We've had an interesting week. A few more customers are ordering prepared items, so our personal family menu has been changing a little to accomodate their requests. We've had surf n turf two weeks in a row after going several months without it. We also found a couple of fans of our queso verde which we dearly love. I was thinking about why we don't just make the things we like regardless of whether or not anyone orders it. As I analyzed the situation, I think we only make what is ordered because otherwise we'd have too much food. We wouldn't be able to eat all of that PLUS what is leftover after we fill customer orders. It is rather a nice problem to have: too much food in a world where too many people are wondering where their next meal is coming from. It is kind of like working at a restaurant: most restaurant employees eat what is on the menu where they work.
I've been milling around a recipe for a coconut cream pie, and it came to me a couple of weeks ago. I finally made it today, and it is quite good even if I'm not much of a coconut cream fan myself. Other family members liked it as well, so I'm anxious to see how customers like it.
It has a chocolate crust topped with a layer of banana. Then comes the coconut cream layer: thai coconut AND shredded coconut sweetened with agave nectar. I was kind of surprised about the banana layer as it just gives it a touch of somethin somethin without being all banana about it. I usually only like bananas by themselves.
Tuesday we were invited to give a presentation to a group of ladies who have been doing a 7 week class on the seven pillars of health (www.sevenpillarsofhealth.com) by Dr. Colbert. It is a program some churches use to teach a more God centered approach to health by applying principles taught in the scriptures. Only one pillar is centered around the food, and it stresses that living food should be eaten if one wants to have good health. The other pillars include drinking good water, getting enough rest and sleep, exercise, detoxification, nutritional supplements, and how to better cope with stress. I am always amazed at how many different ways to do things. We all have to find what works for us, and what works for us now may change as we detox, get older, and get more in tune with what our body needs.
Anyway, we were invited to speak to them about how a living foods diet has affected our life. We are so full of gratitude, and we love to share this with others. It was great to talk to the ladies although I'm not sure how willing they were to do things differently than the way they were used to doing them. I like the old adage: if you want things to be different, you can't keep doing things the way you've always done them.
I like how St. Augustine said it better: "If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained. Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing."
I hope and pray that at least one of them was inspired by our story and that because of what we shared with them, she will be willing to make some positive changes. Sometimes we may never know whether we have been a positive influence or not. We can only hope...
Contrast this if you will with a call I got from another friend's mother. She has a melanoma which is terminal, and she is trying to come to grips with life's fragility. I felt very inadequate as I talked to her. I wished I knew more of what to suggest that would be just the right thing for her. My only suggestion to her was to apply the correct principles of health as she is coming to understand them and take whatever comes. Putting a date on it is a two-edged sword. I think the reason we are not told too soon when our lives will end is because we do get trunky... (this is a term used by missionaries when their term of service is almost over).
I know that God answers prayers. He has answered mine just as surely as I sit here. When I pled with him to tell me how I could help my son, he gave me the information I needed to do so. Does that mean I always do what he tells me? No, I'm afraid not. I guess that's where that whole "weakness makes us strong" thing comes in. ("...if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" Ether 12:27.) I'm afraid I'm one of the weakest ones around... so I suppose that means there are great things in my future if I keep at it, right? In the meantime, there are consequences that must be endured until we decide that we're ready to change and do what needs to be done to move to the next level.
One of the fun things in our presentation with the ladies was that we brought samples of a whole days worth of food. Just little ones so that they could try everything. I think they were surprised that healthy food could taste that good.
We started out with a green drink: our usual (cucumber, celery, apple, lemon, greens). Then they had a little fruit salad: pineapple, banana, kiwi, raisins, coconut, vanilla sylk. For lunch was a Viva La Verde salad with a side order of no-net tuna; ranch dressing. One snack was apple slices with honey almond butter; another was some corny chips and salsa. For dinner we gave them some shredded zucchini with queso verde. It was kind of fun to do it that way, and they got to see how great a variety of foods there are even when we only eat raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. I think if we get to do other presentations, we might consider repeating this.
Our program consisted of asking them what their obstacles were to living the principles they had learned in the previous weeks. The only one they expressed was that their husbands didn't want to eat any differently. I'm not sure if that is an excuse or a legitimate obstacle. Certainly the way others in our family live is going to affect us, but we have to learn to do what is best for ourselves in spite of the efforts others make to sabotage us. We have to consider how much the adversary wants us to fail.
C. S. Lewis addresses this in his book Screwtape Letters. The book is sprinkled with advice from Screwtape (a devil) to his nephew, Wormwood (another devil), telling him what he must do to gain the soul of a Christian for the underworld. This mostly involves "muddying the waters". That is: not allowing the "patient" to clearly see the truth. Thus we are shown how evil is overcome by simple, clear actions and thought.
It is evil in our everyday lives that Screwtape addresses, petty evils that add up in the end to the destruction of our morality, the demise of our individuality and the utter destruction of our souls. In the end we find that the battle between good and evil is fought out on the field of our relationships with others and most of all our relationship with God. It is a great read.
Well, I've been philosophical enough. Any March Madness fans out there? We love MM at our house, so we're doing lots of finger foods this week to eat while we watch the nailbiters and hope for the best in our brackets.
Hoping your March madness results in lots of good and crazy things that bring joy and happiness into your life.
Menus for the week of March 20, 2010
breakfast: green drinks and juices, fruit
lunch: our substantial meal of the day. Most people eat their big meal for supper, but we like to eat it earlier in the day. Our night meal consists of simple food, what most people would consider a snack. Sometimes just some fruit, or a smoothie or mylk shake made with rejuvelac or almond mylk. Sometimes veggies and a dip, other times fruit and some nut butter. The main thing is to have those good things on hand so that you're not tempted to eat foods that are not healthy for you.
This week, one of our friends requested olive spread, a cashew cheese mixed with red peppers and olives. It is so good, and we are looking forward to that for some of our dipping meals this week. We all love honey almond butter with celery and/or apples too. Queso dulce (cashew cheese mixed with raisins; pictured at the beginning of the post) was requested this week, so we are so excited to have that with some apples or celery. Darius likes it with strawberries!
Here's our list of main meals this week:
Saturday: tacos (Romaine lettuce leaves stuffed with unfried no-bean (sunflower seed pate seasoned with cumin and coriander) topped with salsa and crema (cashew cheese based sour cream); Mexican rice (minced cabbage mixed with tomatoes, herbs, and spices)
Sunday: Pasta alfredo (shredded zucchini with cashew cheese alfredo); tossed salad
Monday: Avocado boats stuffed with elote con crema (spicy cashew mayo mixed with corn); ensalada (shredded cabbage, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt)
Tuesday: Mac n cheese (shredded zucchini with cashew cheese cheddar); we love this with marinated mushrooms. Cole slaw is good with this.
Wednesday: Spinach soup (cashew based alfredo mixed with shredded spinach). Watered down this is soup; otherwise it is a great dip, and Alicia loves to stuff mushrooms with it. We serve all soup with a sprouted buckwheat cracker, either pita chips, corny chips, or everyday bread, whatever we have the most of.
Thursday: Sweet n Sour noodles (shredded zucchini, slivered red pepper, and pineapple chunks with sweet n sour sauce: fresh squeezed orange juice, dried apricots, pine nuts, honey, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, yellow mustard seed powder from sprouted mustard seeds, unrefined sea salt, ginger, and some Irish moss for texture). How about a cucumber salad with it?
Friday: Collard wraps (tender collard leaves spread with queso verde (fermented cashew, macadamia, and parsley cheese) and topped with carrot raisin salad); miso soup (miso mixed with warm water poured over slivered mushrooms and sliced green onion).
A few new desserts this week:
chocolate puddin' (avocado and young Thai coconut mixed with cacao powder and agave nectar)
coconut cream pie (as described previously)
apple crisp (a perennial favorite: apples, raisins, dates, pecans, very simple, yet delicious)
cheesecake (pecan crust topped with cashew cream cheese cake finished off with raw cacao topping)
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