Chasing and Embracing Change

              


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"The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new"

Hi Friends! Are you ready for an adventure? Are you ready for a shift, for change, for new freshness? Is that even a phrase? Redundant perhaps, haha, but I like it. I want fresh! I want new! I want excitement, and adventure! And I want it all with Jesus. He is doing a new thing. Can you feel it? He is doing a fresh work. It's an exciting time that's for sure, and I don't want to miss out on any of it. I want to report for duty ready to go where He wants me to go and do what He wants me to do, but man, is anyone feeling a little lackluster and just blah physically and mentally during this Covid crazy season? Staying home so much these past 6 months, or however long it's been, well, it's not healthy. Not in any way.

I really love the premise of the quote above. When it comes to change there are two ways we can approach it. We can fight the old and strive for it, or we can build the new and embrace it. Change is tough. There's a reason for that old saying, "old habits die hard". The longer we practice something, the harder it is to break free from its grip. But, all things are possible with God, and although we don't always get to choose what comes our way in life (Corona Virus, The Great Toilet paper Shortage of 2020...) we do get to choose how we look at it, how we approach it.

As we run after God and all He has for us, I have found that it is vitally important to seek it out in the whole of the person, Body, Mind, and Spirit. If we are nourishing our Spirit but neglecting our body we will struggle to accomplish what He has planned for us. It inevitably will inhibit our abilities; brain fog, fatigue, mood swings, depression, just to name a few, can be a result from poor eating habits, lack of sleep, and just a plain ol' lack of essential, life giving vitamins and minerals that we find in whole foods that God created for our bodies to energize us and to cause us to thrive.

Although there is much uncertainty in our nation right now, it's important for us to remember that God is sovereign, that He is on the throne, and He is doing a new work. Like an athlete trains for competition, and like a soldier prepares for battle, let's prepare ourselves by fueling our bodies with whole, natural, life giving food. For sure we will be better off for it and will be more fired up to serve the Most High during this unprecedented season.

Below you will find a new recipe that is a great and tasty way to add more veggies into your diet. You guys, this one is a keeper. So good! Have fun with it. Add whatever veggies you love. The more the merrier and healthier too. Chicken sausage crumbled or chicken breast would be a great addition to this dish. If you make it let me know in the comments and tell me what you think.
​This is a modified version of the Minimalist Bakers recipe. If you haven't been to their website I recommend it, minimalistbaker.com

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Creamy White Vegetable Pasta

                                                                                                                                                   Photo by @minimalistbaker

  
Recipe Key
  GF  -  Gluten-Free
  VG  -  Vegan
  DF  -  Dairy-Free                                                                                                                                                                NS  -  Naturally sweetened

Ingredients:
ROASTED TOMATOES

• 1 cup cherry / grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tsp oil of choice
• 1 pinch sea salt

SAUCE

• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 2 cloves garlic, plus more to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup water or unsweetened almond milk (we did half of each)

PASTA

• Water to cook
• 1 healthy pinch sea salt
• 10 ounces gluten-free pasta (I love using Banza chickpea pasta. It's high in protein)

VEGGIES

• 1 tsp oil (or sub water, adding more as needed as it evaporates)
• 1/3 cup sliced red onion
• 1 cup sliced yellow squash or zucchini
• 1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs (oregano and basil // optional)
• 1 pinch red pepper flake (optional)
• 2 cups spinach (or other delicate green // we found sturdy greens, e.g. kale, to add too much chew)

FOR SERVING optional

• Fresh parsley or basil
• Red pepper flake

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (148 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss with a little oil and sea salt. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up and place on the center rack of your oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges have shriveled and the tomatoes have shrunken slightly
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with a healthy pinch of salt. Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside until serving (ideally the pasta is ready within a few minutes of serving — try to time accordingly).
• Add sauce ingredients (raw cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, and water or almond milk — we used half water, half almond milk) and blend until creamy and smooth. The sauce should be thin and pourable (add more water as needed).
• Put sauce into sauce pan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Taste and adjust flavors as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, salt to taste, or garlic for zing. Set aside.
• Once your sauce is ready, the tomatoes are nearly done roasting, and the pasta is almost ready, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a small amount of oil to coat pan (if oil-free, use water) and add sliced onion and yellow squash and/or zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, Italian seasonings (optional) and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional). Ensure the squash is in a single layer and not overlapping so it gets evenly cooked.
• Once browned on the underside, use tongs or a spatula to flip the squash and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes more. Once onion and squash are tender and slightly brown, add spinach (or other greens of choice), and stir to combine. Season with another pinch salt and pepper.
• Add cooked drained pasta to the pan and pour over the sauce. Toss to combine. Lastly, add the roasted tomatoes and stir.
• Serve immediately as is, or garnish with fresh herbs (such as parsley or basil), red pepper flake (all optional). Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days (reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot, adding a little dairy-free milk if it appears dry). Not freezer friendly.