Month: November 2015

When I say “chocolate”, I mean chocolate (cacao/cocoa). Not the “sugared” down stuff that people say is chocolate. That stuff is mostly sugar, hydrogenated oils and often times loaded with other ingredients that I can’t pronounce. I’m talking REAL chocolate. Chocolate that hasn’t been processed as much as the “chocolate” that you buy at your local supermarket (unless it’s at a Whole Foods, or Sprout’s, etc… of course).

When buying chocolate, you want to look for a good quality chocolate that is, at least, 72% or higher and has only a couple of ingredients (Dr. Rodier tells me that 72% or higher is better for us). The less processed, the better. Otherwise, it’s just a degraded version of chocolate and you’ll miss out on its nutritional value. Yes, chocolate is good for you. It has been shown to have excellent antioxidant value.

The “doc” says that it’s good for you at the higher percentage. Yeah, yeah, that’s too bitter. I hear it all the time. I tell you I used to think that way until he put me on his “sugar detox” diet. Now, anything less than 70% is just too sweet.

My suggestion this holiday season is if you plan on making a recipe with a chocolate bar or chips, I suggest getting bitter chocolate and then add your own sweetener. Honey is the best sweetener. But, anything less processed than refined white sugar is better.

I hope you have a joyous and wonderful holiday season with family and other loved ones! 🦃🎄

Thank you for sharing your time with me!

XOXO, Jenn

I will leave you with a quick recipe that my family enjoys over ice cream:

“Magic Shell”

Chocolate chips or bar and coconut oil. The ratio I use is approximately 1 cup chocolate chips to about 1 Tb. coconut oil. You can use more or less of either depending on your preference. You can also use unsweetened chocolate and then add honey to your tastes and maybe some vanilla or other flavoring.

Microwave ingredients for 30 secs, stir and repeat until chips are melted well into coconut oil and consistency is smooth. 

Hello, again, I wanted to post the link of the doctor I’ve been seeing for 5 years that has helped me SO MUCH. He writes in his blog, regularly and is up-to-date on the weekly medical journals. He posts much info about what he learns. I do recommend his book “Gut Health” if you’re looking for some new insight. He has written another book more recently (Switching Off Chronic Disease), but I haven’t read that one yet. He says that one is easier to read than “Gut Health”. But, I did enjoy that one.

hugorodier.com

Let me know what you think!

XOXO, Jenn

 

 

 

There are days and weeks that a certain issue or “topic” will keep coming up and presenting itself in different ways. In ways that I come to realize that God is “talking” to me and wants me to learn that certain point. Does this happen to you?

Earlier this week, I went to a women’s church meeting. It was a great time! We all had an enjoyable visit with lots of laughs and fun. As we were visiting, 2 women mentioned that they had put their “talents and interests” on hold because of some events that had arisen in their lives. One spoke of their daughter having health issues that had been going on for almost 5 years and another one said she had had a cancer scare, recently, and wasn’t participating in her talents because of it.

Then, the next morning, I spoke with my sister and the same subject came up. It was like, “Okay, God, I get it.” I’ve been thinking about this all week. I realized that since I’ve been “sick”, that I haven’t allowed myself to enjoy life as I should and continue in doing things that make me “me”. I haven’t been allowing the simple pleasures of life in. I haven’t known how to, dealing with the health issues and other troubles that have come up. I felt like there were either more important issues to take care of or I didn’t have the time to have fun.

So, how to we do this? How do we enjoy life when we feel so caught up with illness and other struggles? How do we allow ourselves to look passed our struggles and see that there is still good to be seen and great times to be had? It is something that I want to figure out and something that (apparently) God wants me to figure out, also.

When I talked to my sister about this, she said she had had a similar conversation before with another friend. That friend told her that there’s a balance. And, that the balance includes knowing it’s OK to “have fun” even when you’re in the middle of important things (and illnesses) that need to be taken care of.

This is me mostly thinking aloud. But, maybe we can all learn from this. I know several people that are able to keep up with their “life” and “themselves” by keeping their focuses in balance. They’re able to meet their struggles in such a way that they’re also meeting their “fun” needs, at the same time.

Any thoughts? I will definitely be putting more effort into this!

Thank you for sharing your time with me!

Love, Jenn

Good morning! Happy World Kindness Day!

Today is Friday the 13th. Are you superstitious?

In 2001, on a “Friday the 13th”, I took a flight on United Airlines from Seattle to Denver and made it there in one piece. 🙂 Since then, I haven’t been as superstitious. I am not crazy about flying and I guess since I survived that flight (in my mind) there’s not much to the superstition of “Friday the 13th”.

This morning, I read a post regarding “Invisible Disabilities”. I understood it and at times, have been frustrated over peoples “judgments”.

First off, how many times have we been told “it is not our place to judge”? I know that it is something that needs to constantly be worked on. I fall into the trap of “judging” people who judge (ironically, so) and at times, have to catch myself when I think or say an unkind word about someone. For me, I constantly work on it so that my focus stays where it should stay.

The post that I read was about a woman, with MS, who parked in a handicapped spot when she went shopping with her daughter. Someone left a note on her windshield asking “Did you forget your wheelchair”?

Not all disabilities are visible. I was diagnosed with MS in 2010, but I’ve had symptoms since 1998. Over the years, people (even family members) would be critical, impatient and unkind because of a certain way I was acting or doing something that they didn’t understand. After my diagnosis, people were kinder and understood. But, why do we have to have a diagnosis to be kind and patient? Why is it hard to be kind when someone is doing something we don’t agree with or like?

The woman wrote a letter to the person that left the note. She explained she was having a “good day” and was able to walk unassisted. But, by leaving that note it turned into a bad day for her. It made her feel like people were looking at her the exact way she feels when she can’t walk properly. She explained that a disability doesn’t always mean a person has to be wheelchair-bound and that we don’t know everything and just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean a person isn’t struggling to put one foot in front of the other.

I have had these thoughts and conversations with people and loved ones, also. My husband and I have had to explain to people that just because Jenn “looks normal”, doesn’t mean that she isn’t dealing with and fighting something, everyday. I want to be as “normal” as possible.  I have learned to place my focus on my “wellness” part of me. It’s not always easy and at times harder than others times, but I think it so important to learn. We do have “wellness” parts of us and that part should be our core.

Everyday, all across the world, someone in someway is dealing with and fighting something. It doesn’t have to be a “diagnosis”. It doesn’t have to be something that we’re aware of. It doesn’t have to be understood. It just needs to be handled with kindness.

In honor of World Kindness Day, let’s all work on being kinder to one another and that includes even being kinder to ourselves.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. Enjoy your day!

Love, Jenn