Foods that Make Me Happy

(Might I begin by saying that I DID NOT say that only foods make me happy, just that there are foods that make me happy. If I said the former, there would be a serious problem. As it is, there are so many foods that I enjoy that one post would not be enough to contain them all. A-Z posts by the first letter of the food name, perhaps?)

(And...I've heard some say that Americans talk too much about food. I agree. I love food, but I surely do not want to worship it. I am learning every day how to worship God in spirit and in truth. At the same time, I enjoy more of what He has given to me--life to the fullest--and I get to share it with others!!! Food included!)

Curried Lentil Spread!!
This puree is absolutely tantalizing to my taste buds. I love texture in food, and this zinger provides the feeling of being richly carpeted with a rosebed (minus the thorns) or a minky shawl. I had Farm Fresh put some in our bin a few weeks ago and I've never been the same since. That one is from a local company. I looked at the ingredients and thought, hey, I can make that! So, I am making it today. Ask me for some when you're over unless I've already eaten it all.

Dark, Antioxidant-Full Chocolate!! (Especially from Endangered Species Chocolate)
Wow, what to say! Velvety, bittersweet goodness envelops my entire mouth when I eat this chocolate. 'Tis better than any coffee (although Alliance World Coffee makes a superior blend.) I try to eat a piece (or two...or three...) once a day, cause "they" say it's healthy. It sure does my body good. I can never go back to milk chocolate. It's like going back to the kiddie swings after you've been on the roller coaster.

Thai Food!!
Okay, so this is more a category, but I cannot just name one Thai dish and leave it at that. My husband, baby and I went to THE MOST AMAZING Thai food restaurant I've been to yet with friends last weekend. The people were so, so kind!! The man filling up our water glasses was absolutely kind to our daughter Shiloh. I had Mango Curry with duck, everything but the duck and curry being raw. Mmmm. Can I ship their food to Indy?

Raw Granola!!!
I have a bowl sitting in front of me as I type. I make one for myself every day lately and share it with Shiloh. Michael likes it, too. Almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, pepitas, blueberries, strawberries, raisins, dried cherries, almond butter, raw honey...you name it, I throw it in. I usually munch on it all day long. I love that I can do this since I stay at home with my daughter. When we're out, I often put it in a to-go container. I make it different when I feel like it, adding some dark chocolate or various fresh berries for a new twist. I can't go wrong with it. The almond butter (yes, it's expensive, but I spend less money on food because this fills me up so much I eat less!!) and honey congeal to make an utterly irresitable mixture that swallows up the seed/nut taste. That helps me eat it because I do not like the taste of plain nuts and seeds typically.

Alfalfa Sprouts!!!
I sprouted alfalfa last week and it multiplied from 2 or 3 jars into what seems like gallons of it!! I think of how Jesus took two fish and five loaves of bread and multiplied it into enough food for more than 5,000 people. I think it has to be the principle of sprouting. Sprouts start out small, but once they have their water and rinsing and (sometimes) sunlight, their tails grow and grow and then there are many! It seems almost the same principle, but it's a bit different from what I conventionally learned about Jesus in this story. Rather than making more from what there already was, it seems that Jesus took what He was given (because the little boy willingly gave to Jesus, not Jesus taking from him, which I think is significant) and let it grow outwards to be MORE THAN ENOUGH... We watch The Gospel of John to see this illustrated. And later, the people say to Jesus, "God gave our ancestors bread from heaven. Why don't You?" And Jesus is internally shaking His head and thinking, "They don't get it. I just gave them bread from heaven..." But of course, He still loves us when we get all stuffed and then miss the most important part of eating...communing with Him and in community with His people. Thanks be to God.

Eve's Banana Bread!!
Last one for today. Eve is from JPUSA. We just met her yesterday and she made us banana bread for our trip home. She gave us a tour of the shelters JPUSA is caretaker over and she had the bread baking at the same time. After the tour was over, she ran upstairs and grabbed the gooey, chocolatey, bananay, yummy bread!! I tell you, we had almost all of that loaf eaten before we got on the interstate. What a beautiful servant...thank you, Eve!

Shiloh is such a precious blessing from God. That is what her name means ("gift from God", or "peace.") She is so much fun. I love training her up in the way (God reveals) SHE SHOULD GO!!! (As opposed to the way I think she should go!)