Day 6 - Feb.27 - What Led to the BBE? What Size is Your Bowl?

My dear sister in faith, Carol, recently sent me an email of encouragement and it got me thinking about WHY I started this quest. There are several reasons beyond the obvious of wanting to get healthier.

Another goal I'm working toward is getting my family's finances to a state that makes it possible for us to do what God needs us to do. The main resource to get us focused is Andy Stanley's "Balanced" series: http://www.northpoint.org/balanced. It is equally valuable for everyone, whatever spiritual walk you're on, as it has some wonderful practical advice about how to THINK about how we incorporate money into our lives. One of the things he discusses is figuring out where your heart is. The way to do it: Track your money. This was a real eye opener because when I started tracking our finances it was COVERED with groceries and eating at restaurants. I had to come to the realization that our resources honored food and ourselves, not God OR the spirit of giving. The BBE helps up to free up more funds (I'll expand in a future blog) and it takes the importance away from food.

Also, I believe God put this on my heart, along with the guidelines, during THIS time because of Lent. For Lent, I'm giving up one meal and the BBE prevents me from overeating when I come off the fast. Handy, right?

Meaningful Movement:
THE SIZE OF MY BOWL: It's come to my attention that some folks might like to know the specific size of the bowl I use. Here it is: The baby bowl holds 1 1/4 cups of water. If it holds more, it's larger than what I'm using for the BBE. (Thanks so much for the input, Karen!)

Food that fits in a bowl, Day 6:
(Thanks to Karen too about requesting food pictures. I won't be able to do it every time but I'll do it when I can!)
-Lenten fast: Breakfast
-grapefruit with maple syrup drizzled on top and JP+

-4 mini whole grain blueberry muffins

-5 mini quiches

-Philly cheesesteak sandwich and JP+

NOTE: On the left is what I ate. I cut the bread to fit the bowl then added the meat and cheese around the outside to make sure it fit in the bowl. On the right is what I've eaten before!

-Yams with brown sugar, coconut and pecans.

NOTE: I had about two thirds of this. It was too sweet and too much food. Gack.