DAY 17 - Daniel Fast

Latte Love

So I got myself into a bit of dilemma because I found myself in a public setting at a coffee shop where I had to select a hot drink.  I had already planned ahead that I would order a matcha green tea soy latte, but when I placed my order they said they didn't have that drink!  Uh-oh.  I looked at the drinks in the cooler, searching for a bottled fruit and veggie smoothie...no luck.  So back to the counter.  I finally ordered a decaf soy latte without anything in it.  I was prepared for it to taste terrible, but at least I wasn't straying too far off my fast and would be able to socialize around the table.  I took a sip as soon as it was handed to me and got a taste of espresso-tinged foam.



Let me tell you, that was absolutely the best espresso drink I've ever tasted!  I guess that's what two weeks without lattes will do for you!  I savored every drop of that drink...and thought, "I am enjoying this waaayyy too much."  But then I just relaxed and let myself enjoy it.  I've been extremely faithful to the fast and I had done my best to stay faithful even in the choice of that drink.  So no judgment, legalism or condemnation, just sweet sip after sip.

I must add that my normal latte-drinking habits are to order a tall (grandes and ventis are just too much for me), and then nurse it throughout the day, often putting it in the fridge overnight to finish the next morning...no joke!  But this latte was done before my meeting was even over...I think that was a first!!

So, on to today's menu:


BREAKFAST:  ABB and half a grapefruit


LUNCH:  Left-over black bean soup with crackers, pita chips or toasted manna bread


DINNER:  Roasted Root Veggies and Soy-Ginger Green Beans

For the veggies, cut them up into bite-sized chunks and put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Then drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt and cracked pepper.  Roast them at 400 for half an hour until tender and golden-brown.  Roasted root vegetables are amazing.  They carmelize in the heat and turn wonderfully sweet and rich.

I grouped my veggies so I could remember what was what
once they were roasted.  Beginning on the left and moving
right, there are parsnips, sweet potato, yams, rutabaga,
turnips and Yukon gold potatoes.

For the green beans, I steamed them until tender-crisp then transferred them to a frying pan and sauteed them in sesame oil until tender. I sprinkled ginger and sesame seeds on them and sprinkled some Bragg's liquid aminos (very similar to soy sauce only much healthier). Then I gave them a few more stirs until they were well coated.

These beans were so good that even my non-fasting kids
wanted some!  They were having homemade chicken-noodle
soup, bread and caesar salad.  I really wanted a piece of
their buttery bread!

So, we sat down to eat and Jeff takes one look at the root veggies and says, "I don't want that."  No matter what I said I could not get him to take even one bite.  I, on the other hand, could hardly stop eating them, they were that good.  He ate his Yukon gold potatoes and took a piece of the kids' bread with butter.  "Dad!" they all exclaimed, "You can't have bread."  He replied innocently, "Yes, I can have bread."  And they all called him on it:  "Not white bread with butter!"  He reluctantly put it aside after only two bites and ate his beans.  I told him he could have some soup if he was still hungry, meaning the soup we had yesterday.  He jumped up happily and started serving himself a bowl of the chicken noodle.  "Dad!" the kids cried again.  "You can't have soup."  Confidently he returned, "Mom said I could."  I had to intervene then and say, "No, not chicken noodle.  You can have left-over soup from last night."  His face fell.  "I'll pick out the meat," he ventured.  "Nope," I said.  "You can't even eat the broth, it's meat too."  So poor Jeff picked away pathetically at his potatoes and beans...and at 10:00 at night, hungry, made himself a sandwich with sprouted bread and natural peanut butter!