My Cookbook and Ministry

When I first started writing a cookbook, I was just going to do an organic cookbook. Over time, this project has developed into part of my ministry. I've become very passionate about several things; health, organics, gmo's, fair trade, and God. When I was talking about my ministry with my mentor, who is awesome by the way, I was explaining what was on my heart. I want to reach out to others and teach them about eating to support the body that God gave them, which will strengthen their bodies so that they can have the best possible impact on the kingdom. We can take care of the bodies that God gave us in such a way that brings Him glory and enables us to take the gospel to the lost and hurting in the world.


 I posed this question to my mentor, “How do I start a ministry like that?” She replied, “You are already doing something about it, just keep doing what you are doing and God will open the doors for you when the time is right.” The more I thought about what she said, the more I began to understand what that meant for me. That got me thinking about my cookbook and then inspiration hit! I was going to use my cookbook as my platform for reaching others! I started to rethink the format from being “just” a cookbook, to a book that can inspire others to live a life dedicated to God. Most Christian books focus on the spirit and on certain behaviors or sins. There aren't many books that focus on health and wellness from a God perspective; that the way we take care of our bodies is a testimony, good or bad, to others about how we feel about ourselves and God.


 I desire to teach others not just how to love God, but to love themselves and to see themselves as God sees them - perfect creations worthy of love. It is my opinion that people use food as medication, eating emotionally, and thinking that they aren't worth the trouble to take the time to be careful about food choices. It's so easy to focus on others and neglect ourselves. When we don't love ourselves or see ourselves through God's eyes, we are diminishing the capacity for the effectiveness of our ministry. I had to learn how to love me and how to see me the way God does. That perspective really changed me and my outlook on life and how I see others as well. See, eating healthy doesn't have to be motivated by vanity, eating healthy should be motivated by love for self, others and for God. It's okay to love yourself, vanity comes when you exalt yourself above everyone else. 


 We were all created to be unique. Instead of focusing on our imperfections as negative, we should rejoice in our differences and love the fact that we are different. Each of us has something to offer the kingdom of God, God made us different so we can bring our uniqueness to the table and make the body of Christ whole. If we were all bringing something to a potluck dinner and everyone brought dessert, what would we eat for dinner? If everyone's strength was evangelism, who would be there to pastor, to teach, to lead, to serve, to minister, etc. We each have a role in the church, we each have a gifting, and we have strengths and weaknesses that are used for God's glory not our own.

I am writing an organic cookbook with a focus on God and I want to teach others about issues that surround food; slavery, genetically modified organisms, and society's impact on women. 

How I got to where I am today...my journey, part 4

I'm sorry this has taken so long to write this next portion of my journey. A lot has been going on and I had taken a break from blogging to write a query/proposal for my cookbook. I'm still not done the proposal but I did query one agent and I have not heard back. I've read that new authors can query up to 40+ agents before they find one interested, so I still have a long road ahead.

Here are the links to parts one, two, and three...

I left off at the point when I was tentatively diagnosed with Celiac Disease. My doctor recommended that I go on a gluten-free diet to see what happens. Gluten is in wheat, rye, and barley, so I had to stop eating bread, anything made with flour, and pretty much everything that I had been used to eating. In adjusting to this, I starved! All I could eat was fruit and vegetables. I ate a lot of potatoes during this time, lol! I cooked potatoes every way possible, boiled, sauteed, baked, roasted, fried, potato cakes, french fries, mashed, au gratin..the list can go on and on! I had to figure out how to make things a new way. I had to read the labels on everything, which I wasn't used to doing. I began to do research on the internet about restaurants so I knew in advance where I could eat. It wasn't easy at all. I was heart-broken and despondent.

On the bright side, I actually started to get better! The pain went away and my appetite started to come back, which was too bad since I couldn't eat anything! I wanted to get off on the right foot with my new diet, so I started to make smoothies and started exercising. I love soy milk fruit smoothies and I was eating them everyday for breakfast. I started having bloating and fatigue and a few other symptoms persisted. I spoke with my sister on the phone about what was going on and when I mentioned about the smoothies she thought that maybe it was the soy causing the problems because she had the same symptoms whenever she ate soy. When I stopped eating gluten, I inadvertently cut out soy products as well. In processed foods, soy and gluten are in everything. A lot of the time, if a product is gluten-free it will still have soy in it. By avoiding gluten, whenever I ate soy certain symptoms would always be there. I felt better because I was eating a lot of fresh fruits, veggies, and meats but there were still some things that I hadn't given up that were full of soy.

On my next trip to the doctor, she went over the results from the endoscopy, biopsy and blood work that she did. The results of the biopsy showed that I did not have Celiac disease! I was so happy!! I told her about the problems that I was still having with soybeans and she recommended that I go back to eating gluten and avoid soy and we would redo the blood work and see what happens. The first thing I did...was to go and get a sandwich from Larry's Subs! I was so happy to have bread again!!! I think I ate bread every day for weeks after that!

I thought avoiding soy would be easier than avoiding gluten but I was in for a shock! Eating soy made me tired, irritable, gassy, bloated and it gave me stomach cramps, rashes, and diarrhea. Normally people with a soy allergy can still eat soybean oil and soy lecithin, so I continued eating foods with those things. Unfortunately I am not normal, because soybean oil and soy lecithin were making me sick but I didn't realize it. I felt so much better because I wasn't eating fast food anymore, my diet was much improved but the test results did not change. I got online and researched soy and I found out all the ways soy is in our food and we don't even realize it. There is a very long list of ingredients that I was still eating because they didn't necessarily cause a reaction but maybe they were messing up the blood work. I went on a very strict diet. I avoided anything that had anything to do with soy; chocolate, store-bought bread, most snacks, cereal, desserts, cookies, candy, soups, boxed rice, tuna...the list is really long!

I found out about GMO's in my research, I'll get into that with another blog post, though. Factory farmed animals are feed soybeans and I wondered, could that be causing me problems? I watched the movie Food Inc, which opened my eyes to the travesty that is factory farming and I started to look into organic food. Once I made the switch to organic meat, veggies, fruits, and bread, I started feeling so good. I hadn't felt that good in a very long time. I definitely think that there is a correlation to gmo soy, gmos in general, and how sick I had become.

I decided to start exercising. Up to this point, I could not sustain an adequate workout, my energy levels were terrible. I would get really bad stomach cramps whenever I did aerobics, and it was impossible to get into a regimen that way. I desperately wanted to get in shape. I had lost 18 pounds from being sick and I wanted to lose more by being healthy. Once I had transitioned to an all organic and homemade diet, my energy level started to improve and I didn't feel pain anymore when doing aerobics. I wanted to try running, to see if I could do it. I joined a running group of people that were training for the Be Her Freedom Run. I felt so good when I ran my first ½ mile, and I wanted to keep running. I started training and my body responded so well! I loved the strenuous workouts that I was doing and I was really happy that I was on the right track, healthwise. Now I am in a size 8/6 and I am so much stronger now than I'd ever been before. I feel as though this soy allergy has been a blessing because I learned so much about myself over the last 2 years and I have grown and matured in so many areas. I've taken control of my bad habits and I really want to make a difference in others lives. This is why I wanted to write a book and a blog, to get the word out about how bad 'normal' food is for us and that cooking healthy food is definitely worth the effort and it will make a big difference in your life.

Well that's all for now! I won't go so long next time without blogging!

Love, peace, and hair grease!! {sorry I couldn't resist:-)}

Libby

What are sugar beets?

I'd never heard of sugar beets until a few months ago but apparently they are genetically modified and already on the market.  I came across this story today...which is quite shocking...

Federal Court Finds USDA Broke The Law In Allowing Planting Of Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets

The USDA, according to the article, allowed the planting of GM sugar beets without running the appropriate testing for them to prove that they are safe for humans to eat and that they won't damage the environment.  These sugar beets have already been introduced commercially and Americans have been eating this "sugar" without knowing it.  Since GM foods are not required to be labeled, how can we avoid eating them?  Buy pure cane sugar, but make it Fair Trade cane sugar.  It's so amazing to me that yes we can avoid gmo's but if it's not Fair Trade Certified it is most likely harvested by slaves!  Did you know that gmo's are banned in Europe?  Most Americans don't even know what a GMO is!  Crazy!  

My Kids Love Chicken Nuggets!

I make these about once a week or once every other week.  I use organic chicken and soy-free bread crumbs from Whole Foods.  We use different kinds of dipping sauces and they taste so good!  These are so much better than McDonald's chicken nuggets.  These come from happy chickens without hormones or antibiotics.  I've been working hard this week writing the proposal for my cookbook.  I never realized that so much goes into getting published and the process is really exciting to me.  I'll be querying agents starting next week, so wish me luck or pray for me!

Recipe of the Week: Wild Caught fish fillet with potatoes and asparagus. An organic, soy-free, and GMO-free recipe.

Recently I have been trying to become more aware of where my food comes from and I have learned two things: wild-caught fish is better for the environment, and farmed fish are given antibiotics, which can be harmful to humans.  I am allergic to soy so I cannot eat fried food from restaurants anymore since most eateries use vegetable(soybean) oil for frying food.  That means no more french fries or any of those delightful fried goodies for me.  It works out to be much healthier for me though, which is a good thing.  I occasionally splurge and make fries from scratch and they are worth the effort!

My mom always made fish like this when I was growing up.  I love fish cooked this way!

12 ounces of wild-caught fish.  I used frozen Whole Market Sole from Whole Foods but you can use whitefish, flounder, talapia, or a similar fish.
1 cup of soy-free bread crumbs.  You can use panko bread crumbs or 365 brand of bread crumbs from Whole Foods Market.
1 organic egg
1 tablespoon organic milk
Organic canola oil or almond oil
1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt (without MSG)
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning.  If you need to avoid sodium use garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper instead.
Organic Russet or Idaho potatoes.  2 small potatoes per person or 1 large potato per person.
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
One bag frozen organic asparagus or 1/2 pound fresh organic asparagus.
1 garlic clove
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Chop them into steak fries, shoestring, or cubes.  Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with water until the potatoes are just covered.  Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high and simmer until the potatoes start to soften.  You should be able to pierce a piece with a fork but you don't want them to get too soft.  After about 5-8 minutes, drain the water and keep the potatoes in the pot.  Heat a frying pan or skillet with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of oil on medium heat. You may need to turn the heat down if they cook to fast or the oil gets too hot. Once the oil is hot, place as many pieces as will fit in a single layer.  The goal is not to deep fry your food.  Lightly cooking at a lower temperature is much better than deep frying food.  The potatoes shouldn't be covered with oil, you need just enough to cook one side of the french fry.  The potatoes may stick when you put them in the oil so gently move them around a little when you put them in.  Flip the fries to cook evenly once one side begins to brown. It can take up to 10 minutes per each batch of potatoes but keep an eye on them because over-cooking makes them crunchy and hard - you want them lightly browned.  As each batch of fries are cooked, remove them from the oil into a bowl lined with paper towels to soak up the oil.  Immediately upon removing them from the oil, lightly toss them with some sea salt and black pepper, or any other seasoning that you wish.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the egg and milk in a bowl and lightly beat with a fork, until mixed.  In another bowl, place the bread crumbs and seasonings.  Remove the fish from the packaging and using one piece at a time, dip completely in the egg and then place in the bread crumbs.  Make sure each piece is covered well and set aside.  Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Turn the heat down a bit and place the fish in the pan.  You may need to cook it in batches depending on how big the pan is.  It only takes 2-3 minutes per side, once the bottom starts to brown, flip the fish and cook the other side.  If it gets too dark too quickly, turn the heat down. Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on paper towels to soak up the oil.

For the asparagus:  If you are using fresh asparagus, fill a pot halfway with fresh water and bring to a boil.  Snap or cut the bottoms of the asparagus and then place the asparagus in the boiling water.  Blanch them for 1 minute.  If you are using frozen asparagus, boil them until no longer frozen - you don't need to cut the bottoms.  Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet the fish was cooked in and place 1 minced clove of garlic in the oil for 30 seconds before adding the asparagus.  Sauté until lightly browned and tender. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Serve with the fish and fries.

My Cause - Modern Day Slavery

I was introduced to the A21 Campaign , http://www.thea21campaign.org/, a couple of years ago, by it's founder, Christine Caine.  She spoke at the women's conference, that is held by my church every year, called Shine, http://www.shineinc.org/.  Christine Caine lives in Australia and she is one of the most dynamic and passionate speakers I've ever heard.  Her passion is Jesus Christ, and her heart is drawn to the hurting and enslaved women and children around the world.  My church, Celebration Church, supports so many wonderful organizations and I wanted to be involved in one.  I prayed and asked God what can I do?  At the Shine conference this year, Christine Caine was there talking about the A21 Campaign again.  I knew that I needed to get involved somehow.  My church hosted the Be Her Freedom Run in November of 2009.  I walked the 4.7 miles but I came in last.  The run is coming up again this fall, and I really wanted to be able to run this time, and not come in last!  The opportunity came up to join with a group of people from my church to train for the run.  I jumped at the chance to do it!  The group is called The Malinka Project, and we are raising money for the A21 campaign and training to run the 4.7 miles this fall.  Also as a supporter of the A21 campaign, another way that I make a difference is by fasting and praying on the 21st of each month.  This is the website for more information:  http://fast21.org/

There are so many good organizations out there fighting modern day slavery.  I've been following an organization called Shoe Revolt, http://www.shoerevolt.com/ . Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the celebrities that has donated shoes to this organization.  The grand opening is August 1st, 2010.       " Shoe Revolt’s profits, generated from the sale of shoes, will be donated to Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), fund transitional housing, create scholarship opportunities and provide much needed mentoring and support for victims."  


Sex-trafficking isn't the only kind of slavery out there.  Slaves are forced to work in a variety of industries such as clothing and farming.  Stop Traffick Fashion is a good site for buying jewelry and clothes made by survivors of human trafficking,  http://www.stoptraffickfashion.com/ .  The Organic Consumers Association supports Fair Trade, http://www.organicconsumers.org/fairtrade.cfm , which raises awareness for slavery of and abuse of farm workers.  This is one of the reasons why I started buying organic food.

The links that I've posted will take you to websites that can give you information to the social injustice around the world.  These types of things don't just happen in other countries, but they are occurring in the United States and every country around the world.  The purchases you make, whether for food, clothing, and other products help fund the companies that take advantage of and enslave human beings.  Ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is a crime that condemns others to live the life of a slave.