8.21.2008

Fast

The girls are pretty much the same today as yesterday. Adleigh got to go down on her flow to 3 liters and at room air. And then Liana had 2 bradys when I tried to feed her a bottle so we had to stop and give it to her through the tube. I gave her a little pep talk and told her not to scare her mom anymore so hopefully she will listen!

Since I don't have much news about the girls I thought it would be good to let you know what the Joye household has done for the Daniel Fast. If you haven't heard about the fast yet here is what we are doing (I got this from Holly Furtick's blog) :Our church is doing a special fast for the next 21 days to pray for the work God is going to do in our church this fall. We will be abstaining from all meat and animal products, sugar, caffeine and foods with any additives. The fast comes from Daniel chapters 1 and 10 when Daniel did not eat anything from the king's table. You can read more about the details of the fast here.
One of the things about this fast is you need to really prepare and plan ahead for what you are going to make. Since I am at the hospital most of the day and don't get home until 7 or later it makes it hard to chop up tons of veggies and make something. So I have found a few quick and easy recipes that Wade and I will probably eat a lot for these 21 days.

1. Spaghetti: 100 % whole wheat noodles, tomato sauce, chopped onions, and chopped green bell peppers. This is super fast and tastes yummy.
2. Veggie Wrap: I sauteed a mix of veggies (Trader Joes had fresh cut Chinese Stir Fry veggies that I bought but you can also get a frozen bag) in a little bit of olive oil. And then put it in a Ezekiel tortilla.
3. Brown rice dinner: This one is in the recipe book (you can download from the link above): Mrs. Jones Brown Rice Dinner. I used a green pepper instead of a red pepper and I added fresh cut tomatoes. We ate this with some organic baked white corn chips. (This recipe has taken the longest because I had to wait the 45 minutes for the brown rice to cook)

So those are my super fast dishes I have made so far. Anyone else have something really fast that I can add to our list?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Ferris,
I love pasta w/ olive oil, pesto, olives, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, and cukes, and red beans/ black beans.

Also, I've been making a lot of bread (unbleached flour)(don't have to add sugar)...I spread slices with olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, and then dice up fresh tomatoes and basil that are attempting to grown on my deck...all for a type of bruschetta..sometimes I throw a little parmesan or grated cheese on top, but you wouldn't have to do that with your fast.

I am still checking your blog frequently to pray for the girls.

Anonymous said...

We did a no animal product, no sugar, no caffeine etc. "allergy diet" a few years ago to figure out what was causing my son's allergies. We learned a lot...here are a few ideas.

We love to make vegetarian chili. It takes a little while, but makes excellent leftovers and freezes nicely. Basically, cut up and saute: onions, garlic, peppers, zuchinni or yellow squash, carrots and celery. Add cumin (1-2 T), chili powder (1-2 t.), oregano (1 T) and cinnamon (1/2 t) and stir. Then add canned tomatoes, canned black beans, and vegetable broth. Simmer until vegetables are cooked through. At the end, add frozen corn. We garnish with parsley and a little lemon juice. This is good with chips or vegan cornbread, mixed with rice in burritos, on baked potatoes, and the leftovers freeze really well.

You might trying pureeing a can of white beans and adding about 1 cup to your spaghetti sauce. You will not taste it, but it will add protein. You can also mix this in to a baked pasta dish, like penne with roasted vegetables and marinara sauce. Instead of cheese on top, you could try herbed breadcrumbs.

To make brown rice faster, next time cook a lot and freeze it in 3-4 cup portions. It warms up quickly in the microwave.

For other easy meals, you could try garden burgers. There are lots of varieties of these, including fake chicken patties, that are tasty. Likewise, there are soy meatballs that makes good spaghetti and meatballs.

Another vegetarian favorite around our house is pizza. Top the pizza with flavorful ingredients like carmelized onions; olive oil with chopped herbs and sundried tomatoes; tomato and basil; or roasted vegetables and you might not miss the cheese.

You could also try pasta tossed with fresh herbs, garlic, tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts. Or pesto made without cheese.

Sarah said...

Hey Ferris! I am so glad to see the girls are doing well. I have been taking computer classes and so I have not been at the hospital lately, but I am going to try to catch up with you next week. The girls are getting so "big"! Not really, but compared to their birth weight they are! Anyway, a quick idea for the daniel fast is to get some dried beans and put them, along with tomatoes, onions, etc. (really whatever you guys like) and cover them with water and put them in the crock pot. Let it cook on medium all day. They should be ready when you get home from visiting the girls! I love the crock pot and you can really do a lot with it (maybe even put some brown rice in there :)

Anonymous said...

I guess as they say, no news is sometimes good news in this case! As far as recipes go, I put one up on my blog for Mulligatawny soup. It's the soup nazi recipe from seinfeld. Lots of veggies, I substitute/omit a couple items (they don't really make a difference). It takes a bit to chop some of the veggies up and it simmers for 4-5 hours (you only have to stir it occasionally), but it is really good and filling. I made it earlier this week and have been eating on it a bit all week.

Anonymous said...

Being a vegetarian, I've got lots of ideas for you! I'll have to think about it and get back to you. A few off the top of my head:

* You can still make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Just look for the 100% all-natural bread (Pepperidge Farm or Arnold) that has no corn syrup, etc. Then, buy Skippy all-natural peanut butter and organic grape jelly. Yum! Eat it with some grapes or apple slices.

* Take portobello mushrooms and wash them gently and briefly. Remove the large stem, and turn them gill side up in a baking dish. Mix equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar (several Tbsps. each, dependent on how many mushrooms you have), and pour over mushrooms. Marinate for 30 mins. to 1 hour. Grill on gas grill or George Foreman. Serve with roasted potatoes or baked potatoes. (Tastes like meat!)

With a vegetarian diet, you have to be really careful to get enough protein AND enough iron (green, leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds, broccoli, etc.) Also, don't drink tea (even decaf. tea) with your meals, as it limits your iron intake.