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Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Verde Bake

December 10, 2015 • 25 Comments

There are all kinds of comfort foods out there: ice cream, chocolate, mac and cheese, pizza, mashed potatoes.

But in my opinion, the best kinds of comfort foods are healthy comfort foods. It’s one thing to feel good while eating something, but it’s another thing to feel good even hours after you eat something. There was a time when Taco Bell was my comfort food. In high school, I’d order the Crunchwrap Supreme pretty much once a week and devour it after swim practice. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I think I even dreamed about the Crunchwrap Supreme. That’s how much I loved it.

These days, as my health and tastes have changed and I’ve become educated about food and its effect on the body, I don’t dream about Crunchwrap Supremes (unless they are homemade ones). I dream about things like roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, beans, ancient whole grains and avocado.

I know it’s close to Christmas and as a food blogger I should be posting holiday-related dishes, but sometimes you just have to mix things up during this time of year. This Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Verde Bake includes many of my favorite comforting ingredients. It’s a delicious, lightened-up twist on a classic Mexican dish and requires less than a half an hour to make. So if comfort’s what you’re looking for and time is what you’re short on, this dish is definitely for you! Read More

Experiencing Peace in a World of Chaos

December 8, 2015 • 17 Comments

“Can you hear that?” I asked my husband as we stood outside in the dead of winter.

“Hear what?” he asked me.

“Shhh … I want to remember this moment forever,” I replied, taking in a deep breath to let the chill of winter fill my nose and lungs.

The truth is, there was nothing to be heard — nothing but the beautiful sound of silence and peace hanging in the air. But I wondered if my husband noticed it like I had. I wondered if the stillness struck him the way it had awed me.

Many people are awed by grand events, bold actions, and flashy sights and sounds. I however, am awed by stillness. I think part of this craving for silence stems from the extroverted-introvert writer inside me who needs space and escape from the chaos of daily living. But I also know the greatest contributor to my craving for stillness is something deeper, something I can’t explain — because it is in the stillness I truly experience God’s presence and overwhelming peace.

It is in the stillness I truly experience God’s peace.

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I haven’t always known what it’s like to experience the peace of Christ in my life. In high school and college I always had to be doing something. I filled every minute of every day with activity to avoid feeling anxious or bored, flitting from one thing to the next without pausing much in-between. If you’re thinking, “gee that sounds exhausting,” you’re right — It was. My life was practically void of peace.

I believed in Jesus during this time but my faith was not very strong, and because of this I wasn’t devoted to cultivating a better relationship with Him. I heard other people talk about how Jesus was the “Prince of Peace,” but I couldn’t fathom experiencing peace or stillness without the presence of boredom or anxiety. When life felt out of control everything felt out of control, and I didn’t know how to find peace amid chaos.

Learning to Surrender to the Prince of Peace
As a journalism major in college I interviewed hundreds of people and wrote hundreds of stories. Typically the stories were about something newsworthy going on in the surrounding community, or a feature about a student of professor making a difference. But one day, my professor tasked us with writing an inspirational article about one of our family members. Before I even left the classroom I knew who I wanted to write a story about: my Uncle Rick, who was partially paralyzed from a rare medical condition years ago.

I’d always been amazed by the way my Uncle Rick and Aunt Julie had handled the situation. They never seemed bitter or angry about anything. It’s like they were completely at peace with their lives, even though things had spun out of their control. Before writing the story I asked them how they were able to keep it together, and their response astounded me.

“The night the ambulance came for your Uncle Rick, Lauren, I can’t really explain it, but I had this stillness and peace wash over me,” my Aunt Julie said. “I know God was holding us in those moments, and even though I was scared my soul was at peace … I knew everything was going to be OK because He had us in His arms.”

Hearing my aunt and uncle’s testimony of peace was so powerful to me and after our conversation I began to believe maybe I, too, could experience the same kind of peace they had experienced. Maybe I couldn’t bring about peace during the stresses of daily living, but that didn’t mean God couldn’t.

It took some time, but today I am so thankful to be at a place where I don’t just know God’s peace — I crave God’s peace. In His goodness, God has showed me I have no need to feel anxious or bored if I’m not busy. He has taught me to rest in Him and find joy in the peace He offers.

I think the reason many of us, myself included, get anxious when we have nothing to do is because it makes us feel unsure of ourselves and our purpose … We worry we aren’t enough and our minds often wander to worrying about things we cannot control. But Christ came to give us peace amid this world of chaos. After dying on the cross Jesus spoke with his disciples and told them, “I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (NLT)

Christ came to give us peace amid this world of chaos

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This same peace is available to you and I today, if we will trust and rest in the Lord, follow His leading and wait for His coming. His peace can transform our lives and turn our worry and chaos into streams of mercy and peace. As we continue to prepare our hearts for Christmas and celebrate this second week of Advent 2015, would you pray this prayer with me today

Lord Jesus, thank you for being our Prince of Peace. Thank you for leaving your throne and coming into this chaotic, disconnected world. Thank you for silencing our deepest fears with your love, mercy, grace and peace. Help us be at peace with ourselves and those around us. Bring peace where there is division, war, injustice, anger, bitterness, hatred and violence. Bring peace to all of creation. Amen.

P.S. Today I want to leave you with this amazing song by Hillsong, called, “Prince of Peace,” which I think beautifully captures the transformative power of God’s peace (lyric snippet above).

Honey-Roasted Acorn Squash Salad with Hazelnuts + Balsamic Vinaigrette

December 7, 2015 • 20 Comments

If there’s one good thing about winter, other than the holidays of course, it’s winter squash.

Fun fact: Did you know the acorn squash is otherwise known as the “Des Moines squash?” I didn’t either, until I moved to Des Moines. Apparently the capital of Iowa was the first recorded place in the United States to have acorn squash back in the early 1900s. Pretty crazy, right?

After learning I was living in the place where one of my favorite squashes first appeared, I knew I had to make something with acorn squash in it. And so here we are today, staring at this beautiful Honey-Roasted Acorn Squash Salad with Hazelnuts and a Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette. I’m not going to lie … this dish was almost to pretty to eat!

Coconut Flour Chocolate Cookie Bars

December 3, 2015 • 22 Comments

Warning: This recipe may cause you to eat an entire pan of cookie bars.

No joke. You’ve been warned. If you doubt me, just make a pan of these for yourself and let me know how long it lasts. I give you two days tops. Or at least that’s how long they lasted in our home between the Mr. and I.

One of the things I’ve missed since going gluten free has been the classic taste of my sweet mama and I’s chocolate chip cookies. Taking a bite into those cookies was like a time machine — they had the ability to take me back to some of my greatest memories as a little girl, baking in the kitchen with mama.

I lost that time machine when I had to go gluten free back in March, and though I tried to recreate it nothing came close. Until now.

A few months ago I stumbled on this recipe for Coconut Flour Cookie Bars by one of my favorite fellow food bloggers, Monique of Ambitious Kitchen. I bookmarked it with the intention of making it that weekend, but time ran away with itself and I never got around to it.

When the Mr. and I moved to Des Moines a few weeks ago, I had a bit of free time between settling in and starting my new job at The Integer Group. So what’s a girl to do with a little bit of free time? Bake, of course! I pulled up my Pinterest feed and randomly scrolled down to these paleo cookie bars, remembering just how eager I’d been to make them just a few months ago.

Clinging to Hope and Truth In the Waiting

December 1, 2015 • 12 Comments

I’ve never been Black Friday shopping.

Not traditionally at least, where you camp out overnight to get something you just can’t wait for (but clearly can because you’re standing outside in the freezing cold). I’m more of the head to the mall around 2 p.m. kind of gal. I don’t like waiting in lines or being surrounded by people when I shop. I like to go into a store, unhurriedly browse for a little bit, buy what I need and leave.

I wish I could say I was more patient in other areas of life, but the truth is I’m just not. It’s not that I can’t wait. I can wait; I just don’t like to wait.

Over time God has taught me how to wait patiently through the trials I’ve faced. He’s taught me to wait patiently for Him to move, rescue and restore my brokenness. He’s taught me to wait patiently for His direction and guidance. He’s taught me to trust and know that in the waiting, He is doing something great. But I still don’t like to wait.

Sometimes in the waiting, I forget how to be patient, remain hopeful and cling to truth in the everyday circumstances of life — especially the mundane, lackluster and troublesome days. Sometimes I don’t want to wait; I just want the trial to be over and done with already.

I recently read a good blog about waiting and Advent. The writer said, “If we got everything we wanted the moment we wanted it, we would lose out on the journey, and what happens on that journey.”

In the waiting, great things can happen.

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Smoked Salmon on Toast Points

November 30, 2015 • 17 Comments

You haven’t lived if you haven’t had smoked salmon.

OK, I’m slightly exaggerating here. I realize many of you reading this post probably have never tried smoked salmon, so I’ll dial it back and say: You haven’t experienced one of the best types of seafood out there if you’ve never tasted smoked salmon.

But before we talk about these AH-MAZ-ING, need-them-at-your-next-dinner-party Smoked Salmon on Toast Points, let’s wrap up Thanksgiving, shall we? I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and were able to take time to relax, unwind, and most importantly, share love and life with family and friends.

As some of you may have read in a previous post, this was my first year hosting Thanksgiving. All I can say is it was a dream come true! But today, it’s on to bigger and better things! Christmas and New Year’s are just around the corner and turkey is totally a thing of the past. It’s time to start thinking about Christmas dinners, decadent desserts and dinner party appetizers.Read More