Feed Me Friday - Workin 9 - 5 and a Jelly Roll Pan!

A good friend of mine started a part time job this week, working 9-5, and it reminded me of this video! For my old Xerox buddies, if you watch closely, there is a Xerox ROOM in this!! AAHHHH the good ole days! This is a great way to wind down your week - funny stuff!!

Now, for the FOOD segment! I have made a couple of dinners lately all on a jelly roll pan (baking sheet with edges). I was sooooooo hungry though that I did NOT take pictures - BUT - they were soooooo good, that I wanted to share anyway!  Besides, what you put on the pan is entirely up to you!!

You start with one of these 

Pre-heat your oven to 425 - and while it is heating - add what you want to eat for dinner!! For instance, one night I put chicken breasts, onion slices, asparagus, small new potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning (my favorite right now is Robust Steak Seasoning from Winn Dixie, basically salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika).

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. I read that chicken stays juicier baked at a high temperature for less time, and it's true! I took the asparagus off a few minutes before the rest of the 'stuff' was done. Since it looked a bit pale, I but the oven on broil at the end just to brown it up, but that is NOT necessary!

Last night, I put chicken breasts, onion slices and rutabaga cut up like home fries on it. You need to turn the rutabaga after 15 minutes and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. I probably should have taken the chicken off at that point, but didn't, and it was all delicious!! I put the onion slices either on top of or under the chicken to add more flavor. Once again, I used the steak seasoning on all of it after drizzling with olive oil. 

PS, when I drizzle the olive oil, I use quite a bit, but it's just personal preference. You want to make sure the baking sheet has plenty, or clean up could be a nightmare. You could also line the baking sheet with foil, then cleanup would be a snap! (I'm going to try and remember to do that next time). 

SO, anything that you like to roast, would be fantastic! Broccoli, baby carrots, turnips, beets, pork chops, squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, etc......

You are only limited by your imagination and the size of the baking sheet!!

Work it Wednesday - Step 6, part 2 - Old Habits, New Habits

First a quick review:

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

 Step 5 - Admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Which brings us to Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Old habits die hard. As an addict, chances are you were one or more of the following: selfish, self-seeking, dishonest, inconsiderate and afraid. We were very needy. We need to learn new habits. in order to get along better with people. We can then live free of resentments, fears, guilt and remorse. We can begin to raise our low self-esteem. It is often very difficult to let go of the traits that are familiar to us. Behavior that we have been using for a long time to get what we wanted - drugs and/or alcohol. We went to great lengths to feed our addiction! It is time to stop struggling and ask God for help on the things that don't work for you any more. Things that keep you in your past, not moving toward your future. 

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet.
Available through our website, just click the link to the right.

In our new life, we begin to follow God's will and become honest, unselfish, generous, humble, courageous, considerate and kind. Your willingness to change will come from seeing how you have hurt others and yourself by your actions and behaviors. Step 6 is like taking a shower after doing yard work in the summer. It feels good to be clean after all that sweat and dirt sticking to you. You find a new peace and a release from tension as you put your defects in God's hands. It is such a good feeling! Asking God to remove your character defects is like having God use a knife to cut the sickness out!

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet.
Available through our website, just click the link to the right.

One key point here is to NOT aim for perfection! None of us are perfect. Perfectionism is a lie, a delusion. It's unreal. There is no such thing. We strive for improvement. Make progress. Just focus on doing it and let God fill in the blanks. You will start to see your self-esteem rise as your self-respect is restored. You will stop running and take actions that are honorable, respectful and honest. You will find that you have VALUE!

They say this step separates the men from the boys - or the girls from the women. Anyone who is willing and honest enough to keep using this step has come a long way in trying to grow in the image of God. That person can no longer be called a girl, but is a woman.

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet.
Available through our website, just click the link to the right.

Sunday Stories - Kay's Story - Part 2

My ex husband was an avid golfer, so I was often left with the girls on my own, a golf widow. He also started living by the saying ‘its better to ask forgiveness than permission’. He often was out golfing with his buddies, and not come home or even call, and miss events. I did not realized I was being verbally abused, which I call non verbal abuse, because he could go weeks without speaking to me, until I took a class in order to volunteer at the ACT shelter. I stayed busy raising two girls during the day, and started drinking to ‘relax’ in the evening. That glass of wine in the evening quickly became 2 then the whole bottle, then two bottles! I had to get drunk to sleep, but still was up and running the next day. 10 years into the marriage we divorced. You have to be careful what you wish for, because I told him I’d rather live in a cardboard box that have all of this ‘stuff’ and be miserable! I had failed at marriage and the depression was setting in.

I downsized the house and although I wouldn't drink during the week until the evening, I was starting earlier on the weekends, especially when the girls were with their dad. It killed the pain. I was put on probation with the pharmaceutical company after being drunk at a dinner meeting with a bunch of doctors. It was never a problem at company events, because everyone was smashed! My house flooded a couple of years later and that started the dive into deep depression. While my entire house was ripped up, my router taped to a ceiling fan, I was still expected to work. I ended up on short term disability for depression, and in the end of that never went back. I spent the following year, spending my 401K, sleeping a lot during the day, getting the kids from school and drinking myself to sleep. My car was repossessed and my mom gave me hers. I had a mistake on my taxes to the tune of 8000 dollars, had my debit card number stolen…... I also would have sex with about anyone I met on the internet trying to fill the empty place in my soul with love. I lost the house to foreclosure and stepped down again to a rental townhouse. I was doing a good job of going down. I gave up saying that things couldn't get any worse, because every time I did, I was shown that it could!

I was working for Xerox by now and always stressed about money. I was still good at being a single parent during the day, but switched to vodka at night when wine wasn't cutting it.  I did miss a few deadlines for my kids and even called the police once because my oldest didn't come home on the bus. She was at dance tryouts and I’d forgotten. I got back ended on McGregor and totaled the car my mom had given me. I was miserable inside! I prayed for a job that was fulfilling, made enough money to live on and had benefits. Along came Lifelink. I was hired as a hospital liaison for Lee Charlotte and DeSoto county. My co-worker Patti really helped me start to smell the roses again. She actually saw the blue sky and flowers blooming. Things were going great, or so I was told. I thought this was finally the job I would have till I retired. But the day after my birthday, which was the last day of my temporary contract, I got a call on a Saturday morning telling me that they were not going to hire me and they did not have to give me a reason. It just wasn't a good fit.

It was a good thing that my girls were with their dad that weekend, because I got drunk for the whole two days. I was crushed!!! I pulled myself out of my pity party long enough to sell a few things to pay the majority of my bills, but money was running out. I still managed to buy vodka though to block the fact that I wasn't finding a job and wasn't sure what I was going to do for money day to day. I sent the girls to live with their dad until I got my act together. (that was 2 years ago and they are still there!) I spent a lot of time at the beach watching the sunset, listening to the band and watching people fish on the pier. I started staying later and later, or I should say earlier and earlier. I figured after so many years of being a single mom, I deserved a break. 

I met a guy down there and after running into him a couple of nights in a row, took him to breakfast around 3am one day. He moved in, we drank a lot and  the police were called a lot for disturbing the peace. I was very angry, yelled a lot and threw A LOT of things.  After a night of heavy drinking and fighting, , I said ef you and put a knife in his thigh. A call to 911 brought not just an ambulance, but two fire trucks and a half a dozen sheriff cars and a couple unmarked ones.  I really don’t know why I did, but I then went and picked him up from the hospital.  We continued to drink, fight and throw things. I often asked myself ‘who is this person’ I had become.  We also ended up behind the wheel and am very lucky that we didn't kill anyone else, let along each other. It didn't take long till one day, we were drunk and arguing, and he took off with my car, wrecked it, it got impounded and he went to jail. I got kicked out of my townhouse and had no where to go but to his moms house. The majority of my belonging are in storage. Not all of it fit, so I ended up just leaving some behind. From jail he told me about Celebrate Recovery. 

Feed Me Friday - Walk a Mile in My Shoes & Avocado Eggs

Walk a Mile in My Shoes!

To got with this quote, here is a song by Bill Metts, Hope by Song, titled 'A Mile in My Shoes'. 

Click here to listen!

I've seen this egg on the internet, but never made it. Sooooo, I figured it was about time. I used 2 Avocados, slice them around the long way and twist open. To remove the seed, strike it with your knife and twist it out. Crack an egg into each half. I used these crock bowls (oven safe) so they wouldn't roll around. The part of the recipe that I did not read was to scoop out some of the avocado before putting the egg in. A large egg overflowed a bit, but then that part of the white simply cooked in the bowl, no biggie! A ramiken would work too. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne. I put the crocks and some turkey bacon on a baking sheet and baked at 425 for 15 minutes.

I did NOT take an 'after' pic because some of my bacon was overcooked (OK burnt). BUT, the pieces that were doubled up were just fine, so that's what I will do the next time! And, the dog didn't seemed to mind the over-done ones! Here is what an avocado egg looked like:

I want one right now!!!

I'm always looking for great recipes! Submit your favorite, either through a comment below, or the contact form on the right!

Work it Wednesday - Step 6 - part 1

First a quick review:
Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.Step 2 - Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
Step 4 - We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

 Step 5 - Admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Which brings us to Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet
Available through our website - link to the right

Self will: Driven by our basic instincts. (Security, Social and Sexual) We become dishonest, selfish, self-seeking, frightened and inconsiderate.

God's will: The concept of God having a plan and this plan being fulfilled.

After taking an inventory of my handicaps, I better understood where I had been selfish, self-seeking, dishonest, inconsiderate and afraid. The purpose of Step 6 is the process of helping us rid ourselves of our character defects. Once you take a good look at yourself, you are better able to understand others.  Then, we can live free of resentments, fears, guilt and remorse.

Your character defects may not all go away at once. I thought I only had big, giant, glaring defects of character. Well, I found out that there were also teeny tiny, itsy bitsy, defects as well. Less glaring ones. The key to success with Step 6, is the willingness to have God remove these defects - all of them! 

From Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6 booklet
Available through our website - link to the right

Next week, Step 6 - part 2! Old Habits, New Habits. 

Sunday Stories - Kay's Story - Part 1

HI! My name is Kay and I’m a grateful Christian in recovery from alcohol and I struggle with depression, anxiety, food and nicotine - that's how I introduce myself at Celebrate Recovery.

I was born in March of 1965 in Columbus, OH. When I was 4, my parents moved to a suburb of Toledo and they still live there today! That’s 45 years in the same house, married for 50!  My dad sold insurance and my mom stayed home with us. I have 2 younger sisters. So, that makes me a first born and an Aries. Which means I don’t like to fail and like to get my way! I saw a poster recently that said ‘I always got back up! Nothing beats me! I didn’t get sober until I couldn’t get back up!’ 

Growing up, I was told I could be anything I wanted to be. So at about 6, I got a football helmet because I was going to grow up and play football for Ohio State! I often sported it with my ballet outfit! I also got an easy bake oven and the play kitchen. I still bake to this day, but never played football. I took gymnastics and piano lessons, was on the swim team and dive team. In high school, I was on student council, was a cheerleader, in a national award winning choir. I got mostly A’s with a few B’s, and was in the National Honor Society. I was a lifeguard, taught swimming lessons and coached the diving team while still on it. I also became the Assistant Manager of the pool and taught life saving. This is where my drinking started. Occasionally we would call the city to let them know we were staying late, and have a pool party. Yes, drunken swimming and diving included - smart huh? When it rained and we got the day off, we would head to someones house - usually the basement- and play drinking games. I excelled at binge drinking.  Although I went to concerts and parties where people were doing a lot more than drinking, I never really did. I smoked once however after my senior prom, but when leave blew across the road on the drive home, I freaked out because I thought we were running over chipmunks! 

When I graduated high school, I attended Miami University - which is in OHIO - not south east Florida!  There was always a frat party to go to on the weekends where I could perfect my binge drinking - one time I passed out in the middle of a field while walking home and luckily a sorority sister found me at got me home. My Junior year I joined the Air Force ROTC program, where I rose to the ranks of Lt. Col. (2nd in command). I was on the drill team and could teach anyone how to march. Being loud and bossing people around was a good thing! 

After graduation, my dad gave some of his best advice - to get a job related to health care. I got a job in the IT department at St. Ann's Hospital in Columbus. One dreary February day, I interviewed for a job in Orlando, and 3 weeks later, I lived in Florida. I then moved to Ft. Lauderdale which was a great place to spend your 20’s!

When I was 29 I met my ex husband and moved to SW Florida. We lived the yuppie lifestyle. Big house, with a pool, country club membership, rental condo, cottage on the beach and cabin in the mountains. After my first daughter was born, I didn’t want to travel any more and got a job as a drug pusher - pharmaceutical rep! 23 months later, my second daughter was born. Soon after we added the requisite dog to the picture, kids in private school and I had a BMW convertible just for fun on the weekends. Then my downward spiral started!