Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Creation

Yesterday I made a few new dishes with the promise of pictures for other recipes I try this week. I was in a very paleo-snack mood, so I decided to try the kale chip recipe I've been seeing all over forums. In addition, I did not wake up in time to try the egg-in-tomato dish, so I tried it tonight. Both were fun to make, but didn't turn out exactly as I would have liked. The kale chips were a bit too salty (must add less salt next time!) and the eggs were too runny :(

Cooking these few days have given me some insight into God as Creator. I would sit down, think about what I was going to make, be really excited about the idea knowing full well that it may not come out exactly as I wanted. However, I was still willing to go through with my creation even if it turned out to be a failure. 

Now I can't say I know exactly what God was thinking when He created us, but I think God had an idea of how He would like for us to turn out (righteous, good, etc) like how I wanted my eggs to turn out more well-done. Yet, we have minds of our own and do what we want, like my eggs choosing to not cook all the way. All the while, I still hope that my eggs would cook more over time, like God wanting to see us grow more like Christ.

Pull kale leaves off the stem. Drizzle with olive oil & sea salt. Make sure they don't overlap on the cookie tray. Bake for 15 min at 350 degrees.

The finished product: crispy, salty kale chips! 

Hollow out a tomato, add pesto, crack an egg inside. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

It was a bit more liquid-y than I was expecting, but it was fun nonetheless. 

Monday, October 17, 2011

Cooking Experiments

I made it through last week's paleo on a budget challenge! Every morning, I had a onion & green pepper omelet. For three days' lunch and dinner, I had chicken, onion and green pepper stir fry. On the other two days I had beef and broccoli stir fry. On Saturday, I was blessed with the ability to eat at Sushi Itto before it opened because the owner wanted our opinion/feedback - so I got a free meal! Saturday night I had a sausage from our office's cookout on Friday. And Sunday I had two meals of omelets.

But this week, one of our "challenges" is to Taste and See God in something artistic. This could be exploring a new place, trying a new food, or watching a good movie, etc. So far, I've cooked two new things!

1. Spaghetti Squash. FUN! Popped this bad boy in the microwave for 20 min or 5 min per pound (flipping halfway through). Cut it open, de-gutted it, and scraped out the "spaghetti" with a fork. This was really exciting because I've never cooked any type of squash before, plus this was a very interesting squash. It is very watery, but has a subtle sweet taste similar to yams. I can't say it is as fun as eating normal spaghetti, but I do find it a very suitable substitute for spaghetti especially when I'm craving Jo Mama's Famous Spaghetti sauce.

2. Home made pesto. Used basil, pecans, garlic and olive oil. I have to admit, I do miss Washu's rendition of pesto... it must be the pine nuts and cheese. Mine tastes a bit... woodier? ALSO. We don't have a food processor, so I was slaving away at trying to mince the pesto as fine as possible, and then used the stone bowl smoosher thing, then finally discovered our blender. Man, without the blender, I think it would have been impossible to make pesto. But I do have to say, I really felt caveman-ish while using that stone bowl.

If I get up early enough, I'm going to bake an egg inside a tomato (w/ pesto) for breakfast! I should really take pics of these things..

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Paleo on a Budget

As you may know, my small group decided last week to post 10 things we're grateful for each day. That was great because I got to see how God was working in even the small things in my life & how blessed I am. At the end of the week, I really felt happier because I had all these things to be grateful for. If I wasn't forced to write 10 down, then I wouldn't have thought about what all I'm grateful for. I think I'm going to continue doing this because it really helped me to see how God was blessing me.

THIS WEEK we have some exciting challenges. The one that I am most nervous/excited for is the "Simplify Your Life" challenge where as a group, we are choosing to not eat out this week and only live off of $25 worth of groceries for the week. Originally, I thought we were going to do $2/day or $14/wk, so the jump to $25 is huge for me! The idea is that we would be able to better empathize with people living on less than $2 per day in third world countries. Then we take the money that we would have used to go out to eat and donate it to a cause.

For me, the real challenge is trying to figure out how to keep the Paleo Diet while limiting myself to $25. This makes me angry because I'm realizing that all the cheap food that I would've purchased while not on the diet (spaghetti, bread, rice, beans, corn syrup, etc) are all not as good for you. However, hopefully I can prove that it is possible to go paleo on a limited budget. 

H-mart Total: $12.27
3  Huge chicken breasts = $5.20
Korean Yams = 1.98 lb @ $0.39/lb totals $0.77
3lb Bag of white onions = $1.79
2 Gala apples = $0.88
Bunch of 5 bananas = 2.17 lb @ $0.59/lb totals $1.28
18 pk of Large Eggs = $1.99
Tax = $0.36

Buford Highway Farmers Market Total: $4.84
Broccoli bunch = $1.99
NY Steak = $2.71
Tax = $0.14

Kroger Total: $7.00
Salad bags = $1.98
Green peppers = 3 @ $0.59 totals $1.77
Silk Coconut Milk = $2.94
Tax = $0.31

Grand Total: $24.11

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Gratitude 7



  1. Thankful that I can sleep in and get some good sleep.
  2. Thankful for brunch at Ria's Bluebird with Andrew.
  3. Thankful that I am blessed with good health.
  4. Thankful that despite having a bad face for sunglasses, I have the ability to see.
  5. Thank God for ikea.
  6. Thankful that our family was the only neighbors invited to the Indian Doctor's birthday party.
  7. Thankful for the opportunity to fake gamble with my mom, and also see my dad in social action.
  8. Thankful that I now know a personal injury attorney in case I ever need one. 
  9. Thankful for a great restful day.
  10. Thankful for Hulu!

Gratitude 6



For Friday
  1. TGIF!
  2. Thankful for an awesome/fun dream this morning about dating Josh Duhamel and he was trying to impress me by how manly he is :)
  3. Thankful that my first client training went well.
  4. Thankful for the opportunity to sit in on strategic planning meetings to see how the higher ups think and approach client relationships.
  5. Thankful that I'm of good health and don't have cancer.
  6. Thankful for the reusable Leukemia & Lymphoma Society bag I won so that I can carry my lunch stuff back home.
  7. Thankful for living at home.
  8. Thankful for the opportunity to be in Atlanta to watch my brother grow up (and to teach him how to drive!)
  9. Thankful that when Jonathan Hsieh saw that the girl counselors weren't present and joked, "The girl counselors must not love you," that Victoria yelled, "But Joy loves us!" :) Made my night.
  10. Thankful for slowly rebuilding my relationship with my dad.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Gratitude 5

  1. Thankful that I cut the onions last night so that I can make an omelette this morning. 
  2. Thankful that I have a great boss that I've been learning so much from. 
  3. Thankful that I feel more awake on the new diet.
  4. Thankful that God took away unnecessary feelings. 
  5. Thankful that even though traffic was a beast, I had Jonathan Hsieh's hilarious pick up lines to entertain myself with.
  6. Thankful that my brother is involved with a competitive robotics team  at Westminster.
  7. Thankful for the workouts in Fitness magazine subscription redeemed from My Coke Rewards points.
  8. Thankful for loofahs because they make using body wash so much more efficient. 
  9. Thankful for Facebook because it helps me connect with people I haven't seen in a long time.
  10. Thankful for my hard contacts still being in once piece and giving me the ability to have 20/20 vision during the day.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Gratitude 4

  1. Thankful that I had a very entertaining dream this morning.
  2. Thankful that I saw someone else napping in their car during lunch!! :) Glad I'm not the only one...
  3. Thankful that what was supposed to be a really busy day at work turned out better than expected. 
  4. Thankful for having met Joelinda at The 40 and possibly hanging out with her tonight at Fusion!
  5. Thankful that I had a back up Client Distribution List saved on my desktop because I deleted the one in Outlook by accident.
  6. Thankful for Gungor Radio station on Pandora Radio.
  7. Thank God for how He got me this position at Nielsen - so divine.
  8. Thankful for the message at Fusion tonight - really needed the push to go all out in helping someone know about Jesus.
  9. Thankful for encouragement from Nesta after Fusion. 
  10. Thankful that even though I was bawling tonight (from cutting onions), I am actually very happy. 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Gratitude 3


  1. Thankful for Max Lucado on the radio reminding me that it isn't about My story but that it is about His story.
  2. Thankful that I don't have much work to do today since I am taking a sick day - feeling really weak and tired.
  3. Thankful that I got some good rest.
  4. Thankful that I joined Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity in college.
  5. Thankful that I can still spend time with my mom.
  6. Thankful that I'm feeling better.
  7. Thankful that I got to check off Watching Wicked from my bucket list. 
  8. Thankful that I got to my dried clothes before my grandma folded them because I hate that it gets wrinkly. 
  9. Thankful that despite all my desires of being in a relationship, I'm not actually in one yet.
  10. Thankful that in exactly three weeks I will be partying it up at WashU and catching up with friends.



        Monday, October 3, 2011

        Grati(two)de



        1. Thankful that mom helped me boil eggs for today.
        2. Thankful that my presentation today got moved to tomorrow because I wasn't prepared to present it.
        3. Thankful that in times of need, I accidentally left things in the right place. For example, leaving my peacoat in the trunk because it is so chilly today!
        4. Thankful that I have a car that I can nap in during lunch time. Exhausted.
        5. Thankful that my golf instructor has extra golf clubs I can use tonight since I accidentally left mine at home.
        6. Thankful that a kind Samaritan returned my instructor's golf club that I borrowed and lost >.<
        7. Thankful that I have a friend who knows how to cook with a limited budget. 
        8. Thankful for Scoutmob deals in Atlanta.
        9. Thankful that my umbrella was found. 
        10. Thankful that I forgot about my sweet potatoes from this morning. Now I have lunch for tomorrow!

        Also, this seems like it is going to be the Caveman month where I eat nothing but meat, fruits and vegetables and where I hit things with clubs. 

        Sunday, October 2, 2011

        Gratitude 1

        Hi friends! I have two really exciting updates.

        1. "The 40" aka Georgia's Intervarsity Fall Conference. I'm friends with various staff workers in the Georgia region who invited me to help out as a prayer intercessor/minister. Since prayer ministry has been a huge part of my relationship with God, I wanted to help other students experience it too. This weekend, God really worked in huge ways.

        Satan was really putting up a fight and continuously tried to thwart God's plans, and we knew it was because God was going to do something big. And He did. Last night, we invited students to receive healing by coming up to the prayer ministers. Going into it, I was very weary of how many people would actually come up to get prayer. Before coming to The 40, I prayed that God would at least give me the opportunity to pray for one person. Last night, I had the opportunity of praying for that one person, and after going back to see if anybody else wanted prayer, not only was there a line, but there was a pool of students standing there waiting to receive prayer. PRAISE GOD! I had the privilege of helping six students hear from God and be freed from what was holding them down.

        This weekend has shown me how much I miss college ministry. While rooming with a fantastic woman of God that reminds me of my college roommate from last year, I learned that she moved to Atlanta and started work at a social media marketing firm the exact same day that I started work at Nielsen, and she helps with Emory's BASIC (African-American) chapter as a volunteer staff. That got some wheels turning in my head about the possibility of me being a volunteer staff as well. The idea is still premature and may or may not come to fruition next year or in the future. For now, I am committed to ACCCN's youth group and I know I won't have the time and energy to do that and help with Intervarsity and go to Fusion on Wednesdays. So we'll see where God brings me.

        2. A few of us young adults around Atlanta were desiring community of people really seeking to follow Jesus and challenge each other, so we started a post-graduate small group that meets on Sundays. We currently began our group study of reading "Practicing The Way of Jesus: Life Together In The Kingdom of Love" which is a book that shows how to practically follow Jesus' teachings. I'm REALLY excited for this. Each week, we take on one or two of the experiments/challenges as a community.

        This week we are experimenting with security:

        • Gratitude. Each day, we are writing down ten things that we are grateful for. (without repeating anything)
        • Time/money journal. We keep a detailed journal of where we are spending our time and money, and will share these with the rest of the group.

        I will be posting my gratitude journal here each night (hopefully). I'm thankful that...

        1. God really showed up at Georgia's Intervarsity fall conference "The 40" and showed His power as our Healer. 
        2. The car ride to and from The 40 was great in the sense that we got there fast and had good conversation.
        3. I have the privilege of choosing what I want to eat each meal.
        4. We started this post-graduate small group.
        5. I had the opportunity to lead a GIG my senior year & that our Bible studies still speak to me today!
        6. I can bundle up when it is cold. 
        7. God provides everything in my life abundantly.
        8. The Kroger near my house is open until 1am. 
        9. I got to see old faces at The 40 and met many new people!
        10. I have a job to go to tomorrow.