Green Protein Smoothie

Need some protein and wanna get some greens in too?

Here's one recipe for a smoothie full of protein and good greens.





Serves: 1-2


Ingredients w/ Protein Content:
1-1/2 to 2 cups - Milk  (9-16g of protein; depending on whether it's goat or cow)
4 - raw eggs or favorite protein powder (24g)
1 - Banana (ripe)   (1g)
1 - half Avocado   (1g)
1 cup - Spinach   (6g)
1 teaspoon - Honey (or 1/2 t of Stevia)   (0)

1-2 dashes - Cayenne Pepper   (0)

Directions:
Pour the Milk in blender and add other contents.  Blend.  Drink!

A few notes:
It should go without saying but always try and use Organic ingredients.

Milk:
I use raw goat milk rather than cow's milk because:
   A) Goat milk is healthier and more bioavailable to the body.
   B) Goat milk is higher in protein than cow's milk.   Approx. 9grams of protein in Goat milk as
        compared to 5-6grams of protein in cow's milk per 1 cup. 

Eggs or Powder:
You'll also notice I listed RAW eggs.  This is ONLY because I raise my own chickens!  If I didn't have my own fresh, healthy source of eggs I wouldn't be using raw.  If you have your own, or you know of a trusted source for them, there's nothing better for protein (and a host of nutrients and vitamins), as well as omega 3 fatty acids, than a raw chicken egg!  6 grams of protein in 1 egg.
But if you don't (or just can't bear the thought of downing raw eggs) then your favorite protein powder will do just fine.   Here's a couple of recommendations I have:

Jay Robb Egg White Protein powder.  24grams per serving!

 The Jay Robb Egg White Protein powder is a great choice because it has NO junk in it.  They use only all natural and/or organic ingredients and give you a good amount of protein in the process.  Not to mention it tastes AMAZING!

Nutiva Hemp Protein powder.  15 grams per serving.

 If you want to make your "green" smoothie more GREEN then try Nutiva's Hemp Protein powder.  It supplies you with 15 grams of protein per serving (less than the 4 raw eggs or the Egg White powder though) and also gives the added benefit that comes with hemp, including an ample amount of Omega 3 fatty acids.  The taste isn't quite as delicious as the Jay Robb protein powder but you can always add a little more honey or stevia.  :)

Spinach:
Not only do you get the benefits of added iron, vitamins K, A, C, and E and fiber BUT you get 6 grams of protein in a cup of spinach!  Yes, it would seem Popeye knew what he was talking about.

Avocado:
While the Avocado doesn't have all that much protein, it DOES have some amazing benefits.  One of them is the fact that it supplies some really good fats to your system.  Our bodies need protein, carbs, and fats so survive.  Healthy fats are needed for brain and nerve function, as well as much needed energy.  Plus the avocado adds a nice creamy texture to the smoothie!

Cayenne Pepper:
In a smoothie???  While there's no protein benefit in adding some cayenne pepper to your green smoothie (it's even the wrong color!) it adds a nice little "kick", but it's certainly not necessary.  :)
Cayenne does help support blood flow and pressure.  It also boosts the metabolism, thereby helping to burn excess fat!

Spaghetti...Squash!

In the mood for some spaghetti tonight, but want a little something different?
How 'bout Spaghetti Squash?

Here's a super easy recipe for a new twist
on an old favorite.


Serves: 2-4
Prep Time: 10 mins.
Cook Time: 25-30 mins.
Total Time: 35-40 mins.

Ingredients:
1 - Spaghetti Squash
1 - Red Pepper
1/2 - Red Onion
1/2 cup - Sliced Almonds
1/3 cup - Pepitas or Pumpkin Seeds
3/4 - 1 cup - Sun Dried Tomatoes (chopped)
Feta Cheese...and lots of it!  :)
1/2 teaspoon - Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon - course ground Garlic Powder
Marinara sauce of choice

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut your Spaghetti Squash length wise down the middle and scoop out seeds.  You will be left with a long crater in the center of each squash half.
Lay each half face down on a baking sheet.  If you need to wipe a little oil on the sheet first then do so.

Next, slice up your Red Pepper, removing as many seeds as you can (unless you like some extra heat in your spaghetti).
Slice and chop the Red Onion half into small chunks.

By this time, or maybe a little sooner, your oven should be preheated so go ahead a place your squash halves inside and bake for 25-30 minutes.  30 is probably best unless the squash is very ripe and your oven runs real hot.

Chop up the Sun Dried Tomatoes.

Now place a skillet on your oven and warm it up on Med/Hot.
Coat the skillet with Olive Oil and let it warm up for a few minutes.

When your squash is done baking, pull them out and let them cool for a 5 minutes or so.  Caution, they will be hot to the touch for a few minutes.  Duh, right?  Well I didn't think they'd be THAT hot, but I twas wrong.

Okay, so now place your slices of Red Pepper, Almonds, and Pepitas in your skillet and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Watch out for that hot oil.  Then add in your Onion for just a couple more minutes.
You can also throw in the Sun Dried Tomato if you want to warm them up a bit, but I don't.

Once everything in the skillet has only a minute or so left grab one half of the spaghetti squash and scrape out the "noodles" into your bowl or plate.  Trust me, if you've never had spaghetti squash before, it's too much fun to see the squash come out as noodles.  :) 

To add your salt you want to divide it evenly among the bowls or plates of  spaghetti squash.  So if you're serving 4 divide your salt into 4 portions.  Otherwise if you're only doing 2 then dividing the amount of salt in half is whatchya want to do.
Mix up the "noodles" and salt.

Pour some Marinara sauce of your choice onto the squash and add the skillet contents.
Sprinkle...oh, who am I kidding?...DUMP a bunch of Feta Cheese on top!  There's nothin' betta' than Feta!
Sprinkle a little Garlic Powder to finish it off and you have Spaghetti Squash for dinner!

The Feast of Tabernacles (pt. 2)

What's the point?  Of life, I mean.  You're born, you might live a good 80-90 years, and then you die.  So what's the point of it all?  You can't take anything with you so what's the use in accumulating a bunch of "stuff" that will just get passed on to the next person?

Well, I'm going to tell you why we're here. 

...drum roll, please.....

To be in a relationship.

Eh hem, I said...TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP! 

Was that possibly not the answer you were looking for?  Okay, okay, so I'm being a bit vague, but I just wanted to get your cranial juices flowing.  :)

An intimate relationship (which is what I'm talking about here) involves 2 persons who deeply, courageously, and fervently love and care for each other.  A strong and steady marriage between a man and woman best pictures this.  Each of them is willing to sacrifice whatever they have for the other person.  Their possessions, their time, even their life become inconsequential when compared to their true love.  Remember this.

Again, what kind of a relationship am I talking about, here?  Well, the only kind that matters of course!  A relationship with the one who actually MADE YOU.  No, not your dad or mom.  No, not the person who might make you feel like a better person, like say, your spouse or children.  No no, I'm talking about the one who crafted seeds, formed clouds, spoke stars into existence, and made your heart beat for the very first time in your mother's womb.  The one who had you in His mind before time existed.  The one who paints beautiful artwork in the heavens day and night just to get your attention.  I'm talking about GOD! 

We're born, we live, we die.  None of this is pointless IF (and I mean IF) you know the Maker of heaven and earth.  However, if you choose to reject Him who gave you life in the first place then you will find yourself alone...for eternity.  All alone.  

Deep down inside none of us want to be alone.  God certainly doesn't want you to be alone!  He made you for a reason; that He might show you His love and give you an eternity to get to know Him better.  But, because He is true love He will not force Himself upon anyone, because then their love for Him wouldn't be real.  We don't want someone we love and care for to just be a mindless zombie and say they love us when we know they really don't.  No, we want that person in our life to really, truly care for us!  That's exactly how God feels about you!  That you would see just how much He has sacrificed for you to give you the opportunity to know Him.

Sacrificed?  What has God sacrificed for you, you might ask?  Only EVERYTHING!  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking, listen up, and for those of you who DO know what I'm talking about let this be a reminder...God sacrificed His only Son for you.  He gave Him up to be sin for you and I, sinners.  Yeshua (Jesus) came to earth in the form of a man, lived a life in perfect obedience to give us a perfect example to go by, and was murdered by people who professed godliness but knew nothing of it.  Our Savior was born, lived, and died.  Sound familiar?  Oh, I forgot one thing...He rose again!!!

Now, if Yeshua rose from the dead, what do you think that means for those who trust in Him?  YES!  They will live again too!  Death will have no hold on us who follow our Messiah now into eternity.  But again, if you don't know Him when you die then there will be no resurrection for you.  Just a second death.

But I want you to think about the "living" part of things here for a minute.  The Son of God came to the earth He created and lived among those whom He foreknew.  Yet, He was rejected and despised by many around Him.  But He didn't come to be Mr. Popular.  He came to heal the sick, raise the dead, and speak truth to everyone who knew it when they heard it! 

Yeshua is God, but He subjected Himself to a life of having nothing but a little food and water and the air He breathed.  He who was outside of the very time that He created stepped into it and was governed by it.  He who was/is eternal allowed His life to be taken.  His possessions, His time, and His life was inconsequential when He considered you and I.

This life isn't about gaining a bunch of things, but rather, losing everything for the chance to know Him who can give you everything!  In other words, if you want to invest in this world and live for yourself then you are going to miss out on all that truly matters, because nothing you have will save you when death comes.  However, if you let go of those things (and sometimes people) in this world that are keeping you from possibly hearing your Creator and allow Him to reveal Himself to you, you will know what I'm talking about.  Your life will be brought into perspective and you will be challenged in everything you've ever known...and that is a good thing. 

If you're in a relationship with your Lord then you know that not every step in this journey through life is easy, but it is one more step with your true love.  Yes, your true love.  You know, the One who made that sunset for you to enjoy? 

The Feast of Tabernacles (pt 1)

Here it is...the last feast of God's calendar year!  The Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of the Ingathering.
What does this feast mean for the people of God today?  How are we to celebrate it?  Well, it's a pretty large feat to try and tackle that all in one post so we're going to look at this feast in several parts.
Again, going to Leviticus 23, which speaks concerning all the feasts of the LORD, the feast of Tabernacles follows the Day of Atonement, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.  They (the children of Israel) were commanded to offer up sacrifices and offerings and to rest on the first and last days (high sabbaths) of the feast.  They were also commanded to dwell in booths, or temporary shelters.
Before we get into things too much, let's take a look at the word "tabernacle" itself.   That IS, after all, the name of the feast!

The word, in Hebrew, is "suka", meaning - "a hut or lair; booth, tent; a rude or temporary shelter".

The Israelites were commanded to build sukas and dwell in them throughout the feast in order to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt by the hand of the LORD.

 The idea of building a temporary dwelling place was also a picture of dwelling with the LORD during the time He was leading them out of slavery in Egypt.  I can say, in a sense, that my Savior has delivered me from my "Egypt" in the fact that I was a "slave to sin", but now I am a "slave to righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18).  I was not, however, delivered from literal Egypt.  I'm saying that for a reason which I'll get to in a later post.  Nonetheless I AM free in HIM!  Messiah is the reason I celebrate.  In fact, He is the reason for everything, which is what we have to realize and remember when looking at things like the Feasts of the LORD.

As I dwell in this body, which Peter references as a "tent" (2 Peter 1:13-14), as does Paul (2 Corinthians 5:4), I am reminded that this world is not my home.  And while there are many wonderful things about this creation that He has given for me to enjoy, it is not my destination.  It is a place of learning.  It is a battlefield.  It is a 'temporary' dwelling...as is my body.

As I look forward to the next seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles I am reminded to not get ahead of my Lord.  Each day and every step is a glorious opportunity to walk with Him...and that is what it's all about...the journey with Him.