8.12.2009

want to eat cheesy pasta for 331 calories?

for the month that Cook Yourself Thin aired, I watched every single episode. basically, they took people's favorite foods and revamped them in a healthy way. i hadn't tried any of the recipes...until last night!

i had gotten home later than i thought, and i wasn't in the mood to cook right when i got home, so i had a late start to begin with, but then as i started cooking the tomatoes, and the zucchini for my stuffed shells, i knew that we'd be eating late, and i was just hoping that it would be worth the wait. man...was it ever! at 331 calores per serving (4 shells), it was more than amazing. i always gauge my cooking and recipes based on alex's first bite, and this time, he actually stopped after one bite to exclaim at how good it was!


so thank you Cook Yourself thin, because really, who doesn't want to eat cheesy, stuffed shells for 331 calories per serving?! go get the recipe here, you won't be sorry!

8.11.2009

Gum for my Boat

the trailer is here, and needless to say, i am thrilled. THRILLED! i can't wait to see the full length film, but for now i might watch the trailer another dozen times. i hope you enjoy, and i hope you'll support Russell Brownley and this project. Check out the site

Gum For My Boat: Surfing In Bangladesh Trailer from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.



for more info about surfing the nations, just click the link on the right side of our page!

joy the baker strikes again...



i've been loving quite a few recipes from Joy the Baker. i made her browned butter blueberry muffins, and oh wow, they were DELISH!! i did feel the need to cut the amount of blueberries, cuz really, blueberries are expensive, and 2 cups for 12 muffins is a little extravagant :)

So I cut 1/4 C. of blueberries, and they were still amazing! alex can vouch for that! so, instead of re-typing the recipe, you can find it here. if you like blueberries, and you like muffins, you will LOVE these! go ahead...forget that there's 10 oz. of butter in these, and have at it!

8.07.2009

the leadership summit

The last two days, I attended the Leadership Summit at one of the satellite sites. I was a little reluctant to go...only because they were taking up my only days off, and I do not give those up easily! But, I had said I would go, so I did, and I'm so thankful that I did. We had some great speakers, but there were a few that totally captured my heart. I don't think I could capture their message with my little blog, so I'll just give you their names, websites and what they do. If you are curious, I'd love to chat about it, I just don't think writing could do them justice!

Jessica Jackley :: kiva.org :: "Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty." That's what their website says first off, and I've gotta say, it's brilliant! God has gifted the founders of Kiva with a heart for the people around the world living in poverty. What a great way to make things personal for both the lender and the entrepreneur. Ahhh...I could go on and on about the ways Kiva is awesome, but you should check it out for yourself!

Harvey Carey :: Citadel of Faith Covenant Church :: Harvey Carey is a dynamic pastor out of Detroit, Michigan. He spoke to us with passion and authority...and his authority came out of his authenticity. He was teaching about the way he leads his church, and we wanted to listen because he was so real. He doesn't bring his church together every week to learn and grow and then go home. He creates opportunites for them to actually get in the game. He gave the analogy of a football game, and encouraged us to stop being part of the huddle and start being part of the game. Very inspiring and convicting at the same time.

Andrew Rugasira :: Good African Coffee :: Andrew is the founder and CEO of Good African Coffee, which is a company that is committed to helping Africans help themselves through trade, not aid. He made a great point that no country in the world has developed by taking handouts. He said that we as a world, are creating a continent that is chronically dependent on aid, when what they need is someone to parner with them and see them as people they can do business with, not "poor africans" that need a handout.

Wes Stafford :: Compassion International :: Wes spoke about his past and the pain that he endured as a young child in a missionary boarding school in Africa. Having read his book, Too Small to Ignore, and heard him speak multiple times, it was STILL incredibly moving to hear his story and how God has redeemed his pain and has used him to lead an incredible organization that helps an amazing amount of children each year. I highly encourage you to read his book...I have two copies if you'd like to borrow :)


Those are some of the people that really spoke to my heart and challenged me both as a Christian and a leader. The winds of change are blowing, and I can't wait to see where they take us!