Last week, we had our first surprise snow. Of course, no one was prepared for it. There were several jokes going around on social media due to the fact that the snow, along with the temperatures that trailed soon after were replicating that of what would be going on in the month of January. Surprisingly, even with all the snow and cold temps, I still had about ten kids to come to the door for candy.
Last week, I made another concoction. It turned out good, and the best part about this particular one is that it left you feeling energized and overall in good spirits after eating it. I hope that you enjoy it as well. Have a blessed weekend in the Lord!
Photo by Katina Horton
Total Cooking and Prepping Time:
1 hour
Ingredients:
1 bag of French lentils
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
1/2 cup of red quinoa
2 bunches of asparagus
2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1 pack of tortillas
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 bag of frozen cut-leaf spinach
Optional: 1 bag of cheese (vegan or non-vegan)
chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, curry, turmeric, parsley, (5 tablespoons of each)
Photo by Katina Horton
Directions for Lentil Asparagus Tacos:
Boil one bag of French lentils.
While the lentils are boiling, boil the brown rice and quinoa.
Also, while the lentils are boiling, saute the diced tomatoes, asparagus, and spinach in a skillet with olive oil.
Add 1/3 cup of olive to the boiling lentils.
Once all the ingredients are fully cooked, dump all of them into a separate large-sized pot, adding the nutritional yeast, and all of the seasonings.
Heat up your tortilla and add the mixture to the inside.
Last week, I had a sweet tooth for cookies. And so, on Friday I purchased some pecans, and got to making this desire a reality on Sunday after church. I was surprised that they came out pretty good since it was my first time trying out the oatmeal raisin cookie combination.
I will definitely have to make these cookies again. If you are feeling adventurous enough to try them out, send me an email and a picture letting me know what you think. Have a blessed week!
Photo by Katina Horton
Total Prepping and Cooking Time
35 minutes
Ingredients
oatmeal- 1 1/2 cups
raisins- 1/2 cup
almond milk – 1 cup
chopped or whole pecans – 1/2 cup
sugar – 1/2 cup
almond flour – 1 1/2 cups
flaxseed meal – 3 tablespoons
Directions
Mix all of the above ingredients in a large bowl using a whisk or wooden spoon.
Using a cookie scoop, grab one scoop at a time, making sure that you press against the side of the bowl to rid of any excess liquid.
Place the scoops on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Episode 52: Living in the Moment Healing Our Brokenness Podcast Seri...
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Living in the Moment Introduction
We all have a never-ending list of things to do. We are so maxed out that we are piling up three and four things at a time, but not fully present to any one thing. How can this change? Take a listen to today’s podcast episode.
Photo by Sarah Pflug
Show Notes
Podcast Outline
My Encounter
What Jesus Says
Challenge Questions:
What are some of the steps that you can take in order to be more present?
What are some of the patterns of behavior that you have observed that prevents you from living in the moment?
Sleep is one of those things that we can’t live without. At one time or another, we’ve all had problems sleeping. But what happens when lack of sleep starts to get the best of you? Read the poem below to find out.
We all love a good night’s sleep. When I picture falling asleep, I think about having just the right amount of flat sheets, a soft comforter, a few pillows surrounding me, just the right temperature in the house, and having sweet dreams. Just thinking about this scene would make all of us stop and long for sleep.
Photo by Shopify Partners
Sleep can be one of the sweetest things in the world, and then on the other side of that coin, it can be that of agony for a person living with PTSD/trauma on a daily basis. There is also no rhyme or reason as to when sleep deprivation will occur.
Photo by Matthew Henry
Breakdown of My Sleep Aspect of Trauma
Five years ago, unbeknownst to me, I entered an extremely toxic work environment. At the time, I had already been dealing with sleep issues as a side effect of the trauma of my divorce, as well as the events immediately preceding and following the divorce. I would describe the events as a crazy Lifetime movie. Unfortunately, this movie was my life. Although I was already having problems staying and falling asleep, nothing could compare to the level of sleep problems that occurred as a by-product of working at this company for nine months.
People living with PTSD/trauma often face two issues when it comes to sleep: falling asleep and staying asleep. I had and have both. During the time that I worked at this company, I would try to fall asleep around 10 pm. From 10:00 pm to 3:00 a.m, I would fall asleep for a few minutes, wake up with my teeth and whole body tense and clenched tight, and the cycle would start all over again.
Breakdown Part Two
I am going to keep it real here. The first couple of times that this happens, you find yourself trying to stay positive and you start telling yourself not to overly think about. “Don’t be concerned about the time.” However, when you have done this 5 or more times within five hours, and realize that you have only had a total of maybe one hour of sleep, and you have to get up pretty soon for work, the positivity can wear off real fast. I had to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for work, which if we all do the math, we know that this isn’t enough time for restful adequate sleep.
The toxic job, along with this vicious cycle of sleep caused major life-threatening thyroid problems, along with an overactive adrenal gland.
God granted me grace by allowing me to be let go from this toxic environment. It gave me time to heal and try to breathe again.
Sleep Aspect: What’s Going On Now
I still have issues with my sleep patterns due to trauma. They are not as frequent as they were, but they are still a problem. Last week took me clearly by surprise.
I had been suffering with sinus and allergy issues since August, and last week these issues came to a head. And guess what came with it? Sleep deprivation from trauma. I had two nights with four nights of sleep.
Then, I had one night with five nights of sleep. Just as I thought I was turning the corner, the following night was an all-nighter with only one hour of sleep at best. I nodded off for ten minutes at a time, woke up, and then stayed up for hours, with my body attempting sleep several more times.
I have to get up at 4:00 for work, and so, when this time came, and I was still awake, I reluctantly resigned to calling in and staying home. What I had to do was to give myself grace and compassion. I had to tell myself that I needed a time-out to rest, get in as many liquids as I could to help my sinus issues, and just relax. Finally, I fell asleep at 5:00 a.m. and slept until close to nine.
I would have liked to sleep until one o’clock. However, that didn’t happen. What did happen is that I literally laid down for part of the day, and sat up part of the day and allowed myself to rest physically, emotionally, and spiritually in Jesus. Sometimes we just have to admit that we are having a bad day, week, month, year, and simply REST!!!
Sleep Aspect Conclusion
Sleep deprivation from trauma is real. I won’t downplay it. However, God is also real, and he can meet us right where we are. When we have these hiccups in our schedule, the devil wants to make us think we are right back where we are. WE ARE NOT!!
Unfortunately sleep issues are a part of living with and healing from trauma on a daily basis, but it doesn’t define us. God does! And guess what? When I couldn’t sleep during the night, I had praise music playing in my head as if I had turned on a radio. Even though my feelings were telling me different, God was telling me that he was with me.
God bless and have a wonderful rest of your week!!!
What are some of the things that you do to help yourself when you are dealing with the sleep aspect of trauma?
We all respond different when we shut down from trauma. This poem is meant to encourage you and cause you to dig deeper in order to move forward. God bless!
Photo by Shanu D. at Shopify
Shutting Down
Shutting down.
Shutting down.
Trying hard to maintain ground.
Feeling stuck.
A little unclear.
Knowing God.
Is always near.
Look around!
Look around!
Getting close to gaining ground,
Touch and feel and know you’re here.
No numbing out.
Just feel the tears.
Challenge Question:
What are your go-to methods when you find yourself shutting down?
Episode 51: I Can’t See Healing Our Brokenness Podcast Seri...
00:00 / 00:21:14
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I think everyone at one time or another have had the following words to come out of their mouths, “I Can’t See”. However, what does that really mean? Well, there are several different circumstances for each of us. Listen to this week’s podcast to find out what I couldn’t see.
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
As our kids are in the process of becoming young adults, it gets more and more challenging to carve out connection time. They have their lives. You have yours. And to top it off, if both of you are working, then you are presented with even more of a challenge.
About a week and a half ago, my son was home to visit. We were both working and extremely busy. However, we were able to carve out some connection time together a little bit before he left, and we decided to explore listening to French music, catch up on each other’s lives, and make vegetarian meatballs.
Photo by Katina Horton
I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.
Here’s the recipe:
Photo by Katina Horton
Ingredients
1 pack of Lightlife Smart Ground Mexican crumble (little bit of a spicy kick to it) per bowl
4 teaspoons of chili powder, garlic powder, parsley, cumin, curry, onion powder, and garlic powder per bowl
1 pack of shredded cheese
bread crumbs
1/3 cup of oatmeal
2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
4 eggs (2 per bowl)
Photo by Katina Horton
Directions
Place one pack of vegan meat in two medium sized bowls.
Add 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal, oatmeal, seasonings, and desired cheese amount per bowl.
Mix the ingredients in each bowl.
Grab two cookie sheets and line with parchment paper.
Use one cookie sheet per bowl.
Use a cookie scoop the size of your choice to scoop the meatball mixture, carefully leveling off and pressing the scoop against the side of the bowl to solidify the mixture.
Place the cookie scoop as close to the parchment paper as possible and then release the ball onto the sheet to reduce crumbling.
Heat on 325 degrees for about 25 minutes and drizzle with barbecue sauce when done.
Enjoy!
What are some of the things that you like to do for fun with your young adult children?
Over the weekend, I attended a women’s conference at my church. It was a Holy Spirit-filled good time. Because of having a busy weekend, I decided that I wouldn’t cook on Saturday evening. I ordered two build-your-own pizzas, watched movies with my mom, and took it easy.
Photo by Katina Horton
On Monday night, I decided to cook dinner for the week. I loved the end result. The dish has a little bit of a spicy kick to it. It is just enough for you to enjoy the dish, and at the same time not be overwhelmed.
Photo by Katina Horton
I pray that you are having a blessed week so far, and preparing to embrace the weekend that is upon us.
Here is the recipe for Pasta with Black Lentils:
Photo by Katina Horton
Ingredients:
1 box of fettuccine
1/2 cup of quinoa
1/3 cup of oil
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 zucchini
1/2 pound of black lentils
4 tablespoons of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, parsley, cumin, and curry
Directions:
Boil a pot of water, placing some oil in the water to avoid sticky pasta.
Boil the black lentils for about 30 minutes.
Place the pasta and quinoa into the boiling water.
Cut up the zucchini, and then saute the zucchini and tomatoes together.
Add the seasonings to the vegetables.
Dump the vegetables into the pot of pasta and quinoa.
If you know me by now, you know that I love coming up with all kinds of fun food concoctions. And the other day was no exception to the rule.
Before I give you the recipe, I want to talk about some of the benefits of creating a weeknight routine.
Food Photo by Katina Horton
Routines help to center, direct, and structure/stabilize/ground us. They also give us predictability for our minds and our bodies. Weeknight routines give us grounding and investment for a good night’s sleep. When we make time and space for the things that we are gifted/good at, and love to do, we are caring for our souls.
This past week, I decided to be even more intentional in adding some things back to my weeknight routine. One of these things is walking. The benefits of walking are endless. The fresh air, automatic feel good hormones that run through your body, the blood flow, lowering of blood pressure, etc. Walking makes me feel good and keeps my mind creative and flowing with ideas. It also helps me with my writing and allows me to really appreciate nature and how great God is.
Other things that I do for my weeknight routine are listening to podcasts/preaching, dancing, reading books, showering, and drinking tea.
As an exercise tonight, think of all the things that you love to do and are gifted at. Circle all the important things that you wouldn’t want to do without. Make these things a part of your weeknight routine and see how much of a difference that they make in your overall well-being.
Here is the French Fry A La Mode for the Family Recipe
Ingredients
1 bag of french fries
4 Dr. Praeger’s super green veggie burgers
1 container of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce
1 bag of cheese
Directions
Bake a bag of french fries.
While the fries are baking, fry 4 Dr. Praeger’s super green veggie burgers.
Grab bowls and add a couple of servings of fries into each bowl.
Cut up the veggie burgers and evenly spread them on top of the fries in each bowl.
