Craftiness: 30th Birthday Card

We recently celebrated my friend Miranda's 30th birthday. She is extremely creative, so I wanted the card we gave her to be crafty and fun like she is. Here's what I came up with based on ideas I found while perusing through books at Hobby Lobby. Her love for stars and the color green determined my color scheme. I'm including directions in case you decide you'd like to make one, too. :)

1. Cut a 5.25" square out of background paper.
2. Cut a 5.25"x4.25" rectangle out of paper you'd like to make up the pocket; then, using a stencil (or freehand, if you're brave!), cut a semi-circle out of the top.
3. Cut a 4.25"x4.25" square for the card insert.

4. Attach several 1.5" lengths of ribbon with a button. You're done with the card insert! Set it aside.

   

5. BEFORE attaching the pocket to the base of the card, use your sewing machine to zigzag stich the TOP of the pocket (where the semi-circle is). I used upholstery thread. *The card insert should NOT be behind the pocket piece while you stitch (as pictured), unless you want your friend to be unable to remove the card!



6. If any of the greetings for the front of the pocket require stitching, do so now. I put a few photo squares on the back of the greetings I stitched, just to hold them in place while I sewed.
7. After you've attached your greetings, use a dot adhesive runner or photo squares to adhere the edges of the pocket to its backing. This will hold the pocket in place while you sew.
8. Zigzag stitch around the sides and bottom of the card. Tie any loose ends of thread behind the card.



9. On the back of the card, add a little "made by" embelishment or stamp.

10. Slip the card insert inside the pocket.
Voila! You have a handmade card, ready to give to your friend.



Other Variations

Wedding Congratulations Card

Bright and Sunny Birthday Card

Swing Therapy

Have you ever had the blahs? I am, unfortunately, perhaps more familiar with them than I would care to admit.

This afternoon we took a trip to a park a few blocks away. It's a tiny little thing and hardly any kids are ever there. In fact, I once talked with another parent--the only other parent I've ever seen there--who said he and his girls call it their "Secret Park." Sometime after I told Michael that story, we started calling it that, too. It just seems so appropriate.

When we struck out on our walk, I had no anticipation of getting over my blahs. I set out simply because my muscles were crying for a good, exhausting stretch and I had missed my workout earlier in the day. While Michael pushed Laila in the stroller, I would run for a bit, circle back to them, and run a little more. When we got to the park, Michael took Laila to play while I went on a longer jog. As my lungs began to burn, I drank in deep swells of sweet spring air. I gulped it like water in the desert, and it filled me up completely. I took in the scenery as my heart absolutely pounded in my chest--that beautifully steady thump-thump, thump-thump. I remembered I love to be alive.

When I got back to the Secret Park, Mike and Laila were making their way to the swings. Now I must confess that the swings are as much my favorite now as they were when I was in the fourth grade. As Laila and I swung together, I found myself laughing and squealing even more than she was. Feeling the wind rush through my hair and looking up at oak trees so large and so old that God Himself must have planted them before his seventh day's rest, I remembered not only just how tiny I am on this Earth, but also how great is His love for me. I could not help but think of the verse

He died for us so that, whether asleep or awake, we may live together with him.
1 Thessalonians 5:10 (emphasis mine)

and also of Jesus' words in John 10:10

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus' desire for me to is have life, and have it to the full--to truly, truly live. The whole point of his death was life. So often I find myself simply making it through my current situation and moving on to the next thing rather than truly living and being. Going through life that way is not fulfilling! Unfortulately, I have no deep, spiritual thoughts on this or a "Five Steps" program to better living. I have instead an earnest desire to live differently myself. The only thing I know is that I cannot live--truly live life to its full--without Jesus at its center. He is the source. He alone can sustain me.

We swung until it was dark enough that I expected my mom to call me home any second, and we finished the day with bowls of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

What an unexpectedly wonderful ending to such an average day. I left home with the blahs and returned with sore muscles and a happy heart.

Just When I Think I Care Enough

I Discover Something Else to Care About.

One of my favorite things to do on a morning at home is to tune our little radio into KUAR 89.1, our local NPR station. I casually listen as I eat breakfast, do dishes, or "dance Cinderella" with Laila. Today was one of those days.

This morning on Fresh Air, investigative reporter Charles Fishman discussed the worldwide thirst for clean drinking water. Fishman told about his visiting a third-world country, where girls and small boys must walk miles--MILES--to fetch clean drinking water for their families each day. Their average load is two or three gallons, a weight of 16-24 pounds, which they generally carry on their heads. Now, this bit of information elicited quite a bit of sympathy on my behalf: It is sad that they must walk so far for what I am sometimes too lazy to walk to the kitchen. Then, however, Fishman lowered the boom when he pointed out that we use that much water--some families' daily supply--with one flush of our toilets. I immediately felt...greedy. And ignorant. And then overwhelmed. And then hopeless. And then helpless.

Sometimes, hearing all the bad news in the world and all its problems and then comparing them with the sphere of my influence and abilities is utterly overwhelming. I feel helpless to do anything and am sometimes consequently compelled to do nothing at all. After all, what can one person do?

This is, of course, wrong thinking, but that doesn't keep my mind from retracing the same old familiar ground whenever the trouble of the world pricks at my heart. It would be so much easier to steel myself and look the other way. Then I remember the words from my Guidebook for Living:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
....
You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
....
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

-excerpted from James 2 (NIV)

We are very explicitly called to act on behalf of our brothers and sisters in need when it is within our power to do so. After all, God sent no ambassador to save me from my depraved state; he came Himself.

At the Same Time...
I think it is easy for us as Americans--or at least for me!--to throw money at a problem and call that a deed. Though I think it is definitely important for me to become financially involved in alleviating the troubles of the world, my actions must be an overflow of the condition of my heart.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest command. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

-Jesus, speaking in Matthew 22

This scripture helps me to balance out the truth found in James. I know that I cannot singlehandedly solve all the world's problems, but I think what I can do for the world is let its problems affect me, let them break my heart and mess up my cozy little life...and then ask God for help in knowing how I should act. Jesus not only asks me to do, but also to care; and inversely, not only to care, but also to do.

And when the weight of caring becomes too much, and my heart is heavy, I count my blessings--particularly the immaterial ones--and remember some of the most encouraging words in scripture that I'd like to leave you with today:

In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

Sweet Find Wednesday: Dipping on the Go

Chip & Dip Container
I didn't know this until a few years ago, but some manufacturers actually pay grocery stores for prime shelf space. It's the same basic principle as in real estate (location, location, location!) and makes perfect sense: If they can get their product on the shelves at eye-level, we're more likely to see--and subsequently purchase--it before other products that are stocked above or below eye-level. Thus, I've tried to make a game out of looking high and low while I'm in the store, seeing what I can find. Anything to make the humdrum shopping trip a little more interesting. :)

After some good detective work in the food container aisle, I found these little chip and dip containers.

They were so forgotten that I literally had to blow the dust off of them, find one with a bar code, and then locate one of those obscurely placed price checkers. My labor was not in vain: They were only two bucks! I grabbed two to try.

Some of our poorest food choices happen when we are traveling, so I packed these guys up with about 1/4 cup of hummus and some assorted vegges for an overnight trip. The container held plenty of veggies to supplement our meals. 

In the future, I'm sure our 2-year-old will love taking these to MDO in her lunches, but for now we grownups are enjoying the bit of variety these have made possible in our own lunches.

Where you Might Find One
You can try Walmart, but I also found this one from the Container Store. It's a few dollars more expensive than ours, but it's definitely still very reasonable.

I'd love to hear any other ideas you have for filling up your chip and dip containers!

Enjoy the day. :)

Lunch Box Ideas for Toddlers

Thankfully, I get to stay home with Laila most days; however, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we go to Mother's Day Out. I teach the three-year-olds, and Laila heads to her class for some much-needed socialization with other kids her age. She loves the time with her friends.

Chef Laila, helping Dad wash potatoes for Sunday lunch

As much of a blessing as MDO has been for us, it's also presented a challenge: What do we pack in Laila's lunch? She's not been the best eater in the world anyway, and I feel like we end up sending the same thing all the time. Last week I set out in search of lunch ideas for toddlers, and here are some I think might work for us (as well as a few L has actually tried and liked):

• French toast, made the night before and cut with cookie cutters (I eat the scraps or put them in my own lunch--yum!)
• Hard boiled egg, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Grilled cheese, cut into strips
• Quesadilla, cut into strips
• English muffin with peanut[or soy]butter and banana
• Core an apple and cut it like donuts
• Pasta salad with corn and black beans
• Mini-bagels with cream cheese and finely chopped fresh veggies
• Frozen peas or corn (it will thaw by lunchtime)
• Veggie pizzas - Found a recipe using an English muffin, pizza sauce, your favorite toppings, and a slice of mozarella. Sounds good!

 Tips I found helpful:

• Vary the kind of bread you use for sandwiches: English muffins, bagels, croissants, fruit bread, etc.
• Top fruit with leftover sprinkles.
• Create "mini" versions of typical foods.
• Sprinkle particularly nutrient-rich foods on top of your child's other foods: Flax seed, toasted nuts and other seeds make great toppings.

I found this eHow article helpful, perhaps because I enjoy making lists. The Recommended Serving Size page from this PDF was also helpful to me.

I hope these tips have helped you out somewhat! Be sure to check the recipes tab (see top of page, below the banner) for this week's recipe recommendations. Enjoy your day. :)

Sweet Find Wednesday: Munchkin Cloth Snack Bags

New Section!
So often when I am talking to my friends, we end up swapping tips about items we have found recently that make life more simple, beautiful, or just more enjoyable in general. In the midst of the daily grind, these finds can be pretty exciting! I've decided it might be fun to share that excitement with you on the blog each Wednesday. Enjoy the first "Sweet Find." 

Snack sacks!
Say that five times fast. I have been eying these cute, environmentally friendly snack sacks on Etsy for quite some time. Take a look at a few of my favorites:

Available from Bag it Conscious

Available from Mada's Place

"Manly" bags I found for Mike, also available from Bag it Conscious. Non-girly looking reusable bags are unfortunately quite scarce.

In the midst of my deciding on which ones to purchase online, I trudged into Walmart for my weekly shopping. Low and behold, I found these reusable snack sacks from Munchkin! They were about $7 and came three in a pack.

I love the zippered closures--and so does Laila. She can "unzipper it" all by herself, which is a BIG DEAL to her as a toddler.

I even like the fabric better than any that I found on Etsy. Even though it is not the most masculine pattern ever made, Mike takes them in his lunches too. What a man!

After a few uses, we turn them inside-out and run them through the washer and dryer. Good as new!

I may eventually purchase some handmade sandwich-sized reusables on Etsy, but for now we are quite happy with these from Munchkin. You can purchase them at Walmart or look for them online; however, I couldn't find them online for less than $12 at Amazon.

And that's today's Sweet Find. Hope you enjoy the day! :)

Book Review

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

 

 

This week I read Michael Pollan's Food Rules, which consists of 64 rules the author suggests we should follow in our daily eating habits. Some rules are self-explanatory and require no further explanation, but Pollan does expand upon rules that may leave the reader guessing. It was actually really fun to read, and a great guide for anyone wondering where to start on their own journey of "eating right." All the rules are good, but here are a few of my personal favorites:

• #2: Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.
• #13: Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
• #20: It's not food if it arrived through your car window.
• #21: It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles).
• #39: Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. I love this rule. When people had to make ice cream and fried chicken themselves, they only made it for special occasions because it was so much trouble. Same goes for donuts, french fries, danishes, etc. If we had to make these things ourselves, we'd probably eat them far less often, too.
• #52: Buy smaller plates and glasses. If you've eaten at my house, you know I need to buy new plates. Lol. They're more like giant bowls!
• #56: Limit your snacks to unprocessed plant foods. And I might add--if an unprocessed plant food doesn't sound good for a snack, you're probably not really hungry.
• #57: Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does.
• #63: Cook. 

Because of its usefulness and ease of reading, I absolutely recommend you pick up Food Matters if you have not already. (Thanks to my friend Nathanial for recommending it to me!)



A Recipe Recommendation

Black Beans, Corn, & Yellow Rice
I started with this basic recipe, then invented my own from there.
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 cup broth of your choice (I used an Edward & Sons Not-Chick'n bouillon cube)
• 3 tbsp EVOO, divided
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn (or 1 can no-salt added)
• 1 cup black beans (or 1 can, rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup chopped tomato (or 1 can no-salt added)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 2 tbsp lime juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring water and broth to a boil; stir in rice and 1 tablespoon of the EVOO. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35-40 minutes until done.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining EVOO in large pan until fragrant but not smoking. Add bell pepper and onion; saute for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute an additional minute or so, until garlic is fragrant and flavors are starting to mingle.
3. Stir in corn and continue sauteing until corn is beginning to cook through, 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and saute until veggies meet your desired level of tenderness (I kept mine a little crunchy).
4. Combine cooked rice with the veggie mixture and serve with tortilla chips.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: What's the Big Deal?

A few weeks ago, I found Agave nectar in my local Walmart. I was stoked! It contains NO high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and is actually a "natural" sweetener. Days later, I presented my find to our dear friends Dave & Rachel along with a joyful exclamation concerning the lack of HFCS. Dave responded frankly with, "What's so bad about high fructose corn syrup?"

The truth was: I had no idea what's so bad about HFCS. My aversion to it was constructed from vague impressions likely based on some episode of Oprah; or, more probably, a suspicion built on manufacturers' claims of "No high fructose corn syrup" on products I had seen in the grocery store. Surely it is bad for you if they are making such a fuss about it not being in their product, right?

So, for your benefit and mine, I set out this morning to discover answers to some of life's most pressing questions: What in the world is wrong with high fructose corn syrup, if anything? Is the claim "No HFCS!" that I find slapped all over foods--especially foods for kids--merely another term like "all natural" that helps manufacturers move products off the shelves, or is HFCS really something I should avoid at all costs?


Here is What I Found.
The big(gest) deal about HFCS seems to be the link between it and obesity in America; after all, the increased use of the substance in manufactured foods correlated with a record increase in obesity in the early 90's.

But the fact is that HFCS is made of half glucose and half fructose, which is the same as ordinary table sugar. This CBS News article I read refers to HFCS as "sugar with an image problem." In fact, recent research indicates that the two affect the body very similarly. According to Eating Well, Barry Popkin, one of the authors of the original study on HFCS that sent everyone into an uproar about its ill effects, confesses that singling out HFCS as the culprit was unjustified. Essentially, an increase in the use of any type of sugar would be strongly related to an increase in obesity. HFCS is simply cheaper (because of government subsidies on corn, mainly).

How much is enough? The folks over at the Mayo Clinic state women should consume only 6 teaspoons of ANY type of sugar (about 28.5 grams) per day, and men should consume only 9 (about 43 grams). To give you a frame of reference, one can of your average soda contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar. Yikes!

People who have eliminated HFCS from their diets do claim to feel less tired and often lose weight, which isn't surprising: Since HFCS is the sugar most commonly added to foods, it is logical that a drastic reduction/elimination of it would mean a reduction/elimination of the effects of sugar. 


My conclusion:
I am by no means an expert, but what I have concluded--and this is really simplifying a lot of the information I read--is that we should not really be mad about HFCS being in so many foods on our grocery store shelves as much as we should be mad about any of the sugars that are unnecessarily added to so many of the foods we consume (concentrated fruit juice and raw sugar included).

Eating any kind of sugar in vast quantities is probably not very good for us, or our kids. While sugar does add flavor, it also adds calories to foods and drinks; consuming them results in "empty calories," or calories without any nutritional value. This can be a big problem for kids, whose growing bodies require nutrients to develop properly. Even if HFCS had no other ill effects on children (and there is research that shows it may), this should be reason enough to watch what we're letting our kids eat.

One of my favorite tooth-rotting treats as a child.

When I was a kid I wondered why God would ever do something so heinous as to make human teeth incapable of chomping as many sweets as I'd like to eat without rotting out first--and why my parents seemed to be in league with Him about it. Now I understand they were looking out for me all along.


Recipes this Week

• This one is actually from a few weeks ago. I was sick and asked Michael to "Please cook the salmon recipe" for dinner. He chose One Pot Salmon with Snap Peas and Rice, which was not actually the recipe I had in mind. I was, however, still very grateful because 1) he took excellent care of me, even though I'm pretty cantankerous when I'm sick; 2) he cooked some delicious food; and 3) he found this recipe that I had totally forgotten about! It is tasty, takes very little prep OR cook time, and everything cooks in the same pot. Win, win, win!
• This reminds me--I don't know if I've ever told you guys that we still eat fish from time to time. Well, we do. :)
• Today I made myself a Tex-Mex black bean sandwich for lunch, and it was delicious. Here's what I did:
• Lightly mash up however many black beans you want (I think I used about 1/3 cup for a half sandwich) and spread them onto the bread of your choice.
• Top the beans with Tex-Mex toppings. I used salsa, avocado, and a bit of shredded cheddar cheese. You could also use tomatoes, red onions, chiles, corn, and/or pickles.
• Serve with extra salsa and chips, and fresh fruit.

Book Review: Food Matters by Mark Bittman

A Guide to Conscious Eating

Several weeks ago I mentioned I have been reading Mark Bittman's Food Matters and promised that I'd give you a book review as soon as I could. Here you go!

The tagline of the book is A Guide to Conscious Eating, and I found it to be exactly that. I am very cautious of anything I pick up that has a propagandist tone because I have so often found those types to be condemnative rather than informative. Bittman's tone, by contrast, is so genuine you would think you're talking with a good friend. Bittman himself is a confessed gourmand and has actually made his living by...you guessed it...eating. Okay, perhaps the better word is tasting. He has authored several best-selling cookbooks (most noteably are How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian) and currently pens "The Minimalist" column for the Food section of the NY Times.

The excerpt on the back of the book helps sum it up a lot, so I'm copying it here:

• If I told you that the same lifestyle choice could help you lose weight, reduce your risk of many long-term or chronic diseases, save you real money, and help stop global warming, I imagine you'd be intrigued. If I also told you that this change, while not effortless, would be easier and more pleasant than any diet you've ever tried, would take less time and effort than your exercise routine, and would require no sacrifice, I would think you'd want to read more. If you do, you'll find an explanation of the links among diet, health, and the environment in general, and climate change in particular, and you'll see how you can make a difference.

That will definitely grab your attention, right? It did mine!

Sane Eating
Sane Eating is what Bittman calls his approach, and he summarizes it in this way:

• Eat less meat, and fewer animal products in general. Eat fewer refined carbohydrates, like white bread, cookies, white rice, and pretzels. Eat way less junk food: soda, chips, snack food, candy, and so on. And eat far more vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains--as much as you can (68).

The first half of the book is devoted to describing what Bittman might call "insane eating," and the latter part of the book is all about the sane eating approach. And let me remind you that Bittman is ridiculously practical. I never found him preachy, though what he says will probably make you want to preach, as it did me--obviously.

You may have noticed in the excerpt above that the author does not advise eliminating foods entirely from your diet. He says it is okay to have treats, and you can have a treat every day. Bittman himself uses the "Vegan until Six" rule of thumb. He eats as though he is vegan--loading up on fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains--until six in the evening. Then he eats a sensible meal that may include some of the "treats" he has not allowed himself throughout the day (white bread, a dessert, etc). There is far more detail about this practice in the book.

Diet & the Environment
This part of the book was of particular interest to me. So often I feel like there is little or nothing I can do to make a difference in the world at large. Who knew I could vote with my fork! Bittman presents information about how the typical American diet contributes to environmental change (Did you know animal production contributes more to global warming than vehicle pollution?) and offers practical ways of amending our wrongs.

In Short
I would definitely recommend you read this book. It's an easy read--about half the book consists of a sample monthly menu and recipes--and even if you don't agree with everything he says, I think you would still find something in it that is useful.


Recipes this Week
I spent quite a bit of the week sleeping (thank you, nasty cold), so I did not get to try many new recipes or cook much at all, in fact. I did make one of our new favorite dishes, Fall Vegetable Curry. It's certainly not as good as the Indian food I have had at restaurants, but it meets my requirements for a recipe--quick and easy, healthy, tasty--and gives me a curry fix at least. On that note, I would definitely recommend finding some good curry before you try this one. I tried using the McCormick stuff I got at Walmart, and it just didn't taste as good as the Madras curry I found at Whole Foods. Go figure. In addition, the recipe says to serve it with plain Greek style yogurt. While the yogurt was good, I think I could do without it if I had quality curry. We like this dish best served over couscous (which you can easily mix with a bit of quinoa for some extra protein). Steep the couscous in your choice of broth (rather than water) for an even tastier treat!

I Name the Blog

For a while, the name of my blog has been "Still thinking of a name." Unfortunately, I was not trying to be cute, like when someone names a movie rental place "The Video Store" or a bookstore "That Bookstore in Insert Town Name Here." I really have been devoting a lot of thought to what I'd like to call this place. 

So much of life is a search for truth. Let me digress a moment to make clear I don't mean Truth, with a capital "T," as in the meaning of life kind of Truth. I have long been--and will ever remain--convinced that Jesus is the light, the truth, and the way; however, it seems like after my acceptance of THAT Truth, the real work has begun. What exactly does a life transformed by Christ look like, anyway?

Sometimes it can seem overwhelming, all the work that is to be done. All too often I get caught up in endeavoring to change myself in large measures, but what I'm finding is that is not really how God works. He--graciously--offers truth in small doses. It reminds me of that old saying: "Truth is hard medicine."

As my thoughts led me to that quote, that silly old Mary Poppins song starting playing in my head like a soundtrack, and I realized: This blog is my spoonful of sugar. It's a (relatively) safe place for me to get my thoughts out so that I can consume life in more manageable, easily-digestable parts. A few awesome biproducts are 1) it gives me the opportunity to write, which is something I have sorely missed since college; and 2) some of you actually read this mess and find it interesting! ;) In all honesty, it's been really fun to get a conversation started on my blog that I continue throughout the week with my friends. Thanks for reading!

Recipe Recommendations

Yesterday I made Chickpeas with Chard and Pan-Roasted Tomatoes, a recipe I found in this month's edition of Real Simple magazine (a Christmas gift from Michael--thanks babe!). We both thought it was delicious--though the jury is still out on Laila's opinion, as she was already Sunday-afternoon-napping when I finished cooking it. A few tips:

• Don't be afraid of chard, as I was before trying this recipe. It naturally has a very distinct, tangy taste, almost like the leaves have been marinated. In fact, it kind of reminded me of the dolmades (marinated stuffed grape leaves) they make at Taziki's Greek Restaurant (PS - I highly recommend Taziki's for delicious Greek cuisine). The chard added so much to this recipe; I wish I had grabbed a larger bunch!
• Season your rice! I just followed the package directions and added 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 2 tablespoons EVOO. It was a nice touch.





This morning I snuck some vegetables into muffins I made for Laila, which she then devoured (recipe below).

  
Apple & Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup white all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 apple, cored and grated
• 1/2 carrot, grated
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with muffin paper cases.
2. Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the apple and carrot together. Stir in the honey and egg, then the buttermilk and sugar. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir briefly to combine. Don't overmix--the batter should still be a little lumpy.
4. Spoon the batter into the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven. *The recipe says 12 standard size muffins bake for 20 minutes. I made mini-muffins, which made about 30 and baked for 18 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan.
6. Consume. :)

Food Righteousness

Food is not my religion.
Though that may seem like a really obvious statement to make since food is not seen by most Americans as a means by which one may become holy, I have found that it is a definite means by which one--namely, I--can become holier than thou.

Because I feel good about the decisions our family is making in regards to the food we put in our bodies, I have found myself being occasionally judgmental of the food others are putting in their bodies. I'll catch myself peaking with narrow eyes into other people's grocery carts and calculating how clotted their arteries must be or approximately how many years they have left to live. Okay, so they've got Velveeta cheese, microwave burritos, and SPAM? I'll give 'em fifteen years tops before they develop some type of chronic debilitating illness, and a total of twenty-five years before they croak. While I don't think it is wrong for me to desire others to eat healthily so that they may live better lives and make less of a negative impact on the environment, it's amazing how quickly "feeling sorry" for my fellow humans turns into looking down upon them. I have been ashamed of myself.

 

Some friends of mine and I are reading through the Bible in a year, and right now we're right smack in the middle of Levitical law. Nothing gets the day started like a bit of instruction on the finer points of sacrificial offerings! As irrelevant as I have felt some of it is to me in the twenty-first century, I have been surprised at how interesting it's been to read and how direct its application often has been to my life. This morning as Michael and I discussed why on Earth the loving God of the universe would require a blood offering from His people, I remembered a scripture I've heard the "grown-ups" say all my life: "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Sin is so offensive to God that He cannot coexist with it. Death is not punishment for sin; it's what sin deserves--it's what sin earns. As an expression of His mercy towards His people, God allowed the ancient Hebrews to symbolically place all their sin upon an animal and offer it as compensation for their sins. Thinking of it from that perspective made the practice of sacrificial offerings seem much less gruesome--and even loving--especially when you consider the fact that that same Holy God eventually came to Earth as a man and endured death on the cross to become THE sacrificial offering for all of mankind, forever. The same scripture that reminds us "the wages of sin is death" goes on to say "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Talk about incredible. (If you have not read Romans 6 recently, stop here and re-read it. If you've never read it, you must hear the Good News! Pause for a moment and hit this link.)

What in the world does that have to do with food?
Quite simply, there is no righteousness apart from Christ. That's why, if you've spent much time with us this year, you have probably noticed that we do not dogmatically stick to our "meatless meal" rule and that we occasionally have treats like--gasp!--dip made with processed cheese. We do strive to make good choices in all situations (After all, I can't exactly justify filling my plate with fatty hors d'oevres at a wedding because it would be offensive to the bride if I didn't), but it would be extremely shortsighted to reject a meal offered by friends because it does not meet my dietary requirements. That's ridiculous.

At the same time, I do think this is a complicated issue that requires conscientiousness on the part of any Christian. In fact, honestly, sometimes I feel like we are missing an opportunity to lead in this area--but that's probably another post for another time. In the meantime, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts, whether you post here on the blog, email me, or tell me personally.


And finally, my favorite recipes for the week

Cousous Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash - these go great with the Fruity Phyllo Packages (recipe follows), especially since they use the same oven temp! We thought the couscous dish was good hot or cold.

Ingredients

• 1 bag chopped butternut squash (I found this in the produce section at Walmart; I estimate it's about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons honey, divided
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1 cup broth of your choice
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or the juice of about 1/2 lemon)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix half the honey with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large bowl, add the squash, and toss well to coat. Tip into a roasting pan and roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until soft and golden.
3. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to package instructions, using the broth instead of water. After it cooks, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and fork through, then stir in the diced zucchini and red bell pepper. Cover to keep warm.
4. Whisk the remaining honey and oil together with the lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir the mixture through the couscous.
5. To serve, top the couscous with the roasted squash.

Fruity Phyllo Packages - these were delicious! They're like the healthy, yummy solution to McDonald's apple pies. Good for breakfast or after dinner.

Ingredients

• 3 apples, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons honey
• 6 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed if frozen
• olive oil, for brushing
• plain or vanilla yogurt, to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix first 5 ingredients in a small pan and cook over medium heat until the apples are soft. Cool completely.
3. Fold each sheet of phyllo pastry in half. place a spoonful of apple mixture near one corner of the pastry and roll like a burrito. Brush with oil to make a good seal. Repeat for all 6 pastries.
4. Brush the tops of each pastry with oil and place on a pan.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly (especially if you're serving this to your kids--the apples get pretty hot!). Serve with the yogurt.

Grains, Grains!

We Discover Quinoa
This week I used quinoa (pronounced KEE-nwa or KEE-no-ah) for the first time and am totally delighted with its nutritional benefits as well as its ease of use. It is a complete protein source for humans, in that it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids. In addition, it cooks up similarly to and has the same basic consistency as couscous. I don't have any particular quinoa recipes for you this week (we used it in place of rice for a few dishes, like burritos), but I'll be sure to share any particularly tasty ones I find in the future.

We found it in the dry goods section of Whole Foods Market, which was cool because we were able to get just the quantity we wanted (rather than a whole huge bag of it). It comes in several different forms, but we used the whole grain quinoa.


Bread Machine
I have been thinking lately that I might like to make my own bread, but I was not interested in going through all the trouble of actually doing it. All that kneading and rising--bleh. Enter the bread machine. My mom found some at Tuesday Morning for $40 and surprised me with one this week. What a gal!

To make your mouth water all the more, I should add that it was still warm. Oh my...

The thing is so easy! You literally just measure the ingredients, dump them in, push a few buttons on the machine, and walk away. Two or three hours later, you're enjoying delicious, warm bread that you've "made yourself" (Hey, until that little machine can acquire and add all the ingredients itself, I'm still taking the credit here!). We also discovered some jam and jelly recipes that you can make in the machine, and I'm thinking that a homemade bread and jam combo would make a delightful gift. Any takers? :)

We spent the better part of our snow day this week making two loaves: the whole wheat that you see above, as well as an Italian loaf that filled the house with the scent of warm parmesan, onion, and basil.

So far I have been a little disappointed in how dense the bread is, but I did a little research and found some bread-making tips, as well as a few highly rated recipes that I'm trying out this week. If any of them prove to be worthwhile, I will absolutely share them next week.


Recipes this Week
...were a total disappointment for the most part, but I do have one to share that Michael and I both thought was quite delicious. It's Chickpea Puttanesca, which I found on the Summer Tomato blog. I was not impressed by the other recipes I tried from Summer Tomato, but this was turned out really nice. I used 2 cans of chickpeas (rinsed) and followed the recipe as written. Yes, I even used the anchovies! Caution: If you're cooking for kiddos, the pepper flakes in the recipe do give it a bit of (delicious) heat that they may not fully appreciate. Also, I wouldn't recommend adding salt before tasting; the anchovies gave ours plenty.

Even if you don't try the recipe itself, you have to admit chickpeas as a pasta substitution is pretty stinkin' clever. Try it sometime!


A Note on Posting
I know in my last post I said I would talk about caring for the fatherless, and I will--just not today. I'm still collecting my thoughts and figuring out how to organize my blog in a way that make sense to me, and hopefully to you, too. I think what I'll do for now is post about food on Mondays and then about whatever else I is on my mind on Wednesdays. Two posts a week is about all I can keep up with at this point--and probably still more than you care to read!

:) Enjoy the day!

What's in a Label? All Natural vs. Organic

All Natural!
I see this on food packaging all the time, and I must admit I have some questions. Yes, I want my food to be made from natural rather than manufactured ingredients; however, horse poop is natural, and it is certainly something I'd rather NOT have in my morning cereal.

Here's What I Found.
Organic refers to how a plant is grown or the manner in which an animal is raised; all natural refers to how that plant or animal is then processed into food for human consumption. Though a food may be organic, it may be processed "unnaturally" with the addition of unnatural preservatives or artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, etc; in addition, a food labeled all natural may be composed of apples that were chemically fertilized or wheat that was treated with a chemical pesticide, a chicken that has been treated with hormones or antibiotics, etc. Food companies do not have to list these potential contaminents.

As of now, the USDA does not regulate manufacterers' use of the term all natural as strictly and as clearly as they do the use of the term organic. Organic foods must go through a very rigorous evaluation process to earn the organic seal. You can read all about that by perusing these brief PDFs from the USDA:

• Organic Labeling and Marketing Information
• Organic Production and Handling Standards

You can also go the the USDA website for the National Organic Project: The Holy Grail for information on our country's organic program. Beware--You can find TOO much information there!

This helpful article on The Mayo Clinic's website does a good job of condensing the information from the above sources to discuss the differences between the labeling of organic foods. If you don't visit any of the other links, visit this one. Since many farms are in transition from "conventional" farming (such an unfortunate, ironic term) to organic, often foods are made with a percentage of organic ingredients. The article is also a pretty good place to start if you're asking the question "Should I buy organic?" It addresses the key differences between organic and conventional farming.

The Bottom Line
After reviewing all this information, I think that the key to making healthy choices for my family is to actually make the decisions myself rather than trust product packaging. I still have to read labels--and then read between the lines. One of my personal rules of thumb is something I've gleaned so far from my reading of Food Matters by Mark Bittman*: Eat real food. If an ingredients list contains items that I don't immediately identify, I'm going to be extremely hesitant about feeding it to my family.

A Few Recipes to Try
We were adventurous eaters this past week! The following recipes were approved by a two-thirds majority of our family (L is still pretty hard to please).

• I never knew I liked broiled eggplant, but these Eggplant & Goat Cheese Sandwiches enlightened me. Tip--Be sure to totally blacken the bell pepper; it's much easier to peel that way. I made no changes to this recipe and we loved it. In fact, we were both almost done before I realized I didn't get a pic of them. They were gorgeous, I assure you. :)
• I think the above sandwiches would have gone GREAT with these French Onion Tartlets served by Michael's sister Amy during our first visit to her very own apartment. They were delicious! A tip from Amy--use a big skillet! That's a lot of onion.
• This Shiitake Mushroom & Sweet Pea Risotto was tasty but so rich I probably won't include it in our regular rotation. It was a nice treat. Instead of chicken broth, I used Edward & Sons Not Chick'n Bouillon Cubes (I found them at Whole Foods), which tasted remarkably like the real thing--and had a very short list of ingredients.

My Dad has been on me about only posting once per week. LOL. Perhaps this week I'll try a double feature. I think next up will be a distinct shift in gears for this blog: A discussion about caring for the fatherless (another topic weighing heavily on my mind). We'll see how the week goes...

Enjoy your day!

*I'll be sure to tell you more of what I think of Bittman's book after I finish it.

Toddler in Transition

I get this question a lot: How is your daughter doing with the vegetarian thing?

The answer: Pretty good!

I do not know all toddlers, so I cannot speak for them; however, I'm happy to share my observations about our little girl as she discovers new tastes and textures.

Before we started this transition, I never knew what L would or would not eat. The same is true now. At the same time, I think this was the best time for us to make a switch in our diet. At her ripe old age of 21 months, she is very open to exploring the world around her--and everything is so new!--that she seems really open to at least trying new things; however, I've also observed that toddlers are pretty moody little people as they try to navigate through human emotions for the first time, so L's trying new things can largely depend on what mood you catch her in.

She has promptly refused some foods that we have offered her. For instance, she took one nibble of tofu and unequivocally pronounced it "shucky." Since her mouth is so little, it's hard for her to get a bite of tofu with something else, and she definitely doesn't like it solo.

On the upside, I feel like I now have a wider variety of healthy foods to try out. One of the things we've been pleasantly surprised she likes is baked snap peas. These whole snap peas are baked until crispy, like potato chips. She asks for them all the time and seems to love their crunch. 



Enjoying a snap pea & yogurt.

I think that the best news is that L is barely two years old, so she has not had much time to develop definite preferences (at least not any she won't forget soon--lol). In addition, we didn't really have a junky diet beforehand. She has always really liked fruit, though we are continually forced to be highly creative when it comes to getting her to eat vegetables. In addition, we thought she had a milk allergy and switched to organic soy early on. Though the allergy alert proved false, she likes the soy milk so much we just stuck with it (and it's cheaper than organic dairy!).

Though she certainly has many opportunities to make healthy choices, L is yet a toddler and most often prefers the staples: bread (in all its forms), cheese, bananas, and "gold fish" (Annie's Cheddar Bunnies). It's hit or miss with anything else, but we'll continue to offer her healthy options in hopes that--one day--she'll be a good eater too.

This week I'll leave you with my go-to stirfry recipe, Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir Fry. Grab a bag of frozen stir fry veggies from your grocer's freezer section for a SUPER fast meal. I make it with these changes:

• tofu rather than chicken
• double the sauce, adding an extra 1/2 teaspoon corn starch so it gets nice and sticky

Also, my mom brought to my attention that I left an ingredient off of the recipe for her Tuna Mac Casserole. Oops! I sincerely apologize if you made it and it didn't turn out so well without the one can of cream of celery soup! I went back and made the change on the original post for future reference. Many, many apologies!!

Boldly Venturing Into the Unknown (or buying groceries, whatever)

This past Saturday I ventured into our "local" (I.E. a solid 20 minutes away) Whole Foods Market for the first time. It was quite the experience. In fact, I was completely nervous about it. Once I stepped inside, I was at once comforted and uncomfortable for the same reason: There was so much good stuff to see and try! On some aisles, it was almost like shopping in a foreign country. I'm always up for a good adventure--after all, what is the point of life if we're always to stay in our comfort zone?--so I heroically charged ahead and have some observations to share with you all.

A few things I learned:
1. Not everything in a Whole Foods store is organic OR good for you. I kind of knew this going in, but you really have still have to be careful about product labeling as well as calorie & fat content--particularly with vegetarian items. (Can anyone say Amy's Organic burritos? Oh, my: the fat!) Going to the WF store does not simultaneously grant a license to purchase everything you see. It was still my responsibility to be a good consumer.
2. Some things at the WF store are also available at your normal grocery store--for a much better price. I did a lot of scouting while I was there, making notes of their brands and prices to compare to what I might pay at Walmart.
3. Shopping at a WF showed me things I didn't know I needed. I kept seeing things that I didn't realize I'll need to start buying, like organic flour and sugar. (BTW, I read that wheat is among the foods ranked highest by the EPA for pollutant contamination. Can you believe that?) As I made these discoveries, I also made a note for myself to look for and price them at Walmart as well.
3. WF stores have a "store" brand as well...and it is generally much cheaper. My, I learned this lesson quickly!
4. The Whole Foods Store is for cooks. Yes, they have many quick and easy meals too, but probably the most unexpected and best surprise of all was my discovery that the WF store carries many ingredients for recipes that I have not yet found anywhere else, particularly in regards to Asian dishes and spices in general. I now proudly have fish sauce in my cabinet that I plan to use in a Pad Thai recipe I found this week.
5. I'm so excited to try new things! Since I went in with a grocery list (recommended!), I didn't grab very many new items to try, but I did come away with ideas for a few new dishes to add to our menu.

Unexpected perks:
1. Awesome paper bags. At first I felt guilty for using a store's bags (and I probably will go ahead and bring my big canvas tote next time), but these babies are 100% post-consumer recycled and were quite useful later in the week when I took a meal to some friends who have a new-addition (actually TWO new additions--twins!).
2. Whole Foods Market has a deli-style restaurant. This is probably common knowledge to all of you, but I'm REALLY excited to head back sometime for a bite to eat with my honey.
 

My loot, carted away via the tiny little double decker grocery cart (which I found VERY handy when navigating through the crowded aisles).

Best Finds:
1. Locally made honey
2. FISH SAUCE!
3. Baked snap peas - They are crispy like chips, and Laila loves them!
4. Organic yogurt - the only kind I can find at our Walmart is Greek style, which is good but not all the time.

Alas, Disappointment
1. I didn't find a lot of veggies we can eat out-of-hand for snacks. Fruit was abundant, but I wanted some fresh sugar snap peas. :(
2. Pricing. It's expensive. Though we've made the decision that it's worth it to invest in good quality food for our family, it's going to take me a bit to grow accustomed to the higher prices. At the same time, I will continue to look for good options in our local grocery stores, who continue to carry more and more organic items.

In other news, I made my first tofu dish. I used a Pad Thai boxed meal, and added my own tofu. We surprisingly really liked it! Though I do feel like I now have a strange marine animal living in my refrigerator. Did you know you have to cover leftover tofu with water and change it daily? What!! I'm learning so much.

A few recipe recommendations:

• Empanadas - I think these would be good with ANYTHING inside of them, but the key seemed to be using a good salsa. I used corn and black bean, which was delicious. Another idea would be to plan these for the day after a taco bar so you can use up your leftovers. The avacado salad they recommend in the recipe makes a good compliment...but so did fresh guacamole! Just use a pastry blender to mash up the avacadoes; add a splash of lime, a few teaspoons of finely chopped onion, some ground cumin and salt. Pretty tasty!
• Mom's Tuna Mac Casserole - Such a yummy comfort food for this time of year. I made this with organic ingredients (except for the mayo & cream of celery) and some sustainably caught tuna (which I found at Kroger). It was gone within 24 hours! You can add whatever veggies you'd like. We used a truckload of chopped broccoli and it turned out great (measurement approximate).
  INGREDIENTS:
  1 Box Mac & Cheese (Annie's is a good brand)
  1 can tuna
  1/3 cup milk
  1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing
  1 can cream of celery soup - updated 1/26/2011. I'm sorry I left this out initially!
  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  1 cup shredded cheese (we like cheddar)
  1 tablespoon butter
  1 teaspoon paprika
  2 slices bread, chopped
  DIRECTIONS:
  Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Boil macaroni noodles until tender; drain. Mix together all but the last three ingredients (including the cheese packet for the macaroni) and put in prepared dish. In medium bowl, melt butter. Mix in paprika, then add bread and stir to coat. Top casserole with bread and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Future blog topics that I'm milling about in my mind:

• A toddler (namely, mine) in the midst of a dietary transition
• Food-righteousness
• All Natural vs. Organic foods
• Seemingly unrelated, I've also been thinking a lot today about adoption, especially after I read another article in Christianity Today called "Abba Changes Everything" by Russell D. Moore. This is a topic that's been weighing on our minds for several months now. I hope to add my thoughts about it later.

You'll have to wait for those, though, as my aforementioned toddler is now rousing from her nap. :)

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, either by commenting here or just checking one of the boxes below.

Snow Day Fare & Other Thoughts

  

Behold, it has snowed in the South!



L is still getting the hang of self-portraits.



 



 

On this quiet, snow blanketed day, I decided that some good comfort food would be appropriate. For lunch, I made red beans and rice with cornbread, all from scratch. The more I cook, the more I find that I enjoy it. It's like Amy Adams' character said in Julie and Julia: After a hard day, it's wonderful to be able to come home and prepare something amazing just by following simple directions. No matter how out of control things have felt during the day, I am (generally) in complete control of what comes out of the oven and off the burners...and then there's the added bonus of feeding my family good, nutritious food.



I also took advantage of the wintry day to begin reading one of the four giant (cook)books on vegetarianism that I checked out from the public library: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I've only read the introduction and skimmed through some of the recipes, but I really like what I've found so far--and not just about vegetarianism. Her ideals on eating are really refreshing. She talks about the dinner table being a natural place of fellowship "where family members and friends are most likely to find out what's going on in one another's lives" and concludes that "Something always happens at the table." It's so true! I'm grateful for the practice that Mike and I make of sitting AT the table for dinner each night. Once I get into Madison's actual recipes, I'll let you know my full opinion on her work. :)

 

I know I have felt better physically since we have been eating more conscientiously and drinking plenty of water. It's pretty difficult to make at least 50% of our diet raw veggies--especially at this time of year--but I think we're doing okay. I can definitely see how someone could overdose on carrots (shout-out to Tammy, lol). 

 

In the meantime, check out a few Other Recipe Recommendations, made with ingredients that are in season this time of year:

• Butternut Squash Lasagna - It took FOREVER to chop up the butternut squash. If you're short on time, you can find it already chopped in your produce department (which I didn't know...until AFTERwards). Otherwise, it doesn't take much time to put the rest of the ingredients together. This recipe makes enough for two 8x8 pans (or one 9x11, I'd imagine). I made one 8x8 and froze the other for later. It was PLENTY for our little family.
• Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables - SO simple, SO good. This marks the first time I EVER bought parsnips!
• Citrus Salad with Honey & Mint - Like the recipe above, it can't get any simpler. I even skipped the mint.

 

Also--I wanted to mention that this blog is not intended to always be about food; it's simply what is most on my mind right now since we are in the middle of a dietary transition, so to speak. But be ready to shift gears at a moment's notice...or with no notice at all! :)