Choose Your Attitude

Posted on June 10, 2013 by

flourish scroll

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, gifted ability, or skill.  It will make or break a company, a church, a home. 

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing that we can do is play on the one string that we have and this string is ATTITUDE.   I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it.  And so it is with you….We are in charge of our Attitudes.”     — Charles Swindoll

 attitude quote
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What Does the Hypertension Research Say about Eating Real Food?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

My former place of employment was the hub of a very large research trial called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH).  One of my tasks was to train staff at other research sites around the country to help keep the study participants (subjects, if you will) motivated to stick with the eating plan.  Being a ‘research study participant’ sounds great when you begin but for some that motivation starts to wain towards the end.  And staying committed to the goals of a study until the end is critical for gathering the best data.

DASH was a ‘feeding’ study meaning all of the foods were prepared and provided for each person and they ate only these foods.  There was nothing magical about the foods.  They were commonplace and similar to the food choices many Americans eat.  There were casseroles, salads, grilled meats, sandwiches, nuts, yogurt — all sorts of foods we would be familiar with.  The participant’s goal?  To eat all of the foods provided, every last almond in your Tropical Stir-Fried Pork Tenderloin and every last bite of banana on your oatmeal.

One of the primary goals was to study the effects on blood pressure from eating these whole food meals and snacks.  The gist of the eating plan was that a large portion of the foods were what you’d find in a vegetarian diet — lots of fruits and vegetables, legumes, some nuts, whole grains, etc.  Then, include some animal protein foods like low-fat dairy, fish and other lean meats.  What you get is a meal plan with a healthy variety of tasty foods.  Oh, and the participants had to hold a steady weight.  Not gain or lose since we already knew losing weight would lower blood pressure.  Salt was kept at a normal amount as well.  So, one question to be answered was, If you eat a balance of whole foods without losing weight or eating less salt, will blood pressure be reduced?  Turns out, it will, and not just by a little bit, but significantly.

The results of this study are so widely proclaimed that it is sometimes touted as the DASH ‘diet’.  In fact, earlier this year, U.S. News scrutinized and rated 29 diets for safety, nutritional completeness and the likelihood to protect against chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.  DASH took the #1 spot for Best Overall Diet and Best Diet for Healthy Eating.  Not bad considering this study took place over 10 years ago.

A balanced diet of real foods protects against disease.  Well, tell me something new, right?  More than that, I think there was a subtle message we dearly needed to hear:  To the typical American, eating a plant based diet is very tasty, full of appealing variety, and uses common foods.  Our success is well within reach.

Hundreds of organizations have more details about DASH.  This study was truly a big deal in the dietary research arena.  You’ll have no problem finding more information.  I threw out a few links here that mention recipes and meal plans:  DASH Diet Oregon  DASH Diet  National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

The DASH diet eating plan contains such a vast amount of practical info you can find a few DASH books and ebooks available for purchase.  Check this out. 

Dig in…

DASH foods

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No-Guilt Nachos

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

Salsa

Here’s a simple and healthy meal or snack you can whip up in less than 15 minutes.

No-Guilt Nachos

Layer onto individual plates:

  • Baked Tortilla Chips
  • Bean Dip or Vegetarian Refried Beans (warmed)
  • Grated Cheese

Microwave each plate individually to melt cheese.

 Add:

  • Sliced Black Olives (optional)
  • Salsa
  • Light Sour Cream
Note: The Bean Dip is more flavorful than the plain canned, vegetarian refried beans.
 
Signature Recipe by Luanna Diller, RD
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Easy Chicken

Posted on April 2, 2013 by

 

tulipsIn honor of my sister-in-law who asked me, “What are some easy ways to make chicken?”, I’m dedicating this post.  I’m going to take the liberty of reading a few more details into that seemingly straight forward question.  Such as, How do I make chicken breasts that aren’t dry and tasteless?  What’s quick and easy when I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner?  What can I do with chicken that’s fairly healthy but not boring?

That leaves me wondering, “Where do I begin!”.  I can think of so many options.  My first suggestion, though, would be to consider the weather.  At least where I live, when it’s a fairly warm day without rain I fire up the barbecuer.  That’s the direction of these chicken ideas.

Remember that many of my ‘recipes’ should be considered ‘cooking guidelines’.  That’s the case today.  You won’t find ingredient amounts here.  Your job is to ‘adjust flavor to taste’.

 

Step 1.  Grill chicken.  See grilling guidelines below.

 

Really Good and Easy Grilled Chicken Breasts

 

Plan on grilling enough chicken breasts for leftovers.

With a paper towel, pat dry several boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Squeeze on a little lime juice, fresh or concentrate.  Lightly rub both sides with extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle both sides with McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning.  If time, let stand in the fridge for about a half hour.  (Standing time is optional.)

Barbecue on your grill until just cooked through.  Do not overcook.  If possible, don’t make a big cut in the chicken to test for doneness.  You will lose some of the juices that make the chicken more moist.  Try pressing on the thickest part for firmness instead.

Refrigerate leftover chicken for tomorrow.

Note: I use a Traeger brand grill.  I think it’s less drying than some other grills.

 

 

 

Step 2.  Use leftover chicken. See ideas below.

 

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

 

Slice the cold, leftover chicken across the grain into very thin, small strips.  Toss the chicken in a hot non-stick pan just long enough to warm it.  Remove chicken.

Wipe pan out.  Heat a tortilla on both sides.  Sprinkle with grated Mexican blend or cheddar cheese and a little chicken.  When cheese just starts to melt fold it over.  Done.  Repeat with more tortillas.

Serve quesadillas with light sour cream and salsa.

 

Chicken Corn Chowder

 

If you’re in the mood for soup try my Chicken Corn Chowder.  Just substitute small, sliced or chopped pieces of the leftover grilled chicken for the canned chicken.  If you like it when I’m more specific with amounts of ingredients, you’ll appreciate this recipe.

 

bon appetit
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Renewed

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

Let me take you back a few months.

On New Year’s Eve of 2012 I posted my thoughts on resolutions titled “Refusing to Resolute”.  In a nutshell, I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.  They’re redundant and, to be honest, they bum me out.  By definition, resolutions are intentions.  (This might bring to mind an old saying about a certain road being paved with good intentions.)  I bring resolutions up again because by this time you might possibly have noticed that some or all of yours didn’t work out as planned.

 

I have an alternative.  Instead of the New Year, I like Spring to be the time of year when I focus on NEW things.  Spring means Easter.  Easter means the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  By definition, besides meaning Christ’s rising from the dead, it also means revitalization or to revitalize something.  To resurrect also means to restore to life, revive, to bring NEW vigor to.  (I could use some new vigor, how about you?)

For me personally, there’s a sense of hope, renewal, and NEW life in Spring.  It’s the time of Resurrection.

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  — 1 Peter 1:3 (NKJ)

 

The Resurrection wasn’t an ‘intention’, it was the unfailing will of God destined before the beginning of time.  God made a NEW covenant.  We have the NEW Testament.  Spring is nature’s evidence of things made NEW.

 

In the novel, The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers, she writes, “It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year.  It was the Lord speaking to us all and showing us over and over again the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  It was like a best-loved story being told day after day with each sunrise and sunset, year after year with the seasons, down through the ages since time began.”

 

Renewal among Christians is the process of being made spiritually NEW in the Holy Spirit.

 

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it.  Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert at what is going on around Christ  — that’s where the action is.  See things from His perspective.  Your old life is dead.  Your new life which is your real life — even though invisible to spectators — is with Christ in God.  He is your life. —   Colossians 3:1-3 (MSG)

 

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.  — Ephesians 4:23 (NKJ)

 

Go ahead, celebrate New Life.  Believing the Resurrection is the best beginning.

Happy Easter!

Easter Lily

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A Short List of Favorite Books

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

bookshelfHave you ever given your unwanted books to a Goodwill?  Maybe a Humane Society thrift store?  A library?  A resale shop?  It’s interesting to peruse these.  Occasionally, there’s a good one that I’ll buy.

 

But here’s what I really want to know:  If these are the books that we’re giving away, what books are we keeping?  What are the books we can’t part with — the favorite ones we cherish?  My husband and I have some of those books.  The ones we read a second or third time.  The ones we lend out (and buy another one when it never returns home to us).

 

I was at the library a while back and noticed a book give away taking place that day.  I strolled down the isles and to my surprise, I found a book of mine.  Not ‘mine’ in the sense of one that I had owned and given away.  ‘Mine’ in the sense that I was an ‘author’ of sorts.  My official title was ‘Nutrition Editor’ of this nutrition reference book.  I had this brief moment of  “Wow, right here in the library, a book of my handiwork with my name in it”.  Then, I remembered it was a ‘give away’ item…oh, well.  I left it there.  Hoping someone would take the lonely thing home.  Maybe keep it for a while.

 

I realize that our reading preferences are as varied as the foods we like.  However, some things are stand outs for us.  Maybe we find that a few others in our social circle of friends or acquaintances like it, too.  It might not be a Best Seller on the New York Times list but it’s a ‘best seller’ for us.  It’s a book that you just plain like.

 

These are a few of my fiction and non-fiction favorites.

Christian Fiction and other Fiction

  • Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead
  • Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
  • Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers
  • A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
  • From Out of the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz

 

Non-Fiction Reference Books

  • Major Bible Themes by Lewis Chafer & John Walvoord
  • Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon and Ron Herbst
  • The Way to Cook by Julia Child
  • The Merck Manual of Medical Information
  • Health Counts: A Fat and Calorie Guide   (In case you were wondering, this is the book I mentioned earlier where I’m named as the Nutrition Editor.  As far as I know, it’s now out of print.  Don’t give your copy away though, it might be a collectors item some day.  I can dream, can’t I?)

 

Feel free to share one of your favorites.  Below this post, in very small print, you’ll find ‘Leave a comment’.  Click on that to find the comment box.

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What Does the Weight Loss Research Say?

Posted on February 22, 2013 by

researchGoogle ‘weight loss research’.  Go ahead, I’ll wait.

I found 167,000,000 links.  You probably found something like that, too.

If you were to wade through this information you’d find that there are a handful of weight loss guidelines that surface in the research data.  In other words, in study after study there were several things the participants of these studies did that resulted in successful weight loss.  These guidelines are things regular people, like you and me, can do.  You won’t find anything shockingly new here.  These are general guidelines but they’ve proven to be effective.

Bottom line: When these guidelines were practiced as a part of the lifestyle of the people in the research studies, they lost weight.

Overview of Research Based Weight Loss Guidelines

  • Weigh yourself often.  At least once a week.  Keep a record of your weight.
  • Keep calories in control.  In most cases the recommendation for women was an average of 1500 to 2000 calories per day.
  • Keep track of what and how much you eat.  Write it down.
  • Eat 9-12 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  (Consider what the definition of ‘one serving’ is.  Think 1/2 cup of broccoli, 1 small banana, 1 cup of green salad, 8 baby carrots, 1/4 cup of raisins.)
  • Exercise regularly.  Start slowly and build up the minutes and intensity of intentional exercise.  Find extra opportunities to move more.  Stay active as part of your lifestyle.
  • Seek support.  Connect with others who have similar goals.

When I look at this list I can’t help but think of the underlying message of these guidelines.  To me, there are elements here of self-control, discipline, fellowship and eating real food.  Hmmm.  This sounds just like some things I’ve read in a book written thousands of years ago.

My personal conclusion?  When we look at weight loss, the scientific research often confirms what God’s Word has been telling us all along.

Just one more good reason to keep God’s Instruction Manual for Life handy.  He has the answers even before we can ask the questions!

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Fresh Ingredients are Key for Great Caesar Salad

Posted on February 14, 2013 by

This is a “recipe” for cooks who sometimes cook without recipes.  The instructions are brief, the amounts are approximate and you can adjust the ingredients to your own taste.

I use these particular ingredients when I make my own Caesar salad because they’re fresh and very flavorful.

Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad

heart of romaine, 1 medium head, torn or chopped

fresh ground pepper, a dash (about 1/8 tsp)

fresh lemon juice (about 2 tsp)

fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (about 1-2 T)

Gardini’s Caesar salad dressing

croutons, seasoned for Caesar salads

Toss romaine with pepper, lemon juice and cheese.  Dress lightly with Caesar salad dressing.  Toss.  Add some croutons.  Toss again.  Serve immediately.

Signature Recipe from Luanna Diller, RD
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Friday Feature: A Mother’s Heart

Posted on February 8, 2013 by

THE SON SNATCHER

Who took my son?  I turned around for only a moment.  Wasn’t it just a moment?  Maybe it was longer.  When I turned back, he was gone.

Yet, some form of him is still here.  I can see him.  His appearance.  The dark, curly locks of hair framing the handsome face of a teenage boy beginning his transformation into manhood.  The intelligent eyes of glorious green.  Wearing his favorite sage colored T-shirt that sets them off so well.  I see his shape.  The tall, lanky physique that epitomizes slim.  Standing there.  The feet of a skateboarder, in tattered Vans, shoelaces dangling loosely on the floor.

The part of him that I can see is here.  But his spirit has been snatched.  His vitality.  His joy for living.  Seemingly, his very heart and soul, is missing.  The sense of humor, stolen.  The quirky smile, gone.  The ramblings of excited discovery, stifled.  An incredible, unquenchable curiosity, quenched.  A rational, thinking, believing mind, emptied of the Truth.  Or, so it seems.

Who took my son?  You know and I know who took him.  Satan has snatched my son.  For now.  For this season of sifting, perhaps.  But he can’t have him.  Not for keeps.  You see, my son’s entire being belongs to only One, his Father in heaven who is greater than all, who is not willing for any to perish.  Out of His eternal hand — the hand that holds eternal life for those who have once accepted Truth — no one is able to be snatched.

hands touching

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Women On the Front Lines of Battle

Posted on January 30, 2013 by

Sword of SpiritThe military, the defense of this country, and the battle strategies in this physical world are beyond what I can fully understand.  But the notion of an enemy and the human nature to win over an enemy is a simple concept I do understand.

Whether we know it or not.  Whether we like it or not.  Whether we believe it or not, a spiritual battle exists.  Wake up ladies and smell the sulfur.  That is the distinct stench of the enemy of your soul.  We are in the midst of a battle every day of our lives.

Have you ever encountered a demon?  Not just the ones in your thoughts.  Real ones.  I mean, the unmistakable presence of an evil being.  I have.  I had one stand at the foot of my bed.  It woke me up.  After the initial jolt of fear I commanded it to leave in the name of Jesus.  It did.  Satan is not only the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) but a real presence.  He has a host of demons.  And they are busy on this earth.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6:12)

When do we accept that God has given us everything we need for battle?  When do we act on our responsibility?  When do we take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and use it as a weapon of warfare?  Do you ever think about these things?  I do.  I don’t know what the scholars would say.  I do believe, however, when the battle becomes a real thing, we who believe on Jesus, immediately know Who to call on.

God said to Cain in Genesis 4:7, “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  Think about it.  As far back as the first children born on earth, God is speaking of the work of Satan.  That word ‘desire‘ not only implies sin is running after you, but it wants to run you down, run right over you.

Take up the armor Sister, it’s fierce out there.  Take up the armor God has given you.  These are the only weapons that work against an enemy we can’t even see.  God has made these weapons available for us to use.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.  Stand therefore having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.  (Ephesians 6:13-18)

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