Foodie Fun

So sorry it's been a week. I'm very tired tonight and am making myself do this since I've made the commitment to. It's been a long week!

I have some new and exciting recipes for ya'll! This week I discovered my love for sprouting grains and beans. So far this week I made some sprouted spelt flour and sprouted lentils, which I then turned into a salad and a peanut curry. YUM! In our family we try to stay away from gluten. Our oldest has a pretty serious sensitivity to it, but after staying away from it for years, we have been able to slowly reintroduce it back into his diet by soaking and sprouting. If your new to this, doing either soaking or sprouting helps to predigest the enzymes in the grain or bean, making it easier for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients. There is actually an anti-nutrient called phytic acid present in grains and beans, and soaking and/or sprouting helps to neutralize this acid. I truly believe so many of our health problems today come from not soaking and sprouting our grains/beans. I have been soaking for over a year now, but am even loving sprouting more! Sprouting actually increases the nutrient content of what you are eating! For example, with sprouting spelt, it then contains up to 5 times the vitamin C and increases the complex B vitamins substantially! To me this is very important, my adrenals crashed last summer and B vitamins are so important to healing adrenals and other hormonal imbalances. I know you are now thinking "that sounds WAY to complicated!!" But trust me, it's really not! I used to think the same exact thing, which is why I never did it. But here is a great video that shows just how easy it is. So now here are some recipes you can use with some of your sprouted things!

Sprouted Lentil Salad
1 cup Sprouted Lentils (I used the red lentils)
1/4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil

Toss together and enjoy! Even the oh so picky man of the house loved it!

Thai Peanut Curry

1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp red curry paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
3 cups sprouted lentils
2 red peppers diced

Heat skillet with coconut oil and saute onion until soft. Add the red curry paste and cook for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Mix well and let simmer 10-15 minutes, until flavors begin to mingle. Turn heat to low and add diced peppers and lentils. Serve over Thai rice noodles or jasmine rice.

So I tried to take some pictures of all this goodness but honestly my camera stinks for food shots. Sorry, I'm just not cool like all the other bloggers out there :) Hope you enjoy the yumminess as much as I did!

Here I am, and it ain't pretty

Hi, my name is Shannon Carter and I'm a sinner. First things first. I gave my life to the Lord when I was 21, after years of trying to fill it with the things of the world. Drugs, drinking, sex, all trying to dull the pain of a very tumultuous childhood. I grew up with very little stability, abuse, and alot of things children should never go through. I HATED God. Hated Him. I thought if there was a God, and He allowed the things that happened to me happen, He wasn't a God worth loving or giving my time to. Fast forward years later, after all the things I tried to find peace and hope in were going to cut my life short. The Lord in His grace and loving kindness brought me to a place of despair, and revealed He was the only one who could bring peace and hope. I sat as a heartbroken 21 year old, listening to a sermon on how God can restore families, with the mother I had barely known. I sobbed. And that day in hot Missouri August I gave my life to the Lord and have NEVER looked back. That started the journey of where I am today.

Without that day I would not be married to the most amazing man for me out there. My husband has been the Lord's heart, hands and feet to me since the day we met. The Lord has used Keith to facilitate so much healing to my heart and soul. And without Keith I would not be mother to the most amazing gifts one can ever have, the sweet 3 little boys sleeping as I type this. Without those little boys I wouldn't have realized my passion for so many things. For pregnant mommas and mommas in general. The Lord used my boys to lead me to some of my many callings : a labor doula, childbirth educator, breastfeeding counselor, and a student midwife. My boys, especially my Isaiah, have taught me so much about surrender to the Lord. Without Isaiah we would all still be in bad health as a family due to eating habits. When he was 2 he was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Thus began the journey to heal him, through lots of being on my face before the Lord, food and alternative medicine. But that is for another post :)

So that is a snippet of who I am. So topics on this blog will range from my faith, to my family, childbirth, breastfeeding, parenting decisions/choices, to food and health. I promise to always be kind, and if there is ever a controversial subject I discuss, please know my heart. And that it's not to judge, but to inform and educate. It's something I feel very strongly about, and have put in lots of hours of prayer and research into. I'm super excited about this journey, so please come along for the ride!