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Thursday, July 8, 2010

Food and Funerals

I really love to cook.  I don't do it very often because Hubby and I work opposite shifts when I'm teaching, but I have a few friends who share my love of the culinary arts.  I, however, do not compare to many of them when it comes to slinging hash.

Take, for instance, my friend, Casey.  I still haven't figured out why she won't just go to culinary school.  Her pineapple salsa is to die for, and I am now the proud owner of that recipe.  But it's not just pineapple salsa.  She "gets" the whole kitchen experience.  That's probably why she got me the awesome gift below.

I love Vera, and I love cooking.  Why WOULDN'T the two go together?  Add to this the fact that I really love pink (and daisies) and you have a winning combination.

That love for cooking is being taxed a little right now, though.  I know I mentioned that I have been struggling with symptoms of PCOS for a while.  I really debated with myself as to whether or not I would share any of this information on my blog.  I don't like to put too much out there, you know?  But I also know how much it would've benefitted me to have a bit of information about the syndrome, how to treat it, what others have tried, etc.

Anyway, I've been working on sticking to a hardcore diet that focuses mostly on whole foods (few if any processed foods), restricts dairy and allows few carbs that don't come from fruits or veggies.  Occasionally, I can have quinoa (which has a high concentration of protein) and on Fridays, I generally eat part of a bran muffin.  If you like bread and pasta like I do, you can see the problem.  It's definitely been a stretch to add more veggies to my diet--not that I didn't like them.  I just wasn't used to making them the majority of my meals.

I'm learning, though, that veggies are supposed to take up at least half of your plate every meal--and we're not talking about potatoes and corn.  We're talking about asparagus, squash, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, green beans, cucumbers, etc.  I'm sure you're getting the picture.  But in case you're not, keep scrolling.


Maybe it doesn't look appetizing this close, but it was really good.  It's really simple, too.  Baby spinach with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red bell pepper mixed with guacamole and a touch of parmesan.  I promise you it's YUM.  Of course, you have to like guacamole.

Tonight, it was shrimp (in lime mojito marinade) with sauteed bell pepper and onion mixed into quinoa (mix the marinade in, too).  For a side, steamed squash with a little added butter and Mrs. Dash.  It's not fancy but everything tastes so fresh--which I love. 

So far, it's working out.  Hopefully it will have some affects on my health as well.  I'll get back to you there.

The other part of today was a little rough.

Hubby and I attended the funeral of a friend from high school.  Hubby and Brian spent a lot of time together before we got married, and it was rough to see a person pass away when he was only 30. 

As I listened to the eulogy, I couldn't help but wonder what I would want people to say at my funeral.  Maybe moments like this are important to remind us where it is we want to be--and how far we have to go.

I think I would want people to say that I was a good friend--compassionate, funny and dependable.  I would want them to say that I was reasonable and made good decisions.  I want to be the kind of person who grows and learns throughout life--and encourages others to do so.  But most of all, I want people to see that I love my God...that He guided my path.  I want to be the kind of person who gives Christ the glory for any success in my life--for people to understand that I'm not capable of anything on my own.

Because I'm a curious type of person, I want to know what you would say.  What kind of person do you want to be?  What do you think people see when they look at you?  What do you want them to say about you at your funeral?

Share your thoughts.  I'm interested to hear what you have to say.

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him"
                                        --(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

2 comments:

Katie said...

On the funeral thing, I think I would want them to start with how wonderful and young I look for 100 and how they are glad that I died in my sleep and not when I was skydiving last week.

But in all seriousness, I would hope they say that I was kind, fun, a good example to my students, really thin (had to throw that in there, sorry). And that I was a woman after the heart of God.

Hanna said...

On the cooking thing: I`m a huge veggie fan (though it would pain me to leave out the pasta), there are sooo many good recipes!! Have you tried ratatouille? - my sisters and I were watching the Disney film the other night, and we tried it Remi`s way (sliced really thin), and it was really awesome! :)