Pretty as a picture- You are what you eat

Lately I've been trying to think of ways to add more veggies into my diet. Eating fresh fruits is easy for me, but veggies have been a mental roadblock. Sure I'll throw spinach on my sandwich or whatever, but I needed to be intentional about including them as often as possible.

I've been going out to the farmer's market on Saturdays to get more inspiration. This weekend I got a seriously beautiful haul!



I noticed last week when I bought even a few items that having beautiful food makes me want to cook meals worthy of them. So yesterday I started grilling some of my goodies. I was struck by how beautiful it was! So I took a picture.



Then I thought, "At least once a day, I should have a beautiful meal that is worth photographing."

I don't actually want to be a food blogger or anything like that (the world has more than enough), but I really like the premise, even if it's just for my eyes. Is that candy bar beautiful? A handful of broken chips? A boring can of coke?

But how about bright and lovely fruits and veggies? Yes! Even if it's just a photo in my mind's eye.

Surround yourself with beauty- heck- even eat it up!

Sweet temptation

Any group of people has a certain set of dynamics and personality. Our singles group at church is no different. One of the "tensions" we have is that there are certain people who like to eat very healthily, some to an extreme, and there are others who don't like to be reminded that they aren't eating very healthily. :)

This afternoon we helped with the senior ministry's luncheon, which was catered by a culinary angel. Seriously, some of the best food I've eaten in a long time. This included an absolutely luscious chocolate cake. I'm not generally a chocolate cake fan, but this cake was seriously perfect. And she made three of them. Oh, sweet temptation. Watching her pour the chocolate sauce on the top was one of the most seductive things I've ever seen.

So fast forward the time for us to clean up. Several of us found ourselves just kind of loitering around the remaining cake... and it just so happened to be those of us who try and abide by healthy eating. The next thing you know... well, just take a look:


Untitled from Ann W on Vimeo.
Sometimes you've just gotta realize life's too short to not eat chocolate cake. :)

Sojo's Recommendations

I have a few jumbledy blogs that I was trying to figure out how to consolidate, which led me to the idea of doing a recommendation post. Yes, kind of vain, but hey, it's my blog. :)

Here are a few things that have come into my life lately and I just wanted to pass them along to you all.

MUSIC:
*Bebo Norman, "Between the Dreaming and the Coming True" . I have finally gotten into Bebo Norman after years of hearing how good he is, and since I've started listening to this album I pretty much can't stop. It's quite addictive and wonderful. I highly recommend it for quality Christian music.

EDIFICATION:
*While our preacher is off adopting two Rwandan children, we've had a substitute who has won over our entire church. Yes, Mark will still have a job when he comes back, but Bruce McIntyre has done an amazing job teaching on the subject of Resiliency. I highly recommend it for rejuvenation to face the world.

FOOD:
I've been drinking smoothies every morning for a while now. I hate to brag, but I think they're pretty dang good. Here is my base recipe and my two favorite flavor variants.

Base--
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 sugar free vanilla pudding cup or 1 one cup of natural apple sauce
1 packet splenda

Sunshiny morning flavor--
1 cup mandarin orange slices (I think without the juice is better)
quarter cup of pineapple chunks
quarter cup of peaches
quarter cup of strawberries

Very Berry flavor--
half cup of blueberries
half cup of strawberries

I use all frozen fruit. Go as the spirit moves you.

HYDRATION:
After I walk every morning I like to have my icy water bottle ready to refuel me. Maybe everyone else knows this trick, but I thought it was original and clever. :) I fill my bottle a little less than halfway full the night before, then lay it sideways in the door of my freezer. That way, the next morning when I want it, I unscrew the bottle and can fill the remaining space with water that is instantly cool and icy. Please see note from Karen in the comments!

If anyone else has a new favorite thing, feel free to share it in the comments.

Arrived and Thanksgiving Thursday

I am thankful for--

• sweet goodbyes and the wise words of Gandalf-- "I will not say 'Do not weep,' for not all tears are an evil."
• people watching opportunities in the airport-- I saw a Buddhist monk, an orthodox rabbi, an Amish family all in the Sao Paulo airport, and I saw Santa Claus in Washington DC.
• Taco Bell, Dr. Pepper, American sized drinks with ice and free refills, and Three Musketeers
• getting to see my family again
• being able to shop for clothes I understand
• memories and pictures
• the kind emails and notes and calls I've gotten from people thinking of me during the past week
• instant messaging programs
  
• courage to stand up for what I believe in
  
• hope for the future

Oh love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give Thee back the life I owe that in Thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.
--George Matheson

Asian Invasion

You won´t even believe what I did today. Honestly, I still can´t believe it myself. Here´s a hint:



Yes, people, I ate Japanese food.

Okay, here´s a moment of brutal honesty, because it´s my blog and I should be honest. I don´t like Japanese food. The Japanese food I like is mostly actually Chinese (yakisoba, gyosa). I do like tempura, and I think that´s actually Japanese. But generally, no I don´t like Japanese food. I don´t like seaweed, I don´t like fishy fish, I don´t like soy sauce, I don´t like misso. And let´s not even talk about natto. Just being honest, people. :)

But today after church I was invited to go to a pretty authentic Japanese restaurant in the next city called "Yoshi´s Japanese Restaurant." That´s really what it was called. Japanese restaurant in Brazil with an English name. Go fig. Anyhoo, I have a short antedote and I´ll post some pictures.

First, we were eating a buffet style meal where they bring things by your table for you to eat (rodizio). The first big plate that was brought were these sushi rolls like I´d never seen before. They were about the size and shape of a conical ice cream cone (made of seaweed of course), filled with rice and then with a lot of this red stuff on top. Now, I could have SWORN that the waitress said it was tomato. Yes, that´s weird, but it´s Brazilian sushi after all. So I take one and take a big bite. Then a few minutes later as I´m looking at the remainder of this HUMONGOUS sushi roll, I realize it is not tomato, but in fact raw salmon. As if that´s not bad enough, about halfway through our meal my friend leans over to me and says, "You´re going to finish that, right? You know you have to pay extra for what you don´t eat." I wish I could have seen my face at that moment, because I had a pile of raw salmon on my place about the size of a very generous scoop of ice cream. I tried, I tried valiantly, but I couldn´t do it. Some things are worth paying extra for. Mental peace is one. But really, I´m still not convinced that my friend wasn´t kidding. He swears he wasn´t, but it would have been a pretty funny joke, huh? :)

Here are some pictures!



Uma barca de sushi! A boat of sushi!



Phyllis and Ako, our wonderful hostess. Yes, her family is Japanese. :)



Ivan (happy with sushi) and Ann (happy without sushi)


Jorge and Antenor

Really, the food was actually really good and the company was wonderful. It brought back lots of memories! :) Itadakimasu! Gotsosamadeshita!