Mornings

I am definitely a morning person. Everything seems so much better when you have the whole day in front of you, especially if it is accompanied by a hot cup of coffee or tea. I also love mornings because of breakfast, the greatest meal of the day! Filled with fruit, grains, nuts, and of course one of my favorite foods in the whole world muffins, there is nothing like a sweet wholesome breakfast to get your day going.

As much as I love my sweet breakfasts, I am sometimes in the mood for something more savory. I have never been a huge egg person but the recipe below (which I made up one morning) is really good...and contains whole grains, vegetables and protein.

An Unusual Breakfast Sandwich
1 bunch of collard greens (or turnip greens, chard, mustard greens, or kale*)
2 cloves of freshly pressed garlic
fresh grated ginger** (as much as you want, I think I use about 1/2 T)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
small green bell pepper (optional)
sun dried tomatoes

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add ginger, garlic, pepper, and greens and cook for a couple of minutes on medium high until they start to wilt. Add some water and continue to cook the greens until they turn a bright green and start to soften (you can cook longer if you want them to wilt more, I prefer them less wilted). Add balsamic vinegar (I use about two T. but I like a lot of vinegar) and sun dried tomatoes (4-5) and a little more olive oil (1 t) and cook for a bit longer. Remove from heat when they seem to be dark green but not yet completely wilted. Put greens on a plate.
2. In the same pan melt one pat of butter. Crack an egg into the pan and fry the egg.
3. Meanwhile toast some rye bread (whole wheat works too but rye is really good). Drizzle toast lightly with balsamic vinegar.
4. Assemble sandwich: Toast, egg, and greens.

Using a bunch of greens will give you enough for two-three sandwich's depending on your consumption of the greens so fry as many eggs as necessary. I eat this breakfast as an open-faced sandwich but you could definitely add another piece of toast if you like.
*Kale- needs longer to cook and is a little tougher, I prefer collard greens or chard with this sandwich

**If you buy a fresh ginger root (so good!) you should store it in the freezer. It will last a lot longer and then you can have fresh ginger whenever. Just thaw a little before you use!

One final comment- if this does not sound like an appetizing breakfast try it as a fun (but super easy and cheap) dinner. Broil some french bread drizzled with olive oil and then drizzle on the balsamic vinegar and add the egg and greens.

Sabbath

I have always been inspired by people, especially really busy people, who manage to consistently set some time aside for rest and rejuvenation. Last night, I met two very busy people, who managed to set aside a whole day just to do things that they truly enjoyed. I loved the way they described their decision as "a way to recognize that our worth is not determined by our work." I hope that when I enter my graduate program I can carry a similar attitude with me.

Since I am blessed with more free time this year, I have been able to consistently rest on Sundays, but today I felt especially eager to really enjoy the day. So I baked some bread, made two delicious meals, cooked a pumpkin and roasted its seeds, took a walk, and had dinner with my grandmother.

Teach me, O Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth;

direct my heart that it may fear your name.

Psalm 86:11

Winter Salad

I love salad, all types, from tuna to arugula nothing makes me happier then a tasty, nutritious, filling and easy-to-make salad. As much as I love greens, it is sometimes not feasible to center a salad around them. Therefor, I am ever on the quest for new salads that offer vitamins, protein, and fiber to fill you up! Here is one of my favorite non-lettuce salads that evolved from things that happened to be in the fridge.

Balsamic Broccoli Salad

1 Head of Broccoli washed, chopped into smaller bits

seeds from 1/4 Pomegranate

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts *

2/3 cup diced red onion

4 small to medium radishes sliced (optional)

Dressing

2 T Honey Mustard

1-1.5 T. Balsamic Vinegar (depending on your tastes)

1 t. canola oil (or other neutral flavored oil)

Mix all ingredients for salad. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate container, you can control the thickness and the tartness by the amount of vinegar you add. Pour dressing over your salad, toss and enjoy!

*Walnuts can be toasted by putting them in a dry pan over medium heat on the stove for a couple minutes (until they have a nice fragrance).

A small victory is still a victory

When caring for people with dementia it is easy to become depressed. To feel as though nothing will get better and it only will get worse. It is tempting to let yourself slip into a sort of apathy, thinking "what does it matter if I engage him in conversation, he doesn't even know it's me?"

But you can't! Because there are victories to be had, lessons to be learned, and joy to be given, even amidst the pain. That point was driven home today as I talked to my grandfather as he ate his dinner. Every day for the last two weeks I have, in addition to our normal conversation, asked him the same three questions. One he always gets right, one he sometimes gets right, and one he never gets right. But tonight, when I asked him the question that usually stumps and confuses him, he sat up, thought about it and then proudly proclaimed that his dog's name was indeed Seamus. A victory!

On the topic of victories, the flowers in the pictures began blooming a couple of weeks ago (evidently unaware that it is the dead of winter) on a beautiful green ivy arrangement we have in our home. What a wonderful present!

National Soup Month

As I read the paper this morning I was delighted to learn that January is National Soup Month.
How perfect for my winter of soup making (which I really have to credit my boyfriend with since it was his idea). Tonight was Spicy Black Bean soup, accompanied with some home made whole wheat tortillas.

Soup is pretty no nonsense, you get what you see. It is not really the most attractive dish (although some squash soups do dazzle with their brilliant colors) and it definitely is not as flashy as a souffle or a rich quiche. But it seems like a very practical, content, and economical food. So, it seemed perfect that today in my book "A Shepard Looks at Psalm 23" by Phillip Keller he was talking about humbleness and contentment. The best few lines had to be:
"It is the humble heart walking quietly and contentedly in the close and intimate companionship of Christ that is at rest, that can relax..."
What a beautiful thought to remember, that amidst this crazy world we have an everlasting source of true peace.

My adult voice

It seems like a short time ago that I was sitting at my desk, with my pencil, listening to my teacher who seemed so knowledgeable, together, and so much older.

Today I found myself as the teacher....of 11 squirming second graders. For a whole hour and a half, these 8 and 9 year olds must sit still (or relatively so) and learn about Jesus. Not an easy feat after a full day of school, and especially difficult due to some sugar laden cupcakes and juice boxes brought in for snack....

Due to these circumstances I found that I had to use my "adult voice" much more than usual. This voice seems to appear when needed most (i.e. some boys take it upon themselves to, take your pick: stand on chairs, frantically close and open the lockers at the back of the room, try and eat one of their classmates' cupcake) When the effects of my "adult voice" began wearing off attention was garnered using a short game of Simon Says (involving religious trivia), and 30 seconds of wiggle time.

*Next time the cupcakes are going to wait until the last 15 minutes of class

Beauty

"For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen." WIS 13:5

The pictures are thanks to a wonderful trip to the Conservatory. A warm respite from gray winter skies and piercing cold winds. A step into a magical land filled with exotic ferns, bright orchids, and the almost too perfect shrimp plant. What could be better?