Feed Me Friday - Food for the Body & Soul - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Kale - WHAT???

Social chick just moved to a place with a pool right outside her bedroom doors (french doors that is!) and she is just SOOOOOOO EXCITED about it! Can't wait to have some of the girls over and just have some fun - just like Cyndi Lauper sings about in this video. Enjoy the Friday Flashback! And who doesn't love the funkiness of Cyndi Lauper - she is one imaginative chick!

Social chick is also experiencing technical difficulties with her Google drive, so I apologize for no photo on this one - you will just have to trust me that is was DELICIOUS!

I have been trying to eat more kale - it's good for you and tastes better than it looks! I have done it 2 ways recently.

First, Kale Chips (photo from the Internet, but this is what mine looked like!)

Preheat oven to 275

If you buy the whole head of kale, rinse well, dry, remove the ribs and chop into about 3" pieces. Or just buy the pre-rinsed, chopped pieces.

Place on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and a bit of salt and bake for 20 minutes or so, turning half way through.

They get crispy like a chip! Do NOT put in a container until completely cooled - I did and the condensation made them soggy. Then I just put them on sandwiches - I waste nothing!

Second, Wilted Kale (sauteed, cooked, steamed, whatever you want to call it) NO photo on the Internet available, because I made this up on the fly!

Put some olive oil in LARGE skillet over medium heat.

Add some thinly sliced onion and saute until they are to your liking

Add some chopped garlic, a bit (1/2 cup or so) of broth (chicken, beef, vegy - whatever you have on hand). I also added some diced tomatoes at this point.

Pile on the kale! It wilts down to nothing! Cover and let the kale wilt. I did not time this part, so just stir every few minutes then put the lid back on.

After it has wilted to where you want it, add a can of rinsed Navy beans (the white ones) and heat them through. It should only take a couple of minutes or two.

I ate this plain and with grilled chicken - both were YUMMY!! I tend to eat stuff before photographing, sorry!! I keep trying to remember to takes pics of food I am cooking.

PS - extra tip for the day concerning kale. I cook my dog's food as well and didn't have the usual chopped spinach to put in it, so I substituted kale. It did not go over well - my dog left the kale in the bowl (how did she eat the rice around it?) and her new friend (the other dog that we moved in with, who is a boy AND 10 years her junior, so she is now officially a cougar, not a dog, but I digress......) Raider, tries to eat the kale, then spits it out all over the floor! I'm not doing that again, I'm eating it myself!

Work it Wednesday - Step 6, Part 4

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.

This step is all about the WILLINGNESS to have God remove these defects. All you need to do is admit that you have defects of character and be willing to give them up. Start to imagine what you will replace those 'bad' traits with. What will be your new coping mechanism? If you are not drinking or drugging, what will you do with all the time on your hands? Besides going to meetings, make a list of other activities to choose instead of your 'usually'. Put the list somewhere that you can refer to it. Just some examples: take a walk, meditate, swim, yoga, work out, take a shower, call a friend or sponsor, watch a movie, the list can go on and on. 

This does not mean that all of our defects will simply vanish at once! You just need to be willing to aim for the best of your ability for where you are at TODAY! Some defects will be difficult to give up. For me it is smoking - it is the last addiction (for now) that I am hanging on to - some days - for dear life. But, it beats the alternative of drinking! Same with eating. I know that eating healthy is good for me, and I feel better when I do. But there still comes a time when a candy bar gets in the way of my better judgement. I don't beat myself up over it, I just ask God for more will power the next time one is presented to me and move on. In fact, last night I ate a mini candy bar (OK two of them) but this morning I walked right past the donuts and cookies that awaited me at the office!


Keep on keeping on!

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

 

From the booklet, Meditations for Street Chicks Step 6

Available through our website - link to the right  

Once you have stopped worrying and started walking with God, you need to keep at it. It is easy to get busy in this world and forget to let God handle things, like your life. Keep turning it over to Him and see where He leads you.

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

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

 Next week we are sailing on to Step 7 - y'all come back now, ya hear!

Sunday Stories - Kay's Story Part 4

I was anxious, depressed and isolating. I had no idea who I was. I merely existed. I totally related to Psalm 6:2-3 ‘Pity me, O Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, for my body is sick and I am upset and disturbed. My mind is filled with apprehension and with gloom’. And with Job 30:27 ‘My heart is troubled and restless. Waves of affliction have come upon me’. I was a dead person walking. I would wake up each morning with a tight chest, and panicked about what I had to face that day, which was not usually much more than going to a meeting or blocking everything out by playing games on the computer or watching movies and things on TV I wouldn’t normally watch because everything reminded me of what I had lost.  EVERYTHING made me nervous!!! It was especially bad when I had to go out into the world and interact with others.  The WORST was when I was going to see my girls.  I was ashamed, embarrassed, a failure, bad mother, loser, etc. 

My Swiss cheese looking brain had trouble focusing on anything. My mantra became ‘I DON’T CARE’  That was the only way I could deal with what was happening - to pretend I didn’t care. I avoided everything I could! I shoved all feelings deep down and buried them with FOOD!  I used to imagine a statue of Jesus that I saw of him sitting cross legged and would picture myself crawling in his arms so he would hold me like a baby. The one thing I wasn’t, was drunk!  I used to drown my feelings in alcohol and now I was actually FEELING them. But I had a little faith - about the size of a mustard seed. Mark 9: 24  ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief’! 
 
I worked the steps not only with my step study group, but with my sponsor. I was REALLY uptight about the 4th and 5th step!!! I managed to write the 4th step and then tell her everything!  A lot of what I had done she could relate to because she had been through the same thing, or something similar. If she hadn’t done it herself, she knew someone who had, or at least was very understanding!!!  Although it was a HUGE relief to get that over with, I did not have the instant ah-ha moment others had talked about. Remember, I’m a dimmer switch. But I kept at it. I realized that God had forgiven me, but how could I possibly forgive myself?

At some point I mentioned in my Friday small group that I wanted to volunteer and next thing I knew I was working the literature table. About the same time, I drove a friend from my step study to her eye surgery. I not only had to drive, but I had to drive with another person in the car, then wait while she had her surgery - what was I going to do for an hour? - and drive her home. YIKES!!  I even realized after dropping her off that I didn't even know her last name - how was I going to go back in to ask if she was done without knowing her last name?  I not only survived, but have become close friends.
I even managed to send out a couple of resumes for jobs I thought I could tolerate. But instead of hoping they would call for an interview, I was terrified that they would!  What would I say, what would I wear how would I do my hair?  In reality, I didn’t want them to call, and they didn’t. I didn’t care!

When my mom said she was coming to visit in early December, I rolled my eyes and inwardly freaked out!!  She had to stay at a hotel since I did not have a place of my own anymore, and she invited me and the girls to stay the weekend as well.  I was NOT looking forward to this! I kept hoping something would come up in her life so that she couldn’t come. But she did. We have a tradition of baking a TON of Christmas cookies and that’s what she wanted to do. I just wanted to pretend Christmas didn’t matter and get it over with. But the girls came to the hotel and we baked. And we baked and baked. I remember at one point the tension easing up a bit. This was actually going OK!  We even went out to dinner and I was OK with others in the restaurant having margaritas and beer with their Mexican food and me drinking water.  All in all, I survived the weekend!  And the dimmer switch turned up a bit more.

Feed Me Friday - Food for the Body and Soul - Hey Brother I Got Eggplant!

For our inspirational portion of today's blog, the song, Hey Brother, by Avicci. 'If the sky comes falling down for you, there is nothing in the world I wouldn't do'.  Thanks to my slightly younger friend Rachel for the suggestion - love it!

The BEST Eggplant Parmesan I have EVER had!!

This is my adaptation of a recipe I saw on the Internet by Mario Batali!

1 large eggplant
1 large onion
Tomato sauce - 15 oz can
chopped garlic (I use the already chopped in a jar)
2-4 tomatoes

Carrots (I had roasted baby carrots in the fridge, so that's what I used, but you can use 1 whole regular carrot if you want) either finely chopped or grated. (NOT even necessary, but a great way to add more veggies and flavor)

Mozzarella cheese, grated (about a cup)
grated Parmesan (I use the parm/reggiano in a shaker from the grocery but fresh from the deli would be even better!)

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I happen to have the kind with Italian spices)
 
Preheat oven to 425


Oil baking sheet with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Slice 1 large eggplant into 1/2 inch slices
Slice 1 onion (I always use Vidalia, but any will work!) into 1/2 inch slices
Place eggplant and onion on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Bake about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown like this (OK, I forgot to take the picture until part of them had been removed, but you get the idea) 
 

 

While those are roasting, put the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, garlic and grated/chopped carrots in a sauce pan to warm up. Medium heat or so. You can season with Italian seasoning, or buy the sauce with it already in it. You can also just buy diced tomatoes in a can, but I used what I had on hand!

Lower oven temp to 350

Place 4 or 5 of the largest eggplant slices into a casserole type, oven safe dish, with some EVOO on the bottom

Place some of the onion on top

Place a spoonful or so of sauce on each one

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then the parmasan cheese

Repeat

Once your stacks are complete, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. My breadcrumbs are very dark in the photo because the recipe I used called for toasted breadcrumbs, which I think is unnecessary. I won't do it the next time.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

By now, your house will smell AMAZING, so eat one as soon as it cools enough so that you don't burn your mouth! 

You should probably just double the recipe to begin with because these will go FAST!!! I ate just one - at a time!!

ENJOY!!! I am always on the look out for new recipes, so if you have one that you would like to share, please leave it in a comment below, or use the Contact Street Chicks box to the right.

Work it Wednesday - Step 6, Part 3 - Ready, Set, Go!

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.

Do I have to have all my ducks in a row, or all my defects in laid out for God to remove? Not at all! God already knows them anyway. He just wants you to be willing and honest enough to give them all over to him!  Let go and let God!

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

Once you allow room for God, you will get results. There are those in recovery that have stopped drinking/using by way of steps 1, 2 and 3, but spend the rest of their lives pointing their misery at other people because they won't continue with the steps. In step 6, your willingness to change comes from seeing how you hurt others and yourself. 

You may have been a great big blob kind of a thing on the inside - sucking the life out of everything with you wants and fears. Afraid of not getting what you wanted. Sort of like a big, selfish, self-centered monster rolling around with thousands of arms reaching out to grab at anything it could get a hold of. Chanting the whole time, I want, I want, I want! I would be running away from someone like that!  But you don't have to be a blob any longer. God can remove those needy character defects and thus allow you to walk closer to him. You do not have to be afraid or want for anything! You can begin walking a new walk! It is such a good feeling to finally stop struggling! Even before you finish the other steps, you will find a release from the tension - a new peace!

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

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

Sunday Stories - Kay's Story - Part 3

I went to Celebrate Recovery a few Fridays and attended church a couple of times on Sundays and really enjoyed it. It was when I was most relaxed and to prove it, my stomach would growl. There was a Labor Day picnic that year for CR and although I hate going to things like that by myself,  especially when I don’t know anyone, I made myself go. Before I got out of my car, I prayed that God direct me to a table with someone who I could talk to and be of help to me.  I ended up sitting next to the Director of CR, the worship leader for CR and two regular attenders. I didn’t really know them at the time, but they were all the ‘right’ people!  

When my mom came to visit and had to stay in a hotel I was completely embarrassed and ashamed. I was the high achiever that had everything, and now I had nothing. My girls visited briefly, but it was just awkward and weird. After she left, I basically spent a week in bed. Yes, a week, not a day. I knew something was wrong. With the advice of my ex, my mom flew back down, I packed what little I could fit in my mustang along with my golden retriever and we drove to Ohio. I did not even see the girls before I left. I just knew I had to get out of there. 

The day after we arrived at my childhood home, my dad had me over to Behavioral Connections for an evaluation. Everyone thought I would need in house treatment, but they put me in an intensive outpatient program. I did that 3 days a week, attended 3 AA meetings a week and church on Sat night.  Other than that I laid on the couch and watched tv. I was in a deep depression - what kind of mom was I? who leaves her kids? Who picks alcohol over their children?  I was also very anxious about everything! It made me nervous to even text my girls let alone call.  Just before Christmas I got a letter from my ex’s attorney explaining that he had taken full custody of my girls. I was devastated!! They were my world! He said I had abandoned them.  So when my 3 months were up of Intensive Outpatient, I decided to go back to Florida. I have always hated the cold weather, it was January, and my friend was out of jail, and I wanted to see my kids!

A day or two after getting back to Florida, to the same house I ran from, I went to the Wednesday Service at Grace Central. That night, I went to the altar and rededicated my life to Christ. Jepson prayed with me. I can’t tell you a single word he said, I just know it was right on! I joined the Step Group on Tuesdays and took my friend to AA meetings twice a week. I found my sponsor here on a Friday night and started working the steps with her as well. That’s all I did for about a year!!  

Throughout the year, I was in the group, but with a scowl on my face.  I didn’t want to go, didn’t want to do my homework, but knew i HAD to or I’d be right back to drinking and die!  When someone in my group shared that her dog died and she felt better when she went to the Bible, I thought ‘good for you!’ but that wouldn’t work for me. Another lady started texting everyone she met uplifting messages, I thought, good for her!  I enjoyed getting the text, but there is no way I would do that. One lady said that the Bible was the only self help book any one needed - I was doubtful!  I did however, hear someone say that she had a normal childhood and had no one to blame for her drinking but herself - me too I thought. I managed to hear a least one little something that I could ‘use’. 

Still, I prayed for God to remove me from the whole situation. I prayed for a do-over. I prayed to win Publisher’s Clearinghouse. Some nights I prayed to just wake up dead!  I did not want to kill myself, I simply wanted to be dead. I felt empty, lonely, afraid, angry, horrible, etc. None of those prayers were answered over night like I wanted, but something (or someone) kept me coming back to Celebrate Recovery. Friday nights, Tuesday Step Study and church along with AA meetings. My dimmer switch was ever so slowly brightening! Mark 2: 17 says ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor - sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners’. Celebrate Recovery is where I needed to be - I wanted what they had.