"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?" Mark 8:36

Lord,

Satisfy me today. 

My heart longs for things that are not of You. I often seek fulfillment in your creation, but I know that I am designed to find true satisfaction in You, my Creator. Nothing in this world will satisfy me like You will. 

No matter the circumstances of today, help me be content in what you have given me. Help me not long for the future or regret the past, but be satisfied in the present and content in the circumstances you have placed me in. 

You have a purpose for everything, even when I don't understand. Remind me of that today. Satisfy my heart with You. You are my rock and my salvation. You will never leave me nor forsake me. 

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4: 11-13

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Healthy Misconceptions

"There's a skinny girl inside of me trying to get out, but I can usually shut her up with cookies."

Is it just me or is there a misconception that "going healthy" means giving up everything good about food? I am not going to lie, I used to feel that way. I loved my cake, cookies, fried food, junk food--you name it. I used to believe that "healthy" meant boring, bland, and tasteless. But I am learning that I could never have be more wrong!

Sometimes even the whole idea of "going healthy" is often misconstrued or vague in definition. "Going healthy" for me is swapping empty-calorie rich foods  for nutritionally-rich foods. That means sticking more to the natural food products rather than prepackaged products, and by extension preparing more of your food rather than just sticking your frozen dinner in the microwave and nuking it. Food companies often add preservative chemicals in order for it to have a long shelf life. If you prepare your own meals from scratch, it is easier to cut down on excess calories as well as chemicals (such as sodium!).

I know, I know, it's often such a hassle to make your own food. There are days where you don't have time to spend more than 5 minutes in the kitchen, and other days you are just not in the mood to create a culinary masterpiece. I often fall into the trap of, "why should I bother to cook something fancy when I only cook for myself?" What I often forget to remind myself during that thought process is that creating one meal for 2-4 individuals creates LOTS of leftovers--which then takes away the later used "I don't have time to cook" excuse! See, that's how it is done folks, it's called tricking yourself into a healthy lifestyle.

To help you out, here are two quick and delicious recipes I have found recently that I absolutely LOVED and want to share. I am unfortunately not a culinary mastermind so I have to give a shout-out to the original recipe sites. I found the first recipe, Banana Oat Cookies, on Lauren Brimley's blog (laurenbrimley.blogspot.com--check her out for more yummy, healthy recipes). The second recipe is a word of mouth recipe and it is super wonderful, especially for those in a rush to eat!

Banana Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 c almond butter

2 c rolled oats

dark chocolate chips

Directions: Mash the bananas, then add all of the remaining ingredients. You may need more or less oats depending on your banana size, so look for a wet cookie dough texture. Stir in as many chocolate chips as you would like. Spoon scoops onto a baking sheet, and then form to make a cookie shape. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Banana & Egg Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 mashed, super ripe banana

3 eggs

Dash of cinnamon

Optional--

     Berries, Honey, Cottage Cheese

Directions: Mash the bananas, then add eggs and cinnamon. Thoroughly mash ingredients, but don't worry the batter will still be a little chunky. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or pan over medium high heat. Pour about 1/4 cup amount of batter on the griddle and cook until brown on both sides.

     Note: I have loved adding sliced strawberries and cottage cheese between my two pancakes and then pouring a light drizzle of honey on top to finish off the masterpiece. (SO GOOD--try it. You won't regret it.)

Feel free to share more healthy recipes with me, or let me know how these recipes turn out for you!
Until next time.