I'm learning to be the light Monday

Photo taken by Stephanie Henry and Almighty God In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

The little cowboy has been a little ball of energy now that he's feeling better!  Not only has his appetite increased but his thirst for knowledge has me searching the internet for music.



He has always had a love for music from a very young age.  His genre ranges from Johnny Cash, 50's classics, to Elvis' greatest hits (AND I think we own every greatest hits album that was put out), and he loves what he calls, "full blown country" which means Jason Aldean, the Zac Brown Band, and Rodney Atkins. 

His love of music has left the two of us with a tug of war regarding instruments.  He has begged us for a set of drums, a guitar, and a harmonica over the course of the past 2 years!  I gave in and we settled on the lesser of the 3 at Christmas and we now have a house full of amazing sounds resonating from the mouth of our 8 year old.

He has written 3 songs in the past month on his harmonica and has had me on You Tube searching for how-to's on playing the harmonica.  From the first note he played on it he has mesmerized all of us with his uncanny musicality ~ plus the adorable little jig he does while he's playing is always good for a giggle too!

One of my favorite times of the day with the little cowboy is right after prayer time as we're winding down, discussing our favorite thing about the day.  Last night he wiggled his head over to rest it on my shoulders and proceeded to tell me his favorite part of the day was spending time together as a family, and of course, playing his harmonica.  I asked him what his fascination with the harmonica was and why he wanted to learn to master it so much.  He paused for a moment and then said to me, "I'm learning to be the light, mom". 

He continued, "everyone loves music ~ it makes you feel good all over and it makes me feel good to see everyone's face light up when I play". 

"It's like God is shining his light through me to other people with my music." 

We'll be purchasing a guitar real soon!!! 

My post today is going to focus on not going into your week unprepared. 

Shine the light on your success and plan what you are going to eat for the week!  It's just another key to a healthy lifestyle ~ plan what you're going to eat and you'll stick to the plan and not go astray.

I am posting new recipes as well as my weekly menu for all of you!  This will include meals and my fitness plan.  Remember my post talking about visualizing that one of your legs is healthy eating and the other one is exercise.  When you just do one you are hopping on one leg and it takes longer to reach your destination but do both at the same time the results are astounding!

I cook on Sunday afternoon which only takes about 90 minutes to fix meals and package them for the week.  My new favorite comes from fellow Meltdown participant Lori McKinney.  This recipe is a favorite of anyone who has tried it and it is protein packed and full of goodness!  This is what I have for breakfast every day with a banana.

Italian Spinach Fritatta
148 calories per slice
3.9 grams of fat (if made with low fat cottage cheese) and egg beaters

6 eggs (I use Egg Beaters instead)

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (or Ricotta) **I use non-fat cottage cheese for lower stats

1/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning Mix

1 Large Handful of fresh spinach, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

sprinkle of black pepper.

Spray a pie plate or quiche plate with non-stick spray.

Beat eggs until slightly foamy or if using egg beaters mix all of the above ingredients and pour into a pie plate or quiche plate.  Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 40 minutes until done in the center.  Let cool and cut into pie pieces.

In mid-morning or late afternoon (not both but one or the other) I usually need a little dose of protein and something crunchy mixed in my Greek yogurt sures makes it last longer and have more substance.  I really don't like all the additives in the low-fat version that's on the market or the fat/calories/sugar that's in the regular.  This fantastic recipe comes from Lori McKinney and I can't keep enough of this on hand at home to satisfy the farm boys!  They even like it warm out of the oven.

Quick Oatmeal Granola
158 calories per serving (1/2 cup serving)
4.9 g of fat (with pecans or sliced almonds)
**I usually leave them out and add Craisins instead to lower the fat

1/4 cup honey

2 Tblsp. Butter, melted

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1  1/2 Cups uncooked regular oats (I use whole grain oats)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Optional 1/3 cup Sliced almonds or pecans (I like Craisins in it too)

Combine honey, butter, and vanilla.  Combine oats, flour, nuts, and salt.  Stir mixtures together until combined.  Spread onto lightly sprayed baking sheet.  Bake at 250 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.

To make things easy at our house I always like to fix chicken that can go with anything whether it is in a casserole for the cowboys, in a salad or a wrap for me, or just as is with 2 sides of a green vegetable.  My pick for this week is my easy chicken marinated with this simple recipe using Mrs. Dash.

Stephanie's Chicken Marinade

Take 1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Mrs. Dash Grilling Chicken

3-5 Chicken Breasts (3 Large or 5 medium)

Cut chicken into strips and mix marinate up.  I like to marinate it for at least 30 minutes but I prefer to do it overnight.  Cook in pan with a small amount of water until done (for my stove it takes about 40 minutes).

We like this for fajitas as a wrap or the little cowboy likes it cut up in pasta. 

My menu plan includes salads for either lunch or supper with Salsa as my dressing, fajitas, a low carb wrap, and chicken with brussel sprouts and yellow squash (roasted).

My dessert if I need a little something is my "I scream for ice cream" recipe using a banana and some Greek yogurt.  Please take a look at our archives at the bottom of this page to check out additional recipes!!

My Daily Exercise will consist of 4 Really Big Miles by Leslie Sansone.  It is amazing and I love the 12 and 10 minute miles!  Remember that this fitness tape is around $9 from Walmart and it goes so fast that your miles will be completed before you know it!  To me it is much better than the treadmill and I get amazing results from it.

This week's focus is on moving and revving your heart rate up ~ don't hop around!  Focus on healthy eating and exercise and you'll see a difference on Friday when you weigh in!

With love & belief in YOU ~ Stephanie