Stuffed Pizza

Pizza…the American food…the dish that allows you to take in the five food groups in one bite. Well, unless you’re vegetarian and don’t eat meat. I am not a vegetarian, but I did have some leftover tofu to use, and while I searching for recipes online, I came across this fabulous twist on a stuffed pizza.

I had made some wheat pizza dough earlier this week (Thanks to last year’s discovery of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day; this book can be life-changing, but this is a topic worthy of it’s own post, so check back later.), so I was ready to begin.

After following the recipe (Well, I did ½ it and substituted goat cheese for the mozzarella; goat cheese is my favorite!) I enjoyed this for lunch:

Forgive the pics; I wasn’t really planning to post about this, but  . . . YUM!! Who knew tofu could taste so good?!

A Thai Treat

I love to try new things…especially if they involve food.  In my early 20’s, a date introduced me to Thai food, and a new love affair began (not with the guy, rather with the food :) ). For the last decade, I have received great pleasure from experiencing the different flavor combinations and textures that Thai dishes bring to the table.

But someone else always delivered these delicious flavors to my table – never had I attempted to produce them in my home. But stricter food budgets can cause people to take drastic measures. Actually, a stricter food budget was just the fuel for prayers. Prayers that God answered by allowing me to win an online contest. An online contest in which the prize is receiving “Taste of Thai” ingredients for various Thai recipes. So my adventures in Thai cooking began. (Isn’t God amazing to even give us the little desires of our hearts?!) :)

Thus far, I have made this delicious Pad Thai:

And these (which I never would’ve thought to try, but they are very tasty and would make a great party appetizer!  (I used ground beef instead of pork in an attempt to be a bit healthier.)

So, don’t be afraid to: try new things, ask God for little desires, and cook different dishes; you may be surprised at the pleasure you can find. :)

I know...

...that my photography skills are SORELY lacking at this point in time, but I shall work at excelling in this area in the future :)
Just wanted to share.

Hummus 'N Music

I would've titled this post, “A little bit of Heaven on Earth,” but since I found myself feeling that way many times (mostly while eating…is that bad? :) ) during the last several weeks, I decided I better save this for a way-over-the top, absolutely amazing eating experience.

Still, I must share this unique recipe for hummus that even I might have never considered had I not happened upon this interesting blog yesterday afternoon.

Since I had sweet potatoes on hand that I were crying out to be used; since I had just re-discovered the tahini I had forgotten about in the fridge; since I had already planned to get my food processor dirty pureeing some acorn squash (for this bread – which was delicious too!) and mostly since I was hungry; I decided to make the Sweet Potato Hummus straightaway.

It must’ve been a God-inspired decision. While listening to Be Lifted High the new CD from Bethel Church I:

prepared the ingredients (forgot to get the black pepper…added it later :) )

Followed the directions, and viola

Okay, I have to say it…

I experienced a little bit of Heaven on Earth.

 I’m reminded of 1 Timothy 6:17: “…put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Thank you, Lord!

Jesus Loves Me; This I Know

Jesus loves me, this I know…or do I?  I’m in my thirties, and after growing up in church AND attending a Christian school AND going on to Bible College, you’d think that fact would be one that I’ve got down pat. After all, I’ve read about it, heard about it, and sung about it for years. And, yes, I have known it as a fact, and even believed it to a degree, for as long as I can remember.

Yet somehow, lately, it’s like I’m really coming to know it--truly starting to believe it deep within my heart.  (Right now I’m wishing that our English language had about five different words for “know” or “believe” like the Greek languages does.) 

Perhaps the difference is that I’m taking time to think about it and learning to accept it as a reality for me--personally. Or perhaps the difference is that the older I get, the more I realize the utter ugliness of my natural selfishness in contrast to His lovely selflessness. Whatever the case, the fact is that Jesus loves me. He loves you. Not only loves us, but loves us in the same way that God the Father loves Him (John 15:9)—completely, tenderly, eternally. Wow.

I owe this “deeper” revelation of Jesus’ love for me individually in large part to this book by Andrew Murray (It’s a life-changing read if you’ll really take the time to ponder it’s truths.).  Allow me to share one of my favorite excerpts:

“As we think of the love of the Father to the Son, we see in the Son everything so infinitely worthy of that love. When we think of Christ's love to us, there is nothing but sin and unworthiness to meet the eye. And the question comes: How can that love within the bosom of the divine life and its perfections be compared to the love that rests on sinners? Can it indeed be the same love? Blessed be God, we know it is so. The nature of love is always one, however different the objects. Christ knows of no other law of love but that with which His Father loved Him. Our wretchedness only serves to call out more distinctly the beauty of love, such as could not be seen even in heaven. With the tenderest compassion He bows to our weakness, with patience inconceivable He bears with our slowness, with the gentlest loving-kindness He meets our fears and our follies. It is the love of the Father to the Son, beautified, glorified, in its condescension, in its exquisite adaptation to our needs.”

Take a few moments now ponder Jesus’ love for YOU. Accept it as the reality that it is. Unconditional. Unchanging. All-encompassing.  Pure.

Father God, I pray for every person who reads these words. I pray that they would know and believe the love that You and Jesus have for them. I pray it would penetrate their souls and change their lives. Thank You that You love us. Please help us know more every day what this means and how to love you back. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Carpe Diem!

Greetings!  My name is Heather, and I blog. At least I just started to blog. I’m not sure when I become an official “blogger.” Anyway, I’ve admired bloggers for a long time – their ability to write so fluently and post magazine-quality photos. I visit foodies’ sites with their fantastic pictures of original dishes and am amazed at their creativity (in cooking, writing, photography, etc.).  I watch Julie & Julia and revel in the idea of following in Julie’s footsteps – having a challenge and rising to meet it.

But really, it is my husband who inspired me to commence with SpinachSmoothie – even coined its name…well, actually that is another story for another post. See, I pitched him my business idea of making healthy muffins and bars to sell at our local farmers’ market & coffee shops in order to raise funds to fight sex trafficking.  He responded with, “Why don’t you just start with a blog.”  I’m not sure what the correlation is between the two, except that after we talked, it became evident that the root desire behind my baking business idea was to help people while doing something that I at least find a bit pleasurable. It’s a basic human longing, isn’t it? To enjoy life while making a difference for good?

Normally, I would’ve considered the idea for weeks--pondering, praying, preparing—in hopes of venturing on into perfection while avoiding embarrassment and mistakes (and I might add, a bit of work too :) ). But I don’t want to live like that anymore – allowing fear of failure or growing pains – to keep me from pursuing an opportunity that could enrich the lives of others and even my own. After all, isn’t one of our favorite quotes (at least if you’re a Dead Poets’ Society fan), “Carpe Diem!”—Seize the Day!

And so begins SpinachSmoothie, a blog that I suppose will be an expression of musings on the things that I love, namely: Truth, Love, Health, Food, and the USA. An odd mixture, I know. But these are the things I am passionate about, so I shall try to encourage you with the things I’ve learned. I hope to somehow enrich your life – even if that means just entertaining you for 10 minutes, helping you find joy in simple things, or providing an opportunity to laugh with me at my own mis-haps…I’m sure there will be plenty of those. 

So, why don’t you join me in your own way.  Today, step out of your comfort zone and do something to help make someone else’s life better. You may just find some happiness along the way.