x0, D: the MOST difficult...

... PB&J sandwich was made by me on Monday afternoon.

I'm not a fan of those, so I was happy to make it for Gio. The problem arose during the 4 minutes it took to get it done.

Not only was my 3 year old son dancing in the kitchen as the aroma of fresh white bread turned golden in the toaster, (see how exaggerated simple food becomes now?), but he also, in his 3 year old creative mind, made up a PB&J song.

Goes something like: "Yummy. Mmm. Peanut butter n jelly. Tasty, yummy. Peanut butter n jelly".

And in between each chorus he'd stop to ask 2 questions:

#1 was I, in fact, making him one?

And #2 was I done making it yet?

If that wasn't tempting enough, he then proceeded to moan n groan, and stare ever so lovingly at his adoring sandwich. With each bite (which by the way were tiny nibbles - prolonging the process), I caught myself fantasizing about the taste. And how creamy the PB was having been spread on hot toast.

Our fast is a partial fast for 21 days.

We have a juice for breakfast that consists of apples, carrots, broccoli & ginger. Hubby adds celery to his mix.

And it's quite tasty and nourishing.

Normally I'd have eggs, scrambled with all sorts of veggies & cheeses & spices, layered on a nice piece of toasted French bread with a schmear of mayo on 1 side. A large cup of coffee, warmed up frothy milk (like Pastor JR taught me), and 6-8 splenda packettes. And a little bit of Maury every once in a while.

So to go from that, to a half a cup of veggie/fruit juice and having a conversation with a puppy & toddler IS a sacrifice.

For lunch I have been cutting up 1 pear into 1" pieces, cuz I find that it lasts longer and looks bountiful. Green grapes mixed with the pear make for a unique delicious flavor. It's amazing how wonderful everything tastes when you stop eating garbage.

Dinner is served after 6pm. Veggies cooked & lightly seasoned, with some sort of fish or poultry.

The menu seems to be what most HEALTHY Americans consume on a regular basis. But we're Ricans, and at least for us, everything we eat is either sweet, fatty or salty.

Don't get me started on our snacking habits!!!

Each person's fast will be different. The point is to create a menu for yourself that consists of some sort of food sacrifice. If you normally eat healthy. Maybe eliminate the seasoning. Or just drink water, no fruit for lunch. If you are on medication or pregnant, your level of food sacrifice will be different. You can also abstain from reading magazines, put away your movies, game systems and remote. It all depends on what you're willing to give up as a token of offering.

At the discipleship class on Monday night some people discussed how they were eating until 3pm, then nothing after. And others only ate 1 piece of fruit all day.

Hubby playing with Moses after the class.
He's so adorable!

And here is "La La", she was not ashamed to share how hungry she was...
And how she was dreaming of chicken wings.
And I was right there with her "dipped in Ranch, mmm!"
lol.

Our fast seems a little easier, but it is still a sacrifice. And even though we are controlling our portions and ingredients, I find myself looking for new ways to make grilled zucchini: salt, pepper, garlic, parsley & extra virgin olive oil.