Many times I am just so tired that I start complaining about every little detail that doesn't go my way. I don't blame my complaining on being tired, I understand that in my sin I tend to go the complaining route. 

Today, I was reminded with a little, simple verse what makes all the difference: "14 Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14 
What a sweet truth it was from the Lord to remember to be empowered by His love to do what I have to do with love for Him and for others. Love rooted in Christ brings about gratitude and joy.

So whenever I am prone to discouragement or venting because "i'm tired" or "i'm frustrated" I can choose to abide in His love and be propelled to love.
///
Muchas veces estoy tan cansada que comienzo a quejarme de cualquier cosa que se ponga en mi camino y me haga las cosas mas difíciles  grandes obstáculos o pequeños detalles. No culpo mi error a que estoy cansada sino entiendo que en mi pecado tiendo ir a la queja.

Hoy Dios me recordo en su Palabra con un simple y corto versículo lo que hace toda la diferencia: "Todas vuestras cosas sean hechas con amor."1 Corintios 16:14
Que hermosa verdad el recordar el ser impulsada por su amor para hacer lo que tengo que hacer durante el día con amor por El y por otros. El amor fundamentado en Cristo produce gratitud y gozo. 

Así que en el momento que quiera "desahogarme" de la manera incorrecta (quejándome) puedo escoger permanecer en Su amor y ser impulsada a amar.

My family's favorite dish and the easiest one to make!

Priscilla and Michel loovee this dish and the best thing is that it is the easiest meal I cook.
Because of our health goals we eat red meat once, maximum twice a week. We all love meat in this house. You will love this meat, it is so tender and very lean and healthy.

SO first, you need a  kitchen's best friend: a crockpot.

I buy the leanest stew beef I find at the supermarket (I love Trader Joe's)

and get 1 to 1.5 lbs. of beef.

Recipe:

1-1.5 lbs. beef for stew
1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
8oz. mushrooms
1 medium onion
2 tomatoes
1clove minced garlic

a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Put the beef in chunks and add all the spices.
Turn on the crockpot in low. Two hours into it throw in the minced garlic, mushrooms, the chopped onion and tomatoes. Cook in low for 4 more hours. Half an hour before cooking time is up
throw in some splashes of the Worcestershire sauce to give it a little more flavor.

Total cook time is 6 hours in low. Your beef will be so tender it will melt in your mouth.
I serve it with quinoa and steamed or roasted veggies, this time I served it with asparagus,
my family devoured it :)

Finished product:

Put the beef mixed with the spices in the crockpot in LOW

Two hours later thrown in the veggies

I have tried it before where I just put all ingredients together and cook it all for 6 hours in low, it is still very good but if you have time do it in this two stages it will taste even better.

Giving ourselves a break ;)

So because we eat really healthy during the week I like to cook something
less healthy once a week.

I invented this cajun shrimp pasta last week and Michel liked it so much he asked me to do it again this weekend!

8 oz. Angel hair pasta
1lb shrimp
1TBSP coconut oil
1 teaspoon cajun powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
sea salt & pepper

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 TBSP light sour cream

(Optional: chopped green onions, cilantro)

Cook pasta as directed in the box. 

Cook shrimp with coconut oil in a pan. While shrimp cooks add cajun, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and sprinkle salt and pepper. When shrimp are almost done sprinkle cornstarch and add the sour cream. Add cooked pasta, mix and cook in low/medium for 5 minutes.

I served it with a little chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and parmesan cheese.

Enjoy! 

Super easy & healthy lunch or dinner :)

Sweet Potato Tacos :)

 I love having vegetarian lunches 3 times a week and sometimes I run out of ideas.

So I picked two sweet potatoes I had on my fridge and baked them for 40 minutes in 400 degrees F.
Once they were soft when pricked with a knife  I took them out from the oven and
waited a few minutes to let them cool down a bit.

Then I cut them in half and took the insides out.
I put it on a big bowl and mashed them well. I added 1 cup organic black beans, 1/4 cup
of chopped red onions, 1/2 cup corn, juice from half a lime, pinch of salt and pepper, and if you like spicy like me a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Mix it all together.

Put  a couple of tablespoons of the mixture in two warm corn tortillas, and there you have
it... a delicious meal that has healthy carbs and protein!

Make your own dairy-free/healthier coffee creamer

I don't know about you but when I eat/drink too much dairy I feel bloated. I still like my yogurt and have some dairy but try to avoid it as much as I can. A few months ago I cut down on creamer for my coffee. I love coffee with creamer but I only have it now on the weekends as a treat, ha!

So when I found a recipe in a blog called  "the clean plate" I was anxious to try it see how it tastes.

It is super easy to make too!

I really liked it specially with tea but putting a teaspoon or two in my coffee tastes so good too.

The recipe

1 can of full fat coconut milk
1/4 c. almond milk (optional)
1 shake of cinnamon
1 shake of sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender, vitamix, or magic bullet.
2. Serve with coffee and store in the fridge                                                                                                                        

(from http://thecleanplatechef.com/2012/11/14/coconut-coffee-creamer/)

Let me know what you think!

Those moments in my life when I've asked "why Lord"

During a very difficult time in my life some years ago I would struggle to trust God and I would ask Him, why God? why do I have to go through this terrible trial? I would tell him how I was missing out on so much because of this heart breaking time in my life and in my pain and selfishness I would resent how most of the people I knew were not going through something so hard as this. I would doubt Him and he would be so patient to speak to me through His word.
Over the years, God has shown me the beauty of His sovereignty over all the events in my life.

Those years that I thought I would never recover from so much suffering He meant them for good. Those lonely times, He meant them for good for it was in those moments where I felt his presence and a peace that would come to my heart, so indescribable. Like the Psalmist I would start asking, crying, doubting, but he would lead me to seek Him in His word and He would speak to me and reassure me that He was with me. At times, I still have those moments, I still cry out to him and ask why Lord? why this? but He never fails to show Himself to me like an amazing Father and friend.


These past couple of weeks I have been studying the life of Joseph in Genesis. He was robbed by his siblings so many years of being in his land, with his family, with his father who loved him. He was sold like a piece of merchandise and sent to jail for no reason. And yet, when after many years, he sees his siblings, He says "7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God." Genesis 45:7-8 
He recognized that God was the one ordaining all these hard events in his life because he (God) was in control and because He loved Joseph and He wanted Joseph to bring Him glory.
Instead of becoming bitter, He recognized that God lives, that He is higher and wiser than our ways.

Joseph's life brings glory to God in that He forgave his brothers and showed them mercy. 
I truly think this forgiveness produced in Joseph's heart was from God. After so much suffering and loneliness "caused" by his brothers rejection, he is able to forgive them and "kiss them" v. 15 this is really a supernatural thing.

In your loneliness and in your doubts, trust God's sovereignty. Trust He knows why and how and when. Trust that because His ways are higher than ours, it is good that He knows.
Trust that He is with you and that he has a sovereign plan, that all these days, months or years are not wasted, you are not losing out on something greater than having God with you, before you and in your favor.Trust Him that in your suffering he is making you more like his Son. Trust Him, if you are in Christ, he is with you and that's the best thing that we can have.
//  


Durante una epoca muy difícil de mi vida algunos años atrás a menudo dudaba y le preguntaba A Dios, ¿porque Señor, porque me toco esto a mi?  Como el salmista muchas veces yo venia a Dios diciendole mis dudas, pero El era fiel de llevarme a Su palabra y mostrarme en ella cuan real es el y como el quería revelarse a mi como mi consolador, padre, amigo, y Señor. Estos días he estado estudiando la vida de Jose en Genesis y me ha maravillado ver como Jose reconocia la Soberania de Dios. Ninguno de los eventos de su vida se había escapado de las manos de Dios. El tenia control absoluto de cada uno de los sufrimientos de Jose. Por el odio de sus hermanos Jose fue robado de tener una vida "normal" en su tierra, con su padre que lo amaba, con sus hermanos. Pero Jose reconocía la soberanía de Dios en Genesis 45:5 "Ahora pues, no os entristezcáis ni os pese el haberme vendido aquí; pues para preservar vidas me envió Dios delante de vosotros."  y en Genesis 45:7-8 "Y Dios me envió delante de vosotros para preservaros un remanente en la tierra, y para guardaros con vida mediante una gran liberación. 8 Ahora pues, no fuisteis vosotros los que me enviasteis aquí, sino Dios;"  y Dios uso todo esta tristeza en la vida de Jose para su bien y para que Jose diera gloria a Dios.
 Es maravilloso ver como Jose glorificó a Dios en la manera que el perdonó a sus hermanos y les dio gracia, amor y favor (v.15) " Y besó a todos sus hermanos, y lloró sobre ellos; y después sus hermanos hablaron con él."
En los dias, meses, o años de dolor, sufrimiento, soledad, y llanto de tu vida confía en El, confía que El sabe y sus caminos son mucho mas sabios que los nuestros. Confía que no te estas perdiendo de algo o de alguien mas grande e importante que tu Padre Eterno, confía que si estas en Cristo,  El esta a tu favor, contigo y va delante de ti. Confía que El usara todo este tiempo que parece perdido para Su gloria y tu bien pues conoceras mas profundamente la presencia de Dios, su paz, su gracia y su gozo inexplicable. Confía que en tu sufrimiento El te esta haciendo mas como su Hijo.
El esta contigo!

Praising God this morning!!! Psalm 8

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[b]
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Salmo 8

¡Oh Señor, Señor nuestro,
cuán glorioso[a] es tu nombre en toda la tierra,
que has desplegado[b] tu gloria sobre los cielos!
2 Por boca de los infantes y de los niños de pecho has establecido tu fortaleza,
por causa de tus adversarios,
para hacer cesar[c] al enemigo y al vengativo.

3 Cuando veo[d] tus cielos, obra de tus dedos,
la luna y las estrellas que tú has establecido[e],
4 digo: ¿Qué es el hombre para que de él te acuerdes,
y el hijo del hombre para que lo cuides[f]?
5 ¡Sin embargo, lo has hecho un poco menor que los ángeles[g],
y lo coronas de gloria y majestad!
6 Tú le haces señorear sobre las obras de tus manos;
todo lo has puesto bajo sus pies:
7 ovejas y bueyes, todos ellos,
y también las bestias del campo,
8 las aves de los cielos y los peces del mar,
cuanto atraviesa las sendas de los mares.

⁹ ¡Oh Señor, Señor nuestro,
cuán glorioso^[h] es tu nombre en toda la tierra!