When asked, “What led you to the field of nutrition?” I always respond that I find it incredibly empowering that, to some extent, you can control your health by your food and beverage choices. But starting around my junior year of college, my curiosity to learn all I could about how food affects the body slowly morphed into an obsession to control every calorie to achieve outward perfection. I no longer chose foods based on good health, but rather as leverage to gain external validation. While I looked healthy on the outside, I was held captive in body-image bondage, and it took Jesus to set me free. 

      When I got engaged to my now-husband of almost 14 years, I realized my pursuit for the perfect diet had morphed into disordered eating. I sobbed when I realized I’d need to eat cake in front of guests. It seems absurd, but to those who gain self-worth based on self-discipline with food, letting go of control can be crippling. There were other red flags, but that was the icing on the cake, that things needed to change. 

     I grew up in church. My grandfather was a pastor, and I spent Sunday nights and summers involved in youth activities. During a youth retreat in middle school, I made it official and asked Jesus into my heart. Sadly, my faith story reads like many who go off to college and leave Him behind. Looking back, I know the God-sized hole in my self-esteem was the open door Satan needed to suck me into the black hole of validating myself with diets and a scale. 

     The Bible tells us that Jesus never leaves or forsakes us, and as He pursued the lost sheep, God pursued me. During marathon training, I started reconnecting to sacred stillness while running alone. Running, and later weightlifting, became the catalyst I needed to respect my body for what it could do when adequately fueled, and when late-night parties were avoided. But even though God was back in my life, He still wasn’t first. My struggle for self-acceptance continued. 

     As with many couples, conceiving our first child wasn’t a cakewalk. So when we found out we were expecting, I was determined to put the baby’s needs before mine. I got baptized on Christmas Day 2011, and spent the rest of that pregnancy trying to fix my priorities. Without question, I am the kindest to myself, and enjoy the healthiest relationship with food, while pregnant. I’ve had the privilege of two healthy pregnancies, and both gestations were body and mind game-changers. But the world isn’t kind to postpartum moms, and it’s easy to get trapped in the idea that your body must bounce back or risk losing validation. I fell into that trap twice. 

     I understood Christians were to do everything, including eating and drinking, for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). But I was living a double life. I desired to worship Jesus wholeheartedly, but I used all my extra energy to chase the world’s standard of wellness. For decades, I tried to serve both masters and failed. Finally, God opened my eyes to see that food wasn’t my enemy, and that perfecting my body wasn’t His ultimate purpose for my life. Instantly, my relationship with Christ blossomed.

     I began to connect the dots that neither Satan nor Christ cared about my weight, but both cared because I cared. Like Paul, I had a thorn, a messenger from Satan; it was self-image for me. Today I recognize that my struggles with food and self-acceptance have always been an invitation from Jesus to lean on Him. When I am weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Even when I’m not physically pregnant, I am a carrier of the Holy Spirit, and caring for my body is a form of worship and respect to the One who resides there (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

     In my life today, daily prayer, paired with practicing self-compassion, has brought about inner peace and a feeling of actual wellbeing, which was missing when I was chronic dieting. As a nutritionist, I’m still in awe of the healing power of eating well and exercise, but it must be rooted in gratitude for the One who created it all. Godly wellness is a form of worship. And when old mindsets of body comparison or food anxieties arise, that’s my signal to pray and praise more, not diet harder. 

Big, THANK YOU, to Mississippi Christian Living Magazine for giving the platform to share my story! Published, in the march March, 2021 issue.

Sheet pan beef kebabs are an easy recipe that cooks in less than 30 minutes. You can ditch the skewers and bring the flavor of an outdoor grill indoors with these marinated beef kebabs.

Make the Marinade

You can choose any steak marinade that your family enjoys. McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning (not an Ad) is a favorite in our house. I followed the instructions on the back for the marinade, 2 Tbsp olive (or canola) oil, 2 tsp (low-sodiuM) soy sauce, and one teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning. Whisk it together and allow meat and vegetables to marinate for several hours or overnight.

Choose the Meat

I recommend sirloin. It's a cost-effective, lean, and tender cut of beef. You can also luck up and find "kebab" steak already cut for you. You certainly can request "kebab cut" from your butcher. Other suggestions for meat include strip steak, flat-iron steak, or in a pinch beef stew meat. You also do NOT have to use beef! You can use chicken breast or deer tenderloin. You will need to lower the cooking time and check for internal temps. (165F for chicken).

Variety in Vegetables

Add in your favorite vegetables! I went with traditional kebab veggies like onions, peppers, and mushrooms. You could also include cherry tomatoes, summer squash, or asparagus. Remember, your vegetables don't have to go on a skewer so that you can get more creative.

Instructions

Whisk together your marinade and add in the meat, and cut up vegetables. If you're going to use mushrooms, leave those out till the last minute. You don't want soggy shrooms! Let your meat and sturdy vegetables marinate for several hours. Overnight is good, too.

Preheat your oven to 400F and place marinade ingredients on a sheet pan. Bake for 20+ minutes until meat is done. Your steak will cook quicker than you think! I would check it for around 10 minutes and stir your vegetables. If you like your vegetables with a more charred crunch, remove the steak when it's done, and let the vegetables keep roasting.

If you’re looking for a hearty meal that can be made in advance (or not) and will satisfy everyone around your dinner table, here you go. This Cowboy Casserole is topped with cheesy tater tots for the kids (and husbands) but loaded with lean protein, vegetables, and low-salt seasonings. Bonus points, it is easy to clean up and just as tasty when eaten as leftovers. 

I have no clue why this casserole-style is deemed cowboy, but I know that cowboys don’t eat cauliflower tots! One of the first things my husband asked was, “are those real tots?” Ha! Yes! And a sigh of relief came across his face. 

True, I’ve been guilty of trying to make every.single.food in our home “healthier” until I realized that mentality was doing more harm than good. The truth is that you can make space for foods of all kinds, including tater tots, french fries, onion rings, etc. You can even enjoy them with a good greasy burger and deep-fried, and you can use them in a more balanced recipe that also offers vegetables.  

Sidenote: If you like cauliflower tots, you do you! The point is there is nothing wrong with combining foods your family really wants with foods you want your family to eat more of and make everyone happy and healthier. 

All of this to say, it’s a cowboy pleaser! :)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375F and have ready a greased 9/13 casserole dish. 

• Saute diced onions till translucent with nonstick spray or a teaspoon of olive oil. 

• Add ground beef, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook till meat is browned. 

• Add in Rotel, beef broth, corn, black beans, and bring to a simmer. 

• In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and stir into the beef mixture. Simmer 3-4 minutes until thickened. Turn off the heat and stir 1 cup of Cheddar cheese. 

• Add half of the tater tots to the prepared casserole dish and pour over the beef mixture. Stir to combine. Top with the remaining tater tots and bake for 25 minutes, uncovered. 

• Add the rest of the Cheddar cheese and bake for 10 minutes more. 

• Allow to cool slightly, serve, and enjoy.

You can make it ahead! 

• Follow the recipe up to the point of baking. Cover and refrigerate.

• Set out a half-hour before baking or add 10 minutes to the cooking time