Month of August, 2009

What are you full of? Maybe you're full of pain. Maybe you're full of guilt. Maybe you're full of hurt. We are all carrying something around with us that we are full of. Yet the funny thing is that sometimes the things that we are full of, actually make us feel empty.

If we feel empty, we try to fill ourselves with food because temporarily it makes us feel full. But the problem with this is we learn to eat for other reasons besides physical hunger, we ignore the God-given hunger and full signals that God so wisely created as a part of our biological make-up. Instead of listening to our bodies and eating when we're hungry and stopping when we're full, yet not overstuffed, we listen to our minds instead. Our minds say things like "I shouldn't eat snacks," "I don't deserve to eat," "I shouldn't be hungry, I just ate a couple of hours ago," "If I eat this, I won't feel so sad". Unfortunately, all these things cloud our ability to listen to our body the way God intended us to do.

So what if you have lost touch with your hunger and full signals? What if you are full of pain, yet feeling empty?

First, it helps to decide what we truly want to be full of. In the book of John, it is said twice that Jesus came to this earth full of grace and truth. The wonderful thing is that his grace saves us (Ephesians 2:5) and his truth sets us free (John 8). This means we can be free from the bondage of diets, of society's lies that tell us we aren't good enough, and free from using food to cope.

This weekend my husband took me to see the movie "Julie and Julia." (He did owe me one, since I went to see the Wolverine X-Men movie with him earlier this summer!). "Julie and Julia" is based on a true story and is about a girl name Julie who decides she is going to learn to cook by cooking her way through Julia Child's 500 plus page cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." What's more, Julie turns this experiment into a blog, which grows in popularity to the point magazines and newspapers are writing about it!

I wanted to see this movie because it reminded me of something I would do. Plus, I love food and I love to cook, but it wasn't always that way, Well, I have always loved food, just not cooking. In fact, my college roommates can tell you that I used to turn my nose up at the idea of cooking, even so much as to say I hated it.  If it involved anything more than taking it out of that package and putting it in the oven, I wouldn't do it. But it wasn't because I truly hated it, it was just that I didn't really know how.

But then, senior year of college, I met a guy I really liked (and yes, it is my husband) and he said something about loving home-cooked meals and so all of a sudden I was totally interested in cooking, and desperate to learn how! I really wanted to be able to cook him a good meal and impress him, plus we all know that there is some truth in the saying that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Do you or others in your family have trouble eating your veggies? Sometimes we forget to cook veggies in a way that makes them appetizing, yet still healthy. For a tasty veggie that your whole family will love, try my garlic green beans. This quick and easy recipe, provides so much flavor that everyone will be asking for seconds!

Garlic Green Beans:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 12oz. bag of frozen steamer green beans (such as birds eye)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

3 cloves of garlic minced

4-6oz. white mushrooms, sliced

salt, pepper, garlic salt

1 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Steam the green beans in the bag in the microwave according to the package directions (steam for the minimum amount of time suggested on the package, about 4 minutes). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they reduce in size and all the water they release evaporates. Add the cooked green beans to the mixture in the skillet and stir until they are well-coated, cooking for about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Then sprinkle evenly with the parmesan cheese. Divide equally among 4 plates and serve warm.