Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Meal Planning & Jesus

When I first started this blog, it was supposed to be a tool to hold myself accountable for establishing healthy rhythms in my life and to share some of what I'm learning, etc. It worked for a bit, and then I got a new job at the Y, moved, and found it difficult to establish good habits while I was working that split shift - having to be at work so early, home later in the evening, and then to bed early. Could I have done it? Of course. But I didn't do it well.

Fast forward 9 months and here I am, establishing myself in MHK. I've figured out the basic rhythm of my job (whose hours vary week to week, but in a really good way. Case in point: It's 9am and I'm still home. Note: About 5 minutes after typing this I got called into work. I'm now finishing this over my lunch break!) and am starting to get into good routines.

I went to Wichita last week and it completely threw me off my game. Something I am learning about myself (and maybe this is true of most people?) is that if you take me out of my routine, I'm not going to naturally re-establish it. So Wichita was hard in some ways... but here are the highlights...

 I was in Wichita for a training teaching me how to lead the class prospective foster/adoptive parents take... they gave us stickers for participating and it made me way too happy. Also, coloring sheets.






 
 
By Wednesday night, I was so bored of sitting in my hotel room watching shows about gypsies on TLC, I just picked a direction and drove. My drive led me to a sign for a lake, so I turned down a gravel road and was rewarded with a gorgeous little lake, complete with ducks. It was nice to just sit on the shore and be quiet (while also looking over my shoulder every 10 seconds to make sure I was still alone. I need to stop watching crime shows, you guys). Jesus meets me in nature, every time I stop for long enough to notice it.
 
After Wichita, I went to KC. It was my first time back since I moved and it was great to see so many friends and of course my family.
 


Love these people more than words.
 
But I was so happy to get home to Manhattan. I need structure and rhythm in my life. When I don't have it, I get lazy and distracted. I get more selfish.
 
This week I am practicing structure through the art of meal planning. My co-workers go out to lunch every day and it is always a temptation to go with them, but neither my budget nor my goal to eat healthy could support that as an every day habit. I also despise packing lunches. So if I cook a few meals a week, it provides enough food and variety for bringing leftovers for lunch and eating dinner in the evening.
I know you're dying to know what I've made/am planning this week.
 
Sunday - Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Apple Skillet. It was delicious but if I make it again I think I will use chicken sausage instead of chicken breast.
 
Monday - Thai Turkey Meatballs. Baller ass, you guys. I will probably do a separate blog post with this recipe.
 
Tuesday - One Pan Salmon with Garlic-Lemon Butter and Roasted Veggies (I'm doing brussell sprouts, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes)
These three meals will be enough to feed me through the end of the week. Holla.
 
If you've made it through this whole post, I am impressed. It's probably my most boring one yet. But here's the thing:
 
I'm learning that the everyday, ordinary that happens in my life affects my spirit in a real and tangible way. That there is so distinction between the sacred and the secular. When I cook these meals, I find myself marveling at the spices, smells, colors, textures of all of these foods that God has given us. When I am doing the dishes with my hands covered in suds and music playing in the background, I am reminded to slow down, to follow through. I get to see the kitchen go from chaos to order and it reminds me of a God who is doing the same thing in my soul, drawing me closer to Him and making me more like my Jesus, healing my broken places and making me strong for the next battle.
 
Praise God for His faithfulness to us, for the lessons He teaches us in the places we least expect them. And who doesn't get mad at me for calling something baller ass.
 
Peace,
Emily



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