WEEKLY UPDATE AND RECIPES

APRIL 2, 2009

It's hard to believe we are in the month of April already. It will be a busy month with weekends filled with events. We have the Annual Union Grove Walk-A-Thon coming up as well as a camping trip, ladies breakfast, walk for Salem Pregnancy Center and a few other family things. I'm glad to be busy but need to get some things done around the house.

Our family along with the Heges and Worleys are sponsoring the YAAC for Sunday night teens and it will be at the Tullock home. (Pray for us that we supply enough food and every thing stays in one piece.) Just kidding. Our teens have been in our home many times and are always respectful and very well behaved. I love our teens and enjoying working in the teen department.

I read on Tiffany's blog where she reached her lifetime membership by obtaining her goal weight and I am so excited for her. It inspires me to continue my journey, knowing one day I will be able to post the wonderful celebration of meeting my goal weight.

Weigh in was great with another 2.2 lbs lost for a total of 52.4 lbs down. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by but I will tell you the benefits of this weight loss.

1. I am feeling much better and have a greater amount of energy. Sometimes I am walking along and just have a desire to skip or jump. I know it sounds funny, but its true.
2. MY HEALTH: My blood pressure is 127/80 much better than the previous number of 139/92.
3. My total cholesterol is 149. (Must be under 200)
4. My blood sugar is 104 (normal is under 120)
5. CLOTHES: Last but not least, I am wearing clothes that I could never think of wearing before. I am down from a size 18 to a size 12. I don't shop in the women's section any longer, I shop in the misses and it truly has been a blessing.

I am not saying that everyone has to lose weight. This has to be a personal decision. If you are truly happy with who you are, then don't worry about what anyone else thinks. I was not happy inside or out. I fought emotions, scars from my past, and situations in my present that kept me overeating to compensate for it all. Along this journey, I've had to battle and overcome those feelings with God's help. I've had to give it all to him and allow him to take control and to grant me the power to change. I'll be sharing some more of these things in a later post that God has been laying upon my heart to use to reach others that may be hurting and feel there is no hope.

Let me stop here and lovingly remind anyone that desires to stop any addiction: You must submit yourself to GOD first. Nothing will work without submitting to him. He has to be in total control of your life and you have to be willing to submit! He loves you and wants what is best for you. If we could only "grasp" how much he loves us. I think about this often now, how much he loves me. Yes, he sent his son, Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for us but do we truly understand the dept of his love to us! I cry every time I think about him on that cross not because of his pain (and he did suffer) but because while hanging there on the cross, he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." He still loved us so much that in his terrible, horrific pain, he was more concerned for the souls of mankind.

I want to be honest because I want people to see and hear the sincerity of change that can occur with prayer, hard work, and submission to GOD. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. I am not preaching to anyone just giving the hard truth. I needed to submit in order to do this. The devil used the biggest temptation in my life to keep me in a pit and that was food. But GOD is bigger than any temptation that the devil brings before me. James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.

I'm sorry if I have offended anyone. It certainly is not my intent. I use this blog to share my personal thoughts so that one day, Rachael can understand the personal struggles, journeys, and memories that we've shared as a family. I pray that she sees Christ through her dad and I and know that we are not perfect BUT saved by God's amazing GRACE! That she too, can weather any storm but dance in its rain with God. She can fall, but be picked up by a heavenly father who loves her. I remind her often of the message I heard on WBFJ when the man called in and said I don't measure my failures by how many times I fall; I measure them by how many times I don't get back up!

Getting to the weekly recipes. Some folks may think that pasta is a no-no while losing weight (my husband thought we could not eat pasta), but here is a spaghetti recipe that is delicious and low in points.

SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO-MEAT SAUCE

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup of fresh chopped mushrooms
• 1 large green bell pepper chopped
• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves minced
• 1 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7 % fat)
• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 3 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti

Place ground beef is skillet sprayed with small amount of cooking spray over medium high heat. Cook until brown stirring frequently. Remove from heat, drain meat and rinse with water. Set aside.

In same skillet, add 2 tsp of the olive oil and add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.

Add ground beef to skillet. Stir in tomatoes and tomato puree, salt, red pepper flakes, basil, mushrooms, green peppers, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes for mushrooms and green peppers to cook and flavors to blend.

Serve with cooked whole-wheat spaghetti noodles. Yields 1/2 cup of spaghetti and 2/3 cup of sauce per serving. Makes 6 servings. WW Points is 5 per serving.

I serve mine with 2 pieces of the White Wheat bread with some Parkay spray butter on it and toasted in the oven. WW points is 1 per 2 slices of bread. I also fix a large house salad and sometimes throw in some corn for a full Sunday meal.

Another suggestion: You can make this baked spaghetti by taking the noodles and placing them in a 9 x 13 pan and adding sauce on top. You then add reduced fat or part skim mozzarella cheese and bake in oven on 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. This adds another WW point of 1 for a total of 6 points per serving.

Dessert Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

• 12 medium strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 tbsp of splenda
• 2 oz shortcakes, quartered (use two 3-inch shortcake dessert cups)
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp reduced-calorie margarine (I use country crock)

Mix strawberries and splenda. Let sit for approx. 10 minutes to allow splenda to saturate strawberries. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Alternately, thread 3 strawberries and 2 shortcake quarters onto each of 4 wood or metal skewers.

Combine chocolate chips and margarine together in a small saucepan; melt over low heat, stirring until smooth and well blended. Drizzle chocolate mixture over kabobs. Refrigerate until set, about 4 minutes. Yields 1 kabob per serving. WW Points is 3