let's get real, folks.

you know how sometimes you love reading a blog, but you realize you don't really know anything about the person behind the food?

(or maybe that blogger is you...?)

i hate that! i want to get to know the heart and soul behind the posts. i can find recipes anywhere, but personality? that's a rare gift.

because of that, i aim to be as transparent as possible here at Clarity in Creation... even if it's not a pretty sight!

so in the spirit of full disclosure, here are a few honest statements that have been floating around in my heart and brain here recently...

thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my fibro diet post! i'm definitely not an expert by any means, but if someone else can learn from my mistakes and hard-earned lessons, i'm all for that!

if anyone ever has any tips for me (concerning anything!), i'd be honored if you'd share them. i love new experiences, recipes, and any tidbits of information that could help others. or if there's something i should know, fill me in!

when i remember, i've been trying to post Operation Beautiful notes at the gym, grocery store, etc.

i haven't been taking pictures of them because i'm not concerned about sending the pictures in... i just want the ladies i cross paths with to feel special, for only for one minute of their day.

have you written any Operation Beautiful notes? or have you found any?

since my orientation on monday, i've been working on my class schedule, and i think i finally got it organized! it's not exactly how i could have chosen it, but i think it's going to work out :)

as of right now, i have one class on mondays, and three classes on wednesdays and thursdays. i'll also be lifeguarding for my college pool, so it's nice to be able to work a few hours in between classes.

i've been designing my next tattoo! it's a compass rose (similar to the picture) - my daily reminder that Christ is my guide for life, so i never need to worry about where i'm headed next.... i go to a consult at a local parlor today!

i can't decide if i should add on to my first tattoo (on the inside of my right arm, working towards a half-sleeve), or get the compass on the inside of my left wrist (my original idea).

thoughts??? i'll let you know what i decide! i'm getting inked the second week in august with my freshman roommate who will have just gotten home from her honeymoon!!! eek!

i went to the library... can you tell? i love books (especially free ones!). 

i also put a bunch on transfer, including Thrive, Eat Pray Love, Food Rules, and Veganomicon!

do you use your library? have any book suggestions for me?

finally, a recipe!

i got off my lazy rear and made a chickpea/quinoa salad, looking to Jess and Ashley for inspiration.

i just used what sounded good, but you can adapt it however you want! i'm broke, so i scrounged around until i was satisfied :)

chickpea salad - basic recipe:

cook:

- 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to directions (subbing veggie broth for water)

- 1/2 cup dried beans, or open, drain, and rinse 1 can of choice (i used chickpeas)

let cool slightly, then stir in:

- chopped veggies: i grated 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 a small red onion, and grated a carrot, but cucumber, strawberries, and/or avocado would make an awesome salad, too!

now, the fun stuff... add:

- 1 cup dried fruit (i used craisins)

- 1/4 cup toasted nuts (walnuts for me!)

- salt and pepper, to taste

- a few tablespoons of your favorite salad dressing, or EVOO + basalmic vinegar (i used a new find, Trader Joe's Raspberry Viniagrette)

and what would wrap up this ridiculously random post better than a picture of my scraggley dawg?

- rebekah

p.s. - check out Mama Pea's cookbook giveaway, y'all!

guest post: lisa.

ehllooooooooo poppets.

source.

i am wiped out today, because yesterday i was a big dummy and was go-go-go all day, for the third day in a row.

if you know someone with fibro, you know can be the kiss of death.

it was.

so i'm kinda down for the count today, which gives me the time to realize - i haven't really posted anything about food in weeks.

i'm a naughty blogger, and must remedy this situation asap!

in the mean time, here's a guest post from the beautiful Lisa at I'm an Okie.

..........................................................................................................................

First of all, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Rebekah for letting me do this guest post. Just to introduce myself..my name is Lisa and my blog is I’m an Okie. This is my story.


In January, I was a scared girl. Scared of food, scared of being myself, scared of failing, scared to try. Just scared.

I was a girl who would get anxious at restaurants around tempting food and because of that anxiety I would end up overeating AT the restaurant and then bingeing when I got home as well.

I’m the girl who was scared she would gain back the weight she had lost over Summer time. And because of that fear, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy of mentally restricting food, trying to be perfect with my diet, and then bingeing because I couldn’t mentally handle it.

I was a girl who would get upset over eating a cookie (I would still eat it but I would just be mad about it.) I had feelings that eating a cookie would make the scale rise and I didn’t want that.

No more though. I have been making an effort to just LET GO. I finally let go of all these mental restrictions and fear of food in my head. It wasn’t easy. But, I finally let myself have a cookie if I felt like. And not just 1 cookie, eat 5 if I wanted. I finally let myself have cereal for breakfast if I wanted (I used to not allow myself cereal–no protein). I let myself have pizza when I wanted. And something magical happened. I didn’t gain weight. Heck, I haven’t even been able to be super consistent with the gym at the all time and I’m still in the same 5 lb range. Everything is OK.

I no longer think about Food every waking minute of the day. I no longer watch the clock in anticipation of my next meal. I no longer freak out when I DO get hungry and I don’t overeat because of that anxiety. I no longer have anxiety at a restaurant. I went to Mexican for lunch and I realized that this was the first time I felt comfortable with all the delish food staring at me in the face. Tortilla with cheese, yes please.

This doesn’t mean I’ve become a junk-food aholic. It means I’m kind to myself now. I feed my body good HEALTHY foods but I feed my mind calm and peace. It really just feels so WONDERFUL.

And another personal achievement. I got an A in Chemistry! Yes, the girl who was deathly afraid of it. The girl who was sure that she was going to have to retake the class. The girl who broke down in Chem Lab and had an anxiety attack, couldn’t breathe and cried.

I’ve been putting off my interest in the Medical Field for 8 years now. It started in highschool. I dropped Chem half way through. I was convinced since my Math skills were bad I couldn’t do it. I dropped out after a week in Chem at the University of Oklahoma. I thought to myself “you aren’t smart enough.” “This is not where your talents lie”. So, I took the easy way out and got a “safe” degree. A degree that didn’t challenge me, all because I was scared.

I learned today and throughout the semester that I have absolutely NO REASON to doubt myself. EVER. I can do it. Don’t allow yourself to fail without even TRYING. Yes, I worked hard and I studied all the time, but I did it. This victory is 100% mine and it feels good.

Today is a day I will remember forever. In the course of 6 months, I’ve changed my life.

The new Lisa is here to stay.

.....................................................................................................................................................................
 
i am so amazed by her incredible transformation! go girl!
 
just goes to show you, it's worth it to put effort into living a healthy life, right?
 
would you like to do a guest post? email me at nelsonrr[at]mymail[dot]vcu[dot]edu!
what was the biggest challenge you faced in being healthier?
-rebekah

the leftovers.

ever have those few leftover pictures on your camera you don't feel like posting about? or make something and forget to take pictures? or just feel like talking about random things from your week?

well, you'll understand today's post just fine.

ready for the randomness?

last week, i got a much needed haircut.
pardon my sour face/man's t-shirt/myspace pic.

i also made gluten-free breakfast bars for my little sister.

i used Karina's quinoa bar recipe, but i subbed nuts in for the fruit, thinking my sister would appreciate a little protein boost before swim practice.

from the pro herself.

fatal mistake, because she said they had NO flavor. my real challenge was finding a recipe that wouldn't crumble, though, and that was a success!

next time, i'll double the spices, and add dried fruit AND nuts.

and yesterday, i drove up to D.C. to visit the beautiful and crazy-talented Mo of Mo's Kitchen. have you read her blog? the recipes this girl tackles are baffling! i am humbled by her kitchen finesse :)

she recommended lunch at this cute local place, Sweet Leaf Cafe, and who am i to turn down a lunch date? i ordered the "Berry Leaf" Salad, which is "strawberries, almonds, cranberries, cucumbers, greens, and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette."

very tasty, but since i am the tasmanian devil, i require a bit more food. thankfully, i never leave the house without a car full of snacks!

Mo has the same medical issues that i struggle with, so we talked doctors for a while, then turned to more positive things - food, life, and Target!

um... she had never been to Target! i had to remedy this situation A.S.A.P.!

no joke, if i could pop a cot at Target and just camp out there, i would. it's my home away from home, and pretty much all my savings end up there (split with Trader Joe's, of course).

since i'm a grandma, it was time for me to head back to richmond. i really enjoyed my time in D.C., and can't wait to visit my sweet, new friend again. hang in there, girl!

about 4 hours of stop-and-go traffic later, i returned home, sweaty and hungry. if you've ever ridden in the car with me, you know how bad of a road-tripper i am... i hate the car. so as soon as i got in, i grabbed a snack, unpacked, and hit the treadmill to stretch out my cramped thighs.

and after the treadmill? um... i did... yoga (!!!).

Christie, i know i'm eating my words here, but can i make a confession?

i am a yoga convert.

let me explain - i HATED yoga. i've taken countless classes, all different types, and really tried to go in with an open mind... but each time, i ended up counting down the minutes until i was free. i hated every... S...L...O...W... second...

i thought it just wasn't for me, but after an especially painful fibro week, i was desperate. i caved in and tried some, "just to stretch," in my room after a run.

bingo.

i realized i was approaching it all wrong. i was trying to look at my practice like a workout... it had to be done for an hour, in a studio, with your game face on. serious business, this yoga thing. it was somewhere i challenged myself to be perfect, and couldn't be.

but yoga isn't about being perfect (like running). it's about bringing balance back into our crazy, hectic lives. it's about learning your center, your rhythm, and honoring your body.

and no one cares how long, how fast, or how often i practice when i'm alone, just honoring my body. i'm no jennifer aniston - just a girl doing the best i can with what i've got. it has become something i look forward to; something that balances out the intensity running brings to my life. and it feels soooooooooooooooo good after a long, hot, hungry car ride!

so if you haven't tried it yet, don't rush out to a studio or pop in a Slave-Driver-Jillian video just yet. how about trying a few poses on your own first, and seeing what you like? what feels good? what helps you just let go of the day? unwind?

i plan on hitting up a class here soon to expand my repitoire of postures, but there's nothing wrong with the basics. anything that works for you is perfect!

do you like yoga?

what does it do for you?

do you take classes?

HaPpY fRiDaY, y'AlL!

-rebekah

a clarification, a bar review, and a thought.

thank you guys so much for your encouragement yesterday!

i know being excited about hunger is a strange thing to think about, but after a few years of feeling like a freak with my health, just to do normal things again is such a blessing.

1. allow me to clarify something:

my links were almost the same color as my regular words, so i changed it to make it easier to see. 

sorry about the the link to the justin's nut butter giveaway being hard to see... enter for free justin's here!

2. a bar review on a bar actually worth buying.

ok, i'm probaby the last person on earth to try something from amazing grass, but i can't help it!

a) i'm a starving student, and b) they ain't cheap! but i snagged this bar buy one get one free at whole foods the other day and thought i'd give it a try.

i love that it has so many incredible ingredients packed into one little bar!

"The peanut butter protein Bar is a premium blend of organic peanuts and whey protein in a chocolate covered bar. Each bar is loaded with 12gr of protein."

270 calories
14 grams of fat (healthy omegas)
12 grams of protein
19 grams of sugar
28 grams of carbohydrates

Ingredient List: Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Dates, Whey Protein Concentrate, Organic Peanuts, Organic Rice Crisps, Amazing Grass Green SuperFood (Organic Wheat Grass, Organic Barley Grass, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Spirulina, Organic Spinach, Organic Chlorella, Organic Broccoli, Organic Acai, Organic Maca, Organic Carrot, Organic Beet, Raspberry, Organic Rose Hips, Pineapple, Green Tea, Organic Flax Lignans, L. Adidophilus, Alpha and Beta Amylase, Protease, Lipase, Lactase, Cellulase, Organic Peppermint), Natural Flavor, Peanut Extract, Organic Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt Organic Dark Chocolate Coating: Cane Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor

i usually don't do chocolate covered bars, but this one seemed pretty wholesome as far as they go. i shared it in the dark with the boy during a movie, and when i ate the next one the day after, i started cracking up... if he knew the inside was green, he wouldn't have touched it for a million dollars!

this is actually a bar i think could be a good addition to my snack rotation. i like.

have you tried it or the shake packets? whaddya think?

3. a thought.

do you guys buy all organic produce?
i grocery shop for 4: me, my mom, my little sister, and my little brother... except my sister, brother, and i are all athletes, so we eat for more like 10,000.

... so i just try to buy what i can afford.

sure, i'd love to bring home the organic produce section of whole foods everyday, but there's no way i could fit that into my budget.

so what is really important to be organic, and what isn't?
if you're like me, you have a limit budget for food, but you want to make the best choices with your money.

so what's worth the money for organic, and what can you pass on?

the dirty dozen:
you should always try to buy these organic.
they retain the highest amounts of pesticides from being sprayed with chemicals during farming.
- celery
- peaches
- strawberries
- apples
- blueberries
- nectarines
- bell peppers
- spinach
- kale
- cherries
- potatoes
- grapes

not quite as bad, but also on the naughty list?
- salad greens
- carrots
- pears
- meat
- milk
- coffee

the clean fifteen:
these are foods that are considered safe from the chemicals used in farming.
these are ok to buy regular, so go nuts!
- onions
- avocados
- corn
- pineapple
- mango
- asparagus
- peas
- kiwi
- cabbage
- eggplant
- papaya
- watermelon
- broccoli
- sweet potato
- tomatoes

want a printout of those lists to take shopping with you?

the bottom line?
do the best you can with what you have.

if you eat an apple everyday, you might consider going organic. if you only eat blueberries twice a year, don't sweat too much if they aren't organic.

think about what makes the biggest impact in your life, and stick with that. life is about making good choices, not wasting it worring about what might kill you. eat well, and live well!


do you guys think organic food is worth the price?
do you make it a priority to buy organic produce every time you shop?
- r

blessings, a recipe, and a giveaway.

hello my lovelies.

i had just a jumble of thoughts going through my head today.

1. the smallest things in life can be the biggest blessings.
         i don't really talk about it much, but these last couple months, i have struggled hard with managing my fibromyalgia. the foremost struggle is my fatigue/pain for sure, but an unexpected challenge has been with my hunger.
not only is it rare for me to be hungry, but i actually have to force myself to eat most of the time (FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE EVER). think about trying to eat again right after thanksgiving dinner... that's what a lot of my meals have been like.
... pure torture for a foodie!

so after months of struggling with eating enough, today i felt REAL HUNGER. i mean, i ate a normal lunch, and 30 minutes later, i was starving.
at the time i thought it was strange and kinda knocked on wood, but when i got home, i actually cried. it was such a relief to feel "normal" again, even if it was just for a few minutes. normally, the pain dulls my hunger, but today, my body's natural signals we're ok!

it's such a small gift, but when your sick, life is just more simple and raw, and normalcy is a treasure.

          the boy and i also had a really emotional talk today. i can't say enough good things about what he's done for me in the last year. from the moment we, he faced all my physical challenges head on.
sure, we've had our struggles, but he has been there for me when i didn't have words to express the depth of my fears.

once again, he blew me out of the water today with his faithfulness and diligence.
a small thing, but it meant something huge to me.
i'm a lucky, lucky chick.


2. i made pesto, and you should too.

we have a little pot of pesto growing out back that all of a sudden decided to explode.
when life gives you basil, you make pesto.

EDIT: thanks to jess, i realized that i should mention we actually don't have a pesto plant, but a basil plant :) whooopppss.

not-your-average-pesto pesto (technique crash-course from 101 cookbooks)

1 huge handful of basil leaves

3 cloves garlic

5 sundried tomatoes

1 big pinch nutritional yeast

3 or 4 spoonfuls olive oil

salt and pepper

                                     

directions: 

heidi describes the process much better than i ever could. basically, i grabbed a handful of a few things and started chopping, then added more when i got it uniform, and kept adding until i had all my basil, garlic, tomatoes, and nutritional yeast minced. i scooped it into a little bowl, stirred in the salt and pepper, and covered it with a thin layer of olive oil. 

                               

om nom nom.

slather me on a baguette, please.

 
3. anyone interested in any free JUSTIN'S NUT BUTTER!?!?!?

any small things that you guys discovered recently?
- r

p.s.

check out my new bikini i just ordered!

wahoooooooooo

that is all!

- r

p.s. - it's from Land's End

whatever wednesday

hi there.

thought i'd drop you guys the most random post ever.

ready?

health update

today i had a follow-up at the homeopathic doctor who has been treating my battery of issues. basically, we think the supplements might have helped my brain get started in the morning (it had been REALLY rough to get up and going),  but they didn't address the main reasons we were there - pain/nerve response and fatigure. she reassessed me and we found a few more deficiencies that could be causing trouble. she put me on vitamin D3, licorice root, and thymus.... so i'm crossing my fingers! after almost 3 years of searching, it would be so amazing to be pain-free, but i would take 10% improvement! i would also really love to have some nerve function back... i miss things feeling how they used to.

on a completely unrelated note,

stolen from miss naomi... thanks girl!

i added a tablespoon of Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Hazelnut Creamer to my cottage cheese, and holy crap! that's amazing! like ice cream :) am i the only one OBSESSED with cc right now?!?

kashi fans!

i'm sure i'm the last one to know this, but Kashi is giving away free samples of their new cereals! i signed up for the almond one. just fill out your info and they will ship it to you! hurry before they run out. and can i just say they have a great recipe database? i'm lovin' it.

girl talk

i decided today i'm finally going to give in to the trend and jump on the skinny jeans bandwagon..

yeah, i know, but they're so stinkin' cute! and why on god's green earth am i going to torture myself through weekly squats if i get no benefit from it!??!!

here's my next purchase...

from my local joint Need Supply Co,

i love Need, y'all. the clothes are so unique, and the jean wall is bangin'! i had been in before, but didn't really enjoy it until i went jean shopping with my guy... he was super patient. i love jeans, but it's so frustrating to find the perfect pair! especially over these runner's thighs i got goin' on.

happy hump day, all!

-r

this is a random post. you've been warned.

happy friday blogosphere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


first, i wanted to let you guys in on some things i had been thinking about randomly:
1. i am still really unfamiliar with blogger. please pardon my ignorance.
2. i haven't felt super the last couple days, so i have a few pictures, but not many.
3. i just got my computer fixed and back from the shop (i had been using my mom's) so i messed with my pictures on my edit software. so no, i don't normally photoshop my food :)
4. i have been reading a book called "Foods That Fight Pain" by Neal Barnard, M.D., so i will give you guys a little review in the future.

OK - the eats!
here's the deal with the eats. the meals i've eaten at home this week have basically all been the same... so i'll save you guys scrolling through 1098403 of the same pictures of oatmeal. basically, every day i've eaten oatmeal, a salad, a wrap, and some other stuff i took pictures of. so i've eaten more than what i put up... i just wouldn't insult you guys like that!

I DIGRESS. without furthur ado -

 

cinnamon caramel oats... made like wednesday's with egg whites. heaven!

then i was off to the gym for my last day of the week! it was a full body day, and it's safe to say now my FULL BODY feels it :)

 workout recovery - strawberry, peach, flax, hempmilk, carrot, spinach, ice!

again... any of you guys use hempmilk!? love it! i got it on sale at kroger for $1.99.

that's all the eats i have from yesterday (told ya it was a bad day.) i also ate amazing black bean soup, one of my kitchen sink salads, MORE oatmeal, an apple, and veggie wrap. i didn't take pictures 1) because i didn't feel like it, and 2) because you guys have seen them before!

and p.s. - i'm avoiding dairy because i think i'm sensitive to it... but last night i hadn't eaten NEAR enough calories, and i didn't feel like eating anything, so i kinda made myself eat something (check out the bottom of this post). i ended up eating reese's ice cream because i had craved peanut butter, but it was GROSS. i think i've lost my sweet tooth, which is helpful in avoiding sugar :)

on a more positive note, here's today's eats.

brekkie - i made an sweet-egg white burrito (wrap, egg whites, vanilla extract, stevia, pinch salt, cinnamon), but was so hungry i didn't take a picture. which is just as well because it looked gross... but tasted OMGGG.

a bit later, i made some cookies as a thank you to a friend of mine. he lent me his stephen king book "under the dome." it was pretty good! dark, but good. he is a creative writing major at vcu and wants to do a guest post soon! (he's also a closet foodie!)

BANANA-WALNUT (OR PEANUT) CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

(recipe courtesy of martha stewart, my changes in italics)

Makes about 3 dozen

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (i used an extra 1/2 c white flour)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (i'm not gonna lie, i just dumped some in there)
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks (i used tj's semisweet baking bar)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted (i used left over salted peanuts from my little sister's science project... hey, she didn't experiment with those!)
• (i also dumped in a about 1/4 cup white chocolate chips because they were sitting there from something my mom made last week)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

i have no idea what the junk i did to formatting of these, but here they are.