how I make egg whites edible

I love eggs. They are quick to make and on days when I don't feel like doing much I opt for eggs. If it's breakfast I typically just eat one whole egg, but if it's lunch or dinner and I need a larger main dish I use 1 egg and 2 egg whites. Egg whites tend to be very bland in my opinion and also watery. No amount of spices can fix them. What can fix them is a little egg yolk! So.... 1 egg plus 2 whites.

 OK, I promise I'm not making a photo tutorial for how to make scrambled eggs. I just want to share what I do to spice up my eggs (which have the potential to be awfully bland. I add McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning... it's yummy! Then I crack some more pepper in them along with a sprinkle of Kosher salt. I add whatever fresh herb I happen to have on hand. Today it was thyme. But chives or basil or cilantro or parsley would be divine as well. 

I also like to add cheese to my eggs as they are cooking. I'm particularly fond of parmesan blends. 

Serve it up with some bread and fresh fruit! 

The eggs (cheese included) are 4 WW plus points. A Sister Schubert's  Roll is 4 as well. Fruit is free so here ya go- a filling and well balanced 8 point lunch. 

My Strong Deliverer

One of the many things I learned as I matured out of my teen years was that every one faces hard times. I’m sure that anyone I ask would be able to tell me something that is going on in his or her life that is difficult.

When I think of human struggles in the Bible, it is the Israelites that first come to my mind. I cannot imagine what it must have felt like to be treated horribly as a slave and then to be delivered by God, only to find yourself in a place that makes you long for the life of a slave.  It’s easy for us to think of them as selfish and complainers- but it must have been awful in that desert if they longed to be slaves again! I’m sure they often wondered why their God of deliverance brought them more struggle.  Do we ourselves often wonder why God brings us struggle?

 Deuteronomy 8:2-3 reads:

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger, and then feeding you with manna, which neither   you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”.

 So I’d like to encourage you to think about how God might be testing you when you face struggles. What might God be trying to teach you? Is He trying to humble you? Maybe He wants to see if your heart is right behind your good deeds. Perhaps God wants to teach you to trust Him or to depend on His promises rather the promises of the world. What ever your struggles might be, look for how God might be working through them to deliver you. It’s always a little more encouraging to focus on how God is working in us rather than focusing on how Satan is working to get us! If we allow Him, the God who delivered the Israelites will deliver us too!  

a little bit of difference in my life

I think it's interesting how different God designs his children. We express ourselves differently, we think differently, we react differently, our abilities are different, our instincts are different. Face it- we are just so different! 

I see this a lot in me and Blake. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty alike.... but it feels like the differences are often what's most apparent. And I love our differences... through at times it can make things challenging... in the end it keeps us balanced. It always makes things interesting to say the least. Here are some of the things I notice the most. 

- He likes pizza more than any food in the world and could eat it every day. When I think of that I think of my throat exploding from acid reflux. I'd much rather have ice cream every day! (Savory vs. sweet)

- He likes things done in a timely fashion and does them in a timely fashion. I think the word for that would be punctual... am I right? Well as much as I like the idea of things done in a timely fashion.... I don't carry it out. I am my father's daughter. For example..... it took me over a month to take my car title into the car agency to get it transferred to my name and registered in Oklahoma. Blake would have had that done the day after he received the title. 

- Blake thinks dishes should be done right after dinner. I realize this is what many people think... but for some reason it's the last thing I want to do. I'd rather get back to it. I will be teaching my kids how to do dishes from a very early age. I don't like them. 

- Blake likes dirty dishes to go on the counter.... I like them to go in the sink.... if there are dirty dishes in the sink he will request I take care of them so that he can do the rest. It's funny. (Of course the logical person would say... hey they go in the dishwasher!) Why do we have such differences! 

- He is very private. I.... as you might have guessed... am not! I can't keep anything in to save my life. Don't worry friends... I've never kept any big secrets inside. I'm the worst secret keeper ever. But it's also that I have this need inside of me to share what's going on in my mind and if I don't then I can't sleep or focus on anything else. It's like a kid who needs his recess time to run out his energy. I need talking time to get out everything on my mind. (I actually have always thought it'd be fun to have a therapist just so I had someone who HAD to listen to everything on my mind) Blake on the other hand only tells when it needs to be told. I need him in my life to keep from spilling my every thought (which are not always good ones!) to everyone! 

- Blake underestimates.... I over estimate. This goes for time, money, whatever. For example he thought we could move apartments across town in a couple of hours. I thought it would take like the entire day. We were both wrong! Or I might say it takes an hour to get somewhere, he says 30 minutes... in reality it's 45. We need each other!

-Blake likes PC and I like Mac. Enough said. Don't even get me started on this one. We feel VERY strongly about our sides and a casual convo can quickly turn ugly! 

-Blake likes to deal with things (or talk about things) the next day.... or plan a time to deal with them. Not me! I've got to deal with it right then when it happens. Even if it's 11pm... or 2 am! If I don't, I can think of nothing else! Oh boy!

-Blake shops with a plan of action.... I prefer to browse. Even though I take my list into the grocery store I must look down every row. I have to look at everything in the store... every week. (But for real.... if I go to the store looking for a certain style shirt... I won't be able to find it... I will however be able to find a cute pair of shoes on sale... that's how it works for me!)

Through all of our differences (and there are plenty more) I'm so glad we share our love for the Lord, our love for each other,  and our love for ROAD TRIPS, Food Network, House Hunters, NON beach vacations, conservative politics, quality food, and cozy holidays. There are so many times when I think, "oh my goodness I'm so glad I'm with you because I don't think anyone else would agree with me on this... or understand why I want this". Even though there are so many times I feel like we are not "getting" each other.... I know we really do understand each other in the end. 

It's funny being married and the things that you learn. It's only been 17 months of marriage, but I've learned a great deal! One of those things I've learned is "Find the things you do have in common and save them for a grumpy day! Meaning.... when those differences get frustrating (and they certainly do)... remember the similarities and focus on them instead! 

I hope this didn't bore you to sleep.... if anyone actually read this! If ya did thanks for hanging in there with me! 

spiritual thoughts: focusing on his love

One of the greatest advantages of my job at the christian school is that I'm surrounded by people who draw to God on a daily basis. When someone feels the least bit anxious about something, it's quite normal to hear things like: "well, pray about it", "I'll be praying for you", "all you can do is pray about it". This type of environment has really done wonders for my prayer life.

What used to be a routine evening prayer in my journal (which followed the traditional format of praise, thank, ask, confess, thank, praise, in Jesus name amen) has turned into praying all through out the day.

These prayers are not done in a way of talking to a friend either. I want to be very reverent to my heavenly father. What I've found myself doing is drawing near to God in the midst of stress, or happiness, or whatever my emotion might be.

Little things come up all time, and when I feel anxious I praise God for being a mighty and awesome God who is powerful and loving enough to bring me peace and strength. When I feel happy about something I praise God for making all things good. I've learned to continually praise God throughout the day for his greatness. I don't know that I've ever felt closer to God. I can feel him working on me and working in my life.

This is a song that's been on my mind. It's all about praising God through it all and finding strength through Him... and most importantly gaining strength FROM praising Him. Copy and paste the following link into your browser and take a few minutes to reflect on the message of this song. Take a moment to reflect on God's great love for us. Read through the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEF7IoQ3eUk&ob=av2n


Your Love O Lord- Third Day


Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings