Good Bites {1}

I recently got into PINTEREST......{anyone who knows what this is knows the next comment} ENOUGH SAID! Yep it is highly addictive. Anywaaaaaaaaay.... I saw this recipe yesterday and had to try it. I wanted to make it last night, went to the store for the fresh produce, but knew I was running last night and decided to wait for today where I had a bit more time to spend in the kitchen. Well, it is so good I had to share it with you! From what I can gather it comes from a cookbook {Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen}. It is very easy to make and because the presentation is so beautiful it would be a great company appetizer or side dish.

I made it true to the recipe but I did change a couple of small things. I guess then I really didn't..but the adjustments are very small :)

1} I did not use Ranch Dressing as the finishing sauce (YUK) I made a basil sauce (recipe below) instead and it was great, after all there is basil in the corn cakes.

2} I added a small amount of chopped roasted jalapeno peppers in the relish. Probably 1

pepper. Mark likes heat!

3} I seeded the tomato

I served it with grilled chicken BUT it could be a total veggie meal (Mel, here is one for meatless Monday)

Corn Cakes with Tomato Avocado Relish (makes 12)

Ingredients: For the corn cakes: 3 large ears of corn, shucked 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup cornmeal ¼ cup red onion, finely diced ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 tbsp. buttermilk 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Ranch dressing, for serving (optional)

For the relish: 1 large tomato, cored and chopped 1 scallion, minced 1 tbsp. minced fresh basil 1 clove garlic, minced Juice of half a lime 1½ tsp. olive oil 1½ tsp. white wine vinegar Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced Directions: Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels in the food processor and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels. Add the flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to combine. To make the salsa, combine all of the ingredients except the avocado in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Just before serving, mix in the avocado. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan and heat until sizzling hot. Scoop the batter into the skillet a heaping tablespoon at a time, cooking the cakes in batches of 4 or 5 so that they are not touching. Fry 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately topped with the relish and drizzled with ranch dressing, if desired. My Basil Sauce I cup of fresh basil 1 cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt S&P Pulse the basil in the food processor to chop, add yogurt and S & P, pulse together. Chill till serving time.

Gandhi said

"Poverty is the worst form of Violence"

Don’t ask: “Why does God allow this to happen?”

Pray: “God… give me the wisdom and strength to do what I must to stop this from happening?”

This image chills me to my soul. Life has shown me that this is real, it not a dramatization or an exaggeration. It has also shown me that children die from poverty and they die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and conscience of the world.

They die as mothers watch and are helpless to help. They die because they were born poor in countries of no resource.

Should this life position mean this harsh reality? I would say no.

One thing I know is that God did not make a mistake and create too many people and not enough stuff. The problem is there are far too many of us taking and keeping more than we should, using and wasting more natural resources at the expense of others. The reality is we are responsible and need to remember what we all learned in the sandbox "You have to share"

The box is open

Let's face it Jillian scares me, don't let that smile on the DVD box fool you...she is a tough cookie. I bought this video a long while ago and I had yet to open the box, cause I was scerrrd..but fear lost when my fear of not burning calories was bigger and WON the head battle. A calf injury forced my hand. Sooooooo I opened the box and finally started what I knew I needed to do..some strength training. I started this video this week, have done it twice and it kicks MY BUTT. I mean really..tonight while struggling in a plank position I had sweat dripping from my nose.

It will be a work in progress, I am a little short of the entire video..BUT I surprised myself with how much I could do. I can for sure get stronger through all the circuits but hey I'm doing mountain climbers for heavens sake, and these crazy plank/hold.. oblique twist thingys, I KNOW last summer that wasn't happening!

Here is what I am looking forward to with this added dimension to my fitness program;

muscle and core strength that I believe will make me a stronger runner

loss of more inches in more places

flexibility

continued weight loss

So here we go....

There are milestones and I noticed one recently in my mindset about health and well being.

There was a time, most of my life actually, if there was an excuse to {not} exercise I would take it...didn't take much to give me a reason not to exercise.

Recently a couple of experiences told me my mind set had changed.

1) rain ...I headed out to run in a drizzle. It certainly would be safe to say that a light drizzle would have kept me in doors and totally justified not to exercise. But as I was running the rain began coming harder and harder. I had water running of the end of my noise but I was determined to finish a certain amount of time in spite of the rain. I did draw the line at thunder and lightening with fear of actually dying out there!

2) Time....It certainly would be safe to say that a schedule conflict would have kept me from exercise. But recently I found myself making the decision to head out for a run when I only had 1 1/2 hours between getting home and a dinner engagement. I ran, showered and had a perfectly lovely dinner.

I like that I am increasingly less likely to want to make excuses to exercise. Not because my will power has gotten stronger but because there has been a shift in my mind. I have said before that I am aware that this is all a head game for me. So it stands to reason that if my{head} is in a different place then there will be change in my actions and reactions. I have grown accustomed to how good I feel when I am moving and how moving removes the power food has over me. I actually think about food and exercise less than ever before BUT am managing my weight and fitness better than ever before. Funny how that works out.

Just breathe

I am trying to become really in tune to my breathing while I run. I am finding that [this] exercise is such an important part of the run. It is the element that will make me or break me. When my breathing becomes "off" my run become labored and difficult. I often have to stop re-group and restart. I think this is why I struggle more when I run in hotter tempts, for whatever reason when it is hotter I struggle to keep my breathing paced and consistent. I have read and heard many different approaches to breathing and running..this is what I know to be helpful

1) Breathe through your mouth AND nose. This provides the amount of oxygen to the body it needs to run. When I have tried the "in through the nose out through the mouth" practice I struggled because I constantly felt winded.

2) Take full and complete breaths. I like for my breaths to feel deep but comfortable

3) Exhale completely as well, use your lung capacity.

So I am trying to count to 3 on the intake and exhale to a count of 2. This seems to be a good ratio for me. I have learned that breathing is a great self regulator to your pace. I want my runs to make me sweat.... But, also to be comfortable enough that I can maintain for some distance. Sometimes I find I have to adjust my pace to keep my breathing comfortable..my body speaks to itself, I just need to listen. Not that I always want to..mind you. I want to be better than I am but my body tells me the truth! HOWEVER, if I do listen and adjust.... my body will progress and so will my ability.

My relationship with food

is a complicated and lovely issue. I grew up with a mom who was a wonderful cook, she loved it and she put her heart and soul into everything she made. She LOVED to feed you and nurture you with the goodness from her kitchen. Most of my fondest memories are visions of my mom in the kitchen. I remember the first thanksgiving after she died taking a bite of "her" turnips and carrots and crying. Tastes and smells are very strong reminders of things past. Growing up in New England our kitchen was a very important room in our home. It was big with lots room to hang out and be together. It was always the coziest room in the house especially in the winter when it was frigid cold outside. There was always something cooking on the stove and something to nibble on. To this day when I am "down" I will cook a "mom" recipe because I know it will comfort my soul. Food feeds my soul as well as my body and I find much comfort in food. If you know my family at all it is ALL ABOUT THE FOOD and we LOVE that about us. In other words it is always a good time to eat!

Flip the coin....In this equation I also learned to use food as medication for pain, sadness, fear, and frustration. This..... I do not love. For years food has been my drug of choice, probably longer than I am even aware. This is something I am trying to change. I am trying to build a healthier attitude toward food and its role in my life. As an example last week I got home from a day out in the field and due to a few different things I was very frustrated...I was in the door 5 mins and I had consumed 2 packages of fruit snacks (we had bought for the grandkids who are coming), some goldfish and one other thing I cannot even remember. It was mindless! I pretty quickly was aware of what I had done and was not happy. I knew the only reason I add those things was because I was so frustrated. Now granted that was not a crazy amount of food, let me assure you there were times that would have been waaayyyyyyy worse. But even with that recent event I think I am making progress. I have found the shift in my thinking goes hand in hand with my physical activity. I really am finding that my emotions are in general stronger, more in check. And now when I am feeling a bit of frustration, anger what ever, I look to get out and run. In this choice I find I think, think about what is under my skin try to come to some understanding whereas mindless eating it just that..mindless and serves not long term purpose. Now, I know there is a danger in replacing the two..food and exercise can both become drugs..but it is not that. It is a balancer...and it works because we need it for all things to function properly. Exercise does make you mentally strong along with physically strong. I know there is science behind that but I am not going try to explain that...um yeah...not that smart. I just dream about being a Sheldon or a Dr. Reed

Now back to loving food..I DO and I don't want to not love and enjoy food. Since weight has been a struggle for so long..food has always been an enemy...thus the abuse of it I guess. Use to be a constant item of thought,,what..how much..etc. When you are always thinking about it, it takes a much bigger place than it should. This too is changing....I feel so much more at peace with food. I don't stress about it, I eat things I love and not feel guilty. The way I eat is changing because my mind is changing..what I want, when and how often I want all seems to sorting itself out. You become more in tune with what you need to feel good , which takes on a different meaning too! Eating "crazy" as I like to call it really does become an occasional thing.

I love and want food to feed my soul. I think that is a lovely thing.

Community living

Community.....

God creating us as he did knew how very essential this would be in our journeys, something we could not do without. He created this need, this craving within us to draw us to himself and to others. Just as He, The Christ and The Spirit are in perfect community our spirits long for the same. This has become very real to Mark and me over the past 3 years living in Honduras. As time passes we are more acutely aware of the void that is in our lives...in our hearts..in our souls. We so miss the community we shared with in our church, our friends, our work places. Each of these circles of community fed our souls and without them the feeling of isolation grows.

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community. Dorothy Day

I'm not at all sure what is to be done, it is what it is, as my husband would say. We throughly love our life and our life's calling. It is simply a part of that life and that calling.

It is like any experience that brings you to new understandings..... deeper understandings about life, God and yourself. Growth comes with some discomfort.

I try to look for the benefits of this season in the midst and I do see them..Mark and I continue to grow closer.... we took up running together which we both enjoy the shared interest and these things are good, very good. It is fighting feelings that cause us to focus on loneliness, discouragement and the wandering thought of "can we do this"

But this I know.... we can and we want to..it is just that the journey is sometimes hard. It is bizarre when you are experiencing your best dream and worst nightmare all at the same time.

HOW'S THE RUNNING...

It's going good, thank you for asking.

So lately I have been noticing that toward the end of my runs my back begins at ache. It is not pain just a dull ache. I guess I should put into practice what I have been reading, strength training really should go hand in hand with running. So adding sit ups to my exercise routine will begin this week. Core training seems to be essential to running. I was kinda hoping that everything would just spring into shape "from" running however that apparently is not how it works. I just can't seem to catch a break for heaven's sake.

History

The past couple of days I have struggled with my feelings around the killing of Osama Bin Laden. When I first got wind that "something happened"..facebook status updates of course, I searched breaking news and found that he had indeed been found and killed. My first reaction was YES....oh, yes!! Finally! I watched the news, heard our president speak, and got emotional at the thought of 9/11 and the vivid memories I have, we all have. I don't have to tell you how I felt..we all felt it. We were all throw right back to where we stood 10 years ago, with the same ball in our stomach and tears in our eyes.

But as I watched and people began to gather in front of the White House and ground zero my mind shifted and my heart began to feel heavy....There was something wrong with what I was seeing. It send me back to the days that followed 9/11 and the pictures we saw of people in the streets of other countries who were celebrating the destruction of our cities and the death of people. Burning the american flag..chanting and cheering. And I thought....that is not who we are.

Do I breathe a little easier knowing this evil man no longer has control and influence in this world, absolutely. Am I happy to know that under "his hand" the world will never suffer another terrorist attack, absolutely. Am I happy for the peace that this event brings to many many people who have suffered beyond what I can know because of this man's distorted mind, absolutely. I believe this was justice.

What I also believe is that even though this action was necessary I know that I am a follower of The Christ who spoke words like "Forgive them Father" and "Love your enemies" I know TRUTH says the best weapon we have in any situation is love and the continuation of this event is just a reminder of how far we are from a world that is capable of love. It scares me when we engage in celebratory activity over death and darkness because we can only be drawn deeper into that darkness. God tells us choose love and when we don't?

One thing that continues to grow more difficult living away from family and friends is a feeling of isolation, with that said we just completed a visit with long time friends Frank and Krista Yurchak. We cannot begin to say a grand enough thank you for coming "to us," we are grateful for time and money sacrificed to make a visit possible. We are thankful for coming to uplift us, love us and fill our hearts. We feel this way whenever we have the

blessing of visitors, these visits keep us going and strengthened.

However, way beyond what these visits do for us we love being part of the work of HOPE. Whether it is bringing hope to the people of Honduras or it is for visitors to this place. Watching God work is an amazing show! There is one thing that is crystal clear, the relationship between the poor and visitors is a river of hope that flows in two directions...... simultaneously.

Water.....

.........Don't waste it.

Living in Honduras has taught me that. Human nature I guess, but until water is an issue for [me] like I might not have any, I don't really give it much thought. But once it affects ME well then, that is a different story.

This past week our cistern got really low..it is dry season and water is restricted. Not in the sense you can't water your yard, but in the sense you might not have water to bathe, flush your toilet, do laundry etc...

It is times like these that have made me become so aware of every drop of water I use.

An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country uses in a whole day.

Water is life. It is a natural recourse we take for granted.

In just one day, more than 200 million hours of women’s time is consumed for the most basic of human needs — collecting water for domestic use.

Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.

Billions of people need water, let's find ways to conserve and reduce our water use.

Hearty, Healthy and Yummy

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis cookbook

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 10 ounces farro (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion (recommended: Walla Walla) chopped
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine the water and farro in a medium saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well, and then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Add the tomatoes, onion, chives, and parsley to the farro, and toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to coat.

The salad can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cooked Farro

Garlic and salt made into paste

Tomatoes and herbs

Finished Salad

Couple of notes: In my preparation I had to make a couple of alterations because of availability. I used regular parsley because I could not get flat leave today. There was also no chives so I left them out, but use them if you have access. I used red onion.

Quick side

This is a really quick side you can serve with grilled meat for a very fast but yummy dinner.

Zucchini and Red Pepper Couscous

1. In a med. saute pan cook till tender:

1 tblsp Olive Oil

1 med. zucchini quartered then sliced (you want small pieces)

1 small red bell pepper (small chop)

2. Prepare 1 cup of couscous according to package directions. I use chicken broth in place of the water. You could use vegetable broth if you're a vegetarian.

Add the couscous to the skillet and stir. Add some freshly grated parmesan cheese and cracked pepper.

You can add more chicken broth if you prefer a wetter couscous.

Note: You can also do the same with oven roasted broccoli and onions.

I was reading about St. Francis of Assisi today because I was reminded of a quote of his. "Preach the gospel at all time, and when necessary use words." This is part of what I read;

Francis' birth name was Giovanni. He was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life.

Francis heard a sermon that changed his life. The sermon was about Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.

I was thinking about this this morning as I was cooking pancakes for Melvin, Yoni and Christian and I thought maybe this is exactly what conversion is, Maybe it is a complete turn around and "loss" of taste for a previous life. I know you must be thinking ...well, of course Lori it is a complete turn around, isn't that what a conversion is?...and I would answer yes, but hear me out, how different are we? What about our life really changes? I think that if we really changed in a way that caused us to care about the things that God cares about, it, we would look really different, completely different. I am not making light of the changes we do make, But, I am afraid our lives really do not look very different from the world around us. I do not think we have "lost our taste" for this world, in a way we could leave it all behind. There are to many things we love, hold to and embrace that keep attached to this world.

Side note:

St Francis of Assisi probably best know for his famous prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Cooking Magazines....

I love them, they don't pile up like they use to, how ever I do seem to attract them. It is usually one the first things I do in Houston airport. I go to the closest news stand and by Food Network, Martha Stewart, Cooking Light and Runner's World. The runner's world makes me feel like not such a nerd.

I scour every page, check the recipes for ingredients to determine if could make it in Honduras, I ooh and ahhhh and love every

page! I usually read through them more than once. I make note of the recipes I think I might like to try ....However they eventually end up in a basket, and there they stay. After time I can't remember what I wanted in each one, and I really do not want to go back through all of them trying to remember so they stay in the basket....

About 6, 8 10 oh, I don't know how many years ago, I started a binder of ideas from christmas magazines. I would pull the pages of decorating, table settings, recipes, gift wrapping ideas I liked and I put them in plastic sheet protectors in a binder. My theory was to take what I liked so I would remember but not have mounds of magazines, (which are mostly adds anyway..sorry pet peeve). See the thing is I am waayyy to OCD to tear them out and just fold them up and stick them in my recipe box..oh my no..um nope! So I started a binder! I have a Thanksgiving section and a Christmas section..I KNOW I AM SUCH A NERD!!! Everything is easy to see, easy to use. And the best thing... all NEAT and in one place and no more piles of magazines!

So I recently decided to do the same with "rest of the year" magazines.

Maybe this will help you, or all you get from this is a deeper look at my nerdy self. But, all I can say is my daughter use to laugh at my holiday binder, YEP NOW SHE HAS ONE TOO!!!

The Front (just liked this pic, reminds me of home)

Glimpses of the inside