Author: Joy

It’s My Brother’s Fault

~ Joy ~ 4 Comments

Mud. The very word brings back memories of obstacle races, causing a smile to spread across my face. I love obstacle races–a fact that many people find surprising and weird. What’s not to love about crawling through gritty, smelly mud, rolling through shock wires, or swimming through icy water? Okay, so maybe I am crazy, but I’m not the only one to blame. When I investigated the cause behind this fascination of mine, I discovered an underlying culprit–my brother.

Wow…I look rough.

I’ve always had a streak of tomboy in me, which was mostly cultivated by my older brother Grant. Once I was old enough to tag along, I delighted in following Grant and his friends as they played army in the woods surrounding our childhood home in Florida. I wore Grant’s outgrown camouflage shirts, carried a toy shotgun, and got sap stuck in my stringy white hair as I trudged through the woods to various bunkers. By the time I was six, I had already lost a baby tooth in a playful brother-sister wrestling match. (Grant is still apologetic about that incident.) Over the years, my tomboy streak gradually diminished, that is, until this past year when it came back in full force. Once again, it was my brother’s fault. After introducing me to Krav Maga self defense, he soon had me running 5K’s with him, and–yes, you guessed it–encouraged me to participate in my first obstacle race last June. I’ve been an enthusiast ever since.

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From army games and wrestling matches to Krav Maga and obstacle races, Grant is the one to blame. However, I prefer the term thank. In fact, I think he deserves an applause..

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To my dear adventurous brother: May your days be filled with mud! :)

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

~ Joy ~ 3 Comments
Warm, soothing, and delicious--this Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for cold winter nights.
Warm, soothing, and delicious–this Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for cold winter nights.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs chopped cooked chicken breast (4 cups)
  • 2 (32 oz) containers of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 (32 oz) container of vegetable broth
  • 2 cups chopped carrots, (about 6 small whole carrots)
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery (about 6 small celery sticks)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste (I did 1 tsp of each)
  • a heaping 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 1 (13.25 oz) box whole wheat rotini noodles

Directions:

Stir together all the ingredients (except for the bay leaves and noodles) in a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the bay leaves on top of the soup. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the noodles. Cook on high for 1 more hour.

Changing Seasons

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Sometimes it is hard to transition into the different seasons of our lives. It is tough to say good-bye to fall and embrace winter. Some seasons in our lives are more joyful and fun, and we naturally wish that they could last forever. But life is full of seasons, not just the four seasons of each year, but also the many seasons–happy, sad, triumphant, and difficult ones–that make us who we are.

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Living life to its fullest to me means living the life that God has called you to live. He has a calling for everyone, and each calling is unique and special. As we follow that calling, God takes us through many different seasons. Some of those seasons are full of sunshine and flowers, and some are full of cold wind and barren trees. What is important to remember is that God orchestrates every season of our lives. Just as He directs the blossoms to bloom in the spring, the warmth to come in the summer, the leaves to fall in the autumn, and the cold to come in the winter, so He also directs every season of our lives. We are never alone. He is always with us.

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No matter what season you are in right now, I hope that you can feel God’s guidance in your life. We are all here for a reason. Each season is a gift. The winter won’t last forever, but neither will the summer. Look for the beauty in life. Cherish each season, and remember the One who holds the seasons in His hands.

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Going along with the theme of this post is this Monday’s song that I composed entitled, “Changing Seasons.” I hope that you enjoy the song and the beautiful pictures taken by my brother Jay.

The YouTube link: Changing Seasons

The MP3: Changing Seasons

Happy Seasons!

Joy

Double Chocolate Muffins

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These vegan Double Chocolate Muffins–spiced with vanilla, coconut, and banana–are moist and delicious!

It was almost nine o’clock at night. The perfect time to whip together a batch of chocolate muffins, right? Well, that’s what I thought the other night as I started jotting down a rough draft of the recipe. (Am I the only one that likes to write “first drafts” of recipes and then “edit” them until I’m pleased? Sigh…I guess I write too much.)

My first objective was to create slightly sweet chocolate muffins for breakfast. The first try was a success. The muffins were moist and great for a light snack or breakfast. The next objective: chocolate dessert muffins. I added extra sweetener and more chocolate chips (why not?), and the end result was an extra moist and delightfully richer dessert version. I’ve shown how to make both kinds in the recipe below. Either way, they’re good, it just depends on your preference.

Double Chocolate Muffins

  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 heaping Tbsp of ground flaxseed (or more flour)
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 large ripe banana (or 1 1/2 small bananas)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 cup sucanat (or 3/4 cup for dessert muffins)
  • 2 tsp vanilla (increase  to 1 Tbsp if using regular almond milk)
  • 1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup for dessert muffins)

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, puree the banana with a mixer. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil over medium-low heat. Once the oil is melted, stir in the sucanat, almond milk, and vanilla. Heat until warm (not hot). Pour into the bowl with the mashed banana and mix until combined. Blend in the flour mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Pour the batter evenly into the cups. Bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes or until the tops are set (they should feel springy but not gooey). Cool a few minutes in the pan before removing the muffins from the tin and placing them on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cooled.

makes 1 dozen

Joy’s Cornbread

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Simple, moist cornbread!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 Tbs baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbs honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 (15 oz) can organic sweet corn, drained

Directions:

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add the remaining ingredients (except the corn) and mix until combined. Stir in the corn. Pour into a greased 9″ by 13″ baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until golden and set. Serve warm.

Loud Harp: Always With You

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This Monday’s song is a piano cover of “Always With You” by Loud Harp. The song is one of my favorites on Loud Harp’s debut album. Sung from the perspective of God to His people, it consists of a simple chorus encouraging us to be still and know that He will never leave us:

Hush my dear

Do not fear what may come or what will go

Take it slow & you’ll know I am with you…

Always

My piano cover is a shorter rendition of the original song, but it still holds to the basic melody. It is a peaceful song that my heart can sing along to as my fingers play. Here is the MP3: Always With You (Piano Cover)

P.S. Loud Harp has chord charts for all their songs (including this one) on their website: Loud Harp Music & Charts

Honey-Baked Carrots

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Simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. whole organic carrots
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • salt and pepper to taste (I do 1 tsp each)

Directions:

Cut off both ends of the washed carrots. Cut into carrot sticks (or desired size). Place in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Glaze the carrots with the olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper; mix with your hands until evenly coated. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until tender (or 30 minutes in a convention oven). Serve.

Chocolate-Covered Oranges

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Oranges and chocolate–two of my favorite flavors–are combined to make this quick, delicious, and healthy snack.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 orange, peeled and segmented

Directions:

Arrange the orange segments on a parchment covered dish. Place in the freezer for a few minutes. Meanwhile melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Roll each orange segment in the melted chocolate until coated and place back on the parchment paper covered dish. You may need to melt more chocolate chips and coconut oil depending on the size of the orange and how thickly you coat the segments. Place back in the freezer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the chocolate is hardened. Serve. Store leftovers (if there are any!) in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Silence

~ Joy ~ 1 Comment

Silence. That’s a word that is rarely heard.

Someone I know recently noted that our culture dislikes silence. I’ve been pondering that lately, and I think it’s true.

We live in a noisy culture where it’s easy to get trapped in the clamor and difficult to find silence. Sometimes it’s hard to stop, turn off the noise, and truly think about life.

In silence the heart speaks. What we love, what we fear, what we doubt, and what we believe all comes to the surface. In silence we can see more clearly who we are.

Why does our culture run from silence? Perhaps it is scared to see what it really is.

Just a thought.

Photo courtesy of my brother Jay at dview.us

This Monday’s song is an original composition called “Silence.” Even though it has a contradictory title (a song can’t be silent), it’s a reflective piece that I’m dedicating to the importance of silence. Here is the MP3: Silence

Book Review: Ten P’s in a Pod

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Pod

The book Ten P’s in a Pod tells the story of the Arnold Pent family. Written by the third child in the family of ten, Arnold Pent III, the book gives readers a close-up view into the life of this not-so-average American family in the 40s and 50s. Dubbed the “most unusual family in the world,” the Pents traveled nearly a million miles across North America preaching the gospel and performing as a family band. They also became one of America’s first modern homeschool families and memorized much of the Bible as a family. Ten P’s in a Pod is a humorous, insightful, and encouraging book for all ages that emphasizes the importance of the gospel, family, and daily Bible reading. It holds to the motto: “the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible.”