Faith Like a Child

Jesus said that our faith should be like that of a child (Luke 18:17). Why? Because children are filled with hope, ready to love and trust wholeheartedly in the ones who love them the most. I can read Jesus’ teachings and conceptually understand His point; however, this part of Scripture had little impact on me, until recently.

Two weeks ago, we lost someone very dear to our family. He was someone my children knew and loved – they called him Uncle although he was of no relation. My husband and I admitted our sadness to our children – no sense in hiding it – and prayed that Jesus would welcome Uncle Jerrad. My three year old son offered us joy in hope that we WOULD see him again someday. To my son it was simple. Uncle Jerrad left us to be with Jesus. Faith like a child. And while we are sad our loved one is not with us anymore, my son knows without a doubt that he is Home, waiting for us all. Do we know? Do we really believe? Do we have faith like this child?

One week ago, we had to put our beloved family dog, Tobi, to sleep. It was her time. She was in pain, she was old and she lived a good life. No need to be heroic so we made the decision to send her Home. My five year old daughter was hit the hardest because Tobi slept in her room every night. When I told her, she wept, we cuddled and she disappeared. I found her in her room, on her knees, praying. Faith like a child. After hugs and comfort from her earthly mother, she ran to her Heavenly Father. Are we so quick to fall to our knees? Do we seek the Prince of Peace in the midst of our storm? Do we have faith like this child?

It’s amazing how someone’s death can instantly remind you of all the things you didn’t say, all the things you didn’t do, the ways you could have showed love but refused, the times you should have reached out but were afraid. It’s easy to see the missed opportunity of yesterday using our wisdom from today. Children rarely miss opportunity. Whenever opportunity presents itself, they readily reach for it – especially when it is offered by a parent. They trust without understanding.

It seems only in death can you get a true picture of someone’s life. And only in death can you have a true appreciation for life. God uses death to propel us in the direction He desires for us. He uses it to give us perspective, to remove the scales from our eyes. He uses it to give the cynical, broken, hardened heart faith like a child.


“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Luke 18:17

Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats are one of the most nutritious carb sources available, which is vital to a runner's diet! Oats are naturally nutritious but since steel-cut oats are minimally processed, the nutrition is left in tact compared to rolled oats and instant oats.

My struggle with steel-cut oats is taste. I've tried and failed with several recipes but keep trying because I know they are so good for you! I finally found a winner with this recipe... it's a keeper.

2 C. water
2 C. low-fat milk
1/4 t. salt
1 C. steel-cut oats
1 t. vegan butter
1/3 heaping C. raisins (or other dried fruit without added sugar)
2 t. agave nectar
Fresh fruit, cinnamon, and honey to taste

1. Combine water, milk, salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil.
2. Slowly add oats, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in butter, raisins, and agave nectar. Cover and continue to simmer another 10-15 minutes, stirring often to prevent cereal from sticking to pan, until oats are soft and mixture is creamy.
4. Refrigerate or serve immediately. When ready to serve, add cinnamon and honey to taste. Top with apples, peeled, cored and chopped (or other fruit as desired).

Serves 4-6.

I'd love to hear how you prepare steel-cut oats if you eat them.

TRAINING WEEK 2 - March 27 - April 2, 2010

I hope everyone had a good week one. The weather here in Colorado is always unpredictable this time of year and this week certainly kept me on my toes. From 70 degrees to 30 degrees in a matter of 24 hours! Gotta love it!

Here is the training schedule for Week 2.

Saturday, March 27 - Long run and our first group run!: 3 miles (email me at mikelisafischer@msn.com if you haven't received emails regarding this already)
Sunday, March 28 - Recovery run: 2 miles
Monday, March 29 - Rest: 0 miles
Tuesday, March 30 - Pace run*: 3 miles
Wednesday, March 31 - Easy run: 2 miles
Thursday, April 1 - Easy run: 0-2 miles
Friday, April 2 - Rest: 0 miles

Week 2 Pace Workout:
Same as Week 1

This should all look pretty familiar. You're not crazy - it's the same as Week 1. ;)

Eating Differences

I can tell people think I’m crazy when they discover that, generally speaking, I cook 2 meals every night. I don’t impose my dietary beliefs on my family (yet!), and so every night at the Fischer house 2 meals are served. That’s usually when I hear, “I could never do that!” It floors most women because let’s face it – that’s the worse part of our day, at least for the mortal mom. We can manage our way through any temper tantrum, come up with 100 ways to use a popsicle stick, conduct the most interesting science experiment in our backyard, and power our way through any work task with grace, but dinnertime is the monster that most often defeats us. Well, it’s easier than even I thought it would be to do this and I’ve only been cooking for the past 18 months.

I thought sharing one of my weekly menus would show how easy it really is.

Monday
Family:
Spaghetti with ground beef, marinara
Salad*
Bread

Me:
Spaghetti squash (cooked in microwave for 7 minutes) with marinara and chicken breast
Salad*
*Prep enough salad to store in Ziploc with wet paper towel for next few days.

Tuesday
Family:
Pizza (frozen not homeade)

Me: Chicken breast
Rice* with sautéed veggies
Salad
*Make 2-4 cups of rice for lunches during the week.

Wednesday
Family:
Chunky bean and chicken chili (everyone in my family loves this BH&G recipe and my
husband hates chicken typically)
Asparagus

Me:
Chunky bean and chicken chili
Asparagus

Thursday
Family:
Heavenly Ham Casserole (Crock pot recipe)
Bread
Edamame

Me:
Baked salmon filet
Quinoa with black beans* topped with avocado
Mango-jicama salad with cilantro dressing*
*Since this is a crock pot day, I make a batch of these recipes that will last me for lunch or other dinners in the week to come.

Friday
Family:
Breakfast night (pancakes, bacon, eggs, grits)

Me:
Something egg based like breakfast burritos with corn tortillas or omelette with spinach
and mushrooms, grits with sea salt and vegan butter

Saturday
Family:
Leftovers

Me:
Leftovers

Sunday
Family:
Steak
Baked sweet potatoes
Edamame

Me:
Baked tilapia
Baked sweet potatoes
Edamame

What are some of your tips and tricks if you eat differently than your family? Would love to hear everyone's ideas...

TRAINING WEEK 1 – March 20 – 26, 2010

The following is the training schedule I am working from to get ready for the Bolder Boulder, considering I haven't run in... well, a while! Please take care of yourself, drink plenty of water and listen to your body! This training program comes from the "Bronze 5K and 10K Training Schedules" from The Complete Book of Running for Women. By all means if you have something that is working for you already, stick with it! Don't fix what's not broken.

Your runs may fall on different days. Our group runs are considered the long run and will typically fall on Saturdays. Watch your email for our first group run on March 27th!


Saturday, March 20 - Long run: 3 miles
Sunday, March 21 - Recovery run: 2 miles
Monday, March 22 - Rest: 0 miles
Tuesday, March 23 - Pace run*: 3 miles
Wednesday, March 24 - Easy run: 2 miles
Thursday, March 25 - Easy run: 0-2 miles
Friday, March 26 - Rest: 0 miles

*Pace workouts help build endurance and strength as well as increase speed. I recommend including these in your training schedule, but consider your own goals first. These workouts are not sprints; they simply include picking up the pace for a specified distance.

WEEK 1 PACE WORKOUT
First some terminology...
Easy/recovery pace is just what it sounds like. I’m comfortable running at this pace and I can carry on a conversation.

Race pace is the pace at which I would run a 5K. So I’m running fast but I should be able to sustain distance at this pace. It’s not a 50 yard dash pace. Make sense?

So for week 1, here is what your pace workout looks like for 3 miles total:

1 mile at easy pace

4 x 400 meters (recover for 200 meters) – so that looks like this:
::400 meters at race pace (1)
::200 meters at recovery/easy pace
::400 meters at race pace (2)
::200 meters at recovery/easy pace
::400 meters at race pace (3)
::200 meters at recovery/easy pace
::400 meters at race pace (4)
::200 meters at recovery/easy pace

½ mile easy

REMEMBER: 400 meters equals ¼ mile. So you can still do this on a treadmill if you don’t have access to a track. On a standard outdoor track, 1 lap equals ¼ mile or 400 meters.

A final note…
Don’t overwhelm yourself! If this is too crazy for you to get your mind around, just get out there and run! Let’s keep our focus on God and he will take care of everything else!

Happy trails!

Let the Training Begin!

Spring is slowly making it’s way into the Rocky Mountains which means the running season is dawning! I’m so ready to start moving in the sun – how about you? Be sure to check your email for Group Run announcements.

It’s time to start stepping up our activity as we Spring Forward. It's time to start training! How much running you do a week really depends on your fitness level and your own personal goals - not just your goals for your race performance, but your overall health goals for your King.

I feel the need to reiterate that I am not a personal trainer. I’ve mentioned The Complete Book of Running for Women (Kowalchik) before (link under resources). This book includes race programs for 5k, 10k, half-marathons and marathons, as well as a wealth of information about running in general. I use the training programs from this book as a basis but don’t follow to the letter. These training programs can be pretty intense and even when I ran a lot I didn’t run as much as this book suggests. So I pull what I think are the most important runs from each week to build my running program – usually about 4 days a week. Here are some basic principles to consider if you want to build your own program that suits your needs and schedule:

:: Include a long run, a recovery run (day after your long run) and at least 1 speed work day in your training program.

:: Speed work (also called pace workouts) can come in a variety of forms – using a track (1 lap = 400 meters; 4 laps = 1 mile), a treadmill, doing a fartlek run or running hills are all forms of speed work. The most important part of the pace workout is to ensure you are properly warmed up before you pick up the pace. More on this next week.

:: When trying to build up mileage, it’s not safe to just add a mile each week to your long run. When mountain climbers ascend Mt. Everest, they go through a series of ascents and descents to acclimate to the altitude before they attempt the summit. Acclimating to distance in running uses the same theory. So one week, your long run might be 3 miles, the next 2, then the following 4 miles.

:: The body needs rest. Many runners ride on the “Runner’s High” and want to go everyday but just remember that you do just as much for your training by resting as you do by running.

:: Don’t underestimate the benefits of cross training. You can still move but give your running muscles a rest. Swimming, yoga, pilates and weight-training are all wonderful compliments for the runner’s training schedule. I also love to rollerblade! I plop my kids in the double jogger and hit the trails. They love the speed and I get a great workout – they collectively way nearly 60 lbs.!


:: Finally, ask yourself, are you devoting yourself to running or are you devoting yourself to God and being obedient to His calling to live a healthy life? That’s an important question to answer before you get started or keep going. It will help keep everything in perspective. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day… because you are likely to miss a day. And don’t be obsessed with fitting your workout in when your family is sick and you have to take care of them or you have a commitment to a loved one you can’t break. Ask God to prioritize your training for you because it’s easy to beat ourselves up over not making the time. Just remember, we want to be women who can laugh at the days to come, not women who can present a log filled with daily runs and other completed tasks.

Cranberry & Walnut Rice

This was really good and I made enough to last a week - even better heated up.

Ingredients:
Olive oil for sauteeing
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 cups uncooked brown rice (or your rice preference)
2 1/4 cups gluten-free vegetable broth (this replaced the water called for in my rice's cooking instructions - you can use whatever broth suits you)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 t. thyme
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking 8x8 baking dish. Set aside.
2. Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Set aside.
3. Cook rice according to package directions but use vegetable broth instead of water.
4. Stir in cranberries, thyme and walnuts. Cover and cook 5 minutes more.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer rice mixture to baking dish and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Found this recipe here. Made it tonight and it was good. I layered with tortillas instead of rolling enchiladas because my tortillas were falling apart. I'll probably tweak it the next few times to get it where I want it, but great jumping off point and gluten free! One of my more filling dinners for sure and made plenty so I have leftovers for the week.

To make it a bit easier next time, I may try a pre-made green chile or tomatillo sauce - gluten free, of course. If anyone tries it, let me know what you think and how you made it your own. I think this would be fantastic as enchiladas, but need to find better corn tortillas!