The Determined Chef Chronicles

Daniel Fast Meal Plan: Days 19‐21 Note: Many of the foods you’ve tasted have been combined in different ways that you may not have had before, and this time will be no different. You may realize that you’ve got little bits of this and that left over in your fridge, freezer and pantry and now is the time to pull those things together and create some new meals. There shouldn’t be much that you’ll have to spend this time. The words God gave me as I prepared this meal plan were “nothing wasted” and that this was to be a completion and final celebration of what is remaining. Often times as God works with us, we find that there has been some pain as He’s removed some things from us, pruning in order to shape our character and cause it to flourish. Well, this meal plan is a symbol of that experience, that even when God removes things, He doesn’t waste our experiences and He makes great things out of what is left over. So, as you use your leftovers, celebrate what God has done in this fast, th...

 Daniel Fast Meal Plan: Days 16‐18 Note: This set of meals is a celebration of the healing you’ve experienced thus far and as a sign of greater healing to come. As you prepare these meals and enjoy the vibrancy of flavors, let that encourage what is awakening inside of you. God has incredible things in store for His bride and He’s preparing her to be a bride without spot or blemish, much in the same way that Esther was prepared to be chosen by the King. The words I can use to describe this set of meals are light richness! As you enjoy these meals you will discover a light richness in the food that is a small reflection of the richness we experience with God as we commune with Him and that comes with a light burden. May you enjoy continual communion with Him as you allow the Messiah to become fully integrated into every facet of your being. AMEN and Happy Fasting! Breakfast for Days 16‐18: Cranberry, Nut and Dried Fruit Puree (3/4 cup) and 1 Banana Cranberry, Nut and Dried Fruit Pur...

 Breakfast for Days 13‐15: Fruit Medley (~1 cup) & Almonds (½ cup) Fruit Medley  1 Nectarine  1 Pear  ½ cup Cherries (~10) Instructions: Remove the pit of the nectarine and chop into smaller chunks. Remove the core of the pear and cut into smaller chunks as well. Remove pits from the cherries and cut in half. Combine and allow to sit for 15 minutes before eating. Lunch for Days 13‐15: Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus (½ cup) with Avocado and Vegetables (1 ½ cups), Matzo (½ sheet), Pineapple and Citrus Fruit Mix (1 cup) Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus  4 Garlic Cloves  ½ Red Pepper (large chunks)  1 can Garbanzo Beans (no salt added)  ½ cup hot Water (2 Tbsp for sesame paste, remaining for beans)  Juice of ½ Lemon  ¼ cup Sesame Seeds (make into paste – see instructions)  3 Tbsp Olive Oil (1 Tbsp for roasting, 2 Tbsp for blending in hummus)  1/8 tsp Black Pepper  1 tsp Fresh Parsley Instructions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 tbsp olive oil with garli...

 Breakfast for Days 10‐12: Peach & Banana Fruit Smoothie (14 ounces), Walnut, Dates and Figs mix (1/2 cup) Peach & Banana Fruit Smoothie  1 Peach (pit removed, quartered)  1 Banana (large chunks)  ½ Avocado (chopped)  ½ cup Red Grapes (halved)  ½ cup Water Instructions: Combine fruits in blender with water and puree. Add additional water for desired consistency. Walnuts, Dates and Figs Mix (makes 1 cup):  ½ cup Walnuts (chopped)  4 Figs  1/3 cup Dates (pre‐chopped) Instructions: Chop figs into small pieces; add in with walnuts and dates. Eat 1/3 cup. Days 10‐12: Lemon & Herb Vegetarian Pasta (2 ½ cups), Blackberry Cashew Salad (2 ½ cups) Lemon & Herb Vegetarian Pasta (makes 2 servings)  3 Tbsp Grape Seed Oil  4 Garlic Cloves (minced)  ¼ Red Onion (julienned)  ½ Red Pepper (sliced)  2 Portabella Mushrooms (sliced)  1 cup Asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)  Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon  ¼ cup Water  1/3 lb Whole Wheat Pasta (see instructions)  2 tsp fre...

 So, as many of you know I moved to Chicago a few weeks ago to take a job at the Live-in Relief Parent for SOS Children's Village Illinois, where I provide relief for foster parents in the villages. It is exciting, tiring, frustrating at times, but completely worth it. I get to make a difference in the lives of kids going through trauma and I get to witness their resilience. I'm excited to be living in Chicago, which was a dream of mine since the time I was 15 and visited the city for the first time.  Spring is coming and with that some pretty good moments to be had, which leads me to my post for today. I am the DETERMINED Chef. Two years ago I started blogging about my desire to lose 100 lbs and create 100 healthy recipes in one year; then it became two years. And now here I am at the end of year two and I actually weigh ten pounds more than I did two years ago. I have reached 320 pounds and it breaks my heart a bit. In 8 years I've managed to put on the weight of an entir...

Daniel Fast for Days 7-9 (Feb 23-25)  Breakfast Days 7-9: Melon Medley & Seed Mix Melon Medley (Makes 3 cups)  1 cup Seedless Watermelon  1 cup Cantaloupe  1 cup Honey Dew Melon Instructions: Remove skin from each melon and cut into small chunks. Combine and eat 2 cups. (cut up more fruit as  necessary to carry you through the three days.) Seed Mix (makes ~ 2/3 cups)  1/3 cup raw Pepita Seeds  1/3 cup raw Sunflower Seeds  1 Tbsp Flax Seed meal Instructions: Combine ingredients; mix well, so that the flax seed meal lightly coats the other seeds. It is best to each the seeds in raw form, and you will discover the texture is more chewy. Your body will appreciate it! Lunch for Days 7‐9: Warm Couscous Salad (1 ½ cups), Fruit Salad (1 cup) Warm Couscous Salad (makes 8‐10 cups)  1 cup Couscous  2 cups Water  ¼ Red Onion (split between couscous and beans – see below)  ¼ cup Olive Oil (2T each, separately – see below)  ½ cup Lima Beans (frozen)  ½ cup Peas (frozen)  ½...

Daniel Fast Meal Plan: Days 4‐6 (Feb 20-22) Note: The recipes for the first few days of the fast focused more on detoxifying the body and thus it was necessary to allow the smoothie and the soup to do just that in the body. The next three days focus more on enjoying the complexity and vibrancy of some of the foods that God intended for us to enjoy. As you prepare the meals, allow your heart and mind to enjoy the discovery of creating something new. You will discover that there is a complex unity that emerges as you taste, what may be, new combinations for you and new textures. Even if it is unfamiliar to you, I encourage you to think of each meal as a culinary adventure and be willing to take the risks. My hope is that you will find a new joy in preparing and eating the range of healthy, colorfully vibrant and completely nutritious meals from God’s garden. Breakfast for Days 4‐6: Fig & Banana Smoothie, Pecans (1/2 cup) Fig & Banana Smoothie (Serves 1)  1 Banana (chopped)  4 ...

 Hello my friends! Lent is quickly approaching February 17-April 1 and I got a great idea from my mom to go through my book, Confessions for the Narrow Road and do the Daniel Fast. My book is a 40 day devotional, so it works out perfectly to go through the book for Lent. I usually do the live, online book study every Saturday at 9 am CST, however I'm taking a break from that in order to go through the book within the 40 days. It is my hope that you will join me. Instead of using Facebook Live, I will set up the sessions on Zoom, so we can have a discussion "face to face". So please email me at confessionsandbeyond@gmail.com if you want to join in. It will more than likely be at 8 am CST every day from February 17-April 1. I will let you know for sure by 2/12. So, I created recipes for a Daniel Fast in 2012 and I will post them here, we will go through the set of 21 days of recipes twice. I created recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner that would repeat for 3 days and th...