40 Day Fast: Day 1- Preparation

Our church, The Rock of Roseville, is holding a '40 Day Fast'.

 It starts TODAY and goes until Oct. 4, 2011. 

See more information HERE: 

They have AMAZING videos and information on fasting!  

Mr. Giles and I have decided to join in the fast! 
This has been the first time in 6 years,
 I'm not pregnant or nursing
 and can juice fast.

We are VERY excited about this HUGE endeavor!

I've done MANY 40 Day Fasts, 
between the ages for 18 - 25 years old.

However, this is the FIRST fast
since getting married and having kids. 

It's NOT going to be as easy,
 since I still have to cook meals for my three little ones. 

Yet Daniel and I feel and urgency to do it. 
We'll be praying for clarity and direction for our lives. 

We can feel the anticipation in the air... 


or maybe it's the Wheatgrass on the counter? 

So, in preparation for this endeavor...

I have enlisted the help of my Mom, 
the Web and friends to advise us. 

There are SO many wonderful resources out there! 

For starts, we'll be doing a 'Three Day Colon Cleanse'. 
It's a simple, yet an effective way to clean out the body of toxins. 
Plus it helps to alleviate the frequent headaches 
that come at the beginning of a long fasts. 

Today, I went to the health food store and 

picked up the items needed to make this cleanse. 

Here is the simple recipe: 

3 Day Colon Cleanse:

* Make sure you use seeds and not powder.

Eat the cleanse SLOWLY during breakfast time. 

Do this 3 mornings in a row. 

*This is only usefully for juice fasting 

My parents have used this cleanse for 20 years and it works great! 

Also, to make life easier, I made the remaining 2 days in Ziplock bags.
(without the juice)
All I have to do is add the juice (the night before) and stick it in the fridge.
I will remember this step, since it will be the ONLY thing I eat all day! : D

So... I'll keep you posted during our 40 day fast.

I hear the first three days are the hardest... we'll see! 

Cheers, until we meet again!

Debsx 

Fresh & Easy Meals: Indian Curry

Okay, so Mr. Giles and I LOVE Indian food. 

It's probably our favorite food. 

(Yes... my Italian Grandmother would roll over in her grave!)

In fact, most of our Anniversaries or special events are celebrated with Indian Cuisine.

My first experience with Indian food was while living in England.  

I remember being asked if I wanted to go out for a "Curry." 

What is that?

We order from a restaurant down the street called called 'Dine India.' 

The BEST part was ... they delivered it to your door! I know!

It was one of the best meals I had ever eaten

and from then on… I was in LOVE! 

So, when I returned to the USA,

I wanted to find Indian cuisine here. 

Unfortunately, most of the Indian restaurants I found were VERY expensive!

We just couldn't justify going very often. 

This led me to figuring out how to cook Indian food at home. 

Over the years, I've cooked many Indian dishes

 including Marsalas, Curries and Kormas.

Many of my English friends and family

have smuggled wonderful Indian spices from the UK (in their suitcases) for me

and I usually pack my luggage full of them when I visit the UK as well. 

I know that a lot of you don't have the privilege of knowing

AWESOME English people who will smuggle spices for you so...

I wanted to give you another option.

I have used this recipe more times than I can count…. Enjoy!

This recipe can be made in a Dutch Oven or Crock Pot.  

Chicken Curry serve with Cauliflower Mash and Roasted Tomatoes 

Easy Chicken Curry 

Prep and Cook Time: about 40 minutes. 

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 4  boned skinned chicken breast halves (8 oz. each), diced 
• 1  large white or red onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced 
• 2 jars of Trader Joe's Marsala Simmering Sauce 
• 1 bunch of cilantro, diced 

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan or Dutch Oven. Over med-high heat until oil is hot but not smoking. Add onions and bell peppers. Cook until onions are translucent and bell peppers soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute. 

2. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. 

2. Add simmering sauce to the pot and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for half hour. 

3. Serve over basmati rice or quinoa. Garnish with cilantro. (Healthy Alternative: Serve with Cauliflower Mash and Roasted Tomatoes... recipes to come)   

Also, Trader Joe's sells fresh and frozen Naan Bread. It's an Indian bread and wonderful with curry. It's perfect when served warm out of the oven and topped with butter. 

Makeover Monday: Our Family Schedule

Good Morning! 

As you know, having 3 kids in 4 years has been quite an endevor. 

As a very 'scheduled and checklist' type person, I find myself overcome 

by the daily interruptions and overwhelming monotony of my job as a SAHM. 

It always seems like I'm looking online for ways to manage our time, routines and chores. 

Many of the forms out there are too boring generic for me. 

So, I decided to create my own.

 I'm slowly making my "Mommy Folder". 

Once it's complete, it will be revealed. 

Until then, I'm going to show you some of the forms I've been creating. 

This week I created our Family Routine and Family Chores. 

It's a VERY simple version. 

I didn't want to overwhelmed my family with 'Excel, color-coded, up to the minute' schedules

and thought this would be easier. 

How you like them? 

Here is the Giles Family Routine and Chore Chart:

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Giles Family Routine and Chores -  

I'm going to make blank ones you can download if you like. (Once I figure out how to do it!) 

So... that's it for now. 

Some of the routines may change as school starts. 

I don't mind. 

Ask Mr. Giles, it's one of my FAVORITE things to do. 

Cheers, until we meet again!

Debsx 

Makeover Monday: Our Living Room

Okay, since we moved into our new home, 

I've been wanting to tackle some decorating projects. 

However, we've been playing catch up financially 

and we've chosen to not spend ANY money 

that's not absolutely necessary!

So, like a TRUE Melancholy, 

I've put off changing ANYTHING until I have EVERYTHING I need. 

(Yes.. this drives Mr. Giles nuts!)

 However, I have become tired of 'pinning' on Pinterest 

and decided to start decorating without spending a lot of money! 

So, armed with a $2 can of white spray paint, 

a borrowed table from my Mom, 

flowers from my garden, 

a $10 Silver Tea Set I purchased at a yard sale this weekend

 and $10 worth of printed family photos...

This was my weekend project:

THE PICTURE WALL

While hanging the pictures, we realized we only had 7 photos
 to hang on the wall, instead of 8. Opps!
So, we left them like this. LOL 

This wall is the first thing you see when you enter our home. 

Mr. Giles was gracious enough to hang a few pictures the week we moved in. 

However, I've been wanting to lighten things up

and get rid of al the black picture frames and dark furniture. 

So, I took the frames and painted them white. 

Then I went to Walmart.com and ordered 4 - 8x10 prints for under $3 each. 

The prints are photos taken during our Cabo San Lucas Vacation this year. 

I've added some simple steps on how to decorate a wall. 

(I'm sure you've seen this before)

The borrowed table from my Mom, 

will be returned when I can afford a Buffet. 

I liked that it's light and bright, just the style I'm going for! 

Then I added accessories. 

I started with a "Romantic Look", which included a $10 Silver Tea Set. 

A faux flower from Pottery Barn, that my husband purchased for me (on clearance),

 when we found out we were pregnant with our son, Wesley. 

The end of a curtain rod, to hang my 'Life Saying' on. 

Three mercury glass candle sticks purchased on clearance at Crate & Barrel.

A cream jar that holds the petals of my Wedding Bouquet. 

(It was given to me, as a wedding present, by my beautiful friend and bridesmaid, Staci.)

A Pottery Barn ornament that was given to me on a Christmas gift. 

So, what do you think? 

 Sometimes I have to remember that my husband lives in the house too. 

Although he loves me, 

he can't live in a home decorated totally feminine. 

So I toned it down a little. 

What do you think?

 I added some sticks that I've had FOREVER! (They're Mr. Giles favorite)
I purchased a bundle at Denio's Farmer's Market for $8.

 Fresh cuttings from my Crepe Myrtle tree that's blooming outside my kitchen window.

A 'SIMPLICITY' Sign.

Lastly, a ceramic cream lantern that I purchased from Illuminations, 

before they went out of business. (That was a sad day!)

I think it will look beautiful when the candle inside the lantern is lit  

and it reflects off the Mercury Glass candle sticks. 

Don't you think?

I was right... it's gorgeous! 

Okay... so after I finished the wall, 

I looked around for other areas of the Living Room to tackle. 

Let's just say, I didn't have to look very far... 

The TV stand was staring right at me and yelling, "Pick Me!" 

So.. my next project:

THE TV STAND

It's hard when your TV Cabinet doesn't have any doors
and everything is on open shelving.
This console table was not intended to be used for our TV,
but it works for now and it's FREE!

So, my goal was to find some easy storage solutions and simple accessories.
What do you think? 

I started by organizing our DVDs. 

Honestly, we don't very many, 

because we watch movies off Hulu and Netfix. 

However, I found a storage box in my room 

and it totally matched the decor and fit the DVDs. 

Next I found a large basket holding old magazines and I filled it with blankets. 

It's always nice to add texture to a cold, modern piece of furniture. 

Lastly, I added some faux herbs I'd purchased at IKEA years ago. 

My last project was:

OUR COFFEE TABLE:

 It's more like a storage basket, 

we purchased from Target to use as a toy box. 

However, when we moved into this home, 

our original coffee table was too big for the space. 

This basket worked great! 

I wanted to add a little 'BLING' to the coffee table. 

I have a mirrored serving tray in my bedroom, also from Target. 

It was the ONLY Home Decor item I purchased last year! 

Yes... I know.

 We were living with my parents and

 I'm way too practical to purchase items for a home 

I was not going to live in long-term. 

When I saw this in Target, I just HAD to have it! 

I've always wanted a Mirrored Coffee table, 

but this will have to do. 

I added some magazines, a faux plant and the glass jar. 

I like the look of it and its simplicity.

 Hopefully, it will keep my kids from jumping off the coffee table

 while watching TV! 

We'll see.

Okay... now back to finishing my Dining Room Chairs, I wrote about last week. 

Cheers, until we meet again! 

Debs 

Fresh & Easy Meals: Our Story

(May 2006 - Picture taken the day William was born )

Mr. Giles Story: 

I have been addicted to food all my life. 

My biggest weight was 270 pounds. 

I needed help and didn't know what to do. 

Someone turned me onto a weight lose plan that required me to 

portion out my food and cut out all sugar and most carbohydrates.

 I was so desperate, I decided to try it! 

The portion controlled meal plan totally worked! 

The weight began to fall off and after 3 months, 

I got down to my goal weight of 198 pounds! 

AFTER Daniel's weight lose. William was 6 months old in this picture.

My Story: 

Three years ago, my husband needed to loose weight. 

This was made VERY clear after a Doctor's Appointment 

where the doctor informed Mr. Giles that he was OBESE. 

At the time, we had been married for 4 years. 

He's was 25 years old, 6'2 tall and carried his extra weight pretty well. 

If you saw him, you would think he needed to loose a few pounds 

but you would NEVER think he was OBESE!  

We attributed his weight gain to eating "AMERICAN SIZE" potions, 

a stressful job and gaining sympathy weight with me during my pregnancies. 

After he started the program, I was so amazed by the results!  In order for him to keep the weight off, I had to learn to cook healthy, low carb, portioned-controlled meals that tasted JUST AS GOOD as our regular meals. 

I did a lot if research and created many recipes and meal plans. 

Since it was working for Daniel, I decided to help others create lasting change in their lives  by creating fresh and easy meals in the go. My sister and I started a fresh food delivery business two years ago called 'Fresh and Easy Meals' and it TOOK OFF! We were making between 600-900 meals a week and catering for over 15 people weekly. It was a great idea and we loved it! Unfortunately, my sister had to stop working in the business. So, I took on full ownership of the business and ran it for about 8 months alone. Until, January 2010 when I became pregnant with our third child and knew I couldn't keep the business going. I shut down 'Fresh and Easy Meals' in February 2010. 

Since then, I've had numerous people ask me about the meal plan, recipes, cost, etc. I'm not able to run the business at this moment, I thought it would be GREAT to create a blog page, giving people the tools and information to help them make Fresh and Easy Meals. 

One of my recipes: Chicken Curry with Roasted Tomatoes and Cauliflower Mash. 

Please continue to look at my site, I will include items like:

• 
  
• Diet Details: What are the specifics of the diet?
• Seasonal Menus
• Detailed Shopping Lists: including where to shop and cost breakdown
• Weekly Recipes: created to go with what's fresh and in season

Looking forward to giving you all the knowledge I have and helping you loose the weight you desire. 

Cheers! Until we meet again,

Debsx

MAKEOVER MONDAY: Dining Room Chairs (BEFORE)

Ever since Havilah purchased these chairs on Craigslist, 

I've had my eye on them!  

I LOVE the look of them and the structure they have. When Havilah decided to get rid of them and give them to charity, I jumped at the chance to redo them! (Plus they were FREE!)

So, I've been thinking a lot about them, 

especially when I see them in my backyard EVERY day. 

How can I redo them? 

What style should I make them?

 How can I make them kid-friendly AND stylish? 

Since I'm not a fan of the country wood color, 

plus I don't need ANY more dark wood in my home,

 I've decided to lighten them up.

REMOVE CUSHIONS:
So...first things first.
Get the seat cushions off.
I've seen this done a MILLION times on design shows,
but I've never done it myself.
This is usually something I would wait and ask Mr. Giles to do.
Since he's really fast and has all the tools.
However, he's been working 3 weeks straight and
 I've become impatient!
So... I took them off myself.
My family is applauding right now,
as they know I'm not good at these things. 

Actually it was REALLY easy.
They were disgusting...moldy and horrible. (Totally tweaked my OCD!)
However, I have visions of them looking fabulous and had to overcome my fears! 

Cushions Off. YEAH! 

Honestly, the cushions were SO BAD, I have to throw out!
(including the wood and foam)
This is going to add to the overall cost.
However, I couldn't imagine putting beautiful fabric on
 disgusting cushions
and knowing what was underneath! 

SANDING:
I used a sanding block. I LOVE them!
Some guy tried to sell me on the sanding papers
because of the curves on the chairs,
but I didn't use them.
The block is all you need and I only used one.
 It cost around $4.
So far... this is a really cheap date! 

It took about 4 hours, but they got done.
Almost thought about keeping them sanded,
but I NEED to lighten up my house.
 So, I've decided to paint them.

That's it for now.... stay tuned for more pictures to come! 

Cheers, until we meet again!

Debsx