It has been a heavy week and really a heavy few months. I am listening, learning, and trying to be the best ally and advocate for others. This means that I am reaching out to friends to listen to their experiences, looking up ways to support, altering my summer reading list to make sure I am including books by authors of color as well as non-fiction that will challenge me. Racism is wrong. I am praying that the tragic death of George Floyd and many before him sparks a change in America where we recognize our privileges, advocate for our minorities especially black men and women, and we stop the deplorable deaths caused by racism. This week I will share my summer reading list that will have ten non-fiction books including some on racism I want to read to help me in my privilege as an educated, white, employed, woman in the South. I am praying deeply that all Christians remember that God created everything and He created ALL men and women in his image. Harming others harms God. I know this will not change overnight, there is a lot of heart work to do and I am not scared to sit in the pain of recognizing my own faults, sins, and grieving with the harm I have caused others.
“In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26–28).
Now for the original post for today, May apart from being filled with news was another month at home. NC is opening in phases but I have still been staying home except for a few store returns that have been in my home since March and the grocery store. This month I am hoping to continue to use up items in my home, focus on being grateful for all the things I have (including my privilege to have a job, the ability to work from home, a safe home, supportive family and friends, etc) as part of my goals and I want to continue to do so throughout the summer. Here are my specific goals for June:
- Move for at least 30 mins five times a week. Last month I set a goal of 30 mins of intentional movement every day. While I did not complete this goal I did intentionally move 22 times in May. I have a post scheduled for Thursday of the workouts I completed, some of my favorite at home workouts, and some work out gear I love if you are interested to know more.
- Read five fiction and at least two non-fiction books. I prefer fiction and novels but I know that educating myself on issues and individual's experiences are important especially in our current climate. I have a few non-fiction books on my shelf I have been meaning to read so I am going to start there. I am also on hold for a few from the digital library while our county library is still closed.
- Eat diary and gluten free all month. I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance in the summer of 2015 and since then I cut back on my dairy and lactose consumption. However the last few months and especially the last few weeks my stomach has been having issues. I am going to completely cut dairy and gluten out this coming month. I am keeping the grains and processed items to a minimum so my meals are going to feature a lot of protein+vegetables+potatoes. I went ahead and planned my meals for the month so hopefully I start feeling better ASAP.
- Consistently blog at least Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week. I love the online blog community and I haven't been as consistent. Since it is summer a lot of my other commitments have wrapped up (including some that transitioned to zoom meetings) so I hope I can continue to share. I would love to include any blog ideas you would like to see.
- Word Before Phone. I can often reach for my phone in the morning before getting in my quiet time. I want to make this a priority and put away any excuses to not start my day reading the Bible, praying, and studying the word.
As I have shared on my previous Meal Plan Mondays, I live by myself and do not mind eating leftovers. Therefore, I tend to only make 2-4 recipes a week and eat off of those meals for a bit. Since it is getting to summer weather here in NC I tried to keep my meals this month simple and often avoiding using the oven. For breakfast this week I am going to make smoothies or have some simple scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit. Here's what's on the lunch and dinner menu:
Monday
L: Applegate turkey hotdog with mustard, the last of my potato salad (I skipped the bacon and celery this time), and either pineapple or watermelon.
D: Tacos. I am using my favorite beef taco meat with Old El Paso shells, lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa, and guacamole.
Tuesday
L: lettuce wrapped hamburger with Sir Kensington's special sauce. Momfessional's broccoli salad (no cheddar), watermelon, and shoestring french fries (cooked in my air fryer)
D: Tacos.
Wednesday
L: lettuce wrapped hamburger, broccoli salad, fruit, and french fries
D: Taco Salad.
Thursday
L: Big Mac Salad - hamburger, romaine, pickles, onion, tomato, and special sauce
D: Tacos.
Friday
L: grilled chicken caesar salad. I am using the dressing from the Defined Dish cookbook's steakhouse caesar. Alex also shares her recipe here on her blog.
D: lettuce wrapped hamburger, broccoli salad, fruit, and french fries
Saturday
L: chicken caesar salad
D: Balsamic Chicken over Tomato Salad from the Clean Paleo Family Cookbook
Sunday
L: Brunch - eggs, sausage, fruit
D: Balsamic Chicken over Tomato Salad leftovers
What are your goals for June? Favorite summer recipes?
Best,
All the best with your goals, Jessica! Hopefully cutting out gluten and dairy goes well for you and your stomach settles. Intentional movement every day is a great commitment, I certainly find that working from home means generally moving less and I am loving working out 5-7 times a week - and it really shows.
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