Joyful Living - 10/15/11

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good!

I'll admit I'm taking this verse out of context because it really has nothing to do with food. But it fits so well in a food conversation, doesn't it?

I used to eat in a hurry, chewing my food just a couple of times with the next bite already poised at my mouth before I even swallowed. Sound familiar to anyone else? I didn't taste very many of my meals and found myself mindlessly munching on snacks throughout the day. (Ok, I still mindlessly munch when I'm bored.)

Food is vitally important to our survival. We HAVE to eat it to live. Our taste buds make us WANT to eat it. How many of us actually want to eat food that tastes gross, no matter how "healthy" it supposedly is? The Joyful Task for the day is to taste the food that is eaten...appreciate and enjoy the variety of flavors. Let eating be a small, simple pleasure rather than a mandatory task or a mindless activity.

Personally, I love the taste of a cold fruit smoothie. My husband left the house this morning just as I was beginning to wake up. He kissed my bye and said "there's a smoothie in the fridge for you." Breakfast was already made? That's one of the best things to wake up to.
Berry Banana Smoothie (my husband's favorite)
1 banana
1 apple
a large handful of frozen berries (any combination of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)
a vegetable that won't change the flavor, such as a handful of kale or a small squash
1 tsp coconut oil (optional - makes the smoothie more filling because of the fat)