Ingredients and Recipes......for the Good Life!

In the immense colors of the world God created a beautiful array of fruits and plants that are powerful!  They are delicious to eat at mealtime and also beautiful to look at as a symbol of His gifts of the earth to us!  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is "He brought me to the banqueting table, And His banner over me was love."  Song of Solomon 2:4  It isn't realistic to think that every meal can be a banquet but if we plan wisely, we can prepare colorful meals full of vitamins and nutrition for our families. We can bring our loved ones to a banqueting table that we've prepared in love.  We are given many opportunities to serve our families and to do it cheerfully and one of these opportunities involves meal preparation.  As I look back on our life as a family, meal time has always been a special family time.

All of my daughters and my son are excellent cooks. I enjoy the fellowship when they are visiting with us and the meal preparation, the laughter, the jokes, the sharing.....it is all good!   They  also enjoy fitness, as do I, and in choosing wisely the food they eat.  We are always amazed at some of the recipes that are shared between us.  Our daughter, Kacie is planning to create a family cookbook for us and maybe it will be one she can even publish!  So.......it was with much love that I was given a beautiful new cookbook as a gift from our daughter, Kara and her husband Phil, who lives in England.  The name of the cookbook is LEON by Allegra McEvedy.  On the side in small letters are the words:  FULL OF GOODNESS!  Leon is a restaurant in Great Britain on Carnaby Street in the city of  London.  It was founded on the principle that food can be both lovely and good for you!  Amen!  I totally agree with this concept and if we were more conscious as consumers, the health of our nation and our world would be  incredibly better.  Actually in her cookbook she stresses the importance of ingredients being nature's finest at the right time of the year.  Seasonal eating is important in our diets.  "Sunshine is essential for Life~both for us and our ingredients." says the author.  I chose to prepare as my first meal from the cookbook a salad called Chicken Superfood Salad.  It was delicious!  I added extra lemon juice with the dressing and added a creamy Italian drizzle to make it pretty!  Perhaps you can make this for your family!  Enjoy!  Exercise and proper nutrients are essential for a healthy mind, spirit, and body!  Everyday we are alive is a wonderful gift!  Enjoy your day!

Chicken Superfood Salad

Serves 2

1/2 cup couscous

1/2 head of broccoli

2 roasted chicken breast

(Marinate these in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, and 1 -2 cloves of garlic, chopped)

2 handfuls of fresh baby field greens

2 hand fulls of baby spinach

2 vine-riped tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 package of frozen peas ~thawed

Juice of 1 lemon (I added another half)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

a light sprinkling of alfalfa sprouts

2 tablespoons of toasted seeds of your choice

a hefty sprinkling of chopped mint and parsley

salt and pepper

Cook the couscous and let it cool while building your salad.

(I like her wording~makes it sound like I am doing wonderful work)

ENJOY!