Mmmmm, meat!

Hi all!

Doug and I opted out of the 21 day fast and high-tailed it to Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday night. I'm so proud of Doug! If you would have asked me a month ago if Doug could go 2 days without meat I would have said no. He went 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I (Mrs. no self-control) could absolutely not wait until dinner. My fast lasted 9 days and 19 hours. Doug said - Seriously! It was only 7 more hours! You could have done that!. God's working on me...

So the only one of us left doing the fast is Libby. You go girl! She's had several great moments she's attributed to the fast including answered prayers. I'm so proud of her too! If you see her around, give her some encouragement. I know Lily was encouraging her to eat jelly beans this morning....

Big Numbers!

Doug made a fantastic dinner tonight. I'm sure he could probably explain the recipe better, but he had cashews, zuchinni, squash, bell pepper, onion, kidney beans and tempeh in it. We put it on top of rice. The rice isn't going so fantastic for us, but together with his "mix" it was good. We also had potatoes and corn. It was so good I asked him did he sneak butter into the mix.

He held up four fingers, then two fingers, then made a zero with his hand. In case you were wondering what this means, 420 people committed their lives to Christ this Sunday at Elevation. We just got word! Hearing that 420 lives were changed today definately re-energized us!

So for those of you in the group who aren't participating yet, we're going to keep posting. The number 420 might be enough to inspire you to join (or re-join) us.

We blew it

Tim and I went to Lake Lure for our anniversary weekend and had well intentions to truck along. Obviously things went downhill from there. So we modified the fast and well that didn't work either. Strangely enough we prayed more at the most odd times over the last 3 days! Even though we fell off the wagon I am so confident about some of the things God showed us while we were away. We are continuing to pray for the committed! Please don't disown us :)
Ashley

Here's a recipe

Here's some food Laurina and I have tried lately that we liked. I made the tomato sauce recipe that is in the Daniel Fast booklet. I added some honey to sweeten it and I added green bell pepper, squash, and zucchini to add some chunkiness. I sautéed all the veggies before adding them to the tomato sauce. Laurina and I both enjoyed the sauce. We ate it with whole wheat spaghetti and I added some sauteed Tempeh to the sauce. It added protein to the meal and I thought it was good.

For lunch today, I took four medium sized baking potatoes and cut them into 1/4" thick circles. Put some olive oil on a cookie sheet (so they wouldn't stick), place the potatoes on the cookie sheet and drizzle or brush olive oil on the potatoes. Sea Salt and pepper to your liking. Cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes each side. They were really good!


Hope everyone is doing well, we plan to make the black bean soup today or tomorrow. We'll let you know how it turns out. If you've made anything that is good and different than what we've tried please let us know!

-Doug

Encouraging thought

When urged to eat,

John 4:34
Then Jesus explained: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work."

Anyone else notice this in the reading today?

An unsightly subject

So Doug refuses to post this as he thinks it is taboo, but does anyone else think they can supply the natural gas for heating our homes this winter from their change in diet?

I'm just saying............

I didn't think switching from everything fried to veggies would make that big of a difference.

Good Stuff!

So I made some stuff for dinner today that I thought was outstanding (Laurina, not so much). I cut up zucchini, squash, green bell pepper, onion, tempeh (soy stuff packed with protein), and chives. I sauteed them in a skillet with olive oil and half way through cooking, I squeezed a thin slice of fresh lemon and orange juice in with it. I also added sea salt, pepper, oregano, and sesame seeds. I broiled some whole wheat pitas in the oven lightly coated with olive oil. I cooked some rice in veggie stock. I piled all this onto a pita and topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The orange/lemon juice gave it some actual flavor. Just thought I'd share if anyone else thought it looked good!

Also, can I now say that I am thoroughly enjoying the fast! I know, I'm a complete nut (unsalted and non roasted), but I feel like we are making a difference for God! How cool is that!?!?!?!?

-Doug

How's this for Temptation?

Have your family come down.

My brother is in from Oregon and my dad and step-mom came up today. They wanted to go to Logans for lunch. I had a salad with just onions (I don't like tomatoes) and a baked potato! I was so proud of myself for not touching the salted and roasted peanuts, the rolls, or any fries (my nemesis). They went out for pizza with the kids tonight and left Doug and I here to make our own dinner. Doug is making some of the cornbread I loved so much and some more okra. We're also trying wild rice and some kind of medley he made with zuchinni, squash, tempseh (? - something like tofu), onions, and bell pepper. Here's hoping it tastes like steak!

Laurina

Surrounded by Fasters

As I've mentioned to you guys before, New Birth fasts about four times a year. Well, they are starting their next fast on 25 Aug. That means that by next week, I will be surrounded by fasters! I will continue to pray for all of you and hope that this time of deprivation is bringing you closer to God.

Thanks

I don't have much time (I'm alreday at work), but I wanted to say thanks to Tim and Ashley. They dropped by last night and brought Laurina and I some yummy veggie chili! Can't wait to see all you guys tonight! -Doug

Caffeine withdrawal?

I haven't tried any of these alternatives, but they might help someone:

Teeccino
Yerba mate
Cafix

Others have found that drinking lots of water and eating fruit helps with the headaches. Good luck!

Tips for Successful Fasting

It sounds like each of you are off to a great start with the fast and staying strong when faced with temptations. Here are a few tips I found for helping you have a successful fast (you can read the entire article at http://www.freedomyou.com/fasting_book/Fasting%20Tips.htm):

1. Tell the least number of people about the fast: Other people's negative attitudes may distract you. Of course, that doesn't count others who are fasting with you :-).

2. Turn off the TV: You know all those McDonald's commercials will start calling to you! Even shows that aren't related to food can make you hungry. I want Asian food every time my kids watch Japanese cartoons.

3. Get alone with God: The article says that fasting and solitude have always gone hand in hand, and it cites Luke 5:15 as an example.

4. Feast on His Word: You guys already have that in hand, with reading the book of John during the fast.

Although I am not fasting, I want to try to support you guys as much as possible. If there is anything that you think I can help you with, let me know. I'll be glad to do research on recipes or answer any food questions you have; you know I'm on the computer all day ;-).

I almost cried.....

I almost cried.....when I drove past ChickfilA today. I love their stuff. Today has been good. My body has seen more fruit and vitamin c than at any other time in my life! The salads are great. The peanut butter came from Earthfare so its pretty good. My fav thing is my lemon water and toasted pumpkin seeds. I am getting ready to try some popcorn. Let's hope the fire trucks don't have to come out!

Well for me...

It's the caffeine.. I didn't realize the headaches would be this bad... I've taken some Tylenol (Hopefully that's not on the list, b/c i couldn't take it any longer). I may have told some of you guys, but if you didn't know, I probably drink an entire pot of coffee every day at the office, so my body is really in some shock about now (it's 3.05 pm by the way)..

As far as the food, my wife made me an excellent salad with mixed greens, walnuts, strawberries, and some of that Annie natural dressing with tofu. It was tasty! Topped lunch off with some Edamae, lightly sea-salted and I was a happy camper.

Yes, this is hard, but when I look down at my little black ring and remember what we're doing this for, and all the others who are doing this just like me, it makes it easier. Give God the GLORY!

On a side note, last night at Uptown, was AMAZING! That last song was ROCKING! Sorry, I missed your call guys (Doug and Laurina), didn't get the message till after. I hope you guys got to stay for the entire experience. It was one of my top 5 moments at Elevation for sure. Perfect fitting to match the POWER of the morning service!

Ashley and I read and studied the 1st chapter of John yesterday! Looking forward to chapter 2 tonight! I'll be praying for you all!

First Day Quirks

How many times so far have you reached into the fridge (or the pantry) to grab something that wasn't on the list? It's about 18 million times for me so far. But I guess I kinda have an excuse. I was up in the middle of the night feeding Daniel and I almost ate a piece of cheese. Then today Jeremy asked for a cookie and I about had it in my mouth before it registered that I'm not supposed to be eating it!

On the plus side, I've been trying to pray for those Elevation with come into contact with in the next three weeks every time I think about eating some food off the list (which means there's been lots o' praying in this house).

Doug and I are not fans of the natural peanut butter. We got Trader Joes unblanched unsalted peanut butter. It looks like Jello (wiggly) and ugh. What brand do you have Ashley??

Praying for Lauren

Hey Guys! Say a prayer for Lauren today. She's supposed to be getting results back from her second test for gestational diabetes. We'll be praying that the first test was just a little kookie and everything is great.

Ideas

From my shopping trip to Earthfair today:
I took pumpkin seeds and sprinkled with olive oil in a pan. Baked at 375 degrees for 15 minutes....yummy snack.
Take tortilla chips and break into triangles. Spread out on pan and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake as above.
Salsa ...take can of crushed tomatoes, corn,jalapenos, black beans (all drained as much as you can), cilantro and sea salt...mix well. Goes great with those chips.
Take slices of lemon or lime and put in a container of water. Chill and it is some of the best water!
Coming home from the theatre tonight was outstanding especially when I topped it off with my organic tangelo!
This is going to be great! I can't wait to see what God can do just here in Mt Holly much less all of Charlotte! Wahoo!

Our haul today

Hey guys, here's a snippet of what Laurina and I got a Trader Joe's today.

Beans: Black, Garbanzo, Frozen Green, and we already have dry black eyed peas and Lima beans
Nuts: Raw Cashews, Pecans, Sunflower seeds, Almonds, and roasted pistachios
Rice: Brown and Wild

Other: Natural Peanut Butter, Fofu, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Cereal, Ezekiel bread, Whole Wheat Pitas, Stevia (insanely expensive, $10 for a spice size bottle), Veggie Chili in a can, Sea Salt and various ingredients for some of the recipes at elevations Daniel fast website.

We already had soy milk, grits, loads of fresh veggies (onions, lettuce, green peppers, tomatoes, okra, potatoes, corn, etc.)


Hope this helps for ideas for all of you and we'll see all of you on Tuesday for Small Group/meat and caffeine withdraw support group.

And by the way, Laurina and I tried the raw cashews tonight and they were actually pretty good!

Today is the day!

Hey guys! I don't have anything helpful to add, except that I'm excited that we are taking part in this together. Its hard sometimes living so far away from church (and the church offices) and I often feel that limits our family's ability to volunteer and help out. That's why I'm so pumped about this, because we can do it from here in Mt. Holly (or Belmont, Huntersville, where ever you live). Laurina and I are going to do some shopping today. I have to work the 11:30 and 1pm today, so we are going to bring a big cooler and go by the Trader Joe's that's close to church around 9:30/10:00. Then we'll drive on to church, attend the 11:30, and drive home with all our healthy/all natural goodies. We'll let you know some of things we buy. Anybody going to McGlohon tonight? Laurina and I are going and we're taking J and D with us, so I don't know how long we'll be able to stay. We'll see you guys today, tonight, or at the latest Tuesday!

Salad Dressings

I found this on a blog and thought it may be helpful!

there are a couple organic dressings made by Annie’s Naturals which do not have sugar or other “no no” ingredients. I like the red wine and olive oil vinaigrette and the goddess dressing. BTW red wine vinegar is the ingredient, not real red wine.
Also, you will find xanthan gum in many salad dressing recipes. It is a natural thickener and would not be considered a chemical like those we are to avoid
:)

Bad girl

Yes...only 26 hours to go and I have been eating like a very bad girl! Will's 5Th birthday was yesterday and I ate as much cake and icing that I could fill up with before I felt ill! Sunkist, brownies, sausage biscuit, bacon, pancakes, hush puppies, BBQ, french fries dipped in ranch dressing, pizza, more pizza, tea, tea, and more tea have filled my body the last 48 hours. WHO EATS like this??? Not me, but I can't seem to help it with the inevitable happening in less than 25 hours and 59 minutes. I was asking Tim how much weight he thought we would lose. My actual weight loss would have been a lot less had I been a good girl this week. Oh well.....it will make the Fast more exciting because all of this bad food makes me feel really yucky :)
Ashley

A story and a recipe

Once upon a time, I lived on my own in the big city. I worked as an office temp and had my paychecks mailed to me every week. It was during the time that microwave dinners first started showing up in the supermarket, so I practically lived off of them. Why cook a big meal when you are all alone? As a result, I had very little real food in my apartment.

One week my paycheck didn't show up. I asked my agency and they said that they sent it. The next week, my check didn't show up again. I went to my agency again. This time they looked at me askance as they told me that they did send my check. By the third week when my check didn't show up, I was in a bit of a pickle. All my bills were paid but the cupboards were bare. I had eaten all my frozen meals and only had $10 to spare outside of the bus fare I needed to get back and forth to work.

In a fit of inspiration, I thought that if I could make one big pot of something I could eat it every day until the mess with my paychecks was straightened out. This was all pre-internet, so I had to rely on the one cookbook I had on my shelf -- The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas, a holdover from one of my brief hippie phases. My five bucks bought me half the makings of a pot of Lentil-Tomato Soup:

2/3 cup dried lentils
4 cups water
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup of tomato paste
chopped parsley
garlic
salt and pepper
dill weed
tarragon
dry white wine (optional)

Put the first 6 ingredients into a large pot and simmer gently for about 3 hours, replenishing the water as needed. If you have a taste for it, try adding a little dry white wine. Then, tasting to see what quantity is right for you, add very small amounts of the herbs and spices. Finally, stir in a cup of tomato paste and let it all heat through. 6 servings.

Since I was broke, I left out all the spices except the garlic, salt, and pepper. Oh, and remember that replenish water as needed bit? Yeah, I forgot that when I reheated it the second day, so I ended up with paste. I was eating lentil paste sandwiches for the rest of the week.

Are you wondering what happened to my paychecks? They were stolen from my mailbox and cashed by some guy at a biker bar who forged my signature. I started picking up my paychecks from the office after that :-).

Lipton Natural Tea

I forgot to mention that I saw on one of the websites recommended by Elevation that Lipton Natural Teas are cool. It said if you're addicted to coffee in the morning you might want to try them. Thought I'd mention it for all you coffee(and caffiene)-holics.

Recipes and Stuff

Woooooooooohoooooooooo! So happy for Ashley's bonus! Tim, I hope you're still asleep as I type this (12:46pm).

I went to this site today and it was actually very helpful. The first four pages of the download are the same things we've already gotten. Pages 11 - 23 are actual recipes so I printed them out to look through.

Question:

Anyone know the difference between 'rolled oats' and regular oatmeal?

I think the apple blueberry oatmeal cereal looks good:
2 sweet apples
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup apple juice
Cook oats as directed on box. Chop or grind almonds, chop apples - combine. Add blueberries. Top with sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon and apple juice.

They also have a recipe for tomato sauce, vegetarian chili, mashed pinto beans on whole grain taco shells, some italian, french, and vinaigrette dressings.

Anyone ever heard of 'polenta'? They have polenta biscuits that might be tasty.

Anyway, Doug and I are supposed to sit down Saturday and figure out some meals so when I go grocery shopping on Monday we can have the right kinds of foods hanging around. I might post what we end up getting in case anyone is interested in some food to buy!

Everlasting God!

As a very LONG day comes to a close, (I'm leaving the office at 1am).. I just want to let everyone know how GREAT my God is! As Chris Tomlin is singing right now through my speakers, He is an EVERLASTING GOD, and our STRENGTH will rise as we wait upon HIM!

As we prepare our hearts and minds for this incredible fast we have to remember this is a way to grow even closer to Him. I can't wait and I'm so excited to see what He has in store for me, my family, our small group, and our Church!

On a side note, God continues to bless our family. My wonderful Hard-working wife got an unexpected call today from her boss today with news of a bonus she will be receiving next week. It was a total suprise to us and just proves just how FAITHFUL God is when we trust all we have in Him. I'm so proud of my wife and Love her more each day! Way to go baby, thanks for putting up with my long nights away from home this week! Get ready for a super duper weekend!!! And the best part, is we get to end it with a BANG == A earth-shattering performance from our Worship band, and our DanielFast kickoff!

Until next time! God Bless!

Here we go!

This is the first post for the Elevation Daniel Fasters! 4 Days and counting. Let's stand together and PRAISE God for what he is going to do within the next 3 weeks!
Tim and Ashley