My Story of Hope & Thanksgiving

My Story of Hope & Thanksgiving

This week several people posted on my personal Facebook page a video clip of the dramatization of my story of the burglar attack that I experienced long ago. It was posted October 31 on Jesus Now Facebook page. It’s since gone viral. Nearly 600,000 people have viewed it and numerous people have reposted it. You can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/thejuicelady/ (Feel free to share it with family and friends.)

As I watched this video again I was reminded of how blessed and grateful I am for what I came through, and that in the end, I came through virtually unscathed. I was thinking this morning that my right hand is such an incredible miracle. I was told I would never use my hand again because it was so severely damaged. If you watch my Watercress Soup Video that was just posted on my business Facebook page, you’ll see there’s nothing wrong with my right hand now at all.

I also had two crushed discs in my neck that resulted from many blows to my head. They wanted to fuse my neck, but I kept saying no even though I had a lot of pain. One day some young guys prayed for me and all the pain left. I had the full range of motion restored to my neck as well. The mysterious part of this story is that x-rays still show I have two crushed discs.

On top of the physical injuries, my emotional injuries seemed even worse. I was terrified to be alone; panicked when night came. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t relax, couldn’t get anything done. That all healed as well.

This Thanksgiving I’m reflective. When I look back on the events of my life, I see a whole string of miracles. How faithful God has been! I have so much to be thankful for. I couldn’t even begin to list all my blessings. I have told my story to give you hope. No matter what you are going through, there is hope for you.

What’s Your Story of Thanksgiving?

Everyone has a story. I know you have one—from everyday miracles and blessings to things that make people pause. Why don’t you share a bit of your story below in the “Leave a Reply” section? I think it would be wonderful for us to share each other’s stories of Thanksgiving and hope this season of Thanksgiving. Some of you reading my newsletter have a serious illness; others have minor things you are working on. We all have things we’ve overcome. This is a chance to encourage each other.

Recipe for Today

Green Bean Casserole To Write Home About

(gluten free and dairy free)

Serves 6

Adapted from Paleo Eats by Kelly Bejelly

INGREDIENTS for Mushroom Gravy

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 large portabello mushroom cap, diced
• 1 1/2 chicken broth
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp. tapioca flour
• 2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk

DIRECTIONS

• Combine the coconut oil, onion, and diced mushroom in a skillet over medium heat.
• Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
• Add the broth, salt, and thyme and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the tapioca flour and coconut milk.
• Pour this mixture into the pan and whisk until smooth.
• Using an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Or, you can use a blender.
• You can make this ahead of time, refrigerate, and reheat in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Crispy Onion Topping

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
• 2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Green Bean Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed or substitute frozen green beans (I prefer the French style green beans.
• 4 strips uncured turkey bacon, fried until crispy, then crumble (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the crispy onion topping. Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-bottom medium skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, combine the onion, tapioca flour, and salt in a bowl and toss until well coated. Drop onion slices into oil when well heated; they will sizzle. Fry onion slices in batches for 4-5 minutes per batch or until crispy and golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Removed the onion slices from the oil using a fork and drain on a paper towel.

• Next prepare the green beans. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.Add the green beans, and return water to a boil, cooking for 10 minutes or until tender but not overcooked.
• Drain.
• In a casserole dish, combine the green beans, mushroom gravy, and bacon. Stir until beans are well coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of fried onions and place the rest on top of the bean mixture.

• Bake for 30 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and garnish with reserved fried onions.

The recipe is from my Healthy Holidays e-Cookbook.