A Blueberry Breakfast

It's hot outside. 100 degrees hot. There's nothing fun about this kind of hot, except that its the perfect time of year for perfect blueberries. The kind that are ripe, sweet and delicious! So I turned the pages back in my Cinch! diet/recipe book and found this tasty way to start my (hot) day:

Blueberry Nutmeg Smoothie:

All you need is 1 cup frozen blueberries, dash or two of nutmeg, and 8oz of skim milk! And then you get this:

Yum!

*serve with 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with 1tbsp Almond Butter*

"In everything give thanks..." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Memory Stones

Have you ever started a prayer journal? I did. 3 times. When I have something weighing on my heart and I feel like no other human being on earth can give me the right advice, and no matter how hard I seem to pray I still feel heavy-hearted, I write. It’s my way of handing it over to God.  And these particular heavy-hearted moments have happened to me 3 times, in the last 3 years.

2 weeks ago, I found out my sister is moving semi-cross-country. I opened my journal and wrote. And I turned back the pages to my 2 lonely other entries I had started the 2 years earlier. I had the best intentions. I would write every day, or every week, or at least every month, so that I could see the blessings on paper God has provided me. But time got away with me, God was good, and I skipped a lot of time between the heavy-hearted issues God apparently places in my life about once a year.

And I couldn’t help but notice some of my entries, some of the prayers that had gone “unanswered” for quite some time....

2009, “Dear Lord, please give us patience while we find a house.” We found and LOVE our new home, and managed to do it without pulling our or each other’s hair out.

2009 and 2010, “Dear Lord, please help my father find a job.” –My dad is currently working on a temporary assignment!

2009 and 2010, “Dear Lord, please help my brother-in-law’s company, and please provide provision for their family.”
–Wow. Sometimes God does not answer prayers quite like you think, hope, or could even dream.  God provided an amazing, can’t-say-no-to-this-opportunity to my Brother-in-law and his family. In Texas. 1,398 miles away. And it is sad. 1,398 miles of sad. But its also amazing. God is providing for this family, just as he promised, and I am excited for them, and excited for next year, to look back and laugh at the irony of God, and how he comes through for us in His crazy, God ordained ways.

In the book of Joshua, you may have seen this verse:

"Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day." Joshua 4:9 (NIV)

Joshua explained to the people following him that these stones would be there for years to come, so they could tell their children, and their children’s children of the miracle God had performed that day, and the blessings he poured out among his people.

This is why I want need to write in my prayer journal. So I have a living testament to the miracles and blessings God performs every day. So I don’t miss the PTL (Praise the Lord) moments that he places in my life every day. So I can look back at where I was, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and laugh. Laugh at God’s irony, and laugh with Joy for the blessings in my life, and the goodness of God.

Summer Sangria

So my favorite drink to have on the weekends, at cookouts, at the beach, or if I happened to be stranded in the desert would absolutely, positively, have to be Sangria! It combines my love for a delicious glass of wine with the refreshing clink of ice and tasty fruit without giving it a weird watered-down taste.

I make it many, many ways, and it is never the same. I will give you measurements as a framework, but please, for the love of all things tasty, Do.Not.Measure. Well okay, you can measure, but don't worry about being crazy precise, because its all about how it tastes, and how all of the fabulous flavors marry together into a refreshing, straw-worthy, give-me-another-glass kind of way.

Summer Sangria
1 Bottle of Red Wine
1/4 of a 2L bottle of Sprite, or bubbly Lemon/Lime drink
1/3-1/2 cup of sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
Fruit

Mix all ingredients in large pitcher until it reaches the perfect level between sweetness and tartness. Let fruit of choice marinate for a few minutes for a stronger fruit-infused taste.

*Go-to fruit: Lemons, limes, Orange (sliced thinly with rind and placed in pitcher)
*Latest fav fruit: Strawberries, lemons, limes, and blackberries
*Preferred wine: Cabernet Savignon or Pinot Noir

Printable Recipe

Soup in a Box?

So, I have to share something with you. Brace yourself. Boxed Soup. (Do not feel ashamed if you have the same confused look on your face that I did while staring at the Giada de Larentis section in Target.)

Giada is a soup genious. For $2.99 I got this:

And it was super simple!

Step 1: Sautee 3 strips of bacon or pancetta until crispy.

Step 2: Throw in entire box (4 cups) of Chicken broth.

Step 3: Throw in Seasoning packet and dried bean packet from Giada's box. Cook for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Throw in an entire bag of baby spinach.

Then stare at a fancy pot of soup that was absolutely no-fuss, grab a heaping ladleful spoonful, and enjoy!

Summer Pasta Salad

Dear PioneerWoman. Thank you for another wonderful recipe! It's 90 degrees out today and all I can think about for lunch & dinner is something cold and "vegetabley"....

Summer Pasta Salad

Thinly cut up 1 zuchinni into teeny triangles. These will be eaten raw in the pasta salad. Before you FREAK out and say "I do not like raw zuchinni" (like I did), and make up your mind that you will change the recipe and cook yours...Don't. Cut thinly, close your eyes and take a bite, and you will forever change your mind. It's like a decadent cucumber, and you get bonus points for being healthy and eating it this way. Trust. Me.

Next, add 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes. (And please forgive the sideways picture).

Next, chop up about 1/4 of a cup of fresh parsley and get your 1 lemon ready for squeezing. (And change your iphone picture over to Instagram settings for dramatic effect.)

Add parsley, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon to the bowl. (If you are a lemon-lover like me, add juice of one whole lemon). Add 3 oz of feta cheese....this is where your mouth will start to water.

Add 1/2 a box of cooked and drained, whole wheat pasta. Toss to your little hearts content. Add salt and pepper to taste, and Voila, a cold, "vegetabley" summer meal full of pasta goodness!

“Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.” — Bob Marley

Pinky Promise

So it has been 15 days since I have blogged. FIFTEEN. And this is me, pinky promising that I will never let it happen again!

So I'm looking forward to more recipie sharing, story telling, and fellowship again after this much needed Memorial Day weekend! So, on that note, have a FABULOUS Memorial Day weekend filled with JOY!

"Be joyful always!"

1 Thessilonians 5:16

Praise You in this Storm

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-7

So, I had my tonsils taken out. And it has been just as awful, terrible as they say it would be. I actually had a bit of a setback with mine to top it off, where I had severe nausea from the medicine I was on and the little amount of food I could eat, and I ended up dehydrated, and in need of a super-strong nausea medicine that they typically provide to chemo patients. During this 3 hour stint of dehydrated misery, I prayed and I prayed for God to take the pain away. And it didn't disappear. I was yelling (in my head because I can't talk), "God, where ARE you?" And a song popped in my head, Praise You in this Storm, by Casting Crowns. Lyrics:

I was sure by now

God You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

[Chorus:]

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

So, rather than complain about how awful, terrible I have felt the past 2 weeks, and how awful I felt in those 3 hours, I will do just that. I will praise Him.

Praise God for:

1.5 weeks off of work

The fantastic outpouring of love from my dear family and friends

Popsicles and ice cream

Losing 6 lbs in one week

Bonding time with my hubby who has been an AMAZING nurse

Having quiet time to read 2 books

Healing, one day at a time.