God's Love has no Limits

My son Brian has taught me so much.  (As have all of my children.)
But the one thing that he has really helped me with is in developing a deeper relationship with God through an appreciation of God's amazing love for me.  We have had many discussions about this and I always come away with a little better understanding of what it means to be loved by God.

So I have to admit that I have used parts of our conversations in my homily last weekend.  I also
"borrowed" a couple of his ideas from a presentation that he gave at his church a couple of weeks ago, too.

Thank for sharing your inspired words, my son.

***********************************************************************************

God loves everyone.

No matter what we do.

We are all sons and daughters of God and God will never stop loving us.

No matter what we do.

We have heard about God’s love since we were kids and listened to stories from the Gospels about Jesus’ love for us.  We have heard the story of the Good Shepherd many times and in our heads, we know that God loves us.

But,

Do we truly believe in our hearts and our souls that God loves us?

Motivation to Change

It was almost 3 years ago that this picture was taken.  I was going to take my newborn granddaughter for a walk and I was so excited.  Someone snapped my picture and when I saw it, I remember thinking, "Ooooh.  I'm keeping that one under wraps."  I really looked bad.

It was a couple of months later that things began to change.  I began to work out at EMH fitness center and began to follow a plant based diet.  I had over the course of my lifetime, probably lost about 500 pounds, but always managed to put it back on again. All of the yo-yoing was really bad for me and surely didn't help my heart.

I remember taking this picture and I remember taking my granddaughter for a walk.  I remember thinking how I wanted to be around for many walks, for her first Communion, graduation, and to maybe someday be the one to officiate at her wedding.  My prognosis wasn't good.  My history was even worse.

When I made the commitment to get healthy and lose weight,  I knew I was running out of chances.

I look at this picture once in a while and I realize how blessed I was to be given a second chance.  And now my daughter, son - in - law and two grandchildren are coming home in a few days.

I can't wait to go for walks and to take them to the park.

Hope they can keep up with their Papa!

Healthy Eating at Chipotle's

I just heard about this, and even if it's not going to be available around here right now, I hope it comes soon.  It's hard sometimes to find things to eat at some restaurants, especially something to grab on the run.  I think Chipotle's makes an effort to provide good healthy food and I was really tickled to hear they will be offering tofu as an option at their restaurant.

Tofu seems to be a dirty word . . . so many people just say, "Oh, I don't eat tofu."  It just seems to have this bad rap.

But I have found, like a couple of other meat substitutes, that tofu can be prepared and seasoned in such a way that it is really good.  I use it to make my version of scrambled eggs, in wraps, and in sauces.  Since it has a naturally neutral taste, it can be seasoned to taste like a lot of different things.

So maybe we, too, will soon be able to eat vegan burritos made with tofu at Chipotle's!

The Food Revolution continues.
To read more, click here:   Healthy eating at Chipotle's

Learning about Beans

If you aren't used to cooking with beans, it can be pretty confusing trying to figure out what beans to use in the dishes you prepare.  Beans are an excellent source of protein and can add flavor and variety to some of your basic dishes. 

Here is an article on the Mayo Clinic's website that talks about the different kinds of beans, when to use them and how to prepare them.  I must admit that I mostly use beans from cans (which is more expensive, but more convenient for me.)  But for those who have the time, here is some helpful information.

Beans and Legumes (From the Mayo Clinic)

Taco Salad

My wife really likes Wendy's taco salad and has an occasional craving for the salad topped with chili and sour cream.  When browsing through the Forks Over Knives Cookbook, she ran across this recipe and so we gave it a whirl.  She gave it two thumbs up and said it's a definite repeat.

Taco Salad

 

For the salad:

Crispy tortilla strips

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (or other salad greens)

1 1/2 cups chopped tomato

3 ears corn, kernels removed (about 2 cups) (Or canned corn, depending on the season)

 

One 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed

One 15 ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

 

 

For the dressing:

 

One 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cilantro, leaves and tender stems

1 cup Italian parsley leaves

1/4 cup tahini

Once 4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder  (More or less to taste, depending on how much heat you want)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, optional

Zest and juice of 2 limes

 

To make the salad, layer the lettuce, tomato and corn, then pour the black and pinto beans over the top.  Set aside.

 

To make the dressing, combine in a blender the cannellini beans, cilantro, parsley, tahini, green chiles, soy sauce, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, lime zest and juice and 1 cup water.  Blend on high until smooth.

 

To serve:

 

Pour the dressing over the salad to taste and serve immediately.  Sprinkle crispy tortilla strips on top to add great texture. 

 

Alternate preparation:

 

A quick and easy alternative, especially if you have some of Deacon Pat's chili on hand.

 

Prepare the greens as described.  Then pour over the greens two cups of chili.  This can then be topped with the dressing from above if desired, or you can also try the tofu sour cream.  (You can find this recipe on my favorite recipe page)

 

This version will satisfy that Wendy's urge every time!

 

 

 

 



Quick, Easy and Tastes Good! Sloppy Joes

I get a lot of requests for recipe ideas for people who need something quick and easy to prepare.  So here it is, one of my new favorites.  One of those standbys that can be made in 15 minutes.  Sloppy Joes!

This is from the Engine 2 Diet Cookbook by Rip Esselstyn.

Sloppy Joes

1 onion chopped
16 ounces frozen vegetarian meat crumbles
1/2 cup water
8 ounces tomato paste
1 tsp. tamari
1 tsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
4 whole grain buns
1 onion sliced into thin rounds (optional)
Sliced dill pickles

Saute' the onion on high heat in a nonstick skillet for 3 minutes, until just translucent.  Add the veggie meat crumbles and 1/4 cup of water to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until warmed through.  Stir in the tomato paste.  Add the remaining water and stir until thoroughly mixed, using more water as necessary to make a thick sauce.  Stir in the tamari, Worcestershire, and sugar.  Place a generous amount of filling into each bun.    Top with sliced onion and pickles.