Memorizing Scripture & Chewy-Granola Bar

I have never really been good at memorizing scripture, but Michael sure is.  I want to brag on him a little bit and  tell you how smart he is.  Anytime there is conflict, fear, hurt, or anything else that one would struggle with, Michael is quick to quote what the word says.  I don't know how he stuffs all of that in his memory, but I am so glad he can and that God gifted him with this.  I am going to challenge myself to memorize more scripture.  One verse that I am going to try and memorize this week is one our pastor spoke on this weekend.  It's 1 Peter 5:5 which says "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"  We are in the book of Romans at church and specifically on Romans 12.  Sunday was on humility.  I really enjoyed this sermon and wrote 2 pages of notes!  Some things that really stuck with me are that humility and price begin in the mind.  How you see yourself and how you think of yourself.  The Bible calls us to think with a sound, sober judgement in Romans 12:3.  I don't always get how to think with a sound, sober mind, but I sure do want to.  Another one that really hit home was to associate with the lowly and don't be to big for your britches.  So many times we don't want to even acknowledge those that are walking on the street or asking for money on the street corner or maybe even a waiter or waitress.  Not that we don't say thank you or anything, but do we stop and ask them their names or how we can pray for them?  Again, I want to brag on my husband.  He is so good at this!  At the grocery, gas station, restaurant, mall, shopping, or wherever we are he will always ask their name and tell them thank you!  Most times he asks how we can pray for that person too!  God is good and I am so glad that I married him ♥


Dinner tonight was a lot fun and really easy.  We bought some fresh cod as we are trying to buy more organic meat and as the budget allows.  I wanted to bake it and found this very easy and very simple recipe!  I borrowed this recipe from CFSCC.

Baked Cod:
Preheat oven to 375°
Sprinkle some oregano, pepper, sea salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder over the cod.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the fish splits/flakes and voila!  I put the cod on a bed of cauliflower rice (see Sushi for how to make this) and added some sweet potato fries!  Below is a picture:

While that was baking, I have been wanting to try this recipe I found for paleo granola bars.  We don't eat granola because it is made up of grains and we don't eat grains.  I love a good granola bar and would like some things other than fruit to snack on throughout the day.  Here is the recipe that I based mine off of: Paleo Chewy-Granola Bars  I couldn't find all the ingredients at the store and I don't like coconut.  So I modified my recipe a bit.  Here is what I did:

Paleo Chewy-Granola Bars

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sliced almonds
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1 tbsp. brown sesame seeds
½ cup almond flour
1/3 coconut oil, melted
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
1 ½ tbsp. water
¾ mini chocolate chips
¾ raisins


Preheat oven to 325.  Grease a 9X13 pan with coconut oil.
Mix the ground flax see with water and let it sit for 3-4 minutes.
Grind pepitas in a food processor a few times to break up the size.
Add coconut oil, almond butter, honey and vanilla to the flaxseed meal and water.
Add almond flour and baking soda and stir to combine.
Add slivered almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chocolate chips, and dried fruit.
Stir to combine.
Spoon batter into prepared baking pan and spread out and flatten with the back of a spatula.
Bake fore 22-23 minutes or until golden brown.  They do puff up so as soon as you remove them from the oven, flatten the bars back down.
Let them completely cool on the stove or in the fridge.
Cut them into bars and serve!

Sushi

So I have been wanting to make some Paleo Sushi for the past few weeks, but I haven't had the time to sit down and do it.  Last night, though, I decided to make it!  I was quite impressed and excited to share it with my in-laws.  Here is what I did:

Paleo-Spicy California Roll:

This was really easy to make but did take a bit of preparation.  We went to HEB and we were going to purchase a bamboo sushi mat, however when we went to talk to the real sushi makers they were so sweet and gave us one!  We picked up some already cooked shrimp that wasn't organic, but I sure you could have gotten better shrimp.  There is also some sort of coconut aminos that you can purchase instead of using soy sauce.  We couldn't find that and so we just used soy!

Prep:
1. Mix cayenne pepper and garlic powder (1/2 tsp each) into 3 tbsp organic mayo
2. Slice cucumbers into matchstick width slices
2. Make a batch of cauliflower rice (all you need to do is use a ninja or food processor and it makes rice-like little chunks)
3. Mash an avocado

Rock n Roll:
1. Cover 1/3 seaweed with mayo
2. Cover 1/3 of seaweed with cauliflower rice and cucumber
3. Cover l/3 with mashed avocado and chopped shrimp
4. Roll!

Now before I rolled my sushi, I watched a YouTube video of how to actually roll the sushi.  I actually didn't need the mat to roll it because in paleo sushi you don't use sticky rice and the seaweed just rolls nicely.  You may want to try and use it though.  I learned that packing it less full and not adding a lot of spread, they turn out much nicer.

Below are some pictures:

This is the sushi without the shrimp.

This is the sushi with the shrimp and ready to roll.

Here it is rolled.  

And here it is cut.  It is best to cut it with a wet knife so that it doesn't stick to the sushi.  

And there you have it!!  It was definitely quite tasty and very fulfilling!  I think now that I know how to do it, it won't take as long next time :)

Compassion & Dilligence

Marriage is such an amazing thing!  God teaches you so much through your spouse and Michael and I are learning that more and more.  We finished up dinner tonight and were chatting about our day today.  (By the way, I think we listen best at the dinner table when we are face to face :)  When we finish Michael goes to our balcony to water the plants that we are growing...I'll post on those later!  He comes back in and was just really quiet.  That usually means something is bothering him.  So I ask him if there is anything wrong and he looks at me and says, "God is teaching me compassion!"  and my immediate reaction is laughter.

You see, just as I was getting better from this sickness thing and we had a wonderful evening last night laughing and being silly (like little kids really), I wake up this morning with this AWFUL crick in my neck!  What the heck?!?!  I was in a lot of pain!  I couldn't really move my neck and had to have him rub on it some before I left for work.  Throughout the day it didn't get any better!  So, I called him and we tried to get an appointment for the chiropractor.  That didn't work.  So, we thought about a massage.  I called around to several different people, places, and nothing sounded just right.  So then he suggests Massage Envy, which is where I have gone once before, so I give them a shout.  Not a problem!  Fits the schedule, budget, and everyone is happy!  In fact, my sweet husband even let me sign up so that I could go once a month!!  Isn't he the best??  I sure think so!

Fast forward to me laughing at him.  He looked at me in shock and said, "Why are you laughing?"  My response to him was simply, "God is teaching you compassion and me discipline!"  God is a good God and knows just exactly what we need when we need it!  I love that, but it's also a struggle sometimes.  We don't always want to step out of our comfort zones and do something different.  And sometimes we don't think the other person should act "that" way because we would never act "that" way.  You know what I mean, right?  Michael and I call these ought too's and should's.  Just because we do something one way means that every one should do it that exact same way, right?  WRONG!!  God uses these in our lives to grow us and mold us into the way that He wants us to live.  Michael and I are learning this, I would say, on a regular basis.  Tonight was just another example!

Lord, thank you for teaching me so much through my husband.  I pray that you continue to grow me and make me into the person that You want me to be.  I know I don't always like it, but I know it's best.  Continue to grow me as You see fit and change me for Your glory.


Dinner tonight = Chicken and Cabbage!  (The picture didn't turn out very good)

P.S.  My neck is feeling better and I pray that it feels100% by tomorrow :)

Sickness

I have missed blogging over the past few days, but I have been super sick!!  UGH!!  I am feeling much better today, but still not 100%.  It started last weekend and I just made sure all last week that I got some rest, but that didn't work.  Friday I felt like I had a fever all day and even had the nurse check me.  Nope, no fever.  So I came home and went straight to sleep.  I checked my temp one more time and sure enough, I was running a 101° fever :(  Needless to say I spent most of my weekend sleeping, sleeping, and sleeping some more.  I am skipping the working out for just a bit until I can feel 100% again!

So tonight I made this delicious salmon with sweet potato fries.  Michael and I love some sweet potato fries and eat them often!  All I did with the salmon was pour some lime juice over it and added some thyme, basil, and oregano.  I wrapped it all up in aluminum foil and baked it on 400° for about 20 minutes.  Then I took off the foil and let it get a little crispy on the outside for 5 or so minutes.  Pretty simple and pretty tasty!

I wish I had more to blog about, but I think I am going to get some papers that are graded into the grade book so I don't have to be doing that over the weekend!

Oh, I did want to add my go at rhyming for Michael.  He has been such a great husband in taking care of me this weekend.  He bought me chicken noodle soup, cleaned the house, did the laundry, went grocery shopping, and just loved on me all weekend knowing that I was sick.  He is such a great husband and I am blessed to call him that!  (P.S Don't laugh too much :)

Idioms

Today I was teaching my kiddos about idioms and I had some weird revelation.  First let me explain what idioms are.  We have all heard the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" or "go break a leg" or even "my heart has been broken".  However, we all know that it doesn't really rain cats and dogs and that you don't really mean go break a leg and our hearts aren't really broken.  They all loved learning about these today and I am hoping to do some other fun activity with them in the next few weeks.

So my revelation came when one of my kids said something like, "Oh, I heard that before!"  Well of course you have you just didn't know what it was exactly!  Have you ever stopped to think about all the things we know, but we really don't think we know?  For example, I got home from work tonight and still not feeling the greatest I didn't want to work out.  My wonderful husband was so sweet and kind to me and asked me nicely to work out and even said that it would help me if I did.  So, I got my workout clothes on and we went outside and did a "bumble bee" workout.  I did NOT like a single moment in the workout and was really ready to be over, but I kept pushing through.

When we came back inside, I just felt like a blah wife because I complained the whole time!  I don't want to be that kind of wife and I started to be really hard on myself.  I expressed this to Michael and he asked me,  "What does the Bible say about who a good wife is?"  I honestly couldn't think of anything!  Why?  I have no idea because I know these things and I have scripture memorized, but I couldn't think of one thing.  So he started quoting scripture from Ephesians and Proverbs and my mind was put to ease.

You may think that this was a stretch, but in some way I believe we all have moments like this.  Where we don't KNOW something, but really we do know it.  Does that make sense?  I hope it does and feel free to leave a comment if you are confused.

Lord, thank you for my wonderful husband who is loving, caring, and compassionate towards me.  Thank you for revealing Your goodness in small things.  Help me to know I am a good wife to my husband and help me to honor and respect him more.

Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

Tonight was a simple Paleo dinner because I wasn't feeling the best.  I marinated 2 chicken breasts in olive oil, oregano, and basil.  Then I cut up 2 sweet potatoes into "fry like" pieces.  I put those all in a Ziploc baggie with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I cooked the fries at 400° for about 20 minutes and then flipped them and cooked for another 20 minutes.  When they were close to being done, I started to pan fry the chicken.  When that was almost finished, I added one last touch to the fries in that I broiled them at 500° for about 3 minutes so they could get a little crispy!  Everything was super delicious and my husband loved them!

My husband has become such the poet!  Here is what I came home to a few days ago...isn't he sweet?! :)

Easter Weekend

Being at home sick, isn't the most fun of times, but I do enjoy the relaxation part.  When I am sick, my body makes me sleep for more hours than I usually want or do on a normal basis.  I started feeling sick on Friday and it has gotten worse each day.  I think taking a day off to feel better will be good.  So I thought I would kill some time and blog about the past few days.

Friday was a day off and I was so excited to sleep in till 6:00 instead of my usual 4:00.  Michael went to work and I went for a run.  As I was running, I was also praying which is kind of hard.  Jones State Forest is right next to where we live and we often like to go running there.  I stopped at the end of the road before I ran into the forest part and I watched this butterfly.  It made me think about God and His creation.  He created this beautiful butterfly and made it so intricately.  I also thought about how He loves His creation and the beauty that it brings Him.  So how much more does God revel in us?  Immeasurably more!!  I am so glad that God loves us and that He gave the ultimate sacrifice.  As I continued running, the butterfly followed me.  There was also an annoying bug that kept buzzing in my ear.  It again made me think how many times I am sure I do annoying things to others and to God.  How powerful God's creation can truly be when we stop and take time to listen to it.

Saturday was such a blast!  We ran the Run for Hope 5k starting at Market Street at 7:30 a.m.  My goal was to run it the entire time and I am proud to say that I reached my goal!!  WOO HOO!  I had asked Michael to run with me the whole time because he and I usually run/workout together, but my good friend Katie ran at the same pace as myself so I told Michael he could run on.  What an incredible time we had on Saturday!  I also have to announce that I ran the 5k in 30:27!!!  Yes...that's about a 10 minute mile!  I was so proud of myself that I couldn't stop smiling!  I hadn't officially timed myself in awhile and was glad to know that I could run a good race.  I think we plan on doing the CASA 5k on September 15th that is in Jones State Forest.  I look forward to another great run!

Sunday was Easter and well it didn't exactly start off so great.  We had spent the night at the Big Houck House and I went to go and iron my brand new dress.  I totally had the iron to hot and it burnt a whole right through the front of the dress.  I was devastated!  I enjoy shopping and buying new things as most women do, I suppose, and to have ruined my brand new Easter dress before I even wore it was so not exciting.  I didn't exactly know what to do and was so thankful that Keely suggested we just go home and get another outfit.  So we did, but in the meantime, Michael and I stopped at Old Navy to see if they were going to be open.  We got a new outfit and went back to the Big Houck's and got ready.  As I was getting ready, God was speaking to me and saying to me, "Brittany, is stuff more important?  Have I not made you new in Me?"  I knew that God was using this moment as a humbling one.  I know that God is good and that He uses all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.  Jeff did a wonderful sermon on one verse in 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."  What joy it brings God for us to live in the new!  But that doesn't mean we have to have new clothes or look all nice and fancy!  It simply means that we must live like God has given us new life in Him.

Lord, may my thoughts and actions be that of a new life.  I know I am a sinner and not perfect, but Lord I want to please you in all that I do.  God help me to live a life that pleases you in all that I do.  Thank you for new life in You and for the unselfish sacrifice that you have given us through Your Son.  Thank you for allowing Him to die on the cross for my sins and for allowing me a direct pathway into Heaven.

Paleo Pizza!

Tonight I had a ton of fun making some paleo pizza!  I found a recipe online and I wanted to try it.  I needed a few items since we don't normally just have tomato paste lying around.  Before I cooked though, Michael and I went on an almost 3 mile run!  I was a bit pooped afterwards and it took me a little while to cool down.

So let's get to the pizza!  (I doubled the recipe I found and this is the new version)

Here is how I made the crust:
2 cups almond flour
4 tsp. olive oil
4 tsp. salt
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400°. Beat the eggs first and then mix all the other ingredients in.  Once you have a dough, put some parchment paper on a round cookie sheet and spread the dough out.  I used my hands until I needed a rolling pin.  Once rolled out I baked the dough for about 12-15 minutes.

The Paste:

I bought 1 can of organic tomato paste.  I emptied the can in a bowl and refilled the can with water.  Then I added 4 tsp of oregano and 4 tsp. of basil.  This was a delicious paste!  Once the crust was cooked a little, I took it out and lathered it with the paste.

The Toppings:

chicken (pan seared)
ground turkey (pan seared)
diced tomatoes
bell peppers
mushrooms
srirachi peppers
You can really put anything you want on it!

Then I cooked it for about another 15-20 minutes and here is the delectable paleo pizza!

What's in a name...

Have you ever wondered what your heritage or lineage is or why you have the name that you have?  It's often interesting to talk about names with other people and to find out what names mean.  I had a dream a few months ago that we had a baby girl and we named her Korah.  I have done some research on that name and have found out what it actually means.  I will post that later :)  No, I am not pregnant, but maybe one day God will bring us a daughter and we shall name her Korah Kaye or Korah Leigh.  Not sure, but we don't have to worry about all that just yet :)

On another note, God definitely answers prayers.  Michael and I have been praying each night as we go to bed and one prayer constantly is that we would get a good night's rest and that we would wake up on time.  We are early risers anyway, but sometimes we like to hit the snooze button and then we don't get our Jesus time in fully like we would like.  Last night was no different.  And He completely answered our prayers and then some!  That's why this blog is early in the morning!

I felt compelled this morning to pray for my good friend/mentor/mother figure/godly woman and I knew that God was calling me awake early so I could spend some time in prayer for her.  Love you, Marcina and seriously praying for you!

This morning, as I am moving along in Genesis, we get to the point where Sarah has this baby boy that God has faithfully promised them.  She has this baby and then they decide to name him Isaac.  Isaac means one who laughs or laughing one.  His name probably brought back many memories each time they said it.  It probably brought back it the joy of just being parents and seeing God's promise fulfilled or it brought back their encounter with God and him telling them they would have a child.  We then go on to find out about Isaac and his lineage.  He was a good man, but when he was under pressure he lied, he avoided confrontation, and he played favorites between his two sons.  I wonder if because of his parent's lack of faith at times in believing that they would bear a child, that Isaac lacked courage as well?  Maybe it's just me, but it is interesting.

Michael asked me what I was blogging about this morning and I told him.  He asked me, "So what is your name?"  To my reply of, "Brittany!"  and he said it again.  "No what is your name?"  I was unsure of what he was getting at so I restated my name and then I said, "And it means 'from the land of Britain'".  (A little sidenote...I usually complain about my name because I say it's silly and it doesn't really mean anything!  I like my name, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't have much meaning.)  He said it again like this, "What is the name that God gave you?"  You see, around Christmas time a guest speaker came to church and talked about names as well as how to listen to God.  Michael and I went camping that next weekend and we took some time to just sit and listen to God.  We asked God what our names were from Him.  Pretty cool, I might add!  It gives me goosebumps to just write this!  My first name was DAUGHTER.  Next came WIFE and finally MOTHER.  I know that God loves me so much that He first called me to be His daughter.  Now, I am the wife to Michael and eventually I will be the mother to our children.  It sounds weird to some, I am sure, but I have NO DOUBT that God called me these names in these particular order for His purpose and His glory.

So, what's in a name?  I think so much is in a name and you might not even know it.  Why don't you ask God what name He has given you and just be still and listen!

Papa, thank you for my name that you have given me.  I know that I am wonderfully made and that You knit me together.  That you number the hairs on my head and You have numbered my days.  Thank you for calling me Your own and for showing me Your love day in and day out, even when I don't deserve it.  You are a gracious and loving God and I am eternally grateful.

P.S.  I found this online :)

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

I am reading in the book of Genesis about Abraham and Sarah.  (I think this one will take me a little longer and even bring me to some more women of faith in the Bible.)  When I got to the part where God spoke to Abraham and told him that He was going to give him a son.  Sarah, you see, was nearby when God spoke and she laughed at God.  She said, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I  now have this pleasure?"  (Gen. 18: 12)  She didn't think God was capable of giving her a son because she was so old!  How in the world could she possibly ever have a child?  And get this...when God said to Abraham that his wife laughed he confronted her.  She was afraid and said she didn't laugh.  However, Abraham called her out and told her that she did laugh.

I believe there are two things in this that we can learn.  1) God is capable of anything He wants and anything He wills.  No matter what!  He made blind men see, he walked on water, he healed sick, he fed thousands with very little, and so on.  He can do ANYTHING!!  God is a worthy God to be praised and yet He is sovereign and just.  2) I believe that God puts people in our lives, like our husbands, family, and friends, to chip away our sin nature.  We need to honor and respect our husbands because it is God's command.  Not lie to them if they straight up ask us a question.  It's interesting too, that God blesses us with someone who is so different than ourselves!  He uses our help mate to teach us, mold us, and shape us.  "Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."  Isaiah 64:8

I took the day off on Friday to help our good friend Steve Toth.  Michael and I went down 2978 and 1488 asking folks if we could put a big sign up for him.  With great success, we got lots of yeses!  I feel like Michael and I learned a lot this weekend.  We had some good conversation in the car working on the Toth campaign, we had some financial conversations and how clothes shopping can be apart of that, and we had cleaning conversations.  What I can conclude from all of those 3 unique instances is that they really aren't all that unique!  In fact, they are the same in that it simply lets us know how DIFFERENT we are!  I got a little magazine in the mail from Proverbs 31 ministries and I read an article in there about "differentness".  We both are learning how different we are and that that is ok.  We just need to accept that we are different and that my way can be just as good as his way.

Thank you Lord for making us different and for teaching us some great lessons this weekend.  I am thankful for me husband and the joy he brings me every time I see him.  Thank you for the man of God that he is, the leadership he exudes, and the love he shows in our marriage.

Dinner tonight = GREEN SMOOTHIES :)
All you do is add a whole bunch of spinach and a little water in the blender.  Once you blend that up, you mix in whatever fruit you desire.

Also, another picture of my sweet husbands poetic cuteness!