For You Today

The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

                                              Psalm 52:1

love,

Lunch Time!

Over the last 20 years, because of the way that I eat and especially in the last few months since I switched to all plant-based meal planning, I have been the target of two particular questions...  "what on earth do you eat?" and "where do you get your protein from?".  The first question has always kind of irritated me, because it usually accompanies a screwed up face and an incredulous kind of attitude that insinuates only someone who is completely off balance would not eat "like everybody else". However, now I use the questions as a spring board to perhaps educate the one who is asking.

So how about if I answer those two questions, by way of example, in sharing with you what I had for lunch today.

I began by mixing together in a large bowl, a few cubed potatoes and yam, sliced onions and finely chopped spinach.  A good drizzling of  olive oil and a quick toss to blend it all together then dumped out onto my stoneware sheet and sprinkled on top with sea salt and into the oven for 45 minutes.

 

While that was cooking I chopped up some kabocha squash and beets, tossed them into a casserole dish and put them in for baking as well. By the way, I always peel my squash with a potatoe peeler and then cube it because I like it to have the drier texture and I like it to remain sweet!  When it is cut in half and baked with the skin on, the moisture becomes trapped in the bowl of the shell and the squash becomes wet and has a bitter taste to it... plus, your arms get a really good work out when you peel a squash, it's not for sissies, and it's a whole lot cheaper than the gym!

I always make sure that I prepare my legumes and rice at the beginning of each week so that they are always at hand in the fridge for a quick grab.  Today I chose chick peas and lima beans.

I placed a handful of each on my plate, over a bed of fresh baby spinach, then added a sprinkling of black wild rice. I warmed all this up because I like my spinach wilted and then topped it all with the yummy, hot dishes straight from the oven.


By the way, Black Wild Rice stands out among other grains when it

comes to amounts of protein, minerals, B vitamins and folic acid.  The protein content of 1/2 cup of cooked wild rice measures 3.3 grams, that same quantity of long grain brown rice contains only 2 grams. The bonus is that wild rice has only 83 calories for 1/2 cup cooked!

Using that same 1/2 cup measurement, folic acid soars over brown rice with 21.3 mcg for wild rice and 3.9 mcg for brown rice. According to the University of California Berkeley Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, 1/2 cup dry wild rice provides 95 mcg or 48% of the RDA (200 mcg) of folacin for men and 53% for women.

The niacin content of wild rice is also exceptional, l.06 mg for 1/2 cup cooked. Potassium 83 mg, and zinc, which is usually available in only trace amounts, comes in at 1.1 mg. and that same 1/2 cup cooked wild rice offers 1.5 grams of fiber, contains 26 mg of magnesium, a healthy balance of B vitamins along with some calcium and iron.

My beverage of choice, to go along with all this nutritional bounty, was a glass of cool, refreshing, spring water.

Yum!

And at the risk of sounding cheeky... what on earth did you eat for lunch?

Here's to your Health!

love,

Home and Refreshed

Well, that was enjoyable!  My family and I have had a lovely, refreshing time away at the cabin and now we are all back home.  I hope that this summer you are able to find those moments of refreshment with the ones that you love as well.

with love,
 

The River's Edge

If you happen to be out for a drive this summer near the Harrison Mills/Kilby Park area, you may want to check out The River's Edge Restaurant located near the Sandpiper Golf Resort. 

Scott and I will quite often drop in for lunch or dinner to the River's Edge before making our way home after a day away.  Although the food is good, it really is the tranquility and scenery of the place that we enjoy so much and during the sunny weather you can choose to have your meal on the flagstone patio which overlooks the grounds.  

However, just a few days ago it was quite cool and we both quickly opted to stay inside and near the fire!

And honestly, as we kept warm and cosy, we found that it was just as nice looking out through the lovely windows!

After our meal we always take the time to have a stroll through the lush and well kept grounds.

If you do happen to drop in to The River's Edge,

I hope that you enjoy it as much as we have!

Keeping Myself Accountable

Accountability is always a good thing,
and it just occurred to me this morning,
 as I was preparing to head out for a walk,
 that I have an accountability partner,
by the name of Ped O'Meter,
who lives inside my Nano!  

It took me 1,962 steps to get to the track at the High School.

I chose the outside lane and set myself a small goal...

to do The One Minute Mile...

in 30 minutes.

That's about 7 minutes per lap.

Hey, this is no competition - just sheer enjoyment!

However, 

I did allow myself the luxury of imagining a few encouragers, 

cheering me on from the stands!

According to Ped's accounting,

it took 3,924 steps to get to the track and back...

and 2,441 steps for the actual track mile.

Next time I'll increase to 2 track miles...

'Ped' will be thrilled.

In the meantime...

it felt good to accomplish my goal for today.

Touchdown!

This lovely little park is only a few steps away from the outside lane,

a perfect place to take a moment and give thanks for the good health that I enjoy!

Ch-ch-changes!

Well, I knew the change was coming... and the time has now arrived for me to make some physical health and fitness changes... and the first step was taken this morning... I've booked a session with a Personal Trainer who can assist me in putting together a safe and effective fitness schedule that I can begin implementing ASAP!  

We have all heard of the benefits of physical exercise improving our quality of life, adding strength to our muscles and bones, increasing stamina, and maintaining a healthy body weight; yet physical exercise also helps lower our risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes as well. 

And being aware that exercise is only one component of overall physical health, I'm also making some adjustments in my nutrition as well.  Although I eat extremely healthily and have not had any sugar, flour or packaged foods (except plain kettle chips with sea salt...yum-mm-m) in over twenty years, I'm now ready to take that extra step in heading towards an all plant based way of eating.  Because of the way that I currently eat, this new adjustment isn't a huge jump or change, but it is a change nonetheless, and so it is important that I keep before me the benefits of taking the required steps.  

I'm thinking that the Welcoming Room of Pure Grace is the perfect Room to be devoted to overall health... spiritual health, mental health, physical health... and I look forward to sharing more with you from each of these areas in the weeks to come.

So, here is something that you may not have known... milk and yogurt are actually bad for your bones!

When I first heard the research on this last year I was shocked.  Five years ago I was at a point where I had not consumed any dairy in 15 years and yet made the decision to add organic plain yogurt to my diet as a means of gaining calcium... but here is the thing... our bodies are alkaline, dairy products such as milk and yogurt are, like all animal protein, acidic.  When we consume these foods our bodies immediately begin to try and neutralize the acid and take whatever calcium our bodies have in store to do so.

Calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer, the problem is, our bodies leech calcium from our bones and once the acid is neutralized the calcium is then flushed out in our urine!  

We are depleting the very bones that need calcium to stay strong, by ingesting yogurt and milk... and the reason that we are taking these foods is because we have been told that they are high in calcium... around 300mg per cup... but this animal protein food is acidic and harmful to our bones!

But there is an answer!  Instead of getting our calcium from acidic animal protein, why not simply make the change and begin to introduce calcium through alkaline, plant based foods?  I've written about Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) before, but this plant based food is loaded with not only iron, potassium, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and folate, but 1 cup of Quinoa has more calcium than 1 cup of milk!  It is also a more complete protein and it is gluten free!

We may not all be at the same place when it comes to making changes in our personal health care and fitness, but I encourage you to take a few moments and think about each aspect of your overall health and some of the improvements that you would like to see, then set small, attainable goals... drink more water today than you did yesterday, get in a 15 minute walk, grab an apple instead of a cookie, begin to value who you are and the physical body that God has entrusted to you... and remember, every step you take, no matter how small, will be a step in the right direction towards living a healthier lifestyle, to becoming a more robust, healthier, stronger and vital you!

I pray that in all respects 

you may prosper and be in good health... 

even as your soul prospers.

                                             2 John 1:1                                                       

We Always Have a Voice...

I love how there is a continual unfolding of God's Word in my life, I have found this unfolding to always be timely, without force or strain, but rather gentle, beautiful and unmistakably... of God.

The unfolding of Your words gives light;

it imparts understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130  

This morning the unfolding of God's Word ministered to me as I contemplated the life of John the Baptist.  When John was asked to identify himself he began by stating, "I am a voice...".  I've thought about this many times over the years and yet this morning, God's Word unfolded a new beauty as I thought about what it means to be, "...a voice...".

I began to ponder, before God, whether I still have a voice regarding a specific situation and person in my life.  I quickly began to realize that I will always have a voice in Christ and just as God speaks His Voice in many ways, I am assured that His Voice through me will continue to speak in many ways as well - not being limited by the spoken word.

This is something that I want to reflect more upon and desire to understand more deeply.  God has assured me that He will fight for me during those times that I am to keep silent (Exodus 14:14) and that just as assuredly, there is a time to be silent and there is a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7).  I don't believe that this silence is in any way referring to my voice in Christ, but refers to the actual spoken word.  While verbally silent, my voice in Christ continues to speak in my every thought, my every deed.

Many times our voice expressed in words will not be welcomed... but here is the thing... although God speaks in many ways, it is in the hearing of His Voice that He is truly identified... "My sheep hear my Voice, and I know them and they know me."  There is a hearing that goes beyond listening, a hearing that deepens relationships and leads to deep and intimate knowing of one another.  Our voices identify us to others... if someone does not want to hear another's voice, then they do not truly want to hear or know that person.

It's only when we truly 'hear' another's voice that we come to know that person.  There can be no relationship when someone refuses to truly hear the voice of another, our voices identify who we are, by refusing the voice, we are refusing the person.  Many refused to listen to the Voice of Jesus, Who was and is God's Word to us,  yet in His 'always and only doing those things that were pleasing to the Father', He spoke.  His obedience spoke as He offered Himself upon the cross, His love spoke as He asked the Father to forgive mankind, His mercy spoke as His blood was shed and He drew His last breath, and He continues to speak today... but there is no intimacy, there is no relationship, until we truly listen and truly receive the one Who speaks.

Jesus, when on the cross, spoke not only to the thief who responded in faith to Him, by using the spoken Word - the entirety of Who He was also spoke to those who mocked and hurled insults at Him - then He used His spoken word to address the Father concerning them... and asked Him to forgive.

In Jesus, we will always have a voice,

a voice that is intended to build and not tear down,

a voice that is intended to restore and not separate,

a voice that is intended to heal and not wound,

a voice that invites intimacy and understanding,

a voice that always speaks in love.

There may be some who do not want to hear our voice ... but in Christ we will always have a voice... it is not limited to the spoken word alone, but continually speaks in all that we do, in all that we think, in all that we are.

"I am a voice..."

  The unfolding of Your words gives light;

it imparts understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130  

The Doors are... Open!

Spring has (almost) sprung,

The grass has (almost) riz,

I wonder where....

          Cathie's blog is!

Well, for heaven's sake... here it is and the doors are once again open!  Listen... I'm probably just as surprised as you are!

After closing the doors almost seven months ago I continued using the Rooms of Pure Grace from time to time, as a place that I could enjoy the ease of popping in whenever I had something to contribute, and that is how I will continue to use these Rooms.

Little snippets, here and there of days, do not by any means, a life make - and so what you find here will never be the sum total of who I am - however, what I hope you do find here is blessing and encouragement, whenever you decide to drop in for a visit.

I look forward to the days that lie ahead, and in sharing with you, from time to time, those things that have found meaning to me in my life.

Don't forget to say hello whenever you do drop by, I always enjoy your company!     

There Is An Appointed Time...

Every year I like to do something that I have never done before, and last year it was to enter into the world of blogging, my first post being in March of 2009.  It was done completely by faith, believing that it was what I was to do at the time and that if I just rested and trusted in God, that He would use it for His good purposes.

My intention for this place has always been for it to somehow bless, encourage and inspire, and so last summer, as I was ready to embark on my own personal study through the Psalms, I thought I would put out the invitation to others, to welcome them to join with me in 'A Summer In The Psalms'.  I would post on a Monday the Psalm that was to be studied that particular week, and then we would gather together again, through my teaching post on Thursday and share with one another.  It took off like crazy.  Most of the girls were travelling throughout the summer, yet were able to find the time to study and drop in for their Gathering Time on Thursdays... Debbie's husband even purchased a lap-top for her so that she could plug in wherever they could find an internet connection on their bicycle travels throughout BC.  We all fell in love with Takako that Summer through Pure Grace and I believe with all my heart that my prayer for this place to be a blessing and encouragement to others was met.

As the months went on, a few new rooms were opened through Pure Grace - The Room to Grow, The Room to Read, The Little French Sewing Room, The Bible Study Room.  I have enjoyed so much sharing with you this past year from all of these rooms, however, over the past few months, as God has begun to open other doors to me, I have begun to sense that perhaps it is now Time to move on.  

The doors of Pure Grace will continue to remain open until July 15th, at which time it will then become a private site.

For those of you that dropped by for a visit and took the time to bless me with your words of encouragement and appreciation... I thank you.  For those of you that quietly came and quietly left... I bless you.

There is an appointed time for everything.

And there is a time for every purpose under heaven -

                                                             Ecclesiastes 3:1