Vacation Goodies!

             Daniel Fast is done! Very good, but glad to be baking goodies again. These are not very sugar conscience friendly, but they are tasty. Hey, its vacation! :) Yesterday was our first day off the fast and we went sugar crazzzy. Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows. Oreo Cupcakes, and Agave Vanilla Cupcakes (These had no sugar and were good, but then we put the oreo icing on top :o) I got all my recipes from my absolutely FAVORITE cookbooks Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by my easily becoming favorite chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I also got her cookbook Vaganomicon which I'm really excited about to get home and make some real meals :)

I had little tastes of everything, before and after it was baked and it was all tasty! Even the other 20 people of my family here for the week agreed. :)

Then Today...

My baking itch wasn't quite gone so I made Chocolate Chip Chai Cookies! I think these might be my new favorite. Mmmhm.

Almost Done.

          In one way I can't believe these three weeks will be over tomorrow and in the other way I've been ready for it. I can't deny that I feel better on this fast, but I must admit that I've been trying to suppress my desire for "normal", sugary, delicious food on my own. My first fast I knew from my previous failed attempts at dieting that the only way I could do this was total reliance on God, but this one I guess I just thought it would be easier since I wasn't giving up as much. One of my goals for this fast was establishing a mourning routine of prayer and devotion which I sort of did. I skipped some mornings because I woke up too late or stayed the night at a friends or whatever, but I have loved setting apart that time on the mornings I did and hope to continue improving on that. However with my first one my devotions were all centered around the fast or the principles of the fast and these devotions were what I would have done normally. Which was fine, I'm learning how much I need the word everyday and how it sustains me and fills me up, but it didn't relate to my physical surrender so my fast was more of a diet this time. I forgot how much I need to fill up on The Word and the Holy Spirit in my surrender in order to connect the body, soul, and spirit. My body is made from this world and will return to this world and wants things of this world. If I'm trying to turn away from the things that my body wants, then I better have my spirit and soul completely focused on Him. Everything I try to do on my own even if its something good like dieting, will fail. Without taking my body under control of taking every thought captive to focus on Christ, I can do nothing. Regardless of what I'm doing, in order to live the way God calls us to live, my body, soul, and spirit must be focused on Him, and in surrender to Him. 

"Jesus looked at them and said, "with man this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

Daniel Fast Update!

           This fast has been completely different than my first one, in a good way. My first one I gave up a lot more and was more focused on the spiritual side of it mostly because I was giving up a lot more. This time I still craved the sugar, bread, sugar, Starbucks, tea, sugar, and sugar. Do I sound like I'm complaining? If you asked me about it two days ago I might have ripped your head off for a cupcake, but I think I've hit my sweet spot. (pun intended!) My last fast I got to this point where I began to love this way of eating and feeling so great and let me just say that if you put a cupcake in my face today I might throw it on the ground. I get excited all over again about the amazing affects that food has on our bodies. What we put in our bodies actually effects the way we feel, isn't that crazy? It's a new concept I know.
         God created all the food we need on this planet before we even got here, food that nourishes, food that heals. We don't have to take away or add anything to it or change the chemical properties to make it anything new. How can we make something better that the perfect, all knowing God already made perfect? When we try and alter it and then put it into our bodies that were not made to process something that has already been toyed with, we are not going to feel as fantastic as we want to.
        I think my "sweet spot" is the point where eating whole foods has replaced the sugar cravings and I feel so good because I'm running on good fuel, the fuel we were meant to run on. I'm two weeks into this thing and excited to finish it off, but I think like last time I won't ever really finish. God has shown us the way to live in every aspect of our lives, including food. I'm not saying I won't enjoy a nice vegan cookie and soy latte every one in a while, but that white addictive stuff that most people call sugar but reeks havoc in this body, will be very rare. Not to say I won't have anything sweet, there's a bunch of not so crazy sweeteners out there, or that I won't ever have sugar again, but I wan't to feel as good as God intended us to feel on this earth as I can. I firmly believe God has put this passion in my heart, a passion for health and healing body and soul and seeing other people experience it that He continues to grow more and more. I've loved having my Dad, Sister, and Gramma doing this with me and hearing about their different experiences! (One more week guys! ) I know I say it a lot, but I'm just excited, about everything!
  Ahh, Life is SWEET! :)

Daniel Fastin it up!

            You may have noticed that the majority of my posts on this blog have been well, sweet. And while living on the sweeter side of life is fun for a little while I think I have to relate it to my trouble sleeping, sluggishness, and of course, craving more sugar. Just because I will be getting rid of sugar doesn't mean being a vegan will not be sweet, in fact quite the opposite! I can't wait to have the awesome feeling of being rid of sugar and its nasty side effects. The feeling of balance and satisfaction I feel from eating whole and unprocessed foods way out weighs the momentary pleasure of those yucky foods that don't give me so much pleasure later. 
           When I first did the Daniel Fast it was in a way related to sugar but also to food in general. Since my first fast and becoming vegan I feel completely different about food and about myself all together. I can honestly say that the Daniel Fast changed my life and I loved those three weeks. (Maybe not the first week, but definitely towards the end! :) ) For this next one I feel completely different going into it, I'm excited but I'm also excited about the fact that my Dad will be doing it with me this time! The Fast is really healthy but that can not be the only reason for doing it, or else its just another diet, the Fast has to be for a spiritual purpose. My spiritual purpose on this fast will be one- to create a morning routine of bible reading and sitting at My Father's feet soaking in His presence. And two- prayer for healing for my Dad's blood pressure. Then for the food side of it, my goal is to be rid of sugar and processed foods and feel more balanced.
        So I won't be doing a daily post as I did last time but there will be updates! Also since the dessert posts will be stopping for at least three weeks, you will be seeing some of the yummy "Daniel Fast approved" foods I'll be creating. 
     It begins tomorrow! I have to be honest though I'm sitting here enjoying the last of my ABC cookies as I type this :) But if anyone (of three readers hehe) is interested in joining us feel free to ask me about it or visit Here. Can't wait for tomorrow but I will savor every crumb of my cookie! :)

Life IS Sweet

           I know, I know more sweets, but what can I say? I need to get off this sugar kick but while I'm on it I had to share my excitement for these awesome TOTALLY VEGAN cookies that are seriously following me EVERYWHERE! They're sold at this mall I've been to a couple time recently and so of course I had to get one each time I went, they're sold at Smoothie King where I recently went with my sister, and I went to one of my health food stores to get some cashews and they were there too! GAH! I am excited to see awesome vegan yummies main streaming but seriously they are too tempting! :) So here they are... 


The company is called Alternative Baking Company or ABC and they have a whole bunch of cookies! My favorite is the Snickerdoodle which is also wheat free, but I've also had the Phenomenal Pumpkin Spice, The Cranberry Orange Muffin Cookie, and Mac the Chocolate Chip (that one is also wheat free). I told you I've been a little addicted :) 

                    

                    

So this sugar rush has been fun but I will be saying good bye to my cookies at least for a little while. I promise I eat all those healthy vegan foods like fruits and veggies, but those those pictures aren't as tantalizing as all the sweet ones :) 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter.

        Enough said, right?


        What if I threw popcorn into the mix? Well I did, and it hit the spot!


         I started by popping the popcorn in my air popper and then in a small saucepan I warmed up some crunchy peanut butter, chocolate chips (vegan of course), and some agave syrup. Let that get all gooey and then pour it over the popcorn. I also threw in some unmelted chocolate chips to the popcorn and then mixed it all up so the chocolatey sauce gets all over the popcorn. Then munch away!