Ash Wednesday

Last night we attended our first non Sunday Mass and our first Ash Wednesday. I had planned on taking pictures of the kids after Mass but it turns out the minute you tell your kids that you can not touch your forehead they will use any means to scratch that itch. By the end of Mass the ashes were all over my husband. We went up and had the ashes put in on our foreheads, some ashes looked like smudges and others looked like perfect crosses. We are told "Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return". According to http://www.catholic.org, "Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice". I had to look it up so that I would kind of understand a little better. What I do know is it is the start of Lent, and lent is a time of reflection and fasting. As you know our family is giving up meat for lent, in addition I am giving up alcohol and adding more prayer to my daily life. I found a great little prayer project that I am doing with the boys. You can find the free download here. http://faith.thatresourcesite.com/modules/PDdownloads/singlefile.php?cid=77&lid=914 The premise is to say a decade of the rosary everyday for someone else. I know that this is a small offering but I think it is a good project for myself and my children. I want them to grow in our religion and in their faith. Maybe it will help us all. I hope it does.

Here is a prayer for today from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/Daily-prayers-00.html

Lord,
Let everything I do this day and in this season of Lent
come from you, be inspired by you.

I long to be closer to you.
Help me to remember that nothing is important in my life
unless it glorifies you in some way.

It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day of my life and keep saying,
"Tomorrow, I will spend more time in prayer,"
but now my longing meets your love and I want to do it now.
Help me to rely on you for help.

The prayer asks you that I reach perfection.
Please, Lord, remind me that "perfection"
isn't the crazy, "successful" way I try to live my life,
but a perfection of my most authentic, real self.
My "perfection" might be holding my many flaws in my open hands,
asking you to help me accept them.

Heal me, Lord, and help me to find you in the darkness of my life.
Let me reach out in this darkness and feel your hand and love there to guide me

 

Amen

 

I really think that this prayer is perfect for me in this moment and I hope that in some small way it helps you.

 

I hope your day is filled with Love and Laughter. Be well my friends.

 

 

Protein and how to get it without eating meat.

As my family is preparing for lent this year the biggest discussion is what each of us would like to give up. Last year we gave up meat with a loop hole where the boys could eat anything when we ate out. This year around the table Damian asked if we could do it again without cheating. I try to say yes when I am able so that it doesn't sting too bad when I have to say no. We all agreed to give up meat for lent which starts February 22 and ends on Easter Sunday which is April 8. This year it is important to us because on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) we will be confirmed into the church. I think after almost three years of Mass we are ready to make the commitment.

Really this post is about protein.  I get asked about protein a lot because there is a misconception that protein only comes from animals. Although meat has the densest amount protein per unit it is not the only way to make sure you are getting enough. Here is the link to what the CDC recommends for daily protein intake http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html the chart below is from the CDC. It was easier to follow than the USDA's chart. I highlighted the values my family needs.

Recommended Dietary Allowance for Protein
	Grams of protein needed each day
Children ages 1 – 3	13
Children ages 4 – 8	19
Children ages 9 – 13	34
Girls ages 14 – 18	46
Boys ages 14 – 18	52
Women ages 19 – 70+	46
Men ages 19 – 70+	56

We eat farm fresh eggs that come from grass fed chickens. One egg has 6g which is about 12% of the daily protein that is recommended. Here is a great link to a family farm that explains the benefits of grass fed, free range chickens. Plus to be totally honest this is where I buy my beautiful eggs. http://www.hansonfamilyfarm.com/eggs.html They have a lot of great information on the benefits of grass fed animals too. I recomend that you check them out and then maybe find a local farm that can help you, while you help them.

1/2 a cup of dried oatmeal contains 5g of protein. Peanut butter has 7g of protein in two tablespoons. Milk has 8g in an 8oz serving. One slice of whole wheat bread has 4gs of protein. For 1/4 cup of beans it ranges from 7g-9g depending on the type of bean. I only looked at about 4 kinds of beans.

Now for the surprising facts on Vegetables Are you ready? Here is the link to an excellent chart on vegetable nutrition http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vegetables-nutrition-chart.html I am only going to chose some of our favorite fruits and vegetables and some really common vegetables.

Vegetables                                                                                             Fruit

1/2 cup Asparagus = 2.16g                                                            1 Apple = 0.47g

1/2 cup beets = 1.7g                                                                      1 Avocado = 4.02g

1/2 cup Broccoli = 1.86g                                                               1 Banana = 1.29g 

1 cup Brussels Sprouts = 3.98g                                                      1 cup blackberries = 2g

1/2 cup Cauliflower = 1.14g                                                           1 cup Blueberries = 1.57g  

1 cup Celery = 1.25g                                                                      1 slice Cantaloupe = 0.58g

1 ear of Corn = 4.02g                                                                     1 cup Dates= 3.6g

1 cup French beans = 12.48g                                                          1 cup Grapes = 1.04g

1 cup Kale = 2.47g                                                                         1 cup Mulberries = 2.02g

1 cup Leeks= 1g                                                                             1 Orange = 1.23g

1/2 cup Mushrooms = 1.08g                                                           1 Peach = 1.36g

1 cup Okra = 3g                                                                             1 Pomegranate = 4.71g

1 cup Peas = 8.58g                                                                         1 small box of Raisins = 1.32g

1 medium Potato = 4.33g                                                                1 cup Strawberries = 0.96g

1 cup Summer Squash =1.87g                                                        1 Tomato = 1.08g

1 cup Swiss Chard = 3.29g                                                             1 Slice Watermelon = 1.74g

As you can see there is protein in almost all of the fruits and vegetables that we eat. Wait there is more ways to get protein in our meatless diet. There is cheese too.

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese = 28.14g                                  1 cup Cottage Cheese = 13.37g

3 oz Cream Cheese = 5.04g                                          1 Goat Cheese = 21.58g

1 cup yogurt = 8.5g                                                        1 cup low fat Yogurt = 12.86g

These are all meatless ways that we can easily get the reccomended daily protein. Seeds and Nuts are also high in protien you can look here for more information on nuts http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/nut-seed-nutrition-chart.html This website has some really great charts to help educate people of the nutrition of food.  I also want to give a shout out to Tofu which I like to cook with. Half a cup of Tofu has 10 grams of protein. 6oz of beef has 49.2 grams of protien which is my daily value and more then double what the boys need. Here is a sample menu that I found on a vegan website http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm.

		Protein (grams)
Breakfast:	1 cup Oatmeal	6
	1 cup Soymilk	7
	1 Bagel	9
Lunch:	2 slices Whole Wheat Bread	5
	1 cup Vegetarian Baked Beans	12
Dinner:	5 oz firm Tofu	11
	1 cup cooked Broccoli	4
	1 cup cooked Brown Rice	5
	2 Tbsp Almonds	4
Snack:	2 Tbsp Peanut Butter	8
	6 Crackers	2
TOTAL		73 grams

Although we will be eating eggs and dairy it is an excellent example of how a person can get protein into their diets. Anyways I hope that this post helps people understand more about protein. I am sorry it is so long, I wanted to explore the subject to the fullest. Thank you for reading.

I hope that your week is filled with unexpected learning, Love, and Laughter. Be well my friends.