Meant to Be

Another pearl in the string of confirmations that God had has placed me here at West Virginia University, living in this home, studying nutrition at this program.

The other day, as the weather was sinking deeper into fall, I decided to change to my flannel sheets. And these sheets, which I was given as a birthday present a few years ago (when I lived in the frigid northwest corner of the old farm house!), are the exact same color as the paint on my bedroom walls in my new house.

Just a little thing, but a sweet reminder that He has ordained every step, and will carry His good works through to completion (Philippians 1:6).


How has God shown up in your life recently?

Relaxation in a Skillet

Sorry it's been a little while since I've written- my plate is filling up with the wonderful tasks of my masters program. I am reading lots of research articles on home gardening, and quite enjoying it once I actually get started.

I took an excruciating statistics exam from 4:15 to 6:45 today, and then I slipped and fell in mud on the way home!

That being said, I needed some nourishment and a few moments to not think about school when I got home.

I was considering baking a sweet potato with raspberries- one of my favorite simple fall dishes, but decided not to heat up the oven. Plus, I'm in love with my cast iron skillet, so why not use it?

(By the way- I ended up using the oven anyways because then I decided to make some Whole Wheat Flax Bread. It's in the oven now and it smells MARVELOUS!)

Here's my original creation (no internet searching for ideas, even!)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet with Greens and Raspberries

1. Chop a sweet potato into chunks (about 1/2 inch)
Place in skillet over medium high heat along with a minced clove of garlic and teaspoon of oil.
Saute for about 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are 3/4 of the way soft.



2. Add 1/2 cup of black beans (mine were straight from the freezer, as described in my post on cooking beans) and cook another 3 or so minutes.

3. Roughly chop a handful of fall greens ( I used swiss chard). Toss in skillet along with 1/4 cup of water, and cover until greens are wilted.



4. Remove lid and add 1/3 cup raspberries, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and salt and pepper to taste.



5. Dish and enjoy :)

How to Punch a Pepper

I just wanted to share an idea that a friend of mine gave me recently- a simple method to prepare a pepper without a knife. It's quick, and although it doesn't yield perfect results, it may be helpful when working with youth that you don't trust with a knife, or if you just don't feel like getting a knife dirty.

Step 1.
Position both thumbs beside the stem of the pepper (only one thumb included in photo because the other hand was occupied with the camera).

Step 2.
Apply pressure until the stem recedes into the fruit.

Step 3.
Use your fingers to pull out the stem and seeds.

My New Favorite Convenience Food

So, I've just become enamored with a new vegetable: delicata squash. I've barely finished my lunch, and I can't wait to share it with you, so here it is!

A small squash (5-6 inches in length) is the perfect size for a meal for one person. I just cut off both ends, sliced it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds (saving them to make roasted pumpkin seeds- a great source of iron!) and placed both halves cut side down in 1/4 inch of water in a covered microwaveable bowl.

It took about 4 minutes to get soft in my microwave. Then, I drained the water, flipped the halves so that the cut side was facing up (looks like little canoes) and threw in a handful of frozen beans, some random spices, and a drizzle (2 teaspoons-even though it looks like a lot more in this photo) of tahini as a source of fat because I didn't feel like using olive oil. I also sprinkled some dried hot pepper over the pile, and the capsaicin is now dancing in my mouth.

I microwaved the squash for another 2 minutes to heat up the frozen beans, pulled it out, and commenced my lunch.

The great thing is that you can eat the entire squash- skin and all, at least according to my friend Sarah. It tastes fine to me, so even if most people don't eat the skin, I think I will.

I ended up needing a dollop of yogurt on top to cut the spiciness, but overall it was delicious.
This "recipe" is super versatile- you can stuff the "canoe" with pretty much anything- pre-cooked meat, tomato sauce, beans, pesto, cooked grains, and any sort of vegetable.

Enjoy!

After a morning of completing nutrition assessments in convenience stores and finding myself ridiculously tempted by the fatty, sugary, processed items (but resisting the temptation to buy anything, I must add!), I'm off to bake bread and quiche and all manor of yummy things for my cousin and his wife who are visiting this weekend. What a fun way to spend a Friday :)