It concerns me to see food portrayed as the enemy in popular culture. Food is fuel. We must consume good quality fuel to keep our bodies running properly and efficiently.
One way to do this is by cutting down on overly processed packaged foods and including more healthy, whole food in our meals, including fruit, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean minimally processed meats and healthy fats. A good variety of fruit and vegetables are especially important and most of us never get enough.
Start by eating a rainbow. Focus on a variety of bright colored, fresh produce and you will get a variety of important nutrients the body needs. Add lean animal protein or vegetable protein and fiber and you will be off to a good start.
The good news is there is help – not only from nutritionists, but also from a wide variety of books and websites. The federal government is a good place to start. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and MyPlate.gov provide helpful nutrition information.
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27 The Bible (KJV)
We have an extra “bonus” blog post today because I just learned today is Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. How did I miss that one? You may know that I come from a family of ice cream lovers with lots of recipes for traditional ice cream as well as banana based “fruit creams.”
So today I decided to share with you my recipe for Carrot Cake Fruit Cream.
Carrot Cake Fruit Cream Copyright 2013 by R.A. Robbins
Ingredients:
2 cups frozen mashed bananas
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely grated carrots (about 1 small)
1/4 cup crushed pineapple (drained)
1/8 cup finely chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. Add bananas and coconut milk to blender container of a high speed blender such as a Ninja or a Vita Mix. Pulse a few times then process on high until ingredients are well blended and look like ice cream. If you bananas are frozen very hard you may have to stop a few times and scrape them down.
2. Remove blade and stir in remaining ingredients. You may pour the ice cream into a bowl to do this if desired.
3. The ice cream is now the consistency of soft serve. I suggest putting it in the freezer for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Grand Lake O the Cherokee, Oklahoma Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins
When Bob lost his job a year and a half ago with little hope of there being another one we were confused and upset. Due to the way things happened we were also angry.
Our future plans had been contingent on Bob working 7 more years. What were we going to do? How were we going to survive? We had no option but to trust God, but it felt like our lives were falling apart.
It took awhile to realize we were going to be okay. We finally realized the employer actually did us a favor and we had the freedom to leave the big, violent city behind. We also realized some of the things we thought were so important really weren’t.
So here we are, not far from where I grew up and was so anxious to leave a long time ago. I am glad to be here. The people are good folk, they talk like I do and are friendly. Bob loves being close to the lake and watching wildlife from our dining room window. The stress of the city behind us we live a simple life in a quiet, peaceful place.
“To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.” – Theodore H. White
espirational.com 