and vitamins & minerals. Without dairy it is high in calcium. It is a good source of fiber. It is gut healing/soothing. It keeps you satisfied all morning. It tastes great!
Mrs. R’s Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Mix
makes about 1 quart of breakfast mix.
2/3 cup buckwheat kernels
1/3 cup hulled hemp seeds
½ cup chia seeds
1 cup chopped dehydrated apples
2/3 cup raisins
1 cup chopped almonds (could also use sliced almonds)
1 tsp Pink Himalayan salt
4 TBSP raw sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon
Measure out each ingredient into a bowl. Stir to mix completely. Store in an airtight container.
Serving size 2 TBSP mixed with ¼ – 1/3 cup liquid of choice (hot or cold). Stir well.
Wait 3 – 5 minutes, or until it thickens. Add fresh fruit as desired.
You could also sprinkle this on your oatmeal, yogurt, granola, or other hot gluten-free cereal.
Other flavor combinations I thought sounded tasty: dried peaches, pecans and cinnamon, dried strawberries and vanilla powder, dried pears and cardamom, dried apricots, pistachios and cinnamon, dried cherries and vanilla powder, dried blueberries, lemon zest and cinnamon. If you make any of these other combinations, please do stop by and let us know!
Mrs. R’s Breakfast Mix recipe based on Ruth’s Hemp Foods Chia Goodness cereal. Recipe is copyrighted. Please give credit to Mrs. R & Honey From Flinty Rocks and link back to this post should you share this. Thank you!
Blessings,
~Mrs. R
{ 10 comments… add one }
YUM! I want some! Curious if the chia and hemp sees are ok to eat without crushing them first? I have heard that you have to ‘grind’ the flax seeds before using or they go right through you without your having gotten all the good nutrition! Do you know if that is true for the chia and hemp as well? We have been having cooked buckwheat for breakfast for some time now made with almond milk and adding blueberries and ground flax and oat bran and I am surprised how much it ‘tastes’ like cream of wheat, which I love! Sometimes I grind pumpkin seeds on it too! It’s all good! Ok. Thanks for the inspiration! I saw this yesterday and thought about trying IT too one morning!? https://herbdocblog.com/
Smile. YOu need a video now! Smile. Love, Julie
Hello Mrs. RBC,
You do not need to grind the hemp or chia seeds in order to absorb the nutrition from them! So that is one more reason this mix is so easy to make and benefit from!! Your cooked buckwheat also sounds tasty!! I will have to try that soon. Our weather here is still pretty cool with the highs only reaching the high 60’s! Ah, the pacific Northwest, one great place to live if you don’t mind the clouds!!
Hm, a video of my own? Eek! But something I will keep in mind.
Blessings,
~Mrs. R
Something we’ve been doing here is having Ball/Kerr quart jars of various seeds and nuts and dried fruits, each separate, kept in the middle of our dining table. Currently we have 10 jars going. This way each one can make a mix in a small dish any time that accommodates tastes and allergies. We usually add in a teaspoon of coconut oil and warm it by mixing it into our bowl with warm fingers. Those of us who can tolerate dairy also mix our choice in the morning with yogurt/fruit. Loving the ease of this and many fewer snack requests. And keeps ME away from the grain choices (I’m right there with you).
Hello Kimberly,
What a great idea! When I get my dining table cleared off I will have to do this!! I need to have a ready supply of healthy snacks for Arrow. He has grown like a weed and is frequently hungry! I will have to calculate how many inches he has grown in the past year. I am pretty sure he has gone through two clothing sizes!
Oooo!! I just remembered I have some beautiful blue ones to use!
Blessings,
~Mrs. R
Sounds great! High in protein, too, right? I think I would eat it with yogurt and fruit.
I’m with you on avoiding grains (though I’m not gluten free), reducing serving sizes and making lifestyle changes related to food. I started doing the Basic Plus TTapp workout, but stopped about 10 days ago. Tomorrow morning I am committed to doing it and continuing daily for 14 days. Join me for this boot camp? Have you measured yourself? No, me neither. We should.
I have heard that starting the day with 30 grams if protein is key for those who lose weight well. I won’t go into why, but I’m going to try it for 30 days. 1 hard boiled egg (6), 1c kefir (14) gets me to 20, but I haven’t been sure how to get the next 10 without grains or unhealthy fats. Perhaps your mix is the answer. Do you have an estimate of the protein count in a serving? Any other suggestions?
BTW, at dinner, I stopped eating the carb portion and eat the meat on, or next to, a plate of chopped romaine hearts or spring mix ( I especially like the herb salad mix at Walmart) with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I add other veggies or seasonings. It has been an easy, yummy change, and the balsamic vinegar is good for stabilizing blood sugar in the evening I’ve been told.
One more thing, Made To Crave, I have it but haven’t read it. How far are you? I have a friend who read it, and another similar book (name escapes me now), and she said both are good but the latter was much richer in getting at the heart/God connection. I’ll ask her again about the title. I’m open to reading the former since I own it and you’re reading it. G’nite.
Love you!
Hello Jacqueline!
So nice to “see” you here!
I only have the Basic Plus & the Step Away the Inches workouts. I would LOVE to join you on a 14 day boot camp! Yes, THIS morning I will do it! Right after I get off the computer. I have measured myself. I have also weighed myself. I am far too embarrassed to give actual numbers on my blog, or even on an email. They are way out of where they should be!
My nutritional therapist recommended I eat protein at every meal. I used to rely on dairy for that. But my body will no longer tolerate my eating cow dairy. All my usual tricks with milk pills and such are no longer effective… and it distresses my system. I’ll skip the details!! 😉 I can only give you a general indication of the actual protein count as I am not sure how closely my mix comes to the purchased one I made my mix after. With that said, the package says a serving contains 4g of protein. Not incredibly high numbers, but chia is a complete protein!
One other thing I am doing in trying to increase my water intake. I won’t give you the exact number of ounces I “should” be drinking, but if you divide your current body weight by 2, that gives you the number of ounces of water you should drink each day. I have a water bottle with a pop-up straw that holds 88 ounces. It is going to become my new best friend. Oh, and that is still below how many ounces I should be drinking each day, but I have difficulty getting in that much. So don’t bother with the math. 😕 So if I do drink this much it is all a plus as far as I am concerned. And ‘hopefully’ I will also drink other water at meal times as well.
I will have to remember the balsamic vinegar! I love that stuff! But I think any vinegar will regulate blood sugar… I have a book about the healing powers of vinegar and will have to go look that up.
I am only up to chapter one in Made to Crave. I would like to know the title to that other book when you have a chance! Love you too!!
Blessings,
~Mrs. R
I just ordered the few things I didn’t have and I look forward to trying this. I have been on the look-out for a quick, healthy breakfast option. Kimberly’s idea is a great one too. Thanks for posting this.
Hello Michelle,
You are so welcome. I hope you like it as much as we do! I still need to implement Kimberly’s good idea. But at least I have finally cleared off the dining table so we can use it for meal time! lol
Blessings,
~Mrs. R
I tried this today with dehydrated peaches, cinnamon, and vanilla powder. Very yummy, definitely a keeper! Thanks again
Hello Michelle,
Thank you so much for letting us know about your tasteful version!
Blessings,
~Mrs. R