My handsome hubby and I have been married for three wonderful years. 

My beautiful daughter was born August 15, 2013 and I am so thrilled to be a mommy!

Our two cats, JoJo and Sadie, like to sleep during the day and then pounce around the apartment at night when we're all trying to sleep. 

I am first and foremost a child of the one true King. Next I am a wife and mother. I am also a teacher, a daughter, a sister, a friend. I enjoy gripping books and sci-fi shows. 

The purpose of this blog was originally to keep track of healthy food, to keep myself accountable. But over the years, I've learned that health is not just about food. It's about lifestyle. Eating right, exercising regularly, loving fully, studying well, and relaxing often. These are the ingredients to a wealth of health. And those things are what I will now be blogging about! I hope you enjoy it!

The Borg

I went to see Stewart Loftis the other day and it got me thinking about how the world views Christianity. Funny how those two events often coincide: talking to Stewart and thinking. Anyway, we were discussing Star Trek, which I am currently watching from beginning to end, and he excitedly remarked that I get it now. Puzzled, I asked what it was that I am supposed to “get”. He then reminded me of a saying that I had heard him repeat many times but never understood or tried to understand: “The world views Christianity as the Borg. ‘Your distinctiveness will be assimilated into the collective. Resistance is futile.’”  A light bulb clicked. He was right, I get it now. I chuckled and we continued to discuss the adventures of the Alpha Quadrant, Data’s possible fate, my dislike of Ferengi, and what lie ahead for Voyager (I was on season 1, episode 4). Jason and Stewart became cryptic at certain points of the conversation so as to not give anything away. As if anything could surprise me after watching all of Doctor Who, Eureka, Star Gate, Farscape, and most of Star Trek. The idea was lost until later that night when I was trying to sleep, which, incidentally, is the best time to do some deep theological thinking. My mind started whirring, tossing around the idea of Christianity and the Borg being equated. I understand because once upon a time, I did not follow Christ and I viewed my parents’ beliefs as conformist, restrictive, oppressive. At the same time, I don’t understand because I often feel as though I’m swimming upstream. My beliefs understandably clash with the world. Sadly, my beliefs also clash with mainstream Christianity far too often. Most certainly, not Borg. In fact, the more I thought about it as a Vulcan, logically that is, Christianity cannot be equated to the Borg at all. If it could, we wouldn’t have so many factions, so many disagreements, so many denominations. Even within a single church (meaning here a group of believers who meet at a set location at least once weekly) there are differences between us all. Not just disagreements, but we’re in different stages of life, we have various Sunday school groups, we’re different ages, we even sometimes have different beliefs. Some who come to church every Sunday are living out Christianity day to day. Some come half committed, hoping their life will change if they just get to the sermon on time. Some come because it’s a habit their parents drilled into them. Some come because they feel they need to make up for Saturday night. Christianity is not Borg. We are too different from one another to be Borg.

What then? If Christianity isn’t Borg, what is it? At first, I thought Enterprise. Enterprise is my favorite ship. I like it more than Voyager or Defiant so naturally it’s what I thought of first. But alas, Christianity is not like the Enterprise. Everyone on Enterprise, with one or two exceptions, went to Star Fleet Academy and has since possessed a successful career. They are the best of the best and strived to get on that particular ship. No, Christianity is not Enterprise.

Then, I thought, Christianity is like Bajor. Fiercely religious, the Bajorans believe unfailingly in their prophets and the sacred texts. Their actions are guided by faith alone. They are fighting an invading species, first the Cardassians then the Dominion, who want to squash the faith and spirit of the Bajorans. Politics, unfortunately, gets mixed in with religious affairs and muddles things up. Some are corrupt high up and seek personal power. Some appear to follow but their hearts are not in it. Some are faithful, humble followers who seek the truth of the prophets. Actually, aside from the fact that there are multiple beings instead of one true God and the beings are proven to be nothing more than aliens not actual gods, I couldn’t find anything in that train of thought that doesn’t line up. Help me out, if you see something I missed. However, I do not particularly like comparing Christianity with the Bajorans. I don’t have a real reason, I just like my third option best. 

My favorite analogy that I played around with in my mind was Voyager. With the ship being the church building and the crew being the church herself. See, the crew of Voyager come from all walks of life. Some, like B’Elana, went to Star Fleet Academy and dropped out but are now back serving on a Federation ship, akin to Christians who grew up in the church, strayed, and came back. Some, like Tuvak, went to Star Fleet Academy, graduated and have successful careers, akin to those who accepted Christ at an early age and grew steadily throughout life. Some, like Neelix, had never heard of the Federation at all but jumped aboard as soon as possible and served wholeheartedly, akin to those who grew up with no inkling of salvation but accepted as soon as they heard the good news. One person, Seven of Nine, grew up as Borg and fought freedom at first but finally came to embrace her new individuality, akin to those who grew up believing in false gods under false religions and were eventually won over by pure love and a bit of logic. The crew of Voyager is on a journey home, ever hoping for a brighter tomorrow. They face insurmountable odds and come out on top because they work together. They disagree, they are imperfect. They are talented, they are unique. Each crew member is a working piece of the well oiled machine that is Voyager. The ship would be incomplete with any one person missing. The only flaw I can find in the Voyager analogy is that they did not all choose to be there. The Maquis were forced onto the starship under extenuating circumstances. The flaw being that love is nothing if there is not a choice. Nobody can be forced into Christianity. Although many have tried this tactic, they have failed. God desires more than simple obedience, even a dog can obey. Christianity is in it’s very nature, a choice. God does not want drones who must follow or else. He wants His followers to opt into the family. He longs for us to say “I want to be Yours!”

In conclusion, Christianity is not Borg. Christianity is Voyager… sort of. 

All Week

We did really, really well this week! Every single night was good food. Not completely raw but still good :)
Monday
Spicy Carrot Salad, Red Potatoes
shredded carrots
fresh minced garlic
rosemary, salt, pepper, cayenne
water
lemon juice
olive oil
sweet apple, sliced and cored, not peeled


Microwave the carrots and garlic until crisp-tender. Drain. Mix in the apple slices. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Add rosemary, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Put in the fridge about 10 minutes and serve. It's not as spicy as it's supposed to be because I didn't put some ingredients that the original recipe called for. I don't remember what they are now! Oh well, I don't like it too spicy anyway.  

Tuesday 

Dinner Salad, Chicken Pot Pie

Pillsbury pie crust
butter
carrots, diced
green beans
peas
white onion, diced
red onion, diced
cream of mushroom
cream of chicken
3 chicken breasts
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grill the chicken breasts in olive oil until cooked almost all the way through so it's still juicy and not dry when it comes out of the oven. Shred or cube the chicken. Mix the chicken in with the veggies, cream of mushroom, and cream of chicken.(I usually use fresh veggies, but being in a rush, I used a can this time). Rub butter in your pie pan so the crust doesn't stick to it. Put in your pie crust. Pour in your mix. Cover with the top of the pie crust and crimp the edges together. Using a knife, cut an X all the way through the top and poke holes in each quarter. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool a while and then serve! It's one of Jason's favorites because it tastes unhealthy but is actually good. It tastes like we're cheating!

Wednesday
Black Beans, Greek Cucumber Salad

Black beans, soaked over night
Corn kernels
Red bell pepper,  diced
Carrots, diced
Red onion, diced
White onion, diced
Garlic, minced
Salt, pepper
Water
 This is pretty easy it just takes planning. Put it all together in a crock pot on low for about 24 hours. You have to soak the black beans two days before you want to eat this then put it in the crock pot the day before you want to eat this. Other than the planning, it's super easy.

Thursday 

Thin Crust Veggie Pizza, Greek Cucumber Salad

1/2 cucumber, sliced
Baby spinach
Feta
Red onion, sliced
Cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2
Green olives, cut in 1/2
Salt, pepper
Lemon juice
Olive Oil

Mix it together and enjoy. It's pretty easy and absolutely delicious. It's takes a little prep work but not very much.

(I don't have a picture of the pizza, sadly)
Pillsbury thin crust
Red onion, sliced
Fresh rosemary
Fresh arugula
Olive oil
Balsamic vinaigrette
Feta
Salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cook the onion in olive oil until soft. Add vinaigrette. Cook until caramelized. Spread out crust on a baking sheet. Crush the feta over the crust until it is mostly covered. You can have a crust if you like but I spread the cheese all the way to the edge. Add caramelized onions and bake for 5-7 minutes. Take out and sprinkle some olive oil across the pizza. Add the rosemary and arugula on top. Bake another 5-7 minutes. Take it out and cool a little bit until you can slice it up and enjoy. You don't want to cut it right away because the cheese will slide a bit and make the toppings askew.

 Friday
Asparagus Artichoke Salad

15 oz marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
Fresh asparagus
Salt, pepper
Red onion, diced
Cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Lemon juice
Olive oil

 Preheat oven to 450 F. Soak the onion in lemon juice for about 5 minutes. Lay out asparagus on a baking sheet. Cover in olive oil and salt well. Bake 10-15 minutes or until soft. Mix everything else together while you wait. When the asparagus is finished, take it out of the oven and let it cool until you can touch it. Cut it into bit sized pieces and mix it in with the rest. It's pretty much amazing. This is my favorite thing I've eaten all week long. It was super filling, super delicious, super easy, and all around good. This just might become a staple in my diet.

Today was nothing but left overs. Tomorrow probably won't be too good because of the Super Bowl but oh well. I think after such a fantastic week, and Jason's birthday being tomorrow, we can let Sunday slip by without guilt :)


'Til next time!!

A Little Behind

Sorry I'm a little late!! Friday night was good stuff... kinda. It wasn't super delicious but I had to use up the mustard greens.
2 cups fresh mustard greens
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped white onion
salt pepper
coconut oil
put it all in a pan and saute until tender ~20 minutes.

Saturday, lunch was DELICIOUS but oh so bad for you. Church's fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, biscuits, oh my oh my! It tasted so yummy!!! But we all (my parents visited this weekend) felt like taking a nap afterwards because it was heavy.

Saturday dinner was about the same as Friday dinner except with spinach and in a sammich.

Yesterday, Sunday, dinner, we ate leftovers and grilled cheese sammiches.



Today, I again tried some new stuff and this time it turned out pretty terrific! Red Potato Stir Fry again from last week because it was so tasty. And also a spicy carrot salad. I got it from a website that I visit often and changed some stuff.
Spicy-ish Carrot Salad
1 cup shredded carrots
2 minced fresh garlic
salt  & pepper
1 sweet apple, cored, not peeled
water
lemon juice
olive oil

Put the carrots and garlic in a microwave safe bowl and put your water in (just enough to cover the carrots). Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until the carrots are kinda soft (you still want them to be kinda crunchy too so not too long!). While you're waiting for the carrots, core your apple and cut it up thinly into 1/4 inch slices. Once the carrots are done, drain them and mix in with the apples. In a separate container, mix 1 part lemon juice and 1 part olive oil. Add salt and pepper. (I also added cayenne pepper and onion powder). Toss the carrots and apples in the lemon juice mix. Put in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to serve it cold.

That's all folks!! I hope you enjoy!

Destruction and Simple

Last night, was destruction of all things delicious. Okay, maybe not all things delicious, but it was destruction of the delicious things on my stove, at the very least!
I attempted to make veggie wraps. Here was the supposed to be recipe:

2 large mustard green leaves
2 cups of cooked and seasoned rice
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup of dice tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
some cheese

spread out the mustard greens. place the rice down first in a line in the center. then put your veggies on, then the salsa, then the cheese. roll it up like a burrito and enjoy.

sounds good, right? WRONG! the greens tasted more bitter than i anticipated, the rice was dry and awful because i have yet to find all the parts to the rice cooker so i made them the old fashioned way in a pot. the salsa was terrible and i ran out of tomato. so instead of trying to fix it, which would have been the better option, we went to an asian buffet. yes!! we went out to eat, stuffed ourselves with fried things and sweet things and a few green beans (to make me feel less guilty). then, to make it worse, we stopped by mcdonalds and got ICE CREAM!!! gah! i couldn't sleep a wink last night! i felt so heavy, and so slow, after only a week of eating right, one night of eating poorly affected me greatly. so tonight, to keep it simple, i made an old stand by: SAMMICHES!! it doesn't really need a recipe, so i'll just tell you the order i put things in :)

bread (top)
avocado
spinach (kale for jason)
white onion
cucumber
tomato
spinach (kale for jason)
avocado
bread (bottom)

it was basically delicious and it gave me energy rather than making me groan and wish i were laying down to sleep! well, i learned my lesson. even if i screw up dinner (which will happen again, i'm sure), try and try again because an asian buffet is never a good idea.

til next time!!

Deliciousness

Last night's dinner was just as excellent as Monday's and perhaps a little more healthy because it was more raw!

Pimento Spinach Salad

2 cups of fresh spinach
2 tablespoons of jarred pimentos
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

toss it all together until the olive oil covers all the spinach. the pimento is heavier than the olive oil so it might be better to put it on top after you've plated the salad. very simple, my favorite kind of recipe!

Red Potato Stir Fry

coconut oil
3 medium sized red potatoes (or 5 small ones, or 2 large ones)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped red and yellow bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped red and white onion
salt and pepper to taste

melt your oil in your sauce pan until it covers the bottom. add salt and pepper. quarter the red potatoes and stir fry them until you can easily stick a fork all the way through. they're already pretty soft before you cook them so it shouldn't take long. after you can stick your fork in the potato, add your bell pepper and onion. mix them around some just to get them sort of soft. you want them to still be their fresh color in order to keep the crunch and nutrition. plate it and enjoy!

again, the lunch and breakfast are nothing fancy so I won't bore you with those!

I'm back!!

After a long, long time of not blogging, I have returned to my faithful followers (which include myself and Jason) to share the wealth of health that I am discovering through mostly raw foods!! First up, lemme tell ya just how sophisticated my dinner was last night :)
Alaskan Salmon
1 lb fresh Alaskan Salmon
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
olive oil

just grill it! cover the bottom of your skillet with olive oil. put it flesh side down on low heat until it is about 1/2 way cooked through then flip it skin side down and wait until it's finished. move it every now and then to keep if from sticking. squirt a little lemon juice over the top and enjoy! (I didn't do the lemon part because I didn't have any. It was delicious anyway!

Creamy Spinach
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced or chopped mushrooms

melt your coconut oil in the skillet. add your salt and pepper and stir. add mushrooms and stir fry until cooked through. add spinach and stir fry together with the mushrooms until dark green. do not cook too long or it will be wilty. you still want some crunch in it. take it off heat and place on a plate. using a paper towel, soak up excess oil. add a tiny bit of parmesan cheese. and stir up.

Of course, to make it more sophisticated, we had a glass of pino grigio to go with it. unfortunately, we're not wine folks, so it kinda went to waste!! oh well. dr. pepper or tea is good enough for me :)


well, that's all for now!! the rest of my meals this time around have been usual: veggie sammiches and green smoothies :)

til next time!!