Finds

In case you're wondering, I did not fall off the face of the earth (not entirely, anyway). For the past several weeks my brain has been full of preparations for our biggest conference of the year, which took place last weekend. The good news is that all of our meetings and events went well. The better news is that my brain has [nearly] recovered and I should be back to forming coherent thoughts shortly.

Most of my creative juices were directed toward preparing for this conference, so while I wait for them to refill and be channeled into some blog posts, in the meantime I thought I'd share a few favorite finds (say that three times fast).

Food Finds

• Quinoa. (Oh quinoa, why have I only recently tried you? I heard of you long ago but did not venture to try you until just a couple of months ago, and I regret missing out on years of enjoying you.) Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") is a whole grain that has a bit of a nutty taste and is the approximate consistency of couscous. It's a good rice substitute; I usually cook it on the stove and add in steamed and/or roasted veggies such as mushrooms, spinach, carrots and tomatoes, plus a little garlic, then top it with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (In fact, it's what I'm making for dinner tonight!) Easy dish to make and quite healthy.

• Stevia & Agave. For years I've used artificial sweeteners, particularly in my coffee. I'm trying to get away from artificial food and use more "real" food, including real sugar on occasion. I'm also trying to cut back on the amount of sugar and sweeteners I use. I recently tried both stevia and agave nectar as potential substitutes to sweeten my coffee. Of the two, I prefer the stevia a bit more--it's zero calorie, whereas agave does have calories. However, with the agave a little goes a long way, so if you prefer it you can use just a little at a time.

Web Finds

I've also come across a couple of healthy eating/fitness websites that I've bookmarked and peruse just about every day:

• Skinnytaste.com: Great healthy, low calorie recipes with all the nutritional info (including Weight Watchers points for those on WW) included. Of course, I'm a sucker for beautiful photography so this site's a winner in my book.

• Your Nutritionista: Lots of healthy recipes, fitness tips and articles

Have you tried any new foods or come across any new websites (not necessarily health/fitness related) that you want to share?

Just So You Know

If you are trying to reduce the amount of

in your diet, eating

{BrEaD pUdDiNg}

made from

is really not the way to do it.

{But boy oh boy, was it good!}

A Little Summer Reading

Just Finished

I've been on a bit of a French kick lately, reading several autobiographies of Americans living in Paris. (Hmmm, wonder if that's a sign of things to come?) I greatly enjoyed Julia Child's memoir of her transition from government work to cookbook author and television star while dividing time between the U.S. and France.

Now Reading

Having completed a couple of Kelly Minter's Bible studies, I was eager to read her latest book. I enjoy her down-to-Earth approach and humility; I appreciate her openness about her own struggles to adapt to the character of Christ. I'm trying to read through the various attributes slowly and not rush through them. Developing these characteristics is certainly a lifelong process and I have a feeling this is one of those books that I'll read through multiple times.

Next in the Lineup

The first Donald Miller book that I read was Searching for God Knows What. Loved it. I was a bit underwhelmed by Blue Like Jazz; I know it was on many Christian "must read" lists but to me, it just didn't live up to the hype. However, I did enjoy Through Painted Deserts, and have been eager to read this one ever since it came out.

So, read any good books lately?