Let every heart, prepare Him room...

December 11th and a very happy birthday to my sweet little nephew who is turning TWO today!

I'm sure all of you are preparing for the holidays just like me and everyone else we know...

Checking the lights...

Finding the perfect gifts....

and eating way more food at every holiday party, cookie exchange, and potluck than should even be humanly acceptable.  

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season - I am just as guilty - with so much going on it's hard to even fit everything in! I've heard that from so many more people this year too - perhaps because Thanksgiving fell so late in November.  Everyone seems just that much more in a rush to finish their shopping and plan their parties and send out Christmas cards, and get the decorations up.

Maybe that's why I have found myself meditating more lately on the line from 'Joy to the World' that titles this post:

"Let every heart, prepare Him room..."

Prepare - we certainly spend the month of December preparing for this, that, and the other thing don't we? I could go on and on about how much I prepare for, well, everything in my life (we'll address my OCD planning issues later...) and the Christmas season is no different.

As I really reflect on that verse however, I find myself a little convicted.  I mean on one hand, I'm TOTALLY prepared - my shopping is done, gifts are ready to be wrapped and shipped, my cards are in the mail, my decorations have been up since the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I'm FULLY prepared for the holiday season aren't I?

On the other hand, have I really prepared my heart, prepared room in it for Him, for the newborn Savior? After all, that's what the Advent season is all about.  A somber time for reflection and preparation for the coming of the King.  Somber....yeah...I think we can all admit this time of year tends to be anything but somber.

So Christmas is just two weeks away, and tonight as I sat in my church's Wednesday night Advent service, I listened to our pastor talk about Zechariah and how he was dwelling in God and His Word even as his wife Elizabeth was pregnant and subsequently gave birth to a child that she was never supposed to be able to have.  Despite the momentous things around him, despite all the hustle and bustle, he found his quiet place and time to give glory to God and to really tune into what God's purpose was for him and for this new child who would soon be known as John the Baptist, and for all of the other things happening around him.

What a beautiful lesson for all of us as we countdown the next 14 days!  How can we prepare Him room?  How can we dwell in the true meaning of the blessings He has given and what He means for us to do with them to serve others? I hope to focus more on this idea in the next two weeks and I hope you will find a quiet place and time do so with me!

November Unraveled

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So about this whole October Unprocessed thing....it seemed like a good idea at the time.  And honestly, it went really well for a while and I learned a ton just from the shopping experiences alone.  You wouldn't believe some of the processed ingredients that go into the foods we eat everyday.  But, it was way more challenging than I expected, even living alone and only having one person to cook and shop for.  It was almost harder because the quick things still always seem more reasonable when you're on your own. Additionally since I'm always on the go I have to be that much more diligent about having healthy alternatives around so I'm not just grabbing the first snack I see.

Even though I definitely struggled through the month of October, and didn't follow every rule as it should be, there are several things that I've picked up on that I think will continue even though I was a little unraveled in November.

1. Whole Wheat Pasta - I used to hate this pasta, I thought it was grainy and had to cook way longer and just didn't taste the same.  There definitely is a different taste to it but I've found actually the best brand as far as comparability to regular pasta is Hy-Vee's whole wheat pastas! They are quite good.  I really enjoyed using whole wheat spaghetti in my favorite baked spaghetti recipe.  It made it seem that much more hearty and filling. 
2. Healthy snacking - while an occasional cookie or scotcheroo from the cafe at work may find it's way to my desk, I have gotten a lot better about healthy snacking, especially unprocessed things like carrots, apples, hummus, etc. 
3. Grocery shopping - As I said before, this was so eye-opening. I've found some new products that i love and will continue to seek out, and I've learned that when you're eating all of these fresh things, you really can't go two weeks without going to the grocery store.  You have to maintain a balanced pantry and be willing to stop by the store for what fresh ingredients you might need.  

All in all it was a good experience, even if I didn't follow it as closely as I had intended.  I hope my friends who tried it had a pleasant experience with it and have learned a thing or two they can put into daily practice. 

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Supermarket Sweep

Image via Google

I couldn't resist using that title.  Did anyone else watch that game show growing up? I remember taking it in when I was home sick from school (and probably supposed to be sleeping) and pretending to race around our hometown grocery store looking for specific items for my mom's cart.

That's kind of how it felt yesterday when I went to the grocery store for my first unprocessed grocery buying experience.  Not that I was in a hurry (and good thing, it took me forever!) but that I found myself carefully inspecting anything that came in a box or container to make sure it indeed qualified as unprocessed.

How can you be sure it's unprocessed?  Some things are easy - fruits, veggies - obviously unprocessed. So does that mean everything that is packaged is processed? Well Andrew over at Eating Rules, who created October Unprocessed, uses the kitchen test for these items.  If a reasonable person (like yourself) could reasonably create the product in their own home given they had the ingredients, then yes, it passes and is considered unprocessed.  A good rule of thumb is - if you can't pronounce it, it shouldn't be going in your body.

I started my trip at Trader Joe's to get a few things that I knew they had that Hy-Vee wouldn't have.  For instance, Trader Joe's homemade 100% Whole Wheat Tortillas.  Made fresh and from what I've heard, are delicious! I'm going to try to use them in my favorite Sour Cream White Chicken Enchilada recipe.  Speaking of which - sour cream.  Soooo processed - but delicious. Argh. BUT never fear because TJ's again doesn't let us down and has a Simply Sour Cream product that doesn't have any artificial flavors, ingredients, or stabilizers.  Just sour cream.  Of course, one could argue that sour cream HAS to be pasteurized so therefore is processed, but we're not aiming for perfection here friends, the name of the game is awareness. Side note: I did pick up one "cheat item" at Trader Joe's - Cookie Butter.  Yum.  But definitely processed. It is however somewhat more natural than most store bought peanut butters by looking at the ingredients (potential bias). What can I say, we all have our vices - at least it's not ice cream (more on that later)?! I picked up a few other things at TJ's including some yummy pumpkin spice coffee without artificial flavors and got out of there only spending around $24.00.

My next stop was Hy-Vee.  I love Hy-Vee  I do, I really really do.  Add to that the Fuel Saver card and life is good.  But I digress. At Hy-Vee I purchased all of my produce which proved to be the fastest and easiest part of the errand.  Lots of fruit for breakfast and snacks and veggies which I made into the Southwestern Chopped Salad that I mentioned in an earlier post (review to come - it's for lunch today!). Once that was done my focus was on snacks, and trying to take two of my favorite recipes and turn them into unprocessed recipes.  I did a lot of reading, and most of the time I was pleasantly surprised by how natural some things are.  I struggled though when it came to finding the green chiles for my Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. Who knew one little tiny can could be so complicated!  But pretty much every can contained a little thing called calcium chloride (here used as a preservative - also used to melt ice on roadways...not kidding). So after examining EVERY can of green chiles that Hy-Vee had to offer I finally just picked one that didn't have any other weird preservatives in it and chalked it up to it being a very teeny sacrifice.  It also contains citric acid, but as others on this challenge have pointed out to me, you CAN actually by that powdered for canning and whatnot so technically it passes the kitchen test.  Fair enough.

In the end I spent about $75 at Hy-Vee and walked away with at least a couple weeks of meals and snacks for a grand total of $100.  Not bad. I did learn however that it is hard to buy in advance since you are using so many fresh ingredients! Hence why the chopped salad was prepared immediately!

So there you have it, my first unprocessed grocery experience. I know some of you may be asking - but how is it going otherwise? I have to say - not too shabby!  I've managed to stay on track, even with going out for lunch with a coworker once and having to carefully pick what I would order.  I'm ecstatic to have pumpkin spice coffee that is unprocessed (I've been substituting my favorite Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey Tea for the last two days). And I've been feeling really good! I don't have the sugar highs and lows that I had before when I would snack on candy or grab a cookie after lunch, which is awesome. The only tough times have been walking through the lobby at work and smelling the cookies baking at the cafe and hearing my friends talk about eating ice cream.  Oh how I miss ice cream.  I do want to do some investigating and see if there are any unprocessed type ice creams out there.  But at least for October I'm going to leave well enough alone and try and kick that habit. Not that I am going to try and never eat ice cream again - because we all know that without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos. And we just can't have that.

Image via Pinterest/Etsy

Happies of the Week (because I forgot these the other day): 

FaceTime with my new nephew (with some help from his mom & dad)

Honeycrisp apples (with or without cookie butter)

More energy = more productivity at work and home

October Unprocessed

Well hello! And happy Fall to all of you!

There have been so many things going on lately that I find it hard to believe that tomorrow is October! How did that happen?  The collegiate chapter of my sorority that I advise is back in full swing at UNL, work continues to be busy and provide new challenges each and every day, I have a new nephew (YAY!), I'm still running a lot......um.....er.....well......

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Okay so I haven't been running all that much.  I ran the Lincoln Half for the second time this year and the same thing happened that I went through last year.  Train, train, train, half marathon and then.....nothing.  I lose a lot of motivation in the summer and our lovely Nebraska heat and humidity doesn't help matters.  This was brought to my attention a couple weeks ago when I attempted to run a 10K and it just went poorly.  I still had fun - don't get me wrong - and a week later I ran a 5K where I set a PR for that race, but I found myself left with some disappointment that I hadn't stayed in shape and in good running condition.  

So after hearing a friend talk about a new food challenge she was going to take on, I became curious and read through the material she had posted on her Facebook page.  The challenge?  Eat nothing but unprocessed foods for the month of October.  The October Unprocessed 2013 Challenge asks you to look at your food differently.  Not necessarily cut out specific things or eat fewer calories or whatnot, it's not that type of diet, but instead to make better choices about the food you are putting in your body and getting rid of the chemicals and additives that are so prevalent in our processed foods.  It's a return to eating natural, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and protein.  

What is great about this challenge is that it allows you to make it work for you and your family (or you know, just you and whatever friends will eat your unprocessed cooking).  If there is something you need to make an exception for - that's okay - but they stress that it's important to make these exceptions at the start - and not in the middle just because you REALLY want to eat something.  For example, they mentioned a woman who was training for a marathon and allowed herself to have sports drinks and gels (pretty well processed no matter what brand you try) because it was necessary for her training. For me, I will make an exception when I have to eat dinner at the house on Monday nights.  Not because they use a lot of processed ingredients, but because I know I don't have a lot of control over which parts of that are processed and which aren't.  And I will make an exception for Starbucks if for no other reason than I have to maintain my Gold status (in my defense, coffee is unprocessed - lattes and Caramel Apple Spice - not so much). 

I've started to look for recipes but I've found that there aren't a lot of "unprocessed" recipes out there and for good reason.  You can find a way to convert almost any recipe to use unprocessed ingredients so I'm eager to try some of my favorites in a healthier way!  One recipe I'm really excited to make for my lunches this month is this Southwest Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing. 

Along the way I hope to keep you posted on recipes, struggles, and triumphs. I know it won't be perfect, but my goal is to at the very least eliminate the blatantly processed foods like boxed or frozen dinners, sweets, and other overly preserved foods. And if you're feeling adventurous - I invite you to join me in this challenge!  

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Oh what a beautiful morning

This is going to be a quick post but I just had to share what a beautiful morning it is in Lincoln today. I started my day with a run around Holmes Lake, a couple errands, and enjoying my favorite coffee drink on the deck. I highly recommend the Iced Vanilla Toddy from The Mill in College View or the Haymarket. It's like an iced latte except the espresso is cold brewed so it's not bitter. Great way to start this beautiful Saturday! Pool time later with the girls so I'm sure I'll be sharing my favorite summer pool drink recipe in the near future!

How does your garden grow?

I finally got over to Campbell's Nursery and Garden Center here in Lincoln to pick up flowers and plants to arrange in my one little pot that I've had for the last two years.  I don't have much of a green thumb naturally but I seem to be able to handle a few flowers in a pot as long as I remember to water them.  Two years ago at my old apartment I took a shortcut and bought a pot that had been put together at the nursery.  I opted for a partial shade variety which turned out to be the wrong choice.  Where the pot was placed on my front stoop encountered too much sun and those plants did not fair well that summer.  The next year I was smarter and bought drought tolerant, full sun plants and flowers to fill the container.  Unfortunately with our extreme drought conditions and my aforementioned, underdeveloped green thumb, those plants quickly succumbed to the scorching heat.

Now that I've moved to a new place, my planter is out on my small, covered balcony which is mostly full shade throughout the day but with some peeks of sunlight.  So this year I wanted to attempt to replicate that original partial shade variety pot that I had originally purchased.  Luckily I had taken photographs and kept tags so I knew for the most part what I needed to buy.  Here's what I found at Campbell's to build my lovely container garden.

Begonias are great shade flowers and I think they are just plain cute so I chose three different varieties for my planter this year.  The top two will be a little taller and fuller whereas the white variety are a bit smaller. 

This Lobelia will spread out and hang over the top of the planter and fill in the gaps nicely.  I had hoped to purchase the bright blue variety but sadly they were sold out already.  The purple will be a nice change though.  

Finally, the centerpiece of this project, the Alocasia that I was so happy to have found!  This plant grew so nicely that first year and the wide, vibrant leaves gave the planter a nice tropical feel.  

The final product! I'm quite happy with it and hope that it will flourish on my little balcony.  

So there you have it!  My little flora and fauna oasis in one little flower pot!  As a side note, all of these photos were edited with PicMonkey - a FREE photo editing site with lots of options as well as the little banners, text and other scrapbook-like additions.  

Happies of the Day:

Begonias...just the word makes me happy. 

A weekend full of relaxing.

Dirty gardening gloves.

Sincerely, Dorothy

Once in a while, a person comes into your life through certain circumstances that you didn't plan for and that you didn't expect but in the end, perhaps that is the greatest gift.  Nearly two years ago I was lucky enough to meet someone like this through a mutual friend and I am so thankful that I did.  Although we don't know each other as well as we could or as much as I know others (despite deep conversations over delectable spaghetti squash), I can tell you that Melissa is one remarkable individual.  Over the last two years she has (probably without knowing it) inspired me to be more creative, to embrace what is right in front of me, and without a doubt to have a fonder appreciation for all things musical (especially Jamie Cullum).  Not to mention this woman has a heart for the Lord and finds ways to serve him that you and I would likely never consider.

So, when she teamed up with her sister Crystal to create music and perform under the name Dear Herman, I was so excited for her!  In the time I've known her, Melissa has always had a song in her heart and a lyric on the tip of her tongue so when I heard about this project I was not surprised.  However, when I watched the video I'm about to share with you, and listened to Crystal describe this new endeavor and heard both of them perform just a small piece of it, I was moved even further.  So much so that I knew I had to support this project not only in my hope and prayer for its success but also financially, even if my contribution was small.

I don't want to dive too much into the project itself here because Crystal describes it so much more passionately and vividly in the video.  But I will tell you this.  Sincerely, Dorothy is a project unlike anything I have ever heard of and far from what many might dream up, but it is a story that truly must be told. I hope you will at least watch the three minute video to catch a glimpse of what could be and if you are as moved as I was, I hope you will consider contributing to the production of this project through Kickstarter, an online community for backing creative projects.  Dear Herman has just 6 days left to reach a $6,000 goal otherwise all funding already pledged by backers is returned.

Melissa and Crystal both reside in Lincoln, so if you have always wanted to support local artists, here's your chance! I realize that not everyone will be able to become a backer, but at the very least if you believe in the story they want to tell, please share this video and the link to their Kickstarter page with others!

You can find the video and Kickstarter page here. (Did you click on it yet? Because you should!)