Going Raw...For Dinner

                                       


Have you ever had a moment where you just really HATE food? And I'm talking with passion. I feel like every time my body gets sick of trying to digest the fat, greasy and fast foods that I cram down my throat it lets me know. I get this uncomfortable feeling in my chest that either has me reaching for Gas-X or a carrot. While sitting at my desk one day, dealing with the uncomfortable and awkward feeling of trying to swallow a belch that desperately wants to come out, I realized that I needed to make a change in my diet.

A few months ago I came across the YouTube channel Fully Raw Kristina. It's a food interest blog that is run by raw foodist, Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram. I became interested then but I pushed it off after I realized how difficult it would be to change my diet completely. So, since my body seemed to be desperate for some type of cleansing, I decided to visit her website and give one of  her recipes a try.

The first EASY thing that caught my attention was her Mango Avocado Noodle Salad. It only required a few easy things, which really is a huge bonus with raw food recipes. You don't need seasonings or sauces, so you don't have to worry about stressing over not having some type of  flavored powder that you've never heard of.

The recipe calls for mangoes, avocados, zucchinis, green unions and rosemary.





Easy enough right?




In order to make her veggies into pasta, Kristina often uses a spiralizer. But I don't own one of those so I decided to turn my pasta noodles into pasta squares...(ish).




I cut up one large mango and two small sized avocados and blended them up.



Once that was finished, I poured the sauce over the noodle squares, threw on some mushrooms, green unions and tajin (because tajin just makes everything better) and voila!





I made this a few nights ago, and I must say that after the cooking fail  I had tonight (interesting post coming soon) I realized how great it is to be able to cook without stoves, ovens, spices and watches. It really is a beautiful thing.




If your interested in checking out the exact recipe, check out this video and feel free to fall in love with the rest of her other videos. She really does have some creative ideas when it comes to fruits and veggies.

Christian Films That Shaped My Faith

I think we underestimate the power of a film in the christian faith. I don't think a lot of Christians understand the blessing you can receive from watching a cinematic feature that was guided by the hands of God. So, in case you haven't come across them, here are the top Christians films that helped to shape my understanding of how I should live as a Jesus loving woman of God. There won't be any spoilers so don't worry.

1. Letters To God

At the very least, I can say that this film sparked a water-work in me that felt almost therapeutic (everyone needs a good cry now and then), but at the very most, it forced me to turn a harsh mirror unto myself as I evaluated how I lived my faith alone and in front of others. It is about a young boy, who even at the young age of eight has a strong relationship with God. It was in this movie that I learned that my walk with Christ is my letter to some one who is not a believer. My letters should be filled with love, encouragement and most of all Jesus.

2. Facing The Giants

This was another tear-jerker, but for a completely different reason. It was the desire to persevere that had me reaching for the tissue box. It centers around a coach who puts all his faith in God and brings that same faith to a high school football team. My favorite line from the movie is, "We will praise Him when we win, and we'll praise Him when we lose." That line became an ongoing phrase with them as they went at each game with new determination. It was in that line that I got a clear vision of how to praise God regardless of your situation. This is a key factor in Christianity because we will not always have happy days. It is crucial that we know that God is in the good moments as well as the bad.

3. Raising Izzy 

This little number was a random flick that I came across on Redbox. I'm not going to lie, part of my appeal was the cover. At the time,  I had never seen  anything in media that showed a black couple raising adopted kids of another race. We are always the one being adopted. But when I read through the summary, I knew I needed to watch it. This film teaches that God's will trumps over any of our wills and desires. They are things that might not make sense at the moment, but in time, we will begin to see why God decided to cover up our dreams with His power.

4. God's Not Dead



God's not dead. Need I say more? If there were ever a movie to pass out to your unbelieving relatives and friends, this would be the one. Recently, I've had a growing interest to study christian apologetics, and as that passion slowly began to dwindle this movie quickly snapped the light back on. As a young student tries to defend his beliefs in front of his seemingly angry, atheist professor, he gives a few logical explanations for the evidence of God that could work to shift (even if it's small) the doubts of an unbeliever.





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Photo Credit
Image 1: https://www.facebook.com/LetterstoGodthemovie
Image 2: http://www.amazon.com/Facing-Giants-Alex-Kendrick/dp/B000KLQUS0
Image 3: http://sonomachristianhome.com/2013/08/one-village-entertainment-releases-raising-izzie/
Image 4: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2528814/

Please Don't Ask Me Out From The Other Side Of The Room

It's hard to have a quiet and gentle spirit when someone is shouting at you from across the room. Ok, so I'm exaggerating, but in this matter, they might as well have.

I mean, what girl really wants to hear, "when you gon' let me take you to dinner?" while others are passing right through the conversation?

I think most girls are flattered when a young (or older) gentlemen takes notice of them. The media is selling us outer beauty and there are time where we sadly seem to take the bait. But the one thing that I find disturbing about being noticed  is the guy who finds the confidence (if you can call it that) to 'make a move' in a room that is swarming with family, friends and acquaintances in ear shot. To make this simple I'll just say that it is quite mortifying. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that no matter how flattering the comment or question might be it is still embarrassing when it is done in front people that you are close to, and even older people that you look up to. If and when people hear it, they instantly become intrigued. Their hearing gets a little better as they want, no, NEED to know what you will say. The "Asker" has now invited people into an intimate conversation who had no business being there in the first place.

As a Christian woman who is waiting patiently for the god-fearing, Jesus loving, people serving husband of my future, I know that each potential suitor that I find interest in or that finds interest in me has to have the qualities that I would need to see in a godly husband. Therefore the dating phase is something that is sacred. As you date, court, or whatever it is that we Christians do, we are pledging that we will think purely with one another and act purely with one another. We are to be gentle with each others feelings, weakness and flaws as we both continue on in our relationship with God. So how am I to expect that you will treat the dating process sacredly and with gentleness if you could not begin the initiation process sacredly and with gentleness?














Photo Credit: http://tinkerbelle86.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/embarrassed-girl.jpg

I've Never Been To Europe, But I Imagine I'd Dress Like This

Berets, sweaters and maxi skirts (please don't ask me to say 'Oh my!'). But there is something about all three of these articles of clothing that just made this a lovable outfit for me. The sweater is thick with little, gold....shimmies?....in them. This sweater reminds me of  a darkened sky, with the stars neatly aligned in a galaxy of chaos. There is also something about this sweater that seems romantic. I found this in the back of my mothers closet early spring so I haven't had the proper opportunity to sport something this thick, but good things come to those who wait. I got the black skirt from H&M a year ago, its sheer with a very short slip on the inside, I still normally wear leggings with them. And the beret? *sigh* I don't know when it began, but over the years I've developed a slight obsession with them. I own about five, and I am still on a mission to own one in every color. I just think there's a certain amount of class that a beret brings to an outfit. I often have to stop myself from adding one to EVERY outfit that I wear.

Fighting Sadness With The 'Thinking of You' Board (DIY)

Whenever the thick blanket of sadness finds it's way over our heads, it's easy to forget that there are people out there who truly care about you, your success and your well-being. In your distress, you talk yourself into believing that out of all the people in this world, there is not one who thinks about you. Whelp, I'd hate to be the one to break it to you, but there is a high probability that you are wrong. Very wrong. And you probably have the evidence to prove it.

Have you ever found yourself so swamped with birthday, thinking of you, and 'You did it!' cards that you end up stacking them all together and stuffing them at the bottom of a drawer? Well, I'm here to give you a big, bold STOP. We are going to put those cards to use.

Most people have had at least one note, card or text that has genuinely made them smile. Sooooo instead of deleting, losing, trashing or even posting them on Instagram, maybe we should plaster them. On a board of course.

What You'll Need

Cards! You can also use notes, e-mails, text messages (printed, of course) or any written letters that put a smile on your face at one moment in your life. You may even want to use the envelops and stamps that came with them for special touch of decor.

Scissors, a blank canvas or picture frame, glue, tape and any type decoration you might want to add.

Now have some fun! This will not only be good and comforting reminder board for you to look at in the long run, but it will also be a relaxing and therapeutic process to endure as you cut, shape and read all the past "I thought of you" notes that have been stashed under your bed. While you're at it, you may want to add a few bible verses or bible 'inspired' verses.

 God's notes are always the best. He can't lie ;)

If you don't learn anything else from this project, understand how much value your words actually have. Take time to acknowledge that somewhere in your pool of family, friends, acquaintances, neighbors and co-workers is someone who is waiting to have a heart felt note, card or text sent to them. If only for a small moment of cheerfulness.

So if you are someone who does this...

Stop.

Inner Beauty Is... Give me a sec

I wanted this post to be about inner beauty, but as I began to take notes on what I thought I wanted to say I realized that I had no idea what inner beauty actually consisted It's actually funny as I think about it, because i'm actually asking what does inner beauty LOOK like. Jeez! Can we not escape this whole "EYE of the beholder" fairy-tale. It seems that even our inward characteristics have a unique appearance that we are searching for. Why do I even bother?

No...but really...why am I trying so hard to achieve this whole, "I want to be beautiful in my heart," anyway? I mean, wouldn't it be easier to be like every other beauty/fashion blogger and just post pictures of myself with my fashion tips and tricks? Wouldn't that be a good way to boost my ego and fight my insecurities? Posting beautifully, edited selfies that strangers will hopefully leave flattering comments on? Oh yes, for the first few months of this blog, I was living the life. But in truth, it wasn't easy. My heart was not at ease, and I think it's because I did not feel as if my God was pleased. At the time, I didn't believe that my new-found interest in fashion blogging compromised my faith in any way, but as I dig deeper into my soul (I know, I know), I am coming to the understanding that by putting so much in to creating the right outfit, and adding the right commentary to go along with it was time consuming. It was time that was being taken away from serving my Lord and Savior. And by allowing this I was showing that there were more important things to put my energy towards.

I have to constantly remind myself that at the end of the day, when this world is gone this blog will be too. So it doesn't matter how many great  outfits I was able to style or even how many people subscribed to my blog. What matter's most is the Rock that will continue to stand.

The Thirst For Community

My God is not dead, and when He speaks, He really speaks. It amazes me that even though I believe in His power and I know that He is real, I still become dumbfounded when I hear Him speaking to me. It's as if I know and understand in my mind that His power exist, but when it becomes obvious that His power is working right before my eyes I am speechless, and my awe of  Him  is strengthened in my heart. This is a flaw in my faith that I desperately need to address. It should not surprise me that God would answer a prayer, I should graciously expect that the answer will come in His time. God is still working on me.

For a while now, I have been desperate to create some form of community as I walk in my Christian faith. As an only child it is easy to drift away, or just naturally feel like a lone ranger when it comes to social cues. I've been living that life for a while, but I don't think my heart can take it anymore. I am a young Christian woman who is "thirsty" for community. And I have been getting the feeling that God strongly wants that for me too. After all, he was the one that said, "it is not good for man to be alone." I think He knew, even from the beginning, that this walk would not be one that we can do alone in the flesh. I think we often take that verse to mean that we are all suppose to have spouses. Adam was alone, and then God brought him Eve, and they had little Cains and Ables to run around their white stone fence. But maybe, just maybe, God could have also been saying that it is not good for my children to be alone in general. Maybe our 'not being alone' does not solely rest on who we are married to. I need Christian friends, and I don't mean associates, I need Christian community. I need people to love on my like a sister, as I will love on them like one (or brother). I need people to hold me accountable, to correct me when I'm wrong, and who will allow me to correct them if the moment calls for it. I need a community that will draw me deeper into Christ. 

I've been struggling with this for the past couple of years, and just a few days ago, I decided that I needed to do something about it. Now I don't believe in coincidences, so try your best to prove to me that this wasn't a God intervention.

Wednesday was the day that I decided that I needed to take the necessary steps to create a christian community within my church. There is a large age gap within my church. The presence of members who are between 18-30 years-old are practically nonexistent. But despite not having a lot, we still have them, and I needed to work with that. I decided that the best way to do it would be to kick it off with something fun...and cheap, so I created a Facebook event. 

They will probably think that I am the corniest bugger that ever lived, but that's ok, there is a method to this madness. 

For every event that you make on Facebook they ask that you include a description. So instead of just putting "just because" in the description I needed them to know why it was so important for me to put this invite out.

Before I posted this, I searched the internet for scriptures on christian community and I came across Hebrews 10 24-25 

"And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Shortly after making that event I searched the internet for any churches that might have had a ministry that catered to my needs. I don't want to leave my church, but I do think it's ok to branch out for food. As I was doing this I came across the ministry "Incite." Ran by the young adults of Cottonwood church. I knew that I needed to go. The timing for finding this ministry and when they had their meetings could not have been more perfect. So today, I mustered up the bravery I needed to attend a church full of young adults that I didn't know, and I'm so glad I did.

Not only was the praise and worship session a great experience, the message itself seemed to be just for me  me. The message for the night came from Hebrews 10: 24-25. Like I said, I don't believe in coincidences. 

I believe that this was God telling me that  my desire to be around other Christians who hunger and thirst for righteousness is a godly one. And it is a thirst that I will continue to go after with God's guidance.