Five Reasons to go to Your Farmer's Market

The older I get, the more I add to my list of Important Things. Here's what I mean: When I first got married, I acquired the Important Thing of cooking some kind of edible food each day. Over time, That one objective morphed into many -- shopping within a grocery budget, learning how to make healthy meals, buying organic when it matters most, meal planning, and making things my toddler will actually eat. So that's my Important Things food list. Then there's mommyhood, ministry, cleaning, organizing, graphic design... you get the idea.

My problem is that as these lists grow, I have a constant nagging feeling that I am forgetting something important; dropping an essential ball. And those 10 Foods You Should Never Eat and 5 Lethal Chemicals in Your Makeup lists that I am always seeing on Facebook don't help. 

If there's a solution to this messy, intersecting web of priorities that I live in, I haven't discovered it yet. But here's a little thing that helps.

A little thing that makes me feel really good, like the day is a grand victory.

Get out of the house (away from lists and dirty dishes), and go on an outing that checks off multiple Important Things in one fell swoop.

It's summer (cue the hallelujah chorus), so today my outing was to the local farmer's market. I live in a deliciously convenient part of Colorado Springs, so ours is just a few minutes away. Some large shopping centers will host farmer's markets one day of the week during the summer. 

Josiah has been fighting the resistance against naps this week, and sitting at home trying to get him to sleep drives me bonkers. So we packed up the stroller and the sunscreen this morning and headed out. 

Here are five Important Things that I feel better about after our trip.

1. Sensory Fun for Toddlers (on the cheap)

During our visit, Josiah got to sample an organic multigrain cookie, hold potatoes, smell handmade soap, eat a honey stick, and see boatloads of other kids. I bought him the honey stick for 50 cents, and everything else was free! Most vendors give out samples, so there are lots of things for little ones to touch and taste. It was a little tricky navigating the stroller around certain vendors, but it took a lot less patience than telling Josiah to get down from the stairs for the fiftieth time, which is what I would have been doing at home.

2. Fresh, Cheap and (sometimes) Organic Produce

At our farmer's market, there is a produce stand where you can fill up a five-pound bag with anything you want for $10. I got tomatoes, broccoli, squash, peppers and more that would've cost more at the grocery store, and they look and taste a lot better because they were grown locally. This particular stand wasn't certified organic, but I've seen others at bigger markets that are. The produce looks so much fresher at farmer's markets, and you're supporting a family who lives near you.

I packed all of this produce into one bag for $10.

3. Natural, Healthier Food

For us, eating healthy includes avoiding processed foods, refined sugars, unhealthy fats and white carbs. It's gotten pretty easy to find whole-grain and natural foods at the grocery store, but a lot of vendors at farmer's markets sell specialty items that are harder to find, like hatch green chile fettucine, or multigrain baking mix without any artificial ingredients. These are fun occasional buys because you can sample it first.

Josiah sampled a cookie made with this yummy NanaCakes baking mix.

4. Natural, Healthier Beauty Products

It's been almost two years since I stopped buying makeup and beauty products with certain ingredients, like parabens and mineral oil (read why here). Safer beauty products are starting to become easier to find, thankfully, as awareness about harmful ingredients increases. It's still a headache, though, reading labels to try to find a tube of mascara or sunscreen that I'm willing to use. Today I found a vendor selling homemade soap. The owner lives in my neighborhood and could tell me everything she puts in the soap that I bought.

This honey oatmeal soap cost me $2.50 from Twelve Springs Soap

5. Exercise and Fresh Air

Just walking outside in the sunshine makes my day better. A friend and I met in a grassy area after shopping and let the kiddos run around. (Or sit around eating graham crackers, in Josiah's case.) Spending time outside in our town gives me a dose of perspective when I'm overwhelmed by my to-dos, and Josiah went straight down for a nap when we got home.

What do you love about your farmer's market? What outings help you and your little ones to have more fun together?

What is Choking God out of your Life?

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I've been reading Luke lately. I go through phases with the Bible, and for a while I have felt an itching to read only the words of Jesus. As if maybe, after all this time, I'll find something new -- something about Jesus -- that will jump out and grab me. I can usually live in the Psalms, (Poetry or history? Easy decision.) but for awhile now, I just want the Gospels. Just Jesus. 

We did a very long sermon series on John at our church, which is usually my go-to Gospel, so I chose Luke. And even though he starts 99% of his sentences with and, (see what I did there?) I've been really enjoying it.

End long introduction of post.

Luke 8 contains the parable of the sower. I have read this story a million times, which makes it so hard not to go into auto-pilot reading mode. (Read here if you aren't familiar with the parable.)

The sower (or farmer, gardener) is throwing seeds. Jesus describes four different soil conditions that the seeds meet: the path, where the seed is trampled and devoured; rocks, where the seed dries up and withers away; among thorns, where the seed grows up but is choked out; and good soil, where the seed grows and yields a huge harvest.

In verse 11, Jesus tells his disciples that the seed represents the word of God. He then breaks down the four groups of people represented in the four conditions of soil here, but I want to focus on the choked-by-thorns group.

Recently, I heard a sermon about this parable in which the speaker urged us not to assume that we are the good soil. Not to assume that we are the ones who receive the Word of God, grow up nice and strong without any hiccups or distractions, and start popping out fruit, or vegetables, or whatever. 

I grew up in church, and I always thought I was the good soil. Of course I was. Those poor seeds that fell on the path and got devoured by birds. Ouch. Good thing I didn't have to worry about that.

Read verse 7:

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

Whenever I read this growing up, I assumed the thorns were bad people. You the know the Proverb: Bad company corrupts good character. The thorns were bad influences and friends who pulled you away from God.

Ah, good ol' reading out of context.

In verse 14, Jesus says what the thorns really are.

And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

They are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life. Can we camp there for a second?

My obsession with the way I look is not distracting me. It is choking me. 

My obsession with checking my phone for Facebook notifications, Instagram notifications, text messages, snaps, who knows what else, is not distracting me. It is choking me. 

My obsession with what I will eat, what fun things I'll do, how much sleep I will get, and me, me, me, is not distracting me. It is choking me. It is choking out God's power to work in my life.

The thorns growing up in my life, twisting and tangling and forcing themselves in, are not bad, ugly, red-flag things. They are pleasures, riches, things that I like and things that I love that occupy my heart and choke out the Word of God.

I feel like I could go on forever and make this post even more unreadably long, but I will end with this. Not a single thing of this world that you love, not even other people, can complete you, satisfy you or save you. Stop allowing thorns to choke out the one thing, the only thing that matters.  

Blueberry Spinach Muffins

Since Josiah is thirteen months old and will rarely eat a straight-up vegetable, I have been trying lots of creative recipes that hide fresh fruit and vegetables. I found a spinach muffin recipe at weelicious, but I wanted to make it a little healthier and more interesting. (That's right. The spinach muffins were not healthy enough.)

If my first goal in cooking or baking for Josiah is to get him to eat a balanced diet, my second goal is to make things that I can eat, too. After all, I am typically only up for making special from-scratch meals that are just for Josiah about three times a week. I'm not one of those people who enjoys cooking (or cleaning up afterward) all the time.

These Blueberry Spinach Muffins meet both of my goals. I won't lie; I ate two of these for my lunch today. Josiah loved them too, so I guess I'll be making more very soon.

Blueberry Spinach Muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup fresh spinach, packed

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 2/3 cup blueberries (edit: I changed this from 1/3 cup and it is sooo much yummier.)

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 
  

Directions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. 2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and puree.

1. 3. Add blueberries and chop until the berries are mixed in but not pureed.

1. 4. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and combine.

1. 5. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

1. 6. Scoop batter into a greased muffin tin, filling each cup 2/3 of the way. You'll get about 9 muffins.

1. 7. Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Little one loved these, although his insistence on eating them with a fork made for a bit of a mess.

Looking toward twenty-four

Before my birthday, I always take time to reflect on the last year of my life. It was harder this year, just because more has happened in these 12 months than any others before. There's a lot of change to process, both good and bad.

I have become horrible at journaling over the last six months, which I guessed might happen once I started working full-time. I was looking at my extensively detailed journal from last year and read this entry from April 26, 2010. It was even written at about the same time as I was reading it.

In less than an hour, I will be 22. This has been a really good year, my 22nd year. I feel different about this birthday, like I'm really older -- an adult. I think it's because I know such a huge change is happening this year and that will change who I am, too. Like Josh has said, in Colorado, nothing has to hold me back from being the person I want to be and doing what I want to do. There are no expectations or preconceived ideas. It's a fresh start. I feel ready to make my 23rd year a really fabulous one. I want to have extraordinarily good relationships, I want to live an adventure, and I want to dream big. Here's to 22!

It's sobering to read my hopes and goals for this last year. I knew unimaginable change was approaching, but how can you anticipate what that really means?

In many ways, I have grown a lot. There are things I've done in the last year that I had never done before:

• Get a full-time job.
• Work in ministry.
• Lead a student life group.
• Mentor others.
• Teach a large group alone.
• Work two jobs.
• Lead worship with hundreds of people.
• Make meaningful friendships quickly.
• Develop multiple relationships with people of different ages.
• Develop skill in dancing, singing, design, photography and acting without fear of failure.

I realize in myself a confidence, courage and resilience I've never had before. But as I grow in so many outward areas, I also feel a weakening of my spirit. A year ago, when I had so much time on my hands and so few responsibilities, my prayer life was constant. I felt like I found new insights in God's Word every day. I wasn't engaging in ministry; I wasn't being used in very many lives or giving my talents and gifts fully to God. But I spent so much time in communion with Him.

How do I do both? How can I give everything I have to God and still have the time to know Him? How can I develop my spirit while developing my actions?

The rest of this week, I'm going to look for a word from God that answers these questions. Lord, guide me in Your Word to know your plan for this year of my life. Help me to seek growth in the areas that You care about, not in the areas that are important to me. Not in the areas that seek people's approval more than Yours.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

One of the things I love about the Bible: No matter what I'm feeling, no matter how indiscernible or indescribable the dark cries of my heart are to me, there is something in God's Word that captures them. It's like God's way of showing me, over and over again, that He really does understand every thought in my head, and that the Spirit really can interpret my wordless prayers (Romans 8:26) into something that makes sense. They aren't pretty, granted, but they make sense.

When it comes to Bible guys, I'm really thankful for David. I'm not one of those people who is gifted in contextualizing and analyzing history, so I don't know really what David was like as a person; I just know that so many of his praises and complaints to God tend to summarize my heart. David definitely experienced highs and lows, and he shared both with God. I relate to that.

So I don't have many thoughts to share about this Psalm, but it spoke to me this morning and I am grateful again that God has comforted me with His understanding of my soul.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”

My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42