Food – Thankful Runner Girl

I enjoy birthdays! Yesterday was my Mom’s birthday. My Mom has said that birthdays weren’t a big thing when she was growing up. My Mom has 5 sisters and 2 brothers. A brother and one sister have passed on now.

Growing up we celebrated birthdays with parties here and there. Most of the time, since my birthday was near the fair I was able to invite a friend or two and enjoy some time at the Fresno Fair. I can remember doing that at least twice. I had a big party for my 21st birthday. We had a DJ and it was a lot of fun. My Mom and my Nina made my favorite, Chicken Enchiladas, yum!

Today we celebrated my moms birthday with family and friends. I kind of invited more people than I thought, but Jason always says the more the merrier. We had a Berry Chantilly Cake! Have you ever had one? Go to Whole Foods and get a slice or even a whole cake, you won’t be disappointed 😉

My Mom seemed to have a nice time. I know she misses my Dad lots on days like her birthday. God was good to surround her with people who love her and who wanted her to have a nice day.

We celebrate lots of birthdays in my family and I love it. Birthdays mark time and provide a space for family and friends to come together to celebrate. When given the choice between a birthday party or a trip I almost always choose a party. I love my family. I love seeing them and celebrating happy days, like my birthday, with them.

I know not everyone celebrates birthdays with extended family and friends. Some people like to take a trip or enjoy a smaller gathering. I would challenge them/you if to consider what keeps families strong and together. It isn’t seeing each other twice a year, Christmas and Easter. It’s all the “little” opportunities to celebrate one another throughout the year. Birthdays for sure, but also graduations, baptisms, confirmations, First Communions, Weddings, anniversaries, Mothers’s Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, so many excuses as the year ticks by to spend time with family and friends. Why wouldn’t anyone grab it?

It’s not guaranteed. Days aren’t guaranteed. No guarantee I’ll get another birthday or that my Mom will get another birthday or that anyone will get any other type of celebration. It could all be gone tomorrow, or the next day or in an hour. Birthdays are precious reminders of how short life is and that it should be celebrated!

So today for my Mom’s birthday…I give thanks!

We finally have picked a half marathon plan, for better or worse, just need to figure out when to start it…hoping my mile time will start dropping when we become more consistent…it takes grit to work your way back…I think we have it in us…I know we have it in us, hopefully God will grant us the gift of health so we can…Keep On Running….

My Mom’s Birthday Cake
Berry Chantilly …Yum!

Today I am thankful for many things. My husband and I have been doing Whole 30 now for over 90 days. We followed the first 30 days to the letter, the second 30 days, we had one treat for my birthday. I made chocolate cupcakes with coconut flour and cashew butter frosting, really good but not compliant. The last 90 days we’ve been reintroducing foods here and there. We started with corn because we like tacos and moved on from there. So far we’ve discovered, our bodies aren’t actually too crazy about bread, rice made us tired, beans…gassy and cheese was good but we don’t miss it. We actually prefer eggs and zucchini now in the mornings instead of pancakes or waffles, they sound too heavy now, though I’m thinking on trying some pancakes made with oats next week. The best thing is I’ve gone from Size XXL back to a Size L, lost several inches everywhere along with 25lbs! Yay! We’ve decided to stay on this path because we feel so much better than we did before. We have more energy. We are enjoying lots of different types of food. We eat mostly at home now and it gives me a chance to cook more, which I have always enjoyed doing.

Food is hard. It’s attached with so many emotions and it can act as a drug when we are unhappy and want to feel better. It can be a friend when we are lonely. It can be a companion when we are happy. Food is tough. I just keep trying to remind myself that above all food should give my body the nutrients it needs to be strong, so I can be physically and mentally fit. This is important because I think God has things for me to do and I can’t do those things when I feel like crap because I ate too much bread and sugar.

Since doing Whole 30 I notice I am definitely more calm. I don’t lose my energy in the late afternoon like I used to. I am able to stay awake longer in the evening and enjoy time with my family instead of vegging on the couch.

Today I had time to make a real meal! I made Walnut Crusted Porkchops and Sweet Potatoes with Bacon :-)!

So today, for cooking, shirts that fit better, and so many many other things…I Give Thanks!

KOR

…and if you are a praying person…pray for the people in Northern California…there’s one thing that’s true about offering thoughts and prayers…thoughts are useless but prayer, prayer is powerful!

Here’s the dinner I made tonight. I really liked it, though the pork could have been a bit more moist, any hints, please feel free to advise!