Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Oh what a day!

Oh what a day! Yesterday God reminded me, through a friend, that JOY is my STRENGTH. Put another way: My STRENGTH comes from being JOYFUL, despite trails and tribulations.

This morning some of my very close friends (who also happen to be my DD's Godfather) handed over their 6-week old daughter to a local hospital to perform surgery and repair a hole in her heart. I prayed all morning without ceasing, in between tears, yet focusing on being joyful.

God granted me a wonderful gift of empathy, but I'm not quite sure how to fully use this gift yet. My empathy allows me to actually feel the emotions of what others are feeling or the emotions of how I would feel, if that was me, and that was my daughter today.

At any rate, it was a wonderful moment to pray all morning long with my DD. When I dropped her off at school I reminded her, "If Madeline comes to your mind today, you stop and say a prayer for her, ok?" At pickup time, she assured me that she had been praying all morning. (Did I mention my daughter is 3?!) At nap time, I witnessed her bow her head and say, "Jesus, thank you for making Madeline not sick anymore." It's a proud moment when you see your children on fire for the Lord. And praise the Lord, dear sweet Madeline came through the surgery perfectly!

Now onto my yummy food for the day...
Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal
1/3 cup oats
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp non-dairy chocolate chips
sea salt, dash
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
coconut butter, drizzle

Make oatmeal w/hot water. Add in peanut butter, chocolate chips and salt while oatmeal is piping hot and stir until well mixed. Top with maple syrup and melted coconut butter.

I think these taste just like Reece's Peanut Butter Cups! Yum!

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I'm running low on groceries, but I'm also running low on money, as it's the end of the month, so I'm making do with what I've got. Here's what I came up with for lunch...
Fajita Salad served w/Almond Milk and a Peach
Fajita Salad
Adapted from AllRecipes.com, Serves approx 4

2 tbsp olive oil, or other non-hydrogenated oil of choice
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup butternut squash, sliced into strips
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
salsa, for topping
goat cheese, for topping
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, optional
Rice Chips, optional


Prep veggies first.
In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil over meadium-high heat. Add onions, peppers & mushrooms. 

Cook until desired consistency (I like mine almost burned-like). 

About a minute or two before the veggies are done cooking, add the garlic, squash, cumin & salt. Finish cooking. 

Spoon vegetable mixture onto a plate. Sprinkle with salsa, goat cheese and cilantro. Serve with rice chips.

*You can use whatever veggies you wish in this recipe. And adjust salt to your liking. I LOVED the squash in this! Next time I think I'd try leaving out the cumin and the goat cheese, though.

Bon Appetit!