Karin

Trying on silly hats at my 15th or 16th birthday party 

     I would like to introduce you to Karin.  Karin and I met in sixth grade when we had the same teacher.  As the years passed we enjoyed birthday parties and sleepovers and shopping and all those girly things.  We both loved music and we had the same piano teacher so sometimes we played duets together.  In high school we were in the Carolers together.  Karin had a wonderful alto voice and was very musical.  She was a great student too... top of our class!  We both wrote for the school newspaper.  We both loved kids and enjoyed leading music for VBS together.  Karin was talented, smart, kind, and lots of fun.  I always felt proud to be her friend.    

Singing in Carolers together (1994)

     But, the most important thing I need to tell you about Karin is that she loved Jesus.  She wanted everyone to know Him.  And, so when we were 15 years old Karin asked me to join her Discipleship group with her mentor, Lynn.  We met every Wednesday night before youth group at First Baptist Church in Alexandria.  Each week we talked about Jesus and salvation and God's plan for His children.  Then one week only Karin and I were at Discipleship.  She got out a little pink booklet entitled, "Your Most Important Relationship."  Using that booklet Karin led me to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We prayed together and then that night I went home and prayed to Jesus again all on my own.  I remember the amazing feeling that swept over me.  It was peace and relief and joy all at once.  That experience changed my life forever.  Karin and some friends got together to buy me a Student Bible since all I had was my Good News Bible from third grade.  I was so excited to read my new Bible.  Everything became so real for me and God was so alive.  I would come each week to Discipleship with questions about my faith.  Karin and Lynn would do their best to answer each one.  I am so very grateful to both of them for taking that time for me.  I'm sure Jesus and the angels were dancing for joy as they watched us meeting together!

My Student Bible and the little pink booklet...

     Karin and I met often to have Bible studies or to pray together or quiz each other on our latest memory verse.  Sometimes we even met in the piano practice rooms at school for a quick time of prayer during our lunch break.  Karin wanted everyone to know Jesus personally and even the presents she gave to people reflected that.  I remember one year when she came to school with glass canning jars filled with hot cocoa powder and an envelope full of strips of red paper.  On each piece of paper were encouraging Bible verses.  The idea was to finish up the hot cocoa and then put the verses into the jar and pull out an encouraging verse whenever you needed one.  I still use those red verses as bookmarks for my Bible.  Many of them I have memorized.  I remember a mixed tape that Karin made for me full of awesome Christian songs.  She introduced me to groups like DC Talk and singers like Pam Thum.  We would get together and sing songs together like, "As the Deer" and "All In All."  She was always thinking of ways to encourage her friends in their faith.  She was an inspiration.    

     Karin and I graduated from high school in 1995.  I was headed off to Up With People and she was set to attend college.  Before I left, Karin threw me a surprise going-away party.  It was so very sweet of her.  It was so good to see our friends before we all went our separate ways.  I was so touched that Karin did that for me.  There was even a time of prayer.  I will never forget that.  There were some hard days in Up With People, but knowing I had Christian friends like Karin praying for me back home made it so much easier.  As the Michael W. Smith song states, "Friends are friends forever when the Lord's the Lord of them!"    

Sara, Jennifer, Karin (1995)

     Karin is married now to a wonderful Christian man named Mike and they have four beautiful children.  I attended their worship-filled wedding and have gotten to meet Mike a couple times.  I'm so happy the Lord brought them together.  When I got married, Karin sent me a copy of the book Love and Respect and mentioned that it had had a powerful impact on their marriage.
    Karin and I haven't kept in touch very closely, but I have no doubt that she is sharing the love of Jesus with everyone she meets.  She recently went on a mission trip to Africa.  That was a dream come true for her.  Seeing her photos on Facebook made my heart happy.  Karin continues to inspire me to share Jesus' love with others and to watch God at work all around me.  He is so good!  To Him be the glory!  

To learn more about the "31 Days of Friends and Family Who Inspire Me" project, click here:  
http://journalingjennifer.blogspot.com/2014/12/intro-to-31-days-of-friends-and-family.html

Intro to The 31 Days of Friends and Family Who Inspire Me

     My favorite blog is by Emily P. Freeman.  She is an author who writes about real life, creativity and art, emotions and grace.  Her writing connects to me on a deep level... as if she knows me.  In October she wrote a series called "31 Artists Who Influence."  Check it out....  
http://www.chattingatthesky.com/31-artists/
     She challenged her readers to write 31 days of something they are passionate about.  Some wrote about how to de-clutter their lives, how to be more engaged with their children, and how to give more grace, etc.  As I read Emily's contributions each day, an excitement rose up in me to write something similar.  I began to think about the people in my life who have influenced me.  It was enjoyable to reflect on these people and I'd find myself creating sentences in my head.  I was ready.  I was full of gratitude for the people God had placed in my life.  I wanted to write about them.  These people have not only influenced me in my past, but they continue to inspire me on a daily basis.  Time to share!
     So, for the month of January, please stop back to my blog and learn about the people who have helped form me into the me I am today.  May these people inspire you too.  May you reflect on your own life and be filled with gratitude for the people God has placed along your path.  It is so refreshing to be reminded anew how faithful God is.  He provides.  He loves.  He is so good.
     Enjoy!  Jennifer Ann  

Jan. 1st - Karin, the friend who led me to the Lord.
Jan. 2nd - Missionary #1, a military wife and foster mom.
Jan. 3rd - Sister-in-law Julia, an artistic soul.
Jan. 4th - Rebecca, a Latin-teacher, college stand partner.
Jan. 5th - Pauline, a Lutheran pastor, college roommate.
Jan. 6th - LuAnn, a 3rd grade teacher, Becker friend.
Jan. 7th - Kimberly, my sister.
Jan. 8th - Yasuko, my Up With People friend.
Jan. 9th - Terri, a church secretary, Sunday School teacher.
Jan. 10th - My Terrific Dad!
Jan. 11th - Caroline, my mentor teacher.
Jan. 12th - David, my brother.
Jan. 13th - Shannon, a Becker friend.
Jan. 14th - My Super Mom!
Jan. 15th - Missionary #2, a friend serving in Asia.
Jan. 16th - Amy, a music teacher, college roommate.
Jan. 17th - Patty, my sister.
Jan. 18th - Nikki, my creative college friend.
Jan. 19th - Kia, my cousin.
Jan. 20th - My Wonderful Husband, Todd!
Jan. 21st - Natasha, a homeschooling mom, farmer, and friend.
Jan. 22nd - Sheryl, a Mountain Lake friend.
Jan. 23rd - Becky, a Becker friend.
Jan. 24th - Missionary #3, a friend serving in Europe.
Jan. 25th - Becca, a woman of God who adopted her two kids.
Jan. 26th - Michelle, a middle school orchestra director.
Jan. 27th - Stephanie, a Hardanger fiddle player, college friend.
Jan. 28th - Shawrene, a preschool teacher, woman of God.
Jan. 29th - Translater Julia, my Ukrainian friend.
Jan. 30th - Jessica, a research librarian.
Jan. 31st - Lynne, my husband's mom.  

1948 Photo Shoot

Our Christmas card

original color... before changing to sepia tone

My husband loves to restore things.  He can make lawn mowers and snowmobiles look brand new.  He can fix up an old wooden rocker or an antique dresser to look like they did in days gone by.  But, one of my favorite projects of his, was completed back in 1983 when he was just 19 years old.  All on his own, he completely restored a 1948 Ford Truck.  He bought the truck two years prior from an old man who wanted to make sure it was not turned into a hot rod.  That was no problem for Todd because he desired to restore it back to it's original form.  Now, all these years later, we still enjoy driving Todd's '48 Ford around town.  We often go to church on Sunday mornings in it.  

     Todd and I love "old stuff"....antiques, old movies, stories of our relatives' past, old photos, etc.  We go to steam-powered tractor shows and we are constantly on the look out for things we can grind in our grinder run with our flat belt stationary engine!  We love it when there are power outages so we can use all our kerosene lamps in our house.  And, we've been known to pull out an old record or two just to listen to it on our old record player.  So, when I suggested that Todd and I get dressed up in vintage 1948 clothing and do a photo shoot with the '48 Ford, he was all for it!  

     We had the truck, now we just needed the clothing and a photographer.  Luckily, I work with someone who has a daughter who enjoys making costumes for a small town's drama club.  So, one day when I was attending Sarah Sakry's production of "Little Women" (that she had adapted for stage herself!) I asked her if she'd have any costumes for my little photo shoot project.  A few weeks later, my co-worker Pam Thompson brought in a whole bag full of goodies for me to choose from.  I had a blast playing dress-up with it all.  I chose four of my favorites, took photos of myself wearing them and put them on Facebook to ask my friends which outfit they liked best.  It was basically a tie between two of the dresses.  So, when it came time to do the photo shoot, we had to take a little break so I could do a "quick change!"  

    When Todd and I got engaged in 2008, we asked our pastor and friend, Rob Olsen to take our engagement photos.  We just loved them!  Pastor Rob enjoys taking photos and does such a nice job. So, he was our first choice to be our photographer, and after being rained out three times, we finally found a day in early October to get our pictures taken.  It was such fun!  He took nearly 80 shots, but I've just chosen my favorites for this blog.

    We had Pastor Rob take all the photos in color, but I knew all along that I wanted the brown tone (sepia) for the final photos.  That's just the way I envisioned it.  So, if you look at the second photo on this blog (in color) you'll see that my blue shoes really do not match my outfit at all.... but that's okay because there wasn't going to be color in the end, anyway.  

    After our photo shoot time with Pastor Rob, I still wasn't done with our great costumes!  So, Todd and I set up the tripod and camera to take a few more shots of ourselves...this time with our old, antique radio from the 1930s.  Since listening to the radio was a very popular pastime in the 1940s, it seemed so very appropriate.  

     In our home we have a large framed poster on the wall with five of our favorite photos from that day.  We used one of the photos for our Christmas card.  And, I created a few Shutterfly presents using the photos too.  I'm so glad we took time to make this little dream of mine come true.  In fact, the photos turned out even better than I had imagined thanks to our awesome photographer, Pastor Rob, and thanks to the fabulous costumes from Sarah!  I'll forever be grateful to them both.  And, I'm bursting with glad that I have a husband willing to play along with my crazy ideas!  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas 2014 From The Sapps



Merry Christmas!!!

Come along for the ride as we tell you about 2014....

     We hope you had a fabulous 2014!  We had a busy one, but a happy one.  One of the highlights was our month long vacation along the West Coast of the United States.  We put 6,675.6 miles on our pickup and camper as we explored Washington, Oregon, and northern California.  Another highlight was having a photo shoot with our '48 Ford Truck while dressed in vintage 1948 clothing.  Check out my blog all about it: http://journalingjennifer.blogspot.com/2014/11/1948-photo-shoot.html  
     And, stop by this blog each day in January as I write "The 31 Days of Friends and Family Who Inspire Me!"

    Todd is still working at RTI Remmele and I am teaching second grade.  I have a wonderful class of 22 kids this year that make teaching very rewarding.  James and Jaimee live in  Becker.  Jaimee graduates in December and will be working as an administrative assistant in the medical field.  James works for Olson & Sons Electric in Monticello. Daniel lives and works in Hutchinson.  He graduated from St. Cloud Technical College in May and got a job at 3M.  He is a maintenance technician (just like his dad!). 
     Below you will see two photos from our trip, then one from Christmas last year, followed by two of James, Daniel, and Todd with their Fords, lastly you'll see three of Todd and I in our vintage 1948 clothing from the photo shoot we did in October.  Enjoy!  Keep in touch!  God bless you! 
                                                Love, Todd and Jennifer     

  





"Little House" TV Cast Reunion & Girls Weekend

Jennifer, Mom, Kimberly, and Patty at the pageant

TV cast interview at the pageant

   Forty years ago the whole world fell in love with the TV show,
"Little House On The Prairie."

Almanzo, Nellie, and Ms. Beadle

 That included the Iverson

Grace, Grace, John Jr., Eliza Jane, Alice Garvey, and Carrie

 family in Alexandria, MN.  So, 

Eliza Jane Wilder

 this past weekend my sisters,

Nellie showing off her wig (Almanzo laughing)

 my mom, and I took a road trip

Tia with a bonnet and Kimberly

 to Walnut Grove, MN to see

Mom, Patty, Jennifer, Kimberly, and Tia

 some of the stars from that TV

trying out the pump organ

 show.  We attended the pageant

visiting the dugout replica

 and enjoyed the museums too.

Our set of books from our childhood (Patty's writing)

 It was a great girls weekend!

Little House books from our childhood

Tia in Japanese clothing (from Patty)

    The stars that attended the TV cast reunion included: Allison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder), Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush (Carrie Ingalls), Brenda and Wendi Turnbaugh (Grace Ingalls), Hersha Parady (Alice Garvey), Lucy Lee Flippin (Eliza Jane Wilder), Dan McBride (Henry Riley), Radames Pera (John Jr. Edwards), Charlotte Stewart (Miss Eva Beadle).
   For about an hour before the actual pageant, the stars answered questions from the audience.  It was so fun to hear the stars talking about their experiences on the show and lives afterwards.  It was also interesting seeing what the stars look like now! 
    There were some very sweet comments from the audience.  Many talked about how they faithfully watched the show as a family every Monday night when they were growing up.  Some grew quite emotional.  It was also emotional for the stars.  One of the girls who played Grace got all choked up when she told the audience this was her first time in Walnut Grove.  Grace and Grace have their own website: http://www.pioneerontheprairie.com/babygrace/bio.htm  that is full of neat "Little House on the Prairie stories."  Part of what I liked about Brenda and Wendi is that now they are just regular working people who love being moms.  And, they were born in 1977, just like me! 
     One of the girls who played Carrie talked about how she can't bring herself to watch the very last "Little House on the Prairie" episode because parts of the town are blown up in that show.  Both Carries talked about how good Michael Landon (Pa) and Karen Grassle (Ma) were to them.  They joked around a lot about which twin got to play certain scenes. 
     Nellie was very funny!  She is now a comedian and has written a book.  She is also very involved in AIDS awareness.  We found out that Steve Tracy (Percival, who was Nellie's husband) died from AIDS.  Nellie's favorite episode was the one where she went down the hill in the wheelchair!  We also enjoyed hearing her comments about the Nellie character vs. the Nancy character.  She felt that Nancy was a bit more crazy and cruel. 
     Eliza Jane Wilder and Miss Eva Beadle seemed like sweet ladies with fond memories from the show.  To top off our girls weekend, my sisters and I watched the episode where Eliza Jane falls in love with Harv (and Almanzo and Laura get married).  Eliza Jane had talked about that being her favorite episode.  Someone asked Miss Beadle if she had ever smelled Lemon Verbena and it turns out she has enjoyed soaps, lotions, sachets, and bouquets of Lemon Verbena all her life.   
     Most of the cast would not name a favorite episode.  But, Almanzo talked about one episode that he thought could have been omitted.  It included an orangutan and Mr. Edwards.  Almanzo was definitely the expert on all things "Little House."  He has narrated a number of documentaries about the show and about the real books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Almanzo also did an excellent job of graciously describing other actors, particularly Melissa Gilbert (Laura).  Laura was only 15 when she had to begin playing romantic scenes with 23 year old Almanzo.  He said it was all very professional and that Laura did an excellent job of changing from her role as a little girl to her role as a grown woman.  I got to see Melissa Gilbert two years ago in the production of "Little House on the Prairie, The Musical."  She played the part of Ma.  It was thrilling to see her. 
     My sisters, mom and I had a great time recalling favorite and least favorite episodes of "Little House" during our road trip.  We have seen ALMOST ALL of the TV episodes.  Patty's favorite was when Almanzo and Laura began dating.  I like the stories that center around the one room schoolhouse, particularly the one about the girl who lisped and the girl who sold her hair to get her mother a new dress.  Mom's favorite was when Ma used the beautiful blue material (that was supposed to be for her own dress) on dresses for Mary and Laura.  Least favorite episodes included the one where Ma is going crazy because of blood poisoning (and tries to cut herself), and ones that involved kidnapping, drowning, and death.  The show where Alice Garvey and Mary's baby die in the fire affected us all.  We also laughed about the episode where Pa falls from a high tree and walks away without a scratch directly after an episode where someone else did the same fall and died!  I guess the show wasn't perfect!   
     All four of us have read or listened to Mom read ALL the original books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  In this blog I have included pictures of the yellow books that we shared.  They are well loved.  On the top of the box you can see where nine year old Patty wrote "Kimberly and Patty and Jennifer and..."  Then if you look very closely you can see that she had written the word "Pamela" under Jennifer and then erased it.  Mom was expecting another baby at the time, and Patty was confident that another sister was on the way.  Mom and Dad had told her that if it was a girl she would be called Pamela.  That June Mom had a baby BOY and named him David, so Patty had to erase Pamela.  I've always loved that little story.  My sisters and I would have loved Pamela, but I'm glad Mom and Dad had David instead.  He'll always be our favorite brother!
     I've always been a "Little House" fan, but this "Little House" experience will go down in history as one of my favorites...because I got to share it with Patty, Kimberly, Mom and my niece Tia.  I'm thankful.       

Driving home after our time in Walnut Grove

Surgery #12

     "Surgery #12?" you might ask?  Yup!  To read about my first eleven, feel free to check out a blog I wrote two years ago:  http://journalingjennifer.blogspot.com/2012/08/surgeries-1-11.html.  I am so very thankful to once again report that I received excellent care.  The photo above shows a machine I used at the hospital to try to encourage me to take deep breaths.  That was a challenge, but let me start at the very beginning....
     I had been having a pain in my side for the past three days.  At times it was unbearable and at times it was faint.  It was always the worst at night when I laid on my back.  There were moments I could hardly breath it hurt so badly.  But, it always got better.  In fact, by the fourth day I hardly noticed it at all.  But, I had mentioned the pain to my school nurse, my mom, my friend LuAnn, and Todd.  Everyone thought I should go get it checked out.  So, finally, on the fourth day, I called the local clinic to set up an appointment.  I told them my symptoms and I was scheduled for a 3:30 appointment that afternoon.  But, the receptionist was hesitant to let me wait that long.  She had me talk to a nurse who had me talk to an RN who basically said they would just send me to the Emergency Room at 3:30 so I may as well go now.  She explained that they didn't have any way to do an ultrasound or anything like that to see if it was my appendix.  Now I was starting to realize this might be a bigger deal than I thought.  So, I called Todd and he left work to be with me.  I called school so they could start finding a sub. for me.  Then I went in to school to write some sketchy lesson plans.    
     Before long Todd and I were in the Emergency Room waiting our turn.  We had to wait a loooong time.  I'm glad my appendix didn't rupture while waiting on those hard chairs with the sounds of "The Price is Right" blaring all around me!  Once in our room a doctor came and asked questions and pressed on places on my tummy.  He didn't think it was my appendix because the only time it hurt was in one particular spot on my right side.  But, we did a CT scan anyway.  I had to drink a large bottle of water that had "contrast" in it before the CT scan.  I couldn't eat anything until they got the results from that.  I had been feeling sick to my stomach for a couple days, so I thought it was a good thing that I was feeling a little hungry.  I didn't end up eating until 8:00 that night.
     The results came back and we were all surprised to learn that I definitely had appendicitis and I absolutely needed to get that appendix out soon.  They told me that in parts of Europe, doctors are experimenting with giving medication to try to heal appendicitis instead of doing surgery.  I wasn't volunteering to be one of the first to try that method in America!  So, surgery was set for 4:15.  We called my parents and Todd's parents.  We called Pastor Rob and he prayed with us.  An IV was put into me and blood was drawn (I have enormous bruises to prove it).  I donned a surgical gown and bright yellow socks and was wheeled down the hall to meet the surgeon and anesthesiologist.  I thanked them both for taking good care of me.  Then Todd had to leave and I was wheeled into the surgery room.  The room seemed overflowing with nurses!  They moved me to the surgery table and put special pillows on my legs to help with circulation.  I felt scared, but tried to be cheerful and made a joke about wishing I had taken time to shave my legs that morning.  They all seemed to like that and joked along with me.  I could feel myself getting hazy......
     The next thing I knew Todd was there and I was in my hospital room.  I spoke so slowly and it was hard to think clearly for a while.  Eventually things cleared up and I learned that three incisions had been made for the procedure.  Two were on top of my scar from my cyst surgery and one was in my belly button hole!  Nice!  I'm so thankful to not have lots of new scarring!  I ate sherbet and chicken broth that night and watched some TV with Todd before he headed home for a good night's sleep.  I don't think it's possible to have a good night's sleep in a hospital room.  But, I was being well taken care of.  All the nurses were excellent and friendly.  I'm grateful we live in a computer age, though, because the nurses were always checking the computer for what needed to be done.  There were lots of nurses and without the computer I'm afraid someone might have gotten mixed up.  They documented everything - even how many times I tried the "take a big breath" machine I mentioned at the beginning of this blog.  It hurt to take deep breaths because of the incision spots, but I worked at it.  I couldn't get over 2500.  Todd, being a trumpet player, could get up to 5000 when he tried!
     Friday morning the doctor came to check on me and then I was able to go home.  I was so glad it was Good Friday and I didn't have to worry about missing another day of school.  I just had to miss out on playing violin for the Good Friday service at church.  I was able to hobble in to school over the weekend and prepare lesson plans for the week.  I get to have the same substitute teacher all week.  That stability is so good for the kids!

flowers from Remmele RTI Medical where Todd works...

     I am achy and sore.  I have little energy and it's hard to get myself to do much of anything but read a book (or write a blog post).  My throat is sore on the inside from a tube they stuck down it during surgery and it's sore on the outside (like a bruise) too.  It hurts to use my stomach muscles and so I get off the couch by rolling onto the floor and using my hands to get me up.  But, I know I'm getting stronger and stronger.  I know my energy will return.  I'm enjoying my quiet time and am so thankful everything turned out like it did.  God is good and He is watching over me.

flowers from the staff at my school...

A New Weigh of Life, Part Two

Healthy and Happy in my classroom...

Last October I wrote a post:  http://journalingjennifer.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-new-weigh-of-life.html about some major changes I have been trying to make for my health.  Check it out to read my story.

Now I want you to know that I reached my goal of losing 20 pounds!  I am down a jean size and am enjoying being able to fit into old clothes I had saved for when I met my goal!  I cannot give a report on my cholesterol numbers because I have not gone in to get them checked.  But, I am hopeful!  I am hoping to lose 10 more pounds and focus on exercise and toning in the coming months.  I am learning so much!  I fall off the bandwagon once in a while (I had a giant frosting-laden cinnamon roll AND creamy alfredo sauce over white noodles AND chocolate chip cookies all in one weekend - ugh!), but I am more often "on" than "off," so I try not to get discouraged!

Over the last months, my husband and I have spent much time together studying Clean Eating and trying to implement what we are learning.  We have watched documentaries and read books and followed websites to give us ideas.  I wanted to include some of those in this blog.

The documentaries that we watched were:

Forks Over Knives

Food Matters (and the follow-up Hungry For Change)

Food, Inc.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

Queen of the Sun
Fresh
King Corn

Some documentaries that have been recommended to us that we have not seen yet are:

Farmers For America

GMO OMG
Genetic Roulette

I follow these great websites regularly:

myfitnesspal.com

www.littlehouseliving.com

http://deliciouslyorganic.net

www.100daysofrealfood.com

www.thegraciouspantry.com

The following websites have been recommended to me as well:

http://Veggieflair.wordpress.com

www.GrassfedMama.com

www.dietitiancassie.com

www.busygirlhealthylife.com

www.heandsheeatclean.com

www.toscareno.com

www.mywholefoodlife.com

www.thepaleomama.com

http://thecoconutmama.com

http://naturesnurtureblog.com

www.healthystartsinthekitchen.com

www.realfarmacy.com

www.toscareno.com

www.cleaneatingmenuplans.com

http://foodbabe.com

www.inspiredfitness.com

www.daynadetersfitness

www.foodmaters.tv

www.forksoverknives.com
civilizedcavemancooking.com
www.mywholefoodlife.com
iquitsugar.com
EatCleanCrockPot.com
LosingItWithLisa.com

I enjoy spices from Penzey's because most have no or little salt.  You can get those at www.penzeys.com.  Our favorite is Mural of Flavor (we sprinkle it on fish).  Coborn's has organic spices that can be bought in bulk as well.  

My husband and I try to make as much food from scratch as possible.  But, when we need something quick and easy, we turn to items we have bought from Wildtree.  Check out wildtree.com for some tasty, organic, easy meals!

I have been enjoying the cookbook by Dari Alexander called The Quick and Clean Diet.  Any cookbooks by Tosca Reno (www.toscareno.com) have been great too!  Kristi Youngdahl has a wonderful cookbook full of great ideas (www.inspiredfitness.com).  And, many of the websites listed above include recipes for Clean Eating.

And, now I wish you well!  You can do it!  Don't give up!  Don't get discouraged!  Know that you are not alone.  Many, many, many people have food struggles!  Don't let it define you!  YOU are beautiful and lovely just the way you are!  Remember this:

"Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels."

Let's get healthy!

Love, Jennifer