cravings meets kitchen

Because I'm pregnant and love food, here's some things we've been making and eating this week (recipes included)...

Cast Iron Bacon and Heirloom Tomato Fritatta

Preheat oven to 375 and spray your cast iron with coconut oil. In a separate bowl, mix together a dozen eggs, crumbled bacon (I had already cooked it in the same cast iron beforehand), sharp cheddar cheese shredded, and season with cayenne pepper. Pour into cast iron pan and par bake for about 20 minutes. Pull it out and add sliced heirloom tomatoes to the top, and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with fresh green onion (we always have a bunch in our garden and I swear it tastes even that much better). My man ate almost the entire thing after a weekend in the mountains. 

'Acai' Bowls

Ours don't actually have Acai in it, but it's the same idea. Blend 1 cup frozen berries, 1 cup frozen pineapple, and 1 cup water together (you want it thick, so you're going to have to work at blending it without watering it down too much). Pour in a bowl and top with granola, fresh fruit (we've been loving strawberries, peaches, and bananas), unsweetened coconut, almonds, and drizzle with honey. The baby likes it too, because she dances up a storm in my belly after I eat it. 

 Homemade Rosemary Focaccia 

One of my favorite things to get at Fresco's is the BLT on their homemade focaccia, and after some friends told us that they make their own focaccia, I felt inspired. Here's a recipe I got from italktofood.com for the bread. And you bet we made BLT's on it and ate it at our church's picnic service in the park last week. 

1 cup water

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp sugar

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp salt

3 ¼ cup flour

Directions:

1. Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a bowl let rest for 5 minutes.

2. With your hands, or Kitchen Aid with a dough hook, incorporate the flour, olive oil and salt.

3. Knead for about 8-10 minutes until your arms are sore...haha until it forms a lovely ball.

4. Cover in a little oil, place in a large bowl and cover.

5. Let rest/rise for 45 minutes.

6. Remove ball from bowl and place on a greased cookie sheet.

7. Poke the dough around to form a square shape.

8. Use your fingers to push down the dough.

9.  Drizzle with olive oil and grey salt or sea salt

10. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

11. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

12. If it isn't golden brown, broil it for ONLY A FEW SECONDS.

13. Slice into 4 squares and then in half

Cruciferous Crunch Salad

Chopped kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, green and red cabbage (all cut up in a bag from the beloved Trader Joe's), and I added herb crumbled feta, diced cherry heirloom tomatoes, and a homemade balsamic glaze. Heck to the yes. Easy, light, and hits the spot every time. 

Baked Honey Glazed Peaches with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

 We've obviously been gobbling up as much stone fruit as we can while it's in season, and last night I sent Jeremy to grab some vanilla bean ice cream while I baked some peaches that I cut in half and drizzled with honey and cinnamon at 375 for about 25 minutes. Top with vanilla bean ice cream and more cinnamon (which, p.s. that combo tastes like amazing horchata) and enjoy!

stripping it down

Our hearts have been aching for more simplicity.

And yet, the dichotomy of where we live, here in Santa Barbara, seems to be a constant game of catch up, where affluence seeps around every corner. Where people work hard, pay a lot to live in a little house, have no retirement, no plans of buying a home, and just try to 'make it' here. 

We're in this weird limbo of forsaking the 'American Dream' (which has never really appealed to us anyway) and being willing to follow God, wherever that may be... very possibly East Africa. And yet, also this realization that as we grow our family there is something comforting in the thought of moving to the mountains of Colorado, building a cabin, and watching our kids play in the creek while we hang  laundry on the line. With a home to call ours, a little fund that we can grow old with as we enjoy life, and not have to work into our old age. How is it that my heart heart can long for both?

We have absolutely no idea what God has next for our little family. And it's this scary, exhilarating, amazingly peaceful thing as Jeremy and I press into the Lord more than ever. Especially in the beautiful unknown. We've been up late talking, daydreaming, and journalling about ideas whirling through our heads and vision in our hearts. We're in a place of complete openness, in a newer sense than ever before. Something is brewing, and we're just waiting on the Lord to see what it is. But until we know, the things happening in the simple days right now are being soaked up and cherished by us. 

Exodus 14:21 

'The Lord caused the sea to go back... all that night,'

'In this verse there is a comforting message showing how God works in the dark. The real work of God for the children of Isreal, was not when they awakened and found that they could get over the Red Sea; but it was 'All that night".'  - Streams in the Desert

Jeremy and I take so much comfort in knowing that in this major unknown for us, God is still moving. In the night, in the mystery, He is doing things and we wait in expectation. 

And in the waiting, we are ready for more simplicity. We have been prepared for this massive life change if we move to Africa. But, I think we forget the small changes towards simple living, and ultimately more fulfilled living, that we can choose right now. 

We live in a tiny little home, and we kind of love it that way. It makes us go outside often, and half of our living is done outside of the house. Out of necessity (otherwise we'd go stir crazy in our little space) but, also because this is how we like it. We would rather have the tiniest kitchen and BBQ at the beach or set up a picnic after a hike. We love that Elsie is covered in sand, or dirt, or even poison oak most days, and that she completely comes alive in nature. Jeremy rides his bike to work, and we walk downtown for as many errands as we can. We've been trying to be more intentional about filling our time creatively once it gets dark. That's when it's easy for us to just zone out on the couch. But, we've been trying to work on projects in the garage, write more, read for absolute fun, watch documentaries, and something we've loved doing for the last year or so is our 'date night-in' once a week. 

What does it look like for our little family to have a lose grip on the things of this world? What does it look like for us to enjoy each other more? What does it look like when we open our hearts and hands for more of Jesus in the mundane?