The Determined Chef Chronicles

As I'm thinking about Easter and what God did to bring us into a right relationship with Him, I've been given a new perspective about "knowing good and evil". Hear me out: God works to help us through our experience of dealing with evil. He didn't want us to know evil. He created us not to know evil,  but only to know good. But, we chose to know evil (when we ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). God enacted a plan to help us even though we would have to come face to face with evil. He decided to come down to earth, live this life of knowing good and evil as a human, and then sacrifice Himself, so that we could eventually have a way to not only deal with life, but also to be reserved a seat in Heaven where we would experience a new Heaven and Earth without evil! As I think about this I am so incredibly grateful for a God who would look at the mess Adam and Eve made when they ate from the tree, be grieved in His heart at their choice to disobey ...

Chicken Salad Sandwich Berry Banana Smoothie Okay, this is a quick and easy chicken salad. It literally took me 5 minutes to make. I used left over chicken from one that was roasted a few days ago. I cut out the breast from the chicken and diced it in small cubes, as well as added diced celery, grapes sliced in half, shredded cheddar cheese and a handful sunflower seeds. Finally I added a small amount of mustard and about 1/3 cup of mayo. It was super tasty on toasted whole wheat bread. The smoothie was also fairly simple. I keep bananas, blueberries and strawberries in the freezer and combined that in the blender with Greek yogurt (vanilla), skim milk and orange juice. It takes a bit to blend it, but it's worth the effort.

Today I find myself completely grateful for Alcoholics Anonymous because when I finally quit drinking I gained clarity, and that clarity gave me a gift. I started to think about what I wanted out of my life. I wanted to leave a legacy; to leave the world better than when I first entered it. I decided I wanted to pursue getting my book published, and when I did, I got a positive response. Now my book is in the layout/design phase of being published. I also started a non-profit art center to help people who have mental illness coming out of jail or prison. It's in the beginning stages of development, but I believe it will grow and be a positive addition to my city. "AA is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism." (part of the AA preamble) I'm grateful for the fellowship of AA. The people around the tables are my family. They encoura...

John 12:46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness. Living with bipolar disorder, and going through periods of mania often feels like darkness. But if I call on Jesus to help me and put my trust in Him in that moment, He will shine His light on the truth in my life and bring me back to sanity. I must trust Him when I'm feeling lost and like I can't find my way back. He's there. He's never left me and He desires to shine a light on me so I can see where I am. I don't have to stay in the darkness. I can call on Jesus and He promises that He will come and shine the light because He is light.

I made a veggie quiche for me and my vegetarian friend and roasted organic baby potatoes with scallions (green onions). The quiche has 6 eggs and 12 oz half and half (but it would be better with only 9 oz). I had some egg mixture left over and I filled the pie shell to the brim. I sauteed the baby bella mushrooms and scallions in olive oil and added the tomatoes just after I turned off the burner. I didn't want to cook the tomatoes with the mushrooms and scallions because I didn't want them to get mushy. They kept their diced shape fine when the quiche came out the oven. I recommend that you salt the egg mixture and the veggies. It's best to keep the egg mixture separate from the veggies. I put the veggie mixture on the bottom of the pie shell, then added feta cheese and poured the egg mixture over top. I baked the potatoes and the quiche at around 425 degrees. *You can use half and half or heavy cream for the quiche. I used half and half because it's less calori...

I wrote this post almost a year ago and wanted to share it. This is something that's loomed over my head since I was diagnosed. It's definitely worth pondering, if you think you've ever struggled with this mentality. So, I've been watching a series by Michael Todd called Damaged Goods and it's really blessing me. Ever since I had my miscarriage 13 years ago and was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, I've walked around with a damaged goods mentality. I thought to myself, who would want me, I'm too much work, I cant be trusted because of how I become when I'm manic. But lately God has been restoring me and helping me to see that what the enemy meant to use to destroy me or cause me to feel useless, God is able to turn around and use for His good. So this series talks about something that really touches me heart. He reminds me that in Jeremiah 29:11 it says that God has a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. I used to t...

Hi guys, I came across a piece I wrote maybe 5 years ago about realizing how negative I was and my aha moment. As you read it, I hope it will help you as it did me. Reading it again helped me to see how far I had come from being that negative person to a more positive one. Maybe you struggle with negativity, and you don't know what to do about it. This may become an aha moment for you too; the catalyst that brings about lasting change. Happy reading! Noticing Negativity...determined to break that cycle  A few years ago, I was reflecting on a verse in the Bible that had to do with not allowing bitterness to consume you. I came to realize that negative emotions, if prolonged without being addressed, lead to bitterness and I started thinking about my own challenges with negative emotions leading to becoming negative. This came up because a few years ago I went country line dancing, and during the free lesson I found myself getting out there and trying the steps...very awkwardly...

So money is tight right now, but that doesn't mean I can't have good food to eat. Today I'm enjoying one of my favorites, grilled cheese (using my favorite Havarti cheese) and tomato soup. I love to dip my grilled cheese into the soup, like I did as a kid. Switching gears, I must report that I lost the 4 lbs I gained a few weeks ago. I plan to weigh myself every two weeks on the same scae and the same time of day, which for me is in the morning. 4 lbs may not seem like much, but its the first time I have lost any weight since I've been back on meds in 2013; so I count that as a victory.

While I am on this journey to lose 100 lbs in 1 year, I recognize that I am also on a spiritual journey. This journey is for me to find more meaning and purpose in my life, with guidance from my higher power - Jesus Christ. Part of this journey involves publishing my devotional Confessions for the Narrow Road: It's Within You! My book is in the layout/design phase right now and the plan is for the book to come out this spring. I have a feeling that when my book comes out it will change my life and I want to be prepared for that as well. On this journey I will hold onto who I am, as I recognize that I am become more, if that makes sense. I think I will become more like who I was created to be. I am currently reading Michelle Obama's book Becoming  and as I read it I'm exploring the idea of what it means to change and to become something more as your life changes and calls you to come up higher. I believe that this is the kind of change I am about to experience.  I believ...

Today for breakfast I took a break from the 2 boiled eggs and toast with nut butter, to make a yummy omelet with fried potatoes. It was so good. My friend who ate with me said "that's a $12 omelet!" Cool. So the key to making this a light and fluffy omelet is adding a little milk in while you whisk the eggs. I sauteed the asparagus and poured the egg mixture over the asparagus, so that the asparagus sets in with the egg. Choose whatever cheese you like. Also, I cooked the potatoes in oil, with onions and dried parsley. Try  it and let me know how yours turns out!