Ginger, Lemon and Sea Salt Roast

On days like today, it was nice to come home to a roast in the crock pot!

After a long day of teaching inside in 74 degree weather, I decided to play outside in my front yard. I removed some rocks, re-structured some flower beds, transplanted some roses, re-built the rock bed around our maple tree and cleaned up some leaves. I even found a garter snake and named him Freddy- then I put him in the  flower bed covered him with a rock and some dirt and mulch. Naturally, I started a project and didn't stop until Brandon forced me to come inside because we couldn't see any more! (I HATE stopping in the middle of projects but... I don't want to meet a bigger snake in the dark.)

It's a start to a lot of much needed curb appeal!

We came in and dinner was already warmed and waiting to be eaten. I made a Roast and a simple side salad to go with it. Might even eat a piece of pie again for dessert.

Before I post the recipe, I also wanted to share this interesting article that Brandon sent me today. It talks about the 10 most commonly prescribed drugs and how they don't fix the problem, they only mask the symptoms. *This is especially common with a lot of Thyroid medications, Osteoporosis and Pain medications. The article explains how we could be using natural cures rather than spending thousands of dollars on medications. My personal favorite advice was as follows: "Here is another tasty heart-smart move: Eating a small square of dark chocolate three to four times a week may be 25 times as effective as taking statins for preventing heart disease, says Dr. Teitelbaum." Yum! OKAY! Check it out, learn something and share it with others.

Ginger, Lemon and Sea Salt Roast

• 1 Ginger Root, Peeled and Diced
• 2 Tbs Chili Powder
• 1 Tbs Sea Salt
• 2 cloves Garlic, whole
• Half a lemon, juice only
• 1 1/2 LB Venison Roast (or any roast)
• 2 Cups of water
• 1 Tsp Coconut amino's (you can use soy or Worcestershire sauce)

Place all of the ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 6-7 hours on low heat. This is a fresh, herbal roast and perfect for an early spring meal. Enjoy

I will leave you with this quote that a good friend sent me tonight:

"It's impossible" said pride. "It's risky" said experience. "It's pointless" said reason. "Give it a try" whispered the heart!

Positive Sundays and Chicken Sausages

Today I woke up to a really nice email from a friend of mine that I used to work with. She and her husband have been making some eating changes and she has sent me some great blogs and ideas via facebook. Yesterday, we were chatting about my trip to the Loudoun Grown Expo and she was sharing her pasteurized co-op with me. We were talking about the differences in eggs (hopefully some photos will follow!)
Anyway, she shared with me that she had been reading my blogs and appreciated the fact that it isn't dedicated to weight loss but rather overall health from the inside out. *Weight loss is just a bonus* Thanks for you positive words Katie!

I always wanted to be skinny like my sisters and I would try everything to be as thin as possible- nothing ever worked and I just started getting discouraged and fatter. One day I started seeing some signs of health issues and I decided that I needed to get healthy. Weight loss wasn't my goal when I started running and eating better. Getting healthy for my husband and our possible future family was my goal. Brandon's family has a history of cancer and heart health and mine has a history of depression, anxiety and stress related issues. I was starting to suffer from anxiety/panic attacks and even went on medication to try and control it. My family also has a history of addiction and I didn't want to rely on medication to make me feel okay. I don't trust drug companies and I don't want to give them my money. As of today I am off all medications and I have never felt better! Yes, this blog isn't about being thin, it is about getting your life under control and being as healthy as you can be for your loved ones and for yourself!

I think it is great that through facebook, blog land and the Internet, we can all learn from each other and continue to take steps to help better ourselves through our eating and exercise habits.
She shared this link with me and I think it gives a great insight on why we should be making healthier eating options.
From Katie:
"I came across this website the other day and I feel like it sums up a good eating philosophy well -- consider sharing on your blog! Check out the video 5 things not to eat at beyond diet"

On a different note- Let's get to some food talk...
For the past few weeks I have been searching for some different meats that are easy to make besides chicken, bacon and ground beef. I have really been craving sausage but I couldn't find healthy sausage anywhere! At lunch I was sharing this with a few friends and they told me to make my own- that is a lot of work and during the school year, I don't have time. I hope to spend summers making some and freezing them but that didn't fix my "I WANT IT RIGHT NOW" issue. So tonight I happened to walk around Costco observing and researching a few things and found myself desperately reading some of the pre-packaged meats. I found what I was looking for!! YAY
 Chicken Sausages that are totally healthy! No MSG, No Gluten, No sugar, No Nitrates!! They were Roasted red pepper with spinach and garlic. They are pre-cooked so they are less processed than raw and frozen meats. I bought them to give them a try and they were delicious.

Tonight's dinner was Sausage, Eggs, and Toast

• I took 5 sausages out (I underestimated their fillingness- way too many for two people.We only ate two of them.)
• Place them in a skillet and warm them on medium heat.
• Scramble eggs and toast some Irish Soda Bread with a little butter. This was a great light dinner and would make a nice quick and easy breakfast.

I am already thinking of a ton of recipe's to make with this sausage- one of them Jambalaya or grilled over a bonfire!!!
Hope you can find them at Costco or a local store. If not, order them from here.

Delicious dinner!