Veggie Problems

As I've alluded to before, the husband and I have began a "flexitarian" diet. I didn't even know what we were doing had a name until I was doing some reading on the internet about how to make sure you get enough protein and whatnot. One of those recently created buzz words I guess. Anyway, basically all it means is that we eat a plant-based diet the majority of the time and eat meat once in awhile. For us, my husband couldn't possibly entertain the idea of living without chicken wings and, as weird as this is going to sound, I'm a sucker for a good turkey sub. And every now and then I become convinced I'll probably die if I don't get a cheeseburger pronto. So we decided to eat plant-based Monday through Friday and indulge in out carnivorous ways Saturday and Sunday. We did some research and the more we read the more it became clear that our bodies do not need the amount of meat and animal products that American society survives off of. More than that even, it's unhealthy to consume as much meat as we do in this country. In my house we found that we were eating very little nutritious, delicious fruits and veggies because meat was taking over! This brought us to our resolution to eat more fruits and veggies and less meat and processed food!

BUT

We've been doing this for about four months now and I'm getting burnt out! I'm the picky one in our house and it's hard to find vegetarian recipes that are filling, nutritious, AND appeal to my taste buds! Since Jon is pretty into weight lifting getting enough protein is a concern as well. I try to steer clear of processed meat substitutes, like tofu and tempeh, just because that kind of defeats the purpose of our diet, plus I don't really like it.

Needless to say, I'm getting frustrated and I'm much less enthusiastic about our new lifestyle. I would love some great recipes or tips on how others keep a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet!

Sunday Blessings

Today I decided to unofficially link up with by beautiful friend Kaity at (Bee)autiful Blessings and take part in her Sunday tradition of counting my blessings. Some time ago she began posting on Sundays a list of blessings in her life for that week. I've been meaning to try it out for so long and today's the day! So without further ado, here are my...

FamilyThe hubby and I hosted my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (who also happens to be one of my best friends) this past week, along with one of Jon's best friends from college and his girlfriend. While our small house was just slightly chaotic for five days we were so grateful to be able to spend some time with our loved ones.  Choosing military life means we sacrifice the luxury of being able to see out family and friends often. It's hard, but it makes the time we do get to spend with them that much sweeter. Jon and I have been blessed with an amazing family and great friends and it was so refreshing to get to see them!
LoveMy husband, Jon doesn't get many shout-outs. He likes his anonymity in public forums. But the truth of the matter is, he is a truly amazing man. Wednesday I woke up at 4:30am to ensure that my brother-in-law and his girlfriend made it to the airport in time for their 6:20am departure. After which I immediately returned to my bed and had no problem resuming my slumber. Later that morning I was awoken by the smell of eggs and toast circling the bedroom. Even though he had to work that morning, Jon woke up a little extra early to make me breakfast in bed and say thank you for all the effort I put into making our visitors' stay comfortable.  He continues to shower me with love and appreciation, even on the days when I definitely do not deserve it.
FriendsI've been fighting a sinus infection for the past week. Once Wednesday rolled around and the visitors left it all caught up with me. Wednesday night, after lounging in my pajamas and catching up on my sleep all day I ventured out of the house to find some dinner (it was around 7:30pm and with the husband's job you never know when he'll return). I drove to the nearest Firehouse Subs...and promptly locked my keys in the car. I tried Jon's cell, but he was still flying. I have AAA, but of course never have any of the info on me to actually use it. So even though it was after 8:00pm at this point I called up Jon's best Florida friend to help me out. He got up off his comfy couch, took some time away from his wife and baby boy to go to my house, get my spare key and bring it to me. God knows how long I would've been out there in the parking lot if he hadn't come to bail me out. My biggest fear about the military was not being able to make friends, and we have been so incredibly blessed by the people God has brought into our life. They would drop everything in an instant to help us out if either Jon or I were in need.
USMCLast, but not least...no one likes to talk about money, but lets face it. It's a big deal. Without Jon's job we would've never have been able to afford to get married when we did. We  wouldn't be able to survive this economy as I've been searching for a job for over a year and can't seem to land one. We wouldn't be able to afford a healthy lifestyle. The Military provides us access to a gym, as well as pays Jon well enough that we can afford our new found "flexitarian" diet. Most recently, we were able to purchase an awesome new bed. Our old one was a full size mattress I had bought used to get me through college. It sloped in the middle and was hard as a rock. We woke up feeling like 90 year olds! Our new, bigger, better bed has been a major blessing as we are able to wake up refreshed and feeling good and ready to take on the day! While money wasn't a motivating factor in Jon's decision to join, or in my decision to marry him, it is definitely one way we've been blessed by our military experience!

St. Paddy's Day Disappointments

Hi all! Again I apologize for my absence. Our house once again has been full to the brim with visitors, all of whom we loved having! We're still trying to get everything back in order and get ourselves back into a normal routine though. The weather has been so amazing here the past few days that I've spent most of them out at the beach or on a boat and have acquired a horrid sunburn (yeah...I may have forgot my sunscreen my first day out). I tried a Pinterest find on healing sunburns by dabbing the affected skin with a washcloth soaked with black tea and letting it sit on your skin overnight. While it provided some short-term relief from the pain, it definitely didn't 'cure' my sunburn!

Anyway, on to today.

I've spent all day trying to get into the St. Paddy's Day spirit. It just isn't happening. To be honest, I just don't understand the holiday. While I do know the history behind it and believe it is something worth celebrating for those effected by it or those who take its true meaning to heart, it just has no relevance in my life. The way I see it, St. Patrick's day is just a day for all those of Irish heritage (of which I am) to live up to the stereotypes that they protest against for the other 364 days of the year and for those who aren't to do it anyway.

So today I find myself at home alone, as my husband is working all day, forcing myself to listen to Irish pub songs (which I very much enjoy any day of the year!) and wear green just because everyone else seems to think it's a big deal. I feel like a kid that got nothing for Christmas. All this hype about a big huge let down of a day. Whatever the origins of this day, it has become yet another day for people to justify their gluttony and overindulgence...and wear silly hats and a ridiculous amount of green. Sorry to all you St. Paddy's Day lovers out there, I just can't get into it.

Random Ramblings About My Life Lately

Whew! I've been in a whirlwind this week! Tonight my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (also one of my best friends) are getting here, followed by one of my husband's best friends from college and his girlfriend on Friday. Our little house is going to be overflowing! I've been running around like crazy getting everything ready for them to come and now that there's exactly four hours until I go pick the first pair up from the airport I can hardly contain myself. I'm so excited!

This weekend my best friend in Florida and I went to The Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience. All I have to say it is was definitely an experience! It was probably the strangest thing I have ever seen, but it was fun nonetheless. We got all dressed up in our crazy, weird, gothic-y attire and got A LOT of stares when we stopped to the mall before heading to the music hall.

All of the black and dark makeup let my inner bad ass loose and we ended up getting getting our rooks pierced together! Normally I run at top speed in the opposite direction of anything remotely painful, but apparently I was feeling brave.

Autumn and me with our new piercings!

being a champ - I didn't even cry!

That's been just about the most exiting part of my week. I made some pretty awesome quinoa patties last night. For any other vegheads, and even if you're not I recommend trying them! I'd never heard of quinoa until a couple of months ago, but now I'm fairly obsessed. It's a great option for vegetarians, or 'flexitarians' such as myself because it's full of fiber to make you feel full, it's a great source of protein, including essential amino acids, it's gluten free and is a complex carb! These patties are delish and it makes a ton so you can freeze a bunch and have a quick meal on hand. On that note I think I hear leftovers calling my name...

Let Love In

I was listening to K-Love the other day, something I used to avoid at all costs, but recently have began to appreciate. Over the last few months they've been raising awareness about a trip they're sponsoring to Afghanistan. K-Love prompted listeners to donate money towards the surgery for a little boy named Ali who had a cleft pallet. As they stated in their culture it is more than a slight deformity. It is seen as shameful, to the point that little Ali's family did not leave their home for fear of the ridicule and cruelty they would endure. They were shunned from society and alone. Listeners donated money to an organization that travels around the world, going to largely untouched places where hospitals and the technology to do such surgeries do not exist and spread God's love through their medical gifts. For a mere $1,000.00 Ali received the surgery to repair is cleft pallet and literally change his entire family's life. That in itself says a great deal about how much we have in this country and how little it takes to truly make a difference in the lives our our brother and sisters around the world.

The thing that really stuck out to me was when I heard one of the K-Love dj's talking about his experience as he was able to travel to Afghanistan and meet Ali and his family and be with them through the surgery. He said that being there and befriending these people helped him to realize how kind and loving the people of Afghanistan are. We in America allow the evil extended by a very small group of people to define our opinions about the entire Muslim people. In reality they're people just like you and me, loving, caring, with families.

While this idea isn't new to me and I agree fully, it was incredibly refreshing to hear it expressed by a fairly well known Christian figure. It has been my experience that more so than the "secular" population in our country, the generally conservative Christian population are the ones promoting hate toward the Muslim people. It's heartbreaking that we slander and spew out hateful words towards innocent people who never have, and would never think of doing something harmful to us. More than that it is, as based on basic fundamentals of the Christian faith, wrong. The Bible over and over states that we are to LOVE our enemies Luke 6:27 says "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Matthew 5:44 says "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." I am not saying that the Muslim people as a whole are our enemies. What I am saying is that even if they were, and even for the few that deserve to be called so, the correct and God-pleasing response is to show them the love.

We get so angry when our peers look at "Christians" like Westboro Baptist Church and conclude that's what Christianity is all about. Yet we do the same thing to the Muslims. It's such unbelievable hypocrisy and injustice.

So anyway, it brought me great joy to hear a mainstream Christian voice advocating the idea that most Muslims are peaceful people and should not be judged based upon the actions a few radicals. Greg Mortenson portrays an amazing example of this in his book 'Three Cups of Tea'. For those unfamiliar with his work, Greg traveled unexpectedly to a remote mountain village in Pakistan in the few years before the takeover of the Taliban. There he witnessed the vulnerability of these people to the work of the Taliban created by the lack of education. He vowed to build them a school, and he did. Not only did he build one, but he traveled all over remote villages of Pakistan and later Afghanistan building schools. The book tells the story of the obstacles he overcame, the schools he built, and more than anything the people he met. It is a truly moving and inspiration book and I highly recommend it! He has a second one, 'Stones into Schools' that I haven't read yet, but it's on my list!