A little bit of heaven

It's the beginning of Cherry season! I've been devouring them the last 2 days. I found some perfectly ripe (on sale!) ones at Raleys the other day. I think you should go get some and enjoy.

Eating more raw food has helped me get a handle on when produce comes into season. I've always tried oranges in summer, peaches in the winter and have been sorely disappointed at the lack of flavor and juice. So recently I've been researching when things come into season. For example, navel oranges are about done and strawberries are nearing the end of their season. But cherries, melons, and lots of greens are just starting! So go out and pick up a delicious watermelon or some bright red cherries and enjoy.

Raw Food Challenge

I've been inspired lately. I'm going to start a 30-day, 100% Raw Food diet on July 7th. I'm waiting until then because I'm going to Mexico June 15-27, and I'm in a wedding July 6th. I might possibly start it on June 29th, I'm just not sure yet.

I've been going more and more raw, but still giving in to terrible cooked foods often. I want to get ahold of my acid problem and prove to myself that I can eat only healthy food for once. I find it easier to eat healthy on the days that I work, because I have to choose the food I'm going to bring before I'm hungry, not when the cravings hit. Maybe I should work more.

Rain, rain, rain...

It's been raining here for a few days, and I love it! It reminds me of living in Portland... I miss it there. We went on a nice hike (it didn't start raining until this afternoon, although it was muddy) with my cousins and Jeffrey this morning. It was nice exercise, which I need to do way more often. I've had these huge shoulder knots that have started to constantly ache for about 7 years now and exercise seems to help them out a lot. Not necessarily walking, but arm things like volleyball, lifting weights, yoga, pilates, etc. Anyway, Jeffrey loved our walk and had a very good time. We put a little blue bandana on him to be a little patriotic for Memorial Day. Later we went to my Grandma's house for barbecued lunch and then went out to my Grandpa's grave at the cemetery. It was a nice day. Now we're home, I just woke up from a nap, and Andy and Jeffrey are still sleeping. We'll probably watch a movie later, and I think I'll eat a nice salad.

By the way, if anyone's up for an amazing salad, you need to try this. It's fantastic.

Mango Avocado Salad

This really is one of the best combinations ever.

2 Ripe Mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 Large Avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 Tablespoons Lime Juice

1 Tablespoon Tangerine Juice

2 Teaspoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Cilantro Leaves

1 Tablespoon Black Sesame Seeds

Add all ingredients to a bowl and enjoy!

I didn't have any black sesame seeds, and it's still delicious without them.

Vitamix 5200

So my awesome, rad husband decided to get me a present. Since we got our economic stimulus we have a little bit of extra money so he got me a Vitamix 5200 at Costco (you save a bunch of $ there!). Let me just tell you, it's fantastic. I've been blending like crazy. I used it 3 times today for smoothies and juice, I've made raw dressing for a delicious salad, chocolate dream cake, chopped nuts, etc. This machine is amazing. I heart it.

The Bible and God

I've been challenged lately. I think about myself far too much and too little about God and other people. I just recently started reading my Bible on a more regular basis. This has always been hard for me, I'm not good at establishing good habits at all. Maybe I'm just too lazy or too selfish, I don't really know. But reading the Bible has become very important to me. I need to know God's word in order to be changed by Him and in order to speak truth to others. Even after getting a BS in Bible/Theology I don't know my Bible half as well as I'd like to. My grandmother has always been an inspiration to me, I'm pretty sure she reads through the Bible every single year. My parents always got up early and read their Bibles together, even on the crazy days.

I want God to be more of a priority. I've been a little dry doing ministry to our high school and junior high students. I haven't wanted to go to youth group or call them or anything and I know it's because I'm being selfish and not letting God work in me and through me. But He keeps on breaking through my barriers and challenging me in huge ways. I love that He does that.

HOT!

Yesterday the temperature was officially 97 degrees. Today it's 95 at 5:21pm, so this afternoon was most likely in the very high nineties. It's WAY too hot for May! We don't have air conditioning, which is insane, so right now in our house it's 90 (we have very thin walls). I'm boiling, and Jeffrey is not having a good time. Andy won't stop complaining. We have a little window air conditioner, but it's hard to put in. Hopefully we'll be able to do it soon. AHHHH! I'm going to take a cold shower.

New food blog

For accountability purposes, I've started a new blog that I plan to update daily with what I've eaten. You can get to it here: diurnalsustenance.blogspot.com (which just means daily food). I need to eat better, and it's easy to hide the not good things that I eat. But not anymore. Yay for accountability with blogs!