Sobremesa

sobremesa

  (n.) The time spent around the table after lunch or dinner, talking to the people you shared the meal with; a time to digest and savor both food and friendship 

photo from here

Whether we knew the exact term or not, we've all experienced sobremesa. It's that nostalgic feeling of Christmas dinner around the table, hours spent catching up with old friends out to eat or in our case, sharing a meal with new friends.

The beginning of this year, we began to rethink our ministry strategy. We shifted our focus onto something we're all familiar with-food.

Every ministry day we bring food to family in the village and we eat with them.

The idea of doing life together around a table is so attractive. Who doesn't love food and good conversation? While we may not always have a literal table between us when we eat with these families, the practice of bringing in food and eating with one another has deepened our relationships with many of them and has given us a way to share the Gospel to an entire family. For once, ministry seems so simple.

Sit. Talk. Eat.

I can imagine Jesus doing the same when He ate with the tax collectors, fed the masses, and broke bread with his disciples.

Sometimes life and ministry can feel so rushed. But sitting down to eat with one another takes intentionality, from the preparing of the meal to the hospitality given and received.
Even though most of the villagers are receiving us into their homes, we have learned that we too must show them hospitality as we serve them and share the Gospel.

"Hospitality is rarely convenient. We must be willing to interrupt the lives of others and be interrupted in our own lives to truly experience hospitality as Jesus practiced." (Excerpt from She Reads Truth)

Through this ministry, we have become aware of so many personal needs these people have. And it has given us a way to personally pray over these families and their communities. Jesus was the greatest example of how life can be done with intentionality. I pray that we follow His example and our ministry will show people just how great our God is!

Perhaps more of life needs to be done around a table. More intentionality, more hospitality and more Sobremesa.

Buen Provecho!

Real Food

The other day I had a breakdown. We had plenty of food in the house, but I didn't know what to eat. I was frustrated that everything in kitchen had some sort of added sugar or unnatural ingredient. If you know me well, you know that I've been kind of a health nut for most of my life. It wasn't until recently though that I felt like I learned what it really meant to be healthy. I've been watching too many food documentaries and reading too much info that I've become obsessed with checking labels. I even went and bought a food processor so I could start making my own things from scratch. 

So naturally, the recipes I'm about to share are wholesome. Real food. Nothing fake, nothing weird. Just food. 

  Before I share, let's get one thing out of the way…I'm a vegetarian. If that's not really your thing, then you may not want to read any further. Or you could give it a try and it just might become your thing. Trust me. I have a non-vegetarian husband and he approves of all these recipes! 

Honey Lemon Ricotta Toast (with blackberries and slivered almonds)

Berries, cheese, almonds, the tasty zing of fresh lemon…Yum! This is a delightful, creamy snack that you're sure to love. 

Mix together ricotta, honey and lemon until your liking.

Toast bread. Spread ricotta and top with almonds and blackberries (or fruit of your choice). 

Enjoy!

The No-name Vegan bowl

Yes, this is vegan. Don't let it scare you! Vegan is not a bad thing, nor does it mean it tastes bad. Don't knock it till you try it!

I don't know what to call this dish, but I do know that my husband loved it. Like lick-the-bowl-clean loved it. I found Inca Red Quinoa at Walmart and had to buy it. The Walmart here is so hit or miss on some of their items so I knew the quinoa was probably not going to be there for long. 

Have you ever had quinoa? It's SO good and so good for you! 

Red Inca Quinoa

BBQ roasted cauliflower

Red pepper roasted chickpeas

Avocado 

It's that simple, people. Try it, love it, lick the bowl clean. 

Stuffed Butternut Squash

I found this recipe on Pinterest but decided to give it my own spin. When we first moved to Guatemala it was fall in the United States. Thanksgiving recipes were everywhere, everyone was drinking their pumpkin spice lattes and I was seriously craving butternut squash! I sent Mitch on a mission one day to find them, but he came back empty handed. Then about a month ago, there they sat in Walmart, my yummy butternut squash. Like I mentioned, the Walmart here is so hit or miss so I jumped on the opportunity to buy these.

I used Red Quinoa again, but cooked it with spinach and white beans. I added a little ricotta just for creamy-ness. I baked the squash on 430 degrees until they were tender, then added my quinoa mixture and popped them back into the oven for 10 min. Topped it with some parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. This is definitely a meal I'll make again (that is if Walmart still has butternut squash).

I hope to post more recipes soon as I continue to experiment in the kitchen. What are some of your favorite wholesome meals? 

Hope you enjoy these recipes. Happy (and healthy) cooking!

Green juice.

I want to start a series on here about food. I think it would be fun to share some of the recipes I've come up with while being somewhat limited in food items. I love searching Pinterest for different recipes, but often times there are certain ingredients I just can't find in Guatemala. So I'll be sharing my creations as well as some typical Guatemalan food!

Juicing. It's like the thing right now and admittedly I've jumped on the bandwagon. However, I am not replacing the juice for a meal, nor am I trying to lose weight from it. For me, it's just a way of getting in some extra fruits and veggies. When I first bought my juicer I really didn't know what I was doing. But I ended up creating something really yummy.

I don't know about you, but most store bought green juices are gross to me. They either taste like grass or they taste way too much like a green apple and I do not care for those (red delicious all the way!).

So here's what I came up with for a green juice that does not taste like grass or a green apple!

2 Red apples
1 Orange
Celery
Cucumber
Lime

After juicing the apples and orange I used a handful of celery and cucumber, really just until it helped fill up my cup. And I squeezed in some lime juice for a little extra zing. I really enjoyed this juice and will definitely make it again. I don't like cucumber or celery unless they are covered in dressing or cream cheese so this was a good way to sneak them in.

*Tip: make sure to drink the juice on an empty stomach or it could cause digestive problems. I had the worst heartburn after drinking it all because I enjoyed it while eating lunch.

Hope you enjoy and happy juicing!

Food for thought

We've had a lot to chew on lately. Figuratively and literally.

Figuratively:

Each morning we've been diving deep into the word with all the other trek-xers. We're going verse by verse through Romans and spending much time in prayer. These moments have been precious, learning things we've never been taught and seeing God's hand at work. I thirst for more. However, I long to not just gain knowledge, but gain a love for the Lord that far outweighs anything the world has to offer. 

All of us will be memorizing 100 verses of scripture and an entire book of the Bible. Tomorrow we are taking a field trip (yay!). We're going to World Relief, an humanitarian organization that provides aid to those in need. Our role with this organization will be with the refugee families that come into our country. Some of the trek-x students will be adopting several refugee families, spending time with them over meals or bible studies and just simply showing Christ's love.

Mitch and I however, will be partnered up with one of the many hispanic churches in the area, possibly adopting a family from there. Finally! Some Spanish! =)

Literally:

I love cooking. In college I never had time to make fancy meals, nor did I have a lot of money to spend on food. I always needed to make something quick and easy. 

Nowadays, I still don't have a lot of money, but I have much more time (due to no more studying or writing papers-hallelujah those days are over)! Sometimes when I'm in the kitchen I feel like I could give Giada or Paula a run for there money ;)

Over a year ago I stopped eating beef. That has turned into a cut back of other meats and eventually led to an official decision to become vegetarian. If you care to know why, I'd love to share, but I won't bore you with the facts here. Anyway, being vegetarian has meant using some creativity for meals. It's really not hard! 

Here are some delicious, easy meals for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike (and they're husband approved!)

Gourmet grilled cheese. 

Mozzarella, tomato, avocado, and pesto

I'm dying to make this avocado salsa.

Looks delish!

Asparagus, goat cheese and lemon pasta.

If you haven't tried goat cheese before, do so now. You won't settle for processed, sliced cheese any longer!

The other night I made roasted vegetables alongside rice and lentils. 

olive oil, salt and pepper. then stick 'em in the over. ta da! scrumptious veggies

(for more ideas visit: http://pickyeaterblog.com/ )

I can't wait to get a'cookin! My healthy eating habits have made for a healthier lifestyle that Mitch and I both love. So thankful for a supportive husband, who loves healthy meat-free eating. 

Food is pleasurable to our taste/smell and satisfying to our stomachs, but the Word of God has been all the more satisfying to our souls. 

"Man shall not live on bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4