Cancellation of giveaway and farewell

Well, Hippie and I sure appreciate the few of you who read our entries in Table Tuesday and Food Journey Friday. However, if we're being honest, there are very few of you! :)

In emailing with sweet Natalie, we have both decided that the contest (see two previous entries) will be called off, and we will say farewell to our fun series. There just aren't enough consistent readers to warrant the time and effort it takes to establish a very successful blog or series. We apologize to those of you who were interested in the giveaway. In the blogs I will soon recommend, there are always great giveaways going on!

Part of what has motivated my stepping back is that I'm not a great or very successful blogger. I don't say that to be falsely humble, so don't say sweet things like "oh yes you are", etc. I love writing. I'm sure I could develop further if the Lord wanted me to at this stage. But at this point, there simply are far more well-written, well-thought-out, and consistent blogs out there. Check out Passionate Homemaking, for instance. Or Naturally Knocked Up. Or Simple Mom. Or Keeper of the Home. Catching my drift here? :) These ladies work really hard to bless us through their thoughts, research, giveaways, exhortations, and challenges. And I just can't bring myself to take the time to emulate them right now in the writing realm.


The other part of my motivation for stepping back from this and other media (such as my current limitation of facebook) is Ephesians 5:15-16, which says,

¹⁵Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

I was studying this verse recently as we have been making our way through Ephesians. I wondered, is facebook a wise use of time? Is blogging wise for me? I'm not saying these things are bad, evil, useless. They can all be used for His kingdom (and I believe all the blogs I have mentioned ARE being used for His kingdom). However, I'm unconvinced of my own effectiveness in this realm.

My brother-in-law gave my hubby a funny "demotivational poster" for Christmas. It reads: BLOGGING. Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.

HA! It ironically sits on the desk from which I am currently blogging. I don't believe all blogs are fruitless. The ones I've mentioned are of great encouragement to me- I reference them frequently. However, I have wondered as of late how truly effective this blog is. Most of what I want to say is already being said quite well on these other blogs. Again, this is not to fish for compliments. I'm just being honest!


So allow me to thank you readers who did join us for the Food Journey. I pray that you will be able to continue on your own food journey successfully, and that Hippie and I may be of encouragement to you. Feel free to email us if you so desire! But for now, we will say good-bye to this fun series.


This is not goodbye to blogging forever. I just need to figure out the most fruitful use of my time for the Lord's glory. Well, really, it's His time. I just want to seek to honor Him fully and walk wisely.


Blessings in Christ,
Sarah

Table Tuesday Swap :)

Our sweet and happy hippie was a bit tied up today. I thought I would share my latest kitchen creation... Homemade Ketchup.

Has it ever frustrated you that ketchup has high fructose corn syrup, and yet it tastes so incredibly good? I mean, ya can't eat chicken nuggets without it. Well, I decided to make my own.

I used the recipe from the Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook, and it is just that! Healthy, tasty, different, and perfect for our meatloaf last night. It is thick and spicy, and so satisfying. I don't know if I'll go back to the old! My husband even liked it!

I dare you. Give it a try.

Spicy Ketchup

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1 Cup cooked carrot puree
2 T agave syrup (or other sweetener, this was my change instead of brown sugar)
.5 Cup water
4 T apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dry mustard
.5 t salt
.5 t ground allspice
.5 t chili powder


Stir all ingredients together in large saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced by about half, 15-20 minutes. Cool and serve. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in serving size snack bags for up to three months.


Your chicken nuggets will be so happy you tried it.

Happy and healthy eating to glorify God,
Sarah

Food Journey Friday: CSA

Nope, CSA is not the newest crime detection show on television. Thankfully.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. In a nutshell, it's like a subscription with a local farmer. I pay a certain amount of money and get a box/basket of fresh seasonal veggies each week for the growing season (usually spring through the end of summer). I was curious what my options might be for next summer.

In my search, I ended up on a great website called Local Harvest which is all about eating locally. I was blown away when I typed in my zip code and found 22 results for CSA in my area. 22! Granted, not all of them are really helpful or applicable. But I did find about 6 promising CSA programs in my area. I was thrilled to find so many!

So, why a CSA, you ask?

Well, the biggest draw for me is just that fresh food is just better for you.

I do love fresh food. As some of you know, I attempted my own garden this year. It was a great learning experience, and it yielded a few veggies. But I'm still mulling over my possibilities for next year's growing season. I have a great opportunity to do a garden with two gardening friends and think that would be very successful- more successful than mine this year. However, part of me wonders if it might be better to leave the gardening to people who actually know what they're doing. And who are really committed with their time. What do you think?

The prices for the CSA are really reasonable in most cases. I saw prices from $15 per week to $30 per week. Some you had to commit to 12 weeks, and some were only 4. I am definitely going to look into this more for next year. If any of you are interested, visit that link and type in your zip! I'm curious to see what you find!

This search also made me wonder: how do we eat healthfully/locally during these winter months? CSAs and farmer's markets are only open during the summer here (obviously-- that is when the produce is fresh!). Natalie? :)

That's it for now. We hope you'll take the challenge too... happy hunting!

Until next week... eat well!

The beginning of our Food Journey

Today begins a new era in home stuff here blog history. We are going to tackle the issue of healthy eating head on. I don't mean eating a granola bar. I mean a radical change in my eating habits.

You may be thinking that I've lost my mind, gone a little crazy, or started something I can't really finish. But here's the thing: I have come to a place where healthy eating actually matters to me. I've tried to find medical answers for my pain issue (mentioned in Worship Wednesday), but there are none. I left the doctor the other day frustrated and determined to see if the food that I eat might be able to change the pain that I've been experiencing for three years. Three years, people. You can imagine that I'm ready and willing to try anything (even "crazy, health nut eating") if it has a chance of helping my pain.

So allow me to introduce my sweet friend, Natalie Giguere, who will be helping us along this food journey. I invite you to join us as we seek to make small, doable changes which will honor our Lord with the bodies he has given us. Each Tuesday, Natalie will inspire, challenge, and encourage us with different facets of healthy eating. She will also give us a mission each week. We will call that "Table Tuesday." And each Friday, I will respond with my thoughts, challenges, and personal experiences, as well as my success or failure in that week's mission. We will call that "Food Journey Friday."

Let me share with you a few preliminary thoughts from Natalie on the issue of healthy eating:


Why cant "godly" and "green" by synonymous? (from Natalie):

Ok, so that is the question that got me started on a healthier lifestyle. Several years ago, I was wondering why fellow Christians referred to anyone with a passion for the environment and healthy, natural living as a "dirty liberal hippie."

Doesn't it seem that if we truly believe that the earth was created by an all-loving God, we should... well, love it back? Stick with me for a minute. Why is it that those who don't even believe that thoughtfulness and love were put into the earth from the get-go have more respect than we do for what they believe is an accident? Whereas, so many of our fellow believers, for political-sidedness sake, seem to think that attitude is something to poke fun at?

So that's where I stand: being environmentally conscious is, at least the very least, a way to show our respect to God and appreciation for this beautiful place He has given us (and past and future generations) to live on.

What does being environmentally conscious have to do with healthy eating?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized for God's creation doesn't just stop at being tidy, respectful, and aware of my surroundings. It goes further than that! I was created, too. He gave me this body! I mean, this body isn't really mine, but a gift given to me for a life span. Whoa. Whoa. Excuse me for a minute while my head explodes. Why would I want to trash this very personal gift with the creations of man? Let me be more specific:

Junk food, fast food, processed, hydrogenated, saturated, artificially flavored "treats" are not good for me. There's no argument there. They don't "sooth the soul" and, if you ask me, are just one more way Satan uses the creativity (another gift!) of man for bad. I know that might sound a little extreme, but again, stick with me:

"Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Isaiah 55:2

All of our "food products" which are made of extremely processed ingredients, artificial flavors, packed with sugar and sodium for more flavor, do not in any way compare with the bounty God has given me to nourish my body. It seems that having too much junk food in your life is a good way to set yourself up for bad health, bad shape, and insecurity, which distract you from the fact that your body is a gift, not an enemy.

Let me tell you something: if God doesn't satisfy you, nothing else will. And I've discovered healthy, natural living (that yes, does include some labor in the kitchen) is quite literally one way God makes Himself present in our lives for soul-filling satisfaction.


Amen, especially to that last statement! Are you intrigued? I hope so. Join us on this journey. It may seem daunting, but we must be willing to seek the Lord in this area if we really want Him to be Lord over everything in our lives! Let's let Him take us on this journey. Let's see what bounty He has in store for us.