Faith of a Mustard Seed

We have all heard that if you have the faith of a mustard seed, God can move the mountains. But, what does that really mean? Who actually has ever believed that they, a tiny human, could move a mountain? Well, first, YOU can't move the mountain. The power of God and the FAITH through you is what is promised to move the mountain. Do you believe that God can work through you to move a mountain? Do you believe the promises written in His word? You can't believe one promise and reject the others. ALL of God's truth is, well, TRUTH. Truth is true whether you believe it or not. Your inability to believe it doesn't make it any less false. It simply states that you don't accept it. God's word is truth. His promises are true. It's your turn to show your mustard seed, accept it, believe it, and walk in faith.

So, where is your mustard seed? Where do you place your faith? Our pastor says "How you pray and what you pray says a lot about how you see God". If you think God can do anything, He can move mountains, and He loves you and gives you your hearts desires, what would you ask him for right now? You would have NO LIMITS if you believe who the Bible tells us God is, who God really is! If he said yes to your prayers, what would you ask Him for right now? And the flip side of that is would your prayers make an impact? Would your prayers make change in anything or anyone's life? Our needs are important and God tells us He will give us the desires of our hearts. But God is a people God. He loves people. He wants us to love people and to pray for people.

So, where is your mustard seed? Is your faith in yourself? Do you believe only what YOU have the strength for? If you think "yes", then stop right now and begin spiritual warfare of praying yourself to freedom! God can do anything. You need to start praying BIG prayers. Start believing and put your faith in Him that he can do anything. God can do immeasurable more than we can ask or even imagine. Hold on. Read that again! God can do immeasurably more than we can ASK or even IMAGINE! WOW! He can and will do so much more than we can even think to ask Him. SO START ASKING HIM! Don't accept pain, anguish, or anything other than His joy and peace. Give them to God and let him take them away. But you have to, have to, have to believe and know that He can do it!

Here is my mustard seed.

Monday my mom was pronounced dying. Think about that for a second. Monday I was told my mom might live until Saturday. She was dying. She was on oxygen with a fever, possible infection, and not eating or drinking. Let's be honest for a minute here. I lived in fear. I said I had faith for God but started praying God would take her peacefully. So, let's put this basically. I said I believed God could heal my mom but I was planning for her funeral and praying she would die peacefully. THAT IS NOT FAITH! THAT. IS. FEAR!

Our church has been in a season of 21 days of prayer. Praise Jesus! Every morning the beautiful people of the church gather together to worship the Lord, proclaim His truths, encourage our family, and spend time praying and praising God. What a BEAUTIFUL season to be in when you get a call of death. Without knowing the situation, the pastor got up Tuesday morning and said this.

Pray big prayers. Pray for God to heal diseases that have never been healed before. Pray for God to do things that don't even make sense to the human mind. 

BAM! Right there, God was talking to me. Don't accept this call from death. God has ALREADY gained victory over it. God has already defeated it. YOU HAVE ALREADY WON THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS! Don't accept it.

Well, of course I am just balling my eyes out. I've already made arrangements to miss work, take off class, get my husband to the funeral, picked out my outfit for the funeral, get my dogs taken care of, and here is God telling me to FIGHT for her. It's not over.

I decided then and there that I would fast and pray for her miraculous recovery, for a healing that can not be explained. The first update I got that day was that her fever was gone and she had taken in some liquids. PRAISE JESUS! ALL the glory be to His name! Updates got better and better as they went on!

I made my way, four hours away, to where she was. When I got to her she was sitting in her chair with oxygen on. She looked at me and smiled. PRAISE JESUS! The next day she was taken off of the oxygen. PRAISE JESUS! The next day she was eating solid food, drinking like a camel, no oxygen, no fever, sitting up, trying to talk, laughing and smiling. I mean seriously! The only explanation requires ALL praise to the Lord and the healing blood of Jesus! Can I get an Amen??

Here we live in a world of "pray for her quick and peaceful death" and God is providing her QUICK and miraculous LIFE! No one and I mean NO ONE can sit here and tell me her healing was ANYTHING other than the miraculous healing of God. Every single step of her recovery deserves ALL praises to the One True King!

He cares about you. He cares about your life. He cares what you are going through and what you are hurting from. He wants to give you the desires of your heart. So, LET HIM.

It is your time to take a step in faith. Show the world your mustard seed and go move mountains in your life and the lives of those around you. 

No one can deny the healing power of Jesus. There is just no other way.

And you don't have to go this alone. Get people on board your prayer team. Find people who will pray the praise and victory that God has already won, not pray the problem. Remember, God has already won this battle. You have already conquered this. Through the blood of Jesus I pray your problem come to it's glorious victory that has already been won. Through the comfort and the peace of the Holy Spirit I pray you find peace and discernment to let God carry you in joy through this time. Prayer and praise break down walls. So, start praising him for the victory you've already won. Christ before you and Christ behind you. You are Hupernikao.

So, I ask two things of you. One, please continue to pray for my mom as we are praying for a MIRACULOUS recovery from a disease that has never been "cured". But we know that God is Jehovah Rapha,  our Healer. We know that He is our strength! I am specifically asking for brain to be rebuilt, muscle to be strengthened, and for my mom to walk out of that care facility ready to live her life for Christ! Two, I am asking you where is your mustard seed? Where does your faith lay? What, today, needs your faith more than anything else? Go, pray with the faith and belief that God is saying "Yes" to all of your desires. That is when you see miracles occur. Have boldness and confidence in the Lord. 

Sharing the Wealth

I want to share with you the new wealth I have stumbled into. This new and exciting time in my life is providing a wealth of knowledge that I am ecstatic to tell you about! I can't believe the opportunity I have been given to grow and learn about such a passion I have. Healthy and natural living takes time to learn and I want to give you what I get! We have done hours of product training this week and will have many more to come.

With that said I am excited to announce the new sub chapter in this blog, product reviews! 

I am so pumped to introduce new products, new brands, and healthier alternatives to benefit you and your family! Of course I will provide recipes and ideas of how to use the products and let you know WHY it will improve your life.

Here's the bad catch: 
 Because I work in a high end retailer the products will be a little bit more expensive than a Wal Mart grab.

Here's the good catch: 
Because I work in a high end retailer the products are going to be better for you, your family, and the planet! The products and companies I will be introducing are very conscious of their impact on the plant and care deeply about the well being of their consumers. This is good stuff, people! I can not emphasize this aspect enough.

You are worth investing in.
Your family is worth investing in.
Your community is worth investing in.
Your planet is worth investing in. 

What better place to invest your resources than you?! I will tell you the answer. THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE! You can't help others if you are sickly all the time. You can't expect your family to excel if they are sluggish and burdened by the chemicals clogging their happiness. You can't expect your community to thrive if you aren't supporting it. You can't expect this world to be better if you aren't doing anything about it.

In the end, your overall quality of life and lack of medical bills will make up for the extra $3 you spend on a new brand. And think of it this way, you are investing $3 in your planet, your community, your family, and yourself by which company you choose. I'd prefer my money go towards positive impact, wouldn't you?

"Each day you vote with your dollars, supporting the companies that share your values."

When One Door Opens...

Two weeks ago I was faced with one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. My heart strings tugged in one direction while my logic yanked in the other. A choice between dreams and reality.

When I was very little my older sister by two years and I would wake up bright and early summer mornings to play "school". The night before one of us would be the designated teacher and the other, the student. If we wanted to play discipline, the student played bad and if we wanted to really teach, the student would be good. The previous night the designated teacher would prepare a "worksheet", usually simple addition. I have no idea how long or how many times we created these elaborate classroom settings. But I do know I have wanted to be a real teacher as far back as I can remember. I want to change lives. I want to lead. I want to impact others for the better. As I grew into elementary school my teachers told me "Oh look at you! You are going to be a teacher when you grow up!" (granted they usually said that because I always put one hand on my hip and cocked it to the side. That always got me "you're going to be a teacher" attention). In high school my teachers watched me help and tutor peers and their response echoed the past "Sarah, you should REALLY think about being a teacher. You are so good at helping others learn". "That's the plan!" I thought.

I got into my first choice University whose College of Education is known for being spectacular. "Schools will hire you just because you graduated here. They know our students are the best" I heard over and over again. So, I worked my butt off. I made the dean's list almost every semester. I have a 3.6 gpa and a 4.0 gpa in my education classes. I want this and my hard work shows that. This is my dream. This dream has been on the other side of a glass door for so long. I could see it. I could feel it. I knew it was so near. I fought for this. I went through so many ups and downs to get to this point. This is what I have lived for. As I started to turn the knob to finally enter my dream, as I got accepted into the teaching program and started my first and second day of classes the door jammed. "Not quite yet" God whispered my way. "Hold on just a little bit longer. I have so much more for you". And in one conversation my dreams sneaked back behind that beckoning glass door. "I'm not done preparing you yet".

My dreams did not align with my reality. My reality has become more than just a student pursuing her dreams. My reality has become a wife whose family is far more important than any simple career dream. My family is my dream that has already come true. What a fool I would be to let this living dream be disturbed by a mere selfish desire.

In just moments a new door flew open releasing passions that had once been buried. "We'd like to hire you on full time as the whole body specialist" a Whole Foods team leader proposed. You see earlier that day I had entered into my second day of the teaching program. I had begun to read textbooks, printed out PowerPoints, and taken studious notes. "I actually was applying for the part time position" I presented. This one proposition, this one conversation began the tug of war between my heart and my mind. "Let me speak with my family and I will let you know".

I came home to discuss this with my husband. "I think you should take the job. We need you to take the job" his words resounded in my mind switching places back and forth with each and every one of our growing bills. "Buts" were all I could reply with. "But what if this is satan trying to turn me off my path" "But I only have 3 more semester until I graduate. We make money then" "But this is a REALLY good company and what if I love it so much I don't want to leave" (yes, that is a real worry! Terrible, right? ha) I turned to friends messaging them to pray for me and this decision when one brave soul spoke up.

"I think maybe you do know what to do but you don't want to... God is providing in a huge and awesome way. Take a semester off. People do it all the time. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices for your family. This might be yours..... You've been saying you can't afford to eat healthy. Look now. Not only will you be making good money. But you'll also get a discount. God wants what is best for you and it is so evident. Walk through the door!!! You won't regret following Him ever".

I did know what to do. But I was seeking reassurance for the decision I wanted to make, for the dream I wasn't ready to let go. I quickly realized that God was in all of this. He designed this. He prepared this. He wants what is best for us and He has given us what we need to thrive.

For the past 10 months I have been researching, studying, and applying natural health concepts to my life. God has been preparing me for this for almost a year!! I am not letting go of a dream. I am postponing it and living out another passion to ready me for the next. I love homeopathic remedies. I love essential oils. I love studying, learning, and most of all TEACHING about how to turn your life around to live a healthier, less chemically polluted lifestyle. My door to teaching did not close. It just shifted to another subject. A subject I am passionate about. I still get to change lives, I still get to lead, I still get to impact others for the better. 

So, here I type to tell you that I am no longer enrolled as a student. I am the Whole Body Specialist at Whole Foods where I get to learn and teach about yet another passion in my life. I am doing this for my family. I am doing this for God. I am doing this for me.

Will I go back to school? I very much hope so! When will I go? That my friends is a door that has not yet been revealed to me. However, I do know that this is a wonderful season in our lives and I am excited to share it with you if you'll let me. The greatest joy you will ever know is following the plans God has designed for you. Time to buckle up and get ready for an adventurous ride!

Whole 30 and Type 1 Diabetes- We're Doing It!

Can a diabetic do the Whole 30 meal plan? 

Why YES, YES THEY CAN!

My husband is type 1 diabetic and has fully committed to 30 days of Whole 30 meal plan. Chances are if you are reading this you already know what type 1 means and/or you ARE type 1. I found a very funny name for people doing a "paleo" diet that are diabetic, paleobetic! ha (:
Now, I am not diabetic in any way. So, this blog is a compilation of "Hey honey, what do you have to say about this" and some research on my part.

How he viewed this meal plan at first:
His biggest fear was that his sugar would drop low. He realized there would be a lot of protein and little carb.
How we addressed this:
we got "emergency" apple juice. i.e. apple juice filled with sugar! He is allowed to take this when his sugar drops too low(like in the night) and he needs to get it up immediately.

How did he decide to do this:
Well, honestly I told him I was going on this meal plan and eating yummy steaks and burgers every night and he only got it if he joined me. (:

How he views it 4 days in: 
He was so excited about how LITTLE insulin he was having to take. Woohoo! He said he is taking 3-4 units per meal instead of 14-16! WOW! He takes 1 unit per 7 carbs.

How he adjusts his insulin:
He SHOULD call his doctor and get his advice on adjusting both long acting and fast acting. However, he just sort of played with it. He says he takes a little less than what he thinks he needs to take. Then, he waits 20-30 minutes to see where his sugars are (if he took enough of if it is raised). Then he takes the correction shot for that. He loves that he has not been using as much because the meals are lower in carbs.


I was reading in this article about Carbs vs. fat burning that your body either burns carbs or fat. When you are not taking in a lot of carbs MAKE SURE TO BE GETTING FATS. The Whole 30 shopping list has a section that tells you what good fats are. Almonds and other nuts are great for this!


Next questions I think would be How do I know how many carbs are in the meal? 
Well, look it up ;) My husband is really good at guessing how much because he has been doing it for a lot of years. But a lot of people have to look up each meal. Here, let me help you out! I found these great charts from this site. Carb count charts

Another tool I found is Google!
Just type in things like "fruit carb count", "vegetable carb count", and "nuts carb count". Here is an example of what comes up. You can choose which fruit and an amount to tell you how many carbs.

After your 30 days you can type in "bread carb count" and "milk carb count" to keep up with these foods.


Check out these other blogs about diabetes and Whole 30/paleo diet. 

Experimenting With the Paleo Diet
Paleobetic blog
Whole 30 Diabetes testimony

Get your education on with these Whole 30 books!
(recipes are gold in here!)
Whole 30 books


Well, that's what I've got on this! If you have any questions for Jonathon, comment below and we will get back to you!

Whole 30 Snacks

Alright party people. Let's talk SNACKS!

(That don't leave you still hungry!)

I don't know about you but I am a snacker. I can skip a meal or two, snack all day, and be perfectly happy! I had to find some 'compliant' snacks for this meal plan. 

1. Who else is tired of "Just eat a banana."?

I love fruit. But I do not want to ONLY eat fruit all day. A banana, an apple, blueberries, an orange, and the list goes on and on. Give me those and I will still be hungry after I have eaten a pound of whatever fruit I just ate. They just don't fill me up. 

So, this morning I realized I had red potatoes in my pantry. (seriously from like a month ago) I decided to try something new and I AM IN LOVE! 

I am seriously craving these potatoes all the time now!

One red potato (or more if you want more than a snack or to save some for later)

about a tbsp of Ghee

Salt

• first I cleaned the red potato (and cut out the sprouts. Like I said.. a month old!)
• Then, I used my mandolin and the "fry" attachment to slice the red potato. (I don't really know what the attachment is called but it slices stuff into strips like fries!) If you don't have that you can just cut the potato into thin strips. (smaller than fries but bigger than hashbrowns)
• Next, turn your heat to medium and stick a skillet on. Put the Ghee in to melt. 
• Once that has melted, add the potato slices (try to let each piece touch the pan at all times. i.e. not on top of each other)
• Sprinkle salt all over. (You know how much salt you like! But if you need a measurement, I would say start with 1/4 tsp and go from there)
• Let the slices cook until they are soft. (I didn't measure time but I would say maybe 10 minutes covered. Stir occasionally) 
• When they are soft enough to stick your nail in (or maybe a knife or fork if you don't want to touch it), turn the heat to medium high. Cook for about another 5 minutes or until slightly browning. (again, make sure all slices are touching the pan and not on top of each other.) Stir about every minute. 
• Turn the heat to high and let brown. Stir often. 
• When they look nice and browned on the outside (not burnt) take them out and enjoy! 

These were so flipping delicious! They have a slight crunch on the outside but soft on the inside. I am in love with this recipe and will definitely be eating this.. forever! ha. 

2. There is more than one way to eat an avocado!

Who says you can't smash up your avocado? And I'm not talking about guacamole!... okay maybe smashed avocado IS guacamole but that's not what I am talking about here. I am talking about avocado dip... okay MY version of guacamole that isn't for chips. (: 

1 avocado

1/2 lime (lime juice)

salt

carrots

Whole 30 Ranch

• First, cut, peel, and pit your avocado. 
• Next, stick it in a bowl and smoosh it with a fork until there are no big chunks
• Squeeze out the juice from half of a lime. 
• Add a little salt (start with 1/4 tsp and go from there). Stir until well combined. 
• Here is the secret, add Whole 30 Ranch Dressing! Let's say 1 1/2 tsp (or 1/2 tbsp). Stir
• Dip your carrots and enjoy! (: 

3. I REALLY hope you saved those squash seeds!

I am eating these right this very moment 

and they are DE-LI-CIOUS! 

These inspired this post you could say. I was hungry enough for a snack, more hungry than just fruit, but didn't have enough time to eat a meal because dinner is just around the corner (or should I say hour?). 

Butternut squash seeds 

(see butternut soup recipe here)

garlic powder

salt

1 tbsp Ghee

• (OPTIONAL) Wash seeds. (personally I do NOT do this step. I like the gooey tasted of the squash cooked onto them)
  
• First, Preheat oven to 350F
• Next, melt about 1 tbsp of Ghee. (I did this in a microwavable bowl for about 45 sec-1min)
• Pour melted Ghee over the seeds. (mine were already in a plastic bag so I just poured it on them and moved the seeds around to cover them all. You can put them in a container or bowl and mix with a spoon. Just make sure all seeds get covered)
• Spread the seeds over a cookie sheet making sure none of them overlap. (You could use foil to keep from washing the pan. I didn't spray non-stick because the Ghee is already on the seeds)
• Sprinkle garlic powder over seeds. (remember, garlic powder is stronger than garlic salt. A little bit goes a long way!)
• Sprinkle salt over seeds. 
• Put in the oven for a total of 10 minutes. DON'T FORGET TO FLIP SEEDS AFTER 5 MINUTES!
• At 5 minutes flips the seeds. I also take this time to add a little more salt and powder. 
• Take seeds out and let cool for a few minutes. (remember, if you keep them on the pan they will continue cooking and may burn on the side they are laying)

These are so delicious! I know we will be fighting over them at my house! 

HAPPY SNACKING!

Stay on track because YOU are worth it! 

Remember to love yourself (: 

4. Also see my post on sweet potato chips here. 

Whole 30- Sweet Potato Chips

Okay y'all, I FAILED... miserably at this! 

Let's hope you can learn from my mistakes and come out victorious! Sweet potato chips. 

Now, let's first start off by saying I don't like sweet potatoes in the first place. My intention for these chips were originally to give my hubby something to munch on. And if there is anything I hate more than failing, it's failing when trying to do something for someone else. Fortunately I do not give up that easily! These will be made again next week and next time I will prevail! (Send me your tips and suggestions so I can succeed! ha)

Here is my source of frustration, the original recipe.

Quite honestly I set myself up for failure... Her chips are burned. Why did I think mine wouldn't?

PRINT

EASY BAKED SWEET POTATO CHIPS

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sweet potatoes, washed and dried thoroughly
• 1 tsp olive oil (olive oil spray is best)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Using a mandoline, slice sweet potatoes as thinly as possible.
3. Pat sweet potato slices dry with paper towel, add to medium sized bowl.
4. Spray slices with olive oil mist (or add 1 tsp olive oil) and generously sprinkle with salt, pepper, or any other herbs you'd like to add.
5. Lay slices on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, do not overlap.
6. Bake at 250 for 1 hour, until crispy.
7. Turn oven up to 350 and let chips brown very slightly. Watch chips and make sure they do not burn.
8. If you'd like them cool, place on a cooling rack and let sit 10 minutes.
9. Serve and enjoy!

She even gives this great tip for impatient people such as myself. 

 If you’re craving some chips fast, you can bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes- but you must flip and rotate the chips to ensure they don’t stick or burn. This is a bit more complicated, but will still get you delicious crunchy chips! 

So, I tried both ways!  Here is what I would change:

First recipe:

I added garlic powder, salt, and a tiny bit of pepper to a few of them and they are pretty good! (minus the ash taste, of course)

Also, go easy on the pepper. I thought I put a little bit and my mouth was on fire with how spicy they were! (refer to top picture)

Go to step 6 and then STOP!!! Check your chips. If they are crunchy, take them out. If they need a little bit more time, stick them back in at 250F for maybe 5 more minutes. DONE! Don't even attempt to turn the oven up. I looked away for maybe 3 minutes and mine DIED! They just burned, shriveled up, and died. 

SEE!

The first time I pulled them out they were nice and crispy, a tiny hint of tan, and possibly delicious. Then I followed the rest of the directions and ..well.. you see. 

Second Recipe:

This recipe is okay. I cooked them on 350 for 20 minutes, flipped them, and cooked for another 10. In hindsight I probably would have flipped at 15 minutes and left them in for another 10. 

These are sort of gooey. The point of chips is to be crispy. But if you are impatient and cook them to fast, half is crispy and half is sort of chewy, gooey. 

OVERALL: 

Next time I will go for the longer cook time but stop at step 6. And I like the garlic salt on them. 

BONUS: Leave the seasoning off and make some surprise dog treats for your precious pup!

Let me know how this one works out for YOU! Good luck!

Whole 30- Butternut Squash Soup

This one tastes like potatoes! YUM!

Okay, I was super iffy about this recipe when I first saw it but thought "Why not try new things?". And it turns out that this one wasn't too bad. Now, let's be honest. I probably will not make this unless we go on Whole 30 again. BUT if we do, I will definitely be turning to this guy for support!

The number one "is it good?" rating in our house is my husband(who is also diabetic. DOUBLE challenge). If he won't eat it, we don't typically make it again! So, when I suggested a butternut squash soup I am sure he was just as scared as I was. AND this was our FIRST meal on Whole 30. First impressions mean a lot! And this soup passed! My husband posted this after dinner, WIN!

"I might like this whole 30 day challenge. Our whole meal was about 30 carbs and I'm full."-my hubby

Butternut squash soup recipe 

(I don't remember where I got his recipe. Please message me if this is yours so I can give you credit!) 

Preparation time: 50 minutes, active preparation: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squashes (This fed two for dinner and gave two lunches the next day!)
• 1 can of coconut milk (Use 2 cans if you want a thinner soup taste)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;
• Basil Garlic Powder

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Cut your squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. You can get rid of the seeds or keep them and roast them for a snack later. (Keep them!)
   
3. Place the halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 50 minutes. They may brown on the skin. Verify that the flesh is fork tender and it’s ready.
   
4. Now either wait for the squash to cool down. Scoop out the cooked flesh. 
   
5. Place flesh in a sauce pan and add 1 can of coconut milk. (You can add the second can slowly to get the consistency that you want. We chose one can)
   
6. Start mashing the squash with a potato masher on a low heat. (I am not that fancy so I just squashed it all with a fork over and over again!) You can also place the flesh and coconut milk in a blender and blend the mixture.
7. Once everything is mashed up, adjust the consistency by adding some coconut milk if needed. Toss in your seasoning. (I tore a few small leaves of fresh basil and sprinkled in some garlic powder)
8. Leave over low heat until warm and serve.

AND THERE YOU GO! 

One meal down for your Whole 30 challenge!