Month: October 2013

Reblog: How I Balance Faith and Medicine and Exams

At least we made it this far...

Check out this fantastic post by  Nathan called Lessons from Psychiatry Part 1: How I Balance Faith and Medicine and Exams.

Seriously.  Read it now.

I read this and I thought… Wow… Here is a lesson I have learned over and over again.  And a lesson I forget more often than I should given the number of times that I should have learned it.

Over the last few weeks with my exams and presentations and relationships all seeming to want to demand my attention, my relationship with God has been a struggle for me.  It came up at small group, it came up in my own (very rare) Bible reading.   It came up everywhere.

And really, my relationship with God should not be a struggle.  It should be something I work at.  Something that I want to have.  But, really, I think it shouldn’t be a struggle.

And…

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Fighting Fear with Faith and Hope

Bone.  Marrow.  Biopsy.

Three words I hoped I’d never hear again.  But that’s where we were on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at the UNC Cancer Hospital when Kelly’s blood work numbers came back askew.   Not all the numbers were bad.  In fact, all the numbers were in the normal range — except for the one number that really counts, his absolute neutrophils.  Neutrophils are white blood cells that fight off infection.  Kelly’s neutrophil number was 1, meaning he had about 1,000 of those cells to fight off infection in his body.  That’s a problem because normal absolute neutrophils will range from 1.8 to 7.7.  In July, his absolute neutrophil number was 4.2 — the best it’s been since he went into remission.  When he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, his neutrophil number was 0.

Neutrophils.jpgNeutrophils (The most abundant white blood cells in most mammals.)

Image Source:  www.wikipedia.com

When we were discussing options, Dr. Foster looked at Kelly and said, “Another bone marrow biopsy is an option.  I know a biopsy is uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable,” Kelly replied wryly.  “Is when your underwear rides up.  Bone marrow biopsies are excruciating.  But it’s the only way we’ll know for sure what’s going on, so let’s do it.”

So, this past Monday, two years, ten months, and 27 days from the first time he had a bone marrow biopsy, he lay on a gurney at the UNC Cancer Hospital having his sixth one.  He was face down, waiting patiently while Dr. Van (his other cancer doctor) was preparing the site where the needle would be inserted.  I was holding his hand and it just didn’t seem like it was enough, so I got on my knees by the gurney and laid my head next to his so that we could be face to face.

Image Source:  www.riversideonline.com

We prayed.  We cried.  He gasped in pain as they numbed his hip.  Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as Dr. Van used three separate vials to aspirate marrow samples.

Image Source:  www.bing.com

It’s hard to watch the man who is your earthy rock go through so much pain.  It makes you feel so small.  And I remembered several scriptures and began to pray them:

 All you who put your hope in the Lord be strong and brave.  (Psalm 31:24, NCV)

Always respect the Lord.  Then you will have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true. (Proverbs 23:17b-18, NCV)

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  (Isaiah 40:31, NIV)

Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times.  (Roman 12:12, NCV)

When I had no more words, I sang.

I sang “How Great is Our God*” by Chris Tomlin.

I sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness*.”

I sang “He is with Us*,” by Love and the Outcome.

I sang “Amazing Grace*,” which led into “Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone*,” by Chris Tomlin.

We were holding each other’s hands so tightly that our fingers were white.  So I poured out my tears, a language that only God truly understands.  And in near silence, Dr. Van continued to work.

Image Source:  www.bing.com

And Kelly broke the silence, not with a gasp of pain, but with these prayerful words, sung so softly that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been so close to him:

“In seasons of despair and grief, my soul has often found relief… I’ll cast on Him my every care, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.*”

Almost immediately, Dr. Van said, “There is power in the Blood.  And I know that you both know that God has this — either way.”

I usually write something about weight loss on Wednesday — physical weight loss.  Today’s post is about losing the weight of a spiritual burden.  I took a great deal of fear with me into that procedure room, but I came out feeling light and full of hope.

What will the biopsy show?  We don’t know.  But we know God’s got this — either way.

*To listen to each song, just click on the title.  “Sweet Hour of Prayer” is sung by George Beverly Shea, who for years was the voice of the music at all the Billy Graham Crusades.  Kelly loves Billy Graham and loved to hear GBS sing.

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Faith It Forward: Tricia Edwards Smith

O death, where is your victory?  Where is your power to hurt? (1 Corinthians 15:55 ERV)

Thursday, October 17, 2013, the angels came to collect my friend, Tricia, and escort her home to Jesus.  Her long and arduous fight with cancer was done.  After years of praying for it, she was finally healed.

Todd & Tricia

Image Source:  www.facebook.com/tricia.smith

But her fight has not been in vain.  In her fight to live, I saw an extreme display of faith that has forever changed me. I watched as her family, her church, and her community rallied around her to offer her strength through prayer and an outpouring of love through deeds of kindness.  The irony of it all is that while we were offering Tricia our strength, she was giving us hers.

Her husband Todd, and sons Carter, Aaron, and Nathan brought her such joy and she was the light of their world.  Her parents, Nancy and Landon Edwards, raised Tricia in a Christian home, full of love and laughter.  Todd and Tricia established the same kind of home for their family.  She had a close, loving relationship with her brother and sisters, Mike Edwards, Pamela Edwards Pritchard, and Teresa Edwards Pritchard.  Her nieces and nephews adored her.

Her friends were another source of joy to Tricia.  A Facebook page, “Friends of Tricia,” was established so we could share with her our thoughts and prayers.  Hundreds of messages were added each day.  She was never far from my thoughts and when I had even the smallest bit of time, I would read each and every message (many of them prayers) and lift them up to God as well.

Never one to think of her own needs first, she was constantly looking out for the needs of others and it led her into healthcare.  As a critical care nurse, she loved caring for others and she was good at her job.  She worked well into her battle with cancer, refusing to let it keep her from the profession she was so obviously made for.  It was not only her medical knowledge that she imparted to her patients — she shared the love of God and joy of serving the Great Physician. Even if you didn’t personally know Tricia, you could take one look at her and know that she was warm, giving, and selfless. She had a million-watt smile that could light up a room and she always had a kind word and a hug to share with everyone she met.

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Image Source: http://www.klove.com/encouraging

Tricia’s greatest source of strength and joy was her relationship with Jesus Christ.  That’s why, even in the last days when Hospice was called in, she wasn’t afraid.  As others tried to comfort her, she sought to comfort them — to let them know that no matter the physical outcome, she was spiritually ready.  She took satisfaction in the knowledge that this world was a temporary residence for her.  She trusted completely that she was just biding time on earth, simply in transit to her true home — Heaven.

I love what her niece, Erica, shared:  “I’m praising God for the life of my Aunt Tricia. So jealous of the angels today. Thank you for your many prayers. Our family appreciates each one. Please pray for continued strength as we go through this arm in arm and only through the grace of The Lord Jesus.“

I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”  (Revelation 21:3-4 ERV)

We will grieve mightily because we will miss her happy, humble presence — a woman with a gentle spirit and a heart as big as all outdoors!  Her family will especially miss her.  On special days to come — holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and the days her grandchildren are born — there will be a yearning for her physical presence. There will be an ache that cannot be soothed because those will be days when there would have been memories to be made with her — that she would have loved to make.  But she leaves such a rich legacy behind that it will almost seem that she is here — and she will here, living in the hearts and accomplishments of those who loved her.

Today, Tricia is rejoicing because she is in Heaven, completely healed, and in the presence of our Lord.  Tricia can finally say, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have served the Lord faithfully.” (2 Timothy 4:7 ERV)

I have seen glimpses of faith in my life, but life-altering portraits of faith have been few and far between.  Faith has a new face for me now.  Faith looks like Tricia Edwards Smith.

If you would like to make a contribution to the Tricia Smith Charitable Fund, send your donation to:

Fayetteville Community Church

2010 Middle Road Loop

Fayetteville, North Carolina  28312

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“Celebrate Me Home” (The Perrys)

To follow me on my Facebook page, “Loved by the King,” click here.

Six Foods to Help You Lose

Image Source:  http://goliathflores.blogspot.com

Daniel did not want to eat the king’s rich food and wine because it would make him unclean. So he asked Ashpenaz for permission not to make himself unclean in this way.  God caused Ashpenaz, the man in charge of the officials, to be kind and loyal to Daniel. But Ashpenaz told Daniel, “I am afraid of my master, the king. He ordered me to give you this food and drink. If you don’t eat this food, you will begin to look weak and sick. You will look worse than other young men your age. The king will see this, and he will become angry with me. He might cut off my head. And it would be your fault.”

Then Daniel talked to the guard who had been put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah by Ashpenaz. He said, “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then after ten days, compare us with the other young men who eat the king’s food. See for yourself who looks healthier, and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants.”

So the guard agreed to test Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah for ten days. After ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier than all the young men who ate the king’s food. So the guard continued to take away the king’s special food and wine and to give only vegetables to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. (Daniel 1:8-16, ERV)

I am really enjoying my online nutrition class.  I’m learning so much about the foods I eat and how my body processes them. I am always looking for good foods that make me feel full and give me every advantage on the diet playing field. Here is a list of foods that I consider to be the “best of the best” foods to help you lose weight.

Image Source:  www.romafoods.com

  1. Fruit/Vegetables:  The USDA’s MyPlate plan suggests that we eat fruits and vegetables at every meal.  Fruits do contain sugars and they have carbohydrates.  However, these carbs are complex and take longer to digest.  They leave you feeling full longer, which is always a plus.  The key to successful integration of fruits in your diet is portion control.  Vegetables should be high in fiber and water content.  The fiber helps in digestion and the water helps move the food through your digestive tract.  (Specific food suggestions:  1 cup of berries = 83 calories, 1 small Gala apple = 55 calories, 1 cup sliced bell pepper = 46 calories, 1 cup broccoli florets = 30 calories)
  2. Nuts:  Although high in fat, raw nuts are one of the most nutritious, satisfying foods you can eat.  The fat in nuts is monounsaturated and actually has been shown to aid in weight loss.  They taste good and satisfy our need for something crunchy.  Low-sugar nut butters (almond or peanut) are also good choices as long as you enforce portion control.  (Specific food suggestions:  1/2 cup raw almonds = 265 calories, 2 Tablespoons almond or peanut butter = 190 calories)
  3. Low-fat Dairy and Non-Dairy Foods:  Yogurt is one of the most nutritious dairy products that can help you lose weight.  Non-dairy foods like tofu offer lots of protein and are low in fat.  Almond milk is my favorite non-dairy food. (Specific food suggestions:  1/2 cup of firm tofu = 88 calories, 5 ounces plain fat-free Greek yogurt [with a dash of vanilla extract and sweetened with stevia] = 80 calories, 1 cup almond milk = 30 calories)
  4. Potatoes:  Any kind of potato except a FRIED potato is good for you.  It’s high in fiber and filling.  I must stress portion control, again, because a single potato (boiled, baked, or broiled with salt and pepper) cannot derail your weight loss efforts.  (Specific food suggestion:  1 medium baked potato = 161 calories)
  5. Whole Grains:  Whole grains in pastas, rice, and breads are not refined and have more nutrients.  Whole grains are complex carbs and we know what they do for us — leave us feeling full longer.  I have to give a plug for my favorite bread, Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread.  You can find this in the freezer section of health food stores or in your local Harris Teeter.  It makes a delicious sandwich and is great with my Basic Egg Scramble in the mornings.  You can find different varieties, such as the Ezekiel 4:9 English muffins, Sesame, and Cinnamon Raisin breads.  (Two slices of Ezekiel 4:9 bread have 160 calories and 0 sugars!)
  6. Water:  Water hydrates the body, helps with digestion, and has nutrients and minerals that our bodies need.  Best of all it’s calorie free and cheap!  (Duh!)

Image Source:  www.drsharma.ca

If you read the rest of the first chapter of Daniel, you will find that Daniel and the others who ate his diet of fresh foods and water were healthier than the rest of the men  who ate the king’s rich, calorie-laden foods and wine.  The king considered Daniel so wise that he made Daniel his personal servant, which put Daniel in a position to do God’s work later on.

Like Daniel, we need to eat the whole, fresh foods that God provides for us.  Ridding our diets of processed foods is one of the healthiest, most productive decisions we can make.

Remember, our desire is to eat to live, NOT live to eat.  If you have a favorite food from any of these categories, please share them in the comments.

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Weight Loss Wisdom 3

I recently read an article entitled “10 Weight Loss Tips from the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.”  It was informative and since Duke University is right in my own back yard (give or take 70 miles), I decided to share this information with you.  You can visit the Duke Diet and Fitness Center (DDFC) website here to see what it offers.

1.  Eat more!

Choose a full plate of healthy foods.  Often, DDFC clients will say that they are scared they’ll be hungry when they first start the program.  But they change their minds when they see the meals they’re served.  Most clients say it’s more food than they normally eat at a meal.  Your body has to have fuel.  The DDFC uses the USDA‘s MyPlate instead the food pyramid.  If you look at a round plate, half that plate should be filled with healthy fruits and vegetables.  One-quarter of the plate should be filled with healthy proteins, to include fish once or twice a week.  The last quarter of the plate should be filled with carefully chosen, fiber-rich starches like beans, legumes, brown rice, or quinoa.

Image Source:  www.choosemyplate.gov

2.  Plan your meals.

Not only should you plan WHAT you’re going to eat, but WHEN you’re going to eat.  Eating small meals every three to four hours will keep you from becoming ravenous.  Being ravenous leads you to eat any-and-everything you can get your hands on.  Starting with breakfast within an hour of rising, don’t skip meals.  Don’t let your hunger reach the point of no return.

3.  Keep a food journal.

Write down what you eat on paper or use an internet helper such as MyFitnessPal.com or CalorieCounter.com.  The dieticians at Duke have found that you get off your eating plan if you don’t keep track of what you eat.

4.  Curb the emotional eating.

Before devouring a dozen chocolate chip cookies or half a box of Krispy Creme doughnuts, you should stop and ask yourself some questions:

  • Am I really hungry?
  • What am I feeling right now?
  • What do I really need?
  • What can I do instead?
  • If I eat this, how many calories am I going to have to burn?
  • How long with I have to exercise to burn these calories?

One DDFC client has put a note on her refrigerator that reads: WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR IS NOT IN HERE!  

5.  Have a daily indulgence.

Allow yourself one treat that is no more than 10% of your daily calorie count.  (For example, most days I eat 1200 calories. My indulgence would be something with 120 calories or less.)  In doing this, don’t choose your trigger food.  Choose something that tastes good but will not cause you to lose control.

Image Source: http://www.mamasgotittogether.com

6.  Don’t beat yourself up.

Okay, so you ate the dozen chocolate cookies or the entire box of doughnuts — you can’t ruin your diet in one day, says Christine B. Tenekjian, a dietician at DDFC.  It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.  If you need to rid yourself of the guilt, journal about what you were feeling before you over-indulged and try to figure out why you did it.

7.  Walk it off!

People that come to the DDFC often have not been active in quite a while.  Fitness experts there start their clients on a walking regimen — short distances at first, then working up to 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day.  A pedometer is an inexpensive investment that will give you great feedback.  (Personally, I use the free Runtastic app on my iPhone.  It has a pedometer, a distance monitor, and a timer.  There are also other apps that do the very same thing.  Just do an app search for “pedometers.”)

8.  Make your work out simple.

Working out in a gym is nice but not always affordable or feasible.  It’s just as easy to set up a workout routine in your own home:  doing squats, wall push ups, tricep dips from a chair, ab crunches,  leg lifts, and using resistance bands are all effective exercises as long as you do them two or three times a week, one or two sets of 8-12 repetions each.

9.  Rise and shine!

DDFC has found that people who do their daily workouts first thing in the morning have a better chance of sticking with it. With the busy lives we lead, there’s just too much of a chance that something will come up and take priority over our workout time if it’s later in the day.  Decide to become a morning person (it’s hard — but I personally learned to do it after more than half my life of being a “night person”) and set a routine that’s hard to get interrupted.

Image Source:  www.cardio-greentea-stretching-tumblr.com

10.  Be creative in your motivation.

There’s more to motivation than just setting a weight loss goal.  What happens when you run into a plateau and become discouraged?  DDFC advocates finding a partner for accountability and motivation or changing up your routine to get out of a rut.  Any routine that become “routine” is boring.  When you get bored, you run the chance of abandoning your goals.  I found a great article on one of my favorite websites, Everyday Health, that offers some great tips.  You can read the article here.

Image Source:  http://raymcdonald.wordpress.com

I am praying for you all.  Whatever challenge you’re facing, God is listening.  It’s one of the ways I curb the emotional eating — I pray.  If I get caught up in talking to my Heavenly Father, I find that my emotional needs are met in a much bigger way than any half-gallon of ice cream ever could.

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Even If

I keep a prayer journal.  When friends ask me to pray for them or for someone else, I write a name and the need, if I know it.  Sometimes I only know that someone needs me to intercede on their behalf.  God knows the need and it’s not necessary for me to know it in order to offer my support through prayer.

I did something last week that the Lord has been urging me to do for quite a while:  choose and day, go to church, and kneel at the altar to pray for people, our nation, and our world.  I asked my friends, family, and followers on Facebook to send me their prayer requests. (I have a companion page for this blog there:  “Loved by the King”  I started this page because I try to post here on WordPress two to three times a week.  I wanted a place that I could share a short daily devotional, so I started a community page on Facebook just for that.  Please visit me there and give me a “Like.”)  I chose Friday, October 4, 2013, to be my very first “Friday at the Altar.”

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I began writing these names and requests on paper.  I prayed for each one as the requests came in.  Then on Friday, I went to my church and laid all the pages of requests on our altar at 11:00 a.m.  Before I began to pray, I read aloud a portion of scripture that the Lord gave to me from the book of Daniel, chapter three.  (You can read the entire chapter here.)

These were my focal verses:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to explain these things to you. If you throw us into the hot furnace, the God we serve can save us. And if he wants to, he can save us from your power. But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up.”  (Daniel 3:16-18, Easy-to-Read Version — emphasis mine)

I chose to read the verses from a Bible I keep in my office at the Culbreth Memorial UMC.  It’s a Today’s English Version Bible donated by the family of a woman who was a faithful member of our congregation for many years before her death.  As I read from her Bible, I could feel a distinct energy in the sanctuary — an air of expectancy.  When I knelt at the altar and read the names on my pieces of paper aloud, the energy increased.  (The hairs on my neck and arms actually stood up!  I call them “God-bumps.”)

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After I prayed aloud, I did something that I don’t do enough — I sat in silence and listened.  God spoke to me in that still, small voice of His that I sometimes miss in the hustle and bustle of my life and all the things I think are important, but really aren’t.  In those moments, God dealt with me about some situations in my own life.  I was determined to stay on my knees until God released me from the moment.  When I felt that release, I stood and sang a short little song that I hadn’t thought of in years.  I’ll bet some of you know it.

Hear our prayer, o Lord.  Hear our prayer, o Lord.

Incline thine ear to us and grant us Thy peace.  Amen.

I gathered my papers and went back to work in the office.  If you don’t believe in signs from God, then the rest of this post will probably not mean much to you.  I believe that God gives us signs that affirm His approval or disapproval of the things we do.  I believe that He gives us little nudges to encourage us.  A friend of mine says there is no such thing as “coincidences” — they’re all “God-incidences.”  I agree.

I don’t even remember why I looked, but in the front of the TEV Bible I had used was a hand-written message:

“Take care of the things that are important to God and God will take care of the things that are important to you.”

More “God-bumps.”

I have a stash of sources I use for my daily devotionals.  On Thursdays and Fridays when I’m working at the church, I use “The Upper Room,” a publication of the United Methodist Church.  I turned to the devotional for Friday, October 4. The pages were stuck together with static electricity and before I could get to Friday’s devotion, I noticed that the scripture for Wednesday’s devotional (October 2) was the same scripture that I just read in the sanctuary.

“God-bumps” on top of “God-bumps.”

I cannot tell you what a privilege it was to pray for my family and friends.  What was even more intense for me was the fact that friends-I-haven’t-met-yet (people that follow me here, receive my blog by email, or follow me on Facebook) entrusted their requests to me.

Image Source:  www.msd.org.au/prayer

My prayer request for all of them was this:  whether or not their prayer requests were met with their desired answers, I asked that God give them His presence and assurance that He knows best.  To be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – to say “even if,” I will still worship and trust You.

Image Source:  www.robparkersblog.com

If you would like me to add your name to my “Friday at the Altar” list, leave me a comment.  You can tell me your specific request or you can say that you have an unspoken request.  If you just need prayer in general, simply leave your name.

I don’t do this for acclaim.  I don’t do this so that people will look at me and say, “That Sandy Rosser, she’s doing the Lord’s work.”  I don’t do this for any other reason that to be a servant.  I love God and He said for me to love others; to serve them daily because that’s how I show His love.

Image Source:  www.usf,edu/clipart

My request to you:  wherever you are on Fridays at 11:00 a.m., take a moment and offer up a prayer.  You might not be with me in person, but you can be with me in the Holy Spirit.

And if you happen to live in Fayetteville, North Carolina or the surrounding area, I would consider it an honor if you’d join me in person on Fridays.  I believe in the power of prayer.  My God is in control and He can do anything.

I chose “Let Them See You” as my Monday Music song.  It says exactly what I want my life to express — on Fridays, and all the days in between.

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Other than those noted, all image sources are mine.

“Let Them See You” (Colton Dixon)

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Decadent Dark Chocolate Mocha Brownies (Low Carb – Low Sugar)

It’s Friday and it’s a good time to make something that is scrumptious!  This is my take on a flour-less cake that I originally saw Clinton Kelly make on “The Chew.”  This recipe makes 12 brownies that you will absolutely love!

Image Source:  Sandra Hall Rosser

Ingredients:

6 ounces premium dark chocolate made with 70% cocoa (I used Moser-Roth brand from Aldi)

8 Tablespoons coconut oil

2 1/2 to 3 cups stevia in the raw  (you can do this to taste)

1/2 cup Da Vinci’s sugar-free Kahlua flavoring (this is non-alcoholic)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, room temperature

8 Tablespoons liquid egg whites, room temperature

Baker’s Joy non-stick spray

Directions:

1.  Melt the dark chocolate and the coconut oil in double boiler or in microwave.

2.  Whisk in stevia, Kahlua flavoring, and unsweetened cocoa powder.  Whisk until mixture is smooth.  Allow this to cool to room temperature!

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4.  When chocolate mixture is cool, use a hand mixer on medium speed to whip room temperature eggs and egg whites until frothy.

5.  Reduce speed on mixer to low and incorporate room temperature chocolate mixture with egg mixture.  (You can whisk it by hand just as effectively!)  Do not over-mix because this will make your brownie dense and thick instead of creamy and light.

6.  Spray an 8″ X 8″ glass pan with Baker’s Joy non-stick baking spray.  (Or grease and flour the pan to keep brownies from sticking.)

7.  Pour brownie mixture into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until edges of brownies are dry and start to pull away from the edge of the pan.

8.  Cool completely on baking rack.  Cut into 12 equal portions.

Serve with sugar-free whipped topping or my favorite, a 1/2 cup portion of Breyer’s Vanilla Carb Smart ice cream.

Nutritional Information:  291 calories, 24 g fat, 31 mg cholesterol, 37 mg sodium, 14.7 g carbohydrates, 4.2 g dietary fiber, 8.6 g sugar, and 6 g protein.

Compare to a Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Decadent* packaged brownie mix (an 8″ X 8″ pan of brownies cut into 16 portions):

*Nutritional Information:  130 calories, 3.5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 18 g sugar, and 1 g protein.

Important Tips:

Please let chocolate mixture cool to room temperature.  Egg mixture needs to be at room temperature as well.  If not, then the chocolate mixture will “cook” the egg mixture.  You won’t be able to recover the recipe after this!

Substitutions can be made:  butter for the coconut oil, and Splenda for the stevia.  You can even semi-sweet chocolate chips for the premium dark chocolate (although this will increase the sugar grams and thereby the carbohydrate grams of the recipe).  The point of the recipe, however, is to be low-carb and low-sugar.

Over-mixing this recipe will produce a brownie that you could use to pave your outside walkway.  When you mix, it’s okay that the egg mixture is slightly “ribboned” (where you can still see the distinctive yellow of the egg) with the chocolate.  If your mixture looks like a regular boxed brownie mix, then you may have over-mixed.  Take this from me — the first time I made these, the taste was good but they could have been declared a lethal weapon if I’d chosen to throw them at someone!

If you use a metal pan, you will have to decrease cooking time.  Start checking brownies at 25 minutes if you’re using a metal pan.

Da Vinci (and other companies) offers other sugar-free flavorings:  French Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut, Coconut.  You could substitute the Kahlua flavoring with any of those.  However, substituting pure vanilla extract or almond extract is NOT the same thing because Da Vinci’s flavorings are SWEET.   I’m not saying those couldn’t be used, just adjust your sweetener accordingly.

Add walnuts or pecans to this recipe if you’d like.  It will only slightly increase the calories and will boost the dietary fiber and protein.

Finally, if your batter isn’t as sweet as you want it, your brownies will not be as sweet as you want them.  TASTE TEST the chocolate mixture before mixing it and the eggs together.

Have a fabulous weekend.  If you make these, please go to here and rate my recipe!

Remember to visit God’s house this weekend and give Him all your praise and glory!

shr

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MORE: New Food Reviews (Satisfries/Progresso Heart Healthy Soups)

While I am focusing on being a healthy person, I am also focusing on becoming a more Christ-centered person.  It’s not about me at all, but about Christ living in me.

So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.  (Galatians 2:20, Easy-to-Read Version)

I am finding that LESS is MORE when putting Christ first.  I truly believe the reason I’ve been so successful in losing my weight and not giving up when it’s gotten hard — and believe me, every day has not been easy — is because I’m worshipping at the foot of the cross, not at the “foot of my fridge.” It’s been a struggle against putting things of the “flesh” (food) before things of the Father.  So, as strange as it may sound, in my journey to weigh LESS, my goal is MORE:

More Jesus - Less MeImage Source:  www.bing.com

In my quest for MORE, I’m opening myself up to new foods and discarding old foods that do not fit my healthy lifestyle. Part of becoming healthy is knowing what foods are and aren’t reliable sources of good quality nutrition.

My son, Martin, is working at Burger King while he’s in college.  I was intrigued when he came home and told me about a new menu item:  Satisfries.  I don’t eat fast food often and I never order french fries anymore, but in the interest of a scientific experiment and for the good of YOU (my faithful readers), I sacrificed myself and ordered some for lunch one afternoon last week.  (Okay, I hear all you out there laughing about my sacrifice!)

Image Source:  www.bk.com

I have always loved crinkle cut fries and that’s what the Satisfries are.  According to the Burger King advertisements, they’ve been working on the formula for these fries for ten years.  They reportedly have 30% fewer calories and 40% less fat than Burger King’s and McDonald’s regular french fries.

I did not eat the entire order.  I shared them with five other people whose opinions about food matter to me.  We all agreed that we loved the crunch of the Satisfries.  None of us could honestly tell the difference between the regular french fry taste and the Satisfries.  The clincher was my niece, Reagan, who is the pickiest eater in our family.  (This is a child who actually leaves the dessert in her lunch untouched.  And she’s related to me?  Go figure!)  Reagan gave the Satisfries her “two thumbs up” approval.  Overall, I’d say that the Satisfries did truly satisfy our french fry cravings.

All that being said, I would not call them an “optimal” food choice, but a “better” food choice if you’re going to eat fast food fries.  The biggest benefit that I see is that the Satisfries are significantly lower in sodium.  Let me share the nutritional information directly from the Burger King website.  You can decide for yourself:

Regular Fries, Small:  340 calories, 15 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 480 g sodium, 49 g carbohydrates, and 4 g protein.

Satisfries, Small:  270 calories, 11 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrates, and 4 g protein.

The air is crisp and the leaves are changing. It’s fall and my favorite time of the year — time for SOUP!  Did you know a small salad AND soup for lunch is filling and keeps your satisfied throughout the afternoon longer than a salad alone?

The big buzz at lunchtime for me in the past week has been sampling the new Progresso Heart Healthy soups.  There are ten flavors:  Creamy Tomato with Basil, Creole-Style Chicken Gumbo, Homestyle Vegetable Beef, Italian-Style Wedding Soup with Meatballs, Minestrone, Roasted Chicken Noodle, Savory Chicken with Rice, Savory Garden Vegetable, Southwest-Style Black Bean and Vegetable, and Tomato with Parmesan.

Image Source:  www.progresso.com

So far, I have sampled the Tomato with Parmesan, Minestrone, Creole-Style Chicken Gumbo, and Garden Vegetable.  I LOVED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!  I can’t wait to try the rest.  You can find the nutritional information for all the soups here.

Please let me make something clear — Burger King nor Progresso gave me samples to try, nor paid me for these reviews.  I just think it’s important to pass on information to others who are on their weight loss journey about satisfying, healthy foods.  (Or on the flip-side, foods that will sabotage that journey!)

God bless you.

shr

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