Listening and looking…

Waking up this morning, my head was telling me to get up and run!  But my body, particularly my foot, was telling me otherwise.  I listened to my head and started out on a fairly good run.  The further I ran, the slower I got until I had no choice but to listen to my screaming foot telling me to STOP!  Unfortunately I didn’t complete this morning’s run and had to power walk it the last quarter of the way home.  I was slightly, okay more than slightly, bummed with my performance….

(source)

Though I didn’t stop, slowing down did allow me to take in some of God’s Creation that I would have otherwise quickly passed by and not given a second glance!

It was a beautiful morning…the sun was just beginning to peek out above the mountains.

 All was still and quiet in the neighborhood…”Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10

 The morning dew droplets hanging on to fresh green grass…

 Sweet smelling blossoms from our neighbor’s lemon tree…love the fresh smells of Spring!

All in all, it was definitely worth slowing down and taking the time to listen to my hurting body (my foot feels much better this afternoon) and look at God’s beauty that surrounds me!

Now I’m listening to the timer go off on the oven and looking forward to tonight’s dinner!  It’s going to be a chilly night at the ball field, so it was fitting that I try my new recipe for  “Crockpot Chili.”  I soaked my beans last night, rinsed and drained them this morning and into the crock pot they went.

My soaked black beans….

And kidney beans…

I decided to make some of Sarah Matheney’s  “Cowgirl Cornbread” from her cookbook Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love.  I followed the recipe almost to a “T”….I swapped out the whole wheat flour for gluten free all-purpose(used Bob’s Red Mill) and made sure that my cornmeal was gluten free as well.

I realized that I had started cutting into the cornbread before taking a picture, so that’s why it looks so crumbly!  Oops!  Served up warm with some butter and honey…OH-SO-DELISH! And a nice hot bowl of chili!  I was so pleased with the outcome of this meal and so was the rest of the fam!

Crock Pot Vegan Chili

Yields 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp vegan Worchester sauce

1/2 can organic tomato paste (6 oz. can)

2 cans organic fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 cup organic frozen corn

7 cups kidney/black beans soaked overnight, then rinsed and drained (4-5 cups of dry beans for soaking as they will expand!)

3 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet.  Add onion, red pepper and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the mixture to the crock pot.

Turn the crock pot on to high heat.  Add beans and corn to onion mixture and stir together.  Add the water, spices, tomatoes and tomato paste.  Blend well together and cover.

Cook on high for 6-7 hours, checking the taste after 2 hours. 

 In the last hour or so of cooking, the beans thickened up real nice and made for a perfect hearty meal.  And the added bonus is that we have lots of leftovers!

Nourishing Thought for Today:

“Soak up the world with your eyes!”

 (source)

Blessings,

J’lene