New Year's has it's UPS and DOWNS...

As the New Year's resolutions start piling up, and we start to think about what we want 2015 to look like or feel like...here at our home...we have begun what I am praying will be a lifestyle change!!

So, yes, this has begun today in our home.  To some of us with food allergies who eat clean and healthy 99.5% of the time...it's no big deal.  But the other 1/2 of the house begged to differ!!  

We each embraced this challenge with cleaning out "our shelves" in the pantry.  Here is the tally:

Mine: Zero

Claire: 3

Clayton:1

Tom (the hubby): 30+ items and I am being NICE 

We did not want to trash it if it hadn't been opened so I came up with a solution...hubby, take it to your work's break room!! It will be gone in less than a day, and the break room is very far from his office :) I try to be a thoughtful wife...really!!

Breakfast was eggs, sausage, and honey crisp apples sliced...YUMMO

Lunch was Panko crusted fish sticks and some applesauce

Dinner will be Marinated Lemon Vinaigrette Chicken Breast on top of Spinach Salad...but this challenge is MORE than just a challenge!!  I need those that I love MOST to learn something....as a teacher and life-learner, I cannot help it!

So......I made them a Black Bean Chocolate Cake!!  It has no flour, no sugar, and uses only UNsweetened cocoa for the chocolate flavor...they won't know what hit them!! I know the "rules" say no cake or chocolate, but I am trying to make a point here with healthy cake made with unsweetened cocoa.

The lesson is:

God gave us a body to treat as "his temple".  We are sinners and imperfect, of course, but as we know better, we need to do better.  I want my family who hasn't been on a clean eating food allergy lifestyle change like the other 1/2 of us for years now to learn that healthy = yummy...SIMPLE right!!!???

Here is the link to the recipe...I did NOT make the frosting by the way.  I have always been a cake with no frosting kinda gal anyway...birthday parties were interesting as a kid. "How come your cake has frosting only on half of it?"  Yep, that's me!!

Make this for your family...and hear the "what's" and "wow's" and "mom you're the bestest cooker ever's"  My sweet 13 yr old. boy still says that at almost every meal...and I cherish it!!!

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/haylie-duff/black-bean-chocolate-cake-with-buttercream-frosting.html

Happy New Year ya'll,