Good morning y’all! Thanks so much for all of your sweet get-well wishes…they must’ve worked too because I’m definitely a lot better!
Yesterday the only thing I could eat (before dinner) was some Vegan Overnight Oats with Chocolate Banana Soft-Serve!
I’ll be honest, I tried overnight oats a while back and was NOT a fan of the cold oats, but this was INCREDIBLE! Adding the banana soft serve made all the difference in the world, and I’ve now found my newest obsession 🙂
The rest of the day was spent sleeping and folding laundry while sitting on my bed, which I think helped me get better much faster (the sleeping, not the laundry). Come time for dinner I was STARVING and super thankful that food actually sounded good! I decided to make some Pineapple Salsa, a recipe that I’ve been making since a collegiate stint at a local burrito place (they’re now closed). I gathered up all the ingredients!
- 2 small cans Rotel Original, 1 drained and 1 with the liquid
- 1 can of crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 large red onion
- 2 jalapenos (I seeded one and left the other intact. The heat is all in the seeds and the membranes, so if you don’t want it to be spicy then remove all of the seeds and membranes from both jalapenos)
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 3-4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp garlic powder
Rough chop all of the fresh ingredients (tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, cilantro) and combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached. It should look something like this:
And it will taste like HEAVEN. Seriously, this salsa is the best I’ve ever had, and as a proud Texan-living-in-Colorado, I know my salsa. Don’t worry; I’m expecting several marriage proposals after this one, but just so you know Nate’s already got my heart 🙂
We also had some Spelt Berry, Black Bean, and Edamame Salad, based on this recipe:
When I made it I didn’t have onions or wheat berries, so I used onion powder and spelt berries, and used some carrots in there for extra color and some sweetness. Honestly it’s a little bland, but nothing that a little Pineapple Salsa can’t fix! We each had a fajita-spiced (loosely based on this spice mix recipe) grilled chicken breast as well:
So good, and a perfect summer meal! We each had some unpictured tortilla chips with our salsa as well 🙂
Dessert was a store-bought ice cream cookie sandwich, which was the perfect ending.
I’m happy to say that I was able to keep all of the food down, and it feels good to have finally eaten!
Joy in Faith
I’ve been holding off on this topic during the entire series because I wanted to make sure that I did it justice and was able to clearly voice my beliefs in a way that would help and bless all of my readers. It’s also a difficult topic because I know that not everyone will agree with everything that I have to say, but it is something I believe everyone needs to hear! Let’s just jump right in, shall we? 🙂
I grew up with an amazing family: two parents who modeled a great love for one another, a great love for me, and a great love for God. I grew up in the church, and felt that I had a firm understanding of who God is and what He meant in regards to my life. When I was in 3rd grade, I “accepted Jesus into my heart” at a Methodist summer camp, which meant to me that I was saved from going to hell when I died. From then on I defined myself as a Christian, and made every attempt to not “misbehave” for fear of tarnishing that reputation.
In 7th grade is when my disordered eating began, but I pretended nothing was wrong and never addressed the issues within my heart that were causing me to despise food. In high school I took diet pills, but still never thought anything was wrong. In college I took diuretics and over-exercised, and STILL never thought anything was wrong. However, at one point (and I don’t remember the catalyst) I realized that my thought patterns and behaviors towards food were not healthy and were not God-honoring. In the days following I decided to re-dedicate my life to Christ, but still had no firm understanding of what that meant.
You see, I knew how to go through all of the motions, but I had no idea what it meant to actually live out what God really calls me to do: love Him with all my heart, mind, and soul, and then to love others as I love myself (Matthew 22:37-40). I didn’t know how to do this because I didn’t know how to love myself. At that point in time I’d learned to base my entire self-worth on my food intake and not on the woman that I was created to be.
I’ll be 100% honest here: there is no turning point for me in this, but rather a lot of mini-turning points. Just when I think I have it all figured out, I’m presented with a new way that I put myself above God and everyone else, and there’s an eminent downfall that follows. And I’m still learning how to submit to His will for my life, one day at a time. So how do I find joy in faith?
- The biggest thing is to remember that God’s plan for my life is greater than anything I could ever imagine. I think it’s important to understand that I’m not preaching the “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel” here. Just because God’s plan is great doesn’t mean that I’m going to be a gazillionaire next week, have ripped 6-pack abs, or a closet full of designer jeans that is the envy of all of my friends. It means that I am gifted in certain areas, and that God will use those gifts for His glory…which is my wish as well. As I said in this post, my hope is that this blog and my life will be used to change the world, one person at a time.
- God is for me. I remember my friend Stephanie saying those very words about a year ago and coming to the realization, for the first time, that God is not some cosmic deity just waiting for me to screw up. His will for my life is to follow wholeheartedly after Him with a full understanding that He loved me enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. If God would do that thousands of years before I was born, it’s silly for me to think that I’m in this struggle of sin and life alone: God is with me and God is for me. And He’s with you and for you too.
- I am loved. I’ll be the first to admit it, but I’ve had a very privileged life. Any hardship I’ve faced has been because of something I’ve done to sabotage myself. However, for some reason I never felt like God loved me enough to keep me from myself. Thing is, I had to go through the crap to fully understand the full scope of the love that God (and my family and my friends) has for me. It brings me unlimited joy to know that, despite my issues, I am unconditionally loved and adored.
- Love others. I’m slowly learning to love myself, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love others. I try to show love to others daily through my words and my food. Showing love to other people brings joy that nothing else can, and it means that God is working through me to change the world, whatever that looks like.
I don’t know if I’ve clearly explained my beliefs, but if you have any questions at all please feel free to ask me. What it all comes down to is I’m willing to let God use me for good in this world, and even though I get in the way of that many times, I’m thankful for His forgiveness and love in my life.
I love you all and I am so thankful for every single one of you! Happy Wednesday 🙂
Keely (Sky Blue) says
Thank you for this awesome post! I love to read the perspective of other believers it is so refreshing. This really blessed me…thank you.
Nienke at Revel says
Aw I love this post! You have a great gift for putting your thoughts into words. Thanks for the reminder to (as Therese says it) “let go and let God” 🙂
And I agree with you that our growth doesn’t always happen with a bang, but rather in a series of small events and realizations. I guess God knows that’s the best way for some of us to learn?!
Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
Those oats look so delicious. Never tried overnight oats with banana soft serve, but that sounds extra delish.
Glad you’re feeling better!
Jenn
Emily says
Thanks for the reminder that God has a plan for me. I definitely struggle with this a lot. I truly believe that God is in control and has a plan. As I go through these possible job and life changes, it’s so good to have reminders of this. Thanks for the great post!
Kailey@MissionHealthy says
I love how this post relates to God. It’s nice to read other believer’s posts! I am still struggling to let God control me but I know that he has great plans for me and I just need to let him sit in the driver’s seat and take control 🙂
Katie @ Health for the Whole Self says
Beautiful post, Heather. I think that so often we struggle because we cannot comprehend just how great God’s love for us really is. My brain hurts just trying to think about it! But if we can just begin to grasp how deep that love is, it opens the door for self-love and love of others.
Megan @ The Oatmeal Diaries says
What a beautiful post!! 🙂
Not to mention your overnight oats and that dinner look GORGEOUS!
Lori says
I really enjoy your blog. Thank you for sharing your faith. Glad to hear you are on the mend.
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
Mmm…banana soft serve in overnight oats sounds like a purely genius idea. Love it! 😀
paijery says
Glad you’re feeling better! All your food looks amazing! I’ve never even heard of spelt berries – are they a lot like wheat berries? I LOVE overnight oats but have yet to try them with banana softserve 🙂
Anna says
I’m so glad you’re feeling better! That salsa sounds awesome!
lizzie says
Very well written and oh so true…love your blog
Therese says
This is a pretty deep and awesome post.
My mom always said to me, “Let go and let God.” So simple yet so hard to do! The second I stop obssessing over everything in my life and just turn it over to Him, things start to work themselves out. If only I wasn’t so stubborn all the time!
Esther says
Thank you for this post! It is uplifting to my heart & soul!
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I love banana soft serve in WARM oats, but have never tried it in overnight oats because I don’t like them. But now I really want to try it!
So true about your joyful paragraph as well. I NEED to trust God on certain things. I am such a control freak that it is very hard sometimes.
Becki @ HikeBikeEat says
I tried overnight oats a week or two ago and was completely disgusted by them :(. I’ll have to try adding some soft serve if it made you like them. Trying to have an open mind!
kelsey@snackingsquirrel.com says
holy yum that dinner looks fantastic!!! and truly the best overnight oats and softserve ever posted and probably ever made in the entire world!! im speechless!! <3
Kara @ MyWellnest says
Glad to hear you’re feeling better! I’m passing on your salsa recipe to my husband (the salsa maker in the house) 🙂
Lindsey @ Foodie on the Rocks says
haha, great minds think alike!
https://eattravelclimb.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/love-mondays-off/
i hate being sick and not being able to eat. i mean it’s my favorite thing to do in the world :).
Heather says
Glad you’re feeling better and can keep the eats down 🙂
Kelly says
Hey pretty lady! Great post! I wish I was better about trusting God in my life. Unfortunately, that requires letting go of the perceived control and even though I know I truly have no control I still can’t seem to let go of the belief that I do. Does that make sense?
Heather says
That totally makes sense! And it’s not easy, and I struggle with it every day. But when I don’t and I really let Him take control, that’s when things turn out better than I could ever imagine!