Food for the mind and body. (Podcasts)

Happy Monday! We are coming off a weekend away and full of food treats.  Pizza twice (yum), cheese and crackers, and even some sugary treats.  I woke up this morning giving myself a mental to-do list which included eating some better foods for my body so I feel refreshed and ready to face the week with strength.  I thought a peek into the garden would do the trick. 

Of course many of these are from a trickle of photography that's been streaming out of the garden all summer long.  A capture here, a click there.  Our cucumbers are now long gone but our pantry is stocked with pickles for fall and winter days. 

My best, most intense exercise has by far come from the garden this year.  Especially during potato digging times!  There is something about getting my fingers and toes in the dirt and sweating buckets that just doesn't live up to the treadmill or an exercise video.  I need the earth. 

We've had tomatoes for days and already have a nice supply canned as well.  There's nothing like a bright, red jar of tomatoes to brighten up a cold, grey winter day.  

The thing I like about the garden is how easy it is to provide our bodies with food.  Real food.  No needing to check for ingredients, no counting calories.  Just the pure pleasure of biting into a ripe, juicy garden tomato, seeds dripping down your chin. 

A few other easy recipes we've enjoyed this summer are DIY snow cones.  After watching Betsy's skin become so dyed with color after eating a roadside snow cone last year I decided they weren't for us.  So this year we crushed ice in our food processor and then added real fruit juice from either watermelons or blueberries on top.  I simply crushed the fruit, poured the juices over the top, and then added a piece of two of fruit on top of the ice.  The girls love these things! 

We also tried this "Nutella" spread made from black beans.  Surprisingly enough, this was really good!  Brett and I first ate Nutella in Italy and once we came back to the states we were totally under the impression it was healthy.  Now we know better.  This dip was thicker than Nutella but the flavor was fantastic.  I enjoyed it with apples. 

A favorite way I've been dressing up our Asian-inspired meals and adding a bit of crunch is with black sesame seeds.  I simply toast them for a minute on the stove-top and add to just about any dish.  

And of course, you can't go wrong with a bowl of soup made from homemade broth and tons of veggies. 

See, I feel ready to make good, delicious food choices already! 

Another way I enjoy feeding my mind is by listening to podcasts.

I usually put one on at night when I'm folding laundry or sitting on the back deck with Brett. 

Or cooking.  

A few I enjoy are: 

1.) The Glorious in the Mundane with Christy Nockels

2.) Timothy Keller sermons

3.) Room in the Trees: living creatively

4.) The Big Boo Cast

How about you? What are you eating/listening to lately?