Goat Cheese Makes Everything Better

A memorable incident that occurred during the first year of Chance and I's marriage was the infamous purchase of a log of "chèvre" (i.e. goat cheese). We had just returned from a trip to the cold, northern parts of Michigan with my parents where we had stayed in a lovely condo, enjoyed tubing and skiing for a few days, and relaxing by the warm fire. One night my mom and I ventured out to the grocery store to collect ingredients for that night's dinner: roasted asparagus, a green salad and chicken breasts: stuffed with goat cheese. After that meal I fell in love with the stuff all over again and wanted to make the same meal for Chance and I when we got back to our little Florida apartment.

A few weeks later I made a visit to Publix (although in those days we mostly shopped at Wal-Mart) and meandered over to the gourmet cheese section of the deli. There I beheld what I had been looking for: one 4 oz. log of chèvre. I snatched it up and went to check out. I ended up making the chicken for dinner and used sun-dried tomato spread in addition to the goat cheese which was quite a hit. I don't really remember how the subject came up, but Chance probably asked out of curiosity how much the goat cheese cost. I probably showed him the receipt, not thinking much of it, and he practically fell out of his chair: $5.99 (or some amount that he deemed outrageous for a log of cheese)! This began a long conversation about our grocery budget and what my views were of spending money on food (something that would be the topic of conversation for some time to come). Needless to say, we didn't quite agree with each other but were able to laugh it off later, as I 'owned up' to my oversight and apologized not telling him before I splurged on the goat cheese.

Fast forward to today, almost a year and a half later, we shop at Sunflower Market (a natural grocer/farmer's market here in Dallas). While flipping through their weekly ad I spotted it: a SALE on goat cheese! $2.99 per 4 oz.! HOORAY! At my last grocery store visit, I picked some up and went home a happy lady to a happy husband. This past week I used the goat cheese on salads, in wraps, and in one recipe that is worthy of sharing. Chance had his wisdom teeth out on Monday (ouch!) and has been eating only soft foods, like yogurt and soup, so that left me to cook dinner for myself. I decided to do something easy (go figure) and roasted some vegetables, cooked some pasta, and tossed it all together -- topping it with goat cheese of course. And POOF - instant goodness.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta topped with Chèvre
Ingredients:
2 red peppers
2 green peppers
1 yellow pepper
1 red onion
1 small yellow or sweet onion
2 cups of brown rice rotini pasta (or whole grain if you're not Gluten Free)
2 thin slices or crumbles of plain goat cheese
1 tbs. olive or grapeseed oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cut up all vegetables into 1/2 inch chunks and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with either canola oil or drizzle olive oil on top of the veggies. Sprinkle with garlic powder, and any other seasoning you might care to use. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are browning and tender. At the 10 minute mark, cook your pasta according to directions on the box/bag. When the veggies are finished roasting take them out of the oven, drain your pasta, add to a bowl or plate, mix them together, then top with a generous amount of goat cheese - to your liking.

This recipe is DELISH! I had the leftovers at work the next day and it was still good. Like I said, goat cheese just makes everything better...

Additional recipe using goat cheese - 'Paris Cafe's (WPB) "Moulin Rouge" Salad
Toss together 1) organic mixed salad greens, 2) 5-7 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved 3) A handful of pistachios (shelled) or unsalted pumpkin seeds, 4) Goat cheese crumbles, 5) a 1/2 to 1 whole avocado, diced 5) Some sort of balsamic dressing (I like Dijon/balsamic vinegar/evoo) -- this salad is SOOO good! The homemade version competes with Paris Cafe's but I would encourage anyone visiting West Palm Beach, FL to visit Paris Cafe on S. Olive Ave -you will not be disappointed! Enjoy :)

Obsession Confession

According to Dictionary.com, the word obsess means, "to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally." I have often heard people say, "Oh I am obsessed with dark chocolate mousse" or "I am obsessed with skinny vanilla lattes from [favorite coffee shop]", and I admit that I have let the word slip from my mouth in regards to food or drinks too. But I am asking myself (and all of you) today, is that okay? Should we really allow ourselves to become so concerned about something, so transfixed on something, that it captivates our minds and consumes our thoughts? How about when that something pertains to food?

I often think about 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, which reads:
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.  "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"--and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

In the context of these passage, Paul is talking about sexual immorality and how that sin is a sin against one's own body. But he uses a phrase that could have been a popular saying at the time, when he says, "Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food".. And then he makes the point that God is going to ultimately do away with both a person's current body and stomach. He mentions that he will not be enslaved by anything--including certain foods. I think about this passage in light of sins that I commit against my own body regarding food. I know that when I over-indulge in food (which is all too easy to do) that I am sinning against my own body. Paul moves on to the point later in the passage, that the reason why we should take so seriously the sins that we commit physically (in contrast to a thought we might think) is because our body is literally a temple of the Holy Spirit! Our bodies house God. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and when we sin against our body - whether through gluttonous eating, starvation, obsession over healthy eating, or (in this context) sexual immorality - we are sinning against the "temple of the Holy Spirit".

So, as I think seriously about this plain fact, that I am a temple of the Holy Spirit - the third person of the Trinity - I need to ask myself, "Am I reverencing God in the way that I care for my body?" Do I care more about the fact that God is living inside of me and therefore take excellent care of physical frame OR do I care more about what I want (i.e. an extra helping at dinner or one more handful of chips...)?

All of these thoughts have been spawned by the fact that I love coffee. I drink coffee every morning without fail. I have started using organic sugar in my coffee instead of my normal no-calorie sweetener (Truvia) because it tastes just oh-so-good. I think about my coffee when I am getting up and how good it's going to taste when I take those first few sips. Does this sound a bit obsessive to you? It sure does to me. I am convicted of my obsession over coffee - rather my lustful desire for it. This is why I've decided to stop drinking coffee. My "coffee fast" will start on Thursday, March 1st. Why, you might ask, are you quitting drinking coffee all together? Can't I just ween myself off of it? Sure, I probably could do that, and it would probably be easier. But for me, because this has been on my heart and mind for some days now, I think that James 4:17 applies, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." Honestly, I am not looking forward to cutting out coffee from my routine, but in order for me to learn self-control and pray through this issue, I am going to, by God's grace, commit to doing so.

As I take on this challenge, and pray for God's help and perseverance in this, I would ask you: is there anything in your life that you think you are 'obsessed' with, that is keeping you from glorifying God with your body? If you ask God for wisdom, He will give in abundance, if only you ask in faith!

Thanks for reading :)