08

May

Resources for Eating

Do you ever wonder about certain foods, like which one is better over another?


I try to eat how I like to shop–how can I get the most bang for my buck?

=value, satisfaction=


This definitely applies to beautiful shoes, summer dresses, and food. Always food. How can I get the most nutrients, feel the most full, and enjoy the most tastiness? (sorry, terrible grammar) The following are some guidelines that have helped me attempt to understand this crazy stuff we call food. If you have any other resources, I Would LOVE to have them! So please sent them to me, & I’ll add to the list.

Free Resources for (Food) Life:

  • USDA’s Food Commodity Fact Sheets: one-page sheets on all sorts of food, in alpha order. Very helpful when you’re about to go grocery shopping (ex: eating only 1 cup of kale has the same nutrients as one pound of carrots, etc.)
  • Lists of Superfoods (essentially Whole foods) from Food Matters, Dr. Perricone (Oprah), SuperFoodsRX, & WHFoods (my personal favorite).
  • Nutrition Facts: Self Magazine is my main source because you can plug in your recipes and custom foods to find out the nutrition value.
  • Whole Food Meal Plans: Google this. Livestrong has a great resource to get you started, and lots of companies would like to charge you to create custom weekly meal plans for you (which is great), but I’d just dig around on the Internetsss and find what you like, then cook it! (i.e., FOOD BLOGS 🙂 )
  • Mostly, don’t sweat trying to eat 8 cups of greens a day. Eat what you can, eat what is tasty and gives you powerful energy (not that sluggish feeling after eating 8 donuts), and take pride in your body and your health. It’s a lifelong journey to great health, so take it one meal or snack at a time. THIS SHOULD BE FUN. We can all remember that.
  • (I don’t get compensated for mentioning any of these sites…there are many others that are great, but I have just shown you the ones that I use most regularly and have found tend to be really helpful.)

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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02

Apr

What inspires you? Part 1

What inspires you? One of the best parts of being a minister social worker living, breathing person is that people share their lives with you.

When you’re open to it, they pour out their hearts, their souls and even their dirty laundry for a listening ear, a non-judgmental person, and even a friend.

What. an. honor.

Blogging has easily translated that honor for me. While I spend time cooking and messing up the kitchen, and then taking pics and posting them on here, I also get to spend a lot of time learning, reading, and experiencing with some really great writers and photographers in the world of blogs. It’s a give and take relationship, where I get a whole lot more than I give.

While this blog sometimes becomes a de-stresser or a place for me to share my life experiences and love for a really good chocolate cupcake, it also is a place where I want to give to you. There is love and there is happiness when we get to know each other better.

A plethora of stories in an old wooden box

So, in saying that, I’m sharing five of my favorite blogs. Not four, not eighty-four. Five was a hard number to narrow down, and this top 5 might change. But these are five individuals who have taught me so much and, in turn, let me reap the benefits of their giving. Thank you dearly.

Delicious days – beautiful, simple, professional writing and photos

Oh She Glows – showing me vegan eating really can be tasty, easy and so healthy

Bon Appetit – what can I say? this mag/blog/site makes popsicles and potato chips classy and interesting for this Texas bumpkin

Joy the Baker – if I rise to 500 pounds, I’m blaming Joy’s creativity and love for butter

Cafe Fernando – so he doesn’t blog a lot, but when he does, some of the top mags and food critics perk up; and he’s in Turkey, so U.S. conversions get interesting in his world

What are some of your favorite blogs? Are there clothing blogs that inspire your cooking, or food blogs that inspire your design eye at home? Would love to hear about them!

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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25

Aug

Beginnings and Endings

Monday was my last first day of school. I’ve been in school a total of 21 years, including Kindergarten and this year. Wow, 21 years.

If anyone had come up to me as an insecure 7th grader–braces, crazy afro hair, zits, awkward written all over me–and said:

  • Laurel, you are one day going to have the focus of an arrow hitting the target
  • You will be so certain in God’s voice calling you to Christian ministry that it will become you’re life’s mission
  • You are going to meet all kinds of people–rich, poor, educated in school, learned from the streets, homed, homeless, black, white, brown, yellow, happy, angry, joyful, bitter, ignorant, open, small town, big city–and they will each teach you something very important
  • You are going to be given responsibility to meet real needs, and some of these needs are life or death
  • You are going to go to grad school for four years

…I would be shocked.

But that is what it has come down to, lots of opportunities, lots of learning moments, and even a few “Come to Jesus” meetings. And now I am in my last year of equipping from a formal education perspective, and I have so many emotions. I am the same person, but I have certainly been changed. I am excited about life, seeing Mountains Beyond Mountains. There is hope in hurt, and we experience that each day as ministerial and social work students. I have formed lasting bonds with professors, homeless people, supervisors (so many supervisors…), fellow classmates, coworkers, and friends. Each day is a new challenge and brings a new growing pain in muscles in my heart and mind that I didn’t even know I had.

The closer I am to these degrees–pieces of paper–the less I want to talk about it.

It’s incredible how people treat you differently when they find out you’re in grad school. It’s sickening, really. I’m just me, and I sometimes have a messy car and sometimes show up late to something important, just like many of you. I am particular about my baked goods and get cravings for vegetables and will do anything to bring about justice and show some mercy, too. But God called me to graduate school. Even though I have fought Him for some of this time, have been in mourning some of this time, and have thrown my hands up in the air in confusion (“Why here, God? Why now?), I have learned some tough lessons and met some even tougher situations that have given me the strength and drive to press on.

As I close this non-food related blog (Sorry, my lunch is consisting of mini blueberry muffins, corn & black beans, and carrot salad…weird, I know.), I’ll leave you with something beautiful. This song helped me through my senior year of college (mostly the chorus) and continues to be a source of centering and encouragement today as I go honestly, humbly, to God.

Humble Me
(Norah Jones)

Went out on a limb
Gone too far
Broken down at the side of the road
Stranded at the outskirts and sun’s creepin’ up
Baby’s in the backseat
Still fast asleep
Dreamin’ of better days
I don’t want to call you but you’re all i have to turn to

What do you say
When it’s all gone away?
Baby i didn’t mean to hurt you
Truth spoke in whispers will tear you apart
No matter how hard you resist it
It never rains when you want it to

You humble me Lord
Humble me Lord
I’m on my knees empty
You humble me Lord
You humble me Lord
Please, please, please forgive me

Baby Teresa got your eyes
I see you all the time
When she asks about her daddy
I never know what to say

Heard you kicked the bottle
And helped to build the church
You carry an honest wage
Is it true you have someone keeping you company?

What do you say
When its all gone away?
Baby i didn’t meant to hurt you
Truth spoke in whispers will tear you apart
No matter how hard you resist it
It never rains when you want it to

You humble me Lord
Humble me Lord
I’m on me knees empty
You humble me Lord
You humble me Lord
Please, please, please forgive me

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL 4 Comments

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