Smorgasbord

Definition of SMORGASBORD

1

: a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (as hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes)

2

: an often large heterogeneous mixture : mélange

(Thank you, Merriam-Webster online…)

Also:

Examples of SMORGASBORD

1. <every day the director has to first deal with a smorgasbord of problems before he can begin filming>

Origin of SMORGASBORD

Swedish smörgåsbord, from smörgås open sandwich + bordtable

First Known Use: 1879

(again, credit here shall go to Merriam-Webster, here:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smorgasbord)

Why do I start with this crazy word of Scandinavian origin?  Well, growing up, when we had a lot of leftovers to eat, my Mom would tell us that it was Smorgasbord night…meaning time to eat all the leftovers in whatever conglomeration they come.  Sidenote:  it was my Dad’s favorite meal.  He loved eating leftovers.  When they were heated and put in front of him.  Ahem.  (Is this a male thing?  Because honestly, my sweetie will also be glad to eat leftovers once they are heated and on a plate smelling delicious, but in the fridge in a container, they do nothing for him.  Funny. Random.  Moving on.)

Welcome to your Smorgasbord blog!  I just thought I’d throw out a few things that made me smile this week.  That’s all. =-)

One:  If you follow my blog, you know that we did not have a totally traditional Thanksgiving, so we made the little bits of a traditional Thanksgiving meal throughout the season…and early this week, I just finished the homemade and healthy Hallelujah Acres version of Green Bean Casserole.  It was YUM.  What it leaves out is the Cream of Mushroom soup, but you would never know it! There are mushrooms in it for sure, and yes, even the French’s fried onions, as they have minimal ingredients.  Check out this much healthier version of an old fave on their site:

http://www.hacres.com/recipes/cards/classic-green-bean-casserole

Two:  I have been reading “Sweet Deception” by Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Kendra Degen Pearsall for awhile now; it is a non-fiction book that mainly concerns the origins and problems of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, nutrasweet, splenda, etc, but it also delves into issues of the FDA and Big Pharma.  It has taken me awhile to read, because admittedly, it’s a lot of information and does not always have me on the edge of my seat.  I am still really glad  that I read it, and I highly recommend it!  Last night, though, one quote from the book totally spoke to me, and I was not expecting it:

“My conscience is formed by the voice of Christ speaking internally to me.  That’s what the conscience is:  it’s the voice of God speaking to each and every one of us about what’s right and what’s wrong.  I knew what was right.  If I walked away from that, nobody else would have to do anything.  I’d be beating myself up because my conscience would condemn me.  So, yes, faith plays a part in everything that I do.  It’s not saying I’m a saint, because I’m not.  But I can’t separate who I am from my religious faith.  It’s all part of the same person.”

Dr. David Graham, the “whistle-blowing FDA physician who testified before the Senate, in the wake of the Vioxx catastrophe, about the critical flaws in the FDA” on whether or not his faith had to do with his decision to testify.

I ask you, does that speak to you, too?

Three:  Raw Veggie Cereal is my new favorite cold cereal.  I love cold cereal.  I do.  And let’s just say that even the healthiest ones out there are still super-processed, unless you know how to make Buckwheat Krispies, which I do, but they have a distinct flavor that I don’t really want to have every day.  (I also love hot cereals, but that is not the point right now. snicker snort.)

For me, veggies at breakfast usually come in the form of A) blended into a smoothie–which is not always what I am longing for in the cold winter months, B) used in sweet salad in combo with fruit and nuts, or C) sauteed lightly before adding some egg to the skillet–great in the winter, but I am more of a sweet than savory breakfast kind of girl.  (Frittatas are awesome at lunch and dinner, though!)

I happened upon this link recently and thought, well, that sounds intriguing…a bunch of veggies, some fruit, and some nuts all mixed together making a “raw” cereal?  And I wondered about the taste when I saw that broccoli and cauliflower were among the ingredients…but let me assure you— THIS STUFF IS YUMMY.  I mean, mainstream flavor yummy, not that-chick-drinks-green-smoothies-yummy…you know what I mean.  I would never have guessed by the taste that there were some usually (dare I say it?) pungent veggies in there!  But processed with apples, pecans, and carrots, topped with coconut flakes, almond milk and cinnamon, and this stuff has raw-nutrient-deliciousness-that-tastes-like-cereal all over it!!!  And no sweetener needed!  CRAZY.

So, go try ya’ some…I dare you.  It made about 3 heaping 1 cup servings, I found, and I topped each with 1 Tbsp coconut, a dash of cinnamon and just enough almond milk to make it look like a bowl of cereal.

http://www.roomag.com/raw-veggie-cereal/

Ps…the blog site is hosted by Candace Cameron Bure, but the author of that post is Janelle of Comfy in the Kitchen, if anyone else happens to follow those blogs…I found both of them through Darlene Schacht of The Time-Warp Wife blog (see side panel)…all have great blogs to follow!!!  In fact, here is a post from Darlene that I adored this week (it was timely, you know…):

http://www.roomag.com/how-to-fight-with-your-husband/

(and ladies, so you know…it’s not tips on how to WIN…it’s tips on how to love…good stuff!!!)

Finally, (Four) I loved this quote from Oswald Chambers:

“Believe God is always the God you  know Him to be when you are nearest to Him.”

So wonderful.  I so needed that.  For when I am nearest to my Lord, I am the girl who twirls around in her backyard with happiness.  I feel safe.  I can talk freely with Him.  I feel approved.  Calm.  Joyous.  Giddy. Yes, all at the same time.  So, no matter how I am actually feeling in a real time moment, I can believe that God is still the same God with whom I feel those glorious emotions.  He is still looking at me the same way.  He is still protecting me the same way.  He is still loving me the same way.   That has not changed.  Whatever my circumstances, I can remember that and hold on to it!  And it certainly gets me through to the next moment…

Me, in St. Louis, Open to His Grace (with Pinocchio, of course!)

I want to end this post with one of my most favorite scriptures.  So fitting no matter what your journey this week or next has been or will be.  Random? Focused? Busy? Slow?  Guess what God says–

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14

Hold on to Him, and don’t let go…He will guide you the entire way; He will see you through the journey.  He promised.

Much love to you all,

Robyn

Ps…what spoke to you this week?  What spoke to you from this post?  Feel free to leave a comment below!  (I will be off-the-grid for a little while, so-to-speak, but I will love checking them out when I re-enter techno world!)