Reflections on Another Hospital Visit

Not too long ago I went on another hospital visit. I'm always so nervous on the way, wondering how ill the patient is, if they'll even want company, if I will be intruding on family members, etc.
After learning this elderly patient had no family there with him, I walked into his room and looking down at him while he was asleep, I knew he was oblivious to my presence.
As I reached out to place my hand on him while saying a prayer over him, he turned his head towards me, looked at me, and then closed his eyes again. I stood there thinking how nervous I was before entering his room and now how difficult it was for me to leave, knowing that once again, he would be alone.
Driving home after my visit I wondered why I hadn't started visiting the hospitalized a long time ago? What took me so long? Why do we sometimes take our time before volunteering to do something so meaningful? But even as I asked myself these questions, I already knew the answer. Nothing is in our time, but in God's time. Even a year ago I wouldn't have been able to do this. God knew that. He knew He needed for me to grow some more. He brought this ministry to my mind several times throughout this last year but understood I wouldn't be able to give 100% of my heart to the patients until I was 100% ready. 
After having seen my own father go through radiation, chemotherapy, and spend a month in the hospital earlier this year, I was able to witness, first hand, the amazing spiritual growth our entire family received through such an experience. Seeing volunteers from another church come in and offer so much kindness and support from their hearts to our family, made me realize my heart was now 100% ready to do the same for others.
I pray God continues to guide all of our hearts, so that we will reach out to others when they're in need. 

Where Can I Find a List of Foods and Their Points

After I learned how to calculate how many points I should be eating on a daily basis the questions began... What do I do next? How do I know how many points are in the food I eat? After feeling a bit overwhelmed, a friend came to my rescue. She sent me a list of everything that she ate for a week and how many points each item had. That list was very helpful to me because it gave me a good place to start. I appreciated all of the helpful advice until I felt sure of my choices and my ability to calculate the points for everything I ate.
I would like to provide you with several websites that provide a list of food items and how many points each has. This may save you the time of having to search through a bunch of websites yourself for ideas. 
These websites, along with the recipes that I publish on this blog, will give you a lot of excellent, healthy food ideas to select from as you begin your journey to eating smarter and feeling better! :)
1, 2, 3, and 4 Point Snacks
Candy Points
DeeDee's Recipe Archive
Food List for Gamers
Health Discovery Restaurant Guide
Journal of a Non-Dieter

Megan and Jacks Points

Christian Yoga - A Spiritual Experience

About eight weeks ago, I decided that since I do not like the setting of a big Health Club, I would try, for the first time, a six-week Christian Yoga series through my church. I knew there would be a limit on how many people could attend and I knew it would be small. I had never taken a Yoga class before and wasn't sure what to expect, therefore, was very pleasantly surprised that after the six-week session was over, I found myself wishing it had started all over again.
A member of my parish, who is a certified Yoga instructor, started holding this Yoga series at our church a few years ago. Starting with an opening prayer followed by Gospel readings and the sharing of prayer intentions, is what makes this Yoga series a beautiful, prayerful, and spiritual class. It wasn't that you arrived, stretched, and felt good when you left, it was that you felt "fulfilled" when you left. 
Recently, our Catholic Herald newspaper interviewed this wonderful Yoga instructor. If you would like to read this article, Click Here.
I am very much looking forward to the next Yoga series in September. I hope that you are able to take a Yoga class near you and that it helps improve your physical and spiritual well being too.

Low-Point Peanut Butter Pie

We recently had our niece's boyfriend spend the weekend with us. This wonderful young man is in the Navy and stationed nearby. Before his arrival, I contacted my niece to ask what his favorite desserts are and she said "anything with chocolate and peanut butter". I was happy to hear this because I had just come across a great Peanut Butter Pie recipe that is very low in calories and great if you're watching your points. The recipe for this delicious pie is below. Hope you enjoy this guilt-free dessert as much as we do.

Low-Point Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. Peanut Butter

1 Tbs. Honey

1 1/2 cup Rice Krispies

2 Cups Skim Milk

1 pkg Sugar-Free Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix

Fat Free Cool Whip (optional)

In a small bowl, mix peanut butter and honey. Microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir in Rice Krispies and press in 9 inch pie pan. Chill. Prepare pudding with skim milk. Spread over pie crust and refrigerate. Enjoy with fat free Cool Whip or low-cal Redi Whip. If you would like a printer-friendly version of this recipe, Click Here.

Servings - 8

Serving size - 1 piece

Points per serving - 4

"Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow." - Ghandi

What are Food Points, and How Do I Use Them?

Before I started keeping track of what I ate, a friend talked to me about how many "points" she consumed everyday. I was at a loss by what she meant by "points", but after learning about the point system it made a lot of sense to me. It has helped me to choose healthier foods and snacks and to better monitor my eating habits.

You begin by finding out how many points your body requires each day. This process can take a bit of effort for those who aren't reading this blog. :) I have added easy tools to this web site so you can come back to again and again to determine how many points your body needs and how many points are in the foods that you eat.
Across the top of the page, you will find a "Points Calculator" and an "Allowed Points Calculator". Begin by calculating how many points your body requires by using the "Allowed Points Calculator". Once that is complete, you have the number of points you body requires each day. You should revisit this calculator as your inputs change (for example: lower weight or more activity).

After figuring out how many points your body requires, you should use the "Points Calculator" to determine how many points you are consuming in the foods you choose to eat.

This system really helps to keep you mindful of what you are eating. Now instead of going for the potato chips, I choose healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables, or other foods that have very few, if any points at all.

This information may be useful when you see the points that I have provided on the recipes published on this site.

In the end, it's all about making healthy choices. Whenever you make healthy choices you will feel better both physically and mentally. This is not to say that sometimes I don't completely blow it by selecting the "not-so-good-for-me" foods and desserts; but that's ok. You can always start again and it won't take long for you to have found so many low-point foods to eat that you seldom feel the need to reach for that chocolate cake or bag of chips.